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Stripping Paint with Citristrip! #Citristrip #DIY

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I'm working on upcycling a new piece.  It's a fabulous chest.  I wanted to stain the top instead of painting it and started by sanding it.  Well...I got worried because I didn't want all of the wood's natural imperfections to be removed via sanding so I decided I'd strip it instead using Citristrip. 

It was my first time using it and it was relatively easy.  The most difficult part was letting it sit for 30 minutes.

So...using a paintbrush, I brushed it on the top pretty liberally.  After 30 minutes, I scraped off the gunk using my painter's tool which is seriously the best thing ever for doing so much by way of DIY.  Red Devil's Painter's Tool.

And then voila!  It was ready to stain.  I used a stiff bristle brush to get the scraped bits in the grooves and, since I was in the sun...it dried relatively quickly.  

This was seriously the easiest thing ever.  Stripping paint is tedious and generally icky.  This was easy and with a pleasant smell to boot.  GO ME!  LOL!

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The Perfect Cheap Kitchen Bowls!

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I love to cook. I have learned to enjoy baking since I can't find a lot of fresh gluten free baked goods. I love baking pans, muffin tins, etc. You know...cuz I like neat stuff. LOL! I have all I need or, at least, I thought I did until I rolled up on this FABULOUS Anchor Hocking 2.5 quart glass bowl at HomeGoods for $4.99.  The bowl is true perfection.  I wish I could explain it to you but I can't.  It's just seriously the most perfect bowl.  BUT...it's the size to make 6 muffins or one cake layer.  And well...sometimes you need a dozen.  So I went looking for a larger one just like it and HomeGoods didn't have it so I checked with Mr. Bezos 'nem over at Amazon and BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABY...check out this deal.  You get two 4 quart bowls for $17.99.  

They are on the way!  GO ME!

Bowls.  I know...weird.  

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Bitzonic Wireless Earphones

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I've been in the market for a pair of bluetooth earphones.  I love the wired earphones I use but I understood it would make certain tasks easier if I had a pair of wireless ones like watch television while The Robinator is sleeping and I can't shut off my brain just yet.

I looked high and low on Amazon and got overwhelmed with the process so I stopped.  Then...I remembered that I'd seen Shelly with some recently so I figure I'll just buy whatever she's using cuz she's a music head and wouldn't continue using headphones which didn't work right.

So she sent me the link to hers:  

I was expecting to pay around $70 - $100 for a pair.  Um...they were $15.95.  *BLINK*  Surely that must be wrong.  WITH Amazon Prime they were...um...only $15.95.  I hit 'Add To Cart' so quick I broke a nail.

I'm sitting here using them now and they are awesome.  You can't be too far away from what you're connected to but since I use them with my laptop and my Note 5, I'm good.  When I'm working out I use my Buddy Pouch so having the wire behind my neck will make it easier to listen to music while switching it up.  GO ME!

What earphones do you use?  How much did you pay for them?  Are you happy with them?

Good Skin: At Home Steam Facial For Gorgeous Skin!!!!!!

I do the things my mother used to do to her skin.  She had GREAT skin and it was always so soft and lovely to touch and kiss.  I used to love kissing her cheek and would always smile halfway through the kiss.  

I always tell people I don't really do much to my face because, to me, the things I do are non-things because I've always done them.  It's like brushing your teeth or working out...you just do it because you have to.  But when you are discussing it you realize that you kinda do do extra stuff that a lot of people might not do.

Once a week I hit that Zombie look with a mask.  I normally do it on Sundays.  Once a month, I give myself a full steam facial.  Right here at home.

Step 1:  Wash face.

Step 2:  Use baking soda and water to exfoliate face and neck.  Pat dry.

Step 3:  Put three drops of essential oil into a glass bowl bigger than your face and pour in a tea kettle full of hot water. (Use whatever you want.  I tend to use lemongrass mostly because I don't really use lemongrass oil for anything else and have a lot of it.  My mommy used to use rose.  I remember the smell.  Secret however...YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE ANY OIL!!!!!  Oh...and be careful with the hot water.)

Step 4:  Drape towel over head and bowl once you can breathe comfortably for 10 minutes.  IT WILL GET DRIPPY!  LOL!

Step 5:  Rinse with cool water.  Pat dry.

Step 6:  Use mask to reclose pores.  Follow your mask instructions.  (Mine stays on for 20 minutes.  It's a mud mask Rebecca bought me at some fancy spa and I loved it so much I call and order 6 at a time.)  Rinse.  Pat dry.

Step 7:   Moisturize.  These days I use one capsule of this:  

And voila!  Instant facial awesomeness that doesn't hurt your skin or your pockets!  Get you a regular routine of this going and you'll be happy you did!  DRINK WATER!!!!!

Do you do one too?  What oils do you use?  How often do you do one?  

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I'm Not a Racist. I'm Salty.

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I wasn't very surprised at the Academy Award nominations.  Did I think Kevin Hart was going to get a nod for his role in "Get Hard?"  No.  I didn't.

Who in the world is going to argue that Cate Blanchett and Leonardo DiCaprio don't deserve awards for their performances?  Crazy people ONLY cuz yeah...they brought it as they always do.  Matt Damon in "The Martian?"  Dude did that.  I loved that movie and loved his performance.  Very seldom do I enjoy a movie as much as I enjoyed the book and I did here.

No surprise.

I haven't seen "Room" yet but from what I understand, Brie Larson showed out.  She prepped for 8 months for that role and I'm kinda scared at what that means based on what I know the movie to be about.  I'm sure she was paid enough to not miss a mortgage payment in those 8 months of prep work too. You'd expect that right?  Hell...I hope so.

I'll be honest when I say I didn't really think Jennifer Lawrence was going to get a nod for her performance in "Joy."  Not that I don't like Jennifer Lawrence because I've truly loved all of her previous performances but I just didn't care for the "slowed down" version of her that was in this movie.  I mean I know an actress has to show range in all of their projects...it just didn't do it for me and hell...what do I know and yeah...she's the current golden girl so I wasn't surprised.

I'm also not stupid.  

I know there weren't a lot of movies with Black people in them again so I wasn't expecting more representation during the nominations.  There was "Creed," and "Straight Outta Compton."  Those were pretty much the only two widely released films with significant roles for Black people in them directed by Black people.  Both good movies...to me.  Did I expect "Straight Outta Compton" to get more nods?  Honestly...no.  But "Creed?"  Yeah...I did.

I'm constantly trolling The New York Times' Opinion Facebook page and read comments I expected to read about the "blacklash" regarding the nominations.  And a lot of people didn't seem to get it.  I'm talking White AND Black people.

It's not about the nominations.  I honestly hope they really try and be inclusive.   It's about the filmmakers and casting directors and the people with the clout to greenlight films.  It's about OPPORTUNITY.  

One commenter got a lot of likes for saying something like...it's about talent.  If you're not talented, you don't get nominated, simple.  People were like...YEAH!  SAY THAT!  NO AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN MOVIES!  

And I rolled my eyes because...DUH...it is about talent and, more importantly...the opportunity to showcase that talent.  You can be as talented as Denzel, Cate and Leonardo but if you're not getting the opportunity to show  you're talented...THEN WHO IN THE HELL KNOWS YOU'RE TALENTED EXCEPT FOR YOUR MAMA???????????

So yeah...I was/am salty.  All of that talk that went on last year based on the success of the first season of "Empire" which blew the viewing numbers out of the water was just that...TALK.  While folks were talking and celebrating yet another magazine cover with a Black actor on it, movies were in full post-production about to be rolled out for awards season.  The same names had the same opportunities to show how great they are.  The same names DIDN'T have opportunities.  

Same old, same old.

I was only surprised that so many people were surprised.

Still doesn't mean I wasn't salty though.

What say you?  Were you surprised?  Were you salty?  Do you care?