Life on Planet Caddick

Book Title and Author: A Bat in the Belfry by Sarah Graves (This book is #16 in the Home Repair is Homicide Series. Description When it comes to home repair, Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree  is a fervent wielder of power drills and paint brushes. And when catching criminals, she’s been known to really bring down the hammer. But when a shocking murder rocks the small town of Eastport, Maine, Jake may be the next victim for whom the bell tolls.   It is nearly midnight when the enormous bell in the belfry of All Faith Chapel—silent for decades—booms forth, startling awake the entire town of Eastport. Upon inspection of the steeple, the police uncover the body of local teenager Karen Hansen, who had climbed the belfry’s dark, rickety stairs for a midnight rendezvous. But instead of the promise of an exciting new life, Karen meets her death. Meanwhile, as an epic nor’easter bears down on the idyllic island town, Jake Tiptree hurries to shore up her ramshackle old house against the bi...

In April of last year (yes, April!) I was intrigued by a recipe I found for making homemade Liquid hand soap. I wish I could remember the blog I found it on, but I can't - and I hate not giving credit. But if you google homemade liquid hand soap trust me, you will find a ton of recipes and they are all pretty similar. The one I tried used grated bar soap, glycerin, and water. This was the soap I used Grated with a regular cheese grater added a couple tablespoons of glycerin and put it on the stove Then I cooked it - which was pretty interesting because at first it looked like this Once the soap was all dissolved I had to let it sit overnight (12 hours) and it looked like this The bad news, it ended up pretty snotty-like. Which was gross. I used a whisk, which didn't work too well, to try and make it a better consistency. I did end up using a hand blender - but it didn't turn out much better. So I went ahead and put it in an old rinsed out...

I'm not big on air fresheners - usually they smell too strong, or just "off" somehow. Recently I picked up both the Glade Expressions Collection mist and oil diffuser to try. In the mist I picked up the Fuji Apple and Cardamom Spice. Oh my I really like the way it smells. Just a little spritz and you're in business! What I find intriguing is that the spray part is a holder - and you just buy refills. It doesn't look any fancier than any other mist freshener, but you can take the label off, so maybe people might not know it's air freshener? Let's face it though, you usually don't buy spray fresheners for the fancy container anyway. The oil diffusers are what are supposed to be fancy enough to leave out. I really like the way these look. In my opinion, a little zen. I picked up this one in Lavender and Juniper Berry. I don't know what a Juniper Berry is - but I have this one on a shelf in my living room and it smells ok - a little strong. Maybe...

As many of you know we are a scouting family. My son has been involved in Scouts since first grade as a Tiger, he is now a Tenderfoot in Boy Scouts and although we've had our ups and downs it's been a part of our life for so long I can't imagine the fun stuff we would have missed if we hadn't been involved in Scouting. I was asked to step back in as a Tiger Den leader late last year and I didn't hesitate to say yes. Why? Because it's a program I believe in. I love to be around the kids, teach them that being a scout is something you do all the time. Having fun with them, making instruments, learning songs, camping. I think that most boys (and girls) need to be reminded that you have to work to earn things - whether it be rank, patches, or belt loops. I have made friends, people who will continue to be a part of my life no matter where we (or they) are. People I never would have met otherwise. Boys my son is now friends with he would have never met otherwise....