Weekend Snapshots: Japanese Tea Ceremony, Bath Accessories, Hair Care

In their Kimono.

A severe thunderstorm occurred early this morning and heavy downpours lasted for about an hour.  The rain was on and off when daylight came and I thought it will be raining all day today.  I was glad that the rain stopped and I was able to attend the presentation about Japanese Tea Ceremony at the library this afternoon.  I say it's an interesting lesson about how tea has become popular in Japan over a thousand years ago and how it is still celebrated nowadays.  

After the that, I drove to Sachse to pick up the garage sale items I bought for $5.  These are bathroom accessories with Palm Tree design.  These really match my bath rugs in the master's bathroom. 

Image taken by the seller.

After the pick up, I thought of stopping at CVS store to use my nearly expired coupons.  I got these L'oreal shampoos for $1.00.  I did two transactions and I used two CVS rewards card.  Select L'oreal hair care is on sale at CVS last week.  

Prices:  $4.99 each with card or buy two or more for $4.50 each and get 4.00 Extra Bucks (EB) back.  

So, $4.50x 2 = $9.00 

I used one 4.00 EB rec'd from previous purchases and one Manufacturer's Coupon of $4.00 off 2 L'oreal Advanced hair care products. So I paid only $1.00 and received another 4.00 EB.

Then another $4.50 x 2 = $9.00

I used one 5.00 EB rec'd from previous purchases and two Manufacturer's Coupon of $2.00 off 2 L'oreal Advanced hair care products.  So these offset the cost and paid nothing. I received a 4.00 EB in this transaction.

Shampoos

These items are addition to the stuff I am shipping to my family back home in the Philippines.

Cheap Product Reduces Static Cling

I am very fascinated with this anti-static sheets right now.  Besides the laundry detergent, Cuddle Soft is now my laundry buddy.  

I am so happy I found this at Walmart. So I gave it a try because I am so tired of dealing with statics and zaps whenever I pull out dried clothes from the dryer.  It was not long ago that I found this product. And I am proud to say that it works wonders in drying the clothes.

Anti-static sheets

Drying clothes with Cuddle Soft sheets.

It reduces static cling and I don't have to deal with zaps.  Oh how wonderful.  I wish I found it a long time ago. :)  By the way, Cuddle Soft is $.97 at Walmart.

Wordless Wednesday: Do You Think This Ladybug Is Thirsty?

Ladybug

Tiny Ligustrum Flowers

Ligustrum flowers.

The sunshine yesterday was nice.  Although it was very humid, my daughter and I went out for a short walk and played tag for a little while on the driveway.  Didn't take long and we got very hot so we decided to check on the Ligustrum bushes in the backyard. Sure they're blooming really well again this year.  Unfortunately, not many butterflies are hovering around and feeding.  We only saw maybe not more than five of them.  Unlike two years ago, there were lots of butterflies and bees feeding on the Ligustrum flowers.  Mom and Dad were here on Memorial Day weekend two years ago and they were mesmerized with the scenery.

We are still hoping for the butterflies to come visit our Ligustrum flowers this month.

Bird On A Sign

Mockingbird.

Bird watching?  Not really.   I just love taking pictures of birds whenever there is a chance. They are quick so sometimes I had to be very slow and quiet so they won't fly away.  

This mockingbird was tweeting lively on a post across the road in front of our house.  I was standing in front of my husband's truck, as you can see, that's the roof top of the truck.  It makes me feel good to see and hear birds singing around.

Lazy Rainy Sunday Morning

Front yard.

We love lazy Sundays.  It was a rainy morning yesterday and quiet, too.  I woke up at around eight o'clock.  My husband was awake and already made coffee.  He was sitting in front of his computer working on the book he is writing for his side project.  Our daughter still sound asleep on the air mattress bed we bought from Academy few weeks ago.

I grabbed a cup of coffee and went to the garage.  We have a radio/cd player in the garage.  I turned it on and listened to Jack FM station.  It was kind of oldies music day for me. New Wave and 80's music.  Brought lots memories.  Good ones.

Stargazer Lily plants.

And when the rain stopped, I planted the Stargazer Lilies my friend R gave me the other day.  I hope they will grow nicely and gives beautiful orange blooms next year.

Wordless Wednesday: A Cottontail Rabbit In The Backyard

A Very Fuzzy Caterpillar

Fuzzy caterpillar.

We have company this weekend.  My friend's dog is here for the weekend because she and her family were leaving for Alabama to visit her brother and parents.  

When I was about to take the dog for a walk in the backyard this morning, I saw this scary-looking fuzzy caterpillar sitting on one of my crocs sandals.  I had to call my husband to get rid of it for me. The dog might try to sniff it. This is the type of a caterpillar that stings.  Eek! 

It gives me goosebumps looking at the picture.

Decorating Ideas For a Shared Bedroom

Just like adults, kids consider their bedroom to be a personal retreat. They want the decor to be reflective of their personality. They also want to have furniture and specifically defined spaces that are conducive to their interests and hobbies. When two children share a room, you have to be creative with the room decor and design in order to provide a personally defined space for each child.

Bunk Beds

The designs and styles of bunk beds for kids have progressed far beyond the basic twin over twin design. If the kids sharing the room are of different ages, a twin over full bunk bed design is a nice choice. The older child will appreciate having the larger bed. A twin over twin typically works well for children who are close in age. 

babyfurnitureplus.net

You can find bunk beds in twin over twin or twin over full designs that have storage space incorporated into their design. Anytime you can gain storage space in a shared room, you increase your chances of being able to keep the room uncluttered and organized.

Defining personal space

A key factor in defining personal space for each child can be the way the furniture is arranged. If your only option for bed placement is against the wall, there are a few ways to make each level of the bed a personalized space. You can display their name in a creative way on the wall beside of their portion of the bed. Wall decals that depict their special interest can define the space. Chalkboard paint on the wall that the bed is placed against gives each child an opportunity for creative self expression. 

If possible, you can place the bunk bed at an angle to create two somewhat separate areas in the room. Each child can decorate their side of the room in a way that reflects their personality. With a semi-divided room, you might be able to create a unified play area for the kids to enjoy.

When kids are sharing a room, it's helpful to use neutral colors for the overall decor. The accessories that you place in the room can be selected to coincide with each child's favorite color. Decorating a shared bedroom can be challenging, but having an extensive variety of bed designs and styles to choose from makes the challenge less stressful.

Saving Money On Oral Care

Colgate toothpaste

Colgate is one of my favorite toothpaste brands.  I feel so delighted whenever I get a very good deal on oral care including toothpaste.  The few weeks ago, I went to CVS to check on some of their weekly deals.   It has been a while since the last time I shop there.  I was glad to see a great deal on Colgate toothpaste.  

I got two store coupons of $2.50 off toothpaste purchase from my Rewards Coupon Center. I still had the $1.00 Extra Bucks from a previous transaction several weeks ago. Then a $1 off Colgate toothpaste coupon.  The price of the toothpaste was $3.99 each with the Rewards Card.  I used all the coupons but I did two transactions* on this.  So I paid $.98 for both toothpaste plus tax.

*Two Rewards Card are used on this purchase.

Nothing More Precious Than This - A Day By The Lake

Cute tiny blue weed flowers.

My family and I love going out together.  We went to see the Lake Lavon to see how the water level had gone up since the past rainy weekends last month.  We were happy that it went up to 80 percent. That was according to my brother-in-law who checked the lake water level status online.

So we went down to the lake and threw some rocks into the water.  My darling daughter likes to do that.  Then we found a small playground close to the picnic area.  We took a few of our pictures there.   I just couldn't resist not to take a photo of these cute tiny blue flowers.  They're actually weed flowers.  But they're so pretty.

By the lake with my loves.

It was a beautiful day that weekend.  Perfect day to stroll and just enjoy the beauty of nature with your family.  There is nothing more precious than this.