Steam Pocket Mop

I figured I would do a brief post about the steam mop I bought last week to go into a little more detail.

First of all it's not necessarily cheap...BB&B had it on sale for $119 and I had a 20% off coupon (of course!) so it came to just over $100 with tax.

I really like it. It's simple to put together and very easy to use. It's pretty lightweight and moves fairly easily over my wood floor. Like the picture above shows, it comes with two rectangular mop heads and two triangular mop heads. Eight total cleaning surfaces. The motion of mopping makes it steam..the handle pumps down when you push forward causing the steam. It has a super long cord that reaches everywhere with no problem.

When we used it the first time, it left a film all over the floor. I had read lots of reviews before I bought it (thanks to Amazon!) and knew that could happen. You are supposed to use one side until it's dirty and then flip the mop over and used the other side. We did that twice, using both mop heads. By the time we went over the floor for the fourth time, it was pretty clean and looked wonderful! And it took less effort to do four times than it used to take to clean one time with a regular mop and cleaner!

I then attached the triangular heads and did both the bathrooms. The mop is a little harder to push over the tile floor but still very easy and it maneuvers all over and around the toilet with no problem. Even the tile floors looked fantastic!

OK now for the negative: It really doesn't get into the corners good but really what mop does? The tank is kind of small so you have to refill it a few times but that's no problem either. It comes with a pouring cup that makes it easy. It also came with a purple duster that is supposed to be used for wood floors. I used it once and rejected it. It seems to clean much easier with just the regular mop heads. The mop heads have to be washed after every use (duh!) and cannot be put into the dryer. Also you cannot use powder detergent on them.

You can buy extra mop heads. I think they are about $20 for two, which I probably will do after I get another BB&B coupon.

One more thing: It also comes with a attachment that you can use to freshen up carpets. I probably will try it sometime, but it doesn't clean them so I'm not sure it there is any point to making the effort!

Hope this helps anyone trying to decide whether to buy one or not.

A Whole Lotta Nothing

Been a while since I have been here. The days have been the usual work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep...etc.

Last week we decided on the spur of the moment to take a day trip to the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, MI. We went with my brother Don and sister-in-law Linda. We have taken several little short trips with them. Mostly to various casinos here in Michigan and once in Indiana. We travel well together and always have a good time. Anyway, we left at about 9:30 in the morning, stopped for breakfast, stayed at the casino for several hours, had dinner and then drove home. Managed to leave the casino with a little more than I went with, so it was a nice day all around!

On Sunday I went to good old Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought a steam cleaner for our wood floor.



I love it! It took going over the floor about four times before it didn't leave a film from previous floor cleaners, but once we got it clean it looks awesome! Now it's just a matter of going over it every couple of days and keeping it clean. So much easier!

This past Sunday we went to a small birthday party for my mother-in-law. She's going to be 92 on Thursday. Can I just mention that I have more gray hair than she does? It's true! Gray hair does not run in my husbands family. All of my sister-in-laws have very little if any gray in their hair, and they are older than me! Where is the justice I ask you!!

Anyway, MIL is doing pretty good considering. She's on oxygen all of the time and she looked tired on Sunday. But she is not in any pain so that's a good thing. She loves to do her find a word puzzles and loves different kind of pens!

This week will be busy preparing for Easter. I have to make "fugasa" on Friday, which is an Italian Easter bread that my grandmother, and my mother and now me make every year. Although, I have to confess, there was a few years where I actually forgot to make it!! I have yet to perfect it though. Every year there is always something wrong with it...too dry..not cooked in the middle..whatever. This year I'm striving for perfection!! Well see..

That's all the exciting news for now.

The Brenda Photo Challenge-Macro Fruit

Ack...one of these days I'll learn to actually take good macro pictures!


Oranges and a apple.


Picture of grapes


Cherry magnet!

One good thing about having a refrigerator full of magnets..I can ALWAYS find at least one for the photo challenge!!

Go HERE to see more Brenda Photo Challenge pics!

Score!

I am having a wonderful day off..it's gorgeous outside and I am about to go for a nice long walk but first I have show off my estate sale finds today.


I went to only one huge sale and got a pair of kitchen shears, a photo editing program, a clip on light, a cute creamer and sugar set, a 3-hole punch, a pack of laminating sheets never opened and a marcasite pin and earring set. All for the grand total of $23. I could have spent MUCH more! The house and garage were loaded with stuff!


The pin and earrings are very pretty. The pic does not do them justice. The earrings are clip on but easily fixed.

A great estate sale shopping trip!!

See ya tomorrow for the Brenda Photo Challenge!!

Tuesday Tidbits

Have you ever wondered why just anyone is allowed to have kids?
THIS is just unbelievable!

It's getting nicer and nicer out. For the rest of the week it is supposed to be in the mid to upper 50's and sunny every day. I looked in the back yard this weekend and my daffodils are just starting to peek out of the ground! That being said..average date for the last snowfall here is April 22 so we're not pulling the lawn furniture out just yet!!

Thursday is our 33rd wedding anniversary. We don't have anything special planned for it. May take a mini road trip this weekend if we can think of somewhere good to go. I am dying to get away if only for one night.

I was reading a article in Readers Digest that said that studies have proven that taking antioxidents and various vitamins does not really lessen the risk of getting cancer and heart disease. I (used to) take a multivitamin, an aspirin and a fish oil tablet every day. According to the article, if you eat a healthy diet you do not need to take any supplements. However, there is more and more evidence that Vitamin D is THE super vitamin. Since I read that article, I only take my calcium and 1000 IU of vitamin D, along with my regular medications for diabetes and hypothyroidism.

It's a lot less pills to take every day and I feel so free!

A Bird, A Funeral and A Gloomy Day

This morning there was a bird in the basement.

I went down to do some laundry and one of the cats followed me. Next thing I knew she was running all over the basement chasing something! At first I thought it was a huge bug! When I realized that it was a bird I quickly grabbed the cat and locked her upstairs. Then I opened the garage door and the door going into the house. I had heard that if you do that, the bird will hear the outside and sense the fresh air and find it's way out. But first I grabbed my camera and snuck down to get a picture. The bird was just sitting there pecking on something on the floor! I went back upstairs and in a little while I could hear it cheeping so I opened the basement door a crack and there it was, coming up the stairs. I watched it hop out the door into the garage and fly away!

My mom used to say that when a bird comes in the house it means someone will soon die! Yikes! I think that is just a old superstition, but it was the first thing I thought when I saw the bird. I'm glad it got out ok.

There was a funeral today for a former Canton resident who was a Jackson police officer and was killed in the line of duty on Tuesday while answering a domestic disturbance call. I just happened to be heading out for some errands and saw that the funeral was at a local church and that they were blocking off traffic for the funeral procession. So I ran home and grabbed my camera.




Two fire trucks had their ladders up and had a HUGE flag suspended over the street for the funeral procession.




These are Jackson police cars. There must have been 150 police cars in the procession from every town and city in Michigan, and even one from Windsor, too!











They all drove under the flag in honor of their fallen brother. It was something to see for sure.






He was 26 years old and had only been a Jackson police officer since 2007. So sad and senseless.







It's pretty gloomy out today as you can see but it's in the upper 50's and the snow is almost completely gone!

Don't forget to Spring forward this weekend!

Busy Weekend

There has been a real lack of estate sales lately so that past few Fridays I've spent actually cleaning and getting stuff done. This past Friday I went grocery shopping so I did'nt have to bother with that this weekend.

Saturday we had the kids over for dinner. I hadn't had them over since Christmas so it was overdue! Good thing I don't have them often because I made lasagna and garlic bread and salad. Then we had brownies with ice cream and hot fudge for desert! Can't eat like that too often but we had a very enjoyable night!

Today we went to see mother in law. She's doing pretty good for a almost 92-year-old lady! She was complaining about her left arm hurting her. We wondered what that was about until my sister in law said that when she goes up and down the hallway in her wheelchair she pulls herself along by the rail against the wall! She hates turning the wheels of the wheelchair, I guess!

Later we met Rich's sisters and brothers in law, nephew, wife and baby for lunch.

It was a beautiful weekend weather wise. In the 40's and sunny every day! Spring is in 2 weeks! YAY!! It's supposed to be in the 50's the beginning of this week so that should take care of pretty much all of the snow!

This is what's left today:



Goodbye snow...till the next time!!

Happy March

In two weeks we get to Spring forward. That to me is the official start of Spring! This week is going to be in the mid to upper 30's and hopefully will start to melt some of this snow! This weekend the temps are supposed to be in the 40's! Woo hoo!!

I long for sunshiny days and balmy nights!!

Friday I did not leave the house all day. There was no estate sales to go to. I was going to go to the bank and to the grocery store, but the weather was atrocious..snowing and blowing and cold so I just figured I would stay home! Got the house really clean though so it wasn't a totally lazy day!

Saturday morning I had a bright and early dentist appointment. Afterwards, I went to a huge Salvation Army Thrift store not too far from the dentist office. I bought this necklace:



It has 4 stones that look garnets and a pretty purple one in the middle. I can't figure out exactly how to wear it though. I think its supposed to be worn like this:



But the charm slowly slips down all of he way and that looks kind of stupid.

Any ideas before I just take the charm off and use a regular chain? Or maybe I'm completely off and it's not even a necklace! Ha! I wouldn't be surprised!