For some reason, people that visit my home don’t seem to be aware of this fabulous wood saving technology and I am forever running after them putting coasters under their drinks.  It even seems that the direct hint I am giving them goes right over their heads and their drinks end up beside the coaster instead of on it.  I am convinced that the coaster isn’t as well known as I thought it was!

If this technology is new to you, please feel free to send this post to your friends and family.  I bet that once this fantastic home accessory goes mainstream, there will be thousands of people knocking down your door to thank you for introducing them to it!

coaster:

• a small dish, tray, or mat, esp. for placing under a glass to protect a table from moisture.

Happy shaving!

LifeGem Created Diamonds is a company that takes the cremated ashes of a loved one and turns them into a diamond for you to wear.  You are able to choose size, colour, and cut of your gemstone and the prices range from $3,199 - $24,999. 

So, how do they do this exactly?  Basically, they take a carbon source (cremation ashes or lock of hair) of a loved one and recreate the “forces of nature” to create your diamond.  Each diamond is unique as it will have its own individual hue within the colour family that you choose.

They are able to create over 100 high quality diamonds from each individual person from only 8 ounces of cremated remains.  This process takes anywhere from 6-9 months and families are given Internet access for status updates at any time.  You can visit their website at www.lifegem.com

When I first read about this concept I was shocked, but also intrigued by it.  However, the more that I have read about it and digested this new way of memorializing someone, the more I like the idea.  I personally would like to be a green diamond!  What colour would you be?

Let’s just say that it brings new meaning to the saying, “ Diamonds are forever… “

I was 12 years old and on a family trip out to visit my grandparents for dinner one Sunday.  I was kinda bored and looking for something to do, so I decided to go outside and sit on the porch.  Well, my grandfather had this squirrel that would come to visit him everyday and get peanuts off of his deck railing and I thought it would be a great idea to “train” the squirrel to do tricks by using these peanuts as bait.  So off I go, calling this squirrel over, which took about 30 minutes in itself.  I thought I was the greatest…getting this squirrel to come over to me to get a peanut!  Being the over-achiever that I was, I decided that it would be a GREAT idea to train this squirrel even further!! Why not get him to take peanuts from my pocket or even right out of my mouth??!  Man, wouldn’t I be the coolest 7th grader around for achieving this!

The first step though was to get the squirrel to take the peanut out of my hand, which after another 30 minutes at least, he was finally doing. I was soooo excited!! Now I will get him to run up my leg! One step closer to that pocket, I’m thinking!  So, about half way up my leg I guess the squirrel had a change of heart and felt that I was taking too long giving him that next peanut, so he decided to grab my hand and take a big bite out of my pinkie finger.  Let me tell you, after the amazement of the amount of blood I saw coming from my finger…I screamed so loud that not only did the whole neighborhood come rushing out at mach ten, I am pretty sure I gave myself temporary deafness for a couple of days.

After the hyperventilating and crying subsided somewhat I was able to tell my parents what had happened and off they carted me to the emergency room fearing I had rabies from this squirrel.  Luckily, the doctor reassured my parents that all I needed was a Tetanus shot.  So, off I go with my war wound all bandaged up and a newly acquired Tetanus vaccination, but really, I was only thinking about the wicked cool story I was going to tell all of my friends the next day at school!

Can we call this a happy ending to a crazy afternoon?  Depends on who you ask.  All I know, is that I never did see that squirrel again…and when I asked my grandpa where the squirrel went, all I got for an answer was that he “moved out”.

1. Heat up and oil your grill before you start cooking.  This will provide even temperature as well as prevent less sticking.
2. Before you start cooking, make sure you have everything you will need from start to finish beside you.  Nothing is worse than having charred food because you have run inside to grab something you forgot!
3. A squirt bottle will help keep flames at bay, make sure you have one beside the BBQ!
4. You can add extra flavour to your meat by adding items such as hardwood chips, herb stems or grapevine trimmings to your fire.  Be sure to soak them in water first to prevent them from catching fire, and to help provide the aromatic smoke that will flavor the meat.
5. Although a good quality steak can stand on it’s own, adding marinades definitely won’t hurt them.  If you are going to baste with the marinade, make sure that you set aside extra marinade before adding to the meat to avoid cross-contamination.  Be sure that if your basting mixture contains sugar, to not baste until the last bit of cooking.  This will prevent any excess charring.

To extinguish the usual dinner table argument of cooking the steak either too much or too little,  follow this simple guideline to get you that much closer to world peace. 

There is also the technique that chef’s depend on, because not all grills are created equal!  You will see them pressing on the steak a lot of the time to check where the steak is at.

• Rare will be very soft to the touch
• Medium will feel firm, but have some give in the center
• Well done will feel very firm

You can also equate this to pressing the fleshy part of your palm (right below the thumb) to compare firmness.  With your hand partially open, this would be considered rare.  With your fingers touching your palm, this would be considered medium.  With your hand clenched shut, this would be considered well done.

Please feel free to leave any tips you have that have gotten you closer to that great steak!

Happy Grilling!

Another funny video that I have watched many times is Kassie Kicks Montsters Ass. This video is really cute. I especially love her facial expressions when she is explaining her reasoning as to why she is going to “kick it’s ask”.

Hope you like!

***Warning…Explicit Lyrics…might not be safe for work!!***