Homebody Query: Who Rules The Roost?

As you know, in addition to my hubby and me two little furballs also share our household.  They’re pretty convinced that they run the place, and make themselves at home wherever they please:

Coolest Cats In Town

We got our furry friends right after we married, and we got right to work laying down the law and trying to teach them what they could and could not do.  Like sleep in our bed.  We should have known better.

Oh goodness, that one did not go over well.  At that time, we were living in the townhouse and we tried everything to keep them downstairs and out of our room, from closed doors to baby gates.  Let me tell you, baby gates have nothing on a determined cat.  They will take a flying leap and knock those suckers down.  And while they do it, they will meow like they’re being tortured and then they’ll paw at your door for hours, still meowing, until you finally give in and let them in.  Then they will jump on the bed and proceed to walk on you, sniff you, and try to sleep on your head as punishment for trying to keep them out of your room in the first place.

As I said, it did not go well.

Fast forward two years, and we’ve finally been trained.  The kitties sleep with us every night, and they each have their assigned spots.  Every night, Lexie jumps on our headboard and makes her way behind the curtains to sleep on the window sill behind our bed, as happy as a clam for eight hours in her little bedroom:

Coolest Cats In Town

Riley, on the other hand, insists on sleeping down by our feet . . . for the most part.  He’s still a little needy and will occasionally venture near us for a little reassuring snuggle.  Or to try to sleep on our heads.  Oh well, baby steps, right?

Homebody Query: Who Rules the Roost?

Even though they drive me bananas sometimes, I’m a total sucker for their furry faces and they make our little family complete.  So that brings me to my question – do the pets rule the roost in your house?  And tell me we’re not alone in letting the little buggers sleep with us . . .

This post is shared with Hooked on Houses.

Homebody Query: A Mailbox . . . Or Slot . . . Or Basket?

Ah, mail.  It’s so fun to receive, but not always a pleasure to retrieve.  I remember in college I always looked forward to receiving care packages – but the common mail center was waaay on the other side of campus, not at all on my daily route.  Even with the promise of a mailbox full of goodies, I would only swing by to check my mailbox about once a week just because it was so darn far!  The same thing applied in law school when I was living in an apartment with a common mail center – but then only bills awaited me, so I was certainly in no hurry to check the mail back then!

Homebody Query: A Mailbox...or Slot...or Basket?

These days, I’ve gotten a little spoiled – my mailbox is right outside my front door.  It’s pretty awesome.  I could check the mail in my jammies if I wanted to.

Homebody Query: A Mailbox...or Slot...or Basket?

Homebody Query: A Mailbox...or Slot...or Basket?

You see, our house was built in the 60s, back when the mail carriers walked from house to house instead of pulling up to the mailbox in their little trucks – so that’s what they still do in my neighborhood!

Homebody Query: A Mailbox...or Slot...or Basket?

Homebody Query: A Mailbox...or Slot...or Basket?

And if we ever get too lazy to walk three steps outside to get the mail, we could always reap the benefits of our superfluous mail slot.

Homebody Query: A Mailbox...or Slot...or Basket?

I was walking in our neighborhood the other day when I noticed that one of the houses didn’t have a mailbox.  Or a mail slot.  Surely the homeowners received mail, didn’t they?  I scoped out their front porch a little further (yes, I was being snoopy), and noticed a large basket next to their front door – that was filled with mail!  A mail basket!  Just imagine a basket like this perched on the porch next to the front door:

Homebody Query: A Mailbox...or Slot...or Basket?

It’s certainly a more decorative option than some of the mailboxes out there, but I wondered about practicality.  Without a lid, would the wind just blow the mail away?  What about rain?  Was this a temporary solution while they were replacing their mailbox?  Alas, no answers.

So that brings me to you guys – what do you think of this basket as a mailbox thing.  Is it a fun twist on the traditional mailbox, or just a funky fad?  Have any of you tried it?  And while you’re at it, tell us about your mailbox situation – do you hoof it to the curb or a common mail center, or does it magically appear on your door step?  Spill the beans!!

Images courtesy of GemFireAir, Zyber, cindy47452, neon anomaly, Trish Mayo, and Flickr.

Homebody Query: Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets?

Have you guys heard about the Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets?  I’ve been intrigued ever since I saw a commercial the other day, so I decided to dig up a little more info about these potentially-very-nifty little sheets.  

Purex

Basically, these skinny little sheets contain detergent, fabric softener and an anti-static component.

Purex

All you do is toss one sheet into the washing machine with a load of laundry, and then transfer the same sheet along with the load to the dryer – and that’s it!!  

Purex

The large blue part of the sheet is detergent, which dissolves in the washing machine and cleans your clothes.  The lighter blue stripe at the top of the sheet is the fabric softener/anti-static component that is activated by the heat in your dryer to make your clothes soft and fluffy.

Purex

No more lugging around huge plastic containers of detergent that drip all over the place!!  Doesn’t that sound cool?  

Purex

Here’s the skinny on any question you might have about these suckers:

Purex faq

Purex faq

These laundry sheets sound almost too good to be true.  So, my question is – are they?  Has anybody tried them yet?  Are you as intrigued as I am by this new invention?  I’ve vowed to go through my seemingly-eternal supply of detergent before I give them a whirl, so I’m relying on you guys to let me know if they’re worth it – spill the beans!!

Images courtesy of Purex.  Click here for a product demo and here for a coupon.

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