After the Final Rose – Central Florida Home & Garden Show

Any Bachelor/Bachelorette fans get that title? I had to ask The Boy, “what is that special live show called that they do after the end of the show?” and he knew the answer, of course. Gotta love a man who digs ridiculous “reality” dating shows! So proud.

Home and Garden

We saw, touched, photographed, lounged, chatted, ooohed, aaaahed, petted dogs, made out with dogs, met Jason Cameron, and even tasted a few delicious samples. Yes, I intentionally sandwiched Jason Cameron between making out (with dogs) and delicious (samples). But I am getting waaaay ahead of myself.

Upon arrival, we were impressed by the number of exhibitors present, and the complexity of their displays.  Several hardscaping companies put together full paver patios, outdoor kitchens, etc. I cannot imagine the time invested in setting up and breaking all of that down.

Home and Garden

The "I was actually there" shot.

The “I was actually there” shot.

We watched this cooking demonstration, where a guy was grilling items on a sheet that goes on your grill.  It was a very thin but durable material that could withstand up to 500 degrees, and was completely non-stick. He put a little pile of shredded cheese on there, it melted into a glob, he slid it around, and picked it up with some bread. Pretty dang impressive!

Home and Garden

Calling all doomsday preppers!! I stopped by to check out a family safe cube, for all of your zombie apocalypse needs.

Home and Garden

It was tiny, but apparently indestructible.  The door was SO HEAVY. I think I could survive a few walker attacks in that. And possibly even lay down in it. I am sure they brought the smallest version they had, for obvious reasons.

The Boy, an amateur-but-constantly-improving woodworker, found his people:

DSC_0017

My favorite part was the Pet Pavilion. Many of the exhibitors had their (incredibly well-behaved) dogs with them. We were really impressed by the products offered by Barking Mad Dogwear, especially when we found out that the husband and wife owners make everything themselves! We discussed with Karen the type of harness we need for The Dog, who pulls unless her leash attaches at her chest, and they said they could make it for us. We are definitely going to do that! Here is The Boy with their sweet and fashionable dog:

DSC_0019

So true.

So true.

Not to be outdone, I then stopped by the “kissing booth” and got some wet ones laid on me.

Dog Smooch

A few more of the noteworthy booths for us included the frameless glass shower enclosures by Fox Windows & Glass (since we will need that pretty soon!)

DSC_0014

No, The Boy! Don't do it!

No, The Boy! Don’t do it!

DSC_0022

and the designer fabrics and rugs by HomeFabrics & Rugs

I couldn't stop petting these curtains ...

I couldn’t stop petting these curtains …

All of this “window shopping” was exhausting, so The Boy and I relaxed a bit. Everywhere.

Home and Garden

DSC_0016

Home and Garden

Yep. That is a hot tub. Minus the water ... and the hot (unless you count The Boy).

Yep. That is a hot tub. Minus the water … and the hot (unless you count The Boy).

And then this happened:

DSC_0024

I haven’t met very many celebrities, but I am not the star struck type. I will say, though, that his handler or assistant or whomever she was told us that he was late for an engagement and didn’t have time to stop for pictures, which was fine with me. However, Jason (yep, we are on a first name basis) saw The Boy with the camera, and went out of his way to introduce himself, chat briefly, and pose for a picture. He was really very nice. (ohmygosh ohmygosh I’m never washing that shoulder again). No biggie.

It was a fun little Saturday afternoon at the home and garden show. We HAVE actually been working on the bathroom too, and have a few exciting and not so exciting updates, all of which we will share this week. Until then, I have one question: What size fit to you?

Pinbusters – Straighten Hair with Brown Sugar

Have you ever wondered if the stuff people post on Pinterest is true? Well I have, and I test them all so that you don’t have to, ’cause ain’t nobody got time for that.  Click here to check out all of the pins I haven taken on. You might be surprised by some of the results!

Nope, I didn’t stutter mis-type. This pin (click for link) claims that you can straighten your hair with the kitchen’s best kept secret – the brown sugar. The simplicity of the instructions really should give it away. Mix brown sugar with water, spray on hair. Let air dry.

When my niece, Taylor, came to visit with her friend Olivia, I knew this was the perfect opportunity. Taylor has long, gorgeous curly locks. Even Cameron Diaz told her, “I love your hair!” (Yes, that happened, at a minor league baseball game when Cameron was dating A-Rod, and Taylor was stalking, I mean … casually ran into Cameron.) Here are my supplies,

Brown Sugar

my skeptical but willing test subject,

Goldi-curly-locks

Taylor

and the subject’s pre-treatment hair:

Beautiful curly locks.

Beautiful curly locks.

We followed the instructions perfectly. Step One: Mix one cup of water with two tablespoons of brown sugar. Step Two: Spray on hair. Step Three: Let air dry. Step Four: Marvel at your hair’s straightness. Here goes nothin’ …

DSC_0021 DSC_0024 DSC_0030 DSC_0028

The sprayer was not quite cooperating, because the sugar did not completely dissolve, and clogged the spray mechanism. Plan B: pour the sugar water all over the hair.

DSC_0033

Here comes the reeeeaaallly exciting part: the waiting. Yep. Mmm hhmmmm. Fun stuff.

<twiddle thumbs>

<whistle>

<play a few games of Super Mario Brothers … die frequently. Use 11 continues>

<make brownies in a mug>

Here is my test subject, unimpressed with her sticky sweet hair:

DSC_0035

OK, so her hair isn’t completely dry, but [SPOILER ALERT] when it dried, it looked just like this. I took a picture of the back so we could analyze a side-by-side comparison:

Brown Sugar Straighten Hair compare

I know it is confusing, but the picture on the left is from the original pin. Try not to get disoriented or confused, I know the similarity is striking. Brown sugar as a hair straightening tool turned out to be the kitchen’s dirty little secret – that doesn’t work at all. I can’t say I am surprised, I just wonder if people put this crazy stuff on the internet hoping it will get pinned like crazy and drive traffic to their website. That is my best guess.

No teenagers were harmed in this segment of Pinbusters.

FREE TICKETS to the Central Florida Home & Garden Show!

It is our VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY! We are very excited to share this opportunity with you guys! (Thus all of the exclamation points!!) The Central Florida Home & Garden Show is coming up next weekend (March 22 – 24) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. This is the place to go for innovative products, ideas, practical advice, and over 250 experts in one place. Friday is “Hero Day” with free admission for retired or current members of the military.

Home+Garden Logo (Click for link to their website)

We will be going on Saturday, March 23rd to watch the demonstrations, get our hands on those fancy new-fangled tools, learn some DIY tricks, taste some delicious samples (chefs from local restaurants will be peddling their edible wares – yes please!), putt for prizes, enter contests, etc. There will even be a Pet Pavilion for all of your furry friends’ needs.

The “key note speaker” will be going on stage at 12:00 p.m. and again at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Heck, we might just stick around for both sessions. Who wouldn’t want to see this face twice?

Jason Cameron_HiRes Headshot

Sorry, ladies, that is the largest picture I could provide. My apologies that it is so small. Feel free to enlarge it. Or make it your screensaver (who would do that? Just me?)

In case you don’t know (??) this is Jason Cameron of the DIY Network’s Man Caves and Desperate Landscapes fame. No, I’m not swooning. It is just, um, really hot in here. OK?!

HERE IS THE BETTER NEWS. We have four (4) free tickets to give away!

HERE IS THE BEST NEWS. The winner of our tickets (and us!) are automatically entered in a random drawing to win a meet and greet with James Cameron, as well as VIP front row tickets to his Saturday stage appearance. I don’t know about you, or The Boy, but I would really like to win that!

So here is how it works. I downloaded this Rafflecopter thing, and I hope I did it right. Here are the four ways to enter:

1. Like Pardon Our Sawdust on Facebook (1 point);

2. Follow TheGirl_POS on Twitter (1 point);

3. Tweet about the giveaway (2 points); or

4. Leave a comment below, telling why you would want to meet James Cameron (keep it CLEAN, please, our mothers reads this. Oh heck, they might be the ones I need to be most concerned about! Keep it CLEAN, Moms!)

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. I will announce and email as soon as the giveaway ends, so people can make their weekend plans. Also, if coming from the Tampa Bay area, and want to carpool, that would be possible.

a Rafflecopter giveaway