Halogen Lights

If you have halogen lights in your car, you might find this handy. It was news to me this morning, and something that could have caused me some serious problems (like, you know, death). 

Helpful information: I drive an all black Toyota Prius; it was 6:30 a.m.; my city has no auto care/parts store that could have helped; changing these dang lights has taken me 60-90 minutes in the past. 

Last night when I got home from work, I noticed that one of my headlights wasn't working. I just replaced both low beam headlights maybe three months ago (if even that). It really made me mad because those lights are not cheap. Even $40 on a tight budget is, well, a big deal. I was whining to Mom about it because I didn't have it in my budget to spend that kind of money, especially on something I took care of not long ago. I was also tired when I got home, so I decided to forego leaving the house again to purchase and install new bulbs, and opted instead to drive with one headlight for another day until I could get to the store tonight. 

Well, life has other plans. Rude! 

When I got out to my car this morning and started off down the street, I realized it was way darker than I remembered it being from the previous day. I turned my lights off and on again to see what the problem was. The problem was I didn't have any headlights. Both of my low beam lights had blown out. It kind of freaked me out because I was worried last night that it might be a fuse problem which would be even more expensive, especially if I had to take it in to get the fuse(s) fixed. 

Anyway, at that point I'd already been flashed by one car and was on the main road leading from my house to the next city. I decided to drive with my parking lights on (I didn't want to blind anyone by driving with my high beams on) and just flash my lights at intersections where cars might be tempted to pull out in front of me. Thankfully, I made it through town without any incident, and when I got to the main street in the next town I noticed an Advance Auto Care parts store with a sign flashing, "Open." 

Hallelujah! 

And then I remembered how freaking long it was going to take to change the dang lights. GR!

So, I pulled into a parking space, sent a quick email to my boss about my situation saying I'd be late, and ran into the store. They quickly helped me find the correct lights (on sale for $10 off - woot!), and as I picked them up I said, "I don't suppose there is anyone here that could help me change these, is there?" The girl that was ringing me up didn't say anything or respond to the question, so I thought, "Okay ... now what?" Next thing I know, a guy comes walking through the aisle in the back, and he's pulling on some latex gloves. He asked where I was parked, the girl gave him the lights while I finished the purchase, and he took my keys out to the car. By the time I had paid, he already had my hood up and was yanking out the first light. 

As soon as he pulled the light out he said, "Yep, it's exactly what I thought. Who changed these for you the last time?" Gulp. "Me," I said. "Ah, well, you wouldn't have known then, but you actually can't touch these halogen bulbs with your fingers because the oil from your skin gets on them and creates a 'break' in the glass when it heats up. You can see here where it burst." 

Sure enough, there's a big black hole in the old light. D'oh! I could have saved myself $40 (plus!) if I'd known to put on some rubber gloves. LAME. 

He changed out both lights in a jif (about 15 minutes - record time), and I was on my way. Well, I was on my way after I asked, "Is it kosher to give you a hug?!" At which point I threw my arms around him in a hug and he said, "Don't let me get you dirty with oil or grease!" He even took my old lights and tossed them for me. 

THAT is crazy good customer service. Another girl even came out with a flashlight (I was using my phone to light under the hood of the car) and said, "Let's use this light so you don't burn through the battery on your phone." What? So thoughtful! 

Sometimes I'm amazed at the things people will do to help. It didn't used to be uncommon to receive that kind of service. That's the kind of service Dad taught us to give at the family business. Always go the extra mile. Make the customer feel good. Do everything you can to make going there or buying there a good experience. But not everybody or every place does that now, even in smaller towns. We've lost that connection to good customer service, and by customer service I mean treating others like you'd want to be treated. And yet, when I needed it most, there was a whole group of people willing to help me out and get me on my way to work safely. Blows my mind that it still happens. And because of that, I will definitely go back to that store over and above other auto parts stores. 

Win - win. I got new headlights and a safe drive to work, they got rave reviews on my blog and Facebook. Plus, word of mouth advertising never hurts, especially when it's good. Thanks to Dad for teaching me what good customer service means, and thanks to those at Advance Auto Care this morning for being taught the same. 

For future reference, I'll be using latex gloves if/when I have to change those dang bulbs again. And if you have halogen bulbs in your car, take note! Keep your greasy paws off those halogen bulbs or you'll be driving to work in the dark. 

Lesson. Learned. 

Strange Life Hacks

You know how some people come up with amazing and useful ideas for products that are already out there for another use and you wonder, "Why didn't I think of using it for that?" It happens to me all the time. Items I use every day have the potential to be life changing if I'd just stop and think about how else to use them. It dawned on me last night that I've come up with a few of my own that might be helpful for others, so I thought I'd jot them down and share them here. 

This stuff 

is not just for what the bottle indicates. Honestly, I don't have problems with what most people use this for, but I have had another problem it has completely eradicated from my life (as long as I'm consistent about its use). In the summer (mostly) I tend to get heat rashes. Whether it's in my armpits, under my breasts, in creases of skin, etc. - doesn't matter. (TMI? Sorry!) This beats those heat rashes into submission. Just make sure you've washed yourself well and dried off the affected area. Shake your bottle of MoM up, and apply it to the rash. It doesn't take much - just enough to cover the problem area. Voila! Let it dry, get dressed, go about your bizness. Overuse of water tends to dry out my skin, so I usually shower every other day and apply it when I get out. It does the job for 48 hours (it has for me, anyway), and I don't have to deal with the stupid heat rashes that itch and hurt and bother and annoy. It's been a lifesaver for me. No more misery! And it lasts a lot longer than hydrocortisone cream, which only masks the symptoms anyway.

This stuff

is not just for dandruff, people. Dandruff is not an issue for me, but I do tend to have a rather sensitive head when using certain shampoos and hair products. (It just plain itches!) Head and Shoulders was my go-to once a week ritual to get rid of the build up of products in my hair and level out the ph so my head didn't itch. 

But then, I developed a problem with a stinky belly button. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it (or keep it) dry enough to keep the stench away. It wasn't obvious to other people (at least nobody said anything ...), but it was terribly bothersome to me. I did some research online (the internet knows everything, right?) and found out that it's something about the zinc in this product that can prevent a lot of things if you use it as a body wash. For several weeks, I tried it, and lo! It works! I just use it on my loofah like a regular body wash. I actually buy both the 2-in-1 and the regular (without conditioner). The 2-in-1 I use on my hair and as body wash. It really helps keep my skin from drying out and itching. Plus, you can get it in other scents (the apple is kind of fun, especially as a body wash). The regular kind, without conditioner, I use on my face, and it has helped reduce face acne. Weird, right? Totally a life hack that has solved annoying problems. 

Two other things that work great together are Q-tips and rubbing alcohol. Do you ever get swimmer's ear? Did you know that putting rubbing alcohol on the end of a Q-tip and placing it gently in your ear canal creates a "vacuum" effect on the water and sucks it out? I tilt my head to whichever side I'm cleaning out, and it works like a charm. Since it worked on my ears, I thought it would probably work for the wet belly button issue as well. The alcohol would suck the water out and dry it up - and I was right! After washing with Head and Shoulders, just dry out the belly button as good as possible, use some alcohol on a Q-tip, and then use the dry end of the Q-tip to dry out whatever fluid is left. It's legit, cheap, and totally works. 

Mom and I have both been battling warts on our fingers. Well, hers is on her index finger, and mine is on my thumb. Hers is worse than mine, and she's had hers for ages. She even went to the dermatologist (three times?) because it was growing from under her fingernail, and they shot her finger full of stuff to "kill" the wart, but it still hasn't worked. What it did give her was a lot of pain and money out of her pocket. One day, I found this: 

We've both been using it, and I think it's pretty much killed my wart dead (or it's on the way to death anyway). Mom's seems to be taking longer, but hers was also bigger than mine. We keep putting it on regularly (until it hurts too bad and the skin has peeled off) and I think it's been a relief to know we're at least helping the problem. And all of it is done without extra fees to visit a dermatologist. 

When we use the wart stick, we use these bandages: 

These are amazing! They let no water in, which basically lets the wart stick suffocate the wart. Brilliant! They're my go-to bandage for almost every owie. And I like that they come in the variety of sizes because sometimes you have a small cut and don't want to wear a HUGE bandage so that it's obvious. Plus, since they're clear, the only part you see is the bandage itself, and it's more of a flesh color which makes it not so obvious. 

Lest you think that's all these bandages are good for, allow me to share a life hack. Several weeks ago I was having a really bad bout of insomnia. And I mean really bad. There was one night I only slept for an hour. That's ONE hour. I had to call in to work the next day and take a sick day because I was too afraid to drive the 60 miles to work for fear I'd kill myself or someone else. It was bad. And I couldn't figure out how the problem started because I've always been a pretty good sleeper. I like sleep! Sleep likes me! 

Finally, one night I was lying in bed and just as I dozed off I woke up again. I realized it was because of a light that flickered on the air freshener in my room. I immediately got up and moved the air freshener to another part of the room, and it helped. I slept okay that night. But I've noticed since then that if I'm turned toward the air freshener at all and see the light (or my closed eyes detect it) it wakes me up. It doesn't matter how soundly I'm asleep, if it's detected by my eyes it wakes me. Rude! 

We've moved a lot of stuff around at our house recently, so I had no idea where the electrical tape was (another life hack that dimmed the little lights on my white noise fan), and I was desperate to find another solution that would help. As I was showering one night, it dawned on me that I could use a small Nexcare bandage over the light and probably prevent it from bothering me, and it also meant I didn't have to dig through unmarked boxes to find the electrical tape. So I tried it. And it worked! I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it sooner, but those bandages are MUCH more than bandages. They are sleep savers! Bless you Nexcare. 

The laundry hack I rely on most is this: 

This has literally saved too many of my clothes to count. Did you get grease on you? Treat it with this, let it sit for a few days, wash it. Problem solved. Did you get something oily (peanut butter) on you? Same thing. Did you spill curry sauce? Treat it with Dawn and let it sit for a couple of days. Then, treat it with a little liquid laundry detergent and let it sit for a few days. Wash it. The color is gone and so is the grease. Problem solved! It's rare that I go a laundry day without using Dawn to help me out. And it gets out grease stains that have been washed and dried, too. You have to let it sit a little longer and be sure to scrub it in with an old toothbrush or something, but it does work. It also doesn't add any more bubbly to your laundry water, which means you don't have to use an extra rinse because you've used it. Just wash it like normal and you're good to go. This one is a clothing saver. 

I'll have to recognize and document more of the life hacks I use and share them. Maybe they're helpful, maybe they're not. I just figure if they worked for me maybe they'll work for someone else. And if it's any help, I've used the generic in some of these items (except for the Q-tips, wart stick, Nexcare bandages, and Dawn). The MoM, Head and Shoulders, and rubbing alcohol don't have to be any name brand as long as they're comparable to the original. The Walmart or other pharmacy brands work just as well. Plus, buying them in generic is cheaper, and using shampoo instead of body wash is cheaper, too. 

I love it when a product invented to do a certain thing ends up doing more than that. I bet there are millions of things we could find to do with products that already exist and we don't even know it yet. Kudos to inventors of products that end up being multi-use and multi-purpose. You were inspired! 

The one in which I product rave and long for the good ol' days

When I was in high school I was blessed enough to not suffer from much acne. A few pimples here and there was about as bad as it got. I never really thought much of it because it wasn't an issue for me. In my late 20s and early 30s and after major surgery, however, I started to have these weird break outs. It's like my hormones decided to finally show up and give me a run for my money. It wasn't terrible, but it was enough to annoy me and make me feel a little self-conscious about my looks. 

A little while ago we realized Le Dog (aka The Bear) had an ear infection that was yeast based. I did a ton of research trying to figure out how to "cure" his infection naturally because we'd already had him to the vet three times, each with a round of treatment and/or steroids, and nothing was touching this infection. Over $400 later and the thing was still raging. He was miserable, and Mom and I thought we'd lose our minds listening to him scratch, dig, and cry over his ear. 

In my research, I came upon a couple of really great products that we've been using (along with a 50/50 vinegar/water wash) that have helped tremendously. For the first time in a long time, I think his ear is actually getting better instead of worse. He's even scratching and digging at it less. It hasn't changed his smartie pants way of trying to get out of treatment though (hiding under my bed, hiding under Mom's bed, pretending he doesn't hear us when we call him ...), but at least he's feeling more dog-like instead of monster-like. 

We clean out his ear with a washcloth and the vinegar/water mix, rubbing gently to get the debris out that we can actually see. Then, we use this amazing stuff: 

Holy cow, it is incredible! We've only been using it once a day (taking the healing process slowly in hopes of actually getting rid of this thing) instead of twice a day, but it's mind boggling to see how well his ear is doing over a couple of weeks of treatment versus struggling through antibiotics, ointments, blah, blah. And not even close to the same cost as what we got from the vet. 

After we flush his ear out with the Eco Ears, we use this stuff: 

I told Mom what I'd found out about Witch Hazel and she said, "Yeah, it used to be that every house had some Witch Hazel in it. Everyone used the stuff. It was a must-have in every home in the good ol' days." Well, seriously, why have I never heard of its uses before now?!?! Jeesh. We just wet down a cotton ball and soothe Bear's ear with it as the last part of his treatment, and it has worked wonders in keeping his skin free of scaly patches and redness and itchiness. Totally worth every penny I spent on it, and I'm not sure now that I can ever live without it again. 

But let's go back to the beginning of this here post. My acne. What does that have to do with the dog's ear infection you ask? I will enlighten you. Witch Hazel is a natural skin toner. Yeppers, I just wash my face with normal soap (SoftSoap, actually, because it's convenient and really gets the grease and grime out) and then use some of this same product (different bottle - don't worry, I'm not one of those weird humans that shares everything with her four-legged human friends) on a cotton ball and slather it on my face. I let it air dry, hit the sack, and voila! My skin is like new in the morning. The few pimples I did have quickly dry up. It keeps my skin moisturized without being greasy, and the rose petal gives it a nice smell without being too flowery or Witch Hazel-y. Plus, my skin is way soft, and if a pimple does happen to come along it is very small and goes away very quickly. I think it's even helped with the crow's feet along my eyes (they weren't really bad, but *I* noticed them). I can't believe the difference in how my skin feels, and I'm completely amazed by what it has done for Bear's ear. Who knew? 

Raving about a product is not something I generally do. If I like something and it comes up in conversation with someone, and I find it might be helpful if they know about it, I'll mention it and go about my merry way. THIS is a whole different story. I would legitimately tell everyone I knew about Witch Hazel (and Eco Ears!) if I weren't such an introvert that hated small talk. If you're reading this blog post, you're in the know now. You can't say I didn't tell you. 

What I would like to know is why we don't have more things like this in our homes from the good ol' days. What else am I missing that could completely change my life? We still believe religiously that J.R. Watkins Petro Carbo Salve can cure literally everything. Watkins also has a lip balm (raspberry flavor) that keeps my lips from drying and cracking. Burt's Bees has a lip balm, too, that cures what ails you. It's their new coconut and pear moisturizing balm. Between the two, my lips never crack anymore. It's because the products have REAL ingredients in them that you can actually pronounce. Now, I'm not going on an "it must be natural to do any good and I'll never go back to anything that is not completely natural or organic" rant, but I truly believe after using these products that they had it better in some ways during the good ol' days. I say we bring back the real stuff and throw out the rest. Witch Hazel is sticking around our house for good, even after my acne decides it's gone for good. That stuff could probably cure the common cold and flu for all I know. It should be in all of our emergency supply kits just because. 

In the meantime, it's still going on my face every night (and sometimes every morning because I can). And I think Bear would give two thumbs up if he actually had opposable thumbs because his ear is getting better even if he hides every time we say, "Let's go to bed." Somehow that's code for, "Let's clean your ear out." Who knew?