Aloha!

This weekend, I went to Clement's company picnic, which had a Hawaiian theme! We got there early to help set up and stuck around all the way through the end. Some of the guys who left early even left us their raffle tickets so we wound up "winning" this coconut, which was a prop in one of the games!

They put together a great event with several games, a watermelon eating contest, and, of course, delicious BBQ. Let's not forget the bounce house!

It was sort of a nice way to say goodbye to summer, one last romp in the sun before fall comes rolling around with its cool weather and cute ankle boots. Hello, fall, it's good to see you again!

LA County Fair

I got to cross something off my Summer Checklist and my 101 in 1001 by going to the fair yesterday and getting this "Totally Fried Chocolate Covered Twinkie".

I know, this is 5 kinds of unhealthy and probably enough calories for the entire day... but look at it!

Clement, thinking "why the heck did this cost $3.75?"

Actually, it was a decent snack but I would never rave about it. The "Totally Fried" booth also had s'mores, White Castle burgers, chicken kabobs, and a Krispy Kreme hamburger... yes, it's what you would think -- a burger, except replace the buns with a doughnut.

Sheri, the bride-to-be to whom I will be MOH later this year, raved about the chocolate-covered bacon that was nowhere to be found when I was wandering around later. Sure, there were lots of signs that promised it but, alas.... "chocolate-covered bacon" everywhere but not a heart attack snack to eat.

And, FYI, I am totally smitten with Royal Prestige cookware after sitting through an amazing demostration. Anyone by any chance have a testimony to give about it?

How was your Labor Day weekend?

Mouth-Watering Watermelon Bars

Don't these watermelon bars look delicious?? Recipe at Right@Home.

Summer Checklist

Happy 50th post!

Here's to celebrating the rest of the summer! I've made good on my task of creating a Summer Checklist, so here it is:

Sorry for the poor quality; it turns out my markers need replacing! Plus, I only had this large piece of white cardboard to work with. Next time I will definitely use not-white. Maybe green like the original!

My list only has 16, not like the original 20, because it's already almost August anyway and did I mention my markers died? So sad. But I have space at the bottom (and sharpies, which I'm going to use the next time I make this!) in case I think of anything else.

Did you make one?

Beat the Heat with LifeHacker Tips

Every DIY junkie should give LifeHacker a thorough browsing. Now that it's the dead center of summer, they have been sharing a lot of information about beating the heat.

1. Give your AC a check-up

Don't forget that you probably haven't really used it since last summer. Like any other machine, sometimes a really simple cleaning to remove dust and dirt will do wonders for efficiency.

2. Hang a damp towel over a window

Water from the damp towel evaporates as the hot air moves through it, making the air cooler as it enters your house.

3. Use the Egyptian method to keep cool while you sleep

Dampen a sheet (wet it and wring it, or spritz it with a bottle) and use it as your blanket.

4. Know which foods cool you down and which don't

Have lots of fruits and veggies with high water content like leafy lettuces, corn on the cob, cucumbers, watermelon, and summer squash.

As for not actually cooling you down, ice cream and ice-cold beer are on the list. (I know, I'm shocked too.) Apparently, "anything ingested that is lower than actual body temperature will initially produce a cooling effect systemically," according to Gerard E. Mullin, the director of gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins Hospital, so these foods don't do much in the way of cooling your body past the 5 mins you take eating it.

Check out more in LifeHacker's Beat the Heat feature!

Got your own tried-and-true beat the heat tips? Share them below!