I'd go back: Only to decorate...then I'd drop out...

Here's what I didn't like about my first college roommate (approximately 30,000 years ago):

• Not that she went out partying one night the first week of school.
• Not that she stumbled into our dorm room drunk and woke me up.
• Not that she threw up and passed out.
• Not even that I had to clean up her mess since I really didn't know anyone else yet and my choices were: make it go away or try to sleep with it there on the floor all night.

No, what really bothered me was that she ruined a rug that her parents had bought for the dorm room to put over the institutional carpeting.

And I thought that was cool that they did that because decorating a dorm room wasn't that common, you know, 30,000 years ago.

Now there are so many choices for making dorm rooms comfy. So I scouted around to show you a few ideas in case you know anyone heading off to college soon.

OK, bed risers are fairly common and aren't just for dorm rooms... but I do love them. They make room for storage under the bed and give a bed so much more presence.

Macy's has these on sale for $9.99 for four.

JC Penney has these floor loungers on sale for $79.99. They're adjustable. I think they look like a fun place to hang out.

Dormbuys.com offers 80 peel and stick Dottilicious Wall Art dots for $49.99. You can arrange them any way you want.

I like the idea of this Cling Thing Message Board, also from Dormbuys.com. It's supposed to stick to walls without hurting the paint and then you just stick stuff to it.

PB teen has this lounging/storage system. I would have loved this when I was in college... or now.

Has anyone out there found anything fun to add to the list?

PS: Lil' Miss Pukester and I parted ways shortly after she redecorated the rug. I hope she's happy now... or in prison... whichever.

At least I didn't tell you about Poo-Poo Pie

Here's a sentence you've probably never said in your life: Can I have your recipe for Vomit Dip?

And an answer you wouldn't expect either: Why, of course you can.

I know I'm risking offending the sensibilities of some readers here (who if they move along at this point will forever have that image stuck in their heads anyway, so they might as well read the rest...).

Here's the explanation: I make an awesome heated dip made of yummy cheesy salsa goodness. Everyone loves it. Except for my husband. And he named it.

And so it came to pass that Vomit Dip was known throughout the land. In mixed company (people who don't like to refer to their food and bodily functions in the same sentence), we have shortened the name to V-Dip.

Cousin Keyne put in an emergency Fourth of July email for the recipe today: "I usually go to allrecipes.com and find just about any recipe I need - but I am pretty sure 'vomit dip' will not yield any search results ~ and frankly if it does, not sure I want to make it."

Good point. So, here it is, as a Fourth of July present to Keyne and to the rest of you:

8-ounce package of cream cheese
8-ounce container of sour cream
1 bottle of salsa (any kind, any heat, any size)
8-ounce package of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or any Mexican blend)

• With electric hand mixer, combine cream cheese, sour cream and salsa until (relatively) smooth. Fold in shredded cheese.
  


• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or so.
  


• Serve with nacho chips.
  


• Stand back as crowd attacks the dip.

Suggestion: Wait until after your guests try this to tell them the name...

A Snapshot: His poop don't stink

This guy looks down on the cats who live in our house, as if to say: She feeds you, sure, but does she display you in the library? No, I didn’t think so.

Can't wait to use the Port-o-Potty!

If you read my blog yesterday, you'll already know this, but the Brimfield Antiques Show started today. It's the largest outdoor antiques show in New England and it lasts six days. Think the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, the start of baseball season (if you're my husband, not me), the receipt of your Economic Stimulus Payment (if it was a lot bigger and hadn't already been spent).

I can't get there until Friday. But, in case you beat me to it, I'm passing along 5 Tips for Shopping Brimfield:

Wear comfortable shoes. Not shoes that are comfortable at home or at the beach. Shoes that are comfortable at a construction site (read: ugly).

Bring cash. You’ll get a better deal because it’s more convenient for dealers (read: no need to get the IRS involved). Most dealers do not accept credit cards.

Negotiate: You know how you tell kids the TV goes off in 2 minutes, and they say 10 more minutes, and you say, 5, and they say 8 and you say forget it, the whole deal’s off, and you start to Google: Selling my child on black market, and then they say 3 and you are both happy (read: worn down). Same at Brimfield, just insert dollars for minutes.

Pack it: If you’ve done your job well, you’ll have lots of loot to take home. Plan to bring a backpack or a cart to lug smaller items around the fields. Bring blankets and rope to secure the bigger items. If you’ve got any room in your vehicle at the end of the day, come back the next day (read: the cost of the motel, dinner and drinks in no way counts toward total spending at Brimfield).

Prepare for it: Bring rain boots, umbrellas, gloves, hats, sunblock, water bottles, snacks, cell phone (for emergency measurement phone calls home), hand sanitizer, toilet paper (read: ever used a Port-o-Potty?)

One man's trash can ...

En route to my kitchen yesterday, I passed by the bathroom, and caught a glimpse of my 5-year-old standing there… doing, well, what boys do standing up in bathrooms. (Why I could see all this when I don’t have X-ray vision is another matter.)

Main problem was my son wasn’t standing over the toilet. He was standing over the trash can. We caught each other’s shocked expressions at the same time. My otherwise bright preschooler was announcing with a mixture of horror and disbelief: “That was a mistake!”

Seems that when you’ve got to go really, really bad and you’re busy thinking of other things…like will Tom and Jerry ever get along?...that you don’t discriminate between short, round containers near a particular spot in the bathroom.

So, add trash can to the shopping list.

My heretofore lovely trash can was a bronze metal container. I chose that to complement the light fixture in the bathroom, which is also bronze.

This all leads me to a decorating tip: When you are picking out accessories for a bathroom or kitchen, stick to the same metal finish throughout. If you’ve got brushed nickel on the faucets, use that finish on the lights, toilet paper holder, light switches, trash can and even the toilet handle (did you know you can replace your toilet handle quiet easily?).

It’s a subtle thing, but the overall effect will be a polished, put-together space. All that aside, I’m going to be looking for something in particular when I pick up my new trash can: I’m going to try to find one that flushes.