Ugly Betty was one of my favorite shows. In fact, I used to blog about the show at WatchingUglyBetty.com before leaving blog network 451 Press. I still get Ugly Betty news on occasion and love that the show lives on in reruns on the TV Guide Channel.

The TV Guide Channel is having an Ugly Betty marathon on July 4th. They are airing nine fan favorite episodes as well as “The Fashion Team: Ugly Betty Style” and “Look-A-Like: America Ferrera.” The marathon begins at 11am eastern time on July 4th. For those missing Ugly Betty like me, here is our chance to get our Betty fix.

Remember Shrinky Dinks? I’m not sure if they ever went away but today it seems they are more popular than ever. There are several craft projects people do with these, and my husband had an idea to make tokens for a game he enjoys playing. So we bought a pack of Shrinky Dinks that you can use with your printer. Here is an idea of just how much they shrink down from their original size.

Anyway, I’m not sure what I want to make. We only bought the ones for the printer but there is a cheaper pack that you just draw on. I’m thinking that would make for a fun craft day with the girl. I’ve been wanting to do more crafts with her especially this summer to give us something fun to do.

We are dieting in our house. We are not eating on the same plan. I have opted to do Atkins and have lost 25 pounds so far (Yeah me). My husband is trying the Mediterranean Diet which includes eating a lot of pasta, bread, and rice – all no-nos on Atkins. Since I do most of the cooking, I needed to find a way to cook both of our foods without using the stove. I’m determined not to turn it on this hot, hot summer. Luckily I ran across a product called Pasta Perfectat a local thrift store. It was still in the box, so for $1.69 I decided to give it a try.

You put in your pasta and then add hot boiling water. Then put the strainer top on followed by the cap. Then wrap with the insulated hugger. It came with a cookbook that has listed the amount of time needed to cook various pasta. I’ve used it twice so far. I works great and cooks the pasta. I just heat up the water in the microwave. I always cook way too much pasta when I cook on the stove top. With Pasta Perfect, I measure out a bowl and then add it to the cylinder. Clean up is so easy since it’s just one container. The first time I even used whole wheat pasta, and it turned out pretty good. I have to take my husband’s word for it since I didn’t eat any.

So between the Pasta Perfect and the grill, I can cook us both meals without having to touch the oven. That’s definitely a positive since it is already pretty hot and it’s not even July yet.

Summer is here and so that means there are mosquitoes everywhere. Mosquitoes seem to love us, so we always have a problem with these pesky insects. While I’ve tried remedies before, this year I’ve decided to plant flowers that mosquitoes do not really enjoy. One of those flowers is apparently Marigolds.

I’ve never really liked Marigolds. They really don’t have a nice smell and the yellow flower always reminds me of a Homecoming corsage. But if they deter mosquitoes, then I’m willing to put that aside and give them a try. Best of all, Marigolds are just $1. I have already bought five and plan to buy more. They will be placed all around our deck as well as the kid’s play set. It will be field of yellow but hopefully it will be a mosquito-free zone.

I don’t think I shared what I got for Mother’s Day – a grill. We have only wanted one since we got married 15 years ago. It’s a small one and is charcoal not gas, but I prefer it that way.

I think of the grill as the gift that keeps on giving. We cook out, and my husband mans the grill. That’s one less meal I have to cook. Lately we’ve been grilling enough for a few meals, so I have even more nights off from cooking. With summer here, I definitely want to stay away from the oven. Thanks to my well-planned Mother’s Day gift, I may be getting a nice break from the kitchen after all.