What I Learned- September
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Once again, it's time for "What I Learned", a link-up with Emily @ Chatting at the Sky, where we look back on the past month and share the little treasures we gathered along the way. Sometimes silly, always fun. If you want to join in, link up here.
1. I learned why Ikea causes so much relationship tension. Ikea, jokes Amy Poehler, is Swedish for argument. Did you know that therapists have researched this problem because it occurs so frequently? There was an interesting article about it this month in The Atlantic. It basically comes down to the fact that the experience is full of emotional triggers. Crowds, showrooms that can make people feel inadequate and subconscious battles for power are a few examples of the stresses that lead to arguments.
My husband and I buy a lot of our furniture at Ikea. I don’t recall any major arguments surrounding our trips there- okay, maybe some irritation on my part when he critiques the way I’ve put together the furniture (I’ll admit it, wobbly tables are my forte, which probably irritates him). But I think, after all these years, we’ve discovered a few secrets to getting through Ikea without an argument.
A. Pick out what you want, together, from the catalog before you go- and have a list.
B. Enjoy lunch together at the cafe. Avoid the hangry.
C. Avoid working together when assembling the furniture. Each person gets his or her own project. Don’t offer unsolicited “help” on the other person’s project.
Ha! Now that I’ve written those points down, I can see how they relate to so much more than a trip to Ikea, but to relationships in general. I could write a whole lot more…and maybe I will, later.
2. Costco has the best pumpkin pie. It’s better than any homemade pie I’ve ever tried, and definitely better than Safeway’s. Yeah, we’ve been doing some research at my house…you know, getting ready for the holidays and all. ; )
3. Many department store brands of cosmetics are the exact same formulas as many drugstore brands. Most brands in the beauty industry are owned by a handful of companies, and sometimes, the only difference is in the packaging (you can even compare the patent numbers). If you would like to save money on lipstick, check out these lipstick dupes.
All pictures from my Instagram account. I'm there @ dawnmarieklinge Are you? If you are, and I'm not already following you, let me know! It's my favorite place to be on social media.
4. You can send a Windows phone through the washing machine and it will still work! I don’t recommend it, but now we know…just in case you have anyone in your house who leaves phones in pockets. I learned what not to do earlier this summer (with an i-phone that I dropped in water) and what to do last week.
What not to do: I put a phone in rice, to dry it out, because I read about it on the Internet. What happened? The phone still worked, but a piece of rice got stuck in the spot where the charger goes and damaged it. I can still get the charger to work (most of the time) but the tech at the Apple store told me that there is a loose piece in there now, and it’s just a matter of time until it will quit working altogether.
What to do: Take the battery out, immediately, then put the components near a fan and let it dry completely before trying to use it.
5.
“[The laws of logic] were placed in our minds by the Creator during the act of creation. We speak because God has spoken. God is not the author of confusion, irrationality, or the absurd. Furthermore, his words are meant to be understood by his creatures, and a necessary condition for his creature’s understanding of those words is that they are intelligible and not irrational.”
I love the book, where I found that quote, Defending Your Faith, by R.C. Sproul. I'm learning a lot and will write more about it later on in October, but I thought I’d share a little with you today.
If you'd like to see past month's from this series of posts, you can go here.
That's all I've got for now. What have you been learning?
