Gnats B Gone! please?

For some reason we were having a really bad gnat problem on our back patio.  After about 2 days, I was so tired of getting my daily amount of protein from accidentally eating bugs that I finally decided to look online and figure out how to kill these things.

After a Google, pretty much every website recommended that you use vinegar, sugar, water and cut the top of a plastic bottle and flip it to trap the gnats in.

The Goldfish were for me

I put in a 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup rice vinegar and 1/2 cup water into a plastic bottle where I cut the top off and put it back on up-side-down.  I put it outside on my patio table.

After two days, I checked it.  Nothing:

Okay, four, but that is nothing compared to the four million that were out there.

I tried it again thinking that maybe the rice vinegar was not good to use so I made the same thing but with normal vinegar and again, set it out on my patio table.

I was horrified.  This time it killed another four gnats and also a Gecko, which I DID NOT want to kill because they eat the gnats and other bugs that fly around. 

I gave up and called the bug guys.  We still don't know what caused all the gnats but next time, I will try it again.   It seems that dish soap is also an ingredient that people are recommending now.

I sure hope that I do not have this problem again, though.  YUK!

FAIL

Glass Brownies

Today my husband and I were watching TV and saw a commercial for brownies that are low calorie.  My husband says 'mmmmmmm... brownies' in a Homer J. Simpson kind of way.  I on the other hand had a baby 10 months ago and am trying to watch everything I eat so that I can loose weight but I want a brownie too.  I remember seeing a post on Pinterest about Dt. Coke and Brownie mix.  I go on line, find that recipe and figure, heck, this should be easy especially since I have brownie mix and Dt. Pepsi!  I prefer Pepsi over Coke anyway.

• I pull out my brownie mix.  Crap.  It has walnuts in it, I hope that doesn't mess it up.  


• I pull out a can of Dt. Pepsi.  I hope there isn't some kind of magic ingredient in Coke that isn't in Pepsi.  


• I read the directions that are given on the website: http://auntpegsrecipebox.blogspot.com/2011/02/diet-coke-brownies.html


• I pull out a glass casserole dish and measure it.  Yup 9x13, SWEEEEET


• I turn on the oven to 350 degrees and start making it.

After I stir it, I realise that all the walnuts are sinking to the bottom.  OK... so I'll have walnuts at the bottom instead of randomly... whatever.

I put it into my casserole dish and happily throw it in the oven.  30 min later I check it.  Not done.

I put it back in for another 10 min.  Not done.  Another 10 min...  Seems kind of done, I will cut it.  ICK!!!  Mushy on the bottom.  NOT DONE.

Hmmm...  My husband points out that its a glass dish and not an actual pan.  Does that make a diff?  So I lower the temp to 340 and put a pan under the casserole dish.  Another 15 min.  NOT DONE.

I give up.

Did I get compliments?  Uhhh... no.

Will I make it again?      Not in a friggin glass casserole dish!!

Was it really because it was glass and not metal?  

This is why I don't bake!

FAILED!!!

Update Sep. 18th

I tried this again but used a regular brownie pan and not a glass dish.  It was a little better but it was still really mushy.  I would not recommend following the Dt. soda and brownie mix for low calorie brownies.  They tasted okay but they ended up being thrown away.

Still a fail.