Recipe Holder - pinterest inspired

Please ignore the clutter in the background.  I'm getting ready to make dishwashing detergent, and got side-tracked.  My brain is so completely squirrelly lately that I am amazed I ever finish anything I start.

Have any of you seen this pin?

A friend of mine pinned it, and I repinned it thinking it a fabulous idea, if fabulously tacky.  It's been floating around in the back of my head for at least a few days.  I was trying to think of ways to make the hanger not look like a hanger.  I know, it's perfectly functional, but... I don't like it.  I also don't like my recipes getting icky.

I used to keep my recipes in one of those static page photo albums.  The clear laminate protects the recipe from kitchen effluvium, and they're easy to rearrange.  The only aggravation I have with those is you can't easily flip the recipe over.  I like to jot notes about alterations, substitutions, additions, and their results on the back of a recipe.  Sometimes the recipe is just too long to fit on the front of a card.  Sometimes I have two related recipes on one card (i.e. I have a recipe for two cupcakes, and on the back of the card I've got recipes for two servings of icing).  So, the static pages are a mixed blessing.  Something else I tried was just a binder with clear page protectors in it.  But that doesn't let me put more than one recipe in a pocket, unless there's nothing written on the back of either one.  Same problem.  So I like the concept of the hanger... just not the execution.

B likes to make things with wood.  He usually has scraps leftover.  I am a pack rat, and he's not always great about picking up his leftovers, so we have quite a lot of odd scraps of wood floating around in the storage room.  They also lay in the yard for a while before my inner pack rat wins out over my desire for him to clean up his own messes, so some of the bits of wood are pretty weathered.  I like weathered!

One of the scraps was only about 1 x 1.5 x 8 inches.  It seemed perfect.  A bit of twine, a sharpie, some picture hanging do-dads, and a couple clothes pins looked about like all I would need.  It turned out I used a stapler, too.  I wish my handwriting was neater.

 The picture do-dads went in the top, and I tied a couple nooses through them to string the twine.  B had a great idea to keep the recipe from flopping - attach the clothes pins to the back of the board somehow.  Well, I wanted them to be mobile, because not all my recipes are the same size/width, so we stapled the twine to the sides to create a tight line across the center back.

 Bird "helped" me tie the nooses for the string I intended to hang it by.  There's enough slack were I can easily flip the board over to read the back of the card as well.

So far it seems the best place to hang it is from the little cabinets above the stove hood.  With the cabinet door open, it hangs at eye level, and doesn't interfere with me getting stuff out for cooking, because the only things in that particular cabinet are the mosterously large insulated drink jugs B and the Pup got from 7-11 last year.

I thought about painting it, or using stencils to make the writing a bit neater.  But I decided that i would probably forget about it out drying and never finish it.  Really, my brain is that bad these days!  Besides, it fits right in with my bag drying line and my laundry sign, which are neither one very frilly, just twine, boards, and in the case of the laundry sign, a bit of paint.

Washer/Dryer safe changing mat/organizer - Pinterest Inspired

I pin.  Ok, not just pin, Pin... as in Pinterest.  I am not a pinaholic, yet, but it is a fabulous place to share ideas.  A lot of those ideas never manifest into anything concrete.  I know a few people who actually use what they find on there, but most people just seem to use it as a place to save pictures of things they might like, maybe, one day... if they ever get away from their laptops/computers/cell phones.

I actually use mine occasionally.  

For instance, I found this changing mat that folds up into a clutch.  I thought it was a really good idea, but as I started reading it, I liked her pattern less and less.  Elastic, batting, vinyl. bias tape, buttons...  I mean, I know how to use/apply those things, but boy they're tedious!  And vinyl can't go in the dryer.  I line dried my laundry all last summer, and intend to resume the practice next summer.  I'm being a slacker this year, because frankly toting hampers of wet laundry up a flight of stairs and hanging it out/taking it in in 110 degree weather just sounds really off-putting this summer, especially since going up and down the stairs has become more and more interesting as my balance has changed.  And yes, I realize that the vinyl is supposed to preclude washing much since you can wipe it off, but what about the fabric of the pockets?  It is entirely possible it'll get messy in ways that will spread.  Vinyl would not only keep it out of the dryer, but it could trap moisture and lead to mildew and mold down in there.  

I know, I'm probably reading way too much into this, but these were my thought processes as I'm reading the pattern.  I also really didn't want to fool with bias tape.  Honestly, I think that was my biggest motivation. And it's small!  What kid doesn't squirm?  If I wanted a small changing pad, I'd use the one that came with the diaper bag.  No offense meant to the wonderful people who gave me the diaper bag, and the little changing pad will be fine for those early days when he's small and can't get far.  But later when he starts squirming, and trying to roll over?  I know that it's good for kids to come in contact with a variety of germs so they can build up a strong immune system, but I don't fancy my midget wallowing around in the potential icky of someone else's child's poo and pee (thinking of public changing stations here).  So I think I'd like a bit more coverage, thanks.  

Another factor that came into play was the fact that I'd made some crib bumpers (yes, I know they're not recommended, don't start) that were of a really fun fabric for visual stimulation.  They were also light weight enough to be breathed through.  Unfortunately the lightness made them unable to stay put.  They drooped and sagged in the middle when I put them in the crib, so I decided to find another use for them, rather than just toss them in the trash.  

The pad ended up being about 20 in wide by about 24 inches long (give or take).  There are two layers of fleece inside for padding.  I sewed the two short bumpers together long ways with an overcast stitch so it would lay flat with no lumpy seam in the middle.  The pockets are about 1/3 the length of the pad.  

It easily holds a few diapers + inserts in one pocket, and the other pocket has room for wipes, a diaper cover, a full size container of powder, and a tube of butt cream.

 It folds up neatly, ties with a couple of ribbons, and fits in the smallest of the two diaper bags that came with my set.

Here it is in the bigger diaper bag along with a fleecy blanket, a receiving blanket, and a full change of clothes (underneath the rest).  

It'll completely eliminate the game of dig for the diapers.  Everyone's played that game where you end up dumping the entire contents of the diaper bag out just to find the tube of cream at the very, very bottom, or the wipes weren't even in there, but had somehow made it to a side pocket.  The outer fabric is duck cloth, which does give some water resistance, though not entirely water proof.  All its bits are machine washer and dryer safe, except maybe the ribbon, but they come right out of the loops they're tied through.  

B thinks it's pretty nifty, and I think that it saved me from wasting a couple yards of rather expensive fabric.  Now to figure out what to do with the pieces I cut for the long bumpers.  I'm thinking a few diaper covers, since I still haven't made any larger sized ones.  

Flat folds and Pockets and Turkey Legs

I got a box of goodies from a friend yesterday.  In it were a few different styles of all in one cloth diapers, inserts, two sizes of wet bags (one for the diaper bag and one to hang on the door), and the weirdest thing I never would've thought of that makes fabulous sense!  It's a sprayer attachment for the toilet.  It's like a hand-held bidet, but another marketed use for it is to spray out dirty cloth diapers into the toilet so you can just flush it instead of rising it down the sink or tub.  What an idea??  

Today, since we got our last refund from the electric folks (we're going into a trial billing phase while they re-evaluate usage, which means no extra checks... boo, BUT!  It also means no bills, so I can keep the house as cool as I want it this summer at least), I went to Hobby Lobby and Wal-mart in hopes of scoring some fabric to attempt my own diaper covers at the very least.  I'd like to line them, and have a few all-in-ones, too, especially since my friend was nice enough to send me the three different ones she uses as visual aids for assembling them.  

I've also been looking at flat folds, because they are supposed to be much easier to get clean, more versatile in sizing, and in purpose of application.  A flat fold is just a square of fabric between 24 and 27 inches that's folded creatively to make a diaper.  

http://fernandfaerie.com/sewing_flats.html has pictures and instructions of how to do the origami fold

http://pepperplaceblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-fold-flat-using-jo-fold.html shows something called a Jo fold.  

There are others, but they tend to get more complicated from there.  I could do either one of these two in my sleep, which is a high probability, unless I find a good deal on PUL somewhere.  I was going to get some at Hobby Lobby today, but for the price, even with a 40% off coupon, I wanted to at least be able to get colors I like.  B had the cute idea of making black ones and embroidering Jolly Rogers on them.  I can't put a Jolly Roger on pastel green or baby blue.  It's just... well, it's just not right.  That'd be damn near sacrilegious.  It's $10 a yard at Fabric.com, which is so far the only place I've found black PUL.  If my measurements are right, I'd only need around 2.5 yards to make several covers, and if I wanted to line them, an equal amount of lining material, but the lining material won't be $10 a yard.  JoAnn's has an annual Black Friday sale of $1/yd flannel, which would be perfect, since flannel is snuggly soft and absorbent.  If I line them, I might as well get a bit more fabric and do an insert to make an all in one.  Then I'd have options:  it could be used as a cover for a flat fold, or with the flat fold and the insert for double absorbency, or with just the insert as an all in one.  

I did get 4 yards of 90" wide muslin material for $1.37/yd at Wal-mart today.  If I make the diapers 24" square that gives me 21 diapers for under $25.  I will probably still buy disposables for road trips, but a small pack of disposables here and there won't break the bank.  

Now, since most of this day was spent at an OB appointment and the store, I think I better get off my butt and get something constructive done... like figure out dinner.  I haven't forgotten about the turkey leg recipe, either!  

(Yes, actually I did... but I remembered!  That's the point.)

Basically, I used the same recipe as Pioneer Woman's Caveman Pops, but instead of using the spice blend she used, I used Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.  Also, she mentions that she pours her brine over ice, but says you can just cool it in the fridge.  Well, I chose to cool mine in the fridge, and it turned out WAY salty.  I mean WAY salty.  So, I think that when she poured hers over ice it diluted the brine to a degree that is not accounted for in her recipe.  I would either tone down the salt in the brine, or use a seasoning mix that has no additional salt in it (which Tony Chachere's does) to make it less salty.  One last note - her cooking times are short.  I have a regular gas oven, no convection or anything fancy.  I don't know if she has a convection oven or not, but her cooking time did not bring my turkey legs up to temperature or get them done all the way to the bone.  If you're like me and paranoid about the doneness of your poultry, I'd add another 15-20 minutes of cook time onto the second cooking phase at 300degrees, or maybe increase the temperature to 350.  

B loved them, but agreed they were on the salty side, so next time I try these, I'm going to have to take that into account.  But, a pack of three cost around $4, so for $8 I had enough turkey legs for three meals for the two of us.  I froze the other 4 for reheating later.  My December freezer is getting nicely stocked, so hopefully I won't have to cook much at all for the first few weeks after Little B gets here.  

Zombie

This is what I've felt like lately.  (

http://bigmamacass.files.wordpress.com)

Wow!  Where did the last month go?  I really think I slept through most of it.

What I've been up to:

We go July 3rd to for our anatomy ultrasound, and might be able to tell friends and family what it is by the time we head up to visit in July.  Maybe now that I'm starting to exit my zombification, I'll start to get some of that excitement.  It's got to kick in at some point, right?  I think mostly I'm still mildly freaked out by the overwhelming feeling of responsibility that's danging over my head on a fraying strand of spiderweb.

A friend gave me a glider and gliding ottoman.  I've been reupholstering it, and so far it looks good (I think). I still have to finish the arms before it's done, but I have to wait until I can afford some more poly-fil.

before

after

I also made a silly little decoration thing out of fun colors of tulle.

You can't see all the fun colors in there, unfortunately.  :-( 

I've also made some attempts at making clothes (thankfully no pictures have been taken).  I went through all my fabric and got rid of all the stuff I realistically knew I wouldn't ever use.  Bye-bye piles of old polyester scraps...  I kept some lightweight cotton feeling fabric, and made an attempt at a dress.  It's ok... a little tenty (ok, a lot tenty), and it doesn't fit right through the bust.  That last bit could be because the darn things keep growing like I'm 13 again.  It seemed to fit ok when I first made it.  It needs lining as well, but a slip would also serve.  I have some more cotton feeling fabric that I am going to attempt to make into some poet/peasant shirts.  I actually have patterns for the shirts.  The dress was a sort of wing-and-a-prayer project.  B says it looks fine, but I'd really rather have a second opinion.  He's been trying so hard to be nice lately that I fear honesty might be suffering for it LOL.  Little white lies about how I look, or the state of the house, not like he's telling fat whoppers.  I made a skirt of out two silk scarves.  It actually turned out about as intended.  I need to seam up the side a little farther or add a second button under the first, but otherwise it turned out ok.  It also needs either a slip or a lining because it's so sheer, but it's lightweight and comfortable.  I don't know if I would brave wearing it outside of the house or just around friends/family, but it serves for now.

I honestly can't afford to buy a maternity wardrobe, so I'm trying to find ways around it.  I've been using rubber bands as button extenders for my pants, but I don't know how long that's going to work out.  My butt seems to be pregnant as well as my thighs.  Ugh!  If either get any bigger I won't be able to fit in my pants and shorts at all to use the rubber band trick.

How I've been:

BITCHY!  Wow, B is a saint.  He really is.  I haven't treated him like much of one the past month or so, but he's rolled with it like a champ.  I get so irritated at the stupidest stuff, and won't realize how stupid I'm being till it's already over.  Then, I'll feel really guilty and want to cry.  I don't cry, so that's even more disturbing than the bitchiness.  Bitchy (in moderation) is normal, but then wanting to cry because I suddenly feel so horrible about being a bitch is not.  I think B is more disturbed when I get leaky around the eyes than he is when I'm abnormally grumpy.  Most of the time he just gives me a hug and says "let it go, babe.  It'll be ok." There have been a few days when I felt he deserved a medal, or a least a commendation of some sort.  He's only gotten grumpy back a couple of times, and then was immediately trying not to be grumpy.  My sister-in-law says that he must be being absolutely amazing, because most pregnant women can't stand their husbands and think they're complete assholes.  There have been times he's gotten on my nerves, but I can recognize (sometimes when it's happening, sometimes later) that I'm being irrational.  I try really hard not to be psychotic, and B tells me I'm doing a good job.  But he also told me once that his philosophy when dealing with his sister when she was pregnant was "If I can't say anything nice, lie."  So he might just be humoring me, but he says I'm not quite as crazy as most of the pregnant women he's dealt with in the past.  I know he tries really really hard to be sweet and considerate, and I appreciate it an awful lot.  Just putting up with me without getting visibly irritated, I think, is a Herculean feat in itself LOL.  He's truly being wonderful.  I try to make it a point to tell him that every day.

So unbelievably tired...  I'll get up, have my single cup of coffee for the day, attempt to start *something* constructive or productive, then wake up on the couch an hour later feeling even worse than when I first woke up.  I'll struggle to stay awake all day, then at night - doing the happy dance of joy all the way there - I crawl in my bed, snuggle up amongst the pillows... and be awake almost all night trotting to the damned bathroom.

Nothing tastes or smells like it ought to.  I'll make something for dinner that I normally would love (like asparagus, or broccoli, or cubed steak, even fried chicken), only to put the first bite in my mouth and go "I don't want it."  We've been eating more fast food and junk lately than I think I've eaten in my entire adult life.  I normally can't stomach junk and fast food for long, because it makes me sick with all the grease.   But here lately, tater tots, hamburgers, hot dogs (oh my gods how I love hot dogs lately!  I normally gag on the thought of them) have been all I've seemed to really enjoy.  I don't only eat that rubbish, but I've indulged more that I really ought to have.  And things smell weird.  For a while I could smell EVERYTHING.  Literally, everything.  After work, I'd have to talk to B from the bottom of the stairs while he changed upstairs, because that's as close as I could stand to get.  Now, though my nose is still more sensitive than normal, it just seems to be out of alignment a bit.  Things seem to smell strange.  I'm completely weird about meat in the fridge now.  It all smells weird to me, so I can't tell if it's ok to cook or eat.  I'm constantly getting B to come smell something and give his opinion.

Fortunately, I haven't had anything I would consider morning sickness, no extreme food aversions, or anything like that.  The closest I have come to that is being strongly offended by the smell of the Blue Bonnets in bloom.  There are fields of them along the state highways down here, and they normally smell wonderful.  Any floral smell made my stomach roll over for a while.  The neighbors have a rose bush by their front door, and I'd have to hold my breath on my way to and from our door.  That's passed, though.  Yay!

Our Not-So-Paper-Towels and a Bag Line

What I accomplished yesterday... 

When I worked at the sheriff's department, t-shirts were an everyday requirement.  In summer, we had to wear white v-neck t's, and in winter, we had to wear black crew necks.  I have dozens of t-shirts.  Some of them are being kept for grungy work, cleaning days, and sleep shirts, but a lot of them are becoming something new.

I've been saying for a while that I was going to try to cut back on paper product use and disposable stuff.  Cotton is the component of nearly every kitchen towel and rag in existence.  It's not necessarily *the* most absorbent in t-shirt form, because there's not a lot of lift or pile, but I figured they'd make good cleaning rags, napkins, and paper towel substitutes.

Make-do Monday - T-shirt Tote Bags

For a change, a project I didn't knit or crochet.

I love my chest freezer.  It's awesomesauce.  I can go to Sam's and the commissary once a month (with varying side trips to the grocery in between for the stuff that is just bound and determined to run out at off times), stick everything in my freezer and pantry, then crawl back under my rock for another month.  I actually like living under a rock.  Too much interaction with too many people makes me very cranky.  I get cranky enough all on my own without having the additional help.

Maybe some of you out there are more disciplined than I am, but when I get home from a shopping trip and am divvying up goodies for the freezer, fridge, and pantry, the goal is to get it done and get on with something else. I usually try to at least keep plant matter on one side of the freezer and protein on the other, but it doesn't always work out that way.  Then, when I am rummaging through looking for something in particular for a meal, or hunting for that leftover baggie of spaghetti sauce that I just *know* is in there, stuff gets all shuffled around, jumbled up, and becomes a right mess of frozen edibles all piled haphazardly with no semblance of order.   No, there are no pictures.  I didn't want a record of my slovenly freezer floating around.

I was over reading Dee's blog post about organizing her freezer, and it looked like a no-brainer.  Duh... I'm supposed to be pretty intelligent, so why didn't I think to do this before?  But, all of my baskets are wicker.  I have too many baskets according to some, but I just keep finding things to use them for.  I have a few smaller cardboard boxes floating around from packages and moving, but I could see that becoming a problem eventually, because none of them are that waxed cardboard.

Reading through the comments, I saw that one person uses those cloth shopping totes.  I have fabric.  I can do that!

But, I'm also not feeling motivated to make half a dozen tote bags.

But I have t-shirts and tank tops!

No... I really don't throw out nearly as much as I should.  And this is a perfect example of WHY!

I have a pile of plain white and black t-shirts from my time at the sheriff's office.  I still wear them, occasionally.  I mean, who doesn't ever have a really scrungy job to do and they don't want to mess up any of their good t-shirts by accident, or when I dye my hair, or sometimes as a cleaning rag.  But in all honesty I have too many.  I don't need a dozen white t-shirts.  And the tank tops... well, they haven't fit in quite some time.  I keep saying one day I am going to drop enough weight to finally get into them, but the truth is, I was the smallest I've ever been (high school size) the month I moved to TX.  If they didn't fit then, they're just never going to fit.  And, what's a tank top but a tote bag with an unfinished bottom?

All I did for the tanks was sew the bottom hem together, and the straps became instant handles.  Fabulous!  Took all of a minute, and that included threading the sewing machine.

The t-shirts took a little more time.  I cut the sleeves off, and then enlarged the neck to make a wider mouth for the bag.

Yes, I used black thread on the white t-shirts.  It's ok, my frozen foods won't care.

All the bags wad up nice and small, so I can cram them inside each other when (LOL as if) they're not in use in the freezer.  They can become shopping bags at Sam's, or wherever, and I can chuck them in the washing machine if something happens to leak, bust, or otherwise get messy.  It's not quite as orderly as nice stackable baskets, but this was no additional cost to me.  I had everything I needed right here at the house, and the only thing that I actually paid for at one time or another was the t-shirt itself.  Since said t-shirt is five years old, and had holes worn in it, I'd say that I've already gotten more than my money's worth of wear out of it.  :-)

While it may not *look* all neat and pretty, I can reach in and grab my chicken, veggies, leftovers, pork, fruit, boiling meat, etc. in one grab.  The smaller odds and ends are still just in the baskets that came with the freezer, but they don't ever get any more plentiful than that.  There's also a handy shelf in there that holds my beef, since I try not to cook with too much red meat for B.  My freezer is so much easier to navigate now, and I didn't have to go shopping to get it that way :-)  Happy day!

Now.... how long will this last?

A backlog of Thrifty Thursdays and Make-do Mondays

Even though I've been off the internet for the past two weeks and the housework has slid while we were on our staycation, I couldn't just completely sit still.

I think I have figured out my Gramma's fried apple pie recipe.  The magic is the filling.  The crusts are just biscuit dough, but I have a few kinks to work out before I post that recipe.

I made two rugs for the bathrooms.

I got 80 lbs of this olefin yarn for around $80 after shipping and handling.  Included in the box were also a few random spools of much higher quality yarn.  I got a 10 lb spool of merino lace ($10 for 10 lbs where normally I would pay $20 or so for less than a lb), there was a baby cake of white flannel, and another spool of sea green lace weight yarn that I don't know the fiber type.  It was a helluva deal.  The problem was I couldn't knit with most of it.  Olefin is the stuff carpet is made of.  It's a double thread with tufts of stuff between and twisted.  Knitting with it caused all kinds of bunching, breaks, and other pains in the rear that made it worthless as far as I was concerned.  I was not happy since the mystery box had been billed as a knitting selection.  The spools of lace yarn more than made up for the price, but I didn't have any idea what to do with these spools of crap.  I refused to throw them away.  

One day I decided to try crocheting with them, and viola!  It worked!  

They were both done similar to granny squares.  I am not an accomplished crocheter by any stretch, so they are asymmetrical and a bit lumpy around the edges, but for tromping on, they work just fine.  

B's birthday is coming up, and he likes to fish.  The problem is he doesn't like toting his backpack when he goes fishing, because he has to take it off to get to his tackle.  A regular tackle box would still have to be set down and picked up constantly, because he likes to walk the shore instead of picking a spot and sticking to it.    He mentioned he was going to go buy a satchel.  I jokingly refer to it as a man-purse.  I offered to make him one.  

I think it turned out pretty good.  It's got two lined interior compartments.  I used remnants of skeins I already had here at the house, so I didn't have to buy yarn.  I used scraps for the lining, and the strap is an old belt that the buckle was broken on.  :-)   I carved the fish toggle out of a scrap of cedar that was left over from when B made my desk. 

And yesterday while I was stomping around the kitchen in a horrible mood, I dropped an egg in the box of my Gramma's cast iron cookware.  I was planning to save the refinishing of the cast iron for summer, because I figured the super dry Texas heat would be almost as good as an oven for expanding the iron and allowing grease to soak in.  There wasn't enough room in my oven for all the pieces.  

But.... the egg changed my mind. 

Before scrubbing

The iron was really rusty.  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to save it or not.  It had been in storage for untold years, and Georgia is so damp everything rusts or rots eventually.  It was also super dusty.  The dust had stuck to the seasoned skillets, meaning I had to strip the top of the seasoning off at the very least.

I used straight vinegar and steel wool.  I could've used a solution of vinegar and water, then let them soak in it overnight.  But where was I going to soak them?  And that would've stripped off all the seasoning making me start from scratch on them.  That is not a prospect I was keen on.  I've tried to season fresh cast iron before, and it just sucked.

Before Scrubbing. 

After scrubbing

After Scrubbing

When they were completely dry, I rubbed them with crisco all over.  (inside, outside, bottoms, handles, everything)  Then I put them in the oven at 250 for three hours or so.  After that, I turned the oven off and let them cool slowly as the oven cooled.  

I think they made an amazing recovery.  I haven't cooked with them, yet, so I don't know how they'll taste or if the seasoning is thick enough.  I  may need to do a few more layers before they're as good as Gramma used to keep them, but I am so tickled that they are going to be usable again.  I was worried that they would be delegated to a nail on the wall and a sad tale of how Gramma used to cook in them.  

I made a teddy bear had for Fin's coming arrival.  He's got all kinds of silly cute clothes, but I wanted to give her something for the new baby, and the yarn was just sitting there staring out at me between the slats of my basket begging to be a teddy bear hat.  

And I thought that I would commemorate the amazing organization of my spice cabinet (temporary though it will assuredly be).  Top right = refills in back, bakings/sweets spices up front as well as baking needs (yeast, baking soda, baking powder).  Middle right = all my savory spices, and bottom is breakfast munchies (granola bars, poptart crisps), and the waffle iron that I was absolutely stoked to get off the counter.  Left top has some baking goodies overflow, and the rest of the left side is dedicated to warm drinks (coffee, tea, cocoa) and their fixin's.  I completely reorganized my pantry, too.  I didn't take pictures of that, but it is equally orderly and segmented.  I know this won't last past the end of January, but at least for a while I can find absolutely everything with ease and precision.  

Coffee Can Cannisters

I haven't been able to focus on much the past few days, because my head's been so fogged up with this fall cold.  But that doesn't mean I've been completely lazy.

I save things.  Random things, useless things, odd things... I'm a packrat, but I am not in need of reform.

Ok... maybe I am in need of a little reform.  I do save some ridiculous stuff for a ridiculously long time, but I just never really know if it won't come in handy one day!  Like trash  I save trash.

Let me just put in a small advertisement that I sincerely wish they were paying me for.  Cafe Bustelo is awesomesauce.  It's only a few dollars more than regular coffee (i.e. Folgers, Maxwell House) for the 36 oz cans, but it's espresso ground, dark roast coffee with a really rich smooth taste.  It's way cheaper than gourmet coffees, too.  Gourmet flavor, much lower price.  I'm in love.

These can's are sadly empty, but that makes them more useful.

A can of spray paint, some fabric, some string, and I think I can make these coffee cans pretty.  I have lots of them.  Did I mention I'm a packrat?

Today, I only did the big cans.  I want to do the little cans in a different color.  I also have this handy thingy-ma-jig called a Crop-a-dile.

It punches holes, does grommets, snaps, and other stuff I haven't quite figured out, yet.  I bought it a long time ago because I had tons of grommets and snaps left over in my Gramma's goody boxes, but nothing to put them on with.  I haven't used it in ages, but it turned up in a box the other day, and I got an idea. 

Yes, this is the same burgundy fabric as above, but the light in my kitchen washed it out something fierce in the picture. 

I've put grommets all around the edges, and cut an X into the center of a circle of fabric.  The circle is roughly twice the diameter of the cans.  I used my pressure cooker lid to trace the circles out.  The lines of the X need to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the cans.  

I slid the cans through the X bottom first, and slid the fabric up nearly the the rim of the can.   Then I folded the fabric over, threaded some braided hemp twine through, cinched it up, and tied a bow.  

They don't look quite as I anticipated.  Originally, I was going to have the cans sitting in sacks, cinched up around under the lids, but the circles I cut out weren't big enough to come up as high as I liked.  They're dressed up some at least, and it's really easy to change if I decide I don't like it as well as I thought I did.  I'll label the tops once I figure out what I'm going to put in them.  

I think I'm going to use the smaller cans for mine and B's hot teas.  These big ones *might* be big enough for flour, iced tea bags, and rice.  

Pride

I know I've been a complete blogger slacker lately.  The thing is, I haven't had anything much to show and tell, and any interesting thoughts that might be worth blogging go flying out of my ears as soon as I actually sit down in front of the computer.  I should start toting around a notepad during the day, because I've had some really good conversations with myself.

I actually have gotten something done I've been wanting to do for a long time, though.  I'm still missing some important people that I'm very proud of, but I can always add to it later.

The sign was a collaborative effort between myself and Pup.  I have a wood burning pen that I bought close to 13 years ago on a lark.  I used it twice, then got frustrated because I couldn't make pretty burned pictures like I'd seen at arts and crafts sales and tossed it in a box.  Naturally, I quickly forgot about it with the ease of youth.  I found it in said box while I was trying very hard to bring some more order to my chaos, and while glaring at a pile of B's wood scraps as if I could incinerate them with a thought or magically make them produce something useful, got an idea.  So I spent a few hours burning letters into a scrap end of a 2x4.  I was very unhappy with the result.  It looked naked, and sloppy, and not at all the pretty sign I'd imagined.

Pup to the rescue.  I was grousing about how I didn't like it, it's sloppy, it's bald, it's boring... He took it from me, went into our little storage shed to get out of the wind, and proceeded to scorch the entire face of the sign.  It was covered with a thin layer of dark soot, and looked way better.  All my little mess ups were happily hidden under black powder.  Black powder that dusted off on everything!  So, I started rubbing the powder in, and tada!  Happiness.  We started talking about borders, and he trotted next door to Fin's and borrowed her hot glue gun.  He spent forever twisting some hemp string into ropes and tacking them around the edges with the hot glue.

I need one of Pup's pictures, and I'd love a picture of Mrs. Terri's Sam.  I need to find a frame for my great-granddad's picture.  There are lots of other people in my family whose pictures I'd like to hang on here as well, but I can always put more pictures up :-)

starting at the top and going clockwise - B; my brother; B's Brother; my cousin; my daddy; my uncle; my granddad's retirement declaration; my granddad, gramma, and dad; and the little circle is another cousin.

The picture on the left by itself if my granddad kneeling in front of one of the last flying B-17's, which is what he flew on in WWII as a belly ball gunner.

I'm very proud of all the heroes in my life, and they have earned the right to be proud of themselves.


One other project I finished:

I saw a sign similar to this (only much more neatly executed) on one of those military pride home decor sites.  They wanted $16 for it, and I'm thinking there's a stack of unused wood scraps sitting in the back yard, some paint a guy gave us when he PCS-ed, and a ball of hemp twine I've had forever.

B retired his old PC, and I asked him if he had to turn it in or anything.  He said no, so I asked if I could have it.  I'm going to cut it up and make a ACU digital border for this so it's a little less desert drab lol.  It's hanging on the door to the basement.  I generally just throw laundry down the stairs and wash it when the pile is large enough for a load or two.  Not exactly neat, but at least it's consolidated and out of sight :-P

You little sew and sew... go sit on it and weave!

Ok, yeah... that's a cheesy ass title.  I can't help it!

 Bryan made me a sewing desk :-D  He isn't too thrilled with it, but it turned out exactly how I hoped it would.  I'm hoping that he will have enough odd scraps of wood eventually to make me some old style vegetable crates to use as drawers.  <3!!  It's got a huge work surface, which is truly awesome when I've got a curtain sized pile of fabric I'm trying to keep straight for sewing.

And an old hutch I was using as a book case has taken a place as a hutch again, which is why he suggested he build me a desk in the first place.  And because I'd hijacked the dining table as my sewing table, because there wasn't anywhere else with a work surface big enough for my projects.

I've got a super-amazing-awesome husband!

I've gotten several projects done since he set it up for me the other day, too.

Remember those polyester scraps of slacks I mentioned that used to be in the trunk turned coffee table?

 I took some of them and ripped the seams out for a crazy quilt pillow.

I've decided that crazy quilting is kind of a pain in the butt, because trying to get all those odd shaped pieces to fit together into the size and shape you want them to eventually be is challenging.  But I love the way it turned out!  Katie helped me lay out the colors, and it is Pup tested and nap approved.

I also sewed a curtain for the window over the stairs.  We hung it up with staples, because it was scary enough with the Pup balancing on the banister to try to reach just for that.  Having someone balancing up there with a power drill and multiple sharp pointy objects to try to hang a curtain rod was just not something I really wanted to contemplate.

They're not really purple and yellow.  That's just the result of the flash.  It's more a country blue and sunshine.  They don't block all the light, so you can still see to go up and down the stairs, but it still blocks some light and cools off the upstairs hall and stairwell a lot.  Katie helped me with this one, too, because I just wasn't sure about combining blue and yellow.  I like it, in spite of the ruffles.  The blue ruffled bit was a round table cloth that I cut in half, then only sewed half the cut edge to the top edge of the sheer yellow fabric.  The other half of the half circle I hemmed and let hang.  I was going to get all fancy, and cut the table cloth into quarters, then try to sew the quarters together into something like a scalloped panel, but I decided that would be more work than necessary and would make the curtains way too long for the small window.

Another staple gun curtain project.  This was a very sheer knit in a sunshiney yellow.  It actually almost perfectly matches a tablecloth I gave Ms. Terri this past summer.  If I had seen this when I gave her the table cloth, I would've given this to her, too, because I'm really not a big fan of pastel or bright colors.  But, it ended up working out great for the bathroom.  It shades, without cutting out all the light.  And when it's cool enough to open the windows, it lets a breeze through, without billowing around and showing you showering to the neighborhood ;-)  It also makes the bathroom a pretty warm sunlight color, even when it's cloudy out.

That's it for my projects so far.  I'm still not done, yet.  B made me a lap loom that I just have to try out with the spools of run yarn I scored.  80 lbs of yarn for under $80.  When you consider that a normal skein costs around $3, and it's usually only a few ounces, you're talking about a MAJOR price score.  I just can't knit with it, because it all wound up being rug yarn.

If you look at the second picture of the desk, up on top of the hutch, you'll see some of the spools of yarn.  Most of them are big, fluffy thick yarns, with lots of loft in various shades of earthy browns and greens.  I've got some that I think are a little obnoxious (mustard yellow with orange flecks???), and some bright gem tones like a cerulean blue, garnet red, and a deep purple that I really love.  I can't complain about the yarn, though.  Included in all that (until now) useless rug yarn were two HUGE skeins of merino lace weight yarn in a really nice spring/mossy green.  *That* in the amounts I have it in, is worth way more than $80.  You're talking about 1200 ft per lb, and each spool weighs several lbs.  I have some lace patterns I've been dying to try out, I just have to find the time!

Maybe I'll be unpacked all the way, one day LOL.  I'd probably make more progress if I quit playing with the sewing machine, huh?