I 'MAY' Try This - No. 2 (Paint Roller/Brushes in Fridge, Sponge Spackling & Other Tips)

There are few household chores/projects that I dislike more.  But, when you plan on putting your house on the market, it's inevitable that one of the pre-sale To-Dos is going to be refreshing/neutralizing paint.  A few years back we enlarged and updated the closets in the master and eldest's bedrooms.  In doing this, we installed Rubbermaid's adjustable systems and love their versatility.  Along the "getting it ready for the market" mentality, the closets we did not do back then, stick out like a sore thumb and to keep things looking cohesive...it's time to update our foyer, hall bath and pantry closets.

So, what a great opportunity to try out a few painting Pins from Pinterest, right?!?!

To start, I had to tare out the old closet bar & shelf (wood).  And boy, were THEY attached well!  So, needless to say, I had to spackle, sand and prep.  I'd actually also pinned some "wallboard repair" Pins and here is my two cents...

The awesome product that goes on pink and when dry, turns white, did work.  Is totally worth the extra few bucks per container.  When you have deeper gouges, it's nice to see when things have dried thoroughly.  Had I not had this product, I'd have prematurely sanded and caused the compound to have negative puckering.  I am not a fan of all the sanding dust so was totally up for a different method of getting things smooth.  Using a damp sponge to level out the compound did not work.  Maybe it was my technique, but I wound up with sand paper EVEN AFTER this method.  Sanding sponge blocks did work.  I actually would like to shake the hand of the person who thought this one up.  It produced even, professional quality end results without tons of work.  I purchased all grits (medium, fine and extra fine) and wound up just using medium.  Love them!
 

As for the next step, painting...
Cutting in, really wasn't too bad this go round all things considered.  Since it's a closet, both the ceiling and walls are the same white color.  However, to keep paint off the trim, there is no substitution for a good tape (I love Frog Tape brand).  A Pin I'll be un-pinning is the suggestion to use a spackling knife as a blocker, did not work.  No matter how firmly I pressed it against the wall, there was always seepage. :(  I do have to say, you should Pin this idea and that is to use one of these:

 

as a paint remover.  Diaper wipes do remove paint thoroughly.  They work like a charm doing double-duty.  Hahaha, pun intended!  Any little blobs that did wind up on the trim, wiped off fairly easily with a diaper-wipe.

Next up, and in between coats I tried out the paint roller/brush in fridge, which does work.  I actually have kept it in there to see how long it'll stay moist - I'm thinking it may push the Pin suggestion of 4 days.

I also have to give a shout out to the Pins that suggest writing paint colors and amount of cans needed to paint the room on back of light switches, which works.  I can't tell you how invaluable this has been...

I 'MAY' Try This - No. 1 (Baby Oil Gel/Shaving)

So I'm rolling out my newest brainchild...
the "I 'MAY' Try This" Month
Where I am ACTUALLY doing some of the Pins I've accumulated on Pinterest over the years.

First up is the Baby Oil Gel/Shaving Challenge.

Let's just say, letting my legs get hairy for this one was most of the work.  I have slow-grow hair so 'for science' they had to grow out for almost two weeks...ew!

To try and keep this as scientific as possible, for the next two weeks I shaved daily - my left with the baby oil gel and right with shaving cream (as the placebo), both legs had their own razor. 

A close-up of my leg, preshave.  You can see,
I have really blonde hair (barely visible, but for
sure you can feel it to the touch).  What's most
noticeable is how scaly my skin is...just call me
Reptile Lady, LOL!                                          

Here are a few things (post experiment) that I'll pass on to you.

The baby oil gel gunked up the razor unbelievable.  This honestly though, did not inhibit shaving.  It seemed as if while I continuing to shave, it would self-shed from the razor blade, but at the end of each session there was residue left on the blade.
The life of the blade did last longer (one of the Pinterest Pin claims).  I have continued to use the baby oil gel blade now into week three.  My theory is that the hairs are more moisturized and therefore less hard on the blade.
I did not notice a difference in closeness of the shave (a Pinterest Pin claim).  Over the following days, I also did not notice that the hair took longer to grow in (another of the Pinterest Pin claims). 
My leg became less scaly and skin, more soft.  I felt it was beneficial that as a side-effect the baby oil gel to shave wound up doing two jobs at once - a shaving aide and moisturizer (in one step).  I think that because I didn't wash off the baby oil gel after shaving, my left leg, for sure got a benefit.

See, less like the Reptile Lady!

So, if you are trying this method to slow growth or elongate the time between the need for saves...its a fail.  However, the fact that the skin on my legs has made such a transformation (and I'm now not having to deal with an additional job of using a moisturizer in my after bath routine), makes this a keeper!!!  I'd also like to add (and maybe a little TMI for some), that using this in my bikini area has been wonderful.  No after-shave red bumps anymore!  But, it does require washing the area a few times to remove the oil from your skin.

The School Morning Checklist

I'm not sure about you all, but our school mornings always seem hectic.  It could be that every inhabitant of my home is going in a direction and they don't have a map.  The biggest culprit of wandering around aimlessly is our school-ager.  What ever happened to being born with certain in-bred tendencies of taking care of one's self...oh, yeah.  That's right...we humans didn't come with that installed.  If you are like me, and totally envious that the local birds all seem to have an uncanny ability to build their own nest, eat their meals without the need for another hunter and travel without directions...here is an idea that I came up with:

 

The School Morning Checklist

 

A check in every circle would be every mom's dream...

 

 

I started this project out with a list of all the things that our child could do on his own (and to date chooses not to).  Let me just say, this evolved...and became descriptive to a fault.  From there I opened up Word and realized that the average size page wasn't going to work for us so it got bumped up to Legal.  I laid out the list with a means to check-off whether the item had been done or not and found a really cool backdrop for it all.  Hit print, will laminate it later and hang on the fridge.  Now if only, I'll be so lucky as to have someone follow the instructions. :)

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Wine Turkey Brine

Over the years, I've tried many methods of cooking a turkey.  Some have resulted in a better bird than others.  The one recipe that seems to have made more appearances at our table is the following.  Hope you have just as good results as we have!  Gobble!  Gobble!

Wine Turkey Brine (This recipe is for a 16lb. bird)

Ingredients:
r 8 – 375mL bottles white cooking wine (or the equivalent)
r 1 c. sugar
r 8 tsp. white peppercorns
r 24 bay leaves
r 1 c. kosher salt
r 4 celery stalks, remove butt and cut into thirds
r 2 onions, quarter
r 40 cloves of garlic, peeled
r 12 parsley stems
r 4 sprigs of thyme
r 1 g. water (this measurement is not exact/can fluctuate depending)


Directions:
1. In a large stock pot, add all ingredients with the exception of the water.  Bring to a boil.  (I suggest a lid as the peppercorns can put off a very strong odor.)
2. Once the celery and onions appear translucent, remove from stove top and allow to cool.
3. On day/night of brine-ing, add the water and submerge your turkey.  Allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Tips:
-I have used a large stockpot to soak our bird.  However, a heavy duty bag can also do the trick.  They key is to get as much of the bird covered in liquid as possible.  We've even gone as far as lining a laundry basket with double trash bags (unscented, of course), you'd just need to be able to fit it into a refrigerator.
-Prepare this recipe in advance, you'll need it to cool before using.  I will often make it on Tuesday night for soaking overnight on Wednesday.
-After the bird has soaked, remove it from the brine and cook.  As a bonus, you can pour off the liquid by lining a colander with a cheese cloth and using it to catch the solids.  If you are not stuffing your bird with dressing, you can tie off the cheese cloth into a ball and pack it into the neck cavity for additional flavor.
-We roast our bird breast down for the first hour and then flip it right side up for the remainder of time.
-We also put wine/broth in the pan (for basting) and elevate the bird.

2014 End of Year Teacher Gift

Since last year's end of the year teacher/care provider gift was such a hit I thought to share again...
I wanted to come up with something imaginative that could also be modified to give you all a few ways to use the same idea at different price points and here it is:

You will need: (for each individual gift)
gallon zipper bag
pencils (5)
gift card to bookstore
(or a paperback/light summer read)
puzzle piece keychain
(I had them stamped with the school year "2013-2014" and "Thanks!"; or a small puzzle, crossword puzzle book or trinket puzzle)
Post-It Notes
(I labeled the countdown days using clear return address labels after I checked the school calendar and counted from the last day to next year's first day; you could also give them a calendar printout of the summer months)
curling ribbon
clear packing tape
scissors
color printer
(if you are using the cards as offered)

In total, I spent $10 for the items, not including the giftcard.


I assembled the gift items and arranged them inside the bag so that as much of each item could show.  Personally, I wasn't happy with the giftcard choices (was really hoping for one that looked like a book, but couldn't find one) so I printed out a book from clipart and taped it to the outside of the cardboard sleeve...
Depending on the contents, you may need to alter the bag.  I myself slit one of the sides to make it more narrow and then used packing tape to close it off.  At the end I tied off the top and added curling ribbon as decoration, using one of the strands to attach the card.

The card's wording is:
No more pencils,
No more books,
No more students' puzzled looks.
Now the countdown down does begin,
82 days 'til Summer's end.

 

As you can see, the items inside the bag are a play off of the bolded words.   I really had fun coming up with this idea and think it'll be a big hit...will keep you updated.

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A Cure For The "Selfish" Mom

I now have a picture in my phone that at first glance most people would hit delete thinking it was a mis-take.  I’m keeping it there and will probably, forever.  When YOU look at it, there is darkness and shadows – mostly hazy - abstractly, one might say it is a picture that captured a moment of sadness.  No, not even close.

Last night, like many of the nights before, I got the baby ready for bed, fed him and laid him down for the night…althewhile my 9 year old son was downstairs keeping himself busy without complaint.  Having been exhausted from many nights of interrupted sleep and fighting off a sore throat and impending illness, instead of going back downstairs I laid in bed for about 30 minutes to rest.  I felt selfish.  Thoughts of how I wasn’t paying attention to him, just because he wasn’t complaining, went through my mind.  How it wasn’t really ''fair."  10 minutes in, he came up the steps and asked if I was coming back down…I said no, that I REALLY just needed to rest.  I could tell he was disappointed by the look that appeared on his face for a split second, before it disappeared and he said, “Okay.”  He left me to my solace.

When it was time for him to go to bed, I called down for him to brush his teeth.  He did it without complaint.  He then got changed and laid in bed with a book (like he always does while I take a bath).  I ran the tub, immersed myself in it and took in the warmth.  After about 30 minutes, I pulled the plug and let the water drain.  Dried myself off and looked down the hall, his light had been turned out.  I thought he’d called it a night when I faintly heard, “Mom, wanna come snuggle?”  How could I not?  I held him in my arms knowing this kind of moment doesn’t last forever and probably would be few and far between in years to come.  I snapped a photo with my phone, knowing it wouldn’t come out “perfect,” that didn't matter.  It was a memory, just the same that needed to be captured.

 

I’ll never forget last night, there will always be this treasure.  It was a nice reminder that even when (to me) it felt like I was being a selfish mom, I wasn’t.  It really is about the collective time, not the singular moments and kids remember that…they really do.

End of Year Teacher Gift

With the end of the school year approaching, it's time to start thinking about what you can do for your child's teacher, room mom, and care provider.  This is a cute little idea for someone who you think has been "SWEET" all year and deserves a personalized gift.

 

 

What You'll Need: (for each individual bag)

 

medium cellophane gift bag (can also use a gallon freezer zipper bag)

curly gift ribbon

scissors

computer & color printer (if you are printing out the suggested card)

Good & Plenty (4oz. pkg.)

Skittles (4oz.  pkg.)

Riesen (5.5oz. pkg)

Lifesavers (1.14oz. roll)

Snickers (1.86oz. bar)

Take5 (1.5oz. bar)

Whatchamacallit (1.6oz. bar)

Extra (16 piece pkg.)

 

*The candy sizes are what I used in the picture.  Feel free to vary that depending on what you can get in the stores.  The most difficult to find for me were the Take5 and Whatchamacallit (wound up getting them both at the pharmacy).  The cost of the candy was about $10.*

I placed the candy into the bag with all the names going in the same direction and from smallest to biggest.  While working with it, I tried to get as many names visible as possible and then tied the bag off with the curling ribbon.  Once the bag was closed I attached the card to the ribbon and added a few extra before curling with the scissors.

 

Here is a picture of the card that gives you the wording I used:

 

Everyone who received this from us went on and on about how much they loved it, I'm sure you will hear the same!  :)

 

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