Batteries Not Required (or Wanted)

Dear Santa,

Heads-up, 9 months in advance: don't bother bringing fancy toys to our house. We prefer the basics...

Signed,

Nate's Mom & Dad

Mom Tip: Clothespins

I keep a stash of these in my car now:

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Why are clothespins in my car? Well, if you have a young child who likes balloons, they're the perfect "weight" to keep a balloon from flying away. When we're out doing errands, Nate will occasionally be given a balloon at Trader Joe's, etc. Once we're back at the car, I can grab a clothespin from my stash and quickly tie the string to it (I guess if I was SuperMom I'd keep a clothespin in my purse but I'm not, so that's not going to happen). Once we get home, it's fun to play outside with our weighted balloon in the front yard too. It stays just enough above the ground to float around but won't blow away.

Chicken Spaghetti

We cooked the Pioneer Woman's chicken spaghetti over the weekend. You can find the recipe in her cookbook and here. The final product looked like this (PW's picture on her website looks WAY better than this):

It serves 6-8 but it felt like we ended up with a ton of food. I've been serving it for leftovers now for a couple days....we're ready to move onto something else. Overall, I'd say it wasn't the best dish I've ever had but it was pretty good and one I'll keep in rotation. I'll end with this little story: the recipe calls for a fryer chicken that's  been cut up but I didn't pay attention to the "cut up" part and wrote "fryer chicken" on my shopping list, thus I had to cut it up myself (I'm not smart). I've never done that before and was tempted to become a vegetarian after doing so. "You've never cut up a whole chicken??" Lee asked me with astonishment when I told him about my disturbing experience with a large knife and a chicken carcass. I guess I've always bought chicken in its respected parts -- a package of breasts or a package of legs. Judging by Lee's face and response, this is weird. Maybe it's a California thing...

My Little Half Table

BEFORE

DURING

 

AFTER

I bought this little table at an estate sale months ago. It just called out to me "take me home!" despite the fact that I really didn't need a little table like this (note to self: don't make purchases without really thinking about where the item is going to go in my house). I knew immediately that I wanted to re-stain the top and paint the bottom two shelves white. Jumping ahead -- what did I learn from this project? Here is what I took away:

1) Spindles stink! They were a giant pain to sand and were difficult to paint evenly (I'm not particularly patient). It got better with each coat, but at the beginning I thought "what have I gotten myself into?!" Not an easy project for a beginner.

2) I followed the directions on the back of the stain container and left the walnut stain on the table top for a minimum of 30 minutes. When I wiped down the top, the stain was way too dark. It was practically black. So I re-sanded and wiped the stain on and off in under 5 minutes. The results were dark but not too severe. 

3) Clean, clean, clean! I was lazy (again) and didn't do a very good job of dusting off the piece between coats of white paint (done over several days). Every time this table sat in my garage, dust would settle on the table. If I had been more diligent about cleaning the table very carefully between coats, I wouldn't have had to do so many touch-ups. Lesson learned.

I'm linking this post to:

Thursday Threes.

One.

I've had this picture saved for a long time so, unfortunately, I don't have the source. But I saved it for inspiration because I love the idea of taking a simple charm bracelet, attaching pretty ribbon at both ends and turning said bracelet into a necklace. Cute and clever, no??

Two.

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My favorite color is orange, although you wouldn't know it because my wardrobe is definitely lacking in orange these days. So I think as summer approaches, I may add some orange here and there. These sandals are new from Lands End. I kinda like them.

Three.

Ahh, Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend. Lee refers to DST as "the harbinger of doom." Yeah, he's dramatic like that. He doesn't like that it signals hot weather is on its way (roughly 4 months away, Drama Queen Lee). Anyway, I say bring it on! DST is a gift to mothers everywhere. It means we have 1 extra hour of daylight for our kids to run around outside and exhaust themselves so that maybe they'll go to sleep a little earlier. Here's hoping!!

Good Intentions Remain Empty

I'm going to come clean and admit that I have a problem. I am a container addict. Yes, I like to purchase bins, boxes, tins, etc. all with the intent of storing various things in them. I see a container and -- whamo -- I'm drawn in.  My head starts imagining the following: Nate's toys put away in large bins, my craft & sewing supplies arranged in cute vintage suitcases, and various kitchen knick-knacks stored in some sort of order that would allow me to actually find that missing slotted spoon. Soooo, after my daydreaming is over, I purchase said container and head home. Then the nightmare begins. The container gets shoved into a closet, up onto a shelf, or (gasp!) stuck in the garage. See all of those pretty things in the pretty picture above? They're empty. Yup, empty. I've had a couple of them for at least a year. I know, it's shameful. My daydreams have not come to fruition because I'm lazy. Or because I procrastinate (I'll decide which one later). And yet I continue buying containers. That's probably not going to stop. But I can commit to actually using my boxes, etc. In fact, in preparation for this post, I was inspired to do this:

That would be all of my cookie cutters, birthday candles, and cookie decorating gadgets stored in one place. It looks so tidy, doesn't it? Well, that's just one thing crossed off the list. I'll keep you abreast of my progress [or not, because (a) I won't have made any progress or (b) this topic is just too boring for any of you to care about.]

One of These Things is A Lot Like the Other

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I spend a lot of time reading books about Elmo and other Sesame Street characters. I know this is going to sound odd, but whenever I see a picture of Elmo's dad (above), I always think of this guy:

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That's the husband from Sister Wives. I've never watched that show but for some random reason, I know what he looks like. Please tell me I'm not the only one who sees some sort of resemblance?!



Weekend Wishes.

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. -- Winston Churchill

Thursday Threes.

One.

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My new addiction. They're like a Junior Mint but in reverse. I love you, mints. 

Two.

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March Madness is here, baby! Who's got basketball fever? Me! And Nate -- he puts his clothes in the laundry basket every night with a slam dunk move*. Will my Bruins go all the way? We'll see. There's pivotal games tonight and this weekend. If you're a Bruins fan (and I know there are a few of you out there), check out Bill Plaschke's column here from last Sunday's Times. It'll warm your heart and bring a tear to your eye.

*Lee does not participate in basketball fever. He takes issue with college jocks getting a "free ride." My opinion -- Lee just needs to get over it. I'm tired of his whining ;)

Three.

#3 is something that's been on my mind lately.....how do we balance the good and bad on the Internet? Good: I can watch streaming live video of people demonstrating for equality. I can smile at a video of a baby hysterically laughing at ripped paper. I can discover new blogs that help me make healthy muffins or teach me to sew or open my mind to new ideas in my walk with the Lord. Bad: I can read the agonizing words of a mother who just lost her daughter to SIDS. I  can visit an online journal for a baby born prematurely due to his mother's death in a car crash. Cancer, strokes, earthquakes, rape, you name it. All of it can weigh so heavily on your heart. My heart. I pray for all of these people but there are moments when I feel the sadness is too much. Does anyone else feel this way?