WARNING: Rebecca D. shows flagrant disregard for the rules of punctuation... She uses ellipsis with wild abandon... Punctuation interventions have been done to no avail... If you are offended by such irreverence to the rules of grammar... The very glue that holds our society together... STOP READING NOW... Move on... There is a little button at the top that says "next blog"... You would be well advised to use it... You were warned...

Maybe It's Just Me...

Saturday, September 29, 2012

So... I have had a stressful day... Like car broke down kind of stressful day.
Thanks to my new job we will be able to afford the repairs, but since we only have one car, actually getting to the school is going to be a problem. We were talking about renting a car, but renting a car for the six days we need one would cost more then the repairs. We talked about it and we are just praying and waiting on the Lord's provision for the next few days.

All that said, I just wanted to laugh a little...

One of my favorite time wasters things to do is to read the humor section on Pintrest...
Other then the dirty, smutty, cuss filled ones, a lot of them literally make me laugh out loud... Some just make me chuckle and a few of my favorites may just get a smile and a knowing nod, but they bring levity to my life nonetheless...

Tonight I was re-reading some of the ones that were humorous enough for me to pin them...
Here are some of my favorites...

I love e-cards... (the clean ones)
(Until you are a teenager and I just just have to label my Ben & Jerry's "Touch Me And Die"...)

Pretty much...


80's humor and biting truth rolled in one neat package...


This is actually too true to be funny...


But something about this baby's face makes me laugh every time!




Obviously written by a parent!



Hahahaha...
Paul refers to this one a lot...
In fact he used it during devotions at school to demonstrate a point!


 So, so sad... Yet kinda funny too!


I need more friends in this category!


Pretty much feels like it...


Unfortunately, it's usually me...


So funny...


I've never said "awww" to a rat before, but admit it, this is cute. (Also, I ironically think the voice the grammar in this meme forces you to use sounds a lot like what Allison's kitten would sound like... If he could talk, that is...)



Hehehehe...




Ok... I think I'll pass on this one!

This next one made me laugh so hard I stopped breathing...
My family did not find it nearly as funny...
You read it and let me know...
Maybe it's just me...

Thanks for listening,
 

To Tote or Not To Tote...

Friday, September 28, 2012

That is today's question...

A few weeks back Allison saw this idea online to make a tote bag using fabric, duct tape and staples... I was dubious at best, but she was so enthusiastic I reluctantly agreed to go on a semi late night run to Wal-Mart for the supplies...
To be perfectly honest, I have so little time left with her at home, I wasn't all that hard to convince... We are making memories here folks... But one of the ways she thought she had convinced me to go along with this plan, was by promising to take pictures of each step for me to post here on my blog. Now you, my long suffering readers know, this blog is not a crafts & tutorials kinda blog... I am not a good enough blogger to even remember to take "before" pictures most of the time, so tutorials are usually not my forte'...
Well, Allison will not be deterred and asks frequently if I've posted her tote bag project yet...
So here goes!

Here is what you need to make your own "No-Sew Duct Tape Tote"
The fabric she chose is like a canvas, upholstery type fabric... I don't know if this makes a difference, but her tote does feel pretty heavy duty and I think the fabric played into this... A tape measure, Nylon (or cotton if you can find it) webbing for the handles, scissors, duct tape, and a stapler... (I have to admit, at this point I was still pretty dubious about the "no-sew" nature of this project.)

She got a full yard because she wanted it a sit bigger then the one she saw online which called for 3/4 of a yard of fabric...

You cut the fabric in half , and flip the first piece over...
Next you completely cover the back side of the fabric with duct tape, overlapping slightly.

You do this to both pieces of fabric.

Here they are done, and she trimmed the edges so they were completely even. This is the part that took the longest (if you don't count choosing the fabric).

Next you cut between 12-18" of the webbing depending on how long you want them. Remember you will lose between 2-3" in the construction, so figure that in... Allison went with 18" so she would end up with approximately 16" handles.

Next you choose the top of your tote (depending on the fabric design, the top may be pretty clear.) and fold the top over about 1 1/2"
(Sorry we decided to do this project on our leather ottoman which acts as a coffee table... We didn't realise at the time how closely the color of the duct tape resembled it...)

Next you measure to find the center of the top, then 4" out on both sides from that center mark. (So that you have 8" between the ends of your handles) Here is where you staple the heck out of the webbing. Now be careful to only staple through ONE layer, the one you folded down, or the staples will show on the outside of your tote.

Next you cover the fold, and end of the webbing where the staples are with, you guessed it, more duct tape.

Here are both sides done.

Next lay them one on top of the other with the duct tape side out and staple all the way around the tote. On this first one she did it as pictured, but we did notice the staples showed a bit on the "seams" of the finished product so when we did a second one she overlapped the ends of each staple a bit and this solved the problem.

You go all the way around the three sides. (You know the ones without the handles.)

then tape the edges... Here is where we ran out of the brown duct tape... The one she saw online was smaller, but if you make it larger you will need a second roll of tape.

Next you fold in the bottom corners of the tote, we didn't take a picture of this step, but this is what gives it it's shape. Then tape it all down on the inside. We actually went back the next day and got more of the brown duct tape and when we did we also used some to cover a piece of thick cardboard we had around the house to create a more stable bottom... But It did seem pretty secure without this step.

Here is the finished tote... I have to admit, a month into the school year watching her use this to lug heavy books around, I am a believer in the staple/duct tape combo! Plus the inside is fairly waterproof so when she took it to the beach she brought back their wet towels, swim suits and a bunch of sea shells in it, then she just wiped it out and used it the next day for school!

Thanks for listening,

They See Me Sortin'... They Hatin'...

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Yes, that title was a reference to a hip-hop song...
Remember my life is all teens... All the time!

Here is my updated list of areas of the house I plan to sort...

Remember... If I complete this whole list in under 40 days I have a little reward for myself planned that involves a day spa...
1. Coat Rack / back door area in Kitchen

2. Bakers rack in Kitchen

3. Under Kitchen Sink

4. Kitchen gadgets (in crocks and drawers)

5. Upper Kitchen cabinets

6. Lower kitchen cabinets

7. Entertainment center

8. DVD collection

9. Shelves in cellar stairs

10. Pantry

11. Linen Closet

12. bathroom

13. gift wrap bins

14. Allison's Closet

15. Allison's room (started)

16. back deck

17. entry way

18. Our closet

19. Our Dresser

20. My nightstand

21. Craft supply shelves

22. Party supply bins

23. Office supply shelves

24. Christmas decor

25. Laundry room

26. freezers

27. "paper goods" shelves

28. "Other Seasonal" decor bins

29. book shelves

30. Katy's old bedroom

31. Shelves in storage area in basement

32. "messy corner" in my bedroom

33. basket on top of microwave (our "junk drawer")

34. bookcase in my bedroom

35. stuff in "trunk" of our vehicle

36. Old Magazines in pile in my bedroom

37. cedar chest

38. "mess" in living room/kitchen from basement sort

39. girls "keepsakes" and toys in basement bins

40. My brother's childhood crap stuff he left here 25 years ago when he moved out...

Only 6 locations left to sort and I have over 30 days (whoops... typo) over 3 days to do it... Day spa, here I come!!!


Here is a peek at some of my sorting in the kitchen...

My knife drawer before...

 Gadget Drawer Before...

 Gadget crock before...
 Back about ten years ago my mom put up these "kitchen organizers" that I am in the process of taking down... Oh and that 80's wallpaper is outta here too!

I got these spiffy new steak knives as a gift about a year ago, but haven't put them in the knife drawer since it was overloaded!

 Look at the contents of that ONE drawer...
Whoa! Hoarder much??
 Look, an actual "after" picture!
I am going this weekend to buy drawer organizers so the 1970's green silverware tray is out of here, and I will show you the other "after" shots when I get them installed, but they have been sorted, so they are off the list! (Yes, we need all those nut crackers... For lobster... Yum!)


Oh and Katy & Jed bought a new (to them) car about two weeks ago...
The only vehicle they had was his work truck, so they are BOTH thrilled... Her not to be riding in his "nasty" work truck and him because of the savings in gas!
Aren't they cute?
Thanks for listening,

This... That... And The Other Thing....

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

I feel like singing the next line to you...
Imagine that I am the Mainer version of Celine Dion...

And the sort will go on and onnnnnnn....


 This past week we tackled the beast, also know as the pantry...
About a year and half ago Paul turned a seldom used coat closet into a pantry for me. I have an area in the basement where I keep the stuff I've stocked up on, but our kitchen is so small I needed a place to keep food up here too... It seemed like such a good idea at the time, but without an organization plan it quickly turned into the beast... Or as Paul would call it, "the place where food goes to rot."
Pretty huh? These pictures are just some of the contents after the family helped me empty it...

No before pictures you say??? No, because it was that bad... It was full of empty snack food boxes that people would grab the last thing from and leave the box behind... It was full of canned goods that were supposed to go down to the basement but since someone felt lazy they just shoved them onto the already full floor of the beast... It contained not two or three but FOURTEEN opened, and stale boxes of cereal! I apparently always think I am out of powered sugar since I have ELEVEN new bags of it! NINE bottles of hot sauce and Paul is the only one who even uses it!!


We have only had the pantry about 18 months folks, but there was stuff in there I have no recollection of buying! Like Styrofoam cups??? I never buy Styrofoam anything... I haven't in a couple years... Crazy right??

After I sorted out the trash and stuff that didn't go in the pantry, I removed some shelves... What??? I know that sounds nuts, but Paul had built then double deep and you could never find anything in there, so by taking out half of each shelf I actually made it more user friendly.  Next I got rid of, pawned off on Katy & Jed and/or donated a ton of food... There was stuff in there we were given when a friend moved, that is stuff we'll never eat, but when she gave it to us I was super busy (as usual) and just put the bags in there thinking I'd sort it soon... Apparently soon is months later in our house...

I tried to take after pictures for you, but the lighting in the hall is the worst on the planet...


Yes, "Chunky" soup and Pillsbury mixes were on sale last week...

You can see how deep the braces are on the side... That is how deep the shelves were... Paul wants me to be sure to tell you I asked him to build them that way. Yes, another one of Rebecca's good ideas gone awry! I actually have paint for the interior of this closet... It will be a sassy turquoise, but since we are painting the living room, kitchen and hallway soon, Paul asked if I wait until then to paint this, so we can deal with it all at once...

I found these bins at the store of under $2 each... I am hoping they help solve the snack food box issue...
 I now empty the box into them, and recycle it right away...

 I also did an over the door shoe hanger for small stuff like mix in for water, tea bags, taco seasoning, and such...
On Sunday I had half of a box of pasta left and those are my pantry nightmare... They always spill and I have to admit that since I usually buy it when it's on sale for .88 a box there is a temptation to use it all or throw it away... Wasteful... I know, but in my mind it was worth more then .44 not to have to clean up spilled pasta off carpet! But we had company for dinner on Sunday evening and I needed 3 1/2 boxes... Then I remembered the shoe rack... Look behind the kool-aid packets (left over from our days with the youth group) there is an upright, not spilling opened box of pasta! Woo Hoo! (It's the little things that thrill me folks!)

As of today the sort is still going strong...
We have taken 112 boxes and/or bags to Goodwill (or food bank), and disposed of 22 bags of garbage (or recyclables)! I am sorting more then I am taking photos... I always remember in the middle that I need to take pictures for you guys, but take my word for it, our whole family seems so much happier are we finish each area!

On Friday we took the whole family to the Common Ground Fair...
 It isn't a traditional fair, but one that focuses on organic and rural living...

Now, after seeing my pantry I am sure you are asking yourself why I'd be interested in such an event? Well, we do live in a rural area... And even though I don't necessarily eat organic (although I wish I could afford to) this fair is so much fun... There are demonstrations all day, tent after tent of handmade arts and crafts and dozens of amazing food vendors...


The day was not a pretty as it was the day before when we went on our boat trip, but it was overall a good day to be outside and we took Katy, Jed, Allison and Dakota... This meant for most of the day the guys went off and did their thing and the girlies and I had time to explore... It was wonderful!

 I got more then a little sunburned on the boat ride to Monhegan... I am not usually this "pink" in the face!

Again, I didn't take a lot of pictures, but for some mysterious reason one of the three photos I took was of these young alpacas... Weird, huh?

After our long day at the fair we got home and just dropped...
We were like veggies... Actually Allison came home to discover her order from American Eagle had arrived (hence all the plastic on the couch next to me) so she did an impromptu fashion show... (There is an American Eagle store about an hour from here, but it is very small, and since she needs "tall" for all her jeans we usually just look at the styles there and come home and order what she wants online. See, I told you we live a rural life... We laughed at the line in the movie "We Bought a Zoo" when he said the nearest Target is 18 miles away... Ours is an hour!) Anyhow... the rest of us just vegged when we got home...
 It was a good day!

Saturday was homecoming weekend, and although the kids were in and out to football games, bonfires and such I pretty much just chilled out and did housework since we were having company over on Sunday...

If you are still reading this, you are a better friend to me then necessary... I think this post has taken "rambling on" to a whole new level! I should end it before I ramble on about rambling on!


Thanks for listening,