Yarn Storage Revamp Project Complete

My vision has finally come together with the completion of this project.  It was a rather labor-intensive project.  It was, however, ridiculously inexpensive and fairly simple to execute.  So here's a little DIY tutorial for any other frugal crafters out there...

Hanging Bucket Yarn Storage

What you'll need:
*buckets
*straight power saw
*power drill (with 1/4" bit)
*power sander (optional)
*1/4" eye bolts (with 2 hex nuts each)
*S hooks
*screw eyes with ceiling anchors
*1/4" bolts of various determined lengths (with hex nut)
*sharpie
*ruler/tape measure (I used both)
*screwdriver (to install anchors and screw eyes)
*wrench (to tighten hex nuts/bolts)

I used ten 5-gallon pickle buckets and five 3-gallon pickle buckets that I got from my younger brother's fast food restaurant.  They're super easy to get completely free because they are considered trash once empty.

Step 1: Rinse the buckets.  I rinsed mine by hosing them down in my parents yard.  I only did a quick rinse to start because I knew I'd be losing several inches of bucket (why clean it if you're not gonna use it!?)

Step 2: Mark the saw line.  I used my fabric tape measure to wrap a straight line around the bucket just below the handle hinge and marked it with my sharpie.

Step 3:  Saw the top of the buck off along the drawn line.  This step was extremely difficult for me.  I was sitting on an extra upturned bucket in my parents' driveway for a solid portion of the day.  I had to make a starter cut with a utility knife at 1 of the 2 hinge points to put my saw blade through.  Once I got going, I fell into a stride but I can honestly say that not even 1 of my cut buckets has a nice straight cut.  At least I can say I did it all by myself.  My dad held the first bucket while I sawed but he was fixing his gutters and didn't really have time to help.  This and the next step I would definitely recommend doing outside.

Step 4: (Optional)  Sand the edges.  I wasn't going to but my dad offer his power sander so I straightened up the edges a bit.

Step 5:  Clean the buckets.  After taking off about 4 inches of bucket off the top of all 15 buckets, I felt this was a good time to clean the pickle stink off the buckets.  I hate pickles so it was nice to scrub the gross smell away.  I used my Norwex cleaning paste to scour the insides and outsides of every single bucket.  It took away most of the smell and all the stickers from the outside of the buckets.  My dad says bleach will take the stink out of them but I don't use chemicals in my home and I wouldn't want the bleach to affect my fibers.  I'd say if you're comfortable using it to clean your house, you could use it to clean the buckets.  The smell is NOT permanent; you CAN make it go away :D  I let my buckets dry in the sun.  When I got them home I wiped them down with an enviro cloth and sprayed them a few times with odor eliminator and now they smell fine.

Step 6: Arrange buckets into desired pattern.  I chose this layout from a handful of drawings I did because it seemed like it would best suit my needs.  I arranged them upright on my living room floor so I could accurately measure where the joins needed to be.

Step 7:  Take measurements.  You may want to do some of this ahead of time if you're working with limited space like I was.  I measured the space I wanted to put it and determined that I had a little over 50" to work with.  My 5-gallon buckets measured 11" in diameter so I decided to make the widest point of my storage unit 5 buckets wide (55").  I already knew I wanted the entire unit to hang from at least 2 buckets so my design fell into place pretty quickly after that.  While the buckets were laid out in the desired arrangement, I measured how far apart my 2 hangers would be (also the points for the lower hangers) and marked all the points of intersection for the buckets plus the hanger points.  I took measurements of the buckets themselves to determine what length bolts to get.  At the top, 2 buckets together measured 1/4" so I got 1/2" long bolts.  At the bottom, the buckets were 1/2" apart so I got 1" long bolts and used a spacer (cut to length from a rubber hose).  I used the join markings on the top of the bucket to mark the holes on the side with a ruler.  The back join was 1" from the bottom of the bucket and the front join was 7 1/2".  The smaller buckets had different measurements so I used different size hardware.

Step 8:  Get hardware.  I got most of my hardware from Macs because it is very reasonably priced.  I made a list of exactly what I needed beforehand by taking all the measurements but I still ended up making 4 different trips to the hardware store just for this project.

Step 9:  Drill join holes in sides of buckets.  I used a flat board as a drop cloth of sorts for the plastic shavings that fell off in this step.   I made sure to drill ALL the necessary holes at this point.  For the larger buckets, this included all 30 join points, the 4 top holes for hanging hardware. and the 4 lower holes for additional lower hanging buckets.  The smaller buckets had 14 join points and 4 top holes for hanging

Step 10:  Attach buckets together.  I added one bucket at a time joining them first at the back to install the spacer, and then at the front with the shorter bolts.  I intentionally built my unit in 2 halves to that the 1 intersection point between the 2 could be added after both pieces were installed.  I added bolt eyes to the top points.

2 halves standing next to each other awaiting installation

Step 11:  Install hanging hardware.  Using the measurements I'd taken to determine where the hangers would be, I plotted points on the ceiling at 1" and 7 1/2" from the wall.  I used heavy duty ceiling anchors and installed the screw eyes, and then added S hooks.

in the middle of installing the lower bolt eyes

Step 12:  Install unit.  I hung up one piece at a time from the S hooks installing the last join bolts afterwards.  I also added the lower bolt eyes once the unit was on the wall.  From those I hung 2 sets of S hooks (necessary because of the bucket size difference) and installed the smaller lower unit.

Installation Complete!

Adjust any hardware necessary and stock with yarn!

I apologize for not taking any other progress shots of this project but the portions of it that took place at my parents house were all gritty and outdoors so it wasn't very conducive to taking snapshots.  And really, there wasn't much to see through most of the project.

Remember that one blog that inspired me: 

  

Thanks YarnBombLove for inspiring my crafty yarn storage revamp!



****Altogether, this project cost me less that $10!!!!!

Food-making marathon

So I went on a food making rampage Tuesday and today...

To start I made garlic and chive buttery mashed potatoes.

Then I roasted some tomatoes using this recipe: Oven Roasted Tomatoes.

my tomatoes pre-roasting...

and post roast!

I also roasted a red pepper and made a simple hummus recipe (sans the citrus) using this recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

 Then I grilled some veggies and chicken out on my deck.  I used a balsamic vinaigrette dressing as marinade for both and some rosemary.

my chicken and veg pre-grill

I used the last of my zucchini to make something very much like this recipe: Zucchini parmesan crisps.  I just used my Chuck Wagon fish and chicken breading instead of bread crumbs.  They were so easy and so damn delicious I didn't take any pics cuz I ate them straight off the pan!

Between Sky and I we finished the grilled veggies and the zucchini chips, but the leftover chicken I used in tonight's dinner: pasta bake.  I pureed the roasted tomatoes into a sauce for the bake.  I combined the sauce, the chicken, some fresh green beans and alfredo sauce and poured it over cooked tri-color rotini pasta in a pan.  Then, I topped the whole thing with parmesan and mozzerella and baked it until it was crispy around the edges and the sauce was bubbling.

This afternoon I made a batch of Apple Banana Cupcakes.  I think they're a little more like muffins but they're tasty, so who cares!

I also made a double batch of Banana Overload Oatmeal Cookies but without the nuts (since I didn't have any) so I iced some of them.  They're tasty either way:

Off again but busy as usual.

Well well, I finished up my vacation last week and worked then 5 days in a row over the weekend.  After work each day I was primarily on the hunt for a new job.  Today's my day off and I had 2 interviews already.  I'm not sure how I feel about either but I've got a followup with one of them on Thursday.  I've been thinking and worrying a lot lately about my financial situation and I feel like I'm finally making the right decision that will help ease the stress.
I had a profound private message conversation on Facebook last night with my best friend.  We haven't talked in ages because our lives are so distant and different now.  I know that she and I will both benefit strongly if we make an effort to speak more often.  Hers and mine is a one-of-a-kind friendship that spans distance and time.  I have always felt I could tell her anything.  I miss her dreadfully and I hope we'll talk again soon...

Anyways, now that Sky and I are back home for the day, she's napping and I have somethings I'd like to accomplish:
I've got lots of fresh produce from my parents' and grandparents' gardens that needs to be made more delicious.  I've got green beans, tomatoes and zucchini plus a red bell pepper and some bananas in the freezer too.  I've got mushrooms that'll turn soon if I don't saute them up and some potatoes that could use cooking too.  I'd like to cook up a few base meals to have for the upcoming week.  Our grocery budget is extremely tight this week so I'd like to limit the list of things I have to get before payday.  So, I better get cooking soon.
Another project, I've been, of course, consistently moving forward with my Pink Project for the Paint the night Pink Exhibition.  That reminds me, I need to email the director...  I've got some great progress shots so far though as I've been taking pics between the various layers I've added to the board.  It's starting to have some very interesting and beautiful things happen.  I decided pretty early on that despite actually taking progress shots, I didn't want to share them until the project is complete.  So, when it's done, I'll have a play-by-play progression, a story of what brought me to the finish.
Aside from those I've got some general housework and other things here and there to do so I better get moving while the young one sleeps.

Check and Check

I finished a couple items from the to-do list.

The first, Aaron's tattoo design:

I think he's going to take it down to his favorite artist sometime very soon to get it done.


The second, my family picture wall:

It's a good start I'd say.  I got the mirror shelf from my parents the other day and the wall shelf from DJ's today.  I have a few frames I'd like to get pictures for so there's a few holes for now.  I'm glad I've got what I've got up for now.



Another little guy:

I got another little shelf from my folks that works perfectly for temporary spice storage until I get a proper rack.  I love having this counter free now that the microwave is on a stand.


I spent most of Saturday working on 2 projects.  The first: the milk crate bench seat.  I spray primed the crates and have been waiting for them to cure properly to connect them (with zip ties).  I still need to finish the cushion.

Second: hand-stitching my necktie rug, a project that's been in progress for years.  I'm not sure why I decided to bust it out this weekend but I've made some progress and will eventually post pictures.

I spent most of Sunday at my parents house working on my buckets for the yarn revamp.  I need to get hardware tomorrow, drill the buckets and attach everything together.

I've also been working intermittently on my pink project.


Update complete.

Small Table Facelift

I just finished up a sort of little, sort of time consuming project that weaseled it's way onto the to-do list for my extended weekend.  My mom and dad's neighbors had this table on rummage but wouldn't take a penny from them, just told them to give it to me.  So I made this drab little table with tons of potential a sweet facelift.

Before:

And After!!!

Check #3 off my to-do list...

Our trip to Ace was extremely fruitful in terms of my weekend creative to-do list.  I got some screw eyes for the yarn revamp though I still need some bolt eyes and short bolts with nuts.  I also got zip ties for the 2 milk crate projects.   I had thought about bolting them together for a more permanent hold and maybe I will in the future.  But for now, zip ties will definitely do the trick.  I was able to get the plastic spray primer for the milk crate bench seat (on sale!).  I got a couple other random items off the dollar tables.  As aforesaid, the trip was very fruitful since we hit the grocery store after that.  Sky absolutely had to help me with the milk crate plant stand project I decided to start after lunch.  Once I put her down for her nap I was able to install it out on the deck. 
Here's a few shots of our afternoon endeavor:

dookie face

Plant stand installed*

My cute little deck with newly installed clothes lines...

and hand-me-down grill (Thanks Dad!)

*Once I got the stand in place and all the zip ties tightened, I snipped the ends.  I like the clean look.  It's a little sparsely clad right now but I'd say the project was a success.  Next spring I'll be planting herbs and other little whatnots for use in the kitchen and I'll have plenty of space to grow them on my sweet milk crate plant stand. 

I said "we'll see if this happens".....pfffffft, I squashed this project off my to-do list!

And so it begins...

It was all I could do to survive that horrible 8-day stretch at work and now I'm on vacation, HUZZAH!

I just re-read my to-do list and just made a mental shopping list for things I can get from Ace...we're going now :)

Todotodotodotodotodo

I've been meaning to make a to-do list of projects I'd like to tackle during my 6 day vacation from work that starts Friday.  I have sort of a long complicated love/hate relationship with paper lists that I won't get into right so I've decided to make this one on my blog.


1.  Yarn Storage Revamp Project:  Right now, I store my massive yarn stock in old plastic milk crates I got back in my Wicker Park JJs days.  I'm looking to use those crates for other various projects so I need a new alternative.  After combing Pinterest for ideas that could work for my specific needs, I found one picture from a fellow blogger that inspired my revamp project:

 

Pic courtesy of YarnBombLove

The blog doesn't say how the storage is made so I've done some creative problem solving which will be economical and free!  My little brother manages a fast food restaurant and has access to plenty of 5 gallon pickle buckets.  I found that a good scrubbing with my Norwex cleaning paste takes the gross smell out of the buckets.  I plan on sawing the rim of each bucket off just below the hinge part that holds the handle so that it's flat outside all around.  Plus shortening the bucket brings it closer to the actual size of a yarn skein.  It looks to me like this blogger used something like large pieces of pvc pipe and brackets to mount them.  I like the idea of my tubes having bottoms so that I can potentially take them down and transport them upright.  I also think that I'm going to bolt the tubes into rows of 3 and will likely hang them from the ceiling rather than the wall.  I will probably hang them in some sort of pattern, calculated in some way.  I'd thank this blogger for the great inspiration and look forward to posting pics of my successful completion of my Yarn Storage Revamp Project.

2.  Milk Crate Bench Seat:  3 of my (17) milk crates have already been reserved for this project for Sky's room.  Another project that I cruised from Pinterest which will of course have all of my flare.  I'm not easily finding the source of this pic but the link to the pin is here.  My crates are a variety of colors so I want to prime them white for this project and possibly do a bright coordinating color to match with the rest of Sky's room.  I already have a piece of the pink gingham from the window treatments measured, cut and pinned to size for the cushion.  I either need to stuff it with white stuffing or cut a lining for it because the gingham has an embroidered flower pattern with holes.  I'll probably attach it with a ribbon or strips of the leftover gingham.  I'm going to bolt the 3 crates together.  I already have baskets to fit in the crates that match other basket storage in her room.  The successful completion of this project will mark a near completion point on Skylar's bedroom decor.  I've been excited about this project for quite awhile and I'm looking forward to it.

3.  Milk Crate Plant Stand:  This project may not happen over my vacation time, but a girl can dream can't she?  I saw someone posted a pic of a shelving unit made from 5 milk crates in a sort of W shape on their edges.  I'm not really set on any particular pattern yet, I just want an economical layout that will allow plant life to flourish on my little deck.  I have to complete my yarn storage revamp before the crates will be free for me to play around with layouts.  For the time being, I don't really feel the need to prime or spray paint the crates I'm using for the outdoor shelving but eventually I'd like to do them right.  I plan on just bolting them together into the best suited pattern and putting them to use right away.  We'll see if this happens...

4.  Family Picture wall:  I have a wall that I've designated for my family pictures in frames but I have yet to put any of them up because I need to get my wall shelves from DJ's place.  Once the wall shelves are up I'll have space for all the table top frames and can determine where to put the wall frames.  This is one of the last move-in details (though more seem to pop up daily) that I want to get taken care of.  This has to happen...

5.  Outdoor family name sign (for Aaron and Terri):  I plan on spending some time at my folks house while I'm sawing buckets for the yarn project so I figured it would be a great time to cut down a piece of wood for a project I meant to do months ago for my older brother's family.  I did one last Christmas for my little brother's family.  His just had our last name in simple font burned into a long narrow piece of walnut.  I had some nautical hooks I painted to look aged and my dad helped me attach them along the bottom of the sign.  I covered the rest of the board with sand and seashells from a family vacation years ago.  For the new design I plan on a more fancy or Gothic style font and a softer wood that will burn more easily.  I don't have hooks for this one but I still plan on using the same sand and seashells.  That will be extra special for them since it was the family trip with their beach side wedding proposal.  For the most part, I just want to get a jump start into this project.  Just having the surface in my possession will help me start moving forward with it.

6.  Sky hooks:  Another project to just get a jump on since I'll be sawing it up with my dad.  I want a cloud shaped piece of wood to mount the wooden letter SKY hooks that I got earlier this year on mega clearance at work.  I just want to paint the cloud and the letter hooks, mount the hooks on the cloud and then mount the cloud on an over-the-door hanger for Skylar's bedroom door.  I don't think the total project will take long once I have the cloud shape but it's not a major priority on the to do list.

And a few little 'tweeners:

*work on my Pink Project: I'm several layers deep already and looking forward to slowly building it up

*work on Aaron's pirate ship tattoo drawing: He wants to get the tat done in early September so I want to finish it up before the vaca is over.

*make baby hats:  it's never too early to get a jump start on my inventory for winter craft shows.  I've made a few hats over the past week or so up to the point of assembly.

That's it, I think.  Ready? Set?

Gooooooooooo!

At least the daydream was pleasant

All day today I looked forward to my work day ending, picking up Sky, grabbing some groceries, and heading home for dinner, then after Sky's bedtime making some art.  Life had different plans for my evening when we pulled out into traffic from the grocery store parking lot and stalled out mid-intersection.  So a grumpy Sky and a sad Ash sat waiting for my dad to come, followed shortly by a tow.  I'm so frustrated right now.  We didn't get to come home and enjoy dinner.  Instead Sky ate a snacky little supper of cheese, crackers and fruit at my folks' house where we ended up (to get the van while my stupid car is in the shop).  We finally got home after Sky's bedtime so we rushed through our routine.  I ate nothing of note and have done nothing of note since I put her to bed.

Stupid car ruined my arting tonight.
And I was so excited to finally get the starter fixed...yesterday.  Ass.

Pinking...

So on Monday when I gathered my belongings from my parents house, I must confess that I purged some old artwork into the dumpster at my apartment.  It was a necessary purge that resulted in a springboard into my piece for the Paint the Night Pink Exhibition.

 The artwork included in the purge:
Peace Garden
Coffee Cup
Antler
Hell's Organ
The insides of Self Portrait Installation (the cupboard itself will be turned into an artwork storage closet, but it was too heavy to take out by myself the other day)
And finally, I took apart the Backend of Forever Installation saving only the cradled board it was assembled on.

That cradled board, sans the hounds tooth coat is now the surface for my Pink Project.  The coat left a really excellent pattern that I'm going to use as the background for a mixed media collage.  I put a coat of mod podge over the remnants of the fibers last night to keep them from fraying or flaking off when I paint and collage over the top.  Here's how it looks so far:

I'm not sure where it will end up but I've got some pretty good ideas...

Think Pink.

I've been working up a major sweat today moving some stuff from my folks house over to my apartment and unpacking.  I got a TON accomplished!
Projects included:
set up the microwave stand, utensil holder, and temporary spice storage, move up the towel bar in the bathroom, set up my desk area in the living room, unpack various art supplies and find appropriate storage for them all, hang some art, generally clean and organize pretty much everything.

And now I'm exhausted.

But I've been brainstorming ideas for the upcoming "Paint the Night Pink" Art Show.  Last year I showed new collage work related to my mom's experience with breast cancer.  I'm a little stumped so far, but I'm feeling more inspired after hanging these today.  I don't have much time, so I'd better get to it.

A Journey: Part 1

A Journey: Part 2

A Journey: Part 3

Completed Window Treatment

I finished Skylar's bedroom curtains the other day and assembled them with the valance on the wall.  I'm very pleased with how they turned out:

 

Some progress shots:

Center curtain panels and completed valance

The purple panels are made from a set of old full size jersey bed sheets.  The jersey was a bit warped in places which required repinning and sewing to get rectangular panels.  I decided to line the center panel with the accent green tulle.  With the remaining tulle I lined the top of the 3 original panels.

The valance is made from 3 layers of foamboard taped together, wrapped in pink gingham and pinned in place.  It is a lightweight decorative accent to hide my curtain casings and the curtain rod.

With additional outer panels (later added 2 more purple panels)

 I had a scrap of the pink gingham left which made perfect side panels.  However, they still didn't have the total window coverage I'm looking for.  So I made 2 more jersey panels to fill them out a bit.

Close-up of valance corner: pearl head pins are decorative and functional!

My sewing isn't amazing but I think my curtains are great but I absolutely love my sweet awesome valance!  It was actually pretty easy to make and beautifully hides the sewing flaws in my curtains :D

Fork it...

I'm having a proud mom moment...I know it's a little thing but Sky figured out how to use a fork:

Just stab it.

Then eat it.

I'm awesome!

But I still may use my hands now and then.

Make something useful.

I really want to.

Window treatments

Another boring day at work left me craving some craft time when I got home.  So after a hasty late supper of leftover egg bake I decided (since Sky's at her dad's) to work on her curtains.  I had thought I was done but upon seeing them up on the window I decided they needed some more work.  The basic construction I have so far is 3 purple panels that are adequate in length but don't have sufficient coverage.  I initially added 2 slightly longer, narrower panels in the pink gingham that I used to cover the valance.  I didn't have enough of the gingham to make any more additional panels from it.  So this evening was spent measuring, cutting, and pinning 2 new purple panels to fill them in a little.  I embellished the center panel with a folded layer of green tulle down both sides and used the rest of the unfolded tulle to embellish the casing at the top of all 3 original purple panels.  Now I'm wondering if, once these 2 new panels are sewn, will I need to get more tulle to go along the casing?  Or would it look stupid if I put the 2 new panels on either side of the center panel therefore staggering the tulle embellishment at the top?  The question I should be asking is why I'm staying up so late when I have to work so early...at least I can fall asleep brainstorming a solution to my crafty conundrum.

And yes, there will be pictures of the curtains...I've taken a few so far but I'd rather save the big reveal until they're completed and hung with the valance (which btw is awesome!).

Wakey wakey, tasty egg bakey

Another apartment woe:  the horrendously loud dishwasher.  The first time I heard it I described it as T-rex mating season in my kitchen.  And the reason it sounds like that is because it is literally tossing the light-weight dishes around inside the washer (I can hear them bouncing around in there now!).  I decided that I should get it loaded and run it right before I leave for work or where ever whenever I can.  But we're running low on dishes so it's running now...how annoying.  Once my dish tabs are gone, maybe I'll switch to hand washing all my dishes instead of just the knives and pans...it would save me in electricity and really is the greener thing to do.

Anywho, onto the more interesting.  I'm making one of my tasty egg bakes for breakfast since I've got the morning off and am home with Sky.  Such a goon: she just shoved about 3 big bites of egg bake in her mouth all at once!  My egg bakes are SUPER easy and really quite tasty.

This one went like this:
I sprayed a small square baker and layered it with one can (10 ct) of small refrigerator biscuits.  Over that I put a layer of cooked and cut up little sizzlers sausages.  Over that I poured about 7 eggs whisked with a bit of milk.  And finally a layer of shredded cheese.  I baked it at 350 degrees for about a half an hour...voila! Breakfast:

My chubby monkey eating a (whole!) banana after dominating her portion of egg bake.

Button frame mirror

The other day I was finally able to put up Skylar's button frame mirror.  I made it for her room back when I was still living with her dad and then it went into a box for about 6 months.  It was just waiting to become part of her totally awesome bedroom decor.  I think I nabbed a pinterest tutorial for this one but I can share how I actually created it for anyone who might like to try it.

Materials:
12"x12" tile mirror (I got mine at Ace in college...I bet you could still get them there)
duct tape
buttons (mine came from work: the $1 bins at Michaels)
ribbon (again with the $1 bin)
tacky glue

Instructions:
Line the edge of the mirror tile with duct tape, 1/2" or less showing on front.  This will keep the raw edges of the mirror from slicing you or anything else.  Glue the buttons in irregular fashion around the edge of the mirror, taking care to cover the duct tape.  Continue adding buttons until the desired width of "frame" is achieved.  I used Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue, though it didn't appear to shorten the dry time of regular tacky glue.  Once all the glue is completely dry, determine which side is the top and how you'd like to hang it.  I chose to attach a ribbon for the hanger with tacky glue and then reenforced it with duct tape.  That's pretty much all, but I had to go one step further...

My hanger needed some embellishment so I concocted this crazy idea that I could make a massive bow with a collage button center out of 3 narrow ribbons.  I tried every tutorial I could find on making bows but couldn't find one that would look like I wanted it to.  So I tried layering multiple partial "hair" bows of various sizes, sewed them together and topped them with my glued collage button center.  It looks pretty much exactly how I wanted it to look but the construction was so confusing and catastrophic that I must share some progress photos for you to grasp its complexity.

And the totally finished product now hangs between Sky's closet and bedroom doors:

Ginger Teriyaki Pork Chops with green beans and brown rice

Tonight's dinner was ridiculously easy, cooked entirely in my rice cooker!

My loose recipe:

ginger teriyaki sauce (marinade)

2 butterfly pork chops

about a cup of brown rice

half a bag of frozen green beans

water

salt

extra virgin olive oil

Marinade the chops in the sauce.  Warm the oil in the rice cooker for 5 minutes.   Cook the chops in the cooker about 5 minutes on each side.  Then add the remaining ingredients including the marinade and cook until it switches to "keep warm".  (My brown rice it took about 35 minutes or so; white or jasmine probably would take only 25 minutes.)

It was pretty delicious and the leftovers will make a tasty dinner tomorrow night when I'm at work.

As an aside, any recipe that I post is likely some sort of variation or combination of a recipe I've read or tasted.  I'll probably post links to ones I find online.  The origin of this one in particular is from my rice cooker recipe book; at least that's where I got the cooking method.  The rest I pretty much made up...and that is how I cook.  I learned from my mama and she learned from her mama.  I hope Sky picks up a thing or two, even if she decides she hates cooking...ya never know, she may come to find she eventually likes it after all.  It's actually a lot easier that I ever imagined it would be in my younger years, when I surrounded myself with folks who could cook partially so that I would never have to.

New apartment woes.

I discovered that the dino-dryers don't actually get clothes dry... My first load ended up going through the dry cycle twice.  Because I didn't bring enough quarters down to dry 2 loads, my second load went out on the deck.  The third load, into a different dryer which still didn't get them dry so it and the fourth load ended up on the deck.  So now, I've decided that hanging my clothes out on the deck is a perfectly respectable way to dry them until it gets to0 cold to.  So my next task is making clotheslines that can take up the entire deck (since I do 3-4 loads at a time, every time), but can be taken down easily.  I think I will do a little surfing on Pinterest for some ideas.  But I'm sure that I will come up with something crafty and clever.  Cuz hey, I'm crafty and clever, and I've been especially such lately.  Just wait until I post some pics of the curtains and valance I've made for Skylar's room over the weekend.

yet another mundane facebook update?

So I just found myself wanting to post a pondering moment on Facebook but decided against it because I don't want to be that person that posts every little part of their daily lives.  So I thought I'd ponder via blog for a moment. :)

I'm doing laundry in my new place (yes, we're mostly settled in) for the first time.  I'm wondering how long it will take for my clothes to dry in the dinosaurs they're keeping in the laundry room.  The machines are seriously old.  The laundry room is one of the only major downfalls of this new apartment.  I can live with it but it is pretty disappointing to know that all of our stuff has to be cleaned in machines that everyone else uses chemical-filled detergents and fabric softeners to clean their clothes.  I wish I didn't have to share machines... or, even better, get everyone else to use Norwex!  I don't know how I could ever make that happen but it would be pretty sweet.  I can't imagine it takes more than 45 minutes to dry.  I'm going to check now...

Mundane?  I think not, I just had a genius idea.  Suck it, nay-sayers!

Change's gonna come...

Amidst all the stress of this crazy time, I feel the need to update...

I found a place for Sky and me to live.  As it turns out all the hard work I've been putting towards bettering my credit has paid off.  I qualified for a 1 bed/1 bath+ a den (ie Sky bedroom!) without any help.  This is a huge step for me and we move next Wednesday.  I can hardly wait till we're settled in and starting our lives there.  I've been struggling with an insurance snafu through work which has effectively resulted in a pay cut for the next year based on a ridiculous technicality.  I've been wrestling with the idea of leaving the comfortable and familiar job I've been at for over 3 1/2 years now for a cushy desk job with better benefits.  This wouldn't be for quite some time and I, of course, still have my Norwex business blossoming as extra income.  As much as I hate the idea of leaving a job I actually like for one I most likely won't, I have to do what is best for my babe.  She deserves to have the best that I can possibly give her even if that means I don't like my job for awhile.  I love my Norwex business and would love to do just that for income but it's extremely variable right now and I need stability to give her what she needs.  My head has been swimming for weeks now, especially this last week, and I'm just hoping for an ounce of clarity, sometime...

I just realized now, as I'm folding laundry (that I washed 4 days ago) and listening to music, that I need to get back into my old tunes.  I thought I had exhausted my library of music after listening to the same songs over and over for ages.  Since my iPod adapter went out in my car (a LONG time ago), I've been stuck listening to the only 2 stations that come in clearly in my antenna-less car: the classic rock station and the "lite" station.  Neither are bad at all, but I miss the songs that made my heart feel real feelings.  I guess I've been subconsciously feeling it for awhile that I just really miss how music makes me feel when I hear the right song at just the right moment.  One of my favorite tv shows (my guilty pleasure), One Tree Hill, has a fantastic soundtrack through the entire 9 seasons.  I got my old roomie Elizabeth hooked on the show before she left and have been watching it nearly exclusively since then.  Last night an episode came on with a song that made my heart leap (again, cuz, let's face it, it did the last times I saw it).  The lyrics say: It feels bad now, but it's gonna get better someday.  As heavy as my heart feels about potential (and actual) changes that will happen in my life, things will get better!  I just need to believe the words.  When I get scared, when I panic, I just need to believe that things sometimes need to get worse before they get better...

Case in point:  This adventure of living in this horrible, rotten apartment has all been leading to me finally finding a place where I can assert my independence; where I can grow into a person, the mom that I truly aspire to be.  Maybe then, I will find someone to share my life with who can appreciate who I am and not try to change me.  It's been a crazy ride, but I'm ready to get off and steady myself awhile.

I've got the Midco man coming the day I move so that I won't be without internet once I settle into my new place.  I think I'll make it a goal of more regular updates because even if no one else reads them, it's cathartic for me.  I need something to ground my mind, to keep from flailing around in an ocean of impossible thoughts.  Expelling them, even in blog form, is an outlet I desperately need.  I don't feel like I can just dump my problems on someone.  Besides, everyone has their own issues and they don't need or want my drama piled on top of their own.  I sure miss having my best friend around...but even she doesn't deserve to hear everything I feel the need to say sometimes.  So, cyber world, you will be my sounding board, my therapist, my punching bag, my go-to guru when I just need to say something to someone and have no one else to say it to...


Almost Everything by Wakey!Wakey!

Long Time, No Blog?

Yes, It's true.  I'm a terrible blogger.  I can't seem to bring myself back to the habit again.  Maybe it's because I'm caught up on other habits right now as I have been in the past.  But mostly I feel like I've been in limbo for, well, like forever.  I'm currently on a hunt for a single bedroom apartment for me and Sky.  She lives with me half-time per mine and DJ's custody agreement.  Though if you ask me on some days it feels like I have her all the time, and on others I miss her so much I can barely believe it's half the time.  I love her so much my heart fills up with happiness every time I think of her.  At 15 months, she's EVERYWHERE and ANYWHERE...ALL THE TIME!!!  It's unbelievable how much she learns every day and how much she shows how much she knows all the time.  She's so smart!  I want her to have every opportunity to learn so I've amassed a library for her.  I keep joking that it took more than 15 years to create my library of fact and fiction, but it's taken a mere 15 months to collect at least as many (if not more) books for my Sky to read.  We read every single night that she's with me (along with tubby and naked snacks ;)).  It was really awesome to have my sexually-ambiguous roommate Elizabeth to share some fun milestones with, however, she's moved on to greener pastures...After the wicked ice storm back in April, we were struck with nasty May showers.  Over Memorial Day weekend, our building was struck by lightning and later flooded like whoa.  It was a nasty mess that we're still dealing with fall out from.  Anywho, she was offered a job at another Michaels store, a lateral move to a store in Iowa.  And as of the end of June, she's gone.  We're still living in her apartment til the end of July but soon we'll be gone too.  I want something more permanent.  Something stable and steady.  I don't make much money but with my Norwex business, I'm planning to change that.  I know that a one-bedroom apartment isn't much for a single mom.  However, I love maintaining my own household and even if I don't have bedroom of my own, I know that I can provide the home Sky deserves even on my modest income.  I just don't want to move again!  It's nice being alone in the apartment, though I miss Elizabeth terribly, but I feel like it's a stupid waiting game.  I just know I can't afford this place alone.  Despite it being a fantastic location and a wonderful size, the management is TERRIBLE (we had NO assistance in the cleanup from the flood, NONE).  It's just not worth the headache and the stress and the potential illness (mold, rash, whatnot).  So we're out.  Now it's just a matter of finding a place within budget that will accept me even with my shitty credit...

I know I need to post more, if not for whatever followers I may have, but for myself.  This is a good reminder of what I want, what I need, and what could be for the future.  Whatever it holds, I hope it's amazing, though I'm sure, with a sweet amazing intelligent baby sidekick, I can tackle whatever that life throws at me without effort.  She is my heart and the air I breathe.  Everything is ok with Sky.

We are now entering the Twilight Zone

The last 2-3 days' weather has seriously got me wondering if we've left the real world and entered the twilight zone.  Tuesday morning's rain turned into the most ridiculous freak ice storm I've ever witnessed.  So many trees have been lost to the madness.  Everyone is in disbelief, I mean, after all it is the second week of April...So Sky and Elizabeth and I are having a snow day!  It's supposed to snow 6-10 inches on top of all the ice so we're not going anywhere today.  Here's hoping we don't lose our power again.  It was out for the bulk of the day yesterday and it keeps flickering here and there this morning.  I've only just started my massive pile of laundry so it better stay on!

Timmy Cake

I've been super lame about posting again but this one is guaranteed to be a good one...

My sweet baby Sky turns 1 tomorrow so we're having a combination birthday party with her cousins Ella and Zidane (3rd birthdays tomorrow and next Saturday respectively).  It's this afternoon.  I decided I wanted Sky to have an awesome Timmy Time cake since that's her favorite show and he's her favorite character.  I had planned on having my friend Sara make the cake for us, but she's got relatives in town this weekend so she backed out on us a few days ago.  So I planned out the cake myself and JUST finished it a few minutes ago.  Sky is napping, but once she gets up, we'll load everything up and head to my folks' place for the party.  I think she's gonna love the cake and have a super awesome time.

So I wanted to share my Timmy cake along with a shot from the planning stage and one from the building stage:

Recap

Ok, things got crazy there for a little bit.
A recap of things since St. Paddy's Day:

Last Monday morning I got up and took Sky to daycare, only the daycare was inexplicably closed.  I was unable to get ahold of my provider for the entire day.  I ended up taking her to my aunt Jen's and was late for work.  I got a call from my daycare gal's husband Monday night trying to explain what had happened (some drunken family altercation) though we had already decided that we weren't going to keep taking Sky to their daycare.  Jen had offered her services as our part-time provider just the week before and so things fell into place perfectly with her taking over right away.  It was still an abrupt and unannounced change, kind of a rough week.  Friday, after leaving the old daycare (from picking up Sky's belongings) my car broke down.  I was on my way to work, so I was late for work again.  It ended up being a quick and easy fix though more money than I wanted to spend on my car.

On a better note, I had my first solo Norwex party last Saturday.  I spent the bulk of last week finishing up my folders and presentation.  It was a small turnout but definitely successful.  I hope I can get a few bookings coming up here after Easter.  I really think I'm going to enjoy being a consultant.

So now, I've got a bazillion things to do all the time and I realize I probably won't be blogging as frequently as I'd like.  After all, I did start this post last night and am just now (during Sky's nap) getting around to finishing up.  We've got errands to run this afternoon so I'm off to tcob.

Takin Care of Business...

Wow, It's been one hell of a week.  I had my Norwex Launch party yesterday morning and most of the week was spent in preparation.  Though now, with the rest of my weekend off, I'm gathering materials and putting together better folders for my hostesses and guests.  I feel like I was kind of under-prepared for the party and I won't make that mistake again.  Stephanie definitely helped guide me through the party and I got several sales.  I left the party without a booking but my awesome aunt Jen and her friend Kara would like to host a party together.  I'm so excited to feel like I'm moving forward.  I really hope that I can book 1 to 2 parties at Terri's party next weekend.  It's nice that the products totally sell themselves AND the hostess incentive program is awesome.  I was actually surprised that no one at Jessica's party booked, but there were only 4 people there who hadn't already had a party or weren't having a future party.  I've got to work on my hostess coaching for sure.  I know I'm on track to be a bit of a slow starter in terms of sales in the company but I'm not going to let that bring me down.  After all, I work a full-time exhausting retail job and am a single mom; I'm not superman.

Just now, I'm waiting for my Skybug to wake up so we can run a couple errands.  We get to hang out the rest of the day and I'm loving it.  I'd like to sit around and keep blogging, but I've still got a lot of work to do

Back Online...

Finally!!  We just got internet installed at my new place.  I've been moved in since the 1st.  I got online a few times at Taco Johns to get my Norwex stuff set up (my launch party is Saturday!!!) but I have mostly gone without internet for about a week and a half now.  No facebook or pinterest or blogger.  No netflix either.  Well no more.  Unfortunately my babers is sick again, this time with something like croup.  I'm tired of her getting sick at daycare.  It's getting kinda old.  She's snoozing on the couch right now but I've gotta feed her lunch and get her over there in about a half hour.  Speaking of Sky...she just woke up.  I'll be back later of course...