Random Stuff, Because It’s Wednesday and Laundry Never Ends

My apologies for not writing a post yesterday. I wasn’t feeling all that well, and the cerebrum decided it was better suited to replaying the movie Dragnet, complete with rap song at the end. Honestly, I remembered the whole movie all morning long. It’s probably why I had a hankering for chili dogs and a Shirley Temple™.

I have never understood the Designated Pitcher rule. Don’t try to explain it. I will just tune the words out of my retinas.

Why can’t mosquitoes suck fat?

If your significant other asks you to make a sandwich, do it. After all, you chose to be with them for a reason.

Always write your Christmas List™ in pencil.

And lastly remember this: “STRESSED” is “DESSERTS” spelled backwards. That means it’s always time for chocolate.

Hope y’all have a great day!! 😀

I Survived, Sorta

Little One’s party was a great success. So great, that the girls are still here…

They stayed up until four o’clock in the morning, and then got up at the ghastly hour of eight. And why did they have so much energy? Because they ate cupcakes, pizza, hot dogs, four bags of chips, three bottles of soda, and a HUGE bag of candy.

And then had doughnuts for breakfast. I bet the parents are going to hate me today.

I don’t remember having that much energy, not even when I was her age. I never had sleepovers, so it’s hard to judge, but since I was quite happy to observe my 10:00PM curfew until I was 22, I can safely say I just wasn’t energetic like that. All I know is today I will drink coffee until I wake up enough to make the turkey roast. If that happens, I will consider today a win 😀

Cupcake Overload

Today, Little One will be having a sleepover and instead of cake, she requested cupcakes. As if that wasn’t bad enough, last Thursday was Chocolate Cupcake Day at the local bakery, which meant I had to get a dozen of their assorted chocolate cupcakes, like chocolate cherry and triple chocolate. Those didn’t last very long, so obviously we needed more for the party.

And boy, did we score!

Chocolate chocolate, Italian cream, chocolate raspberry, pumpkin pecan, peanut butter chocolate, and the pièce de resistance:

Guinness Beer Cupcake!!!

I only got one, and no, not for the girls. This one is for Hubby. I’m hoping I get a bite of it, though. I love to cook with Guinness, so this may be awesome, or just this side of “What the heck were they thinking??” I almost got the maple and bacon cupcake, but Little One wanted something fancier, and more normal.

Ok, time for me to start getting the upstairs ready. Manicures, flower making, and hairstyling is in my future.

And so is wine 😉

Weekends Should Start on Mondays

I just do NOT understand why everything piles up on Fridays.

One kid has Sign Language Club, another has German Club. Then we have high school football, and tonight Little One’s band gets to play with the High School band, which means she gets to sit with them all through the game, which also means she has to stay until the end of the game, which translates to traffic jam afterwards. Tomorrow, the other two get to enjoy an ROTC trip to the USS Lexington for the weekend, and that means that Little One will enjoy having a sleepover for her birthday.

From Roamy, who knows me well 🙂

Just what I need: a bunch of screaming teens in the house, eating sweets and chocolate and drinking sodas and gossiping about the cutest boys in school. And I will be serving and cleaning up and praying the earplugs hold up.

Hope y’all’s weekend is far quieter 😉

By the Pricking of My Thumbs…

I have a confession to make: I have no idea how to use a sewing machine.

I can hear you gasping in shock all the way over here.

Before y’all condemn me, I know how to sew, but only by hand. And it’s not that I haven’t had the opportunity to learn on a machine. My mom sews, my sister sews, my daughter took it in what we used to call Home Economics before it went all politically correct. In retrospect, I should have taken Home Ec. It sure would have made my culinary path a bit easier, that’s for sure. I think the reason I never learned to use a sewing machine was fear: I was afraid of sewing my fingers, or making a huge mistake, or tangling all the bobbins, or having the machine come to life. I have an active imagination.

Lately though, I have been wanting to learn to use a sewing machine. Why? Because all of the tiny little projects I have been doing need some sewing, and my thumbs are about to go on strike.

Last night as I was making a cord cover for Eldest’s light fixture, I jammed the needle into the thumb cuticle. I bet that just made y’all flinch, didn’t it?? I know I sure did. I think that was my last straw. Perhaps getting a small, standard sewing machine isn’t a bad idea. Oh, nothing fancy that does embroidery or the dishes. Just something that will prevent me from inflicting multiple stab wounds on myself. I’ll make sure Santa Claus gets the memo. I know he’s always at a loss as to what to get me 😉

Guest DIY Post!!!

My sister, Reno Queen, puts my DIY skills to shame. Actually, compared to her, I have no skills. I am a total and complete n00b. In my family, we all agree she is Bob Vila’s fraternal twin, only prettier and far younger. You need new screens? She builds them for you. New backsplash? She will cut tiles to fit and make a mosaic that would rival those of Pompeii. I’m telling y’all: the gal can do almost anything.

And I say “almost” because she never got around to working for SpaceX™.

Anyway, she was gracious enough to write a tutorial on making a beautiful work of art for your home. So without further ado, here you go!

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How I Planned to Paint Furniture and It Turned Into Some Other Craft 🙂

Supplies: Cabinet door, sander with 60 grit sand paper, Krylon™ Fusion paint in Satin Black, Paper towels, 180 Grit Sanding block, Stencil, Precious Metals liquid leafing, sponge paint applicator, E6000 and a Cross.

First you take your piece (in my case it was a sample cabinet door) and using 60 grit sand paper you sand off the original finish. (Image 1) I used my mouse because it is easier and faster, but if you don’t have one you can do it by hand (but it will take forever). Make sure you sand the grooves well. (Image 2) Make sure you do this in a well-ventilated area because dust will be everywhere!

Image 1

Image 2

Sunday Sithy

Yep, football day and re-doing the laundry and probably finishing off Eldest’s room.

I’m not holding my breath on that one.

So, for y’all’s entertainment, a Sithy!!

Best adaptation of this meme EVAH!!!

Have a wonderful Sunday!! 😀

Checking It Twice, or Five Times to Be Sure

I have been making and revising the Christmas List™. This year it has been a bit more frustrating than before. You see, there have been changes to the List of which I have recently become aware. Nothing big, like new family members. I am aware of those changes! No, just little things, like color preferences, new style preferences, new hobby interests, etc.

Still, it’s not a big inconvenience, just a mild one. At least gift certificates and money are always failsafe. Come to think of it, so is food.

But I just can’t be trusted with purchasing chocolate. The stress of the season would force me to take advantage of that. Well, just having it around would force me to take advantage of that. Ok, “force” is not the right word. STOP JUDGING ME!!!!

Just for that, I’m going out to get another bag of Halloween candy. It helps with the stress 😀

Tacky is the In Thing

It’s that time again. HOMECOMING!!!

This is Eldest’s senior year, and she really, really wanted a tacky Homecoming mum for her last year in high school.

I could not pass up the challenge. I purchased the required flower, backing and ribbons, and added to it feathers, a boa, Christmas strands, and a gaudy chandelier drop I found. I would have used LED lights, but that was sooooo 2011.

And my niece’s will have zebra striped ribbon, huge bells, and glitter!!

Very tacky, and I for one love it. I’m of the opinion that one should stand out. One should not go through Life unnoticed 😉

I May Need an Intervention

As y’all know, I’m still working on Eldest’s room. Furniture has been repositioned, shelves readied, and knick-knacks are done and ready to be displayed in the manner I know should be done. But there are some things still being worked on, and she has been slow to purge her childish things, so we are still moving at the speed of galoshes in quicksand.

Nevertheless, I have been busy being creative, as well. Boy, have I been having fun making new things out of random crap old stuff I find. I had this cheese dome, bought foolishly at a home party, just collecting dust in a kitchen cabinet and taking up precious space better served by my Lolita™ glasses. I’m making it into a bell jar for her room, complete with a skull.

Like this, just not as cute.

No one can say I am NOT a cool mom.

In the course of making last minute adjustments to her stuff, I have had to go in periodically to the local home improvement store. I was there last weekend, asking about a light kit. The young man who was helping me was interrupted by an older gentleman:

Gent: Can you tell me where to find a filter for a pitcher?

Salesguy: Hm…not sure, but I think you can find them in the kitchen supplies section, right next to the paint section.

Me: No, they are in the plumbing section, far back wall, right past the kitchen appliances and before the salt for water softeners.

Gent: (looking strangely at me)

Salesguy: (looking strangely at me)

Me: I’ve been in that section recently…

Salesguy #2 walking by: Hey, Ms. Aggie*. Haven’t seen you in a couple of days!

Me: (sighing)

Salesguy #1: You should work here.

I’m seriously thinking about it. But I get the feeling my paycheck would just revert to the store anyway 😉