Jun 26, 2011
A Little Bit of Harrison
Sometimes Harrison turns into a statue:
The first time it happened he came up to me, made this pose, and said, "I'm as hard as a rock!" I laughed for about 10 minutes.
Suddenly, Harrison likes to draw. Especially on a white board. Those are just fun. Here are a few of his beauties:
Oh, I love em so much.
A few days ago I was putting some makeup on, (a little foundation) and Harrison said he wanted some. I told him that makeup is only for girls because girls use makeup to make them look pretty, but boys are already handsome, so they don't need it. (I know. Some feminist's heads are probably exploding at that.) but he said "I need some. I'm not fancy enough." So I put the tiniest amount on each side of his nose, as indicated, and he said. "Now I'm handsome. Thanks" And walked away.
The first time it happened he came up to me, made this pose, and said, "I'm as hard as a rock!" I laughed for about 10 minutes.
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Suddenly, Harrison likes to draw. Especially on a white board. Those are just fun. Here are a few of his beauties:
Oh, I love em so much.
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Jun 14, 2011
Painting Glass
Forever ago I saw a cake stand on Bakerella that someone had probably given her for being awesome or something and I fell in love with it, but though she told us where we could get one ourselves, it was way too expensive. So I have been waiting these long years for someone to give me one, but I'm afraid that I too will have to become awesome first, and I think it might just be time for me to give up on that dream.
But then, on some clever person's blog (I CANNOT remember which) some girl made a cupcake stand by gluing stuff together and I realized I could do that too!! So I went to DI. And I found the following:
For only like $25!! Ok, it was probably closer to $4.00, but even that was more than I thought I should have to pay. D.I. has way too high an opinion of their junk if you ask me. Not to mention the completely arbitrary pricing. That china platter was $1.00, but I also could have bought some ugly plastic plates for $2.00 a piece.
Anyway, I pulled out some newly purchased gorilla glue. Cuz that is what you use, right? And I started gluing. I have never used gorilla glue before. So I wasn't expecthing this:
I showed Richard and he just nodded and said "Yep." like that is exactly what he expected to happen. I trimmed off the bubbles with some kitchen shears as best as I could and sanded the rest off with an emery board, cuz it is what I had handy
Ha ha. Handy. Get it?
That pretty much worked, so I glued the platter on, using a lot less gorilla glue this time:
Which is where I got stuck. What primer do I use for glass? I searched online for what felt like an eternity, and both the websites I read just said to use "primer made for glass". Thanks. That is incredibly helpful.
I finally broke down and went to the local, tiny little hardware store and asked them. The 2 guys working there were anxious to help. So I said
"What primer would I use for glass?"
Guy 1 said "Glass? What do you want to paint glass for?" in a very are-you-a-crazy-person? tone.
I said "For fun?" and he just looked at me, concluding that yes, I probably WAS crazy.
Guy 2 said, "I don't think you need one." He looked at the cans of spray paint on the shelf and said, "Nope, none of these say they are for glass. If it was me, I wouldn't use one. Save yourself a step." Again, very helpful.
Now I may not work at a crappy hardware store, but I'm pretty sure that if I paint strait on glass, when it dries I'll just be able to scratch it off with my fingernail. But I don't argue with paid employees so I pretended like I thought they were right and was glad of their insight. They finally left me alone and I picked out some KILZ Interior Oil-Based primer, which says it can be used on glossy surfaces after they are scuffed. Then, because I didn't want them to think I was completely disregarding their sage advice, I bought some colored spray paint too. I grabbed a very happy yellow and told Guy 1 who was now at the register that I was painting a bed too.
He said "Someone is ambitious today." "Yep." I said, (cuz, yeah. 2 cans of spray paint. I'm a busy, busy bee. They obviously don't get a lot of people in there who are doing. . . stuff.) "Why?" He said, again questioning my sanity. How do I answer that? What kind of question is that for a guy who owns the hardware store to ask me? He should be singing my praises. I'm probably the only customer they had all day. But then he kept talking and to make a long story still pretty long what he said is that all this rain isn't normal and I think it might be my fault.
Oh yeah, my cake stand. Are you still here?
So I sprayed a bunch of thin layers of primer.
sanding away any rough spots. Did you know you could sand primer? I sure didn't. I had to read it on the internet.
And then I painted a bunch of coats of blue and a few coats of a clear gloss laquer and had this:
Yea.
Ok, so here are a few things I learned:
See what I mean? I didn't line up the sides and corners on these 6 sided candlesticks. I didn't even notice until it was painted. It might not be a big deal. Only now I've noticed and it will always bug me. So if you like perfection, well. . . you should probably just buy a cake stand. But if you are determined to make things yourself but are a bit anal, be sure to accurately line your candlesticks up while gluing.
In any case, painting the glass seamed to work. I tried scratching it a bit with my fingernail and it seems to be strong enough to withstand them. I need to find a shinier top coat though. I do love things that are shiny. Boy, I sure don't know how to stop talking. Maybe you should just go. I'll run out of steam eventually, don't worry.
But then, on some clever person's blog (I CANNOT remember which) some girl made a cupcake stand by gluing stuff together and I realized I could do that too!! So I went to DI. And I found the following:
For only like $25!! Ok, it was probably closer to $4.00, but even that was more than I thought I should have to pay. D.I. has way too high an opinion of their junk if you ask me. Not to mention the completely arbitrary pricing. That china platter was $1.00, but I also could have bought some ugly plastic plates for $2.00 a piece.
Anyway, I pulled out some newly purchased gorilla glue. Cuz that is what you use, right? And I started gluing. I have never used gorilla glue before. So I wasn't expecthing this:
I showed Richard and he just nodded and said "Yep." like that is exactly what he expected to happen. I trimmed off the bubbles with some kitchen shears as best as I could and sanded the rest off with an emery board, cuz it is what I had handy
Ha ha. Handy. Get it?
That pretty much worked, so I glued the platter on, using a lot less gorilla glue this time:
Which is where I got stuck. What primer do I use for glass? I searched online for what felt like an eternity, and both the websites I read just said to use "primer made for glass". Thanks. That is incredibly helpful.
I finally broke down and went to the local, tiny little hardware store and asked them. The 2 guys working there were anxious to help. So I said
"What primer would I use for glass?"
Guy 1 said "Glass? What do you want to paint glass for?" in a very are-you-a-crazy-person? tone.
I said "For fun?" and he just looked at me, concluding that yes, I probably WAS crazy.
Guy 2 said, "I don't think you need one." He looked at the cans of spray paint on the shelf and said, "Nope, none of these say they are for glass. If it was me, I wouldn't use one. Save yourself a step." Again, very helpful.
Now I may not work at a crappy hardware store, but I'm pretty sure that if I paint strait on glass, when it dries I'll just be able to scratch it off with my fingernail. But I don't argue with paid employees so I pretended like I thought they were right and was glad of their insight. They finally left me alone and I picked out some KILZ Interior Oil-Based primer, which says it can be used on glossy surfaces after they are scuffed. Then, because I didn't want them to think I was completely disregarding their sage advice, I bought some colored spray paint too. I grabbed a very happy yellow and told Guy 1 who was now at the register that I was painting a bed too.
He said "Someone is ambitious today." "Yep." I said, (cuz, yeah. 2 cans of spray paint. I'm a busy, busy bee. They obviously don't get a lot of people in there who are doing. . . stuff.) "Why?" He said, again questioning my sanity. How do I answer that? What kind of question is that for a guy who owns the hardware store to ask me? He should be singing my praises. I'm probably the only customer they had all day. But then he kept talking and to make a long story still pretty long what he said is that all this rain isn't normal and I think it might be my fault.
Oh yeah, my cake stand. Are you still here?
So I sprayed a bunch of thin layers of primer.
sanding away any rough spots. Did you know you could sand primer? I sure didn't. I had to read it on the internet.
And then I painted a bunch of coats of blue and a few coats of a clear gloss laquer and had this:
Yea.
Ok, so here are a few things I learned:
- Scuff the service first. I really don't have any idea how a person is supposed to do that. I used some 200 grit sandpaper which kind of worked. Glass is not the easiest surface to sand, but I could see tiny scratches on it, so I hope that is all I was supposed to accomplish. I sure felt like I was doing it wrong, but didn't know what else to do.
- Go easy on the gorilla glue. It might have a real neat name, but that doesn't mean you should go hog wild. Use just a little cuz it expands like crazy. And don't use it to give yourself a fake mustache. It will only bring pain and misery.
- Don't spray paint down wind of someone using a table saw.
- You might not want to paint down wind of dung flinging monkeys either, but I guess that is just personal preference.
- Don't listen to guys in hardware stores. Or home improvement stores. Or any stores for that matter. They don't know anything. No one knows anything. Ask.com is the only place left where people like us can find the answers we need in the world today. And also DJ's and the guys on Public Radio.
- Line up your candle sticks.
See what I mean? I didn't line up the sides and corners on these 6 sided candlesticks. I didn't even notice until it was painted. It might not be a big deal. Only now I've noticed and it will always bug me. So if you like perfection, well. . . you should probably just buy a cake stand. But if you are determined to make things yourself but are a bit anal, be sure to accurately line your candlesticks up while gluing.
In any case, painting the glass seamed to work. I tried scratching it a bit with my fingernail and it seems to be strong enough to withstand them. I need to find a shinier top coat though. I do love things that are shiny. Boy, I sure don't know how to stop talking. Maybe you should just go. I'll run out of steam eventually, don't worry.
Jun 12, 2011
A Gift of Love
Sometimes, for no reason at all, I like to do something nice for my family. So I decided to make them cupcakes.
And to add that special touch, the one that REALLY says "I Love You" I decided to make them from scratch. Cuz you know making things from scratch means you have more love in your heart! I cut the recipe in half so that it made 9 cupcakes, just the right amount for us to eat all in one sitting.
Which we did, though it required hack saws and pry bars to get them out of the pan.
Nothin says Lovin like whatever this is from the oven!
They don't call me Miss Magic-Pants-Super-Baking-Machine for nothing!
And to add that special touch, the one that REALLY says "I Love You" I decided to make them from scratch. Cuz you know making things from scratch means you have more love in your heart! I cut the recipe in half so that it made 9 cupcakes, just the right amount for us to eat all in one sitting.
Nothin says Lovin like whatever this is from the oven!
They don't call me Miss Magic-Pants-Super-Baking-Machine for nothing!
Jun 11, 2011
What Have I Got in My Purse?
Remember back in the day when one of the memes floating around was people photographing and posting about the contents of their purses? Yeah, I always wanted to do that. It was a big deal!! I just never got around to it. I always meant to, but every time I got out my camera I would lose my purse, or if I had my purse I couldn't find my car keys and without keys how could I buy film for my camera?
Anyway, times have changed. I know where everything is now. And I am feeling very productive this week, so there is no time like the present! I need to clean out my purse anyway, so lets get down to business. Here is my purse before. Full of the tools of my trade (that being Ninja Realtor).
And now I will delicately dump the contents onto the table and photograph them for your viewing pleasure. Cuz honestly, what could be more fun?
Oh. . . . Well. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THIS is embarrassing. Maybe I should have cleaned out my purse BEFORE I attempted this little exeurcise. Actually, I probably should have cleaned my purse out MONTHS ago. Wait, I've only had this purse for a month. Where did all that stuff COME from?
I thought there were enough tissues in there to wipe the noses of a small community, but it looks like there is only one. One sad, lonely tissue. Where did all the rest go? Maybe I've been using the same one over and over?
Everything else is about what you would expect though: expired coupons, my cell phone with a dead battery, and The Declaration of Independence? What is that doing there? I could have sworn I kept that in the diaper bag. And hey! Look at that! It is the remote to the DVD player! I've been looking everywhere for that!
This is great. I know where the DVD remote is and my purse is all cleaned out. Now I just need a piece of pie and to find somewhere to put all this junk sitting on my kitchen table and I will have everything I have ever wanted!
Anyway, times have changed. I know where everything is now. And I am feeling very productive this week, so there is no time like the present! I need to clean out my purse anyway, so lets get down to business. Here is my purse before. Full of the tools of my trade (that being Ninja Realtor).
Oh. . . . Well. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THIS is embarrassing. Maybe I should have cleaned out my purse BEFORE I attempted this little exeurcise. Actually, I probably should have cleaned my purse out MONTHS ago. Wait, I've only had this purse for a month. Where did all that stuff COME from?
I thought there were enough tissues in there to wipe the noses of a small community, but it looks like there is only one. One sad, lonely tissue. Where did all the rest go? Maybe I've been using the same one over and over?
Everything else is about what you would expect though: expired coupons, my cell phone with a dead battery, and The Declaration of Independence? What is that doing there? I could have sworn I kept that in the diaper bag. And hey! Look at that! It is the remote to the DVD player! I've been looking everywhere for that!
This is great. I know where the DVD remote is and my purse is all cleaned out. Now I just need a piece of pie and to find somewhere to put all this junk sitting on my kitchen table and I will have everything I have ever wanted!
June
Colin is almost 1. And he is the climbingest baby in the world. He tries to climb on everything, and manages to climb onto most of it. He just thinks he is so darn big.
Trying to do the dishes while he is awake is almost impossible.
What makes him mad are the things he can't do. Things he can't climb onto, or tiny spaces he can't squeeze his head through make him furious! Cabinets he can't open, things he can't reach, and icecream that is not put into his mouth fill him with righteous anger! He spent most of the morning playing with a 5 pound weight and he was so frustrated that he couldn't pick it up. He is totally, unflaggingly determined and will keep on trying to climb onto my desk no matter how many times I stop him, move him and tell him no. Though he stills cries like his heart is broken every single time I say it.
AND, on Thursday, he took 6 steps! Hooray! He is not very interested in falling down, so he is not much of a risk taker (when it comes to walking), but if I can distract him or trick him I can get him to walk without realizing it.
And, as usual, the very best way to get a picture of Harrison is to try to take a picture of something else.
Ha ha ha! I've got his number and he doesn't even know it!
Trying to do the dishes while he is awake is almost impossible.
What makes him mad are the things he can't do. Things he can't climb onto, or tiny spaces he can't squeeze his head through make him furious! Cabinets he can't open, things he can't reach, and icecream that is not put into his mouth fill him with righteous anger! He spent most of the morning playing with a 5 pound weight and he was so frustrated that he couldn't pick it up. He is totally, unflaggingly determined and will keep on trying to climb onto my desk no matter how many times I stop him, move him and tell him no. Though he stills cries like his heart is broken every single time I say it.
AND, on Thursday, he took 6 steps! Hooray! He is not very interested in falling down, so he is not much of a risk taker (when it comes to walking), but if I can distract him or trick him I can get him to walk without realizing it.
And, as usual, the very best way to get a picture of Harrison is to try to take a picture of something else.
Jun 1, 2011
Shapes You Can EAT!
So the other day, blah blah blah, witty introduction.
Once the gas dispersed, I decided to make some cookies. Harrison really wanted me to make sugar cookies cuz he likes to use the cookie cutters. But it was more work than I wanted to do. I was thinking more along the lines of No-Bake Cookies. And then I had what can only be called a stroke of genius. Maybe just a stroke. But probably the genius thing too.
We made the No Bake Cookies from a recipe found on Allrecipes, like so:
No-Bake Cookies
only instead of just dumping little piles of dough onto the cookie sheets, we laid out cookie cutters and filled those with the hot chocolate mixture. Brilliant! Harrison thought that was fun and I thought I was clever. In about 5 minutes they were solid enough to pull the cookie cutters off - they slid off like butter - and there we had it, fun little amorphous cookie shapes. Hooray!
Hmm. Only now that I am looking at the picture, they remind me an awful lot of Litter Critters. But these are edible, so it is totally different.
Once the gas dispersed, I decided to make some cookies. Harrison really wanted me to make sugar cookies cuz he likes to use the cookie cutters. But it was more work than I wanted to do. I was thinking more along the lines of No-Bake Cookies. And then I had what can only be called a stroke of genius. Maybe just a stroke. But probably the genius thing too.
We made the No Bake Cookies from a recipe found on Allrecipes, like so:
No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
only instead of just dumping little piles of dough onto the cookie sheets, we laid out cookie cutters and filled those with the hot chocolate mixture. Brilliant! Harrison thought that was fun and I thought I was clever. In about 5 minutes they were solid enough to pull the cookie cutters off - they slid off like butter - and there we had it, fun little amorphous cookie shapes. Hooray!
Hmm. Only now that I am looking at the picture, they remind me an awful lot of Litter Critters. But these are edible, so it is totally different.
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