Martha MacGyver's Last Week Of 2011

Goodbye 2011 and Cheers to 2012!

I was fortunate to be able to take off the last week of 2011 and spend time at home doing things that have been on my to-do list since we moved here. Several pictures have finally made it to their final destination on the walls. Several junk areas have been cleaned up. Several boxes have finally been unpacked.  I am pleased with the changes.  It's beginning to not only feel like home, but look like home too.

Years and years ago, my buddy gave me the nickname of Martha MacGyver because of all my crafty creative projects.  It hadn't occurred to me at the time, but yea, the name fit.  To share some of my wonderful projects from my Christmas/New Year break, I share with you the following:

1) Based upon the inspiration from the lovely daughter (and her hat) of Mrs. Irritation, I improvised this owl hat.  I totally made up the pattern, and I HOPE to be able to replicate this.  So thankful for YouTube, because I had forgotten how to knit!

2) I saved an old picture frame from the donation pile and spray painted it glossy red. Thanks for the inspiration from Statia.  I hated the old frame (two colors of cheap looking wood); and am loving my new frame.  Now to find a picture to put in it...

3) I had no place to store/display the jewelry I've made. Since I moved, I have not worn much of my jewelry because I have not unpacked it.  <gasp>  I know, I know. I went thrifting in my own house and discovered a few picture frames my husband has had for probably the last decade or two. This one became my new jewelry holder! Inspiration came from Pinterest and/or Etsy, take your pick. It turned out perfectly for my needs.  Keep in mind, I am on the lookout for old drawer pull knobs to re-purpose along the bottom on the front and on the sides to hold bracelets and necklaces.  I'm not buying new knobs, that would just be silly!

Why yes, that is hardware cloth, thanks for asking.



4) This is my favorite one. Over thanksgiving, my parents visited.

     Me: "I need to buy a grapevine wreath, but I'd much rather make one."

     Dad: "You know, you have some wild grapevines growing in your woods."

     Me:  <Blink Blink>

     Dad: "Let's go pull some."

     Me: "Uuuhhhh, are they the kind with the curly-Qs?" (that's a technical term)

     Dad: "Yea."

So, we march right down there and I'll be hog-tied if there weren't wild grapevines growing right here. For FREE. So my dad went to work pulling a few long vines down from an overgrown area for me.  I had no clue they were wild grapevines (I didn't see any grapes!).  I dragged them up to our back deck. I got out the butchers twine (sorry to the hubs on that, but at least I used the OLD spool) and a pair of scissors. My mom helped me form the long vines into a large circle. She would hold the vines together and I would tie the string around it -or- I'd hold and she would tie. We got the large circle formed. She reminded me about how the professional ones are steamed into shape. I got bowls of hot water and poured over the wreath since it was still outside. Oh yea, it was rainy, so I left it in the rain for a day. Brought it inside to dry out for a month. Then I cut the ties and spray painted it glossy black. Found the perfect garland with sprays of clear crystals. I am very pleased with this grapevine wreath project as it surpassed my vision. See next item for picture.

5) Painted my hole! I expected a little more of a brown/warm color and not such an *exact* match to the grout (which if I had intended to match the grout, I would have chosen a different shade). But it has grown on me and now that I have it all put together, I love it!   This was the before picture.  Below is my finished project. It doesn't look ecclesiastical anymore!  I am no longer looking around my own living room for a sacrificial virgin or bride & groom!

I will be on the search for new curtains in black & white and possibly grey, with a splash of red.  Some kind of modern print.  And the brass fireplace set has to go, or be changed.  Shadow and Abbytail seem to like it:

6) This one was all Todd's. He hung the Arcade sign in the perfect spot!  You can't see the hardware, except for the angle at which I took this picture, of course.  This is a PERFECT fit and looks great when going down to the basement.  I'm so excited to have this puppy up in it's final spot on the wall.

I have a few more projects in the works, and a lot more swimming around in my head.  You'll have to stay tuned for more as I get them completed.  I don't make new years' resolutions, so I'm not going to wax poetically about all the great things I will accomplish or change next year.  I am thankful and excited just to have the day off from work.  I'll spend it making things a little more organized or crafty around here.

Happy 2012 to you!

Memories

It's kind of funny, the things you consider "normal" or a part of your every day life, and you probably don't even realize them.  And then once you make a major change, like move, your "norms" change.

We used to see on a regular basis, certain people walking the 'hood.  There was a really old nice man who would walk with a golf club.  He'd sit on the wall around our front tree for a rest.  In the summer when we were out doing yard work, we'd stop and chat.  He was a constant sight, and then we moved to NV.  We heard he passed away some time after we had moved.  We were sad.

It makes me think about what "norms" I have now, that I would miss if this weren't where we landed.  Well, I wouldn't have known what I was missing if I'd never been here, but that's despite the point.  Just makes me stop and think about the norms and appreciate them.  I'm not talking about traditions. 

On this Christmas Eve, traditions are a different thing entirely.  We are about to eat a scrumptious meal, open our one early present, and watch a couple of movies.

I leave you with this, a picture I took the last time we visited Kevin & Suzie.  He is another "norm" we would always see driving around Mission.  It made me happy to realize, he's still there.

To All A Merry Christmas!

It's officially the start of Christmas for me!  As of today, I am off work until January 3rd.  That fact makes me deliriously happy because I get to spend all this time at home, doing things I've been wanting to do since we got here.  The holes above the fireplace are now patched where the lazy butts didn't nail the dry wall nails in far enough.  So I'm all set to paint "the hole" tomorrow.

Today, I baked our beloved Spritz cookies (recipe at the end).  Tasty fun-shaped almond-flavored butter cookies that we HAVE to have for it to officially feel like Christmas.  We've found our DVDs for the weekend:  The Princess Bride, Monsters, Inc., The Polar Express, The Blues Brothers, and Beetlejuice.  Some of these aren't real "christmasy", but we still love 'em.  Might even throw in a little There's Something About Mary.  Can't go wrong with that line up.  So what about you?  What movies do you always want to watch around Christmas time?

I have to share this awesome picture.  The big dog 3 levels above me emailed this to our department, and it totally made my day yesterday.  Enjoy!

Spritz Cookies (and I *always* double the almond extract and you must use REAL butter):

      1 c  Butter                            3/4 t  Almond extract
    2/3 c  Sugar                               2 c  Sifted flour
      3    Egg yolks                     

  Cream butter. Add sugar gradually and cream thoroughly. Beat in egg yolks
  and almond extract (and coloring). Gradually blend in flour. Fill cookie
  press. Use ungreased cookies sheets. Cook 8-10 minutes at 375.
  Remove at once to cooling racks.

We are munching on green trees, blue snowflakes, and red ornaments.  Yum!

What Is The Right Pie:People Ratio?

I've often wondered, what is the right ratio to plan for pie to people?  For a party or holiday dinner, you want to have enough of every flavor for each person who may want a taste of any pie to have that taste.  You don't want to run out of the most popular pie flavor, and leftovers are certainly necessary.

So I ask you, what is your perfect pie to people ratio?  1 to 3?  2 to 5?  For Thanksgiving this year, I think we hit a great balance.  Maybe it was a LITTLE heavy on the pie part of the ratio.  Just a little.  We had a 3:4 ratio!!!

I baked a pecan pie, and my mother made a chocolate pudding pie (with just a touch of coffee that you couldn't really taste, it just brightened the chocolate flavor) and a pumpkin streusel pie (the UGLY one, but it was tasty; we all know ugly food = tasty food).  All of our pies were very yummy.  And the best part?  We had pie in the early afternoon BEFORE our big turkey day feast in the late afternoon!  Yes, I had my pie FIRST!

My buddy Tric reminded me that I had not shared pics of our pie buffet.  So here you go!

A Sign That I'm A Tightass

I cringe every time I open an electricity bill.  Some of us are light-turner-offers.  And then SOME (ahem) of us aren't.

I have NO problem paying for electricity to cool our house during the summer.  I don't care what it costs.  I can take off all my clothes, but if I can't get cool enough to sleep, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO???  I can't go take an ICE bath.  Life is going to be hell during menopause, my prediction.  I will pay whatever it costs to be cool in the summer.

In the winter?  Put a frickin' sweatshirt on.  Bundle up with a hoodie and a jacket.  Wear two pairs of socks with your slippers.  But don't make this place a sauna.  It isn't summer.  You're not supposed to be warm.

I just paid an extra $40 to heat AN EMPTY FRICKING HOUSE IN NEVADA, all because the old-buyers-who-aren't-buyers-anymore turned the heat up.  OH HOW I COULD RANT ON IN ADULT-RATED LANGUAGE!!!!!!!  I'll let you improvise on what I'm saying.

<end of rant>