Nummies 911

Tech Tuesday

I thought I would start to share some of my favorite gadgets, tech tips, etc. with you, my readers, those few of you who keep checking in with me to see if I'm still alive :-)

Let me begin by saying that I am by no means an expert in modern technology, but I do discover things that I have found useful when shared with my friends and family.  So that's what I aim to do, highlight items and techniques that I have found to be beneficial or fun. I'd like to encourage you to do the same by chiming in via the comments.  Let us hear any related information so that we can all benefit without having to scourer the computer mags and blogs every week. 

So today, I'd like to give a big thumbs up to skinit.com. I had read their ads before in magazines and online, but I never ended up on their website. I did however pick up a case for my new iPhone 4S while shopping in a megastore. The case is basically a black bumper with a clear back. The purchase price was only $20, which I consider below average considering the purchase included a free skin of your choice from their website. I rarely see any iPhone case that appeals to my artistic side. They are either boringly corporate, cartoon silly, or just plain loud and rubber. I was attracted to the idea that I could either choose a skin I liked, or customize my own with a photo. (I anticipated a photo upload given my history.)

It was after I started browsing the skins that I became hooked.  There were so many skins that appealed to me, that uploading a photo was quickly dismissed, and the next hour was spent trying to decide which skin to order. I finally decided on a beautiful purple background to an OM symbol. 

The skin and shipping were free with the code included in the purchase of the case. I think that is a bargain. While the check out made it seem as if it would take weeks to receive your skin if you didn't upgrade the shipping and pay for it, I didn't and received my skin in under a week. On top of all that, I also received a code for 20% my next purchase, and Skin It encouraged me to share it with my friends so here it is. 

Enter code FEB12 for 20% off your order.  This code expires 2.29.2012.

Check it out and let me know what you think. As for me, I'm going to be looking for an OM sounding ringtone to complete the look and feel of pure bliss.

 

Cute Beach Towel Dress from "MADE"

It is HOT outside. H. O. T.   Africa Hot!! So I decided to stay inside and make something.

I've been following http://craftgossip.com/ which is like crack for artists of all kinds. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't see something I'd like to make.

This at MADE, particularly caught my eye. http://www.dana-made-it.com/2010/06/beach-towel-dress.html

So, despite being a novice at sewing, I attempted this, because well, the supplies were cheap and the product, if it turned out, would be very useful on my vacation.

It took me a while to get the shirring down. I had to send Anna back to Hellmart to get more elastic thread. I had bought some last week, but the worker in the sewing department for allegedly 20 years, told Anna today they had never carried the stuff. Thanks to the iPhone, I was able to pinpoint the item and Anna got it. (Steve rocks again.)

So, with new supplies in hand and a few ruined pieces under my belt, I poured a glass of wine, put on Bob Marley and all of sudden, all my shirring was even and straight.

I completed one for me.

And a matching one for Camille.

So, now I'm relaxing even more...and knitting, something I'm much better at than sewing. And I'm still inside, until it cools off. Which ought to be...well, November.

CHICKENS ARE HERE!!!!!!!

I'm so excited! I finally have chickens!  As someone said to me recently, "You've wanted chickens longer than you've wanted children." How true!

Meet the girls

 

There's Alice, Eartha, Mary and Hazel.  Two Araucanas and two Rhode Island Reds. Here they are a few days old, maybe a week.

 

I bought plans for a coop online at Catawba Coops.

Here is the finished product. Chez Poulet. (More photos in the album labeled Chickens.)

Here they are checking out the roost, or attic as Camille calls it. They are now about 4-5 weeks old.

We have a huge backyard for a city lot. I chose the movable chicken coop, commonly called a chicken tractor because I didn't want to build a permanent structure. I thought this would provide a better way to protect them in the winter and eliminate the need to "shovel chicken poop." There were in a brooder box, and they love being in the back yard so much more.

Our favorite activity so far is chicken football. We throw an earthworm in the coop and one takes it and the others try and get it away from her. They run like crazy until they realize they've fumbled and lost the ball...er, worm.

The cat has lost interest, but the dogs who ignored the chicks inside the house, have now deemed them fair game since their move to the outside. Sadie especially pants at the coop as if to quote the shark on Nemo, "I'm having chicken tonight!!" I took one out and let her sniff it. She did well until she got the tail and then she tried to nibble as if to say, "Just a bite!" We'll keep working on that. Good thing is, she's just as interested in the raccoons that come around so maybe we won't lose a chicken to them either. Besides, I keep reminding her that I'll share the eggs with her soon.

Anna was disappointed to know that the hens won't lay for another 5-6 months. I'm not sure what she was expecting, but it will be exciting to get those first eggs this fall. For now, we got the coop finished and I'll be working on a chicken run later.

I'm a chicken novice, so I welcome any comments or advice.

Projects Galore

My head is exploding with projects for the new house and the holidays coming up. I did manage to complete a few things, and I'm busy working on others.

Here is one I finished: a bath mat. The idea came from a book I picked up at Lowe's Home Improvement...my second home, it seems, whenever I move. The book is Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule. I altered the pattern to match my new shower curtain.

 

 

 

My other time consuming quest came with my new kitchen island from IKEA.

I have loved this piece since I first saw it, but it has been kind of a pain. First, I put it together in the dining room, only to realize that I couldn't fit it through any of the doors. It seems I should have realized that, but in the midst of a move, even simple things slip past you. It came with two booklets, assembly instructions and care instructions. I threw the assembly book away after getting it together in the kitchen and threw the other one on the dining room table. After two days of use, the top was covered in little marks from even the slightest of moisture. Finally, I read the care instructions which tell you that the oak top is dried out for shipping and you have to apply oil to finish it. Of course they recommend you use the IKEA brand of oil, and of course, I would, if IKEA were local, but it seemed a long way to go for a small can of oil. So I just got linseed oil and tried that. The top was so dry it soaked up a generous application of oil in just minutes. All the marks disappeared, but even a day later, the smell didn't. Now if you not aware, I have a keen sense of smell that debuted with my first pregnancy and never went away. I will be preparing food and eating at this table, so I had to find something else to use. After hours of researching the internet, I went to Lowe's, again, to browse. I was staring at the products available when a Lowe's worker asked me if she could help.

"Not unless you can tell me what this smells like," I said jokingly. To my absolute surprise, she said, "We'll see," and opened the can. It smelled worse than the linseed oil. We opened at least five cans. They all smelled too strong. She was the most helpful person I have come across in years. We discussed a recipe I found online...beeswax and mineral oil, and I decided to give that a try.

I bought beeswax from Michael's (in the candle making section) and mineral oil from Walgreen's (in the laxative section.) I had read instructions with ratios of 1:5 to 1:1, but being that one was liquid and one was solid, I just experimented. I started with 200mL of oil and 2 ounces (weight) of beeswax. Beeswax is very hard to chop up. I heated the oil in a double boiler and added the chopped beeswax. It took quite a while to melt. Once completely melted and combined, I let it cool and applied it with a soft cloth while still liquid.

First of all, it smelled divine, like honey. That problem solved! Second, the top absorbed it within a couple of hours and I buffed off what little was left very easily. It resulted in a beautiful finish! But most importantly, the next day, a three year old left a fast food drink cup on the island, you know, the kind that sweats like crazy and leaves a puddle around the bottom. When I picked up the cup, the water had barely penetrated the wood. You couldn't even see a ring. Problem SOLVED! Now I have a beautiful finish that still leaves me with the raw wood look and feel, but the finished wood protection. It's safe and it smells good. The leftover mixture was poured into a jar and I have since applied it in paste form to other wood pieces with just as much success.

I'm building open shelving for the kitchen. So more photos coming soon.

Favorite Rings

I received these beautiful rings as a gift.

I first saw them in a magazine and then bookmarked the Nelle and Lizzy website. I've been drooling over them for the last few months. They arrived in such a way, that I know I would love to work with these women.

The packaging was a delight to the senses. When I opened the cardboard shipping box, the aroma of lavender seeped out. I thought perhaps that the tissue paper was scented, but as I kept opening, the simple design of the packaging gave way to a natural, packing material that was an added bonus.

The rings are intertwined and each band has one of my children's names on it. It's hard to explain, but the bands rotate over one another so that at any given time, a different child's name might be on top.

I LOVE these rings. They are beautiful, shiny, and fun to play with. Plus I get to tease the children that whoever's name is on top is my current favorite. Nothing like a little competition.