DIY Dilemma!

 I wanted to touch up some paint yesterday or maybe paint the trim in the guest room walk-in closet when I came to the horrible realization......"I only have one paint brush and it is covered in paint!"  I have about 10 paint rollers, yet only one brush? How the heck did that happen?  I scoured the basement looking for one and all I could find were my foam craft brushes and a 4" wide brush.  Not cool!

Luckily going to the hardware store was on my agenda today.  I needed to return a switch plate and outlet plate as well as pick up some play sand and flowers for my big pot on the porch.  I also added two paintbrushes to that list!  And now I want to share with you my favorite paint brush!  I know there are all sorts of fancy paintbrushes out there and some really expensive ones with magic bristles, but this is my FAVORITE brush.  It's all I ever buy.  The reason?  The handle!!!

I love the short handle.  It makes it very easy to hold.  It's especially handy when you have to get into a tight spot.  But the best part of all is that it is flexible!!!  You see that?  Do you see me bending the handle?  I really feel like I can better control my paint application with this brush because I can move my hand to a comfortable position by bending the handle.  I also love that it's an angled brush.  It doesn't matter what I am painting.  I always prefer an angled brush.

If you aren't bored and are still reading this and maybe you're even interested in trying this brush out for yourself I typically find it at Lowe's.  I might have picked it up at Home Depot before, too, but I can't recall of the top of my head.  It's well worth the $6.  And bonus points because it is make in Ohio!!

p.s.  Don't you just love the feel of brand new paintbrush bristles?  No?  I am the only weird one?

It's No Joke!

 Cupcake is going to be a big sister!!  She's very excited to meet her new brother or sister this fall.  She's not so sure about sharing her momma, though.  It'll take some getting used to, but I think we'll be OK. 

The exciting part about this big change (for her) is that she gets a new big girl room!!!  Since her nursery is gender neutral and it's the smallest bedroom she'll be getting a new room and baby will get the nursery.  That means I've got some redecorating to do!!  And that means I'll have some redecorating to share with you!!!  So stay tuned to see the changes that'll be coming soon.

I've already started the process and I have a piece of furniture hogging my parking space in the garage to prove it!

New Picnic Table

 A few days ago a big box was delivered to our door.  It was Cupcake's new Step2 Naturally Playful Picnic Table with Umbrella!!  Her grandparents sent it to her for her Easter/birthday present.  It matches her Step2 Naturally Playful Sand and Water Table.  My girl loves chairs.  She wants to sit in every chair she sees, so this is perfect for her!  It sat in the hallway for a few days because our beautiful summer like weather disappeared.  Well, and I was supposed to be working on other unfinished projects around the house.  But on a beautiful afternoon we took it out back and got to work.  

I'm going to be honest here and admit that I didn't put it all the way together.  You have to put 4 screws in to the leg pieces in order to put the top and benches on.  I put those in, but it isn't predrilled and the electric screwdriver was dead, so it was hard work (especially because I had been out in the garage hand sawing trim pieces during Cupcake's lunch - more on that later).  I snapped the table top and benches in and I was supposed to screw those down, too, but I didn't have the energy.  So I let her test it out as is.  I know, I know!  Bad mom!!!

She was supervised the whole time by Oscar and I, so no worries!  Now that the screwdriver is charged I'll head out there and secure the pieces (once it stops raining).

I think the table is a hit!  It was a great spot for an afternoon snack.  I bet she can't wait to have her friends over for a lunch date!

A Reflector

I got myself a fun new toy!  A reflector!!  When it first arrived hubby was all like "what do you need that for?"  Silly, hubby.  He doesn't know much about photography.  So anywho, on to the reflector.  I shoot pretty much exclusively with natural light.  I do have one photo bulb downstairs in a cabinet that I used to use with a homemade light box that got destroyed, but it pretty much just lives down there with the spiders.  I like to set up next to a window and use available light when shooting, whether it is posing Cupcake in the window seat, shooting cookies before and after I've taken a bite out of them for taste testing, or when showing off my latest craft project like the Chick-sicles.    

 I stopped into the local camera shop the other day just to look around.  I love to support the local business, but the cheapest reflector they had was $50 and seeing as how I am not a pro and I do not make money with my photography I didn't really feel like I could fork over that much money on something I wasn't sure how much I would use.  So I found this reflector on Amazon.com.  For less than $11 I figured it was worth a shot.  It had pretty good reviews and it seemed to have all the functions of the expensive reflector at the camera shop (although I think it's a tad smaller).  Nope I lied.  I just checked their website.  It's also a 22" reflector.  

So basically it's a light diffusing disc with a slipcover.  The slip cover is reversible and each side is a different color. Black/gold and silver/white.  You simply unzip it, flip it around and zip it back up to change.  Simple!  I realize that I will probably use the white size 95% of the time, but again I only paid $11 for this thing!  So here is my example of how the reflector makes a difference.

This is the first picture I took for my Chick-sicles post.  As you can tell the light was coming from a window on the right hand size.  So the left sides of both chicks is quite shaded and the shadow of the front chick is pretty obvious on the back one.  I thought the picture was OK, but then I remember I had a new reflector and I could do better!!!

So I went in the other room, grabbed my new reflector (this is the first time it's been used!!!), switched the slipcover over to white, held it in my left hand while my right hand did the camera work and bam!  Check out the light on the left side!!!   No more harsh shadows on the sides and the shadow from the blue chick onto the green chick is much less noticeable, right?  Neither of these photos have been edited.  The only difference is the use of the reflector.  Big difference!!!  Oh, I am so excited about this!!  I tried to tell hubby just how exciting it was, but again, he just doesn't get this photography stuff.  I hope you find it interesting, though!  

I forsee a lot more reflector use in my future!!

Nap Time Craft Time: Chick-sicles

 I'm going to attempt to be more regular with my posting.  One of the regulars I'd like to stick with is Nap Time Craft Time.  I'll share what I worked on during Cupcake's nap time!  So here is my first Nap Time Craft Time post!

My friend Stephanie over at Creations A La Mode showed me the cute Chick-sicle pattern she had found and I knew I had to make some, too!!  She found the pattern over at Just Another Hang Up.  I was super bummed when I realized I didn't have any flannel to make this cute little guys.  That gave me an excuse to go to the fabric store!!  I kind of needed to go anyway to get cookie cutter's for Cupcake's birthday party (coming up in less than 2 months!!!  Eek!!)

You could totally make these cute guys with just some scrap fabric, but fat quarters were on sale, so I had to buy a few for my project.  :)  I can't resist!  I also picked up some orange flannel to use for the beak and coordinating flannel for the backs (turquoise on the green guy, purple for the blue guy).  I hadn't looked at the pattern for probably a week before I made my way to the store, so I couldn't remember how many different fabrics I needed or that I needed ric rac.  I actually bought 3 coordinating fabrics for each, but I can just use those in different combinations.  And I didn't buy any ric rac, so I had to use the leftover blue ric rac from Cupcake's Halloween costume.  Luckily it coordinated (better with the blue guy than the green guy, but anywho......).  And I happened to have some white nylon cord on hand.

So here was the super fun part of this project.  Decorative stitches!!!  I have a Brother cs600i machine that I purchased in the fall after running my cheapy, starter Singer into the ground.  I've not gotten too adventurous with this machine yet, so this was a fun project to start!  I tried out the blanket stitch and a loopy stitch.  Of course I had to practice on scraps first and then I lined it up wrong the first time I tried it on my project!  No biggie that's what seam rippers are for! And I did make one more mistake along the way (and I strangely do this so often it's embarrassing!).  When I stitched the nylon cord on I put it up instead of down, so when I turned my project right side out it was facing the wrong way.  Again, that's what seam rippers are for!!  I was such a quick and fun project!  I thought about making a third one, but I figured Cupcake would wake soon and I was fresh out of safety eyes (I had these on hand so I used them instead of buttons).

Are these cute?!?!  Cupcake has never had a boo boo buddy before so I'm excited for her to have a Chick-sicle the next time she gets hurt (which I'm sure is going to be any second now.........girl is as graceful as her momma!).

So there you have it!  My Nap Time Craft Time project for the week!  I hope you like it!!

Ninja Toddler

Today was a big day!  It's big girl bed day!  Ninja toddler has figured out how to escape the crib.  On Tuesday I heard her jibber jabbering on the monitor so I went up to her room to discover she had gotten out and emptied two drawers of clothes all over the floor.  Uh oh!  I didn't want to make any rash decisions as several other mommies had said after the first escape their little one never attempted to get out again.  Cupcake went to bed just fine that night and naptime and nighttime weren't a problem on Wednesday or Thursday either. (I surrounded the bed with pillows on the outside just in case she decided to try again)  I thought maybe, just maybe she'd be OK!  Well, Friday she escaped again and didn't get a nap.  (Well, unless you count the one in the car on the way to our afternoon playdate.)  Friday night within a half an hour of putting her to bed she was standing at the door yelling.  This morning she was at the door waiting for me to come and get her.

The decision was made.  Big girl bed it is!  Luckily her crib converts to a toddler bed, so it was just a matter of removing a few screws, dowels, and putting the new piece on. She seemed excited to go to bed.  She asked for night night.  I got her bubba (pacifier) down from the shelf, gave her blankie, turned on her seahorse and tucked her in.  I listened in on the monitor for a bit and it was quiet.  So I jumped in the shower.  When I got out I heard "thunk, thunk, thunk."  I knew exactly what she was doing.  Girl loves to rock the glider until it hits the wall.  I poked my head in and sure enough there she was.  And there were clothes and toys scattered all over the floor. 

 Back in the bed!  Attempt #2.  Same routine.  Bubba, blankie, seahorse, tucked in.  It was quiet for a bit and then "bang, bang, bang, clunk, clunk, clunk"  She was playing with her pound and roll tower and boy is that loud on the monitor.  I gave her a few more minutes, but she was still up.  I went back in and found her playing with the clothes. The pound and roll tower was in her bed.

I put her in yet again.  This time I sat with her for a few minutes, told her that it was time for night night and gave her some extra kisses.  I decided to close her blinds (I normally don't bother with it at nap time and it hasn't been an issue.)  I told her one last time night night and walked out.  I listened for 20 minutes and didn't hear a peep on the monitor.  I had to go back in and sneak a peek.  And I found a precious sleeping toddler. 

Phew!  I was nervous!  I was afraid we'd have a lot of napless days ahead of us, but maybe it won't be so bad!  She's always been a pretty good sleeper (takes after her daddy!) so I was really nervous to mess it up.  I think I'll call it a success!  Now let's just hope night time goes well............

Campfire Cookies: A Review

I will not claim to be a food critic, but I love to eat (who doesn't?) and I've had my fair share of sweets so I kinda think I know what I'm talking about.  And maybe I'm just practicing for a future career in food criticing (and now I'm making up words, too!). 

I needed to make something for a potluck at my bowling league.  I love to make dessert.  Unfortunately I didn't plan ahead so I had to come up with something that I had all the ingredients for so I could make it during Cupcake's nap.  I settled on these Campfire Cookies from Fahrenheit 350. The only substitution I made was that I only had dark chocolate chips instead of a Hershey bar.

The recipe was easy to follow and the dough came together quickly, which I like.  I spread out my grahams and set to scoop out my dough, but the recipe didn't tell me how much to scoop.  I went with my usual Pampered Chef Medium Scoop.  (that is the secret to perfectly shaped cookies)  It seemed like the right amount.  The recipe says to put them in the preheated oven for no more than 11 minutes or the graham cracker will burn.  Well, my oven runs hot so I always knock a minute off.  The first batch went in for 10.  They came out looking cooked and the graham cracker was definitely a bit darker.  Some of the cookies oozed over and marshmallow got stuck on the baking sheet.  IMPORTANT LESSON: If that happens you need to wash the marshmallow off!!!  When I put the next batch in on that cookie sheet the graham crackers stuck to the sheet and I could not get the cookies off without destroying them!!  The recipe said it would yield about 4 dozen cookies, but I didn't even get 3 dozen out of the batch, so maybe the medium scoop wasn't the right size?

I let the cookies cool and dug in.  At first I wasn't happy.  The graham cracker was crunchy and the cookies were still a bit gooey on the inside.  I confess I'm a fanatic for soft cookies, so the crunchy part was killing me!  I don't have any reviews from the ladies at bowling because the cookies didn't actually make it there.  You see, when fighting with the last few cookies that were stuck to the baking sheet I bumped the cooling rack and two dozen cookies flew across the room.  After throwing a huge hissy fit (and putting the dog in his crate so he could not attack them) I scooped up the cookies, but they could not be saved.  Many broke, several hit face first and stuck to the floor, and I just couldn't serve floor cookies to people!  The good news is I had almost a dozen left for taste testing.  So, day 2 I taste again and I'm much happier!!!  The graham cracker has softened up and the dough seemed less gooey.  All in all not a bad cookie.  My only complaint now is that the graham cracker is a bit overwhelming.  I can barely taste any marshmallow.  (I ate at least 3 cookies to make sure it wasn't just an off sample).  I may make them again, but I wonder if I couldn't find a better one out there.......  If you have a great s'more cookie recipe please share!!!  I'd love to try it out!!