Friday, June 28, 2013

Water Signals Change...

 

My cousin told me today 
that water is a sign of rebirth, 
of change, of something new on the horizon...  

If that is the case, 
we are surfing a tidal wave these days!  

Monday night, the heavens rained down in torrents...  

Between five and eight inches of water 
poured on the Chicago area...  

T$ and I slept poorly that night 
with the persistent flashes of lightning 
and booming thunder...  

But, it was such a delicious relief 
to have our new roof...  

No need to scurry for the buckets anymore...   

Tuesday morning I dressed
 in normal-not-house-painting-clothes 
and headed to the 'burbs to take my mother 
out to lunch for her birthday...  

What I didn't know was that my parents' sump pump 
had failed and their entire basement 
was soaking in three inches of dirty rain water...  


Needless to say, my ladies lunch attire 
quickly became soiled from carrying out sodden rugs, 
melted boxes and wet furniture...  

A portion of the basement is finished, 
so my cousins and I frantically removed furniture 
and used the wet/dry vac to clean the wood floor...  

Mom and Dad have lived in this house for over twenty years, 
so there was a fair amount of things 
stored in the basement; 
things kept for those "just in case" moments, 
sentimental objects and much more...
  

While a flood is terrible,
 perhaps being forced to part with things 
is a small silver lining...  

Clearing a space can feel so good...  

There is much left to do in that basement, 
but real progress has been made...  

Today, while I was hauling more damaged items 
 to the curb, 
T$ had his own discoveries at HEAT Armor... 


This morning, the sewers backed up 
and all three bathrooms at the factory 
were filled with an inch of sewage...  

He was there alone, and he had to shovel,
 mop and clean the shit out of all the johns...  

It is metaphorical in that T$ has pretty much solely figured out 
how to keep HEAT alive while the government contracts 
are under the thumb of the sequester...
  

He has had to deal with some real serious shit 
to save our company...  

And it looks like it's going to work...  

There is still some mopping and disinfecting to be done, 
but we can see the floor again...  

But, hey, life can't be all crap and trash...  

We gotta smile or we might jump off the bridge...  

Tomorrow night some great friends 
are coming over for dinner, drinks and laughs...
  

I have a tasty menu planned,
 and one of the treats are  
Adult Cherry Limeade Popcicles...  

Summer is here 
and treats aren't just for kids, ya know...  

These icy pops have a teensy bit 
of vodka in them...  

Hope your weekend is full of good times 
and "grown up" popcicles!

And if water and shit pour into your life, 
look change smack in the eye
and find a positive path...

Because the alternative is just poopy...


cherry limeade popsicles courtesy of Spabettie

makes 6 pops in this size mould, plus a glass of limeade to enjoy while they freeze!
2 oranges, peel and pith removed
3 limes, peel and pith removed
5-7 fresh cherries, plus 3-4 to float in each popsicle
2 tablespoons agave
splash club soda or water

In high speed blender, combine oranges, limes, cherries, agave and water, blend until smooth.
Add 1 ounce vodka to make cherry lime drop popsicles – mark them so you know which is which!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Drop Cloth Love...



The Herlihy Do-It-Yourself Home Spiff Up 
has resumed and I have started painting 
other parts of the house now...  

I still hate painting, 
but I dislike even more to spend thousands 
for professional painters, so there we are... 

Okay, if I had zillions, I'd shell out the bucks 
to have it done, 
but I don't, 
so it's all me 
or dingy walls forever...  

The upside is the serious workout of painting 
and the end result looks fresh and bright,
but generally, the whole thing sucks...  

Our home repair list is beyond daunting, 
but there are a few fun projects 
I have thrown in for a my own personal sanity...  

I have wanted a proper headboard 
ever since we got new mattresses 
a few years ago...  

The ones I like in Pottery Barn




 

  catalogs are gorgeous 
and start at around $600.00...

Purchasing one of those is so not going to happen, 
so I had to make it myself...  

DIY headboards are one of those 
truly rewarding projects because 

A, they are quick to assemble
for those who need instant gratification, 

B, they are rather inexpensive to build 
 
and C, the sense of accomplishment 
and bang for your buck is BIG...  

As you might remember
from a couple of my other projects of the past, 
I am a big fan of the canvas drop cloths 
sold at Home Depot...  

They are durable, a nice natural, 
wheat color and they are CHEAP!  

Depending on the size of the bed, 
you may need one or two pieces of MDF.  
Home Depot will cut the wood 
to the width and height you desire...  

Menards, will NOT, we learned...
  

You will also need spray adhesive, 

metal brackets and screws to connect the wood, 

upholstery foam and batting, 

the fabric of your choice, 

stapler and staples 

and if you want the look of brass hardware,
 a roll of nail heads.  

I found them at Jo Ann Fabrics...  

T$ connected the two MDF boards 
to make a headboard large enough 
for our king sized bed... 

 

Note:  We assembled the headboard 
in our bedroom since it was so big 
we knew it might not fit through the door 
after it was put together...  

Next we sprayed the adhesive to the wood 
and carefully pressed the foam down... 


That spray adhesive is STICKY!  
Lay out newpapers or a drop cloth 
to prevent over spray hitting your carpet, furniture, etc.
If you can do this outdoors, 
I would recommend it...

I cut off any overlapping foam with scissors...
  
 

Then I laid down the fabric on the floor, 
with the batting on top of it...

We carefully placed the foam-covered wood on top
of the batting-topped fabric
and adjusted everything 
until it was flat and smooth...  

We first stapled the batting to the wood, 
making sure all was snug and tight...  

Next we stapled the drop cloth all around the perimeter, 
making sure there were no goofy pulls or wrinkles...  

This is a two-man job, Friends! 

It's a great opportunity to bond with your spouse, 
child, best buddy as you create a thing of beauty, 
together...

One person to pull the fabric tightly, 
the other to staple away... 

I have made headboards solo, 
but it's not as much fun...

Once the headboard was finished, 
I decided to add the popular nail head look...  

The awesome thing is that the nail heads 
come in rolls...  

One roll at Jo Ann is $21.99, 
but bring your half-off coupon! 


Please ignore the pasty leg and hand....  

EEEEK!

Kate helped me draw the guide line in pencil.

Please do this, because, like me, 
I'll bet you will get to this part 
of the headboard project in the evening... 

You will be crabby and dog tired. 

 There is nothing worse than realizing 
the line is five inches wide at one end 
and two inches at the other... 

 It will make you want to commit a felony 
and no one wants that... 

Not that this has happened to me or anything...
 
The neat thing about the roll of nail heads 
is that you only have to pound in 
every 5th nail head... 


It goes on very quickly 
and it is easier to keep straight 
as you pound the brads 
into the headboard...


Take your time and make sure the line 
of nail heads are following your pencil line...  


Note: Seven year olds are not so skilled yet
with hammers... 


We killed a couple of tacks, 
but oh well... 

I am so happy with how the headboard turned out!  

Once I get the bedroom painted, 
it will look even better, 
but it is gratifying to save about six hundred dollars 
to get a very similar looking product... 


Can't wait to start the next DIY...

Monday, June 17, 2013

Teacher Gifts...


I know, I know, this post comes too late 
for many of you to care, 
but those of us with kids in the Chicago public school system, 
we are STILL in school until the 24th!  

Everyone is itching to end instruction, 
the kids, parents and mostly, 
the poor teachers...  

It must be a can of worms 
in those classrooms...  

Anyway, below are a couple of ideas 
to thank your beloved teachers...  

They make good gifts, nevertheless, 
for birthdays, hostess gifts too...  

The theme here is easy, 
inexpensive and creative...  

And that, my friends, is the holy trinity 
to ensure a happy recipient 
and giver...  

Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub...  

I found this project months ago, 
thanks to Pinterest 
and The Idea Room...  

Finally, I got around to making the scrub today 
and can I tell you how delicious coconut 
and lime smell?  

I wanted to eat the stuff! 


Talk about easy...  

 Sugar, 

coconut oil, 

lime (or any flavor) essence, 


shredded coconut 

and vitamin E (optional)... 


but most health food stores have it in stock, too...  

Mix everything together.  
Snip a hole in the vitamin E capsule 
and squeeze out the oil into the mixture.  
Mix to incorporate
and it will resemble wet sand...  




The old canning funnel comes in handy 
for quick and clean filling of the jars...  




Pull up the Idea Room site to print the labels 
on sticker paper and that's it!  


I multiplied the recipe by 8 
to make that many jars of scrub...  
 

Because the size of the jars varied, 
I ended up with a small plastic tub 
of coconut lime sugar scrub 
left over for me...  

How convenient...   

The teachers are also getting 
some of the strawberry jam 
Chris and I made a month ago... 



You can find the post 
about that right here...  

Certain teachers are also receiving 
these super cool glitter gel pens...  

these are pretty, fun and scented!  

Lastly, because I was too lazy to go out 
and buy thank you cards, 
I printed some out on card stock...  

 
This printable is from 

They make cool graphics 
and I particularly liked the teacher themed cards...  

A quick trip to the dollar store for gift bags
 and tissue and the teacher gifts are completed!  

Now, only six more days of school.....

Friday, June 14, 2013

The Hats Say it All...

 Does your significant other leave things
lying around in spots you don't like?

My preference would be for T$
to store his baseball cap collection
 in another location...  

Perched on the valance above the bathroom window
 is not a design strategy to be found 
in Architectural Digest, 
if you know what I mean...


 I pick my battles for cleanliness 
 and organization...  

Sigh...  

T$ has many baseball caps, 
as most men do, 
but these three are his favorites...  

Funny thing is that this trio of hats
 says a lot about the kind of guy T$ is...


The cap with the star on the front 
is from the Secret Service...


My husband's love of his country 
and his fervent desire to protect people 
is apparent every time he wears
 the Secret Service ball cap...


This is a man who weeps when he watches 
any movie related to
the President of the United States...  

He gets a huge lump in this throat 
when soldiers are killed or harmed...


  "Old Yeller" has no sentimental effect, 
but any story related to serving one's country 
gets him every time...  

Which leads me to his HEAT Armor baseball cap...


T$ has wished to make his own
armored passenger vehicles 
for over twenty years 
and now he is living his dream...  

The last four years have been ones of exhilaration, 
joy, stress, learning and deep financial sacrifice...
  
The man is so focused on protecting police officers, 
diplomats, executives and heads of state 
that his knowledge on every related subject 
borders on savant...


Many times he will offer insight into a random technical subject
 that will leave his associates and employees
 scratching their heads...


"How can this guy know so much about so many areas?" 


Well, when you love what you do, 
you immerse yourself in it...


 Although HEAT is currently pared down, 
waiting for this damn government sequester to loosen its grip
on the U.S. defense purse strings, 
our company will ultimately prevail...
  

Why do I believe this?  

Because I believe in my T$, his determination, 
drive, keen intelligence, savvy salesmanship skills 
and his positive attitude...


Protecting people with cool ass cars and SWAT trucks
 is what makes him happy...


In a weird way, the Cubs also make T$ happy 
and he wears his Cubs cap with pride...


  

Yes, they stink and who knows if T$ will live
 to see a Cubs world series, but the hope is there...


 Living within walking distance to Wrigley Field 
gives him the opportunity to enjoy a beer and a dog
 with his son now and then...


That makes T$ very happy...


These days, he is either out of town 
or working long hours, 
so games are fewer...
  

Still, it's nice to know that the Cubs are there, 
and that tickets are to be had, 
not far from home...


In fact, if the wind blows in the right direction, 
we can hear the roar of the crowd 
out our back door...
  

On a clear night, we can see the glow of the stadium lights 
on the horizon and it makes him smile...


All of T$'s hats fall into one theme, really...
  

And that theme is family...


Protecting people, protecting our government 
and a sport families can enjoy is what T$ is all about...


He is the most loving daddy, funny, 
accommodating, playful and attentive, 
yet firm when necessary...
  

Everything he works so hard for 
is to give his family a better life...
  

So, no matter which hat he chooses to wear, 
I smile inside and feel lucky 
to have T$ as my very own...



Happy Father's Day, Honey!