Doorbell Warning

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that our naptimes over the past week have been plagued with doorbell ringers. I personally feel it should be illegal to ring someone’s doorbell during naptime. But since it isn’t, and I doubt Congress will feel it’s an important issue, I knew I had to do something about it at our house.

I had planned on making a sign similar to my friend Sara’s several months back, but never actually got it done. Then, I decided it wasn’t that big of a deal and I’d just get it finished by the time our new baby arrives in April.

But then came this past week. Dealing with a kid that’s been on the verge of being sick all the way to having a double ear infection and a disgusting cough, the boy needs all the rest he can get. And the following people did not help the situation any:

* Guy in t-shirt and track pants driving a beat up white van wanting to sell me “gourmet food”. No thanks.

* AT&T team of two letting me know I could get U-Verse. And I, because I’m so special, am eligible for an upgrade. As if the 17 letters, cards and flyers I get each week in the mail weren’t informational enough. Clearly I’m not smart enough to sign up for this service unless someone rings my doorbell and reminds me about it. During naptime.

* Several delivery people, which I must admit, were bringing things I ordered. But still, the doorbell during naptime is not cool.

I had already decided what I wanted on the sign. But I was tempted to change it. I don’t think that what I had planned conveyed my true feelings about naptime doorbell ringers. A few ideas that ran through my mind were:

“Ring Doorbell At Your Own Risk”

“If you wake up my child, you get to entertain the cranky child until naptime is over, or I deem you have suffered enough, whichever comes first. It won’t likely be the second option.”

“Ring Doorbell = Angry Mommy”

“Go away. It’s naptime.”

“Ringing this doorbell during naptime means I will never, ever buy anything from you, donate anything to your cause, or sign up for anything. Ever.”

“Ring doorbell and suffer 'to the pain’.”

But I didn’t. I stuck with my original design. It says, “Please DO NOT ring the doorbell. Kids are sleeping! Please knock softly or call: ###-###-####”

I haven’t finished it yet because I want to use another color (that I don’t currently have) for the bottom letters. But you’ll get the idea.

And yes, I realize that was false advertising because the boy wasn’t asleep at that moment. But he was on his way to bed. Close enough.

It works for me. It’d better. Or somebody might have to come bail me out of jail.

For more Works for Me Wednesday, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

 

 

“

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Ornament Wreath

I am always at a loss when it comes to updating my Christmas décor. I love other people’s. Because they’re creative and artsy. Me? Not so much. Don’t get me wrong, if I see something I like, I can usually recreate it. But coming up with something original on my own is tough for me. But this year, I might have done…something.

Long story short, I wanted to make a wreath out of ball ornaments. So here’s what I did.

I decided to use the ornaments I’d planned on using for the mantle greenery. I had 6 tubes of shatterproof ball ornaments that I got for $1 each at Walmart.

I turned the house upside down and the only thing I could find that would work was a necklace (that I was going to use for another project). It’s about $1.50 at Hobby Lobby.

I threaded them in alternate colors onto the necklace, turning some in, some out.

I continued until I’d used all of the ornaments. The necklace was almost completely full, but I could’ve used about three more ornaments.

They’re not secure – they spin, turn, wobble, and all that jazz. But I managed to get them in an arrangement I liked, and hung them on a wreath hook. It’s on a large canvas picture I wrapped like a gift.

I like it. I wished I’d had a few more ornaments to add since they all kind of slide around to the bottom. But it’s not that big a deal. Maybe I’ll catch them on sale after Christmas and I’ll have them for next year.

For more Christmas/Holiday tips, head on over to Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

Works-for-Me-Wednesday: Wash Your Rocks

**Do you like free money? Especially before the Christmas season kicks in? Come back on Friday for a giveaway from CSN Stores, where they have upholstered headboards and just about anything else you can imagine!**

I love using rocks or flat marbles (or whatever they’re called) in flower arrangements or in random places around the house. But they’re a pain to clean. And they must be cleaned after sitting in a flower vase. But I found a way. A lazy way. Check it out.

I had some clear flat marbles in this flower arrangement for a good week or longer.

And they seriously needed to be cleaned. Very well. So here’s what I did.

I drained all the water out of the vase (jar) and rinsed a few times. But they still were a bit…stinky.

So I put them into a sweater bag, normally reserved for laundry.

I zipped them up and folded the bag until it was snug around the marbles.

Then, I put it in the top rack of my dishwasher and washed them the next time I ran a load.

When they came out of the dishwasher, they were clean, shiny, and definitely not stinky anymore.

I placed them on a paper towel to dry thoroughly before I put them away.

So easy! It definitely works for me!

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday, head on over to We Are THAT Family. And don’t forget to come back on Friday for a giveaway from CSN Stores!

Personalized Mug Just For Fidget

My sister Fidget is away at military school…by choice. Squirt told me it would be punishment for her to be there, but Fidget is loving it.

Anyway, Mom, NLB and Squirt went up for Parents’ Weekend and I wanted to send Fidget something. I’d planned on sending her a care package in the mail before now, but it just hadn’t happened yet. So I told Mom I wanted to send something when they went. I had grand plans to have Caedmon create some spectacular piece of art and then I realized that I would be the one putting forth most of the effort. And she’s probably not allowed to display works of art such as that in her room, even if it is from her eldest nephew.

But Fidget did have a few requests, one of them being some of Mom’s homemade hot chocolate mix. You don’t know what you really miss until you move away from home and don’t have things like that available. I quickly learned to keep some of that stuff around the house at all times! So Mom prepared to send her some hot chocolate mix and asked if I could come up with some “accessories” to go with it. I was glad to.

We sent marshmallows and a package of plastic spoons. She was excited to get them. Her text to me said, “I was actually in desperate need of spoons.” Who’d have thought spoons would rate so high?

I got her an insulated mug with a lid, but I also wanted her to have something a little more special and personal. I wanted to paint a mug at one of those ceramics places, but the one I was thinking of has either moved or gone out of business. So I decided to give it a shot myself.

The paint marker I used for Caedmon’s room says it’s appropriate for writing on glass. How well it will hold up, I have no idea. But we’ll find out. Or rather, Fidget will.

Here’s how I made it:

I bought this glass mug for about $3. I got it at Bed, Bath & Beyond, but I’m sure you could find them other places. That’s just where I happened to be at the time.

Not quite the perfect mug, but it’ll do.

Then, I decided what I wanted on the mug. I measured the area I wanted to use on the mug and sized the lettering appropriately and printed it. When you make your design, you’ll have to keep in mind that the bottom of the mug is smaller than the top. So the letters will start to curve upward. It becomes more pronounced the further down into the mug you go. I could’ve compensated by bending the lettering in my software, but I didn’t want to get that technical with it. Plus, I didn’t have that much to say. I also washed the mug well and let it dry completely and come back to room temperature from the hot water.

Next, I cut the lettering out and taped it to the inside of the mug. I used painter’s tape, but regular Scotch tape or masking tape would probably work just fine.

Then, I carefully traced the lettering on the outside of the mug using my paint marker. It’s really weird since the lettering is actually behind the glass, but I managed ok I think.

I let that dry well and moved the paper to the other side of the mug since I wanted to have the lettering on both sides.

Now both sides had the lettering.

I wanted Caedmon to be able to add his personal touch without messing up the words. So I taped a piece of paper over the outside of the mug, being careful not to get the tape on any of the marker. I didn’t think it would hurt it, but I didn’t want to take the risk since it hadn’t had long to dry.

Then I held the mug and let Caedmon go to town. He had a great time drawing on the mug he’d helped choose for Aunt Fidget. Here’s the finished product – I just stuck the paper down in there so you could see his “design” better.

After Fidget used it for the first time, she texted me to tell Caedmon the mug he sent was awesome. He was sleeping at the time…college kids stay up late, you know. But I made sure he knew. And the pictures made him happy (although he was wondering why she didn’t take a picture with the marshmallows). I’m glad the mug made Fidget happy, and hopefully it will be a good reminder that we love her.

It works for us…and hopefully for Fidget. For more Works for Me Wednesday, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Ionize Car Odors

When we bought our Silver Sled last week, it had just the faintest remnant of old cigarette smoke. In fact, when we first got into the car, we didn’t smell it. But after it sat in the parking lot for a while in the sun, you could smell it upon opening the door.

Now, I don’t know about ya’ll, but I really have a hard time with cigarette smoke. Husband can smell it a mile away, and it really aggravates his pregnant-woman-quality-sniffer. So we talked to the guy we were buying the car from.

They hadn’t had time to detail the car yet. But part of the process is hooking the car (and the air conditioning system) up to an ionizer. It cleans out tough smells like old cigarette smoke within just a few hours, using no chemicals and no nasty residue. We’ve heard of others doing it for their cars as well.

We got ours done for free, but I’ve been told it costs less than $100 on average to have it done by a dealership or a car detailer. It would totally be worth it, even if I had to pay for it out of my own pocket. Because it totally worked. Not a whiff of old musty cigarette smoke remains.

Plus, sometimes when somebody pukes in the car and you clean and clean, then wait for the smell to go away and it doesn’t? Yeah, this could probably help with that, too. This is a trick I’ll definitely be keeping up my sleeve for when a certain little boy I know starts leaving nasty sports socks in the car, too. Because it’s bound to happen.

It works for me. Head on over to We Are THAT Family for more Works-For-Me-Wednesday!

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Customize Your Own Art

For Caedmon’s room, I wanted to have a lot of custom stuff on the walls. I love custom artwork, but am too cheap frugal to pay someone every time I want something done. So I’ve done a lot over the years, using trial and error as my teachers.

After you decide what you want (and what size), paint your canvas the background color of your choice.

Next, get yourself some graphite paper. I have black and white – love the white for working on a dark background.

The easiest way to transfer your design is to print out what you want in the font, shape or size you want it. No freehand errors, no worrying about lopsided letters or uneven spacing. Lay it over your canvas with the graphite paper sandwiched between and trace the outline using a pencil. Be sure it’s properly centered and aligned the way you want it. Below is an example of the white graphite paper on a dark background.

The easiest thing to use for lettering is a paint marker. They’re about $4 each, which is expensive in my book, but so worth the precision and ease. You can also use paint and a paintbrush (which I’ve done many times for various reasons), but it is more difficult and takes a lot more time.

Below is the scripture I did for Caedmon’s bedside. I transferred it as I described above, then used a paint marker to trace over the graphite letters. And here it is, finished, hanging on Caedmon’s wall over his bedside table.

Those are simple things. But it’s the best way to start. Don’t be afraid to mess up. If you have to, you can just paint over it and start again.

For more Works For Me Wednesday, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Hang A Group of Pictures & Keep Your Sanity

I love picture groupings. I hate to hang them. The intricate measuring and the math just makes it not fun. But I’ve discovered a better way. And I love it.

Caedmon painted some canvases for his big boy room, and I knew I would be hanging them in a grouping. But I didn’t have forever to get it done. So here’s what I did.

I laid the canvases out just how I wanted them to hang on the wall. Also, Oz felt the need to scoot as close as he could without actually crawling on top of what I was doing help.

Next, I taped four sheets of paper together, making sure they were large enough to cover the area of all the canvases.

Then, I flipped the canvases, making sure they were still in the right place, only flipped over. In other words, don’t just flip them over where they are, you have to flip the entire group so it’s like you’re looking at the group from the back. Do your measuring and placing in the right places.

Next, lay your paper over the back of the group, making sure your paper covers all of your hangers. Make sure it’s straight and level.

Then, using a Sharpie or another fat marker that’s easy to see, mark where each nail should be.

Remove your paper from the grouping. Using a nail similar to what you’ll be using to hang the pictures with, poke a hole where each mark is.

Hang the paper on the wall with tape where you want your grouping to be. Make sure it’s straight and level.

With a pencil, mark your nail spots through the holes in the paper. Remove the paper and hammer in the nails. Then, hang your pictures!

I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but it is SO much easier to me than trying to figure out the placement of each individual picture based on measurements from where the other is hanging. It definitely works for me.

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Pencil/Supply Cases

I know I’ve talked about using pencil cases before. I still use them. A lot. For all kinds of things, packing included. And they’re just $1. But they’re hard to find unless it’s “school supply season.” So I buy a few every year, thinking I’ll have an extra around the house. Extra nothing. I end up using them almost immediately.

But here’s the kicker. Last year at Target, I found a giant pencil case. It’s probably not really called that, but it’s the size of two regular pencil cases put together. I bought two. And? I love them. (I thought maybe they were a new product and I’d find them at other stores as I continued my normal shopping routine. I’ve never seen them anywhere else but Target. I was in mourning because I actually wanted another one and they were gone by the time I got back to Target.)

The one I use the most is for snacks. You know when you are going on a car trip or you’ll be out and about for the day and you need a place to contain snacks so they won’t get all over the place but also won’t get smashed, crushed, or generally obliterated before you get a chance to make a mess with them all over the car while trying to eat them? This thing is perfect. It can hold fruit cups and small Ziploc/Gladware containers, too.

I leave my snack box stocked in the pantry so when we’re ready to go out for the day, all I have to do is grab it and go.

(Caedmon just begged to eat those Cheese-Its for breakfast. I didn’t care. It’s sad that I’ve already lost the will to argue over my son’s nutrition so early in the morning today. At least they were Whole Grain.)

So when I saw the giant pencil boxes again at Target a few weeks ago, I picked up another one. And a few more little ones. My plan is to use the large one for my toiletries when we travel. Since I don’t travel all the time, I’ll probably end up using it for something else, too.

The great thing is that the sky is the limit! You can use these babies for just about anything. Including, you know, school supplies, since that’s what they were made to contain. What would you use it for?

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Picture Hanging Kit

*Tomorrow is the last day to enter to win a $50 gift certificate to CSN Stores. They have everything!*

It seems that whenever I get ready to hang something on the wall, I need all kinds of stuff. You know, the picture hanging stuff. I finally got smart a few years ago (yeah, it took that long) and gathered all the picture paraphernalia and put it all together in one nifty, neat little container.

Actually, it’s a plastic to-go container from a local restaurant.

But hey, it works. The clear plastic lid is what sold me. Not to mention it was free. Well, for the price of the to-go meal. But I digress.

It contains: A small tape measure, pencil, sawtooth hangers, eye screws, picture wire, nails, and stuff to hang frames (you know, the J-shaped thingies).

Now when I’m ready to hang a picture or put a frame together, all I have to do is grab my container, level and hammer and I’m ready to go! It makes things a lot easier to have everything all together and easy to find. I’m going to put it to lots of use in a couple of weeks for Caedmon’s room makeover. I know I will be glad I have all those things at my fingertips!

It works for me! See more Works For Me Wednesday tips at We Are THAT Family.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Kitchen Tips: Plastic Lids

I might (or might not) be a weirdo when it comes to storage. I like for everything to be in its place. And if its place is not a good place, it needs a new place.

Whew.

When I was a kid, my Mom stored our Tupperware/plastic storage containers separate from the lids. That’s the way we always did it. Frankly, I was surprised to learn that other people stored their lids with their plastic containers. I thought everyone did it the way Mom did.

And since I am a creature of habit, when I got married, I stored my lids separately from my plastic containers. Husband thought I was weird. Other people probably do too. But let me tell you a secret: it’s actually easier that way.

You can stack all your plastic bowls (whether they be the expensive stuff or leftover Cool Whip bowls) without worrying about where the lids go. You can fit a lot more into a cabinet when everything is stacked neatly.

I store the lids in a plastic container under the sink. If I’m feeling ultra Type A-ish, I sort them by size. If I’m not, I just toss them into the tub. Either way, they’re really not that hard to find. Under the sink is a big enough area to hold all the lids and it doesn’t take up useful space in the “good” cabinets. (And yes, I have plenty of other things under there as well, not just plastic lids.) It might take some getting used to – not having your lids with your containers. But when you open the cabinet to pull out a bowl, the lids will not come tumbling down on you.

For more kitchen & bathroom storage tips, visit today’s themed Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Be Your Own Plumber

Yeah, I know it sounds weird. I’m not saying you should buy tools or carry around flanges in your vehicle. But you can save yourself some cash and frustration if you learn how to unclog a drain without professional help.

Our shower drain had been getting slower and slower. And suddenly, the other night, I found myself standing in water during my shower. Not good.

I’ve seen this little do-hickey and one with some sort of crank on TV, and sort of wondered if I could buy one in a store instead of ordering it for the low low price of $14.95 plus shipping and handling. But then I decided that surely, with my smarts and ingenuity, I could rig something myself.

So I did. And it worked.

Here’s how you can do it, too.

1. Take a regular clothes hanger and un-twist at the twisty part. (Those are the technical terms.)

2. Straighten the hanger, leaving the bend closer to the hook part at a 90 degree angle.

3. Take a pair of pliers and bend a small hook into the twisty part. Make sure it’s small enough to fit down through your drain cover (and back up through it). And if your drain guard comes off, go ahead and remove it.

4. Insert the small hook into the drain and push until you find the clog. You’ll feel it. Maybe even hear it. (Yuck!)

5. Push a little past the clog, then using the 90 degree bent part, twist the hanger to make sure it grabs the gunk.

6. Pull gently on the clog until it comes out. If your drains are like mine, you may have to hold the clog with the hanger while you pull it through the drain guard piece by piece (Even more yuck!).

7. Look at all the nastiness and wonder how all that stuff got washed down the drain. (I didn’t take a photo for you guys. I seriously considered it, but since I didn’t even want to be looking at that grossness, I decided to spare you.)

8. Wonder how long it will be before you’ll have to do this again.

9. Wish you had asked your husband to do this project. Oh wait, maybe that’s just me. You can ask ahead of time.

Good luck with clearing those drains! To see more Works-For-Me-Wednesday, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Freeze Extra Milk

I know. “Extra” and “milk” are not usually in the same sentence at most homes. But here’s how it goes down at our house.

I make homemade ice cream frequently during the summer. The recipe calls for whole milk, which I don’t normally buy. I’ve tried using skim, but it’s just not the same. And usually when I buy a quart of whole milk (and only use half for a recipe of ice cream), the extra milk goes bad before I can use it to make more ice cream. Yes, I could buy the little pints and it would be the perfect size. But a pint is almost as much as a quart, and when you’re trying to stretch your grocery dollar, it just doesn’t make sense.

So here’s what I do. I use the 2 cups I need for ice cream. Then, I put the other 2 cups into a freezer baggie and freeze it. When I get ready to make ice cream, all I have to do is thaw it in the fridge or in a bowl of cold water. It’s ready to go pretty quickly and freezing it doesn’t hurt the milk at all.

I’ve got some thawing right now. Homemade ice cream will be on the menu for tonight!

I’ve also frozen buttermilk before and it worked like a charm. Give it a shot!

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Rainy Day Fun

We’ve had a lot of rain lately. And I’ve been having trouble keeping the boy happy in the house since his favorite place to be these days is outside, preferably in some sort of water.

When I went to the store on Monday, I knew we were facing another day or two of rain before the sun would be coming back out to play. As I was walking through the office supply/craft section (which I never do), I found a package of fuzzy sticks (we grew up calling them pipe cleaners) for about $2. I picked it up and planned for a rainy afternoon activity.

But first, I told Caedmon he had to keep his underwear clean/dry until naptime if he wanted to play with them. Because I was desperate to get out of the use-6-pair-of-underwear-a-day-cycle. He stayed dry, so we got to play!

And he loved them.

The best part is that we used maybe 6 of the sticks, so that means there are 94 more, ready and waiting for the next rainy day!

Head on over to We Are THAT Family for more Works-For-Me-Wednesday!

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Portable Potty

When you are potty training, the location (and cleanliness status) of the nearest bathroom is constantly on your mind. And after a few day trips in which there was either no potty or one so gross I was afraid of it, I decided to find an alternative.

When I was growing up (with 6 younger siblings), Mom kept a potty chair in the back of our van. It was well-used. I wasn’t all about carrying a potty chair around with me, but I found a great substitute.

It’s the Portable Potty. It works as a seat on a toilet or as its own little potty.

We’ve already taken it to a state park, where it was used three times. Just those three times have been worth every penny. You do have to be careful though, because Caedmon ended up pinching his fingers once. The “legs” it stands on snap into place, but don’t lock. So when we were parked on a hill and he sat down a little sideways, it collapsed. But we remedied that quickly and went on about our business.

I cannot tell you how awesome it was to just tie up that sack and toss it in the trash. No fuss over cleaning the potty out or worrying if water was available. And we were able to use it in the back of our SUV without any trouble.

You can buy refill liners if you wish. The reviews I read said that a grocery sack (with no holes!) along with a few folded-up paper towels in the bottom was an excellent substitute for the company’s liners. (They have an absorbent pad in the bottom, and the potty comes with three liners.)

I made my own refill liners as suggested in some of the reviews. I found several grocery sacks without holes, folded up 2 paper towels and stuck them into the bottom of each bag. Then, I folded them individually and stuck them into an old wipes container. And after using the refill liners that came with the potty, I think these will work just fine. If you wanted to go a little more high-tech, you could use a thin absorbent pad instead of the paper towels. They would stick to the bottom of the sack like the store-bought refill liners, but they would also cost more, though probably not as much as the refill liners.

The potty also comes with a heavy weight plastic carrying bag, which makes it easy to slide under the seat or store in the back of the car.

Action shots? Not this time.

And I will say that in a pinch, I might just end up using this thing myself. There won’t be any action shots of that, either.

It works for me. Head on over to Kristen’s for more Works-For-Me-Wednesday!

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: S’mores Remix

Brandon and Jill were coming over last week and I wanted to make S’mores. But as it was insanely hot and I had no desire to stand over anything warm enough to roast a marshmallow, I came up with this instead. And? It totally works for me! (Yes, I know you can make them in the microwave, but it’s just not the same.)

I didn’t start taking photos until part of the way through, and then I got all excited about the finished product and forgot to take more photos until we’d eaten half of it. But you’ll get the idea.

S’more-like Thing

6 (big) graham crackers, divided

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 stick butter, softened

1 Devil’s food cake mix

1 egg

2-3 tsp water

Miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Crush 4 graham crackers and mix with 2 Tbsp melted butter. Press into bottom of 8x8 (or 9x9) pan.

In mixing bowl, combine softened butter and egg. Mix on med speed 3 minutes or until doubled in size and lighter in color. Slowly mix in cake mix, and add water as needed. Batter should be very stiff. Spread onto graham cracker crust with fingers, leaving big dimples in the batter.

Bake 18-20 minutes, just until center is set and toothpick comes out clean.

Cool slightly. Set oven to low broil. Crumble remaining 2 graham crackers into ½ inch pieces.

Sprinkle onto warm chocolate stuff. Dump a bunch of marshmallows on top, enough to nearly cover the entire surface. Broil just a couple of minutes, until marshmallows are to desired doneness. Watch carefully or they will burn! Serve warm and sticky.

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday, head on over to We Are THAT Family.