Drip... Drip... GUSH!

The kitchen faucet is dripping.

No, that is not a metaphor for our financial disaster created by Washington.

MY kitchen faucet is dripping.  Drip.  Drip.  Drip.

If I lift the lever and turn off the faucet right in the middle, the drip stops.

Confession?  It has dripped long enough that even the kids know how to stop the drip.  Darling... um...  kinda.

Not only is the faucet dripping, but the plumbing under the sink is dripping.  Specifically, it drips when the disposal runs.  The disposal seems to be perpetually clogged.  I noticed the drip when taking out the garbage. The drip/gush under the sink appears to be coming from the U-bend connections.

So.  What's a Girl to do?

I could turn off the water and try to figure it out.  Excuse me, I could try to figure it out and then turn off the water and fix it.

Or, I could use my home warranty and spend $50 on the deductible and have a plumber come out and fix both problems.

I could do it myself for, what, $10?  That leaves me $40 for groceries or kid clothes or to transfer into savings.

What would you do?

~ G

Clean It Out

We had the chimney cleaned.  We've been in our house for more than just a couple years and hadn't had the chimney cleaned, yet.  Ahem.  While the guy was here, he asked about cleaning out the dryer vent.  I told him we couldn't afford it.

Which is true.

He dropped the price by $60.  Ha.  I consented.

The dryer vents got cleaned out and evidently, they were packed.  It's shocking how much faster laundry gets cleaned around here.  What usually takes all day took half a day.  I'm so excited to have extra time on my hands, I almost don't even know what to do with myself.

I'll figure it out - have no worries.

~ G

I Love This Bed

I do.  I know it isn't fancy.  I know it's not fabulously chic.  But.  I love it.  It's the Hemnes bed from IKEA. I like the black/brown that goes with the bedding we have and want to keep.  I like the simple lines.  I like that there's enough architectural interest that it isn't boring, yet is simple enough it will work with my changing tastes over the years.  I like that it's strong, but won't dominate the space.  We currently have a home with high ceilings and lots of square footage in the master.  If we move to a smaller house with lower ceilings and a smaller master, I don't want my bed to overpower the room.  I like that we can adjust the mattress to be higher and above the side rails or lower and level with the side rails.  I think we can even choose a middle option.  It just works for me.

And, when we buy it... well, you need some back story on why this bed is such a big deal.

Here's the backstory: Darling and I have been married for over a decade.  We do not have a bed.  Well, we have a bed, but not a frame other than the $25 metal frame that holds the mattress set off the floor.  We don't have a headboard.  We don't have a foot board.  Why?

Significant lack of agreement on bedroom furniture.

For years, even before we married, we looked at furniture.  Couldn't agree.  So, rather than spending money on something one of us didn't like, we opted to not spend the money.

Then, last month we got a sitter for the kidlets and made the long trek to IKEA.  I love IKEA.  I don't know why.  But I do.  It makes me deliriously, ridiculously happy.  It makes me Target-happy.  I know.  Huge, right?  I walk in the store and have a nerve-tingling happy feeling.  Maybe I'm channeling my ancestors?  I don't know.

Darling and I had our fancy dinner of Swedish meatballs and shared a perfectly decadent slice of Overload Chocolate Cake.  We then wandered the store, holding hands.  Cute, I know.  We wandered the store, found ourselves in the bed area, and decided to look at beds.  I had zero expectations and figured we'd move on to whatever it was that brought us to the store in the first place rather quickly.  I saw the bed from across the room and decided to not even mention it, because I was sure Darling wouldn't like it.

To my humility at not being able to read his mind or know everything about him, AMEN, actually, he led me to that bed and declared he wanted it.  Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Money's a little tight right now with other obligations, so the plan is to save our pennies and buy it for ourselves as a Christmas present.

I'm so excited about getting a bed we both want that I can hardly stand myself.

It only took just over a decade to agree.

~ G

Sometimes I'm a Genius

I have a daughter. She is three. She has hair.  Yes, I know you're shocked.  My daughter does not like having her hair washed.  A couple weeks ago she was taking a bath (I was with her, monitoring, per this commitment) and I just dreaded the coming screaming/flailing/pouting/crying/I-don't-want-my-hair-washed event.  Hey, I'm a mom, not superwoman.  Although, you should see me in my skivvies and invisible plane.

She was playing with her rubber ducky and it dawned on me.  What if she washed Ducky's flat, bald, little rubber head hair while I washed her hair?  She could hold him in her lap and while her head was bowed over, focused on washing Ducky, I could wash and condition her hair.  I proposed the idea and she bought into it, lock, stock and rubber ducky.  Yippee!  I'm a genius!  But, before we toast a non-sippy-cupped adult beverage, the real question with a toddler-cum-preschooler is will the genius idea stick?

Yes.  This one did.  Tonight, I sat in the hall reading my free OK magazine brain candy and monitored her bath.  From that position in the hall, I can see her in the tub and hear the boys and also yell at the boys from a acoustically-friendly position.  Near the end of the bath, she ASKED me to wash her hair.  She collected Ducky, asked for shampoo and within a few minutes of non-screaming/flailing, my sweet Little One smelled sweet.

Sometimes I'm a genius.  Now, I'm going to savor the moment until I foul up again.  Sometimes I'm a genius.  The end.

~ G

We've Been Jammed!

A friend and I made jam yesterday.  Strawberry jam, to be exact.  She'd never made jam.  It had been ten years since I made jam.  Strawberries were on ridiculous sale.  Had to make jam. I didn't have jars, so we opted to make freezer jam. This isn't a "how-to" post because all you need to know is on the direction sheet found inside the Sure-Jell box. This is a "YUM" post.

 And yes, these are recycled frosting cans.  Hush - like you've never cheated and bought icky canned icing.  Why am I taking jam pictures outside?  Because the grass is green and the light makes me happy.  Hey, the weeds are green, too.

Pay no attention to the wrong date on one of the jars. In my feeble defense, there were 5 kids running around while we made jam. Eh, the date's only off by a day, right?  Close enough.

Pay no attention to the missing spoonful spoonfuls.  This was the last-little-bit can. Hey, we had to test it. Homemade jam tastes amazing. It tastes like sunshine in a jar.  My friend said I sound like a hippie.  Let the record show that I forgive her for calling me a hippie.  There are only four jars because I sent one home with my friend - the one who called me a "hippie."  Tuh.

Any movie buffs out there who know where I got the title?  Post your answer for bragging rights.  

~ G

Tips and Tricks for Domestic Sanity - Cabinets, Pt. 2

Here's how I was able to keep some semblance of normalcy while on bed rest with Little One.  Because I wrote out the boys' schedule, what they would eat, when they napped and played and all the little details about their lives, I could relax a little and let my mom take over.  When my neighbor had time and could come over and help, all she had to do was come in, look at the clock, then open my cabinet door to see what the kids were doing next.  Darling didn't have to ask how I did the laundry or where we kept the extra detergent.

If you are on bed rest or if you have a very helpful MIL or a mom who wants to help with your little ones or if you have the opportunity to leave for the weekend while your husband keeps the kids, I strongly encourage you to write out what someone would need to know to do your job as a SAHM.

The boys' daily schedule, with recipes above.  This list is still up for two reasons: One, it helps me when my brain fails and I need to remember what on earth we do after lunch.  Two, I'm a sentimental fool and can't bear to take it down until I know how I want to store/preserve it.  

"If boys are busy and happy and you need a diversion..."  This is my "how to help me around the house" list.

All the emergency info.

~ G

Tips and Tricks for Domestic Sanity - Cabinets Pt. 1

I have a secret.  I post my two favorite baking recipes inside my kitchen cabinets.  Awhile ago, Darling said, "you're amazing, who just decides to make biscuits for dinner and 15 minutes later there are hot, buttery biscuits on the table?"  Sigh - now you know why I call him "Darling."  How could I not?

I digress.

The secret to my success with getting biscuits on the table is several years ago I wrote out the recipe (and it's doubled and tripled self) on a piece of paper and stuck it on the inside of cabinet door.  Now, when I want biscuits, I open the cabinet to the glasses and voila, there it is.  I did the same with my tweaked pancake recipe.  The base recipe is on the inside of the cabinet and I adjust the flour/grains every time I make it, based on what I have available.

So there.  My secret's out.  Use it for your own good.  Recipes you love that make your family happy should go where you can find them easily.  And who cares what the inside of your cabinets looks like?  If anyone knows you well enough to come into your home and look for her own glass, she should know you well enough to not care about your "notes to self."

The evidence:

Sprinkler Time

I am woman.  I can fix things.  Ha ha ha ha ha.

Bought a house with a sprinkler system.  Green thumb inspiration hit and felt urge to plant a flower bed.  Planted a shrub in front of a sprinkler head.  Shrub grew.  Sprinkler head height couldn't surpass the shrub to get water to the grass.  Grass struggled, barely cheated death.  Tried installing a riser for sprinkler head to get water to grass.  Riser and sprinkler head spent summer watering house more than grass.  Various methods of tightening riser and sprinkler head failed.  House well-watered, grass still struggled.  Decided to rip out shrub, remove riser and aim sprinkler at grass.  Hopefully, grass will grow again.

Saga in Pictures:

See bare spots?

Long riser, already removed and sprinkler head replaced.  Photos of before and whole process not available as green thumb covered in mud and soil.  

Done!  Riser gone.  Sprinkler head happily nestled back in bed.

~ G

Tips and Tricks for Domestic Sanity - Cheese

We go through a lot of cheese in our house.  I got tired of grating my own cheese and/or buying expensive shredded cheese at the grocery store.  We started buying the big 5 lb.-bag of cheese at the warehouse club several years ago.  So what do I do with that huge bag of cheese?

This:

Gather your cheese (duh), scissors to cut open the bag, quart sized-freezer bags, and a permanent marker to label the bags.

Label 5-6 bags with the date - including the YEAR.  I used to just label the day and month, then would wonder what year I put them in the freezer.  Major duh.  So, lesson learned: label at least the month and year.  Mystery bags in the freezer are not ideal.

Open all the labeled bags and fold back the tops to keep them open.  

Slice open the cheese bag down the center and across the sides.  Then, holding the bad over the cheese, place handfuls of cheese in the bags.  (Learn from my mistake of getting shredded cheese all over the kitchen floor.)

Seal the bags, working out as much air as possible.  Then, place the cheese in your freezer.  Helpful hint: Try to keep all the cheese in the same general area in the freezer.  It's nice to be able to determine with a glance if you need to buy more cheese. 

~ G

Tips and Tricks for Domestic Sanity - Kitchen Pt. 1

Periodically, I'll post some tips and tricks for domestic sanity.  No, it isn't crafty - but it is domestic.

Today I'm going to 'fess up and tell you that if you come to my house mid-morning, you'll see a dirty kitchen.  That's right.  It'll be dirty.  But, if you're here after lunch, you'll see that it's clean.  It'll (usually) be clean before bedtime again.

Somewhere in my journey to domestic bliss, I learned that if I became a slave to keeping my kitchen clean, I'd never sit down. I'm the mom in a family of five. We do a lot of eating and a lot of dish dirtying.  Now, instead of rushing in to clean the kitchen every time it gets dirty, I wait until the kids are eating.  We sit down and eat dinner as a family, but during breakfast and lunch I serve as a go-fer.  Who am I kidding?  I am a go-fer at dinner, too.  The only difference is that at dinner I make a concerted effort to SIT with the family and eat.

The rest of the time, I clean the kitchen and talk with the kids while they eat.  It serves a dual-purpose.  The kitchen gets clean and I visit with the kids while they eat.  Okay, really it's a triple purpose - I don't have to sit and look fascinated when the kids talk about legos for the gagillionth time.  Plus, it gives them a chance to talk without me interfering.  I'm in the room, I hear what's happening, I follow the conversation, interjecting when appropriate and I get the kitchen cleaned while they're eating.  I'm also already up on my feet when go-fer duty calls.  By the end of the meal, they're full, we've visited, I'm not insane from talking about Kung Fu Panda (again), and the kitchen's cleaned.

How often/when do you clean your kitchen?

~ G

My New TV Addiction

Sarah's House.  Third Season. Love it.  I enjoyed the second season when she (Sarah Richardson) redid a suburban home, but the third season with the farmhouse is wonderful!  Have you seen the main bathroom?  OMG - loving it!

The house before she and Tommy get to work.  Seriously, how can you not trust a woman who wears those boots?  

I love this bathroom. I love the curtains and their cheery yellow.  Love the step and it's distressed look.  Can't you imagine luxuriating in a bubble bath with your glass of wine, several magazines at the ready on the step?  

I love those curtains.  The yellow makes me happy.  I'm not usually a fan of old tubs (I have a deep phobia of old bathrooms and old dirt.  Dumb, I know.  But that's a whole 'nother post), BUT, I could spend hours in this one.

And this vanity is gorgeous.  Love the mirror.  Love the sconces.  This bathroom caught my attention enough that I stood in my shower until the hot water threatened to run out for an extended amount of time, picturing new tile, a new tub, new drapes, new wall color, and searching for a vanity at a flea market.  I haven't been this inspired to redo rooms in my house in ages.  For now, I'll sit on the couch with the laptop, munching on wasabi peas and dream of projects to come.  Hmmm...  we have some paint, there's a garage sale next Friday, I wonder...

Sarah's House is on HGTV.  Sarah's House is also on Facebook.  Sarah Richardson's website.

~ G

Exploding Diapers and Couches Don't Mix

It takes a lot of attention to have a blog.  Or the internet.  Or Facebook or a computer.  So, as I was ignoring my child working on my Pulitzer Prize-winning blog about installing a great rack, Little One's diaper exploded while she sat next to me on the couch. 


It didn't explode so much as it reached maximum capacity and leaked all over her toosh, her clothes, and the sofa cushion. 


What's a Domestic Know-How girl to do?  Well, the first step is to pull the cushion off the couch and then blot, blot, blot.  Pour some rubbing alcohol over the stain.  Let it sit for 5 minutes or so.  Or after changing Little One, feeding her lunch, and deciding to finish the blog masterpiece and stumbling over the cushion on the way back to the couch.


Ahem.  Then blot again.  Final piece of the puzzle?  Take the cushion out to the back patio (not the front, can't have the neighbors talking about the ugly, outdated couch) and let it dry in the sun.  The sun will kill any bacterial beasties the alcohol didn't obliterate and will leave said ugly cushion smelling much better than it looks. 


The end.


~ G

She's Got a Great Rack

It all started when Little One wanted her coat.  She reached up, grabbed her coat, and yanked.  She yanked until she pulled the coat rack on the wall down about 1/4".  It dug a deep hole in the sheet rock.  Looking at my new safety hazard convinced me something needed to be done.

So I asked Darling to do something about it.  He said he'd take care of it.  That was several weeks ago.  What's a woman to do?  Right.  Take it in her own hands.

So I went to the store and bought new anchors and installed them.  Without measuring.  I figured since the rack had hung on the wall for 4 years, surely the measurement was right?  Right?  Wrong.  We'd (really, it was me, not "we") angled the hangars to make them fit.  

Undaunted by such trivialities as measuring, I pounded the anchors in the wall and then commenced to screwing in the 2" screws.  Then I tried to put the rack over the screws to tighten everything.  Two things went wrong.  The screw heads were too large and were in the wrong place.  I tried to remove the screws, but they'd activated the molly bolt mechanism in the anchors and weren't budging.  

 This time I measured and pounded in the anchors to the appropriate place.   See the holes below?  Those are the first try.  "Measure twice, cut once."  I could hear it in my head, but it didn't make it to my hammer-wielding arm.

As you can see, the screw on the bottom is in too far to pull out.  See the white anchor?  You nail them in with a hammer until they "take" to the wall.  Then you screw them in until they're flush with the wall.  See how it's smooth in the middle of it? That's actually the flared part unactivated.  As the screw gets pushed into the anchor, that part flares out to grab the sheet rock from inside the wall that gives the screw strength to hold

heavy things.  Clever, eh?

This would be the opportune moment to tell you that I had to move the second anchor just a tad to the right.  Um, evidently I cracked the sheet rock.  I know this because when I screwed in the anchor to the correct place, I broke through the sheet rock and the anchor went in sideways, then crashed straight through the wall to it's eternal resting place on the floor inside the wall.

The wadded paper is there because it's easier to patch a wall with spackle if there's something for it to grab, like a wad of paper.  Here's my prep for fixing the wall.  Turns out we don't have any leftover paint from when we painted this room.  And Home Depot doesn't carry that color anymore.  Did I cry?  No!  I did not.  I acted like a man and pouted and was most unpleasant about it all.  Probably should have cried.  

And this is the left side of the wall.  The anchor had to be shoved through.  Pretty, isn't it?

So what's a girl to do when she's wrecked her wall and doesn't want to patch holes because she doesn't have paint?  Install strategically-placed hooks instead!  Nice, aren't they?

Pretty, pretty.  Don't look too closely or you'll see where I didn't patch the wall.

Bah!  I said don't look too closely!

And please don't notice that I covered the metal with black sharpie.  Really, it looks better in person.  Really.

Besides, in the above pic with the hats and coats, you can't tell the hook on the left was sharpied.  And, really, if someone comes to my house and gets offended that I sharpied the screws, they probably aren't worth hanging out with anyway.

While I was at it, why not install hooks for the kids' coats?  After all, Little One reaching her own coat is what started it all. More hooks.  Yeah, that's the ticket.

Little One's coat within her reach.  Hopefully. Like the stair step effect up the wall? Nice, right?  My darling friend who came over to help me retain the last bits of my brain came up with that idea.  Love her!

And this is the rack that started it all.  It now adorns another wall. Great rack, eh?  I need to get some sharpie on those screws...

Maybe this section of the blog should be called "Domestic Kinda-Know-How?"

~ G

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Homemade laundry detergent? Yep. It's possible.
Let your frugal heart go wild.

Recipe:
1 bar of soap
1 C washing soda
1/2 C Borax
HOT water (4 C + 4 gallons)

large bucket with a lid (I use a clean Tidy Cat kitty litter bucket)

Tips:

• Bar soap - Use any you like, but facial bars that don't have glycerin won't give you as good a product. You need the glycerin. The batch in the pics is made with Dial.
• Washing Soda - is not baking soda. Washing soda is sodium carbonate. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. They are not the same thing.
• Both washing soda and Borax can be found in the laundry aisle. I spent $7, including a 3-pack of soap, soda, and Borax. I have made six batches so far and still have enough soda and Borax for another two batches. That's over a year's worth of laundry detergent for $7.
  

Instructions:

1. Using a paring knife or a vegetable peeler, shave soap.
2. Add 4 gallons of very hot water to the bucket. Close the lid to keep the heat while you work on the soap.
3. Bring 4 cups of water to a simmer in a 2 qt sauce pan, stir constantly to dissolve soap.
4. When the soap is completely dissolved, add it to the hot water in the bucket. Stir for about 2 minutes, until it's completely mixed.
   
5. Then, add 1 C washing soda and 1/2 C Borax to the soapy water.
6. Stir for 4 minutes. You want everything well mixed.
7. Cover. Set aside for 24 hours.
8. When you open the lid the next day, it will either be the consistency of egg drop soup or like a watery jello. (Sorry for the food examples, but now you know what's "normal!")
9. To use: Scoop out 1 C for a large load of laundry. (Tip: Put the detergent in the washing machine before you add your laundry, especially if your detergent is more "jello-like" in consistency.)

These are the ingredients you'll need:
Borax, washing soda, shaved soap.

Dissolve the shaved soap in a saucepan.

The mixture will be cloudy and murky. Stir deeply and thoroughly.

My Tidy Cat bucket filled with new detergent,
nestled between the washer and dryer,
waiting to be used.

The consistency of this batch is thick, like jello.
No matter. It still works.
This batch cost less than $1 to make.
For our family of five, this batch will last ~3 months.


Try it out and let me know how it works for you!