Monday, June 30, 2008

Farewell Friend



I headed over to the ubber cute Emporium for ice cream and a farewell to a dear friend this week. The Emporium a definite place to visit if in Del Rio here are a few pictures to give you an idea.
We will surly miss her, her hubby and her happy little one. She is such an inspiring gal to be around and we will miss her insight during bible study. But, we know that the plans of God are far more greater than anything we could ever imagine. And in so our fellow Laughliner, Del Rioan and bible study gal has moved. Here are two more happy bible study gals! Check out itty bitty!! Isn't she cute! Bee is playing shaken baby syndrome here. No, baby was not injured in the making of this blog.Little one also, flies into the wild blue yonder.


Here is the group that was able to hang out one last time and say, "So long, and farewell..."

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Wright State University Never Taught Me How To Salute

One of the best books I've read lately is Smith College Never Taught Me How To Salute. It is the hilarious tell of a newly wed wife to an Air Force First Lieutenant and their first assignment together at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.
The back cover sums the book up well by stating, "It is a warm heartfelt look at the funny, crazy, and wonderful life of young marrieds in the fifties and that era's long lost innocence". However, It is almost exactly like Laughlin Air Force Base today! I have belly laughed over and over again at how I've gone through the same obstacles Ann went through. Granted Ann in the 1950's and me in 2008!

One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "...for Sheppard was certainly on the outskirts of town, two miles to the north in fact. It was like a children's wing added onto a house. You put it close enough you can keep an eye on the little ruffians, but keep it far enough away so they wouldn't mix a lot with the grownups'. Here is the main gate of Laughlin, 10 miles west of Del Rio, Texas. If you are an Air Force Wife and if you are stationed in Texas, have been FAIP'ed, or just want a good laugh as you sympathise with Ann Combs, military wife, read this book! I looked it up and found it on Amazon for used starting at $1.33. Pretty good deal, better grab your copy fast!
This post brought to you by the letter M.
Thanks M for sharing this book with me!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Diaper Dilemma

I am a nurse in Labor and Delivery, and I would say I have changed a fair amount of diapers in my days. I have always been sold on the idea of cloth diapers, mom did it, why couldn't I? I don't know if it's just trendy right now or if it's part of the green movement. But, either way, I can't help but think this is a good idea. Since, you already know about my obsession with kitchen sprayers, just try to imagine how excited I was to learn about this, a diaper sprayer! Yes, that's right a sprayer for your dirty cloth diapers. Why do I know about this? Well, I am glad you asked. I had a very informative lesson from Maria today. She is a cloth diapering fan, mother of a 15 month old, Air Force wife and her hubby a chemical engineer. To them, it just made sense to cloth diaper. Environmentally, it was a better idea and Maria says it doesn't hardly cost a thing....Note: we live on base and don't pay water bills. Evidently, this cloth diaper thing it easy. You put a cloth diaper on the kid, safety pin it on, rubber pants go over the diaper and tada all done. Oh, but then oppies as soon as you get it on...lunch comes out. What's a girl to do? No problem, take off the rubber pants, take off the diaper, throw the diaper into your diaper pale, wipe the bum and re-apply new cloth diaper.
Now here is when you get to use you fancy diaper sprayer!!! Once it's time to launder the diapers, sort out the pee-pee's from the poo-poo's. Put the pee-pee's in the washing machine and then take the poos to the toilet rise them out with the DIAPER SPRAYER and then put them in the wash as well. Wash first on cold with detergent and then a second washing on hot with detergent. It's best to line dry diapers because the sun bleaches out the poo-poos stains.
Here I am demonstrating the wonderful diaper sprayer for all to see. Also, a diaper sprayer can be use to rise out the toilet after a man poo-poo's or for a little cool water relief to an espisotomy site. It's what the site said...but just like Reading Rainbow, you don't have to take my word for it.



Also, Maira recommended:




Monday, June 23, 2008

What's lurking outside?

Can you believe all the bugs in Texas! I saw a few recently and decided I should share them with you. This looks like an innocent star just hanging out on the carport, but what is that look a little closer... Yep, that a gainormous moth! Not a good time to have seen the "Moth Man Prophecy's".
It is kinda pretty, and for some reason it's friend was hanging out here on the front of the house. I mean really look how big it it. Almost more than a whole brick long.
Then, I spotted this little fellow.... he's almost albino. I am not sure why but several of the lizards are albino looking. You have to be careful because they are all over the brink at dusk.

After I finished watering the flowers the other night I went to turn off the water. I also put one hand on the wall as I bend over to turn off the water. Imagine my surprise when a creepy crawly thing was under my hand squirming away! Needless to say, I screamed. AHHHHH Then I had to explain to the neighbors why I had just screamed.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Sliding Glass Door Re-do

For some reason, base housing thinks we need this unattractive reflection tape on our sliding glass doors. I was grateful to have a sliding door when we moved in because we didn't have one at our last house, but the reflecting tape was peeling and it looked horrible.

I guess they put the reflection tape on the doors so this doesn't happen. Ouch!I personally didn't think my family would have a problem with running into glass doors, so I removed the reflection tape with a paint scraper and this.....It now looks like this! I know it was not a huge transformation, but I got rid of the ugly silver band across my door.
I am happy to report that no one or animal has mistaken my closed glass door as open.


Front Door Re-do

If you are a lucky person like my friend Laura, you may get this door on your base house. Just think how you would feel everyday knowing that you have a six panel metal door! Oh the luck she had. I being her neighbor and right next door should have had a lovely all metal six panel door, but I did not. Since, I didn't have this little luxury, I had to have a Front Door re-do extravaganza! Hubby was actually home from this re-do! I painted my all metal boring door, bold brown...I think this is called Chocolate Sparkle! Sounds fancy doncha think! HA, No I didn't sand down the door before I painted it. And double Ha, you think I would take time to prime this! Nope, I just painted it!
I have always wanted a door knocker. They look so regal! Like a real grown-up would have on their fancy pants house. I figured, I needed one too. For only a few bucks, I got this gold beauty from Home Depot!
How did I install it? Well, it's not like I would drill holes into my metal door. I just "mistreated" it. The only thing holding this door knocker to the door is threw the peep hole. Your base door peep hole will unscrew and then you can attach this one.
See how it's not actually flush with the door! I tell ya no one can tell, well I guess till now. I have only seen one other gal on base do this same trick, I love her dearly and I don't even know her name! There are other was to mistreat your door as well, I have personally help paint two doors red. They look so good! Another gal, painted hers green, and then yellow. See the great thing is you don't have to keep one style very long, If you don't like it, or want a change just paint it again! It's so simple.
BTW, gals you know who you are...please send me a picture of your mistreated doors!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Confessions

My sister, Rowdy Riffles http://rowdyriffles.blogspot.com/ inspired me to become an "Organized Homemaker". She told me all about this great book, Confessions of an Organized Homemaker, she had picked up from the bookstore. I am a sucker for organizations so I ran out to the locate Barns and Nobles and picked one up!
Disclaimer: I did not run 240 miles to the nearest Barns and Nobles, I waited till we took a day trip to San Antonio and then got a copy.

Rowdy Riffle bragged about how she had organized her pantry and labeled all her canisters. Oh, let me let you the envy was building within. All these great ideas she had gotten from reading this fabulous books. I never knew there were other people out there with the same obsessions as mine. I wasted no time and went right to work, of course trying to keep a budget in mind. First, I got white wire shelving from Home Depot and install it along the left hand side.

I love to hang things, I use finishing nails all over the place. If you open any closet in my house, the walls will be covered with things hanging up. Here I added two green wire racks from Ross, they hold all my spices and any other small bottle or jar.

I used "Hooks" to support the weight. I used two 50 lbs. hooks to hold up the shelving units. That means I could possibly hold a whopping 100bls of spices! Please don't get any ideas like I am an expert chef, I am sure most of the spices are expired.

I then labeled all my dry goods and placed them in stackable tubs.

As you can see there were already white wooden shelves installed, but the top sheld is placed at a weridly low height. That is why the stackable containers and large cereal boxes end up there.

Another close up is of my on-going grocery list. I also stole this idea from the book. I love having everything categorized and the best part is Hubby also writes down groceries that we need. I always have the list hanging right there for easy access. You can't see the pencil, but it's attached to the clip board.

Here is a sneak peak into my linen closet. This is to prove to you in case you didn't believe me that I hang almost everything. Hanging here is the swifter, mop, car washing brush, grout scrubber and head light. You never can tell when you may need to mop and use the head light at the same time!


The trash can and dog food are also kept in the pantry . I love having everything hidden away. Hub and I disagreed about where we should keep the dog food for a few months. He thought it should be in the white trash can, but in the kitchen where it was easily accessible. However, I was horrified at the thought that everyone could see it and didn't want it out in the open. So, every time he moved it to the kitchen ,I moved it back into the pantry. Note it's current location for the past 6 months. I feel victorious.

So there you have it.... the pantry in it's organized state. I do clean it out several times and year and reorganize it to fit my needs. But, I love the containers and my shelves. I hope you like these ideas. But, please give credit to where credit is due, all inspiration was from Confessions of an Organized Homemaker. To get your own copy click here:

Closets deserve organization

Do you need more functional closet space, I did!

This is your typical base house walk in closet. Oh, it’s so nice to have a walk in closet. Have you ever seen such depth, such shelves and not one, but two clothes racks? When you first move in the amount of space is unbelievable! Then by the time you have unpacked all your boxes of clothes you realize this just isn’t going to work.


I tried several different arrangements with my closet. First, I brought wire shelves to utilize the space at the top of the closets. I found two extra large wire racks at Wal-Mart, and it held me for a few months. But, I still had so much unused space in my closet. I had to find a better solution. Then, I added a shoe hanger, to make more floor space. But, good gravy, I hated seeing the hooks on the out side of the door. I know, I have issues, but it really irritated me to see those hooks. Then I realized what I needed to do. I needed a whole closet renovation. I looked on line and found closet organizational plans.


I played with it a little bit and figured out what dimensions would work. Then, with plans in hand I was ready to destroy the bedroom and play weekend warrior. Here is what I did. I brought this nifty little closet organizer from Home depot for $49.99. It is a little on the pricey side, but I splurged.

http://www.homedept.com/
ClosetMaid SelectivesT6 Selectives White Custom Closet Organizer 12 In. Wide
Model 7033
$49.99

I also needed something to take the place of that horrible shoe organizer that showed its nasty little hooks when the closet door was closed. I found adjustable shelves that you install on the grid stuff worked best. Shelves were like $4.00 a shelf and three to four pairs of shoes fit on a shelf.


See how I moved the main closet shelf? I literally removed it from its original location, which was way too short for me, and moved it to 63 inches high. I almost get a nose bleed just thinking about it. I now put seasonal clothes up there and my fancy shoes.

Now here is where the hillbilly in me broke out. See that extra rod, the one squeezed in between the real shelf and the real closet rod? Yes, that is a shower curtain rod. Not even a sophisticated installed one, it’s a twisty tension rod. I put my scrubs on that rod, but occasionally it will give way and tumble down. Which can make a very frightening noise at three o’clock in the morning.

So there you have it, totally renovated base house closet space. I love it! However, I think I am leaving my closet organizer to the next base housers.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Yes, I changed my faucet sprayer

I lived with a black spray faucet for a whole year. I am sure there are stronger women out there than me, but after a year I could not tolerate mix matched sink fixtures any longer. I had to break free from the bondage and replace that old black lime deposited faucet sprayer! Oh and it was easy and cheep to replace. Observe the sleek, stainless steel beauty before your eyes. See the little sparkle, how it demands respect in the kitchen. Oh, I get goose bumps just thinking about it's loveliness!
So, here is how you too can have a stainless steel statue in your kitchen. Go to Home Depot pick out the 8 dollar replacement sprayer. Gentle place it in your green friendly shopping bag. Buckle it in your car, of course in the backseat where it's safer, drive very carefully back on base, don't tell the guards because they may want to do a vehicle inspection by the authority of the base commander. After you get it home, read the instructions and install it. Then say your goodbyes and have a proper burial for the former sprayer, who did serve you well but needed replaced.
DancoFaucet Spray Head - Chrome
Model 88760
http://www.homedpot.com/
So there you have it, 8 bucks that's all it cost to replace that black sprayer. If you are really cheap like me, you'll save the old sprayer because I intend to switch them back when we move again. Happy dish washing!

For the love of ice cream

My husband is a romantic, the first gift he gave me was a gallon of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. I was his from that point on. Since we share a love of ice cream I though I would share with you our favorite recipe. This is a traditional vanilla ice cream recipe from Gran-T. Mix together 4 whole eggs
2 can sweetened condensed milk
1 small carton heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla

It should look smooth like this. I use a whisk to mix it up.

Then add as much milk as desired, we have found that whole Vitamin D milk works the best. Go figure hehe It make much creamier ice cream than skim milk.

Then add the ice and about half to 3/4th a box of ice cream salt. Turn on your ice cream maker and enjoy, you will not be disappointed with the results. It is best to let the ice cream freeze overnight, but really who wants to wait for ice cream that long? So, just put the left overs in the freezer and enjoy it again the next night. You can add anything your heart desires, like strawberries, nuts, chocolate, mint flavor your imagination is your only limit. Happy ice cream making!


The worst and best bed


When we were getting married I set up to find a practical mattress. I didn't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money and my husband wanted a firm mattress. I thought I had hit the jack pot, the BX was having a mattress sale.......hindsight I know why. It must be Papa Bears mattress because it was too hard. Recommendation: if you want a hard mattress buy the Sealy Posturepedic Taft Cushion firm.


So, after too many back aches my hubby decided we couldn't tolerate this pain any longer. He was a real hunter providing for the family on this one. He went out hunted down the best mattress he could find, shot it, and brought it home. Okay, really he searched the Internet, found a military discount, clicked on "buy" and we got free shipping. He's my hero!


This lovely addition to our home is the...wait get a pen to write it all down. The king size Sealy Posturepedic Body Focus Midnight Haze Ultra Plush Box Top Made in the USA baby!

I now sleep like Goldielocks in baby bears bed, it's just right! However, if you come to my house I will offer you the guest bedroom with Papa bears mattress.

Here it is disguised as a Mama bears bed. We did try to make it better by adding a feather bed and egg crate mattress cover. But, honestly underneath all that fluff is still a rock hard mattress. Sweet dreams.



Monday, June 16, 2008

My tiled back splash

Welcome to the kitchen! The heart of the home and definitely were I spend too much time. I wanted to show you the typical base house kitchen set up. Most are like this some are slightly bigger where you could place a kitchen table, and others are just big enough to be called a galley kitchen, like mine. When looking at the blank surface in fount of me ,I really wanted a smooth tiled back splash. I priced sticky pull off tile at Home Depot, but it just seems too permanent. I was afraid when removing the sticky tile it would just tear up the drywall. I finally decided just to paint tiles so it appears I have a back splash. The end result is a slightly imperfect paint job. It took me 2 days of lying on the counter attempting to fill in little squares that I traced onto the wall and then filled in with a 1/2 inch paint brush. Yes, it was hard and extremely tedious but, I love how it turned out.
Also, check out how I have mistreated my stove. I placed a cast iron grill on top of the gas burners. Not so sure this is fire code approved, but I can whip up a warm sandwich in minutes and I think my stove looks fancier this way. I might just be delusional and really my stove looks silly, either way I love being able to turn on my stove top grill.
Here is a more cohesive look at the kitchen. Yes, it is small but it works. I have known girlfriends who have added a small island. It was adorable, but really limited your space. I tired to get my husband to agree to an island from Sutherland's, but he was right, the space is really too small and for us it just wouldn't work. I also have a strange compelling desire to hang a pot rack from the ceiling. I am pretty sure if I attempt it I be frustrated. I fear it'll look cluttery and then if you have a pot rack hanging from the ceiling don't you need an island underneath it? I think this is a circular argument with myself....kinda like if you give a Mouse a Cookie...
Here is a close up so you can inspect my faux tile job! I've seen other faux painting techniques, like sponge and the linen look, used where the back splash goes. Also, just a bright color to accent the kitchen is in good taste. But, my personal favorite has been faux painted tile. So don't get hung up thinking you have to tile a back splash, a little paint can trick the eye and your house guests into thinking you tiled.