The Difference Between Man & Wife and Windows

Biceps and I are organizers. The clothes in our closets are color coordinated. We face the labels out on our canned goods. We completely rinse every last crumb off of our dishes before putting them
in the dishwasher.
I would absolutely drive any other man crazy.

However, with all of that in common, we still have or freakish differences.
He loves the stage. I get sweaty palms, heart palpitations and loose all control of my appendages if I go near a stage.
I can also be quite careless from time to time.
I’ll fling my seatbelt behind me as I vacate the car, hopping out without looking below and usually step right into a puddle.
He situates things for five minutes before leaving the car. Mostly, he’s untangling my seatbelt. And not stepping into a puddle.
Biceps is careful, thoughtful and patient.
I am working on these attributes. Quickly.

Because of the reasons stated above, today became a landmark day for me. And for our marriage.
We have been scraping, glazing, caulking, and repairing our windows for the last several days.
Today, we started painting them. This is where it gets good.

Guess who’s window this is.

Now guess who’s this one was.

Window #1 again-this time a close up for some down and dirty comparison.

And Window #2 again-a close up for your scrutiny.
Who do think did what window?

Forgive me for twisted ways

Crap happens on tour that you have no control over. A sudden snowstorm can cost you thousands of dollars, a bad promoter can cost you more than that, and then there are the bands that you have to work with that have girly emotions and eccentric lifestyles. There is little that you can do about this.
Other than fight back in a weird way…

This lovely little skull was present for several of the tours we had recently been on. It irritates me for some reason. The stupid skull was connected to the steering wheel of the bus and stared at me every day. I thought the smug little thing should be decorated. I call this one Skull-a-haunt-us.

And here we have Skull-patch. The band hadn’t said a word about my decorations. Yet.
I found a cotton ball in a new bottle of ibuprofen. I had struck gold.

Why not get historical and educate the band with Skull-zart? Still no response from the band. However, they did remove it delicately and place it in the ash tray. That was thoughtful of them.

One of my favorites-Skull-stache. At this point, I think the band just thought we were weird. I had gotten past what they might think of us and realized decorating the skull had given me something to look forward to doing every day.

Skull-dito really made me laugh. Still the band was silent. But my little creativity was breaking up the monotony of driving, hotel rooms, show, shower, driving, hotel rooms, show, shower….It was what kept me going.

I pulled out all the stops for Mr. Skull-Muffs. I think Mr. Skull-Muffs looks quite distinguished. I wish I would have made a pipe for him, too. Or a monocle. The tour was over at this point, and it was perfect timing. I had run out of cotton and tape. And new ideas….
Maybe you have some ideas for me the next time I go out?

Retro Refrigerator Dishes

I have an addiction. I can’t stop. My hubby has tried to get me to quit. But, I just can’t. I want to stop-mostly because I am running out of cabinet space.

But, how can you say no to these?

They’re bright, they’re fun, they stack on top of each other. You can’t argue with my logic here. And when I see them all alone at the flea market, the wallet starts to come out.

These dishes come from a time when Pyrex was still a trusted brand. A time when you knew they wouldn’t possibly explode in the microwave. A time when they made things in primary colors, just for fun.

And these two cute little dudes? They hold leftover veggies or sauces or whatever you need them to, even if it’s sauerkraut.
They are up for the challenge.

“Hey, Rebekah! Thanks for giving us a home. And we promise never to leach toxic chemicals into your food, like those plastic guys do.”-Mr. Pyrex Dish.
How sweet! He cares about toxins going into my food. What a kind dish.

“Hey, who are you calling toxic?!”-Mr. Plastic Tupperware.
“Hey, if the shoe fits, Plastic Boy…”-Mr. Pyrex Dish.
Oh, dear. This could get ugly. What’s Mr. Pyrex Dish doing? He’s coaxing Mr. Plastic Tupperware closer.

“Crunch, munch, slurp…”-Mr. Pyrex Dish.
I had no idea my glass dishes could be so protective.

“BURP!”-Mr. Pyrex Dish.
Oh my. That is something no one should ever have to see. I need to get back to some happier times.

Ah…that’s better. Serenity now.
And I don’t think there’s any hope of me changing anytime soon.

A $10 Sewing Cabinet Makeover

I hunt for bargains.
I got this little number at a Habitat for Humanity and fell in love immediately. This little guy needed a second chance at life and I’m just the girl to make it happen.

I love to sew and have always wanted a really functional sewing cabinet. This not only had drawers for scissors, tape, etc…but the two sides flipped out to give you some more working room. Bonus.
Here’s what you need below.

You will need sandpaper. I recommend the 120 grit (on the left) if you don’t have to cut through years of stain or paint.The 80 grit (on the right) is tougher and can cut through thicker stains or stubborn paint.

You will need a palm sander and extension cord.

Grab yourself a pair of gloves-save that manicure; polyurethane-I chose the fast drying clear gloss, three foamy brushes, a drop-cloth and a rag. You will also want to choose which color of stain you want, or you can go au natural. I chose a stain we had in our shed, which you will see later on.

You’ll need two microfiber cloths and steel wool, as well. I think that’s about it. Now on to the lesson!

Take one of your sandpaper sheets and fold it in half.

Then fold the half in half, creasing the folds.

Tear the sandpaper down the creases making four squares.

Take one of these squares and attach it to your palm sander. Watch those fingers-I have been pinched one too many times….

Sand in the direction of the woodgrain. You may have to go over the piece a couple of times. Use a square of sand paper to hand sand anything your palm sander cannot get to.

Once you have sanded the entire thing, vacuum every nook and cranny.

Then use a microfiber cloth to get any left behind bits o’ dust. Run it over the entire thing thoroughly. I recommend doing this two or three times.
Please ignore my weird looking hand. I blame it on my camera’s perspective.

Find an inconspicuous place on your piece of furniture-like the bottom of it or the backside and test out your stain samples. I chose the one at the far right. It’s called ebony. There is no ivory stain, I checked.
At this point, I would recommend bringing your item indoors and laying down a drop-cloth.

Using your foamy brush, apply a thin layer of stain in the direction of the woodgrain very slowly. Make sure you are checking for drips or pools of stain the whole time you are staining.

Use a rag to wipe off the excess stain. ‘Nuff said.

Then let the sucka dry following the manufacturer’s recommendation.

Time for the polyurethane, which I like to call the ‘OOH! moment’, cuz it’s pretty. Carefully open the poly can and stir in a clockwise direction. Do not pull up from the bottom like you normally do with paint. Stir the poly frequently during application. Dip a NEW foamy brush into your stirred, not shaken, poly and apply it while following the woodgrain once again. Let dry-mine took 4 hours to dry indoors, but follow the manufacturer’s recommendation.

Using a steel wool pad, slightly scuff the dried poly by following (yes, you guessed it!)-the woodgrain.

Take a clean microfiber cloth and wipe that thing down, in any direction you like this time.

Back to the poly for your second coat. Apply a thin layer following the woodgrain again. Let dry the recommended time. And then….

POW!
And ZAM!
And BOO-YEAH!

And then, mark this momentous occasion with a glass of red wine.
Or white. Your choice.