Mar
21
21
"Good fences make good neighbors"
Alrighty, time to get back at this blog thing...
This is the story of three dogs and their fence. When we were house hunting, one of the top criteria was a fenced in yard, or a yard that could be easily fenced and a price that allowed for this. One of the reasons we chose the house we did was because it has a fairly large yard for the neighborhood and the yard was already enclosed with 6' wood privacy fence in decent shape. The previous homeowners had also extended 4' chain link down the driveway with a chain link gate crossing the driveway and completely enclosing the yard. The only problem with this setup is that our house does not have a rear door, it has a side door which is positioned in front of the gate that crossed the driveway. Translation - Lies cannot simply fling the door open and send the dogs out, she must either risk being seen in her skivvies or get dressed (and bundled as it goes in Michigan) just to take the dogs ten feet from the side door to the gate. The obvious answer was to extend the fence along the driveway and move the gate ahead of the side door. At first we were undecided on whether to use the detached one stall garage for a vehicle or if we'd need to be parking behind the gate so we were reluctant to make any drastic changes before trying it out for a winter. Instead, I used some of the temporary fencing salvaged from our rental house to extend further along the driveway and then stretched a 4' expen across the driveway for a make-shift gate.
It was clear pretty quickly that this was not a long-term solution. Coke discovered he could dig himself out underneath the crappy-gauge, improperly installed chain link fence in about 15 seconds. Then in February, we had a little altercation when Pan pushed the expen panels loose from the T-post and Nikon got into a disagreement with a neighbor. No injuries (bites) though I did observe Nikon getting kicked in the chest. At that moment I decided I wasn't going to ever park in the garage anyway (it's too narrow) and was willing to pay whatever it cost to get a legitimate fence installed and avoid being THAT neighbor with the dogs at large, terrorizing the neighborhood.
The last picture of Pan behind the fence he so easily owned
Not knowing any fencing experts and having no desire to take on this project myself, I simply Googled "Grand Rapids, Michigan fence" and started clicking on results, firing off the contact forms requesting quotes ASAP. The first to respond was Ivan of Metrofence. He came out the next day. I explained what I needed and we agreed to put the money into strong materials rather than looks, so I chose the plain galvanized chain link (no color) in the heaviest gauge available with a bottom bar to prevent Coke from digging. Ivan also took care of the Grand Rapids fence permit and had a company come out and mark all the underground utilities.
I sold the 4' chain link gate on Craigslist for $45.
Before Ivan came out, I removed my temporary fencing (since I wanted to keep it), dug up some daffodils that were at risk of getting trampled, and started digging a trench next to the driveway. There was originally grass in this area, but with dogs constantly digging at it and peeing on it, it just turns to a brown stinky goo. Last fall I experimented with using some cored brick in these areas and liked the result. The dogs can't dig, it doesn't look horrible, and it helps water drain off the driveway rather than settle into muddy puddles as it does when the grass is growing over the sides.
Day 1 - Ivan removed the rest of the 4' chain link, dropped in the posts, and poured in concrete. He said he used extra because our soil is very sandy. It had to sit for at least 24 hours so the concrete could harden.
Day 2 - Getting creative with temporary fencing, digging, and waiting for Ivan to return.
Day 3 - Ivan and his co-worker came back and finished the job. They used ~34' of 6' tall galvanized 9 gauge chain link with 2-3/8" terminal posts, 2" line posts, 1-3/8" top and bottom rails (the bottom rail was an add-on to prevent the dogs digging out), and 9' wide 6' high double swing gate with a center pin that drops down into the concrete driveway.
They did a REALLY nice job. There's no way I could have done something this sturdy on my own. All of the posts are perfectly straight. Everything is nicely level. The thing wire gauge is pulled tight. I love having a real double gate rather than having to go through this process of unwrapping a bungee cord and pulling back the temporary fence accordion-style just to pass through. I also noticed that the gate is perfectly weighted. When you open it, it stays exactly how you put it and doesn't want to swing one way or the other on its own. This was not a cheap job but it was well worth it. We also have the added security of 6' fencing and a gate that locks (just in case two German-bred protection trained shepherds isn't enough).
Phase two of this project involves Coke-proofing the rest of the yard. Coke may be large but he can dig himself out in about 15 seconds, less if there's a rabbit within 10 feet. I've already used sections of my old temporary fence to block off areas where I don't want dogs (alongside the garage and behind the shed, areas where I can't see them getting into trouble). Right now I am comfortable letting Coke out off the tie-out during the day when I am outside or can easily observe from a window. At night and early mornings he still goes out on a tie-out. The finishing touches will be laying the rest of the cored brick between the driveway and new fence, and dropping some poultry mesh or chicken wire along the wood privacy fence to prevent digging.
This is the story of three dogs and their fence. When we were house hunting, one of the top criteria was a fenced in yard, or a yard that could be easily fenced and a price that allowed for this. One of the reasons we chose the house we did was because it has a fairly large yard for the neighborhood and the yard was already enclosed with 6' wood privacy fence in decent shape. The previous homeowners had also extended 4' chain link down the driveway with a chain link gate crossing the driveway and completely enclosing the yard. The only problem with this setup is that our house does not have a rear door, it has a side door which is positioned in front of the gate that crossed the driveway. Translation - Lies cannot simply fling the door open and send the dogs out, she must either risk being seen in her skivvies or get dressed (and bundled as it goes in Michigan) just to take the dogs ten feet from the side door to the gate. The obvious answer was to extend the fence along the driveway and move the gate ahead of the side door. At first we were undecided on whether to use the detached one stall garage for a vehicle or if we'd need to be parking behind the gate so we were reluctant to make any drastic changes before trying it out for a winter. Instead, I used some of the temporary fencing salvaged from our rental house to extend further along the driveway and then stretched a 4' expen across the driveway for a make-shift gate.
It was clear pretty quickly that this was not a long-term solution. Coke discovered he could dig himself out underneath the crappy-gauge, improperly installed chain link fence in about 15 seconds. Then in February, we had a little altercation when Pan pushed the expen panels loose from the T-post and Nikon got into a disagreement with a neighbor. No injuries (bites) though I did observe Nikon getting kicked in the chest. At that moment I decided I wasn't going to ever park in the garage anyway (it's too narrow) and was willing to pay whatever it cost to get a legitimate fence installed and avoid being THAT neighbor with the dogs at large, terrorizing the neighborhood.
The last picture of Pan behind the fence he so easily owned
Not knowing any fencing experts and having no desire to take on this project myself, I simply Googled "Grand Rapids, Michigan fence" and started clicking on results, firing off the contact forms requesting quotes ASAP. The first to respond was Ivan of Metrofence. He came out the next day. I explained what I needed and we agreed to put the money into strong materials rather than looks, so I chose the plain galvanized chain link (no color) in the heaviest gauge available with a bottom bar to prevent Coke from digging. Ivan also took care of the Grand Rapids fence permit and had a company come out and mark all the underground utilities.
I sold the 4' chain link gate on Craigslist for $45.
Before Ivan came out, I removed my temporary fencing (since I wanted to keep it), dug up some daffodils that were at risk of getting trampled, and started digging a trench next to the driveway. There was originally grass in this area, but with dogs constantly digging at it and peeing on it, it just turns to a brown stinky goo. Last fall I experimented with using some cored brick in these areas and liked the result. The dogs can't dig, it doesn't look horrible, and it helps water drain off the driveway rather than settle into muddy puddles as it does when the grass is growing over the sides.
Day 1 - Ivan removed the rest of the 4' chain link, dropped in the posts, and poured in concrete. He said he used extra because our soil is very sandy. It had to sit for at least 24 hours so the concrete could harden.
Day 2 - Getting creative with temporary fencing, digging, and waiting for Ivan to return.
Day 3 - Ivan and his co-worker came back and finished the job. They used ~34' of 6' tall galvanized 9 gauge chain link with 2-3/8" terminal posts, 2" line posts, 1-3/8" top and bottom rails (the bottom rail was an add-on to prevent the dogs digging out), and 9' wide 6' high double swing gate with a center pin that drops down into the concrete driveway.
They did a REALLY nice job. There's no way I could have done something this sturdy on my own. All of the posts are perfectly straight. Everything is nicely level. The thing wire gauge is pulled tight. I love having a real double gate rather than having to go through this process of unwrapping a bungee cord and pulling back the temporary fence accordion-style just to pass through. I also noticed that the gate is perfectly weighted. When you open it, it stays exactly how you put it and doesn't want to swing one way or the other on its own. This was not a cheap job but it was well worth it. We also have the added security of 6' fencing and a gate that locks (just in case two German-bred protection trained shepherds isn't enough).
Phase two of this project involves Coke-proofing the rest of the yard. Coke may be large but he can dig himself out in about 15 seconds, less if there's a rabbit within 10 feet. I've already used sections of my old temporary fence to block off areas where I don't want dogs (alongside the garage and behind the shed, areas where I can't see them getting into trouble). Right now I am comfortable letting Coke out off the tie-out during the day when I am outside or can easily observe from a window. At night and early mornings he still goes out on a tie-out. The finishing touches will be laying the rest of the cored brick between the driveway and new fence, and dropping some poultry mesh or chicken wire along the wood privacy fence to prevent digging.
Posted by: Lies Rosema | 4 Comments
Feb
12
12
Transformations pt. 1
I was messing around on Flickr (the online service where I store all my photos) and came across the photos of our house before we moved in. Phil painted six rooms within two months of us moving in. Check out the transformations.
We'll start upstairs. First up, the "master" bedroom....
GRAR listing photos
In this room:
- Phil painted the ceiling white and the walls a sandy color. The throw blanket on the foot of the bed is what I took to the store to color match, after what happened with the paint in the living room I learned my lesson - never pick paint colors based on some hypothetical mental image!
- I made nightstands out of old wooden shipping crates and a single floor tile for the top surface.
- The fabric tapestry is from India.
- I believe the white chair in the corner (used for holding books and a stand for the box fan) is from grandpa and grandma Van't Hof's house on Paris, not sure of the history.
- The dresser was a hand-me-down from Phil's family.
- Other than the puppy kennel, the only furniture in this room we purchased was the bed (American Signature). Maye some day I'll blog about the saga of the Ikea bed that it replaced. Most of you probably know that story!
- Actually that's a lie, I did purchase the wool rug for cheap from the Meijer outlet - does that still exist?
- The artwork are just mass produced Ikea prints, but it matched so well I gave it a chance (African savannah scenes).
- The nightstand lamps and decorative "boob" (on the dresser) were wedding gifts from Crate & Barrel.
The Man Cave
This is perhaps the most impressive transformation!
GRAR listing photos & photos I took during our showings
In this room:
- For Phil's birthday in 2010 I took a day off work, made the 5 our trek to IKEA, and gave him a Chicago Cubs man cave. When we moved we carried the theme over.
- Phil painted the walls blue and a pale taupe (leftover from the dining room).
- The armchair was Grandma Mickie's.
- The blue rug, both bookshelves, computer chair, and work table were all previously purchased at IKEA.
- The large computer desk, TV table, and organizers were moved from our old house.
- We haven't purchased any furniture for this room since we moved.
- The photos above the work table are vintage black and whites of Cubs teams and players circa 1909-1930s.
- The blue curtains were re-purposed from the third bedroom/nursery.
The nursery
GRAR listing photos & my photos
In this room:
- Phil painted the walls clean white which took several coats due to the fun baby decals on the wall. I painted the yellow trim and curtain rods white.
- Due to the lack of storage and countertop space in the bathroom, I made myself a vanity using the headboard from that infamous IKEA bed. On a more recent trip to IKEA, I found a suitable mirror, cheap sawhorse legs, and soft tabletop lighting. I believe we've already discussed the vanity below.
- Thank you to Aunt Judy for the nicer of the two rugs which fits perfectly in this room.
We've done nothing to the full bathroom. The white tub/shower insert is practical and easy to clean. I was happy with the colors (our previous bath linens match) and the tile floor. I'd like to replace the sink with a small sinktop vanity and install a matching "etegere" (a fancy word for something that fits above/around the toilet for more storage) or wall mounted cabinet like-a so. What is on the wall now is hideous, rusty, catches a ton of dust, and makes this awful squeaky sound when you use a wash cloth or hand towel. Maybe someday I'd like to create more room by expanding into the Man Cave's closet. This is the only full bathroom in the house.
GRAR listing photo
Now
We'll look at the main floor later....
We'll start upstairs. First up, the "master" bedroom....
GRAR listing photos
In this room:
- Phil painted the ceiling white and the walls a sandy color. The throw blanket on the foot of the bed is what I took to the store to color match, after what happened with the paint in the living room I learned my lesson - never pick paint colors based on some hypothetical mental image!
- I made nightstands out of old wooden shipping crates and a single floor tile for the top surface.
- The fabric tapestry is from India.
- I believe the white chair in the corner (used for holding books and a stand for the box fan) is from grandpa and grandma Van't Hof's house on Paris, not sure of the history.
- The dresser was a hand-me-down from Phil's family.
- Other than the puppy kennel, the only furniture in this room we purchased was the bed (American Signature). Maye some day I'll blog about the saga of the Ikea bed that it replaced. Most of you probably know that story!
- Actually that's a lie, I did purchase the wool rug for cheap from the Meijer outlet - does that still exist?
- The artwork are just mass produced Ikea prints, but it matched so well I gave it a chance (African savannah scenes).
- The nightstand lamps and decorative "boob" (on the dresser) were wedding gifts from Crate & Barrel.
The Man Cave
This is perhaps the most impressive transformation!
GRAR listing photos & photos I took during our showings
In this room:
- For Phil's birthday in 2010 I took a day off work, made the 5 our trek to IKEA, and gave him a Chicago Cubs man cave. When we moved we carried the theme over.
- Phil painted the walls blue and a pale taupe (leftover from the dining room).
- The armchair was Grandma Mickie's.
- The blue rug, both bookshelves, computer chair, and work table were all previously purchased at IKEA.
- The large computer desk, TV table, and organizers were moved from our old house.
- We haven't purchased any furniture for this room since we moved.
- The photos above the work table are vintage black and whites of Cubs teams and players circa 1909-1930s.
- The blue curtains were re-purposed from the third bedroom/nursery.
The nursery
GRAR listing photos & my photos
In this room:
- Phil painted the walls clean white which took several coats due to the fun baby decals on the wall. I painted the yellow trim and curtain rods white.
- Due to the lack of storage and countertop space in the bathroom, I made myself a vanity using the headboard from that infamous IKEA bed. On a more recent trip to IKEA, I found a suitable mirror, cheap sawhorse legs, and soft tabletop lighting. I believe we've already discussed the vanity below.
- Thank you to Aunt Judy for the nicer of the two rugs which fits perfectly in this room.
We've done nothing to the full bathroom. The white tub/shower insert is practical and easy to clean. I was happy with the colors (our previous bath linens match) and the tile floor. I'd like to replace the sink with a small sinktop vanity and install a matching "etegere" (a fancy word for something that fits above/around the toilet for more storage) or wall mounted cabinet like-a so. What is on the wall now is hideous, rusty, catches a ton of dust, and makes this awful squeaky sound when you use a wash cloth or hand towel. Maybe someday I'd like to create more room by expanding into the Man Cave's closet. This is the only full bathroom in the house.
GRAR listing photo
Now
We'll look at the main floor later....
Posted by: Lies Rosema | 4 Comments
Jan
22
22
french toast
I'm not a real breakfast food lover but being a sweet tooth I do get cravings for French toast.
I use five simple tricks to achieve the perfect French toast.
1. I use a really cheap "nonstick" type pan, not my copper bottom frying pan. I think the copper bottom pan heats up fast and holds heat, so the toast burns before it's really done.
2. My liquid is about one part egg (including yoke) to one part milk (1% or 2%). I don't like a fried egg hanging off my toast or a soggy toast.
3. I put about a half cup of brown sugar in the liquid. This adds to the yummy goodness but I think it cooks and helps keep the toast from staying soggy.
4. Cook on about half-high. See the visual below. If you have an electric stove, I feel for you.
5. I use a dense bread like Vienna bread or, French bread surprise, surprise! However I have used cheap white bread and #1-4 still keep it from being too soggy.
I like my toast chewy, not soggy. Sweet, not too egg-y.
I use five simple tricks to achieve the perfect French toast.
1. I use a really cheap "nonstick" type pan, not my copper bottom frying pan. I think the copper bottom pan heats up fast and holds heat, so the toast burns before it's really done.
2. My liquid is about one part egg (including yoke) to one part milk (1% or 2%). I don't like a fried egg hanging off my toast or a soggy toast.
3. I put about a half cup of brown sugar in the liquid. This adds to the yummy goodness but I think it cooks and helps keep the toast from staying soggy.
4. Cook on about half-high. See the visual below. If you have an electric stove, I feel for you.
5. I use a dense bread like Vienna bread or, French bread surprise, surprise! However I have used cheap white bread and #1-4 still keep it from being too soggy.
I like my toast chewy, not soggy. Sweet, not too egg-y.
Posted by: Lies Rosema | 3 Comments
Jan
19
19
my lair
I work at a place called Calvin College in the snowy land of Michigan. My department is in "the dungeon". We - well some of us - call it that because it's in a basement and we have no windows. This is a basement basement, not a walk out. I got a new cubicle right before Christmas. It's setup pretty much like my old one but is a bit bigger and I have one of those rubber mats on the floor which is nice for rolling around my $1000 Herman Miller Aeron chair, muahaha. In order to stave off the looming insanity during the winter months when we descent into the dungeon in darkness and ascend into darkness, I hang these kitschy sarong wraps I bought at the touristy stands in Waikiki. I also have a few plant cuttings that I keep in water vases (I forget to water plants that live in soil).
Normally the counter space on the left would give the occupant a view of one corner of the department and allow for customers to sit at the desk and be served, but I opted for backing one of our computer cabinets against my counter and then wedging an unclaimed section of cubicle partition between the cabinet and the edge of the counter. Now I look at a wall, which suits me.
My worldview
Sometimes I have this problem where people think that just because I'm sitting at my desk and physically shut off, that means I'm always interrupt-able. Today I made some passive-aggressive signs for my cubicle....
(that's a picture of a door chained shut and a picture of Obama shutting the door in your face)
Normally the counter space on the left would give the occupant a view of one corner of the department and allow for customers to sit at the desk and be served, but I opted for backing one of our computer cabinets against my counter and then wedging an unclaimed section of cubicle partition between the cabinet and the edge of the counter. Now I look at a wall, which suits me.
My worldview
Sometimes I have this problem where people think that just because I'm sitting at my desk and physically shut off, that means I'm always interrupt-able. Today I made some passive-aggressive signs for my cubicle....
(that's a picture of a door chained shut and a picture of Obama shutting the door in your face)
Posted by: Lies Rosema | Add comment
Jan
15
15
lolz
Since I've been busy this week training dogs and I promised not to make this blog about dogs, please allow me to hold you over with some internet funnies...
This one is my own
Funny sites I recommend:
Cats That Look Like Hitler
GraphJam
Damn You Autocorrect
Look At That Fucking Hipster
Engrish
This one is my own
Funny sites I recommend:
Cats That Look Like Hitler
GraphJam
Damn You Autocorrect
Look At That Fucking Hipster
Engrish
Posted by: Lies Rosema | Add comment
Jan
11
11
Vanity
Phil and I used to have an Ikea bed...most of you are already familiar with this story. Let's just say I do not endorse beds from Ikea. Many, many things from Ikea, yes....beds, no. After the final collapse of the Ikea bed, most of the pieces were donated to dad for scrap firewood, but I hung on to the headboard for a few years. When we moved into the new old house it was clear that I needed some sort of self-prep area outside of the bathroom. On one of my many return trips to Ikea I found a set of small sawhorses included in the mix-and-match table top/table leg area. Voila! My vanity, 'cus I'm so vain.
Here Nikon is getting away with being in an off-limits room in order to demonstrate the size, or lack thereof. Nikon is a ~75lb German Shepherd dog. I am a human whose weight will remain undisclosed but it's considerably more than Nikon. Phil is also a human who probably weighs me + Nikon. There is no storage in this, the only full bathroom in our new old house.
Here are a few snaps of the bathroom right after we moved in last spring. It's so small I can't even get a decent photo of it with my wideangle lens.
Here is the headboard/sawhorse vanity. I also got that large mirror and tabletop lamps from Ikea. The stool I got for $5 when my hair salon closed. I've trimmed and layered my own hair since then.
I've never purchased an Apple product, but I think their packaging makes for an interesting marketing case study.
My makeup, in an Ikea bowl, surprise surprise.
THE best lotion: Trader Joe's Moisturizing Cream Extra Dry formula. I've even been using it in my hair every day. One time I forgot this was from Trader Joe's so I Googled the product tagline "Midsummer's Night Cream" to find out how I could order more. Yeah...bad idea. That might be a gay porn flick. Since then Santa and the Easter Bunny bring me some from Trader Joe's in Illinois twice a year through their messenger Ruth Kelder.
My favorite face moisturizer, Olay Sensitive Skin.
I hate caked makeup, so my routine involves just a dab of the above and then Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends powder.
I don't buy lipstick or blush, instead I have these samplers from Amway's makeup brand that I got in 1993. For lip color I use Carmex and then dab on whatever blush color I want.
I've had the same blowdryer forever, this is my third one. Every morning Nikon makes himself useful and protects me from the hot monster.
Here Nikon is getting away with being in an off-limits room in order to demonstrate the size, or lack thereof. Nikon is a ~75lb German Shepherd dog. I am a human whose weight will remain undisclosed but it's considerably more than Nikon. Phil is also a human who probably weighs me + Nikon. There is no storage in this, the only full bathroom in our new old house.
Here are a few snaps of the bathroom right after we moved in last spring. It's so small I can't even get a decent photo of it with my wideangle lens.
Here is the headboard/sawhorse vanity. I also got that large mirror and tabletop lamps from Ikea. The stool I got for $5 when my hair salon closed. I've trimmed and layered my own hair since then.
I've never purchased an Apple product, but I think their packaging makes for an interesting marketing case study.
My makeup, in an Ikea bowl, surprise surprise.
THE best lotion: Trader Joe's Moisturizing Cream Extra Dry formula. I've even been using it in my hair every day. One time I forgot this was from Trader Joe's so I Googled the product tagline "Midsummer's Night Cream" to find out how I could order more. Yeah...bad idea. That might be a gay porn flick. Since then Santa and the Easter Bunny bring me some from Trader Joe's in Illinois twice a year through their messenger Ruth Kelder.
My favorite face moisturizer, Olay Sensitive Skin.
I hate caked makeup, so my routine involves just a dab of the above and then Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends powder.
I don't buy lipstick or blush, instead I have these samplers from Amway's makeup brand that I got in 1993. For lip color I use Carmex and then dab on whatever blush color I want.
I've had the same blowdryer forever, this is my third one. Every morning Nikon makes himself useful and protects me from the hot monster.
Posted by: Lies Rosema | Add comment
Jan
10
10
Mathematics
If the teacher's dog eats the homework, are the students off the hook?
Here is something really special from Mr. Kelder's math test.
....get it? Squiggly is not parallel!
Here is something really special from Mr. Kelder's math test.
....get it? Squiggly is not parallel!
Posted by: Lies Rosema | 3 Comments
Jan
08
08
Golden Oldies
When I was a kid my mom listened to the "golden oldies" station WODJ. Aside from the U2 catalog which spans the late 70-now, I know very little 80s and early 90s music because all we listened to were oldies, Salty I mean Psalty records, or mom and dad's pad party mixed tapes. These are some of my favorites from my childhood, still favorites today:
"if you hit play on this video you should have no reason to dislike it."
"Wow, this song is my new "House of the rising sun", i just replay it all day LONG!!! :)"
"That farty guitar tone gets me everytime! What a great riff!"
"sure as hell better than the pop music of today."
"Without Chuck Berry I don't think that we would have rock n roll today."
And my childhood IDOL rocking out (Chuck Berry starts around 0:52. I was Kim for Halloween one year. I mean, what could possibly be cooler? Except no one but me and my mom knew who she was. She was really something, back when people still scored 10.0s and double backs were really something and the USSR was still competing together and *still* undefeated....
"if you hit play on this video you should have no reason to dislike it."
"Wow, this song is my new "House of the rising sun", i just replay it all day LONG!!! :)"
"That farty guitar tone gets me everytime! What a great riff!"
"sure as hell better than the pop music of today."
"Without Chuck Berry I don't think that we would have rock n roll today."
And my childhood IDOL rocking out (Chuck Berry starts around 0:52. I was Kim for Halloween one year. I mean, what could possibly be cooler? Except no one but me and my mom knew who she was. She was really something, back when people still scored 10.0s and double backs were really something and the USSR was still competing together and *still* undefeated....
Posted by: Lies Rosema | 1 Comment
Jan
07
07
Recycle candle wax
I'm a Yankee Candle junkie but they are pricey so I always regret when the candle burns out and there's still a good bit of wax leftover. I do have a few of those melting plates around my house but have found the range top to be a nice alternative. You can get little votive jars at one of my other favorite places, World Market, for a few bucks. Sometimes I have to put the candle in a pan of boiling water to melt the wax along the sides and then I can pull out the clump and transfer it to a new jar. When I use the stove or oven, the wax melts and smells delish.
Posted by: Lies Rosema | 3 Comments
Jan
06
06
Chip Dips
I love guacamole but sometimes the avocados at Meijer aren't fully ripe, or you have to choose between rotten ones and almost-ripe ones and by this point in your shopping trip you've got all the other ingredients and the chips so you figure, what the heck. The under-ripe, over-hard avocado makes it impossible to guac with ye ol' spoon and fork. Someone once suggested I use a beer bottle for mashing (whoever you are, much props). Enter mortar and pestle. Last time I was at Ikea, or maybe it was the time before the last time, I go there a lot...anyway, I picked up their cute mortar and pestle. It sat in the "kitchen stuff I rarely use because it only has one purpose" cupboard for a long time until New Year's Eve, the perfect guac occasion. Look at it, it even looks fabulous on Ellen's counter with that almost-ripe avocado....
I was so proud of myself being all domestic, making something home-made (never mind that it only has 3 ingredients, baby steps), using an antiquated tool that dates back to 1550 BCE...to be human is to use a mortar and pestle! Wrong. All mine did was push the avocado pieces up the sides of the mortar and make a mess. I guess this is more for pharmaceuticals and some such?
Back to the bottle. Disclaimer: I've never broken a bottle doing this but there's a first for everything.
Next we made the queso. This one's even easier than the guac. There's a TV commercial that airs before major football games with the instructions - Velveeta and Rotel. More specifically, one 16oz box of Velveeta and one can of Rotel, nuke it for about 3 minutes, stir and nuke until melted. In case you forget, the ingredients are printed on both the Velveeta box and the Rotel can, and there's usually a Velveeta & Rotel skid at Meijer.
The lovely bowls featured in this entry were my Van't Hof white elephant gift. Thanks, Aunt Sue?
Powered by NucleusCMS | Ported by VinhBoy | Designed by DemusDesign
I was so proud of myself being all domestic, making something home-made (never mind that it only has 3 ingredients, baby steps), using an antiquated tool that dates back to 1550 BCE...to be human is to use a mortar and pestle! Wrong. All mine did was push the avocado pieces up the sides of the mortar and make a mess. I guess this is more for pharmaceuticals and some such?
Back to the bottle. Disclaimer: I've never broken a bottle doing this but there's a first for everything.
Next we made the queso. This one's even easier than the guac. There's a TV commercial that airs before major football games with the instructions - Velveeta and Rotel. More specifically, one 16oz box of Velveeta and one can of Rotel, nuke it for about 3 minutes, stir and nuke until melted. In case you forget, the ingredients are printed on both the Velveeta box and the Rotel can, and there's usually a Velveeta & Rotel skid at Meijer.
The lovely bowls featured in this entry were my Van't Hof white elephant gift. Thanks, Aunt Sue?
Posted by: Lies Rosema | Add comment