Life is Uncertain

Three cheers for regaining Internet access!!

We have been in our new house a grand total of two weeks and it is wonderful! I will work on getting pictures up once we get everything settled and decorated.

Since we are near family and in our own space again, I decided that a small shindig for my sister's birthday was necessary. Being the colorful personality that she is, I realized that the only fitting cake would be a six layer rainbow cake with funfetti sprinkles. After a few anxious days looking for my cake pans, which were eventually discovered in the office, I settled in to create the cake. Knowing that one can always rely on Pinterest for the answer, I hopped online in search of a recipe that would guide me to success.

DENIED.

Pinterest had failed me and my feeble mind could barely comprehend the enormity of the disaster. While there were plenty of cake photos and vague references to making a rainbow cake, there was not a suitable recipe to be found. I was on my own, forging into unfamiliar territory despite the fact that I hadn't baked a cake in at least three years. I decided the cake itself was complicated enough to warrant leaving the heavy lifting to a professional - 

Betty Crocker has so much more experience than I do.

Without further ado:

A Rainbow Cake in 20 Easy Steps

1) Gather your armies. And handsies.

2) Retrieve funfetti frosting that your husband has absconded with.

3) Consult six-layer cake recipe found on Pinterest that calls for extra cake mixes and FIVE TUBS of frosting.

4) Disregard recipe and decide to wing it, Martha Stewart style.

5) Weigh your mixing bowl empty.

6) Prepare cake mix according to directions. 

(Or from scratch if you're cool like that.)

7) Weigh bowl with batter and divide accordingly into six smaller bowls.

8) Begin mixing food dye for a rainbow effect, consulting color wheel as needed.

9) Become alarmed by pasty results and reconsider Martha Stewart abilities. 

Cue sweaty palms as you realize that you don't have a back up plan.

10) Add more dye.

11) A lot more dye.

12) Breathe first sigh of relief that your colored cake batter appears to be suitably rainbow-esque.

13) Pour the three easiest colors (green, blue, and yellow) in pans for baking.

14) Place in oven and begin to pray.

15) Breathe second sigh of relief that your tiny cake layers cooked properly.

16) Become distracted by cute baby.

17) Bake remaining layers and allow to cool completely.

18) Assemble layers Roy G. Biv style.

19) Crumb coat and place in refrigerator for one hour.

20) Frost, sprinkle with funfetti, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

And that's it! I think the cake turned out fairly well overall, but I'm especially pleased with the vibrancy of the colors. I only used one cake mix, which made for extremely thin layers but a very manageable height, and two tubs of frosting. As for the coloring, purple was definitely the most challenging with red coming in as a close second. It ends up that purple needs more red than blue dye, and the key to a deep red lies in adding just a pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder. 

Jr is working on his hand coordination,
thus the intense concentration as he tries to knock over Gigi's soda.

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."

Ernestine Ulmer

Play Makeup Tutorial

Before we found out the gender of our little one, I decided that I needed to make play makeup kits for my nieces while they are still young enough to enjoy them (three and five years old). You know, just in case I had no reason to make them for my our own use later on. Luckily for me, my intuition is apparently still working as we found out since then that we are having a boy! Now I just need to figure out what to do with all of the adorable "girl" projects I have pinned...

Supplies 

(for two kits)

Powder/blush containers

(Four @ $1/each)

Eye shadow palette

(Two @ $2/each)

Large makeup brush

(Two @ $1/each)

Small makeup brush

(Two @ $1/each)

Nail polish

(Six @ $1/each)

Small zippered bag

(Two @ $1/each)

Tools

Scraping tool

to remove makeup

Paper towels

to protect counters

Nail polish remover 

in case of errant spills

Toothpicks 

for bubbles

All in all, this project cost approximately $10 per bag. I made two bags with $1-$2 products from Target (e.l.f. brand) and the Dollar Store, and I ended up with leftover nail polish of each color even after making two sets. The main thing to budget on this project is time - adequate time to allow each layer to cure is essential to avoid bubbling and/or pitting.

I used pressed powder containers from e.l.f. for both the "foundation" and "blush" in the kits - mainly because they were $1 each, but also because they come with an adorable powder puff!

Target

The eye shadow containers were NYC brand from Target, but aren't currently listed on the website.

The nail polishes were Wet n Wild (on sale) and NYC brand.

Right to left: blush, eye shadows, foundation

Both brushes were e.l.f. brand; I chose the blush/bronzer and eye blending versions.

Target

Target

The bags were free from my sister who may or may not be a makeup bag pack rat (love you!) but I had originally found cute ones at the Dollar Store.

I actually did this project twice. The first time, I thought letting the polish cure in the bathroom attached to our bedroom would be fine as long as the fan was on and the door was shut. Not so much. Chris helpfully moved them into a drawer in the spare bathroom, but in doing so shut the lids, which caused the clear plastic to turn opaque in spots. Round two was allowed to cure in a drawer for three days between coats (with the lids left open) and turned out much better.

To prep the cosmetic containers I removed the pressed powder and shadows with a butter knife, washed them in hot water with a bit of dish soap, and then allowed everything to dry thoroughly. Once the containers dried, I poured in a thin layer of the chosen colors, used a toothpick to "stir" each section*, and allowed them to cure for at least three days. Five days would be preferable, but I was pressed for time after the first set met with disaster. 

*Shimmery nail polish will settle in strange lines, I found it looked much better to create a purposely swirled look. 

Once I had an acceptable number of layers (I stopped at three on the eye shadow and four on the foundation and blush), I painted a thin layer of top coat on each and let everything cure for an additional few days.

Ta-da!

Duplicate sets so there was no potential for arguing!

The feedback I received on the way back from dropping off the kits was that the girls had already set up a beauty parlor in the living room to give makeovers to their dolls and each other.

"If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older."

Tom Stoppard

Another Week, Another Project

The paint on the house started looking pretty shabby last winter, so we have been planning for a redo since early spring. We didn't go for a drastic color change, but chose a grey-beige tone that would compliment the masonry and roof better than the original yellow-beige. 

After power-washing and prepping the previous weekend (which included me ending up with a lovely burn on my arm from the motor), Chris and his parents undertook painting the exterior last week. I couldn't get out of work for the painting, and stuck to crucial items like picking up beer and takeout for the hardworking crew...

Lesson One: Make sure you find out which sections of equipment will be hot before use

Lesson Two: Use these videos for tips and instructions

Lesson Three: Paint rollers can double as weapons in case of emergency

Lesson Four: Painting is hard work for dogs

All in all the change is pretty subtle - just a fresh, clean look and updated fixtures. Most of the neighbors don't realize that we did actually choose a different color, they just mention that they now have painting on their honey-do list thanks to us.

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken."

James Dent

Recovered, Mostly...

My lovely cold is still hanging on for dear life, but I feel somewhat back to normal. After putting off everything that wasn't absolutely necessary last week, I finally ventured out to make some progress on my to do list. Grocery shopping, a Target run, cleaning, decorating, and cooking - the weekend flew by!

Project of the Week: Master Bath Updates

Hanging things on the wall is an ongoing (and occasionally hostile) negotiation in our household, with me being the one reluctant to poke holes until I'm positive on what I really want. It's a slow process, and one that drives Chris nuts. Maybe marriage really is about having "that one special someone that you want to annoy for the rest of your life." Sorry, babe...

Before: Noncommittal and boring

After: Much improved!

I'm kind of in love...

Newest lovely from Target's clearance section

Before: Blank

After: Advantageous

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and getting miscellaneous things accomplished around the house.

Fresh cut grass + sunshine = heaven

Hello, fall! Crock pot taco soup

Spoiled? Nah...

Dreaming of Change

There were two days where temperatures were in the 70's last week. Two days was all it took to get me into the mood for fall. Scarves, boots, sweaters, coats, spiced cider, soup, fleece, twilight strolls... You name it and I'm craving it; which isn't the easiest to deal with since temperatures bounced right back up into the low 90's.

Project of the Week: Dresser Makeover

I inherited a sturdy wood dresser from my mom and, after years of it being Chris' least favorite piece of furniture in our house, I decided to give it some much needed TLC.

Step One: Forget to take an actual "before" picture until after sanding the entire dresser. Go through old photos to find a substitute.

#poorplanning

Step Two: Stain the dresser top following the product directions (I chose a dark walnut stain), let the stain cure until no longer tacky, then tape off the top to allow for painting the base. Decide on new hardware and prep the drawers accordingly. At this point in the process you should also commandeer your husband's office for your project space.

Step Three: Find a suitable helper to assist with the prime and paint process. Use stealth tactics to acquire your hubby's parking space in the garage while he is out running errands.

Step Four: Apply two coats of primer and two to three coats of water-based enamel paint. Decide how far to paint into the drawer areas; I did a minimal amount to add depth to the front. Something about a solid white dresser disturbs me, but I didn't want to use distressing techniques.

 Step Five: Apply four coats of polycrylic to the stained wood, sanding until smooth between each coat. 

Step Six: Install new hardware.

Step Seven: Bask in warm glow when your previously skeptical hubby admits that the dresser now looks fantastic.

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

George Eliot

Sunshine, Freedom, and a Little Flower

The holiday weekend started out a little rocky as the weather was inclement and I wasn't feeling well. After falling into bed as soon as I returned from work on Saturday, I woke up about an hour later to discover that two of our three furballs had snuggled up with me. Best medicine ever. I felt better when Sunday (and some sunshine) rolled around so we headed out for a day of wandering and a hike up Table Rock.

Since we didn't make any plans for Memorial Day other than relaxing, I took the opportunity to whip up a quick tour of our home.

Entryway/stairs

Kitchen/entryway

The kitchen!

More kitchen

Kitchen/dining. Excuse the ugly table and chairs!

Living room/dining

Living room

Living room from the stairs

This one is actually from a couple nights ago when Chris let a hornet in the house.
The dogs and I took refuge in the office until it was dispatched.

Master bedroom

Backyard

Play time!

Project of the Week: Mantle Art
Free shipping and 20% off at Art.com plus a 40% off coupon to Joann Fabrics meant that I was ready to implement my plan for an addition to our living room artwork. I found a print online and purchased an appropriately large canvas and some Tacky Spray at Joann's. The edges of the canvas were prepped with black latex paint, and spray adhesive was used to secure the print to the canvas (smoothing out any bubbles along the way).

In other news...

We lost our first softball game last week, but it was to a team that had requested a transfer into a more competitive league. I had a bit of a rough night and ended up with bruises from getting in the way of a couple line drives. On the bright side, I earned the respect of the "serious" players on our team by continuing to play after taking a line drive to the forearm that ricocheted directly into my throat. Luckily those areas didn't bruise as much as my leg.

Softball: 1, Me: 0

"But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for,
Is their monument to-day, and for aye."

Thomas Dunn English