Happy Mother’s Day to every one of you awesome Moms, (as well as to the Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, and other caregivers who act as Moms)! Have an amazing day, let your family wait on you hand and foot, and be sure to drink all the mimosas you want! ❤️
Howdy, friends! I hope everyone is still healthy and holding up well under whatever your area’s current conditions may be. We’re all okay at my house. A few days ago, I woke up so swollen I couldn’t walk, but by the time I was able to get in to see my rheumatologist, things started to get a wee bit better. (It was a little creepy sitting in the waiting room with other people, though most of us were wearing masks). My doctor ordered the standard Lupus blood work, and my sed rate and CRP levels (which measure inflammation markers) were about three times the highest “normal range” number, so that explains things. At any rate, I started a steroid pack, and am feeling much better now.
Last week, I started discussing my “artsy” projects. I forgot to mention that as far as the house repair or remodel projects that we’ve undertaken, I found the most awesome website called See Jane Drill, and it’s geared toward teaching novices how to do carpentry jobs. The woman who teaches in the videos is a master craftswoman and a journeyman plasterer, and she’s an amazing teacher! She’ll tell you to “mix the drywall with water until it’s the consistency of pancake batter or buttercream icing,” and you know exactly what to do. As a matter of fact, she’s not just for the ladies! My son now watches her for tips for the jobs he does around the house.
But moving along, not too long ago, I shared how Sister Michelle and I were making and selling homemade soaps, but I didn’t tell you where we store them. Originally, we just had a small variety of fragrances, and those were fine to store in a closet somewhere. But when we decided on making our favorite twenty-two designs and scents, we needed a dedicated place to keep them, and it needed to be conveniently located where guests could peruse them if they wanted to purchase any. We agreed that it would be pretty cool if we could find an old library card cabinet and do something with it, but any we found had a large price tag and took up a lot of room.
So, I started searching YouTube for hacks to make my own. Turns out Ikea had a cute little “blank canvas” which gave me a good jumping in point.
We purchased five of them and Sister Michelle painted them black. I then turned the drawers around backward so the little finger hole didn’t show. I bought some black, white, grey, and red scrapbook papers and lined each drawer then covered the front of each drawer to match the lining. I made sure some papers were textured to add to the visual interest.
I purchased three types of card holder drawer handles, and after deciding how to arrange each drawer and which type of handle to use, drilled the holes and installed the handles. I attempted to use the grinder to cut of the backs of the screws inside each drawer, but the tool was too large and bulky for the thin wood, so I found a Dremel bit that worked well.
All told, I’m pleased with how it turned out, and I believe it looks good in my living room. Each drawer holds seven or eight bars of soap (depending on if they are beveled or wavy cut). When the drawers on the top are especially full of heavy soap, it does get a little difficult to open and close the lower drawers, but once a few bars are removed, they all work fine. And, of course, when I start to mention “my soap box,” I can weed out the crowd if I don’t want to be around them because they will assume I’m talking about getting up on the other soap box.
Let’s talk: Do you ever look for furniture hacks on the internet? Have you ever re-purposed or refinished a piece of furniture to make it look completely different than it looked before? Have you ever heard of See Jane Drill? Have you had to see a doctor since the Covid-19 outbreak hit your area?
Hello, friends. It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted after my recent “big comeback tour,” and I apologize. I’m sure we’ve each been dealing with Covid-19 issues, whatever they may be, in our own little corners of the world, and I was no exception. Thankfully, I have not been infected. I was, however, afraid my daughter was. She had been sick for more than two weeks, and the Health Department and hospital refused to test her because she hadn’t been out of the country in the past month. Nearly three weeks in, she was finally able to get tested, and turns out she had the flu but was thankfully negative for Coronavirus.
You’ve also probably heard a lot about Hydroxychloroquine in the news lately. I happen to take that to manage my Lupus, and even though some rumors were out there that people with Lupus could not get Coronavirus for this reason, several in a couple of Lupus groups I’m in who also take this medicine have turned up positive, and one case was pretty serious. And then the “fatal side effects” news came along. So, between worrying about my kiddo as well as dealing with the stress of my medication being on shortage when I needed a refill, and then stressing over the idea that it causes heart issues, my Lupus went into a full-blown flare, and I was pretty much incapacitated these last weeks.
Anyhoozle, I’ve been waiting to get all the other stuff out of the way that I’ve been saving up to blog about so that I could start sharing the “artsy” stuff I’ve been doing around the house. That time has come. It’s such an extreme difference in how it feels to finally own a house versus having always rented. It really inspires me to create. It also inspires Sister Michelle to utilize all her talents to their finest, such as painting the walls and trim, replacing the plumbing, etc. (among her other many talents), and it brings out Son Jeremy’s magnificent ability to watch YouTube and learn a new skill then conquer the heck out of it on the first try (such as replacing all the baseboards and crown molding). As for me, my skill is in seeing a space and envisioning it to be something else, then making that happen.
When we moved in, there was a 90s “wall cubby” in the kitchen that was being used by the previous owner as a computer station. But that wasn’t for us. I wanted a large pantry that looked a lot more modern than the 1997 build-date of my house. We hired a contractor to frame it out, and unfortunately, that was our first realization that contractors: 1) are difficult to find; 2) will likely drive up the price after they make a quote; and 3) may not hesitate to take advantage of women because they think we don’t know what they’re talking about.
The contractor who framed out our pantry: 1) didn’t make sure the door was level (not 45 degree angles around the door); 2) knew I intended to add shelves on both sides, yet didn’t add any additional bracing studs to hold shelves (which were obviously intended to hold heavy items such as cans); and 3) did not even tape and mud where the new walls met the existing wall, leaving large gaps. As it turned out, his knockdown texture also didn’t match the existing pattern size, so I bought a hopper and skim-coated everything and re-textured it (and later, just about the entire house).
After Sister Michelle and I figured out the best way to get the shelves up and be sturdy, she painted and I got busy on the computer designing a transom window. I bought a thick piece of glass and took it to a vinyl cutting shop where they printed and affixed my design, then I bought a sheet of frosted glass stick-on and applied it to the back of the glass, then had Michelle assist while I built the window frame. She painted it, then with Jeremy’s help, she installed it, and I found the fancy corner brackets on Etsy (pictured in the bottom photo).
As for the inside, I got some different sized plastic bins and added chalkboard decals and wrote whatever categories of food would go in them with a white paint marker. For the bins behind the first row, I made additional labels that I affixed to wooden clothespins so that the contents could be seen at a glance.
If you can see the wine shelf above, you don’t need to tell me that the bottles should be stored on their side… I know I need to build or buy something to lay them flat in, but I haven’t gotten to that yet. Eventually, we hope to remodel the island area of the kitchen and add a wine refrigerator to the cabinet area underneath.
Let’s talk: How are you and your family holding up under the Pandemic? Have you ever used a drywall hopper to texture a wall? When was the last time you made a significant change to your house?
(In the early days, William’s attitude frequently got him into trouble… Wonder if he had the dreaded Coronavirus?)
Keep washing your hands, stay six feet apart, and have a splendid weekend, friends!
Hello, friends. A few of weeks ago, I encouraged fellow writers (and anyone else who wanted to play along) to write a short story to accompany the writing prompt I featured and then allow me to interview them. As with many things new, a lot of times people like to wait until they see someone else dip their toe in the water before they take the plunge. But I anticipated as much when I put the challenge out there. So, rather than waiting for someone to be the first to respond to my writing prompt, I’m jumping right into the interview mode, without the homework. Today, I’d like to introduce you to one of my newest blogging sisters as well as one of the most artistic and creative photographers I know, Sandra.
Please tell us your name and the links to your blog, website, Facebook fan page, Twitter, etc. When did you start photography? What motivated you to undertake learning all you could about photography?
Thank you again for having me over Rachel! My name is Sandra. I have been posting on Square One Notes since 2010. I have a Twitter account, my handle is: @squareonenotes although I’ve taken a social media hiatus lately. WordPress is currently my only regular haunt.
As far as my picture collection goes, the backstory is that my husband Erik bought me a Nikon for Christmas about five years ago. I took a class to learn how to use it and have enjoyed experimenting with it ever since.
Sandra
Do you offer any of your photos for sale? If so, please share the link(s) to purchase your work:
I’m more of an enthusiast/hobbyist. I don’t consider myself a pro. I share my pictures on my blog. Taking pictures gets me out of my head. It allows me to disappear into my surroundings instead of my thoughts. It’s become a daily practice. I really enjoy it.
One of Sandra’s beautiful photographs!
What is the one thing you have done and the one thing you have not done during the course of your life that would most surprise (or shock) your readers?
I have set off the fire alarm more than once while cooking a meal.
I have not had a drink in 17 months!
What is the one thing you have done and the one thing you have not done during the course of your life that would most surprise (or shock) your mother?
I regularly serve store bought tortillas to my family. My mom always made them for us from scratch. They are so delicious when they are homemade but they are time consuming and labor intensive. Sorry mom, it’s true.
I did not always go to bed on time. In the days of call waiting I would dial up the lady who tells the time so my friends could beep into the line without the phone ringing so we could talk when I should have been sleeping.
If you could travel through time, what is one thing you wish you could tell your younger self, and would your younger self listen?
I would have given my younger self the money to buy tickets to that Nirvana concert I missed right before Kurt killed himself. I didn’t go because I was a broke college student at the time. Still makes me sad that he is gone.
If you had one year to prepare, which record do you think you would have the best shot at breaking in the Guinness Book of World Records? Have you ever actually attempted to break a world record at anything?
I have never attempted breaking a record. I loved reading this book when I was a kid. I think I would have the best shot at breaking the record for most t-shirts worn at once. It would make my concert t-shirt collection famous!
I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing time with you Rachel! Thank you for welcoming me so warmly to your blog!
Xoxo,
Sandra
***
Thank you, Sandra, for answering my questions with such fun responses! I hope everyone else has enjoyed getting to know you as much as I have. (If I could talk to your and my own younger selves, I’d have gotten together the money and gone to that concert with you!)… By the way, I if anyone’s looking for me, I think I’m going to Sandra’s mom’s house for dinner! 😍
(If YOU would like to be featured in an upcoming interview, please visit my Call to Writers for details.)
Have a lovely weekend, friends!
I tried this last month, but didn’t get a big response. So, let’s try this again. (And, no, it’s not an April Fool’s Day joke.)
The following announcement is geared mainly toward my writer friends. Of course, if you’re not a writer, you’re still welcome to read, reply, and play along, but if you are a writer, you might have a particular interest in what I have to say today.
In the past, one of my more popular blog features has been my author interviews. Not only did these help draw new traffic to my blog, but they helped market your work to a broader audience. I’ve decided to start a new feature called “Writing Prompt Wednesdays” wherein I will post a writing prompt, either text or pictorial, on the first Wednesday of each month.
I invite you to then take (click to open in a new tab, then right click and save) the prompt over to your own blog and use it to write a short story – say (roughly) between 100 and 800 words, telling what happened to lead up to the prompt, what happened after the prompt, why the prompt, or anything else relevant to the prompt. Then reply to my post with the link to your post and be sure to include your email address so I can interview you. For each subsequent Wednesday for the rest of the month, I’ll select one of your responses to feature on my blog along with an interview with you and the links to where we can purchase your work.
April’s Writing Prompt:
Click on this image to open in a new tab, then right click to save.
Actual history of this photo: This awesome guy actually drives this Radio Flyer car around town, and I see him every so often. He always gets a lot of looks, stares, honks, thumbs up, and people stopping traffic to get their cameras out and photograph him. I think it looks really cool, but I’m afraid I’d be too embarrassed to drive it. Bit I would love to know what it looks like inside.
Photo: ©R. Carrera
Let’s talk: Will you be participating in my Writing Prompt Wednesdays? Would you have taken a photo of this “wagon” if you saw it driving down the road? Would you ride in it? What’s the strangest motor vehicle you’ve ever owned?
I do realize I need to clean the glass on my front door. But, putting that aside, look:
How rude! Good thing I didn’t clean the glass yet, or I’d have to do it again to get the slime off. (But seriously, he’s still small enough to be cute. When the larger guys come to the door, that’s not as photo worthy.)
Let’s talk: Cute or creepy? Have you ever eaten frog legs? How are you and your family holding up? What’s changed this week in your city?
Have a wonderful weekend, friends!
(If you didn’t get my attempt at humor, please let me know and I’ll explain.)
Happy Throwback Thursday, friends! Ever since my daughter Stefani was little, jokes about feet were our “Mommy-Daughter Thing.” Every Christmas stocking, Easter basket, or birthday gift bag I ever gave her always included a little something foot-related. They were always just stupid little insignificant things, like a foot-shaped eraser, but they were one of the ways I let her know I loved her.
That’s my lovely daughter!
A couple of years ago for Christmas, I’d done all my shopping except for the “foot thing” I’d forgotten. So, to remedy the situation, I got on Amazon and found the ugliest pair of feet socks you’ve ever seen. Actually, they were “feety foot shoe socks.” The socks were, for the most part, flesh-colored, and the top over the feet were feet slid into pink flip-flops, and the bottom part under the feet were the bottom of the flip-flops. Hideous, right?
Well, after I submitted my order, I got a message that they would, in fact, not be here in time for Christmas. We had Christmas that year, and I kind of forgot all about the “feety foot shoe socks” until sometime in late January when they arrived. I opened the package and removed one sock and inspected it. It was goofy and cheap, but otherwise, not remarkable. It had a right foot painted on top, and a shoe bottom painted on the bottom.
Here’s what they were supposed to look like, top and bottom
Then I removed the other sock. I laughed so hard, I might have wet myself. [I will nether confirm or deny if I really wet myself.] The second sock also had a right foot painted on top. It also had another right foot painted on the bottom! All told, we had three right feet tops, and one foot bottom. I giggled the whole time that I wrapped the “feety foot shoe socks” up then called my daughter to come over for a surprise. When she opened them, we both laughed so hard, our bodies were shaking uncontrollably, and we weren’t making any noise. It was that hilarious!
But instead, here was what we received.
And here, you can see each top and bottom together.
Let’s talk: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever ordered that was different than what you expected when you received it? Have you ever laughed so hard you didn’t make a sound? Do you name certain things odd names like “feety foot shoe socks?” Do you have a certain repetitive inside joke “thing” with one or more of your kiddos?
Rachel Carrera, Novelist 