Finally Friday

A shout out to my high school BFF, Angie, who now lives in Australia. I received this in the mail at the beginning of February, and it made my day!
Thanks Ange! I loved reading from you (follow up from this post) and I realized that you read my blog! 

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

Crock pot to the rescue this weekend. On Friday, we talked about slow cooker meals at lab. I came home and decided to make a slow cooker meal. Poor planning for Friday's dinner, but great for the weekend. I didn't have to cook this weekend and could run errands and work around the house.
I made a pineapple chicken - canned pineapple chunks with the juice, chicken breast, sliced onion, sliced carrots, sliced yellow pepper, a few dashes of soy sauce, and a few dashes of teriyaki sauce. Cook on high for about 4 hours until chicken is cooked. Serve with rice, and add dashes of tabasco. I had recently purchased some quick cooking rice - I didn't like it as much as regular rice, mostly because I couldn't get the directions right.

Bottle Project - Part 2

So the goal of this project was to create centerpieces from empty glass bottles. The idea is to use the bottles as vases, which means cutting the bottle. This involved some trial and a lot of errors.
If you do this, please use safety glasses, work gloves, common sense. Have a sink full of water and make sure that the fire extinguisher is on hand. After cutting, the edge is really sharp. Since these are purely ornamental and we don't plan to touch them, we are forgoing the sanding step. No one was hurt during this project.

Sunday Feb 12 - trial 1: using fire to score the bottle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHWYjMlYH50
Basically soak a piece of twine (I used crochet yarn) in acetone (I used 70% rubbing alcohol), and tie the twine around the bottle. Set the twine on fire to "score" the bottle. Then drop the bottle in a sink full of cold water. Tried this with a beer bottle (yes, I tried it with the label on). It worked!

Saturday Feb 18 - trial 2: proceed with a wine bottle. Tried three different kinds of wine bottles and relighting the twine several times. Nothing. This wouldn't even score/crack/scratch the bottles. Bummer :(

Sunday Feb 19 - trial 3: bring in the big guns. Well, I went to Micheal's and bought their bottle cutter kit (I had a 50% off coupon from the Sunday paper, and a gift card). The kit has a glass cutting blade on a stand to score the outside of the bottle, and a metal bar that you insert inside the bottle and hit the bottle at the score line from the inside. Tried it on one wine bottle. It worked! Yay!

This is the bottle cutter. Yes, that is a 15 ml Falcon tube. It contains mineral oil. The instruction said to use any household oil (but not cooking oil) between two cuts. Mineral oil is a household oil right?









Monday Feb 20 - trial 4: uh oh. The  metal bar did not want to go in the other types of bottles. We tried putting the bottles in hot water and then in cold water after scoring it, but to no avail. Bummer :(


This is the metal bar. The loop at the bottom is the part that you use to hit the bottle. It is also the part that will not fit through the neck of some bottles. 













Sunday Feb 25 - trial 5: The idea is if the tool didn't work, I would return it and scrap this project. I scored the bottle with the tool, then used a candle to heat the bottle at the score line. Then I ran some tap water on the score line and it worked! Yay!

I cut all the bottles that I had in the house (only greenish and clear ones) in less than 2 hours. In Part 1, there were the champagne bottles that had residue that would not come off the bottle. I cut those as well. I figured I could use some pretty ribbon or scrapbook paper to go around the bottles and hide the residue.









Next trial: This technique produced some sharp and rough edges. Most of the time it happened when I heated one spot too long and it stressed the bottle beyond the score line. I just saw a YouTube tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFXngPx3w3M)where after scoring the bottle, you pour hot water on the score line and then run cold water. This produced a smooth edge.
Also, the glass cutter does not produce one continuous score line. I guess that will come with practice. There two models of bottle glass cutter, one at Hobby Lobby and the other at Micheal's. From the YouTube tutorial, it looks like the Hobby Lobby one might be the better tool. Oh well.
Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this.
Tom has to give his approval - he may request that I sand down the edges. I may say no.

Bottle Project - Part 1

Almost all centerpieces have some sort of glass/vase. We decided to forgo buying vases/mason jars etc... and decided to re-use what we have: wine bottles. This a two-part post: Part 1 is removing labels, Part 2 cutting the bottles.
Part 1: Remove labels.
We have a project that has been on going for two years. We have a board that we use to rate beers and wine that we encounter. We also save interesting bottle labels just for fun (like Tom's Dixie Dex corn whiskey).
To remove labels: Put hot water in bottle. Soak the bottle in hot water. Wait for about 10 minutes. If you want to save the label, I recommend peeling the back label (if you don't care for it) and start at one corner. Experiment with that one, before peeling the front one. If the back one is not peeling easily, put it back to soak.

Note: this is not always successful. I feel that there are five outcomes:

1. Success. The label is off the bottle, with no residue on the bottle. This is easier with glossy labels. I found that local wines also come off easily.

2. Success. The label is off the bottle but there is residue on the bottle. Use some elbow grease and a kitchen sponge and try to rub off the residue. BFF Laura's mom taught me that the damp corner of a kitchen cloth works wonders to get this off.
3. Same as part 2, except that no matter how much you rub, the residue will not come up. This is great if you don't care for the bottle.
4. Part success. The label tears but you can fix it with decoupage glue. Let it dry after peeling and then try to put it back together.
5. Failure. The label is ruined. The residue will or will not come off.

I think a lot of it has to do with luck - you never know which labels will come off easily. The above picture was a champagne bottle. All three had the same result. You can still read the label (not shown) but it is super thin since most of the label stayed on the bottle. I couldn't get all of the residue off.
Part 2, coming up tomorrow. 

Project List update

I have updated the project list. I've added more things than I crossed out :( One of the major hurdles is not having a sewing machine, an issue that will be resolved next weekend. Fingers crossed. The other hurdle is Pinterest: you will be the death of me. I keep finding new crafts to do for the wedding. I am currently tackling centerpieces, hanging decorations, and invitations (save the dates are almost done). I'll have pictures soon.


Projects that I'm working on:

My bedroom:

Get new curtains - I still have to sew the backing to my curtains since I'm hoping that a thicker curtain will help with cooling costs in the summer 
Rearrange furniture
Organize crafts
Organize paperwork
Shred and file documents

Closet room:

Go through clothes and put clothes in the donation box
Donate the donation box
Go shopping for new clothes

Pantry:

Replenish pantry
Organize pantry

Kitchen:

Organize kitchen - new set of Sterilite drawers from Walmart, I love you (plus made in the USA)
Take glass to the recycling center

Entryway (downstairs):

Organize shoes - done! Thanks to a new hanging shoe organizer
Re-do curtains

Entryway (upstairs):

Shred documents
Organize documents
Clean out our junk boxes - mine done; now nagging Tom
New system for notes - courtesy of a new dry erase board
Add shelf back to the leaning ladder

Living room:

Organize coffee table compartments
Find a corner for shopping lists, coupons, bills, etc... (financial center)
Take down football velcro board
New window treatment
Organize the appliance closet

Crafts:

Frame Packer stocks
Frame pictures of Packer game
Frame portrait pictures
Wedding invitations
Cut glass bottles (preferably before I go to the recycling center)

Garden:

Throw away old plants
Clean pots and planters
Start new seedlings I am waiting for the last chance of frost to pass to plant the remaining seeds
Pick out seeds with Tom

Tasty Tuesday

Some of the things that happened in the kitchen:
1. A new-ish restaurant in Five Points had a PBJ french toast - that sounded yummy. I tried to recreate it in the kitchen at the beginning of the month and it was okay. I think my proportions of peanut butter and jam were a bit off. I would like to try this again.
2. We had taco night, and we ran out of tortillas, I added the meat to cooked pasta and adjusted the seasoning and added some chopped green onions. 
3. I attended my first lab potluck on February 14, which we called "we love Science" day. I attempted a spaghetti squash casserole and was pleasantly surprised at the result. I loved it.
4. On the morning of Feb 11, Tom and I went to visit our wedding location, and we fell in love with it. So we wrote the check and booked the date. We then celebrated with brunch at Cosmos. I had the NOLA Eggs Benedict, which came with andouille sausage and crawfish, and gouda grits and hash browns.
5. Also this month, I've been craving seafood. I would say I've eaten at the Fish Market 4 times this month already. It so happened that the last two Thursdays, Tom and I have been sitting at the bar eating oysters and other delicious foods while meeting new people.
6. For today (Mardi Gras), I got King Cake from Wholefoods.

February Recap

Has it been two weeks since my last post? Time flies. Here is a recap from the past two weeks:
1. Work:
The new job is going well and I am getting along well with my fellow colleagues. It's a big change with a sharp learning curve. Something strange happened - I am more confident in my abilities to conduct the experiment and offer troubleshooting suggestions.
Jennifer worked relentlessly on the review paper, which was submitted last week. Hopefully it will be accepted and that will make it three papers for me.
2. Garden:
We have two new additions - an aloe vera plant and a succulent/cacti garden.
3. Walking: According to Commutesmart.org, I walked 22 times, carpooled 4 times, and drove alone twice. This means that out of the past 14 days, I walked 11 days. 22 miles plus extras on some days when I walk to lunch or to get paperwork signed.
4. Crafts: Our portraits (Payal and I) have been framed. I've been playing with different versions of the wedding invitations and save the dates. I just have to mock up a complete set for Tom. I am also creating our own centerpieces. More on this after the Pinterest Challenge party next week. I will post an updated to-do list over the weekend. Jennifer had a Superbowl Party, which culminated in her allowing Emily, Stacy, and I pick through her huge stash of scrapbook supplies. I may need more storage furniture...shh don't tell Tom.
5. Wedding: Yes, we have a date (April 27, 2013) and yes, we have a location in Birmingham, AL. We will have a Mauritian wedding as well but that date hasn't been set yet.

Ooh and remember to "laissez les bons temps rouler" tomorrow for Mardi Gras! Eat King Cake!

More incentives to walk

Oh Monday! Today was spent at the Medical Towers sitting through orientation. I was running late and all I could see as I walked in the room was coffee! And the orientation leader came to talk to me and I was just going through the motions of talking without even looking up to look at the guy, who was warning me that I needed a lot of coffee to get me through orientation. Little did I know that the guy was my friend Matt (seen in this post, except without the facial hair). It was a pleasant surprise.
Anyways, among all the forms and the pamphlets was two that provided incentives to walk.
First, parking at UAB for employees costs $50 a month (the last time I paid for student parking, it was $100 a year).
Second, was Commute Smart: a program that rewards you for taking cleaner alternatives to work. For the first 90 days that I am in the program, I get $1 for every day that I take a cleaner alternative to work (in my case, if I walk to work), up to $70. After the 90 day period, I will be eligible for a $25 gift card every three months. That's a pretty good incentive! I save on parking and gas, plus get some $ back. I signed up a few minutes ago.

Yes, the summer will be a pain, but we'll deal with that when we get there.

Project list

Projects that I'm working on:

My bedroom:

Get new curtains - I still have to sew the backing to my curtains since I'm hoping that a thicker curtain will help with cooling costs in the summer 
Rearrange furniture
Organize paperwork
Shred  and file documents

Closet room:

Go through clothes and put clothes in the donation box
Donate the donation box

Pantry:

Replenish pantry
Organize pantry

Kitchen:

Organize kitchen - new set of Sterilite drawers from Walmart, I love you (plus made in the USA)
Take glass to the recycling center

Entryway (downstairs):

Organize shoes - done! Thanks to a new hanging shoe organizer
Re-do curtains

Entryway (upstairs):

Shred documents
Organize documents
Clean out our junk boxes
New system for notes - courtesy of a new dry erase board
Add shelf back to the leaning ladder

Living room:

Organize coffee table compartments
Find a corner for shopping lists, coupons, bills, etc... (financial center)
Take down football velcro board
Organize the appliance closet

Crafts:

Frame Packer stocks
Frame pictures of Packer game
Frame portrait pictures
Wedding invitations
Cut glass bottles (preferably before I go to the recycling center)

Garden:

Throw away old plants
Clean pots and planters
Start new seedlings

So far all my organizing/decorating needs have only required two new pieces of furniture (the plastic drawer thingy for the kitchen, and a small bookshelf for my room). I'm keeping my receipts so that I can share my budget.

I'll post pictures when I'm done with each room/part of the house. Tom's room doesn't get a makeover. I have plans for his room and I will share those with you once I tell him about them :)