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Saturday, July 5, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Using a Caulk Gun
If
you’ve never used a caulk gun, there are a few things to know. The plunger is engaged and disengaged by
simply turning the hooked portion at the back.
On most models there is a cutter. The cutter is to trim the tip of the tube of caulk. When doing so make sure to trim at a good angle and an appropriate sized hole for the project. At the front of most caulk guns there is a wire that swivels out. This is to punch holes in the seal at the top of the tube of caulk. Simply punch it, firmly, several times down the spout.
On most models there is a cutter. The cutter is to trim the tip of the tube of caulk. When doing so make sure to trim at a good angle and an appropriate sized hole for the project. At the front of most caulk guns there is a wire that swivels out. This is to punch holes in the seal at the top of the tube of caulk. Simply punch it, firmly, several times down the spout.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Bread Machine Update
Just a quick update to the Bread Machine Post from earlier this week:
Check out My Dallas Mommy, she has a Amazon deal listing a $70 bread maker for only $22. Pretty nice! Thanks Laura.
Check out My Dallas Mommy, she has a Amazon deal listing a $70 bread maker for only $22. Pretty nice! Thanks Laura.
Amazon~ Oster 2-Pound Expressbake Breadmaker Only $22.49 (Reg $69.99)
Posted by My Dallas Mommy on Thursday, June 26th, 2014 at 12:45 pm
Healthier living (Allergies)
I have a quick tip on what could be a healthy switch off of medication for seasonal allergy suffers. I know we're past the worst of allergy season, but it's never a bad time to make healthier choices.
Every allergy season, since I moved to Texas, has always been an issue for me. About 8 years ago I had such an intense battle with spring and was on so much medication that I finally made the decision to start the process of allergy injections (AKA: Immunotherapy). First I was tested. I had a positive reaction to nearly 20 allergens but oak, cedar, elm, pecan pollen, cottonwood, dogs, cats, and horses were the worst. I was then told that I needed to prepare for a 3-5 year process that would start with an injection a day for 2 weeks and slowly taper back until I was down to an injection a month. And after all that, it isn't necessarily permanent and may only reduce my symptoms. I decided to take two weeks to think it over. Three days later a friend told me to try local honey during my two week wait period. I am not a holistic guy. "Give me the pills". But I figured if I was willing to get hundreds of injections, what's a little honey? I ate a tablespoon a day, over oatmeal or in tea. Within 3 days I had notice a drastic reduction in my symptoms. Without even realizing it, by the end of a week and a half I had stopped taking all over the counter allergy medication. No more falling asleep at work, breathing fine at night, and even able to mow the lawn without suffering. Something that had, in a large way, controlled my life every spring was now no longer an issue...... I cancelled my appointment. I was consistent with my "dosing" for a year and then I started to taper back to the point of a couple tablespoons a week. I've even replaced much, if not all, of the sugar in my recipes with honey. And now I can count on two hands how many times I've needed allergy medication over the past 8 years. Even my 90 year old grandmother, a recent transplant from Arizona, uses the same honey for her allergies and says that if she forgets to take it in the morning she suffers all day long.
The key is local honey. In my case, I started with North Dallas Honey Co. Like I said, it was very affective. When I moved to the Mid Cities area, I found and even more local source, which I highly recommend. There is a small Romanian Orthodox Church, in Colleyville (map), that sells local honey right out front.
There's two sizes. A $10 jar and a $20 jar. Bring cash, as the stand in unmanned and on the honor system. I'll pick up a few $20 jar at a time for us, family and friends, and they seem to last a little over a month.
Every allergy season, since I moved to Texas, has always been an issue for me. About 8 years ago I had such an intense battle with spring and was on so much medication that I finally made the decision to start the process of allergy injections (AKA: Immunotherapy). First I was tested. I had a positive reaction to nearly 20 allergens but oak, cedar, elm, pecan pollen, cottonwood, dogs, cats, and horses were the worst. I was then told that I needed to prepare for a 3-5 year process that would start with an injection a day for 2 weeks and slowly taper back until I was down to an injection a month. And after all that, it isn't necessarily permanent and may only reduce my symptoms. I decided to take two weeks to think it over. Three days later a friend told me to try local honey during my two week wait period. I am not a holistic guy. "Give me the pills". But I figured if I was willing to get hundreds of injections, what's a little honey? I ate a tablespoon a day, over oatmeal or in tea. Within 3 days I had notice a drastic reduction in my symptoms. Without even realizing it, by the end of a week and a half I had stopped taking all over the counter allergy medication. No more falling asleep at work, breathing fine at night, and even able to mow the lawn without suffering. Something that had, in a large way, controlled my life every spring was now no longer an issue...... I cancelled my appointment. I was consistent with my "dosing" for a year and then I started to taper back to the point of a couple tablespoons a week. I've even replaced much, if not all, of the sugar in my recipes with honey. And now I can count on two hands how many times I've needed allergy medication over the past 8 years. Even my 90 year old grandmother, a recent transplant from Arizona, uses the same honey for her allergies and says that if she forgets to take it in the morning she suffers all day long.
The key is local honey. In my case, I started with North Dallas Honey Co. Like I said, it was very affective. When I moved to the Mid Cities area, I found and even more local source, which I highly recommend. There is a small Romanian Orthodox Church, in Colleyville (map), that sells local honey right out front.
Just remember to clean and return the jars when you're done with them. Oh, and if you're looking for something fun to do in November, check out their Romanian Food Festival.
Use and Reuse
Today we're refinishing trash..... Literally. I am a shameless trash picker. If you live near by and you toss a useful, albeit beat up, (fill in the blank) odds are good I'm at least going to slow down and check it out.
This week's find was a small half-round cabinet. It had a price tag still on it from Garden Ridge for $120.
As far as I could tell, it was originally yellow, then painted white, then an attempt at spray painting it black. The result was the gem you see above.
The first thing I needed to do was find a place in the house for it. The place you choose will often dictate the color. I chose this empty space in our powder bath.
This week's find was a small half-round cabinet. It had a price tag still on it from Garden Ridge for $120.
The first thing I needed to do was find a place in the house for it. The place you choose will often dictate the color. I chose this empty space in our powder bath.
The next step was to sand and prime just so I could see what it really looked like. The sand paper will need to be a fine grit, 220 or higher. I have a compressor and a spray gun, so priming and painting for me is a fairly quick process. If you don't have the power tools, then invest in a few good paint brushes and use a gentle touch.
I really liked it in the white but, as I was placing it on a white floor and against a white background, the color had to change. A quick look at the cheep paint section at the big box store turned up a really nice blue-gray for $3.
The cabinet reveled a few dents and a pock marks that gave it some character. Instead of fighting it, I chose to accentuate the roughed up look. One of the keys to distressing, is to add the wear marks in places that make sense. In my case, the top, the edges, and next to the door pulls. This allowed some of the previous colors to show through giving the cabinet a more aged look.
After I finished distressing, I clear coated it and added new hardware. The hardware was the only thing I spent real money on.
Once it was done, a few items from around the house and a purchase or two from Ross finished it off.
Total labor was about 2 hours. And total cost was $18. That includes the accent pieces........ So remember when you're driving around just keep you eyes open, one man's trash and all....
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Bread Machines
Before we move on to bread machines, let's ask the basic question: Why bake your own bread? That's a really easy question for me to answer.... Just go look at the ingredient list on the back of your prepackaged bread. First if you know what each and every ingredient is, you are better than me. Secondly pay attention to how many types of sugar there are, especially in white bread. We were buying one of the most popular brands, until the kids were born, that had 5 types of sugar. I even had to look up some of sugar's aliases to figure it out. Baking bread seemed like a really good, and easy, way to cut some of the crap out of our diet.
Now, let's talk bread machines. The short comment is, these things are awesome. A loaf of basic white can be made for as little as 50c. That includes electricity. You can set it to run while you're away or asleep (fresh bread after work or when you wake up is just excellent). And even the most basic models have a variety of options that allow you customize every recipe.
One of the best things about bread machines, is that they are the speed boats of kitchen appliances. Meaning that people buy them with huge expectations of using them every day and then, after using them 3 times, they sit for years until it's time for a garage sale. And that's when you, the savvy person you are, swoop in and pick it up. If you do a quick look on Craigslist you see that not a one goes for more than $100. Most of them hit in the $20 - $50 range. And Amazon carries brand new models for as low as $65
In our house, for the past 2 years anyway, we'll bake once or twice a week. For those keeping count, somewhere around 75 loaves a year. I use it for basic white and specialty breads alike. The model I own is a mid range, square loaf (they do come in round) model made by Regal. I've had it for 12 years now and have not one complaint. If you take a look at the picture, you'll see that I even taped my most used recipes to the front.
Today was basic white day. It took me 10 mins to add the ingredients. 3 hours later, fresh bread. (Quick tip: no matter what type of bread you're baking, sift the flower after measuring)
Now, let's talk bread machines. The short comment is, these things are awesome. A loaf of basic white can be made for as little as 50c. That includes electricity. You can set it to run while you're away or asleep (fresh bread after work or when you wake up is just excellent). And even the most basic models have a variety of options that allow you customize every recipe.
One of the best things about bread machines, is that they are the speed boats of kitchen appliances. Meaning that people buy them with huge expectations of using them every day and then, after using them 3 times, they sit for years until it's time for a garage sale. And that's when you, the savvy person you are, swoop in and pick it up. If you do a quick look on Craigslist you see that not a one goes for more than $100. Most of them hit in the $20 - $50 range. And Amazon carries brand new models for as low as $65
In our house, for the past 2 years anyway, we'll bake once or twice a week. For those keeping count, somewhere around 75 loaves a year. I use it for basic white and specialty breads alike. The model I own is a mid range, square loaf (they do come in round) model made by Regal. I've had it for 12 years now and have not one complaint. If you take a look at the picture, you'll see that I even taped my most used recipes to the front.
Today was basic white day. It took me 10 mins to add the ingredients. 3 hours later, fresh bread. (Quick tip: no matter what type of bread you're baking, sift the flower after measuring)
I'll post my most used recipe's later, and feel free to send your favorite. But until we talk bread again, go find a bread machine and let me know how it works out for you.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Cheapies and Freebies
When it comes to refinishing busted up furniture or building an item out of repurposed lumber, I'm kind of a trial and error guy with the color. Because I will often make a drastic change halfway through painting/staining, I've grown really tired of wasting $10 - $18 a quart. Or worse yet, $30 - $50 a gallon. This is where other's mistakes can save you HUGE MONEY! Both Lowes and Home Depot have a little, unadvertised, shelf close to the paint counter that houses the mistake paints and stains. These are either products that the store messed up in coloring or, more likely, have been returned because a customer hated it once it was on the wall. I buy a good 75% of my paints and stains this way. If I post a refinished piece of furniture, or a stained outdoor bench, you can bet it's done with the discount stuff. I figure if I'm refinishing a piece of trash or repurposing heavily used lumber, what's the point of getting fancy on the paint.
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