Whassup?

I have been doing all sorts of stuff and thinking about all sorts of things to post about thanks to life and NPR. For now, I'll bombard you with what I have been doing that is not all work or thought-provoking. It is Friday and my brain is tired after all.

Earlier in the summer my strawberries came in the thin wood quarts instead of the green papery ones that fall apart. I felt like I should do something with them, so I tried out the paint I bought intending it for furniture and then found useful spots for them.

 

I have been looking for something to put my salt & pepper grinders in so they do not make a mess of the counter.

And all those travel games would be easier to dust around if I could move them en masse.

I like the red color, so I went ahead and tried it on a small piece of furniture. My bedroom furniture is on the list to redo, but a couple of the pieces I decided to stain. I think I will use the red on one of the dressers though. This was some inexpensive small shelf that I use as a nightstand now.

A little primer and paint later...

Lessons I learned from painting this: it is difficult to cover white primer with a dark paint. I will totally tint the primer next time. Definitely use a real brush, not a foam brush, for painting. I learned this early enough for coat two of the paint, but ended up with four coats to evenly-ish cover the white primer.

I have also been making fun stuff in the kitchen. When I was working on my grant, I made some tea with flowers (I think maybe hibiscus) that my friend brought me back YEARS ago from the Peace Corps in Africa.

I made it iced and drank it while working on my grant.

I also made refrigerator pickles. You just mix all the stuff in a jar and let it sit for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. No need to boil water and seal the jars. I love these jars, and will likely get more at some point for storing kitchen stuff.

For the first time I have eye insurance and it covers a pair of glasses a year. So I finally got some prescription sunglasses. I feel fancy because they are a designer I have heard of. They make such a difference driving in the sun, and I am sure I will be happy to have them come winter with the sun reflecting off the snow.