Curling your hair with a sock!

Are you sure you read that title correctly? Yup, I said curl your hair with a sock!  Here's how:

First, you need an old sock.  I used one of my son's that no longer fits.  Cut off the toe.

Then cut the rounded part off of the toe, creating a little band.

It will look something like this:

Use the band to put your freshly washed and dried hair up into a high pony tail up high on your head like this:

Take the sock and roll it down into a little donut kinda like they used to roll down socks way back when.   Slip it over your pony tail and bring it down to the base.  Forgot to take a picture of it, but you need to lightly spritz your hair with water.

Then pull it up toward the ceiling, stopping just short of the ends of your hair.

This next part is kinda hard to explain, but you're going to try to wrap your hair downward around the sock and roll it down into a bun. 

 As you can see, a few stray hairs tend to fly about.  It does take some practice.  Once you get them tucked in, you can just roll it all down like a bun.  

You don't even need to use anything to hold it in.  It stays in by itself!

Then just go to bed!  It's so comfy to sleep in because it's at the top of your head.  No bulky curlers to lay on!  Ouch!  The next morning, gently unroll the bun.

Rake your hands through your hair and be shocked at the volume and curls!  My pictures were really dark and you couldn't see the curls, so I had to mess with the brightness and contrast, hence the crappy photos.

Here's what it looks like with a clip in my hair.

And here's what my hair normally looks like.  It actually doesn't take up a lot of the length like normal curlers would.

This looks really nice on people with longer hair.  It gives that loose ringlet look that is so popular, but with minimal effort.  It is also ideal for those who bathe at night.  I can't really get away with that as my hair starts smelling oily half way through the day, but it was a nice change!

DIY Jahng Bong/Bo Staff

Okay, first of all, you might be asking yourself what a jahng bong is!  Well, it's a staff my son uses at Tae Kwon Do with more and more frequency lately.  A couple of months ago, before our TKD tournament, Master K told us we should probably purchase one, so we did.  It's 5 foot long and a little less fancy than those shown below. This is the one we use for what is called 'forms' and 'creative weapons'.  This staff is not used for fighting.

Then, the week after the tournament, the kids started using some thicker jahng bongs that the studio has on hand.  These are staffs that are used for fighting, meaning their staffs will whack against their opponent's. They basically look like a thick broom stick, or dowel that has been stained brown.  Again, it was suggested that we get one of our own.  We don't have to purchase weapons often, so this came as an unpleasant surprise to my wallet!  Considering we had just spent a hefty $60 on the 'nice' one, there was no way I could afford to buy another one.  Besides, it looked so easy to make.  So, here's my version...only a pimped out version of a jahng bong!

I started by buying a 1 1/4" x 6 foot wooden dowel.  This one is made of poplar and pretty durable.  It cost $6.48 at Menards.

I then marked off a line about a foot down.  The staff is supposed to be the height of the child, or a few inches taller.  Tommy is about 4' 6", so I just made it 5 foot because he's obviously only going to get taller.

I then wrapped around some painter's tape.  This helps to stop the wood from splintering when cut.

Then I cut the excess off with a hacksaw.  I saved the 1 foot scrap for another project. Or to whack my husband with while he sleeps.  ;)

I peeled the tape off and sanded the cut end to make it as smooth as possible.

Then I sanded the whole staff to smooth it all out so my baby boy wouldn't get any slivers!

I then painted the whole staff black using a sponge brush and some leftover paint we had lying around.

While it was drying, I found a template for some flames online and cut them out with an Xacto knife.

I taped it around the base of each end of the staff.

I traced around it with a white pencil while holding the 'stencil' down. This would be a great time to have one of those fancy machines that cuts out sticky vinyl pages so I could have used the inverse and just painted away! Sigh.

So, I then gave it a coat of white acrylic paint on each end as a sort of primer.  I knew covering that black paint was going to be a chore!  I actually ended up doing two coats.

Then I gave it a coat of yellow, figuring I'd layer the colors on.  I've never done flames before, so this was a real experiment!

I then added a watered-down layer of orange.  Because the paint was drying in between coats (due to the time-consuming design and the unusual shape of my 'canvas'), I was worried how I was going to blend these layers together.  I haven't painted anything in years, so my technique is not the greatest.  I ended up using a damp paper towel to 'scrub' in between layers to smooth out the transition between colors.

I then side-loaded a brush with water and red paint and attempted to blend the red in.  Deciding the flames needed more red, I painted in a little more red at the tips of the flames.  You can see it better in the next picture.

Then I realized my black portions in between were really looking muddled because of all the layers, so I decided I had to re-paint those in with black.  What a pain.

I then moved my little artpiece outside and propped it up on a couple of plastic baskets.  Using a clear lacquer, I sprayed the staff several several several times, phew!

After letting it dry, I could finally take a picture of Tommy's new Jahng Bong!  My only worry now is that it's too nice to use for 'whacking'.  The first chip it gets on it will be painful for me, lol!  But hey, the thing cost me about $8 in all and Tommy LOVES it, so I guess I can't complain!  I'll try to get a picture of him in his uniform using his new staff tomorrow at TKD.

Making a grass skirt for pennies

A few weeks ago, Tommy's school was having Hawaiian day.  People wear all sorts of crazy get-ups on 'spirit days'.  I only had a floppy flowered hat, but Tommy wanted more.  The problem was, I had no spare money to spend at the time, so we had to get creative.  He decided he needed a grass skirt!  Yes, a moment of "ohhh, gawd...is he gonna get laughed out of class?!?" did cross my mind, but he was insistent.

Since he's only in 1st grade, I figured he'd be okay with his choice.  Besides, our school has lots of spirit.  Even the 6th grade boys were dressed up, so all is well.

Anyway, you may or may not know that in my spare time, I am a Stampin' UP demonstrator.  Every time I get a shipment, I get this big long piece of brown paper that is perforated every 10 inches or so for easy tearing on the packer's part.  I've been saving it up, wanting to find a use for it and I think I've finally found it!  You could just use some of that brown paper that comes on a roll.  I started by making a crude measurement by wrapping the paper around my son twice, then tore it off at that length.  I then zig-zag folded it and smoothed it down as flat as I could make it like so: 

I then folded it into thirds, leaving the edge where the waist would be, sticking out and away from the area I intended on cutting.  I cut at about every 3/4" or so. Looking back, 1/2" would have looked better.

I then attempted to cut it into strips with my guillotine cutter, having to stop before it cut all the way through.  In all reality, it was too thick and I had to sort of chop chop chop to get it to go through even part of it.

I ended up having to cut it the rest of the way with scissors.  The guillotine did save me hand a bunch of cramps from the scissors though.  Did you know it's impossible to take a picture of your hands while actually using scissors?  I'm holding right-handed scissors in place with my left hand while taking the picture.  Like you just had to see those scissors in order to know where to cut, right?!

I then unfolded it and it looked pretty good!

But some pieces were sticking down extra long and I have no clue why.  I had all the edges lined up.  Maybe they broke off, no clue.  So, I just gave it a quick hair cut.

Since there is a perforation that could easily come apart every 10", I decided I had better tape them for reinforcement.  It's hard to see, but I just taped them front and back.  This will help to hold the layers together, too.

Then I had to deal with how to make a 'waist' out of this thing!  I lined up my edges and folded the end over about an inch, inch and a half, intending on making a tube for my jute to go through.

 I cut a piece of jute about two feet longer than the width of my skirt, then lay it down in the valley of the fold.

Then I folded the paper over twice to encase the jute.

And taped it down along the inside.

Because the jute could slide back and forth, I decided to put a couple of staples in to hold it in place.

I then pushed the staples flat so they wouldn't poke/scratch my son.  I then put a piece of tape over them for added protection.

I held up my new grass skirt and it was lookin' pretty good!

I wrapped it around Tommy twice and tied it with the jute and it looked great!

Tommy gave it a hula-hula test for good measure!

He said everyone liked his skirt at school and no one teased him.  He had a fun day...

until he got in trouble for hula-hula-ing too much and disrupted the class and got it taken away, lol.

We actually still have the skirt for another occasion, if needed.  I feel good about recycling what would be trash and spent only a few pennies on the whole thing!  What kind of trash have you turned into treasure?  Fun, isn't it?

Dyeing Easter eggs without the kit

Okay, so this post is a little late, but maybe you can use it next Easter.  This year, we decided to dye eggs at home like we always do, but with products we already had on hand.  You'll need:

Hard-boiled eggs, of course
Hot water (from the boiled eggs...save it)
Vinegar
Food Coloring (I used the little dropper kind that comes in a box of 4)
Cups and spoons
Paper towels
Old Egg Carton

I used more water than I needed for boiling my eggs because I knew I wanted to recycle that water to dye my eggs!  Just pour your boiling water into your cups.

Pour in a couple of tablespoons of vinegar into each cup.

Add in a few drops of dye until you achieve the desired color.

Gently lower your eggs into the hot water using a large spoon, which I forgot to take a picture of.  You can draw on your egg with a crayon beforehand if you want a special message.

After letting egg sit in the water/dye bath for a few minutes, give it a check to see if it's to your liking.

I LOVE this one for its message!

Give your son a "Do you really think we need that on an egg?!" look when he writes AC/DC on one of the eggs!  Make a mental note that from the eyebrows to the chin, you have the exact same profile, being glad your sagging neck is accidentally covered by your hand.  Then be embarrassed that you are wearing your husband's pit-stained white undershirt in order to save your 'normal' shirt from getting dye on it, lol!

Use your old egg carton as a drying rack and voila!  You are done!

This dozen eggs cost just pennies to dye.  While the cheap little kits at the store aren't terribly expensive, I figured I still saved $2 to $3 by doing it ourselves.  The dye is more intense than those little fizzy tabs, too!

Water and Milk Kefir, an introduction

Ever heard of kefir?  Well, I hadn't until a few months ago.  I assumed it's some wacky drink that only crispety-crunchy hippie-types drink.  Truth be told, I'm starting to believe I'm headed that way myself! That's a good thing if it means the road to improved health!  I'm gonna tell you a little bit about it, then in a day or two, I'll post the recipe for both milk and water kefir.  There's so much to tell, it can get a little confusing, so I'll try to make it as simple as I can.  Remember, I'm a newbie, too.

The word 'kefir' (pronounced 'kuh-feer') comes from the Turkish word for 'good feeling' or 'good life'. It is believed that the drink originated in the Caucasus mountains.  These people were living to be over 100 years old and it is believed to be because of kefir!  People have been drinking this fermented/cultured drink for ages, yet interestingly, it only seems to have become popular in the US more recently.  The health benefits of kefir are many. One reason to drink it is the large amount of probiotics it supplies.

Probiotic is a fancy way of saying good/healthy bacteria that consumes bad bacteria in our gut and intestines. If you have problems with regularity, kefir can help.  It's also good for those with acid problems, ulcers, colitis, diarrhea and candida.  I, myself, am going to attempt to wean myself off of my antacid using kefir.  I'll let you know how that goes, but that's a post for another day.

There are two types of kefir.  Water kefir and milk kefir. They both come in 'grain' form and feed on sugars. Water grains feed on regular sugar whereas the milk kefir grains feed on lactose, or milk sugars. The word 'grains' can be a bit misleading because it leads us to believe they're like a grain of wheat. Granuals would be a bit more accurate.  Water kefir grains are whiteish, yellowish, or orange-ish and remind me of those little things you can buy for plants to retain moisture in the soil.  They tend to take on the color of whatever sweetener you use to feed it.  They're somewhat rubbery in texture.  See photo below:

Milk kefir grains are white and more clumped together, like mini heads of cauliflower.  The texture is a bit spongey.  See photo below:

It's important to know that the two types of grains are not interchangeable.  Milk grains are for milk/dairy kefir and water grains are for water kefir.  You can purchase them at Cultures for Health, from eBay, or get some from a friend.

One thing I wished someone had told me back when I purchased my kefir grains was that you HAVE to work your way up as far as consuming it.  You can't just guzzle down a cup and a half of it on day one. Trust me, I tried it. I had the weirdest 'rock in my gut' feeling all day and a terrible headache and acheyness all night and the following day.  

What I didn't realize is that my body was going through what is called 'die off'.  No, my body wasn't dying off, although I AM getting old! But the bad bacteria was!  And when that happens, it tends to dump the ickies into your system.  Those nasty bacteria present themselves by giving you headaches, muscle aches and flu-like symptoms.  Not fun at all!  Some people have no symptoms of die-off.  Lucky ducks!

For adults, it is best to start with something like 1T for a few days, then try 2T for a few days, etc...until you work your way up to the amount you desire to drink every day.  I found this to work well for me.  I also started drinking it at night, just in case it did bother my gut a bit.  Never woke me up, so I'm assuming all is well in bacteria-land.

You might be wondering what kefir tastes like.  Since I have only tasted the water kefir so far, I can tell you it reminds me a tad of kombucha, which reminds me of a very watered down, barely-sweetened vinegar.  Doesn't sound too appealing?  Well, it's not, in all honesty.  But I know it's good for me!  I know this isn't the healthiest thing to do, but in order to get my water kefir in for the day, I have been mixing mine with my homemade sugar-free 'soda pop'.  That way, I can't taste it at all.  People claim they actually start craving this drink.  I'm not there yet.  I haven't tasted the milk kefir yet, but I've heard it tastes like a thin yogurt and is ideal for smoothies. Since the water kefir was bothering my tummy at first, I didn't dare add the milk kefir, too.

So, how do you make the kefir?  That post is coming soon!  I thought I'd just give you some basics before I introduced you to my strange new experiment, lol!

A boy and his dog...

After a long night of no sleep, my baby boy has bags under his eyes!

When looking for ways to save money, I highly suggest against getting a new pet!   Pets can be costly to take care of, they eat your furniture if left unattended for 5 minutes, they get hair on everything in sight and they make house cleaning take longer.  However, having a pet can add years to your life, lower your blood pressure, and certainly add to the quality of your life!  They're always happy to see you and think you are the best person in the whole world!  So the benefits definitely outweigh the cost.

I've always had a pet and cannot imagine life without one, honestly. Every child needs a pet, but every BOY needs a dog!  There's an unbreakable bond between the two scamps and the special memories last a lifetime.  It teaches children responsibility and that there are other living beings in the world besides them!  When we got our first dog, Sissy, the change in my son was immediate.  He learned responsibility, compassion and tenderness.  Well, when he wasn't playing bite-attack with the her!  In case you've never played that game, it's where you lightly slap your hands across the dog's nose until she starts play biting and growling excessively, sending my son into fits of hysterical laughter!  Strangely, they both seem to love the game!

Now that we have added another puppy dawg, Tommy will have double the trouble with which to contend!   THIS is Happy the gas station dog!

What?!  You didn't get your last pet at the local Shell station?  We did!  Well, that's where we first met him.  We actually picked him up later at the peoples' house.  Two young adults were holding a couple of puppies and my son and I stopped to comment on how cute they were.  They asked us if we wanted one...FREE.  Of course, my son jumped up and down excitedly, saying yes yes yes!  I told them thanks but my hubby would never allow it.  I texted my husband a picture for the heck of it and shockingly, he said yes!  We picked Happy up that night!  As a disclaimer, I think aliens may have taken over my hubby's brain that day.

Happy (aka Haps, the Hapster, Snappy, Bitey Pants) is so sweet-natured and definitely cute!  He's part lab, part border collie, so he's going to be a high-energy dog! After two sleepless nights, we figured out to put him in the kennel at night and he sleeps all night. Phew!  When Sissy was a baby, we had the opposite experience.  She cried and howled the whole time she was in there!  Happers has had a few accidents in the house, which is to be expected.  But the moment his little paws touch the grass outside, he goes potty right away!  That makes Mommy very happy!