week 3, pin 3

Week of September 23rd:
 Blue "Crystal Meth" Rock Candy (Breaking Bad)
Pin Rating: Excellent for novelty
Cost: $20 (if you have to buy a  $10 candy thermometer, which I did)

Tonight is the series finale of Breaking Bad, so Panda and I decided to give BrBa a proper send-off by trying to make some "Blue Meth" of our own (out of granulated sugar and corn syrup, of course!) for our series finale party.

Our first cook didn't turn out as we hoped.  The recipe instructs you to remove the sugar mixture from heat when the thermometer reaches 285 degrees, but we did not quite do this in time, and within seconds we had over-cooked our candy. 

Even just slightly over-cooking it produced yellowed (or carmalized) candy, so when we added the blue food coloring, our candy turned green. Knowing Lydia would not be pleased, we decided we'd better try again.

For our 2nd cook, we removed the mixture from the heat a few degrees before the recipe called for us to in the hopes we wouldn't have the same green problem.

When we added the food coloring it looked a little green at first, so we added several more ( 5-7) drops of Betty Crocker's blue gel coloring.  We then worried it was going to be too dark, but thankfully it turned the perfect shade of blue!

After pouring the sugar mixture out on the lightly greased cookie sheet, we let it harden and cool for about an hour, it was easy to break apart. We put the broken pieces in a ziplock bag and pounded the candy with  a meat tenderizer until getting the right look.

Over all, I am SUPER PLEASED with this pin!   It was fun, easy, and a great way to send off Walt and Jesse.

half marathon training update

I'm still plugging along at a slow and steady pace. I'm up to 8 miles; tonight I try for 9. Wish me luck!

New Blogger Alert!

A friend of my recently started a blog. She talks recipes, home projects, crafts, life, and all things geeky.  So, to Danielle I give a WarmFuzzy,

"Welcome to the Blogwagon, Geek Chick!"  

Go check out her blog!

Week 2, Pin 2

Week of September 15: Painting door hardware/fixtures
Pin Rating: Excellent!
Cost: $25

After painting my door a beautiful blue, the ugliness of my door handle and mail slot became too obvious to ignore anymore.

Exhibit A

My first plan was to buy new hardware. Then I saw how much a mail slot, door handle, and deadbolt cost, and I decided that my teacher's salary would not adequately cover that and my student loans, so to Pinterest I went. For Pinterest has the answers to all life's problems.

I read a few pins on the subject, and finally decided on the one that takes you to Sherry Petersik's blog, Young House Love.  She had recently spray painted (yes, spray painted!) her hardware, and it worked for her. Her directions were simple and clearly explained.  When she described the motion she used to spray the paint as the motion one would use when spraying their hair with Aqua Net, I knew we spoke the same language.

This weekend, I set out to test her pin, and I am very please with the results. I followed her directions exactly, buying the exact sanding paper, deglosser, and spray paint she suggested, and there were zero snags. So far, I love the look, and hopefully she is correct that the sanding and deglosser will help keep the color.

Here is the finished product, and I am super pleased!  I'm surveying my house for other hardware I can spray paint...

  Exhibit B

Week 1, Pin 1

Week of Sept 8th: Painting  my door.

My door has been an ugly red color for years. Like 30 years. I'm sure it was a beautiful red color 35 years ago, but time has not been kind, and I don't really like the color red.  Inspired by this pin, I finally decided to repaint, and 3 coats later, am happy with the results. My door is now a beautiful blue color!

Pin review: "Meh" I don't actually think this pin told me anything I didn't already know about the painting a door successfully, but I'm glad it was on Pinterest because it's presence served as a nagging reminder that I should just paint the damn door already.  For those clueless about painting, it would be helpful.

Side note: if you get paint on surfaces you did not mean to paint, Goof Off works really well.  Even on concrete... (wa-waaa...). What's life with out a painting mishap or two?

52 Pins Project

I have  Pinterest problem.

 It's so easy to click "pin" on a project idea, recipe, or outfit, but I'm finding it more difficult to actually, you know, make the project, recipe, or outfit.  So, in an attempt to declutter my Pinterest boards, I've decided to complete a 52 Pin Project.  The rules: 52 weeks, 52 pins. Pretty simple. I'll post my projects here!

Away we go!