fall potpourri

This time I don't have a big, or small for that matter, project reveal.  I just have some random things to share. Since my friend tells me that I speak in "list form" many times, I will go with a numbered list here.

Things I have done since my last post:

1.  My mower has been broken for some time now.  Because of this, I have had a high school kid mow the grass several times, and I have borrowed my neighbor's mower several times.  We noticed gas was coming out near the fuel line.  The "gina-of-all-trades" part of me went to Farm and Fleet and bought a new fuel line and installed it.  Well, the standard hose in the package was too big, so back to Farm and Fleet I went.  I brought the old hose and clamps to see if I could get the right size.  They sold me a piece of yellow tubing.  I came back home and put that on and turned on the fuel line.  That is when I realized that the old fuel line was not the problem, it was leaking at the next spot when it went into the carburetor.  I felt this was beyond my knowledge and I would take it to Farm and Fleet for the diagnosis and the cost.  They had it for about three weeks and called me with the news.  Initially he said it would be about $350 because in addition to the carburetor, it needed a tune-up and the blade needed to be sharpened.  I promptly told him that I want to know what it will cost to fix what is broken and that is all.  They called me two days later and said $190.  I picked up the mower and the quote a few days later.  Then I was speaking with a friend that tends to fix his own stuff too and he came over to take a look at the problem.  He took off the carburetor and realized the pin/needle was broken and therefore the float was not doing its job in stopping the gas flow.  Next, I brought the carburetor to Bradley Mowers to get a price on the needle/float kit and a fuel line.  Eddie said it would be about $65.  Now THAT I can handle.  He was supposed to order it last week and I have yet to hear from him.  I am hopeful that the part will be in this week and my friend can come over and get it changed out. I do like my Lawn-Boy Mower.  I will be happy to finish the season with my own mower.

2.  Last weekend I rearranged my bedroom.  That was a big undertaking!  I don't know why, but my bedroom is the dustiest room in the house so that meant moving furniture and really cleaning, like wiping the walls off too!  There are two places my bed can be and the place it used to be just covered my register. Now it is out into the center of my room from the front window.  It is growing on me so I will keep it like this for a while.  I will have to do the plastic-over-the-window-to-keep-the-drafty-cold-winter-air-out thing. I was going to change my room around after I painted and got new carpet but I don't know when that will happen.  Maybe in the spring.

3.  My next big project will be to make a headboard for my bed.  I have been without one for many years.  I sold it with the dresser and nightstand so as to keep the set together.  I have no room for large furniture in my room.  Luckily I do have a large closet that takes the full wall so I am good with clothing storage.  I did see plain closet doors in the storage attic.  The ones on my closet are mirrored.  I am considering putting the plain ones up.  There are three so maybe I will keep the front one mirrored and change out the back two. We'll see.

4.  Also when I rearranged my room I moved my desk and re-ran all of my cords.  I used the bread bag closure to label the plug in ends.  Then if I need to unplug something I am not having to follow the cord to the right plug.

5.  I have a Reebok exercise ball as my desk chair.  I like it!  It is blue and it matches my walls.

6.  Tonight I went to remove the doggie door panel to clean and adjust the doors/windows.  I cleaned out the sunroom then took the screws out of the door to remove it and I realized that it is weatherstripped to the jamb side, then weatherstripped to the other side so the slider seals into that stripping.  So after that fail I got a cardboard roll from wrapping paper to vacuum the webs and spiders out from that overlapped space that door creates since it is not closed all the way.  I taped the cardboard roll to the ShopVac and flattened it enough to slide it in between to suck all that junk out.  I am not able to clean the glass in there but at least the bugs and webs are gone.

7.  Be sure to check out the new Google search.  Enter "Bacon number Gregory Peck" or any famous person (no quotes though) and Google will return the number of connections between Kevin Bacon and the famous person.  Fun times.

8.  I was home at lunch on Thursday and the water dish was empty so after I filled it, Denim promptly got a drink and Meshach patiently waited in line.  Notice Denim is drinking out of the water dish stand I converted from an IKEA chair.  (You can see that space were the door overlaps with the fixed panel in #6 above.)

They are in line...adorable!  The boys are so good.  Here is a cute picture of Fondue and Tucker too.

It is time for ice cream folks!  I hope you are enjoying this last weekend of summer even though the evening weather is very fall-like!  I wore a hoodie last night...it was awesome!

Oh, one more thing...My son and his wife called tonight.  They will be closing on their first house at the end of October. I am very excited for them!

Ciao!

My triple play

In my last blog entry I mentioned that I was tackling three projects for the weekend.  I actually finished two on the weekend and the third on Tuesday night.  I had to do a slight modification and buy more paint so that took an extra day or two.

First Project:  Padded top for wire dog crate
We have four dogs.  All very different breeds and very different dog-alities.  (Do dogs have a person-ality? I think not.)  Two of them are crated at night.  They need their own rooms as well as that down time to just be. Fondue has a plastic-type crate and it sits next to the piano.  He is a Jack Russell Terror (no misspelling here, although he is much better since he is on Prozac) so his crate is a small one.  Meshach (no, we don't have a Shadrack or an Abednago, just Meshach) has a large wire crate since he is a Blab (bloodhound lab mix) breed.  His crate is near Fondue's and behind the tall table which serves mainly as Mindy's desk. Oftentimes, Mindy will set shoes, bookbags, papers, and such on Meshach's crate.  Mind you, this is a cage crate with the appealing black metal cage look.  It doesn't happen often, but things have fallen through the wires. I thought an upholstered top would be nice to fasten to his crate. I already had a piece of wood that was a little bigger than the crate.  Then I bought two pieces of foam and some material at Hobby Lobby and headed home.  This was a no brainer.  I simply trimmed the wood to slightly bigger than the crate, glued the foam on top, then wrapped the fabric and stapled it.  Here are a few pictures.

 

I figured it wasn't a piece that will be sat on so I didn't feel I needed thick foam or anything too fancy.  Here are a few pictures of the stapling of the fabric.  Again, nothing fancy in the stapling job or the selection of the material.

   

Here is the final reveal.

So far, so good.  I also hammered in a couple of staples to the underside and attached it with zip ties so the top doesn't float around.

Second Project: Adding a shelf to the linen closet

This one is nothing big so there are no pictures.  My friend gave me a shelf months ago to add to my linen closet.  This weekend I cut two cleats and screwed them to the wall.  Then I measured the existing shelves and cut the new one to the same length and put it in the shelf resting on the cleats.  Nothing exciting but certainly a project that is part of my triple play.  Once I get the linen closet cleaned and organized with the new shelf, I may post a picture.

Third Project: Creating a scarf hanger.

I sort of have a scarf collection.  I have scarves from India, Morocco, England, Kenya, Thailand, as well as from the Bourbonnais and Chicagoland areas.  I think it is a great accessory to have.  I have a few different ways I wear them and have a Youtube video that shows 24 ways to wear a scarf. Some of these are repeated but this is where I get different styles. I would hang my scarves on a hanger folded in half or on some scarf rings that I have accumulated. They take up a lot of room, yet they are colorful and I thought it would be nice to have them out kind of on display.  This was my first inspiration but I didn't like the fact that this was a rusty old wrought iron fence piece that would be displaying my scarves. I don't want them to snag on any rough spots.

So I started to think about a wide ladder and using that as a hanger.  I purchased a piece of wood for the rails and then a couple of dowels.  I measure the space where I would hang it in my bedroom.  Here are some pictures of the construction.

     

And the finished project: a scarf ladder.

These are most of my scarves.  I have one in my closet and two in my laundry room still.

Enjoy!

table saw 101

Last January I bought a used table saw.  There was one posted on a for-sale fb page along with other tools. I actually first bought a rubber mallet from this guy and when we met for the exchange I asked him about the Craftsman Table Saw that he posted.  I told him that I was interested in it and that I had never used one before.  He said it was a good one and that he used it a lot.  It just had to go because he was losing his shop area.  I told him I would email him.  So I went home and talked to my roommate about it.  It was $150 for an item that was about $600 brand new.  I decided this was a deal I couldn't pass up.  I emailed him and arranged for the buy and the delivery.  It was housed in Manteno, I had no truck, nor the amount of muscle needed to go get it. He was nice enough to deliver it to my garage.  He delivered it along with the user's manual and said it needed a new blade.  I was all set.  Remember, this was January so it was cold and I had no desire to learn how to use the saw in the winter.  Anyway, the garage needed a good cleaning so the table saw could have a permanent spot along with our bicycles and cars, among other things.

Summer came and it was time to clean out that garage.  Things sure accumulate quickly in the garage over the winter.  Then with July being as hot as it was, this project was delayed.  I ended up cleaning half of the garage, then waited about a month to do the other half.  Since I don't have a large garage, I needed a moveable base for the table saw to live on.  I bought one at Sears and assembled it regardless of the instructions.  Then I got three people to lift the saw so I could maneuver it to receive the legs in the right spots.  Success!  The base was perfect.  It has two levers that raise it to roll it out for use.  Then it is lowered for secured use.

Now it was time to ask a friend to come over and teach me how to use the saw.  I have a couple of friends that offered to show me the ropes.  Duane used to work at Olivet years ago.  He brings in his little woodworking jobs to show the ladies in the office.  He makes trivets, boxes, lanterns, as well as larger items like a dining room table, dressers, and nightstands.  He brings in pictures of the larger items.  He is proud of his work.  He does a great job.  When he brings in pieces to show them off, I look at them closely and guess the wood that he used, look at the joints and talk about how he made the item.  It is a fun little game :)

Duane came over last Thursday night.  The first order of business was to change the blade.  Then we went through squaring the blade, angling the blade, and then making cuts.  Basic cross cuts and ripping are what we covered.  Really, just the basics.  I showed him the plans for my first big project, a queen sized headboard.  He looked through the plans and recommended poplar as the wood.  He agreed that it is a basic plan that is good to start with.  Oh, I almost forgot...we also talked about safety with the table saw.  I have safety goggles and ear plugs.  I am never to be in a rush when I am using the table saw.  I will always wait for the blade to stop all the way before I reach for the wood.  If I ever get in a hurry, I just need to stop, count my fingers and be thankful for each one of them.  Duane lost half of his pinky finger back in 2008.  You just can't get them back so there is no need to hurry...no matter what!

Here is a picture of my table saw.  I hope to bring you regular blogs of my DIY projects.  This
weekend I made a cushioned top for a dog crate, I added a shelf to my linen closet, and I made a scarf hanger.  My next blog will be the detail of those as well as the before and after pictures.  

Enjoy!  

Switched

Since I am a single mother of two kids, I am frugal when it comes to home repair.  Projects that I have done in my house include but are not limited to the following:

1.   Change the kitchen faucet to a cool one that pulls out and sprays.

2.    Paint (a lot).

3.    Pull up carpet, pad, and tack strip (saving $300).

4.    Strip wallpaper.

5.    Cut and install wood base.

6.    Lay 18” ceramic tile, grout too.

7.    Install bead board and chair rail.

8.    Hang drywall.

9.    Help a friend install a toilet (and ejector pump) and a pedestal sink in basement.

10.  Assemble various pieces of furniture.

11.  Install replacement ceiling light fixtures.

12.  Change outlets and switches.

13.  Install ceiling fans.

14.  Install mini blinds.

When something needs to be fixed, installed, or updated, I am usually the one to do it.  I will look at some DIY blogs, YouTube videos, ask friends, and even ask employees of Lowes.  As my blog title states, I pretty much do whatever I can do to save paying someone else. 

This weekend I installed a timer switch for my bathroom exhaust fan.  Maybe someone else needs to know how to do this.  One would think the instructions in the box would suffice, but they really don’t.

1.  Turn off the power to the switch at the breaker box.  This is usually done by trial and error because I have never seen an electrical panel that is properly marked.  Why don’t they color code them or number them somehow in both locations?

2.   Remove the switch plate.  Mine happens to have an outlet next to it because when we bought this house there was no exhaust fan in this bathroom.  So I had the installer add an outlet too.

3.   Remove the two screws holding the switch in.  Gently pull out the switch.

 

4.   Unscrew each screw that is holding in the wire.  There should be one on the top and one on the bottom.  If it is an older switch, the wires could be hooked around the screw.  Remove and straighten the wire.  Set switch aside.

5.   On the timer switch, unscrew the two screws so the spaces are open to receive the wires.   Then insert the top wire into the top space and tighten the screw.  Do the same for the bottom wire.

  

6.   Gently press the timer switch into the electrical box and insert top and bottom screw.

7.   Check your face plate and be sure it is in the right place horizontally.  If not, unscrew, press it to the center, and tighten the screws.

 

8.   Reinstall the face plate over the timer switch.

9.   Place the timer guide on post then the thumb switch.

10. Turn the dial, then flip the circuit breaker on.

11. The fan should turn on.

I always feel better when I can do something to improve myself and my home.

Favorite Reads and Authors

I like to read but I am also busy with so many other things so I don't read a lot.  While I am anxiously awaiting a new book from a favorite author, I thought I would share some of my favorites. Maybe you can pick one up, read it, and it may be one of your favorites too.


Author: Lisa Genova
She has written two books that I absolutely love, Still Alice and Left Neglected.  The first book is about a Harvard Psychology professor that has early onset Alzheimer's Disease.  The book is written from her point of view.  It is amazing.  The second book is about a woman who suffers from a traumatic brain injury.  One side of her brain is neglected due to the injury.  This book will change your life.

Book: My Stroke of Insight
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a brain scientist.  This is a story of her own stroke that she suffered one morning at her home along with her miraculous recover.  In my opinion, this is a MUST READ and MUST RECOMMEND to anyone that is affected by a stroke or the stroke of a friend.

Book: Don't Leave Me This Way
This book by Julie Fox Garrison is about her own massive brain hemorrhage and paralyzing stroke when she was in her thirties.  This an excellent of humor being good medicine.  The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it is written in second person.

Book: Season of Second Chances
This book by Diane Meier is a nice read about seasons of life and change.

Book: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
This one is about a 12 year old and how she deals with life with her psychotic mother.  You won't be able to put the book down.  Then you will be sad when it is all over.  Oh, then you will want to visit or move to Savannah, Georgia.

Book:  The Help
Kathryn Stockett wrote this book that is full if interesting characters. Set in Mississippi in 1962, you will live through these characters and never look at chocolate pie the same.  The movie is a fabulous adaptation of the book.  Be sure you read the book first though.

Book:  The Last Lecture
This is truly the last lecture given by Randy Pausch on September 18, 2007.  He lost is battle with pancreatic cancer in July of 2008.  His lecture is titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." You can also watch his lecture here on YouTube.

Author: Mitch Albom
I have read four of his books and will now be getting The Timekeeper and reading it.  I enjoy all of his books and recommend them.  They are very thought provoking books and usually easy reads.

Book: Eat, Pray, Love
This book was read at the right time in my life.  Elizabeth Gilbert authored this book about a particular journey in her life to Italy, India, and Indonesia.  Slow start but a good read.  Don't compare the book to the movie.  I did not like the movie at all.

Book: Every 21 Seconds
Someone suffers from a traumatic brain injury every 21 second.  Brian Sweeney writes about how his life was affected by his own TBI. 


Speakers/Authors: The Women of Faith speakers
I have been to several Women of Faith conferences and I've loved them all.  The speakers, singers, and motivators that they put together for the conferences are outstanding.  I have books from years past and I highly recommend them if you are looking for a more spiritual read.

I am currently waiting for Lisa Genova's newst book called Love Anthony that is coming out late September 2012.  Here is a review.  I watched her book trailer on her fb page (Simon & Schuster) and I am sooo excited about the book.

Keep reading!

Grace

I just have to share about an old/new friend.  Grace was my typing teacher at Eastridge High School when I was a freshman.  I had her typing class for one semester, I think.  She taught typing and shorthand classes at Eastridge for many years.  She retired when the two high schools combined to make Kankakee High School in the fall 1983. I didn't have her for any other class, nor did I see her around town after she retired. While I was fairly shy in my younger days, I am very much a people person now.  I love running into former teachers and chatting for a few minutes when I am out and about.

Here are the pictures of her from my '81 and '82 Eastridge Yearbooks.

 

One of my co-workers is the chaplain for a local retirement facility.  Late last summer she talked about a couple of residents and that the husband was very sick.  He had been battling cancer for eight years.  Eventually she said the wife's name.  It was Grace!  I asked if she had white hair, glasses, slender build, and so forth.  It was Grace!  She mentioned how Grace and David didn't have any children and David was close to going home to Jesus.  I took a picture of my kids and me from Randy's wedding in June and wrote a note and sent it to Grace through Carol, my co-worker. Grace replied the next week with a note about her and her life.  You know, her handwriting hadn't changed a bit in all those years.  Then, in October, David died.  I found out through Carol that Grace never left his side in the eight years that he had cancer.  They would have meals brought up to their apartment.  She was right there with him through it all.  True love.

I decided that I needed Grace in my life and she needed me.  Well, maybe need is a strong word but we could sure enjoy each other’s company regularly.  Carol provides a church service every other Sunday so I decided that I would visit on the opposite Sundays.  My friend and I go visit at about 2:00 and stay for a couple of hours.  We talk about all kinds of stuff too, movies, books, school, teachers, church, faith, my kids.  She loves movies and loves to read.  I found out that she used to be a counselor at UIC before coming to Kankakee.  She tells us about David and how he left so many journals that she has been reading through.  She is a sharp gal!  We hear about their trips to Italy, Israel, Paris, and Asia.  She has been all over!  We hear stories about how poor she was growing up and how she got oranges for Christmas and that was great!  Grace is a treasure! She loves classical music and orchestras.  We've taken her to hear Olivet's gospel choir, KVSO and KVYSO, as well as other orchestral performances.  We also went to Olive Garden for dinner (since we finally got one in Bradley).   This weekend we will be going to IHOP.  She loves Belgian Waffles.

I hope you enjoy these pictures of Grace.

 

I hope you are all staying cool and staying inside today!

Ciao!

Finally finished the bathroom!

We always struggled with the main bathroom in the house.  There were two red heat lamps that could be turned on with the fan that caused the little fairies eyes to glow in the wallpaper.  Creepy. We coped with it and just didn't use the red lights.  That didn't get rid of the fairies though.  Also, the vanity top was long with one sink bowl in the middle...it was blue with white swirls.  A few years ago we stripped the wallpaper and found a velvety wallpaper under that.  What a mess.  We were lucky that there was ceramic wall tile up to about the four foot mark so we were dealing with less than half the wall space. Anyway, we got the wallpaper off, spackled, and painted a khaki color.  We went for a beach theme and found a stipple roller and used a lighter tan over top.  We thought it looked alright at the time.  We also thought the ceiling would be cool if it had a sky/cloud thing going on.  That was just a bad idea all around because we painted it blue and then had clouds painted on that did not look like clouds.  Then we painted the blue over the bad clouds. It sat that way for several years.

 

I had always wanted a two bowl sink in there since Randy and Madi shared that bathroom.  I also did not like the blue and white swirled vanity.  Last summer we found a white two bowl vanity on freecycle with the faucets included.  We went and picked it up and then it sat in the garage for a couple of months.  A friend was able to come over and we installed the new-to-us vanity and got all of the plumbing hooked up.  So now we got rid of the blue sink but still had the sand walls and blue ceiling.  Baby steps, right?

Earlier this spring, maybe March, I bought a new ceiling fan and had arranged for a friend to install it for me. That worked well and got rid of those red heat lamps.  The only problem with that fan now is that it pushes out so much heat that we don't run it.  It has to be rewired: another project for another time.  We also had to sand down the lighter tan paint that we used for a sandy texture before we could paint the new color or the texture paint would show through.  I pulled out my Kirby vacuum sander attachment and Mindy and I took turns sanding.  Once that was complete she taped the trim and tile and I started priming the ceiling and walls.  It took four coats of primer to cover the blue.  Four coats!  The walls just took a couple because we sanded them pretty well and the color was lighter.  We purchased a new khaki paint color for the walls and got a couple of coats on there as well as white for the ceiling.  The bathroom was looking pretty decent by now.

Now it was time to accessorize.  We took a wall tile to Target to match up the blue swirl in the tile with a shower curtain.  We got this really pretty shower curtain that had a gradient blue that matched perfectly. We found a couple of nice floor mats as well at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  We accessorized the vanity with a bowl and some votives.   

 

We finished the bathroom up while Madi was in Africa.  We were quite busy when she was gone! We are pleased with the bathroom now.  No more glowing fairy eyes is a huge improvement.

While she was out

Those of you who know me, know that Madi, my daughter, recently went on a mission trip to Kenya and Tanzania for 18 days. She went with a group through college. She had a fabulous time, wanted to bring all the kids back with her, and she wants to go back again soon! She moved back home from school on May 4th and then left for her mission trip on May 6th. Close your eyes and visualize a 19 year old female’s bedroom on say, May 5th. Imagine her car as well. Exactly! The day she left, Mindy and I decided that we would do a major While You Were Out to her bedroom and car.

Phase one: Emptying her room. Really there is one word for this phase…WOW! I should also point out here that in January of 2012 she went to England on a literary tour and there were still many remnants from THAT trip. She returned two days before starting the spring semester at college and never truly unpacked. When we were halfway through this phase, we realized we had not taken before pictures. Oh well, we couldn’t go back and do that at this point. This empty phase was not a cleaning phase so we pretty much picked up things and stacked them elsewhere…Mindy’s room, my room, even Madi’s bathroom held her stuff. During phase one we went to Lowe’s to select carpeting and installation. We soon found out that the carpet we selected would take 10-14 business days for delivery to Lowe’s, then several days after that for installation; as Asteroid from the Jetson’s would say: Rut ro. We had to move to plan B: select carpet that is in stock at Lowe’s. There isn’t a wide selection, maybe 15 to 20 rolls in all. And of those there were really just a few that were options for Madi’s room. So, we selected one and placed our order. We realized that the selection was perfect when we brought home the 3”x3” sample: the right color tan and enough flecks to hide future spills and messes. We now had several days to get the room all the way empty and remove the old, nasty, stained, gross carpet. Luckily I mentioned that the tack strip around the perimeter is always a pain because Adam (Lowe’s flooring dept. worker) said they can be reused and to leave it! Praise God! A couple of days later, the room was empty. Phase one was complete.

Phase two: Paint the ceiling and have the carpeting installed. When Madi was a tween, she had a loft bed with a desk underneath to maximize her space. During that time she got those glow-in-the-dark stars that you stick on the ceiling. Well, she must have arranged them in a million different patterns on her ceiling because there was sticky stuff and dirty fingerprints all over the area just above where her loft bed used to be. After all, it was the only part she could reach. I had to scrape off some sticky residue that remained and spackle some areas around her room to prepare for the paint. The next night was paint night and the day after that was carpet installation day! Her ceiling fan blades were removed for painting and therefore washed while they were down. They get so dusty! During these days I also got mini blinds for her window. She had a pull shade that never quite worked. Finally, the ceiling was painted, the mini blinds were installed, and the carpet was installed. The Lowe’s carpet installers even vacuumed! Phase two was complete.

Phase three: Moving back the furniture we wanted to keep (bed, chest of drawers, under-bed drawer, and nightstand). Part of our goal was to prepare her room for a 20 year old and remove those items that were teenagery. So that meant the stripy mirror and fuchsia hooks had to go as well as the lime green and hot pink IKEA tables. Luckily we know a certain 12 year old girl who took them off our hands =) We purchased a white shelf unit along with purple and tan bins to replace the tables. She still had stuff that needed a home that everyone else didn’t have to look at. We thought the bins were a great way to pull in some color and make it look grown up. In essence, Phase three was complete.

Phase four: This phase was all me. Mindy thought it best to step out of this one. I would organize her stuff on her nightstand, shelving unit, chest, closet, and under-bed drawer. The under-bed drawer was never one to stay together before. The bottom would fall out from the weight of the stuff that Madi shoved in it. While her room was empty, I repaired the drawer with fabulous Gorilla Glue and clamps. That bottom will NEVER fall out again =) So night after night I would bring in bins, boxes, and baskets from other areas of the house and clean them out, stacking, organizing, throwing away items they contained. That gum wrapper may have come from that cute guy at that concert but it went in the trash when I found it! This took a while, maybe four evenings in all. It was coming together very nicely. During this entire time, we didn’t once post on fb that we were doing this. We told a few people but that is it. We didn’t want Madi catching a whiff of this on fb or from any of her friends. I believe all in all I did five loads of laundry and threw away about 50 individual socks that had no match. Everything finally had a home. I was proud to say that phase four was complete.

Phase five: The final touches. Madi took several hundred pictures when she was in England in January and never really posted them on fb. Mindy was in charge of this phase. She selected six pictures that Madi took and touched up using Lightroom. She played with the color and the composition, cropping them just so. She ordered them from a website to have a metallic finish and be mounted on styrene for frameless hanging. I brought a couple other posters that Madi had to The Learning Tree for Skip to laminate and also purchased some 3M poster hangers since duct tape never worked well. We hung her mirror, new hooks, various pictures/posters, as well as the England collage. Her room was looking very nice. Phase five complete.

Phase six: We decided that we needed to clean out her car too since most of that stuff either belonged in her room at home, or would go back to campus in the fall. We emptied her car and I carefully went through her things organizing them as I had the contents of her bedroom. The campus items went into the basement for safekeeping until late August, trash and recycling went to its appropriate location. As I sorted through her things Mindy armed herself with a roll of paper towels and cleaning sprays. She did call on me to use my putty knife to scrape the gunk out of the cup holders. We still have no clue what it was. It was white and waxy. No clue. We washed her car, vacuumed it out, and filled the gas tank.

A small prize will be awarded to the first reader who correctly guesses how many water bottles I found in her car =)

Welcome home Mads! She absolutely loves her room and her clean car. This type of project will not be happening again.

My journey to take back my maiden name

Back in 2000 when I got divorced, my attorney asked me if I wanted to take back Fiore as my last name.  It didn't take me long to say no because I did not want to create confusion for my 7 and 11 year old kids.  I've worked in the public schools and it is just confusing for them and many, in my opinion.  That was that.  My attorney said nothing more.

After a time, I decided that once they were adults and or married, I would return to Fiore.

Fast forward:  I began asking question last summer about how to go about changing my name back.  I asked attorneys at first and was finding that the price tag started at $1000.  Why in the world would it cost that much?  I was asked by several, why didn't I do it when I got divorced.  I explained my reasoning and was told that I could have done it then but waited to change it with the SSA and driver's license bureau when I was ready.  Now is a fine time to find THAT out.  Oh well.  I wasn't going to settle for $1000 to have an attorney do this for me so I ventured onto the World Wide Web for some answers.  There are so many answers out there I figured this was a simple question and the answers should be there.  I also asked advise from a former legal secretary, a couple of people that have their Juris Doctorate degree but aren't practicing attorney's, as well as my facebook friends.  Boy, did I get answers!  I found an awesome website that literally walked me through the process.  One of my attorney friends recommended that site as well.  I knew I was on my way!  This site created those legal-looking forms that I needed to file.

Okay, so I had some answers, I had my forms, now I needed to find out the process itself.  Well, I called the Circuit Clerk's Office many times until I got all of the answers I needed.  Every one I spoke to there told me that they could not give legal advice and that I could call Prairie State Legal services for legal advice.  I told them (I called several times) that I was not asking them for advice.  I wanted to know the procedure, basically, 1) who do I give these papers to, 2) when does it need to be in the paper, before or after, 3) how much will this cost me and who do I pay.  Really, that is not advice but just procedural.  I started getting answers and taking many notes.  I took names and numbers so I would know who to call when I had more questions to get the right answers.

I found out that it would cost $151 to file the papers at the Circuit Clerk's office.  This had to be done before it went in the paper because the newspaper needed a document from the Clerk's office.  Are ya still with me?  This is where it gets confusing.  So I went to the court house with cash in hand :) and my papers from that handy website.  The gal at the Circuit Clerk's office must have rolled her eyes a dozen times.  I didn't care...I was saving a significant amount of money by doing this myself.  She didn't like my paperwork.  She handed me back papers that were not necessary and then she even printed off a form of her own and had me fill that one out instead.  Fine with me.  I got an eye roll when she asked if it had been published yet.  I told her that I was told I had to file the petition here first.  She took  my money, some papers, gave me a receipt, and I was on my way to the Daily Journal.

When I got to the newspaper all was well until they wanted a copy of the petition with the "filed" stamp on it.  I told her that they didn't give me one because it needs to be published before it was filed.  She said they always have to send people back to the court house for this paper.  Oh, I about fell over when I paid the publication fee...$184.00!  Yep!  It had to run in the newspaper one day for three consecutive weeks.  I really wish I had been sitting.  I think the lady taking care of me heard my jaw hit her counter when she told me the price.  Anyway, thank heavens for plastic because I wasn't prepared for that price.  I left at this point and went back to the courthouse to get the right paper.  Yep, back to the eye roll gal.  She couldn't understand why the Journal needed that paper.  She said we don't have a date yet to put on it since it is not filed yet.  Seems I was in a catch-22 but I was not leaving there until I got the form I needed.  She reluctantly put that day's date on it, stamped it, and sent me on my way.  Back to the newspaper to turn in the correct form.  She charged me that outrageous amount I mentioned before and I left.

I was on my way!!  Woohoo!!  The announcement was to run the next day (Thursday) and the next two Thursday's.  Before I left the Circuit Clerk's office with the right paper I asked what my next step was.  So after the announcement ran for the three times, I picked up the Publisher's Certificate from the Journal on a Friday, March 2nd, and brought it to the Circuit Clerk's Office.  This trip was full of adventures!  I started in the Circuit Clerk's office, then was sent to Judge Albrecht's Clerk on the first floor to get a court date.  I got there and found out that Ardith is her clerk and she was in a court room.  I went to the court room and no one was in there so I asked at the next court room where I could find Ardith.  This gal said she is either in the court room next door or in her office.  So back to her office I went hoping we had just passed each other in the hallway.  Sure enough, her co-workers had just told her that I was looking for her.  When she looked at my publisher's certificate, she said that it was Judge Gerts that does these and sent me to Room 105 for his clerk.  Oh my!  I was determined so I smiled and headed for another office.  After a short wait in this office I scheduled the court date for Judge Gerts to review my petition and make his ruling.  I left with the date of March 27 at 1:30 in court room #104.

Now we wait two and a half weeks for a judge to tell me I could take back my maiden name.  What choice did I have right?  So I get to court at 1:20 on the 28th.  Many colorful characters also had court in room #105 on the 27th at 1:30.  There were even three that came in with orange jumpsuits on, handcuffs and ankle cuffs on.  I simply wanted to take back my maiden name.  Since there were attorneys present and detainees present, they got to go first.  About 2:10 or so Judge Gerts called my case number and I approached the bench.  That Judge Gerts, he's a nice guy don't let anyone tell you differently :) asked me a few questions and signed my petition.  It was all done!  He stated that I needed to get a certified copy from his clerk the next day to change my social security card, driver's license, and other things.  I told her I would see her tomorrow and I left the court room.

It was all official but I needed that proof.  That piece of paper signed by Judge Ronald Gerts.  I still needed that in my hot little hands.  So I waited, what's one more day in this journey that began mid-February.  So on March 28th I ventured to the court house hoping this was my final visit to the circuit clerk's office for my certified copy of the court order.
Eye roller gal:  "That will be $12."
Me:  "Do you take debit?"
Eye roller gal:  "No, cash only."
Me:  (sigh) "I'll be right back."

I went to Jewel and bought a can of Pringles and got cash back.  All this running was on my lunch hour and needed some sort of sustenance.  I felt that the Pringles was a yummy choice.  I went back to the circuit clerk's office with cash in hand.  I kind of smiled when I realized the eye roller gal had gone to lunch, so a different gal took my cash, gave me a receipt, and the beloved certified copy of my legal name change that Judge Ron Gerts signed the previous day.

It was finished. 

Tomato Cheese Ravioli Soup

I've made this several times and it is so easy and delicious I thought it was time to share:

Tomato and Cheese Ravioli Soup 

Ingredients:
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/4-ounce) can fat-free, reduced sodium vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3 cups fresh cheese ravioli or tortellini (about 10 ounces)
1 small zucchini, sliced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation:
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add ravioli, zucchini, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 7 to 8 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender.

I usually double the above recipe and get the larger can of tomatoes since a full package of ravioli and vegetable stock are already doubled.  I have even removed the tomatoes and pureed them in the food processor since some in my family don't care for the chunks of tomatoes.

The above recipe came from here.

I have made a grilled garlic and mozzarella cheese sandwich to go with it.  This is my favorite!  Tonight I made the following recipe and it was also very good.

Stuffed Cheese Bread with Herbs

Take a loaf of crusty bread and slice in half. 
Scoop out the middle, and save the insides for breadcrumbs for use later.
You will need:
2 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp of chopped fresh spinach leaves
1 cup of shredded mozzarella (or your favorite cheese)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
In a bowl, combine the stuffing ingredients and mound into the hollowed out bread.
Put the lid back on the bread to cover and wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Wait until cool enough to slice.

I changed it a little but you can find the original recipe from here.

I love to try new recipes that are simple and delicious.  Both of these are fabulous additions to my recipe book.

Mangia!