Baby possum :)

Odd post, but I had to share this adorable picture of a baby possum we found in my yard this weekend (it's on the rake...and was not harmed). My husband was mulching the beds this weekend and ran across this tiny thing with no sign of mom or home. Afraid it might get hurt in all the cleaning, tilling and bag throwing, we placed it behind our iron fence (we live on a creek). This just might have been the cutest thing I've ever seen! My daughters were in love :)

My first food post, Veggie omelet (migas)

I'm no food blogger or chef, but seeing as this is a "Jack of all trades" type of site, I thought I'd start to share any recipes I make up that turn out to be really good.

Today it was a veggie omelette (sort of a Migas inspired dish I made for lunch)

2t vegetable oil
1/3 of a red bell pepper, chopped
2T red onion, chopped
2 corn tortillas, cut into small pieces
2 eggs, beaten
2T cheese, shredded
1/2 of a tomato, chopped
2T green onion, chopped
Salt, pepper & cumin (season to taste)

Cook oil, onion and red bell pepper until they start to soften. Add tortillas and stir until they are coated with mixture. Pour in eggs and season with salt pepper and cumin at this point). Just when it's done, top with cheese, then fold in half as you plate it to help the cheese melt. Top with tomatoes and green onion (I combined those together with a little salt and pepper on the cutting board before I put them on top).

This was soooo good I had to share! 

Paint plugs to help them blend in or coordinate

Yes you can paint plug plates (socket and all) if you are unhappy with the finish. I've posted this before, but it was just a shot of this completed plug (since I had finished the project years ago).

I had two plugs left in my kitchen that I hadn't painted, so I tackled them today. I used Rustoleum hammered metal paint. I would recommend spray paint over house paint because it drys harder and bonds better (being oil based vs. latex, and in my case designed for use on metal).

Here is the shot by shot project.

Tape it off (use paper or plastic, to give you about 12 inches of coverage around the socket).

Lightly spray several coats of your preferred color until you are happy with the coverage (drying for 5 minutes in between coats...you don't want the paint to run).

After the last coat I take the tape off so I can correct any possible overspray or drips before it drys. If you taped well, that won't happen of course :)

Here is the side by side comparison before I did the second plug.

Let it cure 48 hours before you use it! This is important as the bonding and drying process takes time.

So now all of my plugs in my kitchen looked like hammered metal instead of black plastic!  Well, not the ones on my tile backspash, but that's a project for another day :)

Best spray painting tool on the market

At the mere mention of the word spray paint, does your index index start to cramp? Have you spray painted something big enough to require you to switch hands several times? Meet your new best friend, fellow DIY'ers...the spray paint handle.

Summer is coming and many of you will be painting patio or wicker furniture soon. It requires spray paint to get all of the nooks and crannies, and there is only one way to do it without cramping your hand and making the pad of your index finger sore for days.

This little piece of plastic converts the trigger of a spray paint can from using one finger to using four. Such a simple solution, but a lot of people I talk to don't know about it.

If you haven't seen this handy tool hanging on the spray paint aisle at Home Depot and Lowes, it's there, and it's a must own for any home improvement tool box.

Here's a link to one at Amazon...just read the reviews. The best part is that it is very inexpensive and will last you forever (I think I've had mine over 10 years).

Spray Paint Trigger Handle

So before you spray paint ever again, go get one! Your pointer finger will thank me for it :)

The best wine bottle opener I've ever owned

I seriously can not believe I have not blogged about this product before now.

I currently own one of these rechargeable wine bottle openers and it's the best thing to hit my bar since I turned 21 (and I have to admit that wasn't recently :).

I have mine plugged in inside my bar and grab it any time I need to open a bottle.

It's so simple and does all of the work for you.
1. Cut the wrapper with the included cutter.
2. Hold opener down on top of the cork and press the down button until the cork comes out of the bottle.
3. Hold the up bottom until the cork come out of the opener.
4 Return it to its charger.There is seriously no work on your part.

I even take it with me to parties where I am bringing wine to drink. Everyone always comments on how easy it is!

Now I see it's only $11 on Amazon! Rechargeable wine bottle opener at Amazon  Well worth the money!

I think I paid $20, but it was worth that.  Here's mine in the cabinet.

Twine candle holder

Another Pinterest inspiration completed. A twine covered candle holder. I absolutely love this one, and it was completely free (my favorite kind of project).

Here it is lit : )

I actually had a spool of twine that the previous owner of my home left.  It has sat in my garage for at least 8 years now.

I also had these frosted candle holders that I hated but kept because they protect other containers from candle wax.

So this morning I started hot gluing the twine around and around for probably 20 minutes (though it seamed like an hour).  I could hardly believe how great they turned out. I think they look even better because my twine was old and rotting.

Here's the before and after shot:

Tips:

- Glue more times than you think you need to ( I thought I was going to put one spot of glue on the top and one on the bottom, but it's more like 4 times per line at least).

- Use just a little glue at each spot (you don't want to see it through the twine...here's a pic to show how little).

- Glue the entire bottom and top row to keep it from slipping off.

- Glue as needed to keep it all straight (you can manipulate it as you go by gluing and pushing down spots that aren't staying in line).

- If the twine breaks as you go, just glue the end, then glue the new start right next to it (if it's a blunt cut) or a little overlapping (if it is a frayed cut).  The above pic shows a spot where my twine broke...obviously it happened a lot since I've figured out this twine is basically unusable for its original purpose since its so rotten :)

- Depending on your type of twine, you might need to trim hairs off the outside when you are done

- This takes time and patience, which I dont have ver much of, so be prepared for that.

Hope this inspires you like the twine container I pinned inspired me :)

Spa sinks in my master bath

Well I finally got back to the dollar store yesterday, so I have added the river rocks to my master bath sink now. We begin the test to see how they do in sinks where toothpaste is being used. I'll kept you posted. I may have some really cute dirt cover for my patio pots here shortly :)