Butter Coffee and other Internet Finds

I am not talking about Cyber Monday Internet finds.  I am talking about ideas I found while browsing and on Pinterest.  You can find anything on the Internet!  How did I live without it?   OH MY!

QUIRKY

Yesterday at Walmart I noticed a cardboard display of interesting items.  The display was between stacks of beer and the dairy items (of all places).  The word "QUIRKY" caught my attention.  The items on display ranged from $2 to $30.  I pickup up an earbud wrap for $2.

Most of the time my earbuds are like this.

I tried the toilet paper roll storage.  This idea is good for storing cords in a drawer, but doesn't work for carrying in my purse.

The Wrapster,  an earbud wrap from Quirky. is great.  I checked out the website and found more interesting items.  Quirky is a company that helps people get good ideas to market.  I ended up ordering more Wrapsters and couple other things.


DECORATING MUGS

I found these decorative mugs on Poppytalk, thru Pinterest.

I liked the look and was pleased to find out that they were easy to make.  It just takes cups, water and nail polish.

I still need to do some cleanup (with nail polish remover), but I am happy with my first try.

BUTTER COFFEE

Yes, I said BUTTER COFFEE.   I think I first saw this as a suggested link at the bottom of a news page.  I LOVE coffee...usually hot, strong, no sugar, no cream.  Every once in a while I will splurge and get a latte or cappuccino or Cuban coffee.  But Butter Coffee?  I had to look into it.  It was made popular by a company called BulletProof Coffee.  I did some searching and came up with this recipe:

    1 cup coffee 
    1 tablespoon Kerry Gold no salt butter
    1 tablespoon coconut oil
    2 teaspoons sugar

    Mix in blender

I will admit it took me a few days to work up the guts to make this.  This morning I felt brave.  I used our morning coffee,  The coconut oil I have on hand for making soap.  And the butter was easy to find at the grocery store.

BEST COFFEE EVER!  Plus according to WellnessMama, coconut oil is very healthy.  I think the butter and sugar cancels out the "healthy".

What Interesting Ideas Have You Found On The Internet?

Myrtle Beach FORE!

Myrtle Beach 2014 was a winner.  This is the fourth year for a week of golfing, eating and a little shopping.  In case you missed previous years blogs...Myrtle Beach, Golf, Golf ... Fore! and Myrtle Beach 3.0.

The same people...Bonnie, Barb, Monica from OHIO and me from FLORIDA.  We stayed in Bonnie's timeshare at the Wyndham Westwinds, on the beach.  Any time of the day the view was great.

GOLFING

We golfed at some fun and challenging courses this year.  We got great rates on our tee times using Barb's Myrtle Beach Golf Passport.   Thanks, Barb!

Golf has the best playing field of any sport...the landscaping, the views, the animals.  We saw all our old favorites...fox squirrels, alligators, turtle and birds.

BLACK BEAR

Our golfing started Sunday at Black Bear.  The course was wet after a full day of rain on Saturday.  We had an afternoon tee time and found out it was cart-path only.  That made for a cold windy day with LOTS of walking.  Thankfully after the first nine, we got to drive on the fairway.  Otherwise, I am not sure we could have finished before dark.  Barb and Bonnie made the first pars (3rd hole, par 3).  I had a par on another par 3.  Monica didn't get any pars, but she had the lowest number of putts and the lowest score.  Barb and Bonnie each had 6 one putts.

We didn't see any black bears, but there were plenty painted bears to keep us on guard.

PINE LAKES

We had another afternoon tee time at Pine Lakes, but the weather was nicer...less windy and warmer.  Pine Lakes is also called The Granddaddy because it is Myrtle Beach's first golf course.  We talked with a friendly starter who told us he became a chemical engineer when he moved to Myrtle Beach...he specialized in converting beer and whiskey into urine.

This course had lots of water in play.  I had my best score and broke 100 with a 96.  Barb also had her best score of the week here.  The group had a total of 7 pars.  Monica may have like the course better if she didn't put 3 balls in the water on hole 14.

MYRTLEWOOD

The weather continued to warm up and we got a morning tee time.  After our adventures at Pine Lakes with the water, Bonnie declared that she could hit out of sand, not water and that she recommended aiming for the sand.  Good advice, but there wasn't much water in play at Myrtlewood.  Monica and I started out with pars on the first hole.  Monica followed with a par on the second and we both parred hole 17 (a par 3).  Monica had her best score here (93), which was the lowest score for the week.  Her 7 one-putts and low total of 30 putts helped.  The group had a total of 21 one-putts.

THE PEARL

The landscaping at The Pearl was very nice.  Large painted conch shells were used for tee markers.  Bonnie had her best score here.  I chipped in for a par on the 11th hole.

RIVER HILLS

There was another fun starter here.  He started off by saying that it was cart path only, then after we groaned, he said that was for the par 3s.  He went on to tell us that there were restrooms on hole 5 and 13 for the women...restrooms for the men are on holes 1 thru 18, watch out.  

Bonnie noticed this tee shirt in the Pro Shop.  It reminded me of the back nine at Brandywine.  Of course, we started on the back nine...and it was difficult.

Bonnie had 8 one-putts, the highest for the week.  I got a birdie on hole 1, the only birdie of the week.  As a group we had 22 one-putts.  Despite all those achievements, no one had their best score.  Bonnie had a fun time on hole 17 where her ball bounced three times on the rocks before it went into the water.

EATING

Where we eat is as important as where we golf.

Our formula for choosing restaurants was one part Mexican (Mexico Lindo), one part seafood (The Chesapeake House), two parts Italian (Villa Tuscanna and Umberto's), and three parts variety (Joe's Bar and Grill, Flamingo Grill, California Dreaming).

This was the third year for Joe's Bar and Grill.  It was one of my favorites...the almond crusted grouper was the best seafood I had all week.  A new favorite was Umberto's, recommended by Monica's husband.  Before we got our entree, we were served beans, salad and pasta, along with bread.  That alone was a great meal...then came the entrees.  OH MY.  Next time, I will definitely come hungry.

At California Dreaming we all shared a piece of key lime pie.  It reminded me of an easy tasty dessert I make.  

Limeade Pie

    6 oz. frozen limeade concentrate (thawed)

    13 1/2 oz. large cool whip (thawed)

    1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed mile

    1 10-inch graham cracker crust (or two small ones)

Combine the first three ingredients and pour into the crust.  Refrigerate before serving.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The week was filled with good friends, good food, good time and fun golf.  I look forward to next year!

Playing in Sawdust

There are many things I like about living in The Plantation (Leesburg, Florida).    This place keeps me busy (and that is the secret to my happiness).  So many things to do...golf, Mah Jongg, yoga, walking trails, swimming pool, hot tub, fitness center...so little time.  My latest discovery is the Plantation Woodworkers.

I joined this group a few months ago so that I can have access to some great power tools.  Every once in a while I need a power tool to complete a project.   My workspace is limited to a corner in the garage that I share with a golf car, car, motorcycles and an ATV.  The Woodworkers Shop had everything I need and more.

During my orientation, I saw a pattern for an oven tool.  It was the perfect project to start with and learn a few new tools.  Scrap wood is available at the shop (for a small fee).  This project involved a band saw and sander.  It is a nice little kitchen gadget.

Another project involved adding a wood top to a side table I found at a local thrift store.  Back to the scrap wood at the shop.  I used the planer to smooth it, the router to round the edges, added some brace pieces on the bottom, stained and sealed it.  A great little table...and a few more power tools under my belt.

Those projects were just warm ups for a bigger project I have thinking about for a while.  A long time ago I bought a frame for a mosaic craft.  It was one of my first shard art mosaic pieces.  Since then I have done flower pots, mirrors, trivets and even a bowling ball!

My Mom has a mirror (top left in picture) that I made and I wanted to build the wood frame that I purchased.  Another shop member, Tom Winn, volunteered to help me.  This project involved a miter saw, planer...and the TABLE SAW!  I used a dado blade to cut out the inside of the 2 x 4 (where the mosaic pieces sit).   Tom not only showed me how to use the table saw, but he helped me all the way through.  Can you guess which is the original and which is the reproduction?

One of the safety rules of the shop is that you cannot be there alone.   Frequently, I enlist Brian to be my shop buddy.  We both worked on making a guide for cutting our homemade soap.

My favorite project is a wood modern cube planter.  I found it on Pinterest from Vintage Revivals.   I made mine to fit a planter I made in a pottery class nearly 30 years ago.  I didn't use any new tools.  However, instead of using 1" square dowels, I used scrap wood, cut it down on the table saw and routed all the edges.

I inherited my creativity from both of my parents.  But my woodworking inspiration comes from my Dad.  He was very handy...he built the home I grew up in in Ohio and did many projects in his workshop.  He passed away ten years ago, but several times when I was in the shop, smelling the sawdust, I could feel him standing next to me and my first thought was to turn and show him what I had done.  His wood reindeer are my favorite.  Maybe one day I will try to make them.

2014 -- The Year of Groupon Adventures

Groupon gift cards were one of the items on my 2013 Christmas list.  Probably one of the more exciting things on my list.  So I shouldn't have been surprised when I got two nice gift cards from my stepsons, Matt and Dan, and Dan's fiancée, Kelly. (Matt is front left, Dan and Kelly are front right).

For me, a gift card is an adventure.  I enjoy browsing all the possibilites.  My local Groupon market includes Ocala and Orlando...a pretty big area.  Plus, Groupon sells "goods".  So many choices, so much time spent online.  I ended up doing a mix of Groupon Goods, small adventures and BIG ADVENTURES.

I bought Night Sports Light Up golf balls.  These golf balls light up on impact and stay lit for 8 minutes.  They weren't noticeable during the day.  So I invited my neighbor, Phyllis, to try them out at night.  We enjoyed watching them light up and fly down the course (we both live on hole 12 of The Plantation Cranes Roost Golf Course).  The adventure was walking around in the dark retrieving the balls.

I bought a 6-month subscription to MindSparke.  Kinda like Luminosity, but the games and graphics aren't as good.  I liked it, but I kept forgetting to practice.  So now I know I need the brain training to remember to do the brain training.

Another small adventure involved a Hookah for 4 at the Middle Eastern cafe with Mallory, Mike and Michelle (during a trip back home in March).  It sounded exotic, but since none of us are smokers, it wasn't much fun.

I was happy when I found a local Groupon in Downtown Leesburg.  It was for a facial, nice by very basic.  To be honest, I would take a pedicure over a facial.  I love getting a pedicure in Leesburg at TT Nails and Spa.

I also did a couple BIG ADVENTURES.  I bought a deprivation tank session at Total Zen Float in Casselberry, Florida.   You lay in a warm Epsom salt solution, in a large tank that closes to complete darkness, wearing earplugs to cut off all sound.  I like the experience so much that I upgraded to a 4 session bundle.  Floating was  mentally and physically relaxing.  My body felt like I had gotten a massage, mentally I felt like I do after yoga shavasana...with all the benefits of Epsom salts.  I would do it more often, but Total Zen Float is over an hour away.

My last BIG ADVENTURE was a Discovery Flight, a 30-minute small plane ride at First Landings Aviation.    My pilot was Etlan Contreras.  I was a little taken aback by how small and light the airplane was.  Etlan walked the plane out of the hanger.  Oh my, you can't do that with a car!  The take off was smooth.  I started to get nervous when Etlan was describing how to climb and turn.  That was when I realized he was going to turn the controls over to me.  I listened carefully and can say that I am very good at flying straight.  I wasn't about to try to turn or climb...SERIOUSLY!  After a record-breaking 10 seconds, I returned the controls to Etlan.  Then I started to enjoy the flight.  The airport is an hour from my home, but I was able to see some familiar sights.  Lots of fun, but I don't think I will be signing up for a flight lessons.

Thank you Matt, Dan and Kelly.  It has been an adventurous year for this REAL RETIRED HOUSEWIFE OF FLORIDA.  I thought of you guys with each adventure.

Lye + Water + Oil = SOAP

It's That Simple!

My interest in making soap started a year ago.  The Myrtle Beach timeshare I stay in for a yearly Ohio/Florida golf vacation has a wonderful soap.  Each year the ladies and I try to get enough soap to take home a nice supply.  The scent is a light bayberry.

I tried to find the brand online, but failed.  Then I tried to find a commercial or handmade soap with a light bayberry scent, again failed.  I even tried to persuade my daughter and son-in-law, Mallory and Mike, to add a bayberry scent to their  BRÜ BAR handmade beer soap...still failed.  BTW, you can check out their soap on Facebook.

Brian and I decided to try to make our own bayberry soap.  We started researching...watching YouTube videos, reading up on the history of soap and visiting soapmaker's blogs.

Soap is made when you mix an alkaline (LYE) with OILS.  The chemical reaction is called SAPONIFICATION (I love that word!).  Before you get nervous about the LYE...ALL SOAP HAS LYE.  The commercial soap hides the LYE in the ingredients by lisiting Sodium Palmitate.  That's just a fancy name for palm oil and lye.  Any of the "Sodium" ingredients are the oil mixed with lye.  That's an advertising trick to avoid using the word LYE.

We use Crystal's Simple Soap recipe, which includes lard, coconut oil, olive oil, canola oil, lye and water.  You can pick up all these ingredients at the grocery store.  Why, you ask, all the different oils?  Each oil contributes different qualities to the soap (hardness, cleansing, conditioning, bubbly and creamy).

Even though making soap is fun and simple, it is very precise.  All the ingredients need to be measured exactly.  The reason is that if there isn't enough oil, the lye will not be completely converted and the soap could burn your skin.  If there is too little lye, the oils will not be converted and the soap will be oily.  So it is best to use a proven recipe, like Crystal’s Simple Soap.  Also, the recipes we use have  5% extra oil to make sure the lye is converted and the extra oil adds creaminess to the soap.

First we measure and heat the oils in a crock pot . 

Then mix the ingredients with a stick blender until the mixture thickens into a pudding consistency.  The technical term is "comes to trace".

At the end is when you add the fragrance and color.  Each recipe makes enough to for one silicone loaf pan.

The soap needs to stay warm for the next 24 hours.  I cover the top with wax paper and wrap it in a towel.  The next day it is ready to cut!

The soap needs to air dry for 2 to 3 weeks.  This helps harden the soap and guarantees that the saponification is complete (the lye is fully converted).

We started with SIMPLY SOAP, then moved on to some fragrances, SERENITY NOW (lavender) and A DROP OF LEMON (lemon).  I found a bayberry fragrance we use in SLIGHTLY SPICY.  I will take the SLIGHTLY SPICY to Myrtle Beach soon to see if it measures up the hotel soap.

Hot Florida ... Cool Garage

One of my concerns about moving to Florida was the hot weather.  Summer is my least favorite season...hot and muggy.  Brian assured me that if I couldn't handle the heat, we would get out of Florida.

Here we are in the heat of the summer...high temperatures, high humidity, little breeze.  And I am handling it just fine.  Even playing golf three days a week.

In the afternoon, the hottest place in our house is the garage.  The garage doors (a two-car door and a golf cart door) are non-insulated steel.  The morning sun beats down on the steel doors and pumps up the temperature in the garage to nearly 100 degrees.

Our garage is multi-functioning...park the car and golf cart, trash station, freezer, hot water tank, water filter system, storage and more storage.  Plus, Brian has an area for his motorcycles and ATV.  And I have a craft area.  It is unbearable to work in the garage in the summer.

My solution...insulate the garage doors.  Or technically, install a radiant barrier.  I did all my research for this project on YouTube.  To my surprise, no one did it the same.  In some videos, the foam was thicker, some double the pieces, some glued the foam to the metal, some put the foil side against the steel, some put the foil side out.  All those options made the decisions more difficult.  Finally I had a plan.

I used PERMA"R" 3/4 inch foam board.  The sheets come in 4' x 8' sheets and cost $11.48 a sheet at Lowe's.  Four sheets fit nicely in the back of Brian's truck.

First, cut the foam panels.  My best advice...measure twice, cut once.  You need to measure each panel.  They could be different sizes.  Because of the way the door is made, I cut each panel into two pieces to get it to fit in.

The hardest part was bending the foam panel to get the bottom edge in.  You can create your own technique.  The panels are remarkably bendable.  It took a couple of hours for this project.  Here is what is left over from the 4 pieces of foam board.

For less than $60, the garage is cooler.

The project was a big success.

A Pinterest Party ... Party of One

I am addicted to PINTEREST.  PINTEREST is a free website where you can save images and links from the Web.  These images are called pins.  You organize the pins on boards.  I have boards for crafts, home decorating and recipes.  Oh, but the fun doesn't stop there.  I can search in PINTEREST and look at pins from everyone else's boards.  I spend hours lost in the Land of PINTEREST, drifting from one idea to another.

Some PINTEREST addicts enthusiasts have PINTEREST Parties where they invite friends over, serve recipes and make a craft from their PINTEREST boards.  After a recent adventure in the Land of PINTEREST, I started noticing the things around my house that came from my PINTEREST boards.  It looks like I had a PINTEREST Party...a Party of One.

Here are some pins from my Craft Board (on the left) and my creations (on the right).  Keep in mind that some pins are successful and others aren't.  First there are those pins that look fun and practical, but aren't.
I like "recycle crafts".  I saved toilet paper rolls a long time for this craft.  But the project looked a lot more fun that it actually was.  I ended up "recycling" this frame into the trash.

Other pins are good for one try.  I liked the idea, but how may Crystal Egg Geodes can one person want?

Or where do you put more than one paper clay barnacle?

This paper wreath was quick and easy, plus it covered a window with no view.  But one is enough.

Then there are the pins that are just right.  Oh I do like silver shiny things.  In fact, in one of my first blog entries , I shared examples of my silver leafing projects.  (You might notice there are a few more silver shells now).

Another successful pin was the silver painted refrigerator magnets.

Aren't these silver birds precious.  I made my version by silver leafing porcelain birds I picked up a thrift store.  I thought it would be easy to find the bird chotchkies, but these are the only ones I have found so far.  Another excuse to stop at thrift stores (like I need a reason!)

Not everything has to be silver leafed.  This wreath is FUN!  It's made from coffee stirrers and wire.  No, I didn't try to recycle stirrers from a coffee shop.  I found a pack of 100 at the local grocery store.

PINTEREST has lots of inspiration for my latest crafting adventure...bottle cutting.   I am still practicing on my technique.  This is a project that got me started wanting to cut bottles.  So far the plant hasn't died (which is good for me).

Check out PINTEREST.  It is a fun way to search the Internet.