It's Nearly April and It's Snowing

I feel like hiding until the snow disappears, too!

The title of this post is, regrettably, not a metaphor. This spring time snow must be payback for having such a mild January. We were lucky to barely experience freezing temperatures in January. At the time, I thought it was great. However, usually St. Patrick's Day is my marker for finally being able to relax, to take a sigh of relief, knowing that the snow is melting and all is right with the world. I have been fooled, many times, in my lifetime, when it comes to spring. Spring time in Maine is never terribly predictable. Sometimes, we have an early thaw, but having late snow isn't at all unheard of. I do remember seeing snow covered tulips when I was a little girl. This too shall pass...

While I sit and wait for spring flowers, I can't help but lose myself in the splendour of Pinterest. An innocent search into purple perennials, turns into a full hour of flower pinning, soil and herb searches and plotting out the perfect summer garden. I already have my seeds and bulbs ready to go!
I'm also looking forward to tackling the garage. It hasn't been the same, since we moved into our new home. I still need to have my kitchen floor finished before I can move on to working on the dining room. Just when I think I'm close to having the floor put it, something happens to change the plans. I know that it will be done within the month, at least. In the meantime, I plan on doing some paint
touch-ups and some cleaning and organizing until then. Of course, I also have my list of craft projects that I wish to tackle. So, it is clear to me that I have plenty to keep me busy into the blooming season.

In other news, I got a new camera. So, the quality of my posts should see some improvement....I'm very excited. Finally, if you haven't noticed, I am slowly phasing out my original screen name. Originally, I presented myself as "Lady Toesocks." This was appropriate, because I had an extensive toe sock collection. However, I don't really wear toe socks anymore. Also, on my Facebook page, I began noticing some traffic from people who may have misunderstood exactly what kind of blog I write. So, I removed the images of my toe socks and I'm switching out the name. This is tricky to do all in one swoop, but will be permanent, soon. I figured the name "Caffeinated Housewife" was far more appropriate and it sums me up much better than my previous name. I hope you understand and I thank you for being so very patient. Hopefully, my next post will show you something crafty, but who knows what might inspire me between now and then? Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Figuring Out The Frisky Cat Eye

If you haven't heard the news, we are in the middle of another nasty snow storm. I knew that February had been far too gentle on us for something not to happen in March., I had a feeling winter wouldn't go out without a fight. While I prepare the nights meal, I thought that I would tell you about my latest makeup "trick."
I follow many, many beauty tutorials on youtube. I have a handful of favorites that I have been loyally watching and subscribing to for years. There are a few subjects that I find enjoyable to watch: make-up tutorials, ballet barre tutorials, and cake decorating tutorials. One particular beauty blogger is a gal by the name Sharon Farrell. She is originally from Ireland, but now lives in Australia. Not only is she full of ideas, but watching blogs and tutorials that are filmed in Australia, provide a refreshing change to someone who sees nothing but snow when they look out the window.

A while back, Sharon posted a video in which she tested out a new liquid liner that had a stamp for a cat eye. I loved the idea, and it worked nicely. However, after watching it, I wonder a) how could I find one where I lived and b) what happens when the liner dries out? So, I did a little search on Pinterest and found a blog where a woman made a cat eye stamp using an eraser that is on pencil. I thought that it was a smashing idea, but wanted to improve upon it. Rather than carving out a shape in a small eraser, I decided to use the erasers that you buy to stick on top of your pencils. I found that by resting the eraser on the side and changing the angle in which I cut the eraser, I could make wider and thinner stamps.

I wasn't certain that it would work, but I figured that it wouldn't be a huge loss if the experiment failed. I used liquid liner and applied it to the stamp, then I carefully pressed the stamp to the corners of my eyes, and they actually worked! Now, I understand that this might seem silly to those who have mastered the perfect cat eye. I, however, have great cat-eye days, while other days are total wrecks. Depending on my patience level, and the amount of coffee that I consumed that morning I could either make a cat-eye that would make me look like Catwoman, other days I'd look like Cleopatra, and on other days, I would make a wobbly line, try to correct it, then try to make both eyes match. Before all was said and done, I'd look like I had whiskers reaching my temples, instead of a precise flick.

This stamp is a game changer, for me. I keep four of them, attached to both ends of an unsharpened pencil, at my vanity; for those days when I'm feeling a but more adventurous. I'll take some photos and share an update so that you may see how it works.
...Three days later- I stopped composing my blog, as I wanted to eat my dinner and was very worried that we would lose power, due to the storm. Fortunately for us, the power stayed on during the storm. Now, it is St. Patrick's Day! I heard a Chickadee calling for a Phoebe, today, which signifies to me that Spring is certainly coming. However, there might be more snow coming over the weekend. Ordinarily, the snow starts to swiftly melt away on St. Patrick's Day. This year is different,sometimes we have winters like this. Today, I going to make soda bread for my parents, place some corned beef into the crockpot, deliver the soda bread, go to the thrift store, and  help some friends with painting the inside of their house. Then, I am going to make some Reubens, bake a cheesecake and "maybe" watch The Secret of Roan Inish, It's going to be a very busy weekend! Enjoy the holiday and have a fantastic weekend. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Early Spring Cleaning

After the holiday season had finally calmed down, we still had numerous birthdays, Valentines Day and the Superbowl to experience. It seemed as though I was spending a great deal of time either planning special dinners, baking desserts, planning parties or cleaning up after parties. When everything finally calmed to a slow crawl, I realized that I couldn't wait for Spring to finally get here. Even though Punxsutawney Phil declared that winter was still here, I was ready to see it go. Then, we had a blizzard... I mean, really?  In an effort to fool myself into thinking that Spring was here, I decided to get a jump start on my Spring cleaning. That way, once the season does actually change, I can focus my energy on other projects. I have been organizing my kitchen. When we moved into the house, we were focusing more on moving in and less on making things perfect. Now that we have everything here and (mostly) unpacked, I can move things into proper order.

 I really wanted to get my kitchen in order, since I spend so much of my time in that room. I wanted to make it more organized so that I would have an easier time when I am baking and cooking. In a cupboard next to the stove, I keep my spices, herbs and baking supplies. The contents of the cupboard were sort of organized, but not in a way that I felt was tidy enough. I went to the Dollar Tree and purchased small bins and I used those to hold loose items and to wrangle my herbs and spices. Now, the middle shelf it dedicated to cooking items, while the bottom shelf is reserved for baking articles. Everything it easily within reach and much easier to find.

Inspired by a Pinterest pin, I organized my measuring spoons. I always had a difficult time finding the size that I needed. I have several collections of measuring spoons and they were all thrown into a drawer. I attached mountable hooks that I found at Walmart onto the inside of the cupboard door and organized all my spoons by size. Now, when I need a 1/2 teaspoon, it is so much easier finding one. I also added a list of substitutions that I had printed, out long ago. This way, if I ever discover that I am missing an ingredient, I can quickly look up a substitute. It is very handy having everything within an arms reach. 

Now that my cupboards are tidy, and I've moved my measuring spoons, my kitchen drawers are far less of a mess. We will be putting the new flooring in the kitchen soon, too. This will make the kitchen renovation nearly complete. Hopefully, by the time Spring actually does get here, I will be able to share before and after pictures of my kitchen. It certainly has come a long way! I look forward to sharing it with you. Until next time~ Toodahloo!