DIY Keyboard Wrist Rest

Wrist rest.  Wrist rest.  Wrist rest.  Try saying that five times fast.  

Something I love:  Really simple solutions to everyday problems.

For instance:  My carpal tunnel has flared up.  :(  I needed a new keyboard wrist rest at work.  Rather than spend the next 6 weeks going through the necessary channels to order one, I thought I would just make my own.

The best part was that it is made entirely of things I had on hand:  a small amount of fabric and some rice.  And it's pretty.

Here's how I did it:

For starters, I used a highly sophisticated measuring device to determine the length of my keyboard:

Next, I cut out my fabric pieces, mine were approximately 18" by 4".

I sewed them, right sides together, around all but one short side.

Then, I turned it right side out, and top stitched around the same three sides.

Next, fold the open end in about 3/4", press, and fill with approximately 3 cups of rice.  You can use more or less depending on what level of firmness you want.  We don't fool around when it comes to rice in this house.  I had the giant 25 lb. bag from Costco on hand. 

After it was filled, I top stitched the open end closed, and Voila!  A handy-dandy keyboard wrist rest.  I did the exact same thing for my mouse, and just shortened it so that it would be the appropriate mouse size.

Now, because I love you, and because it's high time I start taking this blog o' mine seriously, I have created a template for you to use in case you desire to make your own handy-dandy keyboard wrist rest.  You can download it here.  Enjoy!

Turtles and Aprons and Ribbons, Oh My!!

I put together a little package to send to Brooke & Truman for their birthdays which are close together actually a month apart, but I had tons and tons of homework and a little gnome stole all my sewing gear and excuses, excuses, excuses am a slacker and could not get the boxes together in time. 

Anyway, I made some homemade turtles.  One for Truman, one for Truman's buddy Khai, and a teeny tiny girl turtle for Khai's new baby sister Rowan.  I am hoping that the turtles were a hit.

Also, I made coordinating mommy and son aprons for Brooke & Truman for cooking, arts and crafts, etc.  I was pleased with the result.  It was a challenge to come up with a fabric combo that works for a two year old boy and his mommy.

Also, Brooke found these cool ribbon toys online, and we decided it made much more sense to make them than to buy them.  They actually turned out pretty cool.

Moose agreed.  I had to convince him that they were not intended to be kitty toys.  Then I got this look:

Weeds

Back when I actually lived in San Diego, I always thought of California Poppies as invasive weeds that would show up every year and bloom wherever the heck they wanted.

Now that I no longer live in California, I find myself actually appreciating them for being so pretty and bright and cheerful.

Okay, Okay, Okay!

Okay!!  I will FINALLY blog about Easter weekend.  Here's what we did:

1.)  We drove back to San Diego late Friday night.  No pics of that, sorry.

2.)  We took my Grandma out to Black Angus for lunch and to visit.  We had delicious food but terrible service.  That seems to pretty much be par for the course at Black Angus. 

3.)  We colored Easter eggs with Travis, Alex and Cindy:

(I made a special one for Moose since he couldn't be there)

4.)  My beautiful niece Natalie was born!!  Which was fabulous timing.  We went to the hospital to meet her on Easter morning:  :)

5.)  We hung out with Brett's fam' on Easter, and the kids had their Easter egg hunt.

(This is part of the fam.  We'll call this a fam faction™)

6.)  Everyone got jolted by a 7.2 earthquake, or whatever magnitude it was, I just remember it was a lot.

7.)  We went to the San Diego Zoo!!

(Here I am just hangin' with the monkeys.  Pun totally intended)

(This is me communing with the wildlife.  I look so comfortable in this situation)

(You Takin' to me?  Man I'm on a roll today.)  

8.)  Then, we met Travis for lunch @ the Zoo.

9.)  We went up to Carlsbad to visit my Dad & Margie and had a yummy dinner.

10.)  We decided on the drive from Carlsbad to Alpine to drive home late that night (Monday) rather than getting up super early on Tuesday to drive home.

11.)  Got a speeding ticket for going just a teensy bit over the speed limit.  In the middle of the desert.  In the middle of the night.  With no one else around.  It's ok.  I'm not bitter. 

And THAT is our Easter Update.  :)

My Easter Tree

I have recently been sorting through boxes and boxes of old holiday decorations and childhood keepsakes.  It has been a challenge to figure out what to keep and what to let go of.  As I was digging I came across this Easter tree.

It was one of my favorite decorations when I was a kid.  I loved setting it up and hanging all of the little Easter ornaments on it.  Unfortunately, it was showing a few signs of wear from 20+ years of existence.

I can totally relate.  

The ornaments themselves were looking a little tired...

And wonky*...

One armed rabbit anyone?  

And even a little scary...

What's up with that beak?

So, I decided to give the thing a face lift. 

I gave the bunnies a little sandy-sand...

Sorry bunnies.

Then I livened the whole thing up with a can of spring-green spray paint.

I was lucky enough to find these cool egg ornaments at Joann, but they needed a little something extra.  So naturally, I glittered them.

Now my little bunny Easter tree has been given a facelift, and looks like something out of this decade.  I am really pleased with the result.

*Hi Megan!  I think of you every time I use the word wonky!!

Best. Maple. Cookies. Ever.

I got a wild hair last night and decided randomly to whip up a batch of cookies.  I had a limited number of ingredients on hand, but I found a recipe for maple cookies that worked with what I had, and they are absolutely to die for!

Here is the recipe (with a few modifications, as always) in case you would like to try them yourself.  I highly recommend that you do.

Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt

Icing:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons  melted butter
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup

The Rules:
-Pre heat oven at 350 degrees
-Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside
-Mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, vanilla extract, 3/4 cup butter and egg
-Add in flour mixture and combine
-Drop on to greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until done
-Allow to cool before frosting

I decided to drizzle on the frosting just for fun.  I think the cookies would be really good with a touch of cinnamon, so I will probably add that next time.  They are a lot like a snickerdoodle, so I think they would be really tasty with a simple granulated sugar/cinnamon topping if you wanted to forego the icing.

Tortellini Soup

We have a problem in our house where I love soup and could eat it every day of the week.  Brett unfortunately does not care for soup, so it's always a challenge to come up with soup recipes that he will actually enjoy.  Lucky for us, this is one of them:

Tortellini Soup

The Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 medium stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 cups water
2 extra-large vegetarian vegetable bouillon cubes
2 1/2 cups dried cheese filled tortellini
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

The Rules:
1.  In a 4-quart dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.  Add celery, carrot, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender.

2.  Stir in water and bouillon cubes.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to low; stir in tortellini.  Cover; simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tortellini are tender.

3.  Stir in parsley, nutmeg and pepper.  Sprinkle individual servings with cheese if desired. 

The Dish:
Makes 5 servings.  280 calories per serving, 10 g total fat, 11 g protein. 

Recipe from Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian.  Sorry folks, I don't get much credit for this one.