Thursday, December 01, 2005

 

Dec.1st, 05, Another Busy day

Was in the middle of too many things at once.
Remember the old saying " too many hands in the pot spoils most things.
Well, they need to find a saying for when their are not enough hands to handle everything or all the pots at once.

Started the day feeling chilly in the kitchen where my computer sits. So, I decided to start making cookies for Christmas. Only problem was I was working with carpenters glue, tiny finishing nails and a hammer, plus a couple of corner squares when I started feeling chilly.
Yesterday I worked in the wood shop. Part of what I did was to make the rest of the decorations to add to the top doors on the large cupboard I had made for holding yarn buns and other such things. I had bought some decorative edging which I cut to make frames around the center decorations that I had made on the scroll saw and tacked to the center of the 2 top doors.
Well, I had glued the 2 corners of each short piece of edging together to form a rectangle and was waiting for them to dry. The scrolled design would sit in the center of the rectangle in the two top door center.
So, I then mixed up the cookie batches and put the first two trays into the oven. That gave me under ten minutes to get back to the rectangle. I first had to pound 3 tiny finishing nails into each of the 4 sections, one at each end and the third on the oposite side in the center of each section. , then spread some glue to the back of the rectangle. Then the fun started. The timer went off so I removed the first batch of cookies and set them to cool for a minute. Then I positioned the rectangle onto the doors where I wanted it and stated to pound in the tiny nails to hold it in place till the glue dried. While I was pounding in the 2nd nail, 2 other nails fell out into my plush rug where they were well hidden. While I let go of the rectangle one side wasn`t glued tight enough and fell. Of course it landed glue side down onto my blue rug. That white glue sure showed up on that blue rug. So, I again had to stop to get something to remove the glue with.
Then, back to remove the cookies , place them on a cookie rack, and refill the pans and put them into the oven-- 10 more minutes to wait while they baked.
So, back to the front room to finish nailing that last board in place. Well next I had to find the small nail punch that would fit those tiny nails in that small indented place so I could finish pounding in the nails without leaving marks on the wood.
Then off went the timer again. Back to the kitchen to remove the 2nd batch of cookies from the oven- one more minute to cool, so that gave me enough time to finish with the nail punch. ( Well, was more like 3 minutes).
Then back to the kitchen again-- remove these cookies from the pan and place them onto the cookie racks to cool.
Then there were 4 more narrow edging pieces to connect into a square for the other top door. Pounded in the tiny nails a bit and got the corners glued and set to dry a bit. Dropped more dough onto the tins to use up the remainder of the dough. Then in the oven went the last of the cookie dough and another 10 minutes to work in. So, I turned over the last rectangle to spread glue onto the back. Then back into the front room to start nailing the rectangle onto the other top door. Managed to get most of the nails pounded in enough to hold the 4 pieces of the rectangle so it wouldn`t move and off went the oven buzer again.
Back to the kitchen to remove those pans again and set them to cool.
Then finally shut off the oven. Head back to the front room to finish pounding in the nails using the punch.
Nothing worse than trying to hold and pound in those tiny 1/4 th inch finishing nails with hardly any head on them. But, it is finally finished and so are the cookies. I froze the cookies in the frig for Christmas. That way I am not so temped to eat them since I love those Betty Crocker Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies. One of my favorites. I did chew up two cookies while working.
Now I am deciding whether I want to add any other decorations on the cupboard. In my mind I can hear my old High School Mechanical Drawing and Design teacher saying, "now don`t add to much or it will look overloaded". So, guess I will wait a few days and think it over before making up my mind for sure. Isn`t it funny how you can remember things a Teacher told you over 50 years ago. Well, I graduated in 1950, and had those subjects in my second year of high School, so 50 + years ago. Some Teachers are just so good they know how to make their words realy sink in and she was one of them.
I also have other projects started . I awoke about 2:30 am this morning, couldn`t get back to sleep. So removed that darn face mask for the c-pap machine and put on the TV to pass away the time. Then decided I should get some of the Christmas crocheting done. So, I crocheted till around 6am and then gave up and got up. Thats when I ate breakfast, fed my dog and tossed out some old bread for the birds. Still need to refill the empty suet hanger and probably by now the thistle and other feeder needs refilling again.
Another project I have started is a small table that folds up to put away when not in use. My Uncle gave one to my oldest bro and his wife and I liked it so off to his house I went last week. Asked for his pattern. he didn`t have a pattern, but my Aunt told him to get the one she uses for her picture painting and let me take that one home for a pattern. My Uncle also said I could take it apart to make a pattern if I wished to. I did remove 4 screws, but I didn`t need to take more apart as that was enough for me to get a pattern. Yesterday I cut out all the boards for the legs, and the boards for the two sections of the table top frame, and the 13 of one size slats and 6 of the other size slats for the table top sections and the support boards to hold the legs together. To make the slats I had to cut the boards down to about 3/16th inch thickness. I now have everything cut out to make the first table. But hoping to be able to varnish it before bolting and nailing it together. Also still need to drill for the bolts and nuts needed. Then need to see if I already have the correct sizes bolts or need to buy some, plus more small finishing nails needed to nail on the slats, but this time can use some a speck longer. If I have good luck with the first one I might make more for the Kids.
So, could use more hands to get everything finished, but I`ll manage one way or another. Never say can`t, so thats encouragement for me to accomplish it. Still waiting to get my car back from the Garage where I am having another undercoat added and some small rust spots touched up with hopes of making it last a few more years.
Finally got my furnace fuel delivered yesterday-- $469.71 worth - 191.8 gallons. Hope it lasts a long time, but that`s probably a joke that I won`t win. :)


Comments:
you are just one busy woman dot. that is all i can say. i can only handle one thing at a time. if i was doing what you did i would have ended up varnishing the cookies. that would not taste good at all. well have a good one and stay warm.
 
Varnish was no problem as didn`t open that can until the cookies were in the freezer.
It was the glue I had to be careful with as didn`t think cookies flavored with carpenters glue would be too nice.
My hands did get a lot of washing thru it all just to play safe. It a wonder that I didn`t dry the skin out with all that washing.
I also had to be sure all the soap and cleaner were washed off my hands.
I just received another tip from Shop Notes in Wood Net. The fellow couldn`t easily hold the thin wrenches used to remove table saw blades and router bits. So he covered the wrench handle with rope or thiner twine, gluing the rope together with hot glue as he wound it. Then he dipped the wound end into a can of liquid rubber. He said the rubber dries in just a few minutes. he said he learned in School shop how to make a hammer handle that way. he said the hot glue needs to be applies a little at a time so it won`t harden before the handle is all wound with the rope or twine. The hot glue is to keep the rope from slipping of while winding. Of course the twine is needed for the router as there isn`t much room to work under there.
I get a lot of wood working tips on line. Years ago I used to get the Shop Notes along with the mag. thru the mail. I still have those shop notes in my bookcase. I also own a set of Woodworking Books simular to an encyclopedia set.
 
Sounds like you have everything under control to me even though you are multi tasking. I find myself at times doing the same thing. I would start loading software on the computer and then head off to do some cooking and back to the keyboard to hit enter and then to the cooking and while that is on the burner I would clean house with occationally stoping at the PC to hit enter and stir the pot and then back to cleaning.
Who needs exercise lol
 
Walker, that`s why I like using the pressure cooker a lot for Lunch time or supper time. It leaves me free from stirring every few minutes like I do so often. Gee, I should start using the crock pot more and that would leave me free from forever listening for my timer to go off so I don`t blow the pressure cooker. Haven`t done that in years, should i knock on some wood ? :)
This morning started out with me tossing milk, ice cubes, Nestles strawberry drink flavoring and half of a large banana into the blender, cooking oatmeal on the stove, feeding the dog while the cereal is cooking and the blender is running, then back to stir some more, pour out the drink, stir some more, washing the blender, stir some more, pour the oatmeal into the dish , cut the other half of the banana into the cereal,, wash out the cooking pan, and finally sitting down to eat breakfast. Oh, forgot, I also carried the large bird house pole and the hummingbird feeder pole up to the attic for the winter while the cereal was cooking. Some times I`m too lazy to cook, so just pour the puffed wheat or corn flakes or instant oatmeal. The banana is because my potasium is low, the drink is to get some calcium and potassium, and the oatmeal is hopefully to lower my cholesterol. Before starting breakfast I hunted down cellar for a larger plant dish to transfer the 3rd spider plant to give to my youngest son for his appartment. Would have given it to him then while he was here, but my soil was frozen on the back porch and I had to bring it inside to thaw . Figured would be easier for me since I already had the larger plant dish and the soil, and he would have needed to buy them if he did the transplanting. It now sits on the table in an open grocery bag waiting for his next visit. He had stopped by a few days ago to tell me that his aloe plant was still living, so it was time for a second plant. He was looking at my two spider plants, but he didn`t know I had a third one in the laundry room. I really didn`t need 3, but hated tossing one out.
Does the exercise help you, i get loads of running around doing things, but never lose a pound. Guess my body is just so used to doing heavy work that it doesn`t use up enough energy. Only wish to lose about 20-25 pounds , thought for sure using the push mower all summer would help, but no such luck. Learned years ago that cutting down on food and not being a big sweet eater is supposed to make you lose, doesn`t work, neither does all the arobics. My daughters and Grand daughters say my areobic for seniors is too much for them. Couldn`t get them to do it with me more than once. They just can`t keep up and are tired half way thru the half hours workout. Poor kids, I tell them they need to strengthen up their bodies if they want to still be doing things when they are older.
So, I get lots of exercise, don`t lose or gain more, so my body must have gotten used to it.
 
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