That's how I Knoll

Over the 4th of July, we headed up to a campground near Knoll Lake. It takes a 45 minute drive in what basically amounts to piles of rocks, but the bumpy dirtiness was worth it! We got the last open space with a site near a trail leading to the lake.

I must say that we did SO WELL this time around:

• Brought the air mattress.
• Remembered the pump.
• Got brave and brought a propane stove (I have this little fear of things blowing up...hehe nervous laughter).
• Cooked eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, sausage and hot dogs.
• Read two books that I've read before
• Had plenty of cold drinks

The weather was gorgeous and even though the campground was full, they were spread far enough apart that we couldn't hear much and only had to spy on the neighbors a little bit. AND we saw an actual deer! He was beautiful. And very tall - I'd say 7 feet. Amazing. His name was Dennis.

This camping trip was fab. Of course I want to go again, but I know I always say that and then it never happens. If we do go again, I am going to advocate for bringing some kind of boat or floatation device. We always stay by lakes but never really benefit. I was thinking maybe an inflatable kayak? Or can we just use the air mattress?

Upside Down!

Tonight I reached the height of procrastination when I baked a pineapple upside down cake instead of studying for my accounting class tomorrow.

I always assumed those were difficult, but you basically steep the pineapple in a mixture of 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1T water and 2T butter, then pour the cake batter on top. I made the Better Homes and Gardens recipe, which calls for the cake made from scratch. But I'm sure a cake mix would work just as well. Then bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Super tasty and quick. I didn't actually turn the thing upside down, but I did add ice cream, so hopefully no one will notice.

I wonder if you could make other fruits upside down? Is there something really special about pineapple? I bet blueberries or raspberries would work, too.

DIY...er....DIO

I've had a week off school, so how do I celebrate? I've been reveling in house projects of course!

I would call it DIY, but usually T helps me, so it's more like DIO. The first project was an answer to a growing pile of snarled necklaces and less space to store them. So we turned an otherwise blank space into a lovely piece of jewelry art. The necklaces are hanging on flat-head screws, which, if you look closely, are topped with some little colored gems we got at Michaels. The little rhinestones dress up the screws a little bit and play into the whole bejeweled theme. And there's always more wall space as I add to my collection.
The next is one of my favorite projects we've ever done! For over a year, our shoes have lived in a little stinky pile at the bottom of our closet. But thanks to some supplies picked up at Home Depot, I can find my shoes quicker and have more open space in the closet. Of course, the only downside is that the stinky pile is now up at nose level. Any suggestions for neutralizing shoe odor? Maybe some bowling alley spray? :) You'll also notice the cute bin at the bottom for flip flops.

Other projects include hanging a few shelves (my favorite activity and T's least favorite), creating an actual broom closet, cleaning out some very messy closets and starting an office supply closet. That latest project involves removing all the ne'er used coats from our front closet and adding some cubbies for mail, scissors, pens, stamps, etc. I'll post more details as it evolves, but I'm super stoked because our mail 1) always ends up in a massive pile on the kitchen counter and 2) sometimes gets lost, which is a bummer if you lose a paycheck! I also just bought a little armoire on Craigslist, which will prove to be a lesson in painting laminate furniture....should be fun!

Any house projects going on out there? I love to copy people!