Meg vs. The Bathroom: Holdups

I was really excited because I put the light fixture back up and hung the new mirror and everything was looking fabulous. Then I had John help me put the new vanity on...and it didn't fit. The original was 49" x 19", but the box stores only carried 49" by 22". I thought it wouldn't be a big deal to have a top that hung over the front slightly, but in the end it didn't sit right, we had to move the vanity away from the wall, and it just looked silly. So back to Lowe's it went, and I ordered one online that should be here in a couple of weeks. Sigh. Our friend is hopefully going to come this week to help John put up the molding, but other than that I am kind of at an impasse in the bathroom. I guess I can work on cleaning the tub and floor (they need it after all the construction!).

Meg vs. The Bathroom: Progress

I am dragging this bathroom project out WAY too long. I am not a very focused DIYer... But I have made some progress, and I am determined to finish as much as I can (everything but the molding and the cabinet doors) this week!

Meg vs. Tree Removal: Some Friendly Advice

If you are getting a tree removed that is right in front of your gas meter, you should probably check to make sure they didn't hit your gas meter a couple of times, leaving a gas leak outside your house all weekend.

Or maybe that just happens to me. Did you know that if you tell PG&E there is has been gas leaking at you house all weekend, they will send someone out within an hour? Their response was very quick and thorough, and they made sure there was no more gas in the house before they left. Thank goodness I decided on a whim to go do some work on that side of the house. What a blessing!

Meg vs. The Bath: Cheapskate baby seat.

I was getting kind of tired of doing two separate baths for the big boys and the baby, but those baby bath seats are all $30 and up! I saw this one on Amazon, and thought, "That looks like a $40 glorified inner tube."

So I improvised.

$1 at Walmart last summer. It worked pretty well as long as someone was holding the tube for stability.

Later I found the baby boat I got on clearance at the end of the season a couple of summers ago, so he can sit in that pretty much unassisted. It is nice to plop all three boys in the bath where they are contained so I can clean the bathroom. They even do me the favor of dumping the water all over the floor so I have to mop...

Meg vs. Time: Facebook Friday

To be honest, I have not been keeping to my Friday rule, but I am going back on the bandwagon this week!

1. First and foremost, thoughts and prayers to all the people on a practical citywide lockdown in Boston. And prayers for the victims and families who are coping. And those affected by the explosion in Texas. And, to be honest, prayers for the people perpetrating the chaos. Nothing good ahead for them. It is getting to be a scary world, which makes me more grateful for the peace and comfort of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that He can heal all wounds.

2. This cheers me up, too.



2. And this guy. Love my Japanese media. And this motivational tennis champ. You can't give up after watching this!



3. Geek.

4. This compilation of photos from an abandoned town near Fukushima is really moving.

5.

6. If you ever feel like complaining about human childbirth, check out the kiwi's egg.

7. Super Filibuster from a shoot for Parks & Rec--more geek.


And 7 will do it for today folks. Happy Friday!

Meg vs. The Kitchen: My first sushi!

It is a bit shameful that I haven't posted for so long. I have been busy, and I should have some project updates for anyone who cares to see them.

It is also a bit shameful that I am half Japanese and it took me 29 1/2 years to try out sushi-making. For some reason, making a roll seemed really daunting in my mind, but it was fun and not really hard at all! 

Truth be told, I was totally spoiled, because my mom has been trying to help me meet all of my 30x30 goals, and so she got everything ready for me when I visited home last weekend. She is a pro.

What you need:

• Rice 
• Sushi seasoning mix (or seasoned rice vinegar, or rice vinegar + salt + sugar)
• Nori (seaweed) sheets
• Filling of choice (we used avocado, cucumber, and tamagoyaki, which is a type of layered omelette)
• A sushi mat (I wrapped ours in plastic cling wrap to make clean-up easier)

First you add the sushi seasoning to your rice. Next, lay your nori on the sushi mat, cover about 2/3 of it with rice (leaving the last 1/3 plain), put your filling items in the middle of the rice, and then use the mat to roll and compress until you end up with something like this:

Then use a sharp knife (we didn't have a sharp one, so it took forever to cut them without squishing them) to cut into slices, and you're done!

I may or may not have polished them all off that night. If you'd like more and better instructions/recipes, I recently stumbled upon this blog and she has lots of good stuff. Here is a link to her sushi recipes =).