For some reason, I have been totally exhausted the last couple weeks. Maybe it has something to do with a toddler that keeps waking up crying in the middle of the night? Or nursing? Or being a mom? I don’t know. But as soon as those kiddos are down to bed, I’ve been plopping myself on the bed and vegging out on my phone… too lazy to even sit up in a chair in the office.
I’ve also been working on a new project at home! I don’t even know how it started but a few weeks ago I got it in my head that I had to create an art studio/maker space for our family. I dreamed big and stayed up way too late for way too many nights researching and planning and buying. And then I (or maybe Ben?) toned down my dreams and we decided I’d start simple and see if this was just a phase or something I really wanted to commit to. As in, committing an entire room to. As in, swapping out the dining set for a kid’s craft table and lining the walls with strings of art and shelves of paint and buttons and glue.
At the rate things are going, I think a new art studio is very possibly in our future. So far, we’ve used the art space 1-4 times a day, and we’ve entertained in the dining room 1-4 times… this whole year. So… it only makes sense to transform it all into an art space, right? Dinner guests won’t mind sitting at the children’s table, right?
A girl can dream, right? This is part of Meri Cherry’s beautiful art space in LA. And yes, that’s really her name.
So far, I’ve found that just putting all the materials out in a visible and organized way has inspired us to create a lot more. When everything is stored away behind cabinets, it’s definitely an “out of sight, out of mind” thing. Now that I’ve made an effort to make everything accessible, all those projects I’ve pinned are actually happening! It’s been so much fun, and the toddler is loving it. Friends, be on the lookout for some toddler art coming your way! She’s a prolific maker and our walls can only hang so much…
Plus, I created a new IG account just for following other artsy craftsy people and saving their ideas. It’s so fun! There’s this whole community of super crafty, fun, relaxed, and artsy people out there that… I am completely unlike. But I feel like they’re rubbing off on me in a good way. I mean, I even bought a large canvas so my daughter could get good and messy and squeeze bottles and waste paint and be free to do whatever she wants with it. Things that I’d normally cringe at and set boundaries for… but I want her to experience that messy freedom, too. It will be a stretch for me, but I think it will be good for us all.
Anyway I’m learning a lot about all this. It’s a different world for me, and arts and crafts are not my forte… but I think this space could be really great for our family. It will give our children a place to explore, experiment, learn, play, own, and create. It will give me a place to learn to let go more. And maybe buy me a few minutes in between things to drink coffee or something.
Here are some other things I’ve learned lately:
- How to stop hiccups (which I need to do as I’m typing this post…)
- A cleaning cloth that effectively cleans with just WATER (no chemicals!)!
- Why all-purpose flour is messing up my baking.
How to Stop Hiccups:
Stand up and hold your arms straight up in the air while sipping water. I hold a straw cup up for my daughter when she does it, but you can just hold water in your mouth and slowly swallow it too. It has worked every time so far. Thanks for the tip, Wendy!
E-cloths:
Not what you call cloths to clean your iPhone screen. Though you could use them for that too. These are (almost) magical microfiber cloths that make cleaning a snap! And kind of fun. Because magic.
I came across this when I was asking around for advice about safer cleaning products for our home. Someone mentioned Norwex cloths, and then I got added to a Facebook group about them and learned a bunch about these amazing microfiber cloths where you just need to use water to clean! I looked into it some more and decided to try this cheaper 8-piece starter set by a (different) company called E-cloth (E for environment??).
They claim to remove 99% of bacteria. I’m still not 100% sold on that, so I still use cleaning products on areas where that’s a concern, but so far these have worked great on glass doors, mirrors, stainless steel surfaces, and the stovetop! It’s nice not to have to time my usage of fumey cleaning products with the kids’ sleep times or worry about opening all the windows. They really do give everything a good shine! Also it cleaned the grime off the stove top and stove burners SUPER quickly and easy. Minimal elbow grease… YES. No more of this baking soda and vinegar mess.
It’s a small risk at ~$30 for the starter set, and the ease with which I can clean off the hard water spots on the shower doors alone makes me satisfied with this investment! And yes, I ran into my shower door once after I cleaned it with these cloths. Embarrassing, but that’s just how good they are.
All Purpose Flour is Unpredictable
This last piece of information is my new excuse for every failed batch of cookies I’ve made. And continue to make. Because sometimes I use the same recipe and my cookies turn out cakier than usual. At other times, they’re chewier and I think, this is awesome! Ben always tells me to write down the changes I made, but sometimes I can’t even put my finger on what was different. Did I mix for an extra twenty seconds? Did I microwave my butter instead of letting it sit out? Did I bake it for 2 minutes longer than usual? I don’t knowww…
But when I made these chocolate chip cookies form Chefsteps a few weeks ago, I read this tip:
In our kitchen, we avoid all-purpose flour—a blend of what’s left over when factories make bread, pastry, and cake flours. Since the contents of a bag of AP flour are unpredictable, the results you get when you use it are, predictably, just as unpredictable.
GOOD TO KNOW. I don’t think Costco sells bulk quantities of pastry flour, but maybe I shouldn’t be buying Costco quantities of sugar and butter and flour anyway. It probably hasn’t been good for anyone’s health this last decade…
Maybe this will be my excuse to finally start buying fancy flour now. And maybe that extra cost will discourage me from making so many pastries and help me cut back on sugar, which is a resolution I turn back to every half year or so :P.
Cookies or not, I look forward to sharing more updates on our evolving art space soon! Until then, I’m thinking of all my teacher friends and back-to-school kids and parents and hoping you enjoy the last few carefree days of summer before it’s time for that exciting first day!
2 responses to “Today I Learned…”
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Wow so exciting!! Super stoked for your posts to come 🙂
I use microfiber cloths / mitts for cleaning and polishing, too! I mostly use them in the kitchen, but also for glass, mirrors, and stainless elsewhere. (Although for glass in direct sunlight, I still get the best results by lightly spraying vinegar and wiping with coffee filters.) Another feature I love is that microfiber wrings out better and dries faster than cotton. When it’s time to buy more cloths, I want to check out the ones you’re using!