UnMASKing the Secret

Have you ever used masking tape? Also referred to (somewhat misguidedly) as painter's tape? Usually found in beige or blue, and commonly used like duct tape in a 2" wide variety... This stuff is fantastic, but so frustrating. You start to peal it, and no matter how painstakingly slowly and carefully you go, it separates too early from the sides and leaves you with an angled edge on a piece usually much shorter than you'd planned. HOW ON EARTH DO I FIX THIS PROBLEM???... I thought to myself as I attempted to use it to patch a crack missing trim beneath a windowsill in our little home. So of course, after many a failed attempt at discovering the secret to a good clean tear, I did what I should have done in the first place. I turned to the internet for answers.

AND I FOUND THE SECRET. Right here. All you have to do is just what it says. Grip the roll with a few fingers on the inside of the ring and your thumb across the tape below the start of the tear, applying firm pressure. Unroll the tape at a shallow angle, maintaining that pressure (I would stop and move my thumb along with the separating edge of the tape every 2-3 inches). Get the measure of length desired, and tear! Presto! It's easier with a new roll of tape, or a roll with clean, even sides, no dents. If you store it properly, it should stay in like-new shape for a long time and last you quite a few smaller projects. :) Now you know!

Éirinn go Brách

Okay. So I'm super proud of my Irish heritage. If I could travel anywhere in the world, I'd go to the Emerald Isle and never leave ever again. So I try and do something each year to observe St. Patrick's Day in at least some small way or another. Last year I was working at a TGI Friday's when it came about, and I forced my cheer and blarney down all of my coworkers throats, haha. This year I'll probably have to work the night in the bar/grill to make some extra money, but that won't stop me from celebrating, at least during the day.

Here are a few bands/songs, movies, and recipes to make your St. Patty's a little bit greener. I'll probably include all of them in my own festivities, invite a few friends over for the movies, and post the drink recipes in the bar to share with all of the regulars celebrating there while I work. I know some of these aren't really Irish, but if one of the characters prevalent throughout the majority of the story is, than I'll take it.

MUSIC
Dropkick Murphys (Youtube Channel)
Flogging Molly (Drunken Lullabies - Youtube)
The Young Dubliners (Youtube Channel)
Ireland - Legally Blonde (The Musical)
Celtic Woman - Concert (Youtube)

MOVIES
Boondock Saints - IMDb
Leap Year - IMDb
August Rush - IMDb

Recipes
Irish Cheddar-Whiskey Fondue
20 Festive St Patty's Cocktails

I was at Hobby Lobby the other day to buy the necessities for the kids Halloween costumes. I stopped by the jewelry section because Lil' Bit has found her way to my jewelry organizer a time or two and clearly loves it. Since she's Little Red Riding Hood this year, I took advantage of the Fairy Tales pendant collection and found some cute ones that went along with the story, 3 silver pendants, and a deep red chain to match her outfit-to-be. I rigged it up today with some chain maille rings and pliers  she loves it already. While I was on the isle, however, I overheard some women browsing through the section. 

"This stuff is so cute! I wish I knew how to make jewelry!!!" said one of them, at which the others immediately agreed it was a talent they pined after a little bit. Having just posted my first ever attempt at jewelry here at Fresh Juniper only this summer, I laughed to myself a little. I've never taken any classes on jewelry. I made a few bracelets in youth group and Campfire Girls, but it was more camp-craft style stuff. Button bracelets and friendship braids, etc. I just saw those cute little vial necklaces everywhere, and being and AVID Hobby Lobby browser (I make a round through the whole store every time I visit during a new season) I'd seen the materials already to make them. It was just a matter of putting it together. Charm necklaces are just as easy. You can teach yourself to do just about any simple craft. The hardest part is usually knowing what it's made of and where to get that.

I honestly just don't understand how you can spend more than 2 minutes in the jewelry section of a craft store and not realize that you could make a necklace by purchasing a chain/cord and a pendant.  Yes, you can sign up for classes or read every Pinterest tutorial you can find, but DIY is finding something you want to make, finding out what it's made of, and putting it together. If you get it wrong, fix it, or just call it an artistic choice. It doesn't matter. I will post tutorials here and at Fresh Juniper in the near future. I won't do a lot of recipes, but I will show you how to do a few of my kitchen tricks. Costume tutorials with pictures to come very very VERY soon. If there's anything you'd like to see, please comment or contact me via Twitter (I really don't ever check my email, it's a lost cause).

Also, #NERDNOTE of the day, because it's Monday and I HAVE been acting like Garfield. This is for all you StarKid fans out there.

#StayNerdyMyFriends

Apologies and an Announcement:

Okay. I'm the worlds WORST blogger. My apologies. But occasionally, I will post gems. I've been busy since moving in early 2012, new job, school, BILLS (bleh!), and the feeling I've been missing the point. Now I'm back in the small town of which I am so fond. I feel like it's the same, but as in life, the friends I've had have mostly grown out of our relationships. It's not impossible to reconnect, but it takes a lot of effort in some cases. In others, it's as easy as a lunch date, or running in to them while out and about. But I miss the few a lot that are so hard to find time together with.

Anywho, it's almost time for the next chapter in my life. Melody in the Big City, Act II. I've accepted a job down in San Antonio, which is so different from living on my own in
Arlington before, where I was less than an hour from  home. Now it takes the better part of a day to drive back for a visit. But I'm very excited to head deeper South. I love Southern living. My Spanish is a bit rusty, but I like classic Texas a lot. I know almost no one there, and I'm very anxious to see how this all plays out. "It's all happening," as 'Penny Lane' always says. The feeling is familiar, but somehow very fey in the same instance. Life. It's happening. All one can do is happen with it or watch it through the windows.

People and the Old, Familiar Places:

I haven't seen my friends from Arlington in almost a month, and I've all but severed my strongest tie to the city. I feel I moved for the wrong reasons, and I realized that my original decision to stay as close to there as possible was made for the same general reason. So, I've reset the board, and now the only person calling the shots is me.

In the meantime, it's great to see the people who've missed me. Even the ones I'm not entirely sure are friends. Some seem like less, and some seem like even more. All confusions aside, I'm glad they still smile when they see me. I'm glad I still smile when I see them. My parents seem happy enough to have me around, even though I seem to help out as little as humanly possible. I'm a terrible kid, I know. But somehow they still love me.

Returns and Reunions:

In 9 days, one of my best friends returns from his mission in Mexico. (If you haven't noticed by now, I'm LDS - I'm not the most straight-lased saint, but I usually have good intentions.) I've missed him something terrible, and every time a song by Weezer plays on my iTunes or the radio, I sing out loud extra-hard as a symbol of how much I miss his humor, his face, and his terrible driving. I'll probably only get to see him once or twice before I move, as his family will be hogging most of his time. Then after I move, he'll leave to return to school in Idaho. Sad, but true. We'll still be great friends though.

I just heard from a friend that my dear friend Alex is home finally from South America. I hope I can see him at least once before I leave! His twin brother, Spencer, I've seen once since his return, but we didn't get any real chance to catch up yet. These two boys were Godsends in my young life. I would have never survived all those years of teenage drama without them.

Then there's another who will be home in November. I don't want to say too much about him, but he's a very dear friend and I will definitely be making a special trip home to see him, if only for a little bit, before he returns to school in the Spring. My thoughts are with this particularly dear friend every single day. I just hope little has changed between us in the last 2 years.

I've been so excited about the return of so many friends I used to spend all of my time with, but so disappointed out how much they've changed in so many instances. Don't get me wrong, the fact that they've served for 2 entire years is amazing, and I don't wish they hadn't at all. I just wish that the bonds of friendship had been a bit stronger when they left, so that we could weather time a bit better. I'm going to serve a mission myself sometime very soon. I'm scared and excited about it. I know it'll be an experience I will never forget or regret at all. But I also don't want to come home to find all of my friends have grown apart and no one likes me anymore. I know, that won't likely happen, and if it does, I'll just make new friends. But it's not a pleasant option to be on the table.

Lego Night

I know it's been a while...

I could catch yall up on every single important event since my last post (I don't even remember when I last posted, and I'm too lazy to check right now). That's not going to happen though. Tonight, I showed my friend Rian my favorite place to hang out. He drove all the way down here so we could play with Legos together, but my sister is sick so I had to go to

my other home (Mill Street) with him. We had hot chocolate and built 4 sets, 2 larger models and 2 matching small star destroyers. I haven't played with Legos in years, and I'm definitely not the best at it, as Rian was quite judgey about my

Lego etiquette and my own style of figuring out things. I built the 2nd star destroyer mostly by myself, without looking at the instructions, and trying only to look at Rian's finished destroyer to know what to do. After about 5 or 6 minutes of agitated grunts and sighs of relief, and 2 or 3 assisted deconstructions from him, I finished mine. Now he has a whole fleet. I'm glad to know there are other huge nerds out there who find joy in simple things like this.

Infinite 'X's and 'O's,

MJ

Nerd Night :)

Okay, so I continue the search for a new job. In the mean time, taking my niece to dance class every Wednesday is one of the highlights of my week. I made her a super adorable two-tone pink tutu with sparkles a few weeks ago, and when classes finally resumed today, she was NOT going to class without taking it with her. Now her teacher, a good friend of mine, wants one. :) I'm looking forward to making it, and this time, my niece is going to help. This weekend I'm going out of town to visit a very good friend in San Angelo. In the mean time, I'll be finishing some embroidery projects and doing some scrapbooking! YAY! Classes are slow, mid-term slow, which is almost as dull as finals. I guess I'm lucky, I never stress about these tests. I just pay attention (sort of) in class and read my books, and they're just like every other test I have, only more time consuming and therefore more dreadfully boring. Just one more semester before I take my long awaited 18 month break to serve a mission. Then I get to do what I love 24/7, not worry about dating, or school, or work. Just serving the lord. Cannot. Wait.

TONIGHT: Is nerd night! I just finished watching a cheesy action movie (Bulletproof Monk) that I bought used for $4! I love when that happens! AND I also purchased a game while at the movie/game store, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy for ps2. SOOOO I'm having skating rink arcade flashbacks and playing it for hours until I either get sick from too much mint chocolate chip ice cream or I fall asleep from exhaustion. Kicking monster butt takes a lot out of a girl...

Infinite Xs and Os, yall!

STM