What Can You Do with Duct Tape?

Plenty, it turns out.

Duck Brand Duct Tape is once again sponsoring its "Stuck at Prom" contest. First prize: a $5000 scholarship!

Last year's winners, Lara & Cole, are here:

Oh my. 

I really like Michelle & Adam's entry, too...

The full gallery is here.

Duck Tape also sponsored a contest on Project Runway. Those gowns are here.


Pass the word -- can you see all the embellishment and design opportunities?

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Shoveling Out. Again.

Gee, does it never end?!? Another 1 1/2 feet of snow came down Saturday. The chickens were surprised at the drift that  hemmed up their coop -- for that matter, so were we. But Colorado's warm sun is already making headway. The driveway and sidewalks are already clear.
     Actually, it felt good to stay home and watch a movie or two. I still am not completely over this flu...and the Brick started into it. Sigh. 
     While we snuffle and shovel, here are some goodies from the Internet:

A chance look at the Smithsonian Magazine's ads produced a link to John Helmer, a haberdasher who offers basics for properly brought-up British gentlemen...plus a wide range of hats of all types and makes. I had a lot of fun gawking at the hats on their 'special occasion' page, which includes not only the hats below, but everything from taxi-driver and military caps, a pith helmet, and even a fez! (P.S. Oversized French floppy berets for $14-18, too.)
    Where else can you find such an unusual mix of hats...and if you're desperate for a Depression Era milkman's cap, now you know where to go. 

Civil War reenactor's leather 'kepi' - they have suede, too. $45

Sherlock Holmes' deerstalker - $125

French Foreign Legion - $185

'Coonskin' cap- real fur - well, rabbit skin - and a steal at $65!

Taking winter by storm, foodwise...in other words, how to  stock up, in case bad weather hits. (Or zombies, as the case may be.) Sure, it may seem to be almost spring -- but in the past three weeks, we've been hit by as many storms. And two of the three dumped more than a foot of the white stuff. I just happened to stop by King Soopers just before storm #3, and the store shelves were nearly empty of eggs and milk. Either people were stocking up, or the trucks weren't getting through. (Shades of the Really Bad Winter we had some 5 years ago, with storm after storm. It only took three days for nearly all of the cold stuff to disappear off the shelves. Seriously.)
    Anyways, thanks for the mention, Frugal by Choice.

Bouncing back from failure. Good, stiff advice from Trent at the Simple Dollar.  We all have it happen at least once in our lifetimes...as he points out, it's not just how it happens -- it's how you deal with it.

An easy citrus vinegar cleaner, from Smockity Frocks. (The cuties are almost gone...time to make some of this.)

Warren Buffett's tax rate, via Five Cent Nickel. He talks a good story...but he's still paying less, admittedly, than everyone in his office.

Got one of those large spools that you'll occasionally find by the roadside? Turn it into a combination stool and bookshelf, thanks to Diary of A Crafty Lady. Whoa, the things people come up with nowadays...

An interesting (and reasonably-priced) greenhouse -- dug into a hole! This makes more sense than you would think -- take a look. (A how-to guide for a 'Walipini' is here. Now, where can I get my hands on a rammed earth form?)

Also, 3 more greenhouse ideas that don't demand a lot of money. Plus a geodesic dome greenhouse in Colorado, only about 1,000 feet higher than we live. (6250 ft altitude)

A guy who's getting $60,000 for a 'rock' he found on the beach. (Turns out it's ambergris. Yep, "whale upchuck," as the site so elegantly puts it.)

An incredible number of freezer cooking tips, including ways to minimize waste and cook ahead. (Thanks, Our New Life in the Country.) 

Glissade chocolate mousse -- easy to make and absolutely incredible in taste. The only issues: you must make it at least some hours ahead of time (or the day before) in order to allow it to set. Oh, and it uses raw eggs. (I'm thinking you can minimize some of this by adding the yolks before she specifies.) Take a look...thanks, 101 Cookbooks.

 And a heads--up for what's coming on Sunday...God bless Ireland! Have a good week. 

Blowin', Snowin'...Biscuits and Gravy

The Brick came home last night, sick as a pup. Looks like he has the same flu I've been struggling with for the past few weeks. This morning, the snow started -- and now, at midnight, we've got at least a foot, maybe two of snow. The chickies spent most of the day snug in their coop. Charley the dog enjoys jamming his face in the snow and taking big gulps...what a silly dog.

While the snow poured and swirled, we rested and watched movies, mostly beefy action types. (Jean-Claude and Clint played a big part.) Fortunately, the power's stayed on, and house is warm.

Biscuits and Gravy was an easy thing to make for breakfast, and just hit the spot. I 've been using the baking powder biscuit recipe ever since I memorized it in high school home economics class -- it's a perfect foil for plenty of creamy, meaty gravy poured over. You might like it, too.

COUNTRY-STYLE BISCUITS & GRAVY

1 pound ground sausage meat
dash of dried onion (or onion salt)
1 cup milk

5 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Start the sausage meat frying while you set the oven to 450 degrees.

Biscuits: 
Mix dried items together, then cut in butter. Squish it all between your hands, mixing together -- or use a fork. Pour in the milk, then mix quickly. (It should form a loose ball.) Add more flour if need be -- sprinkle flour on an area for kneading, as well. Lightly fold dough in half -- repeat 5 times. (Pushing hard toughens up the biscuits - do it as lightly as you can.)
     Spread the dough out, about 1" thick. Cut 8-10 biscuits, using a cutter or the edge of a glass -- put on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7-10 min., until tops are brown.

Meanwhile, you should have stopped to turn the sausage meat, breaking it up as you go. Sprinkle in the onion -- and once the biscuits are in the oven, scrape up the leftover flour from the kneading area and drop it in your frying pan with the meat. Turn until it's thoroughly mixed in, then pour in milk. Turn heat down to medium and stir occasionally, until gravy is thickened and bubbling.

By now, your biscuits should be done. Split one or two in half, then top with gravy -- grind fresh pepper over top and serve! Makes 2-4 servings, with leftover biscuits for butter and jam.

Good for a snowy, back-to-winter morning, served with plenty of hot coffee or tea.

Looking Elsewhere...and Frozen Dead Guy Days

I get around.

Not saying that to emphasize my wilder tendencies (ahem), but I do write for other blogs. Right now, you can find a LOT of posts both at the Midlife Finance and Penny Thots websites. 

Midlife Finance has a lot of my finance-based posts, from buying the right house to  getting the best car insurance at the best price, and ten ways to get cash - fast. Penny Thots, on the other hand, ranges all over the place, from talking about the price of honesty (it should be price-less!) to musing on the delights of staying up late. Other stuff is in there too, from pennypinching on home dec to not wasting a crumb of bread.

Go take a look for yourself --

Midlife Finance is here.

Penny Thots is here.
    And if you're curious especially about me, yours truly's author pages are here. A number of great people write for this site, including Edward Antrobus and Mary Cunningham. 

Another snowstorm is moving in on the horizon. The Brick just checked in -- do we need milk or movies? (Hey, the staff of life around here, if you add pizza.) I was supposed to help out at a seniors luncheon for church, but it's already been cancelled. The flu I've been struggling with is still hanging on. It will be nice to stay close to home this weekend. 

But -- if you're going to be out and about, don't miss that wacky Colorado festival:

Frozen Dead Guy Days! 

That paragon of strange-but-fun events is this weekend, snow or not. It's got the usual mix of
    *Coffin Races
    *Frozen t-shirt contests
    *Ice Turkey Bowling
    *Polar Plunge

and all sorts of other oddities, including the frozen salmon toss. (Which Daughter #2's boyfriend won last year! Hey, he's a muscular Eskimo sort-- what can I say.)
     Strange costumes and much silliness...you can also go visit Grandpa in the Tuff Shed. (Go to the link for a video on that one.) Let's put it this way -- you won't find events like this anywhere else in the country on this weekend.
     It's a LOT of fun. 

 

Have a fun weekend, yourself.

Is It? Really?

Speechless.

But laughing!

(From Laughing Stalk Farmstead on Facebook. Go here for more.)

Now That's a Music-Lover!

Guess the fur doesn't get in the way of true appreciation...

though some musical styles aren't big on the list. (Buck, our dear Weimie, absolutely hated "Happy Birthday," and would bark throughout it.)

Charley and Abby, our golden labs, would approve.

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Plugging Away

Yow, what a week. I've spent most of it in a fog, hacking away and dragging around just to get the bare basics done. Lost my voice for a while. (It's still not completely back.) Had to cancel a class, missed out on a friend's fancy dinner...and just generally felt sorry for myself. (Slept a lot, too. Probably needed it.)
     While I figure out which end is up, you might find these dips into the Internet ocean interesting: 

Choosing the right paint colors every time. A good basic lesson from Mark, via Apartment Therapy. 

Yours truly has been quite busy over at Penny Thots, including posts on staying up late; the power of soup; and peanut butter recipes. See more here. 

I've been doing a lot on the Midlife Finance site, as well, including posts on getting started in the stock market; buying a car (and getting insurance for it); and choosing/buying a house.  Go here for more.

A pretty little rosette quilt, courtesy of the Turquoise Piano. Full tutorial -- made from a white twin-sized sheet!

A UFO streaks through a German tunnel...what in the world is it? (Maybe that's the point - it's not.)

Simple ways to make your current income go further. From Stacy Makes Cents.

No doubt Financial Samurai could benefit from that, after his latest post:
How to lose a million dollars. Hardly trying. Ouch.

Have a good week...