Monthly Archives: February 2012

Tablet Case

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Made-a-Move Monday #8

My DH just surprised me last week with a 7″ Lenovo Tablet and it is GREAT!   He was determined that I needed an upgrade in the “technology department” to be more efficient, as I continue to lug around my 17″ lap top and regular cell phone which I’ve had for nearly 5 years.  This thing is awesome!  So, rather than put “make a case” on my to-do list, first thing the next morning (after getting all the kids out the door for school), I pulled out my serger sewing machine, picked out some scrap fabrics and Made a Move… I mean made a Tablet Case.  I was in a time crunch to get to work, so not perfect, but DONE.  (Touch-ups can come later…maybe)

Very simple – you can do it with a regular sewing machine.  Want to try?  You can adjust the size of the fabrics depending on the size you want and how much additional space you want inside for padding, etc.  If you are using a regular sewing machine, you may want to adjust directions to hide seems inside.

Here’s how I did it:

The first fabric I picked was 9″ x 16″ of flannel.  Great size and color, but slippery and not much protection.  Then I found this great vinyl fabric remnant that is soft on the inside, water repellent on the outside and bright yellow (ie. bright, cheerful & easy to find… now where did I put that grocery list?).

Cut vinyl to same size as flannel and cut a strip of vinyl approximately 1 1/2″ wide x the width of the short side of the fabrics.  Next, serge large fabrics together at one short end, wrong sides together.

Use the tablet to determine right size of the case.  Fold fabrics with flannel side facing out/ vinyl side together.  Place the 1 1/2″ strip (wrong side facing shorter side of case) across the vinyl side of the attached fabrics approximately 1″ from lower edge. (Can use a little tape to hold in place away from where stitches will go, but I was in a hurry so I just held it).

 

 

 

Starting at the lower corner where fold of fabrics meet the side, serge up to top, curve around corner, across top, curve out other top corner, and then down to bottom corner on other side of case.  Knot string ends and trim. (Can add a dab of Fray Stop liquid to keep threads from coming loose.)

Turn case right-side-out, being sure to keep added strip on the shorter side of case.  My case was a little roomy, so I was able to slide in some thin padding to add additional protection for my tablet.  You can make yours as tight a fit as you would like.

When closed, the top buckled a little. I plan to serge off a bit of the extra on the sides of the upper flap, but in the mean time it works fine to just fold them under as I slide the flap under the strap.

So, where are those grocery and ‘to-do’ lists?  On my family’s online Cozi calendar and in the Memo app I added to my new Tablet :)

Huge Thank Yous to my DH – that is “Dear Husband” not “designated hitter” in case you are reading this ;) …

…for the tablet & setting it up for me, for all you do for our family & others, for your encouragement & support, and for the memo you added to my memo list :)

 

Easy Oven BBQ Chicken

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Made-a-Move Monday # 7

Making BBQ chicken inside, using a regular oven, may not be as fun as doing it outside on a grill, but it can be easy and very delicious.  So, if cold, rain, mosquitoes, lack of charcoal or just lack of time is spoiling your craving for BBQ chicken, you may want to give this simple recipe a try.

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces as desired (ie in 8ths, leg quarters, etc)

BBQ Sauce (I like Kraft Original)

Honey

In a large bowl, mix 3 parts BBQ sauce with 1 part honey (approximately 1 cup of BBQ sauce plus 1/3 cup honey for 1 whole chicken cut in 8ths) – adjust to taste.

Wash chicken pieces, shake off water and put in bowl of sauce mixture.  Turn pieces until all chicken pieces are evenly coated with the BBQ/ Honey sauce.  If desired, you can let marinate approximately 1 – 2 hours, but this is optional.

Turn oven on to “Broil” setting.  Place chicken pieces on rack in broiler pan with skin side down.  Put on high shelf of oven and broil for 15 – 20 minutes until darkened as desired.  Turn chicken pieces so skin side is up.  Using basting brush (I like silicone), brush extra BBQ/ Honey sauce on top of chicken.  Return to broiler for another 15 – 20 minutes until darkened as desired.  Remove chicken pan from oven and cover with foil, change oven setting to “Bake” at 375 deg. F, and return covered chicken to oven for approximately 35 – 45 minutes.  Cut into chicken to check if done – actual times may vary depending on oven.

Enjoy!

Made-a-Move Monday #6

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Yes, I “made a move” this week – and here it is.

Isn’t it amazing how several hours of work could end up looking like not much accomplished.  Kind of like when a husband comes home, sees a mess in the house,  and wonders what his wife did all day while he was busy working.  It is all of those behind-the-scenes little accomplishments that make the big show a success.

My blog was initially set up by my DH.  Now that I have a number of postings, I finally dug in to WordPress to figure out how to take it to the next level.  So, here is a glimpse into my hidden accomplishments:

  • The HoneyTreeBuzz now has a menu – not quite as functional as I intended as I made an incorrect assumption that the menu items would display in drop-downs  (my tech savy DH is planning on helping me change the “Theme” to one that will give me more versatility on that)
  • All of the HoneyTreeBuzz postings have categories and content for each category is planned out
  • Followed BloggingWithAmy’s advice on how to install and use a screenshot capture tool

More moves to come.

- DebBee

My Shiny Sink

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Made-a-Move Monday #5

Like puzzle pieces coming together, my brain made a switch this week.  Little messages have been seeping in and resulted in my making a switch from past habits to now starting to take care of things to completion better – not leaving dishes, papers, etc. in my wake to take care of later.

My tangible move for this week is a decluttered living room that has stayed that way for 3 days!, kitchen and dining room floors washed, dishes washed after dinner meals 4 nights in a row, and… a Shiny Sink!!

I shined my sink today!

Those familiar with The Flylady will understand the full significance of my shiny sink.  In short, “the Flylady” has great advice for getting people to change their disorganized habits, get into healthy routines, learn to love and care for themselves and their homes – all with small steps.  And it all starts with a shiny sink.  For the past several years, I’ve been running around so busily the clutter in my house and brain has grown to suffocating proportions.  My rut was too deep to even think about trying to jump back on to Flylady’s wagon.

So what were the messages that came together this week?

  1. I work at a school that follows a Reggio Emilia philosophy and emphasizes the importance of recognizing that children are competent.  Adopting this philosophy is viewed as being on a journey.  Rather than feeling guilty for not doing things perfectly (one of my downfalls) the staff are reminded that we are all on a journey and we are growing with all experiences, including the ones that don’t go as we would have liked.  Everything is positive in this light.  Rather than being paralyzed living in regrets and dealing with things from the past that were left unfinished, I can start fresh and move on with the here and now.
  2. Make-a-move.  Do.  Weekly postings of concrete “doings.”
  3. “Life is short” – we need to make good use of the time we have (from A Short Guide to a Happy Life, by Anna Quindlen)
  4. “Really, I used to be an organized person.“  Rather than just looking at WHY I and my things have become so disorganized (6 kids, house, job, husband, too much stuff, no funds to hire help, overtired …..), I stopped and asked WHAT is stopping me from being organized?  WHAT is stopping me from cleaning my house?  Somehow, asking these questions gave me the reins to take control of my life.
  5. Guests were coming (Friday night) – Done with CHAOS (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome – a Flylady acronym)
  6. Listening to the music I loved listening to 25 years ago, when l was as I would like to be – happy, confident, high on life, able to focus, accomplishing, etc.

I’m sure there were other puzzle pieces that helped with my brain switch.  But, I am just happy that things are coming together and am excited to see where my journey is going as I continue to be committed to Make-a-Move.