The Tablecloth That Survives

Hey, so if you are new here then I will tell you – I have boys.  3 boys to be exact.

I often question my parenting (about every 5 minutes) and why OH why do my boys go at the speed they do.

That being said my goal when decorating or purchasing items for the house is first- WILL IT SURVIVE.

We purchased this table 4 years ago used off Craigslist.  The first thing I LOVED about it was the character from all the cracks.  The second thing I LOVED about it was all the cracks that could conceal scratches and gouging from my boys.  The one thing that bothered me were all the cracks where food and toys could hide.  2 to 1 says it would work for us.

And it has until recently.  It stopped being the primary eating surface and became the school room table.  Then it became the primary area for Lego construction.  Do you know how TINY Lego pieces are?  After the Christmas Lego assembly marathon DH requested that I find a way to cover the cracks.  He was done digging out Lego pieces.

I already had an idea but had put it off because I was lazy forgetful distracted busy with other projects.  My friend, Jackie, had done something similar with her dining table (her picture below by the way).  She flipped hers over and stapled oil cloth to the top (staples underneath).  I loved how it looked but I KNEW I could never commit to staples.  My mind changes about decorations furniture clothing food everything in the house as quickly as the weather in Texas. (It is really quick just in case you didn’t know)

So I remembered a tablecloth my grandmother had made for her card game nights and thought it would work perfectly.  It was fitted with elastic so when Granny’s friends got crazy with Bridge or Canasta the table didn’t get scratched.  Those ladies a serious about their cards.

Of course I did not account for the slippery fabric and my desire to never work with it again as I fought it through the sewing machine.  However, this was probably due to my older sewing machine that is wonderful but not made to push through moody uncooperative oil cloth fabric.  So if you are over and look close at the tablecloth please don’t think I was doing Tequila shots and trying to sew.  I wasn’t.  I promise. 

But even after all that it turned out great.

So if you are interested here is the HOW TO:

First, I measured the table and added about 4-5 inches on both sides (length and width).  I used inch wide elastic because I had it from some other project and didn’t want to buy more.  If you are using smaller elastic (which would work fine) you won’t need 4 inches added around.  My 4 inches was the width of the elastic x’s 2 + the distance from the edge of the table to where I wanted the cloth to be under that edge plus 1/2 inch for seam allowance (1/2+ 2 + 2 inches=4 1/2).

I also like to add inches according to my sewing skills+the machine+the propensity to make errors=1/2 yard for me.  The best and cheapest selections of oil cloth seem to be online.  I found this at Hancock Fabrics that was $20/yd and used a 50% off coupon.  Then I found some online for $6/yd. Grrrrrrrr

Next, flip your fabric over (pretty side down) and place on table as you want it to look.  Then lightly trace all the way around where you want the seam to be while holding the table cloth in place (heavy books, baby in a car seat, lazy cat would work too).  Add 4 1/2 inches (or your number) and trim excess fabric.  Scissors will be fine for the trimming.  Perfectionists can use a rotary cutter and ruler.

If your table is wider than the width of the bolt (mine was almost too wide) you will need to cut two pieces the length of the table and sew them together to get enough for the width.  So keep in mind that you will have a seam in the middle.  That will affect the pattern and I would not have chosen this fabric if that was the case.  I would have gone stripey to conceal the line.  Just a thought!

This next part requires someone who can hold a piece of elastic still while you pull on it.  I do not recommend 5 year olds. They do not have the attention span for it and may let the elastic go and giggle hysterically when it hits you in the face.  Then repeat it for their brothers.

Now, I only put elastic on my rounded sides.  If your table is completely round you may want to do the whole thing.  If it is square, just the corners with 4 different pieces of elastic. If you are a better sewer/crafter than me go with your gut.  I don’t know what I am doing most days.

So have your reliable helper hold the elastic at your designated spot.  You will do the same thing on the other end so going halves works well (see above for square tables).  Now gently pull and mark where you want the other end to stop.  This is just half the table (or a 1/4 if you are square).  Now go do this on the other end/corner of the table.  For the right angled bunch you will do this 3 more times.

NOTE: You are not trimming the extra elastic right now.  Mark the starting and stopping points with PINS and trim the elastic with about 10 extra inches.  This is important because you have to adjust it once the table cloth is sewn, but not the elastic.  K?

Now (after your pins are marking the spots) begin folding the table cloth to the line and pinning in place.  Rounded edges definitely need LOTS of pins if you don’t want to say mean words to your sewing machine later.  (I apologized afterward)

For those who have never worked with elastic (i.e. me) you are not putting it in at this point.  That comes later.

Walk proudly to your sewing machine because you used so many pins and try to sew a 1/4-1/2 inch seam.  See how well I did?  Don’t you feel better about yourself now? 

Remember to leave an opening at both ends.  You will finish sewing after the elastic is in and sewn in place.  Remember the pin you put in place to mark the elastic places?  STOP SEWING THERE.

And sew the other side the same way.

Now find a GIANT NEEDLE or something similar.  This is what I used.  No, I have no idea where I got it.  My grandmother gave me a box of sewing stuff with an old machine like 20 years ago.  I kept most of it and gotta say this needle freaks me out just a bit.  I am happy it was finally used for something normal (not to imply I used it for anything abnormal).

Anyway, go get some strong thread/yarn for your freaky needle, thread it (if you can’t thread that stop what you are doing and go to the optometrist now), and poke it through one end of your elastic like so (see picture).  Tie it on like a rope.  I used regular thread about 4 times over.

If you don’t have a giant needle you just need something long, thin, and straight (pencil size) that you can tie to your elastic so you can work it through the hem you just made.  Get creative.  You can do it.

Now work the needle through the hem slowly, pulling your elastic through.  Be sure to pin the elastic in place at the beginning and end of the hem.  Do this for both ends.  Now go put it on the table to see how it fits. 

It will be a bit of a struggle.  I needed to put something heavy on one end when it got on the pull the other end on tightly.  Here is where your pull your elastic tighter or loosen it based on the fit.

If you are pulling on it like you did those jeans in 1986 then you may want to let it out a bit.  If it lays there like a regular table cloth it isn’t tight enough.

Once the elastic is where you want it go sew it in place.  Just go over the end about 3 or 4 times and trim the excess.  Repeat for the other side.  Now hem up the remaining edges and get it on your table.

Smile and look with joy on your new tablecloth that will survive snacks, Legos, hot wheel races, cookie decorating, quilt class, glitter glue, stickers, crayons, frogs, caterpillars, misbehaved dogs, laundry day, etc.

Linked up over at WFMW



Tackle It Tuesday

Lessons Learned–Why I Will Never Have A Super Mom Cape

1. Cocktail sausages and strawberries can count as a late dinner.

2.  I am my mother’s daughter more and more with each passing day.

3.  I think my mother is a wonderful brilliant woman even if it took me almost 36 years to fully realize it. (Sorry Mom, couldn’t resist using this pic)

4.  You can freeze buttermilk.  My cooking world has opened wide!

5.  I really like to use buttermilk in recipes.

6.  I have been a writer all along.  I just needed to listen to the voices in my head (no not those voices).

7.  I get very grumpy when I don’t get to write or quilt.

8.  When I am grumpy I blame my husband for everything even though it is rarely his fault.

9.  My husband is a very forgiving man.

10. There are only so many hours of the day you can be the pack leader.

11. Being followed by an actual pack every second of the day is exhausting. (Yes, there are 5 dogs in the picture who all live inside with us all day.)

12. I think better when my floors are vacuumed.

13. A West Texas Girl who grew up with big sunsets and wide open spaces needs a GPS on a cloudy tree lined highway in North Carolina no matter how often she has driven the road.

14. My ideas are good.  My ability to implement them is bad.

15. Too many good ideas that whither in the shadow of life can make anyone feel like a failure.

16. The best things in my life were never my idea.

We Are That Family

An Onion Shortcut

I love the flavor of onions but dread the chopping, tears, and mess that always comes with them.  When I buy them they usually sit there because I put off using them for the previously stated reasons.  Then they rot as I look at them day after day mocking me with their savory hard to get at flavor.

Being the lazy cheap resourceful person that I am I figured out a way to get around the chopping, at least for awhile.  It also lets you use up those onions you bought on sale before they go bad.

I buy a bag full of onions or 3 to 4 very large Vidalia onions at a time.  Then I peel (quickly) the outer skin, cut into 1/4th or 1/8ths, just until the easily fit into your food processor.  If they are too large they will not fall to the bottom and what is nearest the blade will turn to onion mushiness.  This is a picture of onions that have NOT been cut small enough.  The mushy result will be used in soup.

If you don’t have a food processor then I would recommend chopping all at one time.  If you are going to tear up then I suggest putting on some sad music and make a moment out of it.  Then you will be done for a few months.

I use a chopping blade in the food processor and pulse until chopped.  Turning it on and leaving it will turn your onions to mush.  The pulsing chops and knocks the larger chunks down toward the blade while keeping the mush at bay.  This takes around 2 minutes or longer if you let the 5 year old do it.

Then I fill gallon plastic bags with one to two large onions or 4 to 5 smaller onions.  Lay flat on a cookie sheet and label if you want.  I like to score mine with my hand so they are in easy to break off sections.  Also, laying flat on the cookie sheet makes them easy to stack in the freezer and keeps them from conforming to whatever object is underneath.  Because if they are in the metal grate then they will freeze in that shape, squish between the metal bars, and be impossible to get off without tearing the bag.  Not fun.

Once they are frozen you can easily, really easily, break off as much as you need for what every recipe you are doing.  They defrost in about 2 minutes or 30 seconds in a hot pan.  The bonus, no tears or running to the store for onions.

Because we are a cooked onion lovin’ family this is really the only way I use them.  If you are a raw onion lover I don’t see why this would not work for you too.  Someone give it a shot and let me know.  But if they will be cooked in anyway then this definitely will work with any onion.

FYI….if you stop to take pictures of the onions you don’t avoid the crying part.

A quick public service announcement:  Onions, even in small quantities cooked or raw, are life threatening to dogs and cats.  They can cause a deadly reaction called Heinz Body Anemia where the red blood cells will burst.  Treatment is available at your vets office but please be aware what your pet is into.

Linked up to Works For Me Wednesday over at We Are That Family

Also, linked up at Women Living Well

Being Average

…..that is what I once wished worked for me.

I didn’t want to stand out.  I didn’t want attention.  I wanted to blend in.

I wanted to be just the right amount of helpful but not so much that it got me noticed.  I wanted to be just funny enough that someone is amused but not so much that milk came out their nose.

I want things to go smoothly.  I want no large problems.  I want to be what everyone else thinks everyone else is and they are not.

Thankfully, not one of us is that average person, are we?  You always seem like you are when I see you out at the store or church but you aren’t are you?

Good.  I thought I was the only one.

What works for me this week is being average.  Those few seconds were unexpected now back to my amazingly unusual life.  Average is overrated.

WFMW–A kick in the pants

When I feel overwhelmed and whiny,

When my complaints out number my praises,

When I cannot face my daily chores and pout,

When my sinful flesh takes the lead, and my self-control takes a nap

He always sends me a story, a reminder, a kick in the pants

Something to make me feel small, petty, ungrateful

Something to make me feel loved, blessed, joyful

That I am His child, saved by Grace, through no work of my own

What Works For Me this week is this video.  Its timing was providential, as usual.

This was grace - short film from Andrew Laparra on Vimeo.

Linked up to Works For Me Wednesday over at We Are That Family

Also, linked up at Women Living Well

Works For Me Wednesday–Pine Shelves

I love these shelves.  Currently they hold toys in one of the boy’s rooms.  They are 10 years old and show no sign of wearing out.

I purchased them at Williams & Sonoma in 2001 for storage in my home office.  When we moved they were used for a makeshift pantry in our new apartment.  Next they were used for garage storage.  After that they were used in the playroom for the same thing they are doing now. 

The shelves are adjustable too.  I can’t find them anywhere else and I would highly recommend them even though they might be more expensive.  They will certainly last.

When we put them in the playroom we bolted them to the wall.  There are 3 L-brackets on each shelf weighted at 75 lbs each.  Most full grown adults could climb one of these things.  Did I mention I have busy boys?

3 boys, 3 moves, and countless bumps & bruises but still hangin’ on beautifully.  They SO work for me!

For more WFMW thoughts and ideas go to We Are That Family at the link below.

Works For Me Wednesday-On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

TIMERS!

I love timers.  They have so many uses in the home.  I first started using a timer when I found FlyLady (she is very popular so you probably know).

When I was a new mom and things felt overwhelming and sleep deprivation threatened my grip on reality timers saved me.  I knew I could at the very least do anything for 15 minutes or less.  Often I only had 15 minutes to do everything. 

My grandmother was the first to introduce me to the world of timing yourself.  When I complained once about a chore taking forever she said she would time me to see how long it really took.  Of course it was not the hour it felt like, only 10 minutes.  I was truly shocked that chores took so little time.  What had I been whining about?

Now when complaints and whines threaten my day I will use a timer.  When my kids do the same I challenge them to a race to see how fast they can finish using a timer.  The objective countdown to when my son’s violin practice is over works well too.  No more arguing about playing that piece one more time (well almost). 

After years of doing this I can now take a shower, get dressed, and ready to go faster than my husband.  Or like this week when illness has thrown me off track and I have no clean you know what to wear because I have been to dizzy and weak to do anything but feed and nurse us back to health, I know that I will get it done 15 minutes at a time eventually.

(Please note: Timers are not magical devices that make kids stop whining. They still complain but the timer helps focus and distract them and it doesn’t always work.)

The chores I complain about most and how long they take:

• Dishes, countertops, prep for next day, clean coffee machines, and pack a lunch – 35 min 
• Make Bed – 2 min
• Load/unload washer & dryer, fold 1 load of clothes – 10 min
• Straighten kid’s rooms (without their help) – 15 min
• Tidy entire house for unexpected guests – 1 hour
• Clean Bathroom – 15 minutes
• Mop Kitchen Floor – 10 minutes

If the chore takes more than 15 minutes I break it up into 15 minute chunks so I don’t feel overwhelmed.If these times seem off to you then it may be because I have trimmed what I do down to the essentials.  I do my best (not perfect) to keep what I love and use it.  My time is precious and so is yours.  Cleaning and moving items that I don’t love or serve a purpose for our family steals my time and doesn’t belong in our house. 

So, go pick the chore you like the least and set your timer.  You will be surprised how long it really takes.  Now give me 15 minutes and this pile of laundry.  Go!

P.S. A house cleaned imperfectly can still bless your family (thanks FlyLady).

Works For Me Wednesday–Canisters

 

Like any newlywed I had registered for all the same kitchen things.  I was so excited to get my own set of canisters in Cobalt Blue.  Little did I know they didn’t work.

My hand and the measuring cup didn’t fit in the top.  By the time I got both out half the sugar had fallen out and my measurement was wrong.  Plus some sugar had fallen on the countertop which meant cleaning it up.  I started leaving the sugar and flour in big plastic containers in the pantry, never using the pretty ones on the counter.

If you know me you know I like things to work.  I want to use them and if I don’t and it just takes up space then out it goes.  Beauty is just a bonus when something needs to get done. And sometimes the cookies just need to get done!  So I tossed them.

After I got over the guilt I finally figured out what I really wanted.  THESE!

I love them.  They work great.  They are huge and easy to use.  I can leave a 2 cup measuring scoop in each one.  I can open the latch with one hand, scoop without spilling, and close it again.  I know immediately when I am running low and each one holds at least a 4-5 lb bag or more of each item.  They even look nice on the countertop.

Check out more WFMW info over here: