Mid-life Without the Crisis

It really isn't the destination, but the journey. May be cliche, but it's true.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Pin Test



I enjoy trying new things. It's one of the reasons I love Pinterest so much - I can find new and interesting things and give them a try. If you're not a member, you should totally join because it's a super fun site. Warning: You may get a little addicted at first and spend hours on there.

I even started a board of pins I've tried and then rated how well they turned out, which you can check out here.

Which is one reason why I soooo love the Pintester. The Pintester, Sonja Foust, tries her hand at popular pins and the results are sometimes successful and sometimes a failure, but always funny. She's having a challenge this week for her readers to try out a pin and blog or send comments about the results. I signed up to participate in the movement without really thinking it through. (See more about the movement here.)

One thing I quickly learned in perusing my Things to Try, Food & Drink and Doctor Who Merchandise & Crafts boards - I pin way more things than I have the ability or wherewithal to actually do. Sure, I'd love to make that cute little crochet bracelet, but I'm still trying to figure out how to make a simple Granny Square. Canadian nanaimo bars? Sure, but do I really need that much sweet stuff around? And what self-respecting Whovian wouldn't want their very own hand crafted Weeping Angel? But I don't have time for that right now. So I decided to go with a pin that I actually have the skills and "ingredients" for - dipped color blocked spoons, pictured above.

Start with your standard wooden utensils


It's really not a difficult process. You just tape off the handles and dip them in paint. You can use more than one color, like in the original tutorial found here, or you can just use one color, like I did. Not surprisingly, I used TARDIS blue. Dip the handles into the paint, remove excess with a brush, and find a place to let them dry.

I used a small Mason jar


This has been a learning experience for me in a number of ways. Let me spell it out for you:
  • When you dip wooden spoons into paint and then upend them in a jar, the extra paint has a tendency to run downward, threatening to go past the paint tape, requiring that you constantly dab away any stray paint to prevent ruining the whole point of the paint tape in the first place.
  • When you display your wooden spoons in a ceramic jar with the handles in the jar, no one can see the painted handles, and if you turn them the other way around, no one knows what they're looking at.
  • When you realize that you pinned the spoons in the first place from a board called Arts & Crafts for the Elderly, you feel really silly. Especially considering the name of my blog. (I laughed my butt off when I noticed this.)
So while this pin certainly was no failure, it fails to impress. I'd give it a 5 out of 10.

 
You can see all my "hard" work, right?

Ah, much better

Friday, May 24, 2013

What NOT to Do After 40

I've seen several articles in various locations recently about things you shouldn't do after the age of 40: Don't wear your hair long, don't wear mini-skirts, don't wear baby-doll tees, etc. But you know what I say? Don't tell me what to do!

That's one of the benefits of being over 40. By now, we generally know whether we can pull off a mini-skirt (no), a baby-doll tee (maybe) or long hair (yes). That's the whole point of getting older, isn't it? Learning what works and what doesn't and being daring enough to do the things we want.

Besides, I'd rather focus on things to do after 40. Enjoy family more. Embrace who I am. Try new recipes. Read books I enjoy and give a try to those outside my usual fare.

Speaking of books and being over forty, here's one that sounds like it might be fun: 40 Things to Do When You Turn 40

So enjoy who you are and work to make improvements based on your values, not on those of other people.