My Two Cents: the "Pepper Hacker"

By now you have probably seen the above video floating around your Facebook feed. It is a video of the "Pepper Hacker", a pepper grinder turned technology atom bomb from Dolmio (they make pasta sauce). Pretty much everyone who I have seen share this video has said something along the lines of "Yes!" or "Such a great idea!"

Ummm... I think it is a terrible idea. Why? Because to me, this is a loop hole for parents to avoid being the bad guy in a very simple parenting situation.

I was born in 1988. I remember the time before the internet and I remember when it became a big thing. I remember the horrid dial-up tone, "You've got mail!", and AOL disks. I remember when cell phones really took off in technology. When they started to have texting, when you could play games on your phone, and "Can you hear me now?". But, since all the bigger leaps in the digital age came along when I was in high school, my parents never had to compete with having a screen in mine and my sibling's faces.

But I can tell you how they would have handled it if they did have to deal with it. They would say, "Hey, Maureen, it's dinner time. Put the phone away and set the table." And if that didn't work, "Shut it down or I'm taking it away for a week." And the phone would go away, I would set the table, and we would have a tech free meal.

So I'm confused why parents can't do this now. Is it because so many parents want to be their kid's "best friend"? Or is it because they, too, are busy with there own digital device?

I'm totally guilty of overindulging in technology too. I've caught myself with my phone in hand as I sit down to dinner or saying "Just a second" to my daughter as she tries to get my attention. But I consciously make an effort to make those occurrences as rare as possible (with a aim to eliminate it all together).

Maybe the issue is we start technology too young. I had my first cell phone in middle school. It was the old indestructible Nokia with a limited amount of time on it and was only used in an emergency or to let my parents know when to pick me up from school after some activity. Now it is common occurrence to see 2 year olds with their OWN iPads and elementary kids with iPhones!

I'm not saying kids shouldn't be around technology. It does come in handy. When we flew with Arlette a couple of months ago from CT to CO to visit family we had a LOT of issues getting out there and back home (delays and cancelations and everything in-between). The one thing that saved us was having Frozen on my iPad, iPhone, and computer for her to watch.

But technology should NEVER substitute parenting. That's why I find the Pepper Hacker ironic, I guess. You are using technology to shut down technology.

Just my two cents. What are your thoughts on the matter?

From CT to CO and back we watched Frozen at least 25 times.

How to build a custom rustic headboard

So I found this wall art at Target about a month before we moved into our house.

And I have basically been building our master bedroom around it. I'm not sure if that is "right" when decorating your home, but I vaguely remember them doing something like this back in the days of Trading Spaces, so I just went with it.

Last week I came across this totally awesome image...

And I thought, "Hey, how awesome would that be for a headboard?!" So off to Home Depot we went!

We picked up six 8" pine planks that measured 6' long, Minwax "Weathered Oak" stain, a pack of foam brushes, and some wood putty. I wanted to have the headboard mounted on the wall rather than connecting it to the the bed. Garrack drilled a couple of 2x4 pieces he had laying around into the wall to mount the headboard on.

Before I had him start putting up the planks we played around with the wood "patterns" until we got something we liked.

I was so happy that we went with the pine. I like the knots and cracks in the wood. I think it gives it so much more character. The planks we found were also cut in a manner that allows you to kind of layer them (I don't know what the proper term is for these types of planks). But after staining it made the headboard look like it was made of reclaimed barn wood (you'll see what I mean in just a second).

So once we had arrange the boards just right, Garrack got to work.

I let him do this stuff. He's an engineer and this sort of thing is just second nature to him. He can pump it out no problem. If it was left just to me, I would probably still be trying to figure out the math to insure everything fit the right way. So, yeah. I'm the creative mind, he does the hard labor, and then I finish things off with my artistry.

So once we got the boards up we just quickly sanded the rough edges of the screw holes, filled them with wood putty, and then sanded everything with a belt sander when the putty was dry.

While Garrack sanded, I worked on getting things put together for my stencil. I wanted to do some deer antlers with our last initial in the middle. After Google searching for antler silhouettes I chose these:

Now, if you are a Mac user like me, you may not be able to print poster images (where you print the photo over several pages). I searched ALL OVER for instructions and found nothing useful. So I used a website I stumbled on called The Rasterbator. It will take any photo and convert it into a file to be printed out as a low quality poster. And it's FREE!

So once I had all my pages printed out I cut out the pieces and taped my antlers together.

By this time Garrack had finished sanding and the rest of the project was in my hands. So I put on some old clothes and got to work!

If you've never worked with stain before, don't worry, it is super easy. This was actually my first time working with stain. To be honest, I was worried I might "do it wrong". But I just went for it and soon realized that my fears were unnecessary. I mean, how much easier could it be? Brush it on, wipe it off, you are a staining Queen!

After I applied one coat I realized that if I put my stencil up there and tried to stain over it, I would have a major problem on my hands. So I turned to a technique I learned in USMC boot camp that I call "poor mans lamination". To keep photos from our families clean and safe from damage we would take clear packing tape and "laminate" them on the front and back. So I did the same with my stencils. It's as easy as taping the front, back, and then cutting away the extra tape.

So when the first coat of stain was dry, I pinned up my stencil to apply the second coat over it. But I soon realized two issues with my stencils. First, it was too thin to really make a noticeable "picture". Second, having the headboard already up on the wall caused the stain to run down and made it hard to avoid bleeding under the stencil. So I moved onto plan B and applied a full second coat of stain.

I was happy with the look of two coats so I moved forward with my backup plan and TRACED my stencil.

I took a trip over to Michael's and bought some Folkart Acrylic Paint in "Pure Black" and a pack of Craft Smart filbert brushes golden taklon.

And I got to painting! I started out with a rough outlining and filling in of the trace, and then went back and cleaned it up.

And the final product...

I am so in LOVE with this headboard!

The biggest thing to remember is that it isn't going to be perfect. And that is ok. I actually LIKE that my antlers aren't exactly straight. It shows that I made this and I did it by hand and that it is MINE. Perfection isn't all it is cracked up to be.

So even though my finished product isn't what I started out wanting, I am so glad that this is how things turned out. I think it looks even better then if I had stained over the stencils.

And now, I have the DIY bug. Expect more how-to's like this in the future. (YEAH!)

Chicken Taco Soup

This morning we were surprised with snow! Hubby and I had planned on completing several projects this weekend so the sight of snow this morning was just plain annoying (especially since we have gotten some 5ft or so of it this year). Despite the kink in our plans, we ran some errands and got supplies to build our chicken coop and garden beds. But I was so caught up in running around town that I totally forgot dinner! I had nothing planned or prepped and dinner was an hour away. *cue dramatic music*

So I turned to a favorite recipe I had learned from my mother-in-law. Taco Soup! What I love about this dish is that it is a "garbage recipe". You just kinda use a little bit of whatever you've got lying around the pantry. And it always turns out great!

So, I'll just tell you how I made today's version and you can insert or take out whatever you want to suit your needs.

I had three chicken breasts thawed, so I cut them into chunks and threw them into a large pan with a cup of chicken stock. When the meat had mostly cooked I tossed them with some taco seasoning.

Now, I would like to thank the genius who shared with the world how you can use your Kitchen Aid stand mixer to shred chicken. This nameless saint should be given some sort of Nobel Prize for helping busy mom's everywhere with this bit of knowledge. Silently send a thankful prayer out to that person, wherever they are, as you place your cooked chicken chunks into your stand mixer to shred (if you have to do this part by hand, I'm sorry for your burden).

Return your shredded chicken to a large pot with 3 cups chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Add one can of diced tomatoes, a can of chili beans (drained), and a can of corn (drained). Now spice to taste with your typical Mexican food seasoning. No measuring required. I added some thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and a few dashes of Tabasco.

Bring to a low boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes.

When you serve your fantastic soup, garnish it just as you would a taco. We like to put sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos on ours. We also love adding avocado if we have some.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts, thawed
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can corn (drained)
• 1 can chili beans (drained)
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cayenne
• Thyme
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Nacho Cheese Doritos

Directions

1. Cut chicken into large chunks and place in large pan with 1 cup chicken stock.
2. Cook until mostly done, add taco seasoning.
3. Shred chicken.
4. Return to large pot with 3 cups chicken stock and 1 cup water.
5. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, and spices.
6. Bring to low boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes.
7. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed Doritos.

And so it begins...

Today is the day I would say the Fox & Bear Homestead is born. This afternoon we picked up our first chicks from our local Agway. It was pretty exciting to know that this is the first step to really establishing our homestead.

We were greeted (or more so, Arlette was greeted) by the staff as soon as we walked into the store. We had spent about an hour in there earlier in the week getting supplies for our garden and to get supplies for the chicks. Everyone wished Arlette a Happy Birthday (which was yesterday) and one of the employees took some photos of her with her "birthday chicks".

We picked up 5 Buff Orpingtons and 5 Speckled Sussex. Both provide a steady egg supply (about 4-5 eggs/week) and are friendly and social birds. Baby Girl squealed when I opened the box for her to peek inside at them.

When we got everybody home we introduced the dogs and cat to the new members of the herd. The cat of course perked right up and while she didn't do anything that would suggest she would turn our chicks into nuggets, the wheels were definitely turning. Demolition was very interested and excited about them, but was cautious knowing that he would be in trouble should he bring harm to them. Katana wanted to play, roughly, with her new friends. Overall though, everyone was on their best behavior (phew).

When the chicks have grown a little more and have markings that allow us to more easily differentiate them, we'll dish out names. We've decided to name each chicken a chicken food related name. Things like Gumbo, Marsala, Noodle, etc. Why? Because it's fun.

I am so excited to document and blog about or journey and I hope you all enjoy following us!