Hawaii Part 1

As most of you know, Justin and I traveled to the beautiful state of Hawaii last month and I must say, it wasn't easy getting there. Unable to get a direct flight from Chicago to Kona, we flew from Chicago to Seattle, Seattle to Honolulu, and Honolulu to Kona. From the time we left our home to the time we arrived in Kona, we had been on the move for 23 hours--oi!

And now, after several requests and "I-checked-your-blog-for-pictures-from-your-Hawaii-trip-but-there-aren't-any-yet" comments, here are some photos from our FIRST day at Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Ok, well, this isn't Hawaii just yet. I'm one of those tourists on a flight sticking my camera up to the plane window taking arial shots from up above and this is one that I snagged of the mountains on our flight from Chicago to Seattle. It's so beautiful!

Once touching down in Kona, my mom picked us up from the airport and after breakfast, we were on our way to the resort. After settling in our room, we went down to the beach to soak up some much needed rays and rest our weary, traveling legs. Not too much later and Justin was already in the water.

While he was playing, I heard some kids nearby tell their moms that there was a sea turtle bathing in the sun up the beach a little bit. So, I went to check him out and snapped this dreamy shot.

Later that evening, we joined some of the other resort guests for an authentic lua'u including yummy tropical drinks, hawaiian food, live music, and hula dancing. Every single cocktail I consumed during our entire trip came with an orchid bloom and some sort of fruit. I love how the vibrant fuchsia pleasantly contrasts the cola-hued mai tai and cyan hurricane.

This isn't a great shot because the sun was setting right behind the stage, but I like how the dancer's silhouetted hands gently frame the sun

During the show, I was hoping that when they called audience participants on stage Justin would be summoned up, but I really didn't think it would happen...and then it did! Here he is trying to follow along with the male dancers. (I'm debating posting the video of him shakin' his tailfeather with the rest of the unwilling men. Do you want to see that?)

And just when he thought his 5 minutes of fame were up, he was commanded back to the stage to represent the "people" by accepting the warriors comrade leaf. When Justin sat back down in his seat next to me, he whispered, "here, it's so oily!"(The dancers were all slicked up to highlight their tans and toned muscles.)

The show really heated up when the Samoan male dancer came out with fire a'blazin.

By the time the show was over we were exhausted. But I couldn't leave until we got a photo with the pretty hula dancers to commemorate our night.

Aloha!

Spackle it up

A couple weeks ago, we painted the small foyer and hallway by the entrance to our garage, but in the process of putting things back where they were, a mirror jumped off one of its hooks and gouged a small hunk out of our freshly painted wall.

After cursing gravity, I grabbed the tools needed to patch it up.
1. Sanding block
2. Spackle
3. Putty knife

The first thing I did was give the hole a light sanding so that there were no rough edges around the gash.

Then I took a small amount of spackle on the putty knife and scraped it across the hole a couple times, until I knew the hole was completely full.

Once the spackle was dry, I lightly sanded it again and ran my finger across the spot to make sure I got it as smooth and level with the wall that I could.

You may have to repeat the spackle and sand steps a few times until it is smooth, depending on the size of the gash and what type of spackle you have. Some spackle shrinks when it dries and other spackle doesn't shrink, so if you have a bunch of small holes in your wall from hanging things, you may want to spring for the non-shrinking kind. For this small hole, I only applied the spackle and sanded once.

Last but not least, I finished it up with a nice new coat of fresh paint.

Patching this small hole took no time at all and by doing it myself, I am confident it was done correctly and carefully. I hope this tutorial helps you fix that nagging scrape or gouge in your abode. It can make  a world of difference.

In loving memory: Grandpa Jack Scurte

October 11, 1919 - January 29, 2010

Grandma and Grandpa at Grandpa Scurte's 90th birthday, October 2009.

Our wedding day, photo with my new family, August 2008.

Grandma and Grandpa being introduced to the reception at our wedding, August 2008.

String it up

During our dining room decoranza, I created some quick and easy wall art on a dime. (See the two white horizontal pieces in this photo, on the back wall on the right.)

Here is what they look like up-close and personal.

My project was inspired when I was shopping at West Elm where I saw these sophisticated and modern framed art pieces highlighting basic art materials such as ink and string. When I saw them, I thought to myself, that's a perfect DIY project for the blank wall in the dining room!

I started off with two simple white frames, a variety of string, some paper shopping bags, double-sided tape, and super glue.

First I selected the backgrounds for my string art, cut the paper bags to fill the four 6x4" openings, and used the double-sided tape to tack the paper down.

Then I played around with the string until I came up with a design that I was happy with.

In order to keep the string in the shapes that I formed, I used tiny dots of super glue in a couple spots. This not only held the shapes, but also tacked the string down to the background paper.

It took less than a second for the super glue to dry so in no time, I popped them in the frames, hung them on the wall, and stepped back to admire my work.

I am really happy with the way they turned out and have received numerous compliments. If you're looking to hang some art in your home, but don't have the funds for what you see in stores, whip up a few of these, hang them in a row, and call them art. I do!

Drain-oh-yuck

As I was in the process of re-caulking my shower one husband-free weekend day, I also gave my shower a much needed scrub down, and anyone who knows me, knows that when I clean, I don't beat around the bush. So when I got to the drain, I popped the cover off and got to work removing the built-up grime below the surface. I didn't think anything of it when I peered down the drain and only saw darkness, but I decided to try out a new tool that Justin and I received a couple months ago that boasts of clearing drains without the use of harsh chemicals. This tool, made by Bad Cat Solutions, is called the Drain Claw and to sum up its effectiveness in one word, AMAZING.

Basically what you do with the Drain Claw is stretch out the wire body, stick the end with the mascara-wand-like tip down the drain, twist around, hold your breath, and pull. So easy and completely natural. Our drain wasn't even clogged or slow, but this tool removed a mass of gunk so large that I can't believe water was still flowing through it. Words can't describe how disgusted I was upon seeing (and smelling) it either. All I can say is that if your drain is experiencing a slow down, I'm glad I'm not you! (No offense.) You can order a drain claw here or pick it up at your local Ace Hardware store. You're sure to have an experience for the books (and a clog-free drain).