A Variety Pack.

 

A Variety Pack!  Yay!  It's been a while!  Boy, I'm getting spotty with my Variety Packs, yikes.

Well I'm back with another one then!

Which is great because I've got hot tips for you, cool ideas, and this post will contain two, yes two, recipes!

Let's hop to it!  Variety Pack!

First, an oh duh moment.  A problem that needled me daily but as soon as I'd walk away, I'd forget to do something about it.

I shared this hot tip over on the ol' Instagrams and it's truly one of those why did I not think of that before's:  adding little motion-activated puck lights* in dark cabinets.  (Or really, anywhere that's light-deficient with no available wiring.)

Yeah!  Right?!  Duh!  I had one of those push-to-turn-on-and-off ones in the abhorrent corner cabinet and switching to a motion-activated one, total boon.  Flips on when I reach in, shuts off on its own.  I tell ya, sometimes it's the little things for the win!

Loathe this cabinet.  Loathe.  Someday, I've gotta hit upon a resolution for this.

And it's bright!  Well, definitely much brighter than the push on push off one.

The ones I ordered from Amazon* are a thumbs up.  But.  The magnet and sticker suuuuck.  As we found out recently in the middle of the night, of course, as two fell off the wall in the stair, banging down the wood treads, and it took three hours to peel me off the ceiling.

In the instance of the kitchen cabinet, I used this heavy-duty removable tape* to stick it instead.  This tape rocks by the way, total win.  It's what's holding those DIY Dowel Decor Recessed Can Light Shades up and still going strong.

So are my little 15-minute DIY Pot Lid Racks in there.  Yep!  Three cheers for scrap wood!

Whooo, that was a lot of info already!

All righty, let's keep going.  Variety Pack!

Oh, yes, I finally got to installing another outside a closet rod, this time in the bedroom above my hanging clothes closet.

Left, before.  Right, yay!

Yes, ok, yes, we each have our own hanging clothes closets.  I mean, when you've got extra bedrooms and it's just us, you spread out a little.  Hey, what can I say.  I need to do some spring cleaning in this one too, hmph.

I'd been itching to get to this second rod, itching and when that one time I really wanted it there and it wasn't hit, I'd had enough of pokey myself.

Up it went in exactly the same fashion, manner, and materials, hence buying a four-pack of brackets.  Only difference here was I left the brackets white as matching the wall color with spray paint would have been a headache-inducer.

Yep, there are the dowel hooks!  The murder of crows is by John W. Fesken.

By the way, Bar Keeper's Friend* cleans copper like a champ.  A bit of the powder and a scrubby pad,* I was able to get that fingerprint smudgied humble plumbing pipe back to a sparkly, shiny clean.

Shiny!

Have I tried the curtain rod out?  hahaha, no not yet but I will next week!  I'm sure it'll be awesome.

Mmk, what else do I have on my Variety Pack list?

Ahh, yes.  Cracked concrete.

I happenstance noticed late last fall that the concrete around one of our deck posts ugly cracked in three places.  Yikes.  I was displeased.   Big gaps.  Water.  Getting into the post foundation.  No no no!

And of course, as is my Murphy's Law life, the weather was already too cold to address it.  Soo, I spent the whole entire winter stressing over it.

Finally with warmer, concrete setting weather upon us, I went right at it.

Dashed downstairs for my bag of concrete patch and poured a pile into a zipper bag.*  This will make sense.

Back outside I drizzled some water into the bag, zipped it shut, squished it all around to mix.  

 

Zig zag -- top left, before.  Top right, prep.  Bottom left, mixed concrete patch in a zipper bag.  Bottom right, all patched!

Yep, just like a piping bag!*  Snipped off a corner, squeezed the concrete into the offending cracks, and voilá, patched and water-collection-free!  Whew, now I can sleep!

Then obviously, clean up is simple:  there is no clean up -- just wait for the bag contents to harden and dispose.  Maybe not the most eco-friendly but it's easy, mess-free, a controlled application, simple, and stress-free.  I patted myself on the back for that one.

What else on my Variety Pack list for you...

Back inside, ah, the shower glass.  While I absolutely love our spiffy glass shower doors, man, do they get dirty fast.  

Here's what I clean them with and then I RainX* but still, the time between cleanings is oh-so brief and aggravating.  I've got sh*t to do.

As we know, those daily shower sprays* are pricey, the bottle empties way too fast so I did the research for you on a DIY version.  Having run into too many "try this!" or "this works!" or "this is the best!" and they're all untruths, here's a daily shower spray that actually truly honestly works:

Saving Grace Daily Shower Spray:

• 1/2 cup (118 ml) hydrogen peroxide
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) rubbing alcohol
• 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap
• 1 tablespoon dishwasher rinse aid*
• 2 cups (473 ml) water

Shake everything lightly in a spray bottle* of choice, squeegee* post shower, spray that glass with this no wipe, no rinse, no residue, no harsh chemical schnizz, walk away and get the heck on with your life!  

Speaking of cleaning, have you guys tried Zote Soap*?  Omg, where has this been all my life?  Mike strew a bunch of chili across one of his dress shirts recently.  The wince on his face when he came home...

I opted to test a bar, see if the praises people sang of it were true.  Holy cats and dogs people, it got that dried chili out of his shirt in one go.  It's a white shirt too and there is zero trace that he made a monster mess of himself.

Zote Soap, 10/10, highly recommend.  There are two types, white and pink and in looking into the difference, there doesn't appear to be much of one so if you find one or the other, either way, you'll be spot-free.

Chili.  Amazing.  I know, right?!

Okey doke, it's not a Variety Pack post without a tasty recipe!  Of course, everything baking is over at The Bake Dept so head there immediately.  Lemme dig through my way-too-big stash...

Mmmmm how about Fresh Pasta!  Love love love this recipe for ravioli.  I know, it calls for cake flour* which seems bizarre but trust me, this pasta is delicate, light, and so so so good.  If you've hit the site's paywall, email me.  Or, if you're new here, subscribe and it's yours!

An update on the Finn-meister by the way:  he's been feeling so fantastic, he's so happy, gained weight, is super playful, loving, his surgery shave is growing in, he needs a bath, and then in unnerving news, had his first chemo dose this week.

To say I'm freaked out is an understatement.  I cried most of that morning.  So, hoping it doesn't hit him like a ton of bricks.  siiiighhhh

Finn enjoying his deck couch* recently.  Sweetie boy, so handsome.  Cedar window frames with floating planters, freshly planted for summer!

Please donate to the National Canine Cancer Foundation if you're able.  I'd be so thankful.

Ok!  That's it for today's Variety Pack! 

*The motion-activated puck lights, heavy-duty removable tape, Bar Keeper's Friend, scrub pads, zipper bags, piping bags, RainX, daily shower sprays, dishwasher rinse aid, spray bottles, shower squeegees, Zote soap, cake flour, and outdoor sectionals in wicker are Amazon affiliate links.  Mwah, thanks!  Please see the "boring stuff" tab for more info.