As In a Mirror

I recently invented a method of making my own paper CD cases, and I decided to share the recipe here for y’all (complete with pictures!), cuz sharing makes you feel good inside…right?

Here’s what you will need:

Construction paper or some similar heavy-duty paper
Scissors
Ruler
Highlighter marker (if you’re smarter than me, you’ll use a light-colored one)
Glue stick
Scotch tape
Pencil
Colored pencils
Utility knife

1) Cut a 6 inch by 11 inch piece of construction paper. (TIP: Make a perfect rectangle by measuring and marking a 6 inch length at the top and bottom of your paper.)

2) Fold your construction paper, leaving about an inch of a lip at the top.

3) Measure and mark 1/2 inch off each side. (TIP: It is very important to be exact here, because this ultimately determines whether or not a CD will fit in your case!)

4) Cut ONLY along the marks, ONE layer of your paper, as shown below.

Here’s a better look:

5) At the lip, cut at outward angles to make a nice edge for your flaps.

6) Fold the side flaps over firmly and tightly.

7) With the gluestick, glue these flaps generously, especially at the edges. Fold immediately and press down tightly first with your finger and then with your ruler.

8 ) Allow to dry (fortunately, glue sticks dry quickly ) You may want to tape the bottom edges as extra support.

9) Fold the top lip over to make a flap.

10) With a pencil, trace a line in the center just below your top flap (when closed).

11) Draw a semi-circle over this line.

12) Cut ONLY the semi-circle pattern, down to a little bit below your straight pencil line. (TIP: I used a very sharp pocket-knife for this job, but I imagine a small-bladed utility knife might also work.)

13) Erase your pencil marks.

14) Decorate your case with colored pencils! (These I recommend because regular marker will bleed through, and crayon will get on your hands!)

So now you have just saved on buying CD cases, and you can decorate it as you so desire! (BTW, my amazing artist brother, The Brickster, decorated the cover you see above!)

CAUTION: These cases are not waterproof, so be careful not to get them wet.

Filed under : Querky, photography

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For some reason (maybe the upcoming 4th) I have had this little obsession or something with singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as I’m working. My family sometimes thinks it’s funny; most of the time they are quite annoyed and ask me to shut up. Guess I can’t blame them. I do sing quite loudly, and stop abruptly with an “Umm…” when I can’t remember the words or melody. I did that while doing the dishes on Tuesday. So next thing I know, Dad comes out with a printed sheet of the full lyrics! That was encouraging.

He especially likes the last stanza:

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And while we’re at it, thought I’d share this great performance of our national anthem, sung a cappella by five young girls. They only sing the first stanza, but it really sounds beautiful! Check it out!

Filed under : Music, Querky

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I learned earlier this year about the awesome homemade raw smoothies! So when a friend gave us our first-ever blender, this cookie got started on an “awr-some” adventure! I have experimented SO much I think I drove the fam nuts. Some recipes they like, while others I am left with, trying so hard to down it all. Well, this past Tuesday I invented a new recipe (which isn’t entirely raw. Sorry, folks). But, if you ever treat yourself just a little, believe me, you have got to try this!

My family as a whole hasn’t been nuts about the smoothies, actually. They really don’t like their food liquefied, though The Brickster and I really do like our thick strawberry-kale shakes! This new recipe of mine, however, was an instant hit, and people drank full glasses, whilst making grunts of approval and nothing but positive comments!

Ingredients needed:
7 to 8 bananas, peeled (kinda important!)
Milk, rice milk, or soy milk. (Or whatever other kind of milk there is, like… cow milk, maybe?)
1/2 cup of Ovaltine. (Nope, I am not kidding. Told you it wasn’t raw.)

So cut your bananas into thirds or so, put them into the blender and fill it up with milk until it almost reaches the top of the bananas. Blend, then beat. Now is when you add the Ovaltine. You may use more or less as you so desire. Set to liquefy, until you get that pure milkshake consistency. If you want a little extra sweetness, add a packet or two of stevia. Pour into glasses with straws (it really is better that way!) and serve. Only kidding. What I meant was, drink them all yourself, one by one.

FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY!

For real, that is what you will want to do. But it actually wouldn’t be such a good idea. Too much chocolate will make you crash. Hence, change of recipe: Drink just one glass, and give the rest to your family.

This drink is SO good fresh, but it is not so good after it has been sitting in the fridge for a day. I did that and I thought that I was just exercising self-control. I realized later that it would have been better if we had drunk it all up. Believe me, it wasn’t hard the second time!

Filed under : Querky

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… so here I go.

Story goes, at approximately 6:30, I was totally exhausted (again). Working in the kitchen (again) I said in a very silly voice “I think I’m going to lose it” and laid my head on the table. So Mom suggested, “Maybe you should write a post.” I poked my head up, “What?” She continued, “You should write something, do something normal that will help you relax.” A grin spread out over my face and I proceeded to spit out the idea that came into my head at that moment. So here it is for you all.

What I spent my day doing: Weeding (LOTS). And also: squishing bugs; washing and putting away dishes (do this every day); harvesting and washing chard, lettuce, spinach, and kale; making a salad; telling everybody where everything is (do this every day, too); hanging laundry; general cleaning of kitchen (yep, do that every day, too); telling my cat how cute, sweet, and beautiful she is (yep, do that every day, too). And I watched the videos on Courageous Blog. Brightened my day. Guys in the background are funny.

So that’s the big basic stuff of what I did today. There were lots of other little things, too, like walked up and down the stairs, blew my nose, swatted flies (my weary hand missed), opened the garage door and realized I needed to go the other way, changed a dirty bathroom towel, etc. etc. But I took a shower, too.

And now I am even MORE exhausted!

Wondering exactly how exhausted your poor Other Alice is? Well, you know how exhausted you are after you’ve had a really big project over the weekend? That’s how I have been. Every day. Of the last. Four. Weeks. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

Today, I got to have a little relaxing time before the sun went down! That’s a real plus!

And to all of you who may have been missing The Other Alice in her blogging absence: thank my Mom.

Five minutes later: Aaaah… now I’m doing something really relaxing. I’m listening to a new song I discovered through Jay’s Music Blog: Greatness of Our God sung by Natalie Grant.

P. S. If you do not want to read my woes but rather somebody’s inspiring story, go to this page a friend referred to me a while ago, but I just never got around to making it my own Inspiring Story here on As In a Mirror. It’s about Corrie ten Boom.

Filed under : Querky

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There was once a teacher who told his students, “You can know nothing for certain.”

The teacher responded “I am certain.”

WOW! Glad that teacher sorted that all out for us, or we would never know, would we?

Story courtesy “Why I Believe” by Dr. D. James Kennedy. (Awesome book!)

Filed under : Querky

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