Domestic Geek

I've long used an OTT-LITE® to read by that my father gave me for my birthday years ago. I saw them on Aleene's Creative Living television show and just had to have one. Right now it is on the headboard of my bed. I also have a second desk lamp that is on my PC computer desk. I just purchased an OTT-LITE® True Color™ task light with a magnifier to make my cross stitching easier (Maggie the Messmaker will be started this fall!).

What's great about these lamps is that they simulate natural light so that you can see colors and small details accurately. They don't produce the glare or heat that normal bulbs do, you don't get that fatigue or eye strain that you feel being too close to a common lamp. I can't praise this product line high enough. I can suggest that if you do any type of crafting, design, writing or reading, though, you should really invest the money and get one. We even use them at work to match colors, so you know if they're good enough for a professional shop, they're good for us crafters and creatives.

I had planned on showing some progress pics of the cute little bag that I'm knitting that was the project from the class I attended last Saturday, but I've been a real slacker about posting anything on any of my sites lately. I don't know...my heart is just not in it lately, I guess.

Anyway, I had planned to have it done today to the point where I head back to the store for a lesson on finishing it and making icord handles, but my body decided that wasn't to be. I had about 12 more rows to knit when my carpal tunnel syndrome started to flare up (I had to use a crappy mouse at work last week). Then something in my hand popped and I was out of commission for most of the day. I wrapped my hand in an ace bandage, took some ibuprofin and went to bed to resist the temptation to use it and next thing I knew five hours had passed!

I worked on it for awhile before dinner, so I only have about 4 more rows to go now. I'll get it finished up tomorrow and then there will be pictures!

I've been out looking the past three days for replacement cannisters for my kitchen counter. Why is it that I can't find what I want? I want a simple set, preferably square, not metal, two of them large enough to hold a whole bag of flour and sugar. I'm not asking much, but apparently this style is not popular right now. I'm been to the Container Store, WalMart, Target, Linens 'N' Things, Bed Bath and Beyond. I've even looked on Amazon and Overstock. My next stop is a cooking store out in Littleton sometime next week. If they don't have any, I don't know where else to go. I've even started looking at plastic storage containers that I could put up in the shelves, but I'm not finding anything quite right, either. Grrr.

It's hit me recently what I am finding so disturbing in the blogosphere right now. Most sites out there seem like clones of one another. Everybody, especially those doing paid blogging, are so wrapped up in all the sidebar crap and having all the social networking links on their posts and the tags and the rss feeds and somewhere along the line, something got lost...the blogger's personality. With the popularity and ease of use of platforms such as blogger and wordpress and the multitude of free themes available, it's rare that I see imaginative and creative designs about. I really hope this is a trend that doesn't continue.

While wiping down my kitchen counter this evening, I came to the sad realization that I need to purchase new flour/sugar/tea cannisters. They are made of metal and the bottoms have become rusty and are now staining my counters. I've had the same set since my first college apartment, so that must mean I got them in 1986 maybe? I think 21 years for a $20 set of cannisters was a pretty good run. I guess I need to stop at Linens 'N' Things or a similar store sometime soon and procure new ones, preferably glass or ceramic. It's time.

For the record, I love that product CLR. Took the rust stains right out.