The Mother Trucking Mudpocalypse, PART 2: Love Wins

The Mother Trucking Mudpocalypse, PART 2: Love Wins

The first day of the Mother Trucking Mudpocalypse had been frustrating, tiring, and surreal. Growing up in D.C. suburbia with mini-vans and sedans, I never expected to ever be dealing with a truck stuck in the mud. Welcome to Texas, Angie! Drew and I went to sleep at around 5:15am Sunday morning and planned to wake up around 8:00am to assess the situation and plan our next move. Thunder and rain woke us early, and our spirits were dampened (pun intended) by the knowledge that water was accumulating around our already muddy Bruce.

Drew spent some time researching and watching videos trying to figure out what strategy would provide our best chance for getting Bruce unstuck. It would not be feasible to get another truck down into the pit and risk getting it stuck, so we headed to Home Depot and purchased a pair of Come-Alongs and over 200 feet of recovery straps. Our hope was that when the rain stopped we would be able to get a truck to tow Bruce out of the mud from a safe distance.

I don’t know if I am going to be able to adequately explain to you what happened on Sunday, but I believe it was a direct effect of my choice the night before to be understanding and supportive of Drew. Let me preface it by saying that I do not cry very often. Especially not when other people are around. My friends from college used to call me “the ice queen,” much to my chagrin. I do indeed feel emotion; I just don’t share all of it with everyone.

When we got back from Home Depot, I laid down on the bed, tired from having gotten too little sleep and feeling very helpless. Drew was frustrated, the truck was stuck, the clouds were dumping rain down upon us, and there was nothing I could do about any of it; I was fighting back tears. Drew sensed this and came over to me, asking if I was crying. I told him I was trying not to. He sat down, put my head on his lap, and asked how I was feeling. I replied, “Helpless,” and he told me he was feeling the same way and that he was amazed at how understanding I was being. I sat up and he looked at me and said, “I love you.”

I looked back at him and my mouth formed the words, “I love you,” but I don’t think any sound came out because I burst into tears and fell into Drew’s arms. (I feel teary-eyed just typing this now.) When I regained the use of my vocal chords I tried to smile and said weepily to my husband, “I love you so much it is leaking out of my eyeballs!” I searched my heart to find any sign of resentment, disappointment, or anger, but there was none. Those tears were made of genuine, pure love. I truly believe that when I chose to be patient with my husband, God poured so much love into my heart that there was no room for anything else. This made me feel overwhelmingly blessed, but it did result in a very emotional morning.

We knew it would be pointless to go out to check on Bruce and we doubted we’d be able to get out there through rain soaked dirt roads anyway. We had not heard from any of the guys who had helped the night before, so Drew contemplated taking a nap and then going to evening Mass. I am terrible at taking naps and I knew we’d still be exhausted even if we went to Mass late in the day and so I insisted that we try to make it to church at 1:00 that afternoon. “I need Jesus now,” I had said. I drove us to church through the rain, working hard to keep more love from dripping down my face.

I am so thankful that we went this particular Mass. I knew it was a good choice when I opened my missal and began reading the summary of the week’s readings. Drew had told me in the car that he felt like part of his youth died when his truck got stuck, and he would “never do something so stupid again.” Funny enough, the following words were on the pages I was reading:

“There are people who try to live without restraints. They follow the epicurean philosophy of the pagan Romans: ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.’ But we could also look at life in the following way: In order to transcend life, I must die to my old, immature, egotistic self. If I want to become a mature and grown-up person, I must leave my youth behind me.” (From the New Saint Joseph Sunday Missal, Complete Edition)

I showed this passage to Drew and we smiled and chuckled, realizing that we were probably in for a very enlightening and emotional Mass experience. And what a doozy it was. It is like Fr. Jim knew what we were experiencing. His homily emphasized the importance of our reactions to life’s situations - Yep! We are learning that lesson right now! THEN, he went on to explain that although the Gospel reading about Jesus and Lazarus says, “Jesus wept,” the more original translation read, “Jesus burst into tears.” Father wanted us to think about a time when we felt that much emotion and how bursting into tears was often a sign of love and shock and overwhelming feelings – Yep! Been there, done that, two hours ago! Trying not to burst into tears right now! Needless to say, at this point I was fumbling around my purse looking for tissues and hoping people around me weren’t bothered by my sniffles. Father’s homily was exactly what we needed to hear, and the comfort of Communion with Jesus in the Eucharist provided the peace for which my soul longed. I am amazed at how often the lessons of the Mass align with the goings-on of my life. It would probably be a little bit scary if it weren’t actually so awe-inspiring.

We left Mass feeling very in love with each other and very loved and blessed by God. It became so easy to realize the important aspects of our dilemma: Drew was safe and healthy and we had people around us who were willing to help us find a solution to our problem. We didn’t know what the solution would be or when we would find it, but we felt a little more optimistic. After consulting our friends and realizing all we could do was wait, we went home and had a relatively relaxing evening.

Of all the silver linings to be found in the Mudpocalypse, it is the overwhelming feeling of love from this day that I appreciate the most. It is easy to say that you will love someone “in good times and in bad,” but it is harder to do it in real life. In the grand scheme of "bad" things that can happen to a married couple, our problem was pretty low on the totem pole, although it felt very large at the time. We aren't dealing with many of the awful situations people all over the world face everyday, but as far as our daily lives go, we had been thrown into a tizzy. If I can love Drew this much when things are tough, how much better can I love him when life is running smoothly? I know my words here cannot have come close to conveying the profound stirring that occurred within my soul, but I hope I have given you a glimpse of it. Choosing love is worth it, and when you do you will be rewarded beyond measure. Love wins!

I just read this post to edit it and now I am crying again. Geez, Louise, I can feel my "stone cold" reputation slipping away.
Come back tomorrow to see pictures of Bruce stuck in the mud and read about the continuation of the Mudpocalypse! I promise it will NOT be as touchy-feely as this post was. :)

4/27/2014 UPDATE: If you want to listen to Father Jim's homily, click here.

The Mother Trucking Mudpocalypse, Part 1: Choices

Hello there! I have a true story to tell you. You should know that it is full of silver linings and it has a happy ending, because if it had not turned out well I would be keeping this tale to myself. It will probably take a few posts for me to get through the whole thing, but even if nobody reads them, I will feel it was worth it to get out my thoughts in writing so that I can look back on this past week and smile. And maybe laugh. 

I have dubbed April 5^th through April 8^th of the year 2014 the Mother Trucking Mudpocalypse. 

Here is why:

The Mother Trucking Mudpocalypse, Part 1: Choices

April 5, 2014 was going to be a fun day. My husband, Drew, had planned a remedial Land Navigation course for some of the guys in his National Guard unit and was going to be spending the morning and afternoon out at a local park. He invited our friend Izak to join him. Meanwhile, Izak’s wife, Kris, and I planned to prepare lunch for the guys and then do a few spring/Easter themed craft projects. 

Kris and I were at my apartment with dinner in the crock pot and dessert cooling in the refrigerator when I got a phone call from Drew around 3:30 pm.

“Hi! We are done with Land Nav, but . . . the truck is a little bit . . . stuck, so we’ll be home as soon as we can.”

He and Izak had been scouting out future sites for more Land Nav courses and got bad directions on how to get from point A to point B. Okay, fine. Trucks get stuck all the time. No big deal. Kris and I settled in to watch the UF/UConn basketball game when the boys still weren’t home at 5:00. We got another call.

“Um, can you ask Kris if she knows anyone in the Arlington area with a truck? We are really stuck and we need some help.”

I began to worry a little bit. Because of where they were located, no towing company would even entertain the idea of going out there to help with Drew’s truck, which is named Bruce, by the way. Kris started calling people she knew from work, and we were able to get in touch with one guy who had a truck and could help out. And then we waited.

Every time I heard a vehicle in the parking lot, I ran to the window to see if it was Bruce and the guys pulling up to the building. My anxiety reminded me of how I used to wait for what felt like forever for friends and family to arrive at my house for childhood birthday parties and holidays. It got dark and Kris and I decided to play cards, hoping our husbands would be home soon. The phone rang again.

“Well, one truck came out here to help us and got stuck. Then another guy came out here and got stuck. And now someone else is coming to help.”

At this point, Kris and I couldn’t bear the thought of waiting at home any longer, so we ordered three large pizzas and planned to pick up some beer for the stuck truck crew; it was almost 9:00pm and we knew they would be starving.

NOW, you might be wondering how I reacted to all of this. Among the list of things a wife doesn’t want to hear over the phone is, “Our very expensive vehicle is stuck in an unsecure location in very thick mud and we can't get it out.”

I will admit that several less than charitable thoughts ran through my mind at first, but since I was removed from the situation, I had many hours to contemplate how I would react to all of this in Drew’s presence. Thank goodness I had Kris with me all day, too, because I was able to talk through my thoughts and feelings with her before we headed out to check on Bruce and the boys.

Since getting married, I have realized that, although I tend to give other people the benefit of the doubt (unless they seriously disrespect me in traffic), I jump to criticism and judgment very quickly when it comes to Drew. I am not proud of this fact, but hey, at least I am aware of my weakness and willing to improve myself. It helps to have examples of good wives after whom I can model my behavior, and I know many women who are tremendous inspirations to me. 

In this particular moment, though, I found myself thinking about a fictional woman: Cora Crawley from Downton Abbey. I'll be honest in saying that sometimes her character really annoys me, especially because of the tone of her voice, and I surprised myself when I had this moment of revelation about her. Let me explain: there is a scene where she finds out that her husband has lost all of her money in an investment that went kaput. They have certainly had contentious moments in their marriage and I expected her to be upset and reprimand him, but instead, I watched in awe as she considered only the feelings of her husband as she lovingly stated, “This must be so hard for you!” She knew he was already beating himself up over his poor choice and so she chose to simply show him love.

Channeling Lady Crawley, I went with Kris to gather sustenance for the men and we headed out to the scene of the stuck trucks. There were five trucks down in a muddy pit and I think three or four of them were trapped in the muck when we arrived. It was amazing that so many guys had wanted to help out, but frustrating that trucks kept getting stuck and unstuck and then stuck again. Drew had not been goofing around when he got stuck and none of the ensuing truck stuckness had been intended on his part. He clearly understood the consequences of his actions and I knew without asking him that he felt bad that all of this trouble was happening on his account.  After surveying the scene and passing out beer and pizza slices, I took a moment to embrace Drew and tell him, “I love you.” I am proud to say that it took him by surprise to observe me being so understanding (I figured leaving him to wonder what I might be thinking would be torture enough.)

You can see some of the trucks and jeeps that came to try helping out. None of these are Drew's truck. Thanks for the picture, Kris!

The truck in the foreground was stuck for quite a while. The red truck behind it spent a long time trying to get it out. Thanks for the picture, Kris!

Choosing to be understanding and supportive made hanging out in that mud pit for a few hours tolerable and even fun at times. Drew did not get home until 4:30am, and his truck was the only one still stuck in the mud with a day full of rain ahead in the forecast. I hugged him again and said, "I love you." I was glad he was home safely and hoped he would be able to get some much needed sleep. I could tell that Drew really appreciated my attitude (believe me, I had chosen to act against my own instinct and it took a lot of strength to do so), but it wasn’t until the next morning that I realized how I would personally be affected by my choice.

Come back tomorrow to read the next part of our adventure! Sign up for email updates and you won't miss a thing. :)

Pistachio Ice Cream

Pistachios are awesome. Raise your hand if you agree. Woohoo! (You may lower your hand now, if you like)

I am by no means obsessed with pistachios. In fact, I rarely eat them, but they have popped up in my life in special ways so that I think of them as an indulgence rather than a mere common snack.

I remember pistachios being a perpetual snack at most family gatherings when I was a small girl. Though it could be frustrating to remove the shells, there was always an uncle around to help me out. And even if I couldn't get a shell opened, the roasted, salty shell tasted good enough to suck on for a minute anyway (just be sure to put the slobbery shell in the bowl of shells, not the bowl of uneaten pistachios). Win, win! Snacks that take the most work to eat always seem to taste the best, don’t they?

Another popular pistachio-ed treat among my family was Watergate Salad, whose ingredients include cool whip, pineapple, marshmallows, and pistachio pudding. It wasn't present at every family party, but when it was, boy was I excited! I remember taking leftovers to school in my lunch only to hear my friends ask suspiciously, "What is that?!" The salad's green coloring always intrigued me and it was just ridiculously delicious.

It should have come as no surprise, then, that my first taste of pistazien-eis (translation: pistachio ice) outside of a gelateria in Salzburg, Austria would be a resounding success. I fell in love with the pistachio gelato and although I did commit myself to trying a handful of other flavors while I was there, I often ordered a scoop of one flavor along with a scoop of pistazien to make sure I got enough of it before the end of my six week study abroad session.

Can you guess what this store sells?

Fast-forward several years later and I met the man who would become my husband. Early on in our dating relationship, Drew moved to Miami and mentioned that the city life at twilight reminded him of evening strolls to get gelato when he lived in Italy. I asked him his favorite flavor (one of the few questions that I am proud to say I actually initiated) and told him mine was pistachio. Here was his response: “Holy cow! pistachio!? I have met NO ONE that shares my love of pistachio gelato.” As you can see, the two of us were meant to be. We even ended up naming one of the tables at our wedding reception “pistachio,” so this particular nut is obviously special to us. I know you’re thinking, “Wow. They are weird.” You are right, and we have no qualms about admitting it.

Now it is time for me to tell you why I have been a little nutty today. I made Pistachio Ice Cream yesterday evening and it was PERFECT. Not too sweet and just pistachio-y enough. The recipe is almost exactly like the Strawberry Ice Cream I wrote about a few days ago, but with one key ingredient changed. You guessed it – replace strawberries with pistachios.

Here are the details:

INGREDIENTS

1 can of regular coconut milk

2 cups half and half (or whipping cream)

1½ tablespoons vanilla extract

½ cup granulated sugar

12 oz bag of pistachios with shells on

Liquid Stevia to taste

PROCEDURE

First, shell the pistachios. I suppose you could buy them pre-shelled, but I don’t know how much you would need. Maybe a cup? I bought the kind with the shell on because they were less expensive. Pour the coconut milk, half and half, vanilla extract, sugar, and pistachios into a blender to mix the ingredients and break down the pistachios. Next, I added about 20 drops of liquid stevia to mine, but you can add stevia or sugar or another sweetener according to your taste. Then, follow the directions for your ice cream maker and freeze it in a sealed container until you are ready to eat it.

We have eaten ours with chocolate syrup and whipped cream, but I think next time I will also add fresh strawberries and banana. Yummers!

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

I have been a slacker. It has been more than a month since I last posted, and I am sorry. A lot has been going on around here, but I will fill you in on that in some future posts. (No, I am not pregnant, in case you got excited for a second). :)

Also, as part of my chosen Lenten penance I have not been getting on the computer until after noon, and since I usually worked on blog posts in the morning, my groove has been disrupted. Being disconnected for a few hours is actually nice and I have enjoyed these quiet computer-less and television-free mornings.

Anyway, I HAD to get my act together, because spring is here! Sort of. Well, the calendar says it is here but the real thing is still working on being here in practice. Soon we’ll get off of this weathery roller coaster and take a walk in some sunshine. One of the only ways I know it is springtime is that I can go to the grocery store and not feel guilty about buying strawberries. Everyone and their mother in Florida is going to strawberry festivals and since I am out here in Texas, I will instead enjoy the fruits of the strawberry farmers' labor by eating strawberry ice cream!

One of the best gifts Drew and I received for our wedding was a Cuisinart ice cream maker. I absolutely love it. I haven’t bought ice cream since we unpacked it in August. Cost-wise, I don’t think making your own ice cream is less expensive than purchasing it. I didn’t do the math, but I am pretty sure it would be cheaper (ounce for ounce) to buy a half gallon of ice cream at the store. HOWEVER, pints of the good stuff – Ben & Jerry’s, Starbucks, SO Delicious – you know what I am talking about – can cost you five or six dollars, and the homemade goods are definitely less expensive and oftentimes way more scrumptious!

I have had some misses in my ice cream experimentation thus far, but I think I have now found an ice cream base that works for me, a combination of coconut and cream. I just add different ingredients to change the overall flavor. I plan to share many of these creations with you, but for now I will start with my most recent recipe: Strawberry Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS:

1 can of regular coconut milk

2 cups whipping cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/3 – ½ cup granulated sugar

2 cups sliced strawberries

Add liquid Stevia to taste

Put the first five ingredients into a blender to mix all the liquids and to break down the strawberries. My strawberries were frozen, which shouldn't really matter, but it helps to make ice cream with cold ingredients. Taste the blended mixture and add liquid stevia or more sugar until your desired sweetness is reached (I personally do not like sweets that are too sweet). Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to finish up.

For me, it took about 15 minutes in the ice cream maker. I actually had too much in the blender to fit in the 1.5 quart machine, so I poured the extra into a cup and popped it in the freezer before we ate it for dessert, and it was delicious. The real point of the ice cream maker is to add air into the mixture to give it that light, ice-creamy texture.

Blend it up!

Let the ice cream maker do its thing. (Shh! Don't tell, but I always think at this point that it looks like a butt . . . )

The machine adds air to the ice cream and practically pushes it up and out of the machine.

SO MUCH ICE CREAM! HOORAY!

Top your Strawberry Sundae with fresh chopped strawberries and chocolate sauce and then enjoy your homemade treat!

Three Years! (How We Dated Long Distance)

Photo by Limelight Photography

In case you did not know, I met my husband online. As in, create a profile, upload a picture, browse, connect, date. Survive awkward moments. Rinse, Repeat. Find someone who sticks.

SAY WHAT?!

I know this is now a very common fact, but I still find it hard to believe about my own life. Three years ago today, Drew sent me a simple and thoughtful message and I became the luckiest girl in the world.

We lived 300 miles apart while we dated, and we were lucky that our distance was drivable in only a handful of hours. Anyway, it was, I think, the second long-distance relationship for each of us. My first ended not so well, but with Drew it was like a dream and the only reason that it ended was that we got married! Drew and I have spent a handful of nights apart in the last eight months and the quiet evenings and dinners cooked for one harken back to when we only saw one another a couple of weekends each month. Despite the limited in-person dating time, we both agree that we probably spent more time “together” getting to know each other because of the distance than we would have if we lived in the same town. We look back on that time physically apart as a true blessing.

“Back in the day” a long-distance relationship would have consisted mainly of letter writing, which is really quite romantic. We were thankful, though, to have access to many of today’s technologies that make dating across the miles so much easier. Long-distance dating isn't for everyone, but for the right person it is absolutely worth it! So how did we make it work? Here is some of my advice for how to have a fun dating relationship over the inter-webs:

Take advantage of all means of communication available to you: email, texts, phone calls, video chat, snail mail - We especially loved having the ability to video chat in the evenings. There was no pressure to talk the whole time, either; sometimes I had work to do, or Drew would take a nap. It was just nice to know that the other person was “there,” and life felt as normal as we could make it.

Evidence: Drew napping while I was probably grading papers.

Learn your love languages – In case you didn’t know, there are five of them. Understanding what makes you feel loved and how you can best show love to someone else can have a very positive impact on your relationship. As it turned out, Drew and I had almost identical tendencies in our love languages. It will be interesting to see if we change over the course of our marriage. Use a love language survey to spark conversation!

Plan movie dates – We would often rent a movie together online, or find one on tv or at Redbox. Then, we’d get on video chat and watch the movie together. Syncing up the audio can be a little tough, but volume adjustments or headphones can alleviate annoyances caused by delays.

Watch favorite tv shows together – This is pretty much the same as the movie dates. We would either watch shows on tv or catch up with them on Hulu. Having those shared daily experiences make a long-distance relationship feel more “normal.”

Make the same dinner- A few times we picked a recipe to make “together.” We each went to our respective grocery stores to get the ingredients and then we’d video chat while cooking and eating.

Play games online – How many competitive hours did we spend playing Words With Friends? SO MANY. Play a game in one evening or over the course of a week. Either way, it is tons of fun.

Ask questions – Drew is excellent at this whereas I am terrible. He was so curious that he sent me an email nearly every day that posed at least three questions about every random and serious topic. We got to learn a lot about each other and his questions came in handy when he used them as part of his marriage proposal.

Plan what you’ll do when you are together – Give yourselves something to look forward to! Just because the relationship is long-distance, it doesn’t mean you have NO time together in real life. Of course, distance plays a great role in the amount of time you'll have, but I was really lucky that Drew was happy and willing to do A LOT of driving. Get excited about it! Make plans!

There are a lot of ways to carry on a successful long-distance relationship, and each couple has unique circumstances and approaches to making their experience special. For us, it was all about spending quality time together (which is one of the five love languages) and truly learning to understand each other and show love across the distance. Living apart for nearly two and a half years has made us so grateful for all of the days we have gotten to spend together in our newlywed life. These three years have flown by and I can't believe all the things that we have accomplished together. I can't wait to see what is ahead in the coming years!

Tutorial: Old Pants, New Bag

I spend a lot of time copying other peoples' crafts and projects; it's a great way to learn different skills and it's much easier to work when you have a solid example to help you. I therefore consider it an intellectual victory when I develop a creative idea of my own. It is highly likely that someone else has already done this exact re-purposing project, but I don't care. I did this all on my own. I am a big girl.

Drew and I went to our friends' for dinner the other night. They recently got married and this was our first time seeing them since their wedding and move to a new apartment. We bought a bottle of wine, chosen entirely for it's cute label (and because it was a Riesling and that is the best), and because I didn't want to just fork over a bottle of naked wine, I turned to my fabric stash to come up with something to sew into a bag. I noticed a pair of pants that Drew said he didn't want anymore and I thought to myself, "If I use a leg from these pants, the job is half done!" And so I present to you this tutorial so that you can do the same.

Just so you know, the pictures for each step are above the instructions for that step. Picture first, followed by instructions. Got it? Good. Go!

Step 1: Lay out your pants nice and flat. Place your wine bottle on the pants to get an idea of how much you need to cut. I wanted to have a nice big cuff on the finished bag, so I cut a bit above the knee, as you can see in the photo above. Make sure you only cut through one leg, unless you are wanting to make two bags at once.

Step 2: Turn your cut piece inside out. Line up the edges that you cut, and sew across the pants using about a 1/2 inch seam allowance. This is going to be the bottom of the bag.

The next steps will have you box the corners of the bottom of the bag. The picture above is the result that we are going for, but I wanted to show you before I explain it, in the hopes that it will help the whole thing make sense. You might also want to read through all of steps 3 and 4 before you begin working on it. Here we go.

Step 3: Grab one of the corners of the bottom of the bag. Pinch it so that the seams on the bottom and the side lay on top of one another. I like to peek inside the bag to make sure the seams line up; the picture above is my awkward attempt to show you this perspective. See how the arrow points to the matched up seams?

Step 4: Once you have your corner adequately pinched and lined up, make it nice and flat. Take a ruler and make a mark on the seam of the bottom of the bag. The larger your measurement, the wider the inside of your bag will be. My wine bottle was about 3 inches wide, so I figured if I made my mark 1.5 inches away from the end of the seam, it would turn out about right. Then draw a line across the corner, perpendicular to the seam, like I did in the photo above.

If you want to make sure your corner is exact, you can measure along the hypotenuse of each right triangle created by the bottom seam, the line you drew, and the edge of the fabric. Enjoy that trip back to geometry class? If I confused you I apologize, just check out the photo above. Measure from the corner to the drawn line along the edge of the pants. I had 2 inches on both sides, so I knew I was good to go.

Sew all the way across the line you drew, and repeat this process to box the other corner.

Ta-da! Congratulations! You boxed your corners and the hardest part is over!

Step 5: Cut off the excess on your corners.

Step 6: Turn your bag inside out. It was at this point that I realized this color of pants turned into a bag that looks very much like the brown paper bags grocery stores use for wine and liquor purchases. How appropriate!

Step 7:  Turn down the cuff of the bag, insert the wine bottle, and tie it up with a ribbon. You are all done and ready to go!


Since I used men's pants, I probably could have fit two wine bottles into the wide bag, although I did like the baggy look. I imagine women's boot cut or skinny pants would fit one bottle more snugly. This whole project, including taking pictures, took less than 30 minutes, and maybe even less than that. So easy and so cute!


P.S. In case you are curious, the wine is called Junebug Riesling, we got it for $9.99 at Target, and it was delicious- light and refreshing with a hint of sweetness!

Peg People: Tips and Tricks

I have said it more than once: I am obsessed with painting wooden peg people. If you have been following my February-Peg-A-Day, then you already know this. If you are my friend on Facebook, then you may be sick of it. If you follow me on Pinterest, then you have been through the inundation of peg people pins. But really, can you blame me? They are adorable. My husband can attest that on more than one occasion, gleeful giggles have escaped my mouth upon showing off a completed peg. (For example, I just gushed over Hermione.)

The first time that I put paint to a peg, I was convinced that I was going to make many mistakes and that I’d waste peg after peg until I was happy with the final product. But it was not so! I am pleased to declare that with a little bit of proper prior peg people painting preparation, the possibilities are endless for anyone who wants to get in on the action. And I am someone who has trouble with stick figures, so I really mean what I am saying here. 

And you know what? Take one look at Etsy or Pinterest or a Google search and you will see that peg people range from the simple and rustic to the elaborately detailed. Your pegs don't need to look like someone else's, you just need to love them and they will be perfect.

I have shown off my pegs enough that I think it is about time that I shared my secrets. Without any further ado, here are some of my best tips and tricks:

1) Buy good pegs. It is easier to paint if the wooden surface is smooth and high quality. I personally buy from Casey’s Wood Products, but I know there are Etsy shops and other online sources as well.

2) Buy good brushes. If you want to do a lot of small details, make sure you have the brushes for the job. I have discovered that I like having separate brushes for white paint; I got tired of finding streaks of other colors in my dolls.

This heavenly view is at our local Michael's. I really like being able to choose from open stock brushes because I know I will use what I purchase. One brand had a buy 2 get 1 free sale, and I had a coupon! Wahoo!

I got a good mix of sizes. The angled brushes probably get used the most.

One set for white, one set for colors. Kind of like laundry.

3) Before you paint, get out a pencil and an eraser. I always draw eyes and hair first, because that allows me to center the rest of the clothing appropriately. Having a penciled outline allows me to feel more confident about where I am placing my paint.

My pencil and eraser get a lot of use before I paint.

4) Look at a picture of what you are trying to paint and focus on capturing the essence of it, rather than every single detail. In my opinion, hairstyle is one of the first identifying features on someone. Next, clothing color and style are important, especially when dealing with recognizable characters. You can keep it as simple as color blocking, or you can ramp it up a bit with more detail, depending on your comfort level. 

A red ribbon in a black bob hairstyle + bold colors and simple details in the dress = Essential Snow White

5) Use your paint to add texture. One of the ways that I like to add detail without getting too complicated is to manipulate the paint into adding fold in the drape of a dress, curls in hair, or pockets on pants. It is amazing how dots or lines can add so much detail in a very subtle way. This strategy is what makes my pegs special and unique (or at least that's what I think, anyway). 

Ariel's tail is much more interesting with green dots for scales. The best details of Cinderella's pink dress are in the texture added by strategically placed paint.

 

6) Faces. Oh, boy. They scare me. Whether I am drawing them or painting them, faces stress me out. That's why, as you have likely noticed, I stick to eyes only, unless it is absolutely necessary that I add something else. I do usually put ears on boys, but I recommend drawing them slightly larger than you think looks right, because if you paint on or just inside the line, they'll end up the correct size. Make sense? I should add that I usually paint the eyes last (using the end of a paint brush handle) so that I am least likely to mess them up while they dry.

Harry must have his scar and his glasses, though I will say that I was skeptical I could paint those spectacles. :)

You can't really avoid eyebrows and mouths if you want the seven dwarfs to be identifiable. I even gave them tiny button noses!

7) Varnish your peg! For the love of all that is peggy, varnish your peg people. To me, this is THE KEY. I use a gloss varnish, which I think looks 100% better than a satin or matte finish. The satin and matte varnishes leave your peg looking pretty much the same, and they do protect the wood, but the gloss varnish TRANSFORMS your peg. Megatron actually pops out of the bottle and changes your peg into something wonderful. It is absolutely MAGICAL; any mistakes or quirks suddenly look purposeful and perfect, the colors pop, and your peg is better protected against damage. I paint two coats on all of my pegs, using a wide, soft-bristled brush.They literally shine with awesomeness. 

8) Take your time, have fun, and love your pegs!


And there you have them - all of my peg people secrets! Keep watching the February-Peg-A-Day post for new pegs until the end of the month.

What do you think of these tips and tricks? Do you have any of your own advice to share? Got any questions?
Feel free to leave a comment!