Makes a Most Shocking Discovery!!!

I work in a lab and titrate a LOT of solutions. I measure a LOT of pHs. There was ALWAYS this one that I REALLY wanted to know the pH of. And I finally, after 3.5 years did it. I measured the pH of my Mountain Dew.

I setup the above test in between titrating a 5L flask of 0.01M NaCl to pH 5 and moving pH's for some mobility samples. I used the cutest mini-beaker ever for the Mountain dew and because we're an amazing lab, the meter was recently calibrated. The results are accurate.

*Warning: This. May. Shock. You.*

Right. So, I've followed up my research with this website: http://www.21stcenturydental.com/smith/pH_drinks.htm . It compares more sodas and their data seems to think that Mt Dew is actually a pH of 3.22.

FAQ

1. Are any sodas worse than Mountain Dew? Yes. Obviously because Mountain Dew is amazing. A short list includes: Coke original, Battery Acid, Capri Sun, Gatorade, Pepsi, Country Time Lemonade, Lipton Brisk, Hawaiian Punch, Dr Pepper, Propel, Snapple Tea, Code Red, and many more.
2. What else can we compare this to? Stomach Acid is usually around a pH of 2. Water is pH 7.
3. How bad is this for your teeth? Ok it's bad. "Demineralization, or loss of tooth material, begins at a pH of 5.5"
4. Well, I'm a smarty pants that wants to pick on you more about your Mountain Dew consumption. Isn't it also true that Mountain Dew has an extraordinarily high amount of sugar? Oooooh where'd you hear this? The smart people store? Mountain dew has 46 grams of sugar. BIG DEAL. It's the best tasting stuff ever. So. There. There's more carbonated water than high fructose corn syrup (WATER!!) AND the third most present ingredient in this beverage is concentrated orange juice. Fact.
5. I'm guess this new information will stop you from drinking it, right? Guess again.

I don't know what to say. Except for that I just bought a 24 pack for $4.80 aka THE BEST CHEAPEST DEAL EVER! This new shocking discovery about Mt Dew's pH hasn't exactly stopped me. Perhaps one day....

Make Guppy a Wheel!

And does it ever work! If you ever decide to sleep in our apartment, be prepared for this little guy to be running ALLLLLLL night. Yes. Turns out they weren't kidding that hamsters are fairly nocturnal!

Construction time: 1 hr
Construction cost: a small amount of a $1 wooden dowel. ~$0.05
 

"Guppy!"

*Disclaimer: This video makes it seem like this wheel is really loud. It isn't.*

Make Crosses during Discipleship!

Today we did arts & crafts for discipleship! I should've taken pictures of all of the crosses but this is what I have to show for now!

If only you could've seen them all! Close up on the base... see the Mary Medal? :D

Construction time: Each one took like 20 minutes
Construction cost: $0.15 for a candle and $0.30 for some hot glue. The rest were freeeeebs.

Check this and others out on the front desk, the missionaries' office, and Hilary's house!

Make that Footrest for my Bunkbed

The fact that our apartment supplied us with full sized mattresses is AMAZING but every year that I've had a bunk bed (all of college) I've found something to help me up. A dresser or a ladder, you know. Welllllll this year was different because our bed is back in a little nook and no such helping furniture existed! There were gaps in the bed boards so this was made:

It's just a little step but exactly the thing to make it not be entirely arm strength to get up and down!

It has a stop in the back that makes it only stick out so far and pushes in for storage and beauty. That back stop spins too so you can turn it and pull it out when we move or want to put it on the other side? I don't know!

Cost: $0.00 (scrap wood and a screw. so maybe 10 cents..)
Construction time: 10 minutes to round the corners and assemble

Make Grand's Flakey Pizzas!!!

O M Geee. One day I was SO hungry after an extraordinarily long school day and didn't know what to eat. I saw Grands Flakey Layers in my fridge and decided I could use it as a pizza crust! Well.. instead of putting it into one big ball, prior to cooking, the creation looked like this:

Eight little pizzas! I smushed the Grands to flat-ish pizza crusts. Pasta sauce from the fridge, freshly shredded medium chedder cheese and parmesean as well. Then pepperonis! Oven was 400 and they were in there for 13 minutes!

After trying to get them off, we decided pam would've been an amazing idea but all that happened was that both Ov Gloves got pizza all over them and lost cheese on a couple. Oh well :)

I forced Olivia to cut them up like real pizzas and they were a great success enough to make the blog!!

Thus, Grands Flakey Pizzas were born!

Make People Aware of the effect the Ad industry has on you and your daughters.

Dove Campaign for True Beauty

(By the way, every time I watch this, the 'softer' girl makes me the maddest. I just want to pick a fight then cry.)

Make my bible study happy!

I promised them I'd both tell them what my blog was and post this on it.
Love youuuuus (hence today's reminder text!)

The Kenyans Youtube!
And if I knew how to make it play here, I would.

Make a Fig Tree to Pray under

At mass on Wednesday the Gospel was this:

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
"Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him."
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
Nathanael answered him,
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this."
And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

John 1:47-51

Well. It made me want to have a fig tree too for Jesus to see me under. And. I made this!

It's up at the end of my bunk bed so I can pray there under my secluded little fig tree!

Construction time: 45 minutes
Construction cost: $.02

(For real was calculated. leaves are from a pack of paper my mom bought for a penny, the trunk is a paper bag from a store [free] and i used 1/4 of a green crayon.. which was 1 of 24 in a 24 cent pack)

Oh surprise too! I found out my phone could take pictures in different colors too so see below my fig tree in Sepia and Negative!

Make Guppy a play pen!

Guppy and his/her brothers and sisters just had something very exciting happen to them! They are now old enough that Ane and Alexa and roommates had to split them up by sex! Which means......... GUPPY COMES HOME SOON and I can't even wait.

Because I'm so excited (more excited than even the new helmet attachment I'm working on which is going to be baller once parts get here from ebay and Mcmaster-carr) I decided to work more on a circle Guppy can just run and run and run in! The entry-way will get connected to the rest of the cage somehow and badabing!

Construction time: 20 minutes
Construction cost: The tube= $.74 (I know right? I should have bought more....)

Make a necklace to hold this Lovely cross!

One day, my dad came home from some far off land (Peru, Brussels, I don't exactly remember) He brought me this cross on a simple string. I Loved it and made the rest of this around it!

Possibly hard to see because it's dark but it's rainbow hemp in a square pattern Lovely! Dove on the back:

Construction time: 15 mins
Construction cost: 1/25th of a roll of $3.00 hemp

Make Palm Sunday Palms into Crosses

I went home this weekend to find things I made for the blog! I saw all of these. And they make me smile so maybe they'll make you happy too. (Because who doesn't get happy thinking about the life of Jesus?)

They're much dried out by now, these are all from years past. The most recent is below. (I went for the Peace of Christ look)

And yes, it is held up by a Fabio Cannavaro action figure on the top of my desk.

Make a Rosary - Sanibel Style

Well when we went to Sanibel Island, I picked up too many shells because I Love to! I ended up combo-ing shells with beads I had gotten for a different project a few years ago to make this rosary while we were camping before the semester! (Most bugs I've ever experienced.)

Shells were drilled by hand. Strung on fishing line. Bulky and I like it!

Construction time: 20 minutes
Construction cost: $1.50

Make a home for Guppy!

I've been working for a bit on making a Hamster house for our new roommate......

GUPPY! The house is next door at Ane's while they do the weening from Mama Snugz and they split them up. Most are returning to the pet store but not Gupz!!

When this happens. Pictures will be uploaded!

Make a Wife/Mom list of things I should be able to do!

Olivia and I brainstormed for about 6 minutes for this list that is also hanging in our room.

• Cook
• Mortification for Babe
• Braid
• Sing
• Pick Locks
• Mamba, etc.
• Scrapbooking
• Embroidery
• No bloody knuckles
• Trousseau
• Long Hair
• Burp under breath
• Wear skirts 1/week
• Learn about Mom saints
• Bake All
• Garden
• Water plants in house
• Buy van (mini)
• Quit Job <3
• Lingere
• Smell fantastic
• Laundry on a Schedule
• Book Club
• Bathrobe

 We were serious about all of these. Some I don't remember why.

Make Salt and Pepper Shakers!

Ok, yes, I bought salt and pepper shakers then customized them. But they're still a Laura Creation and I bought them with the intention to finish like you see... now.

It's Puffy Paint. My favorite. :)

Construction time: 10 minutes.
Construction cost: $3.00

Make Key Holder for Apartment and Roommies!

The roommates and I decided we needed a key rack because finding keys on short notice is strait up not fun if you don't know where they are. We had friends with a basic red rack with initials and I figured it wouldn't be hard at all to make one too!

*Notes- It's extra scrap wood from Anelise's custom night stand. 3/4" thick. Hand Cut with a jigsaw in my bathroom when I turned it into a workshop for a couple hours last week. Colored with red crayon (I was tired of waiting for paint...) and four white vinyl coated cup hooks! We are only allowed a couple nail-holes a room so I hot-glued on cut up magnets (Some guy running for Governor, house I don't even know was handing out magnets) and it's on the side of the fridge right by the door*

I'm thinking about upgrading it and adding initials? White puffy paint if it happens.

Construction time: 1hr
Construction cost: $1.25 (hooks and 1/5 a red crayon)

Make Background for Blog!

I started messing with all of the design-ables for the blog and this (Current blog format that you're reading) is what I ended with! Background has things that rule...

A Cross
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Andy
My Ring
Tooooooools
Buckster
Soccer ball World Cup 2010 Styled (Sups Classy)
and of COURSE a Mt Dew

If you don't like it, too bad because Olivia likes it she already told me and I didn't even knew she knew how to get on the blog or would look at it while in Tennessee!?!?

Ps- Bailey and I are now Blood Brothers because she fell off her bike today too and we had cuts.

Make Desks for the Apartment!

This year, no roommates had desks and the apartment didn't come with them furnished!!! AH! So!

*Made this one in my workroom at home. The top is stolen from some unknown furniture source after move-out days. Sanded and attached to scrap wood from my basement! The drawers are from Walmart, $9 a piece! That's that :) 33" high, stool height, future plans= the workbench for my house with Andy <3

Construction time: 3 hrs
Costs: $18

Second version is in the roommates room. No scrap wood so a Home Depot trip was in store! Design improvement: Waterproof top cover! No wood damage baller :D Also slightly shorter (30" high) Less fun part was using the jigsaw in the apartment kitchen to get everything to size! Unlike a combined Meiter saw at home! Even WORSE having to get the semi-functioning apartment vacuum from the office the next morning instead of the fabulous wet-dry shop vac at home! How I miss it so. Made sooooooo many spiders disappear for me...


Construction time: 3 hrs
Materials cost: ~$40

Super easy!

Makes Becca Happy

Hi Rebecca!

I'm doing Yom Kippur with you :D

Loveth,
Laura

Ps- Teratoma!

Make my Helmet Work Again!

This is the first year I've brought a bike to school. (Awesome decision in avoiding the 25 minute walk to classes) Unfortunately, the TREK helmet I found in the garage was in rough shape. The cushions that are meant to secure my head in place were decomposing and shedding black pieces of questionable substance onto my hair. Sick.

Solution!
I pulled off those nasty old pads and their securing Velcro counterparts and used hot glue, a yellow bandana and socks to make new, perfectly Laura sized pads!

Perfect? Yes.

Estimated time of creation: 1 hr
Estimated cost: $0.12 (hot glue?)

Notice the cut up sweatshirt drawstring accents!

Make Blog Popular

Today my goal is to make this blog popular/searchable/maybe-anyone-will-find-it-able.
I'm entering blog directories, all that jazz.
Oh the times doing this for hours for an internship pays off.

Wish me luck!

Ps- I'm starting here:
http://www.avangate.com/articles/blog-directories-95.htm

Lets seeeee!

Tv Stand

Hey-O! Part of the LV College Furniture Collection!

*Made from 4 formerly-welded-to-a-thrown-out-by-someone-else-bar-stool legs and a ~16" deep shelf I found in the garage at home (Sorry Dad). Painted with leftover-from-somebody's-dusty-blue-room paint found in my basement. Attached to the bottom board by existing tapped holes and bolts, top attached by nails through from sides. Note the cables-gap in back*

Estimated time to create: 4 hours
Estimated cost: $0.00

Current location: apartment living room. TV on top. VCR, DVD player, X-Box and router on bottom. And, yes the paint chipped during move. And, yes it is One Tree Hill.

Candle-Holder!

Part of the Sanibel Collection!

 *Made from hand-picked shells on the western shores of Sanibel Island, Florida. Constructed using hot glue. standard tea light.*

Estimated construction time: 30 minutes.
Estimated cost: $0.34

Disclaimer: metal removed for photograph not recommended for function. Heat Transfer ME 364 makes me presume that the metal helps the candle burn evenly and not only the center wax. Just saying!

Sanibel Picture Frame

So I had a lot of ideas for frames from a recent trip to Sanibel Island, Florida that I wanted to create!

Unfortunately, I've only followed up on making one because I'm sick of cleaning up sawdust for a while. (Need more raw frames, I have a jigsaw from home that really belongs to my Father.. Hi Dad :D I hope it's ok I have it... Used it for other projects)

*Hot glue for the shells, elmers for the sand, frame from michaels*