Deja Vu a Deux

Writer's note: Sorry to the faithful readers for my long absence. It's really inexcusable--just in a little writing funk. Thanks to all those who kept prodding me to update the blog already! - j

Daja vu. Everyone has experienced this freaky little phenomenom. That sense that you've been somewhere before, seen something before. For some people, it's a rare occurence. For me, it happens pretty often. Like anytime I walk into my little sister's house.

My sister, we'll call her Yogaga, and I are very different. She colors outside the lines and it looks beautiful; when I color outside the lines, I have to throw it away and start over. She strikes up conversations with strangers while I am pretty sure that stranger is plotting a way to hacksaw our bodies into bite-sized pieces. She goes on vacation with a loose idea of which days she'll be in which place. I go with a spreadsheet of plans and activities by the hour. On a thumb drive. And in the cloud. And printed out. With copies for everyone. In binders. Really.

While we are so different, Yogaga and I tend to buy the exact some stuff and make the same foods for our families. You could chalk that up to growing up in the same house and sharing the same DNA, but it reaches weird levels for us that goes beyond nature or nurture. It's more on a cosmic level. Twilight Zone time. Before I tell you about the latest (and the craft of the week), I'll give you a few examples.

• During college, we met up for a visit. We lived in different states at the time. I notice her wearing my watch. Only it's not my watch, it's HER identical watch. This was not a stylish, popular watch. It was a plain Timex and looked like something a really boring grown-up would wear, not something a college girl would wear (meaning it was just my style and not at all my sister's style).
• Kitchen tools are a frequent thing that we buy the exact same items. We have bought the same tea kettles, paper towel holders, rugs, coffee makers, and mixing bowls, to name a few. I mean, who buys the same tea kettles, at approximately the same time, in different stores??
• Foods are another thing we tend to do the same. This spring, I made chicken tortilla soup for the first time EVER. I've never been a big fan of it, but had some really great CTS at the MIL's house at Christmas, which inspired me to make it. I didn't discuss this with anyone. The same night I made it, Yogaga also made CTS. She had only ever made it a couple of times before and just felt an urge to make it that night. Last week we both made chicken soft tacos on the same night, another dinner that neither of us make often.
• Weirdest recent example: I was in a shop and saw a tin coin bank that unicorns and rainbows on it. It was one of the tackiest things I've ever seen, so, of course, I had to buy it for Yogaga. When I gave it to her, she was terribly confused, wanting to know if I had gotten it from her daughter. Then I was confused. It ends up, she had bought the same weird bank for her daughter at a completely different store in a different town.

And the latest example of being in each others' heads is that we bought the same $4 wall clock at Target. I have never in my entire life bought a wall clock. I decided I wanted a cheapo wall clock to try a simple project I have seen on several crafty sites where you can customize a clock to match your decor using scrapbook paper. I used a turquoise scrapbook paper with silver paper accents to customize the clock. Another weird coincidence: we both hung these clocks in our kiddos' bathroom.
Neither of us have clocks hanging anywhere else in our homes. Spooky.

Here's the before picture (what Yogaga's clock looks like) and my transformed wall clock.

Before

After

If you want to create a clock of your own, the clock I used was the Room Essentials 9" Round Silver clock at Target http://www.target.com/p/Room-Essentials-Style-Silver-Round-Wall-Clock-9/-/A-13732033. I just popped the whole thing apart, cut a circle out of scrapbook paper, cut a small hole in the center of that, adhered the paper onto the clock face, added some paper accents (in the center and to mark the 12, 3, 6, and 9 locations), and then put the pieces back together again. Quick, cheap, and easy! Seriously, it's a 10 minute project. So, if you are looking for something to do with your extra day off this long holiday weekend, go get a cheap clock and make it your own.

Go ahead and share your stories of weird deja vu or ESP kind of moments--leave them in the comments!

I'll be seeing you again,
Jenny


Bonus: Recipe time!

Cake Mix Chunky Bars
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1egg
1 box white cake mix
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, milk chocolate chips, or toffee bits)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9"x13" baking pan with non-stick spray.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar till fluffy.
4. Add egg and water to the butter and sugar and mix till well blended.
5. Stir in cake mix and mix well.
6. Fold in chips and nuts.
7. Spread mixture evenly in pan.
8. Bake for 35 minutes.
9. Let cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

When I made these, I went for a traditional approach and used chocolate chips and walnuts. I think next time I'll try dark chocolate chips, chopped dried cranberries, and pecans. Yum!