Funnest Sunday Evening

We had a great time tonight!

Slow it goes

I have been dedicated to braille and finishing up gifts for the holidays. I am on lesson 16 now and am awaiting approval on the text I will transcribe for my final lesson.
Phoebe has been helping me with amigurumi. She picks the critter and I crochet it. Since she saw the word "crochet" she keeps saying "croquet." I giggle every time.
Renée turned 1 year on Thanksgiving day. We had a lot of fun dragging the activities throughout the day. Here we are opening her new drum. Since Phoebe is doing drums at school, we thought it appropriate for the sisters to bang it out together.

Yeah, I am still here

So, San Antonio is known for its mountain cedar. The allergies are horrible! Last week got Phoebe. This week got me. Updating has been slow.
Renée has started walking. Phoebe got video of it that she wants to put on her site. Keep your eyes open for that coming soon to a blog near you!
Until then, stay patient.

National Deviled Eggs Day

Who would have thought there was a National Deviled Eggs Day?
Happy NDED! Have a dozen for dinner.

Clean that dryer!

It has been 6 months since I last reminded you to clean your dryer. Save energy and clean out that fire hazard!
Get your vacuum out and really get after it.

2 steps

With her Poppa around, Renée is a very brave girl. She took 2 steps Sunday evening to get to her Poppa where she proceeded to climb over him like he was a little mountain. Her lateral incisors are poking through also. 6 teeth total!

My birthday gift

You won't be able to guess what I am getting for my birthday!
A rebuilt transmission! That's right, the ol' Matrix manual transmission has been making an odd little rattling. I was hoping it was just some loose things around the car, but no! Wednesday we get the car back. Until then, we're a family going nowhere since the truck only seats three.
At least we can get it repaired!
95,000 miles and a rebuild.

Moon Festival

We attended a Moon Festival on Sunday evening. It was quite an interesting experience. Everything was in Chinese and English, including the introductions. Gaby was thrilled with the applause of the audience and the music of the San Antonio Chinese Performance Association. She stood on Mike's legs and swayed to the music. It was so danged cute!
Phoebe liked that music also and the dancers of the Shanghai Dance Group were amazing! She rated them a 10+.
It was a great evening out for the family, but we left before the end of the show because it was Gaby's bedtime. She was getting a little cranky.
No pictures as it was so dark. Good memories, though.

Clothes Alterations

Phoebe is off of school and we worked together making clothes for Renée. Read all about it along with a picture on Phoebe's blog, Clementine.
The sewing was a snap and thank goodness Phoebe had a band-aid. I can't apply snaps without drawing blood.

Brinner

Tonight we had pancakes, bacon, and hash browns for dinner. Phoebe named our breakfast for dinner as brinner. Mike asked a few minutes later: What is breakfast for dinner on Christmas called? Yule Brinner!!!
He is so danged funny!

Greatest Spaghetti Ever-for how long we had it

I made some delicious red sauce Friday. Really tasty good stuff.

While putting it up, I didn't take into account how hot the crock was on the sides. Here is the result.

Sad day for the crock.

Golden Bead Material Making-First

I have begun making the Montessori golden bead material for Renée. I know, she isn't even a year old, but I thought an early start would ensure completion. The progress is going well. I have 8 hundred planes complete. Originally, I got the inspiration to undertake this task through this Montessori at Home: Montessori Mathematics: The Complete Bead Material - Part 1.
I keep it all in the lid from my craft tote so it is easily put up away from Renée's reach. When she is asleep, out it comes.
I am using 18 gauge steel wire, 24 gauge purple coated wire, 8mm faceted beads, wire clippers, and round nose pliers. I was going to use copper, but the cost was going to be phenomenal! Really, mind boggling high. The beads were 50% off at Hobby Lobby. I got yellow because that is the color they had the most of during that sale. The purple wire was already in my pile of craft items, and the steel wire is from Lowes.
After some experimentation, I got my assembly line started. With Phoebe's occasional help, this project is going smoothly.

Above, I cut 11cm lengths of the 18 gauge wire, make a circular turn at one end, and thread on 10 beads.
Using the purple wire, I assemble 10 of those bars together to make a hundred plane. Here is am starting that assembly. 2 of the beads down is where I begin. I use a length of wire about 45 cm long. I fold that in half and tuck the bar into the fold. I twist once and add another bar. I twist around that one and continue doing that until 10 bars are assembled.
Once all 10 are together, I return along the previous twists, weaving the wire over/under/between the beads, as shown in this next image. To finish the plane, I twist the two wires together, trim a short length, and wrap the twist back to tuck in between 2 bars.
Here are the completed planes thus far.

Here is a goofy error I came across during my work. One of my bars only had nine beads on it. I discovered it after I has assembled one end of the plane. My solution was to clip the circular end of the offending bar, remove the beads to slide it out. I slid a new wire with 2 beads on it, put that through the assembled end where the other was removed (shown in the photo below), put on 8 more beads and then turn a circular closure. The twisting of the purple wire continued to complete the 100 plane.
This doubling back with the purple wire makes a pretty stiff plane. For the creation of the thousand cube, I will only make one pass with the purple wire. These that I made up will be used as hundred planes.
Initially threading the beads on the 10 bars butted tightly together is a bad idea. It makes the bar curve, the purple wire doesn't fit well between the beads, and they just don't feel cool.
When I make the thousand cube, I will space the 10 bars apart a bit more than I have in the hundred plane. My goal is to make them as close to 10cmx10cmx10cm as possible.
When the thousand cube is complete, I will post it. I can't wait as that is going to be a massive weight. Who would have thought that these beads would have such heft?

Eyebrows

For some reason eyebrows really fascinate Renée.

Crazy tattoo idea

I was thinking last week about a Milky Way bar and how I didn't have one. There were no plans to run out and obtain one lone bar either. I wished how I could zap one into existence. From there, I thought about how zapping something into existence should carry consequences. That lead me to tattooing (the pain of the tattoo being the consequence) the Milky Way bar into the palm of my hand and then wishing it to be in my hand. The tattoo fading and leaving me to enjoy the caramel goodness.
Later that week, I started reading City of Bones. Would you not know it but the characters place a tattoo-like runes on themselves to give them special abilities.
Then, I watched Heroes. Would you not know it but there is a tattooist that sees things in the tattoos he makes?
And darn, there I thought I had a wonderful new idea that could make a great story. Ahh, I guess I should leave it to Stephenie Meyer.

Quilt Be Done!!!

I finished the Mommy Monster quilt. It is so nice to have completed this project. Quilting it on the frame by hand, embroidering Phoebe's childhood drawing, and finding the fun fabrics made it so fulfilling. This is the first quilt I have made and completed all on my own.
Many of the fabrics are Michael Miller. They were in a scrap bag! All of it except the backing, batting, and binding for $5.95. How totally cool is that!?!
Mike helped me buy the wood to make a quilt frame. It made all the difference for it. I do have other projects that need the frame, so this little quilt wasn't the only factor for making the frame.
I quilted ladybugs in the squares around the monster and they are an added cuteness.
Now, the drawing Phoebe did when she was 4 and it has many components that reflect how she viewed me at that age. While I must admit being personified as a monster isn't that fabulous, I must note that she was doing a lot of monsters and they were all nice monsters. This Mommy Monster has 4 ears because Mommy hears everything; 12 toes because she moves so fast; a big brain on her forehead because she is so smart; and 3 eyes because she sees everything. I don't know what to say about the teeth. Maybe I eat a mean ear of corn.

Flippin' Crepe Madness

Well, maybe this is Crepe Flippin' Madness.
Sarah made us crepes again while we visited Colorado. I got the recipe and made them again. Her's are so much better! There is something delicious about another person's cooking!
The recipe is here. Phoebe's favorite is with powdered sugar. Mike likes peanut butter with jam. I loved how Sarah made them with chicken, sauteed mushrooms, and asparagus spears drizzled with garlic-lemon butter. Totally fantastic!
While home in Colorado, Dad turned me on to Charlie Rose with a show about the movie Julie & Julia, or is it Julia & Julie. Whichever! I decided during the crepe making that I wanted to give it some flair and flip! Phoebe got some video of the experience. Excuse any stove dirt. I cook therefore it gets dirty.

Phoebe's blog

Phoebe started a blog to share her interests and fun online stuff. Check it out at http://pokemonpheaux.blogspot.com/

Dollhouse is back for season 2!!!

Dollhouse is back on Fox for season 2! Yeah! This is some great news! I only hope that they will actually show the 13th episode that was part of season 1. I ordered the DVD with the unshown episode, but it hasn't arrived yet. Friday, September 25, you know where I will be at 8? That's right! Butt plant on the couch!

Jewelry holder

I found these woodcen picture frames at Michael's for $1 each. With some 1/4" screen, some wire snips, and a few brass hooks I now have a place to easily place my jewelry. It is easy to see what I have and coordinate appropriately. I am getting braver and have started wearing my gold. Silver is my favorite.
The balance is way off. Once I started adding my stuff, they went lopsided. That is fine with me. $2 and I am ready to go in a flash each morning. I don't know who said it, but apparently wearing earrings and necklace make you appear thinner. Give me a Snicker bar! I got birds hanging from my ears!

School goals

Phoebe and I are working on some goals for this school year together. She wants to beat the current school goal of most points earned in a single school year. That will be 822.7 points. This is a huge undertaking for her as last year she got a smidgen over 500. The really big pointer books are the Harry Potter series and she has already earned those. Some of the other books that she can read have content I am unprepared to talk with her about at this time. Huckleberry Finn, Diary of Anne Frank, and Gulliver's Travels are some that she marked as ones she would like to read. I will need to some time to build up to those. Until then, Wind in the Willows will suit.
To help her along the way, I have untaken a goal myself. I will read all the Hugo Award winners through the years. They started awarding them in 1953, so I have my work cut out for me also. Granted, I have already read some of them. I thought I was going to win a pass for 1966 since Dune is a favorite of mine. Alas, there was a tie that year and I will need to read This Immortal by Roger Zelazny. So it goes.
Wish us luck!
Do you want to read along with us? Did you just say you don't have time to read? How about you try to finish one book with us by the end of the school year. You can do it! Leave a comment and tell us what goal you have to accomplish by the end of the school year.

Organized???

Melissa commented that I am organized. Proof of this untruth is
revealed. Here is the shambled state of bedroom #3. Sewing is not so
easy in this current state. Walking isn't either.

World & WonderWash

Trying to regroup and get into a routine is a hard thing to do! I miss Phoebe during the day now that she is off learning.
I am getting the third bedroom ready for the girls. That means all of the sewing needs to be moved and projects finished.

I completed this one very simple project. I shouldn't even call it a project as it required the minimal of effort. Most of the effort needed was to actually start it! There are some more of those types of "projects" rolling in there.
I got a "world" panel from WalMart. I put chambray fabric backing I got during the $1/yard sale at my favorite fabric shop, Memories by the Yard. That cool pink/green/purple fabric was also there on sale. I couldn't pass it up! I really like it as a play rug. The world is also working fabulously as a play rug. They launder easily.
Speaking of laundering and saving the world, I got my WonderWash! Sarah & Grant got it for me in Colorado from Craigslist for $20. That is so cool. Thanks, Sarah & Grant!
Mike & I figured out that we are using quite the gallonage of water for our wash. We also figured that approximately $30 of our electricity bill is coming from laundry. That is almost a quarter on our average month! This site helped us do rough calculations.
San Antonio water is very hard. I soften the laundry with Calgon, but holy mackerel, it is not cheap stuff! Since the WonderWash needs less than 2 gallons to clean & another 2 gallons to rinse, I am saving on water, electricity, and moulah! I use much less chemicals to clean, soften, and finish off the cloth.
All of the cloth diapers get washed in it. Using way less water and getting them cleaner than ever before. So far, I haven't needed to strip them.
Mike's dark colored polos get worn too quickly with the machine. I am hoping to keep them looking better without all the harsh agitation. Plus, I can add starch to the rinse water without having to use cupfuls!
My first wash was a decorative blanket that I have put off washing in the machine because I didn't want to ruin it. It was dirty, but it came out looking fabulous! The grey water draining off after wash proved it was clean.
Next up will be the spin dryer complement.

Back to reality

Adventures in Colorado have come to an end. We are back home where vacuuming, dusting, and putting up everything is the name of the game.
Our time was spent doing a variety of things, but the overall feeling was relaxing and exciting at the same time.
More later when I finally get things organized and working properly. At least the floor is cleaned and the gate is up. Crawl, Baby, Crawl!

Staying over in Socorro, NM

We are on our way to Colorado for 3 weeks of vacation. While in New Mexico, we saw rainbows that were amazing! So much so that we found a motel and got a room that overlooked the colorful view.

Phoebe almost filled the camera up.

Over the air

Since we live in a bigger city, we are capable of receiving great signal for over the air television. Even better, we get more channels from PBS than we got paying for cable.
The digital antenna was originally above the TV, but Mike moved it to the attic. We get better reception and we don't have the long sticks hanging out above the television. Plus, if we ever move the set or get another, that antenna is running through out the house in the existing coax cable.
We save major bucks, get better content, and less reruns.
Mike is currently making a dedicated computer for the TV. We will watch online content in high-def. Hulu, YouTube, Netflix, and other online sites offer great content. Plus, we can surf the internet together as a family. We envision Phoebe doing school research, and together as a family, we can enjoy the process of learning and finding appropriate information.

upcycled toy

We love our hand-held water misters. In this hot environment, we aren't crazy enough to leave the house without one. Sarah bought us these purse sized ones, but ours didn't last through the season last year. This year, it is a baby rattle. All glued close with colored plastic beads, Renée loves it.
Phoebe was tickled pink when Renée was playing Strong Woman with it.

Toys from the weirdest things

It is amazing what Renée will play with for a long time. She loves to make noise and bang things together. She is now playing more and more with her voice. Check her out finding the various sounds the yogurt container makes.

Cola explosion

Friends brought dinner over and we finished off the evening with a cola explosion. Phoebe caught it on video.

Playground

Yesterday morning was cooler and there was a breeze; perfect for watering the landscape and a trip to the playground. Renée had so much fun! Her first time in the big swing was a huge hit and Phoebe riding down the slides with her was some of the cutest!

They are so much fun to see together. You can see their love for each other.

Just plain freaky!

I just can't go into how disturbing this toy is.

On so many levels this is just wrong and disturbing!

Boat

I made this boat out of Arby's roast beef sandwich wrappers. I originally made a boat for Renée that had 2 motors on each end and no oars and no seat. Then, I thought of making oars. So, I went to the third bedroom and used another Arby's wrapper and made oars out of strips. I thought it needed a seat and I took another strip and measured the height and width of the boat end. I took the strip, marked the height twice the size, folded it down, and glued it in. I twisted the end of the boat to make the keel. To make the platform, I put together a rolling laundry basket and a folded mesh laundry basket. Ta da! Finished boat ready to launch!

-Phoebe

Serger woes

My serger started acting all bizarre while Sarah was here last August. I disassembled it and figured out what was the cause, fixed it, and off I went making more and more baby items. I am sure I serged miles of lengths of diapers, wipes, and washcloths.
I use my serger at least twice a week and it is by far the most versatile tool I own. It started making a horrible hammering noise last night after I made an Infinity Dress. I noticed that my throat plate was cracked and switched out for my narrow hem plate, switched up to 2-thread serging, and moved onto hemming off a lightweight material. One side into it, the hammering got crazy noisy and that was it. Off went the power, trimmed up the best I could with the project, and now I am trying to figure out what the heck is going on. The feed dogs almost look like they are timed off-or-are jumping up to high-or-hitting/missing/catching the plate. Considering (1) how much it costs to repair, (2) how mechanical Mike & I are, (3) and how totally cheap I am, we shall fix it! I did it once and it shall be done again!
Wish us luck!

Phoebe funnies

I love some of the things that Phoebe does.
Oh, wait! I must preface this post with the news of our next child! I am pregnant and excited!
So, back to this post. Phoebe says some things that really make me laugh. I love having a daughter so witty and has such a command of the English language.
When we asked her if she wanted a brother, she said it would fine, but that he would get a hard time.
Later, she spoke to the baby in the belly. She said, "If you are another sister, hello! If you are a brother, no hard feelings."
Days later, I was asked who Einstein's monster was again. Hmmm, Frankenstein vs Einstein. That could be an upcoming novel like that Pride and Prejudice zombie one. The theory of relativity meets green skin and bolts!

Whimsical campsite

Check out this cool guy's work (via dulemba.com). That is just awesome stuff there!Can you see this big sized, like Howl's Moving Castle sized? A bunch of tiny, whimsical houses in our campsite! That will be cool!
From the same guy is some really cool automata! I love automata and my paper automata love hasn't gone away, just took a hiatus. Check out this totally cool leprechaun trying to get out of the mason jar. That is actually me, but instead of a mason jar, mine would be a pile of laundry! My laundry room may be all organized, but it doesn't lessen the amount of clothes to wash, unfortunately. Also, I wouldn't be a leprechaun.
I love seeing stuff like this because my mind starts churning with ideas. Get out the journal, time to sketch and label.

Wool dryer balls

Here is the collection of wool dryer balls I made.

The wool helps with static and the quantity is lowering the time needed to dry items. Those that I line dry get a no-heat tumble for a few minutes with lavender oil on a dryer ball.

Love these little balls of fluff! Better than a Pomeranian!

Read more about how I made them on LbP.

Veggie bags

So long little plastic annoyances in the produce section! I got you licked!
For $1 at Dollar Tree I found Blink Tidy Totes. They weigh .4 ounces with their drawstring. The plastic produce bag I had weighed .2 ounces. I am good with the slight weight increase of my mesh bag.
Costco finally had their killer cooler bags for $7.50. It is huge, zippered, and insulated to the max. My grocery collection of bags is finally complete.
And Mike sounds his sigh of relief! hahaha

Gardening success

We have had a bit of fun in our backyard this year. I planted onions. Phoebe planted strawberries. Our compost grew decorative gourds.

These gourds are the coolest! They have thin necks and fluted sides. I bought them at the grocery store last year for Halloween. This year, the compost gave us a new batch! If you look by Phoebe's knee, you will see a little yellow thing. That is a baby gourd. The little ones are so cute! There are like 30 growing on this vine that we have done nothing to! No water. No weeding. No nothing. Next year, I want to try loofas and see if they just grow like this.

Some underground critter got to a section of my onions and ate the roots and pushed them up. So, we got an early tiny onion harvest. They were delicious in our chili and chicken meals. Phoebe even ate them!

In addition to the ground critter, some insect laid eggs on them. These are very cool looking. I have no clue what did it, but I like it!

Here is a strawberry plant. They aren't huge, but Phoebe has gotten a couple of good ones. The dogs also got one, to Phoebe's chagrin.

Next year, I am adding green onions, garlic, artichokes, and loofa. I am hoping to do some square foot gardening, too. If I do that, I want tomatoes and bell peppers. We go through peppers and onions something fierce and to have those in our garden would be sublime!

Fallen agave

We have a gargantuan agave plant in our backyard that is just awesome! We are waiting for the day that it shoots off its flower stem.
Up the street, one of the agave's started its bloom, but the high winds knocked it down. Sad, sad, sad.
We will be extra vigilant when ours blooms.

Uh oh! Thumb was found!

Laundry room makeover

We got serious about adding some storage to the house. It began with some shelves in Phoebe's closet. Wow! 2 shelves makes such a difference in her room! Seeing how great that was, the determination was made to equip the laundry room with organization. Lowes had the cabinets we wanted because it allowed me to keep a bar next to the washing machine for hanging lightweight stuff on the circular doohickey. (Notice I start out with "we" and move onto "me." Mike is a good man and is good to me!)
See that tall cabinet? We originally were going with another cabinet that was $100. While heading to check out, I spotted that tall cabinet clearanced for $25. Can you believe that it matched the front exactly? Mike wanted to make sure that I wasn't just getting it because it was cheaper, but I was sure. Totally sure to this day, too, because I got an open shelf out of it.
Mike installed a 1x2" piece of wood to the ceiling and then I attached hook tape to with a staple gun. I sewed up this pleated curtain with the loop tape on the back. Easy up, easy down, easy to wash, excellent to cover up the additional junk up there above the cabinet. $1 a yard home decor fabric, too. Got 20 yards of it and I fear that won't be enough for all I want to do with it.
Originally, this horrible builder-installed shelf system thingy was above the machines. To expand air drying capacity, I moved it to the opposite wall above the door. All of our medicines are way out of reach, clothes can hang to dry, and oddball computer stuff has a home. (Notice the wooden clothespin on Mike's polo. He doesn't like it when I button them up to hang as is whacks out the buttonhole. I don't like how the whole collar looks whimpy without it being attached while it hangs. Problem solved with a clothes pin.)


Here is the additional shelf I got because of the $25 cabinet. Since we went with the bar on the large set of cabinets, there was an extra chunk of "wood" for this. The laundry items I need are in easy reach, the liquid won't make a huge mess (last bit of purchased laundry detergent there. Making my own! I will report with recipe and how it works out.), and you can't see it from the hallway!
The pièce de résistance is that I filled in all the holes and touched up the walls. It looks perfect!
For that honey-do list: laundry room-check!

The circular doohickey strategically shot around the unmentionables.

PS-I like to blog about all the stuff I do as it helps to quantify things for me. I feel accomplished when I can rave about my, well, accomplishments! Not all are fantastic, but a darned lot of them are pretty downright cool!
My posts have been minimal lately as we ended off the school year and I have a great big list of things to post about. While outlining them, I realized that some need raving here, but tutorials and more info can go on my LbP crafty blog. I keep the other WordPress blog because I can upload PDFs and that is my preference for patterns and print-offs. Duplication has been a concern between the 2 and has subsequently kept me from doing a whole lot with the WP blog. So, to differentiate, this blog will rave and the other will outline the process.

Nothing is more precious than Phoebe reading to Renée. Okay, Phoebe driving her around a store while she rides in the cart is pretty darned cool. Renée laughs loud and makes others around us laugh, too. I get more compliments about my beautiful girls because I let Phoebe act a little crazy. Note to self: bring the FlipVideo and capture that!

Reading Nanala's letter

Little Sister must do as Big Sister, or else! Renée's cranky sessions
are typically spawned from things being taken away that she insists
are hers! Thank goodness for envelopes!

When you play hard...

you rest where you are.
Notice the new wool wrap for her cloth diaper. I crocheted that up and will post more once I get the other one properly lanolized. They are cool!

Who's happier?

Heather and Casey went on a little vacation and I was to help transport their schnauzers to the kennel. I went to their house and opened the kennel and the two dogs stayed in the kennel until I asked them to come out! They behaved really well and are mannered very mildly. I got them into the car, started it up and Heather called. I asked if we could keep the dogs instead of taking them to the kennel and here we are! Friday to Wednesday dog sitters.

Phoebe was excited as all get out when she returned home from school. Who is happier? Phoebe says she is, but Schneebar seems pretty doggone happy!

Renée loves to watch them walk around. The cats are interesting, but she wants to grab onto them. The dogs, though, she doesn't want to touch. They are for watching only.

We are also in the throws of teething big time; swollen gums, crankiness, pain, ice, lack of sleep. I can't wait for them to break the surface. It isn't "real" until you see the whites of those teeth!

Who knew baby toys could be so easy to make?

Give me a cream cheese container and a large lid to a jar and the latest, greatest toy is made!



After all of that fun noise, what could be better? Expressions of excitement!

Sister visit

What a whirlwind of fun!
Lori and her girls came to visit and we had a blast. She even introduced me to a new restaurant on the riverwalk downtown that won't break our bank: Casa Rio. I enjoyed my flour tacos and the guacamole was as it should be. Phoebe ordered tamales and they just weren't up to snuff. She started out with the first few bites enjoying them, but then told me they weren't like she wanted. I ate some and they were dry and bland. Come on! Tamale meat should be flavorful to combat the masa!
I hadn't been a big fan of the boat ride on the river, but I have changed my mind. Nothing like visitors to open your eyes to what is around! Next time we are taking in an IMAX or movie so we can get validation.
The girls were so much fun! We made I-spy bags. They picked out a thread color to embroider their names, made so many Perler bead things that there is finally a dent in the 11,000 bottle of beads, and entertained Renée. Phoebe was a marvel with them! She was so gracious and loving. It is a joy to see our children at their best and demonstrate such good qualities.
Their trip was short, but we are going to see them this summer! Perler Bead Action part deux coming soon!

Diaper Hunt #2

I had to go with #2 in the title. ;-)

So, while doing this hunt, I have found some very interesting products-some to buy and some that I will try to make.
There are also sites that offer extra winning options for doing things: post a comment, follow on Facebook or Twitter, post on your blog, etc. In hopes that you all will bear with me and maybe find a cool option for your diapering needs, I reference the Cute Caboose and FuzziBuns All-in-One diapers.
Now, I gotta say, those are some very cool diapers! I have visited over 70 sites and this is the first time that I actually looked at the details of these. Instead of a crazy snap design and/or hook-&-loop tape, it implements elastic with a buttoning system for altering the rise. Kind of like kids jeans now a days around the waist. Very interesting.
I like seeing this as it is a new twist on the "how do we alter the rise" problem. It makes me happy to see innovation. This is the same feeling I get when I bring home an Ikea product and marvel at the flat pack and assembly.

Hulu recommendation for Dollhouse on watch on Friday nights

Now, I don't watch this actually on Fridays since I don't really have the time to sit for one hour uninterrupted. So, I watch it on Hulu.com while locked in my small, special place without distraction: the tub. Maybe that is too much info. You get the idea.
The show? Dollhouse.
I wanted to watch it because I fell in love with Firefly/Serenity and wanted to get in on the ground floor with a Whedon-verse. Initially, I thought it was so cheesy. Come on, Dollhouse?!? What kind of show name is that? But it fits and it is that dichotomy of name to plot that is part of my facination. I am so hooked and this past episode where Alpha was exposed just did it! I was so glad I saw it on Hulu so I could pause and contemplate what had happened. I watched it over and over because it was so well played out. I even said out loud, "Well played, Mr. Whedon, well played."
You gotta check it out! Simply amazing!

Braille work-1/2 way through!

I have been taking the literary braille transcription course for certification. It is very interesting and combines so much of what I enjoy. Braille is somewhat like a puzzle, cryptogram, and logic problem. Texts that need graphics are what caught my eye initially as I can see a future working with tactile graphics and simplifying my process.
The course is 20 lessons with the 20th lesson actually being a 35-page manuscript that can have no more than 5 errors. It has to be perfect. I am more than half-way through the course and am beginning to think about what I am going to transcribe. Other transcribers have recommended I do something I would want to read over and over and over. So, I am torn. Do I do something that I love that I might hate when it is done, or do I do something mundane so I don't hate something I love?
I love Dune. Could I finally be cured of my Dune fascination?
Cayce in Pattern Recognition is fantastic. I don't want to relegate her to overkill.
Hitchhikers Guide-any one of them might make me loopy with all the dry humor.
Possibilities exist in Breaking Dawn, but that Jacob Black is annoying! Maybe the part when she crumbles granite.
Suggestions? Comments? Help & Assistance?

More mobile mischief

We expanded the options for the ring mobile this week. I have massive amounts of hook and loop tape from a grab bag and I am putting everywhere! I took 1/2" lengths of loop tape, folded and sewed them to our exisiting soft toys. These now can hang from the mobile and, since I made them looped, can be attached to the stroller. Expandability, baby! That's what it is all about.

Now, I am just waiting for my 12 year old Tatami sandals to completely fall apart so I can use the buckles for a practical life frame and fix the sandals with resin snaps.

Future campsite fun

Going along with my tiny house love is our future personally owned campsite. The way I envision it is that we would have a nice piece of land with our own little house and a few other little houses and structures. There would be a guest house, for sure! We could have guests and they would have their own chunk of privacy.
Mike hasn't been converted to the future campsite idea. I am not talking crazed off-grid, beard growing fanatics here. I am talking about the opportunity to live easier with an outdoor kitchen area around a fire pit. I want a witches cauldron bubbling with brew over that fire pit!

This family has the idea. Surf around their site. It is cool.
The shelter house is rad!
A zip line! Yeah!
I want the pool bin! Isn't that just the coolest ever!?!

What would you add to the campsite?

Clean your dryer

Today is Earth Day.
Have you cleaned your dryer out lately? It will run better and you will help prevent a house fire. Pull it from the wall, remove the lint duct, and clean-clean-clean! Remove that lint monster!

Also, if you use dryer sheets, using liquid dish detergent gently wash your lint screen. The softener tends to build up over time on that screen and reduces the effectiveness of the machine, therefore using more energy. That adds up to money savings!
Run home now! Don't wait! I(Take the day off, you deserve it. So does your dryer. The boss will understand.) Save the Earth! Save your wallet! Save your tumble-tumble-tumble dry!

Cat door done!

We have been project central around here for the past few weeks. You name it, we have been doing it or thinking about doing it.

One such project that has loomed on the To Do List is the installation of a cat door. The bathroom off of the kitchen shares an outer wall with the garage. This location was where the litter box was housed, along with a cat bowl for water. I hated it there! Horrible location in a house for a cat potty, but it was a bathroom. We finally finished that project and now I wish we would have done it before we even moved in.

All of the food bowls are in there now. No more kicking a cat bowl and food scattering everywhere because our big feet didn't realize a cat had scooted it all over trying to get that last crumb out.

This is the garage side of the door. Mike made some little cat steps for ease. These cats are so spoiled! The nice thing is that we were able to use steel shelves we bought a Costco for the enclosure. Some 1X2" wood for frames, some 1x1" metal mesh screen and a few bolts and we were good to go. We had a pretty detailed idea of how the screws would fit into the holes on the shelving unit for access. Those plans weren't needed as the threads on the bolts functioned perfectly to keep the frame in place and swing out to remove the litter box.

One aspect that I am pleased as punch about it that we can go on vacation, remove the front panel, and close the bathroom door. Friends can come and check on them, but we won't have roving cats all over the house being mad for being left alone. If you have had cats, you know what vicious things they do when you leave.

Ring mobile

Renée now has a ring mobile. This is so cool because we can change out the toys that hang down for her to grab. The ribbon hanging down has hook tape and the felt toys have loop tape. They attach at the bottom of the ribbon, or attach directly on the ring.

The ring is black felt stuffed with left over stuffing and poly stuff used for a quilt. I machine sewed the tube and whipped stitched the ends together to form the ring. I then embroidered it with green thread and silk ribbon flowers. That part was easy and fun.
The whole thing attaches to hemp string hanging from the ceiling with some hooks. I love this contraption because I can remove the ring mobile and hang one toy or add other mobiles.

Montessori space

I loved Montessori school in my little days of yore. Now, being a renewed parent and wanting to enrich Renée's life, I have been reading more and more about Dr. Montessori's theory. She was an anthropologist and gosh, I wish I would have known that during my undergrad anthro classes ! I could have meshed my educational ideas with my anthro stuff. Ahh, I could have written some great papers! Hey, pregnancy goddess statues and Southeastern Indian basketry are interesting, too. Let's face it, I am not going to write those papers now, and truly, might not have even written them then.
The main book that hooked me was Tim Seldin's How to Raise an Amazing Child. It is very cool and showed fantastic pictures. From that, I implemented what I could. A mirror for Renée and I made a paper plate mobile with colored ribbons. That was the beginning and I continue to rearrange shelves and clear clutter to make her area safe and accessible. 2 shelves ready, one basket, and homemade toys galore.
I am a list maker and organizer. I loved having snacks set up in the fridge when Phoebe was young so she could grab from the fridge or sit and color without me having to get it for her. I like prep work as I see it pays off, if that makes sense. I am excited making toys and setups with which Renée will learn and play. Lima beans, little scoops, bowls and trays: great stuff! I have an old guitar and am excited to let her be a toddler and play with it.

This video shows her favorite friend while Phoebe is at school!

Oh man! I want one!

There are wind farms around us and we see them whenever we head west. At night, the little red lights on the top of them blink in and out because of the spinning arms. It is cool, very Quixote-esque.
It is weird to see the pieces to build them on trucks. They are huge! Absolutely gargantuan! A traffic light is the size of a person, but you wouldn't think it to see them at every intersection. Perspective throws the real size off. Same with business signs. When you see one being erected next to the interstate and it is larger than a 18-wheeler, you know that is one bad boy. The arms for wind turbines are massive. It warms my heart to see them being trucked down the interstate. "That is one cool truck driver," is what I think when I see them.
Currently, I pay a nominal fee to our electric company encouraging wind generated electricity. What would be better? The actual turbine on my property.
See, I have this dream of one day having a Tiny House. What I would implement into my house would be:
solar chimney
grey water system
handwash toilet top
half flush
solar array/wind turbine
premier tub

Granted, some of these items are probably not be needed for a tiny house, but they are cool. That Premier Tub is awesome. I don't think I need a broken hip to use that in my house. It is the bomb! I could be like the captain of the ship in Hitchhikers that stays in his tub and commands. That tub would be in the center of the house and I would command my minions (at least, the ones I think are there).
Add to all of this a biodiesel rig. Awesome! Imagine the fun!

Soap making

Here is the soap I made all cut up. The plastic tube I used didn't work out too well. I ended up cutting it open to release the soap. The rectangles are a bit uneven, but they are going to be usable.
I asked Mike if we can make a wooden box and he said it should be easy. Easy is one thing. Completion is another. We've got so many projects around here!

Egg dyeing

We now have an egg dying tradition of getting out masking tape and small blades to create resist designs on our Easter eggs. We each need a very special egg with which to pacque. Phoebe and I worked on our special eggs. She chose a female Pokemon Pikachu for her design and I went with my tried and true Crawfish/Hot Sauce.


This next photo shows our eggs with the masking tape applied prior to dyeing.

After some serious bath time, my egg is sporting nice, tight outlines and a rather close color resemblence to Tabasco:

The opposite side of my egg had the bottle design. Some brush strokes with green and we're ready to hit some eggs!

I can't say enough about vinyl gloves for this activity. Too many years have seen me with nasty nails and dyed dry skin for days. As for our two champion eggs, they remain in the fridge. We still can't bring ourselves to mess them up just quite yet.