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!