Scavenging Success!!

I've been wanting a six foot folding table to sort my laundry on, but I couldn't justify buying one. When I hem and haw, I know it's just not right... yet. On my way home from getting bread this morning, I spied with my little eye a long table beside the local school dumpster. "Hmmm, " I pondered, "could that be my heart's desire?" And alas, it was!! Just the top, though, which was probably why it was by the dumpster. Still useful to a clever philly like myself, though. I popped that puppy right in the back of the van, fastened it with my ever-ready bungie cord, and brought it home to meet it's new family. It's heavy enough to sit on top of my rolling computer table (that was serving very inefficiently as my sorting table) without being able to flip off from acrobatic children (but I'm sure they will try at some point). As you can see, I can fit three nicely sorted loads of laundry on what could previouly only hold one. No more heaps on the floor. Oh, I lurves me some scavenging success!!

Chickens on the brain is better than egg on your face, but I might have some of that soon, too.

My friend has me dreaming about chickens. And eggs. As I hope I have inflicted her with guity pangs every time she discards paper and plastic, she has invaded my thoughts every time I crack an egg (which we do a lot in my happy-homemade-baking house). I think I'm going to get on the chicken wagon.

The only thing that keeps me from being completely "Yay, chickens!" is the memory of my mother telling her chicken story: She was romanced by the thought of free, effortless eggs with chickens running playfully about the yard with her children. Until, she discovered all the chicken poop everywhere and one of them pecked at my oldest sister which commenced the shooting of the chickens. I have always had this image of a poultry blood bath in the backyard in defense of her baby. Probably not the way it happened, but at the very least it gives me a bit of grounding on the idea of chickens and that it might not be as care free and wonderful as it seems.

That said, I'm a girl that likes to find out things for herself even if I, too, end up shooting chickens. I've asked the Freecycle world for scrap building supplies, and I've been stalking backyardchickens.com for coop ideas. I really like the look of this coop. It's just tidy and seems so intentional. I figure if I'm going to have chickens, I want to do them justice and give them a nice home- the nicer you treat your chickens, the nicer they will treat you.

I've even put my higher conscience to work in my sleep. Seriously. I came up with a great idea the other night to remedy the "chickens pecked my baby" problem my mother encountered: In my dream, I built a run for the chickens using 4x4 posts and wired not only the outside, but the inside of the frame work so there was a good 4" or dead space between my darling, innocent children (who wouldn't dream of taunting a chicken) and the fowl beasts. I also attached hardware cloth to the bottom of the frame before I sunk it about a foot so Mr. Fox couldn't dig under for a midnight snack. I'm pretty smart in my sleep.

I plan to gather my supplies and build a coop and run this summer for a fun project with Sterling (first summer vacation ever) and actually get the shickens, as Royal calls them, in the spring. I'm thinking 6-8 birds so I can have about a dozen eggs a week. Tasty eggs, from birds we know, cage and cruelty free, right in our back yard- either that or a whole lot of chicken in the freezer. I'm sure there will be updates on my future chicken-farmer status.

Bokashi Madness II (update)

Ha-ha!! I burried the first bucket o' bokashi compost!! Our back gardens have patchy spots of decent dirt, but mostly it's thick, wet, hard packed clay. I figured it would be nice spot to revive with a little burried compost treasure. I'll update again in a month or so with pictures when I dig up my lucious black gold!! I would have snapped some shots of the historic event, but I figured it would be nicer to look at my pretty lilacs than of a rusty shovel and my dirty feet.

If my bokashi obsession doesn't work, I at least have a really nice compost bucket out of the deal.

Pssst...

They are having a sale! Promo code (if you need it) JUNE08. This is where the best husband in the world got my birthday present. Bokashi buckets are $10 off and the bokashi compost starter is 1/2 off, only $5! Just thought I would let you all know. I do plan on making my own bokashi starter and buckets, but for now, this is a great deal for stocking up a little.

A googleplex of folded paper.

My darling five year old is into origami!! He's crazy good at it, too! I'm glad we discovered a focus for his anal retentive precision. I'm collecting origami paper for our summer project of folding one thousand paper cranes. I hate to have him nap all summer (although he very often needs one still, but then again, our whole family likes to nap) so I thought maybe a quiet task of folding a dozen or so cranes a day would be calming in lieu of slumbering. We need to go to the library and sign out Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, too. Take a break from Harry Potter. I thought it might be nice to give the cranes to the Children's Hospital when we are done (and while we are in Portland, zip over to the Children's Museum as a reward for his kindness). It's important for us to teach our children about giving back and giving hope to people that have less than we do.

Just one of those nice days.

Most people don't put "going to the dentist" in the "I get excited about..." category, but they don't have Dr. Findlen. I spent years with a really crumby dentist that I loathed to see, so not only did I stop going but I never sent my children. I am so very excited that I have a great dentist now who takes care of me and my teeth and understands that it's a big deal for mothers to get out and care for themselves. I like to call it my dental-spa. I get excited to go, and I feel relaxed when I'm there.

Since the beginning of the year, I've had seven dentist appointments to make up for the three years it's been since my last visit. I just had my last batch of fillings before my next cleaning in six months, and next week I will have my wisdom teeth removed. Last winter I had a chunk of one fall off, with subsequent chunks since, which is what prompted me to get back on the dental horse. It's pretty gross and embarrassing to have pieces of you falling off as a result of neglect. Kinda hard to ignore that blinking red sign that maybe it might be time to do a little personal maintenance.

I swear I cried every other minute my first visit with Dr. Findlen. It was the first time I had left Molly (#1) and the first time in a long time that I put my children aside to take care of myself. Everyone in that office recognized what a big deal it was, too (#2). From the receptionist to the hygienist to the doctor. No one scolded me for not flossing (#3). More than once, someone said, "Don't worry, we'll take care of you." (#4, 5, 6) They actually asked me how I felt about my teeth. Huh? That started some huge waterworks (#7) because since I've had fillings, I've been embarrassed about my mouth. My wonderful, white, straight teeth embarrassed me because they were full of black fillings. Even on the wisdom tooth that was restored, Dr. Findlen uses white. After he has filled a tooth, I can't tell which one he did. That's some good dentistry, right there.

Not only have I started taking care of my teeth again, but my children have their first cleanings!! I'm so excited. I think it's HUGE to choose my children's dentist. Things like that will have an immense impact on how they view the care of their teeth for the rest of their lives. I am thrilled to have such a friendly office care for my babies.

Top off a wonderful dentist day with some Freecycle goodies and a new consignment shop skirt for me and shirt for Molly-cakes (see pictures), and my morning was complete. It's my husband's birthday, the sun is making it's way out from behind the clouds, and my family is napping. I just don't think it could be a nicer day.

Hello, Joe!

The current money crunch as a result of pro-pane-in-my-butt fuel prices (not to mention the price of gas- geez), has led to cut backs in other areas. It is so sad that when things get tight, the grocery budget gets skinny. When, exactly, did food become a luxury item? Last time I checked, our basic needs were food, shelter, water, and clothing. Seems like we are paying through the nose for all of that stuff, but shoot, they all but give away superfluous crap!! grrr...

One of the things that we do splurge on is good coffee. However, now we only make 1/2 a pot in the morning so that we can cut the bill by half- theoretically. It hasn't quite been by half because we are going to have to dip into the blechy coffee stash before the next payday. Bi-weekly paychecks mean bi-weekly grocery shopping which is really a good thing because it saves on gas and makes you plan ahead. I would go once a month, but fruit doesn't keep that long, or last that long, and I don't have enough room to store stuff. Maybe I can make room, but that will be for truly desperate times when I drop down to once a month outing. I'm not there yet. So sad that I have to say, "yet," like it's coming. More grrr...

Back to the coffee: Wicked Joe. Mmmm... Joe kicks Starbucks's beans. "Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love. -Turkish Proverb/Wicked Joe Philosophy" That's what I'm talkin' about!! I'm all about local, but more so about quality. Wicked Joe has both. We give our favorite (Wicked French- obviously) as presents when we visit family and friends. The more people we convert to this awesome company, the better. We don't get anything for it other than the satisfaction of helping a Maine company succeed among nasty, greedy corporations that would rather stick us at the pump than sacrifice a little profit. They even use renewable resources to power their production. Yay, Joe!!

Wicked Joe should have an online coffee club, though. They have so many tasty choices that it's hard to choose, so we stick with our French. A new tasty coffee every week, automatically payed for from my account and shipped to me with a smaller sample package (for sharing with a friend and luring to the Wicked ways of Joe). There should be a private forum, too, for sharing tips and comments on the best brews. Oh, I'm all buzzy with ideas, and it's not just the coffee talking!!

Psst... Wicked Joe, if you read this, hire my husband because we love you ! He's smart and funny and just needs a company that actually cares so he can harness his drive for new ideas and use it constructively for the good of the planet. We have three cute kids if you want poster children, and I will make you cookies every day! We are sort of a package deal- five for the price of one!

Don't wiggle the noodle

I had a bread day yesterday. I wish I was a real bread baker, but I'm a fake-bread baker. I keep saying I want to bake real bread, but it's so quick and easy to make tasty loaves of banana bread and pumpkin bread and my newest obsession: Amish Friendship Bread. I had looked up how to make a starter batch, but all the reviews were mixed to negative so I figured I would just pine away thinking of the last time I made it (which was maybe 14 years ago- ack, that sounds weird).

No sooner had I given up on the notion of revisiting the tangy, sweet AFB then my dear BFF gave me a starter! OMG! She's in my head, and I love it. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of Amish Friendship Bread, it's like a chain letter for you kitchen. You are given an active yeast "starter" and you grow it on your counter for ten days, adding sugar, milk, and flour until it ferments and multiplies. Then you share the bready goodness by dividing up the batter into "starters" and passing them onto friends. I always keep one for myself because once you have this tasty goodness, you are hooked for a while. Then you add dry ingredients to your remaining batter and crust you pan with sugar and bake to perfection. It's pretty impossible to mess up and there are all sorts of variations and extras you can add. I think we ate two loaves of it yesterday. My children are still young enough not to be able to defend themselves, so I will say that they ate most of it.

So the noodle part: I had learned a trick from an online friend of mine (who also gave me a brownie recipe I need to share) to use a spaghetti noodle to check the doneness of baked goods. I grew up using a toothpick, but I can't seem to keep them around (little boxes of little things are so tempting for little fingers) so I just started stabbing cakes and my fake-breads with knives. Functional, yes, but not aesthetically pleasing. Then came the noodle trick. Love it because I always have pasta on hand and it makes me feel so clever. Hate it because I occasionally have spaghetti in my loaf. You can't wiggle the noodle. Seems like a no brainer, but since I have been used to tilting the knives to test the firmness of the goody innards, I keep forgetting that pasta breaks easier than cutlery. I have yet to come across the broken noodles, though- it might be like that "other sock."

No space unexplored

Oh, Danger Baby (a.k.a. Royal) has grown into a dare-devil little boy, and Adventure Girl is moving up in the rankings of those who give Mommy heart failure. Miss Molly-cakes has discovered that she can open doors and there is stuff behind them!! Oh, my, how exciting!! I'm not a huge fan of blanket baby-proofing because it's more important to explore and learn to listen when they are told, "Don't lick the bleach bottle," or, "The stove is hot, don't touch," or just, "No, thank you, that's not for you to play with." You know, limits and restrictions, not restraint. Baby gates, I love, cupboard door locks, not so much. I try not to have a whole lot of toxic things in the house anyway and I keep sprayers on OFF, so it isn't so bad when they rearrange under the cabinets for me while I'm watching.

However, Molly's recent Mission to Mayhem made me realize that the undercupboards were getting a little neglected. Nothing worse than wasted space in a small house!! Yes, I'm dorky enough to take pictures of my recently reorganized sink guts:

In the bathroom:

In the kitchen:

It's one of those funny things that has stuck with me since childhood: My mom always said that when your space is messy, so is your head. For me, it's the spaces that no one sees like the basement or the attic or under the cupboards. If that space is a mess, I feel disoriented and don't know why until I see the messy space, clean it up, then feel better. It's that same feeling like thinking you left the coffee pot on, but instead it's your trash bags that aren't in line and your baking soda that is askew. With an adventurous little crawly monster in the house, it's just plain safer to know what is under your sink, anyway, and exactly where it is so you know what to tell poison control. Haven't had to call that number yet, but I know enough to never say never no matter how nontoxic you think you are. Danger Boy broke me in (silver lining, silver lining, silver lining...) and taught me two very important words of motherhood: SPEED DIAL!!

Phonetastic

It's been almost five years since we've had a land line phone!! It's been a while in coming, though. One of the biggest drawbacks to having a Mommy cell phone and a Daddy cell phone is that there is no one family phone. So... does that mean my children need to know two phone numbers and exactly who to call about certain things? No, that means it's time to get a house phone. I mean, we have a house now, so we should have a house phone! I'm really excited that I can call my sisters and Mommy and friends and not have to worry about what time it is (didn't really do that anyway) or worry about how many minutes I'm using (didn't worry about that either until I would get a bill and say, "WHAT???") Today is the first day of the "minute free" bliss thanks to the Freecycle friends who donated an unwanted cordless phone to our plight of saving money for the propane bill.

So, what should we do with the cells?? We want at least one for travel and the second one is only $9.99 more so we may as well keep that one, too, which basicly means there should be a twelve step program for cell phone users. It's tough to quit. We have a little over a year in the contract, so almost a year to decide if we want to back away from our cell phone affair. They are just so handy, though. One of those points that convenience tends to drag and trample frugality after kicking it in the nuts and pulling it's hair. $60/month or being connected in case of emergency and urgency? Hmmm...

Who's the pretty baby??

If I was as cute as my daughter, I would want to make out with myself in the mirror, too. She gets such a thrill out of seeing herself that I got off my can (ha-ha, like I'm ever on it) and fished out a mirror from the basement. The frameless one I was thinking of had a chip in it. Grrr... Survey said, "EH," so I de-framed another mirror. Come to find out, the funky grey things that stuck out from under the frame and confused me as to what the purpose was ended up being a plastic frame- kind of like the cheap poster frames with the plastic cover. YAY!! Safe baby, pretty baby, mirror goodness. It took moments, a level, drill, and mirror clips I had on hand and I gave Miss Molly-cakes the best friend in the world. She is always there for her, smiles back, and is sympathetic to her mood. I tell you, they are so close. When she cries, Molly cries harder to see her friend in such distress. So nice to meet someone she can laugh with, cry with, and is always there when she needs her.

I liked this quote and thought I would share with my one reader...

"If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have, that you don't want."

-unknown-

Giddeyup!!

Royal gets very angry when I take pictures of his horse, but I managed to sneak a fair one while he wasn't looking. It is his horse, you see, and that apparently means there needs to be some sort of equestrian minor model release form signed. Who knows, but this is by far one of my favorite creations.

He's been wanting to go to the dollar store to get a horse (-on-a-steek) and I've been steering him away from such a purchase because, well, it's at the dollar store. Hobby horses can be SO COOL, I would hate to have one be cheap and crumby when the potential is so great. Mommy-made stuff is always better, anyway.

The orange herringbone upholstery fabric is scraps from my father-in-law when he was working for a Maine retail manufacturing giant and would bring home bags upon bags of crap, I mean, scrap fabric. The interior of the ears was left over upholstery fabric from when I originally recovered the ottoman. The button eyes and "bit" are random buttons from the box, the reigns and mane are old trim from back in the day when I made medieval garb, and the "steek" was from my mother-in-law's "Martha" moment last Halloween when she made the boys goody bags that looked like brooms. I made the pattern (which I'm thinking of selling pdf style on eBay), serged the poo out of seams, tucked in the bottom of the stuffed head with a rubber band (stroke of genius- I tend to figure out the details after I make something), and threw on an industrial staple under the chin to keep the stick from becoming a javolin.

This baby has been cowboy-style, knight's best friend, to the grocery store, t-ball games, friend's houses, and camped out on the couch watching videos. The greatest honor from my dear Royal son is when he sleeps with things. Not just anything is invited to spend the night on the foot of his bed, mind you. There are plenty of toys and treasures that stay where they are at night, but to be requested as a snuggler is truly something for any possession to aspire to. It usually starts under the covers, then a week goes by and it's moved on top of the covers, then after a few nights it lives at the foot of the bed. My Sterling has his beloved TigieBlankie (two things, one word), but Royal likes to change it up with his mood. There is Dear-DeerBlankie (again, two thing, one word) but they are rarely unaccompanied by the obsession du jour. Its sad that most people don't love anything as much as that boy loves some random object he decided was special. I hope he always sees diamonds in the rough.

I heart Dan

The giddiness of a three year old buttoning for the first time is contageous. I heart Dapper Dan. I can't wait to get Dressy Bessy one day for Molly. I have to say that I wish he had snaps and a separating zipper, maybe a toggle somewhere, 'cause there is a LOT of velcro on that boy. Come on, velcro isn't rocket science. There is a reason why there is a certain stereotype with velcro shoes. (Maybe that's just a joke with hubby and I?) None the less (which really doesn't mean anything, but I still like to say it), I heart Dan. He is a great first step in fine motor manipulation, and who doesn't like a soft buddy with a frog in his pocket?? There aren't enough dolls for boys, anyway. I'll take Dan, even with his velcro fettish.

The horse that nearly got away...

Bad, bad blogger. I've been slacking, but I have a good excuse!! In the excitement of a NEW COUCH, my head has been spinning trying to figure out how I'm going to put a silvery-cornflower-shark blue into my decor. Not that any of my furniture really matches, but I'm trying to lean in that direction. So far I have spun up a new ottoman cover that will have matching throw pillows on the couch and one on the rocker. See? I'm trying to match- or at least coordinate. The age of the mismatched, hand me down furniture is passing. I'm growing up, sort of. Maybe it's the birthday, maybe it's having a house all of my very own, maybe it's motherhood, maybe it's (D) all of the above. It's giving me a wonderful mental exercise, though, seeing as I need to do it on the cheap because I got my letter with this year's propane budget at $313/month. Goodbye home renovations, hello heat and hot water!!

"Happy Birthday to ME" or "Bokashi Madness" or "I Have An Awesome Husband" or "My 3yo Likes Boxes"

Ah-hem... (deep breath) Happy birthday to me...
Happy birthday to me...Happy BIRTHDAY dear me...

(and my dad...)

Happy birthday to ME!!

My three year old son thinks the box is better than a Bokashi starter kit, but I beg to differ. How flippin' cool is my husband that he gets me COMPOSTING stuff for my birthday?? I'm such a lucky wifey. Bokashi is this anaerobic composting system (which fits me as I seem to avoid anything aerobic) using efficient microbes to pickle the waste, then you burry it, then in a month you have black gold. I'm soooo excited!! There are recipies for making your own bokashi stuff, but I'll try out the ready made stuff for a while before I make trash barrels full of this stuff. Stuff, stuff-stuff, stuff, stuff... Might be good in the long run, but not yet. Here's where he got it from- there is more info there than I know about it yet. But with any luck, the investment will pay for itself in lessened trash output (you can put pretty much anything food-wise in this system) and "free" compost. (We have clay for dirt. We need compost and soil amendments so we can build it up to workable.) It really amuses me that for the girl that used to loath the outdoors (still don't like the bugs) I'm getting into gardening and composting. Who knew?? Like wine, I keep getting better with age.

What does one do on a rainy day???

Make a sun hat, of course!! Molly has been in need of noggin protection so I used some scraps to try out a bonnet pattern. I added a chin strap (which I need to add some little plastic slidey thingies to) and had to get fudgey with some boo-boos, but I think it came out pretty well. My children have freakishly large heads so I skimped on the seam allowance and made it 1/4" instead of 5/8. Why is the seam allowance 5/8 anyway?? That seams (tee-hee) like a waste of fabric when most of the time you are asked to trim it anyway. I am serger obsessed, so I don't need to do the trimming, but still. Seems like a waste and I rarely abide by that rule. I would rather have something roomy than sit there and trim silly seam allowance.

Because of my blatent disregard for seam allowance, the back of the hat didn't quite line up, so I added an elastic gather to close the gap. Worked out lovely, but here is my favorite recovered blunder... One of these seams is not like the other:

As a highly distracted mother of three who often thinks, "Oh, they are being so peaceful, I'll just pop into the office and do some sewing," and then has WW3 errupt on the couch because someone touched something that someone else was playing with four hours ago and someone needs juice this INSTANT... breathe... I made a woopsie-doodles and sewed two of the six seams backwards. Good thing, though, that they were across from eachother, so I made it into a design feature by topstitching some trim that I've had for seriously about ten years, waiting for the right project. What else are you supposed to do with a yard of random trim?? I ended up using the ends of it for the ties, so it looks like it continues through the brim. I'm wicked smaht.

Yeah, I just like to show off topstitching. I think it's probably one of my favorite garment details. If done well, it makes everything seem so 'finished.' If done poorly, well, then you should just back away from the sewing machine and let the pros handle it. Now that I have a feel for the pattern, I will make her more hats. They are fun and quick and cute and useful. Gotta love that combo. Miss Molly-cakes makes a lovely plus sized baby model and her little back rolls will be charming in the dress that matches the hat. Oh, I have some big plans for the moose-baby and summer smocks!! Completely reversible with coordinating hats and bloomers! That is, unless someone needs juice first...

What are we doing???

Recycling, composting, and being a nonconsumer are a bit of a current obsession of mine, but this site blew my mind! Watch the video- its 20 minutes and change, but it will hopefully shift your view of what we put our planet, people, and pockets through. Stuff like this breaks my heart and makes me want to live off the grid in a commune somewhere with a composting toilet. It's tough to balance wanting things, needing things, and preserving the planet. We can do better, though. It's kinda one of those "important/not an option" sorts of things.

(Click the banner, silly, and may pangs of guilt strike you as you approach the trash can and not the recycling bin!)

Ahr, maytee...

Nothing says, "Rockin' Swingset," like a pirate flag mounted high. Sterling has this AWESOME pirate book from his Great Auntie Janice that we borrowed designs from and created our own family flag.

I used scraps of Wonder Under on one of my husbands old shirts (discovered that I didn't have any white fabric- what???) which came out pretty cool with the black pinstripes, if I do say so myself. I did find after some vigorous trial waves by an enthusiastic three year old that the design would need topstitching, though. I serged around the edge of the $1/yd fabric from Wallyworld (hangs head in shame, but I'm not that strong to resist completely), rolled it around a spare dowel, stapled, pounded flat, and mounted with a $2 flag bracket.

Yes, we have the coolest swingset around. (I'll have to update with an actual picture of it actually up.) It's just one of those things that makes me smile every time I pull into the yard. Not only do we have a pirate flag, but we made the flag with spare/cheap items and it is as one of a kind as we are. Oh, shucks, I'm have one of those rushes of love for my family. Hmmm... which am I more proud of: the flag or the fam?? Yeah, the fam. Without my priceless kiddos I wouldn't have any motivation to make things like this. Nothing is more contageous than the boundless natural creativity of spirited children!

Soapy Goodness

I need to get off my can and post, so here is some good, clean fun: laundry detergent!! There are recipies all over the web- Google "homemade laundry detergent" and you will get a google of results (wink, wink). Well, I thought that was punny...

The recipe I use calls for water, washing soda, Borax, and some form of soap- either Fels Naptha, Zote (fun, pink, Mexican, and can be used as catfish bait!), Lirio, Ivory, or some other low sudsing soap. I've even used some good ol' SafeGaurd in a pinch. It's kinda fun to try it different ways, and your clothes get clean no matter what. Here's what I do:

Heat 6C of water on medium heat in a large pot and melt 1/3 bar of soap-grated/shredded (1/3 bar if using laundry soap, otherwise a whole bar of body soap), heat 4C water in a seperate pot. Once the soap has dissolved, add 1/2C each of washing soda and Borax until completely dissolved. In a 2 gallon bucket add the hot water, then the soap solution and stir. Then add 1 gallong + 6C cool water and stir. The solution will gel over night to an egg soup to solid gel consistancy. Use 1/2C per large load of wash. You can add essential oils, add a little extra soap, soda, or Borax, use more or less solution per load, it really isn't rocket science. You are NOT going to blow up your kitchen, there is not uber toxic stuff going in there (I wouldn't lick the spoon, but you don't need a haz-mat suit, either), my kids help, and we squish the finished gel for fun (that makes it easier to scoop out, too).

There are sites that break the cost down to pennies per load, but all you need to know is that it's CHEAP. It's cheaper than the cheap detergent I used to get. Add to that the fact that you aren't using a new plastic container every time (even though we recycled our old containers, they were still manufactured and packaged and marketed which all adds up to a high cost on our planet and resources). AND... it works. It gets my diapers clean. Shouldn't have to say more than that right there.

Something I never thought I would say...

"I have ironed my bathroom."

*What could possibly be more tempting than a melty candle on a window sill?? Just because it's out of reach, doesn't mean it's safe in my house. In order for things to be truly child retardent, one must first put them very high, then remove all objects that could possibly assist in the attempts to reach said object. This includes stools, chairs, large toys, other children, suction cups, ladders, boxes, rope, wood that could be used as a ramp, any tools that could be used to build something to get the object that must be really cool, otherwise it wouldn't be up so high, right???

The silence that followed the repeated question, "Royal, what exactly are you doing in there?" lead me to believe that it wasn't something he was supposed to be doing. (*see previous paragraph)

Good news, though!! The whole "iron up wax" trick really works! I have ironed clothing, tablecloths, money, things in waxed paper, and now a bathroom. I set my iron to linen and placed a towel over the wax splatters (there were a LOT of them), ironing the area long enough to reheat the wax and wick it up into the towel. Wipe the excess and enjoy your clean floor... and wall... and baseboard... and toilet... and towel bar... and window sill...and heater...

The Business of Being Born

Natural birth is either something you feel passionate about or not, but the perspective is valuable in making a choice in how you want your child to enter the world. I think this is one of the most dual sided documentaries I've seen. Yes, it gives personal stories of horrid hospital experiences, but it also shows how fortunate we are to have the medical back up if we need it (I won't spoil it for you). Definitely put it in your Netflix cue.

You should WATCH THIS if you have had children, are thinking about having children, or know someone with children. Hmmm... that's all of us, isn't it?We have amazing bodies that we need to trust and give into. Popping a kid out of your hoo-ha is definitely in the category of taking what you have to make what you need.

Baby+hole+(variable rate of time)=birth.

Your loss is my gain!!

Oh, mama loves the 'oops' bin at the building supply stores! I not only found a five gallon bucket of grey exterior paint for $7.50 to paint my shed with the children this summer (stay tuned for that fiasco once the snow melts), but I also found the EXACT color paint I wanted for my bathroom for....

$1.25

Oh, yes, that is one dollar and twenty five cents. Ka-POW. I think I did a pretty darn good job of painting it, although there are the token Tessa ceiling spots. One day I will fix that, but I don't look up that often. Appologies for the camera phone picture. Rechargable batteries seem to not be my friend right now with the camera. Kinda gives it a hazy Hollywood effect, though. You can see my rockin' shower curtain in the reflection.




By the way, thank you Mommy for the awesome painting ladder you bought me for Christmas!! I am a barefoot painter, so it felt much better than my aluminum ladder. I'm a big fan of "making do," but you do need the right tools for the job. A nice 2.5-3" angled paint brush for cutting in, good rollers that aren't linty, a super ladder, and sleeping children. However long you think you will take to paint a little bathroom, double it. 'Tis better to still be painting at 2am than to rush the job because Royal is "helping" or Molly is waking up from nap or Sterling is needing something that desperately needs to happen at that exact moment. Dry as a bone by morning, ready to surprise the sleepy heads. Nothing beats waking up to a naked three year old sitting on the can saying, "Wow, Mommy, I really like the room! Echo, echo, echooooo!"


Now, what to paint my vanity? Toasted Almond?? Hmmm...

www.freecycle.org

I loves me some free stuff! I was sooo going to make a diaper sprayer out of an old kitchen sprayer and some plumbing fittings, but I figured I would throw it out to the FreeCycle world and see what turned up. Low and behold someone had one they didn't need!! This is the one I ended up getting, and it is sooo awesome, though a hair leakey.

FreeCycle is the ultimate in taking what you have and making what you need. You have treasures in your home that collect dust, and giving them to someone who can use them is a great karma generator so that you can get things like diaper sprayers!! It is giving, not selling, so instead of recieving money for your goods, you recieve good will and a providing universe. Can't get better than that!

Recycle, le crecy, leccery, clerecy, roller skates?

I heart Bowdoinham. We have the greatest recycling program EVER. For a family of five, we fill up an 8gal bag of trash every 3-4 days. Once a week we take out the bathroom trash (a plastic shopping bag), but every week we fill up 2-3 18gal recycling bags plus cardboard, burnable sensitive papers, and of course the bottles and cans that slowly build up. Not too shabby. Despite the wonderful curbside pick up, I neglected to actually bring the bags to the curb for the past few weeks. Just as well, we needed an outing.

I loaded up the family van with about eight bags of paper, plastic, and aluminum in addition to a TON of cardboard. I think there is a secret cardboard breeding program in my basement. We moved about a year and a half ago, are pretty much completely unpacked, yet the cardboard keeps multiplying. Where does it all come from?? Maybe there is an exchange program between the dryer and the cardboard alternate universe: a sock for a box. Sounds like a Seuss book. Back to the packing- it was the kind of cramming that you need to secure the children first, then make no hope for escape by topping them with boxes of boxes and more boxes. Should we have been in an accident, they would have needed the jaws of life just to remove the cardboard.

I think the Recycle Barn likes it when my boys come with me. They are such a treat there. Molly stays put on my back, so she's pretty agreeable wherever she goes. I don't know if it's the delight in helping Mommy, the warehouse atmosphere and fork lifts or the thrill of getting to look through discarded toys in the thrift shop area, but they are always on their best behavior. They helped me carry in bags (some bigger than Royal) and boxes and after their jobs were done I got to hear the delighted squeals of joy after saying, "Thank you, you may go look at toys now!"

What better reward is there to a clever child than getting to find a treasure amongst rubble? Sterling discovered a boat of some sort, but it was Royal that really hit the jackpot. Fisher Price roller skates and a beaten police helmet!! He has had them on since we came home yesterday. He's slept with them, put them on to go across the room, taken them off to play, put them back on to go down the hallway, taken them off for a bath, put them back on to go to the bedroom, taken them off to sleep with them again. He's worn them with clothes, with jammies, barefooted, with slippers, and of course butt naked. (More Suess for you) One child's trash is this child's treasure. If he can fall in love with baking pans, imagine the pure adoration for ready made awesomeness??

Feels good at only 8000 calories, but 0 fat!!

Ahhh, the joys of rice!! My dear neighbor has a horrid back and asked if I could make a ricebag for her- of course!! A little scrap fabric (a pocket hopeful for slings I used to make, but the geometric design made my eyes woogie and was always a hair off) and some rice from the cupboard and you have a whole lotta love for her boo-boo!!

Here's what you can do:

1. Be poor and always have a crack load of rice on hand.


2. The scrap fabric started off as two 12"x20" pieces. You could very likely use an old t-shirt, which would give it some cozy softness, but I happened to have two identical scraps that were lovely to boot.


3. Serge or sew down one long side, across the bottom, and back up the other long side, leaving one short side open.


4. Flip and iron. Turn in the open end now so you don't have to deal with rice and irons. Top stitch the closed short end (because that is how the open end will be secured and I'm a symetrical kind o' gal).


5. Measure the center point (keeping in mind the 1/4" you will lose from top stitching the two ends) and make three even guide lines for top stitching the four sections of rice, pinning them at the edges. I would give you the measurements for the lines, but it depends on the fabric you chose, and if you can't measure even lines then step away from the sewing machine. Filling the sections with rice will distort the fabric enough that getting an even line pinned might be hard if you don't start them off before pouring the rice.


6. Measure roughly 2C rice into the first section, pin on the line, then pin a second line, keeping the rice as far down as you can get it so it won't slip into your sewing line.


7. Repeat for all sections, ending with pinning and top stitching the final opening.

I make little 1/4C ricebags for my kids and (hopefully) craft shows, and I heat up a set of ten for 30sec. in the microwave (before we chose to live microwaveless). For a big one like this, I would think to start it at maybe 2 1/2 minutes?? Or in the oven maybe at 200 for 5 minutes?? I don't want to be burning down your house or making you some risotto in a sack, so use your best judgement, aim low, and work up to a decent time.

If it's broken, it can't really break a whole lot more so you might as well take it apart...

The saga of my wiper blade begins a few months ago when it was feeling a little unmotivated. It would think about making an effort to get up and wipe my windshield, but it wouldn't quite make it. Fretting an electronic problem, I called my trusty mechanic (Stillwell's Auto Repair, 207-729-3453, 25 Fisher Rd, Bowdoinham, ME- they ROCK) and they of course said to come on by. I really need to make them some cookies soon, says she, thinking out loud. As suspected by the gentleman on the phone, he pulls out a socket wrench and tightens the nut attaching the wiper mechanism and voila, it works. No charge.

Now, when the blade is making the lazy effort to perform it's assigned task all I need to do is tighten the nut. Argh, but here's where the plot thickens. It was just loose enough this time so the stinker was misaligned and the passenger side ran into the driver's side and crunched the blade. Why, other that the obvious answer of Murphy's Law, is it always the driver's side that gets fudged?? Do the forces of the universe not know one of the key elements of driving is seeing the road?

So, I got to play mechanic today while my two youngest babies were sleeping. I took off both blades, put the good one on the driver's side, took the whole stinkin' passenger's side mechanism off so I didn't have to drive around with a sock on it, potentially scratching my windshield, and said a prayer that it didn't rain, snow, sleet, or otherwise melt enough to require frequent washing of my windshield.

Dreading spending flipping $30 on a single blade (and then usually another $30 because once you put on a good one, the other one decides to keel over which results in repeating this whole process and duplicating a trip to the store for what you should have gotten two of the first time around) I remembered to take it apart and see how it worked, and Ah-HAH! The blade itself wasn't ripped, only the metal casing. Well, not casing, exactly: there are two metal strips that sort of snap inside of the grooves of the blade holding into the frame. A little brute force and some pliers and I bent it all back into shape and reassembled it!! Now, if this works, I just saved myself moola. If that isn't the best kind of Valentine's Day present, I don't know what is. Save the flowers, honey, give me a refurbished wiper blade.

The lost art of Salespeople

Rant time...

Rarely do I shop for myself. I am currently going through my meager clothing assortment and getting rid of everything I don't love. My goal is to be able to reach into the closet in a half awake state (me, not the closet) and pull out anything and be happy having it on. I'm down to about two pairs of pants and ten or so shirts. Sad, but where do I go that I need the latest and greatest fashion trend? The washer doesn't care, neither do my children.

Anywho, I needed to return some boots at L.L. Bean that my darling mother in law bought for me. They just didn't fit- years of walking around barefoot or in sad floppies have distorted my poor peds to this ghastly width that protests most footwear. Combine that with a solid instep and I'm sure you can see my struggle in the shoe department, hence the floppies. So I return the boots and get a massive store credit that I am required to spend on myself per the instructions of my mother in law. She knows me too well by now and needs to place restrictions on me like that so I don't go buying my children things with my gift money.

The first salesperson I approached (problem #1) of course wanted to talk to Molly, who was sitting happily on my back in a wrap, but spent way too much energy making sure she was secure. Yesh, I'm going to tie on my child so that she is teetering and unsafe while I shop. DUH! When I give a salesperson my situation (i.e. "I returned some boots because my instep was too high and I need to be able to slip them on with one or zero hands because I have three children.") I expect a recommendation because, well, they know what they have better than I do. Nope. (problem #2) I got a wishy-washy nod in the direction of marked down boots. I understand that it's the end of the season and there isn't a whole lot left, but COME ON! Know you stock.

Alas, I went to look at other shoes, thinking perhaps I could get something to replace the shoes that I bought six years ago and have been slowly beating to death. That salesperson was about as helpful as the first. Her pen ran out so she had to get a new one, it took forever to get the shoes I requested, then she just drops them off and runs so when they don't fit she isn't there to replace the size!! (problems #3, 4, 5) ACK! Keep in mind that I mentioned I have three children: #1 is at school, #3 is on my back safely, #2 is being entertained by my husband who thought for sure I would have something by the time he came back to the department. Nope, again.

Enough is enough, people!! You see a harried woman who is CLEAR on what she needs and is all but waving her money in your face, you should hop to it and give me a little service!! I'm going back to the store because I have a credit and I'm buying a COAT this time. I heart L.L. Bean, but I hate, hate, hate when I don't get the service a neglected mother needs.

Cheap Soup For You

I think soups have an inferiority complex. Like being on the appetizer list made them not as grand, so they started throwing all this fancy shmancy stuff in there to beef them up. Pish posh. Soup is a cheap date and there is nothing wrong with that. It's like dissing a B-movie because it had corny special effects. The simplicity and ingenuity to accomplish the finished product is part of the charm.

I like single ingredient soups like carrot and sweet potato. But my heart truly belongs to a picked chicken carcas boiled to perfection with a few choice ingredients. The second coming of last night's dinner: a lovely chicken soup with carrots, onion, shredded cabbage (thanks, Mom, for the tip), a dash of curry, corriander, and SALT. mmm... salt. (author smacks lips and wipes drool)

Nothing beats a good, cheap soup. Forget the fancy ingredients, go for the leftovers, "almost gone bad"s, and enjoy!

Happy Hearts Day...

What does one do with children on a snowy day with school canceled and no money?? You make Valentines that you can't mail out anyway because the weather is so bad you can't go to the Post Office. ;)

I knew I wanted to send out the V cards with Sterling's school pictures (OMGoodness, he could be the LifeTouch poster child) and a homemade touch would be the most economical choice. I was pondering construction paper, but eh. It doesn't have the quality I'm looking for in a card anymore. Fine for purely child-made projects, but not this time. Upon searching the depths of the art cupboard, I found origami paper and it grew from there...

On the inside I wrote, "Our Love For You Grows Everyday," and other variations on that theme. The train of thought for you to enjoy:

• Lets use some origami paper!
• Sterling; "I want to make some snowflakes, too!"
• Me: "Why don't you use this paper (holding up the blue scallop designed paper, only upside down from what you see in the picture) because it looks like water..."
• Sterling: "WHEN SNOWFLAKES MELT YOU GET WATER!!!"
• Sterling: "Actually, when you flip it, it looks like a farm field."
• That's when the plan came together...

Inspired by the paper and my clever child. Royal was just happy to draw on his nakedness and cut our scrap paper. Crafts are still require too much organization for him. One day...

The rules of my blog, a.k.a. "The I Wants"

I want to make things that are useful. I want to not spend money doing so. I want to preserve the original idea behind crafts (in my opinion) which is to take what you have and cleverly turn it into things you need. I want to involve my children and pass on this ingenuity. I want them to see a broken something or other and think of all the things it could be turned into. I want to see an angel food cake pan and think, "Robot!"