Idle Wednesday

The Supplies

Cover the bowl with foil to protect it.

Cut 8 to 12 inch strips of yarn.

Dip yarn in glue. 

Gently squeeze out excess glue.

Place gluey yarn on foil in whatever pattern you wish.

Let dry for 24 to 48 hours

Then gently remove yarn bowl from it's mold and enjoy!

 

 

I'll post our final products tomorrow!

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"Going Places"

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What have you been reading?

I've been pre-reading this set of books for Laurel and Miah for the past couple of weeks.  I'm on the last one now, and I have to say that even though these are written for young adults, I have really enjoyed the heck out of them.  The series is sort of Harry Potter like because from the first novel to the last, they grow with the person reading and the character in the book.  Pendragon starts out as a fourteen year old regular boy, who finds out that he's not so regular.  He's a Traveler. 
I don't want to give any of the story away...I hate it when I read a review and it gives me expectations that the book may not live up to.  I will just say that I stopped reading all of the other books I was reading in order to finish these, they are kid friendly for the 13 and up set,  (The books do deal with the deaths of some main characters, so you may want to read them first like I did) and I could hardly put them down.  I have stopped being prejudiced against young adult books considering how much I've enjoyed several series' in the past few years.  I recommend you try to do the same!

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Strings

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What's for Dinner?

Home made potato salad, coleslaw, Pseudo fried chicken, and fried green tomatoes.  I saved up all week for this meal, but it wasn't as bad as it looks.  I used fat free mayo, baked the chicken instead of frying it, and only ate two fried green tomato slices.  It was incredibly good!

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Throwing Pots

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Keys:  Picture by Miah

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This summer's reading list.  Mostly for me, but there are a couple for Laurel and Jay in there too.

Idle Wednesday

It's been a looong week!  I haven't had time to get any art projects done, so for the first time ever I am actually NOT Idle on Idle Wednesday.  I've been cleaning and organizing the house in anticipation of new orders, so other things have fallen by the wayside. 
The girls and I decided to polish some glass last week, so we shattered a beer bottle, some old glasses, and a coffee mug and spent the entire week listening to them roll around in the rock tumbler.  Mind numbing, yes, but cool nonetheless.  Today I spent a couple of hours polishing, soldering, buffing and sanding.  The above are my results.
Next week I'll have a couple more.  I just put some pieces of a china bowl that Jay broke, a pottery mug, and some raw semiprecious stones.  More whirring and tumbling from the pantry (we are trying to lesson the sounds a bit) and a week later we will have something to work with.

I have successfully cleaned, rearranged, reorganized and purged every room downstairs.  I have a whole kitchen table full of books to give away, we got rid of the cookbooks we never use, packed up the baby blankets and toys that I've hauled all over the country, and some kitchen stuff that I want to keep but won't have room for in a tiny post-housing kitchen.  I'm pooped.  The trouble is that I saved the worst for last.  I hate cleaning my room, and I absolutely dread cleaning out my closet.   I have to though...I have to keep reminding myself that less junk means an easier move...

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Something that is starting over.

One of the best things about having a big back yard that's more like a forest floor than a yard. 

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Creep

I took a bunch of pictures of the smoke creeping up through the trees. There is something calming about watching the lazy smoke twist and twirl in the wind. It's beautiful.

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True love! Happy Birthday Laurel!!!

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Nature

While doing yard work we found this cute little guy.  Miah begged to be able to keep him...

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Light post

One of Jay's suggestions...I'm not sure what he had in mind, but the other day while we were at the antique store I saw this oddity.  Do you see what the problem is?  It's the same way throughout the entire parking lot.  What were they thinking?

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What did you have for lunch?

Greek Pizza!  Sausage, feta cheese, onion, kalamata olives in pizza crust.  Yum!

Idle Wednesday

Laurel and her new beret.

Miah and Laurel went to Weight Watchers with me yesterday.  Miah dressed up her American Girl Doll, Megen, and dressed herself to match.  Both of them were wearing berets that I made, which garnered so many compliments that Laurel asked me to make her one as well.  So that's what I did last night while we were watching tv.
I love WW's.  And the people there.  Anita, the meeting leader, is awesome.  She made the girls and even Megen a name tag, just like everyone else.  She is the reason the girls love to go to the meetings so much.  I'm really going to miss this particular meeting when we leave Ga.

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Friendship

Jay, reading his new kindle (Greatest birthday present ever he says) and Dobby, taking advantage of Jay's reclined legs.  Like the Anti gravity chair?  Those are the new awesomeness for the back porch.  They are the best lawn chairs I've ever sat in.  Let's see if this demonstrates exactly what I mean.  When this chair isn't on the back porch, it has been camped out in the front room, in front of the tv.  Jay is obsessed with his new "recliner".  I think it's hysterical, but I get it.

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"Unexpected"

One of the pipes in our yard broke.  Thankfully it was the main water pipe, and not the one we are responsible for.  The poor kids missed all the excitement, so I took pictures for them.

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Permanent

What in the world makes someone love their state so much that they are willing to tattoo it's initial on their body?  Is this for the ball team?  I know I've been here for two years, but I still can't tell you what the name of the team is, or what sport they play.  I can tell you that people here make the Tennessee Titans fans, and the Kentucky Wildcats fans look tame.  I have never personally seen a "KY" tattoo.  Have you? 

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Last Day of School

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"What not to wear"

You'd think that the people right behind her would tell her she had an issue....but they didn't!  I would have, except it would have made a big scene to get up and say something. Yay for zoom, that's all I can say.  I know, I know, this is really tasteless, but I couldn't help myself.  Just this once.

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Something I wish I could do.

This chick was sitting on stage while a high school band played their music, and about a hundred people were watching her.  She acted as if it were just another day, and seemingly unselfconsciously painted away.

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Proud Daddy!  And Mama!

I Like the Signature on this Letter So Much More than on the Last!!

Laurel earned the President's Award for Educational Excellence, and the Advanced Math Award, and a certificate to acknowledge her GPA.  The band played after the ceremony and they sounded great.  Finally they got to play something interesting!  Journey! 
Laurel, we are so proud of you.  I dare you to top yourself in High School.  I can't wait to see what you will do!

Summertime, and the Kids are Getting Scheduled this Time!

They're raining on our parade! (BFE, Georgia)

It's official.  We are not getting a vacation this summer.  The Army has decided that Jay hasn't suffered enough...so ISP (The Funeral detail) is looking like a possibility.  I will refrain from being as rude about it as I'd like to.  For now.  This means that we will not be able to do any of the things we planned to do.  No coming home, no hanging out at Sheila's, no week long trip to Savannah.  @$(%&@()**!!!
What we are going to do instead...well, I'm not sure the kids like so much.  I have a week long plan to scrub the house from bottom to top, in great detail.  We will continue the spotlessness by revisiting every room for ten minutes each every day and doing quick cleanups.  It works, so now the kids are going to do it with me.  I've decided that we are going to all get up at the same time, eat breakfast together, get to cleaning (which after the first week will only take 40 minutes for the entire house, plus dishes and laundry) Then we will spend an hour reading (Miah's challenge) then an hour outside (Laurel's challenge) then we will eat lunch, and find some adventure.  We have some quick day trips planned, all of which are educational.  We are going to TRY to get Jay a four day weekend (Which he is owed from way back when he re-upped) and go to Gatlinburg to camp in the park.  We might also TRY to see Savannah, but probably not.  The kids are going to get to go to WW's every week, which they are happy about, and they are going to help me with the Idle Wednesday and 365 Days of Pictures posts.  Hopefully this idea of mine will keep us from rotting away inside the house all summer.  I hate the idea of wasting that much time. I'm hopeful that starting the summer off with the cleaning project will push them to keep with the schedule.  We'll see.

Idle Wednesday

This time, the whole family helped with this project. 

Miah kept sticking her tummy out.

With the tummy poking out, it looks like she has no booty. 

From the top.

The bottom, neck  and arm openings are finished with cardboard, after stuffing the whole thing with paper. Then the entire thing is wrapped in another layer of tape.

This is Miah's torso, made by wrapping duct tape around her (she was first covered with a trash bag so the tape wouldn't stick to her.) It was a lot of fun, all of us laughing and joking around, but Miah started to get a little over heated.  The poor kid was almost in a panic by the time I got it off of her. 
The idea being that now I can make shirts and dresses for Miah, without having to have her stand still while I fit them.  Miah is not very good at stillness.  The only reason we were able to do this at all was that she could spin in circles while we placed the tape.  I plan to collect enough Sunday funny papers so that I can decoupage Miah's figure. We all thought that would be a fitting finish.  If you happen to have some laying around, I'd love to take them off your hands.
Laurel wants to get one done of her too, but I have to get more tape!