Keeping busy

Today was a busy day. I helped Joe hang wallpaper border in the bathroom (pics of that once the whole thing is done) and then this afternoon I finally got around to making a Montessori stamp game (for doing math!) for Niall.

I think it came out pretty good.

 

iPod Instagram

Thanksgiving part 1

I got that new lens, so I had to take a LOT of pictures over Thanksgiving. So many, that I'm breaking it up into parts.
Here is part one - the day at Mamaw's house.
I'm working on part two - the day at Pop and Fannie's house. I'll make another post once that set is up.
Give me a couple of days though... Flickr is taking ages!

Pithy little status update

Yeah, I ripped out that back door mat rug. I kept tripping on its flappy edges.

I have so much crafting to do... I need to make mom's Christmas present. I need to make gifts for the teachers. I need to finish the Pixie's cardigan. And what about a cardigan for me? I should have one. And socks. What about that first pair of socks that I've let lay abandoned. And the shutters. I have to finish painting the shutters. And there's the trim in the bathroom and the whole rest of the house trim is looking pretty grim. And that idea of painting the kitchen cabinets green...

Do people really get bored? Why? Can I have some of their free time?

Rag rug project - take one

Necessity is the mother of invention, and lack of funds is the mother of creative house solutions.
We got rid of the carpet because it was old, vile, and nasty. But winter is arriving and it brings with it coldness to the laminate flooring that isn't so nice for the wee feeties that populate this household.
So, a rug is necessary. I stalk craigslist pretty well, but finding something that isn't awful or nearly as much as buying new is just not happening this time. I mean, some of these rugs are hideous! or aqua. or both.
I got the idea of using old T shirts to make a rug. Why not? The material is usually cotton, won't fray, and can usually be gotten for cheap or free. I posted on a local list asking, and scored a stack of old T shirts for free!

Give me your holey, stained, and shrunken...

Cutting up a T shirt is pretty easy, since it's a tube. You start at the bottom and spiral your way around and around until you run into the armpit and can't go anymore. You get a pretty good ball of fabric and the leftover tops can be used in some other project down the line. Potholders or something. Rah!

So I got to cutting. I discovered that cutting T shirts leaves something like T shirt dandruff all over the place. Should you try this, don't wear a black shirt like I did.

Take one before I tore it down.

Trial one was my first idea - log cabin style. But it wasn't working out because I kept needing more T shirt to get to the end of the way to turn around. So I ripped this out and started over. Word to the wise - ripping it out means more T shirt dandruff. Everywhere.

Take two, when gravity was still working.

Trial number two was going great, for a while. It wasn't exactly square but it was doing okay. I figured gravity would kick in at some point. But as it got larger, it got wavier. I thought adding some extra chain stitches at the corner would help it turn the corner a bit, but no... that didn't help either. I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to crochet, but they don't make knitting needles big enough to make a rug... unless I knit a bunch of squares and sew them together. That's starting to look attractive.
So anyway, I was mad at the flappy rug but Joe told me to just fasten it off and use it as a back door mat. So that's what I did.

Back door mat. Bonus anti-gravity features.

I still need a living room rug. I still have a stack of T shirts here. We'll see what happens.

Life with Joe

We love him.

Brand new lens!

I knew when I got my new camera that it wouldn't be long until I wanted one of the fancier prime lenses instead of just sticking with the kit lens. All the reading I did led me to one surefire buy as a first upgrade - the 50mm f/1.8 lens.
It's good for portraits, and can open wider to let more light into the camera. Yes, it was expensive, but I asked to get paid for some knitting with an Amazon gift card. Some swagbucks money and babysitting money rounded out the rest. I'm considering it my early Christmas present to myself - and a solid investment for me to be able to get great portraits of my kids from here on out.
And even though I only got to play with it for about 15 minutes this afternoon - I'm already super happy with it. I'm finally, finally, finally! starting to get the kinds of pictures I've been trying to get for ages.

 

Eleri was my model today. The boys were busy playing on the computer and doing homework.

 

In other news, Loki got out yesterday while I was at the grocery store. I came home to find Bosco and no Loki - just a backyard gate hanging open. I called John and Mommy in a panic, and loaded Eleri into the stroller to start looking for her. She ended up being found after about an hour through the help of a neighbor and the town police force, and I was so glad to see her again! I was a weepy mess, worrying about that little dog. It makes taking this picture that much sweeter.

 

I'm not going to bog the blog down, so go see the rest of the pictures I took today here. It's mainly Eleri since she was the one who would come outside into the light with me. Now I just need more practice!

For Mamaw

Mom said that Tuesdays are rough days at the office, so here's a smile to perk her up.

She has to hold her mouth juuuuuust right.