Smoggy days of summer August 12, 2017

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I’m not sure about where you live, but around here, we get wildfires.  A lot.  Every year.  This year was no exception, except for the fact that as the neighbors who have been here longer than I’ve been alive tell me, this is the closest they’ve ever come to this neighborhood – figures.  At least it’s not flooding.

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Both fires within a mile; one in each direction.

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On top of that, we’re getting the smoke from fires up north.  It’s gotten so bad that it’s barely possible to leave the windows open, or even leave the house.  But we’ve also been hitting nearly 110*, so during the day, that’s not much of a concern, at night we’ve just decided black lung is a good way to go out.

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So a lot of projects inside the last few weeks.

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The flooring is finally being worked on, but I want to save that story for when it’s finished.  But I am getting plenty of pictures of the whole process and am in love with how it’s turning out so far!  I’m also learning plenty, and will have what I’ve learned in that future post.

I can’t work on any wood cutting or sanding for my bathroom project because of the heat and smoke – but this week is supposed to cool off and the smoke dissipate, so I’ll be back to work on that end.

 

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But just so you know I’m not completely slacking, I did get a porch project finished that I’ve been wanting since we moved in.

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What I wanted was the big, billowy curtains that all the other bloggers have, but judging from their pictures, they don’t have to contend with 30 mph winds on a regular basis.  So, this is what I came up with for our current situation, and I have to say I’m pleased with the results!

When it get’s above 100* out here, you can’t go near the back porch, but these curtains bring the temp down 10-15*.  Which definitely makes it more usable.  It also cuts down on how hot the actual house gets.  This side of the house stays warm all through the night from the solar heating it get’s all day.   I won’t say that it keeps it cold, but it is a huge help!  And with our stove still out of commission, this means I can use the grill all through the summer without needing emergency services.  I should just really put a solar oven out there!  Maybe next year?

It also covers the large window in the living room, cooling the living room down by about the same amount, which means my plants won’t cook anymore.

I know, you’re asking the same thing my dentist man asked “Why not just put curtains up?”.  As I said above, it’s not just about cooling the interior down, it’s also about being able to use the back porch, and grill.  By putting the curtains up outside, even over the big window, the house still stays brighter (good for my brain, and the plants), and the actual building stays cooler, and I can still use the back porch (if it’s not over 100*).  It also solves the problem of wanting the breeze, but needing the shade.  Sunset usually coincides with dinner time.

I’m in love with these!

Next year I will update them to brown to match the house, or forest green to match the roof, and make the curtains for the big window a bit smaller.  But they do exactly what I needed for this year!

Now if only they could keep the smoke out?

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Dog approved

 

Busy doing nothing June 7, 2017

 

 

 

 

School for us ended last week.  In typical fashion we ended with one child finishing at the very last moment.  1:00 am, on the final day.

These are my final two – one becoming a sophomore and one a junior, but heading off to college (not uncommon in our state – and something his oldest brother did also).  So I’m down to one.  I’m sure he’s thrilled at the prospect of being the only one left for me to hover over.

 

With their “finals” done for school, and the third-born done with testing for college entrance, I am off on my summer schedule.

 

Redecorating the clinic I volunteer at.

Renovations coming along quite nicely (picture coming soon… it’s a looooong tedious project I’m working on).

Some summer schooling (I don’t want them going brain-dead after all that work).  But it’s a light schedule.

Getting ready for the third-born’s mission trip to Costa Rica this summer.

Camp.

Family reunion.

Two-week-tour.  (In Hawaii… ppffffttttt – that’s camp!)

And, of course, my trip to see the second-born’s graduation from basic next week!  Eek! Not only do I get to see him follow in his dad’s footsteps, but it’s also my first trip alone.  I am both looking forward to it, and nervous.

 

So much to do, and only three months to fit it all in.   Along with all the usual stuff like yearly testing, working on the quilt still and babies showing up at the end of the summer.

I am enjoying the weather, and the schedule.

 

 

 

 

I love being busy doing “nothing”.

 

 

 

Bottled up April 11, 2017

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I promised a review on the new batting I got this weekend, but a snag (pun intended) delayed it a bit.  Snag removed, review presented.  (And yes I know that me being so excited over batting makes me a huge nerd… I’m ok with that.)

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The person I’m making this quilt for works in a laboratory “knocking up ocean animals” (slightly cleaned up) as she once said.  (Her company helps ocean animals.)  Needless to say she cares a lot about the environment.  The ocean environment specifically.  So when I was putting her quilt together, I thought it would be great if I could find a batting with that in mind.  One that was made of recycled plastic more specifically.  You know, the kind they find floating in the ocean, or stuck on ocean animals?  Yeah, that kind.

Don’t get me wrong.  Plastic has it’s purpose, just not floating around.  Its much better tossed in the recycling bin after it’s use.  Less garbage to pay for too!

Low-and-behold there are actually a few companies out there that make it!

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You can look up recycled batting and find a couple of companies, or go to Amazon.  I got this one at Joann.com on discount (they always have some sort of coupon).  Unless you have a larger quilt store in your city, you’ll only be able to buy this online.  Even Joann’s doesn’t sell this in their store, and I have no local quilting stores nearby, so buying local isn’t an option unfortunately.  Maybe if more people start buying it?

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According to one of the companies, the size that I bought 90 x 108 inches (229 x 274 cm) saves approximately 20 bottles.

Ok, not a huge amount, especially with just one quilt, but if more quilters and more quilt companies start using it, it could save a lot more.  And the price difference isn’t much more that buying the cotton.

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Ok, enough with the greeny stuff, how does it feel?

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I will admit, I’m more of a cotton girl, so I wasn’t expecting much with the feel.  I have the standard polyester batting that I loath, but use when I know the blanket won’t be used often or will be used outside.  And I do tend to use it with baby blankets.  Mostly because the poly won’t hold smells and liquid quite as well.  And lets face it, baby blankets rarely get used for family heirlooms, so I don’t want to add cost where it isn’t necessary.

So when I opened the package and this batting was actually soft and smooth I was very, very surprised!  It felt nearly as silky as the cotton.  It still catches on any rough spots though, which makes it a little tougher to work with if you don’t have baby-butt soft hands.

It’s still a bit thinner/fluffier than the cotton, more like the poly, however, it is a lot stronger than the poly when I tried pulling on it.  I’ve had far too many poly quilts and blankets pull apart inside, no matter how closely I tie it off.  It just can’t hold up to the abuse of a family of all boys – it’s just not cape/parachute/fort/tug-o-war/stair-sledding/whipping/climbing material I guess?  Go figure!

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This would be great for outside blankets because it won’t hold water or mold like cotton, but will hold up to the elements better than the poly.

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From what I can tell, this is the only thickness it comes in.  Low loft, which I believe is about 1/4″, so if you’re looking for thicker, you’ll have to double up.  And working with it so far is a bit more like the poly when putting in the stitches.

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All of these are considered “low loft”.

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I will definitely be using this again.  I still prefer my cotton, but when I need to use the poly, I’ll be getting this instead.

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Now… on to the next step we go!

Cleaning weekend away April 2, 2017

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Last week, poor Lady was tripoding (walking on only three legs) due to her arthritis in a back leg.  Bad breeding from meth heads does that.  Along with bad genes, too many litters too soon, her body won’t last as long as even the normal short life of a healthily bred mastiff.  But we’ll love her anyways, all the way to the end, hopefully several years from now.  But… it will take a lot of work between now and then to keep her comfortable.

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Cleaning up other peoples messes, always does take a lot of work, doesn’t it.

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However, that doesn’t stop us from needing cleanings.  And when your dentist lives four hours away, you make a weekend of it.  Thank goodness my dentist man has an apartment above his practice, or we’d be sleeping in his dental chairs for the weekend!

We left her and her sister home with the second-born and pain meds, so she wouldn’t have to work the stairs while she’s in so much pain and over work that leg.  He now appreciates me being home and getting to pee by himself, and the girls are ecstatic that I was back home to stalk.

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While we were there though, we had a nice time relaxing, talking, trying some locally brewed cherry hard cider, a bit of a family Doctor Who marathon and a short trip to the cold, cold ocean.  And then headed back home again.  It’s always tough to come back after our trips, but it is nice to be home.

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He has reserve duty this weekend though, so we won’t see him for another two weeks  Glad we made the trip.

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In the four hour trip there, the four days we were there, and the four hours back, I finished knitting up a pair of gloves that still need to be felted, got as far as I could with a baby gift (waiting for more yarn) and only have a row left putting the quilt pieces together.  (The batting shows up this week – I will be showing that off next weekend – it’s pretty cool… or should I say warm?)

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A busy couple of weeks, but very productive and yet, relaxing.

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~ That’s a good life.

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Confession of a not so closet trekkie March 11, 2017

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So… I’m a trekkie.  (A fan of all things Star Trek, if you’re not privy to that term.)

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A lot of my time watching reruns now however, is seeing how they made the costumes?  I know all the plot lines.  I know where it’s going, so I can spend more time trying to figure out just how they got that hem line, crease or shade.  While watching the original series, I spend a lot of time just trying to figure out how in the world they got the garment to stay exactly where they needed it too, with out… parts… popping out?

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Yeah… we’re talking to you ladies wearing the magical tape, glue or wires!

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One costume specifically, even as a kid, I’ve always wanted.  Maybe not exactly how they made it, but the idea of it.

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Recently I told my dentist man that I really I want to make it.  One of those – long, drawn out, slowly done, time consuming, artsy-fartsy that will take forever, but its worth it – type of projects.

“Why?”

“Because I want to?”

“When would you wear this?”

“Vacuuming?”

“Then why would you make it?”

…looks at him confused…

…looks at me confused…

“Because I can?”

“Ok?”

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He doesn’t understand, but he rolls with it.

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On breaks from the quilt and renovating, mostly while I sit waiting for the boys at random events and appointments, I will start to plan and plot what I want exactly.  What I’ll need.  How I’ll do it.  I’m quite sure it will change as the project goes along, but that will be part of the fun – to see where it goes!

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After 40 or so years of watching Star Trek, and wanting this specific costume.  I’m finally going to start it.  Slowly… very slowly.  No reason to ruin something you’ve thought about nearly your whole life, by rushing it.  Especially when there’s no deadline.

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Is There No Truth In Beauty? S:3 Ep:5 1968

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What are dream projects for you?

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