Hooray!

Link

Ode to my commode

Upon our first meeting, I was glad to find you, a dual-flush, low flow toilet, came with our otherwise outdated abode. But now, after dwelling with you for a year times half, I can truly say the end is nigh...

How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways

1) Thou art perplexing in thine operation. For "#1" one presses the second button, for "#2," the first. Methinks thy buttons should be switched...?

2) Your tank doth not runneth over, that is for sure. Even using the secret two button "super flush," thou cannot accommodate an offering of even average size.

3) The practice of "if it is yellow let it mellow" cannot be implemented in thy presence, lest from within thy bowels a great stank doth originate.

4) The shape of thy basin is such that the "material" one is hoping to express is instead caught for the entire kingdom to view. Which, has made it necessary to offer disposable cleaning materials so that our guests can avoid embarrassment during their stay (and, that the king of the castle can avoid continuous scolding from the queen, who has made it known she is not a servant). Do you sense the irony, that thy ability to save water hath created waste of a different type? Why hath thou forsaken us?

5) On the subject of guests, how would one host an affair in a house with thou as the sole provider of waste relief? Thou cannot replenish in time for the next reveller, full of mead and merriment, to relieve himself.

We thank thou for thy service. Now - GTFO!!

* I do not know the model of our crappy (pardon the pun) toilet, but it is the brand Opus

* My apologies for incorrect usage of Shakespearean English...it's been awhile since Brit Lit.

Response from Dianne Feinstein regarding CPSIA

Upon sending the boilerplate letter offered by the Handmade Toy Alliance, here is the response I received back from Dianne Feinstein's office about the CPSIA:

Dear Mrs. W-:

Thank you very much for your letter expressing concern about the implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-314). I understand the challenges facing certain businesses and organizations that must comply with the law's requirements and welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

As you know, on August 14, 2008, the President signed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 into law. This legislation will modernize and strengthen the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to enable the agency to aggressively pursue its mission of protecting consumers and families through the oversight of more than 15,000 products sold in the United States.

Included in this important bill are requirements intended to limit the exposure of children to lead and phthalates in toys. Specifically, beginning February 10, 2008, 180 days after the bill's enactment, children's products containing more than 600 parts per million of lead will be banned from production and sale. Within three years, toys containing more than 100 parts per million will also be prohibited. The bill will also ban some phthalates from toys and childcare articles for children under the age of three. To help enforce these requirements, manufacturers will be required to have new children's products tested for these chemicals by a certified third-party.

I recognize that the compliance dates and certification requirements of this legislation may pose certain challenges to some businesses, organizations, and charities that are affected by the law. You may be interested to learn that the CPSC has announced that sellers of used children's products, such as thrift stores, will not be required to certify that their products meet the new standards.

Additionally, retailers will not be required to test products that are already in their inventory. However, they will not be allowed to sell those that exceed the lead and phthalate limits. Therefore, the CPSC suggests that retailers should avoid selling products that are likely to have a high lead content, unless testing or other information would prove that their products are compliant. This guidance is intended to allow retailers to sell children's products already in their inventory that would clearly not violate the new limits. The CSPC continues to publish additional guidance to assist in this process. For more detailed information, please visit the CPSC website at www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html.

Please know that I am following the CPSC's implementation of the standards closely. I appreciate your input regarding this issue and will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind should the Senate take additional action regarding these matters.

Again, thank you for writing. If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841.

Best regards.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein United States Senator

It is interesting to note that sellers of used items (i.e. thrift stores) will not be affected. Additionally, though it is unclear how a retailer would make the call if their current inventory contains products that are "likely to have a high lead content," this aspect of the law would make it so retailers are not required to dump all of their current inventory. Still no reprieve for handmade or cottage industries...

A Recipe for Storing Memories

My SIL is having her 4th baby, and she finally got her girl!

She is over the moon ecstatic, and has already started talking scrapbooks with me. I think I have made one personal scrapbook page. Any other scrapping experience I have is making pages for Katie.

I am looking forward to seeing what her girl-themed book will look like, but I also had another idea for her to record memories. I had this wooden recipe box from Goodwill



and also had on hand these metal dividers from Making Memories purchased a long time ago for $1 on clearance. They have words like Original, Giggle, Adorable, etc.



I painted the box fuchsia, and used every girly paper and sticker I owned to make a memory scrapbook box

The idea being that if Katie catches Megan doing something Adorable, she takes a pic, mounts it on one of the cards, and writes a little description on the back to record the memory



then files it accordingly.

I also included a few simple supplies - a glue stick, clear stamps, a pink ink pad, and a little container of glitter to glam up the cards if she chooses.

I file this one under C for Cute!

On hand: box, various scrapbook papers and coordinating stickers, metal dividers (Making Memories), embellishments, glue stick, glitter, stamps, ink, cardstock

Upcycled: Thrifted recipe box made into scrapbook memory box

Cost: About $2.50 for new hinges and pink paint

Return to sender

I was in need of some new gift tags to have at the ready. I bought a wonderful set from The Paper Princess at Felt Club a couple of years ago. All she did was take a variety of tags that you find at any office supply store and change the string out for rickrack, twill tape, striped baker's twine, suede cord, etc. I loved those tags, and always seemed to have the right one on hand to complete a gift. It doesn't appear that she is selling a set like this right now on her website, so I had to take matters into my own hands.

Ever since I purchased this great stationery set on etsy, I have been collecting security envelopes

I have gotten pretty picky about which envelopes I keep - only the best designs make the cut. Although, there had been a decline in incoming supply since we receive and pay most of our bills online.

I have gathered quite a handy little stack of security envelopes to work with. I also had a Making Memories Tag Maker that I rarely use, plus the corresponding metal rim blanks I had purchased on sale at some point. Here are my tags

ready to adorn future outgoing gifts. Quick, easy, and cheap!

** The time has come to really reconsider my shopping habits, particularly in relation to crafts. Of course we all know the economy overall is in the crapper, but on top of that I have not been getting paid for a couple of months since I have been out on maternity leave, and, timing is everything, there is talk of dissolving the agency I work for. So the future of my job, like the jobs of so many others, is uncertain.

I am not thrilled about any of these things, but I am impressed with my ability to look at my existing craft supplies in a new light. You know, how to actually use the stuff I have accumulated over the years, and be excited about it. There are some things I kept with no idea how I would ever use them, but now have big plans for those items. It will be rare that I can do projects without adding small things to make it work - some bias tape, for example. But the bulk of the project materials should come primarily from my stash. Oh, and repurposing - that's a big goal as well.

So from here on in my craft posts will list items I used that I had on hand, and if anything was repurposed/upcycled. If I am so inclined, I will include the cost for the items I did purchase and/or the total cost of the project. So here goes:

On hand: Metal rims for making tags, twine

Upcycled: Security envelopes

Cost: Free!

Happy New Year!

My New Year's greetings this year were filled with sassy sentiments to last the whole year through



Easy was the name of the game this year (unlike the last two years). And cheap! Printables are the way to go, I tell ya. Just print and gussy up to your liking. This calendar set, a spoof on the ubiquitous Keep Calm and Carry On poster, was purchased from Little Brown Pen. They had a 3 for $10 special at the time, so I have a couple other fun things I can share throughout the year. Love the seller's video about how to do Christmas shopping for 5 friends for $10.

My other favorite printables right now include A Little Hut and The Small Object.

Not the most creative thing you will see today...

...but it has a couple of cool characteristics.

This was my gift for BT this year - a pajama bag

An odd gift, you might think. Odder still is that my husband, after 7 years of marriage, just recently started wearing pajamas. I think it has something to do with being a dad, and not wanting the boy to grow up with images of his dad walking around in his skivvies. Kind of like the mama not wanting her son to grow up reminiscing about how dirty his mom's feet were. But I digress...

So, the pajama bag was necessary since BT was putting his pjs on top of our dresser every morning. I wanted to make a bag so they would have a place to go. Two restrictions: I didn't have many masculine fabrics on hand, and I also wanted to incorporate, somehow, the 7th anniversary traditional gift of wool or copper into whatever I made.

At some point it came to me to do a Swiss army inspired bag - it would be masculine, I figured, and I could cut the cross out of wool felt. But, it still didn't have the right fabric on hand. Or so I thought

I bought this pair of Thai fisherman pants when I was pregnant. I thought they would be kind of a funky thing to add to my otherwise boring Liz Lange maternity wardrobe. Well, they looked dumb then and even now* aren't quite the look I was going for.

I chopped them up, utilizing one leg for the bag, and making sure to incorporate some of the contrast waist color. The tie from the pants (which you can't see in the top pic but was sewn onto the back of the pants) was used for the bag's drawstring. It could be that I meant to sew the bag so that the pocket was on the outside, but I'll never tell.

Recap:

~ Masculine design

~ Craft project for a man (not always easy to find something to make for men that will be used)

~ Reuse

~ Incorporates symbolic anniversary gift

~ Easy!

* Don't hate me that I was my pre-pregnancy weight and fit into my pre-pregnancy pants a week and a half after giving birth...and lost 12 more pounds since that time. It was all for naught, as these pants still looked stupid on me. I guess you need to have the waistline of, well, a Thai fisherman to pull this look off.

Hi, I'm 12

Of course I feel privileged to have watched today's events, and listened to a great man speak.

But, it is also fun to take said man's speech and make a Mad Libs version of it.

Here is the Hank version:

My fellow Americans, today is a crabby day. You have shown the world that "hope" is not just another word for "poopie diaper", and that "change" is not only something we can believe in again, but something we can actually cry.

Today we celebrate, but let there be no mistake – America faces giggly and cute challenges like never before. Our economy is chubby. Americans can barely afford their mortgages, let alone have enough money left over for fists of fury. Our healthcare system is bright-eyed. If your widdle feet is sick and you don't have insurance, you might as well call a professional baby. And America's image overseas is tarnished like a swing bouncy seat. But cooing together we can right this ship, and set a course for Hank's pad.

Finally, I must thank my sleepy family, my fussy campaign volunteers, but most of all, I want to thank Hank-a-rank-a-roo for making this historic occasion possible. Of course, I must also thank you, President Bush, for years of sleeping the American people. Without your playful efforts, none of this would have been possible.

And in case you were wondering what a "Hank-a-rank-a-roo" is, it a Hank dressed up as a cowboy

Cabin Fever

Today is our 7th anniversary.

We don't usually make a big deal out of anniversaries - just little gifts, and maybe going out to eat. But this year, I really wanted to go someplace - get away from the dirty floors and the messy animals for one weekend. And it had to be someplace we could take Hank without worrying about the neighbors, his eating schedule, etc.

Enter Leslie. Of course you know she has this awesome A-frame up in the mountains. I made some off-hand comment about wishing we could get up the mountains to see the snow, and before we knew it we had keys and directions in hand with her and her husband's wishes to have fun.

It was just what we needed right now, and for that I am more grateful than words can express. Even though Hank was super gassy from the change in altitude, I guess, and we didn't have our guaranteed knock-out "pill," his swing, to ensure long naps, it was still very relaxing.

Leslie requested I take a few pics to see the cabin from my perspective. So here goes

There were a few naps, enjoyed by daddy, mama, and baby. And I found this sun toy Hank fell in love with...

Thank you so much Leslie for a wonderful weekend! And I hope you don't mind that we borrowed the sun toy, just for a little while...?

Psst...I have some pics on Flickr from Leslie and my trip to the cabin around this time last year when we went up from a crafting weekend, and nearly got snowed in! We didn't get much crafting done that trip, but lots of chatting and relaxing. I brought the same craft project up this time (hadn't been touched in the meantime. You can see a corner of my cutting mat in the first pic here), and actually made a little progress this time.

If they're gonna be here...

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! I am going to read over them in more detail, but I am thinking preliminarily that an upright stick vacuum for the floor followed by the Swiffer-like dry mop method I already use (I don't know what brand it is, but it has a larger head than a Swiffer and came with reusable cloths that I dampen before use) may be the best bet for the floors. The sweeping was the worse part, especially considering I have a kid strapped to me in a carrier for a majority of the day.There is a range of opinions suggested regarding the frequency of how often this activity should take place, from forgetaboutit to every day. I think I will land in the middle somewhere, as once a week is just not cutting it. It seems the Pedi Egg is a crowd favorite - will definitely be picking up one of those. And the deodorant - I am interested in the LUSH varieties suggested by Anon. I'll keep you posted!

One contributor (ok, two) to the perpetually dirty floors is of the feline variety. I *hate* writing this and being "one of those people" who complains about their pets once a baby comes along. Before you hate me, please consider the following. We took our two cats in eight years ago as a favor to somebody - not because we really wanted to two cats. They are basically feral, and not what you would consider fun, cuddly, lovey cats. We have done our best to make them feel at home over the years, but they never outgrew their skittishness.

Now, things have gone from bad to worse, as one rule we did implement with the baby is that no pets are allowed on the bed, as the baby spends a lot of time with us there. As a result, the cats seem to be frightened of us, as we will shoo them off the bed if we see them there. This is also one of two places the cats used to feel comfortable coming to us for pets (the other being the couch, but we don't have a couch right now). One cat has started hissing at me. She always hissed at BT, but not me. One last thing - the cats, since we have had them, have always been indoors. Any accidental escapes have proven that they could no longer make it outside.

So yeah - I won't say I want to get rid of the cats. But, I do wish they could go on a little vacay until Hank is older, and I am not so worried about every little thing that could affect his living space.

I guess this is as good of time as any to show you our litterbox solution. We don't have a laundry room anymore, and the bathroom is small and configured in a way that the litterbox would not fit in there. So, we took a cheap toy box from Target that the litterbox would fit inside of and made an entrance at one end

It is located in our hallway (near the bathroom). It works pretty well at keeping the litter contained, and most people are surprised to find out it is a litterbox

But the real reason for this post, besides bitching about our cats, is to share a new(?) program at Petco. If you buy one of their litter pails, you can come back and refill it for $12 or so. This is pretty cool, as one of the reasons I had switched to the Swheat Scoop was to avoid buying those plastic buckets over and over again. Some were reused, but most ended up getting recycled. The cardboard box for the wheat litter seemed like less of an environmental impact. Another good thing, according to my mom who has used the litter, is that it clumps so well she stopped using a plastic bag to line the box. I still use a bag, and it would be nice to eliminate that waste source as well. I guess there is the dust factor to consider (what if the litter causes Hank to have respiratory problems?) But I know I just need to take a chill pill and can the what ifs. Or stick the kid in a bubble.

And some of you may be wondering how Chuy is doing with the baby. Well, we figured there were two options. One, he would be protective of the baby. Two, he would be insanely jealous. He chose the latter. The no bed policy applies to him as well, implemented after he peed on the bed following me shooing him away from me while nursing. He goes to the bathroom indoors almost every night despite the fact that he goes out more often now that I am home during the day. And there are various other annoyances, like always being underfoot. But, what can you do. The animals are our babies too, I suppose.

Any advice?

I need your advice on a few things since, collectively, you all are the experts.

1) Keeping a wood (ok, laminate) floor clean. With two cats and a dog and two Chinese elm trees in the front yard. Do I really have to sweep and dry mop every day? Is that what you do?

2) Have nice feet. Related to #1, really, as walking around the house and out to the garage to do laundry barefoot gives me black hillbilly feet by the end of the day. Not to mention my tendency to wear sandals every day (sorry snowed in folks) has given me ugly cracked heels. Ugh! Any products that really work for the cracked heels would be great, and I will try to wear socks more often. If I wear socks in the house, maybe they will help keep the floor clean...?

3) A natural deodorant that works. I have been using Tom's of Maine and Jason since I became pregnant. I have cycled through all of the scents, and none of them work at all for me anymore. I joked about my hippie stank for awhile, but I think people (like my husband) are getting tired of it. Has anybody made their own?

Help!

Signed,
Dirty and stinky and living in a hovel

P.S. Along the hippie line, I think BT will pack up and leave if I try any of the patchouli scented natural deodorants. That is all.

Eco packing filler

I have some thank you gifts to send out, as you can imagine. The local gals and I have an ongoing gift exchange, so no worries there, and I sent Coleen, the French Club teacher, the yellow gown I made previously using Noah's Ark fabric printed in French prior to precious little Charlie's arrival.

So that leaves us with two seamstresses and a knitter. I put together their gifts (to be shown at a later date), and got the packages ready to send. Now, I could have filled the packages with the packing peanuts that I have saved from packages I have received. But something about using those nowadays with society's heightened sense of environmental awareness makes me feel dirty.

(the devil's packing material)

Coincidentally, I had just collected a bag of fabric scraps that I was deciding what to do with. I just don't have room to save them any longer (at least not every single scrap I generate), and I never really use them in any new projects anyway. The original intended destination for a large garbage bag full of scraps was this non-profit. But, the rusty wheels started turning when I realized that I could use the scraps as filler for the boxes I was sending out

Not only would the scraps protect the contents of the box, but the recipients could perhaps find a use for them (provided they are better about using their scraps than I am).

The wheels started turning faster when I realized I also had a few balls of yarn that I had set aside for Goodwill. I used a couple of those to line the box of the knitter's gift

I know it would be kind of a pain to untangle this mess (though I find unwinding a tangle of yarn very cathartic). In any case, she could use this yarn as stuffing for a future project, or reuse it as filler for a gift she is sending out.

Hope the recipients like their gifts, packing material included!

Hank says thanks!

We couldn't forget to thank all our lovely blog friends for the wonderful gifts they have sent for Hank! I tried to get a few "in action" shots to show our appreciation for your generosity.

Of course you remember this outfit from this wonderful package from Shanna.



I'm sure it will fit even better next month (he's growing up too fast {sniff}). I love his profile in the hat sooo much. We use almost all of the "essentials" from her package on a daily basis.

From Emy, we received this totally incredible quilt



I love it to pieces! The fabrics and colors are so perfect, and the jungle animal embroidery



is just too cute for words!! Hank, as you can see, enjoys it as well



From Telfair (and Snoop) we received a knitted kimono. I decided to get all artsy farsty taking shots of this one



Would you believe two minutes later this sleeping angel was screaming his head off? That's my little boy - Mr. 0 to 60.

Coleen and I were due just weeks apart. She sent the cutest rubber ducky (the polka dot one) and mousie soap



She also sent some adorable rock n roll squirty toys that are now stored in... a Boon Frog Pod



from Evie. It will be fun when he is old enough to play with all his toys! Right now the big entertainment is the light fixture on our bedroom ceiling.

And from Leslie, we received some of her fun cloth blocks (plus all sorts of other wonderful goodies - she spoils us rotten!)





Thanks to everyone so much for thinking of us!

Things are going pretty well overall at the two-month mark. We are in a bit of a behavior modification mode this weekend, as the mama determined being the human pacifier cannot be a 24/7 job (he won't take a *real* pacifier). Of course, her patient Hank is disappointed, but he is adapting to the change better than expected.

Hank is a talker - I swear I have on video evidence of him trying to imitate me saying Hello. From the very beginning his cry for food has been a distinctive "la" sound, which at times now comes out as a two syllable "la-la." Child prodigy? Lol - I'm sure every mother thinks her kid is a genius. He also likes to stand up in my lap and receive kisses and praise for being a "big boy" as a reward. He smiles and coos at people, as well as his "friends" (various inanimate objects throughout his room).

Seeing his little gummy smile and excited kicky legs pretty much answers any cosmic questions I may have had as to why I have been put on this earth :)

Missing the Wedding Bells

On the way back from Arizona (you know, with a tired, cranky baby, and after sitting in a car that had taken on that travel funk smell that undoubtedly clung to us) we stopped in at the reception for one of BT's cousins.

I got a little splurgey on the gift, as I realized it had been ages since I had been to a wedding. For awhile, it seemed that we had a wedding to go to every few months. Then it was baby showers. We were the last of the Mohicans in the baby department, so now most of our friends and family are on their second or third (or even fourth or fifth) child by now.

So, now we have the weddings and baby showers of the younger generation to look forward to. You know, the people that were literally just kids when BT and I met.

Crazy...

The last of the gifts

As of this post, I said I was done with Christmas crafting. Well, I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I made a couple more gifts (in addition to the hat I showed you yesterday - which was, of course, very last minute). I guess I was trying to prove to myself that I can still craft it up with a newborn in tow.

For BT, I made a French press cozy (using this tutorial)

We ditched the coffee maker when we moved, and have been pretty happy with the press. Keep in mind, we haven't made or given gifts to each other for Christmas for years. Why I chose this year of all years to make a gift for him gives you a glimpse of how gung ho (i.e. nuts) I was this year.

For the local gals, Evie and Leslie, I made a plate of cookies (gifted on a Target plate that suited both of their styles bought after Christmas for only $1!)

The cookies included Peppermint Swirl Cookies (inspired by The Small Object using recipe from Super Eggplant), and Coconut Macaroons and Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies from the Martha Stewart Cookies book. You can see I was too lazy/frazzled to melt the chocolate for the thumbprint cookies. My helper

was getting restless by that point. Though he did like the part when we made the "Care Bear Turds"

(name provided by Daddy)

Traditions

Preparing for this holiday season, we had to think about things that we wanted to be annual traditions for our family starting with Hank's first Christmas. Here is a list of things we were able to do, and hope to continue for years to come

~ Visiting Santa.

~ Going to Arizona. Both of our families live there now, which makes the holidays so much easier! Of course, our normal 6 1/2 hour trip took 8 hours, but Hank did ok overall.

~ Christmas Eve with BT's family. This is where you are supposed to see a cute picture of Hank sitting on Santa (Daddy's) lap. But...Hank was not in a good mood this evening (understatement of the century). We stayed upstairs most of the time trying to calm each other down.

~ Opening a present on Christmas Eve



Which happened to be a book (and a stuffed Curious George). Reading a Christmas story on Christmas Eve is another tradition.

~ Leaving cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeer.



Santa was very messy this year. (Note: This was the tray I used for leaving treats for Santa)

~ Wearing new Christmas PJs (we actually ended up with a few pairs to try on between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day).



Hank was in a much better mood on Christmas Day. Must have been all of the presents Santa left for him.



~ A new hat.



I decided the thing I would make for Hank each year would be a hat. It seems like something he will appreciate getting for many years to come - maybe into adulthood? Provided they are "cool" enough. And, a hat is super easy to make. This one was made on the way over to Arizona, and only took a couple of hours.

~ Making gifts for others.



Ok, so we only got one (for Daddy) done this year (from Tutus and Turtles via The Crafty Crow). BUT, we made it through all of our now established annual traditions. It's crazy to think he will be a totally different little person for next Christmas. The time is flying by so quickly!

2008 - Whatta Year!

A year of big events for us - pregnancy and welcoming our baby boy, getting a project published in a craft book, our first trip to Hawaii (thanks, Leslie!), being promoted to supervisor, and buying our first home. What will 2009 hold?

Thank you for all your support! You guys are the best!!