Tag- I'm it!

(I took this picture last night out our front windows, it was a spectacular double rainbow out in the wheat fields- we could see the whole arch.)

Mary Beth of Salt and Chocolate tagged me for the "Six Unspectacular Quirks" meme. The rules are

* Link the person who tagged you
* Mention the rules in your blog
* Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours
* Tag a new set of six following bloggers by linking them

Okay, here are mine:

1.  I have NEVER, not one time, EVER mowed the lawn.  (my brother always did it, and now Carl.)  I wouldn't even know how to turn the thing on.

2.  I can only eat from one group of food on my plate at one time.  For example I wouldn't take a bite of salad and then a bite of rice, and then a bite of meat.  I would instead eat all my salad and then move onto the rice and then onto the meat.  OCD I know.

3.  Yesterday I ate a candy bar.  A Reses Fast Break to be exact.  This is something that I also NEVER do (like once every 3 years).  I am too embarrassed to buy them, like they are contraband or something. Carl happened to bring one home and so I indulged.  It had 450 calories and 22 grams of fat.  I enjoyed all of it.

4.  I hate standing in dirty water.  I would never make it barefoot in a public shower, or standing in line at the water slides.  It totally creeps me out.

5.  I am growing bored with my beige walls and wish my kitchen looked like this. (the second picture w/ the red chairs)  Isn't that cheery?

6.  I have a re-occurring nightmare where all my teeth fall out. One by one I keep loosing them throughout the dream until they are all gone. I am not sure how to analyze that one, but I am sure it must mean something. 

Well don't you feel better knowing those 6 useless things about me?  Let's hear yours.  Consider yourself tagged.

ps. Wow! you ladies like to talk laundry.  I loved hearing from all of you.  For those of you who asked, regular white vinegar works best!

Tip of the Day

Here is a little tip that I picked up since I have been cloth diapering. (Many of you may already know this.) I never use fabric softener.  It just creates build up on our clothes (especially towels) and some of us have really sensitive skin.  Instead I use vinegar in the rinse cycle.  Because I don't hover over my machine and have the ability to catch the rinse cycle, I have relied upon this little downy ball to do the job for me. (Find it in the laundry soap isle next to the Downy that you are supposed to put in it.)  I just fill it up to the line and drop it in.  Through the magic of symmetrical force, the vinegar is released during the rinse cycle.  It works great, you don't have to mess with those dryer sheets hiding in your clothes, and no- your clean laundry will NOT smell like vinegar.  It it passed the smell test with Carl, I can assure you it doesn't.  Happy washing!

"Alone Time"- Together

The rhythm of afternoon time has been changing around here, feeling different because Hannah is slowly giving up her naps.  Selfishly, I have really dreaded this...I've seen it coming.  My first thought was, "Great, there goes my nice little quiet time that I could bank on each afternoon."  But we are figuring out how we can each have some "alone time" together.

This was our afternoon table.

Me with magazine, her with her puzzles, Barbie lounging by the pool, and some chocolate zucchini cake.  We had a conversation that went like this:

Me: So, um Barbie is just hangin' by the pool huh?

Her: Yep, sometimes she swims.

Me: Does Barbie have kids?

Her: Nope, you never bought me that one Skipper doll...we don't have any little Barbies.

Me:  Does Barbie have a job?

Her: Mmmm, uh-uh (shaking her head no)

Me:  Wow! So how does Barbie afford food and stuff?

Her: Duh, Mom she has a husband.  He works.

Me: So let me get this straight.  Barbie has no children and no job.  Her husband goes to work to earn the money and Barbie stays home and just lays by the pool all day?

Her:  Well, yes mom- like you do.

Me:  Pfffffft! Spitting out the coffee I was drinking and choking on a piece of walnut in my cake.  Where does she get this stuff?

Obviously she doesn't really have a good grasp on reality.  I feel so appreciated when I realize how she thinks I spend my time.

I don't exactly see it her way, but it gave me a good giggle.

I made this sun hat the other day in anticipation of being down on the waterfront Saturday.  The pattern is from Lotta Jansdotter's book.  It was fairly simple.  I did end up taking at least an inch off the height of the crown.  Without doing that, I wouldn't have been able to see.  I just made it from some plain off-white linen, the lining was also cream (sateen).  Now that I have the pattern down I see more exciting color combinations in the future.  If you make it, just make sure that you keep trying the hat on while it is in process. The circumference fit me just right but only because I fudged the seam allowances a bit.    It really kept my face and neck protected and I was glad to have it.  Actually, I think Hannah might look a bit better in it don't you?

I also made the backpack from the same book.  I wanted to have free hands to use my camera.  Also, my current bag didn't match my dress (this is important when venturing into the big city.  Matching bags help you look more urban.  I definitely needed help looking more urban) 

Again, I made it at 1am in the morning...so embroidery, buttons and all other decorative touches escaped me.  I just needed to finish it.  I made it with some lightweight denim.  Hannah has taken a liking to it and I may pass it onto her and make a jazzier one for myself.  This was a pretty straight forward pattern...until I got to the straps.  I think it took me almost an hour and three attempts to get it right (at least I basted- see I am learning. After ripping a few "real" seams out, I caught on.) .  The pockets in front were designed to hold my keys and phone in one pocket and my water bottle in the other. 

So, that is all for now.  Typepad has changed the buttons around here and this post has taken WAAAY to long.  Anyone other Typepad users notice the snail's pace?