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Monday, September 28, 2009

Egad.

It's been a while since I posted anything and my deepest apologies are in order.

Quick review, I tried to dye some items that turned out terribly. I promise I will post pics eventually, but I am soooo disappointed with them I'd like to try to dye them with something else, then post all the stages together.

Life's just been plain busy as of late, I've been subbing a lot of classes, The Kidlet has been exceptionally messy as of late and I have been feeling poorly. I have a doctor appt. tomorrow to find out the results of whether or not I have metal poisoning.....I'm scared of that diagnosis but at the same time it would be nice to have an answer and, thus, a possible treatment.

Let's see, what else, ummmm, two flat tires (the fixed one went flat AGAIN!) The Mr. has been under the whether as well, band practice, new songs, show coming up, friends visiting from LA and Chicago, and in a couple hours I leave for a state fair a couple hours away to go see....brace yourselves...

HANSON!!!!

That's right, THE Hanson of MmmBop fame and long golden tresses. They are all married with children now and apparently still releasing albums and touring regularly.

I myself am not a fan BUT two of my dear friends ARE and are seeing them TWICE in the next month or so. Let's all be honest, shall we...if YOU had the change to see some bizarre subculture with your closest friends wouldn't YOU want to go see????? Maybe not, but I'm fascinated by this phenominon and can't wait to take a gander at the goings-on. Hopefully, I shall come back with many a tale and photo for you to peruse.

Got to go get ready,

Lovies and late 90's pop icons,

-K

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Dye, Dye DYE!


For some time now I've been looking into the process of fabric dye using natural substances. I found a delightfully helpful website called Pioneerthinking. Check it out for more details on the process. The above material is the lining I have in some baskets in The Kidlets room.

We have decided that we aren't going to be moving to Portland in January. Which is a relief in some ways and a drag in others. I am happy to be here a bit longer but at the same time, the limbo of us still not knowing for sure if we will be making a major move away from all out friends and family...yeah, it's tough.

Since we will be staying in our one room apartment a little longer we have been doing a bit of reworking the space in The Kidlets "room" (Pictures will be posted soon) and as a result I am actually fixing the little things that have bugged me for a while.

Case in point, the above picture. The sea foam is a lovely color but doesn't match the theme of his room. SOooooo, today was the day I decided to get off my butt and actually try out some dye. I had some chlorophyll left from dyeing frosting a couple months ago (it's soooo much more healthy than food coloring...bleah) and decided to see what would happen if I just used it as dye instead of gathering leaves and grass and what not. The picure just below is of a dress I bought on clearance and though I the color is pleasant enough and since I spent so little on it in the beginning I am more curious to see what will come of using cabbage and beets to modify the shade. I'm hoping for a nice purple though I know it will be much lighter than my preference I figure it's still work a shot. (I have a feeling it's not going to turn out as well as I'd like....hmmmm.)

I used the vinegar fixative as instructed on Pioneerthinking and boiled the cloth for an hour. I put the basket liners in the chlorophyll with water and boiled for an hour and I chopped the cabbage and beets and boiled them for an hour, then strained the dye and have boiled the dress for over an hour as well (I am going to let it sit overnight to get a deeper color) I will post pics tomorrow to show you the results. Wish me luck please!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lovies and literacy,
-K







Oooops, I wasn't watching the pot and didn't catch when it came to a boil.

Friday, September 11, 2009

I remember....

That day was so frightening. I had to go to work at the front desk of a hotel right by the airport.

It was a ghost town.

Just sitting at work all day, alone, wondering what was happening "out there". What it all meant, who was responsible....ugh.

I won't pretend that what I lost that day was anything in comparison to those that lost family. All I lost was a sense of security that didn't exist in the first place.

It makes me sad to remember...it makes me more sad to see how easily we forget.

My condolences to everyone that lost family that day or any day that has followed as a result of what happened there. I can't imagine the pain. I'm so sorry.


Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Watery Wednesday III











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FINALLY, I display enough adult responsibility to post pics on the appropriate day. (in my head anyway ;-))*

My lovely friend Ms. Kate was up for a visit from LA and I was able to snag a couple pics of her before she left. Her darling mother-in-law gave her TWO sets of lovely fuchsia sheets so we encased our limbs and hopped in the pool. Sadly, we lost most of the light but a couple turned out rather nicely.

Lovies and late nights,

-K

PS. Moving update....not really...we are STILL waiting in this lovely limbo to find out if we are moving in Jan. The Mr. called the school yesterday and they said they were still processing his application but that from what they'd done so far they saw no reason why he would be denied. So now we wait to see how this will all work out monetarily. We could get the loans but we don't want to be in debt up to our eyeballs by the time he's done. So we're praying like crazy and waiting to see how things work out. He's also applying to Whole Foods because there is a branch opening right near the school. If he gets hired on here it would pay him a dollar less an hour than the school he's teaching at now but we are fairly certain that not driving 25 minutes to work (he could bike from our current apartment as well) everyday AND saving 30% on the majority of our groceries would make up for that pay cut. Plus we would still be able to have health insurance which would be pleasant. So there you have, this post script has turn rather lengthy...apologies.

*putting a wink face in parenthesis makes me uncomfortable. I feel like I'm giving it a double chin. ;-)) Which I currently have (darn, pms bloating....bleah...sorry, highly improper to speak of such things on the world wide web ;-)) Doh, did it again.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Underwater Thursday II


I can't even explain how much I love them.













Sighhh, if we are indeed moving to Portland I am sooo going to miss this beautiful place. I know Portland has many more beautiful places and much closer than the hour + drive it takes to get to this pool but I will be heart broken to leave it. I swam here when I was knee high to a tadpole. I jumped off the "cliff" into this pool, I sat on a garbage bag and slid down the natural waterslides just upstream from where these shots were taken. Sigh indeed. Glad we at least got another trip in before it was too cold to swim. Took my older sis and my niece with us and lounged in the sun, snacked on homemade bread, raw cheddar and avocado...yummmm. I hope to make it back at least two more times before this winter.

Can I just say how rough it is to live in the limbo of not knowing if we are moving or not. AGH!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Portland Pictures I


SOOO sorry it took forever for me to get pictures up. The above being a bold little bird that hit us all up for some food (we didn't have any) then took off quite in a huff. I have been so overwhelmed with all the pics from the wedding and our trip to Portland that I have put if off and posted nothing for a while (my apologies) I finally realized, DUH, to break it up into segments, this would actually be pics from the day that we left so I guess I'm starting at the end and working my way back but it was my favorite time there. I'm really struggling with my feelings for the place. Not only sad to leave family if The Mr. is accepted to the school but also taken aback by despising the town!!! I guess I had very high expectations. I wasn't expecting to be thrilled about the move but figured that I would adore the town after hearing so many people laud it's weather and quirks and greenery (which there was little of till we hit these falls on our last day) The first two days were spent in miserable heat and surrounded by dead brown overgrown lawns (apparently it's a California thing to be super OCD about keeping lawns green and edged and such so weird...) I guess I was expecting a green fairyland and got a large city. I don't know why it was so unexpected. We got lost more than once and it took forever to get anywhere because there weren't any signs for anything. By our last day I had pretty much written off the town and decided that if we moved there I would NEVER leave the house (yes, quite mature, I know) then we drove about 20 minutes west before we left for California and found all this wonderous beauty (I guess this is more what I pictured) It's just so odd, I always thought myself to be a city girl and assumed I would LOVE Portland as a result. Now I'm finding the forests, the farms, the country is all much more appealing to me. I guess the grass is always green (groan, bad joke, I know) So here you have it, knock yourselves out with these LOVERLY pictures, there will be more to follow from the campus (also beautiful)

Lovies and lazing,

-K




This can be my backyard please!!!!


Need I say more? ;-)


The kidlet and myself.



And this can be my front yard please!




It rained/misted a LOT while we were at the falls! Finally!!! It was miserably sunny and hot the first two days of out trip!


I'm going to be so heartbroken the day I find he's grown out of that jacket.


I love Moss!


Gorgeous trees!


No seriously, in love with these trees!


and the lamp post....Narnia here I come!