Camera Crazy

I now have a bunch of fuzzy pictures of people I don't even know. I let Blaze use my camera while I was working in the garden this evening.



He also helped me plant a new little lemon-lime tree in the garden, by playing bulldozer to fill in the hole.

Outdoor Challenge

I almost missed getting a picture for The Great Outdoor Challenge today. It wasn't that Blaze wasn't playing outside, it was just that I got busy doing laundry and experimenting with new recipes. I grabbed the camera and went out to see what he was doing, just as he and his best friend were putting on their shoes and cleaning up the sand toys they had been playing with in the volleyball court, so that is all I have pictures of today.





What I missed, was the two of them making sand angels and then his friend destroying them because she said they looked evil. I wish I had gotten to see that. I've never seen an evil sand angel.

Corner View : Animals

Florida's most celebrated animal resident at the moment, has got to be the Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay. No one knows where the monkey came from, but it has been loose in the Tampa Bay area for over a year. It has learned very well how to live in an urban environment. Some people claim they have even seen it looking both ways before crossing the street.

There is a Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay Facebook page, of which I am one of the almost 77,000 fans:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mystery-Monkey-of-Tampa-Bay/344602443463

Newspapers and Television News shows around the world have carried this story:

telegraph.co.uk

According to the map on this website, we were not very far from the Northern areas where the monkey has been sighted, when we were on our last camping trip:

tampabay.com special report

The late night comedians have been having fun with this monkey business, too.

Jimmy Kimmel- Unstoppable Monkey:





Stephen Colbert talks about the "Monkey on the Lam"


He's even inspired a song:



Go monkey! Go!

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Well, flying the kite was the goal, but mostly Blaze and the neighbor boys dragged the kite behind them while they ran. They sure got a lot of exercise, though, and those little boys are really fast runners!

How to Sew a Blanket Stitch and The Kitty Toy

Blaze has been learning how to do a blanket stitch, while he was making a cat toy for his sister, Nika's cat. I think he's really good at now. The ball he made, required 8 panels being sewn together, so he got lots of practice.

Chanting the 3 steps needed for a blanket stitch helped him to remember and stay focused, "poke, wrap, pull".

Poke:



Wrap:



Pull:






For the inside of the cat ball, Blaze wrapped a bell with wool, so that catnip wouldn't get inside the bell and stop it from ringing.



I poked the wool several times with a felting needle to make the wool stay in place ( Blaze probably could use a felting needle safely, I just haven't worked up the courage to give him something that viciously sharp yet).



We turned the ball inside-out, placed the bell filled wool ball inside, and filled the remaining space inside with catnip.







The pattern we used for this ball, was the "large felt ball" pattern from the book Feltcraft.

Outdoors on a Rainy Day

Not all the long ago, Blaze and I watched the "Bill Nye the Science Guy" episode about wetlands. It had some wonderful demonstrations of how wetlands can stop flooding because the plants and wet, spongy soil slows down and absorbs water. Today we got to see some real life flooding and erosion, due to lack of plant life. The men working on the renovation of our apartment complex, removed the big, lovely tree that once stood on this hill. Then they dug up the whole hillside. When they filled in the trenches they'd made, they gave no thought, what so ever, to top soil. So, today we had heavy rains and this was what our sidewalk looked like.



When the rain let up, Blaze went out to play and I spent quite awhile working in the garden.





The soil in our garden is so sandy, that even after all that rain, the dirt under the weeds I was pulling, was still dry.

This is a short segment about quicksand from that Wetlands video we watched:

Upcycled Picnic Basket

My project for this past week, was fixing up an old, dull picnic basket that I purchased from the Haven Hospice Resale Shop.





I started with the outside of the basket. It's amazing what a difference a little color can make!

I still have some left-over Red Mahogany Minwax Wood Finish and Fast-Drying Polyurethane, from the footboard I built for Blaze's bed, back in December, so I used that to give the basket a deep, rich color.



Then I made a padded liner with pockets for storing dishes and utensils.

For the liner, I made my own pattern by tracing the bottom of the basket and adding an inch all around as a seam allowance.

The basket liner required 2 yards of upholstery fabric, some quilt batting, and a 1 yard long strip of velcro.

Using that pattern, cut out two pieces of upholstery fabric. Then trim the pattern down to it's pre-seam allowance size and cut out a piece of quilt batting.



The batting was placed between the two pieces of fabric, with the right sides (printed sides) facing out. A seam was then sewn along the edge of where the batting could be felt through the fabric.



The sides of the liner are made by measuring the basket along the top edge and around the bottom. When making the pattern, add the 1-inch seam allowance to the bottom and sides of the pattern, but not to the top. The top of the pattern will be placed along a fold in the cloth, so that the top of the liner has a cleaner look when finished. Cut off the seam allowance to make the pattern for the batting. To hold the fabric and batting together, sew a seam along the top, the width of the basket rim ( this will help you see where to place the velco later.

The pockets require the most measuring, even though they are made from a single strip of fabric that is almost as long as the piece that makes up the sides of the liner. Utensils will need pockets that are 2 inches wide. Pockets for plates are the width of the plate plus 1-inch. For the height of the pockets, measure about 2/3 up the side of the basket liner's side panel and add enough to that measurement so that a top hem can be made.

After the pockets have been added to the side panel, pin the ends of the side panel together so that the pockets are on the inside and sew. The sides should now be a circle which can be pinned to the bottom panel.



Sew the bottom to the sides.

Next, use strong glue to attach one side of the velco strip to the inside edge of the basket.

I used Gorilla Glue, only because it was handy at the time, but I now regret that choice. It puffs up as it dries and makes quite a mess. Also, it ended up all over my fingers and wouldn't wash off, so I just had hold my fingers apart while it dried. Two days later, no one else can really tell I have glue on my fingers, but I can still feel it.



Let the glue dry over night. The next day, place the liner in the basket and position it properly. Mark where the velco should be attached to the outside edge of the liner. Remove the liner from the basket, pin the velco in place, and sew.

The liner is now finished and can be velcoed into place inside the basket.





I still think the outside of the basket needs some kind of decorative touch, but I'm not sure what. Does anyone have any suggestions?

The Watercolor Mural

This is an old nursery school trick, chain-link fences make great easels for large artwork. Just use clothes pins or alligator clips to attach the paper to the fence.





Blaze made this painting as a gift for the little girl he plays with.

A Worthy Cause

The local band, Colourslide, lost all of their equipment in a terrible car accident, caused by a hit and run driver, on the way home from the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX. Luckily none of the band members was seriously injured.

Not only are they talented musicians, but these are also good guys. Two of the band members work at the school where I work, as tutors and teacher aids.

The band needs help getting new equipment, so they can get back on the road. If you can help, please go to their donation site at GiveForward.org:

Donate to Get Colourslide Back on the Road






The fundraiser for Colourslide ends April 30, so please help now. Any amount is appreciated.

Snow Peas

There weren't many, but we were able to harvest our first snow peas of the year.





Blaze planted seeds for more snow pea plants.



He also found this worm, who he named George.



The garden is such a good place to learn about animals, as well as plants. We've been playing with worms, watching birds and bats, and last week I found a large deer print in the mud. The most exciting thing lately, though, has been the little red-tailed hawk that eats the bats. Yesterday, the hawk flew low, right over my head, carrying a snake.

cilantro flowers:

Earth Day Treat

As a special thing for Earth Day, we made Rice Krispies treats that look like little globes.

To do this, you simply follow the directions for making Rice Krispies treats, printed on the Rice Krispies box or on the Rice Krispies website:

Rice Krispy Treat Recipe

After adding the Rice Krispies to the melted marshmallow and butter mixture, split the batch up into two equal portions. To one portion add several drops of green food coloring. To the other portion add several drops of blue food coloring. Stir well to cover all the cereal with color. Dampen hands, so the sticky marshmallow doesn't stick to you. Take a bit of blue mixture in one hand and a bit of green in the other hand. Now, squish the two colors together. Squeeze and shape like you are making a snow ball.



Let them sit for awhile before eating, so that the marshmallow sets up and becomes less gooey.




These are a good size to carry with you, if you are like Blaze and believe that sitting down to eat would be cutting into your valuable play time.

Happy Earth Day!

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, these are the books we are reading this week:





The entire book of The Wump World can be found online here:

The Wump World





Reading The Lorax has been a yearly Earth Day tradition in our family for many years now.

The 1971 cartoon of The Lorax:



The Lorax part 2