Waterproof May Day Baskets

It's a rainy May Day this year, so my daughter, Emma, and I came up with an idea for May baskets that can be left outside without getting soggy.

Read this post from 2013 if you are unfamiliar with the fun May Day basket tradition.

We used half pint sized mason jars instead of traditional paper cups. We added a circle of fabric with a basket-type print as a nod to the tradition. You don't need to glue the fabric to the lid because the outside ring will hold it in place. We added a ribbon, candy, and a note. I know May baskets are supposed to be anonymous, but it's kind of nice to know who has left you a treat.

Happy May Day!

MAY your days be many and your troubles be few.

MAY you find laughter and joy.

MAY you find forgiveness, friendship and love.

Ingredient Substitution Fail!

I got up early this morning to give myself a homemade pedicure before heading to the Kalahari Indoor Waterpark Resort in the Wisonsin Dells. I started with the Listerine foot soak that I used a couple times last summer. You're supposed to mix 1/4 c. Listerine, 1/4 c. Vinegar and 1/2 c. Water. Well, I didn't have Listerine, but I did have this.

I used a bit more hot water to dilute it, but I ended up with THIS!

I spent the next hour working with foot scrub and a file. They're still slightly blue, but hopefully no one at the waterpark will notice!

Softball Fleece Tie Blanket

Hey, World! Fastpitch softballs are YELLOW! 

Baseballs: small and white
Softballs: big and yellow

Yes, white used to be the standard color, but yellow has been standard for softballs since 2004.

If you are a softball family like me, you know a good solid blanket is a key part of the game day gear. Spectators and players can wrap up in it to keep warm, or can spread it out on the grass for a comfortable resting spot on a warm day.

I had an itch to make a quick no-sew tie fleece blanket with a softball theme in our team colors. What I found was a lot of fleece with white balls, intended to apply for baseball and softball. That just will not do! 

Here's what I came up with.

Here is what you'll need to make a similar blanket:

• 2 yards each of any two colors of fleece. There are a couple kinds of fleece, and you want the kind that is not super "stretchy". Look for sales!
• 1 yard bright yellow fleece will make two large softballs. I used them to make two blankets.
• A special marker from the craft store that wipes off with a damp cloth. Don't get the kind that disappears in an hour unless you're a quicker stitcher than me!
• Tape measure
• Masking tape
• Sharp sewing scissors
• Red and florescent yellow embroidery floss, I strongly recommend DMC brand.
• Straight pins and a large embroidery needle
• Optional: a small piece of fleece with matching embroidery floss to add a number or logo

Here are the basic steps I used.

• Use something large, like a round laundry basket to trace a circle from yellow fleece with your special marker. You can fold the fleece in half to cut two circles at once. Or you can cut smaller circles to add several softballs instead of one large one.
• Create a curved pattern for the softball seams. I freehanded one half of a smooth arch on a piece of paper and flipped it over to create the other half of a symmetrical arch. Tip: draw the arch quickly, and don't overthink it. Trace onto the yellow circle with your special marker.
• Use two strands of black embroidery floss to backstitch the seams. See Youtube for many tutorials on back stitching if needed.
• Lay the two large pieces of fleece on top of each other. If there is a right size to your fleece, put it on the outside (faced down, and faced up). The fleece on which you wiant to place the softball should be on top. Trim off the edges if there is a thick curl or finish. Trim both pieces of fleece to make them very close to the same size and shape.  
• Place the yellow softball in the middle of the top piece of fleece. Use a tape measure to make sure it is centered. Pin it to the top piece of fleece, using as many pins as you can around the outside of the circle. Set the bottom piece of fleece aside.
• Sew the sotball to the large fleece with bright yellow floss using a blanket stitch. See Youtube for many tutorials. Remove your pins.

• Use red floss to create the stitching along the seams. You'll want to make the red stiches longer than you think, at least a half inch per stitch. I made them too small and had to re-do them twice! The red stitches should go through the yellow circle and the large piece of fleece to help hold the softball to the blanket.

• Optional: Trace a number or logo onto a piece of fleece, and attach it to the center of the softball, using the blanket stitch.

Type a number into a document, increase the font size, and print for a pattern.

 

Trace a logo on a t-shirt using tissue paper for a pattern.

• Once again, place your two large pieces of fleece on top of each other with the right sides out. Line up the edges as closely as possible. They can be off by a fraction of an inch, but trim if necessary.
• Use your tape measure and masking tape to mark a border 4 inches from the edge, all the way around the blanket.
• Cut off the corners of the blanket, from the edge to the tape, removing 4"squares. Cut 1-inch wide strips all the way around the blanket, using the taped border as a guide for how deep to cut. Remove the tape.
• Double-knot every-other strip to attach the two pieces of fleece. The knots should be tight so they don't come undone, but be very careful not to cinch them too tightly toward the base of the strips. The blanket will pucker and won't lay flat if they are cinched too tightly. You'll also want the knots to be tied consistently. 
• Flip the blanket over so the back color is on top, and tie the remaining strips. This helps the blanket look good from both sides.

Waaa-LA!

Two Curious Packages in One Glorious Day

I curiously received two packages at work one day last week.

I opened the sturdy padded envelope first, and inside was just one thing. MY CHECKBOOK! No note. No explanation. I had just been at my company's headquarters, and figured I must have accidentally left it there. I didn't even know I had lost it, but was very thankful it was returned!

On to the box. Here's the first thing I pulled out!

A Magnificent Chocolate Award!

Weird, but awesome! Without a doubt, I deserved this award. Either that or maybe someone was pranking me. I dug through the box and found a heavily taped and bubble wrapped framed certificate. I couldn't wait to find out who finally was recognizing my outstanding achievements!

And then I found this.

A slight misspelling of my name, perhaps?

My first thought was that this is a very weird prank! There was also an envelope, which I was sure would explain the joke.

The anticipation is killing me!

I'm beginning to think this award is not meant for me.

If this is a prank, it's an odd one!

My company does a lot of business with Sears, but no one in my office knows Walter Chamberlain. One co-worker thought she knew him, but I suspect she was thinking of Wilt Chamberlain, who I really hope is a totally different guy. Unless Wilt Chamberlain finally had enough of fame and fortune and turned into a programmer at Sears. Remember that show Alice and how they always talked about Wilt Chamberlain? I sure hope you're old enough to remember that show!

ANYway. I weighed my options.
   1. Eat the chocolate award.
   2. Display the award.
   3. Find the rightful owner.

I chose Option 3. A little because it felt like the right thing to do, but mostly because I found it entertaining. I googled Walter and found out he's a programmer at Sears. Then I asked my co-worker to do the dirty work and call the Sears Mail Room. Guess what! They were happy to hear from us because they had mixed up two packages. I got Walt's award, and he had something for me! I took advantage of the spacious box and included a deck of promotional playing cards, a box of Thanks-A-Lot Girl Scout Cookies, and this letter.

At the last minute, I threw in this framed 8 x 10 photo.

I don't know if this will amuse Walt, but it certainly amused me! And that's worth something.

I haven't heard back from Walt, but I received this email yesterday.

So it turns out that I didn't leave my checkbook at my company headquarters; I left it at a tradeshow I recently worked for Sears. Apparently I'm TERRIBLE at reading return addresses and equally inept at keeping track of my belongings! My checkbook somehow survived being shredded and falling into water, and made it's way back to me. It's a checkbook miracle!

I accidently strangled my toe

In honor of my toe and millions of other injured toes, I beg you to please throw away your socks that have holes in them. Do not donate them or give them away. First of all, that's disgusting. Second of all, they're dangerous. Save the toes, people.

Let me tell you a slightly embarrassing story. A few days ago, I decided to get on the old treadmill. I noticed a tiny hole in my sock as I was getting ready, but I decided it would be ok. I was afraid I might lose my motivation in the time it took to find and change into a better pair.

About a half mile into my five mile walk/jog, I noticed that my toe had poked through the hole in the sock. It was slightly uncomfortable, but I knew I wouldn't get back on the treadmill if I stopped to fix it. No pain, no gain, blah, blah, blah.

When I finally stopped, I immediately took off my sock and freed "this little piggy stayed home," which is the second toe for those of you who don't remember the rhyme. I was expecting instant relief, but it is still hurting after FOUR DAYS. I've limped. I've elevated. I've whined. But I haven't looked at it even once. I just can't, and I can't ask anyone else to look at it either. To be honest, I'm afraid of what I might see. I would post a photo here, but that would mean looking, and I'm not ready to do that.

Now do you see what I'm saying? Please help spread the word. Clean out those sock drawers. Your newer socks will enjoy the extra room and your toes will stay nice and safe. Please don't let this happen to you or anyone you know. Are you with me?

P.S. Here's the piggy poem in case you can't remember it.

   This little piggy went to market.
   This little piggy stayed home.
   This little piggy had roast beef.
   This little piggy had none.
   This little piggy went wee wee wee
   All the way home.

P.P.S. It's always bothered me that home and none don't rhyme or even have the same vowel sound. Also, I've always wondered where the little piggy was coming home from? Did he go to market with the big piggy? If so, the two piggies who did and didn't have roast beef interrupt the flow of the story. Did they go to market? Did piggy number three eat his roast beef at the market?

Here's a better version, don't you think?

   This little piggy ate bananas.
   This little had bread.
   This little piggy had roast beef.
   This little piggy was fed.
   This little piggy went wee wee wee
   All the way to bed.

Emma's First Sleeping Pill

Have you ever worked a normal day, gone home to complete chaos and then gone back into work the next day as if nothing major happened? That happened to me last Wednesday.

Kids around here get out of school every Wednesday at 1:30 in order to avoid missed days for teacher in-service. This particular Wednesday, I took the afternoon of in order to take 19 (yes, 19!) second and third grade Girl Scouts to tour a t-shirt printer. Five of the girls came back to my house to hang out until their parents got off work. Sure, they used a whole bottle of chocolate syrup on their ice cream, but the day was still going ok.

Then Emma, my 14-year-old, told me she needed a haircut that night because she wanted to look cute for a concert the next day during school. My 12-year-old daughter, Alli, had a softball lesson at 6, so Emma, Alli and I headed out the door as soon as the last little scout was picked up. We went to Great Clips and hoped for a quick cut so we could be on our way.

As I was waiting for Emma, I thought I heard her say "Mom....", but she wasn't looking my way when I looked up. After the third time, I went to see what was going on. That's when I noticed Emma was uncontrollably SOBBING. She had wanted her side bangs trimmed shorter so she can leave them down, but the hairstylist had cut half of her bangs straight across her eyebrows. I tried to calm Emma down so the rest of the bangs could be cut because it had to be done at that point. I didn't mind the new look, but Emma was, and still is, devastated. I sent Emma and Alli to the car so I could pay and smooth things over with the stylist. Emma stayed in the car during Alli's softball lesson, dramatically mourning the loss of her bangs. I explained that no, she could not stay home from school tomorrow, and no, her life was not over.

I hated to leave Emma home in that condition, but I had made plans with my newly divorced friend who hasn't gotten out of the house in quite a while. We walked into a nice quiet restaurant, and she immediately recognized a "lady" who had been "extra friendly" with her husband. It was after they'd been separated, but it still stung. But the kicker of the whole thing is that the "lady" was wearing a product that is sold exclusively by my friend. We think it's most likely that this "lady" took the product from her husband's basement where they were being stored at the time. Luckily, we had a good laugh over it all. Whew! That could have been bad!

We went back to my friend's house to find some headbands that might help Emma hold her bangs back for the next few months. That's when I got a panicked call from Emma. I thought she was still worked up about her bangs, but she told me she had cut her knee open and needed to go to the emergency room. She was getting up on a bed and put her knee on a pair of sharp scissors. Ew, I know. I rushed home, and texted a photo to my husband, TJ, who was working at the fire station. I could post that picture, but ew. He told me it didn't look like it needed stitches, but I needed to use a couple band aids to pull it shut. I did my best and then cleaned up the blood, some of which had gotten on the dog's tail. Emma was hysterical, still partly overreacting from her hair, and partly justifiably from her knee. I caved in and told her she could stay home from school the next morning. As I was getting her some ibuprofen, I noticed a bottle of sleeping pills. Perfect. Emma is old enough for a sleeping pill, right? Right.

I called the school in the morning blubbering something about Emma staying home because she hurt her knee. I knew it sounded lame, and my attempt to over-explain only made it worse. I came home over my lunch hour the next day, and Emma was happy, ready to go to school, and looked beautiful with her bangs pulled back. Isn't she pretty!

My dog is a picky eater

Nellie is a pretty good dog. But one thing that irritates me is that she does not eat at her bowl in the kitchen.

Easy-to-clean tile floor

Instead, she scoops up mouthfuls of food and eats in the living room.

Dog food on my CARPET

She's good about cleaning up the pieces that spill out of her mouth, but I DON'T WANT HER TO EAT ON THE CARPET! The other day I caught her carrying food to her eating spot. I moved quick like a bull fighter to block her way. I told her NO. I asked her to please eat on the tile. I pulled her  back to the tile. I was determined to put a stop to the nonsense. I lost. I gave up. I gave in. I took a photo.

I didn't want to have to do it, but I think I'm going to put her on www.dog-shaming.com. Maybe that will teach her.

Also, I think it's weird that she doesn't like most dog treats, but she LOVES sandwich bread. We don't give her other people food, but we use bread as a  reward and to teach her tricks. She is crazy for it! I once gave her a piece of her favorite bread that had been left out for a couple hours, and she wouldn't touch it. What a picky eater!

And another thing. She only eats mini chunks, even though she's big enough for the regular chunks. We tried to switch her, but the bigger chunks fell right out of her mouth and made a mess on the carpet. Sigh.