07.12.10
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More toiletry kits

I made three more of those BEST toiletry kits EVER. The one on the left is for our friend, Connor. It is almost identical to the one I made for Fritz. The one in the middle is for Billy. I used the tan fabric for the trim and handles so the boys could know at a glance which bag belonged to whom. The bag on the right is for our friend, Emma (Connor’s sister).

I used a different closure for Connor’s bag than I did for Fritz’s. I like this closure better, but there wasn’t enough room on Billy’s kit to fit it. The uniforms I’m using are different styles and different sizes, so the pieces aren’t going to cut out consistently. It’s what makes each bag so unique.

Emma picked out a hot pink flannel fabric. I did not buy this fabric; it was pulled from leftovers from other projects (I made bags for the girls’ to carry their ballet shoes using this flannel). Again, this entire project was zero cost, which suits me very well right now. I think the hot pink looks fabulous with the green woodland camo pattern.
07.09.10
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Hot as an oven – inside and out

Sleeping on the couch in the pre-dawn hours with a feverish toddler on your chest is like snuggling up to a furnace. That’s OK in January, but pretty uncomfortable in July when the forecast is calling for triple digit temps and a heat index of up to 109 degrees.

I’m not complaining, though. I’m just remembering romantic scenes that played out in my head before I actually had children: the tender mother pulling an all-nighter, rocking her sick child, wiping a sweaty brow, kissing a damp hairline. Fortunately, Mary wasn’t as crabby as my sick kids tend to be, and I do not also have a needy infant draining my reserves day and night. Last night was the closest I’ve ever gotten to that “perfect” infirmary scene.

Still, I couldn’t help but wish that the ibuprofen would work a little faster to help her settle down a little sooner so we could both get some sleep.

07.08.10
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St. Damien of Molokai – Apostle of the Exiled

I don’t even remember when I received this book from The Catholic Company. Before the move…and that was January. I am not a diligent book reviewer. I do the best I can.

I read St. Damien of Molokai – Apostle of the Exiled by Margaret & Matthew Bunson. Right up front, I want to say that I did like the book. I learned quite a bit about the history of Hawaii, the personal background of St. Damien as well as many people who knew him, the conditions at the leprosy camp on Molokai, and St. Damien’s work there with the lepers.

There were a few things, however, that were…different…from other biographies I have enjoyed. First of all, the book is not strictly chronological. The chapters are set up to cover specific topics. The chapter itself will be mainly chronological, but then the next chapter will deal with different people or issues. That chapter will also be fairly chronological, but the time period may overlap the previous chapter, so the authors may take you back in time to cover these new topics. It took me a few chapters to catch on to this, so I was a bit confused at first and the book felt very jumpy.

Besides being a bit disjointed in time, the biggest problem with this method of presenting a biography is that I felt like I was looking at a series of snapshots rather than a movie. It was very difficult for me to see the big picture and all the various issues that were happening at once. St. Damien was dealing with many many issues all at the same time: politics, personality conflicts with his superiors and other people on the island, the stress of being isolated, the stress of working with ostracized people who were dying, the challenges of living with leprosy, the strain of being the subject of unflattering gossip. When these topics are brought up one at a time, it makes it easier to discuss that particular topic in detail, but harder for the reader to grasp the overall significance of having that stress along with everything else that was happening to the man.

The only other disappointment I had was that there was no dramatization of his life. No dialogues, no painted scenes. The authors stuck with the facts as they were known. They quoted letters, notes, diaries, but they did not re-invent a scene. I admire them for sticking with the facts and not wanting to “quote” a man when there is no proof that he said those exact words. But, personally, it was hard for me to get a good idea of his personality without him being fleshed out through dialogue, thoughts, or actions.

I hate to write bad things about a book, which is probably why I procrastinated on this post.

So, to conclude I want to repeat that I did think this is a well-researched, well-written book. I learned many things I did not know about Hawaii and the leper colony as well as about the most famous non-native Hawaiian. The drawbacks are my own personal preferences, and had I known about them in advance, I might not have been as bothered by them.

I received this book for free from The Catholic Company in exchange for my honest review. If you blog and would like to be a Catholic Company reviewer and receive free books (they don’t pressure you to do your reviews quickly, I assure you), then check out this link.
07.05.10
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Tomatoes

My cherry tomato plants have been popping out plenty of yummy morsels of heaven. Very few have made it indoors and none have actually made it to a salad. I’ll put a small handful in a bowl on the counter, and they’ll be gone in very short order. Everybody should have a cherry tomato plant growing in their yard.

My plant with the big red tomatoes has been producing a good number of fruit as well. I’ve had probably 30% of the crop lost to bugs of some kind: worms, and this nasty black beetle thingy. Bill suggested a pesticide, but I just couldn’t do it. I eat that stuff. Yes, I buy regular veggies at the store and I know they’ve been sprayed…but I don’t see that happening. I just can’t knowingly spray my own food. If you think I’m crazy, you and my husband can shake your heads at me together. The big tomatoes are quite good and we’ve been enjoying BLTs, burgers and grilled cheese with thick slabs of deliciousness.

I was really frustrated by my 4th plant which had a plethora of tomatoes, but before they had a chance to turn red, they would rot away, victimized by an unseen menace. I finally figured out this weekend that the culprit was TIME. They weren’t red tomatoes, they were yellow tomatoes, so they had gotten overripe and then rotted on the vine. Lesson: know your tomatoes.

Finally, here’s the dessert we had last night: berry dessert pizza. The dough is sugar cookie dough. The sauce is cream cheese frosting, and I used strawberries and blueberries for topping. If you really love your family, you will make it from scratch, of course. But just in case you feel pinched for time or there is a great sale at the local supermarket, one package of store-bought dough and one container of frosting are the perfect amounts for the pie. I thought I was doing a great service by neatly arranging the berries instead of just tossing them on. One caveat: this pizza does not keep. The cookie will be soggy by morning, so be generous in dishing it out.

Enjoy your holiday Monday.

07.01.10
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Five years old

My littlest boy turned 5 years old yesterday.
He wanted a high speed chase/crash cake.
I put the cars in the dishwasher the night before and it destroyed the paint finish (these cars are several years old anyway). Of course, the peeling paint just added a certain realism to the whole crash scenario.

Then he picked these champagne bottle candles (which we used for an adult cake many years ago). Nice touch. Notice the dripping gel used to write “Happy Birthday Peter.” I’ve been trying to get rid of that stuff for a long time.

Happy birthday, my little man.
06.30.10
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Fun is as fun does

I signed Billy and Katie up for a Junior Ranger camp this week. It’s a good thing. Four very busy hours every day, and they’ve been going to bed at night with no complaints. Billy did get a little teary yesterday afternoon; he misses his brother so much. That’s why I’m trying to keep him occupied.

I’ve been carpooling, so I didn’t drive Monday or Tuesday. Today and tomorrow are my days. When I picked them up today, the young man at the sign in/out desk said, “Just sign here and they’re all yours.”

“You seem excited at the prospect of being rid of them,” I replied with a knowing smile. No way would you catch me doing a camp with a hundred adolescents.

“Oh, yes,” he agreed wearily. Just then, Billy came up and showed me something he had made. Now connecting me with a particular child, the young man added, “Your son is a pleasure.”

“Oh?” I said.

“He listens and does what he’s told.”

“That’s good,” I said as we walked off. I’m pretty sure my daughter and the other girls in the camp are not quite as cooperative. Not bad, I mean, just too busy chit-chatting to even notice that the party is moving on to other things. Billy, though, knows that the fun is in the doing, not in the talking.

Although, talking is fun too…(can’t help it…I’m a girl…)

06.28.10
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WHERE’S MARY?

You know that panicky feeling you get when your toddler is not in the room you thought she was in and it’s been 10 minutes or so since you’ve seen her?

I didn’t have to go far to find her.

The splash fountain really tuckered her out. I took off her wet suit, gave her some juice to rehydrate and went off to get her some dry clothes. I guess she got tired of waiting.
06.27.10
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The BEST Toiletry Kit EVER

Fritz left today for a week at Boy Scout camp. I’m sure he will have tons of fun, especially when he works on his Rifle Shooting Merit Badge.

Previously, whenever he went camping, he used a super deluxe toiletry kit: a zip lock bag. We spare no expense in outfitting our children for their adventures.

This year, I decided to make him a real toiletry kit. I found this well-done tutorial, but of course, that’s a bit too girly for anyone with a Y chromosome. My boy needed something manly, and there’s nothing much manlier than a military uniform. And we have plenty of those.

I hate to get rid of my husband’s old uniforms. There is so much useful fabric there. And cool pockets, too. You can try to sell old uniforms at an Army/Navy store, but they don’t net you much. You can donate them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army, and I suppose a homeless man, somewhere, will be very grateful. Or you can keep them until you come up with a project that would look cool in camouflage.

Like a toiletry kit.

Here is Fritz’s kit. Not only is that a genuine BDU top, that name tape was stitched on by a real imported Korean seamstress at some Clothing and Sales store at some Army post somewhere (probably PA or NJ). Can you believe that both my husband and Fritz asked if I was going to cut off the buttons? They have no sense of artistry.

Here I have unfolded the kit so you can see both the front and back. If you are familiar with BDU tops, you will recognize the top pocket on the front and the bottom pocket on the back. Those pockets button closed and can hold a number of items securely.

This is the inside. It is made from a different camo pattern – the desert shade. The green uniform was worn by my husband in Kosovo (and various places in the US). The tan uniform was worn by one of his friends in Iraq and Afghanistan. The toiletry kit has been around the world. The friend was getting rid of his uniforms, so my husband took them, because he knows I can’t stand to throw Army uniforms away (seeing as how there is so much useful fabric there). I followed the tutorial for the tool pocket on the top side shown here, but decided to just use another uniform pocket for the other side.

To hold the kit closed, I used two buttons from the tan uniform and their button holes which I just stitched to the tan fabric before stitching the two sides together.

I’m pleased with the results, and the best reward was having my son say, “Cool!” I plan to make two more like these (one for Billy and one for my girlfriend’s son) and then 3 half camo/half girly fabric for Katie, Jenny, and my girlfriend’s daughter. I’ll be sure to post photos when I do those.

The BEST PART is that I made the whole thing without a single trip to the store. Except for the thread, which I had on hand, all components came from the uniforms (small note: I did not use any cotton batting or interfacing in this kit as the tutorial suggests, nor did I put in the zippered pocket).

I love recycling Army uniforms.