Here’s a dress I made @puppycat a while back. Can you all believe she’s 6?!?
I made a few hoodies last weekend, but there’s nothing in progress right this minute. I’ve got fabric everywhere, but I’m not quite sure what to work on next.
@Kyeh@Thumperchick
I made my first outfit at 6 years old! It was a kimono top with matching shorts done in a wonderful purple hippie like flower material. It was 1971 after all, I bet my mom has pictures of it somewhere!
Your little girl must love picking out patterns and material! Her dress is cute as heck!!
I’m putting my livingroom back together this weekend cuz I had to move everything out to get new floors. While the new floors are nice I’m getting tired of moving furniture.
Before:
After:
@Kyeh@tinamarie1974 I can’t take too much credit for the floors, I just live here. But they are so much nicer and the underlayment added some much needed insulation.
Work thing: Finding artists for Mediocritee, scheduling stuff out, and trying to create social content.
After work craft things: I’ve been making signs for my mom. Got a Cricut for Christmas and I’m finally putting it to use. She’s started turning wood and it’s taking off, so I’m getting her some signs for when she’s at craft tables and stuff. Need to make her some shirts next but that’s a different day.
The black vinyl is chalkboard (yet to be tested with actual chalk, but in theory, it should work?)
Also playing around with stickers and different papers for a new printer–been having fun with that lately.
@riskybryzness I would love to hear a sticker recommendation from you when you find one you like, as I am about to begin the same type of project. And are you laminating them after you print them?
Also, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you planning on doing with the artists you find?
@EwingKlipspring I’ll take some pictures of stuff tonight and get the brand names for you. I’m still figuring it out myself but I’ve tried a few different kinds that I’m a fan of so far.
As far as the artists–I am the scheduler person for Mediocritee so I work on getting stuff on the calendar for upcoming events. (If you have anything, let me know, would love to see any current art you’re working on, I know it’s been a while!)
So right now I’m still new at this, but my favorite paper is currently Koala, it’s a white matte vinyl. I’ve been using Canva for the time being until I can work on my own stuff to print.
The colors seem to pop the best on this one. Still trying to figure out the glossy paper, I think my favorite has been from Zicoto but I could be mistaken on that, I lost the label. For the holographic paper, I used Stampcolour and that turned out surprisingly well all things considered.
As far as laminating–yes, I have some–but no I haven’t tried it yet (that’s this weekend.) I am still on the hunt for an easy to apply matte laminate–not a huge fan of gloss.
I’ll try and come up with a better display of everything I’ve been attempting lately. I still need to try cutting the paper with the cricut–it’s been a very slow project.
For the printer, I’m running an Epson EcoTank ET-2720 and it’s been pretty great so far. But I have been finding that each paper has it’s own perks or is stronger with certain colors. Blacks on one may look good but tans or reds are a bit faded on another, so it’s really interesting to see the outcome.
@riskybryzness
I’d love to see what your mom is doing, the wood turning, and what she’s got to sell at the craft fair. I miss going to the craft fairs, these days I just have to troll Etsy to see what’s out there. There’s some really amazing artists out there!
Work: finishing up my week in the ER on Sunday (6/5). where I work 1445 to 2315 (7on/7off)
Home: in the mornings this week (before work) I:
went next door to Mom’s house (90 yr old) each morning to check on her at breakfast and have coffee with her while she finished up.
fed her lunch and played a couple of games of Rummicub with her each day (she is getting a bit fanciful with the rules but WTH … she’s 90!)
took her shopping and to the library on Thursday.
worked on the gardens (flower and veggie) and our ‘nursery’ where we have a bunch of plants that are in various stages of being re-potted, rooted, etc.
spray painted several of the plastic Adirondack chairs that live around the pool. Rustoleum makes a great paint for that which holds up well. We have several in 3 different colors (coral, bright blue and turquoise) that the sun had faded that now look like new…
harvested a bunch of zucchini, yellow squash, cukes and okra and collected 2-3 eggs a day from the 4 chickens that are laying currently. (the 5th one is setting (6 eggs) in a nesting box I built last week to isolate her from the others). Tomatoes should be ripening in the next few days as well as the peppers (jalapenos and bell peppers)
mowed the yard (about an acre) Monday.
converted a fixture in our guest bath from CFL to accept an LED bulb. Also added a valve to the shower head so you can regulate the pressure. Grandson thinks it is too hard and he is coming to the house next week.
researched and ordered new handheld and robotic vacuums for the pool.
processed/inspected several copies of the ACT prep book SWMBO will be using next week for the ACT prep bootcamp she will be teaching. (“like new” copies aren’t supposed to have any markings on the pages. One of seven was marked up/had answers marked and will go back for credit. Wife uses the tests in the books during her class, and we don’t feel right just photocopying/printing our own copies so we try to buy them “like new” and cut the books up for the tests.)
changed out the NiMH batteries in a couple of the solar lights we have that weren’t working any more.
put up the wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons and bows we sorted out from the guest room closet. Bought 2 new plastic boxes to keep it all organized.
picked some of the blackberries that are getting ripe finally. Blueberries still have a bit before they will be ready.
spent 10-15 minutes in the pool each day around 1400 so I could cool off from working outside before going in to shower and dress for work (I live about 7 minutes from the hospital)
Next week the grandkids (2) and a couple of step/half
(?) great nieces (F-I-L’s second wife’s great grand kids…) will be here. The older ones are taking the aforementioned ACT bootcamp, the younger ones (10ish) and a labradoodle will be mine to keep entertained during the daytime from Mon to Thurs.
Other than that… not much going on around here.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@tinamarie1974
Wife is out of town, visiting Boston with our daughter, (the artist/teacher from Nashville) this week. They are doing a bunch of museums and vegan eateries as an early b-day present to her.*
Turns out I had a lot of “free time” on my hands as a result. Hopefully I will get the chance to travel more when Mom goes to live with my sister next year.
*our daughter, not my wife
@tinamarie1974
They have. They keep sending amazing food shots and a bunch of cool art/museum/concert pics. Crazy that the high has been 60ish and rainy up there, 90+ here! They are due back tomorrow then SHMBO will drive down from Nashville to central AL with the grands in anticipation of next week’s adventures!
@chienfou Can I come to your house to pick eat blackberries? A certain relative sprayed the huge bunch of them we had at the farm with roundup and we are all sad about that. What I have bought in the store isn’t even close to tasting as good.
@chienfou All that in one week‽ I could probably manage picking the blackberries and blueberries (because I would have a selfish/vested interest in them not being “wasted” on the kids…) but I can barely pretend to keep a garden going. Not to mention the unlimited list of other things I should or want to do.
Most of it, I think, is my job keeping me down. And/or “mental health” in general. But I’m working on getting past that, and maybe finding balance in my life again. Or something reasonably close to that.
In any case, you have an impressive list of productivity, on top of working at a hospital! Bravo!
@xobzoo
Thanks… I think being “alone” at the house probably had a large impact on my productivity. I didn’t have to worry about putting stuff away until tomorrow when my wife actually comes home! For instance, the load of whites that I washed earlier in the week is still in the laundry basket waiting to be put away…
On the other hand, I haven’t even turned on the tablet to look at the local paper that I am subscribed to. I’m sure nothing too important has happened…
@chienfou what kind of robotic pool vacuum did you go with? I’ve about had it with my Polaris hydromaton and am starting to think about joining the 21st century.
@djslack
I’m still trying to sort that all out.
I tried a Paxcess/Aiper unit I really liked, but … it kept getting stuck on the bottom drains in the deep end. They are curved (stupid safety feature so you can’t get stuck onto the bottom if you sit on them. Since I generally only have < half the flow from those 2 drains (and the rest from the skimmers) they don’t have nearly enough power to do that…). The unit would get stuck on the middle of the drain cover with the wheels too high to make contact and then sit there until the battery died. It would also occasionally get stuck on the ledge for the seating area and/or steps. But it did a great job climbing the walls and covering the entire pool if I babysat it and kept from getting hung up… of course that defeats the purpose of a robotic cleaner. I even tried the add-on “obstacle wheel kit” to no avail. Unit did a pretty good job of climbing the walls to the water line and scrubbing it all.
I am currently using an Ofuzzi cordless that again, would be great but… it doesn’t climb the transition from my deep to shallow ends. This one is propelled by water pressure. As it sucks up and pushes out water thru the filter area it diverts it from one exit jet to another on the opposite side. This pushes the unit instead of having a motor that propels the wheels. The result is it doesn’t get stuck on my drain covers (yeah), but it doesn’t have enough ‘oomph’ to push it all the way up the ramp (instructions say good for <15 degree slope… but shit, I had no idea what the angle was on mine. Now I know it is evidently MORE than 15 degrees). It is also not capable of climbing the walls (obviously) but neither was my old Polaris so /Shrug.
So far Amazon has been good about taking them back within the 30 day window.
My next attempt will be something with tracks (like a tank) as I think that would solve the drain cover issue. Hoping I can find one that is cordless with tracks to try out in the coming weeks. I’ll keep you posted!
TL:DR Still trying to figure it out!
@chienfou Thank you! I’d looked at an aiper a little while back but hadn’t bitten yet. I have a domed drain too so I’m glad to learn from your experience.
FYI don’t buy the Ryobi cordless pool hand vacuum. I got one and it leaked badly into the battery compartment. I tried to fix it by making my own silicone seals for it and wound up destroying it (and the leak took out a battery pack along the way). It was a waste.
That weekend I learned coconut oil destroys lots of plastics. I was trying to use something mild and non-petroleum based as a release agent to essentially cast silicone seals in the lip of the vacuum parts themselves. Should have gotten a proper release agent but I don’t know how well it would have worked anyway. Since my stupidity caused it to crumble, it was a pricy lesson in chemistry and doing my homework before trying out cockamamie schemes.
@djslack
Bummer about the Ryobi. I had looked at those a while back but never could find one in stock anyplace. Now I know why. (I am a big Ryobi fan, so it sucks that the pool vac is crap)
I have had a couple of pool blasters over the past 10 yrs,. Liked them pretty well. Doheny sells a ‘home brand’ knock-off that looks pretty good. I am currently using an Aiper which I kind of like. Charge holds well, and comes with a short handle that allows you to use it like a Dustbuster (great for the stairs) as well as on a pole for deeper areas.
BTW coconut oil is my go to substance for removing the gummy parts of labels when I take them off of bottles/jars. Just put it on and let it soak a few minutes and then either scrape it off with your nail or just use a paper towel to get it off.
Trying to get some cleaning-up and putting-stuff-away done. It’s been horribly neglected, and there’s a lot of it, particularly the putting-stuff-away.
All primed up, wife needs to pick a color and then we’ll paint it. Cabinet doors on the ends and a mini fridge will go in the center with a butcher block bar top.
Working on some mitzvah knitting projects. A friend’s daughter passed away suddenly late last year. The daughter was a fellow string wrangler and did knitting and crochet. Friend gave me all of her stash which included several unfinished projects. Currently working on a scarf that she had gotten about a foot into starting. She had also started a sweater which I think is beyond my capability but that panel she did get done, I am going to incorporate it into a log cabin pattern blanket.
@Thumperchick This is at a weekend place we inherited. I told my husband I was going to caulk the tubs. He said don’t fuck it up. Maybe we should get a professional to do it. I said fine you gonna do that? He said no, just don’t fuck it up. I paraphrase.
So I got started removing the old caulk. Except it’s not caulk it’s grout. I looked up how to fix it. Half the posts said you should use caulk if there isn’t caulk your contractor is a fucking lazy asshole who should be arrested. Your walls are gonna rot if you don’t use caulk.
The other half said no don’t use caulk it causes mold to grow behind the walls. Only a dumb ass bastard would use caulk you need to remove the old grout and replace it. Caulk is going to make your walls rot. Again I paraphrase.
Now I’m paralyzed with fear. And if I don’t do anything the walls are definitely gonna rot.
@sammydog01 Have you watched any of the “This Old House”-type videos? IIRC, they always use caulk & one tip i remember is you want to get in the tub when applying it so there’s enough weight in there to be sure that it doesn’t pull away from the wall the first time someone uses it after it’s cured.
I’m not very handy myself, so i understand the hesitation, but it seems pretty simple when they demonstrate it, as long as you use a sufficiently- sized bead & make sure you use your finger or a tool to smooth it evenly so it has good contact with both the tub & the wall. And, if it turns out really badly, it’s easy enough to remove (as long as it’s not straight silicone) & start over if necessary. Good luck!
@ircon96 I’ve used caulk at home but we have that plastic stuff on the walls. I think I’ll clean up everything next time I’m there and go with caulk. It will be fine. Right?
@sammydog01@Thumperchick Tbh, I’ve never heard of using grout for anything but laying/mounting tile, & i don’t even see how it could work, considering it’s hard & brittle. I think they use caulk for tubs because you’re trying to get a watertight seal on a moving joint, & caulk has some “give” to it.
Again, I’m no expert, but when researching stuff on the interwebs, i always stick with reputable sources (like the tile association) & avoid randos with no credentials, cuz you never know who’s just trying to dupe people for their own amusement! I would just be sure to double check the caulking label to make sure it’s the right stuff for the intended application.
@sammydog01@Thumperchick Btw, i remembered a segment i saw on ATOH that gave a lot of great tips on the basics & found the video. If this looks like the same situation you have, i would def go with this method. Tommy is a real pro & has been around for a long time! (I think he went to high school with Moses. )
Helping my sister put her nursery together and rerun all the extra stuff she got at her baby shower bc somehow target screwed up her registry royally. (she can only do so much per day bc she’s very prego). She’s an hour each way so money is just flying out the window as I drive while gas goes up.
Putting away all the crap from catering for 125 guests at my daughter’s eagle court …
Trying to replicate the thin mint brownie mix recipe that is no longer made…
Making waterbottle wraps for my great nephew’s championship little league game next weekend! Can’t find the photo of the test one I did, but here is the one I did for my daughter’s event.
@mikibell Congrats to your daughter!
Can you tell me more about the water bottle wraps? What is it made of? How does it fasten? Is the eagle embroidered in a separate material then attached?
@callow thank you!
The bottle wraps are made of embroidery vinyl. I had the fleur de leis specially printed for these. I cheated and used blackboard vinyl on the back – much less expensive and since I made the same design over and over, they could write names on the blackboard vinyl. There are snaps that hold the strap together. That picture doesn’t show the completed project. The eagle is made of marine vinyl too. I cut those on my silhouette and then stitched the details onto the cream vinyl. Original design was for a baseball Working on my first hoop worth of them now. Found here: https://www.nosypepperpatterns.com/products/baseball-bottle-band-digital-download?_pos=1&_sid=34c61f341&_ss=r
@mikibell That looks like a lot of fun! My first full time job was in a factory running embroidery machines. I’d love to get into it now but too many hobbies, not enough hours in a day.
Just put the grandkids back on the road to nashville. Getting things together to take to the Alex City jazz fest this evening. Waiting for the next couple to come visit overnight and join us for the festival. Thought I’d pick a few flowers to decorate the pool house where they’ll be staying. Veggie garden is also going ballistic and I’ve been making all kinds of things with zucchini lately
@tinamarie1974@kyeh
Thanks. Sitting on the hillside overlooking lake Martin watching Jocelyn and the sweet compressions put on a show. Weather is perfect. Good friends, good food, lots of beer. Life is good!
@Thumperchick
Thanks SWMBO has been working diligently this spring to get the gardens in order. Me… I’m doing the veggies and they are starting to get crazy productive. Time to get canning!
At work, I’m working on getting another promotion. I had one interview a couple weeks ago and then crickets. BUT I did have a conversation with one of the VPs and confirmed it was just because of vacations/availability and I’m still in the running.
At home I decided to buy this cabinet.
It’s bigger than I realized but I think will still fit in the space I want to put it. I’ve taken off the ugly trim and painted it white. I need to replace the back because not only does it have the “media hole” it’s also cracked. There was a swivel shelf at the bottom that didn’t work very well anyway, so I removed it.
There are still some other things I think I want to do it, like add shelf paper. and the front does look odd with that pattern cut in it without the trim, so I may have to add some quarter round onto it or even just put some decorative wall paper on the doors to make it fun.
I’ll see if it works the way I was hoping. Because of its size, it’s going to make the space (My bathroom) feel MUCH smaller, but at this point, it’s a bit of wasted space right now anyway.
@Kyeh i am NOT detailed oriented when it comes to projects like these… especially when I don’t have the right tools. But here it is… i forgot to take photos before I filled the thing up.
The front I’m still not sure what I’m doing with. I don’t like the lines as-is. I was going to put some wall paper or something on it… maybe some of the shelf paper. Then I thiught about cutting out family photos in squares and putting them in every other square and letting my kids put handprints around the edges of the doors.
It’s also huge and hard to get a good photo in my small bathroom
I did take the backing off and replaced it with new hardboard… so it’s not just shelf liner covering the hole. I just didn’t like the dark on the back so I covered it with the liner.
@mbersiam Great job - it looks a lot better than it did! Those bathroom cabinets are expensive - and often they’re not very sturdy.
If you decide the photos project is too time-consuming, maybe you could use spackling putty to fill in those grooves and then paint over the whole thing?
Recovering a backup that turned into a system transfer. Sent in a laptop for repair (cracked screen, thank you Costco/Allstate/SquareTrade warranty) and it was deemed unrepairable and sent a full refund.
They also sent the disk drive (SSD) back. However, true to their “not responsible for data, make a backup before you send it in” warning, the drive we got back had gone through a complete OS “reset” which wipes everything. It was the drive from the laptop, so that “extra” 1TB NVMe SSD paid for the warranty.
Then, it turns out my son (who had the laptop) only did a “system backup”, and not a full disk partitions backup, meaning the critical hidden partition with the Windows Pro Bitlocker encryption keys that are needed to boot Windows Pro and encrypt critical user info were missing from the “system” backup he made.
I have a disk backup from just before I gave it to him, so I’m going to restore that. Then I am restoring his “system” backup to an empty drive, and then backup that drive as a disk partitions backup. Then, restore the original backup (all partitions, including the Bitlocker partition) to another empty drive, followed by restoring just the boot and main partitions that were backed up in the “system” backup.
Then, make a new, fresh “disk partitions” backup (of the original, with the overlaid last backup partitions).
Then fingers crossed it works the first time popping the drive into the brand new never turned on laptop of exactly the same model (good thing the new replacement models haven’t discontinued this one).
If everything goes perfectly, it should boot up, notice it’s in a different laptop (the CPU and motherboard serial numbers will be different), adjust things and be working perfectly, just like it was before he mailed it off to Allstate for warranty repair.
@mike808 Seems like much work;
(for good measure)
By now I’ve guessed you’ve prevailed, or not.
OK, I’m not completely learned on this – what do you lose if it doesn’t work? Just a license for Win Pro or more? (Software not covered by the SquareTrade warranty?)
@phendrick My son loses all his school work that he had on it and all the licenses of software he’s installed. I’m appreciative that so much of everything is now hostage in someone’s cloud and we merely rent our own personal information and memories back from our keepers.
That said, it was odd that we tried a straight up restore of the two partitions from the system backup and sure as shit, it fired up, adjusted and then once he logged in (the Windows Hello PIN was invalid - probably because that’s tied to the TPM chip, while his BitLocker keys are backed up in his Windows account), everything was back like it was.
So now I’ve got the new OEM 1TB drive that’s never been turned on, backed that up (disk imaged this time ), and the OEM Win11 license on it. I’ll probably repurpose the drive.
@phendrick It took forever to transfer the backup image and to restore it off the cheap ($50) 512GB SanDisk Ultra Drive Dual Go (Both USB-A and USB-C) https://a.co/1Q8tbp3
515GB in the size of a peanut. Amazing, but slow as getting through a captcha for an IRK.
@mike808
Glad it worked out for you (and your son).
And, thanks for the info. Twenty years ago, I thought I knew enough about PCs, but other than mail and personal commerce, have been mostly away from them for a variety of reasons, both work and personal. Back then, I used to do the web pages for our department, but lately can barely spell HTML. Now my twenty-something son is my go-to, especially for anything hardware related.
Haven’t forgotten all the math I retired from a decade ago nor the math software I used, but I keep trying.
Incidentally, as far as drives go, I remember paying about $200 for my first hard drive, a 5 Mega byte affair for a TRS-80. Used. And I think it weighed around 20 pounds. They have come a long way since then.
Although retirement and move has been postponed by current economics, we’re still continuing a slow purge and pack on the house in preparation. That’s the main overall project. Once we clear enough space and at least one room we’re going to try starting the remodel/cleanup (assuming we’ll be able to someday sell the place…)
One can sure acquire a lot of stuff living in one place for 30+ years. We mostly packed our library after purging and donating a ton of books to the local friends of the library and still have over 80 boxes of books. and there’s still 30 or so shelf-feet of books we delayed packing because we might want them in the nearer future.
We’re also using our old ebay and craigslist accounts to start selling items again that have enough value to be worth the effort.
Long way to go. Lots of work on top of too much work work (as usual).
@duodec Basically, this is me as well. I actually had my house sold when the covid lockdowns came along, banks paused all mortgage requests, the county offices were closed so no required inspections, etc. Then it was too dangerous to make a big move. I’ve been working on repairs, cleanup, and getting rid of stuff, interwoven with torrential rains, oppressive heat, a reasonably mild bout with covid, and a bear.
Today I took advantage of a drop in temps to mow a big section of the yard, then came in to cool down and contemplate my next task, when I heard a crashing noise behind my house. I went out on the back porch to see if a tree had crashed, but no. The crash was from the remains of a birdbath that mama black bear had pulled off the side of the house. She had also left a trail of destruction on a patio and was busy trying to find a way into a back shed. I don’t know why. There was no food in any of those places. I yelled at her: “Stop that! It’s the middle of the damned day, you stupid bear!” She gave me a long look, twitched an ear, then casually sauntered away toward my lower field.
So now I have some more cleanup to do. I think the write-up for the house will include the usual: “Able to view lots of wildlife from the back porch.” All things considered, it probably shouldn’t get any more specific.
@duodec@rockblossom Or you could put in the description - “Have enemies? Send them to the back porch to view wildlife. All you need to do is add bait.”
Of course once I told my kid at that PITA teen know it all stage, “There are good reasons why some species eat their young”. You could tell potential buyers they wouldn’t need to worry about telling their kids that. The house comes with a way for that to happen without having to worry about DHS being brought in.
@Kidsandliz My house already comes with a ready-made child hazard: a half-acre farm pond about 200 feet from the house.
Since it is June, the wild blackberries are in fruit and the tourists at the state park are in full bloom with coolers full of snacks, I would have thought the bears would be foraging elsewhere.
Working on my Fortnite skills(or lack thereof) so I can bond with my two sons, that live 708mi away, over summer break! That, and plan a trip to go see them before summer is over!
@chienfou Atmospheric pressures are addressed at the source already, so it’s not a concern here. That said, I was not going to leave margins this close and the design has been upsized already.
@Kyeh@Thumperchick HAHAHA just wait until she can sew. Mom made most of our clothes and would have us “help” (pin things, cut fabric under supervision, not using the sewing machine on real clothes - just scraps, sewed on buttons and snaps…). I was in, 4th or 5th grade (so 9 or 10) when the choir I was in was supposed to have a green skirt for Saint Patrick’s day. I had forgotten to tell mom and then was afraid to tell her the night before - especially since she was going somewhere (I was the babysitter as the church was just next door). Oops.
The night before she was at some church function. I took a wrap around skirt pattern she had used to make a skirt with for me, found some green fabric in her extensive stash, made the skirt, finished well past my bed time, and put it on the dining room table with a note.
I had used the sewing machine to do the hem which I knew I wasn’t supposed to do but I was tired and it was faster. LOL. Anyway apparently she was up late redoing most of what I had done. With kids number 3 & 4 she taught them more than I had known at the same age. I guess I had given her an incentive. Your kid will have an advantage.
@Thumperchick
Those machines look so cool! I’m NOT good at sewing clothes but I do some patchwork piecing and I have a Singer Featherweight. I’ve seen the kid’s machine on the Featherweight Shop site and they seem like they’d be great to learn on.
@Kyeh@Thumperchick careful… Now none of your fabric is safe!! (Ask me how I know!!!) My hubby was over the moom when my daughter started sewing with me. Kinda sexist, but he thought it was cute that his “girls” were sewing masks for him/his work during the early days of the pandemic. He was trying to be sweet…
She starting a scrunchie selling business will all the scraps!
@Kyeh@mikibell@Thumperchick Mom discovered the same thing about fabric (eg my green skirt story). When she downsized she had two dressers full of fabric we went through (some from the 60’s and incredibly out of style and in my opinion ugly - how did we think that looked good back then? LOL). She told me the story of each piece, what she was going to make from it, income cases it had the pattern, zipper and thread folded in it. Bags and bags of it. Sort of sad she didn’t get to all her projects.
On the sexist issue mom said she was a failure as a mom as none of her girls liked to cook, clean, do laundry or sew (I sew from necessity but not because I like doing so and the rest I do from necessity as well). I told her she wasn’t a failure, she was a success as she taught us we didn’t have to like to do these things just because we were girls - we just needed to know how to do them as they were life skills.
@Kidsandliz@Kyeh@mikibell@Thumperchick Once I’ve got some of the other major long-delayed projects well underway, it is hoped that I will create enough room by Stuff Removal to set up the sewing area properly. I’ve got way too many boxes of fabric and far too much equipment sitting here glaring at me.
trying to find a new apartment… which could pretty much be a full-time job. which sucks because I already have a comparatively much more fun full-time job.
@Thumperchick It’s kind of infuriating how manufacturers (of fabric and everything else) seem to have decided that dinosaurs are for boys and unicorns are for girls. No exception.
Here’s a dress I made @puppycat a while back. Can you all believe she’s 6?!?
I made a few hoodies last weekend, but there’s nothing in progress right this minute. I’ve got fabric everywhere, but I’m not quite sure what to work on next.
@Thumperchick This is SUPER cute!
@Thumperchick Lucky little girl - such a beautiful wardrobe, she must be the envy if her friends.
@Kyeh @Thumperchick
I made my first outfit at 6 years old! It was a kimono top with matching shorts done in a wonderful purple hippie like flower material. It was 1971 after all, I bet my mom has pictures of it somewhere!
Your little girl must love picking out patterns and material! Her dress is cute as heck!!
@Kyeh @Lynnerizer That sounds adorable!
I’m putting my livingroom back together this weekend cuz I had to move everything out to get new floors. While the new floors are nice I’m getting tired of moving furniture.
Before:
After:
@metaphore Wow, beautiful! (Impressive button collection, too.)
@metaphore those floors are
@Kyeh @tinamarie1974 I can’t take too much credit for the floors, I just live here. But they are so much nicer and the underlayment added some much needed insulation.
@Kyeh I need to start going to expos again to expand the collection which has stalled out for a few years now.
@metaphore at least the new floors are pretty.
Work thing: Finding artists for Mediocritee, scheduling stuff out, and trying to create social content.
After work craft things: I’ve been making signs for my mom. Got a Cricut for Christmas and I’m finally putting it to use. She’s started turning wood and it’s taking off, so I’m getting her some signs for when she’s at craft tables and stuff. Need to make her some shirts next but that’s a different day.
The black vinyl is chalkboard (yet to be tested with actual chalk, but in theory, it should work?)
Also playing around with stickers and different papers for a new printer–been having fun with that lately.
@riskybryzness I would love to hear a sticker recommendation from you when you find one you like, as I am about to begin the same type of project. And are you laminating them after you print them?
Also, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you planning on doing with the artists you find?
@EwingKlipspring I’ll take some pictures of stuff tonight and get the brand names for you. I’m still figuring it out myself but I’ve tried a few different kinds that I’m a fan of so far.
As far as the artists–I am the scheduler person for Mediocritee so I work on getting stuff on the calendar for upcoming events. (If you have anything, let me know, would love to see any current art you’re working on, I know it’s been a while!)
@EwingKlipspring Okay:
So right now I’m still new at this, but my favorite paper is currently Koala, it’s a white matte vinyl. I’ve been using Canva for the time being until I can work on my own stuff to print.
The colors seem to pop the best on this one. Still trying to figure out the glossy paper, I think my favorite has been from Zicoto but I could be mistaken on that, I lost the label. For the holographic paper, I used Stampcolour and that turned out surprisingly well all things considered.
As far as laminating–yes, I have some–but no I haven’t tried it yet (that’s this weekend.) I am still on the hunt for an easy to apply matte laminate–not a huge fan of gloss.
I’ll try and come up with a better display of everything I’ve been attempting lately. I still need to try cutting the paper with the cricut–it’s been a very slow project.
For the printer, I’m running an Epson EcoTank ET-2720 and it’s been pretty great so far. But I have been finding that each paper has it’s own perks or is stronger with certain colors. Blacks on one may look good but tans or reds are a bit faded on another, so it’s really interesting to see the outcome.
@riskybryzness
I’d love to see what your mom is doing, the wood turning, and what she’s got to sell at the craft fair. I miss going to the craft fairs, these days I just have to troll Etsy to see what’s out there. There’s some really amazing artists out there!
@Lynnerizer Ahh, I’m so proud of my mom. She’s taken this and RAN with it.
@Lynnerizer @riskybryzness
Those are gorgeous!
@riskybryzness
Oh wow those are beautiful! You should have/help her set up a Etsy. I’d love to buy a pen! And I also need a coffee scoop.
Case Mods! (Cat in picture for tax)
Work: finishing up my week in the ER on Sunday (6/5). where I work 1445 to 2315 (7on/7off)
Home: in the mornings this week (before work) I:
Next week the grandkids (2) and a couple of step/half
(?) great nieces (F-I-L’s second wife’s great grand kids…) will be here. The older ones are taking the aforementioned ACT bootcamp, the younger ones (10ish) and a labradoodle will be mine to keep entertained during the daytime from Mon to Thurs.
Other than that… not much going on around here.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@chienfou if you get bored I am sure I can find a few things for you to do as well!
@tinamarie1974
Wife is out of town, visiting Boston with our daughter, (the artist/teacher from Nashville) this week. They are doing a bunch of museums and vegan eateries as an early b-day present to her.*
Turns out I had a lot of “free time” on my hands as a result. Hopefully I will get the chance to travel more when Mom goes to live with my sister next year.
*our daughter, not my wife
@chienfou I hope your wife/daughter have a great time!
@tinamarie1974
They have. They keep sending amazing food shots and a bunch of cool art/museum/concert pics. Crazy that the high has been 60ish and rainy up there, 90+ here! They are due back tomorrow then SHMBO will drive down from Nashville to central AL with the grands in anticipation of next week’s adventures!
@chienfou Can I come to your house to
pickeat blackberries? A certain relative sprayed the huge bunch of them we had at the farm with roundup and we are all sad about that. What I have bought in the store isn’t even close to tasting as good.@chienfou Dang! I didn’t do that much LAST YEAR! lol
@chienfou All that in one week‽ I could probably manage picking the blackberries and blueberries (because I would have a selfish/vested interest in them not being “wasted” on the kids…) but I can barely pretend to keep a garden going. Not to mention the unlimited list of other things I should or want to do.
Most of it, I think, is my job keeping me down. And/or “mental health” in general. But I’m working on getting past that, and maybe finding balance in my life again. Or something reasonably close to that.
In any case, you have an impressive list of productivity, on top of working at a hospital! Bravo!
@xobzoo
Thanks… I think being “alone” at the house probably had a large impact on my productivity. I didn’t have to worry about putting stuff away until tomorrow when my wife actually comes home! For instance, the load of whites that I washed earlier in the week is still in the laundry basket waiting to be put away…
On the other hand, I haven’t even turned on the tablet to look at the local paper that I am subscribed to. I’m sure nothing too important has happened…
@chienfou I’ve been working on finding my motivation. Now I know who’s got it.
@blaineg
I’ll be glad to send it back if you’d like. There are lots of leisure things I would like to do. And someday I need to dig out my office!
@chienfou wow, I’m tired just reading that list!
@chienfou what kind of robotic pool vacuum did you go with? I’ve about had it with my Polaris hydromaton and am starting to think about joining the 21st century.
@djslack
I’m still trying to sort that all out.
I tried a Paxcess/Aiper unit I really liked, but … it kept getting stuck on the bottom drains in the deep end. They are curved (stupid safety feature so you can’t get stuck onto the bottom if you sit on them. Since I generally only have < half the flow from those 2 drains (and the rest from the skimmers) they don’t have nearly enough power to do that…). The unit would get stuck on the middle of the drain cover with the wheels too high to make contact and then sit there until the battery died. It would also occasionally get stuck on the ledge for the seating area and/or steps. But it did a great job climbing the walls and covering the entire pool if I babysat it and kept from getting hung up… of course that defeats the purpose of a robotic cleaner. I even tried the add-on “obstacle wheel kit” to no avail. Unit did a pretty good job of climbing the walls to the water line and scrubbing it all.
I am currently using an Ofuzzi cordless that again, would be great but… it doesn’t climb the transition from my deep to shallow ends. This one is propelled by water pressure. As it sucks up and pushes out water thru the filter area it diverts it from one exit jet to another on the opposite side. This pushes the unit instead of having a motor that propels the wheels. The result is it doesn’t get stuck on my drain covers (yeah), but it doesn’t have enough ‘oomph’ to push it all the way up the ramp (instructions say good for <15 degree slope… but shit, I had no idea what the angle was on mine. Now I know it is evidently MORE than 15 degrees). It is also not capable of climbing the walls (obviously) but neither was my old Polaris so /Shrug.
So far Amazon has been good about taking them back within the 30 day window.
My next attempt will be something with tracks (like a tank) as I think that would solve the drain cover issue. Hoping I can find one that is cordless with tracks to try out in the coming weeks. I’ll keep you posted!
TL:DR Still trying to figure it out!
@chienfou Thank you! I’d looked at an aiper a little while back but hadn’t bitten yet. I have a domed drain too so I’m glad to learn from your experience.
FYI don’t buy the Ryobi cordless pool hand vacuum. I got one and it leaked badly into the battery compartment. I tried to fix it by making my own silicone seals for it and wound up destroying it (and the leak took out a battery pack along the way). It was a waste.
That weekend I learned coconut oil destroys lots of plastics. I was trying to use something mild and non-petroleum based as a release agent to essentially cast silicone seals in the lip of the vacuum parts themselves. Should have gotten a proper release agent but I don’t know how well it would have worked anyway. Since my stupidity caused it to crumble, it was a pricy lesson in chemistry and doing my homework before trying out cockamamie schemes.
@djslack
Bummer about the Ryobi. I had looked at those a while back but never could find one in stock anyplace. Now I know why. (I am a big Ryobi fan, so it sucks that the pool vac is crap)
I have had a couple of pool blasters over the past 10 yrs,. Liked them pretty well. Doheny sells a ‘home brand’ knock-off that looks pretty good. I am currently using an Aiper which I kind of like. Charge holds well, and comes with a short handle that allows you to use it like a Dustbuster (great for the stairs) as well as on a pole for deeper areas.
BTW coconut oil is my go to substance for removing the gummy parts of labels when I take them off of bottles/jars. Just put it on and let it soak a few minutes and then either scrape it off with your nail or just use a paper towel to get it off.
Customer emails.
@Targaryen having had to contact customer service recently, we thank you for your service!
@Targaryen At first glance, my twisted mind parsed that as “customer entrails”.
@Targaryen Modern day augury? Perhaps a kind promoted by Dogbert or Catbert.
@werehatrack Maybe a little bit lol
Trying to get some cleaning-up and putting-stuff-away done. It’s been horribly neglected, and there’s a lot of it, particularly the putting-stuff-away.
Working on my third cup of coffee, because my day isn’t over at work yet.
@narfcake I was working on not killing people when I had to unexpectedly work from home today and only had one dose of coffee.
Building a cabinet/bar for my patio.
@Ignorant Cool! Can we have pics when you’re ready?
@Thumperchick
All primed up, wife needs to pick a color and then we’ll paint it. Cabinet doors on the ends and a mini fridge will go in the center with a butcher block bar top.
@Ignorant nice!
Working on some mitzvah knitting projects. A friend’s daughter passed away suddenly late last year. The daughter was a fellow string wrangler and did knitting and crochet. Friend gave me all of her stash which included several unfinished projects. Currently working on a scarf that she had gotten about a foot into starting. She had also started a sweater which I think is beyond my capability but that panel she did get done, I am going to incorporate it into a log cabin pattern blanket.
@ironcheftoni I ended up with a tote of embroidery floss and half-done projects in a similar way. It’s weird finishing something someone else started.
Next thing to work on: starring another 150,000 posts.
@narfcake Wow!
@Kyeh It’ll probably be at least 2030 before I finish this task.
@narfcake Yeah, I guess so!
@Kyeh @narfcake Wow.
I am working on finishing my cheap potting bench so I can give my cactus herd more love.
Also working on a plan to get more storage in my condo so I can clean up my clutter.
Continuing my bicycle plan so I can ride more this year.
@yakkoTDI I’d love to see pics when you’re done!
Caulking the bathtub. Everyone else’s sounds better.
@sammydog01 I dislike this mildly annoying chore more than I should.
@Thumperchick This is at a weekend place we inherited. I told my husband I was going to caulk the tubs. He said don’t fuck it up. Maybe we should get a professional to do it. I said fine you gonna do that? He said no, just don’t fuck it up. I paraphrase.
So I got started removing the old caulk. Except it’s not caulk it’s grout. I looked up how to fix it. Half the posts said you should use caulk if there isn’t caulk your contractor is a fucking lazy asshole who should be arrested. Your walls are gonna rot if you don’t use caulk.
The other half said no don’t use caulk it causes mold to grow behind the walls. Only a dumb ass bastard would use caulk you need to remove the old grout and replace it. Caulk is going to make your walls rot. Again I paraphrase.
Now I’m paralyzed with fear. And if I don’t do anything the walls are definitely gonna rot.
@sammydog01 Have you watched any of the “This Old House”-type videos? IIRC, they always use caulk & one tip i remember is you want to get in the tub when applying it so there’s enough weight in there to be sure that it doesn’t pull away from the wall the first time someone uses it after it’s cured.
I’m not very handy myself, so i understand the hesitation, but it seems pretty simple when they demonstrate it, as long as you use a sufficiently- sized bead & make sure you use your finger or a tool to smooth it evenly so it has good contact with both the tub & the wall. And, if it turns out really badly, it’s easy enough to remove (as long as it’s not straight silicone) & start over if necessary. Good luck!
@sammydog01 I hate it when the internet gives 2 completely diametrically opposed answers to a problem.
@ircon96 I’ve used caulk at home but we have that plastic stuff on the walls. I think I’ll clean up everything next time I’m there and go with caulk. It will be fine. Right?
@Thumperchick It was weird, no one said it depends or you can use either. Big time throwdown between Team Caulk and Team Grout.
The Tile Council of North America, Inc. recommends caulk and they sound legit. Maybe?
@sammydog01 @Thumperchick Tbh, I’ve never heard of using grout for anything but laying/mounting tile, & i don’t even see how it could work, considering it’s hard & brittle. I think they use caulk for tubs because you’re trying to get a watertight seal on a moving joint, & caulk has some “give” to it.
Again, I’m no expert, but when researching stuff on the interwebs, i always stick with reputable sources (like the tile association) & avoid randos with no credentials, cuz you never know who’s just trying to dupe people for their own amusement!
I would just be sure to double check the caulking label to make sure it’s the right stuff for the intended application.
@sammydog01 @Thumperchick Btw, i remembered a segment i saw on ATOH that gave a lot of great tips on the basics & found the video. If this looks like the same situation you have, i would def go with this method. Tommy is a real pro & has been around for a long time! (I think he went to high school with Moses.
)
Sort, put away, donate stuff. Clean. In general work towards the house being decent. Way behind for reasons both legitimate and plain old lazy.
Researching the Apple Watch and other options for fall detection and call/text contact easy without a phone in hand.
Helping my sister put her nursery together and rerun all the extra stuff she got at her baby shower bc somehow target screwed up her registry royally. (she can only do so much per day bc she’s very prego). She’s an hour each way so money is just flying out the window as I drive while gas goes up.
@Star2236
Ahhh… the joys of family!
Putting away all the crap from catering for 125 guests at my daughter’s eagle court …
Trying to replicate the thin mint brownie mix recipe that is no longer made…
Making waterbottle wraps for my great nephew’s championship little league game next weekend! Can’t find the photo of the test one I did, but here is the one I did for my daughter’s event.
All in all, a quiet weekend!
@mikibell
Congrats to your daughter. Making Eagle is a terrific honor. You should both be proud.
@mikibell
I don’t suppose you’d be kind enough to treat us with that recipe when you get it perfected?
@mikibell Congrats to your daughter!
Can you tell me more about the water bottle wraps? What is it made of? How does it fasten? Is the eagle embroidered in a separate material then attached?
@chienfou Thank you!! So glad it is over!!! She is an adult leader now, working at camp all summer.
@phendrick If I get to an edible end product, of course!
@callow thank you!
Working on my first hoop worth of them now. Found here:
The bottle wraps are made of embroidery vinyl. I had the fleur de leis specially printed for these. I cheated and used blackboard vinyl on the back – much less expensive and since I made the same design over and over, they could write names on the blackboard vinyl. There are snaps that hold the strap together. That picture doesn’t show the completed project. The eagle is made of marine vinyl too. I cut those on my silhouette and then stitched the details onto the cream vinyl. Original design was for a baseball
https://www.nosypepperpatterns.com/products/baseball-bottle-band-digital-download?_pos=1&_sid=34c61f341&_ss=r
The eagle is a “feltie” that I hacked from here:
https://bowsandclothes.com/shop/eagle-face-feltie/
@mikibell That looks like a lot of fun! My first full time job was in a factory running embroidery machines. I’d love to get into it now but too many hobbies, not enough hours in a day.
@mikibell wow! That’s an impressive acheivement.
@mikibell fini!
@mikibell That looks wonderful, wow!
15th wedding anniversary today, so that is Always a work in progress.
@rinrinrin Happy Anniversary!
@rinrinrin Congratulations! We celebrated our anniversary on Wednesday (31 years!
)
@macromeh Congrats on 31 years!
@macromeh @rinrinrin congrats to both of you!
took time off from projects to take some dam pictures
@walarney Ooh! Pretty!
@cf1 @walarney
Note to self: When someone says stop taking those fucking pictures, it’s probably a good idea.
@walarney those are some nice dam pics!
@walarney I’m curious: Why does a dam need windows, with shades to boot?
@phendrick there are some old photos of the interior here: https://www.historylink.org/File/2528
Just put the grandkids back on the road to nashville. Getting things together to take to the Alex City jazz fest this evening. Waiting for the next couple to come visit overnight and join us for the festival. Thought I’d pick a few flowers to decorate the pool house where they’ll be staying. Veggie garden is also going ballistic and I’ve been making all kinds of things with zucchini lately
@chienfou
Wow! Lucky friends! Hope you have a great time.
@chienfou so pretty
@tinamarie1974 @kyeh
Thanks. Sitting on the hillside overlooking lake Martin watching Jocelyn and the sweet compressions put on a show. Weather is perfect. Good friends, good food, lots of beer. Life is good!
@chienfou @Kyeh thst is what it is all about! ❤❤
@chienfou @tinamarie1974
Sounds lovely!
@chienfou ooh, pretty!
@Thumperchick
Thanks SWMBO has been working diligently this spring to get the gardens in order. Me… I’m doing the veggies and they are starting to get crazy productive. Time to get canning!
A large Roman shade.
@callow that is indeed a mighty large Roman shade! What will it cover? Window? Patio doors?
@milstarr There are two of them that will each cover triple windows that meet at the corner.
At work, I’m working on getting another promotion. I had one interview a couple weeks ago and then crickets. BUT I did have a conversation with one of the VPs and confirmed it was just because of vacations/availability and I’m still in the running.
At home I decided to buy this cabinet.
It’s bigger than I realized but I think will still fit in the space I want to put it. I’ve taken off the ugly trim and painted it white. I need to replace the back because not only does it have the “media hole” it’s also cracked. There was a swivel shelf at the bottom that didn’t work very well anyway, so I removed it.
There are still some other things I think I want to do it, like add shelf paper. and the front does look odd with that pattern cut in it without the trim, so I may have to add some quarter round onto it or even just put some decorative wall paper on the doors to make it fun.
I’ll see if it works the way I was hoping. Because of its size, it’s going to make the space (My bathroom) feel MUCH smaller, but at this point, it’s a bit of wasted space right now anyway.
@mbersiam I hope you post photos of the finished project!
@Kyeh i am NOT detailed oriented when it comes to projects like these… especially when I don’t have the right tools. But here it is… i forgot to take photos before I filled the thing up.
The front I’m still not sure what I’m doing with. I don’t like the lines as-is. I was going to put some wall paper or something on it… maybe some of the shelf paper. Then I thiught about cutting out family photos in squares and putting them in every other square and letting my kids put handprints around the edges of the doors.
It’s also huge and hard to get a good photo in my small bathroom
I did take the backing off and replaced it with new hardboard… so it’s not just shelf liner covering the hole. I just didn’t like the dark on the back so I covered it with the liner.
@mbersiam Great job - it looks a lot better than it did! Those bathroom cabinets are expensive - and often they’re not very sturdy.
If you decide the photos project is too time-consuming, maybe you could use spackling putty to fill in those grooves and then paint over the whole thing?
Dowdle jigsaw puzzle. I almost always have one going. I love Dowdle puzzles!
(example of Dowdles… not the one I’m working on now)
@Tadlem43
Very cool
@Tadlem43 Costco often sells stacks of Dowdle’s puzzles. Lately they’ve had only one, a Dowdle puzzle of… Costco.
@blaineg Thanks. I may check it out.
Recovering a backup that turned into a system transfer. Sent in a laptop for repair (cracked screen, thank you Costco/Allstate/SquareTrade warranty) and it was deemed unrepairable and sent a full refund.
They also sent the disk drive (SSD) back. However, true to their “not responsible for data, make a backup before you send it in” warning, the drive we got back had gone through a complete OS “reset” which wipes everything. It was the drive from the laptop, so that “extra” 1TB NVMe SSD paid for the warranty.
Then, it turns out my son (who had the laptop) only did a “system backup”, and not a full disk partitions backup, meaning the critical hidden partition with the Windows Pro Bitlocker encryption keys that are needed to boot Windows Pro and encrypt critical user info were missing from the “system” backup he made.
I have a disk backup from just before I gave it to him, so I’m going to restore that. Then I am restoring his “system” backup to an empty drive, and then backup that drive as a disk partitions backup. Then, restore the original backup (all partitions, including the Bitlocker partition) to another empty drive, followed by restoring just the boot and main partitions that were backed up in the “system” backup.
Then, make a new, fresh “disk partitions” backup (of the original, with the overlaid last backup partitions).
Then fingers crossed it works the first time popping the drive into the brand new never turned on laptop of exactly the same model (good thing the new replacement models haven’t discontinued this one).
If everything goes perfectly, it should boot up, notice it’s in a different laptop (the CPU and motherboard serial numbers will be different), adjust things and be working perfectly, just like it was before he mailed it off to Allstate for warranty repair.
@mike808 Seems like much work;
(for good measure)
By now I’ve guessed you’ve prevailed, or not.
OK, I’m not completely learned on this – what do you lose if it doesn’t work? Just a license for Win Pro or more? (Software not covered by the SquareTrade warranty?)
@phendrick My son loses all his school work that he had on it and all the licenses of software he’s installed. I’m appreciative that so much of everything is now hostage in someone’s cloud and we merely rent our own personal information and memories back from our keepers.
That said, it was odd that we tried a straight up restore of the two partitions from the system backup and sure as shit, it fired up, adjusted and then once he logged in (the Windows Hello PIN was invalid - probably because that’s tied to the TPM chip, while his BitLocker keys are backed up in his Windows account), everything was back like it was.
So good news and an unblame for @walterbird.
So now I’ve got the new OEM 1TB drive that’s never been turned on, backed that up (disk imaged this time
), and the OEM Win11 license on it. I’ll probably repurpose the drive.
@phendrick It took forever to transfer the backup image and to restore it off the cheap ($50) 512GB SanDisk Ultra Drive Dual Go (Both USB-A and USB-C) https://a.co/1Q8tbp3
515GB in the size of a peanut. Amazing, but slow as getting through a captcha for an IRK.
@mike808
Glad it worked out for you (and your son).
And, thanks for the info. Twenty years ago, I thought I knew enough about PCs, but other than mail and personal commerce, have been mostly away from them for a variety of reasons, both work and personal. Back then, I used to do the web pages for our department, but lately can barely spell HTML. Now my twenty-something son is my go-to, especially for anything hardware related.
Haven’t forgotten all the math I retired from a decade ago nor the math software I used, but I keep trying.
Incidentally, as far as drives go, I remember paying about $200 for my first hard drive, a 5 Mega byte affair for a TRS-80. Used. And I think it weighed around 20 pounds. They have come a long way since then.
@phendrick @Walterbird
@mike808 Your son is pretty lucky to have a dad who can do all that!
I love all of the updates on what’s going on with you all!
Although retirement and move has been postponed by current economics, we’re still continuing a slow purge and pack on the house in preparation. That’s the main overall project. Once we clear enough space and at least one room we’re going to try starting the remodel/cleanup (assuming we’ll be able to someday sell the place…)
One can sure acquire a lot of stuff living in one place for 30+ years. We mostly packed our library after purging and donating a ton of books to the local friends of the library and still have over 80 boxes of books. and there’s still 30 or so shelf-feet of books we delayed packing because we might want them in the nearer future.
We’re also using our old ebay and craigslist accounts to start selling items again that have enough value to be worth the effort.
Long way to go. Lots of work on top of too much work work (as usual).
@duodec Basically, this is me as well. I actually had my house sold when the covid lockdowns came along, banks paused all mortgage requests, the county offices were closed so no required inspections, etc. Then it was too dangerous to make a big move. I’ve been working on repairs, cleanup, and getting rid of stuff, interwoven with torrential rains, oppressive heat, a reasonably mild bout with covid, and a bear.
Today I took advantage of a drop in temps to mow a big section of the yard, then came in to cool down and contemplate my next task, when I heard a crashing noise behind my house. I went out on the back porch to see if a tree had crashed, but no. The crash was from the remains of a birdbath that mama black bear had pulled off the side of the house. She had also left a trail of destruction on a patio and was busy trying to find a way into a back shed. I don’t know why. There was no food in any of those places. I yelled at her: “Stop that! It’s the middle of the damned day, you stupid bear!” She gave me a long look, twitched an ear, then casually sauntered away toward my lower field.
So now I have some more cleanup to do. I think the write-up for the house will include the usual: “Able to view lots of wildlife from the back porch.” All things considered, it probably shouldn’t get any more specific.
@duodec @rockblossom Or you could put in the description - “Have enemies? Send them to the back porch to view wildlife. All you need to do is add bait.”
Of course once I told my kid at that PITA teen know it all stage, “There are good reasons why some species eat their young”. You could tell potential buyers they wouldn’t need to worry about telling their kids that. The house comes with a way for that to happen without having to worry about DHS being brought in.
@Kidsandliz My house already comes with a ready-made child hazard: a half-acre farm pond about 200 feet from the house.
Since it is June, the wild blackberries are in fruit and the tourists at the state park are in full bloom with coolers full of snacks, I would have thought the bears would be foraging elsewhere.
Working on my Fortnite skills(or lack thereof) so I can bond with my two sons, that live 708mi away, over summer break! That, and plan a trip to go see them before summer is over!
Performing hydraulic analysis calculations at work. Safety margin: 0.008 PSI. It works … barely.
(For perspectives, a quarter inch of water exerts more pressure than that just from gravity.)
@narfcake
How do you separate out gravity from atmospheric pressure?
@chienfou Atmospheric pressures are addressed at the source already, so it’s not a concern here. That said, I was not going to leave margins this close and the design has been upsized already.
@narfcake
Sounds like a good plan!
Someone else posted turning projects, so I thought I would post a couple I just did for a couple of customers.
@toycardriver Stunning.
What kind of wood is that?
@toycardriver so pretty!! Do you also make seam rippers?
@Kyeh Not wood. It’s Alumilite resin.
@Thumperchick I do. I have some kits, but I don’t have any made up now.
@toycardriver
Oh! Well, it’s beautiful.
@Thumperchick @toycardriver soooo you are going to make the seam rippers, right??? Ignore thumperchick, she is not in line before me!!
@mikibell @toycardriver Hey! I asked first.
@Thumperchick @toycardriver yeah but we all know I NEED a seam ripper more
@Thumperchick @toycardriver I keep meaning to post how pretty these are! I have already used mine and the other is a Christmas present for my daughter!
@mikibell @Thumperchick I’m glad you like them!
First pair of pj’s!
This kid… She’s only 6 and she’s wearing sizes 10-12. Someone make her stop growing.
@Thumperchick So cute!
@Thumperchick Well you could stop feeding her but I understand DHS takes a dim view of that. Not to mention they get cranky when they are hungry. LOL
Good thing you can sew. When she is out of kid’s sizes things get so much more expensive.
@Kidsandliz fabric is expensive, too. For most things, it’s cheaper to buy from the store, unfortunately.
But I get to make stuff for fun.
@Thumperchick well done
@Thumperchick
Is she interested in learning to sew?
@Kyeh she is! Her grandfather got her a working antique singer for kids machine and she currently practices on paper lines.
@Kyeh @Thumperchick HAHAHA just wait until she can sew. Mom made most of our clothes and would have us “help” (pin things, cut fabric under supervision, not using the sewing machine on real clothes - just scraps, sewed on buttons and snaps…). I was in, 4th or 5th grade (so 9 or 10) when the choir I was in was supposed to have a green skirt for Saint Patrick’s day. I had forgotten to tell mom and then was afraid to tell her the night before - especially since she was going somewhere (I was the babysitter as the church was just next door). Oops.
The night before she was at some church function. I took a wrap around skirt pattern she had used to make a skirt with for me, found some green fabric in her extensive stash, made the skirt, finished well past my bed time, and put it on the dining room table with a note.
I had used the sewing machine to do the hem which I knew I wasn’t supposed to do but I was tired and it was faster. LOL. Anyway apparently she was up late redoing most of what I had done. With kids number 3 & 4 she taught them more than I had known at the same age. I guess I had given her an incentive.
Your kid will have an advantage.
@Thumperchick
Those machines look so cool! I’m NOT good at sewing clothes but I do some patchwork piecing and I have a Singer Featherweight. I’ve seen the kid’s machine on the Featherweight Shop site and they seem like they’d be great to learn on.
@Kyeh @Thumperchick careful… Now none of your fabric is safe!! (Ask me how I know!!!) My hubby was over the moom when my daughter started sewing with me. Kinda sexist, but he thought it was cute that his “girls” were sewing masks for him/his work during the early days of the pandemic. He was trying to be sweet…
She starting a scrunchie selling business will all the scraps!
@mikibell good for her!
@Kyeh @mikibell @Thumperchick Mom discovered the same thing about fabric (eg my green skirt story). When she downsized she had two dressers full of fabric we went through (some from the 60’s and incredibly out of style and in my opinion ugly - how did we think that looked good back then? LOL). She told me the story of each piece, what she was going to make from it, income cases it had the pattern, zipper and thread folded in it. Bags and bags of it. Sort of sad she didn’t get to all her projects.
On the sexist issue mom said she was a failure as a mom as none of her girls liked to cook, clean, do laundry or sew (I sew from necessity but not because I like doing so and the rest I do from necessity as well). I told her she wasn’t a failure, she was a success as she taught us we didn’t have to like to do these things just because we were girls - we just needed to know how to do them as they were life skills.
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @mikibell @Thumperchick Once I’ve got some of the other major long-delayed projects well underway, it is hoped that I will create enough room by Stuff Removal to set up the sewing area properly. I’ve got way too many boxes of fabric and far too much equipment sitting here glaring at me.
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @mikibell @werehatrack I too hoard fabric. So many totes of fabric. So, so many.
trying to find a new apartment… which could pretty much be a full-time job. which sucks because I already have a comparatively much more fun full-time job.
Working
onup a sweat today – not from working out but because the A/C is down for the count at work. It’s currently 85 inside my office.@narfcake
That sounds hellacious!
@Kyeh It’s definitely uncomfortable, but I’m still being paid for not doing much real work.
@Kyeh @narfcake
/youtube money for nothing
Last night I hemmed a magnetic screen, which was a challenge.
Currently on my sewing desk is fabric for new PJs for @puppycat. She requested unicorns and dinosaurs, so she’s getting 2 pairs.
@Thumperchick It’s kind of infuriating how manufacturers (of fabric and everything else) seem to have decided that dinosaurs are for boys and unicorns are for girls. No exception.
@Kyeh This dino print is pretty girl friendly.
@Thumperchick That’s really nice! Is that what you’re using?
@Kyeh Yep. That’s for her dino pj’s.
I knocked out the dino pj’s and a dress for the kid. She quickly hoarded them in her room, so I didn’t get pics.
After leaving MK and the stools sitting in boxes for months, I finally got around to setting up an arcade corner.
@metaphore nice!!
Whoa! @toycardriver really came through with a gorgeous seam ripper and a great pen!
(This one is their pic ^)
I love them both.
@Thumperchick @toycardriver
Beautiful!