Nagle5 News

The Last Big Project for Organizing Season

2012-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

So, I confessed the details of this project to my sister and she burst out laughing at me. Then she told me I was "special" and I'm not certain she meant it as a compliment, but still, on the off chance some of you are "special", I decided to share with you the last "big" thing I did this Organizing Season.

Our closet. Exciting, isn't it?

(How is that for an introduction? I'm hoping you'll be so disarmed by my candor that you won't laugh too hard at me. Besides, by sharing it this way, Superman will have time to digest it before his next leave!)

Of course, this is the "after"! Who thinks of taking a before
of their closet?

Are you an early adopter of things like technology or "time-saving" gadgets or "new, improved" old things? I'm not. I have to be convinced that the new widget will improve the quality of our lives. I really think long and hard about whether "new and shiny" will actually do anything to enhance my life. Will it just be a thrill to get something new or will it really be a help? Will it only work because I'm paying attention to its newness or is it really an improvement? This is the line of questioning I ask myself when considering bringing new things into our home. Still, I do adopt cool things: We have an iPad, I have a smart phone (albeit with Virgin Mobile because I'm anti-contract), we have wireless internet, and we have laptops. Heck, I even have a Blendtec (but it took me 18 months to decide I'd really, really use it...and I do.)

Were these really going to be better than the cheap-o tube hangers? What
about the heavier plastic hangers that swiveled?

So, don't laugh when I tell you it took me more than a year to decide to upgrade our...hangers. Yep, I said hangers. You know those fuzzy hangers? They tempted me from the get go. No tank tops falling off the hangers? No paper thin t-shirts sliding right off the hangers? No slippery workout jackets needing to be zipped to stay where I put them? Buttercup's strappy little summer dresses would actually stay put? No misshapen cardigans that slipped but didn't fall, so now they have a weird lump? I didn't believe it. I held back. Its just a hanger. Would they even be strong enough for coats? They look small. How much difference could they possibly make? Still, I continued to be frustrated by trying to keep our clothes on the hangers and looking nice. Maybe it is because my shoulders are so broad, but my clothes were constantly falling off the hangers...it drove me crazy. I was so tempted to get those fuzzy hangers, but I just wasn't sure.

Oh, yes! They were much better! (See my old hangers in the first box?)

Finally, though, I'd had enough. I'd been pricing the hangers and really was having trouble justifying them, no matter how frustrated I was. ($5 for five hangers? Really?! Um, no thank you!) Then, the stars aligned and I walked into my local Costco and saw packs of 35 hangers for $9.99. I pulled the trigger and bought three boxes. (I suspect strongly that my tipping point arrived when inexpensive hangers arrived at my Costco. The correlation between the price going down and my purchasing the hangers caan't be understated!)

See Superman's shirts? Look how nice they look!

I enthusiastically threw myself into the project of rehanging every item in my closet. I touched every article of clothing in there. Everything came out, but not everything went back in. (Changing out your hangers is an amazing way to go through your closet. You miss nothing!) It was amazing...everything stayed where I put it. I was hooked. I went back and bought more hangers (yes, Superman, I did...I needed to do your side!) and finished the job. And when I was done, I was happy. It looked so, well, organized.

Can you tell I have a mom uniform? I hate shopping, so if I like something, I buy
a few of it...coral t-shirts, grey t-shirts, white t-shirts...notice a trend?

But, here is the real test. Its been three weeks. Am I still happy? Oh my gosh, yes! I cannot believe how wonderful it is to have my clothes stay put (they stay put even when you're pulling out something next to something else and they used to both slip off -- not any more), to have all my clothes hanging at the same height, and to know everything in my closet is something I wear.

There you have it, my last big project for Organizing Season. It was a big "little" project, but it was so worthwhile. Commence laughing! (It is okay...it won't hurt my feelings.)

Happy Birthday, Valiant!

2012-02-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

16 years old today!

Our beloved Prince Valiant turns 16 today! He's grown up so much in the past year and this coming year will be even faster (for Mom and Dad!) This year will bring driving, employment, and junior college, so for now, I'm looking backwards.

Obviously, he couldn't find the movie he was looking for...

1997 - Silly baby! He really gets into movies.

Still, he was darned cute in his uniform!

2001 - He never really liked baseball, but we tried...

Wild and Crazy Boy!

2002 - Dancing with Buttercup. Who needs pants? (at least he wears shorts now!)

He still has his little green friend.

The California ScienCenter was one of his favorite places.

Who needs musical instruments? The rubber mallet is an awesome air guitar!

Oh So Cool! (in Mom's blazer and sunglasses!)

2003 - Too cool for school!

7 years ago today...his sister has always been his biggest fan!

2005 - Happy Birthday, Valiant! We do so love you!

Organizing Season: Tackling Visual Distractions

2012-02-07T22:21:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of the concept of visual distractions as it applies to the home? You might well have heard about it if you've dealt with a child who has ADD/ADHD or if you've been involved in getting a classroom ready for 30 students. They even talk about it in the workplace. As for me, I had never heard the phrase before a friend mentioned it in relation to her child's ADD and her need to combat visual distraction in his homework zone.    When I heard that phrase, a lightbulb went on in my head. Finally, an explanation for why I work so hard to keep my house organized.

Visual (n): Seen or able to be seen by the eye.

Distraction (n.): something that diverts attention; something that interferes with concentration or takes attention away from something else.

So, a visual distraction is anything you see that diverts your attention away from something else. In your home, that can be too much stuff, stuff in the wrong place, stuff that isn't finished, and even not enough stuff or not the right stuff. Think about it. A visual distraction is a discordant note for your eyes. You "see" it all the time, to the point that you can be blinded to everything else. Alternatively, you can stop "seeing" it to the point that you don't notice it at all...no matter how big and distracting it really should be.

Think of it like this: Driving down a country road, you see trees and greenery. The occasional cow or horse brings a smile to your face. You notice more...you actually see more of what you're looking at. Looking around is actually calming. Driving in the city, on the other hand, you're bombarded by billboards, street signs, speeding cars, and storefronts. You literally can't take it all in, so you start shutting it out. You deliberately "don't see" what you're looking at because it is all too much...you simply can't process it all, so you don't. Definitely not relaxing.

The same thing happens in our homes. In our hurry-up lifestyles, clutter-filled surfaces become distractions so great we don't allow ourselves to see them out of self-preservation. The flyer from the kids' school, permission slips, homework to be looked over, the newspaper, the magazines, the stack of bills, yesterday's dishes, the overflowing trashcan, the pile of clean clothes, the pile of dirty clothes, the toys on the floor, the carpets that need to be vacuumed, the dust on the shelves, the smudges on the mirror, the cluttered bathroom counters, the dirty toilets...it all feels like too much, so we stop looking. We have to in order to go about our business with any sanity. The only problem is that eventually, as we avoid dealing with the visual distraction, the space we can still "see" becomes so small, we don't fit in it. So we head out...we shop in nice big clean stores...we eat in clean restaurants...and suddenly, are homes aren't homes anymore. They're way stations...

Now, I'm truly not OCD and no one in my family has been diagnosed ADD/ADHD (I'm not swearing that no one suffers, though.). Through trial and error, though, I have discovered that I simply cannot function in a house with a lot of visual distractions.   It takes very little messiness to throw me for a loop...so, I try not to let that happen. Even more importantly, I've discovered my children function far better with orderliness...clean lines, empty surfaces, etc. For example, I can't watch a movie with my family if the room we're to sit in is messy.   I can't sit down to read in a room that needs attention. I simply can't relax.  I can't sit down to study in a room that is untidy. (Man, oh, man, was my house clean when I went back to school to finish my degree!) I have trouble writing blog posts if my desk is messy, even if it is messy for a good cause. (Hey, it can happen!)

For me, a harmonious home is all about minimizing visual distractions for all of us. I like to decorate with clean lines (no ruffles, please), simple patterns, and colors that flow.   Let me be perfectly clear: IT IS NOT ABOUT PERFECTION. It is all about making a home that truly works for you, not one that you work around. The macaroni and cheese room was fun for the kids, but it got very tiresome very quickly.   Suddenly, I realized I was working around it...I wasn't enjoying it at all...time for the orange to go. Now the room works again.   Have you ever wondered why you feel so good after tackling a big clean-up project? Being productive feels good, but looking around and seeing everything in place actually calms your mind. Think about it...you know I'm right.

So, what does this have to do with Organizing Season in my house this year?    Let's face it, we all have weird situations we face when attempting to organize our own homes. Each family is unique. In my case,

I find myself amused to see hamster supplies next to cat supplies...I don't know why.

Part One: The Garage - I know, it sounds weird, so let me explain. Pulling into the garage everyday, I was always frustrated by how much disorganized clutter I had to walk through to get into the house. We have seven mammals that need to be cared for, which means I'm always struggling to deal with pet supplies. (I looked for "before" pictures, but, for obvious reasons, I don't have a lot of pictures of our garage...I mean, it is the garage.) We had trash cans and recycle bins and dog food bins and cat food bins and bins for the cat litter and bins for the hamster bedding and none of the bins went together. Some rolled, some didn't. Some were big, some were little. It was really inefficient, too. In order for the kids to get to them, they were always pulled out of place and left in the way. (Translation: left out for me to deal with!) With Superman overseas, I have been dealing with the garage more than ever before and it was making me crazy. When Superman is home, I don't "see" the garage. It is his domain. These days, however, I'd want to head out to do a quick project and I'd be so visually distracted that I couldn't focus on my intended project that I'd spend two hours cleaning, organizing, reshuffling, whatever, in a vain attempt to make it all work and it didn't.

Clearly labeled.

I finally conceded defeat and got rid of all the mismatched bins. I liked our recycle bins (lids keep the animals out), so I kept those. But I invested in new pet supply containers. Then I labeled everything with vinyl from my Silhouette (still love that machine!) and set it all out.

Cutter free...and definitely usable.

Now when I pull into the garage, this is what I see. I feel happier when I walk through the door into the house because I didn't have to walk the gauntlet of "stuff I should be dealing with". I've dealt with it...it is done...and I like it. My solutions were simple and sustainable, even for teenagers. Best of all, I'm pretty certain Superman will approve!

To be continued...

Part Two: My Closet!

Organizing Season Always Involves Decluttering

2012-02-06T23:33:00.000-08:00

The best part of Organizing Season is how the act of decluttering helps me align the real me with the "vision of me" I have. Have you ever thought about it like that? All that stuff we hold on to represents the vision of ourselves we have, but doesn't necessarily mesh with our reality. We can go two ways. We can change our reality to match our vision of ourselves or we can change our vision of ourselves to match our reality. In my case, it seems that this time of years is all about changing my vision to match reality, which means I shed those things that just aren't "real". Does that make sense? Think about it for awhile. Let it bounce around. You hold onto stuff that you don't use because it is part of an unrealistic vision you have of yourself.

Enough serious stuff. You'll be thinking about that idea all day, I promise. So, let's move on to the nitty gritty of my Organizing Season week.

Getting organized just wouldn't be complete without a hefty bout of decluttering. Especially after the holidays, it always feels like we're surrounded with too much stuff. From holiday decorations to layers of clothing to undone projects, it all just starts to feel like too much. I feel weighed down by my own expectations for myself. I just start to feel like my stuff owns me.   Do you feel that way, too?

Fortunately for me, last week a local charity called to let me know they'd have a truck in our neighborhood Tuesday and offered to pick up anything I'd have for them. Woot! Now I had a deadline--just what I needed! They're wonderful motivators.

The first thing I tackled was 13 years worth of scrapbooking materials, of which I'd used none in the last six and half years. Yep, you read that correctly. I have not done any scrapbooking since we moved to Eastern Washington. Without my friends in California, I didn't enjoy doing it anymore.   Still, I held onto the materials and equipment for "someday". Well, this year, I finally accepted that my vision of myself as a person who made amazing scrapbooks for my children was not ever going to become reality.   Paper is just not a medium I am creative working in. (Hopefully, my children won't be scarred for life.)

The scissors were actually dusty!

The scrapbooking stuff had to leave. I didn't need the guilt anymore. Three Trader Joe's bags of stuff had to leave, to be exact. This was after I'd sent two boxes of paper to my sister last year. Rewriting your vision of yourself takes time. For me, it has been a process of letting go of that "ideal" vision...it takes some honesty to say to yourself, "I'm just not going to do that...ever."

Idea books, pages, etc...

Fortunately, my bff Andi loves to scrapbook, make cards, and generally create beautiful things with paper, so I gave it all to her. (She was thrilled, I promise! I wasn't just dumping stuff on her.)

Paper trimmer, punches, stickers, the works!

She said I had tons of good stuff, we didn't have as many duplicates as she had expected and she'll pass the books and some duplicate supplies onto other ladies who have interest. All my unused stuff will finally get used. That is a fabulous feeling.

Still, none of this got me any closer to stuff for the charity truck. Next up was my fabric stash. Yes, I've been sewing a lot (for me!) lately, but there is still a ton of stuff I will never use. Tastes change, kids grow-up, etc. I don't have babies...I won't use some of this fabric for anything and someone else might...but, not if I leave it in my stash.

Tastes change...

All this fabric just got added to the pile.

A huge bag of fabric leaves the house...

Pretty cool, right? I hope people get to make wonderful stuff out of this fabric.

Three bins that were too full were culled into one bin that isn't full.

Three bins of holiday decorations was cut down to one and one of the bins ended up get donated. Holiday decorations? Really. I don't know about you, but my holiday decorating changes as my household decor changes. Things I loved when my kids were little don't seem to "fit" in my house these days. After a few years of not using them, I realized it was time to cull the decorations. I also got rid of a ton of gift bags. (Hey, Tricia, some of them were yours from 12 years ago! That is how long I held on this stuff!)

Anyone need a punching bag?

I was on a roll. I got onto Skype and said, "Hey, Honey, may I get rid of your punching bag?" He said to check with Valiant, so I checked with Valiant. "Hey, Valiant, you know that punching bag you NEVER use? May I get rid of it?" As you can imagine, he didn't care, so the charity truck is going to be picking up a punching bag, too. (Boxing gloves included!) A sewing machine carrying case, curtains panels, a bowling ball, picture frames, and a cork board are just some of the things in the pile.

That is a lot of stuff that is no longer in my house!

I don't want to bore you, so I'll stop for now. I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing just how much the charity truck is picking up in the morning. It goes all the way up the stairs to my front door. What do you think? All that stuff is leaving my house for good! How cool is that?

P.S. Oh, do you see the big bag of hangers? Wait til you see what we did! Did I mention I love Organizing Season?

It might a month late, but Organzing Season has arrived in the Nagle5 household!

2012-02-06T00:59:00.000-08:00

Typically Organizing Season coincides with the de-Santa-fication process and runs right along with the New Year. This year, however, Organizing Season was delayed by Superman's departure, a bad case of the flu, some broken bones, and a small car accident. Still, it arrived and I've been busy embracing all that Organizing Season entails. Rethinking projects, rethinking belongings, rethinking processes. The goal? A smoothly running home, a clear mind, and a simpler flow overall. My posts this week will be sharing the progress I've made in the past ten days or so. I hope you find a little inspiration to tackle those niggling projects that are always right there in the back of your mind...waiting for you to get them done.

Let's get started with Superman's Christmas present. I couldn't show them to you before the holidays and I couldn't tell you about them. It was the most difficult secret to keep. Why? a) I'm just not a good secret keeper and b) this was a fantastic secret. Let me show you:

Before November of 2011, this was the most recent official picture of our three children together. Notice that Buttercup still has all her baby teeth! That would be because she was four! Yes, I've been remiss in having pictures of the kids taken period, let alone taken together. So, this year I decided to surprise Superman by having an updated picture of the kids taken, as well as having individual pictures of each of them taken. (We're home schoolers, so we don't have "picture day" every year...I'm a slacker that way.)

Cute kids, aren't they?

So, imagine his surprise when he opened this at Christmas!

Not such little kids any more, are they? The baby in this picture is almost the same age as the big kids was in the first picture...

The kids were so touched because Superman got tears in his eyes when he opened the package...it made keeping the secret worthwhile. Did I mention I had individual shots taken of each of the children, too?

Our beloved Prince Charming...so clearly a man now.

Our spirited Prince Valiant...growing up so quickly.

Our beautiful Princess Buttercup...a baby no more.

(To those of you who know us in real life, I couldn't even send him a copy of the Christmas card/photo you all received via snail mail...it would have spoiled the surprise. I'm telling you, it nearly killed me!)

So, what does this all have to do with Organizing Season? Having the pictures taken was only the beginning. I needed to get these picture framed and hung. Superman knew the surprise...I had no good reason to not finish the job, so last week I got right to itl. I ushered in Organizing Season by getting these gorgeous photos framed and hung on the walls. I love how they look in our bedroom...Superman just had to trust me, as he won't be home on leave for a while.

A win-win, don't you think?

Hard Work...

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hard work isn't always pretty...

Hard work isn't always fun...

Hard work isn't always cool...

Hard work is sometimes awkward...

Photo credit: Crossfit509

Hard work isn't always hard...

Hard work is isn't always lonely...

Photo credit: Crossfit509

Worst of all? Hard work almost never yields immediate results. But let's be real here. Hard work teaches us perserverance and dedication. We fall down and get up again. And, finally,

Hard work helps us reach new heights...

and they are all the sweeter because of the effort that went into reaching them.

Quick Fix for a Bentwood Rocker

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

I love Bentwood rockers. I have had two and think they're just so pretty. The one I currently have has been moved all over the house, filling in whenever I need extra seating in a room. After being in a high usage area for maybe too long, I brought it downstairs to protect it. Unfortunately, I think I was a little too late. This poor rocker couldn't handle the pressure anymore and its cane seat finally gave up the ghost.

I just couldn't bear to get rid of the chair, but I didn't really want to learn to recane it right now. I'd seen "before and after" shots where people had reclaimed rocking chairs and thought we could do it. I pulled out the cane seat and discovered that there is a lip there that can hold a thin board. Now my biggest problem was a lack of skill with the jigsaw to create a board in the necessary shape. (I'm pretty handy with the scroll saw, but controlling the hand-held jigsaw isn't one of my strengths...yet.) Once I explained what I was trying to accomplish, my beloved Superman came to my rescue. We headed to Home Depot, picked up a small sheet of 5mm underlayment, then headed over to Hancock fabric to pick up a square of foam, and some adhesive to make the foam and the underlayment stay friends and we were ready to salvage this chair.

First, Superman traced the shape of the seat using the broken cane seat, then he cut out the board and refined the shape with the sander. Using the board as a template, he traced the shape onto the foam and cut it in the appropriate shape using a bread knife. At that point, he was ready to glue the foam onto the board...a little spray adhesive sprayed onto the board did the trick. Oh, he's says it really isn't movable once the foam meets the glue, so keep that in mind. (He's not big on stopping for pictures, so you'll just need to use your imagination for this process.) I was ready to cover the cushion with fabric I already had, but he ran with that, too. A staple gun and a few minutes later, he had the cushion ready to go. He finished the project off with a few finish nails to attach the seat to the rocker and, viola, my Bentwood rocker is one again usable. I think the entire project (not including the trips to Home Depot and Hancock Fabric) took about 1/2 hour, maybe 45 minutes.

Not only that, it is sturdier than ever. This is the xBox chair these days, so it is withstanding the enthusiasm of teenagers. Need I say more?

One note: I think I need to hot glue a piece of cording around the seat to camouflage the edge, but I haven't gotten around to it. I thought you'd like to see the down and dirty, though, to make it easier to picture the process.

Hand-Painted Pillow

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

More Silhouette fun!. I've seen a lot of tutorials through the years about using stencils to decorate everything from shirts to walls and everything in between, but I've never actually tried to do it myself.

That all changed last weekend when I used my Silhouette machine, some clear vinyl, painter's tarp, and some of the Martha Stewart multi-surface paint to create this amazing pillow.

It turned out to be quite simple. I cut out two pieces of the painter's tarp (still the same tarp I've used for previous projects!) into 18" squares and ironed them flat. I used the Silhouette to cut out my desired shape (which, in this case, was "summer tree" from Silhouette Studio) and placed it on one piece of the painter's tarp. (There is no picture of this step, as clear vinyl doesn't photograph well.) Once the vinyl was in place, I mixed a couple of colors of paint to get the color I wanted and started using the sponge dabber to apply the paint. You can clearly see the vinyl.

When I was done, this is what it looked like. Using the clear vinyl, I can clearly see exactly where the painted image is in relation to the entire piece.

Then, because I was I was too impatient, I used a heat gun to accelerate the drying process and peeled off the vinyl. Doesn't it look fabulous?

The lines were pretty sharp and the paint really didn't bleed. (It did soaak through in places, though, so be sure to protect whatever surface you use.)

After that, it was quick work to stitch up the two sides and stuff the pillow.

Viola! My hand-painted pillow that my children say looks "just like you bought it at Pottery Barn". Really, what else is there to say?

Drawstring Backpack

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

I did a little bit of sewing last week and I must confess to being tickled with how it all turned out.

I used KwikSew Pattern 2379 to make the bag. Buttercup is a crazy-cat-lady and picked out this adorable cat fabric, plus I had some red vinyl at home.

It was a pretty easy pattern to follow and all the sewing was straight lines. Honestly, the most difficult part was figuring out how to make holes for the grommets.

Buttercup really likes it and is wearing it everywhere. The bag is fully lined (in bright green) and has an outer pocket with a zipper. The best part is that when you're wearing it, the top is closed and can't be opened without you know it.

"Bun - James Bun"

While Buttercup wanted it in lieu of a purse , it is also a great bag for bringing along your stuff animal du jour.

"Honey the Hamster"

While I still plan to make the bigger backpack included in this pattern, I am so glad I made this one first. She's getting a lot of use out of it and it was a terrific one to start with.

Think Two Years Doesn't Make Much of a Difference?

2012-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed how, as you've gotten older, time sees to fly at a pace even faster than you remember it going by? Have you put off things for a few months until you realize its been two years? Let me give you an example: You say to yourself, "Maybe I should clean out my closet. There are some things I haven't worn in a few months." Still, it isn't high on your priorities and so you put it off. One thing leads to another and you end up with clothes in your closet you haven't worn in ten years. On the one hand, it is no big deal. On the other hand, how many things like this happen in our lives? We're going to start eating better, we're going to start working out regularly, we're going to read more books, watch less television. We're going to tackle "that" room or our finances, we're going to write this letter or call that person, and we don't quite get around to it. After all, life is busy...and it really is. So, we think we'll do it next week...next month...next year. Before we know it, a few years have gone by and, since there is no such thing as "staying the same", we're actually falling behind in our own lives.
Think it doesn't matter? Think two years doesn't make a difference? I can show you just what a difference a few years can make.

Here is what our two younger kids looked like when Superman began contracting overseas in January 2010.

Here is what they looked like when he headed back to work this month (January 2012), exactly two years later.

Valiant has lost that "little boy" look and has gone from being substantially shorter than Superman to actually being taller than Superman. Buttercup has transition from a little girl to a young lady and has grown at least five inches, too. Time has marched on...and measuring the changes in our children help us mark its passage more clearly than anything else I can imagine.

Still think you can afford to let years past without making progress in your life? I beg to differ. Your life is happening right now. Make sure you're participating fully.

Food for Thought

2012-01-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

A man is notwhere he lives, but where he loves. ~Latin Proverb

Picture credit: Cheezburger

Obviously, we've entered our Green period...

2012-01-28T22:41:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I shared this post with you. Yes, a new bathroom floor was on my wish list, but I wasn't really putting it high on that list. Obviously, the heavens had a different timeline in mind, so the floor and the toilet were replaced two months ago. All that was left was some fresh paint...but what color to choose? (The yellow looks nice, as long as you can't see it with the flooring.)

Superman came home on leave for the holidays, and I put it in his capable hands. He agreed that the yellow just didn't work anymore. "I just can't decide. You pick, please, but please, please, pick a color that is NOT tan or brown," I pleaded. He picked Mountain Sage green and I said, "Great! I'll make it happen."

So, now this bathroom is Mountain Sage green (to accompany our Celery Sprig green basement and our Water Sprout green bathroom)...

I must say, I really, really like it. What do you think? This is the first Superman is seeing it, too.

Some things never change...

2012-01-27T23:30:00.000-08:00

Nine years might have passed, but some things haven't changed as much as you'd think.

Buttercup, circa March 2003 -Sitting in Mom & Dad's bed with a broken left wrist.

Buttercup, circal January 2012 - Sitting in Mom & Dad's bed with a broken left wrist. (This time, she threw in a broken right wrist for good measure.)

Nine years ago, she amused herself by opening birthday presents her Auntie Eveline dropped by for her 4th birthday. (Yes, this was her birthday.)

This time around, she amused herself with Beans, who really didn't seem amused.

Nine years ago, she didn't let a little thing like a cast get in the way of rocking her new two-piece.

This time around, she didn't let a little thing like a cast (and a rigid brace) get in the way of some serious gym-time as she rocked her Vibram Five Fingers. (And, for those of you who worry, please know she had a trained professional guiding her entire workout...she's in good hands, I promise!)

No, my little Buttercup doesn't let much get her down...she even flashed me a bit of attitude.

It really does seem that some things never change.

Recovering Your Ironing Board

2012-01-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I am definitely one of those "out of sight, out of mind" kind of people. I just don't think about ironing unless the ironing board is handy. The more I sew, too, the more I realize that ironing is a must for good results. Realizing this a few years ago, I brought the ironing board out of the cupboard, dusted it off, and put it out. I quickly realized that the fabric they used to make the original cover was, in my opinion, a) hideous and b) hideous in my room. Fortunately, I saw this tutorial for recovering an ironing board and had the fabulous results I shared here. It has been three years since I recovered both my big ironing board and my desktop ironing board and with the "mango madness" orange transformed to "celery sprig" green, the fabrics I loved so much then do not make me smile now. Still, I'm using my ironing boards a lot, so they need to stay out. Finally, as my beloved Superman commented, they stand out like a sore thumb in the serenity of my "new" space.

Orange really isn't the look I was going for here...

Clearly, a change was needed. I headed out to Hancock Fabric and found a fabric that would make me smile. (Yeah, the smiling thing...if I have to look at something all the time, I want to like looking at it.) Now, I could have done like before and reused the casing the the strings from the original board covers. (See it here? You can see the blue and white on the edge...)

The blue and white fabric, the blue plastic thingy, and the white string
are remnants of the original ironing board cover. Buh-bye!

Instead, I got brave and decided to begin fresh this time. It really isn't a big deal...I did both ironing boards in one evening. I thought I'd share with you just how easy it is to recover your ironing board.

See the chalk outline? It is just that simple to get the right size.

First, flip your ironing board on its back and trace the shape of the board onto your new fabric. Add approximately three inches all around to all for the new casing and the wrap around the board.

See? I just traced with fabric chalk and cut it out. Truly, I just eye-balled the
entire thing.

Cut out your fabric.

I didn't even double over the casing...just a down and dirty hem.
It is going to be on the underside and the inside of your ironing board.
Just remember to leave an opening to thread your elastic through.

Fold over one inch and iron for the casing.

See the elastic? I tied it in a knot and trimmed it close AFTER I took this picture.

Sew the casing, leaving an opening to thread elastic through the entire thing. Making sure you keep both ends of the elastic from slipping into the casing, try your ironing board cover on for size. Fiddle with it until you get it just right and tie it off when you have it taut. That's it...you're done!

There you have it. A new ironing board cover...pretty simple, right? I've used them both since I recovered them and they do make me smile. Mission accomplished!

New Craft Table

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

I saw this table in Home Decorator's catalog.

It is part of their Martha Stewart collection and has a hefty price tag: $499!! There is no way I can justify that kind of money for a craft table, plus it seems like an awful lot to pay for melamine covered particle board.

Still, I liked the idea of a table that I could open up for projects and tuck out of the way when I didn't need it. What to do, what to do!

Then inspiration struck! I remembered that last year I'd given Charming this Ikea table for use in his new apartment. (I bought the table three years ago for roughly $150. Mr. & Mrs. R were in Portland at the time and were kind enough to swing by and pick it up for me. Wasn't that sweet of them?)

Anyway, a quick call to Charming confirmed that he was amenable to a trade, so while Superman was home, we made the switch. (I needed Superman...this table weighs 100 pounds...solid wood, anyone?!)

Six castors later, I have my own craft table for a fraction of the cost! That Superman! He's so handy to have around! It opens up on both sides, or just one.

And when I'm done, it just sits under the window until the next time.

Pretty cool, isn't it? I just love repurposing things and giving them a new life.

My life is nothing if not exciting...

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

I was minding my own business, getting ready for the gym, when Buttercup fell backwards, broke her fall with her wrists, and promptly broke her left wrist. Didn't get my workout, but I did get my heart pumping.

For whatever reason, Buttercup's blood pressure dropped quite low in the ten minutes it took to get to the ER (68/30) and she was whisked into a room lickety split and placed on a bed which was tilted way back to put her head below her heart. The blood pressure situation resolved itself and Valiant was bored.

Four hours laters, the break was set, the splint was on, the sling was in place, and the pain pills had kicked in. Even better? She was still rocking her Vibram Five Fingers...those shoes made her the star of the ER.

This afternoon, we head to the orthopaedist for the permanent cast. Any guesses on the color she'll choose?

Because Superman Can't Wait!

2012-01-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

So, we've been working on a few projects since Superman came home for Christmas break. Since his return to work, he's been clamouring for pictures of our progress. While we're not completely finished, I can't make him wait any longer.

Today's pre-reveal is the transformation of the room formerly known as the "Macaroni & Cheese" room. Now that the kids are older, we don't need a "kid" room anymore, so Superman and I picked out a new "grown-up" wall color.

To remind you, here is the before:

Bye-Bye, Macaroni & Cheese!

And here is the after:

Hello, Celery Sprig!

The view from the other side of the room...this is where I do all my sewing
and crafting and blogging...notice the bright white ceiling...it looks fabulous.

This is where the kids sit to watch television.

I still need to cover the ironing board in new fabric and we still need our new baseboards, but doesn't it look fabulous? It is a much more relaxed space, that I, for one, am really enjoying. I am so pleased with how it is coming along.
Did you notice that we only changed paint? Isn't it amazing how much of a difference a new wall color and freshened ceilings can make?

So, Superman, are you pleased? Doesn't it look good? Thanks for supporting my desire to change up this space.

Lunch, anyone?

2012-01-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

On Today's Menu: Hamster Tacos!!

"Why, thank you! I'd love to come to lunch."

"Wait! You're having me for lunch?"

"Um, I think I'll leave now, but thank you for thinking of me!"

Froyo's reward for letting us mess with her: a banana chip!

Cold winter days and bored children: the perfect recipe for mischief!

If You Give a Girl a Camera...

2012-01-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

...she won't be able to resist taking a few pictures...

She'll purse her lips...

She'll imagine she's upside down...

She'll cross her eyes...

If you give a girl a camera, she'll just have fun.

Handiest Tool Ever!

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of the best gifts I got this year (Superman's presence notwithstanding), was this amazing Black & Decker All-in-One Sure Grip Laser Level. Seriously. This thing is fabulous! My friend Mrs. R picked it up after my beloved Buttercup was a good little elf and, noticing that I wanted one, passed that tip along. I am so glad she did...it is awesome!

Perfectly aligned!

It comes in two parts...the "sticks on the wall" part with the suction cup and the actual level with the laser part that magnetically attaches to the suction cup part. It really does stick on the wall, too. In this example, this is a wall painted with flat paint that might possibly be dusty and that sucker stayed up the entire time I needed it to. (Supposedly it can stay attached as long as two hours, but I can't vouch for that amount of time.) The best part? It is crazy-simple to use. The light on the level turns green when the bubble is actually in the "level" position...no guess work, no eye-balling it. It is either green or it is red. Woot!

So, I stuck it on the wall and lined up the level so the light turned green...

The laser remains visible throughout!

Lined up my line of vinyl...

And, voila!, it is done!

The most difficult part was standing on the ladder to get the lettering up so high!

Seriously, if you find getting things level to be a hassle, this is the tool for you. I can't believe how much use I've gotten out of it just in the first week of owning it. After thinking it was going to be "stupid", Superman used it to install some corner shelving on the wall for Buttercup and the laser rounds the corner to make even corner shelves a snap. He concedes that this tool is really handy...high praise, indeed!

Did I mention the laser goes around the corner?

How cool is that? We've already hung more vinyl, pictures, a headboard and a mirror with this level. It is just so handy. This little tool is definitely worth the $25 purchase price and I'm so grateful to have it!

Life At Home - The Argh! Edition

2012-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last month, as I was folding laundry in front of my dryer, water started dripping down on my hand from the ceiling! There is an exhaust fan above the dryer and above that is my bedroom. No water!

After I freaked out in my mind a little, I stopped to listen and realized that Valiant was in the shower. I ran upstairs and made him turn off the water. The drip stopped. That was really good. However, I had no clue what to do about it.

I confess I called Superman and woke him up in the middle of the night with this cheerful news. Honestly, I didn't know what to do...water dripping down from the ceiling onto my dryer is not covered in my Wonder Woman handbook! We decided to just leave the shower alone until Superman was home on leave and could have a look it at. I thought that was fine because we're fortunate enough to have three full baths. A little shuffling and we'd be fine.

A few weeks later, Mr. R., came home on leave from his job in North Dakota and we got to talking about my leak. He insisted on taking a look so that Superman wouldn't have to worry.

After seeing how bad it was, I'm pretty sure he regretted that decision. Apparently, the problem had been ongoing for quite some time...I had no idea. Still, he had some free time, so I was able to hire him to fix it, so Superman wouldn't have to do it now. New subfloor, repaired wall, new toilet and new flooring, he even added tile around the edge to help prevent the problem from returning...it was a big job and I feel so lucky to know someone I trust to do it well.

He did a fabulous job, didn't he? Now all I have to do is get Superman to help me pick a new paint color for the bathroom...I don't like the yellow with the new floor. Do you?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

"We will open the book.
Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on
them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity
and its first chapter is New Year's Day"

- Emily Lovejoy Pierce

The Blob!

2011-12-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Buttercup and Beans have a special relationship. Beans loves Buttercup. Buttercup loves Beans. If Buttercup stops moving long enough, Beans will come lay down on Buttercup, wherever Buttercup might be. (In this case, Buttercup was on my bed.)

Stop moving, Buttercup, I'm trying to get comfortable!

Buttercup lets her. I think Buttercup likes it!

Okay, perfect, don't move!

She just kind of smooshes Buttercup. I think it is true love.

Ah, your face is the perfect resting place for my head!

What do you think?

T-Shirt Project - Quick & Easy

2011-12-26T17:38:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was fabulous once Superman finally made it home. I'm finally able to catch my breath and start to think beyond the holiday, however, and thought I'd share with you the t-shirt project I did to go with the Christmas pajamas I told you about last week.

Different personalities needed different sayings!

In addition to making each of us pajama pants, I also made each of the men personalized t-shirts. Since they're all "talls", I ordered inexpensive tall-sized t-shirts from Old Navy a few weeks ago. Then I ordered heat transfer ("iron-on) vinyl from Expressions Vinyl. I gathered up a silly saying for each of them, got out my Silhouette SD and went to work.

The tutorial on the Expressions Vinyl site was really clear and I had no problems whatsoever. Honestly, the most difficult part was figuring out what to say on each shirt.

Superman's:

Really, he is!

Charming's:

Long-suffering Charming truly appreciated this one!

and Valiant's:

Have a 15-year old? Then you know how appropriate this one is!

I think they turned out pretty well, don't you? The entire project took me less than an hour for all three. Best of all, they really matched nicely with the pajama pants. The men liked the sayings I surprised them with and they liked the colors of the shirts...win/win all around.

I ordered extra t-shirts, so now I'm already looking to make more quirky t-shirts for the family.

(SewDucky: No pictures of the men in their pants...they just weren't into pictures on Christmas!)

Yet Another Silhouette Project

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

I saw a picture of this plaque at Moore Minutes. Honestly, I did the hop, skip, and click to get to her blog...I had never been there before, but this plaque grabbed me. Lisa had hung her Barn Owl Primitives plaque as a way to motivate her to face her own personal challenge. I liked the plaque and I liked the idea. So, I pinned it and, eventually, copied it. It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I certainly believe so and hope that Lisa will agree.

I can't think of anything more motivating than remembering that we can do "hard things". Crossfit teaches me that very thing day in and day out...I am reminded of it whenever I stall and look back to see how many things I can do now that I couldn't do even three months ago. Manning the home-front while Superman works overseas reminds me of that very thing every day. Plumbing problems, automobile problems, etc., don't get to wait for Superman to handle...I've got to step out of my comfort zone and deal.

As soon as I saw the plaque, I knew I needed one for myself. Still, I challenged myself to make it for myself (rather than buying one), as I figured the sense of accomplishment I would derive from the project would imbue the plaque with even more significance. (After being a follower of Gail at My Repurposed Life for quite some time, I was sure I could do it. She's so good about explaining things she does, one step at a time.) I was right and I am thrilled to show you what I've done.

Remember when I was painting the lollipops? Well, I painted these two plaques, too. Simply plywood rectangles with decoratively routered edges. Easy peasy.

After primer, I painted three coats of white paint on them.

Then I added Silhouette-cut vinyl of quotes I wanted. I painted over them once more with white to minimize seepage under the vinyl. (It was much more successful under the vinyl I sourced from Expressions Vinyl than with the Silhouette-brand vinyl, I have to say.)

After the white paint was dry, I painted two coats of black paint and let it get almost dry. I decided to peel the vinyl off before the paint had fully dried, as I didn't want to bring paint up with the vinyl. It was a good decision and I had very little grab from the vinyl. (I did use an exacto knife to start each piece of vinyl...)

I still had some seepage, so I decided to embrace the distressed look. Sanded them down with some fine-grit sandpaper and then added a coat of Johnson's paste wax.

This is how it looks in the room. I love it! And this one?

This one is a gift. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. (Sorry for the not-so-terrific photos...a photographer, I'll never be!)

So, have I mentioned how much I love my Silhouette machine? I really, really love it and am finding more and more things to do with it. This vinyl project was so much fun. As for the vinyl itself, I'm still experimenting, but have had the best luck with the Oracal 631 I get from Expressions Vinyl. Even better, I love the people at Expressions Vinyl. My most recent order was for iron-on vinyl and they shipped it out the day they received the order because they knew their customers were trying to beat Christmas deadlines. That, my friends, is customer service I am willing to brag about!

SUPERMAN TRACKER UPDATE: Superman is scheduled to fly out of Seattle at 8:00 a.m. this morning after getting a good night's rest in a Seattle hotel last night, so hopefully we'll have him home in time for a late breakfast. Keep your fingers crossed!

Advent Present...for Sam?

2011-12-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Each year, my sister sends the kids Advent presents...one present to be opened each day leading up to Christmas. She has come up with so many clever things over the past few years, but I'm just so surprised by her thoughtfulness this year...

You can't see me, but I can see you!

She even sent a box for Sam.

Using the closet door to keep an eye on the room...bwaaahaha!

He really loves it...so, I offered to help him send a thank-you to her.

Dear Aunt Katie,

Thank you for sending me a Christmas box. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. I didn't know you cared!

Love,

Sam-I-Am

P.S. Say "Hi" to Random Kitty for me!

Still, Sam can be a little bit selfish, don't you think?

Sam, May I have a turn?

Not sharing with Cajun...

Come on, Sam, give me a turn...pleeease!

Not sharing with Beans...

Not sharing with anyone!

Superman Tracker Update: After being booked on a flight to Seattle leaving LAX at 3:15 p.m. this afternoon, Superman was able to fly stand-by on a flight that left at 12:30 p.m....he's working his way home...step by step!

Lollipop, Lollipop!

2011-12-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

Front yard lollipops!

Lollipop, lollipop!

I love putting lollipops up for Christmas decorations. Why? Because they look so festive without needing lights...they just feel very Santa's workshop to me. This year, I took advantage our last day of woodshop by using the bandsaw to cut out eighteen 12-inch circles out of 5mm underlayment.

12" circles of 5mm underlayment...painted white...

Then I painted them all white and attached dowels to them. Each lollipop was then wrapped in colored cellophane and tied off with ribbon. Finally, we pounded (okay, Charming pounded because I took too long) PVC into the ground and inserted the lollipop into the PVC.

See the PVC sticking up from the ground?

Why pound the pvc into the ground? Experience has taught me that frozen ground and frozen dowels will be stuck together until March or April. I'm hoping that sticking the dowels into pvc will allow me to pull them up after New Year. (Fingers crossed any.)

I even put them in the pots in front of the garage (with my faux poinsettia)...so festive!

I think they turned out so well and I love rounding the corner and seeing them as I drive up the street. It is just so cheerful.

Look at that view...isn't it fun?

Superman-Tracker (kind of like the Santa Tracker, but better!): Superman is stuck at LAX after his flight from Dubai was late arriving, meaning he missed his connection; but he'll still be here before Christmas...the wonderful people at Alaska Airlines helped us rebook him on flights that will do the trick. Its all good!

The boys should never leave us to pick out the fabric

2011-12-22T20:49:00.000-08:00

for the Christmas pajama pants!

Superman asked me to make pajama pants for the family again this year, so Buttercup and I headed out to Hancock Fabrics to find some appropriate flannel for the project. Valiant came along, but under duress.

Six pairs of pajama pants for tall people = 18 yards of flannel

We quickly decided against plaid...too boring. Then we rejected the light-weight Christmas cottons..."not versatile enough," we thought. Then we found this lovely cat-print flannel and thought to ourselves, "oh, we couldn't do that to them, could we?" Valiant unwittingly sealed the deal when he said, "Oh, man, I'd love to see Dad and Charming in those...they'll kill you." Now, you might not know, as it is a little known fact, that the Nagle women cannot seem to resist a dare. Truly...I think we biologically incapable. Once Valiant through down the gauntlet, the deal was sealed.

Purple background for the girls/blue for the boys!

Fortunately, between four bolts of fabric, we were able to get enough fabric to make five pairs for pajama pants...hey, when three of the five are well over six feet tall, we're talking a lot of yardage. The girls ended up with purple with cats, while the boys got navy with cats. Hey! At least we didn't give them purple!

This button goes in front!

I even when one step further and added this oh-so-cool button to distinguish the front from the back. (Kind, right?)

The bunny print? Buttercup couldn't resist it.

Oh, and the girl found herself drawn to this bunny print, too, so I actually made six pairs of pajama pants. (Now I just have to personalize the coordinating shirts!)

An Early Christmas Gift

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

After growing up in a house with pets, it was only a matter of time before Charming became lonely for the companionship a pet provides. When he moved out on his own, we told him that when the time was right, according to him, we'd buy him a cat for his apartment. Well, last month, the time was right. We headed over to PetSmart's rescue center and found a companion for Charming. That evening, Aimee came to live with him as an early Christmas gift.

She's a unique little kitty. She's a two-year old Manx, which means she doesn't have a traditional long tail. Nope, she was born with that stubby little thing. Funny, isn't it

She and Charming seem to be getting along just fine, don't you think?

I think she finally got tired of Buttercup taking her picture, though...doesn't it look as if she's saying "no more pictures!"?

Ready for Christmas

2011-12-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that we only have four more days until Christmas? The past month has flown by, hasn't it? Life in the Nagle5 household has been so busy this past month...broken bones just seemed par for the course. Still, as Christmas fast approaches, I find myself in the unfamiliary position of actually being ready. Really! Can you believe it? Let me repeat this for you: I am ready for Christmas.

Our Halloween spider became a Christmas spider...doesn't every home need one?

The last of my Christmas cards were mailed off today and one last present made it into the mail, as well. The presents are wrapped and waiting to be placed under the tree Christmas Eve. The food for Christmas has already been planned and purchased. Even our dress-up clothes are selected and ready for Christmas Day. All we have to do is clean the house and we're good to go.

Weird, isn't it?

The pumpkins on the cabinets were replaced with Christmas trees.

I must confess, this never happens to me. We're the family that wraps presents Christmas Eve and sends out a New Year's letter because I never quite got my Christmas cards out. Will this happen again next year? I doubt it...lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice very often, now does it.

The Fall-themed decor gave way to beloved Christmas decorations.

Superman is on his way home to us as I type this. Yes, my hero will be home for the holidays this year. The whole family is so excited, we can barely contain ourselves.

Christmas cards get hung on the door as they arrive...
mistletoe can trap the unwary guest, too!

So, with two days to wait before he gets here, I decided to share a little of what we've been up to this last month.

I even used the Silhouette machine to make gingerbread men...too fun!

The Santa-fication process is definitely complete...there isn't a room in the house that has been left untouched. Now, if Christmas would just hurry up and get here!!!

"Who You Gonna Call?"

2011-11-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Saw this when I took the kids out to lunch last month and I couldn't believe what showed up in the parking lot. (Sorry for the pictures, we were using my phone...)

Can you tell what it is?

Here is a closer shot. What about now? Did you guess?

Even closer. You have to know now...right?

It's "Ecto-1" or at least an Eastern Washington version of it....these people turned a Chevy Blazer into their own version of "Ecto-1", the Ghostbuster mobile. Isn't that cool? They must really be fans of the movie. I can honestly say I've never seen something like that before. Have you?

Not Quite What We'd Planned!

2011-11-27T19:24:00.001-08:00

Have you wondered where I've been? Well, wonder no more! Even before Thanksgiving, the Nagle5 household was crazy busy.

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the local ski areas in our neck of the woods opened early...way early. We couldn't believe it...we love to ski! So, bright and early (but not too early!) Sunday, the kids and I headed up the mountain. Look how beautiful it was...BEFORE Thanksgiving!!

Charming and Buttercup helped each other get their gear on. (Look at the trees...aren't they gorgeous?)

Don't they look ready for a fun day on the slopes?

Unfortunately, before I could get a terrific picture of Valiant, I got this picture. Yes, this is what you think it is. This is what happens when you come down the slopes via Ski Patrol toboggan.

First we were at the First Aid Station...aren't the flamingos a festive touch? (Kate? Flamingos at the First Aid station?!) Ski Patrol gave Valiant a hot water bottle to take the chill off while they figured out what the boy did to his knee.

They had to cut open his "actually long enough jeans", which caused his mother a twinge of pain. Turns out he broke it...sigh.

Next stop, the ER. Look how kind Charming was to point out where the injury is? (Okay, he was actually threatening to poke it!) A few x-rays and a CT scan later, it turned out Valiant had a fracture of the tibial plateau.

Monday saw us at the orthopedist (holiday week=crazy schedule). Fortunately, he didn't seem to damage the meniscus or the ACL, so, if he can keep from displacing the fracture until the 5th of December, he'll have a quick and easy recovery (otherwise we're looking at surgery). We definitely had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. (Keep your fingers crossed that I can keep a 15-year old immobile for another week.)

So, our first ski outing this year was not quite what we'd planned. Still, the conditions on the mountain were awesome until the mishap and we all had a blast. Charming and Buttercup are ready to head back up the mountain and I'm right there with them (we'll just have to find something to do with Valiant while we are skiing)!

Finally!

2011-11-15T22:06:00.001-08:00

This picture tells the entire story! After more than six years (six years!!!), I have again walked through the doors of my home laden down with the bounty one finds at Trader Joe's! I even picked up my Thanksgiving turkey there. Woot!

Yep, they finally opened a Trader Joe's in my neck of the woods! Life is good...

Not everyone has buy in...

2011-11-14T20:58:00.001-08:00

You read about the drastic changes we've made to our diets, notably eliminating grains. We've been eating this way as a family since May, but still, not everyone has buy in. After one particularly whiny "Mom is mean!" conversation, Superman decided to help the kids out by giving them ammunition to support their view.

What do you think?

Food for Thought

2011-11-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Food for Thought was sent to me by Superman. He's become a huge fan of The Art of Manliness...if you haven't heard of it, you're missing something fabulous.

This is one of the posters you can buy at The Art of Manliness.

So, what do you stand for?

Not a saint, that's for sure!

2011-11-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

I am doing a pretty good job of eating primally, but I still have my moments.

Last week I broke down and made myself an 8 x 8 pan of rice krispie bars. Butter, marshmallows, and plain wrap rice krispies (cheap, aren't I?). I'd like to tell you about how I shared with the kids, but the truth is that they don't like rice krispie bars. What is wrong with them? (It must come from their father's side of the family!!) So...

I ate the entire thing!

They were so good...

And I comfort myself by rationalizing quite a bit...they didn't have any wheat, right? Oh, and I didn't make a 9 x 13 pan, either!!

Quick Trash Bag for the Car

2011-11-11T20:32:00.001-08:00

After one too many episodes of cleaning up little bits of trash in my car, I decided to come up with a better system to manage the detritus of my daily to and fro life.

Inspiration struck when I realized the lid to a very old carton of ice cream in the deep recesses of my freezer was actually rimmed but a plastic loop. Perfect! I headed downstairs and grabbed a remnant of fabric from my stash (you have a stash, right?) and half an hour later, I had a perfect trash bag to hang on the back of a car seat. Sweet!

Here is a quick overview...

Measure the circumference of the rim and add two inches. (So, if the rim measures 22", then the number you need to keep in mind is 24".)

Decide how long you'd like your trash bag and cut a rectangle with your two numbers. Let's say I decided mine should be roughly 12" long, give or take, add 3 for the channel and the bottom seam.. I cut a rectangle that was 24" by 15". I also cut two 15" x 2 1/2" strips to make the straps.

Iron the channel you'll be using for your rim...make sure when you fold it over, that you're allowing for enough room for the entire width of rim. My rim was 1", so I allowed 1 1/2". So, fold over 1/2" on one of the 24" sides and iron it down the length. Fold it over again, making a crease at the 1 3/4" mark. (This was to allow some wiggle room when I sewed the channel down.) Sewing straight across the 24", sew the channel down, being sure to leave enough of an opening to feed your plastic rim. Fold each strap lengthwise (along the 15" side), iron in place, then sew along the edge. Turn right side out and close the ends. Sew your bag closed at the bottom...I chose to center my one "side seam" in what would become the back of my bag. Sew your straps onto the back of your back, taking care not to sew your channel shut...I sewed my straps along the same seam I created when I sewed the channel.

Sew the two 15" sides together, right sides in, but stop before you get to the channel (this leaves an opening to feed in the rim).

Flip your bag right side out and feed the rim into the channel. I failed to flip mine right side out before I fed the rim in and it was a pain to turn after I'd done this.. Sew the channel shut and you're done.

Ta Da! A trash bag for you car!

What do you think?

Wood Shop - Finished!

2011-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last spring I had the opportunity to take wood shop via continuing education classes. I had so much fun (and learned so much), that I decided Valiant should take it when it was next offered.

Picking straight boards...

Using the router...

to put the finishing touches on the pieces...

Proud wood worker!

From picking out the wood to discovering that, like his father, he's allergic to wood shavings, Valiant made it through and has this amazing Adirondack chair to show for his labors. Pretty cool, isn't it?

It is that time of year again!

2011-11-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last year I told you about the early Christmas prep that goes on in the Nagle5 household as a result of Superman's overseas work. In order to get the goodies to the troops well in time for the holiday season (not just in time for Christmas day), we start in early November. To that end, the first batch of goodies was mailed on Tuesday. With the way the mail has been to the base lately, Superman will be able to share these right about Thanksgiving.

This first package had the pretzel treats and the peppermint bark that were most requested. (Who knew that these simple treats would be so popular?) Since they were so popular, I thought I'd give you some quick guidelines and you can whip up a batch yourself, if you're so inclined. Seriously, everyone seems to love these...the kids were a bit pouty that I mailed this entire batch off!

Pretzel Treats

1 bag Rolled Gold pretzel sticks
1 bag mini marshmallows
Roughly 4 cups of Merckens milk chocolate buttons*
Mini muffin tin liners

Directions:
Take the time to break all the pretzel sticks into halves or thirds and set them in a bowl.

Using the microwave on roughly 2/3 power, melt the chocolate buttons in a glass measuring cup. About 5 minutes at 2/3 power...stirring once halfway through. Just don't scorch the chocolate. (Yes, you can use a double boiler, but why?)

In a large bowl, use a spatula to combine the pretzels and the melted chocolate. Add the pretzels a handful at a time. (Don't just pour the broken pretzels in from the smaller bowl...you'll get all the salt that collected at the bottom of the bowl in your treats and that won't be good!) Keep stirring and stirring until the pretzels are well-coated with chocolate and then pour in the bag of mini marshmallows and coat them with the melted chocolate.

Once it is all combined and everything is well-coated, scoop out spoonfuls and allow to cool. (This year I skipped the waxed paper and just scooped straight onto the counter...it was simpler.) Once they've cooled off, place each goodie in a mini muffin liner and you're done...ready to share them.

Really, you can do this with anything...I'm going to make a batch with dark chocolate, raisins, and unsweetened coconut...not primal, but still, a good compromise, don't you think?

Tomorrow, I'll share with you just how easy it is to make peppermint bark!

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

2011-11-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

Pot roast has always been one of those meals that intimidated me. Really. I'd hear stories of dredging in flour and then browning and blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I made it one time, seven years ago, and decided it was way too much work. A friend of mine served it for her family all the time and kept saying how easy it was. Finally, she told me exactly how she did it and I decided I could handle her method. I've made it three times now and it has turned out so well each time, I just had to share it with you. You'll be amazed at how easy this is.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast
(roughly 6 hours)

Frozen Chuck Roast
1 cup of water
1 Tablespoon of Beef Better Than Bouillon
1/2 White Onion Chopped
Salt & Pepper
Vegetables (carrots, potatoes, turnips, etc.)

Directions:
Place the frozen roast in your crock pot. Add one cup (or so) of water and the beef Better Than Bouillon (I don't even stir it in, just "plop" it in and move on). Salt and pepper the pot roast to taste. Cover with chopped onions. Add whatever vegetables you want with your pot roast...we added carrots this time. Set crock pot to low and come back in approximately six hours. That's it. It just can't get any easier than that.

The roast will be tender, the vegetables will be perfect, and the broth will be amazing! As for me, I'll never think of pot roast as intimidating again.

Do you ever stop to appreciate the things that bring a smile to your face?

2011-11-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about it the other day. How many things bring a smile to my face each and every day and how I often don't stop to really appreciate them. Like so many people, I can get so caught up in my day-to-day life that I forget to slow down to experience my blessings in their richness. I know times are tough...they really are...it is not our imagination, but still, we have so many things, big and small, to smile about each day if we just stop to see them. So, I thought I'd share a few with you during this season of gratitude nestled in midst of some seriously challenging times. Maybe it will help you see the smiles in your own day.

I was cleaning up the kitchen and came across this birthday card given to me a few weeks ago by my Buttercup.

She made it herself. She said she thought the little kitty on the front made the card seem more like it was for me. She was right.

She decided to carry the kitty theme further and gave me this little guy playing with a rhinestone ball on the inside. Wasn't that thoughtful? And wasn't it amazingly kind of my friend to give Buttercup the time and place to make such a wonderful card?

Thinking of the card got me thinking back to my birthday and the gift Buttercup surprised me with. She gave me what truly might have been the most amazing gift I've ever received.

Let me back up a minute. For years, when the kids have asked me what I want to be when I grow up "besides a mommy, Mom!", I've always answered them with "a fairy princess with silver wings...so far, I haven't seen any want ads, but as soon as an opening for one of those opens up, I'm outta here!". That never fails to make them smile.

Well, this year for my birthday, Buttercup decided to help me achieve my dreams...she gave me silver wings (with glitter), a tiara (royalty here, remember?), and a magic wand. (Fairy princesses need wands, you know.) Now I get to be a Fairy Princess with Silver Wings and a Mom...all my dreams in one place.

I've got to put the wings away soon, but for now, seeing them makes me smile at her kindness, her cleverness, and her generosity. A daughter who is trying to make my dreams come true definitely brings a smile to my face. Come on, admit it, you'd smile, too, wouldn't you?

A quick update...I just had to label something else!

2011-11-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Superman said that telling you about this needs to be considered an update to my labelling gone mad post, but I think it is more like a little bit more Thanksgiving decor. Either way, he wanted to see how it turned out and doing it was fun and made me smile. So, file this under OCD or file it under Decorating, whichever works better for you.

Moving right along.

Remember my mantle here?

Notice the row of Ikea tea lights? I've had them for years and I love, love, love their simplicity. Still, I thought they were a little blank, so I whipped out my Silhouette machine and added a little seasonal touch to them.

What do you think? Still simple, but just a little more festive, don't you think?

Look at this teeny turkey! Isn't it cool?

I really love how they turned out. The best part? I just peel them off on November 25 and have my simple white tea lights again. How terrific is that?

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I order my vinyl from Expressions Vinyl where I can get a 9 x 24" sheet of vinyl for $1.59, so I don't have to have a huge role of a color I won't ever use up. (This little project took 3" off my 24" length, so I still have quite a bit left for any other madness that my overtake me.)

Dress-Up for Halloween

2011-11-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

On Monday I showed you the pictures from last year's Dress-Up for Halloween. Let me show you what a difference a year makes. Can you believe how much they changed in one year?

Buttercup looks like a little lady, doesn't she?

Look at how grown-up Valiant is getting.

Oh, and let's not forget Charming. He headed out after work to join us.

(Oh, and for those of you who are wondering...that is just gorgeous 12-year old girl skin...not a stitch of make-up. Beautiful!)

Whaaa! I have no more babies!!!

Fall Decor...Heading Into Thanksgiving...

2011-11-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Well, Halloween is put to bed for another year and with it are our Halloween decorations. Yep, I'm one of those who changes out the decor immediately. The day after Halloween, all of our jack-o-lanterns and black cats and cute witches were put away and out came our turkeys (not too many) and our autumn leaves and some not-jack-o-lantern pumpkins, along with a few scarecrows. I thought it would be fun to share some of the details of my holiday decorating with you.

This is the view from my kitchen as I look out to the rest of my house. It makes me smile to when I look up from my kitchen chores.

This is my mantle. (Recognize the candle sticks?) I've been wanting fat burnt orange candles for a few years, so I was thrilled when I found these at World Market last month. My wreath is an old one from Pottery Barn post-holiday clearance. It has held up really well. My little turkey was another post-holiday clearance find. (Notice a trend?)

How about this subway art from Today's Fabulous Finds (Janet does one in various colors for every occasion and gives them to us for free!!) The pumpkins were in Target's Dollar Spot and I just stuck leaves from some fake flowers on them to give them a little more oomph.

Here is the kitchen...just a few pumpkins on top of the cabinet. (They're fake, too. Bought them a few years ago from Michael's with a coupon...they were something like $3 each.) Simple, yet festive, I think.

Even the dining room gets in on the act. I added a pumpkin candle, changed out the flowers on the buffet, some leaves on my centerpiece, and a little turkey on my antique clock.

Oh, and don't forget the Angry Bird under the table. (Do you see it? It is there on the rug.) The cats obviously think the room needed a little something more.

I know I'm more minimalist than a lot of people who decorate for the seasons, but it works for me. I love the simple additions to acknowledge the flow of the year, but I can't stand to be overwhelmed by them (at least until I get to Christmas!!).

What about you? Do you switch it out or do you just leave it be?

This is Primal - Meat Loaf and Mashed "Potatoes"

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

As the weather has turned colder, comfort foods have been my family's cravings. I must confess that this has made it quite challenging to stay primal. There is something about a chill in the air that makes me want to head to the kitchen and start baking: bread, cakes, pies, cookies...the works. While I haven't been able to resist the siren's song entirely, I've been more successful than I would have imagined with a view traditional dishes. This one, "Meat Loaf Muffins and Mashed "Potatoes"" turned out to be an resounding success. (No, seriously, the kids fought over the leftovers the next day!) Best of all, this one of those really simple meals...no wonder our moms always made meatloaf...notice, however, that there is no ketchup to be found here...I used to hate meatloaf!

So, with no further introduction, here is the recipe I used for my Primal Meat Loaf Muffins and Mashed "Potatoes".

Meat Loaf - makes 12 muffins
(Modified from my previously shared recipe for mini meatloaves.)

One package (roughly a pound) of ground turkey (any ground meat will do)
cupcake liners
cupcake pan

1 egg
1/2 cup of almond flour
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

grated cheese (optional)

1) Mix together all the ingredients above. Just use your hands...it is gross, but most effective. Take your scooper or a big spoon and fill the muffin tin.

2) Bake for 1/2 hour (or until meat is done)

3) Turn off oven. Sprinkle grated cheese on top of each muffin and place back in oven to melt. Once the cheese has melted, serve the muffins.

Mashed "Potatoes"

One head of cauliflower

1/4 cup of sour cream
1/3 stick of butter
salt and pepper

1) Get a pot of water boiling.

2) Cut the stem off the cauliflower until you're left with only the florets.

3) Boil the cauliflower until it is tender, then drain. (This is really important. Drain very, very well or you'll have watery "potatoes".)

4) Pour into mixing bowl and add in sour cream, butter, salt and pepper. Using hand mixer, beat the cauliflower until creamy.

5) Serve.

There you have it. A perfectly primal meal for a crisp autumn evening. Simple, traditional, and, most importantly, really good. (Oh, and in case you're wondering...I don't have a picture of the plated meal because my kids couldn't wait long enough for me to set it up. "Mom, we're hungry!")

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

Last year, I shared with you how much Halloween is a source of conflict for me. (You can read about here.) In a world where childhood obesity is on the rise, where we're learning more and more how sugar negatively affects our bodies, I find it difficult to be a supplier of candy to children. I don't have conflicts about it being Satan's day or whatever (no disrespect to those of you who do)...no, all my conflicts come from the mass amounts of candy that are piled on top of already candy-holic children. I just can't do it. Honestly, I have warm memories of Halloween, both my own childhood recollections and remember my children adorably decked out as Power Rangers, princesses, mermaids, and Star Wars characters. My house is still decorated for Halloween and I even had a Candy Corn-scented candle burning for this month (which I've completely used up...sigh...it was super cool!) I'm not a Great Pumpkin Grinch, I swear!

Buttercup was a LadyBug this year.

Still, I admit to a great sense of relief that Buttercup has reached the ripe old age of 12 and really doesn't want to trick-or-treat anymore. The issue is made so much easier when you don't have your own child chomping at the bit to go door-to-door in search of the next sugar hit. Each year, she seems to be invited to at least one Halloween party, so she can pretend to be something/someone else for a few hours and my mother's guilt is assuaged...she still has a "fun" childhood. (Phew!)

Pretty cute, isn't she?

As for giving out candy, this is the third year we won't be doing it. Instead, this is the 3rd Annual Celebration of Dress-Up for Halloween. Yes, once again this year, we will be putting on our finery and heading out to a real restaurant and enjoying a meal together. In fact, this year our little tradition has grown and will include some friends of ours who decided it was a pretty good idea.

What a difference a year makes!!!

So, stay safe and have fun and enjoy whatever you all are doing. It's all good, you know? Oh, and if you do get some candy, I'd really like a Snickers Bar.

Seasonal Silhouette Silliness

2011-10-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

I know there are tons of very cool projects you can do with your Silhouette machine, but I've also discovered you can have fun of a more seasonal nature.

For example, you can just ignore the spiderwebs.

Watch the cars play on the stairs.

Enjoy Jack-o-Lanterns with no clean-up.

You can even watch mice frolic.

Yes, those more lasting projects are super cool, but some seasonal fun is pretty cool, too.

The best part? I don't have to figure out how to store them away for next year...

Do You Ever Think About Cars?

2011-10-24T08:38:00.001-07:00

It occurred to me the other day, how much cars take me to the person I associated them with. Much like old songs can send me back to a different time in my life, seeing certain cars immediately brings certain people to mind. Maybe it is a Southern California thing, but cars really take me back.

This is Chevy Berretta...Superman drove one when I first started dating him. He hated that car, but I loved it. I called it the Batmobile. We drove it for years and years and it had the best air conditioning of any car I've ever driven. I wonder if he still hates it?

When I see anyone drive a big blue Ford Excursion around town, I think of "Heather, Heather, Heather" and french fries, early dismissal afternoons with all the kids and the way her phone used to pocket dial me all the time and hearing her drive through order with her mom and the kids at Taco Bell. I haven't seen Heather in more than six years as she and her family picked up and moved to Indiana right before we headed to the Pacific Northwest. Still, one glimpse of one of these cars takes me back to a time of toddlers.

(The interesting thing? Angelica had one of these, too, but seeing one doesn't bring her to mind.)

When I see one of these little minis, I think of Heather's mom, who was so excited to get one of these...

She loved that car...but I heard she doesn't have it anymore. Still, she'll always be a Mini-Cooper girl to me.

When I see a forest green Ford Windstar, I think of my friend Karen. This car turned out to be such a blessing for her, I always associate these with her. Truly, though, I should associate it with Superman's sister, because Karen's car used to belong to the Steel Magnolia.

But for Steel Magnolia, I think of her whenever I see a silver Toyota Highlander. I remember all kinds of funny things about her getting this car...zero percent financing, how excited she was after being a mini-van mom for so many years. It just suited her.

When I see one of these on the road, I think of Mr. R. With Mr. R. working in North Dakota, the trucks I see on the road aren't him, but still, I think, "Oh, there he goes off to work." He loves that truck...I think that for him it represents his family coming out of a difficult time and being on the other side.

And lastly, when I see one of these, which I very rarely do, I think of a younger Superman. This Camaro Z28 was his car before he had me and when we were dating, he would drive by to "visit" it at Costco,(where the young man who bought it from him worked) just to make sure it was being cared for. (I am sure I actually have an incorrect wrong picture, but this is as close as I could come.) The funniest thing? I never actually saw Superman with this car, I just know how much he loved it and that love always comes to mind when I see one of these.

Cars are funny, aren't they? Or maybe it is just people who are funny...

Updated Pillars - A couple coats of spray paints gives cupboard dwellers new life!

2011-10-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Years ago, I liked the sleek look of brushed nickel/silver. I loved these pillars. Since then, however, my tastes have changed and these candlesticks have been relegated to the cupboard. Still, I liked the shape of them and they came to mind when I was looking for a way to update my fall mantle.

I took advantage of the unseasonably nice weather we've been having and headed outside with my candlesticks, a flattened box, my bench cookies, and two cans of spray paint.

The bench cookies let me get the candlesticks up above the cardboard to get a nice coat of paint all the way to the bottom of the candlesticks.

The first coat was black.

Then I sprayed on a light coat of metallic brown.

Ta Da! Updated candlesticks that look fabulous with my Fall pillar candles.

Now, I just need to wait until Halloween stuff gets put away and my beautiful candlesticks and be part of my Fall mantle.

Food for Thought

2011-10-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

This made me cry for oh so many different reasons...

How powerful a concept it is: If you don't quit, you don't fail. Think about it. Roll it around in there. Pretty profound, isn't it?

Paleo Pie Crust

2011-10-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

One of the struggles I've had since giving up wheat and other grains is how I can have celebrations like birthdays, holidays, parties, and other random occasions. Like it or not, dessert is part of these things and, if I do say so myself, I was really, really good at dessert.

Still, I feel so much better since I gave up grains, especially wheat, that I'm trying very hard to stay away from them entirely. I was super excited to get my copy of Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie and Charles Mayfield. Everything I'd heard said there would be some hints to help me solve my conundrum and what I'd heard was correct.

Tried the Nutty Pie Crust (page 114!) last week and, while it wasn't a complete success, I was pleased enough to keep it on my list. It was really easy and quite tasty.

Frankly, the pie crust was quite flavorful, but not flakey like a flour crust. More like a graham cracker crust. Unfortunately, the crust didn't hold up to a wet pie, like the apple pie I chose to make (had apples from our tree that had to be used). Also, it didn't lend itself to a top crust, so I had to come up with a crumble topping on the fly. Still, the flavor was fantastic and this pie crust would work really well with a custardy pie, like a pumpkin pie or a cheesecake. If you're at all interested in something like this, I highly recommend this recipe. It was definitely worth the effort.

If you want to know more, head over to Paleo Comfort Foods and check out some of the recipes. You'll be amazed at what you can make.

I can hardly wait to try these Morning Glory Muffins!

Do You Want To See My $20 Table?

2011-10-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Bought this table for $20 last February. It was a Craig's List find. When we went to pick it up it was in pieces and had no hardware. Once I got it assembled (without hardware), I realized that it was way too short. For what it is worth, it turns out that a standard table is 30" tall and my little bargain was topping out at 28". So, it lived in the garage waiting for me to deal with it for 8 months.

In the meantime, last spring I took a woodshop class at a local high school so I could learn how to properly use all of Superman's cool garage toys. (Made a folding Adirondack chair...it is super cool.) I really enjoyed the class and the instructor allowed me to sign Valiant up this fall. While he's been busy learning to use the tools and making his own Adirondack chair, I brought my table to the experts for a little guidance. One 'lift kit' later, I have a table that is almost counter height. (Hearing them tell me I needed to make a "lift kit" immediately made me thing of "Pimp My Ride" and, ever since, I've been thinking that I was pimping my table. Weird, I know.) Anyway, the lift kit was made of scrap wood and a few of my hours, so the newly lifted table is still a $20 steal.

I didn't even have to refinish the table...it just needed some orange oil and elbow grease. It worked out so beautifully...I finally became one of those people who found something fabulous on Craig's List.

Don't you love it? The table ended up being 33" inches tall, which might be too tall for a lot of you, but actually worked out to be terrific for us. (Oh, and the chairs are from Target...so it is NOT a $20 dining room.)

Today is my birthday!

2011-10-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it...I am 48 years old already. I remember when I was a little girl, thinking that I'd be too old to appreciate anything when the new millenium came. I was 37 when the calendar flipped over to 2000 and I was definitely not too old to appreciate anything...

Fast forward 11 years and I still feel young. Vibrant. Joyful. Downright happy. My life is so wonderful (which is not the same as perfect...is there such a thing?). I just feel so fortunate to have been blessed with all that I have been given. It is humbling, how fortunate I am...surrounded by love and laughter to insulate me from the trials and tribulations that touch all of our lives.

So, Happy Birthday to Me...I am a lucky woman!

Labeling Everything

2011-10-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

tr.v. la·beled or la·belled, la·bel·ing or la·bel·ling, la·bels
1. To attach a label to.
2. To identify or designate with a label; describe or classify
***********************************************************************************

I'm thinking that maybe I'm having a little too much fun with my Silhouette machine. The real question: How much is too much?

I've used it in the kitchen.

I've used it in the little dining room.

I've used it in the family room for sewing stuff,

for office supplies,

and for old photographs.

Oh, and let's not forget my bathroom.

But now I have to ask: Can you have too much labeling? Is simplicity and clarity a bad thing?

A place for everything and everything in its place?

Seriously...how much is too much?

Too funny!

2011-10-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

I bought a new painter's tarp because I want to make some pillows and an ottoman cover. While I was sewing, the unused portion was on the floor. (I know, I know. I should have picked it up and immediately folded it...but I didn't.)

The tarp was quickly claimed and became the source of quite a few minutes of entertainment for the kids and me.

Lucy becomes fascinated by the tarp.

"What is it?"

It stopped moving, but she's not letting it out of her sight. Getting closer didn't help.

Maybe a different perspective will help. She came around to the other side and waited.

And waited...and waited...and harumphed the way dogs will.

The wait was finally rewarded! At last...movement begins again.

"Ninja, come out! I got you fair and square!"

Lucy's persistence pays off and Ninja finally comes out to play. Oh, I scooped the tarp up and folded it neatly. That will teach me to leave things on the floor, even "for a minute".

Coolest Thing Ever!

2011-10-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

So, this might not be a big deal to you, but figuring out what to do with our bikes as the weather turns is a big deal to me. We have four bikes to accomodate and I have some constraints to how I want to store them: I want them out of the way, but accessible (because we don't always have snow on the ground). We don't have rafters, so we can't use a pulley system to get them up out of the way. We do have a shed in the corner of the backyard, but getting them in and out of there is a pain in the rear. So, imagine my surprise when I solved my dilemma for $34 spent at Harbor Freight! (I had a coupon...they're normally $47.99.)

Let me introduce you to our Bike Tree. It is holding all four of our bikes (bikes for tall people take up a lot of room!) and is easy to maneuver. It can be rolled out of the workshop area of our garage whenever I want to use it as a workshop and quickly rolled back in when I'm done.

It took me half an hour to assemble it and then it was ready to go. Had one of the kids hold the tree steady while I got the first bike on the tree and after that, it was easy to get the rest of them up there. Notice that the seats are on alternating sides of each other...that makes the bike tree stay balanced. The best part? The footprint of the bike tree is 30" square. Yes, our bikes stick out more than that, but not enough to make it be a problem and smaller bikes wouldn't extend past the base of the tree.

Come on! Admit it. This is pretty darned cool!

Don’t Do CrossFit if…

2011-10-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

First, my disclaimer: I think everyone should do CrossFit. My first week at our CrossFit gym, I met a woman was almost ten years older than I and who'd had two knee replacements and a hip replacement and she kicked my butt. CrossFit is not only for those already in shape.

Still, the kids and I were having fun coming up with "reasons" people might say they shouldn't do CrossFit, so we decided to share them with you.

You know David Letterman's Top Ten Lists? I thought it would be fun to use the same idea to tell you why you shouldn't do Crossfit. (Not that I believe any of them, but they all sound good, right?)

Top Ten Reasons NOT To Do CrossFit

10. Like me, you're old enough to be pre-Title IX*. You didn't do sports in school. CrossFit looks like something "boys" do.

Ramp up? I was struggling with this our second week at CrossFit!

9. You like your old gym. You and your friends have all been going together for years. Your body hasn't improved, but, still, you like your old gym.

8. You don't want sore muscles, callouses, or the occasional bruise. Why work that hard?

Man-makers are fun, right, Charming?

7. You like being anonymous at your gym. You don't want people noticing you and you certainly don't want the owner paying attention to you!

6. You are afraid of heights…rope climbs? Too high!

She's how high off the ground?

5. You get head rush if you turn upside down. Hand stands? Not happening.

Stepping out of your comfort zone isn't always easy!

4. You like losing mobility and strength. Isn't that why you got married? So your husband could lift heavy things and open jars for you?

3. You don't want to get dirty. Pushing a tire around will make your hands all dirty.

Oh, yeah, tires are dirty!

2. You sleep just fine…you don't want to have more energy and better sleep. What would you do with more energy? Sheesh.

…and the Number 1 reason NOT to join a Crossfit gym?

You don't want to look better naked. That is what clothes are for, right?

*Pre-Title IX means before there was mandated funding for Girls' sports in schools. You can read all about it here.

A CrossFit Family

2011-10-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a few weeks back that our family had joined a CrossFit gym and I promised to tell you more about it. Today, I'm finally getting around to telling you all about it.

In May, I'd finally had enough of lackluster results with our old gym. Between boredom and plain dissatisfaction, we'd virtually stopped going to the gym. Why go? We weren't getting good results (heck, we weren't really getting any results) and, as a result, we kinda sorta stopped going. Still, I wasn't at all happy with our fitness levels. As homeschoolers, I am responsible for our PE as well as our academic curriculum. I'd been seeing a lot about CrossFit on the Primal and Paleo lifestyle blogs, but, as the nearest CrossFit gym was too far away from my house to make joining up practical, I just filed the information away.

Finally, in April, a CrossFit gym opened near enough to our house to make it worthwhile to investigate. I headed to the website and saw this video:

Did you notice that there are old people, young people, fat people, and fit people doing CrossFit? I fit into some of those categories quite well. The next hurdle? Convincing the kids that we could all be CrossFitters. Much to my surprise, after viewing this video, Buttercup (or Queen Bean, as she has named herself) was all for it and Valiant was willing, if not enthusiastic.

We headed down to the gym to check it out and signed up that day. It has been five months since we joined the CrossFit world and we've been transformed. Truly. My kids all lost that pudgy, we-love-video-games look (they still love video games, it just doesn't show as much!) and my clothes all fit so much better...especially my jeans (woot!). My chiropractor actually asked me what I've been doing because I've developed so much lean muscle in such a short time. We've become stronger, more agile, have more endurance, and have more overall energy. We sleep better. Buttercup says everyone is more confident and seems to enjoy life more. The best part? It didn't take five months to see these results.

Our first month, Valiant is jumping with the sandbag while I get mine ready.

Within the first month, I could see my children carried themselves differently and friends commented on it, as well. We're being molded and shaped to be stronger, fitter versions of ourselves. It is like have a personal trainer each and every day. Our form is constantly assessed and corrected, weights are adjusted to keep it challenging. We never get away with phoning it in because our CrossFit trainer is always watching. Sore muscles are the norm...bruises are pretty common and, yet, we enthusiastically come back for more. The best part? It really does start to feel like a tribe...the other CrossFitters do encourage you...they notice the baby steps of improvement you're making and they're not shy about propping you up. "Don't quit...you've got this!" are some of the most common phrases you'll hear in a CrossFit gym. As Valiant pointed out after coming with the best time for the workout of the day, "Mom, they started cheering me on. How could I quit then?" Yes, we're still some of the slowest, but we really do get honorable mention for doing our very best (and we're not as slow as we were five months ago!). I love that.

Our second month...I'm playing with the log.

A month after Valiant, Buttercup and I made the commitment to become CrossFitters, Charming took me up on my offer to pay for his membership and he's experiencing all the same things.

His first month, Charming is getting it above his head.

We've all learned a whole new vocabulary (although I'm still struggling to keep things straight!).

Last week, Buttercup finally got up the rope!

We're mostly "scaled", but we can occasionally do the "WOD" (workout of the day) to "Rx". We play with kettle bells, sandbags, and tires. We box jump, we clean and jerk, we dip and drive, and we push press. We do Turkish get-ups, burpees and man makers. We're in awe of muscle ups and 400+ lb deadlifts. We aspire to perfect push-ups and pull-ups. We yearn to do hand-stand push-ups and walking hand-stands. Some of us can even rope climb! We are a Crossfit family now and we love it.

Chalkboard Markers and Black Contact Paper

2011-10-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Just in case you thought all my creativity was limited to use of the Silhouette machine, I have another little project I did this summer to share with you.

Let me back up. We have a teeny-tiny "linen" closet at the top of our stairs. The door to the closet was really just two cabinet doors stacked on top of each other, roughly 20" wide. The opening was so small that the closet was always an ineffecient mess.

So, last spring, I took off the cabinet doors (discovering that they were just a face, no really cabinetry behind them!) and decided to see if I could live with a no-door linen closet...especially as all of our linens are in our respective bedrooms (they fit better there!).

This really appeals to me.

As does this.

So, even though I haven't quite figured out how to execute my own linen closet redo, I have started liking this open closet system. And, it gave me an excuse to break out my chalk markers! I simply wrapped some lightweight cardboard in black contact paper and used the white chalk marker to identify the contents of each bin.

The bright yellow I chose for the baskets and bins makes the entire closet feel cheerful. Having no doors really keeps us from accumulating clutter.

Also, I don't overbuy supplies because I don't have any place to put them!

I still need to refine the shelving and figure out how I'm going to trim out the opening, but I think I'm leaving the doors off.

Oh, and I didn't stop in the closet. I headed downstairs and made up a few more tags.

I know lots of people have In boxes

and Fabric stashes,

but how many people have bins of Dog Balls?

Organizing makes my heart happy...can you tell?

Ta Da! The Bathroom is Done!

2011-10-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Last January, I started to tackle the last untouched room in our home. I found one picture of the bathroom and you'll have to be nice, because I was being goofy for a kid with a camera!

As for anymore pictures, I can't find most of the "before" pictures for the master bathroom, but these "during" few give you a taste of what I was facing when I began the project. A chair rail that hid an unpleasant surprise. (This is the true color of the red.) They painted over wallpaper! Should I replace the drywall? Ugh...I hate surprises like these!

Red paint that was somehow flawed, so that the coverage was uneven and left a smear of pink on whatever I used to wipe the walls. The Behr 2-in-1 Paint and Primer really did cover well. It only took two coats of Water Sprout to cover that dark red.

This is where I was testing the Behr paint to see if there was a smear or if it wouldn't cover. (It was fabulous!) We discovered that half the plugs in the bathroom were run illegally through the cabinetry, too. Bye-bye plugs. The bathroom was a disaster...truly.

Now look at it!

Water Sprout is a lovely pale green (it doesn't have as much yellow as shows in some of these pictures, but it isn't minty, either). Combined with fresh white paint, we have a light and airy bathroom. See how much bigger it looks?

Superman and I decided not to replace the drywall. Instead I lived with the room in disarray for a few months and we put up wainscoting when Superman was home in April. During that same leave, we put in a new granite countertop with integrated sink. Superman even gave me a valance over the window. Then he headed back to work and left me to do the finishing touches.

I painted the wainscoting and the valance in Behr Premium - in Frost. Shelves and towel hooks finished it off. The vanity was painted for me by Mr. R (he's so nice and he's a much better painter than I) and we added drawer pulls to finish it off.

A few more decorative touches and it is done. (Having first names that begin with letters found in cardinal directions makes it easy to find our initials in home improvement stores.) A 3M hook holds my brush.

Cotton balls and q-tips? They're here, too.

See how beautifully they fit in here? It may have taken us six months to make it happen, but I love how this bathroom makeover turned out and my beloved stained glass got to stay. How cool is that? It was all worth it.

New Use for Old Candle Jars

2011-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

I love candles. I really do. I like them enough that I actually use them up. My frugal soul hates throwing away the empty jars. They're really nice looking, but they're not food-grade, so you can't use them for candy or nuts (unless the candy is individually wrapped, of course).

One oldcandle jar from Target with wicks burned all the way down. (I love this candle...it smells amazing.) Pop out the last of the wax and save it for your tart burner. Use Goo Gone to get the label off and wash and dry the jar. Ta Da! You have a jar ready to use.

Here are two I've already begun to work with. One is a little one from Yankee Candle and one is my first Target candle (told you I liked them!). Took the labels off and washed them and these jars are both pretty enough to be used for all kinds of things: buttons, paper clips, safety pins, etc. I thought mine would work beautifully in my bathroom, so I added some q-tips and some cotton balls and they're ready for work.

Still, I had a little something different in mind. A quick coat of spray paint gave me black lids.

Much better! They looked good, but still weren't quite what I was after.

Ah, a couple of labels gave them the finishing touch! Perfect, don't you think?

Since the candles were already paid for and used, these little jars were practically free. I love it when things turn out well, don't you?

It is not how Superman would have done it!

2011-10-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

When we moved into this home six years ago, we brought with us Superman's "legacy" 36" Sony Triniton. (It was cutting edge when Superman got it for our family more than eight years ago--he so loved it when he bought it...still, it is a beast with a huge tube on back.) We placed it in the place of a "never-worked" gas insert on the main level of our home. Superman just built a little cubby around it to house the components and it fits in beautifully.

Unfortunately, one of the components died last week. Honestly, I would have just left it there for him, but it was making a horrible humming noise and I couldn't wait until Christmas to deal with it.

Valiant and I managed to muscle the television forward (OMG! It was so heavy!), but struggled to reach behind it to disconnect the dead component. (We couldn't pull it all the way out because we'd never have been able to get it back up onto the hearth.)

Fortunately, Buttercup is a small little thing and managed to slip in behind the television. (We'd just gotten back from the gym when I decided to undertake this little project--can you tell?) Anyway, she could even stand up in there! Don't touch the fiberglass insulation, Buttercup!

She got all the wires disconnected for us in no time at all and had fun doing it. (She even dusted the back of the television while she was in there!)

See? The component is gone. It is definitely not how Superman would have done it, but I'm not as strong as Superman and I think we did pretty well! I just have one question:

What do I do with the empty space left by the removed component? For now, the Halloween movies can be stored there.

Words to Live By...

2011-10-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

Do you ever think of the messages that bombard your family on a daily basis? Advertisers have figured out how to inundate us with their messages...billboards, magazine ads, television commercials, radio commercials, brand-name clothing...everything is screaming messages at us. But how often do we deliberately set out to send messages to ourselves, to our children...messages that are reinforcing our ideals, not Madison Avenues goals.

One of the things I try to do in our home is to surround us with positive messages. I've had fun coming up with the words we live by.

Whether they're a little bit of humor as we tackle the mundane...

or reminders that we are who we are and no one else...

or even the reminder that we already know what we need to do, we just need to do it.

Oh, and we even use words as friendly reminders to our young male guests...

What words do you live by?

One more little bunting/pennant/whatever...

2011-10-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

My little niece is turning two this week! (Time sure flies...) Anyway, the kids and I got to meet her in person this summer and she was adorable. Since she lives on the East Coast, I don't know much of what she plays with or what she likes to do, so I decided against sending a toy.

Still, I wanted to send something special and I know she knows the letters of her name. I came up with this (sorry for the bad photos...I had to finish it up late Sunday night to make the mail on Monday.)

What do you think? I just love the "little girl" fabrics. Buttercup is so "old" now, that I can't get away with too many of these anymore. The Silhouette came the to rescue again and helped with cutting out all the shapes...letters, flowers...they were easy.

There are some little fairy faces peaking out behind the letters or in the flowers. (I thought a two-year old would like those!) I added some rick rack to make it more fun.

I think it turned out nice and girly...I hope she likes it.

Easy Peasy Halloween Craft - Jack-O-Lanterns

2011-10-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

The world shifted on its axis recently and my family has been the beneficiary of the effects! Seriously. Here it is October 3 and my Halloween decorations are up and I've even had time to do some Halloween crafts.

This little one was so quick and easy (and had my neighbors scratching their heads). It was so easy, I just had to share it with you.

You'll need:
bigger empty plastic jar with lid (clean and no label)
orange paint (spray paint or craft paint)
brown or green paint
a straw
something to make the face: vinyl, sharpies, paint

I had some empty plastic jars (mayonnaise and beef jerky treats) that I washed and removed the labels. Took them outside and spray painted the inside of the jars orange. (Seriously, I wish you could have seen my neighbors' faces when they saw me out on the front lawn painting plastic jars orange and surrounded by a bunch of little kids who were watching with tremendous intensity. It was so funny.)

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah... Painted the jars orange (we had orange spray paint...very weird)

and painted the lids brown. Gave it a little more thought and came up with those "kid's cup" straws from restaurant kid's meals and painted them brown, too. (The neighborhood kids were equally split between brown and green...I had brown on hand, so brown it was!)

Let everything dry and headed downstairs to get some pumpkin face vinyls via my Silhouette machine. (Have I mentioned how much I love that machine? It is so awesome...seriously awesome!)

Once the paint was dry, we applied the faces. Isn't my assistant cute?

Drilled holes in the lids and inserted the bendy straws and added some hot glue to keep them stable. (Careful drilling the holes...one of the lids cracked when I drilled the hole.)

Added our battery operated candle and we're ready for nighttime!

The kids can stick these in their windows and I don't have to worry about anything more than dead batteries. Love it!

Primal Bruschetta

2011-09-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

My family loves bruschetta. No, really, they love it. This is the recipe I've used for years. Unfortunately, putting it over pasta is no longer an option for a grain-free family. That didn't stop us, however. Bruschetta is already primal! As long as you're sourcing good vegetables, you are good to go.

I just used bigger chunks of zucchini and bigger pieces of meat thank I used for my Capellini Pomodoro and our Bruschetta became a meal! I didn't change my basic recipe...I even had tomatoes and zucchini from our own garden to make it that much better--I don't think you can get any more local than that...SRSLY.

As you can see, it became more of a stew than anything else. It was amazing.

I even went hog-wild and topped mine with parmesan cheese.

Erin's Bruschetta
Inspired by the Capellini Pomodoro @ Hotel Figueroa

Directions:
8 tomatoes - chopped
2 small zucchinin -chopped
1 small onion - diced
2 tsp. ground basil
1 clove of garlic - minced
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
I won't lie to you. Going primal has taken some adjusting. Pasta-based meals were a mainstay in our family. We are constantly redefining meals...tweaking here and there. Still, the pay-off has been well-worth the hassle.

Remember This? (A summer project!)

2011-09-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

Just a few months ago, we were dealing with a flooded basement...9 feet in to be exact. You can read about it here.

...that brought in mud...

...and ruined carpet.

Now look at it:

Superman was tickled to come home on leave last month and discover that we'd tricked him and the room was done!

Doesn't it look comfortable? We still can use the treadmill, too. A far cry from last spring, that's for sure.

The door was the start of it all. I was just sure that adding a door with a window for some natural light would make this basement room perfect. I think I was right! Even better? With a tile floor, I don't have to worry so much about flooding destroying the room (it is a basement, after all!).

Quick Sewing Post

2011-09-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Finally got some new bedding...ours was old and tired. I really love my new duvet cover and shams, but...

...the fabric was so slick that the pocket closures on the back of the shams weren't staying shut and the pillows kept sliding out. It doesn't help that Beans is always sitting on them in her "Queen of the World" pose (with her monkey...story for a different post).

So, I uncovered my sewing machine and got to work. Some sew on velcro and ten minutes later, my pillow shams are staying shut and I'm even more thrilled with my new bedding. Something so simple and easy can make such a difference. This will work on any pillow with pocket closures.

Just lay out the pillow sham right sides out. Figure out where the closure should meet if straight (ie., not pulling). Pin one piece of velcro.

Then pin the other on the opposite side of the closure. Double check they line up properly.

Sew each strip on. Remove your pins and close it up. That's it. You're done.

Now your pillows will stay closed and there is just a little box of stitching to show for it. A little less frustration in your day...easy peasy.

Woot! The "queen" seems pleased, too.

Look out, World!

2011-09-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Look who's got his Learner's Permit!

Right after he passed the test - don't you love those "fake smile" smiles that teenagers do so well?

Behind the wheel!

Got out my sewing machine...

2011-09-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

This time of year brings me inside...I turn from the yard and outside activities to the home and inside activities. It seems like an annual rite that my sewing machine comes out this time of year. I greet it like an old friend and get to work.

This year, I combined my sewing machine with a painter's tarp from Lowes, some quilting fabric, and the Silhouette machine that Superman surprised me with last Mother's Day and in less than an hour, had a new fall decoration.

Did you know you can use your Silhouette machine to cut fabric? Neither did I, but, Boy Howdy!, does it make little sewing projects go just that much faster. All you do is attach your fabric to Wonder Under, stick it on the cutting mat, put in the pink blade, adjust your settings to slow and thick (I think mine were 3 and 33, respectively), and hit "cut". The machine does the rest. I ended up trimming so threads that didn't quite make the cut (get it? "make the cut"...I crack myself up!), but other than that, the letters were done in about three minutes. Woot!

After that, I took the fabric triangles I'd cut from my painters tarp, ironed the letters to each triangle, zig zagged them on and they were done. Then I decided to add a little more flair and sewed a decorative stitch on the border.

I attached all the triangles to a bias tape and frayed the edges of each one.

Ta Da! A little fall sewing in less than an hour!

Didn't it turn out well? I really like it. I think I'm going to make some pillows next. I have plenty of fabric left and I they'll be just the thing!

(If you haven't discovered painter's tarps, I urge you to give them a try. They are an inexpensive way to get a casual looking fabric and are really versatile. I think I paid $5 the tarp I got and have made two buntings out of it and have plenty left to make two pillows. You just can't beat that.)

Summer Vacation - Part IIIb - Love, Laughter, Tears, and Good-byes

2011-09-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

If you've been following along, the last chapter of our summer vacation adventure was as much fun as the first...if you've been following along, you know that when I left you, I was desperate for my own bed after camping and an overnight at our local theme park.

What We Did During Our Summer Vacation - Part IIIb

by The Nagle5

We left the theme park/water park and brought our little trailer back home. Superman was relieved to be able to wash the trailer after this camping trip (the poor man was appalled that I hadn't washed it down after our first trip). There was no rest for the weary, though, as I dragged poor Superman with me to our new Crossfit gym so he could get a feel for what we'd all been doing for the previous three months (more on that in another post!). Finally, it was bedtime...oh, how we love our SleepNumber bed!

(Superman & Me!)

The next day we welcomed Superman's sister, Steel Magnolia, and her friend, Trigger, to Eastern Washington. The Steel Magnolia has been through so much in the past few years and has just stayed strong through it all. We hadn't seen her in six years (although Superman saw her a few years ago on a business trip back to So Cal) and we'd never met Trigger.

(Magnolia & Trigger)

Their visit was amazing fun. Magnolia and Superman had a terrific time catching up on old time and Trigger fit right in with the Nagle5 posse. He even nick-named one of the neighbor kids so effectively that the tag has stuck (poor kid!).

(Superman and Magnolia - explaining to the man on the upper deck

just how it was the Superman had two women he was posing with--

apparently it looked funny to watch him pose with each of us.)

In addition to same Game Night fun, the adults spent an evening on Lake Coeur d'Alene. Mother Nature joined in on the show and gave our So Cal visitors a beautiful lightning show. It was so good to see Superman and Magnolia together...laughter and love filled the visit.

(Superman & Magnolia--don't they look cute?)

All too soon, though, their visit was over and they headed back to So Cal. We hope they'll be frequent visitors, however, there was a lot we didn't have time to do this time around.

Before we knew it, Superman's leave was over and he headed back to work right before Labor Day. More love, more laughter, more tears, and another good-bye.

(Sunset on Lake Coeur d'Alene)

Farewell to Summer ...another wonderful summer comes to a close. What we did during our summer vacation...thanks for reading along as I revisit our summer.

Still, Superman will be home again in 93 days...just in time for Christmas. And, in the meantime, we're keeping Skype busy.

As always, time sure flies...

Summer Vacation - Part III - Tears, Hugs, Mud, and Screams

2011-09-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

One month after we returned from our Boston trip (definitely a study in extremes as Clark pointed out), we greeted Superman at the airport for the start of his long-awaited leave and our summertime adventures continued...

What We Did During Our Summer Vacation - Part IIIa

by the Nagle5

Superman arrived at our little international airport on August 19...he was greeted by enough tears and hugs that the normally stoic/impersonal security person leaned over and gave me a kleenex. To say we missed him would be an understatement. I think we just about melted him with our tears of happiness. To say he was surprised by Valiant standing next to him at a full 6'2" would also be an understatement. He stands eye-to-eye with both our sons these days and that is just so strange.

Anyway, Superman carefully timed his leave so that he could, jet lag and all, participate with the Nagle5 in The Dirty Dash the next day. Bright and early Friday morning, we got into our cars (even Charming headed out of his place to join us) and headed over to the race location. It was crazy. Our heat began at 9:00 a.m. and what followed was 6.2 miles of mud, dirt, hay, and water. We ran through mud pits. We ran through dirt.

(Superman, Valiant and Me,

trying to finish together...

harder than it looks!)

We jumped over hay bales and walls. We ran through the river and walked across beams. We even slid down a giant slide.

(Buttercup and Charming coming off the slide...

the fire hoses the race people aimed at them did wonders!)

Good "clean" fun for the entire family. We can hardly wait to do it again next year!

PS. Yes, we ARE insane!
Still, Superman said it helped him beat his jet lag, so he said we need to figure out something exhausting to do for the first day of his next leave. What? Braving the malls at Christmas isn't exhausting enough?

The next day, we hooked up the trailer and headed to our favorite campground with our friends.

(In the meantime, our beloved Charming showered a few more times (the mud was everywhere!) and headed off to work for the week...such is the life of a new hire!)

While Charming worked in the salt mines, we played in the water,

(Valiant is giving his dad

a lift out of the water!)

the "men" played a mean game of Risk,

and we pretty much messed around for four days.

But we didn't stop there...oh, no. We all hooked up the trailers once more and headed to Silverwood, the Pacific Northwest's own little theme park. Disneyland it is not, but it is definitely a fun place to play. Superman and the kids did roller coasters...don't they look like they're glad they didn't puke on Panic Plunge?

Me? I relaxed at Boulder Beach...Superman did a little of that, too.

(Aren't we cute? I am still sporting that farmer's

tan from whale watching in Boston!)

Okay, I did like the log ride and the bumper boats. Can you tell? I was drenched!

Finally, it was time to head home...it had been fun, but I was ready to sleep in my own bed. Besides, we missed Charming!

Summer Vacation - Part II - Whales, the Mayflower, Food Poisoning, and Fireflies

2011-09-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

What We Did During Our Summer Vacation - Part II

by the Nagle5

Ten days after we got back from our first camping trip of the season, Valiant, Buttercup and I headed for Boston. Flying used to be a lot more fun, didn't it? The TSA and Homeland Security have taken all the fun out of arrivals and departures. No friendly faces waiting for you as you disembark from the plane at your destination and no happy visiting at the airport before you fly off into the wild blue yonder.

We arrived in Boston and headed over to my sister's house for dinner. We were so tired...it didn't occur to any of us to take pictures. Still, when we got back to our hotel, I went into the restroom to wash my face and came out to this. Yes, flying was exhausting.

The next day we went whale watching to celebrate said sister's birthday. It was so nice to be at the beach again! I so miss the beach...I didn't care that it was the Atlantic Ocean rather than the Pacific Ocean...it was so beautiful.

We lucked out and actually saw a mother/baby duo of humpback whales. It was so cool.

I don't have the group picture of all of us (my sister has to scan it in for me--hint, hint), but here are the kids. Aren't they delightfully windswept?

Here is a replica of the Mayflower. Look how small it is! Can you imagine how brave the first colonists had to be to set out in that?

Finally, I thought you'd like a view of the quintessential New England coastline. Look at Cape Cod with the spired buildings. Isn't it something?

After the whale-watching outing, we had a little birthday celebration for my sister. She was such a trooper...that sunburn had to have been terribly uncomfortable!

Right after she blew out her candles, Valiant started vomitting and food-poisoning was the phrase for the trip. By that night, the three of us were taking turn vomitting (etc.) in the hotel bathroom. It was horrible. I really can't remember a time when I was sicker, actually. Not many more pictures after everyone spends three days sick as dogs! Still, we hadn't come all this way to sit in a hotel room. We hit the road to see the family we'd come to see. No, we didn't have personalities, but still, the kids got to meet their East Coast relatives.

We made the trip to the cousin's house and saw the amazing treehouse their dad built in their backyard. It was amazing.
The next day we headed out to Connecticut to meet my little niece. Isn't she adorable? She'll be two next month and is definitely the apple of her daddy's eye (just the way it should be!).

The kids got to see fireflies while we were there. (I don't think they really believed fireflies existed, so Buttercup actually shot a movie of them for Superman.) Thank me now for not posting the video! There was also a bunny in their backyard. Buttercup was enchanted!

The next day, we hit the Museum of Science in Boston...the electricity show was so cool!

Saw a toad in the hotel parking lot that night. And shooed it out of the parking lot and into the bushes before we could head up to our room.

And played in the trunk of our rental car. It was quite and impressive trunk. Valiant is 6'2" and Buttercup is 5'3" and they seem to have plenty of room.

Then we flew home...and began anticipating Superman's leave the following month.

P.S. Did I mention that none of us gained weight during this trip?

Remember those end-of-summer essays...

2011-09-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

...the teachers seemed to love to assign the first day back to school? "What I Did During My Summer Vacation" Do you remember how you couldn't think of anything exciting that you'd done? How you'd spent that past three weeks desperately waiting for school to begin so you could wear your new school clothes? Use your new lunch box? See the friends you hadn't seen since school let out in June?

Well, as in days past, I, too, was ready for summer to end. Like the blogger at The Intertidal Years, I always feel like the new school year is the start of The New Year. Still, reflecting on our Summer Vacation is putting a smile on my face, so I thought I'd write my own "What I Did During My Summer Vacation" essay...after all, I like feeling a smile come to my face as I remember the good, the bad, and the ugly. Who doesn't?

What I Did During My Summer Vacation - Part One

by The Nagle5

During our summer vacation, we went camping. Twice. Both camping trips were fun, but they were quite different.

During our first trip in June, we went without Superman, which was weird for us all. Still, we managed to keep it interesting. Valiant did an amazing job helping me set up our trailer. We learned new things, too. For example, did you know that you can use Crazy Glue in lieu of stitches if need be? Yeah, I didn't either. However, when you combine a 15-year old boy, a pocket knife, bad habits, and a little time, you have the perfect storm. Yep, Valiant sliced right up the back of his ankle, narrowly missing the Achilles tendon.

So, we laid him out on a covered picnic table, held the slice together until the crazy glue good set and reinforced with butterfly bandages.

Kept it wrapped in an ace bandage for the remainder of the trip and he was good to go, albeit slowly and carefully.

Did I mention that I took the knives away for the remainder of the trip. I can only deal with so much, you know?

The rest of the trip was uneventful. The weather was beautiful. Look at the sky as we headed out for this trip. Wasn't it gorgeous?

We had some stowaways who were full of high spirits. They were found hiding in the trailer microwave.

Then I saw some of them in the tree.

The group of them tried to steal a bike.

They kept insisting that Buttercup had invited them, be she denied knowing any of them. I have my doubts, especially as I found her sharing her bed with them!

Still, their pranks were harmless and they really didn't eat much. It was all good.

We had some visitors. This squirrel was sure we were holding out on him.

This butterfly just came by to share her beauty. We were grateful.

We made the kids do chores, too. Here are the boys (Valiant and Two-Bit) doing their share of the dishes.

Oh, and we saw a giraffe. ;)

There you have it..."What I Did During My Summer Vacation - Part I"

A moment of silence...

2011-09-11T01:41:00.001-07:00

Thank you...

Semi-Easy Sewing Project

2011-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen those super cute rubber gloves for doing your dishes? Some of them are really adorable. The only problem? I have big hands. I do. I am 5'10"...I am tall and large-boned and those cute gloves seem to come in sizes small and medium. Still, my heart was longing for cute rubber gloves in my kitchen.

Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer. I took my old gloves (figuring if I ruined them, I'd already gotten two years out of them) and added a ruffle to them! I love how they turned out, especially considering I was using scrap fabric, so I couldn't get as long a ruffle as I'd have liked.

Aren't these fun?

So, why do I call this a semi-easy sewing project? Because I found it difficult to sew in the glove the same way one finds it difficult to sew embellishments on a sleeve. The gloves were too small to fit over the free arm, so it was a bit of a pain. Still, I'm please with how they turned out. Not bad for no money and 40 minutes!

P.S. Doesn't everyone use binder clips in their kitchens?