I loved it. Until...
Oh and since I know there are going to be a bazillion questions, you can read this post first to learn how I magically transformed the quilt after it was quilted.
I hope my secret partner likes it!
~Norma
DQS9 Sneak Peek
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
This is what my Doll Quilt Swap 9 quilt looked like a week and a half ago.
I loved it. Until...
...this week when it looks like this, and now I love it even more!! I need to hurry up and finish it up. For some reason I thought the deadline for send outs was Sept 15th, turns out it's Sept 8th. So I have to get crackin'.
Oh and since I know there are going to be a bazillion questions, you can read this post first to learn how I magically transformed the quilt after it was quilted.
I hope my secret partner likes it!
~Norma
I loved it. Until...
Oh and since I know there are going to be a bazillion questions, you can read this post first to learn how I magically transformed the quilt after it was quilted.
I hope my secret partner likes it!
~Norma
Recipes
Monday, August 30, 2010
I've updated the "Recipes" page of my blog. Now you can browse most recipes by image... but don't blame me if you end up hungry!
You can always find the "recipes" page by clicking on the link on the top tool bar. As I post recipes I'll update this page with a picture and link to the recipe.
The whole recipe thing really got started when my SIL challenged me to take pictures and post the recipe of our dinners. I found that I really enjoy this part of cooking (the picture taking) because it helps me to dish up our food in a more aesthetically pleasing manner. Yes, sometimes we still just put the pot on the table, mainly Mr.PD, but even he has gotten into the habit of dishing up "pretty." It really takes our average every day dinners to "oooh and ahhh" dinners. It really isn't that much harder to dish up "pretty" and it makes our daily family dinners a special occasion. I think my family is pretty special and they deserve to use my pretty napkins and my pretty dishes, and yeah, they're candle worthy too.
I want to challenge you this week to make someone feel special (even if it's just you) by dishing up at least one meal "pretty." Pull out your nice dishes, and your napkins, they really get lonely between Easter and Thanksgiving.
~Norma
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| Petit Design Co. Recipe Page |
The whole recipe thing really got started when my SIL challenged me to take pictures and post the recipe of our dinners. I found that I really enjoy this part of cooking (the picture taking) because it helps me to dish up our food in a more aesthetically pleasing manner. Yes, sometimes we still just put the pot on the table, mainly Mr.PD, but even he has gotten into the habit of dishing up "pretty." It really takes our average every day dinners to "oooh and ahhh" dinners. It really isn't that much harder to dish up "pretty" and it makes our daily family dinners a special occasion. I think my family is pretty special and they deserve to use my pretty napkins and my pretty dishes, and yeah, they're candle worthy too.
I want to challenge you this week to make someone feel special (even if it's just you) by dishing up at least one meal "pretty." Pull out your nice dishes, and your napkins, they really get lonely between Easter and Thanksgiving.
~Norma
Help My Little Friend...
Thursday, August 26, 2010
and her little friends too.
Ok I'm taking this word from word from another friend's blog, only because she wrote it so well! But this little girl Adria goes to my church and I would love to help out a local school that is doing so much for the children in our community.
From my friend's blog:
Eden and I have a friend. She is amazing. She is four years old and has been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition within the Autism spectrum. She has fought with seizures, had a very difficult time learning to walk and talk, and has had other developmental delays. Her family moved to Alabama about 18 months after I did. In one of those tender mercies that seem to be everywhere, it turned out that a school in our area was a perfect match for Adria's unique needs. The Little Tree School has been an amazing thing for Adria and many others.
They have applied for a grant through Pepsi and are currently ranked 8th in the polls. I'm asking you to help move that number to #1.
I RARELY (if ever) take part in these things and therefore don't ever forward them either. However, I've personally witnessed the miracle in this little girl's life. Adria is an engaged, delightful child with an awesome grin. Since she began at the Little Tree school she has made amazing strides in her developmental and social skills. This is definitely a worthy cause. I don't, personally, get this method of deciding a grant (wish it was on merit and not popularity), but since this is how it is being done and because I feel so strongly about Adria, I'm passing this along and inviting you to text to 73774 and put 101735 in the message. Also, you can go to http://www.refresheverything.com/littletreepreschool and vote.
thanks!
Heidi and Eden
I too have seen Adria's development grow by leaps and bound's since she started attending The Little Tree Preschool. She is my daughter's age and I know that if Adria were my daughter I would be doing everything in my power, like her mom, to make sure she was getting the help she needs.
Thanks!
~Norma
PS you can vote everyday until August 31st. You can also vote via text every day, different phone numbers count as different votes!
Text* 101735 to
Pepsi (73774)
Ok I'm taking this word from word from another friend's blog, only because she wrote it so well! But this little girl Adria goes to my church and I would love to help out a local school that is doing so much for the children in our community.
From my friend's blog:
Eden and I have a friend. She is amazing. She is four years old and has been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition within the Autism spectrum. She has fought with seizures, had a very difficult time learning to walk and talk, and has had other developmental delays. Her family moved to Alabama about 18 months after I did. In one of those tender mercies that seem to be everywhere, it turned out that a school in our area was a perfect match for Adria's unique needs. The Little Tree School has been an amazing thing for Adria and many others.
They have applied for a grant through Pepsi and are currently ranked 8th in the polls. I'm asking you to help move that number to #1.
I RARELY (if ever) take part in these things and therefore don't ever forward them either. However, I've personally witnessed the miracle in this little girl's life. Adria is an engaged, delightful child with an awesome grin. Since she began at the Little Tree school she has made amazing strides in her developmental and social skills. This is definitely a worthy cause. I don't, personally, get this method of deciding a grant (wish it was on merit and not popularity), but since this is how it is being done and because I feel so strongly about Adria, I'm passing this along and inviting you to text to 73774 and put 101735 in the message. Also, you can go to http://www.refresheverything.com/littletreepreschool and vote.
thanks!
Heidi and Eden
I too have seen Adria's development grow by leaps and bound's since she started attending The Little Tree Preschool. She is my daughter's age and I know that if Adria were my daughter I would be doing everything in my power, like her mom, to make sure she was getting the help she needs.
Thanks!
~Norma
PS you can vote everyday until August 31st. You can also vote via text every day, different phone numbers count as different votes!
Text* 101735 to
Pepsi (73774)
Vintage Goodness : 10 Tips for buying vintage suitcases
Do you ever look at catalogs or websites and think, "I could do that!" I don't know about you but I sure do! In fact I've got a bookmark list a mile long with "I'm gonna do that someday" inspirations. Every once in a while I actually follow through on those "gonna do" threats.
Two weeks ago I was at the thrift store when I spotted the loveliest, in excellent condition RED vintage suitcase. I almost walked away. Actually I was at the end of the isle and I just had to turn around and go back for it. You see I've seen some super awesome upcycled suitcase projects floating around the internet.
This week I tackled the suitcase before it was eaten by the procrastination monster. This is how the lovely vintage American Tourister cleaned up:
This one will be available in the shop(here) sold but trust me, I will not have any issues in keeping this beauty!
Vintage suitcases, especially the smaller hard back ones, are useful for carrying around sewing projects, camera or music equipment, laptops, and of course make super cute carry on luggage. Here are 10 tips to help you in choosing vintage suitcases.
1) Check the outside for cracks and gouges (hard side) or tears (soft side.)
2)Avoid pieces with lots of scuffs. Big black scuffs are hard to get out. White pieces are especially hard to clean!
3) Inspect the latches to make sure they are in proper working order. Open and close them a few times.
4) Check to see that the suitcase closes properly all the way around.
5) Search for keys or combination codes. If you can't open the suitcase at the store, chances are you won't be able to open it once you get home.
6)Examine the "feet," often times these are broken, cracked, or have one or two missing.
7) Look over the outside to see if there are spots where the color has faded. Light fading is common but don't buy one that has prominent fade spots.
8) Open it up and inspect out the interior condition. Make sure zippers work, check for rips, and make sure the lining is still securely attached to the case.
9)If you can smell it before you even open it don't buy it! Be prepared to get a good whiff once you open the suitcase. Some pieces smell really gross, like cigarettes or who knows what! Most pieces have a slight smell of being cooped up. These can be aired out with an afternoon in the sun and some Febreeze.
10) Check the lining for stains. Light stains can be removed with a soapy rag, a spot carpet cleaner, or try a Tide To Go pen. Large dark stains are going to be nearly impossible to remove unless you're planning on gutting the whole lining, and that is a whole 'nother subject!
So what's on your "I'm gonna do that someday" list?
~Norma
Two weeks ago I was at the thrift store when I spotted the loveliest, in excellent condition RED vintage suitcase. I almost walked away. Actually I was at the end of the isle and I just had to turn around and go back for it. You see I've seen some super awesome upcycled suitcase projects floating around the internet.
This week I tackled the suitcase before it was eaten by the procrastination monster. This is how the lovely vintage American Tourister cleaned up:
This one will be available in the shop
Vintage suitcases, especially the smaller hard back ones, are useful for carrying around sewing projects, camera or music equipment, laptops, and of course make super cute carry on luggage. Here are 10 tips to help you in choosing vintage suitcases.
1) Check the outside for cracks and gouges (hard side) or tears (soft side.)
2)Avoid pieces with lots of scuffs. Big black scuffs are hard to get out. White pieces are especially hard to clean!
3) Inspect the latches to make sure they are in proper working order. Open and close them a few times.
6)Examine the "feet," often times these are broken, cracked, or have one or two missing.
8) Open it up and inspect out the interior condition. Make sure zippers work, check for rips, and make sure the lining is still securely attached to the case.
10) Check the lining for stains. Light stains can be removed with a soapy rag, a spot carpet cleaner, or try a Tide To Go pen. Large dark stains are going to be nearly impossible to remove unless you're planning on gutting the whole lining, and that is a whole 'nother subject!
So what's on your "I'm gonna do that someday" list?
~Norma
Quilt Care
Saturday, August 21, 2010
This is how I take care of my quilts. You may or may not agree and that's ok! This is what works for me and I thought some of you might like to see how I wash my quilts.
First I add a teaspoon {yes just a teaspoon!} of this awesome quilt detergent, "Quilt Care," I found on clearance long ago ($3 clearance, regular $11) to the washer as it is filling up. Quilt Care is phosphate free, bleach free, and it's biodegradable too!
Just a teaspoon does the trick and it bubbles up nicely. I usually cold water for my quilts unless they are really dirty then I use lukewarm water still on the cooler side though.
Once the basin is about half full I add the quilt and make sure it is all submerged. I also add a color catcher cloth to the washing machine at this point. The cloth acts as a magnet for loose dye. At the end of this cycle it had a pink tinge to it from the red fabric prints. Without the color catcher those loose dyes could have redeposited themselves elsewhere on the quilt, like on the backing fabric making the whites look pink instead of white.
I don't have a front loading machine and I don't have a nice laundromat nearby so I just use my top loading machine which happens to have a hand wash setting:
It is a very short cycle with intermittent low agitation and a low spin. It goes something like this: swish swish, pause, swish swish, pause... and it repeats. The pause is like a 15 second pause and the swish is very gentle.
Once the cycle is done I run the quilt through about 15 seconds of a high spin cycle. Then I throw the quilt in the dryer with a clean towel for 10-20 minutes on a low heat setting depending on the size of the quilt. You don't want the quilt to be completely dry but still damp.
Next I lay the quilt out on my bed to finish air drying. At this point you make sure your quilt is lying square as it will retain this shape once it is dry.
That's it! It may seem a little tedious but it is a step I truly enjoy! I love the smell of a fresh clean quilt. This step gives me one last chance to enjoy, pet, smooth, and caress that quilt before it leaves on it's way to it's future home. Taking good care of something you spent hours on truly makes sense to me. I want my quilts to be around long after I'm gone so my great great grand-kids can enjoy them someday.
Do you have any special quilt care tips for me?
~ Norma
First I add a teaspoon {yes just a teaspoon!} of this awesome quilt detergent, "Quilt Care," I found on clearance long ago ($3 clearance, regular $11) to the washer as it is filling up. Quilt Care is phosphate free, bleach free, and it's biodegradable too!
Just a teaspoon does the trick and it bubbles up nicely. I usually cold water for my quilts unless they are really dirty then I use lukewarm water still on the cooler side though.
Once the basin is about half full I add the quilt and make sure it is all submerged. I also add a color catcher cloth to the washing machine at this point. The cloth acts as a magnet for loose dye. At the end of this cycle it had a pink tinge to it from the red fabric prints. Without the color catcher those loose dyes could have redeposited themselves elsewhere on the quilt, like on the backing fabric making the whites look pink instead of white.
I don't have a front loading machine and I don't have a nice laundromat nearby so I just use my top loading machine which happens to have a hand wash setting:
It is a very short cycle with intermittent low agitation and a low spin. It goes something like this: swish swish, pause, swish swish, pause... and it repeats. The pause is like a 15 second pause and the swish is very gentle.
Once the cycle is done I run the quilt through about 15 seconds of a high spin cycle. Then I throw the quilt in the dryer with a clean towel for 10-20 minutes on a low heat setting depending on the size of the quilt. You don't want the quilt to be completely dry but still damp.
Next I lay the quilt out on my bed to finish air drying. At this point you make sure your quilt is lying square as it will retain this shape once it is dry.
That's it! It may seem a little tedious but it is a step I truly enjoy! I love the smell of a fresh clean quilt. This step gives me one last chance to enjoy, pet, smooth, and caress that quilt before it leaves on it's way to it's future home. Taking good care of something you spent hours on truly makes sense to me. I want my quilts to be around long after I'm gone so my great great grand-kids can enjoy them someday.
Do you have any special quilt care tips for me?
~ Norma
Quilts for Kids Update
Friday, August 20, 2010
While working on my "Quilts for Kids" quilt I had a little mishap. I was finished with the quilting and had just squared up the quilt. I moved on to cutting and piecing the binding. I picked a lovely golden yellow which tied in to the color from the dog's collar. I was zipping along cutting my strips for the binding when I felt a change in my rotary cutter. I immediately cringed, unsure of what damage I had caused.
That's the problem with "zipping" while you're cutting, you get into trouble! Luckily it was only the label and not the quilt or some other project that usually litters my main work/cutting desk. I set it aside while I continued on with the binding, the whole time trying to decide whether to salvage the label or not.
Ha ha! Light bulb moment! I remembered a specialty stitch on my trusty Kenmore.
#43 and #44 are specialty patchwork stitches. They are meant to work like this: take 2 pieces of fabric and fold under a small seam allowance on the sides you want to join, then but them up next to each other and sew using #43 or #44. Well I didn't have any room on that small label to fold under a seam allowance along the cut edge so I treated the cut edges with fray check. Once dry I butted them up next to each other and sewed them together.
This is what it looks like on the back of the label. The stitch resembles little bird foot prints. The cut seam is right along the middle of the stitching. It wasn't perfect but it worked!
I really need to keep my work area cleaner to avoid something like this again! Have you ever accidentally cut through something?
Norma
Lick Skillet Quilt Guild
Thursday, August 19, 2010
At the beginning of the year I joined a local quilt guild: Lick Skillet Quilt Guild (LSQG). It's fun to come together with other quilter's once a month (sans kids and spouses) and to talk about all things quilty. Granted the group is comprised of mainly old ladies with a different style of quilting to mine, but I do not let this deter me from attending my meetings. To tell you the truth I find old older people funny, often hilarious! And while we may not have the same quilting style I choose to see the design possibilities rather than focusing on the thimble-berry style fabrics.
At our July meeting we were lucky enough to have the fabric shop come to us! Actually our LQS closed it's doors last April :( So now we only have Hobby Lobby and Walmart for fabrics. lately I've become a fabric snob and don't buy fabric at these stores, not for quilting anyway (well not much, because on occasion you can find the good stuff.) The lovely ladies of Grand Bazaar Fabrics came by and brought all this yummy goodness with them:
I was extremely self restrained especially since they brought a whole lot of Amy Butler with them. I was good and spent a mere $20 on these beauties:
I love that top print from Amy Butler's "Love" collection. It's so yummy to look at. I splurged on that spool of thread it's Masterpiece by Alex Anderson by Superior Threads and it set me back about $8! This was a tough decision for me to spend $8 on a teeny tiny spool of thread or to buy another 3 fat quarters of yummy fabric.
I finally tested out the thread last week and so far I LOVE it! I promise I'll tell you more about it later.
One thing I love about LSQG is show and tell time. The ladies of our guild are busy little bees and they never fail to disappoint with showing off, in a good way of course! I wonder how many of them are retired? I don't think any of them have toddlers at home taking up valuable quilting time except for myself and my friend Joy.
Here are some of the beauties form Show and Tell:
Do you belong to a quilt guild? Are you an active member? Do you like it?
Norma
At our July meeting we were lucky enough to have the fabric shop come to us! Actually our LQS closed it's doors last April :( So now we only have Hobby Lobby and Walmart for fabrics. lately I've become a fabric snob and don't buy fabric at these stores, not for quilting anyway (well not much, because on occasion you can find the good stuff.) The lovely ladies of Grand Bazaar Fabrics came by and brought all this yummy goodness with them:
I was extremely self restrained especially since they brought a whole lot of Amy Butler with them. I was good and spent a mere $20 on these beauties:
I finally tested out the thread last week and so far I LOVE it! I promise I'll tell you more about it later.
One thing I love about LSQG is show and tell time. The ladies of our guild are busy little bees and they never fail to disappoint with showing off, in a good way of course! I wonder how many of them are retired? I don't think any of them have toddlers at home taking up valuable quilting time except for myself and my friend Joy.
Here are some of the beauties form Show and Tell:
Do you belong to a quilt guild? Are you an active member? Do you like it?
Norma
Etsy Love Wednesday
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
1. Vintage Pyrex at BestowAppreciation 2. Aqua and Tangerine print by frecklesfairytales 3. Vintage Princess Coat at 13bees 4.Vintage Black Dress at 13bees 5. I Sew Love You print by jenniferdennispotter 6.Mixing Bowls print by PureInnovation
I think I'm in a vintage mood!
Norma
Weekend Fun
Monday, August 16, 2010
Did you have a good weekend? Mr. PD and I sure did! We spent the weekend doing a little of this:
That's me in the back row blue helmet and Mr. PD is up front in the green shirt. Mr. PD and I happen to both be, at the moment, serving as youth leaders in the Young Men(YM) and Young Women(YW) program at our church. Mr. PD is the president of the YM's group and I am the second counselor in the YW's presidency. As the second counselor I'm over the group known as "Beehives" which are the 12 and 13 year old girls. Right now the Beehive group is the biggest group we have.
This rafting trip was a youth rafting trip and we got to go along as leaders. I was a little concerned at first about taking a group of mostly 12 and 13 year olds rafting on a half day trip on the Ocoee River near Chattanooga TN. The upper part of the river features a one mile Olympic Course featuring Class V rapids. We stuck to the middle half of the river which contains several Class IV and III rapids, much more suitable to inexperienced, scared tweens.
I was pleasantly surprised by their enthusiasm in the face of danger! They all did tremendously well and nobody flipped their raft that didn't mean to. OK we were the only raft to flip but that was on purpose, because we wanted to, and the guide told us he was going to flip us. Hopefully we didn't traumatize the two 12 year olds in our raft! While this trip wasn't as exciting as our trip last year (Mr. PD and I did the upper and middle half last September) it was super exciting to the youth and it was fun to see them enjoying something that none of them had ever done before. Our guide was excellent and gave us a fun thrilled ride while keeping us safe. He's one of the best guides we've had.
Do you like white water rafting? Is it on your bucket list? or do you think that we're plain crazy?
Norma
That's me in the back row blue helmet and Mr. PD is up front in the green shirt. Mr. PD and I happen to both be, at the moment, serving as youth leaders in the Young Men(YM) and Young Women(YW) program at our church. Mr. PD is the president of the YM's group and I am the second counselor in the YW's presidency. As the second counselor I'm over the group known as "Beehives" which are the 12 and 13 year old girls. Right now the Beehive group is the biggest group we have.
This rafting trip was a youth rafting trip and we got to go along as leaders. I was a little concerned at first about taking a group of mostly 12 and 13 year olds rafting on a half day trip on the Ocoee River near Chattanooga TN. The upper part of the river features a one mile Olympic Course featuring Class V rapids. We stuck to the middle half of the river which contains several Class IV and III rapids, much more suitable to inexperienced, scared tweens.
I was pleasantly surprised by their enthusiasm in the face of danger! They all did tremendously well and nobody flipped their raft that didn't mean to. OK we were the only raft to flip but that was on purpose, because we wanted to, and the guide told us he was going to flip us. Hopefully we didn't traumatize the two 12 year olds in our raft! While this trip wasn't as exciting as our trip last year (Mr. PD and I did the upper and middle half last September) it was super exciting to the youth and it was fun to see them enjoying something that none of them had ever done before. Our guide was excellent and gave us a fun thrilled ride while keeping us safe. He's one of the best guides we've had.
Do you like white water rafting? Is it on your bucket list? or do you think that we're plain crazy?
Norma
What's for dinner? Fruited Turkey Wraps
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Yet another recipe from my favorite cookbook! Curried Turkey Wraps. These were so amazingly yummy. They hit the spot right on for a light cold summer meal. I love them just as much for lunch as I do for dinner. You can find the recipe here. I may be biased but I like my picture much better!
I have made these several times and the first time I followed directions exactly but added some fresh picked blueberries. The second time I made these I substituted half the mayo for plain yogurt. Yummy both ways. My kids loved it too. I'm sure you could substitute lettuce for the Napa Cabbage, I wouldn't substitute regular cabbage though. The Napa cabbage has a more delicate cabbage flavor which makes it taste more like lettuce than cabbage.
Ok I'm drooling now. I'll have to make these again this week.
Enjoy!
Norma
I have made these several times and the first time I followed directions exactly but added some fresh picked blueberries. The second time I made these I substituted half the mayo for plain yogurt. Yummy both ways. My kids loved it too. I'm sure you could substitute lettuce for the Napa Cabbage, I wouldn't substitute regular cabbage though. The Napa cabbage has a more delicate cabbage flavor which makes it taste more like lettuce than cabbage.
Ok I'm drooling now. I'll have to make these again this week.
Enjoy!
Norma
Life is Beautiful
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Every Tuesday I plan to share a photograph with you that will hopefully highlight the "beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me" and you too! I won't post much, just an image and maybe a caption. I'll let the images speak for themselves.
Portobello Mushroom
Have a great Tuesday,
Norma
MTQB July
Monday, August 9, 2010
Here is my July Block fro the Modern Tradition Quilt Bee (MTQB)
kylydia requested this super fun block so that she could make a concert quilt. How fun, and perfect, are the Happy Camper fabrics! This is a 16" "Stars Around the World Block." It's from an old quilt book she had.
I finished this one up right away but since I'm set in my evil ways, it sat in my house for a whole month before I remembered to send it out. Seriously I'm really really bad about mailing stuff. I still have my BIL's Christmas present sitting at home... yes it's August. Don't judge me.
Anyone else bad about mailing stuff?
Norma
kylydia requested this super fun block so that she could make a concert quilt. How fun, and perfect, are the Happy Camper fabrics! This is a 16" "Stars Around the World Block." It's from an old quilt book she had.
I finished this one up right away but since I'm set in my evil ways, it sat in my house for a whole month before I remembered to send it out. Seriously I'm really really bad about mailing stuff. I still have my BIL's Christmas present sitting at home... yes it's August. Don't judge me.
Anyone else bad about mailing stuff?
Norma
What's for dinner? Stuffed Portobellos
Sunday, August 8, 2010
here is another super amazing and deceptively easy recipe from my new favorite cookbook HCAR 09. Stuffed Portobellos! Yumm
You take a few simple ingredients:
most of which I always have on hand:
mix them together to look like this:
and you get this delicious awesomeness!
Of course if you can't stand mushrooms don't expect to like these. But if you like mushrooms, these are to die for! My kids ate them. Ellie Mae had a little trouble in the gag reflex department, but my kids have to try everything I put down in front of them. Funny thing is I used to be like her, couldn't stand mushrooms growing up, but now I love them!
Are you a mushroom lover or hater?
Norma
Goodbye July (part 3)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
That very afternoon (Thursday) the air conditioner broke! I think it broke at around 2pm and I didn't realize it for an hour or so. By 4pm it was 84F inside the house and I was one cranky momma. OK so you might think that 84F is really not that bad. Well you are right, if that 84F happens to be anywhere but in the south. See we have this little thing called humidity in the South. It makes life pretty darned miserable! It makes temperatures like 84F seem like 90F, and it makes you and everyone else feel super sticky, oh and you sweat like crazy. Mr. PD didn't get to look at it until around 5:30pm that evening and his assessment was "it's broken." It took every ounce of will power not to smack him upside the head (it was the heat induced crankiness trying to take over!) He got one of his work contractors to come look at it. The assessment on that end was that the generator was broken. It would be a $500-1000 fix. Now to call the landlord and give him the bad news. The landlord called the guy who originally put in the unit because it should have still been under warranty. This other guy said he'd be by to look at it the next day (Friday.)
Great. We'd have to sleep in a hot humid house. It was 87F in the house by 8pm. Mr. PD and I set up the air bed in the basement were it was cooler. I debated whether the kids should sleep in the basement with us or not. Finally we sent them up to their own room and set up fans in their room. It was a good decision.
Later that night, down in the basement Mr. PD and I are watching America's Got Talent on our laptop. Over the show I hear a scritch scratch. I've got really good hearing, plus I was still paranoid over the 2 bats in the house. Mr. PD didn't hear anything. I turn off the computer and turn on the lights. You guessed it! Another bat. This one was crawling over some board game boxes on the top shelf. We gather our combat gear, rackets, gloves, and brooms. Mr. PD gets stationed at the stairs to keep the bat from going up stairs. Right next to the stairs is a door to a storage room and through that storage room a door to the outside.
By this point the bat has settled itself back to sleep behind the board game boxes so I can't do my cup and cardboard catch and release. Instead I have to poke it until it comes out on his own! Do you know how hard it is to poke something that you know will come flying at you and still jump out of the way? I finally got the darn critter to come out of it's spot behind the board games and then the fun of herding out into the wild began. After about 5 minutes we were able to get him into the storage room. another 15 minutes and we had him out the door!
The next day the darn AC repair man did not come to our house until 4pm! And he couldn't fix it that evening so he didn't come back until Saturday morning. UGH! it was 90F in the house by Friday afternoon. Good thing Mr. PD had some common sense to take me out to dinner and then we strolled around the mall for a few hours.
Other things that happened in July included dentist bills, a new car battery after my car wouldn't start 2 separate times, super hot temperatures and missing Mr. PD for 2 weeks while he was super busy with planning and making sure the Boy Scout 50 mile hike happened.The only thing missing from July was fire ants!
Au revoir July, don't come back until next year and only if you promise to be nicer to me.
Norma
Great. We'd have to sleep in a hot humid house. It was 87F in the house by 8pm. Mr. PD and I set up the air bed in the basement were it was cooler. I debated whether the kids should sleep in the basement with us or not. Finally we sent them up to their own room and set up fans in their room. It was a good decision.
Later that night, down in the basement Mr. PD and I are watching America's Got Talent on our laptop. Over the show I hear a scritch scratch. I've got really good hearing, plus I was still paranoid over the 2 bats in the house. Mr. PD didn't hear anything. I turn off the computer and turn on the lights. You guessed it! Another bat. This one was crawling over some board game boxes on the top shelf. We gather our combat gear, rackets, gloves, and brooms. Mr. PD gets stationed at the stairs to keep the bat from going up stairs. Right next to the stairs is a door to a storage room and through that storage room a door to the outside.
By this point the bat has settled itself back to sleep behind the board game boxes so I can't do my cup and cardboard catch and release. Instead I have to poke it until it comes out on his own! Do you know how hard it is to poke something that you know will come flying at you and still jump out of the way? I finally got the darn critter to come out of it's spot behind the board games and then the fun of herding out into the wild began. After about 5 minutes we were able to get him into the storage room. another 15 minutes and we had him out the door!
The next day the darn AC repair man did not come to our house until 4pm! And he couldn't fix it that evening so he didn't come back until Saturday morning. UGH! it was 90F in the house by Friday afternoon. Good thing Mr. PD had some common sense to take me out to dinner and then we strolled around the mall for a few hours.
Other things that happened in July included dentist bills, a new car battery after my car wouldn't start 2 separate times, super hot temperatures and missing Mr. PD for 2 weeks while he was super busy with planning and making sure the Boy Scout 50 mile hike happened.The only thing missing from July was fire ants!
Au revoir July, don't come back until next year and only if you promise to be nicer to me.
Norma
Goodbye July (part 2)
Friday, August 6, 2010
The next day I was on the phone with my mom. telling here all about the bat. As I was telling here about the part where Mr. PD hit it across the room I subconsciously walked to the spot where he ended up. I happened to look into the corner of the front hallway on the floor and saw what looked like dog poop. I was so confused (still on the phone) and was thinking when the dogs had come into the house to do that! As I got closer I realized it was another bat.
I was trying to get my mom to tell me what to do but she was no help. She's very anti anything creepy crawly so her suggestion to leave and wait for Mr. PD to come home was really no help. Besides it was like 10am! I told her I thought it was dead because it was just lying there in a lump in the corner. Aren't bat's supposed to be hanging upside down somewhere? So I grabbed my trusty broom and was about to poke it with the broom handle (still on the phone) when I had the thought "what if it's not dead and then it starts to fly around the room, it's going to freak out the kids." Too late... I poked it before I finished the thought. All my mom heard was a scream. Luckily it didn't take off flying.. it just lifted up it's head and bared it's fangs at me!
At this point I told my mom "gotta go, I'll call you after I figure out what to do. First I banished my kids to a safe distance, really I should have sent them to hide in their room with the door closed. EJ was in charge of keeping an eye on the bat while I went around trying to figure out what to do. My inner McGyver kicked it. I grabbed the widest cup I could find, my rubber gloves and a piece of card board. I very slowly sneaked up on the bat. OK so the bat had gone back to sleep and sneaking was unnecessary.
I was able to very carefully scoot the bat away from the corner with the cup and trap it underneath. I kept wondering if how fast a bat could wake up. Lucky for me he seemed to be pretty groggy and was reluctantly stirring. It was much like trying to wake up a sleeping Mr. PD! After I got the bat under the cup I proceeded to scoot the cup over onto the card board. He did not like that one bit. He slowly but surely woke up and was not very happy at all! I'm so glad he waited until after he was under the cup to wake up! Once he was on the cardboard I was able to pick up the card board and the cup together and bring him outside. The kids got a nice long look at it.
After we had our fill of oohing, aahing and eewing over the bat I made sure the kids were safely on the other side of the glass door before releasing this bat into the wild. How? I picked up the cardboard and cup, held very securely, then I flung them as far as I could and ran for cover. The bat flew out of the cup before it even hit the ground. Yeah he was pretty awake by this point. I watched him majestically fly around in three circles then disappear back over my house! I cursed him under my breath and threatened that if he knew what was good for him he'd stay out of my house!
That afternoon the air conditioner broke... dun dun dun.
... to be continued
Norma
I was trying to get my mom to tell me what to do but she was no help. She's very anti anything creepy crawly so her suggestion to leave and wait for Mr. PD to come home was really no help. Besides it was like 10am! I told her I thought it was dead because it was just lying there in a lump in the corner. Aren't bat's supposed to be hanging upside down somewhere? So I grabbed my trusty broom and was about to poke it with the broom handle (still on the phone) when I had the thought "what if it's not dead and then it starts to fly around the room, it's going to freak out the kids." Too late... I poked it before I finished the thought. All my mom heard was a scream. Luckily it didn't take off flying.. it just lifted up it's head and bared it's fangs at me!
At this point I told my mom "gotta go, I'll call you after I figure out what to do. First I banished my kids to a safe distance, really I should have sent them to hide in their room with the door closed. EJ was in charge of keeping an eye on the bat while I went around trying to figure out what to do. My inner McGyver kicked it. I grabbed the widest cup I could find, my rubber gloves and a piece of card board. I very slowly sneaked up on the bat. OK so the bat had gone back to sleep and sneaking was unnecessary.
I was able to very carefully scoot the bat away from the corner with the cup and trap it underneath. I kept wondering if how fast a bat could wake up. Lucky for me he seemed to be pretty groggy and was reluctantly stirring. It was much like trying to wake up a sleeping Mr. PD! After I got the bat under the cup I proceeded to scoot the cup over onto the card board. He did not like that one bit. He slowly but surely woke up and was not very happy at all! I'm so glad he waited until after he was under the cup to wake up! Once he was on the cardboard I was able to pick up the card board and the cup together and bring him outside. The kids got a nice long look at it.
here he is playing dead
and here it is not so dead
After we had our fill of oohing, aahing and eewing over the bat I made sure the kids were safely on the other side of the glass door before releasing this bat into the wild. How? I picked up the cardboard and cup, held very securely, then I flung them as far as I could and ran for cover. The bat flew out of the cup before it even hit the ground. Yeah he was pretty awake by this point. I watched him majestically fly around in three circles then disappear back over my house! I cursed him under my breath and threatened that if he knew what was good for him he'd stay out of my house!
That afternoon the air conditioner broke... dun dun dun.
... to be continued
Norma
Goodbye July (part 1)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
... don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Seriously, July was no good to me. In fact I would say it was way overrated. One thing after another piled up in July of 2010 easily making it the worst July of my entire life ever. Ok so this was only the 29th July I have ever experienced, but it was B.A.D.
It all started innocently enough on July 3rd. We decided to take a "nice" hike through the Talladega National Forest. Mr. PD who is now in charge of the Boy Scouts at church decided he wanted to check out part of the trail for an upcoming back packing trip. I thought it would be a great idea to bring our often neglected doggies along for the fun, making this a complete family outing.
We packed up a nice lunch and ate it on the back of the pick up truck before starting off on our adventure. That's where the "nice" part of our little outing ended. The first part of our hike was on a road like this:
Not too bad, nice and wide and pretty free of brush. Well that only lasted for about 10 minutes after which the trail became the "road less traveled." The trail was so overgrown with brush that we were forced to hike single file. Even the dogs had to be single file! So what does hot muggy Alabama weather + lots of brush = ? How about ticks, chiggers, and fleas!!!
The ticks were really really bad. Yes we had insect repellent, but not the good stuff. So we were literally brushing off ticks every 10 minutes or so. When we finally made it to our destination the something or other "Cascades" it was very disappointing. The so called "cascades" were more like trickles. At least there were some small (very small) pools of water at the base of the trickles.
After doing a quick tick check (and pulling a few off) we shed our shoes and dipped our feet in the cool water. I was standing in water about 3 inches higher than my ankle when I felt something bite my big toe! I jumped out of that water as quickly and as high as I possibly could. The culprit?
A pretty big crawdad. The one in the picture is not the one that bit me, he's a lot smaller than the one who thought my peacock blue nail polish was irresistible! After a nice rest we skedaddled on back to the car and made our way to the 4th of July church activity. Once home we had to do yet another tick check (we found several) and all had refreshing showers.
I thought that was the end of my problems. The next day I was covered in bug bites. 27 of them! Apparently the dogs brought fleas home from the hike as well. The next few days were spent deep cleaning to get rid of the annoying little things.
Finally all was well... for a few days anyway. Fast forward a few days to the 8th at approximately 10pm. I had just fallen asleep. Mr.PD was watching some HULU on the laptop next to me in bed. Suddenly through my deep grogginess of sleep I hear a very urgent tone in Mr. PD's voice, "wake up, there's a bat in the room." I slowly crack my eyes open and try to make sense of what I think I just heard him say. He repeats, "there's a bat in here." Mr. PD then tilts the laptop back so the screen illuminates the ceiling. I look up, mind you I'm still trying to wake up AND I'm not wearing my glasses. I think I see something but it could just be the shadow of the ceiling fan.
Mr. PD is talking excitedly about a "plan" .... sneak out of the room.... close the door .... racket... ok let's go...
So I did what any wife would do who has just been woken up. As soon as Mr. PD ran out of the room and closed the door behind him (I think I was supposed to follow... I wasn't really awake for the "plan") I covered my head with the blanket and tried to go back to sleep! Thinking to myself that my hubby was nuts. When Mr. PD finally came back with racket in hand he shut the door behind him and turned on the light. He examined every inch of the bedroom, bathroom, and closet. Nothing. By this point with the lights on and the ruckus Mr.PD was making I was wide awake. By this point I asked the question I'm sure Mr. PD did not want to hear. "Are you sure you didn't fall asleep?"
Mr. PD proceeded to try and convince me that he had been wide awake ... not dreaming ... not crazy ... it was in here! So to make him feel better I joined him in a sweep of the house. Guess what we found? A big fat NOTHING!
We ended up chatting in the kitchen. Mr. PD still trying, unsuccessfully, to convince me that there had been a bat in our bedroom and I being the awesome wife that I am teasing him about his hallucinations. All of a sudden a bat swooped out of some unseen corner of the kitchen right at us. "See I told you!" I really hate it when he's right!
Our new plan was to herd the bat out the front door. Mr. PD still had the racket in his hand and I grabbed a broom. The bat was flying around in circles on the main floor of the house. Imagine a square doughnut, that's the basic layout of the main floor of our house. So this poor bat was flying from hallway, to kitchen, to dining room, to living room in one big circle. I was stationed near the front door trying to keep it from going upstairs and back into the kitchen. Mr. PD was between the living room and dining room trying to keep it from going into the kitchen from the other direction. We were successfully cutting down his flying are and herding him towards the front door when it happened.
Mr. Bat took a sharp turn and dove straight at Mr. PD's face! No one gave Mr. Bat the memo that we are avid racquetball players. We have very fast reflexes when it comes to small objects being hurtled at us at incredibly fast speeds. Needles to say Mr.PD's reflexes kicked in and with small flick of the wrist sent poor Mr. Bat flying across the living room. All I heard was a squeak and a thud.
The poor bat did not have a chance. I put on some rubber gloves and threw him out into the front yard. This guy had a 10-12" wingspan so he was way more menacing when he was flying around!
It took me forever to get back to sleep that night. The adrenaline was flowing and i was now super paranoid about any little object that brushed up against me in my sleep! The rest of the night was uneventful.
... to be continued
Norma
Seriously, July was no good to me. In fact I would say it was way overrated. One thing after another piled up in July of 2010 easily making it the worst July of my entire life ever. Ok so this was only the 29th July I have ever experienced, but it was B.A.D.
It all started innocently enough on July 3rd. We decided to take a "nice" hike through the Talladega National Forest. Mr. PD who is now in charge of the Boy Scouts at church decided he wanted to check out part of the trail for an upcoming back packing trip. I thought it would be a great idea to bring our often neglected doggies along for the fun, making this a complete family outing.
We packed up a nice lunch and ate it on the back of the pick up truck before starting off on our adventure. That's where the "nice" part of our little outing ended. The first part of our hike was on a road like this:
Not too bad, nice and wide and pretty free of brush. Well that only lasted for about 10 minutes after which the trail became the "road less traveled." The trail was so overgrown with brush that we were forced to hike single file. Even the dogs had to be single file! So what does hot muggy Alabama weather + lots of brush = ? How about ticks, chiggers, and fleas!!!
The ticks were really really bad. Yes we had insect repellent, but not the good stuff. So we were literally brushing off ticks every 10 minutes or so. When we finally made it to our destination the something or other "Cascades" it was very disappointing. The so called "cascades" were more like trickles. At least there were some small (very small) pools of water at the base of the trickles.
After doing a quick tick check (and pulling a few off) we shed our shoes and dipped our feet in the cool water. I was standing in water about 3 inches higher than my ankle when I felt something bite my big toe! I jumped out of that water as quickly and as high as I possibly could. The culprit?
A pretty big crawdad. The one in the picture is not the one that bit me, he's a lot smaller than the one who thought my peacock blue nail polish was irresistible! After a nice rest we skedaddled on back to the car and made our way to the 4th of July church activity. Once home we had to do yet another tick check (we found several) and all had refreshing showers.
I thought that was the end of my problems. The next day I was covered in bug bites. 27 of them! Apparently the dogs brought fleas home from the hike as well. The next few days were spent deep cleaning to get rid of the annoying little things.
Finally all was well... for a few days anyway. Fast forward a few days to the 8th at approximately 10pm. I had just fallen asleep. Mr.PD was watching some HULU on the laptop next to me in bed. Suddenly through my deep grogginess of sleep I hear a very urgent tone in Mr. PD's voice, "wake up, there's a bat in the room." I slowly crack my eyes open and try to make sense of what I think I just heard him say. He repeats, "there's a bat in here." Mr. PD then tilts the laptop back so the screen illuminates the ceiling. I look up, mind you I'm still trying to wake up AND I'm not wearing my glasses. I think I see something but it could just be the shadow of the ceiling fan.
Mr. PD is talking excitedly about a "plan" .... sneak out of the room.... close the door .... racket... ok let's go...
So I did what any wife would do who has just been woken up. As soon as Mr. PD ran out of the room and closed the door behind him (I think I was supposed to follow... I wasn't really awake for the "plan") I covered my head with the blanket and tried to go back to sleep! Thinking to myself that my hubby was nuts. When Mr. PD finally came back with racket in hand he shut the door behind him and turned on the light. He examined every inch of the bedroom, bathroom, and closet. Nothing. By this point with the lights on and the ruckus Mr.PD was making I was wide awake. By this point I asked the question I'm sure Mr. PD did not want to hear. "Are you sure you didn't fall asleep?"
Mr. PD proceeded to try and convince me that he had been wide awake ... not dreaming ... not crazy ... it was in here! So to make him feel better I joined him in a sweep of the house. Guess what we found? A big fat NOTHING!
We ended up chatting in the kitchen. Mr. PD still trying, unsuccessfully, to convince me that there had been a bat in our bedroom and I being the awesome wife that I am teasing him about his hallucinations. All of a sudden a bat swooped out of some unseen corner of the kitchen right at us. "See I told you!" I really hate it when he's right!
Our new plan was to herd the bat out the front door. Mr. PD still had the racket in his hand and I grabbed a broom. The bat was flying around in circles on the main floor of the house. Imagine a square doughnut, that's the basic layout of the main floor of our house. So this poor bat was flying from hallway, to kitchen, to dining room, to living room in one big circle. I was stationed near the front door trying to keep it from going upstairs and back into the kitchen. Mr. PD was between the living room and dining room trying to keep it from going into the kitchen from the other direction. We were successfully cutting down his flying are and herding him towards the front door when it happened.
Mr. Bat took a sharp turn and dove straight at Mr. PD's face! No one gave Mr. Bat the memo that we are avid racquetball players. We have very fast reflexes when it comes to small objects being hurtled at us at incredibly fast speeds. Needles to say Mr.PD's reflexes kicked in and with small flick of the wrist sent poor Mr. Bat flying across the living room. All I heard was a squeak and a thud.
The poor bat did not have a chance. I put on some rubber gloves and threw him out into the front yard. This guy had a 10-12" wingspan so he was way more menacing when he was flying around!
It took me forever to get back to sleep that night. The adrenaline was flowing and i was now super paranoid about any little object that brushed up against me in my sleep! The rest of the night was uneventful.
... to be continued
Norma
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