Hello to anyone who may actually be reading this! 

I have been posting pics and updates on my facebook page rather than here. I actually get comments (!), and facebook is so much more cooperative than blogger. What takes 30 minutes here takes 2 there--and it always works! Pete keeps his facebook page updated as well, and has a link to his flickr site, so his page lists when he updates flickr.

Clear as mud? Come see us there! I am easier to find due to a somewhat less common name.

Tony's Owl

Tony's 2nd grade handwork class owl project--and the results of the 2008 LA County fair!

The Can Crusher

1 cull green scrap 2x6x44 board from the Home Depot reject bin: 55 cents

1 door hinge left behind by contractors: free

2 jar lids saved from trash: free

6 wire nails found in garage: free

helping 1 thrilled 8 year old make a can crusher: priceless

9th Gup!

After two months of tae kwon do, both boys tested for their 9th gup belts (white with yellow stripe). They both broke their boards on their first tries, good job guys!

They (T-bone in particular, since he has 5 friends in the next class) are eager to test for their yellow belts and move to the intermediate class in another 2 months.

Leading the class:

Board breaks:



Proud boys!

July's Almost Over?

How did that happen? Here's a recap!

We saw Wall•E in June, which we all loved. (We won't discuss Kung Fu Panda—save your time and money!) E-man made a Lego cousin for Wall•E--complete with moveable arms and a turning head.

There's been a whole lot of outside play with trucks and scooters. No scooter pics since I don't usually take the camera out on playdates and follow-the-garbage-truck Mondays, but this is just one truck setup.
T-bone marched in the 4th of July parade for the third year—next year E-man will join him!

After the parade, there was the 1st-ever town picnic with yummy food and bounce houses. Truxtons, Tower Pizza, lemonade. And bouncing. What more could anyone want?

What's a trip to the aquarium without listening to a full set (or 2 or 3) by Pacific Percussion?
E-man was super excited for the 45-minute Long Beach Harbor cruise we took. His first time on a real boat (the Newport Ferry is fun and all, but not quite so exciting). The highlight had to be the sea lions.

I can't believe school starts in just over a month!
I have even managed to get some projects done!

I Frogged It!

I can't believe I am so happy to announce that. After months of having this thing hanging over my head, I frogged my bamboo sweater (see how they used her hair to hide the pattern...thanks a bunch). I had almost finished the back when I discovered the geometric pattern was not symmetrical on the garment. I though I'd messed up, but no, the designer says it wasn't designed to be. Ugh.

This is the last picture I took, it was over twice this size when I frogged:

So, now I have 5 skeins of Moda Dea Bamboo Wool and no pattern. I love the yarn though, it doesn't make me itch!

On a happier note, I did finish this super-cute baby girl's dress from the last issue of Crochet Today:

The flower is from another pattern, but this was quick, easy, and is super cute. Too bad I don't know any baby girls. It will be going to the fair and then charity. But if I know you and you have a baby girl in the next couple years, you may be seeing something similar!

Here We Go Again...

Thanks to my neighbor Melissa for pointing this lady out to me. She is living under the eave of the garage, in the back--so, right above my swiss chard. I've never looked up and found one of these before. Pete smooshed the egg sac, but she ran away. Which is OK, I just don't want 500 of these running around in the garden, composter, and earthquake bin (yes, I have one!). Last year they got into the garage, which was no fun at all. This was only the second I've seen this year. By far the biggest, but I do know where we have 4 different webs. So there are at least 4 more in the yard. *sigh*. She is really quite lovely, though probably angry at us now. Do spiders get angry?