My next project

I think I may try this next !

Recycle, reuse, conserve

Here's a way to reuse all those endless plastic bags we all seem to accumulate.
Fold the bag lengthwise and cut it into strips 1-2 inches wide. You should now have lots of rings of plastic. Loop them together to create one continuous length of "yarn."Crochet a chain several inches long and then start crocheting single crochet stitches into the chain, around and around and around until the bottom of your basket is big enough. How big is enough ? That's up to you ! Decrease by skipping a stitch on the next round every so often. This creates the wall of the basket. Keep going until the walls are high enough. Add 2 handles and voila ! A very useful basket .

And while we're at it - join us tonight and turn off your lights from 8PM - 9 PM for Earth Hour. It's a world-wide effort to raise awareness about conserving energy and resources !

Easter

It's all about hunting for eggs when you're 4 years old

and introducing the little brother to how it's done .

Sometimes even a plain red egg can be totally amazing !

And eating those eggs isn't too shabby either.

Journals # 3 and # 4

The Easter Bunny has been busy making more journals - these two are for a doting auntie and a mother who never seems to have pictures of her own darling children in her purse so she can show off how adorable her children are. Now she can brag and keep organized at the same time. This journal making is really addictive.

Journal #2

This journal is for a horse-crazy little granddaughter.

It even has cool horsey endpapers !

Oh Blogger, why have you forsaken me?

I'm so frustrated because now that I FINALLY have a camera, I can't upload a ^%$^%#$ thing!  So many fun things have happened lately!  I have adorable children doing adorable things and I can't post about it!  We made a beautiful spring window in our front window last weekend, R mastered the art of eating with chopsticks (at age 4!!!) and today she went to work with me - "A Girly Time!" she excitedly told me.  Never-mind that she crashed so hard at the end of the day when, in my infinite wisdom, I accepted an impromptu play/dinner date with a neighbor and her children ... while she was "working" with me she had a great time: eating candy from our office candy bowl, sliding down sand piles with Opa, milkshakes with Opa, weighing out trucks and watching the wildlife come and go on the pond behind my office ... she told me happily that she didn't even get bored once!  It was a really beautiful day and having her at the office with me again was so nice, even if I didn't get a lot done.  And now we have this great weekend planned and it looks like no one will be able to lay eyes on the photographic evidence.  Well, tomorrow's trip to the Farmer's Market, The Book Thing, cupcake making and Sunday's St. Patty's Day 5K will have to be described adequately through my finger tips, tippity tapping away on the keyboard.  Wahhhhhhh!

A little greenhouse therapy

How do you combat the late winter blahs and fight off a virus ? With a little greenhouse therapy, of course. I spent a few happy hours planting seeds for this year's garden and enjoying the sunshine and flowers in my greenhouse. I think every house should have a mandatory greenhouse to restore the souls and bodies of the people who live there. I bet their medical bills would be greatly reduced. Well, I feel better anyway !

And this is what those seeds I planted will produce soon.

Why the Little Sticky Label on Fruit?

Why the Little Sticky Label on Fruit? You may have thought that it would give the checkout clerk a clue as to price , but the label actually contains much more interesting information : the numbers denote how a fruit or vegetable was grown.

Four numbers - conventionally grown
Numbers starting with " 9" - organically grown
Numbers starting with " 8 " - genetically modified

I just checked the bananas I bought yesterday, they had the number 4237 on their sticker , which denotes they were conventionally grown. 94237 would have been organically grown and 84237 would have landed in the garbage can !

I've always wondered if we are being exposed to genetically modified food without knowing it, now at last we have a clue - at least when we're buying fresh fruits and vegetables.

Mystery unveiled

It's a dear little journal made entirely of items one would ordinarily throw away, except maybe for the photographs.



Here's a view of the back as well ( recognize the daffodils next to the driveway ? Not much longer now until they're in bloom.)



And here is a bonus view inside - all recycled papers .The endpapers are some crazy kiddie art. The latter was a sort of emergency solution to a warping problem. I knew that gluing a photograph to one side of a piece of cardboard would cause warping , I didn't realize it would be quite so severe and needed a quick fix, so R's drawing pad had to come to the rescue.

The journal is amazingly functional and sturdy, even though it's just an experiment, and I can't wait to make another one, this time with a little more planning ahead of time. If you want one, raise your hand !

Recycle Fever

The adult Stashbuster socks are done and I love them ! I'm already planning the next pair. It's so satisfying to use up little bits and pieces which would ordinarily be thrown away.
Inspired by those socks, there has been a recycling outbreak here at chez RFD. Here is a mystery project which will be unveiled later today. Stay tuned....

What could it be ????

Our Weekend

I would love to tell you about our weekend, especially since I FINALLY have a camera but I am sad to say that the Blogger Gods have spoken and it appears that I can't upload any photos!!?  Is anyone else having this problem or am I cursed?  I hope they fix it soon so I can share the photos of the wonderful weekend I had with my wee ones ... we were very productive!

What a difference

a ( sunny ) day makes. The snowdrops are officially in bloom .

And look what else is blooming : I needed a few thin sticks to tie up some freesias in the greenhouse and used some prunings from the apple trees. Stuck them in the flower pot and voila ! I present the blooming plant support. Makes me feel like Moses in the Bible - wasn't he given a stick and when he stuck it in the ground it burst into bloom ? Hhmm, I don't think you need to worry until I start handing out Commandments....

And just because the toddler Stashbuster socks were so much fun to knit, I am making myself a pair.They are addictive - what a great pattern. It's a great way to use up all the leftover bits of yarn in your stash - hence, Stashbusters.

What's for dinner ?

a terrific lettuce and spinach salad from our grow tunnel which we put in last November. There are onions and peas coming along as well and we will certainly plant another tunnel this fall - an easy and no-labor way to eat greens in late winter.

Spring !

Today is a perfect March day; there is a strong wind, it's not cold, there are dramatic bursts of sunshine alternating with equally dramatic clouds, which makes for totally dramatic shadows on the landscape.

The grass is visibly getting a bit greener every day and everywhere green shoots are pushing out of the ground.

Each day there is something new to discover; if you don't pay attention , you'll miss the latest happening.

You have to look under the bushes to find the snowdrops - in Germany they are called Schneegloeckchen - Snow Bells - a rather apt name.I haven't heard them ring, but last night we heard a sure sign of spring for the first time this year. Peepers !

Inside there is a burst of creativity as well. A secret project for the next birthday this month. Don't peek if it's yours !

A basket full of leftover yarn turned into something useful and was a lot of fun to make.

Stashbuster spiral socks for a little grandson. How cute are these ?

What creative things are you engaged in to celebrate the beginning of spring ?

Could it be

that today is someone's birthday ? Why, yes, it is .

Happy Birthday to Emlyn !!



The bouquet is from the garden - the first pussywillows of the season, just in time for the birthday table.

And the cakes are Viennese Sacher Torte and cherry banana Obstkuchen, all made from scratch ( see yesterday's entry.) Let the party begin !

Something is afoot...