By the Numbers

Four yoga classes taught this week. Four kids running the neighborhood after school. Nine Girl Scouts at our house for a troop meeting. Ten school lunches packed and eaten. Thirty bridal shower invitations created and addressed. One tire blown on the interstate (four new ones purchased). One hundred and sixty five scored while bowling. One supper eaten at McDonald's to support the elementary school (one meal too many). Two batches of bread baked and devoured. One lost cookbook found (the one with my sweet bread recipe!). One new cookbook purchased with 50 percent off (Pioneer Woman). Three more days until my birthday. Two bottles of wine chilling in the fridge.

What a week.

Spring Has Sprung!

I walked around the yard today snapping some photos. The plants are coming back to life, the dogs are back to digging their holes, and the snakes are discovering the perils of a yard occupied by said dogs. (side note: I did not take any photos of the dead snake carcasses I found in the yard. You're welcome.)

The trees have their blooms:



The landscaping plants that were decimated last year by grasshoppers are coming back strong:



Last year's lavender is coming back, much to my joy:



The hostas and marigolds are sprouting - despite the dogs' attempts to dig them up. Note the hole, as well as the two rawhide chew strips located in the landscaping. And if I'm not mistaken there is also a rawhide bone. Stupid dogs.



The catnip is growing every-freaking-where. That plant isn't a plant; it's a menace. It's saving grace is its little tiny flowers that attract butterflies and itty bitty birds. And the fact that it's cat crack.




Colby completed our first big Spring project: putting a cover on the fort.


The garden is still a dirt pile, but it will soon have seeds. The grass is really green and lovely.



Meanwhile, despite the lovely weather, Jefferson lounged inside watching Rachel Maddow on the DVR. What a loser.

Another Pinterest Project

Last night the Girl Scout troop met at our house to enjoy the nice Spring weather. For our craft project, the girls made a little device that helps birds build their nests. All you need is a $2 suet feeder from the hardware store and some strips of yarn (we used Daisy blue yarn, Girl Scout green yarn, and pink yarn). You pack the suet feeder with little cuts of yarn and hang it in a tree. The birds can grab the yarn from the suet feeder and use it to build their nests.



While I was at the hardware store buying the empty suet feeders, I noticed that they sell suet feeders filled with puffs of cottn/yarn/string...for $4 each. I think our little DYI project cost less than that, and the girls got to learn a little bit about birds and their nests.

I guess we'll see if the birds use the yarn. They seem to like to use all the brushed-out dog hair from our yard for their nests, so why not some pretty yarn?

Why Didn't I Think of That?

I say it a lot, "Why didn't I think of that?" People get rich all the time off of the simplest ideas. Thanks to Pinterest, I have been saying it even more. I have made so many projects from Pinterest ideas: food, crafts, games. I mean, seriously, why didn't I think of these things!?! This week I made some towels that I can attach to the handle of my stove.

Let me say this: I can't sew. I wish I could, but I can't. Maybe when Soren starts school I will take some sewing classes. Until then, I rely on hot glue and liquid stitch.

I love having towels that can hang from my stove handle. They are convenient, they dry quicker, and they are EXPENSIVE. I have purchased some crocheted ones from the farmers market for $6 or $7 per towel. The buttons that keep the towel attached to the stove eventually always fall off, and I can't (obviously) do a very good job of sewing them back on. Plus, the kids pull the towels off the stove handle because one button doesn't hold them on very strong. Never again! All I needed was a little Pinterest inspiration, some Velcro, some Liquid Stitch and voila:



You can see my Velcro-ed towel hanging next to the crocheted ones on my stove. I really love flour sack towels. They are simple, absorbent, and match any decor.

I bought three flour sack towels for about $4. The Velcro was $2.99, but I had a 40%off coupon. Liquid Stitch is kind of pricey (maybe $6), but it finished my whole project with lots to spare. I even had enough Velcro and LS to give one of my old towels an upgrade. The craft store I visited didn't have any iron on Velcro, but that would also work. They also didn't have any white hook and loop Velcro left, so I just used black. I'm not picky.

All you have to do is cut a strip of hook and a strip of loop, use the Liquid Stitch to adhere them to the towel, and then let the adhesive dry for 24 hours.



This is definitely one of my favorite projects yet!!

This Week in Yum

I haven't posted a recipe in awhile, so I thought I should pick one to share. Thanks to Pinterest, my recipe collection just keeps growing.

I love this White Cheddar Chicken Pasta recipe. Be warned: it makes a ton even by my large family's standards.



Last time I made it I added some broccoli florets into the pasta water the last minute or two of cooking time which was so convenient. Then I just added the broccoli and pasta to the cheese mixture. Yum Yum.

I also made some homemade baked donuts in my handy dandy donut pan. They almost look like a lot of work...but they were so easy. They are even reasonably healthy as far as snacks go; not much fat, not fried, and you can use whole wheat flour.



I can't wait to post more Pinterest discoveries! In fact, I have a towel project on which to work...

The Annual Shrine Circus!

March 17th wasn't just St. Patrick's Day at the Vescapades home; it was also Shrine Circus Day! Colby has friends who are Shriners, and they were nice enough to give us circus tickets for our family, a few extra kiddos, and my Girl Scout troop. So here's a shout out to the Shriners for all the great work they do for kids!!

We had a little bit of a walk to Pershing Auditorium, and everyone was careful not to run off. A little warning about homeless men grabbing you helped. (side note: Lincoln has a huge problem with homeless men in the downtown area groping people).



We passed by what is left of the Occupy Lincoln protest. You can see the few tents still left:



Of course, everyone had to get some kind of light-up toy. What would the Shrine Circus be without a jinky light-up weapon??



Soren got to bring her friend Reese along. Reese and her brother even got to have a sleepover with us.



We also had to get some snow cones and cotton candy!




Thanks to the Shrine Circus my life is complete: I got to see a grizzly bear driving a motorcycle. Cross item off the bucket list.

Women, Get Ready to Go Bat Shit Crazy

What's not to love about a feminist rant? I rant to myself all the time (since ranting to Colby just gets me this response, "I agree with everything you're saying"). Whilst trolling one of my favorite news websites, I found this lovely feminist rant. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Reproductive rights are vital to women being seen as human, as valued, and as equal. If the government or our employers or our spouses can control our reproductive systems, we are nothing more than property. Our value is lost. Women are so much more than mothers. Sure, it's the most important job a woman will ever have once she has a child, but being a mother isn't the only thing a woman can do. Why is it that we can so easily separate men from their role as fathers? Meanwhile, mainstream politicians think it's okay to force a woman to have a vaginal probe (literally the government raping a woman). They think it's just fine to use religion go persecute rape victims or unmarried women or women who just aren't ready to have a child. It's SICK.

Ladies, you should all be raising hell. Right now. Really loud. No matter how you feel about abortion. No matter how you feel about premarital sex. What matters is this: you cannot let the government tell you who controls your uterus. Your religion belongs to you. My body belongs to me. My body belongs to ME.

And then there's this: women paying more for health care in many states. Hmmmmm. Women can, apparently, be charged more for having lady parts, but we can't be trusted to make the best decisions regarding them. Funny.

A Few of My Favorite Things (This Week)

Sometimes when you're at a flea market rummaging through piles of stuff that is supposed to be "too good to toss", you actually find something really interesting. Check out the cork screw I found - still in its original box:



Why would anyone want to leave it in the box?!?! It's a Democrat donkey AND a cork screw!! I suppose it's previous owner couldn't appreciate its Made in China, truck stop gift shop qualities. But I can.

I also purchased an Obama '08 t-shirt at the Goodwill for $1. Seriously, I think these things crawl out of the garbage bins to find me. And I love them for it.

My final favorite for the week is the fact that Soren has now decided not to wear underpants. Ever. Corduroy pants? No undies needed. Leggings? Undies optional. Pajamas? How about just some dinosaur pants - no undies and no shirt.

And when I put her to bed last night I said, "Tomorrow you are going to wear underpants, okay?" Her reply..."I call them underwear. Or butt pants."

And I'm pretty sure she's going commando again today. Sigh.

Happy 100th Birthday, Girl Scouts!

You've all read about my newfound love for Girl Scouts. This week is Girl Scout Week, and 2012 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of Girl Scouts of America. A few of the moms from my troop and I took our scouts to Lincoln's 100th Anniversary Bash. The girls got to meet lots of other scouts, play some scout games, and makw some scout crafts.

Here are the girls (side note Miss K is upset, and you can tell. Even Girl Scouts can't always avoid drama).





There was even cake. What party can be complete without cake?



The girls had the opportubity to think of three words that describe their Girl Scout experience. Our girls chose Honest, Fair, and Cookies. Of course, my child chose cookies as her word.



It was a lovely afternoon spent with my favorite little Girl Scout and her friends.

Election Year Awesomness

There are many things I love about election years, but perhaps my favorite is the amount of fodder there is for comedians (especially my beloved John Stweart). However, this year's bad lip reading videos are HILARIOUS. If you haven't seen these, you really should check them out.

It's Almost Garden Time

And this guy is really serious about finding just the right seeds...



I think he looks at more garden porn than actual porn. I knew I married the right man.

Yoga, Yoga, and More Yoga

So, it turns out subbing yoga can be a busy job when the gym is a yoga teacher short. One of my favorite teachers had to stop teaching her morning classes, and there isn't yet a permanent replacement for her. She's the one who recommended me to sub her classes in the first place and got me this sweet gig. I subbed once last week, and three times this week, even subbing Yoga Sculpt (yoga with weights).

I spent so much time preparing for class: picking the right music, finding poses, planning the flows, and figuring out the perfect outfit. I know I still have a lot to learn about yoga, and I can't make everyone happy with my routines, but I'm beyond tickled to even have the chance to do something I love, get a workout, and get paid to do all that. I even had a few friends come to my classes for moral support (thanks, ladies!).

My new bumper sticker states it well:

My New Magnet

Here's a photo of my new magnet. Yes, I think that about sums it up.