Tag Archives: 2012YIP

May3

Pieces of April

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Pieces of April

Pieces of April

  • I’ve been listening to quite a bit of Phil Collins’ recently. I love Another Day In Paradise.
  • An interesting article by Isaac Asimov called The “Threat” of Creationism, from 1984.
  • Moss graffiti is so so so very cool.
  • I want to build a faery garden with the children.
  • I’ve been looking up cargo bikes recently. I seriously think I might be in love with the US-made Madsen (in blue!) It even has benches and seat belts for kids in the buckets. So neat.
  • I need to get fenders for my bicycle at some point, and a chain guard. Both of which will protect my pant legs and skirts. Once those things are covered though, I am totally making (or perhaps ordering) and skirt guard, like this screaming orange one. How awesome is it?
  • The kids would adore this kind of hanging seat. Heck, so would I.
  • There is a laundry list of people I could, and need to, thank, for inspiring me to go back to college and pursue my love of science, but as far as popular figures go. Neil deGrasse Tyson probably tops that list. Love love love love looove (LOVE) him. Listen to The Most Astounding Fact. What is not to love?
  • Carl Sagan is another. The Sagan Series is a website with a collection of tribute videos dedicated to the man. (Chapter Two and Three and Seven and Eight and…. Just love love Love.)
  • Rodney Wines, whom none of you probably know (he is someone I have known since I was a child,) is another, though he probably doesn’t know it. He was, and is, always willing in indulge my questions about everything from when he worked for NASA, to general science and astronomy, to just sharing humorous life stories or advice. I think he is pretty much the perfect balance of knowledge, kindness and humor you will find in any person ever. His words have inspired me as much as Carl Sagan. To top it all off, he looks like Colonel Sanders, which is pretty darn cool.
Apr8

Photoblog

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Photoblog

96/366: quick trip 97/366: Jaspenelle and Caswallon
98/366: Spring Flowers red Schwinn Breeze

We got a new bike this past week. Well, “new”. It is an old bike that we picked up from a friend’s house. A 1968 candy red Schwinn Breeze. We are going to try to fix her up, maybe to take to a future bike swap.

More people then I expected have expressed interest in my biking habits in various places I post my journal updates. Perhaps I will talk about it more often. I didn’t realize people would be curious about living car free. Blogging always surprises me!

Sorry if I have been a little absent lately. This past week has been… challenging. Moving forward though. As I’ve heard some cyclists say, you have to earn the downhill.

Apr4

Photoblog

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Photoblog

sunset 93/366: ready to ride
94/366: banana bread 95/366: Spokane River

I have my placement testing for college tomorrow. It has been over eight years since I needed to take any sort of test and I had forgotten how very nervous they make me. Just breathe, right?

(and have chocolate for breakfast)

Apr1

Pieces of March

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Pieces of March

Pieces of March
March was very chaotic and I am glad it is behind us. It brought a lot of personal change. Michael moved out of the house. The house needed rearranging to fill the void (we now have a grow space for the garden starts.) Finding a way for make it with bike and bus (I don’t drive – yay child bike trailers!) I am busy preparing to start college this summer quarter (taking my placement test next Thursday, eep!) And of course the children are growing up so very fast.

Don’t get me wrong, I am still glad March happened, and it was full of many beautiful moments, which I hope are reflected a bit in the collage. Fun times with the children, especially in involving them in setting our new routine. Like when SpaceFox saw my dragonfly tea set while I was cleaning the kitchen the other day and fell in love. We decided it was time to start using it (so rather, I decided to stop fearing breaking it.) Now we now have a special candlelit tea time each night before bed to calm us before heading off to the land of dreams. I love it. Our days have a new structure that I am finding tremendously helpful as we move forward… even though it is taking some adapting.

Anyhow, onto the inspiration. My finances are tight (really tight) so my list of interesting links I have gathered this month kind of reflects that line of thinking.

  • A bottle, a plastic bag, a bit of string and some food dye equal a jellyfish? How cool is that!
  • More inexpensive craftiness, a plastic soda bottle (we don’t actually have one, but yay recycle bins!) used as a stamp to make cherry blossoms? The kids are going to love that.
  • In a world where money and time is not an issue, I would totally go to a convention (or all of them, hey perfect world dreaming!) dressed as a quarian. Hey. Nerd’s gotta nerd.
  • I’ve dyed play silks with it, but never thought to try dying some of my wool felting yarn with koolaid. Love it. So bright and cheerful!
  • I have a rather negative reaction to being stung by wasps and have been searching for ways to keep their numbers to a minimum without spending a lot of bait and traps this summer. I found this easy to make homemade wasp trap. Looking forward to trying it.
  • I am in love with this Starry Day Constellation Activity Kit, and with a hole puncher I could completely make the children a set. Beltane gift maybe?
  • Ooo or this cloud identification activity kit, that would be fun to make!
  • I love 100 Days of Real Food. It has been helpful since we have been making changes to our diet. There are menu plans with price break downs that work inside the confines of food stamps. It is wonderful. I love Eat Outside The Bag too.
  • Simple wholesome food is our big focus lately. I’ve been making up some of these oatmeal jars to keep on hand for easy breakfasts. Nice to eat something hot and filling before going out on my bike too.
  • Okay maybe not all completely healthy, I made these bacon wrapped chicken breasts when the children were are Michael’s the other week. Oh. My. Goodness. NOM.
  • Aaaaand maybe I made a giant chocolate chip cookie too…

What has been inspiring you lately?