Sunday, May 20, 2012

Stash Report May 20, 2012

Used since last post: .3 yards
Used year to Date: 22.7 yards
Added since last post: .75 yards
Added year to Date: 18.35 yards
Net Used for 2012: 1.35 yards

Every little bit helps :) In this case, the journal cover I made for a birthday gift yesterday.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

I made a discovery today

I hate paper piecing. This is probably the only paper pieced block I will ever do:
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The actual construction isn't so bad, but if I had to tear the paper off the back of any more blocks I would go absolutely batshit crazy. I do very much like the yellow and blue combo and will draft some more blocks that are NOT paper pieced to go with this one :)

I also made a journal cover for the Karate Kid's friend's birthday party tomorrow:
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Bright colors and some sparkles on the fabric, metallic quilting in straight lines. She writes, so hopefully she'll like it.

Prom

Last night was prom night - The Lovely Daughter went to her boyfriend's prom instead of her own this year.

The Lovely Daughter and "That Boy":
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Her hair - it looked a lot better immediately after she had it done :(
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The kid in the middle was the one hosting the pre-prom party. He's wearing a pajama suit!
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The group photo, up the steps:
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The group photo, girls sitting:
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The group photo, on the lawn:
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The Lovely Daughter with the other girls - she's the tall one :)
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They had a good time and were home safely by about 12:30.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Stash report May 13, 2012

A few bits from my guild Secret Sister.

Used since last post: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 22.4 yards
Added since last post: .75 yards
Added year to Date: 18.35 yards
Net Used for 2012: 1.05 yards

Weeding day today

While at the city of Rockville's Science Day, I picked up a flyer on "Non-Native Invasive Plants." Hmmm. Wonder how many are in my yard?

Herbaceous plants:
1. Garlic Mustard - Yep. All over the dang yard.
2. Giant Reed - Hey, don't see that one yet!
3. Canada Thistle - yep. (sshhh. don't tell the state; I leave a few on purpose for the finches.)
4. Purple loosestrife - I think we may have some in the yard but it gets outcompeted by even more noxious weeds.
5. Nepalese browntop/Japanese stiltgrass - I'd have to check - it seems like we probably do have some.
6. Common reed - Nope, but we don't have a pond.
7. Japanese knotweed - Maybe?
8. Lesser celandine - Maybe?
9. Johnson grass - yes, but we don't seem to have a huge problem with it.
I would also add henbit, mock strawberry, hairy bittercress, and a few others whose names I don't know to this list. Also the small-leaved grassy weed that's taken over the garden.

Shrubs
1. Japanese barberry - I think we have some
2. Autumn olive - also looks familiar
3. bush honeysuckles
4. Belle honeysuckle
5. Amur honeysuckle
6. Morrow's honeysuckle
7.  Sweet breath of spring (another brand of honeysuckle)
8. Tartarian honeysuckle - honestly, I don't know what kinds of honeysuckle.we have, just that we have a LOT of it and are constantly fighting it. A quote from DD16 today: "Honeysuckle is AWFUL, and killing it is AWESOME." I couldn't agree more
9. Bamboo - running varieties - somehow we seem to have escaped this. We have a small clumping bamboo the previous owners planted, and it hasn't given us any trouble.
10. Multiflora rose - I HATE THESE. HATE THEM. HATE HATE HATE THEM.
11. Wineberry - how something so pretty can be so invasive...if the fruit tasted better it wouldn't be so bad.

Trees
1. Norway maple - yep. At least the seed pods - so I'm constantly pulling up baby trees.
2. Tree of Heaven - AKA the Tree of Hell at my house.
3. Bradford Pear - thankfully, the idiots who owned the place before us do not seem to have planted any of these.

Vines
1. Five-leaved akebia - hmmm. seem to have avoided this one
2. Porcelain berry - starting to see these, need to nip them in the bud
3. Oriental bittersweet - got some of this
4. Climbing euonymus - Don't seem to have this
5. English Ivy - lots. Could be worse, I suppose.
6. Japanese honeysuckle - most definitely. I think this is what DD16 was taking such relish in demolishing this morning.
7. Mile-a-minute vine. My personal nemesis in the yard. My MIL called it "bindweed" and here locally it's also known as "Devil's tear-thumb." Both are apt descriptions!
8. Kudzu - haven't seen it here.
Even though they're native, I'd add poison ivy and Virginia creeper to this list that I am constantly fighting.

At any rate, we filled up at least eight yard trim bags. YAY! You can't actually tell that we made a dent, but I know the difference.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Karate Tournament today

It was our in-house tournament today - both boys competed in board breaking, forms, and point sparring.

Boys sharing advice:
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My three guys:
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I missed the Small Man's board breaking (FUN! according to him) and forms, but he came in third in both.
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Point sparring didn't go as well - he needs to learn to punch as well as kick.
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 The Karate Kid didn't medal this time around. He seemed to come in fourth a lot :)
There was board breaking:
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There was forms:
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And there was sparring:
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I think if he'd sparred as well at the beginning of the match as he did at the end, he'd have done much better.

And now just for fun, Toffee the squinting dog:
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Sunday, May 06, 2012

Sheep and Wool Festival, 2012

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival was this weekend, and we went today. The Small Man's BFF came along today.

It's a HUGE parking lot, and so they run antique tractors pulling trailers with seats along the side:
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BFF, Small Man, TMOTH, and the back of the Karate Kid's head:
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The alpacas are always a huge hit:
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There was one sheep in the back of a truck waiting to go home, so the kids got in close for a good look:
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Then it suddenly "Baaaaad" at them really loudly, and they all jumped back about 5 feet:
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There was a lot of general silliness and a LOT of eating fair food:
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And of course, lots of sheep:
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