Reduce, reuse, and recycle: the chair project

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Take two white molded plastic chairs, dirty and grungy beyond description.
Scrub chairs to remove dirt.
Coat with plastic primer to make sure paint will stick.
Paint selected portions of chairs (or have your daughter do it).
Let paint dry completely.

Attach removable rummage sale stickers to chair in random pattern. Paint chairs thoroughly with main color. Let dry. When chairs are dry, carefully remove stickers.


The result: the formerly old and junky chair becomes a simple polka-dotted accent piece for the deck. Bring out the cappuccino!

There’s a table to match, but I don’t have the heart to take it away from the bunny just yet.

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>More on the first apartment…

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>The carpet is plain and indestructible.
The bathroom is, well, unique.
Did I mention the lights?


The lights all have longlasting energy efficient bulbs. They stick out of the fixtures because the fixtures are old (it’s a college apartment!). The light fixtures themselves are decorated with — mallard ducks. Why? I’m sure we’ll never know. Maybe the owners or builders got a good deal on a large flock, er, quantity of these.

I just hope the wildlife on the overhead lights is not an indication of the wild life yet to come between these well-worn walls.

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>Funday Sunday

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Here’s where we were last Sunday.
Amigo was all decked out and ready for the game with his armband radio, Little League cap, and personal cooling device, a.k.a. cheap fan on lanyard around neck. I bought three of those little fans because of the (hot, hot) forecast. In the meantime, while we waited for the gates to open, we listened to the band and danced…

…and looked for trains.

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>Choose your own adventure — if you dare

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Sometimes you can choose your own adventure. Sometimes those adventures just land on your doorstep — or your driveway.
Let’s work backwards. My daughter walked in the house one evening and announced calmly, with only a hint of a sheepish grin, “Mom, I owe you a new citronella candle.” What?! My cute blue bucket with polka dots, filled with citronella wax, recently purchased at Target to ward off nasty mosquitoes when I want to be outside? How could it already be used up?
It was Independence Day, July 4th, the one day out of the year that kids of all ages in the U.S. are encouraged to watch fireworks and even play with some of their own. My teenage daughter had a few friends over to do sparklers. As they finished with each sparkler, they looked for a safe place to put it. “Oh, let’s put them in here! We can set the bucket on the driveway, away from trees and grass and other things that burn.” These honor students (yes, talented and gifted students with outrageously high ACT scores) forgot one thing: candle wax is flammable.
Scene 1: Still-hot sparklers act as wicks, starting the bucket of wax on fire.


Scene 2: Husband runs in house for fire extinguisher. La Petite shouts, “No, dad, wait! I want to take a picture!”

Scene 3: After she takes her picture, he puts out the fire. (Note: he didn’t stop for shoes.)

Parenting: it’s not just a job, it’s an adventure.
(Thanks to La Petite for the photos — and the memories.)

This post was entered in Scribbit’s Write-Away Contest for July.

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>I am…I think. Wait — strike that, reverse it.

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Perhaps to offset the seriousness of being labeled a Pundit Blogger, I took this quiz. Rerun? Well, the character description fits, but I can’t quite see myself riding on the back of my mom’s bike anymore. I should be chauffering her in my bicycle, really. I could get a pedicab like this. Ready Mom?

Which Peanuts Character are You?

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>Tasty Tuesday from the backyard garden

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>Remember this dream? I didn’t make a meatloaf recently, but I did bake a rhubarb cake. We had so much fresh rhubarb I decided I had to bake, despite the hot weather. I cut up extra rhubarb and froze it: snack size zipper bags hold 1 cup each. Perfect.

Fresh Rhubarb Cake
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped rhubarb, frozen or fresh
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional: powdered sugar frosting for drizzle,
whipped topping, or vanilla ice cream

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 13 by 9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream the margarine/butter and 1 cup of the sugar. Add the egg; beat well. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add one third of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat well. Beat in half the buttermilk. Add another third of the flour, then the rest of the buttermilk, ending with the flour. Stir in the rhubarb.
Spread in the prepared baking pan. Combine the remaining cup of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake test done with a toothpick or skewer.
Optional: Drizzle with powdered sugar frosting or other dessert sauce of your choice. My family likes this cake served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the side. They even eat this for breakfast. Yes, I allow it. Nutritionally, it beats the heck out of a toaster pastry or donut! Did I mention it’s great with coffee?
Leftover cake lasts longer if refrigerated. It tastes great microwaved for a few seconds.

Thanks to Betty Rohde of the Super so fat, low fat, no fat cookbook. This recipe is adapted from hers. If you bake it the low-fat way, it has only 0.5 fat gram per serving.

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>The first apartment

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La Petite and her roommate are getting into an on-campus apartment this year. Yesterday we loaded a batch of dishes, pots and pans, and other miscellaneous along with Amigo, me, and two bunnies for a preliminary visit to the new “place”.
Yes, pets are allowed. Peanut and Sadie will live at school with her. We thought we’d give them a preview of their new home, as well as some practice in taking car rides. The bunnies passed the test with flying fur — I mean flying colors.
And speaking of colors! The apartment is a feast for the eyes… if you have a strong stomach. The carpeting is your basic neutral, indestructible, indoor-outdoor type in a dark gray. Just the thing, really, to camouflage spilled Mt. Dew or Ramen noodles. The only color comes from the bright red kitchen chairs. Then (are you ready?) the brave visitors might enter (drum roll) the bathroom. Check out the floor, if you dare.

Then get a close-up of the toilet. Yes, it’s two colors. The bowl and tank are a pastel mint green, and the seat/lid have been replaced recently — in white.

And speaking of colors, what is this color? Does it have a name? It’s not goldenrod, it’s not avocado, but I really don’t know what to call it. But next to that floor, does it really matter?

Ah, yes. It’s really a decent apartment for two college girls. I’m just not sure how La Petite’s navy blue towels and her roommate’s hot pink will coordinate with the bathroom decor. But heck, nothing else matches, either. It’s the kind of apartment that creates memories — before the kids even move in.

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>The good, the bad, and the perspective

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>We traveled to Chicago to see a White Sox baseball game. Husband likes to drive in and near big cities. If he’s in the passenger seat, well, let’s say it’s not pretty. So…I navigated and watched for signs while he drove. Husband is a train buff and models in HO scale. Chicago is a great city for trainwatching. We were getting close to our designated exit when husband pointed off to the right. I read the signs, “Honey, this is exit 21. We need 27 at least.” “No, no. Look at that train!” As we were leaving the park, he pointed again. I looked at the nearest billboard, totally confused. “No, no. The train! Did you see that engine? I have a great picture of that engine. Not just that kind of engine, but that exact engine!”

I guess it’s all in your perspective.

Now, the good/bad comparison.
Good: The tickets were free, a prize Amigo won at a minor league game.
Bad: Gas to fill the tank cost more than $3 a gallon.
Good: We visited my brother and stayed overnight with him, went shopping with his wife, played with his cats.
Bad: I’m allergic to cats. Even sweethearts like these three.
Good: He keeps a room cat free so I can sleep without allergy problems. What a considerate little brother!
Good: We picked up a coffeecake from the grocery store for breakfast. They had Husband’s favorite steak sauce, so we stocked up. (We can’t get it here in the North Country)
Bad: The cats tried to eat the coffeecake.
Good: Haha!! We hid it in the microwave overnight.

Good: The trip to the ballpark was smooth and quick, with no traffic problems.
Bad: We arrived two hours before game time.
Good: We found a good parking space in the handicapped lot, thanks to Amigo’s handicap permit.
Good: We had a lot of time to take pictures, put on our sunscreen, and listen to the live music outside the gates. A small band was playing classic tunes by Chicago and Blood, Sweat, and Tears. They made my babyboomer heart very happy.
Bad: It was hot, hot, hot. Amigo doesn’t do heat well.
Good: There was a strong breeze.
Bad: They don’t call it the Windy City for nothing. The wind snatched both husband’s and Amigo’s baseball caps, causing a minor panic on Amigo’s part.
Good: With my SuperMom reflexes, I caught Husband’s flying cap, while La Petite caught Amigo’s.
Good: Our seats were in the shade.
Bad: Our seats were extremely high up. Husband doesn’t do heights well.
Good: We left after the top of the third inning.
Better: The third inning was the best one, with the Sox scoring like crazy! They won, 6-2.

Score: Good — 12 Bad — 7
Good wins! It was a successful road trip.

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>Funday Sunday

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Who needs a watering can? I have these.

That’s peppermint and chamomile in the cappuccino cup, by the way. I got the seeds in a free sample pack from Celestial Seasonings.

The souvenir cups are rather pricey at the stadium, so finding a new use for them is quite rewarding. We’re going to a White Sox game this afternoon. It’s going to be hot, so I might just add to this collection.

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>So…will you be having any more children?

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>People think they can ask new moms that question, especially if the baby isn’t the firstborn. If the child is the newcomer to a large family (define large at any number you wish), folks might ask that with a laugh or with a semi-serious “how could you have more than the statistical average?” attitude. Either way, it’s what the late Ann Landers would have called an MYOB — a Mind Your Own Business.

When there’s a disability in the mix, the questions and the disapproval grow exponentially.

I am hearing impaired. It may or may not be genetic; I don’t know. There is no medical indication of the precise cause. I focus on treatment: hearing aids, training in lipreading, and the like. Most important, being hearing impaired doesn’t disqualify me from bearing children or raising them.

My 15-year-old son, “Amigo”, is blind and is on the autism spectrum. His vision impairment is genetic. Both Husband and I carry the gene for this autosomal recessive condition. No, we didn’t know it, but it’s really nobody’s business but ours. Our daughter, “La Petite”, may or may not be a carrier of this trait. It will only matter if the man she marries is also a carrier. Given that there is no test at this time (although there is a study in progress), she might never know. Should she have children, knowing that they might be blind? MYOB, turkeys. She’ll make that decision. she knows more than anyone what it means to live with a blind person.

So…will you be having any more children? Or the other question: since you know your children might be disabled, will you have any more? Most of the time, I greeted that question with a blank stare. It really didn’t deserve an answer. A business-style card that says, “Mind your own blankety blank business” would have been handy.

Well, new moms and moms-to-be, if you get that intrusive question, don’t you wish you could just hand them this? Then you won’t have to answer. Your questioners didn’t deserve your time, anyway.

This Blog Blast brought to you courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network. Click here to read more on the same topic.

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