Sign of the Times: Kid's Name Signs from a Recycled Origami Calendar

Mimi & Moe's Mom found a great use for some origami paper from one of those page-a-day calendars. She's made some really cute kid's name signs for Moe and many friends (Mimi already had a super-deluxe sign for her room from an earlier project). I know it's just an excuse to use a power drill and glitter, but the end products are fabulous.

While you're visiting her site- check out these awesome crocheted watches she made for the kids!

Does anyone have an idea where she could find more clock buttons?

Power Lines: Indoor Clotheslines Cut Consumption

Jim and I heard an awesome segment on NPR about Juneau, Alaska's amazing power conservation efforts after an avalanche destroyed their connection to hydro-electric power. The resulting dependence on gas-powered generators caused their electricity rates to raise 400 to 500%.

In a month, the citizens of Juneau have made amazing personal and community conservation efforts and now use less than 70% of their prior consumption.

Since hearing their story we've been looking for more ways to cut our own power use.

One obvious point of energy waste in our house is the dryer. Dryers are innately inefficient (they're just big boxes of hot), especially in an air conditioned home; they are so equally inefficient that they aren't ever Energy Star certified. But our dryer is even worse than usual: When we experienced basement flooding after the tornado, one of our many solutions was to replace the cracked and tilted back patio in hopes of diverting water away from the foundation and basement walls. The new patio sits 14 inches higher than our previous one which comes right up to the bottom flapper of our dryer vent. Now our dryer vent door has a hard time opening consistently or fully. Laundry loads can take twice as long some days. This extended drying time is pretty annoying. It results in a lot of forgotten damp clothes and rewashing.

We're working on a better solution for the outside vent, but in the meantime Jim hung an indoor clothesline that is making our lives a lot simpler. If the clothes in the dryer are damp, they go right to the line and laundry progress marches on. This save us on dryer time and rewashing. Plus, it means far fewer trips up and down the Alpinist-designed stairs (more on stairs).

Now, most people would advocate an outdoor clothesline for the sunshine, but I'm allergic to most of Southern Indiana's greenery. Hanging my clothes out for the fresh air smell is a recipe for ongoing respiratory misery and seepage. The outdoor pollens on the clothes rapidly make me a weepy-eyed sneezer whenever I wear them.

We chose a retractable clothesline (so we can move it when we're working in the utility room) and used a couple of extra wallhooks to use its full 30' length.

The clothesline is great for dryer-unfriendly gear like swimsuits. As an added bonus, it lessens the amount of embarrassing laundry hanging to dry in household showers.

How do you cut power consumption in your home?

The Day the Circus Came (Back) To Town

This weekend, the Circus Train rolled back into town after over a quarter of a century on tour.

This train was my first birthday present from my parents. The pieces traveled around the country as my family moved. I can remember the train tooling across our arid Texas driveway and stalling on the thick lime green shag of our Indiana home.

As I got older, the train rolled on to my younger cousin. When we visited, he and I would play with it on their brick hearth or shady back patio. After it was cast aside for other toys, my wise aunt kept it (along with an airport, a parking garage, a farm, and a house) for the quiet years until an older cousin's children brought fanfare back to the center ring.

At least 5 children and two decades later, the train (and airport) arrived at my house. Even considering the monkey's decision to become an ape (he apparently opted for tail removal surgery), it's in amazingly good condition for being 30+ years old.

Ranger, Jim, and I are really enjoying these great vintage toys. It's exhilarating to simultaneously connect to my own childhood memories while playing with Ranger.

Thanks, Aunt Carol, for years of storage and sharing the toys with us now!

Did you or your family save any childhood toys for intergenerational reuse? Are there any toys you plan to save for the next generation?

A Showing of Hands: Pre-Literacy Notes

When a student leaves my mom's fifth grade classroom, they take with them a lot of experience in writing thank you notes.

Though I'd like to say her fine influence has made me an exemplary written correspondent, that would be a disturbingly egregious lie.

Thank you notes have been particularly problematic for me. I spent many years trying to write a perfect note to express appreciation for truly generous acts.

A good friend (who also happens to be a fine writer) counseled me that a perfect thank you note is any appreciative one written in a timely manner.

Since that conversation, I've been a lot better about offering thanks.

Jim and I wanted a way for Ranger to engage in pro-correspondence environment even while pre-literate. Friends and family have been wonderful about sending him mail- especially post cards, so he knows firsthand the pleasure of receiving mail.

For Father's Day, he let us trace his hand onto a homemade card for my dad. A few weeks later Jim was sending a birthday card to our favorite primatologist and Ranger kept circling him- asking insistently for paper and crayons. Jim gave him coloring sheets and crayons, but he kept asking for more. Finally he brought a coloring sheet to me, handed me a crayon, and placed his hand at the center of the paper to be traced.

"Jim, I think he wants to sign the card." So Jim traced Ranger's hand inside the card. Ranger was proud and satisfied. He handed the crayons and paper back to me and went in the other room to play.

With Ranger's handprint contribution, he's an active part of our all family thank you notes and written greetings. And honestly, it gives me even more motivation to write. This morning he and I caught up on our correspondence with 6 thank you notes.

Even if this doesn't give him a lifelong interest in thank you notes, maybe he'll simply become a fan of the Peter Lorre horror classic Beast With Five Fingers.

I also try to keep a pack of blank cards in the car for quick access and unexpected delays. These great instructions (and thougtful post on thank you writing) at Soule Mama show how to make a lovely and practical portable correspondence kit.