Plastic Egg Wreath

I saw a sweet spring/Easter wreath on Pinterest, and decided to give it a shot. In all, it cost me less than seven bucks for the supplies, it was simple and fun to make, and I am very happy with the result.

Festive, yes?

You can customize the wreath based on your color and style preferences by your choice of ribbon/bow, color of Easter grass, and color/design of eggs you use. I even saw plastic eggs that were decorated like baseballs this year at Walmart.

See the original wreath here. Cindi Butler, general crafty chick and author of the post this idea came from gives excellent step by step instructions for the wreath on her blog. It looks like she had a blast making theses wreaths with her friends.

Scoop, scoopin poo, scoopin poopy doopy doo.

I'm back....

I offer all the excuse I believe I need - my ADHD diagnosis (and extreme bouts of procrastination).

So eight months ago, I finally bought a farm after boarding my alpacas for four and a half years. I've been adjusting to my new rural lifestyle, and I think I'm taking to it quite well. My new duties (tee hee) include picking up after my alpacas, and I've noticed an interesting phenomenon. Shoveling poo doesn't tend to take much brain power, so while I clean the barn, my mind tends to wander.

Often I catch myself singing, usually by changing words of songs to reflect the task at hand. Dolly Parton's "Traveling Through" now goes, "I'm just shoveling, shoveling, shoveling, shoveling, shoveling poo."

"I've Been Working on the Railroad" becomes "I've been scooping up alpaca poo, all the live-long day."

"Boot Scootin' Boogie" takes on a whole new meaning, and any song with "shoop" is fair game.

Luckily, my neighbors are far enough away to hear me (I hope), and I don't usually get any unexpected visitors. Wonder what I'll be serenading my herd with tonight.

Eggs

I don't know what it is about this whole salmonella scare, but I suddenly have a craving for eggs. I rarely eat eggs on their own, but I eat plenty baked into foods. On the news, they keep showing egg dishes and people taking big bites out of said dishes, right after they talk about the millions of recalled eggs and the thousands of people who have gotten sick from the tainted eggs.

Sunny-side-up or over-easy anyone?

The drive-in theater - still alive in the Twin Cities

This past Saturday, I joined a few friends at the Vali-Hi Drive-In. The theater is in Lake Elmo, and is about twenty minutes from downtown Saint Paul. They show three movies, and they charge by the person - eight bucks for the whole evening. They allow pets, and you can bring your own food and drinks. Most people brought grills and had a cook out before the movies started. It's a great atmosphere - friends and neighbors hanging out, sharing food, and tossing around footballs and frisbees. The place was packed. I'm told that they frequently sell out on the weekends.

The first movie, Salt, started around 9:15 PM. The catch of watching a movie outside is that you have to wait until it's dark if you want to actually see what's on the screen. The sound is carried on a radio signal, so you can listen from inside your car, but most folks choose to sit in lawn chairs. A fifteen minute break followed, along with a mad dash to the bathrooms. Inception was next, and wrapped up just shy of 2 AM. Most people left after the second movie, but some stayed around to watch Knight and Day. I left after movie #2, as I had no interest in seeing Knight and Day.

While you can bring your own food, there is a concession stand too. They have all the movie staples, and the prices aren't as ridiculous as regular movie theaters. All in all, it was a great night, and a cheap outing. I will definitely return. Thanks Vali-Hi!

Opening lines

Here are some sweet opening lines to songs. This post will be ongoing - I'll add more as I discover other great opening lines.

"When I think back on all the crap I learned in High School, it's a wonder I can think at all."
- Paul Simon, Kodachrome 

"You PMS like a b****, I would know."
- Katy Perry, Hot N Cold

"I heard that you were drunk and mean down at the Dairy Queen."
- Indigo Girls, Dairy Queen

"All the other girls here are stars, you are the Northern Lights."
- Josh Ritter, Kathleen

"G*d I feel like hell tonight."
- Sheryl Crow, Strong Enough

"You think you're gonna take her away with your money and you cocaine."
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Listen To Her Heart

"You were the first thing that I thought of when I thought I'd drink you off my mind."
- Clint Black, Killin' Time

A second life for trees

So, what happens when trees die? Usually, if they haven't fallen on their own, they are cut down and thrown through a wood-chipper. There is a Minnesota company that has another option. Wood From The Hood is a Minneapolis based company that takes the wood from downed or condemned trees and uses them to make flooring, coaster sets, cribbage boards, picture frames, and cutting boards. They also do custom work and have wood available for projects.

Great site for Star Trek fan art

I have recently stumled upon a great website -
 http://star-trek.tumblr.com/. The blog's description "Hailing frequencies open. Aggregating Star Trek fan news, information, and scifi fun. This is a companion to @star_trek on Twitter."
Many posts include some fantastic fan art in many forms and styles. Some of my favorites:

K is for Klingon by Hado-Land

Old School STAR TREK by ~inneryoung

ST: Ur grain… I ated it by ~KLCarle

 

Star Trek chibis - TNG by ~chibi-inurisu

One guy, two great websites

If you love all things quirky, odd, and geeky, you must check out John Struan's blog Super Punch. He post frequently, so don't be afraid to check back several times each day. He has thousands of posts in his archive as well.

John's other blog is Toycutter, another excellent blog. Toycutter features custom toys and action figures, and some posts even have "how-to" videos.

New art

I just bought two sweet prints from Brian Rubenacker's Etsy shop. He paints mainly dogs, many of which can best be described as whimsical. Anyone would enjoy his Star Wars series:

Brian has lots of prints available and even has some original works for sale. You really need to check out his work. Check out his blog here for updates, commentary, and lots of great original art. He takes commissions too! Oh yeah, these are the two prints I ordered:

Love it!

Running of the nerds

It's the first weekend in July. Here in Minnesota, that means CONvergence! This year's theme: BRING ON THE BAD GUYS, a celebration of the great villans of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Go check it out, or browse the website to learn more and make arrangements for next year.

Connie, the CONvergence mascot