tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62613615220229039922024-03-14T09:45:51.878-07:00Ramblings of a Fabulous LifeI am a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom of four cute kiddos and wife to a handsome hubby. I am often chasing the little ones, running the older kids around town, or thoroughly engaged in some crafty endeavor.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-83239295448971579642015-05-08T09:09:00.000-07:002015-05-08T09:09:31.267-07:00Meet the Chicks (Part 3)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This should be the final edition of Meet the Chicks for this year. While it is a lot of fun hatching eggs and seeing the new babies, I am also quite glad that we are at the end of hatching season for now. The brooder boxes have been in the master bathroom until the babies are old enough to be moved outside, and it will be really nice to have my bathroom back to normal after it has been so filled with peeping little ones for a few months now.<br />
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These babies are some more Bantam Cochins. As they are bantams, they will always be smaller than a traditional chicken, and lay smaller eggs. They are a very sweet breed, and I think the kids will have a lot of fun playing with them as they get older.<br />
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Taking pictures of chicks is a lot harder than I had anticipated. They are constantly moving and constantly pooping. I had a container of wipes next to me the entire time to clean up poop. They also intermittently just decide they are going to go to sleep.<br />
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Or, when you have a pretty good group shot, one will just wander off to a little too far.<br />
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I think the birds from my first Meet the Chicks posting could use an update as they have gotten so big, so look for that in the near future.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-76559495480749231932015-05-05T11:17:00.001-07:002015-05-05T20:02:19.257-07:00The Joys of Free Lumber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrZnjQPBXUuY1WtcCqUeawFapRxGGvbxBzvxvjQ87QnSFb3Gzq_8ifQt-5Wa99Ew0SGipgE1XBnbtAvYoKupEzVeFsb4i6Veh-vJ-SIAFJez05r7FMrm5PZHC_hRKwDaz8setWnLBjnKi/s1600/DSC_0565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrZnjQPBXUuY1WtcCqUeawFapRxGGvbxBzvxvjQ87QnSFb3Gzq_8ifQt-5Wa99Ew0SGipgE1XBnbtAvYoKupEzVeFsb4i6Veh-vJ-SIAFJez05r7FMrm5PZHC_hRKwDaz8setWnLBjnKi/s320/DSC_0565.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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As me and Brady received the <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/" target="_blank">Mother Earth News</a> for quite a few years, we saw many articles touted on it's covers with catchphrases that said you could build your own home or farm buildings for a very small price. The first few times we saw such covers, we excitedly opened the magazine and began reading. Sadly, many of these articles were examples of people doing exactly what the article stated, but with much different circumstances than our own. Harvesting your own wood off your back acres for free lumber just doesn't work when you are living in the 'burbs, and if you don't know someone will an old barn with wood you can reclaim, then you are out of luck. We would sigh, and continue to look at large parcels of land that we could not afford. Apparently, we needed more money before we could live cheaply. Pretty soon those promises of debt free living were met with the same disdain that I give the magazines at the grocery checkout declaring that they have the secrets to get me bikini ready in four weeks. <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/" target="_blank">Mother Earth News</a> does have many great articles, but the ones of this variety are not among them in my opinion.</div>
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There has also been a lot made of reclaiming old wood, such as pallets, to make cheap projects. We love this idea.....and so do many other people. Especially with the popularity of <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and it's siren's call of craftiness, more people than ever are trying to get their hands on free pallets and lumber. </div>
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If there is one thing I have learned from looking, it is that finding project wood is much harder when you really want it. It is kind of like easily finding something you were searching for the week previously. Or possibly you can find it, but is driving an hour's distance really worth it? </div>
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I was checking my phone after leaving Costco last week and was extremely excited to see someone listing on Facebook that they had quite a few sections of wood fencing available for free, and only a few minutes away from where I was. I happily drove over and loaded all I could in the back of my car. I went back shortly after with a truck, a teen, and some work gloves to grab as many as we could fit in the truck bed. It is not pretty, but the boards are mostly in decent shape, and it was free! </div>
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So what will become of these piles of old fencing? Some may go towards building the giant chicken run that we have planned, or perhaps make a sheep shelter. In the meantime, my farm girl heart is happy to have the goal of finding free old lumber realized. It gave me enough of a thrill that I suspect I may be scoping out Craiglist and Facebook garage sale groups even more now. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-41574808822197748582015-04-28T10:53:00.001-07:002015-04-28T10:54:49.317-07:00Meet the Chicks (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Welcome to the second installment of Meet the Chicks. If you missed the first post with our chicks, you can find it <a href="http://ramblingsofafabulouslife.blogspot.com/2015/04/meet-babies-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Our little farm is full of little chirping goodness this year. Many of these chicks were sent by my sister-in-law, all the way from Idaho. Picking them up from the post office was a lot of fun and made for a lot of smiles from everyone. There was a little boy in line that was amazed as I carried the peeping box away from the counter. I let him peek in the holes so that he could see there really were live birds in there. Squirt was with me to pick them up. It was also right after story and craft time at the local library, which is why he is sporting such an amazing hat.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had taken a few out before I thought to get a picture, but you get the idea of what a box of shipped chicks looks like. </td></tr>
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These are our turkeys. We have a few different varieties, and it should be interesting to see how they feather out. There is one meanie who has been biting the others....that one may end up Thanksgiving dinner.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess's turkey, Marshmallow.</td></tr>
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I believe these cuties are Blue Orpingtons. They are Orpingtons, but I am not sure about the color. Their feathers are starting to come in really nicely and I am excited to see them as adults.<br />
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These are Bantam Cochins. Bantams are smaller size chickens, so these little ones will always be fairly small. They are actually a breed that loves affection. They also go broody more often than other breeds, so some people do use them to raise up babies of other breeds as well.<br />
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The last variety of birds I have to show you today are Lavender Orpingtons. These are from eggs that were shipped to us and hatched in our incubator. Brady is really excited about these guys since they are a rare breed. We would like to be able to provide more people with these awesome chickens. They are starting to go through their awkward stage, but should be really gorgeous when they feather out completely. Some of these guys are the chicks I used in my <a href="http://ramblingsofafabulouslife.blogspot.com/2015/04/happy-easter.html" target="_blank">Easter picture</a>.</div>
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And that is all for now, although not the end of our chicks for this year. We are currently waiting on a few more to hatch. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-64240817031966069112015-04-21T12:38:00.001-07:002015-04-21T13:29:19.437-07:00Perot Museum <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AkKcQ1t3wTd8sCIJccnEwUAMmndJpxWt-vxcVru9KIKF2LGID87F6yo4X0IubQ-TqiQTv3n29xhhdR2eRiPBmHzAVp7TqzTkOJ83Efud8MoOpd9QQumEoy-3BJS8dka-xSsrBnCUtmxp/s1600/Perot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AkKcQ1t3wTd8sCIJccnEwUAMmndJpxWt-vxcVru9KIKF2LGID87F6yo4X0IubQ-TqiQTv3n29xhhdR2eRiPBmHzAVp7TqzTkOJ83Efud8MoOpd9QQumEoy-3BJS8dka-xSsrBnCUtmxp/s1600/Perot.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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We had the opportunity to join up with a homeschool group and visit the <a href="http://www.perotmuseum.org/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw6tepBRDLqLnxouaY_pkBEiQAPIOiBvlxENpX2e6Z6FefwrQKmvQmfVAVXIlZWsvJMia2ZCoaAoeD8P8HAQ" target="_blank">Perot Museum</a> in Dallas yesterday. It was a lot of fun! If you live in the Dallas area, or are visiting, I would put it on my list of recommendations. It is a nature and science museum that lives in a really neat building. Bill Nye has visited it, so it has to be cool, right?<br />
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Even the landscaping is quite awesome. The kids had a lot of fun playing on the giant frogs while we waited for the museum to open.<br />
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The museum houses 11 permanant exhibit halls devoted to a different field of science or nature. The Texas Instruments Engineering and Innovation Hall contained a lot of neat robotics, among other things. Me, Brady, and the kids had fun with a machine that measured your brain waves. If you could get your brain waves into the correct waves, either by relaxing or thinking of math problems, a ping pong ball would shoot into a basket.<br />
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The Being Human Hall was all about the human body. Want to use a machine that can show your veins, control a prosthetic limb, or look at yourself using an infrared camera? This was the area for that. </div>
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We spent about five hours at the museum, and there were parts that we skipped. By the end of the day, our entire crew had achy feet. We experienced an earthquake, watched a tornado, saw all sorts of taxidermy native Texas wildlife, and ogled at gems. </div>
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On the bottom floor of the museum, there is a fun children's museum so that the smaller members of your crew can get some wiggles out. </div>
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If you want more information on visiting the Perot Museum, just look <a href="http://www.perotmuseum.org/" target="_blank">here</a>. I am sure you would enjoy it as much as we did. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-57111647822962705442015-04-17T11:53:00.004-07:002015-04-17T11:55:47.544-07:00Field of Weedy Dreams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Moving onto a large parcel of land has been an experience that has brought us a lot closer to nature. We have seen a deer, a few rabbits, and a couple skunks within the confines of our yard. In the evenings, we have stood outside and listened to the frogs or watched small lizards climb up the walls of our home. I could really have done without our dog, Sheba, taking an interest in a skunk and getting sprayed, but even washing her down with Brady led to some laughs.</div>
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While we do like a landscape that is pretty to look at, I will admit that our family's tastes tend to be a bit on the wild side. My kids have thoroughly enjoyed walking around our meadow of a yard and finding new plant treasures. I have spent many days with the flowers that my kids have brought me tucked into my ponytail, often forgetting they are there until I brush my hair at night. </div>
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One of our next door neighbors walked on over a few days ago while I was outside, and tried to convince me to have the guy who mowed his lawn mow mine as well. This particular neighbor seems to feel a partial ownership of our property since the house previously belonged to a friend of his. As it also really seemed like he would be getting a financial kickback for signing us up for the lawn service, I was pretty taken aback. I honestly have to say that mowed down or not, both lawns are about as much weeds as they are grass. Better Homes and Gardens are not going to be knocking on any doors around here anytime soon. </div>
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I explained that I would be mowing some areas of the lawn soon, but we did not want the entirety of the lawn mowed at this time. I also tried to add that my kids liked the wildflowers, and our newly placed bees were relying on those same flowers. </div>
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I used to feel guilty for not having a perfect yard in our old home, but I am determined to not feel that guilt now. We moved with the intention of having a life closer to nature and with less confines, specifically to an area that we could do that. We are still planning just what we want to do with all this space Most likely, a lot of it will be devoted for pasture areas. For now though, I am just going to enjoy the scenery.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-14000829188196598292015-04-14T12:06:00.000-07:002015-04-21T12:20:50.591-07:00Dying Yarn with Easter Egg Kits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Easter has came and went in a flurry of chocolate and jelly beans. Luckily, my kids also really love to eat hard boiled eggs so they got some healthy protein along with their mass consumption of sugar.<br />
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We dyed Easter eggs as we normally do this year, but instead of mixing and pouring the beautiful colors of leftover dye down the sink, I decided to try and dye some wool yarn with it. </div>
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I chose a skein of <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/" target="_blank">KnitPicks</a> Stroll in white, since I really wanted the brightness of the colors to show up. This yarn was great to work with, and is still wonderfully soft after dying. KnitPicks does also carry a line of "Bare" yarns and fibers that are unbleached and a natural creamy color that would also work great. I am really thinking about ordering some of the Glimmer yarn that has a small amount of stellina for sparkle!<br />
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In order to take the dye, just remember that your yarn needs to be a protein fiber (animal fiber) and not cellulose fiber (plant fiber), or synthetic fiber. While having some cotton or acrylic in the yarn is okay, those will just not accept the color the same way, so try to stick with yarns that are mostly composed of animal fibers like wool, silk, or alpaca. </div>
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I started preparing to dye my yarn by winding it up on my niddy noddy. I did not measure and really just tried to get three hanks of different sizes. I got a little carried away, and my last hank was pretty small. This yarn is destined to be used on my <a href="http://ramblingsofafabulouslife.blogspot.com/2014/01/on-needles.html" target="_blank">sock yarn blanket</a>, so having a very small skein is not a problem.<br />
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I tied each hank in four places to keep it from getting tangled. I use white acrylic yarn for tying since it is cheap and it easy to spot and clip when I want it off.<br />
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I then soaked the yarn in a 9 x 13 inch pan for about an hour, squishing it slightly every now and then to help it get thoroughly wet. It looks a lot like rice noodles and I have been craving pad Thai since.<br />
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The dye was left pretty much just how it was when we used it to dye our eggs, complete with vinegar. The only change I made was to add a bit of water to each cup to allow for more swishing around room.<br />
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With the largest skein, I held it in roughly thirds, and placed each third into a different cup of dye, using the pink, blue, and green. The medium skein was split between the yellow and light green, and the smallest skein was plopped into the red.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three color dye bath with pink, green, and blue</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two color dye bath with green and yellow.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Single color dye bath with red.</td></tr>
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The dye bath will need to be heated up, and the microwave makes that really easy. I listed up each group of dye cups into the microwave one at a time and heated them up. You may need help holding all of the cups at once while placing them into the microwave. Each set had a different amount of time since I was working with a different amount of water, so you may need to experiment a little to get the water nice and hot like a steaming cup of tea.<br />
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Leave the cups and yarn in the microwave while it cools down completely, or at least enough to handle safely. I did move the areas that were white a little to once cup and then the other while the dye was cooling. Once the yarn has reached room temperature you can remove it from the dye baths and rinse it thoroughly.<br />
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After removing your yarn, you may reuse the dye bath if there is any dye left. I had Gizmo help me take a picture of my pink dye bath, which I completely exhausted. Dipping a white measuring cup or spoon into the dye will show you how much color you have left. In this case, the dye had been all soaked in and the liquid looked just like plain water.<br />
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Let you yarn hang and dry, then enjoy!<br />
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Another little tidbit of information I will pass on is to visit the clearance section of your stores after Easter. There are usually some Easter egg kits left over, and you can get them for a great price. I was super excited to snag quite a few this year for .37 each. Lots of fun dying experiments for me!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-34513651962585244582015-04-10T12:45:00.000-07:002015-04-10T12:45:01.696-07:00A Chorus of NoisesOur master bedroom currently sounds something like I imagine a rain forest so sound. There is a steady stream of bird chirps. The chirping is coming from turkeys, ducks, and chickens rather than parrots, toucans, and other exotic birds, but the effect is actually quite similar to my ears. We have a lot of new arrivals in our home, and I will try to introduce you to them soon, but for today I thought I would leave you with another noise.<br />
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There is an area in our front yard that is a bit lower than the surrounding land. Brady wants to dig it deeper and turn it into a pond, but for now it collects the rain water and turns into a marshy-type spot. A few weeks ago we noticed the croaking of frogs in the area. I have thought this was really neat, although I have wandered out there looking, and can't actually find one. It doesn't help that they stop croaking when you get close.<br />
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While taking out the trash a few nights ago, I decided to try and capture a little bit of our front yard symphony. It was dark outside, so you can't see anything, but it might be fun to listen to.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-601940347547023352015-04-07T10:41:00.000-07:002015-04-28T10:48:03.803-07:00Meet the Chicks (Part 1)I would like to introduce you to newest members of our little farm.<br />
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<u>Sally</u></h3>
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Sally was purchased from the local farms store. A few days before the first hatch, a very impatient Brady had been escorting Gizmo to the farm store to pick up some guinea pig hay, and could not resist bringing her home. As she is the oldest, she is currently the largest and most feathered out. Brady's shoulder has been a favorite roosting spot of hers.</div>
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<u>Gearbox</u></h3>
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Gearbox is a black Orpington. We <i>think </i>she is a girl, but we very well could be wrong. Spike was very excited for her to hatch and came running down the driveway after school the day I texted her imminent arrival. He was the one who got to name her. </div>
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<u>Watermelon </u></h3>
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Squirt LOVES watermelon and had decided to name his chicken accordingly. Watermelon is definitely acting like a rooster, and is bigger than Gearbox. His feathers are mostly black, but speckled with brown.<br />
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<u>Cupcake</u></h3>
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Cupcake was our first duckling to hatch, and was promptly named by Princess. We know that she is a girl because of her color. She is something of a ninja duck, and is also jumping off things or climbing. </div>
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<u>Sebastian</u></h3>
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Gizmo is the proud mama of this little boy duck. He can often be found snuggled into the hood of her jacket, or cuddled up on her lap. He even follows her around when she sets him down.<br />
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<u>Oliver</u></h3>
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I suppose it is one of the facts of having so many animals, but sometimes things just don't go as planned. Oliver was the duckling that I named. He was an adorable little boy with dark markings. We have noticed a bald spot on his head, and he seemed pretty weak. Sadly, he began having seizures when he was three days old. Me and Brady held him and tried to keep him warm, but as the seizures got worse and I could tell he was in a lot of pain, we made a hard decision to put him down. I do miss him. </div>
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Here is Sally, Watermelon, and Gearbox playing. Watermelon still had a little bit of umbilical cord on him, but that didn't stop him from trying to get Gizmo's fingers. </div>
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Here is Sebastian following Gizmo around our front room. We are still in moving in mode, so please ignore the mess and paint cans. :) </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-42643023319554700102015-04-05T14:17:00.005-07:002015-04-05T14:17:57.895-07:00Happy Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TewHs3xylziWHv4VacXYLx7iJQk98_XWJUm5peW0hdUXbkuPAQm_UoZrUndVCENODa1yUjOkQILW3GsRVJwKeoxb6ug-A0I77qAHiFW7xy2RGpNyNn2vjV47cGvL1LUEQZDN9iBkpSBv/s1600/Easter+Chicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TewHs3xylziWHv4VacXYLx7iJQk98_XWJUm5peW0hdUXbkuPAQm_UoZrUndVCENODa1yUjOkQILW3GsRVJwKeoxb6ug-A0I77qAHiFW7xy2RGpNyNn2vjV47cGvL1LUEQZDN9iBkpSBv/s1600/Easter+Chicks.jpg" height="640" width="490" /></a></div>
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Happy Easter from our little farm! These are three of our seven newborn lavender Orpington chicks, which Gizmo helped me photograph. As it turns out, baby chicks are very hard to take a picture of, and would much rather curl up on one of the kids' laps instead of a basket. Hope your Easter has been wonderful.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-19440625120763964772015-03-29T19:45:00.005-07:002015-03-29T19:45:43.383-07:00So Much Hatching Going OnThe past two weeks have been filled with the tiny peeps of our newest arrivals. While we still need to work on perfecting our incubator process, we did hatch two black orpington chickens, and three ducks.<br />
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This was our first egg to hatch. One thing that I learned through the process was that chickens hatch differently from ducks. The chickens made a small hole, called a pip, and then slowly enlarged it until they could push themselves out.<br />
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The babies were so tired when they finally emerged. It was really sweet to see how they would cuddle up with the remaining eggs, periodically calling out to the others as they had the energy.<br />
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The babies should stay in the incubator until they dry out quite a bit and get to their adorable, fluffy state. </div>
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When the ducks hatched, they would create an area of cracking, which would be followed by the egg wiggling. I am quite sure that the wiggling was from them turning in the egg, because the cracks would appear later on another side. When the cracks formed at least mostly around the egg, they would start pushing their way out. I did manage to get a video of out of them hatching. </div>
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We have a Hova-Bator incubator. It worked well for the price, but we did need to make a few tweeks. Adding the optional egg turner was a great suggestion from my sister-in-law. The eggs need to be turned a minimum of three times daily, and having it automatically done was not only easier, but made it so we were not dropping the temperature frequently by opening the incubator up. </div>
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During the incubation period, we discovered that having a hygrometer was quite important. The chickens had a much harder time hatching then the ducks did, and I believe it is because the humidity was a bit dry for the them. By the time the ducklings were hatching, we had a digital one that we really like. The digital hygrometer/thermometer combo also showed us that the thermometer that came with the incubator showed about 8 degrees lower. Ideally, keeping the incubator at 99 to 100 degrees is what we were aiming for, so 8 degrees of difference was causing the babies to not develop like they should have been.</div>
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We kept a simple spray bottle next to the incubator so a few spritzes could quickly be sprayed in to raise the humidity as needed. We averaged out at 50% most of the time, but sometimes it did get up around 80% for a little while. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-42825021251289243402015-03-10T18:40:00.000-07:002015-03-29T14:49:19.839-07:00Waiting for PeepsAbout a month ago, our family had a very sad surprise. A neighbor's dog made its way into our backyard and killed four of our six hens while I was picking up Princess from school. We had let the chickens free-roam while we were finishing up their run, just making sure that they were shut in for the night so that coyotes or skunks could not get them. Since they stayed close to the house, we had thought they were safe during the day.<br />
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Especially after making the effort to bring them on our move with us, loosing our girls was pretty tough. I was particularly heartbroken over Pearl, who was our sweet Delaware who had lost both her feet to frostbite when she was young. At least two of the girls, Sweetie and Starlight, made their way to safety.<br />
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After we got over our shock of losing our girls, we started planning how to build up our flock again. Brady's sister sent us a really wonderful present in the form of a big box with lots of fertilized eggs. She raises some heritage and interesting breeds up in Idaho, so if you are around that neck of the woods, you can check out what neat birds she has <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Impeckabull" target="_blank">here</a>. She sent us some bantam cochins, black orpingtons, and some ducks. The eggs have been nestled in our incubator and we are counting down the days until they start hatching. While the ducks will take a bit longer, the chickens should be any day now. We can't wait to meet our new babies!<br />
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Brady bought an egg candler so that we could check on the chick's development as we waited. Candling eggs is incredibly neat. It reminds me of watching ultrasounds of our kids. There is not a super clear view of the chick, but the blood vessels feeding it from the yolk are there, as well the dark area that is the chick's body. I really like just seeing the small movements and knowing that there is life contained within the egg shell. Yesterday, I even saw a tiny silhouette of a foot that briefly stretched out.<br />
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We did try to capture some pictures of the candled eggs. The eggs had been in the incubator for 16 days at this point. Mainly you can see the blood vessels, but you can make out the darker "blob" of developing chick,.<br />
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Here is a video that Brady took to try and catch some of the movement.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw4ywTuiHhUykmcOR2VsdrJ7wbMGQbRPHqXg3bwwlxuboDTSNNdyGLmbg_ZvQmAIeHk_Q2raLhbUQaYwxDCIg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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This is the egg candler we are using. I would highly recommend it. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-47328010205539042632015-02-23T08:39:00.002-08:002015-02-23T08:39:53.983-08:00Snow Day in TexasWinter Storm Quantum has came our way early this morning, waking me and Brady with the sounds of sleet and freezing rain hitting the windows. Brady had a scheduled telework day today, and the kids' schools are all canceled for a snow day. In case you are wondering, let me show you what a snow day in North Texas looks like.<br />
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Coming from Northern Utah, having a snow day with this much snow is a funny notion. However, all the locals have told us that with these types of storms, the roads are incredibly slippery with ice and it is very dangerous to drive. That is just fine with me, as I have no desire to go out into the cold. The little kids were excited to go outside and see the snow, but each lasted only about 10 minutes. I was only outside long enough to snap a few pictures. The lovely fire my hubby has kept going and a cup of tea sound much more inviting.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-25879932712004170502015-02-19T08:59:00.000-08:002015-02-19T09:02:57.911-08:00Sheba the Wonder DogPart of our move to Texas included me telling the kids that the likelihood that they could get a dog would increase greatly. Princess began telling everyone who would listen about how she was going to get a dog. I sighed inwardly and wondered what kind of deal I had set up for myself.<br />
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We had only been here a few weeks when I saw two dogs listed on a local garage sale group that needed homes. They were two boys, and they person who had taken them in off the streets believed they were about 8 months old. They were both very skinny and my heart went out to them. Unfortunately, after they had been in our home for a few weeks, we had to face the fact that it was not meant to be. We don't think they had ever truly had a home, and they did not seem to want to be with us or inside the house. Once they figured out that between the two of them, they could push their way out whenever anyone opened a door, all they wanted to do was be free in the open countryside and bother the neighbors cows, or terrorize our cat, Cricket, while inside. The poor kitty went from having free roaming of the house to being stuck in the master bedroom all the time.<br />
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The kids really wanted a dog that would love them back, and it was hard for them to feel shunned by the pups, especially on top of getting used to a new area. We also felt that keeping them was unfair to our existing pets, since the dogs wanted to chase and try to bite Cricket, our bunnies, and our chickens. It took me a few weeks of working with rescues and shelters, but I found a cute young couple that were very excited to take them. I am happy that we were at least able to help them put on a few pounds each and get de-wormed.<br />
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Our nights got quieter for sure without all the howling, but I will admit that the house did feel a little empty, and I missed taking the dogs for walks around the property. I began researching breeds that would work well for us, and how much money we needed to save up to purchase one, since the breeds I was interested in were quite pricey.<br />
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When we attended the local winter festival, the city animal shelter had some of their adoptable animals there. Brady and the kids were instantly drawn to Sheba. I stood back, biting my lip and unsure if I was willing to try bringing a dog into the house again, but I caved. I am glad that I did.<br />
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Sheba is a believed to be a bit over a year old, and is of a mixed breed. The shelter said she was a Carolina dog. She physically resembles the akita breed as well with her short snout and curled tail. Both are not known for doing well around chickens, but she is so eager to please her humans that she sits quietly around the coop. She absolutely LOVES belly rubs.<br />
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She went through two families before making it to us, so she does have some anxiety about being left. This is understandable, and we are working to help her know that we will always come back when we leave the house and to make her more comfortable in her crate.<br />
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Our morning routine involves me getting her out of her crate and her making a frantic search of the house trying to find all of her people.<br />
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Cricket is handling having another red colored pet around quite nicely. We are still trying to figure out exactly how, but she has managed to establish some dominance over Sheba, who is easily four or five times her size. Apparently, her hissing is very scary. I think it will actually be quite good for her to have another pet around the house since she is strictly an indoor cat now and could maybe use the company. As for how she feels about it though, I think her face pretty much sums it up....</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-34772781137583992772015-02-09T09:00:00.000-08:002015-02-09T09:20:38.815-08:00Winter Festival!This past week was cold. Sheet of ice on the windshield kind of cold. The type of cold that leaves me scowling at the temperature and muttering stuff about how it is not supposed to be this cold in Texas. I am obviously wrong in this belief, but that will most likely not stop my angry mutterings at the cold.<br />
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The weather forecast showed beautiful weather in the high 70s for the weekend. We were planning on attending the city winter festival, but it was really hard to believe that it would not be insufferably cold. Even Saturday morning was rather crisp, but as noon approached the sky turned blue and we all packed into the car with only light jackets needed. After we had been there a little while, it was warm enough that they kids were able to eat snow cones without freezing. Not exactly keeping with a winter theme, but I was certainly not complaining.<br />
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The festival was held on main street, with a large section shut down to traffic for the festivities. There were vendor booths, games, and rides, along with live music. We had quite a bit of fun strolling through, although the rides were a bit more exciting for the kids.<br />
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We didn't think that snow tubing was going to be an activity we would get to enjoy here, so the snow slide was awesome. It was a really large slide that was periodically refreshed with snow.<br />
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The favorite activity for all the kids was probably the bungee jump.<br />
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We spent some of the day visiting with the local shelter staff and volunteers at an adoption event. We did end up bringing someone home with us, but I will save telling you about that for another post.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-60439097106752577492015-01-28T15:47:00.000-08:002015-01-28T15:47:04.639-08:00Two State Socks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last night, I snipped off the ends of woven in yarn on these socks, finishing them up. The yarn is not that great, I am not head over heels about the color, but these socks have a dear place in my heart anyway. They are not exactly the same, this pair of socks. There are differences in the toe decreases, because by the time I got to the second sock, I had forgotten just how I had done the first. But that is not the difference that I think about when I look down. </div>
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The first sock was knitted in Utah, in the house where we had been living for almost ten years. The second was knitted in Texas, in the new home that we are still getting adjusted to. My husband got a good opportunity to take a job promotion down here in the Lone Star State, and we decided to take a leap. </div>
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Moving was a crazy blur of time. From the time we were sure we were moving, to when me and the kids left Utah, there was only about a month and a half of time. Brady had to be in Texas for the new job, while I handled packing up what stuff I thought we could take and getting the house on the market. I am so grateful for both of our families who helped so much with accomplishing everything. There was painting, packing, getting rid of stuff, and re-carpeting going on, and to top it all of, I caught a case of pneumonia to go along with it. I had hoped to make goodbye visits to more people, but sometimes only so much can be done. </div>
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So here we are now, in Texas, in a beautiful and slightly larger home. One of the most exciting aspects is that we have a 9 acre property. Brady has been building our chickens a wonderful new coop and they seem very happy. Hopefully, they will be sharing their yard with other animals soon, as this land gives us the potential to have some sheep or alpaca. :) </div>
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Some days, I deeply miss my old home and the familiarity of living in a place that I knew so well. Other days, I ache for my kids as I watch them struggle with the hardships of new schools and new friends. Most of the time though, I am excited for our future and envisioning what new adventures will come our way.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Frosted/two-state-socks" target="_blank">Ravelry Project Link</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-89413124188236060592014-09-20T22:12:00.002-07:002014-09-21T07:10:38.567-07:00SLC Comic Con 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As you may or may not have heard, the Salt Lake City Comic Convention was held earlier this month. This was the second year this particular convention has been held, and it has became a very large convention in a very short time. We missed out on the excitement last year, so it was a big goal for us to make it down this time around. Shortly before prices went up, I went online and purchased Saturday tickets for our crew.</div>
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We really don't live that far from Salt Lake City, so driving down for the day was an option. Brady made an executive decision that we should turn the fun into a mini vacation. This was one of those times that my husband was right; it was great. After a fair amount of researching hotels, we ended up staying at the Doubletree by Hilton that was about 3/4 a mile from the convention center. We stayed in a suite setup, complete with a mini fridge and coffee maker. Finding food that is safe for our food restrictions can be a complete pain in the behind. So having the ability to eat meals we brought with us, and can serve in the room, was awesome and saved us from dragging our tired children around the big city even more. Plus....our view was not half bad either.</div>
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Since we arrived the evening before we planned on attending the event, the older kids and I took the opportunity to walk to the convention center and get our wrist bands. I would highly recommend this. We arrived as things were shutting down, so there was no line to pick up the wristbands, and it saved us a lot of time the next morning. It was also nice to get to see some of the costumed attendees meandering around the grounds.<br />
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Saturday morning, we all got dressed and ready to go. My wonderful hubby even ran to Walgreens to pick up some cosmetics for me since I left mine home and I knew pictures would be taken. I am pretty sure that was a little awkward for him.<br />
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Princess dressed as Elsa, Squirt as Spiderman, and Spike as......Spike. As for the oldest child, she dressed as Terezi Pyrope from Homestuck.....<br />
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If you don't know who that is, don't feel bad, it is a bit obscure....and not appropriate for<br />
young-uns. However, she did put a lot of effort into her cosplay, including make her horns, the design on her T-shirt, her glasses, the arm stockings, and the stuffed toy (called a scalemate), so it was nice to see some people recognize what she was and give her a holler. She has written some information on how she made some of these, and other fandom crafts on her <a href="http://www.deathbywaffles.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>.<br />
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Of course, one of the biggest draws of a Comic Con is the fellow attendees in cosplay. These were just a few of my favorites (although I wish I would have taken pictures of so much more.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIhM87zacb5nPE7gL3gGSD95GIR_EbSzQSJAExk2rzXb6yyotJ06VkkhnVcXl6Rxn3dKw_ecMuwJ69I2jeBqt__vdZY31PvgxXE4GN0S08X4Ry-LFkQL_bbex63sGFM-Feqk006HaT0d3/s1600/DSC_0926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIhM87zacb5nPE7gL3gGSD95GIR_EbSzQSJAExk2rzXb6yyotJ06VkkhnVcXl6Rxn3dKw_ecMuwJ69I2jeBqt__vdZY31PvgxXE4GN0S08X4Ry-LFkQL_bbex63sGFM-Feqk006HaT0d3/s1600/DSC_0926.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiccup and Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon 2</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wCZXVFntRs9amdMxSxifkh__5q5MIVHIZG18Tb87DLlV0JBqtci_Xx_uiuKOC7NB4KwkBaP7w81PduySK_W38NdUnr3xPHOLqUStpuekze0NQg_H1hB4vm7C-42YuP7dEFh4hnSLury7/s1600/DSC_0929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wCZXVFntRs9amdMxSxifkh__5q5MIVHIZG18Tb87DLlV0JBqtci_Xx_uiuKOC7NB4KwkBaP7w81PduySK_W38NdUnr3xPHOLqUStpuekze0NQg_H1hB4vm7C-42YuP7dEFh4hnSLury7/s1600/DSC_0929.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Princess with Totoro</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTG3W7BnAX-1EfCB2LAmEMM1coYJ0vPxjzXq6ivBM7ivni-CEdRSV93w-rCxlzE1ibkfTwxr8cBWCnyCI2YEsYUO-4Yu23JHoRfpEd9r8t_zKaLQqN_JLpz_4MLpUit9x2J8Qo1Xt6V8F8/s1600/DSC_0906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTG3W7BnAX-1EfCB2LAmEMM1coYJ0vPxjzXq6ivBM7ivni-CEdRSV93w-rCxlzE1ibkfTwxr8cBWCnyCI2YEsYUO-4Yu23JHoRfpEd9r8t_zKaLQqN_JLpz_4MLpUit9x2J8Qo1Xt6V8F8/s1600/DSC_0906.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spotted Merida in line. She was super sweet and Princess was thrilled.</td></tr>
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We had a great time at SLC Comic Con. We saw cool things, bought cool things, and talked to cool people, including many <a href="http://www.rbradyfrost.com/category/author-interview/" target="_blank">authors</a> and artists, which I did not expect. There are definitely things that could be improved upon, such as the extremely long wait to get in that the people on opening day had to deal with, but for the most part it was great. The biggest problem is that so many people want to attend, and I just don't know where they could possibly hold the event that would allow for better traffic management. For perspective, this year 120,000 people attended SLC Comic Con. That is just so many nerdy people to manage in a single building, ya know. Even with the ridiculous crowds, we would still like to go again. Here's hoping next time is even better.<br />
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For more pictures and information about our experience at Comic Con, you can <a href="http://www.rbradyfrost.com/category/slc-comic-con/" target="_blank">check out my husband's blog here</a>.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-26547761177236566522014-08-26T21:33:00.000-07:002014-08-26T21:35:29.549-07:00Recent Spinning <div>
This month, I had a lot of fun with my spinning projects. I decided to try something new and purchased 4 oz. of corriedale from my local yarn shop. There were two packages for sale: an off-white colored one, and one that was a slight variety of darker colors. I chose the darker fiber. While it has some off-white fiber in it, it is mostly a brownish gray. The color does give it a more rustic look, and it does not look as soft as it is. Especially after washing it, it should be soft enough to wear against the skin without a problem. </div>
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Spinning the corriedale was wonderful. It drafted like butta'. Up until this point, I have not been able to spin a thicker yarn with much consistency, but my 2-ply finished yarn falls mostly within a worsted weight, with some thick and thin action happening. When I originally purchased it, I was debating whether to be listing the finished yarn on my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFrostedEmporium?ref=shop_sugg" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a>. If it shows up and then disappears, it may be because Spike did take a liking to it and thought it would make a nice hat. :)</div>
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Would I spin corriedale again? Definitely. </div>
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Another fun spinning-related thing that happened was the county fair. The kids and I have attended either the county or state fairs every year since we began homeschooling. Getting to go during non-busy hours and getting a nice discount on admission are a big part of that, but the kids have always enjoyed it. Normally, I leave the fair kicking myself for not submitting anything for the living arts competition. This year, I decided to change that. I submitted <a href="http://ramblingsofafabulouslife.blogspot.com/2014/08/recent-knitting.html" target="_blank">this shawl</a> and my bamboo handspun yarn. My shawl got first place, and my yarn received best of division. The ribbons are currently hanging by my yarn stash, in all their kitschy glory.</div>
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I have learned over the years that many knitters, spinners, and crocheters have yarn distributed in many areas of their home. I am no exception. My kids jokingly kid me about it, and my husband does not mind it at all. I do, from time to time, make it attempt to corral all the yarn back to it's central location in our school/craft room. Our entertainment center has a shelf that was a temporary home to many small balls of handspun. These are mostly the leftovers after finished a full bobbin of 2-ply. I get excited to see it all strung upon my niddy-noddy and toss the remainders up upon the shelf. I decided to do something about that this week, and have been working a little each evening on plying together some of those lonely small balls of singles. The latest amount I finished is some of the remainder of some merino that I Kool-Aid dyed. I spun a large amount of the singles with a spindle before I got my wheel, and it was the first yarn I ever plyed. It does look nicer on the niddy-noddy than in a ball on a shelf, I must say.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-26896705161008324312014-08-09T21:39:00.003-07:002014-08-09T21:47:22.991-07:00Chore Charts<br />
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The school year is creeping in on us, and with it is coming the intense and undeniable draw to be more organized. It could be because of the back to school sales, where aisles of all sorts of organizational goodness like binders and file folders beckon, or because I know our life is about to lose the lazyness of summer, but the call of organization is hitting me bad. <br />
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I have had the same piece of paper with the kids' chores taped to the pantry door for quite some time. It has included a regular set of chores, which they have memorized by this time. As I sat and pondered deep household-running thoughts the other day, it did occur to me that having the same chores week after week does not teach the kids to clean more than those items. They also get really complacent after doing the same job so many times.<br />
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So tonight I sit here at my computer, while all my munchkins are tucked into their beds, working on blank chore charts, that can be filled in weekly with a variety of skill-building chores. And since I have gone to the trouble, might as well share them with you. They are listed below in a variety of colors. I am planning on letting each child pick a color, printing it out, and then laminating it so that I can use a dry erase marker to write the chores and reuse the chart each week. There is also a plain version that would use less ink if you would like tor reprint the chart each week.<br />
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There are two time slots per day for chores. Some things, like emptying
the dishwasher need to be done in the morning in our household. The
morning chores will be things that only take 10 minutes or less,
although the complaining about it may be much longer. </div>
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<u>Chore Charts </u></h3>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Tn9hvbulybS0VJMWZpSmNmZXc/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Blue </a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Tn9hvbulybM0x5bzFtTXVfdTA/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Green</a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Tn9hvbulybMy03NlZPeWpkeG8/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Red</a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Tn9hvbulybTnVOb0wyWlJJcVk/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Turquoise </a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Tn9hvbulybakY5RXQ5eThGVlE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Purple</a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Tn9hvbulybeHB2Tk5ZY3FMOVU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Plain</a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-38653984890795371032014-08-05T17:54:00.002-07:002014-08-05T17:54:29.275-07:00Recent KnittingI realized yesterday that I never posted anything about the shawl that was destined for the cruise. When I picked out the dress that I wore for <a href="http://ramblingsofafabulouslife.blogspot.com/2014/05/shutters-photography-on-disney-fantasy.html" target="_blank">formal night</a>, I thought it would be nice to have a shawl to go with it. Like many knitters out there, wanting a shawl did not mean going to the store to peruse the selection of shawls. Instead, it means going to the yarn store and perusing the selection of yarns. Even if the cruise is a mere few weeks away. With the blessing of my husband, I went to the local yarn shop and spent a good deal of time looking at every beautiful yarn that seemed like it would coordinate with the purple of my dress, as seen <a href="http://ramblingsofafabulouslife.blogspot.com/2014/05/shutters-photography-on-disney-fantasy.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I rubbed them against the inside of my wrist to see how soft they were. I carried them around. I laid all my choices side by side and stared at them. I texted my husband pictures of the laid out yarns and asked his opinion. I ended up choosing a 50% merino, 50% silk fingering weight yarn by the Great Adirondack Yarn Co. The yarn name is Sirino, and the colorway is Peacock. The price tag for the yarn did make my breath catch, but it was just so pretty. This was, by far, the most expensive yarn I have ever purchased.<br />
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I chose the pattern <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/palessie-shawl" target="_blank">Palessie</a>. This is a paid pattern, and I felt it was well written and worth the cost. I purchased the ebook with has both a shawl and cowl pattern.<br />
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I knit with all my might and free time on this shawl, trying to finish in time. My free time was not in a great abundance leading up the cruise and trying to get all of out preparations and packing in order. I was so close, and yet not quite there. By the time I went to bed on the first evening of the cruise I was a third of the way finished with the bind off. With formal night being on the second night, I really did not think I have time to finish and block the shawl, and made the decision not to let it overtake the other fun things I wanted to do with my family.<br />
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I did end up finishing it on the place ride home, and blocking it the following weekend. As far as I am concerned, it still is a souvenir from my trip, and I love wearing it. I still have yet to master the great shawl photograph, so you will have to take my word on just how much more beautiful the colors are in person.<br />
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The second project that I am working on is a simple pair of socks for myself. The yarn is Premier Yarns Serenity Sock Yarn in the Indigo colorway. But what is that you are thinking? That sock picture below looks nothing like Indigo. Well, you see, Joanns had a wonderful clearance of sock yarns going on a while ago so I purchased a number of skeins. I had enough for two pair of socks with this colorway, but I didn't actually want two pair of socks the same color. The color you see below is the result of me plopping the yarn into a pot filled with water and a number of Kool-Aid packets. There was grape and some sort of red one, but I can not get any more specific than that....since I can't remember.<br />
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The pattern for the sock is just from using the numbers provided in <a href="http://www.cometosilver.com/socks/" target="_blank">Silver's Sock Class</a>, which I highly recommend for those wanting to learn to knit socks. I did change the heel flap for a regular stockinette and added the garter edging. The toe does look really weird in this photograph due to the fact that I still need to do the Kitchener stitch to close it up. Second sock syndrome hit me pretty bad on this one, and even before the first sock was done.<br />
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Lastly, I am working on a pair of socks for the little man. Squirt has been asking me who gets the socks I was working on for the last few pairs I have made, and was disappointed that none of them were for him. I had a single skein of Panda Cotton on my yarn shelf, so I decided to try to whip him up a quick pair. I had gotten to the arch of his foot when I made the conclusion that they were too big.<br />
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Two things bothered me about the socks being too large. First, I was pretty sure I would run out of yarn before I finished. Second, the whole idea of making something for him to grow into flies out the window as far as socks are concerned. I would bet my pinky toe that one is lost within two months of me completing them.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-49943093291872834942014-07-30T13:25:00.001-07:002014-08-05T17:55:33.586-07:00Recent Spinning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have quite the blessed gal lately. First off, my husband forced me to get a new dishwasher. Our old one had been broken for nearly a year. It was the second time the pump has gone out on that machine, and like a petulant toddler, I threw a tantrum and refused to get it fixed or go shopping for a new one. It never really cleaned the dishes all that well anyway, despite being sold to us as a friggin' awesome dishwasher. What is the point of a dishwasher if you have to mostly wash the dishes before loading them? </div>
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Anyway, while we were shopping for a new fridge since ours was leaking out increasing amounts of water onto the kitchen floor, Brady declared we were getting a new dishwasher as well. I was not sure, but now that it is installed, it is so wonderful......there just are no words. Washing dishes by hand for quite a while has made the machine seem nearly amazing. While the dishes are being washed, I can do other stuff! Like spinning!</div>
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That brings us to my second bit of wonderfulness. I received a box containing an extra bobbin, a beautiful niddy-noddy, and a lazy Kate.....all which match my <a href="http://ramblingsofafabulouslife.blogspot.com/2013/11/early-christmas.html" target="_blank">Kromski Sonata</a>. So far, all I have done is look at them admiringly, but I am sure I can get some use from them soon. </div>
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For finished spinning, I have this skein to show you. This was 4 oz. of bamboo roving that I purchased shortly before our cruise. The color reminded me of the Caribbean waters that I have marveled at, and so even though I was intimidated by spinning bamboo, I bought it anyway. It is two-ply, and about a sport or perhaps heavy fingering weight. I am really happy with this yarn, which I think will make a nice small scarf or shawlette. </div>
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My collection of handspun yarns is slowly growing. So far, they just sit and look pretty on my shelf. Honestly, I like looking at them enough, that I am okay with that for the time being. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-10668049143429136552014-07-20T21:07:00.001-07:002014-07-20T21:07:10.821-07:00Silly Chicken TricksWe have a goji berry plant in our backyard that Brady planted a few years ago. It has grown quite large and produces many, many goji berries each year. They are not all that wonderful when eaten fresh, although once they are dehydrated are a nice substitute for raisins in cookies. Dehydrated or not, there really is more than we can eat. We do have some backyard residents who love them. The kids regularly pick goji berries to toss to the chickens, who lovingly gather around when they see someone near the bush. Me, Brady, and Princess were doing just that when we discovered just how much they love those berries.<br />
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Two of our chickens, Spirit and Starlight, jumped to get the berries from Brady's hand. The two in the background, Sweetie and Princess (the chicken named by our very own Princess) were having none of those shenanigans and just waited for more to be tossed to them. I don't know if anyone else would find this amusing, but I found it downright hilarious.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-12885439078124487852014-07-09T11:38:00.001-07:002014-07-09T11:38:18.548-07:00Senses Spa aboard the Disney Fantasy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Each of the four Disney ships have a wonderful spa, called Senses, that has a variety of great treatments. On our third cruise, aboard the Fantasy, me and Brady scheduled a couple's massage. It was the first massage I have ever had, and I was unsure about how relaxing it would be. I am not much of a touch-feely person, so it honestly gave me a bit of anxiety as the time for our massage approached. All my worries were pointless. The two ladies who did our massages were great,and the whole experience very relaxing.<br />
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We started our treatment by being led to the women's and men's changing rooms. Inside, an attendant showed us how to operate the lockers, and where to get robes and shower shoes. We were also told where to head to when we finished changing. <br />
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The location where me and Brady met back up was the relaxation room. The room has a number of white, very comfortable, recliners and a beautiful ambience. There is spa waters flavored with cucmber or lemon, and a selection of teas available that you can help yourself to. This is where I really started to feel calm and relaxed. Our masseuses came in shortly afterward to discuss what type of massage each of us wanted. They were both very nice and easy-going, which put me at ease.<br />
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Just like the rest of the spa, the couple's massage room was beautifully decorated. The massage was very relaxing and had a wonderful finishing touch of putting me and Brady's hands together. I enjoyed it very much. <br />
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The spa treatments at Senses are generally fairly expensive. I do feel that it was worth it when looking at the whole experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of one of the teen spa treatment rooms.</td></tr>
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On our latest cruise, we decided to let our oldest daughter get a facial at the teen spa area, called Chill. This is an area located in Senses Spa that is specifically for teens. There is a complete list of treatments for the 13 to 17 age crowd, and rooms that are decorated with more of a young, funky flair to them. Once again, this was not a cheap experience, but our daughter really enjoyed it. From what she told us, the woman giving her the facial was very nice and made her feel relaxed. Teens will need a parent to drop them off in order to sign the necessary paperwork.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senses Spa waiting rooms. This is also where some of the informational classes that are presented by the spa are held.</td></tr>
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Me and Brady finished our Palo brunch shortly before she was scheduled to get finished, so we made our way to the spa waiting room. We had quite a fun time looking out the large windows at a bird that was gliding along the side of the ship. I can only imagine that it had started with the ship when we were at Jamaica, since there were no islands around that we could see. We were mesmerized enough by the bird that we missed our daughter. Thank goodness for wavephones, so we could catch up with her to see how it was.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-9920551309573205512014-07-04T20:59:00.003-07:002014-07-04T20:59:42.806-07:00Happy Fourth of July!Our family had a wonderful July 4th, as I hope yours did as well. We are all spending the lovely, mellow time when the weather is cooling down a little and everyone is relaxing before it gets dark and we will all migrate outside to watch fireworks.<br />
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We started our day with a parade. I am not sure how things are in different parts of this country, but here in Utah, parades are a big thing. The kid of thing that it is nearly required that you venture out the previous day (even if it is pouring rain with close lightning like it was here) to set out a blanket so you could have a place to watch. Me, Brady, Spike, and Squirt had a nice time watching the festivities though, and we loved waving and yelling at Princess as she went by on the float with her Girl Scouts. Next time though....next time I will bring along our canopy. The heat was brutal! Luckily, we had our umbrella and some kids walking by selling cold drinks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totally unpractical, but I totally want one of these cars. </td></tr>
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To cool off, we went over to my in-laws home to play in their pool. Most of Brady's siblings were there, and the kids got the chance to see their cousins, some of whom live far away. Swimming may not be my favorite thing in the world to do, but on a day like today, the cool water was wonderful.<br />
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I can now hear the first bit of the pops and bangs of fireworks from outside. Happy Fourth of July!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-4121768537032606732014-06-12T14:14:00.002-07:002015-04-14T16:37:40.994-07:00Disney Cruise - Pirate Night TipsOne of our favorite nights on our Disney cruise sailings has been pirate night. These occur on select cruises, mainly in Caribbean and Bahamian sailings. The evening has a host of pirate activities, including themed pictures with characters, pirate trivia, a pirate themed dinner menu, and a deck party including fireworks! Up until recently, Disney cruise line was the only company to be able to offer fireworks at sea. Now you can also see them on on Norwegian Cruise Line, but for our money.....we are still sticking to Disney. :)<br />
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Are you going on a Disney Cruise and want to make the best of it? Here are some of the tips we have picked up over our sailings.<br />
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1.Dress up! Many people are concerned about how much to dress up for pirate night. On every cruise, we hear someone comment with regret that they wished they had brought pirate costumes. However, no one who has dressed up has ever seemed to regret it. At home, it may be seem like a hassle to pack pirate costumes, but once you are on the ship and seeing other people dressed up, you will be glad that you did. For our family, pirate costumes take up an entire large suitcase, but I still would not leave them home! There are always people who chose to just wear a pirate T-shirt (I was one of those on a cruise when I was pregnant with Squirt), but fully enjoying the theme of the night and wearing your pirate best is really fun. Pirate costumes are available for purchase on the ship if you would rather buy them there, but don't plan on them being cheap. Disney does provide each passenger with a pirate bandana, so if nothing else, you can sport that.<br />
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2. Put your costumes on before First Seating/First Show. Don't wait until it's dark to get into the pirate spirit! We aim for around 4 o'clock to gather everyone back to the stateroom to get ready. We usually have second seating for dinner, and we like to get our costumes on before the show that night. That way, if you want to get some pictures taken between the show and dinner (or vice versa if you have first seating), you are all ready. <br />
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3. On the larger ships, the Dream and the Fantasy, there are two pirate deck parties. On the classic ships, both shows are combined into one which is shown after second seating. The first is aimed towards younger children and includes Mickey and friends. The second one, after second dinner seating, is more for older kids and adults and includes Jack Sparrow and fireworks. You are welcome to go to both if you like. The times will be listed on your Personal Navigator. Our family really likes the second show. <br />
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4. Wear comfortable dancing pirate shoes. After the second show, the upper deck turns into "Club Pirate" complete with a DJ. Fun family dance party under the stars!<br />
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5. If possible, take a nap. Pirate night tends to be a night we are all up very late. Of any day on the cruise, this would be the one to plan for a nap for little cruisers if possible.<br />
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6. Save a little room. A pirate buffet is served in Cabanas after all the deck party fun has happened, complete with yummy deserts and turkey legs! Especially if you have late seating, keep this in mind while you are eating dinner. <br />
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7. Be aware that there is a possibility that the fireworks and deck parties may not happen. Sometimes bad weather happens, and it is just not possible. However, Disney will do their best. On our most recent voyage, I realized we were turning shortly before the party began, and found out afterward that the captain steered off of our original course to go around a rain storm so that there could still be fireworks and fun up on deck.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03795242073608031156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261361522022903992.post-33615594635081198282014-05-19T13:09:00.000-07:002015-04-14T16:37:40.990-07:00Shutters Photography on the Disney FantasyOur family just arrived home from our wonderful voyage on the Disney Fantasy. This was our fourth Disney cruise, and the second time aboard the Fantasy. Our family now feels a little like the Fantasy is our "home" ship, and we love it! Unlike the rest of my crew that takes to the seas a little better than me, I am continuing to walk a little like Captain Jack Sparrow while my sea legs wear off. It was definitely worth it though.<br />
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On-board the ships, there are photographers taking pictures at different times and locations throughout the ship. While we have purchased some of the photos on our past trips, we decided to go with the entire package of digital images this time. At the time of our sailing, to purchase a CD with all of your photos, the cost is $349 on the ship, or $295 if you purchase beforehand. There are other packages available. The smallest package is 10 images on a disc for $149. If you visit www.mycruisephotos.com you can see what is available and place a pre-order if you wish.<br />
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We made more of an effort to get our pictures taken this trip. Formal night fell on Mother's Day, and one thing I really wanted was family pictures. We do have some, and while they turned out nicely, they were missing a certain....something. Brady, for one, does not understand why we are getting our picture taken by the train tracks or an old side of a barn. Esthetically, these backgrounds look wonderful, but I do get his point. I was willing to spend the money on the photo CD because I know that the family pictures I would get on the ship mean something to my family. These are pictures of us having a wonderful, memory-filled time, and not just Mom making them dress nicely and smile.<br />
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These are some of the pictures we had taken on formal night when we were all dressed up.<br />
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Where else but a Disney cruise can you get formal pictures with Minnie dressed up as well? An opportunity we could not pass up.</div>
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My Tips: </div>
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Especially if you pre-order all of your digital images, make time to get those pictures taken. After all, you have already paid for them. It is easy to get caught up in doing everything on the ship, but you will truly love the photos when you are back home. <br />
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Take advantage of short lines when you see them. On a few occasions we saw a photographer set up and just waiting for guests to photograph. Even if the background is not exactly what you want, it will only take a few minutes, and it doesn't cost anything to get the picture taken. You never know, you may really like the results.<br />
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Don't worry about everything being perfect. Chances are, it is not going to be, so there is no sense in worrying about it. al<br />
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Go to Shutters periodically throughout the cruise to check on your photos and make sure they are all there. Our first Aquaduck pictures did not make there way to our account automatically, so we had to do a little searching to find them. Sometimes the facial recognition system needs a little help. <br />
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If you have more than one stateroom for your family, go to Shutters on the first day to ask for those rooms to be combined on the CD. This only applies to immediate family members (i.e. parents and kids), so if you have a giant family reunion on board, you cannot combine all those rooms. <br />
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Especially on formal night, get there early if there is a background you want. The people at Shutters can give you more information about times and backgrounds. The line for having your pictures done on the staircase gets very long. We arrived a few minutes before the photographer (by accident) and we were about to get a few different locations, and pictures with Minnie in the time that those who arrived later had to wait in the single line. <br />
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We had many more portraits taken throughout the cruise, actually 97 in all. I would like to share some other topics and tips about cruising over the next month or two, so I will be sure to share more of them.<br />
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