July Stuff

Oh my there is so much to record, and I never get around to it. Blogging is a time-consuming effort, but totally worth it when I see the happiness it brings to my kids. They just love to read my old posts. Too bad I don't write more often. I'm only about three years behind...

Today is Independence Day, 2014. As I stepped into the shower and thanked God for hot water (again), I also thanked him for this nation. In spite of all the horrible things that are happening in the U.S. of A., I am still grateful to live here and to have the liberties that I do have. The trouble is not all the U.S. government's fault --  if we humans would just govern ourselves, we wouldn't have half the trouble that we do. As long as people want a right to do whatever their flesh desires with no accountability, and as long as they say, "Don't judge me," (translation --"Let me sin in peace!"), we're going to have trouble. God didn't say not to judge; he said to judge righteous judgment. How do we know what is the righteous standard is that Jesus Christ talked about?  I'll give you a hint. The Bible is where you'll find that standard of righteousness. Why do most people believe same-sex "marriage" or abortion or any number of other evils is wrong? Because it's wrong. God said so. But some people don't want even GOD telling them what to do. And that is a big problem for all of us.

Okay, end of unfinished soapbox moment.

We've done lots of projects, and we've left a lot more undone. I learned to make some pretty good bread without even using the bread machine. Betz started an online math class. We went to family camp in Missouri. Amy is becoming an awesome early childhood education expert. Alison was promoted to Culvers management and is now teaching violin lessons in three towns. We planted a vegetable garden and decorated the front step with some potted flowers. Emily started a quilt. We went on a train ride. I cultured (and shared!) real live, Russian kefir for several months. Mr Diamonds started a job. I started another blog (silly me.) The floors got mopped. But both girls' bedrooms need paint and some cheery decor. The top of the kitchen cupboards needs scrubbing. The fridge needs cleaning out. ...Eh, it's not going anywhere.

Today was another project day. Our poor, cheaply upholstered piano bench, which is assembled and disassembled and hauled to church every week, was really looking pathetic. I fixed it this morning with less than $1.50 and a borrowed staple gun. Put that in the pile of projects that I have looked at for months, thinking, "I should fix that."  Another one of those projects was moving the sewing table downstairs and the piano upstairs, along with our big desk. And cleaning out under the basement stairs. Thankfully we have Amy. She's great at tackling those formidable things. She does it cheerfully and completely. Love that kid!  

Speaking of Amy, she is graduate #2 in this family, hooray!  But she deserves her own post about all that.

Remember this project? 

Well, it didn't work. The spray adhesive didn't stick to the foam, not one bit. I think we used Elmer's spray adhesive the first time. As a result, the board and print flopped behind the sewing table for the past two years, gathering dust. Last night Amy dragged me to OfficeMax for new prints, and to Target and WalMart for a different aerosol adhesive that would stick to foam. The dusty old print went in the trash, having been scratched and smeared the first time through. Amy cut the insulation board down using a hand saw, leaving the rough edges. Then she painted the edges with $.97 black craft paint and waited impatiently for it to dry (approx. 20 min). Next step, she sprayed the back of the print and one side of the foam board, then carefully lay the print down, smoothing out the air bubbles with a rolling pin. A couple hours later (or less) here's the finished product:

Might cut that larger border down and repaint, but otherwise it's all good! Except I might change my mind about which wall we want these on, especially if we find a free, small couch or comfy love seat for the other corner of that room. It's so cool have these professional-looking prints for a small fraction of the price.

Next project, that blog header. I'll be back.