Riot and Frolic

List of Last Week’s Labors of Love

July 31, 2011

– the popsicle box that made me feel dumb.
V and I were eating the last two popsicles of the box picnic-style (anytime you sit on the ground and eat). V was pointing out the colors on the packaging [that we were about to recycle] and we were talking about the different fruits and what letters were on the box. Then I noticed the phrase "A Quiescently Frozen Confection." Holy crap. Waltz Tango Foxtrot, you know? That's an awfully fancy way to say popsicle.

Turns out "quiescent" means "at rest; still." As in not churned, like ice cream. After discovering the meaning of the word and thinking a bit about "frozen confections," it seems like someone would use that word to A) differentiate it from an ice cream treat (An Agitated Glaciated Delicacy?) or B) have an excuse for ingredients not being completely blended. But still, aren't newspapers written at an eighth grade level? I guess popsicles are just for smrt people.

Yeah, that's right: s-m-r-t.

– a hike to the bottom of Minnehaha Falls and splashing in the awesome wading area.

– a lot of crochet to take my mind off my tardy baby. For example, figuring out how to make a circle into a square…

– some more homemade popsicles from Everyday Food's big summer issue. Blueberry and cream. They're okay!

– my first giveaway. You can still enter!

– a trip to the Minnesota Zoo with some cool people. Highlights? Seeing "more fun farm animals" with V and Mae Cake running into the big water fountain play area.

– more crochet. And a neat leaf for inspiration. This is when I created my first pattern (not including the circle-square thing above). It's for a BA flower. I will show you sometime.

– another day at the pool.

– Mae Cake figuring out the stairs in the most Kate-terrifying way possible. (Not only am I taking pictures, I'm also in my catch-the-baby stance.)

Notice she goes back up.

– writing a post as usual: sitting in the chair my great-grandpa made, after the ladies are asleep while the G is out earning some moolah (he is now officially [?] in an Irish band).
Spiderman and the Orchard

July 30, 2011

If you can explain the random association between the title and this article, I will send you a dollar. So, you have the chance to win $1.44 (including postage). Score!

Here's some fun stuff to check out if you have time to kill on your computer or iPhone:

[Oh, you don't have an iPhone? Um… maybe we can't be friends…]

I found this new website called Picnik, which is like Photoshop for dummies and cheapskates. I tried using Mac's Pixelmator recently, but really wanted something where I could create graphics and not just edit photos.

Did I mention Picnik is free? Oh. It's free. You can edit photos, create graphics (here's where I learned how to do it on Homemade by Jill, who has a pretty amazing website), and make picture collages in a very intuitive way. Gah, I'm so happy with it.

There's also a premium service you can upgrade to, which gets you some extra editing features (like layering, and I hear that's neat) and fun doodads you can add to your pictures.

Like my new graphic (for the $1 giveaway)? That was a ten minute project. I'm pleased with it, but not ecstatic over how it saved to my computer. Anybody know how to fix that?

I also messed around with some photo editing stuff today and came up with this…

Oh, Mae Cake.

You all know by now that I spend way too much time on Pinterest, but I like to think of it as "the best of the web." If I just check out some pins, then I don't spend too much time Googling everything under the sun. It's really saving me time. Yeah.

Etsy is another fun place to spend seven hours. Mostly handmade goods from crafty people, Etsy is a great place to support non-commercial products. I have heard some nasty stories about rip-off vintage pieces and bad service, but if you check out a seller's feedback, and stick to the positive ones, you're pretty safe. I assume it's about the same risk as eBay.

My fav stores on the good olde Etsy are:

Sew Fresh Fabrics, selling some great prints and solids at great prices.

SeaPinks, who has the most amazing and adorable pincushions. Really, you have to go look.

SakuraDancer's Kanzashi Shop, where she makes these mind-blowing folded fabric flower accessories.

NaomiLynn, whose stationary has rocked my world for a year now (she did a special order for me and I adore my flat cards for writing thank yous and hellos on).

Haute Ice Beadwork has beaded jewelry that makes my brain hurt in a good way. Most craftiness I can figure out, but how she makes the shapes she does with beads is beyond me.

There's so many more, but let's stop. It's 3am and you need to get some sleep.

For some ambience, I dig Stereomood. It's a groovy little website where you click on a mood (duh) from a huge list, and it delivers you an appropriate playlist. I love using it while I'm cooking or putzing around the house.

Onto my fav iPhone apps (in short form, since you all don't have iPhones and you can't really check them out from here):

– Where: it has a brilliant weather forecast feature and that's basically all I use it for.

– Yelp: like the Yellow Pages, but with reviews.

– PageOnce: it's a little banking app that tells me when all my bills are due, how much moolah is in (or not in) my accounts, etc. I really dig the bill due date feature.

– Shazam: you hear a song you like and want to know what it is, you open Shazam and it will listen to it and then tell you what it is. This was probably the first app I bought. It is simply neat. I use it at ballroom competitions a lot, even though it's hit or miss with songs that have been edited (speed-wise for competitions).

– iWriteWords: this one is making my kid smarter, I swear. And it's fun if you need to shut off your own brain for a couple minutes.

– Hipstamatic: if you didn't know, almost all the photos on my blog are taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone, and not a regular camera. My friend, Nea, got me hooked and I haven't looked back.

Have you found the title/article connection? To keep you all from cheating, why don't you send me an email with your guess (riotandfrolic@gmail.com). I'll keep the giveaway open until next Friday and announce any winners then.
Dance Me to the End of Love

July 29, 2011
Are you getting married? Do you want to dance at your wedding? I hope your wedding is in 2012.

*Warning! Unsolicited advice to follow!*

If you would like to dance (I mean, like Dance with a capital "D") at your wedding, you should do this:
- plan way ahead. No one learns to dance the week of their wedding. In fact, no one learns to dance in a week, period. The couples who have felt the most comfortable dancing at their big celebration have given themselves months of lessons and practice.
- figure out if you'd like to do a choreographed first dance (check out YouTube for some ridiculous and amazing examples) or if you just want to know how to dance to a variety of songs. These are very different things…
Learning a routine:

If you learn a routine to a specific song, you will know that routine and that routine alone. In other words, you won't be able to lead someone through a tango, or follow someone in a waltz. But it should be really fun to learn and do it.

As cool as it is to dance to a meaningful song for that magical first dance, make sure it is a dance that you can actually dance to. "At Last" by Etta James? No. Pick a different one; it's really over-used and doesn't really say anything original about you as a couple, plus it has a weird [read: lack of] beat. It is really cool if you can pick out a couple songs that the two of you really like, put them on a playlist and bring it to a dance teacher. That pro can help you guys pick out a song that will be fun and easy to dance along with.

Don't feel like you have to dance to the whole song. On "Dancing With The Stars," the routines are about two minutes long and that is long enough. Editing music is pretty easy if you're a bit handy on your computer, or maybe your DJ can fade out the song for you. Even if you repeat some moves, no one will notice (they're just thinking how cute you are and taking pictures), and repeating makes it way easier to learn.

Your audience will appreciate any dancing you do (they are there to celebrate you), but if you can throw in a dip and a spin, they'll go nuts.

To accomplish this fun goal for your wedding, you should give yourself at least two months to learn, perfect and feel comfortable with your routine. Try to perform it in front of people you don't know at least once (if you're at a studio, there's usually supportive and encouraging people around to watch you) and maybe in your reception venue once, also. It'll help you deal with any nerves you have on your big day.

Lastly, don't drink alcohol before you perform! That was a funny, yet painful experience to see one of my couples struggle through their first dance because the bride got quite tipsy before they took to the floor.

If you want to know how to dance:

This is a bit more time-intensive, but a greater pay-off in the end (in my humble opinion). As fun as it is to have an amazing first dance, knowing how and when to do a foxtrot, rumba, or swing is pretty cool.

For many couples, dancing is the one time they get to spend one-on-one with each other. It's a great date night, comes in useful at parties, and is a skill that can last a lifetime.

If you'd like to be confident in a couple different dances, start taking lessons as soon as possible. If you're going to group lessons and taking private lessons (and maybe practicing once in awhile) regularly, it usually takes couples at least six months to get comfortable.

I had one couple start a year before their wedding. Their outdoor wedding didn't have the greatest "dance floor," so they didn't even dance at their own wedding. But they had so much fun just dancing, they ended up performing in a studio showcase and I met their first kid! Cool.

My own wedding:

It would stand to reason to the G and I already knew how to dance since we met… wait for it… dancing.

Unlike many dancers, we did not do a routine for our first dance. Routines require practice. Practice equals work to us, since we have to practice dancing for our careers. We also don't get along that well when we practice, so it seemed like a bummer just to do it to make other people happy.

We do, however, like plain old dancing (like lead and follow, I have no idea what he'll do next) together. So, we did a waltz and it was fun. We are actually both smiling for real in this picture.

My dad and I did a father-daughter dance. I had asked him beforehand if he wanted to practice.

"It's just a waltz?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Ah, I'm good," he replied. I believed it, since he and my ma had started dancing before I did. He's pretty musical, can hear a beat, and always seemed to enjoy the ballroom stuff.

We started out well, but I think he got bored.

"I know a turn, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, the circle turn. Start it on your back step."

[Results seen here.]

I think we stuck to mostly the box and a turn, but we might have moved around the floor a little, too.

It was really impressive, as V would say.

Clearly, I was telling him how to do something at some time during the song, because here is my teaching face…

Lovely.
The Pinterest Project- Flowers (Doilies)

July 28, 2011
This week's project comes to us from the most awesome Yvestown blog via Pinterest. I haven't crocheted for quite awhile and generally disregard it in the summer months, but Miss Yvonne of the wonderful house and projects at Yvestown made me want for a hook.

I mean, look at them! They're so pretty!

Part of my effort in this… effort… is to not spend any money on my weekly endeavor (because, as we learned yesterday, I'd rather spend it on a ridiculously expensive purse), so I raided my stash of yarn and started hooking… With the yarn… I started crocheting… Just to be clear.

The pattern is super easy. My first flower (doily) took me 34 minutes with the distraction of children and having to use the ladies' room several times (remember? I'm quite pregnant). After that, I memorized the pattern and got down to about 20 minutes per flower (doily).

Yes, my friends, I can read. And to be specific, I can read crochet patterns. I have often been asked how I learned to read those crazy things. A nice example:

4 ch, 1 dc in the closing ss of the previous row; 1 ch *skip 2 st; in the next st: 1 dc, 2 ch, 1 dc; 1 ch* Repeat 7x from *to*. Close row with a ss in the 2nd ch (of 4) of the start.

What?

Well, here's what I did in the beginning (OK, I still do it): one step at a time. It's really a great life lesson, too, right? If I use the example above, I would break it down thusly:
- figure out the abbreviations- ch= chain stitch; dc= double crochet; st= stitch; ss= slip stitch
- if you learned from somebody, you might not know the name of the stitches that you do. If so, I recommend grabbing a neat crochet book or interweb tutorial so you can put a name to that stitch's face.
- do the first thing- 4 chain stitches. Easy!
- do the next thing- 1 double crochet stitch into the slip stitch of the previous row. Done! You now have a loop.
- remember, one thing at a time- 1 chain. It's so simple!
- then sound it out! Read it out loud, or write it out without abbreviations- skip the next two stitches, then in the third stitch, make 1 double crochet, then 2 chain stitches, another double crochet into the same spot as the first one, then one more little chain stitch (a loop with a tumor). Whew! Okay, that was a bit tricky, but then take a look at your work.
- does it look like something? If you have a picture of the doodad you're making, compare!
- now you get to repeat that 1 double, 2 chain, 1 double, 1 chain business seven more times 'cause this is the foundation for your petals… of which there are eight.
I'm not saying it's easy, but once you get past the tediousness of translation and the slightly algebraic feel of a written pattern, they're not so scary. Plus, then you can make fun things like flowers (doilies)!

I won't take you through all the steps, since you have the great tutorial through Yvestown, but here's the growth of a flower (doily), round by round.

Back on my tutorial for the rag rug, I briefly explained "blocking." Or, "how to get your crap to lay* flat." I find blocking exceptionally rewarding when doing flowers (doilies) or other small things. Just get your project a little damp and pin it in the shape you want. I use my ironing board since it has some padding and material on which to pin things. (There you go, G.) You can, I hear, make a blocking board (use cardboard, corkboard, foamboard, etc.), but that is for another day.

Once I got started with these, I really couldn't stop. I'm not really working right now and the ladies are getting really good at entertaining themselves, so I kept busy all week making these bad boys.

I also have a large stash of yarn and nothing to do with it, so besides making a couple sets of coasters as the Project called for, I'm also going to make an "Amoeba Throw-up Blanket" with my OCD-induced flowers (doilies). More on that later.

I also tried some variations on the theme…

And now for the exciting part…

Riot and Frolic's first…

[cue wild applause]

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

I will give away a set of lovely rainbow-flavored flower (doily) coasters to two lucky readers! Just leave a comment in the comment box down below telling me your favorite cheese (or candy, if you're lactose intolerant) and where you like to walk barefoot. I'll choose two comments randomly and post the winners in next week's Pinterest Project post. Comment as many times as you like for more chances to win, but please enter only if you are from the U.S of A, since I can't afford international shipping. Thanks!

Note: these fun flower (doily) coasters are not quite all the same size. Since I was dealing with my free and existing yarn, they're not all the same weight/brand/material. But they're coasters, so maybe that's OK.

*If you ever need to remember how to use "lay" versus "lie," think of the line "Now I lay me down to sleep." It's actually bad grammar, so use the opposite. People lie down, things are laid down.
The Outrageous Request

July 27, 2011
So way back in the day, I wrote about all the cool things you could buy mothers for Mother's Day. Ironically, I never got my mom anything. I am a terrible daughter. Now, everytime I go anywhere, I'm looking for something for my dear ma to make up for the fact that I suck. Costco? She loves Mocha Frappucinos in the bottle. Of course, they only have vanilla in stock. Bath & Body Works? WHAT is that one smell she likes? Grrr. Someday, Ma, someday.

Maybe that story will make this next part moot for you (remember when Joey used that word on Friends? oh, no way! I found it on YouTube!), but here it goes..

I've been looking for a purse, the perfect purse, for a year now. With the advent of baby #2, I found myself carrying a bit more stuff (gotta be prepared). But a diaper bag? Come on. Not my style. I have not bought a purse in over two years. And you ladies know that is sometimes quite a feat. So I'd search every store and do comprehensive look-sees on the googles and you know what I came up with? There is one bag in the entire universe that I would buy now. It is this bag.

It's the Frankie by MZ Wallace in tin. Here's what MZ Wallace has to say about it:
- "Similar in size to our Signature Jane bag, the Frankie offers a surplus of both interior and exterior pockets [*drool*]. Worn over the shoulder or cross-body [cross-body is the only way to go], the Frankie combines function and style for an everyday, on-the-go look [does it look like it's carrying diapers and a sippy cup for every member of the fam? noooo].
- Eight exterior zip pockets [EIGHT!]
- Six interior pockets: 1 large zip pocket, 4 tech pockets (each wide enough to accommodate a Blackberry, iPhone), 1 metrocard/business card pocket [I don't even know what a metrocard is, but I could have a place for one]
- Detachable Market Purse (5" x 2" x 3.5") [a clutch! for when I go out alone or on a date!]
- Italian leather trim with protective leather feet [I have protective leather feet, why shouldn't my bag?]
- Custom silver hardware, woven Periwinkle logo lining [periwinkle, really?]
- Teflon coated Bedford Nylon for water and stain resistance [hello, it's stain resistant, therefore it is a diaper bag or for people who spill a lot]"
Yes yes, this is the only bag I'll ever buy again. I even have people out shopping for a similiar purse for me, and they say it doesn't exist. In fact, my resourceful friend, America, says I should "just ask for money for it on [your] blog." Note: not my idea, but brilliant if it works.

So, did you notice the fancy new "donate" button over on the sidebar? Well, I'm not saving dolphins or rainforests or feeding hungry children. Nope, I'm wondering if you'll throw some money at me to help me save for the most magnificent purse ever.

If you enjoy reading and/or are independently wealthy (not if you're eating ramen noodles on top of a cardboard box while trying to hack your neighbor's WI-FI signal to read this without your own internet connection), feel free to click over on that sea-green button on the left and donate whatever you'd like to the Outrageous Request Fund.

I'll definitely scream for joy at any amount and then maybe the G will only have to chip in $392 when I beg for it non-stop for my birthday and Christmas present.

Thanks, all.
Wabi-Sabi

July 26, 2011

06 Home

My house is special. No no, not the cheesy, "home is where the heart is" or "home is where ever I'm with you" sort of special. I mean, special. I think the perfect word to describe the space I live in with my fam is "wabi-sabi."

Wabi-sabi is not only a fun word to say, but has a great meaning. It's the acceptance of transience, of seeing the beauty in something that is imperfect, impermanent, or incomplete. That is my house.

When we moved in four years ago, our house looked like junk: 70s decorating, nasty carpet, overly-divided junk. My bro-in-law and the G took to demo work like me to popsicles and ripped out paneling, carpeting, doorways, bathrooms, and walls. Then we had some kids and got busy with our jobs. So…

This is our kitchen.

So is this…

From left to right:

There's the old doorway to the old bathroom that reminded me of an outhouse, even though it was very much indoors.

There's our awesome new back door which lets in lots of light to our unfinished back entry area, showcasing the many wallpapers that hid behind the removed paneling.

There's the future pass-through that will have a great little bar/eating counter over the stove and be shared with the dining room. It needs a header beam so the ceiling doesn't fall down.

Here's our front entry.

I love lamp.

I also love our pull-down screen for our projector. It hides in the doorway's molding. Oh, wait. It doesn't. I love our leaded window, but it might be missing a pane. Duct tape totally works.

This is a corner of our bedroom.

This strangely bugs me the most. WHY IS THIS PAINTED BROWN? All of the trim in the house is painted brown, but that is not an explanation for this beauty. We have these slanted corners in all the second story rooms and it baffles me as to why someone would point out these architectural marvels with ugly brown paint.

This is the light switch in the bathroom.

It makes me laugh every time I see it because I could easily fix it, but I don't. I always wonder if whoever screwed it in in the first place thought it was right-side-up.

In a huff one afternoon, I ripped down the silly floral wallpaper in the hallway to find this:

Oh Lord, how I laughed. Really? Wallpaper here?

Visitors often ask us if we're planning to wallpaper the hallway and I have to think for a second why they would ask. I'm pretty sure I would remember where it would go without having to label it, but thanks for asking if I'm an idiot.

Even with all the magnificent absurdities in my house, I still throw big parties, have anyone who wants to come over visit, and clean it like it's a McMansion and I'm in the hired help. I think living in this lovely abode has helped me let go of [some of] my perfectionist streak and wade into the awesomeness of wabi-sabi.

Peace, yo.
Going Bananas

July 25, 2011

Everyone loves banana bread.

It's a grand statement, but it's true, right? And dude, throw some chocolate chips in that bread and most people (OK, me) can polish off a loaf themselves. (I might put butter on slices and then broil it if I've had a particularly rough day… or it's Tuesday.)

I had some old bananas. I mean, look at those leftwards ones. Gross. But delicious.

I have a great recipe for banana bread. I got the general outline from this book called How to Boil Water from the Food Network. It's a great book. Not only does it show you how to do some basic and necessary skills, but it has tasty, tasty recipes.

Any recipe that uses this much butter is good.

I do add and subtract a few things from the book's banana bread recipe, so I feel OK (copyright-wise) to print this…

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

– 2 sticks of butter, melted

– 3 cups flour

– 1 cup sugar

– 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

– 1 teaspoon salt

– 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

– 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

– 6-7 very ripe bananas

– 2 eggs

– 2/3 cup yogurt

– 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

(optional: chocolate chips! or walnuts [although my dad and I agree that nuts in baked goods ruin said baked good])

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, mash bananas and add melted and cooled butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir.

Combine wet ingredients with dry and mix until just combined. Add optional ingredients if you optioned that.

Pour into two buttered and floured loaf pans.

Stick in the oven for about an hour at 350 degrees.

Hints:

– I just learned that by spooning your flour into your measuring device, then leveling it off is more efficient and a better measure of flour then merely scooping it out of the container. Everything is fluffy now!

– Use a potato masher to mash your bananas. Fun!

– Don't mix the wet and dry ingredients too much. It makes for tougher bread. Make sure you don't have any flour pockets, then stop.

I made this bread as pre-thank-yous for the lovely nurses and midwives at St. Joseph's Hospital since this baby should be coming anytime now. I brought cookies last time and they sure were friendly!

Enjoy!
List of Last Week’s Labors of Love

July 24, 2011

– V's first mani/pedi. I was happy I didn't do it first, 'cause I wasn't sure how the G would like it. He seemed to like it. She was very careful with her fingers for about two days, no matter how many times I told her the paint was dry. Thanks, Auntie!

– a mani/pedi of my own! Plus, some hair dye, so momma feels ready for the next couple baby-focused weeks. Thank you, America.

– big hair (also, pre-dye). I love having big hair since I would generally describe my hairs' natural state as Lazy.

– an awesome start on this week's Pinterest Project. Hint: there might be a giveaway involved. I'd look forward to Thursday if I were you.

– a broken toe (pre- pedi; gosh, them's some ugly toes).

– use of math and geometry. Mr. Palm would be proud. Who knew I would use my mad numbers skills for crochet?

– the largest caramel roll I have ever seen. We took some of my favorite people out for breakfast this morning at Jensen's Cafe, which had some pretty delicious food and outstanding service. Totally worth the drive on an absolutely pleasant day. BTW, there is this awesome public square (Nicollet Commons Park) with fountains and a "natural" wading pool behind the restaurant on Nicollet and 126th. My idea? Go for breakfast at Jensen's, then play and picnic the rest of the afternoon at the BA park.

– discovery that Mae Cake will NOT be forced to eat a mini corn dog, but will voluntary munch on celery.
Dictionary of Dance

July 22, 2011
Here's some lingo of the dance world and what each term means, or doesn't mean…

American Style– the style of ballroom dancing that evolved from social dancing and is now a recognized style of dancing for competitive and social use (not internationally, though) which is divided into two groups: Rhythm and Smooth; what Len hates on "Dancing With the Stars."

Arm Styling– position and movement of the arms relative to the body, often used to create the character of a dance; otherwise known as: the flailing of limbs.

Dance Frame– the position of partners facing each other; parallel, yet slightly offset, to each other's right, where the man's right hand is around the lady's back while she holds her arm lightly on top of his and they hold hands on the opposite side.

Floor Craft– the ability to move around the floor in a skilled, controlled, and courteous manner; in a general direction of counter-clockwise around the floor in the traveling dances; a learned skill that requires balance between Minnesota Nice and New York City Nasty.

Follow– the correct interpretation of the movements and signals given by the leader; requires trust, knowledge, and skill; "I'll just follow" is a dangerous phrase unless you know a number of "moves," the timing of the dance, and how to propel yourself.

International Style– the internationally recognized style of dancing for competitive and social use which is divided into two groups: Latin and Standard.

Latin– a style of dancing consisting of 5 dances: ChaCha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, and Jive; a subset of the International style of dancing; the style where they "don't wear any clothes" according to my grandma-in-law.

Lead– the communication of an intended action by the man through his own movement and physical or visual connection with his partner. Often misunderstood as "shoving."
- My favorite "lead" ever was when I had just begun dancing and went to a popular swing joint. I was dancing with a gentleman and we were doing some "moves" when he let go of me. I continued dancing the basic apart from him, but after a second, he makes a face and gestures what I interpret to be a "whoop-tee-doo" signal. When I don't comply with his crystal-clear instructions, he rolls his eyes and says, "You're supposed to turn." Ah, yes. Your letting go of me and seconds later making a whirly-gig with your hand, clearly indicates a spin on my part. Thank you, sir!
Pattern (amalgamation, step)- a small group of movements; a "move" (the term "move" annoys one of my co-workers, so of course I want to use it all the time); example: an underarm turn in Rumba; when you start out dancing, the thing you want to learn the most, which ends up mattering the least. Fancy patterns might seem like the goal in dancing, but nothing can replace dancing a great basic step with a nice partner.

Rhythm– a style of dancing consisting of 5 dances: ChaCha, Rumba, Swing, Bolero, and Mambo; a subset of the American style; the social cousin of Latin dancing; the other kind where they "don't wear any clothes."

Smooth– a style of dancing consisting of 4 dances (the lazy style- only four dances!): Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz; the jazzy cousin of Standard dancing where partners can dance apart from each other; a subset of the American style of dancing.

Standard– a style of dancing consisting of 5 dances: Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, and Viennese Waltz; all "moves" are accomplished while partners are in dance frame with one another; now officially called "Ballroom" just to confuse us; a subset of the International style of dancing; the "intellectual" or "nerd" style.
The Pinterest Project- Mmmm, Chicken Soap

July 21, 2011
To kick off my new to-do list, I wanted to make my swanky Italian bar soap into some shower gel. Ever since my lovely cousin-in-law (that's YOU, Jimmay!) broke off the soap ledge in our shower, there's not a neat place to put a pretty bar of soap. Plus, we're more of a liquid soap family anyhoo. I mean, it's easier to make a bubble bath with, you know?

Here's what I started with:
- The groovy website that gave me the "recipe" for liquid soap- Savvy Housekeeping– which I found via Pinterest. I have to admit I did a search for this and didn't just come across it while ogling the site.
- A bar of fancy-schmancy lavendar soap my student got me while she was visiting Italy. So pretty!
- A pot, a funnel, a cheese grater and some water.
Recipe says to grate soap, so I grated the soap right into the pot. I added as much water as I could into the pot (the recipe said 10 cups of water, but in my infinite soap-making knowledge, I figured that would be too watery), which was about 5 cups of water.

I heated that concoction up. Imagine that. It got bubbly.

Then I poured this dissolved business into the handy empty bottle I got at Garden of Eden and which was waiting in my toiletries' closet for some good use. (Yes, I have a toiletries' closet. I'm a ballroom dancer. I gots a lots of toilets.) And I poured the remainder into this gallon jug I had previously stored a batch of chicken broth in. That chicken broth had sat in my freezer for awhile until I used it. Even with a thorough cleaning, it still smelled a bit chicken-y. Chicken-lavendar soap, it is!

About an hour after the bottling process, I looked over at my "shower gel" and knew immediately that it was now only slightly-less-solid bar soap. And now, it was packaged in a way to render it nearly useless. Neat!

Clearly, I need more water in my life. Didn't I learn my lesson with the popsicles?

So, "sun soap" it was. I added a bit of water to the proper bottle and filled the gallon jug's empty space with h2O and put the containers outside on my sidewalk in the midday rays. I figured the solar energy would heat my soap up enough for me to shake the crap out of it to combine it. It worked pretty well.

Since the bar soap had some exfoliating seeds in it to start, there's a bit of settling that occurs in between showers, but all in all, it's soap and it gets us clean. I shake it up before I use it and it's all good.

My problem with this handy homemade liquid is that it doesn't lather as much as I'd like. Maybe glycerin (called for in the [colonel's] original recipe) would help that? I didn't use it because that would have meant a trip to the store. Remember? Lazy.

Note to self: read the directions and follow the dang recipe.

Next up? Pretties!

Can you tell what series we're catching G up on?

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