What the World Needs Now

I would just like to say that the world really needs a couple of books for kids (2nd-4th grade-ish) about motion-sensor lights. We have one of those lights in the downstairs hallway of the library, which leads to the program room. So in the middle of any given program, the hallway light usually turns off. And the kids love it. I mean LOVE it. They get really excited, and then of course they have to all walk out into the hallway together to see if it will turn back on. And it does. Every time. And the kids go bananas: "How did that happen?!" "Oh my gosh, it knows we're out here!" "We turned the light on without even trying!" "Do you think it would go on if we came out to the hallway and we were very, very quiet?"

That is exactly the kind of enthusiasm librarians like to latch onto by suggesting books... too bad there aren't any kids' books about motion-sensor lights. Would someone please write one? Thanks.

Some People Are Just Naturally Talented

I know you've been dying to see my Luster Lace creations. Here they are...

The Candy Cane (I can't wait to put it on our Christmas tree!)

Two basic keychains/zipper pulls. The top one is the square stitch, and the bottom one is the round stitch.

A one-becomes-two looped keychain (I made that name up). See how I started with one strand and made it into two? Perfect for people who want to hang up their keys.

Luster Lace

My aunts Mary and Bev could not wait to make Luster Lace projects at the family reunion. I had no idea what Luster Lace was. Turned out it was that flat, flexible plastic stuff you weave into lanyards and keychains. We used to call it gimp. Everyone was super into Luster Lace, as you can see...

Isaac and Kim made a fishing lure (and Isaac got to try it out at the pier later!). I made a candy cane Christmas ornament by weaving the Luster Lace around a pipe cleaner.

Scenes from the Family Reunion

Karl and I drove to Potato Creek State Park in Indiana this weekend for a full-fledged Moss family reunion. All of my aunts and uncles were there, and all of my cousins and their kids. We stayed in big cabins, so it didn't matter that it rained most of the time! We did crafts...

We snuck in a hike when the sun came out...

And we totally dominated the American Legion fish fry!

I can't let my cousin Alycia's acheivement go unmentioned... she talked her way out of a ticket! It was amazing. She claims it was the combination of the Marines sticker on the back of her minivan and her Law School baseball cap, but I think it was pure skill.

Ready to Reunite!

Karl and I are driving to Potato Creek State Park in Indiana today for a family reunion. We're picking Elsworth up at the South Bend airport on our way. This is the pile of stuff we're loading into the truck:

Please note the use of not one, but two totes: the Lunch Tote cooler (how else would we keep our lunches cool?) and the white tote bag located just to the right of the Lunch Tote. I'd say that's tote-ally awesome! And you know what else is tote-ally awesome? Stopping at Ikea on the way home! I cannot wait.

Is That a House or a Box Museum?

I am so so so thankful that our house is finally starting to look like a house! Moving is quite a process! We're digging ourselves out of boxes, bags, and suitcases. Hopefully soon we'll know where everything is-- or at least the important things (like toothbrushes and shoes). This is what our living room looked like on Saturday:

This is what our living room looked like when I left for work today:

We're couch shopping currently, but we haven't found anything that we really like, so for now we're sticking with that cheapy microsuede loveseat that I got from Target.com three years ago. Karl had to fix it once when he had some friends over to watch basketball, and two of them sat on it at the same time. Are you there, God? It's me, Amanda. Please let a new couch be in our near future.

One thing I love about moving is going through every item we own. It's a good chance to get rid of things we don't need. Yesterday, I identified ten canvas tote bags we can get rid of. Ten! That is a ridiculous number of extra tote bags to have lying around. I also will be getting rid of two Pyrex 9 x 13 pans. If you need a tote bag (or ten), or a brownie pan, let me know.

p.s. I take full responsibility for the tote bags. None of them were Karl's. Just clarifying.

Garage Sale Score

Last week I went to a church garage sale, and I found this:

You are probably thinking, "So what?" Well let me tell you. I have a very raggedy Snoopy from when I was a baby. I slept with it until I got married (I still sleep with it when Karl's gone). And when I was little, I had a few outfits for Snoopy. I had a pair of leiderhosen that I loved (complete with tail hole), blue pajamas with a stocking cap, and a pair of overalls. They were from the same line as the item pictured above, which, when I bought it, I thought was just the Snoopy Chinese outfit. Don't blame me for calling it that-- that's the official name of it. I know because that paper insert is actually a fold-out catalog of all of the Snoopy outfits. That catalog alone was worth the fifty cents (but I probably would have paid fifty dollars for it). So like I was saying, I thought I was buying just the Chinese outfit. And it was the Chinese outfit...

And the English outfit...


And the French outfit! Ooh la la!

Seriously. Can you believe my luck? I was basically jumping up and down with joy. And Snoopy will be, too, once I get him to do a style show for me in the new duds.

Moving!

Karl has done a phenomenal job hauling everything over to our new house! Here's the state of the basement right now:

Luckily, I packed a suitcase with my shower stuff and clothes, so at least I can locate those!

This is the label on my favorite box of all. "Little People- Handle with extreme care." Speaking of Little People, I went to a flea market on Sunday with my friend Rebecca, and I scored a barn that moos for $10 (I already have a barn, but this one came with lots of animals, so I couldn't turn it down), and the parking garage/service station, which I have always wanted, also for $10. I was very proud of myself because I actually passed up lots of Little People that were for sale. Can you believe it?

Hitting the Wal

Karl and I decided to paint the bedrooms in our new house before we move in. After picking out the colors we liked (who knew there could be so many shades of blue?!), our next stop was the Consumer Reports database. Based on the ratings, we decided our best bet was Dutch Boy Home. Turns out the only place in Madison that carries Dutch Boy Home is Wal-Mart. Before you start gagging, let me just tell you that we've had a Wal-Mart gift card sitting around since our wedding, and it happened to be almost exactly the same price as the paint we needed. So for $1.32, we escaped from Wal-Mart with two gallons of paint. What a bargain!

We're in!

Here's the sign in the yard in front of our new house:


That's right, it's sold! Officially. We closed yesterday, and now it's all ours! Here is a picture of me opening the door for the first time... so exciting!

Stop by when you're in the neighborhood!

Old Settlers' Days

Fortunately, Karl's cousin's wedding was scheduled on the weekend of Toulon's big annual event: Old Settlers' Days. There was a parade, a pageant, a speech by the badge honoree (Karl's grandparents were badge honorees one year), and, of course, a craft fair.

Karl and his grandma watching the band

The best seats in the house were on the courthouse lawn!

Miss Teen OSA (Old Settlers' Association) was really into the band.

The wedding!

This is the one and only picture I took during Karl's cousin's wedding. It's of Camille, daughter of the bride and bridesmaid. Doesn't she look lovely?

American Legion Fish Fry

Last weekend, Karl and I went to Toulon, Illinois, for his cousin's wedding. The first thing we did after getting into town and picking up Karl's grandma was head to the American Legion for their fish fry. And if you've ever been to a fish fry at an American Legion, you know what it's like....