Dad is in the House (2)

Making a Dinosaur Costume II

October 25, 2010

So, last time I went over what my pattern was, what the rationale for everything was and so forth.
Then I got to work.
You’re supposed to wash and iron your fabric prior to starting work on it, which is a rule I actually follow.
This can be an impatient-making step but I do it anyway [...]

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Making a Dinosaur Costume

October 23, 2010

Well, it’s that time of year where we stay up until the wee hours toiling over a hot sewing machine. All this in celebration of the dead rising up from their tombs and turning into… dinosaurs.
My daughter wanted to be a dinosaur again this year, since she was one last year. However, the stipulation was [...]

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Tools for Toddler Detritus

October 17, 2010

When you have a toddler (I think that is ages 1.5-20, but I’m just guessing at that upper limit) they make messes everywhere. And these are not normal messes. You know, dishes need to be washed, floor is dirty, clothes all over the floor. Because those kinds of messes still exist. Now you have:

Cut up [...]

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Dad’s Homely Wisdom, Tip #1

October 2, 2010

Don’t buy a white plastic garbage can. They get grubby and, though washing them with a scrubby and Comet helps, you can’t get them back into shape without being obsessive and spending too much time at it. Go with a black plastic, or, if you want to spend $500, stainless steel.

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Awesome Chicken & Rice Recipe

September 30, 2010

I got this book called The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Great American Cooks, by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock, two famous southern chefs (you mean there are more than just Paula Deen??) I grew up in Kansas City, which is strictly speaking, Midwestern. However my cooking is basically Southern without [...]

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Removing Candle Wax from Glass Jars

September 27, 2010

It’s kind of a fact of life: candles are warm and inviting and sometimes smell nice. But they burn and make a mess with wax everywhere. Thus, the very vessel that supports and sustains the beautiful flame becomes encrusted with nasty blobs of wax. Add to that old candle wax, maybe a little dust and [...]

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Kitchen Wars!

September 24, 2010

I had to apologize to the clerk at Fred Meyer yesterday, for buying a copy of the Enquirer, which I do not normally do. (Although, for the record, I do think they deserve the Pulitzer for their work on the John Edwards fiasco.)
The reason? Well, they had Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart and Paula Deen on [...]

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Don’t Skimp on Dishwasher, Laundry Detergent

September 13, 2010

There are lots of things I like to save a buck on. And I am not brand loyal, other than to the extent that a brand is demonstrably better than another supposedly comparable one. Two cases in point (and actually, the only ones that come to mind at all) are dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent.
I [...]

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Care and Feeding of Bath Toys

August 7, 2010

You know, when you’re about to have your first child people say all kinds of things like, “oh, it’s the most wonderful thing evar,” and talk about little bundles of joy. Still others, the realists–or even cynics–among us, say “oh, boy, you don’t know what’s going to hit you.” I’ve come to interpret these little [...]

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More Garden Stuff + Zombies!

July 31, 2010

I got a rad comment and some pics from a twitter friend, @mjguth, who also lives in my town. He says in the comments:
I strongly recommend NOT using poles for peas. Their grasping runners are neither very strong nor rough enough (unlike beans) to really grab a pole and hold themselves up. Mine usually ended [...]

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