PS22 check it...

Go to You Tube....click on any of the PS22 videos...My god that Music instructor has got to be beside their self. It's awesome...Inspiring and just plain ol cool. it's great to see a teacher who allows something besides Bach to plow through the school and change a life or 2...

All about one hell of a teacher!!!! Gregg B

360 days of my life #102

click on the picture for a bigger better view

Look at that itty bitty green tomato!!!

My first bit of garden coming up. ! Exciting,huh?

I got in there, planted nice lovely straight little rows.

then the big dumb dog got in there and rolled around like a pig in mud.

Now the garden is "free form".

it's a step below or above square foot gardening....Pretty artsy as I see it.

Kinda like garden planter salad.

360 days of my life #101

ccca

dino, originally uploaded by v8grrl.

denver museum of natural history

Cleaning The Den of Olive's Kindergarten Stank.

I shouldn't have sat down. I was on a roll, then I saw this ol broken down chair by the computer and parked my butt in it. I have a goal today.

Olive's Room.

It is disgusting, like so many things here in my much neglected house. The idea is that she will be gone all day today and I will be home secretly throwing away little plastic toys from god only knows where. I will be recycling 400,000 sheets of paper which include everything from counting to vocabulary. I hopefully will have no mercy.

Mr. Clean will be my wing man...helping me with his "magic eraser"...

(I would so do Mr. Clean)

Mr. Murphy Soap will be supplying extra wood cleaning power and shine so her room will glow like the buttside of the church pews.

Please...wish me luck...

I'm not good with cleaning.

today, I will

Go Forth and Conquer!!!

one Barbie hooker shoe at a time

360 days of my life # 100

360 days, originally uploaded by v8grrl.

How to recover a patio cushion

So gross...like many things around here right now...after the neglect everything in my house has had for the past 2 years (nursing school) I decided to get my arse in gear and

start tidying up. The girls put the final kybosh on this nasty porch swing cover last weekend ...RIiiiPPPPPpppp. I decided to recover it. I know, you are thinking gross, she should just buy a new cushion. But it's fine...our butts go on it...it doesn't have to be perfect.

I bought the "Outdoor Fabric" on the long bolt...60"

on sale at Hancock for 6$ a yard...bought 2 yards

Lay your cushion on there and do a quick measure. I am old enough now where I like to just "wing it".

Now for the width of the fabric. My swing and cushion were about 48 inches long with a 2" thickness. I cut the fabric to 52" wide (from the 60" width fabric), that's 48" + 2" thick on the left + 2" thick on the right = 52 inches (that should leave plenty for seam allowance).

(really you can just lay it out and cut...you can make width corrections as you sew)

Cushion laid out, fold over once then over so it is about 1/3 over the top again...overlapped.

We are going to make a great big cushion envelope.

On the edges that are on the long parts of the foam, we will make a tidy "Hem".

First part of the sewing I did was to hem the edges. (these are the long edges)Fold once 1/4" iron, fold again over the 1/4 inch iron, pin and stitch. this will make the edges purdy.

Now for the short edges of the cushion.

oooh all ready looks better. I cut off the the edges, so that it will leave me enough room to stitch the "short sides" of the cushions together. Once you figure this out(this is the length of cushion plus the 2" on each side, like I said above) you want to turn your fabric right sides together, wrap it around the cushion again to make sure it will be snug in the little pocket and pin.

...see how there is 1/3 fabric hanging out? that is the "envelope part" which will fold over. When you are ready to sew up the sides, make sure you sew the right sides together. I pinned first, made sure it was snug then stitched...perfect...so far.

Now we are going to attempt those fancy box corners. I used some help from Craftapple so go and check it out for the corners...its really easy and makes a world of difference in looking neat and tidy. After you stitch the "pocket" and your cushion /foam fits snuggly in there take it out. Find one bottom corner, and turn it to a triangle like the picture (still inside out)...go look at Craftapple quick!

I made my box corner 1 1/2 inch down from the point. I just measured with a ruler.

draw a straight line to make a nice triangle...evenly and straight . This is what you will sew.

straight across...there you have it...magic...turn it right side out, take a celebratory sip of beer and admire your work, because no one else in your family will appreciate that box corner like you will!

so beautiful!!! look at it!

Now we will do the same with the other corner...good luck. :) should be easier now.

After those are done I turned it right side out and put the cushion in to see my progress. Looks nice, now we have to do the fold over envelope part. This part is easy.

From the point where the "envelope part sticks out. double hem again. Fold 1/4", iron, fold 1/4" pin and sew...nice and tidy.

Do both sides (width sides)

Now here is where I winged it again. Wen I folded it over after hemming I thought it looked nice, but maybe it needed box corners here too.

Because after you but the cushion in it looks kind of flat where it folds over... so I thought, why not...

lets try a box corner here. This is hard to show in pictures but right where the "envelope" folds over I pinned 2 1/2" down and sewed right sides together...on both sides. making a hem just like the top, made the triangle again, sewed straight across. and voila...another 2 box corners.

Remember right sides together.

and lookie here.

good job

that's about it. The fold over part I closed with buttons, but botton holes are an entire new tutorial ...you could use velcro, or nothing. It stays flat, because it is under ...you know, its the bottom...who's gonna see it? Now you have the swing cushion cover...

your porch and butt is happy :)

360 days of my life # 99

v8grrl, originally uploaded by v8grrl.

I'm getting my Mojo back

360 days of my life #98 (should be #98)

360 days, originally uploaded by v8grrl.

stupid study test

hmmm.

I was trying to study for my Nursing Board Exam (NCLEX). I hit the wrong button and it logged me out. Does it not know I'm trying to do PRACTICE tests. It told me I "illegally" clicked on a different window. Now isn't that a bit harsh? Honestly. I wasn't clicking I was trying to IM. I mean it's my test I'm not cheating and who cares if I was? but I wasn't I was ONLY trying to secure my Sushi Date Night with My friend Justine....Well EFFFFF Nclex. If they don'w at me to study then I won't.

The week has been beyond full. Training a new person at work. Trying to partake in some of the kids end of school activities and still remain sane. Olive came home and told me she needs "snacks" for her summer birthday celebration and $3 for a Zoo field trip. "You are going to the Zoo?" Duhhhhh you signed the paper. yup, I'm outta touch.

The cat ran away due to neglect, or the fox ate her, not sure which.

The garden is half planted...

The person who was going to redo the deck said they are too busy.

and I'm tired.

it's ok.

I's my debrief week...next week I will be fine!

kNOw it all

NO....

NOoooOOOo...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

this is the only phrase my 5 1/2 year old know (no) it all can say. it's making me insane. I want to rip her precious little lips right off her face.

Yesterday I told her she had a sock stuck to her skirt and she said,

NOOooOOO

it was clearly stuck right to the front of her skirt.

I think I'm going to start answering every question like she does

Give me some tunes>>>

So I know other bloglanders have done this...I need some new music. Every time I go to download something I end up downloading the same old crap.

So My friends...Love me...and give me some new music for my graduation.

I just need names of bands. My creativity is picking up.

Tonight, I am gonna sit down and KNIT!!!

Tomorrow, Garden and toenails...

it's coming back, I'm sure something amusing will happen soon.

Traitors....

I used to sit down every thursday night and write.

I had a system.

I would read Baking with Plath, drink some wine, laugh out loud, then write. Now the system is gone. Actually, there is no system anymore. I need to find my inner soul writer again.

Maybe I killed her.

Killed her with schoolwork and lack of interest.

Oh yeah, speaking of interest....How about we touch on something else which has mysteriously disappeared from my nonlife.

Sex.

Yes I said it...

Sex.

zipp, gone,vamoos.

Do you think it is shacking up with my inner soul writer?

That Bitch.

ps: Tonight...I'm gonna buy some porn, i'll let you know how it goes

recovering

I've almost recovered from the stresses of my last week...stick with me...I promise things will start coming around over here.

I miss you guys

Graduation...and out...

Tomorrow we present our last project before graduation. It has sucked more of my life out of me for the mere reason that anything that seems an easy task always turns out to be the biggest pain in the ass.

I love my iMac...I used Keynote to put together this fabulous slideshow, then realized nobody else in the world uses a MAC....perfect. So My nice, beautiful, drag and drop presentation has to be converted to crappy Powerpoint or uploaded to Quicktime. It has taken me countless hours to get it to load properly to quicktime, so long that I think I have decided I don't give a rat's ass if I graduate and if my project isn't perfect I will blow up the world just to make a point. This is day 4, I have sat here trying to get it all to correspond and click thru perfectly to know avail. I have stopped eating and drinking.

Saturday I graduate. I put my 2 weeks in at my current job as a financial counselor at the hospital and received a half-time position up on the orthopedic/neurology floor doing night nursing. Its a start. 2 shifts a week which will be quite pleasant for the summer. What else this means is that all my old friends can come back and be my friends!!! come back come back!!! I won't have any excuses any more.

It's been four years of my life. I can look back to post number one and say...wow...I really knew nothing, now I just have better educated guesses to my nothing.

Thanks for putting up with all my bitching and I'm sure there will now be time for real writing, arts, crafts, sewing,painting and gardening...you just watch and see.

And to anyone out there who is afraid to do something different...take it from me, it was a crazy road ...but if I can do it...anyone can, and it is never ever to late to learn.

knowledge is power

360 days of my life #83

mini cupcakes, originally uploaded by v8grrl.

Mini chocolate chip zucchini cupcakes with salted caramel frosting

mini cupcakes are too time consuming...but oh so cute...

yummy

yummy

Garden Box..I can do this

Today is Garden Box Day aka MayDay. I can do this. I don't need help...really.

I got the plan from Pioneer Woman and headed out to Home Depot. Bobby went with me, but I had my clipboard and was determined.

Wood section...

I'm familiar, got my wood, some young chap came and asked if I needed some help.

Why yes I do...can you cut these 2 boards in half?

Yup

(See moments later I had just barked at Bobby because he started telling me I needed a liner and they may charge to cut the wood and blah blah blah...

"HSSSSSS...go over there and make one of those little things with Olive while I figure this out MYSELF!!!! I have a plan! damnit.

He grimaced, growled and left.)

Young chap comes back with my wood and I say, where them stakes and screws at? One aisle over!

Wam Bam thank you mam...

now at home

I didn't have to cut the wood because the Young Chap at Home Depot cut it for me.

91$ of cedar wood...

Yes the grass is disgusting, it didn't used to be but this is one of the reasons I have decided to stop trying to "cultivate" grass...I want something more edible and rewarding.

laying it out

predrill all your holes first with a little bit then with the deck screws. You need 2 people to help hold the wood while you get it straight and drill.

This is where Bobby had a break down and took the drill from me. He said "you hold the wood" But I could have done it if I had a girlfriend there.

it took less than an 2 hours to do the entire thing. I'll post the pictures of the painted one soon ( i painted it to match the house)

This is the first part of my backyard revamp.

I've called someone to redo our deck with that recycled composite stuff ...then we will start designing.

This is all very stressful for me.

Trying to plan a big picture.

But now that I don't have school YEAH!!

and my schedule will be cut into a 1/4...I better find something to do

write ya later