My Darling Clementine

"If I were lost and gone forever, that would be dreadful." Meg

You don't know the power of the daddy

Meg: "NOOOOOO! My origami is DESTROYED!"
Jonathan: "You underestimate my powers, little one."

Spring fever

We're having spring fever around here. It's actually nice today, so I opened a window and didn't freeze too quickly. Meg and I walked to the cute fabric store, bought some happy material, and then we kept walking. We came home along the trail and I let Meg stomp through the residual snow and poke at ice puddles with a stick. We looked at the stream (full) and couldn't find any fish yet, but I did find strawberry leaves sprouting by the trail. It's been so long since we could just... go outside.

I'm determined to go camping again this summer. We have a battery lantern this time (I forgot to take any lights at all on our previous excursion, and did you know it gets dark at night?) and I found a suitable thermos at Ikea. I have THREE cast-iron skillets and a sterno stove, plus a kettle and French press. I'm on the lookout for those little metal dishes and material to make a groundcloth/picnic blanket, if I can find suitable ones. Turquoise and red everything would be best to match the thermos. :-) So we're getting better prepared for adventures. One thing about not having a yard is that you really appreciate the outdoors.

Spring fever also motivated me to get out my gigantic heavy bin of skirts and dresses and try them all on. Ha! It's not spring, but I can layer like an Eskimo if properly motivated. The dresses... are all those ones that were maternity-friendly last year. They didn't magically become more flattering over the winter. But that's okay, because separates are more baby-friendly. I'll wear dresses again summer after next. Skirts, however, are fair game. I tried on all the old ones, such as they were, and sprinted straight to my sewing machine to add to the collection. First in the works is an orange circle skirt. I'm trying new techniques, so we'll see. Also, it's an orange circle skirt, which may not have been the most practical. Hmm...

February crafts

Edison bulbs are so pretty, so I brought one home. Unfortunately, it didn't actually go where I thought it would due to not being as bright as you might suppose, and it didn't go anywhere else. Except in its box. And it was sad there.

So I went to Target and got a $6 clip lamp and awaited inspiration.

Pinterest struck, as it so often does. I was able to pull the plastic shade off, paint the inside with tacky glue, and line it with gold glitter. Then I put it all together. The bulb casts a fairly golden light and I really like how the glitter brings it out. I have a gold lamp!

I also made madeleines in my new pan. I used this recipe and I think I'll keep experimenting. They tasted very nice and disappeared... really fast, actually. But they stuck badly to the pan and were more cupcake-like than I had intended. But still good.

I also prettied up two of my wet-wipe holders with scrapbook paper, mouse stickers, and rhinestones. It's an improvement over the original ugly label, but I won't afflict you with pictures.

Chasing rabbits

Yesterday Kate discovered the bunny feet on her pajamas. She chased and chased them, but unfortunately when you really reach, your feet kick too, and those rabbits just kept hopping out of her grip. It was terrible. And adorable.

Danger

"As Galadriel said, what's done cannot be... wait a minute!" Jonathan
"Do you mean Lady Macbeth?" Me

"Well, look closely so that next time you see apatosaurus tracks, you'll recognize them." Me

I think we need one of those "It has been [] days since the last dinosaur incident" signs around here. Last night Meg was putting dinos into their basket with force, and nearly skewered my hand with somebody's sharp tail. Ouch. It's a dangerous world in here!

In which I was viciously attacked by the sewing machine

Some problems are just... weird.

Just now, I was trying to sew with my machine. The little plastic stopper that holds the spool of thread has lost its friction, so I usually clip it in place with a small binder clip. This afternoon, though, the clip keeps sliding off and flies away energetically. And a minute ago it flew off and hit me right in the middle of the forehead. I had no idea it felt so strongly about it.

Weird!

Dracorex hogwartsia

So there's a dinosaur called Dracorex hogwartsia. They found the skull and a handful of vertebrae in South Dakota and thought it looked like a Hogwarts dragon.

However, it's probably just a misunderstood youthful pachycephalosaurus. But the name is cool while it lasts.

Quote

"Katie, when you grow up to be four years old like me, you can be a knight!" Meg