Ceiling Fan Accoutrements

Because every ceiling fan needs something to make it feel special and unique.

This was a fun little project. See those little baubles hanging ceiling fan #1? That's the project to which I'm referring. Those little baubles hanging from the pullchains for the light and fan motor control. Ever since we've installed this fan, it's lacked the pulls. Not a serious issue, obviously, but chain pulls do make it easier to pull. So J. and I decided we'd buy a pair for each fan.

The pulls for ceiling fan #2 were easily enough to find at Lowes for a few bucks each. The chain for ceiling fan #2 is not like the other two fans; it's silver in color. We thought that silver or gold pulls on black chains look strange, so that cuts our selection at Lowes by 95%, and the remaining 5% of the in stock selection were not good matches for our house.

Google was our next option. And here's where we become very cheap. We found lots of "that's cute but it costs HOW much?" and several "that's....interesting" and several "no way, not it my house."

But then, while roaming our local Hobby Lobby, it came to me: beads. (Bees? Beads.) A few dollars in beads plus some wire from home, and voila: custom ceiling fan pulls. It's like earrings, for inanimate objects.

This is the bauble hanging from ceiling fan #3, in O.'s room. O. was impressed at least.

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We're in the swing of summer now. Air conditioning, popsicles, drumming up excuses to douse my head in the hose, and the daylilies at their best. And in other news, O. has decided to climb the castle and slide down the slide without adult involvement. It happened one day when I was busy and couldn't help him climb when requested (demanded). The next thing I know, I hear "I did it!," look over at the castle, and see O. at the top.

Ignoring as a parenting device: genius.

A Little Landscaping

For the past year, we've had an empty space in the rock bed on the front of the house, just below the office window. Two of the bushes in that bed died, finally, although they were probably on their last legs when we bought the house. I dug out the bushes last year and then was too busy/indecisive to replace them. For a few months, I was looking for a spirea of the right size and able to take some shade. Then I was concerned that this is really a hot spot since although this is a shady spot, it is the West side of the house and receives a few hours of direct afternoon sunlight. Finally, I decided to wait for inspiration to strike.

Three events coincided this weekend which enabled us to finally fill in the empty space on the West side of our house: 1.) a relatively quiet weekend, 2.) a drop in the relative humidity, and 3.) a 40% off plant sale at our local hardware store. The two shrubs on the sides are leptodermis, a flowering shrub that matures to about 2'x2'. The middle shrub is a hummingbird sweetspire, which should mature to about 3'x4'. I hope we've made good choices.

I also hope that the leptodermis doesn't live up to it's name ("thin-skinned" if I'm interpreting the Greek roots correctly). This spot has the worst soil for digging in our yard. It's all hard-packed clay, and there's rocks from previous application, plus the usual tree roots. A shovel gets you absolutely no where, and we dug these by hand spade instead. There's no way we ever want to dig holes here ever again.

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O. Photos

O. is posing for the camera these days. Here he's doing his best (and unintentional) Home Alone impression.

What's with the blue and yellow shoestrings on his feet, you ask?

These are laces from a lacing set. He wraps them around his feet and calls him his "beautiful princess shoes."

Those laces come in handy for other accouterments. I call this photo "I love belts, Momma!" (actual quote from this morning).
Yeah, I don't know what he's doing with his leg in that pose either, but he was insistent that that was how he wanted the photo to look.

One more photo, and this one is future blackmail: O. in his "beautiful princess dress." The dress is the table runner that Mom quilted for us. He likes to spin and twirl around in it.

Ah, June

I admire June (the month, that is). June turns spring into summer. Schedules change: the academic year ends and the summer holidays begin. The weather changes: on June 1st, you may need a light jacket in the evening, but by June 30th, you sweat at the mere sight of a hoodie. With the weather change comes the end of the spring flowers and the beginning of the summer flower, and is what I admire most: June's ability to change the color palette of the landscape.

Par example? My herb garden is no longer the spring colors. The purples, blues, and pinks are gone. The summery colors are here: orange and red. Even the yellows are different; brazen and warm, no longer the chilly daffodil yellow.

Case in point: marigold, started from seed.

The yarrow is gorgeous right now and attracting bees. I like to think that yarrow is doing its part to save the bees.
Some cute annual daisy that I can't remember the name of right now.
And the nasturtiums. Have I mentioned what I've learned about nasturtiums? I've wanted them for several years. I like their foliage and their bright colors. As a bonus, they're edible, which makes them kid- and pet-friendly. So last year, I started a pot of nasturtiums from seed and set the pot on the West side of the house. I babied this pot: fertilizer, good organic soil, and plenty water. I had beautiful foliage...but zero flowers.

This winter, I read up on nasturtiums. Some say that nasturtiums don't like containers. Some say that fertilizer promotes leaf growth over flowering. So this year, I sowed them directly in the herb garden, and didn't add any fertilizer. And -voila- flowers and lots of 'em.

Sometimes doing less is better. Good to know.

Headboard for a twin bead

Project number 1 on the queue is complete! Shown below, I stained, finished, and assembled a headboard for O.'s bed. It features a shelf, which is a currently a good place for his stuffed animal friends and his Ocean Wonders crib music/nightlight (behind the pillow), and later he can use it for books and a reading light, I suppose. The stain is Minwax "Early American" on pine wood, with four coats of a tung oil for the finish. I think the wood color looks nice with Mom's quilt and pillow sham, and it's close enough in color to the bookcase.
However, I'm not completely happy with some of the details with this headboard kit. I suppose you get what you pay for, and it wasn't like I was hoping to make an heirloom piece of furniture, but I was a little surprised at the little things.

For example, several of the joints have white streaks. The photo below shows the left side; the right side, which faces the wall fortunately for us, is even worse. My guess is that the streaks are residual glue. They only appeared after I stained it. I did go back and try to sand out the glue and restain, but no luck.

And there is some unevenness to the wood grain. For example, this big white spot in the top of the shelf. Again, it didn't appeal until after staining, and no amount of sanding would take it out.
I should have known that the quality control with this company was going to be an issue when the shelf support arrived cracked and two camlock pieces of hardware were not supplied. The company was good about about sending a new shelf support, and the camlock was standard and I purchased more at a local hardware store. However, we were thinking about ordering a headboard for our own bed to finish, but after seeing this, I don't think we'll order from this company again.

Oh well, O. is content with the headboard and his new shelf for animal storage.

There's something about this photo that makes me long to see a 1980s era Stephen Spielberg film. Hmm...I wonder why?

Oh. That's why.
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And what about the pesky project #3 on the queue, i.e., the storm door? Eh. We're on step number four. Out of 14 steps. And that's just part 1. Parts 2 and 3 have yet to be addressed. So, we're getting there. Slowly but surely.

Too busy to post...

...spending all free time outside. Just a couple of quick photos.

First, my sous gardener, trying to restore the Allium purple sensation that he picked.
And my new favorite spot, the hanging basket, next to the front door. It contains a coleus, a Torenia "Golden Moon," and a muehlenbeckia (aka wire vine.) I think they look sweet there, and hope they have enough light.

Insert Title Here

I can't think of a cohesive title for this post, mainly because the topics are not easily cohesive-able, and I think my brain is a little fried from finals week grading this weekend. Let's march forward anyway.

For my birthday, I received a gift certificate to our local True Value, and last weekend I cashed it in for mulch (not pictured) and a Dappled Willow. We set out the dappled willow last weekend in the rock bed on the East side of the house. In theory, if the willow likes this spot (and fingers crossed that this spot is part-shade/part-sun enough), it should grow to 5' x 5' and take up the space between the bedroom and bathroom. The picture does not do it justice; I really like the way the tips of this little bush looks against the brick.

The castle continues to be a source of wonder and delight for O. With the leaves on the tree, it really feels like you're in a jungle, and O. really wants to have a snack here most evenings.
Last night, E. the cat was out with us, and I threw her into the castle with O., thinking that this would be a short-lived experiment. I was wrong. E. likes the castle too. In spite of the annoyed expression in the photo below, she quickly realized that the castle is prime spot to survey the neighborhood.

Year 2 of the Herb Garden. The oregano, lemon balm, lavender, thyme, chives, sage, spearmint, and catnip all came back from last year. The rosemary is hanging in there, but just barely. I'm told that rosemary usually does well here but they're not as cold-hardy as other herbs, and this winter was colder than usual.

I've replanted several basils, marjoram, and cilantro. I've also added nasturtiums and marigolds that I started from seed. The red pot just off center of the photo below is a yarrow, and the purple ball flowers are allium, called Purple Sensation.
I've been trying to be outside for as much as possible right now, before the mosquito season begins. We're already beginning to see them. The photo below was taken last week, and I've included quarter next to the mosquito for size reference. Huge, and these are just non-biting kind.

Return of the Tipsy Pots

The tipsy pots are back! This time I used a 3/8" by 48" piece of rebar instead of fencing material I found last year. Much better this way. Easier to put together, seems sturdier, too.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but I went with a purple and green theme this year, choosing some deep purple petunias, some lime green sweet potato vine, and some other perennials that were $1.39 at our local hardware store.

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My latest wishlist item: a Canon EOS Rebel 40D. J. has been issued this camera for work purposes. He asked me to help him get acquainted with it and now I can't seem to keep my hands off of it. It lets me do things like this:

The focus isn't great (it was windy and I was rushing it), but there's no way I can get that with the Powershot. Ah, for a spare $1500.

The Castle

The number 2 project in our queue was completed this weekend, due to the efforts of Dad, Mom, Uncle B, and Aunt M. Why the "The Castle?" That's O.'s word for it, and he defends it with enthusiasm.

We began with this: a pile of treated lumber and recycled deck wood, a wily three-year old, obliging parents/grandparents/aunt/uncle, and a dream.
A couple of days before the project began, a rare (we hope) series of earthquakes occurred. Minimal damage in our area, fortunately. The most severe quake in the series kicked around the wood pile a bit, shown below. Must have been the midwestern-raised in me again, but I was impressed.

We lucked out with the weather, but early afternoon showers forced the first steps of the project indoors. Here's J., Dad, and Uncle B. assembling the base.And here's Mom, documenting the process.

The next step was to attach the vertical beams. The horizontal 2x4s acted as temporary support, by the way. Aunt M. is shown below, holding it and us together.We learned that power saws and naptime don't mix. O. came outside to express his displeasure at the racket. O. quickly realized that the result of his noise is to his benefit.
The floor of the deck was installed next.

It was clear the deck is the best place to be. We basically built it around O., with Aunt M. for comfort/safety/entertainment.
A test run of the slide. Uncle B. later mounted about a foot off the ground, which makes it easier to climb into at the top. O. can land on his feet, which gives him a good running start. I think a swimming pool will reside at the end of the slide this summer.
Dad and Uncle B., putting their heads together.
Mom giving her assessment of the progress.
Uncle B. seems satisfied with the climbing wall installation.
As you can see, O. needs a little help to climb into it yet, but he'll learn. Kids need goals.

The finished product, or at least finished for now. Plans for future modifications and improvements were tossed around, including a roof, some seating for the sandbox below, a bucket and pulley, and swing.

The Big Easy

Last week I was here:



I had a conference in New Orleans, and I was able to squeeze in some sightseeing along with work. Good conference, but an even better trip. I lucked out with flights and juuuusst missed all of the American delays last week. I learned about barbecued shrimp and lattes with beignets. I even took a morning off, and a friend from college and I went on a cemetery tour. The tour began in the French Quarter and we walked to St. Louis Cemetery #1, which is the oldest still-standing cemetery in New Orleans. We had a real gem of tour guide, both knowledgeable and a real advocate for cemetery preservation.


The blue sky in cemetery photo is no Photoshop trick, it really was that beautiful that day: 80 oF and low humidity.

I stayed at a Hampton Inn that had been converted from a cotton factory/warehouse. Check out the entrance, covered in tropical vegetation.


In fact, I was fascinated by the palm trees the whole trip. Must be my Midwestern upbringing.


A paddlewheel boat docked on the Mississippi River:


One of my favorite spots: St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square.


This was a surprise: the gates to the cathedral close before dusk and minutes after the gates are closed and after the tourists leave, a group of cats came out. They lounged on the sun-warmed cement and played. It was like they were relieved that finally! those pesky people have left and we can relax!


The miniature Bunsen burners inside the gaslights in the French Quarter. I'd never seen these before, always figured they were from another era and long gone.


I couldn't resist a mardi gras hat for O. He calls it his dragon hat, which makes more sense and is easier to explain than mardi gras, so we're going with his words for it.