Book Review: Travel Origami

Ng, Cindy.  Travel Origami.  2014. Tuttle Publishing.


What a fun idea!  You use maps, papers, and travel brochures from a recent trip to make origami.  The projects range from novice to advanced.

What struck me the most about this book was how well this would work with scrapbooking - and add a new dimension to your scrapbook pages.

Can't you picture it?  A multi-media scrapbook page, complete with accessories made from actual brochures and maps from your vacation?  It would be beautiful!

What a great way to remember your summer vacation, and fill up the last few days before school starts!

 The Nitty Gritty:
The pages were beautifully illustrated with simple, easy to follow directions, illustrations, and pictures.  A glossary of folds was included at the front of the book.

I'm headed off to deliver kids to colleges over the next month.  I think I see some Origami made from college brochures in my future!

Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links.  Your purchases through this link will be added to the Remodel the Hallway Bathroom fund.  THANK YOU!!

An Ode to an LL Bean Backpack

LL Bean doesn't even make this style of back pack anymore.

11 years ago, oldest child was in need of a new backpack for school.  Previously, I had bought him a "good" back pack from a department store, and it had fizzled out and died within a year.  At that time, he was just beginning middle school, and I had been told that back packs really take a beating through middle and high school - between the book loads and being stuffed into lockers on a daily basis, they just fell apart.   I wanted to buy him a back pack that would last him through high school.  And, I was willing to spend a decent amount of money on this back pack.

I picked this up this morning to take a picture.  No joke, it weighed 30 pounds.

And so, I bought him this bag.  I don't remember how much I spent on it off hand, but I do remember that it was well over $50.  If I remember right, it was around $65.  I couldn't believe that this bag cost so much money.  But, the back packs at the chain stores were running around $40, and they were falling apart on us at the end of every school year.  I decided that it was worth the extra $25 in cost if the back pack lasted at least 2 years.

Damage at the top of the bag.

And last it did.  For the last 11 years, that back pack has been back and forth to middle school, high school, and college classes.  It has carried textbooks.  It has been shoved into lockers.  It has gone along on every scout camping trip, mission trips, and track meets through both high school and college.  It has gone on vacation with us. And finally, it is beginning to show signs of wear.  The zippers all work.  The bag itself is still intact - no holes, anywhere.  Unfortunately, the damage is on the shoulder strap, and I don't know that I have the ability to fix it the correct way.  As you can see in the picture, the straps are ripping on the seam with the back pack.  The stuffing is falling out of the straps, and the fabric is raveling.


With him headed off to Grad. School next week, I made the executive decision that he needed a new back pack.  He said he was willing to see "just how long before this one gave out".  I have visions of the strap giving out and dumping his computer on the ground in the middle of a rain storm.

And so, I broke down and bought him a new back pack last night.  It's another L.L. Bean backpack.  We're hoping that it gets here before he leaves for school on Weds.  The one we ordered cost us close to $65 again.  Which, when you consider the passage of time, really is an excellent price on the backpack.

I found some nylon fishing line this morning, and an upholstery sewing needle.  I hope to have some time this afternoon to see if I can hand sew a patch of some kind into the straps.  Maybe I can fix it somehow?  Because, honestly, this is a kick ass backpack, and I wouldn't mind having it myself!

Disclosure notice:  I received no compensation for this post.  I love our L.L. Bean backpacks.  They last for years.  Yes, there's a high initial cash outlay, but when you have a product that last for 11 years with heavy daily usage, I think it's worth it. 

Grocery Expenses 7/29-8/3

It's been so stinking hot here that I put the crock pots to work. I really didn't want to heat the house up with the oven or the stove top.  The crock pot keeps the heat down low.  We've pulled a lot of food out of the freezer this past week, and I've made a huge pot of black beans.  What we didn't eat, we froze into serving size portions. (Serving size portions for our family is a 16 ounce freezer container - it's enough to eat as a really good soup, and enough to add to something else.)

We hit up my favorite farm stand - where I could pick up a fresh chicken and watermelon, and peaches.  I also got a couple of roasts delivered from the dairy.  Everybody will be home for the next week, and I want food that's going to be able to feed all five of us - and KEEP us full!  I see fajitas, pulled pork, and taco salad in the very near future. 

The $15 chicken provided dinner for three nights.  The first night, we had roast chicken.  The second, I used the left overs to make chicken enchiladas.  (I made a pan of black bean enchiladas for the lactose intolerant vegetarian) and the third night, I boiled up the bones and made a chicken vegetable soup.  (Daughter had vegetable soup.  I cooked up a separate pot, just for her.) 

BTW, I used up some more of the chile in adobo sauce that I picked up when I was still really happy from the drugs after my procedure.  It added a very nice flavor to the enchilada mix.  Chiles in adobo sauce keep for a long time in the fridge.  I ran mine through the mini food processor, and have them sitting in a jar in the fridge.  I have been adding 2 TBSP to everything I cook that has a Tex-Mex flavor to it.  I'm going to freeze whatever I don't finish off by the end of the week in little "dollops" on a cookie sheet.  I'll keep them in a freezer bag and pull them out as needed.

Expenses for the week:

South Mountain Creamery:   $58.39
Local Homestead Products:   $ 36.71
Shopper's Food:                     $ 27.57

Total for the Week:               $122.67

Book Review: The Heroes of Olympus Book Five: The Blood of Olympus

Riordan, Rick.  The Heroes of Olympus Book Five: The Blood of Olympus.  2014.  Disney Hyperion.

Book Talk:  (Yeah, the librarian part of me needs the practice...)
The Heroes of Camp Half Blood are back!  Teaming up with the denizens of Camp Jupiter, these young people are determined to put a stop to the rise of the Earth Mother - Gaia.  All of her giants have risen, and they are powerful beyond anyone's wildest dreams.


Will the demigods be strong enough to look past their inherent differences and work together to stop the rise of the all powerful Gaia?

With the Gods suffering from multiple personality disorder, they will never be able to pull themselves together enough to help the demigods in time.  Or will they?

Just how will a handful of teenage demigods stop Gaia, unite the two camps, and defeat the giants?

My Note:
This was a fun filled romp through the worlds of Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter.  While this book could be read as a stand alone novel, I recommend reading the series, as this book refers to prior action that could be crucial to the story line.

I enjoyed the book.  It's not the same enjoyment I had with the Lightning Thief, but Rick Riordan does and excellent job of keeping the story line new, and moving the plot along without dwelling in the past.  I know that can be tricky, and I applaud him for continuing to keep the series fresh and exciting.

Amazon Summer Reading

This is the last time I'm going to share this, I promise!  The deadline is today!  If you have a picture of your child reading that you are willing to share, Amazon has a contest for you.  Submit the picture here -   Capture Their Love of Reading, Again.

The top prize is a Kindle package.  Hey, it's worth a shot!
 

image: amazon.com

You can click here to find out more!

2015 Resolutions

Resolutions.  Every January, we all make them.  A long list of things we hope to accomplish in the new year.  Somewhere in the middle of February, we seem to forget that list, and our best intentions are gone, just like that.  *poof*


So, I began my public list of resolutions.  What a way to keep myself honest about my resolutions and keep them in the forefront of my mind all year long!  With some of them, I fail miserably.  With others, I succeed beyond my wildest expectations.

I'm not making the progress I'd hoped to on this list.  We've hit the end of July and I don't have over half of these completed yet.  *sigh*


1) Exercise More, Walk 500 Miles
What can I say?  It's been very humid.  REALLY humid.  I haven't gotten out and walked because I HATE walking when it's this humid.  My total miles for the month: 6.51 miles.

This is NOT a happy total!

Year to date total:  39.24
You realize what this means?  I need to walk 92 miles a month every month for the rest of the year.  That's 23 miles a week.  That is close to the mileage for a marathon every week.  That should definitely help with the next goal...

2) Lose 10 Pounds
Do we count the weight I lost preparing for my colonoscopy?  No?  That was 6 pounds...
Seriously, I have lost 2 pounds this month.  2 pounds!  That's progress in the right direction!

3) Remodel the Hall Bathroom

Seriously, I'm going to have to take this one off of the list until we get the college tuitions all paid, or I get a better paying job, or win the lottery.  Right now, I think I have a better shot of winning the lottery!  In the meantime, any money that comes in through my Affiliate Links will be going directly to our Remodel the Hallway Bathroom fund.

4) Finish Oldest Child's Quilt

It's hard to believe, but after 2 years on the hit parade, this job is almost FINISHED!!!  Good thing, too, since he goes off to school in 10 days.. Right now, I'm sewing up the binding on the edge of the quilt.

Sewing up the edge.

 I'm going to think long and hard before I commit myself to hand quilt daughter's quilt.  Each quilt is taking me 6 or more months to quilt - and it gets to the point where I work on that quilt to the exclusion of everything else.  Of course, after I've hand quilted both of her brother's quilts, can I, in good conscience, have someone else machine quilt hers?  Oh, the guilt.... what am I going to do?


5) Clean and Organize the Family Room in the Basement

It's so nice to have one item off of this list!   Unfortunately, there is still so much  more cleaning and organizing in the house that needs to be finished.

6) Cut Back on the Time I Spend on Social Media

I took Facebook off of my cell phone.  Easy way to cut back on social media!

7) Read 75 Books This Year
I'm making excellent progress!  I'm on track to finish 75 before the end of the year.  The complete list of books I've read can be found here:  http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/p/2015-book-challenge.html.  Please note: I am not reviewing every book I read. 

8) Get Out of Debt, Pay College Tuition Without Going Deeper into Debt

As far as paying tuition for the younger 2 kids, we signed up for the payment plan for each kid.  Spread over several months, the cost of tuition is more affordable than an all at once hit.  Unfortunately, there are two tuitions for two children.  Even with the kids covering a portion of their tuition and their own books, this year is going to be a stretch.

9) Spend More Time With My Family

The party is almost over.  Oldest child is heading off to graduate school in a few days.  Middle child heads off 2 weeks later, and youngest child heads off 2 weeks after that.  My nest will be empty very, very soon.  Gosh, I'm really going to miss having the gang all together.  I'm wondering what it's going to be like to have an empty nest and be able to do what I want, when I want?

10) 365 Grateful

You can find me on Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/librarynut/

11) Replace the Car That Was Totaled

This ties in with #8, above.  It's been a rough month on the cars.  The a/c is out in the van, and it's hot as heck outside.  I really don't want to fix the van until the tuition is paid for the fall.  The Civic has 200,000+ miles on it.  I am hoping it lasts until we can get a decent down payment pulled together.

12) I will maintain my friendships
We have a friend who was at our wedding who moved out of the area 20+ years ago.  She's back now, and we had her and her husband over for dinner.  It was great catching up with her!

13) I will have more adventures
Colonoscopy, an allergic reaction to food - I think I needed to specify what TYPE of adventures I was looking for.  This was NOT what I had in mind!

14) Craft More
As part of my birthday celebration, I went out to the pottery place in town and painted a plate.  It's very silly, but I really enjoyed making it. I was hoping I'd have it back by now, but it's not finished yet.  They had just run a load through the kiln the day we were there, so now they need to get enough materials together to fill the kiln before they fire another round.  In the meantime, I just can't wait to see what the finished product looks like!

How are you doing with your resolutions?

Amazon Summer Reading

I found this today, and I have to share.  Amazon is hosting a summer reading contest - Capture Their Love of Reading, Again.

You submit a picture of your child reading.  The winner will receive a Kindle Prize Pack.

If you're interested in participating, move fast.  The deadline is August 3!
 

image: amazon.com

You can click here to find out more!