Survival/Paracord Bracelet

Single Color Paracord Bracelet

2 Color Paracord Bracelet

I have been experimenting with making survival bracelets/550 paracord bracelets.  These seem to be kinda of the rage with the under 12 crowd. I finally took the plunge and learned how to make these. Mrs Epi and I had some difficulty finding the bracelet buckle/clips.  We finally found a kit at Walmart that included the paracord and buckle clips for the best price though the color selection was a little limited. Micheals also sells the kits, paracord and clips when they have them in stock.  Our local sporting goods store Yeagers also sells the paracord as well. I made both the single color and double color versions of the cobra weave. I was also able to teach my youngest with this video below from YouTube to make a two color paracord bracelet.  I actually thought the two color was easier to make than the single color.

Seasonal Color

Last week, we went and picked up a couple of poinsettias we had purchased for a fundraiser.  The nursery was a sea of red, pink, and white. It reminded me of San Diego when it was not uncommon to see wild poinsettias growing in people's yard. I love the splash of color they provide.


Marble Poinsettia
 

Jingle Poinsettia

I love the type of houseplants they sell at this time of year - Christmas Cactus and Poinsettias.  I have a few Christmas Cactus -6.  Well, maybe i have more than a few.  I was really introduced to them by the Giant Man Child's Nanna.  She grew them out on her porch and they were huge.

Nanna's Christmas Cactus - Castroville, CA

I love watching them bloom.

This cactus started blooming a week before Thanksgiving
 

White Christmas Cactus that just started to bloom

I have some that bloom at  Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. This is a plant that my cats don't seem to bother, too. Poinsettias, I believe are poisonous to children and animals. These are pretty forgiving as houseplants go, too.

Thankful

As we begin the season of bright lights, I think it good time for reflection. I wish I was as efficient as my friends on facebook who for the month of November have been saying a thanks for each day of the month of November. 

We are having an alternate Thanksgiving. My Hubby has been sick so we didn't want to risk exposing our relatives to our giant germ.  I am thankful that he was able to get into the doctor yesterday and get some better medicine.

I am thankful for a supportive family.

I am SO thankful for the friend who was EXCITED to fix my dead car.  That was such a big blessing.

I thankful for friends who really get me. My squirrel moments, affection for bacon, and chain of thought conversations, honeypot spotting's.

I am thankful for all my readers of this blog - You know all 4 of you.  LOL  I appreciate you guys/gals.

I am thankful that my Oldest has found a school that is a better fit for him. I am also thankful for the bus that picks him up and takes him to school.

I am thankful for my little guy who is the greatest helper a Mom could have. Who makes me laugh a lot.

I thankful for my Hubby who puts up with me and all my quirks and warts.

Shiny Bright Tree

I know, I know it is much too early to be thinking about Christmas.  However, I got this lovely Cupcake Holder Tree for my birthday from my Parents and Hubby.  I had seen an idea to use it as an ornament tree.  I thought it made a perfect display for my Shiny Brite collection.  I couldn't resist putting the thing together.

In the past I have displayed my Shiny Brites on candle holders on top of the china cabinet which I probably will still do with a few.  It is time to change it up.

Check out this

Have you checked these guys out - THE PIANO GUYS. It is really neat.



Maybe I just need a distraction from all the busyness the season brings. 

Arizona Geocaching

On our trip we HAD to do some geocaching.  Most of geocaching took place on the 2nd day of our little Arizona adventure.  These geocaches we found also earned some of our favorite points as well.

We did several virtual caches.  One was at the Meteor Crater. We also did one at the gas station prior to the crater and one on a no trespassing sign..  Our favorite was one near the crater we gave a favorite point to. It was called, "What This About? It was in a rock formation along a dirt road paralleling the road.The kids and Giant Man Child love climbing around on it.



#1 Son

Chuckles

We also enjoyed the one at 2 guns that was part of route 66. It was on an old bridge- Canyon Diablo Bridge. This cache was called, Historic AZ66: Guns  Blaring.

Canyon Diablo Bridge

I just like this pic of Hubby at 2 guns

Not all our adventures were successful.  We spent inordinate time trying to find one near our hotel called Sushi Poo which is a 5 out of 5 for difficulty even with several hints.  It is kinda humiliating being defeated by a cache called Sushi Poo - LOL

A little Arizona Adventure

Arizona Sunset

We spent much of last week in Arizona.  What a change from our local scene. We were going to support the hubby at a shooting match. 

Day 1
We started our trip by visiting my Aunt P and Uncle Bob.  Which some how I managed not to get a single picture.  We enjoyed a lovely meal and Uncle Bob took the boys for ATV rides.  So now he is their favorite UNCLE ever. We spent the night in Flagstaff.

Day 2 - Craters to Castles


crater sign

We went to visit the Meteor Crater just located outside of Winslow, Arizona. Wow!  We got there fairly early in the morning before the wind picked up. We took the mile walk with the guide.  I found the information fascinating. We were in a tour group with a school group from California. The kids asked some really great questions. 


meteor crater

On the way back to Phoenix, we made a few stops to GEOCACHE.  We are geocache nerds.  We stopped at the town of 2 Guns to find one.  In total we found 9.

It seemed only appropriate as the whole reason we were in Arizona was for my husband to attend a shooting competition. We stopped at Montezuma's Castle National Monument.  The cliff dwellings are stunning and so intact.

Supposedly I had been here as a young girl but I don't remember it. We were there during the week and really enjoyed talking with the Ranger.

Day 3 - Swimming and Shooting

Chuckles swimming in motel pool

My Hubby spent most of the day shooting. 

The rest of us enjoyed the sun and swam.  We were near a mall so we trekked over to the Mall for lunch and a stop at Toys R Us for some browsing time.

Day 4 - More Shooting, Swimming and Gold


Giant Man Child and Me at Goldfield

Really Really early shooting. Boys did some more swimming.  In the afternoon we visited Goldfield Ghost Town.  It is a tourist trap but we took the mine tour and looked around.  I especially loved the honey wagon - mine cart equipped with toilet seats. It wasn't a bad way to finish off the day.

Day 5 - long trek home or a dark and stormy night

More shooting - Do you see a theme here.  The whole family to the range.  Hubby came in 81st in his class out of 140.  There were a total of over 400 shooters there for the weekend. We arrived back home in the rain and dark after 3 different legs at midnight to find our car wouldn't start.  So we cabbed it home. We were exhausted. All in all it was a great trip.

Booking It November

I am linking up with Life as Mom and her booking it party. I think I am still in a book glut.  There is just so much good stuff to read out there.

The first book I read this month was called My Abandonment by Peter Rock.  I got the suggestion to read this from a list I think that was called little known page turners.  This did not disappoint in this aspect.  My Abandonment is fictional story about a true story of a father and daughter who live for 4 years in Forest Park in Portland OR and their later discovery.  The author theorizes what happens after their discovery. I am not sure it was the ending I would of chosen. However, this story is so riveting.

Secondly, I read a book recommendation I found in a 31 day Series at Life with Ike .  It is called American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. It was a hard one to put down too. It is a romance novel at it's essence but it is a good story.

Recently, I have read a couple books that were compelling but were dark, shocking, extremely twisted.   These books are usually not my cup of tea but these were page turners. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn falls in this category.  I am still on the wait list for her latest best seller Gone Girl. The other I read a couple of months ago was Ed King by David Guterson of well known fame for his Snow Falling on Cedars.  Snow Falling on Cedars is Whatcom County Reads for 2013.  Ed King was quite the twisted tale and not a read for the faint of heart. It is a haunting read.

Lastly, I read to very different books - Await Your Reply  by Dan Chaon and The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. Await Your Reply was also from the list called little known page turners. It was a page turner for me. I however though The Story of Beautiful Girl was a great read. Amazon gives a pretty summary:
It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

The author Rachel Simon also wrote the true story about her sister called , Riding Buses with My Sister. Which is an interesting read because Rachel Simon is well acquainted intimate with special populations as her sister is mentally retarded.

Veterans Day

Thank you to all who served and those who are still serving!

Bad Kitty

Puss the Cat

I found our cat, Puss, asleep on the book, Bad Kitty.  Usually, Puss is our bad kitty.  Of our two cats, he is the loud mouth and won't even let my husband pick him up. I can only imagine what he can be gleaning from the book, Bad Kitty.  It just cracked me up that he was sleeping on this book..

Halloween ReCap

Chuckles

We had a very very wet Halloween.  #1 Son went as a cat burglar and Chuckles as a Werewolf. We did brave the elements and trick or treat.

#1 Son