Horsehair Worms

I just got home from a doctor's appointment, where he sent electrical impulses up my arms and through my hands. He attached little electrodes (I think that's what they were) to my hands and then tazed me! The unit that he used to send the shocks really did look just like a tazer, with two prongs and everything. He shocked me in numerous places on each arm, all the say up to my elbows. Then when he was through with that, he stuck me with a tiny, little needle in five places on each arm and tested my muscle strength and something else, I can't remember what. I tend to bleed nicely, so I was mopping up blood all over my arms and hands. He even asked me if I was on blood thinners! He said I have an extreme case of carpal tunnel, which I already knew, and told me I need surgery in both hands. Now I have to meet with a neurosurgeon to set the date and place. I have no idea what it will entail, yet, because I know there is more than one way to do this surgery. Some ways require a longer recovery time, and some make it possible to use your hands within days. I think it all depends on how it's done and how bad the damage is to start with. I'm not looking forward to having more surgery, but it will be nice to be able to use my hands like a normal person again.

How many of you know what a horsehair worm is? I had never heard of one until I found one in my dog's water dish! My son got on the internet and started looking to see what we had, and that's what it was. A horsehair worm. They are little, tiny things, about the size of a horse hair, hence the name and they are a type of mind-control worm. They don't live in humans, and they don't harm humans, plants, or animals, but they live in beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, etc.. The beetle swallows the larvae and it bores its way into the gut of the insect and feeds there, causing the insect to get really thirsty. So it goes to water, the worm emerges from the bug and swims away, to await another bug, which will swallow it and start the cycle all over again!  Weird, huh? It just keeps going from beetle to beetle. You find them a lot in watering troughs, pet water dishes, swimming pools, and sometimes bathtubs and toilets.

My husband was outside one morning, having a cigarette, and he called me to come look at something. There was this little, tiny, writhing thing in Molly's water dish, and a black beetle swimming around. I got the beetle out of the water and sent it on it's way, (so that one didn't drown) and then I got a bamboo skewer and picked the worm out of the water.

I brought it in the house and laid it on a piece of paper. (A half sheet of paper. You can see how small it is!) It wiggled and squirmed and was fascinating to watch.

After the kids got home from school and had a good chance to look at it and touch it and all, we finally killed it so it wouldn't practice it's mind control on any other beetles. If you would like to see more videos (not mine) and read more about the horsehair worm, just Google it and you'll get lots of information.

It was an interesting day and a good learning experience for all of us. And learning is good. So go learn something with your kids! Or just by yourself is OK, too. Until next time,

Friday (Saturday) Friends!

Wow! How easily time can get away from us. Friday Friends are Saturday Friends this week. I have been a day behind all week. I know you know what I'm talking about. I started the week on Tuesday instead of Monday, and I've been playing catch-up ever since!

Here is our first friend this week. It's Kara from Happy Go Lucky and she has the most delicious looking cupcakes ever! They are Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Crunch Cupcakes. Take a look....

Aren't they to die for? I want some right now, but I'm in the middle of making dinner, so I can't do it. Oh my gosh, I think I just drooled on my keyboard! Go to http://www.happygoluckyblog.com/2012/05/peanut-butter-chocolate-pretzel-crunch.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+happygoluckyblog+%28Happy-Go-Lucky%29 for the recipe and directions. And eat one for me!

Next up is Rachel over at I {heart} Crafty Things. She has made the cutest teacher appreciation gift for her son's teacher. She calls it Sticky Pop, and when you look at the photo, you'll know why. Go to http://iheartcraftythings.blogspot.com/2012/04/sticky-pop-teacher-apreciation-gift.html and see her other ideas. She's got some great ideas for doing crafts with your kids.

Our next friend is A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress, or Brooklyn Limestone for short. This post is about a year-and-a-half old, but I love these napkin rings, and I'm betting some of you will. too. Go to http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/2010/11/chic-on-cheap-vintage-forks-napkin.html to get the full story.



Fun AND beautiful! What a combination.

Our last friend for today is Mandy at Sugar Bee Crafts. She has made some glass tile pendants that would make really nice Mother's Day gifts! And they're easy to make, too. Even a little one could make these. Go to http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2010/04/glass-tile-pendants.html and find out how.

Looks like some really good ideas today, so go visit and try them out. Be sure to leave a comment so they know you liked what you saw. They'll appreciate it! And remember, as you go through your day and week, that one of the advantages of being disorderly is that you are constantly making new discoveries! This is my excuse for not being TOO organized. Have a great weekend, and until next time,

"Seed" Packet tutorial

Howdy howdy! Happy Tuesday Wednesday! (I got interrupted and never finished this yesterday.) Today has been a busy one. I am making some journals for swapping, along with Artist Trading Cards and other things. I love Swap-bot. It gives me an excuse to create, and I create pieces that are small enough to not take forever and not take up masses of room but it's still art. I love it, I really do.

Today I was making something that I thought you might like to see. One of my swaps is for inspirational thoughts or quotes to make our days better. We had to have seven of them, enough for a complete week. What we did with them and how we presented them was up to us. So I made a little pocket to stick on the fridge, with a clothespin on the front.

I wanted it to look like a seed packet, kind of, so instead of hiding the flap at the bottom, I rounded the corners and glued it to the outside of the pocket, like a seed packet. Here is what I started with.

And this is how it looks when folded and glued.

The top of mine isn't quite that long, These are just sketches, but you get the idea. Make the pocket whatever size you need to fit your cards.

Now pick you quotes and stamp or print or hand-write them. Attach them to some pretty cardstock and add some embellishments.

I stamped the quote in the middle of this card and then drew a quilt around it and hand-colored it. Oh, and don't forget a cute clothespin to clip the cards to the front of the pocket.

I like the way the project turned out and I hope the lady it's going to will like it, too. I will glue a magnet strip onto the back at the top, so she can stick it to her fridge if she wants to. And there you have it -  a "seed" packet with daily seeds of inspiration! You could make these for anyone. They would be great visiting teaching gifts and good pick-me-ups for someone recovering from illness or surgery, or for new moms who might be feeling a little overwhelmed. Face it, we all could use some good thoughts to keep us going sometimes.

So now that it's Wednesday, I had better get busy with my sewing machine. I have a duck to finish and a dress to makeover, and hopefully another dress to make. I like the old adage that we quote often in the Mormon church....Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do or Do without. Until next time,