Louisville Cardinals 2013 Champions

I had to compliment the Louisville Cardinals on an incredible year.  I'm a Cardinals fan, since I graduated from U of L back in the 1980's. 

It was such fun to watch the team this year.  Since I play tennis, I understand the importance of mental toughness during the game. Watching the Cards bond as a team, overcome their lack of confidence, and become strong and supportive for each other was really amazing for a fan.

The fact that Russ Smith is staying for his senior year is also a tribute to the team cohesiveness. He will be the first in his family to get a degree. This decision just shows how the players are all maturing and becoming champions.

1and1 Web Hosting

After almost 15 years with Homestead web hosting, I had to cut the cord and switch to another host. I was having trouble with Homestead's new site builder and I couldn't get it to work correctly with Windows 7.

But as I found out, change is a good thing. I've liked 1and1's customer service and I've had all my domain names registered with them since about 2003. So I decided to try their web hosting for my sites.

It has been incredibly easy to set up and use. I now have unlimited web sites and storage plus databases for LESS than I was paying with Homestead.

I got the Linux packages so all the server side includes that I use on my sites work with no problem. I also use a free web designer called Kompozer and I'll talk more about that in another post.

There are so many other features that come with the package and I haven't had time to explore them yet.

The link above is a referral link. If you purchase any 1and1 product, I would receive a small commission. But I've been a loyal customer of theirs for 10 years and am thoroughly pleased with them.

Libre Office

I've always been a huge fan of Open Office, but when I upgraded to Windows 7, I'm having alot of trouble getting the Base program to work. By searching, I found Libre Office which is the more robust version of Open Office.

I downloaded and installed it, and my databases opened perfectly with no crashing. I'm reading that it will also open Publisher documents, although I haven't tried that yet. 

Wire Crochet Wrap Bracelet (Part 2)

I finally finished my wire crochet wrap bracelet so that it looks OK. There are still some things I'd correct if I re-crocheted it, but overall, I'm pleased with what I learned.

It does wrap around my wrist 5 times, so it's the right length. I used a bead as a fastener and I wound my end wire through the bead twice on each side to secure it and to make it look symmetrical.


I'm also learning how to photograph jewelry, so the pictures are still shadowy. But the clarity is good enough to show the crochet stitches.

Next, I want to try a 4 or 5 strand crochet bracelet without a fastener. That will be more challenging and will probably take me several tries before it looks acceptable to me.  I'll post my attempts as I start it.

Crochet Wrap Bracelet (Part I)

Using the tutorial at Fiddle Knits,  I wanted to try crocheting this wrap bracelet with beads.  Eventually I'm going to make it using wire, but I wanted to make it using yarn and pony beads first so I can see how it will work.

It's very easy to make with yarn.  To make it sturdier with wire, I'm going to use 2 stands (I think) of 30 gauge wire.



I'd also like to make 5 wraps, so it will need to be almost twice as long.

I'll post my pictures after I try it with wire. It may take several tries before I'm satisfied with it, but that's most of the fun: learning something new.

Wire Crochet Bracelet

I recently won some beads in a sweepstakes from Cousin so I wanted to try wire crochet again and make a bracelet.

I used 30 gauge wire and a size G crochet hook. It's so much easier using a larger hook. The last time I tried this, I used a tiny hook and it was much more difficult.

So I crocheted 3 different strands, using different colored beads on each one. I then braided them together, twisted the ends, and threaded on the clasp.

For a first try, I was pretty happy with it. I need to do a better job attaching the clasp, so I'll keep working on that.

Listia

I've been having fun with Listia this week. I'm in cleaning mode at my house, and we're working on organizing the basement area and seeing what we need to keep as our children get older.

Listia works based on credits, so you list auctions and buyers bid on them with credits instead of real money. Of course, you can buy credits from the Listia site if you prefer. Shipping may or may not be free - each seller decides that and clearly posts it in the auction.

So I've found joke and riddle books (without ISBN's or I'd list them on PaperbackSwap), purses and wristlets, cell phone cases, gift sacks (that I'd had when I was a room and den mother), LOTS of discontinued cosmetic samples, and we're just getting started.

I have a big plastic bin in my "office", so as long as the items will fit in it, I'll store them until I'm ready to list them for the auction.

Yes, the link is my referral link. For a limited time, I would get 500 credits for every friend who joins and successfully completes their first listing. You would also get 100 bonus credits as a special gift when you join!

Rug Hooking (Part 1)

Since I finished my rug clipping, I wanted to try something a little different. So I'm using the same 3' x 5' 3.75 mesh rug canvas, but I'm rug hooking instead.

I'm cutting 1/2 inch wide fabric strips and pulling them through the canvas using a crochet hook. (It's like locker hooking, except without the locker part). When I pull the loops through, they're about 1 1/2" to 2" long.

This technique is faster than rug clipping, and the rug looks softer. I'll post more pictures as I get further along with it.

Jim Butcher

Thanks to my sister again for getting me started on the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. She'd given me "Storm Front" last Christmas, but I hadn't been able to start it until now. So after profusely thanking her, I've borrowed the next several from the library.

As you'd quickly learn (I think on the first page), Dresden is a professional wizard in Chicago. He works as a sometimes-consultant to the police on those "unexplainable" cases involving magic and non-mortal crime.

I'd suggest reading them in order since there are several story lines that carry over from book to book.

Selden Edwards

I love books that have a time travel theme, so I'd seen "The Little Book" by Selden Edwards in the book club magazine and thought it looked interesting. I was fortunate to find a signed copy at a bookstore, and I'm so glad that I did.

This is one of the most amazing books that I've ever read. The characters are unforgettable, the plot line was suspenseful and thought-provoking. While reading, I was in awe at the imagination and the creativity of Edwards. I didn't want the book/story to end.

 I don't often re-read books, but this is one that I will re-read again, maybe a few years from now when I've forgotten some of the details and want to refresh them. And my book is a signed copy, which makes it all the more special.

Rug Clipping (Finished)

During the NCAA tournament, I finally finished my rug clipping rug. Since my Louisville Cardinals made it to the Final Four, it gave me lots of basketball time to finish it (since I usually worked on it during ball games to keep me calm.)

I was very happy with it. Once finished, I used white duct tape to tape the edges of the rug canvas down.

I've also started a new 3' x 5' rug using the same 3.75 mesh rug canvas. This one is rug hooked with fabric strips. I'll post pictures of it as well. It's completely different from this rug.

Felix J. Palma

I just finished "The Map of Time" by Felix J. Palma which is, of course, a book featuring time travel. But it's not just your average 'person gets thrown back in time' book. This has 3 separate but connected stories involving H.G. Wells in Victorian England.

The storytelling was amazingly well-done and kept me totally intrigued. There is alot of prose and not as much dialogue (I typically like dialogue), but the plot line was so inventive that the story flowed smoothly and quickly.

I'm very curious about his other works, but it looks as though older ones haven't been translated into English yet. He does have a new book coming out this Fall. It appears to be a sequel to this one, so I will request it from the library as soon as it's available.