SEE! I told you!

Stay Tuned....

I made Amelia a pair of pants!! Yes, I did! I bought a pattern off etsy, and dove in this weekend. Where are the pictures? I can't get the pics to upload from the camera! So, I sit here and wait for Kevin to get home. He will fix it. And it will make me so mad because he will fix it in seconds, and give some one sentence explanation!

So, come back later and I will show you what I worked on this weekend!
Karen

Hello Friends!

Oh my! I hardly know where to start.

In the past 10 days a lot has happened. Three people who are close to us have received some bad health news. So, we have been worried and dealing with that.

Also, Moe started preschool while Mimi started Kindergarten. It is amazing how we have adapted and formed a new routine. Both kiddos seem to like it, and have already matured some. It is funny how some development is quick. Amelia started school writing her name rather largely and messily, and in two weeks she has learned to write it smaller, on the line, and with only one capital letter. In three days Miles has learned 5 new songs that he sings constantly.

And we are winding down on the garden. I can't believe I am saying this, but I am sooo tired of tomatoes. I never thought that could happen. And I don't want a zucchini for awhile either, however I crave okra and all the peppers.

We also got a new sliding door. WOOT! I altered some curtains for it. I actually ripped out the seam only to discover I ripped out the wrong side. So, I doubled my work by being careless. Finally I got it done. I cleaned the garage and it is cleaner than ever before. It is nice to be able to park in there again!!!!

So, we have been busy and preoccupied with some things life has dealt us. But, we are hanging in there.

Have a great weekend. Next post I promise some pics of what I have been working on. My camera needs to be recharged. :)

Pythagorean Puzzle by Guest Blogger Kevin (my husband)

I like wooden toys, puzzles, and mechanical devices. The other day, I was looking at a simple proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. The idea behind the proof was incredibly simple, but the simplicity was obscured with the mathematical notation and formalism. But I noticed it could be directly translated into a mechanical device. So, I thought I'd make a toy out of it. The idea is it might make the concepts a little more clear, without the clutter of notation.

The general idea behind the proof is this:

Suppose I have a rug and place it flat on the floor of an empty room. If the rug is too small for my tastes, can I cover more of the floor by moving it around (on the floor)? Not really. Regardless of where I put the rug, the same surface area of floor will be covered, the same surface area will be uncovered.

So, imagine four rugs that are all the same size, and shaped like right triangles. The black space is the uncovered floor:

Now, I can rearrange the rugs, in another pattern:

But either way, the same area of floor is uncovered, regardless of how I move the rugs. So, the black area a² + b² has the exact same area as black area c². So,

a² + b² = c²

But also, the axa, bxb, cxc squares are formed directly with the sides of the triangles. In other words, a and b are the length of the triangle's legs, and c is the length of the hypotenuse.
So, this is a visual, mechanical demonstration of the Pythagorean Theorem, for an arbitrary right triangle. :)

Below are the steps I used in making the prototype:

First I started with a large sheet of 1/8" hardboard, and cut a 1" strip. Though, in hindsight, it would have been easier to just find a precut, plained 1" x 1/4" strip.

Now, there will be three basic layers: top middle and bottom.

The top layer can all be cut from the long 1" strip. I used 2"x1" triangles. So the inside of the frame will be 3" and the outside 5". The four small 1"x1" squares will be corner supports between the bottom and top layers. The three small 1/2" x 1" rectangles will be used for sliding tabs (handles).

The middle layer (left bottom) will need to be slightly thinner so that it can slide freely between the corner supports. I just took off a hair with a flat file. The bottom layer (right bottom) will need a slot cut that intersects points (0,0) and (2,1), if the origin is at the lower left. I just used a drill and coping saw. Any thickness for the bottom is fine.

Roughly assembled:

The yellow triangle will slide along the slot in the bottom layer. The back tab will connect to the yellow triangle with screws (passing through the slot). These will need to be attached at the same angle as the triangles:

Glue the green and yellow triangles to their middle layer supports. Use two small screws to prevent rotation. It's probably best to drill pilot holes for these small pieces.:

Also, I cut a thin strip of felt, and glued to the insides of the slot. This smooths the slide mechanism, and looks a little better. After dry, then cut flush with a razor blade.

The sliding yellow triangle can be attached first. This will determine the position of the frame and other pieces. (backside)
Then add corner supports (which will be cut to size at the end). The only thickness that really matters, is that the middle layer is slightly thinner than the corner supports.

The side tabs and red blue triangles will sit on top of the middle layer, and allow the pieces to slide vertically and horizontally. Glue both tabs and triangles to the middle layers.

Personally, I like the natural wood toys better. But, since this is a wooden toy for kids, I picked bright simple colors. :)

For a children's toy, I think the squares should have been purple, and the frame should have been black. Since I think it's easier to focus on purple than black (a void), and is often a favorite color. But I didn't have any purple felt on hand. Though, black doubles as a chalk board.

(I actually painted everything at the first step, but had to touch up scratches afterwards.)

After painting everything, use a flat bastard file so that edges are clean and sharp.

Then, apply drips of glue to the corner supports, and adjust the frame so that both triangle positions are flush. Cut excess off when dry. I rounded the tabs off with a Dremel tool, and painted the white labels on the black background. These labels are obscured by the resting position of the triangles. A hole can be drilled in the center back for hanging somewhere.

And that's it. Now, even a five year old can demonstrate this fundamental theorem of mathematics. :)

Kevin

Ch Ch Changes....

I can't believe my girl is in school. Real school. All day long!!! She is loving it too. I am amazed by her work already. She is liking it. She is tickled by all the kids, and has little funny stories every day. She is enjoying the social aspects of school and I am glad we decided to give it a try.

Moe is driving me nuts! He follows me all day, and I am not allowed to take a break from playing with him! Also, he keeps saying "Raise your hand if you like...." Thomas the Train, the Wiggles, etc...(You get the idea.) And I can't say that I do like it! I MUST raise my hand. :) He'll be starting preschool in a couple weeks. He is excited. He really misses his sister.

I am not getting up at 6:45 am tomorrow, and if you call and wake me there will be repercussions!!! We are all sleeping in....at least until 8am.

That's it for now! Karen

The Last Days of Summer

We've been playing with this wood doll house. Amelia got it for her birthday last year. It was at Tuesday Morning for under $15. It comes unpainted.

We decided it needed a paint job. So, we started with the furniture:

Miles doesn't care much for the furniture. All he wanted was for the Wiggles to be represented:
He is thrilled to have these peg people. We had to talk him out of sleeping with them. I knew he would lose them in bed.

Amelia's people are all pink or purple and have huge smiles.
This makes me smile.

So does this:
We are trying to make the most of each day before summer is over and school is in session. It will be here soon.

~Karen

Hooky Happiness

The hexagon blanket took a long time to finish. OH MY! Am I in love with it? YES! It is yummy. I love every color. I can't imagine giving it away. I am keeping it for me!

Bare with me for a ridiculous amount of pictures.

I love it.

If anyone wants the hexagon pattern, let me know. I will post it if you want it.
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I had to start another project. Here is a scarf. I don't know who gets this one, but someone will.

I always start a quick project after finishing a big one. I guess it reduces the "let down" feeling I get after finally finishing something after investing so much time and effort. Does anyone else know what I am talking about? Or am I the only one?
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If you want to learn to knit of crochet, buy this book:

This is a fantastic book. By far the best crochet/knit book ever. The illustrations are huge and easy to understand. I have picked up a lot of tips.
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Finally a cute little poncho for a 14" -18" doll. I made this for a wee friend's birthday.

I hope she likes it! If you want the pattern, let me know. It can be knit or crochet. It is a super fast project.
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And another kind of hooky happiness:

Coffee cup hooks! This row of hooks was attached to a shelf. I simply unscrewed it, and Kevin attached it to the wall. Sweet.

Have a great day.