Sunday, November 08, 2009

Sewing, Pictures and Painting

We will start with the sewing part of the title:

From this burlap home dec fabric to update a couple of window seats.

Here is the before:




I ordered 2 yards of this fabric, only enough for one window seat. The additional 2 yards came in this week, so I need to recover the second seat. Then pillows, it is always something, right?

The after:




Now to the picture part of the title:

Geometry homework for the twins. First, they have to make bridges from Popsicle sticks or tongue depressors. They can only use 30 sticks, at least 8" in length and it has to be able to hold the Geometry book without breaking. They called their civil engineer oldest sister, her advice, "Triangles are strong, remember that." We purchased 200 tongue depressors and they each made a test bridge. It held 8 books and the glue popped. The second and final bridges are in progress. I think we might have another engineer in the making, Kaitlyn really enjoyed this project. A second part of the homework, pictures. They had to go out and take pictures of bridges and towers, then print out 3 pictures, highlighting the geometric shapes.

This was fun to explore the country gravel roads for old bridges and other structures this weekend. Here is a couple of their pictures.








Now the Painting:

No sewing this past week. Mike and I have been painting the basement family room and the stairway down to the basement. We painted old paneling, so primer, then 2 coats of paint. Replaced a couple of old lights and then stained the concrete on the unfinished side of the basement. This was a test, as I want to stain the family room floor, too. Mike is thinking it looks pretty good. I agree but I am getting tired of the brush in my hand! I just put the second coat of sealer on the stain. Mike is going to re-do the stairs, with stained oak treds. The basement looks so much better and brighter. Hopefully we will be all done this week, then I can sew again. I am so ready to get back to my machines.





4 comments:

  1. My college sophomore son is in civil engineering-yes triangles are strongest!
    I too am finishing, thinking, prioritizing which projects to get done before the Holidays. Yikes!!!! Yours look great!

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  2. i wish I had known that girls could major in engineering back in 1970 when I started college. Back then, girls were encouraged to teach or be nurses, secretaries, etc... Not that there is anything wrong with these careers. I had a wonderful 33 years of teaching. But, I always wonder, what if?

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  3. Great photos! DH is a photographer so I don't take any myself--just appreciate the beautiful ones the rest of you take!!!

    Lynda in LV

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  4. WOW! I'm impressed by that assignment! Public school, right? Are they freshmen or 8th grade?
    I'm also impressed by their pictures. Oh to have my kids attending school in the Midwest. I think in the past 2 weeks, youngest dd has had almost as much time off as she's been in school, and in another 10 days, it's off for 2 days for Thanksgiving. Aaaaarrgh!
    Oh, and the cushions are great too!

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