Are things really "doubleplusgood"?

     The Chicago Tribune recently released an article of new spin words that are making the rounds. I applaud Mark Jacob on his ingenuity. Although, seeing words broken into "Oldspeak" and "Newspeak" brought shudders of Big Brother watching-I'm not the only one, right? But, I am one of those people that think the 101 freeway in Los Angeles, CA is called such because anyone that has sent extensive time on it will tell you anything to make their commute quicker (this also works on the 405).
   So just remember next time you are facing "challenges"  because your company is starting a "realignment program" you might want to thing "outside of the box" and go to your local Wendy's (I hear they are "holding a hiring event".
   Now, excuse me while I gas up my "pre-loved vehicle" so I can attend my "kinetic wellness class".

Dyeing in the Snow with Catching Fire

   With the plethora of snow that's around I thought it would be a wonderful time to experiment with Snow Dyeing. Granted, there are plenty of recipes out there for baking with snow, but I just don't trust the snow to be clean and free of wildlife bits.....
   So here goes.....

    First you need snow. You also need something to dye-I chose a silk scarf. You will need a tub of some kind and a raised rack to support your fabric. The idea being that as the snow melts, the color infuses down into your fabric.

   I used a small plastic bin and an old cookie sheet. You will want to rinse your fabric out in some water and wring it out so that it is not so dripping wet. Next  you will want to position it in some fashion on your rack. You can pleat it, tie beads it in, or simply arrange it in a ball (like if you were mottle dyeing).

It was very cold outside-the fabric froze solid in under a minute.

Next-time for the snow! Just pile a heap on the fabric until it is no longer visible.

Covering the fabric with snow. 

Now it is time for the dye. You will want to use only powdered dyes for this. Sprinkle the dye over the snow as much or as little as you want. I decided to keep with a fire theme, playing on the "Catching Fire" novel. A scarf for Katniss using the snow she dreams about in the arena of the 75th Hunger Games. 

This will make a huge mess-so try and be careful, you don't want to get dye all over
your winter coat and gloves! 

I covered the entire thing with plastic bags and put it in the garage to melt. Since the garage was so cold I ended up dragging it into the Mud Room, you'll want it to melt and sit for about 24 hours, the key thing being its melting. Again-this will be messy, so put it in a place that is away from pets, little ones and anything that you don't want dyed!

When the snow is finished melting, you're project might look a little murky. 

After the snow has melted.

You will want to rinse off the excess dye in cold running water. Wash until the water runs clear. The run hot water and rinse your scarf in that to set the dye. 

Here's how our scarf turned out. Pretty nifty, right? 

Winter Storms

   When did the National Weather Forecast begin naming winter storms??? It reminds me of Lewis Black's routine about why they don't name tornados and how they shouldn't name hurricanes and use the time they spend naming storms to better understand the weather....
   Anyway, dear friends out east, I hope you are all safe and snug with power and some hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows in it. We Midwesterners got the storm first, just to get things straight. And when we got it the weather the fools at the weather center said to expect 1-3 inches of snow. We got 19 inches of snow. You do the math.
   After a harrowing 3 hour commute home (no shutting down here) I was more than happy to enjoy the snow the way it should be enjoyed. Mainly, by not driving in it. I took my snow shoes for a spin and tried snow dyeing a scarf (post to come).
   So, I hope everyone is toasty and snug, here are some of my pictures of the storm, anyone want to share theirs?

A strange visitor indeed...

Bushes thick with snow

Here birdie, birdie....

Super Bowl Sunday

We'll be tweeting live during the Super Bowl here! Much better than waiting for a full blog post during the week, right???
   Looking forward to your comments on our comments.