Miscellaneous Design Studio

The Hatchery: a blog about my adventures in bird watching

Listen. Read. Listen-Read.

I LOVE BOOKS. Reading is, by far, my oldest favorite past time. I would say I enjoy a good book better than watching TV or a movie. I’ve been on a kick absorbing literary material. Mainly in the form of audiobooks, because I can do all the things at once. Like change the sheets, put…

July 20, 2021
Year of Projects: Week 48

Last week I had a couple of VERY quiet days when the kids went camping with their Grandparents. Much fun was had by all, and my kids were happy to be back home. Because apparently they missed us, even though we won’t let them eat chocolate at breakfast like my parents did. Aside: my parents…

July 18, 2021
Shoddy Seamstress Adventures: Face Cloths

I’m always looking for ways to economize and make my skin routine work best for me. I tend to use a lot of liquid make-up removers, toners, and micellular waters in my quest for not-too-awful-looking-for-40 skin. Using all those items uses a LOT of single use cotton pads; 2-4 per day, an average of 20…

July 17, 2021
Not Fiber Stuff

AKA: This week’s life stuff. My in-laws visited with us Sunday-Tuesday this week. My MIL’s birthday is at the end of the month, and we intended on visiting them then. We still might, but my MIL said her next birthday “sounded old” so she didn’t want to celebrate! Just in case we don’t go see…

July 15, 2021
Playback: Funkadelic

Funkadelic’s third album was a psychedelic blast of freewheeling protest music. As the LP turns 50, we look back at the music that fueled it — and that was inspired by it.— Read on www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/07/11/arts/music/funkadelic-maggot-brain.html Nothing makes me want to dance like Flashlight by George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars (or by Parliament Funkadelic depending…

July 13, 2021
Year of Projects: Week 47

WOW. I’m 47/52 weeks into my first YOP. I was looking at my YOP list this morning- I don’t think I’m going to cross 15 additional items off my list in the next 5 weeks (I wanted to cross 20 items off my almost 40 item list). I know the goals are arbitrary. I know…

July 11, 2021
Shoddy Seamstress Adventures: Hemming

I’ve had the same heavy velvet curtains in my bedroom since we moved in (so like 9 years). And this WHOLE time, they’ve been too long. At first, I let them pool at the floor. This was sloppy looking and collected all the dust. Then a few years ago (2018-ish) I decided I was going…

July 11, 2021
Making Progress

Until We Win: Fight I’m making good progress on my shawl. Section 4 is moving right along! I think this is section 4 of 6? I still have to choose the lace for the 6th section. I’ve got time! I’ve gotten smart and started writing the pattern as I work it instead of transcribing my…

July 7, 2021
Year of Projects: Week 45/46

Project monogamy really makes for some boring blogging. Oh look, it’s the same project I’ve been showing you, now 1/2” longer. No new YOP official updates. Plugging away on my hobbit door and Until We Win: Fight projects. I also wanted to share my logo stickers! I got them last week and never showed them…

July 4, 2021
Too Much Excitement

Can you detect the sarcasm?!?!?! Its been an exciting, interesting, and expensive month here at Miscellaneous Design Studio homebase. Back in June, our washer broke. It was old, and we had repaired it a couple times already. So we replaced the washer and dryer both. While the dryer worked, my spouse had literally replaced everything…

July 3, 2021