Stormtrooper Pillow

As posted earlier my wife made pillows for the niece and nephews for Christmas. I decided that that I wanted to make a pillow for myself, it is a Stormtrooper travel pillow that is white with the Stormtrooper face on one side and solid black on the other side. The face is made from black felt that was hand sewn on because it would have been too difficult for the sewing machine. Because I couldn't find any stencils or guides I had to eyeball and make my own stencil pieces. I first cut the pieces out of paper and then traced them and cut them out in felt. It is not perfect but I am pretty happy with the finished results.

Christmas Creations 2010

So this Christmas my wife and I have decided to make some Christmas presents for the family but mainly for the niece and nephews. I decided to make a gift as well for my niece Jenna. It is a cute and really simple dress that was made on the Tea Rose House blog. It is called the Beachcombers Dress. It was made from a large white t-shirt, I didn't do the belt but oh well. I don't know if it will be a dress, maybe more like a t-shirt but hopefully it will serve its purpose and make a little girl happy.

Indoor/outdoor tin foil rockets

So this brings back some memories from when I was in Columbia, Md in the Savage Mill area. My companion and friend Craig (no last names to protect the innocent) showed me how to make these really cool little rockets made from match stick heads, tin foil, a paper clip, and a lighter. I haven't done this in a while but seeing the video brought back memories and I will probably make some more soon.

With these simple instructions you will have your very own rocket. But be careful, the aluminum foil gets hot and if it launches onto the carpet it can burn holes. Also it can get kind of smoky too, so make sure you can open a window to ventilate. I have never had a rocket blow up on me but we once put 20 match heads in our rocket and that was kinda sketchy lol. Be careful and wear safety goggles. So the moral is to BE CAREFUL and always watch where your rocket goes to prevent damages.

Step 1: Get a little piece of square tin foil (probably a 2x2 or a little bigger) and place your match heads in the middle, this will be your engine.

Step 2: Before you wrap the match heads in the tin foil undo a paper clip and have an end going into the middle of the ball. Roll up the match heads so that they are all covered well but leave the paper clip in this will serve as your exhaust system, also if you take it out the exhaust could get crushed and your rocket might not work.

Step 3: Take a little bigger piece of foil and place your engine in the middle or near back of rocket. roll it up and shape the rocket how you want. I usually go for a pointy tip but it's up t0 you.

Step 4: Bend up another paper clip to make a launching pad and place the rocket on it. Take out the paper clip in the exhaust and you are ready to launch.

Step 5: Simply hold your lighter under the engine and leave it until the rocket takes off.

These are just quick and basic steps. The rocket can vary in many different ways depending on what you want and how many match heads. I will post pictures and a video soon to better clarify and show the steps just in case this isn't making sense.

Enjoy

Trick or Treating Tips

When I take Tyler to school in the morning I usually listen to the radio. The only thing on is radio talk shows, and most of them aren't very good. There is one that I do enjoy listening too, which is The Rob, Arnie, & Dawn Show. They are usually pretty funny, loud, and controversial lol but really funny. Recently on the show was tips by kids for Trick or Treating to get more candy. I will share the tips I remember with you with some of my personal opinions.

1. It is a fact that most people give more treats to little girls than boys.

2. The youngest child in the crowd will usually get the most goodies and most of the attention.

3. The cuter costume will get more candy (usually). Which most times is little girls.

4. Be something that Is recognizable to everyone and makes sense. Try to be something that people recognize or that they will understand once you tell them. If your costume is really farfetched and doesn't make sense you might not get as much candy. However some quick sweet talking could redeem them.

5. If you are a teenager you will most likely get jipped, people are more prone to give candy to YOUNGER KIDS. I am guilty of this once or twice in my life but in my defense I was only out for like an hour tops. Now to get around this, you can take a younger sibling with you and probably have better luck.

6. Parents who just can't give it up. This one is for parents with the intention to get candy themselves and they use their young children to do so. To try and mooch candy for themselves stops after the child is 5 (in my opinion).

7. Children should be chaperoned at all times. With the time change, masks and safety issues always keep a close eye on the kids. Kind of a no brainer.

8. Watch out for Bag Swappers. Where I grew up there occasionally would be someone who would have a trick or treat bag of potato chips and as they walk past there victim they make the swap somehow, leaving a sad child with nasty chips while they have all your hard earned candy. I was a victim once when I was like 7 and I cried.

9. Bigger is better. It is not ghetto to walk around with a pillow case on Halloween, in fact people are more prone to put more candy in a bigger treat bag than someone with a small one especially if it is almost full. Who wouldn't want more candy, you are simply being prepared for a good long night.

10. Go for the Winner Homes. Homes with lights and decorations will usually give out more candy. If they are willing to go all out with their decor, they are usually going to go all out with candy too. Another tip is to go to the houses that have outside lights on, ones that don't aren't usually home.

11. The difference between Mom and Dad. This one is funny, but not necessarily true. When Trick or Treating with mom, often times you will hear " tell them thank you " or "use manners ..." which will impede upon the how quick you can get to the next house, not to mention a little annoying. Dads however just stand back and once the kid is done you move on to the next house. I say this is not always true because some dads are about manners like myself, and some moms might not. It is also a good habit to practice manners, even as a young child.

12. Use the sidewalk. This one always upsets me when I see it. Little kids get amped up and instead of spending 5 more seconds to walk around, they jet across the person's lawn. I just find them rude not to mention it ruins the lawn.

I hope these tips are helpful to anyone who reads them. There are many more tips and tricks out there, theses are just a few. Have a safe and Happy Halloween and GO GET CANDY !!!

Is Monster Energy linked to Satanic symbols ?

So as I was driving to School one day and a gentlemen yelled to get my attention. He told me that the symbol on the back of my window was the Satanic symbol (I have a big Monster Energy M on my window, and no Monster doesn't pay me to advertise. I wish though haha). I didn't pay much attention to him I just smiled and waved and kept driving. The curiosity sparked my attention and being hooked on Monster I had to know.

The Claim is that that the Monster energy M symbol is 666. The evidence being used is that the M symbol is really 3 characters in the Hebrew alphabet. They are 3 of the 6th letter in the Hebrew alphabet, which put together 3 times equaling 666. Other evidence is that the slogan is "Unleash the Beast," and the drink is called Monster. So what it comes down to is the the Monster symbol is the Mark of the Beast, talked about in the book of Revelations in the Bible.

I don't know how I feel about this honestly. I know that the stuff is bad for you, it goes for all energy drinks, they are packed with loads of sugar, caffeine and tons of other garbage.

However, It seems to be all fan evidence, no real claims or professional websites, just opinions. I think the symbol is creative and cool and that it is just a coincidence about the Hebrew letters, but It could mean something because there are subliminal messages everywhere today. When I see some actual evidence that support the rumors I'll believe it, but until then I think It is a wonderful and delightful pick me up beverage.

Sick Children at School ?

This is my first parenting tip for all those new parents who aren't sure what to do, and who ever else would like to learn something new. Today I get a call saying that Tyler has a cough and he doesn't feel good. Now, I just dropped him off an hour prior and he was fine to me, so I have little flags going off in my head. When I show up he is running around and having fun and I give him a cough drop for his fake cough and go home.

Later in the afternoon I get a call that he isn't feeling good and has a headache. I was already there so I am thinking to myself "Fake" but I talk and tell him If he comes home he will not watch any television, no movies, but If he's sick he needs to lay down. Well Tyler finishes off his day of school like a big boy, but UNFORTUNATELY he really isn't good and lays down for the better part of the afternoon.

My parenting tip are as followed; 1. Don't tell your kid that they are lying or that you don't believe them, maybe they really are not feeling well. Be prepared to listen, but don't let them take you for a ride with a story either. 2. Know what is going on in the child's schedule that day. Maybe they have a big test and are trying to find an excuse not to be there, or there is a bully that has been picking on them. 3. Tell them what will happen if they do come home from school sick. Most kids think this will be great and they can watch cartoons and play with toys, but if they find out they won't be able to do anything but lay down, most children who are faking will want no part of this and decide school and friends are a better choice.

There are many other ways to handle this situation. Some ways work great with kids and some not so well. I am no expert by any means and have a lot to learn, but to me the best way is to listen and be patient, but don't let yourself be taken for a ride.

For Halloween this year I wanted to be a Stormtrooper. I think It is a little nerdy, a little childish, but mostly amazing. The thing is though, for a good costume, they run like 400 + dollars. So after deliberating and searching the internet I have decided to make my own costume. It won't be for this Halloween but hopefully In the near future and It won't just be for Halloween either, It will probably be a just because costume too haha.

The process of making the costume is known as Vacuum Forming. It involves making many molds out of wood or clay, then taking hot plastic that you warm up yourself and placing it over the mold. You would then turn on your shop vac to suck all the air out and have a piece of plastic that conformed perfectly and tightly to the mold. It sounds challenging and yet very rewarding. This is definitely a man goal worth accomplishing.