Chocolate mint ice cream

• 1 c milk
• 2 c cream
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 pinch of salt

mix sugar, salt, and cocoa powder.  Mix into milk.  Stir in cream, vanilla, and peppermint.  Refrigerate 2 hrs then put in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.

Kindle Fire vs iPod Touch 4th gen

I'm a sucker for gadgets, and I think touch screens are cool which is how I ended up with a Kindle Fire (original) and an iPod Touch.  I already had an iPod Touch, but I thought it might be nice to have a larger screen and try out android.  I also wanted to have another gadget because half the time my iPod is being used by my husband or kids.  I'm in the process of deciding which of the two devices will be my primary device and my husband will use the other one.

I know a lot of reviews compare the Fire to the iPad, but this doesn't make sense to me since really, the Fire is closer to the iPod Touch. The price point is similar on the 8 gig model of the two devices.

iPod Touch

• better touch responsiveness
• more apps
• brightens/darkens screen automatically
• buttons for volume
• camera (but I don't use much, so this is isn't really that big of an asset)
• microphone (same as camera)
• light and fits in a pocket 
• can organize apps into categories on the device
• better parental controls

(original) Kindle Fire

• bigger screen
• fewer apps, although most of the apps I'm most interested in are available
• can display Amazon videos
• requires 2 hands to use (at least for me, my wrist starts to hurt if I use it one handed for too long)
• flash - this means I don't need a special app for facebook or twitter, I can use the web one, also pbskids seems to work just fine
• tabbed browsing 
• searching the Amazon app store makes more sense than itunes to me (i.e. you can sort by price)
• the screen is also big enough to make using web-based google calendar useful
• can see more text at once in an e-book

both have

• netflix
• basic email (gmail and hotmail are painless to set up)
• music
• words with friends

I'll probably add more information as time goes by. I haven't decided yet which I like better.  I definitely prefer watching videos on the Fire because the screen is bigger, but in terms of portability, the ipod touch wins.

Lego Friends

So thanks to KSL, I now know about Lego Friends, a line of Legos for girls.  Can I just say, Lego did their homework.  The sets are a tree house, a dog show, a horse show, a pool, etc.  I know my two daughters would actually be very interested in these sets.  The sets remind me of Play Mobile.

In the KSL article, there's some people who are upset about having a special line of Legos for girls, but I don't see the problem.  If this introduces girls to Legos and the fun of building, then Lego should go for it.  I can imagine my girls getting the sets, then getting into the regular Legos for added pieces.

I think I may have found one of my daughter's birthday presents:

 

or maybe this set:

Yeah, that's pretty much her dream Lego set (actually, the dog show is her dream set, but I'm not spending that much on Legos). 

Review: The Leonardo

The Leonardo
Location: 209 East 500 South  Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3203

(801) 531-9800

Cost: $12 a person or you can get a family 4 pack for $40.  Kids under 5 are free.


Review:  I've been hearing lots of advertisements for this museum on KSL.  I'm a sucker for museums, so for my birthday, my family and I went.  Parking wasn't too bad, there were metered spots near by and they were free for 2 hours (at least at Christmas time).  The museum was a mixture of art, creativity, and technology. 

On the ground floor was a few large art pieces (one of which scared my two-year-old).  There was also a creation area where we made cardboard puppets for use upstairs in the stop motion animation studio.  I had fun making my puppet.  There was also a cool interactive floor map, but we never got a chance to try it as it was always in use.

Upstairs we tried out the a 3D motion capture room. You moved around in a room and an animated elf copied your motion.  My kids had a blast playing with a green screen.  My four-year-old had fun playing with a touch screen computer that she could use a paint brush on.  We didn't get to try the stop motion exhibit since all were in use.  We didn't get a chance to really explore the artificial limbs exhibit or other things as this museum was not holding my youngest child's attention.

All in all, I liked the museum.  It would be OK for kids four and up, but ideally probably six and up.  My main complaint with it was that we always had to wait.  Most of the exhibits, only one person could use at a time and the exhibits could be used for a long time.  It was not crowded when we went, and we were always waiting.  I look forward to see what else they add.  It's worth a trip, but not if you have young children.

Review: Kindle with Special Offers

I got a Kindle for my birthday, yay.  I've been wanting a dedicated e-book reader.  Right now I am using an ipod touch for reading which has a few disadvantages 1) the screen size is small and I need to use a larger sized font, so there's only a few sentences on the screen 2) my children / husband are always borrowing my ipod.  A Kindle has a much larger screen, and it doesn't play the games my children like.  I wanted to stick with Amazon since I've bought e-books from them in the past, so I have a library of them.  I couldn't decided which Kindle I wanted, so my sister and Mom decided for me :)

I like the Kindle with Special Offers so far.  I don't find the adds annoying.  There's an ad on the screen when it sleeps.  There's a small ad at the bottom of the home menu (similar to a banner ad).  I find the adds unobtrusive.

I like the e-ink display.  I like that I can read it in bright light.  My sister said she thought the letters looked a little fuzzy to her, but they don't to me.  My husband doesn't like the font it uses.  (Yes, he cares about stuff like that.)  You can change font size, but not the font itself.

I've been reading on it pretty heavily in the days I've had it, and my eyes aren't any more tired than with reading a regular print book.  I like the larger screen and can read quite a bit before having to turn the page.  I did make my thumb hurt the first day pushing the next page button, but I think I was just pushing it wrong.

Entering text with the four way button isn't too bad, but if you plan on typing a lot you will definitely want to get a different model.  I've been typing on it a bit because I've been setting it up, but I think after this first week, I won't type much at all other than the occasional book title.  I prefer to browse for new books on a desktop.

Battery life has been pretty good.  I haven't used up the battery yet.  I've had it 5 days and the battery bar is still almost full.  I'm hopeful I'll get a few weeks per charge.  This is much better than my ipod touch that needs to be charged every night.  This also means that if I want to read a paper book or my ipod is more convenient for some reason,  I won't come back to my Kindle and find its battery dead. It will still be ready when I need it.

The size is not as convenient as I had hoped.  It is about the size of a paperback book, but sticking it my coat pocket won't work (if I leave it in its case).  It does fit without the case, but I'd need to make a sleeve for it first.  The ipod touch is much more portable.  Basically, I can take the Kindle where I'd take a book.  It is very thin and light though.

Following links is a little annoying since you have to use the 4 way button to get the link you want, and you have to "click" twice to actually follow the link.  I think in time I'll get the muscle memory to do this, but right now, it's a pain.  If the books you read have many links, I'd suggest you look at the Kindle Touch.

I have put PDFs  and other mobi format books on my Kindle.  I've used both the usb cable and the e-mail method.  Both work fine.  PDFs seem to be a little annoying since your choices seem to be "fit to screen" or big (which doesn't work well when information is in columns).  I'm going to work with it some more and see if I can't find something that works better.

All in all, I like my new Kindle.  I'm glad I have it.

Free LDS resources for Kindle users

I got a Kindle for my birthday. Yay! I can't say I love it yet, but we are definitely in a serious relationship :)

I was looking for free copies of the LDS scriptures, music, and the children's Book of Mormon Stories.  I knew there used to be links in the .mobi format on the old lds.org site, so I went and found them.

• LDS Standard Works, manuals, and music in mobipocket format (Kindle understands this format)
• pdfs of the children's picture scriptures
• You can also take the eReader format and use Calibre to convert it to mobi form

(Updated 10/21/12):

There are now apps in the kindle store for the standard works, hymns, and children's song book, plus lds tools.

Initial Thoughts: Tracfone Samsung t404g review

I've now spent a couple of days with the Samsung t404g.  I bought it for its slide out keyboard and decent battery life.
Pros:

• I love the slide out keyboard.  It is so much easier to enter contact information, calendar events, and text messages.  
• I like the interface.  It is much more intuitive than my old Motorola phone.  
• The camera takes OK pictures. 
• There's a java facebook app that runs on it.  (I don't plan to use it much, too expensive in minutes, but it might come in handy on trips.)
• It takes a microSDHC card.  I can copy pictures onto and off of the phone
• You can add your own ring tones (I think).  The file has to be less than 300k though.  (I haven't actually tried this, but the functionality appears to be there.)
• Battery life appears OK.  I charged it when I got it 5 days ago, and I'm charging it again now.  It got down to 1 bar on the battery.  I'm optimistic that battery life will be longer from here on out since I've used it a lot more than usual entering contacts, trying all the options out, and playing game.
• MP3s sound fine to me on it. (Warning: I am not an audiophile.)
• It has limited photo editing functionality.

Cons:

• The Browser button is the same as one of the navigation buttons.  I haven't hit it accidentally yet though.
• It really is bigger and heavier than my old phone.  The size given for it on Tracfone's website is with the slider closed.  It still fits in my front pocket though.
• Camera has definite low light issues (blurry inside), but I'm not expecting much from a cell phone camera that doesn't have a flash
• It only comes with one game: a game that is like a cross between snake and bejeweled. (I don't usually play games on my cell phone, but I know some people like to.)
• No headphone jack.  It does support bluetooth. (haven't tried it)
• It made the image on my CRT computer monitor wiggle occasionally when I set the phone nearby.

I'm happy so far with my phone purchase.

Here's a few pictures of it with the Motorola w376g and an ipod touch for size comparison (the 404g is the one in the middle).

Here's picture it took.

Rag rugs

I've tried making rag rugs recently.  I used directions from this website.  It was actually pretty fun.  I used old t-shirts and an old queen sized sheet.  It is easy and fairly relaxing.  A fun thing to do while watching tv. 

Here's some things I learned:

1. You want your cloth strips to be all about the same width.  If they aren't you have to go through loops extra times or skip loops to make it even out.  This can look a little odd.
2. ripping the cloth is easier than cutting it.  I ripped the sheet.
3. If you want to cut the cloth, use a rotary cutter.  I cut some of the strips with scissors and the edges were jagged and tended to snag.
4. about half a queen sized sheet and one adult sized large t-shirt make a rug a little smaller than a door mat.
5. the t shirt material likes to roll around itself and make a rope, very convenient.

tracfone Samsung t404g vs lg 500g

I'm considering a new phone once again.  My current phone is still working fine, but I'd like a keyboard for texting.  I don't need any other smart phone features.

The two phones I'm considering are the Samsung t404g and the lg 500g.
Samsung t404g:
pros:

• Longer battery life (7 hrs talking, 14 days standby)
• slider
• triple minutes for life.   The triple minutes pays for itself after buying 1000 minutes (pre trippling).  So for me, it would be about 2 years.
• slightly smaller than the lg500g
• 2 mp camera and video recorder

cons:

• heavier (4.55 oz)
• not a lot of reviews
• cost $60

Lg 500g
pros:

• lighter (2.93 oz), this is less than my current flip phone
• generally favorable reviews 
• cheaper ($20-30  depending on where you buy)

cons:

• shorter battery life (5 hrs talking, 9 days standby)
• keys more exposed
• 1.5 mp camera (doesn't really matter, still better than my current phone)

Pros to either phone:

• takes video and better pictures
• takes a microsd card so I can actually get pictures off my cell phone
• has a texting keyboard
• plays mp3s (don't really care, but it couldn't hurt)

Cons to either phone:

• Screen isn't protected like my current flip phone.
• larger than my current flip phone (I carry my phone in my front pocket)

I ended up getting the Samsung t404g.  My review is here.

A Study in Scarlet

Apparently a school district in Virginia has "banned" (according to this article) the Sherlock Holmes story "A Study in Scarlet") because they thought it was derogatory to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .  I used the word banned in quotes because really, it seems to be they are changing the curriculum of its sixth grade classes to include a different Sherlock Holmes story.

There seem to be a number of opinions on this.  Some people think it's a good idea.  Some people seem to say its censorship, and it provides a great opportunity to teach.

Here's my take.  Why was the story chosen?  If it was chosen to allow discussion about incorrect information in stories, then keep teaching it.  If "A Study in Scarlett" is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's greatest work, then keep teaching it.  (It is the first novel that introduced Sherlock Holmes.)  I don't remember thinking it was particularly great compared to his later works.  However, I suspect the story was chosen to check off "read a mystery" in the sixth grade curriculum.  In that case, change the story.  For example, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" or  a set of several of his shorter stories.  The inaccurate information in "A Study in Scarlet" about the Mormons is distracting to the reason the six graders are reading the story.

Some people were likening the curriculum change to removing "Huckleberry Fin" from schools.  I think Huck Fin should stay.  1) It is taught to an older age group, usually high school where students should be well aware that books aren't always accurate.  2) It is reasonably historically accurate.  That is how things were.  (I will freely admit however that in "A study in Scarlet" I fall into the category of those who are being incorrectly represented where I don't have the same problem with Huck Fin)

What I want in a house -- What I actually got

So, we're we're building a rambler with a basement.  Here is my list of "things my house must have" and what we ended up with. 

Overall

• walking distance to schools  -- no, but they bus, so it's kind of a yes
• near freeways and shopping -- yes
• driveway faces not-north -- northfacing
• not a split level-- yes
• at least 2000 sqft-- yes
• not on a stripy street (ie no lines down the middle, indicator of busy street)-- yes
• no powerlines overhead -- yes
• not right by a hill where a forest fire or mud slide could come down-- yes
• kids near by -- yes
• not in a flood plain -- yes
• not a steep driveway-- yes
• not steep to get out of neighborhood-- yes

Lot

• about same size as we have now -- yes
• place for garden-- yes
• shed or room for shed-- yes
• fruit trees or a place for them-- yes
• automatic sprinklers-- not yet
• fenced -- not yet

Garage

• double car garage -- yes

Kitchen

• plenty of counter space-- yes
• pantry or lots of cabinets for food-- yes
• (wish) center island-- yes
• above stove microwave (or ability to add one)-- yes
• (wish) not visible from front door -- no, well, it isn't visible from the door but it is a great room style, so guests will see the kitchen

Bedrooms

• 5 bedrooms-- yes
• (wish) master suite-- yes
• (wish) walk in closet-- yes

Bathrooms

• bathroom on every level-- yes
• at least 2 showers-- yes
• (wish) jetted tub  -- no

Other rooms

• office / craft room-- yes
• family room-- yes
• front room-- yes
• storage area for food storage-- yes
• storage area for storage-- yes

General

• faster internets accessible-- yes

Things a house must have for me to consider moving

My husband has jokingly talked about moving, so here is a list of things a new house must have for me to consider moving:

Overall

• walking distance to schools
• near freeways and shopping
• driveway faces not-north
• not a split level
• at least 2000 sqft
• not on a stripy street (ie no lines down the middle, indicator of busy street)
• no powerlines overhead
• not right by a hill where a forest fire or mud slide could come down
• kids near by 
• not in a flood plain
• not a steep driveway
• not steep to get out of neighborhood

Lot

• about same size as we have now
• place for garden
• shed or room for shed
• fruit trees or a place for them
• automatic sprinklers
• fenced

Garage

• double car garage

Kitchen

• plenty of counter space
• pantry or lots of cabinets for food
• (wish) center island
• above stove microwave (or ability to add one)
• (wish) not visible from front door

Bedrooms

• 5 bedrooms
• (wish) master suite
• (wish) walk in closet

Bathrooms

• bathroom on every level
• at least 2 showers
• (wish) jetted tub

Other rooms

• office / craft room
• family room
• front room
• storage area for food storage
• storage area for storage

General

• faster internets accessible

(We're building a house.  See how it rates on this list here.)

2011 LDS primary theme and scriptures

 Here are the themes and scriptures for the LDS 2011 Primary program.

January
The scriptures are the word of God

"Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3)

February
The Scriptures Teach of Heavenly Father’s Plan

"For behold, this is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).

March
Heavenly Father speaks to us through His prophets

"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, . . . whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same" (D&C 1:38).

April
Jesus Christ Is My Savior and Redeemer

"We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel" (Articles of Faith 1:3).

May
The Church of Jesus Christ Has Been Restored

"I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Joseph Smith - History 1:17)

June
The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel Make It Possible for Me to Live with God Again

"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Articles of Faith 1:4).

July
The Temple Is a House of God

"Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally" ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World," paragraph 3).

August
My Body Is a Temple of God

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?...The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

September
The Gospel Will Be Preached in All the World

"This gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" (D&C 133:37).

October
Prayer Is Reverent Communication between God and Me

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).

November
Reverence Is Love and Respect for God

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37).

December
The Scriptures Teach Me about the Savior’s Birth and Second Coming

"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27).

Biking decisions - looking for a beginning adult bike

So my husband loves to bike. Seeing him do it and hearing how much fun he has makes me want to try biking. I have visions of our family biking around. This means I need a bike. The problem: I never biked much as a child or youth and I'm terrified of falling over. (My balance isn't great.) So I'm trying to find a bike that I can get on and off easily and put both feet on the ground. I want to use it to ride around with my husband and kids and potentially pull a bike trailer with the younger ones in it.

Use the mountain bike I have
cost: $35
pros:

• cheap, I already own it
• It's a decent bike
  

cons:

• not the right size
• bad memories
• saddle hurts
  

explanation:
I got this bike at a yard sale a few years ago for $35. It needs a different saddle and the frame is a little too big for me. I've fallen over trying to get off this bike, so I'm a little worried about riding it again.

Get a cheap beach cruiser / hybrid
cost: $75 - 250
pros:

• can get a step through frame to make getting on and off easier
• If I don't end up liking riding a bike, I'm not out a lot of money
  

cons:

• probably will be steel frame so heavy and rusts easily
• you get what you pay for
• A lot of beach cruisers are single speed
  

explanation:
A hybrid or a beach cruiser seem like what I am looking for, the step through would make it easy for me to get off without falling over. The cheaper bikes (like at wal-mart) tend to be heavier because they are made of steel.


Get a nicer beach cruiser / hybrid
cost: $350 - 600
pros:

• Step through makes it easy to get on and off
• some have forward pedals that let me put my feet down on the ground without having to have the seat to low.
  

cons:

• expensive, especially since I don't know if I'll use the bike
  

Gears
Single
cost: $75 - 200 (depends)
pros:

• very simple mechanically. if I got one from wal-mart there isn't much that could go wrong
  

cons:

• towing is harder without multiple gears
  

three
cost: $100- 200
pros:

• more gear choices
• many have automatic shifters so that the chances of the chain coming off the derailers is slim. Also, I wouldn't have to be moving to change gears
  

cons:

• more speeds make towing easier
  

seven
(same as 3 except the shifters aren't internal)

21
cost: $175 - $600
pros:

• best for towing
• more complicated for me because gears make no sense

cons:

• chance of chain slipping or jumping

explanation:

breaks
coaster

• stops, but not great for towing

hand breaks

• stops the bike

Where to get the bike:
walmart

• cheap
• bikes assembled for you
• easy returns
• quality issues
  

on-line

• better "bang for buck"
• have to assemble it yourself
• returns would be a pain
  

bike store

• usually better customer service
• knowledgeable customer service
• can help you choose
• more expensive prices (bikes start around $350)
  

classifieds

• can get a good deal
• have to know enough about bikes to tell if the bike is in good shape
• no returns
  

Summary
I think what I want is an inexpensive 3 speed bike with hand breaks and step through aluminum frame. I'll probably get it online or from wallmart. My husband is good at bikes and can help me assemble a bike. I want a bike that will need less twiddling, so a three speed would probably be a good match. Since I don't know what I like in bikes, an inexpensive one would let me discover everything I hated about it so when I bought a new, I would know what to look for. Also, I could ride my husband's old mountain bike if I needed more gears.

(update 9/22/10)
I ended up getting a 21 speed Forge Athena from Target.  It was a pain to get set up, but it seems to be a good bike.

Is the new hotmail creepy?

Recently hotmail updated its interface.  I'm still trying to decide if it is creepy or useful.  What it does is look through your email and show you updates from facebook and other social networking sites and also shipping notices.  It's actually very useful.  I'm just not sure I like being reminded that my email isn't private. 

iPod touch 4 review

My background: I wanted a new device to check email, play media and entertain children. My current device is a Nokia n800, but I've also owned a Dell axim and a Sony clie. This is the first apple product I've owned. I wanted to replace my n800 because it was slower and unable to play newer media content. I was also interested in something with a large developer base and wide support.

Why I chose an iPod touch 4th generation 32 gig:
-it wasn't a phone. I am quite happy with my prepaid phone.
-it has a large developer base and plenty of apps
-large amount of children's content, plus controls so nothing bad gets downloaded
-kindle books
-netflix streaming
-beautiful screen

Things I dislike:
-interface not totally intuitive. I could figure 80% on my own, but for the rest...thank goodness for google.
-blogger really doesn't work well
-some free kids apps have ads
-it's a pain to close apps (not as bad as the Dell axim though)
-
(note: this is how far I got typing on my ipod touch.  After this, the blogger web interface just wouldn't work correctly, so now I'm on a desk top.  I'll use email next time.)
- plugging the charger cable in is a little weird because of the beveling around the screen

Other thoughts:
-mis-touches aren't as common as I had worried
-wifi connects very quickly
-I'm glad I got 32 gig, 8 gig would have been way too small (5 gigs of music, plus a few videos and audio books and apps)
-kids love my ipod, I have to fight them for it
-no flash hasn't been a serious issue so far

Update 10/17/10: I still love my ipod touch.  Games are hard on the battery life, but just web browsing and reading ebooks, it seems to hold a charge for a day or two.

Baby basics

Here's the basics of what you need for a new baby.

for the baby:

1. onsies

2. sleep and plays

3. crib and set of sheets / somewhere for the baby to sleep

4. diapers (1 package size nb and the rest size 1) and wipes

5. bottle (you'll get formula in the diaper bag from the hospital)

6. rocking chair (I recommend a recliner so you can sleep in it too if you have to)

7. light receiving blankets

8. burp cloths

9. place to change the baby (can just be towel on the floor)

10. car seat (can't leave the hospital without one)

11. heavier blanket (for traveling to and from car)

12. front pack / baby bjorn / sling so you can carry the baby and still get stuff done

13. nail clippers

14. swing or baby bouncer so you can set the baby down during the day

15. hat (will probably get one from the hospital)

for you:

1. (optional) breast pump in case the baby won't eat and you need some relief or so you have extra milk
2. maxipads
3. witch hazel pads
   
4. iboprophen (sp?)
5. fan / heater/ white noise generator so the baby isn't so loud when you are trying to sleep and someone else has him
   

that should cover you for a while

Review: Forge Athena 17" bicycle

My husband enjoys cycling, and I wanted to be able to ride with him sometimes. The bike I had was a garage sale find, but the frame was too big for me. I considered a bicycle from a bike store, but I had trouble paying $325+ for a bike that I might not end up riding that much.* Since I am a new rider, I wanted a step-through frame. I also wanted to be able to put my feet flat. I also wanted multiple speeds, so that I could pull my child trailer. I decided on the Forge Athena based on price and features.

What I like:

• aluminum frame
• 21 speed
• step-through frame
• quick release wheels and seat
• name brand components
  
• looks stylish (the paint is 2 toned which I didn't realize when I bought it)
  
• fits me well (I'm 5'8)
• upright riding position
• saddle is comfortable (so far, haven't taken it more than a few miles)
  
• very comfortable ride
• kickstand
  

What I don't like:

• can't put feet flat (that's ok, I just lower the seat) and as I get better this isn't a big deal
• isn't really anywhere to put a water bottle or basket due to shape of the frame and where the brakes sit. The seat post has a shock absorber, so that's out too. I'm going to look at it more closely and see if I can figure out a solution.
  
• set up was a pain. I'd advise to plan on spending an extra $50 to get a tune-up from a bike shop. Actually putting the bike together wasn't hard, but getting the bike ridable took longer than I expected. The wheels were out of true (my husband could play "yankee doodle" on the spokes.) The chain was rubbing on the derailleur cage. The brakes were not working correctly at all. One of the pedals was loose. After 2 trips to bike store (stupid derailleurs) and my husband tweaking things, it seems to be working perfectly now.
  
• doesn't fit across the back of my sienna, even with the front wheel off. I have to lay a seat down. (my husband's mountain bike and road bike fit there). It would probably fit if I took off the back wheel, but I don't want to go through trying to get the chain on and off.
  
• because of the step-through frame, the bike won't fit on our bike rack. I've ordered a bar to fix this, so we'll see how it goes.

My husband's comments:

• he rode it on one of his usual rides and averaged 13 mph (instead of usual 16-18), but the frame was small for him and he had a bad head wind.
• he likes way it rides
• not a speed bike

Would I recommend it? So far, yes. I've had a lot of problems and it's taken me a while to get to ride it, but most of that was initial set up. I'll update this after I've ridden it a little more.


*(Although looking at how much I spent on this bike, the bike store bike wouldn't have been that much more expensive. If you can get free shipping, it would be a better deal.)

ipod touch vs ipad vs laptop vs desktop, an analogy

I've been trying to decide whether I want an ipod touch. Some things about them started bothering me. It got me thinking about windows and doors. A window lets me look outside. I can see what is going on. With most windows, I can open it and let in some air or yell to a friend walking by, and in an emergency I can get out of my house. A door is to let me interact with the outside. It isn't usually as convenient as a window for looking outside.

Ipod Touches and Ipads are like windows. They let me take a look at what is going on on the internet, but they don't let me interact well with it. Text entry is more difficult than on a keyboard. Yes, I can yell out the window at my friend, but if I really want to talk to him or her, I have to open a door. But a lot of the time, I just want to look. I want to see what people have to say, not add my own content.

Netbooks are like french doors, I can see out, fairly well, but I can go outside as well. They aren't quite as convenient as windows.

Desktops are like doors. I can open the door and go outside, but I don't want to sit on my couch in front of an open door all day either. Desktops can't move and are less convenient for a quick glance of what is going on outside. But if I want to go for a walk, they're the way to go.

My silly analogy has allowed me to understand the limitations of an iphone or ipopd touch. They are windows, and I am fine with that.

How to make a stick horse

My daughter wanted a pink stick horse, so we made one. Here's what I did. I used this pattern and watched the video series here. I think it could easily be made in 3 hours. (It's hard for me to judge because I had plenty of "helpers") I used fleece, yarn, buttons, felt, ribbon, a dowel, matching thread, and some heavy duty thread.
Here's what to do in a nutshell

1. cut stick down to size. Cut grooves for attaching head and padding. Paint stick and let dry.
2. trace and cut head pattern out of fleece
3. wrap yarn into a mane. Cut the yarn, then lay on horse's head
4. sew head together, right sides together. Flip head right side out
   
5. draw ear pattern. cut out of fleece. hand sew ears to head.
6. attaching padding to dowel. (this is a little fabric circle with padding to soften the end of the dowel)
7. stuff head, leaving room for the dowel end.
8. sew on eyes.
9. attach head to dowel
10. sew on felt nostrils and ribbon bridle.