We were going to have lasagne Wednesday night, but when it came time to make them, I couldn’t find the noodles, and after I called mom, she told me that dad wasn’t coming home anyway, so she and I should just make a frozen Bertoli dinner we had saved in the fridge.  Fine with me… I was late making the lasagne anyway (cause I was at the gym).  So I tossed the frozen thing in the oven, and noticed that it was frozen into a big chunk, just like a lot of our other food.  Meaning, it had defrosted a bit and then refroze from us being without power for 12 days (don’t worry, I moved all the food we saved to a friend’s house who still had power).  So far, none of us have gotten sick on anything we’ve eaten (and I’ve eaten stuff that we left in the freezer and fully defrosted after 12 days).

Thursday night turned into lasagne night.  That last time I made lasagne, we invited over three friends.  The six of us were able to finish the entire thing, and anyone who’s made lasagne knows that they are huge.  With only three of us eating it on Thursday, I knew I didn’t want to make a full lasagne, even though in the past, I always make a huge one.  My mom says “We’ll have lasagne for dinner, and then again for the next four days.”  It’s depressing how huge they are, and how much we have left over.  We usually freeze some, but it still makes boat loads.

I decided to try something different.  I decided to make two mini lasagnes.

I placed two 8×8 pans next to each other, and so I wouldn’t confuse myself, I just said “Ok, just think of it as one big pan.”

(Don’t worry, I only added a tad bit of woolite, for that delicate clean taste)

This white pan wasn’t as perfectly square as the clear one, so I had to trim the lasagne noodles a bit.  At first, I had the trimmings discarded on the side…. but then I realized that they were noodles, and they’d cook, so I threw the little pieces back in.  The white pan we use quite a bit, so I cooked that one, so we’d have the pan for later use.  The clear pan I rescued from our lazy susan.  It was being used to hold onions.  I washed it, and made my second lasagne in it.  The onions wouldn’t miss the pan, and I knew my mother wouldn’t, either.  Into the freezer it went, not to come out until we were desperate for food and no one wants to cook.  I foiled the top, and added instructions on how to cook.  It wasn’t until later that I realized it would have to cook longer because of the whole frozen aspect.  Barilla online suggested defrosting it for 24 hours in the fridge, and increasing the time to 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  So this can’t really be a spur of the moment dinner to just toss in the oven out of the freezer (but watch me try!)

The lasagne in the white pan came out beautifully, and we still have some left over, and this was just HALF a lasagne.  Luckily, tomorrow is Saturday so we’ll all be home for lunch.  It will get eaten up real quick!

I’m very proud of my resourcefulness, and the fact that we have a whole lasagne left over!

For the recipe, I just used the one on the box of the no boil lasagne noodles.  Next time I think I will try something a bit more adventurous, and more homemade and doctored up.

Lasagne:

1 (9 ounce) box of barilla no-boil lasagne noodles
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) container semi-skim ricotta cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 lb ground beef, browned
2 (27 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 375.

In bowl, combine beaten eggs, ricotta cheese and two cups of the mozzarella cheese and parmesan.
Set aside.

In a 13X9X3 pan, spread 1 cup of sauce on bottom of pan.

Layer in the order, 4 uncooked lasagne noodles (they will overlap), then 1/3 part of the ricotta cheese mixture, half the browned meat (if using, I did not), 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup of spaghetti sauce.

Next layer, 4 uncooked lasagne noodles, 1/3 part of the ricotta cheese mixture, and 1 1/2 c. sauce.

Next layer, 4 uncooked lasagne noodles, remaining ricotta mixture and remained meat, 1 cup of sauce.

For top layer, 4 uncooked lasagne noodles, remaining sauce, and remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

Bake covered with foil for 50-60 minutes.

Uncover and continue cooking until all the cheese is melted on the top (about 5 minutes).

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

If you are using a pan that is only 2″ deep (like I was) just make 3 layers to avoid boiling over.  You will have 4 lasagne sheets left over.  Save them.  Once you’ve used three lasagne boxes, you’ll have 12 sheets saved up, and that’s enough for one more lasagne!

Here are the directions for using a 2″ deep pan:

1. In bowl, combine beaten eggs, ricotta cheese and two cups of the mozzarella cheese and parmesan.  Set aside.

2. In bottom of pan, spread 1/2 the sauce from one jar.

3. Layer in this order: 4 uncooked lasagne noodles (they will overlap), 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture, half the browned meat (if using, I did not), 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and then the rest of the first jar of spaghetti sauce.

4. Next layer, 4 uncooked lasagne noodles, 1/2 jar of second sauce, and one cup of mozzarella.

5. For top layer, 4 uncooked lasagne noodles, the rest of the ricotta mixture, the remaining sauce, and remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

Bake as stated above.

If I am eating pretty much only things that I grow, and don’t want money, or to have to go to the grocery store…. what will my cats eat?  This is a problem that I’ve thought about only for the past few days.  It had never occurred to me before.

Walking home from the gym today, I was thinking about the fact that I will have chickens for my eggs.  I’m thinking I’d want between 6-8 chickens.  I had done some research about making my own cat food, but they requires weird things, and protein powder and stuff.

Beth from Fake Plastic Fish wrote this as enough food for one cat for one day:

4 ounces of cooked white chicken meat
1/4 cup of cooked mashed sweet potato
1-1/2 teaspoons of butter
1 red scoop of Balance It supplement

Then there are more recipes on the No Cans site.  Lots of different recipes, which is useful.

Here is one with fish:

1/3 cup white rice

1 tbl margarine or low-fat spread

3oz canned tuna or smoked mackerel, skinned and boned

1/2 hard-boiled egg, shelled and finely chopped

yolk of 1 egg

1/2 tbl pouring cream

Uh, so I guess I also need a cow to get butter and cream.  And milk for my Honey Bunches of Oats! And also whatever animal rice comes from.

But, all these foods require meat.  And I was thinking “Oh, hmm.  I didn’t really plan on eating meat.”  But then I thought, “oh, I have chickens that lay eggs.  Are those the same kind of chickens that I eat?”  And then I thought about it, and pictures the hens clucking around the farm and laying eggs, and then I pictured food that has chicken meat in it.  I swear to god I had to think about live chickens and then compare it to chicken meat in my pasta.  Really.  I had to think about that.

So anyway, after I figured it out that I would already have chickens for my eggs, I realized that I could just use meat from one of them for my cat food!  But if my cats each need 4oz a day, that’s a lot of meat.  I don’t know how much chickens weigh, so I don’t know how many chickens I’d have to kill to feed my cats.  I would like to get some recipes that do not require meat, but so far all I’ve found are meatless cat “treats.”  And cats can’t live on treats!  (Patrice, do you have any vegetarian recipes for cats??)  They must be able to live without meat.  If humans can, cats can, too.

So now I’ve realized that I can’t feed my cats, and I can’t eat my cereal with milk.  I’m going to have to go to the store.  So I can’t really live off the grid.  I’m going to have to work, to get money for the grocery store.  That sucks.  But I guess it doesn’t really suck…. because it’s good to work.  I just better enjoy my job.  But I guess, even if I DO need money… I can make it in anyway that I want.  I can sell my eggs and some of my produce.  If I have a private practice then I can choose what clients I see, and I can choose my own hours.  That sounds like it would be the best of both worlds.  In my mini house, I could have a small room that would be my office.  It could also turn into a guest bedroom very easily for any guests I may have.  I think that sounds awesome!  That would be my absolute ideal life.

Here’s a break down:

• Have a lot of space to grow my own fruits and vegetables.
• Have chickens for lots of eggs and occasional meat
• Live somewhere warmish where I can grow lots of my own stuff
• Know someone who has cows that I can get organic milk products from.  Either payment/bartering
• Have a small guest room/office to see my patients and have guests stay over (but still living in a very small space)
• Have cats that can magically eat the same food that I can.  Do cats like Honey Bunches of Oats and egg whites?  What about soup?  Stupid cats!  Be more human!  But smaller…. like…. a baby.  Oh wait, I’ve already written about that.
• Have my own private practice in my own home, where I will see about 10 patients a week.  It could be spread to 3 days with 3-4 patients a day.  I could also be very flexible and see people on the weekends because I can do whatever I want, it’s my practice!  People like flexibility.  I will also do house calls for the agoraphobics.
• I will own a car, but it will be a little crappy old car that simply gets me from point A to point B.  My main way of traveling will be my feet, and my awesome bicycle with a basket.
• Do something that allows me to have enough money to pay for my house, my electricity bill (I hear it’s under $100 a year for a mini house), my Internet (cause I need the Internet), and money to buy enough clothes so I don’t look like a ragamuffin (where on earth did I learn that word?)
• I will spend the majority of my time gardening, cooking, eating, exercising, reading, writing, and doing various crafts.

Tomorrow I will post about tonight’s dinner (boring old Lasagna), but I was proud of it.  Jeanne came over and we watched Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.  We both said, “I didn’t not like it, but I wouldn’t really want to see it again.”  We also drank red wine (to help in our futile attempt to fight cancer).  It was nice to see her.  We should hang out again and cook sometime.  Now it’s bedtime.  I’m babysitting in the morning, and my dad is waking me up at 6:30 to run as long as the roads are cleared.  It snowed again, and I’m thinking it’s too cold for the roads to be clear. Until tomorrow, live long and prosper.

I woke up this morning and saw that I had received a text from Niles in the middle of the night (1am!). It didn’t wake me up, but it said “Plan to go to Hooligans after Lost, it’s open mic night.” That was very clever of Niles, because he knows that I don’t like doing things at the spur of the moment…. I always back out and say “I’m tired…” or something. But now that he warned me ahead of time, I’m obligated to go. It’s also funny that he didn’t ask me to go to Hooligans, he just told me that we were going. Clever, clever Niles.

I babysat for many hours today. It was slightly warm, so the two boys were playing outside. I grabbed the little baby, bundled her up, put her in a stroller, and joined them outside. I only lasted about 10 minutes because it was so cold!

While I was babysitting, I finished a book! I think that I had read over 200 pages today! It was a book about a woman journaling her first year as a mother. She was a writer already, and someone suggested that everyday, she write down something that she noticed about her son. I really enjoyed this book, because I love reading journals and blogs. She was a single mother, but luckily, she had family and wonderful best friends who stopped by and helped her.

As of this moment, this book convinced me that I do not want children. She talked about all the pain she was in after child birth, how her stomach was still so large (even though she lost 20 of the 25 pounds she had gained) that it just laid next to her in bed. The baby was also very colicky at first, and she stated how she understood how people could abuse their children. She went from loving him one day, to absolutely hating him the next. However, she never regretted having him, which is good. She barely got to sleep every night, and it just sounded so awful. She had people who came over to visit with the baby, but not once did she talk about how someone took the baby so she could sleep. I think if it was me, and the baby didn’t need food, need to be changed, or anything like that, and it was just crying to be a pain in the ass, I would put it in the furthest room, and I would sleep in the room on the complete other side of the room. I would say “You can cry all you want baby, but I can’t hear you! Nah nah!” I mean, really, I don’t think the kid would be in any danger, right? It would just be super annoying!

I don’t think that I want to have kids, because it sounds awful. Plus, her one friend said it wasn’t even easier with a husband, because he would complain about dinner, and not getting to have sex, and other stuff. In fact, she said, I think it is worse. I would, however, go over to my best friend’s house all the time to hang out with her, and sit on the couch while she nursed and watched TV. But I would also, most definitely, take the baby away so my friend could nap. I would take the baby to a park, or even take him home with me for the night. Whatever my friend wanted. I would let my friend take a bath or shower, and then relax in bed. And I would keep the screaming child as far away as the mom wanted me too.

I just want cats. Cats can be annoying too, but cats can be locked in the basement.

My practicum went really well.  I was there from 9am - 1pm.  We saw two clients for a whole intake assessment (50 minutes), and then another patient of my supervisor’s stopped in for a few minutes to chat about starting counseling again.  I just sat there the whole time, and observed.  I need to understand and watch the practice first, and then I’ll be able to do it myself!  I have to audio record myself in these sessions, and I need people who will allow me to record them.  That might be pretty tricky, and I hope I don’t have problems with it. But I only need to have three sessions recorded.  I need the first one by mid March.

I can’t go back tomorrow, because I have to babysit at 10:30 until 3ish (yay money!)  Unfortunately, my supervisor is going to Aruba on Thursday, and won’t be back until March 2nd.  I’ll have just under two weeks to get my first recording.  I can definitely do that!

After I was done at 1pm, I went home and had lunch.  Then, I went out to run some errands. I went to the Salvation Army, and didn’t find anything that looked good. Then I went to Michaels and I finally bought my yarn and needles for my afghan.  I bought size 50 needles, and the largest ones I have ever used in the past are size 13!

Here’s a picture of me with three sets of needles.  The blue ones are size 8 that were the first ones that I ever knit with (I made a scarf).  The pink ones are the biggest I’ve used in the past, and the huge red ones are the ones I just bought.  They’re called “Speed Stix.”  They’re so large that it makes knitting go faster.  But the afghan will probably be holey. But I think that’s what makes it an afghan.

I’m so excited to get started!  I have eight skeins of yarn that I have to roll into balls (it makes it easier to knit with).  The total of all my stuff came to $43 (I bought a cute pack of note cards for $1 - they have an ‘R’ on them and they’re blank inside).  I had a gift card that I got from Dylan for Christmas, and I figured I’d just front the rest in cash.  After the gift card went through, I only owed $3!!!  Dylan had gotten me a $40 gift card!!!   I called him to thank him, and told him I was able to buy everything with the card. Yay Dylan!

I stopped at the library and picked up 5 books.  One of them is Angels and Demons, which I want to read before the movie comes out in May.  I’ve heard from many people that it’s much better than the DaVinci Code. I think the other four are all memoirs.  I’ve like to read memoirs lately.

On to dinner!  I used the Sloppy Joes recipe that I got from the Low Iodine Cookbook.  My mom and I both give it 5/5 stars.  It is SOOO delicious.  Absolutely amazing.  I ate it on one hamburger bun, open faced, and doubled up on my meat.  It was so messy!

Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef or turkey or Quorn (beef only for LID)
1 small chopped onion
1 small chopped green bell pepper (cut really small)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup (to make it LID compatible, use no salt ketchup)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Combine first three ingredients in large skillet. Cook until meat is browned, stirring to crumble, scoop the fatty water out of the pan with a spoon.
Add rest of ingredients to skillet and mix. Simmer 15 minutes.
Serves 4-5.

You know how good it was?  It was so good, I licked my plate clean.

Megan and I have a history of licking our plates, especially if there is pie involved.  I’ve gotten in the bad habbit of doing it even when there is no pie involved.  I physically had the plate up to my face, licking it with my tongue.  I was in the middle of talking to my mom, and she didn’t even flinch.  I think she’s used to it, too.

I must admit, my mom made most of this.  I was at the gym, and she was antsy to start eating, so she found the recipe on my computer, and was already making it when I got home.

Potato and Vegetable Soup

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables (I only used frozen green beans)
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large stock pot boil potatoes in the 2.5 cups water and add salt. Cook potatoes until tender and soft and then add carrots, celery, chopped onions, vegetable of your choice, oil and bouillon. Mix together and cook until all vegetables are soft.
2. Add cream of celery soup and season with parsley, onion powder and pepper. If you desire a thinner type of soup you may want to add 1/2 cup of water.
3. Heat soup through, stirring occasionally, and serve.

Serves 6.

It was good.  I had it again for lunch today.  I added about 1/3 cup frozen peas (I sure do love vegetables!) and a little of milk too, because it had really dried up in the fridge.

I think it was too celery-y.  I didn’t really like using cream of celery soup, but that’s what it called for.  I would rather have used a flour and milk base instead.  Next time, I will probably make a regular potato soup and just add lots of vegetables.

I start my mini internship thing tomorrow at a hospital!!!  Wahoo!  I’m psyched.  I go there at 9am, and I’m going to wake up at 7am and go running with my dad.  I’m going to do 2 miles, and my dad will try to do as much as he can.  He hasn’t run in three months, so he may not be able to do all of it.  That’s ok, and if he has to turn around, I’ll just continue by myself.  That’s what I did on Sunday morning.  He made it to about .8 miles, and then had to turn around.  He was ALMOST half way there, and he could have made it…. but he chose just to turn around.

I am still working on my skirt/bag, and it’s great!  Right now, I’m doing the handles…. those are a big challenging.  But so far, it looks good!  I’ve been watching Greys Anatomy while I work, and I love this show!  I love all these shows where people work together and they are happy.  It’s nice.

About my internship, I’m worried that I don’t have enough business type clothes.  I have two cute light (spring!) cardigans, that are yellow and one that is pink.  And I can wear those with a t-shirt underneath them.  I’m also going to wear my black crocs instead of the nice heels that I just bought, and wear my hair in a low ponytail, because I want to make a professional first appearance.  After the first day, I will get a better sense of what other people are wearing, and I won’t worry about it.

Oh, and I’m sucking at that whole go to bed by 10pm thing.  Do’h!  It’s 10:27 right now, and I am not in bed.  But I’m heading off right now, cause I have to wake up at 7am!  For a run in the cold!!!  Brrrrr.  But it’s a great way to start the day!!!!

I don’t know how long I’m going to be at my internship thing, my guess is I’ll be home for lunch.  Then, I will post about what we had for dinner tonight.  Tomorrow night, mom night we’re having homemade Sloppy Joe’s!  Classy.

I walked to the gym today only discovered that it was closed.  So I walked all the way home.  1.3 miles total.  So then I put on my old sneakers, got my iPod shuffle, tied my hood on, and put socks on my hands to act as mittens, and I went for a 2 mile run outside.  I hadn’t been for a run outside since early January when my gym was closed for the holidays.  It was a mix between hot and cold.  I didn’t like it.  But I asked my dad if he wanted to go with me tomorrow morning, cause the gym is only open 12-5, and I’m at work.  So I will run before breakfast…. if I feel like it.  I haven’t had a day off in all of February.  I’m okay with not running tomorrow.

I have decided that starting on Sunday, I am going to go to bed at 10 (where I can read), turn the light off my 10:30, and wake up at 6:30 or 7.  Every day for one week.  The only day that will be a problem is Wednesday, because Lost doesn’t end until 10!  Usually we stay and hang out until 11ish.  So that night will be a little later, and I will postpone my waking up as well, but no later than 8.

I started to a new craft this afternoon!  It’s exciting, and I’m pinning it while I’m watching grey’s anatomy and sitting at my craft table (which I set up in my living room!).  Unfortunately, I am working at Macy’s tonight.  That means I don’t get to cook a good dinner (I don’t even know what I’m going to have - I’m too full from lunch), and I don’t get to keep working on my craft.  Then, I have to work all day tomorrow from 10:30 - 7:30.  Stupid Macy’s.  Stupid need for money.  This is why I don’t want to have a need for money.  Money and working to make money is stupid.

I think it would also be nice to not have to live with time.  In my mini house, if I was growing organic vegetables, and living without needing to work, then I wouldn’t ever need to know what time it was.  Wouldn’t that be interesting?  Especially in a society like ours, time is so valued.  Everything is done by time.  What would it be like if it simply didn’t matter what time it was?  You got things done when they got done.  If I were still to be a therapist, then I would have set days, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, that my patients could simply drop by as long as it was light out.  I wouldn’t have so many patients that more than one would come at once, so I bet it could work.  Well, maybe not.  For appointments and stuff I’d need time.  Maybe I could set alarms!  I wouldn’t need to know the time, just that “in one hour, you need to do this.”  Hmm.  It would probably need to be thought through a little more, but it’s an interesting idea.

Here’s the recipe for the dip I made.  It is entirely vegetarian, and a 7 ounce service (that’s almost a whole cup!) has only 140 calories.  My mom said “It seems fatty.”  Ahh… but it’s completely the opposite.

• 1 16 oz can refried beans or black beans
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 2 cups plain yogurt (I used non fat)
• 1 cup sliced olives (black or green)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded lettuce

1.  In a bowl, combine beans with 1/3 cup salsa.  Spread half of the mixture into a flat serving dish.

2.  Spread 1 cup yogurt over the bean mixture, followed by 1/2 cup olives, 1/3 cup salsa, 1/2 cup cheese, and 1/2 cup lettuce.

3.  Repeat layering.  Cover and chillin until ready to use.

Yield:  8 servings (7 oz per serving)

Calories with non fat yogurt - 140
Calories with low fat yogurt - 150
Calories with regular yogurt - 160 (abouts)

There are 10g of protein, 680mg of sodium, 4g of fiber, and 20% of your calcium needs.

I will say that it should be eaten the day it is made.  My parents tried their small portion the next night, 24 hours later, and it was too hard.  When we were eating it, it was soft and more dip like.  It also was pretty expensive to make, $5 perhaps?  Because everything needed to be bought for the dip.  Luckily, I eat yogurt and salsa, and I bought Mexican flavored cheese that I will then use to make quesadillas!  The olives and beans were used up in their entirety.  And the lettuce we already had.

I did not log on to my computer ONCE yesterday! Amazing. I didn’t use it to check my email, read my RSS feed, or update my blog. I can do all of those from my phone, and I did use my phone for e-mail and my blog update on the diorama.

Why didn’t I use my computer at all? I had a super busy day! I woke up early, read my book, went to the gym at 9:30 (read my book all the way there and back!), came home, showered, left at 11:30 to baby sit. I babysat until 3ish, then I went to the Salvation Army where I got two white plates for food photography, a small one for desserts, and a large one for dinner. I also got a skirt that I’m going to make into a bag! They were having “Wacky Wednesday Family Day” where everything was 50% off, so I paid only $4.54 for all three items. Then, I went to the grocery store and bought stuff to make dip for Niles’ house. Then, I went home, made the dip, changed my clothes, and walked to the library (at 6pm). I read my book about 80% of the way, using the street lights. I had to tilt my book a certain way to get the best lighting, but it worked!

Once at the library, I read my book while waiting for my mom to get out of work, and then we went to Il Forno where we had dinner. I got Linguine and Broccoli Aglie Olie, and I asked for extra broccoli. You couldn’t even see the pasta because there was so much broccoli! But, after I ate most of it, there wasn’t enough broccoli. For left overs tonight, I’m going to make more broccoli to add to the pasta.  Broccoli galore!!!  (Bob wanted to take a picture of me and dad with our plates of broccoli.  I asked for extra, dad did not.)  Oh man, do I LOVE broccoli!!!

After dinner, I raced home, grabbed the dip from the fridge, and raced to Niles’ house. He called me twice and sent me a text wondering where I was! I got there JUST at 9pm, just as it was starting. Whew! I didn’t miss anything. Everyone loved the dip, and I made my parents a mini version in a ramekin so they could try it. After Lost, Niles helped me design my house a bit after I told him about my diorama idea. I think I want to invite him over to help me do it. We could watch a movie or something!

I came home at 11, and went to bed reading my book! I didn’t even touch my computer all day!

And I’ve just measured, and my living room (which I think is the perfect size for my mini house) is 12.5 feet by 18 feet. That’s 225 square feet. I’m off to look for a box that’s a similar size! I don’t have much time for construction today because I’m off to the gym before lunch, then I’m meeting a friend for lunch at noon (we’re going to the City Hall Cafe, and then walking up to the Rabbit Hole Book Store), and then I have to babysit again tonight at 6pm. It’s the mom’s birthday, so they’re going out to dinner! I’m going to have three crazy kids tonight, and have to put them to bed! Ohhhhh jeez.

I’m at my little childrens’ house, babysitting. Dylan, the 4 year old and I are watching Tom and Jerry. The house wife is wearing slippers and an apron and it made me think of my mini house. Also the fact that Tom is a cat made me think of my kittens.

As I sit here thinking, I’m thinking about the design. I’m no good at drawing, and would love something 3D, but haven’t found a computer program for that. And so, suddenly I realized I could make a diorama! I’m going to make a mini house with a shoe box and card board. I will design everything! Kitchen, where the bed and table will go, where my porch will be, and the little steps I’m going to make for my cats to get up to the loft, because they won’t be able to use a ladder, but they are good jumpers. Also, they will like perches for looking outside.

This is very exciting, and I like crafts! It will give me something to do, and it’ll be good for me to design what I want.
I’m think I will do one inch = one foot, but two inches might be more realistic. Then I won’t have to work with such small spaces. But it should be to scale so I can see where everything will fit.
I’m also only going to use things from the house, I won’t go out and buy any dilly craft things. We have glue, cardboard, and lots of boxes. I’m sure Megan has craft stuff in her room, and I have all my scrapbooking things I abandoned years ago (this blog is my new scrapbook. It’s cheaper, and doesn’t waste paper!)

I will take pictures throughout the process. I’m sure my mom will love me setting up a craft table in the living room! Ha!