I'm Sorry That This is Suddenly Becoming a Hair Blog...

But I can't help it. This is the latest as of today. I had to put some hilites in to soften the I-just-got-out-of-hair-school-and-can-do-my-hair-myself look. I think they look better, J. does not. They do have a slightly pink twinge. What I really need is a hair friend to come over and fix this mess for me.

Today We're Thankful For:

• "Marci, and Honey, and the PawPaw, and Mallory, and Emma. And I Thanks to for my Grandpa and Grandma" -- Addison
• "I go Trick-or-Treating" -- Emma
• "Kids that aren't sick, but instead are sweet." -- Me

And So It Begins...

I was a-palled (pronounced UH-pause-pawled) at the wreath prices at Wal-Mart. They want way too much money for sad little plastic things. But, I've committed that I WILL decorate this year, if it kills me. And, it just so happens that I live in the middle of a forest. So...some trees sacrificed a couple of limbs, and I sacrificed a perfectly okay pair of Fiskers, and my door got a wreath. I kind of like the homey look of it, anyway. And it smells good. Which is a plus considering the cat population at our house. I couldn't find my camera, so this was taken with a cell phone.

Chemical Burn

Color is somewhat better, not great yet. My scalp HURTS! Sigh.

Bad Hair
What is it about staying up late that makes you think you need to dye your hair? How many times in my youth did I make a midnight Wal-Mart run for hair product, with terrible results? Enough that I should know better. So tell me why my hair looked like this at 1:30 a.m. this morning?





My head knows that my hair is overprocessed now, but my heart has me sitting here with brown dye on my hair (again) hoping it will absorb. I know it will not. I hope it does. Guess I'll be going to the wig shop this afternoon. I CANNOT go to the high school looking like this. J. says I look like I'm straight out of The 5th Element when it's dry.

Breaking News

Today, for the first time ever, the Perry family slept till 8 am. Angels sang.

Ring Around the Rosy

Caught the girls playing ring around the rosy with their doll.

When will I ever use this in the real world?

...is a question I'm learning to hate. Every time some kid asks me that, I want to tell him "This is the real world. You're going to use it to pass this class." But I don't. Instead I bottle up my frustration, and let weird, stress-related things happen to my body. This week...I've suddenly got a bald spot in my eyebrow. And not from over-plucking. Just smooth as a baby's butt. Speaking of babies...

...I've used geometry...in the REAL world. I got fed up with the other dress pattern, and decided to make my own. Turns out, all that geometry paid off. Patterns are nothing more than coordinating triangles and rhombuses (or is that rhombi?). I've included pics of pattern pieces (on posterboard...not the best pattern making choice) and the unhemmed dress. Again, waiting for a model to try it on. I like this one much better than the other, but I'm a little biased. It's hard to see the detail, but it is a wrap with a tie on the side.

Homemade Marshmallows

Here is a recipe I found that I would love for someone to make, then box it up, and mail it to me. I'm definitely going to try it, but since I probably won't be handing any out, thought I'd at least share the how-to.


3 packages unflavored gelatin1 cups cold water, divided
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light corn syrup (or glucose)
1 teaspoon kosher salt1 vanilla bean, seeds removed
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by. In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Add the vanilla seeds. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Line a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with aluminum then spray with pan spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel or sharp knife dusted with the confectioners’ sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Marci gave me her SD card with pumpkin patch pictures on it. Sadly, they look pretty much like mine, but funnier. Or are they funnier because it's 2:30 in the morning?

What I Did Tonight...

Jarrid took the girls to Bryan, so I had a night alone. Marci and I went shopping, and came home around 11. I decided to sew a little...hadn't done that in nearly 3 years. This dress is what happened; not too bad for a rusty old machine. I'm waiting on the girls to get home to hem it. The side with the bow is the back. I'm thinking about red grossgrain on the waist line. What do you think.