~ WACKY WEDNESDAY ~ August 5, 2015 ~ (Previously entitled QOT...W) ~ " REALLY? BUT THAT'S GARBAGE!" ~

~ WACKY WEDNESDAY ~ August 5, 2015 ~ (Previously entitled QOT...W) ~ " REALLY? BUT THAT'S GARBAGE!" ~ Well, that's what my husband would call this post, but me, I like to say "REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE" ~ So obviously, the thing that is wacky, weird, (and in this instance, even if I'm the only one to believe it), wonderful, is me!

I know that I have mentioned in several, if not all, of my Rainbow Loom video tutorials, how much of a pack rat (again, hubby's word for this would be "hoarder") and penny pincher that I am.

In reference to Rainbow Loom, this is evidenced by the fact that I keep all of my broken bands as well as bands that were previously used in other projects and for one reason or another, have been taken apart. I think it would be fair to say that I use both equally. (And no, that is not a play on words from the Libra in me)!

I use broken bands for any project that requires facial hair, scars, hay/straw, tufts of fur, eyebrows. Anything really, that needs to have a "spiky" or unkempt look perhaps would be the best way to describe it. I also use broken bands for slip knot bands too!! Slip knot bands don't always have to have loops on the end,especially if you are just tucking them out of sight anyway. The pre-used or stretched bands, that really cannot be used for a new project, are PERFECT to use when you need to double loop band and I've often used these bands when I need a broken band of a particular colour (if I don't already have broken bands in that colour, that is)!

To me, it just makes common sense to keep and reuse these bands (and, honestly, I think hubby would agree as it saves money)!

Where we tend to disagree however, is for most everything else. I've gathered a few items from my "stash" to use as an example of the kinds of things that I do keep.

1. I'm not sure about the green bin and recycling rules where you live, but here, cans with a combination of cardboard and metal (like a Pringles or frozen juice can) cannot be recycled. HOWEVER, there is such an easy fix, that makes the entire can recyclable. All you have to do is use a safety can opener to cut off the metal end and then the cardboard canister, the plastic lid and the metal bottom can all go into the recycling bin and not the trash bin! (I'm sure it irks hubby that I pull these and frozen juice cans out of the garbage just as much as it irks me that he throws them in the garbage in the first place)!

2. I am always saving these cord locks or cord stops from any and everything. Most of these shown have come from hoodies/jackets that my son has outgrown, and/or his old backpacks from school. (And believe it or not, I have used these on a few occasions too! Once for a Halloween costume, another time to secure cord around something, and the biggest use was before my son could tie his own shoes, I would thread his laces through and then all he would have to do was push up the tab to tighten his shoes.

3. I am almost (but not quite) embarrassed to admit how many of these little plastic lids I have saved. Initially, I kept them to fit over individual portions of yogourt, jello, applesauce etc that I would send to school with my son. (This is also one of my pet peeves as well, because when my daughter was in school, they sold these individual serving cups with lids attached). I'm not sure why they stopped selling them. Everyone I know collected and reused them, so it shouldn't have been an issue of land fills becoming overrun! (I actually still have some that once held baby food because I noticed that they stop selling lids with the containers). I also intend (on someday) of making ornaments out of the lids. I figure I can secure cut out Christmas cards between two lids, I could make little flat snow discs, with winters scenes inside, oh the possibilities are endless!!

4. The metal lids off cans like Pringles and frozen juice I don't usually keep, but as I was thinking of this post, I realized that they would make great craft items as well. Even suitable for all ages! Young kids could paint pictures on them to be hung as ornaments, older kids could use tin snips and design their own ornaments. You could also add a support in the back and these would make cute little picture frames!

5. The fact that I pull these soap boxes out of the garbage is a great pet peeve of my husbands. I pull them out because they are totally, 100% recyclable!! (Therefore, they should go in the recycling NOT the garbage!

6. I love saving stiff plastic like these sheets. I cut them from any of the "impossible to get into" packages that many things are sold in. And you wouldn't believe the uses for them! I have used them for personalized book markers, "find-the-page" tabs for my sons agenda from school, I've made rulers out of them, templates, dividers and markers for my bands, again,mother possibilities are endless!

7. I LOVE saving the elastic cords that tie new shoes and sneakers together! And, believe it or not, I even found a use for all of them! I mended the mesh netting of the trampoline!! You never know when you're gonna need a piece of elastic cord!

8. I also always keep the twist ties and fasteners that hold almost anything you buy to a car board backing. I use a lot of twist ties in my looming, and often, you can find different colours other than white holding products to their packaging.

9. More twist ties! Any time I come across a twist tie, I will usually keep it! HALLOWEEN is a good time to grab a bunch as lots of people package up awesome treat bags for the neighbourhood kids ~ great opportunity to get silver and Orange twist ties!

10. The bane of my husband's existence ~ toilet paper tubes. I have been saving these from the garbage for years! They make fantastic little fire starters if you fold them up into each other. I can usually fit 12-14 together into one tube and the tight packing means they don't burn very fast and make great little kindling rolls! I've also used them for crafts (I made my son's birthday invitations out of little race cars that I made out of toilet paper tubes and also, I have wrapped my wet bangs around a one and held it in place with a big hair clip to air dry my bangs.

11. It gonna irk the Libra in me that I don't have an even number of items on this list, but the final one is the cloth strap that we irritatingly find on almost all tops and blouses to aid in hanging them up. They are just a nuisance and I always cut them off. And of course, stash them away. They make great ribbons for small gifts, and I've also used them to make loops to hold flash drives.

Oh, WAIT!! I know a 12th item I can add! Plastic grocery or shopping bags! Not too long ago, stores started charging if you needed a bag for your purchases. Of course, we have lots and lots or reusable, cloth grocery bags, but when we started buying our groceries at Wal-Mart, we stopped using the cloth bags because WalMart doesn't charge for their bags. We have so many plastic bags that my darling hubby swears they are taking over the basement. I use them for EVERYTHING!! (Don't we all)? I stuff them along our spare toilet paper holder in the bathroom to line the bathroom garbage bin, they get sent with my son to hold wet swim trunks and towels, they too frequently get doubled or even tripled to hold left-overs that are being tossed out. You name it, there are endless possible uses for a plastic grocery or shopping bag! I may not need ALL of the ones I like to keep, but it a major pet peeve of mine to have so many and not be able to find one when I need one, like to sort the recycling before it goes out to the garage ~ and not having one when I need it, happens ALL THE TIME!

Do I have hoarding tendencies, more than likely. However, I ALWAYS come up with a good use for EVERYTHING that I keep and unlike some hoarders, I don't really let them overrun the house (I'm sure hubby would disagree)!

#WackyWednesday, #Quirky, #Odd, #Interesting, #Bizarre, #Weird, #Wonderful, #Strange, #WhatTheWhat, #Orcanut, #Hoarding, #PackRat, #OnePersonsTrashIsAnothersTreasure, #ReduceReuseRecycle, #RainbowLoom, #Bands, #SafetyCanOpener, #Ornaments, #PlasticLids, #GreenBin, #CordLock, #CordStop, #MetalLidsAndBottoms, #SoapBoxes, #ElasticCords, #TwistTies, #ToiletPaperTubes, #PlasticBags, #Crafty, #Ingenious

~ WACKY WEDNESDAY ~ July 29, 2015 ~ (Previously entitled QOT...W) ~ "WACKIEST CRAB" ~

~ WACKY WEDNESDAY ~ July 29, 2015 ~ (Previously entitled QOT...W) ~ "WACKIEST CRAB" ~ A few years ago, my daughter, Caitlin (@likeotters), introduced me to the television show "Deadliest Catch." It instantly became and remains one of my top favourite shows.

In case you're not familiar with the show, "Deadliest Catch," follows the working (and sometimes personal) lives of captains and crew members of several boats that fish for crab ~ King Crab in October, and Opilio (snow crab or opies) in January in the Alaskan crab fishery ~ and the deadly hazards that they face each and every time they journey out into the Bearing Sea.

I especially like the spinoff shows, "After the Catch", and the "The Bait." (Although I'm not a huge fan of one spinoff show, "On Deck", since there seems to me to be a lot of repetition of footage from the previous episode, with minimal "On Deck Extended Footage"). 

I am however a huge fan of "The Bait" which is hosted by the main captains and includes segments such as "The Hot Seat", where one captain is "grilled" and taken to task about his actions by the other captains; "Captain to Captain," where a captain of another sort (ie: weather, marine animals, the Coast Guard, etc.) are brought in to discuss how their jobs relate to and impact the crab fishery; and "Play Catch" which is usually a competition of some sort between captains (during last nights episode, "Play Catch" pitted brothers Jonathan and Andy Hillstrand against co-captains Josh Harris and Casey McMann in a game of "how well do you know your partner"). 

Those are just a few of the things that make "The Bait" such a great show! Another regular feature of "The Bait" that I really enjoy is "The Fourtner Report," in which favourite likeable "super deckhand" of the "Time Bandit," Mike Fourtner, provides inside scoops, explanations and examples of the ins and outs of crab fishing (showing how knots are tied, how to fix holes in the pots, the differences between the two main crabs they fish for, etc.). 

I especially like this segment because a lot of interesting things are explained about crab fishing that most people wouldn't ever know unless they were in the business. During one of last seasons "Fourtner Report"s, the hand gestures used to indicate to the captain how many crab were in a pot were explained. 

For the life of me, I couldn't remember what the explanation was. Nor could I find one online, despite over an hours worth of searching our so called "information highway". However, I now have it on very good authority, (THANKS Josh), that the explanation or formula for the hand signals used represent the crab count is as simple as "five plus however many fingers are held sideways". 

For example, God forbid, but should there only be 17 crab in a pot, the deckhand would hold up one hand, fingers pointed toward the sky and flash that to the captain 2 times (5 + 5 = 10), then they would hold two fingers pointed sideways, representing the number 7. Meaning a total crab count of 10 + 7 = 17.

[I'm pretty sure that's right, but any errors are mine poor, sucky math skills and not the fault of Josh's explanation]!

A big part of my enjoyment in watching "Deadliest Catch", is that is gives Caitlin and I an opportunity to not only spend time together, but to bond over a common interest. 

I know that none of that is "wacky", unless you count my mad math skills, which are, simply put, "whacked", and that you're probably wondering what exactly about this post qualifies it for my "Wacky Wednesday" article.

Well, on last nights "The Bait", two guests happened to be cheerleaders from the Seattle Seahawks football team. In honour of there visit, Mike Fourtner introduced us to a very peculiar crab, the Lybia, or more commonly called, the "Boxer Crab".

If you look at the photo, you'll see that at the end of each claw, the Boxer Crab is holding what looks like pom-poms. The pom-poms are really sea anemone that the crabs carry around as a defence mechanism. Carrying around these anemones are not crucial to their survival, and the Boxer Crab has been known to substitute sea sponges and or corals in place of the three various types of anemones that they bond with.

So there you have it, the weird and wacky post for this week.

What is the strangest animal you have ever seen?

Thanks for stopping by, check back next week for a (hopefully) far more wacky post!

As always, your continued interest, support, encouragement and inspiration is valued more than you could possibly know!

#WackyWednesday, #Quirky, #Odd, #Interesting, #Bizarre, #Weird, #Wonderful, #Strange, #WhatTheWhat, #Crab, #TV, #DeadliestCatch, #Captain, #Deckhand, #KingCrab, #Opilio, #AlaskanCrabFishery, #TheBait, #TheHotSeat, #CaptainToCaptain, #TheFourtnerReport, #CrabCountHandSignals, #FamilyBonding, #ISuckAtMath, #BoxerCrab, #PomPomCrab, #SeaAnemone, #SeaSponge, #Corals, #WeirdAnimals

~ WACKY WEDNESDAY ~ July 1, 2015 ~ (Previously entitled QOT...W) ~ "The Animal Kingdom" ~

~ WACKY WEDNESDAY ~ July 1, 2015 ~ (Previously entitled QOT...W) ~ "The Animal Kingdom" ~ Ok, so it's 2:15am, I'm heading outside for my last smoke before trying to go back to bed (which I've been trying to do literally ALL day because I'm in the middle of yet another pretty rough pain day AND massive migraine).

I've got my book, "The Essence", 2nd in "The Pledge" series by a new favourite author, Kimberly Derting. (I just finished reading the first two books in her "The Taking" series and loved them)! I also plan on reading her other series, "The Body Finder" too, as soon as I'm done this series.

I've got my cushion, smoke and lighter. As I sit down on the stoop of the back door, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a slight movement half way up the dining room window that overlooks our back deck.

At first I thought it was just another moth, of which there are many because of the outside light that I've turned on so that I can see to read. At least it's late (early?) enough that the mosquitoes aren't out in droves, looking to cart me away.

I think that I somehow knew that what I could see in my peripheral vision was far too big to be a moth, but terrified that it might be a spider, I couldn't look directly at it to confirm what it was.

Finally, my fear got the better of me. Not wanting to sit there and wonder "when" this huge, maybe-spider might leap on top of my head, I turned my head and squinted my eyes shut tight. (I really, really didn't want it to turn out to be a spider)!! 

I slowly opened one eye (of course, I picked my right eye, which was furthest away from the window) and couldn't see a gosh darn thing. I am absolutely terrified of spiders (see my "Flashback Friday" post dated November 28, 2014, entitled "Spiders ~ A Tale of Terror), so I took my time squeezing my eyes shut tight again. 

I ever so slowly pried open my left eye, and hiding half of my face with my book, (I know from experience that if aimed properly, a good book CAN squash a spider, I'm just hoping that if I have to throw the book, it doesn't break the window!). I almost peed my pants in relief to see a frog/toad clinging to our window.

Many times we have often found teeny, tiny frogs/toads on our back door, which is made of glass. They were not much bigger than the pads of my thumbs. This frog however, was as big as my fist!

I didn't get much reading on that trip outside. I kept glancing over as the frog/toad creeped slowly up the window.

The next time that I went outside, around 3:30am (of course I was too worked up thinking it might have been a spider that I couldn't fall asleep even if I tried), the frog/toad was gone.

I have absolutely no idea how they get up to our back door and windows. (Yeah, I know, frogs can hop, DUH). But I am still curious as to how they make it all the way up the stairs and in this case, up over 3 feet of siding before reaching the window.

I'm pretty sure I was at least a little more comfortable when I knew where the frog/toad was than not knowing!

#WackyWednesday, #Quirky, #Odd, #Interesting, #Bizarre, #Weird, #Wonderful, #Strange, #WhatTheWhat, #AnimalKingdom, #Smoke, #Bed, #Insomnia, #ChronicPain, #Migraine, #Books, #Reading, #KimberlyDerting, #ThePledge, #TheTaking, #TheBodyFinder, #Animals, #Moth, #Spider, #Frog, #Toad, #WhereDidItGo, #Terrified