tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75837377133903604332024-03-21T21:38:06.782-07:00A Musing WigiWigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-22012895440115175952015-02-08T06:01:00.000-08:002015-02-08T06:01:00.037-08:00Sewing With Fleece - The Wigi Way Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realized I had a lot of fleece left over from the cat bed I made and blogged about <a href="http://amusingwigi.blogspot.com/2015/02/sewing-with-fleece-wigi-way.html" target="_blank">last week</a> but I didn't know what to do with it. Then my DH asked me a very important question. "Do you have any of that fleece left over and if so, can you make a pillow for me?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Brilliant! What could be easier than a pillow, right? Well, you would think that at my age I would know how much I underestimate things. But noooooo, not me. I made the commitment, now I have to follow though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started to research it. I knew I wanted to make what is called an 'envelope pillowcase' since it would involve a little bit of stitching and no zippers. I Googled it and found some patterns and tips I could use. I also didn't know if I had enough of the left over fleece material, so I got some remnant fabric just in case.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlPbXhXrVa983bg-wGtOo_2EkxZ-eJ7lA1GqTjqkucSnCsQKbZCbZYdqWadsfT0I5dq3OBvfuBcdvPNPtgr-55HEwIw5vmafb86WCskYM3XAkU6bQSgKXYBu0NESou2BaukzeHiVeEszp/s1600/01Mat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlPbXhXrVa983bg-wGtOo_2EkxZ-eJ7lA1GqTjqkucSnCsQKbZCbZYdqWadsfT0I5dq3OBvfuBcdvPNPtgr-55HEwIw5vmafb86WCskYM3XAkU6bQSgKXYBu0NESou2BaukzeHiVeEszp/s1600/01Mat.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The original Pirate material is on the left and the right side is the remnant fabric I picked up.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also got 2 pillow forms. One was rectangular and the other was square. Here's the rectangular one.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNhCxyobdnCePzkfeVIKne4eMVXBOAwNDZJR7qrs0PXbuP7-1Uc4mvRNUtKoMXL6WP37_0livTNrrOnhP3TuW3AHX2wufX2vfxEaNJhbXE9Kb_jaMMw-ZxKDvmhqgQgamLyioIjFbVJIv/s1600/03Pillow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNhCxyobdnCePzkfeVIKne4eMVXBOAwNDZJR7qrs0PXbuP7-1Uc4mvRNUtKoMXL6WP37_0livTNrrOnhP3TuW3AHX2wufX2vfxEaNJhbXE9Kb_jaMMw-ZxKDvmhqgQgamLyioIjFbVJIv/s1600/03Pillow.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had an inspector come though to approve my work. Here's a picture of him too.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcUa7eMxw3LoWtaUYtCY9nm2yPkTPTvIvEfZABGBSQPybP-ug3g0ngXz-ct-fTt-XG8_ndGKPL0-P9pM6NQdz628EwjZhqzvk9wuBPmMv9Bcpact0LEL1P8pdJtbIab9eXBAJKDVHpwug/s1600/TC01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcUa7eMxw3LoWtaUYtCY9nm2yPkTPTvIvEfZABGBSQPybP-ug3g0ngXz-ct-fTt-XG8_ndGKPL0-P9pM6NQdz628EwjZhqzvk9wuBPmMv9Bcpact0LEL1P8pdJtbIab9eXBAJKDVHpwug/s1600/TC01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Here's TC (aka "The Cat")</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Both pillows I made were cut into 3 pieces, one piece for the front and 2 pieces for the back. The back 2 pieces would overlap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here I pinned the hem that would overlap in the back of the pillow.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp26bB-CC1S8WJ_RKSsAGdML_Ue5l_hX8XN37UapcRWiyvopupVzWT9XCz4FC3OrN3cfVCIYB8OFc64t242Nl45hQ0jRO65fn8Pg_LLtBwRsWgZxqhgO9JzmemzumZ8_x4XsIaVwHzCGjV/s1600/09Pirate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp26bB-CC1S8WJ_RKSsAGdML_Ue5l_hX8XN37UapcRWiyvopupVzWT9XCz4FC3OrN3cfVCIYB8OFc64t242Nl45hQ0jRO65fn8Pg_LLtBwRsWgZxqhgO9JzmemzumZ8_x4XsIaVwHzCGjV/s1600/09Pirate.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There actually is a right and wrong side to fleece. You can see here the 'right' side is more vibrant and the pattern is more clear.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did the same thing for the other material and here are the results of my project.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, the rectangular Pirate pillow:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejHbibgjyLGMi5AjgJyKMkg-TYraQqUu57pQepmbVFEA7a5a2HaISnk5nX_Rq-T34YnIajFuL-FG3rEdDF5CY0FBIgqpqyVACUD-GoyaXkcxFC3ZFvogJQ7geWSDNhW3WDLFduvw4hAdR/s1600/011Pirate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pirate Pillow Front" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejHbibgjyLGMi5AjgJyKMkg-TYraQqUu57pQepmbVFEA7a5a2HaISnk5nX_Rq-T34YnIajFuL-FG3rEdDF5CY0FBIgqpqyVACUD-GoyaXkcxFC3ZFvogJQ7geWSDNhW3WDLFduvw4hAdR/s1600/011Pirate.JPG" title="Pirate Pillow Front" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And back:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1nGRjvW23fGqUbRLlXDQOEKK2OwSE9iWHqBpU17Go75bDUxtYBn_wgnejGF54jpIzKr53IBTITnqFuzcbVexH2CU0-RQWDXcM_PZS-krOESUIjM_AFWDPgWB-orKYQ6SI3sGK8BpKJcs/s1600/012Pirate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pirate Pillow back" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1nGRjvW23fGqUbRLlXDQOEKK2OwSE9iWHqBpU17Go75bDUxtYBn_wgnejGF54jpIzKr53IBTITnqFuzcbVexH2CU0-RQWDXcM_PZS-krOESUIjM_AFWDPgWB-orKYQ6SI3sGK8BpKJcs/s1600/012Pirate.JPG" title="Pirate Pillow back" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Square Domino pillow front:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwy4-kL0EK5x7E-kK1WvrOWMDLzopdpLC39dh0zWGMB2poXFy1Klw78ZW0CWmsq87PtO4zkS5NoTyl4YSGAo-Nqd0flneb5JlaYimoD9xVbi9bTMTZ4dPz8Dd6RUAMe7mRelVMT6mnvQUr/s1600/020Domino.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Domino pillow front" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwy4-kL0EK5x7E-kK1WvrOWMDLzopdpLC39dh0zWGMB2poXFy1Klw78ZW0CWmsq87PtO4zkS5NoTyl4YSGAo-Nqd0flneb5JlaYimoD9xVbi9bTMTZ4dPz8Dd6RUAMe7mRelVMT6mnvQUr/s1600/020Domino.JPG" title="Domino pillow front" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Square Domino pillow back:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aBvqfyzeQMTi5HC39lNitEz3R40tLTjb2wVdEm3UjxBhMBCHMSxw86-5o11l5TYTJ3lHkELY889gsOuFj4HI8i06m3kwtx4gHlFrNNJ7u9Qb-fXQxky2LZ_EpG9Jy_m60HGopeixBRVo/s1600/022Domino.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Domino pillow back" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aBvqfyzeQMTi5HC39lNitEz3R40tLTjb2wVdEm3UjxBhMBCHMSxw86-5o11l5TYTJ3lHkELY889gsOuFj4HI8i06m3kwtx4gHlFrNNJ7u9Qb-fXQxky2LZ_EpG9Jy_m60HGopeixBRVo/s1600/022Domino.JPG" title="Domino pillow back" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once I got the hang of it, things went smooth. This is a super easy project to do and it made DH happy, which was my goal all along.</span></div>
Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-47589356311426794332015-02-01T05:47:00.001-08:002015-02-01T05:53:22.569-08:00Sewing with Fleece - The Wigi way<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During the holidays Joann Fabric always has sales going on. The particular time I was there the store had a sale on Simplicity patterns & fleece and I found the perfect combination for both. You see, we got a cat from the local Humane Society and with winter here on the frozen tundra I wanted him to be nice and warm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When looking at the different fleece patterns I had originally thought to have a 'pet' theme but they all looked to prissy. Our cat is a tough guy, so I went with the appropriate themed material.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a side note, it took us a while to name him since I wanted to see what his personality would turn out to be. We ended up naming him TC, why? Well, it was what we were calling him anyway. You know - "The Cat". :-P</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I got the pattern below. I actually reviewed it on Amazon too.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-5544-dog-beds.aspx" target="_blank"><img alt=" Simplicity Pattern 2297" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhwfuqi9aJoOaS-VSnrxGoCY7rL8xW7ahq2u02RQQvlNe-ryCbFTy18WummGCbqB0gsMTatQnr2adNBAlCMachnaGbEQU6hGduok64bQvMkmnX8QAwBmxGPcfe_B-Sd2BXQLieof5FFN_/s1600/2297.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I selected this pattern to make I thought, "Well, it's simple enough and since it's 'no sew' it should be easy." Ha! Let me just say that once you get the pattern cut out, you have a lot of work to do before you even start putting it together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You will need:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fleece material</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Scissors</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pins</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Awl</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hammer (yes, that's right a hammer)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marker</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fiberfill</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got some fleece fabric which always is on sale around the holidays. I washed it and then found a place big enough to lay out the fabric for cutting. (Note, I always fuse my pattern to some light Pelon interfacing as the pattern holds up better that way) I pinned the pattern on top and cut out my chosen view. Next I had to mark the pattern and make holes in the fleece. Do you know how hard it is to make a teeny tiny hole in this material? I swear to God it's like steel! You have to punch holes in the fleece so that you can thread it with the fleece strips you cut to draw up the fabric. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What to do, what to do? So I asked my husband if he had any ideas of how to do this without me marking up my cutting surface with little punch holes. He gave me a piece of 1x2 wood to put under the fabric so that when I punched holes in it with the hammer and awl, my cutting surface wouldn't suffer. I also left the wood under the fleece so that my Sharpie marker wouldn't mar my cutting surface either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me tell you that this project (for me) was an experience in patience. It seemed like there were a bazillion holes to punch and mark. Not only did I have to mark the holes, but I wanted to make sure I could see the mark from either side of the fabric. It wasn't a little dot here and there I had to saturate that hole. This paid off for me when the weaving part started. If you think you can skip any part of the 'making a hole or marking a hole' think again. 1) Punching the hole is a 'must do' because you have to weave that fleece strip through it and 2) If you don't mark the hole you punched you will never find it in the fleece. Trust me on this one....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stuffing the bottom part of the bed after I had weaved the bottom was easy as was the rest of the instructions. For the sides of the bed the instructions had you make 1/2 of the side and then stuff it with the fiberfill material. I did this but it was hard to get the stuffing even, When I did the 2nd half of the side, I stuffed as I went and that went much better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think I will draw up the sides more than the pattern said to do, but I believe this is individual taste.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Would I make it again? No, unless someone paid me a lot of money to do it. Am I glad I made it? Yes, very much so.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOdzFR5fJ29IU329_jOpRX_BTuBWL8JXPros-7WTsQBC7V_-QUddx1pj_zJpFDp2paP5m8LVOgAIZbcuwZqwmnTjUXg-IbJ3ohPfTogKqERcOmsZWBIPwWrgK5IOF7XrJmSv6rfoBPetf/s1600/CatBed02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOdzFR5fJ29IU329_jOpRX_BTuBWL8JXPros-7WTsQBC7V_-QUddx1pj_zJpFDp2paP5m8LVOgAIZbcuwZqwmnTjUXg-IbJ3ohPfTogKqERcOmsZWBIPwWrgK5IOF7XrJmSv6rfoBPetf/s1600/CatBed02.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next week I'll share with you what I did with the left over material, this time my husband benefited from it!</span></div>
Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-83822128544064217302015-01-17T09:15:00.001-08:002015-01-17T09:38:41.795-08:00Keeping Busy for Winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">So, here's what I have been up to lately. </span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">In December, I was at Joann Fabrics and I saw this beautiful material that was on sale. The only problem with it was that I had nothing in mind to make with it, so I could not justify buying the fabric. That same day at Joann's they also had a sale on Simplicity patterns. As I was looking through the pattern book, I came across a pattern that was PERFECT for that material I had an eye on. It was meant to be…. Anyway, I bought the pattern and the material and proceeded to sew.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-1568-crafts.aspx" target="_blank"><img alt="Simplicity 2613" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjhHDjYw1F2owtvbOA1tHHj8Q0HU9Hhj2ZnH6zGGQ554SmoOaGt4lcuIJSIl_oOAHWe_rbRkFp8tQ4XboOJLrEdKxAkq9XpZs0Tx6JsaneDr1c0wF89s8QtMeLBX1PE9y1zikvPctOGfk/s1600/Simplicity2613.JPG" title="Simplicity 2613" /></a></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">The material was corduroy fabric with colorful elephants printed on it and I knew it would be a nice gift for my friends who have children. I made 8 in total and gave them out right before Christmas. Here's a couple of them I made. They are so cute!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTC67Gew2AFPvq8yUGKLw80fFvKKZfaimVhD9YkzyWu-MSbMxt68Zxrrkk3dgsr9mMVgFFBXw-50TZr2PZl74yvsE_Y6ptnakTfleuO9nT98-ziTeP-KfkCZb5ApnmYOwBVDSkqHzLl1Dl/s1600/Elephant02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTC67Gew2AFPvq8yUGKLw80fFvKKZfaimVhD9YkzyWu-MSbMxt68Zxrrkk3dgsr9mMVgFFBXw-50TZr2PZl74yvsE_Y6ptnakTfleuO9nT98-ziTeP-KfkCZb5ApnmYOwBVDSkqHzLl1Dl/s1600/Elephant02.JPG" /></a></div>
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-86452969244592272272013-11-10T04:16:00.000-08:002013-11-10T04:17:25.438-08:00Halloween Fingers - How I do it<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each year for Halloween I make creepy looking fingers. I have seen some people call them witch's fingers. To me, it's the same thing. Something edible for Halloween, but almost too creepy to eat.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR_b9Zf3tyaG1sBfCuw-PP5_WS5MWJUmAYbV7q-_m_CzrJIoe6Coc6MB8W89xp9rWmVmq2zwr6DhCDKANK9y2GBceNPqBd1SqY3uO7mEKk2iodfexrdPBx2HLlPSZAEIQRNLZUEJ2BdMT/s1600/HalloweenFingers0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR_b9Zf3tyaG1sBfCuw-PP5_WS5MWJUmAYbV7q-_m_CzrJIoe6Coc6MB8W89xp9rWmVmq2zwr6DhCDKANK9y2GBceNPqBd1SqY3uO7mEKk2iodfexrdPBx2HLlPSZAEIQRNLZUEJ2BdMT/s1600/HalloweenFingers0010.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This year, I took pictures along the way so you could see the progress as I went through each step.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cookie dough is nothing more than a shortbread cookie recipe. Sugar, flour, butter, Vanilla extract & some Almond Extract. Nothing fancy here! Oh, and I did add some cinnamon, blanched almonds & slivered almonds in strategic places. More on that later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here's how I did it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KS77i2QgBUx0KRhAvWqDlBFt51lmndBtbThYuZ0FBAY2bXQAASfWIuq0PfPcgbNTrYyYIYhYiOaJ5WNkaPaY08ZE2Gz6daNl9QZs6p5h9G94YnwNgPRzmKgR_yK-kbSfM66MQhfaUfRh/s1600/HalloweenFingers0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KS77i2QgBUx0KRhAvWqDlBFt51lmndBtbThYuZ0FBAY2bXQAASfWIuq0PfPcgbNTrYyYIYhYiOaJ5WNkaPaY08ZE2Gz6daNl9QZs6p5h9G94YnwNgPRzmKgR_yK-kbSfM66MQhfaUfRh/s1600/HalloweenFingers0020.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I started out with a spoonful of dough and rolled it into a log between my hands. I had to adjust the amount of dough I used, but I finally had the 'eye' for it and turned out some consistent shapes.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6q6qH4YlKOQ1RcNDPmnRnPuOHmh8D6kM6oMv5M5TaLhU1EQhtauHXJEh7elno-gKJ9wwi6Ri6ijdtXQB535k_MKBfkSMm2VhnpbWaBkEhvqpQlcH4M3tMaR1lV2eQezo7Gg5Cgijl5Xm/s1600/HalloweenFingers0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6q6qH4YlKOQ1RcNDPmnRnPuOHmh8D6kM6oMv5M5TaLhU1EQhtauHXJEh7elno-gKJ9wwi6Ri6ijdtXQB535k_MKBfkSMm2VhnpbWaBkEhvqpQlcH4M3tMaR1lV2eQezo7Gg5Cgijl5Xm/s1600/HalloweenFingers0060.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Now I have added the blanched almonds. All you need to do is take a handful of raw almonds (with skin on) boil them in water for a little while, drain, slip the skin off and split them. They have this nice pasty white coloring, with ridges and some of them are a bit chipped too. Perfect!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FyyIDIIzh9Tw0kqW2iHVx7oc78muuxc7Rk_FCVHKPqje1g7u7x0aFx9Ieq3YGEMAnoPwiXxWqKFkaV09lGQD2kxlvkQOk5-P6A9uB8AoPx5D12nXIJ_nBYaHiOeupDZQnvSN60qvI1Eq/s1600/HalloweenFingers0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FyyIDIIzh9Tw0kqW2iHVx7oc78muuxc7Rk_FCVHKPqje1g7u7x0aFx9Ieq3YGEMAnoPwiXxWqKFkaV09lGQD2kxlvkQOk5-P6A9uB8AoPx5D12nXIJ_nBYaHiOeupDZQnvSN60qvI1Eq/s1600/HalloweenFingers0090.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here I have added the knuckles. Just take a knife and make 3 slashes in the cookie for each knuckle. They are really starting to look like fingers now.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJankGWNBhiEV_xrcn_E86PJnPkt73X_LAoBbOTlJBzaIQDD0GWX-wkM05o6KwtBejMfqC5tu379F27VW3HgM0oNewK0xrxX5i1W2KBaaKMgVF0G9c5G4IDlc3MceyFGplJoU9M6pvuWQ-/s1600/HalloweenFingers0100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJankGWNBhiEV_xrcn_E86PJnPkt73X_LAoBbOTlJBzaIQDD0GWX-wkM05o6KwtBejMfqC5tu379F27VW3HgM0oNewK0xrxX5i1W2KBaaKMgVF0G9c5G4IDlc3MceyFGplJoU9M6pvuWQ-/s1600/HalloweenFingers0100.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A close up</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyUiN4ar6pfWC-x8Trsrosf2GRxjjNQMKzLiumduGUc2jAF_Wf4zJfojwWR8prT7DT_yKHOoBGSRCu9TUalz30Z1P7UhNNvXheYWVW-hVPhutYqog__aclvH-rHsygfikLu5sRjJTMgF7/s1600/HalloweenFingers0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyUiN4ar6pfWC-x8Trsrosf2GRxjjNQMKzLiumduGUc2jAF_Wf4zJfojwWR8prT7DT_yKHOoBGSRCu9TUalz30Z1P7UhNNvXheYWVW-hVPhutYqog__aclvH-rHsygfikLu5sRjJTMgF7/s1600/HalloweenFingers0130.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Halloween fingers can't dig their way out of graves without getting dirt on them can they? I brushed cinnamon on them to give that dirt appearance. And I'm not even done yet....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqROsFLdCEMOjzgKAJB3dtAr2txW8x8Z3R0y_BNltacisq4eu9C49zJER0ysgSaw5ZaZHQ6g7ZDjMqdpmu7mV6LJs2nY0C82LCDyLA-0WVX_LP6j4MGt7KaOgPVMNyggvq3XFiojdHlLD/s1600/HalloweenFingers0150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqROsFLdCEMOjzgKAJB3dtAr2txW8x8Z3R0y_BNltacisq4eu9C49zJER0ysgSaw5ZaZHQ6g7ZDjMqdpmu7mV6LJs2nY0C82LCDyLA-0WVX_LP6j4MGt7KaOgPVMNyggvq3XFiojdHlLD/s1600/HalloweenFingers0150.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another close up</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlE4sZmCnZ_fKwnPRSWEIlbckzlkjrvryWArnSYb0vAc1SDWq5VcF0xXmADxBWcMkVEwMEFYfV2ZziyeTfm9GsRZjbcx9FsUb8qlullhoWP0sRL9Kq9niP9jMhOAbeK9UtSVeQ5UWqORXi/s1600/HalloweenFingers0160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlE4sZmCnZ_fKwnPRSWEIlbckzlkjrvryWArnSYb0vAc1SDWq5VcF0xXmADxBWcMkVEwMEFYfV2ZziyeTfm9GsRZjbcx9FsUb8qlullhoWP0sRL9Kq9niP9jMhOAbeK9UtSVeQ5UWqORXi/s1600/HalloweenFingers0160.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Slivered almonds. What do you use them for? I'll betcha don't use them as bones coming out of the fingers. (Presumably when they were ripped off the hand) I couldn't use all the slivered almonds as I had to pick the longest ones. The leftovers will go in a stir fry or something.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquxp0tcyrUJoIIg6Wp31M7VpEqSlOHNAG30xeZTFor1Jul_xi2bWhx6p2SNSi-baCz55a46U_GQpuU8MjLpzc1NCKXsCleW18znyhv1y1SjnVrcR_VpSXHTmfNaJpTiWWofaOhidB-1Hb/s1600/HalloweenFingers0165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquxp0tcyrUJoIIg6Wp31M7VpEqSlOHNAG30xeZTFor1Jul_xi2bWhx6p2SNSi-baCz55a46U_GQpuU8MjLpzc1NCKXsCleW18znyhv1y1SjnVrcR_VpSXHTmfNaJpTiWWofaOhidB-1Hb/s1600/HalloweenFingers0165.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Well, they don't look like actual bones, but close enough. We don't want to get too realistic here.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1m3AdWFkIUK7opL3arGU5ZH9xHMZ-r7oomHb_JJ9vRpQZM0KOzO0yPlrEwcFUUgk7DcEqEfMuaSHS2-FVf8qk7D-x-mvC6GxjxopFU25-0Ausx_f7LQlQaRYi1vesMIfS1dN3EuAH2VV/s1600/HalloweenFingers0170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1m3AdWFkIUK7opL3arGU5ZH9xHMZ-r7oomHb_JJ9vRpQZM0KOzO0yPlrEwcFUUgk7DcEqEfMuaSHS2-FVf8qk7D-x-mvC6GxjxopFU25-0Ausx_f7LQlQaRYi1vesMIfS1dN3EuAH2VV/s1600/HalloweenFingers0170.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A little red food coloring and Voila! It's starting to get creepy.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQLMwUy9TpyP83xHwxEVYuxu9nsROCf_oQodOOjXkfaWzhZbQKew0SSyhPdJDqnEpyFnApN4DGjvtbQkzthZz3T4d1hirheSVZoD0aF_Dwgl1xQ1hS71L6KVYsluAd3yKqjIgg4QP5T7q/s1600/HalloweenFingers0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQLMwUy9TpyP83xHwxEVYuxu9nsROCf_oQodOOjXkfaWzhZbQKew0SSyhPdJDqnEpyFnApN4DGjvtbQkzthZz3T4d1hirheSVZoD0aF_Dwgl1xQ1hS71L6KVYsluAd3yKqjIgg4QP5T7q/s1600/HalloweenFingers0180.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here they are before I put them in the oven for baking in all their creepy glory.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30jPfTPB7z1P6Tx2hcpuzPAQ7VyMKLXsbL2w48Xj11_9CmMtepbhiZBpgj8vrD_3jBUCJ_bTyLnYE2hU8nQObj3u3E86J3Tciz7YNER2Z-s_mbnFi_6ru4zAwSeKlKIbCDC-Fjd5xTFa_/s1600/HalloweenFingers0230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30jPfTPB7z1P6Tx2hcpuzPAQ7VyMKLXsbL2w48Xj11_9CmMtepbhiZBpgj8vrD_3jBUCJ_bTyLnYE2hU8nQObj3u3E86J3Tciz7YNER2Z-s_mbnFi_6ru4zAwSeKlKIbCDC-Fjd5xTFa_/s1600/HalloweenFingers0230.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">They flattened out more than I wanted, which indicates I didn't have enough flour in the recipe. Something I'll have to keep in mind for next year. On the positive side, they almost look like they are decomposing. <br /><br />The red you see around the fingernails was red frosting I put on the fingers before I baked them. It turned out nicely, so I'll probably do the same thing next year.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIiwBKWSVVVTNG6n5XLk6bm3jtmeyEMH7dDKAGGgqvnVLcZisqBB5ZeQtnWgEtHJULek81tfUSK7hf-__-x9Cs2S8NimLbk4jJ4I3OHEsF-G-QCNIxZ0HFifDo7YeoffIoRDf_AWcePUX/s1600/HalloweenFingers0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIiwBKWSVVVTNG6n5XLk6bm3jtmeyEMH7dDKAGGgqvnVLcZisqBB5ZeQtnWgEtHJULek81tfUSK7hf-__-x9Cs2S8NimLbk4jJ4I3OHEsF-G-QCNIxZ0HFifDo7YeoffIoRDf_AWcePUX/s1600/HalloweenFingers0240.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another closeup for you</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall it took me about 2 hours to do this. If you are making these cookies with someone else, it shouldn't take as long.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They were a big hit at work, and as usual I had some left over at the end of the day because the majority of people couldn't bring themselves to eat the fingers. My husband didn't have a problem eating them, but since he's retired from the US Marine Corps, it doesn't surprise me.</span><br />
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-55309692139378626502013-10-09T04:44:00.000-07:002013-10-09T04:44:19.921-07:00Let's Get Ready To Rumble! - First show of the season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, I'll admit it wasn't a big show, but since I was horribly sick and missed doing any shows last winter, this was a good one to start with. It was a small show, inexpensive to attend and it was close to home. A perfect combination. Oh, and as an added bonus, the weather wasn't too bad either. Not perfect, but not bad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the first show where I had both my dichroic pendants and soap for sale. I took some pictures to document this auspicious occasion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, if you are interested, I have my <a href="http://www.all-thatglitters.net/Show_Schedule.html" target="_blank">show schedule</a> posted on my web site so stop by if you can!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbAWcmhKNFG-8agOB3WQhITfXdYJgSCzDhTFxmtLrd7qXzYvzvm4jnpTs6Khbp5t0sgodRkPyEYqOzzQprm04MUCVeUB305Enq8sMMrW_NlTRUpzqBNPqtNjk3dVV3atDDk7ThrFdD1v8/s1600/PrtgShow100513-010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbAWcmhKNFG-8agOB3WQhITfXdYJgSCzDhTFxmtLrd7qXzYvzvm4jnpTs6Khbp5t0sgodRkPyEYqOzzQprm04MUCVeUB305Enq8sMMrW_NlTRUpzqBNPqtNjk3dVV3atDDk7ThrFdD1v8/s1600/PrtgShow100513-010.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is a display of my soap. In the front you see my glycerin loofah soap and on the right is my 'Bag of Bones' soap. The other soap you see in the back is the other soap I have made. So far the Lavender Vanilla soap is my best seller.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj-i44AgnYsSdW_2uNRKzZ5dnjB-7bya2dhGmx3c3YvI3jvwVOhGe0FOE4_pZh5t0slpxizL81rbs0AemoXV15melmJif6qqn4Zbmby0C1dNfuwIZ2sgD2d-4KaHtXuLBEr_4vhC5a5L-/s1600/PrtgShow100513-020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj-i44AgnYsSdW_2uNRKzZ5dnjB-7bya2dhGmx3c3YvI3jvwVOhGe0FOE4_pZh5t0slpxizL81rbs0AemoXV15melmJif6qqn4Zbmby0C1dNfuwIZ2sgD2d-4KaHtXuLBEr_4vhC5a5L-/s1600/PrtgShow100513-020.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A closeup of the loofah soap.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XP1DUAoOqLalw0CKaMtzjjYP4zYyAnzyxqftq5yfKsOp4gGUGhCdoTeIbZHTh2Q3wmV4w4aelriYTWsG0oiH90D_SCtwkGOovy4Nv8yK3P1EvO1yxvxaxS7LomQWBxAXv0QNQjeliLKf/s1600/PrtgShow100513-030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XP1DUAoOqLalw0CKaMtzjjYP4zYyAnzyxqftq5yfKsOp4gGUGhCdoTeIbZHTh2Q3wmV4w4aelriYTWsG0oiH90D_SCtwkGOovy4Nv8yK3P1EvO1yxvxaxS7LomQWBxAXv0QNQjeliLKf/s1600/PrtgShow100513-030.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">After looking at my Bag of Bones soap on the white table cloth I realized it was not easy to see so I put it in one of my jewelry trays. The soap in the front is two separate pieces and the soap in the back has the skull and crossbones embedded in glycerin soap. I called it "Buried Bag of Bones."</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreAm10m2fqcT57rDtp57vkzKg0iyCdQgQbqmbDiF9bc7xLwe4iistt8Dp-UKXwl-tDMZQn5SzR69uYVyFUY2oOhBt65EgxU-vzk3vCKgIUYvEkO6ynnU_bmfuBFqye9t9UzglE0VSsExU/s1600/PrtgShow100513-031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreAm10m2fqcT57rDtp57vkzKg0iyCdQgQbqmbDiF9bc7xLwe4iistt8Dp-UKXwl-tDMZQn5SzR69uYVyFUY2oOhBt65EgxU-vzk3vCKgIUYvEkO6ynnU_bmfuBFqye9t9UzglE0VSsExU/s1600/PrtgShow100513-031.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here's a distance shot of the soap table setup.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzm0yWxPnZR89av56kQNatmKDacGYvSwnpSufcA6Y6loWKoP7KYbALo8UKaAtnGQrNIUkSRjicR46BBzA6UZWzjSUMXK_hf8oqCSnfuydpnvVO6Pt1FHahfR4cXZENizYwx3t-UpvbgS7/s1600/PrtgShow100513-050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzm0yWxPnZR89av56kQNatmKDacGYvSwnpSufcA6Y6loWKoP7KYbALo8UKaAtnGQrNIUkSRjicR46BBzA6UZWzjSUMXK_hf8oqCSnfuydpnvVO6Pt1FHahfR4cXZENizYwx3t-UpvbgS7/s1600/PrtgShow100513-050.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The pendants I make. As an added bonus, I caught my husband in the picture too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another angle</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On to the next show!</span><br />
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com3Portage, WI, USA43.5391486 -89.462620243.4470886 -89.6239817 43.631208599999994 -89.3012587tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-67433558219024613882013-09-23T07:40:00.003-07:002013-10-09T04:44:49.944-07:00Loofah Soap - So Ingenious!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As some of you know I have been dabbling in soap making. I saw a YouTube video of how to make Loofah Soap, so I thought "Why not give it a try?" So I did the loofah in the Pringles can thing and it was<a href="http://amusingwigi.blogspot.com/2013/08/triple-l-not-so-bad-after-all.html" target="_blank"> not exactly the way I wanted it to go</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This weekend I tried it again with what is called "Melt & Pour" soap. It is exactly as advertised. You melt it in the microwave and pour it into molds, but in my case it was PVC pipe. Take a look at the pictures below.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrBhMa0KZfgI5UkHNrJa5f8sdiyEF5PUlWhzTFZABuG9lqZf_f6GPEBMOneCY_YLuTujfkfo_n-PKt8quBQsA8scf_jM5P1IlIUwvCHkyVPAgYb1RTae8ZrOpNp0EG4mbXGfjB_uK_dWp/s1600/LoofahSoap001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrBhMa0KZfgI5UkHNrJa5f8sdiyEF5PUlWhzTFZABuG9lqZf_f6GPEBMOneCY_YLuTujfkfo_n-PKt8quBQsA8scf_jM5P1IlIUwvCHkyVPAgYb1RTae8ZrOpNp0EG4mbXGfjB_uK_dWp/s1600/LoofahSoap001.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here are my PVC tubes filled with the loofahs and soap. I do have end caps on the bottom of the tubes, but I wanted to make sure they were sealed tight, so I duck taped them. The red thing on the right is a mold I used for the leftover soap.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LwLH4YVfVJ0JdZCUI9RZ4oBkX5cH15m79rl_pTN_DWQjNoBsb9BRxpNXU3XHoLxuA6dRW5S9O1PAaNghh2erJe-3USOIr0QQHcDy6gWkOuJbc0y7eXL9v7wKeyzUvngJSD3phFSSkEDl/s1600/LoofahSoap002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LwLH4YVfVJ0JdZCUI9RZ4oBkX5cH15m79rl_pTN_DWQjNoBsb9BRxpNXU3XHoLxuA6dRW5S9O1PAaNghh2erJe-3USOIr0QQHcDy6gWkOuJbc0y7eXL9v7wKeyzUvngJSD3phFSSkEDl/s1600/LoofahSoap002.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is a top view of the tube. I didn't want to make them too full and you can clearly see the loofah here. The little "ice" looking pieces are the soap that did not melt completely. Darn things! I didn't see them in the mix.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNxgrqXEWHLu8cbdqlt5Imszj5hPmv1ZjaouC-F6isMJEHKYXEHcBXE_sw8dtf3qyd4cYv6OY6KFiwux2WfQlNRgQKj53GQj3BmJoBI-oiTSr1NRAavxkM0Mi5tQGkBAi-Utu9qHrTvTt/s1600/LoofahSoap003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNxgrqXEWHLu8cbdqlt5Imszj5hPmv1ZjaouC-F6isMJEHKYXEHcBXE_sw8dtf3qyd4cYv6OY6KFiwux2WfQlNRgQKj53GQj3BmJoBI-oiTSr1NRAavxkM0Mi5tQGkBAi-Utu9qHrTvTt/s1600/LoofahSoap003.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another view of the top of the tubes. The green soap is Grapefruit fragrance and the blue is "Sea of Love." It's a nice light fragrance. You can see a little bit of my LOVE Scrabble Tile soap on the rack too.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipctkYM7uz7M6rz-2mI2skatbf1CyPMavUK4uIyJcLqX2eYz53N3ZBMhfW4OxX2ROE164mTfrxfmKdoR5K5ocjTkVNXfwAejvll2GlB15x3SbIRttwLQUojLBxXJBypdF3vrqaRHNbm3JH/s1600/LoofahSoap004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipctkYM7uz7M6rz-2mI2skatbf1CyPMavUK4uIyJcLqX2eYz53N3ZBMhfW4OxX2ROE164mTfrxfmKdoR5K5ocjTkVNXfwAejvll2GlB15x3SbIRttwLQUojLBxXJBypdF3vrqaRHNbm3JH/s1600/LoofahSoap004.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here a tube is upside down. I have taken the duck tape off and have pried open the end cap. I had to use a flat head screwdriver because of the suction on that end. By the way, before I added the loofahs & poured the soap in the mold I sprayed it down with butter spray. I hoped this would make it slide out of the mold. I read somewhere on the internet that it would work and then I could take a regular veggie can (unopened) and push up from the bottom to get the soap out. The can fits inside the tube with no problem.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuga7eBdekGeEcvspLy7o0XZ6TJTETujV2-xspan6T3ehk60eeEdxZgl7WnVN1rHW4YRpVrNRBNu7UtXriAtD8F_Ynd4TJy38uY4z0-MBqChhFyxoMQao0LvJuXu9IfMjst6wLJF9nDSJs/s1600/LoofahSoap005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuga7eBdekGeEcvspLy7o0XZ6TJTETujV2-xspan6T3ehk60eeEdxZgl7WnVN1rHW4YRpVrNRBNu7UtXriAtD8F_Ynd4TJy38uY4z0-MBqChhFyxoMQao0LvJuXu9IfMjst6wLJF9nDSJs/s1600/LoofahSoap005.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I opened it up I could see the spray butter, and also the darn barcode label that was on the end cap. So once I cut them into bars, the soap ends will be used at home.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlV434hFSbTND3Y-0NXpT6jrcullx8HuFt1sEvdw5gogoTteWt1j4pMLxS6bzK5ZfIdGF7VmUVflGEE9SqTpjaL7uwhWCqA5ZWy71WG5PtICi_Md582YDD1tY8ubU6qWREdPkuoFdlSVj/s1600/LoofahSoap006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlV434hFSbTND3Y-0NXpT6jrcullx8HuFt1sEvdw5gogoTteWt1j4pMLxS6bzK5ZfIdGF7VmUVflGEE9SqTpjaL7uwhWCqA5ZWy71WG5PtICi_Md582YDD1tY8ubU6qWREdPkuoFdlSVj/s1600/LoofahSoap006.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It worked! Out of the tubes they came. I didn't have the strength to do it, but my muscle-bound husband was up to the task. I had to use 2 loofahs per tube, and each tube was in 2 batches. That's why there is a little color difference. I used some green & blue pigment powder to color the soap and it will not stain the skin or washcloth. I made sure of that!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3CorTyajH0eAHd0eu_vLcoaUFG9rvqYeBjcEl_hg397P2SP09AYhiwgRADFm5szAGCdlxxtP4_Gffjk9tOHRWGmwXoQMgohauHWMWli7u6KcjABS-7j3CGUtkb-NWU2fHjlbYat8gs_v/s1600/LoofahSoap007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3CorTyajH0eAHd0eu_vLcoaUFG9rvqYeBjcEl_hg397P2SP09AYhiwgRADFm5szAGCdlxxtP4_Gffjk9tOHRWGmwXoQMgohauHWMWli7u6KcjABS-7j3CGUtkb-NWU2fHjlbYat8gs_v/s1600/LoofahSoap007.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You can really see the color difference here. I think next time, I'll use less color. With it being as dark as it is, you can't see the loofahs that well.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaA6yStetV5siZHI-J7RNtldgAktRIpWoomwwFDe7nlhH3MynvCrHP07ULNP4tYCVXhwaIg-j-2rt4D1Yio-e9YEIU9nvN7H8N0pQ5NcDmHxhsNZvUJxJMhZyML_xrvy1RvXhpHdaAO4HZ/s1600/LoofahSoap008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaA6yStetV5siZHI-J7RNtldgAktRIpWoomwwFDe7nlhH3MynvCrHP07ULNP4tYCVXhwaIg-j-2rt4D1Yio-e9YEIU9nvN7H8N0pQ5NcDmHxhsNZvUJxJMhZyML_xrvy1RvXhpHdaAO4HZ/s1600/LoofahSoap008.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A closeup. By the way, the little 'crumbs' you see on the towel below the soap is actually lavender buds from other soap I made. I've just been too lazy to clean it up.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidx41-GZvh-uICVofcoNUJMhAJKd6CxTbVLbH-Co_1snwZg-lGWips3Su_UFej8o3nTscvf-gRHJxow1Xn33c7cQRWGmk5wV3PkwRIAAh_mAXRNEkZM7KPlS1aVE8705VGsQ2weyDDE9bD/s1600/LoofahSoap009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidx41-GZvh-uICVofcoNUJMhAJKd6CxTbVLbH-Co_1snwZg-lGWips3Su_UFej8o3nTscvf-gRHJxow1Xn33c7cQRWGmk5wV3PkwRIAAh_mAXRNEkZM7KPlS1aVE8705VGsQ2weyDDE9bD/s1600/LoofahSoap009.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The soap slices. It makes a really nice pattern doesn't it?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgoinb0DumKhgza7jatb4VvdkTtfUjkMFqBAS8aOsbgyk1Vesn_iGYBF0Ogj7GGrtoO5DaAkolxsCHW9d0KA2vQFkK7wbUsB8JEfYRsOMjrydLIk1ecHC71ueoDJ4mMk057LwjSiL0Xs0/s1600/LoofahSoap010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgoinb0DumKhgza7jatb4VvdkTtfUjkMFqBAS8aOsbgyk1Vesn_iGYBF0Ogj7GGrtoO5DaAkolxsCHW9d0KA2vQFkK7wbUsB8JEfYRsOMjrydLIk1ecHC71ueoDJ4mMk057LwjSiL0Xs0/s1600/LoofahSoap010.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another view and you can see the 2 pieces that were at the top of the tubes.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFjRXccyIlG8A5Z5mk-X7OA_BRrZMU7u2KJJUyzoEdZ-ICmyv3iZA2FFVf5KNlQJbNTwrmcl0xWNBZxlubasKHCY8-wZHubmSqn_8A2N5iqzUzkQ_DT3naPa-ZIuK_rmERmaC4f08kyFN/s1600/LoofahSoap011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFjRXccyIlG8A5Z5mk-X7OA_BRrZMU7u2KJJUyzoEdZ-ICmyv3iZA2FFVf5KNlQJbNTwrmcl0xWNBZxlubasKHCY8-wZHubmSqn_8A2N5iqzUzkQ_DT3naPa-ZIuK_rmERmaC4f08kyFN/s1600/LoofahSoap011.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Looks like I had an air pocket in one piece.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOZVsJv0PQSrMqAe9hrAChL0JhDwUa3rPCit65_4nZy8tUEXqNGjsZfuI4MEwtB7v9GoRu7ZF0Xw9Wc5G3HQtncan7WzVked5JKxkXw2j0E-JeQ1y1ooQKNQgmt7FjuyPczNzX7_yxWhG/s1600/LoofahSoap012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOZVsJv0PQSrMqAe9hrAChL0JhDwUa3rPCit65_4nZy8tUEXqNGjsZfuI4MEwtB7v9GoRu7ZF0Xw9Wc5G3HQtncan7WzVked5JKxkXw2j0E-JeQ1y1ooQKNQgmt7FjuyPczNzX7_yxWhG/s1600/LoofahSoap012.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have wrapped the soap in plastic food wrap. My mom had a big roll left over from when she had the bar (at which I was once the head burger flipper) so I used that for the wrapping. It worked out great! It took me forever to design the label for these because I am so anal about things. I swear it took me as long to do the label as it did to melt and pour the soap. I'm happy with the results though.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkZklrT9uyCWJ-U_WwSz2vVu1We2_-P3GlLgnHRCCFgz4N4nFLqEaLD15-YqvT9VEz4fJaTW-cw8-nAaULJ8LQ6di0jBvHfQWOilDfAE0ray_3zdpz-m6UD2rK4vaBSNDlxa5Kwi7d5qj/s1600/LoofahSoap013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkZklrT9uyCWJ-U_WwSz2vVu1We2_-P3GlLgnHRCCFgz4N4nFLqEaLD15-YqvT9VEz4fJaTW-cw8-nAaULJ8LQ6di0jBvHfQWOilDfAE0ray_3zdpz-m6UD2rK4vaBSNDlxa5Kwi7d5qj/s1600/LoofahSoap013.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Glamour shot</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFKaw_NbVFTwJ6dBijNLrxg1sIjTxq5ErDD0Sfywyed9wGFPKcynhCilePArvoISW9z5h7-DgVcFHMThrLre25AIAmLrweaF_RsHOP2Py7iMmjjdjSi4vot_Y16mZqdXe0pfSaTU8Cplk/s1600/LoofahSoap014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFKaw_NbVFTwJ6dBijNLrxg1sIjTxq5ErDD0Sfywyed9wGFPKcynhCilePArvoISW9z5h7-DgVcFHMThrLre25AIAmLrweaF_RsHOP2Py7iMmjjdjSi4vot_Y16mZqdXe0pfSaTU8Cplk/s1600/LoofahSoap014.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another glamour shot</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted to get this soap made in time for my show coming up next month It should give me an indication of whether the soap is worth making. If it is I plan to make more. I'll be pricing them at $6.00 each or 4 for $20.00.</span></div>
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-29294226257374997752013-08-25T04:35:00.002-07:002013-10-09T04:45:23.126-07:00Triple L - Not so bad after all<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You know, I was not exactly looking forward to slicing the soap I made last weekend, but the time had come for me to take a closer look at my handiwork.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As it turns out, the results weren't as bad as I feared. So, with that in mind I am going to say that I don't make mistakes, I just take artistic license.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the results.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKP_y9m_jabPE7j6LhakQH1tz-iEG6JbWRYlpxougtQ52W9MCAiT24iNcRkOIOkiRnX3BWmb_7S3j5oHE0hF0vf2ZAKlOSwynNp8FVYpd6ER5OB03sAyb2MpCMq9eKMQCJ32uUiUAOw0N2/s1600/MultiColor01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKP_y9m_jabPE7j6LhakQH1tz-iEG6JbWRYlpxougtQ52W9MCAiT24iNcRkOIOkiRnX3BWmb_7S3j5oHE0hF0vf2ZAKlOSwynNp8FVYpd6ER5OB03sAyb2MpCMq9eKMQCJ32uUiUAOw0N2/s1600/MultiColor01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here are the slices of the multicolored soap. They'll take about 4 to 5 weeks to cure</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsftY302SQZw8U_8T0Po1P_uvi-EU85MVtAqPAB7TX5LXWrzYeJ4vnBEjcW19lG82kNFjPfQkRBLq1uoGjFoc3qrBwtcl0kmbaLiWX0RCSs8Oj05shLwgGE4McPX8GnDnm8rXov_L0k6G/s1600/MultiColor02.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A closer look - Yeah, I think I would use it!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsftY302SQZw8U_8T0Po1P_uvi-EU85MVtAqPAB7TX5LXWrzYeJ4vnBEjcW19lG82kNFjPfQkRBLq1uoGjFoc3qrBwtcl0kmbaLiWX0RCSs8Oj05shLwgGE4McPX8GnDnm8rXov_L0k6G/s1600/MultiColor02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEH3aoUWRZ9xS0HuB3cQQPbwxRxwFE8UIhQiGBk0vhbqR8MEB5WMawD-OjGbqp0Z3vmOAHsUF_tTScR4qadWlo0sEOUe2ogb79blhwSstxLd6Bij8kl8MXONmbDZ98QI-gBndjvvXmhcC/s1600/LoofahSoap01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEH3aoUWRZ9xS0HuB3cQQPbwxRxwFE8UIhQiGBk0vhbqR8MEB5WMawD-OjGbqp0Z3vmOAHsUF_tTScR4qadWlo0sEOUe2ogb79blhwSstxLd6Bij8kl8MXONmbDZ98QI-gBndjvvXmhcC/s1600/LoofahSoap01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My biggest surprise was the loofah soap. Wow! It looks like a flower in the middle doesn't it?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6sMmSfEEYCYtRc0mNWPx9ahT3nuwwNHCPcvXfgOa1Oo-NkicF4OgQLn_AcQ1oq7AI-VS5pPgPp8i0wUID778jpkNAHtGBGn57RZE3h854DneLt6YBClJM1w1HxG61Ky7y60R_eEZTRuN/s1600/LoofahSoap02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6sMmSfEEYCYtRc0mNWPx9ahT3nuwwNHCPcvXfgOa1Oo-NkicF4OgQLn_AcQ1oq7AI-VS5pPgPp8i0wUID778jpkNAHtGBGn57RZE3h854DneLt6YBClJM1w1HxG61Ky7y60R_eEZTRuN/s1600/LoofahSoap02.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is a closeup of the 'top' of the soap. If you remember from last week's blog, I didn't think the soap really soaked in. So, this is fully functional as well. By the way, I cut the soap with a serrated bread knife we don't use in the kitchen much. It's now a permanent part of my soap kitchen.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, after I cut the soap I was on a roll and decided I had time to fuse some glass this weekend. I thought you would like to see pictures of some of my tools and how I have things organized.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSF5WSUInrZbyBITX5RxaboqGS6KxqYA5tZNix8Ca7M-R_a3GX-34z5Z9cUISeXVmEtotZlTwA2KVCqj8kxuddLh05d9ZSqK3bKQhxC5E8jzVFxIgSNaDVZcvHVEIY-H0wJT7NXbEOgYD/s1600/Workarea001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSF5WSUInrZbyBITX5RxaboqGS6KxqYA5tZNix8Ca7M-R_a3GX-34z5Z9cUISeXVmEtotZlTwA2KVCqj8kxuddLh05d9ZSqK3bKQhxC5E8jzVFxIgSNaDVZcvHVEIY-H0wJT7NXbEOgYD/s1600/Workarea001.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here you see my work surface. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">I have my tweezers to pick up the small pieces of glass & my dichroic glass pieces in old Crystal Light containers. I have my glass separated by color and by pattern. I don't have the eye to immediately know what color I'm looking at when picking out the colored glass pieces. You see, the color is opposite of what you are looking at, it's very confusing at times. It's simpler for me just to separate them after they are cut and put them into the separate containers by color.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">The work surface is black because it shows the colors better when I am putting things together. This is like a giant mouse pad and I have used it for so long that the edges are frayed. The spots you see on it are hardened Super Glue. Yes, I play with cut glass edges and Super Glue, but I am afraid of sky diving... Go figure!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0fo2OCrZS7OudPBMwm3FcHPhvJF40fNDC1fLG3SpEeMYm5MiL32ZYv-XfW1YIGMj3FgeBQO0vbGCcD1VHMzaFOSAXlSHGqVFsCTp81r59g1PXNFFBYdeFQujRwsm08awP85-or70kxhs/s1600/WorkArea002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0fo2OCrZS7OudPBMwm3FcHPhvJF40fNDC1fLG3SpEeMYm5MiL32ZYv-XfW1YIGMj3FgeBQO0vbGCcD1VHMzaFOSAXlSHGqVFsCTp81r59g1PXNFFBYdeFQujRwsm08awP85-or70kxhs/s1600/WorkArea002.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another angle of my work surface and some of the pieces I'll be firing. to the right are some of my drawers I keep my cut glass pieces in and at the top of the picture are my colored dichroic glass pieces.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegMJJajihoBUX57rqWTv01EkEmrQYYus7zCr0mkvXMwWgXpmu_yNNA4bq6f2s2xmhzPtdNsKKtymQXDQQTZgXd6l6jyQJ0q_pGrFzZ4wYNiCK_4iiCUTcaX9vhxNGh_4gsjBdCZfZQjda/s1600/Workarea003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegMJJajihoBUX57rqWTv01EkEmrQYYus7zCr0mkvXMwWgXpmu_yNNA4bq6f2s2xmhzPtdNsKKtymQXDQQTZgXd6l6jyQJ0q_pGrFzZ4wYNiCK_4iiCUTcaX9vhxNGh_4gsjBdCZfZQjda/s1600/Workarea003.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is a closeup of my colored glass pieces. I have them in the drawer in rainbow order. Believe it or not, the glass on the far left is all red, even though they look blue. Now you see why I have to have the containers labeled!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQU-_JFYrPQoM-7NPXZeB1zGGWCImY7Qu76tg9piRitCgNwh_5pfJTZoOq0coChzeOxszLi82sJ18wZ91x0KusPzw4G2HyixSlXODlqz8YVMG02z8QZKzTTXqjKtuSvzkiMk8chDj0mVM/s1600/Workarea004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQU-_JFYrPQoM-7NPXZeB1zGGWCImY7Qu76tg9piRitCgNwh_5pfJTZoOq0coChzeOxszLi82sJ18wZ91x0KusPzw4G2HyixSlXODlqz8YVMG02z8QZKzTTXqjKtuSvzkiMk8chDj0mVM/s1600/Workarea004.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Speaking of labels, yet another close up and you can see that all my containers are labeled with the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEcQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.artclaysociety.com%2Ffiles%2Ftutorials%2FSimple_Dichroic_Glass_Cabs.pdf&ei=5OUZUvSTKoeGiQK2q4CICA&usg=AFQjCNH0kHJiItoTaevWUG-vrBo3iwNjUQ&sig2=lG3R6OA4MTOnhawdSlB41w&bvm=bv.51156542,d.cGE&cad=rja" target="_blank">COE</a>, the brand and color of glass.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ncuydM0RuGSjnRkLLZqYLVWCmGs9H1RHRD1q4DqvDNNQsqqKrfEBcPogogqfjoUoTmZWSrIMplhmSLaPNKsR3i1FIr0Jqizm6TAVqa_T1RRchVqwEGa4KVM9ZmtyhIitPax0DN0TLpCY/s1600/Workarea005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ncuydM0RuGSjnRkLLZqYLVWCmGs9H1RHRD1q4DqvDNNQsqqKrfEBcPogogqfjoUoTmZWSrIMplhmSLaPNKsR3i1FIr0Jqizm6TAVqa_T1RRchVqwEGa4KVM9ZmtyhIitPax0DN0TLpCY/s1600/Workarea005.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here you see my cut glass 'collection.' The bottom drawer contains my dichroic pattern pieces, the middle drawer is my clear glass with some kind of pattern on them and the top drawer is just plain clear glass. I have cut these ahead of time in various shapes and sizes. When I want to cap my pieces I just have to look for one I want.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUDt9CmStGmdXUAZIvwWWXIF01drMcw3pjC4VzgnfMMUAJlI3GToOuMRU7B1UJVhuX5LKqkuphzplEIqBidj6NurJ9C6BYoJjzQtN8NqhP2VQpBWHSAB4ph7MIMkQabGW4V7FQ9DubCCd/s1600/Workarea006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUDt9CmStGmdXUAZIvwWWXIF01drMcw3pjC4VzgnfMMUAJlI3GToOuMRU7B1UJVhuX5LKqkuphzplEIqBidj6NurJ9C6BYoJjzQtN8NqhP2VQpBWHSAB4ph7MIMkQabGW4V7FQ9DubCCd/s1600/Workarea006.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A close up of my patterned plain glass pieces.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6y3E_kO-BJdmEoG8KE12Sr9n_zYFDC8YStmhkSKe0cI7-LsVvhHv742IAAHC_EVD2Sao8ECpBPLLJTx18VIFZ7Z6EnK7hrWQ4C5l3eJfjErODQiGxW_PKge3e46KisKYvllSg-uA68Q_/s1600/Workarea007.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This drawer contains my dichroic glass pieces that have a specific pattern on black & clear glass. These pieces actually have a ridged pattern on the glass with the dichroic coating over them.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6y3E_kO-BJdmEoG8KE12Sr9n_zYFDC8YStmhkSKe0cI7-LsVvhHv742IAAHC_EVD2Sao8ECpBPLLJTx18VIFZ7Z6EnK7hrWQ4C5l3eJfjErODQiGxW_PKge3e46KisKYvllSg-uA68Q_/s1600/Workarea007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPUpiftWFRtr3JlhreCEpTsv1tRwk8pVJXO_qRrUopmrzAA88Gt6e9XgwW8i7IPorUgQ5r0YjmxEjE9AX-1zUH0dduLm0p2PPHnaQJxr8PdBGyiOYaUC7DmD8hTzEkyccSwPNNHeuo35h/s1600/Workarea008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPUpiftWFRtr3JlhreCEpTsv1tRwk8pVJXO_qRrUopmrzAA88Gt6e9XgwW8i7IPorUgQ5r0YjmxEjE9AX-1zUH0dduLm0p2PPHnaQJxr8PdBGyiOYaUC7DmD8hTzEkyccSwPNNHeuo35h/s1600/Workarea008.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here are some of the cut colored glass pieces I use for my base. I have them roughly separated by shape.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLpJ6OlnOLHcWbnbXj4a-XqwfkDoLa-Wyicy9cWKkopot4xpfsfK0WJQXoYBw1Gti7exw_RdI_Wi9Ij2bb4Fz27TdY2ONHrJ9sMne0byObKmnVs3UgPUZkbSDeqsIlyyzhll7zlNbtzBZ/s1600/Workarea009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLpJ6OlnOLHcWbnbXj4a-XqwfkDoLa-Wyicy9cWKkopot4xpfsfK0WJQXoYBw1Gti7exw_RdI_Wi9Ij2bb4Fz27TdY2ONHrJ9sMne0byObKmnVs3UgPUZkbSDeqsIlyyzhll7zlNbtzBZ/s1600/Workarea009.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another closeup</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBu8Br3kYQnWCOXVu2z0lEQcXWBLu0j3X4AQFdLaGnE3yStnqMHK_6rwNohtuUIIHqi2EcfictyN3BXNe_4vuV6kcgbvzydKAPmrvkU5gddkebK_0H6SbhXQrVbjvDbf8WhJfF40uAi4r/s1600/Workarea010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBu8Br3kYQnWCOXVu2z0lEQcXWBLu0j3X4AQFdLaGnE3yStnqMHK_6rwNohtuUIIHqi2EcfictyN3BXNe_4vuV6kcgbvzydKAPmrvkU5gddkebK_0H6SbhXQrVbjvDbf8WhJfF40uAi4r/s1600/Workarea010.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My dichroic pieces with the black & red base are the best sellers. I do make pieces with other colors too.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEilJmGYzgYnFSB958nANFzvShCd8jZ5hKCsbNs40lkUgs8LWRl91mJO3HJ2GPlgiJQ0lGv4hQR8XeltecNSxIhyphenhyphen3IfWcFb-yHZm4pSMcVz6ddeg_ozPpHrkB7AbyhZ49VB8acGc9eHqe/s1600/Workarea011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEilJmGYzgYnFSB958nANFzvShCd8jZ5hKCsbNs40lkUgs8LWRl91mJO3HJ2GPlgiJQ0lGv4hQR8XeltecNSxIhyphenhyphen3IfWcFb-yHZm4pSMcVz6ddeg_ozPpHrkB7AbyhZ49VB8acGc9eHqe/s1600/Workarea011.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tools of the trade. Here you see my welders gloves and timer. I need the gloves because I don't want to burn my hands and arms when I am checking on my glass in the kiln. When you open an oven that is over 1400 Fahrenheit you need to take precautions. Also pictured here is my timer. I need to keep track of how long things have been in the kiln so that I can check on how they are melting and fusing. I wear it around my neck so I don't forget it if I am doing other things.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-yVJ5mjnFp2uSmp8MMuICxNvCDcPfkgB96kbtADR4gld3wsYf92O-qOe2RZuQ74vhwfhaBXtN0bGcJgU0xnAVZFd3BN_E2jxh4nzLO5RQxzUyR9_PTh7aLp0lJLOmOmrBW_qkJneKJ8a/s1600/Workarea012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-yVJ5mjnFp2uSmp8MMuICxNvCDcPfkgB96kbtADR4gld3wsYf92O-qOe2RZuQ74vhwfhaBXtN0bGcJgU0xnAVZFd3BN_E2jxh4nzLO5RQxzUyR9_PTh7aLp0lJLOmOmrBW_qkJneKJ8a/s1600/Workarea012.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here are my pieces before I fired them. I need to keep them at least a quarter inch apart so they don't fuse together. I want the fusing to be up and down, not sideways!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpMUMlepg9p_gIQxdA6ON2V16BvHMGKpAOh9z_R-7Osfjv2umadBLaxiBYAXeMitFWof63L9zR94o-Y43Uw50d94cpKRBiysPXkdbS7DuuWiT5twiqlK12gcQOCWQKbn83GSYWJFMBymy/s1600/Workarea013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpMUMlepg9p_gIQxdA6ON2V16BvHMGKpAOh9z_R-7Osfjv2umadBLaxiBYAXeMitFWof63L9zR94o-Y43Uw50d94cpKRBiysPXkdbS7DuuWiT5twiqlK12gcQOCWQKbn83GSYWJFMBymy/s1600/Workarea013.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is the 'after' picture of the fused glass. This is what I saw when I opened the kiln this morning. Looking at them I think I let them fuse a bit too long, they are more rounded that what I like. They are still usable though. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Some of these I'll sell to the local bead store, some of them I'll give to my husband for wire wrap, some of them will be earrings or rings and the others will be pendants. The best part is, I get to keep what I want. Yeah, I'm selfish that way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">I hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures, now I think I'll get back to my glass.</span></div>
Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-81824447340000348672013-08-21T09:34:00.003-07:002013-10-09T04:45:50.955-07:00Life's Lessons Learned or 'Triple L'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yeah, just when you think you have something down pat and things have been going well, karma reaches up and raises it's little head. What am I talking about? Soap making, that's what.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I subscribe to this YouTube channel called "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/soaping101/videos?sort=dd&view=0&shelf_index=0" target="_blank">Soaping 101</a>" and it has various instructional videos on how to different soap techniques. I had watched 2 that really interested me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One was how to swirl soap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/0STHMBR_EIU/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/0STHMBR_EIU&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/0STHMBR_EIU&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the other was making loofah soap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How hard could it be? Enter karma, stage left.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made sure to gather all my ingredients, I had my colors for my swirls, I got a tube container (Pringles can), my loofah and the extra containers to separate my soap for the different colors I wanted to use.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I knew I had to be careful with the fragrance because once it is added to the liquid soap mixture, the soap would start to solidify at a faster rate. I added it last.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">loofah soap</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> appeared to be OK, since that was the one I started with first. Poured into the tube just fine and life was good! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I didn't realized was the fast solidification is like TIGER FAST. What compounded this process was the fact that I didn't realize it was setting up so fast until I grabbed my container of colored soap to pour into the mold and the soap had the consistency of jello instead of thick gravy. I checked my other colors and the same thing happened. I knew my time was limited and I HAD to get the soap in the mold.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this point I was thinking, to hell with pretty, move your ass and get this done!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pictures you see below are a result of this 'learning' process.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPa86z0CnLPUWL3kWSYcb5z_m_ua2AGp_UOqVmO-ZnzhE7nat6nj-SPqkVp69Z04fLJHVMlO0Y234vTSjexmt3sMaPjl-IM5UCDQ1B1krtwFus6Yee8Rj184IW-s1U_g7swx5XlKIrsQSQ/s1600/Both01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPa86z0CnLPUWL3kWSYcb5z_m_ua2AGp_UOqVmO-ZnzhE7nat6nj-SPqkVp69Z04fLJHVMlO0Y234vTSjexmt3sMaPjl-IM5UCDQ1B1krtwFus6Yee8Rj184IW-s1U_g7swx5XlKIrsQSQ/s1600/Both01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here are both soaps (above). The rectangular log on the left looks like it has some kind of disease. Not very eye appealing. The round thing there is the loofah soap. Yeah, you can see <strike>part</strike> all of the loofah here.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-T-CoeW5pHi7L36TXt1-sLpiJ1EKmNWHVA3q4ExBiLxNvKHu6tGN8iOB2a4vAyf5lBdjxO8zkgn_-OTGTry8-wh5Vb0D0cIbo5C4XbQUaO1kdFNURZG8DcrRn3-fwa4CKxmboDodFTw9_/s1600/Log02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-T-CoeW5pHi7L36TXt1-sLpiJ1EKmNWHVA3q4ExBiLxNvKHu6tGN8iOB2a4vAyf5lBdjxO8zkgn_-OTGTry8-wh5Vb0D0cIbo5C4XbQUaO1kdFNURZG8DcrRn3-fwa4CKxmboDodFTw9_/s1600/Log02.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My soap log. I had 3 colors, white, brown & purple. The soap went into the mold in chunks since it was setting up so fast and the colors didn't fully mesh together. This is why it looks like there are hole in it. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Oh, and something else I realized when I took the soap out of the mold, the side nearest the camera (above) is way higher than the side farthest away. Not only did it come out looking ugly, but I couldn't even make the top close to even. Yep, I'm on a roll now!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZS7YlkqPpU74TLE9VI_OMl1trRpt4mINU5XMJarbMo_E6qwpYRfCKaVFxag6Ym0Slac0SzjRj1DlMprAVdTq-JsaggdsWtqDDFaxqw8Wr2BJi2K2DQfrDT2eDsi2q3pTkr281D7CzHTf/s1600/Log03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZS7YlkqPpU74TLE9VI_OMl1trRpt4mINU5XMJarbMo_E6qwpYRfCKaVFxag6Ym0Slac0SzjRj1DlMprAVdTq-JsaggdsWtqDDFaxqw8Wr2BJi2K2DQfrDT2eDsi2q3pTkr281D7CzHTf/s1600/Log03.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I tried to put some kind of pattern on the top, that failed miserably too. I told a friend at work it reminded me of cottage cheese in milk, but now that I think about it, cottage cheese would look better than this.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NE1lZEdW3wwbJ9J_Bm1slN3pCFcQd8Y1sZ5wi8fPI0PGh7xLlsS1OdC_3MgExhJ3eFiIjwLj3IZ4Wiv6m_Rl6FCE3kibq4h1fNrVvasHD93Td2zrlwL1Bqjfqp76b_gJR6EMVak5vBzx/s1600/Log05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NE1lZEdW3wwbJ9J_Bm1slN3pCFcQd8Y1sZ5wi8fPI0PGh7xLlsS1OdC_3MgExhJ3eFiIjwLj3IZ4Wiv6m_Rl6FCE3kibq4h1fNrVvasHD93Td2zrlwL1Bqjfqp76b_gJR6EMVak5vBzx/s1600/Log05.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A side view</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3O_TZeyFVD-Ksylc9HPX2vHkXxfnJe9P9nbZp4I3p43Buyn16TbHYa-8uMP8m1X2LYVb8R5Mg9jdbMyocUx2GwTMaFHGJjPTxT3Fk4h9C2rzoi1l3uazcDFaGeYxKNXku1PEO8mnFP1_7/s1600/Scrubby01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3O_TZeyFVD-Ksylc9HPX2vHkXxfnJe9P9nbZp4I3p43Buyn16TbHYa-8uMP8m1X2LYVb8R5Mg9jdbMyocUx2GwTMaFHGJjPTxT3Fk4h9C2rzoi1l3uazcDFaGeYxKNXku1PEO8mnFP1_7/s1600/Scrubby01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I took the loofah soap out of the mold, it was a big surprise. I don't know if I will every trust soap again after it played this little trick on me. Do you see the right side of the soap where it has that ring of unblemished white? That was the top of the can and it appeared to me that the soap had soaked into the entire loofah. Just below that ring is part of the loofah with NO SOAP. How did that happen? Good question, I have no idea. What I do know is that when I try this again, I'm using a PVC tube that is definitely bigger than a loofah.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDXKXtqwL45wWovApiCpvL1Pg_bQMIsBibaCJZRvC0-rK0dKRn1wy6lpqi7c1a-PuKoip0dn12W7YC5G32Nx39dazGGLATTXD2H3EF8hYaswIUkZ3jWd1X5vpISTEKVUzwUmp6cawf1GV/s1600/Scrubby02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDXKXtqwL45wWovApiCpvL1Pg_bQMIsBibaCJZRvC0-rK0dKRn1wy6lpqi7c1a-PuKoip0dn12W7YC5G32Nx39dazGGLATTXD2H3EF8hYaswIUkZ3jWd1X5vpISTEKVUzwUmp6cawf1GV/s1600/Scrubby02.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A Close up.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_FtXdNqEizH_BQF1HB5CRwISzmg2CKs9I41HQww9N2Xw8705dbirKyG49wlilIaKolsnJb1R5ubBlA3Qjrw9aFHRuF1TcmH1x4r3-HyoV4SHR2XVBI4Wb22oNoCbV81Q4R38r14i66oj/s1600/Scrubby03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_FtXdNqEizH_BQF1HB5CRwISzmg2CKs9I41HQww9N2Xw8705dbirKyG49wlilIaKolsnJb1R5ubBlA3Qjrw9aFHRuF1TcmH1x4r3-HyoV4SHR2XVBI4Wb22oNoCbV81Q4R38r14i66oj/s1600/Scrubby03.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another view, now that I look at this more it reminds me of a beer with a foamy head. Or maybe I'm just thirsty.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me just say that I have volunteers from work (Susan & Ingrid) who said they would make the ultimate sacrifice and try this soap out. So I think I'll take them up on it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am going to let these beauties cure for a week before I start slicing and dicing. I know the soap is good, it's just ugly. Hey! Maybe that's a marketing technique I can use. The Genie Bar Ugly Soap line. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll have to think about that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please note that this has not deterred me from making more, I see this as a learning experience. How else will I get better, right?</span></div>
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-41969139447627493542013-08-01T10:05:00.001-07:002013-08-01T10:06:19.790-07:00Vitamix - My new tool<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few weeks back I got a Vitamix at an estate sale for a really, really good price. Since then I have been experimenting with it and have found a new favorite smoothie recipe called <a href="https://www.vitamix.com/Find-Recipes/M/A/Mango-Delight-Smoothie" target="_blank">Mango Delight</a>. It's quick to fix and tastes wonderful. The consistency is like a thick milk shake and it stays thick! I have a severe allergy (think anaphylactic shock) to any fresh fruit with a pit, like peaches, nectarines, cherries, etc. So I am limited as to what I can eat. This brings a little variety into my diet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recipe itself only has fresh fruit and ice cubes, that's it. No sugar, yogurt, powder or anything else. When I made them today I took pictures of the process and I thought I would share them with you.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU_LyZ91yvWKudEVr-9bZdRyTYyXZPlXkZSe3rr9ueiMXdDmKmO-70mRg2X99ikmE3Aui_OdNjO84ywH113pQsVWfrIvNcRpbkY8l6ZZ-tRs3Gs7ZgQRVrRbxohfyQi4jOyQFW9-9rBWg/s1600/MangoSmoothie0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU_LyZ91yvWKudEVr-9bZdRyTYyXZPlXkZSe3rr9ueiMXdDmKmO-70mRg2X99ikmE3Aui_OdNjO84ywH113pQsVWfrIvNcRpbkY8l6ZZ-tRs3Gs7ZgQRVrRbxohfyQi4jOyQFW9-9rBWg/s1600/MangoSmoothie0020.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You can see that I have added the fruit to the Vitamix. Here you see 2 small oranges, 3 overripe bananas, 1/2 mango & 1 apple that has been seeded.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrBF-hPl2KgZjEDgnO31kO320SzJJHfVwzBk3O0D21ZG7ND2nNjLux6QqeKoR6SQXu76pgz3pV2ro8h8-qEP1VTRVBJ4alpiGPrScTKLxWhXJPEyfp6S5XlqD15pCppUM85_RmqAGEck4/s1600/MangoSmoothie0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrBF-hPl2KgZjEDgnO31kO320SzJJHfVwzBk3O0D21ZG7ND2nNjLux6QqeKoR6SQXu76pgz3pV2ro8h8-qEP1VTRVBJ4alpiGPrScTKLxWhXJPEyfp6S5XlqD15pCppUM85_RmqAGEck4/s1600/MangoSmoothie0030.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I've added about 2 cups of ice cubes here</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCB3aXIVGs84_ePMecQg24wdixK0nw-X9niGO3io4oDZUCPGOt3zJThVOy9gv7SgImAqWJX3tnMfCApREGILxtB2IUk9RW0pizjc8mATI7uJN2_G7u8Ule4QWeRwWHK5SJ_u8bMqU6en7Z/s1600/MangoSmoothie0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCB3aXIVGs84_ePMecQg24wdixK0nw-X9niGO3io4oDZUCPGOt3zJThVOy9gv7SgImAqWJX3tnMfCApREGILxtB2IUk9RW0pizjc8mATI7uJN2_G7u8Ule4QWeRwWHK5SJ_u8bMqU6en7Z/s1600/MangoSmoothie0050.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I turned it on and 2 minutes later, here's the result.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIgxkeUx8QM37uJ4aVcGeJlx7NpjwlWwPiPxdgUFRtIEE_AehyenFUlAt-QO_W4FD_SYeYP5xnk_xHaRLFLxh_ARYKcD8mOMBVjMOQWEUsWV8KVGVCkP99HMk1BrzMbjAPsZalQCjbdK9/s1600/MangoSmoothie0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIgxkeUx8QM37uJ4aVcGeJlx7NpjwlWwPiPxdgUFRtIEE_AehyenFUlAt-QO_W4FD_SYeYP5xnk_xHaRLFLxh_ARYKcD8mOMBVjMOQWEUsWV8KVGVCkP99HMk1BrzMbjAPsZalQCjbdK9/s1600/MangoSmoothie0060.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A quick peek at the top of the pitcher. The color is a little off here, it wasn't really that yellow.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HYl0RxX5YwKWoWXrQTRo1-w2FKjfivzO8_VF4OLZWZZcwdOdPYYnQD2ECAGJRvwDMuVSo2lRfHYhBwR5T9EIV60D0DkC-UMtZ2Tl5_ZOlL8QAjPfkp1UtxUsGCqhSHhzNngY7UQNGloj/s1600/CleanUp01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HYl0RxX5YwKWoWXrQTRo1-w2FKjfivzO8_VF4OLZWZZcwdOdPYYnQD2ECAGJRvwDMuVSo2lRfHYhBwR5T9EIV60D0DkC-UMtZ2Tl5_ZOlL8QAjPfkp1UtxUsGCqhSHhzNngY7UQNGloj/s1600/CleanUp01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cleanup is so easy, I've added hot water and some dish detergent.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0BfgCWLrbfsyRIrtidcFBP9Fv7mNWrpvf_ZzS8x2su4rJHWsYfrm2mHBoC14Xqb-P4QWeZPmbmBRNq-HVxjz3y5AnHDnYVJARsBDbEJPf5kXwL4Po0NRKmdTSn3bWGARzr-ENArmT4MC/s1600/CleanUp03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0BfgCWLrbfsyRIrtidcFBP9Fv7mNWrpvf_ZzS8x2su4rJHWsYfrm2mHBoC14Xqb-P4QWeZPmbmBRNq-HVxjz3y5AnHDnYVJARsBDbEJPf5kXwL4Po0NRKmdTSn3bWGARzr-ENArmT4MC/s1600/CleanUp03.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">After about 20 seconds here's what you see. All I had to do from this point is to rinse everything out and let it dry on the counter. Easy peasy!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been doing some research and it will also knead dough, so I'll be trying that out this winter. I love this machine!</span></div>
Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-71097390572481668662013-07-28T08:10:00.001-07:002013-07-28T08:10:14.839-07:00Summertime Fun - Beautified<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided that I had to cover up the parts of the new septic tank that sticks up above the ground and what better way to do this than with perennials. During this time of year they are on sale so I got some good deals.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For your viewing pleasure the before and after pictures.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQodL22RFjmDY0e1ikaHIMLa7-4E9MC9Sqckw8wOR0gE4eBzydieGVpF0rAf_99K84zVu70PKIJh1jc7C82eB1CU2ondcXVaiEi3-79m8khR3oaF8AO6_QQgN_lKo9z95692HWLBAc9j7S/s1600/BA01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQodL22RFjmDY0e1ikaHIMLa7-4E9MC9Sqckw8wOR0gE4eBzydieGVpF0rAf_99K84zVu70PKIJh1jc7C82eB1CU2ondcXVaiEi3-79m8khR3oaF8AO6_QQgN_lKo9z95692HWLBAc9j7S/s1600/BA01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Very plain looking isn't it?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtPI8nttGFzBvnRQB-bKyvgX7CJDLspD0fxK-Ra4_puPfOiks2FSvmjEzFJGJ4EspeN7rMFbElIn-fcrcRjnHV_eYwXIQQguSkJ_SzfVfBS3zqn99wO8tDpe4Lx4OuoYqMWpXEkB8OcAC/s1600/BA02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtPI8nttGFzBvnRQB-bKyvgX7CJDLspD0fxK-Ra4_puPfOiks2FSvmjEzFJGJ4EspeN7rMFbElIn-fcrcRjnHV_eYwXIQQguSkJ_SzfVfBS3zqn99wO8tDpe4Lx4OuoYqMWpXEkB8OcAC/s1600/BA02.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here's my collections of perennials.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdVUNCQht8paKsDIWa-hweQOSgN1h6qTdowiF9_NHd2AtNl-fvwT3Oza8lNXCwLJgZsSSQFJ6QknDxCMsj9R84neV3LC2GdR4x_V8Ch6PPMxNPrhtNNok-e62bV9fMjqyxpEJ3iAFdqZY/s1600/BA03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdVUNCQht8paKsDIWa-hweQOSgN1h6qTdowiF9_NHd2AtNl-fvwT3Oza8lNXCwLJgZsSSQFJ6QknDxCMsj9R84neV3LC2GdR4x_V8Ch6PPMxNPrhtNNok-e62bV9fMjqyxpEJ3iAFdqZY/s1600/BA03.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Close up of the purple coneflowers (or <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 17.77777862548828px; text-align: left;">Echinacea) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea" target="_blank">More on this plant here</a>.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHT4P5DK5Y24sJRKd7vvf1z6c3RX4gy5xHvhZmA21xFPCnSHcfga6L7JEQKvTyOP40W0qOrIP3-ZZG-w0rdj7vzOm30kz0ZtyAEmj8kV7GGr47pz6jxYqR3W1f5DHEFJrsEcPsHKHuQZ6f/s1600/BA04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHT4P5DK5Y24sJRKd7vvf1z6c3RX4gy5xHvhZmA21xFPCnSHcfga6L7JEQKvTyOP40W0qOrIP3-ZZG-w0rdj7vzOm30kz0ZtyAEmj8kV7GGr47pz6jxYqR3W1f5DHEFJrsEcPsHKHuQZ6f/s1600/BA04.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The some of the other plants I got. The one in the front is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catmint" target="_blank">Catmint</a> and I picked up 7 carnation plants for $1.98 each. What a bargain!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73nY1RbFay1y3lGUnVE_HoWL_014tOEPyhH_8W7_tZbNVouIOb00S0-BjyR8QTevIE3IUKzhKwiJFem9_AGhhDhIk9JiSQU1lRtifB3h03FioJvWS4crecDpQsBGi5jgCXUhkPyJHL0Qw/s1600/BA05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73nY1RbFay1y3lGUnVE_HoWL_014tOEPyhH_8W7_tZbNVouIOb00S0-BjyR8QTevIE3IUKzhKwiJFem9_AGhhDhIk9JiSQU1lRtifB3h03FioJvWS4crecDpQsBGi5jgCXUhkPyJHL0Qw/s1600/BA05.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">After planting and watering.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Y3Puoq3TWafiLIx9j4ZXh-uZP1la40NXhb-1Q0Qeh0n5S8AmerXAWe3brdKxQa4vi_xeCSFsUsigcHX_vC2j_OadRsjHk-gSdBSd2b3FS829bIEX7h6g29dXpZeG5KCVZeD4eXwc32NS/s1600/BA06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Y3Puoq3TWafiLIx9j4ZXh-uZP1la40NXhb-1Q0Qeh0n5S8AmerXAWe3brdKxQa4vi_xeCSFsUsigcHX_vC2j_OadRsjHk-gSdBSd2b3FS829bIEX7h6g29dXpZeG5KCVZeD4eXwc32NS/s1600/BA06.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The beginning of my perennial garden.</span></td></tr>
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-72353022469514285382013-07-21T07:19:00.001-07:002013-07-22T00:47:21.641-07:00Summertime Fun - Revisited<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you recall from my previous <a href="http://amusingwigi.blogspot.com/2013/06/summertime-fun.html" target="_blank">Summertime Fun</a> blog, we have a septic problem. Well, the problem is now resolved and I have pictures to prove it. Not only did we replace the entire septic system, but I gained almost a whole new front yard to boot! Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_-F__nGY_f7SMsTr6p0r7F9tK8N8kv1R1unYB9SR3mKY3Yv1iLG_3-thRAMkfE2jTkE7BHqZ3MwLpbrWWsiVyg7Q9L7QO_HB3EOM3dy3QckaiqQAEnC-Idtt_9gty209KOQCh70Y3liX/s1600/Septic01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_-F__nGY_f7SMsTr6p0r7F9tK8N8kv1R1unYB9SR3mKY3Yv1iLG_3-thRAMkfE2jTkE7BHqZ3MwLpbrWWsiVyg7Q9L7QO_HB3EOM3dy3QckaiqQAEnC-Idtt_9gty209KOQCh70Y3liX/s1600/Septic01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just a reminder of what we started with at the end of June 2013</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIZxsq6xmir2CrM0tyx6z9LU8ZhLi0_-e4ADrJ5OzAJiXDYbmrCLLyyIy5Em2qCyiUYWHpBr6m5O6xfChc3Varu8UgmoLAAyjbX9TNcBVxDm6DlF34WMPWd8V38ZOf4eJfRrVu8DEzZLf/s1600/Septic02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIZxsq6xmir2CrM0tyx6z9LU8ZhLi0_-e4ADrJ5OzAJiXDYbmrCLLyyIy5Em2qCyiUYWHpBr6m5O6xfChc3Varu8UgmoLAAyjbX9TNcBVxDm6DlF34WMPWd8V38ZOf4eJfRrVu8DEzZLf/s1600/Septic02.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here they are digging an even bigger hole to put the new tank in. Note that no matter how deep he digs, there is nothing but sand. Also of note the big evergreen bush is GONE! (this is a good thing)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOjUoMeUFajwyGN4VUB3fuGrBDG_1FYHy55lSveKw1tXV635-PVQ4NFufU_6b7L75DXKo1uhu7EEb0U9ptu7-opHlQM9UgjHZ3NPghEK0_2veaUuct2NR2UxRteVSJ-nhPm_3FfoYmWa_/s1600/Septic03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOjUoMeUFajwyGN4VUB3fuGrBDG_1FYHy55lSveKw1tXV635-PVQ4NFufU_6b7L75DXKo1uhu7EEb0U9ptu7-opHlQM9UgjHZ3NPghEK0_2veaUuct2NR2UxRteVSJ-nhPm_3FfoYmWa_/s1600/Septic03.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The hole is dug and we are waiting for the tank to be delivered.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvndvXqTBHveQ19PjYPjuGZ7hTbtO4V00wzedJKoIQUQZkbiT1KPytFBZC3nWO_-q0fu5NmE7GWGGorkW0mSNI9UnK9t1oIHAGLwNj9FYPvLk3GDxXsABrAtMz6fYRrTsZrnar8SCdddw/s1600/Septic04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvndvXqTBHveQ19PjYPjuGZ7hTbtO4V00wzedJKoIQUQZkbiT1KPytFBZC3nWO_-q0fu5NmE7GWGGorkW0mSNI9UnK9t1oIHAGLwNj9FYPvLk3GDxXsABrAtMz6fYRrTsZrnar8SCdddw/s1600/Septic04.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Backing up the truck</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdBUpYYiSdQpnvtUbHQgxPl9_knQ4rVNuVR92TnRGWYfHZTuzUeA0LcvXp2TdOl9-jcQa-InOx3GLjr1wjFUa0FEsYu3lOUFqy75QRhm5Odu6_GAtPsNcX-pEnRvub-_jdoUTCHrnYl6_/s1600/Septic05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdBUpYYiSdQpnvtUbHQgxPl9_knQ4rVNuVR92TnRGWYfHZTuzUeA0LcvXp2TdOl9-jcQa-InOx3GLjr1wjFUa0FEsYu3lOUFqy75QRhm5Odu6_GAtPsNcX-pEnRvub-_jdoUTCHrnYl6_/s1600/Septic05.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lifting the tank</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcplz5MG_wKE0JAY9j_L26bDXVQzN_Dw1T8bhDit6akeOX-qY3CrVPMoXdb0fk-ClImaoP6jTMa8B-EFIfkFNDoVH0xLQDmTijun5qXkLVQ3CzcnHLF0TKC6CQZ5mgu1MhgZphzknEMEv/s1600/Septic06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcplz5MG_wKE0JAY9j_L26bDXVQzN_Dw1T8bhDit6akeOX-qY3CrVPMoXdb0fk-ClImaoP6jTMa8B-EFIfkFNDoVH0xLQDmTijun5qXkLVQ3CzcnHLF0TKC6CQZ5mgu1MhgZphzknEMEv/s1600/Septic06.JPG" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0-LcwNY0t_XL6a1oKhyphenhyphenxTmlCIb98ly52XTegqKRUnYU-0KHx61fUYt7-gqFAZqZQgXa45gMHFIpoVR_ncuTZ0GUj-HYE6ui3GRlhJzVe9ooiHqb1f-BBClsqvnZz4aDsKRGGsG-2gWaJ/s1600/Septic07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0-LcwNY0t_XL6a1oKhyphenhyphenxTmlCIb98ly52XTegqKRUnYU-0KHx61fUYt7-gqFAZqZQgXa45gMHFIpoVR_ncuTZ0GUj-HYE6ui3GRlhJzVe9ooiHqb1f-BBClsqvnZz4aDsKRGGsG-2gWaJ/s1600/Septic07.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The tank is in place.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjen9NZlQ1DmDEMiBgJByABzqWw8msbMqLtsunn1oXPl1bs30mxBwx0EfOOO33sDvYwDRl0VNnsqGSc0GELV4t4jqSBSR0iqfG3SPQxNC64SpgEUlqkUc8UqmVKxQW_6u4xXgiB-3nT8t9Z/s1600/Septic08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjen9NZlQ1DmDEMiBgJByABzqWw8msbMqLtsunn1oXPl1bs30mxBwx0EfOOO33sDvYwDRl0VNnsqGSc0GELV4t4jqSBSR0iqfG3SPQxNC64SpgEUlqkUc8UqmVKxQW_6u4xXgiB-3nT8t9Z/s1600/Septic08.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finishing putting the tank together.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGkU23VxFraY-kSZchyphenhyphenhyHm4jYrlqrM-UGs_Yxza4glt93G_qDFBAca4GT-1BAV5sImnMirk64ipQ0Vl1I3brc8iNgMA9pyaJM_Z-9GNyCAXQqRvRvPVScE8-C7ufWczrwev_rqSUXL2a/s1600/Septic09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGkU23VxFraY-kSZchyphenhyphenhyHm4jYrlqrM-UGs_Yxza4glt93G_qDFBAca4GT-1BAV5sImnMirk64ipQ0Vl1I3brc8iNgMA9pyaJM_Z-9GNyCAXQqRvRvPVScE8-C7ufWczrwev_rqSUXL2a/s1600/Septic09.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Final inspection of it put together.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bnvX5Vg9GsOWdA-8TvUBeUtwp0aOe9qpoYBtOHOXAOz6boEWtt72pYPBXvqdLmczpB5uPXJzrI5TzATpz1YZdBxyxJJ2VOwcM4T56qU9yei3GAusozBPo2s3KlezWpN69ETbYz3aoy1T/s1600/Septic10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bnvX5Vg9GsOWdA-8TvUBeUtwp0aOe9qpoYBtOHOXAOz6boEWtt72pYPBXvqdLmczpB5uPXJzrI5TzATpz1YZdBxyxJJ2VOwcM4T56qU9yei3GAusozBPo2s3KlezWpN69ETbYz3aoy1T/s1600/Septic10.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Close up</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IomfX9rXFfjwEmujzBPC2HOfkhypFIt5JStiHHQi8gXp3dtOtZosOAoSgz7hiZ95WQNZvSETNzf3QdwZMfmnUyFzugHE0yd6OrqcTIVr5jK9YNoASBg7llWx2JLfYA4q-4oz1-ZYK8gp/s1600/Septic11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IomfX9rXFfjwEmujzBPC2HOfkhypFIt5JStiHHQi8gXp3dtOtZosOAoSgz7hiZ95WQNZvSETNzf3QdwZMfmnUyFzugHE0yd6OrqcTIVr5jK9YNoASBg7llWx2JLfYA4q-4oz1-ZYK8gp/s1600/Septic11.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here they have installed the pipe from the house to the tank and are starting to backfill the hole.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivS7puX3qVKaa4VuX8Ld0jNYXLpxm-6hs8dHFm32Uix9vo2lYGhuUdpYThKDgo4dvxnXFt0qWfmvIenTmOON1tN8dkd9W0o_QYr1iNjdiodd7wUbkrSx9TJ5BD0kHYqo-rjPKtEZrundep/s1600/Septic12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivS7puX3qVKaa4VuX8Ld0jNYXLpxm-6hs8dHFm32Uix9vo2lYGhuUdpYThKDgo4dvxnXFt0qWfmvIenTmOON1tN8dkd9W0o_QYr1iNjdiodd7wUbkrSx9TJ5BD0kHYqo-rjPKtEZrundep/s1600/Septic12.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A trench has been dug for the pipe going to the drain field.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokQV0KNFfW_0ZInPAGuWX_SRAtLLYr5r21ZLPn4XyA3B3YxMXdIll3cGbQcS2di4mSEQOEtUEbKCvfSo8gOsksqTTwY6ab78C_D_MKIhyphenhyphenfMKCuVKK91CLcD-rzG0d6oROq_jk22023lHV/s1600/Septic13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokQV0KNFfW_0ZInPAGuWX_SRAtLLYr5r21ZLPn4XyA3B3YxMXdIll3cGbQcS2di4mSEQOEtUEbKCvfSo8gOsksqTTwY6ab78C_D_MKIhyphenhyphenfMKCuVKK91CLcD-rzG0d6oROq_jk22023lHV/s1600/Septic13.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Laying the pipe to the drain field</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlj4GsvVaDvuDMq7tiKGMP1EHIgYP1ry8yM1HS0hWBKiswx7En2NULccZT0OT6kvJpX-F_A9qhMHR0WA-GGiARQwQw_OJ-e6_MXRp0IM1FFoW1W39jg_qfwowyOM92fMXYIyzlunsOcawU/s1600/Septic14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlj4GsvVaDvuDMq7tiKGMP1EHIgYP1ry8yM1HS0hWBKiswx7En2NULccZT0OT6kvJpX-F_A9qhMHR0WA-GGiARQwQw_OJ-e6_MXRp0IM1FFoW1W39jg_qfwowyOM92fMXYIyzlunsOcawU/s1600/Septic14.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what the drain field looks like before it's covered up.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKKh693E_bNorkT5NKxX7coBz8WbStwDWoqKnDlwMnmBP-hsjCn660k35eZyujoplf8CqMJVsVgeG9AzttP0Nk1ApV3L1yuCxrS3vbx6hapGBTrKulNTwhjHhpAnrW0_LPoDgZrf26LDm/s1600/Septic15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKKh693E_bNorkT5NKxX7coBz8WbStwDWoqKnDlwMnmBP-hsjCn660k35eZyujoplf8CqMJVsVgeG9AzttP0Nk1ApV3L1yuCxrS3vbx6hapGBTrKulNTwhjHhpAnrW0_LPoDgZrf26LDm/s1600/Septic15.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The end of the drain field.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84gXe2ebxJC9qd-gTICflLk1iUcqiHx8METnuGj63grUMltLiHhOCFY6TZdQo4VJxQVkrP8jbzLQBEh8fjIdWPDg7F-SfMclRJdGP6LIEEjcqR-NURMFlirulOBF2A2MJSmppWFuehjJg/s1600/Septic16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84gXe2ebxJC9qd-gTICflLk1iUcqiHx8METnuGj63grUMltLiHhOCFY6TZdQo4VJxQVkrP8jbzLQBEh8fjIdWPDg7F-SfMclRJdGP6LIEEjcqR-NURMFlirulOBF2A2MJSmppWFuehjJg/s1600/Septic16.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A look at the system from the end of the drain field.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaKho_EABzGtFoOxGTqT_31TDjEytSQcuQXu-9_7y2VaaNWlUePilG0doNsraH4Pr4SN3vvqFtJ1OZOhjbm_pcwWYbIaNZqjQHZHdNiz8FsL-Yvp9exy72_giubbAphoyVNq_wBFSOGRK/s1600/Septic17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaKho_EABzGtFoOxGTqT_31TDjEytSQcuQXu-9_7y2VaaNWlUePilG0doNsraH4Pr4SN3vvqFtJ1OZOhjbm_pcwWYbIaNZqjQHZHdNiz8FsL-Yvp9exy72_giubbAphoyVNq_wBFSOGRK/s1600/Septic17.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another look. Also, this is the south side of the house. All those windows really help heat the place on a sunny winter's day.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8ww1HyggXqyzxVQ-gMgU1SuwX_Q0VULprt9xC5XGG_7sM6Iejm6uGTOIV2BfPW7klzMsBVPohgsOwuixI_S-20FBgZItMIMOk-RMpK5hz4HDk9JXGieLPwzEhbfDcvdxIIRjIaIWKrJw/s1600/Septic18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8ww1HyggXqyzxVQ-gMgU1SuwX_Q0VULprt9xC5XGG_7sM6Iejm6uGTOIV2BfPW7klzMsBVPohgsOwuixI_S-20FBgZItMIMOk-RMpK5hz4HDk9JXGieLPwzEhbfDcvdxIIRjIaIWKrJw/s1600/Septic18.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Filling in the trench. He had to do this since it was the only way he could get the heavy equipment out.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_ZTPPjZAaj9yiNJK19FEA8Lauc_SE3XNI93ove2_CdNMZmfqF7PPNPbZIsc5TEDeaEGxktVI3CVF3zPzKiyHJz0sEtF19blATYBLvfiwa2n8IcK60uhWzMwpgf15OPvk8-QJYDXmgvIx/s1600/Septic19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_ZTPPjZAaj9yiNJK19FEA8Lauc_SE3XNI93ove2_CdNMZmfqF7PPNPbZIsc5TEDeaEGxktVI3CVF3zPzKiyHJz0sEtF19blATYBLvfiwa2n8IcK60uhWzMwpgf15OPvk8-QJYDXmgvIx/s1600/Septic19.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here they are setting up the tank pump.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5o2muNNNxn_Ia90mOrPeZB-S_oR3FQg_sSFRAtuve6tvpnQbM8McLNsFDfxWyWkc8RnR6tZuRoO2lvhpeO91IRwsGIQ8rEg7R4TdgvaO1bSQ5gjc4J1rgJ0muAFAwqnBJoc7qLXLeNdp/s1600/Septic20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5o2muNNNxn_Ia90mOrPeZB-S_oR3FQg_sSFRAtuve6tvpnQbM8McLNsFDfxWyWkc8RnR6tZuRoO2lvhpeO91IRwsGIQ8rEg7R4TdgvaO1bSQ5gjc4J1rgJ0muAFAwqnBJoc7qLXLeNdp/s1600/Septic20.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Close up</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5AC1z7yXbv54Egx1g33luFfoP4YXIioV2Y1Kd4gXueCTuftIUobEsqrQIAfYdEWU77TNXfWchtLNQ16-ipyWN1cNg3iMfi4VgbnadvYtRtUUrfG1rU9z7BWxjl7dWwjlqeF-v2f6syxx/s1600/Septic21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5AC1z7yXbv54Egx1g33luFfoP4YXIioV2Y1Kd4gXueCTuftIUobEsqrQIAfYdEWU77TNXfWchtLNQ16-ipyWN1cNg3iMfi4VgbnadvYtRtUUrfG1rU9z7BWxjl7dWwjlqeF-v2f6syxx/s1600/Septic21.JPG" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2WhGxRp7S6-KAXpRdFPn16YIkvWEfb2rnIC2HDMqT5zixYOQRLu9lRU1mcCJV1q0yWF59d9erjRJJdHhjbvahYWM216FldPqes7DakR-a5F7liOi3xjn9LyfOwWslqxyxiAchSVL9Ii6/s1600/Septic22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2WhGxRp7S6-KAXpRdFPn16YIkvWEfb2rnIC2HDMqT5zixYOQRLu9lRU1mcCJV1q0yWF59d9erjRJJdHhjbvahYWM216FldPqes7DakR-a5F7liOi3xjn9LyfOwWslqxyxiAchSVL9Ii6/s1600/Septic22.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Filling in the holes and smoothing things out.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IC2HT371tSwESoSfOOyTUaL5uPNdAmrpjKxyk2ykPKUZd66OAoD_wOhe_Nzymseu1Wl8aY7_9JN-WprUCklevj3AWjjacpfFj0CkkKQKTz_Rwe3udnnRO2vhU_BWc15NlMXXJJmg8XUx/s1600/Septic23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IC2HT371tSwESoSfOOyTUaL5uPNdAmrpjKxyk2ykPKUZd66OAoD_wOhe_Nzymseu1Wl8aY7_9JN-WprUCklevj3AWjjacpfFj0CkkKQKTz_Rwe3udnnRO2vhU_BWc15NlMXXJJmg8XUx/s1600/Septic23.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8q7rpuZ5Yi_Y4eZGttjmsvDMrxPDRhbQYQVJOKEWl6k8gyJER6q_vraWij1WWDAmFUk62bYg5qEbNjY20XatEKzJnTm4dS7hXAcmiN7eZTv8SAmgSGFUiVOfVLiVv-auWSUuz92chkmud/s1600/Septic24.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8q7rpuZ5Yi_Y4eZGttjmsvDMrxPDRhbQYQVJOKEWl6k8gyJER6q_vraWij1WWDAmFUk62bYg5qEbNjY20XatEKzJnTm4dS7hXAcmiN7eZTv8SAmgSGFUiVOfVLiVv-auWSUuz92chkmud/s1600/Septic24.JPG" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8sII_sGcgR5QxnjJ0ip3RvF6wuOuKj-Ra0_6-V-EdERJJqBt_cH304kUqqwGaWWgJ8TQsjHur9zLPqHaEJ8jlWyIift_I_CehSBU3ajWa34CrLy71hlCV-MVzkRO9VIxJXI14TwVdn0N/s1600/Septic25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8sII_sGcgR5QxnjJ0ip3RvF6wuOuKj-Ra0_6-V-EdERJJqBt_cH304kUqqwGaWWgJ8TQsjHur9zLPqHaEJ8jlWyIift_I_CehSBU3ajWa34CrLy71hlCV-MVzkRO9VIxJXI14TwVdn0N/s1600/Septic25.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Almost done here.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbPOLhM8ZLw9EyoD35I9YrSmDdsLh8w9a52m7_F5G4CihALLtyuGGVPAkv0HwEKsMsPSAvyPTT34F_VN1_fRUXaISFU7YXLghqV2qeGJM5U97y0TQZ6iSy05DwsyEYgAOzPatjrRxcZMg/s1600/Septic26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbPOLhM8ZLw9EyoD35I9YrSmDdsLh8w9a52m7_F5G4CihALLtyuGGVPAkv0HwEKsMsPSAvyPTT34F_VN1_fRUXaISFU7YXLghqV2qeGJM5U97y0TQZ6iSy05DwsyEYgAOzPatjrRxcZMg/s1600/Septic26.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finishing up</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pictures you see before are a before and after view of the yard. On the plus side. I'm very sure that we won't have to worry about mowing a lot of this part of the yard!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1fLHEw6m-Dg6u9HJTVdtvgC1pC6paBFrAW8qbks7f-US-ps_E_AKDLHVb7P9wMvsVowgV6TY1wDGafNuQj4xUpwiWrZ5SwO57iKuVrXHuY7Qcqdxt5e7ffYEVKthsc3Q9QIDKAbxxGqt/s1600/Septic27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1fLHEw6m-Dg6u9HJTVdtvgC1pC6paBFrAW8qbks7f-US-ps_E_AKDLHVb7P9wMvsVowgV6TY1wDGafNuQj4xUpwiWrZ5SwO57iKuVrXHuY7Qcqdxt5e7ffYEVKthsc3Q9QIDKAbxxGqt/s1600/Septic27.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMBza1qIvgl-gMoaLU4EPuaPopt-L8kZqalNfJsnHBOM4HV4QPJJpcFYL-moRDN3UDiW3Ee9eyRfV15vLZkeEtouUbTKxHbEzEvyyf9xHzmHu1b2xI0NjCUfYIc95l6fyyLUSG3y0G7TF/s1600/Septic28.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMBza1qIvgl-gMoaLU4EPuaPopt-L8kZqalNfJsnHBOM4HV4QPJJpcFYL-moRDN3UDiW3Ee9eyRfV15vLZkeEtouUbTKxHbEzEvyyf9xHzmHu1b2xI0NjCUfYIc95l6fyyLUSG3y0G7TF/s1600/Septic28.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After - All done! Note that all the work you see here was done in two 90 degree days. </span></td></tr>
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-34339814731027025432013-07-03T09:59:00.000-07:002013-07-03T09:59:21.603-07:00Chocolate Drops and Orange Eucalyptus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what I have been up to lately. So far since I started making soap the end of May, I have made soap every weekend. I took a break this weekend because I needed to start working on jewelry for my fall & winter shows. I am also going to try and do a show at South Padre Island in Texas during January 2014. Busy times ahead!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, here are some pictures of the soap I have made and also <span style="background-color: white;">something</span> wonderful my husband made for me, he is a genius! (Don't tell him I said that, I'll never hear the end of it!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First I am going to show you the soap I call Chocolate Drops. I used actual cocoa powder (the kind you use to make hot chocolate, put in cakes, etc) for the 'drop' part of it. This was my first time using it, so it's kind of experimental. I don't know yet how it will turn out when using it, so I won't be selling any until I use it myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After I cut it into bars, I realized I should have mixed the chocolate part with the uncolored soap. But that's why you experiment, right?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGRbWu8ic-CLgr0FQzwznRpDeYrwagIwAhE6kZo3TS9TJaXQI1s4vjfEcGzr3iVW3hGLikKsBZQb2rkdCnlRFUWDCxKjnoBsf0xvSIFgyana9GQvTzjHeyFhgA89ZDnO2MsB782WX8eWp/s640/DSCI0702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chocolate Drops" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGRbWu8ic-CLgr0FQzwznRpDeYrwagIwAhE6kZo3TS9TJaXQI1s4vjfEcGzr3iVW3hGLikKsBZQb2rkdCnlRFUWDCxKjnoBsf0xvSIFgyana9GQvTzjHeyFhgA89ZDnO2MsB782WX8eWp/s1600/DSCI0702.JPG" title="Homemade soap" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This wasn't a big batch of soap, which was fine with me since I was doing an experiment anyway.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh7xhJt5wSxw3oxaTNkA_lmbIreWjhfoxwgaKrlEjeNehSxp8Bm_9bXD_I8VW0JocYDtdHgrro0qcO0GxfFwOX6UqWPfte1XdSXhYysc9qqPnKtfF9HVVyzAhk6kOyXjubbAzCKmj07Nh/s640/DSCI0705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chocolate Drops" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh7xhJt5wSxw3oxaTNkA_lmbIreWjhfoxwgaKrlEjeNehSxp8Bm_9bXD_I8VW0JocYDtdHgrro0qcO0GxfFwOX6UqWPfte1XdSXhYysc9qqPnKtfF9HVVyzAhk6kOyXjubbAzCKmj07Nh/s1600/DSCI0705.JPG" title="Chocolate Drops" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have cut it into bars and you can see where the chocolate streaked a bit when I sliced them.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Below are pictures of the Orange Eucalyptus soap I made. It smells wonderful!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFPJP_OeWJUp6YcDvP3Rvh8Z7v9FszoqsHxSzIoIDqFml-RL4ybMNfPr9mbhxDT7oqaTX2Z_0m61VJxXzQurLonpOJKKaFzCnarAFUJ_lT3bEEzWoa12OlA3JaeQaxXwaFhaQ4I1ftmgC/s640/OrangeEuc01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Oil for soap" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFPJP_OeWJUp6YcDvP3Rvh8Z7v9FszoqsHxSzIoIDqFml-RL4ybMNfPr9mbhxDT7oqaTX2Z_0m61VJxXzQurLonpOJKKaFzCnarAFUJ_lT3bEEzWoa12OlA3JaeQaxXwaFhaQ4I1ftmgC/s1600/OrangeEuc01.JPG" title="Oil for soap" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the pot with my oils I had to melt. The flakes you see are Palm Kernel oil, the solid white blobs are vegetable shortening (think Crisco) and the tan chunks on the right side of the pot are raw, unrefined Shea Butter.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This soap came out more 'sticky' so I had to let the soap log dry for a week before I cut it. This was probably because I used less lye than I should have. I didn't realize I didn't have enough lye until I had reached the point of no return! Live and learn eh?</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDaHghgddfHArjC0VvDbsrmjW48-XePv8rGgYPDBiqvO00zUsIYZUjXD_UuM7pwefqkccOvgdG-QeHWG-Ar-iiQKzb4p0Uofs3c6uK1dqtaNAJD9qemQPKUSGhdp2rnx7tV41jdTptUhd/s640/OrangeEuc02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Orange Eucalyptus soap log" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDaHghgddfHArjC0VvDbsrmjW48-XePv8rGgYPDBiqvO00zUsIYZUjXD_UuM7pwefqkccOvgdG-QeHWG-Ar-iiQKzb4p0Uofs3c6uK1dqtaNAJD9qemQPKUSGhdp2rnx7tV41jdTptUhd/s1600/OrangeEuc02.JPG" title="Orange Eucalyptus soap log" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the log after I took it out of the mold. I failed to compact it a bit there on the right side as you can see the holes.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXYEymcIDOyzlWAFZWYrGGOVnQLuop5bOIAB5AzP5_eQ4IOz8ls_gMKU0cEKSGAZhNzxeDs0UkjTgVexI2_VoVKEFxTuRZKZxeKbEuu0yKMsmMvw49OErqNNW_2gFHphbTQ3OPULapEUx/s640/OrangeEuc03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Orange Eucalyptus soap log close-up" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXYEymcIDOyzlWAFZWYrGGOVnQLuop5bOIAB5AzP5_eQ4IOz8ls_gMKU0cEKSGAZhNzxeDs0UkjTgVexI2_VoVKEFxTuRZKZxeKbEuu0yKMsmMvw49OErqNNW_2gFHphbTQ3OPULapEUx/s1600/OrangeEuc03.JPG" title="Orange Eucalyptus soap log close-up" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a close up of the top of the soap.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABTM8UmBQ5VdLVYAP0JXPt1m-QSgXSqpcDCwK2wJuhCYUlR4caeM5oOleUcZnkLI9R5OQikf4f_ALv09GXsPfRdThlK2RLSWSPqg4ioLsMbZE6jD1RQv6nxJyA4AHQfaHVITiRZkanQnn/s640/SoapCutter01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Soap Cutter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABTM8UmBQ5VdLVYAP0JXPt1m-QSgXSqpcDCwK2wJuhCYUlR4caeM5oOleUcZnkLI9R5OQikf4f_ALv09GXsPfRdThlK2RLSWSPqg4ioLsMbZE6jD1RQv6nxJyA4AHQfaHVITiRZkanQnn/s1600/SoapCutter01.JPG" title="Soap Cutter" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what my wonderful husband surprised me with when I got home from work on Friday. A soap cutter! Now I can be even more precise when I cut the soap log into bars. I love you honey!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnruu6jDYKhQLiHVUSqxMnNjn_CUd3z-MxgpNb4N_nllhZRQqAzj2dpK3D6w0S0nrFsYcmi0AAmj9chpVrRsn9-QioyLU0lYifEmKxoXE57_j5UmCdTothLN5HHw_Ek9vpAL3aMgOXl5m_/s640/SoapCutter02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Soap Cutter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnruu6jDYKhQLiHVUSqxMnNjn_CUd3z-MxgpNb4N_nllhZRQqAzj2dpK3D6w0S0nrFsYcmi0AAmj9chpVrRsn9-QioyLU0lYifEmKxoXE57_j5UmCdTothLN5HHw_Ek9vpAL3aMgOXl5m_/s1600/SoapCutter02.JPG" title="Soap Cutter" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another angle</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsie-P6ECwO7ZRXf1nFzshQSwR0ynHxlfbP7As5xGl9M4JBLtbTmU_1ZR2evigUqL8J3vKotJqVR-wRM0EkSub8aE9-qUlkDfMi4ITNEN6HKcUrKnLoCGYzMKUq2GXlBOsZgRXtzpua8I/s640/OrangeEuc04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsie-P6ECwO7ZRXf1nFzshQSwR0ynHxlfbP7As5xGl9M4JBLtbTmU_1ZR2evigUqL8J3vKotJqVR-wRM0EkSub8aE9-qUlkDfMi4ITNEN6HKcUrKnLoCGYzMKUq2GXlBOsZgRXtzpua8I/s1600/OrangeEuc04.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here I have put the Orange Eucalyptus log in my new soap cutter. You can also see the previous soap I have made that is on the drying rack. I have the Chocolate Drops and Jasmine soap drying here.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYsVf1kQbOG1F5Ghyyg10aej6eEXdTTQzpZdnxrTBe4COd0_Gh__3Y-xaKQcYi8QXiwMQ0M9-FQbCf1kukJeQl23q-zKLeMBK5QEJPuD23bEHgpecX2Qg6BAqHi7G444_dR3jAo3R-0GL/s640/OrangeEuc05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYsVf1kQbOG1F5Ghyyg10aej6eEXdTTQzpZdnxrTBe4COd0_Gh__3Y-xaKQcYi8QXiwMQ0M9-FQbCf1kukJeQl23q-zKLeMBK5QEJPuD23bEHgpecX2Qg6BAqHi7G444_dR3jAo3R-0GL/s1600/OrangeEuc05.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A closeup before I start cutting.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq7tdTwP28bxOzpEqqpqFcnNnEhZwtDPCM7FSN6elfYlbFATR1lOAZqBJegFp2_nMsWSTmUJ_jrYoPxi4WrmO_bgJMfsIkmnWd4ddrnW0mlldOtQAI8KoCdCNdPk5PTHiRtBoO4wInjFn/s640/OrangeEuc07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq7tdTwP28bxOzpEqqpqFcnNnEhZwtDPCM7FSN6elfYlbFATR1lOAZqBJegFp2_nMsWSTmUJ_jrYoPxi4WrmO_bgJMfsIkmnWd4ddrnW0mlldOtQAI8KoCdCNdPk5PTHiRtBoO4wInjFn/s1600/OrangeEuc07.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perfect cut!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SaXrQZGVgxKeVAWf9abCtjnPYeppxMZeeMAOqeJFIl5hEF2-iXyi4QDDiiy-Z3kiyW93edt2wE90IVY5QGs-yffeRqKtRmWnbarrRViUaLgapsLg7grtilYi3wgqdFdWbunnjLNSkpKn/s640/OrangeEuc08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SaXrQZGVgxKeVAWf9abCtjnPYeppxMZeeMAOqeJFIl5hEF2-iXyi4QDDiiy-Z3kiyW93edt2wE90IVY5QGs-yffeRqKtRmWnbarrRViUaLgapsLg7grtilYi3wgqdFdWbunnjLNSkpKn/s1600/OrangeEuc08.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can see here where I have cut the soap into even bars.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWKzDKqJhKiyD-FmdofulkR3AJ2blXt4WW4XQPw-xsEfqxcGbquyjSF6ifnq6GXH-XuWSB2GN99Q1ygbWyYybXGSAtBdEjMDBTokxrMzOrBx83OdAa3JTfozqDI-ArK4Veh9J5rfw0K_m/s640/OrangeEuc09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWKzDKqJhKiyD-FmdofulkR3AJ2blXt4WW4XQPw-xsEfqxcGbquyjSF6ifnq6GXH-XuWSB2GN99Q1ygbWyYybXGSAtBdEjMDBTokxrMzOrBx83OdAa3JTfozqDI-ArK4Veh9J5rfw0K_m/s1600/OrangeEuc09.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've added the new Orange Eucalyptus soap to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the drying rack. It was somewhat dry on the outside, but when I cut into the soap, it was a bit sticky. I think I'll have to let these dry for about 6 weeks instead of 4 weeks.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnh_-h8380sEnwhdqip0g4ohHmsMYBWShz9sWk7hoLRNJxQN7LeTBDp7eH6MyGR3stJg636dcmxtJMk0JYisFNOaD0dKg2UH4Rxxr8Q7uTzxNCKdC_sXgJrlLbshyqAyeFjbCD_5pbaao/s640/OrangeEuc11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnh_-h8380sEnwhdqip0g4ohHmsMYBWShz9sWk7hoLRNJxQN7LeTBDp7eH6MyGR3stJg636dcmxtJMk0JYisFNOaD0dKg2UH4Rxxr8Q7uTzxNCKdC_sXgJrlLbshyqAyeFjbCD_5pbaao/s1600/OrangeEuc11.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another angle. You see the Jasmine soap in the foreground. I have some labels I printed out from some brown grocery bags that are ready to be trimmed.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am using brown grocery bags to print my labels. No only am I recycling, but I also like the paper wrappers being heavier than regular paper. That scroll-work design color will change depending on the soap it's wrapped in. For instance, when I make lavender soap, I'll be doing them in purple.</span><br />
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-63458915658592769372013-06-30T04:01:00.000-07:002013-06-30T04:02:45.269-07:00Summertime Fun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actually, I was being sarcastic. This will NOT be fun, but there is no way to avoid it. Our entire septic system must be replaced. I took some pictures of my yard being excavated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They dug 4 holes in all. The first one was to see what was going on with the existing tank. That's when they found out it was almost rusted through and had to be replaced. Since the drain field pipe was also rusted though, guess what? Yep, the drain field has to be replaced as well. Do you see where the fun part comes in? Neither do I.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other 3 holes had to be dug because they needed to see what the soil was like at the deeper levels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the plus side, I may be getting rid of the big evergreen bush in the yard. It has been a real PITA to maintain along with all the other trees, vines, etc in the summertime. They plan to do the work sometime the week of July 8, 2013.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6RwqwXXZu2_XiXanJvqSX8-HkCShHPv0Nn-5GvE1nVaFHCwAfTIhlCClrLkeJX1Nr94jwxsckm9B7JhsoWZul6blwZSRNa060gGfTyLiy-1IbadoqcP8JyR-56uhm-M-ai7j-PIlVEWK/s640/DSCI0692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6RwqwXXZu2_XiXanJvqSX8-HkCShHPv0Nn-5GvE1nVaFHCwAfTIhlCClrLkeJX1Nr94jwxsckm9B7JhsoWZul6blwZSRNa060gGfTyLiy-1IbadoqcP8JyR-56uhm-M-ai7j-PIlVEWK/s1600/DSCI0692.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is them covering up the 12'x10' hole that was dug to find out the condition of our septic tank</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjNEIcWZvDTEO0tJSbv3kgRH_mTvTcLDMnR_4AawUIbt0y-z0s-m3Siv1KzG64NiOdoKGWNRe67kw6tbFKNqNzfCL8FR2ILadt9bUlhoLJlb1EMPDR-RhA9u8rnib3hfdwEKjF7koEgo2/s640/DSCI0697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjNEIcWZvDTEO0tJSbv3kgRH_mTvTcLDMnR_4AawUIbt0y-z0s-m3Siv1KzG64NiOdoKGWNRe67kw6tbFKNqNzfCL8FR2ILadt9bUlhoLJlb1EMPDR-RhA9u8rnib3hfdwEKjF7koEgo2/s1600/DSCI0697.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that they have covered up the first hole, it's time to dig more!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNpTZiNBy36hNKcTLH1XeeY-bDWkWVh8XvNW553XhQfdYvYJBSP9marHo54z-q3k2_q8iFi0QWn0m9ASUMIeMX2P5nW8dcNBz8KckWME2immIFkXIq_TIMImii-1N2ULUDgnUhsc3HNDU/s640/DSCI0698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNpTZiNBy36hNKcTLH1XeeY-bDWkWVh8XvNW553XhQfdYvYJBSP9marHo54z-q3k2_q8iFi0QWn0m9ASUMIeMX2P5nW8dcNBz8KckWME2immIFkXIq_TIMImii-1N2ULUDgnUhsc3HNDU/s1600/DSCI0698.JPG" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzIu4__vqaa2slRvxljBLftaW0vc0vIixjBQQFW5rdrNilLaC8ssL1OSlPgrwN4atz5molOhSfigxVAJ3vv7KlglT41CpSTq1TnCBs9pCnX2XpUPNN7LvfO7Y28DIi2nKISsK269zw1PX/s640/DSCI0700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzIu4__vqaa2slRvxljBLftaW0vc0vIixjBQQFW5rdrNilLaC8ssL1OSlPgrwN4atz5molOhSfigxVAJ3vv7KlglT41CpSTq1TnCBs9pCnX2XpUPNN7LvfO7Y28DIi2nKISsK269zw1PX/s1600/DSCI0700.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To the left you see the bush I hope they take out when they install the new system.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If I can I'll try to get some pictures taken during the installation process too.</span></div>
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-21679198496210515792013-06-02T16:58:00.000-07:002013-06-30T03:28:34.190-07:00Something new - Making soap!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love the smell of Rosemary and Mint together, so that's the type of bar soap I made. I took pictures along the way and as you can see, it was an interesting process. Before I got any further though, I would like to thank the MommaMuse web site. She had a <span id="goog_1020049411"></span><a href="http://www.mommamuse.com/2012/01/08/rosemary-mint-cold-process-soap-tutorial-recipe" target="_blank">Rosemary Mint cold process soap recip<span id="goog_1020049412"></span>e</a> I used and as you will see, it turned out well for a first try.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsS_5JdlOAjb4IKEy2tbzsR3vqg3lcD-CBsq4taoIDXJQRBr3OuQlUjiILaikNO7RJpFTK551yi22N7WDMgwUsyd4MohxZF0reuBK-6JO5emMAA4Tf7qL5zI2RaAJYKtN4CiB5WceCdLzy/s1600/060213Soap04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsS_5JdlOAjb4IKEy2tbzsR3vqg3lcD-CBsq4taoIDXJQRBr3OuQlUjiILaikNO7RJpFTK551yi22N7WDMgwUsyd4MohxZF0reuBK-6JO5emMAA4Tf7qL5zI2RaAJYKtN4CiB5WceCdLzy/s1600/060213Soap04.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are my ingredients for the soap.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKAV0igBzRC08AjuRKsXSQxjiehTPId_nxc43br-VTKn6F2g-SOilnkgw6G96KFmpm2Gn58M29wjP0h7QpormKBT8vIVW9MgW_fQ9jnidz3vcwXBj0OHMpfMalAI8nfUXIfuEpggDsZE9/s1600/060213Soap02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKAV0igBzRC08AjuRKsXSQxjiehTPId_nxc43br-VTKn6F2g-SOilnkgw6G96KFmpm2Gn58M29wjP0h7QpormKBT8vIVW9MgW_fQ9jnidz3vcwXBj0OHMpfMalAI8nfUXIfuEpggDsZE9/s1600/060213Soap02.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I lined the molds with freezer paper. My wonderful husband made the forms and designed them so I could open them easily but "lock" them closed when pouring the soap.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also had to measure my ingredients and mix them in a safe container. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are my measuring tools and soap pot.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeUKg6JIMgNYR0dFjlCyY8tO0zqtKcw80skBdX5btXUBXXKnmhT9NM5H5gOGykTacqcUfTrdU7fmjOC9D8e6_M3t8TbOAXKD7wKn4O1Jqw_9QDIDtvedxFrZJsIbKdakq1cCZ2WfgcCmP/s1600/060213Soap07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeUKg6JIMgNYR0dFjlCyY8tO0zqtKcw80skBdX5btXUBXXKnmhT9NM5H5gOGykTacqcUfTrdU7fmjOC9D8e6_M3t8TbOAXKD7wKn4O1Jqw_9QDIDtvedxFrZJsIbKdakq1cCZ2WfgcCmP/s1600/060213Soap07.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stainless steel pot, Pyrex measuring bowl, thermometer & safety glasses. Look out! I'm going in!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that I have all my ingredients together, my measuring tools and the molds ready to go, let's get started!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNVbDWQIegnpbw94SXZgfAOUjiUeL6-Nme5X2M2YMkSnv-a6HOSIBAilERZcMrGXLJBFx7j6FzQMJ_xOTZhFLTqLY5nLjMIavo-8SggX6CD3O0yGsiwpnsK5XlGdRW0OM9o7T5xUlAVrI/s1600/060213Soap08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNVbDWQIegnpbw94SXZgfAOUjiUeL6-Nme5X2M2YMkSnv-a6HOSIBAilERZcMrGXLJBFx7j6FzQMJ_xOTZhFLTqLY5nLjMIavo-8SggX6CD3O0yGsiwpnsK5XlGdRW0OM9o7T5xUlAVrI/s1600/060213Soap08.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here I have added the necessary oils to the pot and melting them over low heat.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now for the fun part, measuring the lye.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagyKx7lt7fXrcei6EpSCL6k419yfHhShTJZ_Q13qKZhUKm1DJn_CKcCKEK5C1D3fy4loRhXc407YcoRCiF9oHrO_9KVeKliPzYC9mTnpItjm4iZ39vcz3j-bIr5XtK5602cZC_HRu0K5M/s1600/060213Soap09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagyKx7lt7fXrcei6EpSCL6k419yfHhShTJZ_Q13qKZhUKm1DJn_CKcCKEK5C1D3fy4loRhXc407YcoRCiF9oHrO_9KVeKliPzYC9mTnpItjm4iZ39vcz3j-bIr5XtK5602cZC_HRu0K5M/s1600/060213Soap09.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have my distilled water measured and I have weighed the lye. I have to be careful when I mix these 2 ingredients. I add the lye to the water and stir, but I had to be careful of fumes. After I mixed them I set the bowl outside to cool off.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the lye/water mixture was cooling, I added the olive oil to the heated palm oil and palm kernel oil. This helped cool off the oil mix. After the lye/water mixture had cooled to room temperature, I mixed it into the oil. After that I had my husband pour the rosemary and mint oils in the pot while I was still using the hand mixture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I forgot to take pictures of the soap right after I poured it in the mold but here you can see what it looks like.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNQMmFM71WewuL-X76CHXjNEmXXZ7KjiCAX8Qri7V8jTgjMVidyAjlJv3oLTVKhUOF6XwuNqqVwk95VLNJ5siiPJMQ1NSWHe8WyYVM2_oYYXAjiY6AUuyqUK9jPdbtI_9XKemLfoWYr56/s1600/060213Soap13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNQMmFM71WewuL-X76CHXjNEmXXZ7KjiCAX8Qri7V8jTgjMVidyAjlJv3oLTVKhUOF6XwuNqqVwk95VLNJ5siiPJMQ1NSWHe8WyYVM2_oYYXAjiY6AUuyqUK9jPdbtI_9XKemLfoWYr56/s1600/060213Soap13.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After pouring the mix in the mold, I wrapped it with plastic wrap and then wrapped everything in a thick towel. I then let it sit for 24 hours.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wait is over.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScYNSdJYHDq8StL-ANe8XPmFGLnolXKcOE6E1xTMILVdYNT3rc0rzV1BXCG3OoDwPFDewu-LFw0bClshs50IIFVJ1e7Q1-mTuXC0iHrFuBN_kFXLYWM1BVGpjORPoALRqskoxxwQoXDoI/s1600/060213Soap22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScYNSdJYHDq8StL-ANe8XPmFGLnolXKcOE6E1xTMILVdYNT3rc0rzV1BXCG3OoDwPFDewu-LFw0bClshs50IIFVJ1e7Q1-mTuXC0iHrFuBN_kFXLYWM1BVGpjORPoALRqskoxxwQoXDoI/s1600/060213Soap22.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unwrapping the soap log. Now is the time to cut it into bars because it is still soft enough to do so.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsyCF2GuPPhsI5ZOOXcGRw8WHY-6cpDqsu9hzIMTciPyBm0StJmwHeCvyesWGgl8GQZR6-s0Rj_3T_VU_5Gph7oJWgk0b38IcE0zEPKt4pGKk62C1abzg4cWZY2doqnsDYmDjjdhCemYH/s1600/060213Soap26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsyCF2GuPPhsI5ZOOXcGRw8WHY-6cpDqsu9hzIMTciPyBm0StJmwHeCvyesWGgl8GQZR6-s0Rj_3T_VU_5Gph7oJWgk0b38IcE0zEPKt4pGKk62C1abzg4cWZY2doqnsDYmDjjdhCemYH/s1600/060213Soap26.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am using the miter box to (hopefully) cut my bars straight.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwTF0yTyUe8wrLrkO5wZaeXqsH50r2YK8Z6ZFzX7OzBXlqj6bpgtcDLY7x29OYhd6Q-pCwgw76lgPsuCdoLLInTtqN9I86GeiaVUkPx8xP0BTtyE2GO26jC7T7bLrHgkhFkCSNL8d_x-i/s1600/060213Soap27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwTF0yTyUe8wrLrkO5wZaeXqsH50r2YK8Z6ZFzX7OzBXlqj6bpgtcDLY7x29OYhd6Q-pCwgw76lgPsuCdoLLInTtqN9I86GeiaVUkPx8xP0BTtyE2GO26jC7T7bLrHgkhFkCSNL8d_x-i/s1600/060213Soap27.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a drying rack, my husband came up with a great idea. We had this wire shelf we weren't using, so he cut a couple of 2x4's and used them to prop up the other side of the shelf.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My bars have been cut and put on the drying rack.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMx8aVojIy24UX8WlttaxEnIKEPqfM5KjirI1IwB48lYHeRAI3LxiM_J1If00Kt4yqlvoj4FalVmRIIWEfD6NftrlVYoYmCbi2O3l4e4Q0Bh7SrZrL9Pz0_rd4WvDG1-MeeOORxEhj6eu/s1600/060213Soap29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMx8aVojIy24UX8WlttaxEnIKEPqfM5KjirI1IwB48lYHeRAI3LxiM_J1If00Kt4yqlvoj4FalVmRIIWEfD6NftrlVYoYmCbi2O3l4e4Q0Bh7SrZrL9Pz0_rd4WvDG1-MeeOORxEhj6eu/s1600/060213Soap29.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bars didn't come out very uniform and I molded the soap scraps I had left in that little plastic bowl.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that the soap is drying, it's time to make some labels.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8veWz9NNAlEZHHdXjtmVBT6BrkPk8GeEpS2AE5g0jRMJyt0HtASfblILyFIdze_oMJoXV8AbvOiyijVh9b4KR2bNw6tW8uupZsgVoydIaoJIYPvZTVPBcwwKinO8HOr8tsxdHpXgbF30m/s1600/060213Soap37.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8veWz9NNAlEZHHdXjtmVBT6BrkPk8GeEpS2AE5g0jRMJyt0HtASfblILyFIdze_oMJoXV8AbvOiyijVh9b4KR2bNw6tW8uupZsgVoydIaoJIYPvZTVPBcwwKinO8HOr8tsxdHpXgbF30m/s1600/060213Soap37.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found a black & white pattern but change the color to purple. I decided to call them Genie Bars & put an abstract 'lamp' on the label.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a front and back look at the labels I made</span>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8YsGPkk8pke5k9Z4MnCVQUKzyFBr5AXEsh7jw929lV38aYa8Cor3wyMziTnLNzWpaCx6q8ikiN3w5yYmIOSwB7XGtsR2lqSETn5a0FlU0j6qLK0boEo7qmtP2vTxbk_bPZ5jgvnmukS8/s1600/060213Soap38.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8YsGPkk8pke5k9Z4MnCVQUKzyFBr5AXEsh7jw929lV38aYa8Cor3wyMziTnLNzWpaCx6q8ikiN3w5yYmIOSwB7XGtsR2lqSETn5a0FlU0j6qLK0boEo7qmtP2vTxbk_bPZ5jgvnmukS8/s1600/060213Soap38.JPG" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4fjxI933bjbrTiiWxrZc9c5c4IPzSer9cU-m9ybgt5bqFwnpyatWdhkuU718vVjMXuf9_RVFEturBozURQ10FAAAgWVPSa2ms-O9cnkJTEnY6COfPVLd0YkwIg2PAUbj1yLNc_zz2BWb/s1600/060213Soap41.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4fjxI933bjbrTiiWxrZc9c5c4IPzSer9cU-m9ybgt5bqFwnpyatWdhkuU718vVjMXuf9_RVFEturBozURQ10FAAAgWVPSa2ms-O9cnkJTEnY6COfPVLd0YkwIg2PAUbj1yLNc_zz2BWb/s1600/060213Soap41.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a fun experience and not really all that hard. I wish you could smell the fragrance, it is quite uplifting and should be a good soap to use in the morning to wake me (or you) up!</span>
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-47006111403330023972013-01-30T11:47:00.000-08:002013-01-30T11:48:39.893-08:00Snow is here! (Again)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Believe it or not, it was raining and 40f/5c yesterday and today we are getting perhaps as much as 10 inches of snow. I was asked to take some pictures so I thought I would just post them here on my blog. If you are looking at this from some place warm, be thankful. If you are sharing the misery, Spring will be here soon!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrJfIDQnxjZ0dE-cskCEqk6T1KxOmto4d1j2Cej0RufIB3Kfg8e7C55T-o6FadBBk-otKqWtF40xX8o2nRYvUgO42CsR8EgCRPU1FLLhmCjkMtuIzs8vfWetjeb284S2GH_U8VEo_tJWU/s1600/FrontDoor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrJfIDQnxjZ0dE-cskCEqk6T1KxOmto4d1j2Cej0RufIB3Kfg8e7C55T-o6FadBBk-otKqWtF40xX8o2nRYvUgO42CsR8EgCRPU1FLLhmCjkMtuIzs8vfWetjeb284S2GH_U8VEo_tJWU/s1600/FrontDoor.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here's what I see when I look out the front door. That blob on the left is a car and right straight in front of you between the trees is our driveway.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-7UzKNHy7uj40DDHRB5nKoydcWjiVxC3t0Xsjrgji6SiyXJ-K28ku8-m8EcMABK-yMNHSAHzTO3BHlwATo6jinwddigtN2kLRrZhGPgglGYZSCbz1V2xZYW7S4hb06eSghJbqyLVrHM2/s1600/SouthSideOfHouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-7UzKNHy7uj40DDHRB5nKoydcWjiVxC3t0Xsjrgji6SiyXJ-K28ku8-m8EcMABK-yMNHSAHzTO3BHlwATo6jinwddigtN2kLRrZhGPgglGYZSCbz1V2xZYW7S4hb06eSghJbqyLVrHM2/s1600/SouthSideOfHouse.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is a picture of the south side of the house. That's part of our yard.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0knwyhAn0vqPrzErMsljEuxpjhk9jxNnoLwR-3eN5mVWnjS21rhs312aCYy3ZZSae7ukCPP95U4-v5NF8z0YvsRugnYGuWehajEdcU3q_O2PJg-zzPfMJ1tWQ_Z23yOpaUBeK6xIxkTJ/s1600/PineTrees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0knwyhAn0vqPrzErMsljEuxpjhk9jxNnoLwR-3eN5mVWnjS21rhs312aCYy3ZZSae7ukCPP95U4-v5NF8z0YvsRugnYGuWehajEdcU3q_O2PJg-zzPfMJ1tWQ_Z23yOpaUBeK6xIxkTJ/s1600/PineTrees.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another picture of the yard. I wanted to capture a picture of the pine trees weighed down with the snow. This time it was very wet and heavy snow</span>.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevcmaNxkzbvhh1uxQII2RW1C2lbuZZcU1skSaeeesZlQC1TISPgT59EXll4cI-EjUdq3PZd6flIdViY3FbR8zxF4w8Y98h0_8FGsDs7wjIvHdl9QY3zzAW3ISjnEhkFd-u2-K44xvrZ1Z/s1600/Deck2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevcmaNxkzbvhh1uxQII2RW1C2lbuZZcU1skSaeeesZlQC1TISPgT59EXll4cI-EjUdq3PZd6flIdViY3FbR8zxF4w8Y98h0_8FGsDs7wjIvHdl9QY3zzAW3ISjnEhkFd-u2-K44xvrZ1Z/s1600/Deck2.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A picture of our deck in the back of the house. The snow is actually pretty, but I am sure I won't be thinking this when we have to clear it</span>.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLm0JiBUgteiRiozNZ72qIYJ6PNTEXZLBVjHhcLX2cVVppsvZdH7roZpIf-iiuCky0DltyWY69W7kct2iMR3_uwfWJTv-MK1aH0tTxKF_ES8nPhSYoDw3LI6EbFqev7g9GmpUrfhXcijx/s1600/Deck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLm0JiBUgteiRiozNZ72qIYJ6PNTEXZLBVjHhcLX2cVVppsvZdH7roZpIf-iiuCky0DltyWY69W7kct2iMR3_uwfWJTv-MK1aH0tTxKF_ES8nPhSYoDw3LI6EbFqev7g9GmpUrfhXcijx/s1600/Deck.JPG" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another deck picture</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It seems to have stopped snowing now, but winds will pick up and then the drifting starts. For now we don't have to worry about it since we are sitting all snug in our house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A nice cup of tea and I'm good to go!</span><br />
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-77297884463977616032012-12-29T04:15:00.001-08:002013-01-30T11:49:00.853-08:00India - The city of Agra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of you may know this, but some of you may not (I didn't) but the Taj Mahal is near the city of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agra" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Agra</span></a>. Whenever I pictured the Taj Mahal in my mind, I thought of a structure that was just there. I didn't give any thought to what might be near it. Well, here are some pictures of the city itself. Some of them are from us driving through the city and others are from when we stopped to eat. One set of pictures in particular are from a very special visit to someone's home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please note, most of these pictures (if not all) were taken by my co-worker Phil. He really captured the Agra experience.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22b-2gnIXP_wzXZ6A8RU7QyfqzhyphenhyphenXEGn-TY5yD-kByj-TZ_2XUBek533bD2T0_JRzlpz61rP47qLXjIuMxyogwwe3eGLX6OXCJcy8KzrBX1WMiMZ88_j73TZzrDH41cX-d6MC2gWvrrXz/s1600/Agra001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22b-2gnIXP_wzXZ6A8RU7QyfqzhyphenhyphenXEGn-TY5yD-kByj-TZ_2XUBek533bD2T0_JRzlpz61rP47qLXjIuMxyogwwe3eGLX6OXCJcy8KzrBX1WMiMZ88_j73TZzrDH41cX-d6MC2gWvrrXz/s1600/Agra001.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In Agra as in other cities, we mostly saw motorcycles on the road. The're small, nimble and economical too.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv2RmtxzeYbPY4o1XX4Z8ULmhLZu2MzcNQxJvkpbf6ISwQaUltVq9Je6C4KhN_BAw7BBrz2y_p1wKfGa2osK0UBko3nt1lILE1J-39D0Y-hQPKzEG2oFDoZNK7rKlw413_eJiMx8yC9SM/s1600/Agra002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv2RmtxzeYbPY4o1XX4Z8ULmhLZu2MzcNQxJvkpbf6ISwQaUltVq9Je6C4KhN_BAw7BBrz2y_p1wKfGa2osK0UBko3nt1lILE1J-39D0Y-hQPKzEG2oFDoZNK7rKlw413_eJiMx8yC9SM/s1600/Agra002.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I don't know what these guys were transporting on that tricycle, but it must have been heavy since 1 person was pushing from the back. The temperature that day (11/3/2012) had to be around 80f/27c and these guys are wearing long sleeved shirts and in some cases a scarf.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFVZ8SSzusYAb2eVvtYqtvuuMvenzQPjAQMpYeK48vJo80xTZ-ut1CIBYsd1X5tZe8DRNj5rgZ2INA6BOFt6fHK2ukuIp07c8xU0iR2v6-jfIFacO_OD3ibdKjLnla5qX2wP-V8sbk-D_/s1600/Agra003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFVZ8SSzusYAb2eVvtYqtvuuMvenzQPjAQMpYeK48vJo80xTZ-ut1CIBYsd1X5tZe8DRNj5rgZ2INA6BOFt6fHK2ukuIp07c8xU0iR2v6-jfIFacO_OD3ibdKjLnla5qX2wP-V8sbk-D_/s1600/Agra003.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have no idea what those round rocks are for.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw29nNTMW-44EJspffeQ9ak8jpVmdV4zqUp6QqOlpu5abYvQ6ctf3yVTciDMlUbjgM9ESuw2YsET3Xt5kOgMP4tol5h3iDWwHLdBR-1FjiI3uEExlBmo8Wdon3hgdjVP62jAm43CkpP26w/s1600/Agra004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw29nNTMW-44EJspffeQ9ak8jpVmdV4zqUp6QqOlpu5abYvQ6ctf3yVTciDMlUbjgM9ESuw2YsET3Xt5kOgMP4tol5h3iDWwHLdBR-1FjiI3uEExlBmo8Wdon3hgdjVP62jAm43CkpP26w/s1600/Agra004.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In Agra, we saw more carts/wagons pulled by cows than we did when we were in Chennai. </span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMojUZ88CRKk2uGXRSDq9zlX4DfOLrRJCJUMt95Z9usIUfZ1V89hCU3ZyEHF_LeC41UAWNusJB3pXHgsziU8YxJm2YCGUQpZjz66CuRK8TXjp15G9_cxEjv2eWzmeh0xtL_6VJ2QERUjj/s1600/Agra005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMojUZ88CRKk2uGXRSDq9zlX4DfOLrRJCJUMt95Z9usIUfZ1V89hCU3ZyEHF_LeC41UAWNusJB3pXHgsziU8YxJm2YCGUQpZjz66CuRK8TXjp15G9_cxEjv2eWzmeh0xtL_6VJ2QERUjj/s1600/Agra005.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9e_A5r-1WRHdyeU6yeALQj6dW5vFiLZpIFxEH-ApANCYF0lsUrzmqoIk3PZ283xgsVhzzl4BDXsV3g8sQr28e0mpqAkWFbqXUUlq7X9MswxeKry_XsG5Agc3Yrc5gon3DmZyAgpuHiXoO/s1600/Agra006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9e_A5r-1WRHdyeU6yeALQj6dW5vFiLZpIFxEH-ApANCYF0lsUrzmqoIk3PZ283xgsVhzzl4BDXsV3g8sQr28e0mpqAkWFbqXUUlq7X9MswxeKry_XsG5Agc3Yrc5gon3DmZyAgpuHiXoO/s1600/Agra006.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There were a lot of food shops just off the street. At night they were very crowded.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGMt8RxscdZ_N2ZmFjmf1bpzoNUPzLD5QkG6d9KFZWADSQn0BBKiN5JBhDTaH9Lf7QKQubbSKOtVBCrEXSHicQ5QxjZp5iiu6H8PCCHKldIjfmQ7BLZ-IKeZ3776A7CbiefdXeDOp3_PN/s1600/Agra007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGMt8RxscdZ_N2ZmFjmf1bpzoNUPzLD5QkG6d9KFZWADSQn0BBKiN5JBhDTaH9Lf7QKQubbSKOtVBCrEXSHicQ5QxjZp5iiu6H8PCCHKldIjfmQ7BLZ-IKeZ3776A7CbiefdXeDOp3_PN/s1600/Agra007.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A cow resting near a road divider.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhza4SGq8AIqFzESjlijACzKyZRrw0qLBNRoUguQms1i_mHMH3Av4c5ad_38ntFKE9apK5DksTmVUfwZBRYWamr6V2TtLjH2z33SRcloURGE_z3ZU-VK7PcZ_Uqt-b06DJGdLV_XNE6RtaC/s1600/Agra008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhza4SGq8AIqFzESjlijACzKyZRrw0qLBNRoUguQms1i_mHMH3Av4c5ad_38ntFKE9apK5DksTmVUfwZBRYWamr6V2TtLjH2z33SRcloURGE_z3ZU-VK7PcZ_Uqt-b06DJGdLV_XNE6RtaC/s1600/Agra008.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There were a lot of these carts too, usually pulled by a horse.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghaHtfcJOyzb6u2MxfKixB9gftIYHUVhrphftymMJdtqbpwQAUYRdCAngNYlHoq1VeWZ5is3XP0o3KK1FSTDP9oEu-y7sW84iKvLgX2wAxyel0eXtV-COhWPYv7l1aE5PjH61qRq7ATKeE/s1600/Agra009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghaHtfcJOyzb6u2MxfKixB9gftIYHUVhrphftymMJdtqbpwQAUYRdCAngNYlHoq1VeWZ5is3XP0o3KK1FSTDP9oEu-y7sW84iKvLgX2wAxyel0eXtV-COhWPYv7l1aE5PjH61qRq7ATKeE/s1600/Agra009.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Vendors waiting for customers.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzXfI92xxPu2nTQwI0vhmYLqaEY29EKnc6jEOpd-gX0pSFPZ4OeD4Bi_Dxsc1-C9lO5HGxf6wGpEHsYDvznAuQcL45BAevkvA0mofFwXKrTx8XGz7JvScEgtrgQ9pwwoONEb6KxYZSrOz/s1600/Agra010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzXfI92xxPu2nTQwI0vhmYLqaEY29EKnc6jEOpd-gX0pSFPZ4OeD4Bi_Dxsc1-C9lO5HGxf6wGpEHsYDvznAuQcL45BAevkvA0mofFwXKrTx8XGz7JvScEgtrgQ9pwwoONEb6KxYZSrOz/s1600/Agra010.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What you see behind the motorcycle is a vendor selling cauliflower from a cart.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJo1PvCynW4KHF2ASoPk9-rQT1o5PBIKrXwmRBKv2-Dx-DxxdeOVJMvBPMG8XC-zEWNtSYoUKNPaH9mJwW7ueGfm0FIyJxQSUzomL9GD-rZUmbV0EdFW3TAoXuUDlPeK2lcMyCjOr5ZCy/s1600/Agra011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJo1PvCynW4KHF2ASoPk9-rQT1o5PBIKrXwmRBKv2-Dx-DxxdeOVJMvBPMG8XC-zEWNtSYoUKNPaH9mJwW7ueGfm0FIyJxQSUzomL9GD-rZUmbV0EdFW3TAoXuUDlPeK2lcMyCjOr5ZCy/s1600/Agra011.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our Cognizant co-worker/guide, Mohit took pity on us and brought us to a McDonald's in Agra. He probably realized that we were getting a bit tired of Indian food. At the India McDonald's there were no hamburgers on the menu that contained beef. You had a choice of veggie burgers or a chicken sandwich. I can't remember if they had fish on the menu at this one.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMId22TRyJzlc8fAe2NqieFXjdxsNdVj5vtGsu7_N2HWfKusbroKPaoqoXitVzyzi-QBcocJuO0fG45PtIJ7rfXzlY9jlrmscC9z8AMILg8pqOr36ao3AOLSOdAUe-k7Q71EY4jJOVY_9s/s1600/Agra012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMId22TRyJzlc8fAe2NqieFXjdxsNdVj5vtGsu7_N2HWfKusbroKPaoqoXitVzyzi-QBcocJuO0fG45PtIJ7rfXzlY9jlrmscC9z8AMILg8pqOr36ao3AOLSOdAUe-k7Q71EY4jJOVY_9s/s1600/Agra012.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It may be spelled wrong, but it get's the point across.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtY-169I7u1h34GRT8MDDj61sXdCDMeep1oFAsLZrQbnYqtekoH4Z3zNTf61c8ZhvbJiIE13ldK1Wd-rZcFxxVQ-DLXxXNdIdJSgSRhxqQC9rNMfv9cQUZGPXYy3Gyj86GQYEjZLS4cSEi/s1600/Agra013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtY-169I7u1h34GRT8MDDj61sXdCDMeep1oFAsLZrQbnYqtekoH4Z3zNTf61c8ZhvbJiIE13ldK1Wd-rZcFxxVQ-DLXxXNdIdJSgSRhxqQC9rNMfv9cQUZGPXYy3Gyj86GQYEjZLS4cSEi/s1600/Agra013.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is the apartment complex that we visited. Mohit's brother lives here with his family and we were invited over to their apartment for coffee & tea. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVV1nV8ah9s-QBOvcvIn_uFa6txZAmUUB4JLM7pqP244mMS767Uabk-g5Oj50CjWCel1RQIPMwz57Ok_KntbA1Xc3L8H7PewjkLy0HQff6i8AJ1IXwBiSv-n1_sJxoUzgFjY9WxdZ5OKru/s1600/Agra014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVV1nV8ah9s-QBOvcvIn_uFa6txZAmUUB4JLM7pqP244mMS767Uabk-g5Oj50CjWCel1RQIPMwz57Ok_KntbA1Xc3L8H7PewjkLy0HQff6i8AJ1IXwBiSv-n1_sJxoUzgFjY9WxdZ5OKru/s1600/Agra014.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here are some of the flowers in the courtyard of the apartments. The yellow flowers are Marigolds and the red flowers are what we call <a href="http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/growingflowers/flowersandseasons/cockscomb" target="_blank">Cockscomb</a>. They were over 3 feet tall! What makes this so amazing to me is that I have never seen them grow more than 6-7 inches in a season where I have lived in the USA. They were quite stunning.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVa63QsS4fpe0ddw1uSVJBOYDZAwuiXyOtbP1WhLDmbPGQn1OjiDOGLvgSc8M-QVPi4ETtjlA05Vdzy0VwGR_bwDn-ul9rWYI6a0ZKUz9d-LgJZStVsr6mWN-WZP_t94ntR9ncMjYFOlne/s1600/Agra015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVa63QsS4fpe0ddw1uSVJBOYDZAwuiXyOtbP1WhLDmbPGQn1OjiDOGLvgSc8M-QVPi4ETtjlA05Vdzy0VwGR_bwDn-ul9rWYI6a0ZKUz9d-LgJZStVsr6mWN-WZP_t94ntR9ncMjYFOlne/s1600/Agra015.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYKpDzsSDKCe2UHusdEr7311EMkXLUTlQPmzCe83zH7EfWt83CsfuVRcbrVaMRgzSh-1VFrCJG31kxMclOhHxftURf3j3mPbdRuUjK_-DDOyi8-5VFJpuJoHfD052AeAPjv0Ub14N7MQd/s1600/Agra017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYKpDzsSDKCe2UHusdEr7311EMkXLUTlQPmzCe83zH7EfWt83CsfuVRcbrVaMRgzSh-1VFrCJG31kxMclOhHxftURf3j3mPbdRuUjK_-DDOyi8-5VFJpuJoHfD052AeAPjv0Ub14N7MQd/s1600/Agra017.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboBc91JPxtywvuZIZJxVPWPVWMNtXZ-5U3gZne_a6olpI_xE3BEf0IIWR0CMkuVkkr50Md_3rIO1-I6Oumz9nyzY3M46Lup9ZgM5qn5nVvydDHhHxZGiz7TIRKaJ09UOGp0fEkM2fmEQe/s1600/Agra018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboBc91JPxtywvuZIZJxVPWPVWMNtXZ-5U3gZne_a6olpI_xE3BEf0IIWR0CMkuVkkr50Md_3rIO1-I6Oumz9nyzY3M46Lup9ZgM5qn5nVvydDHhHxZGiz7TIRKaJ09UOGp0fEkM2fmEQe/s1600/Agra018.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tea, coffee and refreshments. It was a wonderful break in the day. Just being able to relax and meet Mohit's family was nice. They were very gracious to have us visit on such short notice. Oh, and Mohit's brother owns an ice cream distributorship in Agra, so we got to sample a LOT of product before we had the refreshments you see here. What a wonderful, wonderful experience!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jWyuSd-MbTA/UN7TYRj9JFI/AAAAAAAAAnU/_Ndpz1tCStw/s1600/Agra019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jWyuSd-MbTA/UN7TYRj9JFI/AAAAAAAAAnU/_Ndpz1tCStw/s1600/Agra019.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here's a picture of Melanie, me, Mohit & Mohit's uncle. The coffee we were drinking was GREAT!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJwymesdSa_E6yIFE86D4wCiG44qliBBod8AIsr0J3iGnm2m2du4YMZSH1vK5hzLQuV6QWlE0KfRzQLAkiJjWZa1NG75-l585bA84-1IB3e0M6aIm2Ob2u1s-KMmz2k08YchAnm-hUhku/s1600/Agra020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJwymesdSa_E6yIFE86D4wCiG44qliBBod8AIsr0J3iGnm2m2du4YMZSH1vK5hzLQuV6QWlE0KfRzQLAkiJjWZa1NG75-l585bA84-1IB3e0M6aIm2Ob2u1s-KMmz2k08YchAnm-hUhku/s1600/Agra020.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A view of Agra from the apartment.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkedtf56PkPDz0XQa7QjGyhg8AYB8Obrif_9RH-As8gBJKmHIvDV5Nij4BP-geNU9328A5CJ9-bAf56fEDMGsPpAS29KZyG_qquaAdj4jUN4jfr-KH2k6WaFgVVS2bDoLeEyzgzam5Yrf/s1600/Agra021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkedtf56PkPDz0XQa7QjGyhg8AYB8Obrif_9RH-As8gBJKmHIvDV5Nij4BP-geNU9328A5CJ9-bAf56fEDMGsPpAS29KZyG_qquaAdj4jUN4jfr-KH2k6WaFgVVS2bDoLeEyzgzam5Yrf/s1600/Agra021.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another view of the apartment complex.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqC7K532D03puojNp29BVCqODWcKADOYS-TuquUE786LNrh08SQozih9qHPfnuzUJ5pD4oCE8H0-plFCo6xwUPhOcI6KHCI5YuxItnLCXYMTbjryexpOyEPrlQaLncCx104iGTZV3Ww2iZ/s1600/Agra022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqC7K532D03puojNp29BVCqODWcKADOYS-TuquUE786LNrh08SQozih9qHPfnuzUJ5pD4oCE8H0-plFCo6xwUPhOcI6KHCI5YuxItnLCXYMTbjryexpOyEPrlQaLncCx104iGTZV3Ww2iZ/s1600/Agra022.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Back on the road, here you see a packed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_rickshaw" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Tuk-Tuk</span></a>. I think there may have been 6 people piled into this vehicle, including the driver!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2P9alGWSoKR1RftWpP5A0C2tNmxGyISP7w_AFKrkxORPzD5LYC7tscRASgTdeMCuWdVh3wDAJmK-yhYsXhNFOkZskK_TNFMOC96-buKZmGa6gbGMwumnGo5gAWRzJHVffGb_wtixEW2nI/s1600/Agra023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2P9alGWSoKR1RftWpP5A0C2tNmxGyISP7w_AFKrkxORPzD5LYC7tscRASgTdeMCuWdVh3wDAJmK-yhYsXhNFOkZskK_TNFMOC96-buKZmGa6gbGMwumnGo5gAWRzJHVffGb_wtixEW2nI/s1600/Agra023.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Not a very focused picture. Not bad though considering it was from a moving vehicle.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqADk6my7R30EsNtOS09bb3-NVY5TmDJxEiIV998jgg_cH6U8opmw4849EzW3WOLLUDPDMgCi_byHB1w70uS_cSE7xh105Y1YlpxsmpbgnvADdwuYf7eY5g8b_8JBRrtuqeucc1j3DnoJ/s1600/Agra024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqADk6my7R30EsNtOS09bb3-NVY5TmDJxEiIV998jgg_cH6U8opmw4849EzW3WOLLUDPDMgCi_byHB1w70uS_cSE7xh105Y1YlpxsmpbgnvADdwuYf7eY5g8b_8JBRrtuqeucc1j3DnoJ/s1600/Agra024.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSThMTPWHUILmIOkniz7eywjiBPS81ZhBQPirC7ZI8uXSf9bVRe57bTY7u6WGOG6NQuLZcBTNjs9y5pS5Jh2lrvr_uAGpX-y_2JnisOzkht5ggtA9CvceIyLe5C14a0si4wSRBD6_kQDP/s1600/Agra025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSThMTPWHUILmIOkniz7eywjiBPS81ZhBQPirC7ZI8uXSf9bVRe57bTY7u6WGOG6NQuLZcBTNjs9y5pS5Jh2lrvr_uAGpX-y_2JnisOzkht5ggtA9CvceIyLe5C14a0si4wSRBD6_kQDP/s1600/Agra025.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This guy (cow) looked like he goes wherever he wants.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUwtZvpDYFpCY_49HIaEZjFPsD4i0CLWD04ZjuXaY9mvLvmV8oBTPqDHi0alA81lKpJ3OgY-LzRGVA6LoLw88bBau34RwyyEtjtFUBZHhkzxB-psOk2qDS74mcUCtwNGodEfPOthT0dxr/s1600/Agra026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUwtZvpDYFpCY_49HIaEZjFPsD4i0CLWD04ZjuXaY9mvLvmV8oBTPqDHi0alA81lKpJ3OgY-LzRGVA6LoLw88bBau34RwyyEtjtFUBZHhkzxB-psOk2qDS74mcUCtwNGodEfPOthT0dxr/s1600/Agra026.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Toll booths.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The city of Agra was an exciting place to be and I am very happy we got to see it. <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Agra" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Click here</span></a> for more travel information on Agra.</span></div>
Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-26104654709687203002012-12-28T08:40:00.000-08:002012-12-28T08:40:13.987-08:00India - The Taj Mahal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where has the time gone? I meant to get the pictures posted sooner, but time flies around the holidays. So, here are the pictures that were taken when I went to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal" target="_blank">Taj Mahal</a> in November 2012. <a href="http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/india/agra/tajmahal.php" target="_blank">Click here</a> for a brief history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We toured the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort on the same day. I'll post picture of Agra Fort later. Just know that by the end of the day, we were worn out!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJocdXCJ2BtjdIvAQkyZBfjXpTKQn4-zKCcT2XiX8saft5IUGUAiiveIicpdxCRsiYTZKENy5ZMQqaw7lu88UKiuFkXHAhy0dqCAU_c2l92FI8G77Vf3ikwfI50saR-rKskWoisnBQ_-Z/s1600/Taj0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJocdXCJ2BtjdIvAQkyZBfjXpTKQn4-zKCcT2XiX8saft5IUGUAiiveIicpdxCRsiYTZKENy5ZMQqaw7lu88UKiuFkXHAhy0dqCAU_c2l92FI8G77Vf3ikwfI50saR-rKskWoisnBQ_-Z/s1600/Taj0009.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here's the entrance to the Taj Mahal grounds. At this point, we have not even seen part of the structure itself. This place is HUGE! The 'tent' you see there is a security checkpoint. They were at every place we visited when we were there.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshl-U4ja5aFnxvOs6BQwAts9Ft0AhM1iehAbZQD5wqqe9MuTh2g-_qovBTuhWVYKSZ4Ge2MVfzbwr-RXw5JRABB9_ltffuZQ6XMdcYPC0Y2wlX0HwRBKgdIWFwILc5B-Oz0maZwKg-2nO/s1600/Taj0009a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshl-U4ja5aFnxvOs6BQwAts9Ft0AhM1iehAbZQD5wqqe9MuTh2g-_qovBTuhWVYKSZ4Ge2MVfzbwr-RXw5JRABB9_ltffuZQ6XMdcYPC0Y2wlX0HwRBKgdIWFwILc5B-Oz0maZwKg-2nO/s1600/Taj0009a.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">After we went though the entryway, this is what we saw to the left and right of us. From what our tour guide said, these openings were offices for the various supervisors that were overseeing the building of the Taj Mahal. Each supervisor had a unique rug in his office for identification. For instance, a supervisor may have had a rug with a rose as the design. If someone needed that supervisor, they would send a runner and ask for the 'rose' supervisor. There were so many managers on this project, and so many workers, it was the most practical way to get things done.</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADDugVJZsFkKBW5f7GRlY0BT7Wn141RnHT8kf7xyfWZnFdURhEDS107-pIiBk7oMNvL7fGq8EL7wcRWk-ztAIru7vhCLO_ofUah0DrW2QUO_5oR7JBCVyfFjPKYf1GCv7iKjp7EwqWIg9/s1600/Taj0009b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADDugVJZsFkKBW5f7GRlY0BT7Wn141RnHT8kf7xyfWZnFdURhEDS107-pIiBk7oMNvL7fGq8EL7wcRWk-ztAIru7vhCLO_ofUah0DrW2QUO_5oR7JBCVyfFjPKYf1GCv7iKjp7EwqWIg9/s1600/Taj0009b.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A side view of the offices</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkAAOyRo-gY0jvikfGW34hyGky2nXqMT364Hz8MGPhqeNv9HEIwFwnJskOXM8OwCGAfXe0j9b9NciUlnFnZ3QbHZ_SGFPZXBvaWXy_NTJZpkqT8Kovr6YbIlwTVQVDmg6NQibaVcbxJMI/s1600/Taj0009c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkAAOyRo-gY0jvikfGW34hyGky2nXqMT364Hz8MGPhqeNv9HEIwFwnJskOXM8OwCGAfXe0j9b9NciUlnFnZ3QbHZ_SGFPZXBvaWXy_NTJZpkqT8Kovr6YbIlwTVQVDmg6NQibaVcbxJMI/s1600/Taj0009c.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here I have stepped into one of the offices and taken a picture. You can see several other offices too. Note the symbols above the doorways, this was probably an identifier for the various supervisors as well (my guess). I can't remember the number of offices on the grounds, but I do know that the ones you see here weren't even 1/4 of them. There were a LOT</span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8h88LBq8_5u5BaQO1Pvarl2t1wYtJCAWYouWBM_3ZNPJzIvm-FVXfqmtW97rQSshtD9pL_nEVMeCyQCIYwKo_zCKV9qAQVKVge-QZMjRQaI-kyszLgII7OryDBx9cJQZTkwVLkL6L1ToK/s1600/Taj00200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8h88LBq8_5u5BaQO1Pvarl2t1wYtJCAWYouWBM_3ZNPJzIvm-FVXfqmtW97rQSshtD9pL_nEVMeCyQCIYwKo_zCKV9qAQVKVge-QZMjRQaI-kyszLgII7OryDBx9cJQZTkwVLkL6L1ToK/s1600/Taj00200.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is the building everyone has to go through to see the Taj Mahal. It is called Darwaza. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">The main gateway (</span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">darwaza</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">) is a monumental structure built primarily of marble which is reminiscent of Mughal architecture of earlier emperors. Its archways mirror the shape of tomb's archways, and its </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">pishtaq</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"> arches incorporate the calligraphy that decorates the tomb. It utilizes bas-relief and pietra dura inlaid decorations with floral motifs. The vaulted ceilings and walls have elaborate geometric designs, like those found in the other sandstone buildings of the complex.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> From this distance you can already see the balance and artwork in this amazing structure.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkN8w2U6BZa71DD47eF5Fltkc78H1s5x3QVJUP-ULndZeUVi2CZdqvnQLmtDxQe4_ukSgjg_us-xE0YwlfuKXh4Or9b89a3kEPSr6V-4HHF3OlqL5nkICTP2GXYivUP8Xy8gdmSGnAYYU/s1600/Taj00201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkN8w2U6BZa71DD47eF5Fltkc78H1s5x3QVJUP-ULndZeUVi2CZdqvnQLmtDxQe4_ukSgjg_us-xE0YwlfuKXh4Or9b89a3kEPSr6V-4HHF3OlqL5nkICTP2GXYivUP8Xy8gdmSGnAYYU/s1600/Taj00201.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoGs14vfNDysG3vmRPZH5ypyg9bueG1LZICutM9NF39yxiNEUUSQnmE1vcRpOgeQTrbimiQCw7ILEInWJ9dQ8xYhP5KuExDikoziYsiDLWHUtvN_qwMLoWxbv1C42UGqE6mg_UfQc5ouc/s1600/Taj00208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoGs14vfNDysG3vmRPZH5ypyg9bueG1LZICutM9NF39yxiNEUUSQnmE1vcRpOgeQTrbimiQCw7ILEInWJ9dQ8xYhP5KuExDikoziYsiDLWHUtvN_qwMLoWxbv1C42UGqE6mg_UfQc5ouc/s1600/Taj00208.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">All the artwork you see here on the front of the building has been done in marble and other stone material. The actual work is called </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">pietra dura.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Seeing the tourists here also gave me my first clue as to the amount of people we would be seeing.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxyhvxvfcCQfa8xBa1eLWUhsMvKtuxTQqvjnVda0kTq9_0itm7D9P-Bjpv0CugGLahQ5KCqZXnhrDins25AbZyP8QOG6xzRjRbVPstrAhULvLtNd2pB41rEveWa7LLO96xCdLmhdHNu8L/s1600/Taj00213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxyhvxvfcCQfa8xBa1eLWUhsMvKtuxTQqvjnVda0kTq9_0itm7D9P-Bjpv0CugGLahQ5KCqZXnhrDins25AbZyP8QOG6xzRjRbVPstrAhULvLtNd2pB41rEveWa7LLO96xCdLmhdHNu8L/s1600/Taj00213.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here I am, in front of the entrance to the Taj Mahal.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfJ81VuD6nSmWsaw5Gw3MkBOpdFBlCy4jQMmC7fLYoZRhBdQHus__vPxLeUxJ8CSZ2PumYVF7VI_-Qaj8pXDt33otKHWOOBpP1yqnM6aENylRl09Su0kCiuvA0-qxSAwi2J1dul2mcxnG/s1600/Taj00216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfJ81VuD6nSmWsaw5Gw3MkBOpdFBlCy4jQMmC7fLYoZRhBdQHus__vPxLeUxJ8CSZ2PumYVF7VI_-Qaj8pXDt33otKHWOOBpP1yqnM6aENylRl09Su0kCiuvA0-qxSAwi2J1dul2mcxnG/s1600/Taj00216.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Going through the gateway</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGzirbAILy5ip-XDG5e7VVRN7dSGhMfdtGow9JxCRH-A-XzIgUa8BcSjUtk-_HvxRSiNQ8kEi961aCvH1HQO7cVyT11-Apb0ncT79QzmkmclCa8Ovmei6QHmjVRIxyzTDIcpUJu-wmcCg/s1600/Taj00217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGzirbAILy5ip-XDG5e7VVRN7dSGhMfdtGow9JxCRH-A-XzIgUa8BcSjUtk-_HvxRSiNQ8kEi961aCvH1HQO7cVyT11-Apb0ncT79QzmkmclCa8Ovmei6QHmjVRIxyzTDIcpUJu-wmcCg/s1600/Taj00217.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My first peek at the Taj Mahal. The smog was bad in Agra, it did clear up some in the afternoon though. The little dots you see at the base of the structure are people. The big dots you see at the bottom of the picture are people too.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Some garden landscaping</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGJc_cghKb6s1t7PHwTpxx7kS7GCy-2HTG12IkyXO9rLMb_pzAuj11Q0FRH4eU2FxIrokgSltoxyTmcFka69WbMYxGrlEcka_VptHO8lDs7o3Vwes5VsDgiMurkYPlj1aX295_v4yAQvz/s1600/Taj00315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGJc_cghKb6s1t7PHwTpxx7kS7GCy-2HTG12IkyXO9rLMb_pzAuj11Q0FRH4eU2FxIrokgSltoxyTmcFka69WbMYxGrlEcka_VptHO8lDs7o3Vwes5VsDgiMurkYPlj1aX295_v4yAQvz/s640/Taj00315.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You can see some of the building detail here. Did I mention it was huge?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoaelg0vWb0E1ICAeQZ6R5NpDAyha5ZWj7JKxnK3iZA236i56kI9-GIo1YCYrokhGhUesaLAPkCavXbjMxeOUgzskQPECdI8idAEfezlHGzpEcyefGeOu3MAXmh4wuf2nrabzZmVu7laZ/s1600/Taj00400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoaelg0vWb0E1ICAeQZ6R5NpDAyha5ZWj7JKxnK3iZA236i56kI9-GIo1YCYrokhGhUesaLAPkCavXbjMxeOUgzskQPECdI8idAEfezlHGzpEcyefGeOu3MAXmh4wuf2nrabzZmVu7laZ/s1600/Taj00400.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We had to either take our shoes off or wear booties when we went into the Taj Mahal. Since it was a sacred place, we were not allowed to have our shoes touch the grounds.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rmIg7nujg4S2HqWnA1ziOQqQpwGoJKFyVZWIU8ULHUeAv0g89FcDZm-L3g-NkUziWvhaaqjGa9a2sw7rek0Dsh1CSLeB2sVPG40h9Bn1aCXwn8OcGgkYfuriRTXa3dMibqhIG1fjLUBH/s1600/Taj00400a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rmIg7nujg4S2HqWnA1ziOQqQpwGoJKFyVZWIU8ULHUeAv0g89FcDZm-L3g-NkUziWvhaaqjGa9a2sw7rek0Dsh1CSLeB2sVPG40h9Bn1aCXwn8OcGgkYfuriRTXa3dMibqhIG1fjLUBH/s1600/Taj00400a.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">On either side of the Taj Mahal were two building, one of them is a mosque and the other is a </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">jawab</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"> (answer), whose primary purpose was architectural balance, although it may have been used as a guesthouse. </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A picture of the Taj Mahal before we climbed the steps to the grounds.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8V2MzDlx6jinIYvnKY7iKy0yKv7niRP-bNNdP5hVpJSj3JkG_UJEIHnHGv4zli4R53AH6IugP6UMvtej5Dj0DeUlkp8azIkDnQBmR7R4sgBmQWVvUFYFn-boBGUj7GFdu3SSVBz1w2Eu/s1600/Taj00400c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8V2MzDlx6jinIYvnKY7iKy0yKv7niRP-bNNdP5hVpJSj3JkG_UJEIHnHGv4zli4R53AH6IugP6UMvtej5Dj0DeUlkp8azIkDnQBmR7R4sgBmQWVvUFYFn-boBGUj7GFdu3SSVBz1w2Eu/s1600/Taj00400c.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">One of my co-workers (Phil) wanted to get a picture of the guy with the gun. So I told him to take a picture of me, but 'miss'.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisETOBjBu20GRFUjacJnCnTL_zMUz-sh_C5us-JtZCQpCT-eH9OzjevDLpX1kWC1VpHusL8wjI68pZdKjDAx51v5dgZVrPRwkEBHBPLvZPccFqJhUv7BskUpB6uouOHLVUlzd0b8tJ_cq8/s1600/Taj00400d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisETOBjBu20GRFUjacJnCnTL_zMUz-sh_C5us-JtZCQpCT-eH9OzjevDLpX1kWC1VpHusL8wjI68pZdKjDAx51v5dgZVrPRwkEBHBPLvZPccFqJhUv7BskUpB6uouOHLVUlzd0b8tJ_cq8/s1600/Taj00400d.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The entrance to the Taj Mahal. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the building. <a href="http://www.agrahub.com/taj-mahal-agra/tajmahal-trivia.html" target="_blank">Click here </a>for more facts about the Taj Mahal.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A close up of the outside artwork.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2Eb1WAjPC9nnnUN525c0tKUuKl7HlS2UmBaKeJeF074zTt3lSykV6coZMvXMAAj5gVNbw-a4F9gCR38Wex3YZGhSJQp3N5LtVaiLOcS5b0LFXOQmntc7lypWZYULrxmFurZ_Jimhk_Kh/s1600/Taj00411c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2Eb1WAjPC9nnnUN525c0tKUuKl7HlS2UmBaKeJeF074zTt3lSykV6coZMvXMAAj5gVNbw-a4F9gCR38Wex3YZGhSJQp3N5LtVaiLOcS5b0LFXOQmntc7lypWZYULrxmFurZ_Jimhk_Kh/s1600/Taj00411c.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This technique is actually called <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">pietra dura. </span><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> It is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly-polished colored stones to create images or artwork.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My last look at the Taj Mahal.</span></td></tr>
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-2570986755058348962012-11-19T04:09:00.000-08:002012-11-27T13:19:17.698-08:00My Trip to India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, let me tell you, this past month has flew by like you wouldn't believe! I left for India the last part of October, spent about 10 days there, got back to the good old USA, promptly got a really, really bad cold that developed into Walking Pneumonia. It has not been boring!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I finally got around to editing some of the pictures I took and I am going to post them here. I hope you enjoy them and my explanation of what you are seeing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you know, I was in India on business. I have been working with a wonderful off shore team since 2006 and I finally got to meet them in person. They are all wonderful people and I made some new friends too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our trip started out on the 26th of October with a 16 hour flight from Chicago to New Delhi. We had to wait in the Delhi airport for about 5 hours before we flew to Chennai in southern India. We arrived about midnight on the 27th, met our co-workers & friends; then we were on our way to the hotel to check in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I flew to India with 2 other people from my workplace and we agreed to meet for breakfast at 0930 the next day (Sunday) and I promptly woke up at 0917. My week has begun!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxzT97PlNI3GB0XkDxToQOZu1J-3tYCp_gl7wK40x1Z9AmLfqP9sSh55_2xyAQhN6GXETMbH_CVhnco7rhJBiapwsYEZJFK1Ep_rvt8ROBeucZEjrh5VJxIp4AthFiFW2u_GW9MQQV-KC/s1600/DSCI0400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxzT97PlNI3GB0XkDxToQOZu1J-3tYCp_gl7wK40x1Z9AmLfqP9sSh55_2xyAQhN6GXETMbH_CVhnco7rhJBiapwsYEZJFK1Ep_rvt8ROBeucZEjrh5VJxIp4AthFiFW2u_GW9MQQV-KC/s640/DSCI0400.JPG" title="Chennai" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what I saw when I looked out my hotel window. The people across the street were digging by hand in the dirt & women would load dirt into baskets, put them on their head and dump the dirt on the side of the building site.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I learned 2 things very quickly. In most of the restaurants we went to 1) they have buffet style food, 2) they only have instant coffee. That morning I drank 3 cups and I didn't care how it tasted, I NEEDED it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After breakfast, we started on our sightseeing for the day. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWy0t6XwYvrS5MYwQHuZxTM4WOBpobT-9lWAAlB9UtuYVHhzpipAS-RWruBy1rQQwfysnF5lCPovuW7ahDeQMy1SAtjHEn4z9RhdNSRTw678-ZOCBZSfjcr0CiJ0zUftfeOPX7teUB_m3G/s1600/DSCI0403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWy0t6XwYvrS5MYwQHuZxTM4WOBpobT-9lWAAlB9UtuYVHhzpipAS-RWruBy1rQQwfysnF5lCPovuW7ahDeQMy1SAtjHEn4z9RhdNSRTw678-ZOCBZSfjcr0CiJ0zUftfeOPX7teUB_m3G/s640/DSCI0403.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mohit, Phil, Aysah, Melanie, me & Meenakshi - ready for our first day in India</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way to the first site, I managed to take one picture, but it does show you the tropical scenery. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those are coconut palm trees, they were all over the place.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We went to 3 places in all on that Sunday, the first one was a representative of the different regions in that area of India. It is called <a href="http://www.dakshinachitra.net/" target="_blank">DakshinaChitra</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> After that we went to <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Mamallapuram" target="_blank">Mamallapuram</a> and saw <a href="http://www.journeymart.com/de/india/tamilnadu/mamallapuram/krishna's-butterball.aspx" target="_blank">Krishna's Butterball</a>. We then went to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shore_Temple" target="_blank">Shore temple</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A small courtyard</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Going into one of the buildings</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0IGoMby3uLaOuZ_P6ZeT1IfPKwpISvEPj-PYIqW3vdxqDXwx5Zn92ih5UCTSaxZ9iWQRveV-TDvUlHosPZrhSAbKkvQJ1RTrC4GENbWt79H7AwjLPu03aP2akSvCiFN0zriE-xvYyvu8/s1600/DSCI0411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0IGoMby3uLaOuZ_P6ZeT1IfPKwpISvEPj-PYIqW3vdxqDXwx5Zn92ih5UCTSaxZ9iWQRveV-TDvUlHosPZrhSAbKkvQJ1RTrC4GENbWt79H7AwjLPu03aP2akSvCiFN0zriE-xvYyvu8/s640/DSCI0411.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The landscaping is beautiful!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWtiQxo38aIj9onnHLdUNPTA7u1_IvVVJaCDj1vSH4EeWArf1GcbSgkLK4XKi0lzffyEgtCC0Vfnm5HzPyzMIiCp7eQpkmJBVA3MWkx64hvb6qnfoKXk65YP50CcAbFAJwsMW-N32vmes/s1600/DSCI0416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWtiQxo38aIj9onnHLdUNPTA7u1_IvVVJaCDj1vSH4EeWArf1GcbSgkLK4XKi0lzffyEgtCC0Vfnm5HzPyzMIiCp7eQpkmJBVA3MWkx64hvb6qnfoKXk65YP50CcAbFAJwsMW-N32vmes/s640/DSCI0416.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A representation of what a home in India looked like around the turn of the century.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWm1uzlpIQEbxuIM0RXN1gQtkOrz8u98moB95sSzwbv0EzL3mFUT7YFQwD2jAyM0R61ecbeZZom06K-C1Wq3pTHXuICJctdgsjjl-HJP4ELDxncwQUqXcKED5FJXCL8mQvhOEkWrhU3kK/s1600/DSCI0418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWm1uzlpIQEbxuIM0RXN1gQtkOrz8u98moB95sSzwbv0EzL3mFUT7YFQwD2jAyM0R61ecbeZZom06K-C1Wq3pTHXuICJctdgsjjl-HJP4ELDxncwQUqXcKED5FJXCL8mQvhOEkWrhU3kK/s640/DSCI0418.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KsoynMhmhd8AgZIjpJEtS1Ih0eAhJlB9AAtir8u72LaaIFWuqr8xEiWXXG3mTDGYLeACdLnSbhRPVV8ChxXy0BYEFVpOp3rjOB5AG4X8_lhNpd4GyZIEs8ldBBJtzT4p_Q0OF6E4_xLt/s1600/DSCI0419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KsoynMhmhd8AgZIjpJEtS1Ih0eAhJlB9AAtir8u72LaaIFWuqr8xEiWXXG3mTDGYLeACdLnSbhRPVV8ChxXy0BYEFVpOp3rjOB5AG4X8_lhNpd4GyZIEs8ldBBJtzT4p_Q0OF6E4_xLt/s640/DSCI0419.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These parrots flew wild all over the place in India, I saw a lot of them in Delhi too. In this case, the birds are supposed to pick a card out of the deck and your fortune/future is revealed.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkI2fwXcBH_nbzq41MNorRNwcALML_cIwm3i_Bn722FYi-pV8zv22AG8ThxFEnVPqpRAxRzEmBDN0tfOC9hztfU5ZGyvdyqhUF2tABbF-TwBEZzJgOnR8NcLw7GJflo6h-t14_cutyxmU/s1600/DSCI0420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkI2fwXcBH_nbzq41MNorRNwcALML_cIwm3i_Bn722FYi-pV8zv22AG8ThxFEnVPqpRAxRzEmBDN0tfOC9hztfU5ZGyvdyqhUF2tABbF-TwBEZzJgOnR8NcLw7GJflo6h-t14_cutyxmU/s640/DSCI0420.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More gorgeous landscaping</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6DhlZoIT8AXE622DDtjf9LXgj9i5AUV-uD16XH-Tjnkqpl-xG5cCsx2h572_PLB0B9z3xsH4mvccHedexWmYHUwCs04_G3GABZMvVhJlLNS8bgSLSZvlBIoGuC_eEW-Ea9rf2sYwtJr7/s1600/DSCI0423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6DhlZoIT8AXE622DDtjf9LXgj9i5AUV-uD16XH-Tjnkqpl-xG5cCsx2h572_PLB0B9z3xsH4mvccHedexWmYHUwCs04_G3GABZMvVhJlLNS8bgSLSZvlBIoGuC_eEW-Ea9rf2sYwtJr7/s640/DSCI0423.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was amazed at all the flowering trees I saw, they were very beautiful.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pictures below were in one of the buildings, the colors were so vivid and the artwork was really defined.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We then entered the weaving section of the village, here are some pictures I took of that.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yKPUwyTJrtXVJWSEg-J1OL28i0_AFo5CZEB__fsmV9oGhmYoFuWnP2wObdU8APiwaR9uhNFZPyoXoh6Jkr4WzWAlkbKpogJTLeb_aQxPZ1KFtd_DOWREfXlSoGWE_3enOGS6OKv4Dhv5/s1600/DSCI0447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yKPUwyTJrtXVJWSEg-J1OL28i0_AFo5CZEB__fsmV9oGhmYoFuWnP2wObdU8APiwaR9uhNFZPyoXoh6Jkr4WzWAlkbKpogJTLeb_aQxPZ1KFtd_DOWREfXlSoGWE_3enOGS6OKv4Dhv5/s640/DSCI0447.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Examples of how the weaved cloth was used.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that tour was over, we went to eat lunch at the <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.grthotels.com%2F&ei=XB2qUJ3VCuPmygGltICgDQ&usg=AFQjCNHXHXXwlpcSghEYQtRjx36hXL75fw&sig2=LnomlYHN08ANBwx5VXVvqw" target="_blank">Radisson Temple Bay hotel</a>, here are some pictures of the courtyard we walked past at the hotel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a great lunch, we then went to Krishna's Butterball, and the shore temple. Here are the pictures from that excursion.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Krishna's Butterball - That's Phil (in blue) holding up the ball so it doesn't fall over.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyP_GpAd-7zuTIbVnnJOridYAGJs9jn3-_zsiFfg-I5Q5PKkWzaciJdPKivyxPiUIPVEHGEVeCOh7zoD78wdEi_Qhn6UDysZ7gJZ5k1qejRHK4NW-9kl8uUlSm-SLIwPj1swtNFLeaiUN_/s1600/DSCI0457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyP_GpAd-7zuTIbVnnJOridYAGJs9jn3-_zsiFfg-I5Q5PKkWzaciJdPKivyxPiUIPVEHGEVeCOh7zoD78wdEi_Qhn6UDysZ7gJZ5k1qejRHK4NW-9kl8uUlSm-SLIwPj1swtNFLeaiUN_/s640/DSCI0457.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Side view</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyV4zGPmChUZeUboKRexXDkeifuXz4OCLjf5z-aD-ak9OwAbFXoeIrRBq2dJvTvQrTI4OwE4qATt8o-lSlYEV5JzAAu-HfLO946OrU8ryORPTIDVczV-COxcv3fmgcclerwEeInWz5ReM/s1600/DSCI0466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyV4zGPmChUZeUboKRexXDkeifuXz4OCLjf5z-aD-ak9OwAbFXoeIrRBq2dJvTvQrTI4OwE4qATt8o-lSlYEV5JzAAu-HfLO946OrU8ryORPTIDVczV-COxcv3fmgcclerwEeInWz5ReM/s640/DSCI0466.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWk5eBiMmQnLPtV7fZlpeak19v5SgBQKdNgL-v69SU6J3n1VTUF1frqo5uMuf7liCfmSHhzs7xZ80paIpyepkZJt8TGPRX9217HPPLmpblJxEDAepiCi_Hve41t-2bK57V1KS4APVibG7/s1600/DSCI0467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWk5eBiMmQnLPtV7fZlpeak19v5SgBQKdNgL-v69SU6J3n1VTUF1frqo5uMuf7liCfmSHhzs7xZ80paIpyepkZJt8TGPRX9217HPPLmpblJxEDAepiCi_Hve41t-2bK57V1KS4APVibG7/s640/DSCI0467.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20rn022L2VMcUl-zEOIuOcqR8KmqmiC-N81Wt8XYSjCFxmV5SueCnkrqEThKjEDLvclceibUXvvX4zRzQYqzCCs5H8gOi5Ce7c5kh0TZD37QeRlU3FYtdkWcniGFf-bpxKyZBguc8Qs-O/s1600/DSCI0468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20rn022L2VMcUl-zEOIuOcqR8KmqmiC-N81Wt8XYSjCFxmV5SueCnkrqEThKjEDLvclceibUXvvX4zRzQYqzCCs5H8gOi5Ce7c5kh0TZD37QeRlU3FYtdkWcniGFf-bpxKyZBguc8Qs-O/s640/DSCI0468.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Mamallapuram" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVvQk7Qi9j7Ufh20LFs6aTJ03M7oIkSMYGxhfRaPS6KhuHDEOV4OcJWgRIP72GvhDRwbOzL1ChPMohQ6SBlD1YYAHgYVODH4IU55tjb1A5X50y2ZiBJeEYviBuDjSEAEfctcAbikV344m/s640/DSCI0474.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Arjuna's Penance bas-relief</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYdlcC2xuj0PDkPxh_ZMyV2SX3nakoa2-ibjQeIs_T1IGc25iL6vVpkWiH522CfjPOeunJSHHuKA6ivQAZwQ6MH9Sf383c477XLj6qgzPiLbgEZJYV_NKFItmjqS65531-vPj-Y2Mi_7D/s1600/DSCI0475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYdlcC2xuj0PDkPxh_ZMyV2SX3nakoa2-ibjQeIs_T1IGc25iL6vVpkWiH522CfjPOeunJSHHuKA6ivQAZwQ6MH9Sf383c477XLj6qgzPiLbgEZJYV_NKFItmjqS65531-vPj-Y2Mi_7D/s640/DSCI0475.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: left;">Arjuna's Penance bas-relief</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_Ok_-BPHTD0w7k4MA4SXGbmNk7EOMVPP8reyTCO8KFsAc8y-O2UwY6UlQKsgEam_5wfhAUIwnVz6vpqjLqiwO38GagNlfzQa_BROjab8sOxUYYkenlFpbl7Z7o8IAL-qJalHZH0o2_ng/s1600/DSCI0476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_Ok_-BPHTD0w7k4MA4SXGbmNk7EOMVPP8reyTCO8KFsAc8y-O2UwY6UlQKsgEam_5wfhAUIwnVz6vpqjLqiwO38GagNlfzQa_BROjab8sOxUYYkenlFpbl7Z7o8IAL-qJalHZH0o2_ng/s640/DSCI0476.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: left;">Arjuna's Penance bas-relief</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some pictures of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shore_Temple" target="_blank">Shore Temple</a>, it was getting to the end of the day, and the sun was setting.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVgH-bX5sg1s8MGHanV-9AY45Xp8uAmsbBdZ8Ir-vc7kBKsyBK_knG0dbgj6J1pCgTAAuPTldoAlgNDyMrItg7lNy7xoRKmz5j5qeFDpJo19L16nlCR2yD6gqf-JV4IYZBtfSPfe-uZGd/s1600/DSCI0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVgH-bX5sg1s8MGHanV-9AY45Xp8uAmsbBdZ8Ir-vc7kBKsyBK_knG0dbgj6J1pCgTAAuPTldoAlgNDyMrItg7lNy7xoRKmz5j5qeFDpJo19L16nlCR2yD6gqf-JV4IYZBtfSPfe-uZGd/s640/DSCI0479.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivcarq1yJnN3TOBNyT1dnBiqVgY8gvATDDZA9IHpziDpn9B9j0HdeEDLgYfMPgek9GZ3ikEFpvlLGJsdKsnhn_riU98IAGq8IwbEXg9BlsYhwyJOP7n2cxpz1BgsUWloxswGmjtDTzzaHJ/s1600/DSCI0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivcarq1yJnN3TOBNyT1dnBiqVgY8gvATDDZA9IHpziDpn9B9j0HdeEDLgYfMPgek9GZ3ikEFpvlLGJsdKsnhn_riU98IAGq8IwbEXg9BlsYhwyJOP7n2cxpz1BgsUWloxswGmjtDTzzaHJ/s640/DSCI0480.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shore Temple in the distance</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOTbtmnHQS-RGOTMac03EB8IetcpdmuFdyEz6XXc7Hn-ql53355GxsZr5M36inMpMHY7ijM7tz_2Qp5ge-P6ATyIh1c0zNdfeMc_58yVvjJCk_i2BH-rQcuOsUPP1OaAI4tkVKfXSRyDc/s1600/DSCI0481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOTbtmnHQS-RGOTMac03EB8IetcpdmuFdyEz6XXc7Hn-ql53355GxsZr5M36inMpMHY7ijM7tz_2Qp5ge-P6ATyIh1c0zNdfeMc_58yVvjJCk_i2BH-rQcuOsUPP1OaAI4tkVKfXSRyDc/s640/DSCI0481.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the gate we walked through to get to the shore temple. After we were done, when we came back to the gate, we were locked in. They wanted us to climb over the fence to get out because that's how the employees got out after it was locked. We told them "It ain't gonna happen!"</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_SfJSriLf6Az_KjF5QCT0J2AWolOVxWSFrOYE6ZfPqE8lkBrKCmo1ZaMmQ2ldvps1jRz1XfX7z15Y2tOCWh8oUH7vA0O5iqvpcDPZxpGGOfao2hhJWAUhG82bQ7aEdZ2XLqMc6eBhxdJ/s1600/DSCI0482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_SfJSriLf6Az_KjF5QCT0J2AWolOVxWSFrOYE6ZfPqE8lkBrKCmo1ZaMmQ2ldvps1jRz1XfX7z15Y2tOCWh8oUH7vA0O5iqvpcDPZxpGGOfao2hhJWAUhG82bQ7aEdZ2XLqMc6eBhxdJ/s640/DSCI0482.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqb1wzdjjKXZnG9gMY8vgvmy1R7SmP5c7uhvbRZf4TSK42qNXbwKwmHLqozPkXd2V9eBLxp69BLFYxl_Q2mv5LONoo1_NCGC7mXKmfXx19Jlzfp3r2EyBvQfQZPaRG0YJ0ad8YE6XN2qS/s1600/DSCI0483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqb1wzdjjKXZnG9gMY8vgvmy1R7SmP5c7uhvbRZf4TSK42qNXbwKwmHLqozPkXd2V9eBLxp69BLFYxl_Q2mv5LONoo1_NCGC7mXKmfXx19Jlzfp3r2EyBvQfQZPaRG0YJ0ad8YE6XN2qS/s640/DSCI0483.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KfyWhqaL5VAIn0yD7WzKsYS0mEG5Tk15VXWufxaNH3-X5vdLFr1gMJkpRCW5urN1s3A7Upb_Aprg691d-7wuByNyrs25491JXXlkfvw_jfVIdssrePe6A7ARWnHcCyout2s0gRBz6qjB/s1600/DSCI0486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KfyWhqaL5VAIn0yD7WzKsYS0mEG5Tk15VXWufxaNH3-X5vdLFr1gMJkpRCW5urN1s3A7Upb_Aprg691d-7wuByNyrs25491JXXlkfvw_jfVIdssrePe6A7ARWnHcCyout2s0gRBz6qjB/s640/DSCI0486.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sun was setting and I took this beautiful picture. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll post more pictures in another blog entry. I just wanted to share with you my first day experience in Chennai. What wonderful memories!</span><br />
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-25529448336059884422012-08-25T03:22:00.001-07:002012-08-26T01:44:55.271-07:00Explaining Myself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of you may know I am a computer geek, but I also work part time on making jewelry. In addition to the stringed bead stuff, I also make fused dichroic glass pendants, earrings, & brooches. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I thought I would share this process as well as some of my creations. I'm going to explain things along the way too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When getting the glass ready for fusing in the kiln, there are a lot of things that have to be done first. Let me just say right now that I really hate doing dishes. This fact will become important later....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can see below, I have a 'waffle' work surface. This allows me to cut the glass and have the tiny slivers and shards drop down below my work surface and not get stuck in my fingers. On this surface you see tiny squares of colored glass. This is dichroic glass. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To the right of my work surface I have a glass cutter, and some pliers. These are special pliers made for breaking glass. When I score a piece of glass with the glass cutters I then take the pliers and break it. The pliers have a silicone sleeve on the jaws so that I only break the glass at the score and not where the pliers are holding it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitq8QAHIP1AS7m9m1_acpIOi6rNa-ch6MFj0pjTHOVOZZdAlJQCE0aTOoqrRP_pkx4DiDsIDusbFTRn94hKUlB7RsuR7_i7_a0GI3-IQy5k-y169WMBUu-PK_BfHEABHtQKgTCKLvbisG8/s1600/WorkArea01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitq8QAHIP1AS7m9m1_acpIOi6rNa-ch6MFj0pjTHOVOZZdAlJQCE0aTOoqrRP_pkx4DiDsIDusbFTRn94hKUlB7RsuR7_i7_a0GI3-IQy5k-y169WMBUu-PK_BfHEABHtQKgTCKLvbisG8/s1600/WorkArea01.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The coffee cup you see in this picture is where I put my glass cutter. It actually has a cotton puff at the bottom of it and some glass oil. That way my cutter is always smooth when I cut the glass. The lighter fluid I use to get the label glue off the glass.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a closer look for you</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After I cut & break the glass, each piece has to be washed because of the glass oil that is transferred to the glass in the cutting process. So that means that each teeny, tiny piece of glass has to be washed, rinsed, & dried. Remember I told you I hate to wash dishes. That's karma for you! lol</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMx8Lb4Cnnl9zwSFVRpXbRKGK0NZokHSqTOkaly6VZoXo5cXgqu99-q09pOWujbOImfuc4VCWVK2UYDhTuvx9IlrkD-FKAr6VX3dWsyZu6jXCqIKCj3UodamsaAJern79pMdHhNpgSl262/s1600/WorkArea06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMx8Lb4Cnnl9zwSFVRpXbRKGK0NZokHSqTOkaly6VZoXo5cXgqu99-q09pOWujbOImfuc4VCWVK2UYDhTuvx9IlrkD-FKAr6VX3dWsyZu6jXCqIKCj3UodamsaAJern79pMdHhNpgSl262/s1600/WorkArea06.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another close-up, this time it is of some dichroic glass I have cut. You can see the pattern on the glass here.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This picture below shows how and where I store my uncut glass. The bigger pieces are in two glass racks and the smaller (dichroic) pieces are in the other containers you see in the lower left corner.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YEd1k7MzYxRNltKg7gA_dP63gri4GP5x7qz-qGDY3T0KshFGPoqJHmLWFsAtrAWE_Fs_x8ePA-WJw49yQ-aR0zPaKGZrS1Z_1qvCcf0X0N8-9G3H29K4n69VtE-0gIWWjeFQRI0bot11/s1600/WorkArea04a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YEd1k7MzYxRNltKg7gA_dP63gri4GP5x7qz-qGDY3T0KshFGPoqJHmLWFsAtrAWE_Fs_x8ePA-WJw49yQ-aR0zPaKGZrS1Z_1qvCcf0X0N8-9G3H29K4n69VtE-0gIWWjeFQRI0bot11/s1600/WorkArea04a.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCCYkvJcmwF56CZCw96MKXHVtzAWZqdZTJRqOEBfoEgpgt1EFThlMLUTBfDZScuOJu1mO1n3tGOgxxkmXpNv3j5lyAfeyZdezBufUlvfNH7Zg1QdEjP1pMfjCjrbsymjwwWuvbSf2yv_F/s1600/WorkArea08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCCYkvJcmwF56CZCw96MKXHVtzAWZqdZTJRqOEBfoEgpgt1EFThlMLUTBfDZScuOJu1mO1n3tGOgxxkmXpNv3j5lyAfeyZdezBufUlvfNH7Zg1QdEjP1pMfjCjrbsymjwwWuvbSf2yv_F/s1600/WorkArea08.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took out a piece of some of the clear glass I use. I have various patterns that go well with different color of glass. For instance the red glass you see above goes well with the clear with black speckles & strips you see below.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA89e9am9Jymz85QBTtTo0LHPvgbWHKZvEqntcg9iG6ORCHhPcUK73UJQkzairyzgb3P-9gK026T9kzSzXPdUO_smurvmP_Ddwg_oVOfnC5GI-yH8xL6bgXaJtXCyyPMznL136RlikRpg_/s1600/WorkArea09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA89e9am9Jymz85QBTtTo0LHPvgbWHKZvEqntcg9iG6ORCHhPcUK73UJQkzairyzgb3P-9gK026T9kzSzXPdUO_smurvmP_Ddwg_oVOfnC5GI-yH8xL6bgXaJtXCyyPMznL136RlikRpg_/s1600/WorkArea09.JPG" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDD0srLh3Lu4ZjBVW9P3wO-QBEIXhrZKB-kczamr41z0PwGDY5M39ERHCiC9aXLIBGr7XekjnxRZl2Y71jESbq_f8U2kebEriW_4J0WMzz5k-uEuDyEQTIWjgaTNGPmHKxOLGx8XOc1yI/s1600/WorkArea10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDD0srLh3Lu4ZjBVW9P3wO-QBEIXhrZKB-kczamr41z0PwGDY5M39ERHCiC9aXLIBGr7XekjnxRZl2Y71jESbq_f8U2kebEriW_4J0WMzz5k-uEuDyEQTIWjgaTNGPmHKxOLGx8XOc1yI/s1600/WorkArea10.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another close-up</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This picture shows some of the dichroic glass I have yet to cut. The orange looking glass on the right is called "Pixie Sticks" and you can clearly see the pattern.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHahhQBo63yn8JJOoimicNRtMSOOUxx-TEm3mqBFMiOvRWrE4vXs1YreirBWn8V44kDFqH-_OSTRdYcwDK_1qPaAbcOpG2IHt-Vm2PSEqHtxr0eXOTXL-md6Q21vLL059A6s8JjoN-hwI/s1600/WorkArea11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHahhQBo63yn8JJOoimicNRtMSOOUxx-TEm3mqBFMiOvRWrE4vXs1YreirBWn8V44kDFqH-_OSTRdYcwDK_1qPaAbcOpG2IHt-Vm2PSEqHtxr0eXOTXL-md6Q21vLL059A6s8JjoN-hwI/s1600/WorkArea11.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's yet another container of my dichroic glass. These are small pieces. They are either 2X2 or 1X2 inches. You can also see they are labeled. This is how I buy them and it is important to keep track of the colors. I can't always tell what the color is and I rely on those labels to get the effect I want. And yes, that 1X2 inch "CBS Dichroic Purple" piece of glass cost me $2.75.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkR69OjZhWR2M42HPy1RY6FJMZ-CnYeN6E07W8l9jOQsFsgYzIyWrN5AEjqEuQXqjQh95RNOftRqw_5LMcMFRsDIMUWTQcrFI-BQtWOPmSNiSEt9kBk4ZbABuc2JAv6qmDGUr6jQaBjAk/s1600/WorkArea12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkR69OjZhWR2M42HPy1RY6FJMZ-CnYeN6E07W8l9jOQsFsgYzIyWrN5AEjqEuQXqjQh95RNOftRqw_5LMcMFRsDIMUWTQcrFI-BQtWOPmSNiSEt9kBk4ZbABuc2JAv6qmDGUr6jQaBjAk/s1600/WorkArea12.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another close-up of some larger pieces. These look to be 3X6 inch pieces of glass.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd6i0_JRQ_WthKloW_031GDeZO1dAhREYiUr9AuLaMXVKd1rg796hsg7EbxBFTewUIdyiN85XrUrRchLExR7uXXANJ2YwGsmwTsjxv-Eq_Vf2Jmn91hPPNbWMrjH9kKFf3wROlq9KZf-2/s1600/WorkArea13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd6i0_JRQ_WthKloW_031GDeZO1dAhREYiUr9AuLaMXVKd1rg796hsg7EbxBFTewUIdyiN85XrUrRchLExR7uXXANJ2YwGsmwTsjxv-Eq_Vf2Jmn91hPPNbWMrjH9kKFf3wROlq9KZf-2/s1600/WorkArea13.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, so after all the cutting, washing an sorting of the glass, I then have to decide how I am going to stack it before fusing. When stacking the colors and designs on the glass I have to do it in a specific order. It's actually the order of the rainbow, starting with red and ending with purple.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You see, if I put a piece of red dichroic glass over any other color, you will only see the red color after I fuse the glass, I won't see any other color. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a before picture of the glass before it is fused. It doesn't look like much does it?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what the above glass looks like after it has been fired and cooled in the kiln. The shape of the glass before it's fired influences the final shape. In case you were wondering, the kiln reached temperatures of 1700f.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4RZ0miEVjrgTW261htnCzTiomolfzCs0iXdJ1wW3xEk3UqUqiFIq1XDxLmM5fgteCXHQRi9sEHgufGarVhyphenhyphenKNyYbBdkq0ZoN5RVLNMpng8VcbDQhHHo2zJ9fKKbwDc76o6x1KeRQI6g5/s1600/2After.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4RZ0miEVjrgTW261htnCzTiomolfzCs0iXdJ1wW3xEk3UqUqiFIq1XDxLmM5fgteCXHQRi9sEHgufGarVhyphenhyphenKNyYbBdkq0ZoN5RVLNMpng8VcbDQhHHo2zJ9fKKbwDc76o6x1KeRQI6g5/s1600/2After.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More pictures below</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMf4sOqTZqkQTvmJHJ5dW-ptizQqifEL2_HeLOGwztj8lFmtxonR3deXKQB6XGxohxllTu2Lb9ilpiXOLMlPDO5MU4ccmGikWvWso6gPB9DL3NQCOorYMcAYnhGfid6OHfrlpG1tGciAAM/s1600/Before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMf4sOqTZqkQTvmJHJ5dW-ptizQqifEL2_HeLOGwztj8lFmtxonR3deXKQB6XGxohxllTu2Lb9ilpiXOLMlPDO5MU4ccmGikWvWso6gPB9DL3NQCOorYMcAYnhGfid6OHfrlpG1tGciAAM/s1600/Before.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXbFabOGyMsdcUaMduBiv4t9QUyHZfAbCqgiFZO7ag-XFRl-ctPtxYMiHbMz5gl7cx5jOOKDAnnhCAoJbatetKuApfw1RdWkTWscWoLR70CToreZPkrHW88-CxmNn84MymhGbbo1PXZPr/s1600/After.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXbFabOGyMsdcUaMduBiv4t9QUyHZfAbCqgiFZO7ag-XFRl-ctPtxYMiHbMz5gl7cx5jOOKDAnnhCAoJbatetKuApfw1RdWkTWscWoLR70CToreZPkrHW88-CxmNn84MymhGbbo1PXZPr/s1600/After.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqfBWkbVko42f1-k8QmltYVnUFpYiDc70V4ZDafh5PTtUJ-Zl-oIX-AvUQmVMy1RNH2OO6tobSTz0qzayYkbTAOxn5iFIp5gF94XnIJxahoTV-1PIQ2uJHKNT_iDrTM4MMuZpnpz3mUEm/s1600/S7300172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqfBWkbVko42f1-k8QmltYVnUFpYiDc70V4ZDafh5PTtUJ-Zl-oIX-AvUQmVMy1RNH2OO6tobSTz0qzayYkbTAOxn5iFIp5gF94XnIJxahoTV-1PIQ2uJHKNT_iDrTM4MMuZpnpz3mUEm/s1600/S7300172.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all the pieces have been fired and cooled, I wash (again!), dry, weigh, & glue them. I then add them to my inventory list, print & put price tags on them. After that, they are ready for the shows I attend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me answer some question I know you have.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Do you ever get glass cuts?</b> - Surprisingly no, when you cut the glass the edges don't seem to be as sharp. That's not to say I NEVER cut myself, but it's not very often that I do.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>How long does it take to fuse the glass?</b> - The actual fusing takes about a half hour to 45 minutes. It takes an additional 12 hours or so for it to cool (or anneal) properly. I usually fire the glass one day and wash the pieces the next day.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>It appears the fused pieces are on paper but it didn't burn away. What is going on here?</b> - I use fusing paper. You have to be careful with it since it is toxic to breath in. Before I fire the glass I put the paper down on the shelf. After the glass is fired, the paper turns to powder and that's when it's the most dangerous. I use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to clean the shelf.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>How do the edges of the glass get round?</b> - I heat the glass to a high enough temperature (remember the 1700f?) that it becomes liquid. At that temperature, glass will bead just like water does. If I left the pieces in the kiln long enough, they would all become perfectly round.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, that really explains almost everything. I could go into more detail but I don't want to lose what little audience I have!</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-9118384600827763642012-06-25T10:54:00.000-07:002012-06-26T06:48:11.329-07:00A new purse - This time it's a Clutch<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I finally got finished with some things and decided to try making this clutch purse. I got the <a href="http://www.ithinksew.com/DownLoad.aspx?pgProductID_int=164" target="_blank">pattern</a> from a web site called <a href="http://ithinksew.com/">iThinkSew.com</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tell me what you think!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqbk5nU3oMB85Xx-uJwj1IYD7QtFwIPX6UxOZAZ3gSOrTCdS4HOOdlAsuEGq91mZBdOhzdoWb7hQDZziS8tgyHpjFG3_VDuLAWRipieuAGK1DB2ertrN2uINtaBhtR__gppoUZ1ZwWlBt/s1600/BlueClutch01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqbk5nU3oMB85Xx-uJwj1IYD7QtFwIPX6UxOZAZ3gSOrTCdS4HOOdlAsuEGq91mZBdOhzdoWb7hQDZziS8tgyHpjFG3_VDuLAWRipieuAGK1DB2ertrN2uINtaBhtR__gppoUZ1ZwWlBt/s400/BlueClutch01.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Compared to the other bags I have made it was fairly simple.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2gNuRqDXQsFt2lLXxQi2FWhtgOkJRXPQ6S3FfYrsNksdCWn9L7dWN3F5f34_6TUpBWCM44PFf70sW0TTJ56839eYwbIvweA8J0c1Bp4FFGWyNRZHl4zZxQwU_NfrSLTF-O0U11w4VMWu/s1600/BlueClutch02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2gNuRqDXQsFt2lLXxQi2FWhtgOkJRXPQ6S3FfYrsNksdCWn9L7dWN3F5f34_6TUpBWCM44PFf70sW0TTJ56839eYwbIvweA8J0c1Bp4FFGWyNRZHl4zZxQwU_NfrSLTF-O0U11w4VMWu/s400/BlueClutch02.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This gives you an idea of size</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplXy2H9tJmGOKnnbTyroEH_YWguotu4ae_cVTl5QlxaJ2UoZ7QXrszTO7FB8Bjuhn1mfUn0IizsHah4nXGvW39OCwQ4Q2YElEKDW_sAyRxKw5RYHQbeac3Oe-Uso7zMzdgVvyvCyjV3Ie/s1600/BlueClutch03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplXy2H9tJmGOKnnbTyroEH_YWguotu4ae_cVTl5QlxaJ2UoZ7QXrszTO7FB8Bjuhn1mfUn0IizsHah4nXGvW39OCwQ4Q2YElEKDW_sAyRxKw5RYHQbeac3Oe-Uso7zMzdgVvyvCyjV3Ie/s400/BlueClutch03.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the back of the bag</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEi0H8M3gzUESIIvcB1o4xDwu3-HCZknhjMtiipCGi2LikFZwbSeDYoaA8ZB9KlpIHaIPXrdc9svBXbcsD9AKaDyCpsklmcFaCZ9A4Ybf5dhdNLjh0yCpKL8dCdYaTTGO7Xf6G5BtAApTN/s1600/BlueClutch04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEi0H8M3gzUESIIvcB1o4xDwu3-HCZknhjMtiipCGi2LikFZwbSeDYoaA8ZB9KlpIHaIPXrdc9svBXbcsD9AKaDyCpsklmcFaCZ9A4Ybf5dhdNLjh0yCpKL8dCdYaTTGO7Xf6G5BtAApTN/s400/BlueClutch04.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The front with the flap open</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenlfuCURfPrMeZJUxt-g3lQjluxN1rmN_GsQ2QymeCWx_e-hqJ89GVLbLl9U1eZn5c0KPZF6phxIMn7XlJ0bmpE9hsGg469BoZwQ3ZxatCaUQjoiHh6vVP8KE7qlZjHaFP6HCREJgZcox/s1600/BlueClutch05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenlfuCURfPrMeZJUxt-g3lQjluxN1rmN_GsQ2QymeCWx_e-hqJ89GVLbLl9U1eZn5c0KPZF6phxIMn7XlJ0bmpE9hsGg469BoZwQ3ZxatCaUQjoiHh6vVP8KE7qlZjHaFP6HCREJgZcox/s400/BlueClutch05.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what the inside looks like</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Looking at the inside now, I think it needs a pocket. I am also thinking about adding a thin shoulder strap that can be worn outside but easy to tuck inside if needed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTBBzmRJFgNDXqEO4Mh2RmNJ__7y_sqNP878mrTYE47bwfnrgq4tuf2Rcbk3ZkEzMz1ghcbLvepLWK29VqluxXoklOmaZZQEJC0uxp6ir-pd3mSTtLvtWJIwFZ4jNwFxOykdmJ-MHTJQR/s1600/BlueClutch06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTBBzmRJFgNDXqEO4Mh2RmNJ__7y_sqNP878mrTYE47bwfnrgq4tuf2Rcbk3ZkEzMz1ghcbLvepLWK29VqluxXoklOmaZZQEJC0uxp6ir-pd3mSTtLvtWJIwFZ4jNwFxOykdmJ-MHTJQR/s400/BlueClutch06.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A side view</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_TXUlGTdgtalZQWDeRUdnpTxoshch3AHvSNqmbyxv-xZdr-lj_2HCUKqVxwjFN4RFMc4WYb2RqlbuU_xkXTPkAT4AYVREQN-8zM2r7PbB3mPET7R6pI9KcVAvLnkNaPa80WCnv5n9Wos/s1600/BlueClutch07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_TXUlGTdgtalZQWDeRUdnpTxoshch3AHvSNqmbyxv-xZdr-lj_2HCUKqVxwjFN4RFMc4WYb2RqlbuU_xkXTPkAT4AYVREQN-8zM2r7PbB3mPET7R6pI9KcVAvLnkNaPa80WCnv5n9Wos/s400/BlueClutch07.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A closer look</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really like the way this bag turned out. The outside material was for home decorating and I got it at Joann Fabrics. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you want to buy the same kind of material, use a coupon and you'll save big bucks. Joann Fabrics sends out new coupons almost every week.</span>Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-6085981137289567092012-06-10T04:07:00.001-07:002012-06-10T06:13:24.821-07:00My latest Creation<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lately I have been getting orders and making some large bags like you see below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVZuWxSvYhq1VEPSpTqtlD09TlUv7ldHSAbbbeRFrU5rcCiOq3NOPkLBHsjwQ3berNuEbS0OWfLUCmtA3gLmrMAwjD-MAczZDWTKU7NQCvdpv5o0quY3geSUrnjxNyDZs82ScQAzS8QVF/s1600/BigPurse.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVZuWxSvYhq1VEPSpTqtlD09TlUv7ldHSAbbbeRFrU5rcCiOq3NOPkLBHsjwQ3berNuEbS0OWfLUCmtA3gLmrMAwjD-MAczZDWTKU7NQCvdpv5o0quY3geSUrnjxNyDZs82ScQAzS8QVF/s400/BigPurse.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that I have completed my last bag I am free to work on other things. One item I wanted to make was for my husband. His job is to fix things and yes, he has tool bags and such but he also needs to take other things into the job with him. I told him I would make him a "manly" bag when I got done with my purse orders. You see, he's retired from the US Marine Corps and he has certain standards to live up to. No Hello Kitty for him!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I picked out the material and pattern. Here's what I came up with.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihs5yYBVU6WQVZahLQj4LnWuIo9vtiJzZ1vyASoNGXcI3J-D_5O8VlnopMhyphenhyphenh1jrcV0JqPbhQ9skYChnnNktUXm40zWzZBc41K11zNsy4-r_KVBlsY1dNT5fCJcjXYRKOYczb-rveqCvFq/s1600/MarketTote01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihs5yYBVU6WQVZahLQj4LnWuIo9vtiJzZ1vyASoNGXcI3J-D_5O8VlnopMhyphenhyphenh1jrcV0JqPbhQ9skYChnnNktUXm40zWzZBc41K11zNsy4-r_KVBlsY1dNT5fCJcjXYRKOYczb-rveqCvFq/s400/MarketTote01.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Green Pepper Market Tote Pattern # F882</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made the tote out of camouflage material, here are some other pictures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipaWJCyGjVnXIcWCzZ-om8Yls-qEMY4sSHoRR35C2aTiR_rqXQ1R2YqBF-mviIjfO-z6dEhFJYOBHEyiWvh6PxcA1Pf4EqB_9liJSuoCzTCD2yjmFYfOB1A9huqrIW8a8IGehGBHArEghB/s1600/MarketTote01a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipaWJCyGjVnXIcWCzZ-om8Yls-qEMY4sSHoRR35C2aTiR_rqXQ1R2YqBF-mviIjfO-z6dEhFJYOBHEyiWvh6PxcA1Pf4EqB_9liJSuoCzTCD2yjmFYfOB1A9huqrIW8a8IGehGBHArEghB/s400/MarketTote01a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm06_R-JoatiaZkmMTZMtxplb-u2qGnJd2drRTgDHTezXFLvmzg2SB6dm1MVseZRa0QxQ3oHcAKXWawIjtkcb2dpQq9Oa00TbMijvC5jNo5Ris-iWIfBkATyKqyo1dVxZoCoxh1mzjG9lk/s1600/MarketTote01b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm06_R-JoatiaZkmMTZMtxplb-u2qGnJd2drRTgDHTezXFLvmzg2SB6dm1MVseZRa0QxQ3oHcAKXWawIjtkcb2dpQq9Oa00TbMijvC5jNo5Ris-iWIfBkATyKqyo1dVxZoCoxh1mzjG9lk/s400/MarketTote01b.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPJe9V-dbzrCa0jX38c96_9VqhDl2vYX_uMQgIL89lpHKim8k5Yb6qU8ErHIGWbkNP72LR0RWvFoAhea15EaD_DVtfm4LOJyxNefsYle_bLzfZ9eQTL9dJvvp9u3NYZ5l2XPblf4jc5Wd/s1600/MarketTote01c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPJe9V-dbzrCa0jX38c96_9VqhDl2vYX_uMQgIL89lpHKim8k5Yb6qU8ErHIGWbkNP72LR0RWvFoAhea15EaD_DVtfm4LOJyxNefsYle_bLzfZ9eQTL9dJvvp9u3NYZ5l2XPblf4jc5Wd/s400/MarketTote01c.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhu7Zx8sHs90cfcS-KpVk6LbMoFbhn_bxmYVeGvcrrgKUbkk4P3m2D-1AXuXEavolbqJF69oAUjm6o29Rfxzgn8CqaTSa7KJVb09qH5jl86O28nAW6mOVNdxJPJcX5hFEPJu_Xl3y2WXs/s1600/MarketTote04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhu7Zx8sHs90cfcS-KpVk6LbMoFbhn_bxmYVeGvcrrgKUbkk4P3m2D-1AXuXEavolbqJF69oAUjm6o29Rfxzgn8CqaTSa7KJVb09qH5jl86O28nAW6mOVNdxJPJcX5hFEPJu_Xl3y2WXs/s400/MarketTote04.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYrxKMwN8grgKgIeQEBc5u8q9rGXTkI6p45PnL1TFSAoAKoPUGuqS5ZZpyR6VVg0KZ3P2WwqndNvEet2zKrR0IkkE7JTyL0dMbGUFMG1ocvcHZps4d_sNp4T4oQWYl5BS8FZZZF2NO-kl/s1600/MarketTote05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYrxKMwN8grgKgIeQEBc5u8q9rGXTkI6p45PnL1TFSAoAKoPUGuqS5ZZpyR6VVg0KZ3P2WwqndNvEet2zKrR0IkkE7JTyL0dMbGUFMG1ocvcHZps4d_sNp4T4oQWYl5BS8FZZZF2NO-kl/s400/MarketTote05.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It didn't really take that long to make either. There are outside pockets on both sides too. All in all - it's a keeper!</span></div>Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583737713390360433.post-41938071162275920542012-05-28T06:34:00.000-07:002013-05-23T06:34:16.089-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Beef Burritos </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I make this recipe once or twice a year. Yes, it's a lot of work but the results are worth it and long lasting too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It all started when I lived in California's San Joaquin Valley. My husband and I stopped at this little restaurant and ordered burritos. You paid for the food at the outside window and you ate on picnic tables. The burrito I got was the best I have ever eaten and the way they fixed them was superb! The name of the place was Mama Leal's in Hanford. I don't know if it is still there or not, my dining experience was in 1993.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, let's fast forward to the present time. My In-laws visit us once a year, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"> they have a motor home the size of a bus and in the summer time they just drive around the US and visit friends and relatives. Their winter home is in south Texas so when the weather gets bad, they head south. Before my in-laws retired, they lived in South Dakota and my FIL was so sick of the snow, blizzards, freezing temps that he said "When I retire, I am going to buy a motor home, put a snow blower on the back and drive south until someone said "What's that?" and that's where I will stop." He did it! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">OK, back to the original reason for the burritos. When I make them, I usually make between 50 to 60 at a time. If you cook a lot, you realize that it's as easy to make 50 as it is to make 15 if you have to assemble something. It's the same thing with the burritos. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">After we eat, I usually take the leftover burritos, wrap them individually in a product called "Kabinet Wax", put 6 of them in a freezer bag and freeze. Later in the year, it's easy to take as many out as you need and either let them thaw in the refrigerator or zap them in the microwave and you have an (almost) instant supper. Serve them with a salad and some salsa and voila! Dinner! </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's get started.</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I'll also list the total cost of the entire endeavor as well as the "per burrito" price so you can determine whether this would be worth it for you to make.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Ingredients: </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">(I'll list these again separately so you will know what to do & when)</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">3 Chuck Roasts - I had a total of 9lbs</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">4 large yellow onions/2.5 lbs </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Oregano</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Salt & Pepper</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">36 large flour tortillas</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">16 medium flour tortillas</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">2 large cans Re-fried beans</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">3 - 4 lbs shredded cheddar cheese</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><i><b><u>Tips:</u></b></i></span></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">You can use Vidalia <b>onions</b> if you wish. I just went with the cheapest ones and the Vidalias were cheaper than the yellow onions I usually use.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Look for good grocery sales for <b>chuck roasts</b> and throw them in the freezer when you get home. The one's I used for this recipe had been in the freezer for a couple of months.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Same thing with the <b>refried beans</b>, you don't have to get name brand, I usually go with the cheapest I can find.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><b>Kitchen device list</b> (If you want the same results I got)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Large Crock pot</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.reynoldskitchens.com/product.asp?prod_id=3200" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crock pot liners </a>(not absolutely necessary)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Dutch Oven or similar size large pot for the shredded beef</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">1 or 2 quart pot for the re-fried beans</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Flat griddle or large frying pan</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Plenty of large containers to store the beef & the broth</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Akabnet%20wax&page=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kabnet Wax</a> brand or similar paper to wrap finished burritos</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Large freezer bags (if you want to freeze them)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 20px;"><b><u><i>Day 1</i></u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Take the chuck roasts out of the freezer to thaw, make sure you have enough onions and other ingredients.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><b><u><i><br /></i></u></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 20px;"><b><u><i>Day 2</i></u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Gather the chuck roast, onions, salt, pepper and oregano. Peel and slice the onions. The onions don't have to look pretty since they will eventually disintegrate anyway, you just want the slices about 1/4 inch wide and break them up somewhat.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You see here all the ingredients for the crock pot</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBmZ9diGVEooIPvGNU28CUSxwB756hWtsdHxc09Zll0DPLHMNZPyG1Glo2xtkFVo_y9ZsSo_bvRA2d5JqTjqesszYfpTWJ9B9_KL3BSzE4UwDFzDFh2OdHqbPs6zf9EEEFqvuTM1C_wYz/s1600/Burrito02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBmZ9diGVEooIPvGNU28CUSxwB756hWtsdHxc09Zll0DPLHMNZPyG1Glo2xtkFVo_y9ZsSo_bvRA2d5JqTjqesszYfpTWJ9B9_KL3BSzE4UwDFzDFh2OdHqbPs6zf9EEEFqvuTM1C_wYz/s400/Burrito02.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sliced Onions, Salt, Pepper & Oregano</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTNH6QaMQdEYFpAWqhQ4lmWG5tlOCCy34eDSLIvS5_fSSNPBYEMpUZmzOMrGd0nlfroihPOOLAneTEePSRW-1gn_87M_M1ozk1S4Nu5yKmXEkKqcCwri54-VyN3IHlMK4JNhzV7Bpkl5P/s1600/Burrito01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTNH6QaMQdEYFpAWqhQ4lmWG5tlOCCy34eDSLIvS5_fSSNPBYEMpUZmzOMrGd0nlfroihPOOLAneTEePSRW-1gn_87M_M1ozk1S4Nu5yKmXEkKqcCwri54-VyN3IHlMK4JNhzV7Bpkl5P/s400/Burrito01.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9 pounds of chuck roast</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Soon we will begin layering the ingredients in the crock pot. You may have to cut the roast into smaller chunks to get it to fit. I also try to trim as much fat off the roast as I can.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crock Pot - I have a large one that has lasted more than 18 years.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Start layering your ingredients. Add layer of onions, salt, pepper and about 1 - 2 tablespoons of oregano. Put roast on top of that. Now the next layer - Salt, pepper, oregano & sliced onions. (Here's where you may have to have the chuck roast cut into big chunks to get it to fit.) Repeat with Salt, pepper, oregano, sliced onions & roast. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>You DO NOT need to add anything else. There is no water, beef broth, taco seasoning, etc added.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My crock pot has a domed lid and thank goodness for that! After I got done with the layer the lid still didn't fit on the crock pot unless I held it down, so I got a cast iron skillet and weighed down the lid until the onions had broken down enough for things to settle in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Set to High for about 5 hours.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I set the crock pot to high because I still had things to do to the roast before I put it in the refrigerator and I wanted everything to cook as quick as possible in the crock pot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For me, I can usually tell when food is ready to check, whether it's in a crock pot, oven or stove top. If I am in another room of the house & can start smelling the food I am cooking, I take that as a signal that it's calling to me. If it isn't ready, the food is very close to being ready.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To check and see if the roast is ready for the next step, take the lid off the crock pot and try to flake the meat with a fork. If it flakes easily, it's ready.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take the roast and onions out of the crock pot and put them in a large flat container. We need to start flaking the meat and removing any visible fat. Put the flaked beef into a container(s) and store it in the refrigerator.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, we want to save the juices left in the crock pot, so you will need to strain that into a container that can be stored in the refrigerator overnight. The things (onions, bits of beef, etc) that are strained out of the juices can be added to the shredded beef containers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Day 3 - </i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Let the fun begin!</span></i></b></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About 3 hours before you want to eat:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take out the beef & juices. The juice container should have a layer of hardened fat, remove & discard it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a large dutch oven (or similar pot) put the beef and juices from yesterday. Turn the burner on high. We want to reduce the juices in the pot to intensify the flavor of the beef. So get the beef & juices boiling with the lid off. Keep an eye on it, you may have to give it a stir a few times.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, open the 2 refried bean cans and put them on simmer in another pot, stir them occasionally so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Re-fried beans & shredded chuck roast</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Close up of the shredded beef</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Get your shredded cheese and tortillas out too. For me, it's easier if I put the shredded cheese in an open container as you see below. It's easier to grab the cheese without fighting the bag it came in</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 pounds of shredded cheddar cheese</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> You may also want to get out the tortillas now, I heat them in the microwave so they are more flexible. (More information on that below)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXdKeWgalD-WWIYKswO_Ive8qmmY777dR5jB3GrvE8gkBMJdAM86UpBs4xg5fau5Iv9Tb2BeptWFcPxCu6nD0oo4qBwmNH2ikKxspNH3paaJv-eOusK7r4TXZEo55jCY0G9T_v9tdDKaY/s1600/Burrito07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXdKeWgalD-WWIYKswO_Ive8qmmY777dR5jB3GrvE8gkBMJdAM86UpBs4xg5fau5Iv9Tb2BeptWFcPxCu6nD0oo4qBwmNH2ikKxspNH3paaJv-eOusK7r4TXZEo55jCY0G9T_v9tdDKaY/s320/Burrito07.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Medium (left) & Large tortillas</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Large (Grande) tortillas</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5mNwjbdRlxOEdCrWlMDYMc8v_66JxSxm_7y1Zvj1EbpZtt17ZBMgzezyH-Juocj1Ql7g1VKulJZQ3d7iSlych2b_YPiSot-CaafC6otOsv_KbXx4eBeNTdpvWM9rFeE_qbLGFsqGrw8l/s1600/Burrito09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5mNwjbdRlxOEdCrWlMDYMc8v_66JxSxm_7y1Zvj1EbpZtt17ZBMgzezyH-Juocj1Ql7g1VKulJZQ3d7iSlych2b_YPiSot-CaafC6otOsv_KbXx4eBeNTdpvWM9rFeE_qbLGFsqGrw8l/s320/Burrito09.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Medium (Burrito size?) tortillas</span></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Assemble the pans for frying the burritos, I have a griddle for frying and the round pan you see is just for stacking the fried burritos.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUO7Mj06faxuJseY1sV2Pf8dK7pPKM0UgHxIhjSaFn0kx7a9W91WQmmtwbRb8SSKKFgo0agGDomYosWAAXZOpR4ZKVMj1u2XLTG4sOfi8gwzF8OVeIlQiaUarc-mGMMrNtg_Uxluwucip/s1600/Burrito11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUO7Mj06faxuJseY1sV2Pf8dK7pPKM0UgHxIhjSaFn0kx7a9W91WQmmtwbRb8SSKKFgo0agGDomYosWAAXZOpR4ZKVMj1u2XLTG4sOfi8gwzF8OVeIlQiaUarc-mGMMrNtg_Uxluwucip/s320/Burrito11.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Griddle pan that covers 2 burners on the stove<br />put the burners on medium to medium low heat.</span></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, now everything is ready to go. You have the reduced shredded beef, the refried beans, shredded cheese and tortillas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Open the tortilla bag, but leave the tortillas in the bag and put them in the microwave and heat on high for 2 minutes. I have an older one that is 1000 watts, so you may have to adjust accordingly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take the tortillas (bag & all) out of the microwave and place on the counter. Since I throw the bag away anyway, I cut open the bag. Take scissors and cut the bottom of the bag (opposite the opening) and then cut right up the top of the bag in the middle. You can see how I did it below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take about 1/4 cup of refried beans and put it on the tortilla as seen below. DO NOT put this in the middle of the tortilla, I usually place it half way between the middle and bottom of the tortilla. (as seen below)</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cdvKlMkBP-ObM9hVU-d4qBwaRMm6ReXbZNNSaaDiZjSEzROktU_PVf52TUf4wP8Zu1jpXYjWbrN-XDnp_bMTI166Il3w_6ECpdp_CSymualeE461rE3FYf232QgHZMiuRGuo3PjkYFOr/s1600/Burrito12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cdvKlMkBP-ObM9hVU-d4qBwaRMm6ReXbZNNSaaDiZjSEzROktU_PVf52TUf4wP8Zu1jpXYjWbrN-XDnp_bMTI166Il3w_6ECpdp_CSymualeE461rE3FYf232QgHZMiuRGuo3PjkYFOr/s640/Burrito12.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tortilla & Refried beans</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Next we want to add the beef. I usually eyeball everything, so I am guessing this will be about 1 - 2 oz beef here.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCGAb6I37kjBqP72d9_ks-8ZVZoN1H1sQa9EGK7ADsHVNnhDFUmCnFCJIh7lUD833A2a4_AMGiCowgWCwGB4r7A195MSwwJDQaqFQDmAd5-jNl1BE0xWZ49Dw5fbYaykTCoS9TWFoHC4e/s1600/Burrito13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCGAb6I37kjBqP72d9_ks-8ZVZoN1H1sQa9EGK7ADsHVNnhDFUmCnFCJIh7lUD833A2a4_AMGiCowgWCwGB4r7A195MSwwJDQaqFQDmAd5-jNl1BE0xWZ49Dw5fbYaykTCoS9TWFoHC4e/s640/Burrito13.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tortilla, refried beans & Beef</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Add the cheese, it's probably about 1/2 oz to 1 oz, you don't need much.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeiPgTK9UbLCLs0CgwSS-Oj9RZIZ6JpdiQZ8GZVGgmt5J7MalSuh9UqZ0i_aUC2g69TrrzogLj-Bnr7Ye0ZSC8kzk8uWDkLtfMtSSBfMhwQt0CtBzkcYuNb_PtkoGeR0U6tnJDa0iRZqq/s1600/Burrito14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeiPgTK9UbLCLs0CgwSS-Oj9RZIZ6JpdiQZ8GZVGgmt5J7MalSuh9UqZ0i_aUC2g69TrrzogLj-Bnr7Ye0ZSC8kzk8uWDkLtfMtSSBfMhwQt0CtBzkcYuNb_PtkoGeR0U6tnJDa0iRZqq/s640/Burrito14.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tortilla, refried beans, beef & cheese</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Roll it up! I have take pictures of the step by step process for this. First you fold up from the bottom and fold the tortilla over enough to cover your ingredients.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUTOOElejOjm9xwiBoCxKVMOOlc_Sjx7Vkvf0N3jXVRwWtOUtsowG8rmM49JeDgEKhyphenhyphenWLaOPupxWbH8jiOssNFmxK9y39oDhsCsfnbqTt2Ia_PHn6pEmF250rrDDJa4-UA8CGDWTtgcdr/s1600/Burrito15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUTOOElejOjm9xwiBoCxKVMOOlc_Sjx7Vkvf0N3jXVRwWtOUtsowG8rmM49JeDgEKhyphenhyphenWLaOPupxWbH8jiOssNFmxK9y39oDhsCsfnbqTt2Ia_PHn6pEmF250rrDDJa4-UA8CGDWTtgcdr/s640/Burrito15.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roll up from the bottom</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Now we are going to fold in the sides. Remember, the tortilla is hot from the microwave and is very flexible.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNQj7TVtYfhHGgpjXMBUNv4vbu0N7asJUCU2DZMrfNDqwXzVZmcDUbmNKEhirSF-JzPz1XfT18mJ-2wazarNKO3jVbYwOBxnsJJb3P7hEV6IYdY7sO28TzEZPSCCf3B5M_bd8B3QUpqd4/s640/Burrito16.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fold in each side</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNQj7TVtYfhHGgpjXMBUNv4vbu0N7asJUCU2DZMrfNDqwXzVZmcDUbmNKEhirSF-JzPz1XfT18mJ-2wazarNKO3jVbYwOBxnsJJb3P7hEV6IYdY7sO28TzEZPSCCf3B5M_bd8B3QUpqd4/s1600/Burrito16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Start rolling the tortilla away from you, the first roll looks like this.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4MJvz9DED9SK4TkTGjXfjhAB0xOjns9aDAud-6ZKPapp4VToSAMgb3uCmZyrQVwKeFzR7DdS2G4jobynTRy17GSqHMJzkia0tLPK9bG7MG6BO7mCFfPfvhyG-9NRnVoqoNhIg_3bXOqY/s640/Burrito17.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roll it away from you</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4MJvz9DED9SK4TkTGjXfjhAB0xOjns9aDAud-6ZKPapp4VToSAMgb3uCmZyrQVwKeFzR7DdS2G4jobynTRy17GSqHMJzkia0tLPK9bG7MG6BO7mCFfPfvhyG-9NRnVoqoNhIg_3bXOqY/s1600/Burrito17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHRr4GEfeJ_98kTLdKunFgwpgdCihrI-rAkRJ4IfgCvAuPqwrOS3xHfXkWoBSq9BuAROyYCehyPyFLjrWnavL_5tYu7HlHI06wTXVqIOd8ygvm-W108bqLZe6YwyFPjFkQdCZlXZ9Zvko/s640/Burrito18.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Side view of the first roll</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHRr4GEfeJ_98kTLdKunFgwpgdCihrI-rAkRJ4IfgCvAuPqwrOS3xHfXkWoBSq9BuAROyYCehyPyFLjrWnavL_5tYu7HlHI06wTXVqIOd8ygvm-W108bqLZe6YwyFPjFkQdCZlXZ9Zvko/s1600/Burrito18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Just keep rolling until you don't have any more tortilla sticking out.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhc5al2iiyV_Es7CIIEacn_iDfPTDQentqy2fpL3vEU22zRXjLLdPIad1Q5tityY86Yd8lBWSsUAVdxuS_3SF_NIduhge77zqo23oZbmUmKSXOFiTIQb-PYg2L1-J72o4lR5lx-ITZwAzY/s320/Burrito19.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Taa Daa! A burrito!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhc5al2iiyV_Es7CIIEacn_iDfPTDQentqy2fpL3vEU22zRXjLLdPIad1Q5tityY86Yd8lBWSsUAVdxuS_3SF_NIduhge77zqo23oZbmUmKSXOFiTIQb-PYg2L1-J72o4lR5lx-ITZwAzY/s1600/Burrito19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> At this point you could be done, but I take it another step. Every stove is different and you may have to adjust the heat, but the next step is to "dry fry" the burrito. I don't add anything to the griddle here. All I want to do is brown both sides of the burrito. I start on the seam side and browning it will seal the burrito.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw33_XqRZTlAgouzvi8ICyr5EmuVsvgk2V0gQKTJjpts4afryjcBVEVy7Cf9HIcL2LsbAxpbTVBW2RZuxPJTl9n_6h0sHFJiiflzPX5H6u3HxeF3BRRcLFchLlDI72KQto1LOl5rqx-snk/s400/Burrito21.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Put the burrito seam side down on the griddle</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw33_XqRZTlAgouzvi8ICyr5EmuVsvgk2V0gQKTJjpts4afryjcBVEVy7Cf9HIcL2LsbAxpbTVBW2RZuxPJTl9n_6h0sHFJiiflzPX5H6u3HxeF3BRRcLFchLlDI72KQto1LOl5rqx-snk/s1600/Burrito21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Flip it over and brown the other side. This will also help melt the cheese that's on the inside. You are only minutes away from burrito heaven.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9VbDnUVZyR4PHRbKk3kF4fsp03NpUt8_DVXKgC7od2hrcoqR1rfeNjKuZ6KTWN3y663icjbvDRMALL-9BrVH53-4GTnotlXtYG4vSeyLKh6opoJi1DPqdQSucmFOj3FgGSvXoOrmBH-f/s400/Burrito22.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn't have the seal right in the middle of the<br />burrito, but you get the idea. Here it is getting brown</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9VbDnUVZyR4PHRbKk3kF4fsp03NpUt8_DVXKgC7od2hrcoqR1rfeNjKuZ6KTWN3y663icjbvDRMALL-9BrVH53-4GTnotlXtYG4vSeyLKh6opoJi1DPqdQSucmFOj3FgGSvXoOrmBH-f/s1600/Burrito22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0eGf-hq8VTre_1s01P_FoddkG1AbGPXKdGxEyu6txReLcJt2S55exccZn7mUuqcBE4YwmsNQHBAHYRoLQlbMAsmvSPAetzQHBsOcOq2KM6BVsGnDLsDFtjHaNWjaCv15b1I6Av90RmW4/s640/Burrito23.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the other side</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0eGf-hq8VTre_1s01P_FoddkG1AbGPXKdGxEyu6txReLcJt2S55exccZn7mUuqcBE4YwmsNQHBAHYRoLQlbMAsmvSPAetzQHBsOcOq2KM6BVsGnDLsDFtjHaNWjaCv15b1I6Av90RmW4/s1600/Burrito23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> When I make burritos I usually don't stop until I run out of ingredients. This time I ended up with 4 burritos that just had beef & cheese. Other times I have ended up with some that were only refried beans & cheese. You get the idea though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I serve them with salsa on the side and usually not a word is spoken because everyone is too busy eating.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCxs3wpO3YkOMJgbpiLdVSK2Arcb5sFfyWLc4PunIwy9rmleStIBYbFyijFonyOdHs3bvDsU4Nlli1Gq_0Bd59Z0-M9heuPH6AM_SiCKTi-eAXtdgIEiEnKQdWX1ypC9NsZMIB0eNSj7A/s400/Burrito24.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stack of burritos</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCxs3wpO3YkOMJgbpiLdVSK2Arcb5sFfyWLc4PunIwy9rmleStIBYbFyijFonyOdHs3bvDsU4Nlli1Gq_0Bd59Z0-M9heuPH6AM_SiCKTi-eAXtdgIEiEnKQdWX1ypC9NsZMIB0eNSj7A/s1600/Burrito24.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5dzCi39fVyL4LKEnyZUqXXjXT6rduTjDlk0v-idzBhhyphenhyphenx1nUNOZnNwb6CPMhglXvGFYgV-DfCyAbYf-1UsD6-VdZeQUV7pyTQDj0KOrLM5ODjGl4Lw3Dks5mLU5VSjXM1oeL_XL7gpYh/s400/Burrito25.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Letting them cool for wrapping later.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5dzCi39fVyL4LKEnyZUqXXjXT6rduTjDlk0v-idzBhhyphenhyphenx1nUNOZnNwb6CPMhglXvGFYgV-DfCyAbYf-1UsD6-VdZeQUV7pyTQDj0KOrLM5ODjGl4Lw3Dks5mLU5VSjXM1oeL_XL7gpYh/s1600/Burrito25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> OK, now we are done eating, and it's time to wrap them for freezing. As I said, I use Kabnet Wax, wrap up the burritos, and put them in freezer bags. That way it's easier to take 1 or 2 out of the freezer, heat them up and enjoy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SPfJQZ9Aoc0xsvVlqebTM6ldaMTSRhhsMs_tW-2IBoWU4fMUt17z4cULNbaB1xS9VqcVxBBItqBTUYswPiGdpWp2pbalpGaa7HHI0lP15VLOor9q5ggjJ2ocLabKGfqTshWGvXb9decJ/s1600/Burrito26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNnH-SiB5i8BaU2kplTxsfsfAJLKiC6DgnirMdyMnjSOfT7g3_wItM7WJiO1qpnul9jX2JWoOUTvVO7SzP2yGsi_UGRWPXpSGqpdPm4d7mcggbbv6TQl6OfCEptnOPRVrRRMjw_9iDuTT/s1600/Burrito27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNnH-SiB5i8BaU2kplTxsfsfAJLKiC6DgnirMdyMnjSOfT7g3_wItM7WJiO1qpnul9jX2JWoOUTvVO7SzP2yGsi_UGRWPXpSGqpdPm4d7mcggbbv6TQl6OfCEptnOPRVrRRMjw_9iDuTT/s400/Burrito27.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kabinet Wax and wrapped, bagged burritos</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SPfJQZ9Aoc0xsvVlqebTM6ldaMTSRhhsMs_tW-2IBoWU4fMUt17z4cULNbaB1xS9VqcVxBBItqBTUYswPiGdpWp2pbalpGaa7HHI0lP15VLOor9q5ggjJ2ocLabKGfqTshWGvXb9decJ/s1600/Burrito26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SPfJQZ9Aoc0xsvVlqebTM6ldaMTSRhhsMs_tW-2IBoWU4fMUt17z4cULNbaB1xS9VqcVxBBItqBTUYswPiGdpWp2pbalpGaa7HHI0lP15VLOor9q5ggjJ2ocLabKGfqTshWGvXb9decJ/s400/Burrito26.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can usually get about 8 or 9 burritos in each<br />gallon freezer bag. YMMV</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfp8LPqMbFg_lBUtRgPiqKlNA-t6DtKukXtqsqqT6QMv4Z6dTmy-GE-Q_uPXyDDqG5yGddjXNuchDHOE9_dj2ytFp_kVzInxnMwUoB4uX9mgFuVrgxOWHa-Ci0jy4NE4wSaCyFKw-wnga/s400/Burrito28.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Done!</span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><u>Ingredient cost</u></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">$28.57 for 3 Chuck Roasts/9lbs</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">$01.81 for 4 large onions/2.5 lbs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">$00.00 for dried Oregano since I already had it on hand</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">$00.00 for Salt & Pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">$11.10 for 36 large flour tortillas/6 per pack</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">$06.30 for 16 medium flour tortillas/8 per pack</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">$06.06 for 2 large cans Re-fried beans</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">$13.98 for 4 lbs shredded cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><b>$67.81 Total</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #ffe599; line-height: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">52 burritos at $1.30 per burrito</span></b></span></div>
Wigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02801283523670412764noreply@blogger.com1