Jennifer's 365 Project

It's the last day of a four day weekend and there are still so many things I want to do!

First thing this morning started a batch of DIY bird feeders. I ran across this craft a several months back and now that we have a yard I figured now is the perfect time.

I ended up using a random assortment of large cookie cutters, including a pumpkin and a teddy bear. (FYI - when the recipe says 1 3/4 cups water it really means a single 3/4 cup of water. I used 1 3/4 and ended up with a runny mixture I had to drain).
 After dinner the bird feeders were hard enough that they could be hung. We put one as an experiment off the back of the deck. I suspect it will be gone in the morning.
I even fiddled around with a arduino-controlled RGB lamp.

I definitely feel like this last day of the long weekend was a productive one for fun projects.

I don't have a lot of experience sewing things. I did some hand sewing as a kid, maybe used my mom's machine once or twice but by in large I don't do much. But we have the day off, and I've had this cat bed project on the back burner for awhile....

So I pulled out my grandmother's insanely heavy sewing machine and decided to get crafting.
Chris did all of the measuring and cutting for the fabric - which is awesome because I don't appear to know how to work scissors. After everything was ready to be stitched together, I ran off to figure out the sewing machine.

After what felt like hours (but was probably only 45 minutes) I managed to get the machine threaded properly and I was on my way to crafting a cat bed.
Later in the evening we both took a break from our respective projects and had a tasty grilled dinner together on the deck.
Then it was back to working on the cat bed again! Now the fabric I used wasn't felt. I found something softer and more to what Leki typically lays on (that is, blankets, fuzzy pillows, etc). Of course, because it isn't felt or a stiffer material, it doesn't really stand up on it own. So I stuffed it a little to give the tube some shape.

As you can see, he isn't really interested. Hopefully that changes, like his interest in his cat tower did.

And that's how we spent our one year wedding anniversary.

The Fulton Street Artisan Market opens up for the season today and it's the first time Chris and I have been over there to see the remodel. The wider pathways and built in roof are a nice touch. Definitely an upgrade from the previous setup.

We strolled up and down the market, checking out the neat local art. I saw a really great solar lantern idea made from a mason jar. They kind of looked like these DIY jars, although a little nicer. I might attempt to make these in the near future.
While we were out, we picked up a can of clear coat, which meant I could finish up the photo coasters I created awhile back. In between quests in the Guild Wars 2 beta I ran outside, applied a few more coats, then ran back in for more gaming.
Guild Wars 2. Man. I can't say enough good things about it. An MMO that is free-to-play that builds off of the existing Guild Wars with a gazillion improvements? What's not to like? I mean, look at that screenshot! There's under water combat, complete with underwater weapons (harpoons, etc), a re-breather that lets you breathe under water.
So I spent a big chunk of the day playing the  Guild Wars 2 beta. Logging bugs, running around joining random group quests, playing solo. It was a fantastic day.

The second Guild Wars 2 beta weekend is this weekend. That means a lot of this: A cat wondering why I'm playing with a "cat" (Charr) on the computer and not him.

He gets jealous easy.
In the afternoon I took a quick break to start in on my first Arduino project: Snail Mail Notifier (Chris had mentioned this as a possible project). Up until now I've just been reading about coding and wiring, making various LEDs blink. But now, it's time to try something else.

This is not a project I designed or coded myself. I got partially through designing it and discovered someone else had already created what I was basically thinking about doing.

What you do is set up two Arduinos, one in the mailbox and one connected to your PC. The mailbox Arduino registers that the mailbox has been opened (via a light sensor). When that happens it sends a message via RF to the PC Arduino. The PC Arduino plugged into the computer then prints a message on your computer saying you have mail.
Obviously the setup isn't the best. First off I'd ideally like to use just one Arduino not two. Second, I'd like to have mail notification via email or text message, not a serial monitor window on my computer. Third, as you can see, I do not have a battery pack hooked up to the receiver in the mailbox or the enclosure sealed against the elements. The local Radio Shack was out so to test this I had to plug a USB cable into a wall adapter inside the house.

Still, this is a start and it's a way to see new libraries and codes in play that I haven't used yet. There's another project that uses a push button and a php server to send notifications via the internet - Snail Mail Push Alert.

I have a few parts on order for that project and a cat toy. What I'd ideally like to do is combine the best of both (wireless + push notifications), but I don't think Chris is sold on this device's usefulness (it's not like you don't check the mail everyday anyway, right?).

Someday I hope to create an automatic curtain opener for no reason other than because.

We went tonight to go see Prometheus. Overall, I liked it. It's not Alien - so if you're expecting a slow place thriller it's not exactly that. But it's not some giant explosion-driven movie with no plot, like say, Transformers.

Of course now after watching this I want to re-watch Alien.

Leaves are in and the grass, though you cant see it, it starting to grow. Summer is just around the corner.

With The Pita House downtown closed, I decided to try another restaurant that serves Mediterranean food.

Lets just say it was no substitute for The Pita House.

On partially sunny days I really enjoy the view one building gives downtown. All the windows are like mirrors.

Because food tastes better after being charred by an open flame.

We headed out early in the morning for breakfast and an early showing of Snow White and the Huntsman. As re-imaginings go, the movie wasn't a bad one. The only thing that really didn't make sense was Snow White running around in armor.
I then spent a chunk of the afternoon tinkering with the arduino a bit more. Look, more LEDs!

I spent a part of the morning going through some basic arduino exercises. Blinking the light, controlling the intensity of the light with a light dependent resistor (LDR), etc.
In the early afternoon I assembled one of the most awesome LEGO sets I have ever owned - Shelob Attacks. As a special bonus, there were three precious in the pack so I made sure everyone got one - except Shelob.

I was mostly just excited to get a gollum LEGO.

My friend Shelly's husband, Jonathan, has been in the Navy the last 9 years, which means for their entire marriage he's been stationed away and they've just seen each other on weekends.

No longer.
He has recently gotten out of the Navy and he's moved to back to Grand Rapids. So Shelly decided it would be a good excuse to throw him a Welcome Home surprise party.