Human Bean or Sleep Mask?

My daughter rock climbs at our local YMCA. She prefers to climb blindfolded. It keeps her from looking down and getting scared. She makes it about two or three steps from the top of the wall while blind-folded. It is pretty cool.

Right now the instructor folds up a t-shirt and ties it over the kids eyes. I thought I would make a sleep / rock climbing mask so she could climb with more comfort. I don't have a pattern so I traced one I found in my husband's travel bags - the free one you are given on an airplane.

Well - it came out looking a tad like a human bean to me. Anyone else get that impression?



So - I had to try it on her. Here is a sleeping girl with chocolate sauce on her cheek in her new sleep / rock climbing mask. I guess it isn't that bad. It fits. Let's hope we remember to take it to rock climbing with us.

Scrabble Fairies!

scrabblefairies
Originally uploaded by bethvanduzer

I have been playing scrabble since I was a wee lass. My mom recently gave me her spiffy scrabble game that has a board with raised sides - so the tiles don't shift around. It is on a turntable as well. Very fancy!

My mom, older sister, husband and I played when my mom and older sister came to visit at the end of December. We had so much fun playing - we laughed so hard we cried at times. I never remembered Scrabble being that much fun when I was a kid!

One of the things we complained about during our play were the Vowel and Consonant fairies. Either they visited our tile racks - or they didn't. And either way - we complained.

And that was all it took for me to think...hmmm...scrabble fairies...I wonder if I could make some...

I searched for scrabble fabric and finally found some on e-bay. I made each of us a scrabble fairy. I am now working on wands - they are made but how the heck am I going to get the fairy to hold it? And - maybe a bag? Or would that just be too much. Maybe this fairy only needs her crown.

The words on the crown? My mom's bingo one night was JANGLERS (for those that don't follow scrabble - a bingo is when you use all 7 of your tiles. In addition to your word score you also earn 50 additional points). Spider Pig - is from The Simpson's Movie and was the name of one of the games we recently played on Facebook - and my sister won the game. So - her fairy's crown is Spider Pig.

I know - more scrabble info than anyone ever wanted to know but hey - the fairies are cute - right??? And scrabble teaches not only spelling but math and strategy. So, if you're staying in this evening and own scrabble, dust off the box and play a game. Print up a picture of the fairies and wave it over the board or tiles when you need a bit of help. Perhaps it will work.

Bingo! Beth