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I asked for a vintage camera strap this year. I've always liked my dad's strap that he's saved from the 70s. I like them because they're inexpensive and they can set you apart from the other Nikons and Canons you see when you're out and about.

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Santa brought a Tomica set. If you're not familiar with them, they're Japanese train sets. They're pretty fast trains that run on batteries and come with cars, roads, etc. They're pretty detailed and very well made. Most of the people are happy, but this police officer means business.

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Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you set aside time to be with the people you care about. Our families are fragmented and scheduling can be difficult, but I'm always excited to take a break and visit for a little while.

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I'm working on designing a website for myself, mostly for the coding practice. I wanted to create an image using a Sirograph. Remember those? I used to play with those for hours. I found one on Craigslist for $10. It was just as much fun to play with it again.

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My son loves trains; this is no secret. My mom happened to have an HO scale train set that she'd bought cheap at a garage sale and she gave it to us. Not sure if it even worked, we got out all of the pieces, a 4x4 board and set up a round track to test the engines. We must've spent four hours cleaning track and tiny train wheels until we could get the grime off and the engines working. I'm not sure who has more fun with it: my son or us.

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I began Operation Breakfast Nook with two 60" benches from Overstock.com, set in a L shape in the corner. I ordered some fabric remnants from Ebay, wrapped them around foam and secured them with safety pins for cushions. Then I sewed pillows for the backs of the seating area. I tried to balance the geometric patterns of the table and light fixture with organic fabric patterns. I put window film on the window so that the birds who eat at the bird feeders on the other side of the window have privacy and don't fly away when we sit down. It's been great eating breakfast and watching black-capped chickadees, tufted titmice, warblers and cardinals eat at the same time as us.

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This is Cookie. If you'll look past her you'll see a chevron pattern. I extended the life of a Saarinen-esque white table by using Mod Podge and four coats of poly acrylic (water-based urethane) to glue a gray chevron fabric to the top of it. I had previously sanded and painted the top of the table but, after six years, that wasn't cutting it. I'm hoping this will last for another 6-10. Stay tuned to see how it pulls together.

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I started thinking about how to maximize the space in our house when I imagined our family in the next, say, ten years. I imagine working on homework while getting dinner ready, friends over after school, etc. So I acted on a plan I've had for a long time. I call it Operation Breakfast Nook. I started a board on Pinterest to collect ideas. Pinterest can be dangerous: it's great for ideas but can be a huge time-sucker. Use with caution. You can find me under Christy Mott Haynes if you're on there.

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 We spent some much-needed time with family over Thanksgiving. I am always inspired by something at my dad's farm. This time, it was a walk to the creek where he'd built a new bridge. I snapped these on the way there and back while the kids rode on a little battery-powered Gator.

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I LOVE the tea at the Aveda salons. It's comforting and a little sweet without adding sugar. I decided to treat myself to a box of it ($15!) but it was sooo worth it.

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I love the look of these mesh lawn bags. I can rake and bag easily by myself, then leave them at the curb for as long as I want because air and water goes in and out but the bags don't lost strength and nothing smells. And when you layer leaves, gardening waste and other stuff, you get really cool results that you can see through the mesh.

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We recently took the plunge and got new windows. We had the old aluminum crank windows. They were a pain because they let tons of air in, the cranks were always breaking, and you had to take in and take out massive screens and panes of glass seasonally. My first comment on the new windows was "they let in more light!" "That's because they're clean," said my husband. Yep, he's right. I hated the old ones and didn't bother to clean them much. The new ones should be much easier and are already keeping the warm air in.

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Last year, Santa brought my son a set of dominoes. He loves them and will get creative after we've built "the largest domino set EVER" as he calls it. He'll knock them down, then lay them down in pairs and build roads for his cars. It just goes to show that the simplest toys are best.

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Someone gave me this old container of salt. I love the design of the label.

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I'm suspending the Miata rehab project until I can find the right steering wheel. Now it's time to tackle the ginormous palm plant that's taking over my living room. It's leaking sap everywhere and I suspect it's infected with spider mites. I am treating it but in doing so, cut off a couple of leaves. A couple of days later I noticed that the structure inside the stalks is really beautiful.

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Miata Rehab project #3: interior

before

The Miata was designed to mimic vintage British sports cars but have the ease of Japanese engineering and reliability. They kept everything pretty minimal, including the interior. I've always liked it to be simple, but I decided to add a little interest. Not bling, just details.

I took the interior door panels off and ripped off the old vinyl on the bottom. I bought a yard or two of black carbon fiber vinyl and used the old pieces to make a template to cut new ones. I glued the new pieces on and reassembled the door panels.

after

I wanted to add some interest to a few of the interior pieces, so I used a flat gray DupliColor vinyl paint to spray the piece that cups the door handle, the upper part of the armrest, the speaker covers, and the vent rings (to bring the color around instead of isolating it on the doors).

after

I also used some leftover carbon fiber vinyl and sewed a new shift boot cover. The old one was ripped and sad looking, so I took it apart and used the pieces as a template for the new one. I sewed it with red thread to pull some red inside. I also bought a new shift knob to brighten it up a bit.

I went a little spray-paint-happy and cut a stencil and added some Ms to the back of the seats with a light, fading spray for a little more interest when the top is down.

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Miata Rehab project #2: Faded seats

before

I've got a base model Miata with cloth seats. I've flirted with the idea of trading my car for a limited edition model of a similar year, but all of those come with leather seats. And if you've ever driven a convertible on a hot summer day, you'd know that leather is not a good option. I borrowed a steam cleaner and washed my seats, but this is as good as it got. They were starting to turn purple.

after

So, in looking around online for rehab tips, I found a fabric/vinyl dye that's spray paint. I'd read many positive reviews so I decided to try it. I think I spent maybe $15 on two cans of black. I taped off the vinyl edges so only the cloth was exposed. I haven't been able to get a good angle to photograph the "after" effect, but it's a pretty striking difference. I am not sure how long it'll last. We'll see.

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I've had various things keeping me from my 365 project, and I'm starting a series on one of them: my Miata. A little background: I bought this car in '96 with 52k miles on it. I had planned on test driving three or four different cars but I drove a Miata first and was in love. It was the closest thing to a motorcycle on four wheels, was no frills, and wasn't terribly expensive. It's also been the most reliable car I've ever owned. Over the years, it's always been cherished but age started taking its toll and I started thinking about fixing it up.

Miata Rehab project #1: broken back window

The back window snapped in three pieces on a night of extreme cold. The soft top is in good condition and I didn't want to replace the entire thing. The window is plastic, so I started searching online for a replacement window and found a couple of people who'd cut the old one out and put a new piece of vinyl in place.

I found some heavy gauge vinyl and bought a yard or so for about $20. I then carefully cut out the old window, used it as a template to cut a new one, sanded the contact points and then glued it in place. I had a hard time finding adhesives, but finally found a vinyl cement that was flexible at Lowes. I glued it in place and let it sit for a day or two before using black tread tape (stuff you put on running boards - AutoZone) and used that to run around the seal to finish it off. It definitely doesn't look stock but it doesn't look bad for $25. And if it doesn't last, I have enough vinyl to cut two or three new windows, all for $20. Had I cleaned it before taking the photo, you'd see that the replacement is crystal clear.

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We finally had some nice weather and spent three glorious hours outside at Whetstone Park. It was a foggy morning and I tried to get us out the door early enough to catch it, but that rarely works out for us. So I was at least able to catch some dew drops. Everything was sparkling.

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I recently took a trip to Strasburg, PA for the Thomas Day Out event. Strasburg is a tiny burg in PA (close to Lancaster). They have a large Amish population and the country is absolutely amazing. The event was really fun and there was a ton of train-related stuff to do since they also have the nation's best railroad museum. I ran into a guy who had flown all the way from the UK just to visit the museum. I really enjoyed looking at the railroad logos, and here are some I liked.

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I had this asparagus recipe I'd been dying to try and all of us loved it. Hopefully you will like it too.

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The last time I was in Target I found some foam kitchen mats. This seemed like a great idea since I spend a lot of time at the sink. However, I neglected to consider that the kitten might like to chew on it. A friend did a series of photos about living with kids. I might do one on living with cats. Lesson number fifty-three: you can't have anything nice. At least I bought it with a gift card from credit card points, so it's like it was free. Sort of.

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I love the structure of this plant. It's so unusual.

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Last Christmas I asked for an attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer. I have a small hand-crank pasta maker that I still use for ravioli, but the attachment for my mixer makes it really easy. I can make the dough with the mixer, than put the attachment on and make homemade pasta in a very short amount of time. The best part is that when I get it out, my son comes running to help. He loves to put the dough balls in the hopper and then cut the pasta as it comes out. Last week we made spaghetti noodles. This week, light wheat rigatoni.

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Saw this on a hike today. The ruffled pattern reminds me of the embellished shirts and t shirts that are popular right now.

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There was a break in the heatwave and we took advantage by going to Inniswoods Metro Gardens. It's a beautifully-landscaped area to lose yourself for a little bit. There are also short hiking trails (great for little ones and even bigger ones), herb gardens, a little waterfall and a garden train. The train wasn't working when we were there. If it had been, I might not have gotten home to write this post.

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Time for a little eye candy: I try to never look on Etsy for fear of wanting everything on there. But I happened to be looking for a gift and found this. It was around $10 and I love the scale of it: not too small, not too big. Simple but still feminine.

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I saw these poppies in our yard and was admiring the transparency of the petals and that reminded me of some cool lanterns that I saw. I'll keep those in Evernote in case we have a party or an occasion to make some.

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I'm going to stop apologizing for not posting regularly or making up excuses. Everybody gets inundated at times. I'll catch up eventually.

I found these at a garage sale. I have a hard time passing up art supplies because they're expensive and I daydream about sitting down and drawing with my son. I don't know if he'll ever be into that, but if he's not then I'll have something to do when I retire.

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I haven't been posting because it's been so hot that I've been near water all week, which means I do not take my camera. Sorry about that. Here's how I view the spider plant that hangs in my office. My friend gave me the starts and it's really filling out. I think the brown edges mean I'm either watering too much or too little. I'll have to Google that.

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We stopped by a neighborhood church festival and this reminded me of summer: having fun in the warm air at 8 p.m. when there's still lots of light. I love it.