Adventures in Beekeeping: Assembled Warre Hive

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Tuesday, I finally put together my Warre hive. It was also my daughter’s birthday we chatted as she rotated between drawing with her new Bamboo Splash tablet and playing with her adorable knitted doll.

Warre Hive construction with Right angle clamps_1

She seemed quite fascinated with the entire Warre hive construction process and for some reason was particularly loved seeing me use the right angle clamps to make the Warre boxes. I can’t say how long it took to finish the hive, perhaps a few hours. It would have gone much faster if I wasn’t socializing with my daughter but I wouldn’t change that aspect since it made a wonderful experience even more enjoyable.

Warre Hive assembled
Assembled Warre bee hive with observation window

 

This Warre hive has an observation window, once I take it outside, I’ll be sure to post pictures of how that appears. Tomorrow, if the weather is nice, I’ll paint the outside of the hive with some exterior paint. Initially I was leaning towards linseed (aka flaxeed oil) but from my reading that can take months to cure. I don’t have months, the honeybees can arrive as early as next week.

I’m a bit concerned with the lateness of the honeybess arrival, most honeybee packages appear in early April. However, the unseasonably cool weather we’ve been experiencing in Maryland has delayed shipment for many bee package supplies. I’m prepared to feed my honeybees for a while, if necessary, to ensure they do well. Last month, I purchased a top bar feeder for my honeybees and once the bees arrive, I’ll set them up with a 1:1 mixture of raw cane sugar and water. The placement of the Warre hive might change. I’m now thinking of either placing it inside our fenced in garden, it’s about 3/4 of an acre or setting it alongside our grapevine.

One happy girl; knitted amigurumi voodoo doll – complete

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Yesterday, after work, I finally attached the limbs to the voodoo doll that I was knitting for my daughter.  It’s about time, right? This project has been sitting around waiting to be assembled for about a week! The free time I had, my daughter was always around. Naturally I didn’t want to complete the almost finished project in front of her since she’d guess that it would be hers. I can’t slip anything past her! 😉

 

Knitted-Voodoo-Doll_1

 

I chose a button eye, sewed the other eye and made a “stitched mouth” with some of my lovely Malabrigo yarn. I knit this doll on my size 3 Hiya Hiya steel sharp needles. I used worsted weight wool yarn. I originally wrote about the amigurumi knitted doll a little over a week ago.

In my earlier posts, I mentioned that I was knitting this amigurumi doll in front of her, but as it started to take shape I had to finish knitting the project when she wasn’t around. The results? My daughter was thrilled when she saw the knitted doll and promptly called her “Izzy”.  She’s already talking about making clothes for this doll, so it looks like we’ll be sewing clothing for her this weekend.

Knitted Voodoo doll; Susan Claudino design
Knitted Voodoo doll; Susan Claudino design

 

Where to find the knitted voodoo doll

I discovered the pattern when I was searching on Ravelry for a  quick knitted amigurumi doll that I could make in time for my daughter’s tenth birthday. I browsed many knitted amigurumi, but I kept coming back to this one since it was my favorite because it is so freaking cute! I was sold when I saw that it was knit in the round. That’s my favorite way to make amigurumi projects.  I promptly purchased the pattern ($5.00) and casted on. The pattern is called Voodoo you love Me. See… even the name is adorable! It’s designed by Susan Claudino. Susan, thanks so much for creating this awesome pattern. I thought this pattern was easy. If you know how to K, Kfb, k2tog, you too can make this knitted doll. I’m looking forward to knitting more items from this talented designer.

 

In other news…

Yesterday, my right angle clamps arrived so I assembled my Warre beehive! I’ll write more about that including pictures in a later post.

 

A very special day; My daughter’s birthday

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My how the time has flown by. At times it’s hard to believe that my lovely daughter was born ten years ago. My life has changed so much since she’s been around and I enjoy the time we share together. She’s top priority in my life, which is how it should be since she’s my responsibility.

We don’t have to much planned today. A small dinner at home with all her favorite foods and a trip to her favorite ice cream parlor; Rita’s. Because her school week is so busy I gave her presents to her this past weekend. She loves Deuce Gorgon;  her new Monster High Doll and her new Bamboo Splash drawing tablet.

This morning, I gave her Monster High storage trunk and after school I’ll give her the knitted voodoo doll. I still need to attach the limbs to the body and embroider the face. I’d been hoping to do this already, but the days have been filled with hanging out with work, household chores, and of course hanging out with my lovely daughter. So although I had every intention of finishing the project while she slept that didn’t happen since I was sleeping too! However, once my work is complete today I will finish the limbs so it will be waiting for her once I pick her up from school today.

My daughter with Angel her Guinea Pig

Yesterday I snapped the above photo of my daughter with Angel the guinea pig, aren’t they cute?

Happy Birthday to my lovely daughter!

Adventures in Beekeeping: Warre Hive Assembly

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Before too long, my honeybees will arrive and I’ll be a beekeeper. Hopefully the honeybees will stick around so I can share some of my newbie adventures in beekeeping.

You know what? I still haven’t assembled my beehive. I decided to hold off a bit longer until I purchased some Right Angle clamps. Right angle clamps make box making much easier.

Wolfcraft Right Angle Clamp
Wolfcraft 3415405 Right Angle Clamp; perfect for making boxes

 

After a bit of research I decided to purchase the Wolfcraft 3415405 Right Angle Clamp. I purchased two, I should receive them this Wednesday. This time around, I decided to forgo the raw linseed (aka flaxeed oil) instead I’ll use an oil based waterproof paint on the outside of the hive.  The inside of the hive, I don’t have to worry about since honeybees do an excellent job of waterproofing thanks to the propolis the honeybees collect from certain trees. Once the bees take it to the hive, the propolis is mixed with beeswax and the bees saliva to make it more malleable. They use it to waterproof and fill in gaps which will hopefully deter predators from gaining entrance into the hive.

yellow_beeswax_pellets

 

I did purchase two pounds of organic beeswax to “paint” the inside of my Warre beehive. I mainly purchased that to make the new home appealing to the honeybees. Hopefully they’ll be happy with their new surroundings and make it their permanent home.

Fun Fact: My aunt told me that my great grandfather kept honeybees. She also said that he didn’t wear a bee suit.

Cleaning with Steam; SteamFast portable steamer

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I’m really enjoying using steam for cleaning around the house. The Hoover Twin Tank Steam mop that I’ve purchased makes mopping a breeze and it’s no longer a chore that I dislike.

Unfortunately, I don’t get to use it too much since my daughter has decided she likes it also. I do sneak and spot clean when she isn’t around.

Steamfast Portable Steamer_1

 

Yesterday the Steamfast 1300-Watt Sidekick Portable Steam Cleaner arrived from Amazon. I did a lot of research before settling on this model. I wanted something that I didn’t have to refill often, many of the portable steamers I saw didn’t hold more than about 10 ounces of water. Something I have to change often, nope not interested! The good news is that this one holds 33 ounces of water and the steam lasts 30 minutes. I liked that. Another selling point is that it has a strap so you can carry it while cleaning around the house. Sold!

Sparkling bathroom wall_1

First thoughts on the Steamfast 1300-Watt Sidekick Portable Steam Cleaner

I’d say the Steamfast steamer is extremely effective in lifting up stubborn stains. Which is perfect since you don’t need to do as much scrubbing to get rid of the ground in dirt/stains. The tub was the first thing that received the attention of the portable steamer. I pretreated the bathroom wall with a 1:1 vinegar water solution. I let that sit for about 10 minutes and then went over the area with the steamer and wiped everything down.

Sparkling bathroom wall_2
This is the area that receives the most buildup. If you look closely you’ll see a bar of my homemade soap!

 

I did this one more time and the remaining hard water spots were removed. My only regret is that I didn’t take a before picture.

 

Oven Door - baked in gunk
Oven window that has just been steamed

The next area that received the steamers attention was in the kitchen area; more specifically the oven door. I recently had a spill, and as you can see the juices were baked in pretty well. Let’s see how the steamer handles this job.

I tackled the oven door, steaming it first and wiping. I noticed that it did pull up a lot of gunk.

Oven-caked in gunk_2

 

For some added cleaning power, I applied baking soda/vinegar to the oven glass. The baking soda/vinegar combo made a delightful fizzing sound. After about ten minutes I pulled out my cloth and wiped it all away. Everything was gone, except the spots that somehow managed to seep inside the glass when this spill happened a few days ago. I’ll have to take the oven door apart to remove that. Boo!

Oven-caked in gunk_3
The steamer/cleaner combo cleaned up all the spots on the outside but those stains you see are on the inside. I’ll have to take it apart to eliminate that!

What I didn’t like about the Steamfast 1300 portable steamer

The nylon utility brush attachment needs to be redesigned since it won’t stand up to heavy use. Since I already knew this might be a possibility in the reviews I’d read, I was prepared and had a much larger brush.

Scrub Brush

 

Of course, it didn’t attach to the steamer but that’s fine. It did the job. The bottom line is I really do like my Steamfast portable steamer, this combined with my Hoover twin tank steam mop will make daily cleaning a bit easier.

Judging by the reviews I’ve seen on floor steam maps and hand held steamers I think people get the steamer only models confused. The steam/heat can be effective in loosening up ground in dirt and sterilizing the area but it’s not going to “clean” the area. Just like my Hoover steam mop, this does not suction up the dirt. You’ll have to wipe away the loose dirt. I find it most effective to clean as I go; Clean an area with the steam, wipe away the dirt. Rinse and repeat until the job is complete. Unless it’s a ground in stain I’m able to clean an area with just steam. I like that!

Working their way to our house…

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My daughter’s tenth birthday is next week. I’ve already made her a few things like the knitted voodoo doll. The head, body and limbs are complete. I’ll put it together once she’s asleep.

Earlier this morning, I purchased a few items for her…

Monster High Collapsible Trunk
Monster High Collapsible Trunk

 

Such as this adorable Monster High Collapsible Trunk. Judging by the reviews… it’s large and will fit nicely at the foot of my daughters bed. I do think I’ll make it more sturdy by sewing a liner inside the trunk and then attaching it to the fabric that’s already there. I know that my daughter will love it since it features her much loved Monster High dolls. I like it since it neatly keeps her items in one place. The Monster High trunk will arrive on her birthday.

Monster High_Scaris Doll_Deuce Gorgon_16154096_01

 

My daughter loves the Monster High dolls! Over the past few years I’ve purchased several for her. She doesn’t have any of the boy Monster High dolls. People snap them up quickly in the store and resell them for well over $150! There’s no way I’m paying that much for a doll that normally retails for between $12 and $21 in the store.  However this the Monster High doll, Deuce Gorgon for $30. I haven’t seen him that low in months! He’s been snapped up and resold for over $150 so I quickly bought the doll since he was only $10 more than I’d pay if I could find him in the store.

Wacam Splash Tablet

 

Initially, I was going to purchase this item at Christmas time, but I held off since I felt she had enough for Christmas. I did add it to my Amazon Wish List knowing that one day I’d eventually purchase it for her. Well guess what? I checked this morning and the price had dropped by $10 since Christmas!

My daughter loves to draw. She’s an extremely talented artist.  She likes computers and has been wanting to digitize some of her sketches and so I decided to purchase the Wacom Splash Tablet. It looks like it’ll be the the perfect beginner tablet for her. I’m an Amazon Prime member and decided to go with next day delivery  for the Monster High doll and the Wacom tablet. They’ll be here tomorrow so I don’t have to worry about them arriving by her birthday.

My daughter doesn’t expect a lot for her birthday. She knows that what you receive isn’t really that important and she seems to be truly happy with whatever she gets which is nice.  The main way I show her how much she means to me is spending lots of time with her. But to make her birth date “extra special” I try to do additional things for her. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she receives her gifts. She’s such a wonderful daughter smart, loving, and enjoys sharing with others. It’s nice when I can do extra special things for her throughout the year.

 

My favorite cleaner…

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White-Vinegar-Distilled

One of the questions I’m asked a lot in person (and online via email) is the type of cleaners I use. Quite a few of my friends are looking for gentle products to clean their homes. Since they know I’m not a fan of using harsh chemicals they will come to me for advice. Some of them are a bit surprised when I tell them my favorite cleaner is distilled white vinegar.

The only thing I don’t like about vinegar is the smell, but that dissipates shortly after the surface is dry so I can live with the area smelling like pickles since it’s such an effective cleaner.

 

White vinegar is a weak acid that contains about 5 percent acetic acid. Because of this it can be extremely effective for removing calcium deposits, water deposits from glass, tarnish from certain metals like brass and copper, and stains from sinks.

I’ve found that white vinegar is an extremely effective way to clean our floors. Over the years, I’ve noticed that it leaves our floors much cleaner (for longer) than any other “fancy product” that I could purchase. In fact, I’ve been using white vinegar as my “cleaner solution” with my Hoover Twin Tank Steam mop with much success.  I also use vinegar to clean my windows!

While I occasionally use apple cider vinegar for my natural vegetable washes when it comes to cleaning around the home I always reach for distilled white vinegar.