Her first family visitors were Emma, Joshua, and Austin. This is a picture of Emma holding Eliza. Austin held her for a second, but, being the teenage boy he is, he said he didn’t want to break her, and went out to the lobby to watch the “A-Team”.

Here’s a picture of Joshua and Emma holding Eliza. They are both so excited about their new baby sister.

Next to arrive was Meagan. She has been ready for this baby for months! You’d almost think she were becoming the new mother. Unfortunately, she came down with bronchitis this last week and had to wear a mask for the visit.

Finally, Eliza got to primp and get all cleaned up. Here’s her first picture after her bath.

You get MyRefrigeratorArt.com!

The premise is this, my kids want a playground and they came up with an idea to make some money to build or buy one. Want to help them? Just go to their site, make a donation of at least $9.95, and you’ll get one original piece of artwork per week for 52 weeks. It’s that easy. You get some artwork to put on your refrigerator, they get a playground.

Originally written on March 20, 2008:

I’m no economist, nor am I trying to be a pessimist. I just have so many questions. Questions like, “Why has my household goods bill increased from $75 every two weeks to over $125 every two weeks, with the same items purchased?”, and “Why have products become less valuable?” Maybe I’m just over-sensitive, but it’s true.

My family has purchased the same items every two weeks for years. We used to allocate $75 in our budget for these items, but as of this last month, we’ve had to increase our spending to over $125 for the same quantities of the same items.

Then there’s the other signal of recession. I know you can call me crazy all you want. But, when it comes to the quality of products, I can see and feel the cost-saving measures. Maybe it’s a point to cut down reliance on foreign oil. Maybe it’s the increasing cost in petroleum products that make our consumer goods. Maybe it’s a combination of all these factors, but the consumer goods we buy are not the same as they were even two years ago.

Example: Soft’n Gentle Toilet Paper
We have purchased the same 24-pack of the generic “Soft’n Gentle” Wal-Mart supplied toilet paper for years. Some time last year the price increased and the packaging changed. I wondered why the change. I was expecting an improvement as the package read “Improved!” What was improved? Well, instead of white, blue and green, the package used white, orange and yellow. I wonder if this was an effort to improve readability, until I stepped back from the trees to see the forest. All other toilet paper in the aisle featured blues, greens, and cool colors. Ahah! Improved brand recognition! or possibly improved cost saving because of the different color inks. Who knows.

What else was improved? Closer examination found the plastic packaging was thinner, more brittle, tore easier. Why was this? Is there some reason to have improved entry to the paper in an emergency? perhaps it is more water soluble to reduce suffocation hazards, like those dissolving packing peanuts. I haven’t tested this. But, if memory serves, plastics are made from oil or petroleum products. Maybe, just maybe, they’re cutting costs on the packaging.

Anything else improved? Yes! Our two-week supply of toilet paper ran out too early! Was this some interesting result of a flu-bug, or overactive runny noses from our children? No, all was well in our household. I did notice something else. The cardboard tube in the middle of the roll was thicker than it had been in previous months. How do I know this? It is my custom to be the household “Toilet Paper Fairy.” I know, such a manly job for one of my stature and training, but hey, I can handle it.

This job entails removing the old cardboard tube from the steel holder and replacing it with a new roll for my family’s convenience. How does a macho-type guy like me carry out this task? Why, by tearing the tube from its grip on the steel roller. Previous effort was successful with one mere swipe with my index finger, much like one might open a letter. The cardboard would give sway to my commanding tear and leave my other hand free to prepare the next roll of tissue. But the “Improved” roll was not so accommodating. It took double the exertion and eventually, I had to change my method to pulling on the small triangle shaped area where the corner of the wrapped cardboard sheet to make the tube. The cardboard was thicker!

Why would the cardboard be thicker and the paper last a shorter time? Because the weight of the packaging could remain the same! Improved indeed! It should have read “improved revenue for us!” But was the paper improved? Did it cause fewer noses to be scratched by previously dry paper? Did it feel good on our hind-quarters? No. In fact as I saw the tube get thicker, I felt the paper was drier, and tore easier. I was back in high school chemistry when I learned that paper was made softer by petroleum products in it. Ahah! Another point for foreign oil!

Consequences
What does this all mean? I don’t know. You tell me. Are we in a recession? Are we heading there? My advice: If you get the economic stimulus payment from President Bush this year, invest it in the paper products your family needs throughout the year. Store some aside for when your TP company “improves” their product.

P.S. My wife contacted the company, but was not able to get an acknowledgment, comment, or even an answer of any kind.

Check it out. In my spare time, I’m building a Hummer. Well, not an AM General H1 Hummer, but a replica.

I got the idea last year when I was looking around the internet and found two other people who had done it. Here: Built on a F150 Chassis, and here: http://www.tremormuv.com.

I thought, “hey, if they can do it, why can’t I?” So, I bought a 1984 Suburban for $50, ripped off the body panels, and began the transformation.

As for the details, I haven’t decided what the details will be yet. I still have some time. From the side it will look like a Hummer. The front and rear views will give away the solid axel 4wd Suburban chassis. Otherwise, my goal is for it to look authentic, just as any other replica should.

The frame and body panels will be steel—none of that fiberglass kit stuff—mounted on a Suburban chassis. I may end up doing the plans build from TremorMUV, or I might just strike out on my own and build it all from scratch. Not quite sure yet. I have my two hands, some hard working helpers, a welder, and a shop that my wife doesn’t mind if I keep cluttered up with a project truck.

Some things I definitely need to do are the following. The engine needs to be relocated back a few inches and the front and rear of the frame rails will be cut to match the H1’s length. Actually I bought it without an engine simply because it would make tear-down easier and I haven’t decided on gasoline or diesel. I still have the THM400 that was sitting in the trunk. I need to fab up the entire body to sit on the frame. The body mounts need moving and then I’ll be looking for some surplus parts—hood, doors, etc., whatever I don’t build. The wheels will need replacing.

I’ll try to post updates regularly, but as this is a project based on extra funds, it may be slow going and far between.

Want to help me along?