DIY: Star Trek Mirror

I discovered a really cool blog the other day and got inspired to do some geeky do-it-yourself stuff around the house. I have had this mirror since I was a little girl but haven't been able to figure out what to do with it. It is missing the frame and isn't in the best of shape. 

I used some left over faux leather contact paper I had been using to line the kitchen shelves. I freehanded the image since my printer is currently out of order. Not a bad result, although if I decide to keep it, I might take my time and redo it with an actual stencil.

Emblem from Star Trek TNG

More Snow Pictures and Video

The snow is almost all melted, the half inch of rain in the past 24 hours has certainly helped it along. The excitement about the snow was almost palpable on Thursday, people were pumped. On Friday, everyone was outdoors playing in it! We even had neighbors over to our house to sled down our driveway. On Saturday most people were inside, exhausted from the previous days events. By Sunday, the reality of how much snow had fallen was setting in and people were beginning to realize that getting to work on Monday was going to be terrible. Sunday morning we were out bright and early trying to clear our driveway with a shovel and rake (we Arizonans lacked proper equipment) and soon the neighbors were joining us, trying to clear the private road we all use to travel out of the neighborhood. The major Portland roads were plowed but the side streets were still a mess and the Monday commute was epically slow. I guess we weren't the only ones who were unprepared!

My snowman -- about 4 feet tall

Here is a video of the dogs in the snow, 

keep an eye out on the right hand side. 

I caught Trudy bouncing in the snow and it is adorable!

Something You Don't See in Tucson

Snow is uncommon in the Portland area. We have seen it several times in the past few years but nothing beyond maybe half an inch. An arctic blast moved into the area yesterday and started bringing us some amazing snow! The snow is so soft, almost like powder, but not overly wet so we could stay out in it for awhile this afternoon.

1:00 pm yesterday afternoon

9:30 am this morning

3:00 pm today -- Our driveway! 

Hubby had a snow day, couldn't get to work.

34 years of life and I had never done this before!

Helpless Doesn't Mean Worthless: UPDATED AGAIN

I dropped off some flyers to Carrie yesterday so she could help us canvas the neighborhood for the dog's owner. She texted this morning with some amazing news! She found the owner! Apparently her boss was walking by her desk when he saw the flyer. He recognized the dog immediately and called the owner, who is his friend. The owner was so happy and relieved! Apparently they were out for a walk when Bailey wandered away. She follows voice command and doesn't wear a collar because she hates them and chews them right off. They say they have been looking for her for over a week and were very worried. The owner is going to pick her up this afternoon.

A very happy ending indeed!!

Updated 1/24/14:

I received a message from the shelter yesterday that the dog Carrie and I found has not yet been reunited with her family. I decided to stop in to visit the pup this morning on the way to Evergreen. The volunteers say she is doing well but she is still very scared, probably because she is blind and it is so noisy with all the other dogs there. She is obviously house-trained because she always waits to go potty until the morning when they let her outside. Unfortunately, she only has about two weeks more before the shelter will have to "decide what to do with her". I asked them if it was a money issue, as Hubby and I would be happy to provide her with toys, food, and blankets if that is what she needs. The volunteer said it is about space in the facility, not money.

Only two weeks to find her family or a new home! In an effort to expedite getting her home I posted a lost/found ad on Craigslist here and Hubby made some flyers to put up.

The shelter asked me if I could swing by the U-Haul store right near where we found her and see if they had any information. The man behind the counter quickly shooed me away, claiming he hadn't seen "that particular dog" before. I sense deception!

This is Bailey!

Original Post Date: 1/18/14

I was driving to Evergreen yesterday when I noticed a woman trying to corral a dog along the side of the road. She was on her cellphone and looked a tad stressed. I parked and walked across the street to see if I could give her a hand. She exclaimed, "Oh thank God, dozens of people have honked and been irritated but no one has helped. This dog is blind and I don't know what to do." I offered to stay with the old dog while she ran to get a leash from her work. She called the animal shelter to get advice and than asked if I would be willing to take the dog to the shelter since the animal officer wasn't on duty. I agreed and we, with much difficulty and threat of harm, got this poor old, blind dog over to the truck. Poor girl was terrified and obviously had never had a leash on before. However, she jumped right in the truck and curled up near the heater.

I arrived at the animal shelter and knocked on the door and was wonderfully greeted by two volunteers. They got all the equipment they would need to get the dog out of the truck and eventually got her out and into an indoor kennel. The police arrived (-- I know, weird, they take their stray animals quite seriously around here! --) and took my "statement" and said they would attempt to find the dog's owner. Wow! The volunteers let me see where the blind dog was being housed and gave me a tour of the facility.

Before leaving I provided my name, address and phone number to the shelter so that I can stay up to date on what happens with the dog. I made sure they understood to call me before they make any life or death decisions regarding this pup. I was certain that when push came to shove, my Hubby and I couldn't let this old, blind dog get euthanized simply because she was helpless. I truly hope that this sweet pooch and her family are reunited very soon!

Before heading to Evergreen, I dropped off the leash to Carrie, the woman who originally found the dog. I updated her on what happened and that the dog made it safely to the shelter. She hugged me and thanked me for being such a loving person! She is the amazing lady who originally stopped, I just leant a hand. :-)

I urge all of you, don't hesitate to stop and help whenever you get a chance! My heart is filled with gratitude and happiness today for having this experience and for meeting a group of truly amazing people!!

A special thank you to Carrie, Newberg Animal Control and the Newberg Police Department! You were all amazing!

Hepcat Model

As I had hoped, I was able to get the painting completed over the past few weeks. I was shocked at how well we were able to match the interior color to the exterior! 

My remaining to do list:

Windows still need to be put in

Landing skid needs to be installed

Fuel tank needs to be put together

Landing gear needs to be installed

Engine needs to be put back in

Horizontal and vertical stabilizers need to be permanently installed

Hepcat Model

More progress has been completed on my Hepcat model. The nose has been covered and the decorative stripping has been ironed on. This week the agenda is to paint the inside of the engine and fuel compartments to protect them from fuel leakage. Balsa wood is extremely porous, so if fuel gets on it it seeps in and dissolves the wood. After painting I will cut out and install the window panels. 

Happy New Year!!

2013 Phillips Family Year in Review

I thought it might be nice to take a look back at all the things that happened this year:

1.  We lost Grandma Eileen

2.  Trudy broke her back and we thought she might not recover

3.  We bought a house!

4.  We took some trips around Oregon

5.  I saw a Blackhawk helicopter for the first time

6.  My best girlfriend got married and I went back to Tucson

7.  I went on my first archaeological dig!

8.  I broke my hand :-(

9. I changed my hair color to red

10. The Spruce Goose model conducted her first/second taxi tests (8 years in the making!)

11. Hubby and I went to a sci-fi convention

12. I quit a job (the mansion), got a job (retail) and now am unemployed again...

13. Hubby and I officially got old. We stopped caring about what was new and what was popular. We were done replacing electronics just because something new came out. We didn't know a single artist on the Top-40 station anymore. We found ourselves saying "when we were young..." and "when I was a kid..."

Hopes for 2014!

1.  Go on another dig

2.  Go to a convention or two

3.  Travel and see new places

4.  Finish my Hepcat model

5.  Get the Spruce Goose to fly

6.  Have a wood insert installed in the fireplace

7.  Entertain more and have more visitors over to the house

8.  Work on the yard and plant a garden

9.  Reach my goal weight (only a few more pounds...)
10.  Find a church that we really like

11.  Have a healthy and happy little furry family in our teeny tiny little house! :-)
12.  Due to popular request: Visit the Hudsons in CA!!

Hepcat Model

Hubby says that I have been saying this phrase for 2 years, but the Hepcat model is almost done! The electronics are complete, the push rods are installed, the gas tank is in, the engine is mounted. This week I will finish covering the nose (which will be red), install the windshield and work on the the finishing exterior embellishments. The landing gear is complete, just needs to be installed. It looks like she will definitely be ready for her maiden flight in the spring!

Playing PI with the Internet

When purchasing a home for the first time, I always imagined we would buy it from a family who had lived there awhile and they would take us under their wing and tell us all the ins and outs of the house. Perhaps they would even show us all the work they had done and regale us with stories of their lives in the house.

Alas, that wasn't the case with the home we ended up buying. You see, our house was part of an estate so all we knew was the name of the owner, that she was deceased and that a relative in another state was handling the transaction. Maybe it is the anthropologist in me or maybe I am just super nosey but after all was said and done I started to do some research on the internet regarding the previous owner.

The first thing I discovered was Cathy's (not her real name) obituary. She died in our house at the age of 65. Yes, you read that correctly she died in our house! While I was slightly creeped out by that fact at first, I am coming to terms with it. She had a husband, a daughter, and a son; she loved her dog and she was an amazing potter.

I also discovered that she had originally purchased our home back in 2001 and that her son lived with her. So why wasn't he living in the house, or handling the sale of it for that matter? Well, that's because he died back in 2006 at the age of 38 from complications of diabetes. Okay, what about the daughter? That I don't know, I haven't found anything about her other than she picked up the car that was in the garage the night before we got our keys. I think the lack of information on her is because her first and last name are very common, unlike her relatives.

So, what about Cathy's husband? I discovered that back in 2001 (the same year Cathy bought the house) he was indicted on charges for attempted murder. You see, he had a girlfriend while he was still married to Cathy and he allegedly attempted to kill this girlfriend. His defense and subsequent appeals stated that he had PTSD which he sustained during his tours of duty in Vietnam as a Marine. The court did not agree and he subsequently died in prison just three months after Cathy passed.

What a tragic family story! It is my hope that we can replace some of the sadness this family experienced in our home with happy and joyful memories!

Do you agree that it is a little terrifying how easy it was to piece together the history of this house  and its family in just one afternoon?

Happy Birthday USMC!

Evergreen celebrated the 238th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps on Friday. Fun was had by all as we witnessed the passing of the cake (and tradition) from the oldest Marine born in 1930 to the youngest Marine who will enter boot camp in February. Poor kid was overwhelmed by all the attention and advice! 

Happy birthday and thank you to all past, present and future Marines! Oohrah!

Living History Week

This past week was Living History Week at Evergreen. This is the second annual event which brings high school students from around the Willamette Valley into the museum to listen to first-hand experiences of our veterans. The overarching theme this year was thanking our POWs, in particular we honored the survivors of the Bataan Death March, of which 16 were able to make the journey. It was a beautiful and memorable experience!

Hepcat Model

My Hepcat has made significant progress the past few weeks. The servos have been installed and this weekend we are picking up the push rods which need to be installed inside the fuselage before I can cover it. The pushrods will control the fuel and the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. I completed the tail section today by creating some racing strips. Looks pretty snazzy!

Job Hunting: Update

Good news since the last time I posted, I finally nailed down a seasonal job. Due to the "social networking clause" they made me sign I am not going to say where because I don't want to always have to put a disclaimer on my posts, but it is a basic retail job. I am already beginning to question the wisdom of a retail job during Christmas...

The better news, however, is that I am currently lining up to do some archaeology work in the Oregon and Washington areas. It will likely take place after the holidays and is not guaranteed to be very regular but just getting my foot in the door is a major accomplishment!