Kite Building

As mentioned in my last post, I made a kite for the Zilker Kite Festival, in hopes of flying it with the 100 bazillion other people in Zilker. However, the festival was cancelled. And this was AFTER it was moved back a weekend. Whatever. I got to fly my baby at the beach and it was awesome.

Making a kite is actually really easy, if you have a sewing machine. If you don't I'm sure some amount of tape would work. You just need fabric, thread, dowel rods, two bic pen caps, and one metal grommet. I used ripstop nylon fabric, in hot pink with neon green accents. Because, the 80's. A year or so ago I picked up this home sewing craft book from like 1993 at Goodwill that is mostly all a waste of paper, but there were instructions for a kite in there! And it worked out really well! I wouldn't say the instructions were easy to follow, but once I deciphered them throwing the thing together was cake.

Look at me all about to sew that pin!

So after some measurements, some cutting, and a few stitches, BOOM, you've got a kite! The form is made with dowel rods, and the center removable rod is held in place with BIC PEN CAPS! I was like what the heck when I read the instructions, but it works perfectly. Who knew!

I made the delta kite, but there's also instructions for a rounded kite. That required soaking a dowel rod in water and then bending it to your required curve, and I was like, NOPE. But it might be worth trying someday when I have... more patience.

And the winner of the most awkward kite flying stance goes to... So I definitely used some string meant for crocheting, because where do you get kite string? It worked just fine. That kite flew like a champion. I had so much string, it flew so high! And didn't fall once! That might have been from the perfect kite flying wind at the beach, but whatever. It was successful! I want to take it out to Zilker soon so I can show it off here in Austin.

Yay for kite building! Such a fun and quick project, with such awesome and usable results! I mean that kite is SOLID. So much better than the plastic business you get at the store. Perfect craft if you've got (older) kids. I'm thinking of making another for next year, but getting creative with the colors! Maybe a manly one for Mr. Hogan.

K&K in Austin!

Excuse the quiet here on the blog this month, it's been a busy one! And clearly I am no good at documenting it. Where the hell has January gone? It's like... the end. The first month of the new year is already over? WHAT?

2014 graced us with our first sickness of the year. And I mean SICK. Stomach virus, hugging the toilet and puking your life away style. I got it first, then Kristy up in Dallas (who was here for the weekend, more on this later. Sorry you always get sick when you visit!), then Brendon. It was crazy. I haven't had a stomach virus since I was a freshman in college and boy does it suck! I hate puking. I know no one likes it, but jeeze you guys, I hate hate hate it. Along with the nausea came a fever and body aches, so awesome. Luckily the worst seems to be over and now I'm just achy and exhausted beyond reason. But I'll take it over feeling pukey any day. Mind if I say puke again? It's a fun word.

ANYWAY, what this post is really about, is Kristy and Kennedy coming to visit! They were here over the weekend and it was very awesome. I can't say enough how lame it is to live hours away from your best friend, but luckily every time we get together it's like no time has passed and we just pick up where we left off.

The weather was absolutely wonderful while they were here, so we took advantage on Sunday and spent as much time outside as possible. We flew tried to fly a kite at Zilker, walked around downtown, and then walked around the Drag and did a little shopping. Cutest thing ever? Kennedy thought the Frost Bank Building looked like the ice castle from Frozen. I mean, seriously? ADORABLE. And it kind of does! I wonder if they thought of the ice thing when designing it. It is FROST Bank after all. It will now forever be known as the ice castle. Anyway, I made the mistake of telling her we could go inside and check it out. She was SUPER stoked and wanted to see if Anna and Elsa were home. It was a Sunday and that bank was definitely closed. There were tears. I am the worst.

There was NO wind whatsoever when we went to fly the kite. Kristy did an excellent job of keeping it in the air by running, but that sucker would not stay up there on it's own. Kennedy did some kite flying on the ground. She drug that kite for a good 100 yards. But she had fun, and that's what matters! Also, this is her "smile for the camera" face:

We also went to Juice Land (my first time, HOW HAVE I NEVER BEEN?) for smoothies and Walton's for lunch. Oh dear lord, Walton's has this spinach salad, y'all. It's life changing. I'm still thinking about it. Kennedy had a chocolate muffin, clearly:

It was a fabulous weekend with my favorite Dallas ladies! Contrary to the illness we gave you, Austin loves you and wants you to visit whenever. Again, so sorry about the illness. That part sucked, I know. Let's all feel better riiiiight... NOW.

Weekend fun

We had lots and lots and lots of fun this weekend. We headed down to NB Saturday evening to have a belated birthday dinner for Brendon with my dad, step mom, step bro, and sister. We ate at one of our favorite places, the Gristmill. The food and company was great, the only low point was me accidentally spilling throwing a glass of water all over Brendon. And then him having a little hissy fit. Whoops! I felt terrible, but really, if you decide to sit next to me and liquids are around it's an understood risk.

Gruene is such a cool place. Even growing up in NB, I still love to act like a tourist and walk around checking out all the shops. Although now I guess I really am a tourist!

After dinner we had birthday cupcakes at my daddio's and then we crashed there because Brendon had a few too many cervezas and I had been up since 5am.

Four cupcakes for 24 years old?

The next day we said hello to all the animals (I swear my dad and step momma are going to be run out of house and home by all these guys!), had a deeeelish breakfast with my dad and step mom, and then headed back up to Austin.

 Super cute young chickens! Check out the front two's hair-dos. They've got fluffy little feather afros! After an experience with a super sweet chicken in a gas station parking lot, I have decided I want pet chickens.

 Turkey bffs. They don't go anywhere without each other. They seriously walk RIGHT next to each other constantly. Oh and they gobble on command.

Hands down, the best lawn mowers around.

Sunday was the Kite Festival in Austin! It turns out this thing is a pretty big deal. I have never seen so many people in one place! And obviously, there were SO many kites. HUNDREDS of kites. It was a little insane, but awesome. And the weather was absolutely perfect. Not a cloud in the sky and plenty of wind. We've been having some awesome weather lately.

Brendon and our spider man kite that we've had for like a year. It almost immediately ended up here:

In a tree. Poor Brendon only got to fly the kite for like two minutes before this happened. He (along with some folks in the snow cone line) tried very hard to get it out of the tree, but alas, the tree claimed the spidey kite.

After losing our kite, we relaxed in the sun for a while. See how PALE I am? Well I am now a lovely lobster color now. My face, chest, hands and feet (??) fried. We didn't even think to bring sunscreen. Next year we'll know better.

They were all kinds of contests for homemade kites. See that GIANT black one? Although it looks like it's close it's actually on the far side of the open area in the middle. It was HUGE. Obviously this was the biggest kite contest. We're going to build a kite and try to enter it into one of the contests next year! We (and by we I mean I) better start researching kite building...

Aside from getting super sunburned, the weekend was a great success. Family, beautiful weather, and time with your husband. Nothing better. I am loving this spring! So much wonderfulness.