Order in the Court

"We the jury find the defendant NOT GUILTY."

So we had a really fun time (well, I did, ha ha) last night in Salt Lake. Abram's been taking a class this semester called Criminal Trial Practice, taught by a Federal District Judge here in Utah. Well, he had his final last night. A big fat mock criminal trial, (almost 3 hours long!!), and we got to use the judge's court room in Salt Lake! Abram represented the defendant, a man on trial for armed robbery and murder. I got to play a witness, the defendant's wife. I felt like I was in an episode of Law & Order, though, unfortunately, Jack McCoy was not present. :( Abram did an excellent job and the prosecution was tough! But when the verdict came back (a group of undergrads from a Sociology class came to be the jury), the defendant was found not guilty. It was quite a dramatic night, and Abram is just relieved to have one of his finals over with! :)

The Frank E. Moss Federal Courthouse, Downtown, SLC

Moochers Manor

So it's finally finished! B & M have moved into their new home, Moochers Manor. We found a used book case with display (framed glass) doors that was perfect for the project. We knocked out the glass and Abram attached some coated wire mesh to the doors. We also drilled holes between the levels. Then came the fun part: decorating and accessorizing! This was primarily my job. Each level features custom "carpeting" made from fleece. I attached velcro to the shelf and the fleece so that the boys couldn't pull up the carpet.

Level One: The top level features a big igloo they use for sleeping and hiding snacks. They like to stuff it full of tissue and paper towels as well. There is also a fleece climbing rope and a nice hammock, which for some reason they haven't used much yet. This was their favorite spot in the old cage. Well, maybe someday. I also put in a litter box here, hoping that they'll learn to use it!

Level Two: The middle level connects to the top by way of a wooden ladder and is primarily the "kitchen." I put in food dishes and a water bottle. Another fun feature is a section of pvc pipe they like to sneak around in. I also put in a corner hammock, but I think it's already too small for them.

Level Three: The bottom level is like a rec room. We added a shelf to the side for a step down. I put in a plastic box filled with fleece scraps for digging, a large brick for nail filing, and a slanted fish bowl, for more digging. They love to kick and throw things everywhere down there!

Level Four: We kept the glass in the bottom door, and I use it for storage. (In the photo I hadn't yet put the stuff in there yet). But I keep food, snackies, litter and the second set of "carpet" down there.

The boys are REALLY enjoying the bigger space and are getting a lot more exercise now. A special thank you goes out to the Dapper Rat (http://www.dapper.com.au/index.htm) for their instructions and inspiration with their cage, "The Grotto." Check it out. It's amazing! Now I just wish I could build on to our apartment to make more space for us!! :)

Butters on level 1


Moochie on level 2 (Can you see Butters' nose through the hole up top?)

And Moochie on level 3

Abram's Birthday & More Ratty Fun

A very happy 26th birthday to Abram!!! We had an average day at the office, but they had cake for Abram there. Yeah! We enjoyed a nice evening at home. We grilled steaks and I made Abram's favorite carrot cake. This year's model was a chess board. Please ignore the lettering. I miscounted on the white blocks. Oh well! We had a great night!

And here are some more pics and movie clips of the boys. They are getting so BIG!! We're working on constructing a bigger, funner cage for them. But as of right now, they're enjoying the little playground we set up on the table. They love climbing up on the cage and running through the fleece tubes. We've also had fun hiding treats in spots that are tricky to get to. We are so impressed with how smart they are! :)

Abram and Butters checking out cars part online.

My first original crochet design!!

So I was browsing online at a yarn/crochet pattern website, and I happened upon a cute pattern for some crocheted cotton curtains. The whole thing came in a kit with the pattern and yarn. But it was a little pricey, as those things often are. So I decided to design my own. I mean, how hard could it be? So with a few 50% off coupons in hand, I went to Roberts and got some yarn. Unfortunately, the Lily Sugar 'n Cream yarn only came in white, cream and Christmas varigade in the big spools. I was kind of hoping for something a little more exciting, especially for my very white kitchen, but oh well. We won't live here forever. Using a bit of other yarn from a previous project (if any of you have seen my huge yarn box [and the yarn overlow basket, hehe], you're not surpised I had some scrap to work with), I spent some time experimenting. Thanks to that doilie book I got at Powell's 2 years ago, I used my diagraming skills to draw out the different ideas. I then translated it into the standard pattern form, which who knows if it makes sense, but it does to me. I completed them Sunday night and they're now hanging in my now even whiter kitchen. Hooray! If anyone's interested, I'll share the pattern here. I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I am a little proud of myself, having finally designed something myself. I'm trying hard to live up to the nickname Donette gave me: "The Yarn Whisperer." :)

Crochet Curtain Pattern

Materials:
G Hook
Cotton yarn (i.e. Sugar & Cream)
Silk Ribbon (Optional)

*Rows 1 – 5 = Stripe A, Rows 6 – 10 = Stripe B

Row 1: ch 131, dc in 11th ch from hook. Dc in each st across. Ch 5, sl st in 4th ch from hook. (picot) Turn.

Row 2: dc in 1st dc of row 1, ch 1, sk 1, (dc 1, ch1, sk 1) across. Dc in last remaining dc of row one. Dc in the next 4 chs. Ch 5, turn.

Row 3: Dc in 5th dc from row 2, dc in each stitch across. Ch 5, sl st in 4th ch from hook (picot). Turn.

Row 4: Repeat row 2

Row 5: Repeat row 3

Row 6: Dc in 1st dc of row 5. (Ch 1, sk 2 st, 3dc in next st, ch1, sk 2 st, 1dc in next st) across, ending with one dc in last dc of row 5. Dc in 4 remaining dc’s of row 5. Ch 5, turn.

Row 7: Repeat row 6, ending with “picot” stitch at the end of the row (picot = ch 5, sl st in 4th ch from hook.)

Row 8: Repeat row 6

Row 9: Repeat row 7

Row 10: Repeat row 6

After row 10, return and repeat rows 3 & 4 (5 rows total) for stripe A, then repeat rows 6 & 7 (5 rows total) for stripe B, until desired width is achieved.

Optional: Weave in silk ribbon for color contrast stripes.

Bugs in a Rug

Or rats in a pocket hammock!

Butters and Mooch enjoying the ghetto fleece hammock I made them.

Moochie & Butters

Meet our new babies!

So we have two new additions to our home! Meet Moochie and Butters, our new baby rats. We adopted them on Tuesday. They are very energetic little brothers and we're having fun getting to know each other. They love to climb and jump and eat. We're finding Cheerios to be their favorite food.

The first three shots are of Moochie. He's a black and white standard coat with dumbo ears. Standard coat means he'll stay smooth like he is now. Aren't his big ears cute?? He's a little squirmy right now, but he'll get more used to us.

The next three are of Butters. He is a chocolate (grayish brown) and white double rex. A rex coat means his fur is all different lengths. It will be more pronounced when he's older. He'll get kinda nappy. :) Butters is more curious and adventuresome, as you can see in the shot where he's going for the camera.

And the last two are a quick peek at their mom and dad. We got to meet both of them too! Guapo is their dad. He's a hairless. And Eve is their mom, a double rex like Butters.

We're so happy to have new little furry friends!