How to Make: Ju-ju-be PackaBe Grab Handle

One of my favorite diaper bags is my Ju-ju-be Sienna Swirl PackaBe.  The sienna swirl print just calls to me with the red tones and the swirls.  It was my first large Ju-ju-be bag.  The only thing that was missing from it was a way to just pick it up when I needed to get it out of the car or set it down after taking it off my back.  When I used the main strap to do these simple tasks, it would clatter down about a foot and felt awkward to me.  All I needed was a little handle.

On my quest to figure out if I needed a different style of bag or just needed to fix mine, I found information from another Pink Lady on how to braid a long strap to make a handle.  I bought a long strap and I tried it out.  I found that it was just too short to fit across my PackaBe across the top.  I could put it on the back hooks, but then the bag would be off center when I pick it up.  So, I decided to braid it in the middle to allow extra slack to bridge across the stroller hook rings.  It turns out that my idea worked perfectly!

So, here is how you braid a long strap for a PackaBe:

Step 1:  Start with a long strap with 2 clips.
(Usually from a Major or Set.)

Step 2:  Fold the strap in two pieces at 11 inches
from the base of the clip.

Step 3:  Fold the long side over the top of the short side
at 4 inches from the base of the clip.

Step 4:  Fold the long side around and under the short side,
in between them, and above the long side.

Step 5:  Fold the long side around and under the long side,
in between them, and above the short side.

Continue with Steps 4 and 5.

Step 6:  You should have a little space at the end
to thread the long strap and clip through.

And you are finished.
The strap will lay flat when connected to the bag.

Connect to the stroller hook rings.

It leaves plenty of room to access
the zipper for the main pouch.

PackaBe Love

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Summer Heat

Summer is the time for hot, humid days and trips in the car.  Heat and humidity can really do a number on your vehicle.  General maintenance will help you avoid most roadside breakdowns and you can read more about that here.  I'm going to talk to you a little about what to look at before you hit the road.

It's always important that you look your car over regularly, especially if you are going to be driving out of town.  Here are a few things to look at.  (Remember to refer to your owner's manual to find where your fluid reservoirs are if you are unsure.)

• Coolant:  Do this first because you always want to check your coolant when the engine is cool.  *Never touch your radiator or cooling system when your car is hot or even lukewarm.  It is safe to open the radiator cap or touch your cooling system once the engine is cool.*
• Look at your recovery tank.  Check to see that the fluid level is up to the 'min' or 'cold' mark on the side.
• Carefully open the radiator cap.  The fluid should be about 2 inches from the top.  Replace the radiator cap and make sure that it's tight.  If the levels are high in one area and low in the other, give your repair facility a call because there could be a clog in the overflow hose.  If levels are both OK, then you are good to go!  If levels are low, call your local repair facility to see if they can top you off before you hit the road.
• *Not all coolants are created equal!  Only add your own coolant (diluted with water 50/50) if you know for sure what type of coolant your car takes!  If you are unsure, call your local repair facility.  Serious damage can occur if you use the wrong type of coolant, especially in newer vehicles.  Also, different vehicles add coolant in different ways and sometimes the ratio of coolant to water needs to be adjusted.*

• Engine Oil:  Make sure your car is on level ground and if it has been running, let it sit for a few minutes so the oil goes back into the pan for a better reading.
• Locate your dipstick and pull it out.  Wipe it clean with a rag or a paper towel.  Look at your dipstick and locate the marks on it.  The one closest to the tip is 'low' (or empty) and the one furthest from the tip is the 'high' (or full).
• Put the clean dipstick back in and remove it again.  Look to see where the oil is.  It should be about 3/4 of the way to the top mark.
• Check the quality of your oil.  If it looks like dark olive oil (or light brown in color) then you have nice, clean oil.  If it is dark brown, then it is old and will need to be changed soon, call your repair facility and make an appointment.  If you see any color (like red), milky color, water spots, specks of dirt or metal flecks in your oil, call your repair facility.  That is a sign of a more serious problem and you do not want that vehicle on the road.
• If you need to add oil, make sure you have the same kind of oil that was put in at your last oil change (5/20, 5/30, 10/30, synthetic, etc.).  Add it to the engine through the oil cap (not through the dipstick).  Add a quart at a time and let it fill into the pan and check the level before adding more.  Do not overfill your oil pan (don't exceed 3/4 of the way to the top mark on your dipstick).  Clean up any oil that may have spilled and put the cap firmly back on.

• Brake Fluid:  Do this with your car off.
• Find the brake fluid cap.  Open it up and check the level.  It should be about 1/4 inch from the top of the reservoir.  Check the quality of the fluid by putting a finger in it.  If it's gritty feeling, you'll need to get it changed.
• If you need to add a little more, slowly pour brake fluid into the reservoir until it's 1/4 inch from the top of the reservoir.  Clean the inside of the cap and replace it tightly.  Throw out your unused brake fluid in the bottle.  It will absorb contaminants sitting around and won't work well if dirty.  If your fluid seems to get low often, call your repair facility to get it checked.

• Power Steering Fluid:  Can be checked at anytime.
• Remove the power steering reservoir cap and clean the dipstick on the bottom of the cap.  Look at the two marks.  The mark closest to the tip shows where the fluid should be when the car is cool.  The mark furthest from the tip shows where the fluid should be when the car is warm.
• Reinsert the clean dipstick, take it out and see where the fluid is.  Also examine the color.  It should be clear or yellow.  If it is a different color, call your repair facility to check it out.
• If you need to add a little, carefully add it to the appropriate mark on the dipstick.  You can keep an open bottle of power steering fluid to use later if it is capped.

• Transmission Fluid:  This is for automatic transmissions.  Make sure your car is on level ground and let the car idle.
• Open up the cap on the fluid reservoir and wipe the dipstick clean.  Find the two grooves on the dipstick (usually F for full and E for empty).  
• Reinsert dipstick and remove.  Check the fluid level.  Also look at the quality of the fluid.  It should be warm (not hot) and it should be red in color.  If it has bubbles, call your repair facility to have it checked out.  This can mean that it's time for your fluid to get changed.  If it smells burned, call your repair facility to have it checked.  This can mean that there is a possibility that something mechanical is going wrong with your transmission.
• Clutch Fluid:  This is for manual transmissions.  
• Clean off your clutch fluid master cylinder with a rag.  Open the cap and look inside.  The level should be about 1/4 inch from the lip of the reservoir.  
• If you need to add a little more fluid, you can use brake fluid.  Slowly pour it in until the level is 1/4 inch from the lip of the reservoir.  Dispose of remaining brake fluid as described above.

• Windshield Wipers:
• Check your wiper blades for any tears or cracks in the rubber.  Wipe them clean with a damp rag.  Check the windshield wiper fluid and add as needed.
• Replacing your own wiper blades is an easy task.  Just make sure that you measure the length of the wiper blades you have, or check in your car's manual for the correct size of blades to use.  Then follow directions in the manual on how to remove and replace your wiper blades.
• Belts and Hoses:
• It is important to look at your belts and hoses.  Check for cracks in the rubber.  Squeeze your hoses to feel for any soft spots.  Check your belts for any missing rubber pieces.  If you suspect that your belts and hoses are showing a lot of wear, call your local repair facility.

• Tire Pressure and Tread:
• Check your tire pressure and look at the wear of the tire.  Use a tire pressure gauge to check each tire.  To find the information of how much pressure there should be, you can look in your car's manual.  You can also look at the tag on the inside of the driver's side door.  It will tell you what size of tire you should have on your car and it will also tell you how much pressure in the front and back you need.  Do not over fill your tires.  To check the tread, use a penny.  Put the top of the penny into a groove of the tread.  It should be at or covering the top of Lincoln's head.  If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, then you need to call your repair facility and get some new tires.  Also look for wear on the sides of the tires.  If you see any bulges or funny looking soft spots on your tires, have them checked by your repair facility.
• Lights and Blinkers:  It's easiest if you have another person to help, or something that you can place behind and in front of your car so you can see the reflection of the lights.  If not, you can still do this by getting out of the car to look.
• Check your car's lights and blinkers by turning the key to the 'on' position.  Step on the brakes and see if all brake lights come on.  Turn on your headlights and look to see if they are both working on the regular setting and on high too.  Then check the blinkers.  Turn on one side and look at front and back, then do the other side checking the front and back.  If you have any lights not working, call your local repair facility.  If your blinkers are blinking very fast or not in a pattern, call your repair facility to have it checked out.

An important thing to remember is that if you suspect that anything is wrong, to have an ASE certified technician check it for you.  If you know you are going on a long trip, make an appointment for an oil change a week or two before you go.  This will give you time to be able to make any repairs that could keep you safe on the road before you leave.  Keep your tires well inflated, it will help your gas mileage!  If you find that you need to fill or 'top off' your fluid reservoirs often or you see spots accumulate on the ground under your car, take it in to see where your car has a leak and what is leaking.  This will help you avoid costly repairs.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe summer!

Dual Flush Throne

I thought it would be great to get back into my regular blog schedule by posting another 'How To'.  I love doing things around the house.  I know that most people say, "Why don't you just let you husband do that?"  But I just simply reply that I should know how to do these things for when he's not available.  Plus, (I love you Dad!) I grew up in a house that when something needed to be done by 'a man', that it would usually sit for weeks until either enough nagging or enough time had lapsed for it to become a priority.  I personally am a 'take matters into your own hands' kind of person.  So even though The Raconteur Daddy is perfectly capable of doing these 'masculine' tasks around the house, I find it very empowering as a woman to be able to do them too.  AND I love being able to show all of you how easy some of these things can be!

It's very interesting how the progression of things go around our house.....usually one thing leads to another.  Last month, right at the start of the Under Cover Event, our daughter's bathroom toilet flapper connector that leads to the handle broke.  So, RacDad headed out to Home Depot to buy a new one (preferably one with a chain and not a rubber connector like the old one.)  When he came back, I decided that I wanted to put it in.  This wasn't the first time I've dealt with toilet flappers.  It was easy enough and as I was finishing, I decided to clean the toilet and to readjust the fill so that it would actually go to the line and not over like it had for years.  SUCCESS!  I now have a perfectly filling and functional toilet in Sweet Pea's bathroom.

I thought that since I was at it (and being so proud too), I might as well clean and readjust the levels in my own bathroom.  So I got to work.  The minute I opened the back of the toilet, I realized that the fill valve arm that attaches to the ball was so rusted and corroded.  When I touched it, it immediately disintegrated in my hand.  OH NO!  I shut off the water to the toilet and sent RacDad back to Home Depot.....again.  Since we needed to replace the whole fill valve (you can't just buy a metal arm because that would be too easy), we decided to invest the extra $20 and convert this one to a Dual Flush!  Why, you ask?  Well, because I like the idea of water conservation and this is a cost effective way to do it.  Here's the story of my adventure!

This is the valve and dual flush conversion kit that we chose.  So far, we are very happy with it.  It was very easy to install and it was very reasonably priced!

As you can see, there's only a stub left to the arm that the ball attaches to.

To start, you have to turn off the water valve going to the toilet.  Then you have to drain the toilet of the water as best you can.  Now, new toilet fill valves do not come with the traditional arm and ball float.  Instead, they come with a float assembly that goes around the valve.  You have to have one of these to be able to use a dual flush mechanism.

The blue thing is the float.

Next, you have to put a bowl and towel or something underneath the water valve that goes to the toilet to catch the excess water in the bottom of the bowl.  (Now would be a good time to install a diaper sprayer too!)  Then, you unscrew the base of the water line and the base of the old fill valve.  Remove the old fill valve by lifting it out.  It's as easy as that!

Just unscrew.

Old fill valve is gone.

The next step in this process is to install the new fill valve.  It's as simple as adjusting the valve to the correct height and screwing the base in.

Adjusted and ready to go!

Screw tight by hand.

Now, one thing to remember with this particular model is that the very top blue part can be taken off to adjust the angle of the float.  I had to do this because I found that the float rubbed against the side of the tank and therefore, wouldn't fill correctly.  If you have to do this, please remember to screw the top back on securely before turning the water on!  Here is what happens if you don't.

Water shot straight out of the top!

All over the ceiling...

And all over me....what a mess!

After cleaning up a few gallons of water off the floor and walls, I got started on installing the dual flush conversion kit.  (I was glad that this happened because I had been saying for months that we needed to clean the walls!)  If you only need to install the flush valve, then you are done.  Just connect the flapper.

Now, like most guys, I tend to just jump in and leave the directions on the counter unless I get stuck.  I think that this company banked on people like that, because there were two places where I probably should have looked ahead.  The first successfully cleaned my entire bathroom, ceiling and all.  The second is coming up.  Luckily, they included the extra little part so you could do it right, the second time.

Dual flush converter to use
instead of a flapper.

Extra part.
They were thinking ahead!

So, the next step is to take out the old flapper and the handle.  Then you install the base of the dual flush valve where the flapper was.  You have to fit it around the fill tube and secure it with the zip tie.  If you have extra space, there is a wedge that you can put in to make it tight...this is where the second zip tie comes in handy in case you tighten the first one and need to cut it off to fix it.  Then you screw the rest of the dual flush valve onto the base.

Base of Dual Flush Valve.

Base put in around fill tube.

Dual flush valve secured on base.

Next, you install the new dual flush button where the old handle was.  Then, you hook up the water line from the flush valve to the fill tube.  You can then adjust the water flow and levels as needed.  VIOLA!  You're done!  

Button installed.

Oooo....pretty.

Finished from the inside view.

All done.

All in all, including clean up time, this only took 1 hour from start to finish.  It probably would have been 20 minutes if it hadn't have been for the water issue and the time it took for my husband to stop laughing and telling me that he just had to take a picture of me.  So, I think that all of you would be able to try this out.  I think it's a great idea.  The unit will pay for itself in a short period of time.  Plus, you will be effectively saving the earth, one flush (or half flush) at a time!

Baby, it's cold outside!

Winter is officially here.  We have a small dusting of snow that won't go away, even on sunny days.  I also had to start dripping the bathroom sink so the pipes don't freeze with the cold wind blowing around the house at night.  My creative streak starts to itch as it gets closer to Christmas....but never early enough to actually make Christmas presents for anyone.  So my good intentions usually get pushed aside with the hustle and bustle of the season. My son has started moving around in his bed at night and losing his blanket.  This would make him get cranky, so I'd have to go in, swaddle him up and get him back to sleep again.

So one morning, as I was trying to get back to sleep at 4 am, listening to the wind whip around the house; I started thinking about remedies to this predicament that I had found myself in.  I remembered that I had a multitude of fleece blankets all over the house.  They are stashed in closets, cupboards, armories, and on the backs of couches and chairs.  I was also thinking about how absurd it was to sell baby sacks for $40 a pop!  As I laid there, I realized that the solution to my problem was a baby sleep sack.  Since I am very frugal, I decided that I would just have to make one of my own.  Plus, I could put some use to those extra blankets laying around the house!  Here is my step by step creative way of using things around the house to create my own baby sleep sack.

I started by getting out one of my son's footed pajama sleepers.  I unrolled some wrapping paper.  (I usually use butcher paper to trace patterns, but I didn't have any.  Plus I had been wrapping Christmas presents that morning and thought that it was quite the creative solution.)   I laid the sleeper on top of the backside of the paper.  I traced an extra 3-5 inches around the bottom and up the sides. 

I traced 2 inches under the arms and around the yolk.  Then I made the straps 2 inches wide by 6 inches long.  I cut it out and this was my pattern!

I laid the blanket out on the floor and found that I could make 3 full sacks with it (6 pieces cut out).  I laid the pattern on top and cut out the first piece.  Then I took that piece and used it to cut out the remaining pieces.  The reason I did this is because the fleece would stick together as I cut, so it was less of a hassle than trying to hold the paper in place because I really hate to pin.

Then I took two pieces and put them on top of each other with the outside facing in.  I sewed from one arm, around the bottom, to the other arm.  I turned it inside out and Viola!  It was done!

Here is the finished product.  I thought about using buttons on the straps (and I might as he gets bigger), but when I tried it on him I found that it was much easier to just tie the straps.  He absolutely loves them and hasn't woken up in the middle of the night since we started using them.  The whole thing from making the pattern to finished product only took less than an hour to do.  I was amazed with how easy it is.  You could easily add a zipper or buttons if you choose, but this works very well.

If you don't feel like the creative type, but want to get a sleep sack for your little one; I did find a great deal on Amazon for them.  Halo Innovations SleepSack Wearable Blankets Micro Fleece in Baby Blue - Medium  Or I could just make some for you!