So, ever wonder why K is always wearing the same outfit in every picture? Aside from convention photos, that is. Well, here’s how the conversation went today when she had that realization.

K: Why am I always wearing the same pair of jeans and NIKE sweatshirt in every picture? People probably think I am homeless or something and only own one pair of pants and that one sweatshirt!

M: No, we’ll just tell them that is your Wednesday outfit and I’m only around on Wednesdays to take pictures of you! (very pleased with herself for this super clever explanation.)

Why, yes, yes we do worry about stupid mundane things like what we are wearing in photos posted on the internet. Thankfully we always seem to be wearing pants or other appropriate full-coverage coverings on our lower halves in shared photos.

So maybe we should worry a little less, but we are still human.

At least, that’s what our momma told us.

When Zombies & Elevators Attack

We’ll be ready

We may not believe the world is going to end in 2012, but we are getting prepared anyway. A family friend bought M some ammo for her handgun – Hornady Zombie rounds to be exact. We aren’t sure if it was supposed to be a joke or a serious concern for her well-being.

AND … The building in which our workshop is located was built in the 1880s. Cool, right? Sometimes.

There is an old pulley style elevator in the back of the building that allows you to take stuff from the second floor (which is street level at the back of the building) to the ballroom on the third floor. It is old and rickety but still works and is extremely useful. Until it breaks while you are in it! Then it is just the most terrifying Murdervator on the planet!

As a result of this terrifying experience and in concern for the safety of all other individuals who move about the building, K made a sign and blocked off the elevator.

We didn’t have any actual boring Caution tape. All we had was Zombie Outbreak tape we purchased at Origins last year, so we used it. Then K felt compelled to tell the dance studio on the third floor that it was just what we had and there had not actually been a Zombie Outbreak in the building … yet. But if there was, not to worry because we have containment tape to stop it from spreading!

Yeah, we are kind of like that.

Adventures With Power Tools

M posted photos on her Facebook page of her boyfriend doing household chores such as scrubbing the tub and doing dishes and our friend Matt asked “Where are the photos of girls with power tools?”

In building our circus we had cause to use lots of different power tools – jigsaws, circular saws, miter saws, power drills (with multiple different bits and drivers) – and hand tools.

When all was said and done, K had made no less than (and most likely significantly more than) a dozen trips to the hardware store for pieces/parts and one very important trip to purchase our new power drill after three other drills failed to be up to the challenge of drilling the bolt holes in the wheel of death and the Candy Apples sign. Needless to say, she is in love with our new drill as it makes it so much easier and faster to complete her projects.

We put our tools through the ringer when we work and demand that they rise to the challenge. No pink handled tools with half the power of the “men’s” version for us! Refurbishing the vintage ferris wheel seat alone broke two drill bits and bent a third!

Our Day at the Circus

It’s no secret we love circuses, so when Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey’s Fully Loaded show came to Cleveland, OH we just had to go. K remembers going to a circus when she was about 7 or 8, M doesn’t remember this, so this was basically like going to our very first circus. We were giddy with excitement from the day the tickets arrived in the mail it became “real.”

Of course we decided to dress up. Seriously, would you have imagined otherwise? It was hard to pick which outfits to wear as we have been working on several circus looks all year for different conventions and events. We decided to err on the side of “least obnoxious to our fellow show-goers” with M in her colorful skirt (which she modified the morning of the show to include a sequined bodice) and K’s Ringmaster outfit (which we modified to turn the puff pants into a skirt the night before the show).

We were ready to go about an hour and half before we needed to leave. Guess we were just too excited! The 45 minute drive to the venue was almost interminable. Standing in line waiting to get in to the all-access pre-show was borderline torture. We found our seats and made a beeline for the wardrobe rack containing retired costumes and K found herself a lovely Ringmaster jacket that weighed about 20 lbs!

Temporary tattoos, autographs from high-wire artists, the smell of elephant firmly in our nostrils and we were hooked. We were practically vibrating in our seats with excitement when the house lights went down and the band began to play. We oohed and ahhed at the opening number and all the glittery costumes and coveted just about everything we saw paraded before our eyes.

Jugglers, clowns, aerialists, acrobats, high-wires, it just kept coming and we were dizzied by the spectacle of it. We were as delighted as children and terrified as adults. M hid behind her hand a few times, exclaimed in surprise despite herself and squeezed K’s hand in non-verbal support amidst the various acts. K went green with jealousy when the elephant and big cat trainer exclaimed he had “the best job in the world” as he paraded around the ring astride an elephant named Rosie.

We were dropped from the highest heights of excitement to the deepest depths of despair when the curtain went down and the house lights came up and we were ushered out of the great space. But we found that excitement  waiting for us as we replayed every moment over and over again on the walk to the car, during the drive home, and into the wee hours of the night as we glowed with a renewed energy and love for that which we call “the circus”.