I’ve mentioned before that Steve and I purchased our first home this past fall. Since this is our first spring/summer in our house there seems to be an endless amount of things to be done! One thing we didn’t do when we moved in was hang any artwork. Well, boy am I happy that we didn’t spend our time doing that since we switched around nearly every room in our house. It took about 8 hours (no lie), but we did it. And we basically accomplished 95% of our spring cleaning!

Over the weekend we also had our first summer hangout in our yard! We played Ladder Ball, and Cornhole. We had hoped to play Kan Jam, but because of leg I didn’t think jumping around changing directions quickly would be a good idea. Do you guys know what Kan Jam is? It was invented locally and is seriously so much fun. Games like Ladder Ball and Corn Hole don’t require much skill, but Kan Jam is all about skill and things can get super competitive. The game can be ordered online and is $40. If you ask me the $40 I spent on it was well worth it!

We also ran a ton of errands. One of which was to buy some new shorts. I decided to go to Old Navy to check out what they had. I just need a few pairs to hold me over until I have time to spend walking through the mall. All of their shorts we super awkward fitting so I didn’t get any. Instead I walked out with this:

Those bras and the top were $8.50 each. What a steal! But seriously how does it happen that I go to a store to buy normal life clothes and end up leaving with work out clothes??

Questions:

Have you ever heard of or played Kan Jam?

Have you ever tried Old Navy’s Active Wear?

If you live in the Southeastern United States as I do, you’ve probably been enjoying a summer of grilling out and going to the beach or lake. You’re also may be getting ready to enjoy football tailgating season, especially if you attend or live near a college town. Here’s a couple of DIY items that should be welcome at any outdoor event you choose to attend.

How to Make a Cornhole Board:

Although there are no LEDs or an Arduino on this one (we’d love to see your pimped boards in the comments), these instructions should work well for making your basic cornhole set. Of course you can always add some folding legs to it, but they fit together pretty well as is.  As for the paint, there are many ways to do this, but check out the pic after the break to see the laser-cut stencil that the Tiger Paw in the first picture was made from.  Thanks [Essam]!

PVC Ladder Toss Set:

These instructions should tell you all you need to make your own ladder toss (or whatever less-PC name you decide call it). As for the golf ball “bolas,” you’ll have to figure out how to put a hole in the middle of them. This technique (as seen in a links post earlier) should cover it, but best to be careful that you’re not plunging into a liquid-core ball. Eye protection is recommended.

LED Glow Cubes:

Although not a traditional tailgate item, these glowing solar LED cubes could serve as an alternative to the normal LED path lights. What’s in these instructions is how to simply take the parts source, a solar path light, apart and insert it into a translucent cube. We could see this made with several different colored LEDs and an Arduino for some other cool effects.  A logo of your favorite team could be added with a laser cutter or CNC router for tailgate use.

this past week has been a lot of fun. i went back to my house in jackson to visit with my sisters, bro-in-laws, nieces, and nephew! my sister summer, her husband (virgil), and their two little girls (ashlynn and emma) came up from mississippi while my other sister shannon, her husband (sheldon), and their little boy (gage) came down all the way from south dakota! needless to say we’re so spread out that we rarely see each other anymore.

sheldon is a huge do-it-yourself kind of guy (he works a farm and raises goats). well he built a game called “cowboy golf.” imagine a mix of horseshoes and corn hole. all the kids just laughed and screamed every time the rope wrapped around one of the ladder rungs. although i was pretty bad at it. i played probably 10 games and won one. i may have to build one for myself just so i can challenge him next time i visit. it’s on sheldon!

here’s picture of the game (it’s also called ladder ball).

i also plan to be blogging a lot more. i’ll try to connect you all with other cool blogs, music, videos, arts, and sports. i’ll also keep you updated on all the music i’ll be working on here over the next few weeks!

cooper