How (Not) to Flatten Out a Warped Lego Baseplate

I put mine in the oven in between two cookie sheets at 200 F for 10 minutes or so in between two cookies sheets. The plate is flat, but the studs melted out a bit as well to the point that legos don't click on anymore. Sad! At first I thought the problem was with the pan on top squashing the studs, but as I've experimented with the plate more, I'm not so sure.  The plastic at the edges gets soft and warped at that temperature so the thin material of the studs may have softened and spread even without the pan on top.  Variations that I would like to try (but won't risk more legos to do it): using something to hold the weight up off the studs such as rods in between stud rows (may leave an indent on the top surface), starting with lower temperature, not leaving it in as long, not weighing it down while in the oven, but just pressing on it gently after it came out.

I'd read that hot water on the bent area can help, but I'd tried that a bit before with no success.  Maybe a pot big enough for the baseplate so it can sit in boiling water?  I think to be successful, the plastic has to sit in the hot water long enough to heat through, not just a quick dip. http://www.classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=20364

 I've also read that bending it back can work, but you have to bend it back far enough for the elasticity to reset. https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/103422-help-my-plates-are-warping/

I'm wishing I could turn back time and handle this one differently.  I think I have regretiosis manifesting itself in obsessive thoughts about how I wish I could redo a situation.

The Family is of God Super Simplified Version

I spent a few hours this evening transposing this new song into a super easy version for Caleb to play.  I hope others can benefit from my labors.

 http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/4aa9c7a0d0a22d98127776d19359b1c6b9541d8a

Spring

Spring, Spring, Spring.  When I was young, my mom made a poster with hand-drawn pictures showing the signs of spring.  When one of us kids saw a sign, we could write our name next to it.  Robins, pussy willow branches, trees budding out and flowers were eagerly watched for.  When I saw robins in my yard, I rejoiced.  Then I noticed the tulips and peonies pushing up through the soil and I rejoiced.  Now the trees are budding, even our newly planted fruit trees and I rejoice.  The plants are growing again and I can, too.  I'm feeling ready, I think, to spring into this year.

Bad, Bad Bleach

Stupid, stupid, stupid bleach!  Stupid, stupid, stupid me!  Stupid, stupid, stupid pants!  Why didn't I take my sweater off?!  Why did I even try to change the pants?!  I didn't really expect it to work, after all, it was just "worth a try."  Well, it wasn't!  My favorite sweater--bleached.  Just a small smudge, but when, how?  I felt so pleased with myself.  I thought, "See, I can handle this bleach, I'll just be really careful."  But no.  Too much cocky.  Not enough caution.  I should have just left well enough alone.  If Caleb wore the pants, fine; if not, so what.  Now the pants look worse and I have a bleach smudge to try and fix on one of my favorite sweater.  Argh! Sometimes life is just so exasperating.  Why can't it be perfect with no mistakes or errors?  If I could just rewind this night. . .

That was last Friday night.  I picked some decorative patches off a thrift store pair of pants in Caleb's size.  The removal of the patches revealed non-lightened fabric underneath.  I decided to try and lighten the pants with bleach.  Now bleach and I have a turbulent past.  In my college days, I spilled some on the carpet of my apartment.  I've also bleached towels by rubbing my not-washed-enough hands on them after using bleach.  I use a non-bleach disinfectant in the kitchen.  Bleach and I just do not get along.  But I really wanted to get rid of those dark sections on the pants.  The patches were tacky in my opinion, but the dark shapes they left behind were not appealing either.

The bleach did lighten the areas, but it also lightened the fabric right around the dark area as well.  Not the effect I was hoping for, but not tragic either.  Then I walked down to the bathroom and saw myself in the mirror.  I was horrified by the bleach smudge on my sweater.  Frustrated, disgusted.  I wrote the above in an effort to clear my head so I could sleep.  It was not a good discovery to make at midnight. 

My brain mulled the problem over the following day.  Crayons, markers, dye, ink.  I decided to try stitching over the area with a matching thread.  Eureka!  The thick cotton threads used to knit the sweater varied in color enough to make my camouflage successful.  I can still pick out the damaged area quickly, but it's not glaring anymore.  As long as the bleach didn't weaken the threads too much, the sweater and I have many happy years remaining.

Ironically, Caleb looked at the pants the next day and said he thought they were cool that way.  Obviously, I should have consulted the wearer of the pants before I tried to do anything to them.  Maybe I'll let him decorate the rest.  Just not with bleach.

Let sleeping babes lie

Holding a sleeping baby fills me with contentment.  Even when my biceps start to ache, my fingers tingle from lack of circulation, and my mind wanders to jobs that need doing, I'm loathe to lay my sleeping infant.down.  His smooth, relaxed features fill my heart with satisfaction.  His resting conscious could burst forth any moment; indeed not so long ago, his face scrunched, his voice wailing, I waited patiently for this calm after the storm.  It is mine.  I have earned it.  Now I hold on a little longer to my success.

Early morning love

My 5 A.M. this morning was feeding Hyrum, sending a dancing Naomi in to go pee, reassuring Samuel that I knew it wasn't morning yet, telling Samuel he could get up to go bathroom, too, discovering Naomi had peed on the kitchen floor, hearing from Samuel that he'd stepped in it, helping a very cheerful Naomi clean up that mess, and then miracle of miracles, Naomi, Hyrum, and Samuel all went back to bed! Even at 5 A.M. with pee on the floor, may I just say, "My kids are cute!"

High Praise Indeed

We had spaghetti for dinner tonight.  Lucas made it following my mother's recipe so it was definitely a family meal.  The kids were excited because they recognized the food.  Sometimes they ask "what's for dinner" and I panic because I honestly don't know what to call the creative mix of ingredients in the pot.  But I try to make up a cool name on the off chance they will actually like it and request a repeat performance.  I've finally figured out, but still have to remind myself often, that my kids are not asking "what's for dinner" in an effort to nag me into the kitchen or comment on my lack of pre-planning.  The fact is, it's five o'clock, their tummies have alerted them of their need for food, and their brains just want to know if the menu will be yummy.  Tonight it was.  We even had parmesan cheese.  I love the way "parmesan" sounds when said in childese.  Gideon delivered the crowning compliment:  "Thanks for the spaghetti.  I'm glad I got to make the choice to come to earth."