See Ya, 2014!

Norman watching 2014 slip away into 2015.

Happy New Year, everyone--may it be filled with robots and miscellaneous metal bits!

The Last Bots of 2014

Wrapping up a good year with a few last bots.

Luigi heading to a First Grade Classroom

Bunny Bot

Ay, Chihauhua!

  

Special Puppy for a Special Someone

AND

An Epic Robot to be Completed in 2015 . . . Stay Tuned!

I Love a Good Snowman

Norman enjoying the snow while my boys slave away at their schoolwork. It's good to be a robot.

Ornaments Round Two?

Christmas Ornament Bonanza!

It's that time of year again. The ornaments are rolling off the re-assembly line. Check my Etsy shop if you can't live without one. (Hint: You can't live without one.)

Warning: This is Awesome

Cine-Bot has made a brief appearance here on the blog before, but now he is officially completed and ready for adoption.

ADOPT ME!

Some people claim to be film aficionados, but Cine-Bot takes it to a whole new level. Sitting in his custom-made movie seat, Cine-Bot is ready for the latest feature to start.

In a former life, his head was meant to be attached to movie projectors to allow a manual fade in or fade out to the movie film. I'd say in this case "nature" won out over "nurture," although his parents brought him up on all genres of film. Personally, Cine-Bot has a weakness for John Hughes 80's movies, but who doesn't?

Provided you're a movie lover, Cine-Bot is happy to let you store a little movie popcorn in his silver body and flip his switch to fade in and out your own scenes.

Bonus: If you sit behind him, don't worry--you can ask him to open his eyes wider so you can see the screen through him.

Watch him in action here!

Reassembled using a Cine-Fade head, silver container body, typewriter part arms, and handle legs. His chair is made using the original Cine-Fade box with added domino armrests and a candlestick base. Approx. 9 1/2" tall, 3 3/4" wide, and 4 1/4" deep. 

It's Thanksgiving!

Norman has teamed up with my oldest's latest creation for his blog www.alegoaday365.blogspot.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jay, Sweet and Rabid

Sweet-tempered and slightly pensive, Jay likes to sit and smell the flowers, kinda like Ferdinand the Bull.

But he also has another side. Jay suffers from a well-known malady for those of us who live in Lawrence, KS—he becomes an almost rabid fan when it comes to KU basketball.

With basketball season in full swing, don’t let his calm exterior fool you. This is one serious KU fan with the heart of a Jayhawk. Won’t you take him home and watch a game with him?
 

The Perfect Christmas Gift? Why, Yes--Yes, It Is.

Christmas Puppies for Sale! They're the perfect alternative to the real thing . . . with a whole lot less shedding, chewing, and peeing.

And, honestly, how often to you get to use "less peeing" in an advertisement?  Good times.

Stubby, the Pup

Stubby has stubby legs--it's just how it is. But that bright, eager face is what really draws you in, with those inquisitive eyes and slightly wonky ears.

He embodies the kind of awkward puppy cuteness you can't help but love. And as an added bonus, this pup offers secret storage in the old battery compartment. Portable and adorable!

Reassembled using a vintage Big Beam flashlight, clock parts face, measuring spoon ears, candle socket feet, and a car window handle tail.

Open, Robot

Pretty proud of this one.

It moves.

It's called a "Cine-Fader" and, while it is intended to provide a fade in/out on movie projectors, I think it makes a pretty awesome head.

Time is Ticking Away . . .

A Trible-esque Warning

So I hate spiders. Like really hate spiders.

My workshop is in our finished basement, which is also the place where the most spiders congregate and hang out. I regularly douse my area, including all the surfaces and objects, with some super spider boundary/killer spray. But I still experience fear every time I turn the corner of the tool cabinet and hop quickly into my chair, lifting my feet off the ground.

So I've decided to add another facet to my spider protection.  There's a couple of dead ones (one in the sliding door jamb and one over by the utility closet door) that I'm strategically leaving in place. My theory goes like this: Other spiders will come upon their fallen brethren and see the horror that has befallen them. They will, therefore, run far, far away, spreading the fearsome warning throughout the evil spider kingdom. And no spiders will invade my space again. I figure it's like tribes who kill their enemies and display their heads on spikes as a warning . . . just like that.

Also, I'm too scared to pick up the dead spiders.

Because they could be faking it.

Sport

Sport is my second favorite dogbot and is officially up for adoption.  Please help him find a good home before my two-year-old finds out.

Handmade in KC!

So I've officially become a part of Handmade in KC! (I don't know if they realize what they've gotten themselves into with me, but it's too late now!)  It's good to connect with other handmade artists, and I hope you'll check out their sites as well.

Plus, I joined just in time for a big sale!  Click here to see the shops that are offering 20% off for one week only Nov. 1 - 7.  Don't be a procrastinator like me--get some holiday presents checked off the list early.

Support local businesses . . . and especially local artists.

Thank You, Royals

You gave us a decisive victory and a non-stressful evening. Thank you, Royals!

Now, if you don't mind, could you repeat that tonight?

Ready or Not

I'm not sure I'm ready for tonight's Royals game.  If you've been living under a rock (or have lots of normal people in your house instead of baseball-obsessed boys), the evil Giants--and crazy eyed Hunter Pence--are up 3-2, so the Royals have to win tonight.

Without meaning to, I've become emotionally involved; and somewhere along the way, I must've drunk the Kool-Aid. Tonight I dressed Norman up as my son's favorite player Eric Hosmer.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure if I'm invested so much in the Royals actually winning the World Series . . . or living in fear of the aftermath here if the Royals don't win. My boys will be crushed, and my husband will be somewhere beyond that.

It's stressful, man.

So, Royals, can you please pull out a decisive, non-nail-biting win tonight? I'd greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely yours,
Norman and Me

I'm Practically a Social Butterfly

I'm challenging myself to branch out and try new venues of social media.  So, despite my inborn, old-person dislike of hashtags, I signed up for Twitter about a week ago. 

I have 15 followers already.  Mind-blowing, I know.  I think some of them are even real people and not just advertising ploys.

Then, last night, I finally posted a picture on Instagram.  Boom.

It's like the title says, I'm practically a social butterfly.  You know, without the wings . . . and only social in impersonal, electronic forums.

If you want to follow my foray into the world of social media, follow me on Twitter (@RemnantsbyRJ) and Instagram (remnantsbyrj).

Be prepared to witness something.  Hopefully, something good . . . or at least occasionally entertaining.

This Week's Sign of the Apocalypse - All About That Bass

Yesterday, while flipping channels on the car radio, I heard "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor on three different radio stations at the same time.

Need I say more?

Book Bot

I'm a reader. Always have been. But the last few months, I've become voracious. I look forward to reading every night like I used to look forward to watching a favorite tv show. Part of my renewed passion has come from the great reviews and articles I've read through Book Riot.

So since I'm also in a productive robot-making phase, I figured I'd combine my two loves and make this:

Thanks, to my little sister, for introducing me to Book Riot and being generally awesome.

Read on!

Royals vs. Orioles . . . and the Walrus has it!

So we watched the Royals game last night. This was my vantage point.

I could see roughly two-thirds of the tv, which is completely adequate, if you ask me.

So the big news of the night was . . . this!

Oh, yeah, and the Royals won in the 10th inning. Way to go, Royals!

I Do Love Baseball?

Baseball has historically been one of my least favorite sports. I mean, seriously, not a lot happens, and it goes on and on and on . . . and then on some more.

But the Kansas City Royals are in the post season for the first time in 29 years, and I have a house filled to the brim with testosterone and baseball-obsessers.  So that means, fun-filled evenings watching the incredibly long playoff games. Family bonding at its finest.

Here's where the ray of light and angel chorus come in: the "good" tv is in the basement. What else is in the basement? My workshop.

I can "watch" the games, trying to insert appropriately worded--and timed--comments into the general fray, as I work on robots.

I do my best to synchronize my drilling needs with the commercial breaks for minimal distraction. I figure if I can maintain a low profile, I can continue to labor under the disillusionment that my all-male family doesn't mind my multitasking.

So far, so good.

And by that, of course, I mean the Royals. They're headed to the American League Division Championship this weekend.



I think we might just have to watch it on the good tv.

What?! A New Post?

I'm not the most organized person, which is somewhat ironic considering how fastidious and meticulous I used to be. (Ask my husband.)

Then: Accomplish a checklist of chores/appointments while finding extra ways to be productive.
Now: Make it through the day.

If I'm lucky, there is a vague plan hovering out there, occasionally pelting me with reminders of "there's something I was meant to do today . . . now what was it?"

I reveal all this to you as an excuse explanation regarding this blog. I have the best intentions, waylaid by only sporadic follow through. 

In that vein, I now share some of the new robots that have been reassembled in my blogger absence:

I vow to do better . . . and you vow to forgive me when I don't. Deal? Robot on!

This Week's Sign of the Apocalypse - Brought to you by Sprint

So I finally manage to slog my way through the homeschool prep for tomorrow and reclaim my workshop. Believe you me, I need to make a robot. Or at least drill a hole in something. 

My 12-year-old son is simultaneously playing a basketball video game in the shared basement.  As I work, not only am I bombarded by the incessant, meaningless babble of computerized sports commentators, but I look up to see the Halftime Analysis brought to me by Sprint.

Seriously? 

Even in a video game halftime, there's freakin' shameless advertising sponsorships?

  
These partially assembled robots brought to you by Coca-Cola, the letter R, a Ryobi drill press, and apparently Folger's. You're welcome.

Summer Vacation with Norman

 

Norman driving thru Norman, OK.