Busy, busy bee!!

So sorry, Slytherins!! I know that I'm posting just under the wire. Things have been so busy here with the twins that I've nearly forgot all else. Ear aches are no fun, I tell you!

I do have some wonderful news, though! I received a wonderful package just yesterday from the ROAK swap from our dear fearless leader, Arabella!! Thank you so much for the lovely yarns! I love angora and wool. Within the next couple of days I'll be picking somone from the ROAK list on our Ravelry board and shipping out a little goodness too! So, look out for your mailboxes because you never know who it's going to be!

Also, my package for my partner is coming along nicely. I'm running a little behind on knitting up something so, a beautifully sewed bag it will have to be. I might give a sneak peak at the fabrics next weekend just before I ship it off.

For those of you that are trying to beat the heat here are a few ways that you can stay cool this summer:

Try a desert trick. When the air outside is dry and cooler than the air inside, hang a damp sheet in an open window. “That’s what we do here in Death Valley,” says Dale Housley, a ranger at Death Valley National Park. Incoming breezes are cooled by the evaporating water.

Block the sun. Closing curtains and blinds (ideally with sun-deflecting white on the window side) can reduce the amount of heat that passes into your home by as much as 45 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Make a makeshift air conditioner. If it’s hot but not humid, place a shallow bowl of ice in front of a fan and enjoy the breeze. As the ice melts, then evaporates, it will cool you off.

Give your A/C some TLC. Clean or replace the filter in room and central air conditioners about once a month during the summer. If you have central air-conditioning, have the ducts checked for leaks, which can reduce a system’s efficiency by as much as 15 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Seal any cracks between a window unit and the frame with peelable caulking or a sealant strip. These steps help ensure good airflow and keep the coils cleaner, which means more efficient and more effective cooling.

Close the damper. While running any kind of air conditioner, shut your fireplace damper. An open one “pulls hot air into your house instead of sucking it out,” says Tommy Spoto, a master chimney sweep at Chimney Chap, in Copiague, New York. “This is called flow reversal.”

Close everything else, too. Whether the air conditioner is on or off, keep windows and doors shut if the temperature outside is more than 77 degrees Fahrenheit (most people start to sweat at 78). Whenever the outside air is hotter than the inside air, opening a window invites heat to creep in.

Fan strategically. If the day’s heat is trapped inside your home, try a little ventilation at night or when the temperature drops below 77. A window fan can help; the trick is to face the blades outside to suck warm air out of the house and pull cooler air in. “Kind of surprising,” says Bill Nye, the Science Guy, a scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor. “Having a fan blowing in is a good idea — but it’s not as effective as one that’s blowing out.”

Spritz yourself. Keep a spray bottle in the refrigerator, and when the going gets hot, give yourself a good squirt. “It’s all about thermal regulation,” says John Lehnhardt, an elephant expert at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. “As the water evaporates, it cools you.” While elephants wet their ears first by blasting water from their trunks, humans should begin with their wrists to quickly cool down the blood flowing through their veins.

Run a fan and an air conditioner simultaneously. You can use the air conditioner at lower power and still feel cool if the fan is blowing over you. That’s because the air conditioner removes humidity from the air while the fan helps evaporate sweat and moves heat away from your body. (Note: Fans don’t cool a room; they just make people feel cooler, so shut them off before you leave.)

Turn on the vent in the bathroom. When taking a shower, be sure to use the vent fan: It helps sticky moisture escape.

Stay cool, Chicas!!