Awhile back, Emily mentioned that she was considering using cloth diapers for Baby Girl Franzen. My first reaction was, "Why?" Disposables just seem so much easier. But Emily has always been very frugal and also environmentally conscious. So I decided to check out cloth diapering on the Internet. Whoa! Cloth diapers these days are not at all like the diapers and plastic pants we used 20-30 years ago. There are some really cute and practical diapers out there. Okay, you still have to wash them yourself, but in other ways, they seem like a really good option. There are some commercial companies making diapers, like Bum Genius, and there are lots of individuals making and selling cloth diapers.

I found a cute pattern and bought a diaper made from that pattern to check it out. These diapers are absolutely adorable! They are expensive. One of these nice diapers costs about as much as a box of disposables. But modern cloth diapers also seem to have a high, high resale value, even when well used. There is a whole Internet group where you can swap and sell diapers.

So, here are some pictures. First, here is the diaper I bought. Next are some diapers that I made. Joanna helped with putting the snaps on.

There are two kinds of diapers here. One is called an all-in-one. Those that I made have an inner layer of wicking fabric, a layer of diaper flannel, four layers called a "soaker" made out of some kind of absorbent fabric, another layer of flannel, a layer of waterproof fabric called PUL, and a cute outer layer. The other kind of diaper is called a pocket diaper. It has a wicking inner layer, a double layer soaker, the waterproof layer, and the outer layer. It is made with a pocket into which you put whatever kind of absorbent cloth you want--a folded up towel or prefolded diaper or whatever. The advantage of this kind is that you can take the absorbent stuff out so it all dries faster. The all-in-ones apparently take awhile to dry.

How will they work? I don't know. Emily and Preston's decision on whether to use cloth or not will probably be determined, at least in part, by what laundry facilities are available to them in their new place in St. Paul. But at some point, someone will wear these cute diapers and I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, here's one last cake we made for Emily's baby shower. Joanna was the decorator for this cake.

Cake

As part of our plan to learn something this summer, the girls and I have made several cakes. Joanna posted about one here. A week ago we made this awesome cake for Janet's birthday. You can't really tell from the picture, but it's a two layer cake with a layer of ice cream in the middle. Then it's frosted, then ice cream cones are stuck all the way around it and more are balanced on top. It was awesome, if I say so myself.

Before Janet was home for the summer, Joanna and I made this one for Jim Clark's birthday:

In case you can't tell, it's a golf course with a green, sand trap, water hazard, and hole with a little guy swinging a club. Hey, it's not great art, but it was fun. And I think Jim got a kick out of it.

Joanna has been looking for a job. I found this one that I really, really wanted her to apply for and get:

HealthPartners has a temporary part-time opening for an individual to wear a mascot’s uniform/costume (Petey P. Cup, Pokey the Syringe and Pearl E. White) at various events. This position will be responsible for promoting the HealthPartners online service campaign; “A New Way to Look at Health Care.” at these local events. This position requires someone who can conduct themselves professionally while representing the HealthPartners brand, someone who is willing to interact, engage and entertain an audience at community events and someone who works well with children and other staff members in a variety of settings. The costume’s are large and can weigh up to 30 lbs so candidates must have the ability to transport, carry and wear the costumes. This position will require some travel in the metro area. Candidates must be able to fit these large costumes in their vehicle so an SUV or larger vehicle is preferred.The schedule for this position will vary and candidate’s must be available to work flexible hours including weekdays, and some nights and weekends.

I think Petey the P. Cup would be fabulous!!

Fat Larry's

Anyone who's going to visit Memphis needs to know about Fat Larry's in Bartlett. We went there for some real Memphis BBQ after Ben's graduation. It was all you would ever want in a BBQ joint. It's little, smoky, noisy, tables crammed in everywhere. It's decorated in vintage southern style: wood paneling, a stuffed deer head AND deer behind hung on the wall next to Gainsborough's Blue Boy and Lawrence's Pinky and a print of a sporting dog. I had the brisket and it was excellent. What is there not to like about a place called Fat Larry 's?

Home again, home again....

A short pictorial narrative of our trip to Memphis:

And a video of the actual graduation of Dr. Benjamin Rich Scoresby:

Are We There Yet?

It always sounds so fun and easy in the planning stages; reality is often long, boring and tiring. After traveling to Memphis three weeks ago, and Aberdeen, SD, two weeks ago, Joanna and I headed out a week ago for Provo. Our objective was threefold: pick up Janet for a summer at home, let Joanna visit all her friends in Provo, and attend a neice's wedding in the Rexburg Temple. By the time we got home last night, we were incredibly sick of traveling.

There is nowhere in the world like Provo. While we were there, we were able to go to the Provo Temple, to visit with family, and to enjoy some time on the BYU campus. On the way up to Rexburg, we stopped in Salt Lake and ate at Tucano's, courtesy of our friend Andy. The Rexburg Temple is beautiful and it was fun to visit with more family.

Check in next week for the latest installment of our travels. We're not done yet! In fact, we're starting to feel like the traveling gnome. "Where in the world are Margaret and Joanna?"

For Easter, Rene and I and Joanna, Emily and Preston drove 8 hours to Aberdeen, South Dakota to visit my mom. We were also able to see my sister Susan and her family. Although the drive is sort of boring, it's always worth it to be with family. My mom cooked so much good food! We all attended stake conference on Sunday before grabbing a bite to eat and heading home. It was a broadcast stake conference involving 61 stakes and 1 district. It was very good and we enjoyed discussing it as we drove home, thanks to Preston's great notes. All in all, it was a very happy weekend. (Grandma looks pretty good with her eyes closed, too!)