Ordinary Life

Happy Birthday Grammy! We are blessed to have you as "Momma" & "Grammy" Without you, we wouldn't sing " I see the moon" or a dozen other songs.  It is unlikely that we would sing at all.  You love so many of us, so thoroughly, so well.  You spend your time on us, you spend your prayers.  Thank you for fun childhoods.  For teaching the joy of children and the value of remaining one at heart. Thank you for the love of music. And color.  And art.   To the moon and back for sure,  We love you a million miles and more.   ~*~

We stopped by the library for the first time in a long while the other day. While inside, rediscovering the joys of the library's "All You Can Read...and for FREE" buffet it began to rain... so we just took our time.  Books were read, magazines too.  Blocks were stacked. Puppets emerged.  Hours passed.  G.K. is one of my all time favorites... in the whole wide world. This is a children's title, but it is also a metaphor... check it out ;)  When we were at the Circulation Desk signing up for Summer Reading, a couple asked us if they could take our photo for some library promo materials. Though I usually put up a fuss about being in photos, I was put on the spot and agreed so as to be, well... agreeable.  So, we did what we could to help the library... these shots, we were informed, would go to make PSA Style posters to promote the library and her various reading programs (Great, I didn't even consult a mirror and they're going to make these photos poster siz...

HaHa- yes, exactly. 

 In another Inventions & Technology project, we studied how the phone makes use of radio waves to transmit signals. The children tested one way lines and then connected all their cups to try and form a "Party Line" *Bonus Assignment: Create a phone company, logo and catchphrase then decorate your phone (cup) accordingly: Chandler's TeleCo:  "At the Speed of Light"  Fisher's TurboPhone:  "Faster Than Lightening & Thunder"  Logan's Hello, Let's Talk:  "Lightning Fast Phone Service" 

In our Inventions & Technology class, we've been studying radio waves and the inventions that harnessed those waves for communication. One of our projects was to make a rudimentary transistor using a radio, electrical wires (we used clamps) and a metal file. Though the signal transmitted was nothing more than scratching and tapping, it was an enlightening moment that helped translate how radio waves work and how we make use of them.

In Anatomy, we studied the brain. Our assignment was to make a clay model of the brain, using variated colors to designate major sections.  Chandler's Brain: Fisher's Brain:   Logan's Brain:   Momma's Brain (actual siz e ) :

Riley paints with PINK .  And more PINK .  Occasionally Purple or Teal .  But mostly, PINK .  This is what we do not care for: watercolors Here is what we prefer: Glitter & Acrylics

The Pioneer Woman recently talked about using what she has on hand. I don't really make a habit of watching her show, it just happened to be on in the background. This is what that tactic looked like for us the other day...I used everything on hand to make dinner, right down to the half dozen abandoned baby carrots in the veggie drawer...  Chicken & Yellow Rice (w/ Sweet Potato Bread ) No pictures of the chicken cooking- but it's in there.  Trust me.  

As I was looking for a quick, easy recipe for Sweet Potato Bread using baby food sweet potatoes, I came across this recipe. Now, between trying several recipes on this one blog and the usual course of meals in the past week,  I am down to one last half stick of butter (down from 10), but it has definitely been worth it.  The recipe I used: BROWNED BUTTER TOFFEE BROWNIE BULLET BITES Makes 36 bites   1 2/3 cups sugar  3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter  1/4 cup water  2 large eggs  1 Tbsp vanilla extract  1 1/3 cups flour  3/4 cups cocoa powder  1 cup toffee bits  I had no toffee bits, so we had brownie bites... decadent "you-only-need-one-every-once-in-a-while" brownie bites. Again, I substituted half the sugar with brown.  Photos of the steps:  (Yes, I could have taken more photos, but I was too busy minding the butter- it is pure heaven when browned, not so much when burnt...in fact, burnt butter is quite sad...)  ...

We had salsa, and I thought we had chips, so I had begun to anticipate the part they would play in our mid-day snack.  When I got to the pantry, I discovered what we really had was a bag of crumbs. Ever resourceful, my crew will hold on to a package until they have licked it clean... The salsa sat forlornly in a bowl beside sour cream and our improvised " Hummus-ish " What to do? What to do?  Thankfully, I had purchased the family size pack of tortillas for our menu's "Taco Night" (which is where the remaining salsa and sour cream originated)  If you ever run out of chips, but have tortillas... it couldn't be easier.  (and if you don't have tortillas, but you do have flour... there's hope yet.) JIFFY CHIPS Using a pizza cutter, slice tortillas into strips/triangles/abstract art shapes.  Spritz with oil... I keep olive oil in a mister, so I used that.  Sprinkle with salt & seasoning. (I used dill)  Bake appx 10 minutes @ 350 Degrees. Polish off th...