Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Yarn Along....

From the founder of Yarn Along~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? As you can see, it is seed, plants, and tree week here at the homeschool. These books are what are taking up most of my time this week---reading the books, with many hands-on activities to following our reading sessions. I have begun Amon's Adventure: A Family Story for Easter as a read aloud. During Advent we read Bartholomew's Passage. Amon's Adventure takes place thirty years after Bartholomew's Passage during the days leading up to the first Easter.

I have 12 rows of garter stitch left on the basketweave baby blanket. This is a good thing because the baby shower is on Saturday. I love how it turned out!! Once this blanket is off the needles I will be starting something new to show you next week.

SHHHHHH!!!!

The bluebirds are checking out our birdhouse!!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

A Visual for the Earth's spinning core

We learned in science today about the composition of the earth. We learned that the inner core is a solid sphere of extremely hot iron. The outercore is liquid iron, and very hot as well. From Mark's science book, Behold and See 5: "The fact that the outer core is liquid means it can rotate a bit more slowly that the inner, solid core, and a bit faster than the crust." We then tried this experiment. Get a raw egg and spin it. Stop it, and then let it go again. If you do this, it will start to spin again, because the yolk is still spinning even though you stopped the egg shell from spinning. The yolk spins faster that the egg shell, just the way the Earth's core spins faster than the Earth's crust."

Monday, March 28, 2011

Macro Monday--Trying to hold on to spring

Last week these sprouting tulips were promising us the coming of spring.....

this week, they are just trying to hang on in the snow and cold temperatures.

WE NEED SPRING!!!

2011 Oneida Lake Ice Break-up


Today's field trip was to visit the great ice break-up at Sylvan beach....huge mounds of giant ice slaps are piling into snow castles, on this east end of Oneida Lake. There is still so much ice on the lake, the piles are sure to grow, especially with the strong winds blowing onto shore today....












Sunday, March 27, 2011

Alas......

last week's "signs of spring" are now buried in snow.....just trying to hold on....
Amy, as lawyer Elivira Gray, in the interactive dinner theater mystery; Murder in the House of Horrors.

It was a great show, but no---I won't tell who the killer was!!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Winter outside.....

summer sewing inside.....
McCall's pattern # M4817

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Summer dress....

sewed for Kimmy while the spring snow accumulated outside....
fashion show coming tomorrow.....

21 years ago today.....

this little boy was born....
He has now become a wonderful, grown man.
Where did the time go?
I don't know.
I do know that we love him very much and are proud of the man he has become.
Happy Birthday, Matt!

Yarn Along....

From the founder of Yarn Along~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?

I have made great progress on the basketweave baby blanket I am working on for my, soon to be born, great niece or great nephew. I love the look of it with the stripes of color, and the Snuggly Wuggly baby yarn is soooo soft. It will be perfect for wrapping up a tiny new blessing.

The "hard copy" book I am enjoying right now is Sweetness at the Bottom Of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery. This is the first is the Flavia de Luce series and I am really enjoying it as a fun read.

From Amazon: It's the beginning of a lazy summer in 1950 at the sleepy English village of Bishop's Lacey. Up at the great house of Buckshaw, aspiring chemist Flavia de Luce passes the time tinkering in the laboratory she's inherited from her deceased mother and an eccentric great uncle. When Flavia discovers a murdered stranger in the cucumber patch outside her bedroom window early one morning, she decides to leave aside her flasks and Bunsen burners to solve the crime herself, much to the chagrin of the local authorities.

For my Ipad I have discovered the Audible Store. When you join you immediately get your first book free. I am now listening to Christy, by Catherine Marshall. This is one of my all time favorite books, and what a wonderful surprise I received when I began listening. Kellie Martin, who played Christy in the tv series is the reader. It also includes an interview with the son of author Catherine Marshall. He adds some great insights into the life and times of his grandmother, Christy, and was throughly enjoyable.

Now head over to Ginny's blog and visit other "Yarn along..." posts.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Becky's latest gorgeous cake

Check this out!!! The flower, feather, butterfly cake.
Number #1 daughter, Becky, is absolutely AMAZING!!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Saturday, March 19, 2011

The Super Moon

(I really need to learn to take moon photos)

We Made Worms--- Fun Science Sunday

I have to thank Steve Spangler science for this weekends fun science experiment. We had quite a bit of ingredients left from last years Leprechaun Fun Science kit--so tonight we made worms.
Insta-Worms are created through an amazing reaction involving a polymer taken from seaweed and combined with a little salt to produce instant worms.
First we measured the water into the dish and then measured the "worm activator" powder into the water.
Stir until completely dissolved.

Squeeze the "worm goo" into the water and activator....and instantly---you have made a worm.

I love the looks of concentration on my little scientists' faces.


We also discovered that pickle juice also works as a worm activator.
Polymers ROCK!!



Science Sunday

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