Anniversary Ice Storm

The backyard.The front yard.

The neighbor's yard
The neighbor's side yard.

The driveway.

The dead tree.

The waiting child.

Neighbors tree.

The driveway The dinner. Frozen milk and catsup, delicious!

Frozen berries
Frozen trees

From above.

From below.

From the front door.

From the warmth of the bed.

Slime Day

Birthdays at our house are a week long. Not like we drag out the festivities and celebration, but more like we don't usually have time to celebrate in the middle of the week, so we try to put it off until the weekend and talk it up all week.

In truth, it seems like we have a halfhearted birthday (one that mimics the real parties when I was a child) on the actual day. We pull out a cake, light candles, open a present and sing.

Early on, Aidan figured out that when we said, "We'll celebrate and have a party for real on the weekend," that truly meant, "We'll probably be too busy then too, and we'll just hope that you'll forget." He was five when he began planning his own parties. Two years ago, we told him we weren't hosting a party with kids, so next thing we know, we are at the pizza parlor, celebrating Aidan's 8th birthday with three high school seniors that he invited from Dia's study group. They brought presents too!

This year, the day landed on Wednesday. We invited a friend to go "rock hunting" on his birthday (I needed rocks for a church prayer rock project.) Back at home we started each boy on a sugar rock crystal experiment and we served G/F cake and icecream after! A lovely party I thought.

But, the weekend rolls around and at precisely two o'clock, Aidan looks out and announces that his friend is here for his birthday party. Nicholas came and with his little brother JT, we had a slime party. We made two kinds of slime, and explored the chemistry of polymers and then we made slime pudding to eat and I sent them home with party packages of slime (a flarp can, bloonies, and modeling clay.) To see Slime Recipes see post that follows.

It turned out wonderful, there was minimal planning and fuss. The perfect party!

Slime Recipes

Septic Space Slime


Measure 7 Tbs. water and stir in 1/4 tsp of Guar gum, stir well. Set aside for 3-5 minutes
Measure 1 Tbs. water into another bowl and stir in 1/4 tsp. of borax. Stir 2-3 minutes.
Slowly add 1/2 tsp of the borax solution to the guar gum solution, stirring as you pour. Let stand several minutes until it thickens. (We accidently added all of both containers together and it worked fine.)



Schlop Slime

Cornstarch and water. Measure 1/2 cup into a bowl, slowly add water and stir until I reaches an interesting consistency. Stir fast, stir slow, try to pick it up or handle it. Fun.

Uncle Gary Gift

Thanks Uncle Gary in Kwait for Aidan's Present

USA Today Article

American's still have a bias against Mitt Romney. Persons who profess to know "Mormons" yet fail the short test of LDS attributes are the group who will vote against Mitt. Those who really know a Mormon have less bias. (Wish you could see the graph.)

USA Today says "the country would be better off if there were no "stained glass ceiling" in politics for members of any religion or no religion at all."

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/11/column-tolerance-we-have-a-ways-to-go-.html

The article ends with the idea that it would break barriers for all of us to really know all the other kinds of "saints" among us.

Santa Skeptic

No, No, No,

I will not, will not,
Sam I am,
Not in a train,
not on a truck
Believe in Santa?
You're out of luck!

Well, okay once,
I'll stop the pout.
If he brings a wwii
I'll again not doubt!

This madcap, insane
retail scramble,
Is Santa's work!
His fault, I'll gamble.

If I weren't crazily
running 'round
spending wildly,
credit bound,

I'd have some time
to try to find
the spirit sought
for peace of mind.

But, without a reason
to buy a gift,
could I, would I
even think of it?

Or would each day
continue past
just like my own
self centered last.

I need more than a
fat old elf
to remind me daily
to give of self.

It's deeper then,
I'll become more mild.
I give more charitably
by remembering the child.

Christmas Quiz

Because I know that you aren't frantically busy running about procuring all the parts of Christmas...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
2. Real tree or Artificial?
3. When do you put up the tree?
4. When do you take the tree down?
5. Do you like eggnog?
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
7. Hardest person to buy for?
8. Easiest person to buy for?
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
12. Favorite Christmas Movie(s)?
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
15 .Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
16. Lights on the tree?
17. Favorite Christmas song?
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
22. Favorite ornament theme or color?
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
24. What do you want for Christmas this year?

If your husband has any brains at all he will find the years worth of trolling your site worthwhile for just this last response.

I have thought carefully about all these answers and in the spirt of ease and flexibility that I constantly live under, I have answered them all with one response.

Whatever.