Mad Scienctist

One of the reasons her project won was because of it's well-designed presentation

Savannah was very excited to win a First Place ribbon at her Science Fair this year. Her project was called Bubble-ology...and it determined whether or not adding different ingredients, like corn syrup or glycerin, improved the longevity of bubbles...or if the simple soap and water solution that we've all come to know and love is best.

It was a very simple project, so I'm genuinely pleased that she won.

The coveted ribbon...

Savannah always participates, and is always awarded a very nice "Participation" certificate...which I think is great. But she wanted a ribbon.

I'm glad she finally got her wish!!

So happy and proud!!

Now it's on to the district Science fair to represent her school!!!

Congratulations, Savvy Jane!!

Brighams 9th Birthday - 2011

Ready for birthday fun!!

We have a tradition in our family...on even years, our family celebrates birthdays by having a party.

On odd years, we do a family outing.

Sometimes that tradition is broken...for example, Kate hasn't wanted a party in years...preferring intimate outings with a small group of friends or family. But, for the most part, we stick to this tradition.

Don't 'cha LOVE the pizza and soda all over his face?

This year, being an odd year, it is a year for birthday outings...and Brigham has the honor of having the first birthday of the year. He choose to visit Boomers, a Family Fun Center in Fort Lauderdale. It's very much like a place I grew up with that was called "Bullwinkles"...

There is miniature golf, Go Karts, carnival rides, Bumper Boats, a big roller coaster, Laser Tag, bowling, and lots and lots of arcade games.

Everyone was really excited to go...

...we started with a round of mini golf...

This was a very interesting excercise with so many different mini-golf levels of expertise...

...and had a very "healthy" lunch of pizza and pitchers of soda. Then, we headed over to the Go Karts so Joseph could race around the track...

Go, Speed Racer!!

While Joseph did that, I took the littler kids to the Bumper Boats. I just LOVE the pictures from these boats...unlike the boats from when I was a kid, these have built-in continuous-fire water guns...and they were just getting SOAKED!!

Oh Boy...if that isn't a "I'm-Gonna'-Get-'Ya" look, then I don't know what is!!

Look at all these GREAT expressions!!

Aahhh!! Brigham is SOAKING Savannah!!

She's gonna get him back!!

My kids try and corner each other for a good dousing...

Then, we hit the carnival rides...

Savannah is happy to fly!!

I love Nicolette looking through her legs down at Jason...

WHEEEE!!

After many, many rides, we hit the arcade to blow some points...the boys stuck with shooting games...

Put 'em up!!

...and the girls dominated the Air Hockey tables...

Nicolette SCORES!!

When we got home, Brigham got his gift...a couple of Manta Ray pool floats with built-in-continuous-fire water guns (sound familiar? I am really glad he loved those Bumper Boats!!)...

Bring on the Pool Domination!!

Now I'm off to bake a Brownie Cake for his birthday...which was his special request!!

Happy Birthday, Bubba!!! We had a GREAT time with you today...it was an EXCELLENT choice for a family outing!! We can't wait to see what adventures this year with you brings!!

I Love You - Momma

Who Says I'm Too Old To Color?

I love art...especially what is commonly referred to as illustration. Or animation.

I like it in movies.

I like it in graphic novels.

I like it in childrens books.

I think there is some really amazing art and artists out there, and a lot of people don't know who they are because their work doesn't hang in a galleries, but rather graces the pages of literature.

I wonder if it was always that way?

I watched an AMAZING animated feature the other day with my kids. I highly recommend it...it's called The Secret of Kells.

The animation style is AMAZING, the story engaging...and it is an animated story about...well...illustration. Specifically, the artwork and drawings made in books in the medieval ages by monks who copied the stories.

I thought it was all fiction...but it turns out that there IS a Book of Kells...an illuminated manuscipt Gospel book, written in Latin, and containing the Four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by Celtic monks circa 800 A.D. or slightly earlier. The animated story is, of course, fictionalized...but it retains the spirit of the work the monks did to illuminate text and preserve history. And it shows how amazingly creative these "illustrators"...or, in this case, "illuminators"... were.

The book is fascinating, and on display at Trinity College in Dublin.

And there are many, many more texts decorated and illuminated in this style in other museums around the world.

The Book of Kells, though...is widely renowned as the best example of Insular style. It's intricate artwork is unsurpassed. I researched it and read about it and became more and more fascinated with it and other works.


Then , I had the opportunity to take my Girl Scouts to visit the Spanish Monastery here in Miami. I've visited the monastery before, and wrote about it here. It is still as beautiful as it was when we first visited.


On the way out, I was lingering at the Gift Shop with the other girls as they picked and chose what to buy, and I saw this: 

A coloring book filled with artwork from various Insular texts to color. It even has work from the Book of Kells!!


I HAD to have it...and for only $6...I indulged.

I had it on my dresser for a couple weeks...taunting me. I WANTED to color in it, but I never seemed to have the time. How do you justify taking the time to color in a coloring book when you have all these responsibilities? How do you color in a coloring book when you're (gulp) 34 years old?

Well...I FINALLY carved out some time for myself to work on my book...

  This is the opening page. I used colored pencils. It took me a LONG TIME...and I loved every minute of it.

And know what? As I sat at the table and colored, my kids stopped what they were doing...watching T.V., playing poker, doing geometry, arguing over whose turn it was to chase the cat...and came to watch me. And after watching me color for several minutes...they went and got their OWN coloring books. By time I started on my second page, I realized that my house was...for once...blessedly quiet. I looked up and saw all 5 of my children sitting around the table with their own coloring books, quietly coloring with me.

Jason came into the room, also drawn out of his activity (he was reading) by the silence, and said: "What's going on?"

I looked up at him and smiled, but the children were fully engaged and didn't answer. He gave me this bewildered shrug and smile and disappeared back into our room and his chair to resume his book...in peace.

I was able to finish another page...

And I explored the book...the artwork is amazing...

And what's REALLY funny is the words they use for each letter. For example, that beautiful peacock I colored was for the letter "A"...and this is the word for "A"...

At least it had an explanation of what the word was. Not all of them did...and I found there were a couple I had to look up...such as...

...and...

...and, lastly...

And some of the words are just strange choices...especially for a supposedly childrens coloring book. For example...

..."H is for hedonist"...and also for "hmmmmm"...

There's also:

..."Q is for quantum theory"...

But my favorite page is one for the letter "F"...

..."F is for floriferous"...which my spell check is telling me is not even a real word...but it is such a beautiful picture that I can't wait to "illuminate" it...

...and if coloring in my book brings so much tranquility into a life and home, I can see why the monks of old spent so much time doing it...

...and I can tell I'll be doing more illuminating in my very near future...

Renassiance Festival...Round Two

I got to go back to the Ren Fest with my older girls this weekend...I had lots of extra fun because we had a really big group...and it was rather a motley crew of Scouts!!

So one of our challenges was to find Robin Hood!!

We had 11 girls from my own Cherry Bomb troop, plus two Boy Scouts, Joseph and Adam. Then, because Kate was taking her SAT's, and I had both Joseph and Savannah with me at the Fest, I had no one at home to babysit Brigham and Nicolette...so I had to bring them along, as well.

Then I had 3 moms and one dad who came to help out. So, I brought Jason as well to keep the other dad company and kinda keep up with the Boy and Cub Scouts, in case they didn't want to stick with the girls.

Jason chaperoned the Boy Scouts so they could get in on the fun and merriment of the Fest!!

So, I ended up getting to spend the day not only with my beloved Scouts, but almost my ENTIRE family as well!!

Having already done this year's Fair once with my Daisys, we were extremely efficient with the older girls, because i knew the layout and requirements of this years patch Program. We got to do all the fun stuff...explore encampments, watch the performers and parade, see the joust, and play the games.

Learning about herbs and cures at Ye Olde Apothecarie

Medieval armory instruction at the Paladin Society

Sword-swallower at the Hanseatic League

And, of course, the Tournament of Knights and Joust!!

This year, the girls were REALLY into getting fox or coyote tails, so that was the big purchase....but there was also plenty of pixie dust, elf ears, and dragon claws as well.

And we even managed to find the dastardly scoundrel, plague of the rich, and hero to the poor...Robin Hood!!!

There he is!! Robin of the Hood!! If only Kaitlyn were here...she'd start singing "Men in Tights"

 Now...if only we can get him out of that tree to collect the bounty!!

Sand in My Britches...

I have been posting so much about stuff that's going on in our lives, and it's all very interesting and pertinent to those of you who actually read and follow this blog...

...but it's been awhile since I've posted something random.

And this morning, as we are dealing with some family issues, and watching the crisis unravel in Japan...I felt like posting something fun...

...frivolous, even...

...not to make light of anyone's misfortune...but just to give me something to do that doesn't involve worry and sadness and fear.

I was inspired by thinking of all the "treasures" in our lives. When one faces a crisis, one always asks themselves: "What will it cost me? What will I lose?"

We take a personal inventory of all that we value...and discover what we truly treasure.

Now I know, and you know, that the only treasures that truly matter are people...everything else is just...well..."things". "Things" have only the value we place on them , and that value varies from person to person.

I admit that I like "things". I'm not overly obsessed with possessing stuff (unless we are talking about shoes...and then I freely admit that I have a problem), but I do like to have possessions.

However, my most cherished "things" are not the most expensive, or the most useful, or the most beautiful.

I have a couple unique collections in my house, and one that I am most proud of is my collection of sand.

I try to get sand from every place we visit. Not necessarily each and every beach (good golly...I'd have thousands of samples!!), but from each place.

Additionally, I try to get friends and family who travel to bring me ziploc baggies, or an empty water bottle, filled with sand.

Most of the time, they forget. They're so excited to be on vacation, getting sand for me is the last thing on their minds.

Hey...even I forget...I came back from Maui without a single sample...not even any in the bottom of my suitcase.

But sometimes, they remember...and because of that, I've gotten some great samples.

I'd like to share my favorites with you...

Waikiki Beach, O'ahu, Hawaii

This sand was collected for me by my friend Michelle Marlowe on her visit to Hawaii...so even though I didn't get any sand from Maui...I do have SOME from Hawaii...

Baokes Beach, Naples, Florida

I collected A LOT of this sand over the years...I love it because it is so fine...like sugar...

North Hollywood Beach, Hollywood, Florida

Look how different the sand is from just across the state!! Rough, grainy...with lots and lots of broken shells...

Fat Zachary Beach, Key West

I especially love the NAME of this beach...my good friend Jenn brought it back for me from one of her families escapades to the Keys.

Savannah finding the bottle...in the beautiful, crystal clear water...

And the bottle is one that Savannah found at the bottom of the ocean at Bill Baggs State Beach on Key Biscayne...it is engraved with words/measurements in French...so I think it is an especially cool find...

See? There it is...put to good use!!

I wish all my bottles were that cool!!

La Jolla Shores, San Diego, California

My dear sister-in-law, Tara, sent me this sand from one of their favorite beaches on HER side of the coast...it helps me not forget that I am a California girl at heart...

Fifa Beach, Phucket Island, Thailand

This is one of my ultimate favorites...my brother-in-law, Don, got this for me while his ship was docked in Thailand (he's in the Navy). It was my most favorite surprise ever.

I especially love the little cylindrical shell/coral thingy that came with the sand...a total bonus!! Phucket Island is on Jason and my bucket list...we have a large photo of part of the island hanging in our house...

Our inspiration picture to get us to travel more...

See? Isn't it beautiful? I know Don was there to work...but I still think he's SUPER LUCKY to have gotten the chance to go!!

Red Sea, Jordan

 Here's another favorite...but I can't tell you who got it for me, because he/she would get in trouble. I don't know the beach...or any other details. It's all very clandestine...

...well, perhaps not QUITE as clandestine as I'm making it...but it's so much more fun to imagine that there was intrigue and danger involved in getting me a sample of sand from the Red Sea in Jordan...even though I'm sure it was a very simple matter...

I especially love the little stone that came with...smooth and polished...with just a slight rosy tint.

It's a VERY small amount, and for the longest time, I had nothing to put it in. But then we went to Maui, and one of the gifts we received was a basket of bath luxuries, and in it was this little bottle of bath salts. As soon as it was used, I cleaned it up, found a cork, and added it to my collection.

So, I may not have brought back any actual sand from Maui...but it wasn't a TOTAL loss as far as my collection is concerned!!

Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, Florida

My friend Jenn got this for me Up North...from the part of Florida where she originally hails. Like the Naples sand...it is smooth and fine. I wonder if all Gulf Coast sand is like that?

I love the little tags on my bottles...they make my collection more fun, I think...especially when there are terribly interesting places listed...

It makes it so much more than crushed rock in a pretty bottle...it turn the sand into actual stories...

This is a sampling of my strange little collection of sand. I hope you enjoyed viewing it as much as I enjoyed sharing it.

If you happen to travel anywhere with a beach...try to remember to grab me some. It doesn't have to be salt water...and it doesn't even have to have water (Anyone passing by the Death Valley, Great Salt Lake, or the Dead Sea?). I'll happily add it to my collection and give you the credit...

...unless, of course, you are an international double-0-something spy who can't be indentified as a collector of sand...

...in that case...your secret is safe with me...