Saturday, July 28, 2012

Snakes, Worms, and Things that Squirm

More of our summer science program:  River Rats!!
We learned all sorts of things about snakes and worms, how they live, and how they hear.  We observed them and touched them.  They boys thought it was pretty fun.  Chaeli skipped out on this event.  :)



Checking out a worm up close! 

Meal worm races... 

Hearing vibrations like worm or snake hears....because they have no ears. 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Some of the biggest and yummiest oatmeal raisin cookies.....
mmmm....mmmm....good!
These cookies were adapted from this site:  http://www.vegandlites.blogspot.com/


Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used canola oil here)
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used cane juice crystals)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp coriander 
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tblsp. Chia gel (or egg replacer equivalent for 2 eggs)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raisins

Instructions:
Grease a cookie sheet or lay down parchment paper; set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening with electric mixer for 30 secs. Add brown sugar, white sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until fluffy. Add egg replacer and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Beat in flour. Stir in oats, dried cherries, and orange zest. 

Fill a 1/3 cup measure with dough and drop onto greased cookie sheet. Press into a 4 in. circle (or smaller if you choose). Repeat with the rest of the dough, placing cookies about 3 inches apart.

Bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden (Change time depending on size of cookies). Let stand for a minute then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Optional:  Can replace the raisins with 1 1/2 cups snipped dried tart cherries
and 1 tsp orange zest



Fruit Popsicles

These were perfect for a hot summer day!  
First we loaded the popsicle containers with fresh fruit.  We chose bluberries, nectarines, and cherries.  Then we poured juice over top of.  Our juice was apple with half a nectarine blended up in it.  So yummy!!  They turned out really well.





Sunday, July 15, 2012

All Tuckered Out

He was having quiet time on the sofa "reading" books.  It didn't take too long before he succumbed to exhaustion!  We were up early this particular morning!


Sunday, July 8, 2012

Dressed Up

All dressed up...so I really should take a picture!  They wore complementing outfits Sabbath so I wanted to catch the moment. 

Our three sillies... 





Asian Food

We had Asian food last night.  I LOVE Asian food. I decided to provide choices.  It's a good thing.

One child chose coconut milk curry on their stir fry. 

One child wanted Asian Garlic Sauce on their stir fry.

One child wanted no sauce on their stir fry.

All three were superb choices!

Fourth of July

We were in the FOURTH OF JULY parade this year with our little Adventist elementary school. Here is our apple float with a school setting on it.  We also rolled school info sheets into diploma like scrolls and handed those out.  The only problem....with 1500 we ran out about half way through the parade.  Now we know and we'll stock ourselves better next time.  We really had a fun time and started making plans again for next year!!  Happy Independence Day!!











Granddad and Grandmother Come to Visit

THRILLED is an understatement!  We were so glad to have granddad and grandmother with us for a few days! We showed them the sights of our small town and just enjoyed the time we spent with them!


The Shipwreck Museum




Funny boy!

The Grands...

Taking them back to the airport.


Goodbye! See you next time...

Washing Papa's Car

Dillon has been dieing to wash a car!  Even when it was winter and too cold.  David would much rather just take the car to the car wash, but we got to it first.  :)  The kids were thrilled. They washed and splashed and scrubbed and smiled.  Even if the dirt wasn't 100% gone, it was worth the fun!








Summer Science Fun

Every summer since we've lived here, there has been a summer science program called River Rats.  It takes place at Duck Park and they do all sorts of fun hands-on science stuff.  This past time the kids learned about orienteering and butterflies.






A Beach and Two Parks Day

We were initially headed to one park, but got side-tracked exploring for a beach I thought was in the area.  We found it!  And we found another park too!  It was a fun day.












Just had to prove that I was there too!  :)