ELEPHANT TOOTHPASTE

It's Spring Break from school here this week and so the grandkids are here for babysitting servicesJ    As usual, they both wanted to do "some science."  I've posted about some science experiments we've tried here and here and here. 

Today we tried ELEPHANT  TOOTHPASTE.  We didn't have the right type of hydrogen peroxide…I only had the drugstore variety but for a really big effect you need 20% which can be purchased at a beauty supply store.  However, the experiment still worked on a smaller scale and both grands were happy with it as you can see….

Here is the "recipe":

16 oz. empty plastic soda bottle (narrow necks like Coca-Cola are best)

½ cup 20-volume hydrogen peroxide

a squirt of DAWN dish detergent

3-4 drops of food coloring

1 tsp. dry yeast dissolved in approximately 2 TBSP. very warm water

a funnel

a large pan with 2-inch sides

*safety glasses and lab smock are recommended (but we didn't have these; used aprons instead and there were no problems for us)

Directions:

*Stand the bottle in the center of the pan.  Place funnel in bottle opening. 

*Measure the peroxide and add 3 to 4 drops of food coloring; pour this into the bottle.

*Squirt in just a little DAWN.

*Dissolve the yeast in warm water.  Pour into bottle and quickly remove funnel.  (The weaker peroxide does not react as fast so give it a minute.)

How does it work?  The addition of the yeast acts as a catalyst which makes the peroxide molecules release oxygen atoms…or something like that! 

This is a safe solution (using the drugstore brand) so the kids can "play" in it with their hands but certainly caution them not to taste it!  As always, my two wanted to "do more" so we made different colors and swished them all together.  All in all, it was another fun science adventure.  My hope is that I am encouraging them both to be interested in all the wonders of science and that they will always want to know more.

And then….we had another fun thing happen today….

This is our backyard pond.  We counted 8 babies and 4 adults.  They've been eating our grass all day.  Hope they leave some for my yard! 

Isn't Spring a grand time of year? 

This and That

I sometimes wonder how I ever managed to do all that I did when I was a young wife, mother, and teacher.  How in the world did I run a household, care for my children, have time for my husband, work full time as a teacher, run errands, buy groceries, teach summer Bible School and GAs at our church, and for two years work on obtaining my Master's Degree...among many other responsibilities?????  Just thinking about it makes me want to sit down and take a long rest!

I thought surely when we had our empty nest and I retired there would be time to sit back, relax, watch a little TV, and eat Bon-Bons.  Wow!  Was I wrong?  I am still working, although part-time (which sure doesn't always seem like "part" time), still taking care of a household and all that that entails, taking time for my husband, and now looking after grandkids.  But I'm grateful for I'd be miserable with nothing to do and the Bon-Bons would go straight to my….well, they would make me gain unneeded and unwanted weight!  Yes, I've been busy, busy, busy and so yet again have neglected my blog.  So here are just a few things I've been up to lately….

The CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL…

some of my best friends from high school (we call ourselves THE VALLEY GIRLS) and I recently spent a day in Macon, GA enjoying the beautiful cherry trees as well as many beautiful azaleas and historic homes.  We also visited an absolutely gorgeous and awe-inspiring Catholic church plus had our picture made with a camel!  We are a group with many interests…and we always have so much fun together.

SPRINGTIME & GARDENING…

it's been springtime here for awhile, or so it has seemed.  And, of course, with spring comes gardening and yard work.  Hubby and I spent this weekend working on a project that is still a work in progress.

As you can see, we have a ways to go.  We plan to sod some grass between the stepping stones and we're waiting for the sand to settle in between the octagonal stones under the fountain.  We also have another tree in our plans, so I'll have to post "completed" photos later.  I wish I had my grandmother's GREEN THUMB but the best I can do is stick it in the dirt and pray that it grows!  We love our big yard and enjoy sharing it with those who pass by.

The GRANDKIDS…

keeping these two entertained is not always the easiest job that I have.  Recently one of my student teachers shared the idea of EDIBLE DIRT with me and so, of course, I had to try it with the grands.  The recipe:

          vanilla cookies (crumbled)

          chocolate cookies (crumbled)

          miniature marshmallows, M&Ms, a gummy worm

          1 clear cup

Place the marshmallows in bottom of cup; this is the "parent material".

Add the vanilla cookie crumbs; this is the subsoil.  Then add the chocolate crumbs; this is the topsoil.  Arrange the M&Ms on top to represent the organic matter in the soil.  Finally add the gummy worm; this is the decomposer.

We read a MAGIC SCHOOLBUS book to go with our project...and we also went outside and dug up earthworms and other creepy crawlies. 

 But the part they liked best was…eating the "dirt."

So…I realize that life is full and busy no matter which decade you're in.  And I hope it will continue to be that way as I work my way toward new adventures in the years to come.

A THOUGHTFUL MATH LESSON

A few months ago I gave the devotional at our monthly LADIES NIGHT OUT function at church.  I actually got the idea for it from an online devotional website who got it from Rev. Rick Warren, author of THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE.  The ladies seemed to enjoy it and it gave us all some things to think about.    I thought I would share some of it with you…in my own words.  So….let’s have a little MATH LESSON….and there will be a test at the end!

In our lives we encounter 4 types of people:

*people who ADD

*people who SUBTRACT

*people who MULTIPLY

*people who DIVIDE

ADDers are those people who add, or give, to the lives and situations around them.  We all know some ADDers.  They are….

*the friend who sends us a get-well card when we’re sick

*the co-worker who comes in every a.m. greeting everyone with a big smile on their face…and maybe even bringing doughnuts to share

*the friend or family member who bakes us chocolate chip cookies when we’re depressed….or who sits with us and listens to us cry when we are grieving.

People who ADD bring joy to our lives; they pick us up when we’re down.  They may be a friend or family member or maybe even a stranger who lets you up in line at the supermarket because you have just a few things in your hands while they have a whole buggy full.  Aren’t we glad we have ADDers in our lives?  Don’t we wish there were more of them?

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Just as there are people who ADD to the lives and situations around them, unfortunately there are also people who SUBTRACT…they take away from our relationships; they rob us of joy and peace and harmony.  You know who these people are:

*they’re the person in our workplace or in our church or on our committee who always complains the most but works the least

*the weather is always too hot or too cold

*the food is either undercooked or overcooked

*the preacher preached too long or too short

*when we share with them something special that has happened to us, they either have done it bigger and better or they rain on our parade.

People who SUBTRACT always seem to be the happiest when they are making someone else unhappy.  Hopefully you don’t know many people that SUBTRACT from your life…one is more than enough.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So there are ADDers, SUBTRACTers, and then there are the MULTIPLYers…and I don’t mean someone who has more children!  People who MULTIPLY are very much akin to those people who ADD to our lives.  In fact, they are often one and the same.  MULTIPLYers contribute exponentially to our happiness.  When we are excited or happy about something that happened to us, the MULTIPLYers rejoice with us…they don’t try to pull us down nor do they become jealous because our good fortune didn’t happen to them.  They do everything they can to make those around them happy and harmonious.  They are the peacemakers; they are givers, not takers.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And finally…there are those who DIVIDE.  These are the people who are always taking sides and demand that we take sides too…usually theirs.  They choose to be divisive and work against unity in our families, in our friendships, in our working relationships, sometimes even in our churches.  DIVIDErs want to tear relationships apart, and like SUBTRACTers, they rob us of our joy.

So, there are 4 kinds of people in our lives….

*those who ADD     *those who SUBTRACT    *those who MULTIPLY     *those who DIVIDE

But guess what?  Not only do these people affect our lives BUT…

we affect the lives and situations of those around us in just the same way.

********************

Remember I said there would be a test?  Here it is; just one simple question…..

WHICH  ARE  YOU?

Now that you’ve had time to roll that thought around in your mind, I do have a challenge for us all…

                            GO forth and ADD &  MULTIPLY!

2012 Pinewood Derby...And the Winner is....

Introducing the Winner of the 2012 First Baptist Church Pinewood Derby…1^st Place in Design AND 1^st Place in the Race…and a very special grandson……………

Also Winner of the CAR OF THE YEAR after defeating ALL cars in ALL age groups.  The car gets the coveted position of spending the next year on display in this special case.

Excitement or hearing your name called as the Winner….

 Pride in knowing that you even beat the winner of the last two years straight…your all-time idol!!!  (And my "faux" grandson)…..

A congratulatory hug from a favorite fan and sister….

And to top it all off…a great BIG smile from a great dad…and my son…

Valentines Day Surprise

My sweet husband sent me these today…

He hasn't sent me flowers in awhile so they were a BIG surpriseJ 

He also gave me a lovely card.  He  gives me the absolute

BEST cards…they always say just the  RIGHT thing, as if
the card was made just for us.

 Thank you, honey…the card and the roses are just perfect,

but not as perfect as YOU!  (Well, maybe you aren't exactly perfect...but very close to it!)  You are and always have been

my special VALENTINE.

Happy Valentines Day to all my blogger friends.  Hope you
have a sweet, sweet day.

Quiche, Anyone?

I've seen several posts recently about quiche  recipes so thought I would jump in and share mine.  I actually got this from my friend Kathleen several years ago when we were giving a bridal brunch together.  It is one of our favorite dishes now and I have often prepared it for Christmas morning.

This is what you'll need….just simple ingredients, nothing fancy:

And here is the recipe…

Ham  Quiche

8 oz. cream cheese

5 eggs

½ cup milk

½ tsp. dry mustard

1 cup chopped ham*

5 green onions, chopped*

pie shell*

*I use packaged ham from the lunch meat section; it comes in tiny cubes & does wonderfully in this recipe

*I don't use this much onion as we are not much of an onion family!

*I use a deep dish pie shell so there won't be runover in the oven

Perforate the pie crust a few times with a fork.  Spread the ham & onion in the shell and bake @350 for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile combine cream cheese, eggs, milk, & mustard & blend with electric mixer. 

Add this to the pie shell. 

Here it's all ready to go back in the oven.  Yes, that's a pitiful looking old pan it's sitting on but I use it when I have concerns about a dish getting over stimulated in the oven and running over the sides of the dish. 

Continue to bake @350 for 40-50 more minutes or until the quiche is set.

And here is the finished product…

 The recipe says it makes 8 servings but we like BIG pieces so if there were 8 people somebody would be going hungry!

We will eat it with these for a quick & simple yet yummy meal.

Have you heard that saying ...

Real men don't eat quiche ? 

Well, I beg to differ….

This is about as real as it gets in the man department and he's definitely eating quiche.  In fact, when I told him what we were having for supper he said, "And what are you going to eat?"  Sorry, sweetie, but you do have to share!

OK…enough talking about it, now I'm off to enjoy the fruits of my quiche labor.  Where's my fork?

HOUSEHOLD AGENDA

As I've shared on my blog several times before, I do LOVE to be

O R G A N I Z E D …

in fact, I love anything  to do with organization.  I love all those cute boxes, bins, baskets, folders, notebooks, etc., etc., etc. that are sold by the likes of Ikea, containerstore.com, Target, seejanework.com and other wise businesses that understand us organization junkies!  I saw the c-u-t-e-s-t green boxes at Wal-Mart today…I just stood there drooling.  I may have to go back and get those for an upcoming project. 

Here is my newest addition to my "organized everything" mentality…

I read about setting up a notebook for anyone who wanted to run their household more smoothly.  Without children living at home anymore I don't have to worry so much about a dozen different schedules, but we do still have grandkids' soccer and baseball games and school programs to attend, church and work responsibilities to get done, and of course all those enjoyable dentist and doctor appointments.  There's just something about seeing all that organized and down in print that I like!

I divided my HOUSEHOLD  AGENDA into various sections including:

Calendar

Menu Planner

Online Banking

(for helping me to remember all those pesky passwords & login names!)

Projects

Miscellaneous

(for everything else)

Look at these too cute Calendars…

My birthday month:)

I have to give credit for these to this wonderful blog site…

anythingbutperfect.com is owned by the cutest gal named Angela who describes herself as creative  (I definitely agree) and slightly OCD (oh, yeah…I can identify with that!)  She has sooo many cute freebie printables on her blog and I have grabbed my share.  Thank you, AngelaJ  Everything she creates is rather perfect to me!

Here are my Weekly Menus…well, the blank pages anyway.  I'm still a work in progress on setting up these.  I do think though that if I can get used to doing them they will save me time and money…both of which sound great to me!

This is my grocery list...yes, it's in ABC order:)  For the almost 42 years we've been married I do the bulk of my grocery shopping once a month.  I use this list monthly to help me keep up with what I need to buy.  I just check the pantry and cabinets against the list to see what we need.

Here are my TO DO LISTS...also a work in progress. I tend to write down notes all over the place and stack them up near the phone. This was my Jan. list and I did manage to accomplish some of it!

I always try to keep a running list of PROJECTS…there are always things to be done, both "now" and "in the future".  I love it when I get to √ off an item or two…mission accomplished!

I do still have some empty sections and haven't yet decided what all I want to include, but I'm sure as the year progresses I'll think of something!  I have been pleasantly surprised at how often I go to my AGENDA...just seeing it sitting there next to the phone gives me an organized feeling.  We all gotta get our highs somehow! 

Better go check the calendar and see what's up for the rest of the day!  Hope all is well with you and yours.