Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Visitors from Across the Pond

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Here's a little photographic update of some of our recent activities.



Amazing, isn't it, how busy life can get? In the past 10 days, the girls and I:
- Finished the quilt we made for Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jerry, commemorating her birthday and our road trip with them last summer (the kitties helped christen it with plenty of hair)
- Fed the community (with Mr. B) at a local kitchen
- Found a great dog, housed it overnight, then finally had to turn it in to the shelter (hope the owner found it!) so we could go out of town with our cousins
- Hosted our English cousins, complete with backyard sleepover for the kids, a night in the travel trailer for the kids, lots of relaxation for the grownups, lots of running and bouncing and playing for the kids (ages 6, 7 and 8)
- Took an impromptu trip to Monterey where we enjoyed camping in the rain, and a visit to the aquarium ($69 for one adult and two kids. Seriously? Yep. Dead serious. No reciprocal with the natural history museum to which I belong. No AAA discount at the door.)
- Continued north for an impromptu visit to see more cousins in Santa Cruz.

I really enjoy having visitors, and I particularly enjoy the company of our English cousins. The girls were THRILLED that, though the adult contingent found comfy beds in their own private room in a local hotel, the youngest of the visitors stayed with us throughout the stay, night and day. All the adults were SHOCKED when the kids actually carried out their plans to have a garden sleepover (no pads, no tent, no sleeping bags - just lots of blankets on the newly scattered straw pathway between newly planted garden rows). No one got scared and came in early. None snuck inside for warmer, more comfy digs. What an adventure for them!

The next night, the girls shared their trailer with Young Master Spencer, who, not knowing we had one, had already expressed interest in "someday" staying in a "caravan." His wish was our command, and the girls were elated at the opportunity to share their travel digs with him.

Visiting us has traditionally provided firsts for Spencer. Last time (two years ago) it was his first trek to the drive-in and his first sleepover anywhere. This time, it was camping (of any description) and the caravan stay. What will their next visit hold? (And when will we get to THEIR place?! We're aiming for 2012!)

Other than that? Oh, yeah, there was Easter, BBQ with Dad n' Margaret, planting our garden (including kiwifruit and Roselle along with the traditional stuff - should be a good garden year), and some time to just relax at home, the four of us.


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Monday, April 13, 2009

Kitchen Experiment - Hard-boiled Egg Blowing

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Recently, a friend sent me a video of a guy who claimed that if you add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the water when you boil your eggs, you can simply peel a bit of shell off each end of the egg and BLOW the egg out. The baking soda, he claimed, helped break down the bond between the egg and the shell.

We were skeptical, but this was something we could easily try at home.

Mr. B was sure it wouldn't work. Absolutely positive. Here's what happened:


Then the girls gave it a try:


A BIT tougher for kids with little hands and weaker lungs. Still, fun for the whole family.

We love a good experiment! What's YOUR favorite at-home, kid-friendly experiment?

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Horse De Ovaries? Reading French

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Tonight while eating dinner, E looked at me quizzically.

E: "Mom, what's horse duh ooovers?"

Me: "Hors d'oeuvres."

E: Not a sound, but a dropped jaw and a look as though she'd been stricken.

Me: "It's French."

Her:


I swear. This is NOT the way I pronounced it! (Time for French lessons...for us all.)

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