STOMP IT!!

A few weeks ago, Evan and a friend worked together on a project for Marketplace for Kids.

Marketplace for Kids is a program that encourages kids to become inventors and entrepreneurs....

Evan and his friend created the STOMP IT!  I think Mattie came out a winner all around in this project.  You can tell by the pictures that she's enjoying herself. 

The inventors put together a display board and presented their product to several other schools on a day in April.  They also attended several workshops during the day.  If you want to check out the website, here is a link.  Hopefully they will have the 2011 video on there shortly.  Evan was shown in it quite a bit.

Here they are at the MarketPlace event, showing off their invention.  I enjoyed going along as a chaperone!

Life is Happening!

"Mom, you have not updated FOREVER!!!"

Lana accused me of this the other evening as I was making supper and she was surfing your blogs. 

I'm sorry I have no pictures to share.  I HAVE taken pictures and have some to share, but LIFE IS HAPPENING and I haven't gotten the pictures off the camera!  I'll just share some of what is happening so you know we are okay and have not forgotten our blog.

A couple months were pretty slow for subbing....  Now it's hopping! Right when the weather is trying to get nice and I should be outside.  But, this is good! 

Our new laundry room is really taking shape.  Last evening we moved the washer and dryer upstairs.  YAY!

Evan completed an invention for "Marketplace 4 Kids."  Pictures to come.

Lana begins a historical simulation program at school tomorrow called "Apple Valley."  Her name for the rest of the school year is Virginia Harris (the name was total coincidence!).  She "is" a 9 year old girl with a twin sister Victoria!  Thursday I will be teaching in their class, so I will be Miss Harris, her older sister.  (Can't be the mother because teachers back then could not be married!) 

Anyway.  Lots of fun stuff going on.  Lots of new little plant-lets growing in my laundry room aching to get outside.  Lots of perennials showing signs of green in my flowerbeds, but not showing much enthusiastic growth yet due to the chilly weather. 

Lots of planning for hosting a bridal shower for my niece in a few weeks!  Looking forward to that special occasion!

Thanks so much for your blogs updates.  We LOVE them!

The Band

We enjoyed the band concert a few weeks ago.  Evan plays the trombone. 

It's been a fun experience for him!

Hope x 4

Okay.  I've never linked to another of my posts before, but I know many of you do it all the time so it must not be that difficult? 

Remember last fall when I had a post called "Hope" ? 

Well, I fussed over that beauty all winter and loved every minute of it.  It kept me in touch with another season....

And it's still alive! 

So, the past few weeks I've had such a grand time taking stem cuttings from some of my plants and making new ones in preparations for warmer days ahead, with visions of full, lush flowerbeds filling my dreams....

A little thought formed....  could I have MORE of these lovely Gerbera Daisies?????

A little research done.

A little indecision.

A little courage.

Today I divided my Gerbera Daisy.  Before I divided it, it looked like this. 

I won't show you yet what it looks like now because 3 of my 4 transplants look sadly droopy....

BUT!!!  There is HOPE!  It has always looked droopy after I've transplanted it.  I think it will be fine!

And I'll have Hope x 4!!!

I hope!

Happy Birthday to my little brother!

If you visit Mountain Memories, you'll see that my little brother has the CUTEST kids!!!  Now you see where they get half of their cuteness.  Ryan was a very cute little fella and such a good boy. 

This is one of the two pictures I could find of the two of us when we were little.  I know it's not real fancy, but it's very REAL!!  And oh, how I remember when Ryan lost that beloved blankie....

Hope you have a good day, Ryan!  We love you!

Turning Ten

This thank-you collage shows you what we did last Saturday!  We had a super-fun sewing party for Lana's birthday!  Lana and I cut the fabric and did a little pre-work before the party, and then the girls each sewed their own pillowcase.  They are all natural-born seamstresses!!!  I was so impressed! 

And we had rainbow cupcakes.  Thanks, Andrea for the link to ourbestbites.com.  We couldn't resist trying these!  We even made the homemade frosting.  Yummmmm... 

We did some other fun crafty stuff too while each girl was sewing. 

 Would you believe Lana got these socks for a gift from one of her friends that day?!  A perfect match to what she was wearing....  AND these are no ordinary socks.  They are scented!  (And not like feet either!)  They smell wonderful!  And they have cute little grips on the bottom which are very handy for little girls who love to run on the slippery laminate floor!! 

So, that was Saturday.  Then on Sunday we had special meeting and Grandma and Grandpa took us out afterwards for a birthday supper. 

Then on Monday evening Lana got to open a few presents.  The first one she opened was a box of new hangers from American Girl.  She's been asking for these.  The second box she opened was a strong hint of delights of the coming day...  a doll stand!

So, by Tuesday morning, she could barely contain herself!  She was up early and waiting for me....  And she got to open Kanani before breakfast!

 I had always thought one American Girl doll was enough, and we'd agreed on this together many times in the past.  However, as I started looking through the catalog awhile back, I realized that a matching doll/girl outfit costs almost or just as much as a new doll!  So, I thought I'd surprise her and get Kanani!  She is a beautiful doll.  I think I got her as much for me as for Lana....

So, here she is with her two girls on her actual birthday.  Ready to have cupcakes again!  I guess we forgot to frost the doll-sized cupcakes, but you can see them better this way anyway. 

 Wow!  What a fun birthday!

A variety of accomplishments

Lana's March book report was on a biography, the book being chosen by her teacher.  She was required to read the book and then create the person out of an oatmeal can!  Inside the can she was to include three objects that help to describe the person as well as some facts to share.  Then she presented it to her class.  Lana's subject was Jane Goodall.  It was interesting for all of us to learn more about her and her life-work of studying chimpanzees and being good to the earth....

One of Evan's latest accomplishments was to dig a hole to China.  Well, almost.... 

We still seem to have plenty of snow for projects like this.  Although the past few days have helped a lot with our snow melt.   Little by little we're seeing some bare ground in our yard....  And we've had ROBINS!!!!  There is hope!!

Most of Mattie's accomplishments involve food - usually not to be bragged about.  She has a way of getting into stuff she shouldn't.  But, this incident was okay!  She didn't eat the whole carton of ice cream.  We just gave it to her to clean up after WE ate the whole carton!

Coming up this week....  A birthday celebration!