Playing with fire / Earth hour

I apologize in advance for this photo heavy post but believe me when I say it was hard to narrow it down to just these pics!
Tonight we observed Earth hour by turning off all our lights and appliances and had a bonfire in our fire ring outside. Did you ever take a stick that had been in a campfire and twirl it around making circles in the air?.........

This is so cool!

Me

Riley is a star!

Griffin- cash money son.

Cupcake

Ice out of fire.

Tim the archer.

Griffin holding balloons.

Griffin as twins!

Climbing the fire stairs.

Riley- spewing fire.

Time to "Do Work"

This morning we woke up bright and early (actually it was dark and early) and drove over an hour to get to a Homeschooling curriculum fair. We sold some of the books and things we are done with and bought a nice pile of new stuff. After you take into account the cost of renting the tables (two tables, $6 each), the gas and tolls, the books I bought and the bake sale table, I think I maybe broke even. Griffin and Riley had half a table and sold their old video games, Pokemon cards and Star Wars figures and did pretty good for themselves.

Check your calenders-

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I think it may just be Thanksgiving..........

Things that are hard to take a good picture of........

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The cat .......





Griffin on his new pogo-stick......

Looky here- my Christmas present!

My oldest son, John, gave me a wooden clog filled with five tulip bulbs this past Christmas. He bought it while he was visiting Amsterdam. After weeks of checking I am thrilled to report we have two (so far) tulips budding in the front yard. Merry Christmas to me!

A very good sign

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Tonight I saw seven herons flying in a single file line-

From Symbolic Meanings-

The Heron or Egret is symbolic in many cultures.

In Egypt the Heron is honored as the creator of light. A double headed Heron in Egypt is symbolic of prosperity.

In China the Heron is a symbol of strength, purity, and long life.

In Africa, the Heron was thought to communicate with the Gods.

Most Native American tribes took note of the heron’s inquisitiveness, curiosity and determination. As such this set the heron as a symbol of wisdom in that this creature seemed to have good judgment skills.

Specifically, the Iroquois tribe held the blue heron as a very good omen, a very lucky sign. They recognized the heron as an expert fisher/hunter. As such, they believed that sighting a heron before a hunt was a sign that the hunt would be a good one.

As a water creature the heron is also a symbol of going with the flow, and working with the elements of Mother nature rather than struggling against her.

The heron is a beautiful creature, exhibiting grace, and noble stature. It’s no wonder the Native Indians and ancients honored the heron throughout the centuries.

Peep show

Chocolate dipped marshmallow peeps on a stick

• Melt chocolate
• Dip bottom half of peep in melted chocolate
  
• Insert lollipop stick
• Place on waxed paper until chocolate sets
  

Recipe- Bird's nest cookies

So this recipe is more complicated than the donut recipe- instead of only two ingredients there are three- Shredded wheat, chocolate, jelly beans.

• Crush the large, plain shredded wheat biscuits into a bowl
• Melt the chocolate
• Combine melted chocolate to shredded wheat and mix well
• Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on to waxed paper
• Before the chocolate sets gently push jellybean "eggs" on top of nests

Yesterday and today

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Yesterday- first day of Spring= Free Italian Ice at Rita's!





Today- friends over for Easter Egg decorating-

Kimya Dawson video, lyrics and a picture I like

When I go for a drive I like to pull off to the side
Of the road, turn out the lights, get out and look up at the sky
And I do this to remind me that I'm really, really tiny
In the grand scheme of things and sometimes this terrifies me

But it's only really scary cause it makes me feel serene
In a way I never thought I'd be because I've never been
So grounded, and so humbled, and so one with everything
I am grounded, I am humbled, I am one with everything

Rock and roll is fun but if you ever hear someone
Say you are huge, look at the moon, look at the stars, look at the sun
Look at the ocean and the desert and the mountains and the sky
Say I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye
I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye

When I saw Geneviève I really liked it when she said
What she said about the giant and the lemmings on the cliff
She said 'I like giants
Especially girl giants
Cause all girls feel too big sometimes
Regardless of their size'

When I go for a drive I like to pull off to the side
Of the road and run and jump into the ocean in my clothes
And I'm smaller than a poppyseed inside a great big bowl
And the ocean is a giant that can swallow me whole

So I swim for all salvation and I swim to save my soul
But my soul is just a whisper trapped inside a tornado
So I flip to my back and I float and I sing
I am grounded, I am humbled, I am one with everything
I am grounded, I am humbled, I am one with everything

So I talked to Geneviève and almost cried when she said
That the giant on the cliff wished that she was dead
And the lemmings on the cliff wished that they were dead
So the giant told the lemmings why they ought to live instead

When she thought up all those reasons that they ought to live instead
It made her reconsider all the sad thoughts in her head
So thank you Geneviève, cause you take what is in your head
And you make things that are so beautiful and share them with your friends

We all become important when we realize our goal
Should be to figure out our role within the context of the whole
And yeah, rock and roll is fun, but if you ever hear someone
Say you are huge, look at the moon, look at the stars, look at the sun
Look at the ocean and the desert and the mountains and the sky

Say I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye
I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye
I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye
And I don't wanna make her cry
Cause I like giants

A few more pics-

A gift from Japan-
Packed with peanuts, Snickers always satisfies.

Update on the African Violet-

Forsythia budding- Sign of Spring!

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

Pictures from last week- Tim's trip

Tim was away on a business trip last week- with stops in Tokyo and Guam. He was only able to explore/take pictures in the late evening or at night so some of these pictures are a little dark. He was able on his last day to take an afternoon snorkeling trip. Unfortunately, he didn't use enough sunblock and was fried to a crisp. He has a horrible blistered sunburn all over his back and down the backs of his legs. Which made for a pretty hellish 17 hour plane trip home.
You can click on the pics for a closer look.

Japan

Guam