Odd Thing of the Day

Sitting at the computer. Look out my window and this little guy comes over. And just lays there like this. With his eyes open. For 20 minutes. If I hadn't seen him move, I would have thought he was a piece of taxidermy. Gutters = redneck squirrel swimming pools. Apparently the 100 degree temperatures have taken their toll on everyone...

Don't be jealous, but...

...look what woke me up this morning:

Natural Food Coloring

Here's another catch up post! Over the holidays we made sugar cookies and decorated them with frosting. I thought it would be a good opportunity to experiment with making my own food coloring!

We peeled a beet.

Then we juiced it.

Then we added a little bit to some powdered sugar. We didn't have to use much milk because the beet was juicy enough. We just played around until the consistency and color was what we wanted! I was so impressed -- it was easy -- and I can never get that bright of a color with the normal food coloring dyes anyway! What a fantastic color!

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo was on my list of fun summer reads this year! There is nothing like summer vacation to read for fun. It's a tradition that I've had since I learned how to read... and I can't wait to begin this tradition with my kids.

The main character in this novel is Charlotte Beck. Her character reminds me a bit of Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables -- she is a spitfire -- determined to get her way and heaven help anyone who stands in her way. Amid social pressures and the encouragement of her father to be placed in an arranged marriage, Charlotte rebels and makes her wish to go to college be known. After observing her interactions with the English atronomer, Alex Hambly, her father makes an offer to both of them: Get married and 1) He'll give Charlotte the chance to go to college and 2) He will provide financial security for Alex's struggling family. And it's an offer that they cannot refuse.

The character development in this novel was excellent! I loved each of the characters and how the author created their interactions with one another. Charlotte's escapades are a riot and so is the demeanor in which her father and Alex handle the escapades. I also enjoyed the way the author wove together prim and proper English culture and the barely settled Colorado frontier.

If you are looking for a book to finish up your summer reading list -- grab this one! It did not disappoint! And... because I just can't help but judge a book by it's cover -- what a fabulous cover! I had just as much fun looking at the book on my coffee table as I did reading it! Special thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for giving me this book for free for this review.

Independence Day 2011

We spent half of our holiday at Dan Nicholas Park and had a great time. It was hot, hot, hot! But the kids did great. We began by taking a paddle boat out for a ride. Even Kadence had to wear a life jacket. She liked it for about 8 minutes. Just about long enough for her to suck on it and for me to realize she was sucking on mildew. Put that to a stop and she screamed the rest of the way. She and I got dropped off at the dock and Tony and the kids finished out their boating.

After the paddle boats we made our way to the Wilderness section. For 50 cents per person, we got to see bald eagles, turtles, black bears, wolves, foxes, snakes, etc.

Took a train ride next and then headed home.

After naps, the thunderstorms started. We did sparklers on the porch and lined everyone up for the obligatory "kid" picture. My friend Stephanie put this tutorial for firework t-shirts on her blog and over the weekend we made them with the kids.
I love Kadence's expression in this photo. She is like... get me away from these crazies. Or maybe: "please don't hurt me. please don't hurt me."