drinking

Almond milk, that is. We are primarily a dairy milk drinking family. I do, however, purchase the occasional carton of soy, rice, or almond milk. Last year, I experimented with homemade rice milk--it was an unanimous flop. This week, I gave almond milk a try. After soaking the almonds in water overnight, I rinsed them and popped them into the blender with water (1:4 ratio). Next, I poured the milk into a fine mesh bag and squeezed until the milk had separated from the pulp (pictured below). Back into the blender for a spin with a few pitted dates and a splash of vanilla and we were treated to a creamy, flavorful, nutritious drink. We do prefer it chilled and it is crazy good in smoothies. It looks like this will become part of the weekly routine around here. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the pulp--dehydrated or incorporated into some baked good, perhaps?

this moment

this moment ~ a friday ritual ~ a single photo capturing
a moment from the week. inspired by SouleMama.

new favorite

I tried out a new granola recipe today: Nutty Coconut Blackstrap Granola. It is delicious--crunchy, not too sweet, and full of nutritious ingredients. Three of the four of us like it so I know that another batch is around the corner. I could eat this every morning.

this moment

this moment ~ a friday ritual ~ a single photo capturing
a moment from the week. inspired by SouleMama.

piiizzzaaa

With Logan helping, dinner is on the table in no time. And, of course, it's delicious!

budding paleontologist?

Owen woke up with one thing on his to-do list today: dig up a dinosaur!



With a little help from big brother, tiny pieces were chipped off and brushed away from the sand block in his Smithsonian Diggin' Up Dinosaur kit.



After rinsing off the rest of the dust, Owen assembled the skeletal remains into a recognizable creature--T-Rex! Raaarrrr!

this moment

this moment ~ a friday ritual ~ a single photo capturing
a moment from the week. inspired by SouleMama.

the holder

Logan participated in the Student Inventors Fair this week. All fourth graders were asked to identify a problem, invent a solution, and create a presentation to be displayed in the school lobby.

The Problem:
My problem is that my piano books never stay open when I'm trying to play out of them.

Materials:

• Three wooden Popsicle sticks
• Two eight-inch pieces of Pex tubing
• One thirteen-inch piece of Pex tubing
• Four five-inch pieces of Pex tubing
• Three PVC Tees
• One metal L-bracket
• One metal S-clip
• One large binder clip
• Three bolts
• Three small hex nuts

My Solution: The Holder
I created a wooden “arm” constructed out of Popsicle sticks that is attached to the thirteen-inch piece of Pex tubing with a screw. The Popsicle sticks are hooked to each other with a bolt and a hex nut and at the end of the last stick I drilled a hole and attached an L-bracket using another bolt. I used this L-bracket to hold up an S-clip, which I clamped shut using a needle-nosed pliers. On the other end of the S-clip I hooked on a large binder clip, which could clamp onto the pages of the book you choose to hold open. Then I pinched the other end of the S-clip shut as well.

this moment

this moment ~ a friday ritual ~ a single photo capturing
a moment from the week. inspired by SouleMama.

happy new year

our youngest author and illustrator

Owen decided to publish a book today. Mom helped him staple some blank sheets together and he spent much of the afternoon filling the pages with wonderful drawings.

The author signs his name on the cover...



...and works on a drawing of a volcano.

lollipop 2010

Today the whole family attended the 47th Annual Lollipop Concert. This year's program was called, "Wild Things! Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!" The performance featured music from The Carnival of the Animals, Jurassic Park, King Kong, The Lion King, and more! Pre-concert activities were provided by the Great Lakes Aquarium, Animal Allies, Lake Superior Zoo, Hartley Nature Center, and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center.

the edge

Logan attended a birthday party at the Edge Waterpark this afternoon. This place is awesome. A few of the highlights include multiple 4.5 story water slides, a huge bucket that dumps 300 gallons of water every few minutes, a vortex pool, and a 400 foot long indoor river. The kids had pizza for lunch and finished the day playing video games in the arcade.

dsso rehearsal

Logan and Tony attended a rehearsal of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra this evening. They were treated to a tour of the backstage area and were fascinated by the elaborate mechanisms that control all of the curtains and backdrops. After the tour, they were introduced to the conductor who explained the history of the piece they would be performing and talked to the kids about music. All in all, it was a very fun night.

yarn show-and-tell

These two skeins of yarn are from Morocco, a gift from a friend who just returned from a trip. They are naturally dyed and smell wonderfully of spice, incense, smoke, and soap. I'm not sure what to do with them yet; they are cut into long lengths, rather than one continuous hank, and are a bit coarse. A weaving project maybe?



This is the latest completed spinning project: three hanks of 2 ply, light worsted weight or so, approximately 575 yards total. It's quite soft (Corriedale) and I'm pleased with the overall consistency.

42

HIPY HAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY to the best daddy and husband!


(Tony is modeling a hat knit by Tracy and an awesome shirt screenprinted by Bullseye)

gold medal finish

With one day to spare, my ravelympic projects for 2010 have crossed the finish line (cue cheering and flag waving). While it's a bit large, my hat is very soft and will warm my head for years to come. My Shimmering Sands scarf turned out really well; I love how luxurious it feels and how well it drapes. This has definitely inspired me to weave more.

oogly oogly googly owen, or double motor fun

Two motors + quite a few of the gears = lots of giggles, jumping up and down, and marveling at his engineering success. These colorful pieces hold his attention for hours.

lap harp performance

This morning Kayte and I were treated to an Owen original entitled "Solo for My Dog". We were riveted to our seats.

Wilco (the concert)

Our sincere thanks goes out to Wilco, who in recent years has made a habit of playing a Duluth show whenever they tour Canada. Mayor Ness presented Tweedy and the boys with a certificate declaring them an honorary Duluth Band (see ** below).

Setlist:

1. Wilco (the Song)
2. A Shot in the Arm
3. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
4. Bull Black Nova
5. You Are My Face
6. One Wing
7. Kamera
8. Ashes of American Flags
9. Wishful Thinking
10. Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway (again)
11. Sonny Feeling
12. Impossible Germany
13. California Stars
14. Bob Dylan's 49th Beard
15. Handshake Drugs
16. You Never Know
17. Jesus, Etc.
18. Walken
19. I'm the Man Who Loves You
20. Hummingbird

ENCORE:

1. Via Chicago
2. Airline to Heaven
3. Hate It Here
4. Heavy Metal Drummer
5. Kingpin
6. Casino Queen
7. Hoodoo Voodoo

** “Whereas, most Duluth bands have many of the following characteristics: 1) At least one band member looks like a musician-sized lumberjack; 2) Occasional use of banjos, washboards, spoons, second banjos, and/or fiddles; 3) Some sort of connection (real or imagined) with Al Sparhawk; 4) A musical style that could be in part described with the word “roughneck” (i.e. roughneck folk, roughneck blues, roughneck indie rock, etc); Whereas, it appears that Wilco (the band) meets at least a couple of these important characteristics … Now, Therefore, I Don Ness, Mayor of the City of Duluth, do officially proclaim Wilco as an honorary Duluth band.”