tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79020939929190811572024-03-05T02:43:26.156-08:00merrrfamilyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-20186582607760326402013-05-28T15:42:00.001-07:002013-05-28T15:42:57.730-07:00Bugs sensory binJust a quick, simply sensory bin today :)
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The set up:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7f8PHxldo9PSDenAJ7P3XDT7PyWU44anPJx8H2BARtIQnRk9ryWhXLYyI6iMEJ0yBQWcrtce1gm3Y_iPincbesrZxkxri-wrm9qCFZaaK4yLqV7lNU9tv3P_yDInuI5hWkQXv3AuE98/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-28+at+6.31.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7f8PHxldo9PSDenAJ7P3XDT7PyWU44anPJx8H2BARtIQnRk9ryWhXLYyI6iMEJ0yBQWcrtce1gm3Y_iPincbesrZxkxri-wrm9qCFZaaK4yLqV7lNU9tv3P_yDInuI5hWkQXv3AuE98/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-28+at+6.31.21+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NhdqgbUuwnnesHKCIBexExa2_zCaKWXz4ZcLICPZHi_JaTnn38O_qlxQ3x6dweyt-s-d81EcH1OJPZqybLK0KKJpqtQ0c_5f0t5U40S_Roefq840o-FrP3vc3C1IeJu-gDK2-ZAhXGg/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-28+at+6.31.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NhdqgbUuwnnesHKCIBexExa2_zCaKWXz4ZcLICPZHi_JaTnn38O_qlxQ3x6dweyt-s-d81EcH1OJPZqybLK0KKJpqtQ0c_5f0t5U40S_Roefq840o-FrP3vc3C1IeJu-gDK2-ZAhXGg/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-28+at+6.31.36+PM.png" /></a>
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Aubs got a little crazy with the aquarium gravel, so I had to really sit and play with her to keep her from getting TOO crazy-- so I only got an initial shot of her approaching the bin
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoS5IuEr6Twvbn-lkZY8cD-XEg1TvFkNNCAyk-aibHbrEJTUPUTnWFYsTP6awa1VmimfC6lSQkfWrlL-SeeicupzkQJTNhJDQbjkagk-xvYKYNORnd3LNbHEA4SJ8-YS-i9bHob1xSLU/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-28+at+6.31.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoS5IuEr6Twvbn-lkZY8cD-XEg1TvFkNNCAyk-aibHbrEJTUPUTnWFYsTP6awa1VmimfC6lSQkfWrlL-SeeicupzkQJTNhJDQbjkagk-xvYKYNORnd3LNbHEA4SJ8-YS-i9bHob1xSLU/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-28+at+6.31.48+PM.png" /></a>
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She loved the sticks and leaves-- they were her favorite part! I just picked some fresh leaves from outside, so they were super fragrant :) Added a cool twist to the "sensory" experience lol. Anyways, quick and simple, but fun!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-84274765495125221582013-05-25T20:16:00.001-07:002013-05-25T20:20:03.007-07:00Puppets and a summer mantleSo since my husband is in the Navy, we don't live near our family. We still want our daughter to recognize family when we visit, though, so I came up with this idea to make "puppets" to play with. I printed out a high resolution picture of each person, laminated it, cut it out, then put it on a labeled popsicle stick.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIFob2vQeZNFdoA19SRscOgjorT9HK2U9erxsmJGO8q8Uynn9X_NeJkn3HyjIUUJqSpkABkdWpVRzoRI7byA-O_MwIfqpOD8y8_4OO1a4zGvbp9GpwKEW6T88fEHqbwdFWE4uux-pmZ8/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+8.38.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIFob2vQeZNFdoA19SRscOgjorT9HK2U9erxsmJGO8q8Uynn9X_NeJkn3HyjIUUJqSpkABkdWpVRzoRI7byA-O_MwIfqpOD8y8_4OO1a4zGvbp9GpwKEW6T88fEHqbwdFWE4uux-pmZ8/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+8.38.40+PM.png" /></a>
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To show the size of them
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzosMcgqInj_d8Kn2bZJIMejizOrZiU_87ZqFC-T3Ob-nJ6xnEBmykUErpdrnouxUY-2BFqs4W8AIu80yd2u7LnE4qbiZh04oX-y1QBqa1LWHWj1zx4DzLkVghp1LLmXq7jePYd-XlRoI/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+8.38.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzosMcgqInj_d8Kn2bZJIMejizOrZiU_87ZqFC-T3Ob-nJ6xnEBmykUErpdrnouxUY-2BFqs4W8AIu80yd2u7LnE4qbiZh04oX-y1QBqa1LWHWj1zx4DzLkVghp1LLmXq7jePYd-XlRoI/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+8.38.01+PM.png" /></a>
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We made puppets of two grandmothers, two grandfathers, my husband, Aubs, and myself. The others we either didn't have high resolution pictures of, or we didn't have time to make this time around. We'll get those done next time :)
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Also, I got the initial part of our summer mantle set up-- there are a few touches that I need to finish, but at least I got the basics put together!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlpsu5WB7ezYuXUSj6V6U8YSa1UScuVb9DdMcusUQR1uy9o1F4LtSH3tJcD5vL6P0qSm5cPMizD19ARNBbrEZkwcF7Ov4WnZUMZLWbY2dQWEWXpfQl62PXEaFpfCb3QJSNu5ishCFi1M/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+11.19.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlpsu5WB7ezYuXUSj6V6U8YSa1UScuVb9DdMcusUQR1uy9o1F4LtSH3tJcD5vL6P0qSm5cPMizD19ARNBbrEZkwcF7Ov4WnZUMZLWbY2dQWEWXpfQl62PXEaFpfCb3QJSNu5ishCFi1M/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+11.19.09+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4RKZPTI8zWxVle4MMqNn2EROcRDRqf5MuUQ_xZ-Hesckkmu5sfmPLA7cZ4xS4Blat78BH0_1jOp9Z4sIsLsCQUz8xiboeR07LD8BRmhr5xVvIsYoNZauzYOrdAVb9MdUQ7VrEhf8nWQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+11.01.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4RKZPTI8zWxVle4MMqNn2EROcRDRqf5MuUQ_xZ-Hesckkmu5sfmPLA7cZ4xS4Blat78BH0_1jOp9Z4sIsLsCQUz8xiboeR07LD8BRmhr5xVvIsYoNZauzYOrdAVb9MdUQ7VrEhf8nWQ/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+11.01.44+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBrkapVoYw2scS0enNRjbzHZYZAsR9YFDaP5Cx2_N8FKtHVvruFhNi64Ae6T79vExTdAgREW2yiabvBZe522J0TtAAEler7mK7IQXhk624oJSUcPBPjAEEUn8gnRXtw2CGreG-ZLYEKU/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+11.02.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBrkapVoYw2scS0enNRjbzHZYZAsR9YFDaP5Cx2_N8FKtHVvruFhNi64Ae6T79vExTdAgREW2yiabvBZe522J0TtAAEler7mK7IQXhk624oJSUcPBPjAEEUn8gnRXtw2CGreG-ZLYEKU/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+11.02.12+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsrdi7hzXia-3Vd4X0pQ4dRj7eg78Bmuk12-6t3HXTi0WsG7XsuTHpIhsUvz0YYalBcxsaDBwirb5Ky0Rju3ibZr_DQB7Q8O1ykNntNa-H5Xmf5pl57PE0s9MxWdq1H1hrj37WkQbbug/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+11.01.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsrdi7hzXia-3Vd4X0pQ4dRj7eg78Bmuk12-6t3HXTi0WsG7XsuTHpIhsUvz0YYalBcxsaDBwirb5Ky0Rju3ibZr_DQB7Q8O1ykNntNa-H5Xmf5pl57PE0s9MxWdq1H1hrj37WkQbbug/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-25+at+11.01.56+PM.png" /></a>
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It's bright and cheery and I got some brightly colored touches in there, so I'm happy. I need to stick a tea light in the lantern on the right, I need to hang a little garland (maybe nautical flags?) around the mantle itself, and I'm going to make a couple of little candles in some shells for a cute touch-- after that, we should be done this time around!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-73283539461587186422013-05-20T20:28:00.001-07:002013-05-20T20:32:39.101-07:00Study shows that it may not have been an impact that killed the mammoths, but instead the ensuing climate changeI came across the article and it was SO interesting that I had to repost it! Check this out-- it's a little long, but totally worth the read:
<blockquote><b>The mammoth's lament: Study shows how cosmic impact sparked devastating climate change</b>
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by Tom Robinette
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(Phys.org) —Herds of wooly mammoths once shook the earth beneath their feet, sending humans scurrying across the landscape of prehistoric Ohio. But then something much larger shook the Earth itself, and at that point these mega mammals' days were numbered.
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Something – global-scale combustion caused by a comet scraping our planet's atmosphere or a meteorite slamming into its surface – scorched the air, melted bedrock and altered the course of Earth's history. Exactly what it was is unclear, but this event jump-started what Kenneth Tankersley, an assistant professor of anthropology and geology at the University of Cincinnati, calls the last gasp of the last ice age.
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"Imagine living in a time when you look outside and there are elephants walking around in Cincinnati," Tankersley says. "But by the time you're at the end of your years, there are no more elephants. It happens within your lifetime."
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Tankersley explains what he and a team of international researchers found may have caused this catastrophic event in Earth's history in their research, "Evidence for Deposition of 10 Million Tonnes of Impact Spherules Across Four Continents 12,800 Years Ago," which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The prestigious journal was established in 1914 and publishes innovative research reports from a broad range of scientific disciplines. Tankersley's research also was included in the History Channel series "The Universe: When Space Changed History" and will be featured in an upcoming film for The Weather Channel.
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This research might indicate that it wasn't the cosmic collision that extinguished the mammoths and other species, Tankersley says, but the drastic change to their environment.
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"The climate changed rapidly and profoundly. And coinciding with this very rapid global climate change was mass extinctions."
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Putting a finger on the end of the ice age
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Tankersley is an archaeological geologist. He uses geological techniques, in the field and laboratory, to solve archaeological questions. He's found a treasure trove of answers to some of those questions in Sheriden Cave in Wyandot County, Ohio. It's in that spot, 100 feet below the surface, where Tankersley has been studying geological layers that date to the Younger Dryas time period, about 13,000 years ago.
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About 12,000 years before the Younger Dryas, the Earth was at the Last Glacial Maximum – the peak of the Ice Age. Millennia passed, and the climate began to warm. Then something happened that caused temperatures to suddenly reverse course, bringing about a century's worth of near-glacial climate that marked the start of the geologically brief Younger Dryas.
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There are only about 20 archaeological sites in the world that date to this time period and only 12 in the United States – including Sheriden Cave.
"There aren't many places on the planet where you can actually put your finger on the end of the last ice age, and Sheriden Cave is one of those rare places where you can do that," Tankersley says.
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<a href="http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/2013/1-themammothsl.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/2013/1-themammothsl.jpg" /></a>
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The Younger Dryas Boundary strewnfield is shown (red) with YDB sites as red dots and those by eight independent groups as blue dots. Also shown is the largest known impact strewnfield, the Australasian (purple). Credit: Ken Tankersley, University of Cincinnati
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Rock-solid evidence of cosmic calamity
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In studying this layer, Tankersley found ample evidence to support the theory that something came close enough to Earth to melt rock and produce other interesting geological phenomena. Foremost among the findings were carbon spherules. These tiny bits of carbon are formed when substances are burned at very high temperatures. The spherules exhibit characteristics that indicate their origin, whether that's from burning coal, lightning strikes, forest fires or something more extreme. Tankersley says the ones in his study could only have been formed from the combustion of rock.
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The spherules also were found at 17 other sites across four continents – an estimated 10 million metric tons' worth – further supporting the idea that whatever changed Earth did so on a massive scale. It's unlikely that a wildfire or thunderstorm would leave a geological calling card that immense – covering about 50 million square kilometers.
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"We know something came close enough to Earth and it was hot enough that it melted rock – that's what these carbon spherules are. In order to create this type of evidence that we see around the world, it was big," Tankersley says, contrasting the effects of an event so massive with the 1883 volcanic explosion on Krakatoa in Indonesia. "When Krakatoa blew its stack, Cincinnati had no summer. Imagine winter all year-round. That's just one little volcano blowing its top."
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Other important findings include:
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Micrometeorites: smaller pieces of meteorites or particles of cosmic dust that have made contact with the Earth's surface.
Nanodiamonds: microscopic diamonds formed when a carbon source is subjected to an extreme impact, often found in meteorite craters.
Lonsdaleite: a rare type of diamond, also called a hexagonal diamond, only found in non-terrestrial areas such as meteorite craters.
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<a href="http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/2013/2-themammothsl.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/2013/2-themammothsl.jpg" /></a>
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This is an environmental scanning electron microscope image of a carbon spherule from Sheriden Cave. Credit: Ken Tankersley, University of Cincinnati
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Three choices at the crossroads of oblivion
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Tankersley says while the cosmic strike had an immediate and deadly effect, the long-term side effects were far more devastating – similar to Krakatoa's aftermath but many times worse – making it unique in modern human history.
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In the cataclysm's wake, toxic gas poisoned the air and clouded the sky, causing temperatures to plummet. The roiling climate challenged the existence of plant and animal populations, and it produced what Tankersley has classified as "winners" and "losers" of the Younger Dryas. He says inhabitants of this time period had three choices: relocate to another environment where they could make a similar living; downsize or adjust their way of living to fit the current surroundings; or swiftly go extinct. "Winners" chose one of the first two options while "losers," such as the wooly mammoth, took the last.
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"Whatever this was, it did not cause the extinctions," Tankersley says. "Rather, this likely caused climate change. And climate change forced this scenario: You can move, downsize or you can go extinct."
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Humans at the time were just as resourceful and intelligent as we are today. If you transported a teenager from 13,000 years ago into the 21st century and gave her jeans, a T-shirt and a Facebook account, she'd blend right in on any college campus. Back in the Younger Dryas, with mammoth off the dinner table, humans were forced to adapt – which they did to great success.
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<a href="http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/2013/3-themammothsl.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/2013/3-themammothsl.jpg" /></a>
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An image of the X-ray diffraction pattern of lonsdaleite, or hexagonal diamond, from Sheriden Cave.
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Weather report: cloudy with a chance of extinction
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That lesson in survivability is one that Tankersley applies to humankind today.
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"Whether we want to admit it or not, we're living right now in a period of very rapid and profound global climate change. We're also living in a time of mass extinction," Tankersley says. "So I would argue that a lot of the lessons for surviving climate change are actually in the past."
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He says it's important to consider a sustainable livelihood. Humans of the Younger Dryas were hunter-gatherers. When catastrophe struck, these humans found news ways and new places to hunt game and gather wild plants. Evidence found in Sheriden Cave shows that most of the plants and animals living there also endured. Of the 70 species known to have lived there before the Younger Dryas, 68 were found there afterward. The two that didn't make it were the giant beaver and the flat-headed peccary, a sharp-toothed pig the size of a black bear.
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Tankersley also cautions that the possibility of another massive cosmic event should not be ignored. Like earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes, these types of natural disasters do happen, and as history has shown, it can be to devastating effect.
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"One additional catastrophic change that we often fail to think about – and it's beyond our control – is something from outer space," Tankersley says. "It's a reminder of how fragile we are. Imagine an explosion that happened today that went across four continents. The human species would go on. But it would be different. It would be a game changer."
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Breaking barriers and working together toward real change
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Tankersley is a member of UC's Quaternary and Anthropocene Research Group (QARG), an interdisciplinary conglomeration of researchers dedicated to undergraduate, graduate and professional education, experience-based learning and research in Quaternary science and study of the Anthropocene. He's proud to be working with his students on projects that, when he was in their shoes, were considered science fiction.
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Collaborative efforts such as QARG help break down long-held barriers between disciplines and further position UC as one of the nation's top public research universities.
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"What's exciting about UC and why our university is producing so much, is we have scientists who are working together and it's this area of overlap that is so interesting," Tankersley says. "There's a real synergy about innovative, transformative, transdisciplinary science and education here. These are the things that really make people take notice. It causes real change in our world."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://phys.org/news/2013-05-mammoth-lament-cosmic-impact-devastating.html">http://phys.org/news/2013-05-mammoth-lament-cosmic-impact-devastating.html</a>
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What an incredible story, right? It's truly amazing to me how much (and yet little!) we understand about geological processes and reactions now-- the fact that we can look at rock and see things like carbon spherules in the first place, let alone understand the necessary conditions which must exist for the spherules to form, I mean...it's just incredible, isn't it? I am so deeply impressed with the reach of human creativity and innovation. Imagination truly knows no limits. And of course, I thank God that He has created such a detailed, intricate world for us to dissect and learn-- I feel like He created enough mysteries that we'll never tire of investigating them :)
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As an end note, I want to express my heartbreak for everyone in Oklahoma and all of those affected by the storms today. I am so sad for everyone and you are all in my prayers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-53713376485354465032013-05-18T11:18:00.001-07:002013-05-18T11:20:43.644-07:00Dismal Swamp trail, sleeping in, and batteriesWell, we decided to finally check out the northern entrance for the Dismal Swamp canal trail. It was alright, I mean it was beautiful scenery. But we weren't a fan of the paved trail-- we're more of "dirt trail" kind of people :) Aubree had a great time, though, and kept stopping to check out plants on the sides of the path.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeX40U_chdvIjaJaRC24YVugfaDEhyFP5eRJOEbmuPStNSa1lBymI5VSh70Ep2uSFTjlkF8TztXycvQrOWGnTzcsbbGKDqguL4Qdi2ExvO3hS6q1PrPP6KrVBP38RQnh2uzjz_RkJUN5c/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.04.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeX40U_chdvIjaJaRC24YVugfaDEhyFP5eRJOEbmuPStNSa1lBymI5VSh70Ep2uSFTjlkF8TztXycvQrOWGnTzcsbbGKDqguL4Qdi2ExvO3hS6q1PrPP6KrVBP38RQnh2uzjz_RkJUN5c/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.04.03+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1H4AfD4uPwh7R1Zsij8mit6vBQ4aueWoy3Lt7wbLxltCnPlCFKJcNrRrSMTWa7AaH6BK_fvY5JHMceFqZJA7VhpSZN4hqvl1slOiHH1DCvTpazIMujT3xnM0AQjpmMsVvRr1jLfCyszM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.04.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1H4AfD4uPwh7R1Zsij8mit6vBQ4aueWoy3Lt7wbLxltCnPlCFKJcNrRrSMTWa7AaH6BK_fvY5JHMceFqZJA7VhpSZN4hqvl1slOiHH1DCvTpazIMujT3xnM0AQjpmMsVvRr1jLfCyszM/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.04.43+PM.png" /></a>
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There was also a bunch of gorgeous plant life and a TON of butterflies! I wasn't able to get a picture of the butterflies, but Aubree loved watching them-- I think it reminded her of the Butterfly Pavilion back in Colorado.
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Here's a flower we came across:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLr81VAVJBmaw8COl645rp9SIuguADKQ2qBhRzKpfxBxwxZdYfrToVhfmeVseWiYt4OQ-LT_WOXeqGb99nGJzmeZ0hz4PQC4asTFDXDJI-4Dm8Z42d44d-GgncFPIUaoFKGLrx-ygUmU/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.02.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLr81VAVJBmaw8COl645rp9SIuguADKQ2qBhRzKpfxBxwxZdYfrToVhfmeVseWiYt4OQ-LT_WOXeqGb99nGJzmeZ0hz4PQC4asTFDXDJI-4Dm8Z42d44d-GgncFPIUaoFKGLrx-ygUmU/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.02.27+PM.png" /></a>
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And a plant with berries
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMTEf7ARitgM5NU2zO81RL57WFTjp8m1W32ocEmqCg9eFroyMK-eQaSsuD-uBlGAioQFj26REMcMUtLaBsYITvGGrrOh16Vhny4uYfOjx5rjv-XYKtDDGByFbn8WSIYf2CB-Lq2uneRM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.05.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMTEf7ARitgM5NU2zO81RL57WFTjp8m1W32ocEmqCg9eFroyMK-eQaSsuD-uBlGAioQFj26REMcMUtLaBsYITvGGrrOh16Vhny4uYfOjx5rjv-XYKtDDGByFbn8WSIYf2CB-Lq2uneRM/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.05.14+PM.png" /></a>
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Yesterday was a very, very, very long and trying day, so I was wiped! Luckily, I have an incredible husband who let me sleep in (until 11:30am! oh, sweet luxury! I haven't done that in...well...since I had Aubree), so here's a picture that he took during their morning together (don't mind the boxes in the background-- we just got a few things for the kitchen):
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0XUX66JFigbgXDnqE_wA50LqoV1FBmZAlDsYCCAI-owbvZd-bMeyp3mRH-fjXcaCIgq1UdvYSUwoZ_wfmhqNJL5WhRuIU9naJsSgwNQjZO9tdBPCaCkCC6DJ2eko5XMugqjg5i4JuP8/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.06.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0XUX66JFigbgXDnqE_wA50LqoV1FBmZAlDsYCCAI-owbvZd-bMeyp3mRH-fjXcaCIgq1UdvYSUwoZ_wfmhqNJL5WhRuIU9naJsSgwNQjZO9tdBPCaCkCC6DJ2eko5XMugqjg5i4JuP8/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+2.06.55+PM.png" /></a>
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And then we did this a couple of weeks ago, but I forgot to share about it-- when we've bought batteries, we always kept them in the opened packs in our junk drawer, so it was kind of tacky-looking and wasted a lot of space. Well, I figured that they'd work a lot better stored in a case of some sort, so we picked up a pencil case from Target and voila! Much nicer!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uCbl_PwEivfdK7kLWaymPP7qVV26iAX5r90MjYtZBl0APUGA9zof0K1QYlfpGqr_cu227xIaImyzZlbUxITE8EfZhLQerp9OVFbqB8yds0UVIjStaNEOqOrG5952vw4LU8vJshvfvEs/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+1.57.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uCbl_PwEivfdK7kLWaymPP7qVV26iAX5r90MjYtZBl0APUGA9zof0K1QYlfpGqr_cu227xIaImyzZlbUxITE8EfZhLQerp9OVFbqB8yds0UVIjStaNEOqOrG5952vw4LU8vJshvfvEs/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+1.57.00+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oYciXBLPZDApx0H3qbyJM9kA4KDM65b9J9T6c1_gOTDSoMQJwpA-L9tojJuV8mCtsj3Ri2Qn2qSTpFWivM53bmySS0PHv1JocqJ_vB1ju5fVu_SqX0VJbJWV9ltHCuPq4gJaaUfGJ_w/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+1.57.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oYciXBLPZDApx0H3qbyJM9kA4KDM65b9J9T6c1_gOTDSoMQJwpA-L9tojJuV8mCtsj3Ri2Qn2qSTpFWivM53bmySS0PHv1JocqJ_vB1ju5fVu_SqX0VJbJWV9ltHCuPq4gJaaUfGJ_w/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+1.57.17+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZEidBni9YxMx6I8A2r2y1etC15D4EMPiiIZ68QTGKVHZ4RhCVCogWQUcVwtnu3eZUTYKb0XyDflTR2b4qSRoFfwsSWif4_bL2GP6yoaOpDExToUfCHd9Sf009_r449TPWUJ6RFYlTTk/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+1.57.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZEidBni9YxMx6I8A2r2y1etC15D4EMPiiIZ68QTGKVHZ4RhCVCogWQUcVwtnu3eZUTYKb0XyDflTR2b4qSRoFfwsSWif4_bL2GP6yoaOpDExToUfCHd9Sf009_r449TPWUJ6RFYlTTk/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-18+at+1.57.38+PM.png" /></a>
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Another simple thing marked off of the check list and organized :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-36077599973707984572013-05-16T15:22:00.000-07:002013-05-16T15:22:20.831-07:00Hanging Aubsie's artworkSo I came across a few pins the other day that showed kids' pictures hung up on a clothesline. I thought it was adorable, but wanted to add a splash of color to the plain jane clothesline. So I braided some rainbow yarn into a thicker sort of "clothesline" to hang and hung up the "A" artwork we've done this week (as I'm sure you can tell, she likes me to help her color :) ). I figure I'll change it out each week as we do a new week with new art. Takes 5 minutes, it's way fun, and it's a great way to liven up our dining area.
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From far away
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1ZtWH0ubGtnZZkkKzxSwFxF1YxbggXV4cj-1jM-yuqtMQt9unlT9_0NMZpM7WJGZpg-KTSp5Djz4C_eL8w_Cjp5T_jC_Hc4g38IihF3BFWoywMrIVZcROHaElpk2aNU065LVPfNAioQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-16+at+6.17.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1ZtWH0ubGtnZZkkKzxSwFxF1YxbggXV4cj-1jM-yuqtMQt9unlT9_0NMZpM7WJGZpg-KTSp5Djz4C_eL8w_Cjp5T_jC_Hc4g38IihF3BFWoywMrIVZcROHaElpk2aNU065LVPfNAioQ/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-16+at+6.17.43+PM.png" /></a>
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And close up to show the colors :)
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQfcz9o8qWx4AuyNdjWZlwsg7oNNIWYX6DA9QWrP1QgLee-YdQBbe_ZkFTMeDqvlBklZaWLrYjF-VU-_vbAEAHCyIwH2AVzoRtBwVfBYLPOEza0JBlKn-es4fTUta58SyYAGqOd1laNYw/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-16+at+6.17.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQfcz9o8qWx4AuyNdjWZlwsg7oNNIWYX6DA9QWrP1QgLee-YdQBbe_ZkFTMeDqvlBklZaWLrYjF-VU-_vbAEAHCyIwH2AVzoRtBwVfBYLPOEza0JBlKn-es4fTUta58SyYAGqOd1laNYw/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-16+at+6.17.56+PM.png" /></a>
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Fun stuff! I'm so thrilled to have her drawings up :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-88929130108048966642013-05-15T13:02:00.000-07:002013-05-15T13:15:29.908-07:00Hiking at Stumpy LakeWe went hiking the other day at Stumpy Lake park-- it's GORGEOUS out there, but Aubree got a little grumpy on the hike. We ended up having to let her tantrum it out for a few minutes, then she walked over to us when she was calmed down and ready to keep going. She's pretty good about calming herself down as long as we give her the chance to get her emotions out. Aaaaanyways, here are some pictures!
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There were a TON of lichens on the trees-- it was SO cool!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIjuWb08HQOc204xJiXPEx-coUFooyuOQ9qTmQZM29F3B4w6oosZKP8yd3tbM1tNPxZJb4y08jmYZdfuu_umAv-IRefhpNGHIQCT028L__2oA6_Zz5dF0gMfPoe95CYJzs3grdkGLbv0/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.39.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIjuWb08HQOc204xJiXPEx-coUFooyuOQ9qTmQZM29F3B4w6oosZKP8yd3tbM1tNPxZJb4y08jmYZdfuu_umAv-IRefhpNGHIQCT028L__2oA6_Zz5dF0gMfPoe95CYJzs3grdkGLbv0/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.39.14+PM.png" /></a>
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We went right up to the edge of the water in the swamp. We were watching this critter splash around for a little while, thinking that it was a turtle, when its tail flew up in the air while it was swimming-- it was a water moccasin! Eek! We high-tailed it out of there, back to the trail!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5RVuvmgsGl_RPHW6Ut5atY0hfDEb37NCmgFcbSVe2KZut3qwgP9q7Pm3Vo55PYe0PgoxFPWbYqcKJw94RIkeOGmbKrBwrOYytiEvGEJFERouQPhOynJqcHySxe9CqJniW-5TLsStD74/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.39.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5RVuvmgsGl_RPHW6Ut5atY0hfDEb37NCmgFcbSVe2KZut3qwgP9q7Pm3Vo55PYe0PgoxFPWbYqcKJw94RIkeOGmbKrBwrOYytiEvGEJFERouQPhOynJqcHySxe9CqJniW-5TLsStD74/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.39.27+PM.png" /></a>
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A picture of Scott on the trail
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdx6miXJSLzydaIBMLDksY9LJgh3SjFYiCIw6g7YyrvNdYCqda_dFHccgfDc5WWdpyMSqsQFgCLI5wl0ZD_-KkpgBJuwCW3i9eJOOU9C5IsWbKYg5U69gWpQRfRqYrq4HnCTWTjMEaWM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.39.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdx6miXJSLzydaIBMLDksY9LJgh3SjFYiCIw6g7YyrvNdYCqda_dFHccgfDc5WWdpyMSqsQFgCLI5wl0ZD_-KkpgBJuwCW3i9eJOOU9C5IsWbKYg5U69gWpQRfRqYrq4HnCTWTjMEaWM/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.39.40+PM.png" /></a>
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A cool shot of a tree-- there were a bunch of vines on trees too. Everything was just SO green!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jit675ZnVZuAB87U63mrp7vBmrAvrKOHUo1qb0zertDlOOXyHQKzVrUyvBHNK4fCHFe8XYIJZjOrZblQg8WXprFvoQ3WROWyrpce8To73Sf0k0FeSSFdVBH_NPv2BhXMhodAQc_Dl9E/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.39.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jit675ZnVZuAB87U63mrp7vBmrAvrKOHUo1qb0zertDlOOXyHQKzVrUyvBHNK4fCHFe8XYIJZjOrZblQg8WXprFvoQ3WROWyrpce8To73Sf0k0FeSSFdVBH_NPv2BhXMhodAQc_Dl9E/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.39.51+PM.png" /></a>
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I made a hiking nomenclature card set on a ring, so that Aubree and I could identify things as they came. It has animals (divided into mammals, insects, and other), plants, and miscellaneous "parts of the trail" like bridge, rock, stream, etc. Aubree LOVED it-- she pointed to the card and babbled whenever I identified something.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtax6F3C6ij26__wNe1AfWNDOOtiTzr_58E9QnyrJYa-fLehVqun_-Nfy3hcMxKIXvvBAsRd-Nl63JDWDHzhXEBtSrf1a_Cwe1Vs8hNyQ2hj7vBPWbfqs-pNiJeTPzcTG3PhBNdhGyogU/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.40.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtax6F3C6ij26__wNe1AfWNDOOtiTzr_58E9QnyrJYa-fLehVqun_-Nfy3hcMxKIXvvBAsRd-Nl63JDWDHzhXEBtSrf1a_Cwe1Vs8hNyQ2hj7vBPWbfqs-pNiJeTPzcTG3PhBNdhGyogU/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.40.15+PM.png" /></a>
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And a great shot of Scott and Aubree together :) I am so incredibly blessed with these two.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY48WgZZIJufV03VDd2_YoGNjMkuDQibtsP9N2lxaiubj4DtEcEuflMhO6qV8y7q37A7QfDAlAZSQtwUOAs4pvE2bT2yqqEtFAQgsf51uBS_hMoXYksTyTe9mRcoS3ckX_kH1tlThVTqI/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.40.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY48WgZZIJufV03VDd2_YoGNjMkuDQibtsP9N2lxaiubj4DtEcEuflMhO6qV8y7q37A7QfDAlAZSQtwUOAs4pvE2bT2yqqEtFAQgsf51uBS_hMoXYksTyTe9mRcoS3ckX_kH1tlThVTqI/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+3.40.27+PM.png" /></a>
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It was an awesome trail, but we'll definitely make sure that it didn't rain earlier in the day next time that we go-- it was muddy and swampy like nobody's business! But yeah, beautiful wildlife :)
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If anyone's interested, here are some pictures of the hiking nomenclature cards-- I made them in Microsoft Word, laminated them, cut them out, hole-punched them, and put them on a ring, so they're really easy to clip onto the backpack and bring with us. I can email the file to anyone who's interested, so shoot me a comment or a message on Facebook if you want a copy. They are all species and animals that are native to our area (southeastern Virginia), but most of them (deer, picnic table, trail, crow, etc.) are pretty universal.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNzDGi7J94csAUu5l7dpP7FHPzPAt13u7GVdtsFG9SASlaJwRf5mL194x7l6eVcl5Hf7NcarxjcU_uTxCn9eymjBISjR-emMFrWKKfp8ieJaViER0uF0RgQRtpFrkc6v2uqSVKKa_oig/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNzDGi7J94csAUu5l7dpP7FHPzPAt13u7GVdtsFG9SASlaJwRf5mL194x7l6eVcl5Hf7NcarxjcU_uTxCn9eymjBISjR-emMFrWKKfp8ieJaViER0uF0RgQRtpFrkc6v2uqSVKKa_oig/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.02+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvqwsHmR5p9yzB3vKCcQqfdhJVnK48lUK2hsCy9hPFa7jny0NA3yIQVadi1ftmghl9AAM05WtaGCWHKMS_dlFpTMcypjFGntCak31r4AyVZl8NOyRt1DrWNncqWU06qCbU2aM1FtKIyo/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvqwsHmR5p9yzB3vKCcQqfdhJVnK48lUK2hsCy9hPFa7jny0NA3yIQVadi1ftmghl9AAM05WtaGCWHKMS_dlFpTMcypjFGntCak31r4AyVZl8NOyRt1DrWNncqWU06qCbU2aM1FtKIyo/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.21+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIh-xLE7hzovRiD9YoEVxeQ5G_x6S0WC_g4NuiWLk3nS00rOiTM-vuH4A9heUJcLmQhkwytR_4MM0AyEEY3nQ21HGdgvCtUubSnWc3HyvpGatIDVDU5IgQzRWK07TpFBLPE2DTL8_RX4M/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIh-xLE7hzovRiD9YoEVxeQ5G_x6S0WC_g4NuiWLk3nS00rOiTM-vuH4A9heUJcLmQhkwytR_4MM0AyEEY3nQ21HGdgvCtUubSnWc3HyvpGatIDVDU5IgQzRWK07TpFBLPE2DTL8_RX4M/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.33+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhak9wc4df2001byFjd_HM870P_BDf40uc27OqP19nFaQXXmcHJXEPaRHkwriIwNksN0J-yVNvU3N3zu1H0FLyaMyXwLWco5JzfKKqKlq_7BL0Es84FWzJnjpwoSFgXtRvMmIQRdnkuD1w/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhak9wc4df2001byFjd_HM870P_BDf40uc27OqP19nFaQXXmcHJXEPaRHkwriIwNksN0J-yVNvU3N3zu1H0FLyaMyXwLWco5JzfKKqKlq_7BL0Es84FWzJnjpwoSFgXtRvMmIQRdnkuD1w/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.46+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrig1z0-VHQ5Jbgq25nDcUQj2Ly8r5wUKbMTRhOInAk-fuayQ8ounrY8Qds75YmbIFIyApXxYQolP45wfmUA7xxDEuwxWLPitK_kwZTSnHDCj8yD_nmPPQBktx_hixzkHr9WW_AdTJFA/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrig1z0-VHQ5Jbgq25nDcUQj2Ly8r5wUKbMTRhOInAk-fuayQ8ounrY8Qds75YmbIFIyApXxYQolP45wfmUA7xxDEuwxWLPitK_kwZTSnHDCj8yD_nmPPQBktx_hixzkHr9WW_AdTJFA/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.10.59+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUajBqCrZ06dCg_4Yzz-7x7fTbelyy-SIajcENL4QLidwMAToTN2IqQWX1UcMjm_5mfp06CfKvCwZZsrPMxz_YWddmIxg5_CJKwXgK7B6lGd0UXpyuvP-fYVL9tXNDSMAEUljx8JmAZZw/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.11.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUajBqCrZ06dCg_4Yzz-7x7fTbelyy-SIajcENL4QLidwMAToTN2IqQWX1UcMjm_5mfp06CfKvCwZZsrPMxz_YWddmIxg5_CJKwXgK7B6lGd0UXpyuvP-fYVL9tXNDSMAEUljx8JmAZZw/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.11.10+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXLvYXAYwPjYPPWciuoPgAu6pkWimFUzIqWt1BvwbmuxpWzq8TFpBHVCU7ij_JkFDASuKSFG2XB82eA6GKKEKIjhp-MwYrGmwbuKuNRFrbvAP3rf2huslfniQ9QZpCaCS22TfnRODl64/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.11.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXLvYXAYwPjYPPWciuoPgAu6pkWimFUzIqWt1BvwbmuxpWzq8TFpBHVCU7ij_JkFDASuKSFG2XB82eA6GKKEKIjhp-MwYrGmwbuKuNRFrbvAP3rf2huslfniQ9QZpCaCS22TfnRODl64/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.11.21+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4RFQNA1Z-h5ZlDPHyXK5W5Qq0m1O5QX4PRbXw8oqL9HqBM5gd20A9kWS5QAbC1qVh_XATUHuEXspjzAUukyX4vFZ1pp1znglB7FbahbLpcxntBrmfxBLmpC575JCZsA-3YDsm1lKuXc/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.11.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4RFQNA1Z-h5ZlDPHyXK5W5Qq0m1O5QX4PRbXw8oqL9HqBM5gd20A9kWS5QAbC1qVh_XATUHuEXspjzAUukyX4vFZ1pp1znglB7FbahbLpcxntBrmfxBLmpC575JCZsA-3YDsm1lKuXc/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.11.31+PM.png" /></a>
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I forgot to take pictures, but there are dividers between "Animals", "Plants", and "Miscellaneous". Helps us navigate them quickly. And also, we tried to use some of our own pictures for the cards :)
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmhc9GlzitpbbzkLAvzkFhch5X0XZLMv49244OV22KycNylQvrYHi6r8-BKnpHeA87pDUwWp9UTU0mb2GjpyQwOmArzFmdjNYcoI-y7uiPT4vzTpKHqPkSTXHsI46usaqna82oPAUhOo/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.11.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmhc9GlzitpbbzkLAvzkFhch5X0XZLMv49244OV22KycNylQvrYHi6r8-BKnpHeA87pDUwWp9UTU0mb2GjpyQwOmArzFmdjNYcoI-y7uiPT4vzTpKHqPkSTXHsI46usaqna82oPAUhOo/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-15+at+4.11.42+PM.png" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-61604820111685472202013-05-11T17:21:00.000-07:002013-05-11T17:21:27.767-07:00Table and felt boardSo we finally got Aubs her own table to work at and she is OBSESSED with the chairs. She is always moving them around, climbing into them, tipping them over, etc.
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Pictures of the Baubster in action.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJ0Kr6JSQSkt-qRtAo25YZACU1VUlnxmXrw9LKdUHgYwp_0NhAa4AbJWSBqwi-BRsE3fJuMjoa8COwgS69gXtTlPsD5o937Fw3-D3Qx2ckUTeYVX8qSLB4KEbZF6y6X3unYFxKUOmgZ8/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.05.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJ0Kr6JSQSkt-qRtAo25YZACU1VUlnxmXrw9LKdUHgYwp_0NhAa4AbJWSBqwi-BRsE3fJuMjoa8COwgS69gXtTlPsD5o937Fw3-D3Qx2ckUTeYVX8qSLB4KEbZF6y6X3unYFxKUOmgZ8/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.05.20+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLfmd9WYsthoSEJYaqgJWyvWxhLNWjjDaKZ5aBbffeKAzMY8MBZRyRt1jkjY4P4eww9xxSqjbfMWs4AfMEOhrMICXFVONbGhsOnYf6QRkBY61B3tgVGhITf1yYqRtLW5KfCpIrNLs_zc/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.05.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLfmd9WYsthoSEJYaqgJWyvWxhLNWjjDaKZ5aBbffeKAzMY8MBZRyRt1jkjY4P4eww9xxSqjbfMWs4AfMEOhrMICXFVONbGhsOnYf6QRkBY61B3tgVGhITf1yYqRtLW5KfCpIrNLs_zc/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.05.29+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1Agf4gwDXbgo_pFefI4w_u97xQ_sPjQb3sj3gjzyminr_dmzTb3RB1wnAe_438W6_d6fX-IqKn6sYMjoPotFCbtJb7ww28fhEiSwAlDrTq5o0n0lN3nPbR_YdlbkL-RUrYpJggmJ-Ao/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.05.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1Agf4gwDXbgo_pFefI4w_u97xQ_sPjQb3sj3gjzyminr_dmzTb3RB1wnAe_438W6_d6fX-IqKn6sYMjoPotFCbtJb7ww28fhEiSwAlDrTq5o0n0lN3nPbR_YdlbkL-RUrYpJggmJ-Ao/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.05.46+PM.png" /></a>
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We also got her a felt board with a set of farm felt figures-- the sets are only ten bucks, so it's not too hard to acquire a few of them :) Baubs loves stickers, so this is a great alternative that WON'T stick to our furniture haha. I'm actually going to permanently convert a cork board to a flannel board, but for now, we just push the fridge magnets up and use the fridge. Works great and she was thrilled.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zW7zYdhf5xjYBnggF5CkFQvj_Zh3SKZHzywyvK26KF5M5AOlwlkUDZB85phyphenhyphencedYkoWIgphiP6AAkvp84JGp-6mXEG8V6molVvJ7wWD5hT90im5j3jLckP_6-dKhJSffGthkfRQwvOM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.03.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zW7zYdhf5xjYBnggF5CkFQvj_Zh3SKZHzywyvK26KF5M5AOlwlkUDZB85phyphenhyphencedYkoWIgphiP6AAkvp84JGp-6mXEG8V6molVvJ7wWD5hT90im5j3jLckP_6-dKhJSffGthkfRQwvOM/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.03.17+PM.png" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqCeg6t4IVVAFOMvJRewoyxZfqyPIuUcvLnNdV1Bl6cVnj9o-pO_4yUgy7f_dlIeqbA46oCCI18akWfsNypLARkWeKI4DwYbib_kfwcMdFDyq_zfWUP9HVh0OraDweKu93XagesNL8nI/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.04.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqCeg6t4IVVAFOMvJRewoyxZfqyPIuUcvLnNdV1Bl6cVnj9o-pO_4yUgy7f_dlIeqbA46oCCI18akWfsNypLARkWeKI4DwYbib_kfwcMdFDyq_zfWUP9HVh0OraDweKu93XagesNL8nI/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-11+at+8.04.46+PM.png" /></a>
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Another fun day :) Mother's Day tomorrow (not sure what we're doing! I guess it's a surprise?), then we'll start A week on Monday, so I'll post pictures of stuff as we do it. Should be awesome!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-62446048203110806702013-05-11T08:34:00.001-07:002013-05-11T08:34:27.669-07:00Rainbow vinegar, spaghetti bread, paddleboating, and card organizationSo I've been pretty bad about posting, so this post is kind of a catch-all.
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A while back, I came across <a href="http://www.playathomemomllc.com/2012/08/baking-soda-and-vinegar-compilation.html">this</a>.
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I knew that I had to wait until Aubree had the dexterity to handle a squirt bottle and the comprehension to follow guidance and participate, so I just set it up the other day-- she's now 18 months, so I feel that she's ready to progress to the next "step" of guided activities.
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Sorry for the terrible quality of the pictures! I forgot to charge my camera beforehand, so I had to use my phone. I took her sensory bin and spread baking soda around in it. Then I took squirt bottles, filled them with some vinegar, and added a few drops of liquid water color to each bottle. Then I let Aubs squirt the bottles into the baking soda and watch the reactions!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63FgtyCSBHk6OzZYUR8i3KbJ0zjmJk-6TeTfyvko4d3m7hyiv4zE9OT_nh1YV0eVE5-xDPop05FLPi0ly5LpQy_MuF-uobAG7YY3QTgIvU29biZMN1YdGgsAKlJcRXsfNZ1oBpbI79DI/s1600/947025_10151434275561172_2018246955_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63FgtyCSBHk6OzZYUR8i3KbJ0zjmJk-6TeTfyvko4d3m7hyiv4zE9OT_nh1YV0eVE5-xDPop05FLPi0ly5LpQy_MuF-uobAG7YY3QTgIvU29biZMN1YdGgsAKlJcRXsfNZ1oBpbI79DI/s320/947025_10151434275561172_2018246955_n.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpHR-LSaXjuI_DJrjRXcX4xxrmahLBoVg0bka43Q9JxJZGpAZgZUHTE55j3jANo70GdiZxQdkfhyoGsmng8NOyYJgLbIQbtz6eurm2RjnwegOzQQMDmscIDNrgZlZjwfrc4ZVTdKj2LE/s1600/264432_10151434275586172_386917479_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpHR-LSaXjuI_DJrjRXcX4xxrmahLBoVg0bka43Q9JxJZGpAZgZUHTE55j3jANo70GdiZxQdkfhyoGsmng8NOyYJgLbIQbtz6eurm2RjnwegOzQQMDmscIDNrgZlZjwfrc4ZVTdKj2LE/s320/264432_10151434275586172_386917479_n.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfSIbBeEaST1gyNzZ5oU9_21pjEqiO0vaUJ73t57ytp6nGBI43GhKgazNVx22o8fzCp4DS4c6nIlLkFnzOdhvHs3vIKKOOLtg3FAVRmsYFCbUlsAgV_6b9npN63_OE5qj3vm1x_ETjXw/s1600/601683_10151434275646172_1560843965_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfSIbBeEaST1gyNzZ5oU9_21pjEqiO0vaUJ73t57ytp6nGBI43GhKgazNVx22o8fzCp4DS4c6nIlLkFnzOdhvHs3vIKKOOLtg3FAVRmsYFCbUlsAgV_6b9npN63_OE5qj3vm1x_ETjXw/s320/601683_10151434275646172_1560843965_n.jpg" /></a>
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Then a few friends of mine had been sharing <a href="http://www.rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/braided-spaghetti-bread">this</a>. I thought it looked deliiiiicious, so I went ahead and made it. SO easy and it turned out great!
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We took a two person serving of spaghetti, cooked it, mixed it with tomato sauce (not TOO much-- just enough to coat and give a bit of color) and three sausages worth of cooked Italian sausage, and set that aside. Took a frozen loaf of bread, thawed it (takes 2ish hours-- hint: do this on a smooth surface, like glass or something; much easier to pry sticky dough off of), rolled it into a flat rectangle (about 12 x 18 in), then topped it with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then I spooned the spaghetti mixture into the center of the rectangle length-wise. I kept the spaghetti wall about 4 in thick, so that I'd have plenty of room to weave over it. Then I sliced the dough sides every 1 - 1.5 in and wove it piece-by-piece to make a sort of "braided" loaf. Then I brushed the top with egg white, dusted it with garlic powder and rosemary, and baked it at 350 for 30 min.
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Here's the finished product:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxppR6YJ6RqqCTuAT3ePtFZJLaSsv91lJHOVDlXFg-RVbaD-01Yrd0dmrE-LRgREIGyRrqaohENCYxvnM25TMg9DQ34PGjUK1CorreJZ-Wejyrd0UeOIz_2AcKVwTlheCuwxzbexS1Ss/s1600/428439_10151444689646172_218168097_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxppR6YJ6RqqCTuAT3ePtFZJLaSsv91lJHOVDlXFg-RVbaD-01Yrd0dmrE-LRgREIGyRrqaohENCYxvnM25TMg9DQ34PGjUK1CorreJZ-Wejyrd0UeOIz_2AcKVwTlheCuwxzbexS1Ss/s320/428439_10151444689646172_218168097_n.jpg" /></a>
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And the deliiiicious inside :)
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-y4OjAV-fzl1-k2dwCSkIqjq1L9HwzJdI2BFYudjk6x3sgKLHeAm8PioLy8gcjll8CSBwFu33cClHfwBR4ygjKDYx6z1oN-TRJCP53Znh02hKopkEkt4VUnRE3lFAIDER1zoQe_z5YTQ/s1600/7756_10151444689641172_1306249029_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-y4OjAV-fzl1-k2dwCSkIqjq1L9HwzJdI2BFYudjk6x3sgKLHeAm8PioLy8gcjll8CSBwFu33cClHfwBR4ygjKDYx6z1oN-TRJCP53Znh02hKopkEkt4VUnRE3lFAIDER1zoQe_z5YTQ/s320/7756_10151444689641172_1306249029_n.jpg" /></a>
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Then we went paddleboating as a family-- SUPER fun! We went over to Northwest River Park and went down the the very end of the creek-- it was a good couple of miles. Our legs were definitely feeling it by the end, but it was SUCH a blast. Aubree's first time on a boat, too!
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All of us together
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNYITgkIbHnYEdpbep7GlBW6yya814BLrRWGIUu_aOlMoeH5PAr7rbMhZYtY6C-s_hg9xcMpgXV6hXbGX4lzg2LmKIfJmKKKxUMmvcQb1ojytNtlRMi7_-hBQknGNIlcBUbPd4daV_yk/s1600/933878_10151447373596172_1285301222_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNYITgkIbHnYEdpbep7GlBW6yya814BLrRWGIUu_aOlMoeH5PAr7rbMhZYtY6C-s_hg9xcMpgXV6hXbGX4lzg2LmKIfJmKKKxUMmvcQb1ojytNtlRMi7_-hBQknGNIlcBUbPd4daV_yk/s320/933878_10151447373596172_1285301222_n.jpg" /></a>
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It was gorgeous!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1tUzsBFh02FyBKeEmu_6eFaoPb7l5HNfYhXa8ZO6KgcrgVFGNUX3Jkos4iLs71wUzC5mYkWA0PtQaZ8-K08Iq0TZrpDb32trobDTeHNn04FHbglrZwbM0tNVhxPfz-Rz9OZZUJELqx4/s1600/935124_10151447373641172_254731113_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1tUzsBFh02FyBKeEmu_6eFaoPb7l5HNfYhXa8ZO6KgcrgVFGNUX3Jkos4iLs71wUzC5mYkWA0PtQaZ8-K08Iq0TZrpDb32trobDTeHNn04FHbglrZwbM0tNVhxPfz-Rz9OZZUJELqx4/s320/935124_10151447373641172_254731113_n.jpg" /></a>
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We went under low-lying branches so that Aubree could play with the leaves :)
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_u2ymSd21NmDUKMz-9SGKd2wW3dup_bF7-9sHhYUgwIYTv4pLlgRyXRBURkP8QK6rhoW0Xzvhd48Q0Rv7KJul3DbQ0s9_LHmG5QiJjoVt1mvT6KjUFj7HXdsRXPA52mGs_VUK5kVkvbc/s1600/249086_10151447373611172_851246892_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_u2ymSd21NmDUKMz-9SGKd2wW3dup_bF7-9sHhYUgwIYTv4pLlgRyXRBURkP8QK6rhoW0Xzvhd48Q0Rv7KJul3DbQ0s9_LHmG5QiJjoVt1mvT6KjUFj7HXdsRXPA52mGs_VUK5kVkvbc/s320/249086_10151447373611172_851246892_n.jpg" /></a>
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Then that night, I figured I'd organize our cards. I had pinned <a href="http://www.kayladanelle.com/2012/06/keeping-your-cards.html">this</a>. I'm not very sentimental, but my husband is and he keeps every card he (now we) receives. So we had been hoarding cards in this big pile in a cardboard box-- attractive, right? Plus Scott (that's my husband) loves to go through them and reread them, so it's a pain to sort through a big stack. This system was WAY more efficient!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDu_OZ47CvSiKiXmdmWaxOYZXI08zevxfw_cYydRtwFVZBwPMYaaHai13Tc3tbjzOFjeX9kqjxih1H-zYyORV-C1pcQ_okCHy0Nx0XjaUbTk7gAYiu63lX4F_F3o94VotW9sjQJytxRGo/s1600/935590_10151447374811172_366782932_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDu_OZ47CvSiKiXmdmWaxOYZXI08zevxfw_cYydRtwFVZBwPMYaaHai13Tc3tbjzOFjeX9kqjxih1H-zYyORV-C1pcQ_okCHy0Nx0XjaUbTk7gAYiu63lX4F_F3o94VotW9sjQJytxRGo/s320/935590_10151447374811172_366782932_n.jpg" /></a>
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And then an idea of how it works, closer up
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVov2dC1ktS0YaCyCpni6iZ2f12jUvDvPgd-gJJnikJEya82SyTNgCc05meOp1_RKAGvydCG5pHwznhav1BaPDW7PhXOUr2B70O1-n-Bptsk4iMLuAvYEw9Ixrd4siWkCHw2Hm0Kjvtyo/s1600/943015_10151447374926172_1020332878_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVov2dC1ktS0YaCyCpni6iZ2f12jUvDvPgd-gJJnikJEya82SyTNgCc05meOp1_RKAGvydCG5pHwznhav1BaPDW7PhXOUr2B70O1-n-Bptsk4iMLuAvYEw9Ixrd4siWkCHw2Hm0Kjvtyo/s320/943015_10151447374926172_1020332878_n.jpg" /></a>
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It turned out wonderfully! I also did another category-- Deployment Cards. The cards that my husband got while he was on deployment. They're primarily from me, but there are a few from other folks in there too. We figured that this would be a GREAT way for him to bring them with him next deployment-- saves space (goodness knows that those lockers on the ships don't have much room in them), keeps it organized, etc. He was thrilled :)
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That's all that I can think of for now-- most of our activities since then, I haven't been taking pictures of. I've been pretty bad about charging the camera lol. Oh! I did make some nomenclature cards and coloring pages:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5NCwKVIGin8JXDPqwHjdihSV2UwSN3r0rxBZxuFzivdi6ys6T9MSB3WeZkL5pq0BnoiyFFN3SWk9mR0Bp-W1pfhqSyPTg1LoCW5tc7VnyOOmFHLOUje6YOBFXsjgfr9GMUx1CI-d7VI/s1600/253255_10151442113156172_1288413529_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5NCwKVIGin8JXDPqwHjdihSV2UwSN3r0rxBZxuFzivdi6ys6T9MSB3WeZkL5pq0BnoiyFFN3SWk9mR0Bp-W1pfhqSyPTg1LoCW5tc7VnyOOmFHLOUje6YOBFXsjgfr9GMUx1CI-d7VI/s320/253255_10151442113156172_1288413529_n.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWket7c8BO9ZcJngsYQcDi8oeHrOlLznF74oY8rtXxUMjWyNQwU7nd6FU3msMDAx-y-DZn4ZIyn-iHdkTdcexGuN13sa2Uy5lxvze7f9UmC5_XW4tQKtqzyUVgQCObfLngBT2Q5v5al2k/s1600/482413_10151442113151172_1148154570_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWket7c8BO9ZcJngsYQcDi8oeHrOlLznF74oY8rtXxUMjWyNQwU7nd6FU3msMDAx-y-DZn4ZIyn-iHdkTdcexGuN13sa2Uy5lxvze7f9UmC5_XW4tQKtqzyUVgQCObfLngBT2Q5v5al2k/s320/482413_10151442113151172_1148154570_n.jpg" /></a>
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This week was a failed start to "A" week haha! I only did two days of "A" activities. So I'll be doing "A" week again this coming week. I just need to make sure that I stick with it and find fun things to do with "A"s. <a href="http://www.letteroftheweek.com/letterA.html">Letter of the week</a> is an AWESOME resource for that, so that's what I'll be using as a basic skeleton. I'll be changing stuff out, supplementing, and creating my own activities, but Letter of the Week really is a great source.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-60088762786944395772013-05-01T18:54:00.002-07:002013-05-01T19:02:49.394-07:00Arterial glue mimics mussel secretionsHow AWESOME is this?? So scientists had this issue with trying to "cap" plaque in the arteries-- the gel that they were using kept washing away because of the rapid, continuous blood flow through the artery. Well, they said, "Hey, you know, marine mollusks like mussels have to function with constant, powerful waves breaking on their surfaces-- what if we try to mimic those chemical compounds to create an arterial gel to solve our problems?" And so they did! And it works! Science is so amazing!
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<blockquote>A problem with effective delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs to targets inside blood vessels is how to keep those drugs from being washed away by the rapid rate of blood flow. Gluing them in situ is the solution offered by Christian Kastrup of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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The glue, or hydrogel to be precise, is a synthetic material that mimics the qualities of marine mussels’ adhesive secretions. “We thought, well, if marine mussels can stick so well [to rocks] even with waves crashing over them, maybe that chemistry could be used inside blood vessels,” says Kastrup.
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The gel was mixed with a curing agent, delivered to the walls of mouse arteries through nonstick Teflon catheters, and then allowed to cure before catheters were removed, in order to prevent the vessels from sticking shut. The gel did not cause any blockages or blood clots, and didn’t get washed away—it was still in place 4 months later.
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The team showed that by incorporating an anti-inflammatory drug, the gel could be used to reduce local inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques in mice. And Robert Levy, a cardiovascular researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, suggests that the gel might also be good for delivering drugs during balloon angioplasties—a procedure that inflates a balloon inside a narrowed artery to compress plaque deposits and improve flow. “The companies that make the current drug-coated balloons know that 95 percent of the drug is washed away . . . so the technology really needs major improvements,” he says. “A coating like the one described [by Kastrup] would be one of strong interest.”
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlJM8XodZsX2oOusiVayMJOyKjNpCleSI4BPYj3wrpLKpC7iBkJv4gDVsYTQr-V8s_Fsm4dwcvpo1UsQZOkm27sr0_V2QaiNnnGbBa-E86BilVcFk2SniLNr1UvF8779JzcTNyg_x-4Y/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-01+at+9.57.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlJM8XodZsX2oOusiVayMJOyKjNpCleSI4BPYj3wrpLKpC7iBkJv4gDVsYTQr-V8s_Fsm4dwcvpo1UsQZOkm27sr0_V2QaiNnnGbBa-E86BilVcFk2SniLNr1UvF8779JzcTNyg_x-4Y/s320/Screen+shot+2013-05-01+at+9.57.38+PM.png" /></a></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34766/title/Mimicking-Mussels/">Mimicking Mussels - The Scientist Magazine</a>
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<a href="http://www.the-scientist.com/images/April2013/04_13_MO_MimickingMussels_640px.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://www.the-scientist.com/images/April2013/04_13_MO_MimickingMussels_640px.jpg" /></a>
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<font size="2">Credit for image goes to The Scientist Magazine.</font>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-5966229825034561252013-04-16T08:21:00.003-07:002013-04-16T08:21:48.140-07:00Corndog muffins and rainbow pancakesSo I originally saw the idea for corndog muffins <a href="http://www.nceasyfood.org/how-to-to-make-your-food-taste-awesome/">here</a> So I used one box and four hot dogs for 12 muffins. I cut the hot dog into thirds, stuck one piece in each muffin tin, then poured cornbread mix over it. If you want the hotdogs not to be partially covered (which would be prettier), then go ahead and put the hot dogs in AFTER you pour the mix into the muffin tins. Or if you want it to look more like the picture in the original link, you can either cut the hot dog into fourths or use two boxes of mix. Personally, I liked the proportion of hot dog to corn bread, so I'll make it the same way next time :)
Here's how they turned out. (1 box of Jiffy mix + 1/3 cup of milk + 1 egg, baked for 15 min)
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jT-T43S743JmRbYLrogB1RB0wK2xt9HJqogNHXO_o_NwkK5etWU5WCI7WW8cuJ_zghb0XDw1Nm_BaaOq2s8UYA266q4CrA408QhudDIstW_fhjasTRmf9io2HyrUxKuYvQ3SxeYF-ww/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-16+at+11.10.21+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jT-T43S743JmRbYLrogB1RB0wK2xt9HJqogNHXO_o_NwkK5etWU5WCI7WW8cuJ_zghb0XDw1Nm_BaaOq2s8UYA266q4CrA408QhudDIstW_fhjasTRmf9io2HyrUxKuYvQ3SxeYF-ww/s320/Screen+shot+2013-04-16+at+11.10.21+AM.png" /></a>
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I made the corndog muffins yesterday, then today we had rainbow pancakes. These were so easy! I mixed instant pancake mix in a big bowl, then divided it into six containers. I used food coloring to make the mix pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, each in their own containers. Then I drizzled each color into a frying pan (over medium heat) to make rainbow pancakes!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyBkz7TdVHgPNR33J6ZFRww5HGl6kDYtFeaFA_0cpwZW6rsMlmHQ9Ra7WUjuSUhzHG91CoA-7r1m7LHrZXrDKT337QFD3qfvJdL_SugBRXUuI6dxQErEfKIdrYO77HZ87XPjRI41rnVQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-16+at+11.04.04+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyBkz7TdVHgPNR33J6ZFRww5HGl6kDYtFeaFA_0cpwZW6rsMlmHQ9Ra7WUjuSUhzHG91CoA-7r1m7LHrZXrDKT337QFD3qfvJdL_SugBRXUuI6dxQErEfKIdrYO77HZ87XPjRI41rnVQ/s320/Screen+shot+2013-04-16+at+11.04.04+AM.png" /></a>
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Cut up for the Aubster
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWXsaYDZgHGSLWN9RYG9M0g926M1-95xnPYrt701NKQy1NNHQMsm8GZvi0pvDi7-HWOuMxNGUrYaN9KStbzjx4V_ob3_fp9M5XTG9MxkHgqpsLMAdMa6w1lMZN4dOuZvwrMr4HjSQtl4/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-16+at+11.05.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWXsaYDZgHGSLWN9RYG9M0g926M1-95xnPYrt701NKQy1NNHQMsm8GZvi0pvDi7-HWOuMxNGUrYaN9KStbzjx4V_ob3_fp9M5XTG9MxkHgqpsLMAdMa6w1lMZN4dOuZvwrMr4HjSQtl4/s320/Screen+shot+2013-04-16+at+11.05.38+AM.png" /></a>
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I forgot to get pictures of her actually eating it-- my bad. But the colors were definitely a hit :) She kept grinning when she was eating them. Success!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-74052636466254493772013-04-14T12:08:00.003-07:002013-04-14T12:11:39.889-07:00West Neck Creek trailWe couldn't bear to stay inside on such a beautiful day, so we headed to the local West Neck Creek park and went hiking :)
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Aubs decided to wander off into the woods...</div>
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And then led us on to the trail!<br />
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Fearless leader!</div>
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Even explorers get tired! Time to hitch a ride with Mommy.<br />
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We headed home, where she wanted to play with the rocks and line them up<br />
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I love her little dress :) We picked it up when we were visiting family back in Colorado and it's so bright and cheerful! She has really been digging these Teva sandals, too. They're perfect for her "off-roading" haha!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-57070698568327701742013-04-13T14:56:00.003-07:002013-04-13T16:16:04.034-07:00First OBX trip of the seasonAt the end of last summer, we discovered the Outer Banks (abbreviated OBX), an awesome beachy strip of land about an hour and a half south of us. It was the very end of the season, so we only got a few trips in, but this year we are determined to go at least 10 or 15 times. There are AWESOME beaches, trails, parks, and mini-golf courses, which we are psyched to check out. We were actually heading to a local park, but saw the signs for the OBX and said, "What the heck?" and drove down there instead :) We love spontaneity! We always have a full diaper bag with snacks, water bottles, sandals, sunscreen, etc., so we're always ready for a surprise trip to hiking trails or the beach. We went to Jockey's Ridge State Park which, though dried up this early in the season, was still fun as a sand dunes location!<br />
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Aubs tolerating a hat for, like, the first time. Ever. She wore one once for one day last summer, then never again. This is the second time that we've put her in the UV bucket hat and she loves it! Fingers crossed that it lasts for the season!<br />
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Found a cool tree<br />
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Found an overlook area<br />
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We found a sweet old dog whose owner said he loved attention!<br />
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Then some playing in the sand and we headed home :)<br />
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It was such a beautiful day!</div>
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It is SUCH a relief that she's such an outdoorsy kid-- she loves get to wet and sandy and muddy. She loves sunshine, grass, sticks, and fresh air. My husband and I love being outside and prefer outdoor activities to indoor ones, so it's really encouraging for us that we'll be able to raise our kids doing the things that we love.<br />
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Another awesome day!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-31590360543226457902013-04-12T12:14:00.004-07:002013-04-13T16:22:23.159-07:00Gardening<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjcgX2x_yY7QS-eeVpooLdIF7gvmrRvZi9xUxOfgOzs9fRewOCa6SzU9nEeqp6glM3E-X-aWVUGCJuI-ujdzXthDeROfIkGLNxaQUweK0qPN8VxsWNXqedaDM7yPT9ofdDTm8eeTKW7U/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-12+at+1.15.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjcgX2x_yY7QS-eeVpooLdIF7gvmrRvZi9xUxOfgOzs9fRewOCa6SzU9nEeqp6glM3E-X-aWVUGCJuI-ujdzXthDeROfIkGLNxaQUweK0qPN8VxsWNXqedaDM7yPT9ofdDTm8eeTKW7U/s400/Screen+shot+2013-04-12+at+1.15.48+PM.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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Ah, it's finally April! We went ahead and bought most of our flowers and herbs for the season yesterday, so I potted them today. I have NEVER gardened before, ever. I killed everything, even cacti growing up, so I just gave up and resigned myself to a life of grass yards. Well, I figured what the heck, I'm in my twenties now. Why not give it a shot?<br />
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The big haul<br />
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Bleeding hearts and some begonias. I have wanted bleeding hearts ever since my grandmother had them in her garden when I was a kid. I thought that they were beautiful, magical, and terribly romantic. I'm so excited to finally have some!</div>
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Hot pink gerber daisies about to bloom!</div>
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A cute leafy plant and some more begonias for inside</div>
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A couple of herbs-- I use these all the time cooking, so I figured why not just grow my own?</div>
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Arranged on the porch</div>
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On the sill outside</div>
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Then we had play gardening! (Rice from <a href="http://merrrfamily.blogspot.com/2013/04/rainbow-rice-garden.html">here</a>.)<br />
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The set up<br />
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Then I showed it to Aubs, who dove right in :)
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Snack break!</div>
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Ready to go again!</div>
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Offering me the flowers<br />
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This activity was so colorful and fun :) Definitely a spring staple!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-14161248389685958902013-04-12T07:21:00.002-07:002013-04-12T07:21:57.190-07:0015,000-year-old pottery used for cookingI was reading the news this morning and came across a <i>really</i> neat anthropological discovery. Scientists found pottery fragments dating back to about 13000 BC from a hunter-gatherer society in Japan. They did chemical analysis on the fragments and actually found that there are charred remnants of food with amino acids commonly found in seafood (which would be consistent with what a society near the coast of Japan would eat). How COOL is that?! It totally revolutionizes the idea that pottery originated from the Middle East-- now it looks like East Asian hunter-gatherers may have discovered pottery and introduced it to the western world. SO interesting! I wish that Aubs was a bit older so that we could do a "current events" project on it!<br />
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Credit: Tokamachi City Museum </div>
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http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349564/description/Pottery_cooked_from_the_startUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-22177745657230814362013-04-09T19:14:00.003-07:002013-04-13T16:24:37.389-07:00Rainbow rice gardenI pinned this (<a href="http://shareandremember.blogspot.com/2011/06/rainbow-rice-garden-sensory-play.html">http://shareandremember.blogspot.com/2011/06/rainbow-rice-garden-sensory-play.html</a>) wayyyy long ago and finally did it today. It really is as simple as she makes it sound. I made sure to invest in getting the liquid watercolors (<a href="http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=117&keyword=liquid+watercolor&scategoryid=0&CategorySearch&Brand&Price">http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=117&keyword=liquid+watercolor&scategoryid=0&CategorySearch&Brand&Price</a>) before I did it instead of the food coloring, because I wanted more of a color variety. Amazing results, seriously.<br />
<b><br /></b>For each color, I took a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, dumped 4 cups of rice, 2T of liquid watercolor, and 3T of rubbing alcohol in, then sealed it and massaged it around to coat the rice evenly. Once it was evenly coated, I dumped it out onto paper towels on my tarp and let it dry outside. I didn't check it for like an hour and they were 100% dry at that point. I'm sure that they were dry earlier. Here they are drying initially.<br />
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Close up of the purple</div>
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Warning-- if you have anywhere to go looking like a grown-up right afterwards, wear gloves. And long pants. And long sleeves. Maybe a HAZMAT suit? My hands afterwards (my legs/feet/arms/clothes were all speckled as well, but not nearly as badly-- those liquid watercolors are definitely messy!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5F4p1u4DD0VDJd58Q5qvTVTKLsCP2O_CKuKPH0OQPYAAPGvrJzwuHx1EPExHAtTyLpWvlLecWXPXZFU5zcEWAY07aFq_bfnBrqriYSSzeAEYHmSr30H4id2l76bN2WqXrn2XCZmqKA7A/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-09+at+1.46.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5F4p1u4DD0VDJd58Q5qvTVTKLsCP2O_CKuKPH0OQPYAAPGvrJzwuHx1EPExHAtTyLpWvlLecWXPXZFU5zcEWAY07aFq_bfnBrqriYSSzeAEYHmSr30H4id2l76bN2WqXrn2XCZmqKA7A/s400/Screen+shot+2013-04-09+at+1.46.11+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then once they dried, I combined them in a single container.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdzjji-2D6BXZhyphenhyphen8eR2-0-XsjANtuhjDo6FseTIzld5hdI6yuLrOF9RMnxrSm8AYg1FiSDdi4T6OhjG5oppsAOZwH0jYC3S72dO4wTPJb9SdW33XdjFg10EZ-89-H38iYFAASIs3jNCI/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-09+at+3.10.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdzjji-2D6BXZhyphenhyphen8eR2-0-XsjANtuhjDo6FseTIzld5hdI6yuLrOF9RMnxrSm8AYg1FiSDdi4T6OhjG5oppsAOZwH0jYC3S72dO4wTPJb9SdW33XdjFg10EZ-89-H38iYFAASIs3jNCI/s400/Screen+shot+2013-04-09+at+3.10.02+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Close-up of the rice-- I did pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Turned out beautifully!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOoXwACOpDP4khiZycjipe4PwpHIMwrvRwT80L9GSA17vyYmD9vU1YBiBrCT67c0s9RAfk7bdLULhKhrQfUUQgbP5efoeytj1XxSzmdCn_z1gSnCMFJPi6FB-GrB6ddgy2l1NvRBMsEM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-09+at+3.10.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOoXwACOpDP4khiZycjipe4PwpHIMwrvRwT80L9GSA17vyYmD9vU1YBiBrCT67c0s9RAfk7bdLULhKhrQfUUQgbP5efoeytj1XxSzmdCn_z1gSnCMFJPi6FB-GrB6ddgy2l1NvRBMsEM/s400/Screen+shot+2013-04-09+at+3.10.09+PM.png" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOoXwACOpDP4khiZycjipe4PwpHIMwrvRwT80L9GSA17vyYmD9vU1YBiBrCT67c0s9RAfk7bdLULhKhrQfUUQgbP5efoeytj1XxSzmdCn_z1gSnCMFJPi6FB-GrB6ddgy2l1NvRBMsEM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-09+at+3.10.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOoXwACOpDP4khiZycjipe4PwpHIMwrvRwT80L9GSA17vyYmD9vU1YBiBrCT67c0s9RAfk7bdLULhKhrQfUUQgbP5efoeytj1XxSzmdCn_z1gSnCMFJPi6FB-GrB6ddgy2l1NvRBMsEM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-09+at+3.10.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOoXwACOpDP4khiZycjipe4PwpHIMwrvRwT80L9GSA17vyYmD9vU1YBiBrCT67c0s9RAfk7bdLULhKhrQfUUQgbP5efoeytj1XxSzmdCn_z1gSnCMFJPi6FB-GrB6ddgy2l1NvRBMsEM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-09+at+3.10.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<b><br /></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-66076058285028101432013-04-09T19:06:00.001-07:002013-04-13T14:58:54.916-07:00Wooden bead threadingSo we got a new toy in the mail the other day-- a wooden bead threading kit. Ah-mazing. My daughter dove right into it and built these 100% on her own-- no prompting, no guidance, no help threading the beads.<br />
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Then the second day, this was her morning build.</div>
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All of these made in a minute or two each-- she looooves this game. She's also a bit focused on patterns and order, which I think is cute. She's been putting everything "away" in drawers since before she could walk, so it's just one of her quirks. Love this kid.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-14428549917670574972013-04-09T19:02:00.003-07:002013-04-13T16:26:49.207-07:00Trip to Northwest River ParkWe are almost always hiking or out doing something, so there will probably be quite a few posts like this one over the course of the summer...and fall...and winter and spring. We hit up Northwest River Park, which is one of our favorite local parks to hike at.<br />
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Learning big stick versus little stick<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYUiuISJfzJhEC6NyjwpqkY-monfbc3MGgrSKUCX4gj40twuE9tJQ_EuvxNGYHvTDNYjh99CkdeYp6XI7u-4xY9QG9OgZ0U27azZZ-BYilMHu6xY_5U7kgOBlfprQaimBZYLBWm2SYBM/s1600/18715_10151392128801172_1759441840_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYUiuISJfzJhEC6NyjwpqkY-monfbc3MGgrSKUCX4gj40twuE9tJQ_EuvxNGYHvTDNYjh99CkdeYp6XI7u-4xY9QG9OgZ0U27azZZ-BYilMHu6xY_5U7kgOBlfprQaimBZYLBWm2SYBM/s400/18715_10151392128801172_1759441840_n.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Impromptu math lesson-- counting sticks</div>
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One, two, three...</div>
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Found a seed pod from a tree!<br />
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Found an awesome stick!
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She has rhythm sticks at home, so she was trying to rub these to make the sound :)</div>
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So excited to share her new discovery with me
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Aubree brought Daddy a flower, so he obliged and wore it for her-- he's such a big softie for his girls.</div>
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Aubree is totally an outdoors kid-- it's a relief for Scott and I, because we're so outdoorsy ourselves. It really takes the stress level down for accommodating her when we want to go out. Anyways, another awesome trip in the books.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-6634330737647602102013-04-09T18:50:00.003-07:002013-04-13T15:00:08.050-07:00Cherry blossom/Japanese culture festivalOur town really has some cool stuff to do for families. This last weekend was the Cherry Blossom festival, which is a gathering to celebrate Japanese culture while the cherry trees (which are gifts from the Japanese) are in bloom. Here are our pictures:<br />
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Clapping and excited by a cherry blossom tree that looked like a willow</div>
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Found a flower on the ground-- favorite toy for an entire 3.5 minutes</div>
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Trying to smell the fragrance garden like Mom and Dad</div>
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SO EXCITED!</div>
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Feeling the rock and the moss in the rock garden</div>
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Little baby, big pergola</div>
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Looking out over the pond in the Japanese garden</div>
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They have an Earth Day festival and Native American Pow-Wow coming up later this month :) I can't wait!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-22925441993572303202013-04-09T18:43:00.001-07:002013-04-13T15:00:30.479-07:00Sensory bagsSo I came across this AWESOME blog, Growing a Jeweled Rose. Wow! What a great blog. I LOVED it-- so full of fun, interactive ideas :) I came to this one and just had to do it-- <b><a href="http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2012/07/fun-with-sensory-bags.html">http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2012/07/fun-with-sensory-bags.html</a></b><br />
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So here are two of our sensory bags, the shimmery confetti one (lesson learned-- do NOT buy confetti with sharp corners-- it will tear holes in the bag every time; buy confetti with rounded edges) and the alphabet one. I put duct tape on the edges (like this: <a href="http://www.plainvanillamom.com/2012/04/sensory-bag-for-baby.html">http://www.plainvanillamom.com/2012/04/sensory-bag-for-baby.html</a>) so that it was pretty well-sealed. I did NOT want gooey stuff all over my carpet, mostly because I am far too lazy to clean it up. Aubree LOOOOOVED these. She'll bring them over to me and have me squish them around for her to look at the parts inside moving around, then imitate me and squish it herself. She really loves seeing the different letters in the alphabet soup one!<br />
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I may be doing the beach one tomorrow-- I have the shells, sand, gel, and food coloring, but I ran out of bags today doing rainbow rice (one of the next posts). If I end up motivated enough to go get gallon bags, I'll make it and post it. If not, meh. Another time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-14711687361524763762013-04-09T18:38:00.002-07:002013-04-13T15:00:46.132-07:00Make your own snowglobe (bonus accidental bear mask)So I came across this: <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/333477547377463207/">http://pinterest.com/pin/333477547377463207/</a> and thought that it sounded like a fun, simple craft. And it was, for the most part.<br />
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Lesson one, don't cut the hole in the center too big. A sandwich bag is only so big. The extra plate randomly became a bear mask.<br />
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After that incident, it went pretty smoothly. Another point, though-- stick to the hole punches. Don't use too much glitter-- it coated the plastic, so that we couldn't really see her background stuff. Oh and side note, the yellow scribbled on "border" paper was a drawing that Aubree made for me. Thought that was a nice touch :) She got to help after all!<br />
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Quick, easy, and cute. Aubs loved shaking it and watching the punched holes fly around. Win!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-68414277633004493052013-04-09T18:31:00.006-07:002013-04-13T15:01:04.343-07:00Aubree meets the mountainsSo again while we were visiting our family, we went up to the mountains and introduced Aubree to snow. We own an Ergo performance (which is freaking awesome), but I went one step further and got a babywearing jacket (<a href="http://www.suseskinder.com/deluxekindercoat.htm">http://www.suseskinder.com/deluxekindercoat.htm</a>). This thing is AMAZING. Like, it legitimately made my life SO much easier in bad weather. Raining, snowing, whatever. This thing has attachable hoods, a detachable fleece liner (both in the jacket itself and separate detachable liners in the infant and parent's hoods), a zip-in insert to compensate for the baby so that you can take it OUT and wear it without looking like you're wearing you just lost a few hundred pounds. The entire jacket is just FABULOUS quality. I am just...I'm gushing, I know. But it's THAT GOOD.<br />
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Anyways, the snow pictures.<br />
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This is where my husband and I had our first kiss, where we officially started dating, and where he proposed. It's a special place for us (we're very outdoorsy and a bit hermit-y, so we liked that it was away from everything), so we wanted to share it with Aubs.<br />
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Aubs and I (in the amazing Kindercoat)</div>
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The three of inside during a snowstorm</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-81020583165383446812013-04-09T18:23:00.005-07:002013-04-13T15:01:26.691-07:00Butterfly Pavilion escapadesSo while we were out visiting family recently, we went to the Butterfly Pavilion and had SO much fun. Aubree LOOOOVED the butterfly room. There were thousands of live butterflies flying all over the place-- Aubs had never seen anything like it :)<br />
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Meeting Rosie the tarantula-- you had to be three to hold her, so Aubree just sat on my lap and desperately reached forward, trying to pet/grab Rosie. No fear for merrrbaby!<br />
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Aubree pointing to a butterfly that she wanted to go over and hug. We only had to remind her not to touch the butterflies, oh, you know...40 or 50 times. She's just so good at impulse control.</div>
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Next to an owl butterfly</div>
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<span style="color: black;">On a mission in the play area with giant plastic insects</span></div>
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1C6Ct9r6WfEtG_ApUm1lWMJHHYZ8SPnm2vcgM-3onDOEGHLdaIN2HzRDES1LsPYxpKGXx_qcphyphenhyphenMCKVLMGoI_4q3NjKHRRaW3-APeeWXPw7kF0XVTi9WyIoQa3f-ud5MBKM27B2YM50/s1600/544101_10151374757361172_240988175_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1C6Ct9r6WfEtG_ApUm1lWMJHHYZ8SPnm2vcgM-3onDOEGHLdaIN2HzRDES1LsPYxpKGXx_qcphyphenhyphenMCKVLMGoI_4q3NjKHRRaW3-APeeWXPw7kF0XVTi9WyIoQa3f-ud5MBKM27B2YM50/s1600/544101_10151374757361172_240988175_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1C6Ct9r6WfEtG_ApUm1lWMJHHYZ8SPnm2vcgM-3onDOEGHLdaIN2HzRDES1LsPYxpKGXx_qcphyphenhyphenMCKVLMGoI_4q3NjKHRRaW3-APeeWXPw7kF0XVTi9WyIoQa3f-ud5MBKM27B2YM50/s400/544101_10151374757361172_240988175_n.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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It was a great time! We'll have to go back whenever we're in town visiting.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-81801694212179457242013-04-09T18:05:00.003-07:002013-04-09T18:11:45.979-07:00Beans in the sensory binOne of my daughter's favorite activities in her sensory bin is dry beans! We picked up a set of cheap cup-measure scoops, then we grab a plastic bowl out of the cupboard and let her go at it. It takes maybe 30 seconds to set up and a minute or two to clean up, depending on where all the beads get to. When she's in a particularly messy mood (aka I don't feel like vacuuming the carpet to pick up missed beans), I just put down a tarp. Much easier to pick up that way. I just heard about this one by word of mouth, so I don't have anyone to link for it.<br />
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Using her shovel to put the beans into the bowl<br />
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Swishing the beans around the bin<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4FbHgt5K7UxWbznPK30-dIcRlQ1IzUvRtM93ZkXXcjHh5kfXxWQzX2wQsH8iWasS4Fj6_QSeO221i58BOl3NwmOQiXbkk7cX1fAddVnqexkgTV6-Lly73k0VjyLfpXouuRompQLdY_I/s1600/63270_10151354560051172_1523494490_n-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4FbHgt5K7UxWbznPK30-dIcRlQ1IzUvRtM93ZkXXcjHh5kfXxWQzX2wQsH8iWasS4Fj6_QSeO221i58BOl3NwmOQiXbkk7cX1fAddVnqexkgTV6-Lly73k0VjyLfpXouuRompQLdY_I/s320/63270_10151354560051172_1523494490_n-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lots of fun! I set this up a lot when I need to get a chore done, or get dinner going. It's great :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-68974235329716967232013-04-09T17:58:00.001-07:002013-04-09T18:09:19.846-07:00Crafts are for the birdsRecently, we painted a birdhouse and cut up some multi-colored yarn and put it in a miniature birdcage (yarn idea found at <a href="http://www.fiberfarm.com/2011/03/the-first-day-of-spring?">http://www.fiberfarm.com/2011/03/the-first-day-of-spring?</a>). Then we hung both outside on our porch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnM7_9LslZJO0ZP7zoGbawfdn5yl7JUCzlxNAkNQZWkCXEOPUlia_2qskloy_jHNvppKP8eAhju1R9AiNcX8eYhfss0L8DfyOeVNxyrel9lg5TLL0dIi21xaSTYIm4gN2hEzMsCskCRU/s1600/580719_10151363792296172_549714237_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnM7_9LslZJO0ZP7zoGbawfdn5yl7JUCzlxNAkNQZWkCXEOPUlia_2qskloy_jHNvppKP8eAhju1R9AiNcX8eYhfss0L8DfyOeVNxyrel9lg5TLL0dIi21xaSTYIm4gN2hEzMsCskCRU/s320/580719_10151363792296172_549714237_n.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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The birds have been taking the yarn and a small finch has been hanging around the house, so I've deemed this one a success. It was definitely a lot of fun :) If you paint a birdhouse, make sure to finish it with an outdoor sealant spray so that it doesn't get ruined by rain. </div>
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This one was short and quick, just to share some fun bright colors.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902093992919081157.post-41839951874219050932013-04-09T17:53:00.004-07:002013-04-13T15:01:58.289-07:00Homemade playdoughSo! We made playdough from scratch using the instructions here: <b><a href="http://musingsfromasahm.com/2012/02/easy-homemade-playdough-recipe/">http://musingsfromasahm.com/2012/02/easy-homemade-playdough-recipe/</a></b><br />
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It turned out PERFECTLY! A trick for bright red dough-- use half red food coloring, half magenta. It came out a lot brighter. I've also heard of using red kool aid powder for both a brightness boost and a better smell. I kind of like the smell of playdough though-- but I'm a weirdo, so if you want to use kool aid, by all means, go for it.<br />
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I made six colors using gel food coloring. The red is quite a bit brighter than it is in this picture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVQqCnuqvwj-PtSP31VcD8KdliwPMpG6ct5aw4f24vXCLLaSlWRC7k93bwoLaayN3GStc76D15e9TqOls8lUqfUKP8jVwYGxW-Ppb1zlFPGYbyXEvZlR0QaOl6vE_dIzlYm7LekssNZ8/s1600/549374_10151352859971172_1176696702_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVQqCnuqvwj-PtSP31VcD8KdliwPMpG6ct5aw4f24vXCLLaSlWRC7k93bwoLaayN3GStc76D15e9TqOls8lUqfUKP8jVwYGxW-Ppb1zlFPGYbyXEvZlR0QaOl6vE_dIzlYm7LekssNZ8/s400/549374_10151352859971172_1176696702_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I put them each in their own Gladware container to keep them airtight. Perfect sizes!<br />
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Then we got clay hammers in the mail, so we let Aubs play with the playdough. Ignore the stuff in the background-- we were switching all of her baby stuff out and toddler stuff in, so there was a bunch of stuff waiting to get store in the garage.</div>
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Another hit :)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0