Providence Marketplace

Emily and Abby traveled back in time again this year at the Providence Marketplace.  So much fun!  They always enjoy getting to ride the camel and make all the funky crafts that the marketplace has to offer. You know that I'm scheming for a way to bring that big loom home with me - I just haven't found a purse big enough to sneak it away in yet.  I could be weaving all my own clothes at home on that thing!  The chicken legs are always a big hit with my little carnivore and the sugar cookies are Abby's favorite.  They came home with full bellies and a bag full of fun stuff they made. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Trying to peg Goliath

Pressing out some olive oil

Stomping of the grapes!  Don't worry - they're rubber!

I hope they remembered to pay their taxes!

Raising Butterflies

Donald ordered a butterfly hatching kit for Emily and she just raised and released her first...litter? Not sure about the group word for butterflies. Will need to do some research on that. They come as caterpillars in a tub of sticky peanut butter stuff, spin their way to the chrysalis stage, and then hatch out as beautiful painted ladies. We had to keep our habitat hanging in the upstairs bathroom out of the way of our two boys, who were very interested in the hatchlings. It was great fun to see the caterpillars grow and change and to eventually release them to live in the backyard. You should try it! Just keep them away from your cats!

A safe habitat for butterflies!



Something smells delicious!



They're hatching!

Lovely painted ladies

Future broadcaster

Our little girl won a guest spot on the morning announcements at the school's silent auction this year.  It was quite convenient, as I am the sponsor of the morning broadcast team!  She, along with four other students, got to appear on the morning news to give a book review of a book that was recently purchased for the school's media center.  You like that literacy tie-in, don't you?  At any rate, she chose to review Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Dog a Donut.  Such a cute book, and such a cute broadcaster!  She was very excited to learn that UGA has a broadcasting program. Who knows?  She may be the next rock star turned broadcaster turned veterinarian.

Wolfie and Emily stop for a quick pose at the news desk

Wolfie knows his way around the broadcast room because he comes to school with us every day!

So calm and collected - I couldn't believe it!

Dad got to come and see the show, too!

Feeding the giraffes

Emily was just assigned a research project about giraffes and we figured some hands-on research was necessary.  So, we took a trip to the Atlanta Zoo (where they talked us into buying a yearly pass - anyone up for a zoo trip with us next time?) and we got to feed the giraffes!  So much fun - and much cheaper than feeding the pandas.  I think those things just eat solid gold bricks or something.  Lettuce for giraffes is much more economical - and check out that crazy tongue!  Did you know it's dark to keep it from getting sunburned?  Just one of the many factoids that we learned about giraffes during the creating of this report!

Planting the Garden

After a failed attempt at a backyard garden a few years ago, we're trying it again but this time we're putting a little more effort into it.  Donald built us two beautiful raised beds, used slave labor in the form of David to fill them with dirt and compost, and now we have two lovely gardens in the backyard!  Emily loves to go out and water her crop and look for signs of anything growing. She was a great help at planting everything, too, as these pictures show.  We're hoping the the deer and rabbits don't eat everything up but at least we're having fun with our little gardening experiment!  We'll keep you posted on our progress!

Water guns - what a great invention!

Ready for dirt

Hoping that the marigolds and other herbs will keep the deer away.  The internet says it works, so it must be true.

This is sweaty work!

Watering in the plants

Watering in herself

Reader Girl

Looking at this picture makes me smile every time!  I am so proud of my reading girl.  While we worked in the back yard, Emily relaxed with a book.  Love it!  She's reading about Koko the gorilla - Do you remember her?  If not, check out koko.org.  It's so much fun to watch Koko's videos.  She's still alive, you know! 

Crayon Art

For the past few years, the girls have done some type of art project after Easter lunch.  Thanks to millions of hours spent on Pinterest, I came up with the idea to do a crayon art canvas this year.  The project had to be postponed because some of my guests forgot to bring a spare hairdryer, but it worked out better to do it at Mimi and Papa's anyway because Papa happens to own some type of super blasto-heat gun.  Really melts the crayons in a hurry!  I think their pictures came our really cute.  Emily's looks nice hanging in the play room, which has turned into a sort of personal art gallery for her.  If you're planing on trying this, I definitely recommend the heat gun!  And the trash bag smocks - it got a little splashy!

First lost tooth!

This wiggly tooth has been bothering her for a bit and it finally came out - right in the middle of American Idol!  As with most things Emily-style, it was a complete no-fuss situation.  I offered to pull it for her, she refused, and a minute later she showed me the tooth in her hand - it just fell out on its own.  I gave her a snappy rhinestone pillbox to save it in and the tooth fairy came - even in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm.  That chick is something else - Emily AND the tooth fairy.  Doesn't she look different sans the tooth?

Chef Emily

Emily is following in her Daddy's footsteps - she cooked her first dinner for us!  She raided the Rachael Ray kids cookbook and found a recipe for meatloaf, smashed potatoes, and green beans, all of her favorites.  We made a grocery list, went shopping, and prepared the meal - all with her leading the way.  So much fun and REALLY delicious!  She has a great talent for cooking.  I can't wait for her next masterpiece!

Getting ready to mix the meatloaf

Not digging the smell of onions!

All good chefs taste test!

Smash smash smash

All done!

Those are fancy rainbow carrots.  They're purple....but still taste like carrots.

Bon appetit!