Surprised by Snow...and a sleepover...

I was surprised by snow (not by the sleepover - we knew that was coming). We woke up to snow yesterday morning...

We were pretty sure it wouldn't stick and as the day warmed up - it didn't. The boys came home with the Man-Cub and played outside. They trapped one gopher in the 'Hav-a-Heart' trap and we relocated him - they played some more and we set up the church for a funeral today - and they trapped another gopher - so we had to relocate her too - I should have gotten pictures of the process and I will next time. We use a carrot for bait and they seem to like that pretty well. Gophers are treated pretty cruelly up here - these are the little striped gophers and they are really cute...

The boys set up cots in the living room and stayed up a little past midnight...

We made traditional Rice Crispy Bar Treats (vegan of course) for a bedtime snack...

...they turned out pretty well - the vegan marshmallows don't melt very easily - but we managed - my failed marshmallow making attempt actually produced a better product for the crispy bars - but that was an awful lot of trouble...

Then we woke up to a ground covered with snow this morning. The boys can't wait to bundle up and play in the snow 'one more time'...



...it seems like the deer were a little surprised by the snow as well...

Bamboo Socks

Even here in tinytown - you can find bamboo socks - I have yet to knit with bamboo yarn but I'm going to get some - I was so surprised...

...and according to their slogan they 'save the earth'

Sir Isaac Newton - the Newt that is...

The Man-Cub was anxiously awaiting the arrival of his newt - and he made him a floating 'rock' out of styrofoam so that he can crawl out of the water and bask in the glow of the aquarium light...

Sir Isaac finally arrives in this perforated box - I guess they had to wait until the weather was warm enough to send it...

Newton came from http://www.reptilecity.com/

He's adapting quite well to his new home...

Notecard Swap

The notecards from the swap arrived...

They are all so pretty...

I can't wait to use them...

The Last Webelos I Meeting...

We had our last regular Den Meeting last night - I can't believe another year has gone by. The boys will cross the bridge in July - get their Webelos badges and change to tan/olive uniforms - getting ready to be Boy Scouts next February...

First the boys brought their crystals back from the last den meeting...

they didn't really travel all that well - some of the crystals fell off - the sugar crystals held up better and they ate those...

We will be going to Webelos Camp in July and so for this last den meeting I just did several team building exercises and some games - it was a lot of fun - first we played 'Everybody Up'...

you practice pulling each other up and then you get in a circle and try to get everybody up at once...
it took several attempts - this one didn't work...
It was fun to watch them work together and decide how to try it this time...
criss crossed hands...
also didn't work...
side to side - obviously isn't going to work - there's nothing to pull against...
let's try again - this one finally worked...
This was the team drawing game - they had to hand off the pen after drawing one line each and go to the back of the line and no one could talk - a pretty standard house structure here - but it was a lot of fun...
Next up - build a teepee with pretzel logs and licorice ropes...
again, it was fun to watch them try something decide it wasn't going to work and try something else...
some of us tried the candy too...
but everyone eventually managed to build a teepee-like structure...
Next we played the 'Wacky Animal' game - I highly recommend this one the next time you need a group activity - it took about 15 minutes - but it was hilarious...
There were 4 baskets with one descriptor in each one - each cub drew one word from each basket and used those to form the 'name' of his critter - the Man-Cub got a 'Three Taloned Snake Whiner'...
Everyone first drew their animal and then told the group about it's habits, food, habitat, etc. - it was so funny...
This is the 'Six-Eyed Pinetree Warbler'...
...and the 'Five-Bellied Toadstool Grabber'...

And last at snack time - we played 'Feed Me' - but their right arm had been broken - so we splinted everyone's right arm (really just to remind them that they couldn't bend it)

- then I told them that their left arm was dislocated at the shoulder (man - that must have been some hiking accident) - so they had to tuck it behind them - OK - I told the scouts it was snack time...

It was funny to watch them try to eat - some of them scooped up a spoonful and laid their spoon down and ate off of it - some tried to toss them into the air and catch them -

but eventually they figured out that they could easily feed each other - no one would go hungry...

Then there was the requisite game of 'Hot Lava Dogs' - it's a sort of tag game - that involves a designated area of 'lava' - it's a game of their own invention and they beg to play it at every den meeting...

and it was warm enough to play it outside...

Another Repair Job

I repaired another pair of slippers - they're the same pattern as the blue ones...

...this time I did a better job of matching the yarn...

Blowing Bubbles

Guess what the Man-Cub learned to do this week...




I think I was younger than 9 when I learned to blow a bubble - but I think I had readier access to bubble gum than he does - still - I remember the thrill of the first bubble well...

Dilly Bread

I mentionned in a previous post (also over at http://www.vegancookalong.blogspot.com/) that I made a homemade dill bread for a tea...

This is really good - and I let the bread machine do the kneading and first rising - then I put it into a small loaf pan for the final rise and baking...

3/4 cup warm soymilk
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dill weed
1 Tablespoon vegan margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 Tablespoon vital wheat gluten

Put all ingredients into your bread machine in the order called for. Select the dough setting - or if you want the bread machine to bake it just use whatever setting you normally use for a basic bread.

This bread is perfect for springtime sandwiches of Tofutti cream cheese and cucumber...

so good...

Feed the birds, tuppence a bag, tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag...

Don't you just love Mary Poppins - she's sort of like my idol...

We had a free Wednesday afternoon - no Confirmation (the banquet is next week and Pentecost Sunday - also Confirmation Sunday here - is Mother's Day this year - thanks to the early Easter) and no LYO - so the Man-Cub and I had time for a little craftiness...

This was a quick and easy craft - very satisfying - and the birds are starting to return and there's very little for them to eat - everything is still so brown and cold...
We gathered up our supplies which consists of a little wooden blank shape - you can get these at Stuff-Mart for just a few cents - a paper brad - a paper cup - permanent markers and some bird seed.
Drill a small hole in one end of the wooden shape.
Push the brad through the center of the bottom of the cup.
When the decoration is finished, you'll push this through the hole in the wooden shape and spread out the ends to hold it tight - sorry I didn't take a picture of that part.
I don't know why the Man-Cub's snow man is brown...
Attach your little cup full of seeds...
and set is outside to feed the birds...

One More LWR Quilt

OK - so - I lied when I said the last quilt was my last quilt - I found I had a few hours and so I made another one just for good measure - one more family will be a little warmer now...

I didn't do any piecing on this one - just simple stripes 'cause I didn't have enough time for squares. This one is all polished cotton from the donation bag. I think it was from someone's drapery project - it was all cut with scalloped edges - like for a swoopy valance or something - so I had to cut it all off straight- I bet they'll come to church on Sunday when the quilts are blessed and think - Ahhh! those are my curtains...