A day in the park...a year later

Last Thursday we went to the park so we could do a science experiment with pond water.  We ended up recreating the day we took Sadie to the park to swim for the very first time.  A year later and not much has changed.  She still loves Jake.  Jake still loves her.

Sitting on the dock in 2012...

Sitting on the dock in 2011...

Splashing 2012...

Splashing 2011...

Running together 2012...

Running together 2011...

Sadie playing in the water 2012...

Sadie playing in the water 2011...

Loving the water 2012...

Learning to love the water 2011...

Throw in a science experiment for good measure...

Catch a tadpole or 2...

Back to the water...

The trip home 2012...

The trip home 2011...

We didn't realize when we went it was almost exactly a year later.  I am so glad I take my camera with me in my bag where ever we go.  The science experiment didn't go that great...We didn't see what we were supposed to see.  But the memory making was just perfect.

These are a few of my favorite things...

*Having my camera with me to catch moments like these....Cuddling...

...and then Sadie notices the camera and decided this is a perfect time to lick Jake's ear-which is one of her favorite things to do.  She also likes to nibble lightly on his ear because it makes him laugh.  What a crazy dog...and boy!

*The new game we invented called "dog bowling".  We each have a ball  because Sadie loves to retrieve but giving up the ball is a whole other matter (plus using 2 balls tires her out faster). Jake's throws his and Sadie runs and gets it and brings it back and drops it when she sees I am going to throw mine.  :)  We decided this is a fun math game for "recess".  You have to get the angle and speed at which you throw it just right because if you throw it and it bounces out of the pool (that now has a hole in it because we used it to haul some mulch...) you only get 1 point.  If it stays in you get 5 points.  Depending on Sadie's speed, she is sometimes a factor in whether you ball will even make it in.  I won this mornings game.  There will most likely be a rematch this afternoon.

*Making wishes on walks in the morning. 

*And just in case you forgot: Spring in the South ROCKS.  Aren't you jealous that you don't live here?  These are just some of the gorgeousness we see every Spring morning on our walks....Life is good.

Even the weeds are pretty...

 *My point and click camera that makes me feel like a photographer. :)

The end.  What are some of your favorite things this week?

Things I said I would post about but never did!: Crafty Christmas Gifts

Tuesday is going to be my official:
 Things I Said I Would Post But Never Did day.  I do that a lot. Say I am going to post about something later on and then I...don't.  Here is the first of many posts.  This week is Christmas gifts I made using ideas I saw on Pinterest.
Did you see the pin where you can make your fingernails all swirly looking?  Well you can do it with ornaments too.  And we did!  Here is the original pin on how to do it  to your nails.  I couldn't find the pin that talks about how to do it on ornaments but it the same principal because you still use nail polish.  We just sprayed it with acrylic sealer after and they were amazing!

This is one we just experimented with.  I had nail polish (that didn't really work) with hearts in it that I used with one of my nieces.  It worked great on the ornament.

This one is nail polish (I have some I don't use very much) and glitter shaken inside.

This is one with nail polish that we didn't swirl with a toothpick.

This is another fun idea for all those Christmas cards you get in the mail.  At Walmart (if your Walmart has a fabric section still.  Some don't...) you can buy this awesome thick plastic that they will cut to the size of your table.  Slip it over a tablecloth and slip the cards in between!  Genius right?  We also put the US map under it when we were studying the states. It is also great for b-days, Valentine's Day...You get the picture.

More bleach pen tee's.   I did post the other ones that I made for my nieces and nephews here.   A Pi shirt for my math geek.

I forgot to turn this one and I am too lazy at this moment to fix it....A Lego Maniac shirt for my Lego Maniac.

They were a hit.  By the way that is IBC creme soda on the mantle not beer.

Finally posted! Oh man...I just remembered the picture frame gift I gave to Nee & Papa and Nana & Papa...A post for another Tuesday I guess. :)  I still haven't even posted Christmas yet...Sad I know.

I had so much fun making all sorts of fun gift.  I am definitely going to do it again this year.  It is so much more fun to make gifts because you get to shop for what you need and do crafts.  It really is the best of both worlds.  What have you been crafting lately?  I am a great copier but not great at coming up with my own ideas so if you have any good ones please share them with me! :)

The Farmer Boy Experiment

Jake and I started reading Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder together today we stumbled upon a science experiment in it that we couldn't resist trying.  Have you read it?  The main character is Almanzo (Laura's future husband) and the book starts right before his 9th birthday and tells of his life on his fathers farm.  In the 3rd chapter you learn what they did as a family during the cold winter nights. They do something our family does too. They popped popcorn.  :)

In the book it says: "You can fill a glass full to the brim with milk, and fill another glass of the same size brim full of popcorn, and then you can put all the popcorn kernel by kernel in to the milk, and the milk will not run over.  You cannot do this with bread.  Popcorn and milk are the only two things that will go into the same place."

We read this and of course we had to try it...

And guess what?  It worked.  I had my doubts I must admit!

Jake said it even tasted good. :)

Now we just have to figure out why in the world this works!  You should read this book and do the experiment.  There are great spots in the book that you can stop reading and predict what is going to happen (when the "big boys" that only come to school in the winter term come and try to break up the school what does the teacher reach for in his desk?).  AND tomorrow we are going to do a fun art project where we design our own farm (in the book they go into detail just how the Wilder's farm looks and how big it is).  This is a great history/science/art/language art book to read with boys or girls.

(I know this has nothing to do with our March=Math month but I am sure some where in the book I can tie it in.  I just couldn't wait to read this book with Jake!...Give me some time and I will figure out how it applies to math in some way...)