Tetra Costume

Last year, Miss E wanted to dress up like Tetra, the pirate princess in "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker".  And so we set to work. 
For the sword, we cut out a design from cardboard, wrapped it in foil, and added a bit of gold paint, and we had a sword.  (No, we didn't send the sword to school.  Weaponry is frowned upon there.)

Then we made the neckerchief and sash out of some red satiny remnants.  The neckerchief is not a square.  I found that on Miss E, it tied and sat better with less fabric on the corners.


I made a vest for Miss E out of some bright blue fabric from my stash.  I traced one of her shirts on paper for the pattern, minus the sleeves.  I didn't worry about extra fabric for the center hems as the vest was meant to hang open.
 
The costume was finished off with some white adult shorts with the waist taken in (perfect baggy pirate pants!), a lavender shirt from Miss E's drawers, and some gauzy white strips to wrap around her wrists.  

With her hair in  a ponytail, I think Miss E makes a great princess... I mean pirate.

A Project for Great Grandpa

My mother inherited a box of her grandfather's papers and things.  There are all sorts of treasures in it, but my favorite are the negatives.  My great-grandfather loved taking pictures.  We have negatives of pictures he took from about 1910 up through about 1960.  During these years he traveled a lot.  

We've got pictures from Mississippi, New Orleans, Washington DC, Yale, Salt Lake, North Ogden, Idaho Falls, Yellowstone, Chicago, Nauvoo, New Zealand (I think), and New York.  We've got pictures of missionaries, government workers, poor southern farmers, and fishing buddies.  We've got pictures of horses, buggies, buses, planes, and cars.  And, best of all, we've got pictures of his parents, his wife, some of his siblings and their kids, his children, and some of his grandchildren.  

Philadelphia 1926 ~ Sesquicentennial Celebration

As I have access to the scanner that can digitize these oddly sized negatives, I get the fun of discovering treasures.  And then the detective work begins.  Who are these people?  What are their stories?  And how do they know Grandpa?  And how can I find their families to share these with them?  Amazingly enough, we often figure it out.

Apple Dip

I recently found a new recipe.  It is called "Raw Caramel," but then people compare it to caramel instead of appreciating it for itself.  And so I call it "Apple Dip."  I love that it doesn't make me feel sick when I eat more than a little (as opposed to caramel) and that it has less sugar and more magnesium, calcium, iron, protein, and most other vitamins than caramel.

Author: McKel Hill, MS, RD, LDN

Recipe type: dip, sauce

Ingredients

• ½ cup maple syrup
• ½ cup organic coconut oil
• ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 dates, pitted
• 1 tablespoon of local honey
• ¼ teaspoon salt (to taste)

Instructions

1. Simply blend all of the ingredients together into a Vitamix or high speed blender until thick and smooth.
2. Store in an air tight container for up to 1 week.
3. You may chill this after serving (if you have leftovers).
4. You will need to sit it at room temperature before eating again as the coconut oil will solidify.
5. Enjoy!

I don't have a high speed blender.  So I cut up the dates and soak them for a bit.  Then I blend everything besides the coconut oil and the almond butter until the dates are blended well.  Then I add the coconut oil.  Sometimes I need to heat it up a bit.  Finally, I add the almond butter.  This way, if it gets too thick, I can just stir it with a spoon.

And there you have it, a no-cook, dairy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free tasty treat.

A morning at the opera

This year, our local university is hosting a series of concert aimed at families with young children.  We spent a weekend morning last October at the opera (children's version--only 3-4 songs.)  We were even provided with masks.

Overheard at our house

From last October

Setting:  The family is gathered around the table eating dinner.

Young M (proudly):  I found lots of broken wires on the piano.

The Professor and I look at each other as we wrack our brains trying to figure out what he means.  Did someone get inside the piano and break the strings?  Did someone get out the spare guitar strings?  What was going on?  And then, I figured it out...

Me:  Do you mean broken chords?

Young M:  Yeah, that what it is.

(Note.  At piano lessons a few weeks ago, Young M was showing his teacher how he could play the notes of a chord separately.  She taught him that those are called broken chords.  He was proud of figuring out a real thing all by himself.)

Of Kawasaki and rainbows

One year ago, Miss S came down with Kawasaki disease.  A week ago, the Professor and I spoke in church.  I spoke about dealing with Miss S's illness and the emotional fallout that followed.  For those who are interested, my talk is after the break.