Kids Book Corner

  • Goose Girl
  • Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of NIMH
  • Peter and The Shadow Thieves
  • Peter and The Star Catchers
  • Simon Bloom, The Gravity Keeper
  • Stella Brite and The Dark Matter Myster
  • The Island of The Blue Dolphins
  • The Phantom Toll Booth
  • The School Library Journal
  • The Sisters Grimm
  • Tuck Everlasting

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Showing posts with label Jasper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jasper. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Take A Guess...

I saw this photo quiz on The Sweet Shoppe and decided to take it:

GuessTheSpot

You correctly answered 12 out of 16. You score is 80%
I was incorrect on #s 5,6,8,16

::::::::::::::::::Books on C.D.::::::::::

For car rides I checked out a few books on c.d. from the library. The one Noah wanted to listen to first was Indian In The Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks. The author also reads the book. Rachel stated to me that she really likes it when the authors read their own works because the emphasis and feeling are presented the way the author intended. We are on the last disk of the 4 for this book and I really enjoy listening to Banks read her work. If you are looking for something to do in the car consider a book on c.d. I would warn you if you have small children that the "D" word is used in this work a few times.

:::::::::::::::::::The Black Hole::::

We finished reading my old copy of this book Monday. Rachel and Aaron were asking a lot of questions trying to follow characters and asking about the science of what was going on. Noah was usually falling asleep half way through and Eve wanted me to tickle her arm pit, while I was reading. (She likes to have her arms tickled...strange.)

The book is about a small group of explorers from Earth that include astronauts, a reporter and a robot. This group aboard the Palomino happen upon the missing ship Cygnus as they are about to make a turn that would take them back to Earth. They do a fly by of the Cygnus, but get caught in the gravitational pull of a black hole that appears to not have any effect on the Cygnus. The Palomino is able to escape the pull of the black hole and dock with the Cygnus. The greeting on board and the crews meeting with the famous and infamous Dr. Reinhardt is a cold and confusing one for the crew. The sinister nature of Dr. Reinhardt unfolds to the crew slowly, but is an interesting story. The mystery of what the black hole is and where it leads is fascinating even in any inaccuracies. This is science fiction, so we did not put stock in the actual book explanations behind the science. The ending to the book left the kids pondering about the state of souls, which was pretty interesting to discuss. Light reading it isn't, but thought-provoking it is.

::::::::::::::::::Swim Suit Season:::::::::::

Has rolled around again to the delight of the children. Rachel had grown out of her tankini, so we went to the mall and looked around for a new one. Our Church recommends and usually requires one piece bathing suits to activities, but many of those suits expose just as much skin as bikinis. The point, in this directive, is to cover the front of the body and rear-end. I have always hated one pieces and find bikinis equally unattractive, so I was thrilled by the solution of the tankini. Our family is very prone to sunburn,even with lotion, so the surfer type shirts and shorts work great. The shoulders and back get covered and all the other extra bits and, BONUS, when you have to go relieve yourself you can simply drop your drawers without all the twisting and dropping over your wet suit to the yucky floor. We found Rachel's suit at Land's End at Sears.


















::::::::::::::::::Homemade Chicken Soup::::::::

Michael made a double batch of homemade chicken soup with egg noodles. Half of his soup he took to our neighbor who is sick. Aaron is glad we have leftovers because he woke up with a horrible cold, actually he states he didn't really get any sleep. Since Jasper, the ferret, shares a similar immune system he is also the recipient of this nasty cold virus, but his hit yesterday. He was snuffling and whistling much of the day.

:::::::::::::::::::Cub Scouts:::::::::

Noah is signed up for Cub Scout Day Camp. He wasn't excited to go and I wasn't going to force him. I did, however, talk up the things he would get to do and he saw that maybe Day Camp would be fun, so he said he would go. He even followed up with me when he got into the car when I went to pick him asking me, "Did you remember to give her the check, mommy?" I was glad to see he was covering his bases.

I hope y'all have a great day! :)

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Who Needs Low Flow When You Can Get...

,No FLOW?!


Family vacations often take us to interesting places and some a bit more mundane. The kids thought the "No Flow" toilet at the public gaol in Williamsburg, VA was pretty fascinating. Aaron did the classic "man pose" of reading while sitting. You would think Eve was doing an Olan Mills photo shoot. I think she was bit confused. So this is my, tongue-in-cheek, rendering of our silly, historical stop.:)


Credits: Background by Christina Renee,
Book and pressed flower from Needful Things by Sausan Designs, Vintage frames by Nancy Comelab and Christina Renee, Numbers by Vanilla Hush for CR, Sassy glitter by CR,
Overlay by Lorie Davison from her Brownie Collection, black brush frame from O.N. Designs for CR, Catrine's Laura alpha, Michelle Coleman's HandStamped Alpha, Star Bazaar by Linda Gill Bildal, Font: DJB LIZ by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick



::::::::::::::::Vimeo:::::::::::
I saw a link to them at Heather Ann Melzer's site. They are a great video site with family-friendly rules for uploading and sharing. Here is one of Noah working on his Pinewood Derby popsicle car:


Untitled from Victoria Taylor on Vimeo.

::::::::::::::::::::::Up Early::::::::::::

this morning and already been to the vet for Jasper. Jasper is old in ferret years. We found him as a stray, so can't determine his actual age. He is, at least, 4 years old and is suffering from a common ferret problem. He has adrenal disease. He had a shot of Lupron to see if it might help. Aaron and Eve played with him until he went back for his shot between the shoulder blades. It was funny at check out because the thumbnail of Jasper on the vet records is a cute photo of Aaron and Jasper cheek to cheek.

::::::::::::::::::::::Art Show and Book Fair::::

It was the Book Fair Shake Down by my kids. They know I love books and I love them to read, so the begging commenced quite early. I bought several books and one that had to be put on order. I'll have to look up the title and list it here. It looked like a really cool book. Then, we went to the gymnasium and purchased Rachel and Noah's paintings with a portion of the proceeds to the art department. My kids love Mr. Mazzata, the art teacher, so it was a good investment on two levels. We listened to the violin class play a short recital, then home for homework, chicken soup (homemade by Michael) and baths.

:::::::::::::::::Platelets:::::::::

Michael came home and made, aforementioned, chicken soup after giving a triple product of blood for The Red Cross. There are never many folks when he goes to donate. It is so wonderful that he makes it a matter of habit and unselfish love for his fellow man.

Later, gators! :)

Thursday, March 27, 2008

How Many Doctors Does It Take?

This was the very seriously asked question by Eve on Tuesday. I know its Thursday, but atleast I got around to posting:). Eve asked if I would teach her to jump rope. I went over the mechanics of the one foot jump, then rock to the back foot style and the two footed jump. The song I used was the classic:
"Cinderella dressed in yellow
went upstairs to kiss a fella.
Made a mistake and kissed a snake.
How many doctors does it take?"

She enjoyed trying, but we are working on keeping the rope going over again after she has jumped over.







Jumping rope is one of my all time favorite activities. I, also, enjoyed playing Chinese jump rope in elementary school. I'm pretty sure I would cause severe bodily injury if I tried it these days.





:::::::::::::::::::::WHAT!? What's That You Say?
Easter is over! I didn't hear. Some dude bit my ears off!
















:::::::::::::::::::::Layouts With Designs by Dawn Inskip:::





My daughter, Eve, asked her dad to sidewalk chalk with her and he drew her a rainbow fish. She then started her own embellishments.





Dawn Inskip:
Embossed Alpha
Type Cast Alpha
Land of Make Believe
Midnight Diamonds
NDISB
http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=58&zenid=6f749e8e3eef36755bd930bff3df535c
TTS
http://digistore.treasurestoscrap.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=20
SSS
http://shop.scrapscandistyle.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=43
Frames by Vanilla Hush
Darcy Baldwin: DJB LENA at The Digichick
http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/product.php?productid=17789&cat=273&page=2


::::::::::::::::::::::::Pinewood Derby Time:::::::

Noah designed a melting popsicle car. A Creamsicle to be more accurate:





I'll post more of the car tomorrow. It has had it's, initial, orange, shiny paint job, but Michael has to drill a spot for Noah to put in the popsicle stick. It is looking super groovy.


:::::::::::::::::Here is Jasper, The Ferret:::::
in his favorite, orange backpack:


Later, Gators! :)

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

...and Now For Something Completely Different:

We like to say our youngest son is a little different. He most likely has dreams of taking over the planet with the use of 6 story tall robots and some cool magnetic devices. He is also fascinated with hammocks and escaping from them, as we discovered during our family reunion in July. So, I present to you (pretend you hear the fanfare playing):

Noah Taylor -- Mindfreak


Text: Noah's idea of a good time had some escape artist overtones. He asked Michael to take a carabiner and clip him into the hammock. After about 20 minutes he couldn't figure out how to escape and he needed to go to the bathroom, so he called for help and Michael released him from his self-requested confinement.

Text on photo: You have to Start Somewhere!

Criss Angel logo from the internet (modified)
Background Paper: Oil Paint paper by Gina Miller
Frames: Photo Cluster 5 by Nancy Comelab
Rubberband by Kate Hadfield
Numbers: Old Proof Sheets by Christina Renee
Font: Arial, DJB ANNALIESE, DB Michael by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick


:::::::::::::::::Cookies:::::::

Today I made several dozen peanut butter cookies. Noah was my taste tester and with his mouth full gave me a thumbs up and walked off with two more clutched in his little hands. I had promised a week ago to make him some peanut butter cookies and I also had an appointment to go visiting teaching, so the whole two birds with one stone analogy worked quite well.

::::::::::::::::::Eye Update...Update::::::

The doctor said the abrasion has healed. I can read to the fifth line down on the eye chart. Things still have a bit of a ghostly doubled effect, but that should be gone soon. And lunch with Michael and the kids was nice.

::::::::::::::::::Right, They're Cleaning:::

The kids have been given the task to clean their rooms. It has been slow going...think continental drift since the time of Pangea. They have assured me that they are on task, and to prove it they have brought me photos of Jasper, or very cute ferret, sleeping upside down on a grocery bag in Aaron and Noah's room. They are trying to prevail on me with cute furry photos, but I'm not falling for it. Well, he is quite an adorable ferret.



:::::::::::::::::The Best Time of Day:::::::

Here is a great article from Real Simple about what times are best for certain tasks. I thought I started cleaning at 4 p.m. because Michael got home at 4:30 p.m., but now I know it is just the right time to get started. I love that!

Smiles!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Drivin' All Night, My Hands Wet On The Wheel:

Yes, that is a line from the song "Radar Love" by Golden Earring. Michael drove from Niagara, New York to Cleveland, Ohio, then I took the figurative reins. We took 77 South to 85 South as our route. I got to beep the horn in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. We only had one emergency pit stop on the way. Poor Eve had a tummy upset and held on valiantly until we located a Wendy's at exit 65 in Ohio. The siblings were trying to comfort her and told her she was so brave. Once we pulled in I through the car in park and grabbed her from the back and rushed in. We made it and with that out of the way she chatted and colored in her coloring book for the next couple of states. Before giving her the crayons I had to go over the "No Coloring On Dad's Truck Rule". A few days before she decided to do some modern art using her crayons on the back of Michael's seat. She said the coloring book just kept moving.

We arrived safely this morning. We went to bed about 3:30am. I got up at 9:15am and Michael ran to the grocery store for breakfast fixin's and made the kids french toast. I started the laundry and paid some bills on-line. The kids wanted to go to the library, so Michael loaded them up and instructed me to take another nap and a refreshing shower.

I slept about an hour and when I woke up Rachel was excited to show me a new series of books she found that are based on Colonial Williamsburg. I had Noah read a book from the reading list his teacher sent home at the end of the year. He enjoyed the book and his fluency gets better every time.

We went to my mom's house so the kids could get hugs and kisses, eat Granny's cheese grits, watch cartoons and pick up Jasper. My mother is very good with her "grand ferret". We watched the new season shows for Monk and Psych. The writers of Psych had similar likes and upbring because their one liners are warped. Tonight's episode included a line about Viger and Stephen Collins from Star Trek. It was hilarious. Tim Curry was on the season premiere and he was at his biting best. I love his condescending attitude. It is so tongue in cheek. One of the lines attributed to him in tonight's episode was, "He said we were a curious cocktail of inbreeding and type 2 diabetes!" Crazy hilarious!

:::::::::::::::::Next Week:::::

Is our family reunion at the lake. So I hope to get some scrap booking done about the trip before we leave, but the kids are clamoring for computer time. I also need to get the photos from Michael's computer so I can start. There is also a photo scavenger hunt we are supposed to have ready for the reunion so I need to print the list and keep it with me for photo ops.

:::::::::::::Saturday:::::::::

We plan to see the movie "Ratatouille" it looks fun and the kids were looking forward to seeing the movie with my mom.


I saw these quizzes on Janna's blog and they seemed a perfect quirky fit for me:

$5375.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth. From Mingle2 - Free Online Dating

Mingle2 - Free Online Dating



49% GeekMingle2 - Free Online Dating

I also printed an avatar of myself as if I'm a character from the Simpsons, but I want to create one of the whole family before I post.

Later gators!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Deep Thoughts by...

...no, not Jack Handy, Noah. Michael blogged about Noah's newest question, so I decided to create a layout about it:




Background paper from Oilpaint 2 by Gina Miller, Comic Junkie kit by Jan Crowley, Backward Staples by Jenn Patrick, Stitched Alpha, Pipe Cleaner Stars, Doodle Journal boxes, Journal Scribbles, New House Doodles, Space Doodles by Kate Hadfield, Alpha Blocks and Boy Buttons by Natalie Braxton, Summer Collab kit by the Lilypad, Sun felt by Tiff Brady, Teeny Tiny Alpha by Jessica Bolton, Font: DB Michael by Darcy, Another Typewriter


::::::::::::::::New Family Reading Book::::::::


The Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child

The first chapter was a continuation of a perilous situation for Sabrina and Puck, the Trickster King. The kids were sad when I didn't keep reading, but it was late and my ear hurt.

:::::::::::Ear Update::::::::::::::

Well, the doctor said I have a cloudy eardrum. Since I could pressurize my ears, had no fever or dizziness he guessed it was swimmer's ear, but that it appeared to be progressing towards infection (acute otitis media). He prescribed some drops that would act as an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory.
The doctor asked me the steps I had already taken to help my ear. When I told him all I had attempted he laughed and said I had covered everything.
Currently I have no fever, but I probably got two hours of sleep. My jaw is sore next to the tragus (that triangular flap). The membrane is so swollen that I can't hear on the right. I also have a prescription that I can fill by Friday for Augmentin if things get worse. I did some reading about using antibotics and the report said that around 81% of cases resolve themselves within 7 days. So, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'll probably end up filling the prescription as back up.


:::::::::::::::::::Train Wreck on the Couch:::

I would have taken a photo, but Rachel's undies would have shown...modesty prevailed. She and Aaron where all arms and legs twisted on the couch downstairs. They decided to stay up and read and play computer. When I came down at 6:15am. Aaron's legs where over Rachel's face and his head was hanging off the side. They looked so bizarre!

::::::::::::::::::::Vacation:::::::

Michael has made the reservations for all the different hotels. We will be stopping in Colonial Williamsburg,VA., Philadelphia,PA., Hoboken, N.J.(right outside of NYC), Niagara Falls (N.Y. side...not as pretty, but cheaper). We will also be camping on the first and second days out, but I can't remember where he said. We will be stopping by Monticello during those two days.
I'm taking care of getting the bills in order before we go, so I hope I don't forget anything. My mom is going to ferret sit. She is okay with Jasper, her "grandferret" as she calls him.

Smiles...(albeit painfully)!

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

EVE-{Xena, Warrior Princess}



This was a layout I did for the color challenge at Scrapartist. I used Michelle Coleman's Color Happy paper and I love the warm orange. The artwork is Michelle Coleman's Emma's Sundress Kit. The quote I found at Color Wheel Pro. Eve absolutely loves her ferret, Jasper. We call Eve- "Xena, Warrior Princess, or Beastmaster because she walks around with Jasper drapped over her or she pretends he is her baby. Ferrets are a mixture of different pet personalites. My husband thinks of him as a dog and the kids think of him as a furry snake.



This is a fun layout I did of Eveybug using a kit called Appleberry Pie by Fee Jardine. Eve can display a several different emotions in a 5 minute time frame (not surpising for toddlers, or people driving in Atlanta traffic). This photo was taken at Homeschool Run Club last month.