Day 91

From the outside, it looks like a normal box…..

Who could know that it serves as a carseat, crib, highchair, exersaucer, and more.  Yep, I’m the proud grandma of a bouncing baby egg named Ivy Nicole!  Isn’t she adorable?!!

GothGirl is in 4th grade this year and each student is given a hard-boiled egg to take care of for a week.  The kids draw a face with permanent marker, carry it home in its “carseat”, and then proceed to raise it like a baby.  They have to pretend to feed it, bathe it, and brush it’s teeth as well as play with it, etc.  Also, the egg cannot be left alone by itself so GothGirl has to arrange for Crockett or I to “egg”sit if she’s busy.  At night, the eggs get put to bed in the refrigerator (this is done to help prevent the egg from getting rotten and smelly).

GothGirl feeding her baby…..

Mommy & daughter….

GothGirl was so excited to get her egg.  That’s all the girls talked about for a week.  She thought long and hard about what to name her and got her crate ready for transport.  During the first night, GothGirl was very enamored with her egg; but now that Ivy has been home for a couple of days, the newness has worn off.  She’s not totally bored with the project, but it has certainly lost some of its appeal.  I’m glad that we have 5 more years before she has to bring home the life-like sensor baby.  Can’t even imagine her having to take care of a crying baby in the middle of the night (not to mention, all through the day).  Now let’s just hope we can get through the week without any cracks because cracks equal point deductions from their project grade!

Camera Woes

I am having some issues with my camera.  My photos aren’t as crisp as they once were.  This is happening with nearly every photo.  I’m not sure if this is an issue with blur or sharpness or what.  It seems to be happening with both of my lenses, so I’m pretty sure it’s a camera problem and not a problem with a specific lens.  Even my nifty fifty lens, which before gave me tack-sharp photos, is not performing anywhere close to how it great it once did. 

So is this issue due to user error, an incorrect setting, or a problem with the camera itself?  Unfortunately I’m too much of a rookie to figure out where to go from here.  I’m hoping to find a photographer friend who can help me figure out if it’s something simple that I can fix on my own or if I need to ship it off to Canon. 

This problem has been going on for about a month.  You might not have realized it here because I’m using Photoshop to increase sharpness as much as I can.  The trouble is that I’m starting with slightly blurry photos as it is, so increasing sharpness is also introducing more grain in my photos.  Bear with me!

Day 90

GothGirl has a homework challenge assignment for her Discovery (advanced) class that’s due tomorrow and she needed a little help from Crockett and I.  Some of the questions were even stumping us.  When it was Crockett’s turn to help, I had to take a picture because they looked so studious together. 

Day 89

Before I get to today’s photos, I’m going to share the Banana Split Cake recipe from Day 86.  This one’s for you, FruitFly!

Banana Split Cake

• 2 c. crushed graham crackers
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5-7 bananas
• 2 c. crushed pineapple (drained)
• 1 lg. pkg cool whip
• nuts (optional)
• chocolate syrup

1. Combine graham crackers & melted butter.  Press into bottom of 9x13 pan.
2. Beat powdered sugar, softened butter, eggs, & vanilla for 10-20 minutes.
3. Spread mixture on top of crust.
4. Slice bananas lengthwise and place on top.
5. Add pineapple, cool whip, & nuts.
6. Refrigerate overnight.
7. Drizzle chocolate syrup on individual servings.

**Note: this recipe uses eggs that are never cooked.  Some people don’t feel that it’s safe to eat raw eggs, but I live on the edge!  You will also note the healthy contents of this recipe {roll eyes}…which is why I posted it here rather than on my weight loss blog!

And now on to the pictures!

Santa brought LilCrockett & GothGirl a mini bike for Christmas.  To make it safer for them, Crockett added mini bike training wheels (improves stability) & he adjusted it would only run below a certain speed.  We also bought them both helmets.  Here’s LilCrockett on his sweet new ride.

LilCrockett has not ridden this bike by himself yet.  He’s only posing on it for pictures.  When it’s running, Crockett sits behind him and helps him steer, brake, etc.  He won’t be allowed to ride it by himself until Crockett is satisfied that he can do so safely.  After all, Crockett is a nurse and has seen plenty of recreational vehicle injuries back in the days he worked in the E.R.  Here’s a photo of the two of them together.

Day 88

It was another day of coaching Girls on the Run today, so I thought I’d share a few more photos that I snapped with my iPhone.  Though we were short one girl, I made them pose for a group photo.

Day 87

I was at work when I got the call that GothGirl’s glasses were ready, so I left early to pick her up after school.  She was so excited to finally get them.  I think she looks beautiful in her new specs and they enhance her best feature (her eyes).  She’s gotten lots of compliments already.  I think most people agree that they make her look older, which is not necessarily a good thing.  She is only 10 and already looks like she’s 14 or 15 years old.  Yikes! 

Day 86

GothGirl wanted to make a dessert today, so she perused my recipe box for awhile looking for something that sounded good.  Much to my luck, she picked banana split cake, which happens to be my favorite (and a dessert I don’t make often).  By the time I got back from the store, her friend had come over.  I quickly put both girls to work, letting them do the entire thing by themselves with only a little direction and oversight from me.  LilCrockett flitted in and out of the kitchen while they worked. 

How does he do that with his arms?  Looks sorta painful (at least if I did it)!