Pumpkin Update

 Here we have Zorg lighting up the pumpkins.

 Mxyl finished his in the nick of time..






Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

 Chocolate cupcakes with pumpkin faces in the kitchen.


Paper pumpkins in the window, carved pumpkins on the porch.

Marie Antoinette scarecrow on the porch chair (this is her with her head on, sometimes she holds it in her lap).

Pumpkin muffins and roasted pumpkin seeds from the oven.


Costume pictures tomorrow - Happy Halloween!

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkins!

How terrifying do you find it?

Some people had help!

     

Anatomy and Physiology: Heart Videos

This is a good overview of the flow of blood through the heart by none other than Bill Nye.

And here is a  more detailed explanation (there is a strange pause at one point, just fast forward to the 2 minute mark):



Kahn Academy also has an excellent explanation, less flashy, but very clear and well presented:

Poem of the Week

The Love of All

Love overflows into all
Glorious from ocean's depths beyond the farthest star,
Bounteous in loving all creation;
For to the King most High
Love has given her kiss of peace.

By St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
Taken from the book Flowers of Heaven, by Joseph Pearce

Seven Quick Takes: Silliness

1.  Oob: My doughnut has a spider web on it?!  This looks like a job for...Eat Doughnut Man!  CHOMP!

So now, in those crisis situations where there are doughnuts to be eaten... you know who to call.

2. Researcher (doing a developmental research study): Is there anything that makes you feel scared?

Choclo: A giant nut party! That's pretty much my nightmare, because I really don't like nuts.

(I had no idea he didn't like nuts.  Clearly, I have scarred him for life. Also, it feels like a giant nut party pretty often around here.)

3. I have a very dear friend who does not have sweet tooth - she has a vegetable tooth, instead- so we had to get creative with her birthday cake.

The "layers" are sections of a giant purple cabbage, the "frosting" is frilly lettuce, and the "roses" are radishes.

She loved it!

Why was I taking this picture?

4. At the arboretum this week, enjoying the fall leaves,

 Oob: Take a picture of me! (stuffs leaves in front of his face)

Me: Oob!  What are you doing?  It came out like this. (shows him picture)

He went thataway

Oob: Will you put it on the blog? (evidently) 



 5. Also from the arboretum trip.  Not exactly funny, just Mxyl looking awesome!

You lookin' at me?

6. We had a spectacularly successful trip to the thrift store this week: we found really warm winter coats for the two kids that needed them, one pair of snow pants, games for the co-op, a new tea cup, and...a giant chicken!

Zorg found this at the last minute and was willing to spend his own money.  It was a great investment!

Yes, the mask is a little creepy, but there is something special about casually mentioning that you got a giant chicken, then producing said chicken while it makes strange clucking noises.

7. It may be just my sense of humor, but I find the chicken endlessly amusing (as can be seen in the following text).

Which may be all you need to know.

Have a great weekend!

More quick takes over with Clan Donaldson.

Wordless Wednesday: Fun at the Science Center

Kidneys and Nephrons

Here's a good animation  and explanation of nephrons:


An excellent (and slightly more detailed) description done with animation and music!

Ducky Day

Last week's rainy day!

When Mxyl and Klenda were toddlers, we loved rainy days.  There was a park near our house which developed large shallow puddles, and we would suit up and go splash and dabble about like ducks.

Somehow, this turned into "Ducky Days!"

Whenever it rains enough to get really nice puddles, the kids all go out and play in the rain, quacking like ducks.

Then they come inside for popcorn and warm chocolate. Yum!

When thy were very little, they would then often watch a movie of some sort while I washed and dried their clothes, but they don't get quite so muddy nowadays!

We haven't had a good several day rain in a while.  It takes several days to really fill up the big puddles.  This Ducky Day was really one good rainy day, and they were just playing in our yard.

In the past, we have had days and puddles where the water topped the wellies and we had to dump out all the boots!

Poem of the Week

We have been enjoying breezy nights with the full moon silhouetted against fantastic clouds.  It always makes me think of this poem, one of the first I ever memorized!

The Highwayman

by Alfred Noyes

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.   

The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.   

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,   

And the highwayman came riding—

         Riding—riding—

The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door. 

 

HT (and the rest of the poem at): Poetry Foundation

Photo by AugenStudios