Christmas

We had a very blessed Christmas. I really enjoyed Christmas on a Sunday this year. Travis went to church early to practice for service. The kids and I went on to my mother-in-law's house to deliver some food and gifts. Then we went to church together. The kids performed one of their Christmas program songs. We had a very nice service. After service, we went to the in-laws' house to eat and exchange gifts. We had such a great time being together. I was a little teary eyed at church. Sometimes it is overwhelming to think about how Jesus came to our world. He came because He loves us. It is just amazing to think about at times.

Crayons and Candies

I have found so many cool ideas on Pinterest. I did two things from there yesterday. I don't always do lots of crafty or new things at the house. I like to do them, but I don't usually have the supplies. I don't usually just think of crafts on my own either. Some people craft all the time. It's in there blood. They were born with glitter and a glue gun in their hands. I love these people! I am good with doing crafts after I see some ideas first.

So the next thing I wanted to try with the kids is to make this crayon rainbow project. First you hot glue crayons to a canvas.





Then the fun stuff begins. You take a hair dryer to the crayons. I did have paper under the canvas but next time we will either do more paper or do it outside. The dryer would send some of the melted crayon flying off the canvas.














Here is the finished masterpiece!





So, what do you think? Do you like? I like it so much I think I may hang it on the wall somewhere.

The next thing I did from Pinterest was a candy serving plate. I put peppermint candies on a piece of parchment paper on a large bar pan. Put them in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. When I took it out of the oven, I took a spoon and pushed any of the corners that didn't meet. Then let it cool. It turned out very pretty.





The only problem I have with this project is that it is very fragile. This morning when I went to move the plate it was cracked down the middle. I'm not even sure when it broke. But I still think it was fun and turned out really pretty.

Who Knew?

Who knew that when you put a bar of Ivory soap in the microwave it did some interesting things. I did remember that Ivory soap, unlike other bar soap, will float. However, I do not remember hearing anything about putting it in the microwave.




The kids thought it was very cool. The house also smelled like soap all day. :)
This was the first item I decided to try off of Pinterest. I'd say it was a success!

To Pinterest or Not to Pinterest

I have been afraid to even look at Pinterest. And in case you don't know about Pinterest this is what Wikipedia says about it:

Pinterest (Pin-tũr-ĕst) is a vision board-styled social photo sharing website and app where users can create and manage theme-based image collections. The mission statement of Pinterest is to connect everyone in the world through shared tastes and the “things” they find interesting.

I was afraid it would suck me in like a giant black hole and I would never leave my computer. A little bit dramatic? Maybe. However, I finally gave in to the curiosity and got set up. It is really, really cool! There are SO many ideas out there. I do have to watch my time on there. I could just keep looking and looking and looking.... But so far it hasn't taken over my life. Hehehe. I'm still just learning how it all works. I also haven't tried any of the fun things that I have found. I will have to do a post when I finally try something. I think I am most excited to try a crafty thing first. So, have you discovered Pinterest? Have you tried any of the ideas on there yet?

Franklin Institute

We were able to visit the Franklin Institute while in Philly. We have passes to our science center and we were able to use them to get free tickets. First let me tell you that this place is HUGE.



We were there for only a couple of hours and didn't get to see everything. It was really cool. They had a giant heart that you can walk through. It shows you where the blood goes through the heart and lungs.



Behind the kids on that thing that says "Heart Bar" a man did a dissection of a sheep's heart. We didn't stay for it all, but it was interesting.



There was a section called The Franklin Air Show.



Another section called The Train Factory.




There was another section about electricity. I don't have a great picture of that section. But it was a lot of fun. There were things in there that would shock you! It was funny. There was also a big wall of red lights that were lightly lit up. If you used your cell phone near it the light would get brighter. My oldest was standing right in front of the wall and we called her cell phone. She jumped back when the wall got really bright red. I wish I had a picture of that one. Hehehe. If you get a chance to go to Philly, I highly recommend you visit the Franklin Institute.

Family in Philly

When I asked the kids what their favorite thing about Philly was, they said Weston and seeing the rest of the family. That's what I liked best, too. I am so thankful we were able to be together. We went to see my brother and the other kids at their apartment. Their apartment is near a wildlife refuge. So my brother took us over to check it out.




They told us there is usually a lot of turtles in the water. However, we didn't see any. It was still fun.



While we were in Philly we stayed with my parents at The Gift of Life Family House. It is sort of like the Ronald McDonald House. It is for people going through the transplant process and their families. Our rooms were like a hotel room; two beds, tv, bathroom. The downstairs area was more like a home. There was a huge kitchen where you could eat anything they had or make something on your own.












They had a living room area with couches and a tv. They had a computer room, a laundry, and an exercise room. There was also a room to play games. The kids had a great time playing the Wii and board games.





We also ate at a couple of local places. A pizza place across from the hospital. I cannot remember the name. But it was really good. Maybe Gia's...something with a G... Anyways, we also ate at Bobby Flay's burger restaurant. My brother took me there last time I was in Philly. They have some really good burgers. I had a crunch burger. It came with potato chips on it. Delicious! We also got an order of regular fries and an order of sweet potato fries. I really liked the sweet potato fries. I need to find a place here that serves some of those. :)





This is my next to last post on Philly. My next one will be about a visit to the Franklin Institute.