Every year our church hosts a Fall Festival. Normally, we don’t attend, but we did this year because it was during the day. During the highest part of the day. During the day when the sun is straight up in the sky. During 88 degree weather. You get the picture.
We had a job for one hour. Our job was the Ring Toss.
The kids had to toss hula-hoops over orange cones. Every time they played the game, even if they didn’t score the kids got candy. Most of it was chocolate. You know what happens to chocolate in 88 degree weather, right?
I decided to help the kids out a little here. I told them they get two pieces of candy, if they could toss a hoop over the big silly cone, wearing the hat. It was a huge success. Word got around, and kids came from all over to toss the ring on the silly cone.
I’m good at making up extra rules like that.
Below is Betty Beehive. She is one of our Children’s church characters. Every week she has to have her hair blown-out. She is all about beauty.
There was a sticky wall.
Sack races.
Dessert and chili contests.
Hay rides, train rides, food, and a whole lot more fun things going on. Oh, they even had a greased pig chase.
It was a fun day, but I don’t think I like having it during the hot, hot part of the day.
My Violinist is in the middle. These three girls are homeschooled and their violin instructor is on the left. This was a concert at a local nursing home. They always enjoy having these girls play, because they actually can play. lol
Today was THE day the Edible Cell project was due. It was totally awesome! Each one was different and all were great.The project was given two weeks ago, for Module 6 in Apologia Biology class. The assignment was to make an edible cell. It could be an animal cell or a plant cell. There were two main rules; it had to be all edible and it had to be made with food that was still safe to eat after three days of no refrigeration.I got the rules from Science Spot and used only what I wanted the class to do. They are being graded on:
- Name on project.
- Is the cell identified. Plant or animal.
- Is it a 3-D model.
- All organelles included.
- Are the organelles correctly labeled and function written down.
- Are the relationships between organelles show correctly.
- Are the materials acceptable.
So here they are:
Below is the largest of our cell models. It is an animal cell made from meringue, various candies and cookies. This cell was voted, by the other students, as The Most Accurate Cell. She was one of three that had the most accurate cell; however, her nucleus is a bit on the small side. This cell was that tastiest to me. 
Animal Cell
Below is another cookie animal cell. It is made with a sugar cookie layer with icing on top. Her use of Poptarts for the rough and smooth ER, is really creative. Very well done and accurate.
This next cell was made from concentrated jello. The mitochondria organelles were made from jalapeno. I had to ask someone if they considered that edible. They said yes. Good thing I asked, because I would have said no. Yes, a student not in our class ate one. There were no candies in this one.
This next young man tortured his household by baking a Red Velvet Cake and refused to let them have any. This is a very well made plant cell. My favorite part is the eyeball gum used for the nucleus. This cake cell was very tasty too. The certificate Most Attractive Cell was award to this young man. Voted by other students.
We have another animal cell. Very well made with a yellow cake. He did a fantastic job with the food coloring and use of fruit roll-ups. This young man received a coupon for a free snack from the snack bar. Anyone who tasted all the cells, was added to a drawing. All six students tried all six cells. Brave souls!
I loved this next one. It is made from orange jello. The young lady was embarrassed by its condition. When she picked it up, the organelles floated off to one side and back again. She said it was melting. LOL I told her not to worry, because it was displaying Cytoplasmic Streaming. I told one of the other students to eat the round pink thing, thinking it was a marshmallow. Turns out it was bubble gum, that has been soaking is the melted jello. oops 
Out of all six cells, this one was the only one that got a unanimous vote for The Most Disgusting Cell. I think it is an honor.
Each student was to label their cells some how. Below are just two different ways that a cell can be labeled. One student took a photo of her cell then labeled the parts. It didn’t matter to me how they labeled them, as long as I could understand what they were labeling.This one sketched her cell and did a fine job with it.
This one typed and explained what each piece on the cake represented. Also a fine job.
We had so much fun with this project. Have you had an incredible edible cell lately?
For some unknown reason I have decided it was time that I had an Outdoor Dutch Oven. I have wanted one for a long time, but now I REALLY want one.
It is on my Christmas list for this year, along with several bags of charcoal. In order to convince Sir Husband that I need a Dutch Oven with legs, I decided I should start cooking in the flat bottom Dutch Oven I already have.
After drooling over all the recipes in the book the Outdoor Dutch Oven Cookbook by Sheila Mills….I found a recipe. I bought this recipe because on the back it says, “Sheila Mills has served as head chef and co-owner of Rocky Mountain River Tours for 30 years.” People, this woman cooks in these pots on the trail! I figured if she actually cooks in these on the trail and people continue to return, then the recipes have to be good. You can check out her blog at Rocky Mountain River Tours and check out her own review of the book here.
Let’s see what I made!
Ooooo it is the Chicken Enchiladas. (recipe below)
It was a little runny, so I need to either bake it longer or reduce some of the liquid. It was yummy, though. 
Wonder what I will make next in this pot? Sticky Chicken, Mushroom-stuffed Chicken Breasts with Artichokes, or Especial Del Rio De Humbre Porbre (whatever that is). Or how about something Gingerbread Corn Cakes, or Blueberry Cinnamon Brown Betty!? The possibilities are endless. Now you know why I need an Outdoor Dutch Oven.
Chicken Enchiladas
- 2 lb cubed chicken
- 2 TB olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions, diced
- 1 small can diced green chilies, drained
- 1 can (10 oz) pitted black olives, drained and chopped
- 2 TB cumin
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups sour cream
- 8 flour tortillas (or whole wheat tortillas)
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
Brown chicken in oil in Dutch oven. Add scallions, and continue cooking until scallions are tender. Add chilies, olives, cumin, and salt; mix well. Fold in sour cream.
cover the bottom of Dutch oven with tortillas. Put in one-third of chicken mixture, one-third of the cheese, and one-third of tomato sauce. Repeat this twice to make three layers. cover the last layer with tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in Dutch oven 40 to 45 minutes, or in 350 degree conventional oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Serves: 6 to 8
What’s in our Library Bucket this week…
Our Library list for this week…
- Addition, by Stienecker, David
- Division, by Stienecker, David
- Fracation, by Stienecker, David
- Young Naturalist’s guide to Florida, by Lantz, Peggy S.
- The Clue to the Old Album, by Keene, Carolyn
- Elizabeth I, red rose of the House of Tudor, by Lasky, Katheryn
- The Last Treasure, by Anderson, Janet
- Le morte d’Arthur, by Malory, Thomas, Sir. We have three of these in different translations.
- The Illiad, by Homer
- Les miserables, by Hugo, Victor
- The Sword of Truth, by Morris, Gilbert
What’s in your bucket?
For Module 6 our assignment was to look at a cork under the microscope. I have never thought of doing this before.
I had Sir Husband slice a few specimens from a wine cork. I knew he would be able to slice it thin enough for our experiment. I also brought in a cork for the students to slice. They need that experiment. Yes, someone poked themselves with the scalpel, but I let them know ahead of time that I am not responsible for their mistakes. All was well.
So, here is a photo of the cork at 40X. We could not see the organelles. The thick cell walls are very visible as well as the shape of the individual plant cells.
And at 10X
Next was the onion skin. The cells of the onion skin are really amazing to see. You’ll notice the same cell shape as the cork, but the nucleus is visible. Notice the nucleus is not in the same place in every cell.
Next Tuesday the students will be bringing in their edible cells. I am really looking forward to seeing their creativity.
During Mid-Week, that’s our Wednesday night activities, dd#2 watched a movie during her Destiny Girls class. The girls, were to wear their favorite jammies and bring their favorite stuffed toy. My dd#2 graceously offered to bring snacks, then told me about it. lol
I decided to make something special. What could be more fun for a bunch of giggly girls than chocolate smilie faces.
A total of 52 faces were made from the recipe.
The recipe says it will make 64, so I must have made the wrong size. The size I got were perfect, I thought. The only thing I changed about this recipe was the type of flour used. I used mostly white whole wheat, with some all-purpose unbleached flour thrown in. The girls told me they were wonderful.
If you want to make these cuties, you can find the recipe at The Fresh Loaf.
or so they think. In reality they are wimps. What can I say.
Yesterday while looking outside, I noticed the dogs were after something. They would stick their noses in the ground and jump back, then repeat, like that would give them the courage to go after whatever it was.
I saw something jump from the ground, so I thought it was a toad. Toads are scary things. I call the dogs in, because I don’t want them to eat it and then foam at the mouth. Dogs foaming at the mouth, inside my home, is a scary thing.
I went out to investigate what all the excitement was really about. I found this…
It’s a Garter Snake. Not very long. I couldn’t figure out why it was not running slithering away. I got a closer look.
Oh! I see why it wasn’t slithering away. Can you see why? Here let me give you a close-up photo.
Now can you tell or do you need me to point to the toad’s legs hanging out of the mouth. M-m-m, nothing like an afternoon snack!
As soon as the snake had its snack, it went on its merry way.
My MIL calls me this afternoon and tells me she has two cast iron pots. She found them hiding in a closet and wants to get rid of them. She asks if I want them. Well, yeah!
The funny thing about this is on Facebook two friends and I were discussing cast iron just this morning. What pieces to do we have and what pieces we wish we had. I want a square skillet, which my MIL provided today. I also want a large dutch oven with legs. It’s on my Christmas list.
I drive over to the in-laws to pick up my new treasures. This first one here is a dutch oven. She did not have a lid and I am not sure if one came with it. It is 10 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep.
The handle is something I haven’t seen before. That doesn’t mean it is unique, just that I haven’t seen it before. Notice on one side there is an extension of the edge, like a handle. If you hold that and the wire handle, the hook at the pot keeps the wire handle from folding all the way back to your other hand. Does that make any sense at all? Well, all I can figure out is that this pot is made to pour something out of it.
The bottom says, Wagner Ware Sidney -0-. Can anyone tell me the age of this? I know it was passed down from my husband’s grandmother.
The second treasure is a 10 inch square skillet. I really like the size and I am sure it will be one of my daily favorites real soon.
The bottom has no markings except a D at the handle. Can anyone tell me about this one?
I am real excited about my new treasures and am looking forward to breaking them in. Wonder what I should make first?
God’s recipe for a living system is found in Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA for those who can’t wrap their tongue around that word. We are God’s creation. We are here on this world to acknowledge Him, proclaim Him as our Lord, and do his will. After all He did make all things, even those microscopic things we can’t see.
Sometimes, but thankfully not too often, we as mere humans believe we can play God. Today in Biology class, we did just that. We think, if God can do it, then so can we.
I, the facilitator, decided the students were smart enough to create life from a double strand of DNA. Here is what we did.
We brain-stormed. That is what smart people do, when they want to accomplish something this big. I mean, it really isn’t easy making a DNA.
We know DNA consists of a backbone which is the deoxyribose and phosphate group. It also has a nucleotide base which can be one of four different types; adenine, thymine, guanine or cytosine. DNA also contains a hydrogen bond that hold the nucleotides together.
We gather our ingredients.
Backbone Twizzlers
Hydrogen Bond toothpicks
adenine pink marshmallow
thymine green marshmallow
guanine yellow marshmallow
cytosine orange marshmallow
With nerves of steel, the students begin to build their DNA. Adenine to thymine, guanine to cytosine, pink to green, yellow to orange. Hydrogen Bond was used to attach the nucleotide base and the backbone was also attached.
It was hard grueling work, but they persevered and finished the job. Life will soon begin….
Once the DNA was completed after 25 minutes hours and hours, the students stepped back and looked at their work.
And they called it good.
Then the students slowly turn to their facilitator with a questioning gaze. Is it time for life to begin? Yes, she says and with a wild gleam in her eye she yells,
“Throw the switch, Igor! Throw the switch!”
and then…
