Testing Pinterest

Maybe I should have been a scientist.

I do love to experiment and see if things really work, or see how they work.

Take Pinterest. So many wonderful, fabulous, awesome ideas. But I've learned that not all of them work and some need a bit of tweaking.

Tweaking is my middle name. Angie Tweaking Quantrell.

Last Saturday, I tested Churro Cheesecake Bars. This recipe worked just fine, though I decreased the sugar by half. As I am on a diet, I couldn't eat any other than a sliver to test flavor. The rest were inhaled by kids at church and all adults that happened to walk by. This is a keeper recipe if you love cinnamon and cream cheese.

Yesterday Big D and I tested the salt dough recipe. We tested ONE of the recipes. There are hundreds. The one we found worked fine, but did not make very many handprints.

Today we tested ice cube painting. While simple in concept, I had to make quite a few tweaks. Last night I filled the ice cube tray with water and added food coloring to make colored blocks. I placed clothespins upside down in some to test how that worked.

Results:

~ A few of the clothespins fell over and froze at an angle. That was not big deal. Donavyn loved this activity.

~ Directions suggested painting on paper. This did not work other than smearing a tiny bit of color on it. Failed.

~ On the shiny metal 'big chair' tray, the ice painting worked fabulous! It melted fast and swirled all around. This was a big hit with our 2 year-old artist.

~ We also tried foil, since that is shiny. Nope. Definitely not. Fail.

~ Tried a cookie sheet. Yes. Not quite as good as the high chair tray, but close. Plus the edges kept melted water from rolling off.

~ Benefits included no concern for Mr. D who constantly sampled the different colors and total amusement for a good chunk of time. Rainbow fingers and tongue let mommy know what he was up to at Nana's.

Inspiration from Pinterest? Fantastic. Reliability? Not always there. One needs to be ready to tweak.

Better to view Pinterest pins as an experiment and an adventure.

 

Ducks + Fleece = Happy Boy

The boy loves his 'eeee.'

That would be his blankie. This much loved, nearly fleece-less blanket is blue and covered in yellow ducks and bubbles. Most prominent are the duckies.

Enter a certain developmental stage, and this boy hauls that poor ducky blankie everywhere. Pool? Yep. Outside? Definitely. Dirt, asphalt, bark, truck, car, mealtime, or bedtime - duckies are present and accounted for. Especially bedtime.

How does mommy manage to wash the poor ducky blankie?

Sneakery. Thievery. Mass distraction.

Today Nana bought the boy 2 whole yards of NEW ducky fleece. It actually still has fleece attached. We are talking one happy boy who 'eeee'd' his way through the store, holding the pile of fleece, hugging it, rubbing his face on it, and talking to it.

Nana also pulled the sneakery trick. "Oh, Donavyn, go watch the garage door close!"

Quickly, new blankie fleece was in the washer. Mean Nana.

Now to cut it into two pieces and blanket stitch the edges. Mommy and Nana will have insurance against original-duckie-blankie disaster.

Guess who else loved fleece blankets? Daddy.

Like father, like son.

Quack, quack.

"Swingin' on Nana's Swing..." ~ Please Pray for Our Boy

Nana had the cutest little boy visit her house.

And what did the Nana and her boy Donavyn do?

They went swingin'.

Yes. And Nana sang a silly song while they were seated side-by-side on the glider swing.

We're swingin' on Nana's swing,

Swingin' on Nana's swing.

We're swingin' on Nana's swing,

Swingin' on Nana's swing.

Donavyn's swingin' on Nana's swing,

Swingin' on Nana's swing,

Yes, he's swingin' on Nana's swing,

Swingin' on Nana's swing.

The song and the lovely swingin' continued, accompanied by Nana doing all sorts of jazz, old tunes, and harmonic pieces.

But the absolute best part of the swingin' and singin'?

Each time Nana said, "Nana's swing," a certain little boy would grin, glance at Nana, and sing, "Nana!" And then he would giggle.

We also," Whee'd" and pumped our legs for joy.

What a precious gift!

Today, Monday, May the 4th, at 1:00 PM, Donavyn has double-eye surgery at Bellevue Children's. He is 22-months old and the light of his parents' eyes (and the rest of his family).

We would all appreciate your prayers for this bouncing bundle of boy. Thank you!

PS And Nana would like to know where the YouTube people were, for this would have been the perfect video! But Nana was too busy singin' and swingin' to run and get the camera.

Breaking News: Grandson Demonstrates Social Graces

The grandson beats out Papa!

Nana enjoyed a weekend away with her college friends, a time which mainly consisted of eating, talking, eating, stamping, walking, and eating.

But who cared most about her being away (besides two gray kitties with newly discovered neurotic tendencies when mommy is gone)?

The grandson.

How could I tell?

1. He awoke quickly the morning I left, got ready, and helped me load the car.

2. He said, "Nana, I will miss you while you are gone."

3. He quizzed me on what I would be doing with my friends.

4. He totally enjoyed our early morning trip to - gasp - get gas, chocolate milk, and a cookie.

5. He saved me half of his cookie, saying, "Nana, I'm going to leave you this so you can rememberize me." (New word alert - love it.)

6. He knew I was going to visit my friends and asked, "Nana, did you share that cookie with your friends? And the chocolate milk? (He also left me some milk for rememberizing.)

7. And today, just barely awake, he asked, "Nana, where are your cards? Can I see them?"


My bubba wins the prize of being most interested in Nana's trip - and the first to ask to see her card creations.

I just love kindergarten kids. Especially if they are my grandkids.

Always a Writer

Cleaning up after my four year old grandson with his cutting and writing, I was suddenly taken back to my own childhood. I must have been about his age. I distinctly remember wanting to be able to write so badly that I used a pen and made sprawling loops and curlicues all across sheets of paper. I recall the strong desire to (and envy of) write like I witnessed the grown-ups around me doing. So I made up my own writing.

Years later, in middle school, I asked permission of my 7th grade teacher to go somewhere to write. Somewhere, as in not in the classroom. Class work was a variety of choices. I chose writing. I still have the cougar covered notebook filled with "The Mystery of Black Devil's Forest," my mystery novel filled with terror (7th grade version), horses (of course), and Washington state (where I must have subconciously dreamed of living, since I was devastated when we actually DID move back to Washington the following year).

When I began writing (not counting the mounds of verbage required for high school, college, and all forms of education) as an adult, I fumbled around with changing technology. Earlier writings had all been archaically completed with pencil(s) and paper. The next rounds were tapped into existence on first manual and then electric typewriters. (What's that you ask? Google it.) Finally, after many horrendously long manuscripts (for typewriters do not have word count), I made the leap to PC. Yes, that probably still dates me, as there are other forms of more cutting edge technology available. But I will keep my PC.

That first PC, though, was used just for typing the final copy. I still wrote out the manuscript by hand and then word processed it into the computer. It took numerous projects before I could get my mind around the whole game of typing and rewriting on a screen. No more pencil scribblings, circling, arrows, cross outs, or carrots adding words and phrases.

Despite the method of committing word to paper, I have to write. I see others write, and I feel that urge to pen my own. I read and want to write. I write and think of more to write. It is a compelling thing. I often don't know when to stop writing (yes, we know, you say). I can go on indefinitely. Another flashback - college blue books. We had to provide these little notebooks for certain tests that required hand written answers, paragraph style. My goal, although unstated, was to always use up all of the paper in each blue book, regardless of the exam. I wonder if technology has changed and they are allowed to use an Ipad or PC or other form of technology?

Regardless of the instrument, I have to write.

Just give me a pad of paper and a pen. I will write.