A Baby Shower for Roya

On Friday our ESL team hosted a baby shower for Roya, whose due date was June 7th. It is a good thing that we had that party then since she gave birth on Saturday to baby Ari Franklin.

Roya has had a few showers before ours, so we asked the guests to gift her with their favorite children's books. Roya loves her personal library and we are happy to help Ari start his.

The others on our team provided the food. My charge was to decorate, so I made a pajaki for them. I have helped make a few others, but this one was all my own doing. Roya and Gaelan did not want the traditional boy colors, so I picked more vibrant ones. It turns out that orange/coral, a turquoise blue and grey were their wedding colors and the blue that I used on the hoop is Gaelan's favorite color. Roya and Gaelan's style is minimalistic, so I made sure that she did not feel obligated to take it. I was very happy when she said that she really wanted it. It turns out that they do not have anything to hang above Ari's crib. And now they do.

If you'd like to make one, too, here are the basic directions for the pajaki and the tassles. I think this is fun, too.

The kids in my advisement class and study hall helped me make these fun, colorful paper fan swags. It started out as a way to make decorations with stuff I already had, and then it turned into something else. It turns out that making something so fun, so beautiful with something as simple a paper make the kids who helped feel a little magical and artistic. That was the best part of this activity. You can make them, too!

Ellie, Kohlton and Mark Have Arrived Safely in South Africa

Mark (Kohlton's dad) has a lovely tradition. Mark like to start off his vacations the night before flying out by going out for a nice dinner and then staying at a hotel near the airport. This allows them to relax and start off rested. It also allows him to store his truck in the hotel parking garage for just $3 a night, instead of the much higher price he would pay at a parking facility near the airport.

Thus, on Wednesday evening we met Mark at the Bass Pro Shop where we had dinner at Islamorada Fish Company.

Ellie sent me a few messages and photos during their long journey. The three of them flew to Washington, D.C. to meet up with the rest of the group that are on the same tour. They had a 2 hour layover that was extended by the rain.

The group transferred to South African Airlines and were on that plane for about 23 hours. Ellie said the food was good.

Kohlton got sick on the plane and I doubt that he rested very well. Ellie, being small, was able to curl up next to him and sleep. They had a fuel stop in Dakar. I was a bit worried about that one. The last time Mark and Kohlton went to South Africa and stopped in Dakar, some large men with gun boarded the plane and roamed the isles, looking for people who they thought should pay a "traveling fee." Thus, Kohlton and Ellie were instructed to look like they were sleeping. It was about midnight our time, so they might have actually been asleep. The plane continued on to Johannesberg where they stayed for the night. I hope that they were able to go into town a bit and take in the culture.

Next up was a commuter jet and then a rented vehicle to make their way to their destination. We know that they arrived safely, but Larr told Ellie to concentrate on having a good time and not to worry about calling home every day. The eight hour difference between Colorado and South Africa makes that a bit difficult.

Ethan's Interview about His Alpine Valley School Experience on You Tube

In February Ethan was home for a short time while Grandpa Don was in the hospital. During that time Ethan was invited to do an interview with a person who hosts a website about educational alternatives. Here is the resulting interview:


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Ellie is now in Johannesberg for the night. I imagine that they had dinner and are now visiting the city, taking in the culture, etc. South Africa is eight hours ahead of us and it is the early winter there, so sunset was at about 5:30. They will stay the night and then catch a small plane in the morning to get to East London. From there they will rent a car and drive to the reserve.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Ellie leaves for South Africa today. She is going to a private animal reserve near East Cape and Queensland. She will be gone for almost two weeks. And oh my, will we miss her. She says that she feels a little bad about leaving since that will mean that we will be kidless during that time. I told her that we are thrilled the she is brave enough to go on such an adventure. When I was her age my grand adventure was my driving an hour and a half away to visit Colorado State University. My girl is going half way around the world to see a whole new culture.

Remmie knows that something is up, but he does not know that Ellie, his favorite and beloved person, will be gone for a long time and there is no way for him to know that she is coming back. Poor pup. For now, this information just causes him to act pesky.

She is going on a photo safari. The reserve has a conservation program that is aimed at bringing back a few of the species on the extinction list. Ellie is traveling with Kohlton and his father to Washington. Once there, they will meet up with about 12 or 14 other people where they will travel to Senigal to refuel. From there they will go onto Johannesberg. They will spend the night there and then drive to the reserve. It will take them two days to get there.

There are 11 people who work on the reserve doing the laundry (which has to be done every day. Mark (Kohlton's father) says that everything in Africa, including the plants, is out to get you in some way and that every day you will return from the bush very stinky and smelly.) Anyway, there are 11 people who do the laundry, cook the food, take care of the hotel rooms, etc. They all live in a local, rural village. They people Ellie is traveling with are taking gifts to leave for those people. Mark and Kohlton are taking solar charged flashlights.

A friend of mine who grew up in South Africa says that people in the rural parts need very basic stuff and that containers that are not plastic bags or cardboard boxes, are hard to come by. With that in mind we made cloth bags with drawstrings. We filled them with bandanas, American candy in boxes (TicTaacs), safety pins, etc. She will likely add to it once she is there. We picked stuff that we hope will be useful, but not too big or too heavy for her to take with her. Afterall, she really can't take much in her luggage.

I will feel better once she is on the reserve. Until then, I will worry a bit. I know that Mark will take care of her just as if she was his daughter, but still, Senegel is a dangerous place. I look forward to getting emails from her while she is there.

Mother's Day + Recipes for Strawberry Basil Soda, Strawberry Crepes with Vanilla Pastry Cream & Soft Sugar Cookies

Ellie celebrated Mother's Day with an extra special breakfast, a lovely table and a colorful new waterbottle to replace the Nalgene bottle that I recently broke. She also left me a message on my computer. Ethan called and we chatted for a short while. The kids had planned a Skyping session, but Ethan got called away for duty on the ship. He also had Ellie pick up some beautiful flowers for me.

We also had my mother over. I am so glad that we live so close together that she can join us for things like Mother's Day. Ellie's height made my mom feel short, so Ellie bent her knees to be on her same level; it was pretty funny.

My mother always manages to close her eyes when her picture is taken, so it took a few to get it right. She decided that we should say something like, "Wohwho" and that made us both laugh.

Remmie wanted in on the action, too. He seems to know when we are taking photos. Besides, he is such a pretty boy!

Ellie made Strawberry Basil Soda as well as Strawberry Crepes with Vanilla Pastry Cream. It was all very yummy, and more filling than I think any of us expected it to be.

Later in the day we modified some shirts to fit her better, she packed for her trip to South Africa and then we watched, "Despicable Me 2" and "Free Birds." I made a batch of cookies for her to enjoy while we were having our movie fest.

I hope you, and/or your mother, had a lovely Mother's Day, too.

Crepes with Strawberries and Vanilla Pastry Cream
via: Allrecipes

Crepes - (We actually used our favorite crepe recipe from Julia Child)
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Vanilla Pastry Cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
4 cups sliced strawberries

Place the eggs, milk, water, melted butter, flour, and salt in the pitcher of a blender; blend until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Flip over when the batter is set and the edges are beginning to brown. Cook until the other side begins to brown. Stack finished crepes on a plate, cover with a damp towel and set aside.

Blend the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
To serve, fill each crepe with 1/4 cup sliced strawberries and 1/3 cup of the cream cheese filling, roll up and top with a small dollop of the cream cheese filling and more sliced strawberries.
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Strawberry Basil Soda
Makes about 6 (8-ounce) drinks
(modified)

1 pound strawberries, trimmed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1 cup sugar
Carbonated water

Juice strawberries using a juicer or blender.

If using a blender: Place strawberries in a blender and pulse until smooth. Strain through a sieve, pushing juice through with a spatula. Discard solids.

Pour strawberry juice into a liquid measuring cup. Add water to reach 1 cup if needed. Pour into a small saucepan with lemon juice, basil, and sugar.

Heat mixture over medium heat until boiling. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain syrup through a sieve into a clean container and discard solids.

To serve, add a little less than 1 part strawberry basil syrup to a little more than 1 part soda water and stir.

Taste and add more syrup, if desired.

Can refrigerate syrup up to 1 week.

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Soft Sugar Cookies
via: Allrecipes.com
(modified)**

Original recipe makes 4 1/2 dozenChange Servings
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt ** If you are using salted butter, omit the salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Paper Inspiration, Etsy Craft Party & Making Piece, Metaphorically

Ellie is going to South Africa in less than a week, so we needed to go shopping, of course. She is going on a photographic safari and she needed some clothing that would blend in while she is in the bush. Off to Cherry Creek Mall we went. I'm not a big shopper, but I enjoy seeing what Ellie will pick out to try on. What she selects often surprises me. I've mostly stopped trying to predict what she might be interested in a long time ago.

I also love seeing the displays in the stores. I am always amazed with that the folks Anthroplogie put up. Here's the current displays in the store.

It seems that butterflies are all the range this year. I could make something like this with my Cricut machine, and I might do so.

And oh my, the paper elephant was impressive.

I also loved the paper bird. It makes me wonder if it arrives in a box, already constructed; I also want to know what they do once they are done with the display.

In the end we did not actually take much home with us, but we had a good time together.

Ethan's ship has moved up to Coos Bay near North Bend in Oregon. He continues to have a wonderful time.

The crews on both ships took place in a ceremony that represented the sailors and the local indigenous tribes forge a peaceful agreement. The crews on the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain worked in the evening to make gifts of peace, including batches of cookies and handcrafted leather goods.

A representative from Grays Historic Ports brought cedar boughs to attach to the front of each ship. This symbolized that they are coming into port to in an effort to offer peace. The representatives of the local tribes rowed in with long boards, trading drums, jewelry, etc.

Ethan has had some other fun, too. He got to tour a seafaring tugboat. They will head out to Hawaii soon. Those crews sail for 6 weeks, then have 6 weeks off and alternate from there. Those sailors get around $60 a year. They told Ethan to visit them once he is looking for another job.

Ethan also got a chance to do a bit of welding. He borrowed tools from a shop near the port they are in to make a new thing for the cooktop on the boat. The object he is making is intended to help keep the pots and pans on the stove while the ship is traveling and experiencing heavy weather. The shop manager was impressed with how Ethan took care of their tools and the quality of his work. The manager suggested that Ethan could come back once he was looking for a new job.

On Wednesday I went to Two Hands Paperie to work on some decorations for a baby shower my colleagues and I are hosting. Casey told me about the upcomeing Etsy Sponsored Craft Party on June 6th. The theme this year is altered photographs. Here's what is going on at Two Hands.
When: Friday, June 6th
6:00-6:30 - Lemonade meet and greet
6:30-8:30 - Craft Party!

Where: Two Hands Paperie at 803 Pearl Street, Boulder Colorado
What we're doing: This year's focus is altered photographs. We'll set up a variety of stations where you can see samples and demonstrations of how to alter your original photo into new works of art.
Stations will include embroidery, painting and stencils, collage, and encaustic! Each participant can alter their photo and then add encaustic (melted wax) to their artwork. Encaustic adds a beautiful, translucent layer to your work and your first encaustic piece is free! (Additional encaustic boards are available for purchase if you want to transform all your altered pieces into encaustic works.)

What to bring: 3-6 photographs, copies of photographs, photographic postcards, or what whatever 2D image tickles your fancy to alter. If you'd like to bring your own supplies, you are welcome to do so, but all materials will be provided for the event.

Why come: We've found connecting with your creative neighbors is fun and brings a positive, fresh wind into your art making habits. This event brings together art and craft lovers from the area to celebrate our love of handmade.
Of course, there's also food and prizes. (EVERY person will get a gift from Two Hands Paperie and be entered into the raffle for some cool swag!) And just like all our events, enjoy 15% off your entire in-store purchase during the craft party.

If you live near Boulder or Denver, CO, think about joining in. If you live in another another state, you can use the link to find a craft party in your area.

(Etsy Craft party)

Finally, here are a few videos to enjoy. Happy Friday!

I love the Nike ads. Here are a few that I like:





And a little monster love:

Spoke Nipple (a bike part) Necklaces for the Cyclefest Auction & A Few Videos of Talented People

It has been a sort of Crazy Town kind of week with the 9th graders. As a result, I am super tired, so I'm just going to post the photos of the necklaces that I made for the Cyclefest 2014 benefit this year.

It was fun to pull out all of my beading stuff and come up with a few designs.

Here's what I came up with. I hope they all go for reasonable prices. The blue and gold one is for Georgia Gould, the featured guest. She is one of the few professional female cyclists who makes enough to live a decent life. She was also supportive and encouraging towards Ellie, cheering for her by name at races. I hope she likes what I made for her.

These other two will be put out in the silent auction.

Tomorrow most of the 9th graders are going on a field trip. I will stay at school with the kids who cannot go because they are failing one or more classes. It will be an interesting day. I'm sure that I will need to do something creative by the time I get home from work.
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Ellie loves to watch some of the talent search programs. We enjoyed a few together this evening:

This one, "Tea and Toast" brings a tear to Ellie's eye every time.


Jade Richards, 21:


This one has some features Lillie McCloud, 54 years old and amazingly talented:


Do you need to cry again? Here's one that will do it to you:
Ashley Williams


Ella Henderson, 16:


I found this one on my own: