Exploring Cairo: The Egyptian Museum

Today we spent the morning at the Egyptian Museum. It was amazing. Of course there was more than we could possibly see in a day, so we spent the bulk of our time in the King Tut exhibit. We hired a guide for 200 Egyptian Pounds (about $40 US) and got two wonderful hours jam packed with information. The best part was the guide took us to different areas than the guide did when I was here last time. Sadly cameras are not allowed inside, so you'll have to settle for these.

However, taking pictures of the grounds was allowed.

Getting to the museum is easy - just get off the Metro at the Sadat Station, climb the stairs up to the street, and look for the big red building. The hardest part was crossing the street - but more on that another time...

Exploring Cairo: Groppi

After landing in Cairo last night at 3:00 am, I slept till 11:00 and then we rode the Cairo Metro to go explore downtown. First we had to take a cab to the Metro Station. Cab fares in Cairo are completely negotiable. 10 Egyptian Pounds (about $2.00 US) got us to the station about 15 minutes away. I'm glad we got out of bed and went out because we accidentally found this place.

I thought about chocolate, but opted for traditional Egyptian sweets instead. I also had a glass of fresh squeezed mango juice. It was delicious!

Each of the sweets they had in the case looked better than the next. I bought a selection to take back to my mom's apartment to enjoy after dinner. We'll see if they make it that long.


Tomorrow we're off to the Egyptian Museum...

Busy...

I've been a busy little beaver lately.

Trying to meet my quota of hats and mittens, finish up my grading so I can complete my report cards before I leave, and packing for my Egypt trip. Phew!

Needless to say, things will be quiet around here for a while. I may be able to post for Cairo, but my mom's internet service is spotty at best so posting may not resume until I get home and sleep for a few days...

Bunny Love

Now that St. Patrick's Day is behind us, it's time to start thinking about Easter. Are you familiar with this book? It was one of my favorite books as a child. So you can imagine how incredibly happy I was when I found a prefect copy at my favorite used book store recently for $3.00. I loved it as a little girl because the story made perfect sense to me. As a four year-old I knew there had to be more than one Easter Bunny. I mean c'mon, one bunny can't do all that in one night (even Santa has helpers,) and somehow I knew the best Easter Bunny just had to be a girl, it just had to be.

Have I peaked your curiosity? I hope so because this book is absolutely darling. If you have little ones you really should pick up a copy. You won't regret it.

Time to Celebrate

photo via

It's official - Pi Day is now a U.S. holiday. Well "holiday" may be a bit strong, but thanks to a resolution passed by Congress on this past Wednesday, March 14 is now National Pi Day. I for one, am geeked - probably because I am a geek.

Just Because

Because Main Street looks like this,

Grand Hill looks like this,

and the Straits look like this,

this starts running Monday morning.

And because of that we won't have a repeat of this.

Hooray for boats!

You Asked For It

So here I am in all my glory on Dress Like You're From Another Country Day at school. The Egyptian Galabeya won over the sari and the kimono due to the comfort factor. Except for the head scarf (which I had on all wrong but didn't feel like pinning in place,) it was like wearing my jammies all day.

I bought the galabeya and hijab (head scarf) on my trip to Egypt last spring. I kind of have this thing about clothing from other places; I try to pick some traditional clothing up where ever I go. I still can't believe that I get to go back to Egypt again in about three weeks. Three weeks! More on that soon...

Perfect

My day off was fantastic. I slept until 8:00 am, drank two cups of coffee in silence, watched three uninterrupted hours of television (though not in a row), made two loaves of bread and a batch of cookies, and managed to get in a little sewing; another zipper pin and a pair of mittens. I even took a shower...

This morning I am getting ready for tomorrow, which is "dress like you're from another country" day (as part of our March is Reading Month celebration.) I've pulled out my sari, my kimono and my galabeya as I try to decide what I'm going to wear...

Glorious

On Mackinac Island this week, every morning has been prettier than the one before. Friday, however, will be the best morning of all since I get the day off and plan on being in bed until well after the sun rises. Hubby is going to work, the kids are going to the sitter, and I plan to bask in the rare glory that is being alone; all by myself for eight glorious hours.

Don't get me wrong, I adore my family and I love my job. But I'm almost never alone, in the house, for more than about 15 minutes. The prospect of eight hours of solitude has me almost giddy with anticipation. I'm sure If I was alone all day, every day, I would get really tired of it, but until then I'll savor every second of this special treat.

Super Science Saturday

was a blast!

We mixed colors,

explored which objects were attracted by magnetic force,

ate a wormy snack,


investigated water absorbing polymers,

and learned about change by making polymer worms.

We're going to investigate different things in a week or two when we do it again! Just because I know some of you are curious, I bought everything here. I owe the Mackinac Island Community Foundation a big thank you for granting the funds to support this activity.

Do you have a community foundation?

Second Attempt

My stock of goodies is slowly building. I feel like I've got hats and zipper pins down, so this weekend I think I'm going to tackle a scarf or maybe a bag. Oh yes, and I have been been working on that zipper pin tutorial. I suppose it will all depend on my mood come Saturday afternoon.

Saturday morning is my first "Super Science Saturday." I've invited all the island preschool and kindergartners down to school for two hours of science fun. We're going to make worms, play with homemade snow, explore with magnets and make rainbows. I hope the kids have as much fun as I hope they will. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. Which reminds me, I need to get the parents to sign photo releases...

Branching Out

I did a little sewing this Sunday and did it ever feel good. I made the hat out of two wool coats I felted a few weeks ago. As luck would have it, I just happened to have the perfect fleece to line it with. This hat was actually my second attempt. My first try just fits my three year-old daughter's head. I'm glad I used a sweater that didn't felt quite right for that one.

I like the hat, but I love that little zipper flower. I made it into a pin so I (or whoever ends up with it) can take it off. And, of course, I had to make a pair of mittens to go with it - because I am all about mittens these days. I've committed to having 20 pair ready to sell by Mother's Day weekend. These look a little wonky in the photo, but they turned out great.

I wasn't sure how the mittens made with coat wool would turn out; most of the mittens I've made have been out of felted sweaters. There are so many women making mittens these days that there aren't as many sweaters available as there use to be. Plus they are getting more expensive. Branching out into coats and blazers (the leaves on that flower pin are from a felted wool blazer) has allowed me to get wool in colors and patterns I couldn't find in sweaters. And I just couldn't resist that fuzzy blue plaid!

The pattern for the hat is easy. I know that I am a math teacher, so easy for me isn't easy for everyone, but believe me it's a piece of cake.

I used a 7.5 inch diameter circle for the top and a 23.5 X 8 inch rectangle for the sides. If your head is bigger or smaller just adjust the size of the circle and rectangle accordingly. For an 8.5 inch diameter circle use a 26.75 inch rectangle, or for a 6.5 inch circle use a 20.5 inch rectangle. If you want to use a different size circle for the top, just remember the length of the rectangle you need to cut = the diameter of the circular top of the hat multiplied by 3.14. If you'd like more detailed directions on how to sew the hat, let me know. I can probably post them later this week.

Thank You

Thank you all so much for your support after my last post. The hugs, thoughts, and prayers were greatly appreciated. My husband and I drove down to the Memorial Service yesterday and it was wonderful. The church was over flowing with people, and while I can't speak for all of them, I can say that I left the service uplifted, full of other folk's fond memories of Karen and Edye, and determined to honor their memories by living life to the fullest each and every day.

Lost

photo via

I went to work today but I'm not myself. My thoughts are disjointed, not quite coherent, still not willing to accept the truth about the accident. Them going over the bluff on their snowmobile. That they're gone...

I just can't bring myself to retype one word of this. It's gut wrenching to imagine her husband and her boys going on without her, though I know somehow they will find a way. Don says he wishes he could just open his eyes and have it all have been a dream; an awful nightmare to leave behind. And my son, who sat on her lap at brunch on Sunday and really doesn't understand the concept of death, says he wants someone to "invent a way to bring her back to this world. Please Mama, I miss her."

So I snuggle him and remind him that he needs to remember all the things about her that made him smile. How she loved Tinkerbell just like he does, how she always had special treats just for him, how she let him touch everything in her house - even the fragile breakable things that made his mama nervous, and how she kept toys in her house just so they would be there when he and his sister came around the corner to visit. Those are the memories he needs to keep alive in his heart, even though right now, it aches to think about them. He smiled at me and reminded me that King Triton's heart was broken when his Queen died and Ariel and Sebastian fixed it, so someday our hearts will be fixed too. Such a sweet little boy. If only real life had a Disney ending so everyone could get a happily ever after...

Goodbye Karen.
Know that you are missed.
By all of us.

I'm Addicted

to bread.

Well, not just any bread. I love those crusty artisan loaves you get in the deli section for $3.50 each. I can literally eat 3/4 of a loaf by myself - in one sitting. I won't be buying it any more because now I can make my own, thanks to my mother-in-law. She bought me this book for Christmas and it's fantastic. I've only tried the Master Recipe, but I picked up bread flour, whole wheat flour, and flax seeds when I was off the island this week just so I would be ready to try something different.

Needless to say we've had bread just about every day for the past week and I plan to mix up another batch this afternoon. I'd be in the kitchen right now but we are heading out the door for Mackinac's annual Winter Festival Brunch down at the school. My mouth is watering just thinking about those pancakes and bacon, so the bread is going to have to wait.

Michigan Quilts!

I'm guest blogging today over at Michigan Quilts! Come on over and check it out. Caron, the brains behind the Michigan Quilts! blog, is an avid quilter, author, teacher, and fellow Michigander. When she invited me to be a guest blogger, how could I refuse? Looking at the other guest bloggers she's had, I'm quite honored to have been included in her list.

Yep, that quilt pictured above is this one. Believe it or not - it's finally finished. Read all about it over at Michigan Quilts!

For Mom

Meet my mom. Her name is Crissie and she is currently living and working in Cairo, Egypt, and blogging about her experiences. My favorite so far is her post about the police raid on the "Women's Only" car on the Cairo Metro. I know she'd love it if a few of you popped on over to her place and left some comment love.

Neither Wind, Nor Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow...

photo via

Lots of people ask me how I get my mail. I never really thought about it, but life on Mackinac is "different" from mainland life, so it doesn't surprise me that people are curious...

Mackinac Island's mail starts out like all other U.S. mail - at the Post Office, but that's where the similarities end. When my children send letters to their grandparents, those letters leave the Post Office and get a dray ride up to the airport,

where they wait on a cart,

until they are loaded into the plane
and flown to the mainland.

Once the plane lands in St. Ignace, the letters are picked up by a USPS truck and taken on the rest of their journey. Island mail often takes a bit longer to arrive than mail sent from the mainland, so we just make sure to give our bills an extra day or two to make it to their destination. Occasionally, in the winter when there is snow, sleet and freezing rain we may go several days without mail. In the 17 years that I've been here, I think the longest we've gone without mail (due to the plane's inability to fly in bad weather) was three days. It's not really a problem though - especially now that I have email!

As for getting our letters and packages, the island does not have home delivery; everyone has to go to the Post Office to pick up their mail. Luckily, my husband usually takes care of that chore.

However, UPS does deliver (thank goodness.) That's how I got these:

My new Ott lights! Joann's was having a 50% off sale and I had a free shipping coupon. I've only had them four days and now I can't imagine not having them - they're that good!

Me Likey

(Taken in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, in February 2008, from my second row seat!)

Anyone who has ever lived with me (and been scarred by my playing the same music over and over again) knows that I am a huge Barenaked Ladies fan. If you're not familiar with them you should know they're Canadian, they're men, and they are usually fully clothed. (My friend Michelle and I did get an accidental eye full once.) Anyway...

A while back BNL parted ways with their lead singer, Steven Page (the guy on the left,) and they just came out with their first single since he left the band. Go ahead and listen; I'll wait...

Apparently not all browsers support the widget above. If you don't see a box to play the song, click here to listen.

I'm on listen number 52 (or there abouts) and I like it. I was worried about whether or not I would like their music as much after Steve left the band since he had such an amazing voice, but now I am really looking forward to their next album (due out at the end of March.) I wonder if I can pre-order it yet though Amazon?

Sewing Again

I picked up a bunch of adorable patterned tights (on sale) for my daughter over Christmas break only to realize that she only had two neutral skirts that would work with them. So this weekend I got to work on some new skirts.

This skirt is basically the same as this one, I just used the legs from an old pair of jeans (thank you Miranda) for the bottom instead of calico. My machine didn't like sewing through the gathered denim and the flat felled seams of the jeans - not one bit, but in the end I only ended up breaking one needle. I purposely left the hem unfinished so it would fray; for some reason I love the way frayed hems look on denim. I don't think the picture does this skirt justice. When she has it on, you can't see the lighter denim on the top - my daughter's shirts hang down low enough to cover it so it looks really cute.

While I was taking pictures of the skirt yesterday afternoon I noticed this little flower in my back yard. It brightened my day and I thought it might brighten yours, too.

We are losing snow fast on Mackinac. It's been in the 20s and 30s for the past week! It feels great but we are quickly seeing bare pavement which isn't so great when your main source of transportation is your snowmobile. But if I have to walk, I'll walk with a happy heart...