Inspired

As I've been blog hopping lately, I've fallen in love with these. There's just something about them. (Perhaps they remind me of the good-old-days when I use to sit in the Indian Dormitory making coiled raffia baskets for the island tourists.) As soon as I saw Maya's baskets, I had to try it. I had some laundry cord on the shelf in my sewing room and beads left over from a few years ago. 

The whole process was easier than I anticipated, but I think I need a heavier cord - the basket isn't as sturdy as I'd like. Plus the upper edge is a bit wonky and I think with a larger gauge cord it wouldn't be as noticeable.

All in all, not a bad first try, but I think the next one needs handles...

Mackinac Moment

It's been a busy week; wonderful but busy.

Today I can slow down, put my feet up and relax.

The day's off to a great start - 

I didn't wake up

until 8:30...

Back Again

Living on Mackinac Island, rain boots have always been a necessary component of my childrens' wardrobe. However, they seem to get much more use for exploring than they do for actually keeping off rain.

Our yearly trip to Wilderness State Park, was as always, wonderful. The only damper on the weekend was the midges.

They were everywhere; and I mean everywhere. We had to walk through clouds of those little buggers. Luckily they don't bite and are more of a nuisance than anything else. Thankfully, the kids were more interested in watching the birds enjoying the smorgasbord than complaining about walking through the giant swarms.

Speaking of the Community Foundation...

This winter they sponsored the coolest field trip ever. Thanks to grant money from the Mackinac Island Community Foundation the 4th - 7th graders went dogsledding! Of course, since it was February, there was only one way off the island. The plane could only carry four passengers at a time, so it took a little over an hour to shuttle all of us over to St. Ignace.

Nature's Kennel is up in McMillan, about a hour and a half north of the Straits. It was a long bus ride, but it was worth the trip. Tasha and her staff were amazing. The kids all got to visit with the dogs and then after a quick lesson, help harness their teams.

My son fell in love with one dog - Snickers. (He wanted to call dibs on her when she was put up for adoption - three years from now, and was devastated when we broke it to him that a sled dog was not a good match for our family.)

All the older kids (and the adults) actually got to drive teams. The number of dogs you had depended on your size; some of the kids only had two dogs, while the adults all had five. Driving a sled team is harder than it looks; those dogs take off so fast that you'll topple off and fall backwards if you don't have a tight grip. Luckily only one student was left behind but he managed to run and catch up with his team. He was no worse for wear and we all had a great time! 

We never would have been able to give the kids this amazing experience without the help of the Community Foundation; they are so supportive of our school. Thank you MICF and YAC (the Youth Advisory Committee) for supporting this amazing trip.

Time to Celebrate

Last night the kids and I had a wonderful time at the Mackinac Island Community Foundation's Community Celebration. They hold it every summer and this year it was up at Turtle Park. Several Island businesses provided great food and it was a wonderful time to stop and chat with folks.

Both S and K had a blast running and playing frisbee on the skate ramps. I've never actually seen someone skateboard on them, but there is always some imaginative game going on in there. The kids love Turtle Park; we're so thankful it's just around the corner.

Every summer at the Celebration MICF has giveaways to thank the Island community for its support.  The kids aren't really aware of the the things MICF does for Mackinac Island (scholarships, grants, etc.), they were just happy to find out who won bicycles, pizzas and ice cream last night. S was thrilled to learn there was a trip to Sadie's in our future. 

You should check to see if you have a community foundation in your area. You may be surprised to find out all they do.

Almost

Mackinac's lilacs are about ready to burst. I just love how the island smells during lilac time... 

Mackinac Moment

There's something about freighters signaling as they pass through the Round Island Channel that always makes me smile.

New Friends

While working outside yesterday, Allen spotted these two barred owls out in the Annex. After school he took the kids and I out to see if they were still there.

I was so happy they were still hanging out in the same clump of cedars. It was amazing to just stand and watch the two of them fly silently from tree to tree.

K and I searched around the bottoms of the trees hoping to find a few pellets we could dissect, but we didn't have any luck. Allen thought he spotted a nest, so we're hopeful that we'll be able to visit them over the summer...

Monster Cupcakes

This year my daughter asked for a My Singing Monster birthday. So, we've been knee deep in monsters for a few days; happy friendly singing monsters, not scary mean ones. 

I made monster cupcakes for her to take to school. Frosting them with the grass tip was kind of a pain but the end result was worth it. (Thankfully I only needed 16 of them and not 30.) Just be aware if you make these, the kids tell me that the Wilton candy eyes taste awful; like get-up-run-to-the-trash-to-spit-them-out-immediately awful. They were cute and easy, but next time I'll probably make the eyes myself.

As I look at them, I can't help thinking about these guys.

Mackinac Moment: Off to the Park

Despite the fact that we woke up to snow this morning, we won't be having any more days like these. At least we hope not... 

On the Boat

I came home to boats a couple of weeks ago, but I hadn't gone across until just a few days ago. It's so nice to have boats...

There's still quite a bit if ice in the straits. Some days the boats have to go around the back side of the island, but they are usually able to make it through. Although, on Friday morning the first boat coming over from St. Ignace actually got bogged down in the ice and had to turn around and head back to the mainland.

They made it over eventually,  but it did throw off the schedules of a few folks. Thankfully, rumor has it that both Star Line and Shepler's are planning to start tomorrow - Shepler's from Mackinaw City! 

Growing...

We've been growing rock candy on the kitchen window sill for over a month now and some of the crystals are getting quite big. The kids can't wait to dig into them. Nothing like a snack of pure sugar!

Boats!

As I flew home on Monday morning (after an amazing weekend with some of the most wonderful women I know) I saw a glorious thing. Can you see it? It's pretty tiny, but it's there.

The Arnold Line boat managed to get through the ice in St. Ignace harbor and was making its way across the straits to the island. The best part is, as of yesterday, they are running a limited spring schedule. 

I'm Moving to Australia

Today didn't get much better. While I was teaching math this afternoon I noticed the sapphire from a ring my husband gave me was missing. So far, it has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. 

Given that tomorrow is Friday the 13th, I may not get out of bed...

And I'm not really moving to Australia. The past few days have just reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books.

Oi Vey

Things have been a bit rough around here lately. In two weeks time we've had a dryer stop drying, a snowmobile stop running, and a refrigerator / freezer unable to chill below 52 degrees. Allen fixed the dryer and the snowmobile, but the fridge was a lost cause. 

Luckily, we had an old cast off in the basement.(And Allen says that I'm the hoarder.) Originally it spent its days at the Water Plant, until it no longer maintained a constant enough temperature, and then it moved into our basement. I'm not completely sure why it ended up in our basement, but it's been there at least five years. 

It's pretty darn hideous, but it's a good thing that we have this little fridge, because its the only thing we've got until the boats run again in mid-April. We probably could haul a new refrigerator across the ice, but it's risky given how slushy the ice has gotten with the week of warm temperatures we've had.

And then, to add insult to injury, last night the damn oven stopped working correctly. Really? Come on! It would heat up, but only the bottom element was working; which meant the bottom of our pizza was inedible charcoal, while the toppings were completely raw. Just what I needed. 

Thank goodness for Allen, since he managed to fix it after work today. Some days I just don't know what I would do without him. (Other than be lonely and have only outrageous repair bills to keep me company.) I also don't know what I would do without this little dear - she came right over and offered to wash off the nastiness off the side of the stove...

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

Such a wonderful surprise this morning. I think our principal was probably the most popular guy in town today... 

It's All About the Pokemon, Baby

I'm not quite sure why, but this year both of my children requested that I make them Pokemon Valentine cards to pass out at school. I've heard quite a bit about Pokemon lately, and it's really not my thing. My son is quickly learning about attacks and defenses and the names of countless little monsters; and I just have to smile because it's all Greek to me. I wonder if there's an Idiot's Guide to Pokemon? Hmmmm.

I'll be right back, I need to Google that... 

Yup. A lovely person created one here.

My two are into the video game rather than the card game, but at least it's a place for me to begin. Anyway...

I love that they both had very specific ideas about the graphic design of their cards. S was very clear about having a bubbly blue background, and K knew precisely what she wanted her card to say. Thank goodness I was able to make them both happy. 

If you happen to have a little Pokemon fan at home, feel free to download the full-sized images below. They are big enough to print out as a standard 4 x 6 inch print. They are large images, so don't worry that the entire image doesn't show up here, it will all be there when you download it.

Pokemon, Frillish and Purrloin are owned by the Pokemon Company, International. 

Today's the Day

Today marks the day of 2015's first ice crossing.  On Thursday, as my son and I flew across for a dentist appointment, we checked out the ice. I don't think we'll be crossing for a while yet...

Mackinac Moment: Breaking Ice

When I came out of school this afternoon I noticed a sure sign that winter is here to stay - the ice breaker helping a freighter through the Straits.

Done

As of the end of today, the boats are done for the season. Now we are hoping for calm, cold days so we can get a good ice bridge...