Just Another Day

Ever since we put the snowmobiles away, I've been walking to and from school. I started just because my bike needed to be tuned up, but when I noticed how good I felt I kept it up. Over the past couple of months I've averaged about 12,000 steps and a little over five miles each day. (Two of those are walking  to and from school.) Plus, I've lost six pounds - which is great encouragement to keep it up.

Lovely

I had a lovely walk to school this morning.

It had just starting raining and my walk was delightful. It may sound silly, but sometimes I find a lot of joy in the little things - things like that wonderful rainy-day smell and the sound of raindrops hitting my umbrella.  The gorgeous pink sky was just a bonus.

Family Affair

This April the Mackinac Island Community Theater, with the support of the Mackinac Arts Council, put on a production of Bye Bye Birdie. The kids and I had never heard of Bye Bye Birdie, but after a viewing of the 1963 Dick Van Dyke film, my son decided he wanted to audition. I wasn't surprised. He really enjoyed being in Our Town last winter, and I remember how much he loved being in High School Musical, Jr. back when he was in second or third grade. (He was the nerd who liked dance, and oh so adorable.)

In Bye Bye Birdie he played Randolph, the younger brother of the girl Birdie is supposed to kiss before going into the Army. S was thrilled to have gotten a role with spoke lines and singing solos.

My daughter wanted to participate, too, but there was no way she was getting up up on that stage in front of people. She found her niche in the back - painting sets and running the spotlight. The best part for her was, as a member of the stage crew, she got to wear a radio head set. And a shirt; she was really excited about her Crew shirt. (She's been planning the T-shirt quilt she wants me to make when she goes off to college.)

Allen ran the light board. He and several other people actually spent the winter completely rewiring the theater - installing the new light and sound system. It was hours and hours of work, but it made a huge difference in the quality of the show.

I also worked backstage - on the costume crew. I did what I could to make costumes and be on hand for repairs. It made for a few exhausting weeks for us, but as a family, we thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm quite certain we will reprise our roles in the Arts Council's next production.

Surprised

The last time I was shopping on the mainland, the kids and I were excited to discover these cookies. When the kids looked closer and noticed they were oatmeal cookies, their excitement significantly diminished and the bag went back on the shelf.

Apparently, it is the  opinion of my children that no cookies are better than oatmeal cookies. How is that possible? I would think that some cookies beat no cookies every single time!

Cookies for my Nerdlet

My daughter needed a D&D worthy treat to take to school for her birthday.*  Of course, I didn't have a 20 sided die cookie cutter in my collection, but Thingiverse came to my rescue. I just downloaded the cookie cutter file and printed it with my 3D printer. (Thingiverse is an online repository for 3D printable things.)

Didn't know I had a 3D printer? Read more here. 

*We may be one of the last schools left that allow homemade birthday treats. Living in a community of only about 500 year-round residents, where everyone knows everyone else, can have its advantages!

Dungeons & Dragons Birthday

It's hard for me to believe my daughter is now a teenager! Thirteen...

This year she asked for a Dungeons & Dragons themed party. This winter her dad started running a game for the kids and a couple of their friends, so she's been all about D&D lately.

 

For this dinner, I tried to make the dining room look like a dungeon, complete with chains and lurking baby dragons. Each guest got a character and had to roll the dice several times during the meal. (The kids loved watching Grandma roll for initiative.)

This birthday makes me think back to the first birthday K had after I started blogging - her third. 

Back then I wrote, "K is such a little person now - full of personality and confidence. Despite my best efforts, she is not an adventurous eater and bread in its many forms is her favorite food. She loves baby dolls, being read to, her new little princesses, pretending to be a puppy, her umbrella and her pillow. And I love her with all my heart and soul. Despite all her faults (that all came from her father - not me!) - her temper, the battles over cleaning up the toys, and her heavy handedness when she deals with her brother, I adore her. She is my little bug, and she's three."

As much as things have changed, others have stayed the same. She still loves books, walking in the rain and she still fights cleaning up. She's a wonderful artist, hasn't met a stuffed animal she doesn't love and is usually able to find the silver lining when she has a bad day. I'm regularly impressed with her vocabulary, her quick wit and her good grades. I am so proud of the young woman she is becoming.

Happy birthday, K. I love you!

Another Sign of Spring

Just a little peek at the view outside my classroom window this afternoon. 

I never tire of watching the freighters pass through the Straits. The snow, on the other hand, I am totally done with!

Out with the Old

Somewhere around northern Michigan I lost a four. I knew the State of Michigan would not appreciate my horrible lapse in license plate etiquette, so I popped into the Secretary of State last time I was on the mainland. The lovely woman at the counter was quite surprised at how badly the plate was peeling. Surprised until she checked the computer system and saw that we'd had that plate on our van for ten years. Apparently license plates are supposed to be replaced every ten years anyway, so the S. O. S. replaced it for free. I inquired about getting the car replaced instead, but the lady at the counter was not amused. Undoubtedly it was the 150th time she'd heard that same joke..

Good News

When I checked my phone at lunch today I noticed this wonderful text. The Huron is up and running and will start passenger service tomorrow! It is officially spring on Mackinac...

Halloween 2018, Late as Usual...

Why is it that I never seem to be able to post about Halloween near Halloween? It always seems to take me months and I'm not sure why. Anyway...

Last year the kid's decided they both wanted to be characters from the Five Nights at Freddy's video game.  K found this "tutorial" for a Freddy Fazbear mask on line and she and Allen built her mask out of a flower pot, PVC pipe hangers, sponges and felt. As tutorials go, it was seriously lacking. Luckily it was enough to get them started and they managed to muddle through the missing parts of the directions. S wanted to be a marionette character from the game and had an absolute riot creeping people while he trick-or-treated.

I'm glad Halloween is still alive and well in our house. Now that the kids are in seventh and eighth grade, I know it is only a matter of time before the decide to opt out of trick-or-treating. Although, it may be hard for my sugar-loving kiddos to turn down the candy haul, which for 2018 was 9.6 pounds each. (The weighing of the candy is a family tradition.)

 

Cookie Time

I bet Mackinac Island is one of only a couple of places where Girl Scouts deliver their cookies by snowmobile! 

We want to send a big "Thank you!" to Fresh Air Aviation for donating the freight cost to fly the cookies to the island. The Mackinac Island Girl Scouts appreciate your support!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I hope you had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day.

My daughter still has that clover, in a frame, up in her bedroom.  (Along with the four others she found that day.)

Growing Up

I kissed my son on the cheek yesterday and it was scratchy. Scratchy!

I guess the whiskers just go along with the size 12  1/2 feet and fact that he's taller than I am now. They grow up so fast...

Tutorial: Homemade Faux Hogwarts Wax Seals

A few years ago at MIPS we celebrated March is Magic Month and I posted the photo above on Facebook. Recently, I got an email asking how I sealed 45 Hogwarts acceptance letters with red sealing wax with out breaking the bank. (At about $1.00 per stick that wax is expensive.) I'd read about using crayons in a glue gun, but I didn't want to ruin mine, so I had to get creative. The truth is, I didn't actually use red sealing wax...

I used hot glue.

I also used a Teflon pressing sheet, a button, cooking spray, and red spray paint. I could have bought a real Hogwarts seal, but I was on a budget...

I started by gluing the button onto an old empty thread spool so I could hold onto it more easily. Not exactly the Hogwarts crest but it was close enough.

Next, I used my glue gun to make dabs of hot glue on the pressing sheet, which I quickly sprayed with Pam cooking spray and then squished flat with the button. The Pam spray is really important - otherwise the glue will stick to the button. I also discovered dipping the button into cold water between each press helped it release from the glue more easily. It wasn't exactly a quick process, but it was March, on Mackinac Island, so I had the time.

After the seals cooled, they needed a good washing with Dawn dish soap to remove the cooking spray. I also needed to cut off those little glue tails you get with hot glue.

They were done after two quick coats of cheap red spray paint - which cost about $5.00.

A quick drop or two of Elmer's Glue  and the envelopes were sealed and ready to go...

Spoiled

My daughter is an avid reader; and when I saw avid, I mean avid. A month or so ago, she just decided she wanted to read Fahrenheit 451, so she checked it out of the library and powered through it. And  did I mention - she's 12! But I digress...

One series of books she's really enjoyed has been the  Wings of Fire.  The moment a new book comes out all she has to do is stop by the library and give our librarian the title. A few days later the book is at the library, ready for her to pick up. If K so much as mentions a book she's interested in reading it magically appears at the library the next time she's there. I'm not sure if all Island kids get that kind of treatment, but I'm pretty confident that all the "readers" are properly spoiled. I know our librarian has made the library one of my daughter's favorite places.

 

K's Aunt Kelaine also does an amazing job keeping

her in books.

Wintery

It has been one blustery day on Mackinac. We had blizzard-like conditions pretty much all day  long. Usually I can see the mainland and the bridge when I look out my classroom window, but not today. This afternoon I couldn't see past the playground equipment.

 

It was so windy and snowy, I had a huge drift outside of my classroom window. Main Street and Grand Blvd, by the school, were badly drifted as well. Driving a snowmobile, in a white-out, makes snow drifts really hard to see...

Not only was it a white-out on the island, but visibility on the Mackinac Bridge was awful, too. The Bridge Authority closed the bridge at about 1:15 pm due to a car accident and have kept it closed due to the weather conditions. It's about 7:15 pm now and it's still closed. I'm so glad I don't need to leave the island until next weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we still aren't having weather like this!

Get in Line

The school pick-up line on Mackinac Island.

Brrrrrrrrrr

It's been so cold for the past few days the lake has been steaming quite a bit. In fact, the boats quit running yesterday due to the ice conditions.

Luckily the plane situation seem to have been sorted out so we'll be able to get on and off the Island.

 

Blooms

My Christmas cactus has blossomed. It's a little late for Christmas, but it's bright pink flowers really brighten up my classroom this time of year.

It would make my grandma smile to know her plant is still going strong. She gave it to me years ago when she sold her house and moved into an apartment, making sure to tell me she started it from a cutting she took from her mother's plant. 

I love having it on the window sill in my classroom; it make me think about my Grandma every time I look at it. And then I feel guilty for not watering enough. Luckily it thrives on neglect...

Happy New Year

New Year's Day on Mackinac was perfect. Fresh snow and bright sun made it a perfect day to get outside.