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.