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.)