Happy Easter

Easter tends to be pretty quiet at my house - TV, baking, that kind of thing. This year I made these cute little cookies for us to munch on. Let me tell you - I am in love with rolled buttercream. It looks like fondant, tastes like buttercream frosting, and it's easy. The only caveat is you need to have something to mold it with (think cookie molds or embossed rolling pins.) My family does not appreciate the flavor and texture of royal icing, so discovering this has been wonderful. Plus I have a gazillion cookie molds, so I was good to go.

We celebrated today with some cure bunnies for Easter and suns for spring; 'cuz everyone on Mackinac Island is ready for sunny weather!

Merry & Bright

To all those who celebrate,

I wish you and yours

the merriest of Christmases. 

Letters to Santa

Every Christmas, Mackinac Island's Postmaster puts out this cute mailbox. Since the Post Office is only about a 10 minute walk from school, it is a fun excursion to take the week before Christmas break. Our Postmaster personally makes sure Santa receives each letter and the kids always get a lovely note back. (Plus it gives me the opportunity to teach my students how to address an envelop.) 

The kids also get the opportunity to hand cancel their letters before putting them into the box. How cool is that?

In case you are curious, the kids don't have to write to Santa. If they'd rather write to someone else, they can send that letter instead. And yes, that's all of my students this year - three fifth graders and six sixth graders.

Old and New

I haven't really felt much of the Christmas spirit this year. I'm not really sure why, but from shopping to decorating to baking, my heart just hasn't been it. It wasn't that I haven't had any Christmas spirit - it's been more of a "tank half full" kind of feeling. I know myself, and my tendency is to push through things and do what I feel like I should do, or need to do, but not this year. This year I told myself that whatever I managed to get done would be enough. So... the Christmas cookie spread was a little lighter this year, but that was OK.

I did decided to try a couple of new things. I found a madeleine cookie pan at the thrift shop recently for $1.00, so I made madeleines for the first time, which was fun. Especially after seeing them made on the Great British Bake Off. For the record, mine had a lovely hump. I also tried a new recipe for cutout cookies (the blue and white ones above), which taste really good. To go with them, I tried a different decorating technique (found here.) While the spread may be lighter than in past years, for this year, it is enough...

Besties

Not much beats spending the weekend with 30+ year friends.

I can't begin to imagine my life without these amazing women! Having a friend with a backyard pool is just icing on the cake. One guess which one is the girl (A.K.A. me) with blonde hair, freckles, and a family history of skin cancer.

Independence Day

It's always a good day when Fort Mackinac flies the Garrison Flag. 

It's a big flag - 38 feet by 20 feet (11.5 meters by 6 meters) - that's only flown when the conditions are perfect. It's so big, it takes quite a few scouts to fold it. (When you see it with people for scale, you get the true feel for just how huge the Garrison Flag really is!) I'm not in the photo below, but I came to Mackinac with Troop 327 as part of the Mackinac Island Scout Service Camp, for five summers.

The Great Lakers

Robotics competitions are a school-wide affair on Mackinac Island. When it is time for The Great Lakers (A.K.A. team 5878) to compete, everything stops so we can cheer for the home team. This year they competed at events at Kettering University and Wayne State, and while they didn't bring home a trophy they were ranked high enough at the Wayne State event to lead an alliance in the finals. 

Birthday

A very special somebody had a birthday this week. Nothing fancy, just a low-key evening with family and pie. A pistachio pie, made with this recipe. It wasn't the most amazing desert in the universe, but it was good. I really appreciated that the crust didn't get mushy, even after several days.

So if you see Allen out and about, be sure to wish him a very happy birthday!

Link: https://dancearoundthekitchen.com/pistachio-pie

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

While my family does not share my enthusiasm for vintage ceramic Christmas trees, they make me happy. And since it's "that time of year," they are all over the house! Do you have a favorite holiday decoration?

Graduation 2024

My daughter is now a proud alumna of the Mackinac Island Public School. Graduation was very special this year - not only because my youngest was graduating, but also because of a special guest.

Yep, Michigan's Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, took time out of her busy schedule to speak at our little school's graduation. Not only did she speak, but she met with the nine graduates before the ceremony. They were all so excited! And when there are only nine graduates, the commencement address gets quite personal.

Both the Governor and the Valedictorian (way to go Bela!) spoke about each of the graduates. Bela told his classmates the three words he would always associate with them. He told my daughter he would always remember her creativity, uniqueness, and resilience. (That was the moment I couldn't hold back the tears any longer, by the way.) 

After graduation there was a reception for the graduates at school. Each student had a table full of pictures.

Here they are: the nine members of Mackinac Island's Class of 2024.

Thank you Governor Whitmer, Mrs. Lipovsky, and all the senior parents for making graduation so memorable

Today

Today you graduate from high school.

You first walked in the school doors 15 years ago as a three year-old preschooler, and tonight you walk out a Mackinac Island Public School graduate.

Weren't you in preschool, like last week?

Your adult life is just beginning, and I see great things in your future. You got the intellect and the skills to do absolutely anything you desire, but remember - you have to make it happen. You've got to be proactive rather than reactive in order to craft your life into the life you want. 

I know, I know, you've got this. 

Your dad and I will be here cheering you on and offering support if you need it. You might need it, or you might not; either way we'll be here for you in whatever capacity you need.

Just remember, when you see me crying at graduation tonight (and I will cry), they are not tears of sadness. I will be crying tears of pride and joy as you walk across that stage. I am not even a little sad at the thought of you going off to Northern next year. I am thrilled at the thought of you moving out and moving on with your life - after all, it's how things are supposed to work. Will I miss you next year? Of course I will, but that feeling will be overshadowed by my feelings of pride over the battles you've fought and the struggles you've overcome to walk across that stage tonight. I love you!

 

Tomorrow

Tomorrow you will graduate from high school. 

I have to be honest,

there were days I was terrified

we wouldn't make it to today. 

But we did.

You made it.

You worked hard.

You preserved.

You didn't give up; 

and here you are -

just one more day until you

finish high school.

I am so proud of you and the person you've become. I know you can be successful; and you will be successful at anything and everything you decide is important to you. 

Three Days

Three days until I cry as you walk across the stage to get your diploma.  

I thought long and hard about whether or not to use this picture, but it really does sum up your first three months of life; you were so unhappy.  You cried. All. The. Time. Nothing would console you.  Until we got the diagnosis that you were suffering from acid reflux and you started taking Prilosec.  After that, you started to smile. 

Then we dealt with a hospitalization for a severe UTI, a hospitalization for a dangerous eye infection, and other trips to the hospital I'd rather forget (including the time you swallowed the quarter, and when you accidentally broke my nose.) As if that wasn't enough, you've also had to deal with sleep apnea, a hearing impairment, ADD, and your more recent ASD diagnosis.  As we lived through those days, it didn't feel all that overwhelming. But now, as I see it all on one page, I get teary as I realize just how much you went through growing up. 

It feels so unfair that you had to face all of that when so many other kids get to breeze through their childhoods. As I ponder your many battles, I keep coming back to Nietzsche's words, "What does not kill me makes me stronger." I believe we can choose to look at adversity as an opportunity to grow - to develop strength and build a strong character. It all seems like a lifetime ago and yesterday at the same time, but with every hardship, you came out stronger on the other side. Your graduation from high school is a big deal - you made it; you fought every battle and won.  

Are your battles over? Probably not. Will life always be easy? Definitely not, but I believe in you. With your strength I know you will be capable of facing just about anything life throws at you! 

Being your mom hasn't always been easy, but I wouldn't have my life any other way. I love you!

Four Days

Only four more days until you trade in the sun hats Mama made (and tortured you with) for a mortarboard.

Five Days

Five days until this kid graduates from high school.

It's hard to believe it's been 6,612 days since you came into the world. Your birth was so different from your brother's - so much calmer than your his quasi-emergency. Your C-section was scheduled, so I had time to prepare, I knew what to expect. We were so happy when you joined our little family; when you were born things felt complete. 

It's hard to believe your now legally an adult and in just five days you'll be a high school graduate. Where did the time go?

Happy Worm Day!

My family may be the only family that celebrates, but happy Worm Day anyway! What is Worm Day you ask? Why Worm day is the first warmish, wet day each spring when the earthworms come out en masse. It's a day we celebrate as one of the heralds of spring (along with other spring happenings such as the First Boat, the First Freighter, or the opening of Grand Hotel's tulips.)

Worm Day is a sure sign that spring is here. Often it doesn't hit until early May, but it has been so warm in Northern Michigan this year, I'm not surprised they came out early.

It's not the best picture, but all those little lines on the pavement are worms, and they are all wishing you a very happy Worm Day 2024!

Nerdom

 

I take my nerdiness very seriously. 

So, of course, when a Star Trek fan travels through Bloomington, Indiana, you must stop to visit Captain Janeway's future birthplace. Or, when you discover a traveling exhibit of Trek items just happens to be at a Seattle museum when you're in town visiting a friend, how can you not go? I mean, come on. 

If you haven't guessed, I am a huge Star Trek fan. I love it all: the Original Series, The Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, Prodigy and Lower Decks - they're all outstanding. To be honest however, the Original Series will always be my favorite. Watching it reminds me of snuggling next to my dad and watching it with him when I was a kid. Such good times...

Happy Birthday Quilted Turtle

Today is The Quilted Turtle's sweet sixteen! It doesn't seem like I've been blogging that long, but my very first post was on February 10, 2008. (And yes, I still have that table runner.) During those 16 years I've written 1,276 posts about just about everything, but mostly Mackinac Island life.

By far my most popular post is Homemade Superhero, in which I shared the pattern I created to make my daughter a cape for Superhero-Princess Day at school. Someone saved it on Pinterest and its now been downloaded thousands of times. 

I've received the most questions regarding my post about my daughter's Captain Underpants costume. I still get emails with questions asking for a more in depth explanation about how I created it.

Most of my posts don't attract much attention, but it makes me happy to journal about my life, so I'll continue. I've actually started getting my blog printed in yearly editions. Just in case Google ever decides to discontinue Blogger, I'll still have a copy. I hope, when my kids are older, they will enjoy leafing though the pages, and remembering long forgotten snippets of their days on Mackinac.

Home

This week my son came home from college for his winter break. Even though she'll never admit it, I think his sister is happy to have him home. At least today...

Future Wildcat in the House!

Somebody in my house got good news in the mail the other day - an acceptance letter to their top choice college - Northern Michigan University! So, of course, we had to visit campus. (Plus it was a good excuse to visit my other Wildcat.) K was able to meet with an academic advisor to begin planning their program and we had a lovely weekend filled with time on campus, family time and fun.

We hiked up to the top of Sugarloaf and even managed to take in a live version of The Rocky Horror Show while we were in Marquette. (S was not enthusiastic about getting his picture taken with Wildcat Willie up on Sugarloaf, but in the end, he gave in to make mom happy.)

Rocky Horror was very well done! As small-town-theater-people we were quite impressed; the singing, acting, music, sets and costumes were wonderful. I wouldn't be surprised if we try to catch the show again next year.