Bible in a Year

I have been thinking about starting a year long bible reading program for a few weeks now. Since it wasn't January 1st I procrastinated a bit. Then on Karen's blog this weekend she mentioned a reading program that you can start any month. So I went to check it out and it is exactly what I was looking for. You can choose from 5 different plans. Many different translations and you can start today.
I just read Day 1 Matthew 1-4.
To discipline myself I will not allow myself to get on the computer until it is read. After all it should be the most important reading of the day and it should have priority. And I know myself well.
Anyone want to join me on this journey?

http://eword.gospelcom.net/year/

Adventurous Eater Meme

The Very Great Taste Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp Pretty sure this is the same as catfish.
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich Many many times.
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes Stomped the blueberries with my own two feet.
19. Steamed pork buns-I think so but the steamed part makes me wonder.
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans beans and rice
25. Brawn, souse or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava see this post
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (Clam chowder minus the sourdough bowl.)
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects I seem to remember chocolate covered ants
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut- YUMMY
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal McDonalds everything but Big Macs
56. Spaetzle see this post
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV taste only, I can not stand beer but my hubby is a beer snob and he makes me try stuff.
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill -perhaps a deer killed by a car
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate ? I love chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell (?) crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish apparently there is a difference between carp and catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor (Lobster yes, "thermidored"??.)
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake ? I think I have

I had to look up on wikipedia many of these dishes. So many things I have yet to explore.
Thanks to Diane for this fun food meme. If you do it yourself let me know so I can see how adventurous you are when it comes to food.

I Have a Need

God has wired me to network!
I enjoy connecting people with the resources they need. I love introducing people to each other and watching God work. So I am really enjoying facebook! Truly it amazes me.

So my need- I need a kids play tunnel to borrow for one week. For school next week we will be doing Attentiveness, beginning with listening and the science of the ear. I will be making an ear for the kids to crawl through and explore. The tunnel is needed for the ear canal. So if you have one and are willing to let me borrow it for a few days, I would greatly appreciate it.

And while we are networking resources and ideas here. Mindy needs to know where to find a good deal on mascara. No more dollar store mascara for her, something about tar and bat guano or worse. DOH! So if you can help her out, she too would greatly appreciate it.

I think if we all just share our needs God would provide. Because really with the mass amounts of knowledge and material things we possess when we combine it all, it's astronomical. So let's do as they do in preschool; lets share. Our wisdom. Our knowledge. Our resources. Our love. Let's network here people!

Have a need- let me know, I just may be able to help you out.

Resources are Amazing!

I just spent an hour on the Capital Area District Libraries(CADL) website. I am super excited. I have found so many great resources to aide in our schooling. This year I am tailoring the kids learning more than ever before. While I have curriculum that will help me along the way I am choosing what we will do and pulling together all the resources we will use on my own. Let me just say the internet is AMAZING!!!
I can google and find just about any answer I am seeking.
I can find videos on youtube.
I can find music.
I can find maps.
There are visual pictures galore by clicking image on my google search.
Ebay, Amazon and Rainbow Resources. Love them!
Then there is my library, who allows me to order books, music, videos and DVDs from the convenience of my home.

I am super excited about this school year. A fabulous adventure is awaiting us.

Developing Responsibilty

Do you have children? Do your children whine in the candy aisle with endless request for candy, toys and trinkets? Mine did. Those days were the days B.A. before allowance. Their wants seemed longer than the actual grocery list and I found it exhausting to do any sort of shopping. So we decided to give them money for them to make their own choices with. If they want it, THEY PAY FOR IT. End of story. It has had huge payoffs. Back when the boy was still four he saved $40 to order a robot he wanted. The whining in the store ceased and actual thinking skills kicked in. They have developed such a sense of purchase prices, value and saving for big ticket items. I don't believe these things are learned by accident, I believe it is intentional teaching on the parents part.
We were watching an episode of Scrubs the other night. Blondie had been cut off from her father. She went from an all expenses paid life, where her education, apartment and food were paid for by her daddy, to on her own. The stress was overwhelming and she said she had never had to pay for anything in her life. Nothing.
I know this is a TV sitcom. Not real life. But it is a real life scenario. In which parents debilitate their children by giving them their every want and whim. I have seen it many times in peoples lives around me. These parents who have a hard time telling their kids no are still supporting them AND their families well into their thirties.
I so do not want that to be my family. I want the kids to make good choices with their money. I want them to discern between need and want. I want them to live life debt free. I want them to save money for their future. I want them to tithe and give back to God. I want them to be wise stewards in this world. I know I want a lot. I also know that these things are attainable with some purposeful teaching. Also, with some opportunity to live it out. I know they will make mistakes. They will blow money on useless trivial things. But I am learning that the more opportunity they have to make their own choices, they tend to make pretty good ones. And also right now the stakes are not high. So what if they spend $3 on candy. It's better than $300 once they graduate and they try out their freedom with overspending.
One thing we have recently started was a save for the future envelope. Once money goes into this envelope it DOES NOT come out. When they get paid, which is every 2 weeks, they are to give $1 to God(tithe) and $2 to their savings envelope. This is non-negotiable. What they do with the rest of their cash is up to them. Within reason. What I have found since starting the save for the future is that they enjoy setting aside more than the required amount. My son knowing that it will not be given back to him until he is a teenager, has been putting in most of his cash to his long term savings. He tells me that when he is older he wants to buy a motorcycle with his money. If he keeps up the way he is going he will have no problem doing so when the time comes for him to drive. Woohoo!
Then there are the sweet moments like yesterday, which prompted the writing of this post.
I was chatting with a dear friend in the floral department at Horracks. As she was waiting little girl was admiring all the flowers. After a few minutes she wanted my attention to ask me something.
DD- Mom, can I get something?
ME: What do you want to get?
DD: These flowers. How much are they?
ME: What does the tag say?
DD: It say 4 9 9
ME: $4.99 that is five dollars.
DD: I have five dollars (digging in purse to locate it.)
ME: Are you sure you want to spend your five dollars on the flowers?
DD: Yes, I think they would brighten up my room by the window.

I thought that was so sweet. Flowers to brighten up her room. And that is exactly what she did. If you ask her it was $5 well spent.

So how about you? Do you give your kids allowance?

Riding with GWRRA

Hubby and I joined GWRRA last week. Gold Wing Road Riders Association.
Yeah, so I went out with him last night for their Tuesday night social ride. I have never felt so young. I am a baby. Half these people age. Seriously. Young. I will not call myself old again for a few more decades.
While out of my league when it comes to age, I did enjoy talking with these people. I hope we build many long lasting friendships. I know we will have many good times to come.

Our Goldwing on our Canada tour in June.

For Those Who Like Food

Mediterranean Monday!
With two ethnic foods remaining, we decided to bring dad along for Woody's Oasis. Before we had kids Dave and I enjoyed going there. Now it was time to introduce the kids.
We chose meat grape leaves, chicken schwarma with rice, falafel, toubolli, greek salad and pitas with hummus.

For dessert we had baklava and fingers.

The kids were a bit squeamish at first about the grape leaves. I mean really, they look weird. But they taste oh so delish. The boy thought they were awesome. Little girl ate one, enjoying the filling but still not impressed with the leaf.

They loved the chicken schwarma. And were indifferent about the falafel. Little girl liked the hummus, the boy did not. Hubby could not get enough of the hummus.

Yum, Yum and YUM!
I feel blessed to have adventurous eaters. Ethiopian is the next food of the ethnic roster. Should be interesting.

Growing

See this cute adorable face.

It is growing up. By the calendar she is four nearly five which means her confidence is growing just as much as she is. In the last few months I have seen her crack away her shell and since this post, she has been talking more and more in uncomfortable situations. Such as, the dentist yesterday. She actually talked to both the hygientist and the dentist. Saying hi, answering their questions, joking with them and saying good bye. Sweet! Which since I mentioned the dentist, update, my kids no longer have perfect dental records. The both have cavities. Yikes! Doc said they have small mouths and even though they look to be brushing well they need to floss daily to get in between those tight spots. So not looking forward to the day of the fillings. I will keep you posted.
So back to little girl. Over the last few months I have been noticing an awareness of others and their opinions. When picking out a dress for church she will ask, "Do you think Abbey will like this?" Or her hair, "Do you think Daddy will think I am beautiful?" Well of course he will and if he doesn't, I may kick him. AND then there is Isabell. Who recently got her hair cut and my dear sweet little girl wanted her hair to be JUST like hers. So with her hair needing to be cut it was time to decide how it would be cut. The mother within me wanted it to be shoulder length, preserving her beautiful curls. But also preserving her own identity. In the end I let her make her own decision. Perhaps a first. She chose the chin length cut like Isabell's.
Here is before- the back.

The opening picture is just before, from the front.
During-

After-

She looks so much older to me. I must admit it is very cute on her. And I think she is beautiful.
This whole hair cut thing just reminds me even more how much she is growing up. Insert deep sigh. And how each phase of this life is precious.

I love you sweet girl! Always and forever!

A Word To You

The words of Rick Warren are ringing in my head.
"It's not about you."
So much of this world and life in general is not about you. Or me for that matter.
So why are these words resonating in my brain?
The band reunion.
An absolutely fabulous time. Reconnecting. Remembering. Honoring. Laughing. Enjoying one another.
It was beautiful. No who's who in business. No who makes the most money or drives the best car. No judgment. Which brings me to it's not about you. I think those that came knew that this band reunion was not about them. It was about remembering an era. A band that accomplished great things. Honoring a mentor and friend that brought out the best in all of us. It was about coming together again as the band. Some did not come because they did not get that. I think they thought it was about them. They think that it mattered that they gained weight or didn't end up in their dream job, it doesn't. It does not matter one bit to me.
I don't care if you are:
overweight
underweight
poor
rich
bald
gay
unemployed
homeless
a stay at home parent
single
married
or divorced.
Things things do no matter to me. And to be honest with you I don't think they mattered to anyone there. We were all just so thrilled to see one another again, that these things just did not matter.
We were the band. We were more than a band. We were family! We still are.
And I surely hope that the next time we get together, that ALL of us will be there.
I really truly do!

What's Up Southside?

6^th Annual Southside “Showcase” Community Fair

Saturday, August 23, 2008

12-4 p.m.

Benjamin Davis Park

Pleasant Grove Road between Jolly & Miller

40+ Vendors/Exhibitors

Local businesses, faith groups, schools, community organizations,

government agencies, and elected officials located in or serving the south side.

Live Entertainment

11:30 – 12:15 p.m. - Fall Creek (Rock/Country)

12:30-1:30 p.m. - The Clarksons w/Mike Skory (Folk/Gospel)

1:45-2:45 p.m. - Habibi Dancers (Middle Eastern)

3:00-4:00 p.m. - Powerlight Band (70s/80s R&B)

between each act - Ken Salzman (Magician/Illusionist)

Children’s Activities

Body Art & Face Painting • First Tee Putting Green,

Impression 5 Slime Factory • Potter Park Petting Zoo

Woldumar Skins and Skulls • Home Depot Construction

Phenomenal Flips Gymnastics • Got Chess?

Flying Aces Air Show • Inflatable Obstacle Course

Giant Tiki Climbing Tower and MORE!

Great Food

Clint’s Hot Dogs • Marco’s Pizza • M&M Smoked Meats • Tailgate Tacos

Sponsored by

City of Lansing

Comerica Bank • c2ae • Innate Chiropractic

Lansing City Councilmembers Allen, Hewitt, Kaltenbach, Robinson, & Quinney

LEPFA • MSU Federal Credit Union • State Farm Insurance

Ingham County Land Bank Authority

A Picture of Productivity

Since my brother is the best and took my kids overnight I had a kid free morning. As you can imagine this is a rarity. With school around the corner I need to get school stuff in order. My desk has been collecting clutter since the start of Summer break. Yesterday the kids played in the school room and got out every manipulative they could think of. Yeah, crazy. Messy. Disorganized. In need of help.

After much love and time it went from looking like this:

To this:

Which makes me a very happy lady.
Now I have space to actually sit down and do some teacher planning.

Misty Eyed

I am sitting at my computer, it is 10pm. The kids have gone to my brothers for a sleepover. Hubby went to bed early as he was not feeling well. And sweet little me is here. Being completely touched by God. So many fragments of thought and happenings over the last week. They bring me here to this moment. And while I am not crying, I could be. Instead I am misty eyed. Realizing fully how good God is. How complete and utterly good. I needed to be reminded. While I would not say I am walking away from him right now, I would say I am not walking as closely. I still hear His voice. I still feel his promptings. But my passion has been lacking.
I have been thinking for the last several weeks how I can get back on track as far as where I want to be. Spending more time in the word and in prayer. I felt the desire to reread The power of a Praying Wife but after an exhaustive search I could not find it on any of our bookshelves. I still have the desire to go through it.
Tonight God reminded me of where we have been. Moments of pure obedience. Moments of unrelenting prayer. Moments where I have followed him without abandon. Dancing for him. Praying for his children. Speaking words of truth. Obedience even in the ridiculous.
And I want to come back. I want to run into His arms. I want to hear Him call my name for I will follow. I want to sing, a new and vibrant song a song for Him.
What brought about this breath of new life. A letter from pastor brad and a google search of my screen name. God is using the internet for His Kingdom and I want to be a light.

Lord I want to be free. Lord I want to break these chains Lord I want to be free. I want to spread my wings. There is grace and forgiveness, healing at the cross. I will come and lay it down I will come and lay it down at the foot of the cross.

Randomness

I have been deeply contemplating connections this week. The very fact that I am who I am because of the various defining moments in my life. The friends I have had. The places I have been. The transformation of Christ in my life. And how even that is a direct result of people loving me and investing in me. I am who I am because of conversations , laughter, tears and life shared with those around me. I am feeling very blessed to have touched and been touched by so many throughout my life. Both in real life and over the connection of the net. I love my peeps.

Little girl reading to Victoria. I absolutely LOVE moments like these.

Over the weekend I got up the nerve to try and make a German meal. I went with roast and spaetzel with gravy. The whole family enjoyed this dish. One I would do again for sure.

For dessert I made German strudel. Delish

I went to Lou and Harry's for our Greek experience with Mindy. I could not find my camera so you will be without a picture on this one. Trust me it looked and tasted great. Well, little girl and I thought so, the boy was unimpressed. We had gyro with greek salad, fries and a lemon pastry. Little girl discovered she loves feta.

I watched Juno last night. I could relate much more than I would ever want to admit. Especially the opening scene of Sunny D. Ask my hubby how much I like Sunny D. The movie was a reflective movie for me. I enjoyed the humor. I laughed so much throughout the whole thing. Favorite line, "This ain't no Magna Doodle. This is one doodle that can't be undone."

An update on the garage is LONG overdue. The building has been done for over two weeks, then came the doors and electrical. Today it will be complete with the addition of gutters. It is so beautiful, not to mention functional.
Back yard before-

After-

Hubby built an extension for his work bench. It turned out great and it too is extremely functional. He was able to fix our lawn mower last night. Praise God!

He let the boy help


Jumpin Jehosaphat, I just turned 30,000 visits to this blog. Thanks to all who read.
Come out of your lurking state and say hi.

Jeanne

There are just people in this world that leave a legacy. They live their lives with passion and love. My Jeanne was one such special person.
Jeanne has been such a source of encouragement to me throughout the years. She had a warm infectious smile. Great hugs. Words of wisdom. And a laugh that could brighten even the darkest day.
Jeanne prayed for me on many occasions and probably many of those that read this. She lived and she loved. I will miss her greatly.
Jeanne Wood 1948-2008

Facebook and the new widget

I am discovering much about the wonderful facebook. I have connected with 50+ friends over the last 48 hours. Amazing. I have been uploading pictures, writing on walls and nominated as the author of momteacherfriend blog network. Good thing I was nominated because otherwise I would have had no clue it was even an option.
So check out the new widget on the sidebar. Go check it out and join my network.
Go.
Do it now.
PLEASE!

Olympic Pup

The dog found an old hole yesterday and begin digging feverishly. My friend stated, "It looks like she's digging to China."
Little girl replied, "Yeah, maybe to Beijing!"

Facebook

So after a few recommendations to try facebook, I did. Oh my!
It will take me many hours to explore all that I can, comment to everyone and upload photos. I am sure I find spare moments here and there to do all these things. Hopefully I do not allow myself to get distracted and neglect my responsibilities.

Kids Olympics

With track and field debuting today, we headed over to our local track. Two other families joined us for our own Track and Field Olympics.
Stretching...

Little girl's long jump...

The boy's long jump...

DD with Discus

DS with Discus...

The boys 400 meter run...

The girl's 400 meter run...

High Jump...

Our Gold Medal Athletes...

Other events not pictured; shot put, javelin, relay hand offs and paper bag hurdles.
The sweetest moments for me were the girls cheering for their brothers and the boys cheering for their sisters during the 400 meter run. It was super cute.
We finished the morning with a picnic lunch and fellowship with friends. Good times.

Where In the World Is?

Carmen San Diego.

Not that I would know who he was if I found him. I am however looking for a wide variety of people that graduated between the years of 1991-2000. Why? I am so glad you asked. The Everett band director, Mr. Hicks, is having a band and glee club reunion for those under his direction during those years.

Since the planning meeting last night I have been shaking trees, scouring the internet and making calls to find lost members of the band. I have made friends with anywho.com, smartpages.com and myspace. I tell ya, it is hard work finding people.

So if by chance you are reading this and you know someone that was in band, vikettes, color guard or glee club, please give them the following information.

Everettt Band Reunion
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Birchfield Park, Holt Michigan
noon-5
$10 for 10+
$5 for ages $5-9
4 and under-free
To attend please register with me at momteacherfriend@gmail.com or contact Mr. Hicks at saxman63@sbcglobal.n

et
Payment must be received by Tuesday.

Thank you!

Gymnastics

With competition for the women's gymnastics scheduled for the evening, we dedicated the day to the sport.
We read a book about Carly Patterson, checked out the mini animation and tumbled around the living room. We each made up a pretend balance beam routine performed on a string in the living room. Mine was fabulous although I was unable to land a cartwheel on my string. Deductions, deductions.


Then in the afternoon we went to my parents where the kids convinced me to do a back flip for them. The boy video taped for your viewing pleasure.


It was a fun day teaching the kids different things about a sport I love. For those who may not know, I was a gymnast in high school. No where near as talented as the Olympians but I enjoyed it just the same.

In the evening we had orange chicken with rice and noodles from the mall. The kids tried the egg roll but were not impressed. Orange chicken though, this they love.

Hubby is back from his latest travels so he watched the evening Olympics with us. I think I may be a little more reserved in my cheering with him present. But cheer I did.
Go Michael!
Go Team USA!
Keep up the awesome work and determination in Beijing.

Michael Phelps and Mexico Monday

The Americans were smokin' in the Aquatic Center. With an exciting night of swimming scheduled we hit the pool for a swim of our own, armed with knowledge we found on this site. The boy tried out the different strokes, while the girl worked on swimming for longer distances.



After our swim practice we splashed and played in the kid pad.
In the evening we cheered on team USA as they were absolutely VICTORIOUS in the pool. Three gold medals, back to back, all in record time. With Americans also taking bronze, bronze and silver in those same events. Since we had taken three hour naps in the afternoon we stayed up LATE watching all the Olympic excitement. Including the USA Men's Gymnastic team win the bronze. And Michael Phelps! Three for three and tying the record for most Olympic golds. I think it is fair to say he will be the sole record owner of the most decorated athlete of the modern Olympics by the end of Beijing. One thing is for certain, we are cheering him on every step of the way.
For dinner we decided to go Mexican. We located Mexico on the map, found their flag in our handy dandy flag book and headed out the door. On our way to the restaurant we tried to remember as much Spanish as we could. We have the basic colors, numbers to 10, hello and good bye. I knew the basic food words; carne, queso, and pollo. As we rounded the corner we saw the sign, Los Tres Amigos, which the kids easily translated. Then made the realization that we ourselves were three friends. Walking in they greeted the waiter with an ola. When ever we could we chose to say things in Spanish, which was very fun. As we waited for our meal we ate salsa, listened to the music and discussed the pictures on the wall. Leading to more cultural discussion, including clay roofs.

For our meal we ordered enchilada, taco, cheese quasadilla, chalupa, tostada, a side of rice and a side of beans.

Everyone loved everything! We seriously cleaned our plates.

For dessert we decided on Sopilla( spiced tortilla) and ice cream.

Our Mexican dining experience was a success.


As we left the restaurant the kids told our waiter, "Adios amigo."
And now I say to you, until next time, "Adios amigos!"

Olympic Link

Need a better way to explain the Olympic sports? Try these mini flash animations.
http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/flash/summer/index_uk.asp#

Keepers of the Pond

While Grandma and Grandpa were away on vacation the kids and I had the responsibility of taking care of their pond. My mom has a beautifully landscaped yard that is home to fish, frogs, a turtle and many, many birds. Each day we came over to bring in the mail, feed the fish, care for the garden and fill the bird feeders. There is a lot of love and care that goes into this yard. Here are some snap shots of this morning, our last day as keepers of the pond.

Fabulous Four

What a stupendous night of Swimming!
I was literally on my feet, jumping up and down those last few strokes of the 4*100 relay. One of those true spirit of the games, moment of triumph. Love it!

Folk Fest 2008

I woke up yesterday morning with no real agenda for the day. During the morning news I learned that the Folk Fest was going on just minutes from our house. The benefits of living near a Huge Big Ten campus. It boasted music from around the world as well as an international food court. For that reason alone we decided to head over and check it out. We were not disappointed. The food court had ethnic dishes from China, Korea, Jamaica, Hawaii, Poland, Ethiopia, Mexico and Native America. After much thought we decided to try the Jamaican food.

We ordered the jerk chicken with a side of grilled pork. It came with vegetables, rice with beans and a sweet corn bread. Rather tasty but much too spicy for the kids. They sampled it like champs trying everything on the plate. The boy devoured the corn bread to help ease the heat. I had no problem cleaning the plate.

The kids were still hungry so we then decided to go for some Hawaiian. A sweet BBQ chicken sandwich on homemade bun, coconut coleslaw (AWESOME) fruit and chips. They really enjoyed this dish.

There was an abundance of music at the Folk Fest. With 5 stages there was lots to choose from. We listened to the some Polka music while we ate. Some of our favorite music were these impromptu set-ups on the side of the road.



The Apprentice tent was a huge hit. Featuring a variety of learned crafts, we got to watch the artist in action. Here is some embroidery...

A wood worker making a unique bird...

Lace work...

Whittling, the process of how it goes from block of wood to a duck.

Not pictured but also observed; birch bark biting, birch baskets, carving stone and braiding.
The kids enjoyed the Children's activity center. Where they made a leather key chain, pounding different shapes into the wet leather.

Here is the boys finished work. He designed a castle with a surrounding path.

Then they made a stain glass picture by cutting out shapes in black paper and filling in the holes with colored tissue paper.

Then they chose to make flowers out of tissue paper. They turned out really good.

Also in the children's area was a platform with jump ropes and hop scotch. The kids loved it. Here little girl is trying to jump rope.

For awhile two grown men were turning a large rope for the kids to run through or practice jumping. The boy had fun doing both. (Also, not pictured)

Our last stop of the festival was the balloon man. DD got a walking dog, the boy a sword and belt. Fencing anyone?

Hope you enjoyed are recap of the Folk Fest.