I'm Baaaaack!

Well the prognosis is not good, the computer will have to be rebuilt. I have been kept away this week with a sick computer. I finally have to admit that it is done and Ken will have to do some IT magic on it. So I have rounded up our secondary laptops and installed needed software and can now regain some semblance of my way over the top technological world. I have lost a few pics I wanted to post. I will get them back eventually but it isn't the end of the world. Right?!

It was a chilly week but we still made it out to our Friday outdoor group with a special stop in at the Agricultural Museum before we headed home. How can anyone resist little teeny tiny baby lambs??!!

And finally, after three years of the small animal barn being closed, it was opened to the public. The did such a great job with the renovations that it looks exactly the same?! I guess it is about preserving the heritage.

Such a pristine barn! Love the vents on the roof line.

This is always how we leave. Sid must walk the concrete barriers and now she can actually leap between them. She has been doing this for 5 years :)

Aside from lots of reading, writing practice and math we got to do a really cool science project this week. My dear friend Auntie Lydia sent us a great link to this activity because she knew we'd get right into it and we did!!!!! Thank Auntie L. You're the best xox

First make breakfast!!!! But save the shells :)

Grow your own Geodes

I cracked the eggs and used scissors to cut it in half lengthwise. I threw away the cracked part and kept the bottom half for the geode. I also used food colouring instead of egg dye and it worked fine. Here are the directions. Note that we ran out of Alum so only had a half cup instead of 3/4 cups so we had to let the eggs sit longer. Still worked but more alum would have produced bigger geodes. * Alum powder * White glue * Small paintbrush * Plastic or glass container

* Egg dye

* Hot water

* Craft stick or spoon

* Latex gloves

* Drying rack or newspaper

Crystal Egg Geode How-To (from martha stuart this week!)

1. The egg can be cracked by striking it against a surface or cut with a small pair of scissors. Make sure the inside of the eggshell is clean and dry.

2. With a small paintbrush, apply white glue to the inside and cracked edges of each half of the eggshell and sprinkle with alum powder until completely coated. Set eggshell halves aside to dry overnight.

3. The next day, prepare your growing solution in a glass or plastic container by using a craft stick or spoon to mix 2 cups of very hot water (almost boiling) with an entire packet of powdered egg dye. Be sure to wear latex gloves to protect your hands from the dye. (Tip: Liquid food coloring can also be used to dye the geode -- 30 to 40 drops will adequately saturate the solution.)

4. Add 3/4 cup of alum powder to the hot dye bath and stir until completely dissolved. If there are remaining crystals in the bottom of the container, place the solution in the microwave for a few minutes to dissolve them. This will prevent alum from being drawn away from the geode.

5. Once the alum is completely dissolved, let the solution cool slightly (for about 30 minutes) and then submerge one of the dried, alum-coated eggshells in the growing solution, allowing it to rest on the bottom of the container with the inside of the shell facing up.

6. Set the container aside in a safe place overnight to allow the crystals to grow undisturbed. (Tip: The longer the eggshell is in the solution, the larger the crystals in the geode will be. Twelve to 15 hours will usually result in a perfect geode.)

7. The next day, remove the geode from the growing solution very carefully (as wet crystals are quite fragile), being sure to wear latex gloves to prevent the dye from staining your hands. (Tip: If you are not satisfied with the size of your geode crystals, return the geode to the growing solution and wait a day or two. As water evaporates from the solution, more alum will be deposited in your geode, increasing the size of the crystals.)

8. Place your geode on a drying rack or newspaper and allow to dry completely before handling.

9. To grow a second geode in the other half of the eggshell, simply re-dissolve the crystals remaining at the bottom of the growing solution in the microwave and follow the instructions above starting at step 5.

Additional Tips Geodes can be grown without using egg dye. The resulting crystals are clear to milky white, like quartz.

While large chicken eggshells are suggested in this process, larger eggshells can be used. Simply increase the size of the plastic or glass container and double or triple the amounts of dye (1 packet), alum (3/4 part), and water (2 parts) used to create the growing solution.

Ta-Da! We felted a moss coloured nest and put the geodes in it. Sid then wove sticks into the nest and sat her big 3 headed dragon puppet in behind it to watch over the treasure. It looks pretty cool!

And now for some entertainment. Our friends came over and Sid and her "sister" did a long interpretive dance in the living room window. Oh the joy they bring to our days!!! Enjoy!

The Bride and The Wizard.