World Record Sundae

Arial shot taken by the LFD

Ellie loves reading the Guinness Book of World Records, so when we had the opportunity to be a part of a world record attempt…we took it!

Last Saturday we drove up to Ludington to help The House of Flavors build a half-mile long ice cream sundae. (You can read about the "not-official-yet" record here.) Our group of seven (our family, Kyle's mom, and two of the neighbors) was divided between two tables – two Scoopers and five Toppers. Amy and I were Scoopers and had five minutes to empty one of those giant ice cream containers (the type you see at the ice cream shop) over 4' of sundae. Next up, Kyle had an 8lb. container of chocolate that he poured over 8' of ice cream while Jessica, Zack, Ellie and Josie covered it all in whipped cream (in less than a minute!) The final step was a cherry place on top every 12" or so.

Once the entire sundae was built we waited for the officials to video document the entire half mile of dessert before we could dish it out to the more than 12,000 hungry people that were hovering behind us. We spent two hours waiting for the assembly, five minutes putting it together, then ten minutes dishing it out. Intense, but so fun!

Our sundae-building group: Ellie, Josie, me, Kyle, Amy, Zack and Jessica

Waiting for our supplies

We have ice cream…waiting for the horn!

 

 

Selfie Stick

When we went to the butterfly garden a few weeks ago, 

Mallory brought a "selfie-stick". I've never experienced one. 

I have to admit, she took a darned cute picture with it. 

Thanks, Mal!

Butterfly Garden

Sunday afternoon the girls and I took a drive to Meijer Garden with my friend Cyndy and her daughters, Mallory and Anna. They've had a really rough week as a family and needed to get out, soak up some warm air and see something beautiful. The Butterflies are Blooming exhibit was the perfect solution.

Hmm…denim jackets on the left,
freckles and sunglasses on the right

She so wanted to catch one
(seriously frowned upon)

I think Ellie took 200 photos – not kidding

They are wrestling…promise

As close as she could get

Everyone needs a photo underneath a giant horse butt

The Leonardo DiVinci horse amazes me

Looks like a root ball, but it's a neuron

Mallory and Anna…not little girls anymore

Book Covered Doors

Last week each of the classrooms at the girls' school decorated their doors as book covers. Ellie's class chose "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and Josie's class decorated their door with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." The first time I saw the photo of Ellie's door, it cracked me up. Notice the faux pas?

"How the Grinch Stole Christ" (oh my!)

Pinewood Derby

Last night was the Pinewood Derby for the GEMS group (kind of like a faith-based scouts) that Ellie attends. It was the girls (GEMS) against the boys (Cadets). Ellie and Kyle worked very hard on her Chewbaca-themed entry, and though they had fun, there were a few other quite a bit over the weigh limit entries that flew much faster down the track. Win or no win, it was a lot of fun!

Ellie and her Chewbaca pinewood derby car

Kyle…giving "Ellie's" car a little tune-up

Talking strategy

Ready to race!

Some really creative car builders

I love this…Ellie comforting Tressa after Tressa lost her round

Watching nervously as friends race each other

Boys against girls – serious competition!

Girls win!

Great Books (that I've been listening to)

One of the perks of working from home…the ability to zone out to a good book while I work. A few of the better ones I've listened to so far this year:

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Wildflower by Drew Barrymore

Wildflower is a portrait of Drew's life in stories as she looks back on the adventures, challenges, and incredible experiences of her earlier years. It includes tales of living on her own at 14 (and how laundry may have saved her life), getting stuck in a gas station overhang on a cross-country road trip, saying good-bye to her father in a way only he could have understood, and many more adventures and lessons that have led her to the successful, happy, and healthy place she is today.

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same. Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran-and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France--a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

FREE PATTERN: Felt Owl Ornament

Last year I saw this little ornament in a catalog
(Crate and Barrel, Potty Barn...I don't remember). 

I knew I wanted to make the little guy – he's so darn cute. 

I'm thinking this easy little project
would make a great teacher gift!

Click here to download the PDF template.

If you use the pattern, Email me photos of your little owls, I'd love to see them!

FREE PATTERN: Earth-friendly lunch set. How to make re-usable snack and sandwich bags.

Ready to make re-usable snack or lunch bags for your little lunch packer? (Or yourself for that matter!) CLICK HERE to download the free PDF tutorial. Have fun!

FREE PATTERN: 1 Hour, 1 Yard, 1 Easy Apron!

Need a quick project this week? Here it is. If you have one yard of fabric, one hour of time, and a few other misc. ingredients, you can make a cute apron - just in time for that fabulous 5 course Sunday dinner you were planning. You were planning one...right? (Kidding of course.)

You can click here for the PDF, or click on the image to the left.

If you find any instructions that are a little off or confusing, please don't hesitate to let me know. And, if you make one, please take a picture and send it over. I'd LOVE to see them!

Have fun!

FREE PATTERN - Coupon Organizer

I'm whole-heartitly trying saving money on groceries by using coupons these days. (We've got to pinch pennies somewhere!) I couldn't put them in an ordinary envelope, and buying a coupon holder when the point is to save not spend seemed a little strange. So...I made my own. Feel free to download the PDF here. Maybe you'll be inspired as well.

Oh, and if you sew one, please send me a photo! I'd LOVE to see it! (You can email me at lisa@fresh-graphicdesign.com)