We Harnessed the POWER OF THE SUN!!

FRitW came to me a few days ago: He’d found a magnifying glass and just HAD to try harnessing the power of the sun! We’ve had quite a bit of rain lately, so it seemed safe enough to try. His magnifying glass is a tiny plastic one, so I wasn’t sure if he would even have a chance for success.

We found a dry leaf and placed it on a piece of paper smack dab in the center of the driveway. His first observation: “This is taking FOREVER!”. He also found it hard to hold the magnifying glass still so it could focus on one spot.

FRitW decided he would have to build something to hold the magnifying glass very still at the correct angle if he was going to burn up this leaf. Legos to the rescue!  A few minutes later he had a handy magnifying glass holder. Now all he had to do was sit back and wait…

 

 

I was so surprised! This tiny little magnifying glass actually burned a hole through the leaf! We watched it for almost 20 minutes, but we never saw an actual flame. That was a little disappointing – especially since FRitW had a glass of water ready to douse the big fire he was so sure he would start. Still, we agreed it was a successful experiment.

 

 

Now we just need to try it again with a bigger magnifying glass…

Our Anniversary Plantings

Hibiscus - Peppermint Schnapps (partially bloomed)

What better way to remember our 19th wedding anniversary than to plant a tree or a flower...or fifteen trees and flowers...

Thursday evening we began digging holes in the front part of the yard, hoping to get all fifteen plants planted. However, we learned something new about our new yard. Iron Ore runs deep... like deep enough that we couldn't get through it to reach actual soil. Ugh!

Even with the auger, this hole just about got the best of us!

So, tonight with the help of a rented auger - we planted Crepe Myrtles and Hibiscus (my favorite Hibiscus is a rosy pink one named "Sultry Kiss" - perfect for an anniversary - don't you think?) FRitW and MT helped carry potting soil, Dad and Kirk ran the auger and helped Maggie and I plant.

Crepe Myrtle - Dynamite

I managed to encounter a nest of ants and, thankfully, grabbed the web of a black widow, but not the spider herself - no injuries resulted!

These guys are just so cute - working together to unload bags of potting soil:

"Catch that wagon!"

Putting rocks behind the wheels so it can't roll away again

Hard working helpers!

Whew! That was heavy!

Done!

Just Fluff and Beaks

She's perched on the edge instead of being cuddled into the nest.

Our new home came with bird nests on the front and back porches. The back porch nest has been abandoned, but we have delighted in watching our little mama bird on the front porch. After much research, we believe she is an Eastern Phoebe. This is a new bird species for us. We only moved about 40 miles from our previous home, but we’ve discovered several new insects, birds, and butterflies in this area.

Maggie noticed some different behavior from our Phoebe yesterday – she was perching on the edge of the nest instead of settling into the nest. She noted at least two tiny heads peeking up as well.

At the right of the nest is a tiny yellow beak.

I snuck out on the porch this evening and snapped a picture while the Mama bird was out hunting more food for these hungry babies. It’s not a great picture, but I was teetering on the top step of the stepladder, trying to brace my camera against the porch ceiling! Oh, and I was in a hurry – hoping not to scare the Mama too much.

Look at that open beak! Isn't the nest snug and soft inside?

We’ve seen two, possibly three heads as we’ve watched her through the window by our dining room table. I can’t wait to see them as they grow to more than just tiny bits of fuzz with huge orange beaks!

The Purple Beanbag

Maggie’s new room has a dormer window. This was on her wishlist as we shopped for a new home. Before we even toured our first potential home, she had decided that she wanted a large purple beanbag to be a reading space in her new dormer window.

Amazingly enough, she got the dormer window and it is the perfect size for a big beanbag.  But, big beanbags aren’t that easy to come by  (at least when you live in a mostly rural area with limited shopping). But within a week of moving in to our new home, I opened an email from Zulily and found Jaxx Beanbags for sale at a great price! They happened to have a beautiful rich purple one that was 48 inches in diameter – Wow! This was just what she was looking for! As a bonus, these beanbags are made in the USA – which made me smile.

Monday we received a box that couldn’t possibly be big enough to hold a 4 foot beanbag. Hmm… could I have misunderstood the description? Or did I order the wrong beanbag?

This is what we found in the box:

12 inch cube of stuffing and a great big inner liner!

The cube was wrapped in plastic and had six very long strips of tape wrapped around it. The instructions said to remove the numbered strips in order, which Maggie did - with some help from MT:

Pull, MT, Pull!

Maggie then put the bag of fluff into the liner and cut it open. This broke the vacuum seal and the filler immediately began to expand!

Now it was time to wait. The intructions said to let it expand for 24 hours before using the beanbag. After the 24 hours she was to turn the bag and fluff it occasionally for a week to ensure maximum fluffiness.

Here is her beanbag within 20 minutes of opening the vacuum sealed bag:

The cardboard box next to the bag is the box it shipped in.

And again about an hour later:

Another couple of hours:

And finally - 2 days later, in it's cover and with a couple of brothers to demonstrate its size:

What a great product! The cover is thick and sturdy, with a suede-like feel and the size is perfect! Best of all it supports workers here in the United States - what a deal! I'm already watching Zulily for another sale on Jaxx beanbags - All three of the boys want one now!

Zulily is a website that offers great prices on items for babies, children, moms, and the home. If you are interested in seeing what kind of deals Zulily offers, please feel free to use my link:
http://www.zulily.com/invite/lstraley2867
(If you sign up and make a purchase - I will receive a store credit - and so could you, if you refer your friends through your own link!) I've made several purchases through Zulily and have been pleased with this company!

For an extra perk: Sign up for ebates -
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=01LJdlWsC6Sh9yRRyuJOqA%3D%3D
(yep, I get some kind of benefit for you using this link!) and get 3.5% cash back (in the form of an actual check - this is really cash back!) on every purchase you make through Zulily! How's that for a deal? If you are going to buy it anyway, you might as well save a little money and get some cash back too! I've been using ebates for more than a year and have enjoyed receiving my quarterly check! You will be surprised at all of the stores that offer cashback through ebates - check before you shop anywhere!

New Places to Play

FRitW and MT spent a lot of days in March playing in their beloved ‘place for boats’ because they knew that April meant an end to their special dirt pit. We moved to our new home April 2^nd and although the promised new dirt pit has not been dug yet, they have found many new things to do!

The paved driveway has opened all sorts of new possibilities. There is lots of bike and scooter riding, sidewalk chalk roadways, welcome mats, and bowling scores

We have a bird nesting on the front porch

A chrysalis near the porch light: (we watched the caterpillar work its way up the doorframe and build the cocoon!)

And a lovely wooded backyard.

We’ve seen hundreds of butterflies, thanks in part to these lovely flowers on the bush next to the front porch.

My favorite part of our new house though? The people to bathroom ratio is no longer 6:1 woohoo!!!!

Keva + Firecracker = BOOM!

Just a simple building

We really like Keva Planks in this house. Kevas are American made, hardwood planks that can be stacked a number of ways. They are excellent for teaching small motor control, balance, and patience (both in building and toward your little brother when he knocks down your patiently built structure).

Oh no - is that smoke pouring from the building???

This week we added another element to our Keva play � small explosives! We have a few fireworks left from July of last year just for occasions such as today. I�m pretty sure Kirk came up with the idea today, but I don�t think there was any argument when he suggested they blow up a Keva building.

Complete destruction...

 The result was so incredible that I had to attempt to get it on camera. The force blew Keva�s 12 feet from the building site! I never could catch the moment of explosion, but you can see in these photos the complete destruction of the tiny building.

It's blurry, but ths is in the midst of the explostion - Keva pieces flew everywhere!

Larger buildings did not explode with the same impact � which was a little disappointing, but as you can see - the open structure allowed the force to dissipate without complete destruction. Amazingly enough, no Keva�s (or kids) were harmed in the process, but fun was had by all!

The bigger building

It fell piece by piece but nothing flew up into the air.

Is there any purpose at all to this? Probably not - but it was a lot of fun!

Leap Day Sale!

28 Days of Hope for your home is on sale through today! It's a Sale-within-a Sale! Today, use code HOPE to get this e-book for only $2.00!!!
Here's a short video with a little information about the book: