A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I was looking through the pictures I took a few weeks ago of a hayride we did as a school trip with Biggest Girl's class and smiled when I came across this picture.  It was a beautiful Fall day and after 12 adult staff members (the teachers, aides and therapists from her school) patiently coaxed and lifted the 10 kids in her class out of their wheelchairs and onto the hay bales in the wagon, we set off for the bumpy ride to the pumpkin patch.  As I looked back on this row of wheelchairs patiently waiting for our return, I realized this one picture said it all for me.  My gratitude to the staff at Biggest Girl's school for patiently spending their days making her life better, my happiness that the kids were able to leave their wheelchairs and enjoy a little freedom and my thanks that the farm we visited went above and beyond to accommodate the class without making it seem out of the ordinary.  A thousand words of thanks would not be enough to express my gratitude.

And since Biggest Girl has no words.  Her smile is always enough.

Crafting with my Little People

 

I love to search ebay for vintage linens to use around the house.  I snatched up these 2 cat bibs a year ago in hopes of making them into pillows, but didn't have the heart to cut into them.  I realized over the weekend that they already had a backing sewn to them and by simply cutting off the neckties (from the bib) and poking a hole in the back, it would take about 10 minutes to make them into pillows.  Big girl was super excited to help.              

                                                       She stuffed them.....

                                                       And stuffed them....

     And then we were done. 

 One year and 10 minutes later, we have the 2 cutest pillows ever!

Happy Daylight Savings Time!

Happy Daylight Savings Time! 

 If falling back an hour leaves you scrambling to set all your clocks back

 and wondering if you have it right, check out the official U.S. time web-site at www.time.gov

I always look forward to "falling back" and getting one more hour of sleep. 

 How do you spend your extra hour?

A Quick Quote

"It's too sunny to be Fall!"

~Big Girl~

While searching our yard for the biggest leaf she could find.

Happy Halloween

May the Force be with you!!

Are you smarter than a 3rd grader? Mammals

We took Big Man's Cub Scout group to the Nature Center this week for a presentation on mammals.  You know, warm-blooded, hairy, air-breathing creatures such as humans and sloths.  Not surprisingly, the boys all frantically raised their hands whenever our guide asked a question.  Surprisingly, they got most of the answers right!  Would you have done as well as this group of eager 3rd graders? (answers are listed below)

1. What is the only mammal capable of flying?
2. Which mammal lays eggs rather than "giving birth" to their young?
3. Which mammal has 8 vertebrae instead of the usual 7?

And the drumroll please.............

Answers:

1. The Bat
2. The Duck Billed Platypus
3. The Sea Cow

If you answered these correctly, I have a 9 year old that could use your help with his math homework.

In the Kitchen with my Little People-Easy Apple Crisp

Great for a quick apple pie fix when you return home from a day of apple picking and realize you have no pie crust, no butter and very little time before bed-time.

1. Hold back your laughter as you call the neighbor and ask to "borrow a stick of butter".
2. Send Little Man over to get the butter
3. Cut 8 medium apples into chunks and spread in baking dish.
4. In a bowl combine dry ingredients: 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg.
5. Add 8 tblsp. unsalted butter cut into small pieces to dry ingredients.
6. Scatter this mixture over the apples.
7. Bake until brown (approx. 50 min. at 375 degrees).
8. Serve with whip cream or ice cream.

This recipe was sent home in Biggest Girl's backpack years ago by her teacher Miss Laurie.  Challenged with teaching a class of multiply disabled kids how to make the recipe, she had cut out line drawing icons of the tasks (cut, stir, bake) as well as the ingredients and helped the kids glue them to a red piece of construction paper.  This over-sized recipe card will always be my favorite.