Pepper Paints

It’s a Wrap

..or is it “That’s a Wrap?”  Either way, the first week of circus camp is over. Five days of 9-3:30 worth of intensive circus work has everyone worn out.  If it wasn’t for my barking dog I would be still be asleep also.  Next week the class meets later in the evening, so we can all sleep in a bit.   Jake really attended this week more as a helper to the younger and newer kids.  A role he seems to be good at-but don’t tell him I said that, it may ruin his tough image!   But he  participated a good bit also.  To close the week the group had a small performance for families today.  And as always they learned lots of new skills and their confidence has grown.  A good show as always!

getting taped into their stilts

up and moving

Look, she moved up to  the taller stilts this week!!!

Jake took the time on lower stilts this week to try out some new tricks.

They also worked on trapeze, poi, juggling, tumbling and hula hooping this week.  Ginger and I stayed and did their morning warm up a few days this week and let me tell you-it was NOT easy.  This is some hard work.  Back to sleep!

COSI and Watercolors

It has been really nice to spend some alone time with Ginger this week while the big kids are at Circus Camp. This morning we went to COSI. Ginger loves to spend time in Kids Space but when we are there as a family she always seems to get short changed on her time there. Not five minutes after we arrived she was pretty much soaking wet from playing in “OCEAN”.

I hadn’t brought a change of clothes but suggested we head to the bathroom to dry off with the hand dryer.

That was good enough for her and off to Kids Space we headed for the remainder of our visit.   Thank goodness for easy going kids- so much more adaptable than my other two kids. I can take no credit for that personality trait-that’s all from her Daddy!!

This evening we worked on some watercolors and followed this tutorial that I have had book marked forever. I love some of the other projects on this sight as well! Molly ended up spending the night at a friends so we will definitely have to do this activity again when she is around; which is fine with both Ginger and I. We never seem to tire of watercolors!

Tired and titleless

Life has been busy around here even with out the daily crafty activities.  My big kids are at Circus Camp this week from 9-3:30.  Being anywhere by 9 AM is really early in this family.  We are all dragging around -partly from the early rising, the long days,  swimming at the pool,the driving around and the heat and humidity.   Jake will continue Circus next week too, but during evening hours, thank goodness.  Maybe some energy will return!

Molly has been busy getting ready to sell and exhibit at KidzArtz .  She has several projects in need of finishing touches all over the house.  If you are local, there is still time to sign up to participate!   Ginger and I have had a few playdates at the pool and I have gotten nothing done in the house.  Oh well, there is always tomorrow!  Here is a what some of the past few days have looked like…

Jake spray painted his bike -the whole bike-with chrome spray paint.

My daredevil son-

You have to notice that she was sticking her tongue out at me to fully appreciate this one!

Here they are stretching out at the end of the day.

4th of July Fun

I really wanted to make a flicker flash badge and post it in this spot but apparently wordpress won’t let me-so this is my homemade version with out the cool flashness!

Yesterday was a  very s l o w day.  My kids had post party meltdowns, all three of them-they are so sad that is all over until next year.   My Mom came for dinner so we BBQ’d and ate cake under the big top again.  Today the tent will come down, the tables and chairs all put away,  and it will look quiet and once more.   Note that I said “look” quiet-we are not really a quiet bunch.

Today I also get to drop my fair entry off.  One of my photos made it into the Ohio State Fair fine arts exhibit.  I am sooo dang proud.  I remember walking through the exhibit the last few years really wishing to participate.  Last year I made a verbal commitment to Joe to enter.  And I am so glad I did.  I know I posted a while back about encouragement from friends, and I just wanted to thank Abby again for encouraging me!!

My big kids will be at circus camp for the next week-Jake the next 2-so the crafty posts may be sparse.  Ginger is my easy going gal so I plan to  drag her round on some early morning photo adventures this week.

Wet and Muddy Comfest

The Grimaldi Circus took the stage a bit later than scheduled.  They made it about 10 minutes into their performance when the winds kicked into high gear and they were told to cut the show as a bad storm was a comin’.  And boy did it come.  The skies opened up and pounded festival goers with a steady hard rain.  It didn’t take long for someone in the crowd to slide down the muddy bowl.  And it took even less time for about 60 other people to follow.

Jake joined in the mud sledding too.  But he had to take it a step further.

Ahhh youth!

Happy Comfest!

It’s Comfest Weekend!!

Just about everybody in Columbus will be at Comfest this weekend.  Me and Abby and Dawn included! Some of us are more excited than others I might add!  The weather is hot, sticky and lots of possibilities of pop up thunderstorms.  This year I am helping out a friend take photos of the weekends craziness .  And it is, as always, sure to be crazy.  He is actually the “official” photographer for the event so I am pretty excited that he asked me to help out!  Yesterday I wandered around the park taking photos of the set up for the weekend festival that will draw 70, 000 people and dogs together to listen to tons of great music, shopping at countless numbers of booths, and the eating of fair food and drinking way too many beers.   Even my kids circus group will be performing.   And people watching will be at its best!

Here are a couple of photos from yesterday.

Have a great weekend!

Quarter Beers….Quarter Recipes

It seems Thursdays have always been the start of the weekend for me.  It all started many moons ago, before I was even of legal drinking age-shhh, my friends and I used to head out every Thursday night to a dive, motorcycle bar for quarter beers.  It wasn’t good beer but the DJ was great and always played great tunes.  At least that’s what I remember.   Later in college we walked what seemed like miles North to Dick’s Den for quarter beers on what this middle aged memory  remembers to be Thursdays.  Although it could have been Wednesdays but I wouldn’t want to admit starting my weekend so early and it would ruin the set up of my post so I am going to say it was Thursdays.  The jukebox was great and again the beer was not.  But week after week we always came back.

And still to this day my weekend begins on Thursdays. I may not drag my sorry old ass out to a bar to  drink warm quarter beers and listen to great tunes  But I do pack up more than a quarters worth of snacks and water bottles to head to a local park to play with friends for most of the day and then off to our weekly potluck.  I look forward to Thursdays starting on Mondays!

A few weeks ago I wrote about wanting to make a schedule for myself and change my site and because I am so techno challenged I need to wait for a dear friend to make those changes when she has time, and she’s been busy working or something!  hehe  So no changes yet -but I have a million ideas in my head and decided I would get started.  Stay with me, this really does relate to the quarter beers and thursdays stories.  So, I wanted to make a spot for food recipes on my blog-more so than just a catagory or tag.  My dear friend thought  I should come up with a catchy title like Monday’s Menus, or Fridays food, but nothing sounded right to me.  I kept thinking that Thursdays are our potluck days and the beginning of our weekends, a good time to post about food.  And as far as a catchy title…Quarter Recipes in honor of the beginning of the weekend and hopefully a step up from warm beer!

So here is week 1 of Quarter Recipes to be posted each Thursday!  May you enjoy these as much as I remember enjoying quarter beers and as much  as I look forward to Thursdays on Mondays!

Overnight Lemon Coffeecake        (Maybe a Father’s Day breakfast!)

Cake:

nonstick cooking spray. 1/2 cup butter softened, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 2 containers-6 oz each-lemon yogurt, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, 2 1/3 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 tespoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Topping:  1/3 cup flour, 3 Tablespoons, packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoons butter

Glaze:  1/2 cup confectioners sugar, 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk

Grease 9 x 13 pan

In large bowl combine butter and sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add yogurt and zest.  Beat well add flour, baking powder, salt and soda.  Beat at low speed until smooth.

Spread batter into prepared pan.  Cover and  .  When ready to bake, let cake stand at room temperature while preheating oven to 350.  Meanwhile, prepare topping.  In small bowl. combine all topping ingredients.  Mix well.  Sprinkle topping evenly over cake.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool15 minutes.  In small bowl combine the glaze ingredients.  Drizzle over warm cake.  Serve warm.

To bake cake immediately-without refrigeration-sprinkle with topping and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

I am thinking about trying a different flavor yogurt next time-I’ll let you know!

And for those that aren’t interested in my coffecake maybe my kids circus utube videos, hot off the presses,  will be worth reading all the way down this post!

clowning

spinning

trapeze

And don’t forget to enter my 100thpost give way -deadline fast approaching!