Math is cool

Yesterday afternoon, my boy competed with lots of other fourth graders from all over the eastern part of our state in Math is Cool. They did individual tests. They did group tests. They did math relay problems. They did mental math. This one did not want Mom to take his picture.They competed for speed in a college bowl type of competition. All the while, it was snowing outside. Not just little flakes like one might exect the night Spring Break starts, at least a week into spring. These were the big fluffy white ones that land and stick to things and make driving interesting. These were the kind of flakes that show up in pictures taken through classroom windows.

When the competition was over, they handed out trophies and such. My son brought home the prize for the highest scoring individual from his school.

After it was all over, we walked out to the car. When I take the boy skiing, I expect to find white fluffies all over my car. It is part of the experience. When I take him to math competitions, I guess I should expect to find pi all over my car. I found white fluffies instead. Notice the shiny aluminum wheels? That means I took the snow tires off the car already.

When we arrived home, my Shadow insisted on a walk. Whatever the weather, she wants to go out and take me with her.

I ended up wearing a few flakes as well.This morning we went on our usual tour of the neighborhood. Never mind that the white stuff is piling up deep, there are birds to watch and squirrels to chase and other dogs out there to smell. We need to go out and play, now. So we went.

We saw drifting snow by the park. I guess they promised a little wind today too. It seems to have slipped between the cement barriers at the edge of the unused parking lot.

Then the sun came out and started to melt a few flakes away. Here's hoping your weather is at least as interesting as ours.

What we do for our children

Ten days ago, someone gave my daughter a starter for "Amish Friendship Bread." I believe it is really a test in this case of the friendship between the daughter and her mother. It came with instructions for what to do for the next 10 days. She was good on the "mush the bag" days. I did the add ingredients day. Today is the baking day. With track and field practice lasting until 5:30 in the evening, our baking time is rather limited today. Just to be sure that Mom gets to do the friendship baking all herself, my boy is competing in "Math is Cool" today and I am heading over to the school where that takes place at 5:30 this evening. I put the bread in the oven a half hour ago. It smells good. I will take it out in another half hour. I have created her starters to share with friends. I am hoping she gives them all away. If not, she can learn what to do with it in 10 days herself. The real challenge on this project is not the baking or the mixing or finding time on the appropriate day. The real problem is that spring break starts today, and she will not see her friends at school for 9 days. It is hard to share this stuff on myspace or facebook or in a text message. I think she will be visiting friends tomorrow.

If any of you lived close enough, I could share the fun with you. For my brother in the east, the stuff looks and smells a lot like the sourdough starter you have in the back of your fridge. Of course, compared to your day, baking bread looks easy.

Here are the instructions:

Amish Friendship Bread

Do not use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing. Do not refrigerate. If air gets in the bag, let it out. It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment.

Day 1 – Do nothing, this is the day you receive the batter. Make sure the bag is dated.
Day 2 – Mush the bag.
Day 3 – Mush the bag.
Day 4 – Mush the bag.
Day 5 – Mush the bag.
Day 6 – Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk to the bag. Mush the bag.
Day 7 – Mush the bag.
Day 8 – Mush the bag.
Day 9 – Mush the bag.
Day 10 – Mix and divide the starters, bake bread.

Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl. Add 1½ cups flour, 1½ cups sugar, 1½ cups milk to the bowl. Mix well, then measure 1 cup batter into four one gallon zipper bags. Keep one for yourself and give the other three to friends along with a copy of this recipe.

Add to the remaining batter in the bowl (about two cups):

3 eggs
1 cup oil or ½ cup applesauce
½ cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 large (5.1 oz) box of instant vanilla pudding

Options: add 1 cup chopped nuts, or dried apricots, or rhubarb, or craisins, or raisins. You may exchange chocolate pudding for the vanilla pudding.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Grease two large loaf pans and mix an additional ½ cup sugar and 1½ tsp. cinnamon. Dust greased pans with half of the sugar cinnamon mixture. Divide batter evenly between the two pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar cinnamon mixture over the batter. Bake for one hour. Cool until bread loosens from the pan evenly (about 10 minutes). Turn onto serving dish. Serve warm or cold.


Note: Should the starter and recipe not be passed to a friend on the 10th day, be certain to tell the recipients which date the bag is at in the process. If you keep a starter for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days. Only the Amish know how to create a start, so if you give them all away, you must wait until someone gives you back a starter. The bread is very good and makes a great gift. Enjoy!

I think I put too much cinnamon sugar on top. It should still taste good, even if it looks funny.

Spring=Track season=interesting weather

The last few days have been graced with an interesting weather pattern. It is sure to please everyone at some time each day. We start with fresh snow in the morning, sometimes it falls overnight, and sometimes it is still falling when we wake up, eat breakfast, walk the dog, drive to school or hop on the school bus. In a few hours, the sun comes out and applies sufficient heat to the day to melt the snow. Oh, the joys of spring, seeing the grass and the flowers for the first time since yesterday. Afternoons have been sunny and windy, but unfortunately not all the way up to what I would call warm. This, according to many who have been through the experience before is the harbinger of track and field season.My daughter selected high jump this year. This afternoon (you know it is afternoon, because the snow has melted) I watched her jump at a meet. She made several successful attempts. It always feels good to make it over the bar a few times.You can tell that it is not a warm day by the plethora of garments one wears under the track uniform, which for some odd reason consists of a skimpy sleeveless top and shorts. I think my daughter would be out there in her snow suit and still shiver if she could.I love to see the bar still there when she lands in the pit. Today she made it over 4", which is her personal best.

Happy Easter complete with cousins

When you travel half way across the state to dance, why not go the rest of the way to see cousins? Even if it means arriving at 1:00 AM on Easter.
The bunny showed up with candy wrapped in color coded tissue, the old fashioned way.

Two new Hondas, and some really useful blinds.
Traditional pose, in order of height, not age.
Look what the kids found!

Teasing the dog.


Various fashion statements for church on Easter with snow in the air.

If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes

It is bound to change in that short space of time. Today started with snow, real flaky stuff that first accumulated on the lawn, then proceeded to accumulate on roads and driveways too. It is only the second day of spring, so who needs warm weather yet? Now the sun is out, and it has all melted away, except for the piles left from real winter, that would be the one we had in January when they closed school for a week when they could not find the snow plows.

My sister called, because she is coming to visit Saturday night. She wanted to know what the weather will be. We discussed what each of us had experienced so far today. We decided that the weather would be unsettled and she should bring all her warm and cold clothes.

My Shadow is sticking to her fur coat with snowflakes on it.