Simone at the St. Louis Science Center

This is Simone while at the St. Louis Science Center. This is how much $$ it would cost to send her to space...we are taking up a collection now, lol!!!
Simone has made a friend while making the rounds at the science center, lol! We all had a good time. I totally love seeing her when she is having fun.
This is a "hard" on to see, but it is a huge projections kaleidoscope you you "make" with your hands over a laser...way cool...
This is Simone with her DNA in a test tube...her DNA was quick compared to Cullens, and Grandmas...I guess young DNA is just faster than old DNA, ???

Kenny At the St. Louis Science Center

Kenny has a ball at the St. Louis Science Center...actually I think he was in heaven, lol. He just couldn't get enough of it. He is pictured here with a fossilized skeleton of a fish.
This is a pic of the tyrannosaurus Rex model they have...(life size).
Kenny is building here with the blocks.
And the laser harp was really neat too.
Definitely a great trip to the St. Louis Science Center.

DNA at the St. Louis Science Center

While on our recent trip to the St. Louis Science Center, we got to be involved in a hands on experiment with DNA. We actually got to "see" our own DNA in a tube by using some very simple items to make it "visable". We were very impresses. Cullen is pictured here with his "test tube of DNA".
This is a close up of cullens DNA...you can barely see it at the tip of the liquid...it is white and sort of floating on the top of the liquid.
This is grandma Laura waiting for her DNA to "appear" in the test tube.
And here you have it...you can see the small amounts of "stuff" in the liquid, floating out and going to the top of the liquid...and that is her DNA.

We were actually amazed at how easy it was to do and cool too!

Learning Chinese

We are going to learn to speak Chinese. All of us are going to be working on it this year. That includes Kenny (pictured here), Simone, and even Cullen and Me. We think it will be easier and much better for us to learn it as a family. We are using the Rosetta Stone software and so far it is great. Chinese is going to be a hard one to learn, but we are definitely going to try.

wii dance dance revolution

Yes, we are, lol! The wii dance, dance, revolution is so much fun...Here is a quick peek at our family, right in the middle of a big dance off. Cullen is on the left side, with Simone in the middle and Kenny on the right side...well that leave me, behind the camera, taking the pic.
Here is Cullen dancin' his butt off...we had a ball, just laughing and having fun.
Simone and Kenny dancing the day away...they have way more energy than I do, whew!!!!!!!!!!
I personally do like the wii dance dance revolution, it has been a real plus for our family...it not only allows us to "play" together, but allows us to get some needed exercise (especially during the bad weather days in winter). I give it 2 thumbs up for getting the kids off the couch. I also give it 2 thumbs up for getting mom and dad off the couch too!!! If you haven't tried it yet, you definitely should.

Our new Metal roof

Well, it was time for a new roof. The roof looked pretty good, but we have been having problems with it for a while now, so the roof was a real must. This is the "OLD ROOF" or "BEFORE" picture.
This is during the roofing...they attached wood boards to the trusses of the roof. This pic is from the back of the house.
This is a pic of the lumber going up to be attached to the roof.
And well, here you have it folks, the finished product, a wonderful green metal NEW roof. No leaks, no problems and we are thrilled to say the least. It is great.

Pickled quail eggs, huge tomatoes and more

Well, here are some of my projects...canned pickled quail eggs, dehydrated peppers, and some garden produce...tomatoes, and egg plant.
Here is a close up of the pickled quail eggs. I canned 7 pints of eggs and each pint had 2 dozen eggs in each...talk about a lot of peeling...the peeling to forever!!!
This is one of the HUGE tomatoes that came off the vine today...It is next to a pint jar of eggs...just so you can compare the size here!!! It is a big one, for sure.

Can you see me in the Garden?

This is a part of our garden, it is way out in the back and i am smack dab in the middle of it. My husband took this pic of me and I thought it was a neat pic showing the garden and all that nature has.

Snackin' Time

This is one of our family favorites when it comes to snacking. It is caremal popcorn with nuts in it. My husband likes to make it and it is super too. It is almost addictive.
This is a huge batch he made. We like to eat it warm and gooey, but he takes the "rest" and bakes it in the oven till it is dry and no longer sticky and it is somewhat like cracker jacks. It lasts longer that way.

Canning Tomatoes

I have been very, very, busy. We have had tons of tomatoes coming off the vine, and all at once too. This means that it is time to can, can, can all of those tomatoes and well, here is what it looks like. I like to can them in quarts, although I do can several in pints too.
I like to can my tomatoes a bit differently than most others...I like to can the whole goodness all together where most people like to blanch and remove the skins of the tomato. I take my fresh tomatoes and wash them, cut out the cores and place them in a blender, then hit the liquefy button. I then pour this whole tomato goodness into a very large stock pot, and bring them to a boil. I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each quart jar. I then ladle the tomatoes into my already clean and sterilized jars(with the salt and lemon juice) , clean the rims, place cap and rings on them and place in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes (that is 45 minutes after it starts to boil hard). Then I remove the jars and allowed to cool over night. I then remove the rings, wash the jars, label the lids and put them in storage.