Destination: Chicago

The Music Man has been taking his 8th grade choirs to Chicago for 5 or 6 years now, and this year we got brave enough to go with him.  One hundred singers, 40 parents, 6 staff, 3 charter buses, and us 3 family members make for an eventful weekend trip.

We boarded the Spirit of Chicago for a lunch cruise.

And danced!

We visited Millennium Park,

including the Lurie Gardens.

We walked across the street to the Art Institute.
 

We met up with some long, lost friends at the Shedd Aquarium

and saw some beluga whales,

some grumpy fish, 

and some amazing jellyfish.

After that, it was to the top of the John Hancock building

 for a fun performance.

The next day was for visiting Navy Pier, including the ferris wheel

and the indoor gardens.

Chicago, we hope to see you again! 

Seven!

Someone has just turned seven over here.  Well, she's been seven for a few weeks now, but we're all still getting used to it.

The theme?  Sea creatures.  Not that she particularly loves any animal that lives in the sea, but a few months ago we came across an idea to make a little terrarium in a jar, plop a plastic sea creature in there, and presto you have a mini ocean garden.

We happened to have, oh, a million extra jars around here, so this craft we could manage.

By the way, when did birthdays start having themes?  When I was a kid, the theme was cake and a few presents.  Every year.

Back to the sea creature theme.

We invited seven friends.

   
 


We had Pin the Arm/Leg on the Octopus.

Go Fishing For a Fabric Fish.

   

Red Pepper with Hummus Octopus.



And Sea Creature Cupcakes.

Happy Birthday, little sea creature!

Pickles, my first real attempt at wild fermentation

I should have known I was in for an adventure when I saw the book title:  Wild Fermentation.

As luck would have it, I came upon a $4 crock at a thrift store and mini cucumbers on sale at the grocery store on the same day.

So for the first time in my life, I found myself making a brine, dunking some cucumbers, garlic, and dill, and then walking away.  For 5 - 7 days.

They turned out way too salty for our tastes.  But we just soaked them in plain water for a day or so and they mellowed out nicely.  Can I try that with my dog?

Now, if my house will ever get to 70 - 80 degrees and stay there, I'd like to try making kombucha!

Another reason to visit the Matthaei Botanical Gardens

We've been visiting the Matthaei Botanical Gardens for as long as I remember.

My mom took my brother and me as kids,

we had our firstborn's baby pictures taken there,

and now we try to go once a season.

The indoor tropical conservatory is a soothing respite from the cold, gray winter.

photo taken by Abi, age 9

And the sprawling gardens outdoors are a creative place to spend a summer morning.  They have beekeeping workshops, plant sales, and walking trails.

There are photo ops at every turn.

 And now, their gift shop is carrying My Detroit Garden!

Thanks, Matthaei, for supporting my little book!

The Four-Finger Flapper goes to Sunday School

Remember those fun cootie catchers that we made when we were kids?  Sometimes we called them 'four-finger flappers' and they served to amuse us by telling us our benign fortunes.  As in: your day will be filled with laughter or you're going to marry a prince or (puzzlingly) you have freckles.

My daughter came upon one of these in a kids magazine.  She was absolutely taken with this toy, offering to read our fortunes over and over again.  I found myself being increasingly unsettled about this simple plaything.  I heard myself explaining to her that the fortunes are pretend and you can't count on them and don't trust things that you read in magazines.

Then I closed my mouth and opened up the craft supplies and my sacred text.

The results: the four-finger flapper goes to Sunday School!

Inside, instead of wispy promises, are words of truth and well-being.

Words my daughters can count on, trust, and look for their fulfillment.

With promises like this, they can read my future all day long.


Update: here are the verses that I used.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made!

It says so in Psalm 139.

God has plans to prosper you and not to harm you. 

It says so in Jeremiah 29.

You have the mind of Christ. It says so in 1 Corinthians 2.

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

It says so in Psalm 37.

Your citizenship is in heaven! It says so in Philippians 3.

You are the work of God’s hands, like a potter shapes clay.  

It says so in Isaiah 64.

You are a child of God, shining like a star in the universe. 

It says so in Philippians 2.

May you grow into a woman of God, clothed with strength and dignity, just like it says in Proverbs 31.