Wiser Derby, Take Two

I'm sure you've been on pins and needles, waiting to hear about the awesomeness that was yesterday's Wiser Lake Chapel Second Annual Pinewood Derby.  (Doesn't that sound Official and Important? ;D) 

Good news.  The suspense is over.

FYI, because I'm apparently a huge party pooper (who didn't want to take her good camera into a room full of hyped up kids), I snapped some pics of the boys "cars" before we left home, and the rest are from Kerry's cel.

Tate went for irony with the ubiquitous and ultra-slow Pacific Northwest gastropod, the slug, complete with slime trail.

Gunnar also crafted something unexpected, inspired perhaps by The Hunt for Red October.

And Wyatt, enamored by the British show Top Gear, built this Lancia.

Though he also brought along his bus (from last year) so he could see which one was faster.  Guesses?

Let's just say he proved my theory that in pinewood derby races, going for speed is a complete crapshoot, so you might as well aim for entertainment.

Tate's slug was, well... sluggish, and didn't win a single race.  Wyatt's sports car did slightly better, while Gunnar's submarine advanced further through the brackets than either of his brothers' vehicles, but still ultimately lost.

The Peanut Gallery kept creeping closer.  But I love this pic.  At least four of the women there have just come to be social.  They haven't built cars, and don't have kids in the races, either.  But they've come to be part of it, which is something I love about the chapel :D

What I didn't love, (and here I'll sound like the Grinch...) was the noise, noise, noise, noise!  See all those hard surfaces, for sound to bounce off?  And all those excited kids, cheering and shrieking?

But it was all good fun, if a bit of an ear-bashing.  Somehow we didn't get a photo of the little girl who took first place (good job, Adia!) or her older brother in third (way to go, Steele!), but Kerry snapped this pic of Jackson (2nd place) getting his trophy :D  I love that the littlest kids won all the speed trophies :D  And everyone was a good sport.

We didn't come home empty handed.  Wyatt's Lancia took the "Best In Show" trophy - he put a lot of work into the details.

Also like last year, there was a pretty good show going on outside as we all headed home.  The man-made camera can never capture what your God-made eyes can see...  although it was only a small arc of a rainbow, this was one of the brightest and most vivid I've ever seen.

It grew a little taller before dissipating.    *Happy Sigh*

Meanwhile, the boys are already scheming for next year...

The Wiser Derby

We go to a small, country church and we love it.  It's not flashy.  It's not famous.  And it's definitely not contemporvant.

And even without a lot of structured programs to keep us busy, we manage to have a lot of fun along the way.  ;D

Witness last week's Pinewood Derby.  The kids had a chance to make a car at the twice-a-month boys' and girls' club, but the competition was thrown open to anyone who wanted to join.  Clearly, some people take this a lot more seriously than others, and the cars reflected the owners' personalities and interests.

Jane, our pastor's wife, put herself in the driver's seat, surrounded by flowers.  And that's Pastor Bert's car, with the Air Force jet lifting off.  He's a former pilot.  And there's Gunnar's tank in the middle.  He put a lot of thought and work into that turret and barrel.  The paint colors had to be mixed Just Right.

Kerry resurrected a car he "helped" one of the older boys make, back in AWANA - the red car in space 41.  Sadly, it didn't even finish either of its races... that was a first.

Wyatt raced his school bus. (He was banking on the fact that nobody is supposed to pass a bus, right?)  And Tate brought his BNSF engine out of retirement.  Both very cool.

I love the canoe, too, manned by two men who paddle together in the annual Ski-to-Sea Relay.

Of course, the big event was the race, and we didn't win, place, or show, but the boys handled it maturely.  Actually, I loved that the two fastest cars were about the lowest "tech" cars there, made by two sisters.

But honestly, I think the bigger show was going on outside.  A front was moving in, after a few spring-like days, and made for an incredible sunset.

Looking west...

And east, toward Mt. Baker.

Enjoy the view and imagine the *ahem* fresh, farm air... this is dairy country.

Grasshopper Days

 

Grasshopper Days

For today, March 19, 2012

Outside my window...  the sun is trying to burn through the clouds, but it's still quite cold and breezy.

I am thinking...  I keep thinking I should change the picture to a spring view, but we keep getting snow - more on Saturday and Sunday.  Really?!

I am praying for...  looking at our options for the next school year, praying about Tate's CI surgery, and work for Kerry.

I am wearing...  jeans, black t-shirt, black sweater, wool socks.  Trying to decide if I should cut my hair or let it grow.  It's at a yucky stage.

I am creating...  nothing.  Feeling very blah and uninspired.

I am going...  ?  Really.  Uninspired.

I am reading...  Moccasin Trail with the boys.

I am hoping...  it's time to come out of hibernation.

I am hearing...  a jet going over, the furnace coming on, and quiet from the laundry room, which means I should throw another load in.

I am remembering...  how little the boys were when we moved to this house (2, 4, and 7), and how they used to climb up the doorframes like little monkeys.

From the learning rooms...  Wyatt - radicals in equations (and fractions), early 1900's, force and motion, and the eight parts of speech/language; Tate - jet streams and El Nino, properties of equations, the Oregon Trail, and subject/verb agreement; Gunnar - cnidarians, angles and polygons, the Oregon Trail, and analyzing non-fiction.

From the kitchen...  made a big taco salad for lunch and I'm off the hook for dinner, as Wyatt and I have choir practice tonight.  ;D

Around the house...  blankets, everywhere.  It's still so chilly, we all like pulling a blanket around us when we sit down to read or study or watch something.

Something I want to remember for later...  how serious the boys are about ironing their CAP uniforms.  Very serious. 

On my mind...  you know, some days it's like driving on ice with bald tires.  I just don't feel like I'm getting any mental traction.  *sigh*  Not enough sleep?

Noticing that...  ahhh, the days are getting longer.  More daylight :D  I'm such a homebody.  It's hard to leave the house and go somewhere once it gets dark.  It's not a fear... I don't mind driving in the dark.  It just seems like once it gets dark, it's time to stay home.  Now, at least, when we're leaving for rehearsals it's still light out, and I like that.

Pondering these words...  Light travels faster than sound.  Which is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

One of my favorite things...  daylight ;D

A few plans for the rest of the week...  Wyatt and I have choir practice tonight, Wyatt and Tate have CAP tomorrow, Wednesday youth group is here (time to break out the crock pots), also tomorrow Tate and I are going to Seattle for his "device consult" - he gets to pick which CI he wants.  (I think I know... the water-proof one - the Neptune!), and a church potluck and Pinewood Derby on Saturday.  Gunnar has a tank.  Tate has a BNSF engine, and Wyatt has a school bus.  They weren't exactly concerned with aerodynamics, y'know?

Here is a picture I am sharing...

 My dad took this, right off his front porch.  She was bedded down, covered with snow just a moment before, but in the time it took to get the camera, she stood and shook the snow off.  Still, a beautiful picture, yah?

Tra-la-la-la-la, Spring Is In The Air...

,,, and I'm a flower, with nothing interesting to say.

(Oh, wait, that was the stick-bug, in A Bug's Life.)

But spring is in the air, right?

Well, something's in the air, anyway.  

It's a calm Saturday morning.  The boys are in the garage, putting the finishing touches on their assorted vehicles for the race tonight (all-church Pinewood Derby - pictures later.)  And I'm upstairs, happily cutting fabric into little pieces, so I can sew it back together (aka quilting), and I'm feeling so happy and cozy, maybe I'll make myself a cup of tea.

And, lo, movement out the window caught my eye.

Can you see it?

Now?

Yes, my friends, it is Day 25 of Spring, and that would be snow. 

Welcome to my world.

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Monday, April 15, 2013

Outside my window...  squirrel after squirrel after squirrel. Ahhh, spring is in the air ;D

Hearing...  the washer, the dryer, the furnace... all mechanical sounds at the moment.  I try to imagine how quiet the house and the neighborhood would be without them, which is a lovely thought.  But washing my laundry by hand is not.  (A lovely thought.)

Pondering...  how to organize the rest of the week.

Praying...  for little Nolan's recovery, for summer jobs, for Wyatt's organizational skills (school related), and for general family goodness :D

Thankful...  the boys are so looking forward to their trip to Disney and I'm thankful their wonderful grandparents are providing something so fun for them (when we couldn't manage it, right now).

Wearing...  jeans!  blue t-shirt!  blue sweater!  My comfort zone ;D

Creating...  working on baby quilt #4, but can't show you yet.

Going...  to help Gunnar with his science and then go for a walk.

Reading...  Lynn Austin's While We're Far Apart.

Looking forward to...  we have eight weeks of school left - four before Disney, and four after.  Looking forward to having another year under our belts :D

In the kitchen...  lacking inspiration.  Maybe taco salad?  Always a crowd pleaser.

In the learning rooms...  Gunnar is winding down his Zoology course with an in-depth look at parasitical worms (ewww), while Tate has moved on to anatomy (digestion, at the moment).  Tate's about to finish his math book and start Algebra (we spread it over almost a year and a half.)  Gunnar is working with decimals.  Together, we're reading about the mideast, and just started reading some of the Arabian Nights tales, as well as Ali and the Golden Eagle and Seven Daughters and Seven Sons.  Somebody said they loved that book - was it you, Ann?  So far, the boys are intrigued.  They're very willing to read (and enjoy!) books about girls as long as they aren't too girly-girl :D

Around the house...  Gunnar's Geo-mags are in the living room, since he plays quietly with them while we read (and Tate draws).  Dishes are piled in the sink, since I ran to the grocery store at lunch time.  And my office always looks cluttery when I'm sewing, but it's really not too bad.

The Mother Load...  Gunnar and I are about to head out for a walk, and I really need to stay on top of our calendar - lots of activities coming up.

Noticing that...  spring weather is CHANGEABLE.  Sunny one moment and thunder the next.  Go figure!

Something fun to share...  I know, I posted this yesterday with the other Pinewood Derby pics, but I love it.  The boys saw it and immediately popped out with a Billy Crystal hellooooooo.

A favorite quote for today...  Light travels faster than sound, which is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

One of my favorite things...  mid-morning tea and cocoa breaks - one of the bennies of homeschooling :D

A few plans for the rest of the week...  homeschooling, orthodontist, meeting at the school, wedding shower, job orientation (Wyatt), CAP, and probably more I'm forgetting.

A peek into my world...  yes, it's spring, and yes, that's snow.

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, March 26, 2012

Outside my window...  see the picture above?  False advertising.  We had a brief run of warm, sunny days, that actually felt very springy.  I think we even hit 60F and I bet half the people in our county just broke out their lawn mowers for the first time this weekend.  But now... back to clouds and rain.  *sigh*

I am thinking...  just feeling kind of blah.  Not bad, just blah.  Dull.  Looking forward to taking next week off!  Well, mostly off.  Wyatt has some work to do (only where he's fallen behind - I'm not piling on), and Tate may work ahead a bit, anticipating missing some time when he has his surgery, but I'm really not worried about it. 

And thinking about next week - Holy Week - a good time to relax and reflect.  So much better than just "Spring Break".

I am thankful for...  the work Kerry has, that all the boys are healthy, and that we have a warm, dry house on these dark rainy days.

I am praying for... more work, the whole CI process, a productive week, harmony in the house.

I am creating...  plans for next week ;D

I am reading...  Moccasin Trail, with the boys.  Looking forward to more time to read for me.

I am hearing...  Tate ironing his CAP uniform, the furnace blowing, and rain dripping.

From the learning rooms...  10:39, and Tate is already finished for the day, having begun before seven.  Let's see, he's learning about cold and warm fronts, frontier missionaries, using adjectives to improve his writing, and algebraic sentences (ie "the sum of three times a number and the opposite of seven is twenty," means 3N + (-7) = 20. 

Wyatt is reading a biography of Cameron Townsend, free verse poetry about a girl and her family in the Dust Bowl years, and that time in history, he's also graphing quadratic equations, learning more (pre)physics - mass/acceleration/force/vectors/etc. and identifying simple vs. complex vs. compound vs. complex/compound sentences. 

Gunnar, on the other hand, just aced his math test, is also learning about frontier missionaries, is practicing the use of the comma, and is about to launch into a two-week study of crustaceans, and is raising sea monkeys.  Wish us luck.

From the kitchen...  hmmm, maybe chicken sandwiches for lunch, since we won't all be together for dinner, due to choir practice. 

Around the house...  the usual piles of books (just found that overdue library book!), as well as LEGO, and several "cars" from Saturday's Pinewood Derby, put on by our church.  I use the word "cars" loosely, as the boys raced a school bus (Wyatt), a tank (Gunnar), and a BNSF locomotive (Tate).  No trophies here, but lots of fun. :D

Something I want to remember later...  how much Gunnar enjoys using words like "hence" and "thus".

On my mind...  all the reading I want to do!

Noticing that...  arrrgh, are polynomial equations part of the sanctification process???

Pondering these words...  Darth Vader, kilt, bagpipe, unicycle.  Bet you thought you'd never see those words connected.  Check HERE.  Go ahead.  I'll wait.  Now wasn't that worth it?  Just a little weirdness for your Monday.

One of my favorite things...  undercooked brownies, still warm from the oven.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  choir practice tonight, CAP tomorrow, concerts Friday and Saturday, and then - bang - it's Palm Sunday, and the beginning of Holy Week.

Here is a picture I am sharing...

I got nothing... but this National Geographic photo I'm using for my 'wallpaper'.

There.  That feels kind of springy :o)

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Monday, April 8, 2013. 

Outside my window...  back to clouds and rain, after a glorious Easter weekend.  Oh well, it makes it easier to be inside, doing school work.

Hearing...  robins... they always seem happy :D

Pondering...  the possibility of doing something while the boys are away... something cheap :D

Praying...  for summer job(s) for the boys, Wyatt especially.

Thankful...  for my family.

Wearing...  jeans!  A blue t-shirt!  A sweater!  *sigh*

Creating...  now that my office is mostly tidy, I can start thinking about baby quilt #4.  Yep.

Going...  to pick up Wyatt from school (too wet to bike) and mail a package at the PO.

Looking forward to...  the boys are so excited about their trip, and counting down the days.  And I'm excited with them :D  So thankful for "the best grandparents in the world" who are generous with them, and provide fun things like this :D

In the kitchen...  hmmm, searching for inspiration.  I made a huge pot of chili yesterday, thinking we'd have a lot of leftovers, but not so much!  (Growing boys...)

In the learning rooms...  seems like forever since we've been doing schoolwork (one week = time warp?) but we're getting back in the groove.  Tate - as usual - was up at 6am, reading his Bible, exercising, and starting on his language work, and he just had me help him with his science experiment (physical and chemical digestion), so he's already nearly done for the day (9:14am).  Gunnar is plugging along with his work, and Wyatt is probably in his Spanish class.  Tate is studying the human body, Gunnar is learning about worms (mostly parasitical... eww!), and we'll be reading together about the Mid-east for the next three weeks.  What else... Tate is working with positive and negative numbers, and Gunnar is dividing with fractions and decimals.

Around the house...  mostly CLEAN!  Didn't get the floor scrubbed and waxed over break, but there's always tomorrow.

The Mother Load...  greatly reduced, after Spring Break Project Week, but there's always more...  I have a pile of books to organize/catalog, and with the tax prep off my shoulders I'm looking forward to starting the planning for our next school year.

Something to remember for later...  how excited the boys are about their Disney trip!

A favorite quote for today...  Melanie's quote of the day reminded me of these words, (attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but perhaps not his?)

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Whoever said it, I agree.

One of my favorite things...  money left over at the end of the month.  I mean, not the money so much as the relief.  (I feel guilty even writing that, but there it is.)

A Bible verse...  Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  not a lot (happy dance!)  The boys have CAP, Wyatt (weather-permitting) will get oriented for his very-part-time job at the speedway, and all three boys are working on their "cars" for the second annual Wiser Lake Pinewood Derby (and potluck), Saturday evening.  I use the word "cars" loosely, and Gunnar is making a submarine and Tate is crafting a SLUG.  Yes, he's a Pacific Northwesterner for sure.

A peek into my world...  back in 2007...