Amish Country

The first day that everyone was out here we drove out to Amish Country. KiLee and I wanted to take them somewhere besides just Kitchen Kettle so I did a little research and came up with an Amish Farm. I thought it was a little pricey for the tour, but I learned a lot of stuff about the Amish culture that I hadn't known before - things like what the colors stood for, and that they pin the aprons on with straight pins, and the shapes of their bonnets signify (generally) if they are Amish or Mennonite. I also learned a little about the misrepresentation of Rumspringa, and how the culture functions for those who delay baptism. It was really fascinating and educational.


Just in case you were unclear.








I loved the little school house and the opportunity to speak with an honest-to-goodness Amish schoolteacher. She was very kind and very funny. She indicated that she had a pretty big class of younger kids, and that she had pretty much decided that the school teacher life wasn't so much for her. I don't know why, but I had just assumed that once they became the school teacher that was the end of that. I was a little embarrassed that I had just assumed they couldn't change their minds.


Lesson plan




Bren was sitting at a regular desk, but in a super small chair.


The first of many cute cousin photo ops.

We also went to Kitchen Kettle, and while I love it there it is all about the food. The reasons I go include the excellent soft pretzels, the fudge shoppe, and the cinnamon toasted almonds. Last time I was there with KiLee and the kids I also discovered an awesome insect shop. They have glass mounted, really cool, colorful and sometimes creepy bugs/butterflies.

Vacation Stories

I just got back from a two week vacation that involved meandering through nine states and the District of Columbia.  Quite a bit of the vacation sites were chosen for their inclusion on THE LIST (you know, the list of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die), and, as such, photos and stories will be posted on the 1000 Places blog, you should see a post a day for the next several days over there. Everything else will show up here...at some point. :)

Rainbow Alert

Nate sent me a rainbow alert this afternoon; I guess that means the world is not actually ending tomorrow.  Sigh, now I really have to clean my bathrooms.

The Big 02!

I love how his hands are mirroring the wave on the TV behind him.  Unintended, but kinda cool.


Not only was the present a hit, but he really loved the Blue's Clues wrapping paper as well.


KiLee made this seriously awesome cake!


All the Thomas themed presents were a huge success.  The kid totally loves trains.


He's very lucky to have this terrific big sister.

I (don't really) Love a Parade

Tuesday, April 19th there was a parade downtown to celebrate Wachovia officially becoming Wells Fargo.  I mentioned that I was thinking about going since it was a light work week, and KiLee told me I should definitley go because it "sounds like a blog post".  I went, saw the stagecoach and had a pretty good time.


Brenda at the permanent stagecoach display




These kids were freaking fantastic.  They did a full-on routine like the movie "Drumline".  And some of them were only thistall.

1000 Places

New post at 1000 Places ...  I've crossed the Philadelphia Flower Show off the list!

The scene when I walked in:


And when I walked out:

Amelie

Yes, the cover makes this movie look creepy, but really it an incredibly charming movie that I adore.  I have also discovered that watching a movie in French is the best way to get Ryker to go (almost) immediately to sleep.  No fighting, no fussing, just sleeping.

This is my favorite quote, and alas, I have been guilty of this train of thought here and there in my life...

Nino is late. Amelie can only see two explanations. 1 - he didn't get the photo. 2 - before he could assemble it, a gang of bank robbers took him hostage. The cops gave chase. They got away... but he caused a crash. When he came to, he'd lost his memory. An ex-con picked him up, mistook him for a fugitive, and shipped him to Istanbul. There he met some Afghan raiders who took him to steal some Russian warheads. But their truck hit a mine in Tajikistan. He survived, took to the hills, and became a Mujaheddin. Amelie refuses to get upset for a guy who'll eat borscht all his life in a hat like a tea cozy. 

You should see the visual that goes with this quote.  Love it!