Playing Outside Today!

Ice Instruments

You'd think in our cold winter climate someone would have done this before. This is the first time I've heard of it -- ice instruments, that is music made with ice. Hockey, broomball, ice skating, snowmen, snow angels, igloos, the St.Paul Winter Carnival complete with ice castles and ice sculptures, but ice instruments?! The Norwegian musician, Terje Isunget, who carves his own instruments out of glacial ice got us thinking. We're off to a good start here. Thanks for your inspiration, Terje.

I Rule.

Photo is from Daniel Pink's website.

Dream House 2009

This gingerbread house would have been fun to have around for Christmas, but we sure enjoy having it here now. Perhaps I am enjoying it the most, since E has been sick in bed with the stomach flu all day. This kit, provided, by Grandma (thank you) was so fun to put together and is the first gingerbread house I've made, ever. Why did I wait so long? Not sure. But, it's on the list now and I won't miss it again. Even making it from a kit was satisfying and fun, usually I am a purest. Everything needs to be from scratch with the finest ingredients. By lowering my standards, I increased my fun. I had fun instead of perfection ... a lesson learned? Next year I do hope we can make one and have some gingerbread left over to eat with frosting that tastes really good though. A girl can dream and a girl should be able to eat her house.

My love for the story Hansel and Grethel by the Brothers Grimm has been stirred up too. I remember listening to my mother read the story and so badly wanting to taste the piece of house that Hansel broke off. In fact, I'm now wanting to read all those Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales that I loved so much. 

What do you want to taste? And what do you need to try? I won't wait another 40 years to build my next gingerbread house or to read a favorite story again.