Ampullaria (Pomacea) cuprina

This is MapleShade.  She/he/it is a Gold Mystery Snail.

We decided to do a science project in January and I'm ashamed to say that I didn't do as much research as I should have before we started.  Had I done my research, I would have known that this particular type of snail is a hermaphrodite (they don't need to have sex to breed, they have both sets of organs).

Those little packets that look like tiny wads of chewing gum are actually the egg sacs.  The eggs will stay where they are, allowing the snails to grow for 2 - 4 weeks.  They don't necessarily hatch at the same time as the water temperature plays a role in how quickly the eggs develop.  In a small, controlled environment like this, there isn't much difference in the water temperature, but in a large aquarium or in nature, it can have a huge effect. 

We currently have four egg sacs, each containing up to 15 eggs, though most of those will be devoured by the snail or snails that hatch first.  Only one or two eggs from each sac will survive long enough to hatch.  Once they do hatch, the babies will eat the softest vegetation, steering away from the healthier, more robust parts of the plant.  After about a week, they can eat anything the adults can.

We started with two Mystery Snails, a gold and a dark brown.  Another tidbit I wish I'd known before I bought them is that this type of snail typically lives for 2 - 10 years, sometimes longer if the water is kept around 80 degrees.  Albert, the dark brown snail, died within a month, but not before the egg sacs he was covered with hatched. 

These are both from the first egg group and the larger one near the top is about 1/4 inch long.  We haven't named the little ones because there are so many of them (15 at last count) and we don't really have a good way of telling them apart. 

That darker shell is what's left of Albert.  When his babies hatched, they could often be seen crawling in or on his shell.  I assume that is a protective instinct since their shells take a bit of time to harden and they would be searching for safety from predators.   

We bought a single plant in January when we set up our little snail habitat and just last week we had to replace it.  The snails eat the plant or will also eat small pieces of spinach, kale or other leafy greens, as well as cooked carrots, cucumbers and, in extreme circumstances, other snails.

Our snails live in a one gallon glass jar and they seem to do fine, although I don't think it can hold too many more before we'll have to start disposing of the egg sacs before they hatch. 

The cover of our jar is a piece of mesh bag (that I bought oranges in), cut to size and tied with a shoelace to keep it in place.  Snails are prone to leaving if they're uncomfortable and I didn't want to wake up to find snails on the living room floor one day.  As it is, I think the mesh is pretty unnecessary at this point.  MapleShade doesn't try to escape and the holes in the mesh are too big to keep the small snails in.  But it keeps us from accidentally dropping things into the jar, if nothing else. 

The kids love to watch the snails and it can be quite entertaining to watch them crawl all the way to the top of the jar and then simply let go and float down to the bottom again.  All in all, I wish I'd done the research before we bought them, but I'm glad we did. 

Time flies when you're having fun

A month ago, I turned my alarm clock around so that I couldn't see the digits anymore. 

Two days ago, I unplugged it for good. 

It wasn't the alarm that bothered me (although I hate having to wake up before I'm ready) or even the light from the digits.  It was the time.

I'd wake up in the night and glance at the clock before closing my eyes again.  As I laid there, trying in vain to get back to sleep, I'd start thinking about how many minutes until I had to get up.  If it was 2:30 AM, I'd start thinking that I had to be up in less than 5 hours and then I'd start to think about all the things I had planned for the following day and going over lessons or chore lists or ingredients for dinner, etc...

This would go on for a bit, then I'd fall back asleep, but if I woke up again (on my own or with help from a small person), the whole process would start over.  The more it happened, the worse I slept and the more it happened.  It was really just a vicious cycle. 

So I've given my alarm clock to The Boy and I'm simply using my cell phone alarm to get me up in the morning.  And yeah, I could just flick my cell on and see the time, but that would require me to get out of bed and that's something I just really don't like to do, especially when I'm all warm and cozy. 

And since I turned my clock around, I've been sleeping so much better!

Soaping Up

Holey moley - it's been a long time since I wrote anything here!  I didn't realize just how long until I happened to see that I haven't posted since mid-April.  Yikes.  : )

Quite a few years ago (like 8-10) I learned how to make cold-process soap.   That's soap from scratch using fats and lye, it has to cure for no less than 2 weeks and up to 8 so that the lye doesn't chemically burn your skin when you use it.  It's been a long time since I made any, but it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. 

I really enjoyed trying out new fragrances and different ingredients to make unique finished products. 

So here's my question to you, lovely readers:  If you could have any kind of custom scented soap, what would you go for?

The Flaw in the To Do List

I love a good To Do List as much as they next girl, and probably more than most.  Honestly, I love lists in general and lists of things to do (whether it's chores, crafts or cookies to make) keep me focused and happy.
So I make myself a list most mornings; it's full of things like calling the doctor to set an appointment, make a house payment, clean out the fridge, work on lesson plans, exercise and whatever other tasks I need to accomplish. 

When I look back at the end of the day, my list is (usually) checked off and there is a certain sense of accomplishment in it, but it's lacking.  It shows the things I plan into my day, but not nearly all of what I do.

A To Do list doesn't show the 10 minutes I spent organizing a massive hunt for Lego General Grievous' head, the 45 minutes spent making cookies with Pibb because he needed a little extra attention, the three hours I spent practicing photography with Bryant or the hour and a half I spent putting my room back together after tearing it apart in search of some little crafty bit I simply had to have right then.

To right this rather egregious wrong, I'm thinking of making a "Done" list each day.  Not necessarily every single tiny thing should go on it; I probably don't need to write down that I put the lid back on the margarine tub and stuck it in the fridge this morning.  But definitely the 5 minutes I spent helping Pookie put together a Lego creation qualifies for a spot.  Or the 10 minutes it took me to whip up Bryant's eggs, ham and toast.

My point is this: Every day we accomplish things we don't give ourselves credit for.  Maybe it's time we start.

This child...

Today...

Today my baby turns five years old.

This child:

• Sleeps with a stuffed bunny from his first Easter and a Lego man flashlight named Big Abner.
• Requested that for his birthday we have frozen pizza for lunch and they be individually wrapped so that each person could open something on his birthday.
• Pronounces, "all right" as "all white."  We haven't tried to correct him because it's ridiculously cute.
• Tells me my hair is beautiful when he wants something.
• Isn't afraid of much, except dogs.
• Still bangs his head at night, though not too much.  From the time he was big enough to get up on his hands and knees he's rocked himself back and forth, knocking his head into the crib bars.  His doctor said it's not that uncommon and he'll likely outgrow it.
• Is extremely impatient for his breakfast.  If it takes longer than pouring cereal into a bowl, he's not interested.  Except on Sunday - every Sunday Bryant and The Boy work together to make pancakes for all of us and Pookie loves them!
• LOVES dough.  Every time I make a bread product, he asks for a piece of dough to play with.  He uses the rolling pin and cookie cutters and butter knives to create his own version of cookies or breads.  We "rise" them in a bowl and "bake" them in boxes.  Then he pretends to eat them and throws them away. 
• Is quite specific about what names he'll accept being called.  If asked, he'll tell you that you can call him Pookie, Peanut or his full name.  And by full name he means first, middle and last. 
• Likes to play outside, but fears the wind.
• Is always collecting something.  Whenever we leave the house, he'll tell us what he's collecting and whenever we see one, we tell him and he keeps track of the count.  Sometimes it's simple, like snowmobiles or deer, other times it's something so common it's barely noticed.  On the nearly three hour drive home yesterday, it was black cars.  I don't have a final count, though, because he fell asleep halfway.
• Is a snuggler and every morning he tells me he's empty of Mama-love.  We have a big hug and it fills him up.  Anytime he's feeling a little lonely or down, he tells me he's empty.  It's unbelievably sweet.

Happy birthday sweet, wonderful, intelligent, amazing Pookie!

More than we need?

Not too long ago, someone asked me what kind of kitchen appliances I owned and which ones I used most often.  It really got me thinking about what we own vs. what we actually use.

Kitchen-Aid stand mixer?  At least once a week.

Slow cooker?  At least once a week, usually two or three times.  I do own three regular slow cookers and one tiny "dippers" sized one.  I use the large oblong one very often and the smaller ones occasionally.  I've never used the little one - it was a bonus in the package when we bought the big one. 

Fondue pot?  Um...never used it.  Something about a pot of blazing hot oil scares the bejeebers out of me.

Toaster?  Our most used small appliance - nearly every weekday I make eggs and toast for Bryant's breakfast.  The kids also love toast and often make it for lunch or snacks.

Food processor?  Once in the last two years. 

Deep fryer?  Maybe three times a year, but only Bryant actually uses it - I'm more than a little afraid of it.

Coffee pot?  Only when one of my sisters visits - so half a dozen times a year.

Blender?  Twice in the last year.

Electric skillet?  I don't think we've used that at all since we moved in here - so that's 7 years.

Of those things I don't use often, I think only the coffee pot and the deep fryer are things I would miss if they were gone. 

That got me thinking about other areas of my life.  Like the shelf in the dining room that is filled with random old school workbooks, empty binders and misc. junk.  Or the boxes of fabric from when I thought I wanted to be a quilter (turns out I don't).  Or the books that are way too simple/infant-oriented for Pookie, but I can't bring myself to get rid of.  Like the stacks of specialty shaped cake pans I don't have time or inclination to play with very often. 

And the kids?  Do they really need bedrooms so full of toys that they can't see the floor anymore?  Or so many books that they'll never read them all before they outgrow the subject matter? 

I don't think so. 

Maybe it's time to simplify our lives a little...

I think I'll start with that shelf in the dining room.

Scratch-off Tickets

You know those lottery tickets that you scratch off to see how much you win?  I made some!  I saw a tutorial online, I forget where, but the instructions seemed really complicated and involved supplies I don't keep on hand.  But the concept was so simple!

Here's what I did - I used Word to design the tickets.  I wanted to make six tickets, so I made a table with six cells, dragged the bottom of the table to the bottom of the page and used the row distribution tool to make the cells all the same size.  I added text and a heart, then put a small box inside the heart.  The small box contains the text for the prize and is the part I wanted to cover with the scratch off goop. 

Yes, that's the technical term.

I printed the page and cut the cells apart.  To give them some rigidity and color, I cut a sheet of red cardstock and used a glue stick to mount the paper to the cardstock. 

I needed a way to keep the silver goop from sticking to the paper, so I cut a small square (about an inch and a half square) of packing tape and centered it over my design.

The silver goop?  Acrylic paint mixed with dishsoap!  Brilliant!  On a small plate I mixed two parts metallic silver paint with one part Dawn original (what I happened to have on hand - I would think that any dishsoap would work).  Mix gently, you don't want bubbles. 

Then I simply painted that mix onto my cards.  I tried painting it on really smooth and nice, but it's so thin that I'd have needed way more coats than I have patience for, so I kinda glopped it on and smeared it around with the tip of the paintbrush.  After it dried for about 20 minutes I gave the paint a touch up wherever I could see the text, then I let them dry completely. 

I used silver to give them a traditional look, but I could see these in all kinds of color combos - Red and green, silver and blue, orange and black, party colors, etc...  The possibilities are limitless!

Media Mush

It might sound odd to some of you, but I am much happier with myself and my life when I have very little media influence.  The more I watch television, read magazines and websites or listen to the radio, the more that influence becomes apparent in my thoughts and actions.  I am inclined to want products I know I don't need, to care more about superficial things that don't truly matter and to spend less time focused on my family when I have an abundance of outside influence. 

I'm also more tense and anxious when I have a lot of media influence.  I think it's because the underlying theme of all media (movies, magazines, television and radio) is that you're not good enough just the way you are.  Pay attention and you'll see it everywhere. 

If you have curly hair, someone will tell you it should be straightened.  You have a gap in your front teeth?  Someone thinks you're ugly unless you have it fixed.  You're not a size 2?  You're a fat slob.  You don't wear the latest trends?  You're a fashion failure.

And it's not just about how we look.  In every major magazine (in print and online), there are countless articles about how to make yourself happier or smarter or more organized.  There are articles about how to find love, how to talk to your children, how to relate to your spouse and how to get ahead at work.  And that's not even counting the advertisements.

When I am selective about what I expose myself to, I allow myself to think clearly; to process the facts, truths and ideas and make decisions based on my own mind and heart. I am more conscientious about purchases and products, more open minded and tolerant and more in tune with my family and their needs. I am more creative and my thoughts flow more freely when I allow them to remain uncluttered. 

That doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional magazine, but I choose ones that are centered around something I'm specifically interested in.  I read magazines and websites about cooking, homeschooling, gardening and crafting.  I don't watch television, but I love movies.  I simply choose ones that make me feel good or have some mental "nutritional value."

But, like Mom used to say, "Garbage in, garbage out."





Disclaimer: I don't mean to say that every magazine or television program is a negative influence, obviously I don't have experience with every single magazine, television show, radio program or website.  This is based purely on my personal experiences. 

Glaring

A while back I posted about things that annoy me and today I'm going to take that just one tiny step farther.

I 100%, vehemently, with every fiber of my being, refuse to buy from ANY online retailer that can't be bothered to use their spellchecker. 

I'm not talking about the occasional typo or misprint.  I'm talking about the ones that have glaring mistakes in every single page/item description. 

There's just no excuse for that!  It's not difficult and it makes you look way smarter if your product descriptions are spelled properly. 

I'm not saying that people who don't know how to spell are stupid, they're often quite smart.  What I'm saying is that you're already using a machine that has a spell checker - USE IT!

Sloppy Joes

My sister recently bought her first slow cooker and made a delicious roast.  In honor of her success, I thought I'd post my most used slow cooker recipe.  Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes
Makes 16 - 20 servings

2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 C ketchup
1 medium bell pepper, chopped (I like green for color, but use whatever you prefer)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/3 C water
3 T brown sugar
3 T prepared mustard (I like it spicy)
3 T white vinegar
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T chili powder
Hamburger buns or rolls for serving the meat on.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef, onion, garlic and pepper until meat is browned and veggies are tender.  Drain off any fat.

In slow cooker, combine ketchup, celery, water, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder.  Stir in the meat mixture to combine. 

Cover and cook on low heat for 6 - 8 hours or high heat for 3 - 4 hours. Serve on buns.  I like to serve these with roasted potatoes or chips and potato salad.

My Notes/Tips:

• I don't like huge pieces of celery in my sloppy joes, so here's how I cut the celery; slice each stalk lengthwise into three or four sticks, then hold the sticks together and chop them into small bits.  
• To toast the buns, split them in half and butter them lightly.  Place them butter side down on a cookie sheet and bake them at 400 degrees for just a few minutes.  Check them often because you don't want to burn them, just get them nicely toasted. 
• If you want to freeze some of this, cool the prepared meat mixture and portion it out into freezer safe dishes or freezer bags.  If you're using bags, seal the bag then smoosh the meat mix out into a smooth layer in the bag.  Freeze flat and then you can stand or stack the frozen meat mix (and anything else you've frozen flat) to maximize freezer space.
• To reheat from frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge and then heat in a saucepan over medium heat, adding a bit of water or ketchup if the mix is too thick and stirring frequently.