Artist of the Week: Of Wizards and Weavings

This week's artist is Rebecca.

Her artwork was once again included in this year's school district art show. Two of her pieces were included,  one being the weaving behind her head and the other being a clay sculpture.

Rebecca told me that her weaving was a depiction of the seasons. Winter is at the top, all white and very stark. Then there is a transition into spring with the addition of green, then followed by a few more colors for summer.  I like he colors she used and how she varied the weaving so that the warp yarn was at times visible. It works well in breaking up the white of the weft and the overall effect is that of snow melting. A nice little piece of weaving indeed

Now on to the clays culture.

The students were asked by the art teacher to create a wizard. In their journals the wizard was described and given various powers.  This is what Rebecca wrote:

My fox wizard can be invisible any time of day. She can not be seen on camera while invisible. And she can run super fast. And she can shoot lighting balls.

Her weakness is being tickled.

(Her journal had been set out for all to see.)

I like her little fox wizard. The cloak enveloping it w\has a lovely pattern of flowers and leaves. I think Rebecca is quite proud of her creation since she deliberately wore her fox t-shirt to the show.

Well done my darling daughter, you should be proud.

Sweet Rewards

Hard at work, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

We got 4 1/2 inches of snow yesterday. Then it rained, sleeted, and lord knows what else during the night. As a result we woke up to a big sloppy mess that was "only" two inches and very heavy. I knew with the deep freeze predicted for tonight it would turn into a sheet of ice and the driveway would be a mess for quite some time. So I proposed to the kids, if you shovel the driveway I would bake a rat from them. Max and Rebecca lit up at the offer and were soon outside and shoveling away.

clean driveway, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It was hard work and they were not so thrilled with the bargain. I sweetened the deal by offering to bake two treats, Max would get his beloved pumpkin pie and Rebecca would get a chocolate eclair pie.They worked hard for about ab hour and got the large area outside of the garage cleared away. They came in to rest and get some lunch. I tossed all the wet gloves and Max's jacket into the dryer, which was much appreciated when they went back outside.

I'm not sure how long it took, but they did clear the whole drive. I went out afterwards and I was really impressed. They did a terrific job and certainly earned their treats. Unfortunately we got another inch or so of snow, but it isn't as wet and Jacob has already volunteered to clear it away. He wants in on the baked goods and is willing to work for food.
 

Just rewards, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

So while all that shoveling was going on I was inside baking away. I ended up halving the recipe for the eclair pie I made for Rebecca's birthday last year.  I think it came out even better this time. As fr the pumpkin pie, well it's an old favorite and very dependable. I think I will even let the dynamic duo enjoy their respective pies for breakfast tomorrow, sine we of course don't have school.

Scientific Brownies

Scientific Brownies, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Today two of Rebecca's classmates came over to work on their STEM/science fair project. They were tasked with making a device that would allow an uncooked egg survive an approximately 8 foot fall without using a parachutes. They had created an initial prototype a couple of weeks ago and came to our house to test using the second floor area that overlooks the great room.

They worked away and came up with a second design and decided to test it. An egg was procured, placed in the device, and dropped over the railing. The shell cracked, but the membrane remained intact, this counted as a success However just to be sure they tested two more times, each time with a new egg. Meanwhile Rebecca asked what she should do with the cracked eggs. I told her to set them aside, I would come up with a use for them.

As they discussed more testing I cut them off. I envisioned my remaining eggs being destroyed and that was not an option. I told them to weigh an egg and use something else as the test subject. Rebecca had some modeling clay and it was perfect for the job. As for the cracked eggs, well it turns out my brownie recipe uses three eggs.

Artist of the Week: Cards

Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is the irrepressible Rebecca.

She at first did not want me to post this picture, but after I gave her a choice of photos she decided it was a decent picture. I really like it, the picture captures her silly, dramatic side. She can be a real hoot to be around such as today, I took the picture while she was playing a video game and the running commentary was hilarious. The both of us like to create avatars that look nice and she bemoans the fact that she can't change things after she starts playing, then she goes and defeats the dragon. My feral princess in action.

Cards, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

When she is not busy slaying dragons she like to create things. This week's art took the form of a couple of cards she made in school. They cute little snowmen made from paper and glue on beads. She had made a third one, but messed it up and turned it into a gift tag. the tag is not pictured because we used it on one of Nana's presents. The cards are very well made, all neatly glued in place and no ragged edges. I'm glad we ere able to use the tag for someone who would appreciate Rebecca's effort. I'm not sure what she plans to do with the cards, but whoever does get them will be very lucky.

Artist of the Week: Best Team Ever

Group hug, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This past weekend I was in Virginia Beach with Rebecca for her last soccer tournament of the season. It was miserable weather, cold and rainy with the threat of an ice storm for the ride home. Not exactly beach weather and just barely soccer weather.

The first game was brutal. It was at 8:00 am with a cold, driving rain and the temperature at about 38 F. The fields were soaked, puddles and squelchy turf being the order of the day. Our team was on one of the better, if not the best, fields. The one next to us quickly turned into a vast mud pit. I was grateful for my duck boots and having the foresight to bring our boot dryer for Rebecca's cleats. The game was a struggle with the other team dominating us and ultimately beating us 2 to 8.

We came back in the afternoon to no more rain and the temps hovering at about 40. So it was marginally better, if you ignore the stiff wind. The girls played very well. Unfortunately the game ended in a tie. So the girls were cold, wet, tired, and happy for the good effort they put in the the second game. While at dinner we discussed the change in format for the next day. With the threat of an icestorm to the west the tournament organizers decided to speed things up so that people could go home and beat the storm. The remaing games would be penalty kick shootouts.

Sunday dawned grey and very wet. The temperature hadn't changed much and it was still raining. The team warmed up on the field as we waited for the shootout to begin. We have an excellent goalie on the team  giving us a bit of hope for a win. Sadly it didn't happen and we lost 3 to 1. Our goalie was devastated, tears running down her face, she felt that she had let the team down,

Then something wonderful to watch happened. Unprompted,  the girls started to give the goalie hugs. Soon it was one huge group hug. Tears were soon dried when the goalie realized that nobody blamed her for the loss. What a terrific bunch of girls. They want to win, but they also care about each other. This is the best team ever.

Little Witch

little witch, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This weekend Rebecca was invited to attend a "Trunk or Treat" with a friend in the neighborhood. It was a first time for anybody in our family. I've been aware of such things for years, but never bothered since our kids got plenty of candy in our neighborhood.

I don't know when Rebecca got invited, but the first I heard of it was Friday afternoon right before we headed out for services.  Rebecca did apologize for the late noticed and then wanted to know if she could get a new costume.

Ah... no.

She had one from last year that still fit and since this was most likely her last year I wasn't willing to spring for a new one. Plus add in a busy day Saturday, there wasn't any time. She would have to make do with an old costume or cobble one together with all the stuff we already have.

And this is what she put together: a feathery witches hat she picked up for a couple of dollars last year, a long dress, a cape we had knocking about, a decorative broom (the lone survivor when I made a Harry Potter brooms for all four), a stuffed cat as her familiar in her candy bucket, silver shoes a la Wizard of Oz, and my stripey witch socks. I think it came out rather well and as a finishing touch I painted her finger nails dark (almost black) blue.

Rebecca was very pleased and had a devilishly good time.

Happy 12th Birthday to Rebecca and Max

Rebecca and Max, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Today marked the 12th birthday of my favorite set of Twins. They didn't get to go to the beach today, but they did not so long ago. We had just the two of them and they had a great time. They did separate things, building sand castles for Max and goofing off in the waves for Rebecca, and came together to bury each other in the sand. It'd max's turn here and a short while later Rebecca was buried by Max.

It's nice to see them play so well together. They bicker and argue, but that's what siblings do. The main thing is that deep down they do care for each other and get along fairly well. They are separate individuals and they make that clear on a regular basis.

Pumpkin pie, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Take for instance their birthday treats. We have a long standing tradition that on your birthday you get some sort of treat for breakfast. It can be cookies, cake, what ever you want within reason. Max was easy to guess, he loves pumpkin pie and that's all I needed to know.

Rebecca was a bit trickier. I knew chocolate would be involved, but what form? She spent a day mulling it over and came back to me with a request for a chocolate eclair pie.

Ooo a new challenge!

chocolate eclair pie, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I spent some time searching, it was hard because most recipes call for instant vanilla pudding and graham crackers. Which, for me, is a big no. I knew there had to be at least one from scratch recipe and after some careful searching I found it over at Food.com, Delicious Chocolate Eclair Pie.

It was pretty easy to make, just time consuming. I got a little taste of it while assembling and it is well worth the extra time, it tastes just lke an eclair.

unfortunately it wasn't quite what Rebecca wanted. The dessert she had in mind was more of a double crusted custard pie with chocolate drizzled on top. She at first rejected it, but after a bit of pressure from to at least try it before condemning it, she gave it a shot. Turns out she liked the pie despite it not being quite right.

Artist of the Week: Repetition

Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is Rebecca with a couple of pieces from school.

The picture here is from a game a few weeks ago. The girls tried hard, but were outclassed by the other team and there were some decidedly odd calls. You know it is not good when the ball goes out and both teams wait for the referee to decide you gets the ball. Any way, I saw some good plays by our team and it was a worthwhile experience.

Owls, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Which brings us to the art. Both pieces are a study in geometrical symmetries made with interlocking patterns. I immeadetly thought of some of the works by MC Escher when Rebecca pulled these out of her backpack.

The top one is composed of owls, with the owls alternating between light and dark. It is interesting to note (at least for me) that patch of feathers on the breast appear to alternate in color as well. In reality it is an illusion created by the changing body color.

Foxes, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Next in line is composed of some very surprised foxes.The pattern is smaller than the aforementioned owls and as a result she got far more foxes on the page. I find the large eyes of the foxes to be a bit more intense than the owl page. That said I like both pieces. There is a sort of fun air about them and i think she did a lovely job.

The Girl Loves Her Bon-bon

The Girl Loves Her Bon-bon, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This is Rebecca with her beloved Bon-bon. Primarily Bon-bon stays upstairs in Rebecca's room, but once in a while Rebecca totes this rather overlarge stuffed animal downstairs.

For a very long time Rebecca has wanted a super-sized stuffed animal. I wasn't interested in getting her one because 1) she already has a ridiculous amount of stuffed animals and 2) the over-sized stuffies have the prices to match. So we have been at a stalemate.

Enter Costco.

During one of my weekly Costco runs Rebecca tagged along and it just so happened that they had a whole selection of over-sized stuffed dogs for sale. Rebecca was smitten and when she saw the price was merely $20, she asked if she could get one. I said yes she could, BUT she had to pay for it. This resulted in mad calculations on her part on exactly how much cash and how much allowanced money she had banked.  She was a bit short, but would soon earn the difference. We settled on her coming back once she had the money and she could pick out her stuffie.

A couple of weeks passed and Rebecca had her money. We had a brief scare at the store when we could not find the stuffed dogs. It was very possible that they were sold out and that would be a crushing blow for the both of us. Rebecca wouldn't get her hard earned toy and I would come off as a big meany for sticking to my guns about not advancing the money. Fortunately the toys had been simply relocated and there was still plenty to choose from. She spent a long time looking over the toys and settled on the dark brown version. All that was left was purchasing this over large toy and bring it home.

As for the name, I suggested it to Rebecca. She loved the idea of her enormous chocolate brown dog being named after a tiny chocolate covered treat.

Artist of the Week: Soccer Tourney

Away We Go, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist, or rather artists are Max and Rebecca.

I took this picture of them at the county fair. It was far less than ideal weather, what with the periodic downpours', and yet that made it all the better. There were no lines and for once it didn't feel like we were on the surface of the sun. They both had a wonderful time and were even willing to go on the rides together.

This past weekend they also spent some time together. Both of their soccer teams were entered in a tournament over in Williamsburg. We headed over on Saturday and were on the soccer pitch bright and early for their first games. Rebecca's team had another game shortly after and in the short time between their second games , I scooted over to the hotel we were staying at to check in. When we came back after Max's game we relaxed in the hotel. Rebecca hung out with her teammates and Max spent time with his teammate that was staying with us (he's a great kid and is Max's best friend. His mom was stretched mighty thin last weekend and I offered to take him in. At this point in the tourney both teams had one loss and one win. putting Max's team second place in its bracket.

On Sunday Rebecca had two scheduled games (for the girl's team it was round-robin affair) while Max's team had made it to the semi-finals, if the boys' win, then they would play in the finals. Unfortunately it was not to be and they lost. However it was not too shabby for a team that up until Saturday had yet to of played a game together. As for Rebecca's team, they hung in there and played some very tough competition to a tie and lost to the team that completely dominated the game. Both Max and Rebecca conked out in the car during the ride back home. It was an exhausting weekend.

First Day of Middle School

First Day of Middle School, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Today I can really and truly say I have no more elementary school aged children. After 12 (!) years of having at least one, and for a few years three, in elementary school I'm done.

I guess it is a little bit sad, but I'm so done with it all. Don't get me wrong, I love our school. We had wonderful teachers and the staff was terrific, particularly with Max. However I'm so glad to be closing that chapter in our lives.

As for my middle-schoolers, they were nervous, but excited. Their seemly sad expressions are more about the much earlier bus schedule and the far longer walk to the bus stop.

Oh and silly mom having to take yet another picture.

Artist of the Week: Portrait

Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Rebecca is this week's artist. I took this picture of her at my cousin's house in Vermont. Since my mom moved to her apartment we can no longer stay with her. Instead, my cousin has generously opened his vacation house to us. It is located about a half an hour away from where my mom lives and is in a sparsely populated area. That said, it is a wonderful retreat.

Surrounded by the beauty of New England and with no internet, we try to do things outside. Unfortunately it is the summer of rain and we were limited on what we could do. All my favorite swimming holes were closed and I was leery of going on a big hike and most likely getting rained on. However we did spend some time climbing the hill in back of the house, picking wildflowers along the way.

Anna, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Anyhoodle, the art was an incidental find at the end of the school year.

Way back in June Max was AotW with a small castle he made in art class. The castle was put on display in the main administration building and a note was sent home informing me that Max had something on exhibit. It took a while, but I eventually went to go have a look-see.Much to my surprise, Jacob (who I had just picked up from school) found a picture by Rebecca.

It is a portrait of Rebecca's friend Anna. I'm not familiar with the
particular style of the drawing, but I am sure I will be duly informed when I ask. As for the drawing itself, Rebecca did a good job capturing the essence of her friend. Drawing on black paper is not easy and Rebecca was able to make it work.

The picture was a very nice surprise.

Scary Cupcake

scary cupcake, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

At the band potluck we attended Tuesday Rebecca snagged this mini-cupcake. As she was unwrapping it she decided to make is scary. A slight tear to the cake, two dots of frosting for the eyes, and voilà one frightening (or frightened) cupcake.

I'm posting this picture because this is how I feel about this week's Baking with Julia challenge. It's savarin and the first one I made was a complete and utter disaster. It completely collapsed on itself and refused to unmold. I think I sussed out went wrong, I over raised the dough and did an inadequate job greasing the mold.

I'm giving it another crack and this time I'll closely watch the dough and not let it rise out of control. I will also double the dough since I don't have a small ring mold and the dough looked a bit lost when I plopped it in.

Of Towels and Tournaments

IMG_0735, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Big doings this weekend. Saturday was both Towel day  and the start of the soccer tourney that Rebecca's team was entered and Sunday was the conclusion of said tourney.

Now Towel Day is the celebration of Douglas Adams and his works and what better way to mark it than a reference to the Hitchhikers Guide to theGalaxy. To whit:

Towel Day: A Tribute to Douglas Adams
Monday 14 May 2001 06:00am PDT
Douglas Adams will be missed by his fans worldwide. So that all his fans everywhere can pay tribute to this genius, I propose that two weeks after his passing (25 May 2001) be marked as "Towel Day". All Douglas Adams fans are encouraged to carry a towel with them for the day.
So long Douglas, and thanks for all the fish!

— D Clyde Williamson, 2001-05-14

As you can see both Dell and John are in the proper Towel Day spirit and have their towels at hand, or rather paw.

tournament time, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Now as far as soccer was concerned, it was a lovely weekend. Tempertures were low and it was not raining.The girls started with a bang and handily won their first game on Saturday. The second one far closer and we lost by two goals. However, this was good enough to secure a berth in the semi-finals as a second seed.

Sunday dawned clear and bright and the girls were keen to go. They were playing a team we had lost to twice during the regular season, the first time our team was crushed and the second time (a mere two weeks ago) I think we lost by just one goal. Our team had come a long way since last fall and wee ready to take the other team on.

It was an incredible game to watch as the two teams really picked up their level of play. They battled back and forth with both teams pulling out all the stops. The final score was 0 - 0, but it was far from boring. At the end of the game the players on the pitch were called to the center by the referee. He set them up for a penalty shootout to determine which team would go on to the finals. It was a real nail-biter and we ended up missing by one. Our girls were sad, but not crushed. They knew they had done an outstanding job.

Silly Girls

Sky Blue Silliness

Last weekend was the end of the regular soccer season and thus begins the post season parties.

Rebecca's team, Sky Blue, had their party a few hours after their last game. It was just enough time to get cleaned up and head on over to Extreme Laser Tag. The girls got to play a couple of rounds of laser tag, eat cupcakes and pizza, and have a good time goofing off with each other.

We got a few more traditional team type pictures, but this one, when they were told to be silly, is by far the best. The two grown-ups in the back were the coaches, a husband and wife duo, and they look a bit amused by the silliness that surrounds them. It was a lovely party.

Artist of the Week: Clay

Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is Miss Rebecca. I took this picture at a school event promoting science at the Science Museum of Virginia. Her team did quite well, coming in first in a couple of individual events. The students did games such as flipping a spoon into a cup using another spoon, bouncing a ball into a fish bowl, and constructing a floating tower. The various teams were from different elementary schools in the district with each participating school fielding two teams k-2nd and 3rd-5th. The program is STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering. Art, and Math) and the idea behind it is to make science fun,  and it certainly was. A good time was had by all.

On the more artistic front Rebecca has that covered as well. Once again her artwork was selected for exhibit at the school district's festival of Arts and Sciences.

cottage, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This year her grade was working with clay. Their primary assignment was to construct a house.Rebecca made a cute little cottage with a small pond in the front yard. It is a small sculpture, not even three inches across. It has a cheerful yellow roof that brings to mind thatching.

It is a cute little button of a house.

Dragon, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Rebecca also had a second clay sculpture on exhibit. It is an equally small dragon perched on a rock. I'm not sure how many students got to make a second sculpture. I do know there were far fewer of  these when compared to all the houses.

Anyhoo, I really like the dragon, she put a lot of effort into capturing all the details of her creation. I particularly like the dragon's expression. I don't know why I do, just that I like it.

Artist of the Week: Fabulous Hats

Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is a rather camera wary Rebecca.

She didn't want her picture taken and kept hiding under the blanket. I took a picture of her feet and at that point she decided it was better to cooperate. After I took the picture posted here Rebecca commandeered my camera and got some absurd pictures of her two middle brothers.

Nate and Max had no problem hamming it up for the camera. As for the art, well it doesn't have any opinion about photography, yea or nay.

coach horses, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Well maybe neigh, since it is a couple of hats for horses.

The cast iron coach and horses was one of my childhood toys. I had completely forgotten about it until I pulled it out of a box my mom had in storage. Much to Rebecca's delight I passed it on to her. There was a second human figure, the horses' driver, but I'm not sure where he is now.

Anyway Rebecca is rather fond of the set and this week she decided that the horses could use some head-wear.

Fabulous Hats, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Very fabulous head-wear.

Rebecca went all out, from brims to feathers. She even did the detailing on the feathers so that you would know exactly what you are looking at. I don't know what day she created the hats, just one day I saw them.

It's Rebecca's version of yarn bombing, but with clay and I love it.

Soccer

soccer, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It was a gorgeous day, temperatures in the low 70s and a brisk breeze. A good day to air out the house and play soccer.

Rebecca had one of her rare Sunday games. The girls did a great job, far better than the tie scored shows. Between endless rain flooding the fields and an intervening spring break, they hadn't practiced for weeks. Heck even their previous game was cancelled. They did look a bit slow, but few weeks of our normal training schedule should whip them into shape.

I have been enjoying our leisurely spring break. but it will be nice to get back into our regular routines.

Artist of the Week: Ecosystem Cube II

Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's artist is the rather thoughtful looking Rebecca. It took quite a few tries to get this picture. In every other one she would turn at the last second and mug for the camera. This was the last one I took and she finally tired of the game.At least she was willing to be photographed, I know those days are numbered.

Anyhoodle one of the interesting things about school aged twins is that although they are in different classrooms they eventually end up doing the same projects. A few weeks ago I posted Max's Ecosystem Cube, now it is Miss Rebecca's turn.

Eco Cube, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

The biggest difference between the two projects is color.

Rebecca loves color. The more color the better and she is very bold in her use of said color. She loves to draw and she wants it to be noticed. If you want to see all six sides of the cube, click on the picture. The picture here is part of the full set of pictures.

Her cube is all about ponds. Like Max, Rebecca illustrated topics such as Human Impact, Life cycles, and so on. She put a fair amount of effort into it, but some of it was at the last second. It was due on a Monday and she planned to finish it over the weekend. Saturday and Sunday came and went, on Monday morning it dawned on her that she has completely forgotten. There was a huge panic and I talked her down and gave her the option to be driven to school. Rebecca was able to pull herself together and was just able to finish it before class.

Dibs

Mine, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

The Boca Negra is long gone and it certainly left an impression.

Nate and Max didn't care for the cake, but the rest of us thought it was fabulous. Jacob and Rebecca were always asking for a slice. And on that sad day when it got down to the end Jacob and Rebecca split the last piece. She wasn't hungry at the time so she asked if she could save it for later. I told Rebecca that was fine, all she had to do was label the slice.

Later I got a look at her handy work. Rebecca made it very clear that it was her slice of cake.