Worms, Cookies, Sharks and Tulips

ONE WORM DOWN: Sad, sad news to report here. When doing a check on her wormy charges today, Annabelle discovered Toothpick (yes, she has named them), her favorite worm (yes, she has favorites) was stiff and unmoving. As in dead.

Many, many tears were shed, in fits and bursts for the balance of the day.

Completely on her own (I was out of the room), Bee even made Toothpick a pretty little memorial. (In case you can't read it the Popsicle stick on the 'headstone' reads RIP Toothpick.) 

I told Annabelle I thought Toothpick was a VERY lucky worm - he was well cared for and loved and had a nice home and wormy friends, and that's about all a worm could possibly hope for.

IN FOR A LANDING: This afternoon, a little after 3 p.m., we witched live coverage of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft coming in for a landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (NASA 905) is a modified Boeing 747 jet airliner. The aircraft was at KSC to prepare for shuttle Discovery’s ferry flight to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va., on April 17. Discovery will eventually be installed as a permanent public display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven

Image Credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

We'll certainly be watching as the plane carries Discovery away to its final resting place. Wish we could be there to see it happen. While we won't be there in body, we'll be there in spirit - and sugar. Some shuttle cookies from our kitchen are currently winging their way cross country, Smithsonian bound. Hopefully I'll have some photos of them at the event.

In the "it's a small world" category, while I was at the post office mailing NASA logo and NASA Tweetup (pictured below) cookies, a woman approached me. She proceeds to quiz me about the cookies and inform me her son in law is an astronaut. Living here in Seattle. :0  She took my name and number and said she'll be getting in touch for cookies when his next birthday rolls around.

PERUSING THE P-PATCH: While CJ was in acting this afternoon, Annabelle and I toured the P-Patch garden on site at the University Learning Center.

Though it's just April, there was lots to look at. Tulips and daffodils were in full bloom.

There was also some pretty produce. I'm thinking this is chard. Any one else want to weigh in?

 SHARK ATTACK: I decided our walls needed some new artwork today, so we fired up an Activity TV cartooning with Bruce Blitz video and the kids drew along. I LOVED the cartoons they produced as a result. Some of their best work yet.

First, Mr. CJ's ... Love his shark's eyes, teeth and tongue!

And here's Annabelle's ... She incorporated all sorts of extras.

STORYTELLERS: We needed to do some writing today, too, of course. We used Scholastic's story starter to fuel the creative fires. The kids each got to spin the 'virtual' wheel and it spun out a story idea for them. CJ was supposed to write a mystery about an unpopular raccoon. Hmm. Interesting. Here's what he came up with ... He chose to present it as a newspaper story.

BREAKING NEWS/WARNING - An anonymous Raccoon who has a secret base in a tree has been suspected of many crimes; On of them being a forest Assassination + Fire. One has said that they saw the Assassination though it spread through 100 percent of the forest. According to research, the fire has injured 78422 and killed 42. According to the City Court, the Raccoon has to pay $999999999999999.99 in fine. Our City Detective says that the only piece of evidence he has is a dead Bull's Horn. In court, the raccoon says that a "look-a-like" did it. After awhile, the judge for unknown reasons, decided that the raccoon must go to the city prison.

Very dramatic read, I thought.

Annabelle was directed to write a 'sword and sorcery' story about a squishy queen who catches butterflies. Oh my. Here's what she came up with. ...

Once upon a time ... there was a squish queen named Globess. Globess loved to catch butterflies. She would go out and catch a white or pink one every day. Then one day she caught a magic one and said if Globess let her go then she would help her on the quest for the golden butterfly! Globess said she would let her go and she did, now the quest begins ...

They made their way to the courtyard and asked the jester witch way to get to the village. For the butterfly had told Globess they need to get help from the townsfolk. The jester told them to go left. They headed left and went into town. They soon encountered the shopkeeper on his way to his shop. He said he had some magical items that he would love to give the queen for he had heard Globess and the butterfly talking together. He gave Globess some kind of magic ring that he said would freeze anything you said to freeze. He said you have to say this: "Oh magic ring, right out your sound. Freeze that X to ice!" Globess and the butterfly thanked him and headed for the cave. Oh, and the butterfly got a magic bracelet that would do the opposite of Globess' ring. It would unfreeze anything! You would just have to say" "Unfreeze that X to burn, burn, burn!"

Soon they arrived at the cave. The cave was muddy and dark and gloopy. They went in and soon stepped on some snakes! The snakes got mad and tried to attack! Luckily, the queen used her ring while they were in the middle o their jump and they fell to the ground. They continued through the cave and finally got out. On the other side there was a paradise. They finally saw the golden butterfly at the top of a cliff. They had to get up there. There was very steep steps up the hill. Yet, the cliff was also part active volcano. The lava rushed down the steps as they climbed. Soon it was circled around then getting closer and closer. Suddenly, some thing scooped them up and brought them to the top. The butterfly said it was her friend, Sally the Squirrel and her friends. They said they saw them down there, found their fishing pole (there was a lake they were fishing in) and grabbed them. They were very thankful and grabbed the golden butterfly. Then everybody jumped into the water and played all day. THE END.

Phew. That was a lot of typing. Wish I could have cut and pasted it!