Brace Wax

Kennerley was talking about how she didn’t like the wax you put on your braces to stop it from cutting your lip. This is what she said.
“You don’t eat it, so why would you want to put it in your mouth.”

07/31/2010 | ken | Comment [1]

Tracing Math - My Early Math Life

By Kennerley

05/31/2010 | ken | Comment [1]

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to Kenn!
Happy birthday to you!

Happy 16th birthday, Kenn!
Have a good year!

04/04/2010 | ken | Comment [2]

“Killing people is a great way to burn off word count.”

—Kennerley

11/29/2009 | ken | Comment

The Gift of Giving

I was flipping through my old third grade stuff, fondly reading the “books” I had made with pride, when I came across a poem I had writen for a contest. My elementary school was ending a huge project. Every class was given an assignment to collect a backpack, hygenic supplies, school supplies, and some enetertainment to give to the local shelter. We were going to have a ceremony and a student from each grade would read something. I had written this poem for the contest. My teacher read it, gave it to the principal, then I got to read it in front of the school. I think it’s kind of cute, although it’s really different from my writing style today. Here it is:

The Gift of Giving

When I think of the homeless
I think of the poor, the helpless,
The unfortunate, and the unlucky.
The feeling in my heart is a strong one.
Many kids have a wonderful life,
But the homeless don’t.
You can give toys, food, clothes,
Shoes, money, and many more.
But the greatest gift comes from the heart,
Like this poem.
Think of others and not yourself.
Give, give, give is what I say.
If you give to the needy,
You will feel good
If we all work together,
There will be no such thing as “Homeless”.
If you give,
You’ll get a gift.
Not Playstation 2 or jewelry,
You’ll have a kind heart,
And that is the greatest gift of all.

Words from a nine-year=old child.

07/09/2008 | ken | Comment [2]

Charlie Bone

“Charlie Bone is hot!”
-Jen, trying to explain to me that her Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors book was warm from sitting in the sun.

07/04/2008 | ken | Comment

duckyintheskye

Kenn is turning into a great backyard photographer (especially with a super-macro lens). You can see her work at duckyintheskye on flickr.

06/08/2008 | ken | Comment (What'd ya think)? [3]

Monkeys

“It’s a nursing primate. . . it’s STILL a nursing primate.”
-Dad, watching a nature documentary

04/20/2008 | ken | Comment [1]

Garden Pests

Square Foot Garden InchwormSquare Foot Garden Mushroom

We have wonderful kids. One of the things I love about Kenn is her willingness to help in the garden, especially with tiny pests. I've seen a few holes in the broccoli and peppers for a day or two, but couldn't spot the culprit. Within seconds she was able to spy two inchworms on the broccoli and aphids on the pepers. She also takes care of the mushrooms that pop up when I water too much.

04/01/2008 | ken | Comment: cool or creepy? [1]

Roper's Summer Serenade Special

Being broke, conveniently around the time of my ‘rents birthday, they offered us (Jen and I) a great gift idea: we could make dinner for Mom and Dad. I agreed, and Jen and I planned a simple, but hopefully yummy dinner. We went to Fresh&Easy and bought all the ingredients, and even dug up some bargains (a bag of carrots for 52 cents and mini French bread sticks for 50 cents) and most importantly, we left the parents guessing. When we got home, Quinan cleverly led the parents outside as we prepared their meal. I had Jensen find the old whiteboard and wrote the special in green and purple marker: J&K Cafe’s Special: The Summer Serenade, and the Drink of the Day was the Holiday American Pie Drink. Jensen and I scrambled around to try to make everything perfect. Half an hour later, the parents came in to order. Of course, they ordered the Summer Serenade with a glass of the Holiday American Pie drink. We first brought out the appetizer: Crackers a’la Dill. Here’s the recipe:

10 large, whole-wheat crackers (preferably circular)
plain, whipped cream cheese spread
10 sprigs of dill

1. Take the crackers and spread the cream cheese on them.
2. Top with dill and serve.

Dad commented on the dill as he guzzled down a large glass of the Holiday American Pie Drink:

1 container of concentrated, frozen apple juice
1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1. Follow the directions on the container and make the apple juice.
2. Add the cinnamon and stir well.
3. Serve cold.

Then we served the salad. No special ingredients or dressing. After everyone had a good heaping plateful of salad, I brought out the soup while Jen topped it with fresh ground pepper. Here’s the recipe for thr Roper’s Garden Soup:

2 cans chicken broth
3/4 cups of small, alphabet noodles
1 zucchini, sliced
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/2 carrot, sliced,
12 snow peas, diced
1/2 cup of frozen corn (in kernals)
1 6 oz can of diced jalapeno, drained
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper

1. Heat the chicken broth until it boils. Add the noodles and salt. Stir occasionally for five minutes, then leave at medium heat.
2. Add the zucchini, carrots, peas, corn, jalapeno, and tomatoes, one at a time, waiting three minutes until adding the next ingredient.
3. Add the heavy whipping cream and stir. Let it simmer for seven minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pepper and serve immediately.

Jen and I waited nervously for our parents output on the soup. To our happiness, they loved it! Even though I made it up as I went, I decided to recall as much of the recipe as I could and decided to blog it for million’s (okay, maybe only ten’) of blog readers to make this creation, and maybe become inspired to make up their own recipes.

03/30/2008 | ken | What do you think this soup needs? [1]

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