State-by-State: Missouri & Arkansas

Show me an A

and I'll show you the Arch--

the Gateway to the West,

where pioneers crossed a river so wide

to settle where they liked best.

Show me an S and I'll show you the Show Me State,

not with words, but so you can see

 all the treasures, held dear,

for i'm from Missouri.

I'll show you what it has shown me.

from S is for Show Me:  A Missouri Alphabet

M is for the Mockingbird,

a symbol of our state.

It sings the songs of many birds

as it tries to communicate.

Of course, N is for "The Natural State"

where unspoiled beauties abound.

We have timber, water, fertile soil,

and diamonds in the ground!

from N is for Natural State:  An Arkansas Alphabet

We combined the states of Arkansas and Missouri for our cooking.  Missouri is the biggest producer of black walnuts int he United States.  Arkansas is also a major producer of black walnuts.  We found the recipe for "Arkansas Black Walnut Pound Cake"  in Eat Your Way Through the USA.  It was delicious, but it stuck to the bundt pan.  We did not take a picture of the "heap" of cake!

State-by-State: Iowa

Where the tall corn grows,

Y stands for Yield.

Crops grow i the rich soil

covering the farmer's fields.

from H is for Hawkeye:  An Iowa Alphabet

This week we read about the state of Iowa.  The girls completed their scrapbook pages for the state as we read H is for Hawkeye.

IOWA FACTS

1.  The Red Delicious apple was first developed in Madison County, Iowa, in the late 1860s.  Jesse Hiatte originally named the fruit Hawkeyes.  

2.  Quaker Oats, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the largest cereal company in the world.  

3.  Iowa's most famous crop is corn!

With these facts in their minds, the girls made our lunch on Friday!  We had Red Delicious Apple Bake with Quaker Oats and Corn Dogs!

While we ate our lunch, we enjoyed an old movie from the fields of Iowa....

A Day at the Park

What do you do when you beat the tennis team to the match?  You go across the street to the park if you are in Opelika!!  We  had about 30 minutes to run off some energy until Tyler's tennis match began, so we enjoyed the time at the park.  I actually had my camera with me to capture some beautiful spring moments at the park!

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 I surprised the younger girls with green tutus and fairy wands to wear today!  For dinner, we had a key lime pie!  Just a little green and a little fun to add to a very happy day!

FROZEN Birthday Celebration

"Do you want to build a snowman?  Or ride our bike around the halls?  I think some company is overdue.  I have started talking to the pictures on the walls"

"For the first time in forever, there'll be music, there'll be light.  For the first time in forever, I'll be dancing thru the night..."

"I'll be doing whatever it is that snow does in summer...just image how much cooler I will be in summer..."

These are the songs I  have been hearing for months!!!  We love the movie FROZEN!  Colleen has been dreaming and talking about a Frozen party with friends for just as long.  She is so excited to turn 4!  

None of these ideas are original.  I found them all on Pinterest!  

 All the older kids and Dad were in charge of a craft or activity for the party.    We made crowns and Olaf.  We played Frozen memory.  Lauren even created a snowball catch game that was a hit.

 I made the cake from directions on Pinterest.  Thanks to JM cousin, Rebecca, I did not give up on the sugar "Ice" around the cake!  It worked the second time after she told me to just WAIT patiently!

 We ran out of time at the party, so Colleen opened presents later that afternoon.  She was excited about all her new Frozen toys which were very hard to find after Christmas!  She played in her own little Frozen world for the rest of the day!!!

State-by-State: Minnesota

V is for the Viking,

some believe they came in ships,

and left behind a rune stone

to tell us of their trips.

X marks the town of Walnut Grove.

Come and take a peek,

where Laura ingalls Wilder lived

on the Banks of Plum Creek.

Mall of America begins with M,

the place for shopping fun.

The largest in the USA,

a treat for everyone!

from V is for Viking: A Minnesota Alphabet

The girls and I read V is for Viking this week.  The rhyming helps us remember so many fun facts!  The girls completed their state worksheets and scrapbook pages.

The girls cooked dinner tonight.  They made Tater Tot Casserole using Green Giant green beans.  Green Giant is owned by General Mills which is headquartered in Minneapolis. General Mills also owes Pillsbury, and our Pillsbury crescent rolls were yummy with our casserole!

Rodeo

JM was asked to be the onsite doctor for the rodeo tonight.  This year Montgomery hosted a PCRA event.  The cowboys were really good.  There were just not many of them like you see at the big Texas rodeos!  The kids and I had a great time in the stands while JM was "working" behind the scenes.