10th Grade School Pictures

 I can't believe this child is in the 10th grade!!! How did that happen !?!

So, per our usual, I took her to JCPenney's Studio with Groupon in hand for her school photos.

The photographer really got into the school picture theme. She had several that involved props like apples and books. 

But we got some good pictures out of them. And the one she absolutely loved with both apples and books is on its way to us.

Fidget Lap Blanket

 I recently attended a meeting for people who sew called Sewing for Service. I became intrigued by something called "fidget mats" that they were making. I had heard of such things for babies and autistic children. 

But they were making these for nursing homes (people in wheelchairs, etc. get bored with sitting in one spot and having nothing to do) and places that have people with dementia (like Alzheimer's). 

It is basically a mat (about placemat sized) that has lots of different things to 'play' with and several textures as well. They were also incorporating it into lap blankets so they have something to keep their legs warm but also allowing for fidgeting.

I decided to give them a try. 

My first effort was just a basic mat.

I used random things I found that I had not used yet and picked up a patch and some wooden flowers from the dollar store.

After realizing how hard it was to come up with things for each block, I ended up Googling some ideas. I came across one mat that was a scene rather than just random blocks so I tried making a similar one using a few of my own ideas too.

It's not perfect. As I have said before, I am not a quilter. But I thought it turned out cute. The sun has crinkly paper inside so it makes noise when pushed on and also has gold rick rack for texture differences. The corn leaves are 3D and form a very shallow pocket for putting fingers into and out of. The corn itself is felt with a diagonal squares "quilted" on to it and the stem is a zipper. The chicken's legs are ribbon with beads that swing freely. And her egg is attached inside the nest box by a ribbon so it can slide in and out. The other details are made with cotton and ribbon. Lots of textures.

While it must have been a poor year for rain (lol) as seen in her misshaped egg and the puny corn leaves, I still think it turned out cute. And I found that cute farm fabric at Hobby Lobby for 40% off to use to frame it and cover the back with.

Next I decided to go with a garden theme. I found a pretty sheet at the thrift store to use for framing and backing it so I just had to come up with a fidget block for it.

This is what I have so far. The butterfly is felt and beads. The sunflower is my crinkly center with ribbon petals and 3D leaves. I found a flower patch for little white daisy type one and the bee is another patch I found and sewed to a felt back attached to a ribbon. The tulip forms a cup so the bee can slide right in. The pink flower has more 3D elements with a big white button to play with in the middle. 

It isn't finished yet. I still have to do something where they go into the ground and I have a couple more things I'd like to add. 

But I think it's looking good so far.

What about you? Any ideas for fidgets to help me out?

Happy Independence Day!!

 Hope you're having a fun day with family and celebrating our nation's birth!

9th grade School Photos

One of the things I try to do every year is get a "school photo" of Rugrat. It may seem a little less fancy or something, but I really like just being able to use a franchised portrait studio. What's more, I can usually buy a Groupon for their studio and know exactly what I'm getting and how much it cost. Nothing unexpected hitting the budget means a lot less stress. 

It also means that we're using some place that is familiar. And I've honestly not had a bad experience with them yet. Once, the photos weren't exactly stellar but I still didn't have an issue with them. I'm usually happy with them all.

And, once again, this year, I'm very happy with them all. And so was she.

I really don't know why but she thought this flower headband was beautiful and wanted to take a lot of pictures in it. She got to and I let her pick her favorite to keep. It wasn't really my thing and I'm still surprised that she ever let them put it on her head to begin with. But once it was there, she loved it. Go figure.

 

8th Grade 2022/23

 As usual, we had a lot of fun in 8th grade. Despite the autism, adhd, and low vision, we keep on plugging away. 

And we had plenty of adventures. 

Her science this year consisted of a lot of individual units about different things. We actually really enjoyed doing science this way. For a couple of months, we focused on one general topic and learned a lot about it then went to the next topic. We also worked on a corresponding lapbook for each science unit so that she basically had one folder that told all of the interesting things she had learned. It was like having a little memory book that captured all the fun things we had done with that unit too.

Like this experiment determining what the best conditions were for yeast to grow.

We also dissected some owl pellets to see what the fellows eat. Rugrat was pretty disgusted by what we found not to mention the fact that we were basically cutting apart owl puke. 

At the end of the year, we finally got the ants we had ordered. It had been too cold for the company to send them until late spring. 

So we set up an ant farm. She proclaimed that it was like having her own little tv. We all enjoyed watching them work. 

Unfortunately, they passed because no queen was included and that is what eventually happens despite our best efforts to keep them alive.

At the beginning of our year, we went to the local park and gathered a sample of pond water to try out our new microscope and hopefully see some interesting creatures.

By far, her favorite "school supply" for the year has been this microscope. She loves looking into it.

More messing with grossness. We took samples of different places in our home to see which ones would grow a colony. It was eye-opening, not in a good way either.

Don't worry, though. We didn't just focus on science -- even though we were having so much fun. 

This was a literature project where she made up her own tall tale.

In February, Daddy used some airline points and we had a fun field trip, just the three of us, to San Antonio. That, of course, included a trip to the Alamo. And also gave us a chance to see the world's tallest cowboy boots. :)

One field trip with our co-op that we really enjoyed was to the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa. Not only had I never been, but I had never even heard of it. So that was a first for both of us.

8th grade was a fun time and we got to do so many things. How will 9th grade ever top it? 

Another Memory Quilt

 You may remember that I made Chick a Memory throw some time ago. Well, I finally had some time recently and was able to get to work on Rugrat's. 

I decided to go all the way and make an actual quilt this time, especially since I had plenty of shirts saved up from her adventures.

If you've known little miss in the 12 years we've been here, you might recognize one of these.

I am NOT a quilter but this is still one of the best ways to keep those memento shirts that I know. It isn't perfect. There's lots of crooked lines, an off center corner, and even a pucker on the back. One reason I say it isn't a quilt, it's a keepsake. But she seems happy with it, so there's that.

Chocolate Icebox Trifle

 I was called on last minute to make a dessert for Bunco not too long ago. I wanted something I had not done before but I also wanted something light and spring-ish/summer-ish. 

I decided to do a Chocolate Icebox cake I had found online but I needed one special ingredient. Chocolate graham crackers.

I have seen these before. I assumed it had been at a Walmart or major grocery store chain. However, when I made a special trip that day to get them, my local Walmart didn't carry them nor had the grocery I had stopped at the day before.

I was getting a little stressed because it had taken me forever to decide on this one. And I was running out of time.

But, after having a little freakout, I pulled on my apron (figuratively - I never think to actually put it on) and made some changes to the recipe.

Since my biggest problem was the graham crackers, I worked on that first. They were to be the "cake" in this no-bake recipe. So, I figured why not make actual cake. I made a chocolate sheet cake and cut it into small cubes instead.

I also decided, since it was in layers anyway, to just make it a trifle. And who couldn't stand the addition of some chocolate ganache.

When I had finished making it, Rugrat complained that they might eat it all and she really wanted to try some. I assured, though, based on the volume of the container, she would be sure to have some leftover to try.

When I carried it in, all of the ladies there oohed and aahed. Several of them gathered around it in a circle and salivated over it, asking what was in it and talking about how good it looked. 

I have to agree. It was pretty darn good. 

And I wasn't the only one who thought so. One lady told me it was fabulous and then alternated between wanting to know how to make it and telling me not to tell her because she wouldn't do so good having it in her house.

The cake part stood up well even to the next day when we finished off the leftovers. 

I actually think I like it better than the original recipe (which I've had before at potlucks). Here's to necessity being the mother of invention. Worked for me anyway. :)

For a printable version of this recipe, you can go here.

Chocolate Icebox Trifle

Cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil (I use olive oil because I don't do vegetable oils)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup boiling water

Ganache:

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup heavy cream

Cream filling:

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 cups heavy cream

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, optional

1. Prepare the cake part.

Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare one 9x12 baking pan by either lining with parchment or greasing and flouring the pan.

Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk thoroughly to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.

Add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.

Pour cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

2. Prepare ganache.

Combine chocolate chips and heavy cream in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. 

Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Prepare filling.

In mixer, stir cream cheese until smooth. Gradually stir in half of the cream, stopping to scrape down sides. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add the remaining cream. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture begins to thicken. 

Stop mixer and scrape down bowl. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Gradually increase speed to high again and beat until stiff peaks.

4. Assemble in trifle bowl.

Cut cake into small cubes (or crumble it if you wish). Sprinkle a layer of cake  in the bottom of the trifle bowl. Make sure it touches the sides so that the layers can be seen from the outside. Layer in cream filling. Drizzle with ganache and mini chocolate chips, if desired.

Continue layering with first, cake, next, filling, then, ganache and chocolate chips until you have filled the bowl to your desired size.  If you want the layers to be seen, make sure they touch the sides of the bowl. End by drizzling lines of ganache across the top and sprinkling with mini chocolate chips.

Refrigerate until time to serve (preferable at least four hours to allow filling to set). Store in refrigerator.

Note: You will probably have cake left over, although is that really a bad thing?

Note: I imagine this could also be made in custard dishes for individual servings but you would want to decide how much of everything you would need.