I hate science fair projects!!!!

Yesterday afternoon I seemed to run out of energy. My legs felt like lead weights that could not take another step. I finally gave up and slept in today.

The girls got up and got dressed for church. I should have supervised this more. The temperature had dropped about 40 degrees over night but they were dressed for the 80's like it had been on Saturday. At least they had their nice warm coats that Audrey gave them for Christmas.

When they got home from church, Mom sent over a bowl of chicken and dumplings. What a lifesaver! That is one dish I have never learned, but today didn't even feel like preparing toast, so I was very glad to get this delicious meal, especially coming from just next door!!

Grace came in to tell me she loved me and that her science fair project was due on Friday.

Oh my goodness.

We have known about this since the first of December.

I really wish my daughter was not so much like me!

They have been out of school for two weeks and today she remembered it was due Friday!

When I was in school, science fair projects done by me were minimal. I will never forget the time I completely forgot and at the last minute cut up food to test for what? I don't even remember, but I think you put iodine on it. We found a scrap of corrugated cardboard and I used toothpicks to attach the food and then covered with saran wrap. Completely professional! I think majoring in elementary ed for my bachelors was a great idea. The only science I had was science for Elementary teachers, so I never had to learn much more. I worked in the physics department at college but understood NOTHING!!!

When Grace was trying to pick a project I told her about a test I had done for speech, not science. I can't remember if we had to do an experiment or what the topic was for that speech, but Mark, my brother, and I each had a pepper plant at the time, that seemed to be affected by the type of music we both listened to. Mark listened to Black Sabbath and other rock groups of that era (my memory has failed me) and I listened to The Carpenters, etc.

Mark's plant was tall but had scrawny leaves. Mine had big full leaves. I used the two plants to prove the effect of different types of music on the plants.

So Grace decided this was perfect.

I guess I wasn't planning very well because I didn't think about the LACK of plants available in December/January.

It didn't matter, I had to get off my sick bed and we went to Lowes looking for plants that would grow in one week and recorded for the purpose of science.

There were very few plants, of course, mostly succulents. I have no success with this type of plant and know it is a slow growing species, so that would not do.

We met the sweetest lady who worked there and she took us from plant to plant and made suggestions. We settled on buying amaryllis bulbs, but there weren't enough left.

On top of this, Annabel was told she needed to do one. Oh my! It reminds me of Grace's first grade project and how we did it with her lack of English.

Annabel kept asking if I would buy her a plant and what was an experiment. We settled on calling it homework but she was sure she did not have any.

So in the middle of trying to determine a proper species I am also trying to explain the concept of a science fair project to Annabel. It does get confusing.

We settled on forcing hyacinth bulbs for Grace which would each be subjected to one hour of a different type of music. And for Annabel, three crocuses that would be forced in three different types of water.

Since I did not feel like cooking, we made our way to the Chinese buffet and each girl ate their weight in crawfish and octopus! YUCK!!!

When we got home I discovered a terrible mistake on my part. I left my bedroom door slightly ajar and our miscreant dogs had left their mark on my bed that they were not pleased with being left home alone!

We got all of the bottles labeled and the music playing for the plants. Annabel borrowed fertilizer from Dad for her experiment and Grace worked on the rest of her holiday homework. School for us doesn't begin again until Tuesday so she has another day to get it all done. I stripped my bed and cursed our dogs!!

While Grace worked on her homework, Annabel decided she would paint my nails. She asked if she could call me Jerri during this time. She was so funny trying to make small talk as the manicurist. She asked me if I worked a lot, had kids, and dogs.

I will have to share her stories she told me tomorrow. They were quite hysterical!