101 Days of Summer Fun - Update #4

The fourth update of our 101 Days of Summer Fun has a lot of different activities. Some were part of our original plan while others are ones that were done in lieu of what was planned. Regardless, this is shaping up to be a memorable summer!

Saturday, June 14 - We went to Mill City Farmers Market in the morning which was a lot of fun. The theme of the day was bees and beekeeping, so there were displays and vendors related to these topics.

Each week during the summer when we visit a farmers market, the girls receive $5 each to spend on things they want to try. They can use all their money or some of it and save the rest for the following week. The only stipulation is that it must be spent at a farmers market.

So this week they each wanted to try comb honey which neither had tasted before.

To eat it, you can take a small spoonful of it (wax comb and honey) and put it in your mouth. Some people will eat the wax, but others will spit it out. The girls did the latter. Sophia liked comb honey while Olivia prefers "regular" honey.

We also purchased skiitake mushrooms. The mushrooms came with a delicious recipe (grilled shiitake mushrooms with asparagus that we served over rice). There were also log kits there that would produce mushrooms for 3-4 years. We're excited to see if the inoculated log actually produces mushrooms this fall.

After Mill City Farmers Market, we headed over to the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Stocked up on asparagus to enjoy throughout the fall, winter, and spring.

Also found rhubarb, lettuce, cilantro, and radishes. We're excited to have so much fresh produce to enjoy now and during the rest of the year.

In the afternoon, we went bowling. We were having trouble with the keypad where you type in your names, so we ended up just giving everyone different names based on what letters actually worked.

We had fun bowling with bumpers.

The bowling alley also serves food so we had our main meal of the day - lunch.

It was a long - but very fun - day!

Sunday, June 15 - Equine vaulting was the main activity for Sophia and Olivia today. Part of vaulting includes warming up.

The girls work individually and in teams to strengthen their core muscles and legs so they can be better vaulters.

They are working on some skills and free-style programs that they will demonstrate at a show for the parents next week.

Both the girls have now worked up to the cantor level (the walk and trot are slower types of horse gaits).

They still do some of their skills at walk and trot levels, but now can do some when Willie (the horse) is moving at a much faster rate.

Monday, June 16 - Mondays during the summer are "Make It Mondays."  The girls both continued to work on their embroidery projects for the county fair.

In the evening, we went to the annual 4-H potluck dinner and preparation meeting for the county fair. We brought peanut butter cookies with chocolate stars on them that we made earlier in the day. There was a nice variety of food available, and we enjoyed catching up with people who we hadn't seen for awhile.

Tuesday, June 17 - "Take a Trip Tuesday" isn't quite working out in terms of going to new places. Rather, Tuesdays continue to be agility training in the morning.

Cooper did a great job today and was very focused. He enjoyed the "A" frame (ramp) as usual, but is gaining more confidence on the equipment that is a bit more scary - like the plank.

After agility, Aspen was worn out from watching all the "big dogs." Some of the dogs interact with her so she's been getting more comfortable around larger and more social dogs. She's definitely getting more ready and eager for puppy obedience classes that will start at the end of this month.

Tonight I tried a new recipe for grilled shiitake mushrooms and asparagus served on a bed of rice.

The meal was simple to make and tasted so fresh and delicious.

I also made a fresh lettuce salad with green onions and radishes - all from the Minneapolis Farmers Market.

Wednesday, June 18 - Sophia and Olivia went with Mary B. to Abrahamson's Nursery to see if a plant Sophia would like to add to her fairy garden was available. Then they went to the library to browse the shelves and find some new books to read.

Thursday, June 19 - Today was errand day. We went to a lot of different places in a short period of time.

With a puppy at home, we can only be gone about 1 1/2 hours at the most at this point.

Friday, June 20 - The girls worked a lot on their 4-H projects today. Olivia focused on doing a pointillism marker-painting project. (Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image.)

Her image is of four dolphins swimming in an ocean. The dolphins are done with markers so she could make a lot of small dots. The water is done with paint and Q-tips.

Sophia also did a painting project except hers used paint that she put into egg shells.

She covered the opening with tissue paper, went outside with her carton of six eggs and a canvas, and began painting.

She threw each of the eggs onto the canvas where they broke and paint splattered all over the canvas. Depending on how much paint got on the canvas, some would drip while others simply sat on the canvas where it landed.

The colors she chose match perfectly with the colors of the walls in her bedroom. After the paint dried, we put it on the walls in her room and she is happy with how everything looks together.

Both the girls had a lot of fun with their painting projects, and they both have something new for their bedroom walls.