The Torah

Jacob received the nicest gift from a friend the other day. Someone gave him a small Torah (about 6 inches). It's probably about 40-50 years old, I'm guessing, and was purchased in Israel. Of course, it's all in Hebrew so I don't understand one thing that's written! But Jacob is very interested in things like this and it has a special value to him. Thought I'd post a few pictures of his latest treasure. :O)

Rachel's Violin Recital

This past Saturday evening was Rachel's second violin recital. She was pretty nervous this time, but not as bad as the first time! She performed VERY well....playing a Bach piece entitled Gavotte. She said she made one little mistake, but if she did, I didn't notice! A new feature that was added to this recital was the new Strings Ensemble! The teacher started the group several months ago (the group consists of any of her students that were interested...about seven altogether) and this was their first performance. It sounded wonderful! So here are some pictures that were taken on he "big day".
This was taken at home before we left:
This was taken while she was waiting to perform with the ensemble: And this was taken after the recital with her teacher:

Neato!

Jacob and I did the most neato-est experiment in Chemistry the other day! (I know, I know...a homeschooling mom shouldn't use the word "neato-est" but it's the best way I can describe it!) Anyway, the purpose of the experiment was to get a rough idea of how small a molecule really is. In order to do this, we followed a process to dilute 0.5 ML of dishwashing liquid to 400.0 ML. We filled a large bowl almost full of water and let it sit. We calibrated an eyedropper to determine how many ML of liquid are in each drop....this turned out to be 0.026 ML. Next we sprinkled a light dusting of pepper over the surface of the water in the large bowl. Then we carefully put one single drop of the diluted dishwashing liquid in the center of the water/pepper-filled bowl. The pepper that was in the center of the bowl was pushed outward, leaving a clear circle in the center (see picture below). Why did it create a clear circle? Glad you asked. :O) Because the dishwashing liquid is made of several compounds, one of which is sodium stearate. The other compounds sank to the bottom but the sodium stearate remained on top of the water, spreading out as a single, circular layer of molecules. Using the measurement of the clear circle in the water, and several other calculations we determined during the course of this experiment, we determined that the width of the molecules in the sodium stearate is about 1.2 x 10(to the negative 8 power) What does a number like this mean? Well, the width of the average human hair is about 10(to the negative two power) centimeters. The size of these molecules is about 100,000 times smaller than that! Pretty neat, huh? :O)

Before...and After

Katie had a big day today! She got her braces off! Well...mostly. Before they even removed her braces, they placed some sort of retaining wire behind her four front teeth to keep them in position. (She still has permanent teeth that haven't come in on the sides of these four teeth and this wire will keep them in place until the permanents do come in) Then they removed the braces....at least for a year or so....then they go right back on. She's loving it! The orthodontist showed me a "before" picture of her teeth and I could not believe it. I had forgotten how "out of whack" they really were! I wish I could post the picture he had so you could see her teeth up close. But since I can't, here's one that I took just before she got the braces on. BIG difference. :O)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

A "gift"?!?!?

Hmmm. One of the neighbors came by yesterday evening with a "gift" for Katie. My first question when they told me they had something for her was...."Is it something alive?" Of course, it was. Everybody knows Katie is an animal lover. So...now we have a one week old baby Boer goat....and yes, it must be bottle-fed. Oh my. I am sure "Ramie" the goat will turn out to be one big pet. Boer goats are the ones with the long floppy ears...and ya gotta admit they're cute....for a goat. :O)

Ewwww!

Get a load of this guy! Rachel was in one of the fields today (between rainy spells) and found this huge turtle! I think it's a big snapping turtle because he has spikes on his back. :O) (I'd hate to run across him on one of my late evening walks!)

We're still around!

It's been a little while since I've blogged....but then again, I'm a busy woman! :O) All is well here. We've been on a bit of a short vacation. We went to the coast to visit my family. We don't get to go often, so it was a real treat for us! Thought I'd post a few pictures from the trip. Here's a picture of me with my Dad.....

and here I am with my Mom...

and here's a picture I took while Matt and I were riding the ferry from Southport, NC to Fort Fisher, NC.I took more pictures but not with "my" camera so I can't post those. (Mom, have you downloaded those yet?) :O)

And now, ladies and gentlemen, for a wonderful photo, please see below. This, my dear people, is a mud puddle!!! We got an all-night rain last night and it's rained off and on all day today too! What a blessing it's been! Wish I could pass the rain along to those of you who still need it. :O)