sycamore stirrings

Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

We're hosting Thanksgiving dinner. On Saturday. For 11 people. This will be the *first* time Bryce and I have ever done this. Yes, I'm totally freaking out. But I'm getting some help. However, instead of planning the menu, checking my linens, looking up recipes or breathing deeply, I decided to put together an activity book for the kids that will be here on Saturday. There will be 4 of them from age 3 to 7. They are all girls and they get very silly, giggly and a bit wild when they're together. I thought, maybe, just maybe an activity book would keep them calmer therefore keeping me calmer. It's a long shot, I know.

Anyhoo, here are the pages I printed. Some are a bit smaller than I'd like and some will be cut and pasted to make one page. It's off to the copy center I go. . . assuming I can find one. I'm also going to try and get our knives sharpened tomorrow. Cross your fingers on that one for me too.

here
here*
here
here* there are some cool vintage-y pictures here
here*
here*
here*
here
here

* My fav finds.

Fête Saint -Nicolas

2009-11-23T04:31:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all the birthday wishes! It was a really great day.

As I mentioned in my last post we went on the St. Nicolas Train yesterday afternoon. It was suggested by some fellow expats as a fun thing to do with the kiddos. But other than being "fun" we really didn't know what this St. Nicolas Train experience would entail.

We boarded a train, headed by a steam engine in Petange, Luxembourg. We weren't sure if the train ride was the experience or if there was a destination. After a 20 minute train ride we stopped at an old train station and we all got off the train. As we walked to the station we could see St. Nicolas himself emerge from the train.
The station was filled with large tables and benches, bratwurst vendors and a beverage counter where coffee, beer, cremant, and juice were available for purchase. At the far end, St. Nicolas had his own private grotto to greet children. There was also a miniature train set up for viewing. And it was a mad house. Did I mention that? It was packed with families who had arrived on the previous train. And a train load of families from the train we'd arrived on.
We grabbed a table and then made a mad dash to the queue to visit St. Nicolas. As you can see only 1 child was willing to visit. This was due to St. Nicolas' helpers, Black Peter(s). They were quite terrifying and Audrey wanted nothing to do with them. {More on Black Peter in my next post.} Eva was more than willing after she saw the goodie bag she would receive from St. Nicolas. I told the girls it was more like a shopping bag of treats not a goodie bag. Sheesh.

After greeting St. Nicolas we visited with friends while the girls consumed mass quanitites of chocolate. Then we got on the train and returned to Petange. It was a great experience. Something new. Something that was carried out in a way that wouldn't be found in the U.S. I loved it. The girls did too!

Today I turned 37

2009-11-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

Even as I write it I can't believe it's true. How did I ever get to be 37? Must have been the same way I came to have 2 little people living in my house calling me mommy. Being an adult is strange. When do you start feeling like one? Anyway. Today I'm 37. Other than turning a year older, it was a very lovely day.

Bryce took me out for a wonderful dinner last night. The restaurant itself was gorgeous and romantic, cozy and special. It was in an old barn and had a vaulted wooden ceiling. I was reminded of the barn we got married in. It was decorated with huge silver candelabras. It was amazing. The food was great too. I had sole. I started with an aperitif of champagne splashed with mirabelle brandy. {Insert contented sigh.}

Today I got to sleep in. I awoke to frantic squeals of "don't come down yet!" The girls were writing my cards. Around noon we went to an arts and crafts fair (called a Hobby Maart) and finished the day on the St. Nicolas Train.

In between all that I received calls from my mom and sister and enjoyed some birthday cake. The girls were bursting with excitement about the cake - "It has macarons on it!!!" Yes, other than the aging part, the day was lovely indeed.

Zig Zag Done

2009-11-21T14:41:00.000-08:00

I've fallen in love all over again with Orion's baby quilt. I'm so pleased with the red binding. It also puckered up nicely after being washed. I'm excited to send it to Orion. Even if it's (more than) a year late. I don't think he'll mind.

{Italy} Pisa

2009-11-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

Pisa was beautiful. It was small, charming and felt, well, very Italian. Which is a ridiculous thing to say, I realize that, but it did. Perhaps Pisa felt so Italian because it didn't feel as touristy as Florence. Which is a also a ridiculous thing to say as it houses one of the 7 wonders of the (medieval) world. But it did. Pisa felt more "Italian" and less touristy than Florence. Doesn't make sense, I know. But how many feelings actually do?

Pisa should definitely be on your list of places to see in Italy. Not just for the Leaning Tower, but for the town as well. This is what we arrived to in Pisa. Don't worry we didn't get soaked. We decided to wait out the rain over cocktails. The next day was beautiful. This is Santa Maria della Spina. It is right on the Arno River.
After reading your comments, I feel a bit of regret for not taking a "pushing" picture. hmph.

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I've been busy this week! And to think I believed I would have all the time in the world once my youngest was in school 3 times a week. Ha!

This week I've been having a cyber baby shower for my sister! It has been fun. I set up a private blog for the shower where there were introductions, games, refreshments, gifts and even prizes! My cousin is so great to send little gifties to the game winners. Right now we're in the middle of gifts. Shower guests have sent me pictures of their gifts and I'm posting them on the blog. It's been a great way for those of us who don't live near Emily to celebrate her leap into motherhood. BTW, her leap could happen *any* day now. I'm can hardly wait!

I've also been making this pumpkin bread. My youngest and I could pretty much eat the entire loaf ourselves. It is delicious.

And I'm going into both girls classrooms to talk about Thanksgiving and do a little project. I've been trying to get that all sorted out. Pilgrim hats and bonnets for the 3 year olds and the 5-6 year olds will be making a Tree of Thankfullness. They are also making apple turnovers, which I assumed would be more well recieved by that age group than pumpkin pie.

I finished 2 quilts - the handprint quilt and Orion's baby quilt! Pictures soon -

And -I've had a head cold. My face doesn't hurt anymore, but I'm still a bit stuffy.

Um. So that's where I've been this week.

{Italy} The Tower Pose

2009-11-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

Hilarious! Do I even need to tell you where these were taken?

There is a whole flickr group devoted to these "pushers."

{Italy} Things that caught my eye

2009-11-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

If you read this blog with any regularity you know that strange, unusual, and, well, confusing things interest me as much as beautiful things do. Here are some of those types of things ~ Bad boys, bad boys whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you? (in their white hats and matching bags) Florence PoliceA street performer in Rome. He was pretending to be a drunk. He was actually quite good. Not that I'm a connoisseur of street performers pretending to be drunk. This little girl was just fascinated with him.
Love Locks. Do you know about these? I didn't until our trip to Rome last spring. You can read more about love locks here.

Eye glasses shop - love this sign.
Graffiti on the Metro in Rome

Teeny tiny truck that looked like it belonged in Busytown.

Big Gelato.
Whaddya buy when you go it Italy? Polish pottery of course. We saw this at a craft fair in Florence. Yes, I bought a piece. A darling little butter dish. I know it's wrong.

I can only assume this Porccetteria can be compared to a gelateria or a pizzeria. A shop where Pig is sold? I have a handful of friends and a husband who would *love* to patronize a house of pork. These Romans hang around the Colosseum and Pantheon selling photo opts for euros. Um. If you know me, you know how *mortified* I was by this whole ordeal. If you know Julie, you understand how we ended up in this situation :)

Coming up . . . PISA. The final destination.

{Florence} Boboli Gardens

2009-11-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

Upon reading the description of Pitti Palace, "The building itself is mammoth, holding several different museums. You'll walk through one palatial, chandeliered room after another, walls sagging with masterpieces. . . " Julie and I let out a collective groan. Apparently there was a limit to how many museums a person can visit on a trip to Italy. Needless to say, Julie and I had reached that limit. So we opted for the garden of Pitti Palace - Boboli Garden.

Boboli Garden was designed in the 16th century. It covers 11.1 acres of land. It even houses a museuem, the Museso delle Porcellane. The museum holds a collection of precious European porcelain used by the reigning families that lived in Pitti Palace.

The gardens were just what Julie and I were looking for. We could be outside, enjoying the sunny, warm day and wander around at our leisure.
Piazzale dell'Isolotto
Detail from the exterior of Pitti Palace My *favorite* thing in Boboli Gardens were these drinking fountains. They were only about the size of a pair of cupped hands. These fountains were scattered about the Gardens. Wonderful, huh? View of Florence at the bottom of the Garden

* Quoted text from Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2009. I love this book.

{Florence}

2009-11-11T00:07:00.000-08:00

view from our hotel room where we could hear the bells of the Duomo

I was excited about the next stop on our Italian adventure - Florence. I'd been there once before in 1996. It during my first trip to Europe. I didn't remember much about the city, really only David and the red roofs of the Florentine buildings. I was anxious to see it again with adult eyes.

Another Christmas card possibility for Julie was a picture with David. I was surprised to see that photos were no longer allowed in the Academia gallery where David was housed. Luckily there was a fake David (a copy) outside the Palazzo Vecchio that we could photograph to our hearts' content. Santa Maria del Flore - Duomo. We climbed to the top - a whopping 463 steps. Whew. View from the top of the Duomo of Florence and Santa Croce Church

Ponte Vecchio. Lined with shops selling gold and silver. Right next to the Mercato Nuovo (Straw Market) is the Porcellino (wild boar) rub his snout and leave him coins to assure your return to Florence.

Grom. The *best* gelato in Florence. Yes, it's a leap, but I'm willing to make it. The gelato was that good. It's made with organic ingredients and seasonal fresh fruit. This gelato really tasted differently from the rest. It is located right near the Duomo. Get the cream on top. Trust me.

{Rome} Day 2 - Famous Sites

2009-11-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

During our second day in Rome Julie and I visited as many famous sites as we could. Here are some snapshots from our day: View from the top of the Spanish Steps The Trevi Fountain. Um, it's somewhere in there. Parts of it anyway. We got in the habit of ending our site seeing around 6:00. We'd find a restaurant, order a spritz, rest our feet and watch the scene. We did this in Florence and Pisa too. Not a bad way to decompress.

In the Piazza de Popolo there is a statue in each corner depicting one of the 4 seasons. Julie and I really couldn't decipher who was who. Whaddya think, spring? Pinocchio paraphernalia all over the place.

A peek of The Panetheon
Building detail from The Piazza Rotunda

NEXT COMES FLORENCE- yipppeee!

{Rome} St. Peter's Basilica

2009-11-09T05:18:00.000-08:00

The other famous site to see in Vatican City is, of course, St. Peter's Basilica. It is like no cathedral you've ever seen. It is huge! It can hold 60,000 people. It houses the famous Pieta by Michelangelo (which sits behind bullet proof glass.)

Julie and I climbed the 323 steep steps to the top of the dome. There we looked down on St. Peter's Square and all of Rome.

The guards of St. Peter's

The real crafter in the family. . .

2009-11-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

Cinderella, prince, step-mother, step-sister, step-sister and fairy god mother

Is turning out to be my oldest. When she gets an idea, that's it. She's doing it and not stopping until it's finished. That's how this set of Cinderella stuffies came about. I had some squares left over from her class hand print quilt and let the girls have at them with fabric markers. She started with her usual fairy picture, then decided it was Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, and then requested more fabric to make the rest of the characters from the story. Such a great idea, right? And all hers. Gotta tell ya, I'm lovin' the wicked step-mother.

To make the fabric easy for the girls to draw on, I back it with freezer paper. You can buy it in the grocery store (in The States, anyway.) After the pictures are finished, peel off the freezer paper. I cut the pictures out leaving a pretty large margin around them (well, as large as I can.) Lastly, sew, stuff (my oldest did the stuffing) and you're finished.

I know, I know this was supposed to be a post about Italy, but I had to break into real time for a moment. Don't worry, you'll get your Italy. It's all set to go. Have a relaxing Sunday.

Fussen (It's in Germany)

2009-11-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

We made Fussen, Germany our home base. It was a 10 minute drive to the castles and only 5 minutes from the Austrian border. Fussen had a cute little pedestrian zone and an interesting looking castle. We had heard mixed reviews about the castle's interior but decided to go inside anyway. It was closed but we enjoyed looking at the castle's courtyard. In it was a small modern sculpture park. We were also intrigued by the window and door adornment that was painted on. Was this typical of castles from this era? Hmmm. We saw some similar adornment in Innsbruck.

View from our hotel Fussen Castle Castle's Courtyard. See the sculptures? Pedestrian zone in the city center. Great pastel colored buildings. Another view of the pedestrian zone with tower in the background.

See more pics from Fussen and Neuschwanstein here
Innsbruck pics here

Next, I'll be moving you all back to Italy as I finish sharing photos from my Italian get-away.

p.s. I updated my link list for you. I'd love to know what you're reading these days.

Innsbruck

2009-11-06T05:09:00.000-08:00

Bryce had been to Innsbruck once way back when he was in high school. He remembered that it was a pretty city. That was all we knew about Innsbruck. But that was enough for us, so on Monday we drove to Innsbruck, Austria to spend the day. From our apartment in Fussen, Germany it was about an hour and a half drive.

Innsbruck was stunning. Pastel colored buildings set against snowy mountains - it was the very definition of picturesque. We ate some lunch, walked around the city center, poked around in the souvenir shops and ended with gelato for the girls and coffee for Bryce and I. It was my favorite way to see a new town - just wandering around. No specific plans. No must-see urgency. It was a lovely day.

This building wall had advent calender pictures on it. It was not possible to open the numbered windows as this was only a copy, but the girls enjoyed searching for the numbers anyway. Another city that had *awesome* souvenirs. I'll show you my impulse buys soon.
Chasing pigeons. The Golden Roof, one of the tourist attractions in Innsbruck. We spent a long time in a Christmas shop. No country does Christmas better than Germany and Austria. The shop had trays and trays of hand painted egg ornaments. These are a specialty of the region. We bought one with Innsbruck on it.
I'm getting pretty good at translating translated English. Still this soup surprised me. It was called, cheese dumpling soup. I like cheese. I like dumplings so I thought I'd give it a go. This "dumpling" was more like a small bowling ball of grain or possibly breadcrumbs sunk at the bottom of a bowl of broth. It wasn't bad. It was just confusing. I could not figure out what this huge mystery mass was made of. Does anyone know?

Last holiday post coming up tomorrow - Fussen, Germany

A forest from another planet

2009-11-05T05:03:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that the foliage in Bavaria was beautiful? I realize I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but man, it was incredible. We hit the pinnacle of autumn foliage greatness just after Fern Pass in Austria. There we entered a forest of yellow trees. *Every* tree had yellow leaves or needles. Bryce and I had never seen anything like it ever before. Finally we could take it no more and Bryce found a place to pull over so I could take some pictures.

We think the trees with needles were larch trees but were unsure about the others.

Neuschwanstein Castle

2009-11-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Neuschwanstein Castle is Germany's most photographed building. It's really not that surprising now is it? Look! Like it's right out of a fairy tale. In a way it sort of is. Neuschwanstein was Walt Disney's inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disney Land. That fact was a good lure to excite the girls about our road trip. It worked. They were excited.

This castle was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He was a great admirer of the composer, Richard Wagner and had the castle built in Wagner's honor. Building began in 1869 and was still not completed in 1886, the time of Ludwig's death. Poor Ludwig only spent 11 nights in his precious castle. Because of Ludwig's untimely death only 1/3 of the castle interior is finished.

The castle tour takes you through the finished rooms. The girls were so perplexed that the throne room didn't have a throne. Ludwig died before one was built. We also got to see Ludwig's treasure box. Sadly it was empty. My oldest and I inquired about the contents and were told they are housed in a museum in Munich.

The whole castle experience was great. We took a horse carriage up to the castle and enjoyed the glorious autumn foliage along the way. After our tour we hiked up a bit further to Mary's Bridge for a great view of the castle.

View of the castle from Mary's Bridge
A quiet moment on the carriage ride The castle is set against rugged mountain terrain View of Hohenschwangau Castle (Ludwig's boyhood home) from Neuschwanstein. Mary's Bridge

Horse Carriage Walking to Mary's Bridge

Beautiful Bavaria

2009-11-03T22:57:00.000-08:00

We slid home yesterday after a 5 hour drive home from Fussen, Germany. The girls did remarkably well. It was our best road trip to date. I hate to even say that out loud as I don't want to jinx us for the next trip. Neuschwanstein Castle was just as beautiful as it looked in the pictures. However, it was the autumnal Bavarian setting surrounding the castle that completely blew me away. Outrageously gorgeous. We toured the castle on Sunday morning and in the afternoon took a drive on The Romantic Road.

Have you heard of The Romantic Road? It is an old trade route dating from the Middle Ages that stretches from Fussen to Wurzburg. The towns and sites along the road are said to be examples of "quintessential" German culture and scenery. It is 350 kilometers long. We only drove on it for an hour or so, but found it most beautiful. I think a road trip, stopping at the little towns along the way, would be spectacular.

On Monday we drove to Innsbruck, Austria and spent the day. Located in the state of Tyrol , it is a center for winter sports. In fact, it hosted the winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976. The city is located at the base of the alps. It was simply breathtaking.

I plan to share pictures from our trip soon.

This is what's new, Pussycat

2009-10-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

We saw Tom Jones in concert last night. Don't laugh. You haven't lived until you've seen a 69 year old Welshman shake his groove thing. Just sayin'

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Have a great weekend!

{Rome} The Vatican Museum

2009-10-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Vatican City

Our day was equally divided between The Vatican Museum in the morning and St. Peter's Basilica in the afternoon.

The Vatican Museum. Enormous. Beautiful. Gilded. Julie and I started out being such good tourists. Listening to each number on the audio guide. Ooooing and Ahhhhing over each ancient treasure. And then it occurred to us that we had 4 miles of museum to see. We needed to pick up the pace. It was hard to focus in the museum. Each and every surface of the building itself was painted or adorned in someway. My attention was constantly switching between the pieces on display and the room itself. Julie and I continued on but after about 2 hours our brains started to short circuit. I think there must be a limit to how much religious imagery and gold leafing a person can absorb. So, we hightailed it to The Sistine Chapel, walking with blinders and keeping our eyes on the prize.

The Sistine Chapel is the Pope's personal chapel and is also the place where a new Pope is elected. As you know, The Sistine Chapel is famous for it's ceiling painted by Michelangelo. I was prepared for the bright colors of the frescos. But I was surprised by the size of the panels. They were much bigger than I expected and we could easily see them without binoculars. I was also amazed at the figures in the corners of the chapel that appeared to pop out of the walls. They looked like statues. It was hard to believe they were painted, not sculpted onto the walls.

Julie and I spent about an hour in the Chapel. It was impossible to take it all in; to believe we were *really* seeing the famous ceiling of The Sistine Chapel. Information from my art history class in college came flooding back to me as I looked at The Creation and Last Judgement. The Chapel is worth every bit of hype that surrounds it. It is amazing. Every cell in your body knows you are somewhere special.

Since the restoration of the ceiling, photography is not allowed in The Chapel. It was sad to see so many sneaking pictures. I don't understand the lack of respect.

After such a powerful experience we needed to unwind. We headed to the closest pizza place ordered enormous beers, lunch and then sat quietly for a while. Um, really just a minute or two. We're pretty chatty.

A few pictures to share:

An example of the decoration that is found on the walls and ceiling of every room in the museum. Most are more elaborate than this, actually.

Exit of the museum. Cool, huh?
Writing post cards during lunch. Vatican City has it's own postal system separate from Italy's. It is also more reliable. Sending postcards from Vatican City is a popular tourist activity as the postcard has a Vatican City stamp. I didn't write down any addresses so I only sent cards to those I knew by heart - my mom's and my own. (I'll take a pic of the stamp and post it for you. )

A pretty fresco.

Odd Ball Paris

2009-10-28T01:44:00.001-07:00

Some things that caught my eye . . .

This was the controller to the audio guide on our Seine Cruise. I think it's obvious why this caught my eye .

Saw this super hero in the park next to the Eiffel Tower. Apparently Lois Lane was danging from the top of the tower and I failed to notice.

Wondering if they have an office in Lux.

Tourists on Segways. Really? Have they not seen Arrested Development? Do Segways not conjure up the image of GOB scooting around for them? I just cannot take this seriously. Too geeky even for this nerd. (masks have been added to protect the identity of the segwayers.) Any segway enthusiasts out there?

One of the coolest street signs I've seen.

Mac Daddy

2009-10-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

I was bound and determined to make it to Pierre Herme this trip to Paris. And I did. We did. However it came at the expense of Julie's poor feet. Her super cute ballet flats which started out as "comfortable shoes" turned on her. At one point she swore there must have been only bones left on her feet, no soft skin padding. But Julie is a trooper.

Pierre Herme is located at 72, rue Bonaparte. We stopped for lunch around 24, rue Bonaparte right across from the church of St. Germain-des-pres. After food, rest and a cappiccino she was ready to complete our death march for macarons. We made it. These macs became more than just Pierre Herme macarons, they were blood macarons. Thank you Julie. And thanks to your trotters as well.

I found the macs at Lauduree had soft, delicate flavors. They specialized in giving you just the essence of flavor. The macs at Pierre Herme were just the opposite. In fact, a few could be described as bold, brash balls of screaming flavor. On with the notes, starting left to right:

Orange and Caramel: Odd flavor combination. One of the flavors should have been more obvious. Didn't do anything for me.

Mint: Tasted like a wad of fresh mint from the garden. Literally. No subtely here. Just fresh, real mint. If this is your flavor, this is the mac for you.

Passionfruit and Milk Chocolate: This was almost a shock to the palate. A tangy, almost tart parrionfruit that nearly caused the mouth to pucker. Combined with soft, smooth milk chocolate. It was tasty, unexpected and unusual.

Rose: Yes, this was rose. No doubt about it. Too rosie for me.

Jasmine: This was flavored with jasmine tea. I couldn't really taste anything at all. Dissapointing.

Olive oil and Vanilla: So weird. Definitely got the olive oil taste. Soft and pretty savory. Didn't taste any vanilla. Bryce wouldn't try it :)

Not Sure: I'm not sure what flavor this beauty was. Spend way too much time researching it on line too. Didn't find it. Any one know? It had a teeny square of red jelly candy in the middle. Obviously the flavor didn't knock my socks off because I don't even remember it -

Grapefruit: Different. Tangy, but not too much.

Have you been to Pierre Herme? I'd love to know what you think . . .

Falling Back

2009-10-26T03:40:00.001-07:00

This is how we spent our extra hour on Sunday. Hope you had a pleasant weekend as well.

Lollipop Ghosts

2009-10-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

A classic, an old stand-by, a no-brainer - The Lollipop Ghost. All you need are lollipops, napkins, string and a marker. These are great as favors, decorations or simple party crafts.

Instead of string you can use twist-ties. Twist-ties are slightly easier for kids although they'll still need your help holding the lollipop. Since Luxembourg is a rather formal country, I gave my ghost a red bow-tie. Think he could use a top hat too.

Look at Jo's Ghostie Pops. Crafty minds think alike :)

Right Now: Late October

2009-10-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

Watching :: Episodes 1-5 of this season's Office. Thanks itunes.
Reading :: this and this along with the rest of the blogosphere
Making :: a hand print quilt for my oldest daughter's class
Eating :: a bit too mindlessly
Feeling :: so incredibly happy for my mom
Thinking :: about the special visit I had with my aunt & uncle
Hoping :: at some point I won't feel exhausted all the time
Wondering :: where we're going to travel after Christmas
Hearing :: my oldest beginning to read
Liking :: Tuesday walks in the woods
Wanting :: a weekend away with Bryce
Playing :: this CD that I bought on a whim
Wishing :: we could spend Thanksgiving with family
Enjoying :: the sunny, cold days and beautiful autumn foliage
Coveting :: another cup of coffee

This Right now format found here.

What are you up to Right Now?

Halloween Party

2009-10-21T02:49:00.000-07:00

The AWCL is also hosting a Halloween party. It is geared towards the little kiddos, up to age 6. I've helped organize it which has been fun.

One of the crafts we're going to have at the party is making macaroni necklaces. I saw this post on the Crafty Crow and decided to dye our pasta in Halloween colors - Orange, green and purple. The dyeing process called for rubbing alcohol, which at home in the U.S. is no problem. Here, however, it proved to be a bit problematic. After consulting with a few people it seemed I'd have to buy it at a pharmacy where it was sold in little glass bottles for 5,00 euros!! Luckily I found it at the grocery store (next to the band-aids) in slightly bigger bottles for 2,50. Still expensive compared to U.S. standards.

The dyeing directions say to completely cover the pasta in the rubbing alcohol and food coloring mix. Economically, that just wasn't a sane thing for me to do. So, I filled the zip lock bag up enough so that one side of the pasta was soaking in the alcohol when I laid the bag on it's side. I left it over night and flipped the bag over the next morning and left it another day. It worked out just fine. I also used the rubbing alcohol for 2 batches of pasta. After taking out the first batch I just added a few more drops of dye and then put in more pasta to soak.

Bottom line is, you can do this project with much less rubbing alcohol than is called for. Boy, that was a long explanation for something very simple. I'm wordy. It drives me crazy.

I'll tell ya about our other craft tomorrow. It's a classic.

Here are a few Halloween ideas from last year:

Halloween shirts to dye for
Mummies
Kool-aid cupcakes
Spooky Food