Ingrid Michaelson

(by Carly)

So Sunday October 4th was Ingrid Michaelson (a young new pop/folk singer that sings and plays ukulele and piano -don't feel bad if you haven't heard of her yet, she's just now becoming well known on the West Coast) day for the Stone family. We bought tickets for her concert at the Coach House in September, for the 4th, but then on Friday, I got an email from her fan list saying

that she'd be playing a private free concert at Fingerprints in Long Beach! Of course I had to go, since she was here in LB! We called to put our name on the guest list, but they were already booked. The guy on the phone said that we could just show up and we could probably get in (or get in for the meet & greet at least). My Mom said that I could take a friend and she'd drop us off. So there we are, standing in a line by Fingerprints waiting to get in...everybody is let in except for 12 people (including us) whose faces peered in through the windows, and squished ears pressed up against the glass -straining to hear the faintest strum of a ukulele. My friend was beginning to lose hope "Let's just go around shopping," she said. But I had not completely lost faith. Only minutes later a man came up to us and said "Go to the front door and say that Frank says you can come in!" Voila! The 12 of us strutted in, amidst the cheering crowd and great music that Ingrid and her band were playing. I took tons of pictures, though they didn't come out very good because I either got a boodle of bobbing heads, the ceiling or a blurry Ingrid in the background. The music was great! She played a lot of her new songs from her latest album "Everybody". My Mom got to come in and listen to the end of the concert too! Then after they played, she signed autographs (Ingrid Michaelson -not my Mom). I got her CD Everybody and a free poster that she signed! Pictures were snapped galore.




Then in the evening we headed down to the Coach house in San Juan Capistrano. Some of our good friends from Carlsbad met us there, and even our neighbors who are big fans, came too. Ingrid and her band were terrific. Ingrid was very humorous and the whole band had a great vibe. The guy that opened for Ingrid M. was pretty fab too; a British boy that played acoustic guitar (Greg Holden). We even bought two of his CDs. After the show we waited by the tour bus with some other groupies to see if Ingrid would come out. Turns out, she was still in the Coach House and doing the meet & greet! So we went back and got to meet her, she signed another CD that we bought (I also got her T-shirt!) and took a picture with us. We met her and she was really nice and friendly. By then it was 10:50 at night though, so we said goodbye and hopped in the car to drive home! It was a fun Ingrid Michaelson day. :) Our favorite songs by Ingrid are: Everybody, Maybe, You and I, The Way I Am, The Chain, Soldier, Be Ok, The Hat, Mountain & Sea, Once Was Love. Be sure to click on "Ingrid Michaelson" above to check out her website and listen to some of her tunes. We think you'll love her too!

Waiting by the tour bus

Presidents From the Past

This week we had the pleasure of meeting a few US presidents from the past: Theodore Roosevelt, James Garfield, and Abraham Lincoln. They shared stories from their lives and their experiences while they were in office.

One favorite story was about the "Teddy Bear". Theodore Roosevelt was on a bear hunt and the only bear he could find was a cub. He refused to shoot it. A newspaper ran a cartoon about this and then a toy maker in Brooklyn put the cartoon next to a stuffed bear and called it "Teddy's Bear". The Teddy Bear was born!

Lincoln was particularly interesting too and it was fun for Carly to hear him speak after her recent reading of Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein; a historical fiction novel which takes place during the Civil War. Another good read for history is Women's Letters - America from the Revolutionary War to the Present (a portrait of history through a collection of 400 letters written by women).

If you'd like to meet a historical person from the past check out Forest Lawn's Educational Series "History Comes Alive".

How to Make Homemade Play-Doh

Please click the slideshow below to see how to make your own play-doh! Featuring chef Nate.

Compiled by Carly.

Ingredients:

(Mix dry ingredients directly into a non-stick pan)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp. cream of tarter

(Mix these ingredients into another container)

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup water

1 small packet of Kool-Aid (for scent and color)

Pour liquid ingredients into the pan with the dry ingredients & stir well. Put pan on stove over medium heat. Stir as mixture begins to solidify. Continue cooking until signs of stickiness are gone. Cool and knead dough. Enjoy! (If stored in an airtight container, dough should last 2 or 3 months).

Fall Fun Has Begun

We celebrated the first day of fall at South Coast Farms in San Juan Capistrano; one of the few organic farms left in Orange County. Here we marveled at the end of their summer crops which appeared to still be producing - tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and a few strawberries. We also took a peek in at the Congdon House (built in 1878 and noted as the "oldest wooden structure in San Juan Capistrano"). This is the site of the new Ecology Center where exhibits and displays promote environmental education and awareness.

If you are ever in South OC and you are looking for some great organic produce you might want to stop here (they happen to have some fantastic raw chocolate too:).

(Carly's friend Katie nature sketching at the farm)

After the farm we went to another terrific B.E.E. event in Laguna Hills. Pianist, Beth Sussman performed a program entitled Who's Afraid of Classical Music? The audience listened as she played a variety of familiar classical pieces and told stories of composers and their compositions. Our favorite piece was one she composed herself which she played for us at the end of her program. We've enjoyed all the B.E.E. events we've been to this year and plan to attend future programs. If you are interested, check out their website for more information.

The Great Balloon Ride

(by Carly)
Yesterday we rode The Great Park Balloon in Irvine. At first it was kind of scary, but once we got up there, it was fine! The balloon goes up 400 feet, and holds 25 people at the most. The balloon is equivalent to 250,000 birthday balloons! That's right, The Great Balloon isn't a hot air balloon, it's a helium balloon. It is tethered to the ground and a pilot goes up with us; he releases the cable that lifts us. Another cool attribute to the balloon is that it's FREE! You can also go for a night ride which we are hoping to do in the future. As for the great park, it holds lots of great events such as: Flights & Sounds of Summer - a concert in the park, and you can picnic or ride the balloon while the music is playing. I'm sure that there will be lots of other events too (Flights & Sounds lasts till the end of September). We had a great time on the balloon, and we bet you will too! Check out The Great Park Balloon's website!

Musical Crossword Puzzle

~by Carly

My friend Myrella and I did this crossword puzzle, I sped it up and this is the end result! We used only words from musicals, character names from musicals, and the name of the musicals like The Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof etc. We hope you enjoy it! Also we used "Bananagrams" to make the crossword puzzle. It's actually a game, but we just used the tiles. You can view the Bananagrams site by clicking here.

(You need to click on the actual video to play it)

Wombat Stew

by Allison

Every summer we put on a neighborhood play with some of our friends on our street. This year we did Wombat Stew. Australian animals from the billabong save a couple of wombats from being eaten by a dingo. Nate was a wombat, Micayla was an Emu, Carly played her flute, and I was a Koaola. I had to say, "Look here, every bush cook knows you can't make a spicy stew without gumnuts". It was fun. I hope we do another play next year!

(Other plays we have done in the past: That's What Friends Are For and The Great Kapok Tree. If you know of any children's books that would make a good play please let us know, we are always on the lookout for a new one).