And The Winner Is....

1st Place:
Mushroom Girl walked down Trojan Elm Street, waving to her friends, the worms and bobbing her head to show off her new mushroom hat. But as she did, all the worms laughed out loud, shaking their heads and muttering, "What a silly hat to wear! If she keeps this up, she'll be the laughingstock of the entire town!" Mushroom Girl, hurt, saw an ax lying nearby and she snatched it up. "AAYYAAHHH!!" the now mad and somewhat eccentric Mushroom Girl shouted as her ax blade landed with a Crack! on the wooden pillar holding a metal mailbox with the names and warning: Wilburt & Cindy Lou Sprakalik. DO NOT DISTURB! scratched onto the side. Mushroom Girl, outraged, ran to the next mailbox, repeating her actions. The holes next to the mailboxes where the lazy worms lived were crumpled as the worms slithered out of their holes, terrified, and then squirmed away from their homes and mailboxes, yelling, "Run for your lives!! She's gone maddd!!!!" Mushroom Girl ran toward the helpless worms, ax held in the air, screaming, "You heartless worms! I have been your friend so far, but no longer! You insulted my lovely hat, and now you must pay!" Horrified, the worms tried to reason with the screaming girl. "Oh, but Mushroom Girl, we love your hat! It's beautiful!" The Girl Stopped, ax in mid air, and said, "Really?" All the worms nodded vigorously. "Oh, okay, I forgive you," said Mushroom Girl, dropping the ax. She hugged each worm, and skipped happily to her home. She looked in the mirror in her room to admire her hat, and burst out laughing. "I guess those worms were right," she thought,"I do look funny!" She took off her hat and decided her hair was good enough. Then she set off to play with her friends. The end.
by Nim
2nd Place:
Once upon a time there was a man that created little snakes. But the snakes began to grow into hideous carrot and gummy bear eating psychos. The world stood still, in fear and terror of their gummy bears and carrots being eaten away, until one day a knight in shining armor came to the rescue! Miss Poppy! He….. She was not afraid of the psycho snakes, but she knew just what needed to be done to defeat them. She put on her mushroom helmet, grabbed an ax, and set off for her quest! The snakes knew she was coming but they built up their defenses against Miss Poppy. But she knew exactly what to do in order to break though their walls; she cut down every mailbox in sight…….. I don’t know how that helps…. But anyway somehow it did.
Standing face to face with the Carrot Gummy bear eating psycho snakes, she pulled out her ax and they screamed RUN FOR YOUR LIvES!!!!
And we shall see how this story ends later.
by Ridge
(he still hasn't told me how it ends)
Thank you for entering, I had so much fun reading both of those, and you have proved yourselves eminently more imaginative than me. Nim will be presented with her prize tomorrow night, or the soonest I see her.

Contest

Well, I'm going to wrap up my art contest. You all have until Monday morning to submit your entry, and then I will award my prize to the winner!

To My Friends

There have been some unsettling things going on recently that I am afraid I am party to, and I want to apologize to anyone who was hurt, confused, or offended by what I have said lately. It seems that we have misunderstood each other, and I repent of having taken part in what may be a serious mess. You are all my friends, and whether I agree with you on everything or not, you are some of the dearest people I know.

Art

Here is a picture I drew when I was in an unusually weird mood. If you are hoping for an explaination, there is none.

Summer Fun

Well, our tri-family camping trip has been pretty documented, so I am just going to post about some fun stuff. As you know (or by now, you should know) that Megan and I are hopelessly addicted to slathering ourselves with mud. Not just any mud, the kind that you can only find in river and lake beds. Silken, ethereal, divine mud. I have decided that since we are so ardently attached to the wonders of mud, our messy sport should have a proper title. I have therefore taken the liberty of naming it squwimming. As in "squishy swimming." Now for something else fun.

Have you hula-hooped lately? If not, do so very soon, for it is what I consider one of the best cheap thrills around. Get alone (or with some equally kooky friends) play some boppy music, and hoop your troubles away!

Living Cheap(er)

It seems like everyone is talking about saving money, foregoing the "American Dream," and other topics in relation to "the economy." (a very cliched term, in my opinion) So, I have decided to give my two cent's worth. Of course, with inflation that may be closer to my $3.47 worth.
We all have heard slurs on people who seem -ahem- obsessed with their own health, and their lasting love for granola. (you know, the fruits, nuts & flakes) Seeing little tiny boxes of the stuff sold for obscene prices is enough to drive anyone back to mac & cheese.* But, the truth is, making it yourself doesn't require fancy equipment, a degree in nutritional analysis, or a large amount of brain juice. (lucky for me) Here is my favorite recipe: (it makes a lot of granola; make sure you have proper storage)

• 1 1/2 c brown sugar


• 2/3 c vegetable oil


• 2/3 c honey

Combine these in a sauce pan, and heat til boiling. While it's heating up, first preheat your oven to 375, then get a big bowl and stir together:

• 5 c oatmeal


• 1 c dry milk


• 3/4 c whole wheat flour


• 1 1/2 t cinnamon


• 1 c unsweetened coconut flakes


• 1 c raw cashews


• 1 c raw sunflower seeds

Ok, now pour the sticky stuff over the dry ingredients. Mix very thoroughly, and spread some (it won't all fit) onto a cookie sheet & bake for 10-15 min.
See, it's easy! More of my cheap(er) ways next time.

* I personally love macaroni & cheese, just not that fake orange store-bought stuff.