Flat Gracie goes to Northern Ireland

Our names are Adam and Shirley Strong, and we live in Glengormley,Northern Ireland, which is 6 miles north of Belfast. We have a 9 month old daughter Beth and are expecting another baby in August. Recently we had the pleasure of hosting Flat Gracie. While she was with us, she wrote about her adventures:

My Adventures in Northern Ireland

In the middle of March I went to visit my grandparent's friends in Northern Ireland. We went to lots of interesting places and the weather that week was lovely! One of the first places I visited was Carrickfergus Castle which is 10 miles north of Belfast city centre on the shores of Belfast Lough. The castle is over 800 years old and is inthe town of Carrickfergus. Carrick means 'rock' in Gaelic and the name Carrickfergus means 'the rock of Fergus'. It is thought that the name comes from king Fergus who died nearby in the sea during a storm. You can walk around the castle, or get a guided tour, and see the life-size models. Some people get married in the banqueting hall in the castle and you can even have your birthday party in the vaults!

I also went to visit Belfast Castle which is in North Belfast on Cave Hill. The first Belfast Castle burned down so the castle I saw was only about 140 years old. There are lots of meetings and weddings held in the castle. It has lovely views over Belfast Lough.

Belfast has a very famous shipyard called Harland and Wolff which is about 150 years old. It was once the largest shipyard in the world and has built many famous ships including the Titanic which sank on its maiden voyage to New York. The shipyard now has two giant cranes called Samson and Goliath and I got my picture taken in front of them.

During my time in Northern Ireland I also went on a lovely walk along Belfast Lough and visited Belfast Zoo. Belfast Zoo is 75 years old this year and has more than 1,200 animals. Most of the animals are in danger in their natural habitat so the zoo does important work to make sure these endangered animals survive. I was very tired after my visit because it is a very steep climb in places!

veggie garden is in

Hours of weeding.

Weeks of watering.

Trips to four different stores for plants.

Raking and more weed pulling.

8 muddy, dirty hands planting.

And one garden gnome keeping a watchful eye.

Hopefully this year's garden will be fruitful AND pretty to look at.

We planted:

Cherry tomatoes

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Green peppers

Cilantro

Broccoli

Onions

Patty pan/button squash

Rosemary

Marigolds

Spring has sprung!!

why i don't clean the garage...

If only I had video to go along with this... it would totally make up for this horrible picture.

Just imagine a lot of squealing, laughing, poking, balancing, tool grabbing, tossing, whacking, picture taking, and creative dancing.

Ick.

What a way to start the day.

interview with a 13 year old

1. What is something I always say to you? Hi, Mir.

2. What makes me happy? When your house is picked up, your dishwasher is empty, and you don't have any laundry to do.

3. What makes me sad? When you pour your coffee creamer into your Dr. Pepper and you don't have any more.

4. How do I make you laugh? Giggling... anything you do.

5. What was I like as a child? You were a good friend.

6. How old am I? 38

7. How tall am I? 5' 10"

8. What is my favorite thing to do? Sleep.

9. What do I do when you're not around? The same things you do when I am here.

10. If I become famous, what will it be for? Cooking and reading.

11. What am I not very good at? Shooting hoops.

12. What am I really good at? Being a mom.

13. What do I do for my job? You transcribe.

14. What is my favorite food? Chocolate.

15. What makes me proud of you? When I do good at dancing.

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be? Betty Rubble, because she is sweet, not grouchy.

17. What do we do together? Laugh, dance, act crazy, clean.

18. How are we the same? We laugh a lot and we both like pink.

19. How are we different? We have different color hair. You wear glasses and I don't.

20. How do you know I love you? You let me come over to your house a lot and you take me places and I am practically part of your family.

21. Where is my favorite place to go? Florida.

interview with a 12 year old

1. What is something I always say to you? One moment please.

2. What makes me happy? Dove chocolate.

3. What makes me sad? When we disobey.

4. How do I make you laugh? By interviewing me.

5. What was I like as a child? Fun to be with and you liked to hang out with your friends.

6. How old am I? 29

7. How tall am I? 5'3.75"

8. What is my favorite thing to do? Sit down with a cup of coffee underneath a blanket and read.

9. What do I do when you're not around? You party. I don't know... how would I know if I'm not around???

10. If I become famous, what will it be for? For your World Famous Pot Roast.

11. What am I not very good at? Tuna Surpise.

12. What am I really good at? Teaching and driving.

13. What do I do for my job? Typing.

14. What is my favorite food? Sushi, fish, anything from the sea. Chocolate.

15. What makes me proud of you? Soy in-tell-e-hen-tay.

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be? Daphne from Scooby Doo.

17. What do we do together? We cook together.

18. How are we the same? We like foot massages.

19. How are we different? You aren't sarcastic and literal like me.

20. How do you know I love you? Because you say you do and you act like you do, too!

21. Where is my favorite place to go? Your bed.

kid farmers

This year, the kids are going to plant and care for their own garden. I found this really fun garden plan on the Better Homes and Gardens website. They have quite a few plans that are great for a starting point. Their garden will be small and manageable, fun to look at, and will actually have some edible vegetables, too (we hope!).

We gathered seeds from Home Depot and burpee.com. We also got a fun little seed starter tray/greenhouse kit. The seeds from Burpee were more expensive than what we paid in the store, but we had specific things we needed for this garden. There will be Jack-Be-Little pumpkins, Mini-Boo pumpkins, mammoth sunflowers, Queen Sophia marigolds, morning glories, sun gold tomatoes, and sparkler radishes. There will even be strawberries!!

Yesterday, the mailman came and brought our Burpee order. That was all we needed to get everything out and start planting! First we had to prepare our "soil." This dirt was small pellets that we had to water so they would expand. Don't they look gross? They smelled pretty icky, too.

Next, we planted seeds and labeled each section. This was fun, except when one of the sowers kept knocking dirt on the kitchen floor.

Next, we covered the tray with its little greenhouse cover, found it a warm spot out of direct sunlight, and left our little seeds to do their thing. When we checked on them this evening, a few of the seeds had already sprouted! We can't wait to get these plants in the ground, but they need some time here to get started and the Big Farmer has to make the girls a place to set up the garden. Stay tuned...

interview with a 10 year old

1. What is something I always say to you? You're my favorite kid. Don't tell your sisters.

2. What makes me happy? Whenever I do stuff without you telling me.

3. What makes me sad? Whenever we don't do what you ask.

4. How do I make you laugh? Tickling me!

5. What was I like as a child? Well, you weren't homeschooled.

6. How old am I? 38

7. How tall am I? 4.5 feet

8. What is my favorite thing to do? Play with the kids.

9. What do I do when you're not around? You cry, because you miss us. {hee, hee, hee}

10. If I become famous, what will it be for? Being a good typer.

11. What am I not very good at? I don't know. You're mostly good at everything. Hmm... tennis?

12. What am I really good at? Playing the drums.

13. What do I do for my job? Type.

14. What is my favorite food? Chocolate.

15. What makes me proud of you? Helping my sisters.

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be? Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

17. What do we do together? Shopping!

18. How are we the same? Our hair is the same color.

19. How are we different? I have blue eyes and you have green eyes.

20. How do you know I love you? Because you take care of me whenever I am sad.

21. Where is my favorite place to go? Chinese food restaurant!