Rare Disease Day

Today, we raise our voices for Finley and for all children who suffer from a rare disease.

Today our family and friends wore red, their Finley's Fighters shirts, their wristbands, their braille shirts - in honor of our little girl.

On of my childhood friend's little boy wrote a book report using our book that Mat and Finley wrote together.

He shared it with his class today - how cool is that?

 I talked some of the people who showed their support for Finley today into sending me a picture of themselves. 

Today kids in Finley's class wore red and we sent them all a Finley's Fighters wrist band to wear.  Arlington's class wore Finley's Fighters wrist bands.  Cainan wore his Finley's Fighters shirt and got to talk to his class about Finley.

  Mat is in Washington DC today talking to the National Institute of Health.  Family and friends are sending letters to their local congressman/woman to express the need for more money and research for rare diseases.

People are spreading the word today about Finley, LCA, and our cause. 

 Our video is being passed around so that more awareness about RDH12 is raised.

  Today is a great day.

 But today - for us - is no different than yesterday and no different than tomorrow.  We push this hard every day for Finley.  It is always on our minds.  Every day we don't have a cure is another day closer to total blindness for her. 

We will never quit making this fight the forefront of our lives until we report that Finley's LCA is cured. 

okay okay

I am going to have to keep posting things about Rare Disease day - which is tomorrow, THEN I can post pictures again!

Mat had his meetings with the house and senate today and was very pleased with how they went.  He will write a blog post when he returns to talk about all that he learned and what next steps will be to keep the information alive in local senators minds.

Tomorrow - remember Finley.  If you have a red Finley's Fighters wristband, a braille shirt, a Finley's Fighters shirt, something red - where it in honor of our girl.  Take her picture to your job - share her story with your co-workers and your friends.  Help us spread the awareness of LCA and our quest for a cure.

I would like to share some links with you to go to tomorrow:

Handprints on the Hill

Click on "handprints on the hill" up above and it will take you to a site explaining it.  Tomorrow I will link you to NORD (National Organization of Rare Disorders) where you can put your "handprint".

NORD

Click on "NORD" above and you can read all about ways you can spread the word about rare diseases in honor of Finley

NIH VideoCasting

Click on "NIH videocasting" to watch videos TOMORROW (Wednesday) of people speaking to NIH about rare diseases.  Maybe we will see MAT!  I think it will be on all day.

Spread awareness about LCA for us.  Tell them Finley's story.  Someone out there will listen and they will tell someone else, who will tell someone else.  The best thing we can do is raise awareness and with awareness comes cures!

Video

I thought this video was really great leading up to Rare Disease day and I wanted to share it.

I know I said I was going to post other pictures, but I wanted to share this video and post a reminder.

RARE disease

 

Go to the link above to see the video

Also, I want to remind you that if you are in the Pittsburgh/Connellsville/surrounding areas, the Casino trip is coming up! If you can't ride the bus, please meet us there! You still get the same voucher amount. Just let us know you would like to go!  We are filling up the second bus and would like to have two full buses again this trip.  All money supports our Foundation and Finley.

Rare Disease Day

It is on Wednesday!





Also - those of you who had trouble with the link below yesterday - I think I got it fixed.  So you can go to the Ellen show if you would like!!  Thank you!

A little snippet

Tomorrow - I should be back to regular blogging programming.  For the first time ever we made it home today without one minute of traffic.  We are all unpacked and sitting down now to watch the oscars.

My sister in law - Tricia - sent our video we made to Ellen Degeneres show, and said that they would like to see more people send in request.  If you feel our video would be good on Ellen's show, will you let her show know?  Click on the word "ellen" below and it will take you where you need to go.

ELLEN

Just go to that link above and fill it out.  It only takes a few minutes, but we could get a lot of money for our foundation if we were ever chosen.  We appreciate it!    The name of our video on YouTube is:  RDH12 Lebers Congenital Amaurosis - The story of Finley.  Include that somewhere in the "tell us your story" part.  Thank you!

February 29th is Rare Disease Day in Washington DC.  Mat will be going down as a parent for one day and as a Pfizer rep. for another.  He will be taking Finley's picture, our story, our foundation's information.  He will have a chance to talk to congress, and a chance to talk to the National Institute of Health as well.  We are excited for the opportunity.  Many LCA families are going.  The Global Genes Project and the R.A.R.E. project (that did the book contest) will be there as well.  Rare diseases is going to be well represented and I can't wait to hear all of the details.

Here is the picture my friend Jennifer Stevens made for us to take with us

Isn't it great?

Tomorrow I will begin to post pictures from Arlington in NYC and our Dining in the Dark.  The Dining in the dark experience made $2190 for our foundation this weekend.  Thank you again to everyone who came to the experience, to the Orlando's - Larry and Marge who helped endlessly over the weekend to make sure we pulled it off, and to Mary Louise Hornick who made the beautiful baskets for the raffles, and gave us flowers for the tables, and made the incredible salad.  We couldn't do it without them!

Hiatus. Again

Hey - at least you got to see the video!  That should hold you over.  If you haven't seen it, go to the post below and check it out.

My dad is sick.  My nephew is sick.  My husband is sick.  We are knee deep in preparations for the Dining in the Dark.

Until the craziness ends, I am going to be absent.  So - I should be back by Monday!!!  Lots to share.

Video

Okay!  It is done.  Sorry I was MIA yesterday, but we were at a hockey game until really late with Arlington, and I didn't have a chance to post.

But - the video we made for Finley and our R.A.R.E. book project, is finished.  We have another video we are working on, but this is the big one.  It is a little long (a little over 10 minutes) but we had about 120 clips, and I wanted to include them all.  Everyone is unique and special, and I have enjoyed watching them over and over.

I hope you enjoy the video.  I hope you share it with your friends and family and they share it with their friends and family.  Spread the word about RDH12 and LCA.  Spread the word about what our cause is trying to do.  Help us win the fight against childhood blindness.

You Tube will not post this large video on my blog, so PLEASE - click on the link below and it will take you there - thank you!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whGFdikI4hA

Dining in the Dark

I am working on the video and so I don't have time to blog our fun trip in NYC right now.  Just know we had a fabulous time and Arlington loved it.

In the mean time, remember that this coming weekend - Feb. 24th, 25th, 26th - we are having a dining in the dark for Finley in Connellsville.  If you are able to come, please do!!  Below is the original invitation so if you are able to come, give my parents (Ted and Phyllis Kovall) a call, or email me at rdh12@rdh12.org

Thanks so much!
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Benefits: Finley's Fighters and the RDH12 Fund for Sight

Join us for a dinner where all of your senses are expanded and focus on the food, the taste, the sound, the company and more… because you are dining without seeing. With the complete loss of vision — and the resulting heightening of the other four senses — an evening of Dining in the Dark is an extraordinary culinary adventure. You will get a chance to see what it is like for people who are blind to eat a meal and the challenges they face.

At the beginning of the dinner, you will be brought to the dining area, and you will be served your appetizer and drinks will be poured. Mat and Jennifer will talk about their foundation and the reason they do these fundraisers, and give you a chance to settle in and relax. After that time, the lights will be turned out and you will be submersed in darkness for your main course and dessert. But don't worry – if you need to leave for any reason, we will be there to escort you out and escort you back in.

The dinner itself will probably last no more than 30-45 minutes in the dark. Just enough time for you to relax and enjoy your meal. Then the lights will be turned back on, and you will have time to readjust to the light. The evening will end with a little “thank you” gift to all of our guest, and a basket raffle drawing.

Cost is $20/person, $30/couple. Please make checks payable to the RDH12 Fund for Sight. THIS DINNER IS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE AGE 15 AND OLDER ONLY due to the nature of the experience.

Dinner will consist of: Salad, HOMEMADE pasta and sauce, bread, water and choice of one glass of red or white wine. Dessert will be ice cream.

Breakfast will consist of: Fruit salad, Waffles with syrup and butter, sweet roll, mimosas, juice and water.

Each dining experience will have no more than 16 people in attendance. We have posted the available times/dates below. Please list your choices in order of 1,2,3,4 in case your first choice is taken. Reservations will be filled on a first come/first served basis, so get your reservation in as soon as possible. RSVP by email: jenniferpletcher@gmail.com; phone 724-628-6078 or mail by February 19th.
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February 24th – 6pm Dinner in the Dark__________________ how many people?__________

February 25th – 9am Breakfast in the Dark________________ how many people?__________

February 25th – 6pm Dinner in the Dark_________________ how many people?__________

Febraury 26th – 9am – Breakfast in the Dark_______________ how many people?__________

MIA

I will be off the blog for a few days.  Mat and I are taking Arlington to New York City this weekend for her birthday.

But I will be back early next week with photos!

Remember-  Dining in the dark is NEXT weekend.  We have openings on Saturday night the 25th and Sunday morning the 26th.  We have 4 people willing to MOVE OFF FRIDAY if someone can only come on Friday.

It is going to be fun!

While I am gone, I leave you this video from you tube that Mat says is ME.  He thinks he is SO FUNNY.

I apologize for the title, but the video is too funny.

9

Today, Arlington turned 9 years old.

Could it be?  Could almost a decade have gone by since we met her?  I can't believe it.  I sometimes have a hard time remembering what she was like as a little toddler.  As a baby, well, you don't forget that.  Especially when they think it is fun to hang out wide awake most of the night those first few weeks. 

She liked to party.  She didn't cry - she was just.....awake.

I do remember the details of the 15th of February, 2003.  It actually all started on the 14th.  It was supposed to be my last day of work.  I was going to take my last week of pregnancy and get ready for the baby, relax, enjoy some time with Mat. 

We were having a birthday party for one of my co-workers.  We were laughing and carrying on at the end of our day.  That is when my water broke.  Although - I wasn't sure that was what had happened.

You are kind of dumb those last weeks of pregnancy.  Almost in denial that a baby is going to come out and you are going to take care of it.  I look back now and think "what else could it have been woman?"

All stop in the office.  The girls - who had already had children, and were clearly smarter than I was - directed me to call my doctor.  I called thinking - "but I still have a week left.  This is silly".  The doctor asked if I was having any contractions.  Nope.  So SEE?????  No labor!!!!  I should go home!!

"no no" said the nurse.  "you should come to the hospital to make sure".

Great.

 I drove myself.  Against co-worker advice.  I was 30 minutes from the hospital.  Honestly people - I was fine.  No contactions.  Maybe my water hadn't broken - I think it was just from laughing too much.  You know......normal stuff.

So off I went.  I called Mat and told him what had happened.  I told him to stay at work because it was probably nothing, and I would call him to let him know later.  He was only about 2 minutes from the hospital, so he could come over if necessary.

I got to the floor, and the nurse asked if I could just have a seat in one of the monitoring rooms.  I asked if I could use the bathroom because my pants were kind of wet.  She looked at me and said "never mind - let's find you a labor room".

Eyeroll.  These people are SO overreacting.

She tested me and yepper - water had broken.  I was goin' nowhere.

Crap.

Called Mat and had him come over.  At this time it is like 6pm.  Still no contractions.  We are just hanging out in the hospital.  I am only 2cm dilated and bored.  Ladeedah.......  If this is labor, I am going to have 100 kids!

About 10pm, the contactions decided to show up.  At this point I am finally 3cm dilated, so I got my epidural and went back to having no pain.  And I can't really say I ever had labor pains because I think I had 3 contractions before the epidural was placed.  I was a lucky girl.

At 12pm I was checked and I was 5cm.  The nurse said it was going to be a long night so we should get some sleep.  We got settled, lights out, and started to rest.

About 1 1/2 hours later, I was 9cm.  so much for rest!  At 2am, I was ready to have Arlington.  We were bleary eyed and in denial, but it was time.  At 2:25 in the morning, Arlington was born.  All 6 pounds, 8 ounces of her. 

She was screaming her head off and continued to do that for 3 days.

Arlington changed our lives forever.  Until 2:24am on Feb. 15th, I was a selfish person.  I only wanted to do what I wanted to do with my time, and enjoyed my freedom.  But that all changed in the middle of the night when a black haired, screaming pink munchkin entered our lives. 

She made me a mother, and a better person.  I love her more than anything.

As I sat at her 3rd grade program this morning at her school and thought how long ago those days seem - sleepless nights, diapers, bottles......I relish in how far we have come.  How she taught us so much over these last 9 years.

She taught us to be parents, to be partners, and to be a team. 

And today, she is an amazing girl.  She is fun, smart, caring, loving, funny, and just plain amazing.  She had a big heart, and a great personality.  She is a nice mix of Mat and I, and I can't wait to see what the next 9 years brings.  And while year 8 was the "age of drama", and I am sure 9 will be too, we wouldn't change it.  Because she is becoming her own person, and figuring out who she is.  And we are here to guide her and help her figure it out.

Today she got to take presents to her class.  They don't have food parties for the kids at school (promotes healthy eating, which I totally support) - the teacher makes their day special.  But we can donate something to the class.  We donated her favorite game (Quirkle) and some books her teacher had wanted for her class.

We took her to her choice restaurant for dinner - Olive Garden, and she opened the presents from her brother, sister, Aunt Carrie, and family friend, Carol.  She had a good day.

This weekend, we are taking her to New York City, which is her big birthday present - so stay tuned!

Happy birthday Arlington Monkey Princess Pletcher.  We love you so much.

blah

I was going to post a little piece of our video tonight on the blog, but because I am technology challenge, it isn't going to happen.

Sigh.

I am hard at work on the video and can't wait to post the whole thing.  because that was my PLAN tonight, I don't have much to say!!

Have a great night everyone.

Arlington's first birthday celebration

Today we celebrated Arlington's birthday with her Gramma and Pappy Pletcher.  They are in visiting us for the weekend.

We had cake.

And we sang Happy Birthday.

 And she opened presents from her grandparents Pletcher and her Aunt Betty today.  Everything else we are saving for Wednesday.

We went out for lunch.  She picked Chipotle - which I was surprised about. 

It was a fun day.  We have also been getting a ton of the videos in and they are amazing.  We have very talented friends and family!  I can't wait to put it all together and share it with everyone.  It is going to look SO COOL.  Yay!

Tomorrow it is back to the grind.  It is harder to get up on Monday morning after a fun weekend.

Event planning and other fun stuff

This weekend we are hard at work on a few projects.

First, we are working on a video we need to make.  The next step in the R.A.R.E. book contest is to make a video to go along with the book.  We came up with the idea to have our friends and family be part of the video as well.  We are sending each of them a word that is in braille (and below it what it says), and some people a fact about LCA or Finley.  We had an overwhelming response and are excited to put the video together.

We also are video taping Finley around the house and have a few other things up our sleeves.  We weren't given much time to make the video, so we will be working hard over the next week to get it done.

My mom is working on getting the casino trip together for Connellsville.  I posted the details yesterday, and the reservations are rolling in.  We want to fill at least 2 buses, if not 3, so give my mom a call, or send her an email if you want to go.  This is the same trip that was done in the fall, and it is so much fun.  You pay $25, but you get $20 of that back to spend at the casino - what could be better than that??

But before you can go on a fun casino trip, there is the Dining in the Dark event in 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS people!  We are getting very closer to this fun new event.  We have filled Friday night and Saturday morning, but still have spots open Saturday night and Sunday morning.  So - if you could please get your reservations in so that we can start to purchase the ingredients we need to make the food, we would appreciate it.  If you received an invite from me, please RSVP either yes or no, so that I can stop harassing you. :)  We want you all to come, and I promise this will be an awesome experience.

Mat and I are also busy working on our biggest event of the year, which is our August 5K/10K.  The date is August 25th.  I am giving you a 6 month notice, so you don't plan your vacation. (ha ha) It is going to be bigger and better than last year.  It will be a timed walk/run (if you want to participate) with prizes!  I can't wait to show off our trophies - they are being hand made and they are flippin' awesome.

I am working on securing some of our sponsors and working on some big raffle prizes.  Want a small taste?  Okay - we are getting 4, 1 day park hopper passes from Disney to raffle off.  Some friends of mine are going to make an incredible basket around these passes.  The passes alone are worth almost $500!  So awesome.  We are really excited about this.  Plus, we have a bike to raffle off.  A generous donor gave us a bicycle, and it will be another incredible prize.  And my mother-in-law is hand-stitching a beautiful quilt as well!

We are working through our list of baskets as well, and will be sharing those closer to the event.  I have also written a few other companies for some other big prizes, and I will be sharing that when it becomes a reality.  This years raffle is going to be amazing.

The foundation is hard at work.  I am also getting ready to wrap up our next newsletter that will be published in March.  I will be sharing it on the blog as well, for all of those who don't get it otherwise.  New and exciting things are happening with our foundation as well, and those details will be in our next newsletter, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, we are enjoying our weekend with Mat's parents who are in visiting us.  We are celebrating Arlington and MAt's birthday with them while they are here.  Tonight we took Mat to dinner and out for ice cream.  Tomorrow is Arlington's turn.  We got her a Lilo and Stitch cake - two of her favorite Disney characters, and we will be celebrating with her tomorrow.  In just a few days she will be 9!

Upcoming Casino trip in Pennsylvania

Alright Pennsylvanian's - this one is for you.  The next Rivers Casino Trip is coming your way!  Below is the flier.  If you want to go, please call and make a reservation.  The first bus is almost full!  We will take as many buses as we can fill.  You DO NOT HAVE TO RIDE THE BUS TO GO!!  You can meet the group at the casino and still get your voucher for games and food.  So - if you live around the casino, and it would be easier to just meet there, call my mom and she will make sure she has a voucher for you.  The casino will allow people to meet us there!

So check it out, and come along.  These trips are so fun.  Spread the word to your friends.

A Finley update and a request

Yesterday we took Finley to her vision field test appointment.  This is one of my favorite appointments we have to endure with her because we get a lot of information.  Plus, the doctor is beyond FANTASTIC.  I am going to be so sad when she retires (which unfortunately is going to be soon) because she will will be irreplaceable.  She is that good.

This test is at the Perkins School for the blind.  That have this amazing Low Vision Clinic.  Finley's teacher for the vision impaired (TVI) went with us as well.  Finley adores her and was excited to see her outside of school. 

The test lasted about 2 1/2 hours.  Finley was a trooper.  She stuck with all the tests until the very end and was rewarded with stickers from her TVI and a heart shaped doughnut from her mother.

What the test showed was that things are still doing pretty well.  There have been some changes, yes.  Those are to be expected, but they weren't huge changes, so we are focusing on that.  The doctor has the ability to do the one test on the computer, so the background is nice and bright and the letters nice and dark, so she was able to read the 20/80 line with the right eye!  That was great.  Her left eye was about 20/150.  This is the first time we have seen a discrepancy with the eyes, but actually most of our other RDH12 kiddos in our group do have a discrepancy between their eyes.  Finley just never has.

I do have to say that for her to see that 20/80 line, she really had to turn her head to the side and look out of her very peripheral vision (where her vision remains the best).  She almost fell out of her chair trying to see it.  But it is there!!  That vision is there.  As you know, 20/20 is normal, 20/40 is about normal for Kindergarteners, so she isn't too far off, considering her diagnosis.

Her contrast vision isn't terrible either.  As long as the letters were large-  like around 20/600 size, she could see it even pretty light.  Smaller - not so much.  Finley has always struggled with light colors like yellow and pink.  And color vision is something that will probably go next, according to the vision field specialist.  When that will be, we have no idea.  It could be a long time into the future.  But with retinal degenerations, the color goes before all the vision goes.

The changes came in the amount of vision she is actually missing.  Her dark spot has grown larger.  From what the vision field specialist could tell, she has a tiny bit of central vision - right in the very center.  then there is a black area, and then she has some vision, and then her very best vision is far out in the edge of her peripheral fields.  So she has a doughnut shaped black hole in her vision.  That makes it really hard for her to see. 

And it also makes it very hard when it comes to reading.  Right now the TVI has enlarged everything to a 36 point for her based on her pervious vision field test (a year ago).  Now the vision field specialist wants us to shrink it down to 24 point so that she gets more of the words on the page in her field that she has.  If we make the words too big, she can't take the information in, and it will hinder her ability to read.  also, the words on the page need to be spread out a bit more so that she has a better chance of making sense of what she is reading.

We are at a cross roads at this point.  We are holding out that our cure for RDH12 is just a few years away and we will just move along as best as we can until then.  If the cure was not to become a reality, Finley would become strictly a braille reader.  This "trying to find a sweet spot to see" thing is going to get old quick.  And as her sweet spot shrinks, reading is going to be impossible for her.  We are almost there.  We just need things to be stable just a little longer until we have a better idea on what is happening with the RDH12 research.  We don't want her to be strictly a braille reader if she is going to get to keep her vision, and possibly gain some back.  But we don't want her to struggle either.

So for now, I am letting the TVI handle the school stuff, and just going with the flow.  This is not my favorite place to be.  I like to feel like we have control.  But this I cannot control, and I don't know what to do.  So - I am going to let someone else take the stress for awhile.

Today Finley had to have a blood draw and she was not happy about it.  I felt so bad for her because she had to get stuck 3 times before they got the blood.  By the last time she was completely flipping out and it took 3 of us to hold her still.  She looked at me and BEGGED me to tell them to stop.  Even being a pediatric nurse for 15 years, I had a hard time holding it together when she did that.  She refused to bend her arms the whole way home.

She got a big present when she was done.  I had ordered her a Monster high doll she has really been wanting and I was keeping it for something special.  Today was that day.   She hated me a little less - and voluntarily bent her arms - after I gave her that.

Tonight Mat and I are working on a project and we need your help.  As you know, a few weeks ago, we entered a contest on R.A.R.E. projects website to write a children's book about our child's rare disease.  Mat and Finley worked on it together and we entered it.  The winner gets money (yay) that we plan to put toward our charity.

Anyway - all the finalist got a video camera (this thing is sweet, and we get to keep it).  We are to make a video to go along our book.  It has to be original, and deal with what our book is about.  We only have 2 weeks to make it.  We have some ideas, but we want to hear from you.  We need to stand out so that we can be the winners!  We have a great story to tell, but we need to make sure we really "work it" so we can win the contest.

So - if you have any ideas you want to share that we can use to make our video, we want to know!  You can leave a comment here, or you can email us.  Thanks for your help!

The Birthday Boy

Today is Mat's birthday.  If you asked him, he would tell you he was 29.

The truth?  He is 38.  38!!  When did 40 suddenly become right around the corner?  Next it will be senior citizen discounts, and being forgiven for saying inappropriate things because you are old.

Today we had just a tiny little party because his parents are coming in this weekend to celebrate with him as well.  I got him the smallest cake on the planet, and stuck a candle in it and we sang.  Kids thought the cake was hysterical.

We gave him his presents, and we had Chipotle for dinner.  He wanted to go out, but we had puppy school, so we couldn't.  Tommorrow night we will go out to eat at his favorite restaurant.  Red Robin.  So.sad.

Mat and I have been together since he was 17.  21 years and I can't imagine spending all that time with anyone else.  He is the best family man, a hard worker, my best friend.

He is also a guy that now shaves his hair short enough to hide the gray hairs.  But that is another story.

How I wish this day was only about happiness with my love and celebrating another healthy wonderful year.  But today always marks something else.  We lost another Matt this day 9 years ago to a car accident that still haunts us every day.  My Godbrother, Matt was killed on his way to student teaching his last year of college.  It happened in an instant and his family, and ours, were changed forever.

There isn't a day I don't miss him.  There isn't a day that I wish he could meet my kids, and his niece and nephew.  I can see him laughing at them and their antics and just being his clever self.  He would give them the world's biggest hugs and mean it with every inch of his body.  They would have never met anyone sweeter.

I hate that this is all we have left of him is memories.  But I know he watches us and watches over us.  When I am particularly down about Finley, I have a chat with him and tell him to help us find the peace we need.  And he does.  I feel it.

And to my Godparents Mary Louise and Chris, who are like parents to me, I hope that over the years our love for them has taken away a little bit of the pain.  I hope they know that we will always keep his memory alive.

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal" 

-unknown

Words to live by

Sometimes you have to stop worrying, wondering, and doubting.

Have faith that things will work out, maybe not how you planned, but just how it's meant to be.

Tomorrow is Finley's vision field test.  My favorite appointment of the year because we usually learn so much.  Let's hope Finley is feeling like cooperating.

When you live with a Scientist

Today, Mat came up with an idea he wanted to try with the kids. 

He read this article HERE (click on the word "here" and read this enlightening piece of news)

Basically a guy was suing because he found a dead mouse in his Mountain Dew, and Pepsi says that there is no way it would have even been recognizable because the mountain dew would have turned the mouse into a gelatin blob.

So.gross.

So, Mat - being a scientist - decided he wanted to try this experiment for himself.  Great. 

He came home with a ton of soda and other products from the store today, and a package of raw chicken wings.  He got some bell jars and dropped the chicken in the jars.

Then we filled each jar with a different liquid.  One choice was Monster energy drink.  It smelled like beer.  Don't drink that stuff.

One jar was a control.  Which was water. 

So now we wait.  I asked how long.  Scientist Mat has no idea.

All I know is that I have these belle jars filled with various liquids and raw chicken in the basement - with lids on of course - waiting..........

The kids are going to be interested in seeing what happens.

Don't you all wish you were me?  Come on......you know you do.

In other news,

Scooby put a hole in his favorite stuffed animal today.  There was fuzz carnage all over the floor.

He is looking very guilty in this picture, is he not?

The kids got a chance to enjoy about a 1/2 hour of the Super bowl before they went to bed.  I gave them a bath and they came down and munched on chips and other goodies and watched some of the commercials.

I spent most of the evening working on donation letters, and I am excited about some of our prospects and hope they come about.  We shall see!