A Day at the Franklin Institute

Last weekend Mr. Rosemary Lane and myself took the kiddies down to visit the Franklin Institute in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia.

Just off the main entrance we were greeted by the national Benjamin Franklin Memorial in the institute's amazing rotunda. This 20 foot tall statue sits on a pedestal of white Seravezza marble.

From the top of the rotunda...

...to the bottom of pendulum staircase, a world of discovery for kids and adults alike lies in between.

There were so many things for the kids to do at the Franklin institute like riding the SkyBike. This two wheel bike is on a high wire which is 28 feet above the floor of the atrium. The bike is weighted with a 250 lb weight to prevent it from tipping over. This is a really cool to learn about the law of "center of gravity".

On the second floor of the institute there is a 5,000 square foot exhibit which surrounds a 2 story high walk through heart. This attraction is called The Giant Heart: A Healthy Interactive Experience.

You can also see the actual size of a whale heart all the way down to that of a field mouse.

Here Grace is demonstrating two ways of how the brain works. The challenge is not to read the word but the color it is written in. See how you do...Grace did pretty well.!

We had to go check out the Franklin flight and air show.

Here's Michael in the cockpit of a 1948 T-33 jet trainer...he looks like a natural.

 

Grace and Michael are learning that air does take up space. They are inflating the balloons by pumping air into them.

The main reason why we made the trip down to the Franklin Institute was so tour the Titanic Artifact Exhibit. I wish I could show you pictures of the exhibit but unfortunately there was no photography allowed.  They had exact replicas of the grand stairway, first class accommodations and a reproductions of the ship's hallways and crew member accommodations. There was also a real iceberg for you to touch along with many personal effects of Titanic's passengers.

All in all we roamed the Franklin Institute for a good four plus hours, but we could have easily spent more time there.

If you are in Philadelphia anytime before April 7, this would be an awesome place for you to check out.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

XO

Today's Surprise Thrifty Finds

 

Today I was running a few quick errands and while I was in the neighborhood of this little thrift shop which is part of our local food pantry, I decided to pop in to see if anything there caught my eye!

The first thing I found was this darling metal watering can. As you might be able to tell it needs a little TLC, but the rope like trim is what drew me to it. I will probably paint and then distress this sweet little can. The price...two dollars!

Next I came across this picture in one of the shop's picture bins. It was kind of hiding down in the bottom of the bin, so I really had to dig to get it out!

I flipped over the painting while in the store and this is what is on the back.

 So of course I had to google the artist when I got home. Issac Israels was a Dutch painter who lived at the turn of the last century. He was one of the leading painters of the Amsterdam Impressionists.  The name of the piece is "Donkey Riding on the Shore" and is believed to have been painted sometime between 1898 to 1900.

Although this is probably a low cost reproduction of the artist's painting, I am still thrilled to have only spent $5.00 on it. I have been looking for smaller pieces of framed art to use as accents on end tables, book shelves and dressers. This thrifty piece of artwork fit the bill perfectly!

Have you had any thrifty finds lately?

Wishing you a wonderful Thursday!!!

XO

 

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Black Bean Hummus with Roasted Corn and Red Pepper

I loooooooove love love hummus...I eat it just about every day as either a dip or a spread on my favorite cucumber sandwich.

This hummus pairs the garbanzo beans of traditional hummus with delicious black beans plus little red pepper for a spicy kick.

1 15 oz. can chickpeas drained and rinsed

1 15 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed

3 cloves of garlic

1 - 1 1/2 T. Cumin

about 1/4 cup olive oil

2 T lemon juice

2 T cider vinegar

2 T. low sodium soy sauce

salt to taste

cayenne pepper to your taste

corn kernels (I use frozen and let thaw in some warm water)

chopped red pepper

Place first 9 ingredients in food processor or blender. You may need to add some water if the mixture proves too thick for your blender.

Place corn kernels and red pepper in an oven proof dish. Pour a little olive oil over and season with sea salt. Roast in oven until golden. Remove let cool and spread on to the top of the hummus.

Serve with taco chips or veggies like carrots and cucumber.

Enjoy!!!

A Quick Note of Apology...

I just want to take a moment to extend my apology to all of you who have left comments for me here at 21 Rosemary Lane over the past few days, and have not received a return response. My email box is not accepting emails at this time and we have not been able to resolve the problem as of yet, although we are working on it!

 

I so appreciate and love reading every comment made on any of my posts. Honestly they are what keep my wheels a turning and creativity flowing.

 

I hope that soon I will be back responding to all of your lovely notes. Until then please know how much I enjoy staying connected to you via email correspondance and that your friendship in our little corner of the blogosphere is something I truly treasure.

 

Thank you for your understanding.

XO