Party Spotlight: Party Like An Animal Housewarming!

This week we have a very special treat for all of our beloved readers (AKA you)! It's a fun little thing we call a "Party Spotlight"! We love hosting parties, and want to share with you some of the delectable highlights of our latest shindigs. This week, we had a housewarming at our new place! Con Bro Chill (the River Otter's favorite dance band) inspired the theme, "Party Like an Animal!"
To make sure guests felt welcome as soon as they came (or to save them the embarrassment of showing up to the neighbors' dressed like a kangaroo) our entrance to the party welcomed our guests:

Then, decorations. Plastic animals with party hats were a must, and threaded garlands added a wonderful touch:

Yes, they were uncommonly adorable. We adore lawn games, so all of our favorites were there:

But, of course, the best part was all of the party animals that showed up to celebrate and dance to Con Bro Chill (here is the River Otter with three cougars):

Top it off with Swedish Fish, a cucumber and tomato snake, "Fish and Chips" (goldfish crackers and Ruffles), animal crackers and mini corn dogs and you got yourself one wild party.

"Will we possibly live on Mars in the next 20ish years? Or maybe the Moon? I need to know this..and prepare." - Ashleigh Cropper

The River Otter: 
Yes. Definitely. No question. I commend your gusto for emergency preparedness, Ashleigh. Some things you will need to know as you pack for the big move: in the future we will all wear asymmetrical zipped jackets, like this:

or maybe like this: 

 If you're especially cool. All of our clothing will be silver or iridescent.

Oooh, pretty. 

Stock up now. Our skin will have the capacity to change patterns. Because of this I will look like a mermaid butterfly. It will be awesome. You'll want to bring a camera so you can take pictures with me. We will all wear those floaty shoes that Leonardo Da Vinci invented to walk on water...but we will wear them all the time.

We will use a lot of his other inventions, like plastic and armored tanks. Most importantly, things on Mars will perfectly follow the writings of Ray Bradbury in "The Martian Chronicles."

So reading this is going to be your best bet for survival...and paranoia. Good luck!


The Silver Fox:

Twenty years.  It is definitely crazy to think about what is going to happen 20 years from now!  20 years before I was born we landed on the moon.  This year we received close-up images of Pluto.  20 years from now? I bet it will be possible to live on Mars or the moon.  

But, there is a lot to prepare for.  Although Mars is more like Earth than any other planet, I learned that there are some extreme differences when it comes to supporting life forms.  Because Mars is farther away from the sun than Earth, it has extremely cold temperatures (colder than Antarctica.) It also has way too much carbon dioxide and the air would be toxic to us.  The atmosphere on Mars is thinner than that on earth, and so the ultraviolet rays reaching the surface would be a rather large dilemma for us as well.  Also, the surface gravity on Mars is 38% of what it is on earth.  This could pose future problems as populations spend extended times on Mars, because the lessened gravitational pull will likely cause weaker muscles and lower bone density.  

So what is the solution? Bundle up in your parka (or maybe 10-20 of them), put bricks in your boots, get ready to live underground, and make sure you’ve studied up on how to make water since there doesn’t seem to be a lot of it there…  Then buckle your seat belt because it’s going to be a 6-7 month ride to our red neighbor!

(Also, in researching this question I found some great quotes on Mars and I'd like to share a personal favorite. This is from Elon Musk: I'd like to die on Mars. Just not on impact.)

"When is eggplant ever a good idea?" - Tegan Steimle

The River Otter:
There are many times eggplant is a good idea. Here are some ideas for using your eggplant:
1. Put on some tiny wheels and you have your own "Eggplant-mobile" that could be a healthy alternative to the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
2. Throw it under an opponents tire during a bike race to ensure a win.
3. Carve it out. Now you have a bowl.
4. Carve it out. Now you have a boat.
5. Carve it out. Now you have a freaky Polly Pocket house.
6. A funny hat.
7. If you do improv, use it as a light bulb prop by holding it straight up above your head and opening your mouth and eyes wide while pointing your index finger in the air to show you have an idea.
8. A terrible hammer.
9. A fake baby if kept in a baby bjorn or stroller.
10. Hollowed out and filled with a message, then stopped up with a cork it could save your life on a desert island.
11. A percussion instrument (like maracas).
12. Catapult ammo.
13. Cut it up. Now you have a full Frisbee golf set.
14. Cut it up. Now you have a new set of coasters.
15. Cut it up. Now you can play Coaster Frisbee Golf with JC Martin.
16. A fake chocolate covered banana for a prank.
17. The leaves can be used for a medium sized fairy hat.
18. If sewn together, a very weird Halloween costume.

The Silver Fox:
Ummm...well....huh.  Good question.  A few weeks ago I received an eggplant through Bountiful Baskets and the only thing I could think of to do with it was to use it as a baseball bat...and it wasn't even very effective that way.

"What's the best way to cook a corn dog? Zap it in the microwave or roast it in the oven?" - Adam Child

(Please do this for us.)

The Silver Fox:

Slow roasting is definitely the way to go.  Of course the microwave is convenient and faster, but often microwaving leads to a half-cooked or luke-warm experience.  Ketchup is helpful distraction from the less-than-desirable microwaved corndog, but let’s be real: microwaving a corn dog is not the best choice.  

Oven roasting is the answer.  This gives the corn dog plenty of time to completely cook, and not only heats both parts thoroughly and evenly, but also leaves the exterior with a more delectable crunchy texture.  Ketchup is an afterthought when corn dogs taste as good as they do from the oven.

And to further demonstrate my point, think about relationships. Do you really want something that is half-cooked and luke-warm? Non-committal “condiments” may cover the less-than-desirable relationship, but slow cooking is really the way to go! This allows both individuals in the relationship plenty of time to warm up thoroughly, and to persevere through some heat and time.  Not only will the exterior, or those parts of the relationship seen by others, be more golden, but the corn dog courtship will also have a much better chance for success!

The River Otter:

The Secret to a Perfect Corn Dog

One could bake it

One could fry it

One could even microwave it

Roast it over an open fire

Or a camp stove if times are dire

Cook it in a tandoori oven

Or an effigy's flame (if in a coven)

Singe it with magnifying glass when it's sunny

But, though all these ways will do, let me tell you the truth, honey.

If you want a corn dog cooked to perfection 

This is the method that wins the election: 

Sashay up to Corndog Commander, bat your eyelashes and say:

"Hey, honeybuns...send a corn dog my way?"

"What is one of your greatest passions, why, and how has it influenced your life?" - Steve Carroll

The River Otter:
Thanks for the question, Steve. Your voice and generosity with your records are changing the world. Although tiny animals, soft fabrics, cooking eggs, mermaid fashion and getting way too excited were all in the running for my number one passion, what won out was ASKING QUESTIONS! As a kid I asked way too many questions, or so my teachers told me. I was curious, always wanting to know why things were the way they were: “Is what I see as green what you see as green? Or do we see it differently and both just call this color ‘green’?” or “Why does laundry smell so good?” or “Why is it so fun to play with the dryer vent on the outside of my house?” (Most questions seemed to be laundry related). As I got older those questions changed. Sometimes they were for good: “What does God expect of me?”, “Who do I want to be?”, or “How can God love such imperfect people so perfectly?” Other times they were for ill “What’s wrong with me?”, “Why can’t things just go as planned?”, or “Why don’t I ever do my laundry?” These questions influenced my actions and they led me down various paths as I discovered that if I wanted answers I had to ask, I had to search, I had to listen, and I had to act on what I learned. I started studying psychology (mostly to answer that pesky color question), then philosophy (to answer everything else). I prayed a lot, mulled over scriptures, listened to wise leaders and served a mission (when I realized that philosophy didn’t really answer everything else). I learned that I could talk to God, and that He would listen, and, most wonderfully, that He would answer me. It’s brought me joy to explore questions that fascinate me, and to share what I’ve found with others. They may not wonder what bark is made of, but everyone wonders about something, and everyone has those questions that are held deep in their hearts. Questions fuel lives, they push us to think harder, to doubt our assumptions, to search for answers and to explore life more deeply. Three cheers for asking questions!

The Silver Fox:

First of all, welcome to our blog! You must be a pretty important person in my life if you are reading the first post, so thank you for who you are!

To enter this grand adventure of “your questions - our answers” I want to start with a moment of vulnerability.  It will introduce my answer and hopefully provide you some laughs.  Keep in mind that this poem was written when I was 13, and my artistry has improved since then...somewhat.

Ode to the Piano

I saw you sitting there one day

Wanting to be tickled,

So I walked over,

Sat down on your bench,

And tickled you.

The ivories laughed and the ebonies giggled.

I laughed too.

You made me happy and content.

Ever since that moment I’ve had cravings to be with you.

You are like chocolate.

Your rich, dark brown color conceals something even better inside.

Something that I must feel, and taste, and touch.

It possesses feelings and emotions, music and life.

It possesses me.

Sometimes when I return to these poems I wrote years ago, I really wonder what was going through my head! But today’s question is more about the heart.  And the piano is certainly something about which I’m passionate.

As a first-grader, my parents put me into all sorts of lessons to help me discover a hobby and any extra-curricular interests I may have.  I tried soccer for Dad and ballet for Mom, but identified with neither.  Then they bought a piano.  And I was home.

Neither of my parents played the piano, and I am the oldest child in my family--both of these facts happened to be very good things in my life because I am competitive and perfectionistic.  But with the piano I didn’t have to be either.  I could enjoy it for the sake of the experience.  I ended up taking lessons for 11 years, teaching lessons myself for 10, and now I have been playing for 18.  I went to a performing arts high school, minored in music in college, and have never tired of sitting at the piano each day to play for an hour or two.   Playing the piano truly is one of my passions.

Why? It brings people together.  It’s cathartic and an escape of sorts.  It’s challenging and rewarding.  It’s straight forward, but allows room for creativity.  In a world where there is so much gray, it is truly black and white.  And it creates beauty.  

Truly, there are many reasons why I am passionate about playing the piano, and many of the aforementioned reasons hint at the ways in which it has been helpful.  However, the greatest reason turns me to my faith.  Playing the piano has provided me countless sacred experiences through which heaven was able to communicate with a struggling little girl, and teach her the lessons or provide her the comfort she needed.  Listening to music is a joy, and understanding music is a gift, but creating music that uplifts is an incredible, divine opportunity.  

Many people have spoken about Heavenly Father creating our life with threads that weave a beautiful tapestry, but it’s my belief that our life is a song He writes note by note and teaches us how to sing.