Practical Science in the Home

Stand back, Mythbusters! In an effort to prove something, and to add selling charm to Mom's latest knitted designs, we were testing the effectiveness of her new cup cozies! Here, in detail, are our steps!

• Step 1: Boil water and measure a cup of it into each travel cup. One cup is covered with a knitted cozy and one is not. The initial measurement of the uncovered cup: 188 degrees Fahrenheit. The measurement of the covered cup: 186 degrees Fahrenheit. (difference of 2 degrees)
• Step 2: After 15 minutes, check both cups and take new measurements. Uncovered cup: 152 degrees Fahrenheit. Covered cup: 158 degrees Fahrenheit. (difference of 6 degrees)
• Step 3: After another 15 minutes (30 minutes from the start), take final measurement. The uncovered cup: 131 degrees Fahrenheit. The covered cup: 140 degrees Fahrenheit! (difference of 9 degrees)

Our theory was proved! The cup cozy kept the drink approximately 9 degrees warmer for 30 minutes than the cup with no cozy did. Just goes to show that some science is applicable in the home!

From lemons...

to lemonade! After going through countless lemonade recipes over the course of many years, Mom discovered one that is really good! To make, cut and squeeze 8 lemons (or approximately 1 cup of juice.) Then make sugar-water: one cup hot water, 3/4 of a cup of sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then add a full tray of ice. Mix together, and then add 6 cups of water. *You may want to use a full cup of sugar. We used 3/4 of a cup, along with 4 drops of stevia.* The recipe may need tweaking, depending on how you like your lemonade tart, sweet, etc.). Enjoy!

Car Pics!

Yesterday we got a 2004 Volvo station wagon to replace our 1991 Camry! (See the post from Wednesday to find out why this was such perfect timing, and just so everyone knows, all that was wrong with the old Volvo was a distributor cap!) Here are some pictures: