Whatsa Pinata?

No, it was not a birthday. It was no special occasion to hang pinatas. Acorn Hill citizens just wanted to know what pinatas were.

"I didn't plan to make pinatas, " said Main House First Lady mom. She said that she found great directions online. That and an article in Mary Jane magazine prompted her to go all out.

The pinatas were stuffed with some of Acorn Hill's favorite treats; toy firemen, gumballs and Tootsie Rolls.

How to Make a Pinata:

1. Blow up a balloon.

2. Mix one part flour with two parts water to make a paste.

3. Wet cut up pieces of newspaper and apply to entire balloon.

4. When balloon is dry, add another layer. Make about four layers.

5. Put holes at the top for stringing a string through.

6. Decorate with streamers or anything colorful.

7. Fill with treats.

8. Hang.

9. Hit like crazy to break it open.

10. Don't be greedy when scrambling up the treasures.

Grand Ole Evening

Efficiency while traveling keeps Main House President Dad's mind turning. This is why he thought to check out who would be playing at the Grand Ole Opry while residents traveled home from Louisville.

When Dad learned that Josh Turner would be on stage, he knew that this stop should happen. Sarah Daffodil, Barn Loft and Dad attended. They were also escorted backstage, where they saw Ricky Skaggs jamming with fellow musicians. They almost got to meet Josh Turner, but a couple of people kept talking to him so much that he had to run to stage for the stage.

"It was really cool seeing the curtain go up," said Barn Loft.

They also saw Kenny Rogers, Little Jimmy Dickens, Ralph Stanley, Bill Anderson and others.

One Day Came

Maybe you could say that Sarah Daffodil is captivated by the music, voices, costumes, energy and all else that goes into the stage production of Les Miserables. When she found an older production on YouTube, she dreamed that one day she would see Les Miserables.

That day came. Main House President Dad and First Lady Mom did a little research and found the show touring north of Acorn Hill. They settled on a date near Daffodil's 16th birthday. The place was Louisville, near Daffodil's grandma.

Main House President Dad, Nathaniel Barn Loft and Grandma also attended. Everyone left with the same thought - spectacular!

Daffodil was given a Les Miserables T-shirt by Dad. Grandma gave her the soundtrack.

Rolling with Creativity

When Pastor Eli Hemlock takes his daily nap, Acorn Hill residents have more freedom to do some of the things that they really want to do. This includes painting, baking and making toilet paper roll animals.

What you need: toilet paper rolls/paper towel rolls, construction paper, glue, markers

To construct: Simply decide on the animal that you want to make. Cut out the shapes that distinguish the animal. Glue the shapes to the toilet paper roll. Use markers for anything that you don't want to cut out, such as stripes, eyes or whiskers.

It is a simple project that provides hours of creative play.

Note: Main House First Lady Mom did 95 percent of the cutting. Residents would say, "Now I want a monkey, a giraffe, an eagle, a dragon, an elephant... I want another dog so they can be married." Mom tired of two days of making toilet paper animals, but she said that it was worth it.

Pastor Gets Slick

Pastor Eli Hemlock was asleep in his room. Everyone was accounted for in Acorn Hill -- except for whomever was banging around in the bathroom of the Main House.

Main House First Lady Mom opened the bathroom door to find a not-so-sleepy pastor with his face, neck and hair coated with petroleum jelly. Mom saw to it that he bathed. She knew that she could not use water hot enough to fully clean him. "I figured that it would have to just wear off," said Mom.

Later Daffodil checked on Hemlock to see if he was covered in bed. She was concerned since he looked very sweaty. She did not know that he was covered in petroleum jelly. Mom asked a friend how to get the mess out. She said that baking soda would do it.

Hemlock also slicked up a wooden goose, family picture, deodorant bottle, a toothbrush handle and the petroleum jelly container. "I found it handy to just have to touch the outside of the container to get some," said Main House President Dad, who also was able to brush his teeth and moisturize his hands at the same time.