Elfin Coincidence

Waiting to be seen in our Chiropractor's office yesterday, each of us with a book in our hand: Dominic ~ one of the Star Wars series, Michelle ~ a Mary Roberts Reinhart, me ~ the Chesterton Omnibus. I read this line from GKC out loud to the children: "In short, there is in life an element of elfin coincidence which people reckoning on the prosaic may perpetually miss. As it has been well expressed in the paradox of Poe, wisdom should reckon on the unforeseen."

Less than ten minutes later, Jon called from home to tell me that the refrigerator had stopped working.

Unforseen?

Elfin.

Every Day is a Nature Study

Zoology 101: Backyard Toads

Baby Western Toad.Grampa Great Plains Toad.

(These guys don't look like they're common here in Colorado; nevertheless, the one we found is a dead ringer...)
Up close and personal...

Beautiful Planet Earth

Isn't God good to us?

What's going on at our house:

Put on your hardhats and join me on a little tour?

Before: The walls of our central room (sometimes used as a living room, sometimes used as a dining room) were covered in cheap old paneling, originally dinge-grey, painted white, topped with a cutting-edge-in -1970 acoustic tile ceiling. Ick. (That's Frodo, the mouse's, tank in the fireplace, in case you wondered, not a tv...)
Off comes the paneling. Check out the wallpaper...Craftsman from the nineteen-teens, or 1940s tropical? What do you think?

Down comes the acoustic tile - just the first layer of the ceiling(s) to be removed. Check out the wallpaper behind Jon there. It's incredibly thick...... like vinyl, and backed with some kind of tar paper. We think it must be pretty early. I actually like the little graphic flower designs (above). That hole with insulation coming out of it used to connect to passive solar. Unfortunately, that system no longer exists, so we're covering up the holes.

Down comes the last layer of ceiling (above). These were very old tiles, with a pattern smudged on it (below), as if there were once a pressed tin ceiling here. Doggone whoever took it down!

Cleaning up and hauling out the debris was not nearly a much fun as pulling it all down. "I've got a rainbow (Huh!), a rainbow 'round my shoulder (huh!)..."

Michelle taking a rest. "Hard work lugging that camera around, Mom?"

The little ones snuggled up on the couch in the kitchen hard at work watching Jimmy Neutron.

The walls and ceiling are down to studs (or something) at this point, and it's time to start rebuilding:

First the Ceiling. This contraption (above) is the jack that holds up the sheetrock while the kids drill in a bazillion screws to hold it up securely.

Here's a closer look at how the jack works. It's true that half the job is having the right tools. In this case, I think it may be more than half the job!

Some trimming and fine tuning going on here. Jon is our detail man, and all around foreman on this job, as Dad's not home enough to take charge. And, well, actually, he's found he doesn't need to. Jon and Dominic have things well in hand on their own. It's a wonderful thing having grown-up boys (young men!) around the house.

Michelle cleaning out the debris from behind the fireplace. The trickiest part of the whole project is going to be fitting the sheetrock around here.

Dominic countersinking screws in the new walls as they go up. Tedious, but necessary. (Note the chair he's sitting on that they broke using as a stepstool... =sigh=)

Dad working on the electrical.

The one completely finished wall thus far. Well, um, I mean, "finished" but not finished.

And our dining room/living room for the time being. Don't my couches look like they're patiently waiting for this to be over so they can get back to where they belong? You can almost feel their resignation. Mine, too.

This, too, shall pass... And my living room will be so nice when it's finished!

I'll keep you posted as we make progress.

Hip Chick-adee 5-year-old Hairstylin'

Anna woke up with a vision for a "do" today. She asked me to part her hair and hand her the ponytail holders. I did the top two, and she finished up.

Think she has a future in the beauty industry?

(Love ya, Annabanana!)

Cricket Thermometer

So, I put my leg in my jammie pants last night and a cricket popped out the leg hole! Yikes! It certainly startled me, but, you know, it didn't give me near the willies that it would have if it'd been a spider. My immediate thought was more like: "That's where you were, you little stinker!" We'd been hearing him all day!

Funny thing that crickets, unlike most bugs, are greeted in many homes with more a welcome than the bottom of a shoe. In Chinese, Native American, and even Irish folk lore, crickets are said to bring good luck. I understand that. While I sure don't want one sharing my pajamas, I've always liked the sound of them. Cricket song sounds like the country, like warm summer nights, like peace and contentment and home. All that from a bug!

But, that's not all; look what else I found out. Not only can we enjoy the crickets' serenade musically, we can use it scientifically! We just found out how to use the little guys as thermometers.

Here's what you do:

For the approximate fahrenheit temperature,

Count the number of chirps

in 14 seconds and add 40.

It seems that, since these guys are cold-blooded, their bodies are close to air temperature. As air temperatures warms, so does their body temperature, their activity, and thus, their rate of chirping. Fascinating, huh? And a fun front porch activity for a summer's evening!

To hear some cricket songs, head over here, and then over here for a really cool cricket study to share with the kids.

And for a whole world of amazing tips and ideas, head over to Shannon's for Works for me Wednesday!

(I couldn't post a picture of Jiminy Cricket without including his signature tune.)

Remember Dagwood and Blondie?

Skip Young created the Blondie comic strip in 1930, around the character of a beautiful flighty blonde flapper, playing the field with a number of suiters. Dagwood was a rich, slightly goofy playboy, one of many names on Blondie's dance card. But in 1933, a match was made in comic book heaven when the two tied the knot.

It was a funny papers struggle for Dagwood and Blondie from the beginning. Dagwood's tycoon father had disinherited him. (Imagine anyone thinking Blondie was a golddigger!) It was a tough break for the young cartoon couple, but a stroke of genius by Skip Young. The Great Depression was in full swing at that time, and struggling Americans could identify with Dagwood and Blondie's hard times. And we still relate to them, good times and tough times. It's just easy to identify with their day-to-dayness. Blondie and Dagwood's love match has endured for 75 years now! They began as the quintessential couple of the thirties, but have survived to be just the quintessential couple, period.

How much do you think we have changed our expectations and responsibilities as husbands and wives from the thirties to today? There's a quiz out there to see how we'd do compared to values, habits, and culture of 75 years ago.
Here's how I scored:
(Just call me Blondie)

102 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Here's how my wonderful, 1930's-style hubby rated:

(He's too sensible to be called Dagwood)

144 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

(I filled in his test for him, with perfectly honest answers (Of course!) ~ as he was busy dutifully hanging sheetrock this evening.)

H/T: Ann at A.R.T. Servant

Simple Woman's Daybook, July 7th

This simply lovely idea originated at Peggy's place The Simple Woman. Run over there to catch up on everyone's Monday morning thoughts!

Outside my Window... Cloudy, hazy, and cool, the air smells like rain. A rare and wonderful summer morning for Colorado. Clouds and rain are unusual to wake up to!

I am thinking... I need to get the little boys outside today, as they're already running around like cowboys and Indians and it isn't even 9:00 yet. (At least it's nice and cool for them!)

From the kitchen... I got a package of spinach and asiago chicken sausage links that I'm debating how to prepare for dinner tonight...

I am creating... A packet of letters and silliness to mail off to our oldest son, Paul, who is at Officer Candidate School in Virginia, waiting expectantly at mail call every afternoon for his name to be called.

I am going... to my favorite place in the world, Ouray, CO, at the end of this month to go 4-wheeling with my my favorite person in the world, my husband. Then, off to Virginia the first week of August to attend Paul's graduation from OCS. Working on the planning of both of those trips, as well as getting the girls ready to head off to Catholic Girls' Camp next week!

I am wearing... denim clamdiggers, a tan tee with swirly designs and seedbeads, tan sandals (and this humidity has fluffed my hair up like a dandelion gone to seed today!)...

I am reading... the history of my maiden name family online (Very Cool!).

I am hoping... we get some decent rain today. Our high prairies are dry as a bone right now and need all they can get!

I am hearing... Foofoo dog, Brigid's toenails tiptapping across the dining room floor, the Little's chattering about bagels in the kitchen...

Around the house... Jon (17) and Dominic (14) are getting ready to pull the walls and ceiling down in our living room and re-sheetrock them. Stay tuned... It should be interesting.

One of my favorite things... a good cup of coffee in the morning and a few minutes to myself before the children get up.

Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Besides the utter destruction of the room that is the heart of our house... Chiropractor appointments, foofoo dog grooming appointment, dentist appointments, and helping my sister move into her new house on Wednesday. Not much going on here... (ack,ack)

Here is a picture thought (or two) I'm sharing with you...

Remember being a kid and doing this? Do you remember that "roller coaster" feeling you'd get in your stomach when you got good and high and came wooshing back down? Do you remember how your hair would fly up behind you? Do you remember getting up the courage to jump off? It was the bravest thing I remember doing as a seven-year old.

Here are Cathy and Michelle having a good swing.

All in a kid's day's work.

Have you heard of the NumaNuma song?

A little chocolate ice cream inspired this rendition of the tune...

(Yeah, just a little sugar rush going on here...)

*Click on the title of this post if you haven't heard the Numa Numa Song. You don't know what you've been missing!

Greetings from Quantico

Officer Candidate Paul says to tell everyone "Hi!"

Here's a funny one

H/T: Darcee, by way of Sara

God Bless America!

Immaculate Queen, Patroness of Our Country, Pray for US!

Prayer to Our Lady of America

Prayer for the Nation

Almighty God, You have given us this good land for our heritage. We humbly ask You that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Your favor and glad to do Your will. Bless our land with honorable endeavor, sound learning and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and fashion into one united people the multitude brought here out of many nations and tongues. Endow with the Spirit of wisdom those to whom in Your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Your law we may show forth Your praise among the nations on earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble do not allow our trust in You to fail. Amen.

~~ by Thomas Jefferson, taken from "Prayers for Today," published by Leaflet Missal Co

H/T Two Hearts Network.org

Five Ingredients or Less

This is a Family Favorite:

Mexican Cornbread:

2 boxes or two 12-muffin recipes of corn muffin mix

(Krusteaze is our favorite)

2 lbs ground beef

2 cups salsa of your choice

1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, whatever you like best)

* optional 1 can corn , 1 small can jalapenos

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown the ground beef. (You can spice this up, if you like.) Drain, add the salsa, and set aside. Follow the directions on your muffin mix, while your beef is browning; let set for a few minutes for a brief "rising" before beating down. (You can add a can of drained corn to the muffin mix before rising, if you like.)

Spread half of the muffin mix onto the bottom of a jelly roll baking pan (8"x12" or so). Crumble all the ground beef on top of the muffin mix. Add the jalapenos, if desired. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese. Pour the remainder of the muffin mix on top of the cheese and smooth out.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cornbread is done in the middle.

Our kids like this with extra salsa and sour cream.

* For fewer growling tummies than we have at our house, halve this recipe.

To totally fill your recipe file with Five-Ingredient Recipes (and some of these are really, really awesome looking!) run over to Shannon's today!

To Michelle, from Mom

I am from poetry-filled journals and mechanical pencils. From golf clubs, frisbees, and flip flops. From sleepover-filled calendars, movie nights, and Orville Redenbocker.

I am from a little white and red house elbow deep in blonde prairie grasses, black-eyed susans and morning glory weeds.

I am from Holy Thursday lamb and Holy Saturday bells, Saturday work parties, and Sunday brunches,

From my Mom and Dad, Paul, Kevvy ~ and Matthew, ~ Jonnyboy, Dominicky, Seesa, Sassy, Nanna, Gabey, Yuyum. And from Nina.

I am from hairbrushes, from Goody barettes and Johnson's No More Tangles,

And curly brown hair passed down from my Mama, through her Daddy, all the way back to his Mum.

I am from laughing, singing, and teasing.

From Mary Magdalene's stale bread and poor, dear Rosie Anna's arm.*

I am from the beauty and tradition of the ages in my beloved Roman Catholic Faith.
I am named for St. Michael and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. I work and play under the watchful eye of my angel, Barbara.

I am from the width and height of the Rocky Mountains and the rolling beauty of the Great Plains of Colorado,

From Wales and England and Ireland and Germany.

From my mother's father and his life on the sea, and my father's father, a man of the water, I am oceans, as well as mountains and prairie and sky.

I am from Nina's treasure chest of albums and Grandmom's photo covered walls.

I am everyone's sweetheart, everyone's best friend.

I am Michelle
And I am thirteen. Today!

Happy, happy birthday, Shell! We love you!


+The format for this "Where I am from" poem can be found here.

* These are famous family references. I'm sure Michelle won't mind my filling you in on them.

Rosie Anna was Michelle's beloved (I mean beloved) little doll. One of her brothers, in a fit of brotherdom, threw dear Rosie Anna on the ground, breaking her stiff plastic arm. Michelle (about 6 at the time) was more than heartbroken at the tragedy. She was mortified. Aghast. Horrified. You'd have thought it was her little sister's arm lying there broken off. And let me tell you, the spine-tingling wail that vibrated off the walls of the house that afternoon still lingers. I think that now, eleven years later, Michelle might have forgiven her brother, but we don't often bring the subject up, out of a certain respect for historic tragedy.

As it turned out, =sigh= poor Rosie Anna... I couldn't fix the arm. But we moms do have our ways... Michelle didn't find out 'til later that I had pulled mother-prerogative and stealthily switched out the old Rosie Anna with a new one, rubbed with sand paper at all the right places to look like old Rosie Anna...

Now to explain the Mary Magdalene reference...

If you've seen the movie, Jesus of Nazareth, lately, you might remember the scene at the Mount, where Our Lord miraculously divides the loaves and the fishes for the crowd. In the movie, Mary Magdalene is present. Do you remember the scene? Ann Bancroft (who plays St. Mary) is given one of the pieces of bread, takes a bite, then looks up toward heaven. Having apparently just realized the miraculous nature of this meal, and therefore the divinity of Christ, she bursts into tears... A touching moment in movie history, right? Well, um... Any time this part comes 'round, we all burst out laughing here...

You see, when Michelle was around 7 years old or so, the meaning of the scene and the importance of Mary Magdalene's epiphany were not so very clear. We were all watching the movie during Holy Week, seriously intent on the scene ~ and just at that part where Mary Magadalene looked up with tears in her eyes, bread in her hand, little Michelle says:

"What? Is her bread stale?"

We can't help it. It may seem irreverent, but it still just cracks us up.

There truly is a niche out there for everybody...

Witness Troy Landwehr, an artist (specifically a sculptor) and food lover (specifically a cheese lover), turned Cheese-It PR guy. This Wisconsinite (You knew he was from Wisconsin, didn't you?) actually turns out cheese scuptures for a wide variety of interests, though. It's amazing how busy this unusual talent has kept him. He started carving cheese when he was 12 years old and has carved everything from Remy, everyone's favorite rat from Ratatouille to...

...his latest work of art , his most ambitious attempt so far, which is on its way to DC right now to be displayed on the 4th. You want to know what he's tackled this time? Of course you do! You must be dying to know!

It's a 2000 lbs chunk of cheddar ~ carved to depict John Trumbull's painting "Declaration of Independence." Watch Good Morning America Thursday to check it out. To learn more about Troy and his work, zip over here .

Why can't I come up with a marketable talent like this, I ask you?
How 'bout:
*A book: 101 uses for not-quite-bad-yet leftovers?
*Or how 'bout this one: 101 ways to convince a 2 year old to stay in bed during naptime?
*Lost-sock bunnies stuffed with drier lint?
*Reams of Penmanship papers and drawings of flowers and big-headed people with very long fingers recycled into modern art?
*Or I could maybe discover a way to earn royalties on the phrase: "Is it snacktime yet?"

Any other ideas? I'm open to suggestions...

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Peter the Rock, Paul the Roll

Prayer to St. Peter

O glorious Saint Peter, who, in return for thy strong and generous faith, thy profound and sincere humility, and they burning love, wast rewarded by Jesus Christ with singular privileges, and, in particular, with the leadership of the other Apostles and the primacy of the whole Church, of which thou wast made the foundation stone, do thou obtain for us the grace of a lively faith, that shall not fear to profess itself openly, in its entirety and in all of its manifestations, even to the shedding of blood, if occasion should demand it, and to sacrifice of life itself rather than surrender. Obtain for us likewise, a sincere loyalty to our holy mother, the Church; grant that we may ever remain most closely and sincerely united to the Roman Pontiff, who is the heir of thy faith and of thy authority, the one, true, visible Head of the Catholic Church, that mystic ark outside of which there is no salvation. Grant, moreover, that we may follow, in all humility and meekness, her teaching and her advice, and may be obedient to all her precepts, in order to be able here on earth to enjoy a peace that is sure and undisturbed, and to attain one day in heaven to everlasting happiness. Amen.
V. Pray for us, Saint Peter the Apostle,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY. O God, who hast given unto Thy blessedApostle Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and the power to bind and loose: grant that we may be delivered, through the help of this intercession, from the slavery of all our sins: Who livest and reignest world without end.
Amen.

Prayer to St. Paul for Patience
O glorious St. Paul, who from a persecutor of Christianity, didst become a most ardent Apostle of zeal; and who to make known the Savior Jesus Christ unto the ends of the world didst suffer with joy imprisonment, scourgings, stonings, shipwrecks and persecutions of every kind, and in the end didst shed thy blood to the last drop, obtain for us the grace to receive, as favors of the Divine mercy, infirmities, tribulations, and misfortunes of the present life, so that the vicissitudes of this our exile will not render us cold in the service of God, but will render us always more faithful and more fervent.
V. Pray for us, Saint Paul the Apostle,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Amen




Saints Peter and Paul's rocks.
(Did you know about these? Great geography trivia information to store away, huh?)

You guys are so funny...

OK, kids. I'm not so sure about the yak milk, pompis remover (huh?) and Queso de gato (you guys are so weird), but I definitely don't want any kidney stones...

Who'd 've Thunk?

You Are Fairly Normal

You scored 65% normal on this quiz Like most people you are normal in some ways... But you aren't a completely normal person. You're a little weird too! Why You Are Normal: If given the choice, you would choose to have more money over more time When you're in a car, you prefer to be the driver You find the Macarena to be the more embarrassing dance You prefer ruffled potato chips You are still with your first love Why You Aren't Normal: You'd rather have cockroaches than rats in your home You would rather be tan than pale You would not eat meat from a cloned animal You don't keep up with your horoscope You know a little about many subjects

What's Normal About You... And What's Not?

Now, for something completely different...

Which version do you like better? We're split here.

One thing for sure ~ if this don't get your feet tappin', we give up on you! &:o)

Free Fun Stuff To Do

These days it takes our whole entertainment budget just to drive to where the fun is. Granted, we live about 50 miles from the nearest city... but I think everyone is suffering the crunch these days. When you have to shell out $89.00 for three bags of groceries and a box of diapers like I did last night, you know you have to cut corners. Unfortunately, entertainment is the first to go. Or, um, well, it should be.

Here are some ways to help shave that budget to almost nothing, but still have a good time:

Every city and state has a "free stuff" directory. Just google it. "Free stuff to do in ________." Our Colorado directory lists everything from the Coors brewery tour in Golden to the Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland. As a bonus, it tips us off to where we can get free beer, mead, watermelon, and ~ CHOCOLATE!

This Denver directory lists out the free days at the area museums, botanical garden, and zoo, as well as some off-the-beaten-track, quirky, fun places that are free of charge. Every city of any size has like lists.

You can also take advantage of:

Free movie rentals

If you haven't already discovered this gold mine, you need to know that the library is not just about books anymore! Our tiny town library takes great pride in keeping up with the latest releases, and we take advantage!

Kid Days: Magicians, Jugglers, Animal Exhibitions

We live in a tiny town, but our local library provides a parade of special events for the children, including game nights, computer classes, and such. The library truly is one of the greatest resources around. You might be amazed at all they have to offer! And it's always free!

Free outdoor movies and concerts

Many cities and even smaller towns have open air movie nights at parks, as well as free concerts. Check out your local parks and recreations websites. Or ask at the library; they always know these things. (Librarians Rock!)

Take a hike, ride a bike

If you take a picnic along, especially, these simple, healthful pastimes become events. But what makes them extra special is finding out new trails to follow. Whether you live in the city or the country, there are always "roads less traveled" to explore. Look online for trail guides for your area, or inquire at your parks and recreation for city trails.

Organize a family treasure hunt

Except for the gasoline involved, this requires little more than time, imagination, and an inexpensive "grand prize" of some kind. And some advance planning ~ which I actually think is the fun part. Think "scavenger hunt" with a twist. Make maps, leave clues that lead to clues. Encompass your house, your neighborhood, or your city.

* Take several stages to lead up to a newly borrowed library movie and a box of popcorn in your home.

*Lead the kids around the neighborhood or yard, clue by clue, to an invitation for a family "pool party" in your wading pool, with smoothies, and a picnic.

* Leave a bag of jolly ranchers at one destination, and a coupon for drinks at McDonalds at another to liven up the hunt for a wide ranging expedition. End up at the park with a picnic and frisbees.

Include whatever your family likes to do best. You're only limited by your imagination.

A tight budget does not mean you can't have a memorable summer with your family! Get out there and have some fun!

For tons of fun ~ tips and ideas ~ run over to Shannon's place!