are your friends visible?

One of the things I love about being a parent is teasing my children.  They love it too!  It makes them feel appreciated and wanted.

Last night, my almost eight year old, asked me if we could buy the ingredients for his birthday cake this week.  Then he asked if he could have a birthday party. 
 I asked him who he wanted to invite.

He shrugged, "My friends." 

"And who would they be," I asked, hoping for names.

"Oh, you know," he replied earnestly.

"Have I ever seen your friends?"  I asked him in a teasing tone.

"Mmmmm.... some of them," he shrugged again, getting board with the conversation.

"Are the rest invisible?" I asked.

He began to laugh, looking this way and that.  Leif, who'd been listening all along piped up, "Some of his friends are aliens.  He thinks aliens are real!"

. . . this could be a very interesting birthday party . . .

fired worms

and grasshoppers too

Kaycee, with an earthworm form an early morning walk.

Last night we were reading a story with the boys of some missionaries in Brazil, and their initial contacts with one group of primitive people.  It told of the natives offering them black hornet larva as a gift -- a food they considered a great delicacy. 

This prompted my husband to ask the boys whether they had ever read the book 'Fried Worms'.  Their response?  "No, but we've eaten fried worms!"

They then went on to tell him how good fried worms are, and explained their process for frying them until they are crispy, on the hood of a vehicle, sprinkled with a dash of salt and pepper.  They said they are excellent with spinach. 

You should have seen the smiles on their faces as they told about this 'summer lunch special'. 

My husband, grossed out, finished reading the chapter and sent them to bed.  But one little boy, Wesley, wasn't done talking.  He came to me, "Mom, now that it is summer, I can't wait for the grasshoppers to come out."

"Why?  Do you want to eat them too?"  I asked, sarcastically.

"Yeah!  They are soooo good!  The big grey flying ones are the best... but they don't show up until late summer.  Their wings are the best part! 

I also like ants.  But you have to make sure they are dead before you eat them, or they will bite your tongue."

Note:  Kaycee's worm was let go in the flower bed.  ;)

what if...

What if you woke up today with only what you thanked God for yesterday?

 I saw this question posted on facebook, and it got me thinking, 'What did I thank God for yesterday?'  And I had to conclude, the most important things would still be here.

I'd still have my family, both immediate and extended, and my home.  I'd still have some of the greatest friends in the world, and some of the most confusing.  The weather would be beautiful.  I'd still have the ability to make the things I want to make.  There would be enough money to pay the bills, and there would still be fabulous music. 

In fact, thinking this over kind of made me wish I could wake up with only what I thanked Him for... but then, there is the washing machine and the freedoms we have that I didn't thank Him for, and I would hate to loose those, or any of the many other things I so often take for granted.  

Thank you Father, for blessing me so abundantly!

sleeping super heros

All tuckered out, from a hard day of saving the world. 
. . . A bit like Brer Rabbit.

words from a friend...

"Don't let your fears keep you captive."

Thank you, Friend, for this simple yet profound advise.  Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I think you said it even better.

"Fear you not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness."  --Isiah 41:10

 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"  Psalm 27:1

this mother's day

This mother's day was truly splendid!  It began with well wishes from friends and family, then progressed into a fun filled day.

My husband went out of his way to make sure of it.  He made me dinner and dessert-- or I should say, he tried.  I ended up making the side dishes, because it was easier than explaining the recipe to him (of course it is not written down!).  And the dessert was the same way... which I didn't mind, because it is super simple and delicious.  It was fun working with him in the kitchen.  It is not something we have ever done much of, but if it could always be like it was yesterday, then I would like to make it a habit!

After dinner, he got the kids ready for a drive, and took us to see parts of the valley we haven't been in for years.  I loved seeing all the little streams and brooks running down the hillsides, through the pastures and under the fences.

 

This is one of the things I love about living in the mountains.  When spring finally does hit, it comes with a rush.

When we returned home, I discovered my first daffodil blooming:

The poor thing isn't in the greatest shape, because our silly dog insists on laying in front of this window.  From the looks of things, it may be my only one this year.  Oh well.  I could move the flowers, or add spikes to the bed.  I'll probably do neither.  :P

Supper Simple Cheese Cake:

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese
1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice

1 graham cracker crust

Warm cheese to room temperature and beat together with milk and juice, until thoroughly blended.  Pour into crust and chill until firm.  (1 1/2 - 3 hours)  Top with berries or chocolate, as desired.

the first bluebird

The first bluebird of the year always brings me joy.  Seeing bluebirds was one of the thrills that came with moving to the mountains from the plains of Colorado.

The First Bluebird of 2011, Alpine, WY.

There is something so delightful about their bright feathers and their erratic flight pattern.  I love the way they stand out against any background, bringing light to a dark day.

I know I am not alone in finding joy with the return of the bluebird.  In one of my favorite books, The Harvester, by Gene Stratton-Porter, which was first published 100 years ago (1911), the bluebird plays a major role in determining the future.   ...Or, at least the timing of making choices.

So I watched with delight as the first bluebird of the year flit across my yard and landed on the chain-link fence.  I was glad my camera was handy!  In the past I have always missed getting a picture.  

* * *

The Harvester

"Bel, come here!" The Harvester sat in the hollow worn in the hewed log stoop by the feet of his father and mother and his own sturdier tread, and rested his head against the casing of the cabin door when he gave the command. The tip of the dog's nose touched the gravel between his paws as he crouched flat on earth, with beautiful eyes steadily watching the master, but he did not move a muscle.

"Bel, come here!"

Twinkles flashed in the eyes of the man when he repeated the order, while his voice grew more imperative as he stretched a lean, wiry hand toward the dog. The animal's eyes gleamed and his sensitive nose quivered, yet he lay quietly.

"Belshazzar, kommen Sie hier!"

The body of the dog arose on straightened legs and his muzzle dropped in the outstretched palm. A wind slightly perfumed with the odour of melting snow and unsheathing buds swept the lake beside them, and lifted

a waving tangle of light hair on the brow of the man, while a level ray of the setting sun flashed across the water and illumined the graven, sensitive face, now alive with keen interest in the game being played.

"Bel, dost remember the day?" inquired the Harvester.

The eager attitude and anxious eyes of the dog betrayed that he did not, but was waiting with every sense alert for a familiar word that would tell him what was expected.

"Surely you heard the killdeers crying in the night," prompted the man. "I called your attention when the ecstasy of the first bluebird waked the dawn. All day you have seen the gold-yellow and blood-red osiers,

the sap-wet maples and spring tracing announcements of her arrival on the sunny side of the levee."

The dog found no clew, but he recognized tones he loved in the suave, easy voice, and his tail beat his sides in vigorous approval. The man nodded gravely.

"Ah, so! Then you realize this day to be the most important of all the coming year to me; this hour a solemn one that influences my whole after life. It is time for your annual decision on my fate for a twelve-month. Are you sure you are fully alive to the gravity of the situation, Bel?"   Read more, free...

can i keep him?

"Please Momma?"

 

"My brothers find him for me!" 

Spring cleaning the neighborhood is always fun.  It is a good excuse to get outdoors and the melting snow always uncovers some interesting things. Plus, it pays.  There are enough beer cans to make a pretty penny at the recyclers.  

Then, there are the interesting finds.  Some of them, you have to wonder about... Last year I had about two dozen beer boxes that had escaped from the nearby bar's dumpster.  This year, there are little skunks all up and down the road.  And the prize finding so far?  A muddy little Eeyore, with a missing tail.  If we can get him cleaned up, he will be a keeper.  

Maybe I can find a little paintbrush to glue on him for a tail...

i'm sorry

"Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather,
And like vinegar on soda,
Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart." --Proverbs 25:20

There is one I care about greatly, who has had a heavy heart.  I fear I have been a singer of songs.  I am sorry.  So sorry.

You know who you are.  Please forgive me.

seven is a journey

journey: Seven is a Journey: "April 30, 2011 A few years ago I heard a superstitious rhyme that pertained to counting ravens, crows or magpies: One for sorrow, Two ..."