Still at it.

Looks like I over estimated my speed in sewing :o)

I have three of the four panels done for Katie's curtains.

I need to buy more lining fabric for the kitchen curtains and curtain rods.
My goal for today is to finish Katie's curtains and put them up.
We shall see.

The flouncey dress fabric is called Fairydust and Flowers by Dena and Friends for In the Beginning fabrics.

If you are not a quilter and have never been in a quilting shoppe, just stop in and browse at a local store. There is so much variety. The quality is excellent and it is a feast for the eyes.
Even if I don't buy anything, a trip to the Quilting store is like a trip to a museum for me :o)

***********

Since it is going to be Eighty-three degrees today I promised to take Katie to the pool this afternoon. Our first trip to the pool this summer. Wisconsin is one wacky-cold state!

************

Amy, aka Dr. Hottie Bikini at Good Soil Academy, has resumed writing her blog! Hooray! Amy is a lovely, positive mother and wife...go visit her and say 'Welcome back!'

Encourage one another,
Donna

Plans

*read with a Southern accent*

Ya'll don't know how pleased as punch I am by your lovely comments in the little ole' comment box. Ya'll just bless my socks right off!
I feel the love :o)

************

Matthew (the hard working 19 year old) has the car today so we are homebound.
I am going to sew curtains all day.
Katie gets flouncy, delightful dresses.



Cheerful yellow and blue for the kitchen.



I will make simple, very full valances with a 2 1/2 inch rod pocket.

Time to dust off my sewing machine :o)




My favorite quilt, I think...
The Dick, Jane and Sally Snowball quilt.
circa 1996

"She who dies with the most fabric wins." NOT!
But she will have had a lot of fun :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

The Strawberry Moon




There are names for the full moons. I had always known of the harvest moon and the blue moon...but the June Strawberry Moon is such a perfect name, don't you think?

I found a beautiful and poetic book yesterday called When the Moon is Full by Penny Pollock. It is illustrated by one of my favorite living artists Mary Azarian.

To my delight she has a website.

Now I have my calendar picked out for next year!!!

***********

The strawberry's are ripe and red all the way through and being sold at roadside stands right now, here in Wisconsin. We love strawberries in our family. Fresh strawberries and fresh pineapple and ohhhh a perfect fresh peach...

"ain't nothin' like the real thing baby..."

Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

Skim Milk (or skinny milk)
Frozen fresh strawberries
Splenda
Vanilla

Blend in a blender.

Yummy.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Patience, thrills, and Weight Watching

Is it harder for me to wait?

Yesterday we went to see the Thunderbirds fly!

That's the good part, the really good part.

The waiting is torture for me. I look around and folks don't seem to mind.

They are milling around, buying kettle-corn, waiting in line for cheese curds, sitting in their lawn chairs. They seem content.

But I am not content; I squirm, I ask my husband what time it is, I arrange things on the blanket, I worry about people standing in front of me.

This is a character flaw, I know. Ya didn't know I was so high strung, did you?

While we were waiting for the Thunderbirds, we could watch all sorts of other aerial plane events. We even saw the DodgeJet Truck. And the JetOuthouse.

The trick bi-planes scared me! I kept thinking they were going dive down and crash or stall while at the top of their loop and then...come crashing to earth.

The big f-16's don't scare me. Perhaps it is the confidence I have in their training...or is it that their engines don't sound like they are going to conk out at any second???

So finally 3:30 arrived, along with a big black cloud in the sky. Worry, worry, worry...

No problem...no thunder...



The jets take off with the excitement and noise we have come to see. Four passes later...we hear over the loud speaker, "Two of the planes have hit birds, the pilots must land to check things out." (not verbatim)

So after ten minutes of the show...we wait 25 more minutes!!!

UGH!

Fortunately the show continues with a roar...the jets sneak up on us from behind; and we are awe-struck!

WooHoo!!!

************

Yesterday morning I went to my weekly weight watchers meeting.
I lost 2.6 lbs.
It is nice to be rewarded when you work so hard. This week my big change was to give up white sugar so this was a week without cookies and cake and icecream...and I was hungry.

Usually when I do all the right things I stay the same! Then I get frustrated and sorry for myself...and rebel and eat more the next week. So in 20 weeks, I have lost 12 pounds.

The leader of the meeting yesterday said that it is common to wait a week for the weight loss to show up. Really?

So my being impatient and frustrated leads to the yo-yo effect!

Well then, I will try even harder to keep my chin up this week (while it is easier after a weight loss) and have two great weeks in a row.

No matter what happens I am determined to press on...

Katie wants me to go swimming with her someday.



Encourage one another,
Donna

Big Deal

We are off to the Janesville Airshow today!!! Thunderbirds are flying!!!

We're so excited!

Zoom!

Later Gaters,
Donna

Shepherd's Pet
Walter Hunt



Little Lamb, who made thee
Does thou know who made thee
Gave thee life & bid thee feed.
By the stream & o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing woolly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice.
Making all the vales rejoice:
Little Lamb who made thee
Does thou know who made thee

Little Lamb I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb I'll tell thee;
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb:
He is meek & he is mild,
He became a little child
I a child & thou a lamb,
We are called by His name,
Little Lamb God bless thee,
Little Lamb God bless thee.

The Lamb
William Blake

__________________

Friday Five from the Archives

1. What food do you like that most people hate?


2. What food do you hate that most people love?


3. What famous person, whom many people may find attractive, is most unappealing to you?


4. What famous person, whom many people may find unappealing, do you find
attractive?


5. What popular trend baffles you?

Trivial, I know!

Oh and by the way...speaking of trivial, Ken Jennings is
still winning on Jeopardy! He is going for his 17th win today. He has over $500,000 in winnings so far! Besides having a very quick mind, he must have the quickest finger! Most of his competitors don't stand a chance!

Go Kenny, Go Kenny....

Encourage one another,
Donna

Sum-sum-summertime

In the olden days, specifically the 60's, there lived families with many children. These families lived in neighborhoods. The neighborhoods had tall trees and dandelions, block parties and mosquitoes. The nights were time for kick the can and freeze tag. The only rule. 'Come in when the street lights go on.'

On very special nights the bug spray truck would come out. We could hear it coming!
This small truck with its pesticide blower would spray gigantic clouds of white smoke behind it as it wove its way through the neighborhood. It had a pied piper effect on us. We followed in the billows. Boys on their bicycles, girls skipping and running happily behind it. It was a magical, deet-filled moment.


***"Always keep insect repellents out of the reach of children. Adults should apply repellent to young children. Follow all child safety precautions on labels."****

To that I say, "Bah! You don't know what you're missing!"




***UPDATE***Look what blog-sistah Alaska found!
A nice, new, handy-dandy spray-truck! Thanks AK!

Lookee this;




Introducing the first product promotion I was ever aware of. My sister Nancy was the proud owner of this Dino the dinosaur. For about half a day. Our brother plopped down, hard on it and there went the fine and dandy blow-up Dino. It was quite traumatic!

_________

One more summertime memory....since it appears we will not be getting a summer here in Wisconsin this year...


When we went on a family vacation to Hayward Wisconsin we would have tons of family fun! We would fish, swim, go out to eat a lot (for it was mom's vacation too) collect rocks, go to the drive-in and coast.

Coasting is a very exciting activity! Our father would take the rocky back roads. The really big hilly back roads. He would put the car in neutral at the top and we would glide down with dust flying behind. Could we make it to the top of the next hill? I don't remember ever making it up and over...but it was sure thrilling trying!



Weeeeeeee!

Encourage one another,
Donna

What She Said!

Carmon has written an excellent review of a book called Ideas have Consequences by Richard M. Weaver.

Carmon writes,

"this book is an analysis of how "modern" society left its moorings and replaced the important "center" with peripheral trivialities."

Yikes! Guilty as charged. Not completely and entirely...but I sure do like my peripheral trivialities.

Carmon shares Weaver's ideas on the Media which are right on and worth reading and pondering. Check it out at Buried Treasure.

The important 'center' in my worldview comes from Matthew 22:37 where Jesus says;

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all you soul, and with all your mind,'
"This is the great and foremost commandment.
"The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

And besides believing what Jesus has to say...I actually believe that He sees and knows what I am doing each day. And that my actions matter to Him. And reflect upon Him. Be they good or filthy rags.

I believe that He is a God who is there.


____________

Hey...but on to the peripheral!

Find the list of the AFI Top 100 Songs here.

I saw the last 1/2 of the show last night. The only one that irked me was 'Mrs. Robinson' being in the top ten. That was the only big surprise to me.
The number one song was Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

One of my favorites...






A musical with worldview and family and fabulous humor and songs!

Can't you just hear the songs?

Encourage one another,
Donna

Need I say more?




"There is something frank and joyous and young in the open face of the country. It gives itself ungrudgingly to the moods of the season, holding nothing back."
-Willa Cather, O Pioneers

Enjoy the View,
Donna

AFI's 100 Movies in 100 Years.

The Complete List:

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

How many of these have you seen?

I have seen 76 of them. There are a few I have never even heard of like The Searchers.
It's an excellent list, isn't it?

This week the AFI will present a show about the Greatest Movie Songs of all time. Sounds good to me :o) What will be number one?
Just off the top of my head...

"The hills are alive with the sound of music..."

Fascinating *grin* personal tidbit...

I backpacked around Switzerland and Austria in the spring of 1978. My friend and I decided to take this trip right after a viewing of The Sound of Music. When we were in Austria...we went on the Sound of Music tour. It was hokey and fun!

You would not believe the number of people I meet who say, "I went on the Sound of Music tour too!"


Thank you for the wonderful comments yesterday. They were very special and I just love them!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Wanna talk about your dads?

My dad was my age when he died. Exactly.

I have bits and pieces of memories. I gather them from my sisters and Aunts.
They are hard to come by...new bits and pieces.



He liked circus peanuts and Frank Sinatra;
sports and his family.

He taught me to tell time and we taught him to do a front flip.

He was a big tease, liked to dance and believed in God.

Memories from a sixteen year olds mind.

**********

What will your children remember about you?

I think my kids will remember me as;

fun-loving, t.v. watchin', tetris playin', homeschoolin', pop-drinkin',
Lord-lovin'...always there...Mom.




Would you like to share five things you remember/will remember about your dad?

Encourage one another and remember,
Donna

Fathers



Noble fathers have noble children.
-Euripides

A father carries pictures where his money used to be.
-Author Unknown...but could have been my father :o)

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.--Henry Ward Beecher

For all of us

Lord, teach us to be generous:
Teach us to serve You as You deserve;
to give and not to count the cost;to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that we are doing Your will.

-Ignatious of Loyola

I think one way the Lord teaches us the above is through our children.
One must be mighty selfless to be a good parent.

Encourage one another,
Donna

I love to laugh!

This blog-sistah made me laugh last night.

Jess's crazy eBay auction

I also love to think.

I've been thinking about food, churches and child rearing.

In some cases more knowledge is NOT one bit helpful. Like the food issue. I know a gal who has high cholesterol. She is very thin and very fit. She is also a Physician. She asked for recommendations from her friends. It was amazing to me to see the options she was told; how great Atkins works, and how Low Fat works, and how low dairy works, and how eating oatmeal works....
It makes your mind just spin. Who do you believe Dr. Atkins or Dr. Dean Ornish?

People on both sides are extremely sincere. They have the books and degrees to show you just how sincere they are...

I would probably go with low fat, eat oatmeal and buy herbs.

My brother-in-law would do Atkins, no question about it. He is a true believer.

_____________

I am reading a book about cutting sugar out of the diet. I do believe sugar is the culprit to many of our health woes.
My dream diet would be whole foods, very low sugar, (including white flour and processed foods), a little protein with every meal.

My real-life diet is quite the opposite.

Odd thing is my cholesterol is fine and dandy. Go figure.

Still I will attempt to put healthy food into my mouth.

And mostly I will work on NOT being a glutton.
Cause for me, it's not so much what I put into my mouth it's the amount.
It is eating when I am not hungry. It is eating past satisfied.

www.dictionary.com

Glutton

Greek phagos, given to eating,
gluttonous.

1. One who eats voraciously, or to excess; a gormandizer.

Given to eating. Good one!

For some of us it is a lifelong struggle. For some right here in my own family, food is not an issue. At least over consumption of it.

____

So if you were told you had high cholesterol and you did not want to take drugs, what would your approach be?

Encourage one another,
Donna



Oh and by the way...look who won again!
Go Kenny...

This*is*Jeopardy!

Answer:The Greatest Jeopardy Player of All Time.

Question: Who is Ken Jennings?

Read All About it

Check your local listing to watch an amazing player make Jeopardy history!

Go Kenny, Go Kenny, Go Kenny, Go Kenny...

The Utah Baby Names

Baby Names

Enjoy :o)

I got nothin'

The men of the family are out there workin'.

Emma is servin'.

Katie and I are playing Go Fish.

*************

I am reading a book called Heartfelt Discipline by Clay Clarkson. I'll share more about it as I get into it a bit further.

"Selfishness is an internal, spiritual issue, one that needs true biblical discipline, not simply isolated acts of punishment. The concern is not "How can I stop my child's selfish behavior?" but "How can I change the selfish attitude that causes my child's selfish behavior?"

and

"Parents can almost always exercise enough power over younger children to gain control over a behavioral problem. But what happens when the parents aren't around to monitor and control the child's wrong behavior? If the root cause hasn't been addressed, then the behavior will continue. If the child develops no internal controls, then external parental controls will have no long-range effect. The real solution is found at the heart level."

The heart...

How to keep your child's heart? This seems to be a popular topic among speakers and authors of late.

I'm listening.

***********

If you were a movie star, what would you name your child?

Gwenyth Paltrow and her Cold Play husband just named their little baby girl, Apple.
Courtney Cox and David Arquette just named their little baby girl, Coco.

Were I in the limelight, would I name my children strange names?

Is there a book, Baby Names:The Hollywood Edition by Moon Unit Zappa?

For a brief, adrenalin filled moment, I thought it might be funny to name our Matthew,
Andy Griffith Boucher. And as I watched the end of To Kill A Mockingbird before heading off the give birth to Emma...the names Scout, Jem and Atticus danced in my head.

But, no, duller, simpler, Midwestern minds prevailed.

I could never get anything past my husband anyway.

Perhaps in Hollywood neither spouse has the sense to shout,
"Are you kidding?"

"Yah man...that's cool...

Without my hubby's censoring we just might have a Daisy and a Marshall and a Lucy and a Scout and a Scarlet.




What a dress!!!

Encourage one another and Go Fish,
Donna

Tootsie

[Dorothy Michaels' screen test]
Rita: I'd like to make her look a little more attractive, how far can you pull back?
Cameraman: How do you feel about Cleveland?
Rita: Knock it off.

Funny!

Kim, I have not seen Little Big Man. It is however, one of my sister Sue's favorites!
I really like Dustin Hoffman in Rainman and Kramer vs. Kramer.

Now we could really have fun with quotes from Rainman, couldn't we :o)

"I'm an excellent driver."

Good Morning

Carmon is playing Book Tag. This could be fun :o) Go over to Carmon's to play.

Then come back here *wink*.

Movie Quote Time

Who said?

"Good Day Dr. Brewster! I said, Good day, sir!"

*No hints till Janice makes the scene :o)

Oh but I'm dying to give a hint...

Morning Plea

"Let me now go forth, O Lord my God, to the work of another day, still surrounded by Thy wonderful lovingkindnesses, still pledged to Thy loyal service, still standing in Thy strength and not my own."
-John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

Encourage one another and go forth,
Donna

Cute Quiz


Abraham Lincoln You have a Bible and a library
card what more could you possibly need? You
prefer the Charlotte Mason Method of reading
living books for everything: historical
fiction, biographies, real histories, nature
guides, etc. No soon-to-be-outdated textbooks
for you. Visit my blog:


What Type of Homeschooler Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


Quite a nice result. Thank you very much :o)

Full Swing

We went to the Hometown Parade yesterday. I don't think Katie has been to a parade since she was an infant. It has a habit of raining on parade day and I am not that die-hard to sit in the rain for a parade. In fact I don't sit in the rain for anything!
Our little town put on a nice little parade.
There were; bagpipes, horses, dancers, politicians, radio stations, church floats.
Girl Scouts, clowns, candy, dogs and a jazz band on a flat-bed semi.
Lots of pretty fire engines...all different colors and a very neat line up of John Deer tractors ( lined-up old to new)

Did you notice anything missing?

We did. There was not ONE marching band. Not one trombone!

I love the marching bands. So loud, so sparkly.

Ah well.



Here Katie waits for the parade. Can you see the six mosquito bites? She has over thirty on her tiny bod. Poor dear. She's must be very tasty.

Missions

Emma is on a mission this week. A real one.
She is in Iowa working with a group called Group Workcamps

They will help the elderly with projects around the house.
She left at 6:00 am yesterday morning with her safety glasses, drop cloth and guitar.

Please remember her and the other teens in your prayers this week.

I anxiously await a call from her :o)


Encourage one another,
Donna

"Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language."
Henry James (1843 - 1916)

"If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory. There seems something more speakingly incomprehensible in the powers, the failures, the inequalities of memory, than in any other of our intelligences. The memory is sometimes so retentive, so serviceable, so obedient; at others, so bewildered and so weak; and at others again, so tyrannic, so beyond control! We are, to be sure, a miracle every way; but our powers of recollecting and of forgetting do seem peculiarly past finding out."
Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

Add to this a stiff breeze...

Sounds like perfection to me.

Add a fine book and children splashing in a pool...

Heavenly.

_________

Dialog.

Katie: I wish there weren't mosquitoes.

Me: You gotta squish 'em when you see 'em.

Katie: But, I don't want to make them angry.

Me: You want to kill 'em...like you do to the ants.

Katie: O.K.

The teaching is endless around here.

Encourage one another,
Donna

A little bored?


Insular Majuscule- You are spiritual and well
rounded. People look to you for advice, but
sometimes find you difficult to understand.


What Calligraphy Hand Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Buckethead




There once was a girl with a bucket
She wore it upon her head.
"You're looking quite swell."
"Are you a clown, do tell?"
A soldier is what she said.

_____________

Tom Chapin Birthday Song

Happy Birthday,
Happy Birthday,
We love you.

Happy Birthday and may all your dreams come true.
When you blow out the candles,
One light stays a glow.
It's the love light in your eyes,
Where ere you go.

____________

Do you get the idea that I think birthdays are pretty special?

I do!

Happy Birthday to dear hubby.
We love you.

Encourage one another,
Donna

Friday Five from the Archives

Crissy from Classical Home posted this list during the week. Looking forward to your answers.

1. If the world were to suddenly end right now, what do you wish you would have done?

2. How many times do you hit the snooze button before getting out of bed?

3. What cartoon do you enjoy watching from the present (or the past)?

4. If you could go to any time and/or place in history, where/when would it be?

5. If your life were a movie, what would it be rated and why?

_________________

Ticks and Cats

The other night a friend and I were discussing ticks. Yeah in Wisconsin it comes up.(We also discussed The Count of Monte Cristo, Revenge, the Old West, the fate of the Indians and Simon and Garfunkel....we are not completely country bumpkins :o)

My friend wondered 'Why did God make ticks?'
They must have a purpose. Not a higher calling type of purpose...but who eats them...who do they eat (well besides us)?
Do I really want to know?

Which brings me to cats. Our sassy domesticated cat seems to exist for companionship. And I think we are *her* companions. We serve her. It's pretty funny. She is the most self-centered one in the house. Which is a good thing...I'm glad it's not me :o)

Maggie the Scratchy Cat likes Emma the most. She shows this by sitting on Emma and sleeping in her bed. Other than that we are just big door openers and water bringers.

Two amusing things about Maggie. She is the heaviest footed cat I have ever heard. Clunk, clunk, clunk...trods our kitty up the stairs.
Where are your quiet feet?

She also runs to the door when someone knocks. Who is she expecting?



Rachael Hale
___________

Ok...I just remembered a gross tick story.

A long time ago Mom had a Dr. appointment. The appointment was scheduled for a few days after a vacation in Hayward Wisconsin.
At the Doctor's office, Mom showed the Dr. what she thought was a mole. It was in a spot she couldn't see very well.
To her great surprise...IT WAS A TICK!

Encourage one another...and check for ticks,
Donna

A treat for your eyes



Gingham Quilt by Helen R. Klebesadel-Wisconsin Artist



Momma by Katie Gracie Boucher-Wisconsin Artist

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)

Encourage one another,
Donna

Who was that guy?

Emma and I just finished watching The Count of Monte Cristo.
We watched the Gérard Depardieu version that was made for the telly.
It was wonderful and interesting.
It is also intense in the sense that one must read sub-titles for four-hundred minutes....and also figure out who did what to whom.
But it really was a great movie experience. Emma and I think it would make an good discussion film.
Of course if you have read the book you will find many of your favorite things left out and a switcheroo at the end...
And let me tell you about the acting...well...I can't really tell the difference unless the acting is terrible( which it wasn't) and I was looking at the words most of the time anyway :o)

So a big thank you to my friends in space who recommended it so highly.
Was it you?

_____________

Thrilling

And even tho I did not see Venus cross the Sun with my own eyes, I was amazed by the pictures I saw at Yahoo News Photos. Here is the only one I can copy for you.



I must say, it is so much smaller than I thought it would be. I thought it would be more like an eclipse. Amazing even though Venus is our next door neighbor she is so far away and so small compared to the sun!
A fabulous real life experiment.
Next chance to observe this...2012.

"The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."
-Psalms 19:1

Encourage one another,
Donna

Southern Eating

"My mother could fry a dishrag, and my father would eat it. And like it. In our family, grease remains one of the four essential Southern food groups, the others being salt, barbecue, and bourbon."

And so begins a cute little article at the back of the April Southern Living.

I like to read about people and food. It's funny to me. And quite interesting.
Did you read Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy? What a book! Now that man likes words and food :o)

I guess I am a bit fascinated with the South too. At least the South I've learned about in books and magazines. While I have spent a lovely week in Kiawah, assorted trips to Florida (somehow...not so Southern) and a few years in Missouri (which feels more Southern than it acts) I am not sure how REAL my Southern Experience has been.

My Southern world is populated with Scarlett and Attius, Steel Magnolias, Bees and Lowenstein, Lowenstein...

And, well...lots of fried food. Just imagine, visions of sugar plums dancing in your head...now change those to fried chicken...fried dill pickles and fried apple pie.
Yummy or horrifying...I'm not sure.

But for Amy in the Southern Living article;

"Amy looked pale for a few beats as she mentally calculated how many billion fat grams were contained in the heaping mass of brown food before her. As I was contemplating whether this was the time of share with Amy that Mrs. Green's sweet tea had enough sugar in it to give a moose diabetes..."
-article written by Morgan Murphy

hehehe



While I can not fry anything...I can make a delish Chinese Coleslaw that would be a nice side dish.

Chinese Coleslaw

1 pkg coleslaw
1 bunch of green onions
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. toasted almond slivers
1 pkg beef ramen noodles-crumbled

Mix together little packet from the noodles,
1/2 c. sugar, 1/3 c. vinegar, 1/2 c. oil.
Pour over dry ingredients and mix.

Easy and yummy!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Speech Writers

I read President Reagan's Columbia Space Shuttle Speech yesterday and was moved to tears. You really should read it, and your children should read it.

Here is a small portion;

"And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them..."

I wonder who wrote it? Do you imagine that President Reagan wrote it?

________________

Samantha asked "What have been the "constants" in your life, as far as interests?"

Here was my reply;


'I have been blessed with a constant faith since I was a little child. I do not believe it was anything I did...just something deep within me. (The Holy Spirit)
Working with my hands has been a constant.
Loving family has been a constant.
Talking has been a constant. Just ask anyone :o)'

I forgot to add that I am constantly reading.
And I forgot to add that television has been a constant. Not that I'm proud of it, but I have been a diligent watcher for as long as I can remember.

What are your 'constants'?




A new week...a new day...

To Encourage one another,
Donna

This just cracks us up around here.

"We could just not talk or talk forever, and still find things to not talk about."


Name that movie.

Old Time Respect




When we were children we learned a few things about respect for our political leaders and our country.

Here they are...

We were taught that when the American Flag passes by...Stand out of respect.

And a lesser known rule I learned as a child...The President of the United is always called President, even after they have left the office.

Even if you hate them...it is proper to say President Reagan, President Carter, President Bush...
Not Mr. (Mister)

The media seems to have missed class the day this rule was taught.
We can do better with our children.
Teach them well.

Donna

-artwork by Zhen-Huan Lu found at Art.com

June, the Graduate's Month

School's out for summer....School's out for-ever!

Ah...the Graduates Anthem! Thanks Alice :o)



The way I look at things...school is never out!
Just yesterday I was playing Jeopardy and I commented to my husband. "Ya know, I learned most of this teaching 4th grade!"

I am so thankful for this love of learning...
It makes life so interesting and fun!

*Here is my one graduation party tip*

As a gift, I give the graduate a check with the amount equaling the year.
For instance, this year I will give $20.04. It usually takes a minute for the kids to figure out why I am giving pennies...but they DO catch on and think it is pretty cute :o)


Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors!
~ Louisa May Alcott

Encourage one another,
Donna

Friday Five from the Archives

Time for a little silly fun. The Friday five site has closed so I searched around and found one I liked. I do not know what the kabalarians site is all about...just ignore the philosophy and see if your name describes you. Mine was eerily right on.

The Name Game

1. Is the name you have now the same name that's on your birth certificate? If not, what's changed?

My last name has changed.

2. If you could change your name (first, middle and/or last), what would it be?

I love the name Hope. So I'll be Hope from now on :o)


3. Why were you named what you were? (Is there a story behind it? Who specifically was responsible for naming you?)

I think I am named after a friend of my mother's

4. Are there any names you really hate or love? What are they and why?

For some reason I love names like; Hope, Faith, and Grace. And then there are the L's; Lucy, Libby, Lily...my imaginary triplets.

5. Is the analysis of your name at kabalarians.com accurate? How or how isn't it?

Very accurate.

___________

Answered Prayer

Our Matthew has been home for three weeks and has been sluggish about looking for a job. Last Friday I said, "Matthew, you need to have a job by the end of next week." Harrumph.

We added a work request to the dinner-time prayer on Sunday night. :o)
Monday he went and picked up an application at a gas station.
Tuesday at gymnastics a friend asked if the boys were home from school and did they need jobs. ( Her husband owns a fencing company and they are hiring.)
You betcha!
Two more days went by...and yesterday morning Matthew spoke to the manager of the fencing company on the phone, went to speak with him in person and came home with a job!
He left for his first day on the job this morning at 7:00am...yawn...

Now I know some may think this is just a coincidence. But I don't.

'Praise God from whom all blessings flow.'

Encourage one another,
Donna

My Martha



Fabulous Fhoto by My Martha. Not The Martha.

I met My Martha long before The Martha had made the scene. When we first met in the nursery at the YMCA she said, "Hi I'm Martha, like Martha Washington."

Last week My Martha sent me a sweet care package and notecard with the above photo on it. A simple idea with great results.
I ought to do this! Thanks for another great idea Martha! I miss you!

Oh and by the way...she is not just My Martha :o) She is loved and adored by her family and many friends...all around the country.

___________

I have wanted to share this poem since I have had my little blog. But I have not had a neat tie-in. As summer arrives and guests come for visits, perhaps now is a good time. Elisabeth Elliot had a plaque on the wall in their family vacation home with this poem on it.

These Guests

Sleep sweetly in this quiet room,
O thou whoe'er thou art,
and let no mournful yesterdays
disturb thy peaceful heart.
Nor let tomorrow scare thy rest
with thought of coming ill.
Thy Maker is thy changeless friend,
His love surrounds thee still.
Forget thyself and all the world,
put out each feverish light;
the stars are watching overhead.
Sleep sweetly, then, good-night.

Isn't that pretty?
zzzzzzzzz

Donna

Snap out of it!

Oh, where? Oh where? is your gentle spirit?
Oh, where? Oh where? did it go?

Mine has been lost for a week or so now. I noticed it was gone yesterday.
I'm sure it's around here someplace.

As Susan Schaeffer Macaulay is fond of saying,
'We live in a fallen world, and we are fallen people.'

You betcha!

"To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing."
1 Peter 3:8

Giving a blessing instead. I may find my gentle spirit in doing thus.

Come out, come out, wherever you are,
Donna

Encouraging Words for Moms

I am re-reading A Mom Just Like You by Vickie Farris and her daughter Jayme Farris Metzgar. I read this book quickly the first time around and passed it on to a friend.
At the homeschooling convention I was drawn to buy it again.

"When people ask us how we can be productive for God if we are saddled with all these children, we need to remember that God is the one who brings about spiritual productivity. I believe we modern believers would do well to relearn the truth of 1 Corinthians 3:7. "So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth." Far too often we act as if we are in control of the growth of God's Kingdom. But He simply calls us to faithfully sow, water, and harvest, and to leave the results up to Him. We do the work we are assigned to do; God gives the increase."

"Our kids are taught, fed, and bathed; but so what? Little do we know that these simple acts of service are enriching the 'soil" of our children's lives to produce a tremendous harvest. God has a way of using our service in ways we couldn't expect-and could never have imagined."

Yup.

All I need to do when I feel discouraged is to read a bit of clear writing that encourages me to 'give it to God, do it for God and remember that it is in His capable Hands.'

Thanks Vicki Farris.



-Artwork by Albert Popa courtesy of Art.com

"If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as if our hard work ain't been in vain for nothing."
-Guess Who?

An interesting and inspiring article by Heidi Bratton can be found here.
Heidi is a good friend of my sisters, Janice and Janet.
Heidi has a new book out called Making Peace with Motherhood.
I'd like to have that on my shelves too :o)

Keep up the good work!
Donna