Pat Conroy and some beans

First I will share a baked bean recipe with you. Sometimes I just like to eat baked beans. I don't know if it is the salt or the sugar...or both. Maybe my body is calling for fiber or the silly things are on sale. This time it was the later.
We encounter huge display as we entered the store.

.99 cents a can.

So I grabbed two.

Later that night as I whipped up some delicious canned ravioli (they all like it) for the children, I made myself some beans. I knew Paula Deen would have a bean recipe in her cookbook The Lady and Sons and she did.

I found a doozy :o)

Southern Baked Beans

1/2 pound bacon
1 large onion, diced
One 16-ounce can pork and beans
3 T. yellow mustard
5 T. maple syrup
4 T. ketchup

Preheat oven- 325 degrees
Fry bacon. Saute onion in bacon grease. Combine bacon, onion beans, mustard, syrup and ketchup. Bake until hot. (The recipe says to cover...I didn't and they were fine)

These are very yummy baked beans. I mixed them right in the 8x8 pan I cooked them in. Only messy part was frying the bacon.

Good beans!


I am still reading Pat Conroy's cookbook. I needed to borrow it again from the library. It is a charming book.

since you are not here for me to read thus out loud to you I will post it :o)
I would much rather read it out loud to you tho!


On arriving home with a newborn daughter, Pat has a talk with his older adopted children;

"Pat, the girls are worried you won't love them as much now that Megan's been born," my mother said. "It's natural. You just need to reassure them."

I found the girls on the couch in the living room. They ran to me, and I took them up in my arms...

"Peg says you two need to talk to me," I said.

"The girls looked at each other, and the Woo nodded for Jessica to speak.

"Do you like Megan more than us?" Jessica was up front.

"Nah," I said. "Have you seen her? She cries all the time. Poops in her britches. It's awful. I don't know how we are going to survive this one."

"But she's your real child," Jessica continued. "And me and the Woo aren't"

"No girls. I got a piece of paper saying you're my real kids. And I had to pay a lot of money to get those adoption papers."

"You love us that much?" the Woo asked. "More than Megan?"

More," I said. "I love you a lot more."

"Why?" both girls asked.

"Because I've known both of you a lot longer." I said. "Megan's a pain in the butt. She can't even talk. Can you believe that? And she's so dumb, she doesn't even know I'm her daddy."

"She's just a baby," Jessica said, defending her sister's honor.

"We've got a lot of work to do," I told her. "We've got to make Megan as nice and smart as you two girls."

The family is a big focus in many of Pat Conroy's books. The Prince of Tides and Beach Music both center around families and siblings. The movie The Great Santini has one of the greatest, most memorable father's in all cinema. And some very tender moments between mother and son.

I can't remember Beach Music very well. But I can recommend The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini as fabulous books. Perfect summer reads!

And Pat Conroy's Cookbook. It's funny and sweet and well written.

Try those beans. And a Pat Conroy book!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Every since I first spotted this site I have been intrigued by it.
It is called 100 words.

Some blogger/writers commit to writing exactly 100 words every day.
No more, no less.
Don't you think if would be fun to have a 100 word Blog-day?
A day when we would all write a post that is exactly 100 words. It can be anything you want it to be. Just limit the words.
Who wants to try?
When might be a good day to try this?

Go to the website and check it out!

Send your ideas!

Encourage one another,
Donna

My head is fuzzy.
I don't like what I wrote this morning.
It took me just under two hours to write an inane blog.

What is that?

Maybe I am coming down with something.

Emma has had a sore throat for week. No other symptoms.
Weird, huh?

We will push liquids, vitamin C and Astragalus today and see if that helps.

She's so quiet and uncomplaining that I didn't know she was unwell for days.

Not at all like me.
I would probably mention it every time I swallowed.

Any thoughts on the summer time sore throat?

Thanks
Donna

Go out and look at the planets tonight!!!


"This week star gazers will be able to witness a rare cosmic event, with three planets lining up in a "twilight" display, which can be seen without the aid of telescopes."

Read about it here:


http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200506/s1400924.htm


Hope your sky is clear!

Happy Viewing,

Donna

"Mom, come and take this quiz!" Emma called.

"Just as soon as I finish this." I yelled back. I was making Chicken a la King and Creamy Pasta salad for dinner.

So I took the quiz and well...what a shock ;o)

You Are a Golden Retriever Puppy

Tolerant, fun-loving, and patient. You are eager to please - and attached to your frisbee.

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

After dinner we went to the Union at the University of Wisconsin. It is on the lake and we like to go and feed the ducks. Most everyone else like to go and drink beer.




This is one of the famous Union Terrace chairs.

They have a giant orange one that Katie got to climb up on.
Very Edith Ann like. (Edith Ann was on Laugh-in)

Katie has Make Believe Theatre class starting this morning! She is beyond excited!
I am so happy for her to have something very special to do.

Better get ready!

Encourage one another,
Donna

The actors who voiced Tigger and Piglet died on Saturday.
Isn't that odd.

They were very distinct voices weren't they.

So-long.

The most wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is, I'm the only one.

Who ho ho ho.

You already know.

PEOPLE cannot become perfect by dint of hearing or reading about perfection. The chief thing is not to listen to yourself, but silently to listen to God. Talk little and do much, without caring to be seen. God will teach you more than all the most experienced persons or the most spiritual books can do. You already know a great deal more than you practice. You do not need the acquirement of fresh knowledge half so much as to put in practice that which you already possess.

FRANCOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON
1651-1715

I love to find the old quotes that are still completely relevant.

Encourage one another,
Donna

Oh dear I don't have a thing to say this morning...

Let's see what spills out.

Mr. J is coming to finish the work on the lovely sliding door this morning so I better get out of my jammies soon.
I had a wonderful visit with Jeaneen yesterday afternoon. We sat and talked and watched the children swim. Katie slipped and went underwater and scared herself...but she survived and was able to continue swimming.
The girls and I are going to a Mother-Daughter Tea this afternoon. Dear Kris P. has be trying to arrange this for four or five months. I think I will run to La Brioche and pick up some petite fors. We are asked to bring 'tea party' food. And I am don't have a recipe for something like that...so off the the bakery I go.
We will finally watch The Station Agent tonight. Hope it's good.

Patrick was outside puttering and called into the house, "Donna, if you can find a dog like this, we can get one."
So I jumped up to look out the window to see what kind of dog he was watching walk by.

It was a lovely light colored Golden Retriever.

"It's a Golden Retriever, ask him (the man walking the dog) where he got it!"

no response.

When Patrick came in the house I said, 'that's a very expensive dog....and that we would have to wait for his next bonus to get a dog like that...'

"We're not spending bonus money on a dog!"

Yeah....

But I have a glimmer of hope.





Better Run,

Do you have the dream of a dog?

Donna

I know what you're thinking. (sisters) 'Why don't you shave your legs?!'







Why... It's not me :o)
It's Matthew our hard working 20 year old. He has already put in 49 hours this week.

Me last night- Matthew, don't take those socks camping this weekend, okay. It took me two weeks to knit them and I don't want them covered with mud and ruined.

Ain't fittin', just ain't fittin'.

Guess what we finished watching last night?
Oh, that is one wonderful movie! (Gone with the Wind) As I was watching the movie I turned to Emma and said, "This movie should have been called Pride and Prejudice."
Think about it.

Do you think Scarlett and Rhett will find their way back to one another?
I do.



Friday Five

1. Name three songs summer songs.
2. Who is your favorite cinematic couple?
3. Could you deliver someone's baby?
4. How many times have you seen Gone with the Wind?
5. Have you ever tried Minute Maid Raspberry Lemonade?


Can you tell I was drawing a blank on that last question?
Are your eyes ever so blurring in the morning, that even your glasses don't help?
Weird.


Here is a clue to my favorite cinematic couple;

JOE: Sometimes I wonder...

KATHLEEN: What?

JOE: If I hadn't been Foxbooks and you hadn't been The Shop Around the Corner and we'd just met --

KATHLEEN: Don't.

JOE: I would have asked for your phone number and I wouldn't have been able to wait 24 hours before calling and asking, "How about coffee, drinks, dinner, a movie, for as long as we both shall live?"

I'm off to clear my eyes.

Encourage one another,
Donna

The Library

Yesterday afternoon we ran our daily errands. Not a whole lot to do....cause it's summer! (And let me tell you they have a joke about summer here in Wisconsin.
Well, it's not really a joke it's an exaggeration. But not too far from the truth.

Summer lasts from July 1st to Aug. 15th.
Six weeks...that's usually it.

Last summer we did not have one day that hit 90 degrees. We have already hit that nice warm mark this summer. And on that day the Weather-man on the radio said, "The last time we had 90 degrees was in Aug of 2003."

Wow.

So that's what all the excitement is about; summer and warm weather and swimming ponds and light evenings....they are precious to us here in the North!

The mosquito's have not hatched here yet. Which is very good.
And the humidity must still be in Missouri or Georgia...cause it hasn't reached this far North yet.

But it will come this summer, I'm sure.
Then we will melt like frosty the snowman.

We will then glory in the Fall breezes that float in on those late August evenings.

But until then....we're going to the pool!

Oh yes, the library...I was going to tell you about the library. Oops.

So we went to the Movie Gallery and returned Hitch; which was cute.
I think my favorite part of the movie was the very end when the main characters dance the Soul Train line dance at a wedding. Fun-nee!

I just love watching anyone dance. Even comedians. They crack me up. I am sure this is a hold-over to my childhood when I thought Jerry Lewis was hysterical. Have you seen him dance! Wacky!


Then we went to the library. Emma finished Gone with the Wind early in the day and wanted to watch the movie. They had it on the shelf at our library. I picked up two cookbooks, a book by Peter Kreeft, the movie Station Agent (which I have been waiting for, for five months) and the most darling little 'magazine' published by the International Wildlife Federation called Animal Baby.

Very sweet...perfect for Katie.




She on the other hand has a unique way of choosing books. She is a very visual child. I choose a book and hold it up with enthusiasm and she shakes her head 'no'.
She chooses a book that looks just right to her...and I think 'what a weird book'.

So we came home with a book about boats. ( Something about those pictures called her name ;o)

I, being the wise mother, checked out Animal Baby. Ya know, we mom's know some things too!

After that we ran to Mad Cat to buy their cat litter and stopped by the Dairy Queen which is in the same strip mall. Emma and I shared a Mocha Moolatte and Katie had a blue slushie.

We know how to run errands! Don't we?

What a life!

Encourage one another,
Donna

AFI's 100 BEST Quotes

I am so sorry I didn't know about this in time to warn the two people who might be interested in this show!

I love this sort of thing :o)


1
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
GONE WITH THE WIND
1939

2
I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
THE GODFATHER
1972

3
You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.
ON THE WATERFRONT
1954

4
Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
1939

5
Here's looking at you, kid.
CASABLANCA
1942

6
Go ahead, make my day.
SUDDEN IMPACT
1983

7
All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.
SUNSET BLVD.
1950

8
May the Force be with you.
STAR WARS
1977

9
Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night.
ALL ABOUT EVE
1950

10
You talking to me?
TAXI DRIVER
1976

11
What we've got here is failure to communicate.
COOL HAND LUKE
1967

12
I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
APOCALYPSE NOW
1979

13
Love means never having to say you're sorry.
LOVE STORY
1970

14
The stuff that dreams are made of.
THE MALTESE FALCON
1941

15
E.T. phone home.
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
1982

16
They call me Mister Tibbs!
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT
1967

17
Rosebud.
CITIZEN KANE
1941

18
Made it, Ma! Top of the world!
WHITE HEAT
1949

19
I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!
NETWORK
1976

20
Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
CASABLANCA
1942

21
A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
1991

22
Bond. James Bond.
DR. NO
1962

23
There's no place like home.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
1939

24
I am big! It's the pictures that got small.
SUNSET BLVD.
1950

25
Show me the money!
JERRY MAGUIRE
1996

26
Why don't you come up sometime and see me?
SHE DONE HIM WRONG
1933

27
I'm walking here! I'm walking here!
MIDNIGHT COWBOY
1969

28
Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'
CASABLANCA
1942

29
You can't handle the truth!
A FEW GOOD MEN
1992

30
I want to be alone.
GRAND HOTEL
1932

31
After all, tomorrow is another day!
GONE WITH THE WIND
1939

32
Round up the usual suspects.
CASABLANCA
1942

33
I'll have what she's having.
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY
1989

34
You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT
1944

35
You're gonna need a bigger boat.
JAWS
1975

36
Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!
THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE
1948

37
I'll be back.
THE TERMINATOR
1984

38
Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES
1942

39
If you build it, he will come.
FIELD OF DREAMS
1989

40
Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
FORREST GUMP
1994

41
We rob banks.
BONNIE AND CLYDE
1967

42
Plastics.
THE GRADUATE
1967

43
We'll always have Paris.
CASABLANCA
1942

44
I see dead people.
THE SIXTH SENSE
1999

45
Stella! Hey, Stella!
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1951

46
Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars.
NOW, VOYAGER
1942

47
Shane. Shane. Come back!
SHANE
1953

48
Well, nobody's perfect.
SOME LIKE IT HOT
1959

49
It's alive! It's alive!
FRANKENSTEIN
1931

50
Houston, we have a problem.
APOLLO 13
1995

51
You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?
DIRTY HARRY
1971

52
You had me at "hello."
JERRY MAGUIRE
1996

53
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know.
ANIMAL CRACKERS
1930

54
There's no crying in baseball!
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
1992

55
La-dee-da, la-dee-da.
ANNIE HALL
1977

56
A boy's best friend is his mother.
PSYCHO
1960

57
Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.
WALL STREET
1987

58
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
THE GODFATHER II
1974

59
As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.
GONE WITH THE WIND
1939

60
Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!
SONS OF THE DESERT
1933

61
Say "hello" to my little friend!
SCARFACE
1983

62
What a dump.
BEYOND THE FOREST
1949

63
Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?
THE GRADUATE
1967

64
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!
DR. STRANGELOVE
1964

65
Elementary, my dear Watson.
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
1929

66
Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape.
PLANET OF THE APES
1968

67
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
CASABLANCA
1942

68
Here's Johnny!
THE SHINING
1980

69
They're here!
POLTERGEIST
1982

70
Is it safe?
MARATHON MAN
1976

71
Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!
THE JAZZ SINGER
1927

72
No wire hangers, ever!
MOMMIE DEAREST
1981

73
Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?
LITTLE CAESAR
1930

74
Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown.
CHINATOWN
1974

75
I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1951

76
Hasta la vista, baby.
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
1991

77
Soylent Green is people!
SOYLENT GREEN
1973

78
Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
1968

79
Striker: Surely you can't be serious.

Rumack: I am seriousÂ…and don't call me Shirley.
AIRPLANE!
1980

80
Yo, Adrian!
ROCKY
1976

81
Hello, gorgeous.
FUNNY GIRL
1968

82
Toga! Toga!
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE
1978

83
Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.
DRACULA
1931

84
Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.
KING KONG
1933

85
My precious.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TWO TOWERS
2002

86
Attica! Attica!
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
1975

87
Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!
42ND STREET
1933

88
Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor. Don't you forget it. You're going to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go!
ON GOLDEN POND
1981

89
Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper.
KNUTE ROCKNE ALL AMERICAN
1940

90
A martini. Shaken, not stirred.
GOLDFINGER
1964

91
Who's on first.
THE NAUGHTY NINETIES
1945

92
Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!
CADDYSHACK
1980

93
Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!
AUNTIE MAME
1958

94
I feel the need - the need for speed!
TOP GUN
1986

95
Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.
DEAD POETS SOCIETY
1989

96
Snap out of it!
MOONSTRUCK
1987

97
My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you.
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
1942

98
Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
DIRTY DANCING
1987

99
I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!
WIZARD OF OZ, THE
1939

100
I'm king of the world!
TITANIC
1997


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

A few on that list I did not know. My new favorite is;

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!

That's pretty funny.

Do you want to hear the oddest thing? In 1971-72 when I was in eighth grade at Edison Junior High School in Wheaton Illinois someone decided to show this movie to the entire 8th grade. We sat in the auditorium, in the dark, on a bright day and watched Dr. Strangelove. Talk about weird. Did someone have an agenda in little ole Wheaton back in the day? Of all the movies to show 8th graders that is probably
the wierdestt. I don't remember a thing about it other than not understanding it.

Is it worth watching as an adult? The above line sure is funny.

Speaking of 'anti-war' movies, have you seen the movie War Games?
Now that is a great movie!

Jennifer: He wasn't very old, was he?
David Lightman: Oh, he was pretty old, he was 41.
Jennifer: Wow, that is old.

Joshua: A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?

I get the chills at the end of that movie. Very exciting!


If your favorite quote is not on the list, check out the AFI website and they have a list of 400 nominated quotes. I wonder if "He hates these cans!" will be on the long list?

One more thing the film clips were great teasers. I think I will rent All About Eve as I don't think I have every seen that whole movie.

And to tell the truth, in my opinion, 'There's no place like home' should have been first. Not 23rd.

Anybody still with me here? he he he

Have a great Summer day!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Kim at Upward Call has written an excellent piece on bitterness. Click here to read.

Just yesterday the chapter I was reading in Called to be his Help Meet mentioned the effects of a bitter heart. It really does start small and grow like a nasty weed. Before you know it the weeds have taken over the garden.

Guard your hearts, young ones...

The weeds are much easier to pick when they are small and few.

We're to be tenderhearted, forgiving, and kind. The only way to prevent bitterness is to let go of whatever is causing the bitterness. It means we must accept what God has for us, and trust Him. It means that we must forgive those who have hurt us.
Kim

That's the key. Forgive, forgive, forgive.

Even when the offender doesn't deserve it. Especially when the offender doesn't deserve it.

And I translate forgiving to mean; giving it to God to deal with. Not keeping it for yourself. Forgiving doesn't mean 'it's okay'. No. It does not.

Sometimes we have to forgive often.
Sometimes we have to forgive for the same offense.
Just keep trying.
Our hearts sometimes lag behind our heads and intentions.
( And those roots can be very deep...and a little be gets left behind...to grow again)

Practice forgiveness with the little things.
Let go of bitter feelings as soon as they start to blossom.

It sounds like a lot of work.
It is a lot of work.

But it is so worth it!


Encourage one another,
Donna

The Name Game


I am having as much fun naming my buttonhole bags as I have knitting them.
Above you see The Honeypot buttonhole and The Sunflower buttonhole.
I knit the one with the brown on top and the brown on the bottom first. It was going to be The Sunflower when I chose the yarn.
Emma said it looked like a bear to her.
I thought.... Charlie Brown.
Emma....honeypot.

So I knit another buttonhole bag with more yellow.
And named it The Honeypot.

The above picture is not the best because my camera's battery is pooping out.

I will have better pictures up at Sweet Pea Knits later on today.


We finally made it to the beach yesterday. Our town has a small park with a swimming hole. And, trust me, it's just a swimming hole.

The pond is surrounded by nice big maples. This is especially nice for those of us who just want to read in the shade and keep an eye on our little ones.
Katie ran back and forth, from the sandy beach to her towel on the grassy hill for two hours.

We were surprised how quite it was at Fireman's Park. The weather was perfect.
Hey, you can even bring carry-ins!
Big bonus with children along....
Yeah...who am I kidding...I love being able to bring my Diet Dr. Pepper with me to the pool :o)

Patrick came by for a few minutes...just to be nice.
He is not a sun tan sort of guy.
Air conditioning and watching the US Open are more his speed.

Emma continues to read Gone with the Wind.

I am reading Created to be his Help Meet by Debi Pearl.
It is a Biblical look at at a woman's role in marriage.
My friend and I will be using this book in a small Bible study this summer.
I can't wait to get started!

In the past I have read and done Bible Studies with The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace and Loving Your Husband by Cynthia Heald.
Debi's book is more thorough than Loving your husband and has a more casual tone than The Excellent Wife.

I do however recommend all three books for those of you interested in books with information about a Biblical marriage.

Do you have any favorite 'marriage' books?


That's about all for this morning...
I am starting a Strawberry Milkshake buttonhole bag today :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

As I tip-toed down the stairs this morining carrying a box from Marshall Fields and three unsigned cards, I could hear Patrick reading out loud. And there they were, Katie cuddled in on her daddy's lap. What a wonderful sight.
A loving daddy and his happy adoring daughter.

I wish you could see how she looks at Patrick.
It's something that sticks in your heart.



Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father.
Lydia M. Child


Why is it that I feel the blessed one?


Happy Father's Day, Dads!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Bam Bam Bam

We are having a sliding door replaced today. My friends father, Mr. Jackson, is hammering and sawing and prying! Whoever put the original door in should work for National Security cause this baby is tight and does not want to budge!

Patrick Sr. is so curious and loves watching! He is like a little kid.

I doubt either of the big kids can sleep through this :o)

Too much going on to write.

Imagine that :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

Friday Feast


Appetizer
What's one word or phrase that you use a lot?

Soup
Name something you always seem to put off until the last minute.

Salad
What is your favorite poem? Do you know it by heart?

Main Course
If you could be invisible for one day, how would you spend your time?

Dessert
Suggest a website you think readers of Quiet Life my enjoy.


********


I have been asked to write an article about children blogging.
Does your child have a blog? Have you found it a beneficial tool?
Any thoughts on this topic? Thanks for your input :o)


********

Are you planning anything special for Father's Day?

We bought cards...but do not have gifts yet.

Perhaps I will make lasagne, Patrick's favorite.

That sounds like a good start.

*********

Favorite poem? It is difficult to choose.
I love this poem. I know some of it by heart.


A Prayer for Her Children:
(From “Toward Jerusalem.” p. 106)

"Father hear us, we are praying,
Hear the words our hearts are saying,
We are praying for our children.

Keep them from the powers of evil,
From the secret, hidden peril,
From the whirlpool that would suck them,
From the treacherous quicksand pluck them.

From the worldling’s hollow gladness,
From the sting of faithless sadness,
Holy Father, save our children.

Through life’s troubled waters steer them,
Through life’s bitter battle steer them,
Father, Father, be Thou near them.
Read the language of our longing,
Read the wordless pleading thronging,
Holy Father, for our children

And wherever they may bide,
Lead them Home at eventide."

-Amy Charmichael


Encourage one another,
Donna

Off to Work



Emma's first day at Old Navy.
Doesn't she look small in that big ole car?

Emma is reading Gone with the Wind.
I couldn't be happier with her choice :o)
Gone with the Wind was one of the first grown up books that I read and loved. My Aunt Betty gave me the hardback in 1975.

You don't know how hard it is to discuss the book with Emma and not give away upcoming secrets.

I keep saying, "What's happening now?"


She is carrying the book around the house reading at all hours...this is how I know the story has grabbed her imagination.

Isn't that the best!

A book so good you can't put it down and you tote it around the house all day!

*********

Oh...before I forget.

Dear Dana,

How do you pick out a delicious peach?

The peaches I pick out at the store are more often than not icky.

I cut one up for Katie yesterday and it was hard and dry.

I think a juicy peach is one of the most delicious fruits...but I have the hardest time finding one!

Any pointers?

Donna

**********

I started another buttonhole bag last night.
It is a Sunflower Buttonhole bag.

I don't know if anyone else will think it is cute...but I sure do.


And I have finished one tip-top cotton summer sock and have started the second. Guess who wants them.

Matthew.

I will post pictures of both when they are finished.

Soon...very soon.

*******

What was the first grown up book that you remember reading?

What was the last book you couldn't put down?

Encourage one another,
Donna

Morning Meme

Julie D. said that I was most likely to do this quiz. And she was right!


What is your full name: Donna Elsie Booba

What color trousers are you wearing right now? none-still in my pink jammies

What are you listening to right now: The wind is rushing through the pines.

What are the last 2 digits of your phone number: 44

What did you eat last? Matthew came home from work at 8:00pm after a 12 hour day, so I sent Emma to Culvers to buy him some fried cheese curds. I had some too.

If you were a crayon what color would you be? red

How is the weather right now? It is the most perfect Wisconsin morning. The sun is bright, the wind is blowing and the temps are in the 60's.

Last person you talked to on the phone? Patrick Sr. I call him from the grocery store last night to make sure I was buying all of the ingredients for the Garden Pasta Salad.

First thing you notice about the opposite sex? Smile

Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes, very much. She is smart, funny and full of faith. My three favorite qualities.

How are you today? Excellent

Favorite Drink? Always and forever, Diet Dr. Pepper

Favorite Alcoholic drink? no thank you

Favorite Sport? Green Bay Packers Football

Hair Color? Brown

Eye Color? green

Do you wear contacts or glasses? I wear cheaters now that I am over 43. I'm up to #1.75.

Siblings? 1 brother, 5 sisters

Favorite Month? I'll say June...cause this year it's been fabulous

Favorite Food? Roast Beef Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. I have not had this in a very long time. But our mother made the most delicious gravy in the world. It was dark brown and perfect.

Last Movie you watched? MIB 2. It was on tv.

Favorite Day of the Year? My birthday!

Are you shy? Nope!

Summer or winter? Summer

Hugs or Kisses? Kisses on the cheeks

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

Do you want your friends to write back? Always!

Who is most likely to respond? Oh gee...who usually does these meme's...I'll say Laney.

Who is least likely to respond? MFS :o)

What books are you reading? Operating Instructions.

What’s on your mouse pad? Don't use one

Favorite Smell? Coconutty smelling sun tan lotion. Fresh Air (I'm like a dog in a car-head out sniffing away), roses, a baby's head. I love smells.

What did you do last night? Played tennis, goofed around on the computer (US Map game), knit, and watched a little tv.


How's that for a meme!


Janet- Whole wheat pasta does not taste much different than white flour pastas.
I have used spagetti and macaroni and they passed the picky test at our house :o)


Feel free to answer whatever questions you would like in the comments box, share some memories or take this to your blog for an easy post for today ;o)


Encourage one another,
Donna Elsie Booba

If heaven has weather...

it will feel like this evening.

73°F
Wind: SW at 13 mph
Humidity: 65%



Ahhhhh......

Eating Well Does it again!

I have never been so impressed with a magazine as I am with Eating Well.
Here is the recipe for Creamy Pasta Salad that is in their June/July 2005 issue.

Garden Salad Pasta

2 cups whole-wheat rotini (6 ounces)
1 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 T. olive oil (extra-virgin...cold pressed...yada yada)
1 T. red-wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 t. salt
Pepper to taste
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup diced yellow or red bell pepper (one small)
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1/3 cup slivered basil

Boil and drain pasta. Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, oil, vinegar( or lemon juice), garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth.
Add tomatoes, bell pepper, carrots, scallions, olives, and basil; toss.

The original version of a salad like this has 393 calories per cup, this salad has only 205 calories per cup.

Doesn't that sound wonderful!


A very sweet lady who comments here regularly has started a blog of her own.
She goes by Sandy C. Why not go over there and say hello and give her a little encouragement for starting her own blog!
Her blog is called Maple Grove




And for the one or two of you who watch television out there...
There is a summer reality show called The Scholar on Monday nights.

Why am I telling you this?

Well...it's pretty good AND a homeschool boy is in the running to win a full scholarship at a college.

Last night the homeschool boy, Scot, made his way into the final challenge of the night and won $50,000. He said this was more than his father made in two years.

He now has a spot in the finale.

A very interesting part of the show is that three guidance counselors choose who should get to be in the final challenge and hearing the things that impressed them was insightful.

Although, one of the counselors made a dumb comment about Scot. "Gee...duh...he is fitting in so well with the other kids...ya know, the ones who went to public school...I thought he would have a social problem...er..."

You show 'em Scot.

Let me know it you try the salad!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Spur of the Moment

We are not spur of the moment types of people around here. We don't pack a lot into a day. One activity a weekend is just fine by most of us.
One golf round or one trip to the zoo or one movie or one meal out to eat; that sort of thing.

So yesterday when the guys ( Patrick Sr. Patrick Jr. and Matthew) came home from their nine holes of golf, Matthew stated that he really wanted to go to see the Blue Angels in Janesville.

The Blue Angels would be flying at 3:00.

So we jumped in the cars and dashed to Janesville. (one hour away) We parked near the airport and stood on a grassy spot just off HWY 51 and watched the Blue Angels from the end of the runway.

Man what a great view.

Ya know why? The F-18's flew right over our heads to make their passes in front of the airshow crowd.



The amazing things about F-18's is that you can't hear them coming.
They make the most remarkable, roar as they pass.
We love it!

Here is a website about the BlueAngels

Be sure to check out if they will be performing near you. I can't encourage you enough to go and see these wonderful planes and their brilliant pilots.

And the FAQ page is filled with many interesting facts about the Blue Angels.

Wouldn't your child enjoy a unit study on the Blue Angels?


And then we came home to sing Happy Birthday to Patrick Sr.



Happy Birthday to You-oooooo!


Today I will take it easy and putter around the house.

Did you have a good weekend? Any highlights you'd like to share?

Encourage one another,
Donna

Colossians 3:12-14


So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.


What a beautiful passage to guide us!

Encourage one another,
Donna

How about those colors?

This fabric was calling my name at the fabric store the other day.
Really, I wasn't looking for fabric. I was in search if some size One double pointed needles. But this was just so purdy! I had to buy it.
Now, will I set up the sewing machine and the cutting board and the ruler and cutters...will I make a little quilt of this?

Your guess is as good as mine.

If I buy two more packets of fabric I will have enough for a twin quilt top.

The boys have hand made quilts, but the girls don't yet....

Something to think about.

Check out Amy Butler, her amazing website, patterns and fabrics.

********

Amy at Good Soil is blogging again. She is such an amazing woman that you just have to go and see what she is up to this summer.

I want to live in Amy's neighborhood...don't you?

Donna

Friday Feast


Appetizer - What is the worst movie you've ever seen?

Soup - Name something that reminds you of your childhood.

Salad - If you had to live in a large city, which one would you want it to be?

Main Course - What's a "big word" you like to use to impress people?

Dessert - Describe your hairstyle.





I love to think of my childhood. I really do.
Reminiscing is one of my favorite things :o)

Last night the big kids and I watched a small fireworks display at the end of a road at the top of a little hill. We took a blanket and bug spray along.
We watched the fireworks and talked of other nights with fireworks displays.

We talked and giggled and drove home with a new memory under our belts.

I remember going to the fireworks with our relatives in Mt. Prospect Illinois.
There was a Ferris wheel and a small carnival on one end of a huge field and the fireworks shooting off in the other direction. As we sat watching the fireworks, Cindy laid on her tummy looking behind us at the lighted Ferris wheel. The whole time. She was mesmerized. (That word is a family joke...we teased our mother terribly for using the word mesmerized.)

As we piled in the station wagons after the fireworks, we were stuck in one of those terrible traffic jams. Our father and his brothers, Mel and Don, got out of the cars and started directing traffic!

They were so funny! I can almost hear my mother giggling and saying, 'Oh, Jim!'




Have a great weekend and make some new memories...ones that will make you all smile in 30 years :o)

Donna

Year end follow-up!

I love to look back at the end of a school year and assess the winners and losers.

So what were the winners and losers around the Booshay House?

Losers-
Sorry to say, it was The Potter's School Online English course taken by Emma. The amount of diagramming was oppressive! The format of sitting at the computer for 1 1/2 hours was boring for Emma. And the papers were not graded in a timely fashion.
The materials used were good. Jane Eyre to Shakespeare's Caesar.
I liked the assigned papers and interesting grading system. I think Emma's writing improved this year. Of course I am delighted by this.
But they did recommend a dictionary (which I went out and bought) that was not used once. Bummer. Big waste of money.

Winners-
Math U See Geometry was a great success. While I am not sure it is as thourough as some other Geometry programs...it was excellent for our family. Emma was able to do her Geometry on her own with the book and DVD. The pace was perfect for her.
I recommend it if you need a general Geometry course.

Chemistry with Apoligia and a wonderful tutor. Big hit.
Challenging, educational and impressive.
We were so impressed with our tutor that Emma will take Biology with Miz Beck next fall.

The Soccer team was a blast!'
And the homeschool choir (Flame) was a blessing in many ways.
Driver's Ed. was a success :o) Considering she passed her test and can now drive!

I'll let Emma tell you what she liked best about this year including her favorite book.

For little Miss Katie Gracie...

She loves to cut and paste.
Her cutting has improved very much in a year.

She likes the books; Are you my Mother?, One Fish, Two Fish and Frog and Toad.
Gymnastics class was the highlight of her week.
She can now do a pull over on the bar!
She also loved Children's Choir at her friend Leonie's church.

And she learned how to knit.

********

How was your school year?
I'd love to hear about it!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Teacher of the Year! Ha.

Last week I looked through The Well Trained Mind list of Great Books for 10th grade. Check...check...check...
Emma has had a very full year reading books.

Maybe we can fit in one more book from this list before we break for summer, I think to myself.

The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser.
That sounds nice.

I think I have seen a children's version of that book illustrated by Mary Englbreit.
But I also seem to think it is a challenging book. No idea why I think this...but it is in my head. Well I'll just order it from the library along with the Cliff notes.

Monday arrives along with it the Cilff notes for The Faerie Queen.
I ask Emma to start reading the Cilff notes so she has an idea what the book will be about.

Saturday I run to the library to pick up another arm full of interlibrary loan books. The librarian plops down four books. Three sweet little books by Thornton Burgess for Katie and a big fat paperback of the Faerie Queen.

Oh my goodness, I say to the librarian, this is much too big. (It has over 1200 pages.) You can return it.

A book like that would take the whole summer to read. Yikes! Perhaps another time...with a teacher who knows what she is doing.

Emma will finish reading the Cliff Notes anyway.

Ah...life is full of surprises.

Here is a list of the books that Emma did read for her Great Books class.

Acts-Ephesians- The Bible
Confessions -Augustine
Beowulf
Life on a Medieval Barony-Davis
The Magna Carta-Daughtery
The Inferno- Dante
Gawain and the Green Knight
The Prince- Machiavelli
The Protestant Reformation with original writing by Erasmus, Luther, Calvin etc.
Utopia-More
Commentary on the Galatians-Luther
Julius Caesar-Shakespeare

So she isn't reading The Faerie Queene...
Another time perhaps.

Did you read those books in High School? I certainly didn't.
I was reading The Seventeenth Summer and watching Gilligan's Island!

Encourage one another,
Donna

List five things kids do that adults usually do not.


1. Hum while they are chewing. (Both of my boys did this when they were tiny and it was so sweet)

2. Say, "You can wipe me now!"

3. Color with chalk on the driveway.

4. Take gymnastics and learn how to do a cartwheel.

5. Depend on someone else to tell you the time. (And ask every ten minutes 'when is it time to go to gymnastics'...etc)





Writing that list made me realize how dependent children are on us...and how much joy they experience in their days.

Our children are so blessed.

Not all children have it so good.

It's easy to remember this at Christmas time when we are getting our Christmas Child boxes together...but in the beginning of a carefree summer the lost children don't come to mind as often as they should.



Dear Lord,

Be with the children who are lonely and afraid;

The children who don't have loving parents to take care of them.

Help me to remember them.

Draw them unto Thee.

God bless Francis ( our Compassion Int. child)

In Jesus name.

Amen


Do you do something special to remember unfortunate children throughout the year?
Tell us if you do. It won't be bragging. It might enlighten us to see some opportunities to serve that we haven't thought of before.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Happy Birthday gifts...a new record :o)

My sister Sue is a very generous and thoughtful gift giver!
One year she took our mother's vintage (okay, they were really old :o) fur coats and made pillows for all of us. Now, we all have a special memory of our parents. And I say parents because most of us can remember the Christmas that our mother received her beautiful white mink coat from our father.

Sue also made each of us a little book called Sisters as Friends. Inside she glued pictures of us. My book has mostly pictures of Sue and me.
I really treasure this little book.

And then there is my wonderful Fruit of the Spirit Plate!

So, imagine my surprise to receive a birthday gift in June!

My birthday is in September!
I'm getting ready for the count down.

Yes, Sue is generous and thoughtful...but she has won the grand prize as most tardy!
To tell you the truth, I didn't even remember that she had forgotten...but I bet it has bothered her since September.
So here is what she sent.



That yarn will make some funky socks!

Thank you Sue!

Here are my Kool-Aid, Knitterly Things socks! (From Knit Pixie)



I'm not sure if these socks are perfect enough to enter in the Walworth County fair...but they are in the running!

And can you believe you can dye socks with Kool-Aid! I have got to learn how do dye and spin my own yarn....some day!

So tell me, what is the best gift you have ever gotten?

Encourage one another,
Donna

********Birthday Gift Update*****

Well if you don't read the comments...

Sue's fabulous birthday gift is not nine months late, it is three months early!
She wins for Earliest Gift given!!!
I win for most ungrateful gift recipient because I can't even remember nine months back!!! Sue gave me two cookbooks...my favorite Paula Deen!
Duh.

I'm sorry Sue!

Better get those cards in the mail that I have sitting in a pile on my kitchen table.
Four birthday cards and three graduation cards.

Ugh!

Good thing we are the kind of family that finds this sort of thing very funny!

XXOO

Work and Play

Last night as Patrick and I were checking out at the grocery store we chatted with the young checkout boy. He complained that he was working on a Saturday. He felt he should be paid over time to work on a Saturday.

I just listened and smiled.

My husband said, "Most days, I'm just glad to have a job."

Wasn't that just the perfect thing to say to this kid?

Is work a necessary evil, even a curse? A Christian who spent many years in Soviet work camps, learning to know work at its most brutal, its most degrading and dehumanizing, testified that he took pride in it, did the best he could, worked to the limit of his strength each day. Why? Because he saw it as a gift from God, coming to him from the hand of God, the very will of God for him. He remembered that Jesus did not make benches and roofbeams and plow handles by means of miracles, but by means of saw, axe, and adze.

Wouldn't it make an astounding difference, not only in the quality of the work we do (in office, schoolroom, factory, kitchen or backyard), but also in our satisfaction, even our joy, if we recognized God's gracious gift in every single task, from making a bed or bathing a baby, to drawing a blueprint or selling a computer? If our children saw us doing "as heartily as unto the Lord" all the work we do, they would learn true happiness. Instead of feeling that they must be allowed to do what they like, they would learn to like what they do.

St. Ignatius Loyola prayed, "Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will."

-taken from Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot (bold emphasis mine)

And for those who are following Missouri High School baseball :o)

Congratulations to The Hickman High Kewpies...STATE CHAMPS!

Good work guys!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Emma finished her final exam with Potter's School yesterday. She will finish up reading The Protestant Revolution and The Faerie Queene and then she can be a care free girl for the rest of the summer.

Can you call your life carefree if you have a job at Old Navy?

Emma went to two interviews and came home with a job! And she drove herself to those interviews!

I think I am the one who will be having the carefree summer :o)

And ya know what...for our family a little rest is good for the body and soul.
( I will be good and ready to start our studies again in the fall!)

We will continue to read...but there will be lots more playtime
Outside in the lovely summer-time air.
To me it's a crime to waste a gorgeous day.

I need to fill up my tank with sunshine!

________________


Go Hickman High School Kewpies!!!

My nephew Steven is one of the pitchers on the Kewpie's Varsity baseball team.
They are playing for the STATE title today!
Sister Cindy (who comments here) and her husband are beyond excited!

The team has worked together well this year and have an impressive record of 26-2.
Cindy's son is 9-0 on the mound. Cool huh?

They are 'Goin' to the Ship. Baby!!!'

(Ship aka Championship :o)

GO KEWPIES!

Encourage one another...and play ball!
Donna

Friday Feast from the Archives

Appetizer
What movie soundtracks do you own?

Soup
How much cash do you usually carry with you?

Salad
Are you more comfortable around men or women? Why?

Main Course
What is the most mischievous thing you remember doing as a child?

Dessert
Who is the funniest member of your family?


North Country Cotton Baby Socks.
The best little sock pattern ever!!!

You must pick up some needles and try this pattern. It is so well written and clear, I know you can do it!

Here's the pattern

I have made these out of beautiful Hello Yarn Merino and Cascade's Stretchy Cotton Fixation.

If you or your children want to learn to knit socks...this is the pattern to try!
When you get to the toe...here are some great kitchener stitch directions.
Courtesy of Knitty/Kitchener




Okay then...

Don't forget to answer the questions today, I can't wait to see all the naughty things you'll did when you were little :o)

Wait to you hear mine. It's classic!

Encourage one another,
Donna

So sad

A young lady we have been praying for has died.
It's all I can think about this morning.

Please pray for her family. They are Christians and believe that Shelby is now with her Lord. But their grief must be very deep.
She was but twenty-two.

Shelby and the Kennedy family.

Name five things that you ARE crazy about that most people would think you're weird for.

So.... Five things I love for which I receive the most flak :o)



1. Homeschooling. (After 11 years I still get funny looks)
2. I love to watch tv.
3. I don't shave my legs nearly enough. (This is more something I do...which would drive my sister's crazy.)
4. I really love the Lord. (He is the most important thing in the world to me.)

"Christ is the Head of this house,
The unseen Guest at every meal,
The silent Listener to every conversation."

5. I love staying at home. No desire to venture out and make a ton of dough and "do my own thing." (This attitude does not go over big in quite a few circles I frequent.)

Nod to The Dizzy Disciple

___________________

A little knitting humor from Raising Helen (the movie)


Helen's sister, Jenny Portman, says to her husband,'Ya know dear, many celebrities are taking up knitting.'
"Really", replies her husband, Ed, unimpressed.

A few days later a car pulls into their driveway...Jenny looks out and inquires;

'Honey, who do we know with a Jaguar?'

'Maybe it's a celebrity, coming to knit with you!'

he he he

It would not be unusual to hear this conversation at our home :o)


Feel free to answer the questions in the comment box or take them home with you :o)
Just let me know so I can come and read your answers! That's the fun part!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Jolly June :o)