Art Card #30

I have such wonderful blessings in my life. I love the prompt because it got me thinking about all the things I have to be grateful for. I love the family that my DH and I established in 1999. I have an amazing husband who I admire and respect. I have supportive, caring, and loving in-laws that I acquired when I married my DH. I also have loving parents and siblings. I have an education and am able to learn new things all the time. I love the freedom to expand my intellectual abilities. I have such wonderful sisters who I have such good times with and who I am building strong friendships and memories with. Best of all I have "True Love."

Questions: Not for the Faint of Heart

I didn't know that being a mother would require I become an expert in all fields of study. Everyday I get bombarded with questions about how things work, what things are, and why they happen to be that way. Most of the time I don't have an answer. Sometimes the answer I give isn't satisfactory for my curiously independent daughter. Either way I am required to research, and I am so glad I have resources available to me. Did I mention we love the library?

Zelda (Z): What are clouds made of?
Snappy (S): Water
Z: How does it get up there?

Z: I know some animals ugh (swallow) their food without chewing, why can’t we?
S: Because we have teeth and if we don’t chew our food we could choke.

Z: Why do you have to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle?
S: To keep you safe, because you can get hurt really bad if you crash, they go so fast.

Z: How do they make toothpaste?
S: ?

Z: How do clock hands move?
S: Little gears
Z: What’s a gear?

Z: No smoking at the gas station? How come?
S: Gas is flammable and if you smoke it could blow up the gas station
Z: Then you would have to pay for it.
S: Yes, you would have to pay for it, if you blow it up.
Z: How much does a gas station cost? How many chores would that be?

Z: What’s a waitress?
S: Someone who serves you your food.
Z: Are you a waitress?
S: No
Z: Yes you are, you serve my meals to me.

Z: Why can’t I take a walk by myself?

Z: How come birds have to land after they fly?

Z: I wish I could breathe fire.

Art Card # 29

And just to prove my point, while making this card I accidentally put the sticker on the wrong side and had to add the rest of the stuff to it because when I tried to peel it off it ripped the paper! I even spelled "no body's" wrong in the first version. My DH thought I intended to spell it wrong to get the point across. I am imperfect and need to remember to forgive more. I shouldn't demand perfection so much!

I am not the world's best speller, you won't find me as a finalist in the spelling bee, so if you ever see any mistakes please leave a comment so I can edit my blog. I would like it to be perfect!

supplies: newspaper clippings, Miss Elizabeth's sticker, brown ink

New Terrain

Our letterboxing clue led us to the Indianapolis Zoo....
passed the Bison and to the treasure!
This is the Promenade walk in the White River State Park.

Letterboxing

Do you enjoy hiking? Do you like modern day treasure hunting? We have found a favorite new family activity that combines both! It is called Letterboxing and is the cousin to the high-tech geocaching. In order to participate you have to go online to get your clues. There are over 23,000 letterboxes in the United States and thousands more around the world. An article in the Smithsonian magazine in 1998 helped spark interest in this hobby outside of England, where it originated in the mid-1800’s.
You follow the clues to the hidden treasure. Some of the clues are in the form of riddles while others are more straightforward. You need to bring a blank notebook (one without lines) to use for a log book, an ink pad, pen and a rubber stamp (hand carved or store bought). Some clues require the use of a compass which is an adventure in itself. The rubber stamp you bring with you should represent you and will be your way of “stamping in” once you find a letterbox. Leave the date and a brief message in the logbook. Then use the stamp that you find in the box to mark your own log book.
We enjoy this activity because we get to explore new terrain that we might not have otherwise and spend lots of time outdoors like pirates searching for buried treasure.
Here are the websites that list the letterboxing clues; letterboxing.org and atlasquest.com

Art Card #28

My goal this week is to work on a quilt for my daughters' new bunk beds. This is my first quilt that is twin size. I keep procrastinating because this is hard, I don't really know what I am doing, and I am bound to reach some frustrating points. I just have to keep working on it and accept the fact that I will be using the seam ripper.

Supplies: acrylic paint, fabric from JoAnn, stickers from Miss Elizabeth's, cardstock

English Roses

After reading English Roses, Zelda asked her Dad if children who come home from school and don't have a mom, have to cook, clean, and do chores. To which he responded that they also have to take care of their siblings. Zelda matter of factually responded that if she didn't have a mom then he would have to help her cook because she could get burned. I think she may appreciate me a little after reading that book, although that is not the moral of the story and I don't think that was the message Madonna had in mind when she wrote it.

Good Morning Gladiolus!

Every year in April the city of Indianapolis holds an Earth Day festival. This was our first year to attended. The event featured exhibits from environmental and conservation groups and businesses with environmental messages. There was a tent with activities just for kids and the girls colored "water cycle" t-shirts and made musical instruments from recycled materials. My favorite exhibit was the Endangered Species Chocolate company. This company donates 10% of their net profits to help support species, habitat, and humanity. Their chocolate is ethically traded and exceptionally delicious.

Walmart donated free fluorescent light bulbs. Yeah! Using these light bulbs really cuts back on the amount of electricity used to light our homes. If you don't have any, get some and do a little something yourself in the area of conservation.

In one area we got a package with two gladiolus bulbs. I wish I remember who was handing them out so I could give a proper "thank you". We came home and planted them in our garden. Gladiolus are from the iris family and have swordlike leaves and tall spikes of funnel-shaped flowers. What a beautiful way to make the world a little prettier.

Art Card #27

We planted our first butterfly bush this year. It has pink blossoms and has already attracted a Red Admiral and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail to our backyard. It is great to see such beautiful creatures stopping by for a drink of necture. We got our butterfly information from the Dick Crum Resource Center at the White River Garden in Indianapolis. They provided a handout which lists plants that attract butterflies. We chose a shrub that blooms all summer. This shrub comes in a variety of colors. Our local librarian told us she bought a black one and my SIL has a blue one.

The Art Card Journal prompt comes from Emily each Sunday. I make my card based on the prompt for the week. I have been making the cards since January but didn't have a blog to post them on. I really enjoy this because the cards are small and I feel like I can record something in a unique, creative way. Just you wait... there is more to come.

Please dispose of your trash properly....

A few months ago we got new shingles on our roof. It was noisy; men hammering from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. It was dusty; shingles were flying off in irregular increments and one had to time the exit of the house just right to avoid a catastrophe. In the end, it was an improvement; we went from yellow/brown shingles to brown/charcoal shingles.
The men working on the project tried their best to clean up. They laid tarps down on the grass during the removal process, but with over 200 apartments in our complex it was a big project. Needless to say nails were strewn all over the place. I found them in the grass, the parking lot, and my backyard. One evening we were sitting on our front stoop when we noticed nails falling from the gutter. A little bird decided to do a little house keeping of his own. He picked them up with his beak and dropped them over the edge. He did this several times and we had a good chuckle as we watched them fall like bombs to the ground below. It felt like he was aiming for us, like we were the ones who left trash in his territory. He was letting us know he did not approve of this reckless behavior. So what could we do but collect the nails and dispose of them properly. So I say, “Thanks for being such a tidy little bird and a good example.”

My Backyard: Part V

For a refreshing evening, I found these two romping through the sprinkles of the garden hose.

Regret to inform you....

I must regret to inform you that I don't have a picture to prove there was an accident, my camera batteries were dead, but there was another accident on the road by my house. Apparently there was a pedestrian walking over the bridge and he was clipped by a car which flung him over the edge and under it. He waited in a chair, that some kind soul got for him, for the ambulance.

7-7-07

What an awesome date; 7-7-07. I mentioned to my DH that we had to do something memorable today because of the date. We found a really neat new biking trail that is 7 miles long, paved, and goes along a creek. We can hook up the bike trailer, get some exercise, and look for wildlife along the way. We say a badger, bunny rabbits, birds, and a beaver. Poor Zelda got something in her eye about half way into the ride and was crying from the trailer, "See if Mommy can stop, I have something in my eye." We got to a clearing and couldn't see anything in her eye; but it was red and irritated. DH told her to just keep blinking and it would wash out anything that was in there. By the time we rode back near the car her eye was feeling better and she wanted to play at the park. She is quite the inquisitive little individual. For dinner I made Coleslaw and she asked me what it was. Apparently I have never had her try it all the other times I have made it. I told her the name and she asked me, "Cole slop?" O.K., it did look a little like Cole slop but I assure you it was Coleslaw. Here is the recipe, I found it in the newspaper:
Kentucky Fried Chicken's Coleslaw
1 head of cabbage; finely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup miracle whip
2 tbs white vinegar
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/4 cup grated carrots
2 tbs diced onion
Mix onion, sugar, salt, sour cream, miracle whip and vegtable oil together to make a dressing. Mix with cabbage and carrots. Chill and enjoy.

What's for dinner?

As I have mentioned before, I am working toward becoming prolific at cooking and am always on the lookout for new recipes. We made homemade pizza pockets for dinner tonight. I confess I cheated a bit by letting my bread machine mix and raise the dough for me. We, my husband and daughter, Lu Lu, rolled the dough and filled them with fresh mushrooms, green peppers, onions, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, ham, and olives. Lu Lu wanted to eat all the ingredients, even licked flour from her fingers. I then made my own pizza sauce, which is sooo tasty, and is used for dipping the pockets in. The side dish was a green salad with cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden and picked by my oldest daughter, who often requests that we change her name to Zelda. So we shall call her that here.
Pizza Sauce:
In a medium saucepan pour in one 15 oz. can of tomato sauce; some chopped onion; 1 tsp. dried basil, 1tsp. sugar, 1 tsp dried oregano; one clove of garlic, minced; and ¼ tsp. pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or till onion is tender.

The Journey

This is my little girl that we call Lu Lu. She is sweet and funny and shy around new faces. My sister took this picture of her and I fell in love with it. She also gave it the title, "The Journey,"which invokes nostalgia, adventure, and a sense of wonder.

It takes Courage

• There are times that I don't want to admit I was wrong. That takes courage. It may seem like an easy thing to do. Just say you are sorry and try again. That's what I tell my daughter to do. How come it is so hard for me to do the same thing?
• Speaking to someone you don't know. I am more guarded when meeting new people. I fear making a friend and then dealing with the possibility that they don't want to be my friend.
• Doing what is right when everyone else isn't.
• Saying "no" when people are trying to get you to do something you know you shouldn't.
• Telling the truth and accepting the consequences.
• Standing up for something you believe in even though it might mean rejection or ridicule or even physical harm.
• Defending someone who is considered unpopular or unacceptable.
• Facing a limitation and giving it your very best regardless of pain or discomforts.
• Confronting a fear without running away.
• Giving sacrificially to protect or promote either someone you love, someone who has been wronged, or someone who is in need.
• Being the only one.
• Taking a risk.
• Sharing your heart honestly (including your feelings and fears and failures).

Some of these things seem so simple written out as a sentence, but the semantics behind the words presents chance for bravery.

- list from Dr. Steve Stephens, Psychologist - with some of my own insights.