Laughing Cat

Daphne took this picture of Mattie Cat just about to yawn. A cat's life...sleep...eat...sleep...sleep some more. What a life. Anyway, it looks like she is laughing. She should be, she has a free ride, never having to pay her way in life. She's a free loader! About the only thing she does really well is purr on the spot. She really knows how to purr. She migrates daily from our bed to Daphne's bed. The only exercise she gets is jumping up to the top bunk every day and chasing the laser light here and there. When I was a kid I wanted to be a cat because they got to hang out at home and do whatever they wanted to do and not go to school. I felt like Orphan Annie had a better life than me. But then I started to think about what they eat and decided that I would rather eat spaghetti and garlic bread. I think it only lasted a day or two.

A Warm Lap

We went from a no dog family to a dog family. Having a dog or now I should say "dogs", have been a wonderful experience as a family. It has had its ups and downs, like what do you do with them when you can't bring them along, or having to pick up everything in site so nothing gets chewed while we are away, or how do you contain Henry's energy when someone walks in the door, or the most difficult one when Kirk and I get up at 5a.m. to walk and really don't want the extra energy level of the doggies, it is impossible to sneak out the back door without them. As soon as I turn on the light they are bouncing in our bed and antagonizing the cats without even trying. They end up coming. The up side is there is literally always a warm toasty doggy to cuddle with, crumbs never hit the floor...ever. Even if it is not edible. They provide constant entertainment, especially when Henry runs down the hallway and gets surprised attacked by the cat and sends him in a tizzy screamin like a girl. There is never a dull moment. They are well loved and they love us just as much. I think they are keepers and they have found their "forever family".

Samson

AAWWW! Sammy looks so cute...and very innocent. His puppy dog eyes just tug at my heart. He really is a sweet puppy. You can do anything to him and he just rolls with the punches. We have discovered that his favorite thing to do is lay out in the sun, and wrestle with Henry.

The Celtic Musician

Daphne has been playing her violin every Saturday morning at Farmer's Market. She and her two friends have been selling their silk screened and tye dyed shirts there. In Dec. they thought Daphne should provide some musical entertainment for all who were attending. So Daphne has been playing all of her memorized music, which is alot, and still adding more. She leaves her old violin case open like she is a starving student. Generous people have been blessing her with money. Last weekend she came home with $50. Her violin teacher is ecstatic about it and is encouraging her to continue. Atleast we know she may never go hungry. (It reminds me of her Dad airbrushing shirts and selling them while living in the dorms in college.) Most of the music she plays is Irish fiddle. She plays beautifully. Okay, now I am bragging. I can't help it. All of those thousands of dollars we have spent on private lesson over the past five years has paid off. Thank you dear Lord for blessing Daphne with the gift of Music!

Little Miss Muffet

Victoria and I have been reading about spiders and working on those "S" sounds. I found this idea to make a spider hat. I think it turned out really cute. Though the creature wearing it looks a little scary! I think she hangs out with boys a little too much. The creature has also lost a second tooth.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I love this story. The paintings are bright and appealing to little kids. Kaleb and I saw a felt board set of the story and both agreed that they wanted too much money for something that wasn't really made very well. Kaleb told me that I could make a better one. So I went to work on it and this is what I came up with. It was one of those quick and easy projects. I like keeping my hands busy. Not that I don't have a million other things to be doing. I just work a few minutes in here and there. I did alot of it at the table while the big kids were doing their school.

It was fun coming up with all of the different versions of food. I like the pie and the stawberries the best. Of course the fat caterpillar is cute too. I made a fabric bag a few days ago made from red and white tablecloth print with black ants crawling all over it. I couldn't resist. It turned out really cute. I really like the idea that I have just been using the resources that I have on hand. Though my supply is getting pretty low. It is always good to get to the bottom of things every once in a while.

Mentos and Soda

If you have never tried the mentos and Diet Coke trick you should atleast try it once. The kids are constantly trying to perfect their technique to get a higher fountain. For Jared's birthday we gave him an official mentos loader. It is basically a tube with a pin that holds the mentos in place until you are a fair distance away before pulling the string with the pin out. One of the times it didn't quite work right and there were two steady streams shooting out the side and right into Kalebs pants. Needless to say...there was sprayed soda everywhere. I don't think the neighbors minded. It got a little loud for nine oclock at night but that is what life is all about...having a little fun.

Jared, Kaleb, Zach and AJ.

Bird Treats

Kaleb and Victoria made these bird treats. They really turned out kind of cute and were really easy to make. I never liked the idea of melting lard and all of that to make suet. These were made with regular unflavored gelatin. The birds really were appreciative to have seed so readily available. At one point there was a dove swinging like tarzan on the bottom one hanging on for dear life.

Happy Birthday Jared!

Jared turned 14 today! He is entering manhood with alot of grace and a few stumbles here and there. Some on purpose though. If anyone is going to knock something over or step on your toes with shoes on it will be Jared. It could be because he wears the same size shoe as his Dad. He can be quite the goof. There was a time that he would have Victoria in stitches when she was a baby just by entering the room and slipping on the floor. He would just keep talking away, never missing a beat. Jared is very dependable. I can always count on him to come along side me to help with whatever is needed. Sometimes with a multitude of sarcastic comments along the way. I will always gladly take the comments just for the extra hand. Unfortunately he has his mother's verbal ability. Oops. Like me, his mouth can be his greatest and his worst characteristic.

I couldn't resist these pictures when he was about 6. He still looks the same. A real cutie.
When he was little his dimples would just melt my heart. Well...they still do. Happy Birthday Jared!