Butterflies are Born!! I'm a Mother of ELEVEN (so far) and Counting!

And the mothering saga continues.....  Our babies are hatching!!  Some of them have decided to come early!  We weren't expecting them for another 4 - 5 days or so...  and so far there are eleven hatched and slowly trying out their wings... only another 64 to go!

 

 

 I snipped some lilac branches and sprinkled them with sugar water, and added sliced apples ... a feast fit for newborn flutter-ers!

These are "Painted Lady Butterflies".  The red stuff that comes out of the butterflies is NOT blood... it looks like blood, kinda gross... but it's called Meconium and is a red fluid that butterflies and moths eject after they leave the chrysalis, a metabolic waste product from the pupal stage.

Here's a short video of my 11 newborns so far... only 64 more births to go!  *lol*  And then to keep them alive, well fed and growing until Pentecost Sunday, May 27th!

MORE UPDATES TO COME LATER.........

Image3D - Made my own Viewmaster-like Reels! VERY COOL!

Last week I found this website Image3D, where you can submit your own photos to make a reel for viewing in a Viewmaster-like viewer.  The site allows you to type in text, that will appear 3D on the photos you choose.   It also has places where, if you are a good photo-shop graphic design person, you can convert your 2D photos to 3D, or they will also do that for you (I have yet to check that out, but plan on it!).

You can also send in 3D photos if you have a camera that takes those kind.

 

 I was excited to try it out and I ordered one viewer and reel for each of the 3 grandsons for their birthdays, each had their own personal photos, so they can also have fun looking at each others too.

I received them a couple of days ago, and they were GREAT!  I am so happy with them, and the grandkids LOVED them too!

So, I just ordered a few for our Church, and may order more soon too, for my art, more family ones, for Father's Day, etc.

Once others see how neat they are, I may have to do some re-orders as well!

Thanks Image3D!!!

Butterfly Momma Update ... THIS you've GOTTA see!

The continuing saga of Deb and I being butterfly mommas!  *lol*  We transferred the 75 chrysalis' from the feeding containers they've been in since they were larvae and moved them to the net container that would be their butterfly habitat when they hatch in 7 - 10 days.

We had to carefully open the containers where the chrysalis were attached to the tops and then pin the container tops, or the paper they were attached on, to the inside of the butterfly habitat. 

As we did it, the chrysalis' would shake and rattle, which the pamphlet said they do to ward off predators. 

Check out this short video of them shaking - it's pretty cool! (Turn off my playlist music before playing the video to hear them)

So, now we wait ... in about 10 days the butterflies should start to emerge ... and then we feed them sugar water sprinkled on carnations, or melon pieces, which they drink the juice from.

MORE UPDATES TO COME IN A WEEK OR SO .................

Mother's Day - What a great day in so many ways!

Kasey helping with Sun. School.

I am thankful for such a great day today!  Starting with the Sunday School kids and Kasey's helping me in our Mother's Day gift project the kids made.

Gifts for MOM!



Christ Church Men who put on the Mother's Day Brunch

and Basket Drawing.  Thanks guys!










 

And following Church the men of the parish hosted and served a pot-luck brunch and basket drawing raffle.  Great food, great fun!!  I even won a couple of things ... a haircut and style gift certificate and a large potted fern plant. 

After the Brunch the kids and grandsons all came over for the afternoon and evening to celebrate Mother's Day, and the three grandson's birthdays that were coming up this week and in the next couple of weeks.

The boys opened their gifts ...  Jake had wanted a memory foan mattress for his bed - ever since his parents had gotten one he decided he liked how good it felt and he wanted one too... so we went in with his parents on one.  He also had other gifts from us all too.  One favorite he brought along was an airsoft gun that he showed us as he put it together.

Jeff was excited when he opened his first gift from us, until he saw that it was just an empty plastic container... heh heh ... we told him all the things he could do with it, and sounded all happy about the empty container, but he was puzzled as to why we would give him such a gift and what was so fun about an empty container!? *lol*

Then we gave him the other gift... which was a Lego playset,  and the container was to put all the parts in ... he was much happier then!

Then we gave Josh his gift ... which was a new desk that his dad and grandpa made together.  We also added some desk things, folders, tape dispenser, colored paper clips and holders, colored pencils, glue and more.  He was excited to store all his art materials in it and to use it.  It is not all the way finished yet, but in another week or so it should be done.

Son John grilled pork grillers and Kasey made up roasted veggies and a veggie salad to go along with it too!  YUMMMM!

Afterwards we had our ice cream cone cakes and played a Disney headbanz game that Josh had gotten the day before... a fun time too!



Thanks to the kids and grandkids for a great day!!  One of the best Mother's Day EVER!

And it was fun celebrating the grandson's birthdays too!

Ice Cream Cone Birthday Cakes

I saw a cool idea to make these on Pinterest ... and since we were going to be celebrating the grandsons birthdays on Mother's Day too, I decided to try it out.... they turned out GREAT!

I used a dark chocolate cake mix, followed package directions, but since I had some over-ripe banana's, I also mashed one up and added it to the batter ... and it was YUMMY!!

I mixed up the batter, added it to "jumbo" ice cream cones, set into a baking pan.  I was afraid the cones would burn from being in the oven, but they turned out fine!

These took longer than I thought to bake... about 30 minutes.

I thought these would be good with whipcream topping and sprinkles to look like real ice cream cones.

Kasey and I had to taste test one ... I think they are going to be a GREAT hit for Sunday birthdays!




+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

UPDATED LATER TONITE:  I also made some more of those famous apple pies in an apple for the Mother's Day Basket Raffle at Church tomorrow during the Mother's Day Brunch.  2 Sets of 3 baked apples in some nice serving trays, along with the recipe to make them too!

SOOO, now that it's almost 2 a.m., I'm off to sleep!

A Tribute to Mothers, with Love....

~ TRIBUTES TO MOTHERS, WITH LOVE ~

My Mom, circa 1935, she was
about 4 years old.

(especially to MY Mom - xoxoxox)

My Mother taught me about justice.

"One day you'll have kids, I hope they turn out just like you. Then you'll see what it's like."

Did your Mom ever say something like…

"If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me."

Wisdom from Mom (& Dad) - Never mow the lawn barefoot!

“When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.”

The purpose of a child's middle name according to Mom...

So he or she can tell when they are really in trouble!

Mom’s Wisdom….

NO!  You can’t have THAT!   You just can’t have everything you know - where would you put it anyway?!



Dad, Me and Mom - 1954



"When your mother asks, 'Do you want a piece of advice?' it is a mere formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it anyway."  ~ Erma Bombeck ~

Mothers of teenagers know why animals eat their young.

"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford... then I want to move in

with them!"   ~ Phyllis Diller ~

"Some are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together.”  ~ Pearl S. Buck ~

One of those many miracles that Mom did!

“The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.”  



Mom with sister Chellie, Me (on the trike)
and Uncle Jim being goofy!



~ Author does not want to be identified ~



“I regard no man as poor who has a Godly mother.”  ~ Abraham Lincoln ~



“The mother-child relationship is paradoxical and, in a sense, tragic. It requires the most intense love on the mother's side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother, and to become fully independent.”  ~ Erich Fromm ~

"The happiest families are those in which the children are properly spaced...about 10 feet apart.”   ~ Unknown ~





"Raising a teenager is like nailing Jell-O to the wall."   ~ Unknown ~



Mom, Me, Daughter Kasey

"If a mother's place is in the home, why am I always in the car?"  ~ Unknown ~

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."  ~ Elizabeth Stone ~

"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?"  ~ Milton Berle ~



Update on Butterfly Mothering ... we have chrysalis's

Small containers with one soon-to-be
butterfly inside.

Larger containers with 4-5 soon-to-be
butterflies inside.

So, we are nursing butterflies here ... actually, they were larvae at first (see here for when we first started 8 days ago) .. then they ate the butterfly food, grew into caterpillars, and now are attaching themselves to the top of the containers and becoming chrysalis ... so in a day or two now we'll have to transfer them to the butterfly net container, pin the top of the container with them still attached to the net, and in another 7 - 10 days, the butterflies are suppose to emerge... hopefully... 

Then we feed the butterflies with sugar water sweetened flowers or melons until we release them on Pentecost Sunday, May 27th.

More to come when we transfer them and they start to emerge.........

Food Processor Fun - Early Mother's Day Gift from the Kids...

My kids have gifted me with an early Mother's Day gift... a food processor!  And what fun it is to use!

Kasey was having as much, if not more, fun than I was even.. ha!  I ran a few potatoes and an onion thru it just to try it out ... ended up making a weird concoction of potatoes, onions, cream of asparagus soup, with eggs and Bisquick mix, and shredded Parmesan cheese in it ..*L*

Kasey used a lot of colorful veggies and made a delicious salsa and some guacamole ... yum!!

Can't wait to use it for other things down the road too!

 THANKS John and Janel, Kasey and Kaine... and grandkids!  LOVE IT!  xoxox

A Heart Exchange ...

Our Christ Church Book Club is reading the book, LOVE WINS, by Pastor Rob Bell.  We are doing a chapter a week and on Monday night we finished discussions on Chapter 5.  One of the discussion questions asked of all of us was, "What exactly happened during Jesus' crucifixion and death on the cross?"

After pondering it for a minute or two, I realized that I had answered that question in one of my art assemblages...

What happened was a heart exchange ... God incarnate (in the flesh), gave up his life, because of his great love for all creation .. but that was made real for me, when I accepted God's great sacrifice, and in turn, gave my heart and gave my life, to God, my Creator, my Redeemer, the lover of my soul, and who is so much more!

Whoa! How cool is THIS?! The Lord's Prayer illustrated by the Sunday School kids has gone national!

Our Sunday School class, several months ago, took the lines from The Lord's Prayer, and did illustrations of what they felt that prayer would look like via their art. 

They did a great job, I was so impressed at their view of things, and how they illustrated their faith in crayon drawings.  We made many copies of them for all the congregation, and we continue to use them in gift bags for visitors to Christ Church.

During the recent "Through the Eyes of a Child, Lenten Art Show", we made copies for people to take home as well.  A deacon who has been attending our Church for awhile took many copies for a Diocesan heath care seminar.  She is also a parish nurse, and so she shared them with others.

They liked them so much that now our Sunday School kids have gone national!  This coming weekend, at DeKoven Center in Racine, Wisconsin, is the Faith, Hope and Health Conference, the 4th Annual Seasons of Health Ministry Conference, sponsored by the National Episcopal Health Ministries.  Deacon Mary (Misner) told me they have taken the Sunday School Lord's Prayer pamphlet and reproduced it to hand out to all who come to that conference.   WOW!  Pretty cool kids!! What an honor to bring a prayer and blessing to others in such a way!  Great job!  We are proud of your art and efforts in showing forth your faith to others!

Being Butterfly Caregivers....

Our church decided to do a butterfly release this year for Pentecost, which is May 27th.  Usually we have helium balloons and/or dove releases, but with the return of our helium tank due to helium shortages, we decided to look at other options to symbolize the releasing of the Holy Spirit and new life in the Holy Spirit that we celebrate on Pentecost Sunday.

So, after researching some places online, we made the purchase of what could be over 75 butterflies (that is IF they all survive and hopefully hatch by Pentecost Sunday!!).

Larger containers with 5 larvae

The larvae arrived yesterday afternoon, and this morning Deb and I got our "babies" ready in their new nursery with their special butterfly food.

Smaller containers we had to add
butterfly food to and then transfer the larvae.

We ordered a kit that included a butterfly
hut, but we had to transfer food and larvae to
containers.  The refill kits are better, just have to
take them out of the boxes, already have larve (5)
and food in them ready to grow.

yum, yum... butterfly food...NOT!
It was kind of yukky smelling..blech!

Deb is using a brush that was provided
to gently move the larvae into each container.

It will take approx. 3 weeks until we have butterflies ... so we are praying that this project WILL workout and the butterflies will come forth in time for releasing them on Pentecost Sunday.   More updates to come in 7 - 10 days!

Here are our "babies" already to grow!  Covered them for now with a box top
No direct sunlight or heat or AC either.  No shaking them or moving them during
the metamorphosing process.  In 7 - 10 days we have to transfer them to the butterfly
hut until they hatch (about another 7 - 10 days later).

Dancing With The Stars ... and in the audience was.....

Here's our friend Debbie,
behind Judge Carrie Ann in the audience.

How cool is THIS?!!   Our friend was lucky to be able to go to, and get tickets for, Dancing With The Stars tonite ... and we saw her MANY times in the audience there!  She and her friend had GREAT seats evidently...  Wonder if she got to talk to Donald Driver and get a dance with him before she left?  *lol*

It's May Day!! May Baskets for the Grandsons and Planters for Mom and my Aunt/Godmother

 I found some old bar glasses for tap beer, and old ashtrays at a GoodWill Store... after my discount coupon they cost me about .35 cents each.  So, I turned them into crystal like mushrooms for use in planters.  I found the silver birds for .99 cents each, the wood was scrap wood, the base for the planter was $1.49, the plants were about $1.50, and I had the little glass stones from long ago, had extra potting soil from another project, and plenty of amazing goop too.  I made these two planters for my Mom and for my Aunt Shirley (who is also my God-mother) for a May Day Basket.  The total cost was less than $6.50 each.

Also made the grandsons some candy May Day bags and delivered them today too.  (Holding one here for when granddaughter Jorden visits next as well!). 

Happy May Day all!  Love this tradition of hanging May Baskets and surprising family with goodies,  that I've been doing since I was a child!