Every rose has it's thorn

Just like every night has it's dawn...just like every cowboy...you know the deal. Well, our family had a run-in with the down-side of "the nature of things" yesterday morning, just moment's after Olivia's last post. In that post, Olivia wrote about her excitement at the birth of a beautiful black swallowtail butterfly on saturday morning and of the upcoming birth of yet another soon. Well, that birth happened and as is often the case, life was snatched away before it even fully began. The black swallowtail emerged and began expanding its wings in preparation for its first flight into life. Unfortunately, before it could make that flight, it was spotted, killed and mostly consumed by one of our mockingbird neighbors. Now, this was a traumatic occurence for our family and especially for Olivia who watched it take place through the window. She ran out to shoo the bird away but was too late and the butterfly never had a chance. Olivia missed the actual birth (man, they are quick!),but she did find it once it was out of it's crysalis drying it's wings and got a few pictures.

This might seems a little ridiculous to some and maybe we are a long way from being callous and tough farmers but, we had a lot of time invested in our little butterfly friend and wanted him or her to have the best chance in life. After all, we followed its journey from a tiny larvea through all of its changes and had really hoped to be able to watch it happily fly around in our garden. Well, we all know that life and death are a part of nature and the mockingbird represents an important part of that. She has probably either tired from raising a family this spring or may still have young that she is trying to provide for and a helpless and very large butterfly that can't yet fly away is not an opportunity that she could pass on. The mockingbird provides us with beautiful songs all day and helps us fight of many pest insects in our garden. They also provide us with the chance to watch them raise their young and and enjoy some pretty hilarious antics each evening in the yard. All in all, it was a sad event for our family but, it is a part of life. Everything on God's earch must eat and there is a reason for each predator and its prey. We wish that the butterfly could have had a better start and enjoyed more life before it left it but, we take some solace in the fact that the new eggs on the dill have hatched, the caterpillars are munching, the mockingbirds are singing and the plants are growing. Life is being lived all around. Get out there and check it out!

birth of a butterfly

Early this past Saturday morning, I went outside to check on our Black Swallowtail chrysalis. Now, this chrysalis is not the same chrysalis that we've written about in our previous posts. This particular chrysalis arrived on a butterfly plant that we bought just a few days earlier. Jack noticed the chrysalis after we bought it and just before he planted it. Anyway, on Friday night we noticed that the chrysalis was changing. It was becoming transparent. So, we knew the butterflies birth was not far away and we keep checking on it well into the night. Then, as I mentioned, early Saturday morning I went to check on it and found that it was even more transparent... It was still dark out when I took this picture, but not fifteen minutes later the sun was rising and the chrysalis was transforming even more... ~you can clearly see a black shape inside the chrysalis. You can also see the yellow dots that decorate it's wings and body. Amazing, isn't it? Unfortunately, I couldn't stay outside to watch the birth process because we had plans to spend the day in Waco, Texas and I had to get ready to go. What a disappointment! But, about thirty minutes or so after taking the last picture of the chrysalis, I went outside to check on it and this is what I found... ~It was already out of it's chrysalis and was drying its wings in preparation of flight!!! You can see the black swallowtail and it's empty chrysalis in this picture. Here are a few other pictures I took before it flew off...

Just beautiful!! Jack and I watched it for about twenty minutes and just as we both looked away (Jack was showing me a white butterfly and a lady bug in our garden) it flew away. We missed it fly away, just as we missed it emerging from the chrysalis! But, I am thankful that we at least got to see it after it emerged and before it flew away! We wished it a good happy 18 days (or something like that) of life and that was that. THEN, two days later Jack called me to the window looking out to our patio and there was a big black swallowtail butterfly laying eggs on our dill plant! I was amazed and SO happy! We let the butterfly have it's peace and once it left, we ran out to see! Here's what we found...

~Tiny little butterfly eggs!!!

So, the cycle starts all over again!

As for the other chrysalis (the one we've been writing about since we found it on the dill plant) it is almost ready! It has become transparent and you can see the black shape inside. I have walked outside many times this morning to check on it. I really don't want to miss the birth of this one! But, it's a rainy morning here and I'm not sure if it will emerge today since they have to have dry wings in order to fly off. I'll be keeping my eye on it as much as I can. I'm really excited and I hope that this time will get some pictures of it's birth and will be able to share here. Happy Thursday!

Lemonade ~ 25¢

As Madi and I were about to pull out of our neighborhood on the way to run an errand today, we saw a rare early summertime treat...

Two very enthusiastic little girls selling... ~Lemonade for 25¢!

Cute lemonade stand, huh? The littlest one brought some of her toys out to display. I can only guess she was hoping they would draw in thirsty customers. The soldier bear and barrel of monkeys were not for sale. Madi and I had to stop. Because really, who could resist two little ones selling lemonade for just 25¢?? Not me and not Madi! I'm so glad we stopped! Not only because of the lemonade which was like sunshine in a cup, but because these two girls were a joy to get to hang out with for a few minutes. The littlest one had the cutest voice and the oldest had such a sweet demeanor. They told me I could take their picture before I could even get all the words out. *Don't worry, I also asked their grandmother just to be sure. What a perfect start to summer (yeah, I know it's not for another few weeks but, its in the upper 90's here and school's out). I wish more street corners had lemonade stands and sweet little sunny faces behind them!! Can you imagine a world like that? Yeah, me too.

Madi closes the door on 6th grade

Today is Madison's last day of 6th grade! It's hard to believe that just a little over nine months ago, she was starting 6th grade.

~this was just after school on her first day! *you might remember this picture from a post we wrote about Madi's first day of 6th grade back in August.

~this picture was taken this morning, just before her last day. What a difference nine months makes!

~This is Madi on the ride to her first day of 6th grade and....

~this is Madi on the ride to her last day of 6th grade! Jack and I were so worried when she started 6th grade/middle school. But, we can honestly say, it has been a good year. There have been some small issues and a little drama here and there throughout the school year, but with lots of prayer and support, she has really done great. She can close the door on 6th grade with lots of happy memories, some lessons learned and a whole lot of pride for all her accomplishments. Jack and I are, of course, thrilled for Madi at the end of this successful school year, but we are also sad. Sad because time seems to fly by now more then ever before. *Big sigh!* Congratulations Madison on a good school year! Here's to a wonderful, well-deserved summer break! We love you!

Gooseberry Patch ~ Chicken Chimies

In my post earlier today, I said that I wanted to write about this past weekends events. I do and I will, but this post is one that I started last week and want to finish. It's a short post. A sharing kinda post. Sharing is always good, right? Gooseberry Patch's "Our Best Quick & Easy Recipes" book is currently my favorite source for...well, for "quick and easy recipes"! The recipes featured in this book are not complicated and do not require that you go to the store for ingredients you've never even heard of. I like that! And, I thought you might like that too. I found my Gooseberry Patch book in Wal-mart, but you can find SO much more on their website if you want to check it out. Jack, Madi and I really love the Chicken Chimies recipe. It's our favorite for sure! I've made it several times, with some slight variations to the recipe, and each time it's been a hit. The bonus to this recipe is, of course, that it is easy to make! Anyway, I hate to keep something this wonderful and yummy to myself, so I wanted to share the Chicken Chimie recipe here. This is not the exact recipe, I did add a thing or two, but it is very close! Gooseberry Patch's Chicken Chimie's 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded salt to taste pepper to taste garlic salt to taste 1 T. butter 10 (8-inch) flour tortillas 8oz. pkg. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or use a cheese with added Jalapenos if you want it a bit spicy) 6 Green onions (optional) black olives (optional) Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, salsa Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper & garlic salt. Saute the chicken in a pan until done. Remove let cool then shred. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add chicken and saute for about three minutes. *I added a little more pepper and garlic salt at this point, just for a little more flavor. After three minutes, add chicken evenly onto tortillas. Top with cheese, green onions and black olives (if you are using) and fold up sides and roll up, burrito-style. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add rolled-up tortillas and saute until golden (really does not take long to get golden, so be sure to watch it) Serve with your choice of toppings and over lettuce leaves if desired. Serves about 6 to 8.

...and aquí está ~garnished with Jack's homemade guacamole,

sour cream,

tomato chunks,

red onions

and

thinly sliced jalapenos.

Fi, fie, fiddly-i-o

*the title of this post is from song lyrics in "Someones in the Kitchen with Dinah" - an American folk song.

We had a fairly busy Memorial Day weekend. In a later post, I want to write about our visit to The Homestead Heritage in Waco, Texas this past Saturday. Also, in a later post, I plan to write about the black swallow tail butterfly that emerged from it's crysalis this weekend and the events that followed.

So, there's lots to write about, but all that's for a later time. For this post, I just want to share some pictures of the Memorial Day goodies that Madison and I made together.

~Sugar Cookies with White Chocolate Frosting. Madi helped me make the cookies, but as usual she did all of the decorating.

~We made Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. A recipe by my culinary hero, Paula Deen, Y'all! Madi also decorated all of the cupcakes and did an awesome job too! She's holding up one of the cupcakes she made just for her Cami & Johnny Dad in the above picture.

~My first totally homemade cupcakes! ~Madi and I gave plates like this one to family and neighbors. Everyone seemed thrilled to get them and I hope the taste did not disappoint! I really enjoy baking and spending time in the kitchen with Madi . She's always willing to help and I'm SO glad because I don't know what I would do without her decorating expertize! Thanks Madi!!

Many are the hearts that are weary tonight...

*Title taken from a verse in the song "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground" by Walter Kittridge. Today is Memorial Day. A day to honor our fallen soldiers. It's an important day for us as Americans, but it seems some (to include myself) have forgotten the true meaning of this special day. Yesterday morning while in Church, our Associate Pastor asked that those who had lost a loved one in war to stand. As they stood, I felt a deep sadness and respect for these people. But, I also felt guilt. I am guilty of thinking of Memorial Day as a "day off". The day where you can officially start wearing white shoes. How selfish! I feel great shame in admitting that, but it is true. This is the first year in my life that I have really thought about what today means and about the people who given their lives for our country, our freedom. While reading about Memorial Day this morning, I ran across an article titled Memorial Day History (if you want, you can check it out here: usmemorialday). The article stated that "the traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years" and that "many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day." Well, seems that I'm not the only one. So, in honor of this truly special day for us all, I want to share an article written by Tim Smith and a video that goes along with it. I think it's a great article with important points on what today is about. The song/video is as Smith says, "a remarkably powerful, personal expression of that war's toll."

A musical reminder of the war that led to Memorial Day

"The original purpose of Memorial Day can get easily lost amid all the cookouts or, in these parts, trips to the beach for the unofficial start of the summer season. The origin of the holiday can get overlooked, too, since there have been so many wars since the one that led to the practice of commemorating those who died in service to the country.

It was in 1868 that the first Decoration Day ceremonies were held, honoring the dead of the Union Army in the Civil War. Over time, of course, the observance incorporated the dead of both sides and, renamed Memorial Day, encompassed all of this country's fallen in subsequent wars.

I was thinking today of those Civil War roots of the holiday and of a song that was popular with Northern troops: "We're Tenting Tonight On the Old Campground." I'm fascinated by Walter Kittridge's words from 1864 as much as the tune. This is a remarkably powerful, personal expression of that war's toll -- any war's toll.

It seems doubly appropriate to recall it on this Memorial Day, when there are still conflicts and casualties. I've posted some of the lyrics here, followed by a recording of "Tenting Tonight" that effectively communicates the song's sadly timeless message:

"We're tenting tonight on the old campground. Give us a song to cheer our weary hearts, a song of home, and friends we love so dear. Many are the hearts that are weary tonight, wishing for the war to cease. Many are the hearts looking for the right to see the dawn of peace ..." "

So, our wish this Memorial Day for all those who have lost loved ones serving our country and providing, preserving and defending our freedom, we say thank you and you are not forgotten.