Large Family

I have at last reached the cherished dream of having a large family: I now have four teen children (plus some others).

If that didn't make sense, say it aloud.

I am enjoying this immensely!

Me: I've got four teen children downstairs watching a movie.

The Emperor:Where are the rest of them?

Me: Watching Ultraman on my laptop.


Although it's not completely perfect.

Me (calling out to the back of the van): How are my four teen children doing?

Chorus: Great!

Me: And how are the rest of my children?

Quiet voice: They were delicious!


I've also figured out that by the end of all this, I will have had six teen children!

Happy Birthday, Leena!

 Leena is thirteen!  She's a teenager!

She wanted a Lumpton themed birthday, complete with a jelly cake.

Yum!  This one was mango and raspberry.

And then she had a party with her friends with lots of sledding and more jelly cake.

This one was cherry and melon!


 Very fun, but the big news was her birthday present.

 Various siblings bought her parts and accessories for this enormous gerbil palace!

 Mom and Dad bought her the actual gerbils: Chocolate and Vanilla.

That's Vanilla cuddled up with Chocolate, but you can only see Vanilla's face.

Cute!!!!

Thirteen Cute Things About Leena

1. She is very caring with all sorts of little animals.
2. She's Queen of the Squirrels.
3. She's very snuggly with us, too!
3. She loves God very much.
4. She invented Lumptons - if that's not cute, I don't know what is!
5. She loves doing Algebra with Lumptons.
6.  She's very kind, loving, and gentle.
6. She gives scooter lessons to the younger boys.
7. She makes fabulous audio books, some with very cute voices.
8. She likes to make videos of her brothers and sisters.
8. She loves teaching people things, and helping them do things.
9. She is a fantastic humor blogger!
10. She's a lot of fun to be around!
11. She is a thoughtful and caring sister.
11. She is a thoughtful and caring daughter!
12. She draws lots of Chibi (cute manga) stuff.
12.  She loves jokes and puns.
13. She has a real talent for piano and acting.
13. The world just wouldn't be right without her (submitted by Oob)!

Poem of the Week

ANNABEL LEE

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Edgar Allan Poe

Ambiguity

Pop (my dear father in law) made a very perceptive comment.  He said that we were unprepared for the level of ambiguity in the hospital process.  He's a lawyer.

We did a lot of research on the valve replacement process and projected outcomes.  The conventional trajectory is nothing like what we have been experiencing!  By which I mean we are well into our third week in the ICU, as opposed to the single day projected.

Looking back, I think we expected her to do well (and be home by now), but we knew there was a small chance things would not go well (and we would be grieving by now).  It certainly never occurred to me that we would still be wondering how things would turn out.

So how is she doing?  A little better.  The valve seems to be ok, so no repeat on the open heart surgery (hooray!).  But her kidneys are still doing quite badly.

She's no longer sedated and her mind seems clear, but she's still on the ventilator. But she may be coming off it today.  Or not.  They thought she would be off it yesterday.

The general antibiotic seems to be turning back the mysterious infection, but they can't seem to track down what is actually infected.

I don't know when we will leave the fragile edge of not knowing

Easy Papermaking

Feeling like you need a new indoor hobby (since we have 5-11 inches of snow on the way)?

Making paper is pretty easy- and fun for kids from 4 or 5 on up.  The only difficult part for me was getting the screens.  I didn't have any conveniently rigid metal screens, so I stapled fiberglass screens over some empty picture frames.

Actually, for me that was very easy since I did that in 2008, the first time I did this project! But I remember I had to rummage in the basement to find the frames and screen.

I had the kids tear scrap paper in pieces and soaked them in warm water.  We used mostly regular paper with a little blue construction paper for color.

We whirled it in batches in the blender until it was a milkshake consistency and poured it into a tub.  Actual amounts of paper and water don't seem to matter. We added a little bit of silver glitter at this point, but you can also add small flower petals or leaves.

Our tub was a little small for one of our screens, so we ladled the pulp on. Usually we just dip the screen in and pull it up horizontally.  You want to put the pulp on the flat side (the one with out the raised frame).

We let most of the water drain off (back into the tub), then put the screen in the sink.

Then we covered it with an empty gallon sized bag and pressed out more water.

Then we peeled off the bag (carefully!), and placed the paper (still on the frame) against a window. This part is easier with a second pair of hands, but I've done it solo.

You hold the frame against the window and press the paper against the glass. 

Some more water will come out, so put a paper towel on the sill.

When the paper seems stuck to the glass, peel off the frame.

The next day, when the paper is dry, it will peel off the window easily, and you will have paper with a smooth side and a rough side. 

Very fun for calligraphy and/or home made cards!

Wordless Wednesday: Ice Storm

Drive

How about some good news?

Mxyl got his driver's license! Fantastic job, Mxyl!!!

Thus ends an epic saga in which we learned how to navigate the complexities of getting a license in Maryland.

If you are lost somewhere in the midst of this process, a word of advice: yes, you have to do 60 hours of training and then do the driver's training course.  The 30 hours of classwork is easily scheduled.  Ask how long after the classes it will be until they will actually do the road work.  In our case this added 6 weeks to our saga. 

Also, figure into your calculations three months to schedule the driver's test! Next time we will schedule the test after the classes and before the road work.

Also, we managed to take the test after only a two month wait because we were willing to drive more than an hour to take the test. 

And to perfect the parallel parking skills, we recommend this video. It's clear, easy to remember, and it shows you how to do it with cones as well as cars. It's from a driving school in Canada. 

Lastly, a true story on the dangers of teaching your kids to drive.  Mxyl was driving us to Mass and did a particularly fine job on a tricky bit of driving.  I complimented him on it, then realized I had really finished teaching him to drive. 

I turned to the Oob in the back seat and told him, "Someday I'll teach you how to drive."

"Too late!" he chirped.

"Too late?"

"Mxyl already told me how to drive!"

More Surgery?

UPDATE: No surgery yet.  It looks like the heart valve may be ok, but she may have an infection somewhere.  More tests!

We are awaiting results of testing on my poor MIL's new valve.  If it is failing, she will be going for a second open heart surgery (in less than two weeks!) today.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Gospel Dessert Week 2

 This week's gospel is the Transfiguration.

Jesus goes up on Mount Tabor (portrayed here by an entire batch of rice krispy treats with chocolate chips melted in), and meets Moses and Elijah.

They talk about his upcoming trip to another mountain (Mount Calvary), and then the Father descends in the Glory Cloud (the Shekinah from the Old Testament - a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night).

The cloud is portrayed by cotton candy.

Easy and yummy!

Poem of the Week

Cold Iron

Gold is for the mistress -- silver for the maid --
Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade."
"Good!" said the Baron, sitting in his hall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of them all."

So he made rebellion 'gainst the King his liege,
Camped before his citadel and summoned it to siege.
"Nay!" said the cannoneer on the castle wall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- shall be master of you all!"

Woe for the Baron and his knights so strong,
When the cruel cannon-balls laid 'em all along;
He was taken prisoner, he was cast in thrall,
And Iron -- Cold Iron -- was master of it all!

Yet his King spake kindly (ah, how kind a Lord!)
"What if I release thee now and give thee back thy sword?"
"Nay!" said the Baron, "mock not at my fall,
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of men all."

"Tears are for the craven, prayers are for the clown --
Halters for the silly neck that cannot keep a crown."
"As my loss is grievous, so my hope is small,
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- must be master of men all!"

Yet his King made answer (few such Kings there be!)
"Here is Bread and here is Wine -- sit and sup with me.
Eat and drink in Mary's Name, the whiles I do recall
How Iron -- Cold Iron -- can be master of men all!"

He took the Wine and blessed it. He blessed and brake the Bread.
With His own Hands He served Them, and presently He said:
"See! These Hands they pierced with nails, outside My city wall,
Show Iron -- Cold Iron -- to be master of men all."

"Wounds are for the desperate, blows are for the strong.

Balm and oil for weary hearts all cut and bruised with wrong.
I forgive thy treason -- I redeem thy fall --
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- must be master of men all!"

"Crowns are for the valiant -- sceptres for the bold!
Thrones and powers for mighty men who dare to take and hold!"
"Nay!" said the Baron, kneeling in his hall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of men all!
Iron out of Calvary is master of men all!" 

By: Rudyard Kipling 

Image by Matt Reier, (c) Intellectual Reserve Inc.

HT: Poetry Lover's Page