Calling All Caterpillar Lovers

If you like caterpillars, you should keep checking my post about my Blessed Birthday. I have been taking pictures of my Monarch caterpillar every day and charting his growth and changes. It is thrilling to me. He has grown to about 3 times the size he was when we first found him. We keep having to go collect new leaves and flowers for him. We have almost used up the sources nearby and have taken to the ditches to try to find more Milkweed plants. It’s a family project. I’m getting excited. He should be making a chrysalis in a few days. Keep checking for new pictures of his progress. I’m adding them every day to this post.

Update:

Now I’m adding new caterpillar updates to this post.

Finding Your Personal Penguin

I have made the cutest discovery! I don’t know how many people discovered this before I did, but it’s new to me.

I bought a board book at a library sale.

It was called Your Personal Penguin. It was written by Sandra Boynton.

I kept noticing the title as I saw the book laying on the floor, and I felt mild curiosity about what that book could possibly be about. One day, I picked it up and read it to one of my little ones. It was a cute little story.  I looked more closely at the cover and saw that there was a link online to a song by Davy Jones that went with the story.  I decided to check it out.  I watched the video of Davy making the song.  I loved it!  I’ve always liked his voice, and he still sounds the same as ever.

So I go to that website from time to time to listen to it again.  I even had the kids play it for my birthday party.    I really like this song.  The older kids do, too, though they don’t like to admit it. Here’s the video of Davy recording the song:

Scroll down near the bottom to see it.
http://www.workman.com/boynton/

Tell me if you like it, too.

Wow, I just went to the website again and started playing the songs that go with the other books she has written. I am blown away. She has been able to get famous musicians to perform these songs from the different genres, such as B. B. King singing a Blues song, One Shoe Blues and Steve Lawrence singing Blue Moo, based on the famous old song, Blue MoonBlue Moo book and CD is subtitled 17 Juke Box Hits From Way Back Never.  Also performing original songs based on her books are Neil Sedaka, Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys, Sha Na Na, and of course, Davy Jones.

I now have a new favorite author/illustrator/songwriter!

It’s so nice to meet you, Sandra Boynton.

Blessed Birthday and – Surprise! We Found a Hitchhiker in Our Milkweed

Mommy’s Birthday Nature Walk
Buckeye Butterfly – Shawn took the picture for me

 

Those flowers that looked like milkweed, which is what Monarchs lay their eggs on because the caterpillars eat their leaves, must have actually been in the milkweed family.
Look what we found when we got home with some of those flowers!

We found this little guy by accident. We picked flowers and when we got home Katie found a tiny Monarch caterpillar on them. A wonderful birthday present for me.
The ice cream cakes Gary got for me. Yes, that is Elmo on there. I guess he’s trying to keep me young!
The bouquet the kids picked for my birthday
Monarch caterpillar on the second day – he’s growing!
Now we have our very own very hungry caterpillar – and he’s still growing!

Update on Monarch Caterpillar – Day 3:

Look how big he is now!

This is our caterpillar on Day 5.

Here is our caterpillar on Day 6. You can see that his antenna or “whiplashes” are getting longer. They will droop down as they get longer. He has two sets of them. The ones near his head are getting very long. The ones in the back are the “fake” ones. He doesn’t do as much with them. They just throw off birds and other possible predators. But the birds don’t bother him, because they know he tastes bad. His bright colors warn them that he’s one of those nasty-tasting caterpillars just like those Monarch butterflies that taste so bad.

Anna and I went Milkweed hunting today. We saw lots of them in the ditches, but I didn’t want to stop by the busy road. So we went to some real country roads with little to no traffic. We got on a dead end road and found a whole bevy of Milkweeds and butterflies, including several Monarchs.

Anna bravely went out amongst the weeds and snake holes and snatched up a milkweed plant by the roots. I still haven’t figured out if this Milkweed we’re finding is a cousin to the Milkweed I’ve always known and loved or if it’s an earlier stage of it or what. I need to do some more research. There’s no milky stuff coming from the leaves. The leaves aren’t as thick as the ones I knew of. The plants aren’t as tall or straight up. And there are no milkweed pods! I will let you know what I find out.

I rewarded Anna with a McFlurry and myself with a chocolate shake. Then we went home and fed my caterpillar some fresh leaves.

Day 7 – our caterpillar grew a lot today! We took him upstairs to get him away from the noise. I think it helped him to grow more!

Day 8 – Our caterpillar is about 1 and a half inches long now. When he’s 2 inches long, I think he will be ready to make a chrysalis. I think we’ll stretch some nylon hose across the top soon so he can hang his chrysalis from that.

This is another picture from Day 8. He got so excited about the new leaves and flowers that I decided to take some pictures of his animated movements.
He made a U-turn to get over to those flowers.

Did you know that Milkweed is pretty??? I didn’t. Just look at the beautiful photos here at Butterfly Encounters. Guess what kind of milkweed we have? SWAMP MILKWEED!!! I’m not surprised.


I thought this video retelling of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” was good.

And this one is good. Eric Carle actually reads “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” himself.

This Very Hungry Caterpillar unit is taking on a life of its own! I just explained to Abby that our caterpillar is going to turn into a butterfly like the one in this video. I wonder if she understands.

WARNING: This is a “home movie” to the max. I could watch it all day, but it’s really just Abby responding to the pictures and videos from my birthday. Probably not the most interesting to anybody but her mother. You might want to skip this.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zv138DRB1U&list=UUmj5V9frXUDeGkuFRzZtgRg&index=100&t=0s

https://vimeo.com/14412575

Happy Birthday Dear Mommy from Penney Douglas on Vimeo.

You can click on “Happy Birthday Dear Mommy” and see me blowing out my fake candles and see Garrett’s adorable face as he’s begging his Daddy to let him take a picture of Mommy. This is for you, Kristi!

A Prayer Request from the Most Unlikely Founding Father

I’ve been reading Original Intent by David Barton.

It is loaded with quotes by the Founders that credit God and Christianity as the motivation for the founding of this country and the only foundation that our new form of government could stand on.

One particular quote is really amazing me right now.  It is actually a fairly long speech by Benjamin Franklin, one of the least religious of all of the Founders.

He addressed this to George Washington, the President of the Convention that met to revise the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention:

Mr. President:
The small progress we have made after four or five weeks close attendance and continual reasoning with each other – our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ayes is, methinks, a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the human understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom since we have been running about in search of it…

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights, to illuminate our understanding? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?

I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that “except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel: we shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move – that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.

Have our leaders forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do they imagine we no longer need His assistance?

That’s not the only thing. Do you and I as Christians sometimes forget that powerful Friend or imagine that we no longer need His assistance? I take this as a reminder that prayerlessness can be the biggest problem we have in our family. Even now after we have been through so much refining and purifying, sometimes, like the children of Israel, we forget the great things He has done for us. And we get distracted and busy with the daily things of life, and we don’t give God the honor, glory, praise and worship that He deserves. We act like we can take it from here. Thanks, God, I’ve got it now. See ya later. But that’s not how it works. That’s not how God has it set up. We are to abide in Him. If we want to live the great life He has planned for us, that is. If we want to live a mediocre, average, normal life, then we can get by with some prayerlessness. But if we want to be great in God, we need to be faithful and fervent in prayer. Oh, I’m getting so convicted! I’m just going to have to go pray right now. I hear Anna playing her guitar. I’m going to go in there and worship with her. Catch ya later!

What Husbands Want

Bless our Husbands!!

Ways that a Wife Can Bless Her Husband taken from ideas given by a group of husbands.

1. Pray for your husband daily, not just casually (“God Bless Hubby”) but for specific areas of need and blessing.

2. Thank God for your husband’s strengths, for the growth you see, and for the kindnesses that he shows you and the needs he meets in your life.

3. Meditate often (at least once a week) on the Scriptures that teach your responsibilities and position in the home.

4. Listen to him. Try to really hear what he is saying when he communicates with you.

5. When he seems perplexed and troubled, do not pressure him. Support him by prayer, your presence, and words of encouragement.

6. Be ready to share your observations and insights in a meek spirit, but openly and honestly, when he asks you. You can be his best counselor. You can anchor him when he needs it most.

7. Encourage him. Do not nag him, or boss him. Do not argue with him even if you are sure he is wrong. He may have something in mind that you are not aware of or do not understand. Ask his counsel and advice.

8. Only say upbuilding and affirming things about your husband to others. Do not criticize him even in a joking manner. Very rarely should you find yourself sharing anything about his faults or failings, and then only with someone who is truly in a position to help.

9. Bless your husband in public. Do not apologize for his background, weaknesses or failures. This will build up your reverence for him and help establish the trust that you should both have for each other.

10. If your husband has failed, entreat him in meekness, don’t exaggerate the issue or berate him.

11. Let him know that you want him to be your leader not only by what you say but by what you do. You get that message across by the way you respond to the leadership he does give you.

12. Seek to please your husband even when he does not spell out what he wants you to do. Try to determine what his heart’s desire is and do it as fully as possible.

13. Teach your children to honor him, respect him, and bless him. You do this best by your own example.

14. Depend on him. Be very sensitive to areas in which he wants you to act independently. Do not run away with this responsibility. Handle it carefully. If in question, choose dependence not independence.

15. Seek opportunities to serve your husband in love. Find ways to show him that he is your “lord.”

16. Be ready to make changes in your day or schedule to accommodate his needs or desires, especially if you run a home business and he needs you or the children to serve in some capacity.

17. When you need to make an appeal, prepare carefully. Choose your words wisely. Choose the time well so that you can have his attention and time to explain yourself. That way you can be sure that he understands you. When he is weary, at the end of a long day is not a good time to communicate weighty matters.

18. Always let your husband have the last word, the deciding vote, the majority rule.

19. Don’t say “I told you so.”

20. Show appreciation for the way he provides for you.

21. Let your husband know that you love his attention to you and his singleness of heart for you. Bask in this attention and help him relate discreetly to other women especially by letting him know what makes women respond.

22. Reserve yourself, your beauty, and your charm for him. Maintain true modesty and reserve while relating to other men.

There are many, many ways to bless your husband that were not even touched here. These are just a few of the ways some husbands discussed that would make them feel honored. Women tend to think of kisses, hugs, notes in lunch boxes and a meal spent together alone. I am sure that our men appreciate all of those things. But as I typed this list that husbands had made, I was extremely impressed with their need for support and encouragement. They need and want a visible show of this. It is born out in our everyday life in the way we walk and talk, and in the way we respond to their leadership, plans, and desires.

I think that many times we ladies are blind to how much contriving and planning we do to get our own way. Perhaps not consciously, but nonetheless we often tend to get what we really desire. We think we just make good valid appeals. These appeals are in order sometimes, but where is your heart? Is it where your husband can safely rest or are you always pushing the limit? Are you always going to bat for your young people and helping your husband to see why this or that is such a good idea? No doubt you do have good ideas that need to be shared, sometimes. But I am fully persuaded that I, all too often, am really blind to my husband’s true desires. Let us pray for each other and meditate on how we can be women whose husbands can safely trust in.

Let us be supporters, encourages and blessers. Let us affirm our husbands and be there for them. I think it is especially important as our families grow up and husbands need to make boundaries and guidelines for our young people. Often these guidelines are hard to make and even harder to implement. Let us back our husbands up and help them in their sincere desire to guide our families right. We can make their job infinitely easier and thus build a relationship of trust that deepens through the years, rather than ones that erode as our young people grow in maturity.

This list and comments came from:

http://fernshomestead.com/blessinghusband.html

I was made aware of it by my Facebook friend, Debbie Allen-Tuott.  Thank you, Debbie!

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What I see in this is the man’s need for respect, especially from his wife.  I talked about his need for respect in this post.

Some women think these ideas are outdated.  They think they are more like the views of society in the 50’s.  They think that these reflect a time when men were considered superior to women, and women did not have equal rights.  Our standard should be the Bible, not what society says.   Societal values have changed with the times.  But biblical values haven’t.

This is a list made by real men.  A major theme I see is that husbands want their wives to show them respect.  Really now, what is so bad about that?  When a woman treats her husband disrespectfully, does that cause peace and harmony in the marriage?  Does that create a good atmosphere in the home?  These men are also asking for patience, love, and encouragement from their wives.  Is that so unreasonable?

As Christians, we should see this as our reasonable service.  Even the part where we let the husband have the last word, the deciding vote.  The Bible tells us that he is our head.  He is accountable to God for the decisions that he makes and how he takes care of his family.  He is to honor her and let his wife express her opinion, but the final decision is on his shoulders.  In reality, this takes the burden off of the wife.  If she bears this kind of burden, it is a burden that she was not intended to bear.  Men were made to carry these responsibilities.  If this place is usurped by his wife, a man does not feel like a man.  And this leads to lots of other relationship problems.  Which lead to problems in every area of life.  Man is made to be a leader.  Let him lead.

A man has different needs than a woman.  Okay, that’s just how it is.  He needs respect, honor, encouragement, cheerleading, and quiet understanding even when he’s not able to express himself well.  The way I see it, this is the way of love.  How can we go wrong showing love to our husbands?