Introducing the Van Cluck Sisters

We have some new fluffy babies around here- 

Chickens!  : ) 

We may have been slightly influenced by a certain royal wedding last week when we named our girls. 

We each picked out a chick of our own and decided they needed very aristocratic names.  Prince Charming had a little help naming his chickie.  "Bird" just didn't seem fancy enough.  : )    


Meet the Van Cluck Sisters:

"Goldie"
Lady Goldia Rosemary Van Cluck

Goldie is a Golden Sex Link chicken and belongs to Youngest Princess

"Angeline"

Lady Angeline Ann Van Cluck

Angeline is an Ameracauna chicken.  She will lay pastel Easter colored eggs.  She belongs to Oldest Princess.  

"Lady Di"

Lady Diana Van Cluck

Diana is a Rhode Island White chicken and belongs to King Charming. 

"Ramona"

Lady Ramona Augusta Caroline Van Cluck

Ramona is a Golden Sex Link chicken and she belongs to Prince Charming.

"Bea"

Lady Beatrice Anastasia Adelaide Van Cluck

Beatrice is also a Golden Sex Link chicken and she's mine!!  : )

We are so excited to have fresh eggs.  They should be laying for us before school starts again in the Fall.  Right now they are still in their brooder, but King Charming is hard at work designing and building "Cluckingham Palace" (a.k.a. The Coop).   

As soon as they establish their pecking order, and we can see who is the boss, we will know which of the ladies will receive the title of "Her Majesty the Queen".  After that we'll decide who will become our princess, duchess, countess, etc.   We're not having fun at all.   : )

I originally titled this post "Meet Our Newest Family Members" but King Charming put the kabosh on that.  He has told us over and over again they are not family members, to not get too attached, and to remember these chickens are food providers, might die, and might end up in soup.  We're prepared for the worst, but still having so much fun.  I can't believe how fast they are growing and changing.  On Saturday they were puffballs.  Now they are already getting their feathers.  

I like being a chicken farmer!  : )   

Want to vote on which one you think will end up Queen? 

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Seeing Green

The Corned Beef and Cabbage are all set to go for dinner tonight with Chocolate Chip Mint Ice Cream for dessert of course. 
Yum, Yum, Yum!!   

And after the fun we had with our Valentine's Hair-Dos, the girls and I decided we needed shamrocks in their hair today-

Oldest Princess

Littlest Princess

Directions for hairstyles are from this site: http://www.cutegirlshairstyles.com/ 

All Ready for a Green Day at School-

No Pinching! 

Hey!!  Did You Forget Someone, Mom! 

 See I'm wearing my green, too- 

My husband's family on his mom side came from Ireland only two generations ago, and although I can't claim as much, there's some Irish blood in me, too.  We have a lot of fun  celebrating our Irishness and St. Patrick, a man credited with bringing the good news of Christianity to Ireland and who was described as being "humble" and "thankful" for that honor.  

Happy St. Patty's Day Everyone! 

Love, 

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The Best Birthday EVER!

That's how she described it. 

Hearing that and seeing the look on her face in this picture did my heart so much good!! 

I love seeing my baby girl so happy. 

It really was a fun celebration.  First it was pizza at our house, then a trip to the theater to see Tangled.  (I loved that movie!) and then home for an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen and a sleepover. 

(It only took me until 1:00 in the morning to get the giggling to stop)

We topped it all off the next morning with some unplanned sleepingbag sledding and a batch of homemade waffles.

It seemed to be a success.  I'm just still in shock that my girl is 9-years-old.  I'm going to be in major shock next year when she turns ten.  

That's a decade. 

Oh my goodness! 

I MUST STOP BLINKING!!! 

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Sometimes a Princess Just Needs a Day at the Spa

Lately, I've felt a little disconnected from my girls.  

I don't know if it is busyness or grumpiness or hormones (theirs and mine, LOL), but I felt like we needed some good old fashioned girl fun.  

So I declared a spa day.  Because sometimes princesses just need a day at the spa, and so does their mama.  : ) 

We piled in the car and shopped the Wal-Mart cosmetic isle then came home and put Princess Charming down for a nap because boys weren't invited.  

First, I greeted them and told them to put on one of our comfy red robes and to relax and let the stresses of princess life fade away.  They decided to stretch out on the kitchen floor where the sun was streaming through the windows for a little Vitamin D Therapy.  

Next, the princesses were served cocoa with whip cream. 

Next they were treated to an apricot exfoliating scrub, an avocado mud mask, and a hot oil treatment for their hair. 

Here the princesses enjoy some leisure reading while waiting for their mud masks to set. 

And of course no spa day is complete without a manicure.  It was definitely a bonding afternoon and a memory to remember.   For a few dollars at Wal-Mart we ended up having a very special time. 

And now they want to know if we can make "Spa Day" a Saturday tradition.  I'm afraid I may have created two spa monsters, but our pampering did our spirits good.     : ) 

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So My Mom Tells Me...

...You aren't supposed to take a picture of a turkey from this angle, and I should be ashamed of myself.

 LOL

Oops!  : )   

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Verse Novel Challenge

Soooo....I may have mentioned a few times about my new love affair with verse novels.  OK...I admit my friends and family are sick to death of hearing me gush about them.

Well, now I'll tell you who you can blame.  : ) 

You can blame Amy, at The Green Bathtub.  Amy is a writer and loves good books AND she now lives in the town I grew up in.  Finding her online was a cyber match made in heaven that I'll have to blog about another time.  I love her blog, and when she mentioned she was a part of a challenge to read five verse novels this year, I thought, "What's a verse novel?"  I was mildly interested, but wondered if I would actually like reading a whole novel written in poetry.

Uh...I liked it a lot.  Just ask my sink full of dirty dishes. 

I know many of you are thinking, "Yuck!"  Trust me, it isn't like reading Shakespeare or a whole book of poetry that you have to interpret in order to understand.  I read Heartbeat by Sharon Creech outloud to my daughters, and they were begging me for a sequel.  If second and third grade girls can "get" it, so can you.  : ) 

I've loved many of the ones I've read, liked most of them, and disliked only two, but even the ones I disliked, I had to respect for the writing and creativity. 

I found out recently that it isn't too late to join the Verse Novel Challenge hosted by Caroline Starr Rose for a chance to win an advanced copy of her new book, May B. 

Here's a list of the verse novels I've read so far in the order I read them.  I put an asterisk by my absolute favorites and a little note or disclaimer by the ones that need it.  I hope you'll add a verse novel to your reading list and let me know what you think: 

1.  Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

2.  Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse  *

3.  Heartbeat by Sharon Creech *

4.  Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant

5.  Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell

These next two were the ones I didn't like.  The first one was funny, but I didn't relate to the main character very much and it has a different world view than me.  The second one was creative and I respected the concept, but it was not an easy or entertaining read.  It was more like a collection of poems and was VERY depressing.

6.  One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

7.  Split Image by Mel Glenn

These next two are HILARIOUS and fun to read, but definitely not G-rated.  They aren't R-rated either.  I guess I'd say PG-13.  They are meant for teens, are pretty steamy, and remind me of watching Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles back in my day- 

8.  What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
9.  What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

One of the appealing things about verse novels are how quickly you can read one.  If you end up getting addicted and read five before the end of the year, you should enter Caroline's  challenge on her blog, Caroline By Line.

Have fun reading! 

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The Loveliest, Most Perfect, "Straight From my Dreams" Morning

I had the loveliest, most perfect, straight from my dreams, mornings, and I'm still smiling. 

When I tell you what I did, some of you will get a blank, "I don't get it" look on your faces, while others of you will instantly get a faraway, dreamy smile and will have to fight back your jealousy.  

#1- I had two whole hours TO MYSELF.  

#2- I spent those two hours in a cozy corner of the library writing while it snowed outside.  (And I was all by myself)   

#3- I had a travel mug full of hot coffee.

#4- I made a lot of progress on a writing project I've been yearning to work on. 

Heavenly. 

This morning will definitely be included on my list for next Monday's Multitudes post. 

Did I mention I'm still smiling? 

I hope there are moments that make you smile today.

Love,

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Sledding in September?

I'm not sure if this is going to win me the "Mother of the Year" award, but they sure are having fun. : )

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Vacation Flashback: Beautiful Mt. Rainier

After a super fun family reunion, our next stop was Ohanapecosh Campground in Mt. Rainier National Park to break in our new (to us) tent trailer:

Isn't Ohanapecosh a great name? Say that five times fast:

Ohanapecosh Ohanapecosh Ohanapecosh Ohanapecosh Ohanapecosh

We stayed for five days.

(This explains the absence of adults in these pictures. We were all camera shy after a week without showers. )

It was five days of hiking, playing games, eating s'mores, hanging out by the campfire, and visiting Grandma and Grandpa in their new camper for early morning cups of hot chocolate:

Hey, Aunt Becky!! I saw you eyeballing my hot chocolate!

The big kids went every morning to the Ranger Station for the kids' program and were proudly sporting "Junior Ranger" badges all week.

The following pictures were taken standing in our campsite. We definitely had the best site there. Isn't it beautiful?

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty we saw and the magical childhood memories made.

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These Days When I Need to Find my Kids...

...I look in the garage.

First it was a classroom, then a rock concert venue, and today?

A ballet studio:

Psst... I can't watch this without giggling- don't tell my ballerinas I said so, OK? : )

King Charming and I often talk about how we wished we had a basement with a rec room. Maybe we found one in the garage? Who knew how much fun could be found by moving the minivan out of the way? : )

Hope you all are enjoying summer!

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Rock On!

Our garage has become the neighborhood hot spot this summer.

They call themselves "Campfire."

If you're really nice to me or bribe me (think chocolate, coffee, etc.) I might be able to score you some autographs.

Happy Weekend!

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School's Out for Summer, Isn't It?

They informed me they weren't lost, just looking for their teacher.

Ahhh, there's their teacher now!

Leave it to Oldest Princess to have organized something.
That girl was born to organize people.

She has declared our garage the neighborhood summer school. The first day she had one student. The next day she had three. The next four. Word is spreading about how much fun her school is, and today I just served cookies to nine kids. One is the principal, one the TA, one the duty teacher, and of course Oldest Princess is THE TEACHER.

Since I'm delivering cookies, I suppose that makes me the Lunch Lady? Where did I put my hair net?

Students putting their backpacks in their cubbies.

This is quite the sophisticated school. She has lesson plans, recess, P.E., snack time. A few minutes ago nine kids just walked through my living room in a single file line heading upstairs for library class.

The funny thing is, she is teaching them real academics and they all love it. No one is going back to school next year with gaps. I wouldn't be surprised if she has the little ones reading before the summer is over. : )

Her school lasted a couple hours yesterday. She's thrilled. The little kids are happy. I'm just glad they made the garage the classroom so they stay out of my hair. (Just being honest) : )

Yesterday, she walked by with a goofy grin and let out a contented sigh, "Mommy, I'm beginning to think maybe I should give up being a vet and become a teacher instead."

I'm beginning to wonder if teaching is an inherited gene. I tried everything I could to pursue a different career path and break away from the family mold, but it was useless. It was in my blood.

I'm afraid it may be useless for her, too.

Now that her staff is growing, however, maybe she'll get a quick lesson in school politics (I can hear the sound of a few too many cooks in the kitchen out there) and change her mind.

If that doesn't do it, I'm certain the paycheck will. : )

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He's Just Not Wired the Same

Don't miss my latest giveaway here.

I've been a little concerned that Prince Charming isn't "talking" like his sisters did at this age. Then I saw this video:



I decided to give the guy a break. This is proof that women are just born to talk! How's he supposed to get a word in in this household of three women anyway???

See, King Charming. I can't help my babbling. I was born that way. : )

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Life Lesson

So, I'm sooooo tired, I'm going to go crash into bed instead of blogging tonight. But my dad sent me an email with a little nugget of truth I wanted to share before I do:



Two of the greatest qualities in life are:

Patience and Wisdom.

Sleep tight!

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