Welcome Spring

Bubbles...

Chalk...

Kites...

Spring!

Unlucky???

St. Patrick's Day was a little wacky this year. It started the night before when Clint almost punched a Leprechaun in the face for putting stickers on him while he was sleeping, and then continued with Derek waking up in the middle of the night probably right after the little guys left and getting upset with all the stickers on his face. So no pictures this year for mom.Morning time was still pretty exciting...except my spin teacher brought shamrock cookies for everyone at spin class and made me take one on the way out. I promised myself I would save it for my kids...but after spin, I am always craving carbs right away and I had only take 2 bites by the time I got home...I tried to talk Clint into eating the rest of it before he left for school...he didn't. So it was sitting on the kitchen counter until 7:30 and Derek still had not woken up... It was gone by the time Derek made it to the kitchen.

There were gold coins under pillows, and all the water and liquid in the house had turned to green.

Derek would not eat any breakfast other than the chocolate coins and green milk. I, not wanting to be a hypocrite, and having eaten a shamrock cookie for breakfast myself, just let it go. Big mistake!

When Landen showed up, Derek had eaten half of the bag, but still decided to share a few with Landen.

Landen got a tour of the havoc that the Leprechauns had caused. And shortly after, Derek threw up all his chocolates in Lisa's car on the way to preschool.

Nex time I think the leprechauns are going to leave golden apples under Derek's pillow, and we will definately skip on the chocolate...and the spin class. I'll just sleep in!

Taste a Rainbow

St. Patrick's Day is not just about green, you know. Those Leprechauns always find their gold at the end of the rainbow.

And since Derek didn't go for the green eggs this year, we did the rainbow thing for dessert.

1. Prepare and refrigerate Jello.

2. Cut Jello into squares.

3. Layer in pretty glasses, with or without whipped cream...(neither Derek or Delany like whipped cream).

And Neither Derek or Delany like all the flavors of Jello, but they do all look pretty together, and they were a blast to make!

And Dad and Clint ate them. No problem there.

Lucky

As far as I can tell, I am not Irish...but I like to find any excuse to celebrate. And we DO celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Last year, my friends from England went all out and made the most amazing Leprechaun traps to catch Leprechauns. Unfortunately those Leprechauns still got away. You can learn more about Leprechaun traps Here I have not done anything that ambitious for St. Patrick's Day, which is why those Leprechauns seem to be so Brazen at our house. Those little guys turn all the liquid in the house green, even the water in the toilet! The milk and orange juice usually ends up green. But that is not the worst of the pranks they pull. They also give green kisses to little sleeping children that turn into stickers by morning. Both of my boys wake up covered with stickers! The Leprechauns also sometimes leave treats or gold coins. And they sometimes make messes, but they always help us to make St. Patrick's Day fun.

We fly kites if the weather is nice, and have rainbow themed dinners...So even though we are not Irish at all, we are so glad there is a place called Ireland, and that these funny little characters give us one more reason to look forward to another fun day! What would life be like without Holidays? I'll take them any time I can.

Check out my favorite website to see all of the really creative and fun ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at familyfun.com

And Another....

Before blogging picture...another one of my favorites. Where does the time go?

Very Cool

Random Book Thoughts

This was my very favorite book when I was a little girl...I wonder if my mom and dad still have this book...I used to read it all the time, and I had most of it memorized. Of course, I also LOVED Green Eggs and Ham.
We also had this Red Fairy Tale Book, and it was huge. One summer, I must have been in 4th or 5th grade... I read the entire thing from cover to cover and I was very proud of myself that I did.

Newberry Award Books
A complete list of Newberry Award winners from 1922 to present
(I've read all the purple ones. The darker ones are my favorites) I know no one is really going to be interested in this post but me...but not many people read my blog anyways...

2009: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
2005: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
2004: The Tale of Despereaux:
2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
2003: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
2001: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
2000: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

1999: Holes by Louis Sachar
1998: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (this one was brutal...I wrote materials for it, but it was rough to get through).
1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry
1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
1983: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard
1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos

1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Bu
1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
1976: The Grey King by Susan Cooper
1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton
1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
1973: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
1971: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
1970: Sounder by William H. Armstrong

1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander
1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
1967: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
1966: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska
1964: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville
1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
1962: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
1960: Onion John by Joseph Krumgold

1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson
1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham \
1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong \
1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold \
1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark \
1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes \
1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli

1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pne du Bois
1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin
1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
1943: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
1942: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds
1941: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
1940: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty (Out of Print)

1939: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (Out of Print)
1938: The White Stag by Kate Seredy
1937: Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
1935: Dobry by Monica Shannon (Out of Print)
1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs
1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis
1932: Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer (Out of Print)
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field

1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly
1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James
1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger (Out of Print)
1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon
(okay, so I didn't actually finish reading The story of mankind...it was pretty boring...but I started it and skimmed through it. And I think I will call it good).

I don't know that I will really read all of these...but there are a few more I would like to add to my "have read" list. There are a lot of really great books that never made the list. Charlott's Web came out the same year as Secret of the Andes...and Secret of the Andes won. No one has EVER heard of it...but everyone loves Charlotte's Web. So it is not always the greatest predictor...but there are some great books on this list.

I read Diary of a Wimpy Kid today. It took 45 min. and I did laugh. Clint has all the books in the series. He likes them. But they are not the greatest works of literature...but they are good for a laugh.

Shannon Hale is one of my favorite Authors fo Children's books. She writes a lot of Princess themed stuff. I also love Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson isn't half bad. Patrica C. Wrede is another good author. She is pretty funny and magical. And Spiderwick and Series of Unfortunate Events. Also the Eddie Dickens trilogy. I loved Nancy Drew and the The Black Stallion books while I was growing up. The first novel I ever read by myself was the summer after second grade. I read Bambi and was so proud of myself. The year before that my Dad read me and my brother David "Pinocchio". The novel version. It took a few weeks to finish. I also remember the very first time my Dad took me and my brother to the library...and we got to take home any book we wanted. I brought home this really long book with just pencil drawn lines...It may have been something by Shel Silverstein. And my sister Shelli read it to me when I brought it home. I remember her being a good sport about it because it was a very long book.

Just random book thoughts. Books make me happy.

I also really liked Hunger Games. And The Black Book of Secrets.

I just started the second Percy Jackson book today. I want to read the series, then I need to move on to a few of these Newberry books. Right now Derek has a pile of Sponge Bob books that he checked out from the library...I know, I know. But at least he is reading books!

Stand