Raising Butterflies

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are of my nephew, Brad, and his Dad, Tommy, participating in the Food Challenge we had in Survivor - Easter Island... and winning!

SURVIVOR - EASTER ISLAND - Well, the Martins were down one challenge with the Obstacle Course victory, but we all knew the Food Challenge was going to be tough for the Faulkners. One person from each team had to sit out because there were only three dishes. Austin immediately offered to remove himself from this particular challenge. He was fast, and called it before the other three had a chance.

Josh found himself pitted against Brad and sat down to a covered plate. "I'm not eating eyeballs," he said.

"Josh. I don't even know where to buy eyeballs, much less how to prepare them," I assured him.

"I'm not eating fish guts either." You can tell we've been watching Survivor for a very long time.

"Well, that's good to know. I'll feel so much better about sending you off to college in a couple of years knowing you won't succumb to those temptations."

Beverly counted to three and Brad and Josh removed the covering from the plates. Brad didn't even hesitate. He started shoveling bright orange "stuff" into his mouth. "What is this? What is this?" Josh began to yell.

"It's carrots from a blender, Josh. That's all." I told him. Brad was halfway finished.

Josh put a spoonful in his mouth... and immediately began to gag. "Oh, my gosh. This is horrible. What did you put in this?"

"Nothing. It is a clean carrot I put in a blender and chopped up. That's all."

Josh put his spoon on the table. "I'm done. No one should be expected to eat this. It's not possible."

"IT'S... JUST... A... CARROT!"

By this time, Brad had two more spoonfuls left on his plate. "Could I have some salt, please?"

"No! This is a Survivor Food Challenge. You're lucky I couldn't find the eyeballs!"

Brad finished his blended carrots, and it was time for the second round. (Did I mention this challenge was the best two out of three?)

Tommy sat down, and to be honest, I don't want to even mention the name of the Faulkner who bailed on this one. Beverly counted to three and Tommy and the unnamed Faulkner uncovered the dish... one baked parsnip (salted AND peppered).

"What is that? Is it a rotten carrot? How do you expect me to put this in my mouth? Are you trying to poison us." You can guess who was speaking at this point in the story. I'm too ashamed to tell you.

Tommy shoved the whole parsnip in his mouth, and was done in a matter of seconds. We never got to the third dish. (By the way, the third dish consisted of half a chocolate Easter bunny, two peeps and 15 jelly beans. Back in the day, I could have inhaled that plate in 10.5 seconds.)

At this point in Survivor - Easter Island the score was tied... Martins - 1; Faulkners - 1. But there were three challenges left. Come back tomorrow for one of the favorites... the Fire Challenge!

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! - I'm always trying to think of new ways to make A Simple Life more interesting, and as I've always clarified, most of my ideas come from other blogs, magazine articles, etc.

I've decided to try something I've seen in a few other places. I'll be having a Question and Answer post Monday, May 3. You can post a question by e-mailing me or leaving it in the Comment Section of the blog any time between now and May 3. The questions can be about information from old posts (where to find something, etc.), why I continue to call myself The Enchanting Belinda (when I am not "enchanting"), or anything else you might be wondering.

This may not work, but you never know unless you try. Right? We'll have to wait and see!

Wednesday Wisdom - I'm still in a "24" state of mind, so today's wisdom comes from Jack Bauer, CTU Agent Extraordinaire!

"If you don't tell me what I want to know, then it'll just be a question of how much you want it to hurt." (I recall saying this exact phrase to the kids when they were little, but it works so much better for Jack.)

"The only reason that you're conscious right now is because I don't want to carry you." (Yep. I used that one, too.)

"I'm federal agent Jack Bauer, and today is the longest day of my life." (Hmmm. Is it just me, or is Jack getting his good quotes from all the Moms out there?)

Raising Butterflies

When the kids were small, a second grade teacher friend gave us a caterpillar which was already in the cocoon. She told us to place it on a curtain or drape. As the days passed, we watched and waited. I remember the day we came downstairs and there was a beautiful butterfly in our living room. It was so much fun.

Now you can raise butterflies every year with kits you buy on the Internet. This would be a fun AND educational activity to share with your children each year. The website I'm going to share has the entire kit available for $24.95, but if you are crafty and smart, you can make your own butterfly cage with things you have in your house. This drops the price to $14.95 for five caterpillars, food and instructions. If you choose to buy the butterfly cage, it would be a one-time purchase. Check the information and see if this is something you and your little ones would enjoy doing each year.

Go to www.thebutterflysite.com/activities.shtml. Click on Fun Butterfly Activities for all the information you need to purchase the kit and raise your own butterflies.

Have a fantastic Wednesday. Thursday I'll have pictures from the Fire Challenge, a fun date for you and yours, Blog Linkage, and a little this and that.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

Resurrection Rolls

Good Tuesday morning!

We've had to say good-bye to LeAnna, so the new Showcase Pic for the week is of Mikie and his boys. Just another Easter shot.

The Gallery Pics are from Survivor - Easter Island... the Obstacle Course. (And for those of you sitting on the edge of your seat, the jury determined Zac had thrown-up earlier in the day due to excessive Easter candy AND cold medicine. He was able to participate!)

SURVIVOR - EASTER ISLAND - We had a total of five challenges. In the Obstacle Course, Mike and Tommy had to stand on top of the old fort and the kids, all blindfolded with their tie-died buffs, had to retrieve three plastic eggs, an Easter bonnet and a hula hoop bringing them all back to the fort following the instructions given to them by their dads.

I'll have to say, this could have been anyone's win. Tommy has a big voice and is patient in a clutch... but for some reason Mikie turned into the Sgt. Carter from the Gomer Pyle Show (remember that show). The veins came out in his neck, the volume of his voice was turned up louder than I've ever heard it, and his directions were followed without question by the Faulkner teens.

"TURN LEFT. TURN LEFT. TURN LEFT. NO, THE OTHER LEFT."

"HIT YOUR KNEE. CRAWL THREE FEET IN A COUNTER-CLOCKWISE DIRECTION. REACH OVER YOUR BACK AND PICK UP THE EGG. THE EGG. THE EGG. NOT THE PINE CONE."

"PUT YOUR ARMS DOWN! I'M NOT GOING TO RAM YOU INTO A TREE!"

"WALK 32 YARDS AND THEN TURN AT A 90 DEGREE ANGLE." (What does that mean? I didn't know, but for some reason my kids did.)

I liked it! Directions being given, carried out and no back-talk whatsoever. It was a dream come true.

Zac finally had enough of the barking from Uncle Mike, but instead of turning on him, his Dad received the reprimand. "You're going to have to scream at us louder!" Has a 12 year-old boy ever said that to his Dad?

The Faulkner Five won that challenge, but the Food Challenge was next... and since the Faulkner Five are only known to eat three or four types of food (vegetables not being high on the list) and the Martin Five try anything and everything at least once, we were shaking in our boots. Correction: We should have been shaking in our boots. Instead, Josh was trash-talking up a storm... and I'll tell the rest of that story tomorrow.

RANDOMNESS #1 - Even though the OFFICIAL Contest Rules have not been posted, several people have begun entering the Mystery Bag Party Contest. For now, feel free to leave a comment, e-mail or Facebook message stating you would like to be in the Contest. The details will be posted next Monday morning!

RANDOMNESS #2 - I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but watching 24 last night was one of the highlights of my day! My son, Jack (formerly known as the son called The Boy), called to say he had missed it and was going to have to catch up later. My other son, Jack II (formerly known as the son called Josh), made it through the first hour and then had to go to bed. Something about not feeling well. I don't remember. I was fighting terrorists at the time! So, I was feeling a little lonely after the show. I wanted to recap everything. I'm thinking about checking Jack II out of school in a little while to re-watch the last hour with me. (My mothering skills have really started to deteriorate. Can you tell?)

Resurrection Rolls

I know I said we had a super easy recipe for the kids today, but it has come to my attention there is a better way to make Resurrection Rolls for Easter. While similar to my original post (Crescent Roll Tombs), I like this one better. I also know Easter is OVER, but next year if you are scrolling through the archives looking for Easter ideas, I wanted this one to be easily accessible.

My friend, Kim, copied this from a Kay Arthur Bible Study she attended.

You will need the following:

1 can crescent rolls - The rolls represent the linen wrappings Jesus was wearing when he was buried.

2 tablespoons melted butter - The butter represents the oils used in anointing Jesus' body before burial.

1/2 cup sugar - Mix the sugar in a bowl with the cinnamon.

1 teaspoon cinnamon - The cinnamon represents the spices used in preparing Jesus' body for burial.

8 large marshmallows (one for each roll) - The marshmallows represent Jesus' body.

1. Open can of crescent rolls (linen wrappings) and separate the dough into triangles.

2. Dip and roll one marshmallow (Jesus' body) into the melted butter (anointing oil).

3. Roll the marshmallow into the cinnamon/sugar mixture (the spices).

4. Place the marshmallow in the center of the crescent triangle. Fold the crescent roll over the marshmallow and pinch the edges tight. Put each crescent-wrapped marshmallow on a greased cookie sheet.

5. Bake the rolls as directed on the package. (The oven represents the sealed tomb.)

While baking, you may want to read the story in John 21:1-30. Once these are baked (our burial), we will find all that remains in the tomb (oven) are the linen wrappings (crescent rolls) sweetened by the marshmallow that was once there. The marshmallow is gone! Just like Jesus. Jesus is no longer there. He has risen!

This is just a little something different to think about for next year's celebration!

Have a terrific Tuesday. Tomorrow I'll have a little Wednesday Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition, another little story about Survivor - Easter Island, and maybe, just maybe, a little more Randomness.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda