New Puppets

I bought a bunch of puppets from a local church today. One of their members remembered me from years past when we attend a different church at the same time. Their new church doesn’t have a puppet team anymore and she was wondering if I knew anyone who would be interested in purchasing them at a really good price. After she sent me pictures, I decided to purchase them.

They a mostly people puppets and they will be great for working with the children in the schools. I teach a variety of classroom lessons using puppetry and storytelling. Some of them are vowel sounds, place value, conflict resolution, there are just a bunch!  If I am in a classroom of 25 students for 45 minutes I can get a puppet on the hand of every child, and allow them time to manipulate that puppet.  I will develop some new lessons and assembly programs with these puppets.  I will also be able to use them in workshops, too. People often come and do not have a puppet, so I’ll have some different ones for them to use.  I am excited about this purchase.  It’ll be fun to include some new characters to the cast (I just hope my old and new puppets all get along with each other. So many different personalities, you never know how they will react to one another!).

Below are some photos of my new friends!

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These will be admitted to my puppet hospital — they need surgery.

Birthday Celebrations: No Big Fuss

This year my birthday was on the second to the last day of February (I only get to say that once every four years!): February 28 — the same day as my brother's birthday. No, we aren't twins. Joel was born two years after me.

When we were young, it was often a challenge having the same birthday. There were times we received presents to share, and we also shared a cake. When we were little, we would blow the candles out together; in later years, they would be lit for Joel to blow out first, then re-lit for me. We always shared our birthdays.

Now that we are adults, we are no longer together for our special day. In fact, this year, Joel was in Germany with his son. We texted while he was sitting in a Chinese restaurant, eating his birthday dinner. No big fuss for him this year but he said the food was excellent.

There was no big fuss for me either. Steven happened to have the day off from work, so we spent the day together, walking around the Southern Spring Show in Charlotte. We bought a beautiful handmade cutting board made from reclaimed wood. From another vendor, we purchased some balsamic vinegar infused with strawberries. We came home and I made a white pizza for supper: no big fuss, just a calm day with my husband.

Actually, as I sit here and recount the day, I realize that in a way, Joel and I do still share our day together. Every year we talk and have a bit of a celebration conversation. February 28 is something we will always have in common, even when we are separated by an ocean.

Irish Soda Bread

I was making supper a couple of nights ago and I decided to make a homemade chicken noodle soup.  It was my own dump and pour method so I don’t have a recipe, but it was really good. I decided having a simple sandwich with the soup would be nice but I was out of bread. I could certainly make my own but yeast bread would take too long with proofing and such. I could make biscuits but I wanted to be able to have a sandwich. Then it came to me: Irish Soda Bread. I’d not had Irish Soda Bread in years but it sure is simple to make.  The recipe calls for buttermilk, but I replace it with almond milk and it came out just fine.

I made some more the next night but I did some alterations to the recipe. I wanted a slightly sweet chocolate bread. So to the recipe, I added a couple of heaping tablespoons of cocoa powder and about 1/8 cup of honey. It came out beautifully. While it was still warm I drizzled on some more honey and a touch of ghee. It was so good!

I remember having Irish Soda Bread when I was a little girl. It was traditional for the Irish, and there were many Irish immigrants in the town where I grew up. I also have Irish blood so I suppose it’s only natural that I know about Irish Soda Bread.  It just might end up in one of my stories one day.

Here is my recipe in case you want to try it. St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner!

Irish Soda Bread

• 4 cups flour (you can use oat or whole wheat flour for 2 of those cups of flour)

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 1/3 cups of buttermilk (You can use almond or rice milk)

Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes.

Going Down a Rabbit Hole

A memory marker is something that reminds me of a story. Memories that may be way in the back of my brain that I’ve not though about in years come flooding back when one of my senses gets hit with something that reminds me of that past event or story.

It happened this morning. I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a picture of Gumby. Gumby is a stop-motion animated clay character. When I was a kid, Gumby and his side kick, Pokey, came on every weekend on tv. Seeing that picture this morning was a memory marker that took me down a rabbit hole – come go with me.

When I saw Gumby, I thought of a particular episode when Gumby asks his mother if he can have some crackers and milk. That reminder took me to my father: he loved Premium saltine crackers with hard cheese or sometimes just a little butter. When I was a kid there were times my father and I would sit and have a “coffee break” together. Daddy would pull out the Premium saltines and some cheese or butter. He would pour himself a cup of coffee (from the percolator not a coffee maker), I would get a glass of chocolate milk, and we would sit and have a “coffee break” together.

That memory lead me to the black and white sandwich cookies he would buy. They were always in the house. He would get a couple, put them in his pocket, and we would walk around the yard a bit before sitting to have a picnic with those cookies. He continued that tradition with his grandchildren; my kids and I named those cookies “Grandpa cookies.”

That memory directed me to my new granddaughter, Jubilee. When little Jubilee says, “Grandmommie, tell me a story,” I’ll be sure to have a cookie in my pocket.

Have a Heart

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite plants that bloomed under our kitchen window was Bleeding Hearts. Those sweet little pink blossoms would bloom every spring and it was a welcome sight. Their heart shape would sway in the breeze and I would watch as they floated back and forth. They didn’t bloom for Valentine’s Day; it was later in the spring.

This time of year, we see heart shapes everywhere: stores, clothing, candy, artwork, emojis (and I am sure you can name several other places!)… Of course, the heart shape represents love and affection, but other things can represent love and affection, too. Maybe a phone call '“just because,” a flower or balloon, a hug, folding laundry, doing the dishes, going out for tea or coffee, or just saying, “I love you.”

This week doing something special for the one you love is likely, but why not pin that card you get on February 14th on the refrigerator and make the 14th of every month a time to celebrate your love?

Hearts: they’re not just for Valentine’s Day.