What's the MATTER?

We are taught that these things which we cannot see that circulate the exterior of "atoms", are called negative electrons and they are tiny in comparison to positive protons, and that they are collectively called Matter. They say the electrons squirrel their way around the proton in "orbitals" which, said electron, they then say, are impossible to "locate" because of specific laws of observation. How about, that's wrong...? They ask you to believe that these objects called atoms are porous and disjointed, ie there is somehow empty space between the electron and proton. Ha! Here's a new model. Everything is completely solid.
How about, the electron and proton are both welded together solidly, but the electron shell just doesn't have any visible presence except when prodded? It is there, an entire solid thing, this electron, but it exists somewhere else where we can't observe it by direct sight. Call it "invisible" if you like, but it's more likely "hidden just around the corner", that is, you can't see it from here. Is this any more difficult to believe than zippy little eccentric things that are so wiggly they can't be pointed to? I think it is easier to believe that this electron actually has mass, but that mass just happens to exist somewhere else. This in turn makes it possible to believe that the orbital shells have the ability to size the atom, that is, to use up space, rather than to magically hold the entire universe at bay. Then, it is not just that electrons are buffering away other atoms because they have energy, but they are buffering away other atoms because those shells actually have mass and take up space. While they can't be seen from here, they can hold space here. The mass is just somewhere else. Don't you dare ask me where! That's not up to me. I just observe the stuff... and thereby change it, don't I?