Titan Missile Museum
After visiting a couple of the Spanish Missions, our next field trip during our visit to Arizona was to the Titan Missile Museum. We were able to take a guided tour of this amazing facility, which was once one of America’s most secret places. It is the the only underground missile silo in the world that is open to the public!
Since the Titan Missile Museum isn’t a national park, the children weren’t able to earn another “Junior Ranger” badge, but they were given an opportunity to become Junior Missileers. After completing an activity booklet, they were each awarded a Junior Missileer Badge and certificate to add to their growing collection!
On Christmas Day in the Morning
I am trying to work on refining our new schedule this week, which seems to be leaving very little time for the computer. I would love to answer all the emails in my inbox, post about the school books we’ve been using this year, and answer a few other questions, but it might take a little while to get to it all. In the meantime, I do have a number of “drafts” that I may be able to find the time to complete and publish this week, starting with some pictures from Christmas morning!
As always, Hubby and I gave the children three gifts each, though in a couple cases two or three items were combined to make “one” gift. It was such a joy to see the children’s excitement as they took turns opening all of their presents.
and 
Sheriff Woody Doll
Buzz, Jessie, Rex and Sarge Beanies
Narnia Sword
, 
and 
and Josefina
activity books and mini Josefina
and Kirsten
dolls!!
and Angels Surround Us
, My Golden Children’s Bible
and My Golden Book of Prayers
, and Picture Book of Saints: Saint Joseph Edition: Illustrated Lives of the Saints for Young and Old
. 
they give us every year.
Twinkle Toes’ took this picture of her new Holy Card Collection with a Frame for rotating the Cards, and her beautiful Marian stamp from her Godparents!
An Afternoon with Auntie
Last Christmas A year ago the girls each received gift cards for lunch and an afternoon of pottery painting with their Great Aunt Bridget. It took us nearly a year to finally schedule the date, but it was well worth the wait and they had such a great time!
Seven Quick Takes
may taste awful, but the stuff really works. Usually when I get sick like this, it always turns into Bronchitis or Pneumonia, but so far not this time. We’ve also been eating lots of Chicken Soup, taking plenty of Vitamin C and our friend Marc’s “
and have been working on creating a new schedule, incorporating this year’s school plans and some of the ideas in Large Family Logistics
. I’m hoping to be able to finish it up over the weekend and start using it this coming Monday. I am sure I will need to make more modifications as I see what works and what doesn’t, but I am looking forward to getting back into a routine, focusing on learning, and working on developing some good habits after such a busy fall. 
, and I recently ordered a set of these adorable note cards
. Anyhow, my mom had gotten Rose some pajamas for her birthday, but since they were a size too small (carter’s sizing can be confusing in that a 12M size is really for babies up to 12 months, not turning one) I went to the store to exchange them. They didn’t have the same style my mom had chosen, but when I saw this one, I knew I had to get it. 🙂 Isn’t it darling?! It’s a little too big (they only had one size 2 left in this pattern), but that’s okay, it’ll fit better soon enough! 
Visit Conversion Diary for more of this week’s Seven Quick Takes.
Wishing you all…
{this moment}
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
My Christmas Daybook :: December 30, 2010
Outside my window… I can see the Christmas lights on our cedar tree! I hadn’t really noticed how much it had grown until we came home from Mass on Christmas Eve to find it covered in lights! My brother Paul loves surprising us with something at Christmas time and we LOVE the surprise! (He had arrived at our home a bit early, and we weren’t home yet. He actually “hung”- or should I say “threw”- the lights onto the tree without any tools! lol!)
I am listening… to the CD one of my little sisters made me for Christmas. I love that she likes country music now! Actually, I should clarify that… “Texas Country!”
I am watching… Emma
I am thinking… about our new living room, and how to position the couch. We were all so very excited when it arrived the day before Christmas Eve, just in time for Christmas! (It wasn’t scheduled to arrive until after the 1st of the year, though we were hoping that it would arrive early.) Right now we have it in the corner of the room, which worked perfectly for Christmas, but we are undecided if that is where it will remain.
I am thankful for… being able to spend Christmas with most of my siblings this year. It was so much fun having them over on Christmas Eve! My sister Mary (front right of the picture below) came back after we left for Midnight Mass to fill the stockings, put all the presents under the tree, and then she even cleaned my kitchen so I could “relax” when we got home. She St. Nick even left a note in my stocking for “one clean Christmas Eve kitchen!” Wasn’t that sweet?!
I am hoping and praying… that I will be able to go and visit my little sister JoAnn at college this next semester! And, no, I am not only using her as an excuse to finally “meet” a few other dear friends! 😉
From the kitchen… I just picked up all the ingredients (including some Peppermint Schnapps) to make a Lethal Peppermint Chocolate Cake for New Year’s Eve. I couldn’t wait any longer to try a recipe from the new cook book
We have also been doing lots of Christmas baking, spread out over this week of Christmas, since very little was done before Christmas! Yesterday we baked sugar cookies to decorate for New Years. I am just amazed at how much easier it is to bake in our new kitchen.
For those of you that are under the impression that all my children eat is sweets, I just wanted to let you know that pretty much the only desserts they have are those that I blog about. I do actually make real meals too! Some of our favorites this week were the Easy Scalloped Potatoes I made on Christmas Eve, my friend Jacinta’s recipe for Mexican Meatball Soup, and Stuffed Red Bell Peppers!
From the learning rooms… books, books, and more books! I decided to tackle my school room today, in hopes of getting a bit more organized for the new year, and have been moving most of my book shelves around. I have hopes that it will be great in the end, but right now I just have an even bigger mess on my hands! 🙂
Living the Liturgical Year at Home… We have been joyfully celebrating Christmas and preparing for the upcoming feasts of Mary the Mother of God and Epiphany! Our plans for Epiphany are pretty much the same as last year and the year before, though my children have saved the gifts they purchased for each other (they all drew names this year) to open on Epiphany.
I am creating… plans for our next Little Flowers meeting and (eventually) a post about our last meeting, just as soon as I finish organizing the school room.
I am The boys have been wearing… the fun and Stylish Mustaches
I am reading… Large Family Logistics
We have also been reading the Christmas Books the children found in the empty Advent Book Basket on Christmas Morning.
On my iTouch… Christmas Music (Noel
Pondering these words… from today’s passage in Small Steps for Catholic Moms
Our little Rose… has been walking around the house with her new baby doll
Noticing that… Snuggles doesn’t like to look at the camera for family photos. The picture below is proof that he can smile for the camera when he chooses not to be stubborn shy. If only I could paste that smile into our family picture this Christmas. . .
Towards personal care… Don’t you just love receiving the sacrament of Confession!?! Our family was able to go a couple days before Christmas. After that, even though my shopping wasn’t quite finished, I finally felt “ready” for Christmas!
On keeping home… I am starting to think that perhaps I buy way too many books. I’m not saying that it is a bad thing, just that it is getting harder and harder to find places to put them all! 😉
One of my favorite things… Christmas!
A few plans for the rest of the week:
- Pick up curtain rods and hang curtains. (I was hoping to get two more for above the windows in my bedroom to match the one above the sliding glass door, but when I went in a couple days ago I found out that it had just been discontinued… The good news is that they were able to find two at another store for me and they are now 75% off!)
- Finish organizing and cleaning the school room.
- Decorate cookies and bake a cake for New Year’s Eve.
- Attend Mass on New Year’s Day.
A Picture thought I am sharing:
Sword and Mitre Cookies for St. Thomas Becket
Today is the feast of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Cantebury, who was martyred for the Catholic Faith in his cathedral on December 29, 1170. You can read more about this amazing saint here.
According to My Nameday-Come for Dessert, St. Thomas a Becket is symbolized by “a sword through a mitre.” Since I was already baking sugar cookies for my children to decorate this week, I decided to try and make them each a “Sword and Mitre Cookie” in honor of today’s feast day using the Mitre & Cross Cookie Cutter from the St. Nicholas Center.
I just posted the recipe over at Catholic Cuisine.
with Hubby. We own the movie, but if you happen to have Netflix, it is available to Watch Instantly! Wordless Wednesday :: A 1,000 Piece Challenge
Gingerbread Fun
On Christmas Eve, after attending the vigil Mass and before heading back out to also attend the Midnight Mass, we had most of my family (my parents, three of my sisters, five of my brothers, my sister-in-law and sweet little niece) over for dinner and to decorate Gingerbread Houses!
)
0 Comments