Crazy 8s
8 Things I am looking forward to:
1. Attending the Northwest Family Conference in a couple weeks!!!
2. Staying with one of my bestest friends (who moved to Seattle last year) while I am in Washington.
3. Meeting Meredith, Heather and Angela while in Seattle.
4. Our Little Flowers’ Tea Party in May.
5. My brother’s wedding in June.
6. Attending a Catholic Summer Family Camp in June.
7. Celebrating our 10th Anniversary in October.
8. Strawberry Shortcake for dessert tonight, in honor of Divine Mercy Sunday.
8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Missed being able to watch my boys 4th baseball game since the battery was dead in my van, and hubby (being Asst Coach) couldn’t leave the game to come and jump start it for me.
2. Cleaned my kitchen and made Wolf Paw Cookies while the boys were at their game.
3. Congratulated my boys on their “Undefeated” status!
4. Did a marathon shopping trip by MYSELF from 1:00pm to 8:30pm. It’s amazing just how many stores it is possible to go to when you don’t have 5 little children in tow. I went to the Mall, Target, Toys R Us, Walmart, Lowe’s, Old Navy, Michael’s, Freddy’s, Costco, and Food 4 Less. I came home exhausted, but it felt so nice to get so many things checked off my “to-do” list!
5. Redeemed my Gymbucks at Gymboree, and got this adorable skirt for Twinkle Toes.
6. Ordered a “Muddy Mount Ashland” from my favorite Coffee Drive-Thru.
7. Purchased all the supplies I need for this weeks Garden of the Good Shepherd activities and for Chiquita’s birthday.
8. Ate Chinese food for dinner, which made me feel super sick. :S
8 Things I wish I could do:
1. Attend daily mass — we keep trying but with the drive and Mass times (we have so few options for daily Mass) it has been very difficult.
2. Meet all of the dear friends I have made through blogging.
3. Fly to Virginia to visit my sister, especially after she delivers my newest niece in July.
4. Be better about sticking to an exercise routine.
5. Keep up with everything I “would like to do” when it comes to homeschooling.
6. Go to Rome and Ireland with my husband.
7. Go on a family trip to visit all of the California Missions.
8. Have the patience to learn how to knit and/or crochet.
8 Shows I Watch
Well — I thought about skipping this section altogether, since I don’t really watch any shows. Although we do own a TV, Hubby and I have never had reception. However, I have seen a few TV shows, so I’ll list them here…
1. Little House on the Prairie (I own all the DVD’s)
2. 24 (We watched this on DVD from a recommendation of a friend, and I think we have seen 6 seasons.)
3. The Office (I’ve only watched a few episodes on Netflix)
4. The Apprentice (My neighbor recorded season 4 for us since my sister competed. We then rented the other seasons out of curiosity.)
5. Band of Brothers (Hubby has this on DVD. I usually don’t like “war movies” but this was pretty good!)
6. Bugs Bunny (Does that count??)
7. OH! I also loved the mini-series Wives and Daughters
8. That’s all I can think of…. What do you watch????
8 People I tag: only if you have time and want to!
1. Eileen
2. Jamie
3. Ruth
4. Kimberly
5. Christy (private blog)
7. Erin
8.+JMJ+
Garden of the Good Shepherd ~ Week 2
I’ve been working on our plans for this coming week, to use with The Garden of the Good Shepherd
Charlotte has already posted some great ideas for Week 2. This week I will be using some of her ideas, as well as adding some of my own. I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed by crafts lately, not so much the crafts themselves, just all the stuff… And since I have to cook/bake each day anyways, I am trying to make most of our activities food related. This has been a hit with my children, since they gave up candy and dessert (excluding birthdays and special feasts) for Lent! So, most of our plans have to do with either food or picture books, at least for now. This is a perfect week for that, since the theme for week two is:
8. The Table : Read Genesis 43:26-34
- Teach my children how to properly set the table and make candlestick napkins.
- Read some excerpts from the Chapter 3: “Table Manners,” in Everyday Graces. (I love the poem below, from Everyday Graces, for remembering how to set the table!)
- Since we so enjoyed our Lenten Teas, we will have a Joyous Easter Tea.
Hey Diddle Diddleby Elizabeth SantorumHey Diddle Diddle, the plate’s in the middle,Now on the right goes the spoon,The napkin is left, beside the fork,Keep going you’re going to eat soon.Hey Diddle Diddle, the plate’s in the middle,The knife is left of the spoon,The glass is above it, now you’ve got it right,You’re going to eat lunch by noon.
9. The Chairs: Read Genesis 18:1-8
- The purpose of this symbol is to recall the hospitality and good manners that Abraham and Sara offered the three strangers. We will talk about hospitality and make arrangements to offer our home and food to a friend later this week.
- Read a few excerpts from Everyday Graces
about manners and Manners Can Be Fun
. We will also read God’s Wisdom for Little Girls
and Little Boys
.
- We’ve been planning to purchase a new chair for our front porch and possibly a table and chairs for our patio. We keep putting it off each year, but this year we have budgeted it from our tax refund! I have my eyes on one of these two chairs from Target.
10. The Bread : Read Ruth 2:8-14
- Any bread recipe would work wonderful for today.
- We may try making Monkey Bread or Cinnamon Sugar Bread.
- My children really enjoyed making Resurrection Rolls during Holy Week, and really wanted to make them again. This would be a perfect time, and they will be thrilled!
11. The Wine : Read Isaiah 55:1-2
- Serve sparkling grape juice with dinner in fancy glasses (Wine for the grownups)
- Read the story of Christ’s miracle with the water and the wine
- Read The Grapes of Math: Mind-stretching Math Riddles
- Paint our own bunch of grapes. (These were Charlotte’s ideas, and I just might be able to pull off this craft! It sounds simple enough.)
12. The Milk : Read Deuteronomy 26:8-10
- Make Homemade Ice Cream in our Ice Cream Maker
.
- Make Easter candy milkshakes using this recipe and possibly our homemade Ice Cream!
- Read the following milk themed books: The Milk Makers
by Gail Gibbons, Milk: From Cow to Carton
by Aliki, and It Looked Like Spilt Milk
by Charles Shaw.
- Watch Signing Time
and practice signing milk with our little guy.
- Watch Reading Rainbow: Farm Life
.
13. The Pot of Honey : Read Mark 1:4-6
- Buy some local honey at the Farmer’s Market.
- Make a Sweet Beehive Cake and/or Cookies.
- Read The Honey Makers
by Gail Gibbons, Honey in a Hive
by Anne Rockwell, and The Life and Times of the Honeybee
by Charles Micucci.
- When we traveled to California last month, I picked up some Honey Toasted Sunflower Seeds
at Granzella’s with this day in mind.
- Make Honey Tarts. The following recipe if from the Little Saints Pre-School Program.
Making Honey Tarts1. Have child divide a biscuit in half with a butter knife.
2. Have her pound each half flat, spread one half with butter and pour a dollop of honey on. Lay the other half on top and crimp the edges together.
3. Lay on a baking sheet. Bake as directed on the package wrapper.
4. Have child help set the table especially for Daddy and other family members and enjoy the Honey Tarts together.
14. The Fruit : Read Song of Songs 4:16
- Read some books about fruit:
A Fruit Is a Suitcase for Seeds
, Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z, Fruit
, and From Flower to Fruit
.
- Magically slice a banana. (My boys will LOVE this! Thanks Charlotte!)
- Read How Do Apples Grow?
and have an apple taste test.
- Make Pampered Chef’s Dessert Fruit Pizza. Yummmmm!!
Dessert Fruit Pizza
1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese softened1/3 cup sugar4 cups assorted fresh fruit such as strawberries, bananas, kiwi, blueberries, etcPreheat oven to 350° F. Place dough on round baking stone and cook 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. For topping, combine cream cheese and sugar and spread over cookie dough, then start placing on the fruit.
I’ve ordered a few of the books from our library, and made my shopping list. It looks like we are going to have lots of fun next week!
Since a couple of you have mentioned that you are trying to re-create this at home using felt (I had grand plans to do this myself, since my children would love to play with the felt pieces in addition to the sticker calendar, and even started making the symbols. However, I probably won’t finish it until next year…), I’ve taken a couple pictures of the sticker sheet and the opened book for you to see. My plan was to make my felt version larger — more along the size of our Jesus Tree — since it would be so hard to make some of the tiny stickers without increasing the size. Hope the pictures help!
Also, it appears that Amazon
Shower of Photos 2009 :: Day 16
Pope Benedict’s Coat of Arms Cupcakes
Early this afternoon, I was trying to think of an easy treat to make my children today in honor of our beloved Holy Father’s birthday. At first I thought I’d make something along the lines of Margaret’s “Popecakes,” but then I thought how easy it would be just to print out his Coat of Arms and make cupcake picks!
Ideally I would have liked to bake either White or Red Velvet Cupcakes, but I was sticking to what I had in the cupboard, so Chocolate Fudge it was.
For the frosting I made a Cream Cheese frosting (1 pkg cream cheese, 1/4 cup softened butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 1/2 tsp of vanilla) and added some yellow food coloring to make it “gold.”
I used this image (re-sized to 1 3/4″) and printed 12 per page leaving room to fold the paper over the toothpick and glue together. I then trimmed the edges.
Happy Birthday, Holy Father!!
Hunting for Eggs on Easter Sunday
Easter morning, Easter morning, Easter morning dawning fine
Have to find the Easter eggs now, I’ve already picked up nine.
Fill the basket, fill the basket, fill the basket every time
Candy eggs and jelly beans are tucked behind each growing pine.
Find each hidden Easter treat now, pick them up and they’ll be mine.
See them glow and see them glisten, see them glow and see them shine.
Join me with my Easter candy and together we will dine.
Happy Easter!
Nerf Ball or Easter Egg??
I am working on uploading a few pictures from our Easter Egg hunt, but thought I’d share this one with you in the meantime… I thought that was a pretty clever spot to hide an egg! (Hubby hid all the eggs, and the Easter egg is in the middle between 2 green Nerf balls.) Rascal was the one to notice the oval shape and find the egg.
Happy Birthday, Holy Father!
Today is the 82nd birthday of our beloved Pope Benedict XVI!
Here is what we did last year to celebrate… Today we will read Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told By a Cat
Today is also my parents 32nd Anniversary!! Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!
Book Review: Olivia and the Little Way
I just had the privilege of reading, for review, a lovely book titled Olivia and the Little Way by Nancy Carabio Belanger. It is a beautiful story, and even though it is written for children ages 8-13, I found it very engaging… Once I started reading, I had a hard time putting it down!
This story is about a ten-year-old girl, Olivia Thomas, who is having a hard time fitting in with the kids at her new school, St. Michael’s. Her devout grandmother (who reminded me so much of my own grandmother who passed away when I was 13), introduces Olivia to St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her “Little Way.”
Throughout the book, Olivia develops a special devotion to St. Thérèse, who is constantly inspiring her towards holiness, and ends up becoming her best friend, despite the fact that St. Thérèse is taking so long to send Olivia a rose! (I found that so interesting since I had recently blogged about the same thing, “Love’s Delay.“)
I love how the author begins each chapter with beautiful quotes from St. Thérèse, and has woven so much information about this great saint into Olivia and the Little Way. She does an excellent job of encouraging readers, both young and old, to grow in holiness through Olivia’s example. At times I felt as though St. Therese was speaking directly to me through some of Olivia’s trials…
While reading this book, I was particularly inspired to learn more about the St. Thérèse Chaplet. (Why was I not surprised when, just after finishing the book, I logged into Google Reader, and the first unread post I clicked on directed me to Kimberlee’s new items, at Bead’s of Mercy, where I found a beautiful “Shower of Roses” St. Thérèse Chaplet.)
As soon as my children are just a bit older, I’ll be reading this book to them. I also think it would be great to read and discuss, a chapter at a time, at our Little Flower Meetings! (Nancy was kind enough to include discussion questions with the copy she sent me!!!)
If you’d like, you can visit the website and read a few excerpts of Olivia and the Little Way. You can also order a copy directly from Nancy, on the website, as well as from many online sources including: Amazon
St. Thérèse ~ Pray for Us!
Shower of Photos 2009 :: Day 14
I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to find this beautiful set of roses, included with a gorgeous “Shower of Roses” St. Therese Chaplet I had ordered, from Kimberlee early last week. Thank you so very much Kimberlee! I didn’t know what the package could possibly be when my boys handed it to me, and all I saw was my address next to a rose sticker… I couldn’t believe it when I opened the box to find it packed full of roses (for my little ones to use while praying the rosary) along with the chaplet! Aren’t they just perfect?!?
On Easter Day ~ At Home
After arriving home from brunch at my parents, we continued our Easter celebration!
Tri-Tip ~ Asparagus ~ Roasted Red Potatoes ~ Dinner Rolls ~ Sparkling Cider
I never did have an opportunity to make a dessert, but there was plenty of candy to be found!
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