Summer Daybook :: July 29, 2013

by | Jul 29, 2013 | | 20 Comments

Outside my window… 
our garden is actually growing!  And, look! We have a little watermelon!!!  (and quite a few others that are just starting to grow!) We still have so much to learn about gardening, but so far this year is going better than last.   The plants that have been growing the best (like the watermelon and sunflowers) were the ones we planted with St. Clare Heirloom Seeds.   I’ll have to take some more pictures of the garden to share soon.  Now if I could just figure out how to keep the bugs from eating all the flowers (Zinnias, etc) just as soon as they bloom… any suggestions?

I am thinking…        
about the 7 posts in 7 days challenge.  It was hard.  I know I would not have made the time to blog much otherwise, with how busy we have been lately. I am really glad I participated.  I probably won’t be posting every day this week! 😉   I would like to get back to posting each weekday, but that will all depend on how much we are home, and this week is going to be busier than last.  We’ll see!  I have enjoyed visiting with you all, even if I have gotten even further behind with answering emails! 😉

I am thankful… 
that Sean has been able to come home each night, even though he is only home from just 10pm to 4am, and for all the firemen who are working so hard to get the fires under control.

Learning all the time… 
I had such great plans for this summer, to continue studying Math and teaching Snuggles to read.  It hasn’t been happening.  The children are still learning all the time (this week swimming skills!) and reading (or listening to) books everyday.  There will be plenty of time for the rest in the fall, right?

Celebrating the liturgical year… 
The feast of St. Ignatius is coming up on July 31st.  It’s also a baptismal anniversary so I’m thinking about making another madeliene recipe shell cakes again!  A few additional ideas can be found in the archives at Catholic Cuisine.

From the kitchen… 
cherry tomatoes  from our garden!

I am working on… and creating… 
a more organized (and cozy!) home.  This past week and weekend, in addition to working on the bedrooms, I also rearranged furniture (and found an area rug!) in our family/living rooms.   I will have to try and take pictures sometime soon.

I am going… 
to be spending a lot of time at the swimming pool again this week!

I am hoping… 
that I can find time to start getting ready for my Curriculum Sale Blog Hop…  It’s just been too busy and it’s coming up on August 1st!

I am praying… 
for Katrina and her twins, one of whom has anencephaly.  I have been online friends with her sister, Laura, for years and have been praying for Katrina since I learned of her pregnancy complications.  Will you please join me?

I am reading… 
lots of updates on the fires, particularly on the one which my husband is fighting.

Pondering these words…
from today’s Quiet Moment:

“We cannot love without suffering and we cannot suffer without love.”  – St. Gianna

I am listening…  
to “a, a, a, aaaa, a, a, aaaa, a, b, c, a, a, a, aaaa”… Can someone please take that WORD WHAMMER away from the baby! 😉  Now that the television is gone the kids have been finding all sorts of old toys that even I forgot we had…

Around the house… 
I haven’t been the only one redecorating!

Seri’s Dollhouse 
Calico Critter Families and Furniture

One of my Rose’s favorite things…  
drawing and finding anything heart shaped!

“Look Mom! I found a HEART leaf!!!”

This week’s plans…

Monday: Swimming Lessons, Overnight Visitors
Tuesday: Swimming Lessons Canceled due to too much smoke and ash in the air…
Wednesday: Swimming Lessons/Life Saving Day
Thursday: Swimming Lessons/Graduation Day, Curriculum Sale Blog Hop Hosted Here!
Friday: Morning Mass, Afternoon with Friends, Grocery Shopping
Saturday: Recover from the week! 😉
Sunday: Our third Quarterly Latin Mass

A little peek at my day…
At the pool this morning… Swimming lessons are definitely not one of Rose’s favorite things! 😉 

Wildfire

by | Jul 28, 2013 | | 16 Comments

Following Confessions and Mass – Blue Skies on One Side, Smokey Skies on the other.  Ash falling around us while we watched and offered another prayer for their Daddy’s safety…
One of the “benefits” of fire assignments that are fairly local is that sometimes Sean is able to come home at night, or we are able to go and visit him.  He was able to call home last night at 9pm, while trying to decide whether he should start pitching his tent and take a shower at the fire camp, or just drive an hour and sleep at home. He came home!  He didn’t arrive until just after 10pm, and then had to leave again at 4am this morning, but the kids were all excited to see him.  He had taken a little camera along with him and had a few pictures to share:  

 

He is actually working on a “complex” of fires – 54 fires in one county (there were over 75 in a three county area) that were ignited by the lighting storm early Friday morning, though that total number is decreasing as several fires in close proximity to each other have burned together.  
Sean told me last night that they have declared this a “conflagration” (a large disastrous fire) and have called in FEMA.   He said as they drove to the fire they passed many homes tucked along the edges of the forest with the residents standing outside watching the smoke.  By the end of the day they were all being evacuated.   He also said that they had to find an alternative route out of the fire, since the way they had come in was later cut off by fires merging.   
Credit: ODF – InciWeb taken July 26, 2013
For those who have asked, my husband is actually a Forester, but he has fought wildfires every summer since he was in college.  He takes the pack test every spring to qualify for his red card and will be sent out on wildfire assignments during fire season as part of his job. (He does have to be caught up with his other projects and have the approval of his supervisor to leave.)  When we were first married he would be gone for up to three weeks (21 days on the fire, plus travel) at a time, but a number of years ago that was reduced to two weeks at a time (14 days on the fire, plus travel), before they are required to be given a couple days of R&R.  Apparently most of the accidents and injuries were happening during that third week.  He is qualified to do many different types of jobs on the fire – Engine Boss, Crew Boss, Radio (which he hates because it’s a lot of sitting around at fire camp, but I love since it is one of the safest!), testing for Hot Spots after the fire has gone through, etc) but on this fire he is currently working as a “Resource Advisor.”  (He did say there is a chance he will be moved to an Engine this week, but he isn’t sure.)  Fire Assignments equal long hard days (for both of us!) but the overtime is always such a huge blessing and helps refund our savings for the winter months and for that we are thankful. 
Credit : InciWeb taken July 26, 2013
As of last night this complex of fires had already burned 10,000 acres and is still growing. 
Please continue to pray for his safety, and the safety of everyone involved! 

Fire Season

by | Jul 27, 2013 | | 8 Comments

Smokey Sunset Last Night from our Front Door
I just missed capturing the Air Tanker in this photo… 
Sean left early this morning for his first fire assignment this year.
Please keep him, and all firefighters, in your prayers! 

7 Quick Takes on the Feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne

by | Jul 26, 2013 | , , , , | 8 Comments

Have you seen Sarah’s twins yet?!? 
They were born on July 18th and cute, cute, CUTE!!!  And there are more pictures here!  
Congratulations Sarah, to you and your whole family!
— 2 —
July 18th was a very special day, also marking the 25th Anniversary of the Fraternity of St. Peter!  You can read a little about the FSSP (and my husband’s family!) in this article by Trent Beattie at National Catholic Register.

— 3 —

Blogging each day this week has been HARD!  With swimming lessons every day (Mon-Thurs) this week and next, on top of a few other appointments, if it wasn’t for Jen’s challenge I don’t think I would have posted anything more than the birthday pictures!  It’s been nice though, and I’ve sure enjoyed popping in more frequently.  

The swimming lessons themselves are such an incredible blessing for which I am so thankful! 

They also make for very quiet afternoons, after hours at the pool for seven lessons! 

— 4 —
It’s hard to believe that it has been four years since our big bedroom switcheroo! Rose was on her way so we moved the boys to the old schoolroom (which had previously been our master bedroom, back when our home was only 1,000 sq feet!), the two big girls went to the boys old room, Snuggles nursery became my school room, and the old girls’ bedroom became Rose’s bedroom and the new nursery once she arrived.   
Since then the kids have grown and we’ve added another little man to the mix.  It’s also hard to believe that my “baby” isn’t really a baby any more… and this is officially my longest gap between pregnancies!     It is also the first time (as of last week!) that I haven’t been pregnant or nursing (other than for the few months following my miscarriage) in nearly 14 YEARS!   
Anyways, since I just gave you all a tour of the boys’ bedroom, I thought about posting new pictures of the girls’ bedroom, but it really hasn’t changed much since 2009 so I am going to wait until the new bunk bed arrives and then share pictures of all the upcoming changes.  (Hopefully they will include a new curtain rod for this room!)  Update:  I went ahead and include a few pictures anyways… 🙂 
Since Rose already refuses to sleep in her toddler bed most nights, and has claimed Twinkle Toes bed (the bed on the right) as her own, we will move her into that bed when the big girls move back across the hall and into their new bunk.    
We considered having all three girls share one room, and give Snuggles and Bud one of the rooms, but after trying to merge all of their clothing/toys/etc, it was just too much stuff for one of these smaller rooms.   Plus, we really like the idea of keeping the boys at the other end of the hall (and having them share the laundry room bathroom) and the girls down at this end.  
So, our plan for now is to take apart one of the twin beds for now and replace it with the toddler bed and changing table/dresser for Bud.  Our long term plan is to eventually move Bud (and possibly Snuggles, unless we have another baby boy by then) to the school room.   We are hoping by then we will be able to build a detached garage with a schoolroom/storage area on one end.  But this should work well for the time being, and I won’t need to lose my office the kids’ school room! 
I’ve already started moving the little ones’ clothing to the girls “closet” and the girls’ clothing over to the other room.  (We don’t have real closets in these “bonus rooms” but we did install organizers along one wall of each room.) 
The tall white dresser was one we were given last year which I had painted white!  Isn’t it pretty?  I think it is going to match the new bunk bed nicely.  I’d still love to figure out a way to “hide” all the clothing/closets… 
Up until our yard sale we also had a wooden hutch in this room, with the table and chairs in the center. Now all the books are on the closet shelves (in the other room) for the time being.  
The bedrooms aren’t usually this clean and decluttered, I’ve just been working a little bit each evening this week getting everything moved from one room to the other. In the process I did box up all the Little People and Kitchen Toys into two big plastic tubs for now.   Those tubs, along with others filled with clothing, baby blankets, and other items, are all in my living room, where the old entertainment center use to be until they can be moved to the attic and/or I can find a place for them in the house.  
I still have a lot to do, to get these rooms functioning as well as the boys’ bedroom, but it’s a start and I am excited about the changes… Now we just have to wait for those beds to arrive in a couple more weeks!  

— 5 —

 
Speaking of our little toddler, we finally cut his hair again this week!  I had cut it for the first time on January 1st and this time his Daddy cut it for him.  Considering that he would not hold still, even with the help of the lollipop, it didn’t turn out too badly. 

— 6 —

“Giggle Giggle” was one of Bud’s first words and he still makes us giggle every time he starts saying it!  I finally captured a few videos to share with you all.  This first one was taken right after swimming lessons and dinner, and right before his bath and hair cut, so please ignore his dirty face and messy hair and just focus on all the cuteness! 😉


This one was taken yesterday morning at the pool before his swimming lesson. 


This one was from last night, when I was putting him to bed.  He has gone from one of our most challenging babies to easiest toddlers!  When I tell him it’s time for bed he lets me pick him up, put him in his crib, snuggles up with his pillow pet and quiltie and goes to sleep!


And here is one last video, from last month, that I ran across while uploading the others.  This little boy of ours is fearless – which is also why he has had so many bumps, bruises, and even stitches, and why I am nervous to leave him in his crib much longer… I’m sure he could climb right out if he thought to try!

— 7 —

I am praying for my husband and I, and for all married couples, on this feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne!

Prayer of Married Persons to St. Joachim and St. Anne

O models of pious and virtuous married persons, St. Joachim and St. Anne! Through the wondrous blessing with which God rejoiced you when He chose you as the parents of the ever blessed Virgin, the mother of our Savior, obtain for us, we beseech you, the grace to desire nothing but virtue and piety; that, in fidelity and love, we may share each other’s joys and sorrows, and together with our children lead such a life as to insure our entrance into the kingdom of heaven! Amen.  

For additional Quick Takes visit Conversion Diary.

On the Feast of St. James

by | Jul 26, 2013 | , | 6 Comments

A new Missal Cover from Catholic Embroidery for one of the boys on the feast of his patron saint…
… a new madeleine pan and cookbook for moi… 
…and delicious madeleines “St. James Shell Cakes” for the whole family! 
(To be served with ice cream right after our dinner of shell shaped pasta
 with homemade sauce, dinner rolls, and garden salad.) 

Happy Feast of St. James! 

The Boys’ Bedroom and Triple Bunk Bed

by | Jul 24, 2013 | , , , , , | 21 Comments

Today I’m going to give you all a little tour of our boys’ bedroom!  It’s been years since I last posted pictures of this room (You can see that post from July of 2009 here) and I’ve been meaning to share the changes we’ve made for over a year now.  (The 7 Posts in 7 days challenge at Conversion Diary has been just what I’ve been needing to get back in the habit of blogging each day! Thanks Jen!) The first thing I did was rearrange the beds (again) and then, back in March of last year (while my husband was away for training) I added a new bookcase, had their dresser (a hand-me-down from my parents) painted black, had new closet doors installed, and painted the walls!  We haven’t made any major changes this past year, though Sean did hang a few more shelves on the walls over the weekend and I purchased one more organizer for the boys’ closet.

In the process of painting and redecorating… 
The Boys Bedroom – March 2012

The bunks are old and rustic, but I just love them! They were actually my brothers’ beds when they were younger (complete with most of their names carved in the wood!) and my parents gave them to us when our boys were little. At first we only had one of of the bunks set up, but when we moved everyone around we set up the second bunk bed for once Snuggles was ready for it. (He now sleeps on the bottom of the bunk.)  I had been having such a hard time finding a way that I liked them in the room, since no matter how I arranged them one always stuck into the window, and one day I realized that they could probably be stacked again, creating a triple (or more)!  With the vaulted ceiling, there was plenty of room and sure enough it worked!

My brothers did have a triple bunk that my Dad had built when we were all crammed into a tiny mobile home while my parents built our home (and actually so did my dad and his brothers when they were little), but when they replaced it with these log style bunk beds my parents never considered (or even needed since they then had plenty space) triple stacking them.

Boys’ Triple Bunk – July 2013

Captain has the top bunk, Rascal the middle, and Snuggles is on the bottom.   The only trouble we have is during these hot summer months when it is just too hot on the top.  So from around July-September, and anytime he isn’t feeling well, Captain opts for the other bed under the window.

It’s been overcast and was difficult to get decent pictures… 

Originally my plan was to be able to have four boys in this room “if we ever had another.” Now that we have Bud, and the boys outnumber the girls, we’re just not sure about moving him in once he’s old enough.  Ideally we’d like to move Snuggles and Bud into a room together, but that means either moving all three girls into a room together or giving up our schoolroom… Anyways, I’ll post more about all those thoughts and decisions soon.  Back to the boys’ room!

Years ago I installed ClosetMaid Organizers in the closet and each of the (three) boys has their section for hanging clothing.  On the left side of the closet the boys hang all their belts and we have a CapRack on the back of their bedroom door for all their baseball caps.

The older boys just use the shelf/floor below their clothing for their shoes, and Snuggles keeps his shoes on a shoe shelf.  Various sets of toys are in the wicker baskets and additional toys (matchbox cars, army men, playmobil, etc) are stored in the drawers under the single bed.

 Around Mother’s Day we purchased a couple new bookshelves for the school room and I passed on my 3-Drawer Organizers to the boys for their legos!  They LOVE them and we just purchased one more.

The black bookshelf was from Target and they use it for their own book collections and displaying some of their lego creations.  All of their Playmobil ships fit nicely on top of the bookcase.  
Black Bookcase from Target (purchased on sale and during a”buy-one-get-one 50% off” promotion!) 
Baskets from Target for Dress Up, NHL Quilts, Lego Architecture Sets, and Sopwith Camel
Soldiers Boat, Viking Longboat, Royal Ship of Egypt, and Warrior’s Ship
The only trouble with the black furniture is that it shows dust horribly, and it is so difficult to dust around lego displays… To help with this problem we recently covered the boys dresser with 4 x-large grey lego base plates for some of their Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Lego Collection. 
On the wall above the dresser we hung three shelves (along with a small shelf for Rascal to use in bed – see picture above) for additional lego creations!  The bottom shelf was added last year and we just added two more… The shelves don’t have the best reviews, but they have worked for us.  
Still need to get additional knobs for the dresser… 

My boys are really good about taking care of their bedroom and belongings.  Yes, they make messes and often you will see battle scenes, lego creations, or one of their favorite board games all over the floor, and empty paper towel holders stashed in the corner, but when I ask them to clean their room they do an excellent job!  (The girls are a different story… They still need lots of help from mom every so often.)

Oh, and one last thing… I took it down for the pictures, but usually there is a baby gate blocking the door to their bedroom.  It is how we keep the legos out of the reach of a particular little toddler who finds them very intriguing!

We are off to the pool for our third day of swimming lessons followed by four back-to-back appointments with the orthodontist.  It’s going to be another busy day!

A Long Expected Party

by | Jul 23, 2013 | , , , , | 12 Comments

“Bilbo Baggins called it a party, but it was really a variety of entertainments rolled into one.  Practically everybody living near was invited.  A very few were overlooked by accident, but as they turned up all the same, that did not matter.” 

Our oldest son turned thirteen this past Saturday!  He is turning into such a wonderful young man and we all enjoyed celebrating his special day with a “Lord of the Rings” themed birthday party.  Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Brian, Aunt Meagan, and his little cousin all showed up to celebrate with us as well!  
.: Decorations :.
Gandalf Arrives Lego Set (which is being retired!) and Fireworks left over from the 4th of July
“The fireworks were by Gandalf: they were not only brought by him, but designed and made by him; and the special effects, set pieces, and flights of rockets were let off by him.  But there was also a generous distribution of squibs, crackers, back rappers, sparklers, torches, dwarf-candles, elf-fountains, goblin-barkers and thunder-claps.  They were all superb.  The art of Gandalf improved with age.” 
Folkmanis Enchanted Tree Puppet
“A queer look came into the old eyes, a kind of wariness; the deep wells were covered over. ‘Hrum, now,’ answered the voice; ‘well, I am an Ent, or that’s what they call me. Yes, Ent is the word. The Ent, I am, you might say, in your manner of speaking. Fangorn is my name according to some, Treebeard others make it. Treebeard will do.'”
~ The Two Towers 
Bud LOVES Treebeard! 
I also reused the Door Sign (You can download that document here.) I had made along with the Happy Birthday Banner (inspired by Charlotte’s lovely Lord of the Rings Banner – you can download the banner document here.) from Rascal’s Hobbit Birthday Party earlier this year.  I also had picked up a Middle Earth poster as well.  
All quick and easy! 
.: Lord of the Rings Monopoly :.

“The ring bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On him alone is any charge laid: neither to cast away the Ring, nor to deliver it to any servant of the Enemy nor indeed to let any handle it, save members of the Company and the Council, and only then in gravest need.” 
~ The Fellowship of the Ring

We spent most of the afternoon playing Lord of the Rings Monopoly!
“‘Good… good luck!’ cried Bilbo, stuttering from the cold.”
“Welcome to Gimli Land!” my husband enjoyed saying all afternoon!  
He was having a little too much fun when we all landed on his quickly developed monopoly.  😉
Thankfully, with the LOTR options, once the ring arrived at Mount Doom the torture game ended.  
.:  Second Breakfast :. 
Golden Rings, Scones and Strawberries for during the Game
.:  Middle Earth Appetizers :.

“When every guest had been welcomed and was finally inside the gate, there were songs, dances, music, games, and, of course, food and drink.” ~ The Fellowship of the Ring

Lembas Bread

‘But we call it lembas or waybread, and it is more strengthening than any food made by Men, and it is more pleasant than cram, by all accounts.’ ~ The Fellowship of the Ring 

Tandoori Naan Flatbread, cut in thirds, wrapped in green napkins, and tied with twine.  
Hobbit Hole Doors
(Same as these but made with Candy Buttons instead of Sixlets)
Wizard Hats 
Council of Elrond (Keebler E.L. Fudge Cookies)
Misty Mountain Trail Mix
The Ring (Peach O’s)
Gollum’s Goodies (Rainbow Fish Candies)

‘Drink it, drink it, while we can! But what is it they’ve got precious? Is it crunchable? Is it tasty?’
~ Gollum in The Two Towers 
Prancing Pony Root Beer
Shire Garden Veggies with Hummus
Farmer Maggot’s Mushrooms

Dead Marshes Dip (Chunky Spicy Guacamole) 
with Blue-Corn Chips

And for music: 

.: Birthday Gifts :.
We wrapped his birthday gifts in gold, dark brown and forest green paper, attaching gift tags and displaying a beautiful new Bookmark hand painted and ordered from The Fig and Thimble!  
There are definitely benefits to having a birthday following a yard sale and all of his younger siblings couldn’t wait to give him the gifts they had purchased with some of their earnings.  🙂 
Snuggles has said earlier in the day: “I just can’t wait to give (Captain) his presents!  He is surely going to give me a BIG hug!” And Rose?  Well, she had been working hard earning tickets with Summer Bingo and purchased the Spoons game from the prize box, which she knew her older brother had been eyeing.  
Rascal had purchased the new Lego Wizard Battle for his brother, Twinkle Toes was so excited to give him the 3D Puzzle (we found for 75% off clearance!) at Barnes and Noble, and Chiquita gave him a Gold Minifigure Case she purchased for a few dollars at ToysRUs. 
He was blessed with such thoughtful gifts from all his grandparents as well!  Sean’s parents sent him a Gettysburg 150th Anniversary Tribute by Time Magazine (having noticed that the boys had recently finished studying the Civil War) and the series of Tales of Foreign Lands which he can’t wait to start reading!  My parents surprised him with The Council of Elrond Lego Set which was assembled before the evening was over! 
The gifts could have easily stopped there, but a thirteenth birthday is extra special, and Sean and I had quite a few for him too including a copy of his favorite movie on DVD (I had sold the VHS during our yard sale), Walk with the Saints Journal (to take to camp with him this summer), along with a hand illustrated Hobbit Notebook and Grey Hood from The Fig and Thimble!
He also received a WWII Bomber Puzzle (from Costco), The Lost Stories, Attack on Weathertop Lego Set (found locally on clearance!), and the biggest surprise of all was the brand new Pirate Ship Ambush (purchased with Amazon rewards and a complete surprise since he hadn’t seen the new lego catalog)!!
The Pirate Ship Ambush has also already been assembled! 
.: One Ring To Rule Them All Birthday Cake :.

I wasn’t able to finish the cake the night before, and it cracked me up that the birthday boy didn’t want to come out to the kitchen until I was finished for “the full surprise!”  It was worth the wait and he loved his cake! 

We topped the cake with 13 candles and 3 extra sparklers to go along with our theme.  

“But they were, all of them, deceived, for another Ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master Ring, to control all others. And into this Ring he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. “One Ring to rule them all.” One by one, the Free Lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A Last Alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor and on the slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle Earth. Victory was near. But the power of the Ring could not be undone.”
I picked up this little cake at Trader Joes since it reminded me of a volcano – perfect for Mount Doom, right?  It’s their “chocolate macaroon filled cake” and actually has a ring of coconut macaroon filling in the center!  (You can see a picture on this blog.)  I know… Sparklers aren’t really a very good idea inside the house, but we a large glass of water nearby, they didn’t quite set off our fire alarm, and we were able to get a pretty neat picture! 😉 
 
“And there was also one last surprise, in honour of Bilbo, and it startled the hobbits exceeding, as Gandalf intended.” 

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 
~ Gandalf the Grey in The Fellowship of the Ring 
Happy 13th Birthday Captain! 

One Ring to Rule Them All

by | Jul 22, 2013 | , , , , | 10 Comments

On Saturday we celebrated our oldest son’s 13th birthday!  This year he asked for a “Lord of the Rings” party theme and, after looking at many cakes, I decided to try and create a “One Ring to Rule Them All!” birthday cake for him!  My inspiration came from The Art of Being Mama’s beautiful cake, however I opted to use a dark brown frosting for the writing similar to this cake.

I went out searching for a “perfect” non-stick ring cake pan, but ended up using my aluminum jello mold.  I was worried that the cake would stick to the pan, but with a nice thick layer of Bake Easy! it came out just fine.   I’ve been fighting yet another sinus infection, as well as an ear infection and poison oak, so I kept things extra easy on myself and used a “Golden” Butter cake mix for the cake.

I ended up needing 1 1/2 cans of Fluffy White Whipped Frosting.  After spreading the first can of frosting over the cake I popped it in the freezer for 20 minutes to seal in any crumbs and then finished it with one last smooth layer of white frosting before spraying it with a can of Gold Color Mist (picked up at Michaels for just a couple dollars after a coupon).

For the writing I used a tube of Chocolate Decorating Icing with a Wilton Round Decorating Tip #5 and copied the words directly from our copy of Lord of the Rings.   I probably should have practiced a bit on paper first, and I wasn’t able to fit the second half of the second line, but I thought it came out pretty well considering it was my first attempt writing Elvish!

‘I cannot read the fiery letters,’ said Frodo in a quavering voice. ‘No,’ said Gandalf, ‘but I can.  The letters are Elvish, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here. But this in the Common Tongue is what is said, close enough:

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. 

It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore:
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, 
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, 
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, 
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, 
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.’

He paused, and then said slowly in a deep voice:

‘This is the Master-ring, the One Ring to rule them all.  This is the One Ring that he lost many ages ago, to the great weakening of his power. He greatly desires it – but he must not get it.’

All seven of our children will be taking swimming lessons all of this week and next, but I’ll be back tomorrow with additional pictures from Captain’s Lord of the Rings Birthday Party!

No Admittance Except on Party Business

by | Jul 20, 2013 | , | 5 Comments

… we have a 13th Birthday to celebrate! 

(You can click back to see pictures from the day after he was born, and other past birthdays here. How can he possibly be a teenager already?!  What an incredible blessing to have him for a son.)

Happy Birthday Captain! 

The Civil War Unit Study and Lap Book

by | Jul 18, 2013 | , , | 13 Comments

The boys have been creating Lap Books as we make our way through American History!  I think, for some children including my own, Lap Books can be an excellent tool for teaching.  Not only do they encourage creativity, they are a great way to reinforce and record the information that is being studied.  Yes, Lap Books do take extra work for both the kids and (especially) mom, but I think that it is time well spent, and it is a sacrifice I am willing to make.  That said, I am usually very selective on which Lap Books I decide to create, choosing only quality materials, and topics my children love, to make it worth the extra time.

The next on our list of Lap Books is the boys’ Civil War Lap Book which they made while the girl’s created one based on the Addy American Girl series.   I have been very pleased with the high quality mini-books from the Time Travelers series – though I do make some modifications to incorporate our Catholic Faith.   

You can find my additional mini books below.

B is for Battle Cry and Safari Toobs: Union Soldiers & Confederate Soldiers

.:  Resources and Book Lists for Unit Five – The Civil War :.

Core Text
From Sea to Shining Sea (Chapters 16-17 – The Civil War Part 1 and Part 2)
From Sea to Shining Sea Worksheets

Additional Books read by the Boys: 

Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad
Escape North! The Story of Harriet Tubman (Step-Into-Reading, Step 3)
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
If You Grew Up with Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (Dell Picture Yearling Special)
Just a few words, Mr. Lincoln: The story of the Gettysburg Address
Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers
Abe Lincoln and the Muddy Pig
Abe Lincoln Remembers
Abraham Lincoln: Lawyer, Leader, Legend
A Picture Book of Robert E. Lee
Civil War On Sunday (Magic Tree House #21)
B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet
Cassie’s Sweet Berry Pie: A Civil War Story
Thomas Finds a Treasure: A St. John Neumann Story
Willy Finds Victory: A Blessed Francis Seelos Story

The boys took turns reading various picture books, including Cassie’s Sweet Berry Pie: A Civil War Story, to the little ones… 

. . . If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad
Go Free or Die: A Story About Harriet Tubman
Brady
Young Abe Lincoln: The Frontier Days: 1809-1837
Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House
Meet Abraham Lincoln (Landmark Books)
Stonewall
The Long Road to Gettysburg or Gettysburg (Civil War Times Illustrated Special Edition)
The Last Brother: A Civil War Tale (Tale of Young Americans)
My America: My Brother’s Keeper: Virginia’s Civil War Diary, Book One
Robert E. Lee: Young Confederate (Childhood of Famous Americans)
Behind the Blue and Gray: The Soldier’s Life in the Civil War (Young Reader’s Hist- Civil War)
Ghosts of the Civil War
If You Lived At The Time Of The Civil War
Classic Starts: The Red Badge of Courage
Abraham Lincoln and the Heart of America – Jim Weiss Audio

Coloring Books:

Activities and Games:  (A list of ideas… We don’t own all of these.) 

 
.: Timeline Entries :.

  • 1807-1870 Robert E. Lee
  • 1811-1860 St. John Newmann
  • 1820-1913 Harriet Tubman
  • 1824-1863 “Stonewall Jackson”
  • 1861-1865 Lincoln – 16th President of the United States 
  • 1861-1865 Civil War 
  • July 1-3, 1863 Battle at Gettysburg
  • 1863 Emancipation Proclamation
  • April 9, 1866 Civil Rights Act

I asked the boys to choose a few people or events from the list above to add to their History Through the Ages Record of Time timeline book during this unit. The listings in bold are the ones that they choose to include this year. Here are a couple pictures:

.: CIVIL WAR LAP BOOK :.

.: THE FRONT COVER :.

.: INSIDE VIEW #1 :.

Left Flap:

  • The Christian Commission
  • Carpetbaggers
Blue Center Page:
  • The Liberator
  • The North Star
  • Accoutrements, Accessories & Possibles of the Civil War Soldier
Right Flap:
  • Antietam: The Bloodiest Day
  • The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Closeup Pictures of the mini-books:

The Liberator
Accoutrements, Accessories & Possibles – with descriptions on the back of each and stored in the Pocket/Pouch
Antietam – “The Bloodiest Day”
.: INSIDE VIEW #2 :.

Back of Left Flap:
  • Fort Sumter: The First Conflict
  • Federal & Confederate Weaponry
  • Battle of the Ironclads
Center of Folder: 
  • Causes for Conflict
  • Gettysburg: The Turning Point
  • Women of the Civil War
Battle of the Ironclads
Federal & Confederate Weaponry
Gettysburg: The Turning Point
Women of the Civil War
Rose’s favorite in Pink-uh!!!!
.:  Bonus Flap :.

The boys and I decided to include the contributions made by Catholics during the Civil War!

Additional Catholic Mini-Books:

Of course we listened to The Fighting 69th while assembling the Lap Books! 🙂

.: Fully Opened View :. 

The boys completed this Unit Study during our 4th quarter and then moved on to Unit Six – The Industrial Revolution through the Great Depression, which I’ll (hopefully) be sharing with you all soon.  We are also currently studying World War II and the 20th Century over the summer, squeezing it in before we return to Ancient History in the fall!

Summer Daybook :: July 29, 2013

Summer Daybook :: July 29, 2013

by | Jul 29, 2013 | | 20 Comments

Outside my window... our garden is actually growing!  And, look! We have a little watermelon!!!  (and quite a few others that are just starting to grow!) We still have so much to learn about gardening, but so far this year is going better than last....

Wildfire

Wildfire

by | Jul 28, 2013 | | 16 Comments

Following Confessions and Mass - Blue Skies on One Side, Smokey Skies on the other.  Ash falling around us while we watched and offered another prayer for their Daddy's safety...One of the "benefits" of fire assignments that are fairly local is that sometimes...

Fire Season

Fire Season

by | Jul 27, 2013 | | 8 Comments

Smokey Sunset Last Night from our Front DoorI just missed capturing the Air Tanker in this photo... Sean left early this morning for his first fire assignment this year.Please keep him, and all firefighters, in your prayers! 

On the Feast of St. James

On the Feast of St. James

by | Jul 26, 2013 | , | 6 Comments

A new Missal Cover from Catholic Embroidery for one of the boys on the feast of his patron saint...... a new madeleine pan and cookbook for moi... ...and delicious madeleines "St. James Shell Cakes" for the whole family! (To be served with ice cream...

Prayer of Mothers

Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a privilege—to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven. Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen.


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