Our Field of Little Flowers

The Big Reveal...Knitting & Lent

2012-02-23T20:32:00.000-06:00

I finally finished off the sweet little sweater I've been knitting for our new godson. He's adorable and I've only seen him in pictures! I can hardly wait to drive out to see the little prince. So here's one of his little gifts.

I used the 5 Hour Baby Boy Sweater pattern I found at Ravelry and Red Heart green fleck worsted weight yarn I had left over from a frogged project. I knew I'd find a use for this yarn.

As for our Lenten practices, the kids have been eating a lot of fruit, and I'm trying to give up Diet pop.

I go back and forth over this because I don't drink coffee. I feel like it helps me stay awake in the afternoon so now what will I drink when I need a lift? Sugar's been out for a few years...it'll be 5 years in May...woohoo! And most of my tea is herbal.

I've also started a 30 day retreat booklet from the writings of St. Teresa of Avila. I'm keeping a separate prayer journal, too.

Today I decided to bring the camera along to take a few shots of our Thursday Run-Around.

Here are the kids in the car....

Yes, we have a mega-van!

I now have proof for Daddy that I have a bit of a lead foot. Oops!

Here's church 1 that I drove to and from twice today....

And here's church 2 that I drove to and from twice today....

This is actually the school, but the church is on the other side of it.:)

I didn't snap a pic of church 3 where the kids have their piano lessons. I was too worn out by that point in the day.:(

I did, however, snap a pic of the lake near our home. It just looked too beautiful not to capture.

Is your Lent off to a good start?

Mardi Gras

2012-02-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

We love to celebrate Mardi Gras as I have told in the past....

2007
2008
2010
2011

This year I finally made the Mardi Gras mask cookies I've been wanting to since 2009! That year I made mask cookies to sell at our parish Mardi Gras festival. This year, I cut out the eyes, added sticks for holding, and decorated them with ribbons. I love them!

I've also wanted to figure out a way to make a ribbon spool holder for when I have to make bows for packaging or in this case, decorating. I didn't want anything permanent, so I used a couple screw in hooks, S hooks (paper clips that I pulled apart!), and an old curtain rod. It worked great! I will leave the screw hooks in but take down the paper clips and rod.

Now for more celebration prep....Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Kids & Quilting Mishaps Edition

2012-02-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

Molly was asking for fried rice for lunch yesterday, but I told her I couldn't make it. I really only had enough energy for making simple lunches for all the kids. However, I did tell her that maybe her sisters could make it. Well, Maria was all over that. I pulled a few things out of the fridge they could use up...you know...leftovers. I also asked Monica to make rice in the cooker.

They pulled off the dish without a hitch and didn't leave a thing for later. Not even a grain of rice! Meanwhile, this is what Molly was doing while her sisters were cooking.

She was watching the bread in the oven. This is why I was low on energy by noon! We had two beautifully baked loaves of bread by 1PM. Baking gratification!
After lunch, I sat down to read to the kids. I've been reading Johnny Tremain, and they love it. It is very exciting to say the least. As I finished reading, I asked Lucas to run quick for my camera. Nick was so captivated by the snow that was falling outside.

While I read to the kids, I was ripping out stitches from my quilt pieces. I'll just say you should always heed the saying, "Measure twice. Cut once!" Arrrgh!!

You can see more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real moments by clicking on the button above.

A Love-ly Day

2012-02-14T17:12:00.001-06:00

I have had so many projects on the brain...knitting, quilting, paper crafting, cookie making...plus there's school and finishing up basketball for the "big girls". It's been a busy last few days. However, I never fail to quickly browse my Google Reader in the morning to check out the blogs I follow. One of these blogs is a pastry blog from Spain written by three sisters. Today they dedicated their post to their mother. I love this blog in particular because all the posts are written in Spanish. After reading their post today, I was in tears to read how tenderly they described their mother and the passion she instilled in them to pursue their love of baking. I hope that I'm able to see my children grow up to have passion, interests, and love for each other like these sisters have.

I thought of my own girls and how much I enjoy being around them. I love making and sharing things with them. I love their jokes, their silliness, their insights, and their interests. They are truly interesting people that add a special spice to my life. They and the boys have sat at the table in my craft room over the last few days watching me cut pieces for my quilt and sew them at the machine. They've worked on Latin, Math, Geography, and Spelling while I busily work at my projects. They've cheered me on with my knitting project and given me their opinions when something doesn't look right. They are always eager to eat a burnt or misshapen cookie or tell me when something is a flop. They are brutally honest!

Valentine's Day bags

Yesterday, they made Valentine's for each other and their friends in preparation for a party this afternoon. I came up with a cheesy Valentine for Daddy just like his cheese Valentine for me. I am looking forward to a little date night with him tonight. He has given me the most special Valentines that have made my life and my world so worth living. He actually gave me seven of them!

Today I am so grateful. My heart is so full of love for my family and the friends God has placed in our lives. These friends invited our family over for a little party. I am encouraged by my friend who also enjoys her children and longs to see them grow up the same way. We love our husbands and our lives. I am ever so grateful for hers and their friendship. They are truly a blessing!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Having Fun Edition

2012-02-09T20:22:00.000-06:00

Pretty
I really like quilting and have had a hard time choosing a pattern to make another quilt. I've been over at Moda Bake Shop and Quilt Dad to get ideas. I prepared all the scrap fabric that would go together aesthetically, but was stuck on what to make. After discovering Eleanor Burns's Quilt in a Day website, I decided to give the Merry Go Round pattern a whirl. I really like the way the block turned out.

Here's another close-up of the pinwheel. It's obvious the yellow fabric has butterflies on it, but if you look closely, you'll see that the blue fabric has the tiniest blue butterflies, too!

Happy
I've said it before so I'll say it again....The kids love the art teacher! This week she had them work on animation. I guess she picked up a book and wanted to work on simple animations with the kids. They had such a great time. Here they are watching the art teacher's little movie using a lazy susan and a Triscuit box for a screen.

Funny
Nick was so happy this evening jumping around the homeschool room so I could barely snap a picture of him!

Real
He finally stopped to mess around with the hole puncher so I could take his picture. He really does need a haircut. Guess who's his haircutter?

See more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Moments by clicking on the button above. Leila has very beautiful yarn and knitting to show you over at her place.

More Sweet Cookies

2012-02-07T10:40:00.002-06:00

You can see my most recent cookie creations over at our other blog, You Smart Cookie. I was very inspired by Downton Abbey and Bridget over at Bake at 350. Here's a peek.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

2012-02-04T16:46:00.000-06:00

I am not a sports fan, but I'll take any excuse to decorate a batch of cookies. I have been so excited to use card stock templates to decorate my cookies. So here's what I came up with for the big game tomorrow. We'll be attending a Super Bowl party with friends, and I can't wait to bring these along!

The Presentation/Candlemas

2012-02-02T16:08:00.001-06:00

Sugar cookies with white Royal Icing....The tips of the wings were painted with bronze lustre dust.

Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. -taken from Luke 2: 22-40

A pair of sugar cookie candlesticks with bronze painted flames were tied with red ribbon.

Enjoy today's feast and tomorrow's feast of St. Blaise.

Since Everyone's Talking About Florida...

2012-01-31T18:02:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd whip up a Key Lime Pie. Well, actually Daddy's been asking for one ever since he found that Costco sells key limes. He has fond memories of visiting the Florida Keys with his Mom and Dad as a child. They camped all over the United States for a month at a time. He's pretty much been everywhere.

Here's what you'll need:

4 egg yolks
1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. fresh lime juice
1 Graham cracker crust or you can make one yourself (Look elsewhere for this recipe since I was too lazy to make one myself!)

Now before you go all hay-wire on me, yes, you are going to eat raw eggs with this pie. I don't worry about stuff like that since the lime juice neutralizes the eggs. And, yes, I'm a Biology major so don't correct me if I'm wrong! You will also keep the pie chilled and if you're human and love sugar, the pie won't be sitting around long! But just in case, you're a little iffy on eating raw eggs, you can do this:

To make key lime pie safely, heat the lime juice with the raw egg yolks in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Then combine it with the sweetened condensed milk and pour filling into baked pie crust. Top with meringue. Bake all meringue-topped pies at 350 degrees F for at least 15 minutes.
All Recipes

Let's start with those notorious eggs. Crack them and separate the yolks from the whites. I just discarded my whites, but I'm sure you wonderful stewards can find many uses for them instead of throwing them out.

To this you will add the sweetened condensed milk and mix it all together. I used a hand mixer on a medium speed.

Next, add the lime juice and mix again. You will notice that the mixture will start to thicken. That's what you want!

Pour it into your prepared or ready-made graham cracker crust. Place it in your refrigerator to chill for a few hours or overnight.

I just waited a few hours and decided to work on the cream for the top. I chilled my mixing bowl and beater for 10 minutes in the freezer. I used a medium sized container of heavy whipping cream and 1/4 c. granulated sugar. I mixed the cream on a high setting for about 5 minutes or just until peaks started to form.

You don't want to over mix because it will turn to butter.

I then grabbed a pastry bag and a 2D star tip. I always use a tall glass to fill my pastry bags.

Then you just pipe stars starting in the center of the pie until the whole top is covered.

I cut very thin slices of lime to garnish the top. And voila! Now you can watch the drama unfold with the Florida Primary.

I have another little surprise for you for the upcoming feasts....The Presentation/Candlemas and the Feast of St. Blaise (Blessing of the Throats). Think light! More on that later.

Here's a bonus photo of Jane who wanted me to take her picture. It was all she could bear not to swipe her little finger across that pie! I applauded her effort.

Basketball Cookies for Maria

2012-01-29T15:13:00.000-06:00

We worked on Maria's cookies on Friday. These were super fun to make. The basketballs, of course, were easy...just simple circles with orange royal icing. I used a food writer to mark the lines and piped them in black.

Next, Maria really wanted me to try to make a backboard and net. I used a wedding cake cutter and modified it a bit using a template I traced onto card stock. I've done this before. You can make any template from a tracing. You just have to hand cut it with a knife or pizza cutter.

If you flip this upside down, doesn't it look like the beginnings of a backboard and net?
I hope you see it, too!

Here's my card stock template and my knife.

When we placed the cookies on the sheets, they reminded me of milk bottles! I'll have to make a batch of milk bottles for the State Fair in honor of the Dairy Barn!

Decorating them was pretty easy. I used royal icing...white, black and red. I used to use piping bags exclusively to decorate cookies, but have since found it WAY easier to decorate cookies using 10 second icing and plastic squeeze bottles. My favorite tips are #1, #1.5, and #2. I use #2 tips for piping a border and flooding the cookies. I use the smaller tips for piping the details. The consistency of the icing is what makes all the difference. You can check out both of these places for icing consistency tutorials:

Sweet Sugar Belle
Sweet Ambs

I think the cookies came out very cute and most importantly, Maria loves them!

I then had an idea that came to me from a Pinterest post. I've never thought of little tags for my cookies. I used to seal them in cello bags and glue a little ribbon bow on the tops. These were always cute, but I think this is way cuter.

I sealed the cookies and then ran down to find scrapbook paper that would fit the theme. I found this sports sayings paper that was just perfect! I cut 4 X 3 pieces of paper, folded them in half long way, and then stapled them onto the sealed tops of the bags. I think they look so finished and cute in the box. Maria was so happy when she saw them!

These are the party favors that will go home with the girls. Aren't they cute?

And here's the best part that makes me happy. This is the beautiful little girl that was born to us 11 years ago today.

Maria at 5 years old

Maria, a beautiful young lady, with her sisters and Daddy before the
Little Flower's Snowflake Dance

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Baking Up Some Love Edition

2012-01-26T11:08:00.000-06:00

~ Capturing the context of everyday life ~
Yesterday, I made the dough and baked the cookies for Maria's upcoming Basketball Birthday party. Because I always like to have a little fun of my own in the kitchen, I decided to make a few Valentine cookies, too.

Pretty

I found all of my "love" cutters...

I hate getting dough in my ring so I took it off and set it aside. Sigh.

Happy & Funny

I had a little baking helper that insisted on using the cutters and transferring the cookies to the sheets.

Real

Here are the final products. I definitely have to get into a zone to decorate. I did this work while the older girls bathed Jane & Nick and helped Daddy put the kids to bed. Meanwhile, I worked a little magic in the kitchen!

These are ok. I like them because they are "mini" cookies. I had an idea to make them into "conversation
hearts", but I must have forgotten about that idea.:( I guess I'll have to make another batch!

These are my favorites! I love the cornelli lace on the double hearts, and I used rolled Pettinice fondant with a design mat for the larger heart and smaller scalloped edge square. The pillow effect was something new I wanted to try. Amber over at Sweet Ambs has a good video on this technique. I added sugar pearls at the seams on the pillowed heart.

I still have to go back to the "workshop" to make those basketball cookies and hoops/nets. Go see more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Moments by clicking on the button above. Looks like Auntie Leila is on ~~tour~~ grandbaby holiday!

Just one more...

2012-01-24T23:07:00.001-06:00

Load of laundry before I go,
Email to send,
Bill to pay,
Call to make,
Stitch to sew,
Cut to make,
Dish to load.....

I do at least one of these things every time I should be getting my coat on and getting my butt out the door to drop of a kid, get to a meeting, meet someone, get to Mass or confession. And without fail, I'm almost always inevitably late! I've missed opening talks, the Gospel, and not to mention the comments and disappointment from the kids because I make them late. Why do I do this? I think it's because I think whatever that last thing is that I want to do will only take a minute which really means I want it to take more like 15-20 seconds because that's really all the time I have to spare. Does anything ever take only a minute? There's always a glitch that happens.

The phone rings and I have to answer it,
Someone yells from a bathroom they need help,
Someone yells that Nick needs a diaper change,
I remember something else I have to do before I do that one last thing,
I have to go to the bathroom,
I realize I don't have any make-up on!

I probably have ADHD, but I really don't want to find out if that's true. For now, I'm happy not knowing. And by the way, I thought I should try to get one more post in before I go to bed because I'm under the crazy assumption that I'm a Super Mom!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Irresponsible?

2012-01-23T15:58:00.000-06:00

I started writing this post on Saturday morning, but then the stomach flu hit one of the kids so I'm just getting back around to it now. I thought it was still worth posting.

I was just thinking this morning that I should try once again to put together a menu for the month. I know it's a little late in January to make one for this month! I did put together the first week of the month, but I didn't get past that week. As I was sitting there, I thought a bit about how our weeks go. I usually make a couple large things sometime in the week....3 lbs. of ground taco meat, a roast, a roasted chicken, chili, spaghetti, a large rice cooker filled with rice, a pot of beans, or a couple large pans of steamed vegetables. I always have three things ready to go in my fridge....meat, starches, and vegetables. This way I can make any number of things quickly, nutritiously, and with minimal fuss.

I'll give you a little example. Last evening, I planned to cook rice and sautéed vegetables. I knew there was a bit of leftover chicken breast and a bit of roast that was leftover from a previous pot roast. I was going to mix the two, reheat them, and serve the meats with the rice and vegetables. It was going to be "my take" on Chinese. When I went to serve the rice, Monica had forgotten to hit the COOK button so no rice!

I had to punt so I grabbed bags of flour and corn tortillas, heated them on the stove, and pulled out a container of beans I had defrosted the day before. We heated the beans and served them with guacamole, salsa, and shredded cheese. Paul was raving...a lot. He and the kids loved it! I had to think quick on my feet to come up with a "save" for last night's dinner.

So what are we having tonight? I defrosted pork chops that I've been meaning to make for some time. I decided this morning we would have them with steamed vegetables and the rice that was finally cooked last night.

After discussing this with Daddy, he told me not to sweat the menu planning. He is pleased that we are all getting healthy, nutritious meals and he really doesn't have much to add. This led us to a few other thoughts. We talked about the balancing of our checkbook which mind you, never happens. I used to balance my checkbook when I had a job before I was married, and I basically made money and spent it. I didn't save anything because there wasn't anything to save. I lived hand to mouth. I balanced my checkbook because I was told you were supposed to do that! I approached my checkbook the way I try to approach menu planning and organization. I've been told and inspired by a lot of well meaning people. But I have to ask. When did Martha Stewart become our spiritual and organizational guide? She's a convicted felon! I know she served her time, but she also kept making a dime from her nicely padded prison cell off of all of the gals like me who go to her like she's an organizational goddess.

Granted, I'm not receiving spiritual direction to find out if I'm being a good enough steward nor am I actively seeking it out so I go to the next best thing...my husband. He came from his father's financial philosophy...

You want to know the quickest way to double your money? Fold it up and put it in your pocket.

We have never balanced our checkbook. In the first years of our marriage, we felt guilty over not doing this. After a while, we consulted help from a financial planner who told us there are 2 kinds of people: those who balance their finances to the gnat's eyebrow and those that don't. He asked if our checkbook was serving us or were we serving our checkbook? We finally decided to stop feeling guilty. In this age of online banking, we can basically look at our checking or savings balances at any time. Daddy handles our finances and does rather well with them. He invests, moves our money around so we can get better rates, and does the old bankroll under the mattress trick by stashing money away in separate online accounts earmarked for things we want to save up for. I help out by shopping online deals, buying in bulk, and letting go of money wasters like junk food, eating out, and cable TV. I also try to make lists whenever I have to hit Target, Wal-Mart, or Costco so I'm not tempted to impulse shop.

So am I being irresponsible? Are WE being irresponsible? I wondered if Ma Ingalls ever made a menu for the month. I don't think she did. I'll bet she kept everything pretty simple. They probably ate the same things day after day or depending on the season. She probably made a lot of their food when the time was right for it. She probably bought staples in town when she needed them. And she probably wasn't tempted by big grocery stores, concession stands at games, or drive-thrus because she was in a hurry.

I think simple is the way to go....menu or no menu, balanced checkbook or not. I don't want to discourage anyone from actively pursuing spiritual direction or a very good Dave Ramsey course. I'm just saying if you aren't doing these things and your wondering if you can still be a responsible member of society, I'm here to tell you that you can! When you think about secular responsibility, you probably can use Martha Stewart as your spiritual and organizational guide. But if you truly seek spiritual guidance from a reliable source, your responsibility meter surely changes. We'd rather be responsible for imparting the faith to the kids, being active participants in their education, building strong family bonds, and living every moment intentionally trying to build a culture of life. If we can get to the checkbook or the calendar to plan meals, so be it. But if we don't, you can be sure there are other very worthwhile goals on our plates!

Oh, and here's a cute picture I snapped after lunch today. I love cardinals in winter! This one was just outside the kitchen window in a little pine.

What's Love Got To Do With It?

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

I wanted to write this post on "Love" since Valentine's Day is coming up and all, and I just couldn't resist this title for a post...bear with me! I was thinking about this after I wrote about it in one of my daily journal entries. Yes, in addition to keeping up this blog, I also journal daily. It really helps to put things into perspective because blogging sometimes is filled with uploading pictures rather than actually digging deep into myself.

I was asking myself, "Self, do you really understand what love is?" It can't possibly be just the stuff in songs and cards.

I found these on Pinterest. Cute, huh?

Love is that which makes you give when you don't want to give, when you're tired, and when you'd rather isolate. For me, food was what I used to medicate myself during those times so I could keep on going. I would sneak away to grab cookies, mini chocolates that I had stashed away in cupboards, bowls of ice cream, or forkfuls of cake leftover from birthdays or other celebrations. I needed sugar to get me up from the computer or the couch or out of my room to attend to all those needy little people in our home.

But then I miraculously had a willingness to clean out my cupboards, shake off the fetters that had me in bondage, a slave to my cravings and food temptations. Miraculously my eyes were opened to the truths around me. Babies needed to be changed, fed, and held. Older kids needed understanding, compassion, and direction. Daddy needed attention, encouragement, and support.

Amber is the genius behind these cookie creations. Find her
at Sweet Ambs.

And then there was me. When I was infatuated with sugar and sugar cravings ruled my waking moments, I never went to bed without guilt, shame, or remorse. I had all kinds of demons plaguing me in the mirror as I brushed my teeth before I went to bed. Those demons tried to tear me down and wear at my soul. My motherhood was in jeopardy. I was doubting my vocation. Did I love myself? Did I love myself enough to stop letting sugar and food in general be my god? I did some definite soul searching, praying, and asking God to give me the willingness to give up those things that weighed me down, literally and figuratively. He did! And now I love myself honestly and maturely. There is no guilt. There is no remorse. There is just love....pure, simple, and unmedicated. If I can do this, anyone can do this one. day. at. a. time.

Found these on Pinterest, too. Wet on
wet Royal Icing and toothpicks...easy, peasy!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real & A Review

2012-01-19T12:04:00.000-06:00

~ Capturing the context of everyday life ~

Daddy and I visited Chesterton Academy last Tuesday with Monica. We received the notice of an Open House just days before in our email inbox. Reason being, I had inquired about their a la carte Homeschool classes just in case that might be an option for us. I was deterred by the cost of the classes in comparison to what we've paid for Yeah Academy and Memoria Press Online Classes.

Pretty

Photo taken of the girls by their friend, Milah

I love this shot a friend took of Maria during a photo shoot. I love the JOY of this picture!

The girls are getting older and their needs are changing, however. Where I had always planned to homeschool them through High School, now I am not so sure. This year has been different with trying our hand at Unschooling. Maria likes the freedom and has enjoyed the putsy stuff being removed from her schedule leaving time for studying two instruments and pursuing Latin and her crafts with more time. Monica has greatly enjoyed the removal of the putsy stuff to focus on two languages, two instruments, and playing sports with our parish school. Their schedules are plenty packed, but I also noticed something else. Monica lugs her books around everywhere. She's always working on Latin or Math, will make sure she's staying on track with her literature study, and recently asked me for a research project. To coordinate with her study of French, I chose a Jackdaw packet on Napoleon. These packets are pretty awesome as they contain copies of primary source documents, photos, and just plain old interesting stuff you just can't get from reading through textbooks. It's a fun way to go in depth in a history subject.

Happy

I can't remember who gave us this print, but it always makes me happy.

As I was going to bed, I was just happy that my nightstand wasn't too overly cluttered.
Now your servant can rest in peace, Lord!

After watching Monica for the last few months, Daddy and I felt she might welcome the challenge and rigor of a High School along with all it entails. Monica was already making plans to play sports at the local High School or a similar Christian High School that welcomes homeschoolers who want to play sports.

Funny

The boys have been enjoying sharing a room together again. Yes, we moved all the kids around AGAIN. I won't
bore you with the details!

I looked at Chesterton Academy's curriculum, their mission, and schedule a couple year's ago; but I was unimpressed. I can't remember what turned me off or didn't jazz me, but when I looked at those things again in preparation for the Open House, something was different. It's like my heart and mind weren't ready to embrace another option. Could they be ready now? Monica is still a year off from attending if she does so we have some time to get our head's wrapped around what this could mean for our family. But at least I'm open to the possibility of change.

Real

Daddy has another book in his book basket...The Book of Man by Bill Bennett was suggested by a friend.
Thank you, Carmen, by the way! A wonderful suggestion...we both love this book!

You can look at Chesterton's curriculum here and here. You can read about their mission here. It also doesn't hurt that I feel comforted in knowing the director and his wife whom I've known for a few years now and also home schools four of their children, and I attended UD with the wife of the Latin teacher.

You can see more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Moments over at Like Mother, Like Daughter by clicking on the button above. Again, Auntie Leila has some pretty wise words you should probably check out!

Yarning Along....Dishcloths

2012-01-18T11:55:00.001-06:00

I've needed more dishcloths. As great as they are for cleaning in the kitchen, they do wear out. I had some crazy idea they would be the last dishcloths I'd ever need and make. Not so! They do wear out and get gunky and stiff even if I put them in pails of bleach. So I've been scrounging around the house looking for all the leftover skeins of Sugar & Cream yarn to make more. I finished all of the Christmas gifts and am half way through a pair of socks for Monica, but right now these dishcloths take precedence.

We're also reading The Last of the Mohicans (Great Illustrated Classics Version). After looking over the original,
I thought I'd better try this version so I wouldn't have to stop after every sentence to explain the vocabulary and meanings. A cop out...I know.:(

I'm still reading another Willa Cather book, O Pioneers! I'm at Part V - Alexandra. It's been a great read as I love all the description and Cather's style of writing. The story is believable and exciting. I finished A Lost Lady a week ago. That wasn't as exciting as O Pioneers!, and nothing beats My Antonia which I finished last summer. Next, I'd like to read Death Comes for the Archbishop, but I think I'll wait because I have Tess of the D'Urbervilles on my bookshelf and a long list of other books that have popped up that I'd like to read from the following bloggers:

Death Comes to Pemberly was recommended by Ana but was given a mixed review by Faith.
Brideshead Revisited piqued my interest after Callah posted about it.
Dracula also sounds interesting after Jen said she couldn't put it down!

As for the kids, here is what they are reading and knitting....

Monica - still working on finishing leg warmers for her friend, Milah. She meant to have them ready for Milah's skating lessons, but those lessons were finished in December. Monica is still knitting away every chance she gets! She's reading The Father Brown Mysteries by G.K. Chesterton on her Kindle which reminds me I still need to post about the Open House we attended last week at Chesterton Academy.

Maria is reading The Outcast by Rosemary Sutcliffe on her Kindle. It is the first in a trilogy of literature based on Ancient history. She's also knitting a beret for her American Girl doll to match some AG clothes she received for Christmas from Monica. She's working on size 1 DPN's so her work is slower than usual.

Molly is getting into the Nancy Drew Mysteries and is currently reading The Secret of the Old Clock and would like to read The Hidden Staircase next. She is interested in learning to crochet in a circle, but is still practicing with a chain.

Lucas has been enjoying some of the books by Tomie DePaola. He and Gabe love The Quicksand Book and are now asking when they can make quicksand. I think we'll wait on that little project! And Gabe is still reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as I posted recently. He gets such a kick out of the Oompa Loompas!

You can see what others are knitting and reading by hopping over to Ginny's.

Cast Iron Tips and a Great Deal

2012-01-17T08:18:00.000-06:00

I just thought of a few things I wanted to share here about caring and seasoning cast iron. The first is a video I found on YouTube explaining how to season a cast iron skillet. I've acquired my skillets from thrift stores, estate sales, and as gifts. When you first see a cast iron skillet it may have a grey appearance and look rather dull. Seasoning the skillet will result in a beautiful, shiny black coating that becomes the "nonstick" of the skillet. Remember that cast iron ensures even heating and retention of that heat. These are the excellent qualities of cast iron. This is why Le Creuset prides itself on being an excellent maker of French cookware. Granted, they believe you'll be easily persuaded by the beautiful enamel coating colors of their pieces. But I have found that I like the pioneer look of a black skillet. The price is also better!!

This second site is my "go to" guy for care and maintenance of my cast iron. The Pan Man also has tips for seasoning cast iron, but personally I like videos since I'm a visual gal. Here is his link.

I also wanted to pass along that right now Costco has a great deal on the KitchenAid Professional HD 575 Watt mixer. You get an instant $50 rebate and a coupon for a $30 mail in rebate. Yes, that's $80 off the price. I shopped around on Amazon and Overstocks and couldn't get a better price than $219 for this mixer. So if you didn't get one for Christmas or The Kings didn't drop one off at Epiphany, now you can snag a great deal and get a great mixer to boot! My older KitchenAid mixer had a 3.5 quart bowl, but this monster has the 5 1/2 qt. bowl. I can't wait to use it...I finally got mine out of the box last night. Talk about restraining one's will! I actually only waited because I needed Daddy's help to remove it from the box and he was busy writing a paper. Oh, well.

Happy Cooking!

7 Quick Takes: The Backed Up Edition

2012-01-13T20:05:00.001-06:00

Finally, I'm able to get a chance as I sit here at Molly's basketball practice to get caught up on a photo download!

1. A few leftover Christmas decoration shots...

This is another of our nativities. It's a Precious Moments nativity (not one of my favorites) that was given to us from one of Daddy's patients.

You can barely tell it's an angel, but I thought I would take a pic of one of the ornaments that we obtained when the oldest girls were the ages of Nick and Jane!

2. A bit of Christmas morning

At first the kids thought Jane received an iPad for Christmas! Inside they found a Disney princess pillow case. She loves it!!!

3. The New Year's wedding in northern MN

Daddy was looking dapper!

The bride opted for individual mini cakes on all of the tables. I thought that was very creative.....no cake line, and everyone received a decent sized piece of cake. One piece was left....mine!

The happy couple danced to the first song as the littlest reception attendees looked on in wonder. Jane kept calling the bride a "princess!"

4. The technologically savvy homeschoolers...

5. A heady conversation about Latin...

6. The newest member of the family...

This is "Pepper" our replacement hamster after Bitty died the day we returned from the wedding. It was a sad homecoming and farewell to the sweetest pet we've had so far. Pepper is very different. She is a full sized hamster, is black, and is fat and not very active. The kids love that she is very friendly and not too interested in escaping from her cage!

7. This kid loves to read!

Gabriel just discovered the world of Roald Dahl. Here he is reading "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". I had to buy a reading lamp for his bed so he can stay up to read. I fear I may be changing up the room configurations again for the readers and the tired athletes. It seems the target is always changing for who can share a room with who. Ugh!

You can see more Quick Takes over at Jen's Conversion diary.

Just Checking This Out

2012-01-13T14:20:00.001-06:00

I've tried to blog from my IPad since I received it for my birthday in December....awesomest gift ever from the hubs (except the children, of course)! Anyhoo, after a lot of research on the web, I decided to give Blogpress a whirl. I was deterred by the cost, but lo and behold they knocked the price by 50% for the New Year!! I don't mind typing on the screen keyboard and I'm actually getting pretty good at it. So here's my first of hopefully many mobile posts and a pic to go with.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Because I Seem to Forget Everything

2012-01-12T08:15:00.000-06:00

I am sitting here not having showered yet looking ahead to the busy day that awaits us. I wanted to quickly jot down a few things I want to come back to, but I don't want to forget them. So here they are....

You should go see Rosie's post at Like Mother, Like Daughter...bring your Kleenex.
Chesterton Academy open house review
Showing the pictures we took at the wedding we attended over New Year's
our new hamster, Pepper
weight and food and active preteens and the questions they ask
what we're knitting and reading
looking ahead to Lent. You know it will be here before we know it!

Meanwhile, I leave you all with this....

Cookies I'm thinking about making for Maria's upcoming birthday party.
Can you guess which sport the girls have been playing this season?

Dropping Off the Face of Facebook....

2012-01-08T16:53:00.000-06:00

or Why Social Media Only Goes So Far

Back in December 2008, I had a friend who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. We were in college together, spent an InterTerm together when I lived in her apartment, and became good friends after that. We still sorta keep in touch. At that time, some friends and I were looking for a way to notify other college friends of her illness and start something of a prayer chain. I asked my sister about Facebook. I wondered if it was something I needed to not touch with a 10 foot pole because of things I'd heard about MySpace. After all, only people who were looking for something or somebody with no good intentions were on MySpace...or so I thought! She told me Facebook was a lot safer and that I would have control over my privacy settings. After praying about it, consulting Daddy, and taking the time to get an account set up, I was on. It was great! I never really connected with many college friends, but I did connect with a lot of High School friends, post college friends, work friends, and Daddy found a lot of people he had often wondered about but had fallen out of touch with. My Facebook account became something we both liked to use to connect with other people. The status updates that I posted would get a lot of responses...funny ones, encouraging ones, right there with you ones, congratulations, and general support for motherhood and homeschooling.

Prior to that, I had been blogging. I began my blog in December 2007 and blogged for all of 2008 writing lengthy posts about happenings, updating kids' birthdays, pregnancies and the like. At that time we had 5 children so our blog was aptly named, Thriving with Five. I struggled with the blog keeping up with posting, getting used to no comments or at most 3 at a time. I tried to visit other blogs and make friends in blog land. After seeing other successful blogs, I wondered if I could ever make any money at it or at least gain a group of like-minded friend support. Neither of those things happened.

I did change our blog name after Jane was born which bumped the kid count to 6. Sinking with Six sounded more appropriate, but I knew that I hadn't had much success in knowing my fertility. All I know is that I'm VERY fertile so the chances of my having another baby was pretty high. I didn't want to have to rename the blog so I decided to go with Our Field of Little Flowers because of my love for St. Therese and Mother Theresa's quote (listed in my sidebar). That seemed to fit for however many little flowers we would finally be blessed with!

Unfortunately, though being busy with babies and getting more support from Facebook almost killed our blog. I am no multi-tasker. I can only do one thing at a time fairly well. I am amazed at blogger mommies that bounce right back into blogging after having a baby showing off their amazing activities with their other children, crafts, and incredible food items to celebrate feast days. You definitely need support after having a baby and keeping up a blog is a great way to get it especially if you already have a firm base of support. After Jane was born, I didn't have that support in blog land. After Nick was born, I had a little bit more but not much.

I had a lot of Facebook support after Nick, and I wondered if I should keep up our blog. But I had to reevaluate why I was keeping up the blog. I've stated before I'm no scrapbooker and now the kids read the blog and like to hear my insights and, of course, see themselves on there. I do a lot of this for them. I decided I have to keep going. After all, I can't even think I can be in this for the support or the money. I need to get back to doing it for others and remove myself from the equation. I am grateful for the support I do have. I know how hard it is to carve out time in your day to visit blogs and encourage one another. I barely do it. I'll have moments when I make myself visit the ones in my reader and personally comment on posts, but I can't keep it up. Of course, I blog for me, too. I need help remembering things, and I can't tell you how many tears I've shed going back to read my very early posts when we were Thriving with Five! Those days were amazing!

On Friday, I was feeling pretty bummed. I was being nasty to Daddy with my negative comments, I was getting down about all kinds of stuff, I was snapping at the kids, and I was crying a lot secretly because I knew I was the cause of all my grief and inner turmoil. I ran an errand and called a friend I was going to be getting together with later that evening. I told her it was a good thing I had made a commitment with her because otherwise I just might get on 35W and drive down to my Mom's house....in Texas! That's how horrible I was feeling. She and I drove to dinner where we ate and laughed. It was great to see her pull out her scale and weigh and measure her food just like me. We talked about all kinds of things namely our kids and stupid ideas and how silly I was being. I laughed hard. I smiled. I forgot why I was upset. After dinner we went to Joanne Fabrics and roamed the aisles until closing. And when I was in the yarn aisle, I wasn't fuming when I turned around and saw Daddy and three of the kids with a cart! They were there to get me a little gift for today's feast day....a set of double pointed Takumi needles because one of the needles in the size set I had was broken by accident by one of the kids. I only found out this morning the reason for their trip that night after King Melchior left a note on the pack of needles gently slipped under the Christmas tree.

Later Friday evening, when I dropped off my friend I thanked her for going out with me, for leaving her family, the sacrifice of her husband watching her kids, and for putting up with me and all my ramblings during dinner. She smiled, gave me a heartfelt hug, and I said goodbye to her husband and girls. This is why social media only goes so far. As much as I "Like" the status support and the comments that I receive on Facebook, Twitter, and our blog; nothing can replace the real human contact that I get from actually going out of my home and putting effort into getting together with someone. Sometimes when I get local retreat updates, I send them out to all of my parish friends. I usually offer to carpool and throw in a little invite for us to have lunch somewhere together afterward. Sometimes there's a group of us and sometimes there are no takers. Sometimes I try to organize Ladies' Nights Out because I want to see my friends. At the Cookie Exchange I hosted back in December, the ladies who came and I laughed so hard and loud that the girls asked me afterward why we were so happy. They wanted to know what could possibly be so funny. They didn't think that we were capable of being like giddy school girls who like to giggle and make each other laugh. But we are and we do!

Even though I have some funny Facebook friends, blog friends, and Twitter followers and people I follow who make me almost bust a gut laughing, I would much rather hang with you in person. So if I come to your city or see you at a convention or conference, you'd better believe I'm gonna want to sit with you for dinner or try to coordinate a get together. I need human touch...a hug, a smile, a sparkling eye, a warm voice. I need to hear, "I love you"....don't type it or send it in an e-mail. I'll see you sometime, and you can tell me.

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Back to Blogging

2012-01-03T16:58:00.000-06:00

~ Capturing the context of everyday life ~
I was too tired after Christmas to get back to blogging so to rest a bit we took a trip up to Northern MN for a friend's wedding. I know that sounds crazy....to go to Northern Minnesota where it's colder...for a break. It was actually a fun weekend with a beautiful wedding, a fun family, and a bit of a break from the norm. It's always a challenge to pack us all into two hotel rooms, load and unload the van, and take the grief from all the disappointments along the way like no time to stop and play at a McDonald's play place, or no swimming in the pool because the weather's bad and we really should get on the road, or no you can't stay up and watch a movie because you already stayed up dancing at the reception.

In spite of all that, it was still a fun time UNTIL we realized we didn't have our camera in the van or in any of our bags or under any of the coats! I spent Sunday and Monday calling the gas stations, fast food places, and our hotel twice just to make sure it didn't roll out and get crushed by a semi at one of the stops along I-94. We finally found that it was left behind at our hotel...thank God! Further, the parents of the bride are planning a trip to the Cities tomorrow and will be bringing our camera.

I know it shouldn't really matter, but it does matter when you want to take quick shots around the house of all the fun things and the not so fun things and your misplaced camera is just the gadget to let you do that. I really like my camera. I've learned a lot about it and about photography. I take more pictures now than I ever did before. It makes me want to take pictures. I call that a mark of a good camera right there. I also took some great shots at the wedding that I wanted to share here on the blog, but I can't because the card is in the camera and the camera is still in Crookston!!! Ugh!!!

Anyhoo, Monica and I were able to take a few shots with the....uh, you know, the point & shoot. It's sad how you start to put your nose up to the camera you used to love. What can I say...I'm fickle!

Pretty

This is the mobile the kids and the art teacher made back in Fall. They colored the leaves

and attached them to little twigs. It's balanced with string in just the right places

so it dangles and spins above my desk! I love it!

Happy

Busy kids make me happy.....as they work puzzles...

This is one of the 500 piece shaped puzzles given to the kids for Christmas by Uncle Fred. Awesome challenge!

We finally finished it last evening!! Yes!!

...and tinker with the motor in a toy train.

He still hasn't been able to get it to work, but I love that he wanted to try.

Funny

The Christmas decoration boxes never really made it back downstairs for storage. They decided

to wait until the Christmas season is over.

Funny how Daddy just moved right in during the 12 Days of Christmas to get back to painting the dining room. Notice the Christmas plates moved over to make room for the ESP wall cleaner, the sandpaper on the sack of grapefruits, and the bucket 'o tools alongside. I'm sure you spotted the double painting lights over in the corner!

Real

The Kings have been speeding up their journey to make it for tomorrow morning! They probably got distracted reading one of our Christmas books...Christmas Remembered by Tomie DePaola.

You can see more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real moments by clicking on the button above. And you should definitely click on over and read Leila's post. Her insights on saving the culture are spot on! BTW...it's good to be back...Happy New Year!

More Christmas Prep & What They Do With My Camera When I'm Out on a Date w/Daddy

2011-12-23T22:13:00.001-06:00

I've been smiling all day long at little things that catch my eye. Here are some of them...

Christmas Cookie Baking

Christmas & Advent Decorations coming up & going down

And in case, I don't blog tomorrow or the day after I wanted to leave you with something to make you smile and our warmest wishes for all of you who read our little blog...

Merry Christmas!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Christmas Prep. Edition

2011-12-22T13:17:00.000-06:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
I was able to snap a few pics from the week to remind me of all the joy and peace we've had around our home. Don't get me wrong...the time has been a bit stressful with this many people in the house every. single. day! It's not easy as they get older and bigger and their voices get louder. They bicker and fight and like to hide from me and their chores. It's definitely a normal family!
Pretty

I love getting Christmas cards from friends old and new. Seeing the kids stop to look at photo cards and read family newsletters while eyeing tins of Christmas cookies is always a pretty sight.

Happy

I am so happy we were able to keep up with the daily readings for our Jesse Tree ornaments. It's fascinating to go through the genealogy and history of Jesus. It has helped all of us prepare in a special way for the excitement to come.

Funny

Since the older kids can run across the street and skate, the little ones have to find something to do. These two had a snack break after playing "Secret Agents." Gabe reads things to Jane and gives her instruction, and she follows him around doing whatever he says!

Real

We actually don't use any real greenery in our home. I decided to buy fake garland and a tree after all the fussing with keeping things fresh. Maria twisted this garland on the 18th for the O Antiphon, O Radix Jesse. We planned to get a poinsettia but it didn't work out. Maria threaded these fake poinsettias into the garland especially for the day!
See more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Moments over at Like Mother, Like Daughter by clicking on the button above.

Sometimes the Time is Right...

2011-12-21T14:16:00.000-06:00

for skating! We were worried the snow we got a couple weeks ago would affect the ponds. They weren't really frozen yet, and snow on an unfrozen pond is not good for anything. But with the warmer weather and the bright sun we had over the last week, the snow melted off the ponds and refroze on top leaving a clear, glassy surface. The neighbor called yesterday and asked if school was still in session. I said today would be better. After lunch the kids were ready to go. Sometimes the time and the weather is just perfect for ice skating. You have to take it!

Meanwhile, I'm roasting a turkey and trying to get more cookie decorating done. Managing toddlers is slowing me down a bit, or we may just bag it to go and watch the skaters. Although, I love that I can see them from the front windows!

Pinterest Inspired Cookies

2011-12-21T09:32:00.000-06:00

I saw these on Pinterest last evening so I decided to get a little creative with my icing colors and a few sugar cookies I had baked the day before. Here's what I came up with....

Daddy had me pack these up to give to a coworker. She's the gal who bails him out whenever he's late for a class or a patient. She deserves a little "JOY" this holiday season! Now back to the kitchen for a bit more baking.

Christmas Baking

2011-12-20T17:00:00.000-06:00

I, too, have gotten wrapped up in Christmas baking. After I finished up with the Cookie Exchange and making the Spritz for the kids, I decided to have another round at sugar cookie baking.

After this...

and this...

I was able to come up with these...

I also made mittens, but I don't know where those pictures are!:( I love, love, love decorating cookies and when all the right pieces come together...even oven heating, chilled dough, icing consistency, and the right shades of color....it can be a glorious experience for me. I get so happy. The kids wanted to get their little grubby hands on these but only Daddy was able to be my taste-tester. Otherwise, which kid would you choose? Then you have to give everyone a cookie making your number go down by at least half a dozen! Sheesh!

I checked my cupboards for tins...I really like tins...to store the cookies in. This led me to run to my local thrift store to check for tins there. I was wondering what all the hubbub was about with so many cars in the parking lot. Turns out yesterday was a VIP day. Having a VIP card would get you 50% off all merchandise! I unfortunately never signed up to get a VIP card. A nice gentleman was kind enough to let me use his VIP card so I could get the discount. Talk about Christmas cheer!!

One of my favorite purchases yesterday was this AWESOME cast iron mold. You can make just about anything bread-y in this thing....cornbread, muffins, cake, cookies, candy, or brownies.

Isn't it cute? I decided to make brownies so I had to use all my culinary expertise to figure out how to get the little buggers out of the molds once cooked. My first attempt was an utter failure because I tried using nonstick cooking spray. The kids always love to eat my mistakes so they didn't give me time enough to snap a pic. For my second attempt I had to get smart about what I was doing. Greasing and flouring a pan has always yielded good results.

Filling the molds took a bit of a trick...cake or cornbread batter would work better...more runny. I filled them right up to the top.

This was taken when I used the cooking spray...total fail!

Here they are...the little cuties!

I decided to dress them up a bit so I did this...

I hope your baking is going along nicely and that your oven doesn't need a new thermostat! Oh, the conditions we work in out of love....(eye roll)!

Mexican Christmas Traditions

2011-12-20T12:00:00.000-06:00

What would Christmas be without tamalitos? Mexican tamales are a Christmas tradition that I grew up with either helping my mother to make or receiving them from my godmother or grandmother or buying from one of the ladies from church. In any case, if you didn't have a plate of tamales to offer any of your Christmas guests, you weren't REALLY having Christmas!

I'm a modern Mexican mama so I leave the work of tamales to Costco and Daddy. He's always more than happy to scour the cities' Costco sites for the chance they may be stocking tamales for Christmas. He has scored for the last three years! This year is no different. To accompany his meal this Sunday, I made Mexican rice. Here's how I make mine....in case you're hankering for a little Mexican flare for Christmas. And even if you celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with chocolate and pan mexicano, you can still choose one of the recipes from my sidebar for the remaining days of the Posadas. That reminds me we have to get back to doing Posadas around here with our other homeschool friends!

I use a rice cooker since I make a lot of rice for our family. Using a rice cooker frees up the stove and the rice is perfect every time.

I keep my rice in a Frangelico tin that I've had for years. I buy a HUGE bag of rice from Costco...
like 20 lbs. of rice hence the need for smaller containers!

Rice is easy to cook...the ratio is 1:2 so you use 2 cups of water for every cup of rice. Here I have 3 cups of rice and 5 cups of water in my rice cooker. I'm not crazy...I'm just going to add another cup of liquid in the next step. Stay with me!

Next, we'll work on the flavoring for the rice...Start with 8 oz. or, in my case, I had 1 pint of stewed tomatoes, Knorr chicken bullion, and ground cumin.

Place the undrained tomatoes in a blender and purée them.

Pay no attention to the icing bottles behind the blender...fodder for another post!
I usually have a Diet something or other while I'm cooking.:)

I placed 3 of the cubes of bullion and 1 T. ground cumin into my 2 c. liquid measure
before adding the puréed tomatoes.

I then heated the mixture in the microwave for 1 minute to dissolve the bullion. Here it is....nice and hot.

The color changed a little bit, and I gave it a little stir.

Add the liquid to the rice cooker, stir it, and set your rice cooker to "Cook."

It takes anywhere from 20-30 minutes to cook, and this is the result...

If you have a sprig of cilantro, you could place it in the rice cooker while cooking. The sprig will float to the top and rest on the cooked rice. The aroma is so pleasing and although I don't care for cilantro, I love the smell of cilantro in rice! Also, traditional Mexican rice is fried in oil before cooking. It's very flavorful because the frying gives the rice a nutty flavor. However, because of health reasons, I'm no longer in the business of frying our rice.:( I still have the memories though!

And...I'm so excited for the New Year! I have so many ideas for posts for 2012...chocolate mexicano, tortillas, Posadas, and maybe the kids will be ready to help me make our own tamales!http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Posadas

Spreading Christmas Cheer

2011-12-20T09:33:00.000-06:00

It was the girls' choir director who decided to have a Christmas party after Thursday's choir practice. It was also her idea to solicit suggestions for places where the kids could go caroling or give a presentation of holiday songs to the elderly. I was happy to suggest Cerenity Senior Care Center in St. Paul. Since Daddy works there a couple days every week, he is familiar with the residents. This is where the kids have sung before so knowing the activities coordinator was very promising.

Everyone loved it including the choir director who wants to make this an annual event!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real...Finding Happiness Edition

2011-12-15T09:31:00.000-06:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

OK, my last post was a bit of a downer. Just a bit? OK, it was huge! I appreciate all the calls, emails, prayers....thank you all for your support of my huge pity party!

In spite of the events of the last few days, I was able to find joy in the midst of the frustration and sadness at times. I know that's what our spiritual lives help us to do. Even when there is so much frustration and chaos around, our spirits seem to gravitate to the beauty around us. Have you ever encountered a child who wants to be mad and gets frustrated when you tried to hug him/her or succeed at making him/her smile or laugh? That is what God does to me.

"In the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I'm blessed..." - Francesca Battistelli

If you haven't listened to this song, you should. It's usually on KTIS 98.5, but right now they are playing a lot of Christmas tunes so you may have to just Google it.

Now getting on with it...these are the things God was sending me to give me a hug and make me smile and laugh in the middle of my little mess!

Pretty

These are the pretty Christmas cookies I made for the Cookie Exchange. I was so happy I had the time
to make them!

Pin It

Happy

The Dance Recitals were a lot of fun as you can see! These two girls were so happy this semester having a dance class to go to every Monday.

Funny

I made Spritz cookies for the kids. These are the easiest, yummiest cookies to make so I decided to make some because all of the star and snowflake cookies went to the Cookie Exchangers.:(

Nick really liked them.

He even eats off the floor...Funny!

He left me these cute little finger prints to clean off of the refrigerator!

Real

After seeing a friend's Christmas tree and the little train they had placed on a track under it, I asked Lucas to see if he could set his up under ours, too. He was so excited that it worked. The next morning I found him and Nick sitting under the tree watching the train go by. So cute! I snapped these photos before running downstairs to try to get the door unlocked. Sometimes you have to stop the chaos to capture the memories you want to remember. This was very sweet!

You can see more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Moments over at Like Mother, Like Daughter by clicking on the button above. I hope you were able to find some contentment in your everyday life this week. I'm sure glad God sent me some!

On The Brink of Insanity

2011-12-12T23:09:00.000-06:00

Mondays typically suck, but today took the cake! It's still pretty bad, and there are no real signs that it will get better, and there are only a couple more hours left in it.

I forgot. I forgot how difficult it is on the brain and the body to single-parent. Last night for the start of the week it hit me that I'm "it." I stayed up late going through the mail, checking on the bills, found one that was due today, and had to pay it online. Online payment...now there's a post all to itself! After all that administrative stuff, I realized I needed to put out the trash and ALL. THE. RECYCLING. Do you know what recycling for a family of 9 looks like? We may as well start a recycling plant right in our backyard because I know we're filling the majority of one! I was grateful that the weather has been warmer so I didn't freeze my arse off lugging the receptacles out to the curb.

When I was finally ready to go to bed, I realized that the dishwasher still needed to be loaded and there were a few loads of laundry just waiting for me.

Molly and Jane's recitals were this evening at the same time Monica was supposed to have a basketball game. I dropped Nick off at his godparents' place because I knew handling him at the recitals probably would have put me over the edge. When we got the dancers to the school where the recitals were being held, I got a call from Monica saying she was locked out of her bedroom so she couldn't get her b-ball uniform. She was pleading for me to come back home because I had both sets of keys that would unlock the door. I know you have lots of questions at this point....don't ask!

I drove back. I gave her my keys. I yelled at her. Grandma was waiting in the driveway to take her to her game. Monica came upstairs to tell me it wasn't working and there must be something wrong with the lock. I tried the lock to no avail. I told her to grab her coat & shoes, I sent Grandma home, and broke it to Monica that she'd have to miss her game. Talk about crying in your beer!

So after crying my eyeballs out to my sponsor tonight because I've been running around non-stop today so I didn't have time to do my journalling, the girls came up to ask me if I could unlock their door. I sat down there with 2 sets of keys, 5 butter knives, a bobby pin, a lock pick, a giant flat blade screwdriver, a crow bar, and a rubber mallet. AND I STILL CAN'T GET THE DA.. THING OPEN!!!!!

And to top it all off, these are the things that are running through my mind....

We didn't do anything to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe which was today except for throw around a few Spanish expletives at the lock situation. Does that count?
I wanted to bake Christmas cookies for my religion class students, but it's too late for that now.
I'm torn up about either calling a locksmith tomorrow or breaking the lock myself. I don't want to spend money on a locksmith or having to replace the door frame from my potential demo job.
I'm sad I probably won't do anything for St. Lucia day tomorrow except maybe throw around a few more expletives only this time in Swedish. Does that count?
I'm sleepy, I'm tired, I'm pre-menstrual.
I miss Daddy and there's only so much you can ask your children to do before they start falling apart.

Does that make any sense? Does anyone have any advice for the lock or about the value of time and sanity and how calling a locksmith wouldn't be such a bad idea? I've checked about 10 YouTube videos. It's a lock that requires a key on the outside to open it. It has a little protruding thing on the inside that you turn clockwise to lock the door. Help! Help....help.

Birthdays

2011-12-10T16:08:00.001-06:00

I'm absolutely obsessed with being older which is bizarre I know. And yet I really am. All year I've thought I am 38 years old. I've said it on more than one occasion this year only to count the years in my head and find that I'm wrong. So this morning when I finally went to bed at 2AM, I thought...It's my birthday!

Now I'm actually the age I've thought I was all year long. Silly isn't it? I greatly desire to be 40. Why? I think it's because Daddy is much older than me, and in spite of having 7 children, homeschooling them, and managing this household fairly well (I can believe that...can't I?); I still feel like such a baby around him.

He's so much more spiritual, mature, calm, reserved, not quick to jump into wild schemes. Some would say it's his reserved German side. Others would say it's his age. While some say it's probably because of his conservative upbringing.

I, on the other hand, am a wild and crazy gal! I like leopard print.

I will some day have enough money with no guilt to purchase
these Christian Louboutin pumps!

I love to listen to interesting music, watch more movies than I should, and stay up way too late for my own good.

Maybe age won't help me to mellow out...maybe it will. For today, I know that he loves me with all my wild and crazy antics. He smiles and will chuckle and tell me I'm cute. And even though he's way down here...

Reserve, NM...hunting elk

and I'm way up here...

Twin Cities, MN

we still feel a tiny ache being away from each other. Today is my birthday...no cake, no big party, no stuff to distract me from what really makes me smile. Everywhere I look and listen, I'm reminded of all the ways God loves me, has loved me, and will continue to do so. I am loved. I am loved.

I'm So...Random

2011-12-02T16:37:00.001-06:00

I was in bake-mode today. I've had cookies on the brain all week in eager anticipation of the cookie exchange I'm hosting here next Friday. Daddy will be off on a hunting trip in New Mexico so the kids and I will have a run of the place for a whole week! I'm actually looking forward to it. Daddy is, too. I've heard all I'll ever need to know about Reserve, NM, the wolf population and the government's protection of it, wild bears, guns (big and small), camo, Gore-Tex, elk bugling, THE RUT, geo-caching, etc., etc. Which reminds me I'm supposed to be knitting a blaze orange hunting hat for my beloved! I'd better get on that.

So today I knew I better get a jump on things. I made the sugar cookie and gingerbread doughs yesterday so I was ready to roll this morning. I ended up making only 3 dozen cookies and have another 3 dozen to go. Why couldn't I do them all at once? Well...I also made construction gingerbread for making these...

However, I won't be filling my little gingerbread boxes with cookies. They'll each get a tea light instead to make cute centerpieces.

I'm also making these little cookie-type ornaments for hanging from the chandelier...

Aren't they cute?

I also made chocolate chip cookies since the kids were ~~drooling all over the kitchen~~ asking if they could have one of the cookies. I had to give them something for snack time today.

It was in the midst of all of this cookie baking that my thoughts wandered over to cinquains. I know that sounds random and it is, but I just started trying to put a poem together as I was inspired by the smells in the kitchen. This is what starts to happen when you don't get to eat any of your baking creations. Those smells need an outlet so the brain finds one.

So I decided to give the kids a little instruction on making a cinquain. Monica rolled her eyes, Maria humphed, Molly started to hyperventilate, and Lucas and Gabe just stared at me blankly. Jane, on the other hand, quickly said she wanted to make one! Oh, the spritely young!

This is what they finally came up with...

Cookies - Molly

Baking
Christmas cookies
The icing is soft and
Shiny...a rainbow of color
Pretty!

Snow - Gabe

White snow
Falls from the sky
Onto the faded grass.
Time to go sledding and skiing.
So fun!

Advent - Monica

Watch! Wait!
Prepare for Christ.
Hope, Peace, Joy, Love! Candles
Shine bright in anticipation.
Watch! Wait!

Gingerbread - Lucas

Gingerbread men
Made of spices so good.
Roll the dough, cut, and
Bake it.
So cute!

Christmas Lights - Maria

Drive by
See the bright lights
Twinkling in the dark
Nets, icicles, chasers, all very
Stunning.

They recopied their poems, we cropped them, and cut ornaments using the Cricut cutter and a new cartridge I bought on Black Friday.

I just sat and smiled at the final look of the poems....

I finally figured out how to use the Layer option with the cutter!

Here are a couple of other pics I took around the house. These make me smile, too!

Hope your First Week of Advent has gone well.

Ours has been....interesting!

Yarn Along Plus an Update on Jane

2011-11-30T09:33:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of pics of what I've been working on....

Maria's socks....I finally finished the pair!

We'll begin Destination Bethlehem tomorrow, and I just cast on stitches to knit a pair of socks for Monica.
These will be so cute!

And I'm so happy!!! I put this post together before Jane's appt. with Dr. A (endocrinologist) over in St. Paul. I am ecstatic that she agrees Jane's growth over the last year has been great. Jane's X-ray taken with Dr. D (orthopedic surgeon) last month showed that there was significant straightening of Jane's legs and that her leg and arm bones were growing at a steady rate. Dr. A said she will hold off on growth hormone injections for Jane until she sees a plateau or a decline in her growth curve. However, she said that if Jane continues to grow at a steady increase on the growth curve, she may not need the injections at all! Thanks be to God! I've been on a high all day in spite of all the running around we've had to do....doctor's appt., art museum field trip, b-ball practice, acting plus we have religion tonight at the parish! Sheesh.

Anyway, thanks for any prayers you all have said for Jane. She's the cutest little girl with such a beautiful, sweet face. Whenever I would think of the growth injections it would send a shiver down my spine to think she would have to get them every. single. day for at least 10 years. Now, thanks to God, she may not need them at all. She'll just be a little on the short side....like me.:)

See more Yarn Alongs over at Ginny's.

Antojo

2011-11-29T11:15:00.001-06:00

pronunciation: /ahn toh hoh/ - translation: a whim, a hankering, a craving

Molly mentioned this morning that she has been craving pan Mexicano also known as Mexican pastries. I grew up with these pastries so ever since I've been in Minnesota, I've sought out all the good Mexican bakeries in the Twin Cities. And even though, I haven't had a pastry in 4 1/2 years, I still remember what they tasted like even as a child. So naturally, our kids like them and know which ones are the best. These are some of our family's favorite bakeries:

Panaderia y Pasteleria El Rey

You really can't make this stuff at home. Part of the fun of having a pastry like this is that you actually go to the shop and speak Spanish to the workers. You get the whole cultural experience that way. I've been able to evangelize through the sheer number of kids we have when we all bail out of the van and crowd into one of these tiny places. I've been asked if I contracept, if I'm Catholic, if my husband helps out, or if I work. Hah! Do I work? And oh the fun Daddy and I have when we stop at one of these places and buy Menudo (beef tripe stew!) on a Sunday morning. Daddy throws out his best Spanish to impress the workers and always manages to give me a smooch or a special little look to brandish his own version of machismo.

So here you have a pic of yummy pan Mexicano para darte un antojito (to give you a little craving)! And in case you are fortunate enough to live near one of these little Mexican bakeries don't just drive by next time. Stop and order some of our yummy favorites with confidence...conchas, maranitos y empanadas. ¡Buen provecho!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2011-11-28T11:46:00.001-06:00

I'm having a whirlwind Cyber Monday because some compulsive shopper of things she really doesn't need stayed up very late trying to get a deal! When I finally crawled into bed, I found a very cute card waiting for me. It said something to this effect...

Expect no less from the man who has given me the following:

I think he's the best, cutest, smartest, funniest, coolest guy in the world. Of course, anyone connected to me has got to be all. of. those. things!!:) Just ask my sisters.

Anyhoo, today's our 13th Anniversary. Here we are so young & dumb....

We never expected that this would happen to us...

Pregnant with Nick - Christmas 2009

So here we are....can you tell I just love taking pics with this guy?

Happy 13th Anniversary! I love you, Paul.

Preparing Our Home & Hearts

2011-11-26T08:40:00.001-06:00

I am SO excited for the new Mass translations in effect tomorrow. However, I have Advent preparations on the brain for today. Here are a few activities we've done in the past...

Advent Tree

We decorate our FAKE Christmas tree with pink and purple bows and ornaments to prepare our hearts during Advent. I used to do this with a real tree, but it really is hard to deal with all. those. needles for that long. Again, we'll be doing the furniture shuffle to make room for ~~all the decorations~~ the Lord.

Advent Lapbooks

The kids made these lapbooks two years ago. I like to pull them out and display them so they can go back through them reminding us all of the reason for the season.

Advent Feast Days

We like to celebrate the feasts of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6), Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12), and St. Lucia Day (Dec. 13). And don't forget the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) which is a Holy Day of Obligation!

Movie Nights

It's a Wonderful Life

Celebrating the Days of the O Antiphons

Here are the posts of what we did last year....

O Antiphons Plans

O Antiphons

Nursing Home Visit

New Plans for this Year

Jesse Tree...I picked up a kit after Christmas last year at St. Patrick's Guild for making a Jesse Tree. We'll see if we get to make it this year. I think the older girls are excited to do it so that should keep me accountable! BTW...if you haven't visited St. Pat's Guild after Christmas in the past you should plan to this year. They have an INCREDIBLE after Christmas sale. They discount everything....everything!!! Even the Fontanini pieces get discounted 50% off!!!

Read Aloud...This year I plan to read this to the kids. I've heard it's a great book....I can't wait!

The Bottom Line on all of this is that if we aren't able to do all we have in the past, at least the kids have memories of Advent. At the very least I like to display our Advent wreath, light it at Sunday meals, and sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel with the kids and Paul. The rest of it helps, but isn't really necessary. Just the absence of rushing, stressing, or forgetting is a victory greater than most during these last few weeks of the year!

Gratitude

2011-11-24T19:37:00.001-06:00

I am thankful for handy guys that will do a last minute chandelier install for our Thanksgiving festivities,

a beautiful park and cooperative weather for a last minute walk before the big feed,

for the cutest guy in the whole wide world who's been married to me for almost 13 years,

and for a peaceful day surrounded by people (real & virtual) I love who love me unconditionally for who I am....Wife, Mommy, Sister, Friend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In Case You Get Tired of Turkey...

2011-11-22T21:29:00.001-06:00

here's the long awaited recipe for my taco meat. After posting about the enchilada sauce, I was hard pressed for some ground beef to take the pics to do a post showing you how I make our taco meat. I finally picked some up. Daddy actually did. He does all of the shopping now since I'm a recluse with my babies and small children. I've always hated shopping for groceries and since we do most of our shopping at Costco...bulk is better!...who can resist all the gadgets, big box items, and clothing? It's a one stop shop of which my espoused loves to partake.

Start with 3 lbs. of ground beef. I have no suggestions for meat...I've done it all...grass-fed, 93/7, 80/20 (ick!), organic, ground turkey. It's all pretty much the same to us except for the 80/20! I like to break up the meat using 2 cups of water. I brown the meat in the water and drain it after.

After the meat is browned, I drain off all the excess liquid.

I keep spaghetti sauce jars handy and use them as "grease" jars. I collect the grease, freeze it in the jar, and chuck it
into the trash on Trash Day.

I then add 2 T. of flour to make the meat saucy with the spices. For those of you who are gluten-free or are trying to be, you can just skip this step.

Just mix up the flour and meat mixture and let it cook for a little bit so the flour gets a bit toasty on the meat.

Next you can add the spices. Here's what you've been waiting for!! I add...

2 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
1/2 T. salt
1 T. minced garlic

If you are making the sauce using the rajas, you can just add about 1 cup of sauce to the meat and that should spice it up enough. If you are grinding your own spices like our mom used to, you would use...

1 T. whole cumin
3 cloves of garlic

Pulverize these using a mortar and pestle or a molcajete if you can get your hands on one. Add 1 T. water to the spices to make a nice little sauce before adding it to the meat. This is a molcajete...

It is a small bowl and stone made from volcanic rock.
A common item in every Mexican kitchen...except mine!

I have yet to add one of these to my collection of kitchen "gadgets." I'd like to get my mom's, but I have two sisters to fight in order to make that happen. Hee, hee!

Mix the spices right into the meat mixture and let it heat up for about 3 minutes.

Lastly, add a 1/2 cup of water to the meat and spices to make a nice, saucy taco meat mixture.

Now that you have the taco meat made, you can use it all week to make all of your non-turkey cravings...taco salads, tacos, nachos, enchiladas. I freeze what we don't use right away. But lately, I've just kept a container of taco meat in the fridge so the kids can make their own lunches or dinners. Especially on a week like this one, it's nice to have some easy things in the fridge that you can throw together for yourself quickly. I love to make taco salads using our home-canned salsa. I wish I had a pic of that, but oops...I ate it!

Unprepared

2011-11-19T22:45:00.001-06:00

Of course, I'm unprepared for today's snowfall. I always revert back to my default excuse that I didn't grow up here. Winter was never a big deal growing up in the panhandle of Texas. And when the snow did finally fall giving us a glimpse into winter weather, we made a big deal out of it. My mother would scrounge around the house trying to cobble together winter outfits for us. We never really bought winter coats. We had warmer ski jackets, but I never owned a pair of snow pants or serious mittens. As far as going to Mass on Sunday morning, our dad would shovel the foot and a half of sidewalk from the front door to the car and would warm up the station wagon for at least 20 minutes for the 4 block drive from our house to the church. Ah, the good old days! Daddy wouldn't even think of warming up the van for me and the kiddies because after all "winter builds character!"

So here I am sewing on the buttons to my winter coat because I went to a play tonight with only one button to close it. How sad is that? I also noticed that I still have my dry cleaning tag from last year that I never took off. Hey, at least I had it laundered before I put it away!

I still have to locate all the snow boots and prepare myself for all the whining and complaining tomorrow morning when the kids say they don't fit. I have located all the hats and mittens and they have dress coats for Mass. It's interesting how you have so many of everything here in the frigid North Woods. There are coats for rain, coats for crisp fall weather, winter dress coats for Mass and going to the symphony or a show, ski jackets for sledding and skiing of course, dress mittens, choppers for shoveling, gloves for driving, dress boots, snow boots, Sorels in case you attend an ice race, traction clogs for shoveling, dress hats, stocking caps, berets, and hats with earflaps. I think that's why we have a larger home...not for the people but for the stuff. I've always argued it should be the other way around!

Here's to Winter!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Fall Fun

2011-11-17T09:01:00.001-06:00

~ Capturing the context of everyday life ~
I was pleased to have a little time away last Saturday to attend a workshop in downtown St. Paul with a fellow homeschooler from my area. It was the second in a series of math workshops focusing on the method behind Singapore Math. I was reluctant to attend since Monica has completed all of the coursework for Singapore Math and is now in New Elem. Math (NEM) I. What could I possibly have to learn from this workshop? Pride goeth before the fall...right? I'm so full of myself sometimes, or is that confidence? I'm happy to say I was glad I went. I spent the drive time with an insightful woman who is a faithful Catholic and together we spent our time in a funky downtown loft with other likeminded people. I learned more about the method, became even more excited to continue using Singapore, and came away with some great tips for teaching the kids. It's always good to refocus or confirm that what you're doing is a good thing. The third workshop will be held in January again in the Coco building in downtown St. Paul. If you're interested to know the details of that workshop you can leave a comment in the comments section of this post and I'll get back to you. A date was set but it will come later in a post on one of my yahoo groups. What I do know is that it will focus on fractions.

While I was away, Daddy was severely cracking the whip to get the leaves raked in the backyard. He's always on a mission when he has a weekend off. Look at these tired kids!

Pretty

A golden pile of leaves in front of the spot where our GARDEN will go next year!!

Happy

Jane finds a happy moment on the swing. Incredibly she learned to swing last summer when she was 2!

Funny

Silly kids in a pile of leaves. I think Daddy was ticked about all the leaf bits in their hair and fleece!

Real

Monica really did take all of the pictures except for this one and one other. I think she has a good eye!

And to prove that I'm not biased about Monica's ability to take pictures, here are a few shots she snapped for a photography class she took last summer...

See more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Moments over at Like Mother, Like Daughter by clicking on the button above.

Yarning Along: Maria's Socks

2011-11-15T22:39:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick peek at a pair of socks I've been working on for Maria. This has been a real challenge in terms of figuring out the pattern. Well, it's finally come together after about 5 YouTube videos!

Heel flaps, turning heels, and shaping toes....what an education! I think I'm learning more in this homeschool than the kids. The yarn is a finger-weight sock yarn from Trekking XXL. The color is green. If you're interested, you can check out the specs over at my Ravelry page in my projects section. I like the way the striping came out.

As for our read-aloud, I've been reading Whatever Happened to Justice. This has been a lot of fun for all of us. We've been learning about common law, encroachment, agreements, tacit agreements, and ambient encroachment. I know it sounds boring, but the kids like the examples I give. They're always howling with my examples. We've also talked a bit about the rise and decline of a civilization based on free trade or the lack thereof. I just purchased Whatever Happened to Penny Candy. I probably should have read this one aloud first...oh well.

You can see more Yarny Creations over at Ginny's.

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Vintage Sewing Patterns

2011-11-10T09:48:00.001-06:00

~ Capturing the context of everyday life ~

This adorable pattern was given to me by my Mom a while back on one of our visits down to Texas. She's my goto gal for all things vintage when it comes to sewing. Remember she gave me this...

She also loaded me up with a lot of crochet thread for making doilies and spools of thread for my Janome Serger! Here's another pattern that I hope to use for Jane.

I made two little tops for Jane that she loves to wear. They were so simple to make and are cute as a button! This is her aqua and brown top that she calls a jumper.

I love the little beige buttons.

This view shows the criss-cross in the back.

The cool thing is that my mom also made these cute little clothes for me when I was a little girl. How sweet is that?

See more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Moments over at Like Mother, Like Daughter by clicking on the button above!

Tinga de Pollo (Stewed Chicken Tostadas)...My Way

2011-11-08T19:43:00.000-06:00

This was an easy, quick dinner to prepare for Paul & the kids on Sunday evening. It's basically a tostada made with stewed and shredded chicken breast, a tomato salsa, and salsa verde made from tomatillos and jalapeños. Here's the end result to entice you to stick with me to the end of the post!

First, start with fresh chicken breasts. Place these in a stewing pot with...

quartered or halved onion and

chicken bouillon. I use Knorr from the Mexican section at my grocery store.

Cover everything with water & stew until it's cooked. I think it took about 20 minutes once it started to boil.

Next, we'll work on the tomato salsa. We'll use minced garlic, oil, diced tomatoes (canning comes in handy!), onion, and Goya Adobo seasoning.

Start by sautéing 1-2 T. garlic in about 2 T. of oil.

Next, chop 1 onion and cook it in the oil until it becomes transparent.

This looks about right!

Next, add the tomatoes. Mine were about 1 cup. Let that reduce until it's nice and thick. Since my tomatoes were a bit watery, I added a bit of my own tomato sauce that was canned with my father-in-law's tomatoes.

Meanwhile, the chicken is still cooking so we can move onto the Salsa Verde.

Start with 1 lb. of tomatillos. Remove the husks and wash them to get the "sticky" off.

Rinse off the jalapenos. I used three.

Place all of this in a 3 qt. saucepan and cover with water. Bring it all to a boil.

Getting back to the tomato salsa, I notice it's reducing nicely.

Next, take 1 onion, chop it up a bit, and add it to a food processor.

The tomatillos and jalapeños are boiling and changing to a duller shade of green. Reserve your cooking liquid.

My camera pooped out on me so I'll just have to give you the breakdown. I removed the stems and seeds from the jalapeños and added them to the food processor. I put the tomatillos (whole) into the food processor. You can eat all of the tomatillo so there's no need to seed it or remove the core. To all of this I added 1 cup of cooking liquid. I processed all of this to a puree. This is the result...

By this time the chicken should be cooked. Since we're only working with the chicken, you can strain and reserve the stock for another use. Take two forks and shred the chicken removing any of the gristle.

Add the shredded chicken to the tomato salsa. Combine and heat. This mixture is called the Tinga de Pollo. Tinga just means stewed. So you could make a tinga of pork or beef, too. Think of the possibilities!

Now just put it all together! Start with a tostada. I like to use Tostadas Charras. They are so yummy!

Spread a layer of refried or black beans (canned is fine) on the tostada. Next, layer the tinga de pollo. Add a little salsa verde...careful if you don't like things too spicy. Top it all off with a little queso fresco or farmer cheese.

So what was the verdict? See for yourself!

Featured on Ravelry...Nick's Hat

2011-11-08T09:59:00.000-06:00

I'm so honored! My earflap hat was featured on Ravelry!! The author of the pattern I used to make Nick's hat contacted me to feature his photo on her pattern page. That is such a compliment. He is a real cutie, and I think the hat came out well.

This is such a high of a day. And even though the snow isn't going to even touch us here, I'm still grinning from ear to ear.

I'm So Excited...Which is Odd...

2011-11-07T22:13:00.000-06:00

in spite of the forecast:

7-Day Forecast

TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON

50%	50%					30%
43	41	40	45	50	54	50

34	32	27	26	29	37	40

I heard on the radio that the chance of snow tomorrow night is actually 70%. I'm so excited! I can't believe that I'm excited. I usually dread the cold, or at least I have in the past. However, I think I'm accepting the reality that I am married to a Minnesotan. I have kids that are Minnesotans. The chances of me living again in Texas are pretty slim. So, acceptance is the answer for me today!

Winter makes me think of steamy mugs of cocoa with marshmallows floating gently on a creamy top, soft, warm yarn knit into snuggly mittens or a cozy hat, mornings and afternoons spent reading aloud and snuggling on the sofas, soups laden with vegetables simmering on the stove, and yummy treats baking in the oven. All of these images come from memories of past winters. Many times, I would grumble about the cold, the lack of sun, or an annoying draft coming from a window or door. Even though these beautiful things were going on around me, I chose to focus on the negative. However, the graces of my vocation were working and storing up little treasured memories in my heart. A look at the forecast evoked these sweet memories and brought a giddiness to my senses.

I know there will be hard days. Days when I grumble more than I should and rant at the weather when it seems endless. Mid-January comes to mind! However, focusing on the positive is something I should take stock in. There has got to be more to being a mom than living for the next holiday. Here are a few things that will help me get through the next few months:

Thanksgiving
Our 13th Anniversary
Advent & the Archdiocesan Advent retreat at St. Paul Seminary (Yippee!)
A Cookie Exchange with my friends from our parish
My Birthday
Christmas
A homeschool retreat at Holy Family Parish in January
Maria's Birthday....She already requested a day off from school.
Valentine's Day with the cutest Valentine...IMHO!
Lent...I love Lent.
The Feast of St. Joseph

I'm also grateful....grateful for a home, a cozy home, the fact I learned to knit well this year, I have yarn!, and the kids are all healthy and cozy in their beds. Something about winter and cold weather makes me want to snuggle up with the kids or Paul, a good book, and some real down time. I'm happy. My heart is full.

Help! My Kid Can't Write!

2011-11-06T22:31:00.000-06:00

With every other kid I've run into this little hurdle...a kid who has difficulty holding a pencil and writing. Our first child, Monica, probably needed these little helps, but because she was in a very rigorous school at the time, she was pushed so she performed. Our second child, Maria, is very artistic so writing was a challenge and an art form. Therefore, she had no problems. Molly was my biggest challenge. I tried having her trace straight lines, slanted lines, squiggly lines until she would cry. We practiced making circles around a paper plate with chalk. Then I found out she still hadn't mastered her pincer grasp. It was SO difficult. We practiced a lot playing "Feed the Chicks." Basically, we would hold our thumb and first two fingers in a pencil grasping position, put them down on paper, and practice moving the three fingers in and out....chicks eating seeds! It worked! Lucas had no difficulties, but now we are at Gabe. He is an excellent reader, an inquisitive child, and has a stellar vocabulary, but....the big BUT....he struggles with how to hold a pencil, crayon, scissors, you name it! A short ride home this evening with a dear friend of mine who teaches at a Montessori school in our area, gave me the following exercises that can help Gabe and me (I get frustrated when my kids just don't.....you know.....get it!).

Lacing Work

You can make these or buy wooden shapes from Melissa & Doug

Paper Punching

This one is very cool. You take a corn cob holder and cut off one of the pokey ends. Take a paper shape, mount it on a piece of carpet, and have the child punch all the way around the shape. You can then manipulate the shape out of the paper and hang it up.

See how each one has 2 pins? You cut one of them off. The little corn handle helps the child's pincer grasp.
They have to really concentrate. I suppose a push pin could work, too, but they might not get enough hold on the end
of a pin.

Manipulating with Tongs

The idea here is that the child will use the tongs for placing objects (cotton balls, small pebbles, beans) from
one bowl to another.

Cutting Work

Notice the tongue!!

Polishing

This is very cool! You take a travel size spray bottle (3.5 oz.) and fill it with a diluted glass cleaner solution. Set up a few glass items and have the child clean them with the spray bottle and a cotton ball. You can then advance the child to detailing the hard to reach areas with a Q-tip.

Tracing Work

Tracing in Sand

Mount tracing paper onto printed paper that has these types of lines with paper clips.
The child then uses a pencil to trace them.

Tracing with a finger on sandpaper letters

I hope these little activities help you if you need the help. All of these things are easy to put together and do with your child. I'm glad I'm cataloguing them here for when our next child needs help with these basic skills.

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Fall Baking

2011-11-03T08:19:00.000-05:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
There's something inside of me that gets flipped like a switch when the weather turns a bit brisk outside. When leaves start to fall and it gets cool enough to wear socks and long sleeves, I feel a call to bake....bake a lot. I sent Paul on an adventure to get active dry yeast one evening after 5 failed attempts to proof my yeast for bread making! He's so supportive and easygoing. It takes a special man to run to and fro so his wife can pursue a baking dream.

Pretty

I've been baking our bread. Yippee! Always wanted to do this! The kids love it. This is Honey Oatmeal bread.

Happy

Baking Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for Paul & the kids.

The smell of baked cookies makes all of us happy.

Funny....not related to baking!

My tomatillos are shriveling while they wait to be made into Salsa Verde for another Mexican dish...more later!

Real

I really do use an ice cream scoop to make cookies so they are all perfect in size and shape....anal. I know!

Go see more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Moments over at Like Mother, Like Daughter by clicking on the button above.

Yarning Along: Monica's "Meret"

2011-11-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

After finishing Nick's hat, I decided to start on Monica's beret. Daddy picked up some coupons that he thought I might like. One of them was $10 off at The Yarnery in St. Paul. This is a very cute shop with even cuter yarn goods.

Photo taken from Inside Out Blog

I decided on Wooly Wormhead's Mystery Beret..."Meret." Monica chose a beautiful aran weight red yarn. Here are the specs: Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran. It's a beautiful yarn and feels good on my hands and fingers. I've been using a #7 16" circular needle, but I need to switch to #7 DPNs to finish it off. It's getting a bit tight at the crown. Only 3 more rounds to go, and Monica should be able to slap that on her head!

I've been trying to read a bit before I go to bed at night. I picked up Danielle's book Mom to Mom back in May while I was in Texas. I still hadn't read it. I am enjoying the chapter entitled, "Unexpectedly Expecting." I think that's very fitting for my last two pregnancies. I haven't had the courage to write about that. I fear judgement and sounding like I'm not ProLife. Everyone who knows me knows I am. However, I've struggled a lot with anxiety, post-partum depression, and control which didn't give me much joy in finding out I was expecting with both Jane and Nick. It's been a tough row to hoe! I may write about that someday. For now, I'm content with knitting, school with the kids, living life, and enjoying the products of those last two pregnancies.

Now for what I've been knitting and reading. By the way, Ginny is celebrating the blogiversary of her Yarn Alongs. To celebrate she'll be giving away yarn every weekend for this month! Isn't that cool? What a neat gal! See more Yarn Along's over at her place by clicking here.

Oh, I wanted to include one more pic of the little thief who's been nibbling away at my pumpkins on the front step.

Betcha thought it was Nick...huh, huh?!

All Saint's Day Tea

2011-11-01T20:32:00.001-05:00

I had invited another family over to celebrate with us this afternoon, but I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I knew I would be tired from Halloween trick-or-treating so I didn't want to plan too much. But on our way to Mass this morning, I thought a tea would be nice for the kids. A quick scan of the Gospel showed that we'd be hearing about the Beatitudes.

Perfect! Now I had to come up with ideas for snacks. I enlisted the help of the older girls...it was perfect, too.

First, we played a couple rounds of "SAINT." I downloaded Jessica's Saint Bingo cards from here. They were such a fun treat for the kids. I would randomly choose a saint from our Saint's Picture Book and tell a fun fact about that saint. They were very interested and would remind me when I would forget to tell them a fun fact.

Next, we moved into the dining room where a special table of treats awaited the children. We had the following menu:

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit - Dove Chocolates

Blessed are they who Mourn - Tear Tea (Apple Cider)

Blessed are those are Meek - Brownies (A Patch of Dirt)

Blessed are they who Hunger & Thirst - Pretzels & tiny cups of Water

Blessed are the Clean of Heart - Strawberry Hearts & Napkins

Blessed are the Peacemakers - Ritz Crackers with a Peace Sign made with Easy Cheese

Blessed are the Persecuted - Ropes and Chains (Red Vines tied in Knots)

Blessed are the Merciful - Untying the Knots in the Red Vines

Happy Feast of All Saints!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T18:42:00.000-05:00

How do we celebrate these holy days? In a few different ways. Some of the kids dress as saints and some dress as their favorite characters or with their favorite dress-ups. It's all good. Our pendulum has swung back and forth regarding Halloween. We've organized and attended All Saint's parties and Halloween parties on this night. One year we decided just not to do anything. This is what we've come to in terms of a conclusion...that I'm sure will change over the next few years.

We love to watch A Charlie Brown Halloween thanks to TX Grandpa.

We also love to watch old episodes of the Munsters...Daddy loves the 60's surf guitar in these old shows!

We also love to dress up so here are this year's chosen get-ups.

Darth Vader & St. Juan Diego (complete with an iron on transfer of OLG)

A Flamenco dancer, St. Joan of Arc, and the boys

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton & St. Clare

St. Lucy (complete with a wreath of roses & a plate of eyeballs!)

And right now to wax a little nostalgic while I pass out candy, I'm listening to Scary Sounds off a You Tube download which includes Chinese water torture!! Do you remember that? I sure do!!

Happy Halloween!

A Cutie & A Cutie

2011-10-30T22:03:00.001-05:00

Nick is a cutie pie. His knit hat is a cutie, too!

Here are a few more close-ups of the hat.

We had a fun little photo shoot in the front yard today. The weather hasn't turned bitterly cold YET! Daddy was doing his darndest to get all the leaves up or mulched....lessons in futility.

Ditch the mittens!

He loves his wagon, and he loves running up and down the tiny hill between our yard and the neighbor's. He's a very happy boy!

Sibling Rivalry

2011-10-29T10:02:00.000-05:00

They decided to practice their duet while Molly was practicing piano!

Kids naturally fight. They may fight all. the. time. about various things....who gets to tell Dad what happened today, who gets to tell Mom what happened while they were with Dad, favorite toys, favorite pencils, movies to watch, who gets to go where. Then there is who gets to play the PIANO!

Molly insists on continuing.

Never did I think the kids would fight over the piano, but they do. The older, more experienced girls require more daily practice time. Plus with two new instruments in the house (flute & violin) now they want to play duets together. The younger kids get short-shrifted for piano time quite a bit.

Waiting

We've had schedules posted, assigned times, sticks, name cards, etc. Nothing seems to work. When one of them starts to play, they all want to join in the fun. I'll be so glad when they all finish their courses of study and can play together in harmonies or at least in unison....piano duets and the like.

Molly needs help so Monica tries to get a few notes in.

For now, it's a bit stressful to endure the constant bickering and the clanging of keys to make a point!

I finally tell the girls to practice in another room so Molly can finish.

Now they're fighting over which board game to play, and which piece to be, and who gets to go first, and....Ugh!