chicken little

here is the link

which will inspire you

to make a few little dishtowels

of your own

because i know y'all

have nothing better to

do than sit around and sew.

happy saturday!

buona lettura

aka good reading.

of course we love

ALL of his books.

but this just came last night

and as you know

most of our reading

right now

is for the birds.

still my baby

early this morning he woke up coughing.

he couldn't sleep and neither could i.

he touched my face gently and gave me a kiss

even though he was obviously not feeling well.

i know he is the cause of my sleeplessness,

even though he gave up nursing long ago.

he is the reason most mornings i wake up sore because

i have either been wedged between him and my husband all night

or him and the wall.

but i cannot get it out of my head that he is still my baby.

i have been drowning his cold in fresh squeezed o.j.

hoping he'll be over it soon.

but at the same time enjoying and relishing the snoring,

vicks' stinging my eyes because he is sleeping so close

for next week his big brother turns 15

and soon enough he'll catch up

and i'll long for the days that he wanted to be held so close

and in a few weeks we'll remember his other brother

the one i never got to hold close at all.

so just for today

after he wakes up from his robitussin + a bit of benadryl

induced sleep

we'll have blueberry pancakes and read jamberry

a million times

because he

is STILL

my baby.

shelter from the storm

with much concern for her new pansies,

which haven't been planted yet,

she brought them inside to give them shelter from

a windstorm that came out of nowhere.

i hadn't actually noticed until she asked, "mother",

(she always calls me this)

"is it ok that i put my pansies there on the sink?

i don't want anything to happen to them

and they look so pretty there,

don't you think?"

well, what could i think?

don't you think that they look pretty there?

THE BAG and me

i wasn't really crazy about this meme because right now i am hating myself in pictures.

however, i willing complied and gave my children "impromptu-paparazzi" freedom,

hence the annoyed look on my face while i am sitting at the computer. i know i sort of look like owen wilson in zoolander (that is a really horrible movie, so if you don't know what i am talking about, you are probably better off). i am really a very cheerful person. unless of course it is a moment when my cheerfulness will manifest itself in my puffy cheeks.

i said i'd like to title this a hag and her bag, but i am actually showered, eye-make up and all.

so it isn't classic hag style.

as for the bag, it is from marshalls.

i've had it since last december and i put it away for a while because it is itchy.

and because i got a big, new bright yellow bag from target with a converse star on it,

but it became grungy looking pretty quickly.

so i took this one out of hiding and have been using it for a while.

i don't do expensive purses because i figure if i don't have-on hand-the same

amount of spending cash-that the purse costs-then i have no business carrying such an expensive purse. my most expensive purse was probably $60-

and i got if off ebay because my husband got really aggressive during the bidding.

i think he was feeling like we were in vegas and he was going to "win" me that purse-

a pink furry, suede UGG purse that i have never even used.

it is still in the dust bag that it came in.

i know i shoulda confessed that.

anyway, surprisingly this is roomy.

as of right now, it is holding my big, ugly wallet,a guide to confession,

3 hot wheels, 2 sets of extra keys, my compact mirror, a pen,

a pad of paper-sticky notes, espresso flavored lip-gloss, 2 rosaries,

sombra gel, my camera, loose change, batteries and a few white pom-pom balls(?)

go figure......i guess i really am a pack rat. even in my purse. what a character flaw.

ok. so for this wonderful meme. thanks jaimie=)

i tag:

michelle, meredith, kimberly, nina and jenn.

(i am sorry jenn, i know you hate being tagged, but i'd love to see your sweet face!)

a long, yet quick note

sorry the last two posts were sort of thoughtless auto posts. i don't know why i do that. i guess i set it up that way in case i neglect this space for too long. i don't know why it matters so much, it is not like the world will stop if i don't write something.
well, in order to keep myself from rambling, here goes:
1. sorry i haven't completed the tote meme, but i went to that retreat monday and tuesday night, then yesterday morning i went to mass and was blessed to receive the apostolic blessing, which felt exhilarating.
2. i have 4 sick kids. nothing too serious, but 4 runny noses and 4 different coughs equal lots of vicks, tissues, stories, chicken soup and well, i am sure you all know.
3. i am still struggling with this pain in my back/neck and i truly feel sorry for people with chronic pain.
4. for christine- i don't capitalize my "i" because this is sort of like my diary. there aren't any grammar rules here. it is funny that you said this because that is the first thing my kids noticed when they saw me writing here and they know what a punctuation psycho i am. i do, however, worry about the Good Lord's name. i don't mind reaching for caps lock for HIS sake.
5. yesterday at Mass i couldn't help but think about the people who don't kneel for the consecration or for Holy Communion. the church i attended for the retreat is a novus ordo church, not a chapel, like i usually go to, but it does have the indult Mass and is very reverent in every way. the communion rail is still in place and most every one kneels for the consecration, however, i am curious about those who don't participate, those who'd rather lean forward in a truly awkward manner, to receive their KING. i don't want to step on toes if you don't do either of these things, but my feeling on this is, it is common courtesy to bow to a king, is it not? then how could we do any less for OUR LORD? is it a matter of preference? something decided by the bishops? or is it something that has to do with the individual? i know that just because the very thought of HIM coming to me brings me to my knees, it might not be that way for everyone. i sort of imagine the magi and how they fell down worshipping the infant in the manger. and if we truly believe that the Host contains the same infant, why don't we ALL do the same thing.
so how is it for you? how do you receive HIM? you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. but i won't judge you, i promise.
6. i am very excited about doing a little planting around here. i've been itching to get my hands dirty. the soil is nice and soft from the rain and i think it is calling to me.
7. i am having trouble ending this unit on birds. there is so much to learn, so many beautiful books and projects, but i do wish we could move on to california, i can't wait to do the missions. not just because of the field trips i want to take, but because this state does have some great history.
8. i am in a cooking rut. i really need to plan some meals and go to the store with a written list. yesterday i felt so lost, wandering around without a plan. as hard as it is to plan all the details of my life, when i don't plan, i always regret it. even if i don't stick to my plans.
9. i have to mail the flowers for the craft swap. i heard yesterday that yoda is on his way. they are finished, but just need to get packaged and sent off.
10. well, i have much to do today, so this is me, signing off, for now anyway.

ps. sarah(JOT) i am not posting the pretzel recipe, but king arthur has the greatest recipes. i love their flour and you can choose from many types of pretzels there. we prefer soft pretzels, but you many not.

the heart rag is coming along very nicely, i decided just to tie the ends together. somehow the huge ball of rag yarn i had isn't going very far and i don't know when i'll have a chance to cut more strips, though.

barb, i'd love to try a basket. i've had a basket or a bowl in my mind for quite some time, just haven't found the right twine i'd like to use, maybe the rag strips would be better-in browns and neutrals...........

jenn, my daughter has a little rag rug for her doll house that my mom made and it is adorable. of course she has everything in a vintage/cottage style. and i forgot to ask you if you've gone to see swan lake yet. i am such a dummy because i told you i'd never seen it and i just remembered yesterday, on my way home from ontario, that i HAVE seen it. i saw it last summer at the redlands bowl, performed by the santa barbara street ballet. i also saw a midsummer nights' dream and madame butterfly as well. all were spectacular productions. i am glad that i was reminded of those memories. sometimes i..........wonder where my brain goes! maybe that's what i'll change my blog title to!! =)

after the rain

don't you love it how after the rain

everything seems so clean and green.

it is as if the whole world has had a bath.

the rag heart before

i have always wanted to make a rag rug,

but as i've said before, patience is not a virtue

that i possess when it comes to sewing or crafts.

not to mention that i have a hard time picturing

something that i have worked so hard on,

being trampled by five pairs of muddy feet.

so i decided to try a rag heart and i'll use it for a table centerpiece.

i have most of the strips cut, but since it will be crocheted together,

i might find myself needing more. i'll keep you posted.

have you ever done anything like this?

did you sew it together or just tie knots?

i still haven't decided which route to take.

i am just afraid if i don't sew the ends it will

come undone once washed.......

night 1

because i know i am preachin' to the choir

ten quick things from last night:

1.who do you say that HE is?

the faith of peter and the appointment of him as the ROCK is vital, for the pope IS THE VICAR OF CHRIST. the mark of the church's CREDIBILITY is in her UNITY.

so that we may be ONE, as JESUS and the FATHER are ONE.

2. why are you a catholic?

ethnicity, the faith of your parents?

good answers, but not good enough.

your faith needs to be more INCISIVE.

3. our faith should hinge on the the HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS, HOLY EUCHARIST and the leadership we receive from THE POPE in his position as the APOSTOLIC SUCCESSOR.

4. we should feel saddened at the way the HOLY EUCHARIST is trivialized, minimalized and ostracized. the EUCHARIST is EVERYTHING. IT is the solution to all the problems in the world.

"unless you eat the FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN, you shall NOT enter the kingdom of heaven."

5. history speaks of man's quest for food, religion of man's quest for GOD. in the Holy Eucharist, we are given BOTH.

6. HE feeds us with HIS FLESH so that we may feed others.

7. "whatever you do to the least of my bretheren, you do to ME."

ESPECIALLY THE UNBORN.

life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness FOR ALL.

8. JESUS fulfilled AT LEAST 125 of the hebrew prophecies.

some say as many as 400, depending on how you count them.

9. FAITH + CONVICTION> willingness to LIVE the faith and even to die for it.

10. our destiny is HEAVEN!

ps. i was blessed enough to go to confession last night, after the retreat with this very holy priest and i don't know why, but i am always just so blown away by the power of what happens when you walk in the confessional and shut the door. last night, i felt sort of like lucy, when she opens the wardrobe door to go into narnia and she has already been there and seen aslan, felt his gentleness, beauty and peace. the church i attend is very old world looking, the confessional doors are big, solid wood and the handle is iron and since i, too, have been before, i know that wonderful things happen in there, the scales come off, you are made whole again, the burden is gone-the lure of the turkish delight doesn't fool me anymore. but then there is that small part of me anyway, that knows i'll be back, daughter of eve that i am, always forgetting that i am a child of GOD. but at least i know it is there, that wonderful sacrament of penance. the sacrament which restores the relationship between me and my heavenly FATHER. so if you've never been or it's been a while, you should try it (confession, that is-not the turkish delight)!

3 nights

i am giddy that i've been blessed
to have this priest just close enough
to go and listen to his talks
every night for the next three nights.
you may've seen him on EWTN before.
he is the one with those penetrating sermons
that hit you where it hurts.
and believe me,
i need to be hit where it hurts!

a love note

a little love note

on a flour sack dishcloth.

copy this design

if you'd like

and make one of your own.

i got the idea from this free

vintage clip art.

i have a thing for embroidered hand-towels.

i usually make them for my mom because she won't use them.

she hangs them in her kitchen or bathroom

and they stay perfectly white and pristine.

here, well, you can imagine what happens

to them here.

the boy to girl ratio

isn't in our favor

and the boys don't appreciate the

feminine goodness of these little towels.

anyway, i'll show you some of the others.

just not all at once

or else you might not come back and see me!

happy monday.

enjoying GOD's providence

...how happy we are to be thus constrained

and held short by our heavenly Guardian!

And what we are to do is quite certainly nothing

more than we are already doing,

which is to adore the lovable providence of GOD

and to throw ourselves into His arms and into His keeping.

~St. Francis de Sales

it came

and it is beautiful, barb.

i am speechless

that you would do

something so

wonderful for me.

the color is perfect

and i just love it.

thank you and

GOD bless you

for blessing me

on this cloudy day.

i swear i saw rainbows of

color as i

photographed

these

beautiful,

beautiful

beads.

~sorrowful mother, pray for us all.

pretzels, puddles and a little catechism

this rainy saturday

we'll be reading these three great books,

making pretzels

and going on a puddle walk.

i'll post the recipe

if you'd like.

otherwise,

i'm off to get my boots on.

so what are your plans?

well, whatever they may be,

i hope you find

your saturday

is as nourishing

as mine promises

to be so far!

happy things

Jenn has tagged me for this meme.
i wasn't sure that i could compare
with her list of happy things.
but here goes.
here is a peek at my happy things.

this vase, which was a gift from my mama.

she knows how i love roses, especially vintage-y roses.

and then of course the flowers, which were brought in from the yard from

my very favorite brown-eyed girl.

this cotton-y good yarn.

i had it tucked away in a drawer and after making a few red hearts

i realized the pink would be a good companion color.

i am starting to think of yarn as clay. i so enjoy sculpting, twisting and turning the yarn, excited to see if what is in my mind will appear in its' proper form. sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. but i am ever so grateful for the peace i feel when crocheting.

don't these look like candy hearts?

i am hoping to make a garland for the big window in the schoolroom.

these will replace the snowflakes.

and if you've been reading me lately, you know that we are bird crazy right now.

and so last night the darling little love birds were born.

i see a sparrow, a chick and a dove. what do you see?

lid love.

this little heart actually has a purpose.

you see, my lids are always hot, but not hot enough for a pot holder.

so i came up with this crafty little idea.

this shocking pink thrifted tablecloth and this table are at my new favorite spot.

i could sit here forever looking at "clover patches" filled with lady bugs,

tiny flowers peeking out from underneath.............

and then last but not least are
these BIRDS. i cannot get enough of them.

yes, that is a real hummingbird, perched on a branch.

i had to zoom in really well because they are so tiny.

so these are my happy things.

and to continue the happiness

of this meme i tag:

kimberly
juli

meredith

and

laura

real

i know it's tiny,

i couldn't get it any bigger for

some reason,

but some friends went

to the walk, all the way

from CALIFORNIA

and they sent me

a whole slew

of great pictures

but since i am a great respecter

of people and privacy

this is the only one i'll post!

however, i must say,

that is a great tree.

truly, LOST

first of all, i'm still trying to catch up on season 4, so no spoilers, please.
but i am really frustrated that this show gets inside your head.
we've been watching the last 7 episodes in the"enhanced" version, just
because we wanted a "refresher" course on things we might've not
understood from last spring-remember we went thru a very grueling move
so we got a little behind on this one.
but we're very simple people you see and sometimes we even
fall asleep during an episode (we watch 2 or 3 in a row). and then we have
to go back. but then episode 8 has to go and tell us that Jin is dead. and
episode 7 had so many flashes forward, backwards and sideways, i was
upset about poor desmond, not wanting him to end up like eloise,
mad at sayid and confused about the aaron/kate thing.
i don't know about anyone else who watches this, but i
am truly LOST!

ps. hubby did tell me last night, as we sat snuggled, watching, even though
it gives him bad dreams where he wakes up thinking that the whole world is
in a conspiracy against us, that this is the life and GOD is good. so a show that
makes him think that isn't ALL bad!

lovely

i know there has been some controversy down in blogsville
about the concept of awards, but nevertheless,
because we are all trying to raise soldiers for Christ,
living and loving our faith, being the women who love truth that we are........
we are all lovely and so i am going to pass this lovliness around,
just the same way it was passed on to me by shelly who btw,
has a very lovely blog!
so, in honor of the march for life:
if you were a teen mom,
like i was, and you kept your baby, like i did,
or you did all the right things
and then you welcomed your babies into the middle of it all,
or for some reason, our LORD has given you the cross of not
being able to be a mama, but you're still faithful
well then i think YOU are ALL lovely,
so grab this award for you blog and leave me
a comment letting me know you did and why.
hope you all have a lovely day.
and i am sorry if i've used the word lovely too much.

ps. don't forget to pass the lovliness around!!!
pss. shelly, i hope i didn't break any rules. i just don't want to hurt any feelings.

fresh from the yarn garden

i was photographing these for their new owner.

these are for the yoda craft swap, remember?

and my littlest son comes into the room,

jumps on the bed

and says to me,

"mama, i think you won the yoda,

these are such pretty flowers.

and he's going to be mine."

go figure!

what kind of homeschooler am i? aka a very "word-filled" wednesday post

juli asked me this question the other day and i figured i'd share the answer here, just in case anyone else is wondering what my style is.

well, i am probably not very stylish because first and foremost, the liturgical year is always at the center of our learning. and because we love our faith dearly, so much of what we learn is faith based. therefore, the church year, the saints and even the seasons are taken into consideration whenever i do any planning. and i only plan 1 month at at time.

i guess you could say i am a bit eclectic because i don't use a packaged curriculum or lesson plans. i usually write my own and/or we go wherever the wind takes us.

now this free-spirited attitude does not apply to math or language arts, but only with regards to social studies, history, science and art.

because i NEED some kind of accountability,the older three are and have been enrolled in charter schools for about seven years.
(yes, i know i am accountable to God for what i do, but HE doesn't often show up in an email or at my house saying, "so, what have the kids been learning?")

i realize that charter is not for everyone, but in my case i appreciate the SAT testing, the scoring helps me to make sure we are at least staying on track in the event that any of my kids want to go to college and i also like for someone else to keep attendance.

my kids have always gotten great SAT scores-not in all subjects, except for my oldest, who does quite well in all his subjects, but they are usually phenomenal in language arts and reading. the middle two struggle with their math a little, but are at grade level, so i don't worry too much about it. they learn when they are ready and some things come with maturity.

i only use textbooks for math and right now i am using saxon 4/5 with my daughter and teaching textbooks for middle son, as oldest son is now going to classes 3 days a week and littlest son is 4.

i like both saxon and teaching textbooks because of the teaching CDs, which supplement the curriculum, giving the lecture for the lesson just as they would receive in a classroom setting. this has given me loads more free time to think about other things and i don't take the whole day just to explain math. this became especially invaluable when i had three students doing three different levels of math and a brand new nursing baby.

i started out using lesson plans from our lady of victory when my oldest son was in kindergarten and i have always purchased certain things from them. i love the old-fashioned look to their readers and some of the other books they carry, everything they have is very solidly catholic and is from the 1950's so i don't worry about any "iffy" stuff in their content

unit studies work best for us. i have learned that slow, steady bits of consistent information over a period of a few weeks or even a few days work best. they retain so much more of what they are learning if they are steeped in a subject, doing things that appeal to all of the five senses.

i have and still do purchase curriculum/books from chc, sonlight, beautiful feet, rainbow resource, to name just a few.

i did read the well-trained mind about two years ago and spent a whole summer getting ready to completely follow their method, i bought most, if not all the books listed for each grade and after doing school until 5 or 6 o'clock in the evening most days, because that's how long it took for us to train our minds, i realized that it just wasn't going to work. i don't know what i was doing wrong, but i found it very overwhelming and we were all getting burnt out. now, i don't want to be overly negative about TWTM, because my kids learned ALOT from story of the world when we did units on egypt and rome using said method and i LOVE many of the books recommended in TWTM, but it just wasn't for me. i am not a super-structured person and i can't live that way.

after all, i'd kept my kids out of school just so we could be more flexible and so i took what i could from TWTM and the rest i just had to let go for the sake of my own sanity. that's where the balance comes in.

i don't think we should ever expect to find any method perfect. instead we should just take what we can from a given program or curriculum, sifting through the ideas proposed and then move on, otherwise it is just a big waste of time for you and your children. that is what i always liked about the mother's rule of life written by holly pierlot. she is very specific about encouraging you to find your OWN rule, prayerfully, your own way. not every family situation is the same and we should not expect to fit into another family's mold.

i have been very fortunate to have a best friend, who is my mentor, godmother to my youngest son, who was also a teacher once, degrees and all. and she has always helped steer me towards real learning. i met her my first year of homeschooling and her experience has been like gold to me. but since she is human (and has 6 kids of her own), whenever she goes to far the other way, usually i help bring her back, being her protoge and all. and if i am leaning too far in the wrong direction i know i can call her and have her remind me why it is that we are doing what we are doing, which is EDUCATING FOR ETERNITY (this is chc's slogan, and i love it!) and all the good books and science projects we may or may not experience along the way and the times that our kids really impress someone by how smart and polite they are-are just a few of the little blessings that the Lord gives to us for being fatithful stewards.

so i definitely recommend TONS of real books, encyclopedias (i like kingfisher)and any and all usborne books are great for notebook pages, we do a lot of notebook pages, take trips to the library, outside digging in the dirt/bird watching/sky gazing/rock collecting time, snuggling and reading on the couch, nature journals, art projects, listening to classical music and stories on cd-jim weiss and the classical kids series, feast day and history related cooking.

i recommend and reiterate that CHORES are school. home management, pet care and yardwork does count because these things do help to make decent human beings, so don't ever discount any of those activities.
SORTING SOCKS CORRECTLY IS IMPORTANT!!!

and you know your kids are learning when in their free time they start to ask for johnny cakes for breakfast even when it's not george washington's birthday and while building a log cabin fort they remember snippets from that biography you read on lincoln. they read highlights magazine for fun and build rocket launchers from cardboard boxes and plastic water bottles.
some of our best days were days like this.

if you are reading this s, you'll remember our peach and blue day where i brought the story and the art supplies, we picked peaches from your trees and made peach cobbler, we painted trees and read that great story about friendship.

i have been so blessed with many wonderful women in my life, women who love teaching and learning and i can't stress enough how important it is to cultivate and maintain these relationships even when life gets busy.

unfortunately our homeschool group does a lot of things which requires at least a 45min. drive for me and this can be hard, especially when mass is an hour and 10 minute drive almost every sunday. but luckily i do have a few friends who are local and we do what we can, when we can.

i have recently implemented a no t.v. while there is daylight rule. we don't have actual t.v. service, we haven't for about 4 years now. i know for some of you mamas with multiple little kids that might be impossible, this rule has not always been in place, but i noticed little son was getting a bit addicted to movies, any movie he could watch, sometimes putting them on secretly. and so now, if the sky is not "black-with-stars" he may not ask me to watch anything.
even if the schoolroom is messier, now that he has joined us ALL DAY, it is a sacrifice i am willing to make.

our learning does tend to spread throughout every room in the house, it cannot and should not be confined to "the learning room", but at least we finally have somewhere to put everything!
i homeschooled for years using our kitchen as my schoolroom, so i've been there..........but it is nice to have a place for all the books, papers and projects which pile up quickly when multiplied by 4.

and then of course there is the praying every day. i don't want to make anyone feel bad, because there are certainly times when we don't, but saying the rosary EVERY day is really the ONLY way to get anything accomplished. the blessed mother is so faithful, she will not let you down. her help is vital to being a good homeschooling mama. i know that without her i am a miserable wretch and it is just better for everyone when we pray as we ought. even though with a certain teenager lately, it can be like pulling teeth!

so in conclusion, my kids probably remember the food and books the most. the intimate moments where learning was on the couch or outside. the times when it just so happened that we abandoned whatever book work we were doing because someone heard a hummingbird at the feeder or we went off in the direction of the art of making a good paper airplane because we were learning about birds and flight. sometimes one thing leads to another and we deviate from the "plans" i've made, but many times, the "plans" are just there so that i have an idea in my head about where we are planning to go. it's kind of like our life is a road-trip, we are taking the scenic route and so you never know when we might stop to smell the daisies or take off on some undiscovered path. i know i've said before that we have had a lot of tragedy in our lives thru the years and that has really affected how seriously i take life and homeschooling. i take them very seriously, but just not in the way that you might think.

i know i am kind of rambling, so i'll stop. but i hope this helps if, maybe you're stuck in a rut and you need to be a little more flexible or if you're too flexible and you need some inspiration to make a few plans. but wherever you're at, just know that i've been there. sometimes my homeschooling journey feels more like a roller coaster ride, but as in every other area of my life, God always provides what i need to keep going.

and so that, my friends, in a nutshell is the kind of homeschooler i am!