Birthdays: String Bean turns 11 and hosts a party!

Our millenial baby, String Bean, turned 11 on the 1st ... we had a small family party Tuesday night but she really just wanted a party with her girl-friends so today, we sent the boys off (dh took them to see Rango!) and Max was relegated to the crate. 

Our "theme" was A Royal Garden Tea.

We set the table with String Bean's birthday gift from us:  a beautiful, real tea-set -- a service for 4 (including cups, saucers, luncehon plates, dessert plates & bowl and a tea pot).   The runner underneath the tea-pot is one that her grandmother sent her that her mother had stitched ... so it's old as well as gorgeous! 

The wooden flowers in the wine-glass/water-glass are the place-cards (with a magnet on the back for the girls to bring home and use).   For party-activities we painted flower-pots (which then became their "goodie bag"); a wooden initial letter and made fabric-covered scrapbooks (filled with traditional black thick paper).  BTW, in the picture below, that is a real baby sleeping -- he was the only male allowed to come to the party (the youngest brother of one of the guests) and he was a perfect guest -- slept the whole time!

We ate fancy, traditional tea finger-sandwiches (cucumber, honey-walnut, and ham-roll-ups), homemade blueberry muffins and cheddar muffins, crudite tray, deviled eggs (String Bean's favorite!), and a hot-tea punch (served in the tea cups, of course).  No birthday around here would be complete without a chocolate cake of some kind:  String Bean asked for the old Betty Crocker "chocolate joy cake" with chocolate fudge frosting!

Wow, what an afternoon.  But String Bean is such a blessing to so many ... every bit of work and worry was worth it!

God bless you, String Bean.  Happy 11th and may you have many, many more such glorious (but not so rainy) days!
 

Feast Day: Feast of the Immaculate Conception

This is a BIG feast around here: the feast when we honor the fact that the Blessed Mother was conceived without the stain of original sin ... was pure from her conception ... so filled with grace that God chose her to be the mother of His son!

This is such a big feast that even dh "parties" -- on his way to work he stopped to get a sausage biscuit and coffee at McD's.  For those of you who KNOW my husband, this is really kickin' back for him.

Unfortunately my littles are sick!  String Bean has been down with a horrific cold since Friday -- she's getting better but her voice sounds like a bad impression of Lauren Bacall.  BamBam is sneezling and generally icky while poor LegoManiac has been feeling the pangs of a horrific cold that has his stomach so upset that he's been in the bathroom off and on for about 2 hours now (it's 6:00 a.m.) and generally unable to sleep.  The poor kids ... we don't even know if we'll make it to Mass today, that's how pitiful all are.

But, as the kids awaken and feel like it they'll be joining me in a new tradition: on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we will each make our own Nativity sets as well as put up and decorate our family one.  My plan is that each year, as the children's skills improve, the Nativity sets become more and more elaborate -- something that will become an heirloom collection that they can take with them as they grow into adults. 

This year, String Bean and LegoManiac have opted to make theirs with felt, making sewn 3-d shapes and stuffing them.  BamBam wants to make his from wood -- painting a simple, thin-wood set.  I'm going to make a "bread dough" set.  We will at least finish the Baby Jesus figures today as our Pastor will bless Jesus at Sunday's Mass (which is also the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe) -- so those kids better get better!  Although, somehow when we have a school day that includes crafting, miraculous cures take effect.

Prayers that your day is blessed with the intercessions of Our Lady and that you continue to experience a holy, healthy and happy Advent season.
 

Month of Thanks Day 2: Thanks be to God for my St. Agnes Fiber Club girls

Tonight, I'm thankful for my girls from various homeschool families who come to my home every other Tuesday for our St. Agnes Fiber Club.

You guys are the best and such fun to "turn onto" the love of fiber ... even if the smell of raw wool upsets y'all a bit AND you eat up ALL the snacks I serve!

Blessings and prayers and thanks!

Review: Tin Cups and Tinder: A Catholic Boy's Little Book of Fire, Food & Fun

Alice Cantrell does it yet again!  First, she came out with Sewing with St. Anne ... a classic hand- and machine-sewing book for girls that I've used extensively with mine own lovely girls and recommend to others for teaching sewing.  Then a few years later, she wrote Tea and Cake with the Saints: A Catholic Young Lady's Introduction to Hospitality and the Home Arts.  These were both directed at the girls in the family -- sewing and cooking and welcoming others.  The books were replete with great explanations of HOW to do all these wonderful skills.  These were proof that you could teach 21st century girls how to embrace the good, the true and the beautiful.

But what about the boys in the family?

Introducing Tin Cups and Tinder: A Catholic Boy's Little Book of Fire, Food & Fun.  This volume proofs that boys, too, can be taught the good, the true and the beautiful! If attractive pictures/presentation are half-the-battle for hooking a young audience today, than Cantrell has won the war.  The book includes gorgeous pictures of antique camping and outdoor cooking equipment and beautiful pictures of the final products ... if that doesn't get the boys in your house chompin' at the bit to use this book ....

The book begins by explaining cooking in the kitchen as well as cooking outdoors.  She then follows that section with a section of amazing, boy-friendly recipes:  cornbread, pancakes, brownies, and hot chocolate mix to name just a few.  

For more hands-on fun, the boys are taught to sew -- simple hand-stitching that comes in handy for sewing on buttons.  But, Cantrell adds some fun sewing projects:  a pot holder, haversack and a pocket-sized sewing kit.  She also explains WHY boys should sew!  These are projects that teach useful skills while also giving the boys something useful to have. 

The final section deals with book-binding -- making a nature notebook and a portable plant press(to keep in the haversack the boy made in the previous section).  What better way to have boys off couches, away from the video games, and out into God's creation than to have them create their own nature journals?  And the plant press is an ingenious use of out-grown board books.

Scattered throughout this useful book are quotes from male saints as well as biographies of these saints that help guide our young men to His Kingdom.

I can't recommend this book enough -- it's so wonderful to find a useful, beautifully presented, practical guide to life skills for boys.  And it's Catholic to-boot.  What's not to love?  This book needs to be high on every parent's Christmas list for their boys (and girls could get quite a bit of good stuff out of it,too).

 

Crafts: beeswax crayons ...

... homemade ones!  Who knew you could make crayons at home?  Obviously the folks over at WeeFolk Art and now I know (and you will too if you follow this link).  How cool is this ... and you'd get the colors you truly want in the size you want.

 

Blogs: Crafty Crow's got me again ... and again ...

I love the Crafty Crow as it's a one-stop shop for great crafting with kids ... something I REALLY think is a great idea.  Today, she's posted a giveaway for some cool things from Imagine Childhood ... check it out and while you're at Crafty Crow ... check out some of her other links.  I love the "ribbon spool ornament"!

Enjoy!

Advent: Plans for Week 2

Advent Week Two -- plans for Week 2 in the heart of our home .... [note:  for book resources, please see the post "Plans for Week 1"]

Advent 2009 Theme:
Christmas Traditions from Around the World -- thru legends, facts, foods and crafts!

Chapter Book Read-aloud:
 The Christmas Donkey: a story of France (finish from Friday);
A Grandma for Christmas: a story of Norway both by Alta Halverson Seymour
The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens

Saint of the Day:

• Sunday, Dec 6 -- 2nd Sunday of Advent; St. Nicholas
• Monday, Dec 7 -- St. Ambrose
• Tuesday, Dec 8 -- Immaculate Conception
• Wednesday, Dec 9 -- St. Juan Diego
• Thursday, Dec 10 -- Our Lady of Loreto
• Friday, Dec 11 -- St. Damasus
• Saturday, Dec 12 -- Our Lady of Guadalupe (fyi -- it is under this particular Marian title that I placed my book, In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home, which was published this Spring.)
• Sunday, Dec 13 -- 3rd Sunday of Advent; St. Lucy

This week: Netherlands, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, France

Make dough for St. Nick cookies (Speculaas) on Saturday ...

Sunday: 2nd Sunday of Advent -- St. Nicholas -- treats in shoes and St. Nick cookies with icecream.

Monday: St. Ambrose feast -- make beeswax candles and honey cookies.  DB: Chapter 8; W: 17 "St. Nicholas"; CSRW: The Netherlands pg 46-53; continue reading The Christmas Donkey; prepare animals for the Nativity.  Jesse tree: coat of many colors.  Evening:  stories and hot chocolate.

Tuesday:  Feast of the Immaculate Conception -- attend Mass; make Marian ornaments.  DB: chap 9-10; W: 9 "Nativity Plays"; CSRW: Iceland pg 18-23; continue reading the Christmas Donkey (finish up today); make animals for the Nativity.  Jesse Tree:  cup of plenty.  Evening: game and popcorn.

Wednesday:  St. Juan Diego feast -- make santos after co-op.  Co-op Christmas feast.  Jesse Tree: whip for persecution of Jews in Egypt.  Evening: cider and stories.

Thursday:  Our Lady of Loreto -- make graham cracker "house of Loreto".  DB: chap 11-12; W: 10-11 "Christmas Crib" and "Symbolic Lights and Fires"; CSRW: Norway pg 54-59.  Read A Grandma for Christmas (we'll read in one-sitting).  Jesse Tree:  bundle of wheat for Ruth.  Evening: performance of one of the stories this week and tea.

Friday:  Damasus -- making Christmas cards.  DB: chap 13-14; W: 12-13 "The Christmas Tree" and "Christmas Plants and Flowers"; CWRW: Sweden pg 88-93; L: pg 28-29.  Start The Cricket on the Hearth -- a lead-in to our study of Christmas in the British Isles next week.  Jesse Tree:  lamp.  Evening:  snacks and family movie night.

Saturday:  Our Lady of Guadalupe -- Mexican food for dinner.  Make LuciaPepparkakor dough. Jesse Tree:  sling (David and Goliath).

Sunday:  3rd Sunday of Advent and Feast of St. Lucy -- make LuciaPepparkakor. Jesse Tree: crown for King David.

 O Father, stir up our hearts that we may prepare for Your only begotten Son, that through His coming, we may be made worthy to serve You with pure souls.  We ask this through Christ, Our Lord.  Amen.

Feast: Halloween 2009

We had SUCH fun today.  The kids are getting old enough to really get "into" Halloween and participate in all their ideas for making the day special.

We made cats yesterday ...

ghosts and scarecrows today ...

designed pumpkins for Dad to carve

dressed-up as Jeff Gordon, Flower Fairy, Jarhead Jerry

and headed out to trick-or-treat

Hope y'all had a wonderful All Hallows Eve ... tonight we get an extra hour of sleep (wooooohoooo) and tomorrow we start the month of the Saints and Holy Souls!

God bless you all ...

Crafts -- easy, seasonal craft for spooky nights

This is a GREAT craft that the kids remember fondly -- the last time we did it was Oct 27, 2007 (in Denver) and it's just as fun 2 years later .... it's an especially good for a don't-feel-quite-well-but-are-getting-bored kinda day .....

Take 9x12 construction paper -- the thicker the better.  Fold in half (so it's 9x6) and with a white colored pencil (crayons don't seem to give the depth of color you want), draw a tail, body, head and ears ....

Cut it out .... keeping outside the white lines ...

Glue the tail piece (save the back for a brace ... explained below), head and ears in place:

and then put in the details using colored pencils as they really do color better:

When you go to stand-up the cats, if your construction paper is a bit wimpy (ours was!), you can use that extra tail piece as a brace on the legs:

Enjoy your Halloween night .....

Feast Day: Guardian Angels

Thanks to Waltzing Matilda, we had a beautiful image to color today ... String Bean used colored pencils and kept the coloring very soft and gentle, just like the picture!

Here's a craft we did today:

My kids made their very own Guardian Angels -- we'll hang them in near their beds as soon as they completely dry!  (BTW, LegoManiac didn't make one as he was a bit under-the-weather today and just lolled on the couch).

Here's how to make these foam angels:

The wings are made with the kids' hands and the angel bodies with their feet (heels together ... if they don't have socks on, you get a nice ripply skirt; if socks, the skirt is smooth).  Draw around the foam.  Angel heads were drawn using an upside-down (and empty!) yogurt tub.

The kids than decorated to their hearts' content -- lots of glitter paints were used, beads, ink, you name it!

We used a wooden craft stick between the wings and the angel body/head to stiffen a bit and make it a bit more sturdy -- our kids' Guardian Angels need all the support they can get.

Angel of God, my Guardian dear ... to whom, God's love commits me here

ever this day be at my side

to light, to guard, to rule and guide!

AMEN

Family: crafting during college football games

Poor String Bean -- she just really does not like college football ... and since we have cable this year, we actually can WATCH college ball so she is definitely out of luck.  So, this morning she and I spent a mommy-morning running errands with the first stop being the craft store! 

We chose fabric for a ballet-class bag for her, wall decals to do her room (I spent today washing the walls in her room so the walls should be ready tomorrow for decorating -- we'll definitely post pictures!), and miscellaneous other craft necessaries.

Here's her very first sewing-machine sewing project!  A simple drawstring bag for her ballet-class stuff.  And boy is she proud ... she was also amazed at how much faster it is to machine sew than it is to hand-sew!  Her stitching is really pretty even -- thanks to a piece of blue painter's tape placed on the plate that she could use as a stitching guide.  Looks like we have a sewer in the family -- she must take after dh's side of the family (unfortunately, I sew for necessity rather than enjoyment or skill).

Here you can see both sides of the bag ... and it's full with her stuff, so a perfect size!  She looks pretty proud of herself, doesn't she?

And, boo hoo, ND lost to Michigan ... lots of gnashing of teeth tonight ... but at least String Bean is happy!