Growing a Garden of Girls

Life of Fred Worksheets UPDATED!

2013-01-29T11:36:00.000-05:00

Today I added 4 more worksheets to the Life of Fred Worksheets.

Life of Fred Edgewood
Life of Fred Farming
Life of Fred Goldfish
Life of Fred Honey

My kids like them because they help keep them organized when doing their work in Life of Fred and they make their portfolios looks nice!

In reviewing the books, I thought they seemed like a perfect opportunity to do some notebooking in their portfolios of the concepts covered so I started creating some generic Life of Fred Notebooking Pages. These pages go along with each of the first four elementary books and include a space to draw a picture (or copy Fred's drawings) and write out the work from Your Turn to Play. I am sharing the sheets here on my blog.

Life of Fred Apples

Life of Fred Butterflies

Life of Fred Cats

Life of Fred Dogs

If you would like more information on the Life of Fred Math Series check out my review from last year here!

Celebrating Life

2013-01-25T11:53:00.001-05:00

I love the Catholic Channel on XM/Sirius radio and now that I have "discovered" it, we listen to it in the car almost all the time. It is funny and interesting and entertaining. Why shouldn't it be? Should it be boring and serious and critical because it is about religion? NO. I do not believe so. But my kids have come to recognize Lino and Fr. Rob, Cardinal Dolan, Fr. Dave Dwyre and other's voices and I hope they also have come to appreciate their living spirituality and love for the Church.

Yesterday, on the Entertaining Truth show, Fr. Leo and Tom Leopold discussed how to makeover the pro-life movement and bring a new voice to the people who support and celebrate EVERY life.
So here are my thoughts based on yesterday's episode.

1. I would never bring my children to a pro-life march, mostly because as a young girl I went to one and was shocked and horrified by the images I was exposed to. This is a terrible process, but one does not need to see it to know that it is wrong. Thank you to the thousands of young and old who are out in the cold today and praying peacefully for the end to this monstrosity.

Instead I will tell my children the stories and help them to imagine the lives and possibilities within EVERY human being. Take this beautiful 10 week old child.

What will he be? What are her dreams? Will she cure parkinson's disease? Will he discover a new galaxy? Will he play baseball with his friends? Will she love a special doll? Will he marry your daughter? Is she the perfect spouse God has intended for your son? The mother to your grandchildren?
Think of the potential hidden inside each child, inside each of us. All of these possibilities are in EVERY child in EVERY woman's womb.

And what about this 9 week old child? Is she going to be our country's first woman president someday? Will he be your grandchild's favorite teacher? Maybe he just wants to kick a soccer ball. Maybe she wants to learn to dance in a ballet. Should we let them? Do they deserve the chance? The chance to succeed, the chance to fail, the chance to love, to learn?

One day 38 years ago, my mother made the choice to offer me a life and the chances I deserved. It was not easy for her. It was not convenient or simple, or lovely or fun. It was hard. Harder than I can ever imagine. But she knew I deserved a chance to live, love, and lose. She could have chosen a different path. She could have not told her parents. She could have quietly hidden away the pain, difficulty, suffering and inconvenience in a quick trip to a doctor. But she did not. She took the difficult path, that so many young women have traveled and so many more have forgone. And because of her choice, I am here and free to love, to be my children's mother, to teach, to sing, to dance.

I planned to say something else today. (I know there is no #2). But here it is. Part of my story of love. I guess it inspires me to try to live even more fully for those who never have the chance to live at all. Should you care to read more, I urge you to visit Bonnie at A Knotted Life and Ginny at Small Things. They discuss it all so eloquently. I had forgotten how much the song "Zion" meant to me.

Wishing you all blessings on this wintry day. Stay warm my comrades in DC. Thank you for marching for me.

Presents for God

2013-01-24T17:52:00.002-05:00

So, I am not a "craft mom". I see cute craft kits in stores and think they look great, but once they get home they stay locked in the basement closet, never to see the light of day again. In addition to the guilt I feel for wasting the money on the craft supplies, I also feel like I am missing the opportunity to teach and learn with my girls.

Why? You might ask. Because I don't like the mess, because the project may not be perfect, because it is another spot of clutter to clean up... recently I realized these were not only not good reasons, but just excuses for limiting me from being the mom I could be... just because of my own fear of failure.
So yesterday, Magnolia and I read a delightful story from Catholic Children's Treasure Box magazine about St. Therese of the Child Jesus about creating a reminder chain for giving presents every day to God.

There was a craft described at the end if the story that looked like one I could do. I had the supplies or the close approximations and I could follow the directions, and all the parts were relatively contained in one box. The girls could do the craft without too much help and best part, I had a babysitter coming who could certainly handle the craft and give them something constructive to do together while I was gone.

Well you know what they say about the best laid plans ... to my shock and dismay ;) they did not decide to do the craft. They chose to play hide and seek instead... the gall.

So this morning the craft box and directions were still sitting on the kitchen table staring me down over my morning coffee. (This might be a slight exaggeration.) But after new revelations, I realized I could tackle this and move forward on my path of the mom I want to be.

I called Magnolia and Daisy in to start our task. When I found a misplaced St Therese of the Little Flower medal in my purse, I knew we were on the right path. So we tied a medal onto the middle of the string and threaded on 10 pink heart beads and finished the strand with a crucifix. Magnolia used a crucifix with Lourdes water that we had gotten last year. Daisy used one of the turquoise crosses that we had gotten when we lived in Arizona.

At the end, we had two beautiful beaded chains for them to use to count their daily presents to God, two happy girls who did a craft, and one happy mom who had accomplished something new.

The icing on the cake was when Daisy said "we should start the beads down by the saint medallion everyday because they will help us do the gifts for God, then each time we move a bead up to the cross it helps Jesus as a gift to Him."

JACKPOT!

Are you a "craft mom?" If so, how do you do it? If not, have you found any tips to make crafting with kids easier??

Fun with Felt

2013-01-22T15:51:00.000-05:00

Today, while Magnolia was at her weekly montessori time, I took Daisy and Rose for a little felt crafting workshop at a fabulous new shop in Madeira. It is called the Craft Village Shop and the owner Young Sook is a delightful woman with loads of patience and enthusiasm for teaching felt crafting.

The shop is located on Miami, right next to the Catholic Shop and the Subway/Starbucks strip.

Since this was our first time felting, we did an introductory lesson by creating a flat felt picture. Here are Daisy and Rose preparing the felt backgrounds for their picture.

After that, the girls were able to use the colored felts to tease images and designs into their picture.

Here were the finished projects to be hung on their walls at home.

We had so much fun, we plan to add this to our monthly calendar!

They are looking forward to making felt fairy babies next!

Be sure to check out this delightful shop if you are local. www.craftvillageshop.com They have some fun classes coming up including craft ideas for St. Valentine's Day. She has so many wonderful natural toys and crafts (think Waldorf) and fabulous birthday party ideas. And go ahead and like their facebook page CraftVillageShop.

5th Grade Curriculum Review 2012-2013

2013-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Rose is a 5th grader this year. Since she is the oldest, I am starting from scratch with her curriculum every year. Some things are working great, others not so well. These and other things, as I often remind her, are the joys of being the oldest.

Here is what she is studying this year, what we have tried and given up and what has worked.

Rose is my most reluctant student, so we start with the biggest challenge, MATH.
This is not a difficult subject for her in theory, but she likes to complain about it, so thus begins the day. (now that I am writing this, maybe it would be better for her to start with something EASY and FUN, hmmm. something to think about.)

So we started with Calculadder as a way to brush up on our math facts. That did not go well. It is just not fun and since we have a lot of perfectionists, very frustrating. I just found a great program that has been awesome. REFLEX Math. It is an online subscription, but so far it has been great for fact work. Each of the girls do this 15 minutes a day BEFORE their conceptual math. Check them out here. www.reflexmath.com. (More in depth review to be posted later.)

After math facts, Rose does a lesson in Teaching Textbooks Math 5. This has been a very easy and non-threatening program for my girls. Basically, we love it. The only thing we do not love is that it works off of cds and on a pc. I wish it were more portable. Like for an android tablet. I have mentioned this to the company many times. They say they are working on it. PLEASE! I hope so!!!

Finally, Rose is also working her way independently through the Life of Fred Elementary Series books. I love Fred's philosophy on math, but am not quite ready to give up "regular" math. so we are double dipping. Since Life of Fred is so much fun and more reading and thinking than doing, I think it is ok. So far she has made it through the first 5 books. Apples - Edgewood. We just ordered more. See my review here.

We also are trying to use Primary Challenge Math, which I love, but am having trouble fitting into our schedule. Mostly because it seems we never have a typical week. it always works on paper, but not in real life. We will keep trying it, though, because I think the problem solving skills are invaluable.

For religion we are covering a couple subjects. Many are available on Kindle, so this has worked great for portability and less clutter!
Catechism: Credo: I Believe from Faith and Life.

Church History: A Book of Angels: Stories of Angels in the Bible by Marigold Hunt

The First Christians: The Acts of the Apostles for Children by Marigold Hunt

Great Moments in Catholic History by Fr. Edward Curran

Seasonally: Advent and Christmas: Stories of the Child Jesus from Many Lands by A. Fowler Lutz

Lent: The Way of the Cross by Inos Biffi

Scripture: Crusade: The Story of the Bible Retold for Catholic Children (a magazine published in 1955 by the Maryknoll Sisters, currently out of print, so we have acquired most issues used)

Saints: Heroes of God's Church by Matimore

So this seems like a lot, but basically she is reading one chapter a week in each subject.

For English study, we are still working our way through Michael Clay Thompson's Island series. We are almost finished with the first level of Grammar , Poetry, and Vocabulary (Sentence Island, Practice Island, Building Language and The Music of the Hemispheres ). So far so good, as long as I make it a priority. We will be moving on to the Town series (level 2) as soon as we finish these. (Sometime in Term 2) MCT recently came out with a literature study based on the Mud books. Now I have to decide whether to read these this year, or just read the choices we have for the level 2 series, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Wind in the Willows. Now these are not just any old version of the classics. These are highly edited, yet unabridged, so as to draw attention to specific parts, words, vocabulary etc. I have just taken another look at the Mud series and as all of MCT's works, they seem irresistable. Ah well, perhaps another purchase is in order. MCT's website is available here!

Just for good measure, Rose is also working through one lesson a day in Intermediate Language Lessons, the Hillside Edition, by Emma Serl.

In theory, we tried a more formal approach to nature study this year, with Discovering Nature: Mary's Meadow. This is published by Queen Homeschool. So far she has made it through 8 lessons, not very thoroughly. It is intended for use up through junior high, so maybe it is a little advanced. We will keep trying and see how far we get this year.

For Latin, I came across this quaint little book for kindle titled: Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age, by William E. Linney

Both of my big girls love it and are completing one lesson a day. It is so great because it introduced latin in small bite sized pieces and was written by a loving uncle who was trying to help his homeschooled nieces and nephews learn latin. Check it out, there is an extensive online preview that is very informative!

For Spelling, we are still slowly making our way through All About Spelling level 2.

Still fine. Just not always our top priority.

For history, we are using Story of the World 3 and 4 to focus on American History. We are supplementing with a lot of "living books" for each section, including the American Girl Books and the Little House on the Prairie series. I found the Catholic textbooks and other avenues for studying history just too cumbersome and often too boring. Story of the World works for us, especially the audiobooks with Jim Weiss, so we will be sticking with them and supplementing/ skipping chapters as needed.

For Science, we have gone back to Catholic Heritage Curriculum's Behold and See 5. Rose is not very into science, so a light and easy overview of subjects have been great for her. We also are using Vintage Remedies for Tweens as a fun extra practical science!

We are also covering Map Skills Level E by Continental Press, Working with Analogies: Making Connections, Book 2,

Ohio State History, and Logic Mind Benders book 4.

For reading, we are continuing to work through the Catholic National Reader, vol 5 which Rose enjoys and finds easy. We are also doing reading comprehension with CHC's Stories of the Saints, Vol 1 and King of the Golden City.

For art, we are using CHC's Art Masterpieces and Learning to Appreciate Art. We are also still using Artistic Pursuits, Grades K-3, Book 2 Stories of Artists and Their Art for practical art. This has worked out really well this year as I have gathered all the art supplies together and it is easy to get going on a project!

So this about covers it. Hmmm. maybe there is a reason we are not getting everything finished every week. I know I need to pare down next year, probably now. When there is so much good stuff out there it is hard!

All About Reading–Pre-Reading Level

2012-10-18T09:06:00.000-04:00

I am finally getting around to my review of All About Reading’s Pre-Reading level, so here it is!

This past year, Magnolia and I decided to go back to the Pre-Reading level to start our formal reading and phonics lessons even though she knew most of her letters and letter sounds. I wanted an easy, low stress introduction to phonics for her and she was having trouble grasping the concept of rhyme. I looked at the All About Reading website where they offered some good advice on figuring out where to start! So we gave it a whirl.

Application: The program was easy and truly ready to go straight out of the box. I read the script, read out loud the stories assigned, detached and prepared the activity sheets for the lessons and put all the phonogram cards in a file box. The only thing I needed to gather was some markers and paints occasionally. Everything else was pretty easy to just find on the fly.

Lessons: Each lesson consisted of an alphabet review, a new letter introduction or phonogram sound, a read aloud story or poem, and a game or activity to reinforce the lesson. We moved pretty quickly through the letters as she already knew the letter names and spent about one day per each of the letter sound section.

FUN: Magnolia loved doing her “letter work” and would often get me up early to go down to the school room to have her own quiet “letter work” time. She almost always wanted to do more than one a lesson a day. Here is a picture of Magnolia completing one of her letter craft sheets and showing off the gallery of work from that week.

Here is a photo of Magnolia reviewing the alphabet. This was a truly great part of the program. The way Marie teaches the alphabet song is stresses each letter of the song, so that lmnop doesn’t become its own letter.

Here is a picture of Magnolia looking through one of the fun read aloud books.

Here Magnolia is playing the game “Get in the Wagon”, which was a great tool for teaching rhyming sounds!

My conclusion is that it was a great way to start. We are looking forward to All About Reading Level 1 this year!

For more info on All About Reading go to http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/

Curriculum 2011-2012 A Year End Review

2012-10-18T08:40:00.000-04:00

We have wrapped up another year and I would like to take a moment today to review how this past year's curriculum fared. (Apparently I never published this post last spring, so I will just go ahead and do it today, as it provides a good record for me.)

Having all my copies already made for the 1st Term worked really well, but term 2 and 3 got left in the dust, so this year I will try to plan a planning time for those terms.
This year, we had a 4th grader, 3rd grader and Preschooler at home and used a history based classical cycle studying the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Adding in Catholic Charlotte Mason resources from Mater Amabilis and Maria Rioux's curricula was a good move and Rose enjoyed all the extra reading. Daisy did not read as much as I had hoped, but I believe she finally just met her "breakthrough" book when she read "Wonderstruck" by BrianSelznick last week. Since then she has been much more interested in reading! YAY!

I found my biggest challenges this year were:

dealing with a math breakdown midway through the year
finding time to do MCT Grammar, Poetry and Vocabulary
our Math facts were not known well enough
Rose reading all of the history books before they were assigned
getting into the school room at a reasonable time

GROUP LESSONS
Most of our subjects we did do together, at least for Rose (4th) and Daisy (3rd).
We started with PRAYER and a reading from the Saints for Young Reader for Every Day. We also added the Angelus during Lent.
We started using Calculadder math quizzes, but then used the copywork math facts sheets I created to work on the facts from another angle. We have gone back to using Calculadder a few times a week this summer.

We also started our cursive writing from Handwriting without Tears. It took us until Christmas to finish the first book.   We continued with the 2nd
cursive book from HWT the second half of the year. At this point both Rose and Daisy are pretty proficient with cursive.

Next comes Math. We started the year with Saxon Math 3 (Daisy)  and Saxon 5/4 (Rose).    By October I knew things were not working and looked at as many options as I could. We settled on using Teaching Textbooks 3 and 4. Since we started at the beginning we were pretty behind most of the year, but it gave them a confidence boost in Math that I think they needed. I am not sure what my verdict was though. It was very easy for Daisy to forget what she had learned, but Rose seemed to do fine with it. ...
Magnolia used Math Lessons for a Living Education from Queen Homeschool and loved it! We worked at her interest level, striking when the iron was hot and putting it aside when she was tired of it. We made a good progress through some of the book and will continue with it this summer as interest peaks.

So after our mid morning snack (that never really happens because we took so long to get into the school room) we moved onto All About Spelling.    This worked really well. We started on level one, and moved fast. Sometimes doing multiple lessons a day. We finished by Christmas and moved onto Level 2 in the new year.
I loved everything about it. The girls love it enough as long as we can get through the tiles part. Daisy really needs the tile practice, while Rose does not. So we will be doing it more separately in the future. We will be sticking with All About Spelling for next year!

Our pre-lunch routine varies everyday, but here are the run downs:
Daily Geography -  quick 30 second question every day on something geography related. This really did not happen after the first month. Our geography was limited to History, which I think was sufficient for now.
Latin - Prima Latina (disclaimer I am a classics major, so Latin is in my background, but I will be using the course DVD's just to give my kids a break from me :) Another bust, my kids hated the accent of the instructor and it became another argument, so we will try again next year.
Religion - We again used Faith and Life 3/4   respectively for our "religion spine." We started the Holy Rosary Project in CHC's 3rd grade curriculum. We also used many fo the living books recommended for religion by Mater Amabilis. These included:
Life of Our Lord for Children , First Christians by Marigold Hunt , The Way of the Cross A Story of Padre Pio , Way to Bethlehem, Life of Mary  , My Path to Heaven ,

English/Grammar- We started using Primary Language Lessons  and Intermediate Language Lessons  by Hillside for basic stand alone work but found it duplicated the work we were doing with MCT. We gave Michael Clay Thompson a try worked in the Island series  of books together this year at a slow pace! It went well and gave us some quality time together but was easy to skip when people got tired. I love how it focuses on basics but provides a complete picture of English grammar from the beginning.

Reading is an easy subject in our house because everyone loves to do it! We will read something different every day. On Mondays and Tuesdays we used our Catholic National Readers at the appropriate level. These are chock full of short stories rich with Catholic tradition, morality, virtues and values. On Wednesdays they have free reading time in a book of their choice. On Thursdays we read from Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls (and More) , Rare Catholic Stories  and Little Apostle on Crutches and Fr. Brown Reader. On Fridays we are reading from an assigned book from the Mater Amabilis and Maria Rioux reading lists
Our favorites were:
Both Girls: St. Francis, A Sword in the Tree, Baby Island, Joan of Arc.
Daisy: 100 Dresses, Family Under the Bridge, Children of Noisy Village.
Rose: Beorn the Proud, Swallows and Amazons, Son of Charlemagne, Pagoo
and The Whipping Boy.

Magnolia's reading program started with All About Reading at the Pre-Reading level. We loved our low-key time with Ziggy the Zebra and she made great strides in learning to read!
History is cycle 2 Middle Ages and Renaissance. Our spine is Story of the World vol. 2  with Old World and America  tied in (a post will follow soon with how to match them up). I am using Paige's history plans from http://www.elementalscience.com/. We initially planned on trying Connect with History, but it seemed a little dry for me and the kids, so we went back to Story of the World, which they really enjoy and adding in Catholic supplementary books and Old World and America.

Science: This year we used Paige's plans for Astronomy and Earth Science from Elemental Science. This is a first for us, but I love how Paige breaks everything down into a simple and easy plan. We did not make it to the Cincinnati Observatory Kids astronomy group, but did see Hubble at the Museum Center. OH well! Science needs a rework for next year.

Art: We are using Option 3 of Harmony Art Plans Grade 2 Middle Ages and Renaissance  along with Artistic Pursuits Grades 1-3 Books 1 and 2. I loved these plans, but unfortunately had a tough time working them in. I will try again next year to simplify and get it done!

Family Read Alouds took place at night before bed. This year we will enjoyed:
Pollyanna, Arabian Nights, St. George and the Dragon, Knights of the Round Table, Adam of the Road, Castle Diary, The Door in the Wall, Robin Hood.

Physical Education: Rose loved volleyball this year and ended up not finishing Ultimate Frisbee in the Fall, mostly due to being over committed with Girls on the Run, which was also very successful.
Daisy spent 9 hours in the gym training for gymnastics at level 4 every week.
Magnolia also enjoyed gymnastics and pre-ballet and participated in her first dance recital.

The girls also somehow find time for American Heritage Girls and our church youth group!

So there it is! A year in a nutshell.

Life of Fred Worksheets

2012-08-06T11:55:00.001-04:00

Life of Fred? you might ask. Who is Fred? Well according to the author Stanley Schmidt's website:

Who is Fred? one answer

In one of the Life of Fred books, Fred Gauss was born on the western slopes of the Siberian mountains. By the end of the twenty-five books, he is six years old.

In his everyday life he first encounters the need for each new part of mathematics, and then comes the mathematics.

Never again will students have to ask their perennial question: “When are we ever gonna use this stuff?”

This summer, I started reading the elementary series Life of Fred books with Rose, who is going into 5th grade. This was easy light hearted reading and I expected her to be able to tackle all of the math found in the books. What I really wanted to see was if the Life of Fred series would capture her imagination and coax her into liking math.

You see, Rose is good at math. Very good at it. BUT she does not like math. She hates doing things over and over and always wants to know WHY she has to do something. So Life of Fred, seems like the perfect text for her. And to my surprise she loved the books and asked to read more and more of them. We started with Apples and she made her way through Butterflies, Cats, Dogs and Edgewood. ***spoiler alert*** Fred wants to travel to a city named Edgewood. A small city. Fred picks Edgewood, Kentucky, which coincidentally is the very same small city that I grew up in. So needless to say, the Edgewood book struck a personal note with me. ;)

So, this year Rose will continue on with the Elementary series and hopefully start Fractions for 5th Grade. She will read the Elementary books at her own fast pace, then start Fractions which she will be scheduled to study once a week. One thing that I LOVE about Life of Fred is that Stanley Schmidt recommends the course as an independent study. He even offers his own email to students to use if they have questions. It is not that I do not want to teach math, because I am good at math too, but my teaching methods with math have often ended up with both parties being frustrated and not understanding the other. So I love that these books are designed to be used independently.

I however will be reviewing the work and the books in my own time, because honestly I just love math and am looking forward to learning it all again!

Daisy (4th) and Magnolia (K) will be starting the elementary series once a week with Apples and we will just keep going until the year ends.

Life of Fred Apples

Life of Fred Butterflies

Life of Fred Cats

Life of Fred Dogs

More to come as they are completed.

Lemon Blackberry Pie Revised

2012-06-30T10:22:00.000-04:00

So tonight for dinner we are having pork carnitas taco (YUMM my favorite) with tomatillo salsa and avocados, refritos and a black bean quinoa tex mex salad I picked up at the farmers market yesterday. Since it is our "family dinner" night tonight we are also having dessert! Lemon Blackberry Pie!

I have revised some recipes to try to make it healthier, so let's see how it goes!

Lemon Blackberry Pie Revised
using Relish and 100 Days of Real food blog.

I used Lisa's recipe for a whole wheat crust from her Healthy Homemade Pop Tarts

Pie Crust

2 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
½ tsp salt
1 cup cold, unsalted butter (2 sticks)
½ cup water plus ice
1 egg beaten with a splash of water

You can make it in the food processor with the dough blade and pulse it together briefly, but I don't like to get mine out so I did it by hand with a pastry cutter.
Meanwhile fill a glass measuring cup with ½ cup water and add a few ice cubes to it.
Take the cold butter straight out of the fridge and cut it into ½ inch chunks. Sprinkle the pieces of butter on top of the flour/ salt mixture. Be careful to spread out the butter as opposed to letting it all clump together in one piece.
Cut with pastry cutter until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal. Gradually add 1/3 cup water and watch the dough come together and add 2 – 3 more teaspoons of water as needed so a dough ball will form. If some of the dough is in a ball and some is stuck to the sides that is okay…you can fix it with your hands. At this point the dough could be stored in the fridge in plastic wrap for up to 3 days or in the freezer (in a freezer safe container) for up to 6 months.
Place the dough on a lightly floured counter or large cutting board. With a rolling pin (and another sprinkling of flour) flatten out the dough to no more than a quarter inch thick. Trim any uneven ends and use those to patch other edges as necessary.

On a lightly floured surface use your hands to slightly flatten dough into round shape. Roll dough from center to edge into a 12-inch circle.

[3] Wrap pastry around rolling pin; unroll into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate.

[4] Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Prick bottom and sides of pastry with a fork. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes more or until pastry is golden. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

FILLING
3 large eggs
2 large eggs , whites only
3/4 cup sugar (we used coconut sugar)
3/4 cup lemon juice (probably would cut this back a little to 1/2)
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 tablespoon zest of lemon
1 cup blackberries

[5] In a large bowl combine eggs, egg whites, sugar, and lemon juice. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until thick and lemon colored. Stir in melted butter and lemon zest.

[6] Place blackberries in bottom of baked pastry shell. Pour lemon mixture over blackberries. Bake about 30 minutes or until lemon mixture is set. Cool on wire rack. Cut into 10 slices.

OH MY this pie was delicious and just the thing for a hot summer day!

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Daisy!

2012-04-28T13:24:00.000-04:00

Today we are celebrating Daisy's 9th birthday! Happy Birthday to my sweet middle daughter, who is always cheerful to help, ready to learn and happy to please! You are a joy to raise and to teach!

A Food Bump in the Road

2012-04-23T09:20:00.001-04:00

So in our attempt to eat real food more consistently, I started feeling worse not better and at the same time, I decided to try another attempt at getting my seasonal allergies under control. Well, imagine my surprise when the allergy test revealed all sorts of food sensitivities my body had developed. And the kicker was the real food, the whole foods that I was adding to our family diet were the precise ones that my body was rejecting.

My symptoms had been rather vague up to now, raw carrots and a few other raw vegetables seemed to cause my throat to tickle or itch when I ate them, but I really just thought that was impossible. So I started undergoing a rather new treatment to desensitize myself to these triggers in food and environment. So far I have experienced some relief, but I am afraid to say my food entries (and our whole/real food plan) will be rather limited until I figure this out a little more. Currently my diet is limited to eggs, chicken, beef and pork, wheat, and a very limited selection of colorless fruits and vegetables.

If anyone else has experience with food sensitivities (gluten is not a problem for me), or with AAT sensitivity treatments let me know!

Until then, enjoy the food for me!

Healthy Biscuit Success!

2012-03-14T07:42:00.002-04:00

So last week my post contained a reference to Sweet Potato Biscuits, which drew some comments. Well we have officially amended the recipe and it was a success!

As mentioned before, I used Lisa's recipe here on 100 Days of Real Food as a reference to modify the sweet potato biscuit recipe that I found. (Side note, I love, love, love Lisa's blog and totally admire her commitment to real food! I am going to seriously analyze her recent posts on real food on a $125 a week budget! Even she said it was tough. And did you realize full food stamps benefits are worth $167 a week??? Now I don't feel so bad when I can't get out of the grocery for less than $200.)

So here is what I did.

Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Easy Biscuits
1 enormous sweet potato (carefully selected by my 8 year old Daisy) baked to near perfection, cooled and then scooped out
2 cups of whole wheat flour (I did not use white whole wheat flour which seems to be a little lighter, but it still worked)
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of butter, cut into a small dice
about 1 cup of milk. (this was totally based on judgement, I started with 1/2 cup as I thought the sweet potato would add moisture, I think I ended up using more than a cup as my dough seemed a little dry, but start small you can always add more, it is much harder to take it away)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F Combined flour, baking soda and salt with whisk. Cut butter dices into the flour mixture until crumbly and well mixed. Add sweet potato puree, gently. Hand mix at this point and add milk bit by bit to form a somewhat sticky dough. Then turn the dough out on the floured counter, knead a little bit. Hand pat out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Then i hate wasting dough, so I just cut into squares or the equivalent. Bake on an ungreased (or in my case silicon lined) cookie sheet for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

My batch took about 15 minutes as the extra moisture took longer and they were still very moist inside! This made about 20 good sized biscuits that were delicious warm with a little melted butter. YUMMMMO!

We ate half and froze the rest for another meal! PHOTO TO COME!!

New Homeschool Help - Multiplication Copywork

2012-03-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

In trying to help my kids memorize their math facts, flash cards and quiz sheets have not been a lot of success. So I started to look for copywork that would include math facts.

Through research online, I found a few resources, but either I did not like how they were divided, or the font was too small, or they were just too costly. So I created my own.

I have posted the multiplication facts on my blog and they are free for all to share.

The document is a pdf file with a different set of facts on each page. The document includes the multiplication facts for 2 through 12. You can print off whatever page you want to work on at that time until your child gets the facts down.

I am a big fan of copywork as it reinforces in the memory the correct answer or spelling or fact unlike flash cards that often reinforce wrong answers!

As I have a lefty coming up, I will be creating a left-handed version with the facts on the right soon. I also have an addition version on its way!

If you share my sheets, please link directly back to my blog! Thanks!

Lenten Soups 2012 Week 2

2012-03-02T15:00:00.001-05:00

So despite my cooking slump, here are the menus for week 2 of Lenten soups.

Thursday, Mar 1- crock day

White Bean and Ham Soup

Friday, Mar 2 - fish day Fish fry cancelled due to weather.

(I don't want to go out either so I will do pasta.)

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

Garlic Bread

Saturday, Mar 3- leftovers

Sunday, Mar 4 - feast day and meet day

hmmm?? I have no ideas. I will have to come back and edit.

Monday, Mar 5 - crock day

Hearty Lentil Soup

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Tuesday, Mar 6

Sirloin Chili

Wednesday, Mar 7 - crock day

Slow Cooker Chunky Minestrone

Parmesan Breadsticks

THE RECIPES

White Bean and Ham Soup
2 meaty smoked ham hocks (1 1/2 lbs)
1lb dried white beans
2 qt. low sodium chicken broth
4 ribs of chopped celery
4 carrots cut crosswise into rounds
1 large onion, chopped
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
12 sprigs of fresh thyme plus leaves for garnishing
salt and pepper
1 loaf of crusty bread sliced

1. In a large slow cooker, combine ham hocks, beans, broth,
celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and thyme sprigs. Cover and cook
on low until beans are tender, about 5 hours.

2. Discard thyme stems. Remove ham hocks and shred off meaty
parts. Mash garlic cloves with back of spoon into soup. Discard skins.
Return shredded ham to soup. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Serve with bread and garnish soup with thyme leaves!

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

10 ounces ziti pasta

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

28-ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, undrained

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

[1] In a large bowl, toss eggplant, zucchini and onion with half of the olive oil.
Spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking
spray. Roast and stir occasionally until well-browned and tender, about 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

[1] Meanwhile, Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through
but still firm to the bite. Drain and set aside.

[2] Add tomatoes, thyme and rosemary to skillet with half olive oil and simmer 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and
garlic powder and mix well. Spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish*.

[3] Top with half of the cooked ziti. Top with half of the cheese mixture and veggies. Top
with 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Repeat layers with the remaining ziti and remaining cheese
mixture and veggies.

[4] Top with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Cover with foil
and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

* For 2-4 servings use an 8x8 dish, for 6-8 servings use a 13x9 dish.

Note: use fresh herbs instead, if you have them.

Hearty Lentil Soup - Crock Style

Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 4 hours

1	white onion , chopped
2	carrots , peeled and diced
2	stalks celery, sliced
2	teaspoons garlic, minced
1	bay leaf
1	teaspoon dried oregano
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
1	teaspoon dried basil
2	cups dried lentils
4	cups water
4	cups vegetable broth
1	14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2	cups fresh spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
2	tablespoons white vinegar
	coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

[1] In a crock pot, add onion, carrots, and celery; Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, cumin and basil;

[2] Stir in lentils, and add water, broth and tomatoes. Cook on low for 4-6 hours in crock pot.

[3] About 30 minutes before serving, stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts.

[4] Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.

Sirloin Chili

1 1/2	pounds sirloin steak, cut into strips
2	tablespoons canola oil
1/2	white onion , chopped
1	teaspoon garlic, minced
2	teaspoons chili powder
1	teaspoon ground cumin
1	teaspoon dried oregano
1	pinch cayenne pepper
1	teaspoon paprika
1	tablespoon brown sugar
1	14.5 ounce can beef broth
3	tablespoons lime juice
1	tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1	28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1	15-ounce can ranch-style beans, drained
	coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
	GARNISH
1	red onion , chopped
1	cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2	cup fresh cilantro, chopped

[1] Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or a large pot over medium heat. Add the sirloin strips and season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides, remove the meat from the pan.

[2] Heat another tablespoon of oil in the pot and add the onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, paprika, and brown sugar, stirring until the onions begin to soften and the spices become aromatic, about 7 minutes.

[3] Stir in the beef broth, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in the meat and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, longer if you have time. Fold in the beans and add salt and pepper to taste and heat thoroughly.

[4] To serve, top chili with red onion, cheese, and cilantro.

Slow Cooker Chunky Minestrone V C LC

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 6-8 hours

5	cups vegetable broth
2	14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1	15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1	10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1	cup water
1	white onion , chopped
1	zucchini , quartered and sliced
2	teaspoons olive oil
1	teaspoon Italian seasoning
	coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6	ounces small pasta shells, uncooked
1/4	cup shredded Parmesan cheese

[1] Combine the broth, tomatoes, beans, spinach, water, onion, zucchini, olive oil, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper in the slow cooker.

[2] Cook on low for 5-8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, add pasta, season with salt and pepper and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes. Serve in individual bowls and top with cheese.

Cooking Slump

2012-03-01T12:56:00.000-05:00

So Baseball teams and atheletes go through slumps where nothing seems to work out. Right?

Well has anyone ever gone through a cooking slump?

I think this has been my least successful month with cooking since I had just gotten married and had 2 small toddlers running around. Even those meals were tastier, albeit sometimes "well done" ;)

But this month has been just awful. I have used tried and true recipes that I know we all like and for some reason they all have turned out just plain bad.... maybe it is the ingredients, maybe it is the modifications, ... maybe it is the cook.

Anyway, between my cooking and Rose not eating anything worthwhile at meals, I am definitely in a slump right now and eating out is so very tempting. Even the sandwiches at the gym are better than my cooking lately.

So this is a shout out for support. Have any of you gone through a cooking slump? What brought you out of it? and How did you do it?

So thanks in advance for the support and I guess next week's menus will be forthcoming. ...

Lenten Soups Week 1

2012-02-25T09:20:00.000-05:00

This week we have started our Lenten soup adventure again! I must say I look forward to it even though it is supposed to be a time of simplicity and fasting and penitence. It is sacrificial while also being very renewing! Plus it make life in my kitchen a lot easier!

So the plan for this year is

Monday through Thursday soups, Crock soups for busy days

Fridays saved for fish (or pizza if I don't get to the fish store) ;)

Feast on Sundays and Feast Days

We are trying to do meatless soups on Mondays and Wednesdays to be even more budget conscious and to compensate for the fact that Rose prefers beans and lentils to meat most days (unless it is filet or salmon and then she eats like a trooper!)

Week 1 Menu

Ash Wednesday

Barley and Hearty Vegetable

(no recipe because I bought it from Costco)

very good, but too much spice for the kiddos

Crusty Garlic Bread

Thursday - crockpot

Chicken Corn Chowder

(adapted from Kimberly's recipe)

my adaptations did not go great. It was tasty, but not as good as last year!

Friday

Pizza from Jets

Saturday - crockpot

Vegetarian Gourmet Bean Blend Chili

Corn Bread

Sunday - feast

We will be eating or carrying out as Daisy has a meet late on Sunday.

Monday - crockpot

Slow Cooker Tomato Tortellini Soup

Herbed Pita Chips

Tuesday

Hearty Chicken Soup and Vegetables

Whole Grain Biscuits

Wednesday

Black Bean and Avocado Soup

Cornbread

My recipes come from a variety of sources. My favorites are from other blogs which I credit by linking to their blog. Other favorites are from Rachel Ray's magazine (a feast for your eyes) and the menu planning website www.relishrelish.com and of course my own personal recipes!

Vegetarian Gourmet Bean Blend Chili
Rinse and soak 3 cups of dried beans (I used a mixed bean blend with peas, beans and lentils) in 9 cups of cold water while prepping rest of recipe. Drain.
Add 2 cups chopped onions, 2 diced red bell peppers and 6 cloves of diced garlic to crock pot.
Add 2 T chili powder, 2tsp dried oregano, 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste).
Add soaked beans and 6 cups of water (or broth).
Add 1-2 cans of diced tomatoes. (I used frozen ones from summer harvest)

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours until beans are tender.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with sour cream, green onions, cilantro and/or grated cheese.

Tomato Tortellini Soup serves 4+

4 cups of vegetable broth
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup marinara sauce or any jarred pasta sauce
1 yellow onion , chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 T Italian seasonings
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 9-ounce package fresh, cheese-filled tortellini
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

[1] In a slow cooker, combine broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, garlic and salt and pepper.

[2] Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours. 20 minutes before serving, add tortellini and cook on low. If soup seems too thick, add water to thin. Garnish with cheese.

Do not leave tortellini too long or it will fall apart. :)

Hearty Chicken Vegetable Soup

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

1/4	cup butter
4	boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
	coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1	white onion , chopped
1	teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2	cup all purpose flour
4	cups chicken broth
4	large Yukon Gold potatoes , scrubbed and cubed
4	carrots , peeled and cut into coins
1/2	pound green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
4	stalks celery, sliced
1	teaspoon dried oregano
1	teaspoon dried basil
1	teaspoon dried thyme
1/2	teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
1/4	teaspoon white pepper

per serving: 503 calories; 61 grams protein; 16 grams total fat; 6 grams fiber; 8 grams saturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 167 mgs cholesterol; 1024 mgs sodium; 12 WW points plus // nutrition is based on a 6 oz boneless chicken breast

[1] Melt butter in a large heavy soup pot over medium high heat. Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. While chicken is cooking, chop vegetables.

[2] Add onion and garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add flour and stir until chicken is coated. Add chicken broth, potatoes, carrots, beans and celery and stir to combine.

[3] Add oregano, basil, thyme, poultry seasoning, cumin and white pepper, and more salt and black pepper if desired. Bring to a boil, then cook at a strong simmer, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.

Black Bean Soup with Avocado

3 15 ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ups canned low-sodium vegetable (or chicken) broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
½ cup dry sherry
2 ripe avocados, cut into ½-inch chunks
1 mango, peeled and cut into cubes
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

[1] Combine 3 cups of the beans and 1 cup of the broth in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

[2] In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt and pepper, stirring frequently until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and boil until reduced, about 3 minutes.

[3] Add the bean puree and the remaining broth and the rest of the beans. Simmer until hot, about 5 minutes.

[4] Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the avocados, cilantro, lime juice and another dash of salt and pepper. Mix gently and set aside.

[5] Spoon the soup into bowls and top with the avocado salsa. Place a dollop of sour cream next to the avocado.

International Book Giving Day: February 14 AND Giveaway

2012-02-04T10:35:00.002-05:00

So my poor little blog has been very neglected over the holiday months and through the winter dreariness, but I came across an idea today that I just loved and is timely too.

If your house is anything like mine, we have books... lots of them, too many books really, but I am sentimental and find it hard to part with them. But I have always advocated the giving of books, old, new, recycled. It doesn't matter.

Books for gift exchanges, books for birthday party goody bags, books for birthdays and Christmas... Yes, if you know me, plan on receiving a book at some time from me. :)

But this post I read today over at Delightful Children's Books inspired me to a new Valentine's tradition of books! Go read her post, which is full of delightful ideas for sharing books and her blog which as the title says is full of delightful children's books. But before you leave here, leave a comment letting me know which book you will send to a child this Valentine's Day and I will pick one reader to receive one of our favorite books!

As for me, my god children will all be receiving a book this Valentine's Day, so watch your mailbox!!!

Deer Valley Days

2011-10-24T15:39:00.001-04:00

We have been looking for a way to enjoy summer camp with our girls and this year we found it!
Introducing YMCA Deer Valley Family Camp
We had heard of Deer Valley from some friends at church who recommended it as their best family vacation. So this year we got in off the waiting list and tried it out!
WOW! Once we got over the fact that we really were adults (used to certain luxuries) at summer camp, we could really have fun! Below is a pictorial essay of our week away!
Fun for Kids!

Time spent in the Arts and Crafts Building

Fun for Adults

For all the sing a longs, bug juice, campfires, and more, Deer Valley was the place for us. Maybe it is for you too!

Prayers for October

2011-10-24T12:27:00.002-04:00

Is it really October??? No seriously is October almost over???
Wow this has been a long month.

Please join us in praying for the following intentions this month:

For Cody and Caleb and continuing on their roads of recovery from surgeries in September.

For Marty, for his recovery and battle against cancer and its minions, and for Holly and his family for strength to see this battle through.

For my girls, as we mourn the death of our sweet pet, bring peace and understanding to their hearts and lives.

In honor of Mary this month we pray the Memorare:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Prayers for Cody TODAY

2011-09-30T11:29:00.000-04:00

Our little friend Cody has his heart surgery today, please join me in praying the Memorare for this brave little boy.

His mom's specific prayer requests after talking with the doctors are these.

Here are the specific prayer requests: No issues/accidents while cutting through all the scar tissue. That is part of the greatest risk. No problems with anesthesia / breathing / respiratory function. NO clots - NO air bubbles - NO stroke. Clear decision making in each moment. Steady hands. Right amount of time actually operating on bypass - long enough to do the best job but short enough that Cody's system bounces back. This is all hurdle #1. After this, post op is hurdle #2. Thank you for praying!

Cody with Baby sister at her baptism

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Prayer To Our Lady of Providence

Let us ask Our Lady of Providence, Mary most holy, who is the refuge of sinners, the consolation of the afflicted, and the help of Christians, to assist us in all our necessities.

Litany of Our Lady of Providence

God the Creator of heaven and earth, have mercy on us.
God the son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Most Holy Trinity, Divine Providence, have mercy on us.
Our Lady of Providence, mother of grace and mercy, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, help of the sick, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, hope of the oppressed, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, star of the sea, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, tower of David, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, queen of the home, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, model of disciples, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, mother of the Church, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, hear us O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Pray for us, Our lady of Providence, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

O God, whose ever-watchful Providence rules all things, we humbly implore you through the prayer of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of your son, to remove from us whatever is harmful and to bestow on us only that which will be helpful. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Adapted for a novena prior to the Feast of Our Lady of Providence (Saturday preceding the third Sunday in November). Ecclesiastical approval 1983.

Sacred Art Camp

2011-09-15T22:22:00.000-04:00

In August, the big girls attended a super neat sacred art camp at the Holy Spirit Center. During the class, they explored sacred art with a professional art restorer. She introduced them to all sorts of great techniques and styles of sacred art. This fit in perfectly with our Middle Ages studies this year and introduced them to art forms that we will never have a chance to try at home.

During the week, they started with a study of Byzantine style icons. Using the traditional forms of large eyes and precious metals of gold and silver, the children drew their icons free hand using a patron saint, Jesus or Mary as their subject.

Rose's "Blessed Kateri", age 10

Daisy's "GESU", age 8

The next form they explored was stained glass. They started by tracing a line drawing onto a piece of glass and then used glass paint to color in the glass areas. The pieces were then framed.

Daisy's "Lamb of God", age 8

Rose's "Blessed Mother", age 10

The last form they tried was fresco tondo. The students traced their drawings onto a round wooden tablet coated with wet plaster. They traced it using a wooden stick then painted over the traced lines with green paint. Once that was complete they finished the painting with the colors of their choice.

Rose's "Madonna and Child", age 10

Daisy's "Beautiful Mother", age 8

At the end of the class, the students and their families were invited to an art show displaying all of the sacred works. All of their works were beautiful and inspiring, especially considering they were created by children between the ages of 6 and 13. Well done!

After watching this beautiful process this week, I may be inspired to just try some of these techniques at home. I think they did a beautiful job. How about you?

Prayers for September

2011-09-15T12:27:00.001-04:00

A new post for my blog will begin this month, when we will recall the special intentions and prayers for the month. A friend just shared that she keeps a running email list of intentions that she prays for every day. She can quickly refer to the list and remind herself of the special intentions she will be praying for that day. Someone mentioned it also would be a great way to keep a log and look back at how prayers were answered, as we all know sometimes answers to prayers are not always evident at the time of the need or request.

If I figure out how to do a link up I will add that later. But until then, feel free to comment and add your prayers for the month or update the situation as needed!

SO, for September 2011, our family's special intentions to prayer will include the following:

For my cousin's baby Caleb. Here is a link to the info.

Caleb is 4 months old and is underwent surgery yesterday for craniosynostosis. Craniosynostosis is a condition in which one or more of the fibrous sutures in an infant's skull prematurely fuses by ossification. Post surgery Caleb is expected to be in the ICU for at least one week.

Please keep Caleb, his mother and father and family in your prayers. I will send an update as soon as I get it.

Please join me:
“God the Father, have mercy on the Caleb. God the Son, have mercy on Caleb. God the Holy Spirit, grant Caleb and his family peace. Bless Caleb Your beloved child, as he enters surgery, so that, no matter what happens, he is secure in Your love. Comfort all who wait for news of Caleb’s surgery, and remind them they are not alone in You. Amen.”

For my friend's son Cody. Here is a link to his caring bridge page.

Cody just turned 3! Cody was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect on July 2 (week 28 in the pregnancy). Cody was diagnosed with Double Inlet Left Ventricle, L-Transposition of the Great Arteries, and Hypoplastic Right Syndrome. All of that basically means that Cody had three chambers in his heart instead of four, and the "plumbing" was in the wrong places.

The purpose of the cath will be to see what is going on inside so that there are no surprises when Cody is opened up. Also, they can measure the venous blood pressure into the lungs which will help with other decisions that are too complicated to write about.

The plan was made. Cody needed to be born at UVA Hospital in Charlottesville, and have his first surgery within a week or so. The operation would be the first of a series of three surgeries - one after birth, one around 4-6 months, and another around 3 years old. Basically after some complications, surprises and changes, Cody will need another surgery this year. From his mom, "The purpose of the surgery will be twofold:

1) to remove the stent that has the clot inside of it
2) to put in a new and 3rd fenestration (opening between the tube and right atrium)

This surgery of course will require bypass, but it will also require the surgeon to stop Cody's heart from beating. This is what they had to do for his first surgery. (For Cody's 2nd and 3rd heart surgeries he was on bypass but the heart was still beating.)This definitely does not get easier the more you go through it. In fact, this is harder. Cody is older and more aware of what is going on. During our previous times in the hospital my eyes were opened to way more complications and deaths. The three older boys are in school during the day, but now there is a baby I will have to leave at home. Prayers are appreciated and truly make a difference as we can only handle all of this again by the grace of God."

Cody's heart cath has been set for Tuesday September 20, and his heart surgery will be Friday September 30.

Please pray that in a house full of kiddos, he can remain healthy and in top form prior to his cath and surgery, and that they can keep sickness out of their house!

To Saint Peregrine
O great St. Peregrine, you have been called "The Mighty," "The Wonder-Worker," because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have had recourse to you. For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fiber of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more. You were favored with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of the sick whom we entrust to you. Caleb and Cody.

Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy. Amen.

Remembering

2011-09-11T22:30:00.000-04:00

Each story, each life precious in its own way.

A Memorial... We Remember

2011-09-11T01:42:00.000-04:00

Everyone has a story. Those of us in the blog world share our stories everyday. Today we share the stories of two people ordinary in many ways and extraordinary too, both in deed and circumstance.

Brian Williams, age 29

Brian Williams, native of Edgewood, KY, has become a legend in in my hometown. A graduate of St. Pius X grade school and Covington Catholic High School, Brian was well liked and respected by his classmates and many friends. Some thoughts shared about him include:

“Brian was such a great guy, I don't think there was ever a time when there was not a smile on his face!”

“I remember going to the Williams house for Kenny's famous chili! Brian will always hold a very special place in my heart! The day my sister died Brian called me from Columbia University to let me know he was thinking about me and praying for me. It touched me so much! He was such a great friend!!”

“Brian really had a zest for life,” his father said. “He worked very, very hard, but he also was able to enjoy life. He really cared about other people.” Williams recalled the first weekend of Brian’s freshman year. “My wife and I got up and went downstairs about 7:30 on a Saturday morning and there’s Brian studying already and he’d only been in high school.”

Brian excelled in academics and athletics and was a "That's My Boy" award winner, given by northern Kentucky football coaches to the best scholar-player- leader (a prize now named after him). Brian was a 3 sport athlete in high school and the football team captain. Back when Williams played for Cov-Cath, a little 9-year-old boy named Joe Danneman was in the stands, to witness Williams, make a huge play.

"1989 he was a star tight end at Covington Catholic High School," said Danneman, recounting the game as if it was yesterday. "It was a Friday night, traditional season opener, it was always Cov-Cath versus Boone County, Cov-Cath's down a point late in the game, they have one person to go to, it's Brian Williams, the star tight end, catches a pass, goes 30 or 40 yards to the following end zone, the south end zone at Boone County High School. It was a rainy night and Brian Williams was the hero."

The school honored his number 81 Friday night at their football game versus Boone County.

Columbia University recruited him for football. In New York, he acted as unofficial tourist bureau for visiting Kentuckians.

As a college senior, Brian Williams used his was given a credit card by his father for emergencies. Brian used the card to pay a bar bill for three cash-strapped buddies. He sent a check to repay his father, with a note explaining the charge. "Three of us walked into a bar and none of us had any money. I figured that was an emergency," the note said.

In September 2001, Brian Williams, 29, worked as a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald, with the ultimate plan of returning to the Cincinnati area near his family's home in Edgewood.

As the Williams family got Brian's affairs in order, they also discovered that he'd been very generous to a number of charitable organizations in the New York area.

"One was a Native American school for Native American children and then the other was an organization that sent inner-city kids down in Manhattan out to camps for a week of summer fun outside of Manhattan," Williams said. "He had been doing that for several years."

Some tributes from Legacy.com for Brian:

“I just wanted to let you know how much I looked up to you for your ability to handle yourself so well. Moreover, you always treated everyone you came across with kindness and respect. I am glad I chose someone like you as a role model...I am a better person for knowing you. Please look after all of us down here, because we look up to you now more than ever!”

~ Jim Danneman

“I, like many others, met Willy during my brief time at Columbia University. As football teammates, we had many good times on the field (even if we weren't often victorious); but I was blessed to share many good times off the field with Brian as well.

After I transferred from Columbia, I returned to the campus and coincidentally ran into a group of guys that included Brian. Even after two years away, Brian's friendship shone through as we chatted about all that had happened in the interim. At one point, as others in the group sought to leave (as all of them were headed to catch a plane), Brian softly reminded them that "there'll be other flights." My girlfriend at the time remarked specifically about what a fantastic guy Brian was.
I met many terrific people at Columbia, but few (if any) were as genuinely friendly and caring as Brian. I mourn his death, but celebrate his life and all that it stands for.

Brian will never be forgotten. “

-Mike Murray
San Antonio, TX

Kenneth Williams Sr., a man who has lost two sons — Kenneth Jr., who died in 1994 after three years in a coma caused by a fall, and Brian, now, with the 9/11 memorial completed Williams wishes he had one more chance to see and talk to his sons.

He said he'd give Kenny a bear hug and tell him he loved him. The same goes for Brian, but the father would like to ask the son what happened in the chaos that followed the plane hitting the North Tower.

"I would like to know how he felt and how he was," Williams said.

Now that 10 years have come and gone, some people fear America has become complacent about homeland security. To counter that possibility, Williams said he wishes that video of the towers being attacked was shown every morning as a reminder that the people who perpetrated the act are still out there.

“They want to do that again,” he said. “I think sometimes we need to look at that film – that and the Pentagon and Pennsylvania -- and say, ‘Hey! Look at what they tried to do and they’re going to try it again and again and again.’”

“We ought to wake up to it every day,” Williams stated.

Out of respect for Brian’s father’s wishes, here is a video of footage from that day.

Sandra Waugh Bradshaw

Last month, my family visited the flight 93 memorial. We were moved by the heroism of the men and women of flight 93. Sandy Bradshaw’s story particularly touched me as a mother.

Just a few years before 2001, Sandra Waugh Bradshaw was juggling dual careers -- flight attendant and mother. She was home in Greensboro, N.C. with her year-old daughter, Alexandria. In the coming year, her son Nathan would arrive.

By 2001, Bradshaw, 38, had cut back her workload and her husband, Phil, had urged her quit. She had 2 small children and a 16-year-old stepdaughter. Sandy loved to fly and had been an attendant for 11 years. Her personnel file was filled with glowing reviews for happy passengers.

"She just liked the one-on-one that you have with people up there," Phil Bradshaw said. She ordinarily worked first class as it was a great fit for her friendly attitude, but on Flight 93 she was in economy as a late-addition to the flight.

As Sandy Bradshaw made an urgent call to her husband to tell him her flight had been hijacked, she began filling coffee pitchers with boiling hot water. A plan was brewing.
"Everyone's running to first class," Sandy Bradshaw told her husband. "I've got to go. Bye."

Instead of reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C., United Flight 93 crashed in an empty Pennsylvania field after passengers and crew tried to wrest control of the commercial jet from hijackers.

Sandy’s mother remembers her as a bubbly daughter who loved gardening and animals. She sees bits of that in Sandy’s children. Alexandria, 12 and a sixth-grader, loves animals. And Nathan, 10 and a fourth-grader, shares Sandy’s bubbly personality.

“I hate it that she’s not here to be a mother to them,” Waugh said.

Sandy Bradshaw would have turned 48 this June.

Sandy Bradshaw was the second-oldest of Waugh’s five children.

“It’s not easy losing a child. That’s the hardest loss I’ve had,” she said. “You have to cope and go on. You have to do what you have to do.”

“Maybe Sandy was chosen to do this job that day because she was a strong person and a fighter, and she could do what she had to do that day,” Waugh said.

Over the years she has visited the site in Pennsylvania for quiet contemplation.

2,996 people perished in the attacks on September 11, 2001. Each one has their own story. Some short, some long, some extraordinary, some ordinary. Each priceless and precious in their own way. Share their stories today, honor their lives. If you have a tribute to make, post it at the2996 Project.

God Bless the USA and God Bless the World.