Sweetness and Light

Monday Musings

2009-11-09T19:21:41-07:00

It was a snippet kind of day, so here are of few clippings of what we endeavored for today:

~ I truly LOVE this site and found this article particularly refreshing and encouraging as to how we approach our history studies:) Enjoy clicking around if it's your first visit to Heritage History!

~ Violet has Leaf work for Sean-Paul this week, he didn't get to much of it last week, so we're carrying it over, ya know, he's in preschool ;-) It's nice and windy and rainy here, so the leaves are certainly flying, good time for collecting specimens.

I managed one and a half of these delicious "Toasty" fingerless gloves that I spied on Jenn's blog. (She always has the best knitting projects going :)

The kids liked reading and watching the events of today about the Berlin Wall! This site has been good for keeping up with current events occaisionally, (please preview for objectionable content first) H/T: Lissa ;-)

~ This is what the younger two played during our morning reading time! The fun part was the dominoe effect of course :)

~ I encountered this scene at one point during the afternoon play session, "Oh great football man, give us a kick!!!"

~ Violet has lovingly updated our Liturgical Altar display for the month of the Holy Souls, I really like the lace over the blue :)

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, thanks for visiting us today!

Late Autumn Daybook ~ November Begins

2009-11-05T15:42:51-07:00

For Today ~ November 5th, 2009

***

Outside my window ~ It is dark already...such is daylight savings time, sigh. (Yes, I started this post yesterday afternoon and was never able to return to it). Now it is a lovely Fall morning, a bit over cast, but warm and no rain looming, I hope...AND now it's raining, no, it's pouring, oh well, grass will be greener :)

***

I am listening to...
Alot of Vivaldi and Sacred Arias, Mozart's Requiem... I LOVE my playlist!

***

Finding Holiness in the everyday...

Diligently sticking to my morning prayer routine. I've been enjoying the beauiful morning and evening prayers in my Latin Missal, there are also some beautiful Votive Collects for the faithfully departed that I am reading for this month of the Holy Souls.

***

I am thankful for ...
So many things, but specifically for today, no activities during our school day, just an easy ballet tonight for Violet.

***

From the kitchen ...
Leftover Pumpkin Pie, probably a Beef Stew for dinner...

***

I am wearing ...
Black lyrca long pants, a striped t-shirt under a light-weight grey knit sweater, a pink gingham apron with nice big pockets, and my slippers...

***

I am creating ...
Some toasty fingerless gloves, a pale blue lace scarf, clutter-free spaces throughout the house (a constant chore) ...

***

In the learning room this week...
Lots of good stuff going on! Violet has completed our version (Download Sunflower Basket - Violet) of the Sunflower Basket and we're moving on to our Ivy work. She has really enjoyed the beauty and rhythm of these Literature selections, many were re-reads for her, but oh so good!

In other school related plans, some things always need a bit of tweaking, but that's just the natural consequence of home education and keeping the "plans" flexible ;-)

***

I am reading ...
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge! Such a sweet and delicious story by an all-time favorite author! I'm also working on Kilmeny of the Orchard by LM Montgomery (a totally unknown book before last week, gasp!)

***

One of my favorite things ...

How everyday without fail Sean-Paul will ask me what my favorite sport is and we have this great discussion back and forth about that particular sport (whichever one I decide to choose for that day) and he always says that his favorite sport is soccer, but not the baby-ish soccer, real soccer mommy ;-)

***

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ...

First Friday Mass and some social time with friends to finish out the week!! Looking forward to doing some more knitting, sewing and baking. We're also hosting our dear priest for dinner on Saturday, so am cooking up something special for him. Violet will probably do the dessert as he loves her baking as much as we all do!

***

A Picture thought I'm sharing ...

Fleeting autumn, oh, don't leave us yet....For more Daybook entries, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman anytime!

Scenes from October ~ Grace-full Autumn!

2009-11-03T23:22:23-07:00

It's hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that October has passed and we're already on to November. In just four short weeks it will be Advent, "Jimmeny Christmas" (as my paternal grandfather would say)! I might say it a little differently, but woowhee, it's all going too fast!!!

Living a life of learning and loving your family is and can be a whirlwind of exhilaration and excitement, and it can also be exhausting. Thanks be to God we have been mostly healthy and well this Autumn. Here are some not-so-fleeting scenes of our past month, in all it's autumnal glory and splendor...

Someone had a birthday :)

Someone tried soccer for the first time and decided they'd rather just kick the ball round with brothers and daddy ;-)

Some quilting for friends ~ (Jenn)

Pumpkin picking ~

Being on top of the world with a friend!!

His first pony ride ~

A very imaginative cast of characters for All Hallow's Eve ~

Forever grateful for these fleeting grace-filled days ~

1000 gifts ~ #61 - 73

61. for playlists

62. no activity days at home

63. a four year old who wants his own math book

64. free online e-books and free homeschool materials

65. a sweet girl who is feeling better (from last week's tiring activities)

66. our amazing priest!

67. knitting projects in the queue

68. tea and storytime with my littlest man

69. books my daughter keeps handing me saying "oh, mommy, you have to read this one too!"

70. a dear, sweet husband who works and plays from home

71. Out-of-print books available free online

72. poetry podcasts

73. a new month, and new adventures!!!

Have a blessed November friends, thanks so much for visiting today!

Project Week!

2009-11-03T17:36:11-07:00

It's project week for all the Field Workers!! (Or at least it was last week, we're a titch behind...)

Violet presented her project on Orcas in the Puget Sound to us last night, with the help of a pint-sized assistant.

She did a great job!! We'd love for you to check it out at Nature's Sweetness :)

Many blessings on this 3rd day of November, brrr....

Fun with Sean-Paul!

2009-10-27T22:34:09-06:00

Violet has been having a grand time putting together weekly (mostly) activities for her littlest brother including many Montessori and literature based ideas. He has been totally excited about this and the fact that he gets to do most of these with sissy is a big PLUS!!! Here's a little tour of the past three weeks or so of his Preschool Learning Center activities:

Forest Animals Theme ~ This one was very easy to put together for him as we had everything already in the Learning room to pull from:

Small wooden forest animals,
Toob forest animals (ours were from Michaels),
Cherry Tree blocks (maybe Magic Cabin, I can't remember),
Animal Tracks/Forest Animals matching game w/ magnifying glass (for the hunting),
a forest scene to water color (from Little Saints Preschool) then add forest animal stickers,
Mammals book to identify forest animals,
Forest Animal Alphabet Matching upper to lower case,
an Owl Shapes counting
Raccoon coloring game (dice rolling color-by-number),
"F" Sound Bin (see this post here) Pink Reading Series.

Forest Animals Picture Books ~

Annie and the Wild Animals
Adventures on Klickitat Island

I wish I'd gotten some other pictures during this week as he really did do more than just distribute sea creatures in his forest scene ;-)

Next up his week was all based on Dog's Colorful Day a delightful picture book all about Dog's adventures and all the "color" he gets in to ~ Such a fun little week of activities for him. She found all of her printables at Making Learning Fun (this site is invaluable, a true treasure trove of preschool fun)!!!

Other Literature Selections ~

Baby Einstein: Van Gogh's World of Color

From the top shelf down ~

Color Classification Cards (used with the book, or independently)
"DOG" with felt spots attached to stick on while reading the book (it's actually a polar bear as we did not have a pure white dog. I thought Violet was remarkably resourceful to think of this little gem, I would have bagged it :)
Rock Crayons (these are SO fun!)
"Dog" paper cut out with different sizes of colors to attach w/ glue stick

Maze for Dog to find his bathtub
Draw-a-color Cards and color dog with crayons
Color Box 2
Dixie Cup Dog glueing activity (ours was a variation on the linked idea)
"D" Sound Bin
HWT "D" and Sandpaper "d"
Moveable Alphabet

Here is Sean-Paul pretending to sleep through his Sound Bin lesson ;-) (That's his "Newsies" hat)

Felt "Dog" with different sizes of felt "colors" to attach (not shown, but very adorable)

THIS was quite a fun week for him, I'll not be surprised if he asks to do many of these activities again! (Violet rocks!!)

And now we're on to PUMPKIN week!!! She has some great stuff that he has already been exploring and enjoying, off we go ~ let's see what we have...

Literature Selection ~ It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall

Pumpkin Seed game,
Jack-o-Happy shapes cutting and pasting activity
Bingo Marker Alphabet identification (stamping game)
Pumpkin tracing
Pumpkin Shapes
Pumpkin Quilt block puzzle
Lifecycle of the Pumpkin 3-part Cards
Lifecycle of the Pumpkin paper plate activity
Pumpkin Dot-to-Dot
Bingo Marker 5 Little Pumpkins
"P" Sound Bin
"P" HWT and "p" sandpaper letters

And here's our little man working through one of the fun activities this week ~

This was the Pumpkin Seed Game; and instead of real pumpkin seeds, Violet cut out felt shapes! He and I played it numerous times and then he has played it with Violet a couple of times as well :)

We'll keep you posted on how the rest of the week goes and don't forget to visit my Daily Learning Notes blog if you like the minutia :))))

Many blessings and thanks for visiting our Preschool Learning Corner today!!

Seen, Heard and Read ~ October-best!

2009-10-16T18:27:17-06:00

It's truly autumn in our area of the country. The Pacific NW is bursting with fall color, and I hope to snap some pictures of it soon, just as soon as it stops raining again....(remember the green, remember the green). I can be comforted by the fact that we haven't had any snow, yet....

We are busier than I would like to be at the current moment, hence the light blogging, but as this blog has always focused on the "Sweetness and Light" I am assured that someone is still peeking in here now and again!

We have successfully dodged illness so far, except for a sniffly thing this week for Violet, thankfully it did not slow her down too much (just ME!!!). Am hoping and praying all our friends and family stay healthy this year :)

Seen ~

Here's a look at Violet's Forest Animal setup for Sean-Paul after he got busy adding marine animals and amphibians to it!!

A mama caught on film giving out some lovin'! It was a long day for this little ball player :)

Heard ~

Lots of nice music this week! Seamus and I had the pleasure of hearing his cello teacher this past weekend with her symphony, so he was naturally inspired to excel at his own cello playing! Little brother likes to play along on his Glockenspiel too :))) He keeps time pretty well, if I do say so, perhaps another budding musician....

SP: In the car on the way back from Mass friday, "I wish I could get a star and put it in my pocket and save it for a rainy day." (Guess which movie that was from and I'll send you a signed copy of my book :))) Hint: It was done in song "Catch a Falling Star...."

Read Around the House ~ (In no particular order, just random sightings)

Me - way behind on catching up my Goodreads reviews, but LOVED Revolutionary Road, couldn't put Jane of Lantern Hill down (but sadly fell asleep on most nights trying to read just "one more page") am currently working on Betsy's Wedding and loving it!

Matthias - The Motor Boys Over the Rockies (an oldie found at 1/2-price books), Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford, still working on The Singing Tree...

Violet - Blue Willow by Doris Gates, Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden, Maggie's Door by Patricia Reilly Giff, Winding Valley Farm Anne Pellowski, many other miscelaneous books.

Seamus: He and I are reading aloud Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White a classic and he loves it! Sean-Paul listens in on it too, especially at bedtime!

Lots of picture books to Sean-Paul, mostly listed in my Enjoying this Week sidebar!

As always, posting our daily learning notes at Mama's Muse, if you truly have nothing better to do ;-)

Well, that about wraps it up, hope you enjoy a lovely weekend with your sweeties, many blessings to you all!

Grateful in So Many Ways

2009-10-10T17:45:01-06:00

I have missed a few weeks of gratitude posting...not because I've been without gratitude, just no time to blog about all the good stuff going on :) I'll spare you the "not-so-good" stuff, it isn't worth mentioning, but it is often times there, amidst the good stuff, and, such is life!!

1000 Gifts # 41 - 60

41. Someone had a great birthday celebration this past week, and I am so grateful for his ELEVEN years, they have given us immense blessings

42. a date for the Sinfionetta in the city with a certain cello-playing 7 year old

43. saturday big breakfasts at home with everyone

44. book chats with my lovely girl

45. Trois Gymnopedies by a certain piano-playing 11 year old

46. german chocolate cake (yeah, that's a double batch of frosting)

47. clean sweet smelling sheets fresh from the dryer (wish I had a clothes line)

48. autumn sunsets

49. books by L.M. Montgomery

50. crisp delicious juicy apples

51. a girl that is SO good at organizing (especially me)

52. quiet in the afternoon, everyone out at the moment

53. excel lesson plans

54. cookies baking in the oven

55. organic chicken ready for roasting

56. busy boys building forts for each other

57. nature everyday

58. a new fabric store opening just down the street

59. socks that match

60. a husband who loves to grocery shop with three boys in tow

Wishing you many days filled with gratefulness for those special things in your lives!

Please visit the Gratitude Community for more joy and inspiration!

Eleven Happens to be Heaven!

2009-10-06T01:01:00-06:00

What could be better than sharing a baseball game with your first little brother!! Please wish Matthias a very happy 11th birthday with us, he is definately a little slice of our heaven :)))

St. Matthew, pray for us! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHIAS!!!!

Saturday Snippets

2009-10-03T14:05:32-06:00

~ Updating lots of books for Violet on Goodreads and her new 2009-2010 Reading Page!

~ This is worth watching for sure :)

~ If you're looking to add more pizazz to your Art and Music Appreciation this year, go and visit Jennifer :) You won't be disappointed!

This kept someone happy a bit this week:

We have discovered that simple is best!

Happy weekend everyone, many blessings to you!

Seen, Heard & Read ~ Autumn is Here!

2009-09-28T15:08:19-06:00

Definately getting in our groove :) We had the most fabulous first day of fall...78 degrees and spent mostly at the beach!! Hello marine biology! A recap of the week is posted at my learning notes blog Mama's Muse! Also, I am trying to post weekly at Nature's Sweetness to track our Science this year :)

Seen ~ Lots of good art and sketching this week ~

Burrowing Owl by Matthias

Also saw this adorable little Kitty in Matthias's sketchbook, he worked on a "learn to draw" book during morning read aloud time, so cute!

Another sighting in Matthias' sketchbook from August, this delightful Mountain Bumblebee (Bombus monticola)

Thou, in sunny solitudes,
Rover of the underwoods,
The green silence dost replace With thy mellow,
breezy bass. ~ Emerson

Seamus watercolored this very scary Great White Shark, I LOVE it :) So life like, yet soft with the coloring :) Oh, and it's eating a sea lion (poor guy).

Violet worked on our nature table with some of our recent Autumn finds. I'm pretty sure everyone contributed something to the table this week :)

Violet is working on this cute little homemade Alphabet book with Sean-Paul. They are just randomly searching for things to include mostly from stickers and magazines :)

Sean-Paul also started his very first soccer lesson this past week, he's a natural and loved it :) First of the Henning's to play soccer, he was thrilled to say the least!!

Seamus decided to create US geography state notebooking pages and I am totally excited about this free site! He really enjoyed tracing the WA puzzle piece and coloring his bird from Enchanted Learning (who doesn't LOVE this site :) It will be a fun year of US geography for him!

Heard ~

S-P: "Mommy, what day is my soccer on??" (Monday)

Me: "Friday."

"Mommy, what day is my soccer on??" (Tuesday)

Me: "Friday."

Wednesday, "..." and so on, all through the week :)

We were all very happy when Friday finally arrived!

Read ~ Independent Reading

Violet ~ several books finished this past week - They Loved to Laugh, Rilla of Ingleside. Also reading Pinkey Pye, various Horse books for her Sunflower basket work, Voyage on the Great Titanic (Dear America book), A Place to Hide (WWII Historical Fiction), Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. I know there were a slew more, but this is all I can remember :)

Matthias ~ still working on Edmund Campion, Archedimes and the Door to Science, The Castle of Lyr, finished Finding Buck McHenry (baseball historical fiction), started The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy(WWI historical fiction).

Seamus ~ we're almost finished with Swallows and Amazons (RA), probably tonight :) Listening to Robin Hood A Tale Retold (a delightful Homeschool Freebie of the Week)

Sean-Paul ~ Many "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" books, the Pig a Pancake one is a special favorite, love the illustrations in these. He really digs all the Magic School Bus picture books too, I'll post in our "Enjoying this week" right side bar :)

Moi ~ started on Schindler's List, Jane of Lantern Hill (LOVE this!!!), The Story of the Von Trapp Family Singers, Designs for Living and Learning (lots of great early childhood ideas here). Revisiting many of my cookbooks for menu planning, things always go better if I am organized in the meal department!

Our shell collection is starting to grow too ~

We're now off on another week of learning, see you all soon! Many blessings in your day :)

Grace-Full Days

2009-09-21T19:01:37-06:00

We have had so many beautiful days here in the Pacific Northwest lately. A truly delightful and mild Autumn thus far, possibly even an Indian summer that may even last until October...

The grace and light that has filled our days has been very joyful, but not without struggles (usually mine). We are all growing and learning together what it means to be knit closely to our faith and to not waiver from it, even if persecuted from all sides...

For today with much gratitude...

1000 gifts # 31 - 40

31. a concert for an anniversary

32. park days

33. weekend books

34. learning along with my family

35. a romantic dh

36. beachy weekends

37. a date with a little person

38. audition nerves

39. slowing down

40. home cooking

I hope you'll find some time in your week to jot down some gratitude! Many blessings in your week ahead :)

Sweet Sixteen!

2009-09-18T16:32:12-06:00

Years of marriage that is!

Looking forward to a lovely music-filled evening as Matthias will be performing at a local "Bachtoberfest" concert tonight! Sixteen years of bliss with my beloved and best friend, keep it coming :)

Artsy Morning

2009-09-16T19:46:55-06:00

We had an "Artsy morning" today :) It was a beautiful way to start the day for something different and fun. I have been wanting to create some watercolor postcards along the lines of these and these (which are SO inspiring I might add) and so today was a good day for it!

I love to combine music and art, I don't know, it just adds something to the experience, at least for me :) We are loving this right now.

We also devised a little "mini clothespin art hanger-upper-thingie", yeah, it's sort of doo-hickey-ish, but hey, it's the beginning of beauty emerging :)

Works in progress ~

And more...

A little closer look ~ Violet's :: Butterfly

:: Ocean at Sunset with Dolphin (also Violet)

Matthias' work :: Forest scene with Bluebirds and Squirrel

Seamus' postcards :: Flowers, Sun and Bee

:: Evergreen Forest with Matthias and him walking...

Sean-Paul's beautifully shaded work ::

And last but not least, a little seaside scene by Moi, it's was FUN!!!

We had such a good time moseying through our first hour or so, we may have to visit this every week:)

Many blessings in your day!!

Exaltation of the Holy Cross...

2009-09-14T15:23:43-06:00

...best said by Mary Ellen, please do visit her today.

Lingering Summertide...

2009-09-14T01:01:00-06:00

1000 Gifts # 21 - 30

21. friday nights at the beach

22. talks with no interruptions

23. imaginations run wild

24. nature everywhere we turn

25. hot breakfasts at home with my sweeties

26. no rush mornings

27. our consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

28. evening breezes blowing in off the deck

29. happy laughter coming from long lego days

30. quiet talks with the sweetest girl in the world

Here's wishing you a few more lovely summertide days in this beautiful month of September!

Please visit Ann at Holy Experience for more inspiration and gifts of gratitude.

Seen, Heard & Read ~ Wild Animal Edition!

2009-09-13T09:58:40-06:00

We ventured to a wild animal park about an hour south of our home on Labor Day. We were privileged to have my father join us and it was a delight for us all.

Seen ~

Six hundred and fifty year old tree, wowee! At Sean-Paul's chin was the year Leonardo da Vinci was born!

The river otter (Lontra canadensis) was a favorite of everyone, especially grandpa :)

This young bull elk was not in the least interested in the three-car tram that was passing him by. He apparently has claimed this herd prematurely as the cows were as disinterested in him as he was with us :)

Heard ~

"Mommy, look how the slightest breeze makes the leaves shake on that tree." (Seamus on a nature walk)

"Look, here's a picture of the baby squirrel we just saw on the doorstep." (Sean-Paul painting)

"Mom, you won't believe what I found, it's the biggest limpid shell yet!!" (Violet at the beach Friday night, SCORE one for the shell collection)

"I wonder how big satellites are and how they move around?" (Matthias, the ever-wondering scientist)

Books Seen Being Read ~

Read Aloud ~ Swallows and Amazons (almost finished, even though I will be sad as this one is truly an all-time favorite)

Seamus ~ The Cat and the Hat Comes Back (he couldn't believe that he could read this now, very exciting!!) This is Our Home (Seton Reader)

Matthias ~The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy, Bionicles (6 book collection) Archimedes and the Door to Science, Edmund Campion (Vision book)

Violet ~Rilla of Ingleside, They Loved to Laugh, Catholic Girls Guide, Home Comforts, Nancy Drews, a Costume making book, Things to Make and Do: Accessories (American Girl) Mary Frances Housekeeping

Moi ~ Revolutionary Road (almost finished) Howard's End (audio cd's) Teach Your Own by Holt (always a nice injection at the beginning of a new school year).

We lift our eyes to the heavens and sing of His glory and thank Him for the goodness in our lives.

We're settling in to a nice groove. Really good week! Thanks for visiting our little corner :)

Ave Maria!

2009-09-12T13:13:02-06:00

Have a beautiful and blessed feast of the Holy Name of Mary!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Science with Sissy

2009-09-09T15:40:35-06:00

Who could resist the "great sugar cube" experiment!

Happy Birthday Mary!

2009-09-08T23:10:56-06:00

Hope your day was special! I know there were alot of "first days back" out there, and my prayer is that it was joyful in every way :)

May our Lady bless you in her Nativity today, Happy Birthday Mary!

Seen, Heard & Read ~ Week's Worth

2009-09-05T14:34:53-06:00

Our past week has been filled with yet more profound and undeniable sadness as the news of yet another loss in our online community. I have truly been without words...

Never the less, some happenings and things to share :: Seen ~

A warm summer evening walk produced these lovely Trumpet Vine Creeper (Campsis radicans) blossoms. They are also called the "Hummingbird Magnet".

These incredibly vibrant lavendar and white "petunia-like" flower, anyone care to gander at what this might be??? I couldn't find a match but thought it was a petunia variety??

We finally got around to making our Father Pine, except it's not made from pine, but we like how the cross holds our "fiddleback style" vestement which thanks to Violet came out beautifully with a little gold glitter paint :)

Here's closer look at them ~

Overheard ~

"Mommy Tyrannasaurus Rex starts with a "T"!! (Sean-Paul)

"Hey Sean-Paul, wanna be in my secret spy club?" (Seamus)

Reading Around the House ~

Read Aloud ~ Magic Tree House #7 Sabers at Sunset to Seamus/Sean-Paul at bedtime (how can these be SO boring)?? Seven Silly Eaters, Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent, I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean (Sean-Paul)

Independent Reading ~

Violet ~ Rilla of Ingleside, Nancy Drew The Case of the Velvet Mask (a bit of a light week for her reading wise as she has been at intense ballet rehersals for an exciting part in Coppelia)!

Matthias ~ The Black Cauldron (second Prydian chronicle) Jackie & Me with Seamus (still wroking through) Boys' Life magazine

Seamus ~ The Little Bear Collection (he's thrilled he can just pick this up and read it now :)

Me ~ Revolutionary Road (about 1/2-way on this, good) Around the Year With the Trapp Family

A parting shot, another beauty from our evening walk :: Butterfly bush

"Best I love September's yellow,
Morns of dew strung gossamer,
Thoughtful days without a stir,
Rooky clamours, brazen leaves,
Stubble dotted o'er with sheaves -
More than Spring's bright uncontrol
Suit the Autumn of my soul.' ~ Alex Smith

I bid you a lovely Labor Day weekend with many snuggles with your loved-ones, my prayer is that you are all safe.

Jesus said, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you."