Flannel Hippos

Sisterly Love

2011-08-26T08:13:00.001-05:00

Connor discovered that his white underwear today were rather tie-dye looking. Must have gotten washed with something very colorful. Darn. But no one is going know - right?

So, Connor has a friend over this morning and after a few minutes of him being here Kiera runs up to him and announces that "Connor has Rainbow Underwear on!"

... oh joy

Beyond and Back Again

2011-08-18T09:16:00.007-05:00

Something struck me today and I decided to resurrect my blog. I have missed blogging. I stopped almost 2 years ago and am not quite sure why. I believe it was because I found Facebook and started putting my oh-so-worthy news on there. I have missed blogging and the actual act of writing down my thoughts, experiences, etc. I admit I love reading others blogs. I do find myself often comparing mine to theirs and I have vowed to NOT do that anymore and just enjoy them for what they are and mine for what it is.

So today I woke early to see Meaghan get off to High School for her first day back. And by first day back - I mean - really first day back in a LONG time. Meaghan has been home schooled since she was in 3rd grade so this is her first time in the public school setting in a while.

While helping her do her hair (yes, I STILL help her do her hair!) I noticed (out the window - yes, creeper - I know!) the neighbors on their front porch. They were having their son pose with his back pack while they took lots of photos. I thought how cute that was and told Meg to get ready because I wanted to do the same thing in a few minutes!! They can never be too old for silly mom antics and photos next to the lovely tree in the front yard right? No they cannot and I know that because my neighbor's son is starting his Senior year of High School today!

Mom it is too sunny - I cannot open my eyes.

I cannot believe my mom is making me take these photos but at least I am not blinded by that sun anymore.

"Turn so I can see your back pack." Geez mom....

"Now, hold your backpack in your hands." Seriously mom????

Happy 13th Birthday Meaghan

2009-12-06T22:53:00.004-06:00

My sweet Meaghan turned 13 this year! I cannot believe she is a teenager!! It was also her golden birthday and so we had a very special birthday party for her! I planned a Murder Mystery Dinner Party. I created characters for her invited guests and they had to come dressed and in character. The basis of the Mystery was that they were all at Miss Watson's 13th Birthday party when a murder takes place. They are to then figure out who did the murder. I made up clues and put them in envelopes and then they were passed out during the evening. While they were figuring out clues they had fancy drinks, appetizers, meal and dessert. The girls totally got into character and had a lot of fun trying to figure out who the murderer was. Here are some photos of the evening. My sister made the beautiful chocolate cake and my mom was my fabulous helper. She helped me in the kitchen all night long. I hadn't planned on having a helper but BOY did I need one! Thanks goodness for Grandma!

Someday I hope to do parties as a business. I LOVE planning and running them. I am already working on her party for next year!! :)

What I Am Thankful For

2009-12-06T22:27:00.002-06:00

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I wanted to take a moment to say what I am thankful for. I think that I often focus on what I want or what I don't have and not so much what I Do have what I should be thankful for.

I am thankful for:

For my God. I am thankful for being able to live in a country that allows me to worship freely and openly. I am thankful to have my faith and to be in a church that I feel very comfortable in. I was sitting tonight at a dinner at church and I looked around and just felt such a comfort. I knew most of the people around me and for the most part call them my friend. It was a really need feeling to be surrounded by a loving church community.

For my husband. I am thankful for having a husband that puts up with me and still loves me. As Darren and I get older I honestly think we become more in love with each other. He accepts me fully and understand me more than anyone else in the world. I know that we have had our tough times but I am so glad we have worked through them and moved on - for better or worse because it just gets better over time.

For my children. God has blessed me with such amazing children. I often wonder what He was thinking giving me 4!!! and yet each one is so special in their own unique way! They make me laugh and cry daily! :)

For my family. I know people who don't have family they can turn to. I grew up without really knowing my relatives. I felt a big void in my life because of that. Honestly I would like nothing more than to move some place warm and sunny all year long but having relatives around for my family is much more important. My kids LOVE seeing their cousins and aunts/uncles and grandparents. My kids are thrilled when family members come to watch them do a play, swim in a swim meet, Cub Scout Blue and Gold, etc.

For my friends. I have had to deal with some difficult things this year and I am always amazed at how my friends are there to support me and encourage me. They keep me going. Friends who are willing to walk along side me encouraging me instead of running at their usual pace! Friends who just bring me a meal or cookies when I am feeling stressed. Friends who give me a hug when I am soooo needing it!!!

For my home. If you know me you know I am always complaining about our tiny home. We have 4 children, lots of toys and very little room! I know others are not as fortunate as us and I am so thankful to have the home I do have.

Running the 5K for the Mahomet Library

2009-11-23T19:50:00.003-06:00

So on Saturday we ran the Mahomet Library 5K. The weather was beautiful - chilly but sunny and wonderful outside. Darren, Nate and I ran and the other 2 ate pancakes! :) Nate and I have been training together but I told him in this race that he could just run on his own. Well he did just that - he took off and never looked back! I am so proud of my boys! I didn't run very well but it felt so good to be out there DOING it! We are now looking for our next race!

I must say the photo is HORRIBLE!!! Atleast it shows me just how much more running I need to do! :) And Darren looks smashing! LOL

Matching PJ's

2009-11-11T22:18:00.003-06:00

So my sister Liz is always finding the cutest matching PJ's for our girls! I love Gymboree and she does too! Now that Gymboree has the larger sizes we can probably dress our girls "matching" for MANY many years to come! :)

Here are the Halloween PJ's they wore this year! Can you tell Lainey loves her suckers? Oh and the best part... they glow in the dark!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-11T22:02:00.005-06:00

We had a lovely Halloween this year. Connor's 8th birthday was on the 16 so I talked him into having a "Halloween" Birthday Party this year. I thought it would cut out one party in October! So we had his party Halloween afternoon and then had family down to go trick-or-treating in the evening. As someone who never celebrated Halloween as a child I must say I LOVE it as an adult!

Here are some photos of the family:

Tori was Coraline - complete with button eyes!

Meaghan was Cleopatra in all her beauty

Nathaniel was a Vampire - thanks Uncle Nick for the GREAT makeup job!

Connor was a Ninja.

Kiera was Hannah Montana.

And Lainey and her mommy were Kitty's!

A Race of a Different Kind

2009-11-10T09:46:00.005-06:00

This summer while in Peoria we picked up a flier for a glass fusing class. My mom remembered the place and planned for us to go there to make some pendants for my
40th birthday!

When I arrived at my sister's house I discovered that my other sister Becky had surprised me and come up to share the day with us as well. I was so excited to have everyone together. We could now to make our pendant and have a great dinner together.

After we made our pendants we stepped outside the door and my mom pulled out a poem to read to me. She is a beautiful poet and always write such lovely things but I knew I would probably cry so I asked her to please wait until we were sitting at the restaurant where I would make too much of a scene!

Well, my mom just went right on and started reading her emotional peom anyway. Then about 1/2 way through the poem it starts to mention something about an Amazing Race! I immediately started thinking all sorts of things and got totally excited! What they had planned for me was a "Race" around the outdoor mall. Now I LOVE LOVE the show the Amazing Race! I so want to be on it someday. I just love the idea of scavenger hunts and races with clues, etc. And a grown up version - how cool is that!

So my sister Liz handed me my first "clue" in a totally cool sealed envelope that opens just like the ones on the Amazing Race!!! What a neat touch! Oh and yes... they were ALL in on it! It had all been masterly planned. That in itself STILL amazes me. They gave me a mall gift card with so much money on my goal was to figure out the clues (which were NOT easy) and make my way to 8 different stores and purchase various things under sthe dollar amount on my gift card.

When I finished running around the entire mall back and forth - back and forth I might add! - I was rewarded with dinner at Flattop Grill!

I was TOTALLY shocked and it was SO much fun! A HUGE thanks and lots of LOVE to all of you who had a part in making my day such a special one! It was exactly what I needed to make my day one I will NEVER forget! And I am pretty sure the people I had to BEG $$ from with my bright red boa and cake headband won't forget me either!!

Body and Sole

2009-11-09T22:56:00.002-06:00

So I decided after I ran my 5K that I would get serious and get some running shoes.
My friends got me gift cards to Body and Sole and so I could actually afford them!

I have been putting off going until I could go without kids. I just don't love shoe shopping, it really stresses me out. That and bra shopping are the WORST! Anyway... I was going to go Saturday while the kids were at a Birthday party but I conveniently got side-tracked cleaning the garage and putting out the Thanksgiving decorations. You know how much I all love to clean my garage. So on Sunday Darren says we are going to go right after Mass. I had run out of excuses so out we headed.

Body and Sole is a sports store extraordinaire. We go there to get the kids swim suits, goggles and swim stuff but that is about all I have ever done there. I heard though that this store was the place to go so off I went!

I arrived and a wonderful man helped me. He got me on their treadmill and videotaped my running. It showed how I over-pronate and so I should be wearing shoes that would help with this.

He measures my foot and then goes and pulls out 3 boxes of shoes. I almost laughed. Only 3 boxes? He obviously has never gone shoe shopping with ME!
I try the first pair on and they feel really good. They have me run outside on the sidewalk. I am amazed at how well they fit. Then I try on another pair and they feel boxey. Then the third pair is a winner - Brooks Adrenaline GTS 9. They feel good and they snuggle my feet.

And here is the best part after I used all of gift cards I only paid .55 cents for my $100 shoes!! I honestly have the best friends anyone could EVER ask for. I know God has more than blessed me and I am so thankful!

So... if you are in the need for a good pair of shoes - go to Body and Sole - you will be so happy!

Racing to 40

2009-10-20T21:16:00.003-05:00

After the Illinois Marathon I had some friends ask me if I wanted to run in the Indianapolis Marathon in October. I laughed at them... me RUN? I am not sure that would be too pretty! But then I got to thinking... Darren started running a year or so ago and he worked his way up to running several miles at a time. I had 6 months to train and the Indy Race was October 17th - the day before I turned 40!!! So I thought well just maybe I could do a 5K by then maybe....

So I started walking and jogging. My friend Ashley agreed to do the 5K with me and we would run once in awhile together. Well, Ashley would run and I would try to keep up!

Then summer got the best of me and honestly I put running off more often than I would have liked. I also threw out my back a few times in there.

October then came and I knew I wouldn't be able to run the entire 5K (which was my goal) I almost didn't go but then I realized that I needed to do this for ME!

So October 16th I loaded in my friend Laura's car with two other friends, Erin and Christy and we headed to Indy!

We got up on the 17th and it was a balmy 33 degrees! I had to scrape the frost off of the car windows!! We put our layers on and headed to the race.

Erin and Christy are Super-Women and they ran the 1/2 Marathon and Laura and I did the 5K together. Now I really must say that Laura is a Super-Woman too - she is fighting breast cancer and here she was running along side me and encouraging me every step of the way!

I finished the race in 49:42.3 I realize this isn't a great time - or even a good time but I DID IT! It felt great and I cannot wait to run again! In fact I am going to run another 5K in November!

I want to thank everyone for supporting me and not calling me crazy when I told them I was going to run a 5K the day before my 40th Birthday!!!

Kiera's Ballet Class

2009-10-12T18:07:00.002-05:00

Kiera started taking Ballet Classes this year! She couldn't wait to start taking classes but she got "scared" during her second class and has been timid about it every since. Poor dear. So for now Meaghan is taking the class with her! That seems to help her greatly! :)

Happy Anniversary!

2009-10-12T17:59:00.003-05:00

Happy Anniversary to my sweetie - Darren!

On Saturday Darren and I celebrated our 17th Anniversary! We have known each other for 21 years now!

Darren and I met in a Microbiology Class. We ended up being lab partners and soon feel in love! Then I went to U of I and he went to ISU - yet we still stayed together. We dated for 2 years and then were engaged for 2 more. October 10th the year we got married was the most beautiful day EVER! The weather was perfect, sunny and just warm enough. It was the happiest day of my life! I love you sweetie!

Riding in my automobile...

2009-10-09T23:03:00.002-05:00

Kiera finally got her own car!!! She had been wanting one for a LONG time and I finally found one at a garage sale for a reasonable price.

Meaghan "decorated" it all up for her and made it FANCY again! It is too cute!

Summer Sweeties!

2009-10-09T22:55:00.002-05:00

How many of you had children and thought they were just about the cutest thing on EARTH??? Did you wonder if you would ever think other people's children were cute? I wasn't too sure until I met my nieces and nephews! They are simply adorable - and no I don't really think I am biased! :)

Here are a few of my favorite photos from this summer.

Ashton and Kiera - two smiling angels!

Could Ashton get any messier? or cuter?

Kiera and Lainy in their matching PJ's that say... Sassy Just Like Mommy! Too true! I think they are both going to grow up to be WAY sassy!

<I just love this photo of Kiera and Lainy loving on each other! Awww....

Summertime with the Scouts

2009-10-09T22:17:00.004-05:00

As most of you know I stepped down as assistant to the Webelos Scouts and became the Tiger Scout leader last year for Connor and his friends. We had a fabulous year together and did lots of cool things. I just have to say that I love Cub Scouts. I really feel like it is an organization that is great for growing boys. It also is very strong in family values. Family is always welcomed at meetings, functions, events, etc. For someone who has both boys and girls I find this very helpful and it works great with our family.

Summertime is when a lot of the fun stuff in Scouts happen. We go camping, hiking, etc. Here is a photo of myself and all of the boys in my Den last year. They are showing their true personalities in this photo - I love it!

Here is a photo of Connor becoming a Wolf Scout.

Here is one of Nate becoming a 2nd Year Webelos Scout! This year in February he will become a BOY SCOUT!!! Wow!!! He is now working on his Arrow of Light requirements. One of them is to do an activity or campout with a Boy Scout Troop. So... Darren and Nate went camping last weekend and had a really good time! I cannot believe my little boy is growing up SO fast!

Cub Scout Adventure Camp is one of my favorite things to do during the summer. I love camping with my boys and hanging out with one of my best friends in the whole world- Tasha! This year I took almost NO photos though... :( Here is one however that someone took of the two of us! :) Yes, we are in our bathing suits because we ROCK and passed the Swim Test!!!

Back-to-School

2009-09-02T23:53:00.004-05:00

Well it is Back-To-School time around here and so I hope to be a bit more organized (ha) and blog much more! I don't know why I just let it get away from me more and more during the summer. This summer we cut back on a lot of things and yet it still seemed to be our busiest yet. Maybe because we did our big vacation during the summer? We went to South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore, among other things. It was a fabulous vacation and I hope to get some photos up here soon.

We "officially" started homeschooling this week. It always sounds funny to say that because honestly aren't we always learning? I sure hope so! I guess we are learning in a more "formal" way nowadays around here! Meaghan actually started her studies a few weeks ago. She is involved in the Challenge program through Classical Conversations and they started in early August. True to its namesake it is a Challenge for her. It is tough but in a good way. She (and I) are being challenged in ways I am not sure we would be if we did it all on our own. She meets with a tutor and classmates once a week and they have discussions, read their papers, are tutored on various subjects, play learning games, etc. Then the rest of the week at home she works on her subjects and prepares for the following week. It is similar to the Foundations program I do with the younger kids. The boys and Kiera started "school" this week and it has been going really well. Almost too smoothly to be honest... is the shoe about to fall?

So with all of this back-to-school stuff going on around here I must say I am STILL thrown by people's comments when they find out we home school. Mostly I feel that they need to defend their case for having their children in public school. I also think they say the craziest things - mostly children do this but I have had several adults too. I guess I just don't get it. I don't say negative things about public school to someone I know who is educating that way so why do they feel the need to do so in reverse. I often think of how rude it would be if I reversed their comment, question, etc. and said it back to them.

Let me see if I can give an example: Someone asks me "Who is your child's teacher" and you reply that we home school and they say... "Oh I could never stand to spend the day at home with my kids." Now... let's revers that. What if I asked them who their child's teacher was and then I said... Oh I could never stand to send my children to school all day. I think that would sound rude - right? And yet those are the types of comments I hear all the time. I guess I mark it up to people just not knowing what to say. Or maybe they are curious as to why I am doing it? If someone simply says - why are you homeschooling - I don't mind telling them. But I guess I feel awkward when it becomes an -our way is better than your way type of thing. Of course you feel your way is better for you - I hope so! I of course think my way is better for us. Let's listen and learn from each other with open hearts. I know I was NOT going to home school. NOT me! Yet look at me now!

I just had to share this lovely photo I have of a dear friend of mine who is in our Classical Conversations home school group. Here she is helping a child that isn't hers. It reminds me of why I have good support groups and dear families close to us. It is really important to me that my children learn and grow up in a supportive loving environment. I work at creating that daily and thank God for giving me the opportunities.

Birthday Blast

2009-08-05T23:34:00.006-05:00

Catch-up time...two of my sweeties celebrated their birthdays in July -
Darren and Kiera!

On July 23rd we celebrated Darren's 40th Birthday! Yes - the big 40!!! I had planned for my family and his to come down and surprise him but at the last minute he asked if we could go to Starved Rock for his birthday. I actually thought that sounded more fun - so I called my gracious mom and she agreed to host the party at her house instead! So we still got to do Starved Rock AND a Birthday Party - even if it wasn't a surprise any longer!

Kiera turned 4 on July 25th. I cannot believe that she is 4! I remember back to when she was born. I was amazed when she would make it through the night and now here she is - sassy as ever and FOUR years old!

Kiera really wanted a Fancy Nancy Birthday and what Kiera wants she gets thanks to my wonderful family. My sister Kate made her the cutest Fancy Nancy cake ever! Here are some photos. Although they don't really do it justice. She made a mini-tea set, mini-nail polish bottle, pearls, glasses, etc. Then it lit up and twinkled! It was amazing! She also made Darren a large swimming pool cake. It looked just like our pool! I don't know what happened but I don't have any photos of the pool cake so I am hoping someone else took a few.

Darren got lots of great presents but I do think the highlight of the evening was the gift from Liz and Nick. It was a rubber chicken! Not just any rubber chicken but one that makes the most annoying noise in the world when you squeeze and release his tummy! He thinks it is hilarious to sneak up on people (mainly the kids) and then release the chicken scaring the innocent person half to death! So... after all of my fretting over what to get my husband for his big party I guess I should have just gotten him a rubber chicken and then my gift would have been his favorite!

I know that even though Darren is now 40 he still has a lot of kid in him. I know he LOVES birthdays although I am not entirely sure it isn't because of the CAKE! Thanks to all of you who celebrated the day with us. One doesn't turn 40 or 4 every day and it meant a lot to us to have you all there!

Amazing Friends

2009-07-29T22:58:00.004-05:00

I just have to say that I have the best friends in the whole world! As you know from some of my other posts - I have never been good with the whole friend thing. In fact I am quite awful! I always think good friend things but when it comes to the follow through - NOT so good!

I feel like lately the Lord has really been showing me just how important my friendship ares. I went out Monday night with 3 sweet friends. We chatted and chatted and listened to each other with our hearts. Then Tuesday I had a friend come over and chat with me and help me fold all of my laundry! Acutally I should have been at her house helping HER with laundray yet here she sat and helped ME! Today another dear friend called and asked if she could have BOTH boys over to play for the day while I prepared for my garage sale. And then yet another friend came by this evening with a whole bowl of yummy watermelon, Girl Scout Cookies and a stuffed Hippo for me!

To all of my friends, old and new... I want you to know just how very special you are to me. I love you and hope the Lord blesses you each and every day!

Oh What a Busy Summer!

2009-07-23T23:49:00.006-05:00

Here are some misc photos of our summer. I hope to be better about blogging come August! :)

We went for a hike at Lake of the Woods right after I got my iPhone and so I thought I would check out the camera feature and take a few photos of the kids. I just loved these photos of the kids - especially the one of Nate and Connor. And if you know Connor and Nate you will find this photo pretty amazing! See... they really DO love each other - deep deep deep down! :)

This summer we went on a mini-vacation to Missouri to see my sister Rebecca. I love going to visit her and cannot wait until we go again. Kristy and Tori went along with us and we had a great trip. One afternoon, Rebecca, Kristy and I went to a cute little winery in Missouri and had lunch. It was so nice and relaxing. We then went to another winery on our way home. For dinner we made homemade pizza and had some lovely red wine! yum! Next time we go to Missouri we are going to hit a few more wineries. There are a lot of them there.

Here is a photo of us in a little stream at a great park. It was SOOO hot that day that they just wanted to get wet! We ended up calling it a day early and went home and played INSIDE!

On our way home we went to Six Flags and met some good friends there. We all participated in a homeschool reading program where the readers get free tickets! The kids loved going with each other on rides and everyone ended up having a blast!

Here are 2 of my dearest friends - Kim and Leigh!

Kiera riding a ride with Lark... Kiera wasn't too sure about the rides!

This year we went with my moms homeschool group to tour the Air Museum in Bloomington. It was a great tour and so we decided we really wanted to see some of these planes in action so we went to the Peoria Air Show. We didn't end up going to see the actual air show. We went to the preview night with Nick/Liz and Lainy and my mom and Tori. It was done over the river and was very cool. The kids all loved it! I was sad I didn't get better photos of the planes. Maybe Nate did?

On 4th of July we went to Lake of the Woods in Mahomet and enjoyed the fireworks.
I tried to get a good photo of each of the children but... here is what I got!
I love the one of Kiera - she is "winking"! She doesn't know how to wink - so she holds down one eye with her finger! Too cute!

Last few weeks

2009-07-07T12:33:00.002-05:00

Whew has time been flying. We have been busier than EVER around here. I honestly think things will slow down for awhile - which will be a nice break.

Last I wrote we were heading to Missouri. We met in Bloomington for a Father's Day lunch with Darren's dad, his family and my mom and sisters. It was a very nice lunch. Father's Day last year was the last time that they saw Mike so we all wanted to be together. Also this year we found out that Richard (Darren's Dad) has cancer. As I get older I realize the importance of spending good quality family time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Darren's dad has an amazing attitude. He said he isn't going to let this cancer thing slow him down. And it sure hasn't! We are prying for him!

After our lunch we headed to Missouri. We took Kristy and Tori along with us. We stopped at a hotel right outside of St. Louis and swam, hung out and ate dinner. We also watched lots of High School Musical! In the morning we headed to St. Louis. We went to mass at the St. Louis Basilica downtown. It was a beautiful mass - both Kristy and I were in tears!

Then we met up with my sister Becky, her husband and kids at the St. Louis arch. We took the tour up to the top together. Tori and I were a bit scared but we made it up and back safe and sound! It was a terribly HOT day so we skipped the zoo and headed to Becky's - not without a stop to get fireworks! We enjoyed a lovely dinner at her house and hung out in the air conditioning!

On Monday we headed to Rolla to a bead store to get beads, a cool toy and book store, and a picnic lunch. We went to a park that was the best park I have been to. There were play structures galore! However... it was so hot my kids were melting and wanting to go to the air!

The next day Kristy, Becky and I went for a "girls" lunch at this cute little winery down the road. We then bought some wine and headed to another winery. We enjoyed our "girl" time with girl conversation! I love having those moments together where we can just sit and visit.

After lunch we packed for the beach. The Meramec River runs near their house - so we drove to a "beach" spot and we played in the water. It has a slow current but just enough to pull you down the river. The kids created this "obstacle course" where they would walk you up river and then you would get in the water and float down river avoiding certain obstacles along the way. The bigger kids did that for hours while the littles dug in the sand and caught minnows! Leon set off fireworks that night... it was a beautiful day!

Wednesday (like the hottest day of the year so far!) we headed to Six Flags! We met my friends Leigh and Kim and their kids. Kristy took Tori and Meaghan and they rode tons of rides. I didn't know that Meaghan liked roller coasters so much! She rode the real scary ones I would never try! We did the waterpark too - which was very refreshing after all that time in the sun! We closed the park down and drove home VERY late. It was a terrific trip and one I hope to repeat again soon! I loved going with family and friends - the diverse age group made it fun for everyone.

We recuperated and did laundry before heading to Cub Scout camp! I took the two boys this year to Adventure Camp. It is a camp where you spend part of a week camping out and doing all sorts of activities. We had such a fun time. I love just hanging with the boys and being outdoors. I took Nate and his friend Zach Snipe hunting. I had forgotten all about how fun Snipe hunting was! Memories we will have forever!

We got home Wednesday afternoon and I think took Nate and we headed to Lizzy's (in Peoria) to get my girls. Connor wasn't feeling well so I left him at home to rest. I missed my girls lots and couldn't wait to see them! We had birthday party for Shannon the same night - I cannot believe she is 10!! We then headed home to get ready for everyone to come down for 4th of July!

My sister and I ended up setting up our tents a night earlier so I let Meaghan and a friend camp out there. The next day us girls went shopping in Monticello and the boys played golf. Lots of the little shops were closed for the holiday... bummer. We ended up going to the toy store and cupcake place - Yum! That night Darren grilled out and we enjoyed the campfire.

4th of July morning it started raining at 5:30am and it didn't quit! Darn... the rain cancelled the fireworks and most everyone went home, tired and crabby. I was so upset that our holiday was ruined. We did go to the Early American Museum so that Connor should off his Pig Collection. He was so excited that family came to see HIS collection! That night we hung out again at the campground and had a relaxing evening. I felt bad though because Grandpa Richard wasn't feeling well that night- I think his Chemotherapy finally kicked in (or maybe it was just my cooking!)... poor thing... but what a trooper - out camping and everything!!

On Sunday we enjoyed the beautiful day and went to LOW to watch the fireworks.

As I look back on these past crazy weeks I am thanful for the life I have. We got to visit and be with each other and with family and to me that is what is important. My kids got to be with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. And I know that none of us are perfect and we all get on each others nerves but I am thankful God gave me the family I have. I pray that we can always be there for one another for many more years to come.

My week around here

2009-06-20T00:09:00.003-05:00

This week we had our Classical Conversations Practicum in Champaign. Our group hosted one of the IL practicums this year and it went really well. I feel like I learned lots and made lots of new friends. I am so excited to start school soon! I am even going to try to get a head start on my studies this summer and learn some Latin! Anyone up for a study group? :)

Tomorrow we are leaving for Missouri (It seems like we were just there but we are going again!). We are going to visit my sister Becky for a few days and then to Six Flags. My sister Tori and SIL Kristy are coming along. I am looking forward to just hanging with the kids. This winter the kids did a reading program through Six Flags. They had to read so many books and then they each got a Six Flags ticket - and mom got one too! We are going to go with a few other home school families to make it even more fun! The last forecast I heard though was HOT HOT HOT!

After we get back from Missouri I get three days to do laundry, pack and get ready for Adventure Camp. I going with the boys to Cub Scout (overnight) Camp at Camp Drake. The girls however are going to Aunt Lizzy's to spend some GIRL-TIME! They will receive quite the royal treatment while they are with her - I am sure. Kiera cannot wait to spend some more time with Lainy.

Let's see what else did I do this week... well, I just made some cute shorts for Meaghan from hole-y jeans. Nate took some photos so I can put a tutorial up here. They turned out so cute!

I also have been working in my flower gardens. They need(ed) lots of attention. I weeded and weeded and then today in the rain did a bit of planting. I want to get more and more perennials in my back gardens. I didn't get to finish all that I wanted to do before we leave tomorrow but it will wait for me I am sure. I did plant a bunch of annuals in pots and put them around the deck. I hope Darren can just keep them alive until I return! He is going to be putting in some pavers around the pool and setting up his new grill!!! Yes, he is finally going to gas. Today we got him a new grill for Father's Day. He isn't sure about the switch from charcoal but I am encouraging him along. Speaking of encouraging along... he is having to encourage me to use my new iPhone!!! Darren surprised me with an iPhone the other day and I am having a hard time getting used to it. I HATE change... I always do. I know I will LOVE it in a few weeks but right now it frustrates me.

Well I best get some sleep as the morning and my empty suitcase will be calling me soon!!! Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there!

Summer is starting...

2009-06-06T21:07:00.003-05:00

Life here has been pretty busy. We officially finished up school. Meaghan was taking a constitution class and she finished that too. We are now all ready for summer! Even the pool is ready to go! But where oh where is the SUN and WARMTH?

We finished up May with several short trips. First I took Meaghan and Tori to a Mock Trial in Sycamore. It was put on by two homeschool groups. They met in a courthouse and even had a lawyer serve as judge. It was an awesome experience and I look forward to our CC students getting to do their own Mock Trial in the years to come! We also enjoyed a few days visiting with my mom and sisters as well so that was a nice addition to the trip. Meaghan then ended up going with Kate,Tori, Lizzie and Lainey down to Becky's for a long Memorial Day weekend.

We decided to join them and surprise everyone so we headed down to Missouri too. We got to celebrate Brice's First Birthday and had a great time!

Then I went to a Classical Conversations Practicum in Rockford. I stayed at my moms and then drove up to the classes each day. It was a great conference and I learned so much my brain hurt. My mom and I also went through her school books and worked on labeling them for the homeschool book sale. When I left my moms house my van was filled to the brim! The booksale went well though and we both made a good bit of money. I still have a bunch of books left to sell though and so I am going to add them to my garage sale.

That now brings us to June where the kids are off swimming on the Urbana Swim Team again this year. We had thought about taking a year off but I just felt like the kids needed something to do with all of their free time. Plus it gets us up and going every day something I am not a big fan of( as you all know!). I am not going to be as strict about it as I have been in years past. If we go we go and if not that is ok too as we have a very busy summer.

June is going to be a whirlwind... we have activities every day of the month! I am looking forward to camping and hanging out with friends.

Rain Rain Go Away

2009-05-15T17:04:00.003-05:00

So today we decided it would be a great day to clean out the garage since Darren was home for the day. We headed to the garage and pulled everything out (well almost everything). We were sorting and getting stuff organized for the garage sale when it started to rain. Just enough that we had to bring everything back into the garage. Ugh... what wet mess. So now the garage looks worse and even less organized that we started several hours previously!

Of course it stopped raining shortly after and so I decided not to let the day go to a complete waste. The kids and I went outside and we planted flowers in the front gardens. Each of the kids picked out their favorite flowers at the shop so we have quiet an assortment going! I also got a lovely rose bush and peony bush for Mother's Day and they needed to get planted too.

After they were all planted and mulched I decided to let the kids go for a bike ride while Kiera and I watered. I said that I knew it would probably start raining as soon as I got done watering. And sure enough as I was watering the last garden... it started sprinklin! :)

Lovely Pioneer Day

2009-05-14T01:00:00.006-05:00

It was a rainy lazy sort of day here. I actually got a lot of laundry done today so maybe the rain is good for something! I have several posts that I really want to do soon and I am still working on the Scrabble Tile tutorial... I know some of you are waiting so patiently!

For our final "Pioneer Day" we went to the Early American Museum in Mahomet with our Classical Conversations group. We spent the morning in the one-room schoolhouse and then the museum. There was a volunteer school marm who was fabulous and totally played the part. She was so real several of the children thought they were actually in "class". I would love to do this again, but prepare the kids even more before hand. We did two preparation days (see past posts) but I think we could have done more.

About a week before the "day", I went shopping with Kiera to JoAnne's. Now, this is dangerous in the first place but with Kiera it is even worse! All patterns of a certain brand were on sale for $.99! So I thought maybe I would look at the Pioneer Dress patterns. Kiera wouldn't have anything to wear to our Pioneer Day. I found one that looked like it work for her for $.99. How could I resist??? We then went on a hunt for the right fabric in the right color. Of course - she wanted pink and more pink. We settled on a pink dress with a pink bonnet but green bloomers and a green apron. (green is my favorite color) I then went to work sewing like crazy that following week. I am not a great sewer but I stumbled along well enough. Plus, it is a costume so doesn't have to be perfect. The only problem was that it was a pretty difficult pattern - darn patterns! The wrist, waist, etc. all should have had elastic BUT... sticking to traditional pioneer fashion - they had you make a casing and run ribbon through for each area. This wasn't easy or fun but I did it! I didn't even take a good photo of her wearing everything. There is one with her and a friend but she is missing lots of her pieces.

Now I am going to attempt to make Meaghan a Civil War ball gown. We bought the pattern awhile ago at another $.99 pattern sale. (Which is totally the way to go with patterns - when you see that - stock up on those Halloween costumes you know you will end up making!) We are going to start watching for fabric deals as I think the dress alone is going to take about 7-8 yards of fabric. Anyone up for a sewing day?

Ok, enough about me. I know you are wanting photos. Here are some of our lovely Pioneer Day:

Connor's Pig Collection

2009-05-11T20:41:00.004-05:00

Connor has collected pigs since he was about a year old and he was asked recently if he would want to put his collection in a display in the museum. He was thrilled at first but then thought about what that actually meant... a year without his pigs! He kept a favorite few but decided to go ahead with the exhibit as long as he could visit them often! That was an easy promise as we LOVE the museum!

It was a fabulous experience all in itself. Mrs. Osborne at the museum required him to do a lot of preparation for this collection. He had to choose which pigs he wanted to disply, where and how.

First he worked on three to four seperate "groups" of pigs and then he narrowed it down to three. He worked on which pigs he wanted to be together and a sort of "theme" for each group. We cut newspaper to the actual size of the shelves so that he could visualize it a bit better.

We then went to the museum and looked at what space was available and how it was all going to look. We didn't realize all of the thought that has to go into planning and displaying things. Especially in glass cases with glass shelves. A lot more thinking goes into it than we expected.

He worked and worked on his display until he got it just how he wanted. It can now be viewed at the Early American Museum in Mahomet until the end of the year.

Here is a photo of Connor and Mrs. Osborne in front of his collection. He was showing it to a group of our home school friends. Way to go Connor!

Princess Tea Party

2009-05-09T01:42:00.006-05:00

Mahomet-Seymour High School's spring musical was Beauty and the Beast this spring. The kids and I went to see it with the Prytulski family. Their daughter, Destiny was in the show and she is the kids babysitter so it was fun for them to see someone they knew in the play. It was a WONDERFUL performance. I was very impressed with how it was done, especially since it was a high school production. We would definitely go again!

On that Saturday they had a Princess Tea Party. You paid $10 and you got to go around to different stations that the Drama dept had set up for the "princesses". I surprised Kiera, dressed her all in pink and took her. What a fabulous idea - especially for Mahomet! Mahomet is a growing town with tons of families with little kids. It was perfect!

Kiera got to do a lot of cool things and loved every minute of it! She totally loves the Princess thing and kept her eye on Belle the whole time. Belle went somewhere at one point and Kiera noticed and asked me where she was! I cannot wait to take her to Disney World again. Meg was never into the whole Princess thing so this has been a fun and different experience for me! Now, I can actually buy those cute Princess dress-up clothes!

Oh and I almost forgot to mention that they had a raffle and Kiera won! It was a huge basket filled with all sorts of great Princess stuff for her. She loved the Beauty and the Beast cast t-shirt, that was in the basket, the best and has worn it to bed several times already!

Here are some photos of our morning together:

Painting and De-cluttering

2009-05-08T11:48:00.007-05:00

When we first moved into our home (11 years ago) I said that I wanted new carpet and I hated the wallpaper boarder in the kitchen (it was of baskets). When we moved in we painted all of the living areas country white (off-white) but it is time for a change - actually LONG past time. However, I am such a procrastinator. All of the moons have to be alligned just right for me to start a project as big as painting the whole house! Not Darren... he just jumped right in and... 11 years later Darren decided to tear that wallpaper down and he painted. I went to Peoria one day to visit my sister and came home to find everything in my kitchen torn out and the walls were being scrubbed, primed and painted. The mess was a little more than I had hoped for. I think I would have at least done the dishes in the sink first. However - it IS done and I have my lovely hubby to thank for all of his hard work. We used a dark red color in the entire kitchen, dining room area and around the fireplace. He also painted the doors to our school cupboard. Now he is working on the living room. He is painting that a golden tan color. I think the color is Boston Tea Party!

I didn't paint but boy did I clean and de-clutter. Meaghan and I went through all of the kitchen cupboards (exept for 1 - I promise to get to it soon!). We threw away tons of stuff. I also moved the hideous plastic organizer that was in my dining room into my bedroom. I hated it when I put it there but I just didn't have another spot at the time so there it sat ALL those years! I also went through all of my other piles upon piles. I must tell you. It is so liberating and refreshing to have all of the piles GONE! Although I must admit, I mainly moved and shoved everything into the garage which will need to be tackled next.

Here are some before and after photos of what has been done so far. Now I need some decorating help! I want to take the ugly kitchen light down too and replace it with something more modern.

BEFORE I didn't really take a photo of my kitchen or fireplace area before but you can see quite enough in the background of this photo. Note the "clutter" all over and the ugly border!

DURING

AFTER

Friendship

2009-05-03T09:25:00.002-05:00

I had my Pampered Chef party yesterday and it was wonderful to have a bunch of my very best friends over. I don't tend to just invite friends over "just because". I wish I would. I wish I didn't have to have a show/party in order to feel like having friends over. I am going to try to do this more as it was so worth it. I guess I am always afraid people won't come over so I don't invite. The fear of rejection - I suppose. But honestly I think having my girlfriends over makes me a happier ME! I just felt surrounded by friendship yesterday and it was SO needed. Thanks to everyone who came - I cherish each of your friendships!

Happy May Day!

2009-05-01T18:37:00.003-05:00

Happy May Day!

If I could go around to all of your homes and give you a May Basket on your doors I would!

Normally we make up little May Baskets and take them around to a few neighbors but I cleaned all day and so that didn't get done.

Here is how we usually make them:

Take a piece of construction paper or fancy cardstock. Fold into a cone shape.
or I have done the Woven Heart Baskets before and they turn out very nice too.

Then add a paper doily or piece of lacy fabric. Netting works very well for this.

Find or pick some fresh flowers and place them in the "basket". Sometimes I will also add a few goodies like a rosary, prayer card, piece of candy, etc.

Take and hang on the front door knob. Ring the doorbell and RUN!!

Home School Photos

2009-04-30T01:09:00.004-05:00

We had our home school portraits taken this week by Stacey Rainer of Stacey Rainer Photography in Savoy . She is so good with the kids and I LOVE how she captures my kids personalities in her photos!

I found out that once my kids were not in traditional school anymore that I missed getting those annual school photos every year. Now I don't have to miss them! Stacey does annual Home School portrait sittings for us home school families. If you go to her website right now you will see a photo of Kiera. I know I am biased but I think she looks adorable!! Hard to believe she is going to be 4 very soon! My little angel...

Rock Climbing Party

2009-04-24T01:22:00.003-05:00

Nate's friend Kyle had his birthday party at the rock climbing place - Upper Limits - in Bloomington last month. We all went with and the kids had a blast. They have taken old silos and turned them into climbing walls. The place is so well organized and there are lots of climbing options. I was very impressed!

I took Meg and Nate a few years ago (at my old camp - Menno Haven) and Nate was very scared and only went a few feet up. This time he climbed so high! I couldn't believe it - Nate!!! who is afraid of everything! We had such a great time that I want to be sure to go back and try it myself this time!

I was reading somewhere on how to live as a thin person and it said that thin people often "do" things together instead of always eating or sitting when they get together. I like that idea. Mostly I sit and eat and drink with friends but I like the idea of DOING! My friend Tasha is great at this and often asks us to go on a hike or go play at the park - active things. I hope that we can do more of that this summer. I know we are going camping in June together - I am SO looking forward to it!

Pioneer Day Week 2

2009-04-24T00:54:00.002-05:00

Wednesday we had Week 2 of our Pioneer Days. This week I counted 18 children present! Can you believe it?

First, we reviewed last week and then we talked about clothing during Pioneer time- like what boys and girls would wear to school. Then we talked a bit about slates and copy books and the importance of good handwriting. We then made our own Copy Books. To make them we took card stock and covered it in fabric. I had several styles of fabric to choose from. They glued it on with white glue. Then they had plain white paper and they were to make lines on the paper with a pencil. This is hard work and I thought it was good for all of them to try. We take our lined paper for granted, I think!

Then they cut holes (no hole punches back them) - into the cover and papers and used yarn to bind the book. They then could try out the calligraphy pens by signing each others books. Some even tried using a quill and real ink! Surprisingly they were very good at it!

After we went outside and learned a few recess games they would have played. We played; Drop the Hankie, Button Button and I talked to them about Fox and Geese. Another favorite game of the time was Marbles so we made our own marbles out of clay and put them in their own little cloth baggies to take home. I wish we had planned an extra week so we could have painted them once they have dried. Maybe they can do that at home.

After all of the marble making they headed in to wash with authentic lye soap!!! and have a snack of home-popped popcorn, apple cider and Hard Tack! (Thanks Moms!)

I hope everyone had a good time and is all ready for our final field trip to the Early American Museum next week! We are going to all try to dress and bring a pioneer lunch. I always get SO nervous when it comes to these types of things. But I recently decided that I would just start to invite others to join us doing the things I love doing with my kids. More the merrier - right?

You all know I could go on and on with how much Classical Conversations has changed our homeschooling but it is days like this that I really feel it! At one point I looked into my backyard and saw 18 kids of all ages (3-14) playing together so happily. It just made me feel like I was doing something right!

Pioneer Day

2009-04-16T23:36:00.005-05:00

We have been studying American History this year in our Classical Conversations group and it has just all tied in so nicely with all of the extras we have been doing - like our planetarium visit, art museum field trip, Kinderconcert at Krannert, and various other things.

So, to close our year I thought it would be fun to end with a mini-unit on Pioneer or Early American life. We would spend two afternoons learning more about that time period and then go to the Early American museum on the third week and visit the one room school house and the museum.

Today was Day 1 - We made butter, made Johnny Cakes, learned about food that was eaten and how it was stored for that time period. Then we made a Tin Punch ornament and talked about Tinkers. It was a busy few hours but I think everyone had a good time and hopefully learned a bit. The challenge of these events is trying to make it interesting enough for the older children but yet simple enough for the youngest. I was telling Darren about it tonight and figured out that we had 14 children present today in my tiny house! Thank goodness it was beautiful outside and we took advantage of that!

I thank God for such a wonderful group of people that have made our homeschooling experience so enjoyable and successful this year! It was our best year yet!

One clever child

2009-04-16T23:30:00.003-05:00

We have been trying to get Kiera to pick up her own toys when she is done playing with them. She has been destroying her room (Meaghan and her share a room) and Meaghan doesn't like that one bit! Anyway, I told her last night to go in and clean up her room before bedtime. And she did! I was so proud! Then Meaghan goes to put her clothes into her hamper and notices....

all of the toys Kiera had out were now in her hamper!!! Little Stinker!

I must say though ... pretty clever...

Easter 2009

2009-04-16T23:08:00.005-05:00

Meaghan auditioned and wanted to sing for Easter Mass at our church, so we thought we would just have everyone here and host Easter at our house this year. Meaghan sang so well. She went up to the microphone without her music and I panicked. I didn't realize she had memorized the pieces. While she was singing, Nate turned to me and said, "She is amazing!". When we went home we had a bit of a snack and started the food cooking and then the kids hunted for the eggs! They loved the hunt, there sure were some tricky ones! Meaghan found that the ants liked her candy as much as her! After hunting we had a nice lunch. Everyone who came brought something yummy and I made - spiral cut ham. Well I didn't make this but I did make a tarragon/parsley rub to go on it while it cooked. I know that spiral hams are usually made with a brown sugar glaze but it always seemed too sweet to me so I found this neat recipe in a magazine and thought we would try that this year. It also called for a pineapple salsa on the side. We also made scalloped potatoes, that didn't cook as long as I would have liked. But I must say they were terrific as leftovers the next day. I also made deviled eggs and a spinach strawberry pecan salad. And the favorite of the day was the corn casserole. It was a plain ole jiffy cornbread and corn type of reicpe but it was gobbled up fast! All of the food was delicious and there was plenty to go around. I just love it when everyone helps with the food - kitchens really are the best hangouts! Afterwards we sat around and ate some candy and some more candy and played games.

I felt very blessed to have my family with us to celebrate - it sure was a special day!

Kiera, Lainy and Meg - sweet cousins!

Kiera egg hunting

Nathaniel egg hunting

Meaghan egg hunting

Connor egg hunting

Finally a good photo of Kristy and myself - thanks Liz!

Trying to get a good Easter photo of the kids!

This one will have to do!

Everyone just hanging out - THIS is what I love!

And this is what Darren loves!

Nate's Mad Scientist Party

2009-04-16T22:58:00.002-05:00

So for Nate's 10th Birthday party he wanted a Mad Scientist Party! Being a science lover I sure had fun planning this one! When the guests arrived they put on a lab coat (dress shirts from my friend Jenny's dad). Then they built a marshmallow and toothpick creation. After everyone arrived we made "glop or slime" - we used borax and glue. They got gooey messy with this. Then we did several other experiments. Elephants toothpaste (peroxide solution that spills out and looks like toothpaste), Baking Soda Sandwiches (baking soda and vinegar in a plastic bag - it explodes), and Oobleck (cornstarch and water). Darren did the Mentos and Coke experiments outside and they hunted for scattered Mercury (hidden metallic eggs). Then we had cake and toxic waste (punch made from lime sherbet and 7-up) They ate and ate the cake (see other post) and opened presents. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun with this party. It was 3 hours long but I kept them moving all the time from one experiment to another. The weather was yucky and rainy so that put a bit of a damper on the party but it all worked out well inside. Doing a science party is the way to go for the older kids - they are excited about it and there is always tons to choose from. I find that once the kids get older the old party games just don't have the same zest as they used to so this was a nice change.

April Fools

2009-04-16T22:56:00.003-05:00

For April Fool's Day I made the kids a Faux Berry Pie. It was suppose to look like a Chocolate Berry Pie! I think it looked pretty fake but the smell didn't trick them! The kids thought it was great fun!

Easter dress shopping

2009-04-10T23:19:00.003-05:00

Since I was feeling better today I figured we had better venture out and get the girls some Easter dresses, shoes, etc.

I had saved a few Easter dresses for Kiera but she is too tall for them so I knew I knew we needed to get her a new dress. Darren thinks the whole Easter dress thing is so silly. Which I guess I agree with but I still have to buy that dress! He thinks it is crazy to buy a dress that she will wear ONE time! Now, it is always my hope that they will wear their dress more often but usually they don't. I will try harder this year... I promise!

We first went to Kohls and Kiera found a lovely ALL pink dress, a pink purse and a pink hat! She was so fun to shop for. She even wanted to go and try it all on!

Shopping for Meaghan's outfit was a whole different ball game. She is so opposite Kiera - Meaghan was asking if she even had to try her outfit on - I said... YES!! We ran to store after store and she never even liked anything. Ok, I take that back, there were a few things she liked - like this one top - $45, and this neat skirt $94! She has a very particular taste and it seems to be on the expensive side at that! We ended up going to Bergners at one point and she found this pinkish shirt and yellow top. It is really very nice, a bit more casual than I would have liked but it is totally Meaghan and she loved it - so that is what counts - right?

I remember when Meaghan was about 7, I decided to take her shopping one time and let HER choose her clothes. She chose ALL things I would have never looked at. It was then that I realized that our tastes are very different. She is more simple and plain and likes things more casual. The skirts aren't long enough and the shirts usually have too low of a cut for her. Let me just say it has been a learning experience and I must apologize to her for making her suffer though my "taste" all those years.

Now though several years later and Kiera is all pink and all girl! She loves to dress herself in layer after layer. This morning she had a dress AND a skirt on! :) She also loves to shop. She was such a trooper today - running to all of those stores with us and never whining or wanting to quit! Even to the end she was picking up things and oohhing and aaahhing over them! I for see that I finally have my shopping buddy! Well, Nate is normally my shopping buddy but he doesn't do clothes and shoes.

Speaking of shoes... that is a whole other lovely adventure with Meaghan. We went everywhere and STILL no shoes (Kiera - 2 pair)! I remember when I was about her age my grandmother offered to take me shoe shopping and it was a nightmare(as shoe shopping always is for me!) and she swore she would never again take me shoe shopping!! Meaghan is just like me and now I am having to take her! I am hoping tomorrow we can find something or I don't know what we are going to do.

I bought the first dress I tried on, and it was only a 1X! You are probably saying... 1X and you are happy? But seriously - I was reaching a 3X not too long ago. I am thrilled to be in a 1X! Of course, I tried another on - just for kicks!

Well, I am wiped out and need to go rest up for tomorrow. I need to go get groceries tomorrow, the boys need hair cuts and the house needs cleaned! Glad I am feeling better? Yes!

Update on ME

2009-04-09T14:47:00.003-05:00

I apologize for not getting the Birthday Party details up! I cannot wait to share all that we did. And I want to do it soon before I forget everything!

I have been very sick lately. On April 1st, I came down with what I thought was a urinary tract infection. Later I developed severe kidney pain. My friend took me to the Dr. on Sunday and they gave me an antibiotic and did a urinalysis. I went back to the Dr. again on Monday and Wednesday. They now aren't sure I had a kidney infection and wonder if something else is going on. I went again today to have a sonogram of the entire abdomen as well as the pelvis area. They checked out everything!

Today I don't have any back pain but I still have nausea and headache. I am actually able to do stuff today without feeling like passing out - Yeah! I hope to go to Mass tonight with the kids. Although not sure that is such a good idea... taking 4 kids out at 7pm at night to sit quietly though mass? we will see how that goes...

I originally wanted to title this post - "Why is it so hard to accept help". I find that as a mom and woman it is very hard for me to admit I am sick and ask for help from friends. I think I have that super-mom syndrome where I feel like I should be able to do everything on my own. And I realize that is SO wrong! When we need help we should be cool with asking for it and accepting it! I think God is trying to teach me this every time something like this happens. I know on the flip-side. I love to be asked to help others. I feel like I am actually doing something good for others, instead of just giving good lip service.

Darren left for Toronto on Monday and so trying to take care of 4 kids and actually home school them has been tough. Thank goodness for such great friends who have taken care of me and my children. They are the best. Calling, bringing me food, driving me to the Dr., bringing me flowers, watching the kids, etc. I don't know where I would be without all of my supportive friends. They truly know what do do when someone is in need.

I hope everyone has a joyous Easter. I hope that it is a beautiful day for you and your family. I am having family over to celebrate and everyone here is looking forward to it! Happy Easter!

Mad Scientist Party Cake

2009-03-29T23:03:00.005-05:00

My friend Kris at www.idreaminsugar.com offered to teach me how to use fondant to make Nate a birthday cake this year. I have never used fondant but it has always intreged me so I thought I would give it a go this year. Nate's birthday party theme was Mad Scientist. I wanted to make him a flask. Here are some photos of the process.

I baked 4 marble cakes. Actually I baked 6 but one batch I used a butter cake and it was WAY too crumbly so I made it into a rounded cake and took it to another party!

Then I carved the cakes. I used a large knife and just sawed away! I then took the cake apart and then put frosting in between each layer.

Then I gave the entire cake a crumb coating of frosting. I must say, I am slow, because it has only been in the last several years that I even knew what a crumb coating was. It is a "messy" coating of frosting. You put it on and then let it sit and dry and then do another layer - only this time a pretty - non-crumby coat!

After the crumb coat we worked on the fondant. Kris had some green fondant that I mixed with a little white fondant and some green food coloring. I kneaded and kneaded it until it was the color green that I liked. Fondant is sort of like playdoh in consitancy. You knead and play with it and then roll it out to the thickness you want it. I rolled it into a large circle and then we placed it over the entire cake.

We then added the top of the flask. It is actually a tube that we coated in fondant too and then attached with more fondant! I then cut out little "bubbles" and painted with a bit of silver glitter. I used an edible marker to write the numerals and a clay extruder to make the black lines. Lastly I cut out his name in green fondant. Added a bit of science magic and .... A FLASK CAKE! More details about his party to come...

LLL Conference

2009-03-29T22:40:00.005-05:00

I know you have all been awaiting photos of our booth at the LLL Conference... wait no more...

We had a great time and sold lots of our goodies! My water bottle covers and Scrabble Tile Necklaces were a big hit! I think all of that work and staying up late paid off in the long run. I also plan on making more of both. I have my Scrabble Tile Tutorial almost ready to put up on this blog - so stay tuned for that!

I must say the best part of the weekend was hanging out with my sisters and friends. It was great to see so many familiar faces throughout the weekend. And anytime I get to spend with my sisters is always a hoot!

See something you love... my sister's website is www.sproutingup.com

My dear friend Stacey was set up across from us so we got to spend some much needed girl time together as well! Here is a photo of her booth.

She is a talented photographer - so if you want photos - visit her website at www.staceyrainerphotography.com

Pinewood Derby 2009

2009-03-29T22:27:00.003-05:00

The McCoy family made 6 cars this year for the Pinewood Derby! It was like a wood shop in here at one point! Nathaniel being a 1st year Weeblo built his car almost entirely himself this year. It was fun to watch him go to town on his wheels and axles! He came up with a unique design of making a birthday cake - since his birthday was the same day as the Pinewood Derby! Connor got to compete for the first time as a Scout this year and made a model of a Wii remote! Kiera really got into it this year too and loved putting her car on the track and then watching it race! She made a pair of Fancy Nancy Glasses - complete with LOTS of stickers! Meaghan made an Irish Dance shoe - and she placed 2nd over all of the siblings! Darren made an Arrow and I made a Rainbow. The entire place sang Happy Birthday to Nate, which he thought was SO cool, and lots of family came to cheer him on! These memories are the ones I know will last in our minds for a long time to come.

Sleepy Sister

2009-03-29T22:24:00.001-05:00

Kiera was so tired one night she fell asleep in the stool! Those sleeping photos are always so sweet!

Finishing up

2009-03-20T01:02:00.005-05:00

Here it is 1:00am and I think I am finally ready for the LLL conference tomorrow! I am polishing up my "talk" and then going to bed. I was up until 3am last night (or was it this morning!) and I am SO tired! Two of my sisters and 3 nieces and nephews are already here! We had a fun night of lasagna, crafting and the best wine!

I am giving a talk on the Party of Your Life. I am going to talk about how to throw a great party and to have fun doing it! I LOVE parties and I LOVE throwing them! I especially like birthday parties. But I also really enjoy planning Blessingways, Red Parties (first menarche), and Baby Showers. I would someday like to start a Party planning business. I am someone though that talks and talks about it but NEVER does it! My dear friend Stacey over at Stacey Rainer Photography is encouraging me to do this and has even offered to help me set some goals to get this rolling! She is a talented photographer and so business savvy!

I finally finished my water bottle cozy's today!!! My fingers are sore from all of the stitching. I put labels on them tonight and they are ready to go! Yeah! I think they are so cute and I already sold one of them - my favorite no-less!
Oh and guess what we are calling them? WATER WOOLY's Like Water Bottle Cozy only cuter because they are made out of upcycled (don't you love that word?) WOOL! And for those of you that don't know my dear hubby's nickname when I met him was WOOL and if you knew me when... I had WOOLY2 license plates for a LONG time. And everyone would ask me what the WOOLY stood for? I got tired of answering it. So, it is a tribute to those dear wooly lambs but also my dear wooly hubby! He really is wooly!

I also finished up my Scrabble Tile Charms this morning. I had to put the last of the bails on the backs so they could set all day and overnight. E6000 glue ROCKS!
I must say I have always loved the look of the Scrabble Tile Charms but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make them look as cute as the ones I have seen on Etsy. Well, I think mine are SO cute! I took photos of them and will post them when my camera batteries are charged. I also did a photo tutorial so I will post that as well. They are super fun to make!

Well, I best get to finishing my talk and then get to bed as we have a VERY long and busy day tomorrow! Wish us lots of good selling luck for this weekend!

Follow The Drinking Gourd

2009-03-18T21:03:00.004-05:00

This has been a busy week. Monday we had our Classical Conversations home school group. Tuesday we went to the Early American Museum for a class on the Civil War in Illinois. And today we went to the planetarium for a show.

There was a lady yesterday for the Civil War class that brought a dulcimer in and one of the songs she played was, "Follow The Drinking Gourd". Then today the show at the planetarium was "Follow The Drinking Gourd", which was amazing because it all tied in perfectly! I just LOVE it when everything falls together so nicely.

I am anxious to get the book and DVD from the library by the same name "Follow The Drinking Gourd". If you aren't familiar, the Drinking Gourd is another term for the Big Dipper. The song was used for the Underground Railroad. It was a song on how to get to freedom. If you followed the directions in the song and it would lead you to Canada.

After our field trip we went to FCC to celebrate our friend Katie's 4th Birthday! It is one of Kiera's best friends. Katie and Kiera are so cute together. I sat with the moms and frantically worked on sewing my wool bottle covers. I am NOT done yet! I am kind of getting that panicked feeling right before something BIG! I have so much to do and yet I am sitting here blogging!!!

My sisters and my nieces and nephews are all coming down this weekend to be here for the LLL conference. It is going to be a FULL house! I think I have figured out that there will be 9 kids and 8 adults in my tiny house! It will be all sorts of fun for me! Not so sure for Darren...

Well, I need to go clean the house and do a bit of sewing!

Happy Birthday Nathaniel!

2009-03-15T23:59:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe it was 10 years ago (yesterday) that I was giving birth in my very same bedroom to my dear sweet Nathaniel. Nathaniel was the only birth that I really loved and enjoyed. I was so fortunate to have him at home and it was an easy quick labor and delivery. I was very excited that he was a BOY and a redhead! I cannot believe that he is TEN years old. Where has the time gone?

For Nate's birthday this year, first we went to his Pinewood Derby race. He did very well. I think he placed 4th in his Den. He made a "cake" car - complete with 10 candles. Everyone at the Derby sang Happy Birthday to him, which made his day. After the race we had a party at our house. He got lots of great presents and ate tons of food. He was so tired last night that he could barely make it to bed!

Nathaniel is such a caring and loving person. He is super sensitive and is a deep thinker. Nathaniel is also very very smart. He loves math and can figure out concepts that I have a hard time understanding sometimes. I am anxious to see what he will invent someday! He LOVE frogs and toads. He has an American Toad right now but his dream is to get a White's Tree Frog. His room is just not big enough for both tanks right now! :) Nathaniel also loves Lego's and Star Wars. Lately though he can be found spending most of his time reading the Harry Potter series. He is reading them so fast and he remembers every detail. He will even catch mistakes that the author has made. We even found a whole website devoted to this very same thing! He wishes he hadn't watched the movies before he had read the books. I am sad for that. I will try to remember that for future movies.

I thank God for sending Nathaniel to me. He has taught me so much about life, I appreciate it more. Happy Birthday Nate!

Like Mother - Like Daughter

2009-03-14T00:41:00.002-05:00

In February Meaghan was in The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare. I never got around to posting about it when it happened as we went right from that performance into her Irish Dance.

Meaghan auditioned for the Nutcracker this fall and didn't make it. She was very upset. A friend said that I should call this home school mom and see if Meaghan could be in the play she was putting on. I emailed her right away and she said that actually they had a ballet scene and Meaghan could be a dancing shepherdess. She was thrilled as it was dancing! It turned out to be a a wonderful opportunity for her. They kids worked so well together and it was great for her to get to spend some time with other homeschoolers her age. She made some really good friends. Next time she would like to actually audition and get a speaking part!

Here are some photos of her. I have also included a photo of ME when I was in the musical Annie in High School. I am on the very left - see if you can find me!

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Celebrate Books!

2009-03-10T23:52:00.003-05:00

Today I planned a Celebrate Books program for one of the homeschool groups (HOUSE) I belong too. I was disappointed though as only 2 other families showed up. It was a lot of work on my part for only 2 other families. Oh well... I guess you live and learn. It was weird though as last year we had a huge turnout. Maybe it was just a bad month?

Anyway, I thought I would share with you what we did and maybe someone else can get use out of it someday.

I told everyone to bring a book to "share". They could stand up and share about their book; why they liked it, etc. This was interesting - we got to learn about some new books that we haven't read before.

Then I read to them The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. I LOVE LOVE this story and never seem to tire of reading it aloud to youngsters. It is just a great book. I love to see their expressions when I read it.

I then had stations set up with a different book as the theme of the table. The parents could read the books to the kids while they were at that table.

Table One: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
I had red felt and an apple template, green felt and a stem/leaf/worm template. They cut out their pieces, glued them together. Cut a slit and stuck the caterpillar through the apple. Put a magnet on the back and they had a great little felt apple magnet!

Table Two: I Love You, Stinkyface!
I had heart picture frames to decorate. They were the foam hearts and you stuck on decorations, like flowers, hearts, etc. Then at home you could put a photo behind the frame and give it as a gift or hang on fridge.

Also on this table I had supplies for making bookmarks. I had card stock, ribbon, stamps and foamies. The bookmarks turned out beautiful. Nate made a neat two sided one. On one side he had a sun and it was all yellow and the other a moon and it was all blue. Very creative.

Table Three: Put Me In The Zoo
Here I put a bag of animal crackers, frosting and sprinkles. They were to decorate their cookies with sprinkles like in the book. This was a HIT- of course!

Table Four: If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
This was the snack table. Last year I had people bring snacks to go along with a book but this year I just bought cookies and pretzels and that was plenty.

The last thing we did was have a book exchange - which with only one other family trading books it didn't work like it did last year. Last year we got a ton of great books and the kids had so much fun trading. I am going to have to see if I can find another group to do this with as my kids really wanted to trade. How I ran it last year was for every book you brought you got to get another to take home.

Last year I also did a big drawing. I bought all sorts of prizes (books, gift certificates, bookmarks, etc.). Then for everyone present they got to put their name in the hat. I drew names for the prizes. I am glad I didn't go to all of that trouble this year because I would have had a ton of prizes leftover!

I hope that if you are planning a book celebration for your group that this helps!

Meaghan in Thumbelina

2009-03-09T23:07:00.005-05:00

Meaghan performed in the ballet - Thumbelina on Saturday March 7th. It was a beautiful ballet, I was so impressed. The costumes were all hand made by the moms and grandmothers. The girls all wore wigs unless their hair was long enough to have curls of their own. Meaghan now has short hair so she borrowed this great wig from her teacher. They looked so cute in their bouncy curls! The ballet was so professionally done and the parents and teachers were fabulous! A great experience for all.

Here is a clip of Meaghan dancing:

This is a photo of her friend Isabel, who was Thumbelina - isn't she so cute!

Meaghan did the Irish Dance, when she was Thumbelina's guest at the wedding. The Irish part was so fun. Everyone was clapping and it was so up-beat. This isn't a great photo but I love how it shows how high in the air she is!

I forgot my camera - can you believe that??? I thought Darren had it and he thought I had it. Thank goodness my SIL Kristy had hers and took some great photos and this video clip.

Meaghan really likes Irish Dance. She has tried lots of things but told me tonight that this is something she loves! Here she is hanging out with her friend Maeve!

Pi Day 3-14

2009-03-05T09:36:00.006-06:00

I recently discovered Pi Day! And it happens to be on my son's birthday as well as Einstein's! Pi day is 3 - 14 or March 14th. You can do all sorts of cool things to celebrate Math for this fun holiday!

I have put a few websites, books, lapbook stuff below so check them out!

First we went to the Pi Day Website Nate first of all really wanted to know how they came up with Pi. So we took an oatmeal container and wrapped a piece of yarn around it. Then used that same string to go across the diameter of the container. It went across 3 and a smidgen more times. Thus 3.14.

We tried memorizing the first 12 digits of Pi and learned that someone holds the record for memorizing the most digits - it is over 60,000 digits.

Then we got out Nate's World Record book and found who holds the record for figuring the most digits in Pi and it is to over a trillion digits! Yasumasa Kanada is the person to do this.

We are planning on having Pizza on Pi day as well as Pinapple and Pie! :)

We love to lapbook around here and just at the time we discovered Pi Day the Yahoo group for lapbooking I am on (Live and Learn Press Yahoo group) announced a free lapbook at their site Live and Learn Press to all of its subscribers. If you would like to receive it - join the Yahoo group. It is a great group and you will gain so many valuable resources.

Here are some books we have on hold through the library:

Sir Cumference and Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander (If you haven't checked out this series you must do so. They are great books for math studies.)

Piece of Pi: Wit-sharpening, Brain-bruising, Number-Crunching Activities with Pi by Naila Bokhari (activity book)

The Joy of Pi by David Blatner (middle to high school range)

A History of Pi by Petr Beckmann (high school) (reference to million years old earth on first page)

If you like worksheets check out: Enchanted Learning and Edhelper.com

To obtain different notebooking pages to write your findings of Pi, go to Notebooking Pages.

Other Pi activities can be found at the following websites:

Education World- Plan a Pi Day

Plan a Pi Day celebration.

Pi Day Resources

Exploratorium

Teachpi.org

Closeness

2009-03-01T00:50:00.002-06:00

Is closeness even a real word? I guess that is what I think of when I see this photo. I took this photo recently at the Krannert Art Museum during a field trip. The guide was showing the children a painting of some children and she was asking the kids how they knew the children in the painting liked each other. Our children said that they could tell because the children in the painting were all sitting close to each other. As she said this a friend of mine and I glanced down at our very own children and saw that they all were sitting VERY close to one another. It was such a very sweet moment. The group was children of various ages and families and yet they chose to all sit so close together. I think this shows how very fond of each other they really are. Just another reason to love my homeschooling group.

Blue and Gold Banquet

2009-03-01T00:40:00.003-06:00

The boys had their Blue and Gold Banquet last Sunday and the boys both earned their next rank. Nathaniel earned his Webelos Badge and Connor his Tiger Badge. The boys made an American cake for the Cake Decorating Contest. I think it turned out very well. They tied with several others for 5th place! It was a fun night for them!

Now we are on to working on our Pinewood Derby cars. We started making ours today. I saw WE because we all are making cars this year. Yes, that is right - all of us! Kiera has hers all cut out and is working on sanding and painting it. She wants it to be sparkly! As you can imagine it is a pair of very cool shades with sparkles - just like Fancy Nancy! I am making a Hippo... of course! Dad (arrow of ligh?), Meg (and Irish Dance Shoe), Nate (a birthday cake- since the Pinewood Derby is on his birthday this year) and Connor (a Wii remote). I will have to take some photos of them - so you can see all of the work that they put into them. It is something else!

We sure enjoy Cub Scouts and are looking forward to all of the camping we are going to be doing this summer! That is where the fun really is!

Shrove Tuesday

2009-02-24T23:30:00.005-06:00

Happy Shrove Tuesday! Happy Fat Tuesday! Happy Mardi Gras! Yeah!!!

We ate and ate today! Meaghan made King's Cake today. I think this was the first yeast bread recipe she actually has made. It was pretty challenging but well worth it. I wish however that I had actually thought ahead and had invited friends over tonight to celebrate with us. As it was we ate it alone and now have TONS left! And we all are fasting tomorrow so I am going to take it to a friends house so someone can enjoy it.

I read to the kids about Lent and we prepared for the upcoming 40 days! We wrote out our Lenten promises and made a chain with 40 days (and Sunday's). On each chain there is a piece of scripture or saying and then something to do. Like say a special prayer, make a drawing, etc. (I got this idea from Family Formation) It was something fun that all of the kids could work together on.

One other thing that we talked about was cleaning the house. This was something I have read that other families do. They clean the entire house top to bottom all before Easter. Then on Easter they rejoice with a clean heart and a clean house!
We are going to start with our bodies (spiritually preparing ourselves), then the kitchen and then work out way to the rest of the house.

The kids have big plans for Lent and so I am going to try my best to help them be successful. Tomorrow will be a hard one though. We are going to a Birthday Celebration for Lincoln tomorrow (complete with cake!). Since we are fasting tomorrow and obstaining from all meat or animal products we won't be sharing the cake! I know that will be hard for the kids. Although I let them "stuff" themselves today so maybe they will enjoy a sugar free day!

I am curious as to what your family does for Lent.

A post about my post

2009-02-22T00:12:00.003-06:00

As I was thinking about my post yesterday I thought that maybe it came across sort of arrogant and like I was bragging about my la-ti-da life. It was so not that. I just feel that lately I whine a lot about my life. I am unhappy a lot of the time and I am often wishing things were different.

I wish my house was de-cluttered.

I wish my Blood Pressure was normal.

I wish my children didn't fight.

I wish I was thing.

I wish my house would re-paint itself.

I wish my house was bigger.

I wish my back didn't hurt.

I wish a lot and I have been thinking that this isn't probably the best way to live life. Wishing it away. I need to stop and really enjoy the moments
when I AM happy and life is good. I need to appreciate each and every moment I have with my family. I should be happy I am even here to write this post.

The other thing about wishing all the time is that there is always someone else who has it worse than you and needs you. I am not very good at this and I want to be. I want to be there for others in their time of need. I want to stop being so selfish and be more like Mother Theresa. She gave herself so wholly (is that even a word?) :)

So... I hope I didn't offend anyone with my post yesterday (especially all of you hard working moms!). But I DO hope to post more "life is beautiful" type of posts in the future. Because life is beautiful isn't it? Each and every day!

Lovely Day!

2009-02-20T16:38:00.003-06:00

Today has been the BEST day. I feel like as a mom I have to cherish those days when everthing seems to go smoothly! And today has been just one of those days. It has been lovely!

The kids did their school today with no complaints. Then they did their chores that they have been neglecting. Connor even asked if he could load all of the recycling into the van for me! What a doll.

After that, I went into the bedroom to call a friend, who recently found out she had Breast Cancer. And in talking to her she seemed almost chipper today! It just made my day even better! :) After that I talked to my sister, Liz and then came out to the living room to find my oldest two reading, Connor doing a craft project and Kiera doing Lite-brite (thanks to her Godmother who bought her it for X-mas!). They all continued on that way for over an hour. I was able to sit down and get some crafts done myself. I put the bails on the back of my Scrabble Tile charms. And I worked on organizing my felt. The older kids are now doing a craft and Kiera is working with her Montessori stuff. I had to get on here and type this quick as I am sure at any moment something could change!

Oh and Kiera has been dry ALL day so far!!! So Yeah to that! She even pooped in the potty this morning - which is HUGE!!!

I am going to run to the store to get something for them for dinner. They want to make mini-pizzas. I am going OUT with the girls! Darren is going to be gone tonight and we have a busy weekend ahead so I am going to go have some time out with the girls tonight!

Well, Kiera just asked if she could paint - so I am off to go set up the paints...

I hope you are all having as lovely a day too!

Life around here...

2009-02-19T22:29:00.007-06:00

I have been missing for awhile and I apologize. I have a bunch to write but when I get this far behind I don't really know where to start. Let's see...

I was pretty sick a few weeks ago. I got an infection and it was making me ill with fever, aches, etc. I HATE going into the Dr. so I treated myself at home and eventually got over it and healed nicely.

From that I stepped right into Valentine's Day! I organized our home school groups V-day party. We had stations set up: Box Decorating (and supplies), Valentine Craft, Bingo w/ Prizes (with candy hearts for game pieces), Sugar Cookie Decorating and then we played Four Square. Then the children all exchanged Valentines. It was a really nice afternoon. My kids always look forward to the Parties!

Darren got Meaghan and I tickets to see Lord of the Dance for Valentine's Day and so Monday Meg and I went. Since Meaghan is taking Irish Dance it was neat for her to see how the pros do it! I was so amazed at their FEET - how do they move them that way??

On Tuesday we went to the Art Museum for a field trip. Someone from our Classical Conversations campus organized a great trip. The kids broke into two groups and then they learned lots of different things about ART! The big kids focused on American Artists as that is what we have been learning this semester and the younger kids worked on lines, shapes, texture and color. If you haven't been to the Krannert Art Museum - you really must go! Also they have a GREAT resource room downstairs in which homeschooling parents and teachers can check out items to use. They have things like books, large prints, art kits, and artifacts. I can't believe I haven't used this resource more!

Connor recently was selected to put his Pig Collection in the Early American Museum here in Mahomet. He had to work on his "scenes" and just how he wanted to put his whole collection together. So Wednesday we went and he set up his collection. He isn't done quite yet, he has a few last minute touches. But when he is done we will let everyone know and you can come visit his Pigs in Mahomet!

Also on Wednesday, Nate and I went with some of the Pryztulski family to see a musical at Parkland, "Flight of the Lawnchair Man". It was very funny! I will say though it was a unique kind of humor though. Not sure if Nate got it or not but I think he enjoyed himself!

And today,Thursday, we studied, Meaghan went to dance and I sewed on Cub Scout Patches! The Blue and Gold Banquet is Sunday and so I had to sew many patches on. Nathaniel will now wear a Tan shirt and so I had to sew everything on his. And Connor's I never sewed all of the "beginning" patches on (I know... bad mom!). Their shirts are ALL caught up now... at least until they get their awards on Sunday! :)

Now maybe I can get ready for the LLL Conference. I am making Wool Water bottle Covers and Scrabble Tile Necklaces. I am also giving a speech on Parties. So I need to get going! I hope to give a tutorial on the Wool Covers as well as the Scrabble Tile Necklaces. They are so fun to make! My sisters are also making lots of neat stuff to sell as well! Man are they talented!! I am envious of all of them!

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods...

Classical Conversations Class

2009-02-07T16:54:00.004-06:00

Here are some photos of the kids in their Classical Conversations class! They LOVE art and I just love watching them paint while they are listening to classical music.... those moments that make it ALL worth it!

Neat and Tidy?

2009-01-29T20:28:00.003-06:00

Those photos were of the aftermath of Christmas! My house doesn't usually look THAT bad! But, I was wondering today when my house will ever look picked up, tidy, neat? I have really been working lately at de-cluttering and getting rid of my piles. Sorting drawers, counter tops, etc. You wouldn't know it to look at it but I have been doing stuff!

So today I am thinking that I should probably pick up because we are having family over tomorrow after Meaghan's play and I glance around the house and YIKES!!! I to a quick sweep but honestly it just looks so cluttered!

I know I will have time when my kids are grown to focus on this type of thing but lately I just don't seem to have the energy or time. I school all day with kids, run them to their activities, plan my activities (Rel. Ed and CC classes), and then attend the activities. By the end of the day - say this time every night I am wiped out and honestly don't want to de-clutter my desk!

I guess maybe when I am old I will have a clean house! All nice and tidy!
Then again...

My sweet sister Victoria

2009-01-24T02:32:00.003-06:00

This is my youngest sister, Victoria, and my youngest daughter, Kiera. I just love this picture of them. I think it really captures family and all that it means. I love having a big family with 5 sisters. I am the eldest of 6 girls and I have a sister who is 14. At first it was very weird. My mom got pregnant right after I had a miscarriage. It was very, very hard on me. Then my mom was a mom with a new baby and it was just different for me. After 2 years I got pregnant and had Meaghan. Again, things were strange. My mom wasn't that grandma I always imagined, she was a mom with a nursing 2 year old. I would say that our relationship (my mom's and mine) was really stressed over those years. I think that being the eldest has its advantages but it also has is disadvantages too.

I will say though that as I grew up and had more children and my children became close to my sisters it became more of a blessing than anything. Victoria has such a special place in the hearts of and my children and is such a special sister to me. She is one of Meaghan's best friends. Since they are only 2 years apart it has been so nice for Meaghan. She has someone to hang out with at all of the many holiday gatherings. And now I see the relationship with her and Kiera growing. It is so sweet. Kiera adores her! I know they will be continue to be kindred souls from here on out.

So for those of you that are that are like me and have those days where you are wondering if a big family is worth all of this time and energy - I believe it totally is and the rewards will truly spring forth as time goes by.

Green Belts

2009-01-24T02:29:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday the boys both tested and received their Green Belts! They continue to love Tae Kwon Do. Their instructor is very good with them and I feel that they are learning much more than I expected.

Way to go boys - I am very proud of you!

Being a parent

2009-01-21T22:28:00.003-06:00

Last night was our Cub Scout pack meeting. I asked Darren if he was going and he kind of acted funny. Connor really wanted him to go. Darren said he would go but I could tell he wasn't really wanting to. Honestly pack meetings aren't really all that fun unless you are a Scout and getting prizes and awards. :)

On the way to the meeting I told him that it was great he was coming. He grummbled. I said that doing the Scout thing or whatever was what we do for the kids - it isn't for us! I personally don't love doing the Scout thing. I enjoy it, I make it fun and try to do it the best I can. But if I could do anything I wanted, it wouldn't be to go to a Scout meeting. Ya know?

We all do things because we love our children and want to be a part of their life. But.. we do give up stuff for them. I guess I just call that being a parent. I feel like I give up stuff on a daily basis. Would I rather lay down in bed at night and read a book I would like to read? Sure... but is it totally worth it to read a ballerina book to Kiera? YES! It makes giving up reading our book totally worth it. It is the stuff that makes being a parent wonderful.. I am sure God made it that way for a reason. Right?

I know they are only going to be this age once and it goes so fast. And I KNOW before I blink they will be big and grown and not want me to read them that ballerina book or put together that puzzle!

"So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."

A Day in the Life of US

2009-01-16T22:21:00.006-06:00

We finally started back to school this week after a LONG break. I am pleased to say though that the kids got right back into the groove and hit the books hard. I was prepared for it being very difficult this week and honestly it wasn't that bad. Our week started out with a field trip to the Rockford Discovery Center. They had a good time and learned a lot of cool things. We were able to take my youngest sister with us, which was great for everyone!

I must say as the years of home educating pass I am always amazed at how much I learn while being home with my children. Nathaniel this week was reading about birds, flight, lift, drag, etc. He totally explained to me how a bird flies. I honestly never got it. I mean, I understood it, but it just never clicked for me. Until my 9 year old explains it to me! :) Isn't life fun! And it is always interesting with Nathaniel around. He knows so much - he just amazes me some days. I am thinking... where is he getting all of this??? :) Here he is with some gliders he made to prove drag.

What does our school day look like around here? I thought I would give you a "sampling" of how it goes. This is just a sampling however. A lot of our days don't look like this at all. Often we have field trips, home school classes, etc. but this is the general schedule we follow. The beauty of home educating is that we can be flexible. If something great comes up we can all go do it.

8:30am - We start to rise and get moving. Usually Meaghan is the first to arise and usually wakes me up by unloading the dishes from the dishwasher!! LOL She likes to get going in the morning so she can get done with her school before everyone else.

9:00am - Almost all of us are up and getting ready for the day. Eating breakfast, getting dressed, doing morning chores. Meaghan or Nate usually empty the dishwasher and start the laundry going. Connor feeds and waters Mia and Waldo. By this point Meaghan has usually started her school. She likes to get math done and out of the way first. It is the subject she dislikes the most.

When we are all together we gather around our prayer table and say the Morning Offering and pray together. Sometimes I have a little lesson that we do, from Family Formation (a home religious education program).

9:30am - Nate usually goes and starts his school. I start Math with Connor and then grade papers from the previous day. Meg is usually finishing up math and starts reading or another subject.

10:00am - Connor usually goes off and reads for awhile or goes to a favorite computer reading site and then I help Nate finish up some subjects and start Math. I help Meaghan in anything she might need and we usually do spelling together.

10:30am - Connor and I usually start English Grammar and writing. Nate finishes up math and works on writing, science or other. Nate loves science and can spend a majority of the day reading his science book! Meaghan is working on religion, writing or other work.

11:00am - Connor usually takes a break now and plays with Kiera or does a preschool activity with her. Play dough, crafts, etc. Nate and Meaghan are usually finishing up writing and we do English together.

12:30pm - Lunch

1:00pm - This is when we all get together and do more intense History and Science. We are participating in Classical Conversations this year and they have to memorize a History sentence each week. I usually check out lots of books on the subject and then we read and discuss them during the week. Also if there are any projects or anything else related we try to do it at this time also.

In the afternoon we also work on other memory work. They are all memorizing a history timeline. Starting with creation and going until modern time. They also have memory work in English grammar, Latin, math, geography. We work on this daily at this time.

3:00pm - We try to finish up anything we have going and get ready for Tea Time. The kids do their afternoon chores and set the table for tea. During Tea Time we say the Rosary together and then I read to them - we are currently reading a Little House Book. Sadly, we don't get to do Tea Time every day. We seem to get busy with other activities. I am going to try to make it more of a priority this semester as it is truly a special time for the whole family.

You might ask when the kids do their reading? They usually read in between doing their subjects, in the morning before starting school, before bed, car rides, etc. My oldest 2 are big readers. Connor needs a bit more prompting. I honestly think beginning readers are pretty boring and he gets too frustrated with the more interesting books. This is why at this age we do a lot of reading together! :)

We try to be done by 3:30pm or 4pm as that is when a lot of the other kids are able to get together or we have afternoon activities to get to.

I guess that about covers it- hope you enjoyed a little peak into our crazy life.

Ice Cream

2009-01-15T21:08:00.005-06:00

My mom gave the kids an Ice Cream Maker for Christmas this year and so we decided to make some ice cream(as if it wasn't cold enough out)!

The Ice Cream Maker is in the shape of a ball and it has an opening on both sides. The one side you put in ice and salt and seal. Then the other side you pour the ice cream mixture in and seal. Then you let the kids roll it around for about 10-15 minutes. Then open the mixture side and scrape the sides, re-seal. Then open the other side and dump off all of the water and add more ice and salt. Then the kids rolled the ball around a few more minutes. We then opened it and ... ICE CREAM!

Yum! Yes, I even enjoyed some. We made it with fresh cream, a bit of vanilla and splenda - so LOW carb! :)

Did you know?

2009-01-15T21:03:00.002-06:00

Did you know that on the end of the Tin Foil boxes is a perforated semi-circle that you can punch-in and it will hold the tin foil roll inside the box so that it doesn't fly out when you are pulling off a piece of foil!

A dear friend of mine taught me this a bit ago and I was so excited!

Things I NEVER knew!!!

I finished the Twilight Books!!!

2009-01-14T00:49:00.006-06:00

I have finally finished the Twilight Book Series!

I originally read them to see if I would allow my 12 year old daughter to read them. I know they seem to be all of the hype in the pre-teen/teen crowd but they weren't really ever meant to be a teen novel. The author meant them to be adult fiction. However there are lots of adult books I feel can be appropriate for teens/pre-teens. So... I started reading...

It is my opinion that these are truly adult novels. They are a serious love story and for the most part it is all very sweet and innocent but still it is a love story. Have you seen the Spiderman movie? There is a love scene in the movie and it is a bit tense - however the whole movie isn't about that. It is one scene - or maybe a few scenes. But this book is ALL love story. It isn't a really great story with a bit of love thrown in.

I read all 4 of the books and felt that the adult content grew with each book, especially the third and fourth book. I have heard people say that the 4th book contains the more "older" material but I honestly am not sure that the 3rd book isn't the same. Because of this content I just couldn't let Meaghan read them. (Although after telling her this, she said she didn't want to read them anyway as she had two other series she was in the middle of! LOL Funny how these things work out the way they do!)

I however really enjoyed these books. The author has a way of really bringing you into the story. You feel like you know the characters very well at the end of the series. I couldn't seem to put book 3 down!

Being a parent has been difficult with respect to knowing what movies, books, magazine, etc. that you will or won't let your children listen, read, etc. to. I guess I never really thought about that much when I was pregnant or they were toddling around. It is all too real now. I feel like I have to scrutinize everything. You cannot turn on a radio station or the TV and not hear the word B*st*rd, B*tch, or the like. I am amazed at what can be talked about on radio and TV shows.

I don't claim to be perfect and I certainly know my children get exposed to lots of things on their own very well however I don't have to hand it to them, pop it in the video player, turn it on, etc. Do I think it is a bad thing if your children read these books? No way. Just like I don't think it is bad if you let your children read any other book or watch any other movie my kids haven't been allowed to read/see. Each child is so different and so is each family. I really feel that that HAS to be geared on a more individual basis. What I might think is adult content for my family may totally not be the same for you.

It is like PG-13 movies. I know some parents that won't let their under 13 children watch any of the PG-13 movies. I have chosen to allow my children to watch several of them. Do I feel judged by these parents? No. We each have to do what we feel is best for our children. My opinion is just that - an opinion. One thing I think we need to do as parents is stop criticising other parents and their parenting methods. If it works for them and their children are healthy and happy - so be it. God didn't make us the same and he definately didn't make our kids the same.

Ok... enought ranting. I guess just want everyone to get along. It is in my nature. I love learning from others who have different view points from me. I have grown in so many ways from them. I never want people to stop sharing what they believe, just because it is different than me. I am who I am because of this.

So, now what shall I read next? I wanted to read the Inkheart series next but not sure... maybe something else is calling my name. Whatever it is - I better think quick as I have a lot more books to read to get to my 50 for the year!

2009 New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-09T16:49:00.004-06:00

On my sister's blog - Green Daisies, she wrote about her New Year's Resolutions and so I thought I would follow suit and write about mine too. Here they are:

1) I would like to loose 60 pounds by my 40th birthday (which is in Oct). I want to look FAB on my birthday and go somewhere I can wear something super sexy and cute! I started a new blog which will be entire devoted to my weight loss. I have heard that journaling while dieting can be very helpful - so I thought I would give it a try. If you are on this same journey, come and join me. We can support one another through THICK AND THIN! My new blogs address:
Sexy and Skinny Hippo

2) De-clutter my house and my life. I would like to start saying NO more to things and activities that clutter up my life. I want to spend time with people I really enjoy spending time with. I want to do activities I LOVE. I also want to declutter my house one room at a time. I want to paint the entire house and start small remodeling / redecorating projects. We have lived in this house almost 11 years and I haven't really done anything since we moved in. I think it is time!

3) I want to read 50 books! I originally wanted to read 100, like my friend over at The Fabulous Follies of a Freaky Family but I realized that is like over 2 books a week!!! Ugh... not going to happen unless they are kiddie books! LOL So, I am going to try 50 and see how that goes. I am going to try to keep track of them on my blog (see bookshelf on the right bottom).

4) This should be #1 on my list -It is to not yell at my children as much. I am a yeller in general and I need to STOP it! I yell silly thing like, come here, etc. let alone the yelling I do when I am angry to upset. I really really want to work on this!

5) I want to start scrapbooking again. My sister-in-law, Kristy and I did a scrapbook for my MIL this Christmas and it felt so good when we were completed with it. I want to start doing this to preserve the photos and the memories. That is something that is really important to me.

Who am I, Elastimom?

2009-01-09T13:10:00.004-06:00

I heard that there was a place online where you could find famous character "recipes" for your Wii Mii's. So, while I was doing laundry this morning (piles and piles of it) I decided to go online to see what I could find. I found this site: Miicharacters.com

It was fun to look through all of the cool Mii's! I am going to make Elastigirl from the Incredibles movie. Why Elastigirl? Well, my kids will be in the way back seat of the van and want me to pass them something. So I always tease them by saying, "Who do you think I am? Elastimom?"

Christmas Eve Photos

2009-01-07T01:59:00.003-06:00

One of my friends, Tricia, gave me this GREAT idea. Have the kids all sit for a photo before they get to open their gifts. So, I tried it on Christmas Eve after Mass. They were still sort of dressed up and looking adorable so I snapped a few. Connor however was dying in his sweater, hence the white t-shirt and Kiera wasn't sporting those wild pants for church but you get the idea! :)

Three Beautiful Babies

2009-01-07T01:41:00.005-06:00

Three of my sisters had babies this year. My sister Liz got them all outfits from the same Gymboree line and they took photos of them all together. Aren't they adorable???
(If you know me, you know I LOVE Gymboree. I actually loved this Veggie line. Even Kiera had one of those pea hats! Plus I also got a matching one for my friend Linda's baby because I thought this line was just so adorable! Guess my sister and I think alike!)

Lainy says you guys are making me sleepy!

Calvin is the newest addition to the Hall family

and Brice is my sweet Godchild

The Three Beautiful Babies

New Years Eve Party

2009-01-07T00:37:00.007-06:00

My sister Liz and her husband Nick hosted a Six Sister New Years Eve Party! In attendance were 6 of us Hall sisters and 4 of us have spouses and a whole lot of children - 13 to be exact - plus 2 dogs!

During the day the guys went to the Casino, to a bar and to watch the Rivermen Hockey Game. Us girls went grocery shopping, played games and chatted like only sisters do! The kids played NON-stop the entire time!

For dinner the adults had Sushi and lots of fancy appetizers. We ate WAY too much food when it was all said and done. Plus we drank WAY too many drinks! After midnight the kids and adults were found dancing around the living room and playing with all of the noise-makers!

We all slept over and then the next day we Catholics went to mass, the parents came down. Then the girls went shopping while the guys and kids played Guitar Hero and watched football. We all went out to Avantis for Birthday dinner for our mom - her birthday is January 1st! A fabulous few days were had by all! Thanks Pratt family!

Liz and Becky choosing their pieces

Tori, Maddie and Meaghan - Beautiful Girls!

Tori and Meaghan jamming

Three of the guys

Josh and Shannon playing the Wii

My cute Kiera

My sister Kate

Eating Sushi with the girls

Nick and Lainy

Pam and Josh

Pam, Becky and Brice

Nate and Waldo dancing

Leon and Ashton playing pool

Beautiful Strawberries

What is on your list?

2009-01-07T00:20:00.004-06:00

Ok... totally materialistic I know but as I sit here and look at my Christmas tree and all of the gifts under it I trying to think about what my favorite gifts were this year and why? (Yes! It is STILL up! But hey, technically today is Epiphany and the official end of Christmas!)

Here are some of mine:

* My huge box of LUSH bath stuff! Darren spoils me with his LUSH! If you have never tried LUSH you really should. You will never take a bath the same way again.

* My Keurig one cup coffee maker. I wasn't sure if I would like this or not but I LOVE it! I love that I can just have a cup of coffee whenever I want one without all of the hassle. I just pop in a cup and push one button. It keeps the water in the unit heated and ready to go. I have to find some more flavors I like and experiment a bit more on the "fill-your-own" basket.

* My sapphire and diamond necklace - Darren got me this beautiful white gold necklace and I think I have worn it every day since. I will have to take a photo and get it up here!

* My Pampered Chef cheese board with little dishes for dips and stuff. I love that kind of stuff - great for appetizers. Also my Pampered Chef utensils! Love love love them!

* My huge beautiful beach towel from Pottery Barn! With a pool it seems that I never have a NICE beach towel - this one will have to be savored and used sparingly!

* My initialized insulated tote bag - very chic! I will look so cute carrying it to our weekly homeschool group.

* $ from my In-laws, which I used to buy Animal Crossing for the Wii! I know... silly but so much fun!

* $ from my hubby to go buy CLOTHES! I realized that I am always buying clothes for the kids but hardly ever for myself. It is a goal this year to pamper myself more!

And probably by far my favorite gift... My gold and emerald heart necklace from Connor. He picked it out JUST for me It means the world to me - what a doll face!

So, what gift did you love getting (or giving) and why?

I wonder...

2008-12-29T23:50:00.004-06:00

I have entered the world of Facebook and have been enjoying looking for lost friends.

I just have to say though that I am amazed at how different people look from what I remember. I wonder to myself... do I look that different? Like, if people saw me would they know who I was? I know I am WAY heavier but do I still look like Jenny Hall?

Facebook also makes me very aware of just how old I really am. Most of my "old" friends have children that are teenagers and high schoolers. That seems so odd to me but really it isn't. If I had gotten pregnant right out of high school, I could have a 21 year old. So technically I could even be a grandmother!! Nothing like a smack in the face with reality huh?

I am glad I had children later on - I think it has made me stay younger longer! Although I can honestly say I feel older with the big 40 creeping up on me!

Come See us Dance and Sing!

2008-12-27T12:45:00.001-06:00

Come see us dance and sing! Click HERE!

Hope you and your family are enjoying these Days of Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-25T02:01:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

100th post in 2008!

2008-12-24T00:36:00.002-06:00

Tonight I posted my 100th post in the year 2008! I wanted to reach 100 this year and I have just barely made it! I have been blogging for 2 1/2 years and have really enjoyed it. I posted 40+ posts in the 6 months I blogged in 2006 and 60+ in the year 2007 so it only seems fitting that I post 100+ in the year 2008! So what shall my goal be for 2009? Hmmm - maybe 150?

Beer Braised Brat Wraps

2008-12-24T00:11:00.006-06:00

I promise you this isn't a food blog but lately with the weather the way it is and I have found myself baking and cooking more recipes that I just have to share lately.

Darren brought me the paper last week and showed me a recipe in the Food section. It was for Beer Braised Brat Wraps. I took that as a subtle hint that he would like me to make it for him. I know he was thinking... beer... brats... how could I not point out that recipe!

I decided to make them tonight. I wasn't sure with all of the onions that I would like them. Now don't panic... I didn't actually EAT the onions! But this recipe combines Greek and German tastes, which was very Yummy!

Here is the recipe and a few photos:

Beer Braised Brat Wraps
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 5 (I doubled the recipe for our family)

1 TBS canola oil or vegetable oil
5 bratwursts
2 large yellow onions, sliced
12-oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
12-oz bottle ale or other beer
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch cloves
Five 6 1/2-inch pita pockets
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the brats and brown on all sides. (I used a separate frying pan for this part and I cut the brats in 1/2 so that they would cook faster and I would have less fat in the final pot.)

Add the onions, roasted red peppers, beer, mustard, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves.
Bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Uncover the pot and continue simmering until the liquid is thick, about another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange the pita pockets on a plate (I like to heat them slightly in the microwave.) You can open the pitas or put the ingredients on top of the flat bread. I cut each pita in half so that we could stuff them.

When the sausages are done remove them from the pot and slice each into long slices. Arrange the slices in the pita pocket. Add some feta cheese and some onions and red peppers and then add some more cheese. I also added a few tablespoons of the sauce from the pot.

More cookie baking

2008-12-24T00:00:00.003-06:00

Today we were suppose to have a Christmas party at our house. It was cancelled because of the weather. The kids were disappointed (and so was I) so we decided to make our cookies instead. I had made 2 batches of dough for the party and we didn't want it to go to waste so to work we went. First the rolling and cutting, then the icing and sprinkles! Beautiful!

Check out the photo of Meaghan in the photo below - she is so upset because she thinks she is a terrible cookie maker! It is too funny!! Oh and be sure to ignore my messy desk and piles of papers by the desk!!! Ugh... why does everything look 10x worse in a photo!!!

Can you find???

2008-12-23T23:59:00.002-06:00

Can you find our cat Mia hiding under the tree???

Too cute!

Look who has braces!

2008-12-21T00:02:00.003-06:00

Meaghan is now officially a pre-teen!!! She has contacts and braces! She got part of her braces on December 11th and more on December 18th. She has been in a lot of pain so I feel so sorry for her. I cannot imagine. Just looking at them hurt my mouth!

More and more cookies!

2008-12-20T23:23:00.003-06:00

As if all the baking I did last Sunday wasn't enough tonight I baked 7 dozen or so more! I am doing a cookie exchange tomorrow and we have to bring 6 dozen. I wanted to make and take the Rugelauch from the Dorrie Greenspan book; Baking From My Home to Yours but I made them and just wasn't sure they were the cookie I should bring. I had tried the Chocolate Chunkers from the same book, my friend She's Cookin' Now made them for the Tuesday's With Dorie group and they were SO yummy! So, I thought I would try my hand at them too.

These cookies are ALL chocolate and very rich and yummy! If you like chocolate - these cookies are for you. I recommend that you use really good chocolate for these cookies. I even used a bar of swiss chocolate that Darren got me from Canada. I don't think I ever really realized the value of good chocolate. I used to buy the cheepo chocolate chips from Aldi and think that was good enough! Well, honestly I am sure it is fine for the most part but if you want a really good and decident cookie - spring for the good chocolate. You will notice it in your pocketbook though. These cookies have 19 ounces of chocolate in ONE batch - which makes 2 dozen of cookies. I will admit that I made them a bit smaller and got more out of each batch I made. I just felt that when they were too big - they were too rich. I think I got like 3 dozen out of a batch. I used the small pampered chef scoop and overfilled it.

Chocolate Chunkers

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks,or 1 cup store brought chocolate chips or chunks
6 ounces premium-quality milk or white chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips or chunks
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts, preferable salted peanuts or toasted pecans
1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or finely chopped moist, plump dried apricots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mates.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Set a heatproofbowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the butter, bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, just until meleted - the chocolate and butter should be smooth and shiny but not so hot that the butter seperates. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it on the counter to cool.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and suger together on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until they are pale and foamy. Beat in the vanilla extract, then scrape down the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted butter and chocolate, mixing only until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, then, on low speed add the dry ingredients. Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick, smooth and shiny. Scrpe down the bowl and, using the rubber spatula, mix in the semi-sweet and milk (or white) chocolate chunks, nuts and raisins - you'll have more crunchies than dough at this point. (The dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Drop the dough by generously heaping tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet leaving about an inch of space between the mounds of dough.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. The tops of the cookies will loook at liitel dry but the intereiors should still be soft. Remove the baking sheets and carefully, using a broad metal spatula, life the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Notes:

- I didn't use the double boiler method - I melted the chocolate in the microwave 30 seconds at a time.

- I used dried cherries instead of raisins. You could also use dried cranberries.

- I used a mixture of white chocolate with red and green swirls and milk chocolate. I wish I had just used all white chocolate with red and green swirls. I thnk the cookies would have looked more festive.

- I used pecans for the nuts.

- I found that these cookies don't really spread out - so I kind of "smooshed" them out once I scooped them (with my mini-cookie scoop from Pampered Chef).

- Don't overcook. I did this with the first batch and I think they are better undercooked a little bit.

Now... don't laugh but I found another recipe I am going to make tomorrow - Eggnog Snickerdoodles. They sound so yummy! Rum and Brandy... Yum!!!

Stratego

2008-12-20T23:20:00.002-06:00

My kids and I have really enjoyed playing the game Stratego lately. I got it at a garage sale this summer because I always wanted to play it and we have been enjoying it these cold winter days. Anyone else play? We could have a Stratego tournament.

St. Nicholas Day

2008-12-15T23:13:00.003-06:00

We celebrate St. Nicholas Day (December 6th) in our family ever since I was in a women's group at church and we talked about Our Catholic Traditions. A lady in the group talked to us about how she celebrated St. Nicholas Day. We then awoke the next day to a basket of goodies and a beautiful book about St. Nicholas. It was such a surprise. We have been celebrating St. Nicholas Day ever since. The idea that someone would shower our family with love unbeknownst to us a very cool thing to me. It will always have a special place in my heart. I recently spoke to this same fabulous lady about St. Lucia day and she shared how she celebrated that as well and I plan on adding that to our traditions next year. It is a goal of mine to try to start a new tradition revolving around the saints every year.

This year the day before St. Nicholas Day was the first Friday of the month and our Catholic Home school group - TORCH, gets together every first Friday for Mass and celebrations. Being that it was so close to St. Nicholas Day we had Mass at my church, Our Lady of the Lake, and then we held a St. Nicholas Day celebration. We made Salt Dough Ornaments, play Saint Bingo, played a St. Nicholas game (like Cootie) and had a pizza party. When we started the party, I told the children we were going to play a game and I had them take off their shoes and put them into the hallway. Then I told them I changed my mind and first wanted to read them the story of St. Nicholas. After the story, a parent entered the room and told us that something had happened to the shoes in the hallway. It was very convincing and the children ran out into the hallway only to discover their shoes neatly lined up in the hall and filled with all sorts of goodies. Oranges, candy canes, candy, etc. They were so excited! I had so much fun seeing and hearing their reactions. It was a fun afternoon and I was glad to have shared such a special day with everyone there.

That night, Saint Nick Eve, my kids wrote their Christmas wish lists to St. Nick and put them in their boots and set them outside their bedroom doors. In the morning they were filled with oranges, nuts, and a few other goodies. We then had a fancy breakfast with china, wine glasses, etc. The kids always think that part is very fun. When they were in school they went into school late but now that we home school they get the day off of school! (Even better!)

Cookie Baking

2008-12-15T20:04:00.004-06:00

We baked ALL day yesterday at my mom and dads house! Here is who joined us baking; Mom, Liz(Sis) and Lainy(Niece), Kate(Sis), Tori(Sis), Kristy (sister-in-law), my kids and Meg's friend Hannah. We made 14 different kind of cookies - yes... 14! Here is a list of what we made - I wish we had keep track of how many dozen total! My feet were sure sore from standing in the kitchen all day but it was so much fun!

1) Fudge
2) Butterscotch and Chow Mein Noodle cookies (cannot remember the name)
3) White chocolate, rice crispies, peanuts, m-m balls (again cannot remember the name)
4) Chocolate Covered Cherries cookies
5) Good Cookies (pastry wrapped up with nuts, sugar, etc) crescent shaped
6) Rugelach (pastry like above but with chocolate and dried cherries)
7) Jewish Bread (Date/Nut bars)
8) Peanut Butter Blossoms (peanut butter cookie with choc kisses)
9) Hungarian cookies (poppy seed butter cookie with cream cheese filling)
10) Peanut butter chocolate cookies (just like a peanut butter cup)
11) Cut Out Sugar Cookies
12) Chocolate Lollipops (Oreo cookies/nuts)
13) Chocolate candy -(peanut butter kisses with chocolate)

Have fun with your Christmas Cookie baking!!! Now... to figure out what to make for my cookies exchange on Sunday???

The Doghouse

2008-12-12T09:20:00.000-06:00

If you haven't viewed the clip The Doghouse and are in the mood for a chuckle - go view it now.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

2008-12-12T09:02:00.005-06:00

In honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe today we are going to decorate the house today and then go to mass and an Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration at Holy Cross. It is the only day we have available until Christmas as a family and so today is the day! Also we are to bring our nativity baby Jesus' to have them blessed tonight and I haven't the faintest where they are... so let the digging begin!

We used to go get a real tree and that would start the decorating. Everything had its place. Everything was carefully dusted and then the items placed just so. Well, now we changed to an artificial tree (better for the earth and easier to pull out at the last minute) and I have four joyous children who grab decorations and throw them everywhere they think they look good. Which can be quite interesting! However, they almost entirely decroate the tree themselves now - something I don't love to do. They have their box of ornaments and they go to town! Like other things done with children, decorating for Christmas has softened me or a better phrase - "mommy'd me". I love it and wouldn't change it for the world.

Now... to go make some egg nog.... :)

Every year one of the children get to put the STAR on the top of the tree when we are all done decorating it. This was Meg's year - here she is putting it on.

Christmas Cookies

2008-12-10T14:51:00.005-06:00

On a happier note I am more in the Advent/Christmas spirit today. We worked on school and then painted our Salt Dough Cookies today. The kids had fun mixing colors and so we also worked on what primary and secondary colors (see how easy homeschooling is?). We are going to have to make some more salt dough though- it was such a big hit with the kids and their pieces are beautiful!

To make Salt Dough take 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt and appox 1 cup warm water. Mix well, cut out or shape and then bake on 200 degrees for several hours. After they are good and dried, paint and varnish them. If you seal them well they will last for years to come. Oh and don't forget to initial and date the backs so you will always remember whose is whose!

After all of this salt dough making I am ready for some real cookie making. So, on Sunday we are going to my parents to make Christmas cookies with most of my family. It should be lots of fun - you know I love baking! I am also in cookie exchange with my dear friend over at She's Cookin Now so I have to come up with something divine for that exchange. She is a fabulous cook so the challenge is definitely on!

Here are some Christmas Cookie Rules for you to follow - I know they sure have helped me!

1. If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test and thus calorie free.

2. If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie calories.

3. If a friend comes over while you are making your Christmas cookies and needs to sample, you must sample with your friend. Because your friend's first cookie is calories free rule #1 is yours also. It would be rude to let your friend sample alone, and being the friend that you are makes your cookie calorie free.

4. Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and eventually fall off as you move. This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.

5. Any calories consumed during the frosting of the Christmas cookies will be used up because it takes many calories to lick excess frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.

6. Cookies colored red or green have very few calories. Red ones have 3 and green ones have 5 - one calorie for each letter. Make more red ones!

7. Cookies eaten while watching Miracle on 34th Street have no calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.

8. As always, cookie pieces contain no calories because the process of breaking causes calorie leakage.

9. Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate has no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate. We all know how calories like to CLING!

And finally...

10. Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed have no calories because cookies used for medicinal purposes NEVER have calories. It's a rule!

One of those days...

2008-12-09T20:56:00.003-06:00

I had one of those days today... you know the one where you wonder why in the world God made you a mother?

I honestly am not sure why He gave me these four precious children. Today it was just one thing after another. I am not sure if on these days I am just more sensitive or if my children are just even more ornery.

I just feel sometimes like I have failed as a mother. I try to do my best to raise well behaved children and then I take them out into public, think everything is going swell and then BAM... it isn't so.

So that sets me off and the rest of the day I am a bear to be around and I question everything about my parenting and life in general.

Today we were at the library for a homeschooling event and a mom told me that she saw two children wrestling in the children's part of the library. I was like... no, that wouldn't be my children. Then she points to Nathaniel and said that he was one of the boys wrestling. UGH... so I was quite sure that my two WERE the ones that were wrestling. I got them out of the library right away and then did the "lecture" all the way in the car. They both admitted that they were wrestling and then pouted.

The thing is. They just should know better. At least I think that they should. If I was a decent mother, I would have taught them to behave better right? And yet, I run into these things with the boys WAY too often. I feel like such a failure over and over. Here I am homeschooling my children, reading to them all the time, limiting video games, letting them watch almost no TV, using gentle discipline (well most days - definitely NOT today), talking to them respectfully, taking them to museums, the library, field trips, etc. you know trying to be a good mother like everyone else and yet... it doesn't seem to matter in the slightest. I still have my struggles.

Maybe I am just hormonal, stressed, whiny or whatever but I just feel like life should be getting easier as I get older and less complicated but my friendships, family and finances seem to be more complicated and harder.

Ok... whine over... now to go get me some more wine!

One of my Favorite Stores

2008-12-08T15:33:00.005-06:00

I went to Monticello today. Meg had a dentist apt with Dr. Wintersteen today (who is the best by the way - which is why we drive all the way to Monicello) and so afterwards we stopped by Bee Active Toys. If you have never been there you should make a trip of it. Prairie Fire Glass is across the street, there are several other cute shops next to Bee Active Toys and you can stop by The Brown Bag for lunch! They also have a blog - it can be found here Bee Active Toys Blog.

If you have ever been to The Art Mart toy store in Urbana, it is similar to that, only I feel this store has a lot more available. Don't get me wrong though, I do like Art Mart and they do have the best Playmobil selection but I also like to give high-fives to nice toy stores! I just hate most of the junk from China in Wal-Mart and Target these days. I really would like to promote good quality toys! I am a toy lover - I would love to have a toy store of my own someday. But for now I can just support the other great toy stores out there.

Here are some of my favorite toys out there right now:

Magnetic Mosaics, Qwirkle, Set Cubed (Set is a GREAT game and if you don't have it you should get it for a stocking stuffer this year!), Banagrams, and the Schleich or Papo figures. I also really like logic/challenging type of games like Rush Hour, Safari, Traffic Jam. There is a new one with candy pieces I played with at Bee Active Toys today called Chocolate Fix Puzzle I really want to buy for the kids.

What are your favorite toys this year?

Cheap Gas

2008-12-02T01:19:00.002-06:00

I just have to jump on here again and say... I filled up my van with gas tonight and it was under $20!!! I was so excited! I paid $1.25 a gallon! I was using Pump Perks points - a thing with IGA and Shell. You get points for certain items you buy at IGA and then you get so many cents off per gallon but to 15 gallons. It isn't much but so cool when you get out of there under $20!!!

My Favorite Things

2008-11-30T21:36:00.007-06:00

My favorite things...

So after thinking of things I am thankful for I thought I would list my "favorite things". Kind of like Ophras list - only on the poor folk scale! I have seen Ophra's favorite items show a few times and I really like to see what new stuff she has on there but honestly... who can afford 1/2 of that stuff? So, I will list things you might actually use or purchase without taking a loan out! I will start with Purple Hippos... hippos are great and I think they are about my favorite animal. I have two of them staring at me right now as I type this list... but... I digress...here is my list. (Actually I think should have added - Putting three periods in a row like this... - pretty neat huh? Fun too, and one of my FAVORITE things to do!)

1)My Fiskars 12" paper cutter - It is one that cuts 12" papers - I use it ALL the time - probably daily! I love that you can get replacement blades. I have had mine forever and it still works like the day I got it!

2) C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine - I got this tube for Christmas last year from my mom (I think) - it is so yummy and really hydrates your lips, plus it gives them a little tint. I love love it!

3) Not really an item but something I use almost daily - the online library system. You go online and choose the books you want, then tell them which library you want them delivered to and wait for the email to tell me they are in. Then send my hubby to pick them up... :) I love this feature. I never can seem to find what I want when I am in the library and this way I get to search in all departments without leaving my chair! Now, I totally love going to the library as well and just browsing and touching all of the books but I cannot do it as often as I would like so this works!

4)Netflix - again, not an item but one of my favorite things. I get to sit here at night and find movies I am interested in and then put them on my Queue and presto they arrive in my mailbox. When we first signed up with Netflix we worried about not getting movies on time and having to wait but we haven't had that problem. We have a very fast turnaround. We mail the movie and it gets there the next day and then the next day they ship ours and then we get it the following day. We have three movies in circulation so we always have 1 or more movies here for our viewing.

5) Large visual timer - We originally got this clock to help with Kiera and her Sensory Processing Disorder but it has become a favorite tool for the whole household. It really helps with the kids because it is a visual reminder for them of the time they have left to complete or start something. We use it for all sorts of things, computer time, school work, taking baths, trampoline time, etc.

6)Pizza Stone - I use my pizza stone almost daily. It is perfectly seasoned (which means it will probably break soon!). I use it to cook most everything on. My favorite is cookies - it never burns them and cooks them very evenly. If you haven't used stoneware before - give a pizza stone a try. Only don't just use it for pizza - use it for everything (ok... not everything) you need to pop in the oven! And don't wash stoneware with soap. It is suppose to turn a dark color - that means it is seasoned well. They even have neat metal handles for holding your pizza stone. I have them but have never used them. I just use a hot mitt and that is that.

7) My Sigg Bottle - I have the Logic one. It goes everywhere with me. I LOVE it! I am a big water drinker and was buying bottles of water to take with me, or I was using a plastic reusable bottle. My friend Katie turned me on to these. She actually sells them in her home business. I linked to it above and I see that she has several of them on sale. Great Christmas idea! My sister also started selling http://www.sproutingup.com/kleankanteen.html. We have a few of them too. They are nice because you can get the ice cubes in them better but they don't have such cute designs. I love that I am helping the environment by using a reusable water bottle!

Happy Advent!

2008-11-30T21:23:00.005-06:00

Happy Advent! I just love the Advent season. Today's Mass was beautiful with all of the purple around! Purple is for Preparation... I hope to post more in December on how our family is preparing for Jesus to come!

Here is a photo I took a few years ago of our Advent wreath. If you don't have an Advent wreath I would highly suggest getting one and lighting it nightly with your family at dinner. There are all sorts of prayers you can read while lighting the candle nightly. You will need one wreath and 3 purple candles and 1 pink candle. The pink candle is lit on the 3rd Sunday in Advent. You can find the candles at CnA (local Catholic Book store) or places like Prairie Gardens. My kids also enjoy making or doing a daily Advent calendar. You can purchase them at places like Michael's, Party Store, religious book stores, etc. You open a door or present every day of Advent. One year the kids got a Playmobil one - they opened a little piece to go with a Playmobil set each night. This year, I just got the candy calendars. I also saw online where you make your own calendar with rings of construction paper but on each ring you put something the child will "do" that day. I love that idea and think that we will make those tomorrow. We can use purple, pink and white as the construction paper colors.

Please feel free to share what you do special to celebrate Advent in your family.

Halloween Cuties

2008-11-28T21:20:00.005-06:00

I never got to show off my Halloween cuties in their Costumes - here they are:

Meaghan was the White Witch from Narnia. She really wanted to wear an Indian Sari (like someone from India - not Native American) But she wanted to do this along with her Aunt Tori (and Tori was going to be in NY for Halloween) so... we created a last minute costume for her. We used an old white dress for the base and then I sewed on this sheer blue material and then made a fake fur cape. Meaghan made the icicle headpiece herself and it was the main attraction! The one drawback to her costume was that a lot of people thought she was the Statue of Liberty. I can see why they guessed that but she definitely didn't think so. :)

Nathaniel was a wizard. Everyone kept asking if he was a character from Lord of the Rings but he has never read nor seen LOR and so really has no idea who that is. He just wanted to be a wizard. I made his costume out of this beautiful brown velvety material. It has sequins every so often - beautiful material.

Connor was a clone from Star Wars. I have to say here that I just hate buying Halloween costumes. There is something in me that says that you should make them. I am sure this stems from my mom, who HATES Halloween by the way. She never let us trick-or-treat or anything like that but would make me these fabulous costumes every year. So, now I somehow feel I must do the same. Anyway... Connor saw this costume and LOVE LOVED it... I knew my homemade one, just wouldn't do the trick and so I conceded and bought it for him. He has worn it several times and I know will get good use out of it but I must admit (at least to you guys) that I just HATE IT! :)

And Kiera was a ballerina - of course! We found this costume at a used clothing sale and I scooped it up for her to play dress-up with. Well, she loved it so much that it became her costume for Halloween. Again - not homemade but very cute costume and I love the idea that it was a re-sale item.

Five Things I am Thankful For Today

2008-11-21T23:43:00.008-06:00

My dear friend, from 4 is Crazy started a list of "5 Things to be Thankful for Today". With this being the day after Thanksgiving I thought I would create such a list too. I know I have lots to be thankful for but here is a start. Be sure to add this to your blog too and pass it on.

What I am thankful for today:

1) My faith - I am thankful that I am Catholic! I was raised without religion and so I began searching and questioning a lot during the high school and college years. I had a friend in college who was Catholic and invited me to go to Mass with her. I went and fell in love with the Catholic faith. I continued to go with her, then went through RCIA (formal program in which you learn more about the Catholic faith) and eventually was baptized in the Catholic church. My faith is very important to me and I cannot imagine my life without it.

2) My husband - I am thankful for Darren my dh (dear husband)! He works very hard at his job so that I can stay home with the kids. I feel so blessed that I get to do this. He provides for us and supports me at home. He is very encouraging about homeschooling and all of my crazy ideas (which can be many!). He also does those yucky things I hate to do around the house. Like mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, putting up the Christmas lights, taking the van in to have the oil changed, etc. He recently took the boys out to sell their popcorn and is now helping them deliver it. This is something I absolutely DETEST and yet he does it with a happy heart! I love him and all he does for me (us!) so much!

3) My family - I am so thankful for my 4 children (and those in heaven as well), they have made me the person I am today. I never knew life could be so fun, amazing and wonderful! Take tonight for instance... I spent the last several hours (yes hours!!!) with the kids playing a video game. It was such a joy seeing them play together, as well as with me. They seem to find great joy in beating me! I wouldn't change these "mommy moments" for the WORLD! I am also very thankful for my sisters, sister-in-laws, parents, in-laws, etc. I am certainly blessed to have so many loving and caring family members. I just love family get-togethers anymore - there are more children every year in my family(3 new babies this year!) and it seems to be more and more fun! There are definately great advantages to being in a large family, especially when everyone in that large family HAS a large family of their own!

4) My friends - I am thankful for all of the caring friends I have. As you all know I am not very good in the friend department and so I am thankful that I have the friends I do. I hope they know that I do care about them and thank God for each of them. And if I haven't called (you all know I hate calling on the phone), emailed or seen you in awhile - know that I am thinking of you and hope to see you soon!

5) Our freedom - I am thankful that I live in a country that has the freedoms that we do. We have been studying history in our homeschool lately and I must admit that I never loved history but lately I find it fascinating and cannot seem to get enough of it. Anyway - I just didn't realize how very lucky we were to live in a place where we can worship freely, have a voice, a right to vote, and so much more. I am thankful for this and those who took those big steps and changed history time and time again.

Busy November

2008-11-21T23:09:00.002-06:00

Life here has been crazy as usual. We actually went to New York last week to see my sister, Pam, and her family. Darren had a job in Canada and so we hitched a ride. I was hoping that she would have her baby (#6 for her) while we were out there but she didn't. She ended up having a little boy (after 5 GIRLS!) on November 18th! The 18th is a pretty awesome day to be having a baby though! I am so excited that they finally had a BOY! We celebrated Meaghan's birthday while we were there. She really wanted to go see her cousins - so it was a nice birthday treat for her. We also went to the Strong Children's Museum in Rochester again- it was a great day! The kids had tons of fun and best of all it was FREE for us! We purchased a year membership to "most" Children's Museums in the US - we got ours in Decatur. It has sure been worth it! I think we paid a little over $100 for the year and we have access to all sorts of great museums. The last one we went to was in St. Louis - The Magic House! Fabulous museum - in fact we are planning on going again in December.

So this week we got back to work on school. It is hard to get back into the groove after taking a week off but I want to take next week and do a special Thanksgiving Lapbook and Unit so we had lots to get done this week. Here is where I got the Lapbook we will be working on. It is from Live and Learn Press If you haven't looked into lapbooking before - give it a try!

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. Darren is on vacation. We don't have any grand plans though. I wish we were going to Disney World but here we sit in the cold... Although after Thanksgiving comes the rush of Advent and Christmas. Next week I have to find my Advent Wreath!!! And prepare for St. Nicholas to come!

I will have photos from Meg's birthday and my new nephew soon!

All Souls Day

2008-11-02T20:28:00.003-06:00

Aladar Korosfoi-Kriesch
All Souls' Day --1910 Oil on canvas, 51,5 x 72,5 cm
Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest
(It is a Hungarian tradition to go to cemeteries to honor the dead)

Yesterday was All Saints Day and that is a day to remember the glories of Heaven and those Saint's that are already in Heaven.

Today we observed All Souls Day. As Roman Catholics we honor today as a day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have passed away and are still in purgatory.

All Souls' Day reminds us of our obligations to live holy lives and that there will be purification of the souls of those destined for Heaven (in purgatory). We pray for the faithful departed, those who have been baptized, but who need to be completely purified of all stain of sin before they come into full union with God in Heaven.

I thought about one of the first people I ever knew who died - Florance Standley. She was a neighbor of ours growing up and she died when she was pretty young. I loved Florance. I remember biking to her house, we would stop in to say Hi and she would always have a cool drink and cookies. Now, as a parent I appreciate it even more! She also taught me to blow on a piece of grass and make a whistle sound.

I also remember my friend Mike Griffith today. We were good friends growing up and he committed suicide shortly after Darren and I were married. It was awful loosing a friend that way. It just made me wonder if I could have done or said something more to him. His mother was so heartbroken as I can only imagine.

My grandparents were both killed in a car accident right before my wedding. That was tough. I so wanted them to be there. They had never met Darren in person. And that spring was their 50th Wedding Anniversary. I couldn't get work off (which was a $5 NOTHING job!) and so I didn't go. They died shortly afterwards. I SOOOO regret not going to the Anniversary. It would have been the last time we all would have been together. I hope I don't make that type of mistake again. Family and family memories are non-replaceable. A job is! I miss my grandma so much! I think of her often and try to talk about her to keep her memory alive. I just so wish my kids could have known her.

And recently we lost Darren's brother - Mike. This loss is still very fresh in our minds. We miss him so much and we pray for his soul every day. I so hope that he is in heaven with our Lord. This Christmas is going to be very hard on everyone in the McCoy family.

I know I have lost many others through the years but I thought I would just remember a few on my blog. If you think about it - say a prayer for the loved ones you have lost today and maybe say a prayer for those that don't have anyone praying for them -the lost souls.

Tea Time?

2008-10-30T23:31:00.003-05:00

I took Nathaniel to Cub Scouts the other day and came home to find my other 3 children having a Tea Party! It was so sweet! I had to snap a photo and post about it here! This school year we have incorporated "Tea Time" into our daily schedule. We have tea, cookies and say the Rosary together. (No, we don't usually dress up!) It has become a very special time of the day for us. On this particular day we didn't get to our regular Tea Time but they weren't going to allow that....

Cursillo Weekend

2008-10-30T23:07:00.006-05:00

Last weekend I went on a Cursillo weekend. I was able to really spend time working on my relationship with Christ. I also made several new friendships and strengthened some exsisting ones! In college, I attened a Kononia weekend and it was very moving but this was a life-changing weekend for me.

I kind of went into the Cursillo weekend thinking that it would just be nice to get away and spend time praying. It was all that and much more. I think that I really learned to listen to God as he speaks to me and to be more aware of him in my every day life.

I know my life is WAY to crowded lately with wordly things and I know this weekend is making me look more closely at my family, my relationships, my activities, and my time in general.

If you ever get a chance to go on a Cursillo weekend - GO! You won't regret it!

Shadows of Blue and Gray

2008-10-30T22:42:00.006-05:00

I am WAY behind on my posting. I thought I should post about our trip to the Shadows of the Blue and Gray in Princeton, IL. We went to this Civil War re-enactment on October 11th. Darren and I went to the first one and now their 12th one! I had read something in the paper about Civil War re-enactment's and it really interested me. So I thought we would take the kids and go to one. The article talked about how Civil War re-enactors really did it to preserve history. They don't do it to glorify war or anything like that. They just want people to NEVER forget it.

So, we headed out and spent most of the day talking to the people. They are there in their camps, hanging out, waiting to talk to the visitors. We talked to lots of different people and learned many things. I talked to a sweet lady for a LONG time about the garments that the women wore back then. The kids got to hold a rifle and find out just how HEAVY it was! Then we watched a short re-enactment on the field. The cannons were VERY loud and Connor and Kiera lost interest pretty quickly, but Nate and Meaghan seem to really enjoy it. They boys picked out hand carved wood rifles to take home, Kiera a hand-made broom, and Meaghan some ink and writing pens.

In the evening, they had a period dress Civil War Ball. Kate (my sister) and her boyfriend were attending along with Victoria (my sister). My mom sewed them beautiful gowns. While they were getting ready it looked like Meaghan would really like to go. So, we scurried around the dress-up tub and found a suitable outfit. It wasn't perfect but it worked. They posed for a few photos and then headed out.

They had a wonderful evening. We were told that they danced ALL night. Tori told us that a young boy asked Meaghan to dance RIGHT away and they didn't stop all night! Meaghan didn't even find out the boys name as they never stopped long enough to talk! LOL I loved it that there were families and all ages present at the Ball. I guess it is a big family affair. I just LOVE things like this. I think that THAT is how all dances should be! Not the tense, who is taking who, school dance! They danced old English dances - which I was amazed since they really didn't know how. But I guess there is an announcer and they say it is really quite easy!

They are talking plans for next year already! Meaghan and I have even looked at pattern at JoAnn's! I plan on making her a beautiful gown for next year and maybe the whole family can attend.

My Birthday Weekend!

2008-10-21T00:13:00.002-05:00

I thought I would share a bit about my lovely birthday weekend! We started out by heading to Peoria to go to Wildlife Scary Park. We got candy and road a Halloween train. It was pretty lame in my opinion, especially when compared to the Decatur Boo at the Zoo or Mickey's Not So Scary Party at Disney. That night we went to eat at a favorite restaurant of mine - Avanti's. Why oh why don't they open one of them up in Champaign? The next day - my birthday -we woke and went to a fabulous Catholic Religious Book Store (actually not just a bookstore - it had just about every religious anything you ever wanted. Tons of nativity sets - which I drooled over! Darren ended up buying me a Fontanini crucifix. I don't have a nice crucifix for our home and so it was 16 years in the coming! Then we headed up north to go hiking at Matthison State Park! It is one of my favorite places to hike and since we were going to be near the area on Saturday we decided to go. Lots of stairs and very crowded but it was still fun. We had beautiful fall weather - a bit on the cool side - perfect for hiking (and sweating!). Then we headed to my parents, where my sisters and mom created a lovely birthday dinner of Lasagna (my favorite meal) and CAKE! It sure pays to have such wonderful doting sisters, especially one that is taking a Cake decorating class! Wow - the Lemon Cake was DIVINE! I got gobs of great gifts - and so did Connor! A great time was had by all! Thanks everyone for the lovely birthday greetings and wishes!

Birthday Present Ideas???

2008-10-14T00:12:00.002-05:00

Ok... I need HELP! My Connor is going to be 7 in just 3 short days... actually I think it is now technically Tuesday here so I only have 2!!! Ah...

So, any great birthday ideas? I am just so stuck right now. I am thinking I will fall back with some Lego sets but I was hoping to come up with something a bit more original!

Anyone have anything their children just LOVE and play with all the time?