Thursday, November 3, 2016

Ordinary Day

This girl.  She has been drawing a lot lately.  She found a sketch book and started sketching whatever she sees around her....first were some apples, then toy cars,  and then my handbag.....like she knows what a "still life" is.

Sarah is our youngest home schooler, and Luke is the oldest (at sixteen).
 Here he is working on Math.  He enjoys it, thankfully :)

My days seem to be just as busy as when all of our children were young, but in a different way.
And I'm constantly working on having our days run smoother.....

There was not a "highlight" to my day....no extra special outing or moment. My day was filled with the ordinary, the average, the mundane.......helping children, listening to children, flashcards, reading, laundry, dishes, etc...etc...etc....and it was the very best of days because of these very things.  I was productive.  Don't you always feel good when you are productive?

I made Chicken Pot Pie for dinner.

I've tried many pot pie recipes, but my favorite is the one from Joy of Cooking.
Classic, made from scratch yumminess.
After dinner, Sarah, Matt, and I enjoyed watching a few minutes of Planet Earth.  Sarah's pick.


"Holiness consists in the exercise of the virtues, one day after another in the environment and in the circumstances in which we live."
(In Conversation with God)

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Feast of All Saints!

This is how the dining table looked when the children woke up this morning.
I like to keep things VERY simple.  I used a white runner, holy cards and Saint statues we have owned for years, and lit some candles. 
We attended noon mass at our parish and listened to some beautiful sung versions of the Litany of the Saints on YouTube this afternoon.
This Feast Day is such a reminder to strive for holiness in our everyday life.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Halloween


Claire kindly offered to bake Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins for us as a special Halloween treat!
While we waited patiently for the muffins to bake, the children got to drink their hot chocolate.
We purchased candy for our children to share since they will not have an opportunity to trick-or-treat.
Claire is so crafty, and she came up with these simple Monster's Inc. T-shirt costumes for she and the boys to wear to dance.  Luke/Sully, Patrick/Mike Wazowski and Claire was Boo. 
Sarah was a Polar Bear.  She was so excited to go to ballet class in costume, and eat a cupcake that the teacher brought.
While the older children were at Nutcracker rehearsal, Matthew and Sarah enjoyed using a flashlight
and organizing/trading their candy.
Happy All Hallows' Eve!



Sunday, October 30, 2016

CAMPING!!!

We finally have some good camping weather here in Texas!
It was a last minute decision, but we grabbed our gear, loaded the van, and drove about two hours to our spot!







FIRE! Always the best part of camping.  
Playing "Spoons" in the tent.  There were lots of laughs.  It's such a gift to have this quality family time!


Had to get a treat on the way! :)


  



Ordination

 What a beautiful and holy occasion!  We attended an ordination at our Parish.  Here are the children with Bishop Lopes.