Advent has arrived!

We are all so excited that Advent has begun! We have our Advent wreath ready for tonight. We will have Dad bless the wreath using this blessing. Then we'll light our first candle for HOPE and sing Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel and Light One Candle from The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. We will also begin work on our first Jesse Tree. Jessica has an awesome post on the readings used and also includes links for coloring sheets, etc. Thanks so much for sharing all of your hard work with us! It looks like our tree will be made out of construction paper this year, which I'm ok with. I'm just looking forward to traveling this path in preparation for CHRISTmas. May we all draw closer to HIM and the TRUE meaning of Christmas! God Bless.

New Thanksgiving Favorites

The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving From A To Z is a book I'll be adding to our library. A must have for Thanksgiving reading!












I just had to share this adorable video. Mouse on the Mayflower is so cute and informative about the pilgrims journey and the first Thanksgiving! We borrowed ours from the library but, I'll definitely be on the look out for a copy to buy.

I want to wish everyone a very Blessed Thanksgiving and share this acrostic poem written by The House Cat. (Sorry I don't have time to work on making it look better. Hope you can click on it and read it. Our children are such an inspiration!)



oops. I noticed after posting this that she had whited out a word on V. the missing word is raised. God Bless :)

Gobble, Gobble

This is a really good book, with a great message! After reading it you may want to make these cute turkeys. Here's how ours turned out.

Honeybee's(above)

Buck's

FOR TODAY Monday,November 24, 2008 ...

Outside My Window...Looks like November should. Lots of leaves that crackle underfoot and are fun for the kids to play in.

I am thinking...How much my honey and I enjoyed Teams last night. It seems to be a rare occasion when we are ALL together.

I am thankful for...Gas logs that warm the room and warm coffee to warm the bones :)

From the learning rooms...All is quiet at the moment. Our blessings spent the night with their grandparents last night. Soon they'll be home and we'll get started having fun studying our Thanksgiving Unit Study that I've put together. Hope to post some pics later.

From the kitchen...Not much today but, tomorrow the scents of apple pie, vanilla cake and pumpkin will fill the air.

I am praying for... Jessica. So many of us know the pain of losing a child. Trust in God and His divine plan.



Here is picture thought I am sharing

Meet Buddy




Create your own day book entry at The Simple Woman.

Preparing for Advent

Advent is quickly approaching! If you're like me, you're not nearly as prepared as you'd like to be. I feel as though I'm still learning "how to prepare" for things. :)

What I need to do today:

-Make a list of all things needed for Thanksgiving and Advent. Since we'll be going out of town Wed. thru Sat. I need to be prepared!

-Buy Advent candles and pull out our Advent wreath.

-I had hoped to buy a ready made Jesse Tree but it didn't work out that way. So.. I guess we'll try our hand at making one using Domestic-Church's as a guide.

Looks like I'll spend a pretty good bit of time in the craft dept. Need: construction paper, twine, googly eyes, wooden dowels, wooden discs,etc..

I'm hoping my copy of Christmas Mosaic, An Illustrated Book Study for Advent and Christmas comes in before we leave. It'd be great to have it to read on the trip!

A Prayer of Thanksgiving by Snuggle Bug

A Thankful Prayer

I wake up in the morning,
With the sun warming my face.
And I know You’re showering down
For me; Abundant Grace.

As I start my brand-new day,
I know You’re there beside me,
And I feel so reassured
That You are there to guide me.

I know as I go feed my dog
That it’s a lovely day,
I feel so grateful for Your love
To make it feel this way.

My day goes on, filled with love
And gentle kindliness.
My family loves me very much,
I love them back with bliss.

The sun goes down, my day is done,
And I thank You that I’m living.
This day that You have sent me, Lord,
Ends with my Thanksgiving.

Pilgrim/Thanksgiving Unit

I forgot to add this to my post last night. This is another website I've come across in my research for study/activities for Thanksgiving. There's so much info here that it could be all you use to plan with. I especially like the worksheets close to the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

How Time Flies!

Wow! Time sure is flying by quickly. It seems as though it was just Wednesday yesterday! Well, every one's well now, only the house cat has a sore throat. Hopefully that will not turn into anything. I praying for good health for all, at least until the Monday after Thanksgiving :)



Buck had a great birthday.Now he likes to tell people that he's five big ones :)
One of my favorite family traditions is to make my child's birthday cake WITH them. This year the kids an I learned that an entire bottle of red food coloring only changes white cake batter to hot pink! Well, that just wouldn't do for our little man! So, at the House Cat's suggestion, we added a few blue drops and some yellow and ended up with an orange cake.

My honey had a birthday, too. He's such a blessing to us! The kids made a hand print poem book that turned out precious. I truly believe gifts from the heart are true treasures.

As for me, I'm trying my hardest to prepare for Thanksgiving and Advent. Yesterday I joined Enchanted Learning for the year. I'm also waiting on my copies ofChristmas Mosaic, and For the Love of Literature to come in. I need to remember to purchase our Advent candles. We'll need them the day after we return from our Thanksgiving trip.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'm hoping to make these turkeys,thankful tree's, and of course study the pilgrims and their voyage. Jessica over at Shower of Roses has a GREAT post sharing some books with us. I also hope to try out Jessica's cute cookies and her
Frosty Pumpkin Dessert.(recipe below)

Well I guess I'd better get busy! Thanksgiving is a week away and we have SO many things to prepare and be thankful for! God Bless, Lori


Frosty Pumpkin Dessert
32 gingersnap cookies, finely chopped (1 1/3 cups crumbs)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 (1/2 gallon) container vanilla ice cream, divided
2 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
2/3 cup toffee bits
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Pantry Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend
Directions:

Chop cookies with Food Chopper, Place butter in Small Micro-Cooker; microwave on HIGH 30 to 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in crumbs. Firmly press crumb mixture onto bottom of Springform Pan. Place in freezer.
Scoop half of the ice cream into Classic Batter Bowl using Ice Cream Dipper. Place in refrigerator 10 minutes to soften.
Fold 1 cup of the whipped topping and toffee bits into softened ice cream just until blended. Spread evenly over crust using All-Purpose Spreader. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
Place remaining ice cream in refrigerator 10 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, mix pumpkin, brown sugar and spice blend in batter bowl. Scoop softened ice cream into pumpkin mixture. Mix just until blended. Spread evenly over ice cream layer. Freeze until firm, about 8 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, place dessert in refrigerator 20 minutes for easier slicing. Fill Easy Accent Decorator with remaining whipped topping. Run Utility Knife around outside of dessert; remove collar from Springform pan. Smooth sides with spreader. Cut dessert into wedges. Garnish each serving with whipped topping and sprinkle with additional spice blend, if desired. Yield: 16 servings

Happy Birthday Buck!

Thank you God for the gift of a son. Please help him to grow in virtue and manliness as he spends the majority of his time with all of us girls :)

Thank You Veterans!

The name “Old Glory” was first applied to the U.S. flag by a young sea captain who lived in Salem, Mass. On his twenty-first birthday, March 17, 1824, Capt. William Driver was presented a beautiful flag by his mother and a group of local young ladies. Driver was delighted with the gift. He exclaimed, “I name her ‘Old Glory.’” Then Old Glory accompanied the captain on his many voyages.

Captain Driver quit the sea in 1837 and settled in Nashville, Tenn. On patriotic days, he displayed Old Glory proudly from a rope extending from his house to a tree across the street. After Tennessee seceded from the Union in 1861, Captain Driver hid Old Glory by sewing the flag inside a comforter. When Union soldiers entered Nashville on February 25, 1862, Driver removed Old Glory from its hiding place, carried the flag to the state capitol building, and proudly raised it for all to see.

Shortly before his death, the old sea captain placed a small bundle into the arms of his daughter. He said to her, “Mary Jane, this is my ship flag, Old Glory. It has been my constant companion. I love it as a mother loves her child. Cherish it as I have cherished it.”

The flag remained as a precious heirloom in the Driver family until 1922. Then it was sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where it is carefully preserved under glass today.


The kids and I are off the surprise Pop-paw with some homemade goodies and a little presentation. The House Cat and Snuggle Bug are going to try their hand at makingOrigami Stars and I'm going to help Buck and Honeybee with Patriotic Candles. Of course we'll sing some patriotic songs and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The highlight I'm sure will be Buck and Honeybee's rendition of I'm in the Lord's Army!

Papa, we wish we could surprise you too! We can't wait to see you on Thanksgiving!

Copywork by Snuggle Bug

We are praying for all of our deceased loved ones this month. May God bless us all with His peace and grace.

Pasta, Parmesan, and Poetry

Not to mention pudding, pops (Tootsie Roll) , and peppermints :)




What do you do when every one's got a cold and it's raining outside? Make some comfort food and open a good book. Our favorite selection today, a request from Snuggle Bug, was from The Harp and Laurel Wreath : Paul Revere's Ride.

My Daybook - Better Late Than Never

FOR TODAY... Friday Nov.7, 2008...

Outside My Window...The leaves are absolutely gorgeous! They are starting to fall from the Red Leaf Maple out front.

I am thinking...God is incredible!

From the learning rooms...Tissue boxes, Faith and Freedom Readers, creative writing.

From the kitchen...Coffee my honey made before he left for work:)

I am creating...Our reading list for November(letter B, Thanksgiving study)

I am hoping...Our colds go away soon.

I am hearing...Holy Baby DVD, Buck and Honeybee excited that the garbage truck is out front and that their "friend" on the back waved to them.

Around the house...BOOKS, BOOKS, and more BOOKS!

One of my favorite things...Clear sinus passages :)


A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:Staying in, trying to get well. I hope to begin work on our history timeline in the school room.

From my front yard...

Election 2008 Work

We really enjoyed our D is for Democracy unit study. (see below for links)


Snuggle Bug(9-right) and The House Cat (12-below) learned about The Electoral College and how it works. Choosing the President 2008: A Citizen's Guide to the Electoral Process was an excellent resource for this.








Buck(4) did a great job on his first notebook page. He and I had such a good time working on it together! At the top of the page he drew George Washington's belt with his knife and money bag. I thought it was so sweet that he told me, "this is where he kept the money he gave to help people."





Even though the election outcome was not what we prayed for, we trust in God and continue to pray for an END to abortion. GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.

Great site for coloring sheets, etc.!

Just wanted to share this great link for crafts, coloring sheets, etc. Tonight we're going to use the picture of the U.S.A. to keep track of the states, their electoral college votes, and how they end up voting. Hopefully I'll be able to share the outcome with you tomorrow.

Congratualtions to the Foss Family

Congratulations to Elizabeth Foss and her family on the birth of Sarah Anne. Many blessings are wished upon you all. Thanks so much for the inspiration you shed upon us all!

I am currently immersed in Serendipity,finding myself wanting to redo all of my curriculum!? :( or :)? I'm not sure what to do. I bought ALOT of Seton this year and have started Along the Alphabet Path, with Buck and Honeybee. I'm finding myself wanting to include the House Cat and Snuggle Bug in more and more activities. ARGGGGGGG! I love our Seton books but, I also love the Catholic Charlotte Mason approach. I know for now I'll probably continue to TRY to do both. However, I'm beginning to wonder about next "school" year's approach. I'm a planner so I need to see things laid out in front of me to a certain extent. At the same time I want to allow The Holy Spirit to guide our path. So it seems for today I'm confused about the future. Another good opportunity to "practice" trusting in God!

Thanks Mary for listening today!

What a Celebration!

We had an awesome ALL Saints Day! This year our homeschool group wasn't able to meet for our annual party so we had our own at home. Dad and I were so impressed with the kids work on their costumes and games. We enjoyed The Bountiful Bakery ran by St.Anne(Honeybee), St. Andrew's Fishing by St. Andrew(Buck), Armor Yourself With God by St. Joan of Arc(Snuggle Bug) and St. Cecilia's Angel Craft Corner By St. Cecilia(The House Cat). We had WAY too much food, but were happy to take and share at church this morning:) Hope you had a blessed day as well.



Thanks Eileen on Him for sharing the inspiration to surprise the kids with decorations. Seeing their faces light up was such a gift.












We had quite a feast!

Holy Ghost Cookies and Heavenly Haystacks


Saintly Subs and Sides


ALL YOU SAINTS OF HEAVEN - PRAY FOR US!