12th Day of Christmas!

Okay, so I'm slipping this one in a little past midnight... must be a Sunday night!

I ordered about a bajillion-and-a-half books from Amazon last night with some Christmas money.  I am SO excited to get them and start reading.  Following the lead of some people who inspire me, among other things I purchased "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis, "Anima Christi" by Mother Mary Francis, "The Four Cardinal Virtues" by Joseph Pieper, and "Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a Kempis.  Yeah... I'm going to be a busy girl this year!

After Mass today (where Ira sang loudly in my ear while I was trying to play piano, which is adorable and distracting all at the same time...) we started getting ready for the week by catching up on some laundry (that was still in baskets from when I didn't finish it 10 days ago...)  Then I got it in my head that we needed to go through our closets (I like to declutter at the beginning of the year... last weekend I went through our storage room and got rid of about 8 boxes of stuff.)  So we did that and did the hall closets as well.  3-4 More boxes of stuff!  Now I just need to work my way through the living room and kitchen and we should be good to go!

Tonight was back into the routine of lesson plans!  I am actually VERY excited to get back to school - our curriculum is SO AWESOME!  It is a rather eclectic curriculum of Mater Amabilis with some additions/substitutions (Logic of English, Noeo Science, ALEKS Math, Handwriting Without Tears, I Can Do All Things Art Curriculum and various religion books to supplement for Sacrament Prep.)  I have been thoroughly pleased with the Mater Amabilis book recommendations.  We have found some true gems that I'm sure we never would've come across otherwise.  And Mater Amabilis charges NOTHING for their plans (you have to buy all the books, but still, Michele Quigley has done a TON of work/research/etc. to create this beautiful curriculum and then offer it free of charge!)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I am astounded at how much we are loving homeschooling.  It has been SUCH a good fit for us!  And I am astounded at the grace God has given me to stick with it and be consistent.  I am usually neither of those things (which was one of the reasons I was worried about me homeschooling anyone... I really stink at perseverance/fortitude and consistency...) alas, His grace ABOUNDS!

Anyway, that was our today... Tomorrow will be here soon, so I better get to bed!  Before I go though, I'll leave you with a couple pictures from dinnertime.  Never a dull moment 'round here, I tell you what!

Look at those GUNS!

And look at that pretty princess in her homemade tiara!

What I Loved About Last Week 16th Ed.

Did you know this is my 200th post?!  Not bad for 4.5 3.5 years I guess...

Here's what I loved about July 2-8:

1. Made some zucchini bread.  That is a great way to use up a lot of zucchini (especially if you're gifting friends with the loaves.)  Does anyone have a healthy zucchini bread/muffin recipe that you'd be willing to share.  The recipe I have is delicious, but it calls for a CUP of oil.  I subbed a cup of unsweetened applesauce this time, but I wasn't super pleased with the results.  

2. 4th of July.  I have always held this date dear to my heart because it was always a big day for my family when I was growing up.  This year was especially poignant as it was the day we were due with our baby that we lost in November.  I hadn't given it a ton of thought during the day, and didn't say anything to anyone about it, but my sweet, loving daddy gave me a big hug at the end of the day and said that he'd been thinking about me all day.  It meant the world to me and still brings tears to my eyes that he remembered.  Although my arms are empty and my heart breaks, I am trying let my heart rest in God's plan for my life.  I heard this song this week and it took on a new meaning for me.

3. Independence Day Celebrations.  There are lots of traditions surrounding the 4th of July in my family.  Painting patriotic finger/toenails, parades, ice cream cones, cookouts, fireworks... And this 4th of July was no different.  We had a wonderful day!  I got to see all 3 of my best friends (although I didn't get a picture with Jolene), we spent time with my family and some more great friends, we played games, we shot firecrackers and lit dozens of smoke bombs, ate lots of ice cream cones, got candy at a parade, seriously, I couldn't have asked for a better day.  We had oh so much fun!

Ira doing a little dancing before the parade started.

Me and best friend from college, Brianna

Me and my best friend from high school, Laura

Ice cream face

4. Watched (finally) Toy Story 3 with Ira.  Ira absolutely loves the first 2 Toy Stories, but when Andy and I "pre-viewed" the 3rd one, we were worried that it might be a little too dramatic for him (when he got it a year or so ago.)  We finally decided to watch it with him one day while Ruby was taking her nap.  Wow.  He loved it, and it was so surreal to watch it with him.  I won't ruin any of the movie for those who still haven't seen it, but it's about the main character, Andy, growing up and going off to college.  I was literally bawling at the end (just like I did the first time we watched it, but probably even more so because I was watching it with my little boy.)  

5. Chronicles of Narnia.  I decided to start reading these aloud to Ira.  We started with "The Magician's Nephew" and I can't decide who is more into them, Ira, or me.  We've been reading a chapter or two a day and are on the 10th chapter right now.  It's been about 4 years since I read these, so I'm looking forward to reading them all again and sharing them with Ira in the process.

6. Charlie.  We finally (after about 8 months) brought our Charlie Brown (our chocolate lab) home.  8 months ago, he was digging/jumping out of his cage all. the. time. One of our kind neighbors (the one who died of a heart attack last December) brought him home more times than I know and I bailed him out of the pound once.  Not knowing what exactly to do, we took him to Andy's parent's house (the farm) until we could figure out a way to secure his kennel.   Andy had been saving leftover rebar from his jobsites and cutting them into 16-18" pieces to hammer in around the cage so that even if Charlie dug, he couldn't get out.  But we were still concerned about him staying in his small (10x10ft) kennel.  We priced fencing our yard with chain link, but it was ri.diculous.  Finally, Andy's parent's had the idea to buy more panels for his kennel.  It's more than double it's original size now and we are thrilled to have him back home.  Andy's parents nearly cried when we brought him home because he is such a good dog.  Ira and Charlie have become very good friends and play together every morning now after we feed him and fill up his water bowl and swimming pool (he's so spoiled.)  

Well, I think that about sums it up!  Have a great rest of the week!

Bookin-it

Last night when Andy was putting Ira to bed, he asked Andy to ask me to wake him 10 minutes early so that he could read one last book to finish up his 10-book "Book-It" goal for November.  I could not have been more proud!  Sure enough, when I woke him this morning, he was ready to read.  I just thought that was too sweet not to share!