First Communion Cake

I got to do something very special last night in preparation for Ira's First Communion tomorrow.  I got to decorate his cake with my mama!  She is who taught me everything I know about cake decorating. We haven't done a cake together since Ira was a baby, so it was pretty special to me that we got to do this one together.  Since we moved away from the big city five years ago, we don't get to spend near as much time together as I would like, but last night we spent from 5:30pm to 2:00am working on this beautiful cake (and then she had to make the 35 minute trek home! God bless her!)  I will cherish last night forever.  And, I couldn't be more thrilled with how the cake turned out!!  I wanted something fancy and extraordinary to celebrate the most awesome sacrament of receiving God Himself.  I think we achieved that!  Many thanks to my mom for making the sacrifices she did to help me last night and also a big thanks to my Aunt Rosie for artistic advice!  Happy (almost) First Communion Day Ira!!

7 Quick Takes: Birthdays, Remodels, and Meltdowns

I've never linked up with anyone before, but I'm in a blogging rut, and 7 Quick Takes sounds really easy!  Off we go!

1. Ira's 8th Birthday is tomorrow.  We celebrated on Saturday with a party with family.  Ira wanted a Nacho Bar for his meal and a "New Super Mario Brothers" Cake. I found some awesome real food recipes to help the nacho bar not be such a gut bomb: carnitas, nacho cheese, pico de gallo.  The food was a hit and Ira was thrilled with his cake.  It's probably one of the best cakes I've ever decorated.  It took about 4 hours to decorate it, but the look on his face when he saw it was TOTALLY worth it!

2. We got new carpet!  The carpet that we replaced was original to the house from when it was built in 1984.  I don't really want to know what all was living and dead in that carpet, but we are THRILLED to have it gone!  It was low on the priority list of "things to redo" when we bought the house though because the old stuff was okay enough.  Finally, we are checking off the final boxes of totally flipping this house.  Since we bought 5 years ago we have: Replaced: all the flooring, every light fixture, and every faucet; Added ceiling fans to the bedrooms, Remodeled the kitchen, adding an eating bar and a dishwasher; Updated the main bathroom; Replaced the toilet in the half bath; Primed and painted every wall; Finished the basement; Added a perennial flower bed and vegetable garden, and are nearly finished with adding a 3rd bedroom.  It's been a lot of work and taken a lot of time, but we wanted to do it on a cash basis, so we are thrilled to be nearly finished!

Before

After

3. Homeschooling is going so wonderfully for us.  I cannot believe how well our first year has gone!  We are just weeks away from being finished with all of our curriculum for the year.  We are all looking forward to summer and I'm actually excited to start planning next year.  We will be basing our curriculum around Mater Amablis' recommendations once again - doing Level 1A, year 2.  I have been so pleased with their recommendations and have discovered some real GEMS of books that I'm sure I wouldn't have found otherwise.

4. We switched Ira to Saxon 54 after using ALEKS since the beginning of the school year.  ALEKS worked well for us in that we needed to accelerate through some things for Ira to find his learning level (he'd already finished 2nd grade Math in 1st grade at our Catholic School last year).  He finished with 3rd grade math in ALEKS in January, and after doing some Olympic-math in February, I assigned him to 4th grade math in ALEKS.  Then we started noticed he wasn't retaining some really important topics (like long division and fractions and all that good stuff)  To me, it's a twofold problem with ALEKS: first of all, there is no instructional dimension.  The child is set straightaway to working on problems, and have to click "Explain" if they don't understand it.  Well, that takes maturity first off, but I also felt like the explanations lacked depth.  So I supplemented with my own knowledge, which is fine in the younger math grades, but not so once we start getting further.  Secondly, the topical nature of ALEKS wasn't working for us.  Doing a topic and then being done with it without really any opportunity for review (other than when you log in the next day) just doesn't work for the math basics like multiplication and long division and rounding and fractions and decimals.  Or at least it didn't for us.  Having learned from Saxon for a number of years myself, and having taught it when I taught 4th grade, I was very familiar with their spiraling concept and felt like it was exactly what we needed.  We've been very pleased so far and will just continue with it next year.

5. Ruby had a total meltdown at Ira's birthday party because she offered him a plate when he started going through the nacho bar and he (rudely) told her he didn't need it because he already had one.  I took her to our room where we chilled out for probably half an hour.  We had a good talk about femininity and emotions.  She is such a beautiful girl with a big open heart and I am sure this will not be the last time we have that talk.  I am so blessed to have the opportunity to parent both a boy and a girl.  So different, both of them, and so wonderful!

6. Ruby and I got to hang out together while Andy and Ira worked at our parish's quilt bingo today.  Of course, the first thing she asked to do was paint.  It's her fravorite thing to do, so I obliged.  She painted a Christmas tree.  I painted my favorite bush, a forsythia.  It looked really bad until it dried, then I was shocked by how well it turned out.  While it was drying we read books and listened to music.  Then we played the longest game of Chutes and Ladders like ever.  That game can really get on my nerves...

7. I cannot get Jennifer Trapuzanno out of my mind/heart.  I don't even know her personally, but on Tuesday morning she posted in our NFP group on Facebook asking for prayers for her husband who had been mugged.  He ended up dying, leaving her behind, eight months pregnant with their first child, a daughter.  I cannot imagine the loss and heart-wrenching grief she is feeling right now.  Please keep her and her daughter in your thoughts and prayers in the days and weeks and months ahead.  If you feel moved to donate to their family, you can do so here.

Well that wasn't necessarily quick, but I got a lot of stuff dumped out of my head there.  Head on over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

What I Loved About Last Week - 15th Ed.

Sheesh, I didn't really take many pictures or write down much about last week (usually I write down keywords on a notepad by the computer) So this one's going to be from the 'ole noggin alone... results may vary...

Here's what I loved about last week - June 25 - July 1st.

1. Met with my Napro doctor again.  No, I am not pregnant. Keep praying on that one.  We have decided to pursue post-peak Progesterone shots to see if they make more of a difference than the Progesterone capsules were.  I am both excited and scared.  Excited because this is THE protocol that Pope Paul VI Institute in Nebraska would follow -  Scared because first off, it seems much more serious than just using progesterone capsules and secondly, because I have heard that the shots are painful.  The progesterone is compounded in sesame oil, which means that it is a thick shot – think cortisone shot.  It is administered in the rump (I know, laugh away) and has to be administered slowly because of how thick it is.  Andy gets to learn how to give them to me.  Fortunately, the progesterone is longer lasting than the capsules, meaning I only have to have the shots every 3 days.  Prayers for bravery (for me) and a steady hand (for Andy) would be appreciated!

2. Rubyisms.  Luckily, my light-of-my-life’s (Ira & Ruby) keep me from stressing too much over the shots.  Ruby has been obsessed with going out and playing in the snow lately.  I would think the hours that we spend outside each day would be enough to convince her that it is most certainly summer.  Nope. Pretty much every day this week, she’d ask, “Should we put on our pink mittens and go out and throw snow?!?!” And she was genuinely disappointed each time when I told her “There’s no snow, Ruby, it’s summer!”  So silly.

3. Garden dinners.  We are still battling the squash bugs (removing 100-200 eggs from the plants every few days) but luckily, it seems as though we’re at least keeping up with them, because we are still getting zucchini from the garden.  Seeing as how it was the end of the month, I had to get really creative with dinner one night last week.  We had like nothing left in the cupboards (or at least not enough to make a meal out of really… cheerios with black beans and green chilis anyone??) So, Andy smoked some zucchini slices and we topped them with couscous that I had made with tomatoes (canned from last year) basil, green onions (both from the garden), and balsamic vinegar.  It ended up being really delicious.  Even the kids loved it. (Ira has decided that his two-year-running dislike for zucchini is a thing of the past – HOORAY!)

4. Shopping with my mother-in-law.  I am seriously SO blessed by my mother and father in law.  They are about the nicest, most generous people you could ever know.  Last Thursday when we were talking during swimming lessons, she mentioned about going shopping to get the 4 grandkids clothes for having their picture taken together later in July.  Later that day, she picked us up and we went into town and got the kids some adorable coordinating outfits for pictures.  She also let Ira get some Angry Birds underwear, an Angry Birds shirt, some cool (size 2 big kids!) leather flip flops, and a Toy Story Book.  She got Ruby a purple tank top, Nike flip-flops, and a “You are my Sunshine” book.  No, my kids aren’t spoiled at all…  After shopping, we went and got drinks at Sonic (strawberry vanilla limeades – SO GOOD!)  Although the kids got a little antsy while shopping, we had so much fun and enjoyed the diversion from being at home all day.

5. 3-2-1 Cake.  My parents (also kind and generous) surprised us with six, yes 6! boxes of angel food cake.  On vacation, we learned how to make this awesome treat called 3-2-1 cake.  You use one box of angel food cake mix and mix it with a box of any other kind of cake mix (confetti, strawberry, yellow are some of our favorites) in a ziplock bag.  Then, when you’re ready for a sweet treat, you mix 3 Tablespoons of cake mix & 2 Tablespoons of water in a microwaveable mug.  Heat for 1 minute in the microwave and voila!  Delicious, easy, one serving of your favorite cake.  Try it, you won’t be disappointed!

6. Swimming lessons are over!  Ira didn’t pass, but he really improved his swimming a lot over the course of lessons.  I am sure that with some more time and practice, he will be able to pass next year.

7. Family day. Last Saturday, for once, we didn’t have anything at all planned.  We had a nice lazy morning and went swimming as a family in the afternoon.  Ruby, who is just about too big for her britches, decided that she likes to jump off the side of the pool all by herself. She jumps in and bobs to the top at which point we grab her and help her to the ladder (in 5 foot water no less.)  She and Ira spent the better part of an hour jumping in. I’m glad that she’s not afraid of the water, but I wish she feared it just a little bit more.  We’ve talked to her about never jumping into a pool when mommy or daddy aren’t in, but I’m just not sure how much of that she “gets.” Pretty glad at this point that nobody we know owns a pool.

8. Pickles.  For the first time, I canned some dill pickles on Sunday.  We had fresh dill from our garden and 8 pounds of pickling cukes that needed something done with them, so I pickled them with a recipe from my Ball Canning Book (Grandma’s Dill Pickles for those who also have the book.)  They are absolutely, positively delicious!  And the pickling cukes really are more crisp and crunchy.  We don’t normally eat a lot of dill pickles around here, so I had thought the 7 pints would last us all year.  However, with as tasty as these are, I’m guessing I’m going to have to make a lot more to last us through the whole year.

9. Early Independence Day.  We celebrated 4^th of July a few days early with Andy’s family.  On Sunday, we went out to their house and had brats (with our yummy dill pickles on top) and shot off fireworks.  Ira is still pretty leary of lighting anything (although he did let grandma pay him a dollar to light a smoke bomb.)  Ruby loved helping light things (again with the no healthy fear thing…) and doing sparklers.  Andy and I had fun throwing firecrackers in the lagoon and watching (and listening) to them explode.  While we were shooting fireworks, a kitten showed up and the kids had lots of fun petting it and holding it.  I tried my hand at some long-exposure photography (despite the fact that I didn’t have my tripod) with the fireworks.  I got a few good ones I think!  It was a great end to a great week!

Stomping snap-n-pops.

First shot

 

Last shot

What I Loved About Last Week (3rd Edition)

Happy Easter Season to all!!  We're on a roll here - 3 weeks in a row!
Here's what I loved about last week (April 2-8, 2012):

1.Miracle of miracles.  After my rant last week, the bike riding w/ training wheels reached a fever pitch on Tuesday when it took us FORTY-FIVE minutes to ride home (it's like a 5 minute ride.)  Two blocks from home, I said, "that's it, the training wheels are coming off at home!"  We took them off, and what do you know, Ira can ride on two wheels without training wheels!

2. Getting over Strep Throat.  Yes, that means that we all (with the exception of Ira) had Strep Throat last week.  Andy's had it about a million times, but I'd never had it (thought maybe I was immune to it or something.)  Alas, I am not, nor is Ruby apparently.  Props to the antibiotics for working FAST.  And props to people who deal with Strep regularly - it is NO FUN!

3. Good Friday.  Ira was off school.  While Ruby napped (from noon until three o'clock oddly enough) Ira and I both decorated one of his Birthday cakes together and prayed the Stations of the Cross with a Stations Booklet that I'd made from materials from Holy Heroes' Lenten Adventure.  He was also FULL of questions (had to have been the Holy Spirit) about other faiths, masculinity and femininity, authority of the Catholic Church/the Pope, and martyrs.  Thanks to the Holy Spirit's help, I feel very good about the answers I was able to give him.  It made me hopeful that he will always feel comfortable asking me questions that he has about our beautiful faith.

4. Like I said, we decorated a cake for Ira's birthday party together.  Ira refers to himself as the ace of cakes now.  I would say he did a pretty bang up job (with some help), wouldn't you?

5. Rubyisms.  She has been full of good ones lately.  She calls green olives "blue grapes" and has recently started saying "Goo grief," "What in the Lord (world)" and "Eeee my dooness (goodness)"  She is just too funny!

6. Ira's Birthday Cake.  One of my proudest yet.  I did a gel transfer (1st time) and although I messed it up a little transfering it, I was able to fix my mistakes for the most part, and ended up with one of my "proudest" cakes.  I was really, really excited with how it turned out.

7. We hosted about 30 people at our house on Saturday morning/afternoon for Ira's birthday party (aliens from Toy Story theme).  The weather was beautiful, the company was great, and the party was a blast.  I just can't believe that our little boy is SIX!

The sandwiches we served "alien style"

Playing with his new kite from my parents

8. We had a beautiful Easter (albeit busy.)  We went to Easter Mass in the morning, then to Andy's folks' house, then to my parents' house.  Ruby didn't take a nap all Easter weekend, and *spoiler alert for next week* she took a FOUR hour nap on Monday.  Can I get a WOOT!  And the Easter Bunny did not disappoint as far as the "Sacrifice Jar."  Look at what our table looked like on Easter Morning!

I love how Ruby looks like she's getting ready to punch someone.  And Ira, well, the sun was in his eyes, what can I say?