When Papa's gone, this always happens

Whenever Matt goes out of town, something always happens. It could be a dead battery on the van; it could be a kid gets sick; it could be abominable behavior. Sometimes these things do happen, but more often than not, we get off schedule and it leads to this: an overwhelming need to sort out the crayons. Because, "Mama, they are all old and broken."

Which leads to this:

sorting in a large area of the family room.

Which leads to this:

Melting them down into crayon circles in the oven.

Which leaves this by-product:

also known as "unfinished business."

And then, this sort of thing happens, just because there isn't anything else going on:

the dog licks all of his stitches out from his neutering surgery,

and has to be taken back to town again,

and then he won't let anyone touch the incision (guess I can't blame him there),

so he has to be sedated, taking another hour,

which means we have to go to Petsmart to spend money on this collar,

which means we have to hand feed him since he can't reach his food,

which of course means we have to check him every hour and water him too,

because he can't reach his water either.

Yeah, that's usually what happens when Matt is away.

We miss you, Papa!

Lego Bomb

Our family room floor--all day yesterday.

Knitting class

I'm considering teaching a few of the local home school moms to knit. There has been some interest, so I figured- "Why not?" We will be knitting these cute bunnies and chickens, with the goal of having them ready for our Easter baskets. Wish me (us) luck!
This bunny starts out as a simple square. Really, it does.
This chicken is a bit more involved, but do-able. In 2006, I knit 39 of these for the kids to take to school for Easter favors. They were a hit, but I probably won't be doing that again anytime soon. Gosh, another reason to love home schooling!

My baby isn't really a baby anymore...

Marty lost a top tooth today.

Guess I'm going to have to face it--my baby's growing up.

Ashes

We burned our palms from last year the other day, and the kids thought it was awesome.

Just as Jesus throws our sins into the fire and turns them to ash when we avail ourselves of the sacrament of reconcilliation. Yeah....that's AWESOME.

Lenten Activities--part 3

Lenten Countdown

I got this idea from Matilda over at 4Real:
http://tiredtwang.blogspot.com/2007/02/making-preparations-part-2.html
and thought it would be fun for the kids to "see" the forty days of Lent. When I shared this with some other moms, one of them had the idea to put on a family picture to move along the path. On Holy Thursday I will add a holy card of The Last Supper; on Good Friday, a sticker of the Crucified Christ and a"stone" to cover the tomb; and on Easter the "stone" will be rolled away to reveal a holy card of the Risen Christ. But, ssssshhhhhh.......the kids don't know that part!
Here's a picture of the chart as it is now, in our school/dining/family room;

Lenten Activities----part 2

Crown of Thorns and Sand

I cover a tray with sand and place a grapevine wreath on top. Dye toothpicks in strong coffee and lightly glue them to the wreath, to make the thorns.

In the center, I place a purple votive I found a t Dollar Tree last year. Usually, I put this in front of the kitchen sink on the bar. There, I can see it everyday (several times!) and am reminded that Lent is a "desert time."

On Saturday night (before Easter Sunday) after the kids are in bed, I pull the thorns off and decorate the wreath with a pretty spring ribbon and some silk flowers. A white pillar candle in the center represents the Triumph of the Cross--Jesus' ressurrection.

This stays in the same place where the desert scene was and reminds me of the Easter joy until Pentecost comes.

A side note: the location of this display is just inside our front door, where it is visible as we come and go. I have found it to be a good reminder for me to keep Lent, and then Easter, foremost in my mind when we leave the house and when we return.

Dad--Your hat is finished!!

Coming soon, to the daughter's house near you....

from the daughter's house not so near you.

I will be mailing this to Le-Le and she will felt it to fit you.