Beginning the Lenten Season

Yesterday we got busy and prepared for Lent. I got Amy's help making our traditional salt dough crown of thorns.

This year I changed the recipe a little. I used : 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of cinnamon, and about 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix with a spoon at first, then dig your hands in to finish up the mixing. It's smells heavenly!! Roll the dough into three long "snakes" and then carefully braid. Form the braid into a crown and then insert toothpicks which are removed from the completed crown when sacrifices are performed. Bake at 250 degrees for about 4 hours.

I really like the color of our crown. We usually need to paint our it, but the cinnamon makes it a very nice brown.

We also have started our Lent "learning wall". Our Lenten countdown calendar can be found over at Catholic Icing. We are also enjoying this years Holy Heroes Lenten Adventure.
This great programs offers free videos, coloring pages and worksheets. I especially love the Holy Heroes audio rosary. It gives such deep meaning of the mysteries geared toward children. It is a wonderful program to get our children's hearts and our own hearts ready for the coming of Easter.

Happy Mardi Gras!!!

Gracie found the baby!!!

The Courage of Sarah Noble Lapbook

It's been a while since I made a lapbook with any of the kids...so I headed over to Homeschool Share and browsed for hours (because there is so much to see on the site..and all for free).

I chose to have Grace make a The Courage of Sarah Noble lapbook. I knew this book would be easy for her to read. She reads on a fourth grade level, but I wanted her to be able to read the book on her own and also be able to complete the lapbook with little help from me.

All the needed printables are free over at Homeschool Share.

We learned about Newberry Honor books, the original 13 colonies, colonial cooking, new vocabulary words, Native Americans and much more.
It is a very complete unit study neatly rolled up into a lapbook.
And best of all, Grace has declared The Courage of Sarah Noble her favorite book of all time.
She also told me that she looked forward to growing up and making this lapbook with her own daughter.

To finish our unit, Grace made us all johnny cake for lunch...the same meal Sarah made for her father.

They came out wonderfully yummy, made entirely by Grace.

Kimmy gives them the thumbs up!!

A Sweet Serenade

My sister Pam surprised Dad with her quartet, The Sweet Vibrations, this past weekend.

Dad was totally thrilled and honored!

The Sweet Vibrations are all members of The Spirit of Syracuse Show Chorus.

Dad enjoyed the attention...and we were all very pleased to have such wonderful afternoon entertainment.

Heart Art

I found this fun and easy idea over at playdrmom.

I was looking for something a little different than our usual Valentine's Day heart actitivies and this were a perfect choice.

All you need are:

heart stickers

red, pink and pinker acrylic paint

foam paintbrush

8x10 canvas (I found canvas boards at Walmart...these worked perfectly)

Luke was the most eager to get started on this art project.

First he arranged the stickers onto the canvas, making sure they are pressed on really well.
I wanted him to dab the paint onto the canvas so he wouldn't "move" the stickers. But he preferred using a regular brush stroke. The stickers remained firmly in place.
He changed colors, mixed colors and painted over colors. If fact, he wanted to keep painting, but the paint was getting so thick, I was afraid it would never dry, so I had to call it done.
We then had to be patient and wait for the paint to completely dry.
Once Luke finished, the girls were ready to get started.
Grace was very careful, placing her stickers just so.


I love Gracie's concentration!

Kimmy was mostly pink, of course.

It was quite easy to remove the stickers.

I just love the final results!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

Road Trip!!

This morning I woke up after having a wonderful dream about being at camp.

My parents had a camp which we spent the summers for my first 40 years....you know....my childhood.

Well, the dream was wonderful and I awoke and was feeling a little blue, so hubby said, "Let's get in the car and head up north."

I hesitated, but he got his way...and off we went.

The old camp is still standing, just like we left it. And look at that snow. We have only had snow on the ground for a handfull of days this winter, but travel an hour and a half north, and a little snow was still on the ground.

Many, many wonderful memories.
The dam was opened wide in Old Forge.

It was about 40 degrees. Perfect weather for climbing trees.

Someone on McCauley Mountain was cheering for the Giants yesterday.

The Moose River in Thendara.

The sky was crystal clear today!

On the way home we had to stop where this Mom and Dad met...Camp Nazareth.
Grace and Kimberly ringing the camp bell.

Kimberly

This is where it all started.

Hubby enjoying the view of Little Long Lake.

Camp Nazareth

Kimmy in the winter sunshine

Grace and Kim checking out Mom's cabin....Cabin 1

Thanks for the great day, Pat. I wake up from a good dream and you turn it into a wonderful, memory filled day!!!