Our trip III

Some of the most beautiful things we saw in the UD campus were the mosaics in the CapBar, their coffee shop. Absolutely gorgeous!





The closing mass for the new freshmen families was on Saint Monica's Day-- how fitting that she is the mother of another Augustine--the great one, and the one Number Three is named after.

Our trip II: moving into the dorm room!

Shopping for dorm rooms can be fun... and expensive! Goddaughter twins Maria and Klara did an excellent job and Number Five served as a clever shopping consultant, having had the experience of helping Number two settle in before. My sister Tereza d'Avila was with us for the whole collegiate experience!Number Three's bed was made, his clothes put away by efficient sisters, and he immediately proceeded to test what his electric guitar would sound like in his new room! (We thought it sounded awfully loud!)

Our Trip I

I begin posting pictures of our trip today. These are from the Clear Creek Monastery where we spent a restful time! The Benedictine monks arrived there about 10 years ago and we have been following their progress from afar. They have thrived in work and number as their monastery is built and their new vocations are plentiful. Read their history etc by visiting their site here.

Our pictures show the girls at an art workshop led by the Monastery's artist-in-residency who was kind to show us some of this work that will go in the church they are beginning to build this Fall. We also have pictures of the guest log cabin where we played games and where Number Seven enjoyed the caretakers' pet deer, and some of the monks chanting vespers.

Goodbye Number Three

Our three freshmen: Number Three, his roomate Michael O.--his best Nebraskan friend since second grade--and Maria C., our beautiful and smart goddauther from NY! These photos were taken during the farewell reception on the UD campus.

Gratitude

Sunday: well, I tried again and could not post here from my Blackberry. Perhaps I need to download an app first. We drove 16+ hrs home yesterday!

University of Dallas

Taking Number Three to his new home today. Photos posted later!

My Facebook trip updates

Family Retreat

This is where we have been... heaven on earth, and no cell/internet connection as well. Most of anything else, the superb, flawless Gregorian Chat of the monks brought unspeakable comfort to the soul.

Jam!

I have to say I have fallen in love with making jam. This is the first year we have enough blackberries to make Husband's favorite jam--and we also have enough strawberries to make Strawberry-Rhubarb, my favorite. We will have enough raspberries--but not quite yet.

The adorable cloth covers were handmade and sent to me as a gift by Number Two's host mother in France. A gift most treasured!

At the Farmer's Market

It is a wondeful place to be on Saturday mornings... perfect for this time of the year when I don't have hours of weeding ahead of me. We look but can forgo purchasing any of the beautiful produce (we keep comparing it to our own and feeling quite rich at the $2 per head of garlic type prices!), but we do purchase two important things:

Cherry Bean coffee, locally roasted, freee samples, and fantastic;

and Goosemobile chicken and lamb, natural, free range, delicious! It's the only chicken we eat now and it is very handy that they always have ground lamb as well.

A package of love

I am the sender of packages of love... and I have befriended post office clerks as my reason-behind-this-package stories unfold, following the progress of college semester after college semester.

This time I was a receptor. My friend Theresa, following a conversation in our homeschool group's email list on chokecheries and homemade jelly, graced me with a jar of her own homemade stuff, and some of the real cherries along! Theresa lives 170 miles away, but this is S Dakota--a homeschool group can go that far and love still abounds.

There was an added dimension of love in the package. I wrote in our email list: "I can't help sharing this with our homeschool family: I just got this very surprising and delighful package in the mail: chokecherries and homemade chokecherry jelly from Theresa! Theresa, you couldn't have known it, but the package arrived shortly after our dear older daughter left back to Notre Dame for her senior year, and you know well how sorrowful a mother’s heart is when any of her children depart... it was written by Our Lord that your package would arrive so timely to bring me a slice of friendly Love and Joy! THANK YOU! And if anyone comes for a visit, you will be served... toast with Theresa's jelly! (And to think I didn’t know these existed until this wonderful SMF conversation took place-- that's what I love about our email conversations!)

Processing produce, part 2

Onions braided and hung (more in the cellar), tomato sauce reducing and yellow pear tomatoes ready to be sauced, eggplant baked and going into freezer.

Eggplant: I know they may not look so good, but this is how it looks when they have been baked (soaked in salt water first, then dredged in flour--or cornmeal, etc--and baked on a pan drizzled in olive il). I layer them in parchment (or wax) paper, and into a freezer gallon pleated ziploc they go. Eggplant Parmigiana is a favorite Friday dish in our house, especially in Lent: I layer these slices with my tomato sauce and cheese: Mozzarella, fresh Mexican, and a litle Parmesan. Delicious smellwhen it comes out of the oven!

Goodbye Number Two...

Safe travels back to your senior year at Notre Dame, and see you soon!

The girls already miss you... thank you for your loving presence, and for all of the help at home!

High School Philosophy

I am simply thrilled that our Number Four chose Philosophy from the courses offered at Homeschool Connections! The teacher is a PhD student at CUA, our good old friend Ken Rolling! Ken was Number Three's first tutor back in Nebraska, of whom Number Three has great memories.

Homeschool Connections is a fabulous option for Catholic homeschoolers, offering affordable, great courses. We could never afford other online Catholic courses, so we are thrilled!

Numbers Three and Six

Husband captured a very typical Number Six expression... and we took the picture of Number Three in his new glasses, although he did get comfortable contacts yesterday.

Husband's photos

Cooler temperatures announce summer's end is nearing... as well as some other signs.

Braiding onions!

Talented Number Five is the reigning expert.