Cleaning days

The Brazilian "Pasta Cristal Rosa" is called by the kids "the Brazilian magic stuff" as nothing can match its power. I think it works the same way as the Norwex cleaning paste, as all it is is a little soap and oil and very, very finely ground hard stone. Brazil's geology is very old and granite, marble etc is abundant and cheap (if you pay a lot for it it is the transportation and polishing labor, not the stone itself). Pots and pans are cleaned with this paste in Brazil with this until they shine like you wouldn't believe. The big difference between mine and the Norwex one is... about $30. :-) Yep, it's less than one dollar in Brazil and available in any little grocery store there.

Number Seven performs!

Last night it was the finale of her Cinderella camp. She was the able and adorable Perla the Mouse! The pictures show her with homeschool friend Liam K. as Prince Charming, friends, cast members, and proud Big Sister Number Five.

Acreage Update

OK, so it has been busy here. I wake up sore every morning facing more work to be done even before breakfast, such as pulling our furniture away from windows for today's window washers! No wonder I haven't been blogging much. I have dropped off a van full at the local St. Vincent dePaul store and their truck came yesterday to pick several big pieces.


What else I am busy with?


Garden work: onions are doing great as usual and the tomatoes, after years of being affected by the blight, are loving the heat and looking healthy! I followed a friend gardener's advice and covered the soil around each tomato plant with newspapers. Zucchinis are early and in abundance and appear at our every meal, but my experimental flower-growing seems to be nocturnal deer food. Also doing well are eggplant, cabbage, basil, salad greens, and of course raspberries! A new thing has been watering with a whey-water solution, seems like the plants love it! Since I have been straining all of our homemade yogurt, I have plenty of whey.

Tutoring Center: I am currently revising what must be the 13th or 14th version of our course schedule, but I am now almost there. Trying to accommodate all teachers' and families' needs!

Shakespeare Camp: I have been meeting with director Caitilin and planning costumes, props and some movement choreography. This is a fun part of the year for both of us! Also ordering and managing the camp's T-Shirts etc.

Acreage on the market: it will be listed on Tuesday July 3rd, I will post listing here next week. With the house painted from top to bottom and having gone through every room etc we decided that we will try this. God's will be done.

Prayer: Especially with the outcome of the Supreme Court decision today, praying for the awful HHS unjust mandate has never been so important.

Russian t-shirt

Thanks Number Three for modeling it... Communist propaganda against vodka-drinking. We had a good laugh. I wonder if it was effective?

Guess where Husband just came back from this time?

He just arrived, we haven't seen pictures yet, but he had gifts... there were for the girls and I. The boys got T-Shirts, one of a metro map and the other of a hilarious Communist propaganda image, will post!

On missing my Mamae..

Yesterday it would have been her birthday, and I thought much of her... I woke up with one of these intense dreams... she had fallen, and I held her, her body frail and weak. She cried. It took me a while to come to, to separate myself from the dream, it was so vivid, she was so close. Dreams are like a bridge between here and where she is, perhaps?

The more, longer I live, the more I think of how fortunate I was to have had her as a mother. Her teaching me to be always better, closer to God, has continued in my life through my memory of her, and through prayer, and will go on until the day I die. Truly there hardly goes a day when some facet of her practical, loving ways doesn't come to mind. Thank You, Mamae!

Fortnight for Freedom

We attended our dioceses's beautiful prayer service opening the Fortnight for Freedom last night in front of the cathedral, where we heard from a Catholic businessman and the president of the Catholic hospital. Both of these speakers brought home the dilemma they are facing under the HHS mandate if it becomes a reality. The businessman spoke of how he has always treated his employees with respect and justice as a Christian should, by providing health coverage, and how he never thought be facing this moral dilemma. The second talk highlighted the monumental scale of Catholic social ministries  in this country, where one in every six people receive services from Catholic hospitals or health services, and how these services grew where there was a need, and how services have always been provided for all: "we have never asked them to recite the Creed or even to be baptized to be treated", we heard.

It was our Bishops' words, however, that entered the hearts of all present and made us aware of the magnitude of what we are facing in this country--and what is to come in a country where the government believes it must interfere with faith life. A civil attorney with a state government before converting and becoming a priest, the bishop spoke from experience, with conviction and wisdom. He spoke of Saints John Fischer and Saint Thomas More and how they were the government's good servants-- "...but God's first!".

Here is the text of the prayer  for the Protection of Religious Liberty we are all called to say the next fourteen days, leading to the the Forth of July:

O God our Creator,
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be "one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

And here is a suggestion of films to watch during this time.

Cleaning, sorting...

It has been nonstop here, but we will get it done yet!

A messy place

This is what I saw as I entered the house today after the last day of professional painting... I decided to post lest anyone should say I only post pretty pictures. We have a ways to go, but the house is so clean and bright! Thanks to friends Nancy and Caitilin who hosted me and girls this week so as to minimize paint fumes headaches!

Book Club Art

Number Seven was helped by Number Five in this Book Club project... they discussed The Phantom Tollbooth, one of Husband's favorite childhood books, celebrating its fiftieth anniversary!

Love does travel (many) miles!

Number Two, in Africa, just sent this to Husband, who is currently in Asiatic Russia... and I post it on my North American blog.

It is a small world, and love travels fast these days!

Golden Spatula Winners!

Number Six and friend A. H. were our homeschool group's Teen Night Golden Spatula's winners this year! The Golden Spatula is a poolside cook-off, A. won Salads and Number Six won sides with her "Grandma's Tomato Pie"! Of course, Grandma is very proud!


Recipe:

1 9-inch pie shell, pre-bake!
1/2 yellow or red onion, chopped
3-4 tomatoes, cut up, or a can of Petite Cut tomatoes, drained
Basil leaves
2 cups grated cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lay tomatoes, onions on pre-baked shell, then all other mixed ingredients on top, bake for 20 minutes or so, 375F. Yum!

Happy Feast of the Sacred Heart!

Fr. B. Austin just sent me this beautiful image... I am adding the humble shrine I made for the Sacred Heart in this great feast... we have house painters inside and it was hard to find a quiet corner. But we have lots of pretty roses by the kitchen porch, ready to come in for any celebration!

Husband's Costa Rica photos

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sent by a friend

Gotta love the friends over at Emmanuel Books! (Thanks, Susan!) Or perhaps I should send them a note reminding of... my correct name? It doesn't really bother me. I love and recommend their catalog often!

Homeschool Drama Camp performaces

Number Six starred in a middle school play entitled Ordinary Things as a painter who dreams of New York,... but ends up finding out all she wants is right in her small town. The third image is a collage of the High School musical. I was a very successful dramatic evening!

An amazing art project

Number Five worked on this for all of last week and it was unveiled yesterday. She was commissioned to do it as a surprise birthday present  for Mrs. D. by her husband, our friend and neighbor. During the past week I took pictures everyday of the painstaking process... he had seen our Window Art work and had the idea...

The most beautiful bouquet in the world

...is the one brought lovingly by the youngest daughter, rosy cheeks, completely by surprise, and made up of the tiny wildflowers spread around the acreage. 

Thank You letters from SOVCO

We just received these Thank You letters in the mail from our sponsored orphans in Uganda! If you want to join us in helping the little ones of God, here is the info!

Chamber Spring Recital

I finally got the videos uploaded, I have been encountering problems and have not found out the source. 

The first one is the young trio in the photo: Number Six, A. (cello) and N (violin) with their professor Dr. Stepanov.

The second one is Number Five with M. (violin) and CJ (Cello). Enjoy! 

  

Quoting Number Three

"Back to asking for Legos for Birthdays and Christmases!"...Check out the brand new Lord of the Rings Legos here...

Old digs

Sunday evening we were at Augustana College campus for Numbers Five and Six chamber recital (YouTube videos in production) and Number Three took me upstairs to show me his old digs.. and the wall he helped paint when he took Greek 1 and 2 in high school, in the spring of 2008. I have been there so many times and never knew the Classics offices were just upstairs!