dear diary,

I have quite a bit to tell you, about our weekend. It was a blast! On Saturday there came the wonderful morning blackberry picking in our yard, since we were all for having a blackberry crisp for supper. I brought the little ones down and set them in our plastic kitty pool, with a sleeping bag and some blackberries to get their attention. The other boys, Clem, Eph, and Zac were busy pushing thru the rainforest of brambles, eating the choicest(and plumpest)berries that came their way. I was quickly snatching a mix of red, green and black berries in order to keep the little ones supplied , and I wasn't worried about my own supply of blackberries since we had collected a leftover dish full the other evening. After our morning expedition, I, Essie and Abe went back to the house, where I finished the chores. It was to be another Saturday! ON our spacey porch, we had made a highway out of our homemade benches, with Eph as policeman on the tricycle. AS the sun grew hot and the day sweltering we moved back inside for a lunch of Rueben's and chips. We had quite time, where we rest in our beds and read Highlights, or books. Then Mom and me filled up the kitty pool. We certainly made a splash in our backyard! Me, Essie, Abe, Eph, and Zac wading around in circles while the little ones bent their knees and shouted with happiness. I finally got to sit down with Abel crowing on my lap as a made little waves that washed over his bare chubby legs. Sunday. I woke up to the sun streaming down upon me and Essie, we share a room.

After breakfast, we all started to get ready for Mass. I took the curling iron down to our room,and when we went to church, Essie looked like one of those nice little girls in the roaring twenties! After Mass and doughnuts we went back home and got ready for Grandma and Grandpa to babysit us, while Mom and Dad went out. It was a lot of fun! Grandpa and Grandma brought along some movies and the nutella, along with other necessities. So we spent a cozy afternoon watching the Muppets, and The Lord of the Beans. I put the chicken in the oven for supper and we were all set for an awesome afternoon and evening!

Busy Bee School

In the morning, when I am feeling great, inspired, and have lots of energy, me and the little ones have what we call, "Busy Bee School". Basically, it is a time for crafts, and learning something really easy, like how apples taste, what bees do, that sort of thing which is easy for the little ones to understand. This morning, when we just started on the craft of making flowers, by tracing our hands, cutting them out, and putting scraps of paper on contact paper to cover the flower with, Grandpa came! So it sort-of was like an open house, since I told him what we were doing, and he also ended up with a little hand flower! I want to take this post as a right time to tell you all the crafts that we have made in Busy Bee school, we just started in January. In January we designed maps of different countries since we were studying about the great explorers with the older kids. In February, Dad got lots of fun homemade cards, and we also made paper bee mobiles. In March, there came paper bag owls, puppets for Parents night. April came weather clocks which we hun on doorknobs everywhere!

May was the trip to the craft center, where we made all those crafts, ranging from Picaso portraits, to paper plate butterflies. June brought paper crowns, pipe cleaner aliens, and nature walks, we brought in all our findings and had a nature vase/area. July has brought us Coke can bird houses, paintings with only two colors, red and yellow. And now these flowers! Am I a good big sister, or what?

A Good Use For Critters

This is a good way to use worn out "Calico Critters"...make a slow-motion! Clem used to make these with a little ball of plasticine with nails for eyes, called, "Dred Salvage". This little clip was made by me in the summer of 2013. Its pretty fast, you'll have to watch it several times before you can capture what they are all doing! Wish it was slower.

Once Upon a Six-Year Old...

I promised my little brother, Zac that I would write a post about him for his sixth birthday. He was very exited, which made it an easy present to give to him from me, since all I had were three rubber band bracelets, my creativity needed an extra match(to fire it up, if you are puzzled with my pun), since it was sizzling. And so here it is! I'm going to name the classic and awesome 6 things that I like about him, for what we did that was special, and 6 words that describe what he felt on that 9th day of July. That'll make it eighteen. Can you read all that? I Love Zachary because... 1. He has really good ideas. 2. He is really (cute, sorry Zac, I have to say this!)Cool. 3. He has a wise expression, for six. 4. He was my third brother, before I ever had a little sister. 5. He loves Popeye the most of any Saturday morning cartoons. 6. He is loving to his younger siblings, and really makes life fun! On his Birthday, We did... 1. Had cereal, He chose Blueberry Toast. 2. Went to Mass,to offer up the day for him. 3. Had a water balloon, and marshmallow pop-gun fight in the backyard. 4. Got into the car for the big surprise. 5. Arrived at our favorite, Pietro's Pizza! 6. Had a surprise birthday party, with dinosaur cupcakes, presents, and cousins. He was... 1. Exited! 2. Awesome! 3. Sharing! 4. Kind! 5. Cool, and Composed. 6. Very, Very, Grateful.

Thats him in the middle, age 5. Still have to get more photo's of his birthday, we forgot the Kodak!

Just Me again

Me with the Kodak. (Isn't summer soooo much fun? I'm really enjoying mine.)

Summer Lanterns

The Summer Lantern, above, is such a simple craft that you can do it in minutes! It looks really pretty and artistic if strung on a gazebo, or a porch. What you need: Scissors, Tissue paper, hole-punch, and pipe-cleaners(yarn and string would do just as well). 1. Fold the T paper in half. 2. Cut 1 inch strips, almost through the paper, along the folded side. 3. After you are finished, connect the the other side of the paper, and hole-punch both sides. 4. Then, stick the pipe-cleaner thru the holes and twine it around to make a P-cleaner circle. Hang it in the window, Or on the porch. My version is cut at the bottom to make it like an octopus, since you really can't have a candle in it. It really makes the house look festive and COOL! Anybody can do this, so set your creativity on fire!