Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! This has to count has a short little newsletter, showing my regards and love for you all this year!
Time flies by so fast I feel like I'm still recovering from last years bounty.

I,(13) am having a hard but fun time concocting a story where my heroine is mute. I am still wondering if I can wangle her for long. Her name is simply 'Cornelia'. This year has been pretty eventful. What can you expect as there are six kids ambling around the house and farm. Christmas shopping with everybody roving the aisles of Goodwill was fun. The rule, standing a jump-ropes width from the other person was sometimes disregarded. Anyway, we all had a wonderful and very rich christmas with stockings and a heavily laden tree. We went to our Grandparents and had a large banquet, feasting on ham, stuffing and pie.

Compiled Book List Drawn from A Notebook

Ok, the November idea for the book list turned toward December, but thats fine. We have been really busy this season what with Christmas creeping up on us and the insane family shopping trips. Anyway, here is a selection of my latest reads this year. I have so much more time than you so don't think that you totally don't read. I devour books. This is not all I have read in 2015.

Eleanor Estes
The Coat hanger Christmas
The Moffats
Moffat Museum
Pinkie Pye

Maud Hart Lovelace
Betsy in Spite of Herself
Betsy and Joe
Betsy and the Great World

The Saturday Cousins; By Rebecca Caudill
Fanny at Chez Pannise; By Alice Waters
Rewards and Faires; By Rudyard Kipling
Pickwick Papers and Davind Copperfield; by Dickens
Tooth and Nail; By Charles Harrington Elster and Joseph Elliott
Nurse Matilda Goes to Town; By Christianna Brand
King of the Trees series; By William Burt
Princess Academy; By Shannon Hale
Ivanhoe
King Arthur
Education of Little Tree; By Forrest Carter
Calico Bush; By Rachel Field

L.M Montgomery
Emily Of New Moon
Chronicles of Avonlea

Rumer Godden
Four Dolls
Little Plum
Kitchen Madonna
The Diddikoi

Father Brown Mysteries; By GK Chesterton
Gentle Ben; By Walt Morey
Daughter of the Mountains: By Louise Rankin
Creative Girls Club(series); By Jan Fields
The Famous Five; by Enid Blyton
In the Heart of the World; A collection of Mother Teresa

Coming Soon...

The 2015 Book Review of the interesting collection of Avi,(the mega bibliophile who lives in a four windowed room with the dollhouse bookshelf, which at the present moment holds over 50 books) will commence at the appropriate date hopefully in November. The book list has grown considerably since Avi is known to haunt the library, especially in the Novel selection. "I love Fr. Brown! He is such a cherubic figure," so says Avi. Please look this up to see the growing size of this literary review.

Avi's collection is called, "The Rabbitry Library," since she grew up with Peter Cottontail and is often interrupted in the middle of a chapter to go feed her four darling rabbits, or if you would like that translated, her four Kaninchen(German, though her rabbit is flemish).

The Executive Branch

The Executive Branch is in charge of making sure our laws are obeyed by all citizens. The president is the head of this branch and makes most of the decisions which an have its good points or its bad points. The Executive Branch can reject laws with the presidential decision. The branch thru the Federal agencies has responsibility for day to day enforcement in the laws for our country. They can also declare Executive orders which are like proclamations which carry the force of the Law but can be rejected by the Judicial Branch if it is unconstitutional.

In my mind these branches are like the roots of a tree. They can be strong when right or fragile, and get tangled and gnarled over bad decisions, even thought the government has a lot of power.

Mushrooms

Observation: I saw some stogy mushrooms poking out of the ground. Like upturned cups on stems they were a light brown. I didn’t get the feel of them since one cannot tell whether or not a mushroom is poisonous. We should leave this discovery to the experts after all.

Research: My research is from the Encyclopedia. I have learned that mushrooms grow from a root-like hyphae in the soil. The Fungi is grown in warm moist places, taking food from dead materials like animals. Under the mushrooms cap are little slits which are called gills. Spores grow on the gills and when the spores are ripe, they blow away till they find a moist place such as a rotten log. They grow very quickly. One day you see nothing unusual and the next day after a rain, mushrooms are poking out of the earth where you least expect them.

Some mushrooms you find in the forests are edible, but some like the fly amanita, which is red with white spots, are beautiful and deadly.
It is really strange that this kind of mushroom is often portrayed in video games and toys!
The most poisonous mushroom though is the destroying angel which is white with raised white bumps all over the cap.
The mushroom that I found is a brown cap that is very common in the USA.

Crocheted and Sewed

So having digested The Macron Diminished it is time to talk of other things like my crochet and attempted sewing. I like yarn way better than felt, or fabric. I like using the sewing machine, (that can be a lot of fun if the thread doesn't snap) but I am not that good at hand sewing.
I made a rabbit brooch(which only took ten minutes tops!)that was a really quick birthday present and was astonishingly easy.
I think it would be cuter with eyes and a nose but alas, my sewing instinct's took me that far. In other words, I could have done a more detailed job.

I crocheted a coaster using one of my most favorite colors, which is a tealy blue. This was just worked in rounds with picot edging. If I had enough patience this could have been a doily.
My last crocheted project that I sprung at you was on February 9th which was a loopy flower. Since then I have improved drastically after being informed by a reliable source that I was crocheting in the back loops only which made an aztec result to my first pinafore.

2 Photos

Top: KFC camping trip
Bottom: Swimming in the pool.

Part IV

Corabelle grabbed on the branch and slowly pulled herself out of the water, drenched. She lay on the bank sputtering and coughing.
"Are you all right? You certainly are topnotch at hanging on," said her rescuer, patting her hands.
Corabelle looked around and there before her was a shorter man dressed in red britches with a faded white shirt, torn at the hem. He had a fringe around his face, was bald, and had a big nose.
"Thank...you for saving me, Sir...?" replied Corabelle, sitting up.
"Much obliged. My names Barnabas, the overgrown dwarf," said the man, grinning sheepishly.
Corabelle got up. "You seem to be the height of a regular man, how came you to be called dwarf?"
"Its a short story. My father met my mother who was a dwarf in these very woods and he so fell in love with her that they were married in Midsummer, lived happily all their days and so I came along," answered Barnabas.
"How lovely that must have been!" sighed Corabelle. "I am just a niece to the king, and have been for seventeen years, living in the dank tower walls, living the life of a cooped up Bird of Paradise."
"How lonely that must have been. Have you had any breakfast, Niece of the King?" asked the Overgrown Dwarf.
"If you please call me Corabelle. Only a starburst from my bottle. OH here comes my heron!"
Herald stalked towards them and bobbed his head cordially.
"Was he the one who let out that terrific scream? I could have sworn I saw him, sailing thru the sky and letting out shrieks. Everything important happens at the brook and so then I helped you out," said Barnabas, stroking the herons neck.

Suddenly hoofbeats were heard and Corabelle turned to see a banner fluttering in the wind bearing the Macron. "Baron Woodcock!" she gasped.
The Baron came into view with all his knights, armed and ready for combat.
"If you come to me, dearest Corabelle," growled the Baron, "I shall let your friend go free. Hasten no, my pretty one!"
Barnabas lifted Corabelle into a high tree and then taking a sword from his belt he uttered one word, "Loan!"
Several little dwarfs ran out of the forest brandishing swards and spears. The knights jumped off their steeds and the battle began.

Herald flew up and started screaming and more foresters came out of log and tree and cave, preparing for the fight. Corabelle took some vines and braided them together making a large ball which she swung out into the middle knocking knights to and fro on the ground.

The Baron, the coward that he was started to retreat but three dwarfs jumped on his horse, and Barnabas pulled him off. "It is a fight between me and you, Baron!" He cried.
Baron Woodcock took out his spear.
Barnabas cut it up into pieces. And so it went till Baron had used all his weapons, all lay broken on the ground.
Then a dwarf by the name of Dronten stabbed Woodcock in the back, making him fall flat in the dirt.
Barnabas clapped him on the shoulder. "WE win again! Dronten, by my sword, you are a worthy warrior and friend."
Corabelle climbed down and rushed into Barnabas's arms."You have done so much for me and I can only give you myself!"

And so finished the Macron diminished. If you are wondering Corabelle and Barnabas were married and had eight children six boys and two girls who all took after their spirited parents in likewise manners. They lived happily on the mountain, in the forest for many years.



THE END

Part III...

Reaching her tower room Corabell flung herself on her bed and sobbed. Her tame heron, Herald stood by watching her sadly.
"Alas! My uncle is too greedy to keep me in his kingdom! I shall flee to the Blue Mountains if it brings me to my death!"

Corabelle packed a satchel of herbs, a bottle of starburst and a map of the countryside. She slept till dawn. Saddleing Herald she flew out the window.
"Oh dawn! Prose of day!" cried Corabelle.
Baron Woodcock was just setting out when he saw Corabelle make her flight.
"You blithering donkey! Come back!" He turned a heliotrope shade and shouted with rage.
"Ha Ha! Baron Eoodcock, you are justly let down. Never shall I return to you!" replied Corabelle laughingly.
"You daughter of a pig! I'll get you yet!"

Corabelle sailed on smoothly thru the balmy air. Herald made the best of time. FLYING gave perfect view of the countryside. Black buffalos and snow white armadillos trudged thru fields of golden clover.
"Herald! How lovely is this. May we always travel together in perfect harmony!" sighed Corabelle.
Wafts of clover greeted them as the heron descended toward a gurgling brook.
"I shall not give you Starbursts, dearest Herald. But I know from my Uncle that Silver backed fish delight here in the water," said Corabelle, taking the bottle.
Herald groaned and stalked to the brook and eyed it coldly.

Corabelle sat on a rock and ate. Just then, she slipped and fell into the water with a scream.
Herald squawked loudly.
"Get help! Help, Herald!" Corabelle hung onto a rock.
Herald flew away.
"Dear God! Save me! I would be better off at the castle and in the misery of the Macron backed Baron than drowned."
It seemed like hours. Corabelle gave out in exhaustion and was just let go when someone tossed a branch. "Grab ON and hold tight!"

Faery Continuation of Macron Diminished

King Winthrop had rooms prepared at once for the nobles of the Baron. Magnificent parlors draped in purple and green tapestry complete with ivory chessman on boards of cedar. Fresh rushes were placed for the less fortunate servants in the stone hall where they would reside till morning broke. A wild boer was killed and the plumpest apple was picked and rolled in sweet honey for the hogs mouth.

Baron Woodcock was merry for a long while, till Corabelle was brought in for the banquet. Dressed in a gray silk with purple girdle and scarlet poppies embroidered on the neck and sleeves, Corabelle curtsied to the King and then took her place on the right.
"Good evening Uncle Winthrop. Good evening Baron Woodcock," said Corabelle coldly.
"My dear sit down! We have with us tonight a vegetarian boer with honeyed apple stuffed in his unruly mouth! Minstrels and Jesters!" called King Winthrop thumping his scepter on the table.

Baron Woodcock sat back and twiddled his thumbs as the fools and minstrels danced sheepishly around the tables. He scowled as the entertainment progressed. "Enough!" cried the Baron. The Minstrels ran out with their guitars and the jesters with cocked hats flying.
"Well, Baron, my good fellow! Tell me thou story and business here in my far-fetched country," said King Winthrop groggily. He called for more spiced wine.

I shall tell you My business here in your far fetched country, O King. I am to leave next dawn for my hideaway of the Macron and there I shall make plans to woo the Lady Corabelle for a thousand pieces of silver and five mines of rarest jewels. Including my best dwarfs as miners for your majesty." The Baron stopped and reached for his goblet.
"You are drunk! Or you are lying!" cried Corabelle, standing up.
Silence, my niece, silence," said King Winthrop. "I shall of course make such a decision for you."
King Winthrop cleared his throat. "Our dearest country has know extreme poverty for decades and we would be most happy with mines and thousands of pieces. But how may I ask, ow will thou transport thy mines to our country?"
"I shall hitch all my horses to large wagons and bring all the jewels here and store then in your caverns, O King," answered Baron Woodcock slyly.
"And perhaps might our halls be carpeted?" asked WKing Winthrop rubbing his hands.
"Yes of course! The deepest green or red carpets of all the land!" praised Baron Woodcock.
"Done! Corabelle you leave tomorrow with Baron Woodcock. I acknowledge the marriage."
Corabelle cried aloud and fled.

to be continued.

The Macron Diminished: A Faery Tale

Once upon a time in a far-fetched country, there lived a fair damsel by the name of Corabelle.
She had curls of gold and a brow of purest white and azure eyes which flashed cold when provoked.

Living in a high tower at the battlements of her Uncle, King Winthrop the II, Corabelle would sing lyrical songs on her bony lute to pass the dreary hours away. This had gone on for ever since little Corabelle was a little girl of seven and after her father, the Duke Cleric, and her mother the Lady Annabel had died of the plague.

One day the Baron Woodcock of the adjoining land of Ganderside came by with all his regiment to have a jolly visit with the the King.
The baron, Woodcock as he passed by on his fat white steed with purple banners fluttering behind him and the carts carrying his nobles, he heard a sweet sound coming from Corabelle's tower. Corabelle was singing a sad ballad of a black swan when Baron Woodcock motioned his knights nearer.

"Halt my good knights! What dost thou hear?"
A knight holding an alabaster helmet answered. "A fair lady is doing her utmost to welcome us with song and voice. If that be so, let us throw roses and serenade with your heralds, my Lord."
Yes! Fetch me the lovely flower of love, Sir Marc of Ganderside! I swear to give you my jeweled watch if thou does my bidding."
Baron Woodcock slapped the rump of his fat white horse and galloped under the window grinning foolishly.

The only flower Sir Marc found were blackberry blossoms and daises which were made into a crown and the bramble de-thorned. Both were tossed up and the heralds blew with all their might.

Corabelle looked out her window and grimaced. "Stop you Heralds! What do you mean by this? Imposed on a lady in her wer? Do you think I am the gatekeeper? Begone foolish knaves, Piggish nobles and barmy Baron!"
She tossed down the flowers and shut the window.

The Baron turned purple and with rage tore the wreath to unwanted shreds, looked at his knights and nobles and spoke. "She is like an ornery cow. But while this is past, let us present ourselves to the King Winthrop and bribe some refreshment and spiced wine."

To be continued sometime;)

Family Happiness According to A Younger

☺
This makes a family happy, and have a clean conscience in prayer and family life. We shouldn’t have a house filled with noise and yelling, bickering, and bad words, for that is an unsettled lifestyle and also makes satan pleased which is not a good idea. Peace, smiles, hugs, and prayer are what a family needs to live for God. Petitions before family prayer is a great time to share our thoughts and worries. God listens to children’s prayers with gratefulness. If the family is practicing their faith, this gives everyone a happy state of mind.

He Prayeth Well Who Loveth Well
Samuel Taylor Colridge

He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird, and beast.

He prayed best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.

1. Happy are those who pray to the Lord everyday and receive holy communion when they can!
Nothing pleases the family more than an enriched relationship with each other and our Savior.
2.It will prevent evil things like some magazines, movies, video games and TV shows from wandering in.
3.It will help your children choose a better life if they remember the memories of prayer.
4. It helps to become better Catholics.
5. If your children decide to enter the religious life, or as Catholic parents, its you who helped them choose the right path.
6. Your children will thank you.
7. In Heaven, God will have abundant mercy on you.
8. You are opening doors for your children and for each other.
9. You are probably going to go to heaven if your life is centered on the Catholic Faith.

P.S. This is only an essay written by me, and so you don't have to pay too much attention too it. But really, we can all do better as a family in our prayer life. One detour in this post, not all magazines, movies are bad, not at all! We read Highlights! But if you have been to a grocery store and having to leave an aisle of seeing mom hastily turning over covers, you know what I mean. They can really hurt you.

Pinecones & Pegs

All right, after racking my mind for pinecone crafts, I have come up with a few which might help clear under your pine tree.

PINECONE
1. Little pinecone owls. Felt beaks and perhaps goggly eyes and paper wings. Perhaps glue these on a little branch and display using a vase full of flowers with your owls huddled in the middle of a wondrous bouquet.
2. Pinecone wreath. Glue pinecones together to form a circle. Cut out magazine pieces and roll them up to form tiny telescopic shapes.
3. Pinecone frames. Glue an assortment of pinecones(don't use giant sequoia cones)around a wooden frame. If you want it to look nature-y press some flowers and glue these on also.

PEGS
Peg-dolls. I just heard about these from my cousins and they do look really cute! Online there are hand painted ones but they are so expensive and not exactly memorable. I think the easiest way to get pegs is to buy a cheap(or make)wooden coat rack and take off the pegs and paint away. But probably some craft store will have little pegs which can use.

I really wish I had pictures of my creations. Till next time. I didn't get the picture post I had dreamed up but perhaps you can share your ideas!

June Diaries

I shall begin to write once more a newsy epistle. I shall start with the highlight of the day which is the welcoming of six new bunnies, born to Terra(Rylander)and father Blackie(Dutch mini lop.) They are very cute! Sadly our camera is out of batteries and so adieu to an excellent pictured post till next entry.

WE went camping last week in Le Pine OR at a wonderful place called Bull Bend. When we awoke after a freezing night, we saw ice floating down the nearby river. (A friend of ours said someone probably emptied their cooler!) So now I can say I have been up to my knees in icy water.

Also this year we went to the Turner Lamb Festival, which was great! We got to see elderly woman using spindles, a lamb show, a bottle-feeding contest, and a parade.

My writing is taking off and I am writing a mystery called Enfant Jesus and just finished a play, The Story of Jane Addams for our cousin thespian society. I was thinking of starting a historical novel about a deformed spartan boy but I still have to study my history.
I recovered some old stories long ago including a rather childish 'Peter the Pig' and 'Mary the Monkey' which were written when I was seven years old. If you really want to read some of the chapters, I will post them for you. I am not really ashamed, I think I have drastically improved.

Farm wise: We have been picking thistles, burs, and got our Chinese golden pheasant, Joseph settled in an old and abandoned rabbit hutch while we wait for an aviary to be built in the barn. Two new rabbits, Brendan and Brigit 'lightened' our doors, and our quail are laying little eggs, speckled, and some are green! Plums and apples are green knobs on the tree waving in the breeze, and the cow, Moon is to have a calf in July.

My mystery has taken up most of my craft time, and I am also in two plays for our church, and sing in a children's choir but stay tuned for my creativity usually sparks in odd moments like camping. In have to figure out what to do with driftwood & pinecones...

Report On Joseph Stalin

His real name was Iosib Dzhugashvili but at age 24 he changed it to Joseph Stalin, meaning ‘man of steel’, and the Stalin part was the truest thing about him.

One of the cruelest men in History, Stalin was studying to become an Orthodox priest but then joined a immense rebellion against Nicholas II, the living czar at the time. This rebellion was led by Lenin in 1917, the leader of the Bolshevik’s and the one who believed the rich should give their land to the poor.

Nicholas II and his family were killed and Lenin took the throne as Emperor. When he died, Joseph Stalin became dictator of the new communist government. Even being apart of the new government was not enough for Stalin. He had a law made that all farmers should join together to produce more food If the exact amount was not given, the farmers were severely punished, killed, or sent to labor camps in Siberia. Most of the people who died during Stalin’s reign were starved, so Stalin’s ‘collective’ idea didn’t help feed the people of Russia.

Also St. Petersburg was renamed Leningard in honor of Lenin, Stalin made a glass coffin for Lenin so all the Russians could see Lenin’s body as they passed thru Red Square.

At that time Russian had one Political party. During Stalin’s time, a White army who were revolting against Stalin and the Red Army who were lead by Stalin went to war which lasted three years. The Red army won victorious with all the political support which gave them strength.
Stalin wanted Russia to be a country known for its mines, railroads, and factories. Many men were ordered to work on the rails and leave their families. If they refused they were arrested and sent to Gulag, the worst concentration camp. which was named after isolated islands in the ocean.

Under Stalin the defeat of Germany, the helping of Communist North Korea took place. Stalin took control of several small countries in Eastern Europe. He died in 1953, a steel, cold man.

A note: This hasn't been corrected yet and so I may switch this out with the corrected report. Fell free to critique in comments. I didn't really enjoy writing about Stalin but it was a topic that also included a history lesson.

The Goings On

I haven't connected with my followers for over two weeks at least and so now is the time to reconnect and get together.
Homeschool assignment is writing a report on Joseph Stalin. I am really not into researching his life, he was one of the cruelest men in history. The interesting thing though about his life is that he was studying to become an orthodox priest, I was taken aback. This was before he got into communism.

We did The Old Woman in the Shoe recital and it was a success! But the only thing was no flash photography during the preformance and so we had to do little pics backstage from Aunt L. They are very cute though.)

Craft wise: My Grandma gave me a giftcard to Micheals for my 13th birthday so I am going to get some craft supplies for something inspiring. I am working on a scrapbook with my friend so that we can remember what we did in 2015 and our friendship. I think all friends and cousins, relatives, and everybody should at least make one scrapbook in their entire life, and I am working on two! (Well, I am not the busiest person though)

Profile Abe

Abe as himself. There are not as many moments when you can capture Abe's character and original pictures. He is very cute and Fr. Will is making a portrait of him in the studio. Sorry I posted so much, I couldn't help myself, really!

How to Use Your Time More Wisely

This essay is only for people capable of trying new things and breaking cumbersome habits. You don't have to take any notice to this post if you are not interested but managing your time is a skill worth learning.
My morning is like this: Wake up, dive back under the covers. Seriously, I can do better than this!
Some people can hop out of bed with the sun, say prayers at the exact time and get off to appointments with no worries of being late. If your this person than you are perfect! I can take you as my role model. Doing my morning thing is not good for me. I feel grumpy if I am called, and I have been reading too much of L.M. Montgomery into the night. So I am giving myself some tips. Some may be useful for you, other's you don't have to really pay attention to. .

1. Have something really important to do in the morning so you have a sketchy idea about the beginning of your day.
2. Make a checklist of morning chores like making your bed, etc.
3. Have your clothes laid out before you go to bed so you will know what to do when you wake up.
4. Make sure your brother has a pet rooster near the house.**
5. Have a morning offering ready first thing.
6 Think of a good breakfast. You have had maybe more than ten hours of straight fast while your asleep!

Most helpful tip for me was 3. When I see the outfit I know what to do and it saves me a good rummage in my clothes drawer or closet.


**Don't pay attention to tip 4. My brother Clem has a rooster and a matronly hen outside my window. The rooster crows like he has indigestion, and it is not the happiest bugle call in the morning. I really wouldn't advise this since hearing Stanny has made me grumpy and revengeful of the animal and so I have to pray to St. Francis for guidance.
(I am just kidding!)

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood 1384

This is one of the best Mister Rogers! He plays the little puppets, my favorite is Henrietta and Lady Elaine! I love it so much and I hope you do too. (Now he is a perfect example of managing his time wisely.)

On the shelf #2

This Lent I made my first real loaf of bread and it turned ot perfect, though I didn't grease the pan so it stuck and wasn't as pretty on the platter as it was in the pan. We all learn our baking lessons.
I also made a banana cake-like bread, pizza bread, biscuits, which sadly tasted solely of baking powder, More-with-Less is baking powder crazy, since Mom's shortcake turned out like that once!)

I will get some pictures soon!

An early birthday present of a lovely oak bed set with two dressers and a beautiful wardrobe-like closet, along with a bedstead and mattress was given to me by Mom an Dad. It is so wonderful, queeny, and comfortable. I have been reading A Little Princess in it.

Craft wise I have made a little poncho for a little stuffed wolf of mine which is made of blue felt and has little red flowers machine stitched on. It looks very nice and I have been drawing constantly, using new styles and I have made a nature girl which is very pretty with a crown of leaves on her head. Next post I shall have it planned and have a good bit of fun, maybe an essay of some sort, a bundle of facts. Good bye till next time!

Note: My ballet recital is on May 17th, The Old Woman in the Shoe has a Party
at 2:00. Details can be given in person. I am a flower in Mistress Mary's garden and you can laugh at my costume. I will post pictures!;)

blogspot is wonderful!

I am back after such a tedious blog-fast this Lent, but now we are well into the Easter Octave, and I have a lot to tell my dear followers. So it is proven I can go two months without my dear blogspot,but oh, I shall save this sacrifice strictly for lent, I am so glad to get back on that I am ashamed!

Besides having a lovely date to see Cinderella in the cinema with Mom, We have a priest staying with us until May 13th. Fr. W is really helping us in our home, our bickering is lessening and we have daily power walks around the neighborhood, strange smoothies, (one tasted like salad dressing!)and having exercise in the driveway. We also have been having a sugar rush our in between snacks consisting of left over jelly beans, easter bunnies and other confectionary which isn't really the norm, only on Easter and christmas in our house so the little kids are effected and the big kids groan in bed with a pain in the stomach. But we are having a fine time in the Turner hills.

I ordered a nook reader the friday before Holy Week and made a promise not to open it till Easter, thinking it would be easier since it was due on Good Friday. Sadly it was Amazon prime, which has its good points but it arrived on tuesday of Holy week so the suffering of looking at the package was intense.

Bu I am fully enjoying reading all these books, I am just finishing up with The Old Fashioned Girl by Lousia May Alcott. I must start on Robinson Crusoe soon too.

Creative-wise I decided to crochet rosaries for Mama, Papa and Fr. W. It was fine, and easy save the crosses which had difficulties in forming. But I think they enjoyed them. I also made a little book for Mama about what Mother's answer to childrens future, for example, Child:'Mummy, what would happen if I married a king?'Mummy: 'I'd be very happy for you and we'd live in a Castle in the clouds!" My favorite part of making the book was the drawings because I love art.

On March 3rd I had an image in my mind of a crow and a dove, curled around the egg shaped world, the crow was much larger than the dove and I think the crow represents the evil in the world, and the dove goodness. The painting was titled, the Birds Reward, and I don't know how it came to mind.

Anyway I must stop for Fr. W. gave me a job of rubbing something off a chalice with my fingernails, so adieu till next post, mon chere!

Lenten Cross For Me

I am going to take a Lenten fast from my 'blogspot', but shall resurrect it once Easter is here, and so here is to a good, steadfast lent, and May God bless you! (I think I can do this fast after experiencing such a powerful internet free Advent! Please pray for me. This is a heavy cross and a sacrifice which is really hard as I am an enthused blogger)

Valentine's Past, Mardi Gras, Now Lent?

I cannot believe that Ash Wednesday's in two more days! Lent is upon us, easter bunnies are pervading the aisle's already, we are all in shock. I had my 2nd gum operation on the 11th so Valentine's Day was a meager affair in my case. So I am saving my stash of Valentine goodies for a rich and toothsome Mardi Gras.

But as Catholics we do not celebrate Mardi Gras with the masks, and necklaces. We celebrate with leftover Valentine Candies, preparations for Ash Wednesday, taking down of the enjoyable christmas decor, and replacing it with purple tablecloths and lenten reminders. We are also getting ready for a 40 day fast from daily pleasures that haunt us the rest of the year.

It is a time of discipline really. We are emptying ourselves of luxuries, those little things help Jesus hold up the cross and it lifts our sacks of burdens back on our shoulders and determines us to go the extra mile.

OK, back to the subject of Mardi Gras. There are other names that describes this day better then elaborate Mardi Gras. (That word makes me think of old time minstrel shows) We have Shrove Tuesday, which is a bit on the mild side, the more fitting name is Fat Tuesday for we are feasting on pastimes which are out of the question for Lent.

Our tradition for this last day of fun is sometimes Pancakes for breakfast, and at night sundaes with mounds of candy on top, last time we made mountainous candy cupcakes. So in this way we are fattening up for a very thinning Lent.

The Newsy side: This year we made homemade Valentines for our friends and family, and so it was a very rich St. Valentines. We spent the afternoon in the pasture rolling about in the sweet grass, enjoying the sun and having a good old time. Mom and Dad went out and we watched Tigger's Big Movie.

And so I do think that we are ready for a good Lent as a Family.

Fun, Happy, Real

I haven't been doing much crocheting in a while, so I finally got hooked once again last night. I really love the loopy effect, and I had blue on hand, so I made a blue dahlia which looks quite extreme and beautiful. It does remind me of Clade Monets Water-lily series, which are amazing!

Oh, also I mentioned finger-knitting quite a few times in other posts.
Anyway, I also made that cup warmer in previous post on the christmas eve post! Which was really exiting since that was one of the first projects that I made using my fingers. Esther can finger knit, all except Abel can, so it is yarn mania on cozy afternoons!

Besides my yarny epistle I have to mention to you about milk. We found in the fridge some spoiled milk, and we couldn't waste it and so we had an experiment using food coloring and pie pans, making a beautiful 'milk painting'!

It got a little murky after a while and so we had to throw it away, but just using dawn dish soap, Q-tip, spoiled fat milk, and food coloring, you have a wonderful painting which sparks inspiration!

Marco Polo, Merchant From Venice

Marco Polo was born in Venice to a family of merchants. His father, Nicolo, and Uncle, Maffeeo were the main providers of the family and often went on long trading trips to Eastern lands.

One trip to China brought a useful friendship with the King there. The Polo men spoke of Christ and the Catholic faith, drawing the King nearer to Christianity. "I invite you back to my beloved country. I wish you to ask the pope to allow priests to come and teach my people about your Christ," the King said, when the Polo's spoke of leaving for Venice.

Nicolo promised readily and the Polo's left for their homeland. They spent two years with their family, which gladdened their hearts to the fullest extent. It made them so happy that they decided to bring Marco, who was seventeen at the time, with them on the next trip to China.

They also brought two priests, who had to flee for their lives when turks came upon them as they neared the mountains of China. After escaping the Turks, the three Polo's arrived at the palace.

The king was very happy to see them, Marco became a favorite and the King made him Messenger which gave him a chance to explore further the wonderful new world.

The Polo's saw the process of Silkworms, they experienced heat from black rocks(coal), they saw the silver and gold mines, and the islands which were like floating worlds.

More than twenty years away from home, the Polo's yearned for colorful Venice. They went back, bringing with them spices, silk, coal, and many other treasures which had been given to them by the King.

In Venice, many family and friends had died, leaving ignorant folk who couldn't believe that these were the Polo's, who had sailed for China more than twenty years ago. Marco told of all he had seen, coal, and the silver and gold mines. It left a deep impression on the people. Before he died, Marco's story was recorded down, and has since been handed down thru our history books. The End

P.S. This was part of our homeschooling exercise, two page essay a week. It is fun, we get to pick our own subject, but there is a lot more to know about Marco Polo

A Bluebird Of Buttons

Grandma W. gave this to me for Christmas, using buttons from the old days! This is such a perfect blog picture. I love it!

Winco & LifeSource Experiences

Last night we had a wonderful winter picnic, feasting on mugs of potato soup, which was rich and creamy! And as we drunk our fill, a mist enveloped the farm so that we couldn't see the road which runs right in front of our barn. It grew thicker as we spoke, and we needed to do a few errands that night and so bundled up and in the car we made our journey to Winco.

We stopped at LifeSource to get Cod Liver Oil(which we all LOVE!) and we got some other small provisionss. I am not going to give all the details online, but I'm sure you get the picture!

The Winco trip can be described by one word, Crazy.
Now, we are a wonderfully sized family, its very perfect, but when Abe got out of the cart, we took turns holding him and following him thru one aisle after the other.

Also Winco has hardly no covers on their candy selections, and it was very hard to tell Abe, we had to buy them. But he got to pick out a treat for Karol, who as our sweet Yorkshire Rat, needed some encouragement after a weekend of outside! (Dad found something in the guest room.)

It was between a rawhide bone or a pack of ribbony strips.
Abe picked the 'bacon'. This was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience, not to mention our other shopping expeditions.

I hear your brothers blood cry out...

I was reading a bit about the African Saints in a beautiful book. I am amazed at these saints who gave their lives for christ, willingly, and without fail! I felt like a coward, not talking about my faith with others. I have also heard that in Nigeria, thousands are dying for their faith horribly.

What can we do? People, Dearest Followers and my Mutual friends, We must really, really pray WE need to stand up, one nation that is under God, like what we say when we pledge to the Flag. It is true. In this way we are helping the christians stand up steadily and help them in their sufferings and help them so that they have a one-way trip to the Celestial City.

I wasn't meant to turn this post into a homily, nor am I trying to sound like the holiest 12-year old which walked the face of the earth, Its just, I feel for Africa, I feel for those kids like me who watch their parents suffer, from sickness or the sword. Wouldn't you feel like shouting at the world, if your life was like that, your dreams possible shattered? How horrible, and yet, these dear people will become saints and martyrs for the one true faith. God bless the People of Africa! You are my Heroes!

What We Do As A Family

Our King Cake for the 12th day of Christmas! We used fondant and icing, and it turned out sort of lemony...We all loved it!

Abel and his christmas tiger costume, with Dad.

The View and Exploring the View.

Our Pumpkins

Happy Epiphany.

The Creative Saints

•St. Clare, the patron saint of needle workers, learned the intricate embroidery of Siena and worked the beauty into the cloths that covered the altars in the region. •St. Rafqa of Lebanon (the unofficial patron saint of knitters), although blind, crippled, and bed-ridden, spun wool and knit kneeler covers for the sisters in her convent. •St. Thomas Kozaki, one of the Martyrs of Nagasaki, worked with his carpenter father on the cabinetry for the Franciscan Missionaries. •St. Catherine of Bologna was a painter and manuscript illuminator. •Fra Angelico’s famous paintings inspire many to take up a brush. St. John Bosco created a print workshop so that his boys could learn the craft of printing and bookbinding. Not to mention Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, King Solomon who wrote books in the bible. St. Rose of Lima planted Roses for a living to help her family, creativity isn't all that Modern! I saw this, and I at once thought that wouldn't this be a wonderful way to celebrate creativity by honoring the creative saints? I can see a St. Rafqa Knitters Guild, St. Clare's Embroidery Shop, isn't it amazing?

In Brazil, all the colors of the rainbow are used in their products, our friends went on a cruise there and brought back piranha magnet, a rattle/blowgun decorated with feathers, and bags from Aruba. America has just as much color!!!

Yay for 2015!

My Gum surgery went great....thanks for all your prayers! I am now enjoying this new year with a wonderful rest and lots of attention from my lovely family. I love you all so much. My resolutions are 1)morning prayer, and 2)tea without sugar. Woohoo for 2015!