Lions and Ladies

We had the most fabulous day at the zoo. I'm too wiped out for a long post but wanted to give you something to look forward to:Nathan was communing with the Lions. The Philadelphia zoo recently updated their big cat exhibit and it is FABULOUS. The Amur tigers had cubs (3) and they were playing together and with their mother the entire time we were there. I have some fabulous pictures and even a video. Stay tuned tomorrow for more great pictures and commentary.

Secondly, here is the first possible item for the give away. This is a little Crocus Lady all in wool felt. She is very small but delightful. Not quite in season but that is why I like her.Remember, just leave a comment on any of the posts from today until Sunday and you will be entered into the contest. For more give-aways click here.

Handmade Give Away

I saw this little ditty on Heather's blog and thought I'd play along. Since I'm trying to get in the sewing room every day I should have some product to give away. I will let you know what the options are in a day or two. In fact, now I'm thinking I'll post everything I'm making and let the winner decide what she (or he) has won. How's that for an idea??? We are off to the zoo. I'll start posting items tonight or tomorrow. To be included in this little give-away just leave me a comment. Random pick and all that on Sunday, November 4th.

Echidnas and a Challenge

Nathan loves the zoo. He specifically loves the Philadelphia Zoo. One of the reasons I can't bring myself to send the kids back to school is because they would be less available for field trips. Today we compared the price of a single day admission to the zoo versus a membership price. This was really a no-brainer. So tomorrow, membership receipt in hand, we head off to the Philly zoo. Nathan really loves the tigers. Nolan was hoping for an Echidna. Just what is an Echidna, you ask? Well, it is a monotreme that lives in Australia. A monotreme is a class of mammals that lay eggs. Yes, the platypus is the other monotreme. The boys (and thus, mom too) have been taking a class called Classroom Earth and have just finished up a study of the ecology and animal life of Australia. The Echidna was one of the first animals studied. And, surprise of surprises.....they have one at the Philly Zoo. For those video game enthusiasts, Knuckles from Sonic Heroes is also an Echidna.

As for the challenge....my friend Heather has arranged for an artisan fair at our parish in December. I haven't yet committed to it but have committed myself to getting back into the sewing room. I have a few things I'd like to accomplish. I signed up quite a while ago to the doll quilt challenge on flickr. I have made a few of the challenges but want to get back to it and work on some more. My goal is to hang the mini-quilts above our bed. I also have wanted to make some felt fairies. I do have quite a bit of felt and a few patterns. So I am challenging myself to spend at least an hour sewing each day. I would love to hear what everyone else (if any of you are out there) is up to. My friend Michele has started a sewing forum. Check it out for some great ideas.

I promise some pictures tomorrow from the zoo.

Happy Cowboy Birthday

A very dear friend of mine had a birthday recently. There was a surprise party for him last night but I was unable to attend due to a previously scheduled camp-out with The Webelos and Boy Scouts. I wanted to make something that could be used and enjoyed so I came up with these little coasters. I have much more fabric so I may be adding some additional items prior to Wednesday when they will be presented. Coasters are such an easy gift to make and I hope they get used.We are cleaning up from the camp-out and preparing for late Mass. We usually go to 8:30 a.m. Mass and I am always amazed at how much time there is in the morning until 11 a.m. Mass. I just don't know what to do with myself. My darling husband is one of the organists for our parish and he also plays in a number of other groups at select Masses. Today he will be playing with Trinity Session at 11a.m. Someday I'll actually count up the bands he is/has been involved with. I'm too tired at the moment. I need to get a better sleeping bag so I'm not so cold on these fall camp outs.

I'm back

Hello all. I have no idea if anyone missed me while I was taking a break but I sure missed writing. Some of you know of our struggles in the past two months. Actually the struggles probably began prior to that time but I'll say it lasted two months. We have been looking at sending our children back to school. I was so frustrated with our learning environment and began to think that school may be the answer. What I know now is what I have known all along....there is no perfect answer. School can provide some parts of education that I can not provide as a homeschooling mother. On the other hand, our homeschool provides some wonderful options that the boys can not possibly receive at school. We did find a fabulous school that would be able to work with Nathan's special needs. What a relief. I even had a job interview. Private school can be expensive, you know. But in the end, after a lot of prayer and discussion and contemplation, we have decided to continue homeschooling.Today was a terrible day. I couldn't believe I had made the decision to homeschool. I really wanted to send them to school today. But then I remembered that I can't just look at the bad days. I have to look at the big picture. James 1 says to Consider it ALL joy, my brothers when we are faced with adversity. So today, as I managed to maintain my composure amid two boys who were testing my authority to its limit, I considered the joy that comes from teaching a living lesson on character traits. Obedience was the lesson for today, learned the hard way, as most lessons are learned in our family.I am excited to be through my "trial," and back to blogging. We are reconsidering our curriculum and our activities. More to come in that vein on another day. As for the pictures...we are blessed to live in a county with a fabulous park that includes a house built by George Washington's subordinate: General Hand. The house is preserved and hosted a Revolutionary War reenactment. I love how history is presented in such a living way. I wish my kids appreciated more of what they are really seeing. Someday they will understand.