Starry Sky Ranch

Black and White Wednesday - Ring Around the Rosy

...pocketful of posies....

....ashes, ashes...


we all fall down!

What I love about these pictures of Tess at the ball field is that this is the first time she met these girls. Just walked right up, introduced herself and said, "Let's play!"  And play they did.

When this game was suggested she squealed "Oh I LOVE Ring Around the Rosy!" 

An aside, this happens sooner or later in our family - they figure out it's not "Ring Around the Rosary"  It's a Catholic thing. <g>

geranium

On the Edge of Seventeen

It's been a month now since Alannah's birthday but we never wrote about it. Since she is in the States this week and I miss her, I decided now would be a good time.  She celebrated with her close friends who spent the day doing very Alannah things.  They baked cupcakes, make an ice cream cake, and sewed sock creatures with Tess from the book  Rebecca sent us. (we love it!)

The evening involved the zip line, eye shadow, a good deal of German candy, and movies.  No complaints here. Couldn't ask for a nicer bunch of girls. 

Alannah wants me to mention the cake was awesome. She makes her own since the making of them is as much fun for her as the eating of them. So I can tell you what I saw. : )  She made two cake layers and froze them.  In the same size pan we froze (I got to do this part!) a layer of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  She added green coloring and mint extract to buttercream frosting. 

Am going to have to have her remind me now because I see powdered sugar in the bowl but I see a tub of frosting on the table later.  We may have made some for the cake and doctored up some for the cupcakes.  It escapes me now. 

My co-pilot this week

Moira and I are large and in charge this week with both Allen and Alannah in the States. And now at week's end we are...... tired.  Or maybe that's just me. Among other things, this week saw earthquakes at the airport and the death of a son's friend. Difficult calls. Lots of prayers. And the beginning of fall sports for three kids. A few babysitting jobs to run this girl to. And by last night I was running pretty short on words after all that running and thinking and praying.

But I'm never too tired to notice things like the sun bouncing off her hair in the yard.  Hey Moira, hold still a minute....

There is beauty and blessing right here with us, right alongside all the other. And girls becoming delightful women. 

It's important not to miss it. 

I couldn't ask for better a better co-pilot. : )  

The Weekend Update

It could have been a Monday Daybook or a Ten on Tuesday or a  Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real on Thursday or a 7 Quick Takes on Friday.  

But that would have meant I was on time. 

Instead we have the Weekend Update because while I wait for the appropriate to day to post a thing it flies out of my brain.

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Hands-On

We had our first science experiment of the new schoolyear - removing permament ink from a dry-erase board.  I am pleased to report this was a success.  Easy too.  Cover with dry erase marker and wipe wipe wipe.  Repeat as necessary.  This method is less successful on scientists than on dry erase boards.  Just an FYI.

K9

We also had our first field trip. Big hit!  The K9 department gave an awesome tour.  We tried on all the gear, toured the kennels, and watched a police/dog pair in the field. Aidan was beside himself in rapt attention.  This is his current dream job.  Fortunately for us all, his mother has been broken in to the idea of her children doing dangerous things and she doesn't hyperventilate anymore as often at the prospect.

Face to Face

My husband had his work summer picnic recently too.  The children ate and bounced and beat on pinatas and got elaborate face paintings.  Brendan sighed that night and said it was an AWESOME day. 

Buzzzzzzz

The only thing not so awesome lately is the swarms of stinging creatures everywhere.  The first run-in came a few weeks ago while Aidan, Kieran and I were on the trail.  They ran up ahead and as I was walking and praying something buzzed and hit me.  We were in a field and I figured it was a grasshopper like back home.  Then it happened again.  And again.  And I realized it was a big round bumblebee, actually many bees, dive bombing rather purposely.  When I realized they were not playing I called for the boys and turned back.  But they followed.  The bees that is. My boys were laughing from afar til they had to walk through it.

Turns out this isn't isolated.  We have had several stings in a month.  I stepped on a bee on the patio.  Then Aidan got stung waiting in line to do a football drill.  I got stung watching him.  Brendan got stung on the nose.  Abbie got stung under her arm.  And Alannah's friend got stung inside a restaurant on her leg.  My husband's office has no a/c and no screens and they are struggling with them flying in the windows.  Apparently the mild spring is to blame.  I am ready for a frost. 

Cooking

We are using the once a month cookbook again but making dinners once a week instead.  Trying to get geared up for sports season.  Has the added perk that it quickly uses the ingredients kids tend to eat before I make dinner.  A line in the book mentioned you should know by 9am what you are making for dinner.  That seems to be true even if you are making dinner fresh.  If it's later than that there is no time to marinate and let flavors mix.  At any rate, I am enjoying both advance food prep and advance ironing lately.  Both are making for nicer, more wrinkle-free days especially as we begin fall sports. ; ) 

Dining Colorway

And finally, really superficial. It takes me about two hops from any subject to get back to decorating.  hop. hop. <g>  I hate dishes that chip and break easily or generally feel flimsy.  I have noticed our Polish mugs have never done that.  Well they do break if you drop them on tile.  But they don't chip in the dishwasher even with kid handlers.  But, if I get more, I am at a loss as to decorating around them - linens, curtains etc.  And my dining room needs something more.  The walls are a pale -nearly absent - butter yellow.  The valances are ecru crochet.  The adjoining living room has barn red and mustard.  The pottery is cobalt with greens and browns.  Need to merge.   Still thinking and open to suggestions.  Google is frustratingly void of images of Polish pottery in actual use. 

I Heart You

And finally my best moment of late was walking behind Tess and Abbie walking hand in hand into the store.  They don't like holding big people's hands but they will hold each other's and stay by our sides.   Anyway as they were walking very carefully inside I heard Tess say, "I love you Abbie."  And Abbie responded, "Love you too, Tess."  

Melt.  

And that is that for our week. Books are arriving, practices beginning, and life basically picking up again.  Am hoping to twist Alannah's arm this week to share her ice cream cake which was incredible.  Good stuff.  

 

Here we go again

We are about to begin formal lessons again and what strikes me most this year is how this last season of mothering little ones looks so very much like the first season (and many in betweens).  We are enrolled with the same program our oldest boys used when they began gradeschool.  For my littlest learners I have dusted off the Hainstock and Gettman books.  I am putting together file folder games like these to replace those played to bits over the years and gathering Montessori tray materials.  I may need to replace my current edition of 100 Easy Lessons because it is now in two sections having broken completely in half from teaching eight children to read.  It looks a lot like home around here and I love that.  

A quick perusing of the internet for preschool printables really amazed me.  It's like the curriculum world has supersized itself in past several years.  I say to my young homeschool mom friends, "Do you realize we literally had these handful of books when we started?  Literally!  Do you realize you could not buy a Catholic reader set? There were none in print. Do you realize that the homeschool 'vendor hall' fit nicely inside the church basement and it took you maybe a half hour to read the title of every single item stacked up there?" It's different now. 

Looking around me though, I realize the old standby's have served us so very well.  Perhaps what has served us even better is that annual determination these past several years to stay off the curricular inspiration merry go round.  Are we missing new and exciting ideas and materials?  Very likely.  Are we actually "missing" them?  Probably not.  Sewing, walking, feeding the dog, and learning to play checkers still trump a brand spankin' new program.  

So what do I have to say this year about Back to School?  Nothing new and nothing you can't live without hearing. : )   That is the big news.  Staying the course has blessed us.  Success - in this area (there are ALWAYS areas for growth and improvement however, and most especially in my life) - has inspired me more than continual change could. Since some other bloggers have been reposting some old links from here this past week I figured I would grab a few myself.

Hope your new school year is full of hope and promise, wherever your children are attending.  

Fwiw:

On Blogging (mine)

Is blogging like porn for women?  thoughtful post to remember before opening your Reader

On homeschool books, internet gurus, and who the real experts are  - the reason why I believe this blog must remain descriptive and not prescriptive

Homeschool Overload - "You see, there IS a very real price for the multitude of  "free" homeschool 

resources you can find on the internet.

 

It is the cost of your time, mental energy and focus. 

 YOU ARE PAYING MORE DEARLY FOR THAT RESOURCE THAN YOU REALIZE. "

 

Perseverance or why we aren't unschoolers and the very important Part 2

Our Binders and here

FAQ's

Reading Ahead - an advantage to using the same material with succesive students

Open Door

 There is a new print up at the shop along with a big sale.  Images starting as low as $13.  Check it out. : )  With the eventual opening of the Etsy store I am lowering prices at the gallery since those orders are automatically filled and much easier for me. 
Enjoy!

i heart faces - beautiful eyes

Mixing up her adjectives, Abbie Rose told her big brother the other day about her new superpower: "You can't see me.... I'm imPOSSible!"  and closed her eyes.  Not so, darlin.  Being the baby of a family of ten means all eyes are on you. We see you.  

You are never invisible here.  : ) 

click on button to see more entries this week

the seeds you plant

Seeing Europe - Griswold Style

If you travel with us you should have a sense of humor. We do our share of cathedrals and places of awe and majesty.  But kids get a little maxed out with awe and majesty after a while.  And since their mother is a bit of a crack up always trying to insert levity into the day you might find us....

striking a pose....

do you see what I have to work with here, people?

maybe an impromptu game of foosball?  Can't explain this table cemented into the sidewalk. 

We admire the ingenuity of the locals....

and try to mingle with the crowd.  You're supposed to do that you know. 

We try not to pass judgement on things we can't exactly understand.  Like this...

It probably takes half the time to clean anyway. ; D 

We are always, always on our very best behavior.  The height of propriety at all times....

We chuckle at signs....

 

We make faces back at gargoyles..

We brake for gelato.

(spaghetti style is a fave)

and as the saying goes we...

But be advised that sometimes that is more challenging than others...

For instance, we never did figure out the automated, self-cleaning potty (though I really wish I had one at home!) which resulted in a high speed run to McDonald's where we slowed down long enough to allow for a certain passenger to fly out of the vehicle in the nick of time.  (You should also know that in this country restrooms are sorta optional, and it is a good idea to guard your eyes when passing open fields on the roadsides... Yeah.  Not for us.) 

Anyway, I was laughing may way through editing and thought I'd share. Have a fabulous weekend!