Change

Trading:

* The worldly, self-seeking, immoral atmosphere of Vegas for the "backward," homespun, wholesome atmosphere of central Nebraska

* A big, modern, in-town house for a small antique farmhouse

* A 5 minute drive to any store you could want for a 15 minute bike ride to a tiny town that might have a general store and a gas station; or a 15 minute drive to a bigger town with a real grocery store and a coffee shop; or a 30 minute drive to a small city with everything you could want

* Central air conditioning for green trees and breezes

* A pool table in the dining room for two big, lush maple trees outside the front door

* A swimming pool in the back yard for a babbling brook down a forest path

* Easy internet service for hammocks and play houses and forts

* No weather at all (save extreme heat) for every kind of weather known to man -- and lots of it

* No seasons for four distinct seasons

* No family and only a couple friends anywhere nearby for family and friends galore close by


 -- We're more than ready to kick the dust of the old off our flip flops!  The only thing we're "fighting" is fitting all our stuff in boxes and getting ourselves out of the old and into the new!  Something we are doing with songs in our hearts!

Everyone is working double-time trying to get the whole house packed and cleaned in time to be able to leave together in two U-Hauls (pulling one car and the pop up on dollies) and the SUV stuffed with children -- on Friday.  Not sure if we can actually pull it off, though.  It's possible we'll split up, with one truck and the SUV leaving Friday and another contingent staying to finish cleaning over the weekend and leaving with the second truck early next week.  Regardless, we are on our way!  Woohoo!  Beautiful, "Backward," Homespun Nebraska, here we come!

31 Days of Fun: Breaking Camp!

Go ahead and say it.  Again?

Yes, again!  And we're all very happy about it, as Dan's accepted a job: 1)  that he will enjoy and that will pay well, 2)  somewhere closer to a goodly number of family members, 3) very close to one family member* whom we will love seeing more often,  4)  somewhere with trees and lawns  5) that has fall and winter, spring and summer, 6) has a more accessible cost of living, and most especially, 7) it's not Las Vegas!

Where are we going this time, you ask?  This time around, and hopefully for a longer period of time, we'll be testing out the climes in...

Omaha, Nebraska!

It'll be a quick turn-around; Dan's first day on the job is on the birthday of the Blessed Mother --
certainly a good day to begin any enterprise!  But that doesn't leave us much time to make the whole move happen.  We only have 19 days to go, a whole house to pack and clean, a new rental to find, and 1,284.7 miles to drive two trucks, pulling two car dollies transporting 8 people (not counting the misc. Big Kids who'll come to help), two cats, and a little dog.

(Aren't you glad this isn't you?)

 So, we're going to be a little busy.  It's possible I'll get the time to post some random pictures and updates. I'll try, anyhow, for the benefit of family members who are scratching their heads in wonder....

That same wonder which begets the question -- because I'm sure it's hanging out there -- so I'll just answer it:  No, we're not crazy.  We don't have some obsessive form of wanderlust.  And we're not being kicked out of every town we try living in.  We're just trying to do God's will, one step at a time.  And His will for us seems rather, uh... complicated  adventurous!

And we'll be fine.  We're getting really pretty darn good at this moving thing.

But, please, if you think of it, we'd appreciate any prayers offered for the safety of our journeys!
And, we'll try to get our new address out in time for Christmas cards!

* That would be Frater Philip -- and of course all of his Seminarian and priestly brethren of whom we are rather fond.

31 Days of Fun: Eyeballs

Gabe playing Marty Feldman

Easy to Make Ping Pong Eyeballs

1) Mark a line in pencil exactly half way across the middle of one ping pong ball.  Have a big person carefully poke a hole with a sharp-tipped knife somewhere along the line; take a pair of sharp scissors and carefully cut the ball in half.

2)  Exactly in the middle of each half, poke another small hole, and widen into holes approximately 1/4 inch across.  These serve the purpose of allowing you to see  everybody laughing at you while you wear these eyeballs.

3)  Draw in pupils around the holes for pupils, then draw in the irises and color them in however you like: blue, brown, green, purple -- whatever suits you.  If you like, add very thin red "bloodshot" eye markings.

4)  Place them over your eyes, within the "framework" of your eye sockets.  You'll see it's quite easy to hold them in place.

5)  Now, go scare some people!  If you're 8 or 9 years old, this will keep you busy the rest of the day.

Marty Feldman playing Marty Feldman

31 Days of Fun: Tea Parties!

A Mid-August Tea Party, Just Us



Dan's gone to California this weekend to be in a golf tournament with his Dad, so we girls (and the little boys, who are here for the food) have been making the best of his absence by having a "Girls' Weekend." And what else would a bunch of bookworm girls do on a Girls' Weekend, but drag out all our favorite bookish chick flicks?

Last evening we watched the 1944 version Jane Eyre, with Orson Wells and Joan Fontaine.  Tonight and tomorrow night, the plan is to watch two other newer versions, the 1996 one with John Hurt , and the most recent 2011 version.  The plan is to watch all three and compare and contrast them; see which movie stuck to the book best and which depiction of each character we prefer.  Yeah, we're weird, I know.  But this is the sort of thing that real excites us here!  (We get away with doing this by letting the little boys watch Curious George on the TV upstairs...)

But right now, having just stuffed ourselves with goodies at our tea party, we're very happily relaxing this afternoon, watching Gwyneth Paltrow rock Emma.  (Because Cathy just finished reading it -- and none of the rest of us ever complains about watching an Austen movie.  Even the boys are watching this one!)

So, I'm going to get back to the movie...  We've just gotten to the very last scene where Knightly "delares himself" to Emma...  ==sigh==

But, real quickly...

Here's the menu from today's tea party:

Savory
Deviled Eggs
Tomato Basil Finger Sandwiches with Aoli Sauce
Cucumber and Herbed Cream Cheese Finger Sandwiches
Turkey and Cream Cheese Roll-ups
Sweet
Strawberry Yogurt and Sugared Cream Parfaits
Traditional Cream Scones (Fanny Farmer cookbook)
 with mock Devon Cream and Lemon Curd (boughten)

If I had a million dollars...

On the Feast of Our Lady's Assumption

As sung by the Mater Dei Men's Choir, Omaha, NE
The text in this beautiful arrangement is by John Beaumont (+1627), and the melody is by Corner (+1631). It is hymn #105 in the St. Pius X Hymnal (1953). (H/T: E.M., for these specifics)

31 Days of Fun: Rube Goldberg

Or a kid version thereof...


Gabe and William make these kinds of contraptions all the time, but they were particularly proud of this one today.

* Seven Simple Steps to Building Your Own Rube Goldberg Thingamajig 

*  Task ideas 
 
* Inspiration videos of other people's Rube Goldberg Projects

31 Days of Fun: In the Rain

What to do on a rainy afternoon?

Seldom do we have whole rainy days here in Nevada; it's usually more like a rainy hour or two.  But when it rains, it comes down in buckets!

You go find an umbrella.

Gabey.

Or not.

William.  Got a jacket, decided against shoes.

 And you hunt for worms!

They didn't find any, though.  We're wondering if maybe worms aren't a desert climate thing.  We'll be looking that up...

31 Days of Fun: I Spy!

You just have to go see these Catholic I-Spy prints!  Put together and photographed by Jennifer at Catholic Inspired, they're a free pdf download! Click here !

You know what else would be fun?  Making some more of our own!  I think we'll make a project out of making Catholic I-Spys for our grandbabies, incorporating iconic family objects (like Lester the monkey) and mug shots of family members.  A perfect project for the children to help with, and an ideal Christmas gift!

At My Age...

Still 49 -- and counting...
Only one month to go, though, before I get to sample a new decade of life.

31 Days of Fun: Playing with Rubber Bands

One thing to do with rubber bands:

(Michelle, you silly!)

But, we don't recommend it.

It's more fun to figure out rubber band tricks like this one:

Or loop up a bunch of rubber bands to make a Chinese Jump Rope!

The girls (L-R: Theresa, Cathy, Anna) proving that you can do anything in a skirt -- even a really long one!  (Our friends, the teaching Sisters know this!)

* A good U-Tube tutorial for some of the basic Chinese Jump rope instructions can be found here.
* Or a written-out version can be found here.
* How to loop the rubber bands.  This is the fancy way -- but you can also make a single loop chain, which works just as well.  Put one rubber band through the middle of another, fold it in half, and pull one half of that rubber band through the other half; continue doing this until you have a chain approximately 4 feet long.  Tie the ends together tightly, and voila!  A low end, but perfectly functional Chinese jump rope!

The Feast of St. Philomena!

* The complete story of St. Philomena can be found here.

* St. Philomena is the patroness of the Universal Living Rosary Association.

* She is also the patroness of: Children, youth, infants, priests, lost causes, sterility, virgins, the virtue of purity,  Children of Mary, and traditional Catholics everywhere.

* Her principal shrine, the one in which her relics are kept, is in Mugnano del Cardinale, Italy, but her official national shrine in America is in Miami, FLA. 

* Father Damien of Molokai honored dear St. Philomena so much that his little island church was dedicated to her honor and intercession. 

St. John Marie Vianney, along with Ven. Pauline Jaricot, were our saint's earliest and most exuberant clients.*  Pauline Jaricot, founder of Society for the Propogation of the Faith, owed her life to St. Philomena's  intercession, and * St. John Vianney said of St. Philomena," “I have never asked for anything through the intercession of my Little Saint without having been answered.” 

 * After the grandaughter of Bl. Anna Maria Taigi, the Roman “mother-mystic,” was miraculously cured through St. Philomena, Bl Anna Maria entrusted all her children to her powerful intercession. 

* Five popes have supported the devotion of St. Philomena through nineteen different acts of the Holy See, providing for the faithful to honor and appeal the intercession of St. Philomena in the forms of public liturgical veneration, archconfraternities, and plenary and partial indulgences. This succession of papal veneration and indulgences is unprecedented in the pontifical granting of devotional privileges for any modern saint.(Santuario Santa Filomena)

* Like St. John Marie Vianney (who rocks, too, by the way), we can say we have never asked for anything through the intercession of our dear little saint that she has not found a way to grant. 

The friendship and intercession of the saints is one of the greatest favors and truths of our Faith.  I mourn the loss of it for those who have lost the Faith or never known it.  I truly don't know how I would function without the help and consolation of our heavenly friends (and our intercessors in Purgatory!).  The communication amongst members of the Communion of Saints works the cogs of the wheels that our world is supposed to turn on --  Prayer: the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the rosary, all the Sacraments are the oil that keep the cogs turning.  Bottom line is that the wheels have almost ground to a halt in our times.  It's no wonder at all that the world is such a mess.  Help us, dear St. Philomena, to turn the troubles of our times into a universal call to prayer and the Sacraments.  And then everything that's important will be saved. 

Celebrating the Feast!

* Find an awesome (really beautiful!) origami paper lilies tutorial here.

* This arrow tip fold added to a painted skewer makes for another symbol of St. Philomena.

* Two different free anchor clipart photos to print and color here.

*  There is a plethora of St. Philomena holy cards through the Living Rosary Association are free for downloading here.

* For dinner -- Since St. Philomena was a Greek  princess, any kind of Greek cuisine would be appropriate.  Go here for a selection of Greek recipes -- or support your friendly neighborhood Greek restaurant and go get some gyros!

 * For dessert, make the White Lily Sweet Cakes recipe, found here. The lily white cake is the perfect reminder of St. Philomena's purity, the strawberries, with their heart shape symbolizes her love for God, while red is the color for martyrdom, as well.  Top with fresh whipped cream to remind us of heaven where we hope to meet up with sweet St. Philomena some day! 

Click and print for a coloring page!

Litany to St. Philomena(Composed by St. John Vianney)

Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Queen of Virgins,
St. Philomena, pray for us.
St. Philomena, filled with the most abundant
graces from your very birth, pray for us.
St. Philomena, faithful imitator of Mary, pray for us.
St. Philomena. model of Virgins, pray for us.
St. Philomena, temple of the most perfect humility, pray for us.
St. Philomena, inflamed with zeal for the Glory of God, pray for us.
St. Philomena, victim of the love of Jesus, pray for us.
St. Philomena, example of strength and perseverance, pray for us.
St. Philomena, invincible champion of chastity, pray for us.
St. Philomena, mirror of the most heroic virtues, pray for us.
St. Philomena, firm and intrepid in the face of torments, pray for us.
St. Philomena, scourged like your Divine Spouse, pray for us.
St. Philomena, pierced by a shower of arrows, pray for us.
St. Philomena, consoled by the Mother of God, when in chains, pray for us.
St. Philomena, cured miraculously in prison, pray for us.
St. Philomena, comforted by angels in your torments, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who preferred torments and death to the splendors of a throne, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who converted the witnesses of your martyrdom, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who wore out the fury of your executioners, pray for us.
St. Philomena, protectress of the innocent, pray for us.
St. Philomena, patron of youth, pray for us.
St. Philomena, refuge of the unfortunate, pray for us.
St. Philomena, health of the sick and the weak. pray for us.
St. Philomena, new light of the church militant, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who confounds the impiety of the world, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who stimulates the faith and courage of the faithful, pray for us.
St. Philomena, whose name is glorified in Heaven and feared in Hell, pray for us.
St. Philomena, made illustrious by the most striking miracles, pray for us.
St. Philomena, all powerful with God, pray for us.
St. Philomena, who reigns in glory, pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
V.) Pray for us, Great St. Philomena,
R.) That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

We implore Thee, O Lord, by the intercession of Saint Philomena, Virgin and Martyr, who was ever most pleasing to Thy eyes by reason of her eminent purity and the practice of all the virtues, pardon us our sins and grant us all the graces we need (and name any special grace you may require). Amen.

Novena to St. Philomena
O great St. Philomena, glorious Virgin and Martyr, wonder-worker of our age, I return most fervent thanks to God for the miraculous gifts bestowed on thee, and beseech thee to impart to me a share in the graces and blessings of which thou hast been the channel to so many souls. Through the heroic fortitude with which thou didst confront the fury of tyrants and brave the frowns of the mighty rather than swerve from thy allegiance to the King of Heaven, obtain for me purity of body and soul, purity of heart and desire, purity of thought and affection.

Through thy patience under multiplied sufferings, obtain for me a submissive acceptance of all the afflictions it may please God to send me and as thou didst miraculously escape unhurt from the waters of the Tiber, into which thou wert cast by order of thy persecutor, so may I pass through the waters of tribulation without detriment to my soul. In addition to these favours, obtain for me, O faithful spouse of Jesus, the particular intention I earnestly recommend to thee at this moment. O pure Virgin and holy Martyr, deign to cast a look of pity from Heaven on thy devoted servant, comfort me in affliction, assist me in danger, above all come to my aid in the hour of death. Watch over the interests of the Church of God, pray for its exaltation and prosperity, the extension of the faith, for the Sovereign Pontiff, for the clergy, for the perseverance of the just, the conversion of sinners, and the relief of the souls in purgatory, especially those dear to me. O great Saint, whose triumph we celebrate on earth, intercede for me, that I may one day behold the crown of glory bestowed on thee in Heaven, and eternally bless Him who so liberally rewards for all eternity the sufferings endured for His love during this short life. Amen.

Prayer to St. Philomena
O most pure Virgin, glorious Martyr, St. Philomena, whom God in His eternal power has revealed to the world in these unhappy days in order to revive the faith, sustain the hope and enkindle the charity of Christian souls, behold me prostrate at thy feet. Deign, O Virgin, full of goodness and kindness, to receive my humble prayers and to obtain for me that purity for which thou didst sacrifice the most alluring pleasures of the world, that strength of soul which made thee resist the most terrible attacks and that ardent love for our Lord Jesus Christ, which the most frightful torments could not extinguish in thee. So, that wearing thy holy cord and imitating thee in this life, I may one day be crowned with thee in heaven. Amen.

31 Days of Fun: Playing Cards

The card game of choice during the family reunion in June:  Extreme Crazy 8s!  

Instructions

1) Follow the basic rules for Crazy 8s, as found here  

(The kids do some kind of variation using Jacks and Jokers -- but I'm at a loss to explain that one...  Just plain ole' Crazy Eights works fine.)

2) Then, make it extreme by adding "stakes."

Before each game, the kids choose some kind of crazy penalty for the losing players.  At first, we thought they were just getting a little loopy, the crazy shenanigans that were going on around here:  Groups of young adults skipping to the corner gas station yelling, "We're out of milk!" People eating mouths full of maraschino cherries -- with the stems.  Girls playing cards with golf balls in their mouths.  Children barking outside our bedroom door.  You get the idea. Silly things! As long as you make sure it doesn't get out of hand and no dangerous or scandalous stakes are set,  playing it "extreme"  makes Crazy 8s a good deal more interesting.  Even for those people who aren't playing!

For some reason, they liked playing it in this corner of the billiards room; I have no idea why...  (L-R: Theresa under the pool table, Kevin, Frater Philip, and  adopted brother, Omar)

And now, just for fun --

 a couple silly internet Quiz Thingies

(These were my results, but you can hit the link to go take the quiz, too!)

You Are Bridge

You are a thoughtful and conscientious person. In fact, you're a bit of a brainiac. You get a real thrill from mastering difficult tasks. You get bored if you aren't being challenged. You are competitive, but you aren't a sore loser. You take a rational approach to competition. You work hard, and you're persistent. You don't expect to be a natural at anything.

What Card Game Are You?

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes!

You Are Spades

You love living life on your own terms. Independence is very important to you. Whenever possible, you try to do things yourself. You want all the credit for your accomplishments. You enjoy working hard, but you enjoy the paycheck at the end even more. You follow your own path, and the turns you take are often unexpected and inspired.

What Suit of Cards Are You?

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes!

31 Days of Fun: Banana Art

Here's an easy and fun craft, though a temporary one, best practiced right before snack time. Fiddling with them like this does seem to make the bananas brown faster, but it's all good.  Play with your food -- then eat it, right? All you need are toothpicks and imagination.

Dominic (pre-red beard), designed this minion banana when he was here over Christmas break.

Not sure which of the girls did this one, but isn't it pretty?

A couple ideas of what's possible! 

( Both these last bananas gleaned from Pintrest,

 unfortunately posted without links or attribution.)

What to do with all those bananas once everyone's made their mark on them? You can, of course, just peel and eat them in their perfectly wonderful original state.  No going wrong there!  Bananas are a particularly healthful fruit, rich in vitamins C and B-6, potassium and manganese, they're also low in calories for those of us watching that sort of thing. But the main thing is that they're sweet and delicious -- and if you want to get a little creative, there are a million and one ways to use bananas in delectable recipes.  Here are just a few:

* Banana Pancakes! So easy!  And such a treat!

* Banana Bread!  Yum!  This link is another standard recipe and is good all by itself, plain and simple, but add a 1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins or craisins or walnuts or pecans for a real treat!

* Banana Smoothies!  This link is a standard recipe, but any smoothie you make, no matter what the ingredients, is made better -- thicker, sweeter, richer -- by adding bananas!

 Banana Pudding!

Original From Scratch Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 - 4 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafer cookies

Directions:

1.  In medium saucepan combine sugar, flour, and salt. Add eggs and stir well. Stir in milk, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. When mixture begins to thicken (make sure it's good and thick!), remove from heat and continue to stir, cooling slightly. Stir in vanilla and butter until smooth.

2.  Layer pudding with bananas and vanilla wafers in a serving dish. Chill at least one hour in refrigerator before serving.

Paleo -- Clean Eating -- Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. Unsweetened Almond Milk 
• 1 Small Banana
• Liquid Stevia, Agave, or honey (to taste)
• 1/4 c. Chia Seeds

Directions

1. In your blender, add almond milk and peeled banana.
2. Whiz until blended and no chunks of banana remain.
3. Add vanilla stevia until desired sweetness.
4. Pour liquid into quart sized jar or storage container with lid.
5. Add chia seeds, cover and shake well.
6. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes then remove, shake again, then back in the refrigerator.
7. Chill for an hour.
8. Serve as is or garnish with a few slices of fresh banana and top with coconut whipped cream. 

Make your own Almond Milk!

For pennies on the dollar! Check it out: Homemade Unsweetened Almond Milk = $0.44...Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Breeze = $1.99-$2.49...Cost Savings = 78%+  (*I buy a 3 lb. bag of raw almonds at Costco for $9.99)

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 c. Raw Almonds
• 8 c. Cold Filtered Water, Divided

Directions

1. Place one cup almonds in a mason jar and cover with water.
2. Loosely cover and let soak overnight or 8-12 hours. Rinse and drain.
3. Place soaked almonds and 4 c. fresh cold filtered water in VitaMix or high-powered blender.
4. Process on high for 3-4 minutes.
5. Strain through mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth or linen towel over a large bowl.

At this point you have a very rich and creamy almond milk. This is not the same, calorically speaking, as the Almond Breeze. It is a bit more condensed. This condensed almond milk is fabulous in coffee as a creamer replacement. To thin it out and make it similar in consistency and calories to Almond Breeze, add four more cups of cold filtered water. If you want vanilla flavored almond milk, add one to two teaspoons of high quality vanilla extract and a dash of stevia. Chocolate, no problem, add a tablespoon or two of rich dark cocoa powder along with a pinch of salt and a pinch of stevia.

* These clean eating recipes -- and more -- found here!  Vanessa Romero's recipes and ideas at Healthy Living How-to are the best!

31 Days of Fun: Day 8 -- Loligagging

• lol·ly·gag
• [ lóllee gàg ]

1. idly pass time: to waste time in a pleasant idle way

Gabe (9), Lucy (7 in dog years), William (8): accomplished lolligaggers

Some days you just need to lolligag.  It's good for you.
Really, truly.  It is!  I mean, all things in moderation and all that...

But, in case anyone has any work-aholic tendencies (we have a couple of those in our family), you can read about lolligagging...
here (courtesy of the team at Life Hacks) 
here ( from the folks at Scientific American)
here (according to the Marriage Counseling people)
here (from the American Academy of Pediatrics)

There now.  All the justification in the world.  We're taking the day off to be slugs.  See you tomorrow!

31 Days of Fun: 7th Day -- Making Faces

Bought a package of face paints and  gave them to the children this afternoon with instructions to kindly keep the paint on their faces -- and not their clothes, or the walls, or  the furniture..

Here's what they came up with:

Gabe:  Didn't let the paint near him.  Wanted no part of it.  Had better things to do.

.

William:  Seeing the bunny face on the cover of the face paint ideas book, he only agreed to let Theresa paint something,if it was indisputably "he-man."

Anna:  Everyone really wanted William to be a mime (I mean BE a mime), but he wouldn't do it.  So Anna did.

Theresa: The artist of everyone else's face, Theresa had Cathy paint her as Princes Amidala (Star Wars)

Cathy:  Her choice took the longest to paint and was, by far, the creepiest. 

Oh my goodness, Catherine!

A palate cleansing photo may be in order now.
Cathy as her usual self; she cleans up pretty well.

And, now... Last but not least: what Gabriel accomplished while his sisters wasted their afternoon painting their faces.  (Ugh.  Girls!)

This little wagon, made out of two empty cans, two skewers, a grocery store box, some duct tape, and a bit of rope will help Gabe bring the mail home from the post box if there's too much too carry.  He spent his afternoon making something useful out of recycled materials.  While his sisters...  well... It's just too embarassing to...  um...  try to explain.  Seriously. Girls!  What are you going to do about them?

31 Days of Fun: Day 6 -- Just Behaving Ourselves

 Incentives to be Good Little Children

For Lent, well-behaved children got to add hearts to fill up the Sacred Heart of Jesus drawn on our white board.

Yeah...  Sorry.  The photo is a little crooked.

For the month of August, they get to draw flowers in the Immaculate Heart!

Gabey getting to add a flower...

* Some ideas for getting through a long hot August, keeping the children happy, and Mom sane -- post following here.