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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
How many?
Brian saved this Kroger brand cake mix box because the instructions in part two struck him as hilariously funny. I think I would go buy a mixer if I didn't have one!
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Monday, February 25, 2013
Champions Once More!
Jacob holding the Epic Team 3.0 2013 Trophies!
1st Place in Research
2nd Place Overall Champions! - AGAIN!
This past Saturday the Epic Team 3.0 Robotics Team, that Jacob has been a part of for three years, won big again! This year's First Lego League theme was Senior Solutions, so they had to do research in this area and come up with a solution to a problem that senior citizens encounter. The boys worked on designing an inexpensive, portable door knob opener. The did lots of research, worked with a senior partner, designed and created a working prototype, tested it and created a presentation and skit as a portion of their competition. I wish you could see every bit of it! It is wonderful and creative and priceless. Their science board that they present to judges along with their skit is below. I think if you click on the pictures, you can read some of it.
The boys took first in all categories in their December qualifying match and advanced to the South Texas (Houston) Championship. They competed well, but we weren't sure what the awards ceremony would hold. About midway through the awards ceremony, they received first place in Research! This was so fitting. Lots of trophies were given away for a variety of categories, but research is a big one! They didn't receive any other awards until.........the very end!
We were so totally blown away when they received the 2nd Place Championship trophy AGAIN this year. And the group of teams was bigger this year! So out of the major categories judged (Robot Performance, Teamwork (Core Values), Research, and Technical Design - I think I got all those right!), their combined scores put them in second place out of 62 TEAMS competing!
Woo hoo! We are so proud of these boys! They work as a true team, the show Godly behavior and gracious professionalism, and they are smart and hardworking. And blessings and thanks go to their fantastic coaches and the amazing parents! We love these boys and these families! What a privilege to be a part of this team and the whole experience!
GO EPIC!!!!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!
Yesterday was my sweet Nicole's 10th birthday! A whole decade. Oh, my!
We had her blueberry cake for her birthday breakfast before 9:30 Mass. She also opened her presents.
After Mass, she received the most wonderful birthday blessing from Fr. Benny. We always ask for birthday blessings on or near each person's birthday. It was wonderful to listen to Father's words as he prayed for Nicole. The BEST!
For lunch she requested chicken salad sandwiches and my parents stopped by to bring her a lovely gift.
During the afternoon, Nicole and I worked on baking her cake and she decorated it herself! It feels funny having her decorate her own cake, but she really wanted to. I am glad to share that with her. And she did a great job on it! Her first time ever with a decorating bag in her hands!
What fun! She and I took a little time to walk one street over to an opening in the fences between houses to visit the horses on the farm behind us. Two of them came to us when we called. What a fun experience. She goes periodically to visit the horses, but I had never been over there.
For dinner we had meatball subs, pasta salad and fruit salad. Then we enjoyed cake and ice cream. Everyone else went to bed, but Nicole and I stayed up to have a movie night, eating popcorn and watching the AG McKenna movie.
At the end of the day, I was hoping and praying that her day had been wonderful. I got my answer. This morning she was crying because "her birthday was over and it had been such a wonderful day!"
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We had her blueberry cake for her birthday breakfast before 9:30 Mass. She also opened her presents.
After Mass, she received the most wonderful birthday blessing from Fr. Benny. We always ask for birthday blessings on or near each person's birthday. It was wonderful to listen to Father's words as he prayed for Nicole. The BEST!
For lunch she requested chicken salad sandwiches and my parents stopped by to bring her a lovely gift.
During the afternoon, Nicole and I worked on baking her cake and she decorated it herself! It feels funny having her decorate her own cake, but she really wanted to. I am glad to share that with her. And she did a great job on it! Her first time ever with a decorating bag in her hands!
What fun! She and I took a little time to walk one street over to an opening in the fences between houses to visit the horses on the farm behind us. Two of them came to us when we called. What a fun experience. She goes periodically to visit the horses, but I had never been over there.
For dinner we had meatball subs, pasta salad and fruit salad. Then we enjoyed cake and ice cream. Everyone else went to bed, but Nicole and I stayed up to have a movie night, eating popcorn and watching the AG McKenna movie.
At the end of the day, I was hoping and praying that her day had been wonderful. I got my answer. This morning she was crying because "her birthday was over and it had been such a wonderful day!"
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Holy by Command
This morning, before I read today's passage from Leviticus, I read a few little introductory comments about a verse in the passage.
Leviticus 19:1-2 says
And the LORD said to Moses, "Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy.
What I read about this struck home today. It is my little nugget among many. It said that this command to be holy as God is holy is actually a GUARANTEE! A guarantee? Really? I had stop a moment, reread, think, digest. It was early, you know.
So what that means is that God guarantees that I can be holy like He is. Really. He wouldn't have commanded the Israelites, and me and all of us, to be holy if it wasn't something that we couldn't possibly achieve. He tells us to do it knowing full well that we can be holy as we rely on him in all things.
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Leviticus 19:1-2 says
And the LORD said to Moses, "Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy.
What I read about this struck home today. It is my little nugget among many. It said that this command to be holy as God is holy is actually a GUARANTEE! A guarantee? Really? I had stop a moment, reread, think, digest. It was early, you know.
So what that means is that God guarantees that I can be holy like He is. Really. He wouldn't have commanded the Israelites, and me and all of us, to be holy if it wasn't something that we couldn't possibly achieve. He tells us to do it knowing full well that we can be holy as we rely on him in all things.
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Thursday, February 14, 2013
Date Time
Kids are to bed!
Time for OUR Valentine dinner. Steaks, mashed potatoes, grilled veggies (red onion, zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper), Asian slaw. Wine.
Chocolate cheesecake for dessert.
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Time for OUR Valentine dinner. Steaks, mashed potatoes, grilled veggies (red onion, zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper), Asian slaw. Wine.
Chocolate cheesecake for dessert.
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Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Ash Wednesday
"Mom, I guess you could have given up coffee for Lent. But that wouldn't be a very happy Lent for us."
Thanks Jacob! But it is so true. So true.
And so Lent begins. The children have chosen the things they will give up. So have Brian and I. Today we will hang up our Stations of the Cross pictures around the house and start reading Amon's Adventure. We will eat simply. We will celebrate Mass tonight. And it is Lent.
The one thing I really wanted to do this Lent, aside from giving something up, was to begin getting up earlier again, as I used to many moons ago. It is a sacrifice. Bed is so much nicer in the morning than it ever used to be. I am older. I am more tired. But I am also daily frustrated with the way my days begin. So I did it this morning. It is only one morning, but I did it. March on.
My little brain is having trouble with switching from Ash Wednesday to St. Valentine's Day the next day. I still want to keep our Lenten observances, but I do not think that because it is Lent, that we say to "no" to any celebration whatsoever. It is a saint day so we do plan to celebrate a little, kind of like on St. Patrick's Day or St. Joseph's feast day. Nothing big, but the children did not give up sweets this year, so they may still have a small treat. I have had to think about this many years since two of my children often have birthdays during Lent. I imagine as they get older, they will be able to embrace less celebration on their Lenten birthdays, but it IS a day to celebrate them! Where are our hearts?
Most recently, I have been quilting a lot! I had three quilts going at once. A baby quilt that someone special ordered, a copy of that quilt since I had enough fabric (for the most part), and my scrappy trip around the world quilt. I finished binding all three last night. I did a little wall rearranging this morning so I could hang my scrappy trip in the den.
Scrappy Trip Around the World
One of the two matching quilts - one special order, one to sell in my shop
And here is a cute little picture of my Braden holding his football cards. The boys spend so much time with their binders of football cards - trading them, reorganizing them, talking about them. So fun to watch them enjoy these together.
I pray your Ash Wednesday, your entire Lent, for that matter, is blessed and a great time of growth in holiness.
Much love!
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Thanks Jacob! But it is so true. So true.
And so Lent begins. The children have chosen the things they will give up. So have Brian and I. Today we will hang up our Stations of the Cross pictures around the house and start reading Amon's Adventure. We will eat simply. We will celebrate Mass tonight. And it is Lent.
The one thing I really wanted to do this Lent, aside from giving something up, was to begin getting up earlier again, as I used to many moons ago. It is a sacrifice. Bed is so much nicer in the morning than it ever used to be. I am older. I am more tired. But I am also daily frustrated with the way my days begin. So I did it this morning. It is only one morning, but I did it. March on.
My little brain is having trouble with switching from Ash Wednesday to St. Valentine's Day the next day. I still want to keep our Lenten observances, but I do not think that because it is Lent, that we say to "no" to any celebration whatsoever. It is a saint day so we do plan to celebrate a little, kind of like on St. Patrick's Day or St. Joseph's feast day. Nothing big, but the children did not give up sweets this year, so they may still have a small treat. I have had to think about this many years since two of my children often have birthdays during Lent. I imagine as they get older, they will be able to embrace less celebration on their Lenten birthdays, but it IS a day to celebrate them! Where are our hearts?
Most recently, I have been quilting a lot! I had three quilts going at once. A baby quilt that someone special ordered, a copy of that quilt since I had enough fabric (for the most part), and my scrappy trip around the world quilt. I finished binding all three last night. I did a little wall rearranging this morning so I could hang my scrappy trip in the den.
Scrappy Trip Around the World
One of the two matching quilts - one special order, one to sell in my shop
And here is a cute little picture of my Braden holding his football cards. The boys spend so much time with their binders of football cards - trading them, reorganizing them, talking about them. So fun to watch them enjoy these together.
I pray your Ash Wednesday, your entire Lent, for that matter, is blessed and a great time of growth in holiness.
Much love!
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