You know, the thing you make...

I forgot to share a little gem with you about what Jack had to say about the ruined cake made over into a cake in a jar that I posted about yesterday!

After we had several of them lined up on the kitchen counter, Jack said, "Mom -- I think this should be the thing you make."

"What do you mean, Jack?"

"You know, this should be the thing you make."

Apparently saying it a second time in the exact same way was supposed to help me understand what he was talking about.

"I still don't know what you mean, Buddy."

"You know," he said, obviously exasperated with me, "the thing you make. Like how some people just have a thing that they make. This should be your thing that you make."

I couldn't stiffle some laughter. That kid makes me exasperated all the time, but I just love his facial expressions and the emphasis he puts on words in these kinds of discussions.

"You mean kind of like my specialty, Jack?"

"Oh yeah," he responded with a tone that also sounded like he might as well have been Joey from Friends and said, "Hey -- how you doin'?"

I'm thinking it might be time to ruin a cake again soon.

A Yummy Treat with a Ruined Cake

We recently made a cake so that we could make mini wedding cakes during our school day. (Okay, maybe it wasn't recently. It was actually in March on the Feast Day of St. Joseph.)

After we used a large circle cutter to cut out layers for our mini two layer wedding cakes, we had a lot of cake leftovers. I had no idea what to do with it all, but knew that it was silly to just throw them away. This project would also be great for a cake that fell apart on the way out of the pan, or some other cake catastrophe.

Then, remembering fun cupcakes in a jar that I saw on Etsy, I decided to go with a new version of that yummy looking treat for our leftovers. I whipped up some homemade vanilla frosting and dug out some Ball canning jars (I think they're pint sized, and they were wide mouth) and sprinkles.

We put down a layer of cake, then a layer of our vanilla frosting, and then a dash of sprinkles. Then, we repeated the process.

Not only were these so pretty to look at, but they were delicious and they made fabulous little surprise gifts for some friends and family. (You can even tie on a bow and include a plastic fork!)

My only regret? We didn't save a single one for ourselves! Luckily for us though, we were able to put some of the leftover cake and frosting in a bowl. It may not have been as pretty, but darn it -- it was just as good!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday and Finer Things Friday.

I Have An All New Look!

If you have followed my blog for a long time, you'll know that this is not the first time that I have changed the look of this blog. Heck -- I think I just did a major overhaul already this calendar year. But, I just wasn't happy and decided that I needed a new look. And, for once, I wasn't going to be the one doing the makeover.

I have been so pleased to be able to work with Darcy from Graphically Designing to come up with a whole new look. Well, okay, I had to keep my header picture, but otherwise, I have an all new look. (And, even though I kept my header picture, Darcy made it look even better than before!)

So, you may say, "Hey Angie -- how is this your tackle for the week? Didn't Darcy do all the work?"

Yeah, Darcy did do all the work. But, I spent a lot of time emailing back and forth with her (because I went with the largest package, so we had a lot to talk about), so I declare this to be my tackle too!

Darcy was fabulous to work with! Not only is she darling and funny, but she's a Catholic homeschooling Mom, just like me! (Bonus!) If you are looking for a blog makeover, you should definitely take a look through her design site. Be warned though -- she is very popular so she has a long waiting list. Oh, and she has just introduced a couple of premade templates that are less expensive, so be sure to check those out too!

Or, if you're just looking for some new great reading material, check out Darcy's blog -- Life with My 3 Boybarians.

Thanks to Darcy for helping me through this week's tackle!

If you read through a Feedreader or email, please take a minute to stop by and check out the new design!

This post has been linked to Tackle It Tuesday and Talk About Tuesday

Real Life Confessions: The Breakfast Edition

It is not unusual for me to post recipes here or talk about cooking. In my "real life," I have friends that think I am a master chef because I can bake brownies from scratch. (One friend even joked that she didn't know that brownies could be made without a box mix. Or, at least I hoped she was joking.)

As a matter of fact, I'm actually even a writer for Blissfully Domestic's food section!

Okay, it's time for that ugly confession, right?

I've never made scrambled eggs and, quite frankly, I have no idea how to do it. Ditto to pancakes and waffles as well.

If I make pancakes or waffles, they were previously frozen and came in a yellow box that says Eggo on the side. This is not to say that we never have scrambled eggs or real pancakes in our house. It just means that Eric has always been the one to make them, and so I never have.

So, all of this is to say that the next time you have a hankering for a good old fashioned breakfast, make sure Eric is home first. Because my job on those days is to make toast.




photo by amanky

Many Little Links: The Middle of the Night Crying Edition

If you're a parent, you know how it usually goes down. You've either had an exhausting day and are finally settling in to a sound sleep or you are staying up late desperately trying to get something done.

Then, in an instant, your plans for the night change because a child is crying.

As usual, I am up late. This time, it is baking cookies for a retreat. Poor Molly woke up screaming about leg pain. (This is not the first time she has complained about the same thing -- almost always in the evening or at night.)

She is back to bed now, but only after a very traumatic event of trying to drink some Tylenol.

My cookies are finally almost done (and I only almost burnt one pan in all the craziness that happened), and I'll close out with sharing some links that I have enjoyed lately.

• It's Never Too Late to Mend Your Ways -- Home Ec 101
• Living Off The Grid Daydreams -- Frugal Dad
• Creating a Frugal Home -- We are THAT Family
• Fun. PreK Style. -- Life with My 3 Boybarians
• Status in the Sight of God -- Conversion Diary
• Write Them on Your Doorframes... -- Wild Olives (this is seriously too cool!)
• Words, Words, Words: Writing Centers -- ABC and 123
• Come Up With 10 Post Ideas -- ProBlogger
• Simple Doughnuts -- Home Ec 101
• One Pot Spring Garden -- Joy the Baker
• 40 Ways to Go Greener at Home -- Simple Mom (be sure to check out the link at number 3 on the list -- some very cool guest writer did that article. Or, maybe I did.)
  

How Could It Have Been 17 Years Ago?

I mean, really.

How could it have been 17 years ago today that I was 15 and my (16 year old) super shy friend Eric grabbed me in the school hallway and kissed me, thus, apparently sealing our fate. (Or, perhaps it was my love declaration when he had an arm full of AV equipment, that he promptly droped.)

Either way, you can read the whole story here, if you want.







photo by Moh Tj

Use Simple Cleaning to Keep Germs Away

Here's a quick tip for today that I don't do nearly as often as I should, but I definitely do try to do whenever I remember...

Door knobs, light switches, cabinet door pulls, and hand rails are breeding grounds for germs. A quick cleaning can help cut down on illnesses around your house. In particular, these are especially important areas to clean when sickness has been making the rounds at your house.

So, the next time you are cleaning, make sure to give these areas (which are so often overlooked) a quick cleaning!

For more tips and ideas from around the blogosphere, be sure to check out Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

photo by T.SC

Homeschooling: It's Not Just About 180 Instructional Days

I already wrote about growing seeds here at Many Little Blessings (just last night), and was planning to write a different article, but also on the topic of our seed growing over at The Homeschool Classroom for today.

Instead, as I got ready to write about the lessons that growing from seeds were teaching us, I started to look over the day in my mind. I was then called to write about something else -- something more important.

I want to invite you to pop over to The Homeschool Classroom today to read my reflection about our day yesterday. From talking about The Good Shepherd to holding doors open for old women to Jesus building a church right on top of Peter (or something like that), and then finally to the realization that homeschooling isn't just about 180 instructional days.

Planting Seeds and Growing in Faith

We had been wanting to start some plants with seeds this year. Not only did I know that it would help us try out things that we couldn't find as starter plants in the store, but I also knew that it would be a fabulous project for the kids.

But, we still ended up putting it off. Finally, one day, I just said, "Let's do some planting!" and we began on an fun science experience for the day.

I let the kids plant almost all of the seeds. We made a grid so we would know what seeds we planted in which cells. Hey...science and math. Pretty tricky, huh? (Seriously though -- we had already done math workbooks for the day. Oh, the excitement.)

The kids kept a close eye for growth in our mini greenhouse contraption that we picked up at Walmart.

Although they probably thought it seemed like forever, it was not long before we were treated to some sprouting. The kids were amazed and delighted. And, you know what? Eric and I were pretty darn amazed and delighted too.

Just a few days later, the seedlings have been growing like crazy! We can look at the tray and then when we walk back a few hours later, and they are bigger! Plus, we all think it's a hoot to watch the plants move toward light.

And, to think, I came so close to just picking up starter plants instead of starting the seeds that I had purchased. Look at how much richer we are for not having done that. Not only did we not spend more money, but we have been able to watch in amazement at the utter awesomeness of God's creation. And that is something that money just can't buy.

This post has been submitted to Tackle It Tuesday, I Am Blissfully Domestic, and Talk About Tuesday.

GigantaPants vs. Pink Shirta

One weekend in March, Eric was helping to put on a church retreat all weekend. So, it was just me and the kids, and we had big plans.

Well, if big plans means doing nothing and working on laundry, then we had big plans. Eric had asked the kids to please be good helpers for me while he was gone. So, when it came time to do laundry, they all eagerly wanted to assist.

What really excited me was that after we got the laundry going, they shut the door to the laundry room and stayed in there for the entire load of laundry.

I had no idea what they were doing, but it just sounded like they were pretending and talking, so I enjoyed the quiet.

Upon the load ending, their chatter just piqued my interest too much, so I had to ask them what they had done that whole time. In response, I got a lot of shifty eyes.

Molly mentioned something about "Gigantapants." (This is pronounced as if you have joined the words gigantic and pants.)

Both of the boys blushed.

Finally, I begged them to tell me. I promised not to laugh. I had to know how they had not only watched laundry going through the wash, but had a wonderful time doing it. And, apparently the promise of not laughing about it was enough. It also meant that I was about to get quite an earful about what they had been doing.

It seems that there were battles (a la Pokemon-style) between items of clothing as they spun around the washing machine. First, apparently, was Gigantapants (an adult pair of blue jeans) versus poor Pink Shirta (a demure 5T size shirt). Then, Red Diamond (a red shirt of mine with a couple of sparkles on it) versus Red Shirta (Noah's polo shirt) came next. The big winner, however, was White Towela (aka a Shout Color Catcher).

This just reminds me once again about the wonderful creativity of childhood and their unique ability to occasionally forgo all of their store bought toys to find great fun in something more ordinary. I just pray that I can continue to foster their creativity and wonder as they grow.






picture by dhammza

7 Quick Takes - April 17th

1. I decided to join in on Jen's 7 Quick Takes! (Interesting factoid: Jen and I both were received into the Catholic Church on the same night!)

2. Finally, after weeks of putting it off, I got Jack's First Communion invitations printed and sent out. Last year, I designed Noah's on the computer and had them printed, but this year, I just printed them out on pretty paper. (I saved a fortune, and I still thought they were cute!)

3. On Thursday, we got together with another homeschooling family from church. I just love this family! We have been getting together often. Not only do the kids all get along, but their Mom is a wonderful friend. God has really blessed us by bringing them into our lives.

4. I'm having a blog maker done, and I'm finally not the one doing it. (Can I just tell you how much less stress this is for me?) I'm hoping to show it off in the next week or so. By the way, there will be ad space to buy, so if you're interested in getting in while I have some low introductory pricing, drop me an email.

5. The kids and I planted seeds this week for lettuce, peas, beans, and spinach this week. They have already started sprouting! We have never really grown from seeds (we usually buy starter plants), so this has been an exciting science project!

6. Jack got his first splinter tonight! Eric tried to take it off and it broke. So, then we went for a visit to Papa (my Dad) who is a master splinter remover. We're so blessed to have my parents living so close!

7. I ordered some more of our homeschooling stuff for next year from Winter Promise. Some of the books have been coming in, and I'm so excited! It looks great!



This post was also submitted for Weekly Wrap Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Virtual Great American Bake Sale Cookbooks Now Available

Welcome to the Virtual Great American Bake Sale. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these ebooks will go toward Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale program. Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale are donated to after-school and summer feeding programs--food programs that many kids depend on when school is not in session. Great American Bake Sale is a program of Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.


The ebooks are a compilation of recipes from submitters across the blogosphere and beyond. The ebooks are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer's choosing.

The Complete 2009 VGABS Recipes Ebook

Features all 170 of the submitted recipes. Many of the recipes include pictures.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.


Shopping cart courtesy of E-Junkie.

Because we know file size may be an issue for some, the below ebooks have split the 170 recipes into 4 categorized ebooks so that you can choose just 1 or 2 of your favorites, if you'd prefer. Just like for the Complete ebook, many of these recipes include pictures. And again, they are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer's choosing.

Muffins & Breads

Features 24 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Cookies, Candy, Cakes, Bars & Brownies

Features 50 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Desserts

Features 49 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

Beyond Baked Goods (Appetizers, Breakfast, Main Dishes, etc.)

Features 47 recipes.

On the checkout page, manually change the amount (USD) field to your donation amount.

The Best Toy Ever (aka "I Just Love My Box House!")

A couple of weeks ago, we received a package from Amazon.com. Eric happened to be home from work that day, and pretty soon, I heard him cutting on the small box. I had no idea what he was doing, but I just kept hearing him cut and cut.

Pretty soon, Molly's House (or "The Box House," as Molly likes to call it) was finished, and she loved it!

As a matter-of-fact, I have noticed that most kids seem to just adore creations from boxes of all sizes. From refrigerator box forts to microwave box race cars to Amazon book box houses -- they love them.

While it has been a few weeks since Eric made this for Molly, the box house continues to be played with, and it continues to sit right next to '>the dollhouse that she got for Christmas.

Making a box into a toy definitely works for me as not only a great unplugged play option, but also as a fabulously green option!

Have you ever made something fun out of a box? What did you make?

This post was submitted to: Works for Me Wednesday, Things I Love Thursday, and Finer Things Friday.

I just ordered the newest version of the Catholic Woman's Planner!

I just ordered the latest copy of my very favorite datebook -- the Catholic Woman's Daily Planner from Family-Centered Press. The newest versions run through next school year -- August 2009 - July 2010.

Not only do they have a Women's Planner, but they have ones for men, students, and also a nature journal. In both the men's and women's versions, you can add in a menu planning section and/or a lesson planning section. Of course, you can also add neither of those, and leave it as is.

My favorite size is the small size, which is 5.5" x 8.5", while the larger size is 8.5" x 11".

And, just so you know, I don't receive anything for writing about this each year when I buy it. I just really love it, and it works for me, so I always like to pass along word. (Plus, I want to make sure people know, as they seem to sell out quickly at times.)

Thanks to Michele and family for such a wonderful product!

How to Make a First Communion Banner

This is our second year in a row with a child who is preparing for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.

From my experience of listening to other parents at various meetings, it would seem that the biggest stressors for the parents when it comes to these important Sacraments seems to be one (or both) of two things.

They worry about their child in First Reconciliation (confession), and whether they will remember all the steps. (I have personally assured parents that, at least at our parish for sure, the priest will help the kids. They want it to be a positive experience for them.) And, the second is the First Communion Banner.

Yes, the thought of putting together a banner for First Communion is enough to strike extreme fear in even the craft-loving Mama, let alone the craft-impaired one. So, though I don't pretend to be an expert, I will share some tips from my banner making, especially because we are very excited to have finished and turned in Jack's banner this week! (If you want, you can read about when we made a banner with our oldest son, as well as to go see examples of banners from our parish's First Communion Mass last year and this year's with over 40 examples of First Communion Banners.)

Tips to Successful First Communion Banner Making:

1. First and foremost, check with your parish! Many parishes have specific rules about sizes, materials, or even what they want to have appear on the banner. For instance, in our parish, they have given us a specific size, as well as that they want to be able to hang it on a wire. Because of a generous parent in our parish, we all have the option of receiving a blank piece of burlap which has been made to regulation.

On a side note, most parishes do require that a child's name appear on the banner. Most just require a first name. This year, we included a last initial, because Jack is not the only Jack in his First Communion group. (Last year, we only used Noah's first name.) This year, they also urged us to include the date somewhere on the banner as well.

2. Once you know what rules you need to adhere to, you are ready to prepare to make your banner. This always includes a trip to Hobby Lobby or Michaels for us. We pick out felt (and in past years, we also bought puffy paint). Some people use foam letters/shapes to decorate their banner. Heck -- some use real "fake" grapes as well. But, as I said, we're felt people.

My tip about felt -- save yourself a lot of time by either buying very stiff felt or by buying self-adhesive felt. I love both of these products for this project! This makes tracing and cutting much easier for both children and their parents. We also used self-adhesive felt letters. (Love them!)

If you do not buy self-adhesive felt (or something else self-adhesive), be sure to use a good strong glue, like Tacky Glue (available in craft areas of most stores), or sew your decorations to your banner. (Remember that at many large parishes, they simply will not have the time to re-adhere an element that has fallen off your banner.)

3. Please, please, please do not make this a project that just Mom works on. Make it a family activity. Or, at the very least, make sure to also include the child making their First Communion. Both years, we have given a lot of assistance, but we left all decisions (and different parts of the decorating and cutting) to the person whose banner it is.

4. Once you have all of your elements cut and ready, try out several different layouts. When we did that this year, we found that Jack much preferred one way over the way that we were originally helping him with.

Common elements you may want to include on a banner include a child's name, the date, a chalice, grapes, bread, wheat, a Communion Host, and a cross. You do not need to include all of these (you don't want it to be too overwhelming), and you may want to include something not on the list. Either way -- this is just a general guide.

5. Put together your banner by unpeeling adhesive, using Tacky Glue, or sewing. Make sure everything seems like it will stay on.

6. If desired, jazz up the banner a bit with something like puffy paint. Personally, I like that it gives ours a little sparkle (especially since at our parish, they are displayed by hanging them a la clothes line style). If you look at the picture of before and after puffy paint (also available in most craft stores), you'll see what a difference it makes!

On a side note, we always have uneven puffy paint lines, because we let the kids do it (with some help). It always feels very special to them!

7. Clearly mark your child's name on the back of the banner, so it can easily be returned after the First Communion Mass.

8. Mark this task off of your "to do" list, and say a prayer for your child. They have a big day coming up!



This post was submitted for: Tackle It Tuesday, I Am Blissfully Domestic, and Talk About Tuesday.

Have a Blessed Easter Weekend!

We just got home from the Holy Thursday Mass, and are gearing up for a day of prayer and fasting tomorrow. I'll be back on the blog on Monday.

Prayers for all of you, and your families!

Plan a Family Foot Washing for Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday (or Maundy Thursday, in some traditions) is this week. On Holy Thursday, we remember the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist.

One other tradition that is seen throughout many Christian religious traditions on Holy Thursday is foot washing. When I was a Protestant, Maundy Thursday was a night for a Christian Seder and then a foot washing at my church. As a Catholic, the parish I belong to has a carry in meal and then Mass. One of my favorite parts of that Mass is seeing the foot washing.

This is probably because in April of 2007, I was among the 12 that had their feet washed. At my parish, the 12 who have their feet washed are 12 people from within the RCIA program (those converting at Easter) that have volunteered. Their feet are washed by the priests of the parish. To me, that is moving.

So, last year, I was wished there was some way to experience it again. And, then it hit me!

A family foot washing!

In the evening, we talked about the significance of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. We also talked about the importance of not only serving others, but of also allowing others to serve us sometimes. (I know, this sounds so counter intuitive. But, we talked about how sometimes, when someone feels called to serve, if we won't allow them to, then it takes away that experience for them.)

Then, we did our foot washing.

If you decide to try this with your family, I suggest figuring out the logistics ahead of time, in order to keep the foot washing time as a quiet and prayerful time. What we did was to have each of the children wash one foot of each of their siblings. For example, one of Noah's feet was washed by Molly and one by Jack, and so on. Then, the kids washed one of their Dad's feet and I washed the other. And, they did the same thing for me.

It was all really thoughtful and beautiful.

And, really, we're kind of a silly family. But, everyone was serious as we did it because I think even our littlest one understood the meaning in it.

I definitely am planning to have us do it again this year, and I'm hoping that, just maybe, this could become a beautiful family tradition.

And, maybe your family will want to do it this year too.

Does your family have any special traditions for Holy Week?

This post was submitted for Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

photo by jimforest

My Very First Trip to a Homeschool Convention

I recently went to my first homeschool convention, and thanks to one of my friends that was a veteran of the convention, as well as Kris' tips that she gave previously, I feel like I had a very successful trip!

We were only able to visit for one day, so we couldn't go with Kris' tip to visit through the vendor hall on one day and then shop the next day, if it is possible.

Instead, with cell phones in hand (so we could find each other later), we each scouted out the whole vendor hall in the morning...

You can read the rest of my article (and find out more about my trip!) over at The Homeschool Classroom

Real Life Confessions: The I'm Not Really That Good Edition

Last week, I went to my friend Misty's house. As soon as I walked in the door, she declared, "I have to stop reading your blog."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it makes me feel bad," she admitted. You see, it appears that maybe I sound too good on my blog. Or, at least I have as long as Misty has been reading.

I do try to post from time to time about how homeschooling hasn't gone exactly as expected, I get too caught up in how people think of me, I break good habits, I have a phone phobia, and my bladder just isn't what it used to be.

But, maybe I haven't been talking about anything like that lately. So, to make Misty feel better (and maybe some other people too), I will try to post once a week (or every couple of weeks) about some real life confession of something not so pretty about my life. Sure, it may not always be ugly, it might just be something quirky or funny. But, anyway, it will be a way for the Mistys out there to know that I don't spend all my time making meals for families in need and knitting hats.

So, for my very first confession...

I made rice krispie treats for the first time when I was a teenager. When I made them, I managed to burn them three different times. Yes, three times.

How is that even possible, you may ask.

1. I burnt the butter when I started to melt it first.

2. I then burnt the marshmallows when I added them to the butter. (I think it was new butter at this point.)

3. I kept the mixture on the heat when I put in the rice krispies, and I managed to burn that as well.

So, Misty, consider this your first dose of feeling better about yourself. So, now are you going to stop being so skinny, cute, and fashionable so that I can feel better about myself?



photo by Morgennebel