Friday, September 30, 2016

Blackberry cobbler on St. Michael's Feast day


We celebrated Knox's feast day with blackberry cobbler and Queen of Angels Chicken. It was a good dinner, we didn't have any shirkers.


It was all gone by the end of dinner.


Going in the oven...


Someone tasted it before I could get a picture! The sugar melts down if you put it right when it comes out and leaves a nice crust on top. You have heard the legend, why we commemorate St. Michael's feast day with blackberries- because when Satan was thrown down out of heaven into a blackberry bush, he spat on the berries. So they are sour after St. Michael's feast day! LOL, blackberry picking here in Kansas is only through EARLY August at best by the way. I had to buy store berries. 




St. Michael, pray for us!




Tagging Monarch Butterflies

Monarch's are getting ready to migrate soon. We hope we don't miss them.


We've reared 3 wild Monarch caterpillars so far this year, we had 4 but his cannibalistic sister ate him. This is the sister in the photos. We are tagging butterflies to see if they make it all the way to Mexico.


The tag is documented on a piece of paper which you turn into KU. Then they wait and see if locals in Mexico find any butterflies with tags. They get paid like $5 a butterfly or something. It's a pretty neat program. Knox's 4-H leader gave us the tags and we are making it a club effort to help with butterfly research.


Happy migration!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

sewing with the 4-H girls

We hosted 3 meetings at our house this past week- Little Flowers, Familia and 4-H. That was in addition to all the normal stuff we do plus homeschooling. And my husband was transferred to 1st shift on Wednesday- his day off, and reported to 1st shift Saturday.  

So our lives went from one meal a week together now to at least 5 meals a week together.  That's the good part! Life plans are always going to change and we sure are going to be making some schedule changes. At least he can drive kids somewhere in the evenings for now. I just don't know about my day time stuff- that's going to be reworked. AND THANK GOODNESS OUR A/C IS STILL WORKING!



I talked about making these bags a few weeks ago. 4-H kids can recycle their animals feed bags into reusable grocery bags. They could be sold to fund raise for their club or fund their animal project up till the fair.



Genna and her rabbit feed bag.


2 pig bags,  1 chicken bag and a rabbit bag.


I love that picture of the bunnies. Speaking of bunnies, our black rabbit got out again- 4th time, BEFORE mass on Sunday. Knox chased him down in his church clothes as we were getting in the van- that's when we saw him. It's the 3rd time that's happened before or after a mass.



Speaking of mass, look who showed up on duty to join us for mass this past Sunday. How blessed are we to have daddy join us? So grateful Sunday mornings are slow for police.
Zoe learned to wave bye-bye Sunday morning. So on the way into church she was waving to everyone, and during mass too. It was so darn cute. She couldn't stop waving.

Brenden started speech therapy this week- big boy stuff going on!

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Earrings, butterflies and soccer, no A/C, big spider!

This has been life lately. I have been gone more away from home this month than any other month I think.






I am trying to figure out how to sell these online through my blog. I don't want the Etsy overhead or anything to do with Paypal. I will probably just have to take orders through emails and do the traditional money exchange. Hopefully I will get some holiday orders. I have parts coming in the mail will have photos to display for you to chose from.

So besides staying up really late for the last week, I have also been watching my kids raise butterflies and play soccer.


Cats do poo a lot, its technically called frass.. Oh frass!  Okay just kidding! haha..only an Entomologist would get that.


Monarch #3



Soccer




 Until soccer season is over, I am pinned down.


We have double headers, usually at least 4 games on a Saturday.

Campfires are fun, especially when your A/C doesn't work.



First time riding in a car shopping cart.  Always a picture moment!


She is wondering if this is legal?


Free donuts at Krispy Kreme on "National Talk like a Pirate Day"!  And we ran into our friend's pirate husband.


Trips to the park for more insects... you should see my freezers.


He was so cute! Love snails!


REALLY huge spiders.


Seeing Daddy at work. Always a highlight for him and us. Who doesn't love a cop holding a baby? You have something wrong with you if you don't!


Eating cereal for the first time. I am never in a rush to start solids...sometime after 9 months.



And another first..he learned to pin his own bugs. I didn't help at all. He put the pin through the thorax and spread it's legs on his own at our Entomology meeting. How many 4 year olds have the dexterity to do that?  Give them a chance and they will surprise you.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

First earring order!

I am so excited, I was asked by a good friend to make some earrings for her mom and some of her friends. Then her mom sort of accidently saw her pair she was wearing and asked to have some made as well, 6 pairs!  I am out of a few things, that why I am paused right now on them- I am hoping I can run out to get them tomorrow. I wanted to show you all how they looked so far and I will update you when they are done.


I have lots of other options too, I can't wait to share with you all. But these Miraculous Medals are especially ornate and beautiful! And they are made in Italy as you can see below. I use real Czech glass beads and glass pearls. Everything is imported. I have Swarovski crystals on other sets as well.


Some similar ones I am going to be working on too.


And for the 100th anniversary of FATIMA! I am going to be making some special Fatima earrings with a relic- it's dirt from Fatima. 


You could have your earrings blessed by the way. 
Our Lady of Fatima Pray for us!

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Divine Mercy Lap Folder for Little Flowers Virtue of Mercy.

I found a few ideas for making a Divine Mercy Lap book. But not anything that was complete with documents that were free. SO here is what I just did going off of what I found, to make for our Little Flowers Wreath II girls. We are meeting this weekend and working on the virtue of mercy and learning about St. Faustina. St. Faustina's Feast Day is October 5th. (Can't we all show some mercy nowadays?)

1)  Red paper file folder

2) Print off this Divine Mercy Chaplet Card from Holy Reflections (one of my fav sites) or use this blogs Diary of a Sower. I used card stock fyi. You can use either.

3) Image or Holy Card of the Divine Mercy for the front cover- find a Holy Card.

4) picture of St. Faustina for the inside- on my document

5) My document

6) Works of Mercy for the backside using the mini-book from Look at Him and be Radiant.

7) a large card envelope- or make something to put the mini books in. I have a huge envelope stack from my mother-in-law.

8) 1 piece of black card stock

9) glue or glue dots, or this cool "Xyron Create a Sticker" gadget- I love that thing!

Check out the pictures for a DYI.


Print out your mini-books, print double sided. Color and staple them.


Print out the beautiful prayer card from Holy Reflections on card stock or paper and cut it down to size- wont need much trimming. AND if you haven't already re-fold your folder.


Cut out your letters, the words are about 3 1/2" inches wide I think it was in 30 font.


Make them sticky and glue them down to black card stock.


Go ahead and just stick them onto your front flaps with your Holy Card of the Divine Mercy Image.


You staple the mini-books and stick them inside a huge card envelope. Cut it down and just tape the open edge.


I didn't want to hassle with making a mini-book holder that was pretty.


That's what's left of the envelope I used.


The Diary entries and promises get trimmed down and glued to black card stock. Place that over your mini-book holder.


There's room for one more thing... I haven't figured it out yet tonight, it's late and I will work on it more another night before our meeting.


Our other craft is going to be a felt handprint lily. Lilies are the symbol of mercy. I have an old post on these from a few years back. They are so simple and use very basic sewing skills.