Commencement 2010

Today it was our great privilege to attend the Seton Graduation for 2010. Tori was one of 72 homeschooled students from 27 states and provinces who participated. The whole thing was very beautiful and well done in every way.

The ceremony was held in the gym and began with a Mass of the Holy Spirit.The two Commencement speakers were fantastic! They encouraged to the students to hold onto their faith and to use the gifts that they had been given to evangelize and to be a part of the new Springtime of the faith. Their messages were very well received by both the students and the families.

The students were also acknowledged for their HARD work in  accomplishing this goal.It was interesting to see the very impressive list of honors,scholarships and future plans of many of the students.

I was amazed by how formal, solemn  and "excellent" this whole occasion was. There was no foolishness of any kind. The graduates were mature adults who participated in a wholehearted yet sober way.

Our joy was so much more complete in that Jeff, Cindi and Mom and Dad were with us.Cindi gave Tori a gorgeous bouquet. We all thought that these type of flowers might be perfect for the fall wedding we are planning.

The glorious  weather was an added treat as we walked through Christendom College's small but beautiful campus.

Next, there was a magnificent reception in a sunlit room in the Commons.There was PLENTY of the nicest hors d'oevres; meatballs, cheeses,eggrolls,pineapples and strawberries and little desert bars.

I would like to note that Tori has never been a fan of homeschooling. She has worked incredibly hard for many years. She has read a LONG list of great books, written MANY a difficult paper and has shoveled out more horse stalls and dealt with more horses and horsewomen than I can count. She has done her work well and has been self-motivated every step of the way. I sincerely hope and pray that God will continue to bless her for her obedience to His Will as shown by her obedience to her parents in this area.This is a great achievement and the credit goes to her and to God. Congratulations, Tori! Thanks for everything.

Happy Anniversary!

We would like to Congratulate Tim and Kristy on their 1st Anniversary and wish them a lovely day as they take a little trip to enjoy some time together!

Say Yes to the Dress

Today we had a pleasant time helping Meg choose her wedding gown. She had an appointment and got right to work trying on many dresses.Cindi was able to join us!

We had to take the boys for lack of a babysitter and they did very well.

The biggest problem we had was that Meg looked great in every dress she tried on! She could pretty much  become a wedding gown model!

There were some wild styles. The girls tried on  Bridesmaid's dresses which we all liked although these aren't the wedding colors. She's thinking about a Latte color which is like mocha or a taupe and adding lots of color with flowers.

After an hour and a half, Meg was completely overwhelmed. We took a break for lunch.

While the kids played, the girls and I thoroughly discussed the choices.We all liked one in particular.When the decision was made, the dress was purchased at a very reasonable price. I won't show a picture of it, of course!

Chick Flick

The girls treated themselves to a movie night. They chose "Dear John" from the Red Box near-by, then they climbed into Tori's bed to watch it together. It was a great choice because Meg is writing letters to her Jon away in Boot Camp as the star does in the movie.They liked it but not as much as "The Notebook" by the same writer.They also thought it had an unfinished ending; maybe there's a sequel. What a surprise that would be.

I didn't watch the movie because movies take too long and they bore me. I'm sure I wouldn't have fit in the bed, either!Instead, I read this fantastic novel The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It was written in 1860 and it is a mystery story set in England. I started it on Monday and I am on page 760. I will finish it tonight and then enjoy my Klondike Bar!

Birthday Twins

My whole extended family is obsessed with twins.So far, despite my parent's 38 grand-children, no luck! Maybe in the next generation...! The closest we've come to it is that Jeff and Tori share a birthday.On his seventh birthday, Jeff came home to a new little sister. She was born at home with a mid-wife

We celebrate birthdays in a very understated way. There has never been a  Moon Bounce,  clown or  magician here to entertain the birthday child. We've never been to Chuckie Cheese or any other birthday destination.. We have had pony rides but that was a matter of the girls saddling up the ponies who lived here! We do one or two birthday parties with friends per entire childhood!
         We decided many years ago on a standard birthday gift for our children. Up to the age of 11, the gift is 15.00; 12 years old and up, the gift is 25.00 dollars.The kids actually look forward to this and are satisfied with it. This works very well for me. I don't enjoy shopping at all. I've never had time for it with a large family.
While nursing babies for years, I was not able to do anything extra beyond the regular grocery shopping without overdoing myself and becoming ill.
         Truly, the best gift is to just be together.The entertainment for this party was Bubbles (and chew!)on the deck!

There were costumes at this party ,too.

 With Cindi here, we talked a little about Wedding plans. Although I couldn't find my veil, I did come across my original nursing cap. I actually wore this to work daily for 10 years. Miss J. modeled it willingly! I  love it .

These were the guys' party hats. Is Brown still the new Black?

We wish both Jeff and Tori, both celebrating milestone birthdays, a great day and a  happy and  healthy year!

Birthday Blessings

We got a call at 9 am from Aunt Nancy with an invitation to an impromptu celebration of Mom's birthday at 2 pm.We hustled up the schoolwork and looked forward to the party!

Aunt Cecilia's crew was also able to make it, in fact wouldn't miss it, and that made 20 grand-children ready to party with their Grandma!

Cousin Brian drove by and he and Kat joined us, making that 22 grand-children.

There were costumes.

and lots of outdoor play.

I may be mistaken but I didn't see that anyone of us had brought a present for Mom.WE KNEW that she would be so happy to spend time with us that " our presence" was the gift.We knew that that was the best gift of all. If she wanted something, she could easily go buy it. What she really loves is people, especially her own family, so that is what we brought her and not out of a sense of obligation, either. We LOVE to spend time with Mom. If we all weren't homeschooling a hundred kids, we'd spend even more time with her!

That being said, imagine how surprised we all were when Mom pulled out a gift for each of her grandchildren as a favor for coming to the party!!!!I was amazed... How do you think of this stuff, Mom???  Grace, I'm pretty sure!

We were all able to stay for dinner and whipped up spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, fresh garlic bread and chicken nuggets for everybody. It is so funny how food kind of multiplies so that there is always enough to feed a crowd.

Aunt Nancy's house has three dining tables set up. We used them all!

It was a beautiful day together celebrating Mom's birthday. If it wasn't for her life, almost none of us in these pictures would exist. With all of our love, we wish her health and every happiness in the coming year.