Gordon- Roberts House

We saw four separate attractions on this field trip and each was so much fun! The Gordon-Roberts House is a fully restored town house of an upper-middle class family who lived there from before 1889. Three floors of period furnishings were on display.

The Dining Room...

Children's playroom...

The border around it is an old fashioned alphabet!

a young lady's bedroom,

a lady's writing room... The guide reminded us that there was no telephone back in the day, nor any of the other forms of modern communication. Everything was written. To be honest, texting reminds me of this time period. We pass notes all day long by texting and it is a great way to communicate!

The Nursery...

White clothing was displayed throughout in the tiniest of sizes!

I have seen pieces of furniture like this before and it looks very useful.

In the basement was the Laundry Room,

The Dumb Waiter, which the kids got such a big kick out of...

and the Kitchen.

After the tour, we all met in the Parlour for children's games. We had a wonderful discussion with our very pretty hostess who had such a warm and welcoming personality about life in olden days and this particular House Museum. Apparently, it is not to be missed at Christmas time when they decorate with hundreds of nutcrackers, holly greenery, and a huge tall tree!

This place was spectatcular! It is open daily for tours and each guest is served a cup of hot tea!

The Underground Railroad

Cecilia very kindly invited us to join her homeschool group for a Field Trip to Cumberland, Maryland.
I absolutely love sightseeing and the company involved, not to mention this interesting topic!

I had never been to Cumberland but was intrigued by the looks of this incredibly hilly town as viewed from above, riding on the highway which runs through it. It is filled with beauty and history and we were able to experience that on this many faceted field trip for only 3 dollars a piece.

The kids learned and practiced a complicated hand-clapping game while we waited for the group to arrive.

Our first stop was Emmanuel Episcopal Church which is built over the ruins of  Fort Cumberland. George Washington began his military career during the French and Indian War here. We are looking at a scale model of the fort in this large case.

We had a great tour guide who loves history  to tell us the tale and show us the sites.

He is a member of this church and met his wife there at a teen dance, decades before. He proudly showed us the stained glass windows which are a complete study in and of themselves. There are 24 stained glass windows in this church and each one has a story. He said that no matter what time of day, or season of the year that one sees them, their beauty is ever-changing.

The kids were very patient through his explanations of the subjects in the glass. He told us by whom and when they were commissioned. Unlike my parish church, these windows were created by many different folks and reflect many styles.  The church itself was built in 1849 and has been in continuous use since.

Next we headed down some stone steps to see what we had driven here for...

Please forgive the pictures which are blurry for some reason. These are the earthen tunnels dug in the Fort  (long before the church was built over top of them). See the duct work for the church running through the tops?

These tunnels were actually trenches, dug down deep enough for soldiers to walk along and  obtain water from the river without getting shot at.

It was from boats on that same river that enslaved folks escaped through these tunnels under the church. Then, through more tunnels no longer open to the public they came out under the parsonage and into waiting conveyances to Freedom.

This little alcove is set up as a way station room with food and an area for sleeping and was no doubt used by many folks to rest while hiding and waiting for a moment for the the coast to clear.

What is amazing is that this story of the Underground Railroad in Cumberland has just come to light in the last few decades. It was a well guarded secret in the Black Community which historians are trying to record as the holders of these  stories become very senior. I have never seen anything like this before and it was really a privilege. The tour guide encouraged us to knock on the parsonage door if we want to see it again.
 I would love to go back to experience this again with the rest of my family.

We enjoyed a packed lunch and soaked in the beauty of this gorgeous church.

Home Handy

With Sam working, John is Larry's helper more and more. On this day, a repair was being made to the basement staircase ledge. It seems to me that handyman skills are becoming a lost art as life gets busier for everyone. I feel like boys can never get enough of this kind of attention so that someday they can keep a nice house of their own in good repair.

We were afraid that someone might catch their foot in the deep hole that developed in this ledge and get injured. Larry and John filled it with gravel, built a mold and then covered it with Quikcrete. It worked well and is now in good shape! Thanks, guys!

Reading a Book!

I spent over a month reading the classic by Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. It was incredibly easy to read! Considering that this book is 750 pages, and written by a Russian author, it was simple to read.
Quite a bit of it was very interesting but other parts were political and a little boring. The ending was so irrelevant, that when I finished the book,  I just stared at it and asked myself why I had just spent a month reading it! The character formation is excellent. Now, I want to watch the movie which I have never seen.

Our early Spring Read-Aloud was a book that I have had on my shelves for years but none of us had ever read. Roller Skates was written by Ruth Sawyer in 1936 and takes place in the 1890's. A ten year old girl is left in the care of some nice ladies while her parents go to Italy for a YEAR to help improve her mother's health! Talk about times have changed! This young lady meets many friends in New York City as as she skates around town endearing herself to many characters who for the most part have a wonderful influence on her. This girl is so sweet and loveable, so industrious and charming that I was brought to tears over and over again
.

Memorial Day

During her Senior year, Natalie has made some wonderful girl friends. She has been having fun with a large group of nice girls. Wouldn't you know it, to develop a fun group this close to graduating! They should have some good times this summer.

The red, white and blue was in evidence as we had some food and celebrated the holiday at the house.

Pippi!

Meg gave birth to a lovely baby girl after a difficult but safe and successful labor. 

She thoroughly enjoyed the encouraging care that she received at the hospital. The attitudes were relaxed yet engaged and Positive! This little lady is a great nurser and is growing well. 

We all Thank God for another safe delivery.

The older two love their new sissy.

as we all do!

Congratulations, Meg and Jon!

May Crowning, 2014

Our homeschool group changed it up this year and had our May Crowning ceremony at a nearby Retreat House. This beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother is located in an outdoor garden encircled with flat stones in the design of the Rosary. The adults and children stood on the stones and we prayed the Rosary together, for all our intentions especially for Peace in the world and in our families. As always, the children placed flowers and colored ribbons in our "crown' ( made by Larry about 7 years ago). A crown of roses is on her head.
Catholics love and respect our Lady as children do their mother, and that doesn't take away from our Adoration and Reverence for our Lord and Savior, Jesus; Almighty God the Father and the love shared between them, The Holy Spirit. She is like The "Queen Mother"- she raised the King. She was Redeemed by Jesus Christ before He was born, because God is not constrained by time and space as we know it. She is daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son and Spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is the model of Virtue for women as Jesus is the model of Virtue for men. In her apparition at Fatima , She asked us to pray the Rosary daily which many of my family and friends do. That is no "good-luck charm" but instead, a way to ask for her to take our little worries and concerns to her Son.
 If you worry, why pray? If you pray, why worry?
I wish that I could have the discipline to pray this beautiful prayer daily.
Dear Lord, please help me to do that!

We had a nice time with a picnic lunch and outdoor games. I got to bring some of my grandchildren!
The moms in our group always enjoy hanging out, chatting on a beautiful day, while watching our kids playing together.

Barn Life

Tori borrowed my camera to take pictures of some of the animals she takes care of at her barn job.

She got some great shots of the many cats there that she loves.

This is a scenic farm in the next county which prides itself on remaining rural.

The owners of this farm have built this beautiful cottage as a guest house.

Tori cares for the horses, feeds, grooms and rides them.

She loves working with animals and being outdoors.

I love this picture of her engagement ring shining in the sunlight...

I am beginning to have moments of realization that she will be married very soon and will be moving out of our house to live her own love story... We will miss her so much but wish her every happiness. I hope that one day she and John have a barn of their own filled with animals to cherish, and a yard full of adorable kids, to help with all the chores!

Bouncing with the Cousins

Cecilia hosted our Nut Fest Prep gathering for the month of May. We were all excited to go because her family owns a full sized Moon Bounce! This inflatable was being thrown away but Jeff was able to salvage and repair it. Knowing him, it is probably now in better shape than it was when new!

This bouncey house is well secured with sandbags all around it as is necessary to prevent it from taking off.

We had a good turn-out for our preparation meeting to plan for our up-coming Family Reunion. These meetings have been a joy in and of themselves as we have worked together on a group project.

This day was Mom's Birthday and after a terrific sandwich and salad lunch, we wished her happiness and health for a new year.

What is not to love about the spectacular view from our cousins' front window and porch?
 In EVERY kind of weather, this is a sight to behold!

Turtle Season

Gentleman is such a nature boy. He knows that the best time to look for turtles is right after it stops raining.
Turtles are fun to catch and to observe for the day, but the kids always let them go before nightfall.
 Tori told me that she has stopped her car to rescue ten different box turtles crossing the road so far this year!