Pinewood Castle

Wordless Wednesday - Girls Downtown Getaway

Wordless Wednesday

Camping: A Path to Sanctity

Well, for him anyway -

 

My husband added at least a dozen jewels to his heavenly crown this month. You see, because he wants me like camping he was supernaturally helpful and positive. While I packed up in the house, he packed and unpacked the van and the topper and the platform thing on the trailer hitch. With the record high dew points he was drenched in sweat every time. He pitched the tents, made coffee, grilled meat, hauled anything heavy, did all the driving and let me sleep on the bigger air mattress. He did not complain once, although he did admit at times that conditions were miserable. Saintly, this man who married the likes of me.

As for me, any opportunity to be sanctified by camping was utterly wasted due to my complaining, I am ashamed to admit. I did learn a lot about myself - I learned that heat & humidity do terrible things to my disposition, especially combined with rain, a dirty tent floor, millipedes in the shower, mosquitoes that eat my baby, and crying children in the van. I also learned what my hair really looks like without using a round brush and blow dryer (though this was the least of my worries!)

Did I mention lack of sleep? Falling asleep and waking up on sheets that felt misted,the  baby waking at 2am, a trip to the buggy bathroom at 3am, the birds chirping at 5am and the baby again at 6am.

Exhausting. But worth it? Yes. I can say that now that's it's all over. Over for now anyway.

{I hope you are not too scandalized - I did thank and praise my husband (and children) as often as I could muster, which was when I was comfortably riding in an air conditioned van.}

  

I learned a lot about our children too - that the kids LOVE camping. My eldest girl loved to help pitch the tents, my son became addicted to the fire pit, my middle daughter fashioned a game of mancala on the ground and the four year old learned to play tic-tac-toe in the dirt with a stick.

 

Hands-on experience with insects provided a fantastic learning experience too. We captured this beautiful katydid and witnessed firsthand how the wings rub when it chirps. Several insect specimens were added to this summer's bug collection.

We also continued to learn about Sunshine's talent with paper and scissors - she created this doggy set for her little sister to play with in the van!

Best of all, we learned to travel on a shoestring budget. Compared with two rooms at a hotel, we stayed five nights for the price of one!

Now do you want to know where we went on our second camping attempt?

First stop - The Little House in the Big Woods. Though no longer surrounded by big woods but by cornfields, it was still endearing to see the replica log cabin along the road into Pepin. There's not much else there besides a small museum in town, but it was a nice place to have a picnic lunch and use the restroom.

 

 

Fortunately, there was plenty more to do in the Lake Pepin area -

The National Eagle Center was a worthy stop on a rainy day.

Lark Toys has got to be the most amazing toy store ever. It's like all my favorite kids' catalogs combined into one brick & mortar store. To top it off there is a hand carved wooden carousel could have been designed by Jan Brett - imaginative, detailed and richly colored. My photos do not do justice to the details. I can't believe they actually let kids ride these works of art!

Views of the Mississippi from Buena Vista Park - the drive up the bluff and down a winding farm road that seemed to lead to nowhere was worth the effort.

Here's more scenery of the Mississippi river valley from 500' on top of Brady's Bluff -

Maiden Rock is also in the area - you know that bluff mentioned in Minn of the Mississippi where Princess Winona jumped to her death? We passed it by in a hurry trying to get to our campsite before dark, so no photo.

That was the first leg of the trip.

Part Two:

On the way to Walnut Grove we stopped at the Pickwick Mill c.1850s. They turn the water wheel on for visitors.

Our second campsite was actually 40 minutes away from Walnut Grove at a city park in Redwood Falls, right by a rushing river. Pretty, but humid. We would have hiked all over this park if the dew point had not been near 80.

This also happens to be where my husband proposed thirteen years ago! Last time we were there it was just the two of us!

The dugout site in Walnut Grove has collapsed, but a sign marks the spot.

{Plum Creek was rather deep and muddy for wading.}

The farmers who now own the land graciously let people drive in to see the dug out site and Plum Creek, for a small fee.

The museum in town has a replica of a dugout house as well as a settler's home (like the "wonderful house"), a church, a school, and "Grandma's House". The gift shop and restrooms here deserve an A+.

Everything was refreshingly hands-on, even the pump organ!

Two or three weekends in July they host a family festival in the park complete with food, music, crafts, Civil War demonstrations and the Laura-Nellie Look Alike Contest. And you already know who won that!

{Too bad there was not a Baby Carrie contest too!}

The excitement of our daughter winning made it all worth it - those were longest hottest and MOST HUMID hours I have ever endured, and in Minnesota - go figure. 

See that smile? She is still glowing from this special day. She and the Nellie winner were even in the Walnut Grove newspaper.

Three weekends in July the Outdoor Wilder Pageant is presented by dedicated local volunteers, It doesn't start until 9pm and runs two hours. We were going to skip it, but the contest winners are invited to participate for the night and received a gift certificate for the gift shop on the pageant grounds.

(she's on the front bench on the left - she was thrilled)

More fun in the area - the pageant suppers served up by local community groups in a refreshingly cold community center (with clean bathrooms) before the show begins.

East of Walnut Grove the Sod Houses in a farmer's backyard makes an interesting stop -

These are really quite nice on the inside - the larger one had a wooden floor, the smaller one did not.

Wheels Across the Prairie, a railroad and local history museum in Tracy is the home to this giant engine and several old-time buildings furnished with artifacts from the era.

Jeffer's Petroglyphs is a destination that has been on my list of places to see for some time. See the carving of the Thunderbird sideways in the middle?

Their visitor's center was also a fantastic place for travelers seeking cold a/c, clean restrooms, hands-on exhibits and friendly staff.

The Harkin Store - an 1870's general store/post office where much of the original inventory remained on the shelves after closing.

Here we are enjoying a refreshing wade in the creek at Ft. Ridgely State Park's picnic grounds -we could have stayed here forever! This is what we were hoping Plum Creek would be like.

That wraps it up! Many, many thanks to my saintly husband who accommodates the plans I dream up and to the families who loaned us prairie dresses. I think we will be getting our own before we make it out to De Smet. After we returned Joe discovered that his boss's boss specializes in sewing prairie dresses. I sense she is jumping at the chance to make some for us!

{If you ever go, keep in mind that the gift shops have aprons and bonnets for sale, most likely made by local ladies, so you don't have to have them ahead of time.}

I am not sure when we will go to De Smet if it remains too hot to camp and the hotels are full, but I hear it's the best site out of the three. Maybe next summer?

Our Pioneer Girl

Guess who won the Laura Look Alike Contest in Walnut Grove, MN this weekend?

 

More about our adventures later - after I cool off, rest up, and tackle the laundry!

Thankful Good Friday

Yes, it's Good Friday, not Thursday. Since there will be no time to prepare for school this weekend I am at the computer to update and print the plans for next week. Now that I am here I am remembering all the other things I need to do like: send an email reminder about the next buying club order date, print the next lapbook for my 2nd grader (Things I See in Church), write my Thankful Thursday post. Oops - I forgot or didn't have time to write my Thankful Thursday Post!

A quick week in review might do?

Today we accomplished a half day of school and dashed off to the Cities for the 2:00-4:00 Good Friday service. It took an hour and a half to get home with the weekend rush and the rain. We ate dinner by candlelight and put our paper Jesus in the paper tomb. With as little electric light as possible we cleaned up, prayed and got the kids to bed. Thursday we made the Sweet Unleavened Bread I found on Melissa's blog. All it need this morning was a piped icing cross and it doubled nicely as Hot Cross Buns. Tomorrow after cleaning the Easter decorations will come out, eggs will be dyed, the lamb cake made and the leg of lamb marinated. If all goes well I will get back to the Cities for the vigil with one or two children, though it might depend on the weather and the price of gas.

I am combining some ideas for an egg tree - we are going to use the Garden of the Good Shepherd sticker calendar again, this year with the menu Jessica and Charlotte jointly devised and generously shared. After seeing Melissa's egg tree (I got all kinds of ideas from her posts this year) I thought of putting the scripture verses that go with the Good Shepherd calendar in the eggs, (though surely everyone else has thought of this too and I am just behind on blog reading this lent). My 5th grader typed them up, cut them out, and both girls pitched in to string the eggs with ribbon and number the bottoms from 1-50. Now I just need to cut some lilac branches since a storm blew over our forsythia!

What else - it was a big week for music and culture. The kids loved the production of Annie we ventured in to see -

 

It took our minds off the weather that particular morning - isn't that a sad sight? The snow melted by noon and the daffodils did survive, thankfully.

 

The girls had their very first opportunity to present an oral report for the violin studio. These are the very first display boards I have ever had to buy as a mom.

 

 

Sunshine came up with the Handel puppet all on her own - he did the talking!

 

Both girls finished their 100 Day Practice Challenge -

 

And enjoyed their prizes -

 

 

Dino missed a day or two and had to start over. He'll get there.

Sunday we attended a Czech/Slovak festival. We enjoyed the music, food and dancing while learning a thing or two about their Czech heritage on the paternal side of the family. No photos of that I guess. Too busy holding the baby.

That's about it. Oh, except that I had the kids work independently this week so I could clean their rooms. Five trash bags, ten give-away bags, and lots of dusted dustbunnies later the rooms looked great, but I was exhausted, physically and emotionally. My kids are such pack rats and have trouble letting anything go. This purging required tough love but I am glad it's done after procrastinating so long. It feels good - all of us feel better. The best part is that my son made his bed this morning, neatly, without being reminded because he wants to keep his room looking nice!

So this week I am thankful for all of this and especially for Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for love of us. Please pray for me and I will pray for you. This morning as I was putting some recipes in my spring notebook, I lamented (though I don't think I sighed - I really tried to give up sighing for lent, among other things), I lamented that I had not continued the cookbook project I started over a year ago. My son, hearing this said, "I get why you don't really like being a mom. It's a lot of hard work." Wow. I appreciate that he realizes that motherhood is hard work, but realize that I must not be pulling it off with joy and ease, in spite of prayer and all the mothering books and blogs I read. I still need lots of help. Heart help. God's love help.

Well, I really had better get next week's schedules done and get on with the Triduum. I wish you a happy and holy Easter!

Thankful Thursday

eating lunch on the sunny back steps

itsy bitsy spiders

chocolately faces

putting away snow pants and woolies

taking our babies for an afternoon walk

little bouts of the blues that are lifted

the springtime chorus of frogs coming from the ponds and marshes

feeling like a bear coming out of hibernation

French pressed coffee on the table every morning, lovingly made by my husband

the new sofa (and chair)

grand kids spending time with grandparents and great grandparents

 

a child's amazing capacity to memorize long poems like Paul Revere's Ride

baby's first time walking in the grass

family field trips after Sunday Mass

Catholic missionaries in Minnesota history whose stories are told in paintings hanging in the Governor's reception room

(Fr. Hennepin naming the these falls in the Mississippi River "St. Anthony". They were later used to power Minneapolis flour and lumber mills)

learning that our state motto is in French, not Latin: L’etoile du Nord (translation: “Star of the North”)

Family Life Today podcasts

these talks by Victoria Botkin

a refresher on how to be a cheerful servant (and how to encourage my children to help cheerfully too) in Large Family Logistics

 and this exquisite collection of Folk Songs of the British Isles arranged by Benjamin Britten and performed by vocalist Maria Jette and harpist Judith Kogan

Have a wonderful week filled with gratitude, everyone!

Thankful Thursday

for affordable Young People's Concerts

for directors of orchestra education who wisely include choreographed dance to Debussy's La Mer

for children who used good enough manners in a restaurant after the concert (even though they don't always use the best table manners at home) to garner a compliment from a little old lady at a nearby table who happened to be the founder of ECFE in Minnesota (Early Childhood Family Education)

for my husband who recognized that I was turning into a zombie with just a teacup of coffee and reinstated my big queen mug

for another opportunity to give a recital at the assisted living center, this time with two other students from the violin studio and for the talented Suzuki mom who can play all the piano accompaniment

that I finally finished my husband's scarf, just in time for spring

and that he let me buy five skeins of merino wool to get it long enough

for maple syruping days at the nature center

for one last trip to the nature center before they tear it down and build a new one

time with grandma & grandpa

for learning that egg-free cakes fall apart, to make the big decorated birthday cake with eggs for everyone else and serve egg-free cupcakes to the egg-free girl

for birthday packages from Oklahoma

for the opportunity to nurture another baby through the first year of life

for the smiles and tears and belly laughs this little boy brings to our family

A Good Thaw

I made a mistake.

I had asked my husband to take the older three snow tubing last week on our week "off" but forgot to check the hours. Snow tubing did not open until 3:00 pm - the same time as the girls' ballet class. Oops.

Daddy took a precious day off work and now we had to get over the disappointment and make the best of it.

Quickly, we made a Plan B, C, and D.

B) Go ice skating. But rinks opened later in the day as well.

C) See the IMAX Hubble Telescope movie at the zoo.

D) Go to Como Park Conservatory.

You see, I had chickened out about driving to Como after dentist appointments on Tuesday. We received a foot of snow the day before and, well, they do plow in Minnesota but not that well. At least not on Twin Cities side streets.

The kids chose Plan D.

It was a wise choice.

Warm + sunny + humid = tropical. Rain forest Habitat, Fern Room, Palm Dome, Sunken Garden: each one provided a bit of unbelievable refreshment to our vitamin D deprived family.

It was a bitter cold day in the single digits. My husband is a native Minnesotan. That's why his coat is unzipped. The children and I were bundled up like sensible people.

 
I forgot the real camera - all of these were taken with an iPhone. Sorry.

My girls in braided pigtails.

My son and I.

That furry thing above our heads is indeed a sloth. Good thing he only poops once a week.

Every type of palm imaginable resides here.

Learned from a docent: an orchid does not have five petals. It has three sepals, two petals and a modified petal. Now we know.

We were feeling downright steamy at this point.

But not too sweaty to enjoy the bursts of color.

We have a few weeks yet to work in snow tubing. We will still go. But I am kind of glad we went to Como instead!

More Fun for Locals

Have you ever attended the Urban Expedition Days at the Landmark Center in Downtown St. Paul?

These free events are from 1 pm - 3 pm and offer music, dance and crafts from various countries. On the schedule this year: Chile, Somalia, Egypt and Czech Republic. We have found these events a great addition to geography studies!

Fall Family Field Trips - James J. Hill House

The first two days my mother and sister were here in October we hunkered down and stayed out of the hurricane-like winds. The third day we were ready for an excursion! Destination: the James J. Hill House. Have you ever been there?

- photos and quote from the MHS website:

Rugged stone, massive scale, fine detail, and ingenious mechanical systems recall the powerful presence of James J. Hill, builder of the Great Northern Railway. Guides lead tours that help you imagine family and servant life in the Gilded Age mansion. Completed in 1891, the red sandstone residence was the setting of the public and private lives of the Hill family.

I love visiting this 36,000 square foot house. There is something new to notice and learn each time. I just wish the orientation and windows let in more light to show off the amazing woodwork. I wonder if the family must have had poor eyesight as a result of such dim lighting. Good thing they owned several other homes across the U.S. I hope they had better light elsewhere.

Dim lighting or not, imagine walking down this staircase in an evening gown -

Being invited to dine at this table -

Being the servant who stored dishes in this pantry -

Or enjoying organ concerts in this art gallery -

Personally, I think this would be a great place for a historical fiction novel/movie about the Hill family, their ten kids and the ruthless railroad business. Intertwine the story of Archbishop Ireland, his association with the Hills, the Cathedral being built across the street, and the growing Catholic population and it might be a movie you or I would want to see.

I picked up a Summit Ave. tour guide on the way out. I am completely fascinated and absorbed by the collection of architecture on this strip. I wpuld love to go on their Saturday morning walking tour someday.

After our tour we popped in the Cathedral across the street for a quick look and headed out for an early dinner. We tried Bucca's once, about ten years ago and have not been back. I don't know what possessed me to try this restaurant again. Maybe it was the dessert platter? The look on Sunshine's face was worth the price of all that sugar.

I admit that we did enjoy the family-style entrees, in spite of the photos decorating the wall. We were so early they sat us in the bar, so the ambiance seriously lacked taste. No photos to show of that, this is a family blog! We should have asked to be moved.

One more evening together of fun and swimming at the hotel pool and the next morning they were off. I always pray for an army of angels to protect their car on the twelve-hour journey home. So far they always have.

Fall Family Field Trips - Arboretum Round 2

Yes, we did make it to the Arboretum while the flowers were still in bloom, but we didn't have time to see much around the three mile drive. We promised the kids a return trip in the fall to hike the trails and do the maze garden. We made it - barely - before rain came and ushered in the big windy storm of last week. We had to cut the hike short and drive to the maze. By the time we arrived it was sprinkling strong enough that baby and I stayed in the van so I didn't get photos of that part. These were taken before the sprinkles!

Playing Three Billy Goats Gruff -

Fall Family Field Trips - Chocolate

We have taken a little fall break here at Pinewood Castle and enjoyed a few excursions.

Finally, we made it to the Chocolate Exhibit at the MHS (sigh of relief). I wanted to attend on a day when some "extras" would be offered and the effort was worthwhile. Between decorating hot cocoa mugs and viewing the exhibit we met Maud Hart Lovelace! Well, Maud in spirit. She was a History Player.

You might know her as the author of the Betsy-Tacy books. What did she have to do with Minnesota or chocolate? Well for one, she was born in Mankato, MN (aka Deep Valley) and she told some wonderful stories having to do with chocolate such as "How Chocolate Saved the Day" on Betsy's first day of school and what she learned about chocolate while researching her book, What Cabrillo Found. The girls were thrilled to meet her and look forward to the day we can make a trip to Mankato to see Betsy, Tacy, and Tib's house like these ladies.

The chocolate exhibit itself was interesting, but you'll just have to see it for yourself -

 

but you can imagine it was all about the Aztecs and the role of cocoa in their society, the Spanish explorers and what they did after bringing cocoa back to Europe, as well as how cocoa is made into what we know and love today. The trip was completed after a stop at the temporary chocolate shop located within the gift store -

Mmmm, food of the Gods!

The Children's Turn for Tea

Last week the Little Prince went out for his first field trip with the school aged kids while Pipsqueak stayed with Dad while he worked from home. Our destination: a theater performance of Nick Tickle Fairy Tale Detective. Being a most accommodating little babe, he was still asleep in the sling when the performance ended so we walked a block down Main Street to the very same tea room where several MN bloggers have enjoyed three annual luncheons. Each year I have slipped out of the house for this gathering feeling slightly guilty for going and each year my children have felt slightly jealous at my going - even my little boy asked when I would take him to the tea room! Needless to say they were thrilled to have a turn.

Although I remembered something printed in their menu that stated their "inability to accommodate infants" I approached the proprietor and politely asked if I could treat my children to lunch. Seeing that the children were nicely dressed and the baby was safely sleeping she showed us to a table by a fountain.

Even better than the delicious tea, chicken salad, fruit and scone was the experience the children gained from dining in a tea room. I could not believe how unusually mannerly they behaved. Dino asked, "Do people who have bad manners here get kicked out?" To which I answered, "No, but the beauty of the surroundings helps inspire people to use their best manners."

As we were discussing the play, a lady at the next table who was out with her three year old granddaughter asked if we home schooled. We entered into a nice conversation about education, teas (she hosts an annual tea at her senior community center), sewing (she is a seamstress) and music (her granddaughter was named Elsa and I mentioned how much I liked Wagner's Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral).

I have to admit that it felt good to have represented homeschoolers well and to finally have three children old enough to behave in public, at least for a couple of hours. Like most parents we have endured our fair share of public embarrassments. When things actually go well (and even when they don't) I give myself permission to smile and feel grateful to be a mother, to have received a calling and granted the freedom to homeschool, and to receive the graces God provides to continue this vocation, day by day. Not in a gloating or bragging way, just out of appreciation for our family life and God's goodness.

This was a refreshing break for all of us, not just me. It was nice to just enjoy the one another's  company without the constant chatter or a two year old or a fussy baby. At home it seems my patience is tested at least once every three minutes so three hours of peace was a Godsend!

 

P.S. My husband thought it was a Godsend that I resisted the store-wide 20% off sale in their gift shop.

P.S.S. if you are a MN blogger I didn't know about last year or you were inadvertently left off the invitation list and would like to participate in our annual tea this summer please pipe up and I will add you to the guest list!

Full of Field Trips

Last Friday:

Behind-the-scenes photos at the post office are forbidden by law so this pic is taken outside.

We learned that all outgoing mail, even in-town mail goes to Minneapolis first. 

Last Saturday:

Our first visit to the Ordway for a children's concert given by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. The script was written by a musician/professor. She posed as an inquiring audience member who barged her way on stage and peppered the orchestra with 101 questions about the instruments, the music, the composers, the way the parts sound alone and together, etc.

Then we hopped next door for the Scottish Ramble for the wonderful music, Highland Dance contest, haggis, and of course Bramblewood Scottish shortbread.

Sunday:

After Mass we made it in the nick of time to MacPhail for a senior recital featuring our piano teacher's daughter. The program included pianists, violinists and one classical guitarist, all performing one movement of a concerto accompanied by a student chamber orchestra.

We made it home in time for the annual Doll's Valentine Tea Party and our family steak dinner.

Monday:

We really did mean to attend the History Matters Day at the state capital but Pipsqueak's cough and cold kept us home. We had enough to do anyway, reading about presidents, making cherry pie, undecorating from Valentine's and getting out the purple again for Lent. 

Back to work today!

More Field Trips

Have you ever been to a Cabela's? It's like a zoo without the stink and doubles as a sporting goods store. We took a tour with a local homeschool group. Did you know they had to take the elephant apart to fit him in the door?

 

Another destination was downtown Minneapolis. We took in a performance of Hansel and Gretel at Orchestra Hall, shortened up and modernized for kids.

I really would not mind seeing the vocalists in traditional German dress instead of sloppy grunge with a backwards baseball cap. The pigeon-toed posture and was also irritating. And the angels with heads of forest animals? Creepy. Whatever happened to traditional beauty? Sorry to gripe. The music was beautiful, especially Humperdinck's Prayer. There were many more references to God and angels and faith in this opera than what we usually read in a storybook version.There, is that better?

And the annual Macy's display, which was basically the same as last year's. "Back by popular demand" the flier stated. It was still fun, and a long walk through the skyway is always an educational experience.

Franklin Exhibit - Electrifying Activities

Thanksgiving weekend we went to this:

Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World

Exhibit on view through July 4, 2010 at the Minnesota History Center

The exhibit was fantastic. The opening weekend activities were even better.

We bound a little almanac for 2010 in the style of Poor Richard's -

The children operated a period (replica?) printing press to create a cover for their almanac -

The kids sported a complete look after constructing chenille stick spectacles and a folding printer's cap -

Ben Franklin himself meandered through the marbled halls fielding questions -

And he performed some electrifying science experiments, demonstrating the fire protection his lightening rod offers -

No photography was allowed in the exhibit hall, but I can vouch that the display is very well done and worth seeing if your kids are old enough to have read about Ben Franklin. We had just squeezed in the D'Aulaire's Ben Franklin and three of the Liberty Kids DVDs before attending. (I hear that Ben and Me is a worthwhile read as well).

So get ready, this exhibit may be coming to your town next. The schedule on the MHS site lists:

Santa Ana, California

Dec. 16, 2010 – Mar. 13, 2011
Bowers Museum

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Apr. 14, 2011 – July 31, 2011
Heinz History Center

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Sept. 2, 2011 – Jan. 8, 2012
Gerald Ford Museum

Washington, D.C.

Febr. 10, 2012 – May 6, 2012
National Archives

The Apiary

I did it - I finally got out of the house for something besides Mass and music lessons. Not that I am feeling that much better. But it helps to get my mind off of my tummy.

After pulling out The Magic School Bus: Inside a Beehive, the children were all bushed up on the not-so-secret life of bees and ready to enjoy a 2nd annual trip to our local beekeepers, this year organized through a local homeschool support group.

We enjoyed a demo of a beebox (modern day hive) without having to morph into bees like the Magic School Bus children.

Flower props and a bee costume brought the pollination process to life.

Inside we were able to see the honey extracting equipment and the children formed a long line for candle dipping.

We are now stocked up on local honey and wax for candle making!

Sugarbush Time

At the Nature Center we learned . . .

That maple trees have elbows in them.

Maple trees are not tapped until they are 40 years old.

It's called a "spile" and the sap that comes out is flowing UP the tree not down.

40 gallons of sap = 1 gallon syrup

My children loved the syrup "on the rocks"!

They wanted 2nds and 3rds and 4ths!

On Tap this Weekend

No, it's not green beer!

Green Goodness juice perhaps!

I would love nothing more than to have the time to write a few really good blog posts this weekend. I've packed things a little too tightly.

Yesterday:

• Stopped by chiro for a weigh-in. I am going to put away my inaccurate home scale. It says I gained a pound but I really lost one. I am still losing fat pounds and lowering BMI. Not very quickly but this plateau won't last forever, right Renee?!
• Took Dancer to the dentist in the cities. Two baby teeth were pulled (eeesh) to make room for braces and headgear. I held her hand but had to look away for most of it.
• Stopped by the church where she was baptized for a short visit.
• Treated her to a shake from Ben & Jerry's.
• Stopped for an oil change at the dealership that took over an hour. Long line at the car wash I guess.
• Came home to reconnect with the littlest one and check progress of the kids left with Dad who worked from home. I missed Tricia's call. Sorry Tricia! Let's try again!
• Took toddler grocery shopping with me. Gathered things like beef stew meat, pistachio pudding, buttermilk and Guinness stout (for stew) for Tuesday's menu. Also steak & potatoes to treat dh on his name day Thursday!
• DH made salmon loaf while I was away. Heaps of praise!
• Forgot to do stations at home. Oops.

Today:

• Take the kids to try out a 4-H event. Would 4-H would be a good option over scouts for next year?
• Run to the library for St. Patrick materials.
• Come home for lunch.
• Go down to Orchestra Hall to hear the Suzuki graduation concerts. Our kids do not graduate this year, but I thought they might like to know what to expect for next year. Motivating too I hope.
• Date night movie - previewing Man on Wire before showing it to the children. Our FIAR book this week was Mirette on the High Wire.
• Stations at home.

Tomorrow:

• Get a chicken in the crock pot.
• Quick Sunday breakfast.
• Load the CD player with Irish music.
• Get out the St. Patrick's Day decorations.
• Go to St. Agnes for Mass.
• Hop over to the Irish Music and Dance day.
• Come home to eat and plan the school week. St. Patrick's Day, St. Joseph's Day, a trip to the Bakken Museum of Electricity, a Maple Syrup Festival and Laetare Sunday next Sunday.

THE BEST PART:

A whole week above freezing!

Weekend Rambles - Irish

Last Sunday we had illness going through the family and missed the Passport to Mexico program at the Landmark Center. I am hoping we are well enough this weekend to make the Irish Music and Dance Day.

A 2-day celebration of all things Irish for the whole family!

• Traditional Music     • Dance Schools   • Dance Groups
• Vendors / Exhibitors   • Tea Room   • Traditional Food
•  Great Activities for all ages!
(Tuesday only:)  • Childrens Cafts   • Childrens Stage
(Sunday only:)   • Open set & Ceili Dancing
• Special Music series in the Weyerhaueser Auditorium

Swan River

Reading: The Trumpet of the Swan

Visiting:

Swan Park

 

Fishing Firsts

Sunshine's wish came true! She redeemed her ice fishing certificate from A Catholic Harvest just in time before the lakes thaw. A big thanks to Paula's generous husband is in order - he was the one who took them out on the lake. The non-fishing children stayed in to play while we ladies sipped coffee and had a great visit!

Weekend Rambles

Coming up this Sunday at the Landmark Center in St. Paul - Urban Expedition to Mexico. This event is FREE.

The purpose of Urban Expedition is to have FUN and to LEARN! Enjoy a chance for your family to experience international music, dance, arts & crafts and more without leaving St. Paul . Kids get a passport and enjoy authentic cultural experiences from around the world. Last year over two thousand children and their families attended the five expeditions and this year promises to be even more exciting.  These free, public events will take place in the Musser Cortile and begin at 1:00 pm.
No lines! No jet lag!

Weekend Rambles

I hope some of y'all Twin Citians made it to the Scottish Ramble. Maybe you were there Saturday?

Sunday was the day our family took it all in. Without a single drop of Scottish blood between us, I marvel at how enamored we are with this festival!

Here are the highlights:

The Thistledown Dancers performing in the cortile of the Landmark Center

 

The Highland Dancers - sorry I did not get a photo, but I borrowed this one -

My new favorite local musician Ross Sutter singing songs from his Songs for Children CD

Ross Sutter this time with  Laura Mackenzie - she is playing the quieter indoor Uillean bagpipes here

 

Sunshine narrating the story of Wee Gillis to the master storyteller Sir Gustav Doc'tain

 

Dino acting in Sir Gustav Doc'tain's storytelling session

The Macalester College Pipe Band

My favorite shortbread of all time and a local company - Bramblewood Cottage. I love the orange chocolate chip and the lavender-ginger versions. We will be serving these for our next teatime!

Other Scottish fare we enjoyed were the Scotch Eggs, Haggis with Tatties & Neeps, Babies' Head and Cheese & Onion Pie.

If you feel you missed out take note of the date of the Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games Saturday May 9th.

For the Locals

We attended this last year an it was wonderful! Music, dancing, food, storytelling and the Police Bagpipe Band. Works out perfectly for us this year as we are reading Wee Gillis this week from FIAR Vol. 2!

Winter on the Farm

The Kelley Farm, that is!

The sheep were dressed for the weather!

Pitching Hay -

So soft!

Sunshine bravely volunteered to dress for the weather.

Bach to the Future