Leap Day!

It's Leap Day!  I love Leap Day.  Unfortunately, we're booked solid with haircuts, dentist, chat for my class, and Church tonight, so we'll be leaping from one thing to the next.  But for some of you who did a better job of planning-here are a few fun ideas.  (So few!  I am very disappointed in the internet.)

9 Leap Year Party Games

A few more fun facts and activities.

Please have some fun and tell me about it!

Family Manifesto

Matthew says this is the silliest thing we've ever done.  I think that's amazing.  We do lots of silly things.

It's hanging in the kitchen, making me laugh, and hopefully inspiring us a little.  But mostly making us laugh.  Inspiration here.

Behind Drawer # Three...

My bottom kitchen drawer has been not QUITE shutting for over a year now.  It finally occurred to me to lift it off the rack and fix the problem.  After removing 2 dishtowels, 5 potholders, and 12 ziplocs ... works like a charm.

Breaking You-Audrey Assad

Just in case you don't love this album yet.  Audrey Assad  --  Heart

breaking you – lyrics

You’ve been let down, it’s true
Your pain is so easy to see
You’re hunted by your history
and it feels like you’ve got no escape

Your life left you high and dry
You used to be sure of yourself
But then your whole world went to hell
and tomorrow looks like just like today

So, you lie on your bed, you wont let the morning come in
And you hide in your room, feeding that fear and its killing you
don’t you know
that its killing me too, cause your heart break is breaking you

I miss the life in your eyes
the home that I found in your arms
and now you don’t know who you are
but I wont give up on you
on no

You lie on your bed, you wont let the morning come in
And you hide in your room, feeding that fear and its killing
don’t you know
that its killing me too, cause your heart break is breaking you

and you lost your fight
and your flame’s gone out
and your down on your knees
cause your life is not what you thought it would be
no,

lift up your head
help is on the way
and it wont pass you by
you just gotta reach out your hand
lift up your eyes
love is on the way
and it wont pass you by
you just gotta reach out your hand

go on and lift up your head
because love is on its way
and it wont pass you by
you’ve just gotta reach out your hand

February Craft

 I wanted to make a little something each month- so far so good!  (I'll show you January as soon as I get some tech things figured out.)

We each got one of these little lopsided hearts for Valentines Day.  I used this pattern.  Strangely, they got more lopsided the more I made...You'd think it would be the other way around...

Ash Wednesday

Lent 2012

I think for this year I'm going to try to pray the Rosary in the morning as I'm getting ready for school, and also give this 40 days, 40 bags a go.

Anyone else care to share their Lenten goals?

And, if the past weekend is any indication, we'll be listening to this CD a lot.  Audrey Assad-Heart.  Buy it.

Narnia numbering

Publication order	Chronological order
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe	The Magician's Nephew
Prince Caspian	The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader	The Horse and His Boy
The Silver Chair	Prince Caspian
The Horse and His Boy	The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Magician's Nephew	The Silver Chair
The Last Battle	The Last Battle

MJL and I prefer the publication order.  The new books are all printed in the chronological order.  Allegedly C.S. Lewis supported the chronological order, but he never asked anyone to change the way the books were being sold.

I think they're more fun to read in the publication order, because you find out different things at different times and I remember that being really fun and engaging for my imagination.

What do you lot think?

I know a spot that I love full well...

(From Aunt Carla this morning)

February 16, 1863, the Kansas Legislature accepted the

transfer of Bluemont College to the State of Kansas.  The money for what eventually became Kansas State University came from the sale of 90,000 acres of Kansas land at $1.25 
per acre made possible by the Morrill Act signed on July 2, 
1862 by President Lincoln.  Happy Birthday all you K-Stater's.  
(By the way the school's designated color is purple, interesting since that's February's birthstone color.)

Something new to put on the calendar!  Lots of things to celebrate in February.  

Spoiled Silly

Sweet sweet Matthew James.



They're heavenly soft, and then, when I look down, they're sparkly.  These are my dream shoes.

Coincidentally-today we've been together 17 years!  We passed my "together longer than not" day back on Christmas Day, but MJL's not quite there yet. And we're having another baby in August! lub lub.

Two sisters in February

 How we get any good pictures of two girls together is a mystery.

 Here Super Grover is jumping on Daddy's head.  

 Here Katie is distracted with the pony tail holder she so desperately wanted to chew on.

Here!  Two girls looking at camera happily!  Jackpot.  Happy Valentine's Day!

My Sister's Wedding

Remember way back in November when my sister got married and I never posted any pictures or anything?  Sorry about that.  Luckily MJL never misses anything.   Here's his post about November, complete with photos.  Enjoy!

St. Scholastica

Our February Saint is St. Scholastica, twin sister of St. Benedict.  She's the patron of nuns, convulsive children, and against storms and rain.  (Though we won't ask for any rain to stop around here!)

I didn't know anything at all about St. Scholastica, so it's been fun to learn a bit about her.  Here's the most common story about her life.  From here. 


Saint Gregory tells the charming story of the last meeting of the two saints on earth. Scholastica and Benedict had spent the day in the "mutual comfort of heavenly talk" and with nightfall approaching, Benedict prepared to leave.


Scholastica, having a presentiment that it would be their last opportunity to see each other alive, asked him to spend the evening in conversation. Benedict sternly refused because he did not wish to break his own rule by spending a night away from Monte Cassino. Thereupon, Scholastica cried openly, laid her head upon the table, and prayed that God would intercede for her. As she did so, a sudden storm arose. The violent rain and hail came in such a torrential downpour that Benedict and his companions were unable to depart.


"May Almighty God forgive you, sister" said Benedict, "for what you have done."


"I asked a favor of you," Scholastica replied simply, "and you refused it. I asked it of God, and He has granted it!"


We can learn from St. Scholastica that it's good to love your siblings, and that God cares about the things that we care about.  Good lessons for our little family.  

Happy Feast Day, St. Scholastica!

6 years old

I always like to catch a good giggle.

*sigh* 

How did she get so big?

 

One years old

We did a Katie's Birthday/Valentines Day photo shoot.

 We had such a sweet little model...

 Though she was pretty wiggly...

 If you take enough pictures, sometimes you get lucky...

 And catch some glimpses of the real girl.

Lovely work, Matthew!

Happy Birthday Mr. Dickens!

One of my favorite authors has a big birthday today.

Charles Dickens 200th 

Did you know he saved Christmas?  Those of us who love Christmas have much to thank him for.

I don't know how we'll celebrate.  (Pinterest had no suggestions!)

I spent one winter pre-kiddos reading lots and lots of Dickens.

My favorite is Our Mutual Friend.



You should read it.

Happy Birthday Katie!

  

 Thanks for a wonderful year.

Groundhog Day

I love Groundhog Day.  I love love love a silly holiday.

pic stolen from www.groundhog.org

I'm conflicted, because as a good farmer's wife, I need to hope for 6 more weeks of a nice wet winter, but as someone who doesn't love the cold, I do eagerly await the Spring.

This year I'm definitely hoping for the snow.  Drought smought.



We're having pigs in a blanket for dinner (is that a stretch?  I think it works) and I'm hoping we can work on this crossword together.

Happy Groundhog day!  (And Happy Birthday Sweet Clementine!)

Treasure

Want to see a real treasure?

 When we had Streit Christmas, Uncle Chuck brought an envelope full of letters and cards from Mom to Grandma Anna.

Nice, newsy letters, from young Betsy years to young Susan years to young Abby years.

 Seeing her handwriting and hearing her voice in my head has been a delight.

There were even two cards from my Grandma Madge to my Grandma Anna.  She said I was "sweet as sugar".  It takes my breath away, to remember how much love I've been blessed with.