Where is the Real War?

Some might think that it's in the Middle East. Not so. The real war has an obscene amount of casualties.

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Pray for an end to abortion!

Saturday Road Trip ~ part II

Trying to get the hang of posting pictures on certain posts, this is a continuation. So if you'd like to read the first part...go down a couple posts to get to the beginning....

Sooooo...as I was saying....

When we got done golfing, they gave the kids some pirate hats. Aren't they cute!?
[Charlie is sporting his on the post below - taken by Dani]

We ate dinner at a restaurant which was right on the river. We sat outside on the deck overlooking it. It was pretty cool to see all the folks tubing down as we ate ~ some, not so much...eating or not! Charlie had his first lemon while we sat waiting for our order. The video we captured of that is really funny! Unlike Therese at that age...eating the WHOLE slice of lemon - peel and all! No grimace or anything. Nut.

Pink Tubes for Rent!!

When in Rome!

We ate ice-cream [Joseph and ice-cream...wow!], took a carriage ride and then we were off...heading home at 9pm. As we were driving I saw a sign that said "Atlanta" this way, which was a different way than the way we came. So Paul turned around and said, "Well, maybe this is a quicker way home". Oh, how those words would haunt us!!

The girls petting "Cadillac Jack" [not the horse who pulled us, however] - Kayla striking a pose

We drove, and drove, oh, and drove some more. Until it dawned on Paul where we were and how out-of-the-way we were! With Charlie screaming for a *solid* 2hrs - stressful is an understatement. Since Aunt Karen was sitting right next to him, she was the guilty party - in Charlie's eyes. I can only imagine what was going through his baby mind..."Why aren't you picking me up!!?? You're right there, Lady! I've been crying for hours! Hold me, hold me, HOLD ME!!" or something like that. Since I'm so easily amused, it struck me as funny as I recalled how Paul said "Well, maybe this is a quicker way". So with Paul dreading this drive, Charlie screaming, kids bickering...I turned around to Karen and struck this pose of a t-shirt we had seen at Helen! Hey, we had to keep it fun, right Karen?!

We had such a great time. And I think we all thanked God for the unusually beautiful July weather - as well as some wonderous mountainous views!

Over-Achiever!

Okay, while other 7.5mo olds are truckin' around crawling all over and pulling themselves up on furniture and trying to climb the dreaded stairs ~ I am singing praises over Charlie's newest milestone. Yesterday while he was trying to make his way to a ball he was playing with, he flopped over on his belly and with some highly skilled maneuvering he sat back up!! Yay, Charlie! Good job. Your mommy is proud!

Saturday Road Trip...!! July 14, 2007

Paul and I decided to take a day and go to north Georgia. After much "where should we go" we decided on Helen, GA. We had not been there in 15 yrs - so 6 kids later we were due for a visit. Just a little Clavinism ~ Helen was named after a railroad surveyor's daughter in 1913!

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains - right up 400 - Helen has so much to offer its visitors - from putt-putt, tubing down the 'Hooch, exhibits of live black bears...oh, and of course your run-of-the-mill tattoo parlors and Nascar shops! No thank you ;)

So we arrived - with our jam-packed Excursion full of our kiddos and Aunt Karen - around 3pm. If you didn't know that it was the middle of July, you would've thought it was October...the weather was *that* beautiful. Thank you, God ;) oh! Let me also add that upon entering the town we passed a shop that had a mural of Kateri Tekakwitha - I believe it was pretty much the whole front of the little shop. After pointing it out, it also dawned on Karen that it was also her feast day! A little smile from God! How cool. We were joking that the first time we came and saw that Indian woman -BC [before conversion, although it was actually a REversion...a kick in the pants!] - we were probably saying something like this, "Hey look, it's Pocahontas!"

We went into some of the shops along the strip. I was kind of bummed because the Christmas shop is one of the highlights there and it moved to a house which hadn't opened yet. Oh well.

Putt-putt anyone?

Well, some of us were more serious about putt-putting than others!

What's for Dinner?

~Week of July 8th~


SUNDAY: Stuffed Shells

MONDAY: Chicken and Dumplin's

TUESDAY: Wrapped Hotdogs [hey, dh is OOT *and* it's MNO!!]

WEDNESDAY: Mama's Mac-n-Cheese

THURSDAY: Baked Penne Pasta

FRIDAY: Salmon Patties and Dill Carrots

SATURDAY: Meatloaf and Grilled potatoes/onions

Do You Bumbo?

Our neighbor was so excited to let us borrow one of her "bumbo seats" for Baby Charlie - then 5 months old. She said that when her twin girls used them that she could easily get 30mins free time. I must say that these little seats work great. They totally conform to the baby. As long as the baby can hold his head up, he can sit in this seat. Although I'm lucky to get 30 seconds of free time out of this contraption - this invention is truly COOL! Plus, Charlie looks so darn adorable looking up at us...as we whiz by him! You can see him pleading for someone to *save* him! LOL! A minute later...he's back in our arms. Oh well!

Homeschool Conference!

On Saturday, July 28th, there will be a homeschool conference held at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Roswell, Ga.

Conference speakers include:
Father Frank Papa, S.O.L.T., of Human Life International
acclaimed biographer and editor Dr. Joseph Pearce, Professor and Writer-In-Residence at Ave Maria University
mother-of-twelve and veteran homeschooler Virginia Seuffert;
the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s own Father Thomas Hennessy, an insightful, straight-talking, holy, and well-loved advisor to the homeschooling community.
Please browse our website North Georgia Catholic Homeschool Conference for more information and to purchase tickets.

What's For Dinner?

~Week of June 17th~

Tuesday: TexMex Casserole

Wednesday: Pizza Wheel

Thursday: Jambalaya

Friday: Tuna/Rice Casserole

Saturday: Beef and Mushroom Stew

What are You Doing Here?

...had to have been going through the minds of these judges from "Britian's Got Talent". Absolutely moves the soul! Enjoy this video...it won't be the last time you watch it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA&mode=related&search=

When you're done watching that one take a look at this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PRnZNp23Tw&mode=related&search=

The Name Game

Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They MUST be real places, names & things...nothing made up! If you can't think of any thing, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial. You CAN NOT use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name: Shelly [I'll try and use 'sh' words instead of simply 's']

1. Famous singer/band: Sha Na Na
2. 4 letter word: sh** [what!?...what's wrong with SHUT?]
3. Street name: Sharp St.
4. Color: chartreuse [well, it has the 'sh' sound!]
5. Gifts/presents: shells [too easy!]
6.Vehicle:
7. Items on a menu: shake
8. Boy name: Shannon
9. Girl name: Shelby
10. Movie title: She's Having a Baby
11. Drink: [Megan-you had this too easy!] SHAKE
12. Occupation: shef [I'm no good at spelling]
13. Flower:
14. Ummm...there was no 14 so my answer is: Missing
15. Magazine: Shape
16. US City: Shreveport
17. Pro Sports Team: Sharks [hockey] how 'bout the Atlanta Shaves?
18. Reason for being late for work: sharp glass sticking out of eye
19. Something you throw away: shards of glass removed from eye
20. Things you shout: "Sh**" [j/k]..."shazam" [j/k again...I DON'T SHOUT!!!!!! ;)
21. Cartoon character: Shrek [do any of you remember Shmoo?]

Let the Birthday Season Begin!

I haven't posted for quite some time...it's birthday season. We've got three here in our family this month - plus, Father's Day [don't they say every day is Father's Day?!]


First up: Therese. She turned 7 on June 7th. Where exactly does the time go? I know as parents we always ask ourselves this question. But really, now, she *was* just 4-ish [I can't revisit Therese's years 2-3; they used that flashy thing from Men in Black on me]. Since she was a baby, I have always loved Therese's lips...not sure what it is, but I really love those lips of hers. She's such a joy in our lives and a blessing to our family. We love her artistic and inquisitive nature and her quirky observations. She is -and always will be, the Duck Man - oh, I mean our Theresey Poo.


I'll have to post the pictures later of her "real" birthday-day celebration - Daddy was out of town, and we had 6 cupcakes. It was simple and quaint.

She got -among other things; and some yet to come - a brand new bike.
Therese opening her new helmet

First reaction to seeing her bike!

A beautiful bike for a beautiful girl!

A week later we *tried* to have a pool party. We hiked down to the pool - bringing all the party supplies and bundle of balloons - and met up with some of Therese's friends. But Mother Nature didn't allow us to finish it! They got to swim for about 30mins before we all came back to the house and finished the festivities. [*but not before I jumped in the pool - clad with jeans - to save Sophia and John Paul...yeah, nice touch ;)]

That brings us to our second June birthday...John Paul turned 4 on the13th. "Golden Boy" as Paul calls him. He *is* my Golden Boy. Such a sweet soul is our John Paul.

Another Milestone in the Life of a Girl...

...at least in our family. Danielle turned 11 on March 13th and one of her gifts from Paul and I was to get her ears pierced. We decided to wait until softball season ended so she wouldn't have to worry about taping over her earrings. Dani patiently waited. So on May 18th we drove to Wal-Mart. She picked out her studs - not *her* birthstone, rather mine...peridot [it's light-green in color] - sat in the chair and, like a trooper, bit the bullet! She can't wait until her 6 weeks are up, so she can wear all her earrings she received as birthday gifts.
She looks beautiful, as always...just a little *extra* sparkle! What'll I say when she gets braces :-O

Thought For the Day...

When you don't know where your 2yo is...it's never a good thing!

Who's Got the Sunscreen?...

Well, this Thursday, the 24th, our subdivision's pool opened. And when I say 'opened' I'm not just talking about for the season.... This is a new neighborhood and the pool was completed this past winter. Believe me, our kids were counting down the days!! When we went down there Wednesday evening - for a neighborhood 'Meet and Greet' - and looked around at the cabana and pool, I was so very pleased and so very impressed. It turned out beautifully. They [David Weekley Homes]really did do a great job.

The kids were so excited on Pool Opening Day...we were badgered and badgered some more. Just so you get an understanding here, we had NO pool at our old house. This was ultra-exciting for all of us! FINALLY at 4pm Paul put on his swimming trunks and that was the 'go ahead' for the kiddos. We were armed with the usual - towels, scunscreen [as Fia calls it], stroller, arm floaties... - plus our 7 adorable sweet kids. The following pictures show their joy...

John Paul [just shy of 4]Joseph and Daddy

Danielle [11] and Sophia [5]...the 'Brownies' Kayla [16] and Joseph [2..."Trouble"]Sophia [5]

Therese [just shy of 7] figuring out those goggles

Congratulations to Kayla!

On Friday, May 18th, Blessed Trinity High School had an awards ceremony in the gymnasium, where Kayla [16yo] won the "Saint Therese of Lisieux Award". This award is given to one female student, obviously, for not only knowing the faith in the classroom, but living it out as well. And by participating in class above and beyond. Yay, Kayla!! We're so proud of you!
She's wrapping up her Sophomore year and is looking forward to a nice long summer break.

Our Comeback Kid!

Words can't explain how proud Paul and I are of Danielle -#7 of the TimberRattlers -!! She just improved the whole season with such hard work and determination. Her confidence at the beginning of the season had been shaken by a few things. For one, she played the dreaded 'outfield'. For this usual third base'man' that was not acceptable. This was her first *real* season of fast pitch AND she played up an age bracket - 12U [since she was 10 in Jan. she could've still been in 10U]. So she had a lot against her, so to speak. But by the end of the season, she was at third base and LOVIN' it. We must not forget Aunt Karen - who herself played ball in college on scholarship - who took Dani 2-3 times every week to work with her [and WORK with her] and build confidence and memories. THANK YOU, AUNT KAREN! No greater joy to Paul and I than to see her strive and achieve with this team. I think Coach Aunt Karen is mighty proud too ["You bring joy to my heart."]! The 'Rattlers' ended the regular season in second place, but won the end of the season tournament in first. They really deserve it! Gooooooo Rattlers! SSSsssssssss.....

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...One Last Time!

Well, today was the end of the 2007 spring softball season. Therese and Sophia play together on the 'Sidewinders' 6U team. At this age bracket they don't keep score; they just had a lot of fun playing ball - learning some fundamentals of the game - oh, and snack! They SO look forward to their snack at the end of games! Therese showed a lot of improvement this year - especially toward the middle of the season. Sophia still has got to take the cake for "Cutest Softball Player". She ran out in the outfield like a little mouse to retrieve many a runaway ball. They had a really fun season. You can tell from their smiles!

One Life Down...Eight to Go!

Pepi. Paul calls her Dani's "puppy-kitty". This is the kitten that Danielle got this past Christmas. Let me set the stage for this story...

She begged for a puppy - and I mean B-E-G-G-E-D...she pulled out all the stops - anyways...she sent Paul and I e-cards oozing with puppies. She promised to take care of this 'puppy' and do what ever it took to get one. And Paul and I had absolutely NO DOUBT that she would've done everything. Well, we have a Golden Retriever already and being in our new house, at that time, only 8 months, we knew we were not going to get her a puppy. Let me also interject that I was pregnant and due on Dec. 5th! I know my limitations! So...we picked out a cute black kitty and gave it to Danielle on Christmas Day. She LOVED her kitty and named her Pepi [short for Peppermint]. And boy was that love reciprocated! This cat right off the bat loved Dani and knew she was hers. She followed her everywhere and was in bed with her right at bed time. Too cute. Again I must add - that the mother in Dani comes out when she disciplines Pepi and calls her "Pepi Ann". She cracks me up!! So ultimately Dani got her puppy :)

Pepi is an inside cat [who still isn't 'fixed'] which is why she *really* needs to be indoors right now :) Periodically she'll get outside and go right under the porch which she has to share with Fat Cat [aka Samantha]. It takes some great effort to get her back in the house. Coaxing her to come out from under the porch with an open can of tuna, spraying the hose on the porch, putting some catfood out - and if those don't do the trick, how 'bout the end of a broom!?

Last night [Wed. the 16th] Pepi got outside and went under the porch. Nothing unusual. Danielle tried to get her out before she went to bed - to no avail. Around 11:45pm, I'm working on my 'moth' post and all of the sudden I heard the loudest cat scream! I threw my laptop on the chair and as I'm running to the front porch my thoughts are that she is fighting with Fat Cat. I opened the door and there's Fat Cat looking around at the awful sound. This 'scream' was definitely a fight-for-your-life kind of scream. It was chilling! The screaming went on for 2-3 minutes, and then.....silence. Yuck. I just knew a coyote had gotten her! To make a long story short [those who know me best know that I can go on and on about what I was thinking!...I'll save you here :-)] - she wasn't to be seen under the porch or in the yard. I was dreading the next morning. I did not want to break my little girl's heart. Paul said he would tell her...but it wasn't the actual telling that I didn't want to do. I didn't want her to hurt. My prayer that night and this morning: "God, I know You can make this all okay. Please, I don't want to break my little girl's heart. Please. I know You can do this." and believe me, Sts. Francis and Anthony were called upon as well. But I *knew* deep down that she was "gone".

Taking my oldest dd, Kayla, to school this morning I was sooooo not ready to do what I had to do when I reached home. I dreaded it. I did not want to do this. Paul did not want to do this. But we knew that we'd have to.

When I finally got home, I walked into the kitchen, saw Dani standing close by with Therese and Sophia. And when I saw what she was holding...well, words can't describe all the emotions that flooded my mind. How could she be holding Pepi? "Where was she?" "Ummm...under the porch. Where else would she be? Remember? [how she got out last night]," Dani responded. She was so confused by my reaction. I was laughing with tears in my eyes...because, like my prayer, I knew God could!!

When I told Paul [who was still snug as a bug in a rug] I physically saw his great relief as he blurted out, "Oh, thank God!". It looked as though the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders in the blink of an eye.

Pepi's foot is bothering her. She was really hobbling on it early on today. Tonight she's barely showing any signs of pain. She slept pretty much all day long. Definitely not her spazzy-self. We've got to take her to the vet to get checked out and to see how many lives she's got left!!

New Life at LAST!!!

And, no, I'm not talking about US! Although this story starts pretty close to 9 months ago!


It must have been about late August or early September when 3yo John Paul discovered the largest, chubbiest caterpillar I've ever seen. He was bright green in color [did I mention how big this thing was?]. Therese, our nature-loving 6yo, put him [the caterpillar, that is] in her bug cage - which she had received for her 6th birthday last June. The caterpillar was affectionately known as "Chubby":-) He soon made a snuggly little cocoon for himself; I think he knew just how long he'd be 'sleeping' in the cage.


Now, we had NO idea whatsoever how long he'd be encased in his little happy home. But we waited and waited and waited. We did have a pretty mild winter, but it did get awfully cold in Jan. and Feb. We thought our little guy had 'kicked the bucket', so to speak. We waited and waited and... waited some more. I'd tell Paul, "That thing is dead. We really need to get it out of that cage." Not to mention that the 2yo, Joseph, would always open up Chubby's 'house' and the cocoon would go tumbling out onto the deck! This thing didn't have a chance! So we thought...


Fast forward to yesterday [5-15-07]...As I'm getting lunch ready for our home schooling pupils, I hear Therese yelling, "Dani, come here! Come here, Dani! Look! Look!"....[running into the kitchen from the deck]..."Mommy the butterfly came out!! It did!". I *COULDN'T* believe it!! We ALL ran onto the deck to see the moth's "eyeballs" staring back at us from within its habitat. How cool is that? Well, I grabbed the camera and tried to get some good shots of "Chubby".



Chubby's Glorious Transformation!



We just all could not believe our eyes. This thing lasted through every thing thrown its way. Therese picked up the cocoon and we saw his little hole from which he escaped...



So then I had to go and research what kind of moth Chubby was. I found him easily enough...he's a Polyphemus Silkmoth Oh, and as a side note, John Paul renamed Chubby. He's now Matthew [?]. On the link above they show all the stages of these moths. There they also show the eggs they lay, which we have too. So now the kiddos are really excited about watching these little eggs - which *she* laid - turn into more...Chubby Matthews!