Thanks for all of your comments - I really enjoyed reading them! Here are the winners of our giveaway. I used a Random Number Generator to match each prize with a winner - allowing no one to get more than one prize. Please e-mail me - love2learnmom at gmail.com to claim your prize (please include shipping information or other contact info as appropriate).
1. mater et magistra Subscription - Robert Gotcher (no kidding!)
2. mater et magistra Subscription - Margaret Mary Myers
3. mater et magistra Subscription - Elizabeth C.
4. I Remember Mama - Princess Annie
5. I Remember Mama - Sarah Reinhard
6. I Remember Mama - Marie, from Early Morning Musings
7. Christmas in Connecticut - Party of Nine
8. Christmas in Connecticut - Sara, from a Shower of Roses
9. Christmas in Connecticut - antonina31
10. The Far Side of the Loch by Melissa Wiley - Beth, from Endless Books
11. Across the Puddingstone Dam by Melissa Wiley - MBCW
12. Across the Puddingstone Dam by Melissa Wiley - Kim
13. The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden - Caroline
14. The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary by Karen Edmisten - Sarah, from More than Enough
15. The Catholic Homeschool Companion edited by Maureen Wittmann and Rachel Mackson - Robynn
16. Homeschool Connections One-Month Subscription Service - Exspectantes
17. The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton - Wiregrass Catholic Mom
18. St. Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton - Gardenia
19. Earrings from Singing Ladybug Jewelry ("Really Cute, Sweet and Sassy") - Kelly, from Gratiae ut Deus
20. Earrings from Singing Ladybug Jewelry ("Subtle Sophistication") - Grace from wigleasons
21. A Holy Hour Offered for Your Intentions (Kindly donated by Grace, but not previously listed) - Ann
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Do-it-yourself Senior Photos
It's astounding to believe that Ria's about to graduate from high school! Last week John took about 250 pics of her at three favorite local spots, including this one - Boerner Botanical Gardens. We got about 30 really good photos out of the shoot, which took about 3 1/2 hours. Will try to share more later.
Also coming up this week... First Communion for our youngest daughter!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Old Studeo Headers
Because Robert made me think of it...
By the way, this is not a complete set as I remember having at least one with a snowy background. These came up with a fairly quick search of the hard drive. I don't think I had a lion picture for the banner. Ria did, though.
By the way, this is not a complete set as I remember having at least one with a snowy background. These came up with a fairly quick search of the hard drive. I don't think I had a lion picture for the banner. Ria did, though.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Blogaversary Week Giveaway [updated]
As I mentioned in an earlier post today, I'd like to make this week a giveaway week in gratitude for five years of blogging here at Studeo. I know things have gotten quieter on and off, but this blog and those I've encountered through it (and in a surprising number of situations, actually met in person!) mean a great deal to me. I think it's also the case that, though additional teaching, activities, and general hub-bub have reduced the quantity of blogging here, that without this blog, Love2learn Moments and lot of my conference talks and other projects wouldn't exist. This has always been my sort of quiet thinking spot and I've found it to be a tremendous resource in both organizing my thoughts and favorite quotes and looking back later to find ideas and things I've worked on in the past and want to include in the radio spots or talks or whatever.
Anyway, I'll be including all of the prizes in this one post, so please leave a comment here if you'd like to be in the drawing. The drawing will take place on Friday, April 30th. Also check back during the week as I'm expecting to be adding more goodies here throughout the week.
P.S. Just wanted to mention that the collection of goodies coming directly from our family are slightly random - many are ones that I picked up on sale in various places and thought were fun and appropriate to this giveaway.
Also, I was originally planning these as gifts of gratitude for the good that has come to me through this outlet. I was surprised and humbled that people were interested in donating items for this giveaway. Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like to be included in some way.
1. Subscriptions to mater et magistra magazine: (3 copies)
I'll be giving away three subscriptions to the one Catholic homeschool magazine in print. I think it's a lovely magazine and a lot of people put a lot of effort into making it a beautiful and encouraging magazine for all Catholic homeschoolers. However, it's fair to say that I might be biased because I'm the reviews editor and write for it occasionally in other ways too. :)
For those who may be interested, I've been helping out with this magazine since its previous existence as Heart and Mind Magazine. One of the interesting projects that came out of that one (though it hasn't been updated in awhile) and actually started out as a unit study for Heart and Mind is our family's Architecture for Kids blog.
And on a funny side note: Some of the students at Latin Convention call their female teachers "magistra" and so my daughter Ria has taken to calling me "mater et magistra" on occasion. ;)
2. I Remember Mama - Irene Dunne, 1948 (3 copies)
I'll be giving away three copies of this hilarious classic film that means a lot to me and my family. Both of my grandmothers grew up in or near San Francisco (both were 1906 earthquake survivors - including one still in utero) and I found out just a few years ago that my Grandma Lawless, who died several years before I was born, especially loved this movie.
3. Christmas in Connecticut - Barbara Stanwyck, 1945 (3 copies)
Though the classic Christmas story on this DVD is fun (and quite a bit silly), our family particularly fell in love with the Oscar winning short, Star in the Night, contained in the special features. It's delightful, hilarious, and rather Chestertonian in spirit. I think I forgot to post about it here on Studeo, but we had to have 4 or 5 showings of it at our big Christmas Day party last year to accomodate all those at the party who wanted to see it. There are three copies of this movie as well.
4. Books by Melissa Wiley (3 books) [UPDATED]
The Far Side of the Loch by Melissa Wiley (1 copy) - This is a beautiful hardcover (unabridged and out-of-print) I just happened to find used (but in nearly perfect shape) today.
Across the Puddingstone Dam by Melissa Wiley (2 copies) - This is one of the unabridged Little House prequels that sadly went out of print a few years ago. I decided to pick them up from Old World Wisconsin awhile ago, thinking someone might enjoy them.
Not only are they great stories, but Melissa is one the many friends I've made via the blogosphere (and hers is one of the handful of Catholic homeschool mom blogs that predates mine!).
5. The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden (1 copy)
When I was a child, I generally didn't enjoy being read aloud to as I'm very much NOT an auditory learner. But there were two books my mom read aloud to us during my homeschool years, despite the fact that I was a teenager at that point and I REALLY enjoyed both of them: The Kitchen Madonna and Alice in Wonderland. I'm thrilled that it's been reprinted by Bethlehem Books to be enjoyed by new generations of homeschoolers and non-auditory learners. ;)
6. The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary by Karen Edmisten (1 copy)
My dear friend Karen, who I also met through the blogosphere (I think I found both hers and Melissa's blogs through Danielle Beans' blog), has kindly donated a copy of her lovely book on the Rosary for our drawing. Thanks much Karen! By the way, I stole the lovely image above from my dear friend Alice's blog.
7. The Catholic Homeschool Companion, edited by Maureen Wittmann and Rachel Mackson (1 copy)
Maureen Wittmann, a long time friend from the Catholic homeschool online world (honestly, I don't even remember how we met anymore!) has generously donated a copy of the Catholic Homeschool Companion for this giveaway. I've known her long enough to have contributed an essay on apologetics for teens. Thanks Maureen!
8. Homeschool Connections Subscription Service (1 month free subscription)
Maureen has also donated a one-month subscription to Homeschool Connections' Subscription Service. If you're not yet familiar with Homeschool Connections, you should definitely take a look. We know many people who have enjoyed, and been extremely pleased with, online classees for Catholic homeschoolers through this great organization. They also offer a number of free webinars (that can still be viewed online) about Catholic homeschooling, including one I did last year on Choosing Worthwhile Homeschool Materials. Thanks much Maureen!
9. Two Books by G.K. Chesterton
A giveaway here really wouldn't be complete without something by Chesterton, and I've decided on two of my person favorites - The Man Who Was Thursday and St. Francis of Assisi. (1 copy of each)
The blogosphere has been a terrific place for me to fall more in love with Chesterton and had a particular strong effect on my children. I'm particularly grateful to my friends Nancy Brown and to Dr. Thursday and also to the American Chesterton Society on the whole who have been wonderful Chestertonian mentors to our family.
10. Two Pairs of Earrings from Singing Ladybug Jewelry
My sweet friend Maria has kindly donated two pairs of earrings from her Etsy shop, Singing Ladybug Jewelry, for our giveaway. One pair is the "Really Cute, Sweet and Sassy" and the other is the "Subtle Sophistication." Thanks Maria! :)
Anyway, I'll be including all of the prizes in this one post, so please leave a comment here if you'd like to be in the drawing. The drawing will take place on Friday, April 30th. Also check back during the week as I'm expecting to be adding more goodies here throughout the week.
P.S. Just wanted to mention that the collection of goodies coming directly from our family are slightly random - many are ones that I picked up on sale in various places and thought were fun and appropriate to this giveaway.
Also, I was originally planning these as gifts of gratitude for the good that has come to me through this outlet. I was surprised and humbled that people were interested in donating items for this giveaway. Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like to be included in some way.
1. Subscriptions to mater et magistra magazine: (3 copies)
I'll be giving away three subscriptions to the one Catholic homeschool magazine in print. I think it's a lovely magazine and a lot of people put a lot of effort into making it a beautiful and encouraging magazine for all Catholic homeschoolers. However, it's fair to say that I might be biased because I'm the reviews editor and write for it occasionally in other ways too. :)
For those who may be interested, I've been helping out with this magazine since its previous existence as Heart and Mind Magazine. One of the interesting projects that came out of that one (though it hasn't been updated in awhile) and actually started out as a unit study for Heart and Mind is our family's Architecture for Kids blog.
And on a funny side note: Some of the students at Latin Convention call their female teachers "magistra" and so my daughter Ria has taken to calling me "mater et magistra" on occasion. ;)
2. I Remember Mama - Irene Dunne, 1948 (3 copies)
I'll be giving away three copies of this hilarious classic film that means a lot to me and my family. Both of my grandmothers grew up in or near San Francisco (both were 1906 earthquake survivors - including one still in utero) and I found out just a few years ago that my Grandma Lawless, who died several years before I was born, especially loved this movie.
3. Christmas in Connecticut - Barbara Stanwyck, 1945 (3 copies)
Though the classic Christmas story on this DVD is fun (and quite a bit silly), our family particularly fell in love with the Oscar winning short, Star in the Night, contained in the special features. It's delightful, hilarious, and rather Chestertonian in spirit. I think I forgot to post about it here on Studeo, but we had to have 4 or 5 showings of it at our big Christmas Day party last year to accomodate all those at the party who wanted to see it. There are three copies of this movie as well.
4. Books by Melissa Wiley (3 books) [UPDATED]
The Far Side of the Loch by Melissa Wiley (1 copy) - This is a beautiful hardcover (unabridged and out-of-print) I just happened to find used (but in nearly perfect shape) today.
Across the Puddingstone Dam by Melissa Wiley (2 copies) - This is one of the unabridged Little House prequels that sadly went out of print a few years ago. I decided to pick them up from Old World Wisconsin awhile ago, thinking someone might enjoy them.
Not only are they great stories, but Melissa is one the many friends I've made via the blogosphere (and hers is one of the handful of Catholic homeschool mom blogs that predates mine!).
5. The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden (1 copy)
When I was a child, I generally didn't enjoy being read aloud to as I'm very much NOT an auditory learner. But there were two books my mom read aloud to us during my homeschool years, despite the fact that I was a teenager at that point and I REALLY enjoyed both of them: The Kitchen Madonna and Alice in Wonderland. I'm thrilled that it's been reprinted by Bethlehem Books to be enjoyed by new generations of homeschoolers and non-auditory learners. ;)
6. The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary by Karen Edmisten (1 copy)
My dear friend Karen, who I also met through the blogosphere (I think I found both hers and Melissa's blogs through Danielle Beans' blog), has kindly donated a copy of her lovely book on the Rosary for our drawing. Thanks much Karen! By the way, I stole the lovely image above from my dear friend Alice's blog.
7. The Catholic Homeschool Companion, edited by Maureen Wittmann and Rachel Mackson (1 copy)
Maureen Wittmann, a long time friend from the Catholic homeschool online world (honestly, I don't even remember how we met anymore!) has generously donated a copy of the Catholic Homeschool Companion for this giveaway. I've known her long enough to have contributed an essay on apologetics for teens. Thanks Maureen!
8. Homeschool Connections Subscription Service (1 month free subscription)
Maureen has also donated a one-month subscription to Homeschool Connections' Subscription Service. If you're not yet familiar with Homeschool Connections, you should definitely take a look. We know many people who have enjoyed, and been extremely pleased with, online classees for Catholic homeschoolers through this great organization. They also offer a number of free webinars (that can still be viewed online) about Catholic homeschooling, including one I did last year on Choosing Worthwhile Homeschool Materials. Thanks much Maureen!
9. Two Books by G.K. Chesterton
A giveaway here really wouldn't be complete without something by Chesterton, and I've decided on two of my person favorites - The Man Who Was Thursday and St. Francis of Assisi. (1 copy of each)
The blogosphere has been a terrific place for me to fall more in love with Chesterton and had a particular strong effect on my children. I'm particularly grateful to my friends Nancy Brown and to Dr. Thursday and also to the American Chesterton Society on the whole who have been wonderful Chestertonian mentors to our family.
10. Two Pairs of Earrings from Singing Ladybug Jewelry
My sweet friend Maria has kindly donated two pairs of earrings from her Etsy shop, Singing Ladybug Jewelry, for our giveaway. One pair is the "Really Cute, Sweet and Sassy" and the other is the "Subtle Sophistication." Thanks Maria! :)
Coming Soon...
I can hardly believe that this Friday marks Studeo's 5th Blogaversary! Out of gratitude and partly just for fun, I've decided to have a week-long giveaway. Prizes will be picked on Friday. Stay tuned for a list of goodies later today and if you'd like to contribute anything to the fun (even after the initial list goes up), please e-mail me at love2learnmom at gmail.com.
Frank Fashions
After putting on a bright red Hawaiian shirt (complete with surfboards and palm trees) for a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner a few nights ago, Frank confidently announced, "I look handsome in Venice."
Friday, April 16, 2010
Seven Quick Takes
2. We hosted our monthly Latin club meeting at our house earlier this week. It included the presentation of National Latin Exam awards (all of our high schoolers received medals or certificates - and 5 of them earned gold medals!). The members (and my younger kids) split into two teams for a skit competition on the Battle of Milvian Bridge. They were really great skits (with some delightfully funny moments) and my kids were delighted that the Battle of Milvian Bridge ended up coming up in Father's homily for Daily Mass earlier this week. I love it when those connections happen!
3. As I've alluded to in some previous posts, I had to make some fairly drastic dietary changes earlier this year in order to get my low blood sugar under control. It involved dropping most sweets (fortunately moderate quantities of dark chocolate seem to be okay), breads and potatoes. It was also recommended that I exercise every day since exercise has a huge impact on blood sugar. I'm happy to report that I've been walking 3 miles nearly every day and that I'm down 20 lbs. since last summer!
Ah, and a side benefit that was rather unexpected is that my seasonal allergies, which have gotten worse every year for the last few years, seem to have almost disappeared this spring, in spite of it being a particularly bad pollen season.
4. It's all my daughter's fault, really (well, I guess I can blame my big sister too). ;)
While we were in Memphis, Ria was on my case about starting a commonplace book for favorite quotes. After all, she had her quote book with her and it came in handy when we were setting up the conference table as she had the last-minute (and brilliant) idea of scattering favorite quotes around the table cloth. And since we found lovely notebooks in the airport on the way home, I've been collecting some of my favorites by hand in there over the last month or so. I really enjoy having them handy in my purse all the time (handy for certain discussions and such) and it's a great place to collect new ones too.
5. Working on this commonplace book naturally led to brushing off an old project I haven't touched in about a year - an online notebook for favorite quotes, photos and videos. Basically it's the commonplace book plus, um, illustrations. (The order is pretty random on the whole.) You can check it out here: Love2learn Notebook. I'm not quite satisfied with the name. If you have any ideas, please pass them along!
6. I'm always interested in learning more about sensory sensitivity as it's an issue for some of my children and for myself. I found this post on Sensory Perception Sensitivity at the Eide Neurolearning Blog particularly interesting and then jumped from there to the self-test on a site about "the Highly Sensitive Person". They say if you score 14 or higher, that you fall into this category. I scored 24 out of a possible 27. Interesting. And yeah, it seems to make sense out of a number of things.
7. I just started reading (meaning, I just finished the introduction to) Christ Our Joy: The Theological Vision of Pope Benedict XVI by Msgr. Joseph Murphy. It looks like it will be an amazing book. Can't wait to dig in further. Here's a great quote by Cardinal Ratzinger that showed up on the back cover:
We need to have it said to us that only with Christ has true joy made its appearance and that, in our own lives, nothing matters apart from learning to see and understand Christ, the God of grace, the light and joy of the world. Indeed, our joy will only be true if it is not based on things, which can be taken away from us and destroyed, but thrusts its roots into the intimate depth of our lives, into that depth which no worldly power can take away from us. In addition, every external loss should become for us an initiation into that interiority and should make us more mature for living our true life.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Noli Me Tangere
This is the guest drawing from our family journal. It's Mary Magdalen and Our Lord just after his resurrection.
Friday, April 09, 2010
Angel Font at St. Josaphat's
When my sister was in town for Easter we managed to make a quick visit to the Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee. She took this picture of one of the unique angel holy water fonts to be found there.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Happy Easter!
We had a lovely, busy Easter around here and are just about ready to catch up on a little extra sleep. ;)
My parents arrived last Wednesday and we've been hopping ever since. Thursday we had a yummy lamb dinner followed by a beautiful Mass at our local parish. John and I are now singing in the choir (so we were committed!). I don't think I had been to Holy Thursday Mass at our local parish since Ria was a baby. Back then they were having everyone in the congregation come up and get their fingers washed in lieu of the foot washing. Like I said the Mass was really beautiful. The whole story and idea of the foot washing is really important to our pastor. He gave a beautiful sermon about it and how it should apply to our own perspective on life (including how the pastor at his first parish assignment brought the concept home to him - by leaving a towel, basin and pitcher outside his door as a reminder) and the foot washing ceremony was central and very thorough.
Our local parish has been offering Morning Prayer for Liturgy of the Hours every weekday morning before morning Mass. This was particularly beautiful (and well-attended) over the Easter triduum.
Good Friday morning we went to the outdoor Stations of the Cross at Holy Hill. Often I'm able to pray better in quieter venues, but there's something amazingly beautiful and moving about offering this prayer with a huge group - perhaps 500 people - led by Archbishop Listecki (after the tradition of Archbishop Dolan who used to lead it every year).
On Good Friday morning I had gotten an e-mail from my big sister to see if we were up for some last minute surprise company over Easter! She arrived on Saturday afternoon and surprised my parents and the kids. Here's a shot of my mom with me and Sharon.
Saturday evening we all went to Easter Vigil at our local parish. John and I sang with the choir and were grateful for the extra help with the kids. The Easter fire was by far the largest I have ever seen. The wood was easily 5 feet high, faithfully manned by some experienced-looking boy scouts (and protected by a generously sized roped-off area). It was a long but beautiful night (with lots of singing!) and eleven people baptized and/or confirmed during the Mass. Gaude et Laetare!
John and I also sang for Mass the next morning and enjoyed a fairly laid back party with family and friends in the afternoon and evening. Easter egg hunt, lots of food and visiting and a enormously funny game of Balderdash topped off the evening. A few pictures follow this post...
My parents arrived last Wednesday and we've been hopping ever since. Thursday we had a yummy lamb dinner followed by a beautiful Mass at our local parish. John and I are now singing in the choir (so we were committed!). I don't think I had been to Holy Thursday Mass at our local parish since Ria was a baby. Back then they were having everyone in the congregation come up and get their fingers washed in lieu of the foot washing. Like I said the Mass was really beautiful. The whole story and idea of the foot washing is really important to our pastor. He gave a beautiful sermon about it and how it should apply to our own perspective on life (including how the pastor at his first parish assignment brought the concept home to him - by leaving a towel, basin and pitcher outside his door as a reminder) and the foot washing ceremony was central and very thorough.
Our local parish has been offering Morning Prayer for Liturgy of the Hours every weekday morning before morning Mass. This was particularly beautiful (and well-attended) over the Easter triduum.
Good Friday morning we went to the outdoor Stations of the Cross at Holy Hill. Often I'm able to pray better in quieter venues, but there's something amazingly beautiful and moving about offering this prayer with a huge group - perhaps 500 people - led by Archbishop Listecki (after the tradition of Archbishop Dolan who used to lead it every year).
On Good Friday morning I had gotten an e-mail from my big sister to see if we were up for some last minute surprise company over Easter! She arrived on Saturday afternoon and surprised my parents and the kids. Here's a shot of my mom with me and Sharon.Saturday evening we all went to Easter Vigil at our local parish. John and I sang with the choir and were grateful for the extra help with the kids. The Easter fire was by far the largest I have ever seen. The wood was easily 5 feet high, faithfully manned by some experienced-looking boy scouts (and protected by a generously sized roped-off area). It was a long but beautiful night (with lots of singing!) and eleven people baptized and/or confirmed during the Mass. Gaude et Laetare!
John and I also sang for Mass the next morning and enjoyed a fairly laid back party with family and friends in the afternoon and evening. Easter egg hunt, lots of food and visiting and a enormously funny game of Balderdash topped off the evening. A few pictures follow this post...
Frank Strolling with his Egg Bag
It's hard to tell from here, but he was walking around the yard swinging the bag in a circle. I love the peaceful expression on his face.
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