A little news about everyone:
Rebecca is in the last lesson of her math primer book. I've ordered "Alpha", and she should be starting it by next week. Math-U-See is a great program!
Marianna has indeed started wearing hard shoes for Irish dance. We bought some used shoes from her instructor. I don't know which I appreciate more, the discount or not having to SHOP!
Joseph earned his RED BELT in tae kwon do yesterday. Len and I were on a mini retreat and missed watching Joe's test, but we did have a special dinner at Grammy and Grandpop's house.
Daniel spoke about the ConQuest boys' club at all the masses last weekend. I'm still hearing comments about how well he did. I agree--he spoke slowly, clearly, succinctly, and with confidence.
David decided that yesterday's cold, snowy weather was ideal for driving half an hour (each way!) to try out a new (for him) mountain bike trail. He had a good time--just one fall--and got some slippery road driving practice, too. Thursday he went to court (that's how we do it in VA) to obtain his plastic driver's license.
I spoke to Lauren yesterday. Richmond was expecting 8-12 inches of snow, and it was coming down steadily. She had bought some rain boots in the morning, more appropriate for the mud and puddles she's usually walking through. Her snow boots are still here at home--good news for me. (I like hers better than mine.)
Len (along with Marianna) has been enjoying identifying new birds at our feeder. I'm buying a better seed mix than last year, which may be contributing to our increased variety of guests. He and Joe repaired a hamper today--Len's great at teaching practical skills to the children.
A few years ago I started making a bigger deal out of Valentine's Day here at home. For me this means baking a treat and getting a special gift for each of my loved ones. They're nothing elaborate or expensive, just thoughtful and not too practical. This week I picked up some fun books (that's all I can say--the kids sometimes read my blog).
Tonight I started the baking. The linzer cookies (with the flavors of ground almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla) will be frozen, then eventually sandwiched with raspberry jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar. They're crisp and tasty now, but if I fill them a day in advance, the cookies soften (a good thing) and the sugar dissolves in the window, leaving the beautiful red jam showing through.
Everyone gets one giant heart cookie plus a gift. The little flowers are for my Bible study...
I thought it was so cool how the jam dissolves! The recipe didn't say it did that and I was concerned that they didn't tell you to sugar the cookie tops first. So cool!
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