At the end of last week, my 6 year old daughter was inspired to do some marble art and this kept my 3 year old occupied for a little while as I attended to my other children during lessons.


I  have to admit that I don't do many Mommy led art projects (guilt setting in) because most of the time my kids are pulling out art supplies and creating things on their own.  I was proud of my daughter for thinking of this idea on her own.  It did get a little messy by the end of the project, especially when they dumped the entire cup of marbles in paint, but at least all the mess stayed in the box vs. the floor this time!

Please join Lynda, Anna-Marie and myself for February's No Ordinary Blog Hop (NOBH). You can link up any or all your posts for the entire month of February. The blogger with the most posts will be awarded a Star Blogger Award. Click below for details!

This past Monday, Sam at LEGO Quest Kids just posted Quest # 35: Maze or Labyrinth.  Go HERE for more details.  Remember submissions need to be emailed no later than 6pm PST on Monday, February the 28th.  My kids have enjoyed submitting their creations to LEGO QUEST and they love to see their creations on Sam's blog! 

Here is what my 3 oldest children submitted to Sam for Quest # 35:

My 10 year old daughter submitted this creation.  "This is a maze where the LEGO people have to find the light and bring it to the building so they can win the gold dish. The girl in the white dress in front of the building is getting a drink and there is a garden beside the building. The LEGO person in front of the building is holding the gold dish."



 This one below was made by my 9 year old son.  "My creation is a jewel cave with traps.  You can see the jewels in the cave and the jewels have clues.  The more jewels the LEGO men get, the more clues they have to get to the red jewel that is on the right side near the blade."



This was made by my 6 year old daughter.  "This maze is a flag maze and the LEGO people have to get the flags.  There are black and red seats where the people can sit to watch the people go through the maze.  Whoever gets the first flag and brings it back gets a gold bar." 







And every Thursday, Michele at My Blessings From Above has Lego Creation Thursday where you can link up your family's LEGO creations!  I linked up my LEGO post here to Michele's fun LEGO link up!

 Please join Lynda, Anna-Marie and myself for February's No Ordinary Blog Hop (NOBH). You can link up any or all your posts for the entire month of February. The blogger with the most posts will be awarded a Star Blogger Award. Click below for details!

This past weekend was a little hectic to say the least....My father-in-law was hospitalized since Thursday with pneumonia, but thankfully came home today.  Last night, I went to a very crowded visitation for a close family friend that passed away and today was the funeral.  We'll miss you J.H.!  Your funeral Mass was beautiful!  So between hospital visits, my children's basketball games, funeral and life in general, blogging was put on the back burner, but such is life.  

I wanted to share the video below on my blog to let others know more about Planned Parenthood. 
Planned Parenthood makes millions providing "healthy" and "safe" (their words, not mine) services for girls, women, and their unborn.  I want to defund Planned Parenthood because I don't want my money used for killing innocent life through abortions!


This video shows another reason why I support defunding Planned Parenthood!  Planned Parenthood will try to frame this fight as "women's rights". But we must keep the pressure on them by sharing the truth.  The way they take advantage of women and young girls is despicable.  Please share this short montage of PP repeatedly failing to protect girls from abuse.  This video shows evil exposed in just 2 minutes.  This is criminal and has got to end!  There are full clips available at www.LiveAction.org.
  



A friend of mine just gave me this book to read, "The Hand of God, A Journey from Death to Life by the Abortion Doctor Who Changed His Mind" by Bernard N. Nathanson, M.D. 

As stated on the back cover of the book, "Dr. Bernard Nathanson was co-founder in 1969 of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL, later renamed the National Abortion Rights Action League, and was director of The Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health, then the largest abortion clinic in the world.  In the late 1970s he turned against abortion to become a prominent pro-life advocate.  Dr. Nathanson continues to write and speak about life issues across the nation and around the world."

I just found out that Dr. Nathanson passed away today.  "Nathanson, who was personally responsible for tens of thousands of abortions, famously converted to the pro-life cause in the 1970s after he saw an unborn baby on ultrasound recoil from a vacuum abortion device before being sucked from its mother’s womb. The ultrasound footage was later turned into the famous and extremely influential pro-life video “The Silent Scream.”

You can read more about Nathanson's story by clicking the link below:
Pro-life leaders mourn passing of pro-life great Dr. Bernard Nathanson | LifeSiteNews.com

May God continue to turn hearts and minds to His truth so that the culture of Life can be celebrated and embraced everywhere! 

Please join Lynda, Anna-Marie and myself for February's No Ordinary Blog Hop (NOBH). You can link up any or all your posts for the entire month of February. The blogger with the most posts will be awarded a Star Blogger Award. Click below for details!

Not too long ago, Anna-Marie at Life's Adventures and Christine at Our Homeschool Reviews both awarded my blog the Versatile Blogger Award!  Congrats ladies on getting this award from another blogger and thanks for passing it on to me.  The "rules" of this award are to:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award

2. Answer 10 questions

3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy

4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award

So here are the 10 Questions with my answers in green:
 
1. Why did you create this blog?


2. What kinds of blogs do you follow?

3. Favorite make-up brand?

5. Indispensable makeup product?
6. Favorite color?
I don't have a favorite color, but I do like this shade of green that I am typing with since this color is similar to my bridesmaids dresses at my wedding.
What's perfume?? :)

8. Favorite film?
I love The Sound of Music and I never get tired of watching it over and over again!
10. Would you rather forget to put mascara on one eye or forget blush on one side of your face? mascara on one eye since I don't wear it that much anyway.


Kayla at The Arrowood Zoo
Jen at Forever, For Always, No Matter What 
Tricia at Crunchy Catholic Momma
Dawn at A Mom's Everyday Life 
Lindsey at The Little Missionary Girl All Grown Up
AubrieAnne at Who's Your Editor? 
Melis at The Joys of Home Educating

It's always so fun to receive and give blog awards in blog world!

We took a  recent trip to a local aquarium with some homeschool families.  In this photo the kids anxiously await to pet the stingray (barbs are removed). 





Here's a better picture as she stands back to observe the rays swimming around.

Happy Saint Valentine's Day!  It's not just about sweet cards and candy, but this is a feast day to honor another witness for the faith that sacrificed his life to continue to spread the love of Christ!  Thank you Saint Valentine!  Today in our homeschool we will be reading about Saint Valentine.

Yesterday at our church, we had a Valentine's bake sale and I made my chocolate "Bua Bark" and these yummy pretzel treats, like the ones I made for Christmas HERE: 


Tonight my son's Cub Scout Pack will deliver Valentine cards to the same local assisted living home that we visited here at Christmas time and it's the same place our homeschool group visits each month.  Everyone is excited to spread joy and love, especially on this wonderful feast day!

It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.   - 1 Corinthians 13: 3-4 (New American Bible)

When my husband and I were dating, I gave him a personalized license plate that reads: 1STCOR13
We still have this plate on our family car and it's amazing how many people have stopped to ask us about the Biblical verse on the plate through the years.

Have a blessed day and may you enjoy spending time with those you love!

Melissa at Joy of Home Educating is hosting a fun LEGO Mania Link Party. Click HERE for more details.  So I thought I would join the fun and share some creations my children have made.


Do you know of this Awesome LEGO link?  Click HERE to read my post about where you can find different instructions to build LEGO creations!

For my son's 8th birthday, we had a LEGO party.  I made LEGO cakes and had LEGO candy!

And one more great LEGO link...do you know about LEGO Quest Challenges?


What is LEGO QUEST?  Find out more HERE at the LEGO QUEST blog.

I have been a subscriber to LEGO Quest for awhile now and we receive emails about the next challenge.  My kids decided to participate in the latest quest which was to take these 30 blocks....(doesn't have to be exact colors) and make a creation.

This is what my 2 oldest children came up with using the 30 blocks above: