Sunday, February 8, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI Quote

I love this quote by Pope Benedict XVI:

"It is very helpful to confess with a certain regularity. It is true our sins are always the same; but we clean our homes, our rooms, at least once a week even if the dirt is always the same, in order to live in cleanliness, in order to start again. Otherwise, the dirt might not be seen, but it builds up."

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Making Pizza

It may sound silly....but I was proud of my boys! They made these pizzas all on their own (I made the dough...they shaped it and did the rest. I can't even make pizzas that look this *pretty*. Sean's is the round one and Joseph's is the rectangular pizza.


Friday, February 6, 2009

Greensboro Historical Museum

We learned about the Civil War to day at the Museum. Museum entrance is FREE! There were six stations set up where we learned about women in the Civil War, Weapons and gear of the Civil War, the underground railroad, the flight of Jefferson Davis, and the medical tools used during the war.












I Won $250 for Shwachman-Diamond America

My name was drawn and Shwachman-Diamond America won $250! We participated in The Network for Good’s Giving Challenge and then they asked for those who participated to fill out a survey. They said if we filled out the survey, we could win more money for our charity through a drawing. I filled out the survey! God is SO good! SO good! SDA can use all the help we can get! WOO HOO thank you Case Foundation!

Here is the email I received and below my signature is the letter they sent to SDA.

Dear Pattie,


Congratulations! By participating in our survey on your experiences in the 2007-2008 Giving Challenge, you’ve been randomly selected to have a $250 donation made to your cause. The Case Foundation will make the donation on your behalf to Shwachman-Diamond America.

Please refer to the attached letter, a copy of which has been sent to Shwachman-Diamond America, for more details about the donation.

The Case Foundation is very excited to gather valuable feedback from participants in the Giving Challenge. We will be using the results from these surveys to inform a research paper on lessons learned from the Challenge. Please keep an eye out for it on our website, www.casefoundation.org.

Thanks again for your participation in the Challenge, for taking the time to fill out our survey, and for working to support Shwachman-Diamond America.

Sincerely,

The Case Foundation


January 29, 2009


Shwachman-Diamond America

931-B South Main Street #332

Kernersville, NC 27284



To Whom It May Concern:



The Case Foundation is pleased to inform you that we have made a donation via Network for Good in the amount of $250 to your organization on behalf of Pattie Curran. This donation is the result of a random drawing for individuals who completed a survey about their participation in the Giving Challenge, a Case Foundation initiative launched in partnership with Parade Magazine, Causes on Facebook, GlobalGiving, and Network for Good.



The goal of the initiative was to inspire Americans to support their favorite causes and charities through the use of new technologies that make online giving more productive, meaningful, and fun. The result: 81,597 donations and $1,772,908 given to nonprofits

—an extraordinary outcome.



As we look back on the Challenge, we wanted to take the opportunity to research what worked and what didn’t work so well in an effort to honor the passion and vision that helped make the initiative such a success, and our world a better place. To that end, we sent out surveys to all those who championed a cause as part of the Challenge. As an incentive for completing the survey, the Case Foundation offered a $250 donation to the charities championed by four randomly selected participants. This small donation celebrates Pattie Curran’s respect for your work as well as the spirit of involvement of all the Giving Challenge participants.



We wish you the best as you continue your important work. If you would like more information about upcoming initiatives of the Case Foundation, please visit www.casefoundation.org.



Sincerely,







Brian Sasscer

Senior Vice President, Interactive Strategies



Cc: Pattie Curran
Posted by Pattie at

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Student Night at the Opera

Student Night at the Opera was great! The NC school of the Arts did a fantastic job on L'elisir d'amore ! The boys really enjoyed the opera and seeing all of their friends. The last Opera of the season will be on April 1, 2009. We can;t wait to see The Marriage of Figaro. If you would like more information on Student Night at the Opera, click on the "opera" label to the right. We would love to have more homeschoolers join us!

The Turtle

Here is is at 600% the original size.