I have been so busy writing about Faith Quest that I haven't had a chance to share our splendid Monday. We began our Monday with Stories in Art at the National Gallery of Art. You will recall we did this last week as well. This week's artwork was Giotto's beautiful Madonna and Child. The children learned the complicated process of working with gold leaf. They also learned that this artist, who lived 750 years ago, made his own paint. The Madonna and Child at the NGA is one of the only examples of Giotto's work in the U.S.

The book for the week was about the artist Giotto. The book explained that Giotto was a shepherd boy, but he developed the ability to paint very real looking figures which was unusual in his day. He eventually became one of the most celebrated artists of his day.

For their craft, the kids worked with their own version of gold leaf. Meg, inspired by Giotto, stuck with the theme of Madonna and Child in a fancy frame.

Clare went more experimental with a giraffe and a fish floating in a field of flowers. (Hmmm, based on this work, I'm thinking Clare might be a fan of Marc Chagall.)

Following Stories in Art, our focus became Beatrix Potter because Monday was her birthday. Meg and Clare made chocolate scones, I brewed chamomile tea and we pulled out as many Peter Rabbit items as we could. We then had a lovely birthday tea party for Miss Potter. Here is the aftermath of the party.

While Faith Quest continues for awhile through the Archdiocese of Washington, we wrapped up our Faith Quest activities this past Sunday. With a family vacation approaching and the start of school looming, we knew there would be no more time for these outings. So on Sunday we travelled to Saint Mary's County, Maryland.

Our first stop was Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Newtowne. Not a bad place to begin. This parish was founded in 1640, making it the oldest Catholic church in the thirteen colonies. It is beautiful and, well, very colonial looking.

The manor house (a necessity as I discussed yesterday) is in a fantastic state of disrepair for ghost stories. And believe me, my husband took the opportunity to tell the girls spooky stories.

Definitely glad we had this opportunity to visit Saint Francis Xavier. From there we went to Saint Aloysius in Leonardtown. This church was founded in 1710. Baby Anne was glad to have the opportunity to move around a bit (the thing about historic churches is that not a lot of them have carpet).

Meg and Clare took a close look at some of the parish's historical treasures.

We ended our day at Saint Joseph in Morganza. This parish was founded in 1700 and its current building dates to 1869.  According to our Faith Quest guide, the building is in the High Victorian Italianate style and is the only church building in that style in the country.

I have mentioned earlier our fondness for Saint Anne, so we were especially taken by the beautiful statue of Saint Anne with the child Mary at Saint Joseph Parish.

What an amazing opportunity to see these historic churches. Thank you Faith Quest!

On Saturday we piled the whole family in the car and headed over the Wilson Bridge and into Charles County, Maryland. Our Faith Quest adventures continued. We began with a visit to St. Peter Parish in Waldorf. Here Meg amazed us with her knowledge of all things St. Peter. She knew the rooster referred to the cock crowing after Peter denied Jesus three times.

She knew the keys referred to the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Clare and I were quite taken with this strange looking fellow crawling on one of the pedestals.

After thoroughly touring this lovely parish we headed to Saint Joseph in Pomfret. Unfortunately the church was locked up tight and we were unable to complete the activity guide. We had better luck at Saint Mary Parish in Bryantown. Perhaps the name of this church will sound familiar to any Civil War history buffs out there. Dr. Mudd (who treated John Wilkes Booth after the Lincoln assassination) is buried at this parish and apparently the two met at this parish prior to the assassination.

After a lunch stop we moved on to Carmel of Port Tobacco. This was the first Carmelite Monastery in the United States. It was built in 1790. The historic building is amazing--a mixture of a colonial farm and a chapel.

Meg and Clare knew, from our reading of the Little House books, that the tool below was a broom. They decided we should try to make one ourselves soon.

From the Carmelite Monastery we went to our last destination of the day--Saint Ignatius, Chapel Point. Here we were lucky enough to run into the pastor who just happens to be a former history teacher at Jesuit schools. He was happy to fill us in on the history of the parish and of Catholocism in Maryland. For example, the Colonial era churches are all attached to Manor houses. Why? Because you could only practice Catholicism in chapels connected to homes. The ability to practice Catholicism was not grounded in religious freedom, but in property rights. So the Jesuits bought up huge chunks of land and built manor houses with attached chapels. St. Ignatius dates back to 1641. It no longer sits in its original location (which was right by the water), but it has been at its current location since 1798 and the view from this location is breathtaking. (On a side note, the cemetery was moved up the hill after the Civil War because the Union troops shot up the original cemetery as the Civil War was ending.)

Our Saturday adventures ended there, but we had a full day on Sunday as well. Those adventures must wait until tomorrow.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about our family beginning Faith Quest--a scavenger hunt of sorts put together by the Archdiocese of Washington. We began with the DC sites (the National Shrine, the Franciscan Monastery, etc), but have since worked our way into Southern Maryland and have seen some amazing places we did not even know existed.

Last Sunday, before heading into Maryland, we made a quick stop by our last DC location. We visited Holy Rosary, which is an Italian-American church. I realize there are quite a few parishes that have Italian-American roots, but this parish offers Mass in Italian and has a center dedicated to Italian language and heritage. Holy Rosary is a beautiful church and we enjoyed learning more about it. In front of Casa Italiana Hall (the cultural center), there are several statues of famous Italians. Prior to leaving I had the girls pose in front of the statue most relevant to them. For our artist Clare, I put her in front of Michelangelo.

For Meg, who loves to hit high notes and looks forward to Saturday opera on the radio, we chose Verdi.

From Holy Rosary, we drove into Maryland to Sacred Heart in Bowie. The parish, which has been around since 1728, sits back in the woods and has a fantastic old cemetery.

We weren't able to get into the chapel, but that was okay because the Quest items were outside. Among the Quest items were these gnarled old trees.

We decided Sacred Heart would be a great place for Jesuit Halloween.

Unfortunately we did not have as much luck at Saint Mary, Piscataway or Saint Mary of the Assumption in Upper Marlboro. Both churches were locked up tight. Still it was great to get a sense of Colonial-era Catholicism, which was not as freely practiced in Maryland as one might be led to think. But more about that tomorrow.

This past week was a busy week. On Friday we slowed down significantly. After a morning of thoroughly cleaning Meg and Clare's room, we headed to the little village near our house to return a library DVD and meet our friend Nicole at a coffee shop.

After returning home we sat on the hill beside our house and watched the clouds. Cloud watching was among the suggested activities for the library's summer reading program. To honor this literary connection, we read Tomie DePaola's The Cloud Book while sitting on the hill.

When we were tired of being eaten by mosquitoes, we headed inside to make clouds of our own. Thanks to pins about science experiments on Pinterest, I was hopeful we could pull this off. I boiled water and poured it into the bottom quarter of a mason jar. I then splashed the water around a bit to heat up the jar. We placed the lid--upside down--on top of the jar and placed ice in the lid. Finally, we opened the lid briefly and sprayed a few sprays of Lysol (any aerosol will do). Soon clouds formed.

We really enjoyed doing a science experiment though Meg and Clare would have preferred being more hands on (preschoolers working with boiling water is a bit of a no no). Still it was fun and we'll be doing more science experiments in the future.

We did a bit of baking yesterday. I've been promising the girls for awhile that we would make Vanity Cakes. In the Country Party chapter of On the Banks of Plum Creek, Ma makes Vanity Cakes, which get their name because they are puffed up with air in the middle. The ingredients are simple (just an egg, salt, flour and powdered sugar), but I've been putting off making them because they must be deep fried and I don't fry anything.

Yesterday I finally followed through on my promise. I pulled out my Little House Cookbook. When I was a kid, I used to check this cookbook out of the library. I remember making mashed potatoes from a recipe in the book. As a young adult, I purchased the cookbook just in case I had daughters with whom I would read the Little House books. Now I cook from it with my daughters.

In the picture above, you'll see one of our Vanity Cakes on the cookbook. I must be honest. They were not a hit. Meg said I over-cooked them and I probably did. I'm also just not sure they are the kind of things kids would love today. We are just not used to eating fried food, so they seem heavy.

Next on our cooking agenda was peach cobbler. On Saturday we picked peaches at Great Country Farms in Bluemont, Virginia. We weren't supposed to pick peaches. We went to the orchard because they were having a Butterfly and Blackberry event. We were able to learn about monarch butterflies, but by our late morning arrival, the blackberry fields had already been picked over and closed. Happily my little adventurers decided they preferred to pick peaches anyway. Both Meg and Clare did a fantastic job of picking excellent peaches. I was impressed.



On a side note, we really enjoyed Great Country Farms and will likely return. The play area is extraordinary. There are amazing play structures with goats and chickens close by. There are huge slides and fun cycles to ride. The girls played so hard and had a fantastic time. I've been looking for a new orchard because after our last visit to Homestead Farms in Montgomery County, Maryland, I received TWO tickets via speed cameras. Considering I was going a very reasonable speed on a very major road, I think it is safe to call these speed camera spots speeding traps that target out-of-towners. Okay Montgomery County, you've just lost our business. My family used to venture to Montgomery County rather frequently but we will not be visiting your orchards, parks or restaurants anymore. We'll be spending our money elsewhere.



I'm done venting. With so many unexpected peaches, I decided to make peach cobbler. It was a challenge because (1) Baby Anne screamed through the entire process, and (2) I decided to make it gluten-free and dairy-free so I could enjoy it. I'm still on a strict nursing diet. I used a gluten-free pancake mix and almond milk, which were good. I also used butter-flavored Crisco and I should have used less than I did. Still, the cobbler was enjoyable.



All in all the baking was fun, but I think we'll take a break from baking for awhile.

I love the National Gallery of Art. It has long been a place of tranquil refuge for me. Besides the beautiful paintings and sculptures, you are surrounded by white marble and peaceful fountains. I've enjoyed attending concerts in the gallery, walking with friends through the centuries of paintings and spending time there by myself. I've taken my children to the NGA several times with great success (see an example here). But Monday we experienced something totally new to us and fantastic at the NGA: Stories in Art.

Stories in Art is a program for kids ages 4 to 7. Twice a year, the NGA offers a four-week program that focuses on a unified theme. This summer that theme is Italian Art. Each week the kids focus on one piece of art. This week that piece of art was a bust of Giuliano de Medici by Andrea del Verrocchio.

The experience began with us rushing to the NGA Monday morning to find parking and arrive at the door by 10 am. There are no reserved spots in the classes, so you must sign up when the museum opens. We happily made it on time and were among the first to sign in. While waiting for our class to begin, we visited the Van Gogh paintings, since the girls are quite taken with Van Gogh these days (see here).

At 10:30 am we met our teacher in the rotunda and she led the kids back to the gallery that held the Verrocchio bust. The kids all sat in front of the bust and were led to observe many intricate details about the bust. We learned that the proud look on the subject's face was because the bust was in celebration of his twenty-second birthday (apparently a big deal in Florentine society). The reason there were no details in his eyes was because the bust had once been painted, but the paint had worn off. Beside the bust of Giuliano de Medici was a painted terra cotta bust of Giuliano's brother. The children were then led to contrast the two busts. One striking difference was that Giuliano's brother had a terribly angry expression. Definitely wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley in Florence.

After this detailed discussion of the bust, the teacher led the children to another gallery in the Italian section (this allowed a second group of children to observe the bust). Here the teacher read Tomie dePaola's The Mysterious Giant of Barletta. We love Tomie dePaola and were not let down by this charming story of a statue coming to life to save a village in Italy. Meg and Clare later begged me to find the book because they loved it so much.

After reading the book, the teacher led the children to the West Garden Court where sheets of brown paper had been placed on the floor as workstations for the children. Each child was given terra cotta-colored modeling clay and a sculpture tool. They were then allowed to create in one of the most beautiful spots in the building. What fantastic inspiration.

Prior to this point the teacher told the kids a story. She said, "Yesterday a little girl tried to make a birdhouse but couldn't quite do it. Instead of crying, she squooshed her clay back into a ball and made something else. As artist we sometimes have to do that." Oh did that story resonate with Clare, who becomes so upset when she can't do something. She later repeated the story to me which tells me she was thinking about it for awhile.

Here are a few pictures of Meg and Clare sculpting in the West Garden Court of the National Gallery of Art.

Inspired by an episode of Creative Galaxy (yes, I know I have been talking about it a lot recently), Meg and Clare have wanted to try splatter painting--Jackson Pollack style. Creative Galaxy suggested using whisks and spoons to throw paint on the paper. I have a book called Masterpiece of the Month which suggested putting paint in paper cups and then making a hole in the bottom of the cup to allow the paint to drizzle out. The latter approach seemed neater so we went with that. However, the paint didn't easily come out of the hole so the girls took to pouring, splattering with a stick and fingerpainting.

Meg really enjoyed splatter painting.

Clare tried it for awhile but then returned to more traditional techniques.

We began this whole creative process by reading Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. I highly recommend this children's book for explaining how and why Pollock painted the way he did.

I believe in putting my kids to work. And they are okay with that so long as they perceive it as fun. Yesterday Clare and I moved the dining room table and scrubbed the floor. Sweeping the floor is great and all, but with two preschoolers and a baby just learning to eat solid food, a good scrubbing is needed periodically. So I swept, Clare (playing the part of Cinderella quite well) scrubbed and then I polished.

All of this cleaning prepared us for a summertime tea party. And what makes a tea party a summertime tea party? Sorbet and frozen fruit bars of course.

You'll notice from the pictures we've returned to Ladybug Girl and Butterfly Girl. Baby Anne was dressed in an outfit with chicks yesterday, so Meg and Clare decided she could start her own bird squad, while they would continue with the bug squad.

Today we are being very artistic. Look forward to pictures of our Jackson Pollack inspired splatter painting.

Yesterday Meg and Clare began piano lessons. I am so excited. I grew up playing piano. In fact, for many years I was a church pianist. But then there were many years during which I had little access to a piano and my skills went downhill fast.

In January, my husband gave me the go ahead to buy an digital piano. We both wanted the girls to take piano lessons and we realized that Meg was nearing the age at which she should begin. We weren't ready for the space commitment of an actual piano, though I do love real, acoustic pianos. Our house has that narrow row-house design and there are few walls on which we could place a piano. It would require major redecorating. So we opted for an digital piano which we could have up when we needed it and put away when we did not need it. It is a full-size keyboard and is music teacher approved. If one of our girls truly takes to piano, then we'll revisit fitting in an actual piano. But piano may prove to be simply an introduction to music--and that's fine. In a few years, they will have the option to move to string instruments, brass or wood winds through their school's excellent music program. Meg and Clare both have their eye on the violin.

We thought Meg would begin piano lessons in the Spring but then she broke her finger. By the time we were able to schedule lessons, Clare was old enough to begin as well. So they are beginning this musical journey together. As for me, I'm enjoying having the chance to play again. I'm struggling through some of my favorite pieces but enjoying every minute of it.