The 12 Tribes of Muldowney

It's Just the Beginning

2012-01-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

May it be prosperous and full of many blessed experiences. Like our New Year's Eve feast.

Here's to the opportunities this year will bring!

Much love,

The Muldowney Crew Back Home

Summer Vacation

2011-08-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

The summer is rapidly coming to a close. To mark both its and my own departure, the twelve tribes that still reside at home had two relaxing days of exploring the neighborhood. On the first day the four youngest and Mum and OTP picnicked at Valley Forge Park before listening to a "Once Upon a Nation" story teller who also played the bass recorder (an uncommon instrument Johnny could label). From there we went to St. Peter's Village and Abe impressed and horrified everyone with his risky rock climbing.

On family vacation day 2, I joined everyone on a train ride down to Old City where we listened to "Once Upon a Nation" storytellers, visited numerous historically significant sites, and enjoyed dinner at the Sahara Grill, a great little restaurant between 13th and Broad that was introduced to us by the Ereksons. We got home in the nick of time. A rather violent lightening storm began just after we had all gotten inside.

Johnny Dangling from a Tree at St. Peter's Village

The Talented "Once Upon a Nation" Storyteller

Inside of Christ's Church, Once the Tallest Building in the USA

A trip to Petrucci's

2011-07-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jacob and Lizzy's Birthdays' together by a BBQ since Jacob and Lizzy's Birthdays' are so close together. Mimi, and Baby Jacob came over the day after the Birthday slash BBQ on Lizzy's Birthday. Baby Jacob sang a beautiful 'Happy Birthday to you' to his aunt Lizzy (it was so cute), and we (meaning Lizzy, Mimi, Baby Jacob, Abby, and I) set off for an ice cream cone at Petrucci's ice cream store and petting zoo. Here are some fun pictures of the event.

Baby Jacob as cute as ever!

Looking at the Chickens.

Jakey and Mimi.

This goat wanted us to pet him so much that he stuck his head out of the gate and got his head stuck (though I wasn't too worried about it because there were several scratches on the gate and my guess was that they did it often enough that he would eventually get his head back in).

Sorry folks there are no pictures of the miraculous, marvelous, beautiful Lizzy but she was the person taking all the pictures so of course she didn't take any pictures of herself.

Girls' Week

2011-07-27T15:34:00.001-07:00

The following several blog posts (5 to be exact) further explore the content of the Broadway hit Girls' Week. A review of a new piece Adversity for Fun, which opened only last week with performances by Abraham, Johnny, and Charles Muldowney, will follow in the next issue of the 12 Tribes' Blog.

Chanticleer

2011-07-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

It may have been the hottest and most humid day of the summer this year, but we had an outdoor excursion anyway. Chanticleer is one of my favorite places to be in the world, and it has been on my "things to see before I go back to BYU" list. Mom and the girls humored me and we swung by the pleasure garden on the last day before the boys got back from scout camp. Even in the oppressive heat, the gardens and house were beautiful and pleasant to be in. And the scents! Simply heavenly.

We cooled down with another swimming trip afterwards.

Shopping

2011-07-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

We had several shopping extravaganzas during the week, of which you can find some of the pictures here.

2011-07-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Schwans were generous enough to invite us over to swim in their pool... It marked the first dives of the season for all of us girls.

It's Uncanny How Much Shana Can Do

2011-07-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just when we thought she had maxed out on her talents (I mean, how could can any one person be good at so many things?), Shana pulled out the canning card. During the boys' trip away from home a little peach canning party took place. Apparently this happened last year, but seeing it in action and hearing about it are two entirely different things!

Shana's helpful accomplices

Individual Members

Abby the Agile (responsible for cutting and boiling)

Bekah the Bold (responsible for peeling the peaches in ice cold water)

Shana the Shrewd (responsible for everything else, especially taste testing)

The finished product

Lush Peaches

and Blueberry Peach Preserves

A Walk in the Park

2011-07-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

Valley Forge Park is so beautiful this time of year. It's a great place to meander around, play Frisbee, and bask in the setting sun while chatting.

Latest on Broadway

2011-07-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

Curtains open to Mom in the kitchen preparing a delicacy for Sunday dinner that the family has not enjoyed in some time: Kielbasa. There is greater silence than in previous scenes, no piano in the background, no loud chatter, no radio blasting. Lizzy enters from stage left, holding freshly picked tomatoes to her nose.

Lizzy: Whose Nutty Bars are those?

Mom: Ours.

Lizzy: (dubious, the jaw drops just a little) Seriously?

Mom: Yup.

Lizzy: (jaw drops a few more inches) Why?

Mom: We're on vacation! We're going to eat ice cream and granola bars and all sort of good stuff. I picked some things up from the store yesterday for this week.

Lizzy: (stands in stunned silence for a moment, laughs, and then starts on a salad for the meal)

The characters Abby and Bekah, who have been strategically placed in the audience, stand up and cheer loudly. As the curtains close exuberant applause is to erupt.

Have fun doing the Boot and Paddle boys! On our vacation back home, we're having an all girls week (if you don't count Jake, who's at work almost all day, everyday). Hey, even all of the pets are girls these day.

Real World Experience

2011-07-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

We have officially lived and become true members of the Bridgeport community. One of the local Catholic parishes had its fundraising festival this weekend, and it's apparently a big deal in these parts. Several churches have summer feasts, but this was the famed Italian festival with rides, games, food, gambling, and drinks for everyone (over 21 of course). The Muldowney family marched down the road to enjoy this slice of local life and it was...an experience! Everyone enjoyed food, the fire department's band, the dollar land, and the crowds to varying degrees but overall I thought it was a rather enlightening venture.

Who knows whether or not we'll return next year now that we've been initiated.

Fourth of July

2011-07-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

A highlight of this Fourth was watching the grand kids enjoy Boompa's preparations for their amusement. Under Dad's orders and hard work, the yard and house were tidied from stem to stern, the pool was dragged out, and the sandbox was opened: all ingredients for a lot fun. The coolest part of the pool for the little boys was probably stepping on the edge and letting the water flood the yard. Is there better entertainment than watching two toddlers having the time of their lives?

Aside from the superb dinner show, the food was plentiful and delicious. It was quite a feast, with everything from fancy soda in glass bottles to authentic Bratwurst to a great variety of frozen delights. Everyone was stuffed to the brim as we watched the classic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. What a movie...

The evening closed with sparklers, some distant fireworks, and a greater appreciation for friends, family, and the freedom which is ours.

Refilling the pool after it had been emptied a bit

Lord of the Sand Box

Master of the Water

Enjoying the victual

Brain freeze

Reading books

It Must Be Summer

2011-07-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Little Ann and Melissa's eighth birthdays and out of respect for our Fourth of July guests (Dad couldn't take the stench anymore), we held our annual dog washing. Abe was kind enough to do the dirty work this year.

Melissa rolled in a dirt pile shortly afterwards and Little Ann got into the sandbox...

Philadelphia Debut

2011-05-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

From the land of trees and brotherly love, we are pleased to present...

Claire Muldowney

in her Philadelphia debut

Great-Grandma and the Star

Aunt Abby and Claire

Sleeping Beauty

Boompa's Favorite Way to Nap

Being Cool with Booma

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

Preparations started days before with Shana carefully planning the meal, creating lovely decorations, and delegating cooking assignments.

Then the day of the crew began putting everything together as Mommy sat upstairs working on her blanket project (which is turning out quite nicely).

The head chef was at work in the kitchen putting together ham pie, raspberry lemonade, lemon piccata chicken, and rice while her "helper" put together very strange sorbet cookies.

The rest of the meal (delicate cucumber sandwiches, romaine hearts with goat cheese dressing, and divine lemon pies) came with the arrival of the rest of the family. Everything was carefully arranged before Mother came downstairs.

Everyone enjoyed the meal and sharing memories about Mom and Mom mom, as well as the wonderful woman in the family who take care of their children and family members so well. We're so grateful for all of the woman in our lives who have contributed to our growth and happiness. Happy Mother's Day to you all!

The Mother of us all

The other Mother of us all

Beautiful mother and son

Everybody ready to partake of the victuals

Cuteness

The master mind of the occasion

The Youngest Three and Lizzy

2011-04-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

Lizzy being beautiful.

Lizzy and Becca making funny faces.

Lizzy and Johnny

Me and Lizzy

We had fun on Monday taking these pictures. I hope you enjoy them. This is my first post so I am kind of nervous.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2011-04-27T11:30:00.002-07:00

Just some photographs of the recent festivities and activities traditionally held at the Muldowney household during this time of year.

Thanks to Shana for the Easter feast!

The remains that didn't remain for very long.

Christmas Comes but Once a Year

2010-12-29T08:10:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely laid back Christmas. It included lots of lazing about and watching Jeeves and Wooster. Luscious food abounded and lots of popcorn and old-fashioned candies (from stockings) were consumed. Our numbers were fewer, but we enjoyed seeing the folks that did come around and spend the day and the dinner hour with us. After all of our visiting loved ones had returned to the comfort of their own homes, we enjoyed that all time classic It's a Wonderful Life. It felt especially inspiring this time around.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A sick baby Jacob opening his present from the Monroes

Traditional Breakfast

A little after dinner relaxation

Respite at Reston

2010-12-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

We were very fortunate to be able to spend some time with our fabulous friends, the Ereksons, at their home in Reston, VA. It helped us all relax and unwind after a rather difficult week. They are magnificent hosts and it's a always fun to be in their company.

By the Local Lake

The neighborhood, and a Pileated Woodpecker in the distance

Attempting to play around the world
I think the parents watching had a particularly enjoyable time

The Last Six Months in Review

2010-12-29T06:33:00.000-08:00

And it's too massive a project, so I'm giving up before I even start. Suffice it to say, a lot has happened at the old homestead over the past six months. Lots of difficult moments and lots of moments to be thankful for. The gospel is very much at the forefront of everyone's mind. We're so grateful for it!

Everyone is also sprouting physically, spiritually, and intellectually at an exponential rate. Even the dogs are growing...or maybe the filth they've accumulated since their last bath (in May) just makes it appear as though their mass has increased. Who knows.

Here are a few pictures that stuck out to me. Please forgive my ignorance on the specifics. I wasn't here to actually enjoy it all. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and we wish you all a happy New Year!

Summer Scouting Fun

The Tree House at the Philadelphia Zoo

Braiding Chain...I wonder how Abe got in on that one

Abe and John as Elder Missionaries for the ward's Halloween party. People actually thought they were the new Elders: Elder Muldowney and... Elder Muldowney

Family Outing

Thanksgiving: Parade, Dinner, and Post-dinner Activities

Which one is having more fun?

Leah's Visit!

A Christmas Longwood Gardens Expedition

A Month in Review

2010-06-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

So, as it is very evident, I have fallen into my usual blogging negligence. I am striving to repent of my ways by reviewing the past month or so in one post. Here it goes.

We'll start with Mother's Day. Don't cute faces like this just make you want to be a mom?!?

Anyway, dinner was put together a little bit differently this year. Without really doing much coordination, everyone was asked to make something for the meal. The result was a lot of potato dishes and brownies. We must be Irish or something! It was a lovely day though, and it's always fabulous to have the opportunity to celebrate, and express gratitude for, the lives of so many valient mothers. Thanks to you!

Later that week, Dad took Mom mom and the twins back to Longwood Gardens to enjoy the Lily Show that was set up in the gorgeous conservatory. They had an enjoyable day.

On May 29th Mom mom had her 80th birthday! To celebrate that wonderful occasion we had a party, where cold cuts and an array of other delectables were served. We were all able to share, "I remember Mom mom..." It was wonderful to reflect on the impact of this incredible woman and all that she has done for this family. We love her so much!
Memorial Day came with it's customary Fun Run at Valley Forge Park. Abby and Bekah biked, Johnny ran with Dad (according to Dad, John outstripped him), while Mom and I walked the loop at Valley Forge. Abe did his own 25 mile bike ride thing. This year they had a program commemorating the soldiers and it was very nice. After that lovely affair, we had an afternoon picnic with the rest of the fam fam, except for Jacob (the older), who was off gallivanting in Harmony, PA with a group of friends. We enjoyed good food, company, sparklers, and Baby Jacob's first water fight. Most importantly we finally exposed Jake the older (who, to every one's abounding joy, finally graced us with his presence) to "Enchanted" (for good or ill), which was fun for all of us.

Then we, meaning I, had an awesome activity packed Friday. First, Dad took me and Jake on brief statue tour of Philly. We went up to Mt. Pleasant and then walked along Kelly Drive. From thence, we went to the Rodin Museum and stopped for a moment at the temple site. After a short visit to PAFA's ASE, we walked to the Reading Terminal Market and enjoyed divine Salumaria hoagies and luscious Amish sticky buns.

Not long after we returned home, Mom took me and the twins to Longwood Gardens! There we went to the few parts of the garden we'd never been to, ate dinner at the cafe, and then enjoyed a performance by the Brandywine Ballet in Longwood's outdoor theatre. We discovered that there was a fountain show that night and spontaneously decided to extend our evening visit by watching the half hour show. "Founder's Favorites," was the title because the pieces of music accompanying the fabulous fountains were loved by Pierce du Pont. It was a long and joyous day. My family spiles me. And now to bring this review to a close... The book sale was yesterday and Abe, John, and I spent a good deal of time there, and commuting back and forth. We also had oodles of cold cereal for lunch. Luxury. Later on though, we discovered that our fireball of death, that masqueraded as a hideous, old, blue car, hit its end. Yes, the fireball of death is now officially out of business. The good news is that it lasted us this long without killing anyone! Mom and Dad are yet again looking for a cheap car that will get us all from point a to b. Wish them luck.

Well, that's about it for us folks out East. 'Til next month! Adieu.

Shortmetal Wasteland

2010-05-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Several Fridays ago, Mom and Dad piled their six youngest children into their dilapidated ancient blue car and headed up to Longwood Gardens (also dubbed Shortmetal Wasteland by some members of the family). It was a glorious day for a long walk. Those neat Muldowney's met us there and we enjoyed seeing most of the park and taking many, many pictures of the adorably photogenic Charles.

Family Garden

2010-05-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

Just to update this old thing, Shana, along with her wonderful husband and crew of faithful siblings, has decided to take the offer of a woman in our ward and make a jungle into a garden. And when we say jungle, we mean jungle. But it's coming along. Here are a couple of pictures of the damage we've done. And a couple of Jacob the younger whose just too cute to not post.Fatness

Jacob Johnson is born!

2009-11-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

Jacob Emmanuel Johnson was born August 24th weighing in at 8 lb. 3 oz. He was born at Bryn Mawr hospital because there was no room at the Inn (Birth Center)- 5 babies were born that day. The midwife delivered the baby after a short labor. Mom and baby doing fine. We sneaked into the hospital against the rules (two underage little girls) and they let us visit even after they discovered us. It was great to be there with Mimi, Doug and Jacob, hold the baby and celebrate together. Welcome, Jacob!

Wedding Reception

2009-11-23T17:59:00.001-08:00

Leah and Liz in their green dresses. It was green and white for the ladies and green ties for the gentlemen. We all worked hard to prepare the house and the refreshments for the reception. It was fun working together.

The Ereksons visit with Ellis Rucker, Mike's Dad.

The happy couple. Shushana designed and made her dress.

Cake courtesy of Les Petits Delices in Wayne.

Jeremiah and Missy hob nob with the Ereksons.

Owenna Nagy visits with Mimi.

The Youngs and Jeremiah

Jean Monroe makes friends with Charles.

The cake is cut

Dad and Mimi mix with Derek Jensen and Katie and Bart Anderson.

Many of the guests relaxed in the back yard as the evening cooled off. Shana enjoys the air with Jen and Erin, friends from PAFA.

Shane set up videos to entertain the kids in the sun room. It worked! Thanks, Shane!

Wiped out!

Reunion Photos Part Two

2009-11-23T17:27:00.001-08:00

Some serious game playing.

After a day at the beach, Liz takes a snooze with her puppy.

We relaxed in the back yard as a barbeque was prepared for our enjoyment.

Ryan was the chef of the evening working hard at the grill on the ribs, burgers and hot dogs. Fortunately he had some help.

It was a hot night, but our chef nobly pursued his task to the end with mouthwatering results.

Hot dogs were a favorite with the kids- though Isabelle undertook to eat a rib that was almost as big as she was.

We gathered for a home evening after the barbeque. Can you tell we were full?

Mom explained the activity for the evening- a team event. Family members were teamed up by the day of the week in which they were born with some modifications for fairness. Each team picked a scripture story out of a bowl. They were to pantomime the story as the rest of the family guessed. Every team member had to participate (no matter the age) and no sound was to be made. Costumes and props were permitted. The results were memorable!

Here we see Moses descending from Mt. Sinai full of righteous wrath.

We had so much fun and laughed so hard that we failed to get the pictures we now wish we had. Emmanuel as baby Moses, Mom throwing up over the side of the boat, the finger of God (Leah) turning the grandchildren into glowing chrystals.... Aaaah! Good times!

ReUnion Week Photos

2009-11-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah is the cook for a fabulous family stir-fry feast and afterwards we went to Petrucci's for ice cream and a look at the animals there.

Isaac eyes the rabbits.

Isabelle feeds the goats.

Joseph really loved the goats and being able to touch them. They liked eating!

Shane, Peter and Oliver nose-to-nose with 'wildlife'.

Older kids like feeding the goats, too.

Getting into his ice cream!

Yum!

Family Trip to Jenkin's Arboretum, a place of many fond family memories of azaleas and rhododendrons, hide and go seek, and George's Marvelous Medicine by Raoul Dahl.

William the Conqueror

Miss Marie

The Pond

Oliver at the fence

Lizzy and Leah

Daddy and his girl

Liizy's artistic photography

Taking a rest

We had a great family reunion the week after Shana and Mike's wedding. The weather was warm and the quarters were snug, but a good time was had by all. Thanks to all the family and friends who housed the families who traveled cross country by car and by air to be with us. It was a time to remember!

Wedding Pics

2009-11-22T05:38:00.001-08:00

Pictures from the Wedding day of Shushana Muldowney and Michael Rucker. Sorry they are in a random sort of order. I should have uploaded the pictures differently. Still learning.

The Big Shot

Shana's buds Mike and Chris

Aaaaaah ...

William loves Mike and Shana

Before the ceremony

Ready to go in

Klingonsmiths

Ruckers

Ann and her boys

Missy

Micah, Erin, Charles

These are the Couples of the Year

2009-11-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

A couple of cute young ladies!

Heretofore unreleased photos of the famous and photogenic!

Sweethearts forever!

Family Group Shots

2009-11-21T19:28:00.001-08:00

The Old Folks

Who'd have thought we'd have such good looking, bright, and constructive children?! It's a miracle!

Jeremiah, Missy,

William, Michael,

Joseph & Isabelle

Ryan, Ann, Isaac, & Emmanuel

Shane, Leah, Marie, Oliver and Peter

Doug, Mimi, and Jacob

Micah, Erin and Charles

Mike and Shana

The home team- minus Jacob. We'll soon get a photo of him up.

Family Shots Galore

2009-11-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

I am now able to publish last summer's wedding/reunion family shots. This is the whole group shot- the best of twenty taken. You should see some of the others!

William is a winner!

Joseph and Michael are full of fun!

Isabelle gave us a pretty smile.

Isaac loved playing with his cousins, especially Isabelle.

Emmanuel was so pleasant and easy going.

Marie and Oliver have opposite views about getting themselves photographed!

This family shot includes Peter. Somehow we missed a single shot for him.

Charles Elwood is our red-haired grandson.

Our newest grandson, Jacob Johnson, can be seen on Dad's lap below. Since this is my first real post without help I'm done for now. I'll post family shots on the next one. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to You

2009-11-21T16:37:00.001-08:00

Doesn't Dad look handsome? He is 55 years old now.. and we celebrated as a family a little late this evening. It was the usual Thanksgiving dinner. Happy Birthday, Dad!

What High-penned?!?!?!?!

2009-07-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Sooo the boys are apparently going through their summer growth spurts. John came home from camp at my height. Abe is as tall as/taller than dad. Crazy. I no longer have a legitimate reason for calling the front seat.

Be prepared for tall younger brothers when you get out here.

Scout Camp

2009-07-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

It was Johnny's first Scout Camp this past week. Dad got to go for most of camp and he says both boys enjoyed themselves quite a bit. John in particular. They haven't been very loquacious ever since they got back.

So John, what did you do at Scout Camp?

"I earned a bunch of merit badges. OK? Stop bothering me."

Abe, what did you do at Scout Camp?

"ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...................."

That's about all that can be got out of them at the moment. From the little tidbits that have been dropped here and there, it seems as though Johnny earned 7 merit badges and is now a Life scout, Abe got roughly 7-8 merit badges and is VERY close to surpassing his troops all time record of merit badges earned by one scout (about 3 more to go), and both boys completed the mile swim. They seem to have had an fun, eventful, and VERY tiring week. The pictures will have to do the speaking for them. We're really glad to have them back home! There's something very comforting about having men in the home.

The HOUSE

2009-07-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here are the long awaited photos of our new house! I won't keep you waiting any longer.

The house from the front

front and side

the luscious pears that will be ripe when everyone comes out!

the backyard

Kitchen - angle 1

Kitchen - angle 2

Veiw of the house from dining room

a corner of the living room

looking out from the sunroom door

going up to the second floor

the hallway

Mom and Dad's Room

upstairs bathroom

Here is the somewhat disorderly and incomplete tour of our house! I promise it's much cleaner than it is in these pictures because this was a day or two after the moving was over. Sorry about the sloppy arrangement of photos.

A week of Good Clean FUN!

2009-07-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

As I lounged about in the luxurious atmosphere of wolf spiders and dirt that is so frequently found at girls camp, the family slaved away in a similar environment of spiders and dirt. Plus mold, and silver fish, and thousand leggers, and all of those other lovely items one is apt to find in the good old VFMAC house. There was a lot to be done. It was the week before the move AND Dad's Art Auction. It was miraculous occurrence. Providence must have been involved. I don't know what went on or how it was accomplished, but upon my return, on June 27th, the house was pretty much packed up and the downstairs, Mom and Dad's room, and the office were cleared out and paintings were hanging. Of course, such saints as Jane McCarraher and Aunt Beverly were there scrubbing down walls and helping unpack stuff into the new officially purchased home. It is most likely that the success of the move and auction are heavily due to such outside help as the fam received through out that week. Many thanks to all that helped. Honestly, there were a ton of people who helped and all contributed of their time most generously.
The Auction was a huge success. It was incredibly enjoyable for all that attended, and it was no a small number who came. All sorts of people were there to enjoyed (and purchase) Dad's art work and to partake in wonderful conversation and food. We were lucky enough to have Micah with us for a week and he played the guitar for our guests. It was loverly. Quite the social and cultural event of the season, I'd say. And of course, a special thanks must be given to Shana for all she did to make such a grand evening possible. It was a great way to finish off our times at our old home.

Getting the party started

Micah: Live and Unedited
Everyone exhausted

Before

After - wiped out

A Week of Good Dirty Fun

2009-07-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

Girls Camp, that noble annual event created for the benefit of young women, is long over and hardly noteworthy, especially to you folks, except for that this was my last, as a youth anyway. It was great. No pictures, which is a good thing. You aren't missing out on anything.

A Work in Progress

2009-06-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

So.... over the past few weeks we've working quite extensively on our heavily burdened house in preparation for the looming move. It's been the topic of conversation and action around these here parts, completely consuming our time and thoughts. Yet, because of the magnitude of, to put it nicely, unwanted objects in the household its been a bit of a slow process, in terms of seeing huge results. Through mothers hard work, the attic is practically cleared and we've unloaded an obscene amount of garbage. How do we have so much crap??? Well, no more! Brother and Sister Erekson were kind enough to come and spend the day fixing up the house and cleaning. Such awesome people!
We obviously are not finished, but there's still about one week left. I just thought I'd show some before and after pictures so that you all can be proud of the strides we're making towards the move on June 29th! Well, that mom is making anyway.

Boxes in the Basement

A formitable pile

Much better

Sorting through everything we own

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Our Memorial Day started as it always does: at sunrise in Valley Forge Park. Abe got there at 6:15 a.m. for what he thought was a 28 mile bike ride. It ended up being 47 miles, all the way to the Philadelphia Art Museum and back. Poor kid was pretty worn out, which says something about the ride! The rest of the family got to Wayne's Woods at about 7:30 for an early start on our 5 mile walk. It could not have been a more glorious day. A bit humid perhaps, but what else could be expected for PA weather? We all had a lovely time in the park, both walking and chatting. Our activities at Valley Forge were followed by a fairly laid back cookout at home with Carrie (Mike's sister) as our guest of honor. We celebrated Mommom's birthday (it's this coming Friday) with a carrot cake. Mimi and Doug also brought sparklers and an awesome fire cracker with them. A little unorthodox according to our usual Memorial Day traditions, but rather fun. And in the evening we heard some "unexpected", nevertheless wonderful, news....wink wink, nod nod, say no more, say no more!

Mommy and Abby a mile in

The crowd (yes that's Melissa in the background)
Daddy and AbbyMother gazing imperially at the food
No Comment

Our Beast Boggle Game.

Mother won (of course) and Shana wasn't happy (as you can see)

Happy Birthday!

They were really noisy, but really worth it

Trip to Lititz

2009-04-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Lititz was rather quiet and quick this year. We enjoyed ourselves very much, but it wasn't full of the same commotion that comes with trying to manage 12+ people getting from place to place. Surgis' has undergone quite a bit of renovation. We liked the new open front room with a cool display of moving figurines baking pretzels.

General Conference

2009-04-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

There aren't many words I can think of to say about this General Conference other then that it was absolutely incredible and inspiring. I think we can all agree that General Conference is one of the best weekends of the year. This one was no exception. It was so edifying, as the word of God always is. On Saturday evening Johnny went with the boys to the Priesthood session as he will be 12 in two weeks. Back at home we had a lovely, though small, girl party. The first true "girl party" we've had in a very loooong time. Bilbo wasn't even around to change the definition of the party. We watched "My Man Godfrey" and had loads of laughs, although we missed our usual crowd very much!! We had our traditional meals; hoagies on Saturday and Meatballs on Sunday. It was a rather smaller group at meals then usual, but it was still just as enjoyable.

We hope everyone had a wonderful conference weekend. We love you all so much!

Sunday Lunch

Meatballs...yummmmmmmm

Johnny-5 and Elisabeth

Doug and Mimi (the cute pregnant lady)

A Pot of Gold

2009-04-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

To mark the official beginning of spring break, a rainbow broke across the sky after a glorious spring rain. It was so lovely that I thought I would share, with you, this beautiful surprise.

The right side

The left side

Meet Our New Poopie!!

2009-04-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

So... we decided to follow the trend of family additions this week. After a very long while of working on Mom and Dad they finally broke down when we made a visit to the SPCA the other day. There was a litter of Labradors that were just sooooo cute and after the twins whined a bit Daddy melted. Mom took a little more time to convince, in fact we almost left, but cuteness prevailed and we got our Bilbo replacement. Except it's a girl cause, you know, Little Ann isn't spayed. Melissa doesn't like her very much (a little reminiscent of how Bilge-rat felt about her) but Little Ann and the puppy are already fast friends. Maybe that's a bad thing though because her potty habit resemble Little Ann's. She hasn't jumped on the door yet, which pleases Dad, but he's not liking twice the pee puddles. Poor Papa.
Anyway, this is the only good photo we've gotten thus far, but expect more soon!!!
We haven't thought of a name yet, suggestions are welcome! We had considered the whole naming after the in-law thing, but Erin doesn't quite fit her. I like Pickles and the girls like Penny and Abe insists on Bruce (even though it's a girl?? Perhaps Brucette as suggested by John). Please help!

In blue and yellow from its grave, Springs up the crocus fair.

2009-03-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Crocuses, the little flowers that only open their vibrant petals to spring, have finally started to dot the yards of the inhabitants of Wayne, PA. Our own crocuses decided to display their colors today. In an early celebration of the arrival of Spring, as the true first day is on Friday, I've decided to show off our two sweet little crocuses.

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!!!

2009-03-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

To all ye hardcore, through and through, proud Irish people (specifically of the Muldowney tribe) or those adopted into the incredible heritage:

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

We made our Irish Potatoes tonight, so here is the documentation of the yearly event.

The beginning of a beautiful thing

The assembly line

The mounds of Irish Potatoes

Abe displaying our perfect confections...it's a masterpiece

2009-03-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

just for you missy ☺

From Abe and Johnny's claymation film "Sewer Sausage" :

Temple Trip

2009-03-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

We had a great Youth Temple Trip on Saturday. Daddy was able to come and participate, which always makes it really special. The day was absolutely beautiful, above 70 degrees with a light breeze. We were early so we were able walked around the Temple grounds a little and saw several blissful newlyweds. It was sweet. Unfortunately Johnny won't turn 12 for another month, so he missed out on this one. I was especially sad about that because this was my last Youth Temple Trip and I had been hoping to go with Johnny on his first trip. Oh well. It was great being with Abe, as always, although all 3 of us somehow managed to be in different cars because of other people's arrangements. It was a really great experience for everyone anyway.

the Smorsgasbord

2009-03-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, after many weeks of planning and anticipation, we finally made our way to the palace of eating; Shady Maple. Originally, Mimi and Doug were planning on taking John and Abe down as treat for their help at the Messiah Sing Along and as a celebration of Mimi not being nauseated all the time. But, as I got accepted to BYU and Dad's prospects for this job looked brighter and we discovered that Mike had never been to the smorsgasbord, we made it into a whole family affair. Its been years since most of us have been to Shady Maple. Last time we went Dad called the new, bigger establishment an abomination, so we never returned. With all the special occasions though, we decided to venture back and we were not disappointed. The new building and set up of Shady Maple is very different from our much loved old one, but it still has bits of the old place around it. The classic 3D pictures were still hanging on the wall. Doug went crazy (as it was his first time at a smorsgasbord too), Shana and Abe tied in the competition to see who could eat more food, and Mike beat them both. Mimi enjoyed eating food without feeling sick and Bekah loved being able to have 3 servings of ice cream. It was just a lot of fun for everyone. We plan on returning in another 5-10 yrs.

Mike and Shana Doug-u-lugalous and Mimers the Cutest Pregnant Lady Ever

Johnny boy, who ate lots of meat

3D picture 1#

3D picture #1 angle 2

3D picture #2

2009-03-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

Although most everyone is aware of this, I just thought I'd post my official college decision. This fall I will be heading off to Brigham Young University as the first Muldowney girl ever to attend this institution for post-secondary education. Everything is official. So yeah!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2009-02-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

After a sudden and wonderful 5 inches of snow and lots of 20- degree weather, we were graced with an equally sudden and wonderful 60 degree day. It was bea-u-ti-ful!! In celebration of the warm day I took the kids on a walk to the "Duck Pond", braving a multitude of puddles and very deep mud. The pond at Fenimore Woods had frozen over so thickly that people were able to walk on it without concern. When we arrived the sun had already done it's work and melted a good portion of the ice, but the kids still ventured on a small safe looking part of the pond in spite of my protests. They seemed to take pleasure in scaring the living day lights out of me.
Unfortunately it's starting to get chilly again, but we enjoyed our short breath of spring in all its splendor and hope another one will come and stay very soon.

The snow day!

Johnny holding one of the last lumps of snow

MUD

Looking over the bridge

Abby is so cute!

So are Bekah and Lizzy

Walking along the pond

The disappearing ice

One Year Until He's Available, Ladies!

2009-01-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Abe turned 15 this past Saturday. It's been an extremely eventful year and he celebrated it with quite an interesting and delicious spread. He asked for (and received): steak, baked potatoes, salad w/ raspberry hazelnut dressing, Italian sausage, sauerkraut, Italian bread, and for desert Klondike bars, raspberry sherbet, and an amazing German Chocolate Cake from scratch. Abe celebrated his birthday with a smattering of snow and a swim meet. He seemed to enjoy the day very much. We're so glad that he's a part of the fam!

HAPPY BURPDAY ABRAHAM!!!!!

The test taking of the super delicious amazing CAKE!

Ready to bake...

Abe blowing out the candles! He did all 15 in one breath.

2009

2009-01-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

We hope everyone had a safe and wonderful New Year's Eve celebration! Our own party was very exciting. This year the family New Year Feast was especially large, even though there weren't as many people there to partake in the victuals. Mom attributed the plethora of food to Abraham, who was her shopping buddy and suggested she buy all sorts of fancy and delicious foods on top of the traditional ones. Mimi, Doug, Shana, and Mike joined the fray shortly before the 3 youngest went to bed. When the kiddies were tucked in bed the typical feast preparations commenced while we watched the classic "A Pocket Full of Miracles." Shortly before the ball was going to drop in Time Square we called Abby, Bekah, and John (who hadn't slept at all) and Leah and Shane called on Skype.

And then.... it was 2009!!

After the ball dropped people slowly began to disappear. By 3:30 a.m. the only people still going were myself, Abe, John, and Doug. But Johnny crawled off to bed at around 6 a.m. and only the three of us stayed awake long enough to see the sun rise on the New Year. I conked out right after that but somehow Abe and Doug summoned up the strength to finish off Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid finally going to bed at around 8.

It was a wonderful way to start the New Year, engorging ourselves, watching lots of movies, and, of course, spending time with each other.

The Feast

(this isn't everything, there wasn't room on the table!)

Counting Down

Again

Abe slicing into the cheeses he picked out

First Contact

2008-12-31T14:12:00.000-08:00

I just thought I'd let you all know I got into Temple University yesterday. This means I will most definately attend college next year and I'm not a total failure. This the first I've heard from any of the schools I've applied to so hopefully more letters with similar content will arrive shortly.

The Day of All Days

2008-12-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning dawned bright and early for the Muldowney children and, thus, for the parents as well. Shana made sure we all got up at 7:00 a.m. Dad took the usual picture on the stairs in which we all look so chipper and wide awake each year. There was an object veiled in a quilt below that looked suspiciously like a harp, but Mom, considering this an impossibility, made the shape into a painting in her mind despite the lack of convincing evidence. The human mind is a remarkable thing. Wouldn't you know it was a harp. Monique Ames had brought her harp as a gift back in October when they visited and it had remained unseen and hidden in Dad's Art Room until Christmas. Every one was very happy with their gifts, but the great hit was a family gift lovingly assembled the previous evening by Dad and Doug- a Foosball table. Everyone had lots of fun all day down in the Rec Room and we are looking forward to a dyn-o-mite tourney on New Year's Eve. We had a great time skyping with Shane and Leah and Miah and Missy both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Washington was the place for snow this year! Doug and Mimi, Shana and Mike Rucker (her boyfriend), and Mom-mom came to dinner. Mimi cooked the ham and Shana made the gravy for the turkey. Mom-mom brought delicious cookies and cupcakes and Liz made the outstanding mashed potatoes. Our celebration was capped by hearing from Jacob via telephone. We all got a chance to talk to him and he sounded great. We have been reading Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' over the holiday and finished just last night. It's a great story- no movie really fully captures the written word. "God bless us, everyone!"

mother wrote this... thus the amazingness

John with the Book he got for Abe and Abe got for him:

Opening the Gifts!!

Shana and Mike after opening their gifts
Christmas Breakfast w/ Eggo Waffles *gasp*

The Traditional Stair Shot

Playing Checkers
Mommom sharing her blanket with the dogs

The Eve of Christmas

2008-12-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was rather laid back. The Monroes came with their traditional lasagna meal which we enjoyed immensely. After dinner Doug and a sick Mimi came over to ah... help the Clauses.

The kids literally didn't sleep all night. I can vouch for that because they woke me up every 10 minutes whining about how they couldn't fall asleep. Ah the excitement of Christmas Eve!!

The Monroes

After Santa visited

Annual Caroling Shindig

2008-12-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

The Monday before Christmas we had our usual Christmas get together. Our guest were the traditional Erekson and Clark-Child families plus the Schwans. After a good deal of lively chatter we settled down to the business portion of the evening. We sounded especially amazing this year. Laura, of course, sang a couple of solos with the amazing accompaniment of Linda Child and then we coerced Shana into singing a duet with Laura. It was quite lovely. Linda Child said they rocked, and she would know! It was especially fun to be with the Ereksons knowing that it may be the last year they are able to come.

2008-12-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

The Muldowney household started their Christmas Break early in order to make the trek to Washington D.C. for Amanda's wedding. It was a wonderful experience for the fam. After the wedding itself was over, we headed to the bookstore for a little Christmas shopping. From there we went to the neighborhood Mommy grew up in. We got to see her old house and elementary school as well as the old beautiful church building she attended. The Chevey Chase Ward building was actually where the reception was, so Mom gave some of the kids a tour of it's two stories. The reception was sweet and of course the bride was lovely. Unfortunately we don't really have any non-fuzzy pictures of her. The camera wasn't really cooperating.

Mom with Uncle Mark and Uncle D holding his Granddaughter

Uncle John, Mom, and Uncle Mark

The fam (minus Abe because he had a swim meet) in front of the Temple

A Christmas Carroll

2008-12-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

"The time has come," the children said.

"To talk of many things

Of Horowitz and Santa Claus

Of Angels without wings.

And whether the tree is live or not

And ornaments on strings."

After much debate (and time), we finally set up our tree! This was a while ago...but oh well! We got the tallest tree we've ever had. It's about 6-7 ft tall! We enjoyed setting it up and Mom enjoyed listening to us interact.

Dad's classic face without a mustache

Lizzy with a Walnut Santa

The Black Santa by Anonymous

Abe with Rubinstein

Clay-Head Collection

by Jacob Muldowney

Final Product

Abby (standing) and Bekah (hiding)

forewarning

2008-12-26T07:20:00.000-08:00

Hello All!

So..... as I am sure you are aware I've got a lot of posting to do. But I won't really be able to do any of it just yet because I'm giving a talk at a bi-stake activity tomorrow and I need to prepare.
Sorry there will be a delay, but I will get everthing up on Monday at the very latest!

Lizzy

Twelve Tribes of Muldowney

2008-12-22T20:25:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A Man Suffering From a Cold Upper Lip

2008-12-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

Daddy broke down and shaved off is mustache for an up and coming CES class presentation. We, his children, were shocked to find him mustache-less when we woke up sunday morning. He does look a lot like he did in his youth though.

With no further delays, I present to you a naked liped papa.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

For the first time in a long time, the Muldowney family Thanksgiving feast was eaten on one table. Although our numbers were few (only 9!!) we enjoyed the day immensely.
Abby, Bekah, and I started the day off at 7:15. We were responsible for Thanksgiving breakfast. The girlies watched the waffles why I made incredible sticky buns. They were simply amazing. Sadly I do not have a picture for you to drool over. When I was making the bacon though I stupidly poured the hot fat into a room temperature jar. A moment later when I moved the jar, only the top went anywhere. The boiling oil had made a clean cut around the bottle. Miraculously it didn't explode. Abby and Bekah were wonderful kitchen aids and were key factors in setting the meal out in time. Shana, Mike, and Doug all came over to partake in breakfast and watch the parade for a while. Sadly the couple and Doug departed before noon
With no guests to entertain our afternoon was very relaxed (except for mommy's, she was cooking). Abe got restless and so when Mimi and Doug returned most of the family took a walk. The rest stayed home and put together dinner.
The feast was wonderful, as always. Doug and Abe had a bet on who could eat more. They weighed in before and after the meal and Abe won by a long shot. Doug ate a measly 4.4 lbs while the champion ate 5.2 lbs. Our evening ended with our traditional movies White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street.
It's been a wonderful year and we have lots to be thankful for! like you people. We hope every one's Thanksgiving was marvelous!

the clean cut bottle:

The half frozen pond:

Ready to sword fight:

Throwing rocks into the duck pond:

Thanksgiving dinner:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

2008-11-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

Daddy is now 54.

For his birthday we had a nice traditional dinner at home after which we chatted and watched an episode of "All Creatures Great and Small". Most of Dad's presents were food.... actually I think they all were. It was quite testament to Dad's love of food and we all laughed about it.

We're so very fortunate to have him as a dad. He's the best ever, I've decided.

The first Thanksgiving meal:

A Thousand Apologies

2008-11-17T12:08:00.001-08:00

edit
I added the picture for your sake Leah, I hope you appreciate it. ☺

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

ok so I won't waste anymore space, but I'm sorry about not keeping up the blog! I've been sick and trying to apply to colleges and stufffffff. But none of those a good enough excuses. I'll post things more frequently. I promise.

Yours humbly and apologetically,
Lizzie

Abe the BEAST

2008-11-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

Abe had his first swim meet on the 8th. He did really well! They had him swim 4 races, which is a lot for 1 meet. Most people only do 2-3. He swam 100 meter butterfly and also did the same stroke in the relay. This was really impressive because he only learned how to do it the week previous to the races. He placed pretty much every time... I believe. Abe's second meet was this past Saturday and he was pretty much awesome. He got first in his freestyle heat, YAY!! He's doing great with his swimming and has just started practicing with Radnor High School. Apparently it's really intense (which basically means swimming laps for almost 2 hours straight).

We're so proud of the little bugger, although he isn't really little any more, he's taller then me!! ☺

The Twins are 9!!!

2008-11-17T11:27:00.001-08:00

November 8th was Abigail and Rebekah's 9th birthday!! To celebrate their big day we had made a morning trip to the Peter Wentz Farm's Apple Scrapple event. It was sort of rainy outside so there weren't many other people. We took a tour of the farm house, saw the inside of the smoke house (they were smoking almonds!), looked at the museum and animals, learned how to make Apple Butter, plumb pudding and scrapple, and of course sampled and bought a variety of fruit butters. The girls then went to the Relief Society Craft Day and made little hair clips and other crafts. When we finally got home the girls cleaned the house in 11 minutes! and on their birthday too!! Their dinner was chicken wings and french fries and the day was finished off with the movie "Anne of Green Gables". Abby and Bekah both seemed extremely happy about being 9.

Looking inside the smoke house

A random bull

The lady in the summer kitchen teaching us how to make plum pudding

Abby and Bekah (from front to back) about to blow out the candles!!

Pumpkin Eating Squirrels

2008-11-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Our poor beautiful pumpkins were mutilated by the squirrels. In the end they were so messed up that Abe just dragged them out back and shot them up with arrows. Darn those vermin!

In the early stages....

Pumpkins Roasting On Candle Fire

2008-11-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

Halloween has come and gone. For the week of this most celebrated pagan holiday we took off school to clean the house and decorate. A lot of progress was made and loads of trash was put out on the side walk. There were plenty of festivities celebrating Halloween. On Wednesday the kids enjoyed the Trunk or Treat that our ward hold every year. On Thursday everyone cut their pumpkins. This years collection of Jack O'Lanterns were especially good (my personal opinion is that Abe takes the prize for coolest though☺). We lit all of the pumpkins and in no time at all the walk up to our door was filled with the scent of burning pumpkin flesh. It was very seasonal. The annual Muldowney household party was very small but we all had a good time. Abby wasn't feeling well so Dad and Doug took Bekah, John, and Abe out to go Trick or Treating while Lizzy and Mom stayed behind with the sick girl. Doug and the boys then went into Wayne to get more goodies and Dad took Bekah home for our meal of meatball sandwiches. Although they were completely un-traditional, the sandwiches were quite delicious. We watched Frankenstein and then ended the party early because I had SATs the next morning.

Happy really really really be-lated Halloween!

Pumpkins

Abe's Crazy Pumpkin

Abbty with Bekah the wizardESS (it was very important to remember)

Me sporting a blonde wig and mama

Autumn in PA

2008-10-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

It's truly fall back east, which means the leaves are turning brilliant shades just before they fall and carpet the Pennsylvania landscape. To celebrate the seasonal change the Muldowneys went to Penny Packer Mills for a Harvest Festival. Everyone, that is, except for the invalid, John, and his babysitter, me! According to the fam it was a fun activity and they all had a grand old time. The girls had a particularly enjoyable afternoon because they were young enough to pick out pumpkins from the patch. Abe is long past those youthful times. Other activities they all enjoyed were the hay ride, eating cookies and candy sticks, throwing bean bags, seeing a cider press, and watching the old fashion tool used to de-kernalize corn do its thing.

Johnny boy survived missing out on the trip by watching "All Creatures Great and Small" (tv series based off of the James Harriot books - they're hilarious) and eating Sloppy Jose, French Fries, and Oatmeal Cookies. Overall, the 25th was quite a lovely day.

(above pictures taken at the Duck Pond)

Happy Autumn to everyone!!

Abraham raising an eye brow at the camera:

Lovely Mommy:

Abby and Beckah with their choice of pumpkins:

Abby's awesome mutant pumpkin, can you believe it actually came like that?

Down But Not Out

2008-10-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

I've decided to stop writing in Third person. I think it's annoying when I'm taking about myself. That's really only secondary information though. Poor J-5 woke up at 5:30, when Abe and I got up for seminary, on Thursday crying because his ankle hurt. The kid couldn't walk at all and was obviously in extreme pain. He wasn't sure how it happened, but Mom said it was probably only a sprain. So we took out Johnny's old boot and crutches from a previous injury on the same foot. The next few days were painful for John but he made strides to recovery and was able to go to Church with only his boot. Today he is getting around with his boot with no problems at all. Our buddy is doing way better, although the cause of this injury is still a mystery.

Miserable after spending an entire afternoon on the couch:

Today, feeling so good he could dance:

This is for You Missy

2008-10-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

History of Reading The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six. Bold and Italic are the ones I have read (59).

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (twice)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (3 times to various groups of kids)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling (4 of them)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (multiple times)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (twice)
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (twice)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (aloud twice and once to myself- and most of her other stuff as well- fam favorites were Eight cousins and Rose In Bloom)

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (weirdest book he ever wrote)

12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (the vast majority)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (3 times to various audiences)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger( why is this one on the list?)
19 The Time Traveler's Wife
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot (twice)
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (once was enough)
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens (twice- it's the best thing he ever wrote)
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (I liked his The Resurrection the best)
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (also a read-aloud)
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (3 times altogether)
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (3 times- twice aloud from cover to cover)
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (4 times to various kids)
34 Emma - Jane Austen (twice- her best in my book- read them all though)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis(why does this feel like a repeat?)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne (many read alouds)
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell (read this aloud too)
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (Dad read this)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins (always meant to read this)
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (read them aloud multiple time aloud)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding (hated this book)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (big brother is watching you1)
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy (a serious downer)
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville (ought to finish this some day)
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (3 times aloud plus lots of her other stuff)
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce (an undoable task)
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome (read almost all of them, many times aloud as well)
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (twice, really loved it)
80 Possession - AS Byatt-
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (countless times)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White (another read aloud many times)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (in french)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams (read aloud twice)
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas (a bloody tale)
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (read them all many times aloud)
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (worth reading unabridged)

I find it very interesting that this list of important reads includes no non-fiction except the Bible- but then maybe they think the Bible is fiction too. Anyway, most of my reading for years has been non-fiction, but maybe I'll try a few of these I haven't read yet. Keep on reading! Mom

Keeping with Tradition

2008-10-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

The age old Muldowney tradition of Daddy reading holiday picture books has just begun. The first selection, obviously being Halloween books, was made up of classics like "The Closet Gorilla" and "On Halloween Night". We kiddies never tire of Daddy's comforting voice or the stories we've heard 100x. Next group of books will be for Thanksgiving!!

September Birthdays

2008-10-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

Lar Sharsh had her birthday party on Sunday Sept. 28th at our house. We rarely see her anymore because of her new school so we were really glad to see her again. Mike's birthday is the day before hers (the 23rd) and so they celebrated together. The meal was excellent (chicken stir-fry with rice) and the dessert was AMAZING (Lizzie created a nice little German Chocolate cake). After dinner we all hung out, chatting, dancing, and playing 'name that tune'. All in all it was an enjoyable evening celebrating the lives of two awesome people. We're so lucky to have Shana in our family!!

The making of a Culinary Masterpiece:

Before Mike and Shana blew out their candles:

Playing name that tune:

Super Scouts

2008-09-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

Just an update on our Scouters. There was a Court of Honor tonight and Abe received his first Palm and Johnny got his First Class and several other merit badges. Abe also was recognized for being an Honor Scout, Adventurer, and doing the OA Brotherhood. Dad also got the OA brotherhood and an award for his service to the troup.

We're proud of our boys!!!

Back to the Ol' Grind Stone

2008-09-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

School has started again in the Muldowney household. Dad taught his first full day of classes this past Thursday, while the rest of the fam fam started on Tuesday September 2. Everyone is homeschooling, but unlike previous academic years everyone is on a strict schedule.
Abby and Bekah are in the 3rd grade and seem to be enjoying at least some of their work. Little Abskergail claims that spelling is the only good part of a school day and isn't too enthusiastic about anything else. Science is Bekah's favorite subject but she also spends a good deal of her free time on the piano. Johnny, who's in 6th grade, really enjoys the set time for each of his subjects. He loves Science and English, which really isn't a surprise because any moment he has to himself you'll see him with his nose in some sort of book, whether about nature or simply a children's classic. Abe is officially a high schooler, which means early morning seminary starting tomorrow. This guy is partly responsible for the change in the way we've been pacing our schooling. Last year he set a great example by being incredibly strict with himself and having a lot of success. His favorite part about school is just how organized everything is. Already a budding linguist, Abe takes 3 languages (he dropped a couple and added some since last year) one of which is his favorite subject, Russian. He also loves Science and History. Lizzie is drawing her secondary education years to a close. This is her Senior year so she's decided to be as dedicated to her academics as possible by joining everyone's craze of following a schedule and is actually enjoying it quite a bit. Her favorite subject thus far is English, both of the courses she's taking in this subject, although she believes that the best course this year will be seminary with Abe. She's simply thrilled for it, especially since it's the last one she'll have to take EVER AGAIN.
All in all it been an excellent start to the school year and the kids seem to be enjoying themselves. Hopefully it's the same for papa over at VFMAC and mama who is the tireless supervisor of our tight schedule. We kids are indebted to them.

The Finale to a Fabulous Summer

2008-09-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend wise Mother and Father Muldowney decided that it would be good to have one final hurrah before Papa had to don his uniform and school started for the kiddies. It was decided that our little excursion would be to Gettysburg, a place not all of the younger members of the family had been to. After securing a hotel and finding someone to watch the puppies, we headed out. The drive wasn't too bad, only taking about 2 1/2 hours, and the rain let up shortly before we arrived at our motel. Unfortunately our original lodgings did not have room for us, some sort of strange error on their part, and so they put us up in another motel only a little way down the road. Abby and Bekah were ecstatic about the room arrangements (Lizzie shared with them) and the TV right in front of their bed. We all relaxed a bit before heading out on an evening adventure. Our location in terms of the town of Gettysburg really couldn't have been better. We walked down the street and were soon among the original buildings and shops that celebrated the Civil War time period. Interesting sights included a bat hanging on a window sill, a part of a fence that had bullets and bits of metal in it from the battle, Dirty Billy's Hat Shop (run by a guy dad met during his Civil War Reenactment times), beautiful dresses, a leopard spider, and about a thousand different Ghost Walk tours (which Lizzie REALLY wanted to go on, but it was decided that such an activity wouldn't be appropriate for all ages). Mom and Dad treated everyone to ice cream at this really awesome malt shop, the oldest in Gettysburg. Everyone enjoyed tasting each other's choices and talking about the old posters that showed how cheap ice cream used to be... Unfortunately it certainly isn't that cheap anymore. After the ice cream we headed back to the motel only stopping at a little gift shop for a moment.

The next morning Dad, Lizzie, and Abe all went to the store to get the food for the day while everyone else enjoyed the luxury of having a TV. When they got back, Dad talked to us about what took place in this little town over 150 years ago. Our first stop was the Cemetery Ridge, the high ground that the Union held against all odds and where the Gettysburg Address was later given. There we read the inspiring words of Abraham Lincoln in that address. It was incredibly moving to read it and then see the hundreds and hundreds of graves of the men who had consecrated that ground with their blood. The saddest and most humbling thing of all was the amount of unknown soldiers who lost their lives for the future of this country. It made us wonder, where would we be know if the United States had been split in two and North America was divided into 3 and not 2 countries? Just a thought.

Our next stop was the museum which was amazing. The videos were very informative and it was interesting to see all the items from that time period. What was really cool was to see how many people from each state were enlisted in the army and what side they were on. Even in the south there were only two states that did not have any men in the Union Army. The majority of people, it seemed, were in favor of the United States remaining as such. We then went to the largest monument in the park and went up a terrifying and unending circular staircase to observe the battle field. It was incredible, although it was good Mom decided to stay down in the car. She may not have enjoyed the descent. Our last stop was Little Round Top and Devil's Den. We didn't actually go to Devil's Den, because the place we thought was Devil's Den turned out not being it, but Little Round Top had a beautiful view and great rocks that the kids enjoyed climbing on. At that point we were already late so we just headed out of town back to our home in Wayne bringing with us wonderful memories of our experience in Gettysburg.

The Circus Came to Town

2008-08-31T18:09:00.000-07:00

Last week what remains of the Twelve Tribes of Muldowney went to go see the circus. It was a 4:30 show so it wasn't as packed and perhaps not as thrilling, but we all had a good time together. The food was a fortune, but Dad got some anyway for the experience. Lizzy suggested that next time we just smuggle our own. Mom didn't like that idea too much, even after paying $5 for a tiny thing of popcorn.
In many ways the show was better then last year's. The first act was crazy, with 3 motorcyclist going upside down and all around in a metal ball. It was intense and really impressive. There were several more fun acts as well as some that fell a little flat. Sadly the Clowns weren't up to par. Although during intermission one Clown tried selling the Clown Coloring book but as he did not speaking very good English he just shouted "De Big Clown Coloring Coloring Book" at a million miles and hour. It took us the rest of the evening to figure out what he was saying. After we had the boys and Dad were laughing about it for days afterwards. It was the funniest thing we'd seen or heard all night.
I wonder what next year's Circus will bring...

waiting for the show to start under the big top in extreme heat

The very American looking "Russian" Svetlana performing great feats on the ribbon

John waiting outside during intermission in order escape the sweltering tent

2008-08-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

So Mom and Dad went to Paris! Dad took more than 580 photos, a very limited selection of which is included for your pleasure. Mom and Dad don't figure in the photos because Dad was the photographer and Mom wasn't in Paris to be photographed. Here's what Mom has to say about the trip.

After traveling overnight and getting into the Charles DeGaulle Airport and finding our way first to the bathrooms (very few and hard to find as well) and to the RER train station, we were helped by very friendly Parisiens to first buy tickets and next make the right connections to arrive within a few blocks of our hotel. We traveled light so the luggage was not a problem. Even with a map, however, we wandered a bit before finally successfully crashing for a few hours of much needed rest at the Hotel Madeleine Opera. When we got up we went adventuring out on foot and started to orient ourselves in the area by seeing La Madeleine (an enormous church), La Place de la Concorde with its Egyptian obelisk, and the Tuilerie Gardens that end at the Louvre. A light bite to eat in the gardens convinced us that eating out would be a rarity, though we enjoyed sitting in the garden and eating in the evening air.

Palise Garnier - Paris Opera House

Next day saw us shopping in the local Monoprix for groceries, plastic utensils and dishes, and water to keep us going for a few days. We then began our daily ritual of eating breakfast, preparing a lunch and going out on foot for the day. Each day upon returning we planned the next day's adventures. We really enjoyed seeing the city and felt we got a much better feel for it by walking rather than taking the metro. This delightful arrangement was possible because our hotel was ideally centrally located to the areas we planned to visit. Our days were usually 10-12 hours, ending in the hotel room for a modest evening repast and a chance for our feet and legs to recover before the next outing.

Daumier Figure

Our first full day we walked to the Musee D'Orsay where we bought a Museum Pass for 4 days that was good for 60 different museums and places of interest. We spent time in the Museum and the, knowing that this Museum was open until 9 p.m., we went to the Rodin Museum with the plan to return later to the Musee D'Orsay, a wonderful art museum with work from 18th-early 20th century with emphasis on work by French artists. The Rodin Museum is housed in Rodin's home and has a wonderful sculpture garden in the French style surrounding the house. From here we went to Les Envalides, built as a hospital for army veterans by Louis XIV himself. The church there, which is spectacular, has been made into Napolean's tomb, the size of which is a testament to the esteem in which he has held by the French. There are still veterns living and being treated here in the private portions of Les Invalides- probably the first VA hospital, and it still is in use. From here we traveled to the Church of the Miraculous Medal recommended to us by Charlie's Mom, enjoying the courtyard and the church. We walked back to the Musee D'Orsay and spent till closing time there. As we walked home there were spectacular clouds over the Seine and Dad got some terrific photos of them.

Rodin Museum and Garden

Louvre from Musee D'Orsay

Our second day was spent largely at the Louvre (7 hours worth) and we discovered the breadth of french painting through the 1800's, many of heroic size and subject matter. The collection of Italian renaissance paintings was also very impressive. Dad discovered a Rubens he did not know existed- a small shared self portrait by Rubens and VanDyke. Each artist painted his own portrait and their styles meld together perfectly. Dad found the portraits of the master and his student very telling and filled with humor. Rubens' series of enormous paintings for Catherine de Medici are housed in an enormous gallery and we couldn't help feeling that Rubens deserved a more interesting story to tell as we read the various titles of the paintings all celebrating the life of Catherine de Medici, queen and regent of France, a woman whose looks and life, even as glorified by Rubens, were rather mundane. From the Louvre we walked to the museum at The Orangerie on the other side of the Tuilerie Gardens to see Monet's Water Lilies (his final paintings, which are enormous and were housed in two circular rooms) and a wonderful collection donated by Paul Guillaume of wonderful work by Picasso, Derain, Soutine, Utrillo, and a few others.

St Chapelle

Day three saw us off to explore Ile de la Cite (an island in the middle of the Seine where Paris began. We went to see the unbelievable windows at St. Chapelle, a small private chapel built for the king. From there we saw Notre Dame Cathedral and then went on to Ile St. Louis, another small island next to Ile de la cite. Everything is connected by bridges and on the bridge to Ile St. Louis a good jazz band was playing trying to earn some money and sell CDs. We loved this little island full of shops and restaurants. We sampled sorbet at Le Berthillon, the best ice cream shop in Paris (not an idle assessment), and had a crepe from a local shop with a take out window. Next we hit the Picasso Museum, also housed in his final home in Paris, and enjoyed this collection of pieces kept by the artist and displayed in chronological order along with drawings, studies, photos and videos that showed the artist's development over his lifetime. It was very interesting and inspiring to come to a better appreciation of the fertility of Picasso's creative mind. There was no plastic art form he did not practice with facility and power. Not far from the Picasso Museum was the Pompidou, Paris' museum of modern art. The building itself was remarkable, remarkable ugly on the exterior and a remarkable good space for showing art on the interior. We enjoyed the view from the escalator that climbs the building in a tube outside the structure. Here Dad finally found work by Georges Roualt, a formidable figure in French art whose work had been entirely absent in the Musee D'Orsay. On the way back to the hotel we walked through a shopping area called Les Halles, stopped in a small local church called St. Merri while we looked unsuccessfully for the LDS church that was located nearby, and stopped into St. Eustace, a lovely church on the way. We stopped at the gardens of the Palais Royal and rested a while. Paris is full of beautiful public gardens where people come to enjoy the outdoors, read, chat, and let their children play. On the way out of this garden we saw a little pastry shop that looked good and good ourselves some treats to add to our dinner. They were really good!

Our next day, Sunday, found us with our map obtained online out early to try and find the Paris Ward meeting house before 9:00 a.m. We were able to find the big blue doors and the little sign in the window telling us to push the button and push on the doors for admittance. The church is in an old building with the traditional courtyard in the center. We enjoyed our meetings there very much. The spirit was strong and the people were friendly and gracious. We walked past Hotel de Ville (basically Paris's City Hall), over the Seine and to Jardin des Plantes, a really gorgeous botanical Garden that is part of the University of Paris and also is the location of the Natural History Museum which we did not see. From there we walked to the Luxemburg Gardens via an ancient Roman Arena that supposedly housed 10,000 people for gladiator games and dramatic productions back in the day. Also on the way we stopped at the Pantheon, a truly remarkable building that is now a Mausoleum for the famous and important men in French history. The French really honor their men of Arts, Letters, and Science. Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau and many others are buried there and the crypt below the building is a rather confusing, seemingly endless series of stone corridors and rooms with stone caskets inside. The Luxemburg Gardens are enormous. There was a band playing when we arrived and quite a crowd gathered to enjoy the pop selections they were playing. We saw the gardens, the palace and the Maria de Medici fountains there. From the Gardens we decided to see the ruins of the ancient Roman baths that were not too far away. We saw that an abby (Hotel Cluny) had been built on top of the baths and that it housed the Musee des Moyen Ages (Middle Ages Museum). This was a really cool place with carvings (wood and stone), tapestries, furnishings, books, illustrated manuscripts, etc. from the middle ages. Outside the Museum was a beautiful garden area that had been made into a number of small individual gardens, each of which was a prototype of a different type of medieval garden. On the way back to the hotel we crossed the Seine again onto Ile de la Cite, this time walking along the walk next to the river up to a little park on the tip of the island created originally by the Dauphin for his pleasure. We enjoyed sitting and resting our sore feet in the cool of the evening, enjoying the sky and the river and the breeze.

Our last day in Paris was a dash to fit in the final things we wanted to see before we left. We were up early and walked to the Montmartre Cemetery where we had fun hunting down the graves of famous people on maps that didn't agree with each other. Needless to say we did not find them all. We then walked on the shortest route to Sacre Coeur Basilica- a route that it became apparent went through the red light district of Paris and gave us a view of the Moulin Rouge. After passing through this large and tawdry area we began climbing the hill up to Sacre Coeur in earnest. When I say hill I am not kidding. The park area in front of Sacre Coeur, which is large, is almost vertical, necessitating an approach via staircase after staircase. Dad joked that the Basilica was so placed so that you had to

do your penance before you got into it. The Basilica was made of white limestone and was beautiful, but the way down was a little easier than the way up (classic understatement). We stopped in one of the shops in the area to pick up souvenirs for the folks at home. We went back to the hotel for lunch and a rest (to repair some blistered feet before pressing on) and then sallied forth to visit the Delacroix Museum in

Sacre Coeur

the Latin Quarter. Also housed in Delacroix's final home, we also saw the studio he had built onto the home and the courtyard in the center. His home is right next to the oldest church in Paris, St. Germain des Pres so we stopped in and really enjoyed this church. It was one of our favorites. Lots of famous people who lived in the Latin Quarter are buried there too, including Delacroix. We walked home via the shop at the Middle Ages Museum (more souvenirs), the book sellers on the Seine (you guessed it, more souvenirs), Le Chatelet, the Place De la Vendome where Napolean's pillar fashioned out of the cannons he captured from the defeated enemy in battle stands. This Place also is surrounded by National Government offices (in palaces) and very expensive shops. We stopped at a Monoprix to pick up some dinner and went home exhausted but thrilled with our visit.

We got up at 4:30 a.m. to be ready for the taxi that took us to the airport. On the flight from London to Philadelphia we were given first class seats (for reasons unknown to us) and were able to rest well and were treated like royalty. What a fun finish to an unbelievable opportunity and experience. Our seven days together were treasured and unforgettable. We were filled with gratitude for those who made this experience possible, not the least of whom were Mimi, Doug, and Lizzy who held down the home fort.

Pont Neuf - Au Revoir Paris!

E! News : Exclusive Interview

2008-08-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

Exclusive interview with Master Scouter Abraham Muldowney after returning from 3 weeks of intense scouting trips. He told all in this exclusive interview with the creator of Elisabeth! News. First release of pictures from his personal collection.

Interviewer: Thanks for being here today Abraham. It's nice to see you again! Last time we chatted you'd just gotten your Eagle Scout award. What have you been doing scout wise since you've gotten your Eagle?

Master Scouter Abraham Muldowney: Scout Camp and High Adventure Camp

I : How long were they?

MSAM: Scout Camp was a week and High Adventure Camp was Wednesday to Saturday so.... about 3 days.

I : What kind of things did you do?

MSAM: I did merit badges at Scout Camp and I did rock climbing, white water, shot gun and cycling at High Adventure.

I : Which activity did u enjoy the most?

MSAM: uhh... like which merit badges or...?

I: I meant which uhhh... which scouting event you enjoyed more. Like, you know, Scout Camp or High Adventure.

MSAM: I think I liked Scout Camp better.

I: Why?

MSAM: Because it was funner, I guess. We got to do more things.

I: What kind of things?
MSAM: Merit badges...

I: Could you be more specific?
MSAM: Well with the merit badges I did Fish and Wild Life Management, Mammal Study, Orienteering, Canoing, Wilderness Survival, and Indian Lore. I liked receiving the Honor Scout Award and doing the Heleman Award. I like doing The Iron Man but I didn't get a patch for it.

I: Is it true that you did The Iron Man, all that swimming, running, biking, push ups and all that jazz, with a broken wrist?
MSAM: yes.

I: Very impressive. You mentioned you enjoyed getting the honor scout award. Is it possible that being 1 of 4 scouts honored out of a camp of 480 scouts is actually the only reason you enjoyed scout camp so much more?
MSAM: No.

I: You're very humble.
MSAM: mmm-hmm. what do i say to that?

I: You should say "Pretty much! Yeah, I'm beast!" Well... Thanks coming to this interview!
MSAM: hmmm... (gets up and walk away wishing his sister wouldn't pester him)

Important Note: Abraham also did Order of the Arrow Brotherhood (since he got his OA last year) and took a trip to Gettysburg with his scout troop.

Order of the Arrow 2008

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

On August 2 Stephanie Meyer's last instalment in her Twilight saga was released to the public. This last book, called Breaking Dawn, created no small stir across the nation. Utah in particular was extremely enthusiastic about the new book. Edward lovers Lizzie and Missy were both excited and even Jeremiah (don't deny it!) looked forward to the novels coming. Lizzie decided it would be a lot of fun to go to the midnight party and partake of the Utah party life. On Friday morning, Jeremiah and Lizzie waited in line at Borders for an hour just to get the wrist bands that would allow them to get in line to buy the book that night. It was slightly ridiculous how the line of people waiting wrapped around the building and that the people in the front of the line had been camping out there overnight.

Missy and Miah had to work so Lizzie went to the midnight festivities with Alyssa, Leah, and Nathaniel Gates. Thankfully we were only 224 and 225 in line and not 2,000. It was a thrilling evening and everybody had a lot of fun. After getting home at 1 a.m. Lizzie read for a couple of hours, staying awake until the breaking of dawn.

Yet ANOTHER Birthday

2008-07-29T17:55:00.001-07:00

There was another birthday in July... several actually. But this past weekend Lizzie had hers and celebrated it Provo, UT. Lizzie pretty much spent the whole day reading "The Host" by Stephanie Meyers. It was quite a gripping tale. Later on though, there was an incredible pasta dinner. Later on Missy, Miah, and Lizzie played 'A Ticket to Ride',.Pretty much the best game EVER. We all had great fun together. Missy went all out with a lovely chocolate chip cake. All in all it was a very relaxed and happy day, thanks to Miah and Missy's kindness.

Don't think me so arrogant and selfish. The real reason for this post is not to talk about the amazing birthday I had or broadcast that I'll be an adult in a year. I actually just wanted to show off the earrings I got for my birthday. So yeah... I got my ears pierced. Surprise Daddy! What do you think mom? ☺

A Grand Date

2008-07-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

Some interesting events that occured the 22 of July:
1099 - First Crusade
1585 - re-establishment of the Roanoke Colony
1805 and 1812 - Napoleonic Wars
1933 - Wiley Posts first person to fly around the world
.........the rest are just depressing or boring

And for "famous" people born:
1863 - Alec Hearne, Former England cricketer
1882 - Edward Hopper, American painter
1893 - Jesse Haines, American baseball player
1923 - Bob Dole, American politician
- Mukesh, Indian singer
1983 - Steven Jackson, American football player
2002 - Prince Felix of Denmark

And most importantly....
Jacob Muldowney was born!!!
So the 22nd was Jacob's 20th birthday (wow he's an old man already) and we thought we would just say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! even though he won't see our lovely post.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISSIONARY!!!

"The hills are alive with the sound of [the BOM]"

2008-07-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

The Valley Forge Pennsylvania Stake Youth Conference has come and gone, both happily and sadly.
This year Youth Conference was a trip up to Palmyra, NY to visit all the church history sites and to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant. It was a three day adventure, July 17-19, filled with plenty of theatrics and lots of time of the bus. Lizzie was asked to have a leadership position in this little activity. Thankfully she was co-chair with Sam, who was incredibly calm during the whole process, calming Lizzie's easily stressed nature. The meetings started back in January and the planning for the event was both frustrating and exciting. As the day drew nearer, it was even a little nerve racking.
Abe hadn't been decided whether he actually wanted to go or not. Thanks to this connection, he was in the loop with everything that was supposed to happen. He decided he would come after he found out that there would be no dance. It turned out to be a great experience for him.
The trip's historical stops included the Priesthood Restoration site, the Peter Whitmer Farm, the Martin Harris Farm, the Grandin Print Shop, Alvin Smith's grave, the Churches at the Four Corners, the Smith Farm, Hill Cumorah, and the Sacred Grove. The also went to pick up trash at the already clean Seneca Lake State Park and stayed to play games. Both evenings they got to see the pageant and overall the trip seemed to be a success. Abe said it was awesome even though he was constantly pestered by girls. Apparently Abe was married to Paige without his consent and Sienna would have happily taken her place. Oh the woes of being quiet and charming! He was asked to share his thoughts on Youth Conference during Sacrament meeting and he did a wonderful job. Lizzie, although exhausted the entire trip (except for at 12 p.m.), had fun too. But it was a bitter sweet moment. She felt happy that it was over and her responsibilities were no more but at the same time it was sad to say goodbye to the friends she made and been reunited with through the experience. There's always next year!

The Latest Addition to the Eagle's Nest

2008-07-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

After an incredible project and a successful board of review, Abraham Muldowney was added to the Eagle's Nest on July 11, 2008 at the age of 14. We're so proud of his amazing accomplishment! He's worked diligently to complete it. Of course Mom and Dad were a big help to and very supportive, as were his mentors. But really, this little man has put in HUGE effort. Three cheers for Abe!!!!

Even though he is officially an Eagle he continues to work on scouting and hopes to get all of his Palms.

An Explosive Evening

2008-07-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July Shana returned safe and sound from her month trip in Europe. We were overjoyed to see her and even happier to partake of the delicious Belgium chocolates, Gouda from Holland, and German gummy bears she brought home with her. While she rested the rest of the family enjoyed an outdoor BBQ that soon came indoors as it began to rain. By the evening the heavy rain became drizzle and some of the family members braved the droplets in order to see the Radnor Fireworks... from a distance anyway. Isaac didn't like them very much. When we got home, the few who were left, let off our own explosives. We decided to finish them all off the next evening because of the wet weather.

It was a wonderful evening and we hope everyone was able to have a great time celebrating the birth of our nation!

GIRLS CAMP

2008-07-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

The week of June 23rd was a very odd one for Lizzie Muldowney. After evaluations that Monday, Lizzie and her father went running errands for one of the most interesting experience of her young life. She was extremely excited although she did not know what the promising week actually held for her. On the 24th she departed for the most notorious YW activity of the year: Girls Camp. As always, the stake went to Camp Lou Henry Hoover in New Jersey. Lizzie was a 5th year AKA a YCL (Youth Camp Leader). She was thrilled to be presiding over the 2nd Years with one of her best friends ever.

The week evolved and became, as I said before, very interesting. While at the ropes course performing impressive feats for her young'uns she accidently smooshed a poisonous caterpiller against her arm. These buggers were everywhere! Well, her arm began to get lumpy and sting. She bears the scars to the present day! To make the week worse, the girls her own age begin being very dramatic (AKA immature) and she was kept up aaaallllllllll night. This lead to a brief mono relapse at the end of camp that stuck with her until the following week. Thankfully, she is better now. The last evening of camp she was also forced to walk 7 looooooong miles (or more) after walking all day. This did not aid in the recovery of her illness. She was glad to be home.

Note from Lizzie: After all the tribulations of the week in New Jersey I somehow enjoyed myself. There were a lot of other wonderful things going on. It showed to me that the Lord is truly miraculous. I had a great time with my second year girls!!

The Invalid

2008-07-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

Poor Mr. Abraham took a little tumble of off a rock. A BIG rock. In fact it was the Big Rock.

There are some very large rock formations in the woods behind our house. For those who have never been in those woods, it is basically a large hill covered with trees and at the foot of the hill there is a lovely oil filled creak. So these rock formations jut out creating little cliffs. We've named these rocks and the largest of them all was dubbed Big Rock. Well it just so happened Abe was playing in the woods a couple weeks ago and fell of of the infamous Big Rock which has a 7 foot drop before you land on the jagged rocks below. But this didn't seem to phase Abe. It didn't occur to him to tell his parents until the next day when the pain and swelling had greatly increased. Finally, in the evening of the second day he asked his dad to take him to the ER because he thought his arm might be broken. Dad observed his arm and was shocked at its state. Mom thought perhaps that if Abe only said it might be broken that maybe they could wait until the next day. Dad summed up the sitution by saying "If Abe thinks it's broken, then it is." So they went to the ER and found out that he did indeed have a Buckle Fracture.

And this conludes another tale portraying Abraham's iron strength and unusual ability to endure things that are painful.... at least painful to normal people.

BOOK SALE!!!

2008-06-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

The Radnor Memorial Library had its annual book sale this weekend. Mom and Dad were careful not to buy to much as they are trying to get rid of most of our overabundant library. The price on the books has gone up a whole quarter, in some cases 2 quarters!!! They're ripping us off. Anyway, Lizzie expanded her own collection with 8 classics and it set her back a total of $3.50. It's getting pretty expensive these days.

The Father and Son's Camp Out

2008-06-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

As is tradition, our ward had a Fathers and Sons Camp Out. Dad and the two boys packed up all of their camping gear Friday and headed over the church's property near the Freedom Foundation. Only a few faithful tradition upholders were in attendance. But to spite lacking numbers, the boys had a great time. Sadly there are no pictures of the Father because he was taking the pictures.
Back at home the women had a girl party to celebrate the guy’s absence. It wasn't really a true girl party because Mimi joined us with Doug. But he was welcome company. We had lots of fun getting Wawa hoagies, baking cookies, and watching Freaky Friday and Mostly Martha (a fabulous German movie) while enjoying homemade slushies.
Even though we enjoyed our evening, we were all really happy to have Daddy, Abe and John come back home the following morning. Now we're a whole family again. Well... that is if you don't include the 7 other children not at home. :(

Old News

2008-06-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

The aunts gave us visit! Yeah, it happened a week ago, but it was still awesome.

Mommy, Aunt Joanna, and Aunt Linda all went to Boston for a family wedding while Pops held down the fort with a little help from Lizzie. We also got an little addition to our family for the weekend. Kevin, Aunt Joanna's 9 year son, joined our ranks for a couple of days. He entertained us quite a bit with his sage advice and unquestionable wisdom.

The ladies had a fabulous weekend with their family. We were so glad they got the opportunity spend time together!!

Masters Of Claymation

2008-05-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

Slug Humanoid Vs. Space Slug II

One of Abe and John's popular movies.

Another great one is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlBaL1JrW7I

There will be more to come!

The Old Gray Dog Just Ain't What He Used to Be

2008-05-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

After 14 (loooong) years of faithfully annoying the family, Bilbo was put to sleep. To the consternation of all the little ones, the deed was done May 22. Our old buddy was in a lot of pain. As sad as we were to see him go, it was time. Now we can assume that in "doggy heaven" he is able to walk without falling and wake people up at 4 a.m as often as his good old heart desires.

Farewell friend!