{pretty, happy, funny, real}
I haven’t been feeling very well this week, but had to pop in to say hello and share a few pictures. Also, in your charity, could you please say a prayer for my husband’s Uncle Frank, my father-in-law’s brother, who passed away yesterday afternoon.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
I’ve been eyeing these adorable Shining Light Dolls for awhile now and finally ordered a few to save for the girls’ stockings this upcoming Christmas!
It seems like nearly every one of my packages has been arriving damaged lately…. (“Damaged Doll Deliveries” wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for D week!) Last week one of these dolls arrived with the package smashed. I called Amazon and they said they would send another, and to just keep the original. The second arrived in even worse condition than the first! I wasn’t going to call, since the actual doll inside the box was still okay, but decided to let them know anyways. This time they insisted on not only refunding the money, they also gave me a $10 promotional credit for the hassle and said to wait a few days before ordering again (if I choose to do so) so that the shipping department could make any necessary adjustments to protect future orders. Note: That was a few days ago, so if anyone places an order they should arrive in better shape, but I am not making any promises! 😉 However, even with smashed up packaging, they are still just as pretty as can be! (Oh, and the next day? That stone I had ordered arrived in three pieces. Seriously?!)
Happy Birthday, Caroline! :: An American Girl Party
amid the challenges of war
The first thing Twinkle Toes did when she woke up was put on her Caroline outfit, I curled her hair, and then she came out to the kitchen to see her cake and enjoy and eat breakfast!
~ Meet Caroline: An American Girl
Even though this Embroidered Pillow Kit was made for Felicity it ties in nicely for Caroline too! The girls had received these kits last Christmas as well and still hadn’t started making them yet. They got started on the embroidery, but are still working on completing the project.
I had also ordered a copy of Caroline Color & Craft which kept all the kids busy while I ran to town.
~ A Surprise for Caroline
~ Meet Caroline: An American Girl
After Racing Hoops the girls came inside and helped bake “Inkpot” Sugar Cookies! We kept it quick and simple by just using a package of refrigerated Sugar Cookie dough with a cat shaped cookie cutter.
~ Caroline’s Secret Message
~ Meet Caroline: An American Girl
~ Caroline’s Secret Message
I also gave her a couple books I loved when I was her age – The Secret Garden (she received the version illustrated by Tasha Tudor) and Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott. I also gave her a copy of Caddie Woodlawn! (I loved that a couple of them matched the cover of A Surprise for Caroline, and tied in Ice Skating to the party, since our original plans to go ice skating were changed when we found out that the rink was closed for their annual deep cleaning. I’m sure she will loves these as much as I did!
An Early Anniversary Gift
It is a little longer and narrower than our old table and it came with 10 chairs, although we did order two extras. I wasn’t sure at first about the gridback chairs, but they are rather unique and, along with the two-tone Oak Espresso finish, match our home so nicely.
In the picture above you can see the shelves from the old school room in the corner… They are there temporarily until I can find new homes for everything. Still working on that… Someday I’d like to replace the white hutch with a dining buffet and also find a painting (my husband would like a large tuscan style painting of a monastery – maybe something along these lines – any suggestions?) for between the windows on the back wall.
{pretty, happy, funny, real}
Seeing Quick Takes like this (#1 and #5) reminds me how much I love about our home state, despite the challenges… No place is perfect, right?! Our biggest challenge is the lack of traditional masses in our area, but we do have another Latin Mass coming up the first Sunday of October! It is the 4th in the series of “Quarterly Masses for a Year” that our pastor agreed to this year. Please keep this intention in your prayers. My husband will be meeting with him again following this next Mass to discuss any future masses to be scheduled. (And did you happen to see Bud’s little apperance on Father Z’s blog! You can click back to my original cake post here.)
Caroline’s Bonnet :: A 10th Birthday Cake
After pulling the cake out of the freezer for the final layer of frosting, I mixed a little chocolate frosting into my can of white frosting to create a “straw” color and added lines using the end of the butter knife to resemble a straw bonnet. I then began adding the “ribbon” of marshmallow fondant…
Celebrating the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Anniversary of the Implementation of Summorum Pontificum
Recently my mom gave our family a beautiful old out-of-print book (originally published in 1940) which my Grandmother had given my family when we were children! (I wasn’t able to find the hardcover available and the two paperback copies are very expensive.) Today is not only the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, but also the 6th anniversary of Summorum Pontificum going into effect. As Father Z mentioned earlier today, “We have a lot to be thankful for, both in the way of the Holy Cross and in how we renew the Sacrifice of the Cross during celebrations of Mass with the traditional Roman Rite.” We plan to read this book to our children after dinner…
Privileged
Back-to-School :: 2013-2014
Back-to-School Schultutes |
Playmobil Child’s First Day of School |
The boys were surprised by a little extra treat in the bottom of their cones… |
… Series 11 Minifigures! |
Pretty Pink and Pink Princess Crayons for my little pink lovin’ princess! |
Patron of Students Back-to-School Treat |
Back-to-School Schultütes {Simplified}
Directions:
- Apply glue to one end of the paper. I used a glue stick (instead of a hot glue gun) since my cones were smaller this year.
- Roll the paper into a cone shape and trim the point off the top of the cone to make it flat.
- Secure the top with a couple staples.
- Cover the seam with a strip of decorative tape if desired. (I cut a piece of patterned duck tape for the boys cones and some pretty nesting doll tape for the girls similar to this!)
I had a few fun school themed supplies and snacks (they haven’t had before) for each of the children (you can see Twinkle Toes’ pictured above) but the notebooks and color pencils ended up not fitting. I kept them out and gave those to each of the children separately. I didn’t use them this year, but you can find my printable Schultütes treat tags in this post.
Playmobil Child’s First Day of School |
Back-to-School Daybook :: September 10, 2013
Outside my window…
we must be having the annual “Fall Needle Drop.” There are pine needles everywhere! Sean just showed the boys how to operate his Stihl Gas Blower and it only takes them a few minutes to clear the deck and driveway. Yay! Now that the smoke has cleared from all the wildfires we are hoping to spend lots of time reading outside on the porch this fall and enjoying our beautiful weather!
I am thinking…
about our school plans and the best way to fit everything into our schedule, yet still leave plenty of free-time for play and exploration. That’s important too!
I am thankful…
that our busy summer has come to an end! It was so exhausting much fun but I am looking forward to more time at home, reading lots of great books with the children, and working on re-establishing good habits and routines.
Learning all the time…
Have I mentioned lately how much I love IEW’s Student Writing Intensive courses? They have been perfect for our children! Last week Chiquita wrote her paper on Desert Tarantulas. This week I think I will substitute the “Pillbug” assignment for a paragraph on Crater Lake. I love that it can easily be modified to incorporate whatever it is we are studying.
Celebrating the liturgical year…
We headed back to the coast for another Latin Mass the Sunday before last. All the traveling has been difficult (especially since we still don’t have a vehicle with enough seat belts for everyone – at this point I’m tempted to skip the big van and just go with a small motorhome!) but it has definitely been worth the extra effort.
From the kitchen…
Apple Puff Pancakes, our absolute favorite breakfast this time of year! I need to make sure and pick up some more apples the next time I am in town.
I am working on…
responding to emails and comments. It is going to take a long time to catch back up, since so many other obligations come before my time on the internet. I’m doing my best. Thank you all for your patience and understanding!
I am creating…
back-to-school treats and a simple (much smaller) version of our usual Schultütes to give the children today, to celebrate the beginning of our new school year. I’ll try and post a few more pictures later today or tomorrow.
I am going…
to try and post some pictures from Twinkle Toes’ birthday this week. We’ll see if I can squeeze it in…
I am hoping…
to find an alternative to Scribd for document hosting, since so many of you have been having difficulty downloading my Little Flowers Documents.
I am praying…
for Rascal’s godparents who are expecting another baby next spring, after an 11 year gap following their 5 boys. We are all so excited for them!
I am reading…
more about Crater Lake in B is for Beaver and M is for Majestic: A National Parks Alphabet!
Pondering these words…
from the second reading at Mass a couple weeks ago:
I am listening…
to The King of the Golden City with the children. Next we will move on to The Magician’s Nephew. Oh, how I love good audiobooks!
Around the house…
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