{pretty, happy, funny, real} Lost in the Corn Maze
I haven’t had time to start sorting through the pictures from our All Hallows’ Eve Party last night, or from our trip to the Pumpkin Patch this past Sunday, but here are a few pictures that I snapped in Instagram.
Right after I snapped this picture Chiquita and I got separated from everyone else…
After losing our group, nearly finding the exit (Chiquita said “this is where we came in!” so we turned around), and making our way though the maze again we finally made it BACK TO THE ENTRANCE!
At one point I could here my sister-in-law laugh and say “This is what they are still doing in there!” while apparently showing everyone her Instagram feed! lol
Happy All Hallows’ Eve!
Carving our Saint-O-Lanterns ~ 2012
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| Carving our Saint-O-Lanterns at Uncle Brian’s house this year! |
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| I loved that we could make the mess outside this year, instead of in the dining room! 😉 |
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| Captain choose a Celtic Cross Pattern for his Pumpkin |
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| Rascal choose to illustrate his own Crusader Shield |
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| The girls took a “break” and let mom finish carving their pumpkin after it was cleaned out… |
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| Captain let mom help finish his too, this year. There were just too many distractions (uncles) around! |
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| Thankfully we didn’t decide to carve one for each of our children this year! 😉 |
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| Twinkle Toes and Chiquita’s “Praying after my First Holy Communion” Saint-O-Lantern |
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| Captain’s Celtic Cross |
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| Rascal’s Crusader Shield |
All Saints Scavenger Hunt {A Printable Party Game!}
One of the games I made last night, for our party this evening, is an All Saints Scavenger Hunt. Last year we used Charlotte’s printable Search for the Saints, and the kids loved it, but I wanted to offer something a little different this year. I have printed 16 saint cards which I will hand out to 16 of the adults. The children will each receive the following list of clues, and they will need to match each clue to the correct saint. Once the child thinks he knows who it is, he will ask the person representing (holding the picture of) the saint. If he is correct the “saint” signs the line next to the correct clue on his child’s clue sheet. Here are the clues that my husband and I came up for our game:
My Daybook :: Oct 30, 2012
Outside my window…
I hear the leaf blower as my husband cleans up the yard for our party tomorrow night!
I am thinking…
about everything that still needs to be done… So much (that I’d like) to do and so little time! (And yet here I am sitting at the computer… Everyone needs a break every once in awhile, right?)
I am thankful…
that we were able to squeeze in a trip to the pumpkin patch this past weekend. It was a whirlwind of activities all weekend long, but we had a blast!
Learning all the time & Celebrating the liturgical year… We have a light school week this week, as we wrap up our first quarter, so we can focus on celebrating the liturgical year. We’ll be learning lots about the saints, attending mass on Thursday for the feast of All Saints, and the boys will be serving Mass at the Cemetery as always for the Feast of All Souls.
From the kitchen…
dinner is simmering in the crock pot, Chicken with Marinara and Artichoke Hearts to serve over spaghetti with Parmesan Cheese, Dinner Rolls, and Salad. After dinner I am going to start the Pumpkin Cupcakes for tomorrow!
I am working on…
carving this year’s Saint-O-Lanterns! After going to the Pumpkin Patch on Sunday with four of my siblings, aunt, uncle, sister-in-law, and niece, we headed over to my brother Brian’s house to eat dinner and carve pumpkins! Since we weren’t at home, and there were aunts and uncles to visit with, my kids weren’t nearly as focused on carving this year so we only completed three. I have one more all ready to carve and Snuggles and I are hoping to finish it tonight after dinner.
I am creating…
a couple games and a banner for our All Hallows’ Eve / All Saints’ Party!
I am going…
to try and get back to answering emails soon! It has been awhile and I am really really behind (some have been waiting a year or more). I do read every email, but it is impossible for me to respond to them all, as much as I do try. (Often times I am reading on my cellphone and have to wait until I’m on the computer to respond.) FYI: I usually work on answering comments on the blog first, followed by Facebook, emails from friends and family, and then other emails are usually last.
I am hoping…
for the Hadley’s! We attended the 5th Annual Harvest of Hope Dinner, an annual fundraiser for the Hadley Hope Fund, this past Saturday night. Here is an update on their beautiful family and a few pictures from the dinner.
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| 2012 Hadley Hope Dinner © Marc Salvatore |
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| Bud, me and my sister-in-law Meagan (You can also see my Dad just over Meagan’s shoulder) © Marc Salvatore |
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| Kristin & Ann-Marie (dear friends that I grew up with, Kristin was my Confirmation sponsor and is Rascal’s Godmother and Ann-Marie was one of my bridesmaids), Amy (who is losing weight like crazy and looking amazing) and Me (not looking my best!) 🙂 © Marc Salvatore |
I am praying…
for those affected by Hurricane Sandy, for the soul of Barbara Curtis, for my sister-in-law Melissa who will be delivering another baby soon, for my little sister Jamie Jo who just celebrated her anniversary and birthday yesterday and the day before, and for Emily! Oh, and that it doesn’t rain here tomorrow night!
I am (still) reading…
the saint quotes and short paragraphs that my children have come up with to share with everyone tomorrow evening. I will have an extra treat for any of the children that come dressed as a saint or biblical character and have something to share with everyone. (A short paragraph, quote, or even just a coloring page for the little ones.)
Pondering these words…
spoken by St. Joan of Arc, which Chiquita found (all on her own) in her copy of The Pocket Daring Book for Girls and is planning on sharing at our party tomorrow:
I am listening…
to Prince Caspian, as we continue working our way through the 7 Volume Unabridged Audio Set of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Around the house…
I’ve done over 20 loads of laundry yesterday and today and am almost caught up! I’ve also sorted through half the kids clothing, boxing up everything that is too small and pulling out all the summer clothes. What was I thinking starting this project before our All Hallows’ Eve party?
One of my favorite things…
pictures at the Pumpkin Patch! I will be posting this year’s soon.
- Lego Robotics Classes for the older boys (Tues & Thurs)
- All Hallows’ Eve Party
- Mass on All Saints Day, Tutor in the Afternoon
- Annual Mass at the Cemetery for the Feast of All Souls
Our Parish All Saints’ Party and Costume Contest
A week ago, after hearing that our parish was encouraging saint or biblical costumes this year (you had to come dressed as one to be entered in the costume contest), and after our pastor told our children that both he and the assistant priest would be dressing up, we decided to take the kids’s this year to the All Saints Party which was held this past Friday night.
Some of the kids decided to wear the costumes they will be wearing for our party tomorrow night, and a couple decided to use the opportunity to wear a different saint costume! Even though we only had about an hour to get ready for the party they all came together so nicely, and I was glad I didn’t have to choose a favorite!
(all from our ever growing Saints Costume collection!)
I love this picture with four of my boys best friends dressed as Moses, Lazarus, St. Juan Diego, and St, Maximilian Koble, as well as our Pastor and Parochial Vicar dressed as Blessed John Paul II and Venerable Futon Sheen!
{This Moment}
These two were the first place winners for each category (11 & under and 12 & up) at our Parish’s All Saints Costume Contest last night! I’ll be back with more pictures soon. We had such a great time!
All Saints’ Day Party Games :: A Saintly Jigsaw Puzzle Race!
My kids are getting so excited! All Saints’ Day is coming up next week, which means our Annual All Hallows’ Eve Party is just around the corner. Last year our family decided to host a “small” party at our home, instead of the carnival style party at the parish hall, and it was such a blast! Despite feeling slightly (okay, very!) overwhelmed with everything that needs to still be done, I keep reminding myself that it actually was pretty easy to host and I already have so much ready, left over from last year! I just need to work on cleaning up the house… 😉
This year, in addition to the All Saints Bingo, St. Isidore’s Pumpkin Roasting, and an Outdoor Flashlight Scavenger/Treasure Hunt that a friend is helping coordinate, I’ve been trying to come up with a couple more new games. Since the Cupcake Puzzle Race was such a hit at our Little Flowers Tea Party, I thought it would be perfect!
My goal was to find a couple 100 piece puzzles representing either saints or biblical figures. I ran across some made by EuroGraphics and decide to go with Jesus the Fisherman (with the apostles!) and David & Goliath. (Other options included Daniel and the Lions and Moses.)
I opened up the boxes and was very pleased with the quality – the puzzle pieces are very durable and should be able to withstand many little fingers! At the party we will probably break the kids that are interested in playing into groups of 4, but this afternoon my four oldest broke into two teams to give it a try.
They each choose a puzzle and I set the timer. I couldn’t believe that, 18 minutes and 24 seconds later, it was a TIE! (I think at the Little Flowers Tea Party, with more people working on the puzzles, we completed them in about 12-15 minutes.) They had so much fun and are looking forward to playing again with their friends!
If you want to try this out, and don’t want it to take quite so long, any 24 Piece Puzzle set would work as well. I’ve also pulled out a few of our simple Catholic Puzzles for the younger children, or to have quick timed races.
Oktoberfest/Costume Party
I tried my best to convince the kids dress up as the 7 dwarves, and I could go as a (non-Disney) version of Snow White, with Hubby dressing as Prince Charming The Huntsman. But they wouldn’t go for it! 😉 I had a couple girls, one in particular, that just didn’t like the idea of dressing as a boy dwarf! In the end, I liked their idea better, anyways.
The four oldest decided to dress as Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia. Edmund even had an injured lip from being hit by the White Witch! They even decided to dress Bud up as a lion to represent Aslan.
My (Post-Trauma) Daybook :: October 23, 2012
Outside my window…
it is COLD! It went from summer to winter pretty much overnight here in our little corner of the country. My kids are walking around the house this morning wrapped in blankets wearing scarves, hats, and mittens!
I am thinking…
it could have been worse… it could have been worse! 😉
I am thankful…
for all of your prayers, encouragement, advice, and support! May God reward you!
Learning all the time…
We just re-read the story of St. Apollonia and the Martyrs of Alexandria, after Charlotte mentioned praying for her intercession on Facebook while we were on our way to the ER on Thursday night. Reading about the early church martyrs really puts our own little challenges into perspective…
In Alexandria, Egypt, during the reign of the Emperor Decius, there lived a holy virgin named Apollonia.
Apollonia had spent her whole life serving God. Now that she was growing old, she did not take time to rest. She bravely risked her life to comfort the Christians in prison when a persecution began.
“Remember that the suffering will not last long,” she would say. “But the joys of Heaven will last forever.”
At last, Apollonia, too, was captured. When the judge asked her name, she courageously said, “I am a Christian and I love and serve the true God.”
Apollonia was made to suffer greatly because she would not give up her Faith. First, all her teeth were smashed and then pulled out. That is why we pray to St. Apollonia when we have a toothache. The saint was then told that if she did not deny Christ, she would be thrown into the fire.
Apollonia was not afraid. She chose to die rather than sin.
When the pagans saw her heroic action, many of them were converted.
Celebrating the liturgical year…
We watched the canonization of St. Kateri, and the other six new saints, this past Sunday on EWTN online! It was beautiful! Snuggles and I had made Indian Corn Cookies to celebrate. I was going to make Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers too, but we ended up going with quick and easy pizza instead.
From the kitchen…
goodies from Trader Joe’s! Friday evening I went to town to do a little grocery shopping (and pick up that rug) with Twinkle Toes. I heard that Trader Joe’s was finally opening last week, but had I known that Friday was their OPENING DAY I probably would have waited. It was so packed! It was fun though and we brought home quite a few goodies, making the super long line worth the effort! Right now I am enjoying a hot cup of Joe with hazelnut creamer and some chocolate hazelnut biscotti. Yum!
I am working on…
plans for our All Hallows’ Eve party that we will be hosting next week! Ay yi yi…
I am creating…
Costumes… Costumes, costumes, costumes! And here I had thought I was pretty much done with planning costumes for this year! We were invited to a last minute “Oktoberfest/Costume Party” this past Saturday at Rascal’s godparents home. We’ve actually never gone to a “non-saint” themed costume party, and the kids all thought it would be fun. Costumes were required, for the adults too, and the kids all really enjoyed coming up with costumes. Snuggles came up with a Peter Pan Costume with an old costume/shirt of my brothers, a belt, his green moccasin slippers, and some brown capri leggings from his sister! Oh, and a “sword” made from green Duplo Blocks, which, apparently, are not Legos! All he asked was that I make him a hat… Our events from Thursday and Friday didn’t leave much time for creating costume accessories, and Saturday morning I spent relaxing, baking cookies with my littlest ones, and blogging. Just before we left for the party Snuggles asked about his hat. Whoops! It’s amazing what you can do with a large piece of craft foam, scissors, a stapler and a red feather! He was a very happy little boy Peter Pan!
I am going…
to take the kids to our Parish Costume Party this coming Friday night. After our late night out on Saturday the kids went to the late Mass on Sunday with Hubby. I was still working on recovering from the panic attacks, so I went to an early Mass by myself and then came home to rest. Anyhow, the kids came home talking all about the upcoming party at the Church. I was excited to hear that they are encouraging Saint Costumes (you must be dressed as a saint to qualify for the costume contest) and the priests will even be dressing up! Our pastor is going to be dressing as Blessed John Paul II and Fr. M is dressing as Fulton Sheen! It should be fun.
I am hoping…
to start my Christmas (and birthday – we now have two in December!) plans and shopping soon. I’d like to have it all completed by the first Sunday of Advent, which falls on December 2nd this year. With timing flying by as quick as it seems to be, that is going to be here in no time.
I am praying…
for Rascal, and for Kelly.
I am (still) reading…
and loving, We and Our Children: How to make a Catholic Home (the new reproduction of the work originally published in 1954)… Here is my favorite quote from what I re-read this week from Chapter V on Security – Fear of Danger:
“Life will never be painless for our children, try as we might to spare them. We are foolish to think that we can. And it is wise not to waste time trying. We can bend every energy to giving a child the full measure of God, and in the end with His help they can learn to accept and bear, and one day find joy, in whatever assaults their sense of security will have to endure.”
Pondering these words…
spoken by St. Francis de Sales:
even if your whole world seems upset.”
I am listening…
to The Horse and His Boy. We own the 7 Volume Unabridged Audio Set of The Chronicles of Narnia and the boys started listening to it again last week. I just love audio books and this is such a well done set!
Around the house…
I am determined to find some new rugs for our tile floors. A couple for my kitchen, and a new one for the entry/living room (the old one that we had in there fell apart). I picked up the one I had considered at Costco over the weekend, and it is just a little too small for the kitchen. Does anyone have any suggestions for me, on where to start looking?
One of my favorite things…
my beautiful new bookmark, purchased from The Fig and Thimble.
- Mom’s Night Out at a new restaurant I’ve been wanting to try!
- Lego Robotics Classes for the older boys
- Tutor on Thursday
- Saints Costume Party at our Church
- Trip to the Pumpkin Patch
- Hadley Hope Fundraiser Dinner
- Carve Saint-O-Lanterns (and post a link-up at Catholic Cuisine!)
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