Graduation Party Candy Buffet {Free Printables}
- “Aren’t You a Smartie” – Smarties
- “Book Worms” – Gummy Worms
- “So long Suckers” – Dum Dum Suckers
- “Reach for the stars” – Starbursts
- “Honor Rolls” – Tootsie Roll
- “Student Loans” – 100 Grand Candy Bars
- “Class Ring” – Ring Pops
- “Smart Cookie” – Mini chocolate chip cookies
- “Nerds” – Small boxes of Nerds Candy
- “oFISHally Graduating” – Swedish Fish
- “Thank you Kisses” or “Goodbye Kisses” – Hershey Kisses
Graduation Cap Cupcakes
On Saturday we finally had an opportunity to host a High School Graduation Party for our two recent graduates! I’m hoping to share all the pictures soon, but first here are the Graduation Cap Cupcakes we made (inspired by lots of different online pictures) for the party. Didn’t they turn out cute?!
Ingredients:
- 1 box cake mix prepared (I used gluten free chocolate and made 30 cupcakes)
- 24 cupcake liners (in your school colors)
- 2 (16 oz) tubs white frosting
- 1/2 c. candy melts to use as “glue” for the caps
- 24 Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups
- 24 Ghirardelli Squares (I used an XL Dark Chocolate Assortment)
- 24 red M&;M’s candies
- 1 bag Cherry Twizzlers Pull ‘n’ Peel Candy (Use extras for decorating “Diploma Cookies!”)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
- Prepare cake mix and bake as directed on the box for cupcakes; cool completely.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a 2Around tip, pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
- Pull Twizzlers apart, into individual ropes. Cut each rope into 2-inch long pieces. You will need 48 pieces, two for each cap; set aside.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the candy melts on high for 1 minute, stir until melted.
- Un-wrap the chocolate squares and peanut butter cups. Place all the peanut butter cups upside-down on two trays. Place a dab of “glue” (melted chocolate) on top of each peanut butter cup and place a chocolate square on top to create the “cap.”
- Use another dab of “glue” (melted chocolate) to attach the M&M candies and Twizzlers “tassels” to the top of each “cap.” Let set.
- Top each frosted cupcake with a graduation cap.
On the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Trader Joe’s Brownie Truffle Baking Mix
- Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce
- Sea Salt
- Caramel Candies (optional)
Directions:
Prepare and bake the brownie mix according to the instructions on the box.
As soon as brownies are out of the oven and still hot, poke some holes in the top of the brownies and then pour the caramel sauce over the top (the entire jar). You won’t need to spread the caramel. It will even out on it’s own.
Allow the brownies to cool for about 20-30 minutes. Apply sea salt (to taste) right before serving. Remember, a little bit of the sea salt goes a long way in flavor…so start with a tiny bit and then add more if needed.
Books, Brews and Crux S. Patris Benedicti Pizza on the Feast of Saint Benedict
Happy Feast of St. Benedict! 🍻
While we were in Oregon this past weekend, for my little sister’s wedding, we were able to stop back by Benedictine Brewery to purchase a couple more glasses and some more of their great beer. Unfortunately our options were pretty limited following the 4th of July rush!
Pale Ale
The pale counterpart to Black Habit, best described as a Belgian pale with Northwest influence. Aroma is fresh and slightly spicy, and the mouthfeel is silky and effervescent. Tropical fruit flavors lead to a noticeably hoppy finish. Designed to go with meals. ABV about 6.7%.
Farmhouse Ale
A session ale in the farmhouse tradition, this beer gets its name because it was first brewed on March 21 and first served on July 11, the two annual feasts of St. Benedict. Bears the fresh aroma of yeast. Complex flavor for a lighter beer, with a slightly tart and peppery finish. Stands well as a cold beverage on a summer day. ABV about 4.7%.
The book is based on his biography by Pope Saint Gregory the Great, and told by a Benedictine monk living today in Italy at the birthplace of Benedict.
Wedding Reception Activity Book for Children
My little sister got married on Saturday!
Being one of the youngest in our large family, with no children of her own yet, I don’t think she quite understands how hard it can be to get a family of ten ready for a road trip, especially at 33/34 weeks pregnant, without the help of the teens who all have summer jobs!
I had planned to spend last Wednesday getting my hair cut and highlighted and then packing and loading the cars (with the 4th of July on Thursday and leaving by 5am on Friday) but instead of packing two of my girls and I spent the afternoon and evening crafting…
Tuesday night the bride-to-be called and asked if I could come up with activities for the 40+ children that were going to be at the wedding reception…. Ummm, sure? I probably should have said no, but I already had to say no to both her Bachelorette Weekend in Tahoe and her Bridal Shower in Portland. Coming up with activities for kids at the last minute… Now THAT was something I could do!
I did some searching online and found this darling printable wedding activity book for kids.
When our seven year old saw the books he cracked me up when he started singing:
“I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo
Yeah, I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo”
Wedding Activity Book for Children:
- Printable Pages – 2 pages, front and back for each book (I used Costco’s premium 24 weight 97 bright copy paper – nicer than plain copy paper, but also cheaper and easier to work with than card stock)
- X-acto Knife (for punching holes in spine of book for the twine to thread through)
- Twine (approx 16-18″ per book)
- Scissors & Ruler
Personalized Crayon Packets:
- Crayons
- 4″x6″ Treat Bags
- 2″ Round Glossy White Labels (easy to make using Avery’s templates and some floral clip art found online)
I had almost everything I needed to make these already, we just had to buy crayons.
You’d think that the large packs of crayons would be the cheapest way to buy a lot of crayons (I needed around 400 crayons) but that wasn’t the case, at least not at Walmart:
- 120 Crayola Colors = 5.8 cents each
- 96 Crayola Colors = 5.2 cents each
- 64 Crayola Colors = 4.6 cents each
- 32 Crayola Colors = 5.5 cents each
- 8 Crayola Colors = 10.9 cents each
Winner: 24 Crayola Colors @ $0.50 per box = only 2 cents each
(I spotted them hiding on the top shelf and I asked someone to help get them down for me.)
We price checked the Cra-Z-Art Crayons too:
- 96 Crayons = 4.1 cents per crayon
- 64 Crayons = 2.6 cents per crayon (getting better!)
But the 24 Packs (only had a few left) were just $0.33 per box or a mere 1.3 cents per crayon!
We ended up purchasing a mix of 24 Packs of Crayola Crayons (with the new Bluetiful color, perfect for a bride/wedding) and 24 packs of the Cra-z-art Crayons.
Two of my girls took care of packaging up all the crayons while I assembled the activity books!
Puppy Paw-ty
It’s time to celebrate YOU because you’re turning TWO!!
Our baby girl turned TWO a couple weeks ago and this year we celebrated with a puppy themed pawty! We have never had a dog, but one of her favorite things this past year has been “Doggies!” She will often round up all the stuffed dog animals from around the house to carry around in a basket or tuck into her bed. Her brother bought her a little plush dog house with five puppies for Christmas and it is still one of her favorite toys. The puppy theme was pawsitively perfect for her! 😉
Her eldest brother/Godfather also had a gift for her when he got back home from work. He wanted to give her one of his childhood favorite things… Blues Clues! The card he made her was so sweet too.
St. John’s Bonfire + 30th Anniversary Celebration
“June 24 is one of the oldest of the Church feasts. It is the birthday celebration of St. John the Baptist, and is sometimes called “summer Christmas.” On the eve of the feast, great bonfires were once lighted as a symbol of “the burning and brilliant” light, St. John, who pointed out Christ in this world of darkness. The solstice fires had been pagan, but now they were blessed by the Church in John’s honor. There are actual blessings for the bonfire in the Roman liturgy. Magical and superstitious elements of food and drink were forgotten, and we were encouraged to have great picnic feasts out-of-doors around the blazing logs. The outdoor grill, so popular in our own back yards, was once less selfish and more communal. We feasted as many neighbors and not as exclusive individuals.” source
This article from Regina Magazine was passed out to all of us just before Father blessed the bonfire.
Our family brought along a couple side dishes and a simple chocolate Cathedral Bundt Cake to share.
Picking Berries at the Strawberry Patch
The girls helped bake this Naturally Sweetened Fresh Strawberry Pie for dessert with some of our strawberries. We are hoping to go pick more to freeze sometime soon… We’ll see!
Baby Updates :: 30 Weeks and Counting
Happy Feast of St. Anthony!
It’s hard to believe that it has been five years today since we lost our little Anthony. After his miscarriage, I really didn’t think I’d be able to have any more children, or at least not be able to carry a baby to term… Three years later we welcomed our surprise baby (shortly after getting rid of nearly all our baby stuff, of course) and here we are again, preparing to welcome yet another baby girl!
I’ve shared a few little updates over on Instagram, but thought I’d take a minute to transfer those pictures of her over to the blog today.
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| April 3rd: On Monday we hit the halfway mark! I’m really looking forward to another peek at our baby girl next week 💗 #prayingforstrength #20weeks #dueaug19th2019 #stilldebatingbabynames |
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| Baby’s Profile at 21 Weeks |
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| May 29th: It’s been a rough week (see prayer requests below), but look who I got to see today! I had to pop in and share this sweet picture with you all! My doctor had some concerns at my appointment yesterday, and a followup ultrasound was scheduled for this afternoon, but everything looks good and she’s measuring in at exactly 3lbs. #28weeksandcounting P.S. In your charity would you please offer a prayer for my Mother-in-law who has been gravely ill, for my husband who traveled to Arizona to help care for her, for our two soon-to-be First Holy Communicants (they were supposed to receive this past weekend with their class, but we decided to postpone till their dad is home again), for the repose of the soul of my Uncle Shawn who passed away early Monday morning, and for our little toddler who is currently fighting a high fever. |
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| Baby’s Profile at 28 Weeks |
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| June 11th: I saw my doctor this morning for our 30 week check-up and everything is looking perfect 💗 I’m so so grateful this pregnancy is going much better than my last, that I’m able to keep food down now, and that I’m still able to walk without any issues, unlike two years ago. Thank you all for the prayers! 🌷 I haven’t done anything at all to prepare for her arrival yet – I think it’s still sinking in that another baby will be joining our family soon! – but we now have a darling gown for her and a precious little embroidered Immaculate Heart badge too! Thank you BabyMyLove and StellaMarigoldArt! |
The Catholic Child and the Saints
My dear Child: The Saints are your Special Friends in Heaven.
They are happy with God.
They are most willing and most anxious to help you, and God is so good, He will hear their prayers for you.
You must have your special friends in heaven before God, and you must often pray to them.
You will wish to pray to your Patron Saint, to St. Anthony, to St. Aloysius, to St. Stanislaus, to St. Ann, to the Little Flower.
DEAR St. Therese, thou wert always good and obedient and always did the Will of God. Now thou art a great saint in heaven with God.
Thy loving and tender heart rejoices to send down roses upon earth. O give me the sweet flower of a great love for Jesus! Pray for me that I may have all the graces I need.
Excerpt from Jesus, Make Me Worthy – A reprint of the original can be found here
Saints for Girls: A First Book for Little Catholic Girls (or directly from TAN Books here)
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