{pretty, happy, funny, real}
I wasn’t the only one in the kitchen this past Saturday… Our oldest daughter has been such a huge help and loves working with me (or without me!) in the kitchen. In these pictures she is cooking the bacon for the Club Sandwiches and, unlike her mother, she never burns it! 😉
(Clearance Prices+Coupon Code+Ebates Rebate+Free Shipping=I’m so tempted to order more!)
She is still 10, but we ordered the Size 12 to give the dresses extra length, and so that they will fit her a little longer. We ordered the dress in Pink Hyacinth Stripe and Wood Lily Plaid.
(affiliate link, but I’m sure they are much less expensive at your local store)
I couldn’t resist buying the Reese’s Oreos when I was looking for Oreos for on top of our “Worm Burners.” Let’s just say it’s a very good thing that there are nine people in our family and that they didn’t last very long. YUM!!!
“WHAT just HAPPENED?!?”
“He blew out ALL the candles…”
“I know it’s his birthday, but doesn’t he know that I’m the candle-blower-outer around here?”
Don’t worry Bud, we’ll relight them for you!
Yep… All of them!
“That’s better! Now you can cut the cake.”
Par-Tee Time! {A Golf Birthday at the 7th Hole}
Looking at the pictures in this post you would never guess that I was not very prepared for Snuggles’ birthday this past week. All I had done to prepare was order a few things from Amazon (Golf Cart, Golf Ball Candy Mold, a book, and a couple Golf Games – which arrived quickly thanks to Amazon Prime) and created some food labels on Wednesday, then grocery shop Friday evening following the final day of the children’s Golf Camp & Tournament.
Saturday morning the birthday boy didn’t want to come out into the kitchen until his cake was ready so he could be “surprised!” (I really need to get back into the habit of making them the night before) so his Daddy came to my rescue and took him to town for a Birthday Smoothie and to run a couple errands. Thankfully everything came together quickly and beautifully despite my near panic attack halfway through decorating the cake! 😉
Golf Birthday Cake
After a week of Golf Camp the birthday boy asked for a “Golf” birthday this year! It’s been hard to keep up lately, and I probably should have just ordered a cake from a local bakery this year, but I was determined to make one myself. Halfway through I was worried that it was a total flop and emailed a friend for encouagement (I pretty much have a panic attack every time I attempt to decorate a cake!) but in the end you really can’t mess up a golf cake – all the imperfections just add character, right?! 😉
Supplies:
3 – 8″ Round Cakes (I made Vanilla with Chocolate CHIP)
2 – 16-oz can Vanilla Frosting mixed with Leaf Green Icing Gel for desired shade of green
Prepare and bake cakes according to directions. Cool.
Layer the cakes, with frosting in between each layer, on a cake platter. Spread a very thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake to seal crumbs. Place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes. (This make spreading the final coat of frosting so much easier.)
Golf Camp & Tournament
For the past four years our children have been attending a Junior Golf Camp Week each summer! Each day is packed with fun and includes lots of skills challenges to help the children learn and improve their golf game. The camp is affordable, even for our large family, and run by an amazing instructor (she was in the military and has absolutley no trouble organizing and teaching the group of 70 kids!) with the help of a number of other instructors/coaches.
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| First Day of Golf Camp! |
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| Day two of Golf Camp. . . Today they all remembered their sweatshirts. It should warm up, but the mornings have been chilly this week. |
Wednesday was also “Team Spirit” Day and the children were asked to come in support of their favorite team with a prize for the Best Dressed Ducks and Beavers Fans. Most of the kids showed up dressed in green/yellow but Uncle Kevin’s nieces and nephews (and all the coaches!) had him well represented. Go Beavs!
They work hard and come home exhausted. . .
Civil War Day
On Father’s Day, after getting home from Mass, I spent the afternoon resting at home with the two little ones while Sean took the five older children to a Civil War Reenactment at one of our State Parks! They stepped back in time to learn what life was like for the people who lived during those turbulent times. They wandered through the Yankee and Confederate camps and talked with both military and civilian re-enactors to learn how war affected everyone. My husband even took along my camera to take pictures for me to see and share!
(Thank you once again for all the prayers and loving comments. They have been such a comfort. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we bury our little Anthony, next to Gabriel, tomorrow afternoon. May God reward you all abundantly!)
From the Archives: The Civil War Unit Study and Lap Book
On the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua
*My husband and I did give the baby, whom we named Anthony, a conditional baptism following my miscarriage yesterday afternoon. We will meet with the cemetery next week to arrange Anthony’s burial. Please continue to pray for our family.
God’s Will Be Done
My heart sank and I whispered a prayer the minute the ultrasound tech brought up the image on the screen as she tried to find the baby inside my womb this morning. It didn’t take long for my husband and I to see that there had been no development since my last ultrasound. Deep down I already knew that we’d recieve sad news today, especially after seeing very little development between the 1st and 2nd ultrasounds combined with the disappearance of my pregnancy symptoms, but I kept hoping for a miracle and praying I would be surprised during this 3rd ultrasound with a beating heart and healthy baby. Instead our hearts broke and the tears started flowing.
Please pray for us.
I was able to schedule a follow-up appointment with the same specialist from my last miscarriage for tomorrow morning, and I’ll most likely be going to the hospital afterwards. We’ve also started to make the arrangements for our little one to be buried. It has been such a hard day.
Thank you Rosalie for the St. Gerard Hankie, and thank you all for the prayers.
May God reward you abundantly!
Please Pray
Please pray for the soul of Fr. Kenneth Walker, FSSP (pictures from his First Mass in 2012 here) who was shot and killed during a robbery at the Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy) Mission in Phoenix, AZ. Please pray for the family of Fr. Walker. Please pray for Fr. Joseph Terra, who is in critical condition but stable. Please pray for all the families who attend Mater Misericordiae. Please pray for the safety of all FSSP priests. (Update: Pray For The Priests of Mater Misericordiae in Phoenix on FSSP website)
Hiking the Gorge Trail
In this area the river cascades through a constricted channel of basalt lava and the gorge was formed over many years by the erosive action of the river.
I still can’t believe that I’ve lived here since I was a teen and this was the first time I had seen the Gorge. I have driven by in the past, but never stopped to walk the trail… I guess it took me over 20 years to visit Crater Lake for the first time too!
Here the opposite wall of the Gorge exposes two lava tubes. One, partially collapsed, looks like a cave. The other tube was plugged by a later lava flow.
The lava tubes were formed by the rapid cooling of the outer surface of a basalt flow, while the hot lava continued to flow underneath. As the molten lava drained out, it left behind a hollow tube.
The Gorge forms a chasm 500 feet long. The Gorge narrows to 25 feet from the platform’s edge to the opposite wall, and it drops 45 feet to the River.
Here on the flat surface of the lava flow, away from the Gorge wall, the trees live as a group rather than as individuals. The roots of these Douglas-firs have grown together, providing each other with nutrients and water.
Before it was cut, the roots of this tree had grafted onto those of a neighbor. Because of this, the stump continues to live.
Here at the outlet of the Gorge, a tree must be a “rugged individual” to survive the harsh conditions – the lack of soil, hot and dry summers. The Douglas-firs across the River – by sending their roots deep into the fractured rock in search of water – cling to the wall like climbers on a cliff.
This was as far as we hiked with with the little ones, but Sean took the older children down to the end of the trail to the Natural Bridges where the river disappears entirely underground into a lava tube for about 250 feet before reappearing and then continuing it’s journey towards the ocean.
{pretty, happy, funny, real} Camping
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