Pinewood Castle

A Big Thank You

For all of your birthday wishes (here and on Facebook) and for all of the maternity clothes advice I extend my most sincere appreciation. Your tidings cheered me as I camped on the sofa with a head cold on my birthday. Yes, the night before my DH came down with a fever and I with a sinus headache and cough. My birthday was spent on the sofa in PJs with honey-lemon tea, my iPhone to keep in touch with the world, and this DVD given to my by my DH and Wild Strawberry.

It's my all time favorite. Yours too?

The children, for the first time ever, did for me what we usually do for them - read to me A Verse for the Night Before Your Birthday (Sunshine reverses numbers easily and said I would be 93!), woke me up with singing, and had a little gift at the end of the yarn that I followed from my bed to the kitchen table.

I was treated to sprinkles on my oatmeal 

and several hand-made gifts. This one from Dancer is an ear muffler to use during toddler tantrums:

A little figure from Sunshine

a necklace from Dino

 

and a beeswax ring

Who could wish for anything more?

Well, me I guess. I wished for homemade chicken soup and my DH felt well enough by evening to deliver. It was divine. And in spite of illness that persists even today, it was a Very Happy Birthday indeed.

 

the Queen of the Castle's Throne for the day

Now I am Six

When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five, I was just alive.
But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

~ A. A. Milne

Oops!

I seem to have accidentally published an unfinished draft! For those who saw my first rough sentences I have to explain where I was going with my thoughts.

I had meant to share this photo with you

of our little little toddler who did indeed benefit from your prayers and recovered, if only for a day, in time to enjoy her 2nd birthday!

All of us here at Pinewood Castle thank you!

Yesterday, however, she was back to being sick and today she is napping again on the classroom floor so we can keep our eyes and ears on her. So please do keep praying. Little answers, even for a day, mean a great deal to me.

Quickly here since I have children alone with paints in another room - what I said before is true that I (sadly) have often lost faith in prayer, especially after prayers seem to go unanswered for years. A new approach, recommended by a friend and recently adopted, is to pray for God to change the desires of my my heart - to acknowledge that while the desires of my heart may be noble and worthy, that they may not be God's desires for me. I am feeling a greater peace recently by letting go of my deepest (and I thought very good) desires and waiting faithfully for God to replace my desires with His.

I also wanted to share that a recent reading of this book - 90 Minutes in Heaven - made a huge impact on me. More about that later . . .

Blooming Buds

Did I ever mention that the last patch of snow melted weeks ago? I've been holding my breath, hoping that we would NOT be in for one last snow this spring like last year. So far so good.

Evidently, the Root Children have woken and Mother Earth is watching over their efforts to prepare for spring. I can't wait to see the painted beetles.

The forsythia went from this

to this

and the tulip buds are rearin' and ready to pop!

The lilac promises to be on time for Mother's Day

The best blossoming bud of all is our new nine year old. Here she is before her birthday party beaming about her kitty-cat cupcakes ~

When I went into labor nine years ago all the leaves on the trees were mere buds. The day we took her home the world had leafed out into a most refreshing spring green.

Happy Birthday, Dancer! May God's graces and blessings in your life blossom around you and secure you in His love.

Epiphany Birthday Party

Postponed a week due to slippery roads last weekend, but all worked out for the best.

We began with a coloring contest followed by crown decorating.

This game is "Close Your Eyes and Turn Around and Guess Who Sings Your Name". Such fun sung to the tune of Merrily We Roll Along. The name tags helped!

Tea Party time - thank you Alice for the inspiration!

And gifts or course amid a sea of crowns.


Smiling faces all around - she won this crown by having the lucky almond in her cupcake!











Happy Birthday, Sunshine!

An Epiphany Birthday

Due to slippery roads, her party had to be rescheduled. In the meantime we are enjoying the morning with these books:

Before You Were Born

This is My Wish for You

Gifts of the Magi

Here are some scenes to share -

What I am hearing as they spin, "We Three Kings of gloriant are, bearing gifts we travel so far". Well, close!

Do you see that little folded lavender paper with the gold glitter in it? Dancer gave that to Sunshine - it's a "birthday wish"!

This is My Wish For You

This is my wish for you That the spirit of beauty may continually hover about you and fold you close within the tendernesses of her wing.
That each beautiful & gracious thing in life may be unto you as a symbol of good for your soul's delight.
The sun-glories and star-glories
Leaf- glories and bark-glories Flower-glories and glories that lurk in the grasses of the field
Glories of mountains and oceans of little streams of running waters
Glories of song of posey of all the arts
May be to you as sweet abiding influences that will illumine your life and make you glad.
That your soul may be as an alabaster cup, filled to overflowing with the mystical wine  of beauty and love.
That happiness may put her arms around you,
And wisdom make your soul serene.
This is my wish for you.

Charles Livingstone Snell