Pinewood Castle

Thankful Thursday

My little prince who likes to play "kissy smash face" every morning while we cuddle in bed.

Cherished moments in the rocking chair at bedtime when he wraps his warm little arms around my neck.

Finally figuring out how to make a Starbucks mocha at home.

Caffeine-free Vanilla rooibos tea in a thermal mug for afternoon chauffeuring.

Spell check - because I keep forgetting the "e" in chauffeuring, and I am particular about spelling in spite of the many mistakes I make on this blog.

That the Target website has printable coupons. Last trip I saved $23.

A husband who helps out with the myriad of responsibilities in raising a family.

Finding that delicate balance of approaching homeschooling with intensity and punctuality while trying to remain relaxed, fun, and happy.

For a pre-prepped Little Saints program. To my four year old, preschool time = love. Having it all prepped and ready to go in gallon zip-loc bags is the only way this program will work for me. And thanks to the two other moms who split up the work!

That I have two more chances to do a better job homeschooling the elementary grades. I can't go back now, but can make better plans for the future.

For great homeschooling forums with moms who always have wise answers to your burning questions.

Thankful that we finally got around to the history-based writing assignments.

For all 2200 comments left here since 2007. I can't tell you how much even a little feedback brightens my day.

For blanched almond flour. It sounds corny, but gluten-free never tasted so good.

For the local appliance repairman who came to our home the morning of Holy Saturday and resurrected our refrigerator/freezer. This saved everything from our last Costco trip except the ice cream.

A mild winter and an early spring. I feel totally spoiled. Finally, Mother Nature has taken pity on displaced southerners in Minnesota.

For well-loved fairy costumes. Wings worn upside down with holes in them are even more beautiful to a mother's who has seen the enchantment they have brought to three little girls in the last seven years.

 

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for . . .

A sweet four year old girl in the house. Only a four year old girl would stand outside the shower waiting to tell you she dreamt she was a pink princess with a pink flower in her hair. Precious.

The rare mornings I wake to the sound of Classical MPR at 6 am instead of crying at 5 am.

Day 5 of weaning my Little Prince. This is redefining our relationship. It's very bittersweet not knowing if I will ever nurse a baby again, or if my kids will ever see me nurse one of their little siblings again. After 8-9 total years of nursing, this is a significant milestone.

Being invited to a very creative and fun Sibling Shower.

Miracles!

The Crawley sisters who finally graced the halls of Downton Abbey with some musical talent. What a magical scene that was when Matthew walked in unexpetedly!

A clean and organized bill desk basket with pretty file folders and notebooks. (Files: Correspondence, Upcoming Events, VIP Catalogs, Grocery.Coupons, Photos, Vacation Ideas, Current Year Home-school Receipts, Health Info, Neighborhood Directory, Violin Receipts, Recipes to Try.)

Joe's clean and better organized basement shop.

Eating our Way through the USA with my 4th grader.

Having a 6th grader who actually wants to take charge of making home-made pizza every Friday. "It's easy!" she claims.

And an almond flour pizza crust that tastes much better than the cauliflower one I last tried.

Finally figuring out once and for all that milk, excess sugar, and wheat make me feel really bad.

Three weeks in a row of very productive home-schooling.

A break next week for testing and field trips.

Plans finish the school year by the end of August even with one week off at Easter, one week around Memorial Day, two weeks in June, two in July, and two in August.

Wool socks.

We are finally getting some snow here and there. We may even get enough cover to justify getting out the snow books (like the ones on my January Bookshelf sidebar). Last year at this time we had received 60" of snow - this year only 12".

A helpful toddler.

Mr. Rogers free with Amazon Prime.

The neighbor boy (who owns the BB gun that shot out the glass in our back door) came over with his father to apologize and take full responsibility of replacing and paying for the replacement glass.

And lastly - the Big Sister who teaches her baby brother how to play piano!

Thankful Thursday

For my husband who, for the first time in . . . a long time, brought me flowers after a trying day.

 

For the short periods in time when I can see my son look, sing, and behave like an angel. Thank you, boy's choir.

 

Black belts two for $10 at Target. For choir, not karate.

 

For allergy meds that allow me to once again enjoy a real Frasier Fir.

And for close proximity to a real tree farm.

 

For strong daddies who lift up their littlest girl so she can be the one to place the angel on top.

 

For eyes (and hands) full of wonder and delight.

 

For the photo ornaments my sister sends every Christmas to each of the children.

 

For candle light and colored light, Jesse Tree and Star Path, advent wreaths and advent calendars that help us mark the days and prepare our hearts for Christmas.

Amazon Prime.

For the chance to get out of the house and resume book club after a very long baby break.

For the chance to see the December Full Cold Moon rise over Lake of the Isles.

 For kitties who curl up in the darndest places.

 

For the ability to drink coffee and own a smart phone without having to constantly hold one or the other like a fashion accessory.

For the completion of at least some of our hand made Christmas gifts ~ phone cases for teachers made by the children and the knitted gingerbread boy I made for the Little Princess (from Kid's Knitting).

 

For this beautiful dresser scarf one of my oldest and dearest friends sent me years ago. I try not to think of how long it took her to embroider this:

When it takes me four hours just to do this:

 

 For the upcoming reprieve from running to choir and ballet and karate and violin and piano.

For the decision to switch Sunshine from ballet to theater beginning in January. This better fits her passion and personality - and I won't have to make that extra trip back to ballet to pick her up at 7:30 pm.

For friends who call or write to catch up. Some relationships are best nurtured off-line.

And best of all - thankful that we are not yet knee deep in snow! Winter in Minnesota lasts long enough!

 

 

Thankful Thursday - Thanksgiving Day

First of all, I am thankful ~ to be sitting at the computer right now after spending the entire day in the kitchen. We produced a double batch of Wheat Belly granola, a batch of Oatmeal Scotchies for Grandpa's cookie jar, and five pies: pumpkin, pecan, caramel-apple, egg-free pumpkin, and wheat-free sugar-free pumpkin. I think the dishwasher ran four times today.

Thankful ~ that my husband didn't kill me for not liking any of the aqua paint samples we thought we had decided on. They were just - too much. We had to go back to the paint department and look for something less - perhaps a pale blue or green. 

Thankful ~ for a busy and full month. There was the great escape to the Mill District with my girls, a piano recital for the older three, a Very First Orchestra Concert for my eldest girl (perhaps the first of hundreds or thousands, who knows?), a new three-quarter sized violin her too, a boy's choir pancake breakfast, field trips to the Minnesota Orchestra Young People's Concert and the Children's Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz, a trip up to my in-laws to celebrate Grandpa's 70th birthday, book club and home school mom meetings for me, and an informational meeting about a possible European Tour with MacPhail the summer of 2013.

Thankful ~ that in spite of his behavior at home, my son was named Choir Boy of the Month. I resisted the temptation to call the director and fill him in. However, we do have to evaluate his table manners this week and turn in a written report to the director!

Thankful - for the protection of my guardian angel while maneuvering around a car that spun out beside me and in front of me on an icy curve last Saturday.

And just for fun, I'm going to join in Rachel's ABC'c of Thanks. It will probably be short because I am so tired and forgot to take many pictures this month!

A - Apples - the last of the honey crisp apples in my fridge. They were so very good.

B -All my babies. Even the ones who have grown up into big kids. They will always be my babies.

C -Comments. Thankful for the few that keep me going and enjoying being a blogger.

D -Daddy. What would our family be without him?

E -Envelopes. Envelopes with the handwriting of someone I actually know and love.

F -Friends IRL and online. I need a balance of both.

G -Guacamole with celery. I've never had it as frequently as we have in the last five weeks. Somehow Costco's avocados have all been perfect.

H -Horseplay with dad. I love sitting back and watching the him and the kids go at it before bedtime.

I -Ice Cream at Cold Stone. Kids we have at least one plus sign at the end of the week instead of check marks get to go there with Dad.

J -Jack-o-lanterns in the garbage instead of molding on the porch.

K -My kids, my opus.

L -the Larkrise to Candleford book by Flora Thompson is a fascinating read. Much different than the BBC series, but you can tell where the writers plucked their ideas for the show.

M -Music of course. Renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, neo-classical, and even some modern music makes my day.

N - Nuts. Who knew you could bake cookies with almond flour? And nature hikes - I almost lost the kids in the moss-covered Enchanted Forest. Here's my one picture to share:

O - Ovens - double ovens. I use both ovens so often I hate to think of how I would survive with just one.

P -Promo codes. Lands' End has 30% off and free shipping for orders over $50. Use stuffing - 5874. Expires Monday.

Q -My "It's Good to be Queen" coffee mug. We moms have a regal vocation.

R - Rest. I need much more of it to get the twitch in my eye to go away.

S -My sister. She is great about keeping in touch and I love having her just a phone call away. Also for my cousin Sarah. I hear from her in bits and spurts but so glad she keeps in touch with her U.S. relations.

T -My toddler. He's such a stinker. A very cute and lovable stinker. You know what I mean if you saw my last post.

U -Dare I say - underwear? I rejoice when my son has seven pairs in the wash each Monday. Sometimes there's only one or two. Yuck.

V -Violin playing - the girls are making great strides this year. It's just so exciting.

W -Work. My husband's work, that is. We are so blessed that he has a great job and wonderful co-workers.

X - eXtra great kids.

Y -Yogurt with berries.

Z - Zany kids who make us laugh every day.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thankful Thursday

I really need to reflect on what I am thankful for lately. Sometimes with modern day social media it is all too easy to do one of two things: complain or brag. Even if you just mean to share, what you say online can easily come across as complaining or bragging. The effort to avoid doing either one is an art I am far from mastering.

Honestly, I really feel like complaining this week. I am tired. I feel like every day I have to run a marathon and I always come in last place. Good thing I can pass the baton when my husband comes home and he gladly helps out with some of the driving, dishes, and getting the littles to bed.

Sometimes we bloggers tend to put our best feet forward and make our very normal lives seem more special and perfect than they really are, at least it can seem that way to others. Some readers get intimidated, others know better! In reality, blogging is most often an effort to reflect on what is good about life, to live intentionally, and especially to find and claim the joy in what we do.

So how about a happy balance this time? Here's a touch of realism from Pinewood Castle this week:

Thankful ~ that my wonderful husband has caught up to me and is now in the over 40 club.

 

He was treated to some gourmet wine & cheese, a Camping Guide to the North Shore and another paper creation from Sunshine. Recognize the setting?

Not Thankful ~ for the twitch in my eye this week. The Little Prince wakes up crying at 5:30 pretty much every.single.morning. And he is getting his molars and waking up in the night several days a week. We are getting too old for this. And he hates his Hanna hat. I love his Hanna hat.

Not thankful - that he has discovered the joys of coloring my desktop with highlighters.

Thankful ~ that we found the Little Princess hiding under our bed one morning at 6:30. I went into the girls' room, saw that her bed was empty, and we hunted for a terrifying fifteen minutes. All the time I tried not to think about the possibilty that a weirdo blog reader had abducted her.

Thankful ~ that a biopsy lab test turned out normal.

Not Thankful ~ that I have been getting headaches every night and day that I eat one of those melt-in-your-mouth birthday chocolates.

Not Thankful ~ that I succumbed to a coffee sample at Costco at 4:00 one Saturday afternoon and slept a whole two hours from midnight to 2 am.

Thankful ~ that I picked up the phone on my nightstand that sleepless night, surfed around, and found a link to the Wheat Belly book and blog. A week and a half later I have lost five pounds. This is motivating. I need some motivation to get serious about losing weight after going 19 months without any.

Thankful ~ that some dear readers have clicked book links here and the Amazon credit that came my way almost covered the cost of the Wheat Belly book that is on it's way.

Not Thankful ~ that there has been a big shake up at with the choir boys organization, the two top directors have been fired, and the future of this organization is in question. My faith is rattled, but hopefully the addage of "when one door closes another one opens" will ring true in this case.

Still not thankful - that the girls are in different ballet classes with different pick-up times. But - very thankful for the opportunity to see them in action during the academy's Parent Observation Week.

Thankful ~ that the girls had a wonderful experience playing their first recital at MacPhail. Sunshine played Paganini with flair and Dancer rendered Dvorak's Humoresque with feeling.

Thankful ~ for our wonderful new violin teacher. She is so positive and has such confidence in the girls.

Thankful ~ that Grandma & Grandpa were able to come down to hear the recital and brought us our first ever snow blower, courtesy of his late paternal grandpa. It must be at laeast twently years old but as long as it still runs we are glad to have it.

Thankful ~ that we did not get an October snowfall like the east coast. It's been known to happen in Minnesota.

Thankful ~ that Aunt Charlotte finally made good on her birthday gift to the Karate Kid: indoor rock climbing.

Thankful ~ that Karate Kid's speech therapy through the public school is off to a good start.

Thankful - for the new shower head my husband picked up at Costco. Hello water pressure!

Thankful ~ that my husband, with one child on each hip, takes the little ones down for breakfast every morning so I can enjoy some Introvert Time before facing the day.

Thankful ~ that the girls and I are going on a little musical get-away this weekend!

Fortunately the Thankfuls outnumber the Not Thankfuls. Now maybe if I can catch up on some sleep this weekend the bumps in life will not seem so very difficult!

Thankful Thursday - Autumn

Morning Glories. Finally!

 

Baby boys who love baby dolls.

Big Girls who still love dolls.

 

 

Big Brothers and Baby Brothers.

 

Board books. Even those we have memorized.

 

Apple Time.

 

Preschoolers who still take an occasional nap in unusual places and unexpected outfits.

 

Sleeping Forest Folk.

 

 

The coziness of autumn candlelight.

 

 

 

Thankful Thursday - Camping Edition

Last Friday night our family experienced our first real camping trip. By real, I mean that there was no option of taking shelter indoors if anything went wrong.

For years I have procrastinated family camping for fear that it would be too hot, that it would rain, that there would be too many mosquitoes, that the baby would cry in the night and not sleep well, that the showers would be gross. As long as we could possibly swing it, I have voted (and gotten my way) for a hotel suite or adjoining rooms. Well, this year we couldn't swing it so I decided to give camping a try rather than stay home all summer. A few hundred dollars in equipment is nothing compared to a week of hotel bills.

{The first night we were all in one tent and our luggage in the other. The second night the kids got the blue tent and we got the big tent with the baby}

Were my fears unfounded? No! When we arrived at our campsite (a county one - all the state parks are closed due to a government shutdown) it was nearly 100 degrees, humid, and with a relentless 20 mph wind. Sometime between pitching the tent in the wind and dinner I got a mega headache and by the time we were brushing our teeth a severe thunderstorm rolled in.

It took hours for the storm to subside and the baby to calm down enough to sleep and my headache persisted all night. Lying awake feeling damp, cross, and miserable I planned the speech I would give my husband the next day, explaining that camping was just not for me, that we should cancel our reservations for the rest of the summer and just stay home because this suffering and misery just wasn't worth it. Plus, the bathrooms were gross (rusty water, full of bugs), there was no swimming beach and mosquitoes ate us alive. My poor baby had bites all over his face and neck even though we tried to keep him in the tent the whole time. {Lori, you were right!}

God humbled my proud heart at His earliest convenience. When the birds woke me up at 5:00 and I check the news on my iPhone I realized how lucky we were that a branch did not fall and kill one of our children. How lucky we were that we did not take shelter in a nearby B&B that caught fire in the middle of the night. Lucky that we would not come home to find a tree through the roof of our house. Lucky, protected, spared. Obviously I do not know what misery really is. It could have been so much worse.

After the first night we actually had a great time. It was still hot, but the ultra high humidity broke. The wind died down. We left the campground for the day and explored Mankato, MN and saw the attractions on our itinerary:

The Hubbard House

The Betsy and Tacy Houses

The Bench!

And a huge highlight - I actually recognized a fellow blogger this time - not like last year!

This is Grace from Our Field of Little Flowers. She was with her LIttle Flowers group visiting the Betsy-Tacy houses too!

 

The next night in the tent was not nearly as hot or humid. We packed up, made it to 11:30  Mass at the beautiful church of Sts. Peter and Paul, headed to New Ulm and enjoyed this quaint German town.

The Wanda Gag house (Millions of Cats)

The Schell Brewery

the Cathedral

{photo from the Cathedral website}

and we climbed 100 feet to see New Ulm from the top of Hermann the German

Even though I am most grateful to be home and back in my own bed, I think I might be willing to try this camping thing again if it means we can explore this state.

Misery is relative.

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. ~ Psalm 107:1

 

 

Thankful Thursday

It's not too late in the day is it?

There are a few things I would like to contribute to what has become my weekly gratitude journal:

:: I am married to the Best Dad in the World.

:: The four days of the baby's fever and two days of ear infections are over.

:: We finally figured out why the front lawn looks so bad - we have a grass fungus. At least we know what to do about it now.

:: It rained all week while two out of three children finished their official curriculum. We were not at all tempted to play hooky.

:: The kids aren't complaining too much about the music, math and reading maintainance schedule I have planned for the rest of the summer.

:: We finally replaced our defunct de-humidifier. Even though it runs in the basement, it helps reduce humidity in the entire house.

:: We took the time to read The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. This book exposed the kids to some topics not normally in our curriculum such as World War II, the immigrant experience, Maria's funny stories about her  mix-ups in learning English, death, etc. This book took a month longer than I had planned, but it was worth it.

:: I got the rest of next year's curriculum ordered and it looks like our costs are less than last year's.

:: I overcame my unfounded aversion to Aldi and saved a bunch of money in groceries last week. Maybe the kids can stay in music and ballet after all.

:: That I am making chicken chili for dinner tonight and the weather is not too hot to eat it.

:: That this summer's science study (Apologia's Flying Creatures) is off to a great start and they have free notebooking pages on the website.

:: My children memorize poetry. At an arts fesitval last Saturday we happened upon a blacksmith at work. Sunshine blew him away with her recitation of The Village Blacksmith and he  gave her this sample of his work as a token of his appreciation:

 

:: Even though my 4yo refuses to color she has no trouble building with Wedgits.

:: The praying mantis case hatched just in time for our flying creature study and a few of them survived.

:: My 7yo finally finished corking his recorder case in time for the last day of school.

Can you tell I am trying to be optimistic this week? The baby has had some incredibly crabby days, we have pink mold on our grass (and I am allergic to mold), it's been rainy, humid and cool all week, one child is six weeks behind, my preschooler refuses to color, most of the mantises died, and we are really trying to reduce the homeschooling and grocery bills. But all is still good. All of these discomforts are nothing in comparison to our many blessings!

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

- Psalm 107:1

Thankful Thursday

Thankful that so much real life is happening that I hardly have time to sit at the computer and blog! Over the last two weekends we have enjoyed the Catholic Home School Conference (MCHEC), a trip to the Zoo, the girls' ballet recital, and more time in the gardens.

Also thankful that sometimes the weather in MN is nice enough to be outdoors for hours on end that the fresh air and exercise makes me too tired to stay up and blog at night.

Thankful for our adorable Little Prince, now fondly referred to as Walking Trouble, who creates messes wherever he goes! He "cleans" the cat dishes, "folds" my kitchen towels, brings us the pizza pan several times a day, and constantly climbs the stairs then immediately hollers for someone to get him down. There's no rest for anyone as long as he's awake.

Thankful for my dear friend and her daughter who helped me clean out the over-grown black-eyed Susan bed one weekday morning. I am thankful she let me reward her by sharing more overgrown plants: black-eyed Susan (of course), as well as lamb's ears, daffodils, lily of the valley, oregano, Russian sage and coreopsis.

Thankful for our children's Godparents!

Thankful for discounts at the nursery for a little instant gratification!

Thankful for finally finding some historical novels by Tracy Chevelier that I can't put down: Girl With a Pearl Earring, Falling Angels, and Remarkable Creatures. 

Thankful for stylists who can cut hair on a moving target. I could never have done so well. Buzz cuts I can do, but toddlers and little girls go to someone who knows what they are doing!

Thankful for Pentecost and the annual Twelve Fruit Salad. We should make this much more often!

 

Gel ant farms. Much better than sand!

That feverish babies recover with lots of nursing and TLC.

Thankful that not all deer ticks carry Lyme's. They are so tiny that for two days I thought my daughter had a little scratch on her face that scabbed over. When I saw the scab was flaking I impulsively picked it off only to discover that the little scab had legs! Yuck!

Thankful for lawn treatment that (supposedly) kills over thirty kinds of insects and that mosquito spray that makes our backyard bearable to be in after months indoors. Some chemicals are just worth the risk.

Thankful that by July I will have more time to finish ordering curriculum and preparing materials for the next school year. I am chomping at the bit to get it done and will share our plans when it's all decided!

Thankful Thursday

Another week to be thankful for!

Thankful that we don't have a lake cabin (or a close friend or relative with one) so we could spend Memorial weekend getting the lawn and garden ready for summer.

Thankful that seeds really do sprout! They present an opportunity to practice delayed gratification while greatly reducing the overall lawn and garden budget.

Thankful for this empty double shepherd's hook that reminds me to wait for this weekend's sale on hanging pots at the nursery.

Thankful for kids who cheerfully pitch in and work together and for a husband who plants the vegetables while I take care of the flowers.

Thankful that my husband knows how to pitch a tent and that our kids think camping in the backyard is exciting enough.

Thankful that we discovered the slow leak in our air mattress at home instead of on the road. Thankful that I could escape the tent at midnight for my own bed! (Plus, it got down to 47!)

Thankful for all the money we will save on hotels by camping on our vacation this summer. (Can you tell we are working on the budget around here?)

Thankful for God-made air freshener.

Thankful that I had enough hair to salvage after an impulsive and disastrous trip to Great Clips. The stylist there interpreted "angled bob" as "a crooked v-shaped chunk" out of the back of my hair. Thank you, my Aveda salon, for taking me back. I learned my lesson. Some things are worth the money and a professional cut is one of them.

Thankful this Memorial Day for all who have died to protect our country.

Thankful for girly pigtails and fraternal play.

Thankful for amazing parks smack dab in the city and hiking trails without mosquitoes. This family field trip really deserves it's own post. Maybe I will get to it.

Thankful for each of my children as we wrap up the last few weeks of the school year.

Thankful for a new month in which some activities come to an end and new ones begin.

Thankful Thursday

THANKFUL

 

For another child old enough to receive the holy eucharist and all the graces that come with it.

For fun times with my family from Oklahoma.

For their safe return through tornado alley.

(Joplin, MO was on their route home)

 

That the tornado that hit Minneapolis missed our First Communion reception by a few miles.

(and deeply sorry for the people whose homes were hit)

 

That Magnum bars are now available at Target and my memories of enjoying them with musician friends on the shores of Lake Geneva the summer of '97.

 

For learning about Homeschool Classifieds and the hope of trimming next year's school bill by buying what we can used.

 

For so many ideas out there for celebrating the 50 days of Easter with the Garden of the Good Shepherd calendar.

Lilacs in bloom.

Writing teachers on DVD who make little girls giggle.

Succussfully teaching triple digit subtraction with borrowing to one more child.

That sometimes we make it to a professional photographer so we can get non-blurry family portraits with everyone represented!

 
  

For spring, here at last, rainy days and all.

Thankful Thursday

The once-a-week blogging groove I am in. There is so much happening in life I have so little time at the computer. Thanks for bearing with me.

 

Thankful for finding this Modest Mom blog, even though I am back to wearing pants after Lent. I go through phases.

 

Thankful I finally got my aching body to the chiropractor. I have needed to go for months but a fall I took last week (while carrying the baby) exacerbated everything.

 

Thankful that I fell in such a way that the baby was unscathed, even though I pulled countless muscles in my thigh and hip. Maternal instinct is an amazing thing. So is ibuprofen.

 

Thankful that Uncle Benny took the baby on as his little buddy. He even took over with him for most of the funeral Mass last week while Joe served as a pallbearer and I hobbled around in pain.

 

Thankful that we made it to the wildflower garden early enough this year to see trillium in bloom. I never knew there were twelve different varieties.

 

Thankful for my cat-loving daughter.

 

Thankful for my baby who stacks rolls of toilet paper and claps for himself. So cute.

 

Thankful we are finally getting spring weather even if we have to play hooky from activities to enjoy it.

 

Thankful that I finally got all the winter hats and mittens out of the mudroom and all the long-sleeved clothes exchanged for short-sleeved summer garb for all five kids.

 

Thankful for dads who read A Hole is to Dig and get all the kids giggling.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful that my children wanted so much to call this man "uncle",

that they were bold enough to tell him, and that he took it to heart. Now he has a lovely bride and ten new nieces and nephews!

  

 

Thankful for a beautiful day with too many precious moments to store in my saturated mommy brain.

 

Thankful for this special lady who so loved babies. Her joyful spirit will be dearly missed. She covers us both with all the quilts she made, and especially with her prayers - the thousands of rosaries she prayed for her eight children, fifteen grandchildren, and sixteen great-grandchildren. Thank you, Grandma, for being so good to our children.

May her soul rest in peace and keep praying for us.

Thankful Thursday

A triple birthday party - 4, 11 and 66!

that cake decorating class I took years ago, even though it took me two tries to get this one right

the children's dedicated aunt who came to the birthday party the weekend before her own wedding and the day after her bachelorette party

that Sunshine makes such beautiful works of art for her sister's birthday

 

and that the girls are using their excited little hearts and hands to make these clothespin dolls for the bride and groom

 

delivering May Day baskets to next door neighbors

 

cool invitation kits from Illuminated Ink

 

a successful spring violin recital

the laundry-loving kitty

the kitty-loving baby

the Big Boy look after his first haircut

a care package from my cousin in the merry land of England, very merry this past week

the month of May with wonderful celebrations to look forward to - and hopefully better weather

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. ~ Psalm 107:1

 

 

 

 

 

Thankful Thursday - Eastertide

our first egg tree

(though I am not sure how to change the water when it gets yucky)

husbands who take charge of egg dyeing

the Pascal Candle - a centerpiece that truly centers us

superglue for fixing angel wings (they break off every year)

girls in bunny ears

my blue eyed baby boy (who will not wear his bunny ears)

deer-proof daffodils (unlike tulips)

sprouted wheat berry grass for preschool play (not as messy as flour in the jelly-roll pan)

super-hard basket hunts (in the stock pot on the top shelf above the oven)

 

lamb cakes that don't fall (completely) apart

bonds forged between brothers and sisters

spring birthday parties for my first-born

 Now, if the spring weather would just come to stay!

Thankful Good Friday

Yes, it's Good Friday, not Thursday. Since there will be no time to prepare for school this weekend I am at the computer to update and print the plans for next week. Now that I am here I am remembering all the other things I need to do like: send an email reminder about the next buying club order date, print the next lapbook for my 2nd grader (Things I See in Church), write my Thankful Thursday post. Oops - I forgot or didn't have time to write my Thankful Thursday Post!

A quick week in review might do?

Today we accomplished a half day of school and dashed off to the Cities for the 2:00-4:00 Good Friday service. It took an hour and a half to get home with the weekend rush and the rain. We ate dinner by candlelight and put our paper Jesus in the paper tomb. With as little electric light as possible we cleaned up, prayed and got the kids to bed. Thursday we made the Sweet Unleavened Bread I found on Melissa's blog. All it need this morning was a piped icing cross and it doubled nicely as Hot Cross Buns. Tomorrow after cleaning the Easter decorations will come out, eggs will be dyed, the lamb cake made and the leg of lamb marinated. If all goes well I will get back to the Cities for the vigil with one or two children, though it might depend on the weather and the price of gas.

I am combining some ideas for an egg tree - we are going to use the Garden of the Good Shepherd sticker calendar again, this year with the menu Jessica and Charlotte jointly devised and generously shared. After seeing Melissa's egg tree (I got all kinds of ideas from her posts this year) I thought of putting the scripture verses that go with the Good Shepherd calendar in the eggs, (though surely everyone else has thought of this too and I am just behind on blog reading this lent). My 5th grader typed them up, cut them out, and both girls pitched in to string the eggs with ribbon and number the bottoms from 1-50. Now I just need to cut some lilac branches since a storm blew over our forsythia!

What else - it was a big week for music and culture. The kids loved the production of Annie we ventured in to see -

 

It took our minds off the weather that particular morning - isn't that a sad sight? The snow melted by noon and the daffodils did survive, thankfully.

 

The girls had their very first opportunity to present an oral report for the violin studio. These are the very first display boards I have ever had to buy as a mom.

 

 

Sunshine came up with the Handel puppet all on her own - he did the talking!

 

Both girls finished their 100 Day Practice Challenge -

 

And enjoyed their prizes -

 

 

Dino missed a day or two and had to start over. He'll get there.

Sunday we attended a Czech/Slovak festival. We enjoyed the music, food and dancing while learning a thing or two about their Czech heritage on the paternal side of the family. No photos of that I guess. Too busy holding the baby.

That's about it. Oh, except that I had the kids work independently this week so I could clean their rooms. Five trash bags, ten give-away bags, and lots of dusted dustbunnies later the rooms looked great, but I was exhausted, physically and emotionally. My kids are such pack rats and have trouble letting anything go. This purging required tough love but I am glad it's done after procrastinating so long. It feels good - all of us feel better. The best part is that my son made his bed this morning, neatly, without being reminded because he wants to keep his room looking nice!

So this week I am thankful for all of this and especially for Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for love of us. Please pray for me and I will pray for you. This morning as I was putting some recipes in my spring notebook, I lamented (though I don't think I sighed - I really tried to give up sighing for lent, among other things), I lamented that I had not continued the cookbook project I started over a year ago. My son, hearing this said, "I get why you don't really like being a mom. It's a lot of hard work." Wow. I appreciate that he realizes that motherhood is hard work, but realize that I must not be pulling it off with joy and ease, in spite of prayer and all the mothering books and blogs I read. I still need lots of help. Heart help. God's love help.

Well, I really had better get next week's schedules done and get on with the Triduum. I wish you a happy and holy Easter!

Thankful Thursday

eating lunch on the sunny back steps

itsy bitsy spiders

chocolately faces

putting away snow pants and woolies

taking our babies for an afternoon walk

little bouts of the blues that are lifted

the springtime chorus of frogs coming from the ponds and marshes

feeling like a bear coming out of hibernation

French pressed coffee on the table every morning, lovingly made by my husband

the new sofa (and chair)

grand kids spending time with grandparents and great grandparents

 

a child's amazing capacity to memorize long poems like Paul Revere's Ride

baby's first time walking in the grass

family field trips after Sunday Mass

Catholic missionaries in Minnesota history whose stories are told in paintings hanging in the Governor's reception room

(Fr. Hennepin naming the these falls in the Mississippi River "St. Anthony". They were later used to power Minneapolis flour and lumber mills)

learning that our state motto is in French, not Latin: L’etoile du Nord (translation: “Star of the North”)

Family Life Today podcasts

these talks by Victoria Botkin

a refresher on how to be a cheerful servant (and how to encourage my children to help cheerfully too) in Large Family Logistics

 and this exquisite collection of Folk Songs of the British Isles arranged by Benjamin Britten and performed by vocalist Maria Jette and harpist Judith Kogan

Have a wonderful week filled with gratitude, everyone!

Thankful Thursday

fish stick fridays

new hoola hoops, clean and colorful

melting snow

the fifties - no. not the 1950's

first robin sighting!!!

returning geese

first bike ride of spring

daffodils forcing their way up through thawing earth

clean sheets

growing children

scrunchy preschool smiles

spring piano recitals

April Fool's Day tricks

babies who suddenly demand books be read to them

wide clear tape to repair ten year old board books

all-day princess, two or three days running

fields of deer as I drove home from choirboys at dusk

not hitting any deer as I drove home from choirboys at dusk

my above average Joe

my above average Joe who does the Costco shopping on his way home from work

children who are already hoping for another baby even though we are nowhere near ready for that yet

the first blossom

a spring that has finally arrived, even if little bursts of winter in April are to be expected

Thankful Thursday

for affordable Young People's Concerts

for directors of orchestra education who wisely include choreographed dance to Debussy's La Mer

for children who used good enough manners in a restaurant after the concert (even though they don't always use the best table manners at home) to garner a compliment from a little old lady at a nearby table who happened to be the founder of ECFE in Minnesota (Early Childhood Family Education)

for my husband who recognized that I was turning into a zombie with just a teacup of coffee and reinstated my big queen mug

for another opportunity to give a recital at the assisted living center, this time with two other students from the violin studio and for the talented Suzuki mom who can play all the piano accompaniment

that I finally finished my husband's scarf, just in time for spring

and that he let me buy five skeins of merino wool to get it long enough

for maple syruping days at the nature center

for one last trip to the nature center before they tear it down and build a new one

time with grandma & grandpa

for learning that egg-free cakes fall apart, to make the big decorated birthday cake with eggs for everyone else and serve egg-free cupcakes to the egg-free girl

for birthday packages from Oklahoma

for the opportunity to nurture another baby through the first year of life

for the smiles and tears and belly laughs this little boy brings to our family

Thankful Thursday

hearing Katie McMahon live after years of listening to her amazing celtic voice on CDs

perfectly ripe pears

40% off at Christopher & Banks and a new outfit to wear to the wedding

just a teacup of coffee being enough

celebrating the feasts of Saints Patrick and Joseph with friends

headaches that go away

a day of cold rain (Tuesday) instead of a blizzard

another eight inch blanket of snow (Wednesday)

a whole day at home since piano was cancelled

just a few dates being sweet enough for dessert

a new and zippy computer custom assembled by my techie husband

confirmation that red #40 is another tantrum-inducing ingredient for our 3yo

getting an appointment scheduled with an allergist

my thoughtful sister

inquisitive children

children who are in an unusually cheerful mood on a rainy day

viewing a hilarious and helpful DVD by Carol Barnier about allowing wider margins in life

the promise of summer and a new school year

so many wonderful curriculum options from which to choose

feeling like I am finally figuring out what to use and the confidence that I will have things finally figured out for the 4th child

baby's first steps (he keeps falling before I can get to the camera)

Thankful Thursday

Clean van interiors.

New watch batteries.

An unexpected copy of Life: Beautiful. I am not sure if this is a promo copy or if someone gifted me with a subscription, but it is appreciated none the less.

My new GHD. Vanity, I know. But it smoothes the new hairs growing in after so much post-partum hair loss.

A beautiful wedding invitation from my SIL.

Finding a sweet and affordable flower girl dress for the wedding.

Friends who think of us when selling their Hanna dresses.

My teething baby who can now whine, "Ma ma ma ma ma!"

Witnessing my children make loving sacrifices for one another.

For the one child in particular who has a bigger heart than the rest of us. None of us deserve her but God gave her to us anyway.

An unexpected afternoon off from group violin. I forgot how long, productive, and yet relaxing a weekday afternoon at home can be.

Having daddy along on our IMAX Hubble field trip. Outings are always more fun (and less stressful) with his help.

Looking through spring catalogs without the desire to purchase a single thing except needed children's clothing (but it's still fun to look).

55 degrees. Yes, FIFTY FIVE DEGREES!!!

St. Patrick's Day!

 

Thankful Thursday

Is it Thursday again? Already?

Lord Jesus, this week I am thankful for:

~ Periods of preparation. Not that we can force our own conversion just because it is Lent, but we can make use of all the known ways to foster a closer relationship with God. We can do our part and invite God to send the grace to do the rest.

~ Donut Sunday. After two years the parish included the 11:30 Mass attendees. What a treat to spend some fellowship time with other families indoors after Mass!

~ One last mint mocha decaf for a long, long, while.

~ That you didn't send us another foot of snow on Ash Wednesday so we could meet daddy for noon Mass.

~ Friends who trade off driving to choir boys and the one day of the week I do not have to leave the house for anything.

~ Little illnesses that disappear after a nap or a good night's sleep.

~ New carseats that you don't have to remove and re-thread the straps to adjust the shoulder height.

~ Children old enough to make their own snowmen - whole family of them!

~ Handmade spinning tops made by my mother's cousin. They are perfectly shaped, balanced and are little wonders. I wish I could remain so perfectly balanced and steady while my world spins around me.

~ Standing babies!

Thankful Thursday

Dearest readers, I apologize for appearing to recommend a book I have not read yet. I feel prey to the "but everybody's reading it" mentality when I ordered One Thousand Gifts and now that I have read the reviews more carefully I got cold feet and cancelled the order. I should have listened to my intuition. Maybe you will like it but I just had a few qualms. In the process some fellow moms have provided some wonderful recommendations. I Believe in Love: A Personal Retreat Based on the Teaching of St. Therese, Holiness for Housewives and Victory over Vice by Fulton Sheen are titles now on the way.

Still, I feel the need to focus on being grateful and appreciative this Lent and suspect this would be a little but powerful gift I could give the Lord and one that He would greatly appreciate from me. Instead of jumping on the 1,000 Gifts bandwagon I will just go back to the good old Thankful Thursdays, starting today.

Lord Jesus, I am so thankful . . .

~ that single digit temperatures might not return for another nine months

~ for wood burning fireplaces and enough firewood to see us through March

~ that this is the year our vision insurance pays for new frames

~ for my husband's job, bonus and tax return

~ for CDs with the songs Pa sang in the Little House books that make the scenes come to life

~ for Archer Farms pasta and the delicious recipes right there on the package

~ for labels listing common allergens

~ readers who bless me with their egg allergy knowledge and experience

~ our violin teacher who not only didn't mind that I stayed out in the van with sleeping little ones, but was also happy for us that they were getting a good nap

~ day 50 of the 100 day practice challenge

~ the opportunity to hear the goosebump-inducing Texas Boy's Choir (this is an amazing 5th-12th grade SATB choir)

~ our mantle clock that chimes loudly enough to double as a school bell

~ my husband's teamwork in raising and educating our children (and changing burned out lightbulbs - thank you honey, you light up my life!)

 

 

Thankful Thursday

It's that time of year again - everyone is doing their planning for next school year, ordering books and curriculum and running out of bookshelf space. Our little home school here at Pinewood Castle is no different. Because the shelves were getting crammed and too many little things are now within the baby's reach I am sure you can understand my appreciation for another tall bookshelf (our 4th) in our little learning room.

My dear husband put other extra expenses on hold, took the seats out of the van and drove to IKEA on his lunch hour for another Billy bookcase.  And get this - he even vacuumed the van before putting the seats back in, God bless him!

Grateful as I am for the new addition, I did give serious consideration to re-purposing the shelf as a baby play pen - 

But my little daddy's boy was brimming with excitement over the prospect of helping daddy build the new bookshelf. He made my husband promise not to put it together without him. So I let the guys have at the assembly project  and now my classroom is good to go - for at least another year!

Thankful Thursday

For the girls' dance class and their last recital of the year!

Thankful Thursday

For Book Club - a night out with good friends, good food and drink, and discussions that keep us up past our bedtime!