Splashing Around.

A beautiful sunny day beckoned us to come out and play, so we did.  Even if only for a short time.  It felt great to just be outside.

                                     Hello warmer weather.  You're welcome to stay.

When Buttons Spill....

Just picture it.  A large tub of colorful, smooth buttons ranging from the large ones to the teeny tiny ones.  It's sitting on the table, just waiting to be used in some crafty way.  Then the mother who is clearly not thinking, hands the open tub to the one and a half year old instructing her to sit down and play with them.  Seeing this as an opportunity for some fun, she takes the tub, while the mother is not watching, and brings it to the three year old who knows what you do with a tub full of buttons.  You DUMP them, of course and then you THROW them.  Right.

I told you about the roses.  Now I can't stop making them.  I'm addicted, I think.  And so, while the children were throwing buttons in the air, I was oblivious to it all as I happily rolled felt roses.  It's safe to say the state of my house right now is disastrous.  Every single thing is out of its place. It's like every room in my house threw up- that's the best way for me to describe it.  Gross, I know.  My heart wants to sit all day and create, but my head is shouting out ORDER- bring order back to this place.  So that's what I did.  I gave myself a good helping of self-denial and stopped making roses, and instead, began to pick up.... and spend some time with the button throwers.

An interesting thought.  I preach to our children daily about how they should put back the crafts they get out after they are done with them.  Rarely do they clean up that room after creating something.  They just get up and leave.  Today when I was sitting at the table making roses, it hit me.  I hadn't put anything away for four days now.  Felt scraps covered the floor, hot glue globs had dried onto the table, yarn pieces were everywhere.  You could barely see the table under my mess.  So on Sunday, part of Father's homily was about how our children learn by imitating us......hmm, interesting.

Last summer TJ and I considered painting our door and shutters black but we never got around to it.  I think it would look so cool on a black door, don't you? 



Lots of L.O.V.E

I'd like to meet the photographers who can capture a bunch of children all looking, smiling, and posed just right.  I'd like to ask them how they do it?  I don't think it can be done.  At least, I sure can't do it.  Now, granted it was freezing outside and we had just gotten home from mass so they were hungry, but I thought it would be the perfect time to snap a few cute shots of them. What was I thinking?  The poor darlings were freezing.  We tried it in three shifts....they sat, I snapped a few pictures, we went inside, got a sucker, warmed up by the open oven, ran back out, tried it again.   

It was serious business for Evie.  She hung onto that "O" for dear life.  The kids wanted to switch letters at one point, and she just wouldn't let go of that "O".

Annie has started her very first ballet class.  It was darling to see.  I'm gonna say it....I can't believe how big she is getting.  Zellie was too cute.

Roses.

My very crafty and always thinking friend Kim, showed me how to make these darling, cute, and very easy roses out of felt.  I'm now going rose crazy.

Suck some on a gift for a friend...roses for her hair!

And Sunday was the big day for the Green Bay Packers....Superbowl Sunday!  TJ and Thomas grilled brats outside and warmed up for the big game.



And to top off this lovely weekend, the Packers WON!!!!  Whoo hoo!!  Go Pack Go!

Candlemas

How Candlemas Got Its Name 

Following Jewish tradition, on the fortieth day after a woman gave birth she would go to the Temple to present her child to the Lord.  Candlemas Day was the day -February 2nd- that the Holy Family visited the Temple in Jerusalem with the newborn Christ Child.  A prophet named Simeon saw Jesus there and declared the baby to be "the light of the world."  Hence, it became traditional to bless the liturgical candles that would be used throughout the year. - Sarah Ban Breathnach

I love this feast of the Presentation/Candlemas.  It's not a huge celebration, but one that I can relate to.  I can picture Joseph and Mary bringing their baby Jesus into the temple.  They see and meet an old man who politely grabs their child in his arms, and once holding him declares with great confidence, that this is the one whom he has been waiting for, the one who will be the light of the world.  He can now die in peace, for he has seen the salvation of the world.

This past Tuesday, Candlemas day, we awoke to see our little corner of the world covered in ice. 

I had hoped that we would bring all of our candles to Mass and then have Msgr. bless them.  But since we had a snow day and there was no school, We were able to stay warm and cozy inside.

We celebrated Candlemas by making puff pastry hearts for snack.  The kids thought it was super cool that they were using puff pastry.  I built it up saying that this is what they use in French bakeries....

puffing.....

I had been thinking for a while now, of a special way to remember to pray for our godchildren.  Lindsay gave me the idea of printing out their names and then lighting a simple votive candle for them each day.  Perfect.  Perfect to begin on Candlemas day.

I decided to add another one for the people that I wanted to remember in prayer each month.  There are birthdays, anniversaries of deaths, people who are sick, special events happening during the month, that I wanted to make sure I was remembering to pray for. 

And that evening, we ate dinner and read by candlelight.  It was a lovely way to end a beautiful feast.