Beautiful & Useful: A Jar of Little Utensils...

  I have a handful of pretty little utensils that were getting lost in the big crock I keep my whisks, spoons and spatulas in on my counter.  I was tending to the laundry on Monday and happened to glance over at a lidless canning jar on the shelf and it hit me that it would be the perfect receptacle for these short-handled things that I want to use and admire on a daily basis.  It has worked perfectly this week...  I only wish that I had thought of it sooner!

Lovely Hydrangeas...

 

My fears over our frost-bitten hydrangea bushes were completely unfounded...  Just look at how lush these lace-cap ones are! 

Star Wars Confections...

 

 

  When I asked our newly minted six-year-old what kind of cake he would like, his reply was a chocolate and vanilla one.  I made a chocolate layer cake (with a sprinkling of tiny chocolate chips over top) and iced it with cream cheese frosting.  Once that was done, I rummaged through the boys' room to find something interesting to decorate it with.  I spotted a figurine of Luke Skywalker and knew that it would be the perfect cake topper.  A sprinkling of edible glitter stars left over from The Meeting of the Lord completed things and it looked rather elegant atop the pretty pink glass platter.  Though it was a very simple cake, our birthday boy really liked how it looked!

SIX!

Happy, happy birthday to our littlest love!  We love you so much!

Nearly Home...

 

 

 

I broke up the trip from my sister's home and ours with an overnight at my parent's house.  It was good to get to see my mom and dad and also to go to Liturgy at their church.  I stopped at one of my favorite stores afterward...  it is conveniently located halfway between my father's church and ours.  It made the perfect rest stop for this weary traveler!

Babymoon with Vivienne: Day Three...

 

 

  This is my last day with my sister and her little family.  We spent an hour or two organizing and hanging pictures around the apartment today, which are some of my favorite sorts of tasks.  I am trying to savor every moment that I have with Sampson and Vivienne before I leave this afternoon.  I'll go to part of Vigil at their church tonight and then continue to my parent's house to break up the journey home.

Babymoon with Vivienne: Day Two...

 

 

Vivienne is the sweetest little darling baby!  I am so happy that I am here to get to know her!  I am also lucky to be getting to know her handsome big brother Sampson better, too!  He is seventeen months old and such a wonderful boy!  We went out very early this morning so that his mama and sister could sleep in a bit and his papa could get ready for work.  I loved looking at the wonderful houses in their neighborhood and it is so nice to be able to walk into a town again.  We strolled along the main street and looked at all the shop windows and ate breakfast together.  Pushing him along in the stroller chattering away with him reminded me so much of the years I spent enjoying my own little babies.  My Merry Trio is having a lovely time with their Papa and have lots to tell me when we talk on the telephone!

Babymoon with Vivienne: Day One...

I am visiting Sampson and Vivienne for the next few days!  My husband is looking after the Trio so that I can lend a hand to Juliana and Alex and I am so excited!   This is the first trip I have taken solo in eleven years!

 

 

 

I packed up all of our things early this morning and after a delicious bagel, we left Grandfather Bear's house.  The Merry Trio and their wonderful Papa headed south to home and I trundled up North to Vermont to meet darling Vivienne, our newest niece.  I realized this morning that this is my first solo trip in eleven years and I am thrilled for it to be a trip to see my beautiful sister, brother-in-law, and their wee ones!

A Hot Day in Princeton...

 

 

It was so nice to visit with Kate and her little ones today.   We went to Princeton and I was able to get all of the present shopping done for our son's upcoming sixth birthday.  Since we both understand how hard it is to get things done around the little ones, my sister and I tend to take turns watching all of the children so the other sister can do whatever she wants without extra "help" from little hands whenever we are together.  I wish that we lived closer so that we could tag team more often!

It was very hot today.  We went into an unassuming ice cream shop near to the toy store to cool off and enjoy a little treat.  Once inside, we were greeted with this amazing picture wall and brilliant marble floor design.  There is inspiration and beauty everywhere.

Making a Wreath for Kate...

 

  Kate has wanted a wreath to hang on her front door for a long time, so we stopped at Michaels and bought faux roses and eucalyptus to make one using a grapevine wreath she already had.  I really love how it turned out and am so tempted to make one for our home!

June Sponsor News...

 

Welcome back to Liturgical Time! 

Liturgical Time provides handmade infinity veils, chapel veils, mantillas, and Christian headcoverings for their patrons to wear in church, at prayer, or in everyday life. They are the creators of the Eternity Veil - the original infinity scarf style head covering. They are able to take special orders, and to provide some customization, so don't hesitate to make special requests. Their veils are made with prayer and packaged with care. Please stop by their shop to buy a beautiful headcovering!

Tuesday...

 

 Kate arrived with her two little ones yesterday!  We spent the afternoon relaxing on the porch while the children played, knitting in hand for her and a wreath making project for me.  Pizza was ordered for dinner, which we ate with my brother once he came home from work.  We played the Best and Worst game (each person shares the best/worst thing that happened to them today) that we used to enjoy when we were children and discussed politics while we washed the dishes together...  I like who we've become.

Monday...

 

 

 

 

  My sister, Anna, very kindly took the Merry Trio to see a Memorial Day bike race downtown and so my mother and I took a little trip to Anthropologie, Trader Joes, and lunch.  We we ven stopped for a little ice cream on the way home.  It was such a wonderful treat to be with my mom alone!  Thank you, Auntie Anna!

Road Trip Blooms...

Though these roses look a little worse for wear after the four hour trip to Grandfather Bear's, I just couldn't leave them behind.  They perfumed the car the whole way here and now they'll give us sweetly scented dreams.

What I Wish I Had Done...

Things I did today:

1.  Grocery shopped

2.  Made seven meals to freeze and divide between my sister's family and  your family (plus one dinner for an elderly couple in our church)

3.  Cleaned a bathroom

4.  Bought a bakery cake

5.  Attended a baby shower

6.  Saturday night Vesper

7.  All the prep for this coming week

What I wish I could have done:

1.  Cuddled Vivienne

The Birthday Club...

My littlest sister made me an auntie again!  Her new little one arrived just after 11 pm.  I was able to wake Sugar Plum up with the news that I had just one more present for her:  a new little cousin to share her birthday with!  May 26 is a glorious day to be born...  it also happens to be her best friend's birthday!

Strawberry birthday...

 

 

 

Our girl has reached double digits!  We had a great day that began with presents in bed and ended with vanilla cake topped with vanilla icing.  It was a beautiful (hot!) day and we were able to spend a little time at the strawberry farm picking our own juicy berries, filling our little baskets.  Hopefully  we will be able to go at least once more before strawberry season is over.  In the meantime, we are savoring every delicious bite! 

TEN!

 

Happy, happy birthday to the dearest of daughters!  We love you so much! 

Living and Learning: The Week Ahead...

 

 

Watching

I heard about Julian Fellows' adaptation of Anthony Trollope's Doctor Thorne on Amazon a few weeks ago and was intrigued, but didn't really know much about the storyline.  Once I started watching on Saturday, I was hooked and blew through all four episodes this weekend.  I really loved it!  

In the Kitchen 

It's strawberry season!  Our little girl is turning 10 on Thursday and her dearest wish is to pick strawberries as part of her birthday festivities.  We'll take her after breakfast and gather as many as we can!

On My Bedside Table

I'm reading Dragonwyck after spotting it's gorgeous floral cover in the bookstore.  I'm glad that I borrowed it from the library, because though it is well written, it is basically a teenage romance novel.  I may give one of the author's other books a try because of the rave reviews, but I have a feeling that Anya Seton's books are not for me.  The covers are amazing, though!

Out of Doors

The weather has been so chilly and gray lately that I have put off getting our window boxes sorted out, but I think that this is the week that it will happen.  I love picking out the plants that go in and think that I may have finally decided on what I'm going to buy this year.  Stay tuned for more details!

Celebrating

 It is so hard to believe that we have a child who will be DOUBLE DIGITS in a few short days.  We have a nice day planned, God Willing.  Her gifts are already wrapped, but I am hoping to find a bit of ribbon to tie around her packages.  We have a big surprise for her main gift and I cannot wait to give it to her!

An Evening at the Beach...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last night was the first time we've been to the beach for a bonfire this year. We brought a little firewood with us (along with peanut butter and jam sandwiches), but the children ended up scavenging quite a lot of wood that other beach-goers left and dried beach grass for kindling.  It was chilly and we went a lot later than usual, but we were able to spot dolphins frolicking near the shore, sea gulls grabbing a dinner of wriggling crabs, and sandpipers darting over the wet sand.  Wild ponies and red-winged blackbirds rounded out our nature sightings.  We left the beach after sunset, which gave us lots of time to really enjoy our fire.  It was so wonderful to breathe in that smoky, salty air again.