By Sun and Candlelight

Tons of Easter Pictures & a 32-Week Bump Shot!

Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely holiday ... our weekend was wonderful, and the weather was perfect. Just like early spring in New England should be ... sunny and 50 degrees. I have about a bajillion pictures to share with you, so I'd best get on with it!

:)

Bookworm took the picture of the crocus above. A beautiful sign of life on this most blessed day.

On the Easter Vigil, a plate of hard-boiled eggs ready to color ...

Bill helping Earlybird with egg-dipping. I had really hoped to do "natural" egg dyes this year (all the rage right now, but more importantly, a great idea for chemical-sensitive kids like EB) but I just couldn't pull it together. A project for next year perhaps? I'm sure things will quiet down once we have an infant in the house. ;)

Easter eggs always remind me a bit of Christmas lights ... two bright ends of the same circle. :)

Eggs drying ...

And baskets ready to fill ...

A few hours later, veeerrry early Easter morning ...

(Some of us were more awake than others.)

The boys and their baskets ~ time to start the day!

Four baskets this year, including one for Baby-O on the far right.

We've had this silk forsythia wreath for a few years now, and to me it has become such a symbol of spring. I love hanging it where it can catch the sun.

Cut flowers soaking up the morning sun, waiting to be arranged into vases.

My mum made 20 of these beautiful felt napkin rings ... in addition to the colors above, she also made white, lavender and deep purple flowers.

A sunny bay window filled with Easter treats for our guests ...

Earlybird receiving a special Easter gift from his Nana and Papa ...

A gorgeous wooden tree house handmade in Vermont!

The dessert station filling up ...

(Penny, these next two photos are especially for you. :))

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake made by my Uncle Karl.

A sweetly sprinkled and frosted chocolate cake made by my Mum.

Mixed candies ...

I love using old family dishes for parties like this ...

The above "asparagus" dish belonged to my grandmother - perfect for Easter or any spring gathering.

The dining room table set for eight with blue dishes (some mine, some mum's).

And the family room tables set for 12 with old family linens and our wedding china.

Just before dinner ~ it was time to look for those eggs! 

This is Connor, one of our cousins from New York. He worked so hard helping EB find all those eggs!

My dad and my brother, Matt.

My lovely Aunt Marcia with my one of my cousin's dogs ~ this is either Sophie or Lily, I'm not sure. 

A bit of a fuzzy shot, but this is my cousin Kara and her boyfriend, Manuel.

Connor's little brother, Finn ~ just two years old and the sweetest little boy.

Bookworm and my cousin Kate who kindly agreed to be Baby-O's godparents!

And speaking of Baby-O ...

32 Weeks today! (I felt like a giant Easter egg, lol.)

***

Whew, that was a whole lot of pictures! If you're still with me, I thank you for your patience, and for sharing in our day ... one of the things I love most about blogging is having this convenient place to store family pictures and memories. It's fun to look back at how we did things, who was with us, and how things have changed (or not) through the years.

:)

Have yourselves a good night, my friends ... see you here again sometime soon!

Our Easter Menu this Year

Good (Holy) Thursday, my friends!

Well, we're getting ready for the big day here - just a few days to go! And I'm trying to balance all the "outer bustle and busy-ness" with an "inner awareness and peace." Balance is always a tricky thing, but never more so at the holidays.

All this "bustle" of course is in preparation for our big family dinner ~ we're hosting it here at our house and expecting 20 people this year! I'm very much looking forward to seeing everyone and enjoying the holiday together. :)

Here is the menu I've organized with my mum:

Appetizers & Cocktails

sparkling peach sippers

soda/beer/wine

a simple punch for the kids

hot artichoke dip

shrimp dip

salsa & tortilla chips

fresh veggies & spinach dip

*

Dinner

baked ham and smoked turkey

hot fruit compote

roasted potatoes with onions

squash

corn

roasted asparagus

Annie's mac and cheese (per Earlybird's request)

assorted condiments

soft rolls and biscuits

*

Desserts

pineapple upside down cake

lemon cake

gingerbread

chocolate coconut "nest" cupcakes

salted caramel Easter popcorn

assorted candies

coffee

*

Weather permitting, there'll be an egg hunt for the kids, and maybe a little walk down the bike trail. The weather for Sunday is still looking good: highs around 50, sun giving way to clouds with perhaps a late day shower. I can live with that, especially now that he snow has all melted!

So early this Holy Thursday we're washing china and wine glasses, cleaning out the fridge, organizing table linens and neatening the boys' rooms. Meanwhile, Crackerjack is fighting a virus and Bookworm has a couple of classes to get to ... and this evening I have my echocardiogram. I'll keep you all posted on how that goes.

So, there's lots going on ... but I do have my quiet moments planned.

:)

Have a great Thursday, my friends ... see you here again sometime soon!

*❤*

Feline Friday by Crackerjack (& a Few Easter Recipes)

"Archie, Center of the Universe"

:)

While I'm here (resting in my reading corner, working in my Easter folder) I thought I'd share a couple of neat recipes I found online today:

Italian Easter Bread

Salted Caramel Easter Popcorn

DIY Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

Special holiday meals are full of flavor, memories and love -  but as much as we enjoy our familiar favorites, it's always fun to try something new. You never know what might become a new family tradition! Are you trying any new recipes this Easter?

Enjoy your weekend, my friends!

*❤*

Menu Monday

Good morning, my friends!

Well, I hope you all weathered the time change, and that your week's off to a great start. Anyone else having Downton withdrawals? Counting the Sundays till the Midwives return? Anyone catch last night's Once Upon a Time? What an ending!

Anyhoo ... here are my menus for this week. Tonight's meal may be tweaked, as I have a couple of sickies in the house - nothing severe, just moderate head colds - and that usually requires a simpler supper. But doesn't the Spanish chicken roast sound yummy?

 

Monday March 11th

Spanish chicken and potato roast, soft breadsticks

sorbet/ice cream and raspberry sauce

Tuesday, March 12th

takeout pizza (friend coming for supper*)

*postponed from last Friday due to storm

chocolate chip pan cookies

Wednesday, March 13th

baked ziti, turkey meatballs, garlic bread

winter fruit salad

Thursday, March 14th (National Pi Day)

beef pot pie, rice pilaf, roasted asparagus

pumpkin pie with whipped cream diagrams :)

Friday, March 15th

grilled cheese/carmelized onion panini, shamrock soup, tater tots

black and white banana cake

Saturday, March 16th

refrigerator smorgasbord - aka leftovers!

Sunday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day)

slowcooker corned beef and cabbage, buttermilk mashed potatoes, maple glazed carrots, Irish brown bread

apple-blackberry crumble

*

 How are your menus shaping us this week? Are you trying anything new? Planning a little Pi Day or St. Patrick's Day fun?

(p.s. Speaking of St. Patrick's Day, here's a link to the Gooseberry Patch's "Luck o' the Irish" Pinterest page. Lots of neat ideas over there!)

Have a great day, everyone ... see you here again sometime soon!

*❤*

Menu Monday (& CJ's Mexican Feast!)

Good morning, my friends! Today I'll be posting our weekly dinner menus, but I first wanted to share pictures from Crackerjack's Spanish class presentation. His group is focusing on "Las Posadas," that wonderful Mexican Advent celebration, and his duty was to bring in some special fiesta foods.

So here he is this morning (all sleepy-eyed and cowlicky, lol) holding a platter of freshly made "corn masa cakes."

A closer look at those cakes:

Yum!

And here they are in the griddle:

The recipe can be found here. Very quick and easy to make - we used frozen corn but these would be so fantastic made with fresh corn in the summer ... ooh, and garden fresh salsa! (Fyi, I found the masa harina at Whole Foods in the ethnic foods aisle.)

CJ is also bringing homemade pineapple salsa to serve with the cakes:

He's not a fan of tomato-based salsa, and his presentation is taking place early in the day, so we opted for this sweet fruity blend. This is especially delicious with baked cinnamon-sugar tortilla chips - something we like to make on the feast of OL Guadalupe. :)

And finally, a Virgin sangria punch:

A simple blend of grape, apple, lemon and orange juices with lots of fresh, sliced fruit. (Wouldn't this be nice on the Assumption, with ripe summer berries?) Bill helped CJ assemble this (as well as the salsa) last night so the flavors would have time to "steep." CJ and I made the corn cakes at six this morning!

*

 Now, about that dinner menu plan for this week ...

Monday, March 4th

chicken parmesan with angel hair pasta, roasted asparagus, rolls

TJ's peanut butter cookies

Tuesday, March 5th

taco baked potatoes (seasoned ground turkey & veggies, usual toppings)

leftover "sangria punch" popsicles

Wednesday, March 6th

grilled ham & cheddar panini, butternut squash soup, steak fries

oatmeal-apricot cookies

Thursday, March 7th

baked ziti, crusty bread, roasted Italian veggies

lemon/berry sorbet

Friday, March 8th

(the boys have a friend coming to supper)

takeout pizza & garden salad

chocolate-chip pan cookies

Saturday, March 9th

refrigerator smorgasbord - aka leftovers

Sunday, March 10th (Laetare or "Rose" Sunday)

slowcooker pork roast with sweet potatoes and onions, brown bread

maple egg custards with whipped cream

*

This looks to be a pretty busy week with several evening activities planned, so I kept the menus fairly simple. :)

What are you serving your family this week? Are you trying anything new? Where do you get your recipes - from friends, family, books, tv, magazines, online? I guess I get my recipes from all over - but boy, are they disorganized! I spent a good deal of time this weekend weeding out old piles of clipped and collected recipes - mostly from magazines, some photocopies and printouts. I love to cook and I love to try new (especially seasonal) foods, but I'm truly in need of a better system!

Well, I hope you all have a nice Monday ... and thanks so much for stopping by and sharing in my day!

See you here again very soon ...

*❤*

Friday Fun: Slowcooking, Cherries & Snoooooow

Happy Friday, my friends! I hope this post finds you well.

Thanks for all the encouragement and suggestions regarding a possible FCS video ... it seems I've got some thinking and planning to do! I also feel inspired to get cracking on my weekly planning sheet - *digging up old copies and seeing what's what* - and thanks for the feedback on feedburner ... so far it seems to be working pretty well. :)

I have just a few things to share with you today ...

*

First of all, I'll definitely be checking into this series of posts this weekend:

Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

Each part (there are four) features several family-friendly recipes for the crockpot - to be prepared ahead - ingredients only - and then frozen in plastic bags. You end up with all these flat frozen bags of ready-to-go crockpot meals - I LOVE this!! How great it would be to have several of these meals stocked for after the baby arrives? (Plus crockpot cooking is wonderful for the hot summer months.)

Speaking of slowcooking, Bill has me looking at this Healthy Slowcooker, to replace the old Rival we are currently using ... anyone have experience with this model? Or, may I ask, what kind of crockpot do you use and are you happy with it?

*

And today is the 22nd of February - on this day in the Catholic calendar we celebrate The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, which takes on a bit more significance this year as we're soon to begin the process of electing a new pope. I'm starting a very simple conclave study with the younger boys today to continue throughout Lent - or until a new pope is chosen, hopefully before Easter! We're a bit intrigued by the buzz surrounding our own Boston Archbishop, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, so that will be a neat angle to follow ...

The 22nd is also George Washington's birthday and I love to make a cherry cobbler on this day. (Referencing, of course, Washington's alleged childhood indiscretion with a rather unfortunate cherry tree.) So a cobbler will be made later today using up a can of cherry pie filling I had in the pantry. :)

*

And yes, the snow is still coming - though with less impact than originally forecast. It will begin sometime tomorrow afternoon and last through late day Sunday ...

This is the updated snow map for our area:

We'd be in the purple neck of the woods ...

* 

Here's a short video preview from PBS featuring a glimpse of Call the Midwife and Mr. Selfridges.

 Sundays This Spring

I'm thrilled to learn CtM will be moving to the 8 p.m. time slot. That is music to this oft-exhausted, expectant mama's ears!

By the way, Sarah asked about catching up with CtM and as best I can tell, full episodes are no longer available on the pbs website. The first season is out on dvd now - perhaps it's available at a local library? Netflix has it as well.

*

Will you be watching the Oscars Sunday night? I have yet to see even one of the best picture nominees, but we do have Argo in our Netflix queue. And - Oscars aside - I'm itching to take the kids to see Oz: The Great and Powerful, which, going by the previews looks pretty fantastic. I'm hoping to pull together a field trip for opening day.

*

Well I think I've chewed on your ears long enough, lol! Just wanted to pop in and catch up and wish you all a very happy weekend. :)

I'll back to "check in" again soon ...

*❤*

Our King Cake for Carnival ...

... aka Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday or just plain old Mardi Gras!

(It's also Abraham Lincoln's birthday, but that's a whole other post ...)

So here's the "King Cake" that Earlybird and I made today ...

A very simple chocolate cake drizzled with a simple sweet glaze and sprinkled with "royal" Mardi Gras colors: purple, gold and green ...

(I love how the colors reflect - perhaps not intentionally - the shades of spring's earliest flower, the crocus!)

Our cake will be served after a pancake supper this evening ... there will be stacks of pancakes, served with maple syrup and fresh whipped cream as well as a platter of roasted kielbasa and potatoes. This is our traditional Shrove Tuesday supper, which is served on the last night before Lent. (More on this holiday can be found here.)

After supper we'll bury our "Alleluia" (a wooden sign we display on Easter Sunday), and hang the grapevine Lenten cross ... and then, in honor of Mr. Lincoln, we'll watch National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. A fantastic family movie with lots of adventure and great history trivia to boot. We plan to start it early so we can tune into the State of the Union Address at 9 p.m. :)

Have a grand evening, my friends ... see you here again very soon!

*❤*

Thinking ahead to Next Week ...

So on Thursdays I start actively planning out the next week ... I grab the new week's folder from my file crate, sit down with my calendar and then set about filling in the blanks ...

First I determine days & events "of note" ...

For the week of Monday, February 11th - Sunday, February 17th:

11 - Our Lady of Lourdes

12 - Abraham Lincoln's birthday

12 - Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras

13 - Ash Wednesday/LENT begins

14 - St. Valentine's Day

I also think about things that will need to be done/remembered and begin my "to do" list. I look at how busy our week will be - the balance of how often we'll be out and how much we'll be home. This helps me decide which days can handle more "to-do's" and which days will require a simpler supper.

Next I plan out our dinner menus, again keeping an eye on the calendar - is someone out one evening and/or is there something special to celebrate?

I then look over the master notes for this week in the year, and sort through the new folder to see what I've saved - recipes, crafts, invitations, etc. Then I decide what seems appealing/do-able this year.

The coming week is particularly rich with seasonal and liturgical events - so there are a LOT of plans listed here - but we only ever do what we can comfortably fit into our week. (And what I, as "ringmaster," feel up to.)

:)

Our Lady of Lourdes: a coloring page (from this book) - with EB, finish up Bernadette: Our Lady's Little Servant - with CJ, who will also research the sacred grotto, discuss plans to make our own backyard shrine, supper: crockpot French onion soup + small roast beef-baguette sandwiches + French apple dessert. After supper we'll watch a documentary on Lourdes (available on Netflix, instant play).

Lincoln's birthday: morning math: make penny rubbings with EB (review coins/money), bring out Lincoln Logs, lunch: rolled wrap sandwiches and jelly rolls ("Lincoln Logs"), read this book and fiddle with "log cabin" supplies (peanut butter, graham crackers and pretzels), watch Abraham Lincoln: Inspiring Heroes (middle boys) after lunch, and National Treasure: Book of Secrets after supper (older boys)

Shrove Tuesday: make Mardi Gras masks (paper plates, feathers/markers/craft sticks), supper: pancakes w/syrup and whipped cream, roasted kielbasa/homefries, fruit salad & a sparkly king's cake, bury our alleluia ...

Ash Wednesday - attend early Mass and receive ashes, back home set up Lent corner which will look much like this, plan meatless meals for the season (check back on this post), supper: cheese raviolis and simple salad, organize Lent/Easter book basket

St. Valentine's Day - earlier in week hang Valentines flag and decorate windows with red & white doiley hearts, wake boys with a pot of hot chocolate & freshly baked chocolate-chip banana bread, read about the real Saint Valentine, for supper: garlic baked chicken, rice pilaf, soy-butter asparagus and raspberry cobbler cupcakes, watch Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown with the kids after supper - and after EB goes to bed (he absolutely loathes Charlie Brown, lol)

***

So those are the plans for next week, and we'll see how well we fit them in. Some weeks we do a lot and some weeks not so much - but it's always nice to have plans, because ... there's always next year! And that's part of the comfort and joy of the year's seasons. :)

Well my friends, as I wrap up this post, it's the "calm before the storm" as the saying goes, as a "blizzard of epic proportions" is heading our way. Seems hard to believe since it's been such a quiet, sunny day ... but we've made our preparations as best we can ... and now we just sit and wait and watch for the snow to start falling ...

(I'm sure I'll have snow pictures to share at some point this weekend!) 

I hope wherever you are, you have a lovely evening and a good day tomorrow. Thanks so much for stopping by ... I'll see you here again sometime soon!

*❤*

A Kings' Cake ...

For Three Kings Day ...

... with a "crown" of 12 stars for the 12 days of Christmas!

By tradition, I believe a Kings' Cake is a yeasty, citrusy, ring-shaped concoction - but ours is plain old chocolate and vanilla. A nice Sunday dinner dessert.

:) 

Well, I hope you've all had a nice weekend. We took the older boys to see The Hobbit this afternoon, and oh my goodness was it wonderful! For a very long movie, it ended before I was ready for it to be over! Happily there are two more installments to come.

And tonight of course we have - not only the return of Once Upon a Time BUT ALSO - the premiere of Downton Abbey season three! Remember all those months ago how we all bemoaned the horrible long wait for DA to return? And now the night is here at last. I'm about to take a power nap so I might be able to stay up late enough to watch!

But I'll be back tomorrow morning with a "Masterpiece Monday" post, so we can talk about our thoughts on both DA and OUaT. Until then I thank you for stopping by and I wish you all a very pleasant Sunday night ...

See you all again very soon!

*❤*

From My Advent Notebook (Week 2)

{Notes for December 10th ~ the 16th}

        * At CCD and at home, read The Lady of Guadalupe in honor of Saint Juan Diego (feast day 12/9), and light our lovely OLoG candle.

* Wish our neighbors a Happy Hanukkah this week. :)

* Attend a homeschool field trip to see A Christmas Carol, a wonderful local musical. Enjoy a little "Dickens feast" for supper that night (roast beef, potatoes & roots, Yorkshire puddings, and mini mince pies). Listen to Inside Fezziwig's, a wonderful collection of merry olde Christmas music.

* Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (12/12) with a poinsettia ornament project, cinnamon-sugar tortilla stars served with fresh pineapple salsa, and soft chicken tacos for supper. This is also National Poinsettia Day so we'll read The Legend of the Poinsettia today.

* The lovely feast of light, St. Lucia Day (12/13) is a favorite in our home. We always have a scented (and candle-lit) breakfast bread on this morning - something homemade with citrus and cranberries or simply some refrigerated orange-cinnamon rolls if the day is busy. A few special books are placed about (Lucia and the Light, Christmas in Noisy Village, The Tomten) while our wee star boys will be on display ... and for supper there will be Swedish meatballs over noodles and hot (child-friendly) glogg!

* Earlybird's 11th birthday arrives! How can this little boy be 11 already? We'll have Daddy's "flying flapjacks" for breakfast, and he'll get to choose supper (most likely, Dominos pizza, lol). There will be cupcakes with friends mid-week and a family party over the weekend. His birthday theme this year is "The Winter Woods" :)

* If we can swing it, schedule-wise, we'll be seeing The Hobbit at our earliest convenience. The boys (and I) are ridiculously excited to see one of our favorite novels brought to life!

* And there's Gaudete Sunday to close out the week ~ which means we light the pink candle! A little party for my CCD class. Las Posadas begin on this night ... another favorite book to read aloud!

***

Our Tree, stage one (lights only so far) ... :)

Looking forward to a quiet, mostly-homey week ... Are we halfway to Christmas already?

Have a lovely Sunday, my friends!

 *❤*

Weekly Bits of Domestic Bliss

Of Note: 

Jury Duty (3rd), National Cookie Day (4th), St. Barbara (4th), St. Nicholas (6th), The Feast of The Immaculate Conception (8th), Second Sunday in Advent (9th), National Pastry Day (9th)

Nature:

Mild for December! In the 50s most of the week, but rain coming this weekend.

At tree farm, notice different kinds of evergreens. (Bring a field guide?)

Sketch branch of our tree for nature journal.

 Housekeeping:

Clean out medicine chest. Replace outdated items.

Clean out china cupboard. Dust and polish woodwork, wash Christmas china and set up display.

Work on Christmas Eve/Day menus.

Decorate tree!

Repair tree skirt.

Prepare Christmas cards for mailing.

Dinner Menus:

M - Chinese takeout :)

T - grilled beef & cheese panini with carmelized onions, steak fries

W - baked ziti, sauteed Italian veggies, garlic breadsticks

T - breaded/baked chicken tenders, homemade cranberry relish, roasted potatoes

F - homemade pizza night, salad

S - *leftovers a la Daddy*

S - sweet potato-sausage-kale soup, parsnip-onion tarte tatin, Mexican cocoa

Desserts: vanilla cookies, gingerbread snack cake, sorbet

Dear Baby ...

(15 Weeks)

We've started to think about names, but if/when we find out your gender later this month we will get more serious about that. ;)

Mama has some tests this week - praying all is well!

Learning Themes:

"Animals of Christmas" continued (birds).

Where is Winter? Crazy climate!

Read: The Lady of Guadalupe. Discuss example of Juan Diego.

Excited About ~ Working On:

My "Advent Peace" basket - I keep it tucked beside my couch corner. In it I have: my seasonal prayer journal, my Magnificat Companion, my comfort reading, and a few special dvd's.

I am loving Thomas's Cranberry Swirl toasting bread! I buy this every year ... and it's so delicious with a little butter. Tastes just like Christmas breakfast to me!

Can't wait to meet my brother's new cat, Martini  - he adopted her over the weekend.

So happy to learn Princess Kate is pregnant! Many blessings to the royal couple and prayers all goes smoothly. (And prayers for Kate's sickness relief!)

Miscellaneous:

Doing some serious thinking about how (dis)organized I am. SO many things have fallen through the cracks lately - been forgotten or messed up - I can't even tell you. It's shameful. And when we have a few busy days in a row - as I had this past weekend (all-day mime performances on Saturday, a family party on Sunday, jury duty on Monday) I feel, and fall, so behind. I don't have any answers yet, just know I have to step up, get focused and get a better handle on things.

Thinking about my jury duty experience yesterday ... I was assigned a low number, so, after a brief "once over" by the judge, I was the third juror placed in the box. However, one of the attorneys (my guess is the defense) sent me back to the pool. It was an ugly case, too - the defendant was accused of domestic assault & battery. I felt lucky that, along with the other excused jurors, I was free to go at lunchtime, but I truly felt lucky on a few different levels. The things some families have to go through ... the lives some people are leading ... makes me all the more grateful for the stability and blessings I have in my life.

Sunday is National Pastry Day and I have such fond memories of my dad buying pastries on Sunday mornings after church. My favorites were the lemon danish (and as I recently revelaled these have been a consistent craving through all my pregnancies). I would love to learn how to make pastries someday, but for this Sunday I'll pick up some yummies at our favorite local bakery. :)

Very sad to learn Everyday Food magazine will be going out of print next year. :( This has been my favorite food magazine for years - in fact, I have every issue!

 ***

Well my friends, I hope your week's going well ... thanks so much for stopping by today. Have yourselves a Happy Tuesday, and be sure to tune in tomorrow ... I have a little giveaway planned! :)

*❤*

Holiday Weekend Photos

Happy Sunday, my friends! I hope you've all had a nice weekend - holiday weekend, if you're American. :)

We had a great Thanksgiving, and I have just a few pictures to share from our holiday. This year, dinner was hosted by my folks ~ and I cannot thank my mum enough for relieving me of all holiday duties this year - she just took it all on and made me take it easy!

Their home looked lovely and the food was delicious and it was so great to spend time with our family and friends.

My mum set several beautiful tables ...

And here's the 20 lb. turkey in all its golden glory!

These adorable coffee spoons were made by my cousin, Kate ...

The light was low in the above shot, so here's a better picture:

I brought a few home. :) Full directions can be found here.

***

On Friday - a gorgeous fall day here in New England - Bill and I took Earlybird for an afternoon nature walk ...

Running and jumping with Daddy. Dads are so good for those kinds of things.

Ok, here I am with my "little bump."

I'm 14 weeks along and clearly, I've popped. ;)

I have a soft spot for bittersweet ... it grows wild everywhere around here.

***

Now today after Mass (celebrating "The Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the liturgical year), we had a little breakfast in honor of my mum whose birthday is tomorrow ...

I made her a simple spice cake ...

And the boys helped me set up a "breakfast beverage bar."

We had the usual spread ...

Nana's "cheesey eggs," bacon and sausages, toast, strudel, fruit/yogurt/granola and roasted onion-potatoes.

(And I'm very happy to report, the cooking smells did not bother me - even the onions and sausages! I'd say that's a good sign, yes?)

Me and my beautiful mum ...

I'm so grateful to have her in my life. ❤

*** 

Well, I hope your weekend went well! We have been organizing our Christmas decorations, inside and out. We usually wait until the first Sunday of Advent to do this, but logistically speaking, this weekend just worked out better. I must say, I adore having the house lit by window candles and strings of Christmas lights - or "fairy lights" as they call them in England. (I just love that!)

And speaking of loving English things, tonight on PBS there is a special called Downton Revisited. Anyone else watching that? IF I can stay awake, I will be. We first have to get through the 8-9 hour watching Once Upon a Time with the boys. So I may have something to say about Downton tomorrow, or I may not. Check my Monday domestic notes post to find out. :)

Ok my friends, I'm going to run along ... I am woefully behind on comments (not to mention email!) so I'll spend the rest of my day catching up. But thanks so much for stopping by! I always appreciate your visits. :) 

I'll see you here again very soon ...

❤

Baking again ... :)

I believe by historic tradition, an Election Cake is made with yeast and nuts and raisins ... and something like, 10 pounds of butter, lol ... but we just went with chocolate. I figured the flags lent the right patriotic touch. :)

I'm thrilled to be baking again, but "cooking's" still out ... if there is food in the oven - especially things like fish, chicken nuggets, french fries and the like - I am outta there. Windows must be opened, ceiling fans turned on, and I must wait for things to air out before I can re-emerge from my "safe zone." Still, I think things might be getting a little better overall. I still grapple with everday nausea and odd cravings/aversions but I seem to be getting hungry again and I read that's a sign your morning sickness might be easing. I like the sound of that. :)

And by the way, I'm 11 weeks and 2 days, today.

❤

So today being Wednesday ("kitchen day" per my weekly routine), I will be working on a shopping list for my holiday pantry. About this time of year I like to take stock of my baking supplies and replenish what I need well before the holiday season begins. And since Thanksgiving is just two weeks from tomorrow, I'd best get my act together!

I will post more on my "holiday planning" very soon! I'm just getting things pulled together right now - checklists, brainstorming, catalogs, inspiration, etc. - but there's a brand new holiday basket now nestled at the foot of my reading chair. :)

It always feels rather sudden does it not - that day in the fall when the holidays are suddenly "just around the corner?" Time flies so quickly ... and I don't want to rush ... but I do find myself eager to start feathering our "holiday nest!"

Have a good Wednesday, my friends ... I will see you here again very soon!

All Hallow's Afternoon ...

Well, the pumpkins are carved, the cake's been decorated, and there are carrot breads baking in the oven ... now it's time to get the candy organized!

Hope your day's going well!

❤

National Punch Day!

It's today, and I think it's no secret, I absolutely love punch!

 And by the way, I'm currently looking for a nice festive punch to serve next month when Bookworm makes his Confirmation. If anyone has a favorite recipe to share, I'd love to hear about it!

Thank you, dear readers ~ enjoy the rest of your day!

 

A Yankee Doodle Cake!

I was going to make this festive and fruity cake for the 4th of July party yesterday, but I just ran out of time! (Truth be told, I spent too much time on a different recipe that was a complete flop, lol.) But I had all the ingredients on hand, so I told the boys I'd make it today ... just for us. :)

I found this recipe in a recent issue of Taste of Home, but I'm quite familar with "jello-poke cakes" which were first made back in 1976. As a young girl, I made a red and green poke cake for Christmas several years running - it kind of became "my thing" for a while and I was so proud!

Jello-poke cakes are very easy to make - and especially fun to make with kids. Earlybird helped me make our cake this morning ... and he's such a good sport about things like this. He can't eat this cake because of the food dyes in the jello, but as long as he gets a cup of the whipped cream - and the promise of banana bread later - he's fine with it. :)

Now, my cake did not come out nearly as pretty as the one in the magazine ...

... but that's to be expected. ;)

It did look nice just before chilling:

I served it to the boys and a friend who was visiting this afternoon. It was cool and sweet and quite tender. A really lovely - kind of kitschy - summertime treat.

Unfortunately, I can't link to the recipe on the ToH webpage (I guess you have to be a member) but if anyone would like the recipe, just leave me a comment below. I'd be glad to type it up for you.

*❤*

Well, I hope you are all having a nice Thursday ... it's quite sunny and warm here, but not nearly so hot as many places around the country. (Prayers for those struggling!) And the humidity has lessened here, too, which is great for the spirits - and the hair! And yet ... as I type up this post (just about 4 p.m) there are very dark clouds gathering off in the west ... I bet we hear some thumpin' before long.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great night and I will see you here again very soon ...

Happy Flag Day!

Well, I've got my sparkly flag pin on, and I've added little flags to all our planters ... I also hung our large front door flag this morning. Here's a post from last year with a bunch of ideas for celebrating this national holiday and here's an even earlier post about flag eittiquette.

It also happens to be National Strawberry Shortcake Day, so that's a must-do ... we'll pick up some fresh strawberries at the farm this afternoon and I'll whip up some shortcakes and cream to "go with." Add a little flag stick to each serving and voila ~ a tasty and timely dessert!

Hope you all have a great Thursday ... I'll be back later, my friends!

❤

Remembering Memorial Day

Good Tuesday Morning, my friends!

What a lovely, long holiday weekend that was! Very festive and fun - but it's hard now to shift back into the "workweek!" Before I launch into my busy Tuesday, I thought I'd share a few pictures from our holiday ...

I just liked this shot ... our front door open to let in morning light, the neighborhood waking slowly ...  Bill hung our American flag yesterday, and the cats were absolutely fascinated! I didn't get a shot of it, but Ollie in particular just could not take his eyes off this big, new, strange, waving thing ...

Eventually, they curled up and fell asleep in the doorway - I could not resist a picture of this:

Midday, we hosted a cookout for family and friends ...

I love setting up the buffet. :)

Here we have leftover Pentecost cupcakes - candles removed, flags inserted - made into Memorial Day treats!

I love the label on this ketchup bottle ...

The dining table set with a patriotic display ...

For our meal we had hamburgers and hotdogs, pasta salad, baked beans, chips, dip - the usual cookout fare. After lunch, we all meandered outside - some to sit and chat, some to play ...

I served desserts on the deck ...

There were cupcakes - both the aforementioned vanilla and sprinkle-topped chocolate (brought by Uncle Matt's lovely friend, Erin) - as well as ice cream with fresh berries and homemade raspberry sauce. Yum!

Love this picture of Crackerjack (with Bookworm in the background) ...

Later on, after the guests had left, the kids lingered outside - it was such a beautiful, "summery" evening ...

Bill tossed the football around with the boys, while I spied on our robin's nest ...

Isn't it gorgeous? It's tucked just inside the lilac bush, sitting securely on the fence railing.

The sunset was lovely ... golden and soft. 

A Memorial Day to remember ~ for family, friends, food, fun ...

... and the blessing of freedom to enjoy it all!

***

Hope you all have a GREAT Tuesday ... see you here again very soon!

Wednesday is Kitchen Day ...

And here is what I just requested through interlibrary loan:

The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making by Alana Chernila.

The Boston Globe has a big article today about this book, and that's how I first heard of it. (How I love Wednesdays - it's Food Pages day!) I immediately looked Homemade Pantry up at Amazon, and then checked my local library's website ... and sure enough, there are a couple of copies in circulation. But since both are checked out, I added myself to the wait list ... and I can be patient ... when I must.

:)

Well, I hope you all have a nice day. Wednesday is my "kitchen day" which means I spend some time in there cleaning and taking stock ... starting a shopping list for the weekend and a menu for next week. Oh, and did you know it's National Zucchini Bread Day? That seems like rather odd timing since zucchini is such a summer garden staple ... but it also freezes well, so chances are one might have a package of shredded squash stashed away in the deep-freeze. Two cups worth would fit my quick bread recipe quite nicely!

Have a great day, everyone ... I'll be back later to check in.

❤

Feast Day Food & Fun!

Good morning, my friends! Here are a few pictures from our St. George's Day celebration ...

In the early afternoon I baked up some carrot-wheat muffins ... and once they were cool, I topped them with a light cream-cheese glaze.

The very top muffin was emblazened with the Cross of St George:

But hark ... what was lurking below?

The dragon!

(Such an ugly old thing, isn't he?)

So after a "fish and chips" lunch, we read our favorite feast day book, drew our own dragons (Crackerjack did a whole scene from the story), and went on a quest to find every dragon toy we had in the house. We also enjoyed a little English snack - the aforementioned muffins and milk (a proper cup of tea for me). Before we ate, Crackerjack was "knighted" with the honor of playing St. George ... and he handily slew (i.e. ate) the old dragon.

As for the rest of our supper, we had ...

Cottage Pie*

* Which is something like shepherd's pie, only topped with sliced potatoes instead of mashed. This recipe calls for dark beer, ground beef, rustic veggies, and a handful of thyme. I'm not 100% sure it's a traditional English dish, but I do know it's delicious as I've made it before!)

Roasted Asparagus*

* With a few drizzles of olive oil and shakes of parmesan cheese. I could eat asparagus every day in the Spring when it's so fresh and tender.

Rhubarb Crisp*

* Now, I was going to try making a Rhubarb "Fool" as that truly is a traditional English dessert - and it would have tied in nicely with Shakespeare's birthday - but Bill can't have dairy and much prefers a crisp anyway. This particular recipe has apples and rhubarb which is delicious and a bit different.

Parsley-Swiss-Romano Bread*

* We get this wonderful bread from a favorite local farm shop. It's delicious split, buttered and toasted.

*†*

So it was a very nice feast day, I must say! Combining all the very best things: fun, food, faith and family. Another memorable day to file away in our hearts.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone! I will see you here again very soon!

❤