Miniseries/Masterpiece Monday

This is kind of a "Masterpiece Monday" post, and yet not exactly ... because I didn't actually watch Masterpiece last night! But perhaps some of my readers did, and I do plan to do so later this week when it reruns on another PBS station. If you watched The Mystery of Edwin Drood, I'd love to hear what you thought of it. It's another Dickens tale - his last I believe - and from what I read it sounded (not surprisingly) a bit dark ... I have to say, I don't think Dickens is winning a lot of Downton Abbey fans, lol! Birdsong, beginning next weeked, looks a little more promising.

Speaking of Downton Abbey, though ... FIRST of all ... did you all hear the rumor that Maggie Smith is leaving DA? I'm hoping it's just a contract dispute, but time will tell. The show just would not be the same without her.

Also speaking of DA ... did anyone watch Julian Fellowes' Titanic this weekend? We did - Bill and I, that is - and we really enjoyed it. I thought it was well done, and, for a five-hour production, quite absorbing. I found a couple of the situations somewhat far-fetched, and I wish there had been more to the end ... maybe a glimpse into the lives of the survivors ... but overall I thought the storytelling was solid. This was the first time I've watched anything related to the Titanic tragedy - I have always found it all so disturbing - but now I am eager to learn more. If anyone has any books or films to suggest I'm all ears!

I'll add more thoughts in the comments as I can later today ... right now I have some kiddoes to supervise. :)

Have a great Monday, my friends!

❤

What will you leave behind?

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind... let it be something good." ~ Unknown

Standing on our deck, watching the woods glow with the rising sun, Earlybird turns to me and gives me a hug:

"It's gonna be a wonnerful day, Mama."

❤

Happy Monday, my friends!

I scream, you scream ...

We all scream (beg, plead, cajole) for ice cream!

Bill treated the boys to goodies from the ice cream truck this evening - their first of the season. They did quite a bit of yard work this afternoon so they absolutely deserved it! No begging, pleading or cajoling was necessary. ;)

I have to tell you, our ice cream truck man is the nicest man. In fact, he was the very same ice cream man I had when I was a little girl! (He's been serving our town for 36 years!) He's always so kind and he remembers the boys every year ... it must be the happiest job in the world, being an ice cream truck man. :)

Well, I hope you've all had a nice weekend ... I just wanted to stop in and share this little family moment with you all. (Though look at those boys - not quite so little anymore, are they?)

Good Night, my friends and God Bless ... See you again very soon!

❤

A Lovely Little Painting

You might remember a while back I did a Spring Package Giveaway here at my blog. Well, the winner of the contest, EK White, sent me her own little "thank you" package in return! It arrived just the other day, a happy little parcel sticking out of my mailbox - and OH, how it made my day! Inside the package I found (in addition to a lovely note), this beautiful piece of artwork, which EK made herself. It's a mixed-media painting, done in soft blues and greens, and featuring a truly wonderful quote:

 "You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they will turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes."

~ Walter M. Shirra, Sr.

EK, thank you so much for this gift - I will treasure it always!

I'd like to mention, dear readers, that EK has a lovely Etsy shop where you can find paintings like this (and many other pretty things, too). You must take a look!

:)

And speaking of pretty things, may I direct your attention to the brand spankin' new banner at the top of my page? I'm so excited about this new banner! And let me tell you why. I have always admired photo banners, but I have never taken the time to figure out how to do one properly. So up till now, when I do a photo for my banner, the dimensions are such that the image gets tiled. Not quite the look I was going for, but the best I could do! Well, today I explained this issue to Bill and, as he is known to do, he took over and within five minutes had the whole thing figured out! He showed me what to do (with pixels and whatnot) and ... voila! I now have a full photo banner JUST as I've always wanted! I'm tempted to play around with new images, but I really like these pale flowers for now. I bought them at Trader Joe's this morning, where I was picking up some fresh edamame (our new favorite snack). I could not resist these lovely blooms - so delicate and sweet - I love the way their petals catch the sun.

Well, my friends, I hope you are enjoying your weekend. It's a lovely one here in New England - sunny and unseasonably warm. (Marathon Monday may hit 90 degrees!) Tomorrow I will be catching up on blog comments (I'm sorry I've once again fallen behind ...) and then, look for my "Masterpiece Monday" post to focus on this weekend's Titanic, more so than MC's Edwin Drood. I do plan to watch Edwin Drood at some point next week, but this weekend I'm all about Titanic.

 So have a good night, everyone ... take care and God Bless!

I'll see you again sometime soon ...

❤

Every birthday deserves cake ...

... even when it's a birthday for your cats. :)

I just used one box mix and decorated the two cake rounds to look (more or less) like our two kitties. I raided the Easter baskets for materials. ;)

Here is Oliver (he has olive green eyes).

And here is Archie with his golden eyes.

The ears are frosted mini scones, the nose is a pink jelly bean, the mouth is a sliver of red gumdrop and the whiskers are a few strands of of Easter basket grass. I also tinted a bit of the frosting pale orange and applied that to their ears, foreheads and temples.

And here are the birthday boys themselves ...

I think they had a good day.

❤

I hope you all had a good day, too ... Happy Weekend, my friends! I will see you here again very soon.

Happy 1st Birthday, Archie and Oliver!

Today our dear kitties turn ONE!

It's hard to believe they are no longer kittens, but now fully grown cats. (Or nearly fully grown ~ our vet tells us they still have a little growing to do.) And technically speaking, today may or may not be their actual birthday ... but we know they were born sometime in April. We adopted them last August 13th (on Crackerjack's birthday), so we felt April 13th was just about right. :)

So, yes ... Archibald Fred and Oliver James were born into a litter of nine. The kittens were found on a busy city street, with no mother (or owner) to be found. The lot of them were rescued and fostered for a few months before being put up for adoption through a local pet store. 

Meanwhile, we had just lost our Smokey in May, and by August we were really missing having cats in our house, so I started my "kitten research," scouring shelter and rescue league websites. I was keeping an eye out for orange kittens, as that's what we had our hearts set on. (Our previous cats were mostly black and white so we wanted very different cats this time around.)

Anyhoo ... I spotted these cute little fellas on a local pet savers website (their original names were "Jerry" and "Josh" if you can believe it!) and it was tentative love at first sight. I say tentative, because I didn't want to get our hopes up! (Kittens are adopted pretty quickly, sometimes too quickly for the website to keep up.) But as fortune would have it, they were still available by the time we got over to see them and then it really and truly WAS love at first sight.

:)

This was the first day we brought them home! They were so tiny!

They've always loved windows ...

And baskets ...

... and bags ...

... and just about anything else they can squeeze themselves into ...

Or get themselves into ...

And they've always been the best of friends.

(As only brothers can be.)

Moral of the story: Archie and Ollie are a big part of our family now, and we love them to bits!

Happy Birthday, my dear little fellas!

*

And yes ... as the boys just had me clarify ... we WILL be having cake today in the cats' honor. (I'm sure I'll be posting about that later.) :)

So have a great Friday, everyone ... enjoy your day and I will see you again soon.

❤

It's National Grilled Cheese Day!

(I thought you should know.)

Thanks to a timely tip from Elizabeth (and whoever came up with this day's designation), my boys are enjoying their "most favorite lunch" menu of all: grilled cheese sandwiches. :)

How do you like yours?

My favorite way to enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich is with slices of fresh garden tomato sandwiched in between all that melted cheese. That's a summer must-do for me.

And we usually have our sandwiches with American cheese, but on occasion I like to splurge with some cheddar. Preferably, Vermont cheddar .. and maaaybeee a slice of bacon or two.

I must go now as we're about to dig in ... but what a perfect lunch for a rainy, April day.

Just had to share.

❤

Spring Nature, Spring Books

Happy Wednesday, my friends! I hope your week's going well. :)

I put the learning room back together today - meaning, I moved out the "table for four" from Easter Sunday, and returned the loveseat to its rightful place. (Mama's reading chair, too.) It felt good to sweep up, sort out, and then settle things back where they belong. :)

The library corner needed to be set up again, so I retired the "March" books and set out the April nature-related books. Our theme this month is "our marvelous earth."

The books you see above are as follows:

Little Farm by the Sea

Grow It, Cook It

Wildlife Gardening

Recycle!

Compost!

Miss Rumphius

The Golden Guide to Endangered Animals

A Guide to Northeastern Butterflies

Respect the Earth Flashcards

Mother Earth's Children

The Nature Connection

First Nature Encylopedia

Whoever You Are

This Year's Garden

Wonders of Nature 

 Naturally Fun Parties for Kids (I just got this book the other day and Earlybird is enthralled! I can hardly get it back in "my" pile, lol.)

*

Now, yesterday we met up with some of our homeschooling friends and took our kids on an informal nature walk. ("Informal" in that, the parents walked and talked - the kids mostly ran ahead.) I provided a "scavenger" list of things for the kids to look for at this time of year, and I'd like to share it here with you all in case it might be something you can use. :)

Take a look around and see what you can find ... use all your senses to “Search for Spring!”

*

signs of nest building

buds

a spring flower

three shades of green

a fresh smell

mud

tracks in mud

a new bird sound

an early spring insect

a fiddlehead (young fern)

a migrant bird

an amphibian or reptile

earthworms

running, dripping or trickling water

a cold spot

a warm spot

something red

something yellow

something blue

something purple

something that has more than 3 colors

*

Have fun, and remember to be gentle with Nature!

I hope this list might inspire you and your kids to go outside and "search for spring." We had a lot of fun finding it for ourselves!

:)

Have a wonderful evening, my friends ... I will see you here again very soon!

Easter Sunday, 2012 ~ A Recap

 Hello, everyone ... and a Happy Easter to you!

I hope you all had a nice weekend, and a lovely holiday, as well. I thought you all might like to see some pictures from our Sunday?

(Now first ... please let me "warn" you ... this is an awfully long post. I know it might be a little "tmi" for some folks, but please keep in mind, I use this blog as a big family scrapbook and many years from now I'll be glad I captured every last detail!)

So ... away we go!

Well, Earlybird was up SUPER early (as usual) so we let him look through his basket provided he leave his brothers alone. Bill and I enjoyed our (strong) coffee while EB dove into his goodies ...

The Easter Bunny always brings EB a few candies he can have - natural/organic jelly beans and "safe" chocolate bunnies - but mostly special books and toys. Like a ruler of his own, a turtle bath sponge, a Lego to build, and brand spankin' new crayons. Thankfully, he never seems to miss all those extra candies his brothers get in their baskets. :)

Finally, around 6:30 we allowed EB to wake up his brothers ... and I just had to share this picture - fuzzy and dark thought it is - because it cracks me up! Two tousled bedheads, squinty eyes, folded arms ... a general air about them of, "Huh?"

EB, ever the master of ceremonies, was quite happy to welcome the boys to their baskets ...

The older boys also get candies from the Easter Bunny (of a more traditional sort) as well as a couple of magazines, a new sketchbook and maybe a Wii game.

Archie just sat back and observed ...

... most likely making mental notes for later.

And so the day began ...

Now, my mum and I started planning this dinner (this day) many weeks ago. And regular readers of my blog know this because I've talked about it quite a bit! We were expecting a party of 23 people in all, so that takes a lot of organization - particularly when it comes to food preparation and seating arrangements.

We'd be nowhere without our various lists ...

As much as I love the holidays - Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas - I almost love the "lead up" even more. Because I love the anticipation and I have such fun working with my mum putting this all together. I especially love how, as Mum and I work, I glean all these great tips and hints. Like how to care for Gram's silver, and what pans work best for what foods ... bits of information I know my mum gleaned from my gram. And I feel this is a way we keep her with us as we go along. ❤

So, in getting creative with seating, we transformed the learning room into a table for four:

Setting up a small table as a sideboard:

The dining room table can be expanded to eight, but we squeezed 10 chairs around it:

We set this table with some of my mum's "Blue Danube" china and two of my "English Countryside" plates. We also combined silverware sets ... but all the linen napkins once belonged to my grandmother.

And, finally, we had a table for six set up in the family room:

So where did that leave the other two guests? Why, that would be Bookworm and Crackerjack - who kindly agreed to sit up at the kitchen island all on their own.

Now, for a few lots more pictures from the dinner party itself ...

I know this punch looks like nothing special - indeed, the lighting is terrible in my "cocktail bar" (aka the china cupboard on any other day). But I promise you, it was delicious! It was quite a hit, and though the picture does not show it, the shade was the prettiest peachy-pink. It looked just like an Easter morning sunrise. :)

The punch recipe (which I found online) consisted of strawberries, pink lemonade, cold black tea and ginger ale ... and they tell me it was fantastic with a splash of coconut rum. ;)

(Added to my party notes for future gatherings ... a punch ladle!)

Here are two of my smiley guys ... Crackerjack and my brother, Matt.

And my lovely cousins, Kate and Kara with their handsome gentleman friends, Paul and Manuel.

(How time has flown ... I used to babysit these girls!)

It's hard to tell from this picture, but the two couples are playing table-top soccer. We moved the foozball table up from the playroom and onto the deck for the day. Here's a great big party/small house trick ... lure the guests outside, lol!

Here's my CJ setting up "lawn bowling" for the younger kids ...

We even had two little doggies attend our Easter party!

These pretty pups are "Lily" and "Sophie," who belong to my cousin Colin and his wife, Tina, who were on from New York. Though Archie and Oliver were "sequestered" for the day (in the older boys' bedroom), the dogs were kept outside in our fenced-in backyard. The house was already chaotic enough!

So, I have to show you this neat little thing ...

I saw this idea in a magazine ... you (meaning, Bill, who did this for me) simply cut a small purple cabbage in such a way it will hold a thick dip (in this case, spinach) and then arrange your fresh veggies all around it. Isn't it so springy?

Here's part of our Easter party ...

(From left to right): Kate and Paul, Uncle Karl, Grandma Barbara (Bill's mom), Bookworm, Kara, Auntie Marcia and Manuel.

And here's a few more ...

(L to R): My sweet sister-in-law Ami and her boyfriend, Eric, Bill's dad (aka Grandpa Bill) and finally, my Bill. :)

So we served cocktails and appetizers at 1:30 ... and in addition to the veggies and dip, there was artichoke dip with French bread, devlilled eggs (made by Bill's mom), assorted cheeses with crackers, grapes and apples ... and cheese straws and breadsticks served with pesto.

Dinner was ready about an hour later ... 

I use our L-shaped kitchen island for serving, "buffet style" at most of our gatherings. It's central and convenient as most of our house is open from room-to-room.

Our Easter Dinner Menu, 2012:

baked "honey" ham

roast turkey breast

potatoes au gratin

broccoli casserole

antipasto salad*

Annie's macaroni and cheese* - EB's one request, lol!

baked beans*

roasted spring vegetables

cranberry sauce

assorted mustards

Uncle Karl's Irish soda bread

assorted dinner rolls

(I put an * beside the things I made/prepared myself - everything else was contributed by somebody other than me.)

Here I am with my mum, who was keeping EB company while he "chilled" on the couch.

(EB's not always one for the dinner table. Not for long, anyways, lol.)

And here we have the "dining room" party, which included my dad in the bottom center, then, going counterclockwise: my (little) brother Matt, my cousin Caitlin, and my cousin Colin and his wife, Tina, as well as their two (adorable) little boys, Connor and Finn.

Oh my goodness, I have to show you this sweet little boy ... Finn is my first cousin's son, so I'm not sure if that makes him my second cousin (once removed)?

Whatever it makes him, he's such a dear little boy ...  and yes, the baby-lust was surging strong. ;)

So after a brief intermission, in which I had lots of help putting away the leftover food - I set Bill about making coffee, and we got desserts out on the buffet ...

Our Easter Sunday Desserts, 2012:

Auntie Marcia's butterscotch pudding

(served with whipped cream)

cream cheese-frosted vanilla "bird nest" cupcakes*

Guinness Cake*

rhubarb grunt*

Easter blondies*

assorted cookies and candies

freshly brewed coffee

(same * rules apply)

A few shots of the dessert buffet ...

After desserts there was an Easter egg hunt in the front yard!

Caitlin and Colin with Connor.

Crackerjack, Earlybird and Connor.

Dad and Auntie Marcia.

(As you can see, there's a lot of height in my family ... it just skipped me and my mum, lol.)

Earlybird, giving the thumbs up!

My three "Boston Boys" ...

... spending a special day with their "New York Cousins."

:)

So by sunset, the party was over and our guests had gone home ... the flowers had drooped and the flames had burned low ... another Easter Sunday was over ...

But a whole Easter season just begun!

Alleluia! 

In my heart, this is what Easter is all about: celebrating the LIFE and the LOVE with which we have been so richly blessed, and all the amazing things we get to enjoy simply because God is so GOOD ...

I thank Him for every year we're together.

❤

Well, my friends, I hope you have enjoyed this rather lengthy "peek" at our family's Easter celebration, and I thank you for sharing in our joy. I had such fun telling you all about it!

"A joy shared is a joy doubled." ~ Unknown

So have a good night, everyone ... I will see you again very soon!

Our Easter Monday Mantel

Well, despite all my checklists and planning ahead, I just didn't have time to set up our "Alleluia" before Easter Sunday. Luckily though, we have a whole season to celebrate! So today I worked on this nice, quiet "day-after" activity ... it gave me time to think and refocus. :)

(And thanks to Mary Ellen for the inspiration!)

This spot (our nature shelf on most days), was our Lenten altar, if you remember ... the plain grapevine cross is now bursting with life (flora and fauna) and the bare mantel is now covered in flowers ...

(tulips from yesterday's dinner and forsythia from the yard) ...

... and candles ...

(My parents brought this back from Ireland for us.)

... and our lovely statue of the Blessed Mother ...

... with whom we REJOICE in the MIRACLE of EASTER!

Of course, I had much help putting this all together ...

;)

I'm still working on my Easter Sunday Recap post ... trying to pare down my pictures, because I took a lot of them! (As in ... we uploaded 445 images last night!) I hope to have that post up later this evening ... and I promise it will contain far less than 400 photos!

Hope you've all had a nice day ...

❤

Masterpiece Monday: Great Expectations (2)

Good morning, my friends!

Now, I did not get to watch the second part of Great Expectations last night, so I will not be joining the conversation till tomorrow. But I wanted to get this post up, in case anyone wanted to start chatting. :)

In the meantime, I am working on an Easter Sunday recap post, which I hope to get up later today. Tonight, I will be watching GE with Bill and the boys, and then will jump into the comments here tomorrow morning.

Oh, and next weekend we have - not only a new Masterpiece Classic - but a Titanic miniseries produced by Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes, as well. So there will be lots to discuss next week!

So please, come on in and review what you watched this weekend ... I'll catch up with you early tomorrow!

❤

Blessings to You!

"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song."

~ Pope John Paul II

Good Sunday Morning, my friends!

It's a glorious morning and before I get on with my day (one boy is up, the others will be soon), I wanted to pop in and say:

Take JOY in this day, this Sunday of all Sundays!

I'm wishing you and yours a beautiful Easter ...

With a glad heart and much love,

~ Dawn

Easter preparations are under way ...

And a Happy Easter Eve to you all!

Busy day here, lots of bustling about in the kitchen - baking, chopping, mixing, etc. Then, as the sun set, there was boiling ... and waiting ... and finally, mixing up those funny little tablets. Plop, plop ... fizz, fizz ... and beautiful Easter eggs were born!

Earlier, I made my rhubarb grunt ... a New England specialty, and family favorite.

Such pretty spring colors.

Here we have cooling: cupcakes (for decorating tomorrow), Easter blondies, Guinness cake, and the aforementioned rhubarb grunt.

And I have to show you this lovely lace apron ...

My mum brought it over today ... it belonged to my grandmother, and she thought I might like to wear it tomorrow while preparing dinner.

She snapped a picture of me wearing it while I was talking on the phone:

I can remember my grandmother wearing this apron at the holidays ... and I'm so pleased to have it now to wear myself. :)

And just a bit ago, Bill "did the eggs" with the boys.

As the evening set in, and the light grew soft ... 

... there appeared three festive baskets on our mantle, just waiting for something "special" to happen tomorrow morning. Before any little boys open their eyes and think that first happy thought ...

:)

So we have one boy in bed sound asleep - and now we're just waiting on the other two. Bill and I are sitting here, watching The Ten Commandments on ABC. How I love this movie! It made such an impression on me when I was a child, and to this day I watch it every year, and enjoy every minute of it.

 So much of what we love is fed by tradition. Holidays for me are all about tradition ... the everyday kind and the kind with a capital T. It brings us together and it makes what we do a little more meaningful ... a little more memorable each year.

So I'll bid you a good night, my friends ... and a Happy Easter Eve ... with a wish for quiet and peace in your heart ... and a hope for a bright and blessed new morn!

❤

Morning Moment

A hot cross bun from yesterday (made by Whole Foods, not me!) and a (second) cup of coffee. Just what I need to get myself going this morning. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Holy Saturday. See you here again very soon!

❤

Green Glass ... Like Spring Grass

Good Friday evening, my friends. I hope you all had a nice day. :)

I wanted to show you my lovely new Easter glasses - aren't they pretty? I saw them at Pier One Imports a while ago, and today my mum surprised me with a set of six! I love the shape and versatile color - they will be perfect not only at Easter, but at other holidays too. They look chunky, but they're actually quite light. And they stand about five inches tall ... perfect for punch, don't you think?

I had just finished washing them and had set them in the window to dry ... the setting sun looked so pretty behind them, I had to take a quick snap. I thought you all might like to see. :)

Well, tomorrow, Holy Saturday, will be a very busy day for us (as it will be for many of us!), with lots of final holiday preparations ... but I do hope to stop in one more time before Sunday sunrise ...

For now though, I will say *Good Night and God Bless* and I hope to see you all again very soon!

❤

Morning Meeting

Blessings to you all on this fine Holy Thursday! I hope you've all had a nice day. :)

I wanted to share a picture of the refreshments I served at my "bake sale meeting" this morning. Nothing fancy at all, but still simple and sweet. From left to right, I had homemade corn muffins and frosted pumpkin bread (it was supposed to be carrot bread but EB had opinions on that, lol) ... Trader Joe thumbprints and orange-cranberry scones. There was also a plate of decorated shortbread cookies as well as a bowl of clementines (just to make it all a tad healthier!) and finally, a decanter of pink, springy punch. (In case you haven't noticed, I simply adore punch.)

The meeting went so well ... some dear friends joined me today, and while our kids ran around inside and out, enjoying the fine April weather, we moms enjoyed cups of hot tea and great conversation. I am so grateful to these kind ladies for all their help with this project - the advice, the support, the participation - I am confident it will all come together beautifully.

:)

I am also grateful to Bill, who took the day off so he could "handle" the kids and let us moms talk. (As in, finish sentences. :)) He was a real trooper, and I could not have focused as well as I did if it were not for his help. 

***

Well, a quiet evening is now upon us ... supper's been had, and the sunset is filling the house with its soft golden light ... how I love this time of day! And now that my meeting is behind me - and all that spring cleaning - I feel I can slow down, catch my breath, and "adjust my lens," if you will ... just in time for the final days before Easter ... the most beautiful time of the year.

❤

My friends, I wish you all a happy evening ... I'll see you again very soon!

Late Wednesday Hello

Well good evening my friends, how have you been?

I'm doing fine here ... happy to be at the end of my third and final day of spring cleaning! I guess you know you've put in a really good, long day of cleaning when all your muscles hurt by suppertime! (It's either that or you're woefully out of shape ... and/or just getting old. Lol.)

So I didn't have much time to post today ... but my mind was spinning away as I worked. Because as it happens, I'm hosting a "planning" meeting here tomorrow morning for my bake sale volunteers (and I'm very happy to report there are many of them). And thanks to your thoughtful suggestions I have lots of inspiration and practical information to go on. I've already secured our sale date and location, and checked things out with the local health dept. Our bake sale will take place later this month ... and of course, there will be more details to come. :)

Well, I need to get supper started so I'm going to head out, but I wanted to check in "real quick" and say hi. :)

Have a good night, everyone!

❤

Tuesday Tea: Roosters & Resurrection Rolls

It's a fine day here in New England ... the sun is shining and the wind is brisk ... the rest of Holy Week stretches before us and the weather promises to get even better. How nice it is to usher in Easter with true Spring all around us.

(This is not always the case in our part of the world ... Easter can be quite wintry, some years!)

Anyhoo, today's tea was a nice refreshing break ... we were up early and at 'em - with the roosters, as they say! - and so my theme this week is: roosters! I have always loved roosters (for their connection with "dawn" and their colorful looks) and of course, they are symbolic at Easter:

"Amen, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times."

My friends, are you familiar with Petook: An Easter Story, written by Caryll Houselander (and illustrated by the fabulous Tomie de Paola)? I placed the book in my reading corner today, as Petook is a rooster, you see. Oh, this book is a treasure, and I make sure to take it out of the library each year during Holy Week. I used to have little boys sitting at my feet as I read, but these days I just read it aloud to Earlybird - if he'll sit still! - though quite often the older boys will make a casual comment or take a peek over my shoulder ...

I love how good book memories stay with you no matter how old you grow.

:)

So here's a little peek at my afternoon "Rooster Tea," and a recap of our faith @ home craft - we made "Resurrection Rolls," another Holy Week tradition.

First, take a look at this tiny fellow, resplendent in color and finely made glass:

And my cup today is a new absolute favorite - a big (really big!) ceramic mug, painted in the most cheerful colors:

My tea? Earl Grey (full test, not decaf).

My snack? A resurrection roll (details below).

This is a cute coaster I've had for years:

 ... it makes me happy to put my morning coffee down on it. :)

And here's a wooden rooster, found amongst the boys' playthings:

Our "welcome" flag:

Now, these guys have nothing to do with tea (or roosters for that matter), but I could not resist sharing this:

So sweet. :)

And speaking of sweet, now for those resurrection rolls we made!

A quick set-up ...

A buttery-spiced marshmallow all ready to roll ...

Neat little packages:

Fifteen minutes later ...

Done!

You see, the marshmallow melts but the crescent roll holds its shape - so what you have resembles an empty tomb ... and it reminds us of the Resurrection ... hence the name.

*†*

Well, I'd best wrap up as the day's coming to a close - Bill's on his way home and I've got supper to start. (As I suspect you do too - if not now, perhaps soon - or already!) I do hope you've all had a nice day ... and I thank you sincerely for stopping by ...

I'll be back here to see you again soon!

❤

Edit: My friends, Bill just came in and I'm just finding out about the tornadoes in Texas. Prayers go out to all in Texas, but especially the victims of these horrible storms. And to my dear readers from Texas, please leave a note when you can and let us know you're all right. My heart is with you tonight.

Holy Week Cleaning

I like to spend the start of Holy Week doing a bit of "spring" cleaning around the house. For one thing, it's part of our Catholic tradition, but for another, it's a very practical routine. We host Easter dinner here, so the house does need to be cleaned ... but the nearer we get to Sunday, the more I want to focus on things other than cleaning. To have a clean house (and quiet mind) when entering the latter half of the week is, to me, a true blessing!
 

So I set up a little schedule for myself:

Monday: de-clutter

Tuesday: dust and vacuum

Wednesday: wipe and wash

Of course, I'm already behind schedule, lol ... yesterday was a bit busier than planned ... but that's ok. I will continue de-cluttering this morning (i.e. "putting out fires," as FlyLady says) and then I'll move on to dusting and vacuuming this afternoon. I have my rags all ready and my vacuum "volunteers" all lined up. ;)

And tomorrow I'll mix up a little bucket of herbal wash and give everything a good once over. The day will be mild, so I'll open the windows and let all that fresh spring air move through the house ... 

 And that will feel very nice.

❤

Wherever I am in my schedule, I do hope to sit down for "Tuesday Tea" this afternoon ... I'll take a short pause and see where I'm at ... and then I'll be back here to share it with you all.

Have a lovely Tuesday, my friends!

Awareness comes first ...

... and then we hope for compassion and support.

My friends, this morning I'd like to share a beautiful post with you all which was first brought to my attention by my dear cousin Amy, who is also the mother of an autistic child. 

So, on this Day of World Autism Awareness, here are 10 Things My Autistic Kids Wished You Knew by Rob Gorski, dad to three autistic boys and author of the blog, Lost and Tired. His autistic kids are different from mine (as all children are different from each other) but I can appreciate the need to express these feelings on behalf of those on the spectrum. And it's a very wide spectrum - from mild to severe with all kinds of issues in between - but all of these kids are challenged in some way. And all of these kids deserve to be understood.

So thank you, Rob, for putting together such a thoughtful and beautiful message.

1. I’m sorry I have fits but I’m not a spoiled brat. I’m just so much younger on the inside than I am on the outside.

2. I’m easily overwhelmed because I see and hear everything. I hear the lights hum and clock tick. Everything is so loud it makes my head hurt all the time and my eyes hurt from all the bright lights.

3. I’m not stupid, I’m actually very smart. I just don’t learn the way you want me to. Please learn about Autism so you know how to help me better understand what you are trying to teach.

4. Please don’t be mad at mommy and daddy because we don’t come over for holidays or birthdays. They really want to go but I don’t do well at another person’s house. It’s too overwhelming for me and they know that. They don’t go because they love me, NOT because they don’t like you.

5. Please have patience with me. I try really hard to make good decisions but I can be very impulsive at times.

6. Yes, I have Autism but that doesn’t mean I’m less of a person because of it. If anything, I’m actually more of a person in spite of it.

7. My house might be messy sometimes. It’s because my mommy and daddy spend all their time trying to find new ways to help me or teach my brother to talk.

8. Just because I can’t talk doesn’t mean I don’t understand what you are saying. My feelings can be hurt just like yours.

9. I wish my mommy and daddy knew how much I love them. I have a really hard time with emotions and I don’t always like to be touched. But I love them more than anything in the world, even more then my Lego’s.

10. I know I can be frustrating but don’t tell me I won’t amount to anything because I have Autism. If you love and support me I WILL do great things in my life in spite of my challenges.

***

(Note: Just to be clear, these are not my words, but, as explained above, a passage written by a father of three autistic boys - for his boys - at his blog. EB might not match up with each of these points, but I know kids who do. And I'd like to think as "autistic parents" we are working for awareness on behalf of all these kids.)

Keeping a positive attitude is extremely important, but the reality is, parenting an autistic child is very hard and often heartbreaking. And in the beginning, when you first get that diagnosis, it can feel very lonely ...

How did this happen? Why must my child have this? 

But then you go forward, and you realize (with relief!) you're hardly alone. First of all, there are people all around you who are also dealing with autism, in one way or another, and secondly, there are people in your life who are more than willing to walk your path with you. Maybe to give you a hand or a lift when you need it - or even just to understand where you're at. Having an autistic child means re-setting expectations and maybe doing things "differently," than everyone else (case in point, Disney), and when people are understanding about these choices and needs, it makes SUCH a difference!

It can be hard to ask for help, because sometimes you don't even know what you need or how someone can help, but we must trust our family and friends to understand and support us, just as God trusted us with the life of this child.

And yes, I do believe this - I have to believe this - God chose us for this child:

Hey, this awesome child has the whole big world ahead of him, and we were chosen to help him navigate his way through it. God must have a lot of faith in us to trust us with this honor and challenge!

❤

Well, my friends, I've kept your ears long enough, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this. If you know someone who has an autistic child, please pray for them today ... maybe take a moment to learn something new about autism or think about how you can help. And if you are blessed to know an autistic child yourself, please let that child know how much you love him ... but also, how much you LIKE him for who he is. It will mean the world to him ... and his parents. :)

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