Our little Bud

{St. Valentine's Day 2012 :: 8 weeks old and weighing 10 pounds 4 ounces} 

Homemade St. Valentine's Day Cards

This past Friday, and then again yesterday afternoon, we spent some time making cards to exchange for St. Valentine's Day!   This year I had each of the children come and take a look at some of the ideas I had pinned to see if there was anything that they wanted to try making.   It was so much fun, and I was so proud of myself only using supplies that I could find around the house, without making a trip to the craft store!  

.:  Valentine Handprint Cards :.

Rose and I decided to make these adorable little cards from Rosy ~ Posy.  At first she was very excited, but quickly changed her mind as soon as she felt the paint on her hands.   After making six cards she had had enough, and we went back to adding I love you to the middle heart later.   

.: Love Blossom Trees:.

Snuggles liked the idea of making this Love Blossom Tree and from Meet the Dubiens.  He had so much fun making these, and ended up acting just a little silly in the process!

I thought they turned out so pretty, and I love that he used his arm, hand and thumbprints to create the painting!

.: Cute Cards and Cookies :.  

Chiquita had her eyes on some scrapbooking paper in my stash and decided to make her own cards, to pair with some more dipped Oreo cookies, like we have made in the past.

She decided to use Golden Oreos this year, though we almost went with the new "Neapolitan" edition.  She packaged them up in bags and attached her cute little cards to each.

.: St. Valentine and "I Love You" :.

Twinkle Toes loved the "I Love You" (in sign language) Valentine Cards that I had pinned from Waltzing Matilda.  "Thank you Miss Charlotte!!"   She traced the her hand in the shape of the "I Love You" sign, cut them out, and then made a pocket with her hand to hold the St. Valentine card.  She wrote the little poem on the back, "Love is Patient, Love is Kind, Happy feast of St. Valentine!" and signed her name on the back of each St. Valentine Card.

To go along with her cards, she decided to dip large pretzels into melted pink candy, and then decorate them with valentine sprinkles.

.: Soda Pop Valentines:. 

When Rascal saw these Soda Pop Valentines from Daring Doodles, he immediately decided that those were the ones for him.   They were so easy too.   We just printed out the free printable image for him to cut out and attached them to some small soda bottles and cans that his dad picked up at the grocery store.

.: Don't Go Changin' :.

Captain liked the idea of these "Don't Ever Change" Valentine cards from Jac o'lyn Murphy.  I even happened to have a few extra bags of Chocolate Coins leftover from Christmas/Epiphany for him!  We created little tags to print and tie on to the packages.   It looks like I only got a finished picture of his cards (though I "erased" his name from the picture).

All of our homemade goodies are packed up, along with some St. Valentine's Day Printables, and we are headed out the door for Bud's 2 month check up, and then to a friend's home for the afternoon.   I hope you all have a very lovely feast of St. Valentine today!

Heavenly Father, we ask You to guide our children in the choice of spouse.

Don't let them be carried away by false charms or be fascinated by mere outward glamour, but guide their minds to look beneath and beyond all external attractiveness for the deeper things which alone are worth while.  And especially let the choice be of one who is a fervent Catholic, true in thought and word and deed to those ideals which are Yours especially the value of their purity.  Dear Father of us all, give Your guiding help to our children, who are Your children too. We'll be letting them go soon, but please, don't ever let our children go from You. Amen.

St. Valentine, patron of romantic love, pray for us!

*This beautiful prayer was found over at Waltzing Matilda

St. Valentine's Day Cocoa with Sprinkles

Didn't those mugs of Hot Cocoa turn out super cute?!? 

When I came in from snapping a few pictures of our children playing in the snow, I decided to whip up a batch of Hot Cocoa to help warm them up when they came back inside, since the baby was still sleeping. I remembered a recipe I had pinned to my St. Valentine's Day board for this Strawberry Sweethearts Cocoa.  I didn't have the required Strawberry Ice Cream, and honestly I think "Hot Strawberry" anything doesn't sound nearly as yummy as Hot Chocolate (not that I could actually have any, but still), so I decided to improvise.   The thing that had caught my attention in the first place was the chocolate around the rim of the glass.   I could still do that, without having to make the recipe!  PLUS, I could still include pink and reds, with St. Valentine's Day coming up tomorrow, by then dipping the chocolate in sprinkles!

I pulled out my Irish Coffee Mugs (very similar to these ones, though mine were handpainted by a friend), some white chocolate chips (candy melts would work great too), and some Valentine sprinkles.  It only took me about 5 minutes, while the hot cocoa simmered on the stove, to melt the chocolate, dip the rims of the mugs in the melted chocolate, and then dip again into a bowl of sprinkles.  (Let set for a minute to harden.)



I happened to have some heavy whipping cream as well, so I pulled out my iSi Easy Whip and had homemade whipped cream (sweetened with some Chocolate Liquid Stevia) in about two minutes.  After filling the mugs with cocoa, I topped them with the whipped cream and added a few hearts to the top of each.

As I said, it was so quick and easy, yet my children all LOVED the extra touches! When my oldest son walked into the kitchen he said "WOW!" walked over to me, started rubbing my shoulders, and continued to say, "Mom, you are AMAZING!"  I sure love that boy of ours, he definitely made my day!

I hope you all have a very happy feast of St. Valentine!

Snow-oh-oh-oh-oh!

More Treasures for Lent and Easter {and a Giveaway!}

Back in November I shared a product review for Jesse Tree Treasures O Antiphons and Jesse Tree Ornaments.  Now, with Lent beginning a week from Wednesday, I was asked to review their lovely Holy Week and Easter Ornaments, along with their new Stations of the Cross Ornaments and Parable Pouch.  Once again I am more than happy to recommend these beautifully decoupaged ornaments!

.: Stations of the Cross :.

Stations of the Cross Ornaments with tree and bonus 15th Station

"The Stations of the Cross Set includes: 14 - 1-1/2" x 2" station ornaments, 1 - 4" Resurrection cross, 1-16" Wooden Dowel Tree, cotton strings and a booklet with 15 devotions. The ornaments come nicely boxed, ready for gift giving. "

Isn't this set just gorgeous?! I love the simplicity and beauty of each painting.  It didn't take me long to assemble the tree and attach the strings to each ornament.   We already have a beautiful set of Stations of the Cross that we will display once again during Lent, but these will be such a nice addition, especially for my younger children.   My hope is that we will be able to attend Stations of the Cross each Friday morning after Mass, but since my husband will be out of town for half of Lent, I think we might be praying them at home quite a bit as well.   This new set, along with our The Way of the Cross for Children DVD, will be such a nice help!

.: Holy Week and Easter :.

I especially love this set of Holy Week and Easter Ornaments.  The images, created from original folkpainted artwork, make such pretty ornaments. Love them!

"These ornaments can be used sequentially during Holy Week starting on Palm Sunday, or sooner with one ornament per day. We've included 8 eggs, 1 cross, and a booklet with 10 devotions. On Easter Sunday, the cross may be flipped around to see flowering Easter lilies, a celebration of our new life in Christ. Many of the symbols on the ornaments represent more than one of the events from Holy Week, which allows your family to experience more of the richness of the last week of the earthly life of Christ."

According to the Etsy shop, you can "buy both the Stations of the Cross with tree and the Holy Week ornaments and save $5.00!  These sets work really beautifully together. They help to travel through Lent and look toward Easter with longing. Then on Easter morning, there is true rejoicing."

This last new product would make another great addition to Easter Baskets!   Last year I had an Easter Basket that was filled with gifts based on Easter Symbols for the whole family.  I am planning on adding this "Parable Pouch" to that basket this Easter.

Parable Pouch

"This Parable Pouch will connect your child to the life, miracles, and parables of Jesus. The 17 smooth wood pieces will captivate them and hold on to their attention. As you read the stories to them from your favorite Bible and explain the symbol, the stories will become a part of each child. They will soon remember that the fish is when Jesus called Peter to be a “fisher of men” and the jar is when Jesus turned the water into wine. The scriptures for each of these stories is listed inside each box. Each set includes: 17 wood shapes, 2 scripture cards, velvet bag, and gift box."

Thank you to Jesse Tree Treasures for the sets that were given to us, in exchange for sharing this review. We look forward to adding them to our family traditions for Lent and Easter!

.: Giveaway :.

Before you go, I have a little giveaway I've been meaning to post.   Last year I somehow managed to order a second copy of A Lenten Journey with Jesus Christ & St. Therese of Lisieux.    I'd love to send it to one of you to read this Lent!  If you'd like to be placed in the drawing  just leave a comment on this post by Wednesday night, sharing which of the above three Jesse Tree Treasures sets is your favorite, or your favorite book to read during Lent. I'll draw a name on Thursday, and announce it here in this post. Please make sure you leave me an email address so I can contact you if you are the winner!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A single photo, capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. To see more visit Soule Mama. 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life. ~

{pretty}

The girls asked to display their recent lap books and dolls to show the tutor when she came over this week. So pretty!

{happy}

I haven't had the followup appointment with our pediatrician yet - it is scheduled for next Tuesday - but I  have a feeling I am going to be on a special diet for quite some time.    It has been 9 days since I have had any dairy, soy, gluten, grains, beans/legumes, sugar, chocolate, caffeine, or any sweeteners.   I didn't think it was possible!  The good news is I've lost 5 pounds, haven't felt hungry, and have even gotten some sleep that we seem to have a completely new baby!!!  I'm guessing that he has a Milk Soy Protein Intolerance.  The last couple days he has been so much happier, smiling more, tries to "talk" to us, and feels sooooo much more relaxed when I am holding him.  He will take naps in his bed, and has even enjoyed the swing for more than two minutes at a time!

{funny}

The recent birthday party inspired the boys to ask for some popsicle sticks.  I've been finding extra large land mines like this one all over the house!

{real}

I'm adjusting to my new diet, but tonight I really wanted some sort of treat.  Despite all the leftover cake and other treats around the house, I stuck with my diet and made a Strawberry Milkshake with coconut milk and strawberries, topping it with some unsweetened coconut flakes.    It wasn't exactly what I've been craving, but it was still delicious... and healthy!

The older boys are at Hockey practice (it's really late on Thursdays) and the little ones are all in bed.  I'm off to brew a cup of tea and watch the latest episode of Downton Abbey online while I nurse the baby.

Goodnight and God bless! 

Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more pictures of contentment!

1774 - Felicity :: An American Girl Lap Book and Unit Study

Resources:

Felicity Boxed Set with Game

Felicity: An American Girl Audio CD

Welcome to Felicity's World, 1774

Felicity and Elizabeth Dolls and Mini Dolls

Felicity Play Scenes & Paper Dolls

Felicity Just For Fun

Felicity's Craft Book: A Look at Crafts from the Past with Projects You Can Make Today

Felicity's Cookbook: A Peek at Dining in the Past with Meals You Can Cook Today

Free Felicity Mini Books from Homeschool Share

Portraits of American Girlhood

Additional Various Picture Books about Colonial Life

~ Front Cover ~ 

For the cover the girls each choose an image from the American Girl Website's Wallpaper selections, cropping and pasting it to the front of their covers.  They then cut out the year "1774" with the help of our Cricut to add to the front cover as well.

~ Inside First Folder ~ 

 Free Felicity Mini Books from Homeschool Share:

• Who is Felicity?
• United States Map
• In Felicity's Day
• Felicity's Favorites

~ Inside Second Folder ~ 

 Free Felicity Mini Books from Homeschool Share:

• Living in 1774
• Conflict
• Posie
• Felicity's Horses
• Felicity's World
• Recipe Pocket (homemade)

I also ordered the Felicity Paper Doll book from Amazon.   The girls created a pocket on the Back of their Lap Books to store their dolls.

~ Baked Pumpkin Pudding ~

"Felicity used her best pumpkin to make this tasty pudding."

~ Queen Cakes ~

"Queen cakes were a favorite of the Queen of England.  Felicity liked them, too, because they were made with sweet currants, which are like raisins." 

~ Additional Colonial Crafts ~

Weave a Potholder

Embroider a Sampler from Felicity's Craft Book

The American Girl Website has additional fun games and activities as well! 

The girls have moved on and are now studying the American Revolution with the boys, in addition to working on a Josefina Unit Study/Lap Book.