The Heavenly Zoo

Happy Pentecost Sunday! We celebrated the seventh and final Garden of the Good Shepherd party today (using this sticker/Bible activity). I had a nice little menu planned up, but it really is crazy around here with less than two weeks to the big move. So instead of various animal-related foods, we instead had little "animals" enjoying some homemade ice-cream!

"Then I thought, 'I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days like the phoenix." ~Job 29:18

Oh! What a Beautiful City!

I am so slow in posting this! There is school to finish, a baby to be fed, a portfolio to gather, and packing to be done after all! We celebrated the sixth Garden of the Good Shepherd party this past Monday (using this sticker/Bible activity). I described a little of each symbol as I presented it to the kids outside because I had misplaced the little booklet. Thankfully I found it - under the Easter storage bin on top of our little red cabinet - of course. Our house is a little topsy turvy at the moment... But now, for our party - enjoy!

Oh! What a Beautiful City!

Symbols to use: crown, the city gates, bride and groom, temple, Alleluia, throne

The Decor

Originally, I was going to decorate up a fancy table and chairs, but the kids wanted to eat al fresco so our "fancy" turned into a picnic, our thrones into beach towels. The kids had been playing in the sprinkler because of a very hot, summer-almost August kind of day! Instead of beautiful music playing in the background (the Alleluia chorus by Handel), we instead listened to God's wonderful creation - and a lawn mower.

The Drink

Shirley Temples - this is a first for me, and the kids. Pop is just never an option in our household (ok, except for my husband who is addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper - yuck!). The one time we let the kids have a sip Skipper hated it but the other two loved it (a little too much). However, these were a huge hit with all three, and I'm just glad it's a once-a-year-kind of thing.

The Meal

A peanut butter bagel "crown" with M&M and Hershey Kisses for jewels. Needless to say, this was a HUGE hit. Too bad for poor Critter though who was suffering still from a little stomach bug.

Gates of Heaven - using Swiss cheese blocks (a new kid favorite) and gluten-free pretzel sticks. Critter was the only one who got into building a gate, and he did a good job!

Bride and Groom strawberries. I know you have the whole dark/white chocolate fancy strawberries, but this did the trick just fine. And, it makes me wonder, how did strawberries gain their romantic status?

The Dessert

Originally, I was thinking of making some kind of crown pudding (using coconut milk, yum!) but in the end with a stomach bug coursing through and it being a light lunch without my husband, I skipped out. The kids had enough treats in this meal anyway, right?

And, while the kids had a pretty kid-scrumptious meal, I was partial to my own little "piece of heaven" - spaghetti squash with marinara sauce and a fresh, raw kale salad straight from the garden with a splash of oil and champagne vinegar.

Don't forget to check out the other parties over at Catholic Cuisine, who I am sure all posted in a much more timely manner than myself!

"I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband." ~Revelations 21:2

Big News

At least for our little family, and one reason I have been so quiet lately (other than a baby who does not want to sleep!). We have decided to move a little further north (though still in-state) to live nearer to family. This is doable since the kids are homeschooled and my husband works from home, but mostly because a farmhouse rental my grandparents own now sits empty. We are moving in so we can attempt to sell our current home.

I am excited to live nearer to family, but it was a difficult decision for me as there is a great group of women here that I have come to know, many of whom homeschool and are Catholic. The Catholic homeschool group is large and active here. Now I will find myself in a rural area with a small faith community. It will definitely be a change, but I am up to the challenge!

I have many school-related posts to put up, let alone anything else, but over this next month, I have a feeling I will be very quiet as we pack up and settle in.

This farmhouse has history with me. I grew up just down the road, and as a young girl, one of my first friends lived in this house. My grandparents rented it even then. This house has been lived in, you know?

Here are a few pictures. It is not a big house as some farmhouses can be, but it works for us. And, according to my grandma, it is the oldest house in the county. Neat, huh?

The Gardener Plants Paradise

Wrapping up the fifth week of Easter... Today we had our fifth Garden of the Good Shepherd party (using this sticker/Bible activity). This week was tricky. The Bible readings and sticker placing was random, and the meal, though planned, was pretty much thrown together. We have had a lot going on here, but that's for another post! So, here you go, our little party (done today because we were out of town this past weekend and I wasn't prepared enough to take it on the road!):

The Gardener Plants Paradise

Symbols to use: tree of life's leaves, tree of life's fruits, tree of life's flowers, palm tree, owl, olive tree, roses, lilies

The Decor

Simple tablecloth with my Mother's Day/Birthday flowers (I was doubly blessed this year). These had to stand in for the lily since we did not get to our handprint lily craft.

The Drink

Lemonade... Nothing to do with the theme, but it went well with our light lunch menu. I had wanted to find some kind of palm tree umbrellas to add, but never found any, and then was going to print some and add to straws, but that did not get done either! So no palm trees for this party.

The Meal

A pb&j owl sandwich with cucumber slices and olives for eyes (and a carrot slice for a beak). This was super cute, and the kids just loved it!

The Tree of Life's leaves (the lettuce), fruit (at its base), flowers (star-cut cheese), the olive tree (making up the tree of life's trunk). Wow, fun food is a good way to entice kids to try food. Only my oldest ate most of his lettuce, but they at least all tried it, woo-hoo!

The Dessert

My experimental birthday cake, using this strawberry cake recipe (and adding some substitutions) along with this cashew cream cheese icing. I tried making it look like one large rose by running my finger round and round. The icing was incredibly soft so I snagged this picture right away, but by the end of the meal, it was dripping down the sides of the cake and pooling. It did not affect its taste though, which was good - not awesome but at least decent.

Don't forget to check out the other parties over at Catholic Cuisine!

"The Benefits of Finding Wisdom... She is a tree of life to those who grasp her, and those who hold her fast are happy." ~Proverbs 3:18

Nature Walk

Elisa, over at Elisa Loves, decided to host a weekly garden party, showing off what's growing in each of our neck of the woods. While Elisa has far better photography skills (I have none!), I thought it would be fun to join up. This past Sunday, I walked around the house to see what was happening, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. It was such a beautiful day to play outside, but between the bright sun and Miss Z in my arms, my photos are worse than normal, haha! Be inspired... Link up... What's growing in your yard?

Catnip in bloom. My cat likes this herb, fresh or dried. This herb sure grows easily (it is a mint after all!), but it is easy to keep pruned - and still looks nice when you do.

Pretty lilac bloom - much prettier than this photo shows. Mine are a purply-pink and smell oh so good!

First greenery in the garden: onions, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and some lettuce and spinach starting to sprout.

Our weigela bush out front in bloom. This bush is nice. I love its loose form and multiple blooms.

English thyme. I love herbs. Love, love, love them. I am not a huge thyme person for my food, but to grow it? Heavenly! It smells wonderful, looks great, takes a beating and still grows beautifully. It grows so well I need to trim it multiple times throughout the growing season.

An early bloomer. It only grew about three inches tall before popping out. A splash of bright orange always gives me a smile.

Looks like a maple tree is trying to take root behind a front bush. The little "weed" on the right is such a pretty little thing - delicate heart-shaped leaves with small, buttercup-like flowers. The best thing I love about this plant is that it is edible.

I will have the kids take a walk with me, and snap a few pictures themselves for a future post, but this time around I enjoyed a little quiet walk.