Weekend Birthday Plans

We are entering into our celebratory season...The end of May this year brings birthdays, a graduation for one, end of school for the others and Memorial Day Weekend too. We start things off this weekend with my Rhett's 15th birthday!

We have no set plans for Friday night. Rhett's friend may come over for some pingpong, and possibly dinner. Not quite sure about dinner yet. Maybe some tilapia with jasmine rice and a vegetable.

Saturday Marian is coming to spend the day! That is always a happy time. After mass, we are celebrating Rhett turning fifteen with a small get-together of family and friends. Dinner is a Taco and Nacho bar catered from his favorite local Mexican restaurant. Peyton is taking care of his dessert requests. So far we have a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing, snickerdoodle and no bake cookies, and cinnamon streusel muffins. She's a good sister, that one. : )

Sunday is Rhett's actual birthday. We are spending it together as a family, per his request. And we are doing his two favorite things: Eating and watching movies! We are traveling a bit to an amazing theatre to see 1. Alien...Me, Rhett, and Peyton...and 2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid...Steve and Flynn. I am so thankful for the gift of this amazing son. I will recap his special day early next week. In the meantime, here is a look at the past week here in our little family...

My ever thoughtful son knew how much I liked my Brambly Hedge spring teacup, and he also knows my love of all things autumn.

And this is what he got me for Mother's Day.

I will cherish it always.

New favorite thing at Wendy's!!!

Fresh Mozzarella Chicken Salad!

It is sooo good.

This is the half order. And it is filling.

Sadly, I had to get strawberry lemonade.

No blackberry. Yet.

Typical me. Healthy salad.

Sugar filled drink.

Madison sent me these beautiful pictures from her visit to The Workers' Museum. She went with her Danish Language class, and she loved it. 

The museum allows visitors a chance to step into everyday life of throughout the past one hundred years. This is a kitchen from the 1930's...

  And a bedroom in a tiny space that housed families during WWII.

She is speaking fluent Danish now. I am beyond proud of her.

I started adding a few summer touches of red, white, and blue around.

I found these cute primitive bowl fillers on Etsy.

And I may have gone back to order more for fall. And Christmas.

When you know you are an addict a true fan.

Early mornings are my very favorite time to visit our beautiful church.

This little guy had a birthday this week!

Happy 9th birthday to our first little fur baby, Kirby.

Peyton spoiled him with gifts and pumpkin muffins.

My baby.

Because. Sweet.

Have a wonderful weekend with your people, my friends!

This Pinterest pic reminds me of afternoons with my Rhett while Madison and Peyton were at school.

You know...yesterday. : )

Farewell, First Grade!

When we began this amazing homeschooling journey four years ago, my Flynn started Three Year Old Preschool. Today, she finished First Grade. And she loves learning as much today as she did that day so long ago when we started learning her alphabet with the plastic Sesame Street letters I have had since Madison was a baby.

She picked her dress for today, and was actually sad about being finished. We made it a special day for our youngest student. Daddy The superintendent of school surprised us with a special Dairy Queen treat and we celebrated her with some special certificates. Afterwards, I tidied the schoolroom,  packed up my desk, organized her things to be saved, and spent some time looking over her curriculum for next year. Can I tell you how excited that makes me???? And will you still like me if you know that lesson planning is one of my very favorite things in the world??!!

Here are some photos we took today as my baby girl finished First Grade. The older two have a few more weeks before they can call it a year. But they are ready!

Flowers and a card for the teacher. : )

Goodbye First Grade!

Thanks for the memories!

Mother's Day Love And A Winner...Or Two!

I hope you all had a lovely and relaxing weekend. Here it was cozy, chilly, happy, and relaxing. And full of good food too! Here are some pictures of the fun we had...

Pictures before Mass...

Some with Grandma too!

After Mass we took Grandma out to dinner to celebrate her on this Mother's Day weekend.

Sunday meant sleeping late, and a delicious breakfast in bed...

Coffee made by my Rhett...

Random snapchat selfies with my baby...

Fun with my mom and sister...

Snuggles under my new Minky blanket...

Pictures with the ones that made me Mom...

Minus my firstborn, who sent me the most beautiful, handwritten, card...

Pictures of my little fur baby, Mocha...

And lots of Mother's Day love from family and friends.

We finished the day with a slice of this delicious Toll House Chocolate Chip Pie, made for me by my Peyton.

Oh! We chose the winner of the giveaway too!

Actually, there were so many entries, I decided to give away two copies!

Peyton and Flynn each chose one name, and the lucky winners are...

Cindy Cantwell and Madeline!!!

Congratulations!

Please email me with your info, and I will send your book right out!

Thanks to all who entered.

We will do it again real soon. : )

Have a wonderful week, my friends.

Mother's Day Weekend Plans

The weekend again...And a special one at that! We have a lot of fun things planned for this second weekend in May. Friday night we are hoping our friends are able to come over for a movie night. We have this movie, The Founder...about Ray Kroc, the man who turned McDonald's into a worldwide, billion dollar empire. And because we want to be thematic, we should have McDonald's while we watch, don't you agree?

Saturday looks to be chilly and rainy, so I am planning on completing my last major clean out of the season...the linen closet. If I get brave, I may take some pictures and do a before and after. : ) We have mass in the late afternoon, followed by dinner with my sweet, sweet mother. We are taking her out for a nice dinner to celebrate her and how much we love her.

Sunday is Mother's Day. I can't be sure, but I have heard rumors of a special breakfast being made just for me. I am hoping it might be some of Flynn's special pancakes. We have a birthday party for Flynn's good friend in the afternoon, followed by a quiet night and a special dessert made just for me by my Peyton Rose. We will end our special weekend with that yummy dessert while we watch The Miss USA Pageant.

That is how we plan on spending this weekend my friends. Here is a look at the past week here in our country home...

I am happy to report I am still taking my early morning walks...

And enjoying them more and more.

So far, our spring has been "meh" as the kids would say...

But we have had a few warm, sunny days scattered among the chilly, rainy ones.

Forgive this horrible, low quality phone pic, but it was early and I didn't have my glasses!

I still wanted to document our little tadpoles that have hatched and are currently swimming around.

Now these.

These were made from leftover dough.

From this...

Remember last weekend I told you our friend was coming over and he and Peyton were going to make her first ever cheesecake???

Well he did.

And they did.

And it was AMAZING!!!!!

So here it is.

It was a super creamy, delicious cheesecake with an Oreo crust and homemade chocolate chip cookie dough inside.

I have never made a cheesecake.

I never will.

Because now my Peyton can!

Here is a photo of the amazing bakers...

Peyton and our friend...who also happens to be our parish priest and pastor...Fr. Ross.

Next up for these two?

A super decadent looking chocolate cake!

My little Flynn likes to draw.

And this is what she draws.

And it makes my heart happy.

To all you mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, mother figures...those wanting to be, and those waiting to be...

Happy and Blessed Mother's Day!

Have a wonderful weekend with your people!!!

A New Favorite Book...And A Giveaway!

When Madison moved to Denmark, she immediately fell in love with the lifestyle there. She told us there is an actual word used to describe the cozy, simplistic concept that is a part of the Danish life. It is called "Hygge", pronounced /Hoo-gah/ or / Hue-guh/ ,which is very hard to pronounce correctly. Trust me...I've tried!

According to the author of my new favorite book The Cozy Life: Rediscover the Joy of the Simple Things Through the Danish Concept of Hygge, Hygge is defined as "The Danish concept of coziness...the art of creating warmth, comfort, and wellbeing through connection, treasuring the moment, and surrounding yourself with things you love."

I love this concept, and I love this book. It is an easy read, full of ideas, recipes, and illustrations to help bring Hygge into any home and any life. I know it will be one I will return to time and time again. Because I love this book so much, I'd like to gift one to one of my lovely readers.

But not my copy.

It is a bit beat up loved.

If you would like to be entered into my super high tech drawing, just let me know down below.

I'll put all the names into a bowl and have one of my assistants choose one on Sunday, May 14th.

The winner will be announced later that week.

Have a cozy, Hygge filled day, my friends!