Sweetness and Light

June in Review

Well, June is coming to a close and I think I managed to pop in here a total of three times, two of them being Wordless Wednesday posts, lol! Sorry folks. The move kind of took the wind out of my blogging sails and now preparing my two talks for the upcoming Rocky Mountain Conference in Colorado next week, well, you get the picture :)

We did alot of this during and after the move as my bigger boys were both involved in their little league teams' playoffs ~

Matthias getting a hit :) Seamus with his end of year trophy...look at that hair ;-) Time for a cut.

 

We were also blessed to watch our gorgeous and talented daughter in her ballet company's premiere performance of Coppelia. It truly was the highlight of her year!! Here she is all dressed and ready the night we were able to see her perform!

 
And as far as the rest of this month, we have mostly been doing this ~

And this ~

It's a tough business, all that swimming is ;-)

We are hoping for good weather on the 4th of July to be able to celebrate poolside. How has your June been, are you done with school, having some good summer fun I hope!!

See you soon, many blessings in your days ahead!

Scenes from October ~ Grace-full Autumn!

It's hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that October has passed and we're already on to November. In just four short weeks it will be Advent, "Jimmeny Christmas" (as my paternal grandfather would say)! I might say it a little differently, but woowhee, it's all going too fast!!!

Living a life of learning and loving your family is and can be a whirlwind of exhilaration and excitement, and it can also be exhausting. Thanks be to God we have been mostly healthy and well this Autumn. Here are some not-so-fleeting scenes of our past month, in all it's autumnal glory and splendor...

Someone had a birthday :)

Someone tried soccer for the first time and decided they'd rather just kick the ball round with brothers and daddy ;-)

Some quilting for friends ~ (Jenn)

Pumpkin picking ~

Being on top of the world with a friend!!

His first pony ride ~

A very imaginative cast of characters for All Hallow's Eve ~ 

 
 
Forever grateful for these fleeting grace-filled days ~

1000 gifts ~ #61 - 73

61. for playlists

62. no activity days at home

63. a four year old who wants his own math book

64. free online e-books and free homeschool materials

65. a sweet girl who is feeling better (from last week's tiring activities)

66. our amazing priest!

67. knitting projects in the queue

68. tea and storytime with my littlest man

69. books my daughter keeps handing me saying "oh, mommy, you have to read this one too!"

70. a dear, sweet husband who works and plays from home

71. Out-of-print books available free online

72. poetry podcasts

73. a new month, and new adventures!!!

Have a blessed November friends, thanks so much for visiting today!

 

 

Grateful in So Many Ways

I have missed a few weeks of gratitude posting...not because I've been without gratitude, just no time to blog about all the good stuff going on :) I'll spare you the "not-so-good" stuff, it isn't worth mentioning, but it is often times there, amidst the good stuff, and, such is life!!

1000 Gifts # 41 - 60

41. Someone had a great birthday celebration this past week, and I am so grateful for his ELEVEN years, they have given us immense blessings

 

42. a date for the Sinfionetta in the city with a certain cello-playing 7 year old

43. saturday big breakfasts at home with everyone

44. book chats with my lovely girl

45. Trois Gymnopedies by a certain piano-playing 11 year old

46. german chocolate cake (yeah, that's a double batch of frosting)

 

47. clean sweet smelling sheets fresh from the dryer (wish I had a clothes line)

48. autumn sunsets

49. books by L.M. Montgomery

50. crisp delicious juicy apples

51. a girl that is SO good at organizing (especially me)

52. quiet in the afternoon, everyone out at the moment

53. excel lesson plans

54. cookies baking in the oven

55. organic chicken ready for roasting

56. busy boys building forts for each other

57. nature everyday

58. a new fabric store opening just down the street

59. socks that match

60. a husband who loves to grocery shop with three boys in tow

Wishing you many days filled with gratefulness for those special things in your lives!

Please visit the Gratitude Community for more joy and inspiration!

Grace-Full Days

We have had so many beautiful days here in the Pacific Northwest lately. A truly delightful and mild Autumn thus far, possibly even an Indian summer that may even last until October...

The grace and light that has filled our days has been very joyful, but not without struggles (usually mine). We are all growing and learning together what it means to be knit closely to our faith and to not waiver from it, even if persecuted from all sides...

For today with much gratitude...

1000 gifts # 31 - 40

31. a concert for an anniversary

32. park days

33. weekend books

34. learning along with my family

35. a romantic dh

36. beachy weekends

37. a date with a little person

38. audition nerves

39. slowing down

40. home cooking 

I hope you'll find some time in your week to jot down some gratitude! Many blessings in your week ahead :)

Lingering Summertide...

1000 Gifts # 21 - 30

21. friday nights at the beach

22. talks with no interruptions

23. imaginations run wild

24. nature everywhere we turn

 

25. hot breakfasts at home with my sweeties

26. no rush mornings

27. our consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

28. evening breezes blowing in off the deck

29. happy laughter coming from long lego days

30. quiet talks with the sweetest girl in the world

 

Here's wishing you a few more lovely summertide days in this beautiful month of September!

Please visit Ann at Holy Experience for more inspiration and gifts of gratitude.

Weekend Wonderfuls

Sean-Paul was invited to his very first friend birthday party this past weekend.

He's been to lots of other birthday parties, family parties, family friend's parties, etc, but this was his very first "his-friend-only" invite! Needless to say, he was very excited...

 

For our last-born, this was quite a right of passage for our tousle-headed boy. Oh, to have seen such joy and keep it for always...Funny how birthday parties can do this for a person, especially when you're four.

1000 Gifts # 11 - 20

11. hot chocolate mornings, BBQ nights

12. brand new ballet leotards, tights, slippers, and pointe shoes

13. asking for "one more story"

14. a clean and shiny mopped floor thanks to the sweetest dh ever!

15. Sunday afternoon hikes on new trails

 

16. the amazing brightness of the moon on a still night

17. incense at High Mass

18. grilled cheese and tomato soup

19. baseball capped heads

20. warm breath snuggled close at the end of the day

 

"I lift my eyes towards the mountains: whence shall help come to me? My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." ~ Psalm 121:1-2

 

Have a great week ahead friends :) Many blessings in your days.

One Thousand Gifts ~ Joie de Vivre!

 

I know it's not Monday, but I'm doing this anyway :) We can never be too thankful for all that God bestows upon us. Through His Blessed Mother, through the everyday-ness of things, it is all GOOD.

Here I plan to begin my One Thousand Gifts with JOY, THANKSGIVING, and LOVE for HIM! I hope you'll follow along with me, I'd love to hear about your gifts too.

 

Without Him, we can have no joy...God's love is SO great, and SO small all at the same time...

#1 - #10

1. sleepy fluffy heads emerging from their beds

2. music from my boys, it's their souls speaking their joy

3. "mommy, look what I made"

4. his big hands holding mine tight, my wedded bliss

5. that first whisper of morning

6. the slackening of eveningtide into night

7. quilting fabric

8. endless fields as far as the eye can see

9. a mountainside covered in wildflowers and her sitting among them

10. hot waffles covered in buttery maple syrup

Life is JOY, and ours is an everlasting life in HIM who made all things...give yourself the gift of JOY, it will change your life in HIM forever!