Princess Luncheon

John was our guest for the Princess Luncheon on Friday before the Coronation.

Before our guests arrived, we took a picture with the committee of ladies that hosted this luncheon.
I really don't know what happened to me! I used to be 19 and weigh 100 pounds!!

The Princesses arrived by bus and this is the first time we saw them in their dresses. The escorts are members of the local college's baseball team and they wore tuxedos.

Lunch was spectacular.  We had assorted sandwiches. After this picture was taken, we asked the staff to cut each sandwich in half, which they did.

Fresh fruit and pasta salad completed our meal. We served lemonade and iced tea and hot coffee. The fruit was the dessert as we knew the girls did not want to fill up on sweets in their dresses. Everyone enjoyed the food! One of our planning ladies is married to a minister and he offered Grace, a Blessing that moved me to tears. It meant a lot to me that we could remember to Thank our Lord from whom all blessings flow!

It was such a pleasure to be a part of putting on this meal. I enjoyed every minute of the whole process!

Engaged!

Tori and John became engaged just before Apple Blossom! Her ring is beautiful and we are all so happy for them both. They are both hard workers and suit each other well. A summer wedding is being planned. Congratulations!

Apple Blossom Decorations

We attended a party for the Princesses and their Escorts at the same venue where Jeff and Chelsea got married .It turned out to be a terrific ice-breaker for the young people.

 I loved these decorations and wanted to share them with you:) There were many of these centerpieces on tables and a light show of pink, purple and green while folks danced. We had a very nice time!

A Creek Runs Through it

We have had abundant rain, and that makes for a free-flowing creek within walking distance.

It gets a little over ankle deep which is enough to make the kids feel like they are really getting something!

Patience can take off and put on her own shoes and socks, and does, frequently!
This is a huge help to Meg .

It is great to get outside with the kids to get some fresh air and exercise on a pretty afternoon!

The hills are alive!!!

Happy Spring!

Nut Fest Prep- April Gathering

We were all excited to meet at the home of Tom and Holly for our Nut Fest Prep because the host family usually serves up a meal and they are both gourmet cooks!

 Sure enough, we had a wonderful barbeque with delicious meats and side dishes.

Nut Fest is the name of our up-coming family reunion.We have been meeting monthly to plan the week-end.
The main focus of this gathering was to select a t-shirt design that included the crests from each of the four main family names from Mom's family of origin.

What has been unexpectedly wonderful is the fun we have had in gathering to plan! We meet on one Sunday afternoon per month to plan and everyone enjoys seeing their parents, siblings and cousins from Mom and Dad's family.

Brothers...

Cousins by marriage, both expecting!

Grandpa and namesake, the third! That means we had four generations all together!

I just realized that Mom and Dad had great-grandchildren in attendance from three different lines of their family!

The cousins had fun playing outside in the fenced yard. The weather was perfect for spring! Sunny, but not too hot.

Thank you for having us, Tom and Holly. It was a blast!

April Read- Aloud

The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare is a story about a young woman from Barbados who arrives by ship to the doorstep of her Puritan aunt and uncle and their daughters. Culture shock ensues as Kit learns the hard way about the many fears and superstitions of the Puritans in Salem, Mass. She goes on trial for witchcraft because she can swim and she has befriended a lonely woman on the edge of town who is sensible and wise. All turns out well and Kit realizes that she doesn't want to marry a local guy and can't live in such a town anymore.
We thoroughly enjoyed this book!!! It led to olden days adventures for Juby...

Raking...

and writing.

Another Afghan

I finished this afghan for my niece, Cupcake. Her bedroom has these colors and more. I loved that they are so springy! I hope that she enjoys it and that it holds up well over time:)

St George and the Dragon Calzones

For our  April Cooking Club, we chose to honor St. George. The girls started the meeting by having a "Horseless Horseshow" in the front yard. We have found it is always worth taking at least 15 or 20 minutes to let the kids play together to break the ice before we start cooking.

Legend has it that St. George slew a dragon. We found a recipe on Catholic Cuisine that demonstrated Calzones shaped in the form of a dragon. We used pizza dough in pop-up cans, pizza sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses in layers and then rolled up the dough.

 While the calzones cooked, the girls prepared Rice Krispy Treats.

Allison read the children a book about St. George while the kitchen was cleaned up and then we feasted.
The marshmallow treats were cut and served in the shape of a shield and decorated with an icing cross.

April was our last meeting of the Cooking Club for the year.  We had eight meetings total and discussed many saints. We enjoyed a feast cooked up by the children each time. This was a fun and rewarding activity that Allison and I both enjoyed.

Cooper's Rock

The weather was so beautiful that we went out to visit a nearby attraction called Cooper's Rock. This made for a very easy hike through massive rock formations on the top of a mountain.

The guys climbed up this rock face using little hand holds.

Caves and clefts were everywhere.

This is a cool place and what was amazing was how much public land was available to hike on and enjoy.

The huge rocks are everywhere! Many families took advantage of the gorgeous spring weather to spend their Easter afternoon outside in this adventurers' paradise.

The scenic overlook has a pretty design.

Obviously rock is plentiful and the many outbuildings and pavilions are made of it.

 In the common area which included a picnic section and playground, a young man was busy building a grape-vine turtle. he said that last year, he built the grape-vine Grizzly, below.

We got back into the cars and drove about a mile further back on this mountain road and climbed some more rocks, off the trails. So many beautiful woods! All to explore for free!!!!

This was great entertainment and a wonderful way to be outside getting fresh air and exercise all together.

I recommend this natural wonderland to anyone looking for family fun and adventure.