Our Weekly Wrap-Up

It's been awhile since I posted! Things here have been a little crazy. We had the end of Lent, Easter, Princess P's birthday, replaced the flooring in our bedroom and painted our bedroom!

It has been nice this week to get back to school and relax a little.That sounded odd rarely do school and relaxing go in the same sentence.

~1~

In our homeschool this week.... 

We got back to work. We took off last week. We took off Monday for Easter and Tuesday since Princess P had an eye doctor appointment. So we have had a short week this week. This week we only did the basics...Math, English, Spelling, and Religion. Next week, we will dive back into all our subjects. It was a little hard to do it this week, since we still have stuff everywhere from redoing our bedroom.

~2~

In our life this week....

On Sunday, we went to Mass for Easter and then headed to dinner with my in-laws. This year, we went out to dinner since our house is a little disorganized ( everything was in our dinning room) do to the remodeling of our bedroom. 

After lunch, we headed back to my in-laws house for an Easter egg hunt and to celebrate Princess P's birthday!

I enjoyed a relaxing day on Monday after Easter. The kids had a sleepover with their cousins, so I had Princess P and my niece. Lego Man spent the night with my nephew at his house. The girls played with their dolls and sang to the Frozen soundtrack that Princess P got for her birthday. I am thinking I may need to hide the CD soon before she drives us all crazy.

~3~

What we've been working on....

Laundry, cleaning, purging, etc. I feel like I have been doing this for forever! My goal is to be done by the end of May. I am hoping if we purge and clean, we may be able to keep the house clean. Wishful thinking on my part, I'm sure. Between the kids and all the animals there always seems to be dirt on the floor.

~4~

What I am reading

I just finished Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen.

It was o.k. Not a challenging book to read, but it was fine for a relaxing read. 

~5~

What the kids are reading
Princess P is reading a book she got for her birthday. Olivia and the Little Way is about a young girl and her devotion to Saint Therese.

Lego Man is working his way through The Hobbit. 

~6~
Unexpected Adventure....
On Friday we took Maddie to the vet. She had been shaking her head and scratching at her ears, so off we went to see what was wrong with our goofy puppy!

Linking up with.....The Homeschool Mother's Journal , Weekly Wrap-Up, 7 Quick Takes, Friendship Friday, Homeschool Review, Family Fun Friday, Live and Learn, Random 5, and Hearts for Home

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life~

{pretty}

Spring has finely sprung here. The weather has been warm (except for today) and the colorful flowers have popped out covering the yard with beauty.

Mama Kitty is venturing outside now that the the temps have risen. She despises the cold, wet weather. She only heads outside if the breeze that enters the door when it's opened is warm. if it's too cold, she meows, turns around, and heads back onto her warm cozy spot on the couch.

We have been enjoying the weather! We have headed outside to do school a couple of the days. It has actually been warmer outside than in the house on a few days. 

Spring is my favorite season. The warm, gentle breeze and all the beautiful colors that blanket the land always fills me with hope and joy.

{happy}

Happy 9th Birthday!!

Well, Princess P has a birthday! It's hard to believe my baby is 9. She shared her birthday this year with the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

So we celebrated Easter and then celebrated her birthday with cake.

This year she wanted a soccer theme cake and that is what she got.

{funny}

Even though we have been enjoying the warm weather, Baby has not. Doesn't she look so relaxed in this photo? The poor thing still has her thick (very thick) winter coat. Lying out in the sun gets a little to hot, so she has taken to hiding out on the shade covered porch. The concrete stairs are cool and refreshing at least to this little fluff ball. 

The downside, she is now shedding like crazy!  

{real}

Chaos! and more Chaos! It's hard to function in a house when nothing is in it's place. Box springs in the foyer. Mattress in the hallway. Dressers in the dining room and hanging clothes draped over everything.
Painting can disrupt a house, but I know I will love the finished product. Our master bedroom has never been painted since we moved in. We chose a pale blue/grey with white trim. Anything will look better than the dirty beige color that everything in the house was painted when we moved in.

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter

Wordless Wednesday

An Easter Egg Hunt!

Gluten Free Grasshopper Pie

For St. Patrick's Day, we have a special dessert.

Gluten Free Grasshopper Pie.

I took a regular grasshopper pie recipe and modified it so that Princess P and myself could eat it too.

Ingredients

2 cups crumbled gluten free chocolate cookies (gluten free oreos)

3 cups of mini marshmallows

1/2 cup of milk

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 teaspoon of mint extract

1-2 drops of green food dye

chocolate shavings

chocolate coin

Instructions

Remove the icing from the cookies. Crumble the chocolate cookies.

In a pot, melt the marshmallows with the milk over low heat. When the marshmallows are all melted, chill the mixture. Stir it occasionally until the mixtures sets.

Once the marshmallow mixture has cooled and set, stir in the mint extract and green food dye. 

Set aside.

Using a mixer, whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipping cream into the marshmallow mixture. Leave a little bit for topping the treats.

Set aside for later.

Take your cookie crumbs and press firmly into the bottom of small glasses. 

Add the green marshmallow mixture onto the cookie crumbs.

Top each cup with a dollop of whipped cream.

Sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate shavings onto the whipped cream.

Place a chocolate coin into the whipped cream.

Chill for at least 2 hours.

Store in the fridge until ready to eat.

They can be made a day before.

Moments of Grace

As I look out my window.....
I see snow! SNOW! Almost April and snow/sleet is falling. Thankfully it isn't sticking to the ground. I keep hoping and praying for spring to arrive. I am starting to have my doubts if we will see it soon.

I am thankful for....
friends to share frustrations with
my fellow homeschool moms
children using their imagination
"vikings" running through my house
viking shields and swords being constructed out of household items
date night with the hubby
a warm fire on a cold snowy day (even if it's almost April)

What I am reading.....
I'm still reading through the CCM teacher's manual for the Gamma year. I have all my science lessons planned and my reading list for history done. I am halfway done with the history outline. I think I am on target for getting the lessons planned for next year done by MAY!

What I am working on....
Planning lessons for next year, updating our lessons for the rest of the year, and purging things we no longer need. I have gone through the kids spring/summer clothes to see what fits and what doesn't. I would love to get their closets switched out but since we keep getting snow it doesn't seem like I will get to do that anytime soon.

What's on the menu....
Sunday- Potato soup
Monday- Crockpot shredded chicken with tacos
Tuesday- Leftovers
Wednesday- Chicken lettuce wraps
Thursday- Spaghetti and turkey meatballs
Friday- Lenten Supper at our church
Saturday- Pork chops, cooked apples, green beans

What I am praying for....
A fellow homeschool familiy who lost everything in a fire this past week. They lost their house, car, and everything in their house. God was watching out for them; they all made it out safely. They are relying on God during this difficult time.

A Prayer....
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

This prayer was on my grandmother's fridge growing up and it always helps me when we are struggling with our homeschooling or day to day life.

Captured
A sign of spring to come

Linking up with....Moments of Grace and Happy Homemaker Monday