February 15, 2013

7 quick takes


1- I haven't seen this movie so this song is not an endorsement, just in case it's super raunchy or something.  But I did do the cups game all the time when I was younger.  My friend Kim sent me a lovely Valentine mix tape, er cd,  and this was the first song on it.  As soon as I heard the tapping I knew what it was and BOOM I was back in middle school.

2 - This Mardi Gras I made my first ever King Cake.  I had to swing it a little bit because I ran out of yeast and found the dough to be too wet to knead.  I've never had King Cake before so I don't know how authentic it was but it tasted great and looked really pretty. 
 If you want to see my altered recipe you can find it on my recipe box blog, or by clicking here.

 3 - For Valentine's Day we made some super simple Valentines to pass out to friends at our church's moms' group.  My kids love crafts and I pretty much barely tolerate them.  I've found that if I do the prep work and just let them color, assemble, and glue that it's a pretty good compromise.  So we did these and they were super easy.  I cut some rectangles, printed a little rhyme, cut some more rectangles, and opened a $1 package of doily hearts.  Then they assembled and glued and were happy.
The rhyme says, "Love is patient, love is kind.  Happy Feast of St. Valentine."  I think I got that from Catholic Icing.

4 - On Ash Wednesday I took down all the Valentine's Day and winter decorations.  I did some simple decorating around the house and I confess, it feels really good to have things looking almost bare.  After all the decorations of Advent, Christmas, and winter it's really nice to just have a few little things to remind us of the liturgical season. 
Our Lenten calendars from Catholic Icing.  They definitely help the kids understand how long Lent is and when we'll be celebrating Easter.  I love these things.

The treasure box holds our kid-friendly Stations of the Cross kit.  It's basically what most people use for Resurrection Eggs.

Our Holy Father, hanging out with books, because he loves books.  Especially How Green Was My Valley, The Bourne Identity, and David Sedaris' Naked.

Sitting on our buffet.  A grape-vine wreath is thorny enough, right?

I'd love to know how others decorate for Lent.  If anyone else posts pictures on their blog please leave the link in the combox - I'd love to check out what you've done and maybe use one or two of your ideas.

5 -   Resa, who is adorable!, now has 4 teeth.  She's also cruising like crazy.  And though my pregnant body is not producing much milk she isn't really sold on this whole bottle thing. 

6 - Random blurry but cute picture of my kids:

7 - I need to bake some biscuits and make some potato soup.  Eek!  Have a good weekend and many thanks to Jen for hosting!

26 comments:

  1. I love your Lent decorations. I had put together a stations of the cross kit for the kids but mistakenly left it within their reach the other 325 days of the year and everything has disappeared. I wanted to make a crown of thorns this year -- there's still time, right?? ;) And thanks for reminding me about the Lent map. Again, tried that one year and not much happened (mea culpa) but i've gotten wiser and more manipulative over the years -- I'll make 'em do it! ;)

    The King Cake looks awesome!! Did it have a baby Jesus? I would have eaten 5 pieces ;)

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    1. It didn't have a baby Jesus. I'm just so afraid that He'll melt in the oven and ruin the food. And I wouldn't know where to find a baby Jesus anyways. I don't think they carry that at Wal Mart.

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    2. For your future baby Jesus needs: They usually sell them at party supply stores. More importantly: you insert the baby Jesus on the underside of the cake AFTER you take it out of the oven. Baked baby Jesus would definitely melt! ;)

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    3. Well that makes sense but I *swear* I read recipes that said to insert before baking! I was wondering what kind of Jesus they were using.

      I'll have to check at the party store next year - thanks for that tip, Cate!

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    4. I've heard of using an almond in place of a plastic baby Jesus. (I used to make these for French club.)

      I saw your convo with Jen Fulwiler on whether people read the people after #100 in the Quick Takes. The answer: YES! Granted, I also have your blog subscribed to in my Google reader but even if I didn't, I look for certain blogs to read every week and yours is one of them.

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  2. Re: #5 - did I miss a pregnancy announcement?!

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    1. Yes. For some dumb reason I find great delight in ambiguously announcing my pregnancies by posting Ok Go's "treadmill video" for the song "Here It Goes Again."

      I think I announced it last Friday... maybe 2 Fridays ago. I was 18 weeks on Tuesday. :)

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  3. Congratulations on the pregnancy!
    And way to go making the Lenten decor efforts, we have approximately nothing up or planned, maybe that's appropriate (?) I'd love to have more, I may steal your little idea :)

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    1. I do think it's appropriate to have nothing and I've thought about doing that, too. But I think the nothing would be a little too nothing for me.

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    2. Agreed- I've been trying to do a little Lenten prayer with the girls and since I have no Lenten "decor" at all, we are currently looking at a triptych of the Magi giving their gifts to baby Jesus, I could definitely use something more.

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  4. That cake is awesome. I think I will do that next year!

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  5. Your King Cake looked tasty...My Mom did that tradition with my siblings and I when we were little; we enjoyed it. Loved the Lenten decorations...I'll have to give that a whirl!

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  6. I haven't even thought about decorating-but it's a great idea. Maybe next year.

    And I really like your Valentine rhyme. Perfect! I hope I remember that one for the preschool years.

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  7. Beautiful cake! And thanks for the reminder of the Lenten calendars! Love the lent decorations too!

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  8. Your bookshelf is color-coded isn't it? Classy, very classy.

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    1. Ha! Thank you, it is color coded. I used to have them arranged by theme but it looks so much better this way, I think.

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  9. That king cake looks delicious. And, might I add, that I am extremely jealous of your ability to excel at cooking/Lent decorating/etc...whilst cooking a child with other children. The child that I am cooking, basically has me laid on a couch all day, so my other children are getting very acquainted with all sorts of good tv :)

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    1. If you saw our "Recently Watched" log on Netflix you wouldn't feel so jealous. Lots of My Little Ponies, Phineas and Ferb, and Strawberry Shortcake.

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  10. Ok, I have to ask you two questions:

    1. Did you put a baby in the king cake?

    2. What is a stations of the cross kit? Where did you get it? Can I get one too?

    (I snuck a few more in there...)

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    1. 1) No baby in the cake. Don't tell anyone but I think that's a really awkward tradition. I may do it in the future but I may never.

      2)If you follow the link for the Resurrection Eggs it's basically the same thing. I just assembled the items from here and there and so YES you too can have one. I can do a post with what mine looks like...

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  11. Love the rhyme. Love the cake. Love the decorations. =]

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  12. Okay, I posted our Lent decorations, but only in the hopes of prejudicing you in my favor for next year's awards.
    Our Lent So Far, In Pictures
    Also, I make a King Cake for the kids (this year's version even outwardly looked like a King Cake) but I put a ring in it instead of the baby. Less toxic. Less creepy. Still fun.
    Mardi Gras Madness and a Hoodoo Movie Review

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  13. Bonnie-
    Congratulations on your huge news! I began following you not long go and so I missed your announcement, I've no idea how far along you are.... I'm thrilled to read of your new little miracle on the way!
    Your ideas are wonderful! Cake looks scrumptious!
    I'm just sharing a couple of my posts with lenten decor tips, as you req we might do in comments..;next week, additionally, we are making Lenten "wreaths" that look beautiful ( but simply beautiful) and easy...I pinned the idea from a lovely blogger....
    Here's one post, my "Artful Friday" post in which I share art endeavors from this past week: The kids made play dough crowns of thorns that we use as a lenten decoration but is also, of course, a beautiful lenten activity: http://campfiresandcleats.blogspot.com/2013/02/artful-friday-lenten-papal-and.html

    And here is a post in which I write about a few of our simple but meaningful Lenten traditions ---but I have pic of a Lenten dec here as well: ( wooden letters)
    http://campfiresandcleats.blogspot.com/2013/02/preparing-for-lent-our-traditionspart-1.html

    I also have a lovely basket, purchased from Michael's that contains all our Lenten resources and our Bible...that and our "LENT" sign are our only dec right now, until Easter arrives. (Although, I am 100% Irish and so come Paddy's Day, we do decorate with lots of shamrocks:)

    Bonnie, I am really enjoying your blog...Thank you so much for sharing your life, your photos, your tips, your family.
    Very inspirational and encouraging.

    Have a wonderful day!
    ~Chris

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  14. I've never had King cake either, but it looks interesting :o)

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