E's Birthday

E has been anticipating her Birthday for months. To her is seemed like the day would never arrive but finally it did. She had a princess/knight party in our yard. Cousins and friends were invited to dress up in their fairy or knight attire. Several games were played. Little fairies were hidden in the trees and bushes for the kids to find. Then they played Fairy Freeze. They danced like fairies until the music stopped and then they had to freeze. If someone moved after the music stopped they were out. They all loved the dancing.

E helped me decorate the cupcakes. The lollipops on top were a big hit.


It was fun to have the party outside where the kids could run around and play.


The menu consisted of Morning Dew (Sprite), flower petal sandwiches (PB & J and just plain strawberry J sandwiches cut with a flower shaped cookie cutter), grapes, strawberries and watermelon. Then later we sang Happy Birthday and had cupcakes and ice cream.

I had a good time making decorations and I think they turned out really cute.

Tender Mercies of the Lord

My kids sang this song on Sunday with the Primary for Father's Day. It really touched me. I love the song and wanted to share it here.

Tender Mercies of the Lord

I really liked this

A great reminder that nothing lasts forever and you should embrace the now.



Another book to add to my ever growing to read list.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

source


St. Patrick's Day is just a simple no big deal holiday. Maybe that is why I love it, there's not a lot of pressure but still a lot of potential for fun. Hope you have a good one!

Reading Impressions

Another thing I like to do when I read is write down quotes/phrases/thoughts that make an impression on me while I am reading.

Here is what I wrote down while reading The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith

She was human made up of a will to do good, but also with human failings.

....myth could be just as sustaining as reality- sometimes even more so.

We all wished for places to be made special somehow.

----little rituals (like that) gave life its texture.

There are so many different sorts of tears.

It was a perfect morning, the best sort of early summer morning, and all he felt was love.

A whole new life- a whole new set of possibilities....

....showing the power of small words to do big things.

I love words

One thing I like to do when I am reading a book is to write down the words that I don't know the meaning of so that I can look them up in the dictionary. Most of the time I can guess the meaning of the words from the rest of the sentence but I like to write the words down anyway so that I can look them up and learn more about them. Sometimes I write down words that I think I already know the meaning of but haven't heard or seen in awhile just for review.

I recently finished The Lost Art of Gratitude - by Alexander McCall Smith

Here is my list of words
1 .coruscate
2. leitmotiv
3. solipsistic
4. padantic
5. prevarication
6. parsimony
7. avuncular
8. argot
9. fastidiousness
10. tetchiness
11. dyspeptic
12. incipient
13. upbraid
14. bifurcated
15. durbar
16. usurer
17. emollient
18. hegemony
19. subversion
20. reticence
21. noumerial
22. quotidian
23. feigned
24. propinquity
25. subterfuge
26. papal
27. somnolence
28. anodyne
29 orchitis
30. mowdie
31. vituperative
32.aquiline
33. tawdry
34. banal


My favorite new word that I learned is:

7. avuncular- adj of or relating to an uncle.
suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or geniality

I just like that a word like this exists.

I think that I will use it for my word of the day.

Meet one of the newest members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Not sure that I can even express my feelings about this day. It was one of those days that are so important, so emotional, so full of joy, that words are completely inadequate. My boy got baptized. He was baptized by his father.

He has grown up so much over the last year. He was ready and prepared for this. Gordon has a spiritual side. He has a little boy faith-filled understanding of the Gospel. He often says things that are so tender. He wants and tries to be good. I am so proud of him and feel so honored and blessed to be his mother. He makes me want to do and to be better.

I am grateful for the example Gordon is setting for his younger brother and sisters.
He looks like such a little man in his suit.



Gordon's cousin Tupu (pictured below) got baptized on the same day. She and Gordon were born 10 days apart. There was a big party after her baptism with delicious food and great entertainment. This picture is of Gordon getting ready to do a Samoan dance.

Gordon and Tupu getting ready to perform. They both did a great job. Tupu was so graceful. Just like a Samoan princess.



Here they are on stage.