Everyday Beauty

Saint Nicholas

   

Yesterday was the Feast of Saint Nicholas in the Catholic Church. As you probably know, Saint Nicholas was a real person renowned for his great kindness and generosity, and he's the origin of our modern day Santa Claus. You can read more about the real Saint Nicholas here.

It is still tradition in many European countries for children to leave their shoes out on the eve of St. Nicholas Day, expecting to find small gifts and candies in the shoes when they awake on December 6th. I love any reason to celebrate the joy of giving and start a family tradition so I've filled the boys' shoes with goodies for them to discover when Mario returns from preschool and Sam wakes from his nap.

 
I look forward to watching their faces light up with delight. And they won't even know I'm a day late!

And Baby Makes 5

Well, girls I have some happy news that I'm so excited to share with you. Another baby Singarella is on the way! Yes, I'm pregnant! He or she should be arriving sometime in May. We are just over the moon and feel so blessed to be preparing for another bundle of joy.

So, that's where I've been lately. Mostly laying on the couch being nauseous and tired while the boys run circles around me and destroy the house! I apologize that I've been worse than usual at returning emails and visiting blogs. I hardly spend any time at all on the computer these days. I hope to be feeling better soon as the 2nd trimester rolls around. I don't mind the sickness all that much since I know it's for a good reason, but I am very much looking forward to feeling like myself again.

Also, I closed my shop for the year. More on that later, but for now the plan is to reopen in January/February.

So, that's my big news! Now, I'm going to go stuff my face with the 6 Krispy Kremes I just bought. KIDDING!

Savannah Getaway {moss, grits, and a wedding}

 

The weekend before last, George and I flew to Georgia for Hope and Mike's wedding. We left the kids at my mom and dad's house and ran! It was the first time we've been away together since Mario was born 5 years ago. Savannah is such a beautiful city and one of the most romantic American cities I've visited.

 

We stayed at a lovely Bed & Breakfast full of Victorian antiques and gracious hostesses. They served Southern Grits Souffle {my first time having grits} our first morning there, and no one could believe we had never had grits before! Yankees.

The garden path in front of the B&B.

 

I want to live in one of these charming apartments...or at least have that railing!

 

Spanish Moss grows from hanging branches of trees all over Savannah. It requires high humidity and heat to grow. And that was not a problem, considering the temperature was 94 degrees! A record-breaker that day.

 

The night before the wedding, there was an intimate litttle party organized by Liz Demos. Complete with yummy cupcakes from Back in the Day Bakery. Here are Hope & Mike looking awfully happy {as they should be on the eve of their wedding!}

 

Hope & I posing. I was trying to be shorter and she was on tip toes trying to be taller. LOL

 
 
The wedding ceremony was beautiful, and choked me up as all weddings seem to do. Hope was beaming walking down the aisle with her father. So sweet. {don't you love the pink petticoat peeking out?}

 

Some cute details at the reception.

 

A toast to the new Mr. & Mrs.!

A wonderful weekend, a beautiful wedding and a relaxing getaway. Lovely Savannah.

Party Pics

 

The circus party turned out to be lots of fun. The boys were happy to be with their cousins, and of course Grandma and Grandpa. I used Michael's coupons and bought 2 helium tanks, so there were plenty of balloons {a must!}. I didn't take a ton of pictures but here are a few.

Mario loves being the center of attention.....

 
 
 Sam, not so much....

The one above is a little blurry, but it shows Sam's reaction to the dimmed lights and Happy Birthday singing. Poor little guy. Here's my mom comforting him.

Then eventually when he was feeling better, he posed with big brother with a half-smile.

 

Last weekend was a whirlwind of events for us. Not only did we have the party at my parents' house in Ohio, but George and I also flew to Georgia for Hope & Mike's wedding! I'm still catching up on emails and laundry. So much going on.  Pictures to come!

Making a Circus Party

 

On Monday, we'll be celebrating Mario's 5th birthday and Sam's 2nd birthday. One good thing about having two October babies is that we can do one big party. Although I do still bake each of them a cake on his actual birthday, and we sing Happy Birthday and the whole bit. It only happens once a year and I want it to be special. Mario still talks about his previous birthday parties with such happy memories.

 

This year's theme is the Circus! The photo at the top shows my kitchen table as I was getting everything ready to pack up in the car. {The party is in Ohio, at my mom and dad's house, so we could celebrate with family.} I am so pleased with the invitations I ordered from Ciao Bambino on etsy. She was so nice and accomodating and even offered to reprint them after she shipped them....because I realized that I had told her the wrong date! In the end, I decided just to add this little tag with each invitation instead.

Animal crackers are a must-have for a circus, don't you think? Such great graphics on these classic little boxes.

Cotton Candy

Circus Peanuts

 

And regular peanuts 

I tried to find as many useful red & white striped things as I could.

Love these straws.

Some little cups for treats

These are actually Christmas napkins, but they'll work Ggggggreat! {Sorry, I couldn't resist.}

Some animals from the boys' playroom

I picked up some plain party hats...

...and added some pom poms and festooning to make them more fun.

Animal cupcake picks & striped treat bags

And candles for the boys

I had some vintage greeting cards that I scanned and copied to make a garland.

 

What does a duck have to do with the circus? Absolutely nothing! It's just what I had on hand....

A little game for the kids to play

And a pinata full of candy & treats of course! {if our teeth haven't rotted out of our mouths by the end of the party, it will be a miracle.}

All we need now is the pizza {from my Grandma's pizza shop} and cupcakes {which I will bake} and our family! Mario is so excited he can hardly stand it. Sam is clueless, but will have fun once the party starts, I'm sure. Everybody loves a circus!

A Summer Farewell

 

I can't believe it's October. Really. I'm still wearing flip flops and hesitating to put away my sun dresses and cotton skirts. While I really do enjoy Fall, I'm always a bit sad to say goodbye to farm-fresh produce, picnics, and the sunny days of Summer. But, alas, it is officially Fall and with it comes lots of wonderful events like both of my kids' birthdays, my husband's birthday, Halloween, trips to the pumpkin patch, lots of baking, Thanksgiving, and this year again for me, Silver Bella.

This Summer was packed full of activities, as Summer always seems to be. We went to see The Wiggles Live. That was our exciting concert of the year. Is it ok to admit that George and I actually enjoyed it?

 

Sam enjoyed the popcorn immensely, as you can see.

 

We also took a little trip north and met Gabrielle and her children at the Luckett's Fair. She and I are going to be roommates at Silver Bella this year, and we wanted to get together this summer since we don't live too far away. It was a hot, hot day, but lots of fun!

 

Her kids are the sweetest things, and Mario was so happy to have little friends to hang out with. He's still talking about them.

 

Here's Sam, again with the popcorn. Looks like Gabrielle's cute little guy wanted some too. I just know they were communicating on a level we couldn't quite understand. Baby babble.

 

We were even brave enough to take the 5 children into the Luckett's antique shop. Now that's brave. It was just so nice to get together!

Let's see, what else....

Mario harvested his {very tiny and odd} carrots. He was happy, which is the important thing because these were some strange carrots.

 

Yikes.

 

And Sam got a Cozy Coupe. He only knows how to go backwards though, which has given us endless entertainment.

 

And then there was the beach and BBQ's and all that other good summer stuff that we all look forward to each year. But now, it's goodbye sweet Summer.

Hello Fall! I guess I'd better go dig out my sweaters and jeans!

All is Well

Yes, I'm here. Alive and kicking. Well, not really kicking, but sitting at the moment. In my nice comfy chair. I know it's time to check in when people start emailing asking if everything is ok. Thank you for thinking of me. All is well. I've just been taking it easy and being a mama. My favorite thing to do.

So, let's catch up here.....

My computer got another doozie of a virus which required it to go to the computer hospital for a long time. I gotta tell ya, I am OVER having computer viruses. Who are these people who have nothing better to do but sit around and create viruses? Seriously.

It was strange not having a computer. But kinda nice, I must admit. Needless to say, I haven't read a blog in weeks. No clue what's going on in the Blogosphere. I need to catch up!

Mario started pre-school {2nd year of it, as he's not 5 yet and his birthday falls right after the cutoff for Kindergarten.} This is ok with me, since I'm not ready to let him go all day anyway.  At home, I've been teaching him to read and, so far so good.

Been making jewelry during Sam's naps. I had set a goal this past Spring that I would make a lot of jewelry this year, and it's been slow going. I enjoy jewelry making, and it feels very natural to me. It's exciting to play around with different configurations and see a piece begin to come together. So, little by little, piece by piece, I'm adding to the collection. Hope to have it for sale sometime in October.

George has been making the most delicious meals, and I think I may never cook again. Did I tell you he's an excellent cook? I tell him everyday how lucky I am. He loves to cook and I don't stand in his way. This was a quick simple meal tonight {'cause I needed to go out and find a dress for Hope's wedding} but still so yummy. Caprese Paninis. {fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil pesto on good crusty bread}

I recently made enough pesto to freeze and hopefully get us through the winter. I'll blog the recipe soon. Easy and delicious. Can you smell that basil?

Been organizing the craft room.  An endless task.

Got all of the boys' summer clothes put away and labeled, and I rotated out Mario's old 2T clothes into Sammy's drawers and closet. What do you think, does he have enough plaid button-down shirts?

Planning the boys' October birthday party. A circus theme. Keeping it simple with a few fun details. I found these invitations on etsy and thought they were adorable. Ordered them tonight. {picture is from the seller's etsy shop.}

Hold on, I have to go change the song that's playing on my ipod.

Ok, I'm back. It was "Almost Paradise" {the 80's song}, and I have no clue how it got on my ipod. But it's not good, and all I can think of are mullets. LOL... I think it must have been on a soundtrack that I downloaded. Anyway...

Lots more going on too. I can't tell you just now, but soon enough.....

Enjoy your week, my friends!
xo

Our Shoes

 

I bought the boys in my house each a new pair of Chuck Taylor's this week {the authentic old school kind, not these new fandangled styles that we're seeing everywhere}. I tried on the womens' ones, and I'm not sure how I feel about them. They might be kinda cute with a casual skirt. What do you think? For now, I thought my vintage Pointe shoes would make a silly and symbolic picture of life in our house.

I sure do love my boys.

Company's Coming

Hope is coming to visit today and she's spending the night. I love slumber parties, don't you? So excited to see her and do some shopping and lunching and crafting. Then, on Thursday my mom is coming to spend a whole week with us!

The beach quilt {which is really a bed quilt} has been laundered and has added a nice splash of color to the guestroom.

Fresh flowers have been placed in a vase on the nightstand.

A small dish of candies is sitting on the dresser.

Banana Cream Pie has been made. Chicken salad and croissants have been bought. Lots of fresh berries are on hand for breakfast. House is vacuumed. Laundry is all done. Bathrooms are clean.

I really do love having house guests. I love the morning when they come downstairs and you talk about how well you both slept {hopefully}. And I love the morning coffee time together. Mario usually holds the guests hostage in the play room until he's shown them all of his trains. And, not for nothin'.... it gives me a good reason to clean really well.

Yay! Company's coming!

Birthday Wishes for my Mom...Pretty Please?

Today is my mom's 60th birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!!!

This is her holding me in the summer of '76. Love this picture. I realize I look a lot like her. Check out the black wig I was born with. That hasn't changed!

She reads my blog. Would you like to help me send her LOTS of birthday wishes??? I would be so happy if you would! Just leave a comment wishing her a happy birthday {her name is Kathi}, and I know she'll feel pretty special reading them all!

PRETTY PLEASE???

Thanks for helping me out and adding a little bit of joy to her special day!

xo