a little more red...

red gel clings on the back door...

hearts on a little dress

part of my heart garland..

valentine on bedroom door

So here's a few more red pictures to begin withdrawal from Love Month!
Yours truly is on to weekend planning, which has some hard work and a few dreamsy plans!
What are your hopes for the weekend?

                      ~Pilgrimama

to-do list for friends

A to-do list:

1. Visit this website- http://www.aholyexperience.com/
2. Find some chocolate and eat it. (I found some chocolate covered blueberries on discount today!)
3. Clean a place that goes too frequently without cleaning. I cleaned the outside of my kitchen stove and a few other places during the children's music class today.
4. Have a peanut butter sandwich. I just picked some up and I think I'll go have some with the fresh bread our downstairs neighbor brought us!

Over and out!
                                                         Hungry,
                                                                      ~Pilgrimama

cake time!



tiered cake...



Blogger is still acting up but here are cake pictures from the vow renewal dinner.
It was an awesome cake!
REAL flowers!
My feathers are ruffled with my photo problems today. But the weather is still nice!
Alex went to Greek class and we did some phonics/reading work this afternoon.
Both boys played math war with me.

I have dishes waiting!
                    Love,
                  Pilgrimama

stuff we are doing

• Today we have created:
• 1 salt dough tea light holder, decorated with crayon stubs and seed beads.
• large paintings which the children decided to do on their own, using a newspaper end roll(check your local newspaper office)
• masks after we researched the Mardi Gras history. We did not end up decorating them...

We studied phonics and read aloud together.
Chelsea practiced handwriting.
We looked at some new books that family sent us...

Outdoor play is happening. It's warm enough to be outside with no jackets! Yay!

I cleaned up substantially outside in the yard and adjacent creekbed. That feels very good!
I feel like we are way ahead of last year at this time,when we were still recently moved and settling in. Thank God!
There's maybe a meeting in the works yet tonight and some food to prep for hungry people.
The boys have a friend over and they are having a happy afternoon.

Last night the sons and I attended a concert put on by The Watoto Children's Choir . That was special.
Ok, enough journaling for today!

                                                                            Busy bee,
                                                                         ~Pilgrimama

photo talk

at our vow renewal ceremony last fall ...

So I never got around to showing pictures last fall of our vow renewal ceremony. The ceremony was lovely and fulfilling, and we very much enjoyed it but the planning and executing of this party/ceremony was exhausting and I never felt energetic enough to post much about it in words that came close to describing its beauty.
(I still don't have the energy!)
But this month in honor of Love and Romance and all that Mushy stuff I thought I'd post some pictures.
Beginning with me and only me. Because unfortunately Blogger buddy is acting up and will not let me post pictures of the cake....


Speaking of pictures, I had pictures taken today of moi and each of my children (taken one at a time, meaning me with 1 child at a time) by fancy photographers. I just thought of wanting to do this the other day and then was given a free oportunity today. These will be a sweet keepsake I hope.
                                                                                              Gotta run!
                                                                                       ~Pilgrimama

Love Day report

Well, Love Day has come and gone. But I am declaring here and now, that February is the month to celebrate love in a Big way and celebrate the color red!
(I didn't get all of my valentines done in time for yesterday anyway!)
We did get some lovely valentines and we took some cool gifts to Chelsea's good friend since we'd never managed to give her a Christmas gift.
We made fun heart shapes out of salt dough at her friend's home too.
Last night we babysat for our friends so they could have a romantic dinner! And then Lee came home and after dinner we went to an ice cream social nearby at more friends home.

The menu for the night was all themed after children's books and was very creative!

And my pal gave ME a valentine with a coupon for half a Saturday of free babysitting!
All the children!
Which in my book is pretty awesome.
Lee and I have some good cafe food coming up in gift cert. form and so I think we will celebrate one of these nights when we have more energy!
We had a VERY busy weekend.
What did You do for Love Day??
                                                                                                 Liking Red,
                                                                                            ~Pilgrimama

lovin' on my guy

Brag time about my hunny:

•            Very hard worker!
•          disciplined
• thrifty
• sends romantic texts
• cleans out the refrigerator and other places on his own(sometimes)
• cooks on weekends quite often
• loving and loves our children in hands-on ways like watching slapstick animal movies with them and reading scary books that I have no interest in.
• more that I don't have time to document right now.
• Now go make your own list if you have a "hunny".
• Smooches!
•                                                ~Pilgrimama

red foods and gel clings

Last night: i made pizza.

Today Lee made tomato soup.
Tonight: i made burritos. Not red. Except for the hot sauce.

UNRELATED:  We have had so many flus. After I got over the last one I have been in a funk. My house was messy since I had been too low in energy to do much.And then when I was better I have had a hard time caring or feeling energetic.
Bt today i think i popped out of it.
And I put gel clings on the windows. Red hearts!
Happy, happy red month!
                                                             Craving color,
                                                            Pilgrimama

february reads

So I have been spending what may be an unseemly amount of time reading this book. Maybe it's extra fascinating to me because of my background, I don't know. Anyhoo, I found it in one of my local thrift shops. This thrift store turned their large front room into an Entire Book Room. Which delighted me. And they are half price on Saturdays. Double good.

The children, now they have been spending what may be an unseemly amount of time on the kid computer we finally got working. They have been playing this from a Cd we've had for a long time.

And today I snagged my very own copy of this book. It's an amazing read.

So put together your library list and get some February reading done 'cause before we know it, God willing, are those busy summer months when there may not be as much time for reading! Do it while it's Gray.
                                                                      Bookwormy,
                                                               ~Pilgrimama

a list for today

A list of today:
                   Wake up, bathe and wash hair, work on breakfast and dress 3 year old all at a reasonable hour. This has not happened in a while.
#2. Go downtown and work on getting dental appointments for children. "Sweet!"
#3. Detour to the Bookstore's free piles.
#4. Come home, clean, make lunch including popcorn.
#5. Sons and husband go in and out and finally leave on a project.
#6. I take nap. Happiness!
#7. Friend comes. We fix bobbin on my sewing machine. Bobbin, bobbin.
#8. I wrap gifts for "groomsman" from our vow renewal ceremony last fall. Yes, this is a true statement.
9. At some point the girls and I make this, except in pink and purple and white and we used a cereal box. I also look online at dental reviews.
#10. I haul jeans in from the line for a final drying in the dryer.
#11.Guys come home.
#12. Whaaaat's for dinner? "Awesome!"
                                                                     ~Pilgrimama

welcome february!

Lee and me-looking forward to Love Day!

Happy February! Sweetheart month!
So mostly I am crawling around doing the basics these days. A sinus "thing" has recaptured our house. (O, I do wish we were done with these sicknesses!) But back to "valentiney" thoughts, I pulled myself together enough to make a valentine garland similar to the one linked. Only mine is red and white.
Jess obligingly took down my wintry eucalyptus wreath and I hung my garland where that had hung. And I took down Christmas cards.
And an earthtoned candle. And realized how desperate I am for some bright color this time of year....

I got some nice emails in my inbox.
And a nice "girltalk" phonecall and even a delivery of boxed teas.
Maybe i will get through all this winter funk!

Now I should keep chugging on laundry mountain and the mess of a craft room so I can be free to do more crafty things.
Sweet crafting and thinking to all!
                                                                                                 ~Pilgrimama