Everest Vacation Bible School

 This year our church's VBS theme was Everest. It was fun to come up with snowy ideas during the summer heat. I did snacks again for VBS. The first day I kept it super simple with trail mix. Day 2 was a yogurt parfait. I used strawberry yogurt, crushed graham crackers and blueberries on top. It looked real messy in the cups but the kids loved it. It was also the messiest snack to clean up.

 This snack was very simple and a real crowd pleaser. 

We used cookie cutters to make quesadilla hearts and snowflakes. This was the most labor intense of all the snacks. 

This was our final snack of the week. The day before we made the cups because it is time consuming. It is a simple craft as long as you have sharpie pens and ribbon. We used an air popper to make the popcorn. It smelled so good! I put Teddy Grahams on top of the snowmen because a bear, Yeti, is the mascot for Friday. We served it with grapes on the side.

Maine a novel

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan is about 3 generations of women. It focuses most on Mother/Daughter relationships. The reviews on the back of the book leads you to believe this novel is a comedy but really it's a sad story of 4 lonely women trying to find their place in life. The one thing that kept me reading is each woman is a circumstance of their own time. Things that were taboo in 1951 you wouldn't blink an eye at in present day. J. Courtney Sullivan is a great at interwoven storytelling however I prefer her novel The Engagements.

What I Wore Sunday

Picture is a little blurry but you can see my shoes. 

 This weekend was a special one for our family. Our youngest had his First Holy Communion! He has been practicing and preparing for this sacrament. He was a little nervous because he was the first one to walk into the church.

This isn't my usual style. I typically wear fit & flare dresses and LOTS of stripes. It took some nerve to wear a dress tight on the hips. I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone. 

My dress is Land's End 

 First Communion is a true celebration. It was a beautiful and blessed day.

 DIY Burlap Banner

It ain't a party without a bounce house!! 

Go to fine linen and purple to see more What I Wore Sunday!

What I Wore Sunday

We made it to children's Mass. I was so happy we did because we got to hear the children's choir sing.  Today's outfit was inspired by the character Jesse from the tv show New Girl. She always wears tight and bright flats. If only I had Zooey Deschanel's bangs!

Check out more Sunday outfits and a great blog fine linen and purple

What I wore Sunday…Winter White

 Happy second Sunday of Advent. Today was pretty chilly but as I watch the football games I know it's nothing compared to the East Coast. I love wearing dresses and skirts. When the temperature dips I try hard not to wear jeans or pants to Mass. I stay warm with boots and lots of layers.

Sweater:: Old Navy

Shirt:: Eddie Bauer

Scarf:: street vendor in NYC

Tights:: Donna Karen @Costco

Boots:: BP Nordstorm

Find out what other ladies wore this Sunday at Fine Linen and Purple

 In my quest to find matchy nail colors…I've found the perfect Starbucks red Julep's Claudette.

 Currently I'm reading an inspiring book on Saint Therese of Lisieux by Heather King

When I asked F.W. to take my picture for this post I found over a dozen photos like this on my phone. haha

What I Wore Sunday

This Sunday I got to wear boots for the 1st time this season, hooray for Fall. 

This whole get up is Target 

except the boots: BP at Nordstorm 

Bag: Fossil

What are the ladies at Fine Linen and Purple wearing this Sunday?? Do yourself a favor and check it out HERE.

 Nails: OPI You don't know Jacques!

I kind of forgot about this color, I haven't worn it all year. I think it is the perfect neutral for Autumn.  

My sweet F.W. and I were color coordinated today. I feel like photos of me turn out SO much better if I have one of the boys with me. Being a parent to a teenager is a new challenge...the mood swings alone are crazy. I just keep thinking this to shall pass and try not to say something sarcastic that I will regret saying later. I am so thankful we go to Mass every Sunday together as a family.

What I Wore Sunday

"Hmm...What will I wear next Sunday?"

 It was nice to be home this Sunday and going to our usual kid's Mass at 9am. I am sad the weekend is already over.
Go to fine linen and purple and see what other Ladies wore this Sunday.

Dress:: Anthropologie 2012

This is my favorite dress. I love the versatility of it. I kept it simple this Sunday. However I can dress it up with the right belt or fancy heels.

Kingdom Rock VBS Snacks

Day 1 God's Love Helps us Stay Strong.

 When I volunteered to help our church with Vacation Bible School snacks I figured a few carrots in Ranch Dressing and Goldfish. I was mistaken! Our snack committee, one other Mom and me made snacks for 99 kids. For each day we came up with snacks to go along with the day's lesson. The VBS kit came with suggestions for snacks however we came up with a few of our own ideas.
Day 1 using cookie cutters we sliced up watermelon into hearts.

Day 2 Family & Friends Help us Stand Strong

 We made standing towers. We used washi tape to make the little flags.

Day 4 Crown of Jesus with Jewels 

 Day 4 we made quesadillas in the shape of a crown. We had colorful grapes on the side so the kids could use as jewels. Quesadillas are are a great snack. All the kids wanted seconds.
Tomorrow is our final day and we made frozen chocolate covered bananas.

What I wore Sunday:PacMan Party

Our church is getting ready for Vacation Bible School. The VBS theme is Kingdom Rock.  I am helping create fun snacks for the kiddos.

What I wore Sunday

Dress:: Gap

Sweater::JC Penny

Clutch:: Target

Check out fine linen and purple for more What I Wore Sunday, there are a lot of cute outfits this week.

We celebrated D turning 6 with a PacMan party. It was great having family and friends over. We even had a surprise guest when our nephew from North Carolina showed up! It was a great weekend.

The birthday boy making a PacMan face.

Playing crack the egg with the boys

What I Wore Sunday

 Sweater:: Old Navy

Dress:: Land's End*

Shoes:: DSW

From far away you can't tell I am wearing clashing patterns.

 I had 2 objectives for this weekend's outfit...1. NO stripes 2. Mix patterns

Lately I've seen a lot of pictures in fashion magazines about mixing patterns. An example of this would be wearing flowers and stripes. The trick is to have a color that pulls the outfit together.  I kind of played it safe with black and white but hey I tried it. 

*Land's End makes this same dress every summer just in different fabric patterns. 

After my bold 4th of July nails I needed something simple and lady like. I love this color Tea with the Queen by Butter London. Yes, my mug is filled with Barry's tea.

Hey, you can check out what other Lovely Ladies wore to mass this Sunday at fine linen and purple.

What I Wore Sunday

Summer is here. It has been HOT this week. I wore this dress because it is so loose and comfy. 

Dress::Gap

Sunglasses:: Marc Jacobs

Flats:: Nine West
I love seeing what the ladies on Fine Linen and purple wore this Sunday

Notice D's pants and socks? He has been reading the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne. He really liked the book where Jack and Annie go to the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. D was trying to look like Jack in 1889. He was going for the short pants and high socks look.

What I wore Sunday

I can't believe how big F.W is...When did this happen?!? He will be an official teenager this year. How can this be? When we got home from mass this Sunday F.W. wanted to take a picture just the two of us. I was so happy that he still wants to be in a picture with his old Mum. It made my Mother's Day. I love dressing up for Mass but very seldom do I take a picture of what I wear. On the blog www.fine linen and purple it's all about what you wore on Sunday. Cute idea.

What I Wore

Dress:: Gap

Shoes:: Nine West

Watch:: Marc Jacobs

Sunglasses:: Marc Jacobs

Mardi Gras Cupcakes

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

 I wanted to bake something for Fat Tuesday. Traditional Mardi Gras baking is a King's Cake. I think it is more pastry than "cake". If you haven't had King's Cake the best way to describe it is like a coffee cake croissant. My boys don't like King's Cake so I made cupcakes. I used yellow cake mix and made a cinnamon filling. Above is a picture of how I prepared it to bake. The bottom row is a tablespoon worth of  batter. The middle shows the cinnamon filling. Top row has a tablespoon of batter on top of the filling. I got the idea from this website. http://hoosierhomemade.com/king-cake-cupcakes-and-mardi-gras-food/#

 I love unbleached baking cups. I have found that other cupcake papers can be oily once you bake with them. Unbleached baking cups aren't fancy but they are never smelly or greasy.

King's Cake Cupcakes

America's first Cathedral

  Under the Cathedral are the arches that hold up the dome. 

A view of the dome.

While we were in Baltimore we went to America's first Cathedral, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was built from 1806-1821. It's a beautiful peaceful Cathedral. The East coast style is so different from California Missions. 

San Jose Wedding

Saint Joseph Cathedral

It was a beautiful wedding!

Do you hear what I hear...

Rehearsal for the Christmas Pageant.

Here is what I am looking forward to this Chirstmas season. The Cutest Shepard and Donkey ever! I can't wait for Christmas Eve when they perform. I am a little worried they might freak out when they see how many people will be watching them.