party favors

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Moira hosted a birthday party for a friend of hers the other night. I learned so much just watching her friend's mom set up at our place. Such a talent she has for awesome party decor. I took notes and thought you might enjoy some of her ideas as well.

Alannah made the cake and cupcakes in the colors the girls chose. Mom set up two snack bars. This first one is the s'mores station. Since it was dark and rainy she had it all arranged to toast by sterno. It worked too!

There was also a hot cocoa bar with electric kettles, to go cups (thank you thoughtful mama!!) and extras.

We put together a photobooth which got a LOT of use. A lot. A whole lot! We gathered what props we could find and they printed and assembled more.

I am so grateful when the teens' friends are happy to hang out here.

simple pleasures

Image | Posted on November 10, 2014 by Kim Halloran-Fry

wash day

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Does anyone else immediately break into song when they see wash on the line? Perhaps I have lived with tiny people so long I can't help myself. Perhaps during particularly busy seasons it is the simple daily routines I long to return to and treasure most especially. In the midst of an ever changing world there is comfort in the reliability of a sudsy sink at day's end and wash drying in the afternoon. When I start to resent those basic homey, solid, and centering tasks it is always a signal that I am moving faster than I am meant to move and it is time to regroup.

in pace

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Kim Halloran-Fry

One of the most moving visits we made in Rome was to a portion of the Vatican museum which held the earliest Christian artifacts. The sarcophagi were decorated with biblical symbols from the Old and New Testaments and engraved with prayers beseeching God for the eternal rest of the Christians buried within. Often these were inscribed by visitors to the catacombs as they offered their prayers for the deceased.

It's a powerful thing to run your fingers over those crude inscriptions knowing that nearly 2000yrs ago other hands touch that same scold stone, hastily engraving blessings in a world hostile to faith. In November we carry on with these ancient prayers, remembering our own, now gone.

of saints and stories

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Kim Halloran-Fry

There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch.

~Robert Brault

It has been a delightful, if incredibly full several days preparing for and celebrating All Hallow's Eve. We read stories from Carolyn Haywood's Halloween Treats at lunchtime over several days. The boys and Dad carved pumpkins one evening while I was able to sit in the relative quiet of the living room having a heart to heart with a military mom friend who dropped by.

The little girls and I tackled pumpkin painting this year as well. In typical me fashion we tackled this for the first time on Halloween day itself. Seat of my pants sort of girl <g> We struck out with the stencilled pumpkin but Minnie was a great success. While we had pumpkins on the brain I brought out Thomas Locker's Family Farm.

Then we finished our costumes and took the children to the local military base for treat or trick. (I have shared before that trick or treat is a highly personal and highly controversial topic, one I have waffled on over the course of 28yrs of parenting. This article best describes where we are with it these days.) We are so grateful to have a huge, safe community celebration to attend. There was music and hot cocoa and crafts and neighbors. It makes for a very Peanut's Great Pumpkin sort of holiday. This definitely isn't an option everyplace so our plans adapt as we move around.