Celebrating Our 6 Year Anniversary

Our Unity Candle

Happy 6 year wedding anniversary Cookie Man!!

 

To Celebrate Our Marriage - DAY 17

I am still participating in the 31 Days of Love Challenge at Time-Warp Wife.

 "31 Days of Love" will challenge you daily to live beyond yourself, 

to put aside your preconceived ideas of what romance should look like, 

and seek out true love that is sacrificial and intentional." 

-Darlene Schacht

I decided to keep it private and work on it through journaling and lots of prayer.

I find it has already helped me so much as a wife.

Click on the above link and read the daily challenges! 

They are amazing.

Here are some of my favorites so far:

Day 6 -Two Ways to Pursue Your Husband 

Day 9- Make Every Day a "Root Canal" Day 

Day 11- Just Ask Him! 

Day 16- Where is my fairytale?

Fishin'

And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." 

~Matthew 4:19

To Celebrate Our Marriage- DAY 2

Search me, God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my anxious thoughts.  

See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting. 

~Psalm 139: 23-24

To Celebrate Our Marriage

7 years ago, September 14, I met the man God chose for me. 

The weekend we met in person

 On October 22, we will be celebrating our 6 year anniversary.

In Vienna on our honeymoon

  My love for him grows stronger with each passing day.

YUP...this is him!

Today is the beginning of "31 Days of Love" Challenge at Time-Warp Wife.

 "31 Days of Love" will challenge you daily to live beyond yourself, to put aside your preconceived ideas of what romance should look like, and seek out true love that is sacrificial and intentional."-Darlene Schacht

 Join me as I fall in love, all over again,with the man of my dreams!

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13:1-13

UNO's First Soccer Game

UNO had his first soccer game on Saturday, September 17!

 Through AYSO, you have a 30 minute practice followed by the game.

Throwing in the ball

dribble down the field

kicking down the field

Stopping the ball

ready... set...

KICK!

 IT'S GAME TIME!!

TEAM SQUAT HUDDLE

 

 

PROTECTING THE GOAL

 

REST BREAK?

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

"Mint" to Be!

I recently was asked to do the Bible Study for my Catholic Mommy & Me group. 

I was honored to do so!

I wanted to give a little welcome gift to our moms since it was our first meeting.

I made Mint Jelly with mint from my brother in law's garden.

I used my 3" circle cutter to cut scrapbook paper to place between the seal and the ring!

They turned out great!

I used leftover shipping labels I had from my old craft booth ...ahem- about 12 years ago.

I cut coordinating scrapbook paper to cover the business name.

Good thing I saved them...
and even better that I knew where to find them!!

loop a rubber band in place of the string

I could not find a quote that would match the jelly! 

I searched and searched for the perfect quote.

My mother was in town and I asked her if she had any words of wisdom 

to help. She pulled out her prayer book and the scripture of the day was:

In Him all things

hold together.

~Colossians 1:17

WHAT?

Are you kidding me?

This jelly took the longest to set!

I was so worried it would be a yucky jar of syrup!

In Him all things hold together!!

Of course!!

Perfect!

 It was definitely

"Mint" to be!!

Linking to

Mint Jelly Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups packed fresh mint leaves and stems
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 1/4 cups boiling water
• 1 drop green food color
• 3 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 fluid ounce container liquid pectin

Directions

1. Rinse off the mint leaves, and place them into a large saucepan. Crush with a potato masher or the bottom of a jar or glass. Add water, and bring the mint to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain, and measure out 1 2/3 cups of the mint.
2. Place 1 2/3 cups mint into a saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice and food coloring. Mix in the sugar, and place the pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is boiling, stir in the pectin. Boil the mixture for a full minute while stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim foam off the top using a large metal spoon. Transfer the mixture to hot sterile jars, and seal.
3. Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.

Recipe inspiration

Cloth Napkins

One of the best things I have done was 

switch to Cloth Napkins.

The kids were easily using up 2-3 paper napkins at meals, 

although I have to admit I was too!

I found some cloth napkins at a thrift store for 50 cents each 

but when they rang up at the counter they were half off!!

I called the kids to breakfast yesterday and was greeted by this!

DOS' flowers she picked at her cousin's football game

 (DOS' chore at meal time is to set out the napkins)

It was such a beautiful site!

Enjoying the table set every day!

I try to make sure our meals together are not just a quick eat and go,

so we can actually savor the company and the food.

Bless us, O Lord, 

and these gifts, 

which we are about to receive 

from Thy bounty, 

through Christ our Lord. 

Amen

Linking here:

Dear Lord, 

Thank you for my wonderful husband and the 4 beautiful flowers you have given me to nurture!

I feed and water them daily with your spirit and love! 

(Please do not judge me by the actual flowers that are on the buffet...I forgot to water them and they are dead.) 

Love-Vallimasoos

 my Facebook status

Celebrating Ascension Thursday

 Inspired by

Today we had a "picnic on the hilltop" to celebrate Ascension Thursday. 

The idea for a picnic was found at Shower of Roses.

OUR MENU

 Chicken Macaroni Salad.

It is traditional to eat some sort of bird since Jesus "flew" to heaven.

Fruit Salad

The fruit represents Christ, the first fruit of all men.

Powdered Donuts

Symbolizing the clouds that were in the sky.

Sparkling Water

Chosen for the "rising" bubbles.

 

Dinner

LOOK...DONUTS!!

DOS serving fruit

  

It was a wonderful evening and definitely a new family tradition! 

 

So then the Lord Jesus, 

after He had spoken to them, 

was taken up into heaven and 

sat down at the right hand of God.

~Mark 16:19

 

 

Art for Our Lady: Marian Artist Trading Card Swap 2011

We signed up to participate in Marian Artist Trading Card Swap at Pondered In My Heart.

This was VERY intimidating to me since I am not an artist and 

I literally waited until the last minute 

to get the ball rolling paint flinging!

The littles were excited to work with the tiny (2.5" x 3.5") cards.

We used washable paints, black marker pens, color pencils and a red bingo marker.

Some of the card titles,
I wrote down exactly what they told me:

"Mary with a Big Smile" UNO

"Mary at Jesus' Tomb" UNO
"Joseph- Mary's Husband" DOS
"Mary's Garden" DOS

UNO's cards

DOS' cards

TRES' cards

My Cards

My inspiration was Our lady of Guadalupe. 

That is the name of the church I attended as a child. 

My mother had aprons made for her granddaughters and 

I hung up one of them for a visual. 

I was afraid of how they would turn out and I stuck with what was easy and

they actually turned out better than I imagined!

I'm so excited to receive our cards but 

even more excited for the kid's

reactions when their very own cards come in the mail!

Thanks so much Kimberlee for arranging the card swap and for all your time

separating, sorting, labeling, and mailing...etc. etc etc.

Happy Mother's Day

...to me!

I woke up this morning to a delicious breakfast of Eggs and Pancakes.
I'm not really sure the kids understand Mother's Day.

DOS handed me my presents and said:
"Happy Mother's Day Mommy, these are from Santa Claus!"

I am blessed beyond measure to be doing what I absolutely love to do!!

Mary, Our Mother. 
Pray for us.

Divine Mercy Sunday

Jesus, I trust in you!

Our Divine Mercy Craft

To celebrate we made
Lemon Panna Cotta with Berries

Yummy Lemon Juice

DOS helping pour

ready for the fridge

Topped with Fresh Strawberries!

Super Delicious!!

Get Recipe here!!

To read more about the story of St. Faustina and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, CLICK HERE

You can find the craft here- Catholic Icing!