What's for Sunday dinner?

I really try to have our family Sunday dinner no matter if it is big and special or quiet and plain, like last Sunday's dinner was.   It was very quiet around the house and dinner was simple since I was trying to use up items in the freezer.

I made this Crock Pot Pot Roast recipe with a side of fries and peas.  For dessert, I had Blue Bell ice cream.  It hit the spot on such a hot summer day. 

The flowers?  They are from the garden.  Don't the colors just POP?!  I'm so delighted in the package of Mary Garden seeds that were in Miss Clementine's Easter basket.  They are taller than her!

Here's to more summer Sunday dinners!  Bon Appetit!

Patty

Camping gear I love - Part 3

Our camper has a shower in it.  However, we don't always use it.  Many times we head over to the shower house where the water pressure is preferable (especially to get the sand out of the hair) or when the line to use our camper shower is too long.

Because of this, I like to have shower bags ready for use.

I recently came across these travel bottles on Amazon.  You can twist the cap and turn it to a desired label; lotion, shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc.

I fill them and put them into a water-proof bag along with a wet hair brush and/or comb.

I just purchased this new Esvan tote on Amazon.  They didn't have a more manly pattern, but this is definitely an improvement over the mermaid bag he was carrying around! Ha ha!

The bag is spacious enough to fit a towel and clean pair of clothes as well as toiletries.

A friend showed me how they hang wet suits or towels inside when it isn't possible to line dry outside.

This is a simple, collapsible drying rack.  I pop it up in the shower stall when we have to bring clothes in overnight.  Since it is collapsible, it's easy to store when it isn't being used.  I found this one at Target.

A new to us item is this window insulator.  Many campers have vented ceiling windows, but those windows allow too much heat in.  We found these window insulators at camping world.  Many folks use these if they have an RV.

It has made a HUGE difference.  We have one in our camper bedroom as well.  When I need to turn the bathroom vent on (like when the shower is in use), the insulated cushion easily comes out with a little tug,  and then I store it in the bathroom.

More camping gear I love here and here.

While we continue to enjoy the camper, we are always looking for ways to streamline things to make life even easier.  We are getting ready for another road trip soon, and I'm sure there will be something else we think of then.

Until the next camping trip...

Patty

July 4th Holiday - 2019

After parking the camper the afternoon of July 4th, David grilled out for us.  It was a simple, easy dinner before I took some of the kids to the city's fireworks show.

We brought our sweet neighbor boy, who has a dual citizenship to England and Poland.  We loved having him with us.  Imagine his joy when he experienced his first funnel cake! :)

We missed Sarah and Mabel, who were some of the 250 city employees working behind the scenes that day/night.

On July 5, we were invited to a fun BBQ at our friend's house.  The swimming was refreshing!  The food that they prepared was delicious.    I made this yummy No-Bake Strawberry, Blueberry Trifle once again. 

The circus was in town on July 6, and Miss Clementine and I had tickets for it.  It was so incredibly hot, but watching the exciting and daring acts with some friends made it bearable.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

Psalms 33: 12.

Eternal God, stir our minds and stimulate our hearts with a high sense of patriotism on this Fourth of July. May all that this day symbolizes renew our faith in freedom, our devotion to democracy, and redouble our efforts to keep a government of the people, by the people, and for the people truly alive in our world.

Grant that we may highly resolve on this great day to dedicate ourselves anew to the task of ushering in an era when good will shall live in the hearts of a free people, justice shall be the light to guide their feet, and peace shall be the goal of humankind: to the glory of your holy name and the good of our Nation and of all mankind. Amen. ~ Prayer offered in Congress by Chaplain, Rev. Edward G. Latch, D.D. Wednesday 1974

Patty

Camper B&B

My friend coined that phrase last week.  My sweet husband hauled the camper out to a state park for five days.  We allowed the kids to take turns bringing a friend out to spend the night. I stayed out there with them, of course.  It was so wonderful to share the fun with friends. :)

This state park is called Lake Ray Roberts Isle de Bois.  It's a favorite of ours.

One afternoon, I arrived shortly after Emma who drove out ahead of me with a couple of friends.  I pulled up to hear them out on the lake laughing hysterically as they were floating on rafts.  I loved that moment!  Doesn't that just scream summer?! :)

We took the camper back to storage on July 4. 

We will definitely do this again.  This camper has brought so much fun and joy to all of us.  We are so grateful to have it.

Until the next camping trip...

Patty

June Smorgasbord

Tour de Parks

The sweet and talented Dwija from Houseunseen came up with a plan this summer for her kids up in Minnesota.  They were going to try to hit up as many new parks as possible.  I loved this idea.  However, Texas is usually a lot hotter than Minnesota in the summer.  We don't really play in parks in the summer because of the heat.  You'll find us there in the winter though!  I implemented her plan recently with our home school group, making sure that the parks have splash pads and pools to cool off in.

We meet up at a different park each week, and it's been so much fun!

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Last week, the younger children in our home school group were invited to gather with our parochial vicar and our deacon, (who is visiting for the summer and will be ordained next May), for a discussion on the Mass.  The parish recently acquired a beautiful Mass kit  and these holy men explained it beautifully to our children.

Some of the little girls sweetly announced how the Mass kit looks perfect for a tea party ;)

Our group has always been blessed to have such caring, guiding, supportive priests that fully embrace our homeschool community.  For that, we are truly grateful.

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I read these three books since the beginning of the month.  Broken  and Blessed is so inspiring!!  Be Brave in the Scared is emotional but a must read.  The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane was a hard one to read.  Some of the customs described were painful to even imagine.

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Hump Day this week

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Sometimes children do better with strangers teaching them.  Even though she has three capable sisters, little miss is doing fairly well with Captain Nick. :)

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Miss Clementine and I planted these GORGEOUS flowers from the Mary Garden seed packet she received in her Easter basket.   We planted them the end of April and they are almost as tall as Clementine! I love the colors, which just POP!

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That brings June to an end.  Between all of the travels, celebrations, and life in general, it's been a whirlwind of a month.  I keep reminding myself that my word for the year is EXPERIENCE. ;)

Patty

Local Homeschool Graduation 2019 & Dinner Party

When you are home schooled, chances are you will have the opportunity to participate in more than one graduation ceremony.  Our home school group held its baccalaureate Mass and cake reception on June 5. 

We missed Sarah who was still in Europe at the time.  :)

I love how her senior table turned out.  Isn't it darling?  And it fits her personality perfectly.  All the senior tables looked so nice!

I loved how the table centerpieces turned out.  One mom used encyclopedias tied up in ribbon as the centerpiece for each table.  Perfect!

We waited until the end of June for her graduation party at home with our closest friends.  We have been so busy and we wanted Sarah present.

Last evening, the rain held out so we could celebrate officially as a family.

We fed her guests quite a meal! I set the dining room table up as a buffet and purchased a packaged, chafing dish buffet set (24 piece) at Party City.  I was able to clean up, repackage, and store most of it away for future use.  (I HIGHLY recommend these buffet sets!)

There were fresh veggies from the garden and a delicious strawberry/blueberry fruit bowl.

I made this mouthwatering cole slaw the day before as well as these Aaron Franklin pinto beans.

These cheesy potatoes were super easy to prep the day of.  David smoked pulled pork the day before and mouth watering brisket the morning of.

The menu was perfect for this crowd size (30 people) and easy to prepare since so much was done the day before.

The rain held off until that evening, thank God!  Most of her guests hung outside having corn hole tournaments, tossing the football around, and even playing four-square!  Ha ha!

Sarah was home, too, to help us celebrate!  The dinner party started at 4pm and the last two guests left at 11pm.  My friend told me that THAT is a sign of a good party!  I hope so :)   I'm so happy that these young adults enjoyed themselves and were comfortable hanging out at our house for so long.

Today I am wiped out!  We have had non-stop celebrating this year with so many milestones in our family to observe.  It's all good though.  This is the stage of life we are in. 

Here's to all the graduates out there.  Congratulations to you all and to the parents who are behind them cheering them on.  May graduates everywhere know how much Jesus loves them.

Patty