Catholicism: A Universal Church Home

Before "Catholic" became a denomination in the sixteenth century, it was spelled with a small "c". The word means "universal," and it refers to the universal Christian church. This is why even Protestants who profess the Apostles' Creed continue to state their belief in the "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church."

One of the most profound things to me about the Catholic Church (big C, now) is that it is universal, and it is also a home. It is broad enough to encompass all humanity, yet it is familiar enough to intimately minister to each individual human being. A marvelous reflection of God's own character, in my opinion.

I've heard a lot of naysayers chide Catholics for this sense of "home" that we feel in our faith. For some reason, they seem to think this devalues our sincerity of belief. They may judge us for the fact that we like saying the same prayers that we've said everyday from childhood or the fact that we all bless ourselves with holy water in the same way upon entering a church or genuflect as we step into a pew on Sunday, thinking the only reason we cling to Catholicism is because we like the familiarity of it. People will roll their eyes at Catholics who, after many years of wandering away from the Church will begin going to Mass again and, when asked why, will shrug and say, "I don't know. It just felt like home." True, some of these returning Catholics will merely stay for a few years (often to see that their children receive religious education), and then will wander away again. But, for many, it will be a life-changing experiencing: a homecoming that ultimately brings them home to God and, after death, to their eternal Home with Him in Heaven. Shouldn't we feel at home in our faith? Why should our sense of belonging in anyway diminish the sincerity of our faith? Would anyone think a person's belief in God to be faulty or suspect because they confess to feeling at home with Him?

Of course, many, many people, not just Catholics, feel at home in the faith in which they were raised. Many find homes in new faiths that they have adopted as adults. What I find so truly unique about the homeyness of Catholicism is how it utterly transcends boundaries of race, language, age, gender, culture. Truly, it is a catholic faith. A down-home American Catholic can feel at home in the grandeur of Notre Dame cathedral. A Mexican Catholic will find sweet familiarity in a Polish Mass. A South African Catholic could pray the rosary with our German pope in Rome!

My friend, Jen, over at Conversion Diary wrote the most beautiful post about Rita, the KidSave child her family is hosting this summer and how this Spanish-speaking orphan came to be at home in her English-speaking American household--all through the universal homeyness of Catholicism.
* The Bookworm's Library has been updated: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Wanting More

My mother is heading home right now, after her three week vacation with us. The heat wave continues. I'm feeling melancholy. I wonder, do other people know how blessed they are to have the luxury of taking their parents for granted? Do they? I feel like going up to each and every person who has family within driving distance, shaking them firmly by the shoulders and asking them this question. Do you know how lucky you are?


Our time with my Mom has been so precious. But, that's precisely the point. I wish it didn't have to be precious. I wish it could be commonplace. These years are slipping by, these sweet, sweet years, and she isn't here to share them every day. She is here so much, and we visit her as much as we are able with two young children and air travel being what it is nowadays; we talk on the phone almost daily. And, we love her, and she loves us. But, that's not what I'm talking about.


What about all the holidays and the birthdays? All the dance recitals, all the ballgames, the Sunday dinners, the sick days and scraped knees and sleepovers for no reason? This is my mother's heritage, the inheritance of a life spent lavishing love on her only child, the deserved blessing of an adoring grandmother to two beautiful children. I long to be able to drive over to her house, unannounced, and sit and talk for hours, or have her ring me up to go Christmas shopping or to take the kids to the park for an hour. I want the common, mundane, everday blessing of her.


Oh, to take it all for granted--what sweet bliss. Better, to have the luxury of taking it for granted and yet not taking it for granted. I suppose that's what the last three weeks have been. And, what a gift to have a mother who my whole family cherishes so, to have a mother who stirs up such longings for physical closeness in her grown-up daughter's heart. This is a blessing in itself and a great one. Then, am I ungrateful, at the end of this precious time, to shed tears and want more?

* The Bookworm's Library has been updated: Howards End by E. M. Forster, Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

James & the Giant Peach

James is 2 Months Old!

Wasn’t I literally just pregnant? Where does the time go? Though, even while time seems to have flown by, it seems like James has always been a part of our family. And, he certainly has had an eventful two months of life!

He’s had a five-day hospital stay, for one thing. Then, he had his first plane ride at five weeks to accompany us to a wedding in Burbank, CA. Unfortunately, on the trip, he got his first cold (very scary for Mama, considering his respiratory history), but he pulled through it like a champ. He was hardly fussy and never lost his appetite. He started smiling and rolling over at seven weeks! He is also growing well. We have his 2-month pediatrician appointment on Tuesday, and I will be very surprised indeed if this little buddy doesn’t weigh in at 13 lbs. or more.

He is such a strong little boy, and I just love his voice (wish I could upload a good quality sound-clip for you all), which is so emotive for a newborn. He has an incredibly sweet personality already, and Brian, Sophia, and I all feel how marvelously blessed we are to have him in our family and to be able to enjoy him each and every day.

A Day of Rest

To be quite honest, my family is still working on establishing our Sabbath rhythm. Brian and I were both raised in homes where Sunday was pretty much exactly like Saturday, except that we attended church in the morning. When we endeavoured to truly embrace the spirit of the Sabbath, we discovered that taking a "day of rest" was not as easy as we'd imagined. In fact, I have found that it takes a lot of purposeful effort, planning, and dedication for our family to truly celebrate a Sabbath day. That said, some of what I share below will, in fact, be exactly what we do, and some of it will be things we are striving toward but don't manage to get done every week. Everything I've written here also refers primarily to our Sundays in Ordinary Time, since we tend to try to do something a little more "special" on Sunday during other liturgical seasons, and particularly during Lent when Sundays are the one day of the week when we can life our fasting and self-imposed penance.

Our Sabbath rhythm truly begins on Saturday afternoon. I get as many preparations made for Sunday's dinner as possible, often dressing the roast for Sunday dinner and putting it back into the refrigerator, ready for the oven after Mass the next day, among other tasks. I make sure that all the shopping that we might possibly need to do for Sunday is done--this includes putting gas in the car, if necessary. This allows us to refrain from engaging in commerce on the Sabbath. Why should we make it necessary for other to work on the Lord's Day? Then, of course, there is the weekly quick-clean of the house, preparations for brunch after Mass, and especially setting out our church clothes and little things to keep Sophia occupied during service (crayons, a children's bible, etc.)

With all this out of the way, I'm more likely to have any chance of a restful Sunday. Without this preparation, my Sabbath would be harried and frazzled and certain not a day of rest.

We usually get up at 6:30 on Sundays in order to attend 7:30 Mass, the earliest Sunday service at our parish. After Mass, we come home and have a leisurely breakfast while we discuss the sermon and enjoy each other's company. Afterwards, we go for a walk in fine weather or gather around the fire if it's chilly, and then it's time for Sophia's nap. While she naps, Brian and I relax together, often reading or we might play a boardgame. Sometimes, we nap, too! Sometimes I will blog and Brian will play his xBox (not exactly your typical Sunday fare...currently, we are praying about whether we ought to switch off electronics altogether on Sundays).

We always call our parents (the children's grandparents) on Sunday, even if we've spoken to them on other days during the week, which is typical. We always have a roast for dinner, so that goes in the oven early in the day, usually just before or right after Mass, allowing us to enjoy the rich aromas pervading our cozy home. Though, sometimes on very hot days, we will grill instead (we have no air conditioning). Dinner is early, usually around 2 PM when Sophia gets up from her nap, and we have tea in the late afternoon or early evening: sandwiches made from the roast leftovers, some cookies, etc. After dinner, I put the roast carcass, along with some aromatics into a pot of water to make stock or broth for the following week's recipes.

We like to have an afternoon walk if we didn't manage it in the morning, and we do some more relaxing family activities at home. Sometimes in the evening, we'll watch a movie together. Currently, we love streaming "All Creatures Great and Small," the old BBC series, on our xBox through Netflix. I would really love to have some family prayer and worship, in addition to Mass attendance, but we haven't managed to incorporate it in any lasting way that has felt right for our family just yet. Brian plays the guitar and I play piano, so I would love to have some sort of musical worship together as a family. We'll see; it's something to strive for.


Bedtimes are the same as on weekdays, so that part of the daily rhythm remains, and that's about it.


How do you spend your Sabbath days? Are there elements of your day that you feel aren't conducive to celebrating the Sabbath? Are there things you wish you did but don't do currently?

Jonah Days: When Routine Goes Awry

The other day, Mrs. Anna T. at Domestic Felicity asked me what I do when my daily rhythm doesn't goes as planned. What happens, for example, when the kids are having a bad day, or James is going through a growth spurt and I'm tied to the couch nursing him every hour on the hour, or we've had a rough night because Sophia was sick or James was cranky, or I'm ill--yeah, no one told you in the mommy job description that there were no sick days, or when it just happens to be one of those days where nothing goes right and you can't even explain how it happened but everything you attempt either turns out to be an epic failure or simply never happens at all. What about those days?

Well, I try to begin every day with prayer. I admit, there have been days where the first thing on my mind has been a nice shower after getting covered in breastmilk at night, and then I'm starving and the only prayer I start my day with is a hurried grace before chowing down my breakfast. What can I say? I'm a sleep deprived nursing mother. That's no excuse, of course, and I do strive to begin each and every day with prayer, but I'm also trying to be honest that sometimes it doesn't happen. If it doesn't happen on "one of those days", usually I'm sunk. I let all the foibles and failures get to me, I feel like I'm litterally sinking as I try to tread water, and I can't keep my head above water. Then, I am humbled, and I remember that I can only get through my days on the strength of my Father and not on my own merit.

When I do pray on the morning of "one of those days," I find that it buoys me, even when things get tough. Morning prayers put me in perspective: I wasn't created to do laundry or to cook a three-course dinner or even to have clean floors. My vocation, primarily, has to do with love: love God, love my husband, love my children, love my neighbor. If I have done that, and everyone is clothed and fed, it is a successful day, in the broad scheme of things.

All very nice in the abstract, but on a Jonah day, even with prayer, it sometimes feels like I can barely keep my head above water, so how do I manage? Well, I don't know if this is true in everyone's situation, but for me, you can usually tell when it's going to be one of "those days" first thing in the morning. Breakfast doesn't come together or the kids are cranky, or you just know you're going to be low energy from the way the night before transpired and you just feel the storm a-brewing. This may sound dreary, but I actually find it helpful: I know what I'm dealing with and can try to adjust my expectations for the day accordingly--and get in some needed prayer at the get-go!

Next, I evaluate what I had planned for that day (usually, I draw up a "to-do" list the evening before), and I edit. I plan to make sure all three meals are prepared and cleaned up, and then I plan one activity for the morning and one for the afternoon. If I get more done, great; if I don't, fine. The most important weekly tasks are, of course, laundry, grocery shopping (which requires menu planning, of course), and cleaning. Errands, baking treats, and other such tasks can fall by the wayside if necessary. Typically, I will plan "making dinner" as my evening task (it needs to get done, after all), and my morning task will either be an "essential chore," such as laundry, which I try to get Sophia to "help" me with, as it keeps her amused (and in sight) or, if she's just really having a rotten day, I let the chore slide and we just get outside so she can work off some of her energy and so that I can ensure she will sleep well later in the day.

If you take a look at my weekly routine, you'll see that I only plan to do one of these "essential tasks" on any given day, and that they all appear at the beginning of the week. This is to ensure that they do, indeed, get done. If for some reason I can't even accomplish my one major housekeeping task on Monday (laundry), which rarely happens, then I can usually squeeze it in on Tuesday along with my organization and menu planning. And, Friday is always a mini-clean and errand-running, so if I need to, I can do the tasks that didn't get done earlier in the week on Friday and still have a relaxing weekend. This routine helps me not to stress out if one day is a total wash, because I know I have a buffer built into my week to absorb that day's tasks, if necessary.

On Jonah days, I try to commit to twenty minutes of prayer as soon as the kids are asleep for their afternoon nap. Usually, this will be while I eat lunch. Usually, it's a rosary. There's something about the rosary that is such a comfort for a frazzled mother's soul; something about the combination of familiar prayers, the reflections on Christ's own life, and the tangible feel of the beads in my hand. This gives me strength to finish out the day and often cheers and calms me. After prayer, if I'm tired, I nap, and if I'm not, I try to make up what I let slide in the morning.

I also try to make sure I always have one room of the house that is totally organized. Usually, it's my own bedroom, because, let's be honest, I have two young kids. Honestly, my house is normally rather put together, because organization calms me and mess distracts and frazzles me, and this is why I have to have one clean room. On Jonah days, if the living room is in shambles, dishes litter the kitchen counters, and Sophia is having a tantrum, I can put her safely in her room for a few moments, escape to my clean sanctuary and pray until I am in a fit state to serve my family again. I really recommend having a sanctuary somewhere in your home that is always kept the way you like for that purpose, even if it's just a corner--or perhaps a spot in your garden outside. Someplace that can calm your soul when you need a brief respite to ask the Lord to refill your cup.

I realize this post is a bit of my ramble, so to sum up: I advise the following steps to dealing with the days that don't go as planned:

1. Begin with prayer.
2. Keep perspective on your vocation (this is just one day of many).
3. Establish a routine that will absorb the shock of a real disaster of a day without throwing your entire household out of whack.
4. If you feel one of those days coming on, pick one task for the morning and one for the afternoon. If you can, deal with the rest during the children's naptime and/or after they have gone to bed for the evening. Remember, loving your family is more important than a clean house, and the world won't end if you have to put on a slightly dirty shirt. Cherish the day.
5. Keep a sanctuary in your home that you can escape to for a brief respite when you need it. You cannot give to your family what you yourself do not possess; ask the Lord to refill your cup.

Nobody likes "those days," but Jonah days do come to all of us. When they do, it pays to be prepared, and it is also wise to take them like a duck: just swim along and let the rain roll off your back.

My Weekly Routine

"Young Woman with a Water Pitcher" by Johannes Vermeer

Back to our pseudo-series. Now that I've divulged my daily home rhythm, here is my weekly housekeeping routine, as promised:

Monday: Laundry
Tuesday: Organization/Menu Planning/List Making
Wednesday: Deep Cleaning, Farmers' Market (May-October)
Thursday: Grocery Shopping
Friday: Mini -Deep Clean for the Weekend, Errands
Saturday: Baking, any projects that require Brian's help, prepare house for sabbath
Sunday: Sabbath

What's yours?

Feast of St. Mary Magdalen

"Magdalen" by di Ribera

I'm pausing our "rhythms and routines psuedo-series" in order to share with you in celebrating this wonderful saint, who has so much to teach us about a life devoted to Christ. Jessica at Catholic Cuisine has written a wonderful post to celebrate St. Mary Magdalen's feast with...madeleines, the ubiquitous French cookie named for her.

PRAYER TO SAINT MARY MAGDALEN

Saint Mary Magdalen, woman of many sins, who by conversion became the beloved of Jesus, thank you for your witness that Jesus forgives through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness in His glorious presence, please intercede for me, so that some day I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

St. Mary Magdalen is the patron of apothecaries, the contemplative life, converts, glove makers (why? I have no idea), hairdressers (?), penitent sinners, people ridiculed for their piety, perfumeries, pharmacists, reformed prostitutes, sexual temptation, tanners (???), and women.

My Daily Rhythm

"Hanging Out the Laundry to Dry" by Berthe Marisot

The other day, I shared again about the importance of having a routine at home. I asked you all to share with me about your own housekeeping routines (daily, weekly, seasonally, etc.) and how establishing and maintaining a routine has blessed your family and home life. Please, continue sharing either in Sunday's post or in this one; I always benefit from the wisdom you lovely readers have to share with this young homemaker.

I heard from some readers, however, that they struggle with this aspect of homemaking. So, I thought I would share some of my own routines with you all in the hopes it might help those who are currently trying to establish their own home rhythms. I always begin with a basic daily rhythm, which is what I will be sharing today. I also have a weekly routine, as well as a seasonal one. I also look forward to sharing some tips for maintaining a routine, once established.

However, before sharing my own experiences, I do want to emphasize that this is not the only way to keep house. I believe that there are as many different rhythms of home life as there are homes. Each one is unique, adapted to the needs and preferences of the individual homemaker, her particular home, and her unique family. I share only as a sort of jumping off point, a way to inspire those of you who are in the dark as to where to begin. Feel free to steal my ideas verbatim, if you wish, but I promise you they will not serve you nearly so well as they would if adapted to your own circumstances. Homemaking is such an individual effort; truly, it is an art form, and each work of art ought to bear the unique mark of the artist. So, here, I offer you a glimpse at my palette; use it as you will.

Please, also note, this is not a strict schedule; it is merely an outline. Though I use times, they are estimates only. This is also an ideal, not what I am able to accomplish each and every day. Some days, very little gets done, and if I've gotten myself and both kids dressed and fed before my husband gets home, I call it a successful day. Such is the lot of being a mother of young ones. However, this is, for the most part, the rhythm of life in the Hudson Home.

6:30 am - Wake-up; daily readings; personal prayers

6:45 am - Wake Sophia; get dressed; make beds

7:00 am - Breakfast with the family - We'd like to incorporate morning prayers/bible reading here for the whole family, but we're still working on that with the two little ones.

7:30 am - Clean up breakfast; Brian heads to work; Sophia playtime; Mama does morning chores (weekly routine), plays with kids (coloring, Leggos, reading books, etc.)

9:30 am - Walk/outside playtime

11:00 am - Lunch

11:30 pm - Story time and nap for Sophia (hopefully James, too!)

12:00 pm - Mama Time. This is a vital part of my day. I read while sipping some tea or a soda, then I try to spend time in prayer, usually a rosary; then, I finish up my daily chores, if they are still undone, or I strive to do something creative, either blogging, writing articles or poems or stories, reading some more, baking something, scrapbooking, playing the piano...whatever my mind and heart and hands are yearning to do that can't easily be done with the children under foot. Sometimes, though, I just nap! Usually, I get about an hour of "Mama Time" when both James and Sophia are down; sometimes I get two, sometimes nothing at all. I do my best, and thank God for whatever He gives.

2:30 pm - Sophia gets up from nap her nap; tea/snack

3:00 pm - start preparations for dinner, if necessary; playtime with kids, either indoors or out... Usually, this is a very "open" time in our routine; I can see it becoming much fuller and more productive once Sophia begins homeschool in a few years and my mornings are more devoted to school than chores.

5:30 pm - Brian comes home; decompress time for family; finish preparing dinner

6:15 pm - Dinner

6:45 pm - Clean-up

7:00 pm - Baths for kids

7:15 pm - Story time, prayers, and bed for Sophia

7:30 pm - Adult time! Brian and I finally get to spend some time together and have a couple of hours to enjoy each other and enjoy some pursuits without the kids...well, James is always there, needing to be held or fed, but, you know. Brian and I are both introverts, so if either of us has not gotten any "alone time" during the day, this is a priority, at least for half an hour or so. Then, we try to be purposeful about spending time as a couple. We might read together (aloud or silently). We often share a few cups of tea. We might watch a movie or play a boardgame. When we can, we might go out for a short date night, even if it's just to Starbucks or a walk around the block, while a trusted friend "watches" Sophia.

9:30 pm - Get ready for bed; a last cup of tea and reading/prayers in bed

10:00 pm - Bedtime (During the first months of pregnancy, I need to push my bedtime back to 9:30 or even 8:30 in order to get enough sleep to wake up on time the next day. It's a challenge, but I have found that being a lark gives me a much happier and more productive day than being an owl, even if I'd prefer to be an owl.)

So, that's it in a nutshell. What do your days look like? I'd be especially interested in hearing from some of you homeschooling mamas, since this is something I'll (hopefully) be encountering only a couple short years from now.

Routine: Stability in the Home

"Sleepy Baby" by Mary Cassat

“The carrying on of the basic routine saves us as a group from falling into confused fragmentation…The physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted adult returning from the hospital or the scared children opening the door after school are thus greeted with the reassuring aroma of homemade chicken soup, say, and a good meal to follow. It may be a neighbor putting you to bed, but you know her, and you’ve had a good supper, bath, and story just as usual, so the routine carries you along its stabilizing way.”

~Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, For the Family’s Sake

I have written before about the power of daily rhythm and routine and the benefit such rhythm has on homelife, in particular. I never knew just how powerful it could be until my world was turned upside down after the birth of my son, when I suddenly found myself in a hospital for five days beside his crib. How desperately I missed the rhythms and comforts of my home; how I longed to bring my son into that safe sanctuary and to acquaint him with the familiar routine of our daily lives. And, how immeasurably blessed I was to know that, in my necessary absence, our dear friends and my beloved husband were carrying on this familiar routine (to the best of their abilities) so that my young daughter would feel comforted even while I could not be home to care for her.

When I finally did come home with my babe-in-arms and found myself the stay-at-home mother of two with a weeks worth of laundry to do and housekeeping to catch up on, I might have been thoroughly overwhelmed. Thankfully, my husband was able to take a couple of days off to help me with the pile of chores and especially to go on a large grocery shopping trip, since there was hardly any food left in the house after the hospital stay. He and Sophia had picked the cupboards rather bare. I was surprised to discover, however, that once the dust had settled, I was more than comfortable to see Brian return to work. I fell easily back into my routine, even with the sleep-deprivation that every mother of a newborn knows so well and even with my hands quite full with two children under two.

Routine, to me, is one of the most essential factors of successful and happy homemaking. Not only does it bring harmony and order to the daily rhythm of life, it ensures that necessary tasks get done on time and efficiently, leaving us freer to enjoy the more creative elements of homemaking with a clear mind and a sense of having accomplished the more mundane duties that housekeeping requires. Now, too, I realize how routine can be a comfort in trying times, and how it can welcome us home when we have been away.

What is your home routine--weekly, daily, seasonally? How has the rhythm and routine of your home been a blessing to you or to others?

Raspberry Picking with the Hudsons 2009

Today, my Mom (Grammie), Brian, and I took the kids raspberry picking. We go strawberry picking every year to make our jam, but this year, we are delighted to be adding raspberry to our repertoire. It was also a special treat since it is the first time Grammie has been berry-picking with the kids. She lives in my hometown in New York, but we are blessed to have her visit with us for several weeks each summer, and this time, we decided we’d put her to work invite her to join the fun.

We went to our favorite organic farm, Remlinger Farms, in Carnation, WA and had a blast gathering 7 lbs of raspberries (enough for three batches of jam)…and eating a few along the way! James, being only 7 weeks old, wasn't much of a picker, but he certainly contributed helpfully by staying asleep in Mama's Moby Wrap so she could be productive.

Unfortunately, Brian, being our resident photographer, is not featured in these photos, but we hope you enjoy them anyway. My mom is the lovely lady in the black t-shirt and white capris, I'm the one in the sunhat with a baby on the front, and Sophia...well, I'm sure you'll need no help identifying her!

* The Bookworm's Library has been updated: March by Geraldine Brooks

Show & Tell Friday: Peanut Butter & Jelly Cake

My show & tell today is the birthday cake that I made for Sophia for her 2nd birthday, on Wednesday. It's a peanut butter & jelly cake! I was really proud because I came up with the idea all on my own; I'd never had such a cake before, but peanut butter & jelly is one of Sophia's favorite foods, and I thought it would be fun to work it into her birthday celebration. It's my staple vanilla cake recipe with homemade strawberry jam and peaunut butter frosting. So, here are the photos and recipes, so you can try it out yourself:

Cider Mama's One Bowl Vanilla Cake

Cider Mill Strawberry Jam

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 c. softened butter (unsalted)
1 c. creamy peanut butter (I used Jif)
4 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 c. cream

Beat butter and peanut butter together. Add confectioners' sugar and cream; whip until combined and frosting is very spreadable. Makes enough for one 9 x 13 sheet cake or a 2-layer 9'' cake.

We decorated Sophia's cake with fresh flowers from the Farmer's Market and three pink candles: 2 years + 1 to grow on! You can, obviously, use any decorations you'd like. Enjoy!

Sophia’s 2nd Birthday, Part II

The sweet birthday girl.

I can't believe my baby is two years old! For those who are interested, here's Part I: just a brief sentiment and birthday wishes for Sophia. Below is a sort of scrapbook of the day. It was a simple birthday, but a very, very happy one.

Our early bird was insistent on a bowl of strawberries while Mama was making waffles. You never can make waffles fast enough for a birthday girl!

...Opening presents…

Notice her attempting to put on all her birthday clothes at once.

Stockmar crayons were a gift from Mama and Daddy.

James is nonplussed by the festivities.

Waffles are ready! Sophia’s favorite breakfast. Every morning she wakes up and says, “’affles! Sy-up!” Well, birthday girl, you get your wish today.

Sophia’s second birthday figurine takes her place.

My little fashionista.

Grammie (my mom) and I took Sophia out to Elizabeth & Alexander’s for tea. It’s a tradition we started on her birthday last year. We enjoyed it so much that there wasn’t any time for pictures, so you’ll have to take my word for it! But, here Sophia is playing in the car. Had I known she would have gotten such a kick out of this, we wouldn’t have driven all the way to see…

…baby ducks! Wouldn’t you know, this is the only time we got to see them. About 10 seconds later, they waddled off with there mama and darned if we could find out where they’d waddled, too. But, let me tell you, we looked for a long time.

Singing “Happy Birthday” after Sophia’s favorite dinner of spaghetti with Sicilian meatballs and fresh green beans from the farmer’s market that she helped me pick out after her nap this afternoon. The market was special Mama & daughter time, so alas, there were no pictures, but it was a wonderful time for the two of us.

Sophia’s birthday cake was inspired by one of her other favorite foods: peanut butter and jelly! It’s my staple vanilla cake recipe with our homemade strawberry jam and homemade peanut butter frosting. I decorated the cake with flowers from the market.

Happy birthday, Bunny Girl! Daddy and I love you so much, Sweetie.