Happy Mother's Day!

Proverbs 31

Who can find^* a woman of worth?^a

Far beyond jewels is her value.

11Her husband trusts her judgment;

he does not lack income.

12She brings him profit, not loss,^*

all the days of her life.

13She seeks out wool and flax

and weaves with skillful hands.

14Like a merchant fleet,^*

she secures her provisions from afar.

15She rises while it is still night,

and distributes food to her household,

a portion to her maidservants.

16She picks out a field and acquires it;

from her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17She girds herself with strength;

she exerts her arms with vigor.^*

18She enjoys the profit from her dealings;

her lamp is never extinguished at night.^*

19She puts her hands to the distaff,

and her fingers ply the spindle.^*

20She reaches out her hands to the poor,

and extends her arms to the needy.

21She is not concerned for her household when it snows—

all her charges are doubly clothed.

22She makes her own coverlets;

fine linen and purple are her clothing.

23Her husband is prominent at the city gates

as he sits with the elders of the land.^*

24She makes garments and sells them,

and stocks the merchants with belts.

25She is clothed with strength and dignity,

and laughs at the days to come.^*

26She opens her mouth in wisdom;

kindly instruction is on her tongue.

27She watches over^* the affairs of her household,

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28Her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband, too, praises her:

29“Many are the women of proven worth,

but you have excelled them all.”

30Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;

the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.^*

31Acclaim her for the work of her hands,

and let her deeds praise her at the city gates.

So blessed to have all these wonderful mothers in my life. They are Godly women who are great examples of the qualities of Proverbs 31.

Merry Making Birthday!!!!

GaGa's Golden Book Birthday

Gaga turned ONE on May 1st! To celebrate I hosted a Little Golden Birthday party for him, all book themed of course!  

The invitations were from littleforests Etsy shop. They were beautiful!

All of the food for the party was themed off of our favorite children's picture books.

More Pictures from the party

Each child got to pick a book as a present and we had lots of book worms to munch on! Golden balloons filled the dining room.

The Cake, Oh the Cake! Auntie Emme's Buttered Buns did a fantastic job! It was almost a shame to eat, but it was so delicious!

The look on his eyes while we sang happy birthday was so special. I think he enjoyed his first birthday cake!

Spring=New

New Name
This winter I was so sure I was going to start this blog that would become an instant success. Then I did two blog posts and didn't make it much further.  I think I had the wrong name for the blog, Madame Merriment is super cute, and maybe one day, I will be her, but right now I am Mommy. Mommy Merriment is also super cute and much for fitting for my life right now. This is something I know and can write about! Maybe now I have actually found my voice!

New Opportunity
I will also be posting about my new adventure into photography.  I have always had a love for photography. I will have to try and find this picture, but one day when I was babysitting my brothers (7 and 9 years younger) I tacked up a blue sheet on the wall, but them in their bathing suits and filled the frame with seashells, boats and sea life.  My very first little photo shoot. I didn't tell my mom what we did while she was gone and when she picked up her film from the grocery store she had a big surprise. I still remember her reaction of surprise and laughter when she saw how I made my brothers pose! From as long as I can remember I have been dressing people up, making them pose and taking pictures or making movies.  My great grandfather was a professional photographer in Chicago during the depression. He was Hungarian and actually studied in Europe too.  My grandma has the most amazing pictures of her and her four siblings growing up. He was also an artist (didn't get that talent!) and would paint a scene and then transpose their images onto it.  These paintings and pictures are true heirlooms and priceless treasures.  This was during a time when having your picture taken was a true luxury as well.  I also believe that on my father's side a great grandfather owned a Kodak processing store...but those facts need to be verified. Don't you just love family heritage?

So, photography is kind of in my blood. My parents are also very talented photographers, but never pursued it any more than just a hobby.  It is with a thirst for knowledge and a want to learn and grow that I jump into this new endeavor in my life.  I can't wait to see what comes of it!

The Engineer, Peaches and Gaga will be happy for me to finally have some new subjects to dress up and take pictures of!

Friday

It is 17 degrees outside and Ethan has been insisting on going out to practice soccer. Yesterday at while Goodwill hunting, we found him some (almost) new soccer shoes and he has been anxiously waiting to try them out.  I got him bundled up and as I was tying them he said something about "looking awesome", and I said,
"Oh, I look awesome, thank you!"
 He looked at me and said, "No, my new shoes look awesome,  but I like your jeans, they look awesome".
 I laughed and said,"What about my shirt?"
To which he replied, "Um, I don't like polka dots, I like stripes more."
 Well, there is a little boy who knows what he likes
He also discovered that his new soccer shoes are really good at helping him turn, or spin,  looks like we will have a dancing soccer player on our hands.

I happen to love polka dots, and I think they are classic, fun and can add a punch of personality to anything, here is one of my favorite polka memories

Who doesn't love apolka dotted swim cap

The Act of Making Merry

Merriment: Gaiety and fun

Mirth, Gaiety, Joy, Hilarity, Glee Frolic

Today is the last day in January and for maybe the third day in a row, we are stuck inside because of illness and or weather.  February is on the verge of appearing and, in the Midwest, February is another long month of cold, dark and at times dreary days, so the outlook for fun and adventure seems dismal at best.  The sun makes a sneak appearance at best, and most times it shines just long enough for me to see how dirty my floors really are...
When stuck in the doldrums of winter, one has to choose to be happy, be energetic and be creative. In warm summer months those attributes seem to come naturally and ooze from every activity and outing.  Yesterday, as I cared for a sick husband on the couch, a four year old, a three year old and a eight month old, I had to choose to be happy, creative and energetic.  That is when I thought of merriment... making merry....that is when it hit me, "merry", doesn't just happen, it requires effort and attitude and action.  When your outside atmosphere is less then merry, all you have to do is MAKE it Merry, MAKE MERRY, MERRIMENT!  Even the word can make you happy, say it a few times...it makes you just a little bit happy, a slight smile maybe creeping to your face? 
So, what did I do yesterday to make a little merry?  First, I turned on some tunes baby. I love me some classical music and yesterday it was Chopin, I cleaned my kitchen....maybe not the merriest of acts, but when it is done, nothing makes you feel happier and more at ease then a clean kitchen!  Then, I made it all dirty again by calling the chickens in.  Okay, not real chickens (even though I really want some...but that is another post) chickens, i.e. children.  We made Ethan's volcano erupt, which turned out to be a bit lackluster, but still fun.  Then we made some homemade play dough, also not the stellar outcome we were looking for.  I was not prepared for it and didn't have any food coloring or Cream of Tatar,  which the recipe said you could skip, so we did, and the dough was really sticky and actually just made the kids upset because it just stuck to their hands and wasn't play material.  I think that was a great lesson though, we had fun just in the act of making it, even though the end result wasn't what we were hoping for. We tried something new, had fun, and learned a few lessons on how to make it better then next time around. 
So, the birth of this blog has happened. It has been in my head for quite some time and after yesterday I felt inspired and creative enough to go for it.  What are my goals for the blog? I want to blog about The ACT of Making Merry, about all things happy and fun, colorful and whimsical, bright and bold and all this wonderful.  For kids, for adults for home, for outside, for inside, parties and products.  I think everyone can use a little merriment in there lives, and I may not have a degree in merry making, but if it can add a little joy to my life, maybe it will to yours too.

XOXO Madame Merriment