St. Patrick's Day

Purim

I've always loved the Book of Esther in the Old Testament. It reads like a fairy-tale, yet testifies to God's faithfulness.  If you're not familiar with the story, it celebrates the Jews victory over their enemies.  The story continues to be observed in the Jewish community to this day in the Festival of Purim.  


It's my understanding that Purim is like Halloween or Mardi Gras, a celebration that calls for children to dress up and disguise themselves.


Another fun aspect of the holiday is the jeering of the story's bad guy - Haman.  In fact, at the reading of the story of Esther in Jewish synagogues today, when Haman's name is mentioned, the crowd is directed to boo and make noise to "eradicate" Haman's evil name.  A special (usually, poppy-seed filled) pastry called hamantashen (Haman's hats or ears) with a three corned crust is a traditional Purim food.  I found these in the kosher bakery section (no small task in Dallas, Tx, where the Jewish community is quite small) of my local grocery store:  

There are also many recipes online, if you're so inclined.  Hamantashen taste somewhat like a fruit Danish or perhaps like a doughy version of the Pop Tart.  


With or without the pastry, The Book of Esther is totally worth the read.  

"And who knows but that you have come to 

your royal position for such a time as this?”

~Esther 4:14

176 Years

Today is Texas Independence Day.  But since we're new to Texas, I can't speak with any authority about the origin of the holiday, here's what I was able to glean from a quick Google search:

"On this day in 1836, Texas became a republic. On March 1 delegates from the seventeen Mexican municipalities of Texas and the settlement of Pecan Point met at Washington-on-the-Brazos to consider independence from Mexico. George C. Childress presented a resolution calling for independence, and the chairman of the convention appointed Childress to head a committee of five to draft a declaration of independence. In the early morning hours of March 2, the convention voted unanimously to accept the resolution. After fifty-eight members signed the document, Texas became the Republic of Texas."

(And for Paul Harvey fan's - yes, I'm old, here's the "rest of the story"): "The Republic of Texas was annexed to the U.S. by joint resolution of the U.S. Congress nine years after the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed.  The US Congress then admitted Texas as a constituent state of the Union on December 29, 1845. 


Texas Independence Day is an official holiday in Texas. Sam Houston Day is also observed on March 2, marking the birthday of the man who led the Texans to victory over Mexican troops at the battle of San Jacinto."

An Extra Day

Chuck E. Cheese and a Happy Birthday

Yesterday marked the 35th birthday of the kid favorite pizza/game parlor Chuck E. Cheese where my children attended at least half a dozen birthday parties when they were younger.  Depending on your viewpoint this venue is either loads of fun or Xanax-imperative.  As a friend once said to me, "there's a reason they serve alcohol at this place."   However, my photo albums reveal that we bravely held at least two of our very own family celebrations at Chuck E.  Cheese.  My daughter's 3rd birthday:  

She loved this mouse so much that when the restaurant manager said he may not
have an employee available to wear the costume during the party,
my husband agreed to do it.  Fortunately, that wasn't necessary,
but it even more completely endeared my husband to me.  

Taking a break from token madness to enjoy pizza and cake.

and my son's 5th birthday.

The invitation

The cute castle cake, complete with drawbridge and moat

I know, a Chuck E. Cheese party with a Knights and Castles theme? I'm creative like that.  Truth be told, I wanted an old fashion at home party but decided having the party at the locale of his choosing was more important than my desire to fulfill some idealized vision I had for the perfect party (along with that bit of enlightenment came the knowledge that we would return home to clean house when the celebration was over).
   

Tate on the left with friends, Jack, Hadley and Tom

The photo below must have been taken at a friend's birthday (I have no recollection), but I love this adorable shot of Tate driving a car, as friend Max looks on.

And a few other random photos from our periodic(?) visits courtesy of the CEC photo booth:

We've obviously loved Chuck E. Cheese at our house over the years so here's to many more mouse birthdays!

Happy Valentine's Day!

7 Days

"On the first day of Love Week,
 my True Love gave to me . . . "

Six small gifts (tokens really) and a neat bag to put them all in.

Red lunch bags, a cute font, a 1 inch hole punch and some pink ribbon.  What's not to love?