Running with Perseverance

2

2012-02-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

There are many things that bring me joy and delight in this world. Sunrises. Mangoes. Singing Cardinals in the Spring. The smell of sea water at the beach.

But, one of my most favorite, and beloved creations of God has to be two-year-olds.

It's remarkable really, because let's face it, being two years old can make a person do all sorts of crazy things. For example, I just had to take a break from this post to tend to my Fina who was having a fall-down-on-the-floor-kicking and screaming tantrum because someone else put on her favorite dress up skirt.

So true.

But, the thing about two's is that while they do things that are hard to deal with, they're still just learning about their place in the world, and when they act out it isn't usually because they are being defiant. For my kids so far, that comes at three. (Oh goodness, 3 is hard....why don't they call it the "terrible three's?")

After months and months of caring for a helpless little person, who drains your energy and multiplies your capacity for love - a little personality arrives.
A little, unique, never-to-be-repeated human being emerges with preferences and dislikes, quirks, vocabulary, and new skills. Maybe that's why my current 2-year-old loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar so much. She's like that little caterpillar and is emerging to become this beautiful, sweet creature.

She melts my heart. When she's sweet she melts my heart. When she's screaming and throwing herself around, she melts my heart. I just love this age. I've loved it when all my girls were two.

Just stay little, precious girl.

(She got new shoes today, hence her desire to model for my camera. I got them from Zulily.com. I've found several nice items for the girls on this site, and they have super cute stuff every day! Today they have Beaba baby food makers on a steep sale, I wish I had the $95 to pick it up today...but we have so many months before baby food enters my life again. You've got to check it out! If you like it, will you use my link to register? It'll be so helpful when it's time to get the 8-year-old a Spring wardrobe! :-) )

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2012-02-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

~ Capturing the context of everyday life ~ This has been quite an eventful and fun week for my family! We had all sorts of fun outings and even a "camp out" in front of the fire on Friday night. I have more pictures than usual for a week in the dead of Winter in Middle-of-Nowhere, Wyoming! I love it! {Pretty}

Beautiful view of our "across the street" neighbors, and the lovely Wind River mountains from our front porch.

My new favorite color of nail polish: I'm Not Really a Waitress, by OPI.

The fireplace in full blaze. This adds such a nice ambiance to our home, especially on days like today (foggy and snowing!).
{Happy}

We went bowling with friends last Friday, such a welcome outing! The girls had a great time with their friends and bowling, and I enjoyed chatting with the other moms while my angel baby slept the whole time!

Charlie always impresses me with his mad Dad-skills. He invited the girls to have a "camp out" in front of the fire place, after a sticky round of s'mores. What happy memories for them!

The next morning, we arose extra early, prepared a thermos of hot chocolate and a portable breakfast, and rambled up into the mountains to watch a sled dog race. It was very exciting, and something none of us had EVER experienced before!
{Funny}These photos aren't very good, as I took them on my iPhone while all the craziness happened.

My 3 biggest girls take ballet in the K of C hall at our church. During the 3 & 4 year old class this week, our beloved priest's two HUGE (but very friendly) dogs came tearing down the stairs and started a hilarious riot of miniature ballerinas.

Some of the poor little ladies were terrified, mine were obviously chasing them and trying to hug them, or crying because they were too excited to hold still for a good petting. Either way, it was the funniest moment of the week.
{Real}

My big girls are big enough to operate my camera.

Sisterly love.

I make everyone work on school work while they're not in ballet class.

Oh sweet baby.

Observations

2012-02-01T22:51:00.002-07:00

I generally avoid posting about politics or really even matters of faith much on my blog. There are such better sources for those topics, but mostly I don't always feel like sharing my opinion with the world.
However, today I found the whole Susan G. Komen/Planned Parenthood media show down so very interesting.

Breast cancer awareness and research is an important thing. Of course I find it important, as a woman, a daughter, a niece, a granddaughter, a friend and as the mother of four girls and the oldest of 5 sisters. There are a lot of important females in my life. I don't want any of us to suffer this horrific disease.

On the other hand, I believe in respecting the dignity of women and I believe in not killing children in the safety of their mother's wombs, for any reason. By linking with Planned Parenthood, the darkest, most vile player in the Culture of Death, the Komen organization lost my respect and made my life quite complicated. Especially in October.

In October, my local grocer is covered in pink tags and "sale" items that promise a percentage of the sale price as a donation to Breast Cancer awareness organizations (aka Komen). I expect to spend more money in feeding my family as I avoid these sales and am forced to pay premium prices for items because I know that I do not want one penny of our money to go toward an organization who claimed to be pro-woman, yet turned around and gave to the most anti-woman group around. Not to mention they denied the scientifically proven link between abortion and breast cancer. After I spent all that extra money on groceries that had just the plain yellow price tags, then I was accosted by my friendly checker asking if I wanted to add a donation to my bill. I would ask, "Well, what organization does it go to?" If the answer was Komen, my answer was no. And because I questioned the organization, they would want to know what the reason was. And I'd have to tell them, in no uncertain terms, but with kindness, that I am anti-abortion and Komen supported PP and denied the link, blah blah blah.

Whew. For completely selfish reasons, I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore. I don't really like to chit chat in the store while I also need to tend to my children, or "herd cats" as my friend calls it!

However, when this financial aid was severed between Komen and Planed Parenthood yesterday, I knew it was sure to be a blood bath.
So, after spending my morning (in between copious amounts of coffee, breakfast, 2nd grade math melt downs, nursing and bouncing a baby, and preventing the 2 y/o from deleting sweet videos off of my iPhone...) watching the social media outlets, emailing Komen with my support, and reading the news stories coming out ever 5 minutes about it.

Here are my observations:

1. Komen wasn't really giving PP THAT much money. And they didn't say they wouldn't support them again after the federal investigation took place, if I understand correctly. So, why did Planned Parenthood come out with a nasty PR release attacking Komen and mobilize their followers to give them more money? Why did they burn the bridge, when it wasn't even permanent?

2. Pro-choice posters on the Komen Facebook page frequently made mention of financially supporting Planned Parenthood now, instead of Komen. I don't really understand this. If you want your money to support women's health care, a free flow of contraception, and abortion, why don't you give to PP in the first place? Why give it to a BIG name organization that filters it out for you, after paying all their people the big bucks? I don't get it, and I'm not trying to be sarcastic or rude. I really don't understand. Planned Parenthood doesn't do research or obtain grants to cure breast cancer, which I assume is the draw of supporting breast cancer research organizations. No?

3. The comments were nasty. They were mean spirited by and large, and they made personal attacks all over the place. There was the occasional, and respectful, "we hope you'll change your decision." Even, "I'm disappointed in you" or "Shame on you" don't really bother me. But for the most part, the attacks on the Komen organization, their higher-ups, people of faith, and pro-lifers were cruel, and insulting. Even I was told that I should "get an education." I expected this, of course, and didn't engage or provoke it, but what's that old adage about catching more flies with honey....?

I'm still skeptical of Komen, but I hope they prove us wrong and show that they will reject the link between abortion and breast cancer, and remain steadfast in their refusal to link themselves with Planned Parenthood, who is certainly not beyond reproach. I don't pretend to think that it's because they're anti-abortion. But, it's a step in the right direction. Praise God!

Mish-Mash and 7Q's v.17

2012-01-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ok. I'm a blogging slacker. I haven't really posted much, and I really haven't been reading other blogs much (until yesterday), and it's been over 20 days since my last real post! I know it's bad when people in my real life start making comments, especially Charlie.

So what's been going on?

Oh. Just life.

I have an almost 2-month-old. He and I spend a lot of time together.

Then there's the toddler and the preschooler who not only need a lot of attention, but quite a bit of discipline.

First and Second grades are back in full swing here. It's lots of fun this semester with cool Science units and a whole section on Ancient Egypt in History. Not to mention all that other stuff...reading, writing, math...art classes, ballet, etc. (Thank goodness, F's reading has finally improved SO much!)

Of course, there's cleaning and people like to eat, and have fresh clothing and diapers. Dealing with 5 children's worth of clothing is a job unto itself, I believe.

Charlie and I have been P90X-ing it since the beginning of the month. So far, I've lost 6 lbs. and several inches from my waist and hips, most of my clothes are fitting correctly again. It's only been 3 1/2 weeks, so I'm feeling good about that. Mostly, I just like spending time with him though. That makes the torture of plyometrics or pull-ups worth it.

Also, keeping me from blogging has been the Kindle. But, more on that later.

So, mostly, babies are on my mind. I thought I'd do a post on the top 7 best baby-related items that are new to me this time around. Here they are in no particular order:

1. FuzziBunz
So, I've used cloth diapers on 4 out of 5 of my children so far and until Joe was born, I used prefolds with Thirsties covers on my newborns. One magical day a few years ago, however, I found a HUGE deal on some lightly used FB's in medium, perfect for Colette (who was a toddler at the time). They won my heart and when Baby Joe was on his way, I knew I wanted to have a few in my stash. Well, a few turned into several, and now that's pretty much what I use exclusively unless I'm washing, in which case he's sporting a prefold and wrap.
I love the ease of the FuzziBunz with a newborn, I love how soft the fleece is, and how easy they are to wash (not that the prefolds aren't, they are so easy to wash).
Funny enough, I really like both the one sized elite diapers, as well as the sized diapers, for different reasons. But that's a whole post unto itself. Either way, he always looks super cute. And this guy LOVES diaper changes!

2. Trend Lab Storage Caddy
This thing is such a simple concept, but SO helpful. While I'd prefer a lovely and basic bedside table with a lamp, a book, and a beautiful vase of flowers, that just isn't where I am in life, so I have this thing right within reach all night and all day. And when we leave town, I just grab it and bring it along as is. It can fit a whole box of wet wipes, which was very handy in the early days before I switched to cloth (before the umbilical stump fell off). Now I keep all sorts of things in there that I need for him, and it's not too alarmingly "BABY."

3. Carters Keep Me Dry Flannel Lap Pads
Since baby sleeps with me, I have to protect my sheets from drooling and leaky diapers (which is very rare with cloth) and so forth. I have found these flannel lap pads to be indespensable, and just place them under his head when we go to sleep, so that my sheets don't get destroyed. I also take them along when we go out for a changing pad. They fold up small and fit in my purse, which is perfect because I renounced the diaper bag 4 babies ago. These things wash beautifully and stay soft while remaining waterproof. Brilliant.

4. Nosefrida Nasal Aspirator
Ok. This one seems really gross. But it's really not. Those little blue blub syringes always get so disgusting, and apparently they can harbor all sorts of bacteria and whatnot. Living here in such a dry and cold climate, this baby is constantly stuffed up. The Nosefrida (and the occasional drop of saline solution) get him all happy again, and typically, he doesn't cry. Which is remarkable - babies usually hate having their noses suctioned out!

The last three are all nursing related.

5. Bravado

These were listed on one of my favorite Betty Beguiles posts. In the past, I figured this brand was probably over priced and overrated. I was so very, very wrong. They have changed the whole experience.

6. THESE

I hate the name of this product, but I LOVE how they work! I've never used anything but disposables, but these are awesome. If you ever want more details on why I love them, feel free to email me!

7. Kindle Touch

My life has been changed for the better by this little device! Charlie got it for me for my birthday and it has been such a wonderful blessing! I always feel like the year+ that I'm nursing a baby, I don't get to read. I just can't manage nursing and books/magazines. The Kindle makes it easy just by touching the screen to turn the page, nobody can close it on me, and it's not flashy like my iPhone, so the kids don't try to mess with it. It's been just over 3 1/2 weeks since my birthday and I've read 3 1/2 books (well, and another half of another book, but that doesn't total 4, does that make sense?! hahah) and have quite a few I can't wait to read next. I'd love any book suggestions!

So long for now!

(For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!)

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2012-01-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

~ Capturing the context of everyday life ~ {Pretty}

Over the weekend, Charlie installed my double oven and the gas line for my counter top cook top. I love the new look of my kitchen! I think we're still going to paint the cabinetry and add hardware, but other than that, I think its pretty!
{Happy}

I can't tell you how happy I was to get my hair cut last weekend. I'm so bad, I really only go once a year at most. Anyway...it was SO long and I haven't cut it this short since I was 18. I love it.
{Funny}

Gab's current favorite thing to draw is the zoo. I just think her drawings are so cute!
{Real}

For real time is flying and this guy is 2 months old now! He's such a sweet baby. I'm so blessed.

Hi!

2012-01-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sweet readers - I have a real post in the works. I know it's been a long time.

Today, I just wanted to post real quick and beg your prayers for a special intention. Will you pray? It would mean so very much.

God's will be done!

Today is my birthday...

2012-01-04T10:18:00.001-07:00

...and here's my favorite gift so far:

V. 16 7 Quick Takes

2011-12-30T17:04:00.001-07:00

1. Merry Christmas!

I hope yours was full of joy and happiness! Ours was.

God made himself small so that we could understand him, welcome him, love him... Christmas has become the Feast of gifts in imitation of God who has given himself to us. Let us allow our heart, our soul, and our mind to be touched by this fact! - Pope Benedict XVI

2. Greetings
Growing up, my mom used two of the door ways in the main hallway downstairs to hang up all the Christmas cards. I would love to stand around and look at the beautiful images, read the update letters, look at the photos, and grill my mom on who people were that I didn't recognize. At our home, I only have one small door that works for this, my pantry door in the kitchen. I love getting Christmas cards - and I even got several from blogging friends, which is always fun!

3. Partying
There have been so many festivities over this Christmas season. The males in my life are exhausted (both of these pictures were taken just moments ago).

Incidentally, all three of these guys (Charlie, Joe, and Bree) sleep in my room. And they all snore.

4. Speaking of Joe...
Oh my goodness, is this guy growing like crazy or what?! He's outgrown all of his newborn sized clothes (obviously), and is already too long for many of his 0-3m clothing! And I've had to move out to the second snap on his Fuzzi Bunz.
I can't even describe how precious, how moving, it was to celebrate Christmas this year with an infant son. I thought about doing a blog post about that, but I think it's something I'd rather just keep close to my heart. It was a wonderful blessing.

5. 2012
How are you ringing in the New Year? Any great goals or resolutions?
I don't set resolutions. But, I do have some goals I'd love to meet this year, one being to read X number of books. Any book suggestions? Any suggestions on how many books to read? I still haven't decided. I'm a fast reader, but realistically, I'm not so great at reading while holding a nursing baby - and let's face it, that's what I'll be doing for the bulk of 2012.
We also start P90X on Monday. That timing has more to do with healing post-baby than the new year, but it's a great time to start because everyone and their mom is pinning great healthy recipes and inspiration on Pinterest. I guess I had better hurry up and eat all the Christmas candy. heh
Another goal I have is to carve myself a niche somewhere in the house, a place I can go to escape, read said books, nurse the baby, and enjoy a cup of coffee and a Magnificat. The location of my living room causes everyone to wake up if they hear me stirring, which is no bueno. It makes me a better mom and wife - which is better for everyone who is stuck here with me all day.
I thought about posting on these 20 Questions for Reflection on 2011, but I think I'll just journal them. I thought it was a neat list though.

6. And now-
The excitement of Christmas, New Years, and my birthday (I'm about to turn 29 - eeeeek! I remember my mom's 29th birthday!) will be over soon. I naturally turn my thoughts to Spring and Summer, which doesn't really fly with the long winter that is yet ahead. This year I'm going to try to embrace it, and to try, *try* to cut out my whining. I can't make any guarantees if it snows the last weekend of May again though. Anyway, our wood stove is finally fully installed, we got a bunch of new games for Christmas, and I have plans to spend afternoons with the girls reading aloud and listening to them read. We were the very lucky recipients of a membership to the local Children's Museum for Christmas (THANK YOU!), so that will give us somewhere fun to go during the winter months ahead.
I'd love any tried and true suggestions for getting through the winter months!

7. Head, Heart, Hands
I stumbled upon this wonderful blog recently that has renewed my enthusiasm for homeschooling, which is great because we're back to school on Monday. Today, she posted a lovely post that got me thinking, and I thought I might share HERE. I liked this Head, Heart, Hands concept she suggested, and I think we naturally tackle the first two without a problem. It was the "hands" that made me want to explore further - my girls would love to work on some of the ideas she mentioned, and I'm thinking naptime in the afternoons would be the perfect slot. I'd just have to be very intentional, well prepared, and maybe a bit more energetic. Anyway, it's something I would really like to think about further.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary.

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-12-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ {Pretty}

I think these huge icicles hanging right outside my dining room window are so pretty! Lethal, maybe. But pretty! Plus, aren't the mountains looking gorgeous? I took this photo a few days ago, today we had a ton of snow, so everything is completely covered - a real winter wonderland. Beautiful.

Here are all my pretty girls, and Joe. This was our Christmas card photo, and now that they're all out, I thought I could post it! My sweet mother-in-law had all these matching dresses made for the girls! Aren't they precious?! (Joe has a matching outfit too, but it didn't fit him that day. It might by Christmas though!)

{Happy}

Last weekend we took a last minute trip to Denver, mostly to see this collection of relics that was touring the archdiocese. I kept seeing Facebook friends post statuses about it, and when I saw it would run through the weekend, I just knew we had to go. When I pulled up the PDF from the website with the list of which Saints were represented, my heart about stopped! We loved the presentation, I learned so much, and even the girls enjoyed it. Then, I was able to take the Rosary my parents gave me that was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI and make it a 3rd class relic after touching it to and praying with dozens of saints' 1st class relics (including Sts. Peter and Paul, St. Faustina, Bl. Kateri, Bl. Theresa of Calcutta, and many, many more). I got photos of the relics of my two favorite Saints, who were both there: St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Josemaria Escriva! (We had permission to take pictures.)

{Funny}

Fina insists on pulling her chair as close as possible to Charlie at meals these days. She is so funny.

She also loves Angry Birds. So much so that I had to delete it off my phone. You can imagine her excitement when she discovered this giant angry bird while we were out shopping last night. She immediately started ramming it into her sisters and making the angry bird noises. hahaha

{Real}

My fireplace is almost done!! I'm hoping for a real, cozy fire while we enjoy Christmas festivities this weekend!

This guy is growing way too fast. Love him.

Bath Time

2011-12-14T14:53:00.001-07:00

I couldn't resist blogging a short series of pictures from Joe's first bath last night.

Yes, he's 2 1/2 weeks old, and yes it was his first bath. True to late Joe form, it took forever for his umbilical stump to fall off. Now he's got a cute belly button AND he smells good again. (Also I can finally use his cloth diapers!)

I was so excited when I scored this Tummy Tub off of Craig's List in Denver a few months ago. Sad to say, but I've always dreaded bathing my babies because they all hated it so much! I've never had a baby that would "relax" in the tub, they all just threw their arms out and screamed while I bathed them as fast as possible. This lovely European invention was perfect, Joe loved his bath, remained calm, and smelled so sweet when it was all over. Their website is super helpful too because it informs the parent that baby's bathwater should be between 97-100 degrees F, which I had never known. Five babies later and I still feel like such a novice sometimes!

After all of the hubub came out about how dangerous certain baby washes are, I did some research and settled on using this Weleda Baby Wash and Burt's Bees baby lotion (I LOVE that smell!). He looks so shiny and smooth and sweet now, not to mention he smells good! The Tummy Tub website recommends using a sea sponge instead of a washcloth for the baby. Has anyone done this? I thought I might like one too! Maybe I'll pick up a couple and put them in his stocking (and mine.).

(Speaking of baby wash, I hear/read a lot about the chemicals contained in baby washes and shampoos, but I'd love to use something healthier for my older girls. Any suggestions that won't break the bank?)

Anyway, I just thought he was cute. Having a newborn during Advent is so amazing - what I'm lacking in time and ability to do much reading or meditation is being picked up by serving my little one, thinking of Our Lady, and being in complete awe of a God who would humble himself so much, and love us so much that he would become like this little one of mine. It is truly awesome.

V.15 7 Quick Takes

2011-12-09T13:34:00.001-07:00

1. Baby
Obviously I'm going to write a take about the cute little guy who has taken over my life! Oh my gosh, am I smitten! Having 4 little daughters, I wasn't so sure about how I would feel about a male child. That was dumb. Sort of like wondering if I could love my 2nd child as much as I loved my first. Duh, Andrea.
He's so sweet. I find myself lingering on the little moments a little longer...wondering more about who he will be someday... I think this is the blessing of being on baby #5, I do know how incredibly fleeting these moments are, even when I feel like I would do just about anything to grab a shower and put on real clothes (I hate spending my day in pajamas) because all he wants to do all morning is nurse and cuddle. (Well, and he is actually sleeping now. I got to shower, dress, enjoy lunch with the family, put little kids down for naps, and start this post - we'll see if I get to finish it!)

2. Christmas Fun
I'm done with my Christmas shopping with one exception: Charlie. I have picked up a couple of gifts for him that I think he will like, but I would love to find one more awesome something to give him. Gift-giving is one of my top two love languages, I love choosing gifts for people and thinking about them and what they might like. He's SO hard though. Any Man Stuff that I would like to get him I would never dream of picking out because I simply do not have the knowledge necessary. I would love any suggestions - although I've perused a ton of related blog posts, Amazon listmania lists, and begged him to give me some ideas.
I'm also done with my Christmas cards (they were done a long time ago), and I had hoped to include a photo of all the children together before I mailed them out. The round of colds my girls have are keeping me from letting them hold the baby though, not to mention I just don't have the energy to tame all that hair just for a picture. I'm thinking of making a collage on Pages (love my Mac!), printing out a bunch of copies, and calling it a day. This is a postpartum Christmas after all (as is evidenced by my sad looking tree - but the kids like it...).

3. Stocking Stuffer, for ME!
(My title there is in reference to one of my personal favorite movies - The Emperor's New Groove. Oh goodness, just thinking of it makes me laugh. Every time Charlie cooks and puts on the oven mitt I think of Kronk cooking spinach puffs, "Careful. They're hot." AHAHAHAHA Ahem. Anyway.)
So I bought Lisa Hendey's new book A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms: 52 Companions for Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul as a gift for someone else this Christmas. Since I got to flip through it, I got so excited just looking at it that I decided to buy myself a copy for my stocking. It's just about all that will fit in there (other than copious amounts of York Peppermint Patties, which I adore), and I can't wait to pick it up! After looking at it, I thought it would just be perfect for the new year!

4. Speaking of the New Year...
Last Winter/Spring were LONG here. In fact, I'm sure my readers got tired of all my whining about snow in the Spring. But, seriously?! I am a Texas girl after all. Spring starts after Christmas, no?
Anyway, Charlie and I are going to go back to doing P90X together starting in January. I thought the timing would be perfect, I'd have plenty of time to recover from childbirth, and the holidays would be over, and it would give me something productive to do to get through the winter blahs. Honestly, I could probably use the endorphins, given my feelings about winter in general. More than anything though, I LOVE the time I get with Charlie. My other top love language is Quality Time and I do feel like that was met with him when we were doing P90X together last time. Can't wait!

5. Oh no!
File this under first world problems.
Ugh.
I have an excessive amount of grey hair all of a sudden.
What the what?!
What do I do about this??? I'm not even 30 yet! Heck, I'm not even 29 yet! haha

6. Publish
Well, I made it to 6 before Joe woke up! I'm going to hit publish and go admire those super long eyelashes and the sweet dimples that show up when he smiles in his sleep...

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary.

The Story of Joe

2011-12-06T13:23:00.001-07:00

Blogging one handed, with my left hand, at that, is not very fun. My brain moves faster than my left forefinger, so I imagine that creating this post will take a while, as I grab a few moments here and there with two free hands for typing!

Things with my little son are going so well. My recovery couldn't be better, he's nursing like a champ, and his sisters are totally smitten. Sadly, they all seem to have a cold so nobody has been able to hold him yet. As you can imagine, this has produced more than a few tears. The other sad thing is that no matter how much I would like to get a picture of all five children together, I just can't. So much for my Christmas card plan! I'm working on plan B.
Anyway, things here are great, with the only foreseeable problem being Cabin Fever now that it's down to the single digits temperature wise, and there are several inches of snow already on the ground. I have a feeling that Summer will be most welcome again this year. I'm already ready. I don't think I'm cut out for cold climates.

As you all know, this little guy of mine came late. Sixteen days late, to be exact. Sixteen LONG, emotional, uncomfortable, fear-filled, days. See, not only was his lateness (is that a word?) contending with a long anticipated visit from my in-laws for Thanksgiving, but the local hospital doesn't allow VBACs, so I was up against the clock in a serious way. I was not willing to just hand myself over for surgery when I was healthy, my baby was healthy (I had 3 non-stress tests), and I know what the recovery is like for both a cesarean AND a regular delivery. No thank you. I was stressed to the max.

As the visit for Thanksgiving approached, my midwife offered all sorts of natural labor induction options. None of these options worked, and on the day that our family arrived, she called me to calm me. My house would be full of people, I was planning a homebirth, and no matter how much I love them all, my fight or flight kicked in severely. Anyway, my midwife called that morning and told me to stop the black and blue cohoshes that I was trying, and to just enjoy my time with the family over the holiday. After hearing that everyone would be heading home on Saturday, she said, "I'll bet he comes on Sunday!"

We enjoyed a WONDERFUL time with Charlie's parents, his brother, and my sweet future sister-in-law. In fact, the visit seemed to fly by, and other than an unfortunate run in with my flat iron and a couple of hours of pretty intense contractions that died off, I felt really great.

I felt that there really was something to the baby coming on Sunday, once things calmed down, and I calmed down. So, we went to Saturday night Mass, which was beautiful - the first week of Advent - and followed that up with a trip to the tree lot to purchase our Christmas tree.

Sunday morning, I was awakened at 4AM by Gabrielle who had a really bad ear ache. I loaded her up with some homeopathics and a dose of tylenol, made a little sick bed for her on the couch, and turned on a movie for her to watch on Netflix with my computer. There is nothing worse than being sick, and alone, and in the dark - so I stayed up with her. When 8AM arrived, so did her sisters wanting to watch shows with her, so I went and climbed back into bed. Charlie sleeps more than anyone I know, so he was happy to sleep in too and I don't think I actually got back up until about 10:30. He headed out to get us donuts and a newspaper, and then we planned on decorating the Christmas tree.

Around noon, I noticed that my contractions were coming more often, about 3 minutes apart. They were getting stronger, but they weren't unbearable. I just kept on with whatever we were doing. By about 3PM, they were getting a little more painful and it was about then that my midwife called to check on me. I think that I was less bubbly than usual on the phone, and I had more information about how close my contractions were because I couldn't really ignore them any more. Not that they were stopping me just yet. She told me that she was going to go feed her horses (gotta love Wyoming! hehe), change into her scrubs, call her assistant (who lives about 2 1/2 hours away and is just wonderful), and come over to check on me. When she said she was going to put on her scrubs, it made me think that maybe this could be the day. I had so much hope!

She came over and timed my contractions for a while, chit-chatted with the family, and when checked I was found to be at 8cm. She declared me officially "in labor" and started bringing in all her labor gear and setting it up in my bedroom. The sheer amount of medical equipment was impressive, and the way she set up so efficiently was amazing! I changed sheets and prepared things as well, cleaning up the house, feeding children snacks, and so forth as the contractions came closer and stronger.

Eventually, we realized that the girls were too excited and wouldn't nap through the birth, so we packed them up and sent them over to a friend's house. It was sad for me to tell them goodbye, especially Fina, knowing that by the next time I saw her, she wouldn't be my baby any more. They were, of course, more than excited to go play with their friends and I knew that they were in the hands of people who truly love children, so I think that added sense of peace helped me to let go and allow the labor to come on even more.

Laboring at home was so different than the hospital. I did whatever I wanted. I ate and drank whatever I wanted. I participated in conversations if I felt like it, but didn't have to. Nobody was coming in and checking me every 10 minutes, I didn't have any machines hooked up to me that hindered me, and I didn't have to lay in bed in an awful hospital gown! (I hate hospital gowns! hahaha) Periodically, the midwives checked the baby's heart rate, which was always healthy, and they knew just what I needed when I needed it.

Eventually, the contractions were just one on top of the other, agonizing, and and I knew the time was coming. We hired a local photographer (who did all of our beautiful family photos last Fall, and Felicity's First Communion pictures) to document the birth for us, and she came over. All of us moved from the kitchen, where we were standing around shooting the breeze, to my bedroom where I planned to have the baby. The midwife's assistant asked Charlie to say a prayer, and as he finished, I knew the time for pushing had arrived.

The midwives and I had talked a lot about what I thought I might like to do for the actual delivery - have the baby in the tub or out, whether I'd like to be upright or what. When I had Fina, I was standing and saw the great advantage that gravity could be, because laying in a hospital bed with an epidural was my only other experience. I thought I might want to try the birthing stool, and as it turned out, it was perfect. They set it all up in my bedroom, and when it was time to push, Charlie was able to sit right behind me where he offered such strong, loving support. The location in my room was interesting as well, because right where I sat, the main thing in my view was the crucifix. All I could think of during those contractions was my favorite quote from St. Josemaria's Rosary reflections on the Scourging at the Pillar, "Look at him, look at him...slowly. After this...can you ever fear penance?"

(Amazing to me, how childbirth always draws me closer to the cross. Even the c-section. I'd say, especially the c-section.)

Earlier in the evening, I had to laugh when we started boiling water. Doesn't that seem so old-school-Hollywood? Well, as it turns out the water being used for compresses during pushing was wonderful. I pushed four times, with the contractions, for as long as I wanted. Nobody counted at me or raised their voice - there was just peace.

On the fourth push, he arrived, all at once, our long prayed-for, long-awaited son. He was immediately lifted into my arms, where the three of us cried (two of joy) and soaked in the first moments of this life.

Charlie cut the cord, I was helped to (my own!) shower by the midwives, and while I basked in happiness and thanked God for a healthy birth, Joe was weighed, measured, and checked out. His apgar scores were perfect, he weighed 7 lbs and 15 oz (TINY for one of my babies!), and measured in at 19 1/2 inches.

As I was getting out of the shower, Charlie came to inform me that he needed to hurry up and go get the girls, because while time stood still in our home, and we were enjoying the joy of our son's birth, all sorts of other excitement was going on! Our girls were at the home of our friends, and of course, of all times my poor clumsy Colette was doing a dance with her friends, fell, and busted her eyebrow open! They took her to the ER where she was carefully tended to, got to bring her friend along, and even got a popcicle! Good times for her! (She and I have something in common now...I did nearly the same thing at her age, while at a friend's house without my parents there, and ended up with stitches in my head.)

Also, because he was so concerned about what was going on while I was in labor, Bree was made to go hang out outside while I had the baby. He managed to, also of all times, get sprayed by a skunk (we think in the face) while the blissful birth was taking place.

Ah, what memories!!!

While Charlie went for the girls, I was tucked into my own bed with my precious baby, who had already proven himself to be very serious about nursing. Before I knew it, all my girls were there, they were SO excited to meet baby Joe at last! It was such a wonderful feeling to not have to leave them all, we were all together, I wouldn't be alone all night - it really was such a wonderful feeling.

The midwives were so efficient at cleaning up, putting laundry in the wash, making sure I had some good food, and helping the family adjust. Then the next thing I knew, my girls were sleeping in their beds in the next room, the excitement was over, we dressed the baby in clean clothes, and I went to sleep. It was beautiful. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

It is here that I must thank all my friends and family and readers for the abundance of prayers through my pregnancy, through all the waiting, and during the delivery. There were some very hard days for me, days that I really needed other people to do the praying for me, and I am so thankful.

Now, 10 days later, all is going well (other than the fact that 3/4 of my girls seem to have colds and I won't let them hold the baby, and they are somewhat miserable...). The baby is sleeping well, nursing like a champ, and I'm still being taken care of so well by my amazing husband and a very generous community who has blessed us with 4 weeks worth of meals every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Joe had his first pediatrician appointment today (I'm so happy to have found a doctor that supported my homebirth and who does not harass me about some of my non-conventional choices), and he has already gained a full pound and an extra inch!

Here's my little man and me! I think he's just so cute! And looks like the rest of our children in some way...

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading my extra long account of Joe's birth! A baby born on the first Sunday of Advent - the perfect way to start the season...

Hero

2011-11-30T16:17:00.001-07:00

My precious son has been born! He's almost 3 days old now, he was born on Sunday evening. I can't wait to share the story.
Before I do that though, I am mostly inclined to write about Charlie.

Today is my first day home with all 5 children (FIVE?!), and so far it has gone very smoothly. Charlie should be home from work in about an hour to hour and a half. We're all dressed. The house is maintained, and I've even managed to do some laundry and make the bed. We all ate well today. It's not like I can't handle this.

All that being said, my quality of life when he's here is so much better.

Charlie has always been so good to me. He's always kind to me, he treats me with love, and sometimes that is really hard to do I'm sure. It's in the times like these though, these days of waiting for a baby (16 days overdue) and laboring and caring for a newborn, that he ramps it up even further. I am completely undeserving of his care, and he offers it anyway.

If you've read The Five Love Languages, Charlie is very clearly an "acts of service" person. I know that by taking out the trash, or holding the baby so I can take a shower, or changing the 2-year-old, he is loving me.

But it's more than that. He hasn't just helped out, cleaning and cooking (a fabulous steak dinner last night, by the way) and made sure the children survived the day. He's protected me at my most vulnerable, he whispered strength into my ear as I brought our son into the world, he supports me rather than blaming me in the night when the baby cries and I know he's just as tired as I am.

So, even though by all appearances my home is peaceful today, we're fed and dressed, and happy - the only reason is that there is someone in the background making it possible for me. He deserves the credit for heroically loving and protecting our family through such a transitional time. And even though I had to be the person to endure 10 months of pregnancy and the pains of labor, he's the one who had to stand by and watch the person he loves suffer. He didn't just stand by though, he has looked for every opportunity to lighten my load, whether through actions or his amazing gift to say just the right thing at just the right time.

In the joy of the arrival of our precious son, I still fall asleep at night thanking God for Charlie. I praise God for him and for our happy marriage, I know it's an incredible blessing.

*As a side note, I wrote this yesterday and forgot to hit publish! Same goes for today though!

No baby.

2011-11-19T11:33:00.001-07:00

Do you see my baby counter there, over on the Left side bar?

Today it says 41 weeks 1 day.

And it is empty.

As should be my womb.

I almost cried when I saw it today, but thankfully instead I noticed it with Charlie near by and he made me laugh.

He's so great.

No, there is no baby yet.

Baby Boy Room - a new adventure

2011-11-14T18:59:00.001-07:00

No I haven't had the baby.

Here's another indulgent post!

We set up a baby room. I wouldn't call it a nursery, because I don't actually plan on using it that way. My babies don't sleep in a crib until they're much older (like, over 1). Also, we have included a full sized bed for guests, and for me and the baby if we need to escape, and an extra bed is always handy for nap time if someone needs it. Also, I have four girls worth of stuff in their bedroom closet. For goodness sake, I needed somewhere to put the baby stuff!

Here are pictures of what we've done so far:

Here are the beds. The crib is brand new, a very generous gift from my lovely inlaws. I'm so thankful, the one we had before was looking rough! I made the bed skirt (this afternoon actually) and the matching flannel blanket (as well as the throw pillow on the bed). My sewing is not great, but these were pretty simple and very fulfilling projects. Funny enough, the blanket on the end of the bed was another one I made back in high school for Charlie! Please note, however, the best part: the cardboard Moose trophy! hahahahaha I love it! I need something more on the walls here, so I ordered some eeBoo number cards to hang over the crib, per Charlotte's suggestion on Facebook (she actually suggested the birds, which I like best, but I thought the animal ones fit in a little better).

Source: eeboo.com via Andrea on Pinterest

For now, Fina's actually sleeping in the baby crib, since we had to take her's down in order to put this one up! She likes it!

Here's the rest of the little room. The dresser holds all the essentials and I found a pretty coat tree on Amazon to hold my nursing cover and baby carriers (my preferred carriers are the Moby wrap and Ergo). And, joy! You can see that moose in the mirror! hahahahahaha

I made these curtains on the suggestion of one of my sisters-in-law who pointed me in the direction of THIS tutorial on how to make painter's drop cloths into curtains.

Admittedly, this room still needs some color (I really like neutrals - what can I say). One thing I would love to add is a beautiful print or icon of St. Joseph. I've been scouring the internet, but haven't had any luck finding one that I love for the price. This cute print from Etsy would be great in green too: Personalized Moose Nursery Art.

We'll see how things evolve in here....for now it's still a bit of a blank canvas.

Now, if this child would hurry up and here, that would be great.

Time Keeps on Ticking

2011-11-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

Well.

It's always disappointing to watch my due date come....and go.

True to form, this 5th child of mine has decided to stay tucked away a little longer. Despite my pleas. Despite my prayers. Despite my preparation.

The only thing consoling me is that Ina May says that healthy women on The Farm who eat healthfully typically go to 41 weeks. I've been healthy this pregnancy! Heck, I've literally gained half the weight that I usually gain. AND I've lost yet another lb as of this morning.

::sigh:: 41 weeks.

That means I'd be pushing it here, literally by single digit days, before I have family arrive for the Thanksgiving holiday.

I'd really like to enjoy the visit, rather than be cooped up in my room recovering and potentially feeling like and looking like...death warmed over?

We shall see.

So, to make myself feel better, I'm going to write a completely self-indulgent post about the things that I most look forward to, when no longer pregnant:

Jeans that button. And don't slip down. Good gracious, I am tired of maternity jeans.
Being able to reach my toes. I tried to go get a pedicure today, and small town living being as it is, nobody is answering phones or apparently open. BOOO!
Turning over in bed without waking up my whole family.
Significantly fewer trips to the bathroom. My master bathroom is lovely, but I'm tired of seeing it. Especially in the dark.
I won't cry. I've cried more in the last week...and I hate crying. I don't cry. Ugh.
Cleaning my house when I can actually bend over without a HUGE effort will be delightful.
Wearing heels again. I wear heels through most of my pregnancy, up to a point. While I'm THRILLED that I can still wear my tennis shoes that tie (totally not normal for my pregnancies!), I still look forward to pretty heels again.
I can't button or zipper any of my coats. It's almost Winter here in WY. I'm so cold when I go out! I can't wait to wear a coat and be warm!
Sitting down without getting all out of breath. From the sheer act of sitting. (This applies to most movements.)
My own pajama pants. Charlie looks forward to this one too, because I just keep stealing his.
Being able to reach the pedals in the car. My wonderful suburban is being fixed right now, so I haven't had it for a little while. That leaves me driving Charlie's giant truck around, which is not made for women I don't think! I am sort of short, so I have to scoot my seat really close to reach the pedals, but with my stomach in the way, I can't...quite...get there.
Focusing on a precious little person, and a shift of focus off of me, the pregnant lady. I always appreciate this shift of attention.
Loosing weight, rather than gaining weight. Duh.

On that note, I'm going to head out and get myself in the line for confession. Maybe that will unlock the mind-body connection and I can get this guy out. Time's up, Joe. Time to meet face to face, my little friend!

Six

2011-11-11T14:11:00.001-07:00

My sweet Gabrielle turns six years old today!

Six years ago today was probably one of the happiest days of my life. In the top three, I'd say. After all the drama of Felicity's birth, Gab came peacefully and in the way God intended. From the beginning, she was such a sweet and snugly little girl. Also from the beginning, she has proved that she's got a major set of lungs! One of the nurses in the maternity ward noted that she screamed like a velociraptor, much to her joy now, since she loves dinosaurs! (This has manifested itself into a loud talker.)

Gabrielle has always had a killer sense of humor, a great desire to serve others (yesterday she folded all the cloth diapers out of the dryer, just out of the kindness of her heart! that's no easy task!), and a sweet disposition.
Her generosity is sometimes overwhelming.
She loves dinosaurs, frogs, animals, bugs, and playing in the dirt. But she also loves coloring, pretty things, and playing dress up.
She's got one of those tender hearts that helpless animals and innocent babies are drawn to.

This child is such an incredible gift to our family. We praise God for her today, and always!

Here are some photos from her big day so far (I'll probably update with more later):

First thing in the morning! (Poor thing got my hair! All kinds of crazy!) Birthday mornings are always early for me, I usually get up before the sun to go to the store and get donuts and various decorations. Gab doesn't like donuts though, so I had to go even earlier so that I could get back in time to make pancakes for everyone before Charlie had to leave for work. This year, for decor she got a giant balloon that cracked her up. It really freaked the dog out. hahaha

Coffee and homemade buttermilk pancakes for breakfast!


She got to open two gifts this morning. One from us, and one from Aunt Cindy and Uncle Gary (I mostly let her open this one because I peeked and saw it was a cute outfit! That way she could wear it today!).

She tried on her new outfit (this was pre-birthday bath, hair braiding, and mani/pedis), and played with the penguins that she REALLY wanted for her birthday!

Then we had a very loud dance party, featuring the Beetle's Birthday Song (a tradition in my family growing up), followed by some intense coloring time. Gab added birthday hats to everyone in the family that she drew, including Bree.

Finally it was time for the most exciting part of every birthday girl's day: a lunch date with Daddy. Charlie always takes the girls out to lunch on their birthdays, they get to pick where they want to eat, what they want to eat, usually get a soda (a huge deal), and a dessert. (There's no shortage of sugar on birthdays!)

True to her generous nature, Gabrielle picked a trip to the local fudge shop so that she could share her special dessert with her sisters and me. Charlie told her she could have ice cream, a hot chocolate at the coffee joint, or fudge - she picked fudge to share. Her sisters were very excited, and Charlie and I were of course thrilled at her kind heart. Her kindness inspires greater generosity among all the girls.


Last night, Felicity brought Charlie some of the money she had been saving and asked him if he would buy a birthday gift for her sister for her. She could hardly wait to give it to Gab, so as soon as lunch and fudge were over, Gab got to open another gift! (Yes, this picture was totally staged!)

That's it for now! The birthday cake is made (Coke Cake - if we're friends on Pinterest you have to try it! SO tasty!), dinner is in the crock pot (the Birthday Girl requested homemade spaghetti with LONG noodles and garlic bread), and the little girls are taking naps. I'm going to go do some intense cleaning in hopes that my boy child will arrive -he's due today, by the way- and then we start round two of celebrations later on tonight with more gifts, more sugar, and maybe a fun movie (we were hoping to score Cars 2, but it's already gone from the Red Box! darn!).

V. 14 7 Quick Takes

2011-11-04T22:30:00.000-06:00

1. St. Charles, Pray for Us!
Today is the feast day of St. Charles, one of the Saints my boy is named after. Don't you think it would be a great evening for him to make his arrival??
Either way, today I was surprised, blessed, and so very touched by the generosity and thoughtfulness of our dear friends in Texas who organized a "snail mail" baby shower for us. I received several sweet packages today with gifts for our little guy (and some for me - what fun!).
I'm not the kind of gal who cries at the drop of a hat, or...ever, really. But this just had me dissolved in tears.

2. Home!
The girls and I have had quite an eventful week of everything from Halloween fun, to dog drama, to waking up to chicken parts strewn about the yard (that was this morning- sigh). I am SO, SO thankful that Charlie is home from his trip to Chicago. I'm also very thankful that he doesn't have to do this kind of travel too frequently. I really like him, and I like having him around.
And I like that he doesn't mind disposing of chicken heads.

3. Big Day for the 2nd Grader
We found out a few weeks ago at her well-child appointment that Felicity might have needed glasses. We took her to the optometrist, and sure enough, she does, especially for things that are up close. (I think this has contributed to her slight struggle with reading, despite a complete understanding on how to read - she was having a hard time just doing it.)
Needless to say, she's very excited about her new glasses. And I think she's very cute in them.

4. Pondering
All day long, this wonderful post from Elizabeth Foss has been turning over and over in my head. As the mother of small children, I have to say I find the honesty refreshing, yet painful. I don't think I've been under any illusions about whether my children will turn out to be perfect Saints based on how I raise them, but it has just been one of those things I hadn't thought much about.
If anything, anything good that they turn out to be will be despite me, I think!
The other day I posted on facebook about how I felt I was coming down with a cold, and that my girls told me the next day they had prayed for me to get better that night. And I was better. I got a comment indicating that it has been our example as parents that led them to do that. While that is very sweet and I certainly appreciated the compliment, I actually feel that I mostly fail at being an example of a prayerful adult to my children. Their goodness is not really a function of my example or parenting, I really think it's the grace of God.
I hope that when they get much older and their little mistakes might turn into bigger mistakes, and their little sins turn into bigger sins, that I can return to this beautiful post from Elizabeth and remember her wisdom.

5. Biscotti
I'm craving biscotti. Good thing it's very easy to make. I thought about making it tonight, but I think I'll sacrifice and wait until morning. I usually make this very simple recipe from All Recipes (I sub almond because Charlie hates anise - and I also dip it in chocolate), but if anyone has better suggestions...I'm open!

6. Holidays!
I'm always so relieved when Halloween is over. I like the pumpkins, and fall traditions, and little kids in costumes...and of course, candy (all the Butterfingers are gone! Boooooo!). What I HATE and completely, utterly detest, is the scary decor. So glad that's over.
I'm much happier now that it's almost time to listen to Christmas music, and watch Elf over and over again ("you smell like meat and cheese"), and celebrate Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas.... Very exciting!
AND, to add to the joy of it all, the holiday season will kick off with a visit from my wonderful in laws as well for Thanksgiving!

7. Our Lady
Can I just say, I have *loved* our family Rosaries lately? My girls really inspire me, the older two are very serious about it and enjoy the Rosary so much. It's interesting to me, that my children can lead me to my Mother. They humble me.
I'm working on a homemade Rosary holder right now. It's going to snow tomorrow, maybe I can get it done and post pics! It seems that anything that holds Rosaries is for one person only. What about the whole family?! It's almost done - can't wait to finish it up and share!

For more quick takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary.

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-11-03T22:58:00.001-06:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ {Pretty}


This is Barbara. She's a Barred Rock aka Plymouth Rock chicken - and my personal favorite. Isn't she lovely? I really think she's pretty.

{Happy}


My freezer is full, which makes me very happy. We have plenty of meat (about a quarter of a cow included), lots of summer fruits and veggies, meals, and some ingredients to prepare for Thanksgiving with my wonderful in laws (hence, the white bread). I'm almost done cooking. Probably 2-3 more dishes and I'll be finished.

{Funny}


I don't like to advertise to the world when Charlie is out of town for work, for our safety. He's been gone for several days in Chicago (this is why the dog drama and All Saints Mass, etc. have been particularly challenging for me this week! ). Now that he's on his way back, I feel like this is perfect timing to post this funny picture. Bree LOVES Charlie, and when he could hear me video chatting with him he got totally confused. It was so funny!

{Real}

I cleaned my dreaded under-the-stairs closet today while the girls worked on math and phonics. Why does this count as real? Because I'm 39 weeks tomorrow, the nesting is getting intense (I actually WANTED to clean this closet), and the time is coming soon. While I do things like clean this closet, wash the knobs on my dryer, scrub baseboards, and fold little tiny clothes, I am thinking about the upcoming birth of my son. What will happen? How will it go? I pray that it is peaceful, uneventful, and full of joy for our whole family. And lingering in my mind is this meditation from St. Josemaria on the fourth sorrowful mystery of the Holy Rosary, " See how lovingly he embraces the cross. Learn from him. Jesus carries the cross for you: You...carry it for Jesus. But don't drag the cross...Carry it squarely on your shoulder, because your cross, if you carry it so, will not be just any cross...It will be the holy cross. Don't carry your cross with resignation: resignation is not a generous word. Love the cross. When you really love it, your cross will be...a Cross without a cross."

Dog Drama

2011-11-02T19:20:00.000-06:00

*Disclaimer: I am a lady, and I hate discussing many of these topics - but today was so awful that it will go down in history and will at some point be very, very funny. I just had to blog about it, please forgive me! I'm hoping it will make me feel better.

It all started about 4 weeks ago.

We don't have a complete fence around the yard, but we've never had a problem with our beloved Goldendoodle running away. Sure, he would traipse around a little bit, but he spent most of his time in the house or right around the house. He has two particular spots right in the sun where he likes to nap.

Well, Charlie went out of town for about 5 days that fateful week, and Bree had fully immersed himself in the local irrigation ditch. I wasn't going to let him in my house like that - I expected that he would go sun himself, get dry, and things would be fine, as usual.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. Long story short, he ran off a little bit and got picked up by some people from town (we live outside of the main town area). Who kept him. For two weeks. We live in a town of just over 6000, and really, there's no question about what you do when you find or loose a dog. There's one organization who handles it, and so we notified them, as well as the local vets, and posted ads on the email group that most of the town is a part of.

After about a week and a half of him being gone, I figured he had been hit by a car or maybe ran the other direction down the highway (though, I couldn't figure why, he stays around here, he thinks he's one of the girls!). We were all very sad. Very sad.

At some point, about 2 weeks after his disappearance, the lady from the pet organization called and said we should follow up on a classified in the newspaper about a "shaggy dog" found. As it turns out, that shaggy dog was OUR dog!! What joy! Sadly, it was a very bad situation with people who had picked him up right down the road from our house, taken him to the vet and got him neutered in another town (we had thought about breeding - have you SEEN how much Goodlendoodle puppies can go for?!), and then kept him for two weeks before looking for owners. They knew what kind of dog he was, it was written on the paperwork for the day after Bree went missing and they got him fixed, which they expected us to pay (really?!). They offered to buy him from us. They wouldn't tell us their names, or where to pick him up, we had to meet at a neutral location. And I think they hoped we wouldn't want him back or find him. It was really sad and more complicated situation, but we were thrilled that he was back. So, so thrilled.

This long story leads to the horrific events of today...

I can't let him go outside for long, for fear that he'll run off and get stolen. But, he won't use the bathroom if I'm watching him. I let him out several times a day, stand there shivering in the cold, and he just looks at me. Eventually, he just saunters back into the house and goes to sleep.

This routine hasn't been working for either of us, which became incredibly obvious today. The happy FedEx guy came with a package I was looking forward to from Amazon, so as I was assembling in the baby's bedroom Bree took matters into his own hands. (Paws?)

I rounded the corner to discover the HUGE, disgusting mess he made after obviously holding it while I stood in the cold watching him.

In my kitchen.

Hello, I'm NINE MONTHS PREGNANT!? I stayed up late last night to clean and sanitize the knobs on my washer and dryer! I'm getting closer to having a baby, with means that all surfaces of the house, according to my whacked out hormones, must be immaculate.

And this. In my kitchen.

This would be horrific if I weren't pregnant, but the level of disgust I was filled with reached epic proportions which manifested itself in a couple of ways. First, my formerly very clean kitchen was FAR from very clean at that point, which meant I had to forge ahead and clean up to get it back to sanitary conditions. I tried to remain positive and think of it as an opportunity to bust out the lysol (which I don't usually use - I don't typically use harsh chemicals). Meanwhile, the peanut gallery behind me was tossing out comments and dancing around and screeching, "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

At least it wasn't carpet, right? (Well, one unfortunate kitchen rug was highly involved, so it went to the trash. Now I have to buy new ones.)

I started cleaning up. And gagging all the while.

I'm nine months pregnant. A little sensitive. And a little slow.

This is not the sort of thing that I usually admit to, but goodness it added to the drama: the clean up totally made me throw up. Four times.

To add to the excitement, the first time, because I'm large, and slow, and was cleaning the floor, I didn't make it all the way to the (very close in proximity to the kitchen) bathroom. (I weighed myself this morning before all this went down, and I had lost 4 lbs from my weight last week, I'm thinking after today, all I should have to do is *give birth* in order to get back to my pre-pregnancy size. ha)

Awesome.

So, not only did I then have to clean up after my dog's disgusting mess, but my own as well (yay! lysol in the bathroom too!! one more thing off my to-do list!) - all the while the children were running around in complete chaos laughing, screaming, yelling at me about what is wrong with me... And I found out later, that they wrote letters to their friends detailing the events of my vomiting drama. Good thing I'm in charge of the stamps.

Ugh.

I am happy to report that I have a VERY clean kitchen and guest bath this evening. I guess that means I can go to bed early, my work is done here!

For the first time ever, I can say that I'm thankful for the fact that it gets dark earlier these days. It means I can put little children to bed early, make myself a hot cup of tea, and climb into bed and watch a movie. I need to recoup after this incident. My to-do list will have to wait for tomorrow.

The culprit.

Countdown

2011-11-02T00:21:00.000-06:00

My due date is in 10 days and while I'd like to think I know what to expect, and this little one will come late, I can't really be sure. Nothing about this pregnancy has been like the others.
I have all the *really* important things done. The birth kit is here, the bags with sheets and towels and other homebirth supplies are prepared and waiting, and I have all the basics ready and clean for the baby.
Nonetheless, my to-do list is a mile long. Everything from finishing certain home improvements (will I really want to paint the girls' bathroom after the baby's born? or sew cute moose curtains for the boy room? or create the coffee bar of my dreams? - well, maybe that one), to setting up the crib (which, really I won't need for a while), to finishing the Christmas shopping and lesson plans, cleaning closets, preparing snacks, and more - all these things have taken over my life!!
I love nesting.

Today, as predicted, we got a ton of snow. It wasn't really beautiful sticky snow, romantic snow - no, it was snow that makes mud.
So, other than attending All Saint's Day Mass, we stayed home and I cooked and cooked and cooked! One of my favorite things about Facebook is that the people I know are generous with their knowledge when I ask for it! I got a TON of great ideas of things to stock my freezer with, since we're not really casserole people and that's mostly what you find online.

Today I made:

homemade chicken soup (this cooks alllllll day in the crock pot and creates legitimate chicken broth - so good for you!)
whole wheat banana bread
six portions of pizza dough
two pans of my father-in-law's famous enchiladas (these are hands down my favorite that I've ever had anywhere or ever)

I already froze 2 huge loaves of pumpkin bread, turkey and lentil chili, homemade breakfast sandwiches, slow cooked homemade spaghetti sauce, chicken pot pie filling, oatmeal raisin & chocolate chip cookies, and various homemade broths, sauces, and salsas. Tomorrow I'll add King Ranch Chicken (all the flavors of Texas, made from scratch and fresh ingredients - no cream of anything soups), New Orleans Red Beans, and a huge batch of pizza sauce. Finally, on Friday, I'm going to make pulled pork for sandwiches and burritos (and maybe some apple muffins).
After all that, I think I'll be done with THAT item on my checklist! Between those meals and the tons of fruits/veggies and meat I already have frozen, all the basics in the pantry, and all the stuff I canned - I think we'll be set for a little bit. Not to mention that I live in a great community that is typically VERY generous with offers for dinner after babies are born. I don't want to presume, but that's usually how things go around here. It's amazing.

Am I missing anything? Do you have any great suggestions of things I should consider adding to the freezer this week?

Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T09:00:00.002-06:00

I hope you all had a fun All Hallow's Eve with your families and friends! I took the girls out trick or treating tonight (and didn't spend even $1 on costumes...they all came from the house - I just am not creative enough to come up with costumes), followed by Happy Meals (a once a year treat - goodness, how much bad stuff can we pump into those little bodies in one night! Tomorrow: lots of salad. ha), and finally we watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" while checking out the loot!


Princess

Baker

Cat


Crazy Pajama Girl with Bedhead

Once a year Happy Meals

Playing Princess Memory while watching It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

I meant to post this last night...but I fell asleep while the photos were uploading. In that case, Happy All Saint's Day as well!!

Fall Traditions

2011-10-30T22:28:00.000-06:00

The snow flies November 1. Our Halloween tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day, and then the forecast looks like Winter. (It could warm up just for a little while though, I suppose. I hope.)

Why must Fall be so short? It is the best season of the year, after all.

So far, we have enjoyed the season though...starting school, apple picking, canning & freezing Summer produce, jumping in the leaves (not at our house though...we have no trees), raising baby chicks, visiting the pumpkin patch, and more. There are still things left to enjoy, such as celebrating Halloween, All Saints, All Souls, and Thanksgiving. And of course, Fall is the season for babies.

Papa Murphy's Jack-o-Lantern Pizza - a must have every year!

Apple cider on pumpkin carving night!

Pumpkin carving - the kids think they're doing something exciting...but really Charlie and I do all the work! haha

These last waning days of Autumn, we are going to stay busy and enjoy the season. All too soon my little one will be in arms, the Advent wreath will make it's appearance, and we'll all be donning our snow boots!

Hey! My wood burning stove is almost done! We need to add some decorative touches to the pad, and install the piping, and then we'll have a nice toasty winter!

Tonight's pumpkin bread - it was SO hard to put 3/4 of it in the freezer for post-baby days! My recipe came from friends of Charlie's family, it's in a sweet cookbook that my dear Aunt C made for me when I first got married. I LOVE it - it's full of the recipes that the women in my life treasure. (Also, can I just say that the Goldtouch loaf pans from Williams-Sonoma are the BOMB?!)

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-10-27T16:08:00.002-06:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~The "Getting Ready for Baby" Edition {Pretty}


I always think that clean and organized cloth diapers are pretty. Baby Joe's diapers are all washed and ready for him! I realized, though, that I'm going to need to purchase a few more. {Happy} It made me really happy to see all these sweet baby boy clothes, clean and folded, ready to go to his dresser. These are the fun parts about preparing for a new little one! {Funny} I should be posting pictures that fit in to our current season - things like our trip to the pumpkin patch, hot chocolate for the first snow, and all of our outdoor projects. Funny enough, though, I'm also doing things like wrapping Christmas presents, boxing them up to be shipped, and addressing holiday cards. I'm done for now, until the next batch of gifts arrive next week, then all I'll have left is shopping for my own children. {Real} A corner of my bedroom is currently holding clean and prepared items for the homebirth...sheets and towels, clothes for the baby, blankets, and the medical supplies that came in my birth kit. This is real, and happening soon. (What a different prep than for a hospital birth!!!) {BONUS: Super Cute!} I just liked this picture of my sweet Fina. She's enjoying her last days as the "baby," but I think she's going to love being a big sister! *Disclaimer: All these photos were taken on my iPhone...please forgive their poorer quality!!

Christmas Stocking Fun

2011-10-25T17:27:00.001-06:00

It's a cold and dreary day here. I can't even see the mountains out my front window, due to the fog and cloud cover. Days like this make me crave hot chocolate and Christmas music (unless it's Springtime, then days like this just put me in a bad mood).
There's a lot on my mind these days, not the least of which is Christmas preparation. Really, it's one of the things I must be on top of, due to this baby coming any time now. I can't go out shopping, or I might not feel like doing a ton of wrapping, and Christmas cards will be last on my list of priorities when there are fleeting moments of newborn-ness to enjoy. So, on my massive list of things to do before this baby is born is as much Christmas prep as possible.
Almost all my shopping is done, except for my own children and husband (which is easy compared to the rest). Tonight I plan on wrapping gifts for extended family/friends and preparing the boxes, so all that I have to do come December 1 is look at my husband sweetly and ask him to drop them at the Post Office. Advent activities are planned and prepped. Everything else will go by the KISS rule: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

One of my big purchases this year has been matching, embroidered, classic stockings for the family from Pottery Barn. (Maybe next year, the tree skirt? Eeek, that's a painful number, but isn't it lovely?) As time goes on, and more little people join our family, I would like to have something that we don't have a problem adding on to - and cute embroidered and decorated stockings are hard to match.

I love stockings.

Have I written about this before? I almost enjoy preparing the stockings MORE than I enjoy preparing the "big" gifts for my family. There's something so thrilling to me about finding fun little surprises to fill them up. In our family, we celebrate St. Nicholas day on December 6th, and I know that many families use that day for stockings. We don't do that, for St. Nicholas day, I fill up shoes with candies, chocolate coins, and clementines, and give the girls a book. And even though we don't play "Santa" at our house, I still can't resist the beauty of the stockings.

What do you like to fill your stockings with?

Charlie's family would get fun travel sized toiletries, and in my family we got mostly candy as I recall. One thing I am always sure to do, though, is wrap everything. Except the orange in the toe. Kids love unwrapping on Christmas, and so I love making the effort to wrap everything up for that tiny bit of joy.

Here are some of my favorite stocking stuffer ideas:

an orange in the toe (I might use clementines too - my kiddos love them, or for more advanced tastes, a pomegranate)
nuts in the shell (I got a specific request for pistachios from my 7-year-old this year!)
large chocolate bars wrapped in white paper and decorated to look like a snow man
drawing supplies: pens, pencils (smencils were a hit last year), crayons, colored pencils, markers, etc.
Christmas ornament - this way they have a good collection of their "own" ornaments when they (sniff!) go off on their own some day
Candy and snacks I would never otherwise allow: bubble tape, individual boxes of sugar cereal, fruit snacks, Little Debbies, etc
Accessories and hygiene products: hair bows, headbands, rubber bands, cute bobby pins & barrettes, tooth brushes, chap stick (I always regret this!), soaps, bath loofas (another huge hit last year), fun bandaids
Food stuff for Charlie: I always put in a big bottle of hot sauce, either Cholula, or Tobasco, or this year maybe his favorite, Chipotle Tobasco & bubbly water
Treats from the bulk section of the grocery store: yogurt covered pretzels, gourmet coffees, fun/unique candies (my favorite are the dates rolled in coconut! and real anise licorice bits! - but only I like those...)
Books on CD & Glory Stories (I download these on MP3 and put them on CD) as well as movies on DVD (these can be had CHEAP on Amazon anymore, due to Netflix and the like I suppose)
Nature items: nature guides (rocks, trees, animals, flowers, etc), audubon birds (Gab my nature lover will get one of these for sure), magnifying glass
Small toys: Toobs, doll house and play kitchen accessories, card games (UNO, for example), Manhattan Groovy Girls dolls (we like the mermaids and princesses, they get every day play here- but avoid the ones who might have questionable clothing) - obviously I'm missing a huge demographic here - the boys! I don't have any yet, so I'll need some tips for next year. ;-)

I like to put a few things my own stocking too. My mom and I trade stockings some years, but when we don't, I will put some little things in that I need or want such as nicer quality makeup, dark chocolate, or nail polish.

When I have a baby, I put in pacifiers, sippy cups, biter biscuits, or other things along those lines. If I don't include everyone (babies and myself, mostly), my girls make comments!

Homemade items often make their way in as well - cookies, embroidered Saint dolls, knotted rosaries, etc.

This isn't an exhaustive list, and of course I don't put ALL of this in each year, but they are some ideas I have floating in my head right now for a family of small girls, a baby boy, and some parents.

And hey! No pressure! Only 60 days until Christmas!! ;-)

Home Improvement

2011-10-16T17:22:00.000-06:00

Charlie and I seem to be suffering from a severe form of couples nesting. This goes way beyond cleaning.

Here are some home improvements we've been working on:

installing a gas cook top and double oven in the kitchen (rather than the lame electric range)
creating a brick fire pad in the living room and installing a wood burning stove
new curtains, rug, and some new decor for the living room
hopefully some new living room furniture, we'd like leather (this depends on a big sale this weekend- but it looks promising)
painted the girls bedroom, Charlie built them (yes! from scratch! by hand! he's the man!) new bunk beds, in the process of getting some new decor and redoing their bathroom too - oh and we need 2 more twin mattresses (Charlie building the beds saved us over $100 just from having to buy the cheapest sets of bunk beds at Ikea. Amazing. And his are WAY more sturdy.)
hopefully new bedroom furniture for our room - we have found a set we are just in love with on Craig's List, and as long as things go as planned, we pick up next weekend
a complete redo of Joe's room - I'm sewing curtains and a crib skirt, we got a double bed and bedding, and plan to move our current dresser in as well (and convince Fina that she WANTS to sleep in the big girl room now!)
The Garage
chicken coop

It's a lot! But we are making a lot of progress! This weekend, Charlie's friend N came up to help him with a bunch of stuff. They've specifically been working on the garage (getting close to finished, finally!), and the new fire place. We've also had some awesome help from the guys around here, too. Last night, I cooked a huge turkey dinner (had to get that turkey out of my freezer!) and then they spent over and hour perfecting measurements, followed by cutting into my wood floors (that was nerve-racking), and getting started. We all stayed up late while the men worked on building the fire place, and enjoyed fun music, a glass of wine, and at the end of the night some low key fireworks just for kicks.

I feel so blessed that we can tackle these things before the baby gets here. Once he's here...life should slow down. We'll take a break from school, and enjoy the new baby, Thanksgiving, and Advent at a slow pace.

In the mean time, I'm pulling my weight in weird-pregnant-lady-nesting and cleaning all the time. I had to force myself to sit down just now...it is Sunday after all!

Three weeks until he's due! And only a matter of weeks until the snow flies, too. Time to wrap all this up!

Mothering Hens

2011-10-14T18:12:00.000-06:00

"We'll catch that hen, " said Betsy, "and keep him in a box. And whenever we get hungry, he can lay us an egg."

So Betsy called, "Here chickabiddie, chickabiddie! Here chickabiddie, chickabiddie!" just as she had heard her Uncle Edward do. -Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

We spent our day today out in the beautiful Fall weather, watching Charlie and crew work on the garage, herding the chicken flock around the front yard, and doing math work out on the porch. It's days like these that I am ever so grateful to be homeschooling. What little girls wouldn't rather be mothering hens (haha), hanging out with their daddy, and doing school work in the sunshine than sitting in a classroom? What joy.

And, as you can imagine, we're loving our current read-aloud, Betsy-Tacy, the above passages had all of us in stitches! (Betsy & Tacy, in chapter 4, refer to both hens and cows who produce milk as "he.")

The chicks are huge now, no? Each of the girls have a different preferred hen; Colette is cradling her favorite, an Aracauna, named "Puffy Cheeks," in the photo above.

I hope this lovely season is going just as beautifully for you as well, dear readers.

V. 13 - 7 Quick Takes

2011-10-07T08:18:00.005-06:00

1. No!!!!!
It snowed last night. I am sitting here, drinking my coffee, and gazing out the window at a light dusting of snow. I am not happy about this.
It seems like just yesterday was Memorial Day and we were practically having a blizzard!!! Snow in the Winter is delightful, but I do not welcome it in the Fall and Spring. Go away snow, we still want to play outside.

2. Baking Fun
Maybe I brought this weather on, with all my inspired Fall cooking. ha Last night we had a roasted chicken with rosemary potatoes (you really must try this recipe, the potatoes, after shaking them in the pan and covering them with olive oil and kosher salt, followed by baking in the oven next to the chicken - are just heavenly). And I made a pumpkin pie. Maybe that's why it's snowing.
Recently, I've also made these lovely Pear and Ginger Bran muffins. I really like bran muffins, but my crew didn't get too excited about them. I'll have to try another version - maybe with banana to make them more moist.
Also, in the oven right now is this Apple Strudel bread, made with apples and cheddar, using the Healthy Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day master recipe. I can't wait to share it with my family for breakfast with a (second) cup of coffee on this cold morning!

3. 35
I'm 35 weeks today! Woohoo! I am so looking forward to this pregnancy being over, and meeting my little guy. However, I must admit that I am also enjoying the routine of our days lately, which I know will disappear for a while with a newborn.

4. It's Friday!
Friday is such a great day around here, a lighter school load, and of course the weekend on the horizon. Charlie was traveling all week and just got home yesterday. I can't wait to have him here all weekend. Also, I'm looking forward to tackling some more home projects. Charlie built the girls bunk beds last weekend, so we need to paint those. We'll hopefully also paint their bathroom, work on a chicken coop, and get started on installing our new wood burning stove. Now that it's snowing, we're going to need it. And sewing...I'll be sewing for the baby, which is so good for my heart!

5. Speaking of Chickens...
Our chickens are getting huge! The chicken coop is a top priority for this weekend, because we've had some brave ladies roosting on top of their waterer and then jumping out of the brooder. Gabrielle is our resident chicken lady - she feeds and waters them, entertains them, brings them bugs to eat, and captures any escapees. She also made a sign for their area that says, "Hens, No Roostrs." Imagine that with backward s's and how cute it is, I love her enthusiasm about animals and her tender heart. She also does some hilarious chicken impressions and acts out whole stories for me about what she's observed the chickens doing.

6. School Days
I keep meaning to write a post about school these days. We are already a week into our 2nd quarter of the year, and I'm pretty pleased with how things are going. Our school room/ play room set up in the upstairs loft has been perfect, because the littler girls can play while we work on school. The girls are doing great in all their subjects, but I am a little concerned still about Felicity's reading level. Her comprehension is amazing, and she's acing other related subjects (spelling, handwriting, etc), and for some reason the reading is not easily following. I may have to switch routes for her, again, starting in January. She CAN read, she's just not really moving forward with it at the pace I would expect. Other than that, everything is going great, in fact, I might start Colette with Kindergarten next semester too. She's ready to participate - but am I ready to be schooling 3 kids??

7. Books
Is anyone reading anything wonderful right now? I have a huge stack of books I'm reading at the moment including The Power and the Glory (for book club), A Light in the Window (for thoughtless reading during soccer practice, I can't concentrate on anything deeper than this while simultaneously protecting the 2-year-old on the monkey bars), Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (yay!), The Wonder of Girls: Understanding the Hidden nature of Our Daughters, The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary, and Great Expectations, via Daily Lit (if you've never seen Daily Lit, you have to check it out!). Whew. I can't wait for nap time to pick up on all this reading.

For more Quick Takes, check out Jen at Conversion Diary.

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-10-06T06:30:00.000-06:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

{Pretty}


Here's my copy of this lovely candle set-up from Pinterest. It smells amazing and adds so much warmth.

{Happy}

My Felicity loves hot tea, and we often have a cup together in the afternoon...


...it's an inexpensive little treat for her tea, that makes her very Happy!

{Funny}


Charlie is always so sweet and involves the girls in his work. Here Fina gets to "paint," it was so cute! (Do not fear, the dried paint color looks MUCH prettier! I can't wait to post about the girls' bedroom/bathroom makeover!)

{Real}

This is as close as we'll ever get to a picture of me while pregnant. The moment was just too sweet to pass up... Almost time to meet him, little one....

On Homebirth

2011-10-05T14:23:00.000-06:00

It's made some people in my life more comfortable with my decision to plan a home birth that I don't really have much of a choice. My local hospital system (meaning, in my town and in the only other nearby town) will not allow a VBAC under any circumstances; even I, who have had 3 successful VBAC's would be volunteering to get cut if I went the traditional OB route.

But, I would have gone for the home birth no matter what.

Planning this birth continues to strengthen me in so many ways, not the least of which being the remaining hurt from betrayal from my unnecessary cesarean, and all the intrusive medical interventions I've endured as well. I praise God, and am SO thankful that I have four, healthy and wonderful children. (Not that their worth is determined by their health, because I would want them and love them no matter what. But I am thankful that each baby arrived with no issue for them.) The fact remains though, that two people are involved in delivery - the baby AND the mother. I matter too. (Another disclaimer - of course I would give my life or anything necessary to help or save my child, but the fact of the matter is that there are WAY too many "medical emergencies" than there are actual emergencies, if you catch my drift. It's all about CYA - if you'll forgive the term.)

A sweet friend asked me if I have started to prepare yet, and finally I can excitedly say, YES!

The kit of medical supplies that my midwife requires is on order.

I'm gathering all the wonderful things I'll need before, during, and after the birth.

Nesting is kicking in - I've been cleaning a lot, and tackling a lot of home projects. It feels like a black hole after the baby, so now's my chance to do some of these things!

I'm starting a list of things to store up in the pantry and freezer for after baby times.

Ina May's wonderful book is on my bedside table, where birth stories, coping strategies, and general enthusiasm about birth envelop me in optimism and strength.

And I pray. I pray that this will be a peaceful birth, with a side of freedom and happiness.

I trust my midwife and my husband. I trust my baby. I trust myself.

Sunrise, Sunrise

2011-10-03T08:27:00.000-06:00

Good morning!
I'm watching the sun come up, blogging from my warm cozy bed, and enjoying a cup of coffee. It's relatively early, at least for my family. (Well, maybe not by the time this actually gets posted!)

I love the quiet of morning, and how dramatic the sunrise is here - watching the darkened hills and mountains turn from blue, to purple, to pink, and then green. The small handful of birds who have stuck around for Autumn in Wyoming are singing outside my window, and the chickens are so loud that I can hear them out there too. Other than that, this place is quiet. When we traveled to Colorado recently, I realized how loud the world around us was, even in a little suburban neighborhood. The peacefulness here lends itself well to my temperament. I like quiet.

For years, Charlie worked in ministry and missionary work, which meant late nights. We all went to bed late, including the children, and got up late. It was fine for the early days of family life, but I feel so blessed to have this more regular and "typical" schedule where I can finally train myself to be the morning person that I've always wanted to be.

Charlie needs more sleep than anyone I've ever met. My girls are all pretty good sleepers too, nobody rises at 4am or anything crazy like that, praise God (I do mean that too, I am so thankful that God gave me children who sleep!). And, I've been known to send curious girls back to their room with the instructions to not come out until 8AM. With their bedroom re-do, I'm going to put a nice wall clock in for them!

This affords me the luxury of an early morning alone.

I am an introvert. And a busy mother, wife, house cleaner, teacher of 1st and 2nd grades, guardian of toddlers, almost-due-pregnant lady, shopper for a household, interior decorator, and office manager of the home - my life is busy. Blessedly busy. And loud.

I need time alone.

My maternal grandmother used to get up at 3 and 4 in the morning. I can remember visiting at her house and hearing her quiet stirrings so very early in the morning. She was a true domestic diva and an amazing hostess, she was always up to something. (How I wish that I could call her up now and chat with her about our mutual interests...) But early in the morning, she enjoyed some needed time alone. I don't know what she did during that time, other than crossword puzzles - the evidence of which remained by the time all of us finally arose. What I do know, now that I'm no longer a child, is that her early mornings were not a quirk of her personality but a necessary part of her day and her ability to love and serve her family.

A few weeks ago, I was asked in my comments:

Seriously. How do you deep clean (on a weekly basis) and home school..and cook...and pray...and be sane? I would love to know...as I am trying to figure out this balance every day.

Here is my answer: I don't. I don't think anybody really does, even though blogland makes it appear that way. Something has to give every day, especially when all you have are small children and no help. I've seen a lot of blog posts floating around lately about at-home motherhood and the expectations that we (mothers) and society place on it. Just because I'm here all day does not mean that I can accomplish everything - but I give it a good shot.

To answer the question, I can't deep clean on a weekly basis. It's just not possible. I work very hard to keep the house thoroughly picked up, the kitchen and floors very clean, and the laundry done. Everything else either gets done when I have a spare moment, when it desperately needs to be done, or with the help of my little girls. They can't perfectly clean a bathroom, or mop the floors, or scrub the baseboards & doors, but if I let them try they feel important (because they are!) and things are cleaner than they would have been if nobody was doing it.

Homeschooling is a huge priority in our life now that we have school age children and the reality is that with that comes some lower expectations in other areas of life... Cooking has to just be simple & healthy on a regular basis, and well planned... Prayer is one of my favorite reasons to wake up early. I grab a cup of coffee (placed on a timer the night before, I have to plan...), my Bible, my Handbook of Prayers, and my favorite - In Conversation with God.
Honestly, this time for prayer falls by the wayside sometimes. Being in certain phases of life can do that - end of the pregnancy, new baby, and other transitions are the hardest for me.
Thank goodness, several years ago I picked up The Way, and ever since then St. Josemaria Escriva has been teaching me how to pray through my days, to offer good and thorough work as a prayer, and to love better. Realistically, in this vocation, I can't always go to every daily Mass, or spend hours in quiet prayer. My life is not my own. When I'm a little old lady, I will be there! But for now, toddlers need naps, children need educating, my husband needs a soft place to fall, and people need to eat and have clean clothes.

There is time to make a realistic to-do list for the day, to sufficiently caffeinate myself (ha!), and to get dressed before a small army descends upon me to make demands.

Speaking of demands...the first of my little ones is rubbing the sleep from her eyes and has come to snuggle with me. Time for round 2 of coffee and a full day!

By the time I finished typing, all these little ones arrived to snuggle! Thank goodness for the webcam on my laptop, or this would be a boring post with no pictures!

The Blessing of Abundance

2011-10-02T14:34:00.001-06:00

Recently, I have started participating in a local produce co-op that has been such a blessing to our health and our budget. As a child, my mom was in a produce co-op and I remember going with her to pick up all the fruits and vegetables - it was so much fun! I loved being surprised by what she'd bring home each week. As soon as I found out about the opportunity here, I jumped, despite the fact that I have to drive to the next town over to pick up, which takes about half an hour. Half an hour never seemed like a big deal before, but when there's nothing between here and there it feels like an eternity!
Anyway, check out what I got this week!

We got: bananas, cantaloupe, kiwi fruit, lemons, pears, concord grapes, lettuce, celery, red & green bell peppers, corn, tomatoes, and 5 loaves of 9-grain bread.

Some interesting things I've got before are mangoes, figs, baby cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and really beautiful plumbs and nectarines, in addition to more typical fare.

(The photo I took this week is of two baskets, and the bread is extra. I was finding that we were finishing one basket of fruit and vegetables by the end of the week, and the co-op is every other week - it wasn't lasting for us! So this week I got 2 and ended up with a LOT of certain things to process.)

I chopped the bell peppers and celery to store in the fridge to just make little crudite platters for snacks. In fact, the girls and I just had lunch and I made a big plate of veggies as a side (I added some sugar snap peas from the store too). Curiously, the turkey sandwiches and vegetables disappeared long before the small handfuls of potato chips! So, if I chop it - they will come. (The good thing, also, is that I often keep bell peppers sliced in the freezer ready for cooking, so if we haven't eaten all of them in the next couple of days, I'll just toss them in the deep freeze!) I could use some healthy dip suggestions though - anyone? Anyone?!? Hummus is always good, but only a few of us like it. And of course, they love peanut butter with their celery.

I ended up with 4 bunches of celery, in addition to the one I already had; and other than snacks, I wasn't sure what to do with ALL 5 bunches. In a typical 2 week span, I will make 1-2 dishes that might require celery at most. So, I went to the Bountiful Baskets Facebook page, asked my question, and got tons of great ideas! I might make a couple of dishes for the freezer too, while I'm at it, you know with that baby coming and all... ha ha ha

After all that washing and chopping, we moved on to the next thing, which was all the corn. I ended up just blanching and freezing, as we did a few weeks ago when I had a large batch. The girls like to help with the shucking, which I find very helpful!

{Even my littlest one likes to help in the kitchen!  In fact, if I'm cooking, you'll often find her sitting on the counter chit-chatting with me.  I love this, and it's proof of how I've relaxed as a parent too.  There was a time in the past when all children were blocked out of my kitchen via baby gates, at all times.  I couldn't handle all the sharp, hot stuff, breakable things, and the flurry of activity in addition to my toddlers.  Thankfully, I've learned how to manage all that and and enjoy the company of my daughters in the kitchen.  There's ALWAYS something every little girl can help with on her own level.}

Obviously, we'll be eating lots of salads (ohhh if you want salad ideas, check out Pinterest! my friends have been posting some great sounding salads that I've been re-pinning like crazy lately!) and fresh fruit, which is pretty normal around here and enjoyed by everyone. I do have a couple of things that are stumping me though. Dear readers, do you have suggestions???

First, I have a load of tomatoes. I don't really like tomatoes, but I can tolerate them in a salad (this is new) if there is balsamic vinegar involved. I also don't mind them so much if they're cooked, a la sauces, salsas, bruschetta, etc. I was thinking of making more salsa, because at the rate we're eating it, there won't be any left come Winter! But if a better idea comes my way, I'll probably run with it!

Second, I have a ton of lemons. In the last 24 hours, I have had more water to drink than usual, by a lot, because I have lemons. However, there are so many that I know I can't just use them in my water glass. I'll probably make some lemon chicken dish, but again, I'd love any other tasty ideas. A friend of mine here makes some killer lemon curd from the Joy of Cooking, which I do have, but I get sort of scared! Maybe I should just go for it.

Lastly, I have about a dozen pears that are on the verge of going bad. We can eat them fresh today. After today, I'm not sure they'll last unless I DO something with them. My preference would be to freeze in some form or fashion - cooked into a dessert or something for post-baby times, or I guess worse comes to worse, I'll freeze them plain for smoothies. Either way, I plan to have them in my salad for dinner tonight!

OH, and PS - friends in Texas and Colorado, they have Bountiful Baskets there too! Check out their website! www.bountifulbaskets.org (Readers in other states should look too, there's something like 22 states that have this co-op!)

Fun Food Pins

2011-09-28T08:48:00.000-06:00

One of the best things about Pinterest is that it's not just a time sucker, it actually provides some great ideas that you can take action on, especially when it comes to food! I have found so many wonderful recipes and last night I made one of my favorites, sweet potato biscuits. They inspired me to post about some of the food I've made from Pinterest so far...

Source: blondiescakes.blogspot.com via Andrea on Pinterest

One of the first things I found on Pinterest was the recipe for my Vanilla Peach Bourbon jam! Upon further exploration of the website where I found the recipe, I also discovered a "Jam Exchange" that was such fun to participate in. I sent my partner the peach jam, and also a Strawberry and Wine jam (funny enough, my Gabrielle LOVES this Strawberry and Wine jam on her sandwiches!).

The exchange was such fun, and I received some beautiful jams back from Florida. Sadly, the pineapple and grapefruit marmalade didn't survive the trip and shattered during shipping, but the mango jam is in my pantry waiting to be devoured this winter when there is no further access to such treats as mango here in Wyoming. (The mangoes came from my partner's back yard! Sigh. How wonderful!)

Source: mayflaum.com via Andrea on Pinterest

Another of the earliest recipes I pinned, and actually tried, was the Coca-Cola cake. I am in love with this cake, and it is dangerous because it's easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand (I have truly discovered the beauty of having buttermilk around!).

It's amazing. I just wish I could try it with the nuts, but that would just be cruel to Charlie!

Source: annies-eats.net via Andrea on Pinterest

We tried these Parmesan-Crusted pork chops a few weeks ago, when pork chops were on sale locally. Unfortunately, we didn't end up caring much for them, but they were an excellent excuse to make mashed potatoes! What do you do with a pin when you don't end up liking it? Is there a place pins go to die? I suppose I should just remove it.

Source: ahintofhoney.com via Andrea on Pinterest

I'm a real sucker for bread recipes and this one is AMAZING. It's simple and very flavorful, and it didn't take long to make - I had it ready in time for lunch one day. In fact, I'm really glad I'm doing this post this morning, because maybe I'll make some for the girls and I this afternoon! Everyone in my family devoured this rosemary bread, but we are overall big rosemary fans here.

Source: wiseanticsoflife.blogspot.com via Andrea on Pinterest

I tried these freezer biscuits as well and here's the verdict: they're tasty but a lot of work. I felt that this recipe did not make enough biscuits to merit the work, but I think that part of that is that there was a family of 6 wanting to eat them every morning! They don't get big and fluffy like biscuits in a can or from a restaurant, but they were so convenient to have in the freezer. My children really liked them, and they were the perfect vehicle for that Vanilla Bourbon Peach jam! The dough was also SO satisfying to work with, I love biscuit dough. The jury's out about whether I'll make these again, though.

Source: chow.com via Andrea on Pinterest

Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to share these sweet potato biscuits (I told you I'm a sucker for the bread recipes!). I made these last night to go along with a bowl of chili and they were a total hit here. I've been participating in this awesome produce co-op called Bountiful Baskets and last weekend we got a whole ton of sweet potatoes. They were the perfect size to bake and eat with butter and a hint of brown sugar, but then I ended up with 2 lone potatoes that were too small to make a side dish for 6 out of. So I baked them yesterday and made these biscuits. Amazing.
If you click through the link, you can get the recipe of course, but I did change it up according to the comments and I think they turned out even better.

Here's the recipe according to how I made them:
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (I reduced this because I used salted butter)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
A small dash of each: cinnamon, chili powder, fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup baked, mashed sweet potato (this was two small potatoes for me)
1 stick of butter, frozen

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients in the mixer bowl of a stand mixer and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk and sweet potato until well combined.

2)Grate the frozen butter in the large holes of a box grater and toss with the flour mixture until coated. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix using the dough hook until well combined (but not too long, it just needs to be incorporated).

3)Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it out to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Using a round cookie cutter or the top of a glass, cut the biscuits out and place them on a buttered sheet, making sure they will touch (this helps them to rise higher).

4)Brush the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream or milk and bake until the bottoms are golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

I think I'll go enjoy the left over biscuits with a fried egg and some Canadian bacon for breakfast right now...

Have you found any wonderful treasures or recipes on Pinterest?

Hope of Eternal Life

2011-09-26T10:50:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend, we made a quick trip to Colorado to celebrate the baptism of the daughter of our dear friends. I am always taken off guard by how emotional I get during a baptism, but when it's a child that I know and love, it's even more intense!

Charlie and I are also very blessed to be the godparents of this sweet little one. It is wonderful, but I have to say, it was really hard to keep my composure when we had to stand up there in front of everyone!
The part of the baptism that always, inevitably, gets to me is the prayer over the mother at the conclusion of the rite. With each of the baptisms of my own daughters, I always assumed that it was postpartum hormones that made me react so strongly, but standing there watching my dear friend and the way she looked at that baby made me realize otherwise.

God the Father, through his Son, the Virgin Mary's child, has brought joy
to all Christian mothers, as they see the hope of eternal life shine on their children.
May he bless the mother of this child. She now thanks God for the gift of her child.
May she be one with him (her) in thanking him for ever in heaven, in Christ Jesus our
Lord.

What a wonderful weekend! It's such a blessing to celebrate these sacraments and happy moments with our friends, and to just generally have the time together. Colorado was so beautiful this weekend, the trees have just started to turn colors, the weather was perfect, and the company was excellent! I can't wait to go back again soon. Sometimes I forget how much I loved living there!

(Here are some gratuitous pics of the girls at the Denver Zoo for Nana. ;-) )

A Walk Down Memory Lane, or A Girl and Her Hair, or The Painful 80's and 90's

2011-09-22T08:31:00.000-06:00

I was shocked (shocked) at the people who came out of the wood works on Facebook when I posted the link to my post yesterday. I think it was the hair.

Actually, I know it was the hair - I'm pretty sure that all of the people I knew in my childhood were not particularly interested in reading about my kids going to swimming lessons.

So, because of that reaction (along with the fact that I contorted this extremely pregnant body into all sorts of unnatural ways in order to reach my box full of old photos), I thought I would indulge in a little trip down memory lane. Please stick with me here...and please, still be my friend/reader when this is over! I know I was scary looking.

Also, I don't have a scanner. So, we're going to webcam it up here.

Ah. Here I am in 1984 with my beautiful mother. When my 4-year-old saw this she said, "Hey! Grandma's hair is different now, but her face and her legs are still the same!" Yes indeed, sweet Colette...yes indeed. Your Grandma is beautiful! (And also blonde now.)
Note my lack of hair. My children are the same way. And yet, so far it appears as if they are doomed to have the dome of hair I have. Poor things. At least I have Chi skills and know not to let them brush their hair out in extreme humidity.

Let's jump ahead a little here, shall we? I was about Kindergarten age here. I had clown hair. And a sweet 80's dress.

We should all give praise that cameras weren't that good in 1991. Can you see my red glittery shoes? Well, I thought I looked quite snazzy and put together, since my sweater was red. Never mind the all-pink tapered-pants-with-tucked-in-shirt ensemble I had going on. Anyway, this is me with girls from my Girl Scout troop on a field trip. Should I put this on Facebook and tag them all? hahaha Just kidding. (Even if I did, they all look better than me!)
*Side note: all the pictures of me from this era that are really cute involve makeup; Halloween and dance recitals really revealed that - hence, my undying love for the magic that some blush and mascara can make to this day.

This one is EPIC! I can't even believe that I'm putting this out into internet land. Oh for the love of all things good.....this is scary. Ok, we're talking 1993, the Dallas Cowboys won the Super Bowl and mom and I got all dolled up. Not that I actually cared about football, I was just WAY excited about my blue fingernails and permed bangs.

.....

Ok. Stop laughing. Yes, I said permed bangs.

I should just hit delete right now.

Moving on...

The nerdiness level has reached it's peak. Things are bound to get worse before they get better, and this is the worse. Welcome to a caustic combination of middle school, Girl Scout camping, and 1994. Oh, mercy.

That's me in the white, with the hair. If you couldn't tell. Things got a little better in 8th grade, as you can see. Except I added braces. Braces aren't so bad, unless you have SO MUCH school spirit that you put green and white rubber bands on them. Thankfully, as you can see, I was surrounded by friends who had more fashion sense than I. (This picture was taken in the Spring of 8th grade, only a year later I met Charlie. Isn't that crazy?!)

This is high school. It finally dawned on me that I should do something about my poofy hair - I think it had to do something with mean boys who made fun of me. I don't blame them though. This picture made me think of going to the homecoming parade here in WY last week - the aching homesickness came on full force with that. Nobody does football or homecoming like Texas.

Last but not least, here I am with my beloved sister who I absolutely adored (well, I'd say that's past and present tense - I love that girl so much). This is pretty much how I looked until Senior year. Note the bun. My choir director used to tell me "no bun head" for concerts, because I literally wore it up every single day. I had to either pay or have a friend fix it for me if I wanted it down, I just couldn't do it!

Well, I've run out of pictures in my box. I guess it's only 1983-2001. Thanks for walking with me through the history of the big-haired girl. It's not so bad now...big hair fits me better since I no longer weigh 98lbs. Big hair on a skinny girl is just a recipe for disaster, as you can see. Also, my fashion sense has obviously improved. There's a reason I wear mostly black. I got my glittery shoes and fancy-smancyness out when I was much younger!

Someone want to join me now? Let's see some pictures on your blogs my friends!

Just Keep Swimming...

2011-09-21T16:34:00.000-06:00

In a complete act of mercy, Cynthia gave me a whole list of blog topics based on my post yesterday. Here it is...nap time, time for me to take a break in my day...and I think I will go ahead and post about one of the items she suggested. Don't be surprised if I have a series of "Cynthia suggested" blog topics, because frankly, I'm out of creative juice right now (and I realized why! this post is my 401st post on Blogger! that doesn't even include my time on Xanga and Typepad!).

Did you take swimming lessons as a kid? If so, what did you think of them? Any good stories?

This week, swimming lessons are on my mind because they are taking a whole chunk out of my day. Generously, the homeschoolers in town are offered free lessons for 2 weeks in September, which I am ever so grateful for. The only problem is that this year they are from 1-2PM, which is prime napping time for my little ones, and prime productive time for me. I am strangely energetic between 12-3PM, and then I hit a wall and need a nap. Thank you, 3rd trimester.
Anyway, my productive time is being spent chit-chatting with the other moms in the stands (which is actually quite delightful), driving back and forth to the pool, and demanding that the children hurry up and get dressed in the locker room, rather than stand there shivering and looking at me. Well, and also trying to keep the 2- and 4-year-old from contracting a weird foot fungus because they keep trying to take their shoes off.

My girls need these swim lessons, because frankly, they are poor swimmers - so I am happy to take them and very thankful for the opportunity. In fact, Felicity failed her swim test at camp in June, and I know she would not like to repeat that. The difficult thing is that we live in Wyoming. It was snowing on Memorial Day! We don't have an outdoor pool! And worst of all, I have a completely debilitating fear of the combination of children and water!

I grew up in Texas, where the summers can give you heatstroke if you don't stay in the air conditioning or in the pool. My summers in Texas were absolutely, utterly, and completely chalk-full of fun and happy memories. I miss it desperately, especially when it's snowing here and people are swimming and enjoying popsicles there.
I love to swim, and I think a big reason for that is that I built confidence in the water early on. I can remember my mom carting my brother and I back and forth daily to swimming lessons (where she didn't have the happy relief of the water, but had to endure the insufferable heat) for years as children. In fact, we actually have some home video (on VHS!) of our swimming lessons that are hilarious.
I thought about trying to dig up a photo of me back in those days...I'm sure I have some. It was scary funny though - my neon colored swim suit, my absolutely confident strut, and worst of all my BIG. CRAZY. HAIR. (That's actually one thing I don't miss about Texas - what it does to my hair.) Ah, the beauty of the early 90's. If pictures could sing (because, I was always singing), you might pick up some NKOTB (when I was younger) and later on, maybe some Ace of Base. Good stuff.

Ok, so I really did search high and low for a swimming lessons picture. By the time I found any swimming pics, I was already into my inappropriate swimwear, so I can't include those. But to show my dedication and in the spirit of humility (ahem), I used my webcam to photograph my AWESOME(ly Scary) hair back in the day. Once I realized how bad it was, I lived in a bun until was about 23!

I remember the summer that mom informed me that I was too old and too advanced to take lessons, unless I wanted to lap swim or learn how to be a lifeguard. I wanted to do neither; I kick myself for not learning to lap swim back then - I've had to learn to do it since, and I'm OK, but still kind of awkward. Not to mention that swimming may have been a sport I might have actually been ok at even though I'm not particularly competitive. It was sort of sad to me then, but thankfully (or not?) that timing coincided with the age at which I would rather hang out with my friends in the pool or talk to boys (sigh).

So, while I have to sacrifice the most productive time of my day to take my girls swimming, I really do believe it is a good and necessary thing. This isn't really recreation, it's a safety issue. Children should know how to swim, and they should have an authoritative person teach them safety rules (in my case, someone other than me because I'm so fearful), and now as a parent, I can really see the benefit of this kind of physical exertion for the children: an earlier bed time.

On that note, it's 3:30 and I need to decide, should I take a nap? Or should I move ahead with the Great Toy Purge that I have planned today?

Boring Me

2011-09-20T16:16:00.000-06:00

I just looked at my running list of things to blog about that I keep in my oh-so-important binder of everything.

I didn't feel like writing about any of them.

Here's what I'm thinking about:
Babies and birth
Swimming lessons and soccer
Homeschooling
Deep cleaning
Home improvement projects
Chickens
Food (always food)

The list above translates to the following for blogging:
boring
boring
boring
boring
boring

I feel like there will be nothing interesting to post about for...oh...7 weeks or so.
Sorry about that.

Life

2011-09-15T17:04:00.000-06:00

The house is bustling with life.


Who? Me?

Baby chicks are growing like weeks, and developing clear "personalities." They are curious and hilarious. The one above could not contain her curiosity about my camera.
The rest were mostly afraid, and the flash scared them half to death!

Charlie had to build them a new brooder, they had started to jump out of the plastic tub they were in. They didn't leave the area, the just perched on the edge of the box. But, I didn't want to wake up one morning and find baby chicks wondering my living room, so we got them a larger area in which to live. Starting next weekend (I believe) they will move outside, which I am looking forward to. As much as I really enjoy them, I don't enjoy how their playfulness and overall craziness kicks up dust in my living room. Ah, the price I pay for good eggs....

On the "Baby Joe" front (that's what we've decided to call him for now), things are going great! Other than my own issues with being and looking pregnant, things are so very healthy and my midwife seems very pleased with how things are going. I passed my gestational diabetes test, which is one of the only labs to which I consented. This little guy moves so much, and I can't wait for him to come! I feel great peace around this birth, and a deep contentedness that it will be at home. I am so thankful.

Either this weekend or next, I'm going to paint his room, and we got a queen bed to put in there for guests or for when I need to escape with him in the night. I am slowly gathering the rest of the baby gear I need, and made myself a registry on Amazon. (I always make myself a registry, even though nobody sees it! lol I do it so that I can keep up with what I need and I can just click the link when I'm ready to buy. The Amazon list has a perk that you're entered into a drawing for a $500 gift card if you have 10 items in your registry - a girl can hope, right?! )

I'm reading HypnoBirthing, a method I'm not completely on board with, but the book has lots of wonderful suggestions and fills me with confidence as I prepare again to birth a baby. I'm also enjoying, once again, this great and helpful post from Betty Beguiles. I'm getting ready to order the kit my midwife requires for the birth and looking at herbal supplements, etc. Hallie at Betty Beguiles suggested this Dr. Christopher's Pre-Natal Formula, has anyone else used it? I asked my midwife about it and she gave me the enthusiastic go-ahead. Of course, Ina May's wonderful book is on the list too- I'm just waiting for it to get here! Last time I got it from the library, this time, I am getting my own - by the time I pay all the late fees for it after checking it out over and over, I may as well buy!

Cocoons

Another form of life that's been developing lately is insect life! My sweet MIL gave the girls this butterfly garden kit, and we got our caterpillars only a few weeks ago! It has been so fun to watch them develop, shed their skins, build their cocoons, and emerge as butterflies. The girls were SO enthralled with the whole process and there were certainly tears shed today as we said goodbye to our beautiful Painted Ladies and watched them fly away to the wild flowers across the pasture.


Saying "farewell" this morning.

"Goodbye, butterflies! Goodbye! See you later!"

It was surprisingly sad to watch the girls bid their butterflies farewell. Or maybe it's just the hormones.

Next up...
We're going to look at a dairy goat on Saturday. She's one month old, and would require bottle feeding. She could also produce milk for cheese and such. And eat our weeds. And force us to put up all those lovely wooden fence posts we purchased (our whole yard is open right now, before it was all ugly sheet metal used as "fencing.").

Charlie's taking advantage of me and my heightened maternal sense. (Funny enough, this is not the first time he's done this!)

If we get her, you can be sure I'll post pictures and stories. The girls are already coming up with names for her.

With all the excitement of life bursting all around here, you'd think it's Spring!

Old School Blogging

2011-09-10T08:06:00.002-06:00

I've been blogging since November of 2003 - eight years almost.

When I first started, I used Xanga and have since set the entire thing on private, but I like to go back once or twice a year and look at it. This little baby that I'm carrying is due on my Gabrielle's birthday in November, so I thought I'd go back to September 2005 and see what I was thinking almost 6 years ago, preparing for my first VBAC (what a scary time) at this same time.

In some ways, I miss those days of blogging. They were so much more honest and real. I put so much more out there, so many things that I keep hidden inside now, not only from blog posts, but from other people in my life, and even myself. I think in my younger (relatively speaking) and less experienced years as a wife and mother, I didn't have the prudence to keep certain things to myself. But now that they are only accessible to me, it's interesting to read. My audience has changed since those days; back then, almost none of my readers were people who knew me in "real life," making it easier to be vulnerable.
Vulnerability is a funny thing, it's something I think that people desire in a lot of ways, but really turn away from. I know I do. There's nothing I avoid more than being vulnerable anymore.

The struggles I faced at 30+ weeks of pregnancy were different with my 2nd baby, but there are some that continue to follow me. One of the most poignant old posts I read earlier had to do with my constant pursuit of beauty and how I can't seem to be satisfied, especially while pregnant.
It's no secret that I struggle with vanity. I've said it before, and it's something that I take to confession in some form or fashion every time.
In my last post, I got a request in the comment section for photos as I near the end of this pregnancy. It's funny because I love love love when other people post their own pictures, I really do think that pregnant women are beautiful. On the other hand, I do NOT take pictures while pregnant. I can't imagine anything more horrifying to have to see - I don't even have a full length mirror!
My reflections on this same struggle 3 pregnancies ago are interesting though, by now, I've pretty much resigned myself to months and months of hating the reflection in the mirror. And I've seen now, time and again, where I need to turn in these (very common) moments of utter selfish reflections.
I was on the cusp of it back then,

I realized what I've actually been seeking. The beauty of Jesus. The beauty of His sacrifice. The beauty of His truth. THAT is what I want. I want to radiate HIS beauty. I don't know what to do though when my feminine beauty is so bruised, and my expectations for my husband are too high, and I continue to be consumed with myself.

Pregnancy, every single time, is an invitation to me to "die to self." The most satisfying change I've seen, and I know it is purely a gift from God, is that my focus is gradually shifting. When I was having baby #1, and adjusting to marriage, and baby #2, and the early years of struggling with little ones only, I didn't appreciate parenthood as much as I do now. I have always loved my children with fierce intensity, but what came more slowly was a love of being mama. I eagerly await the arrival of this little son inside of me, not just because I hate being pregnant, but more because I can't wait to hold him. I can't wait to nourish him, and look into his eyes, and watch him grow, and delight in the unique and amazing person that God has blessed our family with. I can't wait for snuggling, funny moments, and interesting conversations together.

There have been vices in my life that have been completely conquered - not by my own accord. I pray that this vanity will be on the list some day.

"And I am not saying this because I feel neglected, I for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little. I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me." Philippians 4:11-13

V. 14 7 Quick Takes

2011-09-09T11:36:00.000-06:00

1. Slacker
I'm a blogging slacker these days. Well, somewhat of a slacker in general. I'm pretty ok in the mornings, thank goodness this is when we get most of our school work and cleaning done. After that, just about the only thing I can think about all afternoon long is taking a nap. Third trimester is making me tired.
2. Speaking of which...
My wedding ring still fits, and I'm wearing shoes that tie today. I'm 31 weeks pregnant! This is miraculous! I just remember being pregnant with Felicity, and I'm thinking that by 20 weeks, both of those things were out of the picture!
3. Further...
I'm praying that this baby might be born a little bit early. I usually go late with my babies, so this is really a prayer against nature! Would anyone be willing to pray that prayer with me? We're hoping that my wonderful in-laws will be visiting for Thanksgiving, which is not quite 2 weeks past my due date. If he could come a little early, I would be so much more well prepared (and rested)! I'd really hate to be only a few days post-partum when they show up, and end up spending their whole visit holed up in my room sleeping and nursing with the baby! Either way, I'm really hoping it all works out and that they come. Not only would I love celebrating with them and letting them meet the first male child bearing their name, BUT our plans for Thanksgiving otherwise would be ordering pizza. ha
4. On a completely non-baby note
Now that it's Fall, my girls are very excited about Halloween. We keep it pretty low-key around here, but they do get to go trick-or-treating and costume conversation is all the rage right now. Everyone has reasonable costume ideas, except the 2-year-old. She wants to be a "big. FAT. caterpillar." AKA, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, her favorite book. I looked online and pre-made costumes are way expensive, and the homemade ones look to be beyond my sewing skills. Any suggestions?
5. Another kind of baby
I'm kind of shocked that it's been a week and our baby chicks are still all alive and kicking (literally). They are so funny to watch and we are enjoying them immensely. They are naughty little things though...always kicking bedding into their water and having chick drama. I was cleaning their brooder the other day and my big girls were supposed to be chick sitting while the babies had some outside time. They were corralled in by an open-bottomed box, which got picked up by the Wyoming wind and chaos ensued! There was lots of girl-screaming, dog barking, and counting to be sure everyone was accounted for. We were only missing one little Aracauna (I think she will be the top of the pecking order -she's a feisty one!), who we had to coax out from some construction materials.
Way too much excitement for me.
6. Other people's babies
My sweet goddaughter was born early, early today to one of my dearest friends! I am SO excited and can't wait to meet her in a few weeks for her baptism! (It makes me even more anxious for my little guy to arrive...)
7. Birth Photography
Has anyone had birth photography done? I keep coming across the most beautiful, artistic, and creative photos online while I prepare for a homebirth. The photographer who did our beautiful family photos last Fall is available to do this for me for a very reasonable price (she did Felicity's 1st Communion photos as well, they're stunning) - I'm just kind of going back and forth about whether I want to do it. I'd love any input or suggestions.

#8 BONUS
Ok, nesting MIGHT be kicking in a LITTLE bit.
I think I'm going to paint the girls' room and this weekend. I've never painted a room by myself though, so I'd love any tips/tricks. I have the basic idea, but this is my OWN house this time and I really don't want to ruin it. I can't stand the ugly yellow that's in there anymore though, I am not a fan of yellow. Plus, I need to take a step in the direction of revamping their room - all of the exciting home improvements are taking place outside right now, and that is not my domain!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

Scramble with the Little Chicks...

2011-09-04T22:49:00.000-06:00

...cheep cheep cheep...

This is an Araucana. She's an "Easter Egger" who will provide us with some sort of pretty colored eggs, green or light pink or light blue... We have 2 of these ladies and they are such pretty chicks! Their eyes are gorgeous. This chick in particular is kind of loud! If she's not happy, she really lets you know!

This lady is a Black Australorp. She'll be all black with green/purple plumage some day. We have 2 of these, and this one in particular seems to have a VERY sweet disposition (and was much quieter than her Araucana friend).

We have 2 of these Barred Rock chicks, and I really really hope they both grow into hens with no problem because they are so pretty when they're grown! They have awesome black and white feathers that are really lovely! They're also commonly called "Plymouth Rock," so we'll have to come up with some extra-patriotic names for them. haha

This funny gal is a Red Star chick. She wasn't too sure about my handling her and was very curious about what was going on - more so than the other chicks by a lot. We have three of these and they are pretty feisty, but still sweet. She kept pecking at a freckle I have on the palm of my hand, which was cracking everyone up.


So far, this little gal is my favorite. She is our lone Rhode Island Red, and oh my gosh she is so sweet. She came right to me and rested in my hands, falling asleep several times. I wish I had a better picture, but once again, the 7-year-old was in charge of photography (I think she did pretty great on these though!). I did not want to put her back, what a sweet little thing this chick is! So far, she's the only one with a name. The girls call her Rosabelle.

*Are you a Sandra Boynton fan? My title came from our favorite of her books, Barnyard Dance. Everyone in the family has it memorized.

This Weekend (so far) in Photos

2011-09-03T21:25:00.000-06:00


Friday fun started with a huge box of new clothes from Nana! This is only a portion of the fashion show.


First thing this morning, we went to pick up my fruits and veggies from the produce co-op (http://bountifulbaskets.org/). This is only a portion of what I got, there is a ton in the fridge too! What a deal!


Then we picked these ladies up! They're so cute - but I'm mostly looking forward to their function: eggs.


Next thing we knew....the shipment of supplies for building a garage had arrived!


Before we knew it, lots of menfolk had arrived to help with the building. So the girls and I went apple picking with friends. We came home with a ton of apples and can't wait to start cooking tomorrow!


These beautiful flowers came from my friend's garden.


The men worked so hard all day, you should see how much more they have done now since I took this picture! I'm so thankful, seriously.

Not bad, considering it's only Saturday night...what a great jump start to the Fall!

30 Weeks

2011-09-02T13:19:00.000-06:00

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant.

I've been waiting for this day! This is the day that I will allow myself to start filling the freezer with meals, to buy my little guy clothes, to start reading books that will prepare me for a homebirth.

In 10 weeks, my son should arrive (well, I'm notoriously late, so 10 weeks-ish)! I am on the 2 week plan with my midwife now, much to the children's delight, they love it when she comes over! My baby is head down, and I'm hoping to keep him that way, and my pregnancy is going perfectly. Oddly enough, I'm not swelling at all yet, I can't believe that at 30 weeks I still have my pick of shoes and can wear my wedding ring! My midwife doesn't seem thrilled with my weight gain, but I think that if she had cared for me through my other pregnancies, she'd throw me a party because this is the least amount I've ever gained. (I blame living in a small town! When I get a pregnancy craving for Chick-fil-a, it's just tough luck!)

So now that I'm allowed to really start getting ready, I have books, projects, shopping, and food I want to prepare. I'd love any suggestions....you'd think by my 5th baby, I'd feel like an expert, but I don't. hahaha

Here are the books I'm preparing to buy/read:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: This was one of my favorites when I was expecting Fina. Ina May Gaskin is one of my heroes! I read Spiritual Midwifery a few months ago, and found it inspiring, but the 70's language was hilarious. I need to buy this one.
Birthing from Within: I read this last time too, and found the most helpful coping methods for labor contractions. I just need to buy it so that I can refer to it again. There are some really wacky things in this book - in my opinion - but that sort of comes with the territory and it doesn't bother me.
The Vaccine Book: This is probably one of the most used and referred to books on my bookshelf. I need to dedicate an afternoon to look over it again and make vaccination decisions for this little guy. I'm really serious about this, and I think Charlie and I need to get whooping cough vaccinations this year too (me after baby's born) because it went around here last year. I don't post about my vaccination opinions on my blog, but this is a big one as far as books to prepare for baby.
HypnoBirthing: This book is on it's way to me via the paperback swap right now, and I'm looking forward to reading it. I don't know anything about this method but I do look forward to maybe gleaning some wisdom here, even if I don't dive in full-fledged to the method.

That's all I've got for now because most of the other books on birth I've read are more of a commentary on the birthing climate in this country, and I am on board with all that, I don't need to be convinced of anything anymore. haha Anyone who has had a homebirth have any good book suggestions?

I have lots of projects to do around the house, and I am hoping for some intense nesting to kick in. My 2nd trimester energy was awesome, but I'm starting to be really tired. In fact, yesterday I took a good long nap, a luxury I haven't had during pregnancy since I was expecting Felicity. It's just so nice to have big girls who can entertain themselves and help me out with my little ones. Here are some of the projects I am going to tackle:

The girls' room. The girls need a complete redo of their room. I plan to paint, order more bedding, and buy two sets of twin bunk beds. That will require teaching Fina how to sleep in the big girl room, but I think she's ready. They have a bathroom attached to their room too, so I have a lot to do in there as well. We pretty much never use it, because it's very kid un-friendly. I need to do some sewing for curtains in the bath, add some storage, and replace the shower head/lighting/and mirror. I'm hoping for some excellent thrifty finds when I'm in Colorado in a few weeks.
The baby room. Even though I co-sleep with my babies, I still want to start a boy room for several reasons. The first being, we need a place for all his stuff! I don't know if I'll bother with a crib for now unless I find a great deal somewhere. I'll need one in a few months, but not yet. The crib the girls have used has seen it's last days and will go away after Fina moves in with the big girls. We're going to put the twin-on-full bunk bed from the girls' room in baby's room, that way I have a place to escape in the night, or a place for guests. Painting will happen here too.
House projects with Charlie. We are building a garage (our house doesn't have one, in fact, we've never lived in a home with a garage so we're very excited!) and putting up wooden fencing in the backyard. All of the supplies will be delivered tomorrow, so it's going to be quite a weekend! We're also planning on installing our wood burning stove in the living room, painting, and (hopefully) closing in the front porch to be a mudroom. We'll see if all of this gets done before the baby arrives, it's a lot of work!
Second semester lesson plans. This will take me a really long time, and I need to be honest with myself and do it before the baby or otherwise I'll be scrambling next semester. Truly, I think the peace I've felt with our school year this year has been due to good planning and not winging it. I'm going to go after this in October, I think.

Oh shopping...I thought I'd have to buy a lot of clothes, but so far I have purchased some things and am the recipient of many generous offers of clothes from other people. One thing I've learned after 4 babies, is that I don't need as much stuff as I thought I did. Here are the things I'm still working on getting:

A baby swing. I haven't had one since Gab was a baby, and I've missed it. I'm hoping to get one off of Craig's List in Denver.
A new waist clip for my Ergo. I LOVE my Ergo, if I had to forgo all baby items except one, this would be the one I keep. I've loved it to death and the clip on the waist broke. I must get a new one!!!
A few more cloth diapers. I pretty much have enough, but I hope to get a few more FuzziBunz and Flip covers/inserts.
Baptismal outfit. I'm thinking the frilly dress the girls wore will not work for my son. It has pink flowers. And it's sleeveless. I really don't know where to find this...any suggestions?
High chair. I'd love to get one of those nice wooden high chairs this time around. I don't have one at all, but this can wait, obviously. I'm thinking this will be a Craig's List purchase too.
Certain nursing items. Maybe a pump? I haven't had one (or needed one) since Felicity, but I'm thinking it might be nice. And undergarments for me, especially the camis. Those are the BEST and mine are soooo worn out.

That's not too bad, I don't think! I usually have a crazy long list of things to get before baby.

Lastly, the food... I really could use some suggestions on this point! I don't know much about freezing meals. I have a well stocked freezer with homemade chicken broth, fresh veggies (Gab and I just did a huge batch of local sweet corn), and meats. But I'd really like to have some things that are easy to pull out for meals, including breakfast and lunch. I usually make pizza on Friday nights (tonight it'll be sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta! mmmm), so I thought I'd make triple dough for the next few weeks, because it freezes to beautifully and I always have pizza ingredients on hand. And I do know that muffins freeze easily. Other than those things, I need help and will be doing quite a bit of research so that the holidays move a little more smoothly (he'll be here right before Thanksgiving!). We don't eat casseroles much, and it seems that a lot of things I've found to freeze are casseroles, we'll see what I come up with, eh?

I am obviously very excited that it's time to start preparing for this baby. Looking at my calendar, I'm thinking that the next 10 weeks should fly by. I sure hope so...

Goodbye...

2011-08-31T22:53:00.000-06:00

....Summer....

While family is reporting temperatures in the 100's still in Texas, Autumn is clearly making it's presence around the corner here obvious. The cool nights and warm, but shorter days, all signal - along with my calendar, that Fall is on it's way.

A night around the fire pit...complete with PJ's, blankets, stargazing, and story telling.

We have had such a nice Summer, but on this last day of August I am looking forward to a new season, my favorite season. A season for babies. A season rich with my favorite colors. A good reason to make soups and stews again, and to pick apples, and prepare for a long (altogether too long) Winter. (I like Winter by the way! I just don't like a Spring that acts like winter!)


Beautiful and semi-local (from Colorado) Roma tomatoes, turned amazing salsa. We had it with lunch yesterday, it is delicious!

My little soccer players

Schedules are falling into place and delicious summer produce is making it's way into lovely glass jars, freezer bags, and the dehydrator to be enjoyed throughout the colder months that do not see these precious commodities. (I will miss you, summer fruit!) The girls are playing sports, while Charlie's Summer baseball season winds down. My midwife is beginning to come every other week....he'll be here soon.

Felicity's first soccer game.

Learning about geometry through play...

The children have noticed that the leaves are beginning to make their way to the ground, down off the tree tops, and Charlie and I have noticed that the daylight is waning - our evenings are getting darker by the day. Pumpkins and candy corn are gracing the shelves of our grocery - much to our delight - we love candy corn. And pumpkins.


Gab's first soccer game. She's intense - and a natural athlete (something she did NOT get from me).

This is the end of Summer, a wonderful Summer, full of blessings. But with it's end, comes my most favorite of seasons and all of it's promise.

V. 13 7 Quick Takes

2011-08-26T12:46:00.000-06:00

1. Nostalgia
I've been enjoying this random blog I found via pinterest. It brings back so many memories...the toys, the foods, the tv shows, the games, the famous people, from my childhood...it's such fun!


(Oh my gosh I loved these!!!)

2. More Canning Fun!
I'm getting ready to send out my jams for the Jam Exchange tomorrow! I got them all pretty and ready to go, photos to come soon! I've also canned some lovely Western slope peaches, tonight I'm doing pear butter and this weekend Charlie and I are doing salsa together (we've got 30lbs of farm fresh roma tomatoes coming in!). Where have I been on this? Seriously, it's so satisfying. Anyone have any other excellent canning recipes/favorites I should try before all the beautiful produce disappears?

3. School Time
We are in our 4th week of school now, which is such an odd feeling this week as public schools return to classes this week. Things are going along very nicely, I've seen so much improvement in F with the things she struggled with a lot last year (this week she got a 100 on both her math test AND her spelling test - I was beyond thrilled, probably more excited even than she was!). We are falling into a great routine, but still have some flexibility, which is wonderful. Charlie was home quite a bit last week (due to HIS terrible case of strep), and it was such a touching compliment at the end when he told me how happy he is with the way things are going, since he had been here to overhear our regular daytime schedule.

4. Book Swap
I joined Paperback Swap and just ordered two books I've been wishing for. However, I've noticed there is quite a wait to get most of the other books I'd like, unless I want to trade my awesome books for trashy romance novels (which I don't). Does anyone have any experience with this stuff? I'd love to hear if it's really worth it long term, if you like good books (not trash novels).

5. More Food Chat
Just recently I read a post on Mama Nash about Stonyfield baby yogurt (one of my favorite first foods for my little ones) and Greek yogurt. In the comment section, I lamented the fact that I couldn't get my favorite brand of Greek yogurt here in small town Wyoming - Greek Gods. Well, that post encouraged me to check out another brand at the store and...LO AND BEHOLD! They had stocked Greek Gods brand for the first time! I was SO excited. We just finished up two cartons this morning at breakfast... (I always get the big ones, those individual cups don't work for our family, I'd have to spend my whole food budget on yogurt!) Also, is there anything better than Summer fruit? I submit there is not. Every time we finish a watermelon, I'm afraid that it's my last succulent bite for months.

6. Flag
We got this in the mail as a surprise the other day, from a friend (former student Charlie worked with in FOCUS) who is stationed in Afghanistan with the Air Force. We are so thankful and felt really blessed! We can't wait to find the perfect spot for it!

"This American flag is presented to The Charlie (Last Name) Family. This is to certify that on July 4th, 2011, the 963d Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron flew this American Flag through hostile skies over Afghanistan on an Operation ENDURING FREEDOM combat mission. This Flag represents our dedication and steadfast devotion to defending the principles of the United States of America demonstrated daily by Airmen who serve our country with honor and pride."

Awesome. And what a great opportunity to teach the children and be thankful ourselves.

7. Trash/Treasure
Surely I am not the only one who deals with ever-multiplying piles and stacks of colored pages and "art" by my children. Paintings, very intentional drawings, lovely little crafts - thing like that, I can find a way to display. They are beautiful treasures that I certainly want to keep and remember my children by.

On the other hand, what about the color pages and random drawings that they think are treasures? I used to think I had a handle on this, but lately I haven't. They're too observant and emotional - if I throw them out there is a complete heart-broken melt down! I have to be stealthy, but I have guilt as I dump tons of recyclable papers into the dumpster! And if I remove WHOLE piles all at once - these "gifts" to me and these treasured pieces of art, they notice!!! ("Mama, where is that x that I made for you?!" AHHHH!) I love my children and I LOVE their art - but my desk is starting to be overrun by color pages and papers. Well, so is the bottom shelf in the school room....and the recycling bag...and Felicity's shelf on her bed....and little stashes everywhere. I'm drowning in lovely art work that needs to go to the dump!

For more quick takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-08-25T19:44:00.000-06:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

{Pretty}

We took the girls for a picnic with friends on Sunday night. The weather was perfect and the river was so beautiful. It's such a blessing to enjoy these last days of summer like this!

{Happy}

F just had her first soccer practice this evening. We have never embarked upon the world of sports. She was SO excited and had a great time!

{Funny}

I found this recipe for poppy seed chicken on Pinterest, and thought I'd make it for dinner tonight, since Charlie isn't eating with us (he hates anything resembling a casserole). Well, I didn't realize until AFTER I put it in the oven that I accidentally purchased and used Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ritz crackers for the topping. Yeah, the pizza should be here any minute. (I didn't even KNOW there was such a THING as Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ritz crackers!!!)

{Real}

I never posted pictures from S' 2nd birthday, I was still in full-on Strep Throat mode. However, I was no longer contagious so I managed to get the girls to Charlie's baseball game, where we spent the evening of her birthday. After a late night at the park, there was no cake, but we did put some candles in rice krispy treats to celebrate. It was a great day - she loved being the "Birthday Princess!"

Changing Hearts: On Modesty in Dress

2011-08-22T14:14:00.000-06:00

Modesty is important to me. It's something I've written about briefly before, something I continually examine, and something that I teach my daughters.
I am a former too-short-shorts wearer, former owner of a plethora of bikinis, former wearer of ultra-low-cut tops and short dresses. In fact, did I mention that I got sent home from school once in 10th grade because my skirt was too short? That skirt was a part of my new Easter ensemble that year.

I wore things to Mass that were completely inappropriate all the time, more often than not I'd suspect. There was one time in college that I wore what I thought was an acceptable dress to Mass, a very traditional, Latin type Mass, with no sleeves and a hem above my knee. (And heels, that never helps with a short skirt.) I attracted quite a few dirty looks in the tiny church, and confession with the priest that day was so harsh and so troubling to me that I didn't return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation literally for years. Years.

My heart has changed in so many ways since those days, and I am so grateful for God's mercy and His love - the ways that He has guided me and protected me and helped me to leave those types of things behind (along with the incorrect thinking that the way I looked was equivalent to my personal value). This can be true for any inappropriately dressed woman we see in Mass. God may be working in her life, she may be one Sunday away from realizing that how she's presenting herself is not only harmful to the men around her, but beneath her dignity. She may not realize, to realization's full potential, the affect of her clothing choices. She may not have had an example to show her what choices would be better, more fitting for a precious daughter of God - which she is. She might need us to assume the best about her and love her well by praying that her eyes will be opened the next time she checks herself in the mirror before heading to Mass, or guiding her carefully, lovingly, if we are within her sphere of influence.

I have to say that when I run across certain kinds of blog posts online about the need for modest dress in church (I was going to link the one I read today, but decided against it) especially while reading the commentary, I am deeply saddened. Sometimes they feel like the equivalent of the dirty looks I got that day in college at Mass, or the unmerciful confession I experienced. They don't actually help the situation. I don't like to see scantily clad women/girls in holy Mass, of course not! But, I have been where they are and I do know that there is a certain level of ignorance there. I know that they need Mercy and compassion, and education. They need a positive example, they need a deeper understanding of their own dignity, and they need sincere prayer - there's much more there than meets the eye.

Dirty looks don't change hearts.

"Homemaker"

2011-08-17T14:33:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, our life insurance guy was over to have us sign some paperwork and I noticed in his notes on me that it said under Employment, "at home," and then under Occupation, "homemaker."

There was a point at which I would have found that off-putting. When I fill out paperwork for medical purposes, or other things that randomly come up, I will often put "at home," or "at home mother." Something along those lines. But I have never put, "homemaker."

However, the other day at the library I came across a beautiful book that was so very encouraging to me. In the introduction, the author John Seymour said:

Only a housewife: only a practitioner of one of the two most noble professions (the other one is that of a farmer); only the mistress of a huge battery of high and varied skills and custodian of civilization itself. Only a typist, perhaps! Only a company director, or a nuclear physicist; only a barrister; only the President! When a woman says she is a housewife she should say it with the utmost pride, for there is nothing higher on this planet to which she should aspire.

Then he goes on to say:

When we think of civilization we tend to think of people like Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Beethoven and Einstein. Well, all praise to such people, their works have enriched our homes, but of what use would their endeavors have been without the basis of a civilized home; of what comfort would their works be to us if your homes were brutish and boring, if we lived, like Nebuchadnezzar, like the beasts but without the beasts' natural grace and dignity? Everything that people do outside the home - on the farm, in the forest, in the factory and counting-house, down the mine or out at sea - is done to provide the essentials of a seemly and comely human existence: to sustain and embellish the home. If the home itself is allowed to go to pot then what is the use of it all? Whatever an honest man is doing, always somewhere in the back of his mind is the thought of his home.

Being an at-home mother has its obvious dignity to me. My mother gave her whole self to raise me and my brother, and now my little sisters, and most of my friends and role models are or were at home mothers themselves. I know that out in the big, bad world, there are those who think differently, but frankly, I don't often come across them. Giving my life to be the mother of Felicity, Gabrielle, Colette, Serafina, and their little brother has never felt like a lesser calling to me. It has done nothing but give me consistent joy and opportunities for personal growth. The Church has affirmed me in my role as mother time and time again.

What has taken longer to accept, to embrace, is the role of "homemaker." For a good while I didn't really make the connection between keeping my home, and the arts that lie therein, with my vocations of marriage and motherhood. Being a homemaker is a varied, and interesting, and fulfilling, and loving job - though admittedly sometimes monotonous. (I'd like to know who has a job that's exciting all the time?)

I love that now I can see it as a way to love my family, and more importantly, to love my God.

" Let me stress this point: it is in the simplicity of your ordinary work, in the monotonous details of each day, that you have to find the secret, which is hidden from so many, of something great and new: Love." -St. Josemaria Escriva, The Forge 489

PS- If you are so inclined, would you say a little prayer for my poor husband? He got Strep from me - this is a man who never gets sick! Also, please pray that our little ones don't get it!! Not fun!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-08-12T14:10:00.000-06:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

{Pretty}

Look at all these random turquoise things that appeared on my desk at once!

{Happy}

The sweet birthday girl as we sang to her. Four years old and SO happy about it!

{Funny}

My 5-year-old is a real gift giver. In this case, she gave me a living gift. Check out this giant grasshopper! It seems like every 10 minutes I'm telling her to take the grasshoppers outside!!! hehe

{Real}

This is the only photo I have of Colette heading out for her special birthday lunch with Charlie. My 7-year-old took it while I was stuck in bed. It's not the best picture, but at least it captures the memory!

Sick Days

2011-08-11T14:35:00.000-06:00

I have strep throat.

This seems to happen every year, late in the Spring or in the Summer - I am suddenly attacked by a gripping throat/ear pain, I ignore it for a day and it gets worse, then I have to wait through the many, many hours of the night before I can call the doctor and beg for a morning appointment.

Yesterday was my sweet Colette's birthday, oh how I wanted to post about what a wonderful day we had together, what a big girl she is getting to be, and share pictures. None of that came to fruition, however, since I spent literally the whole day in bed.

I don't think she noticed too much, she was happy with homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast (made the night before, thank goodness!), birthday decorations (also made the night before) and lots of attention from her sisters and Daddy. She got to have her special birthday lunch out with Charlie, which was during the peak of my misery. (More on lunch later.) I somehow managed to pull it together enough to make chocolate cupcakes from a box and her dream birthday dinner. Thankfully, her desired birthday dinner was: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, "cheesy chips" (aka Doritos), and cantaloupe. Totally manageable for a sick mama - I'm glad it was her birthday and not another girls' because the menu would have been much more complicated! (Charlie questioned me when I told him we were having PB&J for dinner - but come on! The birthday princess can have whatever she wants!)

The influx of new toys kept all the girls very content and busy, albeit the house is a wreck. I had a few observations though over the last 24 hours that made me feel really blessed amidst this sickness.
1) Because we are homeschooling, we have a lot of freedom. I didn't have to take anyone or pick anyone up from school. We are ahead in most subjects, so taking a day off isn't going to set us back at all. Later on today, F & I can do her math work in my bed (the only thing we're just on time with). I don't have to call in a sub who will just show them movies all day. haha Lots of new perks I hadn't thought of!
2) My big girls are getting so big! I was completely delusional and out of it yesterday afternoon, so Felicity just took the initiative and made lunch. She came up with something for all the girls on her own. And cleaned it up. And used a knife to slice cheese (well, I was aware of that and made sure she was being safe - she's a pretty careful person). They also took care of Fina, changing her diaper when necessary, playing with her, and letting me know that they needed help because she was ready for a nap. They brought me my thermometer and drinks and came and checked on me and scratched my back. They were so amazing. I was floored.
3) Can I just say how truly grateful I am for things that I know I've taken for granted in the past? Clean water. Healthy food in the fridge and pantry to give me strength. Access to vitamins. Health insurance (even if it's not great, it's there and I can see a dr without pause) and medicine. Gosh those things are all really amazing blessings.

I'm still feeling quite miserable - I hate spending my days in bed. But, at least I'm on antibiotics now and will be back to 100% soon. I mean, come on! We've got a birthday party Saturday night! (For both Colette and Fina.) By then I won't be contagious and I will be feeling way better. Oh, happy birthday week!

________________________________________________________________________________
Hey! PS! If you didn't see on FB or Twitter, you should check out this great deal for National Geographic Kids! It's $12, but you can use the code NATGEOK4 get an additional $4 off. I got it for my girls, they love magazines, so I thought this was a fun deal. :-)

Crafty Fun

2011-08-09T17:25:00.000-06:00

My (admittedly poor) Sampler, the first "Mini-Project" from Stitch by Stitch: Learning to Sew One Project at a Time by Deborah Moebes. It was fun to see what my machine can do! I have only left it on the most basic of settings, for the most basic of projects. I'm looking forward to working my way through this book. It's my project for the end my pregnancy.

Fabric rosettes adorning my newly acquired bulletin board (swiped from the girls' room). I don't have immediate access to a craft store for a more beautiful cork board overhaul, so I just added these. They were so easy to make, and pretty!

"Blessings Board" a dry-erase board where the girls and I can count our blessings. This is in my office area of the school room/play room. We used a broken flower hair clip instead of making fabric flowers. I love this; we have so much to be thankful for.

I'm enjoying all the inspiration I'm finding around the internet, and the freedom to do these things before my little guy arrives and I spend my days nursing, feeding children, nursing, teaching school, nursing, doing laundry, oh, and nursing. I know I don't have great crafty skills, but it's so much fun! (Oh! And Charlie and I are making these tonight! I can't wait! They'll be perfect in my "office" and for school!) Ok, off to eat that fresh loaf of bread downstairs with some Nutella. hehe

Early Christmas Inspiration

2011-08-08T18:04:00.000-06:00

August is when I start my Christmas shopping. Over the last several years, I've seen the benefits of this and it all really started when I was expecting Gabrielle 6 years ago (she was a November baby). I've posted on why I start shopping in August before, the main reason being that I have a large family, a large extended family, and dear friends that I buy for and it helps our finances to not be slammed all at once. And we don't use credit cards, ever. (Not to mention gift giving is one of my two main love languages, so I like to choose gifts for people carefully.)

Anyway, I've been putting my lists together, ordering wrapping paper and Christmas cards (no photo cards of the family this year - are you kidding me? at only a few weeks postpartum? pretty sure I've mentioned my struggles with vanity before, that cannot happen, but I'm sure there will be one of the children & baby!), checking in on Pottery Barn every day to see if they've started selling these stockings yet (I LOVE these and hope to have a whole set for the family), and hoping that the Osh Kosh outlet will be selling matching Christmas outfits by September when we head to Colorado for our precious goddaughter's baptism.

(Hello super long run on sentence!)

(And over usage of parentheses!)

Right now is the best time to make decisions, scope out my favorite websites, and start buying, toys especially. My favorite way to find new toy ideas is to go to Fat Brain Toys, plug in the age of my girl, and see what kind of fun ideas they have. Some of the best gifts over the years have been ideas like the Bilibos (played with every day), Wedgits, and Green Toys Tea Set (before they were a hugely popular company).

Other great gifts we've found have been a beautiful wooden Waldorf play kitchen and wooden doll house from Willow Toys. These two get every day play as well. The doll house has been outfitted with furniture from Plan Toys (I'd love to get the horse stable for Colette, if I could find it for cheaper than retail - even Amazon doesn't have that). Our doll house family is from Melissa & Doug.

Melissa & Doug has recently been my go-to toy company for gifts for my girls and often my sisters as well. For her birthday, Colette is getting a slew of new play kitchen foods (this is her favorite past time these days) and Fina is getting nesting blocks and a new ball (she doesn't need much to be thrilled). We have several M&D toys, and they have all withstood constant play with several of my girls. One of our most favorite things from Melissa & Doug is their collection of floor puzzles. The boxes are sturdy (well, unless a 2 year old sits in them), the pieces seem indestructible, and the pictures are gorgeous. My girls have loved them for years. The one time I had a problem with one of their toys was when I purchased a wooden tea set, the girls were tiny and didn't play as hard as they do now. The paint started chipping off quickly and it looked terrible, I was really disappointed that I had spent so much on something that wouldn't last. Well, when I contacted Customer Service, they were *wonderful* and solidified me as a customer for life. Despite the fact that I had already donated the set away, they sent me replacement toys up to the value of the tea set. It gave me confidence in their business. (They also have really fun craft items!)

This is an ooooooold picture! Check out that crazy Gab hair!

Another thing my girls love is dress up stuff, but we are overflowing with princess dresses, ballerina skirts, capes, hats, and costume jewelry. They have loved their play silks to shreds, I may pick some up for them for their stockings this year. I can't remember where I got them last time, but I know I paid less than the ones I've been finding around this year. (Speaking of stockings, I could do a whole post just on those! I love doing stockings and choosing little things for St. Nicholas day!)

So am I the only crazy one who starts Christmas shopping in the Summer? What toys do your children really enjoy or what gifts do you have in mind for them? I still need a few ideas!

Vanilla Bourbon Peach Jam Goodness

2011-08-07T15:10:00.001-06:00

Next weekend I have 20 lb boxes of peaches and pears coming. Western Slope peaches (from Colorado) are the jewels of Summer here, they are glorious. Only about 50% of my family enjoys eating peaches raw, however, so I started searching Pinterest for ideas of what to do with the rest of them before they good bad. Obviously, I'll freeze some. We'll eat a ton just right from the box. Last year, we threw a bunch in the dehydrator and it didn't go well. So, off I went for new ideas.

I found some peaches for $.25 nearby, so I went ahead and got some so that I could test the recipe I found for Vanilla Bourbon Peach Jam. They aren't even close to as tasty as the ones coming, but they would do for cheap.

Charlie had to work all day yesterday, so I took advantage of having a Saturday morning and started my first venture into canning. I've wanted to try this out for years, and it was such a peaceful and lovely morning working in the kitchen while the children played and The Civil Wars and Adele wafted in the air.

It was quiet, sweet work.

I was nervous though, since I've never done this before, and didn't have anyone to teach me except the trusty Internet. All last night I dreamed that the lids didn't seal and that the jam turned out like syrup. And that Charlie would hate it.

Well, all of that was unfounded. All the jars sealed, everything was done properly, and this morning when we busted one open to enjoy with eggs, bacon, and homemade biscuits, it was a hit. Well, at least with the adults and the children who could be expected to enjoy a jam made of something other than artificially colored grapes. (The only thing I'll change when I make this again is less almond flavoring.)

I might be hooked. Either way, I joined a "Jam Exchange" (if you are interested, tomorrow is the last day to sign up!) on :Steph Chows: blog. It sounded fun! I could just send two of these same jars, but I think I'm going to attempt one more flavor before I ship them off. I'm hoping the Italian plumbs will be ripe in time, or apparently the crab apples here make good jam. If I can find some raspberries or blackberries for cheap I might go that route too.

Now...if I could come up with some ideas for my box of pears....

V. 12 7 Quick Takes - Late

2011-08-06T16:40:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm a day late with my 7 Quick Takes, but here I am none the less. Really, I'm just procrastinating. I should be getting ready for a dinner with Charlie, but my excuse is that I'm just on here waiting for the floor to dry after mopping...like I need the kitchen floor to make myself look nice.

1. Bleh
I know I have gone on and on about how much I love my midwife and how excited I am to be planning a homebirth, blah blah blah. Well, last week she told me that I really need to get a scale (since I haven't given her my weight since our first meeting when I was like 4 weeks pregnant). I did what I was told and I regretted it. I was much happier without a scale or a full length mirror in my house. Really, how important is this information? It just torments me. sigh. (And doesn't inspire me to make myself want to look pretty for tonight's business dinner with Charlie, when it feels impossible.)

2. A Happier Note
I keep linking Cynthia, but I can't help it. Her chocolate chip cookies saved me, and so I'm inclined to trust her in all her great taste, including music. The other day she posted a video of The Civil Wars on her blog and I immediately fell in love and bought the album. It's revived my ipod over the last 24 hours, even my girls know the words to many of the songs.
Here's my favorite one:

This song reminds me of being young(er) and how I used to spend hours, hours laying in my room alone listening to music (well, and of course actually singing, it was my life). At that time of my life it consumed me, and touched my soul - Kate Wicker's post about riding horses the other day actually reminded me so much of how music was the dearest friend of my adolescence. Anyway, listening to this album makes me feel like a person. Not a mom or a pregnant lady or the one who cleans the house and cooks - but a person, the person that I was before I was all these things as well.

3. Birthday Week
This coming week is birthday week at our house. (Come November, we'll have Birthday Week Round 2 with Gab's birthday being "Chaz'" due date.) (Also, we're not going to call him "Chaz," but we joke about it - Charlie's hoping it won't stick. haha) Anyway, Colette and Serafina both have birthdays this week so I've been wrapping gifts and thinking about cakes. I'm terrible at decorating cakes, so I'm making cakes that don't require decorating - Coke Cake and my beautiful Aunt Patricia's famous Cheesecake. Also included in birthday week are special breakfasts (we have PW's Cinnamon Rolls and donuts planned), balloons, and lunches with Daddy. It should be fun!

4. School
We officially completed one full week of school. It was very successful. I'm seeing here that what makes it successful is a predictable routine and good planning. The girls' chores are going swimmingly (maybe a full post on this?) and actually helping out so much. Planning meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, has been essential. We are loving learning Science and Art here in particular so far. However, I have no illusions of things staying the same as I cross into my 3rd trimester and have less energy (I feel like the Energizer Bunny these days, like I can conquer anything! So I'm going with that until I wear out.).

5. Reading
I finished reading The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers last week. I enjoyed it, there were some things that I skipped over (the section on faith - way PC) and holes that were missing (how essential marriage is - but I recognize who her general audience is), but there were some chapters that were very eye-opening and helpful to me. In addition, Elizabeth's discussion has been great!

6. Domesticity
Charlie was working all day today with a special event for the college, so I took the opportunity to spend my morning trying my hand at canning jam. I have wanted to try canning out for several years now, and I think that for the first time it's really attainable for me. So, I picked up necessary equipment yesterday, and peaches for $.25 a pound, and went for it this morning. I can't wait to do a whole post on it, and I really can't wait to eat it tomorrow morning with a loaf of bread fresh from the oven and a hot cup of coffee.

7. Domesticity Pt. 2
I need curtains in my front room and the windows are huge. HUGE. It would save us so much money in heating and cooling if I could just get some good curtains in there. My sweet sister-in-law linked me to this project for do-it-yourself curtains and I'm wondering if I could pull them off. I don't have a ruffler foot for my machine, nor can I justify the cost, so I've been watching videos on how to make ruffles. I don't know. If I don't end up doing them for my front room I'll probably go with these curtains in "Topaz" and then make these sweet curtains for my little guy's bedroom in a couple of months after I make my way through this awesome book (speaking of which, anyone have a good source online for purchasing quality sewing scissors for a good price - shopping local is not an option.).

For more Quick Takes visit Jen at Conversion Diary.

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-08-04T14:24:00.000-06:00

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

{pretty}

Charlie and I just celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary the other day. I was looking through pictures and liked this one. Some things never change...we met young (I was 15), married early (I was 20), became parents early (I was 21), and now have almost 5 children before I'm even 30. I am so blessed to have grown up with this man.

{happy}

Being prepared. I loved the idea I read here to prepare a huge salad, boiled eggs, etc. on Sunday to enjoy throughout the week. It has made my week so much easier and happier to have these things ready to go. Fruit washed and picked off the stem, shredded chicken for my salad or quesadillas or impromptu soup. This will be a habit for sure.

{funny}

This isn't funny, haha funny, but sort of self-deprecating funny. I have been a HORRIBLE chocolate chip cookie baker in the past. A total failure. Well, Cynthia swooped in to my combox and saved the day! Her recipe is just impeccably perfect and made an excellent 1st day of school treat for my girls the other day.

{real}

Here's a picture I forgot to post yesterday of my entry way. The shelf looks crooked, but it's actually the light switch plate that is *way* crooked. There are two broken hooks and all sorts of (practical yet) ugly stuff on top. This is a tiny section of the wall, but I really need to think of something more attractive here. All of this real-ness in my entry way is pushing me into action! Fun!

Entryway Honesty

2011-08-02T22:41:00.001-06:00

As soon as I saw the title, "How do others see your home?" I knew that I was going to love Leila's post. What I love about reading Like Mother, Like Daughter is that I so often come away thinking about something from an angle I have never considered.
Leila suggested taking a look at your home from the view point of visitors and gave her lucky readers some glimpses the entryways to her home. After her post, I snapped a few pictures. These are honest, photos and there are certainly some good and bad things to be seen in them. I didn't stage anything, or pick anything up before I took them.

I took pictures for my own examination really, I was so struck by this quote, because it is oh, so very true:

Nota bene #1: Once a person has an impression, good or bad, of your house, it's hard to shake it. Make sure your friends' first impression is of tidiness, and they will forevermore excuse messiness as not you. Vice versa, alas, same thing goes.

I try really hard to keep my home tidy. It's not always impeccably clean, I do after all live in a windy part of Wyoming with no grass and no neighbors. I also have 4 messy kids who require things like food and clean clothing. I also have a dog - he doesn't shed much, but he's a dog nonetheless. Oh and the homeschooling. And the pregnancy. In my weak moments (or sometimes days) I feel justified in not worrying too much about the appearance of my home - but really, it is very important to me to keep things picked up. I feel it's a part of how I serve my family, giving my husband a soft place to land, and giving my daughters the satisfaction of knowing that their work alongside me matters to everyone. As Leila says:

Oh, it's fine to joke about blessing the mess or how kids grow so fast, why do housework -- and believe me, no one knows as well as I do how hard it is to stay on top of things when you have babies and toddlers and kids running around. Because I'm just like you only with less energy. But keeping a reasonably clean house is part -- not all, but part -- of the order in Order and Wonder.

I believe in that order, and how it actually creates freedom for me and for my family. I appreciate this opportunity to look in to my own home from the eyes of a visitor.

This is probably the hardest picture I had to take, and one I knew I would just pick apart. Welcome to my front porch! Here you will find: kids playing, random toys, bug carnage, unfinished construction, a few living plants, and several dead plants. Sigh.
I have the hardest time with my front porch because so much of it is out of my control. We recently had additional concrete added to the right side there that wraps around the house and the whole back. It's really nice. In the next couple of weeks, we're actually planning on closing in this porch and creating a mud room. In the mean time, it's a disaster, and I know it, and I hate it.

Don't excuse things because they're your own special mess -- you know you don't do that with others.

I need to handle this porch, and at least do the best I can with it until the construction begins. I'm not sure what to do though, because neither I or my husband are particularly good at keeping plants alive - flowers are not my forte. You can't even SEE that in this picture. Goodness it's bad. And like I said, no grass. And kids to want to play.

Anyway, it gets a little better when you enter my domain, the inside.

The good thing about entering my front door: there are a plethora of little hostesses who are excited to see you, no matter who you are. The not so good thing: I actually do not have an entryway. When you walk in the front door, you have a full on view of all public areas of my home. (No pressure.)

Look to the Left - welcome to my living room! It stays pretty clean and neat, especially now that we have officially ditched the TV. Also I have excellent helpers who dust and vacuum in here every day. The one thing I really noticed about this photo though (and I thought about this last night as well, as I observed my golden goldendoodle snooze on a vanilla colored rug, up against a vanilla colored wall, surrounded by lightly golden curtains) is that I need some COLOR! Why am I so afraid of color? Seriously. I love black, white, cream, grey, gold, silver, and any sort of natural linen color. Other than that, I'm freaked out. This goes for my clothing choices as well. I need color in this room.

Look to the Right - here is our dining area. Don't look too close, I'm pretty sure the 5-year-old vacuumed that rug, so there might still be a few lingering crumbs under the toddler's chair. As long as I don't receive a surprise visitor right around meal time, I'm not too concerned about clutter or messes in this area. Because we are blessed to have a play room/school room upstairs there, there's no need to do projects, store things, or other non-eating activities in this room. Upstairs is another thing altogether, and I have no qualms with leaving a project and closing the door.
All that said - HELLO terrible trashcan in the kitchen?! I've known that my trashcan is an eyesore, and I'd really like to get one of these, because in order to be functional and practical, it really can't be hidden away in my laundry room and our family is too large for a trashcan under a counter. I just didn't realize how obvious it was and I need to handle it asap.

If you look straight forward from the front door, you have a full-on view of the kitchen. I actually like my kitchen and find it quite charming, it is both literally and figuratively the heart of my home. What I don't like is that blasted trashcan. Also, I don't much appreciate the obnoxious view of the side of our fridge. I don't know if there is anything I can do about that though, it's just my reality as far as kitchen layout. The broom doesn't belong there. The dog bowls might need to find a new, more conspicuous location. And that giant bag of rice chilling out in front of the island is NOT how I'd like guests to be greeted. (Also, it looks like there's a sippy cup or a toy or something there on the floor - this makes me crazy and I am always railing on the little people to keep their toys/cups/blankies out of the kitchen; I really despise that.)
I do enjoy my curtains - which I made myself (yay!) and my pretty new pans hanging above the island, and the fact that the counters are clear for the most part. Only the essentials get to stay on the counter: producers of caffeine, yeasty bread dough, and chopped veggies - aka, the coffee pot, the stand mixer, and the ginormous wooden cutting board.

As I look over my photos, I really see the need for more warmth, more color. In my desire to have a neat home, I often shy away from the little touches that add comfort and warmth. It really is something I want to improve upon. It's helpful to see things from the outside.

What matters is that if someone drops by, they really will see the me who wants to welcome them -- ~~a little weedy~~ and in need of a lick o' paint, but basically neat and tidy -- reasonably clean!

And not just guests. Family members too. Kids who have been away, Papa who was running errands, hey-- even I like walking in when it's orderly!

"Ready to Learn and Get Some Knowledge!"

2011-08-01T16:11:00.000-06:00

We didn't buy new backpacks or clothes, no Crayola map colors, lined notebook paper, boxes of kleenex, or hand sanitizer for the teacher. But for the last few months, boxes have been showing up with living science and history books, math games, music lesson books & classical music CDs, and real art supplies: pastels, ebony pencils, watercolor paper, embroidery needles, and more. We brought home an eMac computer for phonics videos and games.
Plans have been made, not carpool plans or cafeteria food vs. lunch box plans, but how-do-we-manage-toddlers-during-school plans, and maintaining-healthy-yet-simple-meal plans. If shoes were lost this morning, it wasn't a big deal - but still, everyone must have breakfast, make beds, and get dressed (and fix hair, brush teeth, in my case, put on makeup).

Today was our first day of school! This year, I have a 1st and 2nd grader, along with an ever learning (almost) 4-year-old, and a destructive (yet charming) toddler. In a few short months, we'll throw a nursing infant into the mix. It was a great first day, and we are very excited about learning this year. I'm thrilled with my curriculum choices, and think that for this year, and these particular children, they are going to work beautifully.

We are starting early this year, a great advantage to home education, because I want to take a long Christmas break starting on my due date. I am so thankful that we have that flexibility, and I hope that we can focus well during school hours so that the girls can get finished and move on to enjoying the long, sunny days of August. Here in Wyoming, Autumn looms all too close around the corner, and I don't want to strip them of the pleasures of lingering days of outdoor play time. Catching and examining the multitudes of grasshoppers, enjoying popcicles on the porch, having bike/scooter races, and baking mud cookies are are just as important as phonics and math in my opinion.

Sometimes as August and September approach, I get nostalgic about school and question our decision to educate the children at home. School was something that I actually enjoyed a lot, and even as an introvert (even more extreme than I am now) who was also somewhat shy ("introvert" and "shy" are not necessarily the same thing, you know), I looked forward to the social experiences of school in addition to the academic. It was exciting, starting the new year after all the adventures of Summer (thanks to my sweet mother who always made sure that we had fun Summers), and sometimes I feel bad that my girls are missing out on that. At the same time, I know that for now, this is the right thing for them and for our family. I am ever grateful that over time my heart has softened toward the idea of homeschooling - something I did NOT want to do - to the point of looking forward to it and enjoying the planning and execution.

I love to be with my children, I love to see their beautiful relationships, I love watching them learn & discover, and I hope and pray that this will be a successful year of learning at our home!

On Babies and Birth...Part 2

2011-07-27T22:11:00.000-06:00

To read the first part of my story, see On Babies and Birth.

Naturally, once I started exploring the world of VBAC I encountered a whole new world of things that I had never known existed...midwives...doulas...homebirth, and more.
Reading about the beautiful, natural, peaceful births that other women were having made me somewhat of a wannabe-homebirther. My financial situation, insurance situations, and personal fears prevented me from participating in a method of birth that I nonetheless fully supported through my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pregnancies.

Then, Serafina was born. I had hired a doula (she taught me SO much about the positioning of the baby, it was such great information!), had excellent chiropractic care, and was seeing a group of midwives who practiced in the local hospital. For the first time, I had a group of people who weren't giving me a "trial of labor," they actually just thought that things would be fine. I'll never forget when I asked my midwife if I would be required to have an epidural and she looked at me like I had 18 eyes. No, an epidural was not necessary, I could labor and deliver drug free, and there was really no reason to place that requirement on me with the last two VBACs. Sweet freedom!

The day I went into labor, I was in major denial. Despite the fact that I was unable to rest, having very regular contractions, and employing the coping strategies I had practiced and researched, I didn't quite accept that I was having a baby until oh...transition. My water broke and I felt like I needed to push - and I was at home!

Needless to say, getting to the hospital was the most difficult part of my labor. We got there and about 10 minutes later she was born (in triage, the nurse kept yelling at me to lay down but I refused...apparently I gained a reputation for that - more proof that hospitals just don't see normal labors!). No IV, no fetal monitors (I HATE those things!), no epidural, just complete hormonal euphoria and a very aware and happy baby.

Obviously my labors aren't long or complicated. Remember, I was made for this? Once the sweet baby and I were settled, the first thing Charlie said to me is, "next one at home." I was thinking the same thing. Why on earth, if I have peaceful, easy labors, would I subject myself the the onslaught of medical intervention? Some say, "what if something goes wrong?" But my thinking is that things often go wrong in the hospital, senseless, needless things that I would like to avoid. Some say, "How could you feel safe at home?" And my answer is that I do not feel safe in a hospital.

This next baby should be born here in my home (God willing, barring no complications - I do live VERY close to the hospital) in peace. A quiet atmosphere, a peaceful birth. He will come right into my arms, where he knows he belongs, warm and safe - instead of whisked off immediately. (I've always hated that - it was worse with Felicity...apparently I didn't see her for 4 hours after my cesarean.) We'll snuggle in my own bed, and I'll be allowed to sleep rather than feel obligated to chit-chat with the middle of the night cleaning lady or take yet another reading of my blood pressure.

I have a wonderful and very experienced midwife, and every time she comes over for an appointment I wonder why I haven't done this before! Waiting for hours at the OB's office is a thing of the past. She shows up to my home, takes plenty of time to answer my questions and discuss the really important things, she has completely endeared herself to my children (they asked just yesterday if we could invite her for dinner!), and has made my husband feel at ease. I completely trust her, and don't have to wonder if she really cares about me as a person, as a mother.

It feels like this is what I've been waiting for and I am so excited! I know I have the physical and psychological strength to naturally birth my baby at home, where we're safe, where it's warm, where love abounds.

I would be remiss not to mention the most important part of what I feel confident will be a beautiful home birthing experience - my husband. He has endured the suffering of watching me, whom he loves, suffer, he has listened to my hours of rambling on and on about birthing issues, he has cheered me through 3 VBACs, and his unwavering support of my homebirth is the absolute KEY to my sense of peace. This man who would lay down his life for me, knows that to protect me and our little one, it is best now that we get great care and have the baby at home.

This journey toward a homebirth is such a joy to me. I can't wait to share more as we get closer!

V. 11 7 Quick Takes

2011-07-22T14:20:00.000-06:00

1. Books
Oh my our school year is shaping out even more beautifully than I expected. I have found some great resources for "living books," which is a direction that I actually have not been inclined to go but is turning out to be very exciting, especially for History and Science. Check out this great post at Wildflowers and Marbles if you are interested in more: A Considered Booklist (I can't wait to explore some of these links today during naptime!). I love it when I can tap into the wisdom of people who are SO much more experienced than me! Today I came across another website Living Math Booklist. About 6 months ago I was looking for just this - what a treasure trove of ideas. I think this will appeal greatly to my particular girls, in addition to our math program.
Lastly, I was at a sweet friend's house yesterday and we were on the topic of music lessons. In our small town, it's not particularly easy to find a piano teacher (or at least one who is available), and she suggested this program Faber Piano Adventures. Once upon a time, I was a decent musician (vocal) and I had 3 or 4 years of piano lessons, so there is really no reason I shouldn't be able to teach Felicity at this primer level. I'm actually very excited about it!

2. Pinterest

I must echo Cynthia's thoughts about Pinterest here! It's not just an addictive site, but I've also found it SO helpful! It's like my Amazon Wishlist (which is brimming over with books and other things I don't want to forget about), but more interactive, more fun, and I can keep track of interesting recipes, crafts, school ideas, fashion ideas, and more along with all of their links. Here are some of the things that have (so far) come off the screen and into my real life:

This gorgeous journal from Next Door to Heaven on Etsy.

Image from Next Door to Heaven

I really like this because you can just pop in a new composition notebook when one fills up. This journal is so pretty and fits beautifully in my handbag. My girls really like it too - I'm thinking about getting them their own for a "journal" to go with these beginner composition notebooks that we LOVE: Mead Primary Journals.

I tried out this "waterfall braid" after finding the tutorial the other day. Hair is not my forte. I love doing makeup, but gosh doing my hair is misery to me. Anyway, I really liked the look of the braid, even though I didn't leave my hair down, I pulled the bottom into a low bun (I can't work with my hair down, it drives me crazy). I think I'll try it again this weekend with my hair straightened too - I usually try to put more effort into it when my sweet husband is home all day looking at me! ha
Well, I was planning on taking a photo, but this amazing rosemary bread disappeared at lunch today before I even had a chance to locate my camera! Really, if you enjoy making bread, you must try this. It's lovely.
Speaking of food, I surprised my family with a treat last night and made a Coca-cola cake that I found on Pinterest. It is a very Southern cake, and isn't altogether different from the Pioneer Woman cake that I made for Gabrielle's birthday. It is fluffier, and the overwhelming reaction from my family was that it was even better than the PW chocolate sheet cake - it must be the Coke!

3. Gifts and Talents
Well, my comment about the first chapter in The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers over on Elizabeth Foss' discussion was featured this week. I'm on Chapter 5 by now, but that first chapter is still being turned over and over in my head. I'm struggling a lot with figuring out how God wants me to use my talents in life & figuring out what they might actually be (as I am only aware of one or two, and they really have had to be set to the side while parenting young children - and I've been a mom as long as I've been an adult, I haven't exactly had a lot of time to pursue these things). This is something I would really like to write a full post on, however I find myself hesitating because there are just pieces of my heart that I don't know if I want to expose. It's an interesting topic in my mind and prayer though lately. The book is very thought provoking.

4. Homebirth
I am going to write a followup post on "Babies and Birth," hopefully this weekend. This past week was so busy (hello, hours of creating lesson plans!?) that I never got to it - but I've been thinking about it and I can't wait to allow myself to think on it some more. Even though I don't love pregnancy (it totally brings my issues with vanity into full light), I do really enjoy delivery and having a new baby. Ah! It gets me all excited thinking about it!

5. Morning Prayer
This morning the meditation from "In Conversation with God" was all about temperance - I'm trying hard to remember that right now as I resist the urge to go downstairs and have "just one more bite!" of that Coca-cola cake! Eeek!
Really though, if you've never seen or read this series I must suggest it. I find it so helpful in my prayer life and in my vocation; the meditations are an attainable length, not so long that I can't get through them each day before my little ones awake. As a set, it is quite expensive, I was very blessed to have my wonderful Dad give it to me as a gift - and it is a gift that gives over and over again. You can buy it one volume at a time though.

6. Daily Schedule
As I'm going through my days, this last lingering week of our summer vacation, I'm noticing that by the end of the day, I feel extremely fulfilled. I have time for prayer in the morning, I'm making homemade and healthful meals for my family, I'm spending time with my husband and my children, the house is staying neat and clean, my daily to-do list is being faithfully checked off, and I'm getting plenty of sleep. However, I'm under no illusion that things will stay so blissfully easy following next week. Once school starts, there are hours of out of my day that I must sit with the children and teach (especially since both of my school-aged girls are young enough to require my constant attention, and the preschooler and toddler will need a LOT of supervision). I'm trying to plan ahead to make life continue more smoothly....chores and better meal preparation are my focus right now. I'd love any suggestions or ideas though.

7. Speaking of Vanity...
Next weekend we'll be traveling to "the big city" where I can actually do some shopping (baby boy clothes, yay!) and something on my list is makeup. I most recently tried Bare Minerals and was unsatisfied. I would love any suggestions for a good foundation (favorite lipsticks would be welcome too!). When Charlie and I got married, I had a really nice Clinique foundation that I loved, but my skin isn't as beautiful as it was then so I don't know if it would really have the same effect. Anyway, I'm open to any suggestions, I can't even get typical drugstore brands here in town, so I'll check anything out!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-07-21T22:30:00.000-06:00

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life.~

{Pretty}

I know it's Autumn/Winter food, but I'm pregnant! I was craving a homemade chicken pie desperately last week. I love chopping the veggies. Why is that so satisfying and beautiful to me?

{Happy}

I love birthdays, I love buying gifts, and I love my dear friend L. It was such a blessing to spend part of her special day with her while their family visited us for the 4th. My sweet Fina enjoyed sharing a gift with her godmother. :-)

{Funny}

The goldendoodle was very curious when Charlie brought in a Bobcat to do some dirt work in our back yard. He was cracking us up! (The Bobcat made quite an impression on my children...Fina's been riding around the Plasmacar and informing me that she's "driving bobcat.")

{Real}

The most real & content I've been in a long time was sitting by this fire late into the night conversing with Charlie. Such quality time fills me to the brim with joy. It was a beautiful and fun weekend with the family, but more than anything I loved that time with this amazing man.

Majestic Above Earth & Heaven

2011-07-19T22:20:00.000-06:00

Camping in Grand Teton National Park. Amazing. Humbling. Beautiful.

Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; give praise in the heights.; Praise him, all you angels; give praise, all you hosts.; Praise him, sun and moon; give praise, all shining stars.; Praise him, highest heavens, you waters above the heavens.; Let them all praise the LORD'S name; for the LORD commanded and they were created,; Assigned them duties forever, gave them tasks that will never change.; Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deep waters;; You lightning and hail, snow and clouds, storm winds that fulfill his command;; You mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars;; You animals wild and tame, you creatures that crawl and fly;; You kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth;
Young men and women too, old and young alike.
: Let them all praise the LORD'S name, for his name alone is exalted, majestic above earth and heaven.; Psalm 148