What do you do???

What do you do when you go down into your basement thinking there's a belt squealing in your furnace only to discover that your cat has cornered some kind of screechy animal, but your husband is still 15 minutes away, your mom is absolutely no help over the phone and you're terrified that it's going to run up your leg if you find it or eat your face off in the middle of the night if you don't???

Other than writing a completely pointless and very short blog post,

WHAT DO YOU DO???

Join in! St. Jude novena for the election starts today!

From the Pray More Novenas website:

St. Jude Election Novena

By John-Paul

Many faithful people look at politics and the election process and they think to themselves, “What’s the point?! It’s a lost cause.”
I know I’ve felt this way before! But, at the same time, our faith calls us to prayer and action in the public square. So, who better to intercede on behalf of the election than St. Jude: Patron of Lost Causes!
Please join me in praying this special Election Novena to St. Jude. Sign up here to get the prayers delivered to your email inbox.

Find the Original Here: http://www.praymorenovenas.com/#ixzz2AhnLtxRf

Bragging Rights

My hardworking husband has been pulling 60-hour weeks since October 1st - and that's not including the hour-long commute that has forced him to rise every morning at 4 am (6 days a week).  It's been a stressful October for all of us, and I didn't even make it past the first week, getting up with him like we had planned.  Thankfully, this is a temporary gig - he'll be back in his regular location, regular schedule come November 5th.  But even with the stress and crazy hours and reduced family time, he still makes sure I know how much he cares.

These were delivered today:

 And check out the note:

All jokes aside about my "other husbands," it really is true.  Who could ask for a better one?  

Thank you, Lord, for an opportunity to really understand just how good we have it!

It's been while, my poor little bloggie...

Wow - so it's been a month and a half since I've posted ANYTHING on here.  Kinda shoots my goal of posting more regularly in the butt.  But that's OK.  It only means that real life has been moving along and, as a nice change of pace, has been fuller than ever socially for our family.  Which is awesome!

In the last month or two, we've been frequenting a local Armata Bianca group that meets weekly.  (And who knew?  There's even a website!)  My little guy is still suspicious of the whole "pray first, then play" structure of the group (sitting still for an entire Rosary followed by Fatima prayers and a short talk given by the priest amounts to sheer torture for an active not-quite-3-year-old, but the experience is affording us all growth in all sorts of different arenas.  I actually see other Catholic moms regularly for unstructured and very enjoyable conversation.  The kids have slightly older kids to horse around with and I've even found myself starting a St. Louis de Montfort Total Consecration to Mary class, complete with the consecration taking place on December 8th (Feast of the Immaculate Conception) potentially at the cathedral.  Sweet! 

We also recently celebrated Jelly Bean's 1st birthday - they get so big so fast!  You want to tell them to stop growing, but then you'd be changing diapers for the rest of your life!  (And holding them back from their full potential, blah blah blah...)  I'll have to post pictures soon of the cake (and cake eating - love it)!  We also had family pictures done, including birthday shots for the kids.  I'd love to tell you all about the photographer - she was AWESOME - but that would disclose our location and the agents would have to give us new identities and all that bothersomeness (yup, new word - you heard it here first).  That being said, if you know me in "real life", I will happily disclose where you can get some of her photographic expertise going.

If you've read these posts regularly, you may notice my unmistakable "Early Morning" writing style today - Hubby is reporting to another location for work today (and for the next 3 weeks or so).  The commute and earlier start time require him to get up at 4 am! (!!!!!)  He's been requesting that I get on the same sleep schedule with him for this, and though I've been whining and carrying on about how horrible it "will be" and how "I'm exhausted just thinking about it!", and even though he totally gave me an out this morning when the alarm went off, I have been up for nearly 4 hours now, and the kids aren't even up yet.  I'd been doing OK with getting up around 7/7:15 for a session of Shorter Christian Prayer up until a week or so ago - this is only an extra 3 hours earlier - right?  So I'm sure I'll crash around lunch time, but for now I can delight in the fact that I've already started the laundry, run the dishwasher, balanced the checkbook and had breakfast.  Maybe later in the day I can work on the adorable shoes I started making for Jelly Bean - who knew you could make shoes?!

SOOOOO CUTE!!!!  (Apparently I've been up long enough to wonder if this would be an appropriate placed to interject:  "Squeee!!!")  ::Sigh::  I'm scary in the morning.

7 Quick Takes Friday: The Quick, Quick (Procrastination) Edition

--- 1 ---

Guess what!  I'm a published crochet designer!  Doesn't that sound all fancy?
It's a very simple design for a very simple function that took all of 20 minutes to design and create, and it's published on my very own blog - with a listing on Ravelry.  So, that counts, right?

--- 2 ---

I'm once again blogging when I should be balancing the checkbook, but I tend to get more done on days I blog, so that's my justification.  Somehow I'm more productive when I've contribution something to the wider world.  Sharing is good for you!

--- 3 ---

My parents left this morning after coming about a week ago at VERY short notice.  Fortunately my health issue relapse wasn't as serious or long-lived as last time.  Or maybe we just caught it faster (no more ER visits for me - they don't help!) It's nice to know you have "people" - loved ones who will drop everything to come help you with a house and two crazy kids (i.e. both under 3 and in diapers) when you need them.  Special thanks to both my parents and my in-laws who were all there for us this round and in June when the issue first came up.

--- 4 ---

It's overwhelming trying to get caught up after having "company" for a while - there are so many things that get put off while you're busy enjoying them.  Like the checkbook.

--- 5 ---

This "putting things off" was especially extended this time around - we'd only just been getting back into the swing of things from our celebratory Anniversary weekend when I got sick this time.  Happy 4 years together, Honey!

Ok, so this is us on our 3rd Anniversrary...  details.

--- 6 ---

Look how much we've done in those short 4 years: We started a small business, bought a house, had a baby boy, had a baby girl, and paid off all our debts (well, except the mortgage - good-bye student loans!)

Our best accomplishments

 --- 7 ---

 Speaking of things financial - time to battle balance that checkbook.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Crochet Your Own: Dish Towel Ring - Knob Edition

I recently bought a dish towel hanger at the local farmer's market, thinking, finally, I could hang any towel I wanted off the utensil drawer knob right next to the sink, rather than being limited to the two special towels that had loops sewn to the top.  It was great - it had an adorable leaf button to close the top and even came with a cute new towel.  When I got it home, I saw my mistake.  My kitchen has cabinets and drawers exclusively decked out with knobs - no handles.  My new hanger would only work with the towel bar on the fridge, and really, that's just kind of redundant.  So I headed over to my absolute favorite knitting/crochet website, Ravelry  (watch out - it's addicting!!!) to see if I could find some instructions for making my own, knob-friendly hanger.

Farmer's Market Find - cute but not quite working

 Guess what.

They ALL required handles.

So I'm no dunce. 
I figure, hey, I'll finagle my own.

________________________________________________

Dish Towel Ring - Knob Edition

Materials:
Worsted weight dish-towel cotton yarn.  (I used Peaches & Creme in Avocado)
Size U.S. H/8 crochet hook

1.  Make a ring about 2 to 2 1/2 inches across by looping the yarn around your fingers a few times.  (This one was 2 1/2" - next time I may go with a smaller 2" loop to minimize sagging.)  Then, without cutting the yarn, pull a loop from back to front and make a slip stitch around your ring.

2.  Ch 3 (will be your first dc) and dc around your ring - it will take approximately 45-50 to cover it all the way around.  You want the original yarn loops to be covered, but not be so packed that the ring bunches out of it's perfect circular shape.  Then slip st it closed through the original ch 3.

3.  From here, we'll make the loop that goes over your cabinet or drawer knob.  Ch 10, then sl st to the same ch 3 you started from.  (Here I recommend that you "try it on for size" - just to make sure your finished hanger will fit over your knob.  If it's too small, you just add a few more ch - too big, pull a few out.)

4.  Ch 2 (your first sc) and proceed to cover this second ring with sc - approximately 15-17.  Again, you want your chain covered, but the ring to lie flat.  When you get back to the base of your upper ring, sl st it to the nearest dc of the big ring. 

5.  Then sc in each dc around the big ring and sl st in the first sc of the knob ring.  Cut your yarn, tie in your end, et voila!

Jelly Bean "helping"

Embrace the Camera!

Just saw this on Clan Donaldson, and, being that it's a thought that's been on my mind lately too, I decided to jump right in and give it a try.  The "Mom-free" family pictures have become the norm around here, partly because I enjoy taking photos, partly because I give more attention to camera angle and framing, and partly because I'd just as soon not have another record of this, that or whatever else I don't like about myself on any given day.  Emily at The Anderson Crew explains it beautifully, and hosts Embrace the Camera every Thursday.

I'll probably attempt a "real" picture in the future, but when it comes to the ever-wiggly Jelly Bean, the webcam will do for now.  Plus we have company, so it's time to get off the computer and back to real life!

"These are a few of my Favorite Things..."

No, The Sound of Music itself can not be counted among one of my favorite things, though I have participated in a production of it (maybe two - why can't I remember??), which depending on the scene I was either Mother Abbess (we always joked about the type-casting in high school) or running off behind the scenery to the pit to play piano - guess we were a little short in the keyboard department.  In fact, when we nuns weren't hanging out in our "do-rags" and making jokes about fishnet stockings, we were calling it "The Sound of Mucus".  Thank goodness we were just a bunch of high school girls with no predilection to a religious vocation - a real Mother Abbess would think she had much worse than a whole gang of Marias on her hands.
But anyway, my last whimpering post is not in the mood or mindset that I'm looking to promote, whether on this blog or in my own life.  So, I'd like to offer this little clip-show of lovely things that have been going on behind the scenes, if only to remind myself just how blessed we've been between typing sessions.

Darnit!  Now that song is stuck in my head...

Searching for connection...

In recent years, I've often daydreamed about running a yarn shop - even daydreamed a scenario in which the local yarn shop owner passes away, and I discover I'm in her will as (in imaginary-land) I'm the most talented, dedicated young knitter she knows, and I inherit the shop from her, which is really quite something, considering it's housed in a gorgeous, enormous, historical home.  The thing is, I don't actually want to be selling yarn, or teaching knitting classes (as if I'm advanced enough to try to teach someone else!) - I want that peaceful atmosphere of women sitting, knitting, talking, knowing each other.  I finally realized that it all boils down to searching for connection.  That elusive, relational state of being that seems to be harder and harder to find.  Is it our technology-obsessed society?  Is it the region/state/town I live in?  Is it that all of my interests and activities are somewhat solitary in nature and/or more typically enjoyed by grandmothers?  Is it an issue that's all in my head?  Do I smell funny?
Our 4th wedding anniversary is coming up soon, and, with it, my 4th anniversary of living in this town.  Maybe some would still consider us "newbies" - it's been my experience that smaller towns have a longer break-in period.  The town my parents moved to many years ago still considered people outsiders after 20 years of residency.  I know I'm not in the most ideal position to be making new friends, what with the time-consuming nature of raising two small children, but I'd like to think I should have a (local) friend or two that I could call up just for a quick chat on the phone, or coffee every so often, or the occasional "girls-night-out".  I love my husband and this is not a slam against him - I'm lonely for female companionship.  I need a friend.  But just how pathetic does that sentence sound? 
This last academic year was my second as a member of MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) and I thought for sure this group would be my ticket to real connection with other moms of young children.  Women that would really get it - who would know how isolating it can be in a new area, staying home with your kids.  The whole premise of the organization (which is international) can be summed up in this quote from their website:  "MOPS is about meeting the needs of every mom of a child from conception through kindergarten with local groups of moms just like you."  (Emphasis theirs.)  It's about support, community, connection.  So why is it I've left many a meeting feeling more isolated than ever?  It seemed like so many of the other members had pre-existing circles of support - didn't need anyone new, didn't feel the need to develop relationships outside of the meeting times.  I remember one event in the fall that was scheduled for a Saturday - a trip to a corn-maze, including the whole family.  I thought it would be a great opportunity to see people, have shared experiences, develop outside relationships.  I thought so to the point that I was more than willing to get up earlier than is desirable on a Saturday morning to drive the hour and a half out into the country to be there.  We took a wrong turn or two, and I panicked that we'd be late, that we'd somehow miss out on the fun.  We finally arrived.  And then we waited.  And waited.  No one else came!  Not even the people who thought the event was a good-enough idea to schedule and announce at the meeting!  And no one seemed to think it was that big a deal when I asked about it at the next meeting. 
This post is on the whinier side, I know.  But I'm so tired of making the extra effort (inviting couples from church over for dinner, hosting holiday parties, joining organizations, attending events, starting up a blog) just to feel lonely and isolated as a woman, and I'm sad that over an hour of driving is necessary to be with any of the few women who can even begin to fulfill that need.  Should my mother (currently just a phone call or 5-hour drive away) ever pass away, I'm frightened at the prospect of just how empty of deep female connection my life would be.  I tend to be sort of introverted and making efforts such as these takes a lot out of me, emotionally.  I presume it will be worth it in the end, but I worry that all that effort will go to waste with nothing real to show for it.
Since initially hitting the Publish button on this post, I did come across this blogger's book review and commentary.  It's both comforting and discouraging to hear that so many women in my position have the exact same issue. And I also found her statistics interesting:

"Friendship is an interesting thing in itself, isn’t it?  According to psychologists there are four major types of friendships:

• Acquaintances, who you’d chat with or meet up with casually and who give you a sense of belonging to a large group,

• Casual friends, who you would grab lunch with or who are friends in a specific sense, like someone you work out with or who you can talk to about parenting but not necessarily about everything,

• Close friends, who you trust and could say anything to, and who you could pick up where you left off with quickly,

• Lifers, who are deep friends like family.

Apparently to be happy a woman needs 10-100 acquaintances, 10-50 casual friends, 5-12 close friends, and 3-5 lifers.  Studies show that having lower levels of connection affects a person’s longevity the same as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being an alcoholic.  Wow."

 

Jesus, please help me find a friend.

Fancy attire, dinner music, and a little gourmet dining {p.h.f.r}

{pretty}

My first lace shawl, which I recently finished knitting, but now need to block (eek!)  I've never been one for blocking - of course, most of my knitting items have been made of acrylic (though I recently learned it's possible to block even acrylic - drat! now I have no excuses.)  I'm especially intimidated at the thought of blocking mohair and silk - decadent fibers that I'm now terrified I'll ruin in the process!  ::SO FLUFFY!!!::

 

Our most recent trip to the zoo yesterday revealed that the trumpeter swans were, in fact, a pair and have a new family!  So cute!  And such a good excuse to use a rarely enjoyed and slightly snooty word: "cygnets"!

{happy}

 

My little pianists - even Jelly Bean is getting in on the action these days.

 {funny}

Toddler Gourmet:  Pan-seared HotWheels, anyone?

My little guy still refuses to try out potty training, but apparently Potty Scotty is interesting to him again.  After requesting the doll, he entertained himself for at least an hour, asking me to "make a bottle" (i.e. refill with tap water) for Scotty.  He even admits that Scotty is a big boy for using the potty and gets to wear underwear now instead of a diaper.  Progress?  Could be...

{real}

If I can't stop her from eating Cheerios off the floor, I can at least distract her with Cheerios on a clean surface on the floor.  She adamantly refused to sit in the high chair for this snack.  (Too restricting apparently.)

Back in high school, I used to ponder strange questions like "If we took the contents of every locker in the entire school and dumped it all out on a big scale, how much would it all weigh?" and "If I were stranded on a deserted island with only a pile of tomatoes, would I be able to make ketchup?"  (At the time, I hated tomatoes.)  These days, I find myself still pondering odd questions whose answers have no real value, like "If we were able to save every UN-consumed Cheerio over the course of our children's lives (including children yet-to-be-born) just how big would that pile of Cheerios be?  How many boxes would they fill by weight?"  And the related question:  "What is the average number of Cheerios that stick to Jelly Bean's butt every time I lift her out of the high chair?  How many days would it take to fill a whole box?"  These feel like the word problems we had in middle school math.  Maybe we are meant to homeschool the kids after all.

7 Quick Takes Friday: Aftermath of the Early Bird Drug

--- 1 ---

Somehow, it's always Friday when I just happen to wake up early.  I wonder, at the end of my blogging "career" just how many of these Quick Takes posts will end up mentioning how I'm usually a night owl and like to sleep in, but just happened to wake up early and stay up this morning.  And how many will end up mentioning that the neighbors are having a garage sale.  But yeah, they do host an inordinate number of garage sales each summer. 

--- 2 ---

Speaking of being up early on a Friday and the neighbors having a garage sale, I JUST bestowed the 25-cent Thomas the Tank Engine toy to my delighted little boy this past Tuesday.  Guess it only took 2 months...  And he was only momentarily delighted because it was his consolation prize - literally - as he was undergoing some skin testing to rule out a few additional food allergies.  At least they didn't have to do a blood test.  He's been enjoying it fully since then, so I have no regrets.

--- 3 ---

Did I mention I got up early today??  I'm always so excessively energetic when I do that.  I got a whole lot of gardening done this morning between 6 and 8 am, it's not even funny.  Too bad I didn't have an early bird morning two weeks ago when I came into possession of the plants that finally got put into the ground this morning.

--- 4 ---

After the productivity explosion came breakfast, and after breakfast, the sloth.  Oh yes, I was busy, but I wasn't getting anything important or Idunno, beneficial to my family accomplished.  I was fighting with Picasa trying to get my blog header in order.  Then, when that was finally a success, I had to revamp my color schemes because my label links disappeared into the new background.  But I do like it - feels a little less rough around the edges. 

--- 5 ---

I told myself I was going to write these Quick Takes as little breaks during my weekly checkbook balancing.  Hmm, maybe I should actually start that...

--- 6 ---

Only 2 Takes left - better get a Silver Lining in here somewhere.  Ah yes, the sale of Mom and Dad's cabin, now finally final.  The cabin on a river with shipping freighters going by, with the gazebo and a pontoon boat moored just offshore - the one place I've stayed that felt peaceful - like a real vacation, regardless of what else was going on.  (Not sure how much the distinct lack of cell phone reception plays into this - perhaps quite a bit.)  It's no longer in their possession, and thus no longer accessible to us for beautiful, quiet, lazy summer weekends away.  But here's the Silver Lining - no more worry over mortgages or maintenance or troublesome neighbors for my parents, and many many happy memories for our family, including first boat rides, babies in life preservers, bonfires, and a gleefully infamous mud-fight along the shore during our courtship (talk about twitterpation!)

--- 7 ---

Time for random adorableness, courtesy of our last (final, never happening again, waah!) trip to the cabin.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Trouble labeling... and concentrating. {p.h.f.r}

Had a heck of a time deciding which blurb to put under each heading.  Can't concentrate.  Must be the HEAT!

{pretty}

This is what I'm planning on making for Jelly Bean's 1-year old pictures.  Already got my fabric picked out - it's a beautiful watercolor-y rose print in magentas, pinks and yellows.  Still trying to decide on the contrasting fabric - pink, yellow or maybe both, and pink and yellow tulle.  So girly!  (Hopefully I won't drive her to refuse skirts and dresses later on - I have gone pretty crazy with all things girly in her life!)

If you just have to make one of your own (can't blame ya there!) the directions can be found at

Fleece Fun:  Little Fun and Frilly Jelly Roll Skirt

{happy}

Now how is that anything but delightful???
(Just ignore the bread machine running in the background.)

{funny}

 "Mama and Daddy kissing?"
My son's voice just came out of the blue.  He was pointing at our wedding portrait on the wall.
"In the church?" 
 "Yes, honey."

Where does he get this stuff?  Recently, my husband reported that he took the two rubber ducks from this years Easter baskets (his is green, Jelly Bean's is pink) and squished their bills together and exclaimed "Mama and Daddy!" 
(I just wanted to know if I was the pink one or the green one.)

Currently he's howling in a theft-induced time-out:  "Brown sugar please!!! Brown sugar Please!!!  Mama, BROWN SUGAR!  BROWN SUGAR!!!  ::pause::  How 'bout a cookie?"  What do you say to that?  The answer's obviously going to be "No" - especially when helping himself to brown sugar is what landed him in time out.  But it's really hard not to laugh!

{real}

Challenge of the day:  What to do with a head of cabbage.  AKA Why does my husband hate coleslaw?

Or maybe it was trying to figure out a good layout for our family room with 3 recliners, an armchair and a decrepit loveseat.  Kind of an awkward assortment.  Especially when the recliners are blue-multi velour-y fabric, brown leather and black leather.  The armchair and loveseat are green velour-y fabric - and (gasp) they MATCH!
Plenty of seating options, but none very desirable for post-kids'-bedtime/movie-watching snuggle time.  We're looking into a futon-y option to solve this, and the guests-sleeping-over problem.  Futon = color customizable!  (What technicolor option can we go with next - something orange, or purple perhaps?)

Something else very much on my mind lately:  Silver Lining posts.  I'm tempted to want to jump right into making it a link-up party, but maybe I should explore this on my own a while.  Also having trouble deciding if this should be a weekly thing, and if so, what day?  Silver Lining Saturday (or Sunday) has a nice ring to it, but what are the odds I'm going to be consistent with a weekend post?  Any thoughts or suggestions?  I'd love to hear them!

Now my easily distracted mind will go back to pondering cabbage options.

Seeing the Silver Lining {p.h.f.r.}

Well, once again it's Thursday.  In fact it's been 3 (THREE!) Thursdays since I last managed to pull off one of these {p.h.f.r.}s, or really a post of any kind at all.  Been doing a lot of thinking, and a lot of resting (or at least a lot of thinking about resting - or maybe just wistfully considering what feeling rested feels like) since my last on-location hospital post.  Life has been busy!

{pretty}

My adorable Jelly Bean - already 9 months old and already crawling for the last two months!  I know I'm biased, but I do believe her to be the most beautiful baby girl in the world!  I'm excited to start including pictures of my beloved babes.  Hubs and I talked it over, and while we won't be disclosing locations or real names, we decided it would be ok to showcase their beautiful smiles.  And pictures make it a lot easier to convey their sometimes hilarious antics!

{happy}

My little guy (better nickname hopefully coming soon!) recently decided he actually likes to hug his little sister.  Oddly enough, it seems this revelation came at a Greek restaurant near my parents' cabin that I DID in fact get to visit one last time, despite all the recent goings on.  A family sat near us at a large table with three young children, one of which was a little baby girl with a big bright flower headband.  Jelly Bean spent the entire meal backwards in her high chair (checking those people out!) and when the baby was pulled out of her carseat for a bottle, my son instantly asked "I hold her?  Pease?!?"  Well, that was certainly out of the question - the family was very friendly, even when my son barged in and stole their toddler boy's chair as we were leaving, but they weren't nuts!  We got back to the cabin and before bed that night, he asked to hold Jelly Bean!  So we had him sit on the floor, and he hugged and held her and rocked her back and forth.  It was delightfully shocking!  We took pictures, though, unfortunately, they're all on my parents' camera.  Now that we're back at home, he has asked again:  "I hold her?  Take pictures?"  Who can refuse that?!

Regarding the photos above - everyone is having a good time, even though Jelly Bean appears to be punching him in the lower left photo and he appears to be choking her in the bottom center.  Guess that's what happens when you're trying to get good shots while he's rocking her wildly back and forth!

{funny}

The Little Dude will sometimes throw a complete fit over being offered a small bowl of Cheerios when he wants something sweeter ("Gam cacker pease??") but will then turn around and unabashedly swipe Jelly Bean's off her tray right in front of me.  I guess we'll just call that "sharing".  For now.

Also, this morning I sneezed several times.  It wasn't the first time he's said "Bless 'ou, Mama!"  (Be still, my heart!)  But it was the first time I asked him to go find me a Kleenex.  He promptly agreed to go find me one.  I held my breath, not expecting a miracle.  Several moments later, he came back "Mama, I have Kleenex?"  So... you're asking me to find you a Kleenex so you can bring me a Kleenex?  Well played.

And right now he's begging me for cake.  And cookies.  "Mama, what 'bout cake?  What 'bout cookies?"  Not that he gets these things often.  Must be dinner time.
 

{real}

Life being the way it has for the last several weeks, I have to admit that, at times, I've been feeling what I'd have to label "discontent".  And I read something recently (probably in my most recent MomSense MOPS magazine) about contentment - that it has to be cultivated.  And that it essentially means being at ease and satisfied with your situation, without becoming complacent about things that could or should improve.

I got to thinking that patience is a lot like contentment.  Patience is NOT forcing yourself to do things slower, thinking that it might rub off on your sense of urgency.  Rather, it's knowing how long something is going to take and accepting it.  It's knowing your children are being a little difficult and accepting it to the point that you don't lose your cool, without sacrificing their long-term discipline and good behavior.  It's accepting a moment of misunderstanding long enough to get the story straight before blowing up at your spouse.  All things I can work on.

Contentment and Patience also seem to have a connection to Gratitude.  And with a lot of the things that have happened in our family recently, it's sometimes difficult to think of them and be grateful.  My husband's grandmother passed away recently.  My Father-in-law was just diagnosed with lymphoma, shortly after I had been hospitalized overnight for the first time in my life that didn't involve childbirth.  It's hard to find the silver lining.  But - the silver lining is really still there!  For instance, my hospitalization showed me just how much I love being with my children, even when it's so easy to get impatient with them.  My Father-in-law's diagnosis is horrible, but we'll be visiting them a lot more often now.  I'm not saying the silver lining is enough to make you think, "I'm so glad that happened!  Let's do that again!"  No way!  But God does manage to include a little goodness in any situation if you just search for it.  It doesn't take away the sting, but it does soften the blow. 

So in the spirit of cultivating a little more Contentment, Patience and Gratitude in my life, I hereby plan to do a series of Silver Lining posts.

Reflect the Brightness!  Even if there's a bit of cloud blocking your sun.

Food, Glorious Food! {p.h.f.r.}

Food is on my mind a LOT these days, and it's no big stretch to figure out why.  In the meantime, I guess I thought I'd torture myself a little more plan ahead for some interesting and delicious options!

{pretty}

Chocolate Raspberry Charlotte Royale Bombe Glacee

This would probably look like a mess if I tried to make it myself, but it sounds delicious and the photo is oh-so-pretty!  Check out www.cherryteacakes.com for a whole index of amazing sounding recipes (haven't exactly had an opportunity to try them out) and beautiful photos of each dish. 

{happy}

Pizza - Crust and Sauce- The Prepared Homemaker

I have often made pizza from scratch, but never sauce.  Pizza is pretty much my top go-to food whenever the question "hmm, what sounds really good right now?" pops up.  I practically could live on pizza.  Can't wait til I can have it again!  (Soon, please, God?)  I'm also incredibly intrigued by the premise of The Prepared Homemaker.  Will definitely be checking that out more thoroughly in the hours ahead!

{funny}

If you do a online search for "funny food" there's a whole myriad of images available.  Some of them were a little weird for my taste, some merely cute, and others I wished included recipes.  But this?  This I found hilarious AND I would give anything to eat it right now!

{real}

Yup, that's what arrived for breakfast.  Interestingly enough, lunch and dinner look pretty identical.  {...sigh...}

Things to do when you're bored, Bored, BORED...

...in the hospital.

This list would be so much easier to make if the setting was ANYWHERE but here:






You didn't expect I'd include myself in that shot, did you?  Because ladies who have not been allowed to shower since Monday morning and who have been subsisting on broth and popsicles do not have their pictures taken.


Which brings us to idea number one:

1.  Take stupid pictures with your built-in computer cam.  Good for about 3 minutes, if you're creative, considering the limited subject matter.  (Also assumes you have said equipment.)

Ooh, here's a nice one I like to call "Farewell, Jello"

2.  Skype - assuming someone is signed on and that you don't mind them seeing you in your current bedraggled, unshowered state.  (Quick check... umm.  no.  on both counts.)

3.   Devour newspaper hubby brought earlier - or at least the important parts:  comics, crossword and... well, some of the headlines, I suppose.

4.  Watch TV.  (Good if you weren't already sick of it from a few hours of Everybody Loves Raymond and Friends yesterday afternoon.)

5.  Prank call your nurses.  (Definitely not recommended, especially if they're in charge of feeding you or emptying and recording the volume of pee in your in-room toilet.)  Soooooo happy to have a private room.

6.  Update your blog, being as snarky and whiny as possible.

7.  Look over your current stock of clear liquid treats again.  Lots and lots of Gatorade.  And no non-cherry flavored popsicles.  Darn.


8. Ignore the bag containing your yarn, knitting needles and Kindle (which yes, I own almost exclusively for the sake of portable pdf knitting patterns) - you're too upset to knit right now, am I right?

9.  Transpose the noises made by your Braun OUTLOOK 400es (digital contraption that doles out the IV fluid - nectar of the gods) into solfegge.  "Re (drop 2 octaves) Ti Do.  (pause) Do Ti Do."
Lament that you haven't installed the Finale Notation software onto this lappy yet, or you'd be able to notate it right down to the pitch, rhythm and dynamics.

10.  And yeah, there's the option my priest suggested this afternoon when he stopped by:  soak in the silence that is where we meet with God.  Pray.  Count your blessings.  Grow in the humility that comes from allowing your normally control-freaky self to rely on the aid and comfort of others.

My husband and I began praying the 12 year prayers of St. Bridget of Sweden on February 29th of this year.  I suddenly remembered just how many days we've missed since I've been under the weather, and I thought "hey, I'll check to see if they're printed out online somewhere." I teared up when I discovered that not only are they available, but there's a YouTube video I can use to catch up while I'm here - so I won't even have to pray it alone!  When I stop to look, how can I not see that God has already provided?  (Don't worry about hubby - my parents just arrived in town, and they're 5 years ahead of us in this.  I'm sure he'll be included.)

I suppose it's no surprise that I'm writing this shortly after discovering that, while some medical professionals hinted at the possibility of going home soon (today even?), I will be here until at least Friday.  Two more delightful days to go.  But in the time it took to write this post, things have been happening, including a visit from my parents with news of my ailing grandmother, and it's becoming clearer to me that even though whiny posts may be kind of fun in a way, I have a lot going for me in my life, hospital stays notwithstanding.  Thanks be to God.

Woeful Wednesday

I started looking up linky parties for Tuesday, just to have something to do, when I realized with a jolt that it was not, in fact, Tuesday, but Wednesday!  I guess laying around in bed with your laptop watching hospital cable will do that to you.  No, I am not in tip top shape this week, it would seem.  After 4 days of excruciating (but home-based) abdominal cramps, I am now celebrating my 2nd day of hospital awesomeness (think clear liquid diet, plastic mattress, IV fluids - my personal favorite, and constant requests for vitals, blood, and "can I get you anything?"
Not that I'm complaining...  Well, yeah, I am.  But it could definitely be much worse.  The diagnosis, though kind of scary sounding, doesn't appear to require anything drastic in treatment.  I almost feel like a phony being here.  Just passing my time drinking Gatorade, watching a little TV, trolling the net, and missing my babies, but kind of enjoying the general quietude. 
I had serious plans last week of getting my {p.h.f.r.} and 7 Quick Takes done on Thursday and Friday - Thursday got away from me, and Friday was the start of this current little adventure.  I've now resigned myself to a little non-multi-tasking (really non-tasking altogether) rest time, and the distinct possibility that I will miss out on the last trip to my parents' "cabin" before the sale closes at the end of the month.  It's the one place that always really felt like a vacation away.
  

My guys' cutie patooties, one month pre-Jelly Bean 

I raise my jello snack cup to "The Soo" and the St. Mary's River - We will miss you!

7 Quick Takes Friday: Veni Sancte Spiritus!

--- 1 ---

Maybe I need to rethink the timing of my Quick Takes posts.  The first thing on my mind is always how tired I am, or whether the coffee has kicked in yet, or how strange it is if I'm feeling more awake than usual.  This also leads me to question just how much sleep my body may need to function regularly and what it is I'm doing to short-circuit that.  My 2-year old never wanders around asking for coffee or letting me know just how sleepy he is.  (Wait, he did ask me to "lay down" this morning - which, after some questioning, ultimately translated to wanting to snuggle.)  Maybe it's something in the water.

--- 2 ---

Vaccines have been on my mind a lot lately.  And the last thing I want to do is spark a big online debate/controversy about it (Who am I kidding?  It's not like I have a huge readership!)  But I am trying to get to the bottom of whether or not I think they're safe enough for me to entrust my children's health to.  At one time in my life, it seemed like the only people who didn't have their children vaccinated were a little strange, maybe a little fanatical.  Now the people I meet with this viewpoint don't seem so crazy.  I don't think they changed.  I did.  Now I just need to sort out the facts in my mind and come to a conclusion (with my husband's full cooperation, of course).  The question of morality also comes into play, considering the media in which many vaccines are developed.  Surely this is an issue every pro-lifer must take note of.
It would seem that in a debate like this, there are only a few possibilities.  One or both sides are misinformed, manipulating for the sake of money or power, or the two sides haven't figured out quite where the line is between their belief sets, where maybe both are on to something.  So many sources of information are completely one-sided and sometimes even self-contradictory. 

--- 3 ---

I just had to go extract my son (the one who's always asking me to put his sister back down for a nap the very second they're both up in the morning) from the very same Pack'n'Play that his sister was already occupying.  The very same Pack'n'Play that she was admitted to for the sake of happy and separate play space.  Why are toddlers so fickle?!

--- 4 ---

Between the vaccine deliberations and our new toothpaste, I can't decide whether I'm getting all crunchy (am I even using the term correctly?) or completely paranoid.  Not that anyone would suggest that a chemical-y lifestyle is ideal, but how far is too far and how much is ok?  For instance, if I really think soda is not good for my body, why am I still drinking the stuff?  What is an opinion worth, if you don't do anything about it in regards to the way you live your life?

--- 5 ---

On the lighter side, I may actually be getting somewhere with my gardening, which has taken over my life since Mother's Day weekend.  That's what happens when your version of celebrating Mother's Day is going plant shopping with your mother and daughter and buying a ton of bare-root plants that you have not yet prepared garden space for.  Hey, it was fun!  And I'm decidedly blessed to have a husband that is ok with me spending so much time on gardening while (sort of) neglecting the inside of the house.  Love you, hubby!

--- 6 ---

I love how my son loves books (and he even has good taste!), but if I have to read The Little Engine That Could, or Animal Strike at the Zoo 30 more times today, I may go nuts.  Or at least on strike myself.  It's kind of funny to have conversations (with other adults, that is) that end up with you quoting entire sections of children's stories.  It's almost like a crazy party trick or something, except it leaves your audience a little in question of your sanity.  C'mon, it's impressive, considering half the time I can't remember my own birth-date!  Maybe we can expand my little guys repertoire.  Or if nothing else, we'll just hide the books in question for a few days until he latches on to another title.

--- 7 ---

This weekend is Pentecost - come Holy Spirit!  Considering the list above, I have many things to pray to the Spirit and ask for wisdom and peace.  Speaking of, check out Pray More Novenas - we've been doing one to the Holy Spirit that ends tomorrow.  It's a great way to work a few more devotions into your pray life without a lot of advance planning (always great for me)! 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!