10 Facts about Me and My Other Half!!

Sweet, wonderful Betty Beguiles asked her readers to write ten facts about themselves and their spouses. Here are my ten:

1.

Hubby and I actually met online. Can you believe it? I was in denial about it - HA!

Back in college, when AOL was king and profiles were public (not much to be afraid of yet and everyone had a username) my friend J set up my AOL profile. It said things like faith, music, hobbies....and this "Mozart" IMed me. I freaked thinking this guy was a weirdo, so I ignored him and he became friends both online and IRL with J. We eventually met in person at church, in a production of Godspell J and I were in (she was Peggy, I was Sonia) that she invited him to come and see.  He sat with my mom. I still tell people we met in person, at church....hahahaha!!!

2.

My husband liked me "more than a friend" before I ever liked him "more than a friend." But, we both agree we were glad we were friends for so long. Friendship is a GREAT foundation for a marriage. We did group dates and became a music duo for parties and weddings. We still perform today! He plays the flute, and I the violin (hence...ViolinMama).

3.

While we were both just friends, Hubby became interested in the Catholic Church. He had tried other denominations and never felt "at home" and decided to take some information classes to see if he felt called to the Catholic faith. He joined J's church first, then switched to my parish's RCIA classes because of their meeting schedule. He was assigned to my dad as his sponsor (totally coincidence). When Hubby became Catholic and was baptized, my dad became his Godfather. Now my dad is his Father in Law too!   

4.

Hubby is the calm, quiet, steady one. I'm the talker, bouncy, emotional one.

5. 

Hubby doesn't have to talk about faith - he just lives it.  

I have to write about it, talk about it, process it....   

6.

Hubby is a stickler for time and routine. We have to be on time, and we have to stick to routine. I am relaxed and could hang outside with the kids past 9pm on a summer's night with my dear S. 

7.

As much as a stickler he is for routine, he never wants our babies to cry for anything and is a hands on father. He is as good a mother (or better) than I am! We balance each other out very well. 

   

8.

He shares household duties with me - how amazing is that??!!

9.

When he is away on business trips it is like we are dating again because we stay up talking on the phone or chatting online like we did in our college days. It makes things feel refreshed! 

10.

  Hubby and I both like to sleep, and get our sleep. Notice how this list got shorter and shorter? It's time for bed, and there is no place that feels safer than being close to my hubby!!  God is Good!

Thanks "Betty"!! This was really fun!!! Can't wait to read the others!!!

Small Sucesses - " What a week!" Edition

This has been a great week. It's been VERY busy though - but in a good way. Spring Break is next week, and will start busy. We'll be keeping our Goddaughter much of the weekend, we have a wedding to play for, and hopefully find some R & R as well. This week I've found myself getting things done again, where I've been behind or off my game the last few weeks. It feels really great!

1. Gift FINALLY has a bedroom! Check and see how it turned out here and here! This was for sure a family endeavor!

2. We survived Daddy's first business trip! It was a short one, but a good dry run for the future!!!

3. I cooked a meal everyone enjoyed! That is rare these days lol!!!

It has been a blessed week!!! How has yours been?

Thankful Thursday
This week I'm thankful for...

1. crossing off to-do lists.
2. LENT.
3. My Lenten  "Small Successes" Prompts.
4. my family and friends.

Thinking of you!!

Inspirational Dinner?

So - do you ever get inspired by your cooking? Or, cheered by what you are cooking? I had that experience this evening. I made an old favorite - tomato soup, and veggie paninis (or California Grilled Veggie Sandwich). Both recipes I've gotten from dear friends across this land! The colors, the preparation....the aromas....it fed my soul way before it fed my stomach! Of course, I had to grab my camera!

I used my panini press as a grill for the bread and veggies. My kids ate the soup, and ate the contents of the paninis separately (like a veggie salad with bread on the side lol) but it satisfied the whole family - especially my husband who can be most picky, especially with vegetables. You don't even miss the meat! A great Lenten (or anytime!) meal.

It just felt good to prepare, cook, and devour. I felt incredible blessed by the produce this earth produces and thankful to a great God. Perfect for on a dreary, rainy, day.

It's the simple things!

Small Steps - Lenten Prompt for Today

Today's "Pray" Lenten Prompt for Small Steps (located in the Companion Journal) was:

"Move your wedding band to your right hand. Every time you notice the difference today, pray for your marriage. Listen to God's answers."

We've been married almost 10 years. In that time, I've only taken my wedding band off for certain meal preps or damaging jobs. I never had to take my rings off for pregnancy! So, when moving my wedding band to my right hand (which has been very cool today) I've been left with a second reminder - a mark on my finger where my band used to be:

I find myself feeling VERY proud of that indention. I love my marriage. I love my wedding band. In 10 years it's barely been off my finger for more than 30 minutes at a time. In 10 years I have barely been away from my husband. While we are FAR from perfect, and have left "indentions" and "marks" on each other in good AND bad ways, we have stuck with it -  the work involved to grow in love and sacrifice. I'm extremely grateful for those indentions on my heart and on my finger.

I'll be praying today for my marriage - and your marriage too. Always.

Much love....!!!

Halfway through Lent

I need a smaller bean jar *wink*

(the big jar is where Lovely puts the beans...and the ones Valiant earns too).

And we need to keep working on our acts of mercy...

The blue jar up top is our prayer prompt jar for meal time. So far, all these things are giving us a helpful, focused, Lent. We just need to keep improving!

Praying for you as well!

"A" is in heaven

Thank you so much for your prayers for little A. She fought hard, and her death was not an easy one. But, she passed away last evening in her mother's arms. Please pray for her mother, 2 baby sisters (one is 2, the other an infant) and their family. The whole family from cousins to aunts/uncles and grandparents were in the room - and they shared precious family time until the end.

Eternal rest, grant unto her, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them her.

May she rest in peace.

Amen.

Must Reads

As always, things are speaking to me this Lent. I have some must reads that have touched my spirit. I wanted to share them.

First - thoughts on parenthood and our children's behaviors by Kate. It was SO HELPFUL for me. I process and deal with a lot as a mom and how my children might reflect me and I struggle with confidence sometimes. I feel responsible for all the negative behaviors my children do, or dealing with children in my care.  Kate worded things well for me.  Two quotes stuck out to me in regards to parenting:

I also was able to let go of what another person, whom I don't know all that well, who happened to be the hapless target of my child's aberrant behavior would think of me as a mother or of my daughter. No one can tarnish your reputation except yourself. Others might catch your otherwise saintly child having a really bad day, and maybe they will think she's a beastly child and/or that you're a lax mother. So be it. Their thoughts are theirs. My thoughts are my own. I don't have to let what anyone says or thinks about me or my child impact the way we see ourselves or how I parent.

And this:

No one owes me their kindness or their understanding. I can desire this - that all people I encounter will see my children and me through God eyes and offer empathy rather than judgment - but I can't expect it. Unrealistic expectations have a sneaky way of coloring your life a disappointing shade of darkness. I'm a recovering perfectionist; I'm through with feeling like I'm always falling short in the eyes of others (or in the eyes of my hyper-critical self). I don't want my children to feel that way either.

She further states: 


If my child cannot tell me, as the most authoritative figure in her life right now, what she is feeling - even if it's a negative feeling directed toward me - then how will she be able to say no to her peers, to express just anger when someone wrongs her? How will she be able to speak up when someone does something that doesn't jive with her morality, to be assertive with her emotions and to not hide them away or deny them or let them erupt like a volcano when she's had it?


Excellent food for thought.


She said early in her post something I also am learning hard of late: "This is no way to parent. It's no way to live either. It takes the joy out of raising children. It makes every decision you make a test. It means you'll eventually collapse under the pressure. Trust me. I speak from experience." I know exactly what she means. I'm trying to keep my emotions from collapsing me as well.


If you've ever felt pretty blessed, but worry about the little crosses in your life - or when the big one will come - you might just be dealing with your cross more than you realize. The topic of this post is one close to my heart and one of constant prayer. I was led to read this post. Since I'm dealing with my anxiety issues, this post spoke to me greatly.  

This last one I'll quote from my "Little Black Book" for Lent.  It gave me great perspective on the Preparation of the Gifts during Mass. It is so much more than bringing bread and wine to the table and more than I had thought about giving TO Jesus.

First the reflection I read asked me to remember the story of the loaves and the fishes. When the disciples told Jesus all they had was a few loaves and couple of fish for the OVERWHELMING crowds, Jesus told them:

"Bring me what you've got." They did. Then he blessed the little they had, gave it back to them...and it was enough.

On any given day, we can say what the disciples said. We stand before all the needs that surround us - family, friends, job, finances, unfinished tasks, personal struggles - and say "Lord  I don't have what it takes." The Lord says to us, "Bring me what you've got." We do (the presentation of the gifts). And the Lord will bless what we bring, and give it back to us at Communion. And it will be enough. 

The bread and wine represent our life. We also bring forward money. This is not simply a matter of "paying the rent." Money speaks the hard language of real life. It comes from our wallet, our purse, our budget, our job. When we give this to the Lord, we are also giving of ourselves.

...It's not hard to "pray" the Preparation of the Gifts. We simply think of our struggle to deal with everything going on in our lives, and hear the Lord say, "Bring me what you've got." Then we place it all on the altar.  

Amen.

Prayers needed for "A"

Dear Readers,

A month ago I posted asking for prayers for my friend's great-niece (age 4) who was nearing the end of her battle with cancer.  She has held on giving her family more precious memories, but this is today's update. Please pray:

Update: So we are getting to the end but this little girl is a fighter. The monitor has been turned off so it's just about spending time with A. She's holding on for a reason...we are just not sure what it is. B (her mother) has had a very hard day and it's not over. Please pray for them both.....thanks everyone.

Embracing Color

As mentioned in a below post, I'm starting to feel called to "spruce" things up a bit. It's a gift to others (Hubby especially) and truly myself when I can feel like someone worthy to be who I'm called (and loved) to be.

I have always been a girl who LOVES bold colors, quirky styles, funky jewelry, makeup (as well as the classics - funny how that is? I love dresses and clothes that have that timeless quality or a vintage look) (like these, or these, or these or anything from here lol) - but I've never loved the fuss of getting ready, doing my hair/makeup, etc. I love natural beauty. I'm very low maintenance but sometimes look at other ladies and wish for what they do/have. 

But, I do love feeling "together" and I guess I need to try and work on myself more. I need to put myself back on the list. I wonder how long I can keep attempting this?

So, today for church, instead of opting for one of my favorite looks - classic, timeless - I went for funky and colorful. I pray the mix worked. The kids were still sick, and Daddy stayed home with them (he'll go later) so I decided to run out the door fast and breezy.

So - here was my attempt at embracing color:

fun earrings, rosette plum pink and black top.

Yellow greek sandals, gray jeans, and the tops. Does this work? LOL!!

I'll get there, I'll get there!!!

**Sorry if this appears vain....I promise, I'm just sharing  - especially with friends who read this - what's on my mind. I do admit it feels good to feel good about myself though!!

Pictures from the rePaint

Lovely helped - and Daddy was brave teaching her TRIM work WITHOUT painters tape lol!

Bye Bye girlie purple!

Gift thinks he can smile coyly and come and help...no no Buddy!!

Lovely did such a great job!!!

Oops! Had to Republish!

Hey!

I published the below post about redoing the baby room too soon. I've added more commentary and more pictures. The post became almost the history of this particular room in our house!

Thanks!

Gift FINALLY has a bedroom. *UPDATED*

I'm beginning to think that nurseries are for first time babies lol (and I've heard that before too).

With our first, Lovely, we spent months before her birth getting her room ready, picking things out with care. I was working then and she was in her own room pretty fast so I could sleep for work. Getting her room ready was so fun! I wish I had a digital pic to show of that in our old condo....(though the bedding and curtains are the same in Valiant's photos below).

Then, when Valiant came along, I was a SAHM, and we co-slept. She stayed with us more than 6 months and did not need a bedroom. We had moved to a new home, and the room Lovely got (the one closest to our bedroom - great for wee ones) was never repainted from the previous owners (a slate blue), or anything. It wasn't even cute.

Before we moved our stuff in. I don't have any real pics of Lovely's room when she was 2 years old.

Ok - I found this picture of toddler Lovely asleep in her bed. Her room was not decorated at all - poor thing lol.

HA! Around that point, we moved Lovely to a bigger room, and painted her new room all girlie with the help of friends with a mural on the wall, etc. Baby Val got the old room - in that slate color. No fuss (Big sister got all the room love). Around her 1st b-day, hubby painted her room two tones of purple.  So - she finally had a "nursery" - and she wasn't a baby anymore lol!!!

the revamped Valiant's room - the bedding and curtains were Lovely's from our old condo.

Her cross was from her Aunt - the prayer underneath from old friends.

The other side of the room - and our family rocking chair.

Then, came Gift. Again, Gift co-slept with us for months. When we finally moved Valiant into Lovely's room to share and moved Gift into the old room,  it was never repainted for a "boy" (and our 1st boy! You would think we'd be all excited to decorate for a boy). He was sleeping in a girlie purple room. THEN his room became storage for a massive clean out and clothing purge. Poor guy. His room was only used for sleeping and storage....great parents, huh? Poor kid.

The girls share Lovely's room - here was the painting job done by our incredible family friends - amazing plaid mural! (This is a different bedroom than the above pics).

The other painted wall. So AMAZING! You can see the bottom bunk sticking out in the pic. We took that down for the toddler bed below.

Here the girls share the room - the top bunk loft - with a toddler bed underneath. The bunk bed was mine as a child!

Well - this weekend that all changed. He has his boyish room! A few months ago, I went to a garage sale and stumbled on a bunk bed bedding set with matching wall hangings and hooks for a steal along with pillows, etc in PERFECT condition. It was race car themed. The deal was too good (especially knowing we have bunk beds he'll be using) so I laughed and said "Gift...you will have a race themed room" - HAHA! So, the bedding and some of the wall hangings are a nice red color with cars on them in blue, yellow/orange, and green. I used the blue color in the bedding for the wall paint.

The race car bedding. I love the reds, blues, yellows, and greens in the fabric.

The dresser goes with his future bunk bed (and that bunk bed "to be" was MINE as a girl - the top bunk loft currently is being used by Lovely. This dresser was mine) and the rug was found at that same garage sale. The rocking chair was my mother's and all of us were rocked in it - a treasure. So, everything in this room was either free, a gift, inherited, or found on sale/consignment. I take pride in deals and family treasures lol!!

Oh - the blurry places in the pics? They are anything personalized with his name. Sorry internet! :) 

And, in a way his room became a theme of "race car" meets "Corduroy the bear" with the wall hanging, the bear, and that "lost button" blanket.

View from the door (the wall with the cross is his closet). Gift's Godmother made the cross.

View from the closet.

Most of his room showing.

Top of dresser - that is his baptismal candle and baptismal picture. His Godmother made the frame.

This frame was from Gift's Aunt - my sister.

Wall art from my sister and Gift's Godmother

another homemade frame

Racing clothing hooks

It WAS fun to put the room together....so the thrill of new life, new bedrooms, and precious children IS still there - even if it was late... :) I still need to get a light switch plate in red, and make curtains, but that will come soon!

We love you Gift - welcome to your space. Well, for now....LOL!

You are SO loved!!!!
(your sisters too!!)

Daddy's Home!!!

Well - though I'll never blog about it till he's home, Hubby got a promotion at work a while back that enables him to periodically travel around his region and install servers (He's an IT guy). He just took his first one, to Tampa, this week. I'm so happy for him, because he never got to travel growing up as I was blessed to do. He's seeing places we can't really see currently with our young, 'on a budget', family.

He is such a sweet heart. This trip was not a long one - but he made us feel missed and cherished - and he had to go while feeling sick!! He would delight the girls (and me!) with pictures or videos from his phone of random places he would find himself at a time. Waiting for a picture became great fun and something to look forward to during our day. I can tell these trips will be fun whenever they happen because of his sweet nature.

Here are some pictures he sent:

Tampa Bay

Indian Rocks Beach - Tampa

He LOVES me - he REALLY loves me!

Silly pic for the girls and I from his hotel room!

...and I had fun dressing up for his return home.  I rarely do anything to myself anymore and there is this girl, deep down within me that loves BOLD color, funky earrings and clothes, funky hair, and girlie makeup - yet I never do anything about it! My best friend has been sending me makeup tutorials for foundation, the eyes, etc (to experiment) and while she actually DOES experiment (and always looks amazing) I don't. Even now, I need to be more brave with the eyes (and get some good foundation or dark circle remover lol). But I am a true girlie girl if I just made myself! It was fun making myself look good for my man. hehe!

Welcome home baby!!! We love you! You were missed!!

Small Successes and Thankful Thursday - "Germs Please Leave" Edition!!

Well, I have had a unique week. The sick germs that have been plaguing us off and on since Christmas are still rearing their ugly heads and infecting us. Currently, I'm the last one really standing (Lovely is too, but is tired this week/emotional - so her body is probably fighting it off). So, this leads to a unique view of "small successes".

1. I have been doing really well with 40 bags/ 40 days. Last year this Lenten sacrifice of time and treasure didn't go so well. This year it has been great. My garage is becoming the collection ground for the bags marked for donation, and lots of trash from the attic and closets or the garage itself has been tossed out. For example - here are bags of clothes ready for donation, and I'm still not done!

2. I read something yesterday for Lent that really stuck with me. Please read it too! It takes a few seconds. Thinking about "It is good that we are here" is so true - even when my successes include IGNORING this pile of clean laundry when I have other, more precious, matters to attend to in my house of sick loved ones.

And...not sure if any of you do Elizabeth Foss' Small Steps reflections and button meme (when reading her and Danielle Bean's book) but I have one for today - March 24th - under the "Pray" prompt that fits the above picture(s) so well in how I feel about my messy house.

Today the "Pray" prompt said: "Sometimes I am guilty being unhappy if my house isn't perfectly tidy and my life perfectly orderly. Forgive me! A life that is ordered towards you won't always please my senses.  Um. Wow. Pretty profound. I needed to read that today.

3. So, my last success is taking care of my brood and staying well (Thank you God!). Here were my two sickest of the week. I got permission from Hubby to share it. He actually liked the picture because of his little buddy next to him. It's been a hard week.

How is your week?

Thankful Thursday
This week I'm thankful for...


1. my daily Small Steps book.
2. my Small Steps companion book with the Lenten Meditations in them.
3. my little black book for Lent.
4. medicine.
5. sick days.
6. patience.
7. best friends.

Praying for you!!!! Blessings!

It is Good that We are Here.

I'm plugging along with my Lent. I've been having great success with 40 bags/40 days (unlike last year) and I've done really well at doing the daily Lenten Meditations from the Companion Guide to Small Steps. I'm also doing my 365 readings from the main book, Small Steps for Catholic Moms (which I SO recommend, even if you are not Catholic. It has been one of the best day starters for me EVER). These prompts fill me and challenge me in just the right ways. WOW.

My husband brought home something really fantastic for us both to do for Lent that he picked up at his other Church music job. It's called (and it doesn't have words on its cover - just the color black) The Little Black Book: Six Minute Meditations on the Sunday Gospels of Lent and this little book is AMAZING. The church gave it out to their lay ministers (my husband is a music minister), and from going to their website - you can buy these booklets for yourself, gifts, or as a church to give to its members. I adore this book!

In fact, this little black book led to this post. Today's meditation was on Matthew 17:4. Particularly this: "Lord, it is good that we are here" said by Peter to our transfigured Lord appearing with Moses and Elijah. Here was what spoke to me:

"Lord, it is good that we are here." Peter wasn't just speaking about the place on the mountain where they happened to be at the time. He was also referring to his place on life's journey. 


Peter's remark didn't mean that everything was all worked out, or that his life's journey was at an end. Peter and the disciples had many more miles to go and their journey would have its ups and downs.

Peter, after all, would soon deny Jesus three times.
There would be pain, suffering, confusion.


Nevertheless, Peter has a strong sense of being called by the Lord to the journey he was on, and a strong sense of the Lord's presence. The Lord had called him to the life he had, and the Lord was with him every step of the way.  

Peter could say about his life, "It is good that we are here."


Can I say that about my life?
Lent is a good time to think about that.
 ___________________________________
Spirit changing for me. For you too? I love Lent.


I love you!!! :)

Standing on His Own Two Feet

Another milestone today....

He can pull himself up to standing. Where is my baby going?? WAH!!!

And big sister wanted to pop in and say "Hi!"

Somehow she became the laundry instead of helping fold this laundry pile:

And this pic was from 2 days ago. It's still there, and growing. We need to get on this and fold together. *Sigh*.

Someone graduated to the "Big Girl" Swing....

*Sniff, Sniff*

But, it works out great cause now all 3 kids can have a swing....

to take a nap in....

It's the simple things.