History Channel Geography: Addendum

After posting this review of the show, How the States Got Their Shapes, I feel the need to mention a caveat. While we still love this show, we have noticed some "adult" language pretty typical of a cable show so I have been previewing each episode (usually on my laptop while folding laundry) and taking notes on where to mute certain sections for the sake of the younger members of our audience. I want to mention specifically that the 5th (Living on the Edge) and 7th (Church and States) episodes go beyond the typical "hams" and "dells" you might expect from a cable show. If you would like to know in advance of any tricky areas, send me an email and I will share my notes with you. We really have been enjoying this show and I mean all of us, even the 7 year old (which is why I was concerned about some of the language). Given the chance to watch an episode of Wipeout or the "states show", my kids chose the states show, hands down!

I totally cried...

...and probably scared the delivery guy.

Sean and The Professor built it behind a closed door that I was forbidden from opening! BTW... their very practical and manly take on the crib, "Easy to put together and very sturdy! Four thumbs up!"

And after I wept openly at the thought of my oldest child and his father working together on the bed that will hold this miraculous gift from our Father above, then... I promptly sat down and sewed a crib skirt. Super easy! Yes, this momma is in major nesting mode!
Here's a close up:

It is beautiful! I seriously bawled like a baby just thinking of getting to place this baby, the ultimate gift of perfect love, in this gift of love so generously given by friends I've not yet met! Thank you, thank you, thank you sweet friends for all of the prayers you offer so generously, for the time that you spend here with me and for the encouragement so many of you have offered publicly and privately. I am truly touched!

Intentional Prayer

Melanie is asking a question that I'm curious about as well. She writes:

But recently I've been trying to find ways of being more intentional as I go about my day. And ways of keeping in mind all the prayer intentions that come my way so that I actually remember to pray for them. Add to that the tension of being better at praying for strangers than for my nearest and dearest. So I've got a new plan--and it's very new so I'm not promising that it will work especially well-- to set up reminders on my phone to pray for one member of my immediate family at the top of each hour. And reminders for my other intentions at the quarter hours.

Think of it, if I just schedule every quarter for twelve waking hours, that's almost 50 intentions I can remember in the course of a day! And if I miss the alarm the reminder will still be there and I can double up on the ones I've missed. Still better than forgetting them altogether.

We'll see how it works.

How do you keep track of your prayer intentions and how do you remember to pray throughout the day?

She came up with an interesting plan for herself and I mentioned in her comments that my phone is not capable of that kind of alarm system but still, the idea intrigues me. I hate to just end my day with a cursory "... and for all those who have asked for my prayers". I would like to find a way to be more intentioned with my intentions through out the day. Now, when someone asks for prayers in a specific moment, I offer a prayer for them right away. It's the long term intentions I want to work on remembering and scheduling into my daily prayers.

So, I'm asking too and will be checking in over at Melanie's to see what kind of suggestions there are. Feel free to join the conversation!
 

Birthday Morning

My sweet husband felt horrible all day yesterday, had even lost his voice and looked like someone socked him in the eyes. I told him about a week ago that I would like a Grasshopper Pie for my birthday (any version), since it's also the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, but knowing how he was feeling, I decided that we could just pick up a frozen French Silk Pie and cover it in mint whipped creme... that counts, right?  (He refuses to let me make my own birthday dessert!)

Well, Sean is known far and wide for his famous Candy Bar pies. OK, maybe just our extended family but it's a big family! He learned to make this delicious dessert during college after enjoying one that his older sister made. It has become his specialty (along with chocolate chip cookies... are you sensing a theme?) and even though he felt thoroughly wiped, he came home and made an Andes Mint Grasshopper Pie using his amazing Candy Bar Pie skills, deposited it in the fridge... and then promptly passed out. 

 On the up side, he's home sick today! I've always told him that the best gift he can give me is a whole day together with him. Next time, I need to specify that he has to be conscious! : )

I'm off to Mass this morning. That's a birthday gift that keeps on giving!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
with the lovely ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter

{pretty}

 I picked up a 1/4 yard of some fabrics that I am considering using for a crib skirt. Once I made my decision (the white on black feathery pattern), I decided to use these swatches to make a door stop for Cupcake's room. This door never stays open on it's own and never has and the very corporate looking plastic stopper just wasn't cute at all. I used a combination of this pattern and this picture to come up with my own design. You can't tell from this angle, but the breast insert is made from the same fabric as the wings. It's filled with rice and tied closed. I'd like to find a little blue bead to use for an eye but I haven't wanted to go hunting through my craft closet out in the garage just yet.

{happy}

I finally found some more soft ecru colored yarn so I can make this dolly her other leg! I can't believe how hard I had to hunt for it. Now I'm very happy that my big kids can't hop her around like a peg-legged pirate anymore!

{funny}
I rarely post any status updates on FB. I use it mostly to leave comments for other people and keep up with certain friends who don't communicate any other way (you know who you are but you probably won't even read this). I posted this the other day when we were getting called two and three times a day!

What's weird is that ever since I posted it, they've stopped calling! Behold the power of FB!

{real}

According to my inbox this morning, I am beginning the third trimester of my pregnancy. It's just now starting to feel really real! This onesie was a gift for Sean on Father's Day. It had a cupcake on it! How could I pass it up?

Oh and today is the last day to participate in all the fun games over at the Virtual Baby Shower!

Let's talk... baby carriers!

I have tried different kinds of baby carriers in the past and so far, a grand total of none of them have worked for me and my babes! I can't remember them all but know I had a Maya Wrap with The Professor, a Baby Bjorn-ish style carrier with Sunshine and I don't remember what I tried with Shortcake and BigBoy (lack of sleep kills brain cells, ya know). I've kind of given up on the idea of using one with Cupcake, especially with having so many God-given "carriers" standing by, just itching to help hold their little sister.

However, considering it's been 7 years since we had a baby in the house, I'm curious to talk about what might be "new" and what has worked for other mamas, should we be inclined to try a carrier again. Jennifer (who's maternity leave starts today!) talked about the heat factor involved with a wrap style carrier in this post (see #9) and that is definitely also a concern of mine since we have been known to still be wearing shorts on Thanksgiving here in this hot box we call home. Now granted, October and November aren't as hot as July and August, but still. My other personal predicament is that I have very broad shoulders and frequently get very painful muscle knots in them that seem to only respond to massage, not Advil. If they get too bad, they can trigger some horrible headaches (not quite migraine, but close). I think that's why a sling style carrier has never really worked for me because it puts all the weight on your shoulders and my babies have weight to them! Only one was under 8 lbs when he was born! And they ALL continue to grow big and fast! 90th percentile and above, baby!

So, what do you say, you baby wearing mamas? What have you tried? What have you hated? What do you love? Oh... and one that makes me look as radiant and peaceful as the women above would be great! Thanks! Since this is the first time I've have a baby with big kids old enough to help, I'd also love to hear from mom's with older kids if a carrier is even something to think about or if I should just cross it off the list? I'd really appreciate your thoughts on the matter!

Prayers for Jennifer Fulwiler and baby

Jen is going to meet her precious little girl today! We are offering prayers for an easy and uneventful delivery, lots of warm baby snuggles and quick healing!

Please pray for Kate and baby...

Baby Wicker is in a rush to get here but needs to stay put a little longer! Kate is asking for prayers!

Remember, oh most gracious Virgin Mary...
 
Baby Wicker UPDATE: All is well. Kate is home and resting. Baby is still tucked in safely under his momma's heart. Thanks be to God!

 

Coming along...

Picture snippets from Cupcake's room!

I bought these Eeboo Fairies in the Garden Alphabet Cards about 5 years ago with an idea to put them in the girls' room because they were soooooo pretty! Admittedly, it was more my desire than theirs. They were a bit beyond the alphabet stage. I've hung on to them in hopes that I would get to use them someday... this is someday!

I found these tiny little painted canvases at Michael's two for a dollar and fell in love with the colors! My MIL has started all of her granddaughters on a tea cup collection and my girls really treasure their dainty little cups.

My inlaws gave us this hanging poster back when The Professor was a baby. His favorite picture was the one where "St. Michael whacks the devil!"  My MIL found them right before they went out of print, I think,  but I'm happy to see that they are available again. (If you scroll through the pictures on the Seton website, you will see the St. Michael picture.)

These black shelves were repurposed from the boys' room after we gave them a taller bookshelf. I plan to add pictures of her name saints on either side of the Blessed Mother statue, once we officially decide on a real name and know who those are.

This is a vinyl wall decal that is supposed to look like a painted design of birds and almond blossoms. (FYI... Hobby Lobby often has their vinyl decals for 50% off. This one came from Etsy.) I never intended to do a theme in her room. I don't really care for themes, but this pattern seemed to mimic the design of the curtains we chose and it made me think that if I ever was convinced to do a theme in a baby's room, birds (and blossoms) would be awfully cute!

Don't forget to head over to Jessica's for the Virtual Baby Shower. This is your last week to leave a comment and get a chance to win some of the amazing door prizes, decorate some cupcakes, guess the baby bloggers or join the baby pool! No gifts or makeup required!

Pops for our Pops!

The girls have been intrigued by the idea of cake pops and wanted to make some for Sean for Father's Day. So I pulled out all the sprinkles and jimmies and let them go to town.

They love their Pops! Happy Father's Day, Sweetie!

Calling all DFW residents!!!

Come welcome Calah and her Ogre to our neck of the woods and check out some beautiful jewelry too! Today (Saturday the 18th) from 3-7pm. Wine and Hors D'Oeuvre. Email Calah (or me if I know you) for more info.

 

Blessings

For a sweet lady who is going through a tough time right now...

A prayer for her would be most appreciated while she weathers the storm.

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

The Scoop

Melanie introduced me to a lovely lady on the internet who graduated from the same university she and I both went to. Now, this wild and crazy gal is younger than myself and from what we can tell, our paths didn't cross on campus, but that has never stopped me from making an acquaintance later!

So I started reading her blog and taking delight in her adventures including one of her latest... sous-chef a la hound. You know how sometimes God puts people in your life at just the right time when you need to hear what they have to say at that exact moment? Well, suffice it to say that recently we have had some tummy concerns with our little Crouton. And right about the time that Dwija posted about her new canine culinary skillz, our pooch went off her kibble. We did not run out, mind you. She just stopped eating it as enthusiastically as she used to. We thought maybe it was the heat, maybe it was a bad batch; it was a new bag but of the same old stuff. It never occurred to me that possibly she was perusing the internet from the comfort of my lap and reading about Dwija's presently pampered pooches decided to stage a Gandhi-esque protest!

So I reached out to this Dog Whisperer in Training and she so kindly told me everything she had learned about making your own dog food. To put your mind at ease, we did call our vet, whom we love and trust (he has a sister in the same convent as Sean's sister), to make sure that nothing was wrong with Crouton. When I told him that she had gone off her food but was still very much interested in our food and maintaining the same energy level and interest in daily life, he said, "Sounds very normal to me. If you had to eat the same bowl of cereal every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner you'd turn your nose up at it eventually too." After complementing her on her intelligence (must be the terrier in her, certainly not the Chihuahua) he gave me his crash course on what to feed and not feed a dog, how much she really needs (not as much as you'd think) and so, our adventure begins...

I'll let you know how this goes although I will probably avoid any excrement commentary. My first impressions are that it's not as difficult as I thought it would be and Crouton hasn't skipped a meal since we started! Which makes those who love her best very happy!

No, we do not still have unraked leaves in our yard. This is an old photo.

Good Shepherd's Garden Party :: Week Seven

~ The Heavenly Zoo ~

 

Beehive Buns ~ I wanted to put little honeybee grahams on these great Beehive Buns that Jessica found but couldn't find any so I opted for a little bear in search of some honey!

Deer Sausage ~ This is why The Professor loves this week!

Fiery Phoenix Chips and Salsa ~ the chips sort of look like feathers!

Our absolute favorite Peacock Cupcakes ~ of course everyone wanted the peacock's face. BigBoy got it so the girls turned their feathers into baby peacocks!

Lazy Lion Sandwiches ~ these were PB sandwiches with matchstick carrot manes

Pelican Toasties ~ my light was starting to fade. They didn't turn out as Pac-Man shaped as the ones from last year!

This is why I hate taking pictures of my dining room in the evening...no windows and the sun has moved over to the other side of the house anyway but I wanted to show you our pretty new Pentecost tablecloth! (OK, so the only real Pentecosty thing about it is that it's red, but I thought it was pretty!) You can see that the water made it on the table but not in the individual pictures. We are saving our Dove chocolates for tomorrow!

Happy Pentecost!

You can see other Week 7 celebrations over at Catholic Cuisine!