Guess Who Turns ONE Today...

I know. It's amazing.

Simply amazing how time flies...

:)

Filed Under.... In Your Wildest Dreams, Buddy

With all the birthday celebrations around here, Action Man decided he wanted in on it, if only in a sort of "planning for the future" kind of way....

So, the good news is, there is only one thing on his birthday wish list for November.


The bad news?

... it's an iPod Touch.


Permission granted to laugh uproariously.

:P

Daybook: Anticipation

This week promises to be a busy one.  We have a birthday to celebrate today, some much anticipated out of town guests coming in tomorrow, our bathroom remodel is in the "detailed" work stages, our home school plans need to take shape quickly, as does the house, if we hope to make a trip to Colorado before the summer is gone.... not much time left over for pondering... or blogging, for that matter.

;)


Outside my Window...

Searing, scorching sun.  I'm not one to complain, even though we have had triple digit temps for well over a week!  I love the warmth on my skin... as long as I am immersed in water.  Which is most definitely where we'll be this afternoon if I can get my laundry list of things accomplished by lunch time.



I am Listening to....

A very eager 11 yr old waiting (patiently?) for his siblings and Dad to wake up so he can open his presents.  We do birthday presents in the morning before Dad heads off to work.  Then it's the birthday child's choice for dinner and dessert.  Should be a fun day.



I am Wearing...

Addidas sports skort, white tank, black croc sandals.  None of it maternity.... some of the maternity tops I've looked at have been simply too large, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be needing them. 
Very. Soon.
;P


I am so Grateful for...

~Our tub!  It's been a month since I've been able to indulge in my nightly luxury.  DH cleaned it thoroughly yesterday so I could reinstate this ritual.  Boy... it felt great! (shall I show you how lovely it looks?  Sorry... the perfectionist in me wants to wait until the whole room is finished....)
~The internet.  The finding and connecting of like-minds is a wonderful thing.... making those connections IRL possible.  Very very good.



I am Pondering...

Charity in all circumstances.  Even when, and especially when, it may be true ignorance on the part of the other that necessitates that you be charitable.  Mass at our parish yesterday has spawned these thoughts.  And the sight of Our Lord in the form of a consecrated host under the sneaker of the teenager in front of me. (unbeknownst to the teenager..) Even though I acted quickly, it still pains me today.



I am Reading...

The Ministry of Motherhood, Severe Mercy (2nd go-round) and In Conversation with God. 
HELP!  I have book club tonight, where we pick for the year. Any suggestions or recommendations? 


I am Thinking...

Way. Too. Much.


 I am Creating...

An organized home.  Before we attempt one last trip to see my parents, there is a list of things I need to accomplish.  I would warn that blogging will be scarce these next few weeks, but who am I kidding.  Scarce and blogging have been synonymous around here for awhile.  That's ok!  I'm connecting where I need to connect, and accomplishing what needs to get accomplished.



On my iPod...

Looking at these, and getting excited.
In the meantime, Action Man has absconded the iPod and has discovered the wonderful world of old time radio shows like The Shadow and such.  Also, the inglorious music of Green Day.  Hmmmm.  Time for him to get himself a new mp3 player?


Towards a Real Education...

We are ditching the state-funded curriculum this year and joining our local, wonderful home school co-op.  The parent orientation meeting was last week.  The kids will be doing some amazing work together.  I am so very excited!


Towards Rhythm and Beauty...

De-clutter, organize, and clean.  De-clutter, organize, and clean.  De-clutter, organize, and clean. That's my mantra this week.


I am Hoping and Praying...

For Lil Sis.  Lots of excitement on the horizon. God has been doing some amazing things this past week.  It really defies all human explanation.  And is so inspiring for this sometimes-world-weary Mama.


Around the House...

That whole de-clutter and organize thing.  Plus a few projects to boost the look of the place, esp the home school room.  Master bathroom will be finished in a few weeks.  To say I am tired of having a shop vac and other various tools strewn throughout my bedroom would be an understatement.  I can't wait to have it all completed!! (And neither can DH, poor man.  He's been working like crazy, and just needs a break!)


From the Kitchen...

Birthday cake and tortilla soup for dinner for Sports Fan.  Never mind that it will be 105 today.  :P



One of my Favorite Things...

11 year old boys who still love Playmobil.



A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...

Birthday dinner, book club, out of town dinner guests, and lots of house projects.
Perfect for these dog days of summer!


:)

My Baby Turns 5 Today!

And I promise I'm not crying about it.... well, not too much anyway.

:)















I just adore this picture of Little Boo holding Little Love...



In all seriousness, how could I be sad?
When remarking to Little Love yesterday that she is not a baby any more, that she is getting so big and lovely....
She replied quite wisely and in her seriously lispy way:

Of course I am, Mama!

And then she skipped away.




















So, that's what we're about today. Skipping about and issuing wise proclamations on the passage of life.

And playing Barbies and eating lots of chocolate cake with pink icing.


My Little Love delights and amazes us daily with her quick intellect and funny sayings. As the youngest, she definitely sees the need to make her wishes known... often quite loudly. (We are working on this.)
















We are so blessed to have this littlest one in our lives.

Today I am going to revel in God's wonder and wisdom.

:)

The Nuttier Moments...

It's my Little Boo's birthday on Sunday. She will be 7. If you've been glancing at our sidebar, you will notice that we are in the midst of our Birthday Madness. 4 birthdays in 4 weeks. Little Dear and Sports Fan are the same age right now (why yes, we are masters of NFP, why do you ask?) ...and our budget? -is shot.

Buying presents for my kids is so much fun, but can be frustrating. Little Dear made out well with some much-needed shorts and cute tops, a super cute dress from Auntie, and books, a drawing pad and flowy shirts from Grandma. We also got her a Barbie Rapunzel. 9 is a hard age to buy for, but this mix of things suited her just fine.

Last year, Little Boo had this request.

And while nobody has developed the prototype for such an amazing toy, we've managed to secure a few goodies for her this year. Along with an outing which suits her personality to a T.

She, and her bosom buddy... a little lass who has just as much spirit and spunk, and therefore has knocked heads with her on more than one occasion (figuratively, and also quite literally...) will go with our entire family to Dyno Rock, an indoor climbing gym.

And when I told the mother of Little Boo's friend.. she sighed in wonderment, declaring that it would surely be heaven for her little spitfire.

Thinking of my own Little Boo, I couldn't agree more.

:)

Fellowship

Darkness crept back into the forests of the world.
Rumor grew of a Shadow in the East...
Whispers of a Nameless Fear.
And the Ring of Power perceived...
Its time had now come.

But then something happened that the Ring did not intend.
It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable,
A Hobbit... Bilbo Baggins of the Shire.

For the time will soon come
when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all.
~Fellowship of the Ring, 2001

Last night, as part of my Birthday evening, DH and I brought out an old favorite, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. As is our custom when starting these movies so late, we didn't get very far, just to part where Aragorn takes over and starts leading the Hobbits into the Wild.

I love this whole Trilogy, although Fellowship is by far my favorite. I especially enjoy the life of the Hobbits. So peaceful, So simple. They love children, tilled earth, their pipes and of course, a good ale.

I like to imagine that in some small way, we are like the Hobbits of the Shire. Our work is in and for our family. We have no desire to go off and have adventures or do anything extraordinary by the world's standards. We like the simple life. We give great parties with loads of food and drink, and tons of children running about. The men talk world politics while the older folks hand down legends to the children. The women cook and dance and nurse their babies. It's a true village of one purpose.

We even have our own Nameless Fear in the East.

The rumors and whisperings that have surfaced these past four months have been truly frightening. The Ring of Power has found its Master and is reaking havoc on this country, and the casualities will be our children. Matthew Archbold has written about the dilemma of our response here. Do we run to the fields of Hobbiton and live under a hill? Or do we face the fires of Mount Doom and rout the enemy?

Whatever our response, I take comfort in knowing that I am not alone. Talking to DH last night about why I loved Fellowship so much, I told him that it was the friendship of Frodo and Sam that gave me such hope for their journey. Against all odds, they would remain together. Whatever happened, it would be the two of them that endured it. That comforts me especially in my own journey. To have family and friends that constantly remind me and encourage me in my vocation and in the fight for the true the good and the beautiful.

Sam: It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to Sam?

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

:)

A Serenade

Happy Birthday To You...

Get up, feed the cat, wake the girls, get them dressed, fuss over hair, feed them breakfast.

Happy Birthday To You....

Change the laundry, put the clothes away, find the shoes, kiss girls and DH goodbye.

Happy Birthday Dear Mama...

Get dressed, wash your face, eat breakfast, empty the dishwasher, get school started.

Happy Birthday To YOU!


The only birthday cake in the house is the one pictured above, but DH promises that will change by this evening. Such is life for a homeschooling Mama of 5. I'm blessed to be so busy!

:)


Little Dear makes her First Confession this evening, on this wonderful Feast of St. Catherine of Sienna. Please say a prayer for her, won't you?

My "Twins"

Little Dear and Sports Fan are the same age for 3 more days. Hence the seeming "typo" on the side bar.

Who knew?

I have two 8 year olds!

Luckily, Little Dear isn't pressing her advantage. She is still basking in the novelty of her "new age".

Sports Fan, on the other hand, is chomping at the bit, anxious to be on his own again in the age department. He seriously dislikes being the same age as his younger sister, and growls whenever it is mentioned.

I felt much the same way, 8 1/2 years ago, standing in the bathroom with him on my hip, (at the strapping age of 3 months) bawling at the sight of those two little pink lines.

How things change...

Fast forward to 8 years, and I can now see and appreciate this crossroads in which two opposite worlds of boy-stuff and girl-stuff entwine. This junction has helped to form the melting pot that is the personality of our home. It has become more frequent that I look up from my chores to see that all 5 of my children are playing out the same scenario, together. We have Indians who need tea, cowboys who hang laundry, and ranchers who bake. Princesses have been known to pick up rifles and beat back intruders, while maids shoot bows and arrows at those pesky robbers. Sometimes the girls are captured, while other times it is the boys who are the willing prisoners.

At the center of all of this hullabaloo are my "twins", the gentle Sports Fan and the exuberant Little Dear... directing battles, tending wounds, and yelling out orders. Little Dear arranges the tea while Sports Fan guards the fort. And then later on it is Sports Fan who gets Little Love the ice pack while Little Dear leads the charge.

The beauty of "Irish Twins"... I'm so grateful God has given me the chance to experience it.

:)

My Ears are Ringing

Yeah.

Kind of regretting this particular purchase for Little Boo's birthday. That along with the whistle she bought herself at the bookstore, it's been an advil-every-eight-hours kind of weekend.

Luckily, she also received some quieter playthings, including a very cute furry gerbil... Chewie II, having been through the heartbreak of losing Chewie I to an untimely death.

No, we were not able to find one of these.

But a wooden jewelry box seemed to be a suitable substitution.

She's so beautiful, my Little Boo.

May she never lose her spirit.










:)

Birthdays... Round 2

My Little Boo's birthday is this Saturday, and DH and I are having a heck of a time trying to figure out what to get her. Seems they just don't make a toy that fits the description of what our Little Boo would love. Something that you can climb on and take apart and throw around and cuddle that has many lids and latches and openings all while being self-mobile...

Yeah, I know, it doesn't exist.

So, DH went right to the source.

DH: Little Boo, what would you like for your birthday?

Little Boo: How about a suitcase that turns into a car?

Exactly, my Little Boo.

My point exactly.


:)

'Scuse Us...

But it's my Little Dear's birthday...





















And we'll be doing all things girly today.

:)

Because I am well loved...

We are celebrating my birthday today by:

~Having the bug exterminator come over. Nothing drastic, thank heavens, just making sure we don't see too many of these running around the floors. BTW: Little Boo does an awesome impression of a dying cockroach... flailing legs and everything. Need to get a picture up sometime....

~Inviting the stomach flu in for a quick visit. Sunday it was Little Love, yesterday it was Little Dear. Wonder who's up for today?

~Hoping to get to the Rangers game tonight. Yes, all of us. Aren't I so generous to share? It will be fun to watch my peanuts gorge themselves on hot dogs, cotton candy and sprite enjoy the game in the Texas sunshine.

~Also received many thoughtful cards from various family members and a lovely gift from an even lovelier sister. Thanks, everyone! Much love to you!


Have a great day, y'all!

:)

My Father

My Father always promised us
That we would live in France.
We'd go boating on the Seine,
And I would learn to dance.
-Judy Collins

My Dad turns 60 years young today. Spending time with him just a few short days ago, I'd say it wasn't possible. He was as funny and witty as ever, even more so now, I'd say. I am fortunate to be the oldest in my family, and so I have been present for more than half his life.

During my "weekend get-away" we spent a lot of time re-living our family history for the sake of my younger sisters who had always "heard of" some of these stories and people of days gone by, and wanted the whole scoop.

It was hilarious at times, and very therapeutic.

It also made me appreciate my parents, and all of the hard decisions they made. In short, they were the ones to step out in faith. They came back into full communion with the Church, followed a brief calling to the missions, steered me through a few dubious relationships, pulled me out of a dysfunctional college, and gave me the freedom to fully explore God's will for my life. Their pain and heartache at each of these junctions is obvious to me now that I am a parent. It is so difficult sometimes to see God's hand, and to know for certain what His will is in each circumstance. My parents seemed so confident in their parenting at the time... it is only now as they re-tell it, that I can appreciate the worry and concern involved.

And I am grateful. (In spite of all of my joking about being the "guinea pig" child... ) The path they chose was not easy for them. In deciding to trod this different way, they made it smooth for us, their children. We have no compromises to make in dealing with our parents or in-laws, no heart-wrenching crises of faith or thought.

We know, simply because they chose to know and passed that knowledge on to us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The quote from Judy Collins seems a bit worldly, doesn't it? I've never even been to France! However, I think the sentiment is accurate. My Father has always wanted his children to be safe, and happy. In that order. He gave us our faith. And that has ensured that we will always be in God's care which is the cause of our joy and happiness.

Love you, Dad. Happy Birthday.
















:)

Perfect Present

Yesterday was Action Man's birthday.

His awesome Dad purchased a very cool laser tag set, and a Lego Star Wars computer game. Both were received well enough, but we soon found out what our Bear Grylls enthusiast really wanted:















A "safe" place to practice his fire-building survivor skills. (since his parents did not appreciate the "behind the shed" location)

And, of course, we will be roasting marshmallows tonight.

:)

"Mama, I Fwee!"

Guess who's birthday was today?

Yes.

(sigh)

My baby girl's...

:)

Last One...

...until September.

Sports Fan turned 8 on Thursday. Thus ending the incessant boasting of Little Dear that she was the "same age" as her brother.

He was elated.

We had a.... nutty day. You guessed it. From a house showing that never happened (argh) to the kids' science class and a whirlwind birthday celebration here.

But Sports Fan and his friends had a blast. After their playtime, they came home to cake and a rousing shoot-'em-up time with the kids in the neighborhood. I sat on the couch with DH, watching the boys crawl through the grass, swing from the tree-house and shimmy up the playhouse roof, fire-arms in hand.

Too tired to grab the camera, I impressed the picture in my mind.

My boys, being the energetic, simply wonderful little men that they are.

God bless them.

:)

Yesterday....

...was my Little Boo's birthday.

We had a very fun day.

:)

And this weekend, we are hosting Auntie Portia and her LH.

(double-happy face!)

Happy 7th, My Darling Daughter!

Excuse us as we do all things girlie today....
















Isn't it amazing... look how grown up she is!
















:)

Present for Nutmeg (future reference category)

Came across these last night:

Beautiful, eclectic..... aprons.

Yes, you read that right.... A-P-R-O-N-S.

As you've probably already guessed, I am severely apron-deprived. Most of this is by choice. As in, I choose to get my wardrobe covered in flour, egg mush and roast pork spittings on a weekly basis.

I do own an apron. It is currently covered in midnight blue paint since I used it to cover my clothes while painting the master bedroom with DH a few years ago.

Doesn't everyone use their aprons as painting shirts?

Oh, and I also use it when I'm giving haircuts.

Anyway, I think I need an upgrade for my cooking endeavors.

Check these out, specifically.

*And why is it that most of these are described as flirty as well as eclectic.... is that saying something about me? Hope not!

:)

Birthday.... Wishes?

Here are the reactions of our little peanuts when they were reminded remembered that today is my birthday:

Little Dear: How old are you, Mama?

Me: 35

Little Dear: I thought you were past 35!

Sports Fan: I thought you were 28! (guffaws)

Little Boo: I thought you were 21!

Little Love:(mimicking) I fot you 21!

(Both break out into hysterics)

Sports Fan: Remember a loooonnnngg time ago when you were 33?

Me: Um.... (struggling to remember) ....Yes

Sports Fan:(sympathetically) That was a very long time ago.


*And so I am off in a few to prove my age by playing soccer against those 21 year olds who my kids think I am not. Then DH will treat me to dinner out with friends. Should be a lovely day.*