tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82943850636244939702024-02-19T01:47:31.317-06:00La CasitaMartinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-10919682906793312302011-09-26T20:53:00.000-05:002011-09-26T20:53:38.416-05:00Out of the Deep Blue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.catholicsistas.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOoUZOCXLto4CmcxKbNuJKQRcBHVKRMpNHsWydiSI4aD563G-HjFeGkEFXQ66ou_n4mVGzk5qMWx1qnMgVDBUJ5vhM4YKuie4Mevou5k3t9SU4-DIeKQ-YJ7qCOUxRX3MR2WHBKQLL7F_/s1600/virgin-mary.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">If you've missed my blogging, I have a good reason. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Promise.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">You see...the past year or so, I've found myself replacing blog entries with status updates on Facebook...a completely private way to communicate with friends and family! I know...it sounds like I *just* discovered FB. I promise this isn't the case! I've been FB'ing since April '07. The reality is I became lazy...and I had a lot of obligations that sort of dog-piled my blogging mission. We <strike>started homeschooling, we had a baby last August...we</strike> started homeschooling at the SAME time we had a new baby...I decided to start my own group on Facebook of Catholic women, <a href="http://www.pepitabananas.com/">I started a business</a>, and kept busy with whatever remaining "free time" on my parish Pastoral Council, the MOMs group, and our parish Adult Faith Formation - SHEW! It's a wonder I got ANY sleep, but I still managed to find time to cook {<i>on occasion</i>} and swish a few toilets and "<i>warsh</i>" a few loads of laundry. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">But...my biggest accomplishment as of late is really the real <i>REAL</i> reason why I'm writing a blog entry for the first time in nearly nine months! About a month ago, I started a new blog of women contributors, all representing different walks of the Catholic Faith. We have engineers, work-at-home moms, authors, journalists, technical writers, stay-at-home moms, homeschooling moms, Latin Rite, Eastern Rite, Tridentine Mass goers, Novus Ordo in English goers, skirt-only wearers, women who veil and one who *sells* veils. We have women with large families and some who struggle with infertility. We have young moms, older moms and grandmas. We have former atheists, evangelicals, lapsed, revert and cradle Catholics. My point in sharing is simply this. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: white;">You have never seen a Catholic womens' blog like this. </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: white;">Sincerely. </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">We are only 5 weeks old and the stories of each of the women are barely developing and over time, our readers will have a strong sense of what the Faith means to many. We are all bound by our love for the Faith and our adherence to Mother Church, but *how* we live out our Faith takes on different faces...and while it remains a challenge to understand that Christ has us in different places for a reason, it is always a good reminder in how to treat each other with charity at all times. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">So...I want to invite you to come visit my new blog called <a href="http://www.catholicsistas.com/">Catholic Sistas</a>. In our short time, we have crossed 20K+ hits to the blog. Right now, we are holding a $35 giveaway to a Catholic online store called St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Store. All you have to do to enter is to simply comment in the <a href="http://www.catholicsistas.com/2011/09/23/the-thank-you-for-reading-our-blog-giveaway/">"giveaway" post</a>. That's it! So...come on over, read and enjoy the different perspectives of women who all love the Faith. Someone will speak to you in a way that will elevate your walk with Christ. </span>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-78975669084865576832010-12-24T16:26:00.000-06:002010-12-24T16:26:10.963-06:00Nine years later and I still wow myself!<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I'm a total hack when it comes to anything I put my mind to. Today, Paige insisted on retrieving the stockings from the garage and when she found them, she started to unload them. I took each one and started to look at these stockings I made over nine years ago. I had big shoes to fill. My great aunt Josie {for whom our Josie is named, btw} made all us primos handmade stockings. I scrutinized my own childhood stocking and set out, determined to make her proud of my creations.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The detail I put into each of the four stockings is still amazing. Once in a while I wow myself with the amount of energy I put into a project. I still have three more to make for Paige, Drew and Josie and nine years later I have yet to find the energy to do marathon stocking sewing. Days after Thanksgiving until Christmas 2001, I made all four of the stockings. To make three in such a short period of time makes my head and eyes hurt now, lol. For now I think I'll just marvel at my hard work and pray for the strength to make the others before the last of the kids are off at college. ;)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Here is the entry taken from December 2008:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.25em; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Handmade stockings...four down, two to go</h3><div class="post-header" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #990000;">From Thanksgiving to Christmas of 2001 I worked tirelessly to make custom stockings for everyone in our family (at the time). And this was before we made the lovely investment of my sewing machine. I look back and wonder how in the world I managed to 1) not go blind 2) finish in time and 3) not go blind, lol. They've held up seven Christmases now and I love to think about all the hard work that went into creating them. The trouble is, each year I am reminded of how I have two more that I need to make. And I have all the supplies to make them too. I guess it's the thought of all that attention to detail that has me running scared. Paige is on her fourth Christmas and this will be Drew's second. They *do* have stockings, but they are store bought and pale in comparison to my masterpieces {sarcasm}.<br />
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Enjoy!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0040.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0040.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0043.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0043.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0047.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0047.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0048.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0048.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0049.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0049.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0050.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0050.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0051.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0051.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0054.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0054.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0055.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0055.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0057.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0057.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0058.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0058.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0059.jpg" style="color: #7b3f00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0059.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=IMG_0064.jpg" style="color: #660000; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/IMG_0064.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-62726316720392265712010-12-07T13:17:00.018-06:002010-12-07T15:51:25.189-06:0010-4 good buddy, I got my ears on!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwQeep7b5XbGA_NehDwnZWNwRcNcy-IrEaSAMrUrNjSQGkOfPXrnjlN1rFFBZ1AnGIk4nZoqGN48FgxX4WZQzaAnh61Et39aRl0nxA2YfSgBfPj_2clI0bbJ3_7OyTJ3_pwgjTcoi8OR9/s1600/josie4-14.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwQeep7b5XbGA_NehDwnZWNwRcNcy-IrEaSAMrUrNjSQGkOfPXrnjlN1rFFBZ1AnGIk4nZoqGN48FgxX4WZQzaAnh61Et39aRl0nxA2YfSgBfPj_2clI0bbJ3_7OyTJ3_pwgjTcoi8OR9/s400/josie4-14.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548055938043789938" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{I's four months old today - dig my ears! You know you can't resist me!}</span></i></b></div><br /><br />It hardly seems like four months has passed, and yet the weather is the first indicator that yes, time has flown by. I remember being preggies with Josie thinking wistfully to myself that she would soon be one...year old, that is. In my mind, they grow up so fast that I can barely keep up! <div><br /></div><div>It's times like this that I remind myself that it's an incredible blessing to have these five miracles in the first place. Time is like grabbing at sand {are you hearing the theme song from Days of Our Lives in your head too?} and it's not lost on me. I don't take these moments for granted and it's taken five kids to realize this! I'm a slow one, I'll admit it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Last month, Josie was all smiles - something I look forward to, but today she was more serious. I thought it contrasted well with her cute little ears. </div><div><br /></div><div>Since it's been a while since I've done an 'anatomy of a photo shoot' entry, today I'll share some outtakes as well as my favorites from today. Hold onto your hat - it's gonna be a pic heavy post. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ready??</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFODe9zBYMLqyPbXKYuNWAwP0QzMCLlpcCWIWkVnT2ncsmD8GpXkYkpRp-JMAYdesi19Hdv8HfL30ct3twnPxtn4YI6_nN5dsX1D16D30rEtbAg5AgEFQvtn4aisfSbeCTK4rBIvYAaOc/s1600/josie4-1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFODe9zBYMLqyPbXKYuNWAwP0QzMCLlpcCWIWkVnT2ncsmD8GpXkYkpRp-JMAYdesi19Hdv8HfL30ct3twnPxtn4YI6_nN5dsX1D16D30rEtbAg5AgEFQvtn4aisfSbeCTK4rBIvYAaOc/s400/josie4-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548047114658559602" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{getting ready for my shoot - about to head to wardrobe - no makeup needed yet ;)}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggik-A3c0obxJOlSlnymiVADbLPixkGNi8ZzM30EHFmG6DoCJAvup721CS0t38B5SQYzzekxDh169-8ZJm1FatDSrE-mfjw5wADBPh1eOP9UJyBvJ0W1Wo1ZetkgI3-UjQbulecXwCCfnl/s1600/josie4-2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggik-A3c0obxJOlSlnymiVADbLPixkGNi8ZzM30EHFmG6DoCJAvup721CS0t38B5SQYzzekxDh169-8ZJm1FatDSrE-mfjw5wADBPh1eOP9UJyBvJ0W1Wo1ZetkgI3-UjQbulecXwCCfnl/s400/josie4-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548048382618323506" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{testing the lighting - just a tad overexposed, but those eyes are gorgeous nonetheless!}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckmz02GMayWgEnYi2LGl0E_t1nHUXgIAG9BtamSzp378MKhRq_OzsuLlG8hDiqUP2BVy1Hv6ISVWhXJvjhSLkO4nagNLuZfKMxgwTo3F4BYKcwg2-heqg5yBtyLZx-K3ImCgovP0ROQiZ/s1600/josie4-3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckmz02GMayWgEnYi2LGl0E_t1nHUXgIAG9BtamSzp378MKhRq_OzsuLlG8hDiqUP2BVy1Hv6ISVWhXJvjhSLkO4nagNLuZfKMxgwTo3F4BYKcwg2-heqg5yBtyLZx-K3ImCgovP0ROQiZ/s400/josie4-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548048940862968274" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{that cutesy little tongue!!}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5HOrokZJLtxbAPyVz-923BbIE3Atzh-uZ1Os11m__roGYI3oegl8CTI1Zczvk9p9eOpsedICwX9INVa5hDrzzRX3m2hUfEvAhCcycKvnDPhZtfivk598gihmCpaaUBy9-pe0sCBX8xnG/s1600/josie4-4.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5HOrokZJLtxbAPyVz-923BbIE3Atzh-uZ1Os11m__roGYI3oegl8CTI1Zczvk9p9eOpsedICwX9INVa5hDrzzRX3m2hUfEvAhCcycKvnDPhZtfivk598gihmCpaaUBy9-pe0sCBX8xnG/s400/josie4-4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548049490805901650" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{a definite frontrunner for the 4month winner}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOSw2p16ICrWVWMei1s-mtvR4ynma_qRA6VvBtemGz38xYVxmcYcw5StR5hDtcKVf1IWNQWha4LLIM79d9qI2aX_2Ew9mMlyTbp-aprBpYbzSflAhVYKyOtx6gV0CwiiC6ihu9edyuWUc/s1600/josie4-5.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOSw2p16ICrWVWMei1s-mtvR4ynma_qRA6VvBtemGz38xYVxmcYcw5StR5hDtcKVf1IWNQWha4LLIM79d9qI2aX_2Ew9mMlyTbp-aprBpYbzSflAhVYKyOtx6gV0CwiiC6ihu9edyuWUc/s400/josie4-5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548050228446439874" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{a reverse fist pump??}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73h1VZ_nvKrDJUh6VRbvchTmev78rh6foExW8oyMzKYem_CvZWQgF3CHP501GnP2FnsOmlENjpkkP2_JblSQImuGpvB5t6CHamjR-b30QUgKV05rtxlaOstmDYm7FT6glsge4KdRgljPY/s1600/josie4-6.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73h1VZ_nvKrDJUh6VRbvchTmev78rh6foExW8oyMzKYem_CvZWQgF3CHP501GnP2FnsOmlENjpkkP2_JblSQImuGpvB5t6CHamjR-b30QUgKV05rtxlaOstmDYm7FT6glsge4KdRgljPY/s400/josie4-6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548051254267190674" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{taking a break to check out - something}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUPTmpYy_1eLsLFHaSm27MZG-1TnTSC6FjgVhjX7oCDPk05ATWJBe-67XwpnBQDCUdXZJ2Y56m67o-YGuPpz4N04r91idSk25WCQZksslwqp4fxiCVlf18E3UzgNzlLQyJSf4PFcoBku2/s1600/josie4-7.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUPTmpYy_1eLsLFHaSm27MZG-1TnTSC6FjgVhjX7oCDPk05ATWJBe-67XwpnBQDCUdXZJ2Y56m67o-YGuPpz4N04r91idSk25WCQZksslwqp4fxiCVlf18E3UzgNzlLQyJSf4PFcoBku2/s400/josie4-7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548051777503669682" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{she's entranced again by something, lol}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CA4FRzOmQJkyoYi8LylcRU5GkV5UM5va7zhqhDln1sEnq881HKZOa4kKh1SjRVGs-fIv4kd0s2jQTjFm7MtSrmsPLaPRx9cwlqZViteH01haEbQUaxymkOdepOJxzRTbFunW4XkRUpsL/s1600/josie4-8.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CA4FRzOmQJkyoYi8LylcRU5GkV5UM5va7zhqhDln1sEnq881HKZOa4kKh1SjRVGs-fIv4kd0s2jQTjFm7MtSrmsPLaPRx9cwlqZViteH01haEbQUaxymkOdepOJxzRTbFunW4XkRUpsL/s400/josie4-8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548052314552489842" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{pouty lips}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlm6z7HmGpTiUKDzM2S4tTzC1KINdqik7dArJFYj6RkQf9PfB366SN1HNSQS-hrctBMi2NApGevK4g6yHz-UqVlykUfVPapxg5BAVklz5NYWzTY6V9nmclsRWywtmtztgiWGypAsbdNUX/s1600/josie4-9.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlm6z7HmGpTiUKDzM2S4tTzC1KINdqik7dArJFYj6RkQf9PfB366SN1HNSQS-hrctBMi2NApGevK4g6yHz-UqVlykUfVPapxg5BAVklz5NYWzTY6V9nmclsRWywtmtztgiWGypAsbdNUX/s400/josie4-9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548053087612630914" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{different pouty lips - still just as adorable!}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbt8-1nj2Z018I3cRl15VD-nuvOIeySynvH4zboJTMvnfNgBpGko8p9z32E_stVWm1GPpx2sNBFDpeKGXQHOOEhRgnWMQSwCiOTGsXt82PxVz8tV3_CRk2k2iUX36_UOOAQrRYOBi5dWY/s1600/josie4-10.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbt8-1nj2Z018I3cRl15VD-nuvOIeySynvH4zboJTMvnfNgBpGko8p9z32E_stVWm1GPpx2sNBFDpeKGXQHOOEhRgnWMQSwCiOTGsXt82PxVz8tV3_CRk2k2iUX36_UOOAQrRYOBi5dWY/s400/josie4-10.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548053775835033858" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{another frontrunner}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthZbJsrklUkjOjeXb2lxb9Ei5xKmi13CaIKWGMK5cwFT6z5v2yJOmHgsZwrqGfUPbelaLA0-BnfSUqOSg_MwgzLlf9mI6I0J9qk4THnEWR6_i_VXJUf2czIuM2RZaJ7hPUZkDepTc9jjL/s1600/josie4-11.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthZbJsrklUkjOjeXb2lxb9Ei5xKmi13CaIKWGMK5cwFT6z5v2yJOmHgsZwrqGfUPbelaLA0-BnfSUqOSg_MwgzLlf9mI6I0J9qk4THnEWR6_i_VXJUf2czIuM2RZaJ7hPUZkDepTc9jjL/s400/josie4-11.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548054295096660018" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{*another* frontrunner, lol}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihngKzn6r9gklcW3_3c-tz05VTcPaGo7QcU_e7sSMY7jHxoCtHMF5sEHSFEo7JnSk8zsidRbISJekLRIwm5aWIYXrTrJhw_cpCs4wGK6Htd2OiVRpIfikXWAru4Szao6C5AR0SiWkDHm9-/s1600/josie4-12.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihngKzn6r9gklcW3_3c-tz05VTcPaGo7QcU_e7sSMY7jHxoCtHMF5sEHSFEo7JnSk8zsidRbISJekLRIwm5aWIYXrTrJhw_cpCs4wGK6Htd2OiVRpIfikXWAru4Szao6C5AR0SiWkDHm9-/s400/josie4-12.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548054878166532834" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{hmm, should I keep the ears?}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAEk5SPuX2it_MFwklV5h-hE6_kqIsv9DIGpeNXM2zz_TniqIM7kOL9acjYTXa07egbzKVYmkfq3k7_1fyeVYP2_Q8ULM7ZvQO-uE5SCfCWF2MfDtlPn4dF-JJU5YBhqiXkzqKM-px_6p/s1600/josie4-13.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAEk5SPuX2it_MFwklV5h-hE6_kqIsv9DIGpeNXM2zz_TniqIM7kOL9acjYTXa07egbzKVYmkfq3k7_1fyeVYP2_Q8ULM7ZvQO-uE5SCfCWF2MfDtlPn4dF-JJU5YBhqiXkzqKM-px_6p/s400/josie4-13.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548055410196408018" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{I'm digging the ears!}</span></b></i></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-29263932244225562362010-12-05T17:13:00.004-06:002010-12-05T17:33:04.138-06:00Necessity is the mother of invention...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6TkGA7IkGDHo_1kQGevWdUNLwXhUY5n0P_KMWyuWc2gmiUqKS4QdYIHWPRamHB5lwrfizm-CPf62u-36he_jocMRTqP30j-zKb9rcV4XCGKaBirO8WwWSpj5gFv7HiG03Fiqq_xaJ8Ws/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6TkGA7IkGDHo_1kQGevWdUNLwXhUY5n0P_KMWyuWc2gmiUqKS4QdYIHWPRamHB5lwrfizm-CPf62u-36he_jocMRTqP30j-zKb9rcV4XCGKaBirO8WwWSpj5gFv7HiG03Fiqq_xaJ8Ws/s400/IMG_0011.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547341335785430066" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{yup...we can actually *eat* our Advent 'wreath' this year}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>...or so they say. I'm not sure who 'they' are, but 'they' always seem to have things figured out when my own feeble brain fails. <div><br /></div><div>What do cupcake liners, toilet paper holders, construction paper, tape, tea lights and jelly bellies have in common? Read on to find out...</div><div><br /></div><div>My pursuit for new Advent candles began earlier this week. First I lacked the motivation, then when I found some {yesterday} I couldn't find any purple candles at Hobby Lobby. To tell you how bad it was, I couldn't even find *enough* 'purplish' or 'pinkish' scented candles to use as a makeshift for our wreath. This year we have incorporated the Advent candles into our dinnertime routine. I heard someone say how neat it was to add it at dinnertime because the first week, the light is scant. With each progressive week, the light gets stronger and brighter - symbolic as we prepare the way for the birth of the Christ Child. So our old candles weren't going to last this season lest we torch the wreath as the candle burned down. The hunt began for replacement candles.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today after church, I took the girls with me to Gardenridge for what I was absolutely 100% convinced was a quick, run in and grab some candles and go, experience. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Big fat negatory on that one, little buddy.</span></b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>They had ZERO colored taper candles, let alone the ones we needed. We scratched our heads and found scented small candles to buy, head to the checkout lane to discover that only one cashier was checking people out...and there were about fifteen people in front of us - honest to goodness! I weighed our options and we left the store, figuring we'd stop at the grocery store in one last attempt to get what we need.</div><div><br /></div><div>We walk in and discover they have purple tea lights, no pink - basically nothing we can use. We talked about melting down our purple crayons {of which we don't even have enough to cover three candles to begin with-AAARRRGH!} when I get some kind of crazy wild idea to buy purple and pink jelly bellies and find a way to make it work. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we got home, I got to work to find what we had around the house to make this work - after all, jelly bellies cost a fortune, especially when faced with the idea of having to restock the candles every day. ;) </div><div><br /></div><div>Considering the difficulty of locating the right candles, I'd say we did ok and even earned an 'A' for effort. And maybe an 'E' for eating pleasure. :)</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lUjDl9wHr3kBbHD5CQEhhV7egmR3Z77AbT0JWoJTb2gosrkbqIShhwVfeARkghtlDjD4T1kfETxdfZpICZ5b7TPz8-EwwgORlqQCWzmWAd7RMrK4SV3yyYrY7CM09C2tZq97Xcngrcfs/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lUjDl9wHr3kBbHD5CQEhhV7egmR3Z77AbT0JWoJTb2gosrkbqIShhwVfeARkghtlDjD4T1kfETxdfZpICZ5b7TPz8-EwwgORlqQCWzmWAd7RMrK4SV3yyYrY7CM09C2tZq97Xcngrcfs/s400/IMG_0016.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547341340756225778" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 294px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{you can see how 'makeshift' it really was - desperation or ingenuity - I'll let you decide}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8i1a7olBw9ZByAqft4ji8p3Tybis-Vypp1Xc1faGyaGtxgVBjLMjSm6YtdXr8AN5LVuXnSQ5ZbHDGbEbnjdGsuxJuQxwcXWPArb1zikPvGJOnP0QYzzPAuIQ4fjX8Qms6W5vgs0nFqr1/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8i1a7olBw9ZByAqft4ji8p3Tybis-Vypp1Xc1faGyaGtxgVBjLMjSm6YtdXr8AN5LVuXnSQ5ZbHDGbEbnjdGsuxJuQxwcXWPArb1zikPvGJOnP0QYzzPAuIQ4fjX8Qms6W5vgs0nFqr1/s400/IMG_0019.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547341346118051938" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{jelly belly brand jelly beans - when no other jelly beans will make your Advent wreath perfect}</span></b></i></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-45897866703612095352010-12-01T20:08:00.003-06:002010-12-01T20:24:40.097-06:00The Intrigue of Advent<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tvqH4jIFzPEU3bt5HRwGciTzJfXtgmKY_DZZDq43-nh_Ei7zrqGnHJPZpnmSBYTi_PL5pujMJh5UmO16uTXqkrEeUDSH0p9jC07w4GbWYZ4ej2ZtVcCiOQ3mvVf7WIl3TVvehr_giyc2/s1600/IMG_0577.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tvqH4jIFzPEU3bt5HRwGciTzJfXtgmKY_DZZDq43-nh_Ei7zrqGnHJPZpnmSBYTi_PL5pujMJh5UmO16uTXqkrEeUDSH0p9jC07w4GbWYZ4ej2ZtVcCiOQ3mvVf7WIl3TVvehr_giyc2/s400/IMG_0577.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545904819404580866" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Blessed Advent, everyone!</span></span></b></i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For whatever reason, this year I decided to make a bigger effort to get all my shopping done prior to the start of Advent, which was this past Sunday, November 28. Normally I don't enjoy going to stores in, oh...September and seeing all the Christmas decor up at the same time as Halloween and Thanksgiving, but it doesn't bother me at all from the standpoint that I can get my shopping done early and focus on the pathway to Christmas, Advent. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We have made some strides in the 'making our own traditions' dept. over the years, but this year I wanted to pick up a few more that will make the season more memorable for the children. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In years past we have done the Advent wreath, complete with stories each Sunday and daily devotionals for each evening prayers. This year, we have added a couple of stellar ideas that friends have shared. The first is from a website of a local friend, Jen from <a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Conversion Diary</span></a>. Someone submitted an idea of collecting all Christmas/Advent books from around the house and wrapping them in tissue paper. Each evening the kids get to pick out a "new to them" book they haven't read in a while. This appeals to my pragmatic side because it means the books will be put away after the Christmas season is over and will make their appearance next year rather than sort of being shuffled in with our existing library for the kids. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The second idea is one that focuses more on a daily examination of conscience with a twist. The kids are asked to think of kind things they've done for each other, for Mom and Dad, acts of obedience and sufferings they can offer up for baby Jesus. Each evening, from youngest to oldest, they say what they've done to earn a piece of straw for each good deed or suffering or some other offering for the Christ Child. They take the straw and put it in the homemade manger we made. The idea is that by the time Christmas gets here, Baby Jesus has a nice soft bed made of our offerings and sufferings. </div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-66955160951319016922010-11-24T21:26:00.016-06:002010-11-24T22:36:18.654-06:00Happy Birthday, Drew!!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lYpmSIGfQJfXN_Vmg8eJzz51DwWAs2mAFq_fQobilrpPdkm0JC5NGh379wb8py6Hq53zLceNpZj_HrUYwGcZhpDbBtL1DTfPKve-99K0QqBvnmIgVw8CL0yNp_ZAVKh7xV393UXV-ggc/s1600/IMG_0522.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lYpmSIGfQJfXN_Vmg8eJzz51DwWAs2mAFq_fQobilrpPdkm0JC5NGh379wb8py6Hq53zLceNpZj_HrUYwGcZhpDbBtL1DTfPKve-99K0QqBvnmIgVw8CL0yNp_ZAVKh7xV393UXV-ggc/s400/IMG_0522.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543332273164907170" /></a></div><br />I always feel compelled to regale the story of Drew's birth year after year. It's lucky I don't look back and think of it as some overly dramatic/traumatic event that scarred me, leaving me never wanting more children - obviously that wasn't the case or we wouldn't have Josie; but, it does make me think about how good God helps us navigate those traumatic moments in our lives. At different points through the day, I thought about his birth and, in particular, the parts that were genuinely scary. The umbilical cord around his neck was a pretty big one, but even in the moment I didn't panic. I just acted on instinct and got the job done. The other scary moment was more for Neil than me. It was when he didn't know if Drew was breathing and called 911. I knew he was breathing because he was under my jacket and I could hear his short, quickened breaths. <div><br /></div><div>He's come a long way and today was a low-key birthday for him. With Thanksgiving tomorrow and a pre-birthday celebration with cousins this past weekend, we opted for a brownie cake {at his insistence instead of an actual birthday cake} which he helped me make, an obstacle course that the older kids designed for him and a collection of 3s that the kids taped all over the house. He had a blast running around the house looking for all of the 3s and Jonathan had fun taping them in unique places. Here are a few pictures from his birthday for you to enjoy. :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlK_QgL9EWB6AMcymoaUygpUmTMkaXp8IKbxdvsA93cUww0W_WsHXdoT9CiNVeJjvf_LUXBNFS8NSEaGzFtorFRLvDxYplqqj8vjkl-IADkstQcqOc5c7Dadf2AbmdqbGL1eciIbfNseT/s1600/IMG_0497.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlK_QgL9EWB6AMcymoaUygpUmTMkaXp8IKbxdvsA93cUww0W_WsHXdoT9CiNVeJjvf_LUXBNFS8NSEaGzFtorFRLvDxYplqqj8vjkl-IADkstQcqOc5c7Dadf2AbmdqbGL1eciIbfNseT/s400/IMG_0497.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543328488631938354" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{Drew and Jonathan set up for dominos}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvfY8TyO_H4YzMF4xkd-Jap1912XPw1p_eyPExnFd0AN9tzYBaRFfwmDgvlLt1XRdnshbILVCrBHd-CXYP1Da8tpgMQak9bwQzhtD-P3xJQJjTVKeVXKI3YyMvgDes-Uawn9iC6woF3r1/s1600/IMG_0506.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvfY8TyO_H4YzMF4xkd-Jap1912XPw1p_eyPExnFd0AN9tzYBaRFfwmDgvlLt1XRdnshbILVCrBHd-CXYP1Da8tpgMQak9bwQzhtD-P3xJQJjTVKeVXKI3YyMvgDes-Uawn9iC6woF3r1/s400/IMG_0506.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543328971467722914" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{not the game, though...}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Y-ZqVC4c-AWv_UUG6C4_9Aax6H7mPJz0gKRY5Gvnke8euX5XNffn_nt6L23mY3VE8iSMGobeeg6MJIM49Yii4xaEYEXpGHDjMX8BjdoLOfT3gaaUm-rtn32yV_jAcnE3Yuadkl0Lanze/s1600/IMG_0510.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Y-ZqVC4c-AWv_UUG6C4_9Aax6H7mPJz0gKRY5Gvnke8euX5XNffn_nt6L23mY3VE8iSMGobeeg6MJIM49Yii4xaEYEXpGHDjMX8BjdoLOfT3gaaUm-rtn32yV_jAcnE3Yuadkl0Lanze/s400/IMG_0510.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543330244108589106" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{this was pretty much how Drew's day went - uncooperative and refusing to turn 3!}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufD8Hb1s-UACi-HjQnoDviqsjGlRGb_ciJV2PafH2E3tgodlLHGxMBBkt7x0xmeUadi0EQLRYhY121XtX3VfjIjGklC-Ti2nmRA7eD2dJD3AR1tDmDFDbW5P2II_ta9u7d74cDIiDiIKP/s1600/IMG_0512.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufD8Hb1s-UACi-HjQnoDviqsjGlRGb_ciJV2PafH2E3tgodlLHGxMBBkt7x0xmeUadi0EQLRYhY121XtX3VfjIjGklC-Ti2nmRA7eD2dJD3AR1tDmDFDbW5P2II_ta9u7d74cDIiDiIKP/s400/IMG_0512.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543331112274912754" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{one of the few pics where he cooperated - unfortunately, it didn't last long enough!}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCyqZMIf_1XTUmYOAO6ZG-tSvYwbyHUYiAtuLqExa2T4EzJVNHfjx2qGtsFsL7HzcZLeBBpDzAFKC481aqqyzvaEQrxa26uu5SEx_ajtO_Pb0SfOfqXmKbLWrQoeWSGmJhKAzDHBAwaZz/s1600/IMG_0514.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCyqZMIf_1XTUmYOAO6ZG-tSvYwbyHUYiAtuLqExa2T4EzJVNHfjx2qGtsFsL7HzcZLeBBpDzAFKC481aqqyzvaEQrxa26uu5SEx_ajtO_Pb0SfOfqXmKbLWrQoeWSGmJhKAzDHBAwaZz/s400/IMG_0514.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543331550440952818" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{our home made place mat for Drew's birthday}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhap8lThXZWmpZhAmtRiljGMJSFdP0oL0S_N0P4AYE1QzHGAMhAXxPVZx9WUuVYiE0C8JvxF9qtRfUHmkPOFaYFsBLGeAs5WnRxWkeDnwUnGAxT5AM59AYmU1l_wNzWCNGEt-ojxVWwR4AK/s1600/IMG_0527.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhap8lThXZWmpZhAmtRiljGMJSFdP0oL0S_N0P4AYE1QzHGAMhAXxPVZx9WUuVYiE0C8JvxF9qtRfUHmkPOFaYFsBLGeAs5WnRxWkeDnwUnGAxT5AM59AYmU1l_wNzWCNGEt-ojxVWwR4AK/s400/IMG_0527.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543333184475546370" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{Josie enjoys some Bumbo time while we eat dinner}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9cEsI_OY5cN_H07OdmwKhJAMna7NrvpWgMC0oGjMpwVoRUdxH_0AYlRTD_NYevPNkpLWFup_dz5L2nRWijwJjCmbFWuzSA0sBUN1CYfsefIH0vFXQPl6a48OVhXR0t3APU9YbkGTsMQE/s1600/IMG_0533.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9cEsI_OY5cN_H07OdmwKhJAMna7NrvpWgMC0oGjMpwVoRUdxH_0AYlRTD_NYevPNkpLWFup_dz5L2nRWijwJjCmbFWuzSA0sBUN1CYfsefIH0vFXQPl6a48OVhXR0t3APU9YbkGTsMQE/s400/IMG_0533.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543333743830881938" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{Drew's brownie cake that he helped me make}</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYpJbBCObOdmUYDDfRDKYNlwCy3rmYbrTMOGFESd72Bkcs278led9sGQOlfArc3z_K0DXqe21VgFjNKOcRxYA2CKLPr329D7Shgj_4X1YAp3WeqgQI_1gRtFsdtbabDLSb970rRUpd7Nh/s1600/IMG_0541.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYpJbBCObOdmUYDDfRDKYNlwCy3rmYbrTMOGFESd72Bkcs278led9sGQOlfArc3z_K0DXqe21VgFjNKOcRxYA2CKLPr329D7Shgj_4X1YAp3WeqgQI_1gRtFsdtbabDLSb970rRUpd7Nh/s400/IMG_0541.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543334541649850418" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{Drew got a football! It was perfect considering he loves to throw the ball all day!}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMrYwBrvsvluEjyxeHEEzvCq9pR62lVK1Avr6ya47anTcOJPtyFcFVFEQR_jjL7PJFLpgn5AHBHGEAQyFmEwIaGD9OzcmRowJp8ib7Wa9kg4-v7PqPk3TP12RQyKu5GV97RZ0q7wB0CMi/s1600/IMG_0548.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMrYwBrvsvluEjyxeHEEzvCq9pR62lVK1Avr6ya47anTcOJPtyFcFVFEQR_jjL7PJFLpgn5AHBHGEAQyFmEwIaGD9OzcmRowJp8ib7Wa9kg4-v7PqPk3TP12RQyKu5GV97RZ0q7wB0CMi/s400/IMG_0548.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543335096911476210" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{does this mean we have to get him a car now??}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQH9NE3xwdJUWsjX8-ENDvLW0XjTXQUhmzlu72HnArfDgT7GqKzGlTr5MZKJLI1GjKkf6g8s21jhve6_CS41NcXHRqOYqIeQbXMwq3S16mB01pYXwJD15oMMNyAMKOKz2NQXzp-vF2UypL/s1600/IMG_0557.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQH9NE3xwdJUWsjX8-ENDvLW0XjTXQUhmzlu72HnArfDgT7GqKzGlTr5MZKJLI1GjKkf6g8s21jhve6_CS41NcXHRqOYqIeQbXMwq3S16mB01pYXwJD15oMMNyAMKOKz2NQXzp-vF2UypL/s400/IMG_0557.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543335524687971506" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{I'm noticing a theme here, Gramma and Paka!}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqppmkH89OtpnJEH8fB35dSF09WMES_XK9NspYyjVwmapQCxNik_6MbE02FBtXqvpVRhtNkwmdxC6rAMj8Gv6vicIYXmDORoTUMPkioQYwfG7JEGt4NvzsqoVFTufLVSBryPEM8lsG1ZFP/s1600/IMG_0561.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqppmkH89OtpnJEH8fB35dSF09WMES_XK9NspYyjVwmapQCxNik_6MbE02FBtXqvpVRhtNkwmdxC6rAMj8Gv6vicIYXmDORoTUMPkioQYwfG7JEGt4NvzsqoVFTufLVSBryPEM8lsG1ZFP/s400/IMG_0561.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543336106758546194" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{Josie - just hangin' around upside down with Daddy}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSToRoUnzmisYhRCiJ2D_s5ZClXCVPN2lxEYWOyCSXbziO20Q5W8kK_i1M1BRf39l1lZ_EayKQUKIpnrnMccXvNTsTVoPmXk65wQYOEMcffzXB77NAuYALrjmS0HWPkuTqc8T902WaDj_C/s1600/IMG_0573.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSToRoUnzmisYhRCiJ2D_s5ZClXCVPN2lxEYWOyCSXbziO20Q5W8kK_i1M1BRf39l1lZ_EayKQUKIpnrnMccXvNTsTVoPmXk65wQYOEMcffzXB77NAuYALrjmS0HWPkuTqc8T902WaDj_C/s400/IMG_0573.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543336740099314882" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>{Drew loves his new movie!}</b></span></i></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-76487445559857417892010-11-22T15:19:00.003-06:002010-11-22T15:34:19.554-06:00A lesson in civic dutyOn election day, the kids had an opportunity to witness a wonderful right afforded to all American citizens aged 18 and over. We are fortunate, in that our precinct is across the street from us at one of the local schools. I took Jonathan with me so he could see how our voting system works. I prepped him ahead of time, showed him a list of candidates I would be voting on, discussed what fuels our choices and how important this role is as Americans. I also informed him of proper etiquette while he waited for me to fill out the ballot and reminded him gently not to pepper me with his usual zealous eleventy billion questions such as, 'who are you voting for, MOM?', 'who do you think THEY'RE voting for, MOM?', 'I think everyone should vote for a pro-life person, MOM!' - you get the idea, lol. <div><br /></div><div>This is a huge check in the "plus" column of homeschooling. Any time I've taken the kids with me to vote, they have been too young to understand or the older ones were in school and didn't get to witness it. This time, Jonathan got to help me place the ballot in the box and he took an 'I voted' sticker to put on his shirt.</div><div><br /></div><div>When Neil got home, he headed over to the precinct taking Jonathan and Paige with him this time. Ashley opted out only b/c of laundry in the dryer. </div><div><br /></div><div>Without being prompted, the kids went upstairs and made their own ballots and played 'Election Day'. Here are a couple of the "ballets" that Jonathan came up with. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.8333px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBH6okZj2ZzC8mGQmY9jEvKsIzl9LSu-TtKJ_K-RTc2kDw1n9EsBmQgn9Rg0pK0SmpdsqedvmrRs_Yt4lCO3SvSMyWpL2bQT6gCrrzMbd_YfVad2g0lvnUZvRp7oF1gBSpN9nkC5qxRQSJ/s1600/voting+ballet2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBH6okZj2ZzC8mGQmY9jEvKsIzl9LSu-TtKJ_K-RTc2kDw1n9EsBmQgn9Rg0pK0SmpdsqedvmrRs_Yt4lCO3SvSMyWpL2bQT6gCrrzMbd_YfVad2g0lvnUZvRp7oF1gBSpN9nkC5qxRQSJ/s400/voting+ballet2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542489407296842114" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div><br /></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-83021649187290843012010-11-12T20:17:00.022-06:002010-11-13T08:01:25.688-06:00The Comedy of Baptism<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.6px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzc6v8RIP1jVt9bQ-eXLj7rKjYfg8skE9ZM0CNXexUH66HLobuKodc7OPoPBrsYtZDoIOc5xcPGlGKs_tf70g_iTFGa7RylCUC8ct7VwydJew-PilWMSkUjeqdOhHqbMhgdCbL4M8G4D2F/s1600/gown.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzc6v8RIP1jVt9bQ-eXLj7rKjYfg8skE9ZM0CNXexUH66HLobuKodc7OPoPBrsYtZDoIOc5xcPGlGKs_tf70g_iTFGa7RylCUC8ct7VwydJew-PilWMSkUjeqdOhHqbMhgdCbL4M8G4D2F/s400/gown.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539023276456382114" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{My own baptism gown - and now, all three girls have been baptized in it as well}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.6px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC55BBU6_hcRGGBjJAczMQOFkvM3szLXED89J95Y583GI2yFiDm8_Tz77N6qEIIV0SF-bYR_fJ3J51u05JQLyfJ3TJBMu-o7pwTaljj3SuFLG5lUSYIPXnCbMdrD4YktH1A9jttQmtT7Aw/s1600/josie+3+bw.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC55BBU6_hcRGGBjJAczMQOFkvM3szLXED89J95Y583GI2yFiDm8_Tz77N6qEIIV0SF-bYR_fJ3J51u05JQLyfJ3TJBMu-o7pwTaljj3SuFLG5lUSYIPXnCbMdrD4YktH1A9jttQmtT7Aw/s400/josie+3+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538862412228753522" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV39zfx21UsLeoFiDw45RNTGJz_EkmLjwtTLrwVb3mg2oFOzS_fqI7x0B9kiWjcSMlft4IkDdF4sd6N1Ur6T4K8vjWzWwgrBniVCDc6L05UIChY22hL0V6EwYSIyDYvTAe0pmtBnKEMCrT/s1600/josie+bw.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV39zfx21UsLeoFiDw45RNTGJz_EkmLjwtTLrwVb3mg2oFOzS_fqI7x0B9kiWjcSMlft4IkDdF4sd6N1Ur6T4K8vjWzWwgrBniVCDc6L05UIChY22hL0V6EwYSIyDYvTAe0pmtBnKEMCrT/s400/josie+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539028527419345266" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><b>{she slept the entire time}</b></i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;">Although the title of this post is a bit misleading, the story of Josie's Baptism quite literally lasts for eleven weeks.</div></span><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOzNrJm3J1a7gT33uzHgU8ZiFDd-r2wArPCwg3zBmD4r-J5buUo9p1G-JUM2dumBMqYkqTTzO279iA2QyZjKDuHHFst4wUJPnw1fKqSy3cHFTvtF1rsfl05hRft8KkPhjobAlnkwCfLCV/s1600/parents+%252B+godparents+v1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOzNrJm3J1a7gT33uzHgU8ZiFDd-r2wArPCwg3zBmD4r-J5buUo9p1G-JUM2dumBMqYkqTTzO279iA2QyZjKDuHHFst4wUJPnw1fKqSy3cHFTvtF1rsfl05hRft8KkPhjobAlnkwCfLCV/s400/parents+%252B+godparents+v1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538864301791033090" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>{our friends, the Spies, were kind enough to be our proxy godparents for the blessed event}</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">With each child, I have found an increasing desire to have our tiny babes baptized as soon as reasonably possible. After all, there really is no good reason to deny them the graces that God so earnestly wants all His children to have. And so, having spent the past two years working within the parish in various ministries and programs, I wanted to make sure that we had a clear path to Josie's official welcome into God's family. Before she was born, her godparents were chosen and all paperwork was filed. This allowed us to focus on the beauty of the sacrament. The final installment in the baptism process was figuring out the 'party' angle of it; the reception. After much deliberation we decided that the importance of the sacrament outweighed the party angle considering it would take longer to plan due to invites, location, food, etc.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We had the devil knocked out of her on August 28.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWWXDdZ49h7lTqIFpKwoxkCMWkHYNkY3INJY66NLQhhuP6HDORcAGFHNpePCa3Zag5oJtxMFOoenFOq4lMQWioHkdxhp597bofgw3TfuQiPY-PekAusBKvjeAmSzAYSDi6MNAqh4Yi0o7/s1600/ashley+josie+bw.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWWXDdZ49h7lTqIFpKwoxkCMWkHYNkY3INJY66NLQhhuP6HDORcAGFHNpePCa3Zag5oJtxMFOoenFOq4lMQWioHkdxhp597bofgw3TfuQiPY-PekAusBKvjeAmSzAYSDi6MNAqh4Yi0o7/s400/ashley+josie+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538864535507677218" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>{Ashley and baby sister sharing a tender moment}</i></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">That's where the story gets interesting.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbcY-8kaCW-ybPnCw5-nFDV8Cc8UKZs9zUaIyLGN3dCBKUVn1ZORE9PrSUrNWwB6DOk020X-OCID5NexIy2h-kN95Kg292PshGGamk4Xr0IBcnBeLY8-OlNic5_l80zXmHh45KnU21_gzk/s1600/friends.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbcY-8kaCW-ybPnCw5-nFDV8Cc8UKZs9zUaIyLGN3dCBKUVn1ZORE9PrSUrNWwB6DOk020X-OCID5NexIy2h-kN95Kg292PshGGamk4Xr0IBcnBeLY8-OlNic5_l80zXmHh45KnU21_gzk/s400/friends.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538864801740396818" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{family friend, Amy, and Jonathan with Josie}</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Let me back up just a tad and explain this relationship. Brittany is a friend I met through a group that Ashley used to participate in, Challenge. I don't remember her role at the time, but we met a couple of times at {for lack of a better word} "executive board" meeting for this group. I found out through friendly chat that she had a passion for photography too. Nothing draws me like a moth to the light than photography or my kids or my Faith. We compared notes on equipment and talked about actions among other things. I always lament the fact that when family events come up, I'm typically behind the camera which, don't get me wrong, I love for the most part. But once in a while, momma needs to get in a coupla frames, ya dig? ;)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYecerS9na_BHDyR-x9F2-Y0jt094BBW8cBB39KFZbv-jSuscW8uG2xsgLRA-YPngJLea9Tg6YbYi4LSQbotIMtbYcza81qCUjvIt0qCubClkVutVP_WyLl6f1UUs9ZZop6QFNQORfXLt/s1600/drew+bw.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYecerS9na_BHDyR-x9F2-Y0jt094BBW8cBB39KFZbv-jSuscW8uG2xsgLRA-YPngJLea9Tg6YbYi4LSQbotIMtbYcza81qCUjvIt0qCubClkVutVP_WyLl6f1UUs9ZZop6QFNQORfXLt/s400/drew+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538863641018974210" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>{Andrew being his usual self at church - adorable with just a pinch of sneaky}</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So, we were chatting on FB one day and I mentioned when the baptism would be and Brittany most graciously offered to come photograph our blessed event.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRmYUQTQHaUxVGLGcVszuhTK0uJFhua3KDAadUNflFqdYS4ytDPdC8-LwyG5aSyY7JOB8i5ZBQydH0MV14MZHx0T16bJQrPtlBryWhGHx_zM1EgO-iANDMeWA-wFRqPTgi75rI7gGUmgm/s1600/godparents+2+v1.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRmYUQTQHaUxVGLGcVszuhTK0uJFhua3KDAadUNflFqdYS4ytDPdC8-LwyG5aSyY7JOB8i5ZBQydH0MV14MZHx0T16bJQrPtlBryWhGHx_zM1EgO-iANDMeWA-wFRqPTgi75rI7gGUmgm/s400/godparents+2+v1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538863937449813202" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A week or so passed and she posted the thumbnails on her website and sent me a picture to post on Facebook. I was so excited to see the pictures that I could hardly wait for the disc to arrive in the mail. Life happened and it took a while for the first disc to get mailed out. I was so excited to know it would arrive in the mail soon! The day it arrived I opened up the disc all ready to upload the pics and realized that it had not traveled well...at all. The disc was completely damaged. I had a disc mailer that I stamped and mailed via UPS - it did not arrive. We waited and waited for it to arrive and it never did.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64-lgg2TfGW65-PqxCMXiaN54ts7JHGDdvMWqclpUc_rFekE_MA1kikWB92gFLsvI4p06JTeS-_5SOk1MVLnXZfxYAh8q5_dXVzkahmQsK-CWfnnL00UhbhCKoFuw2C1rSBYoqufPwO4K/s1600/baby+feet+crop+v1.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64-lgg2TfGW65-PqxCMXiaN54ts7JHGDdvMWqclpUc_rFekE_MA1kikWB92gFLsvI4p06JTeS-_5SOk1MVLnXZfxYAh8q5_dXVzkahmQsK-CWfnnL00UhbhCKoFuw2C1rSBYoqufPwO4K/s400/baby+feet+crop+v1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538865115468875874" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It became a running joke.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPkVIylbT1I7eRQ3UI90jaT11RRJWnPHQRghFQniTC8DyR1GEevc62I3NW96nl8lcjcyhIhJavJvo6xS6tEfaqIxXLUQhg9KYE9AnUSp9-99WMg2DdsEm0g-7_6o1AXOV0CNihqCgH5eO/s1600/mom+%252B+dad+%252B+josie+2+v1.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPkVIylbT1I7eRQ3UI90jaT11RRJWnPHQRghFQniTC8DyR1GEevc62I3NW96nl8lcjcyhIhJavJvo6xS6tEfaqIxXLUQhg9KYE9AnUSp9-99WMg2DdsEm0g-7_6o1AXOV0CNihqCgH5eO/s400/mom+%252B+dad+%252B+josie+2+v1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538879354211844322" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This evening, in a surprise, Brittany was in town and stopped by to hand deliver the disc - complete with bubble wrap.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">!!!SQUEE!!!</span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbl6glPgKmdCJkuZ6Lu1-tX0SNEn-N0BkJWL-UkFZLRY5ayR9i4RVoStC4bB66il0-C3WHJn7XKQE_zUJWpbxZStL5UH_17KgapjUmws2WRWTHHQJWyFWtxpuxBCKsVrvad7IeMYM8N0X/s1600/josie+and+deacon.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbl6glPgKmdCJkuZ6Lu1-tX0SNEn-N0BkJWL-UkFZLRY5ayR9i4RVoStC4bB66il0-C3WHJn7XKQE_zUJWpbxZStL5UH_17KgapjUmws2WRWTHHQJWyFWtxpuxBCKsVrvad7IeMYM8N0X/s400/josie+and+deacon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538878887563988018" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>{Deacon Richard with Josie - of the six children baptized that day, she was the youngest}</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVORUC3DINZEVwb2x-sHgBAsdxVv31cY3z-jAdIA-jxuGGGKadEjOLXCxAPx1WWMIJrXqjuaauAVSWo14xO4idZ8s-n73Ed9KM_vtGhesKwsMynivmFffoaeI7o6LipEmcaPbhUV7yXQWU/s1600/water+2+bw.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVORUC3DINZEVwb2x-sHgBAsdxVv31cY3z-jAdIA-jxuGGGKadEjOLXCxAPx1WWMIJrXqjuaauAVSWo14xO4idZ8s-n73Ed9KM_vtGhesKwsMynivmFffoaeI7o6LipEmcaPbhUV7yXQWU/s400/water+2+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539024650048393314" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><b>{"I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"}</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Eleven weeks in the making and the pictures are finally and safely uploaded and ready for me to share.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIFTvZ4rrzHhWMuKRSYeNg-3IesJ2gmLWJr5RfdqeXnOWPX1B2v8ienbA5B1QEKwPMCt4PAUqbght5M8CX1jyDQhqOfLLn6pINvuk28VNUNqSTpr81TVyMI_MMMiryYfsOpCAH_Drbc0p/s1600/showing+josie+bw.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIFTvZ4rrzHhWMuKRSYeNg-3IesJ2gmLWJr5RfdqeXnOWPX1B2v8ienbA5B1QEKwPMCt4PAUqbght5M8CX1jyDQhqOfLLn6pINvuk28VNUNqSTpr81TVyMI_MMMiryYfsOpCAH_Drbc0p/s400/showing+josie+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539025466697209282" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{A very good friend, Theresa, who has become one of my many mentors of the Faith}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I want to send out a big THANK YOU to Brittany for her persistence when it seemed like this photo exchange would never happen. :)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_q5Vf1LduKEM4R5qhWOKrzz9tV38CyHmC_FQO7aGgfT67Q_yK-2V45XHHBZdmWs20A7XXbL94zwuITD81DgCqcgQD4pR2rTjlpA7oM3QuRw8AC7Oy16kth6IaoxinreYeg-g-mRAccbi/s1600/altar+1.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_q5Vf1LduKEM4R5qhWOKrzz9tV38CyHmC_FQO7aGgfT67Q_yK-2V45XHHBZdmWs20A7XXbL94zwuITD81DgCqcgQD4pR2rTjlpA7oM3QuRw8AC7Oy16kth6IaoxinreYeg-g-mRAccbi/s400/altar+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539026150775701810" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px; " /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixppcfDDAfjau0TyWg4frUMLAV_X3XvBPDobD1ztG1O78EJECRS24Sv4X2bDhn5Q_PD6xUwEWFkM65rAzMf-SSG5OzbDy690WKxq4XV2dcgMLbYZ6dJ0Tn0tY5qm19x1vN2YKbJFStA2OP/s1600/chrism+oil+bw.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixppcfDDAfjau0TyWg4frUMLAV_X3XvBPDobD1ztG1O78EJECRS24Sv4X2bDhn5Q_PD6xUwEWFkM65rAzMf-SSG5OzbDy690WKxq4XV2dcgMLbYZ6dJ0Tn0tY5qm19x1vN2YKbJFStA2OP/s400/chrism+oil+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539026725850921650" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_of_catechumens">oil of catachumens</a> is placed on her chest using the sign of the cross to anoint her}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnnIf2YQrHZerK8aTlOSXUNbuaHJqYq6Xt0guGDZR998JGDL9ZKl9Ams7faSrETXI5zNLHoCsjjzfPN-dt8gQzL-1XLyHVeDKu3BhrLhXvTjcFod_xJXbOJ8aznpL9V2C38O8j6KLkhEP/s1600/chrism+oil+2+bw.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnnIf2YQrHZerK8aTlOSXUNbuaHJqYq6Xt0guGDZR998JGDL9ZKl9Ams7faSrETXI5zNLHoCsjjzfPN-dt8gQzL-1XLyHVeDKu3BhrLhXvTjcFod_xJXbOJ8aznpL9V2C38O8j6KLkhEP/s400/chrism+oil+2+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539027181378799826" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{The </span></b></i><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03696b.htm"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">oil of chrism</span></b></i></a><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is placed on her forehead}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwUEAy8LUw_gbNiyyTCdnDIKp_bFQikkBwT-sk3CJ49GQ2Z-NvcLXcNTDOi4od-jhupdfKhejRJQEkZAn-ETxXb68oGXloAISh4__d9HsQxeeagv6X2uyKN1nZgL-iGu1QKnGBP0DIfDP/s1600/mom+dad+josie+3+bw.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwUEAy8LUw_gbNiyyTCdnDIKp_bFQikkBwT-sk3CJ49GQ2Z-NvcLXcNTDOi4od-jhupdfKhejRJQEkZAn-ETxXb68oGXloAISh4__d9HsQxeeagv6X2uyKN1nZgL-iGu1QKnGBP0DIfDP/s400/mom+dad+josie+3+bw.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539027595713710786" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-3227752466457315542010-11-07T14:35:00.011-06:002010-11-07T15:51:22.051-06:00Happy Chinese Birthday, Josie!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6sEIN1md4reaVtp4ZfhCWvQtFIOYeax8_xXi2QE-RG8I2NkQZitYbEwFCNZavNIe7mQannt74WhmN5bFBeWtl5vbDy8fPDImNQFg-1sTkhfCiLLkMILy6Hmx7pMPv0ZydKmIlYMokIPr/s1600/Unknown"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 34px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6sEIN1md4reaVtp4ZfhCWvQtFIOYeax8_xXi2QE-RG8I2NkQZitYbEwFCNZavNIe7mQannt74WhmN5bFBeWtl5vbDy8fPDImNQFg-1sTkhfCiLLkMILy6Hmx7pMPv0ZydKmIlYMokIPr/s400/Unknown" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536909978162809506" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666600;">{"Happy Birthday" in Chinese}</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Three short months ago, we welcomed our sweet Josie into the family. Ashley pointed out that the third month is also celebrated as a Chinese Birthday, so I thought it deserved extra special attention. Today, she showed us a little bit of her personality in her pictures. In the past month, Josie has started talking to us, including squeals of delight and coos. My personal favorite is the sneeze followed by a kind of forced 'coo'. She loves to smile, laugh and talk and she loves it when we do the same for her. <div><br /></div><div>One of the things that I've loved about having her most or, rather, enjoying that she's #5 is that there is almost never a shortage of hands to hold her. Everyone wants to lavish love on her! </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are a few pictures from her 'photo shoot' today. I couldn't decide which one I liked best, so I am posting a few different pictures. Maybe you can help me decide which is her best "three month" photo? I had Ashley help me out as my apprentice. The very first picture is one she took that I loved. I am prepping her to take over as 'family photographer.' :)</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvKRJw4Tl7ztH8gmuf4QT-C-de-44NKEIzTdx4DV3mBCPdVtMch7g6EOgEoDElKeV0YovmxkoPw1RA8e0yqevPrzBZs3NG0utH9a0l8gbxANRPXpEJTUqdtlFe1ZFjIN0PUYHqAgvB9Cs/s1600/josie3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvKRJw4Tl7ztH8gmuf4QT-C-de-44NKEIzTdx4DV3mBCPdVtMch7g6EOgEoDElKeV0YovmxkoPw1RA8e0yqevPrzBZs3NG0utH9a0l8gbxANRPXpEJTUqdtlFe1ZFjIN0PUYHqAgvB9Cs/s400/josie3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536920906785247090" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{Ashley's practice shot of Josie before the shoot}</span></i> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjbKVbm99y1fNqTUvF-zsh8zNhB9zIavmVe71S5cp0kp2QVM9ED5RxZN_dmPpUByZrKSPllqjAkdQqFLlaeE9LI7gkY2V3GlYvaECt7K4q38cd3LvdqYVAD6jIlFn3DTJMBk_B0oTGQ82/s1600/josie3-2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjbKVbm99y1fNqTUvF-zsh8zNhB9zIavmVe71S5cp0kp2QVM9ED5RxZN_dmPpUByZrKSPllqjAkdQqFLlaeE9LI7gkY2V3GlYvaECt7K4q38cd3LvdqYVAD6jIlFn3DTJMBk_B0oTGQ82/s400/josie3-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536918373547086338" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>{Ashley refers to her baby sis as her 'mini me', so here they are together - a rare treat for Ashley to let me photograph her these days!}</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisL46Mk8YKBoKbZncFaSSAC8RbpZyfjoey_Qd5cFTs4hg0Mho0aqcLZ4nZjsByu2ugQC2X7ShhqRBsKCc2bVsKFryHVLZg2GKZsopK9tDr_bkhQXeDOg9iaHHO-q8RI7k5FeaL2rxAQaB4/s1600/josie3-3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisL46Mk8YKBoKbZncFaSSAC8RbpZyfjoey_Qd5cFTs4hg0Mho0aqcLZ4nZjsByu2ugQC2X7ShhqRBsKCc2bVsKFryHVLZg2GKZsopK9tDr_bkhQXeDOg9iaHHO-q8RI7k5FeaL2rxAQaB4/s400/josie3-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536919309897147106" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{feel the love...and the slobber bubbles}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQz4p3nfpN3MW3Gt_Shq6rS0Jqbn_VnLaF1gs0v7NuZ_rGbfsOZBF9kh-yEo2Peia-qx2RwxVZ6lyErkPPVCskNjpqTSrzkO8pYnw5Qto9CrPOkDO8uB0z2_xjUkq_PZi4SfvZvoSX12Q/s1600/josie3-6.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQz4p3nfpN3MW3Gt_Shq6rS0Jqbn_VnLaF1gs0v7NuZ_rGbfsOZBF9kh-yEo2Peia-qx2RwxVZ6lyErkPPVCskNjpqTSrzkO8pYnw5Qto9CrPOkDO8uB0z2_xjUkq_PZi4SfvZvoSX12Q/s400/josie3-6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536921664789438978" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">{#1)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyGKqAp4n7k2mw5OR9i0z8QMvmT3yUmZU9MRie0YVte3yuxMNVGlAOmlo78rYCfuuRv4d6aXjv48ylTaIuUbeQ0z2XJXupT2DuUT_0AhS9TB8z4IA2KQkDPNAM2wIUQvS_CvUWYPWeQ8X/s1600/josie3-7.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyGKqAp4n7k2mw5OR9i0z8QMvmT3yUmZU9MRie0YVte3yuxMNVGlAOmlo78rYCfuuRv4d6aXjv48ylTaIuUbeQ0z2XJXupT2DuUT_0AhS9TB8z4IA2KQkDPNAM2wIUQvS_CvUWYPWeQ8X/s400/josie3-7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536922665213522978" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">{#2}</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXS7u3TpdgsaaJjwjVoOLKzU3sngU9fehJRTYFoVwGOn1suhbfMGavTniuFjYlwp4DTydzFujzqZWyeO4N4ufgD3gTkTnhbryOgcnyVFmUhNgkoIQrPKEoBn8ESQpH8QwSE4iCwTCZ-uHg/s1600/josie3-8.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXS7u3TpdgsaaJjwjVoOLKzU3sngU9fehJRTYFoVwGOn1suhbfMGavTniuFjYlwp4DTydzFujzqZWyeO4N4ufgD3gTkTnhbryOgcnyVFmUhNgkoIQrPKEoBn8ESQpH8QwSE4iCwTCZ-uHg/s400/josie3-8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536924301689345762" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">{#3}</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW38AY0n5-MxaNmavwf8VcnhCZPBsJn3qnwTQELwKz5rYeXPkuhyphenhyphenydhTT8oEfGq8I2qC4nQ74Uejx1R4ptqI5tXSRdbPOKgrWTYnr4WnVSeH1nSqXZICtCeq0HpzjhNWrnZN7HrbQ92S32/s1600/josie3-9.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW38AY0n5-MxaNmavwf8VcnhCZPBsJn3qnwTQELwKz5rYeXPkuhyphenhyphenydhTT8oEfGq8I2qC4nQ74Uejx1R4ptqI5tXSRdbPOKgrWTYnr4WnVSeH1nSqXZICtCeq0HpzjhNWrnZN7HrbQ92S32/s400/josie3-9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536925042790713506" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">{#4}</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.8333px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvwIZ1Vkbf0CS7hMW0kmZpUJUF_wV487HL_VOpqBkxUpTy20Td1q497Zmwz_VsjXIipnmbimDu8ZBWcNihgdqs2Gc8ikPIszqb3MzjRx7z4sCHb4m7wM2MFQWVzCHVH6ctsIrwTdVEph4/s1600/josie3-10.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvwIZ1Vkbf0CS7hMW0kmZpUJUF_wV487HL_VOpqBkxUpTy20Td1q497Zmwz_VsjXIipnmbimDu8ZBWcNihgdqs2Gc8ikPIszqb3MzjRx7z4sCHb4m7wM2MFQWVzCHVH6ctsIrwTdVEph4/s400/josie3-10.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536925688874041826" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">{#5}</div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-50282761816056934482010-11-06T12:20:00.010-05:002010-11-07T11:51:54.602-06:00The art of friendships and the faith<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHMk9SE6fu_tWn8_N46_zOGY1qK1GyDONK29S5D2ELvcMDRkYU6J0Z8qAM573XZNmdN2jTg-XKt1gFNol9xH5Nb-_dVKHGuB5gM_xt3D5ddNxMeVMuJf8v0t5bBtYH4c8XlsAKxPhuSP-/s1600/m175good-friends-are-like-stars-pos.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 393px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHMk9SE6fu_tWn8_N46_zOGY1qK1GyDONK29S5D2ELvcMDRkYU6J0Z8qAM573XZNmdN2jTg-XKt1gFNol9xH5Nb-_dVKHGuB5gM_xt3D5ddNxMeVMuJf8v0t5bBtYH4c8XlsAKxPhuSP-/s400/m175good-friends-are-like-stars-pos.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536494304833207618" /></a></div>This is a departure from the usual pic fest I do. This post is more about a revelation I've been going through and subsequently been thinking about in my daily life more. <div><br /></div><div>I remember as a kid we used to say, with genuine sincerity, who was our absolute number one best friend. There were first best friends, second best friends, third best...you get the idea. We also talked in 'like' vs. 'like like' vs. 'like like like' to describe our friendships. The world of Facebook sort of brings that childlike {and sometimes childish} behavior in full view. I guess I haven't thought about friendships in varying levels of commitment or like or whathaveyou in a very long time. And I also suppose, because I've spent {minus seven months after my 18th birthday} my entire adult life online and involved in various chat rooms, going back to the old AOL days, to the now ever-so-sophisticated forums where I spend the majority of my time debating, discussing and sharing my love of Catholicism, I've never considered online friends really any different than my IRL friends {in real life}. </div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't until very recently that I decided the two should mix. It was born out of a need that some IRL friends had identified. Catholic support among moms is difficult to come by, particularly for those of us who live in areas that struggle with orthodoxy, or the desire and yearning to live in accord with Church teaching. Catholicism, in and of itself, may well be the only institution in the world that it is deemed ok {and even accepted as a 'good'} to criticize, persecute, ridicule and essentially spew hatred towards. When there is some religious affliction presented, it is almost always pointed back to our Church {and no, I won't be diving into the divine and human natures of the bride of Christ in this particular post}, but knowing how the world treats what we hold most dear, it is no surprise that it is difficult for Catholic moms to find genuine support when the rest of the world would rather see us give into the secular demands of life. </div><div><br /></div><div>My online Catholic community has borne some of the strongest friendships I have. To date, I've only met one IRL and hope to meet more in the future. If I have questions about a particular topic, I almost always know who I can tap into for answers or advice, links to certain websites, or just to vent about the one-in-a-zillion daily struggles I have. Having spent all this time in my adult life online forging friendships and talking about the Faith {yes, I realize how nerdy this is!} in the past seven years, I've never really thought about how much moms might need that safe haven to talk about the Faith, right down to the lighter side of things. I don't think I could say I took it for granted, but maybe never thought about it all that much. I didn't realize how much of a need there was for it until I started to see Catholic blogging mommas talking about it.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Maybe it's time I start finding a way to converge the two in a way that brings even more Catholic moms together to be able to talk about things they may not be able to in their everyday life with the folks they know. </i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-78665967966050420492010-10-18T16:54:00.005-05:002010-10-18T17:34:53.933-05:00Baby blues<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUKWv1paHN-5CoeiZ_6E3Ze_aIe-__aGuW1hUSmVtqmIOJ7MVSV35G4N40eoArVYOVdOGqtga6NmvG3SoP7tHTJ0JCN0K4Oive7M30YoxRZPvnrKH6Iv9t4SLZCdUutf5g6WgFwwkPyiD/s1600/pepitabananas2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUKWv1paHN-5CoeiZ_6E3Ze_aIe-__aGuW1hUSmVtqmIOJ7MVSV35G4N40eoArVYOVdOGqtga6NmvG3SoP7tHTJ0JCN0K4Oive7M30YoxRZPvnrKH6Iv9t4SLZCdUutf5g6WgFwwkPyiD/s400/pepitabananas2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529513267264294786" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">look at those baby blues!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>When I came up with the title of this blog entry, it didn't cross my mind that it could be misconstrued for PPD {postpartum depression}. <div><br /></div><div>In the months since Miss Josie has joined us on the outside we have seen those beautiful baby blues of hers. Her eyes are quite striking. She has such a fair complexion coupled with those gorgeous blue eyes and her light brown hair that has an almost strawberry blonde look to it in certain light. </div><div><br /></div><div>Given that my blogging continues to be a challenge to stay on top of, I am going simple with this entry and give you some updated pictures of our newest little treasure. Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.8333px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2XWdjFYgkyYfVDPyzxt2fioHY5sETX9-j2Zo_G0tDnyQrYG9QG6spK_nQ1Dxw_8yiaUbqn3PB1x-KRFbjmp5iNOvG3VwiIdB-OATLJsdtuyAI3dzPGcZc-jFmYDTeAT2Zg4dq3CXviYX/s1600/IMG_0424.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2XWdjFYgkyYfVDPyzxt2fioHY5sETX9-j2Zo_G0tDnyQrYG9QG6spK_nQ1Dxw_8yiaUbqn3PB1x-KRFbjmp5iNOvG3VwiIdB-OATLJsdtuyAI3dzPGcZc-jFmYDTeAT2Zg4dq3CXviYX/s400/IMG_0424.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529514662943404914" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Josie at one month - 9.7.10</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.8333px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZIDHj5gD27cvKHaJ-APdilMGIamlm5Xx3obv08OmIv4Iz9XZWLxgSl2eoKy1FgdjrWnL7sdPzCWqsbAPKUUST4dYbQr_lbpvvsFKkElcBONnm751RrSAm973QrVskSfchgWL2hOerUPV/s1600/IMG_0005.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZIDHj5gD27cvKHaJ-APdilMGIamlm5Xx3obv08OmIv4Iz9XZWLxgSl2eoKy1FgdjrWnL7sdPzCWqsbAPKUUST4dYbQr_lbpvvsFKkElcBONnm751RrSAm973QrVskSfchgWL2hOerUPV/s400/IMG_0005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529514657113667026" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ashley had a little bit of fun with her and wanted to see if she fit into Build A Bear clothes, lol.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQqF7aSxnfd8ushAP9VHm_q4UCFDIGO2A4D4NdTewJ_roSEMbGQ4AJl99nt39j_083RzqcGtZ48EKrNaX_IMnSIWZIDjMk6Tyl4X2aBsE3sdZ3JZi8aIa2-YGlaLq8cNQ-3vjyS2QLRW1/s1600/pepitabananas3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQqF7aSxnfd8ushAP9VHm_q4UCFDIGO2A4D4NdTewJ_roSEMbGQ4AJl99nt39j_083RzqcGtZ48EKrNaX_IMnSIWZIDjMk6Tyl4X2aBsE3sdZ3JZi8aIa2-YGlaLq8cNQ-3vjyS2QLRW1/s400/pepitabananas3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529513276533583138" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRrbaOt3MnBMR7qQ7iwoXXdDVrAPsfUWymNivHC4ofDvQczMNEy2bmbG4P8bc_zuo9rsVnw2xgcDhXxSI6X-4R3jiMzT_7lnVLsk1OWZ_x5UzmoO9WqU2hbJFkty8YYSmFUenqTLTqTD6/s1600/pepitabananas1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRrbaOt3MnBMR7qQ7iwoXXdDVrAPsfUWymNivHC4ofDvQczMNEy2bmbG4P8bc_zuo9rsVnw2xgcDhXxSI6X-4R3jiMzT_7lnVLsk1OWZ_x5UzmoO9WqU2hbJFkty8YYSmFUenqTLTqTD6/s400/pepitabananas1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529513265049549538" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Josie at two months - 10.7.10</div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-61459825795681960202010-08-11T11:41:00.012-05:002010-08-12T13:46:15.740-05:00At least *this* one wasn't born in the car!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfNTPotN9yHl03TrnNXUt7S5JIIOtTlk1z9JLJMxiDILp75VicSAOWGDyUEhe50q0leOR_tW0fegIpdjrvHdB-pfRyCH248uQcCbeDuVSCDPNQXPd84bN2VJxBHb9QJqWZPon-sHbv3PW/s1600/IMG_0177.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfNTPotN9yHl03TrnNXUt7S5JIIOtTlk1z9JLJMxiDILp75VicSAOWGDyUEhe50q0leOR_tW0fegIpdjrvHdB-pfRyCH248uQcCbeDuVSCDPNQXPd84bN2VJxBHb9QJqWZPon-sHbv3PW/s400/IMG_0177.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504584936741109330" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">{Daddy playing "boop! I got your nose!" with Miss Josie}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.9722px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">*the truncated version and stats*</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We welcomed Miss Mary Josephine - "Josie" - on Saturday, August 7th, in a rather uneventful and boring manner compared to her brother, Drew, who was born in our car. I woke up to consistent and relatively uncomfortable contractions just after 1 a.m. Saturday morning. Not wanting to chance a repeat car delivery, we called the birthing center and headed in. Sadly, the contractions did not progress in scale and ultimately dissipated shortly after we arrived. Since we were scheduled to be 'induced' later that same morning, we stayed put and when Roswitha arrived at 8 a.m., we proceeded with the original plan. Josie was born at 12:40 p.m. and weighed 7lbs. 1oz. and was 19 1/4 inches long, the exact same stats as big sister, Paige. Due to a quick recovery were able to be home with the kiddos just after dinner time Saturday evening. All in all, it was textbook minus the false ctx earlier that morning. We are all thrilled to have our newest baby girl in our arms and the kids are absolutely enamored with her.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">*documentary length version*</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As I sit here, thinking of how best to document the labor and delivery of our sweet Miss Mary Josephine, the words that come to mind are 'boring' and 'uneventful'; at least when compared to the birth of our Andrew William, who was born in the parking lot of our local library, just literal minutes from the birthing center. If you have not read that story, click </span><a href="http://snipsnsnailsandpuppydogtails.blogspot.com/2008/01/million-dollar-question-everyone.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">HERE</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> to read the details.</span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhYoOTjUlN4K5bYa7mdhfpanCgzQ_oTy4MKLKiQe-BSm9OtI5KpdlD_JnSlUS5t8nFqMX1K_gCaNmVW15BdMIU-TxVIQVh3eZE0tF73hPx5mOwYvqVj4_DlLvHixkuHu_U7hlK3WuAx1Y/s1600/IMG_0186.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhYoOTjUlN4K5bYa7mdhfpanCgzQ_oTy4MKLKiQe-BSm9OtI5KpdlD_JnSlUS5t8nFqMX1K_gCaNmVW15BdMIU-TxVIQVh3eZE0tF73hPx5mOwYvqVj4_DlLvHixkuHu_U7hlK3WuAx1Y/s400/IMG_0186.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504584942897377410" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-wtTgKsGlt9tGg-LtfoGkRXvfdop9-WkObGLWS6hyphenhyphenTjHywv_MkhVLmg3eZnCHc-Igm_g2h2vlFBww4ebyronWJz3YfINcCyy_ef68Z-ilDoIdGH0lkLfHTDoBt2AvcRcRdBlv1leBKll/s1600/R&J.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-wtTgKsGlt9tGg-LtfoGkRXvfdop9-WkObGLWS6hyphenhyphenTjHywv_MkhVLmg3eZnCHc-Igm_g2h2vlFBww4ebyronWJz3YfINcCyy_ef68Z-ilDoIdGH0lkLfHTDoBt2AvcRcRdBlv1leBKll/s400/R&J.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589910258967858" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><b>{Roswitha and Josie}</b></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As you can imagine, many many scenarios and plans were put into place in anticipation of avoiding another car birth. Some may read this and think 'gee, with #5, you'd think she'd have a better idea of when she goes into labor to avoid that kind of drama' - and the hilarity of it all is that I would be in complete agreement with your thinking.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHwUhUOZIicznaGiC8ieI6SS1EVHzHOSWzzrPui5njEpEhOKMxKNFnC3gMi5eEGSCBvjjxhNh6sUgQC3JQnnHZOMt7HfwHiknk5RkbZJK4uK5qm-_vEkJFuN14PBA-Y1HLLbwkuvvDmcs/s1600/IMG_0211.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHwUhUOZIicznaGiC8ieI6SS1EVHzHOSWzzrPui5njEpEhOKMxKNFnC3gMi5eEGSCBvjjxhNh6sUgQC3JQnnHZOMt7HfwHiknk5RkbZJK4uK5qm-_vEkJFuN14PBA-Y1HLLbwkuvvDmcs/s400/IMG_0211.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504587236123185986" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{getting her footsie prints}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The trouble with this analysis from the outside is that there are several variables to consider, the first of which is that my first three pregnancies were induced at the hospital {read: a controlled environment, no guesswork, no muss, no fuss labors}. The second is that I had been induced with the first three prior to my EDD {estimated due date} for a variety of reasons. With my first, the doctor {I strongly believe wrongly} felt that my 5lb. 14oz. baby would be too big for me to delivery naturally if I went to my EDD, so rather than let me go to my May 4 due date, I delivered on April 25, or nine days early. With #2, I was induced again, this time due to complications from pre-eclampsia at 37.5 weeks. With #3, I was induced early because I had physically, mentally and emotionally hit a brick wall due to moving from our apartment to our new home just weeks before my due date. At 39 weeks, my doctor agreed to inducing - good thing b/c I was already at 6cm!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfQZnec9XrDx0kv5UyiEarf_xAv-0eTTUiDABKWHcwfIfrFeqlyyrDgfWkiL3W6ir0VqsTdDJnqqqMZJQo0hQpzRqmHYt9E9KVMD8cM8E1Ts9wOJmLjotvcwd-nb5-8Pdv09DitSveRaU/s1600/IMG_0206.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfQZnec9XrDx0kv5UyiEarf_xAv-0eTTUiDABKWHcwfIfrFeqlyyrDgfWkiL3W6ir0VqsTdDJnqqqMZJQo0hQpzRqmHYt9E9KVMD8cM8E1Ts9wOJmLjotvcwd-nb5-8Pdv09DitSveRaU/s400/IMG_0206.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504587226607876514" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{adjusting her little strawberry hat}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Then there was the delivery story of #4 - and the problem of not having gone into labor on my own prior to. Talk about a disadvantage of EPIC proportions!! He was born nine days early, or 38 weeks, 5 days - on his own timeline, no induction!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCW03ozWfIS7xIIG7MjrBYnkqRpQ0PzCs2iEvxf_z-3vQ5bJoACarxSRv4UOgjIA4Sv9kCUu46HQ2rBdqDB9F79erQN13EIkiTV3lLUmAqsO6wDXhh4SOShqgS_WBehfGhybhNU_A4YLM/s1600/IMG_0224.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCW03ozWfIS7xIIG7MjrBYnkqRpQ0PzCs2iEvxf_z-3vQ5bJoACarxSRv4UOgjIA4Sv9kCUu46HQ2rBdqDB9F79erQN13EIkiTV3lLUmAqsO6wDXhh4SOShqgS_WBehfGhybhNU_A4YLM/s400/IMG_0224.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504587242219177890" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{her first bath}</span></i></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The car birth set up the scenario for this boring and uneventful labor and delivery. Why? Well, the final variable in all the births prior to this past Saturday is that each labor has gotten progressively shorter and shorter. The proper terminology for quick labors is "precipitous labor". A precipitous labor is any labor that is shorter than three hours of active labor.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTVaGg1xJMZGRsZos4vHRxMxcL4J49UJpe3QWY1IWwPjddeuRksJJg8pwaklsO0jPoUwbdgdm_1e-yx1AbiR_j_aHmsMnIgIo1EMhigBz0es8VoJeVCEt1KuoXnQvqrSX-Yf1WRJ4nTky/s1600/babyJ.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTVaGg1xJMZGRsZos4vHRxMxcL4J49UJpe3QWY1IWwPjddeuRksJJg8pwaklsO0jPoUwbdgdm_1e-yx1AbiR_j_aHmsMnIgIo1EMhigBz0es8VoJeVCEt1KuoXnQvqrSX-Yf1WRJ4nTky/s400/babyJ.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589911860767122" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{all dolled up in her 'go home' outfit}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">#1 - 3.5 hours</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">#2 - 3 hours</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">#3 - 1.5 hours</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">#4 - less than one hour</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">#5 - ??</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3K0e9RLGs0CLbt-qnnYHYXbMW1n6ShgXa5dEJWBmcAD1WURkGc4-8mghVXDWNquDk_BEzEDh0j1QEytNlMVBVPVzxg7CfJXRsRh8XOLD_myRfWbeQ0i7_eh9ZZFo4nQRa6gQckxZFZkOX/s1600/M&J2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3K0e9RLGs0CLbt-qnnYHYXbMW1n6ShgXa5dEJWBmcAD1WURkGc4-8mghVXDWNquDk_BEzEDh0j1QEytNlMVBVPVzxg7CfJXRsRh8XOLD_myRfWbeQ0i7_eh9ZZFo4nQRa6gQckxZFZkOX/s400/M&J2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589897198936290" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{at home relaxing and thinking how kissable those lips are!}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So...you can see the concern, no? You could describe my labor as a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode at the most inopportune time. The best offense was going to be a good defensive plan to do our best to diffuse that birth bomb. I thought out several scenarios that I discussed with my midwives. I had a week 37 plan - just in case - we bought chux pads in preparation of the very real possibility of having to deliver at home. I spent a considerable amount of time asking friends and family to send up some prayers for all of us, but mostly for my own mind because the stress was taking its toll.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S5clHs0K1t-Gqab8K9aRDpPXgLEk1_BH8Z87OHBEx5n1NHKo3qtV9XQpLTXqmxkDg49CILh_afq52w5QKqjUe3ZEBOT-lmPZVoP9ZdwATMsXzWMNhc59HQINTuGWlJhXQJhCi9JBFeJg/s1600/M&J.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S5clHs0K1t-Gqab8K9aRDpPXgLEk1_BH8Z87OHBEx5n1NHKo3qtV9XQpLTXqmxkDg49CILh_afq52w5QKqjUe3ZEBOT-lmPZVoP9ZdwATMsXzWMNhc59HQINTuGWlJhXQJhCi9JBFeJg/s400/M&J.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589309924513906" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{no longer thinking about how kissable those lips are :)}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Our D-Day ended up being August 7, or week 38. Based on previous pregnancies and sitting at 5-6cm around the same time before, we felt this was as far as I could go without falling into a risk category of repeating the same scenario as before. It would also depend on physical signs cooperating. No checking for dilation or effacement prior to week 37, lest we "stir something up" unnecessarily. It was more important to let baby girl grow as much as possible.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyP_BI4YrdecZksST-zM7hEjPzNuMk95wlHVyXJfDrMNTAfkmaEBdFJme-wKdfTLHF2WxYaJ3WQpsW1D7wdW3EBv6g1YrgxeJSOWzIaiOe95Qp1Z_fKSXaO9RDTbqALKs94XbpMcNN_H6O/s1600/N&J.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyP_BI4YrdecZksST-zM7hEjPzNuMk95wlHVyXJfDrMNTAfkmaEBdFJme-wKdfTLHF2WxYaJ3WQpsW1D7wdW3EBv6g1YrgxeJSOWzIaiOe95Qp1Z_fKSXaO9RDTbqALKs94XbpMcNN_H6O/s400/N&J.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589899791502306" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyOrMseq4mbrDr05aZ9z8IMU1nfZihe3HI-RiLJl9_MbuwgyQP8f2AYqyVK-Kt0yU7rncZqw8psM_h8is_Jk3SDsec2JLZl0_P6Fyye4lFCHb__ICEqjqgwfaiE4e0hCCvZHBK1gMy77E/s1600/N&J2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyOrMseq4mbrDr05aZ9z8IMU1nfZihe3HI-RiLJl9_MbuwgyQP8f2AYqyVK-Kt0yU7rncZqw8psM_h8is_Jk3SDsec2JLZl0_P6Fyye4lFCHb__ICEqjqgwfaiE4e0hCCvZHBK1gMy77E/s400/N&J2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589903461904626" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{advertising for P90X - graduates may experience new children welcomed into the family}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Labor must be psychosomatic to some extent for me. Neil's last day at work was Friday. All I could think about was getting a final French pedi and mentally preparing myself for the next day.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1afW_mcbaUkIj-IKGGkdhUncqdzCuYgj0VpGMpK8FpRB516vMMp_G8Xz3HA4M14Dfp4jz6DGW9DpSPYVZcI_cewlekEfPmOu_FzEy4-TmwBWwKgNGa-_gn07QLAWu7Bm5YI3R6f6lD1Sz/s1600/footsies.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1afW_mcbaUkIj-IKGGkdhUncqdzCuYgj0VpGMpK8FpRB516vMMp_G8Xz3HA4M14Dfp4jz6DGW9DpSPYVZcI_cewlekEfPmOu_FzEy4-TmwBWwKgNGa-_gn07QLAWu7Bm5YI3R6f6lD1Sz/s400/footsies.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589295734123058" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{wrinkly toes and flower-dy bahookie}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was all set to go at 10 a.m. Saturday morning...that is until my body decided to freak me out by giving me relatively consistent contractions that played with my mind at the wee hour of one in the morning. I went into labor with Drew just after 1:30 a.m. as well and I believe, to some extent, my body may have listened to my brain just a little bit too much as it went into ridiculous scenarios of 'what if' and 'what would we do if...'.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqoQT9VqnCHzIxrxhfKfAyCgGhtSVIqVzyEkwI3-vmmpFlJKbiZZMRpICs8wY1YtFwBcPvV4BnRyPPB_nqf2Rnm81QFD_JLVmMhRbTl5YQzFej13CGSgIjLuEt13Db4avW-Pu6T9Enw0Y/s1600/J&J2.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqoQT9VqnCHzIxrxhfKfAyCgGhtSVIqVzyEkwI3-vmmpFlJKbiZZMRpICs8wY1YtFwBcPvV4BnRyPPB_nqf2Rnm81QFD_JLVmMhRbTl5YQzFej13CGSgIjLuEt13Db4avW-Pu6T9Enw0Y/s400/J&J2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589306001092738" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJeRygkUFf4Gqt2j7ncaZBWswNGhK-Eke8R6RvVxt7PTPqgJq6eUPf8Nz5Mh_QYWL8AWnKMruW8X3BSfJowJwkNkeWnuozo_f5LiYwO6lE7Erod4Bx5avB5v10tJ1-zcRLFVqZuEBGmzXd/s1600/J&J1.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJeRygkUFf4Gqt2j7ncaZBWswNGhK-Eke8R6RvVxt7PTPqgJq6eUPf8Nz5Mh_QYWL8AWnKMruW8X3BSfJowJwkNkeWnuozo_f5LiYwO6lE7Erod4Bx5avB5v10tJ1-zcRLFVqZuEBGmzXd/s400/J&J1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589304222848178" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CCuT7Y2hBCCQWFzX34-tKa_hsAOCpJEWsFL8BZpx77JvZpSC6M39lRe_P3S5wLAFRaoDtRntvzKHIbWBB-BzjyFlBWpIxLgHjP_C3H49ELfqYHGjThGPsSvN62zlWB_UITraNrH5y3qu/s1600/J&J.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CCuT7Y2hBCCQWFzX34-tKa_hsAOCpJEWsFL8BZpx77JvZpSC6M39lRe_P3S5wLAFRaoDtRntvzKHIbWBB-BzjyFlBWpIxLgHjP_C3H49ELfqYHGjThGPsSvN62zlWB_UITraNrH5y3qu/s400/J&J.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504589296709981106" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{Jonathan, proud big brother}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">With contractions every three or four minutes apart and lasting up to a full minute, we decided it was a judgment call we had to make and not waste any time calling the birthing center. And wouldn't you know it, my body, like the perpetual noise in a car that immediately stops when you take it into the shop, did the *exact* same thing??? We get there and the contractions had subsided and eventually stopped altogether.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6tt8LbNsDPllb5T1VHrSMi0a_OoizrHNz6n_IcMV7mGN-QUxn8RJAfrV6au0sAGP-6QlB9dPEZ3CggyRNtufpkR7mdz_paB_glASk_fpkjsSlKqF3rWrYUR5M1r-6xgYEQEvH94IYgja/s1600/J&A2.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6tt8LbNsDPllb5T1VHrSMi0a_OoizrHNz6n_IcMV7mGN-QUxn8RJAfrV6au0sAGP-6QlB9dPEZ3CggyRNtufpkR7mdz_paB_glASk_fpkjsSlKqF3rWrYUR5M1r-6xgYEQEvH94IYgja/s400/J&A2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504592605114535666" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBteh1fjHefK1KLtEHSFysINpBdUhoqxXFWy27SWpS6JWBwlK5cKLm1jfha6A1VYFT9IpbI-uj2ikTdDjRU72emgDxAU7_nzcFhKHC8wAo2Pg0saiOU1qrVBKf0XQ3ryCJYTpZIqAHgJD/s1600/J&A.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBteh1fjHefK1KLtEHSFysINpBdUhoqxXFWy27SWpS6JWBwlK5cKLm1jfha6A1VYFT9IpbI-uj2ikTdDjRU72emgDxAU7_nzcFhKHC8wAo2Pg0saiOU1qrVBKf0XQ3ryCJYTpZIqAHgJD/s400/J&A.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504592603402405874" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{Ashley, proud big sister}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The game plan changed from arriving at 10 a.m. to Roswitha arriving at 8 a.m. instead. She insisted we go for a walk to spur on another round of contractions and then she would check to see if baby was 'floaty' or not so she could break my water. At 8:40 a.m., she broke my water. I fully expected the next step was to get in the tub and have enough time to fill it up and push the baby out five minutes later. I mean, past labors had dictated the same thing so why wouldn't I expect it?? The problem was, I would learn later, that *no* labor is ever the same, regardless of how many children you've had.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Bummer.</span></i></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I sat there for the next 3.5 hours twiddling my thumbs, rocking in the rocking chair, standing, walking, sitting on the bouncy ball, laying down on the bed. *NOTHING* was consistent. A mild contraction here and there, at most they were 10 minutes apart, but were not progressing. Apparently breaking my water wasn't the catalyst I had envisioned.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTts4dDsr0j2CL1bSblund8Ef3-MDRWwoyx_8kvIJs1ndBdjolHMN6jQJFadCB2rONiBvRh3JgdpkE8KmppAF3XXeYjQ2ZRr7T3ep299IKRvRtqC4orKDhZpqPWjxptlpg3k6zzbZvE78U/s1600/P&J.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTts4dDsr0j2CL1bSblund8Ef3-MDRWwoyx_8kvIJs1ndBdjolHMN6jQJFadCB2rONiBvRh3JgdpkE8KmppAF3XXeYjQ2ZRr7T3ep299IKRvRtqC4orKDhZpqPWjxptlpg3k6zzbZvE78U/s400/P&J.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504593052999352402" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{Paige, little big sister}</span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Just before 12 noon, Roswitha broke out the homeopathic remedies. The first, she said, would cause the contractions to be more consistent. As a personal rejector of Pitocin, the idea of taking something all natural seemed to be a great alternative. Within a half hour, I could tell they were more consistent, although they were still nothing to write home about. She came back a little while later and offered a second remedy that would increase the intensity of the contractions. Shortly after I took that one, the contractions were finally catching up with my mental desire. Just after that second remedy and before the contractions had kicked up a notch, Roswitha offered me an herbal tea that would have the effects of pitocin minus the need to shoot the baby out like a cannon ball. She left it with me as I decided to use the bathroom first before drinking it. In the back of my mind, I felt like I didn't need the tea. Something told me the two treatments were enough. I drank the tea anyway, not seeing the harm in case I was off in my own personal assessment, but within a minute or two of drinking the tea, I told Neil to buzz for Roswitha.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxV6D-uWD3jf0siyDBorlAyfo0_wlg8T7TCvrJdkokayjfo_w8k4pXewWCibuig37nlx6m_lUYo4_Ch77B-e-U0RBTQXuSoGTjmtgV07DlUWdnBcmOej0kUPs2PSIq5WEQcw7JZoeQbCwn/s1600/J&D2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxV6D-uWD3jf0siyDBorlAyfo0_wlg8T7TCvrJdkokayjfo_w8k4pXewWCibuig37nlx6m_lUYo4_Ch77B-e-U0RBTQXuSoGTjmtgV07DlUWdnBcmOej0kUPs2PSIq5WEQcw7JZoeQbCwn/s400/J&D2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504592597402565346" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{He has *that* look like "I have *NO* idea why she's crying!"}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"></span><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhpffTeEppuUDpSIO9iXCyk93rJCkOYLJjyFzsT-h3G3ff07oycoh7BlDfljiWROjqUrna5qNVxaTIbUJL2MHnzJ3r2fmNvIMQiPad1fXU5HB3hcWnlepUBhm7vRxxeAjsIjeRvw_pvFP/s1600/D&J.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhpffTeEppuUDpSIO9iXCyk93rJCkOYLJjyFzsT-h3G3ff07oycoh7BlDfljiWROjqUrna5qNVxaTIbUJL2MHnzJ3r2fmNvIMQiPad1fXU5HB3hcWnlepUBhm7vRxxeAjsIjeRvw_pvFP/s400/D&J.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504592592413332546" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{"look Ma, no hands!"}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Something had definitely changed. The contractions were coming much more intensely and closer together.</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxMvwYp1n4BBmt34Iz3PMiziGJIKi0JmDfxvrPmEU3PcQMnLivDEzW0YMyjqlkrcpxG6axmH2WgH2NsHBaTz_Nnd0v9nHB5xM7962SXid7pBskf_6d195Xhvw185J83rX7mGR-ZHAKElg/s1600/J&daddy2.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxMvwYp1n4BBmt34Iz3PMiziGJIKi0JmDfxvrPmEU3PcQMnLivDEzW0YMyjqlkrcpxG6axmH2WgH2NsHBaTz_Nnd0v9nHB5xM7962SXid7pBskf_6d195Xhvw185J83rX7mGR-ZHAKElg/s400/J&daddy2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504593057646322258" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-W_fBfuXIer41ICqPOYaTMUGWC_-xaigOnB7_DbNL9yPZqnHpk1SPrt_6Fcfar4t8tYqEHSaWvVBO-I9psRVhNLe8mgJsKyG-LJVXDVn6D-Yd0dgpwu4GuDq36TTei-HTZX6OZ3BJvDQ/s1600/J&daddy.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-W_fBfuXIer41ICqPOYaTMUGWC_-xaigOnB7_DbNL9yPZqnHpk1SPrt_6Fcfar4t8tYqEHSaWvVBO-I9psRVhNLe8mgJsKyG-LJVXDVn6D-Yd0dgpwu4GuDq36TTei-HTZX6OZ3BJvDQ/s400/J&daddy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504592611980476306" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{reenacting the womb - envision her as purply blue, wet, naked, and upside down ;)}</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We had talked about getting in the tub once the contractions were close together and I was ready to deliver. Roswitha checked me at 12:30, said I was at 7cm and I once again asked {begged, pleaded, etc.} to get into the tub. She said now was the time, goes straight over to the tub and turns it on. The water pressure is so great that it shouldn't take long to fill up.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">However, the race has begun. I told Roswitha if she saw me crying, that was my cue that delivery was not only on the horizon, but will be swift from that point on.</span></i></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Let's just suffice it to say from that point on, I waited on the bed for the tub to fill up and suddenly the pain was so incredible, the thought of getting off the bed sounded HORRIBLE. I couldn't speak the pain went from 0-6000mph so quickly, it was like running for a 5K you didn't train for and you were forced to run top speed the entire time. Neil helped me get to the tub - I step in and the water is too hot to be comfortable, so I breathlessly mention that and Roswitha turns the water to cold.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But it's too late to wait any longer. I plop down in the water and my body completely takes over. Roswitha only has time to put one glove on. From checking me at 12:30 to baby born is 10 minutes. Miss Mary Josephine is born at 12:40 p.m.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She is a gorgeous purply blue color, covered in vernix. I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but the drama/trauma of how quick I went with Josie was the same as how quick I went with Drew. I remember Roswitha saying her head was out and to look, but my mind was quite literally not present. The pain overpowered everything and I just wanted her out.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In talking to Roswith after the birth of Miss Josie pie, I asked her how long my labor was. I won't argue with my German schooled midwife when she says it was a 30 minute active labor. Everything prior to any consistent contractions were not considered part of what she called "active" labor. Once my body got on the same page as everyone else, it got down to business fast and furious, almost to make up for the hours it was lolly gagging around.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The owner of the birthing center happened to be present too. I heard her tell Neil that she really didn't "get" how I could go so quickly and then said "I get it now" and then asked him some details about his delivering Andrew. She got me some powerade to drink and I remember her asking me questions, but I was *so* out of breath I could not think clearly or answer in complete thoughts. My head was swirling with how rapidly everything had happened.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And so, that's what a controlled, unmedicated labor and delivery look for this chica. Minus the use of drugs {which I would *totally* take over that kind of wicked bad pain}, I was textbook everything else, including healing, three fingers below the navel to the top of the fundis within an hour of delivery, and we were able to come home just after dinner time.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-15273656434562790472010-05-24T13:49:00.011-05:002010-05-26T12:36:10.445-05:00Nerdy? I don't even think this BEGINS to cover the amount of nerdiness I have in my pinkySo I've given things some thought. I am really focused on moving between past events to get caught up {PROMISE!} and what's going on in our lives right now. The initial idea was to alternate between old and new, not two new, four old posts, etc. <div><br /></div><div>HOWEVER, my excitement for my newest project is really spilling into all areas of the house.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll admit it. My nesting is in full-blown mode right now. The problem {ok, so not really a problem} with being preggies with #5 is that we have almost everything we need for bebe. Well, we need to re-buy a swing and a few onesies, but honestly we have everything we need. So my nesting this pregnancy has morphed into a different beast, animal, paranoia, project, etc. With our upcoming homeschooling venture scheduled to start in the next few weeks, my nesting mode has been put to good use. Projects that I would normally just stare at and watch collect dust have been tackled. </div><div><br /></div><div>My latest project was to find a way to incorporate the homeschooling into our dining room setup. Some might call it the neglected step child room of the house. Part of the problem has been that we could not agree which direction we wanted to go with the dining room...and the gorgeous dining set that my in-laws drove down from Virginia has been discontinued, making it impossible to finding the matching pieces. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not a designer. We should be clear about that much. I can fake it 'til I make it and I can definitely give it 110%, but as a rule I can't look at a room and see "the big picture". </div><div><br /></div><div>Let me back up a minute so I can make some sense of how I got where I am now. </div><div><br /></div><div>I found a 2x4 expedit bookcase back in December when the college students were all too happy to unload their four-month-old furniture on the lowest bidder. That was how I got <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5Uz-gMcO3SAsSRC9nT03Ujuf0m6-ZQpWfnpJqfSYwWLtAzCG1-lBVYbBrSsI9yymBMRfWUip8iNT1ahY2OurYlo1fFswlQdx76UdTWYvYSUvDBA_h2cL9yLEMW87SkRp8ewP2QqKUuJL/s400/Expedit.JPG">this</a> happy number. {<i>ours is white with a birch colored desk off the side}</i> It has a wonderful desk that jets out. It went straight to the playroom to hang out with its other expedit relatives. </div><div><br /></div><div>I honestly thought that was all we would need. And then I realized I needed some sort of organization system for my own teaching materials. </div><div><br /></div><div>Back to the dining room. I had not intended on buying more expedits, but cost wise, this made the most sense. To say I did an extensive google search on how to decorate, organize and design using expedits would be the understatement of the week or month. I perused IKEA just for ideas, picking up a few things here and there and spending time staring at the 4x4 expedit - black/brown - and rearranging the baskets they had to see how it would look aesthetically. I also took measurements and came back home. It was decided.</div><div><br /></div><div>A 5x5 would be too tall and top heavy. One 4x4 would be too tiny for the long wall in the dining room. In the end, we would need two 4x4 expedit bookcases to really make use of the entire wall. I didn't focus on the fact that I would also need lots of cute things to fill up the remaining squares once all the homeschooling stuff had been properly organized. </div><div><br /></div><div>We were able to knock out the two bookcases in a couple of hours, total time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Neil has pretty strong opinions about IKEA and the quality of their furniture. I think the words 'cheap IKEA crap' flew out a couple of times. I mean, by comparison to the other furniture in the dining room, it's definitely a bit out of it's element; but, I was convinced that all it needed was some dressing up, so to speak, with some cute chotchkies and whatnots. </div><div><br /></div><div>And, I must say, minus the remaining nine empty squares left to be filled, I am pleased with the final product. It is by no means "perfect" but it works for me and considering where this room was just over a week ago, I'd say it's easily heads and shoulders above where it used to be.</div><div><br /></div><div>That said, I am open to all kinds of ideas and suggestions. If you have any tips on how to improve the design or flow of how it looks, I want to hear it! I like the decorating above the bookcases, but not absolutely 100% sold. Send me your thoughts!</div><div><br /></div><div>Shall we get started with the visual tour?</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakC8QXzrOSbboOfcKyploG7TY_ZsKrr0V_r3v76OFNOOnMdg4aXeHn3ewd1oae1lkEOdjjo0amn4v7QvmlJSTdUtz1l9TZ_BPYvwXlUcQIBEZIckt0vc9noLTTtOBdRmncUTZxqorRsyy/s1600/IMG_0023small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakC8QXzrOSbboOfcKyploG7TY_ZsKrr0V_r3v76OFNOOnMdg4aXeHn3ewd1oae1lkEOdjjo0amn4v7QvmlJSTdUtz1l9TZ_BPYvwXlUcQIBEZIckt0vc9noLTTtOBdRmncUTZxqorRsyy/s400/IMG_0023small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475598412388019474" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{My sewing table that used to hold all my notions - it now holds coasters, napkin rings and place mats - below are my trunks that hold fabric and pellon}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaP2LIFn9COOcC9hfer7BC_YuBK1Obqj66avHtpwFsCG0R6iQgG3xhfW_L4493KanQfWoz2G8Pq9mOXnug1V-k38V-U_doK9ewmeicUKmCyxO3nx9iUIbZ8XY2URrLLCywdq0EDNtR_Z5F/s1600/IMG_0026small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaP2LIFn9COOcC9hfer7BC_YuBK1Obqj66avHtpwFsCG0R6iQgG3xhfW_L4493KanQfWoz2G8Pq9mOXnug1V-k38V-U_doK9ewmeicUKmCyxO3nx9iUIbZ8XY2URrLLCywdq0EDNtR_Z5F/s400/IMG_0026small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475598419697622146" style="cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{and to our left we have the opposite wall - a trip to Hobby Lobby and Tuesday Morning resulted in some chachkie purchases that are helping shape the dining room into a more "acceptable to me" look - I also grabbed a lot of knick knacks from around the house and gave them new homes}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr4qY5TVdQqRR26x0uxg8IRJCf5fwV-JSHmCM3NjH5olrUxv_NQLn-LKuPZozObFwJ0d5b33y6y6EGkMJR9ZGDtpCzEAqCzclVm_u66VmHJwyk_lJd8wszQ5vJ03xptAcG4s9snaalKQF/s1600/IMG_0028small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr4qY5TVdQqRR26x0uxg8IRJCf5fwV-JSHmCM3NjH5olrUxv_NQLn-LKuPZozObFwJ0d5b33y6y6EGkMJR9ZGDtpCzEAqCzclVm_u66VmHJwyk_lJd8wszQ5vJ03xptAcG4s9snaalKQF/s400/IMG_0028small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475598427725426578" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 283px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{TADA!! Are you impressed? Let's go through the details, but to start this wall was long enough to hold two 4x4 expedit bookcases from IKEA}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iHW5O9MsfKLmPlUP0b_MQFvpGrZkzLTvnBIZ2fW4qi5xn5ct7NefwSaQn15e0PMdlL0vR4oZ2YmAbMzCb6Vb3hEtL80wnLuzn76XL9p7U89pgLITgF08jz8UmiTJR80BJhdJFo1cFybz/s1600/IMG_0039small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iHW5O9MsfKLmPlUP0b_MQFvpGrZkzLTvnBIZ2fW4qi5xn5ct7NefwSaQn15e0PMdlL0vR4oZ2YmAbMzCb6Vb3hEtL80wnLuzn76XL9p7U89pgLITgF08jz8UmiTJR80BJhdJFo1cFybz/s400/IMG_0039small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475599093133110834" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{So...onto the decorating aspect - I took the monster wall art down from above the piano and added it to the top to give the wall a bit more height since the bookcases are pretty short. I added some personal touches from around the house, including some pictures of the kids and various knick knacks that needed a different home}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:16px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LR__oErPXcqlgWjv5ab45WrGRl4MeE4oabipW8R45L8YcsL1M-TjbLqecLNTDUXQd6nahr7gSRtETvaXiVfZ2PvDIJYHin30yuNKZ_PG_gvsj16Zs5H-uS3eH-sISPjeTfALdvl6sajY/s1600/IMG_0079small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LR__oErPXcqlgWjv5ab45WrGRl4MeE4oabipW8R45L8YcsL1M-TjbLqecLNTDUXQd6nahr7gSRtETvaXiVfZ2PvDIJYHin30yuNKZ_PG_gvsj16Zs5H-uS3eH-sISPjeTfALdvl6sajY/s400/IMG_0079small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475603592087643426" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{a picture of Drew's pirate face - he *thinks* he's winking at us and a picture of Paige from her 5th birthday}</span></i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUGtsmvqcz5Lto9lAJhNYH9qNDKU4zNNmmEyYNp_oGeLbswYI0uxcCxgf0hLca0D7CYfJ-emgh7_pQTBREk9UYg9FRy7tcX-db6sxVr42XWkRZkkPOlyJBOyNE2UU8k7jvpwXtio7lIXE/s1600/IMG_0030small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUGtsmvqcz5Lto9lAJhNYH9qNDKU4zNNmmEyYNp_oGeLbswYI0uxcCxgf0hLca0D7CYfJ-emgh7_pQTBREk9UYg9FRy7tcX-db6sxVr42XWkRZkkPOlyJBOyNE2UU8k7jvpwXtio7lIXE/s400/IMG_0030small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475598435407211314" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{on the floor in the back right is my basket of fabric I used to use once upon a time when I made tote bags - they're really just for show these days}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdsVoMvdbw45fidNIs9yDtp5iG7lDMgdOJsYfk3g2TCTo0frLo3dkHkeAx08Wy9OoeXufPMuj_S7xJhyphenhyphenXe15lb1Q7hVyZrZ3n_9sIQpDK7kga2aFtRGMRkpGvktCE5R18AhT3vT_vvn5Q/s1600/IMG_0033small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdsVoMvdbw45fidNIs9yDtp5iG7lDMgdOJsYfk3g2TCTo0frLo3dkHkeAx08Wy9OoeXufPMuj_S7xJhyphenhyphenXe15lb1Q7hVyZrZ3n_9sIQpDK7kga2aFtRGMRkpGvktCE5R18AhT3vT_vvn5Q/s400/IMG_0033small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475598444256799810" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{This is somewhat hidden - something I was shooting for - to hide all the supplies. If I ever care enough, I can always take out the supplies and put in some perty flowers to spruce up the wall.}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkLJ1cG-g-T2E1zXPgqsznqYdqGb6qC24OYlqoQTKlw9O2c6JWA1c_wC1o38dmlH29ltWqPsYmGs4sug5lxmgh7SE58pBwA9aBD5IQjTIjIVYmS8YNQUWvFdwfiCOh5W3C7jIkLFbGyIF/s1600/IMG_0038small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkLJ1cG-g-T2E1zXPgqsznqYdqGb6qC24OYlqoQTKlw9O2c6JWA1c_wC1o38dmlH29ltWqPsYmGs4sug5lxmgh7SE58pBwA9aBD5IQjTIjIVYmS8YNQUWvFdwfiCOh5W3C7jIkLFbGyIF/s400/IMG_0038small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475599083641844946" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 366px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>{I got these from <a href="http://www.ikea.com/">IKEA</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">*</span> - my SIL has the same set up for her kiddos. I liked the idea of the supplies being in a place of easy access, but also didn't look like a traditional classroom setup, which makes this solution perfect}</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">*If you like this setup, click </span></span><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20115745"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">HERE</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and </span></span><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50115739"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">HERE</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> for pricing and purchase - I also bought </span></span><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00116901"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">THIS</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80102919">THIS</a>; they are </span>not shown because it'll be put in the laundry room where I also plan to store 'teacher' things</span></span>.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPN9wREnQFyhJXzxO__6ikqom3_OJSvwsju-NsH9KDQUcj_5xtiYiPs3H3xRSQIzmI9XhOBAbsRqII8VrpGtUNwQBI6QZyeBnyDBYQE36rIAYFVpfeekCS9numw5Qy2x_06vdC9WLGEn-S/s1600/IMG_0043small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPN9wREnQFyhJXzxO__6ikqom3_OJSvwsju-NsH9KDQUcj_5xtiYiPs3H3xRSQIzmI9XhOBAbsRqII8VrpGtUNwQBI6QZyeBnyDBYQE36rIAYFVpfeekCS9numw5Qy2x_06vdC9WLGEn-S/s400/IMG_0043small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475599115608555394" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 324px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{OK, any supplies on the shelves have their own basket and are labeled both on the basket as well as...}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmrABKm6_TG2-ApESV0YbhBccY7csrCgykv91Bq6si6KW_J1rzhx2GGhn67GKXJrftQfZctdAbBiPKKyin67tty2kvZf1UvvLnEq1-twqHtIDTf7IbSxlRhZ5LxQCFMGflENAlnGqZ0gZ/s1600/IMG_0044small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmrABKm6_TG2-ApESV0YbhBccY7csrCgykv91Bq6si6KW_J1rzhx2GGhn67GKXJrftQfZctdAbBiPKKyin67tty2kvZf1UvvLnEq1-twqHtIDTf7IbSxlRhZ5LxQCFMGflENAlnGqZ0gZ/s400/IMG_0044small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475599785638793938" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 333px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{the shelves - this is mainly so the kids know exactly where things go}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAdzuxzcepkoqWevafKZXoTscQdOAvxFAAyeACNQwGNqknYOcYERuZYAHcYk-_zxHib1F9ya4keTx3y08aAi-0r2GbpOYPb1AY2w2r00irRtjdsdwAQqw62wcNc54qPUgf3IC5UwrkXYd/s1600/IMG_0046small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAdzuxzcepkoqWevafKZXoTscQdOAvxFAAyeACNQwGNqknYOcYERuZYAHcYk-_zxHib1F9ya4keTx3y08aAi-0r2GbpOYPb1AY2w2r00irRtjdsdwAQqw62wcNc54qPUgf3IC5UwrkXYd/s400/IMG_0046small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475599795884748642" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{all school books and grab and go supplies go in individual baskets - the basket is not labeled but...}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Y2Qz8NXXVGBpRHVe1GmbuOQLU8mlxiU3SaYGSnGpZp2p0TgsdhRdL2EY-p-Rxuyhs0uQM_jj22-OUJjRVYb4cE4lZ1gma9u_N6C9cAwi-uguG1giSiM_tD7rX0a4GDqVwlY5M8DBuKRR/s1600/IMG_0047small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Y2Qz8NXXVGBpRHVe1GmbuOQLU8mlxiU3SaYGSnGpZp2p0TgsdhRdL2EY-p-Rxuyhs0uQM_jj22-OUJjRVYb4cE4lZ1gma9u_N6C9cAwi-uguG1giSiM_tD7rX0a4GDqVwlY5M8DBuKRR/s400/IMG_0047small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475599798646085218" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{...the cubby is - I put this one on the side because I figure long term it'll stick better there than on the bottom where it would get rubbed off}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuG0kfat4bBVt5NckRT8VRaGjsbGcHgjirp0LueTwyzK2HQhHnDLbvmLFr65Vge689r6avb7ErONbgwhFO2A1V748k5leHx2q51gaXsrTkdB7ObtuJUGJvBecpOXRoCbGEOHym3ZG_HX2/s1600/IMG_0049small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuG0kfat4bBVt5NckRT8VRaGjsbGcHgjirp0LueTwyzK2HQhHnDLbvmLFr65Vge689r6avb7ErONbgwhFO2A1V748k5leHx2q51gaXsrTkdB7ObtuJUGJvBecpOXRoCbGEOHym3ZG_HX2/s400/IMG_0049small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475599805977412066" style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{MOMMA!!! TAKE A PICTURE OF DREWBIE!! - ok, let's pause for a picture of Drew that he repeatedly insisted that I take}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioP5yUOOPgIMjyNVsIWAXUsZKo-cDe9OWvxPsKYyNzdkp1CM-U0PgB0wAfsoUU1nbZ5lYavrDNnGJGzTC9_AOlwnOLSGdqo5SlhSB7HpoiPfWexzXqReJnAXz1jO8exVaB6oEm-7Yr1LJe/s1600/IMG_0066small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioP5yUOOPgIMjyNVsIWAXUsZKo-cDe9OWvxPsKYyNzdkp1CM-U0PgB0wAfsoUU1nbZ5lYavrDNnGJGzTC9_AOlwnOLSGdqo5SlhSB7HpoiPfWexzXqReJnAXz1jO8exVaB6oEm-7Yr1LJe/s400/IMG_0066small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475600660267706178" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>{more shelves with various setups - this is mostly my collection of Catholic books, resources, stories, etc. I seriously thought I had more but I guess this is it. I better start working on beefing up this collection!}</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTRyVYT_3rghGTGT1SKXhSe_9sm2ahumWmk2GwrSsh8-0Tb4iEobu2j5a0YFKY_m91Sr3zfZJU0ZLMsiOP4b714SmAKofN_2CE0BdhuOKODDc1Tfn6pO-emTtpLp53PBmYWWp5ZStT2hk/s1600/IMG_0071small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTRyVYT_3rghGTGT1SKXhSe_9sm2ahumWmk2GwrSsh8-0Tb4iEobu2j5a0YFKY_m91Sr3zfZJU0ZLMsiOP4b714SmAKofN_2CE0BdhuOKODDc1Tfn6pO-emTtpLp53PBmYWWp5ZStT2hk/s400/IMG_0071small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475600669332619058" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 319px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{paper is stored with easy access on the bottom shelf}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4aJA6ouRMw_iybL34Y_a2kfwgnGYQltB1ev8DFWh8reL64WtsFAR6KJhsix4dbLZikcc-Facmfzh-yr2vVAmgVSbodWZ6pCFZTsChDGpoNi1lRMjLa8blt5saGHmWKS7cvz5TN-qddpF/s1600/IMG_0072small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4aJA6ouRMw_iybL34Y_a2kfwgnGYQltB1ev8DFWh8reL64WtsFAR6KJhsix4dbLZikcc-Facmfzh-yr2vVAmgVSbodWZ6pCFZTsChDGpoNi1lRMjLa8blt5saGHmWKS7cvz5TN-qddpF/s400/IMG_0072small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475600676332292994" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; font-size:small;">{construction, plain white and colored paper}</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFTt_TsHs-aGZnYscY27jhFd0chhhhwMN500i7xLEC33LN8rdO3a5JQdSf9km-4W2c2dCplk10Mpn2SNxeTbd00B8PL1b5pG_Y4-f3pw4KgsnLOT6jyTjV_287-IZNYUy_6Pj704A-uP_/s1600/IMG_0073small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFTt_TsHs-aGZnYscY27jhFd0chhhhwMN500i7xLEC33LN8rdO3a5JQdSf9km-4W2c2dCplk10Mpn2SNxeTbd00B8PL1b5pG_Y4-f3pw4KgsnLOT6jyTjV_287-IZNYUy_6Pj704A-uP_/s400/IMG_0073small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475600681310961970" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{more organizing labels - if you are a label junkie, I know I got your number with *this* post ;)}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm3D9vDhKXr7agzhHVPr7FfNqFpJ9z17tt7FC-7PZCZ77J97mW6J_1qjLlRR3MOS4t7s1FI0ghyphenhyphenhIIx1Vq-BAW8_YeIERcw_MllMu_iuR3LtoOXuqawwXBtv8zAtJ48Hfe_5i6Wj8U2Rf/s1600/IMG_0076small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm3D9vDhKXr7agzhHVPr7FfNqFpJ9z17tt7FC-7PZCZ77J97mW6J_1qjLlRR3MOS4t7s1FI0ghyphenhyphenhIIx1Vq-BAW8_YeIERcw_MllMu_iuR3LtoOXuqawwXBtv8zAtJ48Hfe_5i6Wj8U2Rf/s400/IMG_0076small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475600692111507154" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{After years of hanging out on the top shelf of our built ins in the living room, I moved our wedding album to one of the cubbies along with our cake topper - the pottery holding the keys is from an online friend who I met a couple of years ago. I picked two pieces and whenever I see them, I think of her. If you like her stuff, visit her </span></i><a href="http://www.donnabelle.etsy.com/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Etsy</span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> store to buy and support a Catholic sista!}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeYzIgXydPW0QjgFPrdxuvwmj-abLx0qoM0KPYyhGvWe2HSA8-xMtxyqK2HYfn9sYjCaZymLwl4zuCPhWIq0zq_BiSatMaQXNMnyMXA6xJ7j5-w19qV8rSlUz102tVVMPMv6AzJ3pHDpc/s1600/IMG_0041small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeYzIgXydPW0QjgFPrdxuvwmj-abLx0qoM0KPYyhGvWe2HSA8-xMtxyqK2HYfn9sYjCaZymLwl4zuCPhWIq0zq_BiSatMaQXNMnyMXA6xJ7j5-w19qV8rSlUz102tVVMPMv6AzJ3pHDpc/s400/IMG_0041small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475599097148121602" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>{I broke out the yearbooks - I figured here was better than stuffed in some cabinet}</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcejKcAZuwTZm0kDbbrVLlJx1jtZxqiSBt65WtdJ29YYJz_ff0GGtXNfDbUzSnYVnAbBJ4Q1KYmHMstvfoTMiWBHrmy8Y8nyLYyu4D2coRgRa4hr0dIKbO35bav4YNXDTDtaofeTX-5eC-/s1600/IMG_0059small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcejKcAZuwTZm0kDbbrVLlJx1jtZxqiSBt65WtdJ29YYJz_ff0GGtXNfDbUzSnYVnAbBJ4Q1KYmHMstvfoTMiWBHrmy8Y8nyLYyu4D2coRgRa4hr0dIKbO35bav4YNXDTDtaofeTX-5eC-/s400/IMG_0059small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475599815494161426" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><i>{Can you spot the other piece of pottery I bought from my friend, Donna? Or the picture of my beautiful niece and her sweet baby sister, Sophie? These shelves are filled with various baskets, supplies, books and Bibles - don't judge! I have more Bibles, but didn't want them ALL in the same place! I need to be able to bust one out near my bed and one is in the car. You can never have too many Bibles, in my opinion. :)}</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-88877502714068208332010-05-20T14:40:00.014-05:002010-05-20T16:22:27.816-05:00Introducing Captain Jack Sparrow - and yes, he can haz da cheezburger<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORV-wgFaBeHrW3LsVCGI-KTx5tTFxsqHOX9V4jJ3cQjzkjl1yXsQCmmEMYMfmHYYZXluTQqb5l__xgKlGtgoIdgk6h2Cb3l12ExFGBCpopEUeZRpIOAeDo_SgRctV5nErct2A9TL54DQO/s1600/GW400H266.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORV-wgFaBeHrW3LsVCGI-KTx5tTFxsqHOX9V4jJ3cQjzkjl1yXsQCmmEMYMfmHYYZXluTQqb5l__xgKlGtgoIdgk6h2Cb3l12ExFGBCpopEUeZRpIOAeDo_SgRctV5nErct2A9TL54DQO/s400/GW400H266.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473446742690943490" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Since Templeton's death, we have had a hard time talking about, much less deciding and agreeing upon getting a new pet. The struggle of losing our old man was difficult, but part of the void, we all felt, could be filled by loving a new pet. I hadn't really given grief much thought before {and yes, I realize when you get right down it and put in perspective, it was *just* a cat}, but it seemed to me that my particular grief for Templeton boiled down to two parts. One was that he couldn't be replaced. Getting a new pet wasn't going to bring back that special bond and love we had for him. The second part was that as long as we recognized the first part, it was somewhat necessary to the healing process for ourselves, as well as the kids, to bring in a new pet who we could transition that kind of love back into our lives. <div><br /></div><div>Cats aren't like dogs...at least, Templeton wasn't. He was a quiet man, speaking only when necessary, tripping you down the stairs all other times, lol. So, when he died, there weren't many times I really felt his presence being gone other than just catching something dark out of the corner of my eye and realizing it wasn't him, or missing his cold wet nose kisses on my feet while I typed away at the computer in the office or the jingling of his collar. </div><div><br /></div><div>After perusing the Humane Society's website, then eventually landing on Craigslist in the pet section, we found someone who had many, MANY kittens to choose from. This lady was quite a haul from where we live and Neil just happened to be in the area so he stopped by between appointments and helped pick out a kitten. To be honest, of the seven contenders {five gray and white tabbies and two black and silver tabbies - all males}, I probably would have picked the same one we both decided on. </div><div><br /></div><div>And that is how we ended up with this little fella. He's seven weeks old and cute as can be. He's a total lap cat, a purr box, a talker and a little ball of fun. He is on a current "buddy" system in the house until he is {translation: we are} comfortable being on his own in the house. He eats, sleeps and does his 'bidness' in our spare bathroom and then gets to come out with our designated buddies - me, Neil, Ashley, Jonathan or Paige in any of the rooms in the house, provided he is watched. When he's not watched he goes back into the bathroom to eat, sleep and do his 'bidness'. And it doesn't take a lot for him to get all tuckered out too. All the kids find him to be absolutely adorable and he seems to be quite a good fit for our family. Oh, and he has a few words for all you lookie loos. :)</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjYpjC1fOdSadUARQpcZnyvuxm51NPIvnlGtdVvbHtiqriRcO2qTbs4_PDCNNNQ40Q01a-bqgzZhQ7WVUsxpedNvFgxT6NIIwvfXy1PK1qMGj2cGDTzhCxsm6RxUTewZtRJPSPajQNPQb/s1600/cat2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjYpjC1fOdSadUARQpcZnyvuxm51NPIvnlGtdVvbHtiqriRcO2qTbs4_PDCNNNQ40Q01a-bqgzZhQ7WVUsxpedNvFgxT6NIIwvfXy1PK1qMGj2cGDTzhCxsm6RxUTewZtRJPSPajQNPQb/s400/cat2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473448987337642610" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">{<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Impact, 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">MAH NAYM IZ CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW...BUT U WILL CALL ME JACK</span>}</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Impact, 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: none; white-space: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:19px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiX06Swwv5_L_vtpsuXCyVwo6AaLjKyH8tF2JIMyoOn0a53jx6ASxg0x1xVLVsAcCtVGuocM_-wizVq9E47ucJAka5p1QFw8O5DMdHO9aq-YVYKeYRsIFUYKg5BeCesGNQ0roCGQb5yxt3/s1600/cat3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiX06Swwv5_L_vtpsuXCyVwo6AaLjKyH8tF2JIMyoOn0a53jx6ASxg0x1xVLVsAcCtVGuocM_-wizVq9E47ucJAka5p1QFw8O5DMdHO9aq-YVYKeYRsIFUYKg5BeCesGNQ0roCGQb5yxt3/s400/cat3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473450351361780994" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Impact, 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">C HOW CUTE IM?</span>}</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Impact, 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: none; white-space: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrpJZiVn_BEaQGPgYBs1XP1bk6zrvXNa_8j7pjr58u3ual75q75v475aZDCNg6h_5Qq4a2kdRlsrjpXDAQ8JzWDYaAngulnx1V4uCsdD4G4ofZBpzK_QlZ2yvuHgPOiDYRnaCwugs74LG/s1600/cat4.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrpJZiVn_BEaQGPgYBs1XP1bk6zrvXNa_8j7pjr58u3ual75q75v475aZDCNg6h_5Qq4a2kdRlsrjpXDAQ8JzWDYaAngulnx1V4uCsdD4G4ofZBpzK_QlZ2yvuHgPOiDYRnaCwugs74LG/s400/cat4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473452267609275506" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Impact, 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">{ATTEMPTS 2 RESIST MAH CUTENES R FUTILE}</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Impact, 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: none; white-space: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfxpD9loADtB8UJaH1wD0dWezGMbD6RM4opsEaq5nl0pLqOdgBwOWzeAgP59NYgRi4fArrZOWXsJANZldq-lDwy2IfGm-0UA3CB3L4ZuZ0iedbBkVJ6SESPlxX2-vPBMm7c8yWRBL-tnO/s1600/cat5.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfxpD9loADtB8UJaH1wD0dWezGMbD6RM4opsEaq5nl0pLqOdgBwOWzeAgP59NYgRi4fArrZOWXsJANZldq-lDwy2IfGm-0UA3CB3L4ZuZ0iedbBkVJ6SESPlxX2-vPBMm7c8yWRBL-tnO/s400/cat5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473453091707067058" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Impact, 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">{CLOSE UR EYEZ - SOON U WILL BE UNDR MAH SPELL}</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7j1blGeSR7VHDyciANY135GUB1XwX2td7hGYuHtEUmoy-4R8bfhnBuya_F4FU5I_OgmBG9LXcDkRUeKc79aMM0s1IN6PjoVZfU8dmwcksthUqz49_u7e1LYcxhmISj0PeMsPUKXkLi_de/s1600/cat6.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7j1blGeSR7VHDyciANY135GUB1XwX2td7hGYuHtEUmoy-4R8bfhnBuya_F4FU5I_OgmBG9LXcDkRUeKc79aMM0s1IN6PjoVZfU8dmwcksthUqz49_u7e1LYcxhmISj0PeMsPUKXkLi_de/s400/cat6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473454659730039698" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" text-transform: uppercase; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Impact, 'Arial Black', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">{U JUS SIT BAK AN ENJOY DIS HANDSOME KITTEH AN DOAN WORRY UR PRITEE HEAD OVAR IT}</span></span></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-88512059978353907852010-05-20T13:38:00.003-05:002010-05-20T14:20:44.631-05:00December 15, 2009I remember clearly that this week was IN-SANE-ly busy. I think we were still in the middle of the playscape construction, Neil's birthday was the next day so I was busy praying for that book to be delivered overnight {as promised by Mac}, we had various meetings in the evening and that Tuesday evening, Paige's Christmas program was held at her preschool. As long as this dress fits, she will continue to wear it. I have never loved how a little dress looks on her as much as this one. She did an awesome job of singing her little heart out! Check out our little princess.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL6vNyHGSkKXtsmIXEt-tqu3OboUVNsgujAlDkrKfLbY9oMNZ-n821uxpECsv_VXjA_sovrydMtyBw2yxsizdbdB9bp-kIrYkmnxR3Wif4T95Nmk-4QsnUPGI2bkz3N-SOrtbCz8Fm9rP/s1600/vertical68.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL6vNyHGSkKXtsmIXEt-tqu3OboUVNsgujAlDkrKfLbY9oMNZ-n821uxpECsv_VXjA_sovrydMtyBw2yxsizdbdB9bp-kIrYkmnxR3Wif4T95Nmk-4QsnUPGI2bkz3N-SOrtbCz8Fm9rP/s400/vertical68.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473426267459282002" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZAcboc-draEFdLsrT2Gh2P7eKS18d6i9JUx2SPGLfKO3p-VulkTKokpf7Ewn_-7XCjnfcECjgwkyQ0WsFMn0c4VsINISy9fWItxBKR7p-dFnWPpkgA5BfYLMGp_QINGcSFB_eOQLMCq8/s1600/paige.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZAcboc-draEFdLsrT2Gh2P7eKS18d6i9JUx2SPGLfKO3p-VulkTKokpf7Ewn_-7XCjnfcECjgwkyQ0WsFMn0c4VsINISy9fWItxBKR7p-dFnWPpkgA5BfYLMGp_QINGcSFB_eOQLMCq8/s400/paige.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473426274382312306" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_O5OGeJCihQhj4Eg99brP7yfJ7NE9F7KU4mMPLz3xoeF5AR7W6cNjLzOsF4c3RKXU39a49Xo_e9OplhjZrqRhPaWjL_Y7wFb0wghmJKAU-fTCRRa1Ux34ybk46HtOQZV6gWEddaG7iT8/s1600/paige2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_O5OGeJCihQhj4Eg99brP7yfJ7NE9F7KU4mMPLz3xoeF5AR7W6cNjLzOsF4c3RKXU39a49Xo_e9OplhjZrqRhPaWjL_Y7wFb0wghmJKAU-fTCRRa1Ux34ybk46HtOQZV6gWEddaG7iT8/s400/paige2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473426284665850370" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-5052237226964725472010-05-17T09:52:00.003-05:002010-05-17T19:34:31.436-05:00Mixing the old with the new<div style="text-align: left;">I am thinking in order to keep things flowing a bit more smoothly, it'll be nice to alternate between the old news and the current happenin's.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, I'm going to show you all a picture of Drew's latest new 'thang'. I give you...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">the "wink" - or 'ARRGH MATEY!' - your choice, lol.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPnZ5_uctVAAMy55laVRWQPGKo1saCXFcCQBk0mnjBL_ui1-OwBuY9etm69u0bnaVMyTODYga2n-FCFsvt7D8ZhqHPpqMGTkEUzSQVqgdXsuDNHQjyEu5iu0OzpuXsaz0RPDfBsqPqBK9/s1600/drewbie.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPnZ5_uctVAAMy55laVRWQPGKo1saCXFcCQBk0mnjBL_ui1-OwBuY9etm69u0bnaVMyTODYga2n-FCFsvt7D8ZhqHPpqMGTkEUzSQVqgdXsuDNHQjyEu5iu0OzpuXsaz0RPDfBsqPqBK9/s400/drewbie.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472400056771652386" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px; " /></a></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-76730964460686333392010-05-12T12:00:00.001-05:002010-05-12T18:17:26.032-05:00Back the mack truck up - you're having *ANOTHER* baby??<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><div>::I apologize in advance for the lengthy posts, past, present and likely future. I am going into 'documenting mode' and so it is more for me and the family than to bore everyone to tears. If you bear with me, it'll wane back into daily events that are more pic heavy.::</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>So some of you may have noticed the floating baby in the womb widget to the side of the blog that was added months ago, and while it may have sparked some curiosity, I did not blog about the most obvious and biggest news we are anticipating. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Yes, we are expecting a new addition! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">We found out mid December and couldn't be happier. The kids had actually long since put in their request for a new sibling - *ALWAYS* refreshing to our ears to know that while they have the normal squabbles that all siblings have, they still love welcoming a new baby brother or sister to the family. I was initially concerned that Ashley's reaction might be less than welcoming, as I would have reasonably expected. I think back to myself at that age and the thought of reacting less than favorably to a new addition would not have been out of the realm of possibility for me. I also coupled that cringing feeling with the infamous story that has been told by my in-laws getting pregnant with #5 and the reaction of all the other kids. Neil was the only one to be overjoyed with the idea of welcoming a new sibling, and even offered to share his bed with the new baby. This story was particularly on my mind since I had just put Neil's birthday book together and that was the story my MIL {mother-in-law} submitted. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">BUT we were pleasantly surprised that the kids were all excited!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">SHEW!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Now, I should also to point out that our last pregnancy {with Drew} ended in the most spectacular of fashions. He decided he would have none of being plain old #4 and as a result was born in our car. I won't bore you with the details of *that* story, but you can read it by clicking </span><a href="http://snipsnsnailsandpuppydogtails.blogspot.com/2008/01/million-dollar-question-everyone.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">here</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">So, you'd better believe my first phone call come Monday morning was to the birthing center, where I joked with the midwife that yes, despite having given birth in the car the last time, we went back to that well. Fortunately, one midwife felt bad about what happened last time and that she "owed us one". We will be exploring avenues not traditionally taken for a birthing center in order to avoid a potential birthing catastrophe. It's a fun story to tell people, but honestly it is enough to jangle nerves because we are exceedingly blessed that nothing bad happened to Drew. We want to take all the necessary precautions to make sure our newest bundle will arrive in the safest possible scenario, sans EMS on standby. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">So, that is how our December kicked off. We found out we were pregnant and days later we celebrated Neil's birthday, followed by Christmas and New Year's, which I plan to document soon. Soon after those holidays, I went into what I not-so-affectionally call the "mack truck phase". Those of you who are veteran mommies will totally understand what I mean. The nausea kicked in full blown about six weeks sooner than normal, as well as the fatigue. The nausea left almost as quickly as it arrived, but the fatigue has hung around like unwelcome guests and three-day-old fish. Even now, it is almost a day-by-day condition that I need to monitor carefully. The fatigue has been exacerbated by my recently diagnosed condition, hypoglycemia. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">So, the challenges have been there, but I work to move past them each day and do the best with what energy I *do* have. As of today, I am 25 weeks and our due date is August 21, although I fully expect this new little one to arrive more than a week early. :)</span></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-72177593461718109942010-05-09T16:32:00.007-05:002010-05-10T08:37:13.607-05:00Mother's Day, Interrupted<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">What started off full of promise ended up quite unexpectedly.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">We woke up to our youngest, who figured out how to get out of his bed - yes, he's 2.5, but it's called a Crib Tent and he somehow managed to figure that out and was playing with the loudest toys first thing this morning. Neil asked if I wanted to have a lazy morning and while that sounded like a nice plan, my head filled with visions of a packed church at 11:30 Mass with all the other moms an their families who *also* decided to have a lazy morning. So, we were up and ready to go at our usual time, saw all the familiar faces that make Sunday morning such a treat and I designated two kiddos to get the annual Mother's Day flower from the altar after Mass. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up all the 'fixin's' for our Mothers' Day brunch. We had planned on cheesy scrambled eggs, maple sausage and bacon, and a hearty fruit salad. The kids would have chocolate milk {a rare treat in our house} as well as OJ and coffee for me and Neil. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><b>Nothing too out of the ordinary, right?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">We get home, everyone helps unload groceries, the kiddos scamper off to change out of their church clothes {which usually translates getting back into jammies - totally ok with me!}, and Neil and I start to prep for our brunch. It's getting late, I'm starving and making the fruit salad. I started by chopping the apples, then the strawberries that I had to fight to keep out of Drew's mouth, and had moved on to the grapes when {I believe it was} Ashley says the cat is sleeping outside...and it's sprinkling. We drop what we're doing and bolt to the back door to check it out. All six of us are staring out the backdoor and Templeton is laying in what appears to be a normal position. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Only his tail is completely poofed - a sign of distress. I don't know why my pregnant self thought it was my responsibility to be the first one to go out there. Neil stayed inside with the kids while I went out and shut the door behind me. I nearly gasped. Heck, I'm pretty sure I did gasp. I immediately turned around and looked at Neil through the glass. There was no hiding my emotions from the kids. I went inside and instructed them to go upstairs to the playroom. They knew he was dead. Neil and I went outside to investigate exactly what happened. We concluded that his "breakaway" collar had somehow gotten caught in his mouth along with part of his tags. He most likely asphyxiated on his own tongue, something that makes me cringe. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQvgoYP7JfkY2E1Op7vWfunrv5cF17i16NjfOaw_Uhmbo61M4l61JKDTNdNWnyeFsWDxZS23TeXm9eAELmQvao8IBqq14xzNaIeRf_CMo5G4YGTvzUGovg9QTKxdVyHFAF-Bx40w0ntgZ/s1600/templeton2.png"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQvgoYP7JfkY2E1Op7vWfunrv5cF17i16NjfOaw_Uhmbo61M4l61JKDTNdNWnyeFsWDxZS23TeXm9eAELmQvao8IBqq14xzNaIeRf_CMo5G4YGTvzUGovg9QTKxdVyHFAF-Bx40w0ntgZ/s400/templeton2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469632666426328818" style="cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 294px; " /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">His body was not cold, so this had happened sometime while we were gone to Mass. He had gone outside when we left for church - I remember commenting about his drinking from our water feature next to the front door. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Then all the what-ifs went through my head. What if we had gone to the later Mass instead, as Neil had suggested? What if we didn't stop at the store? There was no way to know *when* it happened. But that didn't seem to stop those kinds of questions from running through my head like some perpetual scrolling marquee. The reality is that this beloved and loyal pet had died from a freak accident, leaving us at a loss as to how to deal with this death. Templeton was 12 years old and picture perfect health for an 'old man' cat. I think the thought that worries me the most, is that he died by himself. For all his years of service and love to our family, we weren't even here in his final moments, moments that were no doubt filled with panic and fear. You see, Templeton and I go back a long way. I have always had a soft spot for animals, particularly our pets. No, I don't buy them health insurance or dress them up in doll clothes, but I have a special affinity the way St. Francis does towards animals. I have saved his life a couple of times and he knew that. We had a special bond that was solidified each time he squashed me flat in the middle of the night, lol. I had even given him a middle name so I could appropriately scold him. Years ago, we had another cat and they were like brothers. They both had middle names. Marley and Templeton...except I beefed up their names and called them Christopher Marley and Templeton Joseph. They knew when they were in trouble!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5F_xd9dumosj6_UyzDBx0a3g6KbJsai04VfJ27iWX90EJVWRc7izLTWWzF7wU6wWXNSXvvSg45KZhiD1uuWSITDVsBkohviNVxHhelWXwZ5ePVWsto7bhpFRao-a0Y6SRGhxhYV83HHd/s1600/templeton1.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5F_xd9dumosj6_UyzDBx0a3g6KbJsai04VfJ27iWX90EJVWRc7izLTWWzF7wU6wWXNSXvvSg45KZhiD1uuWSITDVsBkohviNVxHhelWXwZ5ePVWsto7bhpFRao-a0Y6SRGhxhYV83HHd/s400/templeton1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469632660792976338" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">{never one to miss out on catching some rays cat style, Templeton *loved* to be outdoors roaming, drinking water from our water feature, harassing the birds, annoying the dogs next door, and playing with the kids}</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">So, instead of celebrating Mother's Day with our typical cheer and family fun time, along with our annual picture of me with the kiddos, we spent the day eating our brunch with very little conversation, stopping along the way to cry and mourn our dear pet of 12 years. We worked our way through the grief by talking to the kids and hugging them and letting them know it's ok to cry. And what would have been an afternoon spent watching movies and munching on snacks, was spent watching Neil dig a hole {no easy task in Central Texas with all the limestone} while I sat next to Templeton and recalled memories and cried a little bit here and there. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrPGWymAXp_nRI2PWxtzx9JreWSI0B-d-GJpP0LsQ5Ao3HJDaKvE3jU7qli9Ue3E-pQxRzFoVOhLttKtF3Ku4Nt6JzpIMaHouaSyUxS6CZPdzMM4V1bIoYKImxHXwSNNa2mMuzI4Tez9M/s1600/templeton3.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrPGWymAXp_nRI2PWxtzx9JreWSI0B-d-GJpP0LsQ5Ao3HJDaKvE3jU7qli9Ue3E-pQxRzFoVOhLttKtF3Ku4Nt6JzpIMaHouaSyUxS6CZPdzMM4V1bIoYKImxHXwSNNa2mMuzI4Tez9M/s400/templeton3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469632886155742450" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 312px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Templeton Joseph - January 11, 1998 - May 9, 2010</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-50163559579686766052010-05-08T14:14:00.005-05:002010-05-08T15:29:20.759-05:00Seven Things Saturday<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><b>So, I guess the best way to get back into the groove is to simply get back on the horse, right?</b></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">This was a topic that a lot of bloggers could use to avoid that writer's block - essentially, all days of the week had certain themes and depending on whether you had good material to write about or not, you could use any of these as fillers and not let go of the flow of posting. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Let's go through my week {one of the few times I will focus only on my own week} and you can decide how exciting it was. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new', serif;"><b>Sunday:</b> Sundays are always relaxing for us. We attend 9:30 Mass at our church. I had a lady tell me afterwards how beautiful our children are. While the kids were not bouncing off the walls, they were incredibly fidgety which always seems to lower my patience. Towards the end it truly felt like we were herding cats. Her comment was just what I needed to put things in perspective. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><b>Monday:</b> It was a typical Monday, with all the usual challenges of trying to get the motivation to start the week off right. It was my last night to help out with RCIA. Since August, I have been helping facilitate discussions for our {then} newest candidates for initiation into the Catholic Church. For the past few years, I have dipped my toes in a few different ministries at our parish to find what and where my strengths lie. I typically try to keep my interests limited to one or two evenings a night so it doesn't create an undue burden on the family life. The last class for RCIA was technically the week before, but they started a new program by </span><a href="http://greatadventureonline.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Jeff Cavins called The Great Adventure, The Bible Timeline</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">. I had just attended his all-day seminar in South Austin the weekend before and wanted to go and see how I could help out. It was an amazing turnout, and through that seminar, I will be helping to launch the 24 week course that will start in September. While my work with RCIA is at a close, I am excited to help be a part of a new program that will no doubt feed a parish hungry to learn even *more* about Scripture. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new', serif;"><center><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); white-space: pre; font-family:'Lucida Grande', serif;font-size:12px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=14109_421670510539_719995539_575510.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/14109_421670510539_719995539_575510.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space: normal; font-family:'courier new', serif;font-size:19px;"></span></span></center></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*me with Jeff Cavins - disregard the staring into the sun/weirdo expression thing I've got going on*</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><b>Tuesday:</b> Speaking of various ministries, there are two types. There are those that that give back and those that you nurture yourself. RCIA is my 'giving back' ministry and Tuesday evenings, I spend time discussing Scripture with one of several Bible Study groups led at our church. This session we are discussing the Gospel of John as well as his letters. I am admittedly not as polished when it comes to Sacred Scripture, so about a year ago I decided to make this more of a mission in my spiritual life. I have put the past eight or nine years into studying apologetics, Church teaching and Sacred Tradition, and while the Church cycles through almost 90% of the entire Bible every three years, I had yet to give Sacred Scripture more time to fully understand my roots, so to speak. The past year has been *very* fulfilling. I have made a lot of friends and had *many* wonderful and eye-opening discussions about Scripture that have led to my desire to help with the program I mentioned above. Sure, we can all study Scripture on our own, but the difference I've found in my own experience is that I get more out of the content when there are others to discuss Scripture. They bring points of view to the table that I had not considered and challenge me to constantly look beyond the surface meaning of what God is trying to tell us. What I love about John 6, in particular, is that it is really what defines Catholicism through the description and need of the Eucharist, from the very words of Jesus, Himself. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><b>Wednesday:</b> It was Cinco de Mayo - a day for celebrating with good food and relaxing with my husband, sans kiddos, at our favorite restaurant just down the road from us. It was *packed*, there was live music and the food was great! Not too shabby for what would otherwise be a normal hump day.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><center><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); white-space: pre; font-family:'Lucida Grande', serif;font-size:12px;"><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=29416_425361390539_719995539_584517.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/29416_425361390539_719995539_584517.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space: normal; font-family:'courier new', serif;font-size:19px;"></span></span></center></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><b>Thursday:</b> I was invited by a friend to go to an annual dinner to benefit the </span><a href="http://www.christchildsocietyoftexas.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Christ Child Society</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">, a Catholic non-profit organization geared towards helping those in most need in our society. They provide layettes for mothers who give birth and have nothing for their children. I could go on and on about what they provide, but the best way to pass that info on is for you to simply click their name above and check them out for yourself. The evening was wonderful, filled with lotsa Catholic 'sistas', catching up on all their news, making new friends, a silent auction, wine, a lovely dinner and dessert along with an extremely hilarious comedian to share in all her experiences as a wife and mother - it's funny b/c it's true was the main theme of all our laughter that evening. We could hardly catch our breath before she had uttered her next perfectly-timed joke. Let me tell you, all women should hope to be that funny at age 73!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new', serif;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); white-space: pre; font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:10px;"><center><a href="http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/?action=view&current=images.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/sapphires2000/images.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center></span></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><b>Friday:</b> Well, there is nothing ever really wrong with Friday. It is always welcome in my books! I took my two littles to a newly formed Mom's group at our parish where we learned to make rosaries, thanks to a friend who took the time to show us how to make knots. It was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to making even more friends as we get more involved with the group. That evening, we took the kids out for a dinner, came home and got jammies on, snuggled on our bed for evening prayers and then the adults settled into an evening of watching the Spurs...lose unfortunately. I think that's the end of their season being behind in this series 3-0, but I'll watch tomorrow evening in anticipation that they might be able to pull off an upset. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">I'm not holding my breath, lol.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">So, that was my week in a nutshell - a rather big nutshell. Not all my weeks are anywhere near this jam packed with things to do, so this will likely be my last Seven Things Saturday for a while. :)</span></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-28060283595012415122010-05-05T11:09:00.004-05:002010-05-05T11:13:37.893-05:00Lots of changes, lots of procrastinating, very little bloggingIt's been forever and a half since I've gotten back into any kind of regular posting. For family and friends who follow us on Facebook, you are all in the know; however, I initially created this blog with the intention of sharing some daily {and not so daily} nuggets of our life. May is typically one of the busiest months of the year for us and this year is no exception. We have lots to catch you up on, so stay tuned. I am finding a way to start blogging using our new laptop {which means, I may actually get posts done more frequently - yay!}, while finding balance with all the upcoming changes to our lives.<div> </div><div>What I hope to blog about in the near future:</div><div>*bring you up to speed with past events</div><div>*talk about our upcoming arrival of #5</div><div>*share our new adventures in homeschooling {beginning mid-June}</div><div>*etc. and so forth. :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-11596200458187990812010-02-23T16:37:00.004-06:002010-02-23T17:04:44.617-06:00What a gift from God!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgih7NSv-GK8S9tQa87F8mmb-ZaDCdb9_3c3414WeE5nzQl89XgGhTc95Mt7oDRqoMU6U6rdPtTdAqpm6ezcQuR82eAr7R4lMbZOb5_iGXEpD664aGd4UUm36geFRrrXPqvXJdOFGg6MEpN/s1600-h/paige5thbirthday2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgih7NSv-GK8S9tQa87F8mmb-ZaDCdb9_3c3414WeE5nzQl89XgGhTc95Mt7oDRqoMU6U6rdPtTdAqpm6ezcQuR82eAr7R4lMbZOb5_iGXEpD664aGd4UUm36geFRrrXPqvXJdOFGg6MEpN/s400/paige5thbirthday2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441576503582966322" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">{Paige gives me the traditional head tilt pose}</div><div><br /></div>Today we celebrate Paige's 5th birthday. Along with that, I had no idea of the potential for snow today. You see...I was on retreat over the weekend and was recovering yesterday, busy with RCIA and then we woke up this morning to see what seemed like pancake-sized snowflakes falling outside. <div><br /></div><div>A wonderful swirl of flakes...nothing skimpy or "true to Austin weather". This was some serious snow fall {not so much serious snow stickage to the ground, though!}. It made for some interesting situations...such as, I now regretted postponing my chores and errands in preparation for Paige's birthday. I couldn't exactly help it. Fatigue hit like a brick wall halfway through my first errand yesterday and I went home, hands up, white flag waving in defeat. I called uncle and vowed to finish today. </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>*That* would have been a good time to know about the snow forecast. I might have forced myself onward and upward to get most of the chores done yesterday. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">Oh well.</span></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Be that as it may, it was a wonderful day to celebrate such a big milestone birthday for Paige. Her preschool teacher took some pictures of the cupcake cake we brought to class today and a picture she took of her outside with the snow! I'll have to do a two-parter, this post will include her birthday pics before she opens her gifts and then another later with the rest of the day. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pics courtesy of Ms. Cindy:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxQfruboNRNNaakhXParBrF8-qdxAWax73VaHIe0O-6K6V_1jQ6P84GBLLkUxft1t_FyR8Agf-NK6LujtunxRyErYCJkUnui7f4Un67GvHU0AO5w8HvIcxzyNflSN1nXfqlEp3c66bIiR/s1600-h/100_1561.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxQfruboNRNNaakhXParBrF8-qdxAWax73VaHIe0O-6K6V_1jQ6P84GBLLkUxft1t_FyR8Agf-NK6LujtunxRyErYCJkUnui7f4Un67GvHU0AO5w8HvIcxzyNflSN1nXfqlEp3c66bIiR/s400/100_1561.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441577500603183762" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsUqCI1sb4ixTkzTBegD2uBuRkYxmzwlr3i4QKr8NfbCw3IjVnJZrhbCi2saR6FO7jbkst0zEA5d1GPcaphqZ1swDM_kVG0hMBSd73oiF7Q5pptw_f2HpsYouA6gtDXFd2g6hgJtQuTPT/s1600-h/100_1562.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsUqCI1sb4ixTkzTBegD2uBuRkYxmzwlr3i4QKr8NfbCw3IjVnJZrhbCi2saR6FO7jbkst0zEA5d1GPcaphqZ1swDM_kVG0hMBSd73oiF7Q5pptw_f2HpsYouA6gtDXFd2g6hgJtQuTPT/s400/100_1562.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441577502131078226" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNzlJMYBfEqAfNzaryb3JPK8L4prHY29ie9LKJSlRfC8YJ_SuSLJuelji4vRian5w1KoDj5m5uPkPzGGRsoO0gBhoXWU-G21AYC_PB3G5oKi1vKJ22-phNPPHnGHemQ2SX_GJyYljIk1m/s1600-h/100_1572.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNzlJMYBfEqAfNzaryb3JPK8L4prHY29ie9LKJSlRfC8YJ_SuSLJuelji4vRian5w1KoDj5m5uPkPzGGRsoO0gBhoXWU-G21AYC_PB3G5oKi1vKJ22-phNPPHnGHemQ2SX_GJyYljIk1m/s400/100_1572.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441577507939982802" style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iXF6W1i1TbQODaAF9cPA44l0QBFyipRHXqH6596wxma_cS4rawCLRTRhcIf_IBvMLHegRh4X9sJPObuvqIJAeQ3wsfi-RXInJcAKbs7iU_kyjDBNRaWA0N17BofJnLeEzAbY2z2-MrnP/s1600-h/100_1578.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iXF6W1i1TbQODaAF9cPA44l0QBFyipRHXqH6596wxma_cS4rawCLRTRhcIf_IBvMLHegRh4X9sJPObuvqIJAeQ3wsfi-RXInJcAKbs7iU_kyjDBNRaWA0N17BofJnLeEzAbY2z2-MrnP/s400/100_1578.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441577512157594834" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9Sd375QXFZ08u_rITLZFacIfUv3FtzLslaQ7HCTxgYzJDHHBhn5wZ6Fxt50nxBP1KrlUsrWf2Epj7I4rBcdRa7xYtVo8A4Mry1ZkX1V_GTM_eSKvjvA5T6P_r1-ib-W920iI8n8wCjDD/s1600-h/100_1582.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9Sd375QXFZ08u_rITLZFacIfUv3FtzLslaQ7HCTxgYzJDHHBhn5wZ6Fxt50nxBP1KrlUsrWf2Epj7I4rBcdRa7xYtVo8A4Mry1ZkX1V_GTM_eSKvjvA5T6P_r1-ib-W920iI8n8wCjDD/s400/100_1582.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441577516273515650" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">***</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrMyF-Qzz_3pNiOipF7rudRu02ohiqLG1jfUp3JBwUnNvwFAED0zLg6qLoJoEe0H9XlNeqhnuwPbER_IXYZTtpqVfXi0mMw_1F6naCeQiL5AThM2F5BWNUiXFpR8pS8HC9u792VJZC03l/s1600-h/paige5thbirthday.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrMyF-Qzz_3pNiOipF7rudRu02ohiqLG1jfUp3JBwUnNvwFAED0zLg6qLoJoEe0H9XlNeqhnuwPbER_IXYZTtpqVfXi0mMw_1F6naCeQiL5AThM2F5BWNUiXFpR8pS8HC9u792VJZC03l/s400/paige5thbirthday.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441576494228543666" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{here is a picture I submitted to our local news stations. They were asking viewers to send in "snow" pictures. I figured a birthday girl celebrating a rare snow day in Austin was worth sending in!}</span></i></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-80447437870384611022010-01-20T11:11:00.005-06:002010-01-20T13:32:06.849-06:00How would you grade the first year of our President?Not normally a topic I would delve into, as my comfort level with politics goes as far as the topic is tied to my Faith, I could not pass up the opportunity to share a link encouraging all of you to grade the President's first year in office.<br /><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Click </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/01/20/grade-president-obamas-year-office/">HERE</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/01/20/grade-president-obamas-year-office/"> </a></b>to cast your vote and share your opinion. </span></p>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-9746235229784379372009-12-19T15:24:00.011-06:002009-12-19T18:53:58.239-06:00The book!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieB5nZaSbki2Ok5PBi-qAP3q0ub6HVRMXn97_5JLGUbHAqdOjkzR2E76bbFsNdy3lzKTipli3PxRBc_IysLtjasa50GhgF2UqnKacfPYB-qxcxijn3pQlRVWh6jew1XK1jWW6mZ9vvgBSf/s1600-h/IMG_0045.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieB5nZaSbki2Ok5PBi-qAP3q0ub6HVRMXn97_5JLGUbHAqdOjkzR2E76bbFsNdy3lzKTipli3PxRBc_IysLtjasa50GhgF2UqnKacfPYB-qxcxijn3pQlRVWh6jew1XK1jWW6mZ9vvgBSf/s400/IMG_0045.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417110123180230498" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{Ashley gets creative with telling us how old Neil is - it looks better than thirty-five actual fingers, no?}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">For Neil's 35th birthday, I had to get creative. We love living in Austin, but there are times when you want to be able to celebrate milestones with all your loved ones and it just isn't possible. This was one of those occasions, so I thought it would be fun to have friends and family alike help me out by contributing stories or well wishes for Neil's birthday.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">I'll be honest, between working on our Christmas mail out this year, the tedious and demanding, yet full-of-fun playscape project and trying to wrangle out this project, all the while desperately trying to be unnoticed and under the radar so as not to ruin the surprise, it got a little complicated. It wasn't until I started putting the stories together with pictures that were sent, or locating and digging out Neil's yearbook to grab some photos that I really started to immerse myself into the project. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">It didn't take long - a side benefit to having put together a *lot* of professional wedding books in my short year with Ron Parks while doing photography. In fact, having an idea of how to throw it together allowed me to focus on all the stories and envision the voices behind the stories. I kept grinning while working on it, because even though he had asked for a certain video game for his birthday, I just KNEW the book was going to be the real winner this year.</span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">And it was.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxuETVL5-rNeyNa3jMoU5ZHr0ziI_CoaQD23cW2owtC2pqU2qvKDOiYwRAFmqTXGS6k2RbvLnFw4rFxYQnxx4gaE19JoXpTk2Fo1pW1iek4QV91LOin1G7hIWJ2uOSqJwfTqUQXvcXvHc/s1600-h/IMG_0055.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxuETVL5-rNeyNa3jMoU5ZHr0ziI_CoaQD23cW2owtC2pqU2qvKDOiYwRAFmqTXGS6k2RbvLnFw4rFxYQnxx4gaE19JoXpTk2Fo1pW1iek4QV91LOin1G7hIWJ2uOSqJwfTqUQXvcXvHc/s400/IMG_0055.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417111418413965826" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{Again, here we do a set of three and five candles...can't be havin' the </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">fire department come by because of the bonfire...err, umm...the candlelight from the cake!}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMCNs3lWyCWkMo94oEe_R0lTNaYrXBr7_x0RffeM_FrbmJ6mdhBglEOIGIxGG27YY-enPTmkoUWL2VEy2rJh8TgtK7GlGNWftNPUHHZJyo0gV28ECOd_tqHryHQSxbQv8RmZInTAwifOd/s1600-h/IMG_0034.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMCNs3lWyCWkMo94oEe_R0lTNaYrXBr7_x0RffeM_FrbmJ6mdhBglEOIGIxGG27YY-enPTmkoUWL2VEy2rJh8TgtK7GlGNWftNPUHHZJyo0gV28ECOd_tqHryHQSxbQv8RmZInTAwifOd/s400/IMG_0034.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417062316156862962" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{the cover - I cheated the other day and told him I needed a </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">recent pic for our Christmas mail out -he TOTALLY fell for it! ;-) }</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDzgW8sin8-GgqAINVd_N17wZnPQMbL3wJY8eWLrdZRF0-EozmbxGjbQRNG9E7o3ktAqVnWg1ayFsjslVtM_g-kwighvVfgRcy8fyJcz9bf3iFxOcepM0fFgNMMhE1mDUcY0a64hn6TNa/s1600-h/IMG_0036.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDzgW8sin8-GgqAINVd_N17wZnPQMbL3wJY8eWLrdZRF0-EozmbxGjbQRNG9E7o3ktAqVnWg1ayFsjslVtM_g-kwighvVfgRcy8fyJcz9bf3iFxOcepM0fFgNMMhE1mDUcY0a64hn6TNa/s400/IMG_0036.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417113852741951106" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{some birthday quotes from famous people...to set the tone}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAmWZzzcl6tB_UUXFhqcn_cZUPBStd3gnms_13ReyPZjS-gEWdOUejqRfcGed70-GPP9EU-uP1aL9SI8qEg8lLiNawCT-Zeli-csSZ_98-PGlzCUiQXhEdwBta73LMYNsggrHzQGyoHuy/s1600-h/IMG_0038.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAmWZzzcl6tB_UUXFhqcn_cZUPBStd3gnms_13ReyPZjS-gEWdOUejqRfcGed70-GPP9EU-uP1aL9SI8qEg8lLiNawCT-Zeli-csSZ_98-PGlzCUiQXhEdwBta73LMYNsggrHzQGyoHuy/s400/IMG_0038.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417110809926674402" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{sorry Kevin, but there is just something about that picture! Still friends?}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkStoUsdM1t07bWPtwjPDpTlWSj047s9hj2mbQ4NV3KHXbHE6vnps9hUvGVyZbiqwu_8KTTZZYDJ5fOJ2Pc_AfZCXZZjYYQJnQBNicsgWM_st_t7US-3cQzhKojCfFr4FqvMOouDbDZKkj/s1600-h/IMG_0066.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkStoUsdM1t07bWPtwjPDpTlWSj047s9hj2mbQ4NV3KHXbHE6vnps9hUvGVyZbiqwu_8KTTZZYDJ5fOJ2Pc_AfZCXZZjYYQJnQBNicsgWM_st_t7US-3cQzhKojCfFr4FqvMOouDbDZKkj/s400/IMG_0066.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417063070269739986" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{Neil gets a kick out of reading the stories}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCcUjfs7zGHcJu19ziYHoP4ejxbJph4sK70RVO-C3-EaCWrgyTEFqq5JEaxJOuqztzaeq-05P_rMjQnZ7UaxO1fWOh1BL-3hV0-1H642sHSd479QbrXEhXt_R7YbODZo8xsVwGSV9Y7gx/s1600-h/IMG_0068.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCcUjfs7zGHcJu19ziYHoP4ejxbJph4sK70RVO-C3-EaCWrgyTEFqq5JEaxJOuqztzaeq-05P_rMjQnZ7UaxO1fWOh1BL-3hV0-1H642sHSd479QbrXEhXt_R7YbODZo8xsVwGSV9Y7gx/s400/IMG_0068.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417108643254472418" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">{Here are a few stories from Chico, a friend from high school. He just moved back from South Africa and didn't have his yearbooks handy, so I did a little investigative work on my end and found some pics to use in the book.}</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>**This time of year has been quite hectic, so I apologize for the delay in getting this post up for you all to enjoy. I know many of you who contributed wanted to see the final project. I hope you enjoy it - if you'd like me to photograph and e-mail your specific page, let me know. I'm happy to accommodate. :)</i></span></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-27202154181280018012009-12-10T14:14:00.008-06:002009-12-10T14:24:24.553-06:00Snowman humorAs we continue to work on the playscape, and against the weather, it seemed appropriate to share this with all of you. The days have been either cold, rainy, cold & rainy, snowy, cold and windy, cold, windy & overcast...well, you get the idea. The days we *have* had to work on the playscape have been less than ideal. I just got this e-mail from a friend. It's keeping me in good spirits despite the weather's attempts to slow us down. <div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mFjYvsT1pSVjEF7rD5DPCfYglraeZCSxwkxl-fPgfPr00b6BxGJ99t1tvtR02I2VfNH3QFXQimStYyYMr_vinO0wUmjEgV80kyNXThbDFrjJwq_IGv5uBE7u0rVbmeeOxPe14_WGphmY/s1600-h/ATT91882.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mFjYvsT1pSVjEF7rD5DPCfYglraeZCSxwkxl-fPgfPr00b6BxGJ99t1tvtR02I2VfNH3QFXQimStYyYMr_vinO0wUmjEgV80kyNXThbDFrjJwq_IGv5uBE7u0rVbmeeOxPe14_WGphmY/s400/ATT91882.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413704227108828242" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 129px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFfEhqgLXxp2YfAio1PKNuDDD1DrlhhD8yGvXLQXkmrgprSSjQegoFiCCTMKiZv_XGPuoGvmgygftXbgZDYxu-eZmhaZD4B6fDFp_2Etx2Zp1OXal4rgpzjUIA0B97JOgpYbL4ooo7WjK/s1600-h/ATT91881.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFfEhqgLXxp2YfAio1PKNuDDD1DrlhhD8yGvXLQXkmrgprSSjQegoFiCCTMKiZv_XGPuoGvmgygftXbgZDYxu-eZmhaZD4B6fDFp_2Etx2Zp1OXal4rgpzjUIA0B97JOgpYbL4ooo7WjK/s400/ATT91881.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413704216928995330" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 129px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5K9gboIkEUlaFVEVPB2kOkkxnXPzmo3E88GQMAlDtgEAQPTrYost-cj3MMS8PBcHy22rJjIyS0fNmer_kRcP7RATLZQqjEvmUfubxuUf-RgPVSnXyHXgrXK_qwcguH206EKt0nPjThaN/s1600-h/ATT91880.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5K9gboIkEUlaFVEVPB2kOkkxnXPzmo3E88GQMAlDtgEAQPTrYost-cj3MMS8PBcHy22rJjIyS0fNmer_kRcP7RATLZQqjEvmUfubxuUf-RgPVSnXyHXgrXK_qwcguH206EKt0nPjThaN/s400/ATT91880.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413704217336445890" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 129px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0utg3ecj0AMLxxkoPI8BLH9KZ6cs39qBFYehtyGwJN1tHlij2MytZbfnXbR_nLsQkUVt93A98tAJv2RD8YvdAXIlt0QDT_xZziwIbw9P4ohxl-6cmrpeM1yEhPhjeBiPY5OIkY4D2niN/s1600-h/ATT91879.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0utg3ecj0AMLxxkoPI8BLH9KZ6cs39qBFYehtyGwJN1tHlij2MytZbfnXbR_nLsQkUVt93A98tAJv2RD8YvdAXIlt0QDT_xZziwIbw9P4ohxl-6cmrpeM1yEhPhjeBiPY5OIkY4D2niN/s400/ATT91879.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413704214732960050" style="cursor: pointer; 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width: 400px; height: 129px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSzVFLX5lQAY5ScEvuPKc0M5e9MZQju-y1Mu1ILY8WuYpseLCVh4XER_oF8Pjh56-Dqbvqdgo59EHzWmGmkMgxIarszXoJubnzLaXlP-gWWnh04mfxlJ48G8Fq38TGggCv_eGEjMTRt0U/s1600-h/ATT91898.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSzVFLX5lQAY5ScEvuPKc0M5e9MZQju-y1Mu1ILY8WuYpseLCVh4XER_oF8Pjh56-Dqbvqdgo59EHzWmGmkMgxIarszXoJubnzLaXlP-gWWnh04mfxlJ48G8Fq38TGggCv_eGEjMTRt0U/s400/ATT91898.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413705830427064818" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 129px; " /></a></div></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8294385063624493970.post-73667944119531498452009-12-04T12:45:00.003-06:002009-12-04T13:22:26.226-06:00SNOW! oh, and the playscape update<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilu6PqCAYY_ykJf-BBt0HKQnG3ulDgsrTySljnSyg1sDVl9NWdmn2-gjHTvfvirVR0gh0mkhjSX3GbMc6ji5xsHqgtIcV6oTT4-ZpXzZnsOfJUOsJw9Ol0IVsUGWl2jL7-kaT4PoO9gEW7/s1600-h/snowandtheplayscape.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilu6PqCAYY_ykJf-BBt0HKQnG3ulDgsrTySljnSyg1sDVl9NWdmn2-gjHTvfvirVR0gh0mkhjSX3GbMc6ji5xsHqgtIcV6oTT4-ZpXzZnsOfJUOsJw9Ol0IVsUGWl2jL7-kaT4PoO9gEW7/s400/snowandtheplayscape.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411462969279548226" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>{a little snow never stopped Neil from any serious projects}</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So...the weather forecast called for snow today - a few days ago, I have to admit I was pretty skeptical. In my all my life as a Texan, I have only seen snow in Austin...well...let's suffice it to say I haven't even fallen off one hand yet. However, with our playscape project delayed due to weather {Sunday, Monday and Tuesday} and waiting on the last of the materials to be delivered {late Wednesday evening}, we figured we better get as much as we could - DONE - yesterday. We were able to get the second swing beam up, leveled, monkey bars in and tightened {sounds like a simple task - it *so* wasn't!} before closing shop yesterday evening. </span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As it turned out, due to the weather today, Neil got off work early {hey, only in TX can a city be shut down for sprinkles ;)} and headed straight for me to give me a hug and kiss because he missed me so. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Are you buying it? </span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yeah. Me either. ;) He started back up on the project and was working on the rungs to climb the monkey bars when the flurries started. I grabbed my camera and got a shot of his work as well as the snow. Who better to tackle a construction project in the snow, then a former Long Fence sales associate who was very familiar with those kinds of conditions?? </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As an aside, I should mention that the literal 30 seconds I was outside, I could hear *MONSTER* screaming and peals and squeals - we could hear all the noise from the elementary school yard from our house. They must have let all the kids run around outside and lick the snow from the air. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I remember doing that when I was in kinder. Good times. </span></span></span></div>Martinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240750228529335620noreply@blogger.com1