A fleeting thought

At whatever time it was that I was rocking and feeding Charlotte in the pitch-black, (I never look at the time, for it only aggravates me to know), I thought, Aw - I bet Wills and Kate are getting married soon. Maybe I should stay awake and watch it... (If you're fancy, you call him Wills.)


Then I chuckled to myself and thought, Nah. And the thought left as quickly as it came.

And now after seeing the historic kiss (two actually) on live tv (thanks to Jude's, "Hey - the Royal Wedding is on,"), and all of the highlights from the stuff I did miss - I realize I made the right choice.

May they live happily ever after.


Now, for a not-so-fleeting thought. My prayers are with those that were affected by the devastation of the recent tornadoes. And thanks to all of you who have been concerned for our family here in Starkville. We have had no damage and feel very blessed to have been spared during this time. But we pray for the lives that have been lost,

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.

My new found love.

Originally, sewing was to help us save a few bucks here and there - making skirts, hemming pants, and fixing holes. But sometime after I made the snakes for people's birthdays, it turned into a fun little hobby and creative outlet for me. After gaining a little sewing confidence, I've been able to come up with some fun stuff like this,

Headbands for Charlotte with a jersey flower. I don't prefer the big bows and wide headbands that are popular right now.

A zebra hair clip

and bracelet for Amelia's zebra birthday party.

 

(Which was modeled after the clip on the right)

 And now for the Cotton District stuff...

I only sold one girlie owl pillow, but I should have made this picture into an ad - because who could resist Joan's cuteness!

(I re-invented the foam finger for the bulldogs)

I sold 2 paw pillows - but I really thought they were going to sell out.

 A scarf that didn't sell, so now I get to wear it!

 I sold all three of these owls - I should have made more...

And I sold this little guy, who started it all. I also should have made more of these. But that's the thing, you just never know what's going to sell.

Even though our booth was in a pretty terrible spot and it was Easter weekend, we sold close to $500! I was so surprised. And even as I look at the left over pillows right now, I'm surprised that I came up with and actually made such cute stuff (I know, I'm tooting my horn a little...). But let it be known, the pillows are still for sell - so if you want one ($15), let me know!

And a special, special, extra-special thanks to my parents and Stephanie for visiting this weekend, letting us have 2 great nights of sleep at the hotel and watching the girls during the festival for us - you have no idea how much better you made our weekend! We love you!

We are The Easter People!

And Alleluia is our song!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

(Special thanks to all of the extended family members for their gifts which kept the girls' baskets from looking so puny!)

"But God proves his love for us...

... in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8

We adore You, O Lord, and we praise You, because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Good Friday to you.

No insights

I've been really thankful for this blog - the place where I record and share, vent and laugh, learn and grow, pray and encourage - my online diary.

And when I receive some nice spiritual insight or a call to humbleness, I enjoy telling you about it. But I haven't really had anything to say recently.

I looked back and Pigeonholed was the last post (April 1st) that had some meat in it. And ever since we ended the St. Joseph novena that last week of March and I began a study on St. John of the Cross, I've been kind of standing still spiritually.

Not the bad kind, like sluggishness - but more like I've been leisurely reclining in serenity. (I had to go to thesarus.com to adequately describe it, these still don't really work for me...) And normally I would run to the blog, shouting about everything I'd learned or figured out about my state, but I feel like I don't have any tangible insight from this great peace I've been given. I can't tell you anything that I've learned or encourage you to do the same. I don't know how it came about or quite when. I can't link it directly to the St. John study (even though I think the pigeonhole thing really opened some spiritual doors for me), or to Lenten observations, or to novenas, or to one homily, or one verse, or to anything. I'm not sure I even know how to keep it around.

All I know, is that it feels pretty powerful, in such a small kind of way. And I'm actually trying just to rest in it right now, instead of overanalyzing it like I always do. I just want to be thankful and bask in it now.

So yeah, sorry that I can't share anything more about it, but if you've been praying for us, thank you. And it's my prayer that this Easter brings you the same quiet confidence in our Lord.

Have a blessed Holy Thursday. I'm hoping the "right in the middle of a 9 month old's bedtime" won't prevent us from enjoying it. Oh, and I think Joan's expecting to see a garden when we get to church...

Verbatim

"What are you making, Momma?"
"Cauliflower. It's delicious."
"Well... It's not delicious to me."

After watching an eTrade commercial she says,
"Hey... That baby's talking like a Papa."

"Joan, tell me a story about Belle."
"Well, ok. But I can't do the words."

"Momma, I want to play with these colors."
"Well, we're donating those markers for some other kids to play with."
"Hmmm. I'm being patient with those kids."

"Joan, what is Charlotte screaming for?"
"Because she loves me."

"Joan, you hurt my feelings."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see them."

"I want to go back to Happy Bees with Gigi." (Applebees)


Luckily I had this post already saved and just needed to publish it. I've been really busy this week sewing things for the Cotton District Arts Festival that's this weekend. We have a booth and are gonna try to make a buck. So I haven't had time to upload any photos or come up with anything witty for you to read. Hope this works! 

Palm Sunday

Thanks, Tootsie, for saving this activity for Joan to do today! We had a great time with you and Big Poppa this weekend and I'll have the pictures up here soon!

Taking shelter

11:30 am to 12:55 pm
Tornado sightings

Stuck in the bathroom.

Me. Two littles. Cheese. Crackers. Banana. Radio. Flashlight. Pacifier. Milk. Phone. Camera. Magnetic doll toy. Questions. More questions. Crying. Whining. Tears. Life saving 16.9 FL OZ of Cola.

I'm glad that's over.

"Don't put this on the blog."

Poor, Jude. I'm constantly following everyone around the house with the camera - waiting for life's little moment to be shared on the blog. He's such a good sport.

But occasionally, I'll capture stuff that he'd probably rather me leave out. I've heard more than once, "Don't put this on the blog." Thankfully, he cares way less about how people perceive him than I do. And so, he's letting me put these captured moments on here for you, to prove how silly and fun he is and how much joy and laughter he brings to our lives. I am blessed to spend my life with a better half.

He's not joking here... he actually forgot his sunglasses on our trip to LA and wore these the entire 7 hours.

Barbecuing with a white undershirt, plaid shorts, brown socks, and STATE shoes. Perfect dad attire, right? He really didn't want me to take this photo.

I didn't sleep!

And by the way, she did end up sleeping.

We have fun.

And here's how we do it.

Going to track meets and wearing running shoes. Flying kites. Riding in the double stroller while Momma and Papa run. Swinging. Camping in the dining room. Eating grass and wearing flower halos. Eating healthy lunches with friends. Forgetting sunglasses and wearing shades from the eye doctor. Painting. Learning to skoot. Being a princess. Scrubbing the floor. Spelling our name.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Sisters share

The girls started sharing a room about a week ago and I haven't really had the time to take pictures of the new set up and to tell you how it's been going until now.

We debated (i.e. I obsessed) over which room to move to and after the pro and cons list we realized that having the girls together in the back room would prevent us from having to move them again if we have another baby. It also prevents us from having to move the artwork that matches Joan's bedding to another room. And while the bigger room would seem like a better space to play, the smaller room had better nooks that I think is more conducive to play. My parents also got me a small writing table for my sewing machine which is currently in the living room. But we're debating (i.e. I'm obsessing) over whether or not to paint it and put it in the playroom so I can sew and supervise at the same time. We'll see.

The first night was AMAZING! Our normal routine (on a great night) was to nurse Charlotte to bed around 7:15-745 and then she'd wake up around 10:30pm to eat again and go back down until morning sometime after 6 am. And sometimes she'd wake up in the middle of the night to eat, and sometimes she wouldn't.

Joan would be put to bed at 8pm after prayers and a story. And the first night we did both routines without a hitch. Charlotte woke up once and I just went in there to feed her and Joan stayed asleep. It was cake.

The next day we tried naps... We put Charlotte to sleep and then tried to put Joan in her bed, but the excitement of having Charlotte right next to her kept her up and after falling off the side of her bed and proceeding to cry, she woke up Charlotte. A few other attempts at naps in the same room at the same time confirmed that they need to be separated. We're still figuring this one out...

Unfortunately, every night since the first night hasn't gone as well. Charlotte wakes up more than when she was in her own room and we're waiting it out to see if it has more to do with teething and milestones than sharing a room, because Joan doesn't really bother her. Oh well.

Here's what you really came here to see.

Our new playroom with 3 new nooks...

the home

the school

the toys

 "The girls' room." That has a nice ring to it.

Nanny Chloe comes to town!

The girls' aunt (and Charlotte's godmother), Chloe, came to visit us from Ohio this week while she was on spring break. And without getting too mushy... it was such a great time. She and her husband were so generous to us, stocking up our pantry (including candy, Little Debbie treats, and Pizza Rolls for Easter!), and buying the girls all sorts of cute clothes, toys, books, and accessories (the rain galoshes are adorable). She cooked us delicious meals and helped me take care of the girls - ah, it was great. Thank you, Chloe, so much for coming and thank you, Art, for letting us keep her for a while.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Let's do this!

Jude and I often watch one of our favorite shows on Hulu before going to bed and we crack up every time one of these 5 Hour Energy Drink commercials play. We know them by heart and recite them all the time.

We hope you like them as much as we do!

Paparazzi

Get

that

camera

out of

my

face!

Big Poppa

Please say a quick prayer for my father-in-law, Ross, who was in a car accident earlier today. Thankfully, he's ok, but he's staying overnight in the hospital for observation. His apparently blacked-out and ran into a pole. No one else was involved.

The prayers of his wife were no doubt being heard during the crash because she was doing her holy hour just a block away. People stopped to help him and one of them ran over to get her, so she was able to be there soon after the accident.

We ask the Lord to hear our prayers of thanks for his protection right now, too.

Pigeonholed

In my efforts to understand our situation with not being able to sell the house and dealing with the problems from the tenant and the repairs and blah, blah, blah, I guess I've pigeonholed God.

I think,
He's teaching us to pray.
He's teaching us to trust.
He's teaching us to sacrifice.
He's teaching us to be humble.
He's teaching us to be generous.

But once I feel like we've learned the lesson, I'm confused at why our situation continues. Why isn't it resolved. Are we in fact, still doing something wrong? What else do we need to learn?

But God is not a teacher. To say so, is to insufficiently describe Him. He's bigger than that - bigger than everything. No written word or name can accurately describe our God. St. John of the Cross points out that our natural intellect can get in the way of our complete union with God because it can only bring us so far.

Once we begin to create an image of Him and how He relates to our lives - we pigeonhole Him, we close Him into this tiny little box that He was never meant to be in. And our spiritual lives suffer because we are left frustrated and confused, or in my case, angry that He didn't fulfill my expectation of what that title means. I mean, I showed up for class, participated, and answered all the questions right. I want that A+, I want my house sold - I'm not even asking for a profit anymore or to miraculously make back all the money we've lost - I just want it gone.

But in this is my mistake. Getting the house sold is not "my grade" or a reflection of what kind of a student I am - and if it does sell, it's not because I did X,Y, and Z perfectly. I've got to try and leave behind my interpretations of what the heck is going on with our house (or any of life's circumstances) and stop trying to make sense of it all. Yes, it's helped me to view this experience as a lesson from the great Teacher - but that's only been able to bring me thus far, and now our house is still for sale, our bank account is low, and our spirits are tired. And if I continue to expect God to live up to the name that I have given Him, I'll most surely be disappointed. Because this might not ever make sense to me until I'm with Him in paradise and by then - whatever happpened to me on Earth won't even matter anymore, because I'll be living in a mansion.

And this is the stance I'm taking today. Wish me luck (or grace, really).