I've recently shared how we met, how we started dating, and how we got engaged.
But now you know why. I found this in my inbox this afternoon.
I love this guy more than these little keys will let me type.
Happy 7th Anniversary, Jude! Forever my friend, forever my love.
Showing posts with label My husband. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My husband. Show all posts
Monday, July 29, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
The Courtship & Proposal (Part 3)
If you haven't already, check out the The First Day I met him and The Conflict beforehand. I hope Grace doesn't mind, but I'm linking up for the third time...
The Courtship
If you were keeping tabs, Jude and I had been great, totally platonic friends for 2 years (ok, a little less platonic toward the end of that 2nd year) and in that time we casually ironed out all that really serious stuff wrinkling up relationships - religion, family life, career goals, you get the gist. Thankfully, we were able to do that as friends, without the pressure of If I'm honest he might not want to marry me. So by the time this courtship rolled around (a very slow roll, mind you) we both knew we weren't interested in dating just to date. For us, dating was supposed to be serious and probably a little short if we felt called to the big I DO.
That was how we answered my parents question, "Ok... what does that mean?" when Jude was over for Thanksgiving break in 2004, and shared with them our plans to start courting soon. We basically said, "we're going to start dating/courting and don't be surprised if we get married next month," or something like that.
Now that we were back at school, and he had my parents' permission/blessing/confusion, he invited me to his dorm apartment for dinner (i.e. Chicken Helper and crescent rolls - but the named-brand kind) and OFFICIALLY asked to court me to which I almost replied, "duh," and we shared our first kiss (ok technically, he'd kissed my cheek at his grandmother's house the week before, but who's counting? We are.). That was November 29, 2004.
The Happy Couple in black & white (nostalgic).
I apparently prefer to be on the right. Except in Paris.
The Proposal
Jude & I were planning to drive from Ruston down to Sulphur on October 15, 2005 so that I could sing in a wedding. We had lunch on campus and then stopped by the Catholic student center to make some copies of music before we headed off, or so I thought.
We got out of the car and started walking to the office until Jude said he'd already made the copies and then brought me over to the steps of the chapel. He reminded me that this spot was where we first met, that this church and student center formed the foundation of our friendship and courtship, and so, would be the perfect place to kneel down and say, "Alisha, I want to serve Christ with you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?"
And so I did, and still do.
Yes - a high-five. We were always friends first.
Forever my friend, forever my love.
The end. (mostly)
The Courtship
If you were keeping tabs, Jude and I had been great, totally platonic friends for 2 years (ok, a little less platonic toward the end of that 2nd year) and in that time we casually ironed out all that really serious stuff wrinkling up relationships - religion, family life, career goals, you get the gist. Thankfully, we were able to do that as friends, without the pressure of If I'm honest he might not want to marry me. So by the time this courtship rolled around (a very slow roll, mind you) we both knew we weren't interested in dating just to date. For us, dating was supposed to be serious and probably a little short if we felt called to the big I DO.
That was how we answered my parents question, "Ok... what does that mean?" when Jude was over for Thanksgiving break in 2004, and shared with them our plans to start courting soon. We basically said, "we're going to start dating/courting and don't be surprised if we get married next month," or something like that.
Now that we were back at school, and he had my parents' permission/blessing/confusion, he invited me to his dorm apartment for dinner (i.e. Chicken Helper and crescent rolls - but the named-brand kind) and OFFICIALLY asked to court me to which I almost replied, "duh," and we shared our first kiss (ok technically, he'd kissed my cheek at his grandmother's house the week before, but who's counting? We are.). That was November 29, 2004.
The Happy Couple in black & white (nostalgic).
I apparently prefer to be on the right. Except in Paris.
 |
| On our World Youth Day Pilgrimage Summer 2005 (pre-engagement), Paris, France. Obvi. |
 |
| Same WYD Pilgrimage, throwing 2 coins with our right hands over our left shoulders into the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome ensures both love and marriage. check & check & a nice segway into: |
We got out of the car and started walking to the office until Jude said he'd already made the copies and then brought me over to the steps of the chapel. He reminded me that this spot was where we first met, that this church and student center formed the foundation of our friendship and courtship, and so, would be the perfect place to kneel down and say, "Alisha, I want to serve Christ with you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?"
And so I did, and still do.
 |
| July 29, 2006 |
Yes - a high-five. We were always friends first.
Forever my friend, forever my love.
The end. (mostly)
Thursday, July 11, 2013
The Conflict (Part 2)
You can read about Part 1, The First Day, before this if you want. Might make more sense. And I'm adding it to Grace's link-up.
The Conflict
Not only was Jude the President of A.C.T.S., but he also sang and played guitar in their praise band. Maybe some of you don't know, but I have been known to carry a tune or two and so naturally, I joined the band with Jude. This gave me plenty of opportunity to move into the friend zone. Great. Right where I wanted to be.
I was not at this particular concert. But gosh, he even looks good in a beard.
After hanging out with him a while, I might have flirtily (not a word) asked/teased him about whether or not he had any interests. A lady friend, if you will. And to my surprise he answered yes. My heart skipped a tiny beat because I was about 67% sure he might say me. bahahahahahaha. wrong. He meant Drea, the cute graphic design freshman he'd just met, (did I mention this was his senior year in graphic design, also? No. Ok - that's important.) which confirmed he definitely saw me as the girl-that's-only-a-friend-so-she-can-safely-give-girlfriend-advice. If you've seen 1 out of the batrillion chick flicks in the last 3 decades, you know what I'm talking about and I assure you, that girl is real. And she's me.
Here's what that was like:
Context: We were on a mission trip the Summer of 2003. He was still dating Drea and we were great friends. Right before the video starts, I let out the biggest burp he'd ever heard, apparently, and racked up tons of points in desirability. I'm a keeper.
And so, stranded on Friend Island (but with lots of points), I did what I had to do and became the best non-girlfriend I could. They dated for a year and a half (i know!) - but this ends up being good for me, too, because he stayed in grad school at Tech pretty much because of her (ok, and they have a great design program). In between times of super crushing on him (couldn't quite bring myself to actually sabotage them), I crushed on other dudes. What - I was trying to find my husband, remember?
But then - just like in the movies - their relationship starts getting a little rocky, they try taking a break, which didn't help (does it ever?), yada yada yada, they break up, he leans on non-girlfriend for sympathy and company. Perfect timing because I'm no longer into him. saga drama.
I was smack dab in the middle of a crush* for someone out of town when he tells me he's started having feelings for me. He followed this news up with gifts, letters, special surprise visits, songs written about me - the typical wooing kinda stuff. But too late now, buddy, because I was busy feeling something for someone not feeling something for me. You follow? Classic love triangle. To be fair, the out-of-towner was giving lots of mixed singles and so I held on to the string a little too long. Until finally FINALLY, I realized he was just the star in the song "Looking for the Moon" (you can find it on Spotify by Jolly Napier, introduced to me by dear friend Jill) and Jude was the moon. (We all know the moon is what you're really after!)
**I know I say crush a lot and it's making this all sound silly and pathetic, but trust me, it was.
So great - my old feelings for Jude came back to the surface and now he felt the same and now we could be together forever. Except not, because right before all of this love-triangle-disasterness I was elected as the A.C.T.S. President (do we all remember who was President 2 years before me...?) for the Fall 2004-2005 school year and had decided to randomly stop searching for my husband and just focus on the campus ministry i.e. be SINGLE for the next year (not hard to do because I'd been SINGLE my entire life, but still, I felt the need to make it official).
This meant several months of Jude chasing me - even sharing that he loved me, (to which I said, "thank you.") followed by several months of us both loving the other but not being together together. (I finally said I love you while we danced at my sister's wedding)
Right in the middle of our NO! We're not together even though we're always together! phase at a concert in Houston Summer of 2004.
This thankfully came to a close when in November of 2004, we realized the very official Relationship Status: Single I had made was actually causing more distraction than just being In a Relationship, plus I'm sure all of our friends were tired of hearing about the whole mess (Sorry Jill, Sara, Lauren, & David). We got the go-ahead from God after lots of agonizing, silly should-we-shouldn't-we-let's-call-this-discernment prayers where I'm sure He did lots of eye-rolling and it was decided: boyfriend-girlfriend. But not yet (that would be too easy). First, he must meet my parents and tell them about our courtship plans over Thanksgiving Break. I saw that eye-roll.
The Courtship & Proposal (read about it here)
The Conflict
Not only was Jude the President of A.C.T.S., but he also sang and played guitar in their praise band. Maybe some of you don't know, but I have been known to carry a tune or two and so naturally, I joined the band with Jude. This gave me plenty of opportunity to move into the friend zone. Great. Right where I wanted to be.
After hanging out with him a while, I might have flirtily (not a word) asked/teased him about whether or not he had any interests. A lady friend, if you will. And to my surprise he answered yes. My heart skipped a tiny beat because I was about 67% sure he might say me. bahahahahahaha. wrong. He meant Drea, the cute graphic design freshman he'd just met, (did I mention this was his senior year in graphic design, also? No. Ok - that's important.) which confirmed he definitely saw me as the girl-that's-only-a-friend-so-she-can-safely-give-girlfriend-advice. If you've seen 1 out of the batrillion chick flicks in the last 3 decades, you know what I'm talking about and I assure you, that girl is real. And she's me.
Here's what that was like:
And so, stranded on Friend Island (but with lots of points), I did what I had to do and became the best non-girlfriend I could. They dated for a year and a half (i know!) - but this ends up being good for me, too, because he stayed in grad school at Tech pretty much because of her (ok, and they have a great design program). In between times of super crushing on him (couldn't quite bring myself to actually sabotage them), I crushed on other dudes. What - I was trying to find my husband, remember?
But then - just like in the movies - their relationship starts getting a little rocky, they try taking a break, which didn't help (does it ever?), yada yada yada, they break up, he leans on non-girlfriend for sympathy and company. Perfect timing because I'm no longer into him. saga drama.
I was smack dab in the middle of a crush* for someone out of town when he tells me he's started having feelings for me. He followed this news up with gifts, letters, special surprise visits, songs written about me - the typical wooing kinda stuff. But too late now, buddy, because I was busy feeling something for someone not feeling something for me. You follow? Classic love triangle. To be fair, the out-of-towner was giving lots of mixed singles and so I held on to the string a little too long. Until finally FINALLY, I realized he was just the star in the song "Looking for the Moon" (you can find it on Spotify by Jolly Napier, introduced to me by dear friend Jill) and Jude was the moon. (We all know the moon is what you're really after!)
**I know I say crush a lot and it's making this all sound silly and pathetic, but trust me, it was.
So great - my old feelings for Jude came back to the surface and now he felt the same and now we could be together forever. Except not, because right before all of this love-triangle-disasterness I was elected as the A.C.T.S. President (do we all remember who was President 2 years before me...?) for the Fall 2004-2005 school year and had decided to randomly stop searching for my husband and just focus on the campus ministry i.e. be SINGLE for the next year (not hard to do because I'd been SINGLE my entire life, but still, I felt the need to make it official).
This meant several months of Jude chasing me - even sharing that he loved me, (to which I said, "thank you.") followed by several months of us both loving the other but not being together together. (I finally said I love you while we danced at my sister's wedding)
Right in the middle of our NO! We're not together even though we're always together! phase at a concert in Houston Summer of 2004.
This thankfully came to a close when in November of 2004, we realized the very official Relationship Status: Single I had made was actually causing more distraction than just being In a Relationship, plus I'm sure all of our friends were tired of hearing about the whole mess (Sorry Jill, Sara, Lauren, & David). We got the go-ahead from God after lots of agonizing, silly should-we-shouldn't-we-let's-call-this-discernment prayers where I'm sure He did lots of eye-rolling and it was decided: boyfriend-girlfriend. But not yet (that would be too easy). First, he must meet my parents and tell them about our courtship plans over Thanksgiving Break. I saw that eye-roll.
The Courtship & Proposal (read about it here)
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Love Story Link-Up
One of the most adorable couples ever, Grace & Simon, have their love story up and ready and she's calling for more gush. Since I aim to please...
The First Day (not Date)
August 2002; St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ruston, LA
It was a few days before starting my freshman year of college at Louisiana Tech University and I was attending daily Mass. I was in the side chapel and the altar was placed just in front of a glass sliding door so you could see your reflection the entire time (very distracting). But I started looking around at the other people's reflection and all of a sudden it hit me. At any moment, I could meet my husband. That's when most people find them, right? College? But not seeing anyone in the reflection that, I don't know - caught my eye, I let the thought fade.
It'd be an awesome story if I had learned later that he was actually in the reflection, huh? Yeah, well, he wasn't.
BUT, he was standing right out side the door.
I walked out of mass with my friend, Erica, from high school onto the steps of the chapel and we introduced ourselves to some of the older college students who were in the campus ministry (A.C.T.S. we called it: Association of Catholic Tech Students).
Enter: Jude
He walked up with a few other guys and introduced himself - get this - as the President of A.C.T.S. He was tall, dark, and handsome. Cliche? Don't care - because I got to marry him.
Told you so. (Side note: I took this portrait of him for one of his photog classes.)
After I shook his hand, I decided I had a crush on him. But it wouldn't be a love story without some conflict, aye? (I pretty much love rhetorical blog questions. Don't you?)
The Conflict (read about it here)
The Courtship & Proposal (read about it here)
The First Day (not Date)
August 2002; St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ruston, LA
It was a few days before starting my freshman year of college at Louisiana Tech University and I was attending daily Mass. I was in the side chapel and the altar was placed just in front of a glass sliding door so you could see your reflection the entire time (very distracting). But I started looking around at the other people's reflection and all of a sudden it hit me. At any moment, I could meet my husband. That's when most people find them, right? College? But not seeing anyone in the reflection that, I don't know - caught my eye, I let the thought fade.
It'd be an awesome story if I had learned later that he was actually in the reflection, huh? Yeah, well, he wasn't.
BUT, he was standing right out side the door.
I walked out of mass with my friend, Erica, from high school onto the steps of the chapel and we introduced ourselves to some of the older college students who were in the campus ministry (A.C.T.S. we called it: Association of Catholic Tech Students).
Enter: Jude
He walked up with a few other guys and introduced himself - get this - as the President of A.C.T.S. He was tall, dark, and handsome. Cliche? Don't care - because I got to marry him.
Told you so. (Side note: I took this portrait of him for one of his photog classes.)
After I shook his hand, I decided I had a crush on him. But it wouldn't be a love story without some conflict, aye? (I pretty much love rhetorical blog questions. Don't you?)
The Conflict (read about it here)
The Courtship & Proposal (read about it here)
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Happy Birthday Jude!
and ice cream sandwiches?
Me either.
Thank you for sharing these with me, Jude, and so much more.
Happy Birthday, my love.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
The birth of Simon Jude
I'm always the first to make a postpartum momma-blogger feel bad about not cranking out their birth story 5.5 hours after the birth, so I appreciate your patience in waiting for this. I'm not really sure why it's taken so long. Just lazy, I guess.
Saturday, April 27th, we spent the most beautiful day working in the yard and cleaning the house (was I forcing myself to nest or was it all natural? I'll never know, but it worked). I took a nap after dinner and when I woke up at 6pm, I lifted my leg to stretch and felt the gush. But (TMI?) I wasn't convinced it was my water breaking because nothing else was going on.
We took Joan for a walk up and down the street (Charlotte was in LA with my parents for the week) and I kept leaking and having minor sporadic contractions. So, we called my friend Carmen, mother to Joan's friend Amelia, and asked if she could spend the night just in case I went into real labor.
I showered and gave Joan a bath, packed her things, and we brought her over to Carmen's house at 8pm. I was thisclose to having Carmen check to see how dilated I was (it's cool, she's a labor/delivery nurse), but she didn't have any sterile gloves, so... no go.
We got home, packed the hospital bag and tried to finish the season 2 finale of Sleeper Cell while I did a little nipple stimulation to get contractions going, if they were gonna go at all. After about 3 strong contractions I was ready to go to the hospital - I knew it was getting serious and I knew I shouldn't stay and labor at home anymore. All of a sudden I was like, "get in the van now. we need to leave now." Jude must have misheard me and thought I said, "let's go in a few minutes, after you make yourself a travel mug of chocolate milk," because that's what he did while I waited by the van (he makes up for this later).
9:45pm we arrive at the hospital and I'm 4cm dilated and 70% effaced.
10:45pm we start walking the hospital halls and I labor in the shower (best. idea. ever.), keeping up with nipple stimulation to keep contractions coming.
11:30pm I'm 7.5-8 cm and really starting to hurt.
That's when I started the mental debate over getting an epidural. And I'll be honest, remembering the pain from Charlotte's non-medicated birth and knowing that my friend Kaitlin was stalled at 9+cm for FOUR HOURS was terrifying me. In the middle of debating it with Jude and my nurse (who were both very encouraging that I was almost done and could just do without), I had 2 really terrible contractions and decided I was done and wanted the epidural.
12:10am Epidural time. I quickly felt some relief on my right side, but none on the left. We tried tilting me so it would run to the other side, but nothing. It seemed to taper the pain a little (because I wasn't screaming like with Charlotte), but then at some point it just seemed to stop working.
12:45am I threw up and was at 9cm with just a sliver left. My nurse slipped it over his head during a push and I was fully dilated. I was in a ton of pain, but still not feeling the urge to push. And I know my epidural didn't work because we started getting into different positions to get him lower and ready to push. We tried the birthing bar, the stirrups, the foot pedals, squatting on the bed, sitting up, lying down - obviously I wasn't feeling any help from the epidural or I wouldn't have been able to move around like I was.
It's important to mention here that I was extremely discouraged - I had finally consented to the pain meds and was expecting relief. When I didn't get that, I felt like I couldn't emotionally recover from the let down. In between contractions I would cry and say, "something's wrong. It's not supposed to feel this way."
My nurse said I handled the pain better when pushing and even though I wasn't feeling quite ready, I started the pushing process. We backed off for a while because I was getting exhausted, but came back to the pushing around 2:00am because nothing else was working.
I pushed for an eternity (one hour) and Jude had to fan me the entire time. The pushing was still mother-directed, because you know, I could feel every contraction very well. It was just like a movie. I was sweating and crying and breathing heavily and he was freezing and fanning me and saying, "C'mon! You can do this!" It must've been the chocolate milk, because he was incredible. But this was my second discouraging moment. I honestly thought my third would fly right out of me, and when he didn't, I again just couldn't get over it. It made the pushing so much worse, feeling like I was doing something wrong.
Then, finally at 3:00am, Simon Jude came out - super chill and alert, but not crying. After several reassurances that "he's fine," I believed the nurses, held him against me, and thanked God that was over.
And now, I thank God that the recovery part is over, because that was pretty terrible and the third time I was discouraged by this birth. But you don't need to worry about that. It's all over and we have a beautiful little boy.
A boy. Crazy.
We took Joan for a walk up and down the street (Charlotte was in LA with my parents for the week) and I kept leaking and having minor sporadic contractions. So, we called my friend Carmen, mother to Joan's friend Amelia, and asked if she could spend the night just in case I went into real labor.
I showered and gave Joan a bath, packed her things, and we brought her over to Carmen's house at 8pm. I was thisclose to having Carmen check to see how dilated I was (it's cool, she's a labor/delivery nurse), but she didn't have any sterile gloves, so... no go.
We got home, packed the hospital bag and tried to finish the season 2 finale of Sleeper Cell while I did a little nipple stimulation to get contractions going, if they were gonna go at all. After about 3 strong contractions I was ready to go to the hospital - I knew it was getting serious and I knew I shouldn't stay and labor at home anymore. All of a sudden I was like, "get in the van now. we need to leave now." Jude must have misheard me and thought I said, "let's go in a few minutes, after you make yourself a travel mug of chocolate milk," because that's what he did while I waited by the van (he makes up for this later).
9:45pm we arrive at the hospital and I'm 4cm dilated and 70% effaced.
10:45pm we start walking the hospital halls and I labor in the shower (best. idea. ever.), keeping up with nipple stimulation to keep contractions coming.
11:30pm I'm 7.5-8 cm and really starting to hurt.
That's when I started the mental debate over getting an epidural. And I'll be honest, remembering the pain from Charlotte's non-medicated birth and knowing that my friend Kaitlin was stalled at 9+cm for FOUR HOURS was terrifying me. In the middle of debating it with Jude and my nurse (who were both very encouraging that I was almost done and could just do without), I had 2 really terrible contractions and decided I was done and wanted the epidural.
12:10am Epidural time. I quickly felt some relief on my right side, but none on the left. We tried tilting me so it would run to the other side, but nothing. It seemed to taper the pain a little (because I wasn't screaming like with Charlotte), but then at some point it just seemed to stop working.
12:45am I threw up and was at 9cm with just a sliver left. My nurse slipped it over his head during a push and I was fully dilated. I was in a ton of pain, but still not feeling the urge to push. And I know my epidural didn't work because we started getting into different positions to get him lower and ready to push. We tried the birthing bar, the stirrups, the foot pedals, squatting on the bed, sitting up, lying down - obviously I wasn't feeling any help from the epidural or I wouldn't have been able to move around like I was.
It's important to mention here that I was extremely discouraged - I had finally consented to the pain meds and was expecting relief. When I didn't get that, I felt like I couldn't emotionally recover from the let down. In between contractions I would cry and say, "something's wrong. It's not supposed to feel this way."
My nurse said I handled the pain better when pushing and even though I wasn't feeling quite ready, I started the pushing process. We backed off for a while because I was getting exhausted, but came back to the pushing around 2:00am because nothing else was working.
I pushed for an eternity (one hour) and Jude had to fan me the entire time. The pushing was still mother-directed, because you know, I could feel every contraction very well. It was just like a movie. I was sweating and crying and breathing heavily and he was freezing and fanning me and saying, "C'mon! You can do this!" It must've been the chocolate milk, because he was incredible. But this was my second discouraging moment. I honestly thought my third would fly right out of me, and when he didn't, I again just couldn't get over it. It made the pushing so much worse, feeling like I was doing something wrong.
Then, finally at 3:00am, Simon Jude came out - super chill and alert, but not crying. After several reassurances that "he's fine," I believed the nurses, held him against me, and thanked God that was over.
And now, I thank God that the recovery part is over, because that was pretty terrible and the third time I was discouraged by this birth. But you don't need to worry about that. It's all over and we have a beautiful little boy.
A boy. Crazy.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
meet simon.
On April 28, 2013, at 3:00 a.m., we welcomed our newest little guy,
Simon Jude Landry
Simon Jude Landry
 |
| Jude wore this home from the hospital 32 years ago. Fit perfectly. |
Yep. We make the prettiest kids.
So thankful for Gigi's help.
The girls meet Simon for the very first time.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Making things make life better
And I certainly need to make life a little better these days...
A friend of mine requested one for her daughter's birthday and since they were so easy (that's right, I actually read & followed the tutorial), I made a ton on a whim and decided to get paid. Hopefully.
I started sewing these crowns a few weeks ago to sell at the Cotton District Arts Festival this Saturday.
I had all of the fabric already except three of the patterns and I just bought a pack of buttons & some elastic and that was really it. The backs used to be some of Jude's old pants to help keep it sturdy and standing.
Jude will also have a plethora of fabulous custom designed prints, posters, and t-shirts and we're both really hopeful for a great weekend. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
While I was lying down...
... Jude was building this:
tunnels connect each box
I spy.
This video is worth seeing from your desktop/laptop if it's not showing up on your mobile.
This video is worth seeing from your desktop/laptop if it's not showing up on your mobile.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
since no one's ever been pregnant before.
whelp. i'm done.
i can't take another day of flammable breath, or
swollen feet that barely fit into my cutest spring shoes, or
not being able to wear my wedding ring, or
being kicked in the who-who from within, or
almost peeing myself during a cough, sneeze, or laugh, or
having a foot stuck between two ribs, or
not being able to fill my lungs with life-saving oxygen, or
exhausting my grocery budget on toilet paper for each 2.3 oz trip to the loo, or
hearing, "wow, it must be any day, now," or
taking 13 minutes to get up from the couch, toss in bed, or put on sandals, or
not fitting into a shirt I wore yesterday, or
mood swings that could get me committed. this might be one of them...
good thing i have 45+ days left and one patient husband.
Friday, March 8, 2013
7 Quick Takes
1. I'm ready for Spring Break would be an understatement. Two key words: Spring & BREAK! And it better feel like Spring this break or I'm gonna punch Mother Nature in the face.
2. Despite all my concerns, Joan secured a spot at Annunciation Catholic School for Kindergarten in the fall. And taxes won't be as terrible as we expected. God is good.
3. It was Dr. Seuss week at Joan's preschool and she was asked to wear a tie. It's probably the cutest she's looked at school all year.
5. This is basically what it looks like to be a graphic designer's wife
(tea-soaking for the beginnings of a book cover) and mother to little girls (necklace draping for decoration - the occasion? I know not.).
6. My friend Kaitlin finally had her baby! I'm so excited for them, but she needs to hurry up and post the birth story. amiright?
7. I need a new good book to read - fiction, preferably. And go:
Thanks for hosting Jen!
Friday, February 15, 2013
Quick Takes
Joining Jen & the rest...
1. Posting photos & whatnot of my Valentine's Day gift is always somewhat of a dilemma for me. Does anyone else feel that way? I feel like I'm either bragging or making someone else feel bad if they didn't receive anything when I do do it, but then it's like I'm acting like nothing special happened from my love if I don't do it. And then I realize I'm just too analytical and nobody probably even cares, anyway.
2. I found this 5-leaf clover the other day
but since we backed into our friend's car (thankfully no damage) and left a fundraiser without winning $10,000, it's apparent that it was one-leaf too many.
3. The fundraiser was for the Catholic school about 30 minutes from here. After some discussion, prayer, & Open Housing, we've decided to enroll her there in the Fall, as long as they have a spot. Apparently, most of the Pre-K students will be moving up, which only allows for a few new students and I think there's already more applicants than spots right now. We have an interview in a week, and we're hoping to get in. If not, we'll probably be homeschooling Joan for at least Kindergarten and trying again for 1st at the Catholic School next year.
4. Originally, we thought about homeschooling Joan the first 2 years and saving money, then sending her and Charlotte to Catholic school once Charlotte was ready for Kindergarten. We're switching it up now because it looks like the classes stay full each year they go up and she might not get in at a later date. Even if we do end up needing to homeschool Joan, I'm sure she'll do just fine - the perfect candidate, really. Charlotte... notsomuch.
5. I have a sore throat that's been around since Wednesday (Lenten penance, I guess). Anything else I should be doing besides gargling salt water and downing warm honey, lemon juice, and garlic?
6. The flaps (technically they're Land Shark fins) on this huggie make it really hard to drink from a can, and only make me want a bottle of beer even more.
7. I love when Payday falls on a Friday!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Quick Takes
Giving Jen's Quick Takes another go with the rest of 'em.
1. This has been a crazy productive day. I may not have brushed my teeth this morning (still haven't), but I did manage to wash/dry/eventually fold 4 loads of laundry; clean 2 bathrooms (with actual cleaner - not just wiping the crust off the faucet with toilet paper); sweep 7 rooms; vacuum 3 rugs; dust 1 room (only the living room needs dusting, right?); and bake a coffee cake. All before 2:03 p.m. Jude brought Wendy's for lunch as a reward for my domestic goddessness and for the children who actually behaved during the cleaning spree.
2. I'm as surprised as you are about #1, but something needed to be done because
a). The house was disgusting.
b). I've been having back trouble & not doing my fair share around here.
c). I'm nesting and have no more money to spend.
d). I was craving cinnamon.
3. Apparently all of my friends needed to see a chiropractor by their 3rd pregnancy. Did you? I'm much bigger this time around and I feel like I've been in a wreck.
4. Bonnie hosted The Sheenazing Blogger Awards (named after Venerable Fulton J. Sheen) for Catholic bloggers, and this blog was actually nominated for Best Looking Blog. I didn't mention it because I'm almost positive it was one of the 3 friends of mine that know Bonnie and that also read this blog and because I was pretty sure our plain white background and green boxed title wasn't enough to take the cake. But I appreciate the nomination, if it was you! Here's who actually won.
5. Speaking of good looking design, Jude was featured in the regional magazine Catfish Alley. They showed some of his portfolio and gave a little bio. I'm just so proud of this guy. He's really, really talented and deserves every bit of the recognition!
And if you'd like to purchase one of these (or view more items)
check out his store.
6. We got something in the mail from our old mortgage lender. It says IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION ENCLOSED and I'm sure it's the form we'll need to submit for our taxes (too scared to open it to be sure). We were forgiven a ton of money in the whole short sale deal and I'm super anxious about how it'll affect our taxes. At the same time, I'm so relieved that the house mess will officially be over soon and that we should have enough money saved to pay the IRS. I think.
7. I should probably go brush my teeth.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Nesting is expensive.
What else are you gonna do at 26 weeks pregnant with left over Christmas money? Buy a bunch of new stuff for the babes, rearrange their rooms, and wait the rest of the 14+ weeks in penniless boredom?
Exactly.
The playroom-guestroom has been converted into a nursery with a spare bed and the girls' room is currently housing all the fun stuff. (a long time ago they looked like this)
More recently, when Charlotte moved into a toddler bed, it looked like this:
Now for the AFTERS...
We're going with this arrangement for a while. Until the next random bout of nesting strikes again.
We splurged on these FLOR carpet tiles that were on sale and alternated the pattern. We. Love. Them. And if we want, we can reshape them into a rectangular rug.
The empty space before felt awkward with a regular rug and the ones we had were way too small anyway.
Now they have paths to their beds and in their little nooks.
Seriously, the space is mind boggling.
Now for the little man's room:
Jude edited his bike poster (go buy one) to match the hipster bedding, purchased by the grands (thanks!) and to fit in the frames.
I sewed this cover, which is not quite done, to go over the changing pad. Kaitlin, I think that pirate shirt was yours?
Still plenty of space, if anyone wants to visit. Yes, you will be in charge of nightly feedings.
Exactly.
The playroom-guestroom has been converted into a nursery with a spare bed and the girls' room is currently housing all the fun stuff. (a long time ago they looked like this)
More recently, when Charlotte moved into a toddler bed, it looked like this:
 |
| but with dressers, a bookshelf, and a glider. I know. These rooms are huge. |
Now for the AFTERS...
We're going with this arrangement for a while. Until the next random bout of nesting strikes again.
 |
| I'm sorry Tootsie, that Charlotte has destroyed the heirloom table. It was my fault for painting it white. It will be cleaned up when she's 18. |
 |
| The house. |
 |
| The school. |
 |
| The catch-all. |
Now for the little man's room:
Jude edited his bike poster (go buy one) to match the hipster bedding, purchased by the grands (thanks!) and to fit in the frames.
Some fun prints from this designer.
Apparently, this is his favorite owned print that you can find here.
outta money & outta space. the next 14+ weeks should be uhmazing.
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