a little bedroom redo

We've never bought a dresser.  Travis' came from his parents.  Mine came from my parents, who got it from my grandparents.  L's was bought at an auction and refurbished by my dad.  JF's was found in my parents' basement and cleaned up a bit.  Ben's was a broken down one left in the house when we bought it.  Resa's was given to us by some friends who ran out of room in their moving van.  

So when I noticed that my Great-Grandmother's dresser was just sitting in my parents' basement I asked if we could have it so we could pass mine on to Ben and get rid of his.  After much guilt-tripping my dad finally said yes and then, out of the kindness of his own heart, he refinished it for me.  

Here she is.  Ain't she a beaut?

My dresser houses my favorite things.

There's the Baptismal gown all my kids have worn.  It was handmade by my friend Sr. Marie Noelle.

There's a little statue of Peter Pan, because I love that story with its mermaids and pirates and fairies.

There's the handkerchiefs my friend embroidered for Travis but he hasn't used.

There's a picture of JF in the NICU to remind me of where we've been.

There's a statue of Mary with the Infant Christ.

And there's my jewelry tree that holds several special items. 

A medal of Christ holding a baby, which reads "Safe in the arms of Jesus." Someone who reads my blog anonymously sent it to me in memory of my son Peter. 

The people who read my blog are the best.  Seriously.  

The back is even inscribed with his name and the year he lived. 

This rosary bracelet has a miraculous medal, given to me by my college chaplain who received it from his personal friend, Mother Teresa. 

With the new dresser came some other rearranging.

The "office" area became more of a seating area. 

This is the frame that sat on my old dresser.  I put it together years ago, when Travis and I were newlyweds. There's JPII holding the Blessed Sacrament, some statues from Poland, Fulton Sheen (yes, he was watching over JF's birth), Michelangelo's Moses, pictures with friends, the coast off Highway 1, and the sunset in my backyard.  It's a collection of some of the best places I've been in life and some great people I've been there with. 

7 quick takes

1 -Hope you're not getting tired of all my The Head and The Heart videos I've been posting..  I love this band!

2 - Speaking of music I love: I will be doing an phone interview with Audrey Assad today.  I'm so excited about it!  I asked my friend Nancy for some tips on doing an interview since she is a professional journalist.  She assured me that a little bit of gushing at the very beginning is okay so I shouldn't worry if there's a little bit of "oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-cool-I'm-such-a-big-fan" in my voice.

3 - Thursday night the kids and I were on our own since Travis had to stay late at work for parent-teacher conferences.  Dinner was supposed to be a breakfast casserole with from-scratch biscuits.  Instead we had leftover pizza, cheese cubes, a can of mandarin oranges, green beans, and bacon.  I'd say it was a good meal.

4 - We finally had a call about our house.  All I wanted to do was have him come over for dinner, show him the house, sign the contract, and send him home with a bag of my freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.  The crazy thing is that the guy has actually been in the house twice already because he's one of our town's volunteer firefighters.  So he was here the night JF was born and the night I called 911 because a lightbulb went out.

5 - What if this is true?

6 - Just a friendly reminder that this coming Sunday I'll be speaking in Dixon, IL.  If you want more information, please check out this post here.

7 - I have a new post up at Ignitum Today called "Special Needs Etiquette".  It's actually Part I or a two part article and in it I interview two friends who are the parents of special needs kids.  They answer some good questions about how to interact with their children, and others with disabilities, so that we're not all standing around awkwardly as our toddlers ask loud questions in the Target check-out line.

7 quick takes

1 -  Ummmm I love this song.  Lovely.  Perfect.  No disrespect to The Magnetic Fields but this version is the best.  The. Best.  You're welcome, friends.

2 - So the lovely Maria won the Washboard Basics All Natural Laundry Soap give-away (yay, Maria!) but YOU still have the opportunity for a sweet deal.  The fantastic ladies at Washboard Basics (yes, I am partial) have offered a 20% discount to all my blog readers.  So head over to their Etsy store, pick out your product, and then type in "KNOTTED20" to get 20% off your purchase.  The coupon is good today (Friday, October 12, 2012) through next Friday (the 19th).  Megan and Laura believe that no one should have to pay a fortune to be able to clean their home safely and naturally - it's core to their business mission and this sweet deal just goes to show they mean it.  Plus, the packaging is cute.  So do it!  I'm going to.

3 - If you haven't hear about Taryn Watkins, please allow me to introduce you to this fantastic young woman.  Actually, I'll let Taryn do the talking:
Hello,
My name is Taryn Watkins For the last several years I have been discerning my call to religious life and I hope to join the Discalced Carmelites.  I am currently working to pay off my student loans because in order for me to enter, I need to be debt free. This is why I am in need of your help. Will you prayerfully consider buying one of my paintings online or offering a donation to help me fulfill my vocation? I have created a blog,ProDominoDeo.blogspot.com, that I would love for you to take a look at and share it with anyone and everyone you know because I very much desire to enact God's call quickly! I am an artist myself and I have made some prints of a painting of Our Lady because I place my vocation and the way in which that will be realized in her hands. Please consider purchasing one of my prints for yourself or a friend, they would make a great Christmas present this season!
Oremus pro invicem,
Taryn Watkins

3 - To add a couple of things to Taryn's letter:  I have no idea what the Latin says.  Also, I think "discalced" means "shoeless".  Lastly, the prints are beautiful, check them out:

In summary, "Help a (future) sister out" and pray for her and offer some financial support if possible!

4 - We are trying to sell our home.  Our beautiful, lovely, family-friendly home.  We need to move closer to Travis' work and my family but otherwise we love this house.  If you know anyone who wants to live in a small town, have great neighbors, low taxes, a great parish, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house, close to hospitals, schools, world headquarters for CAT and State Farm...  please have them contact us!  Let me entice you with some pictures:

It's so cute!  And everything in it is new!

Large living room with lots of windows!

Check out all that counter space!  

Large, beautiful dining room!

5 - So friends keep asking me for tips on how to live on a tight budget.  I'm wondering if I should write a blog post about it (I did write one for Cynthia's Mother-to-Mother "Living on a Budget" series) since Travis and I have recently learned a few new tricks.  So what I'm wondering is, should I write such a post?  I'm no kind of financial expert but if anyone's interested I would gladly type it up.  I just hate sounding like a know-it-all.

6 - I think I'm really going to like the show Nashville.  Anyone else?  You can watch it on Hulu if you missed the pilot.  

7 - Okay, and I just spent 10 minutes trying to find something funny to post here.  But I found nothing that fit.  And now I'm out of time and must go man my garage sale.  I'm de-cluttering, yo!  It feels good!

7 quick takes

1 - The first time I heard this song I thought it was The Talking Heads or, in the very least, David Byrne.  I searched and searched for the song, though I had incorrectly remembered the lyric as "Oh the wonder of it all" instead of "I love the color of it all."  In the end it was not The Talking Heads but an Irish band named Bell X1.  So close!

2 - Recently some good friends of ours asked Travis and I to be the godparents of their new baby girl.  She's my first godchild and I am so honored and so excited!  My kids have great godmothers, so I have an idea or two about how to be the best godmother ever but I'd love some more tips if you've got any.

3 - As is the custom, Travis took L to school today to enjoy the Homecoming festivities.  Last night she ran up to me and said, "Mommy!  Daddy's taking me to school tomorrow and there's going to be a PARADE!!!"  At 2am she came to our bed and asked if she could sleep with Daddy so she could get up on time to go to school.  Too cute.

4 - We are currently doing everything we can to quickly finish our house and get it ready to be sold.  Travis, my brother-in-law, and a friend have been working all week on fixing the foundation under our kitchen.  I am so thankful for a handy husband!

5 - The reason we are trying to sell:  We have found the perfect home for our family.  Close to the Catholic school we want to send our kids to.  Closer to my mom, grandparents, and brothers.  It will save Travis 40 minutes of driving a day.  We'll be near JF's therapist, the grocery store we shop at, and the sprinkler park.  There's an acre lot and an out building.  It's a great house that we could easily, slowly update.  It's perfect.  Supposedly some guy who just wants to flip it is going to make an offer on Monday.  I hope and pray he doesn't.  I'm entrusting this to Mary and hoping that God will give us this, if it be His will.  Say a prayer for us, too, please!

6 - Changing the subject - we have another give away starting on Monday!  So be sure to check back in and enter as many times as possible - it's going to be great!

7 - My time for blogging is up!  I need to get to work - have a great weekend, friends!

7 quick takes

1 - Heard this one on the radio the other day and really liked it.  Is it about John Mayer?  Does anybody know?  And why would anyone ever want to date John Mayer? 

2 - I have a new post up at Ignitum Today called Building Community with Ministry.  I wrote a little list of ministries I'm familiar with that have worked really well in the parishes and areas they've been in.  If you have a ministry to add I'd love to read about it in the combox.  :)

3 - We're gearing up for a busy weekend.  Tomorrow is Ben and JF's birthday party.  It's a little nerdy how excited I am for the decorations (a real, running train track on the kitchen island!) and the cupcakes (oreos for wheels, pretzels for jovey logs!).  Tonight and tomorrow morning will be spent decorating the cupcakes, cleaning the toilets, and hanging up balloons.

3 - Sunday is the Mass of Thanksgiving for Fulton Sheen being named Venerable.  There is a whole bunch of events - a holy hour, mission rosary, the Mass, a brunch - but because we have four little kids we're only attending the Mass.  However, I'm super excited that LISA HENDEY!!!! and I will be meeting up briefly as she will be interviewing me for an article she's writing.  I'm also excited to get the chance to meet Brandon Vogt, a fellow Ignitum Today contributor, author of The Church and New Media, and an all around nice guy.

4 - Geez, I hope Brandon's not insulted that his name didn't get all caps.  BRANDON VOGT!

5 - Here's the pics of the re-arranging:

JF's crib is out of the first floor nursery.

Ben's Thomas bed and dresser.

L's bed and dresser.  Princesses and pink.

Resa's side of the room.  (Thanks for the dresser, Lisa!)

The nursery.  There's lots more floor space for playing and the changing table (on the other side of the door) is no longer the first thing you see.  By the way, you may have had that couch in 1988 as it's a hand-me-down or a hand-me-down.  It's the most awesome couch for napping ever.  Evah!

6 - Allow me to brag on myself for a moment.  Earlier this week I took down the 4th of July window clings and washed the windows.  I know, it's amazing.  You can be in awe.

7 - I should be baking or getting dressed or doing puzzles with my kids.

7 quick takes

1 - This infectious song just got so much better.  The guy on the right, rockin' out on the xylophone on wheels and the one on the left with the kazoo are my faves.  That is, they're my favorites not counting Jimmy Fallon.  I love watching Fallon enjoying himself, it makes me happy seeing him so happy.  I hope this song and video make you smile the way it did for Travis and me. 

2 - Remember when our house looked like this?

 It looks like this now:

With some lovely landscaping that looks like this:

Okay, well you can't see the landscaping so well but believe me, it looks wonderful.

3 - When I was pregnant with Resa I had no energy what-so-ever.  Getting myself and three kids dressed and out of the house before 9am was a ginormous feat.  And so now, three weeks postpartum, I am thrilled to have the energy to actually do things. 

Wednesday's weather was beautiful and while Resa napped the rest of the family was outside.  L and I planted some flowers and it was a wonderful remedy for how I'd been feeling.

4 - Yesterday Travis did some stuff around the house that needed to be crossed off our to do list.  The first "To Do" was to hang the light fixture over our kitchen sink.

The second thing was to install a spicket on the outside of our house.  He'll hook up the plumbing once the mortar is all set and we'll finally have a hose outside!  This means good things for water fun this long, hot summer.

5 - Last week I said I was getting some short bangs.  My hair dresser / sister-in-law was hesitant and it took me a few days to figure out how to best style them but I think they turned out pretty well. I was hoping for something kinda hip but I may have only gotten nerdy but I still like them.  Oh well.

6 - Now that fair season is upon us I feel like summer is really here.  Our family went to a Turkey Festival in a local town.  Travis and I kept to our diets and didn't eat anything (it was horrible!).  I thought I was being a good mom and bought 6 tickets thinking my two eldest would get to each ride 3 rides.  What an idiot I was!  One ride each for $3 a pop.  L chose the carousel and Ben the train.  JF and Resa hung out in the stroller and then we left.

7 - Resa will be baptized this Sunday at our 9am Mass with a celebratory brunch to follow.  I've got some breakfast casseroles to make, fruit salad to prep, and a DQ ice cream cake to buy. 

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Click on over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

quick updates

1 - We are back in the house.  It is 96% finished - just some trim and baseboards left.  It's marvelous.  But I still wish it was 100% done.

2 - Our schedule (meaning the kids') is really messed up.  They are tired and grumpy because of it, and so am I.  L is probably the worst.  After me.  Pray for us.

3 - Early Thursday morning Travis is leaving for a conference.  I am also getting a little vacation.  I am excited and praying for safe travels.

4 - My friend, Lisa, had a baby boy 6 days ago.  I got a good look at Mr. Quentin yesterday and he is as cute as cute gets.  Congratulations, Lisa!!!!

7 quick takes

1 - Happy 4th of July Weekend!  Here's some Shooter Jennings for your all American listening enjoyment.  "Like a queen in your nightgown" - I still love that line. 

2 - Man, that song makes me want a beer.  Wait - hold on a second ----  ahhhh... beer....

3 - Updates on JF:  He saw an orthopedic specialist at the recommendation of his physical therapist.  Doc said not to worry about the bowed legs.  JF also saw a dermatologist who said he has a pretty severe eczema.  Also, he is CRAWLING!  He's been growing in his mobility but today he crawled from the living room, down the hall, and into the dining room.  I am thrilled!

4 - Story:  The orthopedic specialist asked if I was nervous about JF's legs because the PT thought there was an issue.  I said no, pointed to Ben and explained that Ben had bowed legs and was pigeon-toed so we were used to it.  He then checked out Ben and said that neither of the boys needed surgery, special shoes, or braces.  This makes me very happy.  But I'm a little worried that we might get billed for both boys.  I swear the only reason Ben was actually with us was because I didn't have a sitter!

5 - I am now back home.  The kids are with my mother-in-law, Travis is out of town, and I am in a mostly finished home that seriously needs to be put back in order before the kids can return.  If anyone is bored they can help me clean and move furniture.

6 - Both bathrooms have fresh coats of paint.  I now need towels that match.  And a new shower curtain upstairs.  Anyone wanna trade a dark green shower curtain for a white or grey one?

7 - I have this very strong desire to begin living in nurse scrubs.  Have you seen them lately?!  There are some cute scrubs out there - especially tops!  I could wear them all day, most days and when I'm out in public people would just think I'm a nurse on my way home from work.  I think it's a brilliant idea.  And that's not just the beer talking.

7 quick takes

1 - Blogging at my mom's sucks.  I can't post videos.  I can't leave comments on other people's blogs.  For some reason my blogger dashboard is odd formatted.  And this is about the 3rd time I've typed this...  Otherwise, staying at my parents' home has been wonderful, but here's a few things I've wanted to say:
Kaitlin, I loved your engagement story!  The best ones always involve peeing in the woods. 
Cynthia, I loved your post on beauty.  Thank you for sharing those thoughts.
Also, I apologize that there is no music to read by today.

2 - Travis has been working hard on our house which is why the kids and I are at my parents' house.  He's gotten a lot accomplished, including our laundry room.  What was once a 30% finished room filled with crap is now DONE with shelves, cabinets, and all kinds of room for storage.  You might be jealous when you see it.  Fair warning.

3 - L has taken to saying "cockle-doodle-do-do" all the time.  It is her expression of choice.  I turned it into a brilliant joke:
What did the rooster say when he stepped on some poop?
Cockle-doodle-do-do!
I know.  I'm awesome.  You can bask in my glow.

4 - We saw the newest Pirates movie.  Lame-o.  However, I did love that the Catholics were the portrayed rather well.  Did you like it?  Or were you smart enough not to see it?

5 - For those of you who haven't seen it, I am referring to the end of the movie, when the British, the pirates, and the Catholic Spanish all arrive at the Fountain of Youth at about the same time.  The Brits and the pirates are fighting over it when the Spanish come in  and declare that only God can grant eternal life.  They then destroy the the area.  Boo-yah! 

6 - Teeth.  Ben loves brushing his and JF now has 3.

7 - Tonight we are going to Galva for Ella Berry's benefit.  Ella was born with an undetected heart condition.  She almost died when she was a few days old, was life flighted to the same hospital JF was in and just came home from the PICU last week.  If you are looking for something to do, and would like to support the Berry's huge medical bills, please consider coming.

summa time

Travis is done with school.
The garden is planted.
Our strawberry plants are producing beautiful little berries.
We went swimming for the first time this season.

Summer is here and we are hot.

And busy.  We spent a long Memorial Day weekend with Trav's family and, come next week, the kids and I will be moving in with my parents.  Our home will become a full time construction zone until it is completely done.  And when the last patch of mud is dry, the last piece of trim is hung, and the new patio is completely done the kids and I will move back home. 

It's going to be a crazy June.

So sorry if the posting is sporadic for awhile.  I want to be here - I really do - but we've got a lot of stuff going on!  I'm sure you understand!

Lord, help us!

nesting + party prep

My mom and I have been working on getting the house ready for Ben's big, upcoming birthday party.  But I also think that some of the work we've been doing is more about nesting for me than the party.  I mean, we've hosted events when our bed was in the living room...  the following has to be about the baby coming.

So here's what we've done:

#1 - kept a running list on the kitchen white board of all the things we need to do.  This is the second list, by the way.  We accomplished all the tasks that were first listed here.

Oh yeah, see the list on the left - that's the invite sheet. 

It's gonna be a packed house. 

 Good thing soda was on sale.

#2 - Mom stained and prettied up this old buffet.  It sat in their basement for years, beat up and covered in junk.  I love this thing because it a) makes our embarrassingly large tv look smaller b) holds and hides all our vhs tapes and dvds c) has drawers that are too hard for the kids to open - thus they are filled with all kinds of things I don't want them messing with, and a lot of junk that I don't want you to see.

 

#3 - We were able to move the all my books to the bookshelf, which once housed the movies.  Ben and L decided together to one day pull all the tapes out of the cardboard boxes and then smash the boxes.  L was so proud.  But now it won't happen anymore, and believe it or not, they don't care so much about the books.

Don't we look so learned with all these books?  ;)

#4 - we rearranged the master bedroom (which still needs to be painted, I know - I hate all the white).  The black desk on the back right used to house the tv and looked like junk.  Now Trav and I have a place to work on things in private with our laptop when we need to get away from the kids.

We also moved the bassinet upstairs...  the baby is coommmming...!

(but not right now.  I am not in labor right now.  Just to clarify.)

#5 - This bookshelf used to be in the nursery / playroom on the first floor.  It is now in L's bedroom, a move I hope will give her and Ben things to do while we get up and ready in the morning.  I opted for mostly quiet toys and books to help with nap and bed times.  *fingers crossed*

#6 - We moved the entertainment center out of the dining room and into the nursery / playroom.  We took the glass door off the left side and housed the "fun" and educational books and toys here.  This is the best the entertainment center has looked in a looooong  time.

Possible #7.

This is the area of the dining room that used to house the entertainment center.  It now seems huge and empty.  Does anyone have suggestions for how to fill it?

God bless my mom for helping me with all this.  I wear out so easily now that I'm 38+ weeks along.  She's not only helped with this, but she's also helped with the kids and even taken them home so I can sleep better at night.  She's amazing and I'm so grateful.

Home Tour

Welcome to our house! 

Let me show you around so you can see all the improvements Travis has been making...

Here's the view of the living room from the entrance/dining room. 

It's wonderful not having our bed on the far side of the living room any more!  Whew!  You can see the computer desk peeking out from behind the blue wall on the right.  That has opened up the dining room tremendously. 

In fact, we were able to move our buffet (handmade from the wood of a cherry tree that used to stand in my parents' backyard) so it can be showcased better. 

And let me show you what we've done with the nursery:

It has now become a playroom! 

 Ben takes his naps in here still, and we left the changing table since we spend most of our time downstairs anyways.  It's wonderful having all the bedrooms upstairs, everyone in their own little area.

Why don't we go upstairs now...

The stairs will be carpeted eventually.

Check out the window.  We ordered it for the bathroom and ended up not needing it there.  Last minute decision - to put it at the top of the stairs - was a great idea.  It lets in all kinds of light and really cheers up an area which would otherwise be pretty dark.

Didn't Trav and his brother do a great job with the railing?!  I love it!!

Of course the hallway still needs carpeting... but let's take a look into L's room.

This is her "big girl bed" - my old mattress laid on the floor. 

She has a nice sized closet to the left.  The carpet is the same remnant from my grandparents' house.  You can read about how we acquired it here.  And actually, you should check out that link.  It'll refresh your memory on what the upstairs used to look like.  For instance, this room was the kitchen.  :)

On to Ben's room:

Standing in the doorway...

and standing by the dresser.  His closet is to the right of the crib. 

It's a good sized room, and we'll most likely put the next baby in here with him, once Baby #4 outgrows the bassinet anyways.  By the way, this room has always been a bedroom and not much was done structurally besides moving the door over a little bit and making the closet bigger.

The bathroom is the next one down the hall.

Please excuse the mismatching towels.

Travis plans on adding a built in shelf where you see the stack of toilet paper.

For those of you who checked out the old link, or are familiar with our house, the sink is there the old "front door" was.  The toilet is in the same place.

And finally the master bedroom: 

The view from the bed, followed by the view from the double window.

 Perhaps my favorite part of this room:  the large walk-in closet.

Woo hoo!

Okay, the room still needs to be painted (a lighter green) and I want to do something with the curtains... I'm just not sure what...  I'm thinking of some kind of large "stamp" from brown ink/dye.  Crafty people - got any ideas?

the time has come to let the house go

I mean this in a couple of ways...

First, the house has become closer and closer to my perfect house - one I could raise my kids in.  It's not huge but it's big and there's plenty of room for sleeping, eating, playing, growing and running around.  The walls are painted in colors that I like.  The living room is arranged as I like it.  The front porch is a great place to hang out in good weather, and the back porch will soon be the perfect, cute, little mudroom. 

But we are running out of money.  And unless I get a job, or we win the lottery, or someone takes a shining to us and gives a few grand, well, we just can't stay here too much longer.  Maybe for another year, but not for another five.

The tricky part for me is that I knew this was coming.  I've always *said* that I was picking out light fixtures and vanities that would be attractive to most people, but there was always a part of me that was fibbing.  I've been crafting a house that I would want.  And now that I almost have it, well, I have to start living again as if we are just house sitting until the real owners show up.

This bums me out.

Secondly, I am too tired to keep a tidy home and be a good mother to my children.  For some stupid reason I have, as of late, chosen to strive for tidiness rather than put my energy towards loving and enjoying my children.  It is true that a clean space makes me feel less stressed, but the process of having a clean space has become more stressful than the mess.  Ignoring my teething son and scolding my playful daughter so I can straighten up the kitchen only leaves me feeling crappier.

So now I must throw up the white flag and acknowledge that for the next few months, and maybe even longer, I cannot control the house, the kids, and my temper.  Quit worrying about the house and I'll do a better job with the kids and myself. 

I am aware that this will take the strength of Christ.  Seriously, I'm a pretty high strung person (I know, you know.) and He's gonna have to pull me through this one.

So if you come over, you'll have to excuse my mess.  

-1-

In last week's 7 Quick Takes I talked about the massive amount of prep work we had to do around our house for a party.  Some good friends read along with great compassion and understanding.  "Oh yeah," they thought, "it can be so much work picking things up, vacuuming the carpet..." and then they saw we were laying carpet.

We were teased, and rightfully so. 

-2-

My uber adorable son, who now has 6 teeth and walks like he just got off a horse, does two uber adorable things:  #1  When he wants to turn around for a dropped item or to chase his sister he makes wide circles.  Think of a semi.  That's my boy.   #2  He wiggles his toes when he's sitting and doing something that makes him happy.  Eating, listening to music, watching tv, playing - his little toes will be a-wigglin'.

-3-

My 10 year class reunion is coming up.  It happens to be on the same day as Ben's birthday.  Originally we were going to have his birthday party on that day (Saturday), but now I'm thinking I'll move the party to Sunday so I can go to the reunion.  Here's the thing - I want to make sure my old friends will be there.  So here comes the official "shout-outs":

Sarah - I never expected you to come to any reunion so I'm not gonna be disappointed one way or another, but it's always great to see you and Justin.

Hedda - I think it's lame you're not coming, and I really think you should.  Seriously, you could stay the night and come to my son's 1st birthday party.  Do you need another reason?

Em - I'm really, really hoping you'll be there.

Paige - I'm bummed you can't make it, but I understand.

Mindy - You have no idea how badly I want to see you again and catch up.

Kathryn - please come; you make me laugh like no one else and I want to finally meet your husband

Jamie - I've been a pathetic friend, but I really want to see you and your husband again so I can beg forgiveness in person.

Christina - I'm hoping you'll be there so I can give you a big hug.  I miss your spunkiness.

LB - you said you're coming and that makes me very happy.  :)  You get an A.

I could go on, but I think you're getting the point.  People, you need to come.  (That's the point, in case you didn't get it.)

-4-

We're all moved upstairs.  It's totally awesome.  The master bedroom is huge and I feel like a queen.  Ben is sleeping better and longer now that he's on his own (and finally in the crib and not in the pack-n-play).  L is in a big girl bed - which happens to be my old mattress, on the floor - and she too is sleeping better and longer on her own.  Our house is now officially massive, though not ridiculously so.  We use every room every day, but we're not crammed together.  And anyone who has ever been in the home I grew up in will know that "massive" will be a pretty relative term for me.

-5-

Today I see Bernice.  I'm almost 35 weeks.  My feet have begun to swell and tingle.  This makes me nervous, though my blood pressure was taken on Tuesday and it was 120/67.  My blood sugars have been pretty good, but that's probably because I've been eating protein every 3 hours.  But we'll see what Bernice says about it all.

-6-

Babies everywhere!

Recently, a bunch of my friends have give birth.  So congrats to Alisha and Charlotte down south, Amanda and Charlotte, Jamie and Charity, and Rachel and Benjamin!  And congrats to all their families and fathers!  I'm looking forward to joining your club next month!

Yay for babies!

-7-

Please say a quick prayer for my friend Rose and I as we continue to make plans for the next Behold Conference.  We are really excited about our plans and are praying that God will line everything up for us, as we work our tails off in the meantime.  It's so important to be following God's will in every decision, so also pray that we know what it is as we progress.

Thanks, friends.

7 quick takes

-1-

We are at the end of hell week over here. 

This is also crunch time.  Travis has been working as hard as he can to finish the house enough so that we can host 20 some friends tomorrow at a party.  Ten of the them are spending the night - a fact that makes us happy - but we need carpet down, towel racks up, and railing installed.  I'd show you a picture of how disordered our house currently is, but the batteries are dead in my camera.  Shucky darn.

-2-

I should say that the progress we have made would not have been possible if my in-laws hadn't already dedicated hours of free labor, our siblings hadn't volunteered help, my mother-in-law wasn't babysitting the kids, and my mom hadn't spent all day working in the yard with me and helping Trav upstairs.

Now if I would just get off the computer and clean up the oatmeal I spilled on the floor 2 hours ago.  I'm such a lazy bum, especially compared to all the hardworkers who surround me.

-3-

Ben is starting to kiss on a more frequent basis.  Great big, wet, open mouth kisses.  It's beautiful.

-4-

The baby in my womb seems to be shaking her head a lot.  It's an odd, but awesome, feeling.

-5-

What are your favorite songs to sing at church? 

 I have to pick out 3 songs for Mass on Saturday - an opening and closing hymn and one for the communion meditation.  I tend to lean towards more traditional songs like How Can I Keep from Singing?, Alleluia!  Sing to Jesus, O God Beyond All Praising, or The King of Love My Shepherd Is.  I think I'll do the Jesus, Jesus Canon for the meditation... but I'm just not sure about the other two.

Suggestions?  I'm open for some good praise and worship, too.

-6-

I turned 29 last Sunday.  It's a weird age - not a bad one - but the notorious 30 is now very, very close.

-7-

I have noticed that many of my peers (other stay at home moms with children under the age of 4) like to take their kids to parks.  In the summer.  In central IL.  Where it is 83 and humid at 10am.  Don't they know that parks are for spring and fall days?  Haven't they been told that summer days are for swimming pools or air conditioning?

Seriously, don't you moms know this?!

How do you do it?!  Were you hypnotised to believe that parks in the summer are fun?

7 Quick Takes Friday (vol 8)

-1-

Our garden continues to produce.  I'm thinking the snap peas (above) are almost done, probably because I should have staked them.  The green beans are loaded!

-2-

Ben may be too cute for his own good. 

This is him eagerly anticipating his bath. 

-3-

L has started to really "mother" her brother.  She likes to hold him, give him his bottle, and quiet him when he cries with "sssshh"s.  It's really sweet.  It makes her feel like she's helping (which she often is!) and because he adores his big sister he loves the attention.

-4-

Okay, this is just a cute picture of my kids playing together in the nursery. 

-5-

Earlier this week we went to the Niabi Zoo near the Quad Cities.  The kids and I went with Travis' mom, sister, aunt, cousin, and grandma.  Ben was the only male in the bunch and he did a good time holding his own.  The day was hot, and there were few benches and air conditioned buildings, but it was a lot of fun and everything was very reasonably priced. 

-6-

Old Settlers Days are here, folks, the quintessential small town fair.  There's rides, games, live entertainment and most importantly, fair food.  The best part for me was the St. Mary's food tent's homemade pies.  And they really are homemade.  Every day a bunch of Catholic women make pie crusts from scratch, fill them with rhubarb, apples, peaches, and other fruits, bake 'em, and then sell them for $2 a slice.  Delicious.

The best part for my daughter was riding on the race track ride, over and over again.

-7-

Update on the upstairs renovation: 

Trav has finished building the closets in the 3 bedrooms.  He has also run wire to them all.  The installation is next to go in, then the walls and ceilings.  (!!!!)

I am super excited about the size of my new walk-in closet.

I'm also excited about this back door being gone, along with the rickety stairs and deck.

Oh yeah, it'll be nice to be rid of the toilet and shower stall, too.