A Recommendation

Have I ever mentioned Holy Mama before? I don't think I have, but I've been reading her blog for forever now it seems, and she has got to be one of the funniest women I've ever read. Don't believe me? Read her latest couple of posts. Go ahead. I'll wait.....

Done? See what I mean? So funny! And she has a book. A Love for Larkspur. One that I meant to review so long ago and never did.

The storyline is good. The characters are real and believable. And it's a funny, easy read. I read it almost a year ago (has it really been that long?) and I still sometimes think about the characters. I love books like that. They draw you in. You make friends with the characters. Seriously, get the book and read it. You'll love it.

From the back cover:

Lark-a twentysomething, strawberry-blond, freckle-faced Texan-has had enough of dating geeky, weird guys. So when her sociable mama suggests she pre-screen some guys for Lark to date, Lark's just desperate enough to say yes. After all, with her three low-level jobs and the classes she's taking, she's not likely to snag The Someone anytime soon. But with her mama's Man Getting Project, she might just have a chance.

When Brant Stephens, her old classmate who lives down the street, tells her she resembles a sick cat, she chalks it up to him being the most boring, mean, and predictable man on earth. He's got more degrees than she can remember, more annoying personality flaws than she can count, and all the gorgeous, shallow dates he could ever need. So why does he feel led to insult her every chance he gets?

And what's with all the eccentric flamingos popping up around town?

Sounds great right? You can get it at amazon.

*I did receive a free copy of this book long ago. Not really for the purpose of review, but because she was giving them away at her blog. The review was my idea.*

Said Fritter

On our way inside the church for Mass this morning, the church bells started ringing.
Said Fritter, "Is that the Sound of Music?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During Mass I told Fritter to watch what Father was doing.
Said Fritter, "He's gonna hold up the tortilla!"

Prayer For Today

Behold me, my beloved Jesus,
weighed down under the burden of my trials and sufferings,
I cast myself at Your feet,
that You may renew my strength and my courage,
while I rest here in Your Presence.
Permit me to lay down my cross in Your Sacred Heart,
for only Your infinite goodness can sustain me;
only Your love can help me bear my cross;
only Your powerful hand can lighten its weight.
O Divine King, Jesus,
whose heart is so compassionate to the afflicted,
I wish to live in You;
suffer and die in You.
During my life be to me my model and my support;
At the hour of my death,
be my hope and my refuge.

Amen.

From Catholic Online

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Last week was so very very busy, and this week we have nothing at all to do. :-) I'm kidding in a way. We have stuff to do, stuff we can do, and stuff we need to do, but nothing really that takes us away from our home more than a run to the grocery store or a visit to the park.

These are my favorite weeks. I'm a homebody. My kids are homebodies. And that's really the way it should be. Because this is our domestic church. This is where we raise our kids, outside of the secular world.

It has been hard stepping away from some things, and there are those people who are less than thrilled at our decision. But that's ok. Because what really matters is that we have enough to give to our little family. When I feel myself pulled in 100 different directions, and everyone wants something from me, my fuse is short, my temper is loud, and everyone looses. As I was reminded long ago, I am a mother first.

I don't feel that volunteering is bad. In fact, I haven't cut off everything. It is good for me to get out a little and good for my kids to see me doing good for others. But that can't be my focus. And so I guess what I'm doing is refocusing. On becoming a better wife, a better mother, a better disciple of Christ. I'm growing. And that's a good thing.

Small Successes

1. I have managed to clear a path in the addition/Ladybug's room. Our house doesn't have great storage space, and that room has become the makeshift attic space. When we moved Ladybug in there, I started on some curtains to divide the room, but hand sewing got to be too much for me, and I've only finished two of the three panels. But this week, I decided enough is enough. I plan on completely organizing the room and a huge yard sale will follow.

2. I mentioned before that I decided to not do MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). I've also begun scaling back on other "engagements" in my attempt to refocus my energies on my family and home. It's truly a relief.

3. Hubby and I have come up with our yearly finance plan, and this year it includes buying a van and selling a car, finishing the plumbing on the house, painting the inside of the house, and remodeling the master bathroom. Lest you think we're being spendthrifts, we've also included a stringent plan to pay off a bothersome loan (making us debt free except for the house - woohoo!) and fully funding an emergency fund. We're finally moving on to other steps in the Total Money Makeover!

What are you're small success today? Share them at Faith & Family Live!

Thankfulness

Overheard during lunch prayers today:

Me: Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful rain.

Fritter: And thank you for the rain and for the trees and oranges.

He continued his litany of thanks at random times throughout lunch. Complete with closed eyes, folded hands, and a bowed head.

Another Crazy Week

We had a doctor's appointment this morning, and grocery shopping afterwards. Tomorrow is a dentist appointment. Wednesday is a Familia meeting in the morning and then a prayer group meeting that evening. Friday was a MOPS meeting (more on that later) and has since become a playdate at the park. And Saturday is another doctor's appointment and then my dear husband has lots of work on the house involving plumbing and the moving of things.

Two weeks ago I went to my first MOPS meeting. I thought it would be something fun for me, and good for Fritter to be around other kids his age. It was a fun meeting for me, and not so fun for Fritter. The childcare setting really freaked him out, and added LOTS of guilt to me. I had planned on trying again and the next meeting would have been this Friday. But really. Do I need to go to MOPS? Is it really that good for Fritter? Or was this more about something I felt I should be doing, but really it wasn't that important? I think the latter is true.

I am a classic introvert, and honestly even a small playdate emotionally exhausts me. But for some reason, I have involved myself in many things, and, at least for some of them, I've not really been able to commit to them because I'm involved in so many. Between Familia and my SAHM playgroup our social needs are really met. But I've also become loosely involved with the homeschooling group and somehow also need to fit in things like playing at the park and going to the library. Oh. And cleaning the house and finding enough energy to cook dinner cannot be overlooked.

It's too much! And weeks like this one and two weeks ago really show me how too much it is. So it is with a happy heart that I say so long to MOPS. At least for now, I've got too much on my plate and would really rather stay home.

Weather Comparision

What winter is like where we moved from in Wyoming...

What we do in winter in Arizona...

If we close our eyes, we can pretend the sand is snow. ;-)

Wyoming Trip - Christmas 2009

Since we stayed home last Christmas when Ladybug was just newborn, this was the first time I'd seen snow in 2 years. That's very strange for someone who grew up where it was cold and windy 9.5 months out of the year. ;-)

Our trip to Wyoming was wonderful. And we were not let down on the snow. My husband's home town, where we spent Christmas, had plenty. It's funny how you don't really forget how to drive in the snow. It's like riding a bike. Except warmer.

Fritter was very excited to see snow. He's three. We haven't seen snow in two years. Yeah. To him this was the first time. Very exciting.

At one stop on the way, dh let Fritter play in the snow. He was thrilled. Until he got his hands covered in slush. He didn't realize that snow is cold. He was less than thrilled, but even more so when Daddy put him back in his car seat. ;-)

While home, we did go sledding. Fritter went down the hill by himself a couple of times. The first time, I had to cover my eyes I was so nervous for him. He was such a trooper though, and only reluctantly stopped when it was time to go home.

Getting ready to go down the hill.

We did it!

Mom and Fritter.

More to come another day...

Sabbatical

I didn't mean to take such a bloggy sabbatical. After a wonderful Christmas vacation in Wyoming, but two long days of driving on either side, I've been tired. Vacation shouldn't make me tired, but it does. I think it's all the catching up when we get home.

And last week was a never ending whirlwind of busyness. This weekend has been no different. We got a new sleep number mattress on Friday. Thinking our bed converted from a full to a queen, we didn't worry about the frame. And then we tried to get it set up and the frame didn't really convert. So my dear-spoils-me-rotten-husband found a gently used bedroom set. That means we have real night stands! We'd been using plastic things since we got married, and they served us well. But now we have real night stands made out of real wood. Real wood! *contended sigh* Our room is so pretty now.

Saturday my hubby worked on our cars and we washed them. The back seat was disgusting. Eating on the road with a three year old and a one year old will do that.

And although today is technically a day of rest, we did anything but. I had a ministry fair shift to do at our parish after Mass, and when the kids went down for their nap we (read that dear hubby of mine) pruned our tree. I helped clean up. I'm what you would call a grunt laborer. ;-) The tree is a fruitless mulberry, and while pretty in the summer, it's a pain to prune and looks...dead in the winter.

And then I had to do grocery shopping because I won't have time tomorrow in between an allergist appointment for Fritter and a dentist appointment for me.

So what do we think about our sleep number bed? I wouldn't know. I've been too tired to notice what I'm sleeping on. ;-)