Small Successes:Happy New Year!!

1. Lovely Christmas spent in VA with my family
2. Have now successfully made the drive north in anticipation of a wonderful new year celebration.
3. Have started and posted to this blog all year (thank you readers)

Today I give thanks for:

snow falling outside, warm family inside

safe trips with a cheerful toddler

the promise of a brand new year

friends old and new

grace abounding and love expanding

....all this and heaven too!!

Happy New Year!!

Seven years and counting..

Seven years ago we made our vows in the Newman Center where we had met a decade before,

and these past years have brought their fair share of adventures and challenges.

Changes big and small!

I thank God for the great blessing of having you in my life as friend and companion.

I thank you for your love and laughter, for your example of faith and commitment to fun.

Here's to Seven x Seven more!!

I love you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

May you and yours have a Happy and Blessed Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday:Welcome Winter!

Ten on Tuesday: Christmas Edition

1. When do you put up and take down your Christmas decorations?

Put up varies depending on work/call schedule but hopefully sometime early December, coming down after Epiphany

2. What do you do to simplify the holiday season?

Write a few Christmas cards at a time, try to be realistic when accepting party/function invitations; and usually still end up stressing out and worrying that I missing the whole Advent experience.

3. What do you do to remind yourself and your family what the Christmas season is all about?

Advent wreath, music, set up two creches in our house.

4. How do you spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Depends whose family we are with: With C.'s family Christmas Eve is the traditional Polish dinner of 3-4 types of fish and the sharing of the Oplatki. Christmas is opening of gifts and eating good food. My family has far less traditions, eating vegtable lasanga on Christmas Eve, opening gifts while eating pasteries on Christmas morning.

5. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Going to midnight mass

6. Did you do the whole Santa thing growing up? What do you like/not like about continuing the tradition?

Did the whole Santa thing growing up and will most likely continue the tradition with E. and hope to transition to St. Nicholas as she begins to question.

7. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

Sweet Gingerbread

8. How do you take your egg nog?

Not if I can possibly avoid it, Yuck!

9. What is your favorite Christmas carol and why?

O' Come All Ye Faithful, I think it balances really well the excitement of his birth with the reverence of such an amazing gift and event. (Really hard to choose, I LOVE Christmas carols!!)

10. When was the last time you had a white Christmas?

Last year! (We were in Maine) This year may be a little tougher as we are headed to VA.

Merry Christmas to all and especially our host Chelsea!

Please visit Roots and Rings enjoy other Christmas traditions and answers

Quick Takes Vol #41

1. I find one of the joys of marriage is leaving room to celebrate the child in your spouse. We are traveling over the holidays so we have been debating tree vs. no tree, live vs. not. Realizing that we did want a tree and truly we both preferred a live, decided to get a small one that could easily taken down. Yeah right, we have 7 1/2 foot ceilings in our family room and had to trim the tree down.
2. Classes finished and grades turned in I can now focus on the fun, frenzy of the season. Still shopping to do and a lot of wrapping to go. Break out a tasty drink and "Its a Wonderful Life". What favorite old movie helps you tackle a time consuming task?
3. Having trimmed our tree, we have also added a new phrase to E. repetoire "Too High" which is her opinion of where we have placed most of the ornaments.
4. Attended the Advent/Christmas program of a younger friend last night which was wonderful. The perfect balance of reflective and celebratory. Well performed but with the fun quirkiness of many little children trying to sing and dance together.
5. E. received a box of crayons from St Nicholas and is starting to show a decent attention span for coloring when she is not demonstrating that they make excellent drum sticks, stirring sticks.
6. Having sent out my cards I can now eagerly watch for the mailman (ours is) and wonder what wonderful greetings will be delivered.
7. Plans for the weekend, finishing some homemade gifts and wrapping, wrapping, (and maybe some fun in the snow...if it actually snows as predicted).

Please visit Conversion Diary to enjoy many other wonderful Quick Takes hosted by Jen

Small Successes:Third week of Advent

1. We have a tree with lights, decorations and everything!!
2. Have turned in my grades for the semester! It was a good semester but it feels so good to have grades done and be able to fully focus on family and the season.
3. As of when the mail is picked up today, my Christmas cards are addressed and mailed. I love the idea of my good wishes and prayers traveling across the country and even across the ocean to friends and family.

Today I am offering thanks for:

the graces and blessings of friendships

the great fun of 'trimming a tree' with love ones

introducing family traditions to E.

love given and received

warm tasty Dunkin Chai

Don't forget to visit Faith and Family Live and celebrate your successes

Sharing the Wealth: Great Blog Find

I have for several months now been a loyal reader of This Heavenly Life a wonderful blog written and hosted by Sarah. She writes funny, thought provoking posts about life, parenting and faith, coupled with wonderful poetry and beautiful pictures. Today is a perfect example as she shares of her desire to pray for her children's future spouses and their parents. Plus her youngest is the same age as Elisabeth and it is great fun to compare notes and offer support as toddlerhood appears over the horizon.

And as if those were not enough incentive to visit and enjoy she is hosting a give-a-way in honor of her 1 year blog-iversary, so go learn, laugh and maybe win something.

Congrats Sarah on completing your first year, may the blogesphere be blessed with your writing, pictures and poetry for years to come.

Ten on Tuesday: December 15th

1. If you could change anything about your physical appearance, what would it be?

I would like longer legs please

2. Is there a habit in others that you find annoying?

Unremitting pessimism

3. What is your favorite recipe using ground beef?

Shepard's Pie

4. What was your favorite book as a kid?

Little kid: Little Bear

Older kid: Little House on the Prairie

5. Did you work as a teenager and if so, where?

Teacher's aide at VBS, and nanny

6. Did you work while in college and if so, where?

At a daycare, and as an administrative aide for a department at the school and during the summer I was a nanny to twins.

7. When you go to sleep do you like total darkness or semi? When you go to sleep do you need quiet or is some noise ok?

Semi-darkness but as quiet as possible

8. When doing laundry, fabric softener or not?

Not in the washer but yes in the dryer

9. Open toed or closed toed shoes?

Generally closed except for sandals in the summer

10. Would you rather be blind or deaf?

Deaf

11. Dangle or stud earrings?

Studs for everyday, dangle for special occasions

12. Bottled water or tap?

Tap with lots of ice

13. What do you put on pancakes?

Butter and syrup

14. On a long trip would you rather drive or fly?

Hard-call, I do enjoy driving especially with my husband (time to catch-up and talk) but now that we have a toddler it is more complicated

15. Do you prefer classic old movies or new?

Another very close call, with old movies edging out new (maybe, kinda)

Please visit Roots and Rings to enjoy other answers and thank our lovely host Chelsea

Joyful, joyful!!

At the half-way point, hoping everyone's Advent is going well.

On the outside, we have candles in the window, and an Advent wreath on the dining room table. A tree in the family room decorated with many, varied and beloved ornaments.

Christmas cards have begun to be sent and those received are displayed and treasured.

More cards to be sent and gifts to be bought and wrapped.

But there is time.

On the inside, quiet time taken, candles lit and prayers said.

Thoughts recorded, favorite hymns sung and enjoyed.

Still to find a time to offer penance and seek forgiveness.

More prayers to be said, hymns to sing, thoughts to ponder.

But there is time.

Quick Takes Vol #40

1. Our Advent/Christmas party came off with the usual number of little hitches that ultimately noone cares about; the fire eventually blazed, the children eventually ate and a lovely time was had by all. A worthy tradition dating back to my husband's grad school days continued.
2. Said wonderful husband took toddler duty last night so I could attend a talk given by author James Martin S.J. on "Joy in the Spiritual Life". A wonderful, funny and poignant talk about living your faiths journey in such a way that might appeal to others. It is Good News we wish to share after all.
3. Many of the funny anecdotes he shared came from the lives of the saints, many of which were also mentioned in his book My Life with the Saints; that I may have mentioned a time or twenty.
4. Given the topic I heard my name a few dozen times reminding me that this coming Sunday (the 3rd Sunday of Advent) is Gaudete Sunday. When I was little I would try and keep count of how often I heard my name or some variation: joyful, rejoice, joyous, etc
5. Part of Christmas preparation this year has been introducing E. to the animal reindeer. I'm making progress, she only refers to them as dogs about half the time now.
6. As my semester ends hoping for (after a big push to get final grades done) a shifting of focus to wrapping gifts, addressing cards and decorating.
7. Plans for the weekend, quality family time, possibly getting our tree, and maybe meeting a celebrity???

Please visit and enjoy other wonderful Quick Takes at Conversion Diary hosted by Jen

Small Successes:Second week of Advent

1. Christmas cards bound for overseas are addressed and ready for the mail today
2. Clinicals done!! I still have to work on final grades but amazingly we finished clinicals this week. Overall the semester went well with (I hope) all the students enjoying a good experience.
3. Have taught E. to say Merry Christmas, and she only calls reindeers: dogs about half the time now.

Today I am giving thanks for:

the chance to give and receive Christmas greetings

wonderful students who sought to learn with enthusiasm and compassion

all the wonderful families who allowed my students into their birth experience

season's first snowfall

a warm cozy home to seek shelter in

a husband who celebrates and supports me

a lovely little one full of smiles and new words and ideas

Please visit Faith and Family Live to share and enjoy the small successes of life.

Ten on Tuesday: December 8th

1. Cost aside, if you could go (back) to college for anything besides what you currently “do,” what would you study?

Photography or history

2. What do you do for a living? Do you love it/hate it?

Teach nursing students, which I really enjoy though I hope to get back to midwifery someday.

3. What is your favorite Christmas ornament? If you don’t celebrate Christmas, what is your favorite holiday tradition?

Too many to play favorites, a celtic cross, snowbabies sledding, etc

4. Name something you could literally do without for the rest of your life.

Seeing (dealing with) rodents!!

5. If you were going to have any kind of “cosmetic procedure,” what would it be?

Chin lift, I have a short lower jaw and dislike the double chin effect it causes

6. Do you have any “collections”? (comic books, shoes, etc.)

Sort-off inherited my dad's stamp collection, and collected all of the state quarters

7. At what age did you get your first cell phone?

?28?

8. What is currently in your purse (or pocket or backpack if you’re a guy)?

Money, chapstick, credit cards, driver''s license, pen, & many scraps of paper

9. Are you a neat-freak or a slob ? *this applies to house, office, car, etc.

I try not to be a slob but as a pack-rat I have a high tolerance for clutter

10. What kind of parent do you think you will be? If you’re already a parent, what is your style?

My parenting style is still evolving (21 months in the trenches) but in theory is an attempt at parenting using a lot of love

and a good bit of logic.

Please visit and offer praise and applause to our host Chelsea at Roots and Rings

The Dog ate my Quick Takes

Reasons why I request a pass from this weeks round-up

1. My semester is ending leading to grading craziness
2. Sick child
3. Advent/Christmas party at my house tomorrow
4. Was not able to access the 27hr day option
5. Husband on-call all week
6. Permanent state of whelmed and weary
7. Not enough neurons firing

Please visit and enjoy this weeks round-up hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary

Small Successes:Moving in the right direction

1. Thanksgiving stuff put away and Advent wreath and Advent Calendar set-up
2. After umm-er-ahh twenty months E.'s room has curtains thanks to a HUGE assist from G-ma.
3. Having worked to keep the communication lines open to members of my family living faraway, enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner reconnecting and renewing relations.

This Thursday I am giving thanks for:

Sun after the rain

A full night sleep

A marriage grown deeper and warmer

My daughter's laughter and phrases of love

Friends; far and near yet ever close

The baby born in Bethlehem

Please visit Faith and Family Live to read and celebrate other wonderful successes!!

Ten on Tuesday: December 1st

1. What was the last concert you’ve been to?

Attended a chorale concert my friend was performing in recently

2. Is it easy to make you cry?

Depends on how tiried I am, it gets easier the less reserve I feel I have.

3. Do you ever feel like people underestimate you?

All the time, the doctors around me (both at work and at play) I feel routinely underestimate what I do and what I know

4. Name 7 completely random things that you like:

• Butterflies
• Coffee Milkshakes
• Brie
• Walking at dusk
• Katherine Hepburn movies
• Watching waves roll in
• Snuggily babies

5. What’s your favorite reality TV show and why?

Top Chef: I'm always amazed at what amazing things they create with little time and odd ingredients

6. What is your favorite hair care product?

Super absorbent hair towel

7. What’s your favorite song at the moment?

O Come all Ye Faithful

8. What’s the number one thing on your Christmas wishlist?

?something to help me learn how to digital scrapbooking?

9. Have you ever lost your cell phone?

Yes though never for good, so perhaps misplaced is a better description

10. Did you attack the hordes of shoppers for Black Friday?

Briefly, went to IKEA

Please visit Roots and Rings to enjoy others take on these fun questions. Thanks Chelsea!

Happy New (liturgical) Year!!

Having enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving with delicious food enjoyed with family as warm, happy memories are shared and new memories are made. I now turn my attention to Advent and preparing my home and myself for Christmas.

Advent begins today and as I was setting up our Advent wreath and thinking about the other preparations I would make this week both inwardly and outwardly I could not help to wonder about the preparations Mary and Joseph must have made for their journey.

Outwardly they would need transportation and provisions for the journey, probably offerings for the census officials and rabbis. But what about inwardly, did Mary anticipate that she would deliver while away? Did they sense that they were leaving their home for many years? What prayers did they offer?

Happy Advent! Let us journey together to Bethlehem!

In Gratitude and Thanksgiving!

Giving thanks for:

a warm happy home

to gather together and eat

delicious food prepared by my hard-working,

cooking loving husband.

To be shared with family and friends

including a happy, cuddily toddler

as we give thanks for many wondrous gifts of God

the greatest of which is his love.

Happy Thanksgiving to You and Yours!!

Ten on Tuesday: November 24th

1. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A nurse, and olympic gymnast. Well one out of two is not bad.

2. Name 3 of your irrational fears.

Very afraid of being burned, getting yelled at, and rodents.

3. If you had a $200 gift card to any store, what would you want it to be? (Nothing responsible allowed. Can’t be used for groceries or anything)

Borders for books for me, or Gymboree for clothes for E.

4. What is your most (blog-friendly) embarrassing moment?

While sitting on an old bench I leaned over to kiss my boyfriend, the bench snapped and collapsed down breaking a bone in his foot.

5. If you were only allowed to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

Hot: French Fries

Cold: Fruit (berries)

6. What was your favorite toy growing up?

A couple dolls

7. Do you have a “go to” outfit? What is it?

For everyday: Jeans and a black top

For dressier: Khaki skirt and sweater top.

8. Who was the best teacher you ever had?

Dr. Hatch: Biology, though I also adored my kindergarden teacher Mrs. Barnes

9. If you could buy any car right now (something at least SORT OF within the realm of reality…so, you know, a Rolls Royce may not qualify), what would it be?

A current Subaru Forester, I like the car & company: Ours is 9 years old.

10. How do you reckon that Chelsea comes up with 10 of these questions every week? It was hard! What’s your theory on how she’s so creative? Are you going to help her?

Yes I think she is very creative and ingenius. However I am happy to help and offer question ideas

Thank you to Chelsea for hosting this funny and creative round-up.

Quick Takes vol #38:Thanksgiving Rant!

1. Someone recently asked me how ready for Christmas I was, and I strongly had to resist the urge to complain that I wasn't even ready for Advent yet. While I greatly appreciate the concept that beginning your shopping and planning early allows you to enjoy the season more; but have we as a culture decided that it is okay to asked the week before Thanksgiving how ready for Christmas someone is? I vote No!
2. I would also like to stand in defense of Thanksgiving which is a lovely holiday celebrating a lovely idea of giving thanks for the bounty of blessings which surround us. I LOVE THANKSGIVING! I love the food, remembering to give thanks, little kids dressed as pilgrims and indians!
3. Thanksgiving is coming, the pumpkins getting ripe, please put in a can in the local can drive!!
4. E. continues to call me Daddy (for about a month now) but shouts it with such glee I decided to see the humor and not worry about semantics.
5. Okay back to my rant over skipping Thanksgiving: What is with Grey's Anatomy and ABC broadcasting their Christmas/New Year's episode in November?!?
6. My C's mom (who I love but who totally intimidates me in the kitchen is coming) is coming and I going to try two new recipes. Aren't I brave!?!
7. Plans for the weekend, time with family and getting ready for THANKSGIVING!

Please visit Conversion Diary and enjoy the rest of the round-up.

Thank you Jen!!

Small Successes:Nov. 19

1. Have earned all the grocery points needed for a free turkey ( and largely stocked us up with good stuff as oppose to buying junk)!
2. Prioritized enjoying the good weather this week and enjoyed a couple great walks with my favorite toddler.
3. Caught up on the laundry and managed to put most of it away

Today I'm giving thanks for:

Walks in the sunshine

Hard-working husband

My daughter

Friends & Companions on the Journey

Ten on Tuesday: November 17th

1. What are some of your family traditions?

From my family of origin: Putting out our shoes for St. Nicholas, King's' cake on the Epiphany

From my husband's Family: Sharing the oplatki wafer on Christmas Eve, Offering Easter guests a platter of food including egg, sausage, candy, bread, butter, salt, etc

2. Do you know how to change a flat tire?

Yes!

3. Do you subscribe to any magazines? What are your favorites?

Newsweek, America, Cooking Light, Money, & Oprah

4. What are your top three favorite office supply items? (If you don’t share the love of office supplies with me or if you are male, you may skip this question.)

Post-its, colored file folders, colored pens

5. Are you a good public speaker?

Terrified to start, But tend to do well once I'm actually speaking

6. How do you feel about acronyms?

Can be fun, can become annoying as people create a whole new language

7. What’s the most creative things you’ve ever done? (Bloggers, feel free to include pictures!)

With my husband's (and God's) help I made a person:

8. I’d rather jam a pen in my eye than…

Sing in public

9. What company has the best advertising?

Northern Mutual, McDonalds

10. When is your birthday?

Middle of May

Thanks again to Chelsea of Roots and Rings for hosting

Quick Takes vol #37

1. New trick for dealing with my increasingly picky eater; load up her high-chair tray, give her a sp-ork and walk away (aka do something else in the kitchen). Apparently when no-one is prompting her to eat and she is allowed feed herself as messily as she would like she is hungry.
2. Yummy beef stew for dinner last night; definitely stew & soup season!
3. Want it to stop raining
4. Fun with pronouns: After being chased a few times during which someone probably said something to the effect of "Gonna get you", Elisabeth now shouts while running "Gonna get me"
5. Now that she has a growing understanding of the concept HOT, have been offering sips of my drinks; so far warm apple cider and chai. She seemed to enjoy both and I bet she might enjoy hot chocolate with plenty of whipped cream of course.
6. Have ordered and received photo cards- now the dilemma: Christmas Letter or no?? Opinions welcomed!
7. Plans for the weekend: Yard-work (if the rain ever stops) and grading

Please visit Conversion Diary to enjoy other Quick Takes hosted by the wonderful Jen

Small Successes:You Go Mom!

1. Again found the courage the try a new recipe, resulting in a yummy stew (BTW my cooking insecurity is all me, C. has always been very supportive and encouraging).
2. Finished making a surprise tape for my nephew (now I just have to mail it.)
3. Am fighting the blues a bit right now, but trying to focus on the good and look for the positive around me (like in this post and all of you reading)

Today I am giving thanks for:

A loving husband who encourages me to try new things

The encouragement of friends

A warm, dry place to come in from the rain

The cuddily toddler who fills my world with light and love

That I am saved by love

Visit Faith & Family Live to read of others successses and share your own

Happy Anniversary Sesame Street!!

As my husband was part of the first generation to watch Sesame Street, and I the next (or third; still not sure how one counts generations culturally) it has been one of the few shows we will let Elisabeth watch. So it was with great pleasure that we together watched the 40th Anniversary episode yesterday; when the number of the day was 40 and Big Bird considered moving upon learning that many birds migrate only to realize that Sesame Street was the perfect habitat for him.

While the character she is most likely to recognize Elmo did not live on the street when I was first watching, much of the same excitement and pleasure exist as together we enjoy the adventures of Ernie & Bert, Super Grover and other constant friends of mine whom I am grateful are still around for Elisabeth to make their acquaintance.

Sunny days indeed!

Ten on Tuesday: November 10th

1. What gift are you most proud of giving?

Many, many years ago I found the perfect St Nicholas statue to give my mom. Then every year after I would give her another figurine for St Nicholas day. I only found out years later that for the first many years she had thought it was my dad and when she found out it was her (then) teen-age daughter surprising her she was really touched.

2. What’s the best gift you ever received?

For my twenty-first birthday I received a sapphire ring which originally belonged to my great-grandmother

3. In honor of my husband: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

In a bad fall of the balance beam I tore all the lower arm ligaments connecting into my right wrists. The doctor later told me a broken bone would have healed easier (still had to wear a cast for seven weeks).

4. They say everyone gets 15 minutes of fame. Who’s 15 minutes has gone on far too long? (The Gosselins are not acceptable answers, be more creative.)

The Kardasian Girls

5. You have 20 minutes and $1000. What do you buy?

Plane tickets to Belgium (and/or Ireland)

6. Tell me three blogs that I need to read.

My Life in Transition

Sweetness in the Small Stuff

Momopoly

7. Would you rather go without pizza or ice cream for the rest of your life?

Pizza (am actually eating ice cream as I answer this)

8. Would you rather go to a beach or a snowy mountain?

HARD Decision: Beach wins by a hair

9. Are you a night owl or a morning person?

Was a morning person, grad school and marriage turned me into a night owl, parenthood is turning me back

10. What word do you always misspell?

Oppurtunity (how I usually spell it)

Thanks again to Chelsea of Roots and Rings for hosting.

Saturday Evening Post:November

It is time again for Saturday Evening Post hosted by Elizabeth Esther where we celebrate and revisit good posts from the past. For this month I selected the post acknowledging my hundredth post~a chance to look back and forward in gratitude for my wonderful readers.

Please visit and enjoy the rest of the Saturday Evening Posts!