Quick Takes vol #24

1. Went peach picking yesterday with a good friend. Great fun was had by all, along with gratitude from the adults in the crowd for the ability to get farm fresh produce so close to home.
2. Ever adding to her vocabulary the word "pull" was added yesterday. Upon picking her first peach we told Elisabeth to pull hard. She then proceeds to repeat the process by walking up to every new peach and saying "PULL"

3. Every good picker must sample the bounty of her work. This worker approved!

4. Headed to Maine for vacation. Still a lot to do, lot to pack though I do notice a general lessening in the level of stress as compared to last year almost a if traveling with a child has become something I feel I know how to do, almost.

5. What a difference a year makes. Miss Elisabeth on the beach last year:

6. I have always loved pictures and photo albums, baffling my grandmother on vacations at their place by looking at the same photo albums over and over again. But now that I have a daughter and nieces and nephews that insist on continuously growing and changing my gratitude to capture time just a little increases even more.

7. Remembering last year's trip and hoping for warm days, good food shared with excellent company...and many photos to remember it by.

Enjoy all the excellent Quick takes at Conversion Diary hosted by Jen

Small Successes: July 30th

1. Our new screen door is installed.  Most of the credit goes to Charlie who endured thru two weekends of door frames off square and rotten support boards..but I did help and did manage to pre-occupy a curious toddler while all the very interesting and sharp tools were out.
2. Completed two more scrapbooking pages.
3. Have (nearly) completed all the shopping and laundry in anticipation of our upcoming vacation.

Giving thanks for: 

• hardworking husbands who are stubborn and handy
• good friends who are willing to make the drive to come visit 
• a chance to go pick fruit together with friends

                             

Praying for Stellan: July

This photo is from MckMama's Twitter account.

Praying Stellan is able to rest and recovery, SVT breaks

Quick Takes vol #23

1. Enjoyed celebrating Jour de Belgie this week.  July is always fun in my family, good food and pride of heritage on July 4th and the 21st!  Elisabeth enjoyed sharing the frites, maybe next year she will try a mussel.
2. Charlie was away on a business trip this week and while we certainly missed him, am happy to report that all went smoothly.  And enjoyed the brief return to the phone conversations of  early infatuation which ends with the tug-of-love regarding who is hanging up first.
3. If Elisabeth's calm welcome did not quite convey to Daddy how much he was missed, this morning when she followed him everywhere and pitched a fit when he went out of sight definitely did.
4. Playground antics increase as slides and merry-go-rounds are added to the list of musts.  Her willingness to walk up to kids much bigger and strike up a conversation (granted in her own language) continues to surprise me.
5. Sesame Street is now a regular part of my day (again).  And I'm having a blast getting to know new friends like Zoe and Elmo, and getting back in sync with Big Bird and Grover
6. If anyone has tips to ward off the pickiness of the second year please pass them on because I'm loving sharing my eggplant, mushrooms, and avocado with her.  Though by far the best is the faces she makes after drink seltzer out of Charlie's glass...And then coming back for more!!
7. Looking forward to a visit from a good friend this weekend as we kick back and catch-up!

Enjoy the rest of this weeks Quick Takes with Jen at Conversion Diary

Wordless Wednesday: Cousins

Taking time and taking care

The gospel passage read at Mass yesterday spoke of Jesus and his apostles trying to get away for some time of quiet and reflection but to find upon arrival that they had been followed. 

This was a wonderful message for me to hear at this phase of my life and faith journey.  I need to remember to take time to be quiet and reflect, to get away from the noises and demands of my daily life and become still.  However when the quiet is disturbed by little voices, remember too that cares of the day are often the blessings.

As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.  Mark 6:34

 

Quick Takes vol #22

1. Our weekend traveling adventure went really well with my little traveling companion remaining quite cheerful despite traffic jams and more hours in a carseat then she would really prefer.  
2. Our swim classses paid off well with Elisabeth happily playing with her cousins at a local pool.  Bit of amusement to start however since she had never been in a 'baby' pool before I literally had to touch her feet to the bottom before she would relax her legs down and trust that she could stand and walk in the pool.
3. Monday brought her first trip to the zoo with two friends of about the same age.  Many of the animals did not warrant a reaction (not sure they could them well) however the bears, gorillas and lions got raves, and the sleeping tiger prompted some 'shhh'ing from the girls.  So cute!
4. Unfortunately the elephant enviroment is being renovated so you could only see them at a long distance.   Something to check out on a return trip!
5. Enjoyed a wonderful dinner last night with a friend about to move out of the country.  One of the great plus/minus of living close to a university, the chance to meet and build friendships with people from throughout this country and even some others balanced against the real possibility that they will move on to continue their education.
6. As a former childbirth educator and currently a clinical instructor of nursing students I am always on the look for good 'patient education'.  Found this site providing free handouts for pregnant woman.  Love it!   Healthy Birth: Mothers Advocates
7. The great challenge of summer weekends, always so much to do around the house but making time to play must play a role when Daddy gets a weekend off.

Enjoy the whole roundup hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary

Small Successes: July 17th

1. Overcame some challenges, namely driving in a new city and shyness to share a great day at the zoo with wonderful web friends
   
2. Claiming some time away from family to visit with a friend before she moves out of the country
3. Got the kitchen floor mopped

Today I am so thankful: 

• wonderful friendships begun in internet groups merging and deeping into real life
• supportive husband who encourages me to try new things and explore new places
• a happy child who will play endless games of 'Itsy bitsy spider' while we sit in traffic trying to get home from our roadtrip
• time with family, playing in the pool and savoring good cooking

Thank you to Danielle of Faith and Family Live for hosting

Loving your postpartum body!

Check out a wonderful article by Kater Wicker that I had the great priviledge of participating in.

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/features/love_your_body

Quick Takes vol #21: Places I want to visit

1. Ireland: Even before I met my husband and heard the stories and saw the pictures of his visit I had wanted to see The Green Isle.  Someday we will travel there and ...
2. Belgium: Where I have been several times visiting family members but want to very much show my husband and children the sights and introduce them to members of my family (related and not) who have meant so much to me despite the distance.
3. Williamsburg, VA: For some reason despite living in VA since I was 9 I have never been.  I'm interested in history and came to be the designated tour guide of the family when any visitors wanted to go to nearby Mount Vernon or into Washington D.C.
4. Italy (especially Rome): My parents, and more recently my MIL have been and rave of the wonderful mix of vitality and reverence for history and heritage.
5. Cavendish Farm, PEI: While I have been to Prince Edward's Island on my honeymoon ( and loved it) we married in the winter and the farm was closed to visitors.   Anne of Green Gables remains a beloved favorite of mine and so to see where L.M. Montgomery grew up and the inspiration for those wonderful books is firmly on my to do list.
6. Kentucky: Within the U.S. there are four commonwealths, I have lived most of my life in three, coming home from hospital to live in Massachusetts, moving to Virginia when I was almost ten and living there until I left for college (my mom and sisters still live in VA) in Pennsylvania where I met and (years later) married my husband and which is where I currently live.  I figure I should at a minimum visit the fourth.
7. Great Barrier Reef, Australia: My husband introduced me to snorkeling a couple years ago and while I realize that there are many amazing spots in this hemisphere to snorkel if you are going to dream, dream big!

Catch up on all this week's Quick Takes at ConversionDiary.com

Wordless Wednesday: July 4th Fun

Honest Scrap Blogger Award

• Thank you very much to Karen of http://kareninmommyland.blogspot.com/for this wonderful award.  I love reading her blog, she shares her faith and adventures in parenting with a wonderful mix of humor and wisdom.  Plus she provides reassurance for the chosen spelling of my daughter's name.

In order to keep the award I must do the following:

1. Say thank you the the presenter (which I do) and link her blog
2. Reveal 10 honest things about myself
3. Presesnt this blog award to 4 others whose blogs are brillant in content and/or design and encourage me

10 things about me

1. Born in Rhode Island, and very loyal despite not living there since I was four
2. Child of an interfaith marriage, I am proudly Catholic and appreciative of the tolerance I learned in the Unitarian Church
3. Did not learn to swim till I was ten because...
4. Had ear tubes placed 4x between the age of 5 and 10
5. Favorite show is The Waltons
6. Could happily drink a coffee milkshake everyday
7. Believes the best chocolate comes from Belgium
8. Am also (see Karen's post) a recovering pack rat.
9. Can still do a cartwheel
10. Loves to sing along to the radio, and wishes she did not have such an awful voice.

I proudly (and happily) nominate

1. Mindy of http://sweetsmallstuff.blogspot.com/ who inspires and encourages me daily to live and parent with greater compassion and integrity
2. Molly of  http://www.momma-molly.com/is another first time mom of a daughter whose site I go to learn and share
3. Jen of  www.conversiondiary.com who shares her faith journey as she raises her little ones with grace and a big dollop of Texas charm
4. Kate of www.katewicker.com/ who writes with such honesty and compassion, even when I disagree with her I'm glad of the chance to read her views.
   

Honorable Mention: Karen already nominated Rosey of  http://roseyoutlookdose.blogspot.com/  so I won't double dip, but I completely agree.

 

Body after baby: Starting Anew

• So first the good news, I have hit my goal weight last week.  Yay!! But after a holiday weekend with a couple BBQ's I'm up half a pound today.
• More importantly as Samantha posted very eloquently today, tone wise I'm not at all where I want to be.  So starting anew (or perhaps moving now into the maintenance-phase).  I recommit to doing 100 sit-ups (or crunch-like exercise) a day, limiting myself to one soda, and taking 4 30+ minute walks a week seeking to focus on varying the incline.

Wish me well as I wish the same to you.

To read more and join the challenge visit www.mamanotes.com

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We now return you to your lovely holiday!

Happy 4th of July!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

photo © Michael Jastremski for openphoto.net CC:Attribution-ShareAlike

Small Successes: July 2nd

1. I wrapped and mailed baby gifts to two friends with new little darlings within two weeks of the babies being born.
2. After a slightly frustrating battle with a plateau have it my goal weight!  Not at all sure how long it will last but will enjoy while is does.
3. Attempted and successfully completed a 2-3 hrs road trip with overnight stay with daughter in a non-baby friendly home.  (The family=very friendly, the decor and hours kept by the resident teenagers=less so).  

Join the fun at http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/rock_on_mom/  hosted by Danielle Bean

Today I am thankful for:

afternoons spent at the playground in the summer sun

tear free swim classes as my little one learns to enjoy the water

time spent with family and friends celebrating graduations and birthdays

ice cream on a warm summer evening