Quick Takes Vol #44

1. After pulling a muscle in my back and then the cold that would not go away, I am please to say that while not 100% I and those I live with are currently more healthy than not. Going to enjoy that while it lasts!
2. Enjoyed my sister's baby shower last weekend very much. I knew most of the people attending and enjoyed meeting other people; who while new to me are special people in my sisters life.
3. While I definitely missed my little family here at home, I did enjoy being able to visit and catch-up with my mom and sisters without worrying about the needs of my favorite toddler.
4. One of the new phrases which has cropped up in the last couple weeks is "I so sad" usually voiced when she is not getting her way but also now showing up when placed in time-out. I'm not sure it constitutes remorse, but it's a start.
5. Where did January go in such a hurry??
6. Very chilly day today, warm Mac & Cheese shared with a cute munchkin is proving to be a good way to stay cozy.
7. Plans for the weekend: More cleaning with the promise of a nice visit with an out of state friend.

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

Small Successes: January 28th

1. Laundry is caught up and very nearly all folded and put away
2. Went to a family party this past weekend leaving E. home with her dad overnight and did not stress, obsess, or call home twenty times to check in.
3. Made good progress in returning to meal planning this week.

In gratitude offering thanks today for:

a husband who helps with the middle of the night wake-up calls

a toddler who fills my days with smiles and snuggles

a home warm and secure

visit from friends far and near

second, third and twentith chance with God, above

Please visit Faith and Family Live celebrating today, a year of honoring the small successes in all of our lives.

Ten on Tuesday: January 26th

1. What accomplishment are you most proud of?

My marriage, we endured through several years of a long distance relationship before we even got married and now seven years later, I feel we are even better friends and partners.

2. How much did you weigh when you were born?

7 pounds even (I believe)

3. What is your favorite perfume?

Arpege by Lanvin

4. How many siblings do you have?

2 sisters, 1 half-brother

5. How many children would you like to have? (Or how many do you have?)

Have one and hope to have at least one more

6. What’s the best class you took in college?

Took a great literature night class my junior year

7. What was your favorite game to play when you were a child?

Loved playing kickball (outside game) and indoors, Connect Four

8. What character on Friends are you most like?

Monica, I'm not a neat-nick but I do tend to 'mother' my friends.

9. Are you a phone person? (ie: Do you like talking on the phone?)

Yes

10. What was the best vacation you ever took?

Spent a wonderful week in Hawaii with my husband where we hit on the perfect balance of doing stuff (hiking, snorkeling, and sight-seeing) and doing nothing but being together on the beach. Add great weather and delicious food = Great Vacation.

My thanks as always to Chelsea for hosting this wonderful round-up. Please visit Roots and Rings to enjoy others take on these ten questions.

Winner!!

Congratulations Karen of Karen's Adventures in Mommyland

I will be in touch to get your mailing information and book selection.

Thank you to everyone who entered.

Happy Blogaversary to me and you!

So as you may have gathered from the title today is my one year blogaversary and to celebrate and show my gratitude for all of you who have visited, commented and made this whole have a blog, write 'bout my life, my thoughts, my ideas so much less scary and actually quite fun I am giving away a book that I have enjoyed that you think you might like.

Your options are:

Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris

Glimpses of Grace by Madeleine L'Engle or

Babyhood by Paul Reiser

To enter leave a comment with which you would like to win and what you would enjoy seeing in the second year of this great adventure.

Extra Entry, if you blog about the giveaway

Entries accepted until Sunday night (January 24th 9 pm EST)

And thank you again for reading, commenting and not seeming to mind the many pictures of

my favorite (formerly ten month) soon to be 2 year old.

Small Successes: January 21st

1. All the christmas boxes with their decorations are safely packed away and stored in the shed again. My door looks a little plain but my family room is returning to a small sense of order.
2. Everybody is sleeping on clean sheets with aired out blankets.
3. Kitchen floor swept and mopped

The little, lovely things of which small successes are made of.

Today I am giving thanks for:

• A toddler who slept all night
• The love and laughter of my husband
• A new job with new tasks and new skills to learn
• the chance to visit with my sisters this weekend
• Warm cinnamon raisin toast at teatime
• I am loved and forgiven

Please visit Faith and Family Live to read other small successes and share your own.

Ten on Tuesday: The Book Edition

1. Favorite book(s) when you were a child and why?

Young child : Little Bear, first book I remember being able to read to myself

Older child: Anne of Green Gables, I read it when I was twelve and fell in love with the characters and the amazing descriptions of Prince Edward's Island.

2. First “grown-up” book you remember reading (i.e. written for adolescents or with adult themes, such as The Outsiders or Catcher in the Rye).

Actually I think "The Outsiders" in junior high

3. Favorite movie that came from a book (even if you didn’t read the book and just love the movie).

Sense and Sensibility, could not make all the way through the book but love the Emma Thompson rendition.

4. Movie that you loved so much that you WISHED there was a book out so that you could find out more about the movie.

Shadowlands , " A Grief Observed" is the story of how he dealt with her death but I wish there were a book of their meeting and falling in love. BTW them being C.S. Lewis and his wife Joy Grisham.

5. Worst book you’ve ever read?

Blocked it from memory, not sure if it is the worse but another book I just could not make through was "Mists of Avalon". Not bad just found it depressing to the point of evil; but was also trying to read it at a tough period in my life, should maybe try again some day.

6. Book that everyone raves about that you either a) haven’t read and feel slightly dumb for not having read it or b) have tried to read and hated and so feel slightly dumb that everyone is getting something you don’t.

"Love in the time of Cholera"; don't get what all the fuss is about.

7. If you were forced to choose only 3 books that you could read for the rest of your life, which ones would they be? (Or if you were stranded on a desert island, which 3 books would you want there with you?).

The Bible, Cloister Walk, A Christmas Wedding

8. Name one book that if you could recommend that everyone you know read, what is it?

I recommend that all newlyweds read "A Two-Part Invention", a beautiful book Madeleine L'Engle wrote about marriage and life in general.

9. What is your “guilty pleasure” reading?

Romances, especially Regency

10. What book (excepting the Bible or other major document of your religion/faith) has changed your outlook on life the most?

"Cloister Walk" or "Amazing Grace" both by Kathleen Norris

My thanks as always to Chelsea of Roots and Rings for hosting, please visit and enjoy others take of these questions

The Dream Goes On

Giving thanks for those who dreamed great dreams of peace and equality for all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnwDeZrGCzI

May he and all those who worked and fought for the good of all mankind, rest in peace!

Quick Takes Vol #43

1. Whatever I did to my back last weekend seems to be getting better day by day for which I am so grateful. This experience has been a wonderful lesson in empathy for those who have to live with chronic pain.
2. The backpain has also been a great lesson in creativity as I still have a little one who wants to be carried, danced and played with.
3. Prayers for the people of Haiti, luckily the relief efforts seems to be coming together quickly. Please help wherever and however you can.
4. New phrase of the week thanks to the rocket she received this Christmas; "We've got lift-off"
5. After the craziness of all the holiday travel and business of the semester starting up; I was glad to get back to cooking this week (with more plans for the weekend)
6. Plans for the weekend: Finish clearing the last of the Christmas decoration and getting the boxes back into the shed. Resting and relaxing as the new few weekends are already booked up.
7. (Small cheat) My thanks as always to Jen of Conversion Diary for hosting this weekly meme and continuing to host a site which never fails to be thoughtful, prayerful and funny.

Thankful Thursday: January

Between a sore back and a sick little one I don't feel like I'm accomplishing very much other than mastering the art of picking up and carrying a toddler while protecting my back.

However following the example of ViolinMama of A Rosey Outlook on Life, Thursday is also about giving thanks for the blessings which surround me. Seeing the pictures from Haiti it is impossible to not to be grateful for all that I have been given.

Giving thanks for:

A safe and warm home

A back which is less sore each day

A happy toddler getting healthier each day

A loving husband who works so hard to provide a good life us

The freedom to say what I want and worship how I choose

Friends to laugh with and lean on

Blessings new and surprising each day

Ten on Tuesday: January 12th

1. Are you usually late, early, or right on time?

Early to right on time, though I do always account for the added time needed to convince a certain toddler that it is time to go.

2. What is your middle name?

Marie-Hazel

3. What are the last 4 digits of your cell phone number?

6676

4. How big is your bed?

Queenly

5. What are you allergic to?

Nothing, though too much fresh pineapple makes my mouth burn which I suppose is a sensitivity

6. What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Smile at my husband, spring my daughter from her crib, wish for a couple more minutes of sleep

7. What was your favorite TV show growing up?

Waltons (still one of my favorites ever)

8. Will you, or did you, go to your 10 year high school reunion?

Yup

9. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?

Yup

10. What, in your opinion, is the greatest invention? (You know, since sliced bread…)

Electricity

My thanks as always to Chelsea for hosting this wonderful round-up. Please visit and enjoy others takes on

these questions at Roots and Rings.

Greetings from the infirmary

My favorite toddler has during the last couples months from time to time (read a couple times a week) been getting up in the middle of the night and seeking some parental reassurance that all is right with the world. This can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. So last Friday I relaxing on the couch when I hear some whimpering through the monitor, interesting, she normal calls out but sinced it stopped within a minute or two I did not worry until it happened 4~5 more times over the next hour or so. Go check in said toddler, who is not only whimpering in her sleep but also feverish and miserable. Suspections of ear infection confirmed the next day.

Having gotten her started on the mend I decided (not) that pulling a muscle in my back would add to the fun of the weekend, and not just any muscle but an intercostal: one of the muscle that runs from under your shoulder blade to between a rib. I'm sure you wise readers can just imagine the great fun of lifting, playing with, and consoling a toddler when it hurts to move, breath and do just about anything at all.

So great fun is being had by all~ her course of medicine is for ten days, and she already seems much happier~ here's hoping my recovery is a smooth.

Book Finds

I am so happy to be finally participating in the wonderful book review exchange hosted by Sara of This Heavenly Life.

A favorite found at the library is "Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too? by Eric Carle. We have enjoyed several of his books and true to form this one does not disappoint with wonderful illustrations and the enjoyment of teaching Elisabeth some new animal names.

A favorite found under the Christmas Tree is "Curious George Discovery Day" by N.T. Raymond. Elisabeth has watched the cartoon a couple of times before so when she upwrapped this book she instantly recognized the monkey and has sinced enjoyed going on the color, number and shape adventure along with George.

A favorite found in the pile almost every bedtime is "I Love You, Good Night" by Jon Buller and Susan Schade. A book which tells the story of how much a Mama Bear loves her cub told in comparsions to blueberry pancakes, and puddle splashing boots, with a gentle rhyme and lovely pictures we come back to it night after night.

Please visit This Heavenly Life and enjoy other wonderful book reviews.

Small Successes:Happy Epiphany!

1. Took Elisabeth for her first haircut
2. The student recommendations I needed to complete during the break are done and ready to be mailed out.
3. Have started a new journal for the new year

I know, I know definitely celebrating the small this week, but after tackling two long car trips over Christmas and New Years a low key week was just right.

Giving thanks today and always for:

my friend and husband for love that always supports and surprises me

the great pleasure of watching my daughter and her cousins change and grow

friends, old and new, found and rediscovered

God's assurance of love perfect and constant

Share your own successses at Faith and Family Live

Wordless Wednesday:First Haircut!

Ten on Tuesday: Cooking Edition

1. Are there any movies that inspire you to bake/cook?

• Julie/Julia
• The Four Seasons
• Knotting Hil

• 
  

  2. What’s your favorite food blog and why?

  Pioneer Woman, cause she is lovely, non-threatening and if she can create such interesting dishes with a ranch to help run and four kids to home-school and raise, maybe just maybe I could cook like that too.

  3. Who’s your favorite celebrity chef?

  Hubert Keller, he is so French and yet so California at the same time. Honorable Mention: Ted Allen

  4. What’s your favorite kitchen tool?

  Crockpot, though I just received for Christmas a large spatula for quesodillas

  5. When it comes to cooking/baking, what’s your specialty?

  Quiche, Shepard's Pie, and Bake Brie

  6. When in the kitchen, do you wear an apron, if so, any cute ones you’d like to share?

  I probable should but I don't (yet)

  7. Is there anything that intimidates you when it comes to baking/cooking? (ex. Pie crust, yeast breads, sauces, etc…)

  New recipes, and turning on our grill

  8. What’s the weirdest gadget in your kitchen?

  Remote meat thermometer, husband loves it ~ I can't get it to work

  9. What’s your go-to music for cooking/baking?

  ??something upbeat??

  10. After several failures, what do you do to motivate yourself to get back in the kitchen to try again?

  Make an oldie but goodie, a favorite dish that I know how to make and I love eating.

Enjoy other answers to these questions including especially our lovely host Chelsea at Roots and Rings

Quick Takes Vol #42: Honest Scrap

Thank you very much to "Young Mom" of Musings of a young mom for nominating me for this award.

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

1. Say thank you to the presenter (which I do) and link her blog
2. Reveal 7 honest things about myself
3. Present this blog award to 7 others whose blogs are brillant in content and/or design and encourage me

7 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. Favorite show is The Waltons
4. Could happily drink a coffee milkshake everyday
5. Believes the best chocolate comes from Belgium.
6. Can still do a cartwheel
7. 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/
2. Molly of http://www.momma-molly.com/
3. Rosey ofhttp://roseyoutlookdose.blogspot.com/
4. Kate ofwww.katewicker.com
5. Chelsea of www.rootsandrings.wordpress.com
6. Sara of www.thisheavenlylife.
7. Maureen ofwww.DrMaureen.blogspot.com