Reasons for Chocolate

Me at 43

2012-03-04T17:06:00.000-06:00

I never pictured this. Having another baby.... at 43.

But I love it!

Landscaping? Hardwood flooring? Putting in granite counter tops? Retirement plans? Forgetaboutit!

All of that neat stuff is far, far away....kind of like a "Once upon a time, ....." far, far away.

I do find the whole baby thing is quite a bit harder at 43. But the hard times? They will pass.

At 43, I do not fear age but the speed of life.

I try to embrace the more challenging moments...not always with grace...but I do my best.

I have a good life. We are alive and healthy.

So give me the poopy diapers, the baby who only wants to be held, the scheduling life on "baby time". I'll take the sleepless nights and the hectic home school days. All at the age of 43. Life is passing too quickly and the "hard" moments will pass soon enough.

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And this little bundle who has Sapphire colored eyes and dark hair? We affectionately have named her our Rootin' Tootin' Cowgirl.

She is always looking for something to eat :)

And her gas? Oh my! She could put any grown man to shame....honestly! (The Littles always ask if it was me shootin' em off :)

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Since I have THE best birthday gift already, I told the family I just wanted to use the coupons that were sent to me in the mail. LOL

* Bed, Bath and Beyond....and their 20% off coupon...found me picking this up ::

Love! Love! Love! this scent.

(Bonus :: It is 25% off for the month of March. )

* Kohl's...what wonderful people they are for remembering my birthday (*wink*). They sent me a $10 gift card.

I picked up these ::

Free!

These pretty, fake pearls were on sale. Sale price + coupon = Cha -Ching!

There is something about pearl earrings! I just love 'em. I had a pair of fake pearls that were left at the hospital during my second stay.

(I do have a pair of real ones with diamonds, but I try to save those for special occasions.)

* Vera Bradley was thoughtful enough to send me a $20 gift card as well. (My husband cringed at that one.)

I didn't "need" anything except a wallet that would also fit my phone (phone with protective case on it.) ::

I can toss this Strap Wallet (that holds my phone) into my diaper bag. The pattern is Island Blooms, and you can find this bit of convenience here .

With my $20 off, I thought it was a deal. (When it comes to convenience, I don't mind paying a bit more.)

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They showered me with flowers and chocolates ::

The day brought abundant sunshine...and margaritas ::

My hubs grilled steak and made his coleslaw recipe for me ::

And because I LOVE the ocean and chocolate ::

(Whole Foods)

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Wrapping up dinner with a picture of my favorite hershey kisses and myself :)

42 was quite a year. I'm still in awe of what HIS plan was. Blessed abundantly to say the least!

Wondering what God has planned for age 43?

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Closing with a family story from my birth day...

My mom reminded me about how I was one week late. She had prayed for a delayed birth since she had four other children... 5 and under ...with chicken pox! Once they were on the mend, she gave birth to me (all 10 lbs of me - her smallest 10 pounder!)

Twice she brought home a baby to a house full of chicken pox.

Thanks for teaching me how to live a good life, Mom. Challenges and all. Love you!

~ Patty ~

Win Some. Lose Some.

2012-02-29T22:21:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here typing this sooooo tired.

So why aren't I heading to bed? Because I just want this one moment of the day (beside a bathroom break) to be doing something ~~therapeutic~~ for myself.

Win some.

At my two week check up I had lost ALL my pregnancy weight. All of it!

It was the only pleasant, unexpected, post-partum surprise to fall on me.

Lose some.

Well, I lost some of "the girls" along with it. Not some. A lot! LOL

That's never happened before. And let me tell you...I didn't have much in bragging rights to begin with.

You know it's bad when you hold the baby up to your chest and your bra caves in...yup.

Time for some new bras I guess. That. Or share with Sally. LOL

Lose some.

Prior to losing the weight...

Five days post-partum...

David drove myself and Clementine to the parish office to turn in some paperwork for her baptism. A sweet, elderly woman, who volunteers a lot of her time, came up to me and said...

"Congratulations....She's beautiful...yadda yadda yadda..." Then she points to my still poochy and swollen stomach and says...

"So, is that left overs? Is that a twin in there?"

All I could do was laugh.

Until I got home.

By then, her words had echoed through my head a bazillion times.

All of a sudden, I did not like that woman anymore.

Then I got over it.

Win some.

So we have this beautiful miracle. It's been over one month now. Still in babymoon here.

Lose some.

Sleep.

No foolin', right?

Around 4am she gets up...not sure what she wants. We hold, we rock, we cuddle, we bring into bed...barely able to keep even one eye open.

Just when we think we are going to die from exhaustion, Clementine decides to head back to sleep at 6:30-7:00am.

Bedtime for me, too?

Nope.

That's when the rest of the Littles get up for the day.

Did I mention that we started back at school this week?

No sleep + Starting school = Lethal combination! LOL

"This, too, shall pass."

Speaking of school...

Win - Win.

The beauty of home school is that you can custom plan your day, your week, your year.

We are seriously abbreviating our 3rd quarter.

i.e. Spelling. If a child can pass a quarter test with an A...no need to make them do the weekly work.

Win - Win.

So glad my Littles don't think patches on jeans are "uncool" - yet.

Heck. Just add some puffy paint and... viola! Instant fashion statement!

Lose some.

Time.

Time to pack away baby girl cards.

*We have completely enjoyed the beautiful baby cards that flooded our house!!

(We did keep up her baptismal cards though :)

Lose some.

Blood pressure. Ugh!

Although it is a VERY. SLOW. work in progress, it is coming down.

Last Sunday was the first time I had no piercing pain in my temples or behind my eye. I felt "normal".

Next check up is one week from Friday.

Win - Win.

My favorite moment of the week...

(Photo courtesy of Sally.)

...taking Clementine for her "first" outdoor adventure...a walk around the block :)

Our spring weather has been intoxicating!

Another reason I did not nap when I could have. Do you blame me?

~ Patty ~

One Month Old!

2012-02-26T18:06:00.000-06:00

Say it isn't so!

I knew time would fly, but that fast?!

~ Patty ~

World Famous Cole Slaw

2012-02-23T19:23:00.001-06:00

David created this version of cole slaw and we served it for Clementine's baptismal luncheon. (There were no left overs!)

Ingredients:
1 lb bag shredded cabbage and carrots
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup sunflower kernels
1/4 cup craisins
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
Bacon bits (if desired)

Directions:
1. Combine cabbage/carrot mix, almonds, sunflower kernels, and craisins in large mixing bowl.
2. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well.
3. Add dressing to cabbage mix. Stir well.
4. Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours. The salt will draw the water out of the cabbage to make it creamy and smooth.

PS - David loves to watch the Food Network while working in the garage. :)

Enjoy!

~ Patty ~

Turkey Breast Sandwiches

2012-02-23T19:07:00.000-06:00

We served these warm and delicious shredded turkey breast sandwiches at Clementine's baptismal luncheon. A recipe I picked up from my mom and so easy to prepare!

Ingredients:
1 turkey breast baked and shredded. (I've seen them 4-5 lbs)
1 14oz can of chicken broth
1 box Stove Top Stuffing Mix (prepare as directed)

Directions:
1. Bake and shred the turkey breast. (I did this the night before. I poured the chicken broth over the meat and let it sit in the refrigerator over night.)
2. Prepare the stuffing mix according to directions.
3. Combine all three ingredients in a large roaster and heat at 300 degrees F for 1 hour. Serve on buns.

*Can be frozen.

You know it is a hit when everyone goes back for seconds (and even thirds)!

I kept my warm in the oven while we were at church. When we came home I just had to get the buns out.

Enjoy!

~ Patty ~

Hello Dolly Bars

2012-02-23T19:05:00.000-06:00

Not sure how they got their name, but these are very yummy-licious and crazy easy to make :)

Ingredients:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I bought a box of the prepared graham cracker crumbs)
1/3 cup melted butter
3 tbsp sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Press mixture onto bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 in pan. Bake 8 minutes.

2. Sprinkle pecans, chocolate morsels, and coconut over hot crust. Pour condensed milk over top. (Do not stir.)

3. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and edges are bubbly. Let cool 1 hour on wire rack. Cut into bars.

PS - Sorry I'm posting this yummy dessert bar the day after Ash Wednesday (*wink*)

Enjoy!

~ Patty ~

Normal (cy)

2012-02-22T15:24:00.000-06:00

Is normalcy a word?

For the past week, we have slowly, (ever- so -slowly), started bringing some normalcy to our days. And it feels so good!

Don't worry. I'm still taking it slow :) I have two weeks to go before my six week post-op check up where I hope to be cleared for all activity.

In the meantime, we've been doing a whole lot of lounging around...

and a whole lot of hanging out...

And dog gone it! Since this is what it should have been like after we got home from the hospital - the first time - I've decided to extend our school break another two weeks.

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Who would have thought new socks and skivvies (a.k.a. underwear) could make a bunch of Littles super-duper happy!?

After months of complaining that their supplies were running dangerously low....I had them all packed up and out the door Monday morning headed for Target.

We were there by 8:30am! We are officially on Clementine Time :)

The four older ones each came out with a new package of socks and skivvies (no- ride- up- guarantee skivvies) and happy faces.

Mabel to Ester Monday night after baths:: Hey! Mine ARE wedgie free. Are yours?

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Fat Tuesday/ Mardi Gras brought us in the kitchen making this easy-breezy, festive snack ...

We only needed these items to make our yummy snack...

We found the idea at Catholic Icing.

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David is back working and I'm flying solo with plenty of willing arms to hold Clementine...

and when fussy sometimes hits in the evening...well, this is how we roll...

and she likes it!

My mom use to do that with some of her babies.

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With the start of our Lenten journey, I found a blog that hosts weekly Lenten meal plan. (I really look forward to some new and fresh recipes for Fridays during Lent.)

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Heather had her baby! Her family has welcomed a new son into this world. Stop by if you have a chance and wish them congratulations :)

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The daffodils and tulips are blooming and I see the neighbor's red bud tree full of pink beauty as well. As I type this I hear a lawn mower going down a few yards. Hard to believe that our southern spring is almost here.

May your Lenten journey be filled with prayer, peace and growth!

~ Patty ~

Signs of Grace

2012-02-19T13:56:00.000-06:00

The gown.

Clementine's Great Grandma Achin (Grammy's mother) made this beautiful baptismal gown many, many years ago.

Two generations have worn it now. It has a stain of oil along the neck line, a special reminder of the gift of baptism.

Grammy brought the gown with her when she came down to visit a couple of weeks ago.

The Morning Of.

There was something so serene about Clementine yesterday. I noticed it in the morning. She was so peace-filled and content. It was as though she knew something special was going to take place.

She received a bath from Daddy before it was time to get into her gown. She loves bath time!

Getting Dressed.

With age, our faith continues to grow. With growth in faith, our love and appreciation for the sacraments only increases. This was such a special moment for David and I, preparing this little one for her baptismal day.

We realize that she is a very special blessing, a special gift on loan to us from God.

We completely enjoyed this moment together with her.

See what I mean about appearing so serene and angelic?

And she remained in that beautiful state throughout her baptism.

Her Baptism.

I just love the smell of a baby with Chrism Oil on his/her head. I haven't bathed her yet! Tonight I suppose.

Picture Time.

I asked Father if he'd like to hold her. He was delighted. So much so that he held her for all the after pictures. So sweet :)

We had a few of my friends attend. Left-Right:: Elizabeth took photos at the church for us. She also came and stayed with Clementine when I was readmitted into the hospital. Kye, in purple, is our dear neighbor and friend. Sondra is another dear friend who has been very instrumental in our care calendar (and so many other "little" things that have added up.)

A Small Luncheon.

We had Father and godparents over for an EASY lunch. I needed to take it easy, but still wanted to celebrate Clementine.

David found these beautiful roses for $10.00 at Target. They were all out of pink so I just added a pink ribbon.

With my brain being fuzzy lately, I accidentally ordered her cake with Cream Cheese frosting instead of Butter cream frosting. Wasn't sure how it would turn out but everyone LOVED it. Can you spell R.I.C.H.?

Used this punch recipe from Waltzing Matilda's. I noticed that it looked "funny." Only after the godfather was drinking a cup and in charity said he "liked it", did I realize I forgot to add the lemon/lime sprite. Can you spell super C.O.N.C.E.N.T.R.A.T.E.D? Blame it on my fuzzy brain :)

Wanting to make those super cute water bottles also found at Waltzing Matilda's, I made a note to self :: buy water bottles with CLEAR caps next time. Fuzzy brain again :)

(David and I prepared two new easy, yummy recipes for the lunch. I'll post about them later.)

**At the end of the day, it was the sacrament alone that was most important, and it was a beautiful day indeed!

The only thing that would have made the day any more beautiful would be to have had our family present with us.

PS- We had chosen this date to have Clementine baptized prior to me becoming sick. Not wanting to wait till after Easter and since it was a small, private baptism, we forged ahead. I like to have my babies baptized as soon as possible :)

God bless you, Clementine!

Thank you all for your very kind, very sweet comments. As though you cannot tell (*wink*) we cannot get enough of her!

~ Patty ~

A Child of God

2012-02-18T17:06:00.000-06:00

A preview...

She was so beautiful, angelic!

I'll work on more (in between my own naps :)

P.S. The dress and cap...it is a family heirloom! I promise to show more with details :)

~ Patty ~

Amazing Grace

2012-02-17T17:18:00.000-06:00

We are preparing for a very special day tomorrow :)

~ Patty ~

Preparing for Lent

2012-02-15T20:02:00.000-06:00

With everything that has happened around our house in the past three weeks, I've no time to plan ahead for Lenten arts and crafts (as in years past), but what I have selected I think will help us nicely with our Lenten journey.

For the entire family~

The book is new this year. Heard about it from Tiffany at Family at the Foot of the Cross. It looks amazing inside and I look forward to beginning it.

For the Littles~

Something they can listen to and pray along with. This can be purchased here.

And this! Love this DVD!

Includes:

*Prayers led by a priest with responses by children

*Children sing Stabat Mater in English

*Meditation for each Station read by a child

*Prayers and images ideal for the whole family

This DVD can be found here.

For the older girls~

This book is based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. You can find it here.

For the David and myself~

This can be found here.

Other books found in Catholic Mosaic~

Other miscellaneous activities~

1. Stations of the cross file folder activity here.

2. Giving box, Lenten calendar, and sacrifice chain here.

Ash Wednesday is next week, February 22!

I'm linking up with Lacy over at Catholic Icing. Stop over there for some more Lenten ideas and traditions.

~ Patty ~

Our First Normal Day

2012-02-15T13:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was checked by my ob/gyn and family practitioner. Both gave me some peace. Both told me how to handle this bp by working with it, not fighting it.

Fighting it only causes it to rise.

I was given permission to drive but was reminded that I'm still recovering from a big surgery. (Easy to forget that with all the other stuff that transpired after delivery.)

So today we hit the library.

Today we saw gorgeous pink tulips in full bloom!

Today we saw a dog chase...and tackle...a chicken...downtown on the sidewalk by the library!

LOL

Early for tulips here in Texas.

And the whole dog and chicken thing....is that even normal?!

~ Patty ~

Love

2012-02-14T20:48:00.000-06:00

Our best Valentine :)

She spent the day in a carseat going to two doctor's appointments with her mama and she can still pull off an adorable smile!

~ Patty ~

Post Partum Pre Eclampsia

2012-02-12T09:03:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of post partum pre eclampsia?

Me neither.

I hadn't been feeling well and dismissed my symptoms as post delivery headaches and allergic reaction to narcotics I was sent home on.

This past Thursday, at my two week post op check up, my blood pressure was pretty high. I spent a few hours there watching it bounce up and down before being sent to the lab for blood work and home with a bp cuff to self monitor.

It only continued to rise at home.

It topped out at 171/109.

That's when I was readmitted to the hospital.

It about killed me to leave Clementine.

I was admitted and received i.v. Magnesium drip for 24 hours. All I can say is that Magnesium is WICKED!

If you have had pre eclampsia and received Magnesium, you know what I'm talking about. I felt as though I was run over by a truck (four times).

Magnesium is used to prevent seizures.

The loading dose is a 30 minute "toxic" dose followed by a nonstop "therapeutic" dose. I had to lie in observation for 4 hours while they monitored me (IE. urine, blood, and vitals.) When I was stabilized I was given a private room.

I was released late Friday night. At that point my bp had dropped and bounced between 130-150/ 70. Good enough to be released but still too high for my normal.

I usually run a bp of 95/55 so I was put on bp meds for the next six weeks.

I think it is safe to say that David is quite stressed out at this point.

But I must point out and focus on the blessings.

We had an army of angels who came to our rescue. A dear friend (7 1/2 months pregnant herself) drove 40 minutes to come and take care of Clementine till 1:30 in the morning!

Others rallied with prayers, additional meals, offers of childcare help, etc.

My family is truly blessed with wonderful friends!

So I'm home now. Resting. No bed rest but just taking it easy, self monitoring my bp, taking my medication. I still have some residual Magnesium left in my system which seems to slowly want to leave my system. Other than that, I am praying for some "normal" to come back into our home.

I would very much appreciate any prayers you can send my way for a healthy recovery and that there are no more road bumps.

I must admit, while trying to offer up the pain and suffering for pour souls in purgatory, I was also asking God if He would be so kind as to enlighten me a bit on this journey. Because it seems to be one step forward and two steps backward. (I prefer the straight forward approach myself :)

~ Patty ~

Hello, Grammy :)

2012-02-08T18:26:00.000-06:00

It is so nice to finally meet you!

(First time to see and hold her.)

I heard you give some good lovins, and after having you stay with us, I must agree.

(Sigh.....) Your lovins make me smile all the time, Grammy. XOXO

All the Littles were happy to have you here in Texas.

Lots of lovins went around!

My mom sure kept them busy. (And they her!)

It was a visit of "firsts"...

* First time Grammy drove in Texas. (She ran my errands with Sally as her co pilot!)

* First time Grammy helped feed Clementine.

* First time Grammy played Wii. (She didn't want me to show you those photos LOL)

* First time Grammy tried her hand at crocheting.

* First time the girls made Ranger Cookies.

And it was sooooo good to just sit and visit.

I wish we lived closer.

* First nickname.

And sister is sporting a new cap...

(Compliments of Sally.)

Grammy flew back to Illinois yesterday. We now start counting the days until we can see her again. In the mean time, we have so many warm memories of this visit to cherish. We love you, Grammy!

PS ~ This song is for you, Grammy. Oh My Darling Clementine.

~ Patty ~

Grammy's Baking

2012-02-08T08:39:00.001-06:00

Grammy and the girls baked these (twice) while she was visiting. They are Yummy-Delicious goodness!

Ranger Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of butter (2 sticks)
1 cup flaked coconut
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups rice crispy cereal
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.

3. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking power together and mix with the first mixture. Add oatmeal, rice crispy cereal, and coconut. Mix well.

4. Drop by tablespoons on lightly greased cookie sheet (*we use parchment paper) and bake for 11 minutes.

Servings: 18

There are many recipe variations for Ranger Cookies online. We found these very yummy :)

~ Patty ~

Sweet Feet!

2012-02-04T21:19:00.000-06:00

Clementine's perfect, little feet. Aren't they sweet?

Please stop in to say congratulations to Sarah and her family. They welcomed a new baby girl into their family. Sarah and I had the same due date (Feb. 9)...I went two weeks early, she went one week after me.

~ Patty ~

Her Birth Day

2012-02-02T15:41:00.001-06:00

One week old today!

~ Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "Let the little children come to me, for the kingdom of heaven is for such," I thank you with all my heart for the great and holy privilege you have granted me in calling me to present you with a little child, so precious in your sight.

(Our traditional "on the way to deliver / pick up baby" picture. This was at 4:30am)

I was calm and peaceful. David and I got into the van and as we pulled out he paused and said, "This is so surreal, isn't it?"

We could sense each other's growing excitement and a special bond that made us feel more in love than ever.

~ I praise and bless your divine goodness which has conferred this supreme favor on me, and I acknowledge myself altogether unworthy of this holy gift.

(Precious little girl almost immediately after birth.)

~ I bless, too, your divine goodness for giving me such a sweet and holy patroness and protectress in your mother, the model and exaltation of all Christian motherhood. -For A Happy Delivery, Mother's Manual.

David was my rock and strength the entire time. We arrived at 5am and the action started almost immediately. Paperwork. Hospital gown change. Health history, blood work, and I.V. work done. We only waited about 20 minutes the entire time.

Met the anesthesiologist and told him about my anxiety. Him and his nurse anaesthetises were angels! They told me that they would not allow anything to go wrong under their watch. No anxiety attacks. No blood pressure drops. No vomiting. No uncontrollable shaking. No trouble breathing.

And they held true to their word. Praise God!

I only started to cry once. That was when I was waiting for them to come back and place the epidural. I have to tell you, while they were working on me my hands were literally super soaked from sweat.

Though it was the best placement of an epidural or spinal that I have ever received, I was still petrified.

I was scheduled at 7:30am. That, to this team of doctors and nurses, means "cut time" as they referred to it one too many times. I would have preferred hearing "incision time".

Dr. Behan and his helper, Dr. Thomas, worked on me for what seemed an eternity but in 12 minutes they had her out!

~ Mary, my mother, join me now in a mother's prayer that, through the special graces of motherhood, my little child may instruct me in the ways of God: that its innocent eyes may speak to me of the spotless holiness of Jesus; that its open smile may continually remind me of the great love God has for his creatures; that its helplessness may teach me the unbounded power of God; and that its first feeble efforts to speak may tell me of God's wisdom.

(Dropped off for check-in at the post delivery nursery. The process took one hour. One very long hour!)

OH! The joy that waited this little, pink bundle of heavenly sweetness.

(I just love this picture!)

He had originally been very upset when he heard the baby was a girl. He ran to his room and slammed the door crying. The only thing we could think of that when we talked about being a Big Brother...did he think he was getting a Little Brother?

We let him hold her first. Look at his face up there. He "got over it" as soon as he saw her :)

~ Pray with me now that its complete trust in me will lead me to a like confidence in God, and that its simple affection for me may bring me to a greater love for Him.

~ And so, in all these things, may I grow in a greater appreciation of my holy motherhood, and day by day reflect more faithfully the radiant beauty manifest in your motherhood, which God gave us as the model of all Christian motherhood.

~ Mother of mothers, Pray for me! -For the True Spirit of Motherhood, Mothers' Manual.

(David and his sister, Sara, who came to stay with the Littles. She is also the godmother.)

~ Mary, I am so happy! I, too, am a mother. Thank you for joining me in my petitions to your divine son, dear Mother of Happy Delivery.

~ You were with me in my Bethlehem. Thank you. I know you are with me now in my Nazareth. Thank you, thank you. -Thanksgiving, Mothers' Manual.

Post surgery? Difficult. Very difficult this time. It doesn't help when you cannot tolerate many pain medications. Finding the right match took some doing, but once we did, I've been able to improve each day.

(She rocked her pink poodle kimono "take me home" outfit!)

(Her first Texas bling! ;)

(My doctor.)

~ Lord Jesus Christ, lover of little children, grant your abundant blessings on my doctor. For even more important than the task of preserving life is his task of bringing that life into this world.

~ Give my doctor a deep appreciation of the work that he performs. May he even know how precious that duty is in your sight. Guide his hands at all times, and may all their work be done to your honor.

~ May he even regard his office as a sacred trust received from you. and finally, may he one day know your rich rewards for having striven earnestly and faithfully to help little children to come to you according to your desires. Amen. -For A Mother's Doctor, Mothers' Manual.

(Ready to roll!)

(First ride in the van. Hard to believe we were bringing her home!)

It took all day writing this post. I thought I'd get it in since
The Littles are on their way to the airport to pick up Grammy. Oh happy day!

~ Patty ~

Baby's First Photo Shoot

2012-01-31T22:41:00.000-06:00

Had to share these with you.

I decided to use one of these for a birth announcement.

The outfit and sheet coordination wasn't planned. (Outfit came from Gymboree and sheets are from Carter's.)

When I realized her outfit matched her sheets...well...I could not resist! :)

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Day 5 finds us drinking in as much of our Little Bit as we can.

Older Littles are all on antibiotics. Doctor gave strict orders that they had to stay away from her for 48 hours. For the Littles, that was like years!!!

We had tears.

After all this waiting, visits cut short at the hospital, and seeing but unable to touch and hold at home...tomorrow will be their big day :)

I'm doing better each day. I've tried to read some blogs but manage to get in only one or two. I'll catch up to you eventually!

Finally, thanks for all of your very, very sweet comments. It is still so surreal to David and I.

A little blessing from above indeed!

~ Patty ~

Hello World!

2012-01-30T06:43:00.000-06:00

This is me!

Mommy and I have been getting to know each other in the hospital. She told me to tell you that recovery for this one was tough, but each day is getting better and better.

I heard her say that major abdominal surgery is not for babies :)

Mommy says that I already have Daddy wrapped around my finger....what do you think?

We arrived home last night.

All of my big siblings have really bad colds. They are disappointed that they could not visit more than they did and now they can't hold me....Yes, they are that sick. (*frown*)

Daddy is going to take them to the doctors today.

OH!....my mommy told me to tell you she promises to send more pictures soon. She also thanks you for all the sweet and kind congratulations :)

Until then....love and hugs,

C. (Grammy needs to give me my nickname when she arrives on Thursday!)

Pink Bliss

2012-01-26T20:44:00.000-06:00

Real quick since I'm pretty tired :)

Thank you for all the well wishes!

Surgery could not have gone any better.

We are all in love beyond words :)

Question...
Can one upload pics from phone? Too tired to try tonight but I'll give it a try tomorrow if it's possible.

Sweet dreams :)

Patty

Think Pink

2012-01-26T08:51:00.000-06:00

Hi! This is Sally.

Cecelia Ann is here!!

Born at 7:42 A.M.

Weight: 7 lb 15 oz. Mom and Baby are doing great!

Waiting

2012-01-23T22:13:00.000-06:00

My nerves are getting better.

Mass helped - a LOT - this past Sunday morning. The entrance song was Be Not Afraid.

That was also one of my father's favorites.

After Mass, I received a blessing from Father.

All very comforting.

Girl time helped a lot as well (*wink*)

They used their gift certificates from Christmas and we enjoyed ourselves for the afternoon...

Ester chose a manicure.

Sally chose a pedicure.

And little Miss Mabel had her first pedicure. She was soooo ticklish!

The sweet lady gave her a "free" flower on each big toe.

The girls and I have never done this together. It was so much fun!

Me? I had my toes and hands worked on. I never realized how awesome a hand massage felt!!

Stan? He and David spent the weekend "working on things" out in the garage. Stan LOVES it when there are "no girls allowed!" (*grin*)

Meal preparations are now complete. I have about 8 meals in the freezer. We will also be blessed with meals from friends. (Our homeschool group always sets up a care calendar for one another in need. What a blessing!)

*In the middle of writing this post, Jen suggested I blog about freezer meals. So I thought I'd write down what I prepared. (Feel free to skip over it if you want :)

1. Chicken noodle soup: Some neighbors brought a delicious, scrumptious southern dinner to our house last week. We had one whole roasted chicken left over (she prepared two!) David deboned it and I made soup from it.

2. Vegetable beef soup.

3. Spaghetti

4. Sloppy Joe's. (This recipe is on my recipe page at the top of the blog. It comes from Jen's grandma.)

5. Ham. At New Year's, we baked a large spiral ham. I had David cut up half and freeze it.

6. Tator Tot and beef casserole. (I NEED to add this easy, breezy dish to my recipe page.)

7. Pulled Pork. (This recipe is also on my recipe page.)

8. A package of frozen Breaded Chicken Breasts. These make for a yummy, easy, hot sandwich night.

* And as I type I think about how one could easily freeze Chili or Pork Chops (pre-cooked in a crock pot).

Ripe watermelon. That's what I felt like last Friday when our temps climbed to almost 80 degrees F.

My sister-in-law (the godmother of Baby Joy) wanted me to send her a picture.

Want to see? If not, close your eyes and quickly scroll down (LOL)

David took this of me. I had just finished folding clothes and the window was open and a breeze was blowing on me.

Sister-in-law text: "Look at Patty glowing."

No.

I was bloody hot and turning red! (Not sure how pregnant women manage the Texas heat during the summer months. Ee-gads!)

School is out. We finished up with week 25 on Friday.

Hoping to take one month off.

Plans?

Just loving on Baby Joy.

Keeping up with house chores/cleaning really helps.

Much to the Littles dismay :)

They have been an ENORMOUS help! I know how much they will be when I come home with baby.

Walking around Hobby Lobby (sigh...I just LOVE that store)...trying to get things progressing. I picked up some cute arts and crafts for the kids to make valentines for when they do grow bored. (Because I know they will eventually.)

Quick story...

Two years ago Mabel was making home made valentines for her friends. She taped a blow pop sucker to a heart shaped valentine and wrote the words.... Valentine, you blow me away!

Well, she must have grown tired and wanted to finish and ended up writing.... Valentine, you blow!

You bet I saved one. That was a keeper!

And for when I have my hospital stay for 3-4 days...

I picked them up a cute gift to open each day. Nothing big. Just one "I love you" reminder for each day. I'll post about those another time since two of mine like to read this blog.

Almost 48 hours away!

~ Patty ~

Did you know....

2012-01-23T14:17:00.000-06:00

...that all of these people were adopted?

Check out Jen's link here.

Praying for all you marchers out there ...even if it isn't being reported on!

God bless,

Patty

My NFP Doctor

2012-01-20T10:06:00.000-06:00

Wow! I had my last appointment yesterday. Can you believe it?!

I took all of the Littles (I asked permission first of course.) You could have lit up the house with their excitement. I think the staff and Doctor were just as excited!

I am so blessed. For many reasons.

But I write about one in particular for today's post.

This blessing has to do with my doctor...who is an NFP doctor (Natural Family Planning - not to be confused with the old Rhythm Method.) A rare gem to find indeed.

Actually, DFW has two NFP doctors for sure (for some reason I thought a third one started a practice recently).

But if you consider the size of the DFW metro .... which is larger in area than Rhode Island and Connecticut combined .... we need more!

Every city needs one for that matter!

********************************************

Doctor decided to take the leap of faith some years back and go the NFP route. He will not prescribe any form of contraception nor does he perform tubal ligation. He is practicing his faith as well as his medicine.

He told us once how worried he was when he took the leap of faith. What would happen? Would he be able to provide for his own family?

God has blessed him greatly! Last week the priest who says the Latin Mass visited Doctor's new office and blessed it.

When you walk into Doctor's office you find only peace and quiet there...are welcomed with beautiful paintings of Our Mother....framed posters of the Popes...etc.

You will also find his wife working there and infant daughter happily blowing spit bubbles from her walker...the official greeter to patients. :)

An awesome, Pro-Life office is an understatement.

**************************************************

Doctor continues to share those blessings with all of his patients.

Since we were unable to get insurance for this c-section, (self-employed, private insurance, history of c-section), we were classified as self-pay.

Our total bill - what we will pay - will top off at $15,000 - hopefully.

Doctor helped us incredibly. I have had at least 25 sonos with my complications and have been going in weekly since what? 26 weeks?

He didn't turn us away. He welcomed us. He showed compassion and mercy. He gave us a hefty "self-pay" discount.

**********************************************

We brought Doctor and staff a gift yesterday. A small token of our appreciation. A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Not only the Patroness of The Americas, but Patron of Unborn Children. She will have a prominent spot in that NFP, Pro-Life office. Doctor and Mrs. were thrilled.

Blessings always come full circle!

*************************************************

So the big day is fast approaching. Six days. Thursday, January 26.

Mother nature is also telling us it could happen sooner. Lots of excitement in our house right now!!

So here is where I humbly ask for more prayers. These prayers are needed for my anxiety. I have NEVER met a woman who "wanted" a c-section nor looks forward to a c-section. From my own personal experience, the more you have the worse it gets.

Where I want to throttle the woman who suggests or thinks otherwise, and yet, has never experienced one...I will refrain from doing so. (Sigh....)

And please don't refer to them as unnatural. What could be more natural than bringing a child into the world regardless of procedure? I thank God for modern medicine and being alive!

Here is where I will GRIN, regain my composure, keep my dignity, and simply ask for prayers for my anxiety and a safe and healthy delivery.

****************************************

Since we aren't sure of Baby Joy's gender, we have our baby pinks and blues ready to go....

We have always purchased a special "bring me home" outfit for All the Littles. I've kept each one packed away in each of their baby bins...maybe someday they'll use them for their own littles.

We have our childcare lined up and look forward to some relatives flying in to help and visit.

And we wait. I made it to 37 weeks. What a journey!

*********************************************

I cannot thank you all enough for the spiritual bouquets that have been given to us. Where I have felt my weakest and unable to walk this path, your prayers carried me through. My entire family has felt them all along the way and it has been very humbling to receive such an outpouring of love.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, please hear our prayers especially on the anniversary of Woe VS Wade. Safely keep those who will be traveling within their homestate or to our capitol for prayer, peace, and hope.

God bless!

~ Patty ~

Chicken Parmesan

2012-01-19T21:48:00.000-06:00

I had an old box of Shake n' Bake in the pantry. When I turned it over I found a yummy (and easy) recipe for Chicken Parmesan.

Now I'm not Italian nor do I claim to be some great Italian chef, but after trying this recipe, my family loved it - a lot! I've made it twice in one month.

Ingredients:
3-4 Large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved *(I halved my chicken breasts to cut portion size.)
Box of regular Shake n' Bake
2 Cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 box of angel hair pasta
Spaghetti Sauce - *(Keeping this easy, I used a jar of spaghetti sauce.)

Directions:
1. Prepare the chicken according to the Shake n' Bake instructions. *Prep and bake time for this part is 20-30 minutes

2. Prepare your spaghetti.

3. Once chicken is done, sprinkle on some Mozzarella cheese to the top of each piece of chicken, bake an additional 5 minutes at 400 degrees F.

4. Serve spaghetti with a piece of the baked chicken on top.

~ Patty ~

Birth After Adoption

2012-01-16T15:39:00.001-06:00

I don't dwell on this, but I would be lying if I told you these concerns of mine never tug at my heart.

With Baby Joy's impending birth, this is what I ponder in my heart...

* Stan's reaction now and in the future. How will he feel being the only adopted one? Where I know and David knows that he is one of us, we will have never walked in his shoes.

* Will he react differently to a sister compared to a brother. Will he ever feel "less than" a son born biological rather than born from the heart? (And I'm talking about the viewpoint of an adopted child.)

* These and other questions.

We would love to have some resources that someone highly recommends about this topic, someone who has been there, done that.

I do know one thing, as long as we (the family) always ask God to put the words needed on our hearts, we will not be misguided. Stan will always know our love.

~ Patty ~

Love

2012-01-14T21:04:00.000-06:00

This!

Missy's Peanut Butter Passion Cake...recipe found here.

It just popped up on my FB page and I was like, oh yeah!!! (Nodding head at same time.)

And This!

Yum - my! As close as it gets to the real McCoy (*wink*)

************************************

Speaking of Facebook...Dear FB friends, you've already seen these next photos. Sorry. Just very proud of my guy :)

************************************

And... Last -but-Not-Least... This!

Teardrop camper that my very talented hubby built for hunting. From blueprints. Off the computer. From scratch.

Cool, huh?

(Yes, I am the proud wife.)

It isn't finished inside and still has to be painted, but it can be camped in.

Side doors open to bunk room. Back end opens to galley kitchenette. (There is a wall between the kitchenette and bunk room.)

These two lucky Littles were picked for the inaugural camp out. (Eating a gourmet dinner of roasted hot dogs :)

He has been building in any "spare time" over the past two months. Piece by piece. In our garage.

*Note: As they were setting up camp, another teardrop pulled in next to them and they had an adopted child from China! How cool was that?

Hope you are able to find some Love in your life today, too!

~ Patty ~

Still Here

2012-01-13T08:53:00.000-06:00

Except for a Huge surprise this past week, life has remained relatively calm and quiet. I would even say dull, except for the surprise.

In Mabel's words, "How come we never paint anymore?!"

Sigh...

We will again someday. It's been a long year but it will be all so very worth it in 13 days.

*****************************************************

Now to our surprise...

Has there ever been a moment in life when you least expected, let alone knew exactly what you needed, an amazing gift that would equate to an outpouring of love?

A couple come to mind for me...

Gift Number 1~

Eleven years ago.

I was on my fourth day in the hospital having a very difficult recovery from a c-section. I had hemorrhaged and needed a blood transfusion and on top of that, our baby daughter had been born with a heart defect that would need open heart surgery.

My spirits were low as you can imagine.

It was an early morning Sunday and I was sitting there when I heard a soft knock on the hospital door. In walked a handful of my brothers who had decided to pick up my spirits with a surprise visit.

You see, they had gotten up rather early that morning to drive over 120 miles (one way) to visit me and their new niece.

It was a quick visit because one of them had a prior engagement and so they needed to turn around shortly and head back for their homes.

On top of that, (I heard), the surprise idea had come from them, not their wives.

I never would have expected such a gift and have never forgotten it. And you bet it cheered me up!

Gift Number 2~

Six years ago.

Waiting for "The Call" from the adoption agency. That was one of the most painful waits I've ever experienced. Talk about time standing still. Months and months of time.

I spent my time waiting in the adoration chapel each week asking for more patience to withstand the waiting game.

Guess where I was when we finally received "The Call"? The adoration chapel. How appropriate was His timing!

I'll never EVER forget my husband coming in and whispering in my ear, "Are you ready to go pick up your son?"

It still gets me right there when I think about it to this day :)

Gift Number 3~

For the past week.

A recent gift for my family, in honor of new life, brought a whole lot of excitement to this house (as if there weren't enough already!) A gift that arrived in waves throughout the course of a week which reflected the theme of The Epiphany, or The Magi. A gift that poured down lots of love...one that will leave residual effects for a very long time! A gift that will never, ever be forgotten.

This was a gift that would send our spirits souring, especially this mama, and make us feel so very, very special.

I pray that all of you have had these moments in your own life. They are not always gifts of the material kind, but a gift that sends your spirits soaring to those heavenly heights! They are not gifts that are "better than" other gifts....but gifts that bring to you what He knows you need at that particular moment in life.

***************************************************

And so it is another weekend.

We've been watching the weather for those of you up in the Midwest and Northeast. Brrrr...

My Littles are jealous of your snow. But our temps cooled off enough yesterday as to bring rosy cheeks and a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows.

***************************************************

May you all have a wonderful weekend!

~ Patty ~

Pocahantas and Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha

2012-01-09T13:12:00.001-06:00

Some time back I posted about being brainless.

Nope. Nothing has changed.

Take this morning for example.

David and Mabel were discussing her hair...now that it is very long it really should be taken care of. (i.e. braids, pigtails.)

She's been wearing it long and wild and yup, sometimes it looks messy. She has been battling me to "do her own" hair but an intervention time with Dad was needed.

Anyway....

So he talks about how Pocahontas must have worn beautiful Indian braids. As they talked about Pocahontas, I excitedly jumped in and stated...

"Did you know that she is being advanced toward canonization?"

They both looked at me with this "duh" look and David said, "Pocahontas?!"

Mabel said, "Isn't she just a Disney Princess?" (No, she hasn't studied early American history yet and thinks "Back then" is an actual time period.)

At which point I told them I was talking about Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Boy was the laugh on me :)

Ugh....

~ Patty ~

Future Fashionista!

2012-01-06T19:53:00.000-06:00

The big girls have been busy.

Crocheting with love. Aren't those great little hats?

Sally worked hard on this beautiful blanket over the fall months.

I love it!

Baby Joy will be sleeping in our room for a bit. Our bedroom colors are soft blue and chocolate, so Baby Joy will be having blue and chocolate as well.

God bless her - even Mabel gave it a whirl by creating this bib....made from nothing but love and busy little fingers holding onto crochet hooks and yarn.

(*Wink*) I think she certainly gets an A for effort and for crocheting from the heart :)

I think all the girls get an A+!

***********************************

Aren't these the sweetest little lamb booties you have ever seen?

Check out the backside.

Aren't they precious?!

The Littles saw them at a local Catholic gift shop (Two Hearts) way back in September. I passed on them at the time.

Well...in the past two weeks, I have been out 4 times....twice to church....twice to the doctor's. Today I felt really good and decided to stop in at that store for a gift. That's when I saw those booties and couldn't resist.

The tag had the website www.hisgem.net on the back. (I did not see the booties on the website though.)

*************************************************

Oh! I washed some basic white essentials I received as Christmas gifts from the Littles.

I totally forgot just how amazing Dreft baby detergent smells. I posted about it on FB and a friend said, "It's like laundry soap from Heaven!" Amen, sister!

~ Patty ~

Recipes

2012-01-05T20:12:00.000-06:00

Hi All!

I've been working on my recipe pages at the top of my blog. Not done yet, (didn't realize just how many I had put up in 1 1/2 years!)

I broke it up into two pages as you can see: Holiday Baking and Recipes (which covers anything that doesn't fall under Holiday baking or cooking.)

Still a work in progress. Thanks for being so encouraging!

*************************************

Had a check up today and it seems all that discomfort and achiness comes from Baby Joy being breach. Otherwise, everything is looking wonderful.

*************************************

Have a great weekend!!

~ Patty ~

My Favorite Picture of 2011

2012-01-04T20:38:00.000-06:00

"Gorgeous" (Jan 2011)

January~

I was not feeling good this afternoon...at all. Baby Joy is running out of room quickly. All of a sudden, even three weeks seems rather far away.

I rested in a recliner with David's laptop and read through posts from 2011 and took note of something.

This time last year we took the Littles for a long weekend down to Galveston Island and the Houston Space Center.

The weekend was full of so much fun, excitement, and happiness. I had shared with David that we were expecting again. Shortly after that trip, we experienced our fourth and probably the most emotionally painful miscarriage to date.

It all began on January 25, 2011. (Baby Joy is due January 26, 2012...almost one year to the day!)

My pregnancy with Francis took us to our ultimate lows...soaring back up high...only to crash back down into a dark valley.

Life has almost come full circle and I have experienced so many fruitful moments in my faith over the past 12 months. And to think some of those fruitful moments I thought I was actually abandoning God! Looking back, I now realize He needed me to look at the moment in life differently.

Two posts that really stand out are "A Dried Out Log". and "God, Mary, and Myself".

The emotion of joy only evolved out of sorrow when I completely abandoned myself to God. And that was before I was carrying Baby Joy in my womb.

Kind of deep thoughts for a very pregnant mama who isn't feeling good. I know. But I think it is more like Grace being poured down from Him as Baby Joy's time approaches. And how grateful I am of that Grace and of Baby Joy!

~ Patty ~

Just When You Thought It Was Over

2012-01-03T19:29:00.000-06:00

New Year's Day I opened the fridge and found cut out dough...from the week before. It had been sealed tight and I just couldn't let it go to waste.

So I baked snowflake cookies. (Ha ha! I baked while David was at the store stocking up on all fresh fruits and veggies for the vitamix again!)

And Ester decorated them with (canned) cream cheese frosting.

And I swear to you, these are THE best cut out cookies you will EVER sink your teeth.

The secret ingredient is a dash of nutmeg that make them taste divine!

*I received this recipe from my oldest sister about 9 years ago and have never used anything else since!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter (softened)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. In a separate bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl blend shortening, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until creamy. Gradually add the flour blend mixing slowly. Finally, mix in the sour cream.

3. Refrigerate at least four hours before rolling out on a well floured surface with a floured pin. *I always let these chill over night. Cut out.

4. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 6-8 minutes or until sides start to slightly brown. Place on cooling rack. Frost and decorate when completely cooled.

I always double this batch and still only get 32 cookies from it. But that is enough for our family. I also use the recipe from fall through winter with any cut out cookies we make.

Happy New Year!

~ Patty ~

A few questions...

2012-01-02T20:00:00.000-06:00

1. If your family has a Wii, would you mind letting me know what your family rules are for it? Now that school has started back up, we have some of our own ideas for rules but would still like to hear what you all do.

2. When I want to visit a "follower", I cannot always connect to them. Many times I will see blogs that they recently started following but that is it.

I would love to visit followers but have a hard time connecting to them all. (I'm not computer savvy like so many of you all!)

3. January 3rd would be my father's 75th birthday!

I'm concentrating on all the joy and happiness I know he would be feeling for Baby Joy.

Imagine holding your hands in perfect prayer position and then rubbing them super-duper fast up and down (as though you are trying to start a fire with them) and doing it with a big, Irish grin on your face....that is what my dad would be doing on his birthday. :)

Would you mind keeping him in your prayers today as well as my mom and children?

New Year Blessings!

~ Patty ~

New Year's Thoughts

2012-01-02T09:06:00.000-06:00

My goodness.

I have had so many thoughts rambling through my brain these past couple of days.

Trying to reflect on the past year and what is to come this new year...a lot of static up there in that space known as my brain.

* January is here. Baby Joy will be born in January. Not too long ago, January seemed so very, very far away.

* A new year which means more distance placed between the last time I spoke with or hugged my father, and now. One never "gets use to" that. I do not like adding another year to his death anniversary. Nope.

* Baby Joy will be the first of my children to never have met my father. This will make the third grandchild that has never met Poppy.

I quickly brush the last two thoughts aside since I know that I will confront them once more in the near future.

******************************************

New Year's resolutions...

* A couple of friends posted about Jeff Cavins and how to make your resolutions stick by making them "spiritual resolutions". I mentioned it was the just retooling I needed on my spiritual compass.

I really encourage you to read the article.

Also~

* Saint of the Year for my family in 2012. What a beautiful tradition! You should check it out.

***********************************

Wrapping things up here, I wanted to share two funny sayings I learned this year...

1. When a woman can't stop complaining or whining::

"Sweetie, it's time to get your big girl panties on."

2. When someone is steaming mad about something and you think you can talk to them::

"Stay away from that charcoal till it cools."

************************************

As the clock keeps ticking away we will be starting back into school today. This means peace and busyness for the Littles.

~ Patty ~

Big Mama and New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T00:44:00.000-06:00

Stan said to name this post Big Mama (34 weeks) ~ LOL ~ out of the mouths of babes, right? :)

It's already been 4 weeks since I posted one. That means, the next monthly picture is when I'm on my way to the hospital in 27 days!

BTW, I finished up my shots this week. The doctor asked if I would like two more. I politely turned down his offer. (They really, really made a world of difference - for the good!)

Baby Joy is resting snuggly on every nerve ending I think I have. I'm not finding the humor in the electric pulses be sent down my legs via the groin!

In desperation, I tried some type of yoga move...guessing that is what it was since I don't do yoga...but it had me bending over at the waist with one leg up in the air from behind.

Whatever the move, I had a few choice names to give it :)

Then the girls walked in. Stopped them dead in their tracks, I did!

I told them I'm trying to get Baby Joy to give up his/her comfort spot so that I don't go around the house walking like the Scare Crow on Wizard of Oz.

*******************************************

New Year's Eve.

Oh my! So many things on my mind. But for another day...soon!

Praying that you all will continue to find or know His peace and joy throughout this new year!

Happy New Year!

~ Patty ~

Sunshiney Days

2011-12-30T14:56:00.000-06:00

For all that blasted, record-breaking, drought-inducing heat we had this summer....

I love being able to play outside for the other remaining 9 months of the year :)

"Mom, it's too bwight to smile."

And I even found some roses blooming (with a whole lot of buds)...

No! It isn't like this all winter. We have our cold spells, too. But we really like the old saying in Texas, "If you don't like the weather, wait till tomorrow!"

Suppose to be 70 degrees tomorrow and we will definitely savor since I heard it will fall back into the 50's next week.

~ Patty ~

Maple Glazed Roast Pork

2011-12-28T21:22:00.000-06:00

I mentioned here how I've served this the past few years now. It is easy, fast, takes up less oven space and time, and smells delicious as it is roasting!

Maple Glazed Roast Pork

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs boneless pork loin roast

1 cup maple syrup

4 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard

2 1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

2. Stir together the maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place pork roast in a shallow roasting pan. Spread glaze evenly over pork roast.

3. Roast pork in the preheated oven uncovered until the internal temperature measured with a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest about 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

*Found it much easier to slice if you really let it rest the 10 minutes. And I slice into very small slices.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour

Yields: 8 servings *I get as much as 12 out of this with small slices.

I originally found this recipe back in 2008 on allrecipes.com.

Merry Christmas!

~ Patty ~

Swirled Candy Cane Cupcakes

2011-12-27T19:13:00.000-06:00

I found these festive cupcakes on the cover of one of those paperback recipe books in the check out line back in early fall. Something about them just caught my eye.

Swirled Candy Cane Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix
Water, vegetable oil, and eggs called for on box of cake mix
1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
1 teaspoon of red gel/paste food coloring
2 containers of fluffy white whipped frosting
1 cup of crushed hard peppermint candies

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper baking cup in your regular- size muffin cup.

2. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and peppermint extract on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for two minutes periodically scraping sides of bowl. Divide batter in half.

3. To 1 portion, add food coloring; stir until uniform in color. In each muffin cup place 2 tablespoons of red-colored batter then top with 2 tablespoons of white batter. Swirl white batter through red batter with knife for marbled design.

4. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely about 30 minutes.

This is what mine looked like when I took them out of the oven...

(Picked up the red/white striped paper cups at Hobby Lobby.)

5. Frost each cupcake with whipped frosting and top with crushed peppermint candy.

*I only got about 18 cupcakes out of this recipe. But it was still plenty for our family.

The kids enjoyed digging into them on Christmas Eve! We will definitely make them again :)

Merry Christmas!

~ Patty ~

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T20:53:00.000-06:00

Our "second" family Christmas tree we put up this year...

We bought a gorgeous pre-lit tree eight years ago. Spent a lot of money on it. It was quite unique and a dead-ringer for a real Balsam Fir.

Have you ever had to change string of lights on a large pre-lit tree? It's enough to drive a sane person mad. Over the years, I've changed a string or two each season.

But this year? Much different.

We lost five strings of lights...in a matter of days!

And with me in this hormonal state, it nearly brought me to tears!

Picture Clark Griswald as he freaks out trying to get his outside Christmas lights to work on Christmas Vacation. (I didn't kick and scream, but I did get pretty upset :)

Sally tried to cheer me up by telling me, "I kind of like the effect....dark...light...dark...light..."

Last weekend we bought this cheap one at Walmart and transferred ornaments.

The old but gorgeous tree? David took over 3 hours cutting off the strings of light and packed it away. Next year, we'll do the old tree with new lights.

This tree? The kids will be using it upstairs next year.

**********************************************

I tried to get some photos before heading off to Christmas Eve mass.

(Sally took this one of David and I.)

I wasn't feeling the best and opted out of a family photo.

********************************************

Christmas Eve dinner for my family always consists of home made vegetable beef soup with rolls. It's nice to come home to that smelling up your kitchen.

This year, I made a yummy new Christmas Eve dessert. Peppermint cupcakes! They were very yummy!

(I'll post the recipe later this week!)

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David made Stan a very special present this year.

Stan LOVES legos. I priced out tables and about fainted. Way over priced!!! David use to build furniture and cabinets ....way back before the Littles came along....so he decided he'd make a Lego table for Stan.

He gave it to Stan on Christmas Eve.

Boy! Did Little Man love his very special gift!

The grandparents usually send us money for the Littles. It is so much easier if I pick something out and wrap it for them.

We let the kids open those grandparent gifts on Christmas Eve.

I took this next series of shots when the girls opened part of their gift from Grammy. It was a gift card to a nail salon. They never go to a nail salon. Check out their excitement...

I had actually found new "big kid" lunch boxes from Lands End for well under $10. So with the remaining money I was able to pick them up that special nail salon treat!

And after I had my piggies done a few weeks ago, I decided I am definitely going back before baby comes and wouldn't it be fun to bring my daughters?!

*****************************************************

Christmas day always starts bright and early in our house :) The Littles love to see what Santa has delivered.

It was mostly an electronics year in our house.

Gifts~

Sally and Mabel each received a new camera. I think photography is such a creative way to express oneself and I encourage all children to have a camera....if they're responsible enough to take care of it!

Ester received a much wanted iPod nano. She almost fainted :) *We have to be there when they upload their music so we determine what is acceptable. And their music library is under my password!*

Stan received a bundle of Lego's. The boy was in Lego heaven!

Family gift. We bought the kids our "first" Wii console.

(Dancing to Just Dance For Kids - 2 )

You should see Stan in motion with this one. The boy has moves!

After Ester opened her iPod and the kids opened the Wii, Ester came up to David and I and said..."Now we aren't lame anymore!" (They've been wanting a Wii for a very, very long time! :) We just bust out laughing.

Wii games we bought for each of them::

Sally - Wii sports (2 thumbs up!)

Ester - Just Dance for Kids 2 (2 thumbs up!)

Mabel - Mario Galaxy (2 thumbs up!)

Stan - Mario Slugger (2 thumbs up!)

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Christmas Meals.

I tried a new Cranberry - Orange French Toast. Before I post it, I want to tweak it just a tiny bit. It was so easy, prepared the night before by David :)

Dinner. I've been serving a Christmas maple glazed, roasted pork loin the past few years.

It is so easy and fast that I know Sally could do this on her own! ( I'll post this recipe later in the week.)

Feeling a good 8 months pregnant on Christmas day, I was in the kitchen at the last minute saying...no to sweet potatoes, no to corn, no to this, no to that. I had little energy even with help from David and Sally.

We settled on this...

(Maple-glazed, roasted pork loin, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes with gravy.)

David made the Christmas punch...

As far as a dessert goes, I cheated . I purchased a delicious cheese cake sampler from Sam's Club for dessert. Those are to die for! Have you ever had those....(Sigh....)

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Bedtime.

As I was tucking Mabel in and wishing her a Merry Christmas she said, "Mom! One month from tomorrow we will have a new baby brother or sister!"

And I have a feeling the days are really going to pass quickly now!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

~ Patty ~

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T10:37:00.000-06:00

May you have a blessed Christmas!

~ Patty ~

Silver Bells

2011-12-23T11:43:00.000-06:00

Hoping this finds you all happy, filled with joy and anticipation. Our house sure is! Christmas day soon will be here.

And I'm quickly running out of steam :)

Appointment update:

So happy to report that all is well!

* Overjoyed to hear that I have passed yet another fetal development test.

* My cerclage is holding steady and my cervix measurements are just wonderful!

* Sono tech:: "I believe you are going to have a large baby." Quite happy to hear that since I'm delivering two weeks early. Head circumference is already in the 86 percentile! Brings me comfort since I never went that early before.

* I'm 33 weeks but measure at 35 weeks.

* Shots...continue to go smoothly. Only one left!!! Woo Hoo!!! My buns of steel of become quite the pin cushion LOL

* Only 4 appointments left.

At this point in time, I feel I have cleared the second to last hurdle out of one million. It's been a very long year and we are starting to boil over with excitement of meeting Baby Joy. Words just cannot express the excitement. I find myself tearing up thinking about it.

Yesterday the doctor looked at me and said, "YOU are at 33 weeks!" And we both just grinned from ear to ear. No other words were necessary.

And as a friend said, an early Christmas gift! Yes indeed :)

34 days to go, can you believe it?! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for all the prayers and spiritual bouquets! It has truly carried us through this rough and emotional year. And as I end this post, I kindly ask that you keep them up. We are almost there!

Advent blessings!

~ Patty ~

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-22T11:57:00.001-06:00

I dreamt of what my family would look like, (size, names, address), ever since I was a little girl and what traditions we would have, (all based on either my own childhood ones or The Walton's...remember The Walton's t.v. series?)

My family size...close. Half are in Heaven.

The names of my children...not even close. Ha ha! My tastes have definitely changed over the years.

Address...Love the state where we ended up in.

And Christmas traditions? Oh my goodness! My mother was a trail blazer for me. Her personal touch could be found in each room of the house. Her kitchen was always filled with the aromas of baked goods. She wrapped a package that would make professional gift wrappers at Macy's spin on their heads. (And still does!)

She set the stage for my childhood dreams.

I love to 'see' inside the homes of others at this time of the year. Lots of oohs and aaaaahs fall from my mouth!

Over the years, I noticed that I actually use unique and gorgeous Christmas frames to decorate with. And I LOVE that tradition!

I always frame the 'Christmas picture of the year'. You can see that post here from last year. I station them around the house where one can see a framed memory wherever they turn.

Christmas ornaments. Sigh.

I just love ornaments. Don't you?

I particularly like to collect ornaments from where we have traveled on vacation. They bring back such fond memories when they're unwrapped and placed on the tree!

This year's newest additions...(insert drum roll...)

* Last January, we took a long weekend and drove to Galveston Island and Houston. We spent a day on the island and a day at Houston Space Center.

Look at this cutie...

* Back in July, we took a few days and went to the Texas Hill Country to go tubing down the Comal River. I found a Christmas store that had German roots.

I found these two cuties...

Our tree is filled with memories.

I have also found that many fond memories can be made by giving ornaments as Christmas, birthday, anniversary and even wedding gifts.

Santa delivers each year as well! The Littles always find an ornament (or two) in their stocking on Christmas morning.

He has such great taste, too! Knows exactly what each child is interested in that year.

Oh yes. The Littles have their own trees in their room. By the time they are grown and on their own....they will each have quite the collection reaching back to their first baby stocking.

Ester, having a taste for bling, needed a new tree this year. She picked out this white one with colored lights.

Sally's tree has seen its last Christmas. Shortly after she set it up, it toppled over. Nothing like the sound of glass ornaments breaking in a heap!

Stan and Mabel currently share a bedroom. We picked up a new tree for them at Walmart this year for $20. They had fun decorating it.

Until they are old enough to handle their tree, they have a smaller one placed up high on a dresser. It will be fun starting yet another baby tree next Christmas!

What about Christmas dishes? Do you have Christmas dishes? We love our collection!

I posted about this really fun Christmas tradition last year. I had seen it years before we had children of our own and knew instantly that it would definitely be a tradition in our house.

The kids LOVE to use them and get so excited when I bring them out on Christmas Eve. :)

With only a few days left until Christmas, I hope you are all able to find peace, love and joy in these next few days ahead!

Advent blessings!

~ Patty ~

Advent Reading Week 4

2011-12-20T08:44:00.000-06:00

We wrapped up our Advent reading today. The Littles were disappointed. They LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. the theme reading this year!

During our Christmas Around the World theme reading this week, we hung out in North America with three books.

United States of America (the state of New Mexico) : The Santero's Miracle, A Bilingual Story (written by Rudolfo Anaya).

A santero is a person who carves saints. Don Jacobo is blessed with the talent of being an expert santero. He and his wife live nestled in a village that lays in a valley of the mountains of northern New Mexico. Their grandson, Andres, has been staying with them for the past week helping out on the farm and learning techniques of a santero. A couple of days prior to Christmas a huge snowstorm blankets that valley making the roads impassible.

Adres is worried that his parents and sister won't be able to make the drive in from Taos to celebrate Christmas with his grandparents. Don Jacobo is worried about his very ill neighbor. The ambulance cannot make it through with the roads being so covered in snow.

It seems as though only a miracle will help these villagers out. Christmas Eve morning finds their prayers answered!

Again, we are introduced to a large vocabulary of Spanish words and shown the beautiful customs of the Hispanic culture. This is a beautiful story of faith, customs, and Christmas miracles.

Canada: The Huron Carol (written by Ian Wallace)

This is actually a beautiful Christmas song that has a rich history reaching back to the 1600's when Father Jean de Brebeuf came to Canada from his native France as a Jesuit missionary. He lived among the Huron people in what is now Midland, Ontario. Father Brefeuf not only learned the Huron language but wrote the first Huron dictionary, and converted the Huron to Christians. He wrote, in Huron, the original version of this Christmas song. He and his fellow priests and many of their Huron parishioners were killed in an Iroquois raid in 1649.

In 1926, Toronto writer Jesse Edgar Middleton, inspired by Father Jean de Brefeuf, wrote his own version of the Huron Christmas Carol. He added his own version in English. The book includes Middleton's version, a French version and the Huron version.

Southwestern United States / Mexico: The Night of Las Posadas (written by Tomie DePaola).

This is not new to my Littles, but was on the list of books for the theme.

Las Posadas is actually a traditional Spanish custom brought to Mexico and is celebrated for nine days, from December 16-24. It is a processional representing Joseph and Mary on their journey to Bethlehem, looking for a room at the inn. For nine nights, families will walk in the procession knocking on doors only to find them shut or told there is no room. Finally, on Christmas Eve a door opens and all are welcomed in for cookies and hot chocolate.

Sister Angie has been organizing their church Las Posadas in the town of old Santa Fe, New Mexico for over 50 years! This year she is too sick to attend. The Las Posadas must still go on. Or will it? A terrible snowstorm hits the mountains but the villagers will experience a miracle before the night is over. Sister Angie witnesses her own special miracle in the church across the street from the convent that same night.

The kids were excited to see the term Santero maker in this story after reading about a santero in The Santero's Miracle.

We also learned about how Las Posadas is celebrated in San Antonio, Texas. I told them it would be wonderful to see the San Antonio celebration one of these years.

Last year, we took the kids over to our own parish to witness the Las Posadas procession. A great experience for anyone if you ever have the chance!

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That wraps up our Christmas Around the World theme for this year. As I mentioned, they were disappointed it was over. They really enjoyed learning about so many other customs from around the world.

I already know what I want to do for next year's Advent and Christmas reading. Cay Gibson's Christmas Mosaic, where I took this year's theme from, has a theme on Jan Brett's Christmas books. I think the Littles will really enjoy that theme. Her illustrations can captivate the mind of children ages 0-99!

Advent blessings!

~ Patty ~

Christmas Baking VI

2011-12-19T08:52:00.000-06:00

Here I was thinking that with limited activity, our house would not be smelling the same as in past years, but when the girls ask to bake, I will not stop them :)

Sally made these cookies over the weekend ~

Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsel Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 2/3 cups (10 ounce package) Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels

1 cup chopped nuts* If omitting nuts, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.

3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

4. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 4 1/2 dozen.

The mint in these adds just the right touch and makes it a cookie that everyone will enjoy :)

Advent blessings.

~ Patty ~

Christmas Baking V

2011-12-18T14:31:00.001-06:00

Do you like turtle candy? My mom told me about this recipe. It is so crazy easy, Ester and Mabel made a batch together and then Mabel asked to make her own!

And for those of you who like just 3 ingredients (you know who you are *wink*) this is right up your alley!

Turtle Candy

(They taste just like a turtle candy. Warning: Very addictive!)

Ingredients:

1 bag of round pretzels

1 bag of rollo candies

1 (2 cup bag) of pecans *(we used halved pecans but I think they would be prettier with whole pecans)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet. *(We used round pie pans with parchment paper cut to fit. Easier to cool off in the freezer or outside in the cold for a bit!)

2. Place your pretzels on the pan. Place one rollo, fat side down, on each pretzel. Warm in oven for 4-5 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and immediately press one pecan down into each melted rollo. Cool either outside in the cold air for a few minutes or in the freezer. *(We made sure ours were good and hard before layering into the cookie containers.)

You can also find this recipe on the back of the holiday rollo candy bags.

We thought these would make a fun addition to the Christmas cookie plates we will be preparing this coming week.

P.S. ~ I am starting a new page at the top of my blog. I am in the process of placing all of my recipes in one place and categorizing them. Easier for you all to look up any that peeked your interest. Right now, I'm constructing the Holiday section.

Advent blessings!

~ Patty ~

Advent Reading Week 3

2011-12-16T16:14:00.000-06:00

My Littles have really enjoyed our approach to reading Advent/Christmas books this year. This time last year, they were starting to fade away from our daily books.

Using Cay Gibson's Christmas Around the World theme means fewer books each week, but their attention has definitely been held captive!

This week we traveled to Europe again and then to North America, specifically the Caribbean Islands!

Sweden: Lucia, Saint of Light (written by Katherine Bolger Hyde) and Christmas in Noisy Village (written by Astrid Lindgren)

Lucia, Saint of Light, holds all the explanations needed, in kid-friendly terms, regarding who this saint is and all the wonderful and warm traditions around her feast day. The Littles were excited to hear all about the customs of the Swedish people.

Christmas in Noisy Village is a cute story about three farms nestled very close to one another, the children that live in each house, and their excitement that builds up to Christmas morning. We learned how they use each day to prepare for Christmas. The setting is in Sweden back in the early part of the twentieth century. The illustrations are just beautiful.

I read both stories on Dec. 13, the feast of St. Lucia.

Trinidad and Tobago (islands in the southern Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela): An Island Christmas (written by Lynn Joseph)

Let me just say that by the time we were done reading this story, we were all wishing our bags were packed for a Christmas island adventure!

This story taught us about weather on the island, especially in December. We learned about new customs regarding Christmas on the islands, i.e. their Christmas trees (Guava tree branches), parang bands (early Spanish settlers brought this with them), foods (black currant cakes), Sorrel (a special Christmas drink), as well as sugar cane and soursop ice cream treats! So many colorful customs!!

The Littles really liked this story a lot!

Hard to believe that we wrapped up week 3 of our Christmas Around the World theme. One week left and it will bring us to North America. I'll post more next week.

In the meantime, you can find many more book ideas at an Favorite Advent and Christmas Books Link up that Jessica is hosting. If you haven't already, stop over there and take a peek!

Advent blessings!

~ Patty ~

Christmas Baking IV

2011-12-15T18:38:00.000-06:00

Need a chocolate fix? This chocolate cookie coated in powder sugar is sure to do the trick! Sally made and baked two batches of this kind all on her own about two weeks ago.

Chocolate Crinkles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In large bowl, mix oil, chocolate, granulated sugar and vanilla. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours. *(She refrigerated over night.)

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray. *(We used parchment paper.)

3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powder sugar; roll around to coat and shape into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

Makes 6 dozen.

My mom made these when I was growing up. We used the same old Betty Crocker recipe that she used. These are one of our favorites :)

Advent blessings!

~ Patty ~

Christmas Baking III

2011-12-14T22:55:00.000-06:00

Knowing good food always makes things better, I'm ending today's frustrations on a happy note.
1. The Littles in bed REAL early tonight.
2. A yummy dessert to share.

Pineapple Upside-Down Gingerbread

We enjoy this at least once during the season!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 can (8 oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, **keep 1/4 cup juice reserved**

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

Topping:

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

8 maraschino cherries with stems

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In 9 inch round pan, mix 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and the brown sugar, spread evenly to cover the bottom of pan. Cut pineapple slices in half; arrange 4 halves over brown sugar mixture in center of pan. Cut remaining halves in half again; arrange pieces around edge of pan.

Basically, it should look like this...

2. In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. With spoon or wire whisk, beat in remaining 6 tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice and all remaining gingerbread ingredients until smooth. Spoon batter carefully over pineapple; spread to cover.

3. Bake 30 - 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

4. Run knife around side of pan to loosen. Place heatproof serving plate, upside down, over pan. Turn plate and pan over; remove pan. Cut into wedges. Serve with whipped cream and cherries.

I made this last Sunday. It is as warm and delicious as it looks!!

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Ready Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8

Advent blessings!

~ Patty ~

So I Sit and Eat Bon Bons, Huh?

2011-12-14T15:57:00.000-06:00

I know a lot of people actually think that is what home school moms do.

You really want to know what we do?

We get pedicures! (You think I'm joking?)

(And I even picked out a red with these cool sparkles in it! Kind of Christmas-sy I thought!)

Let's see... it was either pedicure (which I haven't treated myself to one since Mother's Day last spring) OR run out the door stark raving mad, and run down the street pulling out my hair.

So how was your day?!

If you are a homeschool mom, you know those "bad" days. This was a bad one.

*I've had it up to here (hand held way above my head) with the talking back. I should say the arguing.

Oh the arguing. We have highs and lows. Lately it's been bad. I'm seeing "the writing of lines" in the very near future.

Yes, home school moms make kids in trouble write lines just like traditional school teachers do.

*I have one child who has decided not to take pride in chores anymore....therefore...let's do it quickly and as sloppy as possible (knowing it will get Mom upset since it's been going on for a few weeks now.)

Allowance is withheld until we see marks in improvement!

*I have one child who has decided to forget EVERYTHING I've taught in phonics for the first semester.

*I have one child who plugged the toilet with so much (wasted) toilet paper I almost made that child pull it out by hand.

Plunger?

Oh the plunger! Well, it is broke. Yeah. One child felt the need to use it and plunged with such gusto that the rubber plunger was torn clear off of the wooden post.

So child and I stood with mouth open as the water level rose to almost- overflow- the- bowl- levels. I prayed and I think child was praying.

Then all of a sudden, whoosh! The stuck TP and water just got sucked out. Gone in a flash!

I looked over at child...child looked up at me...and I said, "You better thank your Guardian Angel for that one!"

*All by 11am. So, as I sat on the couch trying to calm my braxton hicks (false contractions), I looked down at my bare feet (it is 70 degrees here) and it hit me.

Screw this!

I told them to make their own lunch, grabbed my purse, and out the door I went.

Let me tell you...I felt like a rebel!! And it felt soooo good!

No. My days are not all like this. The majority are actually great days. But some days just take the cake, and this happened to be one of them.

Let's call it "an extended lunch hour" type of day.

Sigh...Okay. I'm really better now. Just needed to really get that off of my chest.

~ Patty ~

Time Is Flying!

2011-12-13T20:52:00.000-06:00

Yowzer!

I knew Advent would pass quickly but I'm still taken by surprise by just how quickly.

~ Last week, the girls had their annual Little Flower/ Little Women Christmas cookie bake and exchange.

Each family signed up to bring a different type of cookie dough to bake . Here's a small sampling...

My girls were getting their fix on with some other special treat though...

This Christmas package arrived just over one month ago...the day after the girls in the group threw this baby shower in fact!

Yup! I got my fix in as well. :)

~ Saturday morning, while Sally was off on a babysitting job, Ester and Mabel prepared these cute Christmas gifts for their close girlfriends and some friends on the block...

BTW, if any moms of these "friends" are reading this, please don't show your kids...they won't be delivered until next week and we want to keep it a surprise (*wink*)

*They started with a bowl full of candy

*Added a few home made items and stickers for their close girlfriends

*Rolled the treats in tissue paper...stuck them through toilet paper rolls...tied the ends off with ribbon...and covered the toilet paper rolls with Christmas scrapbook paper

They had so much fun doing this! The idea came from American Girl Magazine, Dec 11/ Jan 12 issue.

~ Saturday night David and I went to our homeschool group's Advent party. It was good to be alone with the hubs for a while :)

~ Sunday brought a 'boys - only' trip to Legoland Discovery Center. It was actually part of Stan's birthday present from back in October.

This is a Lego display of downtown Dallas...

And of course the Rangers Stadium display...

Pretty amazing, huh?

My girls spent the afternoon at the park playing. I sat on the couch and slowly wrote out Christmas cards. It was a very peaceful, quiet Sunday for me :)

~ Back around Thanksgiving time, we had some really chilly weather. Had to break out the winter coats and hats even!

And there are no better winter hats then the ones that Grandma Claire knits...

Grandma even does camo...

~ Monday we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Our parish has a very large Hispanic community and they always celebrate this feast day in such a beautiful way. We wanted to to take part in some of the scheduled things but look at the time for these events...

(From the bulletin)

Monday, December 12th - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Lunes, 12 de Diciembre - Fiesta de Ntra. Sra. de Guadalupe
Rosary / Rosario 4:30 AM
Mariachi-Mañanitas 5:00 AM
Mass (Bilg) /Misa (Bilg) 6:00 AM
Mass (Sp) /Misa (Esp) 7:00 PM

I'm usually too tired, sore, or achy by evening so we passed on the 7pm Mass.

But we still read this beautiful story::

We also had our Mexican dinner of tacos! (I've been really craving Mexican food lately.)

~ Today we celebrated the Feast of St. Lucia. (You can read about St. Lucia here.) This is a new celebration that we added to our list of liturgical celebrations at home.

We read two new books...

and added to our holy card collection...

The best part was a new tradition we started this year. Since St. Lucia is also a celebration of light and winter, we decided to use this night to drive the Littles around to look at Christmas lights. How appropriate! We got the idea from Jen.

~ Home and in my pj's now. Ready for a quiet rest of the week and praying that you are all finding the joy of Advent in your own homes this week .

P.S. I don't know about you all, but I'm really enjoying reading and "seeing" what everyone else does in their homes at this time of year. Thanks for sharing so many great ideas!

Advent blessings!

~ Patty ~

Christmas Baking II

2011-12-11T15:39:00.000-06:00

Peanut Butter Blossoms

This is another easy-breezy recipe and super easy for the Littles to bake.

I prepared this dough yesterday afternoon in a matter of minutes and then Ester and Mabel rolled, sugared, and baked the entire batch on their own!

Stan helped place the chocolates...trying very hard not to eat any! :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons of additional granulated sugar in a bowl set aside
About 5-6 dozen Hershey Kisses milk chocolates

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and eggs with mixer on medium speed. Mix in flour, baking soda and baking powder.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in additional granulated sugar in bowl. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. (Mine rolled their cookies slightly bigger than 1").

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately press 1 chocolate candy in the center of each cookie. Remove cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack and cool. The chocolate candy will melt slightly securing itself to cookie.

*The recipe said it would yield 7 dozen, but we got 5 dozen out of it.

P.S. With all of this baking...we are allowed to sample one of each kind as they cool off and then off to the freezer...out of sight, out of mind!

Advent blessings!

~ Patty ~

Christmas Baking

2011-12-11T11:14:00.000-06:00

When I was a child, my mother baked and baked and baked the most mouth-watering Christmas cookies throughout the month of December.

She would freeze them until it was time to make the cookie plates for all the elderly neighbors.

I LOVED bundling up in my winter coat and hat and stomping through the snow to deliver to these neighbors that have long since passed away. All of my siblings did.

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I mentioned before that I LOVE to bake at Christmas and pass around cookie plates to the neighbors. So this year, even though I'm limited on activity, I picked out a few easy ones that the girls can help with.

My elves have been busy in the kitchen. I'll be posting some recipes (and pictures) this week of some yummy treats that are making their way from the oven to the freezer until it is time to wrap and pass them along :)

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Italian Christmas Cookies

I posted these last year with the title Cookies For A Crowd. They are so scrumptious (with Ricotta Cheese) and yield 7 dozen.

I made the dough last weekend and chilled it overnight. Ester baked them all the following day.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
Colored sprinkles

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in ricotta and vanilla.

2. Combine flour, salt and baking soda: gradually add to creamed mixture.

3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

4. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla. Add enough milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies and immediately decorate with sprinkles. Store in refrigerator.

Yields 7 dozen cookies!

Advent Blessings!

~ Patty ~

Advent Reading Week 2

2011-12-09T18:50:00.001-06:00

~ Advent reading week 2 - Christmas Around the World :

Europe, Africa, and North America ~

Turkey:

Celebrating St. Nicholas (a bishop from Myra - modern day Turkey), we added these next two books to our St. Nicholas collection...

The Bakers Dozen (written by Aaron Shepard)

The Legend of St. Nicholas, A Story of Christmas Giving (written by Dandi Daley Mackall)

South Africa: What's Cooking, Jamela? (written by Niki Daley)

This was such a cute story that takes place in the country of South Africa. Little Jamela is in charge of raising and feeding the Christmas dinner, a chicken, whom she affectionately names "Christmas". Well, you can imagine how fond of "Christmas" little Jamela becomes and as Christmas day draws closer, she has second thoughts about what should be on the menu!

The book also talks about the Christmas customs of their village with a nativity, music, clothes and celebrations. In the back of the book you will find a short list of words and their meanings as well as origins. These words are used throughout the story.

The Littles really enjoyed that book!

Mexico: Miracle of the Poinsettia (Retelling by Brian Cavanaugh, T.O.R.)

I picked to read this on the feast of St. Juan Diego since we were already "in" Mexico for the day :)

Down in Mexico, little Maria is so sad. She desperately wants to make the best Christmas gift she can and place it near the manger on Christmas Eve. But everything she tries to make just flops. On Christmas Eve, sadly watching all the other children process into the church for the celebration, Maria hides in the shadows ashamed that she never made anything beautiful enough to present to the Infant Jesus. Suddenly, she hears a voice speaking to her heart which says, "Love is what makes any gift special."

She hurriedly picks some green weeds that she sees and sneaks inside the church where all the other children have already laid their precious gifts near the manger. After being coaxed to bring whatever gift she has for the Infant Jesus, she opens her coat to display a beautiful arrangement of flowers that no one has ever seen before. They looked just like a bright red star. Maria's love had created a miracle!

The book uses traditional Spanish words and then explains them throughout the story. In the back of the book you will find a story about the Christmas Creche and how the first one was made by St. Francis of Assisi almost 900 years ago.

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Decorating our tree this past week, I came across all the beautiful ornaments that we've collected over the years on our many trips to Mexico.

Here our my poinsettia ornaments...

Aren't they pretty?

I'm linking up again at Jessica's Favorite Advent and Christmas Books. Remember to stop over there for more amazing book selections!

May you have a blessed weekend as we prepare for week 3 of Advent~

~ Patty ~

Roses in the Snow

2011-12-09T06:50:00.000-06:00

Earlier in the week, I looked out my window to see the roses blooming in a dusting of snow. It made me think of St. Juan Diego...

Okay, not that that particular image should conjure up any emotions for you all (ha ha) but it sure made me think of him.

I was picturing him gathering the gorgeous roses blooming in winter time on the mountain side.

To learn more about St. Juan Diego you can click here.

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It has been a crazy week in the Hughes household for sure!

Discipline. It's been a hard one to get control of.

We've had one child who has been on a three week streak of breaking, destroying, ruining...just plain not thinking about consequences. Thank God! David was home to finally help my poor brain figure out a punishment that would fit the crime.

As a teen, David remembered having a punishment of moving a stockpile of cinder blocks from one area of the garage to the next...only to have his dad come in and say, "Now move it back to the other area." He would do that for hours.

It wasn't spankings or time outs. It was something that made David think about consequences by doing "hard work".

So he got to thinking...what does this child hate to do?

Make the bed.

This child spent a better portion of one day making and unmaking the bed, over and over. So far, the behavior has stopped. David thinks Dr. Ray would even be pleased!

Decorations. I always feel under pressure to put them up quickly when I want to do it slowly. Do you?

And nothing can turn me into a #1 grouch faster when the "pre-lit" tree has a string of lights go out. And it takes three people 30 minutes to get that string of 50 lights off. Boy do they secure them on tightly!

Decorations are up and done.

Crash. And for the first time, one tree fell.

One child had too many ornaments on the front of that particular bedroom tree and it crashed to the floor. One ornament ended up in the trash and a handful recovered from surgery with a hot glue gun.

School. We are on week 18, finals week. Finals week is always the hardest in our house with quarter tests and reports upon reports due in.

But we are forging ahead. My goal is to have 20 weeks complete before Christmas. We should finish up by December 21-22.

I'm thinking ahead to my surgery and planning on taking a full month off to recuperate and love on Baby Joy.

*After my last surgery, I "felt great" and did too much. I needed to go in and have my incision cauterized. Yucky experience!

Feast days.

Holy days.

Dr. Appt. - With many prayers, graces received from Mass, and even a blessing of holy water from Lourdes, it went well.

The shot? I requested the other nurse and a smaller needle. So much better!! Had to chuckle when a friend called me "buns of steel"!! LOL

Clubs. Little Flowers/Little Women. This afternoon, the girls and I are attending the annual Little Flowers and Little Women Christmas cookie bake and exchange. We cannot miss this very enjoyable afternoon!!

Deep breath....

But come evening, I plan on serving these as our snack...

(They were in the seasonal food section at Target.)

and have the Littles listen to and watch these ....

I also want to read to them this new book I picked up for our Christmas Around the World theme...

So, here's to you... hoping that your week went better than mine, that you have a fabulous Friday, and a blessed and peace-filled weekend!

~ Patty ~

The Immaculate Conception

2011-12-07T21:50:00.000-06:00

December 8 ~ Another beautiful feast day this month celebrating the Immaculate Conception.

Father, You prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy Mother of Your Son. You made it possible for her to share beforehand in the salvation Your Son, Jesus Christ, would bring by His death, and kept her without sin from the first moment of her conception. Give us the grace by her prayers ever to live in Your presence without sin. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

You can read here to learn more about this beautiful feast day.

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I was hoping to make some pretty candles this year with the Littles. I found this idea over at Gardenia's blog. We even had some pretty pictures saved from last year's Christmas cards. But I lack the steam power :) Definitely on the "to do" list for next year!

~ Patty ~

Jolly Old St. Nicholas

2011-12-06T17:08:00.000-06:00

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!!

OK. I have to admit. The feast of St. Nicholas is one of my favorite feast days of the year. Ha ha! I think it's because he brings the child out in me :)

( If you are not sure who St. Nicholas is or not sure how to celebrate this special saint, you can read about him here.)

St. Nicholas came and left some gold coins in the shoes as well as a dusting of snow!

You have to look close to see the snow.

He also delivered a couple of new St. Nicholas books to add to our collection.

And we were excited to see two new Christmas movies as well.

We have a wonderful selection of Christmas movies that we pull out each year and these will make a nice addition!

There was our traditional candy cane coffee cake...

(Ester helped me make this super easy, super yummilicious coffee cake!)

...as well as our yummy hot cocoa with chocolate dipped peppermint sticks. Thank goodness it was chilly enough to actually enjoy the hot cocoa!

(I pick up the chocolate coated peppermint sticks at Hobby Lobby.)

We also colored St. Nicholas pictures found at St. Nicholas Center, and enjoyed taking the day off from schooling!

For others out there who celebrate this feast day, hope you all had a wonderful day!!

~ Patty ~

An Advent FYI

2011-12-05T16:03:00.000-06:00

These were found at Target in the seasonal food section.

We picked them up for a snack on the feast day of St. Juan Diego and for the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

They were $3.99.

I know you can make them much cheaper at home in the oven, but I'm going for convenience :)

Enjoy!

~ Patty ~

30 weeks

2011-12-03T08:15:00.000-06:00

If this first week of Advent tells us anything about the season it is that Christmas will be here before we know it!

It's Saturday already!

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I am 30 weeks and the girls took my monthly tummy shot. Ready?

Front::

LOL at myself. They tell me to relax.

Yeah! I am so not modeling material.

Side::

Guesses on the sex? I happened to carry this way each pregnancy.

*Baby Joy weighs almost 4 lbs.

*Saw the eyes blinking and the opening and closing of his mouth. (That was REALLY cool to see!)

*We've got hair. (All the kids were born with a nice head of hair...Stan having the most!)

*Thyroid - holding steady.

*Cervix - holding steady as well.

*Progesterone shot series. Okay. These hurt like hell!!! I'm talking enough to bring a grown man to tears - kind of hurt!!

The medicine is really thick and so it takes a long time to inject it into the rump. Yesterday, the nurse practitioner gave me my second shot in the series and as she was about to inject me she said, "Sometimes they put on a bigger needle to get the medicine in faster!"

Yowzer! It happened to be a bigger needle day.

I came out of there saying to myself that I cannot endure any more. It was hard to stay upbeat.

Sigh.

Don't worry. I'll go back. Come next Thursday, I'll be getting my rump stuck again :)

******************************************

The doorbell rang last night. Mr. UPS driver delivered the carseat. The kids were sooooo excited! They all helped to carry it in and then sat on the floor and looked at the picture on the box.

I sat in the chair and watched with a big, happy heart to see them so in love with life!

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Have you started any holiday baking?

I was just telling a friend how much I miss the holiday baking section in the grocery store :(

I LOVE to bake, especially during the holidays.

Not wanting to sound like I'm complaining, I have managed to come up with a couple of new recipes the girls can help me with. Easy ones that will delight them all I'm sure :)

Have a very happy weekend!

~ Patty ~

Advent Reading Week 1

2011-12-02T19:35:00.000-06:00

With so many amazing Advent and Christmas books available, we changed things up a little this year and went with a Christmas Around the World theme.

I based it on Cay Gibson's Christmas Mosaic.

~ Advent reading week 1 - Christmas Around the World: Europe and Asia ~

Poland: Marta and the Manger Straw (written by Virginia Kroll)

Absolutely beautiful! Little Marta learns that by unknowingly giving away all that she has has only brought abundant blessings to her and her family.

We learned about timeless and meaningful Polish customs with straw. And the illustrations in the book were so delicate and captivating. The Littles LOVED this book!

Romania: The Christmas Drum (written by Maureen Brett Hooper)

The author taught us about the joyous custom of caroling called the colindat. Some of the villages in Romania refer to this as colindat cu duba, or colindat with drum, because a few of the carolers will play a drum called the duba as well as sing and dance.

In the story, little Peter finds having to prove himself big enough to keep up with the older men in the village with his practice, singing, and playing of the duba. He is not sure if he is worthy enough to fulfill a promise he made to his father.

Russia: Baboushka: A Christmas Folktale from Russia (retold by Arthur Scholley)

Everyone in the village is excited about the big and bright star that has been appearing in the sky. Each night it appears to come closer and closer to village. The only person not interested is Baboushka, who seems to be too busy cleaning, creating, making and baking. She doesn't have time to stop and look at the star.

Unexpected visitors, three wise men, stop in and spend some time with her as they prepare for the next leg of their journey following the star to see the infant King. They invite Baboushka to travel with them since they feel she has so much to offer the infant King. She passes on the invitation only to change her mind after her guests have left.

She seems to be too late finding this infant King and they say that every Christmas since, Baboushka sets out looking for the infant King.

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I'm linking up at Shower of Roses with Favorite Advent and Christmas Books. Be sure to stop over for more amazing collections and treasures!

My Littles are looking forward to Week 2 of Christmas Around the World. I'll post about them next week. In the meantime, have a blessed weekend!

~ Patty ~

He's back!

2011-11-30T20:53:00.000-06:00

David was on an elk hunt in Payson, Arizona. (He has a brother that lives up in the mountains there.) Last night he was greeted with hugs and kisses as he came in the door bearing gifts.

This trip had been set up since last winter...kind of a 'thank you gift' from his brother. We stayed in a holding pattern all fall but after assessing my stable pregnancy and feeling confident with it all, I told him to go ahead. We literally waited till about a week before to go ahead with the plans and it all worked out quite well.

He stocked the fridge and pantry before he left. We had a delicious lasagna dinner delivered one night from our kind neighbors. We used gift certificates for pizza another night. On Sunday, I took them to a restaurant for a nice mid-day meal.

I also had an emergency plan set in place with friends in case anything happened.

I know he needed his get away even though it wasn't the best timing. He's been working triple time to keep the money coming in.

Being self-employed, we have to purchase private insurance. Having a history of c-sections, we are not able to pick up maternity coverage. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

**What really ticks me off about the Obama Administration is that they are trying to force Catholic establishments to carry insurance that covers birth control and sterilization procedures. Really, what is the matter with this picture when they won't force insurance companies to offer coverage to women already expecting?! What a backward society we live in.**

We just finished paying off the very large hospital bill and Dr's bills from my miscarriage and D & C (from last winter). Now we have an even larger hospital bill looming in the near future once Baby Joy is born.

Not sure if you all realize this, but being self-employed doesn't come with fringe benefits like group health insurance nor vacation pay :)

But we are not complainers. God handed us this life growing inside my tummy and I am so blessed to have a husband who is pro life. This type of pregnancy can push a lot of couples over the edge.

I am very close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and know that He will help us through this pregnancy, delivery, (and the finances).

My husband, being a sole provider has to carry a somewhat different kind of weight. He trusts... but worries. He is coming from a different perspective.

So this is why I encouraged him to get away while the door of opportunity was opened.

In reality...I really, really missed him. I will not encourage him to be away from us for a very, very long time :)

*************************************************

A little FYI...

Winter Wonderland has the most amazing scent for a Christmas candle.

I order one each year from Village Candle company. This one has been around for years and they only carry it at this time of the year.

From the website..." Siberian Balsam and cedarwood finished with a hint of Sweet mandarin "

**************************************************

And a picture that I have to share. This boy absolutely loves corn flakes with

bananas cut up on top.

Studying religion the other day....talking about how almighty God is....we

also discussed how God knows EVERYTHING.

Stan: Yeah! He even knows the really, really hard guesses!

Oh to be like a child ...

Have a good night!

~ Patty ~

Car Seat Update

2011-11-29T20:21:00.000-06:00

Thank you all for your advice. Everyone (FB friends as well) has talked about the Graco Snugride so I found this particular Graco Snugride 30 on Amazon this morning.

Bonus! I also found an old Amazon giftcard and was able to apply it to the purchase which significantly dropped the price.

Add some free shipping in and it was my big Cha Ching moment for the day!

I really love the blue and chocolate color scheme...that is what our bedroom color scheme is...and since baby Joy will be rooming with us for the time being, chocolate is the main color we are using for the baby's bedding.

Thanks for your help!

~ Patty ~

Confusion

2011-11-28T22:17:00.000-06:00

Too many choices!

Infant car seats.

It's been 12 years since we last shopped for one and SO MUCH has changed.

Not to mention sticker shock!

At any rate, I was mentioning to a friend that "back in the day" they didn't make the car seat/ stroller travel system and I was always envious of moms who did have the systems when the manufacturers came out with them. Talk about convenience for the parents!

I thought about that route.

But...

Now they make these universal metal framed strollers that you can hook up just about any car seat to and they are lighter, easier, and take up much less space in the trunk.

And it is less expensive.

Me likey!

My kids do not last more than one year in an infant car seat, (if that) so I'm looking to see what is a safe, comfortable infant car seat that is not astronomically expensive.

Ha ha! I remember growing up as a kid, my family would take those vacations from Illinois to northern Wisconsin and my folks just popped a baby mattress in the back of the suburban and let the baby sleep back there. We didn't have car seats!

Suggestions? What have you recently purchased and would you recommend it?

Too much for the brain for one night. Off to bed for me.

~ Patty ~

A New Year

2011-11-26T23:08:00.002-06:00

A new liturgical year that is. (a.k.a. Church Calendar.)

And it begins with Advent.

For Mabel's baptismal birthday, we bought her an Advent candle making kit for $12.

(It states for ages 6 & up...there's no way my 6 year old could have done this properly without a LOT of guidance.)

Ester and Mabel went to town rolling up their beeswax candles for the Advent wreath.

Didn't they turn out pretty?

And bigger than we thought they would!

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It is also a new birthday year for my mom as well!

Grammy celebrates her 70th birthday on Sunday, November 27....Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Losing a spouse is so terribly awful and sad and tragic. I cannot imagine losing my husband, the love of my life. My mom lost hers after being married almost 45.

Instead of crawling under a rock to wither away from total heartache, she has chosen to be courageous even when it is so very difficult. Facing new challenges and being forced to reinvent life as you know it....I'm not sure I could do that.

I'm proud of her for so many reasons::

~ In her late 60's, she has learned to drive herself to an airport over an hour away, park the car and hop on a plane - by herself....

~ At 70 she has learned to ride a jet ski!

~ At 70 she will go horse back riding!

~At 70 she can rock a cowboy hat (my kids LOVE this photos because she has never EVER worn a cowboy hat!)

~ Okay, so this one isn't new to her, but she still will occasionally will light up a cigar...a brand her father use to smoke....one that has a particular smell that brings back warm, happy memories of him for her.

(Ha! Ha! For all of you who are gasping in shock...she lights it up and pretty much lets it smolder...it's all for the smell :)

~ At 70 she enjoys a day at the beach with her family. Cheers to you, Mom!

~ At 70 she still loves going into grocery stores even on vacation (part of cooking all her life for so many people!)

~ She still manages to remember all 26 grandkids (plus one on the way) with a birthday present and Christmas gift each year. (We try to talk her out of it each year!)

~ And even though this week was a particularly hard one for her with her 49th wedding anniversary falling on Thanksgiving day and her big birthday without Dad, she keeps on living with hope and faith and love and courage.

That's what makes her so amazing to me!

(Unfortunately, my family was the ONLY family unable to be with her because of my pregnancy. Not being able to travel that far was a giant bummer for my gang since we haven't seen some families in three years!)

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And to all of you~

May all of you find the peace and comfort in your hearts and homes this Advent season.

~ Patty ~

I'm Thankful 4....

2011-11-24T17:47:00.002-06:00

Among so many things, these in particular...

~ my parents, who would have celebrated 49 years of Holy Matrimony this day (Dad passed away five years ago this fall). Even though my father is gone, their marriage is still a model marriage for my siblings and I.

~ For my daughters who love to cook and bake. It made preparing our family dinner that much easier for me:)

(Sally made the apple pie all on her own! Ester and Mabel shared in preparing the pumpkin pie with a little help from Mom.)

~ For brave little boys.

(The day before, he came up to the garage and informed David that he was ready to take off his training wheels. Sure enough!)

~ For Baby Joy! God willing, just 9 weeks from today we will meet him or her :)

~ For keeping this idea from Family Fun (years ago) and watching the kids have fun with it this morning.

(I used fall- colored scrapbook sheets to cut out a bunch of number fours. Then we wrote what we were thankful for on the back and tied them to the light fixture.)

Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!

~ Patty ~

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T18:02:00.000-06:00

~ Patty ~

Morning Stretch

2011-11-22T08:48:00.000-06:00

~ Patty ~

(Sigh...) TGIF

2011-11-18T21:14:00.000-06:00

We had a good week. Did you?

~After finishing up on our Advent plans here and here, David cleaned all the upstairs carpets and then decided to wash all the outside windows.

I believe my husband is nesting!

~We celebrated Mabel's baptismal birthday on November 16. Oh how she loves her faith and what a bright light she is in our household!

~We passed on Little Flowers and Little Womans clubs. The girls were a little disappointed but they completely understand that mom needs to rest.

~The Littles are really ready for Thanksgiving break. They piggy-backed enough to take four days off next week without getting behind. (It is much harder to piggy-back courses when the kids enter Jr High.)

Interesting posts from fellow bloggers...

~I read something disturbing about The Salvation Army. You can read about it here. I never knew about this and it really made me sad. Thank you, Heather, for bringing it to our attention.

~Check out these beautiful, chocolate, Christmas candy bars here! Where I do not have a Rite-aid near me, I do intend to send my husband out to hunt them down! Thanks, Kat, for the heads up on them :)

~Many of you now have bare trees standing in your yards or neighborhoods. Our trees are in full golden bloom right now. I just LOVE this time of year in north Texas. Tiffany summed up my thoughts exactly in this beautiful post here.

Have a wonderful weekend and if you are traveling ahead of the holiday? Safe travels my friend!

~ Patty ~

Pumpkin Muffins

2011-11-18T16:58:00.000-06:00

Sally has been working on her service hours for Confirmation and decided to help out the Lady's Guild at church with their bake/craft sale this weekend.

She baked pumpkin muffins and let me sum them up in three words...

Crazy easy yummylicious!

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) Libby's pure pumpkin

1 spice cake mix

That's it!

Directions:

1. Mix the pumpkin and cake mix together. (It will be a little sticky when finished.)

2. Fill up each muffin tin (we filled to the top since these do not rise) and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

*Note: I put cupcake liners in and sprayed with Pam to make sure they would not stick.

3. Serve with or without powder sugar.

Serving: 20

Great for company over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Bonus...they make your house smell sooooo good! Enjoy!

~ Patty ~

Brainless But Present

2011-11-17T20:52:00.000-06:00

I think my blood is flowing backward.

I know we are not suppose to swear, but I could swear it is. Honestly!

My brain says one thing but my mouth...something completely different. There seems to be a huge void where the connections are suppose to be.

Most of the time when I speak I catch my family looking at me confused followed by laughter. How crazy I must sound!

My symptom has a name but I cannot recall what it is.

No joke!

I do know it is caused by pregnancy hormones and I know my 'old self' will return afterward. But for now, I suffer :)

Today I am 28 weeks. I am officially in my third-trimester! Can I get an Amen?!

Back in June I thought this day was as far away as Mount Kilamajaro's summit is to me in Texas. Only through the grace of God (and abundant prayers from so many of you) have I made it this far.

I am soaking it all up; every single move, kick, and bump. Every single sick feeling, food adversion, ache and pain is being absorbed.

Okay, I guess I could do without the karate kid planting one directly on my cerclage. Happened twice now. David had to just about scrape me off the ceiling it was that painful. And in the middle of the night during a sound sleep to top it off!

Even though I let complaints slip from my lips onto the ears of my closest friends, I tell you I am enjoying this because I never ever thought I would be here again in this moment. Praise God!

Went in for another doctor visit today. (Cue drum roll...)

A good visit, but they are revving up the preventative medicine::

*Baby weighs almost 3 pounds - Cowabunga!

*I'm measuring at 31 weeks (and I'm only 28 weeks) - Holy Toledo! - Side note: I have always measured farther along...always had big, hearty babies...as did my mother and my mother-in-law...only their babies were much bigger than mine! :)

*Cervix has shortened but still passes muster - Praise be!

*Repeat of the fFN test.

*Progesterone shots to begin next week....weekly...for six weeks. This is a natural preventative for pre-term labor.

*Cervical measurements weekly now.

*Was told to get "out of bed" when I need to eat and use the bathroom. Hmmmm.....that one is almost impossible (to that degree) with other kids in the house.

All in all? Not too bad.

I feel absolutely positive that I will make it till at least 36 weeks. At any rate, Baby Joy is due by c-section at 38 weeks. That gives us a January 26 birth date! 10 weeks from today! Holy smokes!

I'm in no hurry. I truly want time to stand still for a little bit so to savor every single moment in this state!

Big thanks to...

*kind neighbors and friends who call and say, "I'm heading to Walmart, do you need anything?"
*kind neighbors and friends who have stopped in with a dinner to help out....or a gift card for pizza...or a visit that brings a welcomed smile :)
*kind friends for prayers and more prayers, cards and well -wishes, text messages and voice mails to say, "Just thinking of you...You're in my thoughts...You're in my prayers!"

And just so you know, my mother said that it brings her great comfort while living so far away from us she knows we are surrounded by so much love. So I can say my mother thanks you all as well :)

Oh Yes! I must add...at this time of the year...thank you Amazon and UPS (sigh...I just love the sound of the big, brown truck, don't you?!) I told a friend recently that if David unleashed me on Amazon at this time of the year, I could do some serious damage! Ha ha ha!

~ Patty ~