What I Wore Sunday

Last night, I felt the need to get out of the house for some alone time, so I went to our nearby Kohl's and raked it in with my birthday money!  2 sweaters, 2 shirts, this long jersey skirt, and a bra for just over $40!  Everything was on clearance, and I was sure to check my favorite deal blog (www.survivingthestores.com) for their retail coupons which had a 15% off one for Kohl's!  (They also have an updated restaurant coupon list; these have both been so helpful!)

The outfit was chosen in a rush as we ran off to choir practice...a simple green 3/4 length tee and the navy skirt with my tan clogs.  I finally wore my new earrings from a Stella and Dot party!  My gold necklace holds a heart with diamond chips from my mom and a Miraculous Medal from my mother-in-law.  I believe the scarf was from my friend who lives in Doha, Qatar.

A little pre-Lent reflection:

I like the idea of sharing a little Lenten reflection on this link-up at Fine Linen and Purple!  Today I wasn't struck so much with the readings as I was with the Offertory of the "Simple English Propers" which we sang this morning.  Here is the video:

From Psalm 17:

Render secure my footsteps in your paths

So that my feet do not slip:

Incline your ear and hear my words;

Display your wonderful mercies, O Lord,

Savior of those who place their hope in you.

Isn't that just a beautiful reflection of our entire goal in this life?  For God to keep us in his footsteps, listen to our prayer, show us his mercy, and save all of us who hope in HIM!

As much as I hesitated at joining the choir since I don't feel like I have a very good voice, I am thoroughly enjoying this time singing beautiful traditional hymns, especially the Latin ones.  Mary Clare and I are learning Gregorian chant and are practicing throughout the week since we can watch many of the hymns online at ccwatershed.com.

We've been learning the polyphony, "Desidero Mi Jesu" and we're practicing, "Domine, Non Sum Dignum."  Aren't they beautiful?

The beach in February

We had a lovely time with our friends who came to visit last weekend.  We topped off our time together with a trip to the beach (Mustang Island State Park).  It had been pretty warm at the house, so we weren't prepared for just how COLD it would be by the water!  Oh well, everyone still had a blast.  And as you can tell, the little boys didn't care how cold the water was!  They dried off and warmed up once, and then put their suits back on to get back in the water again!  Brrrr.

Bye, bye, beach.  See you again soon!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life~

Every Thursday at Like Mother, Like Daughter

 

And also cheating while joining the other link-up and adding my {pretty} for

THEME THURSDAY AT CLAN DONALDSON

{pretty}

The theme this week was scarf or hat!  

I got spoiled with sunflare last week, so I had a hard time

figuring out scarf or hat in our South Texas weather!

The girls wanted to model this scarf, and I've been working on 

trying to get good shots in the backyard all week.

 Unfortunately the sun was in the wrong place so their eyes were a bit squinty.  

Not my best shots, but the {happy} ones are pretty good and should make up for it!

{happy}

On my photography Facebook group, I was working towards 

getting "catchlights" (light reflections) in their eyes.  

I wasn't too successful at that either, but I think I got some sweet and happy shots 

of each of the kids, except maybe Steven Joseph.  

The boys aren't too cooperative with my picture-taking.  

But Thomas did want to pose so I got the cute one of him!

And Mary Clare took this happy shot of these two last night :-)

{funny} and {real}

A collage of some funny and real moments taken on my phone this week...

 Top Row L-R: grocery helping, fascinated by the mustache on the king's face, 

and Mary Clare with her 5 MINUTE CURTAINS~

(Will have to try a tutorial on this, but it's basically cutting a top sheet in half, 

ripping the little seams to make the hanging part, and hanging it up!)

Middle row:  Blair B's Birthday Team for Color Me Rad 5K which was a blast, 

me in bed on my birthday wanting to sleep away the crazy day, 

and later a fun pizza birthday dinner.

Bottom row: Delicious Oreo cheesecake dessert shared with all the kids, 

another little Oreo fan, and morning kitchen play today

Color Me Rad!

I would definitely recommend a color run to anyone who's considering it!  We all had so much fun, and it was perfect weather in South Texas for something like this!  There were 6 ladies and 8 girls on our team, although we split up a bit during the actual run.  I bought white undershirts and bandanas for everyone, plus some tube socks for the ladies!  Some of the kids added decorations to their shirts.  Next time we'll definitely plan a before-party to get our shirts and everything ready!  Here are some photos from the real camera (large size) and iPhone (smaller).  Such a RAD day!

At our house before leaving with our friends who came to visit for the weekend

The entire "BBBT" Blair B's Birthday Team :)

There was a gal running in her wedding dress!

Photos that Steven took at the halfway point with the boys!

Some of the slow-poke walkers!

We're really running this, we are!!!

The team after we finished!

Colorful braids for MC and Ellie!

COLOR ME RAD 2013!

I will say that some of our things got stained, even after some soaking and bleach, so I guess we'll save those items for future runs!  Hopefully I've gotten most of it out of our shoes.

After the run we met the guys at the after-party at the resaurant next door, but it was a total zoo with hundreds of people, so we went on to another restaurant.  It was still crowded and after a 30 minute wait in line, and then we had to wait over an hour for our food.  We were famished when we finally ate around 2:30!

Thanks to all my sweet friends and their girls who ran/walked with us.  We hope to do it again!

Monday Motivation on my Birthday

 two sweet memories from the weekend :-)

Ah, Monday.  A friend on Facebook shared today that her kids' school has late arrival every Monday at 10:15!  Not that we have an official starting time for school, but I think Mondays should totally be slow mornings or else each family member may have a crying episode before noon. 

So, the day started with a Happy Birthday kiss before Steven left for work, and then some slow wake-ups by each kid.  I got into a nice steamy bubble bath while the boys were still asleep, although like always they wake in the middle and whine at the side of the tub for something.

Eventually I had to share the "devastating" news that the homeschool Valentines Party is in 4 days and will work different than we're used to.  Cue: hysterical sobbing and an inconsolable child.  They've been working on plans for their Valentine cards and treats for a couple weeks now, so to find out that the way that Valentines will be distributed (to everyone and not by age groups, so there may be many more Valentines needed) took some adjustment and re-thinking of plans (and a quick order to my mom for some more candy).  They're fine now, but it's just a reminder that we can't control everything and sometimes moving to a new place helps us to be flexible and learn to adjust, me most of all!

We had another incident with a child sobbing like he was seriously injured only to find out that it was because his sister wouldn't give him a Tic Tac.  And all the usual daily drama, which was just accentuated by my emotional self who just wanted to be pampered and loved on today.  So I moped and spent some time in bed, and tried to convince everyone that they needed to listen to me, please because it's my birthday!  I think we were all depressed after having such a fun weekend with our friends.  It's always a let-down when visitors leave.  Schoolwork wasn't really finished but we got most of it done and then rushed off super late for ballet.

I was consoling myself with daydreams of a possible trip with Steven only to get into the car and find a flyer while trying to clean up a yogurt spill.  A flyer that said the girls' ballet recital is the day of the event we were hoping to attend in May.  So, some more discernment needed there.  I think it could actually help with my dance school concerns in the end, but we'll see.

With some time at the park with the boys, then visiting with moms at the ballet school, the day finally took a turn for the good.  Steven met the kids and I for a lovely pizza dinner at Grimaldi's, which they had in our old area but we never tried it out.  It was so very good and was topped off with a delicious Oreo cheesecake and a walk around the mall.  I even stopped to get that hair trim I've been wanting!  I did some browsing while the crew headed home.  I followed 10 minutes later to find all the kids (except the toddler, of course) in bed!

And now I continue to update Facebook and see the happy messages from friends near and far.  It's so neat to be connected with not only current friends, but friends of my childhood, classmates, and dance class friends from many moons ago.  Our lives may be drastically different, but for each to take a few seconds to wish me a Happy Birthday means a lot.  Like everyone says, the birthday wishes are one of the best parts of Facebook!

So now the day is almost over and I'm officially 35.  Maybe it won't be such a bad age after all.  Older and wiser, right?

Goals from last week:
1. Bills, update budget
2. DENTIST (I just found a hole in the side of my tooth, yikes!)
3. Workout DAILY to prep for 5K
4. Clothes for 5K
5. Daily Readings on Laudate
6. Finish putting away Christmas decor and CLEAN HOUSE and yard for guests
7. Prep guest room
8. Meals: Baked chicken, pizza, breakfast for dinner, Calabaza con Pollo, lasagna
9. Blog posts: WIWS, backyard, prettyhappyfunnyreal, circus, 5K!

Goals for this week:
1. Bills, update budget
2. Daily readings on Laudate
3. Consider Lenten commitments
4. Workout 2x
5. Weekend plans...table?
6. Laundry
7. Valentines prep
8. One daily mass
9. Sewing plans...master curtains
10. Meals: out for bday, spaghetti, breakfast for dinner, enchiladas, baked chicken, chicken salad

What I Wore Sunday

Eh, another outfit I'm not crazy about.  Wintery clothes are more fun since you can layer, but it's pretty warm in Texas right now.

Shirt from Ross with black cami and the same black peasant skirt as last week.  Necklace/bracelet from my mom and black ball earrings from Kohl's.  Black Born clogs.  Mary Clare and I had matching side braids and we sang in the choir again.  I think I did better this week with the organist there :)

I like the flower on the shirt but I don't like the way it fits my waist.  It's actually a maternity shirt, so I guess I just need something to fill up the belly besides the chub! Back to Zumba this week!

We spent the afternoon at the beach, so I'll share some more enjoyable photos soon!  Have a lovely week, ladies!

See some better outfits linked over at Fine Linen and Purple!

7 Quick Takes: Thoughts on turning 35

— 1 —

Next week, I'll turn 35.

 I'm not so thrilled about this.  Usually, birthdays aren't all that meaningful for me.  There have been many years where I've forgotten how old I actually am!  But this year, I'm feeling 35.  I know older ladies will laugh.  But I feel like my body is already falling apart!

I was having some tooth discomfort last week with a swollen gum.  I finally got a mirror and looked up to find a HOLE IN MY MOLAR!  I can't even remember the last time I had a cavity, but now I had one that ended up requiring my first crown.  What a miserable Monday morning that made.

(Here I am recovering in the sunshine on the porch;
it took me awhile to get past the trauma of that drill!)

My eczema is back with a vengeance after a few months of smooth hands.  And I can't seem to get a handle on my weight, even while exercising.  I need a major food overhaul, but that is not easy for this fried-food-and-sugar-lover!


— 2 —
So what am I doing for my birthday?

I've put together a team for the Color Me Rad 5K, and we'll be partying with our friends who are coming with their 5 kids to visit this weekend!  It's going to be a circus here!  I feel like going for a real haircut (I think it's been 3 years since I went to a salon), and highlighting my hair (but Steven hates that).  I'd like to do something fun and crazy!  Maybe I'll plan a mom's night out for next week, too.  I'd also like to find some new makeup.  My skin is dry and flaky above my eyes and my current CoverGirl "liquid powder" that I've been using as long as I can remember just isn't cutting it anymore.  Anyone have some makeup advice?


— 3 —
I feel like this new house is my biggest present.
God is so good to me.  I just spent forever cleaning the kitchen, but it's such a great feeling to be able to actually clean things.  In previous homes, our cabinets and baseboards and even the floor were so old and shabby that scrubbing them never did much.  Now I can actually clean things in my house! 

I'm hoping to finally get our dining/school room furniture soon.  This room is right at the front of the house, and ideally we'd be spending lots of our homeschooling time in there.  So maybe, just maybe we'll get out of town in one of the next few weekends to finally get one of the tables we've been looking at.  I am really itching for a getaway and am still disappointed that it didn't work out for me to attend the girls' weekend a few weeks ago :(



— 4 —
Steven is urging me to go on a trip by myself soon.
He's had lots of hunting excursions, and is generally out of town one night a week for work.  I've hardly had any time sleeping (or eating, or living, really) without a child next to me in the past 10 years.  I love my kids so much, and I enjoy spending our days together, but I think I am desperately in need of some alone time.  Hopefully Steven and I can figure out how to get away as a couple, too.  But first I have to wean the 2 year-old.  This is the longest I've ever nursed a toddler.  One morning this week he stopped nursing and asked, "What's your favorite color, Mommy?"  It's time.  Yes, it's time.


— 5 —
One thing I'm hoping to do for my birthday is redesign the blog!

I'm ready for a fun new look.  I'm trying to kind of "find myself" again after 10 years of mommyhood.  I have always been a lover of bright colors, and have been adding them back into my wardrobe.  So my answer to little Tommy above was that I like all colors, the whole rainbow!  Rainbows are my favorite.  So I'm looking at a design that is bright and colorful and maybe a revamp of the blog name, too.  Any ideas?


— 6 —
Hobbies!
After a crazy past 18 months that included a big job change, an open heart surgery for our son, and two big moves, I think I'm feeling like exploring some of my favorite hobbies again!  I love arts and crafts and would like to do some paintings for around the house.  I'm hoping to sew some curtains for 3 different bedrooms.  And I'd like to try my first quilt! 

We've gotten out the guitars and if I can keep the eczema on my fingers at bay, I'm hoping to work on some fun songs with the girls in the coming months.  Mary Clare and I joined the church choir, but I feel like I'm out of my league.  They sing a lot of Latin and Gregorian Chant, which I love, but I'm just not a talented harmonizer and I don't have a very refined voice.  But I do love to sing and I love sharing this with Mary Clare, too.

 — 7 —
Last but not least, prayer.
 My sweet Lord Jesus has been waiting on me for many years.  After leaving the Regnum Christi movement 4 years ago now, I have struggled to find my spirituality again.  I've tried to be easy on myself and not worry too much about following certain prayer commitments or goals.  But a day that doesn't start with prayer tends to go downward fast.  I don't have my focus in the right place most days.  So in my 35th year, I hope to try to start the day in prayer both myself and with the kids.

I found this blog recently and was inspired by her latest post on Morning Devotions.  This morning we read some bible stories and talked about offering our day for some intention.  We also walked to daily mass one morning this week.  I hope we can continue this!  With the Lenten season coming up quickly, these will be great goals, along with an attempt at an evening family Rosary decade which I'm always trying to commit to.  I've got some inspiration and let's see how long it lasts!


So, thanks for listening to my little self-analysis and resolutions.
I hope February is a month of LOVE for all of you!