On Monday afternoon, I put him in the baby swing at the park for the first time, and he love love loved it :)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Gabriel's first swing ride!
I've been taking Gabriel to the new park behind our house. It's been such lovely weather this week that I can't keep him inside!
On Monday afternoon, I put him in the baby swing at the park for the first time, and he love love loved it :)
On Monday afternoon, I put him in the baby swing at the park for the first time, and he love love loved it :)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Garlic Cheese Biscuits
We were cooking an enormous lasagna for dinner tonight, and so we decided to invite some friends over for dinner. We needed an extra side, and I don't have much in the way of food in the house, so I used what I had and whipped up these delicious little drop biscuits. They took about 18 minutes from gathering ingredients to hot and fresh on the table!
GARLIC CHEESE BISCUITS
Dough:
2c biscuit mix
3/4c shredded cheddar cheese
2/3c milk
Garlic butter:
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp butter, melted
Mix the first three ingredients. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes. After they come out of the oven, brush liberally with the garlic butter and serve hot. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
My first attempt at mending
Tonight I gave sewing a shot: I stitched shut a hole under the arm of my favorite business dress shirt. I have a meeting tomorrow morning downtown, so my work at home mom attire won't cut it! ;)
I used a very old plastic travel sewing kit that I got from a hotel on a trip in high school, and I kind of just went at it.
My only prior experience with sewing comes from a brief period in elementary school when my sister Shannon and I became enamored of cross stitching.
I say a brief period for a reason. We stopped quite soon after I left my cross stitch pattern and needle on the couch one night. Poor Shannon got a needle in her little booty when she jumped on e couch after dinner. I have never felt more horrible in my life! Not to be dramatic, but I'll never forget her screaming! The entire time my parents tried to get it out in the bathroom, then the x-rays at my parents' veterinary clinic, then the emergency room. It was so horrible. I feel like I STILL owe her for that one!
Back to sewing, though. I've decided that I need to learn. Michael has some pants that have needed to be hemmed for a year...
I used a very old plastic travel sewing kit that I got from a hotel on a trip in high school, and I kind of just went at it.
My only prior experience with sewing comes from a brief period in elementary school when my sister Shannon and I became enamored of cross stitching.
I say a brief period for a reason. We stopped quite soon after I left my cross stitch pattern and needle on the couch one night. Poor Shannon got a needle in her little booty when she jumped on e couch after dinner. I have never felt more horrible in my life! Not to be dramatic, but I'll never forget her screaming! The entire time my parents tried to get it out in the bathroom, then the x-rays at my parents' veterinary clinic, then the emergency room. It was so horrible. I feel like I STILL owe her for that one!
Back to sewing, though. I've decided that I need to learn. Michael has some pants that have needed to be hemmed for a year...
Monday, September 27, 2010
Mother Teresa's humility list
My sweet friend Katie at Let My Soul Flower in Thy Sight recently unearthed an old prayer card when going through some childhood memory boxes. She has some great thoughts on the list on her blog today.
Mother Teresa’s Humility List
1. Speak as little as possible about yourself.2. Keep busy with your own affairs and not those of others.3. Avoid curiosity.4. Do not interfere in the affairs of others.5. Accept small irritations with good humor.6. Do not dwell on the faults of others.7. Accept censures even if unmerited.8. Give in to the will of others.9. Accept insults and injuries.10. Accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded.11. Be courteous and delicate even when provoked by someone.12. Do not seek to be admired and loved.13. Do no protect yourself behind your own dignity.14. Give in, in discussions, even when you are right.15. Choose always the more difficult task.
One of my thoughts about the list is that these are not The 15 Commandments, but rather some general rules followed by one of the most humble, holy and great saints of modern times. Therefore, like the writings of all of the saints, they can probably help us grow in holiness.
Another thought (as Katie stated today), is that the idea isn't to become a doormat. Christ certainly wasn't a doormat in every situation during his life. But during his trial and Passion, he followed every rule on this list to a more powerful and everlasting effect that we can ever understand.
I'm still trying to figure out the "avoid curiosity" rule though. Perhaps my spiritual critical thinking skills aren't up to par today.
Just a few thoughts.
On another note, it's interesting how I happened to read Katie's blog this particular morning. I didn't know until I read it that I needed a healthy dose of "humble pie" to help me not sweat all the small stuff that happened this morning to start my day off poorly.
Actually, "Don't sweat the small stuff" needs to be the title of a blog post coming soon, because I realized this weekend that I am much more of a worrywort than I would like to admit!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Update on the mouse story
We thought he was just playing dead...
WE didn't kill the mouse. I think he was on his last legs when we saw him this morning...
Killer fungi and big fat mice, oh my!
The dark side of home ownership is creeping up on us...with the yard fungus that is rapidly killing all of the grass in our backyard and the large, fat mouse I almost stepped on in the garage this morning.
Horrors!
We thought that the patches of brown, dead grass in our backyard was just a typical case of succombing to the hellish Houston heat. When the brown patches doubled in size from last week to this week, we thought a little watering regimen would do the trick. However, a yard-savvy coworker of Michael's broke the bad news to us: We've somehow been infected with a common, fast-growing fungi that is treatable, but it could take up to a year for the grass to grow back afterwards.
Yuck.
As for the mouse, he was so fat that his belly rolls were dragging on the ground! The scary part, in looking back, isn't that the mouse was in our garage--it's that he is quite obviously finding a plentiful source of food somewhere in our house's vicinity...or in our house?!
Horrors!
Horrors!
We thought that the patches of brown, dead grass in our backyard was just a typical case of succombing to the hellish Houston heat. When the brown patches doubled in size from last week to this week, we thought a little watering regimen would do the trick. However, a yard-savvy coworker of Michael's broke the bad news to us: We've somehow been infected with a common, fast-growing fungi that is treatable, but it could take up to a year for the grass to grow back afterwards.
Yuck.
As for the mouse, he was so fat that his belly rolls were dragging on the ground! The scary part, in looking back, isn't that the mouse was in our garage--it's that he is quite obviously finding a plentiful source of food somewhere in our house's vicinity...or in our house?!
Horrors!
Just when you think you've got a nice little routine...
Just when you think you've got a nice little routine...babies pull a new trick out of their onesie!
At least that has become something of a parenting doctrine in my (very limited and short) experience of motherhood. Maybe that will change in the future, but not for this child!
Every time we get into a nice napping, eating or playing routine for a week or so, something changes. Gabriel gets sick, I get sick, we go out of town, we start daycare, or else Gabriel just pulls some creative and anti-routine stunt that throws us all off!
I know, I know: "Welcome to parenthood." :)
For example: The past several work weeks were starting to fall into such a lovely routine. We would get up in the morning around 6:30 a.m., eat with Daddy, get dressed, play for a little while, and then head to either daily mass or a long walk around the neighborhood before dropping Gabriel off at Mother's Day Out. I would work until about 1:45 p.m., then pick Gabriel up from MDO, drive home, and immediately put him down for a long nap. During said long nap, I would either finish up work assignments from the morning, start dinner, take a nap myself (rarely though:), or get some chores done around the house. Michael would usually get home just when Gabriel was waking up from his nap, and we would all play and cook dinner together.
Just when I thought I had a nice little routine...Gabriel has been refusing his naps this week!
I think that part of it is that the very sweet ladies at MDO rock him to sleep, and he's starting to forget the wonderful skill we had developed of being put down in his crib awake, rolling over onto his side, and contentedly falling asleep for naps and bedtime. Having a baby that is that secure and happy when being put down for sleep awake is such a blessing, and I'm missing it!
The good news is that, by the end of the week (today), Michael and I were able to put him down for naps and bedtime peacefully again. Praise the Lord!
As long as we need to have Gabriel in MDO, we will just have to make sure that we are unfailingly consistent in our parenting. Gabriel will at least know what to expect and what his parameters are when he's at home with us!
Parenting is the ultimate service learning project, the kind in which you get thrown into an unfamiliar environment and have to build a big project that you must teach yourself the components of as you go. It's exactly like parenting really. You are thrown into a new state in life you know little or nothing about and are tasked with raising a well-formed, happy human being, and you have to teach yourself how to do it as you go.
Well, I think I've been philosophical enough for the morning. (Besides, my fingertips are raw from pulling up hundreds of weeds in my front yard flowerbeds this morning.)
At least that has become something of a parenting doctrine in my (very limited and short) experience of motherhood. Maybe that will change in the future, but not for this child!
Every time we get into a nice napping, eating or playing routine for a week or so, something changes. Gabriel gets sick, I get sick, we go out of town, we start daycare, or else Gabriel just pulls some creative and anti-routine stunt that throws us all off!
I know, I know: "Welcome to parenthood." :)
For example: The past several work weeks were starting to fall into such a lovely routine. We would get up in the morning around 6:30 a.m., eat with Daddy, get dressed, play for a little while, and then head to either daily mass or a long walk around the neighborhood before dropping Gabriel off at Mother's Day Out. I would work until about 1:45 p.m., then pick Gabriel up from MDO, drive home, and immediately put him down for a long nap. During said long nap, I would either finish up work assignments from the morning, start dinner, take a nap myself (rarely though:), or get some chores done around the house. Michael would usually get home just when Gabriel was waking up from his nap, and we would all play and cook dinner together.
Just when I thought I had a nice little routine...Gabriel has been refusing his naps this week!
I think that part of it is that the very sweet ladies at MDO rock him to sleep, and he's starting to forget the wonderful skill we had developed of being put down in his crib awake, rolling over onto his side, and contentedly falling asleep for naps and bedtime. Having a baby that is that secure and happy when being put down for sleep awake is such a blessing, and I'm missing it!
The good news is that, by the end of the week (today), Michael and I were able to put him down for naps and bedtime peacefully again. Praise the Lord!
As long as we need to have Gabriel in MDO, we will just have to make sure that we are unfailingly consistent in our parenting. Gabriel will at least know what to expect and what his parameters are when he's at home with us!
Parenting is the ultimate service learning project, the kind in which you get thrown into an unfamiliar environment and have to build a big project that you must teach yourself the components of as you go. It's exactly like parenting really. You are thrown into a new state in life you know little or nothing about and are tasked with raising a well-formed, happy human being, and you have to teach yourself how to do it as you go.
Well, I think I've been philosophical enough for the morning. (Besides, my fingertips are raw from pulling up hundreds of weeds in my front yard flowerbeds this morning.)
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Road weary
The summer of weddings and travel and triathlons and visiting friends and family was fantastic, but I think I'm tired of being out of town down to my very soul! I'm so, so excited to be home in my quiet little house for a while.
Since May, we've spent no fewer than eight weekends away from home. Many of those times involved working a full day, then driving to Baton Rouge or New Orleans, getting to bed way too late, and then getting to bed late all weekend long because of various parties or events we had to attend. We would also usually smush in as much visiting with old friends in BR and NOLA as we could. When coupled with the fact that Gabriel sleeps more lightly when we're away from home (as do we, because we have to sleep in the same room with him when we go out of town), we would spend most of those weekends tired and get home on Sunday evening tired.
Here is the dilemma though: We love visiting our friends and families and participating in major family weddings and events, but when we get back to Houston and we're crabby and exhausted and behind on laundry and have no food in the house, sometimes it's hard for me to tell if all of our travels have left a bitter or a sweet taste in my mouth.
And don't think I don't realize that I should probably amend that sentence to say, "when I'm crabby and exhausted and behind on laundry and have no food in the house." A wife and mother is the heart of her home (at least in this house) and I've come to realize that my mood affects my boys so much more than I know. If I can't pull myself together, it seems like we all suffer.
So, enough about my road weariness, because I'm one happy little momma that I have a free and clear couple of months ahead of me!! My goals? Do some baby book reading, sneak in a Jane Austen and chocolate movie night with my friends, work on the invading weeds in my front yard, and start getting regular exercise again.
Since May, we've spent no fewer than eight weekends away from home. Many of those times involved working a full day, then driving to Baton Rouge or New Orleans, getting to bed way too late, and then getting to bed late all weekend long because of various parties or events we had to attend. We would also usually smush in as much visiting with old friends in BR and NOLA as we could. When coupled with the fact that Gabriel sleeps more lightly when we're away from home (as do we, because we have to sleep in the same room with him when we go out of town), we would spend most of those weekends tired and get home on Sunday evening tired.
Here is the dilemma though: We love visiting our friends and families and participating in major family weddings and events, but when we get back to Houston and we're crabby and exhausted and behind on laundry and have no food in the house, sometimes it's hard for me to tell if all of our travels have left a bitter or a sweet taste in my mouth.
And don't think I don't realize that I should probably amend that sentence to say, "when I'm crabby and exhausted and behind on laundry and have no food in the house." A wife and mother is the heart of her home (at least in this house) and I've come to realize that my mood affects my boys so much more than I know. If I can't pull myself together, it seems like we all suffer.
So, enough about my road weariness, because I'm one happy little momma that I have a free and clear couple of months ahead of me!! My goals? Do some baby book reading, sneak in a Jane Austen and chocolate movie night with my friends, work on the invading weeds in my front yard, and start getting regular exercise again.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Being who we claim to be
Here's an excerpt from my meditation passage this morning.
A daunting thought perhaps. But also inspiring.
I'm on the LifeTeen Core Team this year, and our first LifeNight of the semester is on our "universal call to holiness." As we've dived into the topic to plan the night, I've been refreshed and inspired by the reminder of my own call to sainthood. The Catholic Church teaches that growing in holiness is our primary vocation. We are all called to love and serve God and to grow in holiness as our primary vocation. We live that out in different secondary vocations, whether married, single or in religious life.
I think that what I love most about this teaching is the sense of purpose that it gives us. Every humble situation of the day is a little chance to make the world a better place--starting with my family (which we all forget too often, if we're being honest).
Speaking of starting with my family, I want so much to raise Gabriel to be a wonderful man of God! The way Michael and I act at home in all of our daily moments is the most powerful education this little boy will ever receive. Being who we claim to be, especially when we're interacting with each other at home, is so important! And we're working on it :)
So many of saints tell us in their writings that it's the little situations and moments of our day that are so important as "baby steps" in our growth in holiness. And we're all called to be not just "good" people, but holy people. We're all called to be saints.
"Hypocrisy is easier to fall into than we may think. We all are naturally concerned about appearances. We fear others' disdain--maybe not everyone's, but there are some people who praise and approval it appears we can barely live without. This can lead us to give lip service to what's most important--fidelity to Christ and his friendship, efforts to build up his Kingdom in ourselves and in those around us--while in our behavior we scramble, like the scribes and chief priests, to hang onto our overly-prized reputation. We rush through our personal prayer commitments, but we take plenty of time conversing with our boss at work or the popular neighbor down the road, and we easily laugh at their crude jokes and join in on a bit of gossip. We throw on whatever clothes are nearby for Mass, but we check ourselves in the mirror five or six times before that important meeting at work or lunch at the club, and we tuck our crucifix under our collar too, just in case. Jesus warns against playing that dangerous game; it's much better simply to be who we claim to be."
A daunting thought perhaps. But also inspiring.
I'm on the LifeTeen Core Team this year, and our first LifeNight of the semester is on our "universal call to holiness." As we've dived into the topic to plan the night, I've been refreshed and inspired by the reminder of my own call to sainthood. The Catholic Church teaches that growing in holiness is our primary vocation. We are all called to love and serve God and to grow in holiness as our primary vocation. We live that out in different secondary vocations, whether married, single or in religious life.
I think that what I love most about this teaching is the sense of purpose that it gives us. Every humble situation of the day is a little chance to make the world a better place--starting with my family (which we all forget too often, if we're being honest).
Speaking of starting with my family, I want so much to raise Gabriel to be a wonderful man of God! The way Michael and I act at home in all of our daily moments is the most powerful education this little boy will ever receive. Being who we claim to be, especially when we're interacting with each other at home, is so important! And we're working on it :)
Vacation fun and (lots of) pictures!
Our vacation was WONDERFUL. We visited the summer camps in Brevard, North Carolina where we met as counselors in 2006: Kahdalea and Chosatonga.
I feel so refreshed--and inspired. The gorgeous weather, special people, and unbeatable scenery seemed to refresh our very hearts and souls! Michael and I both feel like moving to North Carolina might be in The Plans one day. At least we hope it is. :)
We know that we've been planted in Houston for a reason, and we have a wonderful life here with great jobs, a beautiful new house, a gorgeous baby son, and amazing friends. We know that God has blessed us richly here, and we both have a feeling that He has plans to continue to bless our lives and have us bless others' here in Houston.
In the mountains, temperatures greeted us in the 50s, rising slowly to comfortable ranges in the 70s and 80s during the day. There was always a constant, gentle breeze. It didn't rain the entire time we were there, and almost every night was clear as well, revealing a cast of millions of stars.
On our first day, we drove down the mountain into the little town of Rosman for breakfast at Julie's, one of the local restaurants. Our meal was delicious--and full of small-town charm. Julie herself was our waitress, and she ended up scooping Gabriel up to take orders and wait tables with Gabriel on her hip so that Michael and I could eat together for a few minutes! During our meal, a man eating at the table next to us told us about a story he'd seen about babies on the news, and the high school football coach came over and tried to recruit Gabriel for the team. The coach seemed genuinely disappointed that we were Texans.
The camp staff reunion over the weekend was a blast! All of us who came up for the weekend reveled in how quickly we all became friends, even though there was quite a range in the years that all of us had worked camp. At campfire on Friday night, we sat around and sang camp songs, remembering all of the old harmonies and melodies for favorites like "Dona Nobis Pacem," "Barges," "Green Cathedral," "Song to a Butterfly," and "We Rise and We Fall Together."
We hiked almost every day, visiting our favorite spots: Devil's Courthouse; Graveyard Fields; Looking Glass Falls; Courthouse Falls; lovely Dupont State Forest's Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls; Black Balsalm and Caney Bottom.
Gabriel loved practically every moment of the trip, and was the darling of everyone at camp. The child barely touched the ground for all of the people who volunteered to hold and watch him for us! His sparkly, easy smiles were a major hit :).
Aside from a few lovely mornings and afternoons that we stayed home and let him take a long nap in his pack n' play, we packed Gabriel around with us everywhere we went. He would sleep in the car and even in the baby carrier pack if he got tired enough (see picture below). He loved it. And he slept about 12 hours a night.
The only rough part of the trip was the drive up. Gabriel was great--when he was asleep. Even though I did everything but get pulled behind the car on a skateboard to entertain that baby, he still got bored quickly and cried. At least our time in N.C. was so lovely that it more than made up for the difficult drive. Moreover, Michael and I both let God pump some supernatural patience and communication skills into us for the drive, which was a blessing. :)
Alright, here are the pictures! Also check out tons of great pictures on Michael's blog: www.francophilosophy.blogspot.com. He borrowed my dad's zoom lens and took literally hundreds of pictures while we were there.
\
I feel so refreshed--and inspired. The gorgeous weather, special people, and unbeatable scenery seemed to refresh our very hearts and souls! Michael and I both feel like moving to North Carolina might be in The Plans one day. At least we hope it is. :)
We know that we've been planted in Houston for a reason, and we have a wonderful life here with great jobs, a beautiful new house, a gorgeous baby son, and amazing friends. We know that God has blessed us richly here, and we both have a feeling that He has plans to continue to bless our lives and have us bless others' here in Houston.
In the mountains, temperatures greeted us in the 50s, rising slowly to comfortable ranges in the 70s and 80s during the day. There was always a constant, gentle breeze. It didn't rain the entire time we were there, and almost every night was clear as well, revealing a cast of millions of stars.
On our first day, we drove down the mountain into the little town of Rosman for breakfast at Julie's, one of the local restaurants. Our meal was delicious--and full of small-town charm. Julie herself was our waitress, and she ended up scooping Gabriel up to take orders and wait tables with Gabriel on her hip so that Michael and I could eat together for a few minutes! During our meal, a man eating at the table next to us told us about a story he'd seen about babies on the news, and the high school football coach came over and tried to recruit Gabriel for the team. The coach seemed genuinely disappointed that we were Texans.
The camp staff reunion over the weekend was a blast! All of us who came up for the weekend reveled in how quickly we all became friends, even though there was quite a range in the years that all of us had worked camp. At campfire on Friday night, we sat around and sang camp songs, remembering all of the old harmonies and melodies for favorites like "Dona Nobis Pacem," "Barges," "Green Cathedral," "Song to a Butterfly," and "We Rise and We Fall Together."
We hiked almost every day, visiting our favorite spots: Devil's Courthouse; Graveyard Fields; Looking Glass Falls; Courthouse Falls; lovely Dupont State Forest's Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls; Black Balsalm and Caney Bottom.
Gabriel loved practically every moment of the trip, and was the darling of everyone at camp. The child barely touched the ground for all of the people who volunteered to hold and watch him for us! His sparkly, easy smiles were a major hit :).
Aside from a few lovely mornings and afternoons that we stayed home and let him take a long nap in his pack n' play, we packed Gabriel around with us everywhere we went. He would sleep in the car and even in the baby carrier pack if he got tired enough (see picture below). He loved it. And he slept about 12 hours a night.
The only rough part of the trip was the drive up. Gabriel was great--when he was asleep. Even though I did everything but get pulled behind the car on a skateboard to entertain that baby, he still got bored quickly and cried. At least our time in N.C. was so lovely that it more than made up for the difficult drive. Moreover, Michael and I both let God pump some supernatural patience and communication skills into us for the drive, which was a blessing. :)
Alright, here are the pictures! Also check out tons of great pictures on Michael's blog: www.francophilosophy.blogspot.com. He borrowed my dad's zoom lens and took literally hundreds of pictures while we were there.
Feeding Gabriel on the side of road after exiting to Hwy. 11
On top of Black Balsalm
My boys LOVE the outdoors
I love this picture of Gabriel--what a beautiful little boy I am blessed with!
\Devil's Courthouse
Triple Falls (or High Falls, I can't remember!)
Where are they dragging me now?
Outside of the dining hall at Kahdalea
Courthouse Falls
I love this picture too! I'm thinking Christmas card maybe...
We tired him out with all the hiking we did at Dupont!
Gabriel and our friend Melanie, a fellow horse-lover :)
Michael and Gabriel on top of Black Balsalm
I'm serious--this baby had a great time hiking and being outdoors all week!
I could live here
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