An industrious husband, a backyard that's "getting there" :)

Our backyard has come a long way. It still has a long way to go, but at least now I don't keep my kitchen and living room curtains closed just so I don't have to look out at it. :)

Michael has done more than the lion's share of the work, and much of it really back-breaking, like pulling up plants and trees, and building a small patio. He is so strong and hard-working!

I hung two beautiful pink bouganvilleas off the pergola. They really are lovely out there, and seem very happy. 

Posing on the new bench

Poor old banana plants (?). The went up against The Great Frost of January-February 2011... We ended up ripping these up last year. Well, Michael did. 

Ugh. These are now GONE. 

Ugh. Take Two. The crape myrtle on the far left is now pulled up, along with all of the flagstone and the birdbath. It's just smooth grass here now. :)

I have a feeling I overwatered the ixora all the way on the right. The three little pots are some rosemary, impatiens, and a valiant tomato plant that Gabriel keeps pulling the baby tomatoes off of as soon as they appear. 

There used to be a big pile of rotten wood and weeds here. We cleared everything out and planted three pink jasmine vines in the back and two gardenias in the front. We still have to line the outside of the bed with the rest of the small flagstone, and we will sod where the sand and debris in front of the bed is right now.

Our two gardenias are happy! They bloom constantly and smell SO nice.

Michael built us a wonderful swing for our tree! 

Michael built this for us this weekend! The two side tables are not attached, so we can move them around if we want to. I love the storage for toy and yard equipment in the big bench! Michael still has a few tweaks to make on it, as well as staining it. 

I love this picture :)

It took four trips from the garage to the backyard in the Radio Flyer to get all of Michael's tools ready to build the bench today...

Trust with a smile

Well, away we go. From NASA, that is. We are about to enter our very first week of being completely self-employed. 

A four-day work week, to boot. I think this bodes well. :)

Like I've explained before, God frequently uses many "little" affirmations and coincidences to point me where He wants me on things. In prayer, lately, I have continuously felt God calling me to trust, trust, trust.

Case in point: right now, I'm reading Fr. Michael Gaitley's book, Consoling the Heart of Jesus. My friend Staci told me about this wonderful book a few months ago and actually mailed me a copy of it. I had lost my place in the book when I opened it again last week, and as I was flipping through the pages, my eyes stopped dead on a passage and meditation that spoke powerfully to me in that moment. I had been having a very rough week with the kids, coupled with (I'll admit it...) anxiety about The Big Job Change.

I just love this cover image. The little child wrapping his arms around Christ  is so perfect...

A few of the little passages that spoke to me:

"...He wants our trustful smile as we spiritually sit at the foot of the Cross while accepting our own small sharing in it." 

"As he said to one mystic, Sr. Consolata Betrone, 'You, worry only about loving me, and I will take care of everything else to the smallest detail." 

"...If we stay fixed on our goal, he'll take care of all our cares, all those who are dear to us, and much more than we can imagine." 

One of the words that hit me the most was "smile." Putting on, even forcing, a smile when you are struggling in some moment of your life gives glory to God--and consoles the burning heart of His Son--by that little act of trust. How amazing. How easy and yet sometimes so hard at the same time.

After my prayer and reading that day last week, I worked hard for the rest of the week to--if nothing else--put on a smile. I tried to smile while dealing with a rowdy, temper-tantrum-ey toddler at daily mass. And while trying to prepare and feed breakfast, lunch, dinner and two-snacks-a-day with a teething, constantly-fussing 8-month-old and an impatient toddler in tow. And while struggling to work with Michael on some business to-dos that required us to put our heads together in a way that, well, butt our heads together a little.

Gabriel's godfather is our friend Adam Trufant, who put out a CD with his band Brother Brother a couple of years ago called Alive. I came across the CD and put it on the in the van a few days ago. Wouldn't you know that one of my favorite songs on the CD has the line, "Can I borrow Your smile?"

We tread a fine line,

Between hope and hopelessness

But there is one thing, puts my heart to rest.

You know they say that the worlds gone cold;

I’m gonna be the one to be so bold and say:

Everybody’s talkin’

‘bout the wars and the weather

But I don’t wanna be down--

Can I borrow your smile?

Can I borrow your smile?

This morning at mass, I had to take Gabriel outside for time-outs five times, at least. It was kind of a I'm Too Embarrassed and Tired to Keep Count Anymore kind of thing. Michael relieved me of Disciplinarian Duty after that and handed me Baby Girl for the rest of the time. Gabe was just in fine Two-And-A-Half-Year-Old-Toddler form this morning! I really tried to smile through it all, though, as best I could. And beyond a doubt the Lord poured the grace of Patience out on me in abundance today. He even poured the grace of Teamwork out on Michael and I as we handled the kids together. For that, I am thankful! 

My efforts to smile this morning had purpose. There are millions of people in this world who would do anything to "suffer" through that trying mass time with my toddler this morning. There are millions of people fighting cancer, fighting wars, dealing with death and disease and evil. 

And I knew this, even in the middle of it all. 

My smile offered those moments to God to do with as He would. To pour grace not only on me and my husband and children, but grace to whomever else He chose in all of this suffering world. 

In the grand scheme of things, my troubles are not so bad. In the grand scheme of things, our God is so wise, so generous, and so great that He may choose to use the small effort of my smile in my little challenges to work powerful good in the lives of others. 

I need to trust that! And so do we all. 

The everyday trials and challenges of our lives, whoever we are, really do have meaning and purpose if we offer them with a "trustful smile as we spiritually sit at the foot of the Cross while accepting our own small sharing in it." 

8pm Shutdown...I really wrote that? :)

Oh, how I laugh at myself sometimes in looking back on my old posts. :)

Like this one. 

Oh how logical and balanced and revolutionary I thought I was when I wrote this:

"Because spending 14 hours per day taking care of my home, work and family is enough." 

Oh how much I've learned since then. Giving isn't about hours. I thought I was giving so much then...and yet I feel as if I'm giving so more of myself now...another baby and a baby business have come into my life and responsibility since then. 

A peek into my life: Most nights, I'm just finishing cleaning up the house for the night at 8pm (if we successfully managed to put the kids to bed on time). 

We actually started putting the kids down at 7pm about a month or so ago. Which has been amazing. I don't know why we had them on an 8pm bedtime for so long. They still both sleep until 6:30-7am the majority of the time, even going to bed an hour earlier. They seem perfectly happy. Michael and I are perfectly happy. An entire extra hour to work--or spend time together--at night still feels like Christmas. :)

Anyway, after the kitchen and living room are picked up, I'm on to things like: 

-Making the next day's to-do list

-Scrubbing the Dr. Pepper stain out of the dining room carpet (Gabe spilled an entire cup of it on the carpet yesterday)

-Helping Michael with invoicing and estimates for CrossCutt

-Paying bills

-A shower (if I'm lucky. And determined enough.)

-Preparing deposits for a bank run the next day

-Running laundry

Sometimes I sit on the couch with Michael and watch a movie or simply hang out. But not often enough. Sort of working on that, although we could both put more heart into it. :)

Maybe we will spend more time hanging out though now, since Michael won't be working 32 hours per week at NASA. His last day of work happens to be tomorrow. Oh happy day. Oh scary day...

We are at the point where we've discerned we really think this is what we are supposed to be doing, and we've set up things financially and personally to support that as best as we can, and we are offering up everything to the Lord. 

I definitely work more than 14 hours per day. I don't go to bed at 9 o'clock. Or 10 o'clock usually. 

But I do usually get a 15-20min cat nap in every day though. :) 

My life is a blessing. My life is abundant. There are so many reasons I can't complain. 

This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad! -Psalm 118:24

My foot is slipping...

"When I say, 'My foot is slipping,' your love, LORD, holds me up. When cares increase within me, your comfort gives me joy." 

-Psalm 94:18-19

The Two Cutest Excuses in Texas

I had Grand Plans to hand-make Mother's Day cards and send them to eight different people. But my plans officially fell flat...when I dropped my Mother's Day cards in the mailbox yesterday.

At least I can claim that I have the Two Cutest Excuses in Texas, right? It's just that I'm really the only one to blame here. I haven't put On-time Gift Giving high-enough up on my priorities list. 

Probably because making sure I wash the towels before they get mildew-ey, planning a wedding shower for a friend, cooking dinner, preparing for business meetings for CrossCutt, showering semi-regularly, and bandaging Gabriel's big toe every day (he tore over half of his poor little toenail off last weekend) keep taking over the list...

The list I wrote about here and don't remember to follow as much as I should. :) 

Excuses, excuses, I know... 

Well here they are! (And yes, I realize I'm RE-posting the same pictures I posted the other day. I just love them so much!)

Gosh I love my kids. 

It is so amazing how I felt like I was at the breaking point just a couple of hours ago with all the whining and crying they decided to do (simultaneously) all this afternoon, and now I'm looking at these pictures and I'm totally trying to hurry up and finish this blog post so I can go sneak in their room and kiss their soft baby cheeks again before I go to bed. :)

Some Good Listenin': The Can't Stop Jogging to It Edition

My friend and sister-in-law, Jenay, recently sent Michael and me a link to The Missionary Family, a website and podcast co-hosted by Genie Summers and her son, John Paul Summers. I haven't listened to many podcasts before, but for some reason Jenay's email really piqued my interested, and I downloaded several episodes (for free) from iTunes.

And loved them. :)

I think this podcast is helping me get into better shape spiritually AND physically. I have been trying to go jogging a couple of times a week with the kids, and I've started listening to a couple of episodes on my runs now. When I'm listening to a Missionary Family podcast, I get so engrossed in what they're saying that I forget how long I've been running and how tired I am. The past few times I've gone running, I ended up running a good bit longer than I planned to. :) 

So much of what they talk about just meets me right where I am at in marriage, parenting and in my spiritual journey. John Paul is my age and has two young children as well, and a lot of what he shares--the struggles and the advice--resonates with me, challenges me, and definitely affirms me in what I'm trying so hard to do for God, for Michael and for my family. I wish the podcast and their ministry with it all the best! 

The Family Franco, May 2012

The after-mass family photo from Easter :)

My darling love

Faith and her great-grandmother, Mema

8 months old! Not quite crawling, but trying really hard. Sleeping all night...eating solids...wearing 9-month outfits already...and looking more and more like her daddy. She also says "Da-Da" now. So far, Michael is two-for-two on having him be our kids' first word. We'll have to work on that with future Franklets. God-willing of course.:)

Almost 2 1/2! He told me last Friday, "I a see-we-ull guy" (cereal:). Like father, like son. Favorite foods are "wed bees" (red beans and rice), "nuts" (donuts), "dooce" (juice), and "nanas" (bananas). He also loves puddles. Any kind of puddle. Any size. Not potty training yet but likes to talk often about "poopy." He likes to sing "Alleluia" (the one from mass), "Edelweiss," "The Wheels on the Bus," "The ABC Song," "I'm in the Lord's Army," and "Jesus Loves Me." 

Some Good Readin': The Perspective in Motherhood Edition

These are a few neat posts I came across this week. I always need reminders to stay in perspective. I truly, truly do.

http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2012/05/happy-perspective-day.html#comment-form

http://celestebehe.blogspot.com/2012/05/in-nutshell.html

http://simplyfulfilled.com/?p=1070

So THAT'S what Faith has been trying to tell me lately. 

A million ways...

"There is no way to be a perfect mother...but there are a million ways to be a good one." 


"We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honour his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honour him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son." -Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin

Grapes and BIG ch-ch-changes!

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in  me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you remain in  me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing...If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." -John 15:1-8

I can't even begin to blog about everything in this passage that speaks to me this week. This verse was the Gospel reading this past Sunday. Let's just say, metaphorically speaking, that I've been bearing a little less fruit than normal lately but I'm running full speed back to the Vine and now God is pruning me like crazy.

There happen to be a few BIG ch-ch-changes going on in my life behind that metaphor. Michael gave his final notice this week that he is leaving his engineering job with a great company to run our business, CrossCutt, full time.

I'm enormously proud of him. :)

And I am deeply thankful to every single one of the friends, family members and coworkers who have taken this news with such clear joy and verbal confidence in Michael. It means so much to him and to me as well. It is with serious, incredibly prayerful, and humble discernment that we feel we have been led to this decision, and the success of our business will truly be "to [our] Father's glory." :)

Please, please pray for my family and for my husband as we make this scary--but strangely natural and peaceful--leap into growing our business into something that will provide for our family. St. Joseph the Provider, pray for us!

Like I always say, I will never be bored married to Michael Franco! :)

A cheerful giver

"When life is most demanding, and you give cheerfully in spite of that, that is love at its best." 

-Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

My husband isn't my girl friend

That's probably a terrifically terrible title for this blog post, but if you read the post I think you'll see what I mean.

Especially if you're one of my girl friends. :)

I am married to my best friend. But he is a different kind of friend. Michael isn't one of my girl friends--he's my husband. I need to remember that more often. 

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." -Ephesians 5:25

"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13 

The Bible tells husbands that they are supposed to give themselves up for their wives as Christ gave himself up for his Bride, the church. What a challenge and responsibility for husbands! I do know Michael would die for me without a second thought. In this sense, he is truly my best and most faithful friend. 

Also, none of my friends make me laugh as much as he does. :)

But Michael will never relate to me, empathize with me, and maybe even understand me in some ways, like my close girl friends do. I can't expect him to think, act or speak to me like my girl friends. He just doesn't work that way. In the end, it's not fair to him for me to become bitter because I think he is supposed to somehow learn how to think, act and speak to me like my girlfriends.

Decades of a few very well-intentioned but terribly harmful tenets of feminism have trained our culture to think that men are the ones who need to figure us out. I wish I could pin all the blame on Michael when I don't feel a strong connection of understanding and oneness with him on some topic or situation. I wish I could be rightfully upset because he doesn't say things the way I want (and think I need) to hear them. Not that he and probably every other husband on earth couldn't probably work on better communication in their marriage. As us wives probably could. :)

One thing about my girl friends is that I know they can see my heart and understand my intentions. I am always able to communicate effectively with them. Not so in marriage. Not that I don't try my heart out to communicate and understand. Not that Michael doesn't try his heart out to communicate and understand. It's just that, even four years into our marriage, we are still learning. 

I think that we wives truly desire our husbands see our hearts. To see how hard we are trying to be good to them. 

And how much we just want them to be good to us. 

To see how much we have to give, and how much we do give. 

To see how much we love them and want to build a happy--and maybe a happier--life together. 

We need to look for their hearts, too, though. To see how hard they are truly trying to be good to us. 

And how much they just want us to be good to them. 

To see how much they have to give, and how much they do give to us and the family. 

To see how much they love us and want to build a happy life together. 

We want the same things. I think women just talk about it more. And write long rambling blog posts about it more. And talk to their girl friends about it more. :) 

I think that sometimes we forget that our marriage isn't going to the dogs if we don't feel a connection with our husbands about everything. I think that deciding what is most important, and working as a couple to agree and  move forward on those things, is where we should put in the most effort.

So there you have a few sweet musings from a still-newlywed of (almost) four years. I'm glad I will have this post to look back on in thirty years to laugh at myself. Little do I know, I'm sure! 

I hope my future self will see that I was really trying, though, to do this marriage thing well. I hope I see that I did the best I possibly could to be a good wife and a woman of God in this moment and in this level of my personal and spiritual maturity. 

Now for your entertainment, one of my favorite videos explaining the Differences Between Men and Women. Get ready to laugh. Hard. :)

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

Some good readin' - The "First" Edition

I don't spend hours and hours a week reading blogs, but I do happen to stumble across a few gems every week...

This week's good readin':
The Joys of Raising a Smart Alec Seven Year Old Boy-Part 2, on It's Almost Naptime!!
Our Favorite Read Alouds on Grace Full Mama

Yep, there are only two this week. :) Enjoy!



I think I'm missing the point of the cartoon, but all I can think is...can I make my 2 1/2 year-old do this??!!