Our Week in Pictures

Hannah's afternoon entertainment. Picture at least triple this amount of salt on the floor. When am I going to learn that silence is never golden?

Oh well, she's cute.

It took a long, long time-but he finally convinced her that fun was possible without playing airplane for hours on end.

It's finally cold enough for hot chocolate! This perfect homemade recipe was savored on Friday night and again on Sunday morning.

Hannah is kicking Ted's butt in No-Shave-November. (No, that's not hot chocolate-it's beans. We're mean parents.)

A Saturday morning breakfast fit for kings. Pancakes from scratch, banana crepes fried in homemade lard, homemade hash-browns fried in bacon grease, real maple syrup, and cold fatty milk. Complete with a frizzy lioness in pink pajamas.

Country Fun Day-where the slides are ridiculously overpriced but the little girl loves them.

Ok-mom and dad obviously loved them too.

I made the executive decision that, despite the warnings, a giant inflatable slide was not going to put my pregnant self or unborn baby at risk. Good decision. Slightly hard to dismount though....

Seeing this little girl on her first pony was worth the $3 from my splurge budget this month. (but seriously-$3 to ride a pony??) Ted said she maintained her death grip for the entire ride.

And I'm pretty sure she enjoyed talking about the "horse" afterwards more than actually riding it. "Go!" "Nay!"

Oh these two. My heart overflows.

And ending a great week with the perfect loaf of bread! My first attempt using the five minute method. I'm in love. Four ingredients, no nasty preservatives, minimal effort, pennies per loaf, delicious-crusty-eat it all by itself bread. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

And now, I'm sitting in my house all alone on Sunday afternoon. In my pajamas. Sipping coffee, blogging, and getting ready to crack open a book. Because Ted took Hannah to "get lost" and give me some time to relax. He's a saint.

How was your week?

The Tradition Continues

Ted and I have an annual tradition of taking a fishing trip every November. It started during our first fall in Mississippi when Ted surprised with a weekend getaway to relieve some of our infertility stress. The following year we sought out another lake and had an absolutely wonderful time just a few months before becoming parents. And the year after that.......we didn't go. Our "annual tradition" failed after only two years. But a sweet little nine month old that wasn't yet on solids didn't allow for the weekend away that we had come to love. Fast forward to this year-it wasn't a whole weekend. It wasn't even a whole day. But some friends of offered watched Hannah for the afternoon while Ted and I took the boat to a nearby lake.

The last time we had been on the boat alone together-November 2010! The last time we sat on the water and watched the sunset-November 2010. The last time I sat and read a mind numbing book while he fished-yep, November 2010.

Needless to say, this afternoon getaway was just what we needed. And although the pictures we took weren't nearly as good as they had been in years past-we documented this rare events and made the most of the few hours of peace we were given.

I sat in our little boat on a lake down the road and was just as happy as I would have been sitting in a yacht off some Caribbean island.

The fishing was pretty bad, but Ted never complains. He also didn't complain that he had to hold my awkward, pregnant self over the edge of the boat so I could pee three times in as many hours (not counting the two times I went at the boat ramp.)

I read some Nicholas Sparks book that held me at rapt attention but now I'm not even going to finish. I felt the little baby kick inside me-extra squirmy due to the fact that I was actually sitting for more than five minutes-and thought things like "I have the best life in the world." and "I wish I could always be pregnant-I don't want a day to go by without a little baby kicking inside of me" and "Man he's sexy when he's fishing."

And although the sunset wasn't the blazing orange we were hoping for, it was still beautiful. And the eagle that kept flying overhead was definitely cool. As was the alligator that came out of hiding right after we left its cove.

So much to be grateful for. Our life might not be conducive to weekend getaways at this stage (or any stage in the near future...) but that only makes little afternoon trips like this that much sweeter.

My Heavy Heart

Oh so much to say. What really needs to be said? What should I just keep to myself? Who is even reading this blog anyway? Are all those family and friends who disagree with me gone-did they leave long ago?

I don't want to write about the horrible election results. But I don't want to not write about it and go on blogging as if nothing has happened. Something has happened. Even if that something is just a continuation of the crappiness we already had.

It's an understatement to say that my heart is heavy. My spirit crushed.  Not just because Obama was re-elected, but because people actually wanted it to happen. I'm sad that people actually voted for him. Put their stamp of approval on a man who is bringing such serious evil to our country. Even one vote for him is too many. This is the direction our nation is choosing-the Democratic platform of abortion, euthanasia, gay "marriage", perpetual welfare. How can my country desire these things? Where have all the Christians gone?

A friend on facebook (a liberal friend who I really get along with) posted on my facebook wall: Lets work together for the good. Take a positive approach and lets make progress. Don't give up.

And I know she meant well, but all I could think was, "Work together for the good??? How is that possible when we have completely different ideas of good?"

No, we cannot work together with people whose goals are completely different from ours. We cannot work together with those who desire a completely different nation. I see talk of "compromise" and "why can't we all just be purple instead of red and blue" and it's just such total crap. Compromise? What's the compromise between wanting abortion to safe, legal, celebrated, and paid for with my money and wanting abortion to be non-existent? How do we work together for the good when I value religious freedom and you value free birth control? There is no working together with those who do not truly desire good, but only what they perceive as good-which is clearly and absolutely evil.

So work together for energy independence, immigration reform, rebuilding our economy-yes of course.  But if you think those things are what this election was about you are sorely mistaken.

But I will listen to part of my friend's advice. I will not give up. Ever.

I fear for our country. I fear that Hannah will never grow up in the Christian nation that I knew as a child. I fear we will never go back to that country and our rights and freedoms will continue to be stripped away in the name of "tolerance" and "choice".

I fear that I'm inadequate to raise children who are capable of withstanding the assaults that are ahead. Can I truly raise martyrs? Am I even strong enough to be a martyr myself? Maybe not to death, but to jail? Or to joblessness? What will I be asked to sacrifice for my faith? And I'm sure some will read this and think I'm being melodramatic and that it can't possibly come to that. I hope you're right. But I believe you're wrong. It's already happening.

Yesterday was a very hard day. I fought back tears in the morning and let them go in the afternoon. I hugged Hannah and told her I loved her ten times more than usual. I was blessed to participate in a woman's night with our Families Following Christ group. We didn't have to skirt around the issue-we dived right in. We knew that not a single one of us voted for Obama and his agenda of lies. It wasn't  what was best for our families or for following Christ. And the wisdom of these beautiful woman helped me greatly.

As Catholics, we welcome the suffering. The persecution. The attacks that lie ahead. Saints will be made. Families will be divided. But God's will will be done.

My goal hasn't changed just because half of our nation chose death Tuesday. Half of "Catholics" chose death Tuesday. And half of my gender "voted with their lady parts" instead of their hearts and heads. My goal is still heaven. And Obama is probably doing me a real favor by making my path to heaven a little easier. Because everyone's path must involve suffering. And we're going to get our fair share.

Some have said that we can "turn it around" at the midterm elections. That we just need to "get through these next four years" and it will all be ok. But electing a Republican president in four years is not the answer. My hope does not, nor has it ever, lied in the Republican party. They are far, far greater than the Democrats that is for sure. But they will only slow down the train wreck that our country is headed for. My hope must lie in Jesus. I must conform my heart to His. And I have Obama to thank for renewing my conviction to my Church,  my God, and my love for this country. But also for my heavy, hurting heart.

Pictures and One Liners

Ok, they're not all going to be one-liners. Because I'm wordy and can't help myself. But the last two weeks have been a whirlwind deserving of a post. And I can't watch election coverage without a distraction to keep me calm....

Grandpa John came to visit and built us a screened-in porch.

Hannah helped.

And watched.

Hannah was a monkey for Halloween.

Her first trunk-or-treat was a smashing success. I even gave in and let her eat a sucker.

We made garden green beans. Sauteed with onion, bacon, an ostrich, and a few dinosaurs.

Hannah and Daddy finished up the porch after Grandpa left.

She kissed the "boo boos" that she caused with the hammer.

We carved pumpkins. I was pretty proud of the one on the left-a squirrel had eaten a huge chunk out of it so I had to get creative.

On Halloween, we went to a second trunk-or-treat with some friends, came back and stuffed ourselves with homemade baked potato soup, passed out candy to cute little kids, not-so-cute big kids, and even two adults with Walmart bags.

Then Ted and I spent the evening sitting in our new porch, eating pumpkin bars, sipping pumpkin spice coffee, and relaxing by the light of our little girl's hands and feet.

Hannah continued to use her new carpentry skills to make some improvements around the house.

We celebrated All Saints Day by voting early, going to Mass, and getting her St. Rose Duchesne doll blessed.

Then it was off to Mississippi to visit some friends and cheer on the Bulldogs.

"Hannah, that's a little too much cowbell."

"Ok, definitely too much cowbell."

Ted maintained his cornhole winning streak. Hannah dumped everyone's drinks all over her dress.

We got to meet a sweet baby and Hannah was smitten.

We managed to survive the weekend despite 16 hours in a car, changing time zones, AND dealing with daylight savings time.

The next two week won't be quite as eventful. To be certain, lots of time will be spent on our back porch. We'll go back to missing family and friends instead of hanging out with them. We'll continue to eat pumpkin in everything. And we'll just try to enjoy this simple little life we're living,

God Provides

Shortly after we moved to Florida, we were offered a free place to live. It felt like God was giving us the way out-the light at the end of the tunnel. We would actually be able to afford for me to stay home and live in  Florida with all the crazy high cost of living. Well, we all know how that turned out....

When we found out that the house was no longer available-after months and months of planning, preparing, working, cleaning-we were pretty devastated. How would we make our new situation work? Where would we live? Would I be able to continue to stay home?

When I quit my job last December to move to Florida with Ted, I had mixed emotions. I was super, super, super excited to get to stay home with Hannah but sad to be leaving such a great job. It was a really, really great job. Flexible hours, home by early afternoon, doing what I loved with people I loved being with. And I actually got paid pretty dang good for only working nine months of the year. Hannah was safe at home with Ted and all was good. I knew the possibility of finding a job like that again in this lifetime were slim to none. It was hard to walk away-but I was excited for what I was walking into.

After the moldy, homeless summer-it just didn't seem like things were going to fall in place.

But if I learned anything from being "homeless" for 10 weeks, I learned that God provides. We always had a place to stay-always. Sometimes we didn't know where we would live at the end of the week, but we would get a text from a friend offering their place for the exact day that we had to move out of our current one. God's hand was in it the entire time.

So on the very same day that we found out the house was no longer available for us to live in, it didn't even surprise me that I got a potential job offer for a job I didn't even apply for. I took an at-home job as the nursery coordinator at our new parish. It just fell in my lap! Not even a week later, I got a call from a friend asking if I would consider becoming her son's speech therapist. She offered to watch Hannah while I worked with him so I wouldn't have to find childcare.  It really couldn't have been more perfect or come at a better time.

The blessings have been tremendous. I spend a decent amount of time working on nursery stuff in the evenings, but the money I get from it is keeping us afloat. And combined with the income I'll be making from working with just one client-I'm actually making about the same amount of money each month that we would have saved if we had lived in the free house!

All of my fears about Hannah have been quelled-she LOVES spending time with my friend and her other children while I go to "work" just two half-hours a week. It gives her a built in play date in a loving, fun, holy home twice a week-something I had really been seeking out for her after our attempt at a Mother's Morning Out ended horribly. My friend gets discounted therapy for her son. I get to work with preschoolers again and do some of the things I love-like write reports! Blessings all around.

So we don't have free rent-we write a monthly check just like everyone else. And with the promise of free rent being dangled in front of us for so long, it still hurts a little. But the jobs I've been given-jobs that allow me to stay home with my girl and be a speech therapist-are an unforeseen blessing that's more than we ever expected.

The words of our wedding gospel echo in my mind all the time. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:25-27)

We have no reason to worry. God has provided for us every step of the way, even if He sometimes makes us wait a few months to see the answer. We are so grateful. So blessed.

Oh Fall, Where the Hell are You!

My sweet friend, Haley-a Florida native, pinned a quote by Anne of Green Gables the other day. Something like "I'm so grateful we live in a world with Octobers." I completely agree with Anne, Octobers are beautiful. But Haley, on the other hand, is dead wrong.

Because Florida does not have October. We're 17 days in and still no sign of it.

I wore shorts and a t-shirt at the playground on Monday. And was sweating. In the shade. Because it was 91 freaking degrees!

Leaves are falling, but they do that all year long. And they're just brown or green. Do people in Florida even know that leaves can be other colors?

No crisp in the air.

No feeling great in jeans and boots.

No need for a jacket-you can hardly handle short sleeves.

I make pumpkin oatmeal with pecans and chili and soup-but it's all a lie. Our damn air conditioner is still on. At night!

I'm still getting eaten alive by mosquitos! I got three bites yesterday-one on the way to the car, one in the car, and the last one in my living room.

I've got my toes a nice shade of mocha-ish but my feet are still in flip flops.

And to top it all off, I found out this week that there are NO pumpkin patches in town!

Where are you Fall? Do you exist in the south?

My summer wardrobe is exhausted. Will I ever wear a sweater again?

I thought Mississippi Falls were a disappointment, now I'm counting down the days until we go back for a visit. Alisha-save a few yellow leaves for me. And don't laugh when I change my clothes three times a day when we're up there-I gotta get these outfits in.

Fall, I miss you.

This Moment

Despite the fact that Hannah woke up an hour and a half earlier than normal.....combined with the fact that I went to bed late because I was watching the Cardinal's game (dang Eastern time zone....)......and topped off with the Cardinal's loss.......

we had an awesome day today.

One that needs remembering.

Lots of snuggles and cuddles and unprompted back scratches from my little girl.

Playing in my bedroom with nothing but mom's books, pillows, and underwear for an hour and a half.

She asked me to get the crucifix down off the wall and proceeded to kiss Jesus ("susus"). Then she kissed His hands and feet and handed Him to me for me to do the same. What? Who is this kid? She has never seen anyone do this! So we kissed Jesus' "boo boos" and told Him we loved Him.

Then she tried to get me to nurse Him......

When I laid down on the bed, instead of telling me "up up!", she let me lay there for at least five minutes while she covered my body in kleenxes.

She decided she was NOT going to read Old MacDonald with me-despite it being her favorite book yesterday-and every time I sang "E-I-E-I__" she cutely responded, "NO!" I like her version better.

Around lunch time she went into the kitchen, opened the dishwasher, got out a plate, set it on the table, climbed into her high chair, buckled herself in, and made the sign for "eat." Girl knows what she wants. This story was only topped by Ted telling me that the other day she opened the dishwasher, got out the dish detergent, shoved it into the dishwasher, closed the door and tried to turn it on.

I ate leftover pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing during her nap today. And drank coffee. And blogged! And that was after I prepped dinner. Who am I?

I'm wearing tights, even though it's not cold out yet.

We're going to Old Navy this afternoon.

Ted's coming home from work unexpectedly early today.

We found a package of pork chops from our pig in the bottom on the freezer when we moved and are having them tonight. We thought we were out! What a glorious surprise. I'm making them this way-they taste just like you're eating them in grandma's kitchen.

We got to Skype with my mom.

Hannah made the rooster sound every time I asked. I can't get enough of it.

Happy Tuesday!