7 Quicktakes- March re-cap

1. Spring is here.  

For Colorado that means every season's weather, so one day 80's, another day 60's with showers, another day snow, and back to sunny all within a matter of days.  On some of the nice weather days, we got outside and Chris and I helped Ava get some practice riding her bike without training wheels.  Chris even took a few pictures one day.  

 

First spring flowers popping up and lovely sunsets with kids climbing trees. 

 

Fun at the nearby park
  

and ever more flowers popping up

And back to snow...

 

and there's spring in a nutshell. 

2. State Food Studies

We covered Massachusetts with homemade clam chowder (the kids LOVED it and Kayla asked for it for her birthday meal this year!).  We also made Coney dogs for the state of Michigan. 

 

3. Dance Fun

       

4. Chris traveled again. 

Another business trip in March took Chris to Atlanta and away from home.  We missed him a lot and sent him silly videos and pictures.  

He brought back these waffle cookie things from the plane and the girls were all excited about them.  

5. Crazy Kolbe

Always.  

One day the girls put him in this monkey costume.  

It was hilarious.

 

6. New Snuggie

Kolbe has FINALLY found a snuggie, something he's becoming attached to.  He got this puppy stuffed animal (whom we named Vianney) for Christmas, and he has been snuggling with it (and his bottle) when he goes to bed.  It's really sweet. 

7. March Library Favs

Just a couple library books that we really enjoyed.  

Hornbooks and Inkwells is a book in rhyme about going to school in Colonial Days.  

Can you tell we were doing a bit of Colonial time study?  Another book, Our Colonial Year, goes through the months of the year in Colonial themed rhyme.   Ira's Shakespeare Dream was a neat book about a man who was very gifted and had a dream to perform Shakespeare.  

 

And this lovely picture book about the life of Lucy Maud Montgomery (the author of the classic Anne of Green Gables and many others).  

Re-finishing the Deck

In March, we started on a project to re-finish the deck which was peeling and in need of some attention before the elements completely ruined it, and made for an even bigger and more expensive project.  

Chris had the vision so I cannot take credit for anything except some of the labor. 

The pictures below are BEFORE when it was brown and peeling.  

 

The first step in Chris' vision was painting the railings white. 

 

The next step was to begin stripping all the paint and to sand a small section to test stains.  Unfortunately as we began the process and just after we chose this lovely stain in which you can see the wood so lovely still....we discovered that they had made the deck of two different types of wood.  This meant it would be obvious with a stain like that one that there were two different woods, so we had to go with a different stain that was not our top pick.  Oh well.  Still better than the brown paint...scroll on to see what we went with in the end. 

Paint stripping...

 

Sanding and more paint stripping (which became my full time job so Chris could sand it after me)

 

Progress! The picture below on the left shows different stages.  The brown paint at the bottom, the paint stripped in the middle, and the wood sanded at the top.  

 

Chris was incredible.  He did so much work on this project.  A bit of paint stripping, all the sanding, some of the rail painting, and then we realized that a few of the boards simply HAD to be replaced, so he did that too.  

 

All sanded and ready!  I kept kiddos out of the way so Chris could apply the stain....

 

And we finished with just enough time for it to dry before it snowed again.  

 

AFTER!  

The re-finished deck with white railing and a reddish wood stain.  

 

I'm proud of us.  

It was a TON of work, but it looks lovely.  

We are so excited for sunshine and drinks and relaxing and hanging out on our re-finished deck.  

Have I mentioned I married the best guy in the world?

My Reading Challenge 2018 + my January Reads

In the past, I've tried several different styles of reading goals.  At times, I just pick up what looks good at the library, around the house, and even get a few recommendations from friends here and there.  Another year, I did more research and got more recommendations and committed to reading a book about a different Saint each month as well.  This year, I've switched it up a little again.  

I looked up some interesting book challenges online and combined a few of them, plus added my own ideas. 

So here's my personal 2018 reading challenge:

• A book you chose because of the cover
• A book you've previously started but never finished
• A book by an author you already love
• A book that everyone is raving about
• A book about a Saint you weren't really familiar with
• A book recommended by your spouse or a friend
• A book to 'expand your horizons'
• A book considered to be a classic
• A book published in 2018
• A book by an author you've never read
• A book you've been meaning to read
• A book set in a city you want to travel to
• A book that has been turned into a movie
• A biography/autobiography
• (Listen to) an audiobook
• A young adult title
• A mystery
• A book by an author whose last name starts with B
• A book about or set in Africa
• A book with a red cover
• A book of poetry
• A book from the dewey range 600-699
• A travel memoir
• A book that strengthens your faith
• A "Mommy" book

I don't plan to stick so closely to this goal that I don't read a book simply because it doesn't fit into my goal list.  In fact, in January I read several books that fit into the goal and a few that didn't.  I love a goal, but I also love some spontaneity.  

I got off to a great start reading in the month of January.  I was excited, I carved out time (usually little snippets here and there between chores, teaching, and all that busy life stuff), and I learned the wonder of audiobooks, which I can borrow through our library using the Hoopla app on my phone.  I can listen to them while I cook and clean and even while I drive the girls to dance and run errands.  

My first audiobook of the month was recommended to me by my friend, Megan.  It's called In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke.  It was a beautiful and heart-wrenching book as any that relates memories of the Holocaust is.  It definitely has some adult/mature aspects (as one would expect), but it merely mentions thing and does not go into great, horrifying detail of a lot of that portion of the events.  I cried through a good deal of this book, but highly recommend it.  Irena was incredibly brave in her quest to help the Jews, though she admits it all started so small...but eventually God gave her great tasks.  I listed it under the book recommended by a friend for my challenge. 

A favorite thought that Irena's book left me with:

"Listen to the whisper from above.  Trust guidance given by God, even when {you're} filled with fear. "

  I have seen several blog and/or Instagram posts that raved about The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson, so I borrowed it on my Kindle and marked it under 'book everyone is raving about.' A World War I novel that is full of interesting and delightful characters, wit, and has all the feels. I enjoyed her writing so much that I snatched up the author's other (debut) novel on my Kindle and read it next.  

Also by Helen Simonson, I read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.  It was an interesting story weaving in themes of the class system, race, family dynamics and obligations, and the characters are wonderful.  Her dialogue is fun and engaging and I laughed out loud many times at the witty banter and the realness of the characters, who grow and learn throughout the tale.  It was a spontaneous read and didn't really fit anywhere into my challenge. 

The one and only actual book with real pages that I finished this month was The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay.  She has quickly become one of my favorites authors.  I love her books and the way she weaves Austen elements into her books.  I was not disappointed as this book was another that was just lovely to curl up with on the couch with a warm cup of tea and cozy blanket.  

With the great amount of cooking, cleaning, and driving I do, I was able to finish many audiobooks in January.  My next one was lighter than the first and was the sequel to a book I read several years ago, Emily of New Moon, by L.M. Montgomery.  This second book, titled Emily Climbs was delightful as L.M. Montgomery always is.  I love her beautiful language and imagery and the whimsical, lightheartedness of Emily.  I marked this one down as my official audiobook for the challenge.  

And because I simply had to read the next and last Emily book, I listened to it as well after finishing Emily Climbs.  The last book in that series is Emily's Quest.  It was lovely, but also drove you slightly bananas as L.M. Montgomery strung out Emily's "love life" in a way that made you wonder if she ever would find true love at all.  I shall leave you wondering yourself, should you want to read the scrappy tale.  

And those were my January books. A perfectly lovely bunch to be sure.  

 I very nearly finished another couple, but those just barely ran over into February so I'll share those in my February books post.  

Until next month, happy reading!

Advent 2017- The Word Became Flesh

I began Advent with an idea of what I thought my Advent should look like.  And though it wasn't all wrong, it was limited.  I read the Blessed Is She Advent journal and was surprised by the introduction which challenged my limits and boxes with the reminder that "anything could happen."

ANYthing can happen.  

God can transform me.  He can teach me.  He can heal me.  He can fill me.  

He loves me.  

Do I believe that?  Truly?
Do you?

HE LOVES US!

God repeatedly spoke to me through the journal reflections and my own conversations with Him of my need to embrace BABY Jesus. I was prompted to reflect on my fears, on the the things that often steal my peace. And as I did, I realized that I'm often not really PRESENT in my relationship with Christ and often I am not really present with my children.

 I began to see glimpses of my need to embrace the baby King in my life especially in this stage of motherhood. And he showed me in the form of completely slowing me down this Advent.  Kolbe got sick.  So we bowed out of parties and time spent in community with others.  Kayla got sick.  And then we all got varying forms of the illness.  So we slowed down more.

Even my mom got sick when she visited us and I joked (but not completely) that perhaps God was slowing us down.  My parents left.  Kolbe continued to feel unwell and I had to bow out of my Advent mom's retreat.  I'll admit, I got a bit frustrated with God.  I felt like I had given up all the fun already.  Now He was taking my morning of quiet time with HIM too?  It's for YOU, Jesus!  A retreat to focus on you during Advent!

Or was I still focusing on me?

More journaling, more praying, more snuggling with my baby.  

And He just kept telling me not to be afraid.  For "blessed is she who believed".  

Time and again, God brought me back to the baby Jesus.  To the beauty of embracing the Word become flesh.  To the truth that God is WITH us.  

Yet every time that I tried to do all the "right" things that one would do during Advent (liturgical parties, retreats, rosaries etc.),  Kolbe would suddenly have issues again.  So I began to ponder with Mary and I just embraced motherhood.  Motherhood at it's simplest form.  Taking care of a helpless child with love and yes, even joy. 

Holding my children and taking the time while they are small and snugly to soak that in.  Understanding that they are young and that they are learning.  Letting go of my (and others') unattainable expectations for them.  

They need my love and care in these tender years more than they need a thousand reasons that they just aren't "enough".  They need affirmation that they are special, beloved, and worth my time and attention.  They need to see love in my gaze, joy in my smile, and peace in my heart.  

As all this wisdom poured into my heart and mind, I realized that Christ, too, needed his mother in these ways. He was humbly born into this world as a helpless, delicate baby. Mary lived out the beatitudes and the works of mercy to her Son. The Son of God.  Emmanuel.  God with us! 

She fed him, clothed him, protected him, comforted him, 

and sacrificed herself and her desires for him. 

And I am to do the same.

 For Him. 

For my children. 

And in caring for my family and being truly mindful of their needs, I am seeing how love does win. Love wins when we stop making it about us and instead turn our gaze to Him. 

Love wins when we give of ourselves for others.  

Love wins when we embrace the child in every person we meet; 

the child that so desperately needs love, care, attention, and tenderness. 

Jesus dwells among us.  

One of those ways is through those he places intentionally in our lives.  

As I prayed through Advent asking the Lord for a word for 2018, he answered.  

New.  

NEW.  

Chris got me the (first ever and available through Blessed is She!) Catholic journaling Bible for Christmas and since it was not yet 2018, I hadn't yet asked Christ anything more about the word new and what He wanted to show me through it.  

But He showed me anyway.  As I opened the Bible to take a picture to send my friend (because she received one too, and I was so excited to show her mine!!) it fell open to this verse.  

"I will give you a NEW heart and a NEW spirit."  -Ezekiel 36:26

I'm not sure what this word will end up holding for me this year, but I'm very slowly beginning to listen more for Christ speaking to me through the very small and simple aspects of my day and my vocation.  I'm slowly seeing his whisper of love even in the face of another sick child, another child exhibiting a relentless case of selective hearing, another cup of milk spilled on the just-been-cleaned floor, another scuffle I had to break up....

Slowly, oh so slowly I'm learning to listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit challenging me to give it to Him, who loves me and trust that he will give me a new heart and a new spirit.  He will make all things new.  He will take care of everything if I only let go of my own plans and expectations.....