A handmaid of the Lord

Free Trial

2006-06-25T13:20:00.000-05:00

I think I’m going to sign up for the free trial later on today.

See more progress on: join netflix

Small, but thriving

2006-06-25T13:19:00.000-05:00

I have a small herb garden going in a large pot on the porch. I’ve got two large basil plants going, I revived my poor dying chives, and there is a flat leaf parsley plant going. They are all growing well; it is encouraging for when we buy a house and I can create a large cullenary herb garden. For now, I’m going to say I’ve done it!

See more progress on: grow an herb garden

I love this thing!

2006-06-25T13:01:00.000-05:00

My mom heard that I wanted one of these, so she got me one! She got me the family sized one that has two sides. It’s huge. It was on sale at Target, and such a good deal! I used it the other night when Angie came over for dinner. I made steaks on one side and hot dogs for the kids on the other side. It was amazing. Easy to clean, easy to use… It’s so much less intimidating than the outside grill. I am content to let my darling husband be in charge of outdoor cooking! But this this is great. I’m going to grill up a bunch of chicken breasts later on this evening and freeze them for salads or dinners or whatever my little heart desires later on. yaya

See more progress on: buy a george foreman grill

We did it!

2006-06-25T12:58:00.000-05:00

Directv is gone from our house! It’s so weird… We got tv antennas and they do pretty good, except for channel 2, which is NBC. Not sure what we’re going to do about that. We have been spending our time doing things other than watching TV, so…that was the goal. lol I’m really excited to be able to check this off the list!

See more progress on: get rid of directv

Xanga

2006-06-11T23:11:00.000-05:00

I'm going back to xanga.

I just like it better.

www.xanga.com/anniemm

INFP

2006-06-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

I'm a pretty serious introvert. I have real issues with stepping out of my comfort zone and doing things that might embarass me. So when Angie asked me to go with her and Kelly to the "Latin Dance Workout" at the YMCA, I was really stressed. See...there are so many things that sound like fun to me but I really have to talk myself into doing them because it's really easy for me to say no and hide. Almost ALWAYS I am able to convince myself to do whatever it is, and then I am glad that I did...but it's such a struggle for me to get there. I really dislike that about myself, but I've spent 23 years this way and I have learned how to talk myself into things. At the same time though, I will often do things up to a limit. For example, today at the latin dance class, I had a great time but when the instructor put us in a circle and people were being pulled into the middle to show off their moves, I pretty much wanted to throw up. If she had asked me to do it, I would have said no. I have a limit...I just can't do it. Poor Angie was panicing for me. lol
I feel like I am adventureous. Just...sometimes I have to be coerced into it. It seems like in the last 24 hours I've really taken some risks....and in all cases I was satisfied with the outcome. I suppose it will always be that way lol.

Well...we are going to spend the afternoon cleaning out our sunroom. It will soon have it's very own purpose and use. More on that in a couple weeks...

A Healthy Fear?

2006-06-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

Today we went to Splashtown. My girls are so tired and Charlie and I are as well. We had a wonderful time though! It was Charlie's last day of Jr. High day camp, and we were invited to join them there for a day of fun! It was Felicity's first time at a waterpark and she had so much fun! A little too much fun...she's very brave and while I really do LOVE to swim, I am terrified of water at the same time. She made me so nervous. My mother-in-law came along as well and helped me with the girls. At one point, we were in the toddler/little kid area and Lori (my MIL) had the baby and I was playing with Felicity. I was rubbing my eyes for maybe 10 seconds when I heard her yell, "Andrea!!!!" I looked down and Felicity was floating face down in the water. It absolutly terrified me. It was only for a split second, Lori told me that Felicity slipped right as I got her, but still the image of her floating in the water like that is just haunting me today! She was perfectly fine, and when I got her out, she spit out some water and wanted to get back in. ::sigh:: But babies and water scare me. Maybe this fall I'll get in one of those mommy and me swim classes at the Y just to start her learning the rules and become more familiar with the whole water scenario. Not that something like that would have prevented the slip, but it just got me thinking... ANYWAY, we had a great day and so much fun.

I have a cranky baby. Maybe I'll update more later.

Tuesday Pics

2006-06-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday

2006-06-07T19:48:00.000-05:00

This is the week of Junior High Day Camp at our church, which means that Charlie must leave very early every morning and do a lot of really energy-zapping activities with the 11-14 crowd. Charlie is not in charge of the Junior High catechesis and ministry at our church, he does High School only. But, his good friend does JH, and thus, Charlie is there to help for this week. He's so tired. Poor guy.
Yesterday they went to Katy Mills and to see "Over the Hedge," followed by a trip to the bowling ally. Once the day was over with JH, Charlie then had XLT which is a big time praise and worship program with adoration for high school kids all over the diocese. Ben Walther was playing with his band and his wife, Maria, came also. Charlie invited me for all this yeserday and initally I didn't want to go since it would be such a long day with the girls. But, we left at 6:30 AM, and got home at probably 10:45 last night and all in all, the day went great! We had so much fun! The movie was cute and I loved hanging out with Maria.
Everyone was so tired after all that, but Gabrielle had a fever (I think she's teething, poor thing is so miserable) and REFUSED to sleep last night. I am so wiped out today.
Well, I have a hungry baby, but I want to post pics from yesterday, so I'll get back on and do that in a little bit!

Charlie - Mr. Wonderful

2006-06-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

I had the most horrifying dream last night that Charlie was driving home from work and got hit by a semi on FM-2978 and died instantly. It was one of those dreams where it seemed so real that I was relieved to wake up. It's been bothering me all day long and I just can't shake it. I was so devistated and hysterical...I can't imagine loving anyone in the world like I love him. And it was worse that he wasn't there when I got up (he has to leave at 5 AM every day this week for Junior High day camp). I just need to let go of it. I hate that kind of stuff.
I hope that we still have years and years together. The other day I made a comment to him about how in "25 years...," and then I thought WOAH 25 YEARS?! lol I can't imagine being with someone for that long...just because I have no gague of what 25 years is, I'm only 23 years old after all and out of those 23 years, I only remember probably 15 at most lol. Next month, we'll have been together for 8 years (3 of which we'll have been married). We met when we were in high school at a summer time NET retreat. I remember the moment I first saw him. He's 6'1"ish and the door frame was low, I remember him ducking under the door frame, looking up, and then I saw his amazing blue eyes. It certainly wasn't love at first sight, because I don't believe in that. But something stirred within my soul, something I couldn't put my finger on. We didn't meet eachother for 2 more days (there were a lot of people there and we each had our own friends we were with), but we had noticed each other. He is my best friend and the greatest blessing of my life - I thank God all the time for putting such an amazing man in my life. He's such a loving father, a hard worker, a faithful and faith-filled man; he's got amazing integrity, a servant's spirit, and he is so strong. Obviously I can't begin to name every little thing about him that I love and adore but, I just wanted to take a moment to reflect after last night. I never want to take him for granted. He's wonderful.

Sweet Silence

2006-06-04T10:33:00.000-05:00

My house is so quiet right now...but I suspect that everyone will be up soon! This has been one of the most lovely weekends we've had in a long time. We didn't end up going to visit my family because my mom called before we were to leave and told me that Julia (my littlest sister, she's almost 1) had a high fever and that we shouldn't come. I appreciated that because there have been MANY times that we've gone there and Isabella was sick (she's the second youngest sister - she's 3 1/2) and I've come home with a miserable Felicity. I was sad not to go, as it was my mom's birthday yesterday and I absolutly adore her - but we're going to go this coming weekend and we'll be there for Julia's birthday!

My house is a wreck right now, that is the real reason I got up before everyone else. Our a/c has been leaking water for about a month now and yesterday it reached it's peak by soaking about 6 ft. into our wood floor in the living room allll the way across the width of the room. ::sigh:: So, Charlie figured out how to fix it and it was a huge mess. Now there are towels and flashlights and a/c filters and all kinds of mess everywhere. He fixed it in the middle of the night last night while I was nursing the baby and fell asleep.

Things in life are really looking up right now...I so wish I could share some of the goings in our life on here - I have so many thoughts. And while I know this is MY blog and I can say whatever I want, out of respect for the position Charlie is in right now I just can't put a lot of details out there. Let's just say that in the near future there may be an opportunity for real financial peace. That's a huge leap from where we have come from...maybe I'll reflect on that later...

For now, I'm going to have some breakfast and clean up before my sweet family awakens!

Saturday

2006-06-03T22:01:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Day

2006-06-02T23:35:00.000-05:00

It has been a truly lovely day. Fridays are Charlie's days off and so I am always looking forward to them. We started the day with First Friday mass at St. Anthony's, then went to have breakfast together. Charlie had a meeting at noon, so the girls and I hung around and they took naps. I have been feeling HORRIBLE today though, my back is aching and I have been feeling nautious with a headache. So, when Charlie came home he took care of Gabrielle (FAM was sleeping) and I took a nap. Later we had dinner and went to the Woodlands Market Street and Felicity ran around to get some wiggles out.

Both my girls are in bed now, which is sort of early. And we are planning to go to bed too so that we can get to confession in the morning. I need to go. ::sigh:: I need the grace of that sacrament so that I can be a better wife and mama.

I have had a host of sorrowful emails today. One, a woman in my FAMILA group is having health problems and has 4 children - one being just a tiny infant. She's in the hospital for testing. Another, a friend of a friend is engaged to a man who has just been diagnosed with lung cancer. They are my age. So sad. Please keep them in your prayers.

Also, speaking of prayers - please pray for my sweet Charlie! Some stuff has been happening that is very exciting for him and for our family. Please just pray for the will of God to be realized. I really can't go into detail, as he has asked me not to.

Once again, speaking of Charlie - he's outside having a cigar and I think I might go sit with him. ;-)

Interesting Opportunity

2006-06-01T16:43:00.000-05:00

I just found out that St. Anthony’s has a choir that performs Russian Vespers. THAT is my kind of stuff. They are preparing for Pentecost, and going through June. I am really going to pray about this opportunity. The main issue is that they rehearse on Sunday nights from 7-8:30 and I’m not sure what I would do with my girls since Charlie works Sunday evenings… We’ll see…but for now I’m going to think and pray about it, because that sounds so amazing. When I was looking at the bulletin online earlier and saw that, I just happened to be listening to Rachmaninov Vespers on my iPod! lol

See more progress on: sing in a choir again

Fun with Food

2006-06-01T15:58:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics I just put on my computer from last night. Felicity was excited about having a "pizza picnic" with daddy and Gabrielle was REALLY excited about her first biter biscuit. lol

Looks like I spoke too soon on the sunny day...it's POURING outside! lol

You Are My Joy

2006-06-01T12:27:00.000-05:00

I feel so joyful today.

I don't know if it is because of the coffee. Or maybe that I got up at 8:30 and had 3 hours to get things done before my little ones stirred. It could be that the water well guys came out to fix my water pump yesterday and now I have continuous water pressure (we are on well water, and my pump wasn't working, so I would have to go outside and turn it back on several times a day), which means that I am getting a killer amount of laundry done. Maybe it's that my children are in particularly good spirits today or that the sun is out for the first time in nearly a week or that Charlie is coming home early today. It could be the prayers of Sts. Felicity and Perpetua, who I begged to pray for me this morning.

All those things contribute, but mostly, it's probably that I made the decision that today I'm going to be joyful. Jesus, You are my joy!

Note: Go to iTunes and look up David Crowder Band's song "You Are My Joy." It's amazing.

Thoughts on Baby Food

2006-05-31T21:15:00.000-05:00

I know that Gabrielle is more than ready to start on solid food, since she is approaching 7 months old. I feel really conflicted though about whether I should make my own baby food or not. On one hand, I worry that I'll do something wrong in the process and potentially harm her, but on the other, jarred baby food kind of grosses me out. I must clairify though, that the beginning baby food in a jar doesn't gross me out. It's really once you get to the stage 3-ish and it includes meats. The color is so unnatural, that I question its nutritional benefits for my baby! With Felicity, I started baby food at about 4 months, mostly because I was excited and she was my first baby. This time, I know that the baby food stage is NO FUN (in my opinion) and so I have been putting it off. Gabrielle is ready now though, and so I need to get started. Maybe I'll start with jarred stuff and by the time she's ready for meats she'll be old enough to have little pieces of solids and I won't have to do that jarred baby food meat that grosses me out...

The *other* issue is that with solid food comes returned fertility. *Note to self* Call NFP instructor

The Strangest Thing

2006-05-31T13:00:00.000-05:00

The strangest thing happened yesterday. Charlie left for work and it was rainy and muddy as it was the day before. Several hours went by and my internet stopped working, as did my house phone line. We don't use our phone line, in fact I don't think I ever remember the phone number here; we only use our cell phones because it's practically long distance to call anywhere in Houston. Also, the lines at my house are really static-y and just bad. So anyway, I was sitting on the couch nursing Gabrielle and Felicity was playing. Suddanly there's a knock on the door and I see a man's head out the window near the door. Understand, we live off a dirt road, where people don't come, and the only people who have been around lately are construction guys. I could tell it wasn't a construction guy. So I opened the door and it was a police officer! It scared the daylights out of me! He seemed stressed after having to go through the awful mud, and asked the house number here and I told him. He then told me that they got a 911 call from my phone number and then when they tried to call back it was only static on the line! It was so strange! I told him that we don't even use our phone line, we only have it so we'll have internet. In fact, there's not even a phone plugged into it anywhere! He asked if Felicity could have called, and I said no, the phoneline is in my laundry room and I have a baby gate up so she can't go in there... He was so nice, but it was the weirdest thing! Creepy...

Today my FAMILIA group got together to play, but I couldn't go because Charlie had to take my jeep to work since his Jetta can't get through the mud. It just keeps raining and keeps raining...::sigh:: I don't want to spend the next several weeks stuck at home. I'm already getting stir crazy as I haven't left the house since...Monday morning. ugh

We are going to go to Fort Worth this weekend to visit my family. It's my mom's birthday, so I have to go shopping! My sister Julia is having a birthday a week from Saturday, so I need to get her something also. She's turning 1! lol Aparently she walks now, which blows my mind. Awww...I miss my family. My sister Marissa was IMing me this morning (she's 8), and it's just amazing to me that such little people can manuver the internet so well. lol

Well, I have much to do before we leave tomorrow so I suppose I should get to it!

Memorial Day Fun

2006-05-30T11:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had a party at my house for Memorial Day. It went alllllll day long and well into the night! The highlights included: too much delicious food, men getting stuck in the mud (it POURED rain and our dirt road turned into crazy mud), dancing, bathtime for the kids, giggling and playing in my bed with friends, and fun with Mr. Cuervo!

I remember being in high school and having really close friends who I felt super comfortable with, where we would just lounge around all day together, fall asleep in eachother's couches, or whatever. I haven't felt that with a friend for a long time, but yesterday was like that with Angie, Chris, and their kids. The party started at 1:00 and just kept going all day and night. I feel so blessed.

But now I have post-party let down! boooo <----as Angie would say lol

It's pouring rain again today. I don't know how we're going to get out of here, the mud is so bad.

Thoughts on Mass

2006-05-29T00:19:00.000-05:00

What a truly beautiful day...

We got up early, planning on going to mass at 9, but changed our minds and went to walmart instead to get some things for the yard. We have a courtyard on the side of the house that, with some work, could be incredibly beautiful. That's where I want to put my Mary Garden and a statue of the Blessed Mother. Charlie dug a fire pit and put down that garden plastic to kill the grass, and started covering it with pine bark. It's going to look really pretty I think, I'll post pics for sure once I'm' done. I cleaned up the porch a bit, swept the never-ending sand away from the sand box, hung up some lovely flowers, and planted some basil and parsley. If we end up going back to walmart tomorrow, I need to buy some more chives as well. Our house has such potential for outdoor beauty that we have never tapped into, mostly because the money wasn't there or we didn't go outside as much. Now that Felicity plays out there all the time we enjoy being out there with her.

After working in the yard, we got cleaned up and headed to mass at SEAS and then to a graduation party for some of Charlie's teenagers.

Mass was really great for me today, although Gabrielle made it hard for me to concentrate because she is so wiggly. I think she'll be so much happier when she can crawl because she is just not content to be held. Anyway...that's off the topic. There was a lovely flower arrangement in front of the alter today, it must have been from a wedding over the weekend. It was all red roses and red gerbera dasies. It was striking and reminded me of my own wedding, where we had all red roses. We usually sit in the front, since Life Teen encourages the teenagers to sit together and Charlie sits with them. My girls are usually pretty well behaved when we're both there so that hasn't been an issue. When they brought the book of Gospels up today I couldn't help but think of our beloved John Paul the Great, and of his funeral. I will never forget sitting up at my parents house watching his funeral in the middle of the night, weeping, and still joyful. That red book always reminds me of him, and when they placed the book upon his coffin and the wind blew it shut. It gave me chills then, and as I think about it now I get them as well. Jesus was there and He was powerful.

Some issues in the (terrible, as usual) homily opened some doors of conversation between Charlie and I on the way home. It turned out to be a very enlightening conversation about us as a couple, and our past, and our love. He said something to me that moved me to tears, something I've been wating for him to say in the depths of my heart - without even realizing it. I am so madly in love with this man...

Well, I must head to bed. We are having a Memorial Day BBQ at my house tomorrow and I need some good sleep before I get up and get ready for it in the morning. My house is a mess and I need to run to the store...so hopefully I can get that all done in the AM.

John Paul the Great - Pray for Us!

Yard Work

2006-05-28T00:26:00.000-05:00

Today has been a really lovely day. Charlie was still really tired from the lock-out the other night so he slept soooooooo late...and incidently, so did I. It's a chain reaction, he sleeps late, then I do, and if I do, the Gabrielle and Felicity do. So, we weren't up and moving until noonish. hehe But we lounged around in bed for a while watching movies and snuggling and enjoying our sweet family.

Today we went shopping to the Houston Garden Center and Home Depot and got some stuff to improve our yard. We have this gorgeous courtyard to the side of our house that was really over grown and we have never dealt with it. But we have started working on it and Charlie's in the process of digging a fire pit for it. We're also going to put in a statue of Mary under the archway and a bench for praying. At Home Depot I got some beautiful hanging baskets of flowers and also some more basil and parsley (since my last try wasn't so hot).
My children are now offically in bed...so I think I'm going to go pick up and head to bed myself. We're going to morning mass tomorrow at St. Anthony's (YAY!) so we can get home and work on the yard some more... Goodnight!

On My Way

2006-05-27T12:43:00.000-05:00

I went to Michael’s the other day to get the supplies needed to learn the basics of jewelry making. The options were literally endless and I felt really overwhelmed. So, I ended up buying a “starter kit,” a bead storage box, and another “kit” of swarvarski crystal jewelry to do if I mastered the other, bigger kit. So far I made a bracelet, it’s pretty, but I think that someday in the future I might laugh at it. lol I’ll have to post up a pics of it. It’s three strands and black & white. I wore it out last night and it didn’t fall apart so I was happy about that. I think that the tools that came with my kit are definatly below par, so I’ll have to invest in better tools, but it was good to learn how they work on a basic level. I’m going to try to make a few more pieces before I attempt the beatutiful rosary of my dreams. I found instructions to it on a really interesting website, and I keep looking at it and understanding more and more as I learn the “launguage” of this hobby.

See more progress on: make a beautiful rosary

I Must Be Ok With This

2006-05-27T12:34:00.000-05:00

I think I’m going to give this goal up. The last two days I’ve slept later than 8ish because I just wasn’t getting enough sleep. Going to bed at 2 and getting up at 8 or 9 after a night full of Gabrielle tossing & turning and nursing…it just wasn’t working for me. My family just gets up late. I have to be ok with that I guess. Maybe someday…

See more progress on: wake up earlier for a month

My Friend Across the Pasture

2006-05-26T01:36:00.000-05:00

I'm about to head to bed....I'm so thankful for Angie tonight! She came over after her kids went to bed (for those who don't know, Angie is my friend AND neighbor, she moved into the house that we used to live in "across the pasture" about 3 months after we met through xanga) to keep me company tonight. Since she is also a youth minister's wife, she understands that the nights alone are the hardest. I am so very thankful for her company tonight!

Both of my girlies are sleeping (it's 1:30 they should be!) and I need to head to bed since I have to get up early (per 43things), mainly to talk to Charlie on his way home though (he's not sleeping all night).

Awwwwww...there is an infomercial on right now with Etta James singing At Last....that was our first dance at our wedding reception! It just gives me chills. I am so in love with my husband....

Sorry, off topic.

Anyway, I need to go to bed...but I might work on my bracelet for a few minutes since I'm having a bit of sambuca and it's not gone yet lol. I went to Michael's yesterday to buy beading supplies. I got a beginner kit to learn the basics because all the options were WAY overwhelming. One of my goals is to make a beautiful rosary, so I need to learn how to use the tools and the wiring and the crimp beads, etc. before I attempt that. If I don't do well I may also take a class at Michael's. It's just 2 hours long and with Gabrielle still exclusively nursing that worries me (though she doesn't nurse much during the day).

I'm rambling. Off to bed. Blessings!

Mama Bear

2006-05-25T14:38:00.000-05:00

Why oh why oh why....?

It seems like everytime Charlie has to go somewhere for a substantial amount of time, something happens at home that I wish he could be here to rescue me from?! lol This morning, as soon as he left this HUGE lizard ran across my living room! We do live in a forest, so it's not uncommon to see animals around OUTSIDE, or even those tiny lizards breaking in....but it was huge. I'm talking at least a foot an a half long, black, with orange cheeks, and fast! I had no idea what to do! So I called Charlie and his suggestion was for me to kill it with an AX! First of all, that would have been disgusting to do IN my house and also...I'm not going to use an ax around my children. Mama Bear came out though and I just had to deal with it. I was able to herd him out the front door with my broom - but I was still shaking and my throat still hurts from the initial scream from when he ran across the room lol.

Charlie is gone all night, as he has a lock-out tonight with the teenagers. He won't be back until tomorrow morning and I hope I'm not paranoid about giant lizards all night...::sigh::

I talked to my mom a little big ago and she bought us tickets to go see the American Idol tour when it is in Dallas. lol That will be so fun, Charlie and Dad agreed to watch all the children...we never get to go do stuff alone, so that will be SO fun!

Well, my sweet Felicity is trashing my house so I must away for now...

A Comment for My Friends

2006-05-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

lol So a couple of my readers found it humorous that 8:00 AM was an early time for me to get up today! Let me expalin....I can see how this would be confusing to those who don't know me in "real life!"

My husband is a youth minister in the Catholic church,he runs a huge program called Life Teen for the ministry and catechesis of all 9th-12th graders in the largest parish in the Diocese of Houston. This is a huge program that requires him to work really late most nights of the week (and by late, I mean I get excited if he's home by 9 pm, but it's usually closer to 11-12). By the time he gets home, and we talk, and he plays with the kids, etc, nobody usually gets to bed before 1 am. SOMETIMES, if I'm lucky Felicity is in bed by midnight. But those nights we end up staying up later because we actually get to be alone, so then sometimes we're looking at 2 or 3 (AM). Felicity usually sleeps until 11-11:30 am. Gabrielle usually sleeps until 11:30-12:30 pm. Charlie usually sleeps until 11 or noon, and if he has to get up "early" that's usually 10ish. *I* usually sleep until llish, but I'm trying to get up around 8-9. Let's take today for example. Last night we went to bed at 2. Gabrielle had a rough night last night and tossed and turned and cried ost of the night (she's 6 months old and co-sleeps). I was udderly exhausted this morning when I got up at 9:00. In fact, I still haven't made coffee and I need to...both of my children are still sleeping (at 10). So...it's not as if I'm getting 10 hours of sleep a night or anything (wouldn't that be fun!) lol.

So, that long explaination basically comes down to we have a pretty normal schedule - just shifted down by a couple hours! I look forward to the day that my children are in bed by 8 or 9 like normal people, but for now, we're just sometimes leaving the park at that time. lol

:-)

Day 2

2006-05-25T00:04:00.000-05:00

I did it today. Got up at 8ish. Thats super early for me. I had FAMILIA, which made it so very worth it! Plus I had to help Charlie get Felicity ready to go to the zoo (they went to the zoo together today…awww!).

See more progress on: wake up earlier for a month

Gulp

2006-05-25T00:03:00.000-05:00

Today I got in my 8 glasses. I also had coffee (as usual) and about 2/3 of a Diet Coke, which made me feel sick to my stomach. I was done with my 8 by about 4:30 this afternoon, and I am so thirsty still! I told Angie at lunch today that I should probably only drink water at home since I have to go to the bathroom all the time…not easy in public with babies….lol Anyway, this is going good. Two days down.

See more progress on: drink more water

Moody

2006-05-24T23:41:00.000-05:00

Good week so far...yesterday Angie and I hung out all day since our husbands didn't come home until the middle of the night. It's good to have someone to spend time with while our husbands are away. Today was my last FAMILIA meeting, which was sad, but we are still going to meet all summer just to play and maybe discuss a couple of books. Next week we are meeting at my house, so that should be fun. I don't know what my problem is today but I have been so moody....I hope I'm not pregnant - I'm not ready for that. I'm sure I'm not, but I can't help being paranoid. My body needs to recover from the last 3 years of being pregnant and nursing (I'm still nursing). With the exception of the first 10 days, I have spent our entire marriage either pregnant or nursing. After the c-section and VBAC, I really need a break. Hopefully God agrees... Maybe I'm just tired. That could be it.
Taylor won American Idol. I'm happy about that. The finale was super anti-climatic in my option though.
I'm going to go update on my goals on 43things and then go hang out with my family who are all in my bed tickling and giggling and singing the abc's. It makes my heart smile!

Focus

2006-05-23T22:31:00.000-05:00

I have been focusing on this all day. I think this is an attainable goal and I plan on starting pilates to improve my strength and posture as well. I really have to pay attention to my posture while driving and on the internet. It’s hardest while holding a baby…I’ll work on that later.

See more progress on: have better posture

Inspired

2006-05-23T22:29:00.000-05:00

Angie (www.43things.com/person/herlittleway) has really been encouraging me by her example! Today when she came over she made me her healthy lunch time shake that was delicious and we’ve been talking a lot about how to start working out. I need to update my membership at the Y and then I’m going to get started. I feel very inspired. We’ll see how far that takes me….

See more progress on: Lose 20 pounds

Success on Day One

2006-05-23T22:27:00.000-05:00

Today was day one of getting up early. I got up about 3 hours earlier than usual and it felt great! At about noon I started to feel a dragging feeling, but Angie came over and (another of my goals) I drank a ton of water and made it successfuly through the day! I have my final FAMILIA meeting tomorrow morning early, so I have another reason to get up early!

See more progress on: wake up earlier for a month

I did it today!

2006-05-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

I got in my 8 glasses today! WHOOHOO. I started off with a good two cups of coffee, and I was afraid I would turn straight to the diet cokes sitting in my fridge calling my name, but instead I filled up my trusty water bottle to 32 oz and got started. Then at dinner I had another 34 oz, so that was great!

See more progress on: drink more water

Untitled

2006-05-22T23:51:00.000-05:00

Tommorrow I begin. I will be inspired by the fact that I have Angie and her kids coming over for lunch and to play at noon. I’ll need to run to the grocery store first, before Charlie leaves for work, because I couldn’t bare to take the children alone today. I just need to remember to set my coffee pot tonight so I’ll be ready for the morning! I’m always more inspired when I can smell the coffee!

See more progress on: wake up earlier for a month

It starts tomorrow

2006-05-22T23:46:00.000-05:00

What inspired me to do this is the condition of my skin. I want it to glow! So, tomorrow I’m going to begin to tackle this. 8 X 8oz each day – I know I can so do it! I don’t think I can check it off the list until I’ve been doing it for several weeks and really differing to the water over diet sodas. At least I stopped drinking the full calorie cokes I was addicted to for 22 years…. On to the next step.

See more progress on: drink more water

43 Things

2006-05-22T15:06:00.000-05:00

I found the coolest website. www.43things.com I have always been really goal oriented AND list oriented, so this website is my dream come true! It's so fun! I can link it to my blog, so I will probably be cross posting from there on my goals. Here's my list.

It's 2 AM

2006-05-22T01:53:00.000-05:00

Note: My last post probably sounds a lot more dramatic than it should be taken. It was vague and not what may be expected. That's all I have to say about that. lol

Great weekend! Friday night was Grace's birthday party, and we had fun as always! It was the cutest princess party ever! Yesterday was nice, we worked on the yard a bit (which if you know anything about Charlie and I, a "bit" in the yard is a major deal lol). After that we went to the crawfish festival at Christ the Good Shepherd and ate a huge mountain of crawfish. The "after party" was at my house and we had so much fun! We didn't intend to seperate from our male counterparts, but Angie, Kelly, and I spent fun girl time in the house while the guys blew things up with guns and made some sort of fire. Not sure what was going on there....just saw the flames out in the (dried up) lake.

While I was talking to Angie last night I had some huge revelations about myself and how I feel about myself. She said some things to me that really affirmed me, whether she was aware of it or not. It reminded me of when Charlie and I were reading Wild at Heart and the author, John Eldridge, discusses that masculinity begets masculinity - that women can never bestow it upon a man, whether he is a husband or son. I think the same goes the other way, femininity inspires femininity and she said some things to me that encouraged my feminine heart in a really important way, especially in relationship to my husband.

I'm going to learn how to sew. I've been talking to women who know how and so I need to save up some money to buy a machine.

My baby's crying so more later...it's almost 2 am...eek.

Rescue Me

2006-05-20T00:02:00.000-05:00

Satan knows just what to do to work his agenda right into my heart. He knows how to make me doubt myself and how to doubt my choices and my relationships and, more than anything, my femininity. What he did today was draped with innocence, yet I knew what was happening the whole time. While I may have resisted, the events still wounded my heart.

I'm praying tonight to resist this world. I'm praying for Jesus to rescue me.

Who is this Child???

2006-05-18T22:30:00.000-05:00

I don't know what happened today, but some other 2-year-old took over my sweet Felicity! We went up to church with Charlie today so we could go back to the St. Francis bookstore (more on that later), and on the way home she freeked out. It was hysterical crying on the way home for over an hour. She wasn't hungry or thirsty, nothing was poking or hurting her. Sometimes the sun was in her eyes (Charlie's Jetta doesn't have tinted windows) and she hadn't really had much of a nap. But nonetheless, it was behavior we have *never* seen with her. ::sigh:: I'm glad it's over.

The bookstore was fun as ever. I got Felicity some appropriate Catholic things to distract her in mass and we also got the information from Lawrence to aquire first class relics of Sts. Felicity and Perpetua. Most importantly, we returned the (expensive) keychain depicting the Holy Family that Felicity lifted last time we were there. After we had checked out last time, Charlie and Lawrence were chatting and Felicity was holding the bag, I was attending to the baby. During their conversation, Lawrence told Charlie what a problem he has with shoplifting in his store, so I was quite horrified to find an item in the bag that hadn't been purchased.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I think I'm going to see if Charlie will watch the girls for an hour or two tomorrow (Felicity is never a problem for him, but since Gabrielle is still nursing it kind of worries him I think). I have a gift card to Barnes and Noble that I would like to use, and I also want to go to Michael's to look at beading supplies. I have to do some major grocery shopping too, but for that I don't mind strapping Gab in the Bijorn if necessary.
Tomorrow Angie is having a birthday party for her little girl, so that will be fun. Then on Saturday we are going to an afternoon showing of "Over the Hedge" to protest the DaVinci Code movie.

That is all for now. I have so much laundry to do...

Interesting Blog

2006-05-16T14:51:00.000-05:00

I found this blog today. I agree with a lot of what he says, and find this post in particular very interesting.

Super Long Weekend Update

2006-05-15T13:34:00.000-05:00

I'm kind of lonely today. Charlie will be working late and after a really fun-filled weekend I'm kind of feeling the let down being here in the quiet.

We enjoyed our weekend, as we had a lot of events and stuff to do, so we got to spend quite a bit of time together. On Saturday we had to go up to church because all the faith formation directors were having a party for their volunteers, so we went early and went to St. Frances catholic bookstore over on Hwy. 6. It is owned by a couple who is incredibly faithful. They have the "official" shrine for Blessed Miguel Pro, it is the spot that the Vatican designated for all of Fr. Pro's cannonization stuff. It was amazing, the owner, Lawrence, told me the whole story of Fr. Pro and showed me all of the different relics he has. Charlie explained to me that Lawrence is in a lay order who is in charge of preserving relics and that was why he had so many. We're talking first-class relics, pieces of bone and such. He had all of the 12 disciples, Anne and Joachim, Francis, Claire, Therese of Lisoux, Bernadette, Foustina, tons of them - even a piece of the true cross. It was amazing. I am so thankful to be catholic and a part of this rich and beautiful faith of truth. While we were there I didn't get to look around as much as I would have liked since Felicity is a destructive 2-year-old and Charlie had to be back to church to set up. But I did buy Felicity a miraculous medal with the birthday money that my grandparents sent her. It doesn't bother her and it is so sweet to see her with it on. You can see it in one of the pics above I think. Our sweet Deacon Lupe blessed it for her when we got up to church.

The party that night was nice, we got to eat Johnny Carino's and dance and chat. Charlie got in his new shirts that he's selling with the vatican flag crest on it. That's what we're wearing with the yellow sleeves. On the back it says PAPIST and below XVI (16- for Benedict our holy pope!). I saw it on God or the Girl on one of the guys and pointed it out to him and in a matter of weeks he did it. lol Kevin made a cool one too with a very simple outline of Our Lady of Guadalupe that says "Mama's Boy" underneath.

For Mother's Day, Charlie had to work all day selling roses as a fundraiser so we didn't really do anything. He did get me a sweet gift though and wrote me a beautiful card.
I will never forget my first Mother's Day. We were still at St. Paul's, and it was the first time that we took Felicity up for mass, as she was brand new, only a few weeks old at most. It was the day that confirmed in my heart God's love for me and His wisdom because only He knows what would truly give me joy. For 9 months I had not looked forward to becoming a mother, but that day they gave all the mothers roses. I remember walking through the line, holding my precious child and a young man that was in the Life Teen program that I knew handed me a rose and said, "Happy Mother's day, Andrea." And with that, it was like an internal gasp - I was a mother, and I had great joy and peace in that. It was a precious moment.

Yesterday there was a huge storm at my house, pouring rain and thunder and lightening right on top of us. We live in a heavily wooded forest of pine trees, so I always get a little scared. I called Charlie and told him that we were going to go up to church early and to see if he needed anything. As I was talking to him my power cut out. So I had to get the girls ready in the dark (and myself! scary!) and we got out of here as soon as the rain let up a bit before it came back through. On our way home at about 10:30, Angie's husband (Angie is my dear friend and also nearest neighbor) called because they had just arrived home after a weekend in Dallas to NO POWER. After 7 hours it had not been fixed! So Charlie and Chris went to the store for candles (and came back with a multitude of religious candles in spanish, lol) and beer and wine. We all sat around in the dark and played drinking games and laughed and had a great time. We finally had to come home regardless of the fact that the power wasn't back on yet because Charlie was sooooo tired. It came home almost immediately after we got home. We had so much fun, so I was glad it was out. lol

So after all that....today is a bit lonely. There's a lot going on in my heart right now - I need to get my chores done, put the girls down, and get in some good prayer time.
St. Frances and St. Claire - pray for us.

Not much going On

2006-05-11T13:28:00.000-05:00

Not much going on lately...Charlie's been working a lot, as usual. But hopefully today he'll get home while it's still light out! I'm counting on him grilling a tritip for dinner! Mmmmmmmmm...
We got to talk the other night about all the stuff going on with us, and it was wonderful. I've felt such peace since then. There were some things I had wanted to share with him for almost as long as I've known him that had a lot to do with the issue at hand. He made me feel so safe and loved. I have a good one. :-)

Our new duvet cover is coming today, I am excited to see my bed all put together. I think it will be pretty. I have truly been sleeping better with all that space, I don't have to worry about someone falling off all night (whether it be me or Gabrielle!).

I got some beautiful flowers for my computer desk. I'll have to post a pic of them later, they are Oriental Lillies and they smell delicious! God's creation is amazing.

Communion of Saints

2006-05-07T20:08:00.000-05:00

My children were absolutly angelic in mass. No sarcasm, in all seriousness.

I do not attribute it to them, nor to myself.

I believe 100% that it was by the intercession of Saints.

While getting ready and driving to St. Anthony's I was praying spcifically to Sts. Anne, Felicity, and Perpetua -all notable mothers by the way- to pray for me and for my children to behave in mass, as this was my first time to take them both all alone. We named our children (Felicity Anne, Gabrielle Perpetua) after these women and I have asked for their prayers many times.

Not only were they quiet, but also sat still and entertained themselves and I got to *gasp* pay attention! lol Sweet babies.

Lovely Weekend

2006-05-07T14:13:00.000-05:00

It has been a nice weekend. Charlie took Thursday off in addition to Friday and Saturday (his usual days off), because between last Sunday and Wednesday he had worked 40 hours. Crazy. But it was really good to spend so much time together this weekend. We got our tax refund on Friday which spurred a bit of a spending frenzy which was pretty fun. We were able to get a few things that we have been wanting for quite some time, with plenty of money left over to pay off some serious debts. It's a really nice feeling.
We got a king bed, and it's amazing. We co-sleep with babies, so Gabrielle sleeps with us every night. And then Felicity often joins us in the early morning when she wakes up and we want to sleep a bit more. So, four of us in the queen bed was not working out. Having all that extra space has been wonderful, I have noticed that both the baby and I are sleeping better. We got new sheets like the ones we had before because they were so cozy, but we got them in a turquoise blue and I ordered a chocolate brown microsuede duvet cover and shams from overstock.com. I think it will be pretty when it gets here but I'm nervous because when it comes to home decor I have never been so bold with color. I really prefer solid neutrals and then toss in a few things with color or pattern. But I think it will be pretty.
Last night we went to a program at Prince of Peace (where I do FAMILIA) called "The Ten Great Dates." They have really good childcare there, so I felt comfortable doing it. They give you questions to talk about and send you out on a date and watch the children. I thought I wanted to leave Gabrielle, but I just didn't feel comfortable leaving her yet; my gut instinct said no. Felicity wasn't too excited about it, but since Angie's kids were there and she got to play with Isaac she did ok. Anyway, we went to eat and had a nice time. We didn't talk about the questions much because they weren't really that great in my opinion and it wasn't something that we really needed to talk about. But there were some things that we DID need to talk about that I have really been holding back about. I had been struggling with some things and I didnt know how to bring these things up. So, emboldened by the situation I brought them up toward the end of the date. We talked about it a little bit, and then had to leave due to time (we had to pick Felicity up) and Charlie said we could talk about it in the car or at home. But, we didn't. So I'm left with the same issues and no resolution. So that was frusturating.
Charlie left early this morning, they are doing fundraising for Stubenville conference and Cove Crest this summer, so he isn't home all day and won't be back until 11-12ish since there is a Life Night tonight. I need to call my MIL and see if she'll watch the girls while I go to mass tonight - Felicity is in a weird 2 year old funk and I don't think I can count on good behavior for mass. I don't know though, maybe I'll just take them both....if I leave early we can get in the cry room (they're really nice at St. Anthony's, but tiny- which is good because then it doesn't lead to insanity). Maybe I'll do that... I don't know.
I need to go fold laundry and make lunch!

Let's Pray

2006-05-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

Today I had my Familia meeting. I remember at the very beginning in October I only knew Angie, and now these women have all become my friends. We went an hour longer than usual and it seems like it would be because we had to do two lessons, but really it was because we kept getting off topic and chatting! I feel so blessed to be a part of this group, and I am thankful that God tugged at my heart when I heard about it. My dear friend Angie wrote about this in her xanga today, and I was also struck by the beautiful call we have as parents to write on the slates of the hearts of our children simply by praying WITH them. Praying with other people is really uncomfortable for me, as growing up we did not do that. When we did, it was akward and foreign. I think Felicity is old enough to be prayed with, in fact, I feel like we have sort of failed on this up to this point because could it ever really be too early?

I am really tired today. Charlie has been working late every night, and 2 of those nights this week have been unexpected late nights. Tonight is one of them. I am so proud of him and of his sincere desire to serve the Church. However, I can not help but be really worn out by the last 3 years worth of no schedule. I never know what is going to happen, when he'll be here, when he won't, and frankly it makes me so tired! I can't plan my weeks or even days very accuratly, because I know that everything can change and often does. Church work is hard on family life.

I don't mean to complain.

But I'm going to go make a pot of coffee.

Birthday Party Pics

2006-05-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

Birthday Pictures

2006-05-02T14:06:00.000-05:00

Party pics to come....they're all on my mom's camera so I'm waiting for her to send them to me. But here is Felicity's actual birthday with us! Awww... I can't believe I have a 2-year-old!

A Very Happy Birthday!

2006-04-29T02:03:00.000-05:00

Felicity had a very happy birthday! The party is tomorrow (technically today, as it is 2 am), so pictures will follow in another post!

Off to sleep...the alarm goes off at 6! eep

The Scar

2006-04-27T08:55:00.000-05:00

Two years ago today I went to visit my OB/GYN, as it was the day before my due date for Felicity to be born. This day completed a long journey for me that had started 9 months earlier when I suddanly realized that, based on my NFP charts, I should take a pregnancy test. I was 20 years old, and married for less than a month. I was in college. We lived in a city where I knew literally nobody. Charlie had just started a job that paid a salary so far under the government's poverty line, it wasn't even funny. Needless to say, when I looked at that little stick - and there were two little pink lines - I lost it. To say that I cried, would be a gross understatement. To be more accurate, first I threw up (too soon for morning sickness...out of sheer emotion)and then I sobbed - for probably about 3 weeks. And then on a pretty regular basis after that. I felt like I had been ripped off. I felt like Charlie had just married me and then, I was going to be this huge, disgusting creature and he would be embarassed of me. I felt like all the dreams that I had for my life had been wadded up, stomped on, spit on, and flushed. I was so angry and hurt and taken completely by surprise.
Slowly, God worked.
Although it was a hard 9 months with financial, emotional, and spiritual disaster, looking back I see all of God's perfect plan. The church where Charlie worked was 2 hours away, so I would go with him every single day because I had quit school and didn't have a job. That community embraced us with such love, and there were so many times that their random acts of kindness that year absolutly saved us. I met a woman, who to this day is someone that I absolutly adore and look up to, who was a mother of teenagers at the parish. She and her family were there for us the whole time, and one of the greatest things that she did was tell me what I needed to hear in an objective and loving way.
As the pregnancy went on, I got better about my feelings. But my heart was hardened and selfish. I can not honestly say that the entire time I was pregnant I was ever excited. Isn't that sad? It breaks my heart now to think about it.
Then, two years ago today, my doctor said I would be induced the next day. After a c-section, out came this tiny perfect child. The moment I heard her cry, 9 months of selfishness, anger, and self-pity literally melted away. Not a moment has passed since Felicity's birth that I have ever felt those same feelings. She came into this world and taught me such a lesson about God's plan. God's plan brings joy - HE knows what what our hearts truly desire. I would not trade what I *thought* I wanted for the first years of marriage for what we have now. When I hold that child, when she comes up and kisses me, when she giggles or sings "Old McDonald" to herself, when I watch her sleep and watch her play - my heart swells with a love that I never knew existed in me, until that day.

I have dealt with those issues of the past. I went to confession to confess my terrible selfishness. It hurts my heart that I felt that way, but I no longer deal with it. However, what happened at her birth is still an issue for me. At the bottom of my post is a picture of my scar. Don't scroll all the way down if you don't want to see it.
Felicity was born on her due date to a mother who was totally uninformed on birth issues. My doctor induced me that day with a pitocin drip starting at about 8 am. Now, I have 4 little sisters who are 8,6,3, and 10 months. My mom was induced with all of them and so I assumed that was sort of normal and no problem. I was so very wrong. By 6:00 that evening, I had not dialtaed fully so my doctor sauntered in and informed me that I would be having a c-section because my body was "incapable" of doing what it needs to do to have a baby and that "maybe" my bone structure was wrong to deliever a baby in the way that God intended. With that, he screwed up my entire child bearing future. For the world, it was a totally uncomplicated "birth." Dr. Giannotti was home in time for dinner, I'm sure.
The recovery was hard. I couldn't really move, Charlie had to help me get in and out of the shower and help me dress myself. Nursing was more difficult than necessary due to my pain and the fact that I was so pumped full of drugs that my milk didn't come in for FIVE days, and then there was so much that Felicity couldn't latch on. She was hugry, I was frusturated and in pain. I ended up pumping and bottle feeding her for about 2 weeks, and then we resumed nursing with no problem. (That was a blessing...) As time went on, I started to feel as if I had been brutally violated. Have you ever watched a c-section on Disovery Health or anything? It's violent. They slice you open, yank your skin back, use the weight of their bodies to push the baby through and then rip the child away from its mother. There's so much blood and violence. She wasn't ready to be born that day. They tore her away from me and then I didn't see her for four hours. I was so out of it that I don't even remember that event, I just know because Charlie told me. My scar healed slowly, and hurt all the time. It still hurts sometimes. It's ugly, but I've come to appreciate it with a sort of love/hate relationship.
When I found myself pregnant with Gabrielle, I asumed that I would have a repeat c/s. I went back to the same doctor who told me we could schedule a date for the c/s, and that it would be about 2 weeks before the due date. I did some research and found how dangerous it is to have so many repeat cesareans, as I knew this baby wouldn't be my last as the world would like it to be. I decided to VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), which OB's really don't like. They run from people like me who want to try this "risky" manuver because of the risk of uterine rupture. We're talking about a risk that's less than 0.01%. Major surgery over a spot that's already been opened 18 months before sounds a LOT riskier to me. I prayed a lot, and by the grace of God I found a female OB who would "allow" me to VBAC. I did it with Gabrielle, my 9lb baby, and that was one of - if not THE - greatest personal accomplishment of my life... It took a lot of mental preparation, lots of research, and lots of prayers. So much for bone structure problems and a body that won't work, huh Dr. Giannotti???
My scar is the way that my sweet child came into the world and I appreciate it as such. But it is also my sorrow - a violation, a painful struggle. I hate it. I also love it, as it taught me all about Christ's suffering. It was my small, personal Passion.

2006-04-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

Preparing to Celebrate Felicity

2006-04-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

This Friday is Felicity's 2nd birthday and we are having a party for her. Originally, it was going to be at a near by park, but the temperatures in Houston have already become so high that I just think it would be unbearable. SO, we switched it to be at our house, which is a lot more work for me, but work that I am SO excited to do. We're going to still have it mostly outside, but the kids can play in the water and come inside as well if it's too hot for anyone. I ordered this on Amazon last week, it's something I wanted to get anyway, so I'm excited to get it in time for the party. I think that Felicity and the rest will enjoy it. I got most of the shopping done last night, but for the fresh stuff I'll have to go Friday. We really enjoy entertaining and having our friends and family over (my family is coming too! yaya! In fact, my sisters make up 1/3 of the children who will be attending haha). It's funny because as an engaged couple, we invisioned our entertaining in the near future to be something totally different than 2 year-old birthday parties. I think this is more fun.

As her birthday approaches, many feelings come up within me both about my pregnancy and birth of Felicity. I might talk about them later...but I want to deal with them now before her actual birthday on Friday, because I want that day to be a day of joy and celebration. She was the greatest lesson God ever taught me. God knows what gives us JOY.

Take me out to the Ball Game

2006-04-22T22:58:00.000-05:00

Today was such a nice day, it was wonderful to all have our health and be able to GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE. lol

We went to the Astros game. It was so fun! Felicity almost got smacked with a foul ball, but the guy RIGHT in front of us caught it in his hat! I nearly passed out. ::sigh:: But other than that, we had such a great time!

All is Well!

2006-04-22T22:54:00.000-05:00

We're all better now. That was not a fun bug. But by the time we went to bed last night we all felt better! Yay!

I spoke too Soon...

2006-04-21T13:49:00.000-05:00

I got what Felicity had.

Moms can not get sick.

Friday's are Charlie's day off (since he works Sundays), but by my sheer luck (note the sarcasm) he had to work today. I nearly cried when he left. I feel so weak that picking Gabrielle up nearly knocks me over.

I must rely on Christ's strength today.

"...For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely." Song of Songs 2:14

2006-04-20T23:09:00.000-05:00

Thankfully, today continued without any sign of sickness! Interesting, because last night's topic of prayer in the Novena was little children...

As a young girl, from about junior high until I was pregnant with Felicity, the way that I chose to dress was less than chaste. It seemed like my dad was always telling me that I was going to be a "near occasion of sin for young men!" Which is something I totally didn't even understand until very recently. I mean VERY recently.
I was of the mentality that I just wanted to look cute. I didn't understand the affect that it had on boys. In fact, I was just apologizing to Charlie the other day for all those years that he had to look at me in short shorts, skimpy bathing suits, too tight tops, skin tight jeans... That must have been hard for him. I was oblivious for the most part. I say the most part because I knew that I was found attractive, but I didn't understand the struggle that it caused. I had good self esteem, I expected to be treated well, and I did have a sense of personal dignity based on the fact that I was a creation of God - but I didn't understand how to communicate that through my clothing.
Now, of course, I understand that I can dress modestly and still look pretty. No denim jumpers for me, I am sooo not into that. But the complaint that there are no options out there is crazy. There may not be many, but there are enough. I want to make sure that I teach my girls that they can be beautiful, they can dress in a feminine way, and they can do that without exposing so much (as I did) - and really reflect the beauty of God in that feminine modesty. I got this link in a prolife newsletter that was emailed to me the other day, and I think this is a beautiful idea: pure fashon show

My favorite thing is the list of "Modesty Guidelines," it won't let me link it or copy/paste it, but it's under "About Pure Fashion." Maybe I'll type it out later, I want to print it anyway.

I identify so heavily with the feminine elements of my being, and for me, beauty and appreciation for what is beautiful (like the gorgeous antiqe-like colored flowers on my desk right now) is one of the greatest gifts of femininity - as God is the greatest beauty of all.

The Aftermath

2006-04-20T15:30:00.000-05:00

I think Felicity is better today. I went last night and got her some pedialyte and some childrens pepto. She slept great last night and has been witout incident today (so far). I'm still feeling a little obsessive about getting things sanitized. It's all clean, but I'm a bit paranoid. lol

She's been resting a lot today, she definatly doesn't have her usual energy, but her personality is still there! lol Just now she yanked a book out of the baby's hands and said, "THANKS baby Gabby!" Little punk. lol

Why I love Lysol

2006-04-19T20:03:00.000-05:00

On Monday we had dinner with Charlie's mom and my sweet friend Angie came over as well with her family (they are also our neighbors and have kids similar ages, plus a 3 year old). Yesterday when I was chatting with her on AIM, she says oh Andrea, my kids are throwing up everywhere. I say oh Angie, I feel for you - I hate that you are having to deal with that, I haven't really had to do that yet, but I know it will happen eventually.

Today is eventually.

::sigh::

I knew things were going to be rough with Gabrielle, as she has allergies and it is definatly allergy season in Houston. But Felicity....oh sweet Felicity. She woke up and threw up on Charlie. It was just a little bit, so I thought it was over. She didn't eat at lunch. We go to the store, no problems. On the way home she falls asleep about an hour and a half before her normal nap time and stays asleep for nearly 4 hours (about double normal naptime). I smell something. Something not good. I walk in her room and she is sleeping in the worst, most disgusting diaper I have seen - ever. And it's everywhere. On her sheets, pillows, blankets, beloved puppy, in her hair, all over her clothes and skin. Since she was still asleep I prepared for her to wake up by getting a disposable changing pad on the hard floor along with plenty of wipes. Got the bath tub filled and ready. Put out plastic bags to hold trash. Prepared the washer for a fresh load of really dirty laundry. When I got her up she looked so pathetic and sounded so sad. I cleaned her up (glad I prepped) and she hated getting her hair washed as usual. She was all clean and warm in some pjs and watching Jack's Big Music Show. She asked to have a drink and a snack, so I gave her water, yogurt, and toast. Not 20 minutes pass after the first mess was cleaned before the next began. She threw up about 4 times. All over her little winnie the pooh couch, and then mostly on the hard wood floor. Meanwhile, the baby's screaming.

I couldn't help but take a step back and giggle a bit. I'm so glad that God blessed me with a sense of humor at a time that my tendancy to freek out may have taken over. I called Charlie to see what time he would be home tonight and if he could pick up some stuff for Felicity to feel better. Funnily, the one who usually has such a sense of humor freeked out. He doesn't like sick babies, it stresses him out. lol

Well, I thought I might document this day - the day of "eventually." I'm sure that in the future when I have a ton of kids this will be semi-routine, but for now I'm just learning. Wish me luck as I whisk myself off to the world of really smelly diapers and lysol!

Prayer Corner

2006-04-19T13:49:00.000-05:00

Here is the picture that I promised. Charlie created this for us.

My girlies are sick. Gabrielle has bad allergies and a cough, Felicity has a tummy ache. It's going to be a long day, but they are asleep for now. I suppose I should go get in that prayer corner and pray for my girls...

Singing Old McDonald

2006-04-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

So I've been watching this mini series called "God or the Girl" on A&E. It's about 4 guys who are discerning the priesthood; all of my Catholic friends are talking about it so I TiVo'ed it and watched some today. I was really impressed with it - I felt like these guys could be my friends, as they are what my dad fondly calls the JPII generation like Charlie, me, and our peers/friends. It's exciting to see the Church get good press and to see this on secular TV.

Speaking of TV, I am a total American Idol addict, which I can't help based on my past. lol Tonight's show was so fun, my prediction is that Kellie will be leaving tomorrow. They did standards, my very favorite. It gets me all riled up inside, I miss those days of music. The other day I was chatting with a guy that I went to high school with and sang with in choir. He's a music major and just got a full ride for grad school; just hearing him talk about it made my heart hurt. I have this desperate longing for that realm of life, and I'm afraid that I will never find it again. I always joke with Charlie that I was classically trained with Mozart, Handel, Vivaldi, Rachmaninoff, Victoria, etc., just to spend my days singing Old McDonald. It's something I can't think about too often because of the pain it invokes. That passion gave me such purpose. My single greatest regret in my life so far is that I got burnt out in high school and walked away from it all - I should have been a music major.

Moving on....don't want to cry...

We have been praying the Divine Mercy Novena since Friday, it was fun because we did it with Court and Chels on Friday and Saturday. When we got home we got to use our little space that Charlie created for us to pray for the first time. I thought it was kind of weird at first when he wanted to put it there, but I really like it now. Maybe I'll post a pic later. We rent an old farm house and the couple who built it never finished the standing shower in the master bath (there's an old claw foot tub in there), so we used the little corner to put a crucifix, an icon, a candle, and two little kneelers.

Last night we prayed for those who don't believe in God (that was the topic of the day for the novena). There is someone who was in my life a long time ago that I prayed for specifically. I think that maybe that person was in my life just so that I could spend all these years praying for them (we are no longer in contact), as I resolved way back then (about 9 years ago) to pray for this person to seek, accept, and truly fall in love with God. My humble prayers are certainly not enough to change someone's heart, however God can do all things and I hope that someday this person will join Him in heaven.

My darling Charlie will be home soon from a super long day at work, so I should go prepare for his arrival!

Happy Easter!

2006-04-18T12:55:00.000-05:00

We had a lovely Easter! We went to the Mechler's on Friday and just came home yesterday afternoon (the church office was closed for Easter Monday, so Charlie didn't have to work! it was great!). We swam and ate and prayed and it was just so much fun. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends who we can celebrate with!

I really enjoyed having the time to spend with Charlie. We bought the audiobook of Wild at Heart on iTunes and we've been listening to it over the last week or so, I finished it yesterday. Even though it isn't written for me, it was so eye opening to me as a wife, friend, and lover to Charlie, as well as potentially being a mother to boys in the future. I can see how it's message has affected Charlie in such positive ways already.

I have a lot to do today after being gone all weekend. Charlie is working late, so I have plenty of time to get everything done. But I really need to go to the store, because I'm pretty sure that all Felicity and I have eaten today is easter candy. That's got to stop. lol

Holy Week

2006-04-12T13:57:00.000-05:00

Confession is at 5:30 today. I found a great examination of conscience.

I can't wait for Easter - we are going to spend it with the Mechler's. It has become somewhat of a tradition, as this will be our 3rd Easter with them in our 3 years of marriage. That first year Charlie still worked at St. Paul's and since it was 2 hours from where we lived (a 2 hour commute EVERY DAY, it was crazy), Cindy and Gary invited us to join them. I was pregnant with Felicity, about to give birth any time. Last year was Felicity's first Easter, and since Charlie had to work once again - but this time at St. Elizabeth's, we went over there for Easter since we had no family in town. It was such a wonderful weekend, Easter was on a cold March day! This year, the Mech's have moved to College Station which is closer than ever to us and we will be joining them once again and I can't wait. Charlie's parents have moved to Houston since last year, but this is tradition now and the Mechler's are truly our 3rd family. We love them so very much.

I need to look at the holy week schedules and see what we will be attending in the next few days.

I think this year I will do the Divine Mercy Novena as well, which starts on Good Friday. Here is some Info.

Last, in tribute to our dear friends, here are my girls with their godparents! (Cindy and Gary are Felicity's, and Courtney and Chelsea are Gabrielle's)

Why I buy Organic

2006-04-11T15:39:00.000-05:00

I don't care if the cows and chickens are happy. Makes no difference to me. However, I have made the switch to organic milk, eggs, meats, and some veggies. The reason I'm thinking about it is that with my mom visiting over the weekend I bought "regular" milk and eggs because I know she's a little freeked out about organic (something I understand, because I was too until I did some research). My number one reason for buying organic is that it is far superior in nutritional content to the "regular" product. Here's a great book about heart health that explains it all if you're interested: The Doctor's Heart Cure HOWEVER, I didn't realize how the taste was different until this weekend. TRY IT! Organic milk and eggs taste soooooooooo much better (the meat is too - Charlie made a KILLER vegetarian fed tritip once that was the best!). It's more expensive, but in my opinion worth it for both the short term and long term benefits.

Anyhow, Lent is almost over. I am looking forward to putting my makeup back on, but I will miss the general prayerfulness that lent entails. I'm going to make it to confession one last time on Wednesday night. It's required for Catholics to make a good confession during Lent, and if we are going to teach obiedence to our children, we must be obedient ourselves. So, off I go. I think my last confession was the Saturday before Lent.

Felicity is taking a nap so I must take advantage of the time to collect her treasures and put them in their appropriate places. Plus I need some lunch!!!

Love all around

2006-04-10T17:46:00.000-05:00

My mom, aunt, and 4 sisters (ages 8, 5, 3, and 10 months) came to visit from Fort Worth this weekend. We had a good time. It was my sister Marissa's birthday on Friday, she turned 8. I made her an oreo cookie cake. It was so awesome. I'll have to post a pic of it. It seems like just yesterday my brother and I were sitting in the hospital waiting room for hours and hours and hours wating for that little girl to get here....

Charlie was gone all weekend, so it was perfect for them to come. He had the Confirmation retreat, something that he has been stressed about for several weeks. I was praying for him all weekend, it seems like things went well. One of the things that I most admire about Charlie is that he is not afraid to speak truth, and he speaks it straigtforwardly (is that a word???) and simultaniously, lovingly.

When he got home last night I was so excited! We are so blessed to be so madly in love.

He's off today, which is wonderful. We had lunch out and now we're just hanging around. I think we might go out later so that I can actually buy some herbs to plant.

I bought flowers on Friday before my mom got here. They are so beautiful - it's like a love letter from God.

Saving some time in the Morning

2006-04-04T17:37:00.000-05:00

For lent I gave up makeup.

This has been a huge struggle for me, especially since we continue to have social engagements that I feel naked attending with my blank face. The wearing of makeup has been part of my life for at least the last 10 years, so to face the world sans mascara and blush (my "essentials") for 40 whole days is not only scary but strange for me. In all the years that I've "given up" something for Lent, nothing has affected me like this because nothing was ever good enough to constantly remind me. I am constantly reminded of Christ's sacrifice, His sweet life that He gave for our sins, just by my reflection in the mirror. The interesting thing about this is that I think that this reminder will continue to happen long after Easter when I bust out my Bourjouis and Stella and Clinique. Every time I see myself I am reminded of Him, and isn't that something I should do anyway? Shouldn't I look for Christ reflected in my family and my friends, in strangers, in myself?

As an added benefit, I have come to find my face beautiful. Don't tell Charlie I said that, because he's awfully used to me saying bad things about myself. BUT, I haven't seen myself without makeup for *years* and with the exaggeration of what was beautiful to start with, the removal of my makeup at the end of the day was almost painful to see. I am beautiful because I am made in the image and likeness of God. What a wonderful lesson to learn!

I don't think that I will stop wearing makeup, because I really do like it. I like how I feel when I have it on, I like making myself look nice for my husband, and I enjoy the few moments of primping I have to myself. But after this lent, I don't think I'll be afraid to make myself so vulnerable and I think I'll be more aware of the beauty Christ is in us.

Random Musings

2006-04-03T14:25:00.000-05:00

After my post yesterday, I was sooooo blessed because both of the girls went down for a nap at the same time (so rare). I think they were wiped out from the weekend as much as I was, so I took a nap too. It's amazing how much easier it is to be a good mama when I'm not exhausted.

We really had a great weekend. On Friday, Charlie's grandparents were in town from Reno, so we spent the day at his parents' house and enjoyed their company. We had Cheesecake Factory for lunch which was *AMAZING,* I had this incredible seared tuna salad. Mmmmmmm....so good. I really enjoy Charlie's grandmother, she is such a nice person - it seems like she's just a young woman in an old lady's body. Felicity really took a liking to her as well.

THEN on Saturday it was Courtney and Chelsea's birthday. We hadn't seen the Mech clan since JANUARY. Horrible. We were so excited to see them, I was having Felicity practice saying, "Happy Birthday, Chelsea!" (To her, "Chelsea" is both of them, though she does get "Courtney" better now) But, she was saying, "Happy DAY Chelesa!" It was so cute.
Anyway, when we got to their house, nobody was home because we didn't know the girls had a 1:00 lacrosse game. So Charlie called Cindy and she told us how to get in. Their pool is all done and it is so beautiful! We swam a little with Felicity until the girls got home, and then they got in with us and we had a fun time. Later on Cindy and Gary got home and we all went to dinner (with some of their family and boyfriends, etc.). Good times. I think we ended up staying up until 4ish. lol

Today I have to start getting my house ready for my mom, aunt, and sisters to visit. I haven't been upstairs since my mom was here when the baby was born, so that's pushing 5 months. ::sigh:: Lots of dusting and vacuuming to do. The water pressure on our well pump is finaky (sp?), and I have to go outside and fix it at least once a day, but I'll probably have to go out there several times today since I have at least 4 loads of laundry to do. Charlie said he should be home by 6:30, but I can't really count on that I don't think....it seems like he's staying later and later these days. I probably won't see him much this week at all since they have a Confirmation retreat this weekend and there's lots of prep to do, plus all the normal stuff- meetings, XLT, etc. At least I won't be home alone this weekend, I'm glad my family will be here. It's going to be Marissa's birthday on Friday, she's going to be 8. I can't believe it.

Well, now I'm rambling and procrastinating so I should go and get to my "mount washmore" as FlyLady calls it. The baby's asleep, and I think Felicity is about ready for a nap too. Oh sweet naptime...

One of those Days

2006-04-02T13:57:00.000-05:00

Today is one of those days where I wish I could disappear into thin air. One of those days that I'll be home alone with two children under two until midnight. One of those days where both of my girls decide that they're going to cry all day long. I've been home for an hour and a half from an awesome weekend from College Station and already I'm ready to pull my hair out. I have so much to do around here and the girls demand so much of my attention that I just don't think I can do it all. I try so hard to serve my family with joy, but when I reach the end of my rope like this I get scared and freek out and I just want to cry. Charlie (and others) tell me, oh, someday it will be better. But I find no consolation in someday, because I am living in right now and right now I want to leave. Someday is a looooooooooooooooooooong way away for me, that doesn't make me feel better at all. I know that God has a plan for my life, but sometimes I wonder if I made good decisions because I really don't feel ready for all this. I am too young to feel this old. Well, away I go to deal with the two screaming children...

Love Languages

2006-03-30T14:14:00.000-06:00

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Quality Time
with a secondary love language being
Acts of Service.

Complete set of results

Quality Time:		8
Acts of Service:		7
Physical Touch:		7
Words of Affirmation:		6
Receiving Gifts:		2

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

Rain, Rain, I hope you stay!

2006-03-29T16:18:00.000-06:00

It is a gloriously rainy day at my house today. These pics are the view from my front porch.

My sweet friend Angie came over today for coffee and scones. She brought her two little guys (roughly my girls' ages), but her older daughter was at school. The kids played in the sandbox on the porch and we sat and chatted. God has blessed me with such a wonderful friend. I love that we can talk about anything from finances, to husbands and kids, our pasts, ear wax...whatever. lol She's wonderful and a true inspriation - she's a great mom, a loving wife, and such a faithful and faith-filled woman.

I think tonight is the only night this week Charlie doesn't have to work late, so I'm looking forward to him being here in the next couple of hours. Hopefully by then I can get all the sand swept up, toys picked up, and maybe get in a shower. Nobody tells you how hard it is to get a shower once you're a mom. Having a screaming baby or peeking toddler zaps all the fun out of it. lol Ok - maybe I should go do that...

**EDIT**
No surprise. The baby started crying the moment I stepped into the shower. lol She's back asleep now though! hahaha Funny how those things happen!

profile pic

2006-03-28T15:15:00.000-06:00

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

2006-03-27T23:35:00.000-06:00

Several days have gone by that something weird has been going on with our internet, but Charlie fixed it tonight. I'm glad, because he's working late every night this week and I almost went crazy today with no contact with the outside world.

Good weekend, for the most part. We had a wedding to go to. I always expect those sorts of things to be more fun than they actually are. The highlight was when I went to HEB and they had a special where you buy their diapers (which I always buy) and get a free playtex sippy cup and wipes. How's that for a highlight? This weekend is going to be busy as well. Charlie's grandparents are going to be in town from California, so his parents are having an open house on Friday night to hang with them. Then Saturday is Courtney and Chelsea's birthday, so we're going to College Station to celebrate that. Our children need to see all of their godparents. hehe

All the flowers are blooming. It's beautiful here. It's sad, we've lived here for 3 years and I am just now starting to love it. It's only a matter of time before it all goes away; I don't know how much longer we are going to have this heavenly place to live. I think tomorrow I'll take Felicity for a walk and take some pictures to post up. I'm also going to go to the nursery and buy some things to plant on the porch. I'm thinking chives, parsley, and basil for now. If I do good with those I'll try rosemary and thyme. I love fresh herbs but I've never tried to grow them. Last week I got several books about them at the library so I think I should do ok. Someday when we buy a house I want to build a huge herb garden with culinary herbs, roses, and a beautiful statue of Mary. Something to look forward to I suppose.

A New Adventure

2006-03-24T01:14:00.000-06:00

I feel the need to explain myself.

A couple of weeks ago, I shut down my Xanga and here I am starting up a new blog. Over the time that has passed that I haven't had a blog (only about 3 weeks)I have continually thought of things I would have liked to write about but have been unable. I had my Xanga for nearly 3 years. It became insanely distracting for me, with my friend's blogs, and the blog rings, and so forth. But I really enjoy the writing part and I think that THAT part is beneficial as there is simply not time for me to sit down and write in a traditional journal on a regular basis. Typing is so much faster. I am starting fresh. I'm looking forward to the new adventure of creating a blog from scratch and finally getting to put my thoughts down - as I have many of them (thoughts) and my babies aren't exactly interested unless they involve animal sounds. lol Here we go.