7QT
— 1 — It’s been too long, Jen & crew! I’m back. Quick taking it. In seven. Really it’s all about the bocce ball. So go here to Bridget talking about taming the toddler instead. Or here to Christy and see what she’s been reading. Britt made pecan pie muffins. I just died from joy. Speaking of death by food, did you know Laurel had a food blog??? //// Back to bocce ball game from h-e-double hockey sticks. My dad plays it every late afternoon with the old geezers in the neighborhood. But when the owner of the set leaves town, he is the keeper. Enter: my children who watch the guys play now get to play. It’s intense. She wants to measure. He wants to measure. He wants both pagnigno (spelling whatever) balls. Imagine their reactions. Imagine the croc tears. — 2 — — 3 — More fighting. I wish I could say his pained expression is fake. It’s real. So much more where that came from. — 4 — She takes off. With the yellow ball. Her fav. Her coveted. Her precious. Insert Gollum here. — 5 — And he wins. He beat himself. Record, really. Those lovely blueberry bushes? Didn’t produce a da*n blueberry this year. We need to recheck our acidity in the soil. Did that sound like I know what I’m talking about? Because I don’t. But overhead AA telling my dad that. — 6 — She was thoroughly unimpressed. — 7 — It…
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Joining Jen & her crew for the 7 Quick Takes over at Conversion Diary. — 1 — I’m just getting done what needs to get done. That’s my dad’s favorite phrase. That and, “pull my finger.” And maybe a few other dadisms we have chronicled through the years. He’s absolutely the funniest person in the world, hand’s down. {Sorry, Jim Gaffigan–I did just read your book and LOVED it, but my dad is funnier.} My dad’s a doer. He comes from a family of doers. A cousin’s fiancé jokingly refers to my aunt and my dad and all their siblings as “human doings” instead of human beings. My dad’s faithful thought is, I just get done what needs to get done. He never complains about doing work in the yard around our house, indeed he cannot be pulled away from it with threats and screams. He never complains after a really long day at the hospital, followed by someone waking him up in the middle of the night asking about their medication, preceded by being on-call and popping by the hospital after mass but before vespers on a Sunday. The man never complains. He just does things, with joy or with disgruntlement–who knows?–and is my example on getting done what needs to get done. — 2 — Case in point, I’m still on a high from a weekend with awesome ladies, inspirational thoughts, sleep {who knew what that was?}, food prepared by someone else AND cleaned up by them, and a little peace…
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— 1 — Jen’s lovely book (Something Other Than God) arrives in my mailbox TODAY! Yes, I am excited to read it because yes, I find an atheist’s conversion to Catholicism fascinating. And I love reading her blog, so there you have it. It will keep me great company in the last week of pregnancy. And watching her video preview, watching 33 authors and writers do little bits (some of whom I know) was really touching. Call it pregnancy, but I got misty eyed. Check it for yourselves here on youtube. — 2 — This interminable pregnancy waxes on at 39 weeks yesterday. But you know what? I’m glad he’s still in there, getting all the fat, brain development, and lung work babies need at the end. Would I rather not carry around a watermelon? Would I like to just get it all over with and meet him already? Would I rather not wonder every night before I finally fall asleep if this is the night my water breaks? Would I rather AA know when he’s coming so he can plan and cope with all the craziness of work? Yes, yes, yes, blah blah. But as is my plan with this birth, I’m focused on being present in love, not enduring. That means being present to this full term pregnancy. Not anticipating his arrival (though I SWORE he was coming early by the feel of things!), not bemoaning he’s not here yet. I’m confident he’ll come when he should, and when he’s…
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— 1 — It’s Friday. You know the drill. Share what you’ve done & learned & endured during the week with Jen and her lovelies. I wish I had something very profound to share insofar as life revelations, but really it’s been a stay-alive-kind-of-week. My to-do list with baby coming in a matter of weeks (whoa, I’m only 34 weeks pregnant–am I jinxing myself?) keeps growing. I mean, I do things on it, and then find other things that also desperately quickly nowly must be done. I wrote this week about how I came to terms with pausing my lawyerly jig and staying at home. I blah lablah personal for a while but include my list of questions to ask if you’re in the boat of contemplation, either on staying home, or going back to work. No easy answers, and I really believe that mostly people just gotta do what they gotta do and the devil take the hindmost (or the judgers). — 2 — Did you see that Jen in including a wonderful e-book about how she operates her family as a bonus for pre-ordering her book, Something Other Than God? Don’t think I didn’t order it yesterday. Because I did. Happy birthday in a few weeks to me. And me! (does anyone else remember the “very merry unbirthday” song from Alice in Wonderland? I am always tempted to shout an additional “and ME!” Narcissism lives on here.) Part of why I want to buy (and did) is because she’s a very…
Read More— 1 — It’s happening. This awesome gathering of women called the Edel Gathering. In Austin. And I’m GOING! Whew, thank you side monies from crafting delightfulness on etsy. You’ve made it happen. Thank you! It’s a conference for mommy bloggers, most of the presenters are Catholic so people like Jen, Grace, Hallie, and co. GREAT stuff, people! Me & BabyLoves will be traveling and compared to traveling with my older kiddos, I know (fingers crossed for no colic) this will be a breezie time. It looks like some great women from law school will be there–I haven’t seen them in soooo long! Hurrah. — 2 — Valentine’s Day is here and I haven’t done anything special for my man. We did color him a picture yesterday. Does that count? I don’t know. He had SuperBoy give me my present this morning (after he’d gone to work and mr. stay in his room til 7am obeyed the greatest of all commandments). Can I say SO PRETTY?? We have dinner plans & then a concert we’re attending/helping at. I have a few hours to figure something super sweet, romantic, and special for him. I did buy a maternity red dress. NEW. Isabelle Oliver. Maybe this will cut it? Consider me actually showered and hair did. — 3 — The greatest family invasion ever is happening this weekend. My sister, her two sweeties & husband, my brother, his snuggle boy & wife, finally. All of us under one very happily filled up…
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— 1 — I have three posts brewing. None ready, so here we are, joining up with Jen and her lovely gang of writers. Don’t know Jen? She’s a great writer, mom, and hilarious person. Not that I know her personally, but our electronic personas would be pals. I did my first batch of quick takes a while back. So number 1, I’m making cobb salad for a weekend out of town. Smitten Kitchen you know I love you. Recipe here. Drool worthy bacon inside. Go for it. I’m just making it as a vehicle for bacon. — 2 — Our bathroom project is coming along–*cue Alleluia Chorus here*–in large part due to my dad’s diligence. I catch him coming over after work and scraping, telling SuperBoy, wear your face mask over your nose, not inside your mouth. The two of them are project boys together. I’m still debating about the walls. What do you think of this herringbone stencil? The base color will be a really light eggplant. And the floor has decades old herringbone tile. Too much? A good girlfriend with a fabulous eye for design has been instrumental in guiding me. I just want a bathroom that will look lovely for a really really long time so I never have to refinish a bathroom again. This has been way less fun and way more work than I had imagined. — 3 — SweetPea has developed her personality, full bore. She’s almost 18 months and so snappy and…
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