Moments of Grace and Chesterton

Thanking God...

::for His Will.

::for His Grace and Patience.

::for His Love and Mercy.

::for our little family.

::for time with our family that are not near.

::for my vocation of mother and wife.

::for my husband - our rock.

::for new days.

Praying...

::for our little family.

::for family that aren't near us but are always near our hearts.

::for grace in my vocation.

::for a special intention.

::for Bobbi and her family.

::for a dear friend.

::for patience and love.

::for a thankful and joyful heart.

Pondering...

My boys see such joy so easily in our day to day. They see adventure in jumping from low stools and running into a pile of pillows and blankets. They see a cave to climb through when under the kitchen table and are so curious about whats behind every closed door. Around every corner is adventure. Praying that I be able to see more of the incalculable wonders that exist within our own little family. Praying that I take more moments to explore the pile of blankets and empty boxes. Praying that I don't steal their present and day-to-day fairy-tale with my own selfishness, unwillingness, and stubbornness. Praying I see more of the adventure we were all born into.

Loving this quote...

From the Kitchen...

::making spaghetti tonight. I make the sauce from scratch so it's always a little different every time. Depends on my mood. More basil? More garlic? Mushrooms? Onions? etc etc It helps that both boys chow down every time I make it.

Captured...

Not much. Not only did I take a blogging haitus but I also have not touched my camera since we got home from Christmas travels. The day after we got home we all tested positive for the flu with the toddler tacking on an ear infection of his own. Since then I've just been trying to find my groove again.  We passed on a house during that time (our second one) which was disheartening. I feel like January has been the month to try and get out of feeling in slump.

Hopefully, I'll be able to bust out my super mama cape and have a wonderful February. This North Texas January weather has not been fun either. At. All.

***

Head on over to Jenny's and Sarah's for more Moments and Chesterton :)

CWA: Fun-filled Weekend

Thanking God for…

::an incredibly fun weekend with family and friends.

::the upcoming holidays because it means we get to spend more time with family and friends!

::little Linus feeling better. He had a good 3 weeks of not feeling well. Such a world of difference to see him being himself sans allergies/virus.

::my husband's job.

::dark chocolate with sea salt.

::water. It's so refreshing!

Looking out my window…

I can see cars that are getting off of work passing by, while the wind picks up and plays with all the little leaves that fall from the big tree outside our dining area glass doors.

I am praying…

I am praying for my boys, my husband, family, friends, friends who are pregnant, and for the many gifts I have to be thankful for.

I am pondering…

I cannot believe Linus is 9 months! He pulled up to a stand today! How is this happening already. He has a voice. He smiles. He laughs. He giggles and finds himself funny. He loves his brother. He loves being loved, held, and engaged with. He explores. He roars often (his brother taught him). He loves pick-a-boo. Squeals! And is 20 lbs of a-stinkin'-dorable!Love him! Love him! Love him!

I am reading…

Blogs. Playing catch-up. I drift in and out of being active on keeping my blog updated and keeping updated with other fellow bloggers that encourage and inspire me. So many wonderful women that are lovely mamas with such beautiful insight!

I am creating…

This post? Haha. Still trying to learn my camera better. So, we'll chart my photo attempts as creating memories.

I’m learning…

Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter People and 'Halleluljah' is our song. ~ Pope John Paul II

I'm learning how wonderfully true this is! Also learning how beautiful so many people are and how their lives truly are singing Hallelujah! 

In the kitchen…

I have a crockpot curry chicken that I'm trying out. I'm pretty excited. Lots of goodies in the crockpot friend. will be pairing it with some Jasmati Brown Rice. Excited!

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We just ate it and it was delicious!! New crockpot meal in the rotation. Woohoo!

I did everything except a few things. First, I did not put all the veggies in a food processor. Just left them chunky and chopped. I used one can of coconut milk not two. Also, I didn't do the red curry paste only because I forgot to get it. Haha. And, I accidentally forgot to add the sugar. Even without these, it was so yummy! Thanks, Heidi at The Busy Mom!

Around the house…

Yup, I'm with Jenny in this area. Little Linus was struggling with allergies and caught a virus at the end of the past three weeks. All this to say, we are definitely in recovery mode. Trying to catch up with laundry and life. Get back to our day-to-day.

I’m wearing…

I am wearing black leggings paired with a long sleeve charcoal grey sweater. It's comfy, cozy, and all things Texas Fall.

Look what I found…

Haha. Found this. And all I have to say is Whaaaaaa?

And I saw this a few months ago, but it was circulating Facebook again. It's so sweet. I could watch it on repeat! I love their love!

I am looking forward to…

THANKSGIVING! And, finding our home. We're house hunting right now. Pretty surreal. But, VERY exciting!

A favorite quote for today…

Teach us to give and not count the cost.

-St. Ignatius de Loyola

One of my favorite things…

How incredibly excited Bigfoot gets when family visits. It is like Christmas morning every morning waking up to those he loves so much but doesn't get to see as often as he likes. His face and heart light up. It's pretty beautiful. 

The week ahead…

Cleaning. Cleaning. Putting stuff away. Throwing stuff away. Cleaning. Washing. Washing. Washing. And, planning for THANKSGIVING!

Captured…

I did a lot of capturing this past weekend. Uncle A and Bekah came to visit and we loved every moment! We miss them terribly and are so grateful they came all the way to come spend time with us!

Beautiful Bekah and Linus.

Although it looks like Bigfoot is trying to eat Linus he is actually giving Linus a big ol' kiss.

We went to Firewheel Saturday evening. This area has been our go-to evening stroll/dinner out.

A little bit of evening fall and our sweet boy.

Trips to Firewheel are just so much more complete when we treat ourselves to an Uptown Popcorn snack. they have the BEST dill popcorn EVAAA!

So many yummy choices!

It's hard enough for me to resist sticking my hand in these candy jars - I can't imagine how trying it is for Bigfoot!

Smiles!

Yup, candy jars and barrels. It's a happy place.

Welcome to my bookstore! Little one leading the way as we made our way to Barnes & Nobles. His library. 

Little bambino teething on the stroller strap.

Bigfoot thinks this large rolled up map is a vuvuzela. He picks it up every time we come here and he tries to blow in it too. 

Uncle A was amused.

So sweet! Bigfoot loved having Uncle A around.

He showed him the Thomas the Train station.

Beautiful Bekah again with Bigfoot showcasing his new smile.

Bigfoot smile in full effect with Uncle A on Sunday morning.

Love this picture! The boys had so much fun with Uncle A and Bekah. And, so did we! Thanks for blessing us with your love! Can't wait to see y'all again! XO

Head on over to Suspicio for more CWA.

CWA3: Fall

Thanking God for:
:: For His Grace, Mercy, and constant Love. I've been a mess this past week and there's nothing like a Father who just wants me to know that I am loved despite my craziness.

::For His Mother, our Lady.
::My Husband. He is kind and patient and constantly showing me that I am loved - despite my craziness. He reminds me that I need to get some sleep and that my craziness is for lack of sleep which helps me feel slightly less crazy. He listens to me and holds me. He sits with me and knows me. These are all good things.
::For two beautiful boys. They teach me about Joy, Wonder, and Awe on a daily basis.
::For new days. Today is a new day. A new start. A new beginning.

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today.     Let us begin.”

-Blessed Mother Teresa

I am praying:
:The St. Therese of Liseuxe Novena. We're on Day 2. Such a sweet Saint that encouraged all to find love in little places. Little to-do's. Little ways. She is so dear to my mama heart because all the things that I do seem so little in the grand scheme of it all. We mama's do so many little things everyday. Join in the Novena here!

Jesus does not so much look at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.

-St. Therese of Liseuix

::For a special intention.

::For Grace & Love.

::For my family.

::For my Uncle who lost his brother.

::For Wisdom.


I am pondering:
::The gift of woman. Typically when I start to struggle with something, I seek out the root - or try to - of who I am in the eyes of my Lord. All of this pondering has brought me to pondering the gift of woman, the gift of us in our femininity. Of motherhood, both spiritual and physical. How irreplaceable we are in a society that seems to think we are replaceable or not set apart from our male counterparts. A society that tells us in order to be considered successful we must do so in terms of men and what success looks like on them. We have our own feminine genius and it is beautiful.

I am reading:
::Scripture

::Meditations for Mothers By Fr. John Bartunek, LC


I am creating:
::A loving home as best I can.


I'm learning:
::a lot. Everyday. Slowly but surely. He is honing me. Meanwhile, I'm trying not to fight Him on it. To say my Fiat and to say it Joyfully.


In the Kitchen:
We're having this Balsamic Crockpot Chicken tonight on whole wheat tortillas and salad with some ranch dressing. Also, having a veggie along with these yummy potatoes from Pioneer Woman (note: the potatoes are amazing!!!). My tastebuds are thrilled.


I'm wearing:
A dress I got from Target a few years ago. So comfy and nurse friendly.


Look what I found:
::I found this fun Scarf Swap idea from my friend Britt. Britt blogged about it here. Hope to join next year!
::Katrina over at Cedars and Tiny Flowers wrote a post that I could have written today or everyday these past few weeks. Finding new blogs to follow is so fun. I'm still learning the ins and outs of the blogging community but there are just so many wonderful women sharing their faith, lives, and families out there! It's a community that definitely is nourishing for this mama's heart.

::This beautiful post about Love coming first. 

::This post about loving your post-partum body. Baby steps in that realm going on over here.

::And this incredibly beautiful post about having it all. Here words were whimsical and beautiful and oh-so-very-true. In fact, after this post I'm going to make sure I read it again.


I'm looking forward to:
::Fall. Fall weather. Fall clothes. Fall colors. Fall foods. Fall holidays. Fall feast days. Fall Smells! Fall everything!


Favorite quote of the day:

Woman,
the crown of creation, and in a certain sense its masterpiece;
woman,
that gentle creature to whose delicate hands God seems to have entrusted
the future of the world to such an extent,
in so far as she is man's help;
woman,
the expression of all that is best, kindest, most lovable here below...
Pope Pius XII

One of my favorite things:
::Everything that comes out of Bigfoot's mouth. 

::& that Linus has been saying Mama with more intentionality since yesterday.


The week ahead:
::I'm breathing in and breathing out. I'm going to try and be beautiful and lovely and all things feminine. I'm going to try and be diligent, encouraging, and supportive. I'm going to enjoy my boys and love their father. I'm going to stick to the basics till I start getting a better hang of sleep (I think we're getting there, which is exciting!).


Captured:

My heart. This was a few nights ago. I love these three!

{CWA2}: Back from my Happy Place

Thanking God for...

SO MANY THINGS!

• I got to spend time at my happy place. I was so happy!

• And, even happier because I was able to introduce my boys to my happy place. South Padre Island made them SO HAPPY - especially Bigfoot. Or rather, the beach that is SPI, made them so happy because it allowed for such a great time! He absolutely loved every moment of it!

• We had safe travels to and from for our mini-vacay! This is kind of a big deal since we were traveling a good 12 hours (kids make traveling last a bit longer) to get to our destination. There were bouts of crying and craziness, but we made it! In one piece! 
• My husband for driving all the live long day (X2).

• My parent's for giving us two date nights! In a row! I can't remember the last time we were out and about sans kiddos for two nights in a row.

• Getting to spend some awesome quality time with my brother and Erin. Both boys loved having their Uncle around! And, so did I!

• Thankful for my Mom. God has blessed us with another amazing year with her and we were able to celebrate her life all together! Such a gift!

• Grateful to see family while back home. We got to squeeze in some moments with extended family. We're always so thankful for any time we get with them. We do miss them terribly and decided we just need to make separate trips to solely visit extended family that way we can really get our fill! Till then, we're thankful the Lord allowed for the time he did.
• Thankful that we were able to see Sister Kathleen! And, she met the boys! The moments were so beautiful and I will treasure them forever! (I'll definitely have a separate post with this precious woman!)
• I know I'm missing some things to be thankful for. Our hearts were filled abundantly this past week, which I'll be posting about all this week. Get ready for lots of pictures of our beach memories!

Looking out my window...

• I spy a rainy day Monday and I am loving it. Nice overcast, a drizzle here and there... My kind of day of recovery from travel.

I am praying...

• I'm praying for grace. This mama is need of lots of grace. Lots and lots of grace. 

I am reading...

• Since we've been out and about all week I haven't read any blogs! Oye! I'm way behind on all the good stuff that was put out in the blog-world this past week. Can't wait for some time to catch up over a cup of coffee!

I am creating...

• Working on the blog and the many blog posts that I have stirring. I have so many pictures to share from our beach trip; photos filled with family, friends, memories, and God's gifts!

I'm learning...

• I have no idea what I am learning. I am that non-insightful at the moment. But, never to fear, I know God and the Holy Spirit will give me a gentle smack in the face soon enough. I'm sure there are endless things for me to be learning right in front, but I am just not there right now. *sigh*

I am pondering...

• Nada. As mentioned in my ^learning tid-bit^, I am not insightful at the moment. This is most likely induced by not getting much sleep all week, lots of sun, lots of traveling, and did I mention I need more sleep?

In the kitchen...

• I froze some leftovers before leaving for our trip. So I have managed to clean the kitchen up to my liking and will do absolutely nothing aside from warm up some leftover goodies.

I'm wearing...

• Jammies. We're in recovery mode over here. As much as our mini-vacay was AWESOME, it was also exhausting!

Look what I found...

• Written by the Finger of God - I think this may be my new favorite blog! While reading her posts I feel like I am chatting with a good friend - a kindred spirit. So fun! Thanks, Jenny, for introducing this post to me!
• Real Motherhood Link-up - Found this fun link-up a few weeks ago. They mentioned on their blog that they would be having the first little party Labor day weekend. I'll be linking up a post with my Real Motherhood pics later today.

I am looking forward to...

• Getting back into the swing of things. Nap times! Sleeping in my bed! The boys sleeping in theirs! A swing that will rock sweet Linus to sleep for me here and there. And, just being home. 

One of my favorite things...

• Ice-cream cake!!! I forget how absolutely yummy these things are! We had one for my mom's birthday and it was a great idea, not only for celebratory purposes but also for the happiness of my tastebuds! Must find a reason to buy an ice-cream cake ASAP! Any fun Feast days coming up? Reasons to celebrate? Our birthdays, anniversaries, and baptism days have passed, so I'm in search of a reason to buy a cake. Suggestions?

The week ahead...

• Routines! Home! Sleep! Cooking! Laundry... Cleaning... Catching up... Blogging! Bible Study! Friends! Play dates (if I'm feeling ambitious)?

Captured...

This moment of Bigfoot enjoying God's beautiful gift. He was running along the beach covered by the huge shadow of the condo behind us. I'll go ahead and add this picture in for Theme Thursday over at Clan Donaldson.

Sweet Linus having a blankie moment for a nap while at the beach.

Bigfoot giving me this shell. A gesture that captured my heart.

It's the little things that make my heart flutter...

Head on over to Suscipio for more CWA posts!

Catholic Woman's Almanac {CWA1}: Manic Monday

Joining Jenny for my first {CWA} link-up! Posts will be filled with phone pics this week since we are taking a family vacay!!! WOOHOO!

Counting the Gifts

::My husband! He does so much for us. He makes our little life possible! And, fills this home with so much love even during our challenging times (and believe me, I am challenging on no sleep).

::Bigfoot is the sweetest big brother! He is so affectionate. I love his innocent and beautiful spirit.

::Linus has one of the best smiles ever. ever. ever. ever.

::We are going to the beach this week! I grew up going to the beach near my hometown. It holds some of my most favorite times. I feel like I'm going to visit one of my best friends who I haven't seen in years!

::I love our family - immediate and extended!

::Today is Aunt Red's birthday! She has been such an amazing blessing to us and we love her so very much!

Sending Up Prayers

::Praying Aunt Red has an amazing birthday, filled with His Perfect and Joyous Love. 

::Praying for my husband on his first day at his new job.

::Praying for my boys.

::Especially praying for Linus. He has such a hard time when we travel. He will cry till no end, which makes us have a million stops in our already long trip.

::Praying for all mamas with new babies. The first months are the some of the most trying. And, sleep deprivation is no one's friend!
::And, praying the St. Monica Novena for special intentions.

Mulling it Over

::Just finished listening to a good friend's radio station. So much food for thought! She hosts the Culture Lifeline on the Guadalupe Radio Network on Mondays, from 1-2. Definitely tune in if you ever have a chance! She's amazing!

Reading

::I Love the Pebble in My Shoe. This post always helps me re-focus. A friend from college wrote this. You should definitely check her out. Her and her family are wonderful in so many ways!

::It Doesn't Have To Be This Way By Ginny Sufuert - My first homeschooling read. I have a list. This one is the first. 

Homeing

::Packing, Laundry, and Cleaning, Oh MY! Since we're leaving tomorrow, I have a ton to do!!! A TON!

Learning

::One day at a time, I'm learning to deny myself and put the wonderful men in my life before me. I'm sleep deprived and often let that rule how I interact with GeekMan especially. Not cool. Not fair. I'm learning and trying to push through my sleepless nights and be a better and more loving wife.

Creating

::This post right here. Because that's about all I got right now.

Visiting

::Different blogs on my FEEDLY while nursing little Linus. So many good posts today. These are a few blogsites I've visited today that have been so encouraging:

Humble Handmaid: When We Both Need a Hero at 5:00

The Catholic Wife: Husbands See What Wives Reveal

Moxie Wife: Tell Me All About YOU

And all things this FEEDLY add.

Capturing
::Little Moments

Brothers

This was right before Linus kicked his Dada in the face. This is a typical evening in our home. Bigfoot likes jumping all over Dada while Linus is rolling his way all over the place.