That Went By Fast!

Well that weekend went by fast!

Saturday was spent sanding and painting kitchen cabinets(mostly Jay) and being a taxi for our children(that would be me).  The bottom cabinets sans doors are done along with the island.  The top cabinets are primed and Jay spray painted the hardware.  It's starting to take shape but there is still a ways to go!  All the dust from the sanding made quite the mess!  It took hours to clean everything!  Sigh...but the plus side is that I actually did fall cleaning this year in the kitchen.....

Sunday started with Mass, then a little more painting.  It was Jay's weekend on call and he had to work for a few hours in the afternoon.  Then he went with the teenagers to their rehearsal for their variety show act.  He had his own practice for the act he is in right after that.

It was a long afternoon of cleaning the kitchen for me!  It was sooooo slow going!  I was a little cranky by the time he got home:(......

Then, we headed to my in-laws for dinner to celebrate Jay's mom's birthday.  My sil, Julie, made Chicken Piccata, and my other sil, Jackie, made sides.  It was very yummy!  Andrew and Julie made the birthday cake....and that was great, too.  I got off easy and only had to bring soda and ice cream:)

It was a busy weekend..but we got a great start on the kitchen.  I'm having a hard time finding a back splash that is just the right combo of just enough color and not too pricey.

I did learn that I could never have open shelving in a kitchen!  That is way too much pressure!  I can't wait until my doors are painted and back on...hiding the chaos!

This is an exciting week leading to an equally exciting weekend!  Stay tuned for the details!:)

It's Finally Friday!

It's Friday!  Hooray!  This week went by soooooo slow!  Joining with Jen for Quick Take Friday!

#1:  Painting

Last weekend we started the painting re-do of our family room.  It's been two years since we started using the room as a family room by taking down 2 walls.  The flooring still doesn't all match, but it is so great to have all the walls painted!  A special thanks to our 'painting angel', Carol, who offered to come over on Wednesday and continue where Jay and my Dad left off!  She finished all the walls and we got to move the furniture back!  I love the color:)  Now, it's on to the kitchen cabinets!  I.can't.wait. 

 (before and after pictures coming soon..I hope!)

#2:  Almost Thanksgiving

I'm sooo looking forward to this coming holiday week!  I don't host Thanksgiving, but I enjoy making lots of desserts to bring with us!  On the list this year:  Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, apple pie, pumpkin pie, gluten/dairy free apple crisp, and Sarah wants to make her specialty, lemon meringue pie!  

I know this time of year is very busy, but it is such a special time, too!  I love all the family time and special traditions and special food.  I just have to remember to pace myself to avoid the "Scrooge Syndrome"!:)

#3:  Extra Special Family Memories

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my grandmother was diagnosed at the end of the summer with terminal cancer.  This Thanksgiving is extra special because it will be the last one that she will be with us.  Unfortunately, the cancer has been progressing very quickly.  She is getting very frail...but is peaceful.  I'm still praying that she will be with us for Christmas, but I don't want her to be suffering either.  For now, I'm grateful we will all be together next week with all our extended family from all over.  I'm praying that she has a good day health wise on Thanksgiving so that she can enjoy having all her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren around her....and that she soaks in all the love everyone has for her.

#4:  Shopping

I have gotten a lot of my Christmas shopping done online.  I am probably 75% done, and I'm hoping to finish the rest of it when I go shopping on Black Friday with my mom and sister.  We don't go crazy early in the morning, but it's a fun day to spend together and we've done it for a long time.....At least 20 years because I remember going when Michael was about 10 months old and he only wanted my sister to carry him so we piled his carriage with bags.  That was convenient!  This year I will have no one in tow....thankfully, Jay has the day off!  I.can't.wait!  

#5:  Try New Things

I was adventurous last week and tried two new things....Groupon and Shutterfly!  I used both to buy gifts for people on our list....I can't disclose what because I don't want to give anything away!  I received my Shutterfly order yesterday and I am really pleased with how it came out!  The items I ordered with the Groupon should be in next week....hopefully that came out as well!

#6:  Ruined Surprise(almost)

I did a lot of online ordering and it already started arriving yesterday around dinner time.  Jon noticed the big boxes outside right before dinner and I asked him to bring them inside.  One of Luke's presents is a white board easel because he and Kate have a ton of fun writing on my white board calendar when I erase it at the end of the month.  Luke likes to play school with Ellie, too, so they will have fun with it!

The easel was one of the boxes delivered, but it wasn't in another box!  Jon walked in proclaiming loudly,  "Hey, it's an easel!  Who ordered this?"  Luke was right on the couch a few feet away!  Thankfully, Luke was mesmerized by Peppa Pig...a new favorite show that conveniently comes on at 5pm which buys me time to get dinner ready.  He didn't even look up!  I ran right over 'shushing' Jon and grabbed a sheet to wrap it in so Jon could hide it in my closet!  I wrapped it after everyone went to bed...I don't want to take any chances of ruining the surprise!

At least I can say I started wrapping already!  

#7:  I Got Nothing....

But I hope you have a great weekend:)

Who's Got the Remote?

Any Person of Interest(POI) Fans out there?  Did you watch last night's episode?  (If you're a fan and haven't watched it yet, stop reading now! *spoiler alert*)

Jay and Sarah are big POI fans.  They are big superhero, good guy vs bad guy fans.  I'm more of a romantic comedy kinda gal.  I'm don't enjoy a lot of violence, detest scenes where people are being tortured, and like the shows where the conflict comes after the characters are developed and then is resolved by the end.  Real life is full of too many unhappy endings....I don't need the movies or tv shows I watch to have heavy endings, too!

(Needless to say, none of my older kids are thrilled when I'm in control of the remote.  Of course, that's almost never!)

Since Sarah and Jay watch POI as often as possible, I catch pieces of the episodes most weeks.  Some weeks I watch the whole episode, though I have to pay attention to my anxiety levels!  I have become such a wimp about violence since I started having kids!

Last night was NOT my favorite episode.  Too much violence AND they killed off one of our favorite main characters, Detective Carter.  It was a shocking, last minute gunshot wound that left all of us with our mouths open and very disappointed.  Every time Kate woke me up last night, (which, unfortunately for me, was a lot), I kept thinking about the way the show ended.

So, to the writers of POI, I am very disappointed.

I think next week, I will go to bed early.  Or go watch HGTV in our family room!

Waiting For the Glory Stories

No act of kindness, no matter how small, 
is ever wasted.

Aesop

This quote was in my inbox today from Catholic Digest.  It was quite timely, too.  We have some friends and family members struggling with some very big crosses right now.  I wish I could solve everyone's problems and take away all their worries, sadness, and fears.  

But I can't.

I pray, I listen, I try to give advice...preferably good(!)...when I can.  I carry their hurt in my heart and lift it up in prayer to God....asking for relief for their struggles, healing for their hurts, hope for their sadness and fortitude until they reach the end of their struggle.  

I still wish that I could do more.  So often, my little offering feels so insignificant!  It's especially hard when it's a struggle one of my own children is going through because, as a mom, I'm supposed to fix it.  

Why do magic mommy kisses have to lose their magic as kids get older?

This is when putting my trust in God is most real....when it's hard to do.  He has all the answers and comfort that everyone needs!  Moments of struggle make seeing God's hand in the lives around us so much larger and clearer!

So, even though my heart is heavy for the people in my life that are struggling, I can't wait to see what great good God will work!  I'm waiting for the 'glory stories'!

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4;8

A Gaggle of Hats

Sometimes I wear "too many hats"!  And I don't mean the kind on my head!  As moms, the 6,000 jobs that we perform each day(for free!) can get a little overwhelming some days!  Today, I'm sharing my multi-hat Thursday adventure for my Quick Take Friday post.....

Hat #1:  Clothes Consultant

I love any reason to "have to" shop, and yesterday was as good as any!  Sarah was in need of a warmer jacket.  I was actually looking for a vest to go over her fleece, but ended up finding a super deal on a Columbia jacket.  Since I had a 30% off coupon on top of the sale, there was no way I was leaving it behind.  It fit and she loved it...and now she can be warm on the way to and from school.  Usually, clothes consultant is my favorite job because shopping and clothes are 2 of my favorite things and I have to avoid stores at all cost don't get a chance to get to a mall very often.

Hat #2:  Laundry Person

Seriously....10 people in a house.  Enough said!  Everyday is laundry day around here!

Hat #3:  Cook

All those people in my house expect to eat dinner every night!  Last night, I made Chicken Parmesan with homemade tomato sauce.  I like to cook...and I was especially happy with the way the meal came out because I used the fresh shredded parmesan cheese I had bought last week at the grocery store for the Italian Wedding Soup I made over the weekend.  Everyone filled their plates and bellies....so I guess they enjoyed it.  (Although I have to say that sometimes a little vocal praise would go a long way....sigh)

Hat #4:  Dishwasher

The duty doesn't always fall to me, but last night I was the dishwasher.  Jay had gotten home a little late and Ellie had basketball practice so dinner and clean up were a little rushed...and we were short-handed at clean up/bath time!  I got all the dishes done except for the 2 messiest pans which needed to be soaked/scrubbed.  Unfortunately, I had to step in to cover part of bath time and never got back to the pans, which led to a lot little stress on my part this am.  (I hate waking up to a messy kitchen, it makes me feel like I'm starting behind the 8 ball(!),  and I was babysitting this morning and wanted to have things organized.)  So,  because my stress was escalating to a point that was ruining the peace in the house, because my husband is so wonderful, he cleaned up the dishes before he left for work.  Because, really, he needs another task to do.......sigh.

Hat #5:  Secretary

On Thursday nights, I go to my parents are print up the paychecks for their employees and pay any online taxes that are due.  It doesn't take me long, but it's something that needs to get done...and another hat to wear!

Hat #6:  Mom of Restless Toddler and Preschooler

Kate should have gone to sleep easily last night because she had an early nap yesterday. No.such.luck.  I had several things that needed to be done last night...and a couple of things I hoped to get done, and there was no cooperation!   Kate took over 30 minutes to fall asleep nursing, and then, just when I was going to put her down, someone in the house accidently dropped the portable phone on her head and woke her up and it took me another 25 minutes to get her settled again!!!!  I was SO not happy!

Then, I got her to bed about 9:30 and started the online orders I needed to do for fundraisers at Ellie and Luke's school, and Luke woke up crying at 9:45!  Argh!  It was not a good sleeping night last night:(

Hat #7:  Editor? Sous Chef

And since it is seven quick take Friday, I will combine the last two.  Last night, Sarah needed something short proofread for school (and early this am Mike emailed me his 6 page paper to proofread).  Andrew worked until almost 10 last night and then came home and needed a hand to make a birthday cake for his girlfriend, which he plans on surprising her with today.  I was just changing hats all over the place last night!!!

I wore a few too many hats...and it showed in my impatient morning!  Thankfully, things are running more smoothly now.  I will try to keep the hat wearing to a minimum today....at least in theory!

A Great Morning!

After yesterday's post about trying to have a Christmas that is filled with balance and peace, I headed out shopping last night with my friend, Carol.  She is the wonder of wonders when it comes to homemade gifts and I enlisted her help with a project I wanted to make for my grandmother.  Where she is the wonder of wonders, I am the 'crafts for dummies' kinda girl!

We were walking though Michael's and you could just see her brain working and creating projects with everything she saw!  I look at all those pretty, shiny things and feel overwhelmed with no idea what to do with anything!

We had so much fun, though, and I loved listening to her ideas.  She helped me pick out yarn for my crocheting project and I love the color combination that I found.  She is in a hat making mode right now and picked up lots of great yarn that was all on sale to make hats for her son and his college friends for Christmas.  (Talented and generous!)

Then, we spent another hour just looking around the store finding awesome stocking stuffers for our daughters.  Ellie and Sarah are going to love them.  Fun stuff!

Today, I found myself with a morning with nothing scheduled.  Usually I have a book club, but I pushed it off until next week because a couple of moms couldn't make it.  We are reading Sex, Style and Substance, which contains 10 fairly short chapters by Catholic bloggers on real life subjects.  We are on chapter 2, which I read before I realized we would be rescheduling the meeting.  In Chapter 2, one of the subjects Halli Lord  talks about is taking time to do something for yourself everyday.  I'm not good at doing that.  It did inspire me though.  So, when I found myself with a free morning, I decided to venture out with Kate and do some shopping.(Because I love to shop!)

I started at Kohl's because I had a gift card and needed black "comfy" pants and a black long sleeve shirt for the Variety Show dance I'm in at the end of November.  I also found a cute black sweater:)

Sarah is in need of a winter coat and vest.  I was looking for a vest but found a Columbia jacket on super sale and I had a 30% off coupon on top of that!  Score!

Kate did great in her carriage and then played in the dressing room while I tried the clothes on.  She loved the mirrors!

Kate did so great that we headed to the Christmas Tree shop a couple of stores down.  I found some cool star lights!  I think lights are by far my favorite way to decorate for Christmas!  Lights and jingle bells make me happy:)  Christmas Tree Shop is one of those stores where you walk in and buy a bunch of random stuff that equals $60 withut even trying!

Kate did great again and loved looking at all the snowmen and Christmas decorations!  She was only 6 days shy of being a Christmas baby, so she should love this season in a special way!

I still had 45 minutes to kill before getting Luke, so we headed to Lowe's to look at backsplashes.  Two years ago, we did some renovations in our house.  The contractors finished 4 days before Kate was born.  With a toddler and a baby...and all the other kids thrown in....we have not gotten much accomplished in the house since then.  That includes painting the family room, which before the renovation was 2 bedrooms and it is still painted 2 different colors!

So, my goal for Christmas, (which I am hosting), is to put up a back splash in the kitchen, paint the kitchen cabinets, and paint the family room.(including a feature wall that will be either painted with stencil or wall papered.)  Hence, my trip to Lowes!  Kate was done sitting in the carriage so she "helped" me push.  I ended up finding the shade of green that I want in the back splash (and on the kitchen island) on some Christmas ornaments and throw pillows.  I bought them and a sample piece of back splash to try against our kitchen counters.

Hopefully it works!  On the way home, I picked up some hash browns at Dunkin as a treat for Kate and Luke with lunch and a small salted caramel hot cocoa for me.  The cocoa is incredible!  Of course, chocolate and caramel are my favorite combination!

It was so much fun shopping, Kate fell asleep on the way home, and I got to sit and sip my cocoa while I waited outside of school to get Luke!  It was such a great morning!

Balance and Peace

I don't know about you, but Christmas has been on my mind a lot the last couple of weeks!  There are reminders of the upcoming season everywhere!  (Including the 6,000 new toy commercials that are being played constantly on Disney Jr and Nick Jr.!  Ugh!)

Every year I struggle with the balance of making Christmas special while not blowing our budget.  Inevitably, I forget to budget for the "little things", like all the baking ingredients and stocking stuffers....which isn't really so little with all the baking I do and all the stockings I fill!  I also get caught up in some impulse buying, because there are so many cute toys/clothes and the "kids would just love this...and this, and this"!

Christmas morning comes, and I realize that some of the things that I thought they would "love" they really could have done without.  Buyers remorse sinks in....sigh!

There is so much "special" in Christmas!  The special food and the special treats and the special gifts and the special movies and the special decoration and the special music...lots and lots of special.  There are also lots of opportunities for special giving and I love how God puts friends or strangers on our heart to share all the blessings we have.

Creating all this "special" is a lot of work for moms.  I try hard to keep a balance so that I add happiness and cheer to this season and keep myself from becoming Scrooge-like!  There are always some bumpy moments...just like during 'regular' non-holiday seasons.  Keeping peace is important, though, and I have learned over the years when to say "when"...usually long before the meltdown stage.  (So, I know that while I might write down 15 different types of cookies during my seasonal cookbook perusal for Christmas treats, usually I only make 8 to 10 come 'baking day' to keep the moment enjoyable!)

This year, I am determined to stick to the budget and not venture away from the list!  This will be such a struggle...I love to shop and once I get going, it is soooo hard to stop!

I need to stay focused on my plan to have an all cash Christmas and create the "special" within the real budget. I want the true Love of Christmas to fill my family, my friends, and my home.  My hypothesis is that having more balance will make our Christmas celebrations more peaceful.  Where there is balance, there is always so much more satisfaction and peace....

...and I really like peace!