Warning: Do not use this or you might just eat your kiddos right up!

I will never buy another baby wash again! This smells dee-licious on Sara. I have to fight the urge to just eat her soft, yummy chubbiness right up. I am also using it for the older girls now too. MC is not very chubby, but equally soft and yummy.



Oh and they make a lotion too with the same smell that I have been using. Who needs Bath and Body Works when you have Johnson's?

Personality colors

I found this short quiz that 'reveals' what decorating colors would best reflect you. I think it was pretty accurrate about me. I already have colors in my home that are very similar to these, just lighter. My house faces north and it could get dark and gloomy, not warm and cozy, if I painted in these tones.

Let me know if you take the quiz!

7 Quick Takes

Head over to Jen's for more Quick Takes

1. We went to the zoo last Friday. It was a spur of the moment trip and we had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect and the and the animals were active. We haven't been to the zoo in awhile and there were some changes. Our favorite new exhibit is the parakeet experience. You enter and enclosed bird house and they are just everywhere. You can feed them off a little seed stick ($1 a stick! what a rip! we were lucky to have a kid pass us along his when he was leaving the exhibit and also we found quite a few just on the ground that we picked up) The birds were colorful and friendly, luckily no one was pooped on. Another winning exhibit was the gorrilas. In the viewing house there is a glass panel in front of some risers and you can just sit and watch them. One came right up to the glass and was eating his snack-staring right back at us!

2. My talk on Advent traditions went just fine, thanks for the prayers. No vomiting on the podium-YAY! My sweet husband has been travelling and he sent me flowers yesterday with a note saying he was so proud of me for doing this thing way out of my comfort zone. The kids were all ooohing and ahhing about their thoughtful dad, even the boys were impressed!

3. Now that the talk is done and not looming over my head I feel free to begin planning for the next big thing. Laine and I are going camping with her AHG troop. Just girls. We're looking forward to it. I actually sort of enjoy camping.

4. Right after the camping is Thanksgiving week. I am having it here for the first time ever. My in-laws will be coming over and I know I won't be cooking everything all by myself, but it is still exciting!

5. It is going to be in the 70's and sunny all weekend. How lucky are we?!

6. I ordered a photo book just for MaryClare and I really hope it gets here soon. It is full of pictures from our trip to China and our meeting for the first time. She has been very inquisitive lately about her 'story' and I want to be as forthcoming and gentle as possible. My hope is this photo book will show her how special she is. Four is such a busy age. Lots of lightbulbs going off for her right now prompting many questions and, I am sensing, a bit of insecurity.

7. I've been working on a little family project and I hope to be done this weekend. It's unique and it is so 'us'. I'll share some pictures when I finish.

'Tis the Season - Already?

*picture from my MIL's (aka The Queen of Christmas Decorating)*

Our parish has an elementary (k-8) school. It is a nice school with small classes and good teachers. Last spring I met a neat woman on the soccer fields whose five kids attend and she is now the Spiritual Life coordinator for this year. A couple of weeks ago she shocked me by calling and asking me to come speak at an event they are having called Preparing Our Hearts and Our Homes for the Holidays. "C?" I said, "Um, you know I homeschool the kids right? Is that ok? I mean I'm not a parent there."

Yes, of course she knew, and she still wanted me. She said the Holy Spirit kept bringing my name to her when she was planning though and she was sure I would have something great to share. Listening to her, I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. Oh no! I've been praying about this, about how I can serve in my parish. Oh dear, it looks like this is your answer, Lord. Wait, can I change my prayer real quick?

See, I am not a public speaker. I have no problem chatting and talking and often in small groups of friends I later wonder if I've talked too much! But in front of a large group? With a microphone?

Um, no. In fact, I'm getting butterflies just sitting here typing this!

But, I said yes.

Fast forward a few weeks and Boom! The thing is tomorrow night. I have written it all out and I will probably just be standing up there reading. I am going to do this. *sigh* I'm sure it will be fine. I do feel strongly that this is something I am supposed to do and that God will just make it work somehow, but I am still intimidated. I just want it to be over already and not looming in front of me.

So, if you have a moment and can spare me a quick prayer for my nerves I would so appreciate it!

Small Successes

1. Sorted through their fall/winter clothes and put away the summer stuff. Of course, I can't put away all the summer stuff because we have freaky weather and it is possible we might need our shorts and tees even in November. This is a task I dread every spring and fall. I am so sad to see the little boy clothes go. Sometimes, when Luke has outgrown something, it is an item that has see us through three boys! The jammies are the worst. See these darling Superman jammies? They came with a little cape that velcroed to the shoulders. My boys wore these out! I finally parted with them *sniff*:

2. I completed week 4 of the CT5K. I should have been on week 5, but I did week 4 twice. Last Thurs. I pulled a hammy (hee hee, I never thought I would be typing that) or something so did a week 3 run and then went back to do week 4 over. I'm still enjoying this program so far and I am amazed at how much my stamina has improved already.

3. We tidied and cleaned out the playroom. I wanted to start that space for our homeschool time and it needed a big cleanup before we could be up there and not be comepletely distracted. It has been wonderful to begin our mornings at home with a prayer, a Bible story and some good read-alouds before we dive into math while listening to the local classical music station very softly in the background.

We have always done math first, just to get it out of the way honestly, but this change has helped us start and finish our seatwork more calmly and peacefully. Thanks to my internet friends and the ladies at the 4 Real Learning forums for their suggestions...

Mother in law update

Thank you for your prayers!

It was discovered that Jojo has a severe hiatal hernia. When she arrived at the hospital, her hemoglobin count was 4! The docs said she was talk of the day. They'd never seen anyone walking around with a count that low. She took 4 units of blood!

Now she is back to her old self and feels like a new woman. She will be taking Nexium and iron pills and should make a good recovery.

7 Quick Takes

It's my first time joining this enormously popular meme, but I had lots of little things to say so here it goes. Be sure to visit Jen's for more quick takes

1. Kids had an All Saints party today. They were supposed to dress up as saints. Thanks be to God I managed to pull together a few costumes. Laine was Mary, Luke was St. Maximilian Kolbe, Ryan was St. Peregrine and Jake was St. Phillip of Neri. Come to think of it, the last All Saints party we went to they were all the same except for Luke who was St. Michael the Archangel. They ended the day with some games and food and the kids enjoyed it.

I have to admit, I am ambivalent about the kids dressing up for All Saints. Sure, I think it's great to celebrate the saints and all, but I am not thrilled about scrambling for a costume and playing the silly games though like Fishing with St. Peter, where someone behind the cardboard cut-out attaches a treat bag to a fishing pole. I don't know, it all feels kind of forced to me. Maybe I am just being a bah humbug grump though. (I hate kids birthday parties too. shhhhh!) Like I said the kids all had fun and were very enthusiastic.

2. Sara's two upper teeth cut through this week and she's learned the thrill of tapping them and grinding them together. So cute! So cringe inducing! Oh and apparently she's a nature lover too.

(when I was posting this I noticed again how much she looks like Ryan. I mean she has the same ears even! See how that one is a little bendy... just like Ry's!)

3. We made the best three ingredient cookies, maybe the best cookies evah (well except for chocolate chip, cause they will always reign supreme in my book):

Yep, just canned pumpkin, a spice cake mix and a bag of white chocolate chips

4. I bet your house doesn't have one of these:
In case you can't see, here is a closeup of the sign on my hall closet.
Yes folks, we have our very own Transmographier right here in our upstairs hallway closet. Just set the dial to whatever you would like to become, then enter the closet and instantly you will be Transmographied. Luckily the inventors added a Human selection so you can return to your natural form when your Mom calls you for dinner, cause if your mom is like mine, it's humans only at the dinner table. (well, ok, maybe unicorns sometimes, but definitely NO armadillos allowed!)

5. We're loving the new deck! Visit my sister's blog (Young At Art...over there on the sidebar) for the final pictures.

6. Speaking of my lovely sister... Her sister-in-law (whom I am now claiming as mine too) and I held a shower for her and also attended another one recently. Doesn't she look wonderful!
The one I went to on Saturday was so cute! The hostesses outdid themselves with a totally adorable Dr. Seuss theme. One of the girls is an event planner and every detail (I mean every!) was themed.
7. I need to end these 7 quick takes on a serious note. Please keep my wonderful mother-in-law, Jojo, in your prayers. She is in the hospital with severe anemia caused by some unknown internal bleeding. She had a few transfusions today and will be having lots of tests run tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting and reading~!