2009-The Year in Pictures!

My friend Shawna did a review of 2009 in pictures.

I thought it was a cute idea!

In January, I donated my hair in honor of my sister-in-law starting her chemo.

I am so glad I did it!

By the way, she is cancer-free!!!

Not much happened in February. It was too cold to go anywhere.

The boys played trains-a lot!

In March, we got together with my real life friends Lisa and Sydney.
We all had babies at the same time when Michael was born. Here is Michael with Syd's
son, Alex. They have a great time when they see each other!
BTW-check out Syd's blog. She just added to her family this month!



April meant Easter. These boys spent the day before at the zoo with Daddy!

In May, we filled the pool so it would be ready for June.
This was taken at the end of May. The water was freezing, as were these boys!

In June, we went for a getaway to the water park.

My niece, Clare, came with us to lend a huge hand

as I was way too pregnant to be of any good to anyone!

In July, we trekked an hour to see the best fireworks in the state!

August means State Fair.

Although we did not go this year because I was so close to my due date,
we did get our cream puffs-the breakfast of champions!

September, of course, brought our precious baby girl, Alex into the family.

Yes, darling, Mommy would cry too with all of those big brothers!

October, Halloween, enough said!

November was my godson's State Championship football game.

Here I am with my niece, Clare.

Love you, Clare!

Finally, December, and the first real picture of my children together
that actually turned out!

Happy New Year to you all!

I am looking forward to journeying 2010 with you!

Super Mario

My boys received this for Christmas. I have to say that of all of the games that we have for Wii, I really love this one! While my boys tend to get pretty competitive when they are playing Wii, they can't do that with this game. In this one, they work as a team to defeat Bowser. It has been great watching them work together (all 3 boys!). Hearing them encourage each other as well.

At one point today, I did hear the following conversation:

Drew to Peter, "Dude, that was AWESOME! Let's try it again!" (I don't really like when he uses dude, but it was cute!)

Peter in response, "No one messes with Peter!"

It has been a good break!

They also received Sports Resort, Family Game Night 2, and Mario at the Winter Olympics. They have had a great time. I think I'll wait until Sunday to remind them that back to school means video game free zone!

Wordless Wednesday

And the winner is:

So, when I plugged the number of commenters (16) into random.org, the generator picked number 13! The winner is Sarah-Kala! I guess you'll be using the scarf when you move back here from Hawaii! Congratulations!

Up in the Air

This was the movie was saw last night. "Up in the Air" with George Clooney. In the end, Andy and I wished we hadn't seen it. It is getting such rave reviews, but we left thinking how depressing! Someone just remarked on FB that he loved it-possibly because of his HR background. I don't understand how people could leave feeling good about it.

Clooney plays a man who lives literally on a plane. He has a small apartment to call home, but he has spent 352 days of the past year on the road. His job is to go to companies and fire people. In the midst of this movie, he works with a 23 year old (Natalie)who challenges him on his lifestyle of having no real connections. He also meets Alex, a woman who has the same kind of career and seems to be the one who will change him.

In the end, Natalie leaves the company after one of the women they fire kills herself. This woman told them she would jump off a bridge and she did. Natalie leaves the company, and Clooney lies and says he doesn't remember the woman. He decides he wants to change and goes to find Alex and share his life with her. When he arrives at her door, he finds that she is married with children. Alex later calls him berating him that he almost ruined her real life, and that he is only a parenthesis. Clooney's character returns to his solitary life on the road, end of movie.

We were so disappointed. More disappointing is that people are giving rave reviews to an immoral lifestyle. Skip this one if you can!

A day for celebrating!

Today marks a couple of important benchmarks in my life. First of all, it is my second blogiversary. I kind of started on a whim in 2007, and this blog has turned into way more than I asked for! I am so thankful for the wonderful friends I have made over the past 2 years. For some of you (and you know who you are), you have walked with my through some really hard times and some really awesome times. I look forward to relationships growing in the coming year, and hopefully to meet some of you in real life at some point. I feel so blessed to have such strong women of faith in my life!

Secondly, it is my 13th wedding anniversary! I cannot tell you how much my dear sweet Andy means to me. Thirteen years ago, I didn't think that I could possibly love him anymore than I did then, but time has shown me that my love for him continues to grow with each passing day and year. (I love you, honey!).

So, in honor of both 'versaries, I am going to give away one of my hand loomed scarves. All you have to do is leave a comment by 11:59 PM CST on Monday night, and I will pick a winner! Good luck!

All ready for Mass!

Merry Christmas!

May all of you have a very Blessed Christmas!

So far, so good!

My sister is out of surgery. The pacemaker is in and she is doing fine so far. She has to lay flat for a couple of hours, and then still stay pretty still after that. She will be at the hospital for at least 72 hours while they monitor her-which would bring her home on Christmas Eve. Thanks for all of the prayers for her and our family.

Updating Again!

I just came from the hospital and visiting my sister. It was so good to sit and talk to her! (Actually, our first real conversation was on Friday. I can't tell you how happy it made me to be able to talk to Mary again. It's had been a long week!). She looked good, but really tired. I was able to go for a short walk with her as well while I was there. I am continued to be amazed by my sister's strength and courage through this whole process.

She has one more hurdle to cross before coming home. My sister is having surgery tomorrow to have a pacemaker put in. He heart just has not returned to a normal rhythm, and at this point, it is unlikely that it ever would. She had some scary moments the other day when they tested it, and she hopes to not go through that again. Please continue the prayers for her tomorrow, and I will update when I know something.

Thanks for all of the prayers and encouragement!

Free Canvas

If you go over to Canvas People, they are running a special which gets you a free 8x10 canvas (you pay $14.95 shipping). It is too late to get it for Christmas, but I am hoping to get mine for our anniversary! (SHHHH! Don't tell!)

Another Update

My sister continues to improve, although she is in a lot of pain. Everyday movements we take for granted hurt a lot. My brother-in-law has requested no visitors for the time being so my sister can rest. I am hoping to see her over the weekend. I miss my sister.

I have a few specific requests for prayer at this point. We were informed yesterday that my sister more than likely needs a pacemaker. This surgery is very minor compared to the one she had, but my sister is very disappointed with this turn of events. Please pray for peace for her with this surgery or for the miracle that her heart goes back into rhythm and she won't need one. My husband reminded me yesterday that this is not a done deal and that God can change this if He wishes, so pray like crazy!

We are also unsure as to when she will come home. My brother-in-law is hopeful it will be next week. I am praying that she is home for Christmas-for herself, for her husband, for her children. Her children are all handling this beautifully, but it is hard for them to not have their Mama home. I am so proud of all of them-from my adult nieces who are managing things on the home front all the way down to the youngest who misses his Mama terribly. Please pray for them to have strength and peace as they help my sister through her recovery.

Almost Wordless Wednesday-Her first tree hunt!

All bundled up, and ready to go!

We don't like this so much! (Great picture of both of us, don't you think?)

Quick update!

Thank you all for all of the prayers for my sister, Mary. Please keep them coming.

Mary did very well with the surgery yesterday. They did the bypass and replace her valve. The surgery was about 5 1/2 hours. I was able to see her once she was settled. She was still on the ventilator at the time. While in there, the turned it off and she began breathing on her own-huge sigh of relief! By night time, the tube was out, and she was awake and talking. She has quite a bit of pain, which is expected, but they were working on managing that. The only thing still up in the air is whether or not she will need a pacemaker (5% of valve replacement patients do). We should have an answer to this in the next day or so.

THANK YOU for all of the prayers, and please keep them coming. She has a long way to go, but so far, so good! GOD IS GREAT!

Today

My sister's surgery is scheduled for 6:30 AM this morning. They will be performing a bypass, valve replacement and possible aortic reinforcement. I am leaving my house at 4:15 AM so I can see my sister before they take her back for surgery. I will update here when I can, but it probably won't be until I get home.

For those of you who are friends on facebook-I will update on there from my cell.

Please pray for my sister, her husband and children, and for the doctors and other hospital staff taking care of Mary today. God Bless!

Happy Birthday, Meghan!

My niece, Meghan, turns 15 today! It is so hard to believe that she is 15! We celebrated last week by having her stay over on Thursday (she loves spending time with my boys and the baby) and then went out to lunch with her Mom and one of her sisters (Megs is #5 of 7). Today, she is spending the day with her family-one of her sisters just returned from a semester in Rome and her Mom is my sister, Mary, who is having surgery on Monday. Meggie-have a wonderful birthday!

A Gift

After being in such a down mood this week, today I was given a gift. Something I truly needed, yet did not ask for. I was able to go to lunch with my sister and 2 of her daughters (one of them turns 15 on Sunday). It was great to get out-without the kids (Andy was home). I am cherishing time with my sister and her girls-especially before her surgery on Monday, but that was not the gift in today.

After lunch, my sister needed to go home and rest (which is what she is supposed to do between now and the surgery). She asked me to take her daughters over to Confession. I have to say that this Sacrament was just what I needed. It hasn't been that long since I last went, but God knew what I needed. I feel so much better!

3 Months Old

All ready for her brothers' Christmas program.

Lots to say to her oldest brother, Peter, who would sit by her side for hours if it made her happy!

Just hanging out!

Thank you

Thank you to those who left comments on my post today. One thing I need to clarify. I should have proofed my post. I didn't mean to say that you all want me to be a better Catholic/Christian. I meant to say that you make me want to be a better Catholic/Christian. HUGE difference. I did not mean it as a comparison. I meant that as I read about others' spirituality it truly does inspire me.

I truly am blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful women in my real life and in the blogosphere. I really do pray that I get to meet many of you one day.

I am making an executive decision tonight. I am going to pass on Recipe Swap this week (and maybe until after the Holidays). Something has got to give and I am starting with that. Perhaps I will post more pictures of my baby instead-y'all wouldn't mind that, would you?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Time of the season

I am in a funk today. We were supposed to have the snowstorm of all snowstorms, and areas around us did. An hour west of here has 17 inches so far. We've gotten about 4 inches of snow, followed by rain and now it is snowing again. All schools in the area are closed except in our county.

Yes, I wanted snow-and lots of it! I was hoping to have a day with all of the kids that was unexpected and spend the day baking cookies and bread. (My Mom always said that the best time to bake bread was when it was snowing.) So, I am just disappointed.

I haven't felt like blogging much either lately. Not a lot to say. Working through my feelings over my sister's impending bypass surgery. I am trusting in God that she will be fine-she has to be. My sisters are my comfort since my parents died. Don't get me wrong, I love my brothers, and cherish time with them, but it is different.

I am also working through some spiritual matters. I look at many of you as such an inspiration. You make me want to be a better Christian, a better Catholic. I am just struggling with how to find the time to do everything I would like to do. That goes for my prayer life as well as my life as a wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend. A friend emailed me recently that she felt like I was an inspiration because of everything I do. I wanted to scream, "Not me!" I really don't feel that way at all.

Perhaps I am just tired (Jamie-Alex gave up her sleeping through the night! She is back up at 3 AM.), perhaps I need to pray more ( I know I do), perhaps I just needed a snow day. Oh well.

Update

I thought I would post an update about my sister. Her cath yesterday did not bring the best news. Mary has a 60-80% blockage in her coronary artery. Because of the location, she is going to require bypass surgery. While they are in, they will also replace her valve, which as I said before, is bicuspid (two openings) rather than tricuspid (three openings). Please pray for her and for her husband and 7 children (ages 22-9) as they walk this journey. Please also pray for her doctors that they treat her with knowledge strength, wisdom and steady hands. Her surgery is on December 14.

More

I hope I am not annoying everyone with all of the prayer requests, but I am guessing that Advent is a busy time for needs. I have a couple more.

My sister, Mary, who has a defect with her aortic valve (it's bicuspid instead of tricuspid), is scheduled to have a cardiac cathaterization this morning. She had an abnormal stress test during the summer, and had a bit of a scare when she was in Rome last week involving some chest pain. The doctor wants to rule out blockages and get a good look at her valve. Please pray for good results, as well as steady hands for her doctor.

Secondly, when I was speaking to my sister this morning, she told me of a little girl named Mia (Mia is a friend of a friend's daughter). Mia is 9 months old, and has been diagnosed with brain cancer. If I get more information on this situation, I will let you know.

Thank you so much for all of the prayers. Please know that I carry all of your intentions spoken and unspoken with me. I truly love and appreciate the community we are building when we help each other like this! God Bless!

Keep the prayers coming!

Here is the link to Becky's CaringBridge site. The have lifted the sedation and she is responsive! God is so good!

Not just about the baby!

Lest you think that baby Alexandra is the only child who gets space on this blog, I thought I'd throw in a couple of my boys.

Sorry for the blur in this shot, but I thought I would post a picture of Michael's goose-egg from last night when Drew "accidentally" pushed him out of the way to save him from running into a shelf. It looks much better today-there may be a Christmas picture after all!

The boys were pleasantly surprised to find that, yes, their Mama had stayed up last night to finish all of their winter hats. In truth, I finished making Peter's last week. Today it is supposed to be around 32 degrees, so I'd say I finished just in the nick of time!

12 weeks old!

Prayers!

I emailed a few of you about this last night, but I was informed of a family that is in dire need of prayer. The mother, Becky, is the sister of someone at my parish. She has 4 children, age 5 and under, with the youngest being 12 days old. Becky had a massive heart attack and aortic dissection a couple of days ago. Her brother has blogged an update here. Later today, they will be setting up a CaringBridge site. I will let you know when I get it. Let's storm Heaven with prayers for this family! At this time of year, I am so thankful for such a wonderful blogging community! God Bless!

Recipe Swap Thursday-Christmas Cookie Edition!

Today I am sharing an old family favorite-tutus (also known as chocolate balls). I can remember my Mom making these every year. I would love coming home from school seeing the kitchen table COVERED in tutus, freshly glazed, with the excess glaze all over the table-YUM!

Tutus

4 C flour
1 ½ C granulated sugar
2 T (heaping) cocoa
2 T (heaping) baking powder
5 large eggs
1 C Crisco
2 T vanilla
1 C chopped walnuts
1 C chocolate chips (more if desired)
milk, as needed

Mix all ingredients and roll into balls the size of a quarter. Bake 425° for 7-8 minutes. (As these get larger upon baking, you may want to do a few to see how big you want them). Cool and frost. (Frosting: powdered sugar, melted butter, and milk).

Now, it's your turn! Grab the button on the sidebar to link back to me, and leave a link to your post in the comment section.

Odds and Ends

Thought I would try to take a moment to breathe and fill in on what's been going on around here. Nothing major, but I am feeling very overwhelmed of late!

I am happy to report that my baby girl is sleeping through the night. She has been sleeping until 5 every morning. This has been a welcome change (6 would be better, but I am not complaining!). Alex is a very easy baby for the most part. She loves to smile as well. Today, she surprised me by rolling from her tummy to her back! I have never had a child do this quite so early. This afternoon, I thought I'd see if it was a fluke or not. It wasn't. She flipped over after about 10 seconds on her tummy. She was laying on the floor on her blanket while I was busy with the boys. The next time I looked, she had scooted herself (on her back) about 16 inches over and pretty much off the blanket! I am so not ready for any of this. I was hoping to not have to worry about the tree this year.

In the midst of these exciting events, Michael ran screaming out of my room. He and Drew had been watching a show in there while Peter finished his homework. Apparently, the two brothers had been doing acrobatics on my bed. Drew said that Michael was going to fall into the shelf, so he blocked him by pushing him (accidentally, of course!). Michael had a goose-egg on the side of his eye which I am sure is going to be a lovely shade of purple. So, do I get their Christmas picture taken or wait for it to go down?

So, my overwhelmedness? (Is that even a word?) Just feeling like I am running all the time. Work has gone from no hours to too many hours! I am just feeling like I have no time to breathe. Busy with the kids and the house all day, then I teach until 10. Most nights I am up until 11 or 11:30, and then Alex is up at 5. I am tired. Thank God for a great husband who helps out a lot, and understands when I don't get everything I want to done.

I decided to take off my last hour tonight to give me a bit of a break. There is a front coming through tonight, and I need to finish Drew's hat because, of course, his is the one not done yet. Wish me luck!

Recipes

Tomorrow for recipe swap, will you join me in sharing a Christmas cookie recipe? I feel like I need some inspiration! I would love to hear if there is a story or tradition behind it as well! See you tomorrow!

Eleven Weeks!

Baby Alex turned 11 weeks old on Thanksgiving!
(SHHH! Don't tell-we took this one on Friday!)

Winter is upon us! I think she looks cozy in her hat and bunting!

Our Long Weekend was filled with:

Sleeping!

Cocoa!

And Ornaments! (Special thanks to my niece, Clare, who helped me cook on Wednesday and came back for more fun Thursday night and Friday!)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

I wanted to post this earlier in the day, but I have had one of the worst migraines I've had in a while. I am disappointed that it wasn't up earlier, and with the way I feel, I am not going to do it justice.

My Dad would have been 72 today. I feel so blessed to have him as a father. He always gave such a wonderful example of parenting, but also of how a husband should treat his wife. My parents had a beautiful marriage that truly had God at the center of it. It really came as no surprise that they died 19 months apart as I am sure they could not wait to be together again.

My Dad also had such a strong faith. He was a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church, and celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination shortly before his death.

Daddy was a wonderful father and Nonno (grandfather). His presence is still felt in our family. He has two grandsons named after him (my son, Peter is one), and quite a few took Peter for their Confirmation names.

Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have many things to be thankful for this year!

First and foremost, I am thankful for my faith. I am not sure how people make it in this world without faith, and I am glad that I'll never have to know.

I am thankful for a wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally.

I am thankful for my son, Peter, with his sweet disposition, who always has a hug for his Mama.

I am thankful for my son, Drew, who has such a love of life and always has a smile on his face.

I am thankful for my son, Michael, who at 4, tells me he loves me many times a day.

I am thankful for my baby, Alexandra, who fills me with such joy every time she snuggles with me.

I am thankful for my two babies in Heaven. I can't wait for us to meet again one day.

I am thankful to have been blessed with 33 and 35 years with my Mom and Dad. I am thankful that I can now say that instead of being jealous that others have more time with their parents.

I am thankful to be from a big Italian family, even when we are sometimes crazy!

I am thankful for my real life friends, who all know who they are, but especially thankful for Lisa, Sydney and Michelle who love and accept me as I am, faults and all.

I am also thankful for my blogging friends. Even though we have never met in person, I feel so blessed to know all of you, and thankful for what you have added to my life and my faith.

God bless you all, and may you have an abundant Thanksgiving!

Advent Activity

My first grader, Drew, brought home an Advent activity. He has a page with the 4 Advent candles, each divided into 7 sections. For each day that he completes the task for that week, he gets to color in a section.

Here are the tasks:
Week 1-Pick up clothes and keep room in order (this will be hard for him).
Week 2-Do what he is told the first time he is told to do it.
Week 3-He will not argue or pout when he doesn't get his way.
Week 4-Be helpful around the house without asking.

I have decided to copy it for the other 2 boys to participate. I am thinking that it is going to be a great Advent!

Something new

Hours are exploding at work, so I am going to make this a quick post! It's been a while since I've talked about my former teaching job. Before I had kids, I taught the Deaf and hard of hearing (yes, I can sign). Tonight, while I was teaching-which again is only via headset and microphone, I had a hearing impaired student. Yes, that's right hearing impaired. Yes, it is mild, but, this is really not the ideal situation. I'd like to strangle the person at her school who signed her up. Hello? She can't hear that well, and Hello? we teach via mainly auditory means. OK, vent over. Have a nice night! :)

So proud!

My nephew's team won the State Championship on Friday. It was a tough game, but I am so glad we were there for it. Although John didn't score the only touchdown of the game (the score was 7-0), he had a lot of yards. He even got the game ball. BUT, that's is not the only reason why I am proud of him.

I am proud of my freshly turned 18 year old godson for something far more important. I am proud of him for the man he is becoming. I am proud of him for wearing pink gloves on the field in honor of his mother who is a breast cancer survivor. I am proud of him for wearing my father's name on one of his black marks under his eyes. And under the other eye? A.M.D.G.-For the greater glory of God!

Friday was a wonderful day, and I am so proud of him!

Recipe Swap Thursday-Thanksgiving Edition!

It's time to share our favorite Thanksgiving recipes!!!Please grab the code for the button from my sidebar to link back to me. Leave a comment with your link so we can check out your post!

Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.POUR into pie shell.BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

This is the recipe off of the Libby's site, but I have used it for years. It is so good!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!!

Wordless Wednesday-Smiley Girl!

Recipe Swap Reminder

This Thursday, let's share our favorite Thanksgiving recipes! YUM!

Happy Birthday, Mama!

My Mom would have been 70 today. We are celebrating her life here on earth as well as her life now in Heaven. When she became ill, she decided that she would offer up her suffering so that her grandchildren (which number 26 on earth right now with more by her side in Heaven) would never lose their faith. Suffer she did, but what a precious gift to leave her grandchildren!

I am ecstatic that you finally have a granddaughter to carry on your name, Mom! We will make sure she knows what a wonderful, faith-filled woman you were while here on earth, and surely are in Heaven! We love you, Mama!

So proud!

My godson's team is going to State! It was an absolute shut-out! John's team won 35-0, with my nephew scoring 3 touchdowns!

Thank you all so much for the kind words on my trust post! Alex was an angel for her grandparents! In fact, they are going to watch her and Michael when we make the road trip to State this Friday!

Trust

Why is trust so hard? I am talking about trusting God. He has never let me down, and yet, why in times of stress, turmoil, or indecision do I turn away and decide to do things myself? I am working on finding an answer to this, and yet, it is so hard!

Take, for example, when I was pregnant with Michael. I had lost my Mom only 5 months before I got pregnant, and my Dad, who was in the final stages of cancer had taken a turn for the worse about 4 months before Michael was born. I was constantly asking medical professionals, "How long does he have?" My poor brother, the oncologist, I would ask him this over and over. When we moved Dad to hospice in late June of 2005, Sal told me he would be surprised if Dad was there at Labor Day. I was due in mid-September! This absolutely could not happen! Guess what? It didn't! God, in his infinite wisdom, gave us 9 more months with Dad. Daddy was here to see Michael born and baptized. He was also here to see my nephew, Peter, score the game winning field goal in TCU's bowl game that year. My point? Instead of trusting that God would do what was best, I spent much of that 9 months wanting to know. Like any of us truly know when we will die. I must trust.

Then, there is this past year with a whirlwind of changes for just about everyone due to the economy. I lost my supervisory role at work and had to take the accompanying pay cut. I have been very disheartened at work. Feeling like I have been demoted to "just a teacher." I need to trust and let this go. Teaching is where my passion is, right? So I need to embrace that. Again, it comes down to trust. My hours were cut to just about zero. I was thinking that I needed to figure this out. That I needed to solve this. I began to look for other opportunities. Again, God knew just what I needed. This week, I have seen an increase in hours that is just about where we need me to be. I must trust.

Now, there is this little issue of my nephew's game tomorrow night. My precious Alexandra does not like being separated from her Mama. We had arranged for my in-laws to stay with her and Michael. Last night, she screamed while I taught. I could hear her fussing most of the 3 hours I was teaching. I came out and told Andy that I can't go to the game. Yet, I need to go. John is my godson, and a senior. If they win, they go to State next week. If they don't, this is his last game. He is hoping to play next year, but if it is very far, it is unlikely that I would be able to go see him play. I have been trying to come up with a solution on my own. Could I bundle her up? (too cold and it is supposed to rain tomorrow) I could stay home, Andy could stay home. Then, I said to Andy, what if we take 2 cars. If I settle her down for a nap before we go, she'd sleep half the time. If she gets frantic, your Mom could call and one of us could come home? When I called to propose this to my mother-in-law, she told me we could take one car. She promised Alex would be fine. God knew I needed to hear that. Again, I must trust. I must pray and I must trust. All will be well.

7 Quick Takes Friday!

1. I'd like to start out with a Happy 18th Birthday to my nephew (and godson), John. I am so proud of the man he is becoming. He is Senior Class President, a great student and a faithful Catholic who was confirmed earlier this year. Last summer, he spent 3 weeks working with the poor in the Dominican Republic. He is also an AWESOME football player. His team will play in the 4th round of playoffs tomorrow, and if they win, they will go to State. This past week, he scored 3 touchdowns, and was chosen Athlete of the week. Can you tell I am proud of him?



2. Speaking of my nephew, we are slated to go to his game tomorrow night. My mother-in-law is supposed to watch Michael and Alex. We may have to rethink this. I have been teasing that Alex cries when Mama isn't there. Well, it has gotten pretty bad. Last night, I taught for 3 hours, and she screamed almost the entire time. I told Andy that I would stay home, but he wants me to go even though she'll cry (he'd stay home). It is supposed to be cold and rainy, otherwise, I'd put her in the carrier and take her with me. I haven't seen John play this season, but I am very conflicted.



3. Hours have increased at work. I am still not being scheduled, but if I tell them I am available, I get added the day before. This really is a great thing, and I am very thankful, but I am kind of wiped out after this week.



4. I've been kind of light on blogging lately. I just don't know what to write about. When I started this blog (before I had made bloggy friends), I wrote. I wrote about education, my faith, politics. Now, I feel like I just don't do that anymore. I'll come up with an idea and then decide not to write about it. Guess it's a blogging funk.



5. Very thankful for all of my wonderful friends, IRL and the blogosphere. So happy that I have a wonderful group of women around me and we can support each other and pray for each other. I just think it's kind of awesome.



6. I am hoping to do some baking this weekend. I just feel like I am coming up on the short end of everything lately. As I write this, I am looking at 3 loads of laundry that I need to fold. Seems like I have to get more scheduled once again. *sigh*



7. Finally, a picture to share. Alexandra turned 2 months this week, and we are so thrilled to have her in our family!

More quick takes at Jen's.

Recipe Swap Thursday

It's time for another edition of Recipe Swap! I am really enjoying what I am seeing on everyone's blogs! This week, I am sharing an old favorite that I just found the recipe for on sparkpeople.com. If you share a recipe, grab the button on my sidebar for your post and then leave a link to your post in the comment section!

Rustic Lemon-Onion Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 tsp dried thyme plus 1 small bunch of fresh thyme, chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4 Tbs of olive oil

1/4 cup of flour

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup of white wine

1 cup chicken broth

3 lemons, juiced

1 to 2 Tbs butter

Season chicken with dried thyme and salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the oil. Dredge the chicken in flour, add to the hot oil and saute until cooked through. Set chicken aside to rest on plate tented with foil.In same saute pan, over low heat, add onions and fresh thyme and cook until aromatic.In a measuring cup, measure out wine, if using and broth and add the lemon juice. Turn the heat to high, and de-glaze the pan with the broth mixture until starting to reduce.Remove pan from heat and finish the sauce by whisking in the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

With Thanksgiving coming, next week, let's share our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Alex turned 2 months old yesterday! I took her for her check-up and she weighed in at 10 pounds, 11 ounces. She is certainly making up for lost time!

This is a hat I loomed for Michael. I wish I had added a few more rows at the top to make it a little bigger. He does love it, though, and asked if he could wear it to bed!

Don't forget Recipe Swap Thursday Tomorrow!!!