7 Quick takes Friday

1. Lent has begun & I've finally had a great reason to get back to going to daily Mass with Miss Ava... that being that our parish, (Our Lady of Perpetual Help in New Bedford) switched it's Mass time during Lent to 5:30pm!!!  This is SO much easier for me to make as:

#1. I'm not a morning person
#2. The usual Mass time falls anywhere between Ava's feeding and/or naptime (and she's now become too nosey to nap well in public)
#3. ...repeat #1

The other great thing is that there are confessions before every daily Mass (except Fridays when there are Stations of the Cross beforehand and confessions offered afterwards).  I'm LOVING it! 

2. I'm having this great desire lately to learn how to SEW!!!

I tend to be crafty and creative in other ways, but SO want to learn how to SEW!  I keep getting all these ideas and thinking, "Darn!  (no pun intended) I wish I had a sewing machine... but I don't"

3.  Spring is in the air.  When springtime nears, I get this great desire to start GROWING things!  So today I went into CVS to get Ibuprofen and came out with these:

...and a movie.  I hope it's good!

Anyway, I have all these beautiful Amarylis bulbs downstairs in the basement which I bought and planted for our Wedding (If you recall they came up to early). 

I thought they I'd plant a few in each container and bring them back to life.  I know this is typically done around Christmas, but this year has been so confusing season/weather wise... they probably won't know the difference.

4.  I put some finishing touches on Ava's nursery.  I have had these cute little green frames and hadn't had a use for them, so I put a bunch of pictures to tell her birth story and placed them up in the nursery with Command hooks (the little clear ones.  ...I told you I'm SO into these things!) and they look great hanging from the trees over her crib.

5. I FINALLY found a teether that works for Ava.  She has HATED every single one I've offered to her during this whole teething process.  Until NOW!  I found these at Marshalls of all places:  Nuby Softees teethers...

...as you can tell.  She approves.

6.  THIS is one of my favorite things in my house.  It's a beautiful Holy water font that's hung right outside our bedroom door.  Our friends Pam & John Martin gave it to us for our Wedding.  I love that it's right there and so easy to dip into for a quick blessing and reminder.  I love watching Shaun bless little Ava.

7.  ...I've started working out again.  Ok... so I worked out ONCE technically.  I hope this holds me accountable.  I SOooo need to.  I have this big fear that I'll get pregnant again (that's actually NOT the fear part) before I lose the weight from this past pregnancy (THAT's the fear part).  So, I've turned my living room into a workout area.  Before I actually started, I watched the workout videos I had purchased over a period of 3 days to see which one most motivated me.... that's right, I said video(s)... plural.  "You just watched them you say?  Don't you mean to say, you worked out to them?"  Nope.  Just watched them... I think one of them I watched while I was snacking on Jax. 

That must have been Fat Tuesday. 

I'm SO uncoordinated I thought I might injure myself if I just jumped in.  I actually did sprain my ankle once doing Tae Bo!  So, I decided to skip the Tae Bo.  Sorry Billy.  I also decided to skip the "Post-Pregnacy Boot camp".  The lady was just too sweet and I thought when she said, "If you need to take a break, just take a short break" ...I would.  So for now I'm going with Jillian Michaels' "Ripped in 30". 

I'm hoping she can guilt trip me just enough to workout 3-4 times a week.  The tough part is that I'm not really that swayed by peer pressure.  I sort of have always "done my own thing" and if someone tells me to do something, I have a hard time doing it just because someone tells me to. 

I'm not like my dear friend Colleen of Martin Family Moments who seems to really enjoy excersize and has written many posts in defense of it.  (Her whole family is actually like this, so I think it's sort of a genetic thing) Or my friend Ellie from Me and my House who really likes to run and after 10 kids looks better than me after my first.  I don't enjoy it.  I hurt afterwards.  I have stairs in my house and the shortage of estrogen due to breastfeeding really makes my joints hurt more.  You know what I DO enjoy?  I really enjoy... EATING!  My tastebuds are in better shape than my legs.  And it doesn't help that I have a husband who thinks I'm absolutely beautiful ALL the time and seems unable to notice stretch marks... or weight gain ...this is actually not a complaint at all, but doesn't exactly motivate one to excersize.  *sigh*

But I want to be able to chase my children around without thinking, "Please Lord, When will they stop running???" so I'll give it a try.  Say a prayer.  Day one done, check!

Content with the Ordinary

This weekend Shaun & I had what I think was a beautiful weekend together.  We celebrated with a Memorial Day Party at his brother Pat's house and had a wonderful time.  (I don't have any pictures, sorry my camera's on the blitz)

Then on Sunday after an early morning of Adoration (I love praying next to Shaun) and morning Mass (which I got to sing a little at) we had a lovely breakfast followed by an impromptu trip to go fishing together (he caught 3... I caught nada) which always brings back memories of our time of courtship and his proposal which brought with it, my ring on the end of my fishing pole.  Therefore, even when I catch nothing, I look over and remember that my greatest catch was found on the end of my pole and it's hard to top that! 

We then stopped for lunch in the country and later had a great night watching a movie together. 

AMISTAD

GREAT movie, but a huge tear jerker for me.  I had to stop in the middle and collect myself.  I cannot help but be moved deeply when I see the suffeing that was undergone by these people.  I was so grateful for the gift of freedom and the many things I take for granted.  It was a good thing to remember on Memorial Day weekend. 

There's one scene where a woman who is captured and forced onto the slave ship delivers her baby in the midst of a terrible storm and all the other slaves, chained together work together to raise the baby up above the tossing and turning bodies to save it.  I completely broke down.  I thought of Ava Marie and how comfortable we've been throughout our pregnancy. 

(Here she is at her 20 week Ultrasound)

Then I thought of how many other mothers lose hope and take the GIFT of their children for granted and just discard them at the nearest abortion clinic while there are those who are desperately hoping for a child would take their children and save it.  Freedom has become SO distorted.  But I digress...

Later that evening we headed off to a meeting to help organize the Corpus Christi Procession in a few weeks, which is a beautiful celebration in honor of Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.  We love attending and helping to prepare by lining the streets with flowers. 

Today (Memorial Day) Shaun & I were actually able to sleep in and wake up totally refreshed.  What a gift!  I know it's one I probably will not be indulging in soon. 

We began the day with a beautiful Memorial Day Mass which we both cried through due to the hymns. 

(evidently this does not have the same effect on everyone... hmmm)

I cannot make it through the National Anthem and when I hear Shaun go silent and the tears start to run down his cheeks, I'm so grateful for his service as an Army Ranger and that of others. I was lucky enough to run into one of our servicemen in uniform later in the day while out on errands and shake his hand.  He was eating and concerned that his hands would be dirty when I reached out mine to take his.  I assured him that didn't matter and he in humility shook my hand firmly and in what looked like grateful embarrassement just said, "It was my honor". 

After Mass we were off for breakfast and then came home to work on the yard and house together.  We both felt really motivated despite the heat and humidity and we tend to work well as a team.  On a whim we decided to plant window boxes and went out shopping for flowers and came home to work on them together.  It was a wonderful little memory. 

Little did he know that I had always dreamed when moving around a lot and living in a one (small) room apartment for over 8years that one day I would have a home ...where I could plant window boxes.  Something simple, but something I dreamed of.  And the man who made all my dreams come true when he said "I do" makes them come true over and over again in the little ordinary ways.

I used to think that to please God or live a worthy life, I had to do "GREAT things", but now as I've grown a little older in my faith and begun to understand the gifts God sends us in the smallest things, whether I'm hanging laundry on the line, planting flowers, digging in the dirt, cleaning the house, folding laundry or enjoying a simple dinner and a movie with my husband.  I cannot help but feel intense gratitude and find myself content with the Ordinary things in life.

A Busy Week!!!

So... it's been another busy week and is nearing a close (though it's not over yet).  I told myself that even if Mr. Shaun T. Fullen thinks I'm crazy for feeling the need to excersize, I was going to start actually using that gym membership and going... starting in November.  We joked as we were watching "Swamp People" and snacking on JAX & Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yogurt that most women at this point in their engagement would be freaking out and starving themselves... not me.  Instead, I say "Can we at least compromise and put the bag between us you little JAX hogger!"

Mmmmm...

On Monday, it began, though.  I have the BEST Maid of Honor who gets up and meets me at 4:45 in the morning to go to the gym.  Have I ever mentioned I'm NOT a morning person?  Nope.  I wax & wane between complete zomified non-responsiveness & unbridled chatter about nothing.  Poor thing.  Hope she still loves me by the end of this!

 ...some mornings I think I'm just gonna look like this on the eliptical... but overall, I'm happy I'm going and feel much more productive in the am & alert at morning Mass.

Monday was also "All Saints Day" and I dressed up as Mother Mary with my kids.  They were Super CUTE!  I wish I could show all the pictures but... legalities... you know!

It was quite a feat taking these 25 to Mass for the first time... in costume.

 

At school the kids have been helping me get ready for "My wedding".  We do a LOT of planting in the classroom all year long and have already planted nine containers of pumpkin seeds (from our carved jack-o-lanterns), 4 containers of apple seeds, 2 Maple trees, 2 containers of "pop"corn seeds ...oh, and ONE orange seed (one of the girls saved it from her lunch & wanted to plant it)... but they've also been helping ME to plant favors/decorations for the wedding. 

We planted 150 Spruce tree seeds (please grow) and a dozen Amarylis bulbs... that I REALLY hope grow.  We even prayed Hail Mary's for them.  They're all excited about helping me and I wish I could show you all the pictures (but don't have permission from the parents), so I'll just show you a few where you can't really see the faces:

"Today boys and girls, you're going to help me plant AMARYLIS bulbs!"

"For your wedding?"

"Yup."

"I'm coming to your wedding" (repeat)

"I hope so."

"Who are you marrying?"

"My friend Shaun"

"I know Shawn!!!"

"Not that Shawn... (looking at little Shawn) though I love you too Shawn"

"I love you TOO Miss Marijanna" (repeat 25 times)

"Ok, lets get back to planting..."

(whispering) "I think she's using us for slave labor!"

"Voila!"  (Please grow & BLOOM... by Jan 1st!)

...Just a little window into our world!