Site Title

recent posts

about

  • Everyone’s Doing It!

    There are too many people to name for a hat tip–I’ve seen this all over.  Here goes:

    1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE ? No, my dad looks in a very old book with Chinese characters and finds some that have meaning.  He’s done this for all my children too.

    2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Today, at the burial of Emily’s baby.  My heart broke for them.

    3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Usually

    4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Boar’s Head Salsalito Turkey

    5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yep!

    6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so.

    7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Oh, yeah!

    8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

    9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No, but I’ve been skydiving.

    10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Don’t really have one, but I prefer healthier ones. 

    11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.

    12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes

    13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Coffee

    14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes.

    15. RED OR PINK? Bright red or pale pink–Love them both.

    16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? I’m a procrastinator!

    17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My friend, Dave.

    18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black pants.  No shoes–we don’t wear shoes in the house.

    19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? I snitched a late night chicken nugget from dinner.

    20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The golden silence of my children sleeping

    21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Indigo

    22. FAVORITE SMELLS? Coffee

    23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?  My mom.

    24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? College basketball.  March Madness is my favorite time of year.

    25. HAIR COLOR? Black

    26. EYE COLOR? Brown

    27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope–glasses

    28. FAVORITE FOOD? Korean

    29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings.

    30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Persuasion on PBS

    31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? White.

    32. SUMMER OR WINTER? Actually, I prefer spring.

    33. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs

    34. FAVORITE DESSERT? Molten chocolate cake

    35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?  Too many to list.

    36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Collage of monuments in DC

    37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? I watched a Korean video

    38. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Thunderstorms

    39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither

    40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?  Korea

    41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Hmmm….

    42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Seoul, South Korea

  • Daddy Dolls

    In the waiting room of the therapy clinic, I saw one little girl clutching a doll made by this company.  They make dolls with pictures of deployed dads and you can even add a voice message.  The message was sweet–the little girl let me hear it.  It brought tears to my eyes.  She really loved the doll and was clutching it to her the whole time.  Her daddy must’ve just left. 

    I’ll have to remember it for the next time Ben deploys.  I know all the girls and even Brother will have need of one.

  • Oh, Christmas Tree

    I am so late in posting about our trip to the tree farm that I’ll just post pictures. 

    Img_7615

    Img_7620

    Img_7631

    Rare Texas bats. 😉

    Img_7857

    Our tree during Advent.

    Img_7860

    Our tree on Christmas Eve.

  • In this military town, we’ve had soldiers deployed and soldiers returning these past couple of months.  It’s been hard for those deploying during this Christmas season–most left before Christmas.  Christmas was hard for those who had deployed soldiers at the tail end of their deployment too because many returned after Christmas, but they did have the consolation that the end of the tour was near. 

    Here’s what I’ve seen and heard: 

    • The dad who snuggles his baby girl who is 10 months old.  The last time she saw her daddy she was two weeks old.  She knew instinctively that he was her dad.  It’s the sweetest thing. 
    • The bewildered mom in our therapy clinic’s waiting room who seemed unsure how her husband will fit into her life again.
    • The anxious autistic boy who cries because he’s so sure that his father going to work means he’s in Iraq again.  He’s afraid his dad won’t come home each night. 
    • The smiles on the faces of the wives whose husbands are home again.  The relief that they won’t have to go on anymore without help (until the next deployment).
    • The reunions that have happened at 3 am because they’ve had to schedule so many flights to get all the soldiers home.
    • The wife who hears from a friend that certain flights are arriving earlier than predicted and runs to use another friend’s computer to check her email.  Then seeing the surprise and the tears.  The whoops from her children when they hear. 

    It is wonderful to see all these dads home (I say dads because I don’t know any deployed moms).  Their children are happy, the moms are relieved (and very, very happy). 

    Welcome home, soldiers!  May your transition be smooth.

  • I Should Be Sleeping

    You Are a Realist
    You don’t see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what’s exactly in the glass.
    You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is…
    But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on.
    You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations – and this always seems to help you cope.

  • Birthday Wishes!

    Oh, my so many of my favorite people were born in January!  Elizabeth celebrated hers on Thursday, Dawn celebrates hers today.  These two ladies are among my favorite bloggers.

    And, someone IRL, who is special to our family, is celebrating her birthday today too–my sister-in-law.  Happy Birthday, Sue!  I commissioned a chaplet for you from my friend, who owns Miracoli Beads.  It’s obviously late, but I wanted you to see what it looked like.  Here are some pictures:

    Img_7957

    Img_7955

    Img_7956

    Aren’t the beads lovely?  That pater is beautiful.  This picture does not do it justice.  I don’t have the macro lens needed to take a picture it.

    Happy Birthday, Ladies!  God’s many blessings to you all–or as we Texans say, y’all!

  • Another Angel in Heaven

    Please pray for my friend, Emily, who has lost her little one at 18 weeks.  Another little angel, Mark Alexander, is now watching over this lovely mother and her sweet family.

  • Addicted!

    It’s all her fault!  One day I’m relearning how to knit and before I knew it, I was buying yarn even before I had a project in mind!  I’m addicted to yarn!  I love the feel of it and I love imagining the projects. 

    Last night we had our monthly Ditch and Stitch night.  I watched my dear friend start on a sock using double point needles.  I’ve looked at double points and knitting in the round with something akin to horror because it always looked so complicated.  After watching the process, I realized it’s not so difficult.  Now, I want to knit socks.  Isn’t that crazy?  I’m still working on a baby blanket for a baby who’s already 5 months old!  First things first, right?  I keep consoling myself with, "At least, she can put it in her hope chest." 

    Oh, pattern is for a "Live to Knit" dishcloth.  I think it’s perfect for our dear Ditch and Stitch hostess. 

  • Christmas at Greccio

    The following is the first in a series of posts to catch up on all my Advent and Christmas happenings.

    Inspired by Alice and Mary Ellen’s homeschool group’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, our homeschool group put on a production of Christmas at Greccio, A Play in One Act.

    We started rehearsals in September and despite our worries and fears, the play turned out wonderfully. 

    Img_7661

    Left to right, top row:Guiliana, our narrator, Anthony, Lady Giacoma, Pacifica, Mariano.  Bottom row:  Beppi, Lord Velita, Amata, Francis, and Brother John.

    Img_7676

    One of the directors (I was the other).

    Img_7679

    Francis, Anthony, Lord Velita and Brother John at the beginning.

    Img_7682

    More join in.

    Img_7689

    Img_7697

    Here are the little ones singing.  Aren’t they precious?  They sang "Prayer of St. Francis" and "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful".  It was so wonderful listening to their sweet voices?  And, where was I through this?  Backstage sending each group of actors out when needed and trying to quietly cue them when they were stumped.  It didn’t happen often, fortunately.

    ETA:  My co-director’s husband is due to arrive home from Iraq tomorrow.  Please pray for his safe travels and for a wonderful reunion and reintegration. 

  • Christmas To-Do List

    Well, I’ve finally finished the gifts for my in-laws and Ben will send them out tomorrow.  For those family members that do read this and usually receive a gift, please know it’s on the way!  Note to self:  Start early.

    Final thing left on my to-do list?  Christmas cards.  The labels are printed, but the pictures are not ready.  My deadline?  Friday.