Friday, August 30, 2013

Seven Quick Takes

Joining with Jen today for Seven Quick Takes.

{1}  My friend Carin needs your prayers.
 ^^^she is the momma of these two precious girls and is in the hospital on bed rest with her third who is 23 weeks in utero.  If you are reading this, please take a minute to say a prayer for all of them.

{2} Our Priest is moving to a new Parish.
So, our little Rosary Club is having him over for dinner tonight. Here's part of the menu:
(1) Tres Leches Cake (an easy version) with (2) fresh peaches.  (3) Homemade flour tortillas for these Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas (4) Pinto Beans on their way to being finished


































Along with some chips and guacamole and a little Spanish rice, we'll call it good.

{3} Something I left off my fall favorites post yesterday is pumpkins!  
^^^ours are growing, growing, growing.

{4} Our land could still use some rain before winter hits.

^^^had to believe this is "green" for us.

 {5} John Paul is on the move.
 ^^^it is still slow, and mostly backwards, but he's slowly becoming mobile.  Sigh.

{6} Peter's allergy tests went as well as they could have.
The scratch test wasn't horrible, and I can't say the same for the "third time is a charm" blood draw, but we're finished with it and should have all the results this afternoon.  Thanks everyone for the prayers for this anxious momma - as always, it was not as bad as I imagined it would be.

{7} Enjoy the 3-day weekend!

Don't forget to look at all the other quick takes on Jen's page!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

What I'm Looking Forward To - Fall

I love, love, love seeing other people's outfit posts!  I think they are so cute, and it's such fun to get new ideas from what others put together.  That being said, I feel like a dork doing them.  I love the idea of them, but feel silly once I post one.  So, I might not do it much more (other than maybe the What I Wore Sunday link-up).  Who knows!

I've said it before, but Fall might be my favorite season.
Beautiful colors.
Cooler weather.
The smell of fires burning.
Really, just fall smells.
Darker colors.
Light sweaters.
Leaves falling.
I love it all.

Like this recipe but with pumpkin instead of zucchini.

Curing up with a good book.

Smelling this.

Getting ready for this entertainment.

Doing this with the boys.

And wearing things like this...







Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Five Favorites

Linking up with Moxie Wife for Wednesday's

Five Favorites, hosted at MoxieWife.com

I spent some time with the magazines this weekend and found some fun things!  I don't have any of these items but they all look neat!

1.  Nail Polishes
While I rarely wear any polish, and when I do, it's typically neutral, I love the color of #1.  #2 and #3 are supposed to act like gels without the need for UV light - pretty neat, right?
Nails
2.  Road Tape
How neat would this be as a stocking stuffer for little boys?  Highways all around!

Civil Engineer Tape

3.  New Hunters
I know they aren't out yet, but aren't these Hunters (designed with Rag & Bone) beautiful?  To me, they scream Grace.



4.  Flower Shadow Play

I am a lover of make-up.  I end up getting in a routine and wearing the same thing, but I love looking at it in magazines.  How pretty is Drew's look (all of them, but particularly the top one)?  And, her make-up line isn't too pricey!

5.  Givenchy Gown
This image of Amanda Seyfried was in InStyle.  The snippet talked about how the designer is influenced by his Catholicism and his sisters in the way he perceives women.  Isn't this dress gorgeous, classy and modest! I love it (and her)!


There you have my magazine siting favorites for the week.  Make it a good one, and visit Hallie's page for more favorites!

Here Come the Cattle

We have just a few cattle in our front pasture these days, and their water tank is right outside our yard.  I grabbed a quick picture of one of the calves we're keeping in the family as a bull.



^^^with his mom.

Part of the beauty of returning home to raise children is having cousins return to the area, too.  My sweet cousin brought two of her kiddos over yesterday to enjoy brunch and play time.
 ^^^the boys climbing their fort to watch the cattle come into the pens.
 ^^^waving them in.

^^^one can never have too many cousins...especially when they are as close as brothers.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Artists and Comedians...

Yesterday was a lazy Sunday.  We watched a movie - The Impossible - while it was an incredible story of courage, family, faith and a miracle, I don't know that I can recommend watching it.  Actually I can, with this warning: it is heart-wrenching and painful.  It is a true story, and that always makes it more difficult to watch.  Knowing that, try it..you'll be so much more thankful for your blessings at the end of it, no doubt.

I pulled out the good 'ol Crayola Window Crayons and let the boys go to town on the front door.  


^^^pants never make it long around here.





In no time at all, it turned into a war-paint contest.

They were so proud of their artistry, and I was just happy no one ate the stuff.

Carter has enjoyed cracking me up latel,y too.  Here are a few of our exchanges:

Carter (with a walkie talkie in hand): Mom!  Mom!  Where's da fire?
Me: In the kitchen, hurry!
Carter (putting out the fire):  Where's dee other fire?
Me: In the playroom.
(this repeats)
Carter: Oh!  Where's the fire bell?  We must wing it!
Jeremy, wanting to join in, held up a little bell on our kitchen counter we use for a prayer at lunchtime: Here it is, Carter!
Carter (all imagination lost).  Noooo, Dad.  That's the Angelus bell.
Thanks for trying Dad.

Sitting down for some soup for dinner...
Carter: What else can I have?
Me:  Nothing.  Try the soup.
Carter:  Ohhhhhh.  What else can I have?
Me: Try it.  Look, Peter likes it.
Carter (so excited):  Look, Peter does like it.  Dat's so good, Peter!  Peter loves the soup.  Yay, Mom!
turning to me...Now, what else can I have?

Carter trying to break one of his drinking cups...
Jeremy (jokingly): Carter, I don't have any more money to buy more cups.  Please don't break it!
Carter:  Well, dadgum!  What are we going to do???

Jeremy and I having a conversation when Jeremy says "I think.."
Carter: Is all you think about is you???

Happy Monday :)


Sunday, August 25, 2013

What I Wore Sunday...

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple for their weekly WIWS!

This one really should be titled "What I Would Have Worn Sunday" because we all caught a bit of a bug in the last week, and no one made it to Mass.

So, maybe for next week...




Dress: Francesca's (similar)
Shoes: Bernardo (similar)
Necklace: Francesca's

Thanks, Fine Linen and Purple for the inspiration.  Have a blessed Sunday!

Friday, August 23, 2013

7 Quick Takes...

Joining Jen this Friday for a hodge podge of...
7 quick takes sm1 7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 228)

1.  Carter and Peter love a sprinkler. 
 ^^^sumo style - also want to point out that these two weigh the same.
 They are so easily entertained at this age and I love, love, love seeing /hearing them play and giggle together.

2.  Boys will be boys.
In the middle of their sprinkler running, Carter spotted a frog.  Carter (I thought) can be a bit squeamish. However, in picture detail, he marched right up to the frog and made a new best friend...
 ^^^Peter loved him from a distance.

3.  Fall is just around the corner.
It might be my favorite season, and it was cool enough one morning this week to wear a long-sleeved top. Cool enough for about 3 hours.
^^^I have practically lived in these shorts all summer.  Top ~ Madewell.  Shorts ~ Lilly Pulitzer.

4.  We are taking Peter to a pediatric allergist next week.
He's had a rash on his face for two months that flares up on and off, and had a bad case of hives a few months ago.  So, we're just going to check a few things out.  Anyone have any advice for getting your baby through allergy testing?

5.  I am so thankful I was able to experience St. Mary's at Texas A&M.
I read this article this week and love knowing that Texas A&M is about as Catholic of a public university as you can get!

6. We will be frequenting our local park a lot less in the near future.
Why?
Because one of these has been prowling around.

Supposedly, they have a really large territory.  Maybe that's why my dog's hair was standing on end when we went for a walk this week.

7.  This little man is already eight months old.
and I love him more each day.

Have a blessed weekend, and don't forget to get your fill of "takes" at Jen's place!