Category Archives: Faith

Faith, Friends, Fun

The {Rite} Kind Of Weekend

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Another great weekend…

Even though it started out with coughs, sneezes and runny noses {me}, it ended up fabulously and just what the doctor ordered.

On Saturday I went to a retreat with my RCIA class to prepare for our Rite of Acceptance yesterday. I loved, loved, loved spending time with my sponsor Rhonda who is also Elliott’s catchiest on Thursday afternoons. She is like a long lost twin sister….there were two breakouts where we were given a time to report back to the main room and BOTH times we were the last ones in there with everyone waiting for us! The first time they had to send someone out to find us ~ we were too busy chatting it up and didn’t notice the time. I love that…it means that she was brought into my life at the perfect moment to come along and share this journey with me and I could not be happier. In the short time I’ve known her, I am proud to say that she is already a dear friend and I cannot imagine how close we will be in a year from this Easter when I go through the sacrament of baptism. So excited.

After the retreat I took Elliott to the mall for a self-arranged play date with her little classmate, Ashley. They arranged all by themselves to meet at Claire’s at the mall at 3:00 on Saturday afternoon and have their ears pierced together! Each day at pick up Ashley would excitedly run up to me with more details as the week went on ~ Monday it was that she wanted E to come to the mall to get her ears pierced on Saturday. On Wednesday it was that we were going to meet at 3pm and then on Thursday it was that we were going to meet at Claire’s. Boom. Done. I sent a note to Ashley’s mom confirming the ear piercing party and sure enough she had it on the books, too and was glad that I confirmed because she was going to do the same thing. Ha!

{smiling their toothless smiles BEFORE getting two holes in their ears}

{getting the purple marker dots}

{All done…another rite of passage}

{Elliott & Ashley and their two cheerleaders in the background}

{cleaning solution and care instructions!}

So fun….the mamas were joking that we hope the next first grader arranged play date isn’t at the tattoo parlor!

*****

Sunday morning was my rite of passage…we went to the 10:30 mass where the candidates {me} were received.

Here are Rhonda and me waiting to go up and answer a couple questions from the priest…

What do you ask at this time from God?

{I ask for his strength when I am weak, his grace when I do not deserve it, and to always feel his loving arms around me}

What do you ask of the community of Blessed Kateri?

{I ask that it provide, with open arms, a sacred place to gather with my brothers and sisters in Christ on our journey to glorify God}

*****

It was a beautiful, faith-filled weekend with a couple very special rites of passage ~ one for Elliott and one for me!

Couldn’t have been more perfect.

Faith, Fitness, Friends

The Best

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Last night while watching The Biggest Loser, this guy said something that really resonated with me…

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“Gimme the best version of you today.” ~ Dolvett Quince

I love that.

Give today {and everyday} the best.

So simple.

Yes, sometimes we may go astray, but we can ALWAYS try.

Make this Wednesday the very BEST.

XO

Faith, Family, Food, Fun

Stick With Love

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Today is the official LAST day of winter break.

I told the kids last night that they were going to be fed, bathed, teeth brushed, books read, excuses for more milk done and IN bed tonight at 7:45.

Watch me.

I am NOT looking forward to tomorrow morning…

With that negativity out of the way, I must say that we had a nice, family weekend to say goodbye to the past three and a half carefree weeks.

*****

While my car was being serviced in Lawndale on Saturday morning, we all piled into Jay’s Jeep Wrangler and headed due west to the Manhattan/Hermosa Beach area and searched for a breakfast joint. We settled on Brother’s Burritos and were pleased with the casualness and local vibe at this little place. The kids shared Hawaiian Bread French Toast squares…

I was bad and had the egg, avocado, bacon and jalapeño burrito with spicy salsa. We ended up not eating lunch so I didn’t feel so bad.

After breakfast we let the kids play on the beach for a bit to kill time. Jay shot some great pics ~ it was overcast and a bit cloudy ~ perfect picture taking conditions.

*****

The fam also took a last minute trip into Hollywood for an appointment yesterday afternoon and then ended up at a new {to us} sushi restaurant right in our own backyard here in Valencia ~ Sushi One. Yelp gave it great reviews so we gave it a try. Jay and I shared a Sapporo and some rolls and the kids devoured the bulgogi {Korean beef} and steamed rice! Here they are with their after dinner lollipops…

*****

The kids played dress up and came up with this concoction:

Reminded Jay and me of LMFAO ~ the hair. Love it!

*****

Trying to be better at meal planning…cuts down on a lot of problems like not knowing what’s for dinner at 5:00pm, unnecessary trips to the market and going over budget on groceries.

I decided to keep it easy with familiar/already tried recipes this week since it will no doubt be hectic trying to get back into the swing of things routine-wise.

Here’s what will be on our table this week…

Monday : Half of a grilled beer can chicken {Jay’s off today so he can grill}, zucchini fries and TJ’s Harvest Grains blend {Israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans & red quinoa}

Tuesday : Chopped taco salad with spicy sour cream ranch

Wednesday : Moo shu pork burgers w/ fruit salad

Thursday : other half of the grilled chicken in soft taco form with roasted butternut squash

Friday : Leftover moo shu pork burgers & tbd side dish

*****

I hope you had a splendid 3-day weekend {dreaming} of equality and kindness.

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” ~ the brilliant Martin Luther King, Jr.

Faith

The Best Gift Of All

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It’s not the new Keurig.

Or Elliott’s new iPod Touch.

Or Holden’s Nerf Lazer Tag.

It’s WATER.

Pure & simple.

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The best gift on Christmas Day was when I told Gramma, Popsi, Grunc & Jill that part of their gift from the family was a donation in their name to build a well through charity: water.

I was supposed to have pretty little cards printed out that explained all this, but time got away from me and I delivered the news personally ~ very choked up and with tears.

It was great ~ so, so great.

{Lolo & Lola, you too are part of this gift with a donation made in both your names}

Again, thank you Project 320 Girls for taking your vision and using your blogs to orchestrate something so beautiful and life changing ~ for both the giver and the receiver.

*****

It’s not too late to be part of it…you can still make a donation here through February.

Would make a lovely Valentine’s Day gift.

XOXO

Faith, Family, Friends

Season’s Greetings

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{Thank you to the random woman in Toon Town that offered to take our picture for this here Christmas card!}

*****

Santa has come and gone.

Gifts have been wrapped and unwrapped.

Elliott has been face timing me all afternoon on her new iPod Touch.

Holden has mastered his Batman Lego Wii game.

Turkey is out of the brine and on the Weber.

Side dishes are prepped and ready to go in the oven.

Paula Deen’s old fashioned sweet potato pie is cooling on the counter.

It’s sunny and 70* here today ~ the kids both dressed themselves in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.

Another typical, yet oh so special, Christmas Day.

I am already {sad} that the season is coming to a close…looking forward to 2012, though, and all that it has to offer.

Twelve months to mold into whatever we want them to be.

There will be busy days and lazy days, laughter and tears, ups and downs, meeting new friends and spending time with the {old} ones, trying to remember to live each day to the fullest and with conviction & purpose.

THANK YOU to all who come here daily, weekly or monthly and flop around with me. I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

The merriest of Christmases to you and yours.

XO

Faith, Family, Friends, Fun

Let’s Do This

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Wow!

This week I felt like I was on a see saw ~ lots of ups and downs.

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Not that I am any busier than anybody else, I just {thought} this was going to be the week when I baked, wrapped, cleaned, organized…

There was lots of stress and anxiety and LOTS of back & forth this week, but the highs definitely outweighed the lows.

Like when I took my first solo trip to {Justice} to procure a few items on Elliott’s Christmas list ~ uh, that place is insane…a peace sign and glitter EXPLOSION up in there. But I had fun browsing {alone!!} and finding some cute starter stuff for her. She’s going to die when she sees a half dozen Justice boxes under the tree ~ I asked the lady for separate boxes to spread out the smiles on Christmas morning.

Or when I put another Pinterest recipe to the test and realized the cuteness factor way outweighs the easiness factor…wait, super cute AND easy? L.O.V.E. **Note: I tried a new variety of Hershey’s kiss tonight…the cookies n cream. Don’t know that I even knew those existed, but they caught my eye at Target today so I grabbed ’em. They DO NOT need a full 6 minutes in the oven, though! Maybe more like 4.5 to 5 minutes because they certainly lost their shape and started to ooze after 6 minutes, but still worked out just fine. I am addicted to making these and am going to try the chocolate ones with mint truffle inside next!

Then there was the Christmas Pot Luck at church which I SO needed on Wednesday night! Loved chatting with and getting to know my sweet RCIA sponsor better and sampling the oodles of home cooked dishes.

Today’s highs take the cake though…I was out on errand duty EARLY and went through the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf drive-thru before I hit I-5. As I was in the long line waiting to pay, I decided that I was going to pay for the woman’s order behind me. When I got to the window I told the guy and he said, “Uh, her total is $15-something…she has three large coffee beverages.” I told him to go ahead…and he asked me if I was sure and I said, “Yes, I just want to spread some Christmas cheer.” and his reply was, “Let’s do this!”. I have no idea what her reaction was, but it was fun and I drove off with a big smile.

Then, my friend, Vicki, and I decided to go in together and do some Blessed to Bless bags {this was one of the things on my [2011 holiday to-do list]}. We both shopped for about six items, split them up and filled our gallon ziplocs. All I need to do is print off a little card to slip inside and they will be ready to load into the car and share with those in need.

Here are the items that we included:

Beanie

Gloves

Trial size lotion

Carmex lip balm

Granola bar

Mandarin orange cup w/ a plastic spoon wrapped in a napkin

2 Slim Jim meat sticks

6 Ricola cough lozenges

2 Wisp toothbrushes {disposable}

Trial size toothpaste

Mini hand sanitizer

Several Wet Ones

Juicy Juice juice box

We bought eight of each item so that will give us both 4 bags each…just the right amount to get us hooked and want to make more, I’m sure.

Awesome stuff right there.

Here is an example of another Blessed To Bless bag:

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There were a couple more {highs} this week, but I am going to have to keep those under wraps for a bit, but CANNOT wait to share.

The only way that I have been getting through each day is drawing up a list of what MUST {no ifs, ands or buts} get done THAT particular day. I simply have not been able to think ahead at all! This has been working for me so I will keep it up since the next 8 days aren’t looking any less hectic.

In the words of the CB&TL barista, “Let’s do this!”.

Bring on the week before Christmas.

One day at a time, please.

Faith, Family, Friends

Thinking Outside The {Gift} Box

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Still at a loss of what to give that person that {has everything}?

Are your generous parents and in-laws asking “What can we get the kids?” or “What do the kids need?”

Instead of trying to recall what toy{s} they keep adding to their list after simply seeing a commercial on TV, graciously ask them to contribute or gift a month {or two} of dance classes or karate lessons. Maybe that art class or after school cooking class they’ve been asking about. I think all parents will agree that this can be one of the best gifts out there.

For both of their birthdays this year, the grandparents generously gave a week of summer activities…even three of Holden’s buddies pitched in and gave him the gift of Dinosaur Days summer camp at his preschool. I don’t know about you, but this sounds like the perfect gift to me.

*****

On the flip side, and much more important, if you have those few friends or family members that you have NO IDEA what to give, may I suggest giving the gift of water and donating in their name to charity: water to help build a well in a village of need.

How great would it be to wrap up a little certificate letting them know that they are making a difference in the lives of so many ~ bringing hundreds something so simple, but so so important?

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The beautiful bloggin’ mamas with Project 320 have made it easy…all you need to do is click HERE to make a donation…every little bit counts so don’t think your contribution is too small. Then print up or hand write a little note explaining to the receiver of your gift what a difference they’re {and you’re} making by helping to bring fresh water to so many of those in need.

AND, if you donate on the Project 320 well site, every $10 you donate gives you one entry to one giveaway for some seriously good swag…a $50 donation gets you 5 entries, so on and so forth. You can check out the details here and find a link to all the blogs hosting the giveaways. Once you donate, go back to the giveaway{s} that you have your eye on and leave ONE comment {entry} for every $10 you donated ~ it’s that simple.

Help build a well AND have the chance to win something AND be able to do it from the comfort of your own home AND not have to find parking and fight crowds AND cross off gifts for loved ones on your list?

That, right there, is all kinds of WIN!

Go ahead…make a donation and {DRINK UP} all the joy of GIVING this Christmas!

PEACE be with you….

Faith, Family, Friends, Fun

Totally Out Of It ~ InstaFriday

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I must say that I have missed trying out some new creations in the kitchen this week.

I must say that I am a little overwhelmed with all the scribbles and commitments on the December calendar.

Having to remember that tomorrow is Turbo Tiger day and to be sure and have her wear her little necklace for her running charms and turning in the November reading log and having her spell {Europe} over and over again while I pour Cherrios and toast bread in the morning and remembering to drop off Flat Stanley at our friends’ house so he can be a stowaway on a fabulous Roman holiday.

There are little daily things that have to happen amongst all the wonderful holiday things and sometimes it’s all….well….very….A LOT!

But it will ALL happen and ALL will be well ~ ALL through God’s grace.

I feel like I’m totally out of it even though I’m trying to be totally IN it.

Here are Kitty’s contributions to help us document the {cray cray} of our days…

What do you get when you mix Punky Brewster and Flat Stanley?

F.S. learns how to battement dégagé.

Who needs turkey on Thanksgiving when you have manmade snow?

Too cool for Polar Express 4-D at Sea World

Picking out our Christmas tree in 85* weather. Again. {when it was freezing just days before}

No, kids…really…we’ll spring for the 4-footer.

All snuggled up in a new blanket from my bestest Irish girlfriend, Jeannie, in Boston…and you thought I was joking about the 4-footer.

Holding hands with {his girls} at pick-up.

My sous chef on mac n cheese duty.

*****

Here’s to crossing everything off your December list ~ the little and the BIG.

Just take it one day at a time.

And ENJOY it.

*****

Linking up again with sweet Jeannett over at Life Rearranged…

Come on over and see what other holiday craziness is going on!

XO

Faith

Delayed For A Reason

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Last week Julie & Jeannett launched The Happy Day Project. Each day of the week was assigned a random act of kindness, a darling coordinating printable and a charity to donate to. I wasn’t able to get my act together, but plan to carry out these heartwarming duties throughout the season and beyond.

The first of which I did last Sunday afternoon…

Holden and I were on a little afternoon trip to LA in the pouring rain. We had finished up around 3pm and were headed to Mickey D’s for a late Happy Meal lunch. I realized I had left a couple things behind, so I turned around to go back and retrieve them. We were then back on the road on our way to the nearest Golden Arches {they never really are too far away, are they?}. I placed our order and as I was waiting to pull up to the window to pay, a woman approached my window holding out a cup, I shook my head {NO} and looked away. I didn’t have any cash, but I generally don’t like to give cash to the homeless because there is no guarantee that they are not going to go and buy a alcohol or drugs with it. But I knew I had to do something…this was my chance to purchase a small gift card and had it to a person in need. It was a no-brainer.

I asked the cashier to add on a $5 gift card. She looked a little annoyed and had to ask the manager to get one. It took a couple minutes and I was holding up the drive-thru, but I didn’t care. I was going to give that woman a warm meal as she was drenched and, no doubt, cold. It was the least I could do.

I got our food and the gift card and pulled up to where she was standing at the drive-thru exit. I reached out to her and she extended her dirty, half-smooshed paper cup expecting to hear the clink of a few coins I’m sure. Her eyes looked as though she had ointment or something on them and I got the impression that she didn’t know what I was handing her. I said, “Here is a gift card for you ~ go get yourself some dinner tonight. God Bless.” She accepted it and said “God Bless you”.

I rolled up the window, pulled out and waited for traffic before I turned out of the parking lot. I looked back and she was gone.

I immediately became choked up and could not hold back the tears. I will never forget her face. It felt SO good to hand her something of so little value to me and KNOW that it was invaluable to her.

I thought about her later that evening and wondered what she did with our little {gift}. It does’t matter, but I just hope that for a split second she knew that someone cared about her.

And that someone was me.

*****

I truly believe that if I would’ve gone to McDonald’s first, I wouldn’t have encountered her.

I was delayed and had to go back to get my things for a reason.

HE works in mysterious ways, doesn’t he?

I highly recommend doing this…$5 is an extremely small price to pay for the feeling that you will get and the glory that you’ll give HIM.

Faith, Family, Friends

Bloom Where You’re Planted

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Three years ago, on November 14, 2008, we moved from Nor Cal to Santa Clarita.

It could have possibly been the {worst!} time to pick up and move…our home that we bought in 2006 {big mistake!} was underwater and now we were faced with making the decision to leave it and make the move back to So Cal where Jay had received a nice job offer. The decision ended up being a no-brainer and we found a great property manager to help us find the perfect tenants, watched as our little house got packed up and loaded onto the truck and then made our way down I-5 to our new home in Valencia.

Not once did I think this was the {wrong} decision. Yes, we would miss our little cozy neighborhood, our friends, our family in Nor Cal and the memories that were made there ~ that’s where Holden was born! But opportunities arise and sometimes you just need to cry, be afraid, possibly even resist, but then imagine all the new things that you will encounter as a result.

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Today, exactly one week before Thanksgiving, I am thankful for where we are RIGHT NOW. We’re closer to my hometown, San Diego & Gramma, we’ve met wonderful friends, the kids are in great schools, we are now more active in our church, Jay is MUCH happier at work and I am continuing to learn so much about myself and my {bloom where you’re planted} gene.

I honestly believe that we could move anywhere and it would be OK. Heck, we lived in a one bedroom apartment in a new town with a five month old and knew nobody for 5 or 6 months, but we did it. I look back and wonder if that is when I discovered my love of cooking and baking…I literally watched The Food Network ALL day and tried dozens of recipes in that teeny tiny galley kitchen while little Elliott sat in her swing and watched {or snoozed!}.

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Again, I am so thankful for where we are right now and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Just this morning I chatted and got to know a neighbor better on the walk home from dropping Elliott off at school. I love that about our neighborhood.

So, we will continue to lay our roots and grow here right where we are.

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Because wherever we are, we’re just where we need to be.

Linking up today over at The Fontenot Four ~ Thankful Thursdays! Come on over and see what others are grateful for…

The Fontenot Four