Cedars and Tiny Flowers

Cedars and Tiny Flowers Elsewhere

2014-11-05T09:27:00.000-05:00

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. I've switched blogging platforms, and unfortunately some past links don't bring you directly to my new site. I'm still working on getting my Bloglovin' feeds consolidated so if you are a Bloglovin' user, hold on tight for a bit.

You can find the new site at:

www.cedarsandtinyflowers.com

See you in a little bit!

One Year Old

2014-10-28T20:34:00.001-04:00

And he is one. One! Cliché or not, my how time flies.

We had a lovely, albeit busier than preferred, Sunday celebrating Conor's birthday. My parents drove up for the weekend, which was so kind of them. My mom cooked the whole weekend including lumpia, my favorite food. They had to leave around noon on Sunday so we decided to celebrate Conor's birthday with brunch and cake. I made chocolate chip pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs and sausage. And as you would for a birthday in 2014, much of brunch was spent discussing who was going to be FaceTiming, Google hangouting and Skyping on which corresponding device. Then I deleted multiple apps off my phone in a mad dash to make enough space to video the happy birthday singing and ~~Conor blowing out his candle~~ Ryan blowing out Conor's candle.

I had baked spice cake for all to enjoy including a little smash cake for the birthday boy, which sounds a lot fancier than it really was. I just poured enough batter (made from a box! Top knotch homemaker over here) into three tiny ramekins in addition to the regular cake pans, stacked them on top of each other and slathered on some buttercream. It was tilting over by the time for songs came along, but that just added to the cozy, rustic, homey, just-like-mama-made-it look, right? Right.

As expected, Conor was happy we let him eat cake.

Wait ... so what's so exciting about this?

Still not impressed.

THIS is how you do it.

My sister was Skyping from CA, my brother and sister-in-law were FaceTiming from MD and Chris' brother and sister-in-law were Google hangouting from AZ. We had some technical difficulties with Chris' family in San Diego so we got to video chat with them later in the day :)

Contemplating his opinion.

Close up of our Phoenix family.

Happy.

The rest of the day for Conor was spent napping, walking around our friends backyard at a pumpkin carving party and hanging out at home until I brought home one of his favorites - starts with a Ch and ends with -ipotle.

Thank you for an amazing first year, Conor Daniel Harrington. You helped us grasp a better understanding how God is able to love all of us. Our heart didn't split between you and your brother; it grew and grew and grew. It's kind of crazy how much you put up with having such an opinionated and enthusiastically strong older brother, but you've got spunk yourself, kid. You also can be terribly dramatic, but hey you make up for it with your jolly good mood the rest of the time. Your current favorite activity is chasing the broom as I sweep and trying to get your curious hands on the pile just before it makes its way into the dustpan. You also love banging blocks on the top of the printer and computer. That needs to stop. What doesn't need to stop are your goofy pursed mouth smile, adorable clapping and animated conversations consisting of one syllables repeated over and over and over. We love being yours.

Love,
Your favorite family

Netflix #StreamTeam - What Helped Me Lazily Prepare for Birth.

2014-10-28T00:10:00.000-04:00

Disclosure: I am part of the Netflix #StreamTeam so I will be writing one post a month about movies and shows that have made me happy to have in our family queue. To be totally forthcoming, I have been compensated with a streaming device and a one year streaming subscription to Netflix, but this is a service that I have used at minimum four times a week for the past four years (and at many points in the timeline, everyday) so you can say that I am definitely excited to be partnering with them.

As I just mentioned, I've been utilizing Netflix Streaming for four years. It all started when I had to watch a movie for my French film class my last semester of college. The movie was available in the library which was all the way across campus, and I would have to hope no one else was watching the movie when I got there. My professor had noted in the syllabus that the movie was also available on Netflix so when comparing the pros and cons between signing up for a free one month trial with Netflix and trekking to the library, I quickly got myself a Netflix account and watched the film from the comfort of my own bed (and my dorm bed was actually very comfy thanks to an excellent mattress pad, but I digress).

Just me, Netflix, and my poor interior decorating skills, fall 2010

From then on, I pretty much have a Netflix movie or TV Series to go along with the memories of the past few years. I designed, stamped, addressed, and stuffed our wedding invitations while watching every romantic comedy Netflix had to offer. Our time in Chicago had Grey's Anatomy in the background whether I was writing one stack of 300 thank you notes, making dinner or folding laundry after work. I unpacked to Private Practice when we moved to South Bend. I watched Tangled way too many times for an adult to be able to during its stint on Netflix. The summer when Ryan was a baby, my brother-in-law put Cheers on everyday he got home from class. Downton Abbey in two days two winters ago. And don't get me started on 24! Anyway, last fall was no different; I had a Netflix soundtrack, if you will, yet again, and it turned into a makeshift birth prep cheerleader.

I mentioned in my last post and here that even though I had already gone through labor and delivery with Ryan, I was still pretty nervous for our second because 1) I KNEW how much it hurt and 2) what if the first time was a fluke? I planned on reading the Bradley book again as a refresher, but other than that, I had no other plans to up my confidence even though I needed it.

Here is how Netflix helped me via a British television series.

Call the Midwife.

One day, I read somewhere that if I liked Downton Abbey, I would love Call the Midwife. As luck would have, I saw it pop up in the Netflix New Releases one day when I was flipping through. The BBC series is based on the memoirs of a nurse midwife in the East End of London in the 1950s. It follows a group of nurse midwives based out of a nursing convent as they tend to one of the poorest parts of London both when mothers are giving birth and when the neighborhood's residents are ill. The series is not always happy, but there is a sense of optimism throughout the times of heartbreak; maybe it comes with the territory of new life. Chris does say, "If you were to hear Call the Midwife from another room, it would be the least relaxing mix - babies crying, women screaming and my wife crying from watching it," but I found it fascinating and confidence building. The history in itself is interesting, but seeing women give birth in all kinds of circumstances was incredibly motivating. I'd think, if she could give birth in a shack full of fish, I can give birth again in my sanitary hospital. If she could give birth aboard a ship, I can so do it in a spacious labor and delivery room. The third season has been up for a bit, and I'm finally rewarding myself by starting the third season. I highly suggest it!

Other films that helped me prepare and that are only available through Netflix DVD:
The Business of Being Born: this is an extremely biased documentary, but it did provide some food for thought and prompted me to do much more research about our options.
BABIES: this documentary follow four babies and their mothers who are each in completely different environments and cultures. It is not an incredibly active piece, but I enjoyed it because it calmed me down about pending parenthood. The babies were happy and healthy whether they were in Mongolia, Japan, Namibia or San Francisco.

Any other Call the Midwife fans out there?

Do you have any genres you would like to hear about during the #StreamTeam series?

That Mother Forgetfulness

2014-10-24T17:01:00.000-04:00

I have a pretty good memory. It could almost be called uncanny, but the number of times a day I search for my keys keeps its ego in check. I don't forget much, but I'm grateful for the universal ability of mothers to be forgetful of one very specific and monumental thing - birth and the time soon after.

Following his birth, Ryan was going to be an only child. That long list of baby names I had at the ready for our passel of future children was now useless. Maybe we could use it on pets down the road. I couldn't do it again. Sure, he was worth it. Father, mother and son, we fit. Yes, we fit well together. Still, the scent of his new life was only addictive to a point; it was as calming and heavenly as it could be, but it lacked mind-wiping powers. I couldn't do it again.

I operated in a blur of shock, a blur dotted with many adorable moments, but a blur of memories that made me feel like a deer in headlights. It was too much. It being the lack of progressing, the three hours of pushing, the ring of fire, the stitching up as little as I needed to be stitched, the starting the marathon of parenting at 4:58am immediately upon crossing the finish line of the marathon that is birth, the stinging and painful recovery, the tick I was close to developing if my peri bottle weren't near, the fear of the going to the bathroom, the process of peri bottle, patting ever so slightly, but never delicately enough, pad change, numbing spray, tucks pads, the waddling back to bed, the burning each time after he latched, the contractions that ripped through my back while we nursed, the cluster feeding, the distaste for any clothing or bra because my nipples were sore and raw, the terror of imagining I wouldn't be able to find that precious tube of lanolin, the sharp tingly let down, the swing of hormones, the severe engorgement with no relief, the lying down on the floor next to our closet with white noise roaring from our bathroom vent each night, the overwhelming and overheated feeling when nursing a fussy baby around other people, the watching your poor baby being stuck over and over by an inexperienced ER nurse at six days old, the keeping vigil under the bilirubin lights, the feeling tremendous guilt and sadness from learning at two weeks that he had been suffering from a broken collarbone from birth, the hurting from the clogged duct from Hades and more and more and more. That was it. And that was it.

New motherhood was raw. I needed some time to stew.

Three months later, he was maybe going to be an only child. Six months later, the baby fever had taken over. Excellent job, mother forgetfulness.

That Sunday when I was sick, when our child that wasn't going to be was tucked in against me, I realized that I was very happy we hadn't used the name Conor on a pet.

Birthday Wish List for a One Year Old

2014-10-22T21:24:00.000-04:00

Okay make that birthday wish list for a one year old's mother ;) Or it could be called: what my kids try to sneak home from their friends' houses. Or it could be called: what won't end up in the donation pile.

My brother, Conor's godfather, asked me a bit ago what to get Conor for his birthday. I answered with books! because we can never have enough good books. We'll give Conor an extra bath and some streamers on his birthday, but we aren't going to buy him any presents because ... he is one. Maybe we are weird. Sorry, boys, maybe you drew the short end of the stick on this one! But, just because we aren't going to buy anything ourselves doesn't mean that we don't thankfully accept gifts from doting grandparents and the like. I rounded up a bunch of quality items that my boys always make a bee line for at other people's houses starting around this age. I could make this whole thing books, but I will refrain for another day. Here is a budget-friendly list of classic toys + regular items that the baby will love, should last for the long haul and that won't make the you recoil at the thought of the annoying noises that will plague you post-birthday.

Toys Under $15
1) Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Alphabet I think you will find these on many, many refrigerators in this country. You can't go wrong with a good way to buy some time for cooking dinner without someone hanging off of your leg.

2) Hape Tambourine This one is easy to hold and lightweight so shake, shake, shake!

3) The Original Toy Company Pop Up Fire Truck . The peg fire fighters are cute, but I love how much Ryan would concentrate when pushing down to get the pegs to pop up.

4) Stacking toys --> Adorable stacking turtles from Etsy or the Melissa and Doug Geometric Stacker. Stacking toys have been a hit over here.

5) Inflatable Beach Balls - I know they are meant for the beach, but I'm picturing these bringing lots of entertainment through the long winter. Like most babies, Ryan and Conor love balls and these have a low likelihood of knocking anything over.

Toys Under $25
1) Melissa and Doug Classic Bead Maze. A true classic.

2) Learning Resources Jumbo Farm Animals. Again, going with animals is kind of a guarantee in our house. I like that these are life-like and a bit bigger so they aren't as easy to lose.

3) Pacific Play Tents Find Me Multi Color 6' Tunnel This would be another winter lifesaver. Lots of energy

4) EverEarth Jr. Size Ramp Race. It pretty fun to watch the baby's eyes go back and forth, back and forth as the little wooden cars race down.

5) Plan Toy Push Toy. Another one for exercise. Tire those babies out!

Items You Probably Already Have
1) Solo Cups. Right? Baby's favorite.
2) Water bottles, plastic or metal.
3) Measuring cups and spoons. If you get sick of having to counting how many 1/3 cups you added to your cooking because some cute baby snagged your 1 cup, just find a set for the baby at a garage sale or thrift store.
4) Sunglasses. It's nice that it seems that giving away free, cheap sunglasses at events to be a thing because we somehow have many pairs Ryan and Conor can wear/break without a care.
5) Empty wipes containers. Conor has been trying to push things into the wipes slot, but you can also fill it with scraps of fabric so your baby can pull them out.

You can normally find any of these toys at a local consignment shop so check there first before buying new!

Last note - make sure you keep the boxes because we know those are really the golden ticket to those babies' hearts.

So tell me, what other items that aren't even toys are great for you? What toy has been a hit?

I originally intended to just list five toys, but then it grew and grew. But the sets of five still make it eligible for Five Favorites, right? Go see Jenna for more!

Weaves + another indication that I have grandma ways

2014-10-21T15:14:00.000-04:00

Another day, another post with WEAVES, I mean LEAVES. But, hey this is what we've got! We may have a dreary perma-cloud in the long, long winter, we may not have awesome waterfalls to jump off of (I can only imagine the competitions that would have ensued if all the Harrington boys were there with my brother-in-law), but we have weaves. Lots of weaves.

When I posted the cross stitch pattern that I stitched last fall, Bonnie had sharp and flattering eyes and asked if I could share the pattern for the the silverware cross stitch that was also hanging on the wall. Here you go, Bonnie! I hope this helps someone out there who needs a pick me up for their kitchen or dining room or needs an easy homemade gift idea. Go forth and stitch.

Participling

2014-10-20T17:07:00.002-04:00

From a few weekends ago when Chris' program went apple picking.

I'm taking cues from Bridget and taking stock. Also - have you read her post about whether or not she feels she missed out on her twenties? It's a good one.

Okay I wrote half of these Sunday night and half today during a heavenly simultaneous nap by the boys so I'm sorry if this is a bit confusing. Concerning that glorious nap --> see my feeling one down below: God provides.

I'm ...

Making: a crochet pattern for this hat as prompted by Camille and Tiffany. Hopefully I don't mess it up because the last time I made a pattern was probably for a 4-H project when I was 14 or so.

Drinking: not enough of anything.
Reading: (rereading) Pride and Prejudice for my book club. It's been a few years since I read it last, and I loved it so. I'm happy I have a little nudge to turn the pages in it again.
Wanting: to look up spoilers for the rest of this season of The Walking Dead, but I'm resisting.
Listening: to Shake It Off, surprise, surprise! Actually, tonight Chris took Conor to play with so I could make dinner without a clumsy assistant obsessed with emptying the cupboards. Before he left to go to the other room, he turned on the Taylor Swift channel on Grooveshark. I felt the love.
Listening, part ii: a neighbor's dog that will not stop barking. It's kind of cute - just don't wake up the nappers.
Eating: my poor attempt at beer-battered french fries. They taste decent, but their appearance leaves something to be desired.
Smelling: the leftover smell of frying oil from the french fries which is why I don't like frying things normally. Ha it isn't the unhealthiness of it that keeps me away, it's the lingering scent. And the mess! Poor Chris, this keeps me from making his favorite sopapillas often. I like to boil cinnamon or lemons to make the smell go away since I never really have candles around (I know! What's wrong with me? I guess, I never spend money on candles). Do you have any oil-be-gone tricks?
Enjoying: watching Chris enjoy grad school. He is the bomb. And he laughs when I say something or someone is the bomb.
Loving: the baby sounds that come out of Conor's mouth. I can only describe them as pure joy. The little ones when he goes, "tdah! tdah! tdah!" or "Oh-ooo! Oh-ooo!" Or our latest Fighting Irish feat - stick his index finger up in the air while saying, "Idish! I-is! I-is!" If you heard it, you would think, "WOW, that really is a stretch," but hey, we are his parents and he was baptized in the Log Chapel so give our brainwashed/brainwashing hearts a break.
Hoping: we win out after Saturday's heartbreaking, and I mean HEARTBREAKING loss. This is the most pain I've felt after a loss ever ... and my class has the most losses out of any other in the school's history! I balance out my grandpa - they never lost a game when he attended.
Feeling: thankful. God provides.
Wearing: the same shirt I wore yesterday and the pajamas pants I slept in. They are actually the pajama pants I wore the night before our wedding. I'm weird and wanted to be able to say, "A girl can't get married in flannel!" so I found the perfect white with blue roses pair. Name that movie.
Noticing: the endless amount of I'll-get-to-it-later stacks that I really need to get to.
Bookmarking: people talking about making elderberry syrup. I really wanted to make it, but, I just checked and it seems looks like the Amazon provider saw that every mom blog wanted some elderberries and the ONE bag left is $350. There goes that!

There is the end of nap time cry. Tell me what you are up to!

Why I Admire Lou Holtz and You Should Too

2014-10-19T09:30:00.000-04:00

Do you know who Lou Holtz is? You know, the eternally optimistic ESPN commentator who is a College Football Hall of Fame coach. Being the fifth coach to bring our beloved alma mater to a national championship, he always favors the Irish. This might be seen as a fault to some, but it is most definitely is not a fault in my eyes.

When Chris and I were planning our wedding, we decided it would be fun to send out a few invitations to celebrities that we admired. We wrote letters telling of why we looked up to them and thought they were the bee's knees, found addresses to send the invites to, and then expected to never hear from them.

At the time of the wedding, our celebrity guest tally was as follows:

Pope Benedict XVI - no response.
Mike Golic - no response
Jim Caviezel - no response
Coach Brian Kelly - sent his response card back checked, "Regretfully decline."
Lou Holtz - no response

We were zero for five, or at least we thought until after we had returned from our honeymoon. My parents came for my college graduation ceremony and gave me a large envelope. I couldn't believe the return address. I opened the envelope to find this:
------------

April 12, 2011

...

Dear Christopher and Katrina,

Congratulations on your wedding and I wanted to tell you how sorry I was that I didn't receive your invite until April 8th. Anytime it's sent to ESPN they take a month or two to get the correspondence down to me.

I'm not sure I could have attended the wedding but I certainly could have written you a letter and congratulated you both on the success you've achieved thus far in your lives. But nothing is more important than your marriage. My wife and I will celebrate our 50th anniversary this July 22nd, and predominantly because our relationship is based completely on trusting one another. I'm sending you both a Notre Dame key chain I had made up and I hope you'll think of Our Lady on the dome when you use it. Sorry I couldn't be with you, but I am most honored that you thought enough of me to invite me to the most important event in your life.

Sincerely,
Lou Holtz
-----------

We use one, and then we are saving one for when our boys are driving.

He sure is a man of character.

Balance Bikes! - FirstBIKE Giveaway.

2014-10-16T15:36:00.001-04:00

Last summer, Chris noticed our neighbor's little boy's bike. He was two and zooming around confidently, as fast as he could go on the way to the park. I hadn't noticed anything about it at first other than how much fun he was having. But Chris pointed out that the bike had no pedals and no training wheels. Yet this little two year old was gliding around on his own completely able to balance.

It made so much sense. Why were training wheels invented when the hard part of learning to ride is balancing not pedaling? We were sold, and Chris went on one of his product research rampages. He read reviews and consumer reports for a few days until he settled on FirstBIKE. He even called the customer service line. He is thorough. I've mentioned before that we are pretty minimalist in some aspects of kid stuff, but when it comes to really useful and beneficial items like a child bike seat, we'll go for it. The FirstBIKE Basic Blue was going to be Ryan's Christmas/2nd birthday present which was a far cry from his first Christmas and birthday when we just didn't get him any presents. When we bought it last September, we were too excited so we jumped the gun. Chris quickly assembled it (it was so easy) during Ryan's nap time, and we wait for him to wake up. Sadly, it was slightly too tall for him at 20 months so it sat in the the closet until his birthday when everything was covered in snow.

Finally, when it was spring, he finally got to ride it outside, and we are completely satisfied with our purchase. I love watching Ryan and his friends use it - it is amazing how quickly children learn. If you are having trouble imagining what it looks like when a child is riding a balance bike, I put together a little video for you. Please excuse my lack of cinematography skills:

FirstBIKE from Katrina on Vimeo.
FirstBIKE was started by a German cyclist and dad who wanted to build a bike that his children could learn to ride intuitively. He developed a bike that naturally helps develop a child's balance, motor skills and self-confidence. Here are the specs:

+ For children from age 2 to 5 (with a lowering kit, they can start at 22 months)
+ High-tech, injection-molded composite frame doesn't scratch, splinter, swell or rust like wood or metal frames
+ Extremely lightweight
+ High-strength yet flexible, and durable material
+ Weatherproof
+ No sharp edges, parts or extruding screws
+ Easy to carry, clean and store (The holes in the frame make it easy to hang from my stroller when Ryan isn't riding it if we are out walking)
+ Sealed industrial wheel bearings to prevent clogging by dirt or gravel
+ Adjustable, tools-free seat with special "horse saddle" shape to provide maximum comfort and stability to prevent children from slipping off
+ Grows with your child until they are ready for pedals
+ Height adjustment at the turn of a knob (It is so easy. Our neighbors and Ryan can take turns on it within seconds)
+ Child-friendly, rear drum SafetyStop™ brake (the Basic Blue bike that Ryan has does not have a break)
+ Lifetime Warranty on frame & fork; 5 year warranty on all other parts
+ FUN and keeps your kids active.

I have been SO excited about this next part. I reached out to FirstBIKE telling them how much we loved Ryan's bike that we bought, and they are generously offering the winner of the giveaway a bike in the style and color of his or her choice. That is up to a $199 value!

So which one would you go for?! Are you as excited about this as I am?

THANK YOU for supporting my blog, and thank you to FirstBIKE for this giveaway!

You know how to Rafflecopter it up. (And for those wary about sharing your email to sign up in Rafflecopter, it is just so I know how to contact you when you win!)

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Medium

2014-10-16T08:08:00.001-04:00

Oops, I think I'm the last one that attended to recap The Hundred Event. Two months after the fact.

When I first heard about The Hundred from Grace, I couldn't believe how the stars aligned in such a way that I could actually attend such a jackpot of an event. It was happening in Dallas where Chris' generous and welcoming extended family lives, it was happening a weekend we would already be driving home from San Diego, it only added a few hours to our drive home and it was happening when Chris had no commitments whatsoever so I could go kid free. Without all of that and Grace's kind support, there is no way I would have been able to go.

Now back in April, when we were in Dallas for Chris' cousin's Confirmation, we asked Chris' uncle if he could pick us up from UD because I wanted to meet one of my blogger friends, the lovely Martha Reilly. All the uncles joked that we were going to meet a chubby old man. It was pretty funny. I'm guessing their inspiration came from this song. Well, I'm here to say that the real life Martha is an even lovelier woman in person and more beautiful, if you can imagine that. In fact, I haven't been let down by a blogger meeting yet. Meeting a blogger makes me love her blog even more.

So I was really excited to see old e-friends and new friends, buuuuut I was nervous about the same thing - meeting so many people at once and having to be "on." I think sometimes people can think I might be snobby or stuck up when I'm quiet in person, but really I'm honesty just shy and kind of terrified of speaking to you. I mean, last night when it was my time as the hostess to move everyone from the tea and biscotti chit chat part of book club over to the living room last night, I asked Ana the Outgoing to do it for me.

Lauren, Megan, Bridget and Grace know how to throw a blogging conference. The whole event was useful yet fun, elegant yet easygoing and really, it was just a luxury weekend. Dinner complete with swag bags at the Melrose Warwick Hotel sponsored by Joules, breakfast at Breadwinners, lunch at Cane Russo sponsored by Twine Interiors, dinner by Ruthie's Food truck and Steel City Pops for Saturday night's block party hosted by Peacock Alley, and Sunday brunch at the Aldredge house during which I won this dress. It sure beat the Sonic that I had more times in a row than one should. I learned from Kendi, THE fashion blogger (I have to note that I felt nerdily cool when her husband, Bryan, remembered the time in April when Ryan was being quite the toddler in their old store), Curt Steinhorst, Stacey Reeves, Jenni from J.Noel Photography, Tara from the Dillettante Collection, and many other wonder bloggers and entrepreneurs. Best of all, I got to spend almost two full days becoming real-in-the-flesh friends with many of my oldest blogging friends and have the privilege to many meet new-to-me bloggers that now enrich my precious (ha) blogging time. It wasn't scary after all, although I'm sure I could have put on my big girl panties more and been more outgoing.

It really was amazing. There is a recap link-up here, if you are interested.

But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows (at no fault to The Hundred itself). When Blythe and I were walking back to the hotel room at the end of the Saturday sessions, she asked me how I was feeling. It was hard to explain, but I answered that I felt kind of blogged down - the blog version of bogged down. Now that I've had some time to mull the feeling over, I know it came from a few factors. I was tired and probably a little over socialized. Next, I have a knack for being an insecure person. I remember crying to my mom when I was four because I thought my skin looked green (what?? I know). A lot of what we were learning about growing your blog stemmed on being confident and being able to promote your own blog and content, which is a tall order since having a tendency to being insecure does not exactly breed confidence. Will my whatever-is-going-through-my-head-crumbs-awareness-bless-this-mess mom blog tie work well? That lack of confidence in my current and future ability to be a blog worthy of your time just added to my confusion of whether or not I wanted to venture past the sticker shock of quoted desired social media stats with monetizing the blog.

But then I had an epiphany while pumping (of all times), and that epiphany was reaffirmed when I returned downstairs to the lobby for another night hanging out on swanky hotel couches with women I felt like I've known for years and years. This was why I love blogging. This sitting around sharing stories was the blog actualized in a real life setting. These women and the solidarity they offer have helped me be able to boast that I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have felt alone in this crazy and lifelong gig called motherhood. Yes, my mother-in-law always helps. But when she isn't available, and it's been a day and I have zero desire to run the marathon of getting little ones out the door to see my friends in town, all I have to do is read about Blythe defending the mess of being a mama while making me pump my fist while holding back tears. Or Grace talking about the rigors of raising saints while still being funny. Or Ana being real. Or Britt discussing the extreme vulnerability of being a parent. Or Joanna sharing about her decision to stay home. Or Nell, being the motivational lady that she is, cheering me on with her wisdom. Or Katie telling me how to replicate the s'mores pizza we ate at Cane Russo. Or Olivia calling for an end to the stupid mommy wars. Or Kate typing yet another relatable post about being a wife. Or an email from the best readers in all the e-land telling me about their day. Or any lady kind enough to let me see a peek at her experiences. And I love supporting them whether it be commenting, emailing, clicking on links in sponsored posts, ordering through affiliate links or just praying for them.

The book club I'm in just read Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. Community constantly jumps out as one of the key themes. Now, I'm 100% sure Mr. Berry was absolutely not thinking about mom blogs and internet as he was writing about rural Kentucky, but the blogging world is one of my communities. This community, as overused as that word is in life and in this paragraph, easily outweighs the drag of social media stats and the like.

But where is the happy medium? I'm in a fortunate position to delve deeper into the partnership with sponsors world and earn (a very small) amount of money to supplement my other part time jobs while having fun with my e-friends, bloggers and readers included, but I don't want to become a blog robot blindly after one more Instagram like or Twitter retweet. As Blythe perfectly wrote, I want my opportunities to host giveaways to be a well-deserved THANK YOU to you, the community that keeps me sane and inspired. I want my chance promote products via sponsored posts to benefit you not bore you.

So I think the happy medium is up to me. I promise to keep the blog what I have always hoped it would be (although I feel uncomfortably presumptuous that people even might consider it to be - see? confidence problems) a pleasant and rambling virtual cup of coffee, hot chocolate, tea, what have you, whether it be for the mom, the yet to have children, the wife, the happily single, the friend, the great aunt, the rugby player, the invisible lurker, the person who googles, "scarily messy kitchens," etc. I promise to only promote products that I actually think are of high quality and worth spending money on and that go well my stories. I want those to be the gravy to the meat, the whipped cream to the pie, the parmesan to the pasta. I really would just be honored if you could pray for our family. If you click on sponsored links, order through my Amazon ad or affiliate links, awesome. Gracias, merci, grazie from the bottom of my heart. But prayers are always welcomed with open arms. You can never have too many of those.

And comments. I love comments.

Any thoughts?

This was supposed to go up last night, but here I am at 7:45am ... okay now 8am ...editing this while listening to Everything is Awesome from The LEGO Movie and kids spinning my chair around. Check back later today for an AMAZING giveaway as a thank you to YOU.

Photos by Awake Photography and J Noel Photography or snagged from Nell's Instagram. Purple dress and all shoes from my sister-in-law, Meaghan.

F-a-l-l, the last five years.

2014-10-14T15:05:00.002-04:00

Fall has been making me nostalgic lately so I went back and found my favorite fall photos from the past few years. Also - I really need to go through my photo library and delete many, many images. How many blurry photos can one person keep? I might be setting a world record.

My favorite engagement photo, 2010.

Our last day in Chicago - moving day to South Bend! 32 weeks with Ryan in 2011.

Ryan, October 2012

I wish I knew where that hat has gone to!

37 weeks at the pumpkin patch and then
39 weeks at an ND game with a certain pumpkin named Conor in 2013.

One of Ryan's last days as an only child.

He's here!

Same trees, another boy, 2014.

And I'm sure I will have another fall photo post this season because, come on! There are a whole lot of leaves left up there. I'm only human.

A Healthy Sunday

2014-10-13T15:33:00.002-04:00

I too often cram too much into my Sundays. Normally not with activities. No, I cram it full of expectations, expectations of what must be completed before Monday. At the same time, I lament that I'm robbing Sunday of its heavenly and holy rest. Then when I don't get what I think must be done finished, I begin the week feeling completely behind which is not the way to start a week is it?

Yesterday was different. Beginning with a morning of being more familiar with the toilet and holding my mane back than I care for and continuing with an afternoon of queasiness, this Sunday was actually been quite lovely. There was no guilt in taking time to rest; my stomach wouldn't allow any semblance of it. Rest it was. I let myself take a three hour nap with my baby. We nursed. We nursed. And we nursed. I watched Conor sleeping, his lips and plump cheeks moving as if he were still nursing.

Soon he sat up straight with the perfect posture of an infant, gave a few drowsy blinks and then focused on me looking at him. A sleepy smile spread across his face with a simple glee in his eyes. Hey, Mom.

Hey, Baby.

In the afternoon, I found three of us piled on one end of the couch. Chris had to go work on a school project. The sun pouring through the blinds painted stripes on us and on the couch. Conor was still in his pajamas, his eyebrow healing, his nose running a marathon, and Ryan was in his preferred potty training uniform of nothing. They were as they are, baby and toddler, squiggly and squirmy. Ryan pestered Conor; Conor rallied back.

I was laughing at myself earlier when I was alone and sick in our bed with the sounds of the morning carrying through the closed bedroom door. Conor's yelps and Ryan's announcement to Chris, "I have a good idea. Okay, Dad?" Chris will hear me complain, "I neeeeeeeeeeeeeed a break." With that in mind, it was puzzling and humorous when I was getting a forced break from an upset stomach, I was lying their thinking about how they would be such good medicine. Well, as long as I didn't have to get up to care for them, of course. I just wanted some smiles and to hear, "You feel bettah, Mom?"

Back to the couch. Both had slipped their way out of afternoon naps; Conor because he had taken such a long one with me, and Ryan because he was quiet enough for quiet time to be almost as rejuvenating as nap time. Almost. They both normally would be pitching fits in this napless situation, but since I was giving them what they wanted, "wasted" time with Mom, they were content. One of Chris' professors told his class to not be so caught up in worrying about planned quality time with your children; rather, just be willing to waste time with them.

And so we did.

Conor kept looking like it was the greatest day since he first ate a grape. And his face. His round face. Oh, how his round, plump, chubby, pudgy face just does me in. I'm so his mother, huh? Ryan played with the rings on my left ring finger. "Mama, who gave you da rings?" "Hmmm, who gave them to me?" "Daddy gave them to you. Mom, you Dad's wife?" Conor was hungry for eye contact and songs. Ryan suggested, "Let's sing da Alma Mater!" He sang every word with me, and I started to cry because hello, my toddler was singing one of my favorite songs that brings back so many happy memories to my baby. The book I was reading might have also put me in the disposition to cry happy, wistful tears.

Thank you for your glory, restful yesterday. I am much more prepared for the short naps and the tantrums and the painted toilets only a potty-training parent would know of today.

In short, I need to mom up and let myself have our Sundays. It's not like I'm working on a world-saving project with a pressing deadline that won't allow for breaks in the budget. No, I'm raising my boys with my husband, and I realize that Sunday rest is an important part of that.

Also - I now realize that you shouldn't indulge in the ready-to-eat sandwiches at your local Asian market unless you eat them all the time. Whew.

Freshly Picked Giveaway!

2014-10-11T08:17:00.001-04:00

Way back when Conor was an actual baby - now that he toddles around, it seems more accurate to call him a toddler, except that I am an emotional mama who can't believe she almost doesn't have a baby in the house! - I snagged an adorable pair of baby boat shoes from the local consignment store. They perfectly matched Chris' boat shoes (how could I pass that up??) so I tucked them away for the million weddings we were going to go to. He wore them to my cousin's wedding. They were kicked off a million times, but I was with him all the time so the shoe police were on patrol.

Fast forward to Brad and Geena's wedding when I wasn't around to be the shoe-crazy drill sergeant mom that weddings seem to make me, I think he wore the shoes for the car ride to the church and that was it. It was back to his sweet barefoot ways. I'm happy I only spent a few dollars on them. I still might try to get a few wears out of those boat shoes because, come on, matching dad and baby shoes? Yes, that would be cute, and it would be too good of any opportunity to make Chris roll his eyes a bit to pass up.

Conor has been taking steps/walking for a little over a month now and the temperature has dropped enough that the easy barefoot route isn't really passable anymore and putting his shoes back on so often like the boat shoes gets old. Freshly Picked kindly sent over a pair of the Prince George moccasins, and of course, they are just as great as the Weathered Brown pair that I was so in love with previously. Easy to put on, and they stay on ... until Ryan pulls them off. He is all about pulling socks and shoes off these days. But if a shoe or moccasin stays put no matter how much kicking a baby's legs do, I'm sold.

Hat : Mom.
Shirt: Once Upon a Child
Jeans: Old Navy via Once Upon a Child
Moccasins: c/o Freshly Picked in Prince George

Yesterday we went to four different store for grocery shopping and the zoo, and they didn't come off once. Not once. Concerning his ability to walk in them - they make being a toddling almost toddler much easier since the soft soles help all of this toes balance. Well, that is what I'm guessing because he can't really speak in sentences - or even words - to let me know. It is the next best thing to being barefoot, and the best when it is cold!

Freshly Picked offers 36 colors in sizes 1-10. Check it out. I have found that the colored moccasins do wear a bit more than the weathered brown, but the footprint that develops make for a nice keepsake of his tiny feet. The leather is still nice and strong, you can just see they are well-loved and where his little toes press down.

If I haven't convinced you on Freshly Picked moccasins, I highly suggest you want this Shark Tank starting at the 32:30 mark. Susan Peterson, the founder of Freshly Picked, has an amazing amount of determination and quite an entrepreneurial. If you don't want to watch the clip, you can read about her story here. I so admire her work ethic. Chris watched it with me the other night, and even he was impressed. Let me tell you - he doesn't care about baby moccasins.

So! Would you like a pair? So do I, but sadly 8.5 in Women's isn't a size they carry so I'll give you an even better option - how about a pair for your little one, your little one-to-be or your nephew, niece, cousin, best friend's baby, etc.? Freshly Picked is kindly giving away one pair of baby moccasins to a lucky reader. Just visit their site, and then come back here, comment what pair you would choose and enter via the Rafflecopter widget. There are many extra ways to enter also.

You know how to Rafflecopter it. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Guilty Mom Moment + Free Cross Stitch Pattern

2014-10-09T07:40:00.002-04:00

Let me tell you about one of the moments when I have felt most guilty since becoming a mom.

Way back during Conor's pregnancy, I was determined to make a few cross stitch hangings for our wall in our kitchen. I had only cross stitched a couple times before, but I knew it was easy, and I was nesting so there really was no way around it. The straw in our nest had to be just so! And so I started to stalk eBay listings. I won a huge lot of embroidery hoops off of there, and then I bought some Aida cloth, embroidery floss, and cross stitch needles which are not as sharp at normal sewing needles.

I carted whatever project I was working on around all the time. For every bike trip, park trip, lake-to-see-the-ducks trip, I tucked it into my purse, and I'd take it out to work while Ryan scaled the playground or threw walnuts into the lake. Eventually, I lost the dull cross-stitch needle so I started to use a needle that was pretty sharp because it was what I could find. One exceptionally brisk fall morning at the park, it was cold enough and windy enough that Ryan really needed to wear a hat. I pulled his hat I had crocheted for him out of my purse and plopped it on his head. I've only had minimal defiance from him concerning hat wearing (maybe this makes him overcompensate in other areas??) so I was surprised that he kept taking his hat off. I kept putting it back on. Back and forth, we went so when he said it was scratching and hurting him, I ignored him because I thought he was just being a drama king. I was going to win the battle! I was! But as I went to shove the hat back on his head one more time, I saw that my sewing needle was stuck in it. It had been poking him! Oh, I felt horrible.

So that was definitely the worst cross stitch moment, but the best came while working on a particular project while keeping busy in early labor and then finishing it up in the hospital with a dozing newborn in arms. The project was an embroidery hoop with the first couple of lines from our mealtime prayer. It reads, "Bless us, O Lord and these thy gifts." Although it was only intended to hang near our kitchen table, how perfect to have stitched those X's when we were about to receive such a gift?

Yes, perfect.

I made up a pattern for the cross stitch in case any of you would like to make one for your home! I noticed while I was making the pattern that I had accidentally left out a comma on mine so yours will actually be grammatically correct! I'd love it if you let me know if you use it.

Do you have any guilty craft moments like poking your son in the head repeatedly?

Relief and Glee, Again

2014-10-06T15:45:00.000-04:00

Saturday was gloomy and cold and rainy and windy and miserable ... except for the contagious optimism that covers all of campus on gameday Saturdays. After tailgating for a bit, I was happy to be watching the game cuddled under a blanket at our house.

I think the boys were, too, because this is what they looked like at the tailgates:

Their smiles scream, "GO TEAM."

But! After the game-winning touchdown on 4th and 11, and the game-ending sack, I terribly wished we could have been in that terribly cold stadium. Fanaticism.

I snapped a photo of two of my boys while we watched the players sway back and forth singing the alma mater post victory.

When I looked at the photo again yesterday, I realized that it looked very familiar:

Here is the post that photo came from way back in 2012.

Dads and their football watching babies. I love 'em.

Kat in the Kitchen: Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños

2014-10-05T15:22:00.001-04:00

Does anyone else ever make appetizers for dinner? I don't mean being all fancy schmancy and making appetizers + a main dish + salad + bread and cheese + dessert + coffee as my host family in France used to do (for the record - they were/are the best host family in all the world - how many host families travel to South Bend, IN to see your host daughter get married? The best). Anyway, I mean appetizers as your main dish. I am guilty of that, and ever since I started making bacon-wrapped jalapeños, I am very, very guilty of that.

It all started when we were at our friends' 4th of July party this summer, and our friend stuffed some cream cheese in jalapeños and wrapped some bacon around them - three of Chris' favorite things. And since I get a crazy amount of joy from my husband loving my cooking, I decided to replicate the recipe with goat cheese. When I cook a batch, I make half of mine with regular bacon and half with turkey bacon because we have two different bacon preferences - and those preferences are the opposite of what is stereotypical. Give me that real bacon!

Here is my take:

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños
12 jalapeños, tops cut off, halved and seeded (I'll leave some seeds in for Chris' half of the batch)
6 to 8 oz goat cheese, at room temperature (you can make them with the goat cheese straight out of the fridge, but it is not as messy if the cheese is softened).
24 leaves of basil
12 pieces of bacon, sliced in half or 18-24 pieces of turkey bacon depending on how thick the jalapeños are (the real bacon has more give and stretch so it takes less to wrap it around)

1) Turn your oven on to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with foil.
2) Take the jalapeños cut the tops off. Then cut them in half and take the membranes and seeds out. (I'll leave some seeds in for Chris' half of the batch).
3) Stuff the jalapeños with a heaping teaspoon of goat cheese.
4) Place a basil leaf on top of the goat cheese.
5) Wrap the stuffed jalapeño with bacon. Make sure you put the loose end of the bacon on the bottom so the bacon stays. You could use less bacon and toothpicks to keep the short bacon pieces on, but that would mean ... less bacon.

6) Bake for 25-30 minutes under bacon is crispy and jalapeños are tender. (25 minutes will get you a slightly crisp, still vivid green like the jalapeños in the right of the photo; 30 minutes will give you very tender jalapeños that's a duller green)

And enjoy!

So tell me - what are your favorite appetizers to eat as dinner? Anyone else ever think, "I'm an adult! I am eat pizza rolls as dinner if want!" Because tht is so what adulthood means, right? And don't get me started on bread and cheese!

Around these internets

2014-10-01T22:03:00.003-04:00

Two week old photo from when I was losing it, and Chris came home with flowers and French fries.

Happy Wednesday! Need some reading material?

My sister-in-law's blog has undergone a name change and makeover! It looks great, G. Love, me.

Bridget is being really cool and opening the floor (comment box?) for questions.

Nell, penned a letter on her blog that was like a hug with a glass of wine at a long overdue mom's night out. If you haven't read you are not defined by your child, click to it.

Blythe's tribute to her dear family friend was simply beautiful, and I hope I can be like him.

Chris sent me this with the subject line, "Did you read this? You'll cry a lot." It has been on my Facebook news feed no less than ten times in the past day, but I actually hadn't read it! I did actually cry though. A lot.

He also sent this Parenting.com article that predicted the top names of 2014, and the girl name that I want for our youngest daughter (because we can choose these things, you know ;) ) is #5! Everyone please lose your love affair with Claire. Except for Chris because he gets a say in naming our children, too.

Have you entered Ana's White Plum giveaway? Best selection of leggings out there (over 200), and you could win!

And Grace's Bohemian Traders giveaway? A $250 credit is up for grabs!

I've said it before, but I'm loving Kate's Before I had a Seven Year Old series. I think it is my favorite series ever in the history of blogs because all of those wonderful moms that are contributing to it just seem to know what is making my heart heavy or what is making me pull my hair out. I click on those posts with an eagerness that can be compared to Ryan around chips and salsa.

Christy wrote a good ole real post about cooking, and I really want that Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys cookbook that she recommended. Hopefully it is suited for feeding men and boys and nursing mamas because honestly, I eat way more than Chris does.

Speaking of books, when we were checking our books out at the library yesterday, I remembered that somewhere there was a list that recommended children's books with big families. I found it! It was Kendra! I'm making a note to check them out the next time we are the library (and let's hope that it is sooner rather than later so I can kick my fine habit).

Anna's post on being a stay at home working mom rang loud and clear for me. I'm not very good at it yet, and it has been a struggle. I haven't found the words or really the brain power to form enough coherent thoughts to write about how poorly I'm adjusting, but the poem she quoted in her post is my new mantra:

“Normal Day, let me be aware
of the treasure you are.
Let me learn from you, love you,
bless you before you depart.
Let me not pass you by in quest
of some rare and perfect tomorrow.”
-M.J. Iron

Yes. I love it.

Carrots for Michaelmas turned five the other day! Have you taken her survey to help her know what you like and don't like to read?

I just discovered Wifeytini, and she is really, really, really funny. I just pried myself away from reading her whole blog, but her post today was touching and inspiring. I also found this post that she wrote for Huffington Post spot on.

This post came at the right time after yet another morning of a too early wake up by one of the boys. They take turns. It was nice to remember that I do love that they've been sharing a room for five months now.

And lastly, we watch this Vine no less than five times a day. Irish and fist pumps all day, everyday over here.

All About That Scaredy Cat

2014-09-30T14:18:00.000-04:00

Just another attempting at preserving bathtubs and little hands.
------------
(Months ago)

Chris books his plane ticket for a trip the boys and I can't make. I make a mental note that Ryan would be sleeping in our bed that weekend. Scaredy cat.

-----------
(Every other night since getting back to a normal life post summer travels)

I'm awaken by little feet and cries thirty minutes or so after whenever I finally fall asleep. Tuck him back in bed.

Two to three hours later, there are those feet again. Fine! Fine!

In our bed he goes.

When I wake up, I groggily lecture him/plead that he needs to stay in his room the next night until the clock turns green.

-----------
(The next night)

Same story, different night.

-----------
(The morning of the day before Chris leaves)

I wake up moderately refreshed, and I realize that there were no footsteps, no cries, no doors opening through the night. Relaxed exhale. Glorious! I roll over to see Ryan peacefully and sneakily slumbering in between Chris and me.

He's gotten really good at this.

-----------
(Bedtime the night Chris is gone)

I ask Ryan if he wants to sleep in our bed. "No. I want ta sleep in my bed."

Yeah, right. He'll come to our bed.

He wakes up at eleven for a drink. I plop him in our bed, and he falls asleep by the time I come back with a glass of water.

That was easy.

I shake my head at how much of a nut I am. A nut!

-----------
(The rest of the night)

One king bed. One five-foot-six mom. One toddler. Two feet of the bed occupied. And that's a generous estimate.

Feet are on my belly. The feet rotate as Ryan shifts to another side what sleepily requesting to go back to his bed.

Umm, no. Who will protect me? The two year old? Okay no, but still!

Arm in my face. Ryan stirs and says, "Can I sleep in my bed?"

"Is this my child?! ... Just go to sleep, Ryan."

At five in the morning, I rescue Conor from his crib and loneliness since I stole Ryan from their room. We nurse.

Now it's one king bed. One mom. One toddler. One baby. Two and a half feet of the bed occupied. And that is still a generous estimate.

-----------
"Mom! I'm hungwy! Mom! I'm hungry!"

"Okay. I need to nurse Conor."

Whisper to Conor, "Conor! Let's nurse! Please." Anything to stay in bed.

I remember that I left muffins out for this. "Hey, remember those muffins we baked? You can grab one off the counter in the kitchen."

"OOOooooOOOooo," and Ryan's little feet gallop away.

"Moooo-ooom. You wanna a muffin? Moooo-oooom. Let's read books. Pleeee-eeease"

Baffle at how of all nights, Ryan wanted to sleep in his own bed on the one Chris was gone. Somberly, I realize I definitely got as little sleep as if I had been a big girl and slept by myself.
-----------
We go into the kitchen. I remember that Melissa recommended a song. Ryan is standing on a chair in a diaper. Conor is standing on the floor in a diaper. I go to the computer to go to my trusty not-record-player, YouTube.

I press play. I like the song. I turn to the kitchen. Baby dancing ... toddler dancing. Okay, I really like the song.

And the day turns into a good one.

27 Reasons I Love Lily Jade - GIVEAWAY

2014-09-27T17:10:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned here, I did a lot of dancing at weddings this year - both actual dancing because our friends know how to throw parties and then the dance between being a loving, attentive bridesmaid and being one of two people that the kids want to be with because there is so much commotion, so little napping time and so many new people holding them and hey! why did my mom just walk by carrying flowers and not me??? That dance. Do you know that dance?

It's a pretty good dance to get to do. I think it's kind of like my road trip mentality - sometimes your hair is being pulled either by a hairdresser or a baby or both, but that means that you have a dear loved one getting married and you have a little one which are both huge gifts in life. And! the fact that your friend or family member invited your children to the weddings is an honor and shows how much they love you and your family and children at weddings in general. So, it is a pretty good dance to get to do.

We are blessed with many, many people who were so generous and helped us, whether it be taking Ryan to get french fries or holding a sleeping Conor while I did my hair or taking over curling someone's hair so I could nurse. I also had a little help from Lily Jade who designs diaper bags that are roomy enough for bridesmaid essentials and mom essentials.

I already loved my Madeline before I used it as a bridesmaid, but I came to appreciate it even more after seeing how much I could store in it while not sticking out as the token mom ... because pumping definitely doesn't make me the token mom of the group, right? ;) Really though, I should probably get over it because motherhood is beautiful, period, but I do enjoy at least attempting to look young and my age even though I have two children grabbing at my chiffon bridesmaid dress. It's not an everyday or even an every year occurrence that I get my hair done and nails so it was nice that the high quality material also didn't dress down the bridesmaid look. Lily Jade's designs are sleek and sophisticated; any woman at any age, mother or not, could wear a Lily Jade designer diaper bag.

My Madeline all packed and ready to go for my brother's wedding.

Bridesmaid with a baby reality.

Lily Jade was kind enough to send me a new bag - the Sarah Grace in Gold - that went perfectly with the Madewell dress my sister-in-law chose for the wedding day, and honestly, it goes well with every outfit that I own. I was a little nervous that it wouldn't be able to carry as much as I was used to since it looked smaller than the Madeline, so I was pleasantly surprised when I didn't have a problem packing what I needed for the day in there. I shouldn't have been though! With the washable and removable Baby Bag, the Sarah Grace has twelve pockets plus a removable convenience pouch for your phone and wallet.

So here are 27 reasons I love the Lily Jade Sarah Grace as a bridesmaid with babies - you know, like the movie 27 Dresses?

1) - 14) Easily carried my camera, scarf for nursing, wallet, phone, phone charger, diapers for Conor, diapers for Ryan, wipes, tissues, make-up, toy for Conor, airplane for Ryan, extra onesie for Conor, bobby pins (this really could have been 1-27 if I had taken a photo of everything I had in there)
15) Looked like it was for a special occasion like the other fancy clutches at the wedding
16) Could carry it on my shoulder
17) Could carry it across my body
18) People asked where I got my purse
19) Would have gone with whatever color dress the bride chose
20) 12 pockets made it easy to find bobby pins or whatever I needed in a quick pinch
21) A varied amount of pocket sizes so I didn't have to spend time jamming the wipes back in a too-small pocket
22) Babies love the shiny gold hardware - good distraction
23) Zipped so nothing fell out
24) The changing pad even made Conor feel fancy for the day
25) Easily wiped clean after wedding cake was smeared on it
26) Easily wiped clean after I spilled some of my Dirty Shirley on it (I know - very refined drinking tastes over here)
27) My date even complimented me on it.

I loved it.

The bag doesn't come with a bed for a badly needed afternoon nap, but Ryan's Aunt Kaitlin patiently waited for him to finish his nap in the car. Our family is full of gems.

Now, a month later, I still love it, and it looks as good as new! The gold material is very, very durable which is appreciated because it's often in harm's way when Ryan is wielding his latest sword/stick.

I do want to note that I was thrilled to meet Landon and Meggan, the couple who started Lily Jade, at The Hundred Event. It was a true pleasure to meet such a loving, devoted, hard working and honest couple.

And now for the best part - Lily Jade is giving away giving away a $75 gift card for use on their site to one lucky Cedars and Tiny Flowers reader! Just visit their site, then come back here and comment what you would use your gift card on! Which one would you pick? A canvas one? Metallic like the Sarah Grace? Did you see that it is on sale? Leather? This one is still on my wish list. I'm a sucker for anything camel and bags that I can wear on my back. There are also Baby Bags sold separately for $55. They are sold in medium and large in both red and khaki. There are other ways to enter via the Rafflecopter below, if you feel so inclined.

Oh and even if you are not a mother, Lily Jade bags are still the bag to have. Just read Sarah's post on how much she adores her Lily Jade Caroline in black as her purse as a teacher.

If you'd like to read more about Lily Jade, visit Grace, Anna, Janssen, Merrick, and Audrey, .

Which Lily-Jade designer diaper bag would you choose? And do you have any bridesmaid tips or funny stories?

Goooooooooood luck! I hope YOU win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. GO IRISH!

Pop and Circumstance

2014-09-26T00:18:00.000-04:00

Pop culture - music, movies, TV shows, we're going to talk about it all.

You know, Chris teases me that I'm all about the Top 40, but really, I'm just not a music person. I enjoy music! I love dance parties! However, I don't know lyrics, I don't know titles, I don't know band names. I can't sing a single note on key. But, when I do like something, I listen to it over and over, which is kind of embarrassing when the weather is nice and our windows are open, but not embarrassing enough to stop.

1) My friends had their friend from Canada visiting last month, and on Saturday she was casually playing her guitar and singing for a bunch of us. I couldn't believe how beautiful, calming and effortless her songs were. Like an idiot, I would tell her, "Oh wow! You need to record your music!" after each song. She politely chuckled each time not letting me know that, oh wait! She already did! I didn't find out until I saw a CD left for us and, oh, she was on the cover.

Well, Kathleen Claire has now become our morning music, and Ryan quickly makes me forget that he woke his brother up way too early when he sings her introduction song, "Make me small, make me humble, make me new. Make me nothing at all besides in You." We aren't really fans of the typical Christian music; nothing against that genre of music, we just don't really connect with it. Kathleen's music is subtle, simple, and delicate. I'm not very good at describing music so listen to previews of her songs here or buy Kathleen Claire on iTunes if you are interested in supporting a Catholic female artist!

2) Since getting to know Blythe, I've been introduced to The Head and the Heart's music, and it has become my afternoon music. I can't get enough of their sound. Basically, indie rock + folk music married and had the best offspring ever.

Here are my favorite songs:
Rivers and Roads
Honey, Come Home
Winter Song
Ghost
Down in the Valley
Okay, okay ALL of their songs (not an actual song)

3) Don't let this negate my other two recommendations, but my song as of late is without a doubt, "Shake It Off" brought to us none other than Taylor Swift.

4) And don't let this one wipe away my first two recommendations either, buuuut "Everything is Awesome" from the LEGO Movie is played frequently in our household as well.

Maybe I love the song because this walker/stomper gets awesomely happy whenever the song comes on.

5) Two weekends ago, Chris and I watched Man of Steel together for a cheap little at home date. Now, I'm the biggest fan of spending time with Chris (quality time is overwhelmingly my love language), but I'm not always the biggest fan of watching movies with Chris because we don't normally agree on movie choices. He is more into depressing movies whether they be historical or not, and I am more into happy movies. We have not finished a movie a few times because I couldn't handle our choice for the night or I have cried-yelled at him. Don't I sound like the best movie watching partner? My poor, patient husband.

Action films are usually a perfect happy medium because there is a better plot than my normal rom-com selections yet the guy still gets the girl in the end or if romance isn't really in the movie, it normally still has a happy ending. Man of Steel made me cry a lot, but in a good way. I mean, it's Superman. Watch it!

Other movies that we have enjoyed semi-recently that weren't action films or romantic comedies:

The Tree of Life as I wrote about here.
Gravity
Children of Men

Do you have any good movies to recommend that you think we would both enjoy?

6) And Grace asked about shows. I have quite the trashy line-up of Grey's Anatomy and Nashville that makes folding laundry, doing dishes, ironing, etc. much more enjoyable. I enjoy Parenthood and Downton Abbey like pretty much every other woman in the states. I really like MasterChef even with all of the judges over-the-top scripted lines, and I have been watching old seasons of Top Chef recently.

(I just searched through Hulu under my "Shows You Watch" section to see if I forgot anything, and all I found were Dinosaur Train, Arthur, Sesame Street and a bunch of other baby shows).

Here are shows that Chris and I watch together:

Shows that we watch while doing other tasks: Parks and Recreation, Community, and Modern Family although P&R and Community aren't as good as they used to be. Ron Swanson is still the man though.

Shows that we give our undivided attention: The Walking Dead and Person of Interest. Jim Caviezel is one of our personal heroes. I cannot wait for both of these to start up again.

What shows are you watching?

7) And this isn't really a pop culture thing, but painting my nails has become my frivolous pick-me-up. I used to never wear nail polish because I would buy the cheapest on the shelf that would crack 7 second after it dried. I didn't realize that there was a thing such as quality nail polish. I mean, how unimportant right? Well, with its mom-soothing ways, it is an important thing for my sanity just like my mother-in-law is. I just paint my nails before I get on the computer after the boys are in bed if I'm feeling frazzled, and then they dry without me smudging them. According to a quick Google search, a bottle lasts 30-40 uses so I don't feel bad about giving myself a $0.20 manicure a couple times a week.

Alexandra started me off with Chinchilly by Essie when she visited Conor and me in the hospital last October. What a sweet friend. Since then, my collection has expanded to a lovely red in OPI Red, the perfect neutral in OPI Tickle Me France-y, and my most recent polish as gifted to me by Chris' stylish Aunt Marie, the perfect dark, dark, dark purple or bwack as Ryan says in OPI Lincoln Park at Midnight. Next, I want to get the top coat that the beauty expert recommended here.

Aaaaaand that is that.

Happy Friday! We've been invited to a Michaelmas celebration this weekend - my first ever! I don't really know what to expect. Any tips?

Head on over to Conversion Diary for lots of blog posts with seven items.

Other posts from this week:
A Giant of a Wedding Post
There She Goes, Talking About Her Kids

A Giant of a Wedding Post

2014-09-24T22:57:00.000-04:00

We had a baby in 2012. We had a baby in 2013. Well, 2014 was the year of the wedding, and we were generously and kindly invited to fourteen weddings. Sadly we were not able to make all of them as this also was the year we went to a grad school student budget, and we have not discovered how to be in two places at once. Marci and Mark, Lisa and Duane, Renee and Ryan, Britt and Matt, Chris and Kirsten, we so wanted to be at your weddings! I won't be able to give full, in-detail recaps of each wedding, but I did want to share some highlights from each day.

PETER+LAURA
We started out the wedding season with my brother's wedding. Funny story - we've actually known my sister-in-law pretty much our whole life because she is my cousin's childhood best friend! I love thinking about that - they probably interacted so many times with nary a thought of each other and now they are husband and wife. I was honored to be a bridesmaid, and Chris was a groomsman! I really can't go any further without mentioning my college roomie, Ashley, and her fiance, Jeff, who saved our behinds by kindly watching Ryan and Conor during Mass and when we went on the party bus (wahoo!). They are nothing short of amazing.

Ryan was the ring bearer, and I was pretty nervous about it because the terrible twos were hitting hard at this point. I promised him more gummy bears than he could imagine, and we watched multiple YouTube videos of ring bearers walking down the aisle so thank you, moms who proudly upload those videos of your dapper and tuxedo-ed toddlers! Fortunately, my adorable four-year-old cousin could be a professional flower girl, and she pulled him down the aisle. I know I'm his mom, but it was so cute to see a giddy flower girl dragging a wide-eyed ring bearer down the aisle.

Ring bearer in the headlights. (My aunt's photo) Ryan wore the same tux that his Uncle Johnny wore to our wedding :)

It was such a sweet moment to see Laura and her dad walk down the aisle. My new sister-in-law looked gorgeous and her dress fit her personality so well! It was very touching that she invited my sister and I to come when she was trying wedding dresses on last May. My brother didn't have a hard time picking what to wear, ha.

Vows! (My aunt's photo)

Dreamy sword arch. (Photo snagged off of FB)

I always look forward to the sword arch at military weddings. Tradition and humor all in one. The party bus was a great time, and Laura's mom had packed the best ham sandwiches I've ever tasted in my life. You know how it goes when you are in a wedding? Things are ridiculously busy so food is forgotten, and then, boom the ceremony is over and you are staaaaarving. Thank goodness for smart moms who think ahead and slap some bread, butter and ham together!

New sister! And I'm still the only Corcoran sister with the Asian glow.

The reception was sparkly and pink, and all 13 of my grandma's children were in attendance! I hadn't seen my brother's Naval Academy friends in years so it that was a treat. Ryan and Conor were exhausted and did not want to be with anyone but me, but we survived.

I've always prayed that my brother would find happiness and a wonderful wife so it was definitely a joy-filled day.

MARIE + BOB
I'm of the opinion that marriages set up by the ND rugby program are at the utmost top of the standard, but maybe that's because I have that group of guys to thank for meeting the guy I call Chris. Marie is Chris' best friend's little sister, and Bob has been Chris' friend and teammate for almost a decade. Marie is number two of ten, and their family is kind of everything - faithful, intelligent, athletic, artsy, hilarious. They are grand. When you combine Marie being from a big family + the 20+ rugby alum + the rest of the stellar invite list who flew in from all over, you know it's going to not just be a lovey-dovey, yay! we are so happy for you! wedding, it's going to be a great weekend. And great it was.

Marie was stunning. Bob, you didn't look too bad yourself. (Photo from Facebook)

The best group of guys.

After a beautiful Mass at a breathtaking church in Chicago, we trekked out to the suburbs to a sports bar with the rest of the guys, and I'm pretty sure napless Ryan ate his weight in french fries while unintentionally trying to convince our friends to not have kids. At the reception, the boys were pretty restless, and they wanted nothing to do with sitting at a table. Things were looking pretty grim, but then this happened:

Long live weddings where big families run rampant, no one bats an eye when you push six chairs together to make a toddler bed, and there are always at least a few friends taking a break from the dance floor to sit next to your kids. I might have had one, two, three White Russians while these babes slept the whole entire reception post-dinner.

PAT+KARA
I was so sad to miss Pat and Kara's wedding, but it only made sense for Chris to go to the wedding since he was already going to be out in California. Pat is another rugby player, and Kara has always been so sweet to me ever since we first met my sophomore year of college. Since I didn't get to go, I can't give a complete recap, but Chris did tell me that they had a Queen cover band that was "wicked." Also of note, look at this photo:

The magazine-worthy high school sweethearts.

AUBRY+MAX
Conor and I road-tripped our way up to Duluth, Minnesota the last weekend of June. There was no question as to whether or not I would make the drive or not. Aubs is one of my dearest friends from college, and it is a wondrous thing to clearly see God's hand in every step of their relationship. Plus, I can't believe that my friend who knows both the Catholic faith and the words to every rap song ever written found herself a Catholic rapper to marry.

Photo from Aubry's blog and taken by Mad Chicken Studio.

Aub's dress was perfect for her. Perfect. I remember sitting in a library room with her the summer we found my dress. I asked her what she envisioned for her dress down the road, and she wanted something simple, form-fitting, yet flowy. Nailed it.

They gave credit where credit was due.

I guess iPhones aren't meant to capture groom's being hoisted up in celebration.

Aubry's family serves like no other family I know. For example, that busy, loving bride found me a house to stay in for the weekend. The whole day was brimming with meaning from getting ready with a rosary and music to one of the most intentional nuptial Masses I've ever attended to the rap the groom wrote for his bride. I think I was able to go to the wedding with a baby in tow and without Chris sans worry because children are seen as such a blessing to this family. Mass was full of babbling and squawking babies, as the bride and groom wanted. It really was an honor to be able to attend.

If you want to see more of their dreamy wedding, click on over to the photographer's complete blog post of the wedding. Do it!

MEAGAN+TOMMY
I had been so excited for Meagan and Tommy's wedding for seventeen months! I did secure their wedding date, after all. But really, I've known both of them since our freshman year of college, and I still remember dropping Meagan off at Main Circle when she was going to hang out with Tommy when they had just become a couple. The whole shebang was so fun from the welcome pizza dinner to the darling bridal luncheon to the delicious steak house rehearsal dinner to the gorgeous Nuptial Mass in the Basilica to the neat locker room tour to the stunning reception at the Palais Royale downtown to the goodbye breakfast on Sunday.

All of the bridesmaids stayed in the same house which was really wonderful. Since we didn't have to travel anywhere, Chris and I splurged and hired a babysitter for the bridal lunch afternoon and then for the rehearsal dinner. The babysitter we use is a really sweet and quiet thirteen year old, and as she left that night she told me, "I don't know how moms do it." Interpretation: your kids are a handful. Ha!

Marci, my friend and the matron of honor, ordered Gigi's Cupcakes for the bridal luncheon. WOW.

Portrait of a nursing bridesmaid.

So there are four Saturday time slots at the Basilica, 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm. It turned out that the 11am time slot that I luckily snagged for the happy couple ended up being the best time of that day because it was raining cats and dogs all afternoon. The reception pulled out all the stops with a live band and a late night snack, but my favorite part was the traditional singing of Piano Man at the end of the wedding. Okay, I was wrong, my favorite part was probably the the pom squad dance. Meagan was the captain of the pom squad senior year, and she was so in her element to be performing! Her ecstatic and confident was pretty adorable. I'm so happy I got to stay til the very end (thanks, Chris, for going home with the boys!), and I was really touched to be able to be a bridesmaid for Meagan.

DAVID+BECCA
We drove out to San Diego for David and Becca's wedding. They got engaged at the Grotto back in March, and then it was full speed ahead to throw the best backyard wedding ever! All hands were on deck with Becca being the oldest of seven and you know about the Harringtons. Both also come from huge and loyal extended families, and with a locale like San Diego, there weren't many regrets sent!

There was so much heart put into it. Becca fell in love with this dress, so her mom made it for her. The flowers were made by family friends, sisters-in-law and cousins. The cake was baked and decorated by my sisters-in-law in a neighbor's kitchen. Cousins made the best punch ever (this reminds me that I need to get the recipe!). So many family members helped set up the dance floor and tables and chairs and lights. Neighbors opened up their driveway for parking. It really was a wedding put on by love.

The crazy part about the wedding was that after a year of practically no rain, it poured the day of their wedding! There was no tent or back-up plan because it is SAN DIEGO! There is never rain the first week of August! But the rain let up by the time of the reception, and really, it was such a blessing. Everyone attending was so understanding, the rain brought the temperature and humidity down and both sides of the each family are full of people with servants hearts. With all of that, everything could go off without a major hitch, in spite of the rain - well, there was a very essential hitch, that of Becca and David.

(Amber Fallon Photography)

Every single Harrington was in attendance! (Amber Fallon Photography)

Ryan was the ring bearer with David's other godchild, Molly. You would think that since this was my second go round as the ring bearer's mother, I would have fed my child more than a half a bagel while I was frantically getting him dressed, but no. Once again, he was thankfully matched with an expert flower girl so he made it down the aisle, although he did hold the pillow up as a shield. My sister drove down from her training to help out for the day, and we would not have been able to do it without her! Kristina curled hair, got dresses, chauffeured us around, rewarded Ryan with his gummy bears after making it down the aisle, took care of the boys during Mass, took pictures; she did everything. I love you, Sis!

Oh, it was such a joy to see David and Becca get married. A highly talented choir sung at their Mass, the altar servers were her brothers, and they used her mother's veil with a gorgeous image of the Holy Family attached to it. And it was so neat to watch Becca while we were all getting ready. We were not making it a calm setting, but she didn't care that it was raining! She didn't care we were running late! She was just ready to marry David, and nothing could ruin their day as long as that happened.

I do have to say that the best part about a backyard wedding is that you can put your kids to bed and not miss the party!! Both Conor and Ryan were asleep early into the reception so Chris and I danced the whole night on that full dance floor. Second best part about a backyard wedding? After all is said and done, you take out the hundred bobby pins in your hair while relaxing in the hot tub and then multiple people sit around one of the cakes that hadn't been eaten, each with a fork in hand. Extra points when it is spice cake.

My favorite part of this photo is my father-in-law and brother-in-law behind David and Becca.

Can you believe my sisters-in-law made this wedding cake, and it was their first attempt ever? Oh, and there is evidence of Ryan's attendance at the wedding on the groom's cake, if you can spot it.

Brad gave a truly great best man's speech.

Funniest.

I love them.

The hobbit ring bearer, as captured by our talented friend, Dylan.

Okay this is my favorite photo because Becca has always been told that Johnny is a mini-David in both looks and mannerisms. Just look at how he is looking up at her!

Bridesmaids, but sisters first.

To see more of David and Becca's wedding, here is the photographer's blog post about the day.

ANDREA+ANDY
Out of my cousins on my dad's side, there are seven of us girls born in four years. We've grown up very close, always doing everything together, and last month, Andrea was the third of us to tie the knot!

Love my Corcoran girl cousins.

My uncle's ice cream machine. It is legendary. Rich ice cream that comes out like soft-serve. Chris said it lived up to the hype.

Didn't my aunt do a lovely job with the cookie table?

Godmother and godson.

Chris' brother, Patrick, basically lived with us for a month. Isn't he a mini-Chris? He is the best with little kids.

Another cool sword arch! (Also, people taking photos with iPads never fail to make me smile)

I love family weddings, and the fact that there were so many this year was just glorious. Andrea and Andy got married in the family church in my dad's hometown. I helped Andrea with their invitations, and she was such a relaxed bride. Well, both Andrea and Andy were so relaxed! Their carefree and goofy personalities made for a very fun reception that included a crazy sock dance. Ryan and the rest of the great grandchildren loved the pond on the reception site. It's always a delight to see my family, and this was no exception!

To see more photos from the day, here is the photographer's blog post.

BRAD+GEENA
Brad and Geena might win for most combined siblings at a wedding. Between the families, there are eleven boys and eleven girls - they could all have dance partners, ha! Ryan, Conor and I hitched a ride with Chris' mom & co. to Annapolis, one of my favorite cities, which is where Geena's family lives. The whole week beforehand was incredible because we basically just spent a lot of time with Geena's family. Dinner Wednesday night, paddle boarding Thursday, welcome party on Friday, we couldn't get enough of them. It's always so nice to be able to breathe when your visiting with people who adore children and understand them ... or understand that sometimes, you just can't understand them.

It was another wonderfully handmade wedding. The week prior, we went to our family friends to make the Italian sausage for the welcome party. Geena's grandma grew all of the flowers for the centerpieces in her front yard. Chris' mom made the cake and the groom's cake (and she didn't kill me when I messed up the icing she had spent all night on. She's a saint). Geena's friend and neighbor designed all the paper products. All the decorations were made by Geena and her mom and Mel. Every detail was thought out, but you could see where the emphasis was placed - on their marriage centered around Christ.

Both Geena and Brad are loved by so many, and it showed the whole day long. Saying that I'm so happy for them doesn't even cut it.

Kimberly, the photographer, blogged about Brad and Geena's day here. Make sure you check it out! Kimberly and her fiance, Andrew, are something special. Other lovely write ups: from the bride herself, from Mel, the most helpful girl you ever will meet, and from Alex, MOH and my Shake It Off dance partner for life.

Aunt Jill gives and gives and gives! She volunteered to drive back with my mother-in-law from Annapolis to San Diego. I know!

Sister bridesmaids.

These girls are treasures.

Godmother and godson.

Just some brothers of the groom and brother of the bride hanging out.

She was dreamy.

Mom and most of her girls (just missing Mary!)

I'm pretty sure Erin took this breathtaking photo of the bride!

Harrington sisters.

Sweet Mary.

David was Chris' best man. Brad was David's best man. Chris was Brad's best man. My boys won't find a better set of brothers to look up to.

Alex, I feel like this photo perfectly captures our friendship.

Brick is good. A perfect day.

Post reception, we Harringtons hurried to the rental to fit 30 people into a room to watch the DVRed Notre Dame football VICTORY with push-ups and all. Told ya it was a perfect day.

-----------
Chris is going to the last wedding of the year this weekend. His best friend from high school is getting married! I'm sending my love with him, Katie and Matt!

Okay, that's it! And they all lived happily ever after.

Has it been a busy wedding year for you?

There She Goes, Talking About Her Kids

2014-09-23T08:16:00.000-04:00

Save last week, which was a horrible one in both mother and child behavior as a result from my attempt at nap training Conor and we will just forget about it (someday ... someday we will get a napper, until then I'll be reading this installment on Kate's wonderful series over and over), I've been delighting in the stages that the boys are in since being back in our home environment.

Ryan
Ryan may still be the stubbornly stubborn boy we have always known, but he has reached an amazing milestone that I didn't even realize was a milestone; he tip-toes around folded laundry. I can hear the heavens rejoicing as I type! Am I right? Do you hear it, too? When he wants to keep making mischief, he answers, "Ummm I just need to wook at someting. Okay, Mom?" I hear that all day long, and its frequency provides a little breaks for his little case of Notre Dame Tourette's. "RallysonsofNotreDame!" shoots out of his mouth when he is just walking, playing with other kids, playing by himself, eating, and really any time, even when we are doing nothing related to football or the school. His fanaticism seems to surpass that of his parents, but maybe Chris learned to control his outbursts long ago.

His favorite thing to do as of late is to "skydive" off the bunk bed ladder onto our giant bean bag. He is a sensitive soul and frequent with his professions of, "I love you," which is terribly heart melting. But, given that when he apologizes, he says, "I'm sorry. I forgive you," his grasp on whether or not he understands what comes out of his mouth might not be all there yet.

He has taken to exclaiming, "I'm your mother!" when he wants me to do something which makes me stop in my tracks because yikes, who needs a mirror when you have a toddler?

Yes, parenting is a funny thing because it can make normal phrases like, "Tell me about it!" or conversations like:

Ryan: I turned da fan on for you. Do you like it?
Katrina: Oh thank you, it feels nice.
a few minutes later, Katrina: I'm cold.
Ryan: Oh! I turn da fan off for you.

seem like you birthed a genius and you replay that interaction in your mind over and over and then you blog about it! Ha, despite the parenting bias, it is fun to have real conversations.

Conor
You know, it's pretty funny that although we chose to spell Conor's name as C-o-n-o-r simply because it is the correct Irish spelling of Conor as a first name not the surname, I go throughout the day picking up that 20+ pound baby, squeezing him in my arms, smushing my cheek up to his plump cheek and cooing, "Oh, Conor," over and over, and it really just sounds like we named him O'Connor, which, like I said, is not what we were going for. Oh well! Makes me chuckle.

Chris trained Ryan the Parrot to squawk, "Say Da-da! Say Da-da!" all the live long day so whaddyaknow ... Conor says, "Da-da-da-da-da-da," to appease his brother and puff up his father's chest or just because that it is the easiest sound to say. It's probably the latter, but maybe that just sounds like sour grapes coming from this ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma. Conor does, in fact, love grapes as well as corn, beans, chicken makhani and an insane amount of frozen peas to chase the teething pain away.

Our ten month old cancels out Ryan's laundry stack avoidance by finding folded laundry the most enticing item of play. He knows to clap whenever the fight song comes on so we have another brainwashed and crazy fan in the making. He is happy as long as he knows one of us are in the room, and his pursed mouth, happy eyes look comes out most at night when he is plopped in the bathtub.

He started taking steps two weeks ago when his thirteen-year-old Uncle Patrick was here and has been increasing his step count every day since. At the moment, he is cooing to his Cheerios and pulling out the usual expressive European man that most babies do. "Yah, yah, aaaaaah, gaaa gaaa, aaaaah!" with lots of hand gestures.

Okay, okay! I'll stop being such a mom and going on and on about my children.

Until next post ;)

Free Printable! You Will Set the World on Fire

2014-09-18T20:08:00.002-04:00

Two things to know about me: one, painting is like a glass of wine for me (once I get over the fear of the blank canvas, that is) and two, I over-complicate things.

I don't do it nearly enough, but painting really relaxes me. Well, if I stick to very simple things, painting really relaxes me. Complete concentration on pressing my paintbrush to paper just so seems to help me breathe easier when life gets overwhelming. Psychology isn't my specialty, but I remember that I coincidentally read an article soon after I had painted for the first time in quite some time when Ryan was ten months or so old. It was kind of an ah-ha! moment because I had recognized that I did feel really happy after doing so. I don't remember the source, so here is the oh-so-reliable (wink, wink) Wikipedia. It has something to do with flow.

Lately, I have really been wanting to nest. No, I'm not expecting a baby, I'm just ready to finally hang things on our walls. I'm ready to feel settled in our home! I'm a very slow mover and decorator. I hung our favorite movie posters last week after four months of George and Mary Bailey being propped up against the wall.

Since I've taken thousands and thousands of photos, you would think that I would take advantage of the fact that I have plenty of material to hang on our bare walls. I'm picturing a beautiful gallery wall like the ones on Pinterest. However, being the over-complicating person that I am, the notion of creating artwork of quotes myself for our home has furiously devoured me, and I insist on taking way too long to slowly make just the right painted quote when I could definitely find something prettier on Etsy to buy. I love everything my fellow Ohio girl, Jolie, hand letters for her shop, Brim Papery. I really want this one because have you seen my housekeeping skills?

Fortunately (or unfortunately), I can share whatever I come up with for our home with you! My dear readers. Maybe you are on a budget, but want to dress up your walls or need a cute gift idea. Maybe you just need a photo to test if your color printer is working correctly. Whatever the reason, it's yours for the downloading (and printing ... and hanging).

Here is my first project ... that will go into my teetering stack of items to be hung. This quote, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire," from St. Catherine of Siena is kind of our motto if you'll have it for Chris' graduate school - he even wrote about it in his application! I wanted something soft and watercolor-y (wow, can you tell I'm not an artist?) in my handwriting. I'm pretty rusty and googled way too many editing tutorials, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. If you like it, I hope you download the free printable and use it in your home!

Make sure you download the file rather than just saving the image because there is better resolution in the files. I made a 5x7 and an 8x10. I printed mine on an off-white linen cardstock. Enjoy!

Click here for the 5x7
Click here for the 8x10

Also - this is the first time I'm using Google Drive, so please let me know if it isn't working. Many thanks!

Both

2014-09-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

It's a neat feeling to be able to remember the day your brother-in-law was born. It's an even better feeling to be able to remember the days your brothers-in-law were born. With Johnny, I remember sitting in my French Literature class with my cell phone on my desk hidden behind the top of the back of the chair in front of me. Le Chevelier au lion this, Lancelot that (I despise that story though ...), je ne sais pas this, WHY ISN'T MY PHONE LIGHTING UP WITH A TEXT?? that. With Ciaran, we were all in San Diego winding down after a 46 person (with only four families) Boxing Day dinner. I was crocheting a scarf for my sister-in-law when I got a text from my mother-in-law that the baby was going to be born that day. Oh happy day! The rest of the day was a bit chaotic and is a tale for another time, but this happened:

Brother/godfather Chris, nephew Ryan, Uncle Ciaran

I love that now both Geena and Becca are Harrington wives!

and one more was joyfully squeezed into this family.

People are normally very surprised when I share that Ryan has an uncle who is younger than he is. Some are kind of frightened at the thought, but for most, the surprise is a good one. A question I get pretty often is, "So ... what's it like since your mother-in-law has both children and grandchildren the same age?"

First grandchild's first trip to the beach and your twelfth child in your belly.

Well, I wouldn't have it any other way. She has given my children playmates. Playmates! Uncles your age are worth a hefty amount of don't-tell-your-parents-its-between-us ice cream cones and candy. My generous parents give our kids plenty of doting and spoiling.

I've done a lot of reflecting on the abundant familial setting we are blessed to be in since we did just spend three out of four weeks together so I'll delve deeper than the obvious uncles as best friends gift.

Conor, Johnny, Ciaran and Ryan

Johnny and Ryan

Ciaran and Ryan

How has my mother-in-law spoiled her grandsons while having little ones herself besides buying a tub of cream cheese just for Ryan and hiding it in the fridge for him?

She has given our boys an infinitely more confident and comfortable mother in me by being my first mom friend.

When I was pregnant with Ryan, I knew one person my age who was also expecting, and she lived states away. No one that I was personally close with had been pregnant recently. I had no one to turn to but the internet and all of its cRaZy forums to lurk. Eventually I found a different forum that used capitalization and spelled correctly, but it kind of made me feel discouraged that I wouldn't find parents to relate to. Someone posted, "I would love to roast a turkey tomorrow for Thanksgiving, but we don't have childcare tomorrow." OooooOoooO went my eyes. I hadn't found the blogs that are great instant shots of parenting espresso and solidarity yet. And as wonderful Chris is at listening to my rambling, he ain't ever gonna know what it's like to be pregnant.

It would have been a very isolating time if I didn't have my mother-in-law to text and call to chat her ear off. She had just been pregnant! Johnny was not even two yet. And she had given birth eleven times in every possible scenario. I just remembered that she called me before Christmas asking if I wanted her to have David spend Christmas with us so we could have some family close and so my one-week-from-my-due-date self wouldn't have to cook anything. Gosh, I'm crying just thinking about that now that I have Ryan and Conor because I can recognize the sacrifice! She was going to send her son to be with us. I'm going to bawl my eyes out when I don't get to spend Christmas with my sons, but she was willing to sacrifice a Christmas with him for our sake. (I refused to let it happen though :) We had chili for Christmas, ha!).

The best part is that with all of the experience and knowledge from parenting twelve different souls, you would think that she would at least some of the time act like she knows everything. No. She waits to be asked for advice. I've come to know this even more as we went from parenting in the womb to parenting stubborn boys. She is never high and mighty. She is the most humble and most real friend that you could ever have, and she gives just what a new mom needs and craves, a steaming hot cup of solidarity and understanding. I wish we could sit down for a cup of coffee together, but let's be honest - it would last two minutes and later in the day we would find our room temperature mugs long forgotten in the microwave.

Johnny's Baptism. I was flipping out on the inside because they asked me to be in the photo, and we weren't even engaged yet!

With baby Johnny and toddler Molly

She let me see raw motherhood with a newborn. When Ciaran was born, I went out to help for a week. Now, when Johnny was born, Chris, David and I went to visit and "help" for a week, but I was completely clueless as to how much a mother needs. This time, I was ready to make all the meals! Chauffeur all the kids! Check all the homework! Bake all the lactation cookies! Fill all the glasses with wine! I was a mom now! I was going to be helpful!

I was floored by how much my mothering was helped a thousandfold. Didn't I have this down? It was humbling to see that I still had (have) so much to learn. My mother-in-law was nursing around the clock because she had trouble with her supply since she was twenty-sevens years into this whole nursing business. She was so overjoyed that nursing so much had allowed her to have more than enough milk that she actually let down, unlike her most recent pregnancies. The house was crazy and full of young and LOUD life, the baby was crying, her shirt was soaked and and yet she answered the door when someone rang the doorbell. I was stunned. My new mother self was still embarrassed if I had to nurse Ryan, and here she was just going about daily life, soaked shirt and all. It really is perhaps the most beautiful memory I'll have of her. She was just mothering, and she was my friend enough to let me witness that.

The person my sons call Oma not only gives them playmates, she has given their mom a friend from the start and thus, a whole lot more sanity and a whole lot more direction in this crazy vocation. I cringe at myself so much throughout the day, but I can't imagine what I would be like for my children without her wisdom, love and hearing her say, "Okay, Katrina, they're climbing up my legs!"

Love you, Mom. Sorry for embarrassing you with this post. You can send your kids to me.

Bathtubs and Little Hands

2014-09-15T11:12:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, well I really can't remember when exactly, Chris and I watched The Tree of Life. Chris knew it was a Terrance Malick film, but I can barely remember movie titles let alone director names so the meaning of that escaped me. My friend, Kathryn, wrote a beautiful post about the movie here. I could never compose anything that compares to her writing so go ahead and click on over there to read about the movie if you care to have a better description than: it was very thought provoking, and it had gorgeous imagery. I may have the capacity to check a few boxes to set up a blog, but a movie critic, I am not!

Part of the beginning of the story is told through scenes of the mother's memories of her children. The image that has perhaps moved me the most came from a short scene of the first born son taking a bath as a toddler. There is a close-up of his little hands grabbing the side of the bathtub. I was struck with tears, which doesn't normally make a scene noteworthy by my standards, but its steadfast hold in the forefront of my mind makes it just that.

The everyday quality of that image, little hands grabbing the side of the bathtub, grabbed my heart. I knew memories of my little boys' hands splashing could so easily slip through the cracks between the easily remembered first days of school, graduations and weddings. It was a challenge of sorts. Hey, Katrina! Look past your view of bath time as the long awaited gateway to bedtime! Remember those short, stubby fingers!

It was a much needed challenge, reminder, whatever I'll call it. I'm going to try to write more about the ordinary moments. The ones where things are not necessarily a struggle or fantastic. The ones that are easy to forget. The ones that are, at times, so boring it's a little sweet. After all, this blog's name does come from St. Thérèse of Lisieux's quote, "The sun shines equally on both the cedars and on every tiny flower." I'm don't want to sugarcoat them, although it's me so flowery descriptions will inevitably find ways to sprout up. Sorry! But really, I don't want to make the ordinary extraordinary. I just want to see the glory in the ordinary, if that makes sense. I just want to be able to look back and read about those terribly normal moments.

So here is my first whack at it. This past Saturday morning was greatly ordinary.
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Saturday, September 13, 2014

The morning did start out a little rough with cries coming from the baby awoken by his brother that so desperately needs sleep, but who inconveniently so detests sleep. For once, my phone wasn't within arms reach and like the millenial that I am, our bedroom lacks a working clock. Judging from the light starting to seep through the slits of the blinds and into our room, I knew that soon enough the clock in their room would turn green, and Ryan would burst out of that room like a whole barrel of marshmallows lay on the other side. Hot chocolate and marshmallows have replaced popsicles as the bribe of the day to get us home after our daily walks to campus. But really, being awake at a wee hour is a barrel of marshmallows for that kid. I suppose he was born at 4:58am.

I decided to hop to it and made my tally for being out of bed before the kids woke me up two and a half for the week - a record as of late. Today I only get a half because Conor was the rooster's crow this morning, and I fervently hope that one day I'll have the discipline to not have my children be alarm clocks. I think if I squint I can see that day on the horizon, but there seems to be mountain blocking my path, a mountain called Must Go to Bed at a Decent Hour. Brushing my teeth was the only thing I was able to check off my list before Ryan came bounding out of their room, "MOM! The c-wock is green!" All of his energy was channeled into a squeezer of a hug around my legs. I plucked the babe out of his pack 'n' play, slid my hand into Ryan's, and walked to the kitchen to scrounge up some breakfast.

A few blinks later, both boys were perched in front of cereal, which really is just a means to let the hungry clamor dull a bit until second breakfast. One boy's eyes almost crisscross as he concentrates on not letting the milk drip-drop from his spoon; the other deftly and delicately becomes a lobster and one by one, his thumb and first finger play feed the baby. I hired breakfast to be the babysitter and got all swept up shooing dust bunnies from under the couch with my too-often-neglected broom. Sorry, Broom. At least you have Mr. Dustpan to keep you company? This music was playing.

Conor kept giving me his latest look of ever so slightly pursed lips and mischievous eyes. (See above photo). Ryan had ditched the last bits of breakfast and was proclaiming that he was going to throw my poor-attempt-at-decorating-and-thrifted faux eucalyptus branches into my also thrifted faux tree. I ignored him and started cleaning out the fridge, and then set up shop to chop peppers as prep for future chili. Ryan held up a jalapeño, "Mom. What's dis called? It's a jalapeño?" Soon Conor made it known that he was ready to get down from his chair. I sweep again. I realized that getting up even a minute before the boys makes me weirdly productive at tending to our nest. Conor started playing his favorite instrument - the door stop. Boing, boing, boing. Chop, chop, chop. "Mom. What's dis called? A jalapeño?" Chop, chop, chop. Boing, boing, boing. Both were in diapers by this point.

Time sped up as Chris walked in, Conor went down for a morning nap and second breakfast was upon us. I tried out a new-to-me waffle recipe, and I guarded the stiff egg whites that the Ryan insisted were whipped cream. Waffles well under way, the baby woke up, and I nursed him while finishing up cooking. Then waffles were plopped onto plates, Conor plopped into the high chair, and the Pioneer Woman was lauded again.

The morning was finished off with hunting for clean clothes in a dirty laundry jungle , singing along to "Say My Name" and accepting Ryan's offer to dance once he was impressed with my Destiny Child lyrical knowledge. "Let's dance on the carpet, Mom!" We clasped hands and hopped around while nodding our heads off-beat.
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You were a good one, Saturday morning. You were a dimpled hand grabbing a bathtub.