Our Little Rose is One

Today is Valentine's Day, and it's also Theresa's birthday.  I can't believe its been a year. I just can't.  I still remember the day she was born...quite vividly.  I remember the nurse in observation pretending to be upset because my OB/GYN, Dr. M, didn't send her and the other nurses flowers that day.  And Dr. M pretended to be completely oblivious to their scheming..lol. :-)

We had a big party for our sweetheart last Saturday.  I admit, I've been planning her party for weeks.  Thanks to my new addiction, Pinterest...I'd been pinning ideas and pictures since last fall.  Yes...I'm a type A personality, can't you tell?

The party had a overall theme of Valentine's Day...with a lot of pink and roses thrown in.  What else would you do for a baby born on Valentine's Day, named after St. Therese of Lisieux?  Right?

Anyways... ;-)

Here's some pictures from the party. 

The wreath for the front door was pink crepe paper streamers, cut to length and rolled up to look like flowers.  I wanted to use pink cupcake wrappers, but couldn't find any that were just pink (only packaged with blue and yellow...which wasn't cost effective).  So this was plan B.  It looks more like carnations up close instead of roses, but oh well. 

All the little guests got a rose corsage/boutonniere to wear when they arrived. Some didn't want to wear one, and I didn't make them. No big deal. I know the girls were more appreciative than the boys, lol.

In the foyer, I set up 2 tables for crafts. We had Valentine's bookmarks, a heart fridge magnet, (both from Oriental Trading Company) and Valentine coloring pages (found online). 

I put out pictures of Theresa along the top of our new shoe cabinets.  The middle one is by Sonny Cantu Photography.  They took newborn pictures of Theresa when she was 6 days old, and came back last week to do another shoot.  And yes, I cried when I saw the proofs.  They were amazing. 

The photo banner in in the kitchen is pictures of Theresa...one for each month of her first year.  Yep...saw it on Pinterest and just loved the idea.
 

I made a crocheted hat and a pillowcase dress for Theresa to wear...with roses of course.  The fabric is by Amy Butler. 

 Theresa is so little, I put her right up on the kitchen island to take this picture.  Everyone said she looked adorable.  I happen to agree.  She was a trooper the whole time.  Talk about soaking up all the attention. 

For the kids, I put out strawberry sugar wafers, tortilla roll-ups with strawberry cream cheese, Valentine Chex Mix, strawberries, and a veggie platter (so it wasn't ALL sugar ;-).  The grownups had mini pulled pork sliders, chips, white queso, and salsa.  Yum.

Most of the afternoon, the kids were outside riding bikes and jumping on the trampoline.  It was chilly that day, so about halfway through the party, we had crafts, ate some more food, and cut the cake. 

I made the cake and cupcakes with a boxed strawberry cake mix.  Nothing fancy.  I used a Wilton 1M tip to pipe the frosting, which I tinted pink with gel coloring.  (Note: you have to use a a homemade buttercream frosting...the canned stuff just won't hold up.  But it was EASY.  Really it was...believe me.  I am NOT a cake decorator.  I did the cupcakes and the cake in 30 minutes flat.  If you want a good tutorial, click here.  I am Baker has a great blog post about making the roses). 

My roses look more "shabby chic" than the smooth perfection I was going for, but that's okay.  I know Theresa didn't care. :-)

As you can see, Theresa LOVED her cupcake...and ate the whole thing! 

 

At one point during the party, Theresa decided to get friendly with one of her guests.  Little Will is half Theresa's age, but the same size, lol.  She tried to climb over him, which thankfully didn't bother Will, but we had to separate them...several times...just to be safe.  It was hilarious...the WWF...baby style! 

I made the favor boxes using white take-out boxes from a party supply store, and hot glued fake roses on top.  They had some candy, stickers, and other little treats inside, along with a St. Therese of Lisieux holy card. 

And just because I can't get enough of this face, here's a couple more shots of the birthday girl. 

Happy Birthday Theresa.  One year ago, you came into our lives, and what an absolute joy you have been.  Every day, every moment with you is precious.  What a gift God has given us.  We love you to the moon and back! 

Random Stuff...But It's All Good

I've finally dug myself out from the chaos of the holidays.  Yes...I know we're well into January already.  Yes, our Christmas tree finally made it back into the attic only last weekend (hey..it's David's job!).  


So...I've been organizing, cooking, sewing, crocheting and reading. 


Reading:  Rebecca got The Chronicles of Narnia for Christmas, and I've reread the entire series again.  Don't you just love reading something you read as a kid, and then reading it again as an adult?  You get an entirely new perspective out of the book.  It's awesome. :-)


On a side note, our Rebecca turns 10 tomorrow, and we had a slumber party for her last weekend.  We made homemade pizza, painted pavers, made brownie sundaes, and watched a movie. It was a busy night, and I made it until midnight, barely.  David graciously stayed up until 2:00 AM.  Rebecca and one of the girls were still awake and playing cards!  The next morning, we made apple spice donuts with maple glaze using the donut maker she got for Christmas.  Here's a few pictures of the fun. 

Okay, back to current events!
Crocheting:  A new hat for Theresa.  And of course, a crochet rose to go on it. :-)

She's long outgrown all the ones I made last summer...and I haven't had time to make her a new one until last week.  I'm making it to match the rose pillowcase dress I'm sewing for her birthday.  I can't believe she'll be one in just a couple of weeks.  Where has the time gone?!


Speaking of Theresa, she is starting to stand and hold onto furniture.  I think it took her a while to build up the courage...she's so tiny, I'm sure the couch looks like a mountain to her.  She is also saying, "Ma-ma", "Da-da," "All done," and a few other, 2-syllable sounds, like "Ba-ba," "Bye-bye," and "Do-do."  It's so cute.  We had to work on "Ma-ma" a little bit.  She started saying, "Da-da" first, and I admit...this Momma was jealous.  So now she can say, "Ma-ma" nearly as often as "Da-da."  LOL!  

Sewing:  I've got the dress for Theresa, a soft cloth book, and a fabric cake all in the works for Theresa.  She just doesn't need toys for her upcoming birthday, so I though I'd make her things she can play with as get gets bigger.  Being in a big family, she won't lack for presents, and at her age, I'm sure she won't care. ;-)


Organizing:  We bought 2 shoe cabinets and 2 big bookcases at IKEA.  We desperately needed some way to contain the millions of books and endless piles of shoes in the house. 

 David only wanted to buy one shoe cabinet, but I said, "Are you kidding?  Are you forgetting how many kids we have and how many pairs of shoes they all have?"  So I won...and we got two. :-) They hold 8 pairs of shoes each, but because the kids' shoes are smaller, we probably have 12 pairs in each cabinet.  Yeah!


Here's the bookcase.  Previously, we had books in 3 different bookcases, AND in the closet, because we just didn't have the room to display them all.  These 2 bookcases hold ALL the kid's literature in the house, except for some favorites they keep in their rooms.  

Rebecca helped me sort and label the shelves with our label-maker and now all the books are neatly organized by category.  She has also declared herself the family librarian, and everyone has to "check out" books through her.  LOL.  So far, it's working out great...and I'm glad I don't have to reshelve any books!


I just assembled and put a new bookcase with fabric cubbies in Gabriel's room yesterday.  It took me over 2 hours to do that, and sort through all his toys, but it looks wonderful in his room.  So much better than all his toy just heaped into a corner of his room.  It's a lot of work organizing, but I feel great a great sense of accomplishment!  

I want to tackle the big girls' room and Joshua's room next.  They have sets of hanging shelves in their rooms, which have worked fine up until now.  But as they've gotten older, the toys are getting smaller, and the baskets are wire mesh.  So everything is falling through, getting stuck, or getting lost through the mesh.  I'd like to take it all down, and get a big bookcase with baskets for the girls.  Something like this...

Or this...

I probably will get bookcases in a natural finish and baskets with neutral-colored liners though...that way, it can grow with the girls as they get older.  Pink and white isn't cute once the girls are 6 or 7 years old in my opinion.  And eventually, we'll be moving Rebecca into her own bedroom and Christina will continue to share a room with Theresa (once she is big enough for a twin bed).  So I need something that is suitable for girls of different ages (they'll be 9 and 2 at that point).  


For Joshua, I wasn't sure what to do at first.  He's 12, so a cute bookcase with cubbies/baskets wouldn't be right for him.  A friend on Facebook suggested old metal lockers and I though, "Hey, that would look really cool!"  And, it would take him all the way through high school, easily.  


See?  Even David thinks these would be cool.  Cool enough for Joshua anyway. ;-)

So when we have the money, I'll be scouring craigslist and maybe even attending the regular auctions our school district holds.  From my initial research, it's the best way to get old lockers at a decent price.  


Well, that's what I've been up to this year so far.  What have you been up to besides taxi-driving, cooking, nursing boo-boos, breaking up fights...you know, the normal stuff?  ;-)  

Merry Christmas

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the blessings of God the Father, the Love of Jesus Christ, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit be with you.

 

Theresa Update & Impromptu Photo Shoot

I've been rather neglectful writing regular posts about Theresa.  So here's a wrap up of the past few months.

Our little peanut weighed a whooping 14 pounds even at her 6 month checkup.  I don't think she's gained much since then.  In fact, she still fits nicely into the infant car seat.  But we finally switched her into the convertible seat over the weekend...rear-facing of course.  It's a bit roomier and therefore, easier to get her in and out of.  Thank goodness she loves riding in the van...because we're always driving here, there, and everywhere. 

Theresa might not be growing much, but gracious, she is a little pig.  Seriously.  I made every kind of homemade baby food possible and filled up 14 gallon-sized freezer bags over the summer.  Guess what?  It's gone...all gone.  And that was 3 months ago.  Nowadays, I mash up whatever we're eating and feed her that at mealtimes.  Tonight's menu was roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese...she inhaled it.  Daddy fed her pumpkin pie over Thanksgiving, and she LOVED it.  The family could help but laugh at David because he couldn't get it in her mouth fast enough. Every time he paused for just a moment, she would scream at him.  I have bought a few jars of prepared baby food...sometimes there is just not enough time to get her anything else...and we have to be somewhere to pick up somebody 20 times a day...you know what I mean? :-)

We keep waiting for Theresa to sprout some hair and cut some teeth.  Right around Thanksgiving, she finally cut one of her bottom front teeth, followed immediately by another.  She didn't cry or fuss at all while they were breaking through...whew.  The hair around the back of her head is getting longer, but around the top and sides...there has been negative growth.  I think her tiny, newborn cousin Tim has more hair than she does, lol!

Around 7 months, our wee babe figured out how to crawl.  Well...she doesn't crawl exactly.  She lurches forward on her hands, and pushes off the carpet with her toes.  All of our other kids crawled army-style on their tummies.  Theresa apparently has her own style.  It looks like that dance move from the 80's...what was it called?  The worm?  When she seems something on the floor that she wants, especially a piece of food, she shrieks after it.  Yes...our little one has become our official floor sweeper. 

Let's see, what else?  Oh, yes.  Theresa knows how to get attention.  When she fusses, one of her big sisters comes running to pick her up, hold her, or give her Cheerios.  Even Joshua will often pick her up and play with her for a few minutes.  It's sweet to see a 12-year-old comfort his baby sister.  Of course, I don't actually tell Joshua that.  He might not like it. ;-)

 Earlier tonight, Theresa found her way into the kitchen, and I had a few minutes for a photo shoot. 

I see Mommy...

She's holding a cool looking toy...
 

I WANT IT!

It looks so chewable...

Just about there...

Sure...I'll smile.  Just let me eat the camera. :-)

Five Little Pumpkins

All right, all right!  You wanna see really cute pictures of my kids Halloween night?  Fine.

Here's Joshua.  He's a Bakugan Draganoid, whatever the heck that is. 

Rebecca as Batgirl.  If you knew her, you might say, "huh?"  Really?  But that's what she wanted this year. 

Christina.  Innocent enough looking fairy, with a skirt that actually lighted up (not shown in the picture, sorry).

Gabriel.  Yes, he was a pirate last year.  No, he didn't want a new costume.  Worked for us...and saved money too. 

And the most precious little tomato you ever did see...Theresa.  Totally edible, right? ;-)  I made the costume for Rebecca when she was a baby, and it fit Theresa perfectly. 

Gotta have a group shot before hitting the streets.  I know...I really don't have five "little" pumpkins...the older three are rather big kiddos...makes me a little sad...boo hoo. 

Not to be outdone by Halloween, our church encourages kids to dress up as their favorite saint and process in for the All Saints Day Mass.  Christina was the only one who wanted to costume up, so she went as the Blessed Mother, "because Mary is my middle name."  We lucked out, borrowed the robe from a friend, and I sewed the veil. I thought she looked awesome. 

Joshua ended up trick-or-treating with his best friend on the other side of our neighborhood.  The other kids happily went from door to door with David.  We took turns carrying Theresa until she started to fuss, and I knew our little tomato was done.  So I went home early and tucked her into bed.  The rest were not far behind, and after munching on a few choice pieces of candy, and a good teeth brushing, we got them to bed.  Joshua came home relatively early, and we got him to bed by 9:00 o'clock. 

I will say this...next year, I think I may have to finally stay home and pass out candy.  In previous years, we've put a bowl of candy out on the front porch.  Well, after we started out, and passed by our house on the other side of our street, I crossed over to see how our candy was holding out.  It was gone...all of it.  One big, full bowl gone.  Greedy little hooligans...we had left our house barely 5 minutes ago.  I knew it wasn't anyone on our street, because they were all out with us, and their parents would have been watchful.  So I replenished the bowl, and caught up with the rest of my crew.  I knew it would be gone in minutes...oh well. 

Something else bothered me.  We had a lot of kids trick-or-treating that night who don't live in our neighborhood.  That's fine...except a LOT of them weren't wearing costumes.  No mask, face paint, or even a hat...nothing.  Maybe I'm thinking too much, but come on.  If you're getting free candy, at least make an effort.  And manners...well, those must be obsolete these days.  When I refilled our bowl, one little boy took a big handful...he could barely hold it all.  I told him, "Just one young man!"  He didn't listen and darted off...his momma was waiting in the street and didn't say a word.  Nice...real classy guys.  I'm not sure I feel like passing it out to kids who aren't in costume or have no manners.  But we'll see...maybe next year I will stay home.  I realize I can't police everyone, and Halloween is supposed to be fun...right?

Speaking of candy, I'll going to go get my stash and have a piece.  Or two... ;-)   

Busy Doesn't Even Describe

Well, I realize it's been over a month since my last post.  Dang..

I'm been busy people.  There should be another adjective to describe my life these days.

How about, "I've got ten million things to do, and need ten million hours...preferably uninterrupted to get it all done.  And while we're at it, I need to get away to a deserted island so I'm actually not interrupted."

Yeah...that sounds pretty good. 

Since that's not exactly realistic, I'll just list what's on my plate these days. 

1.  An on again, off again headache I've had for almost 2 weeks.  Do you think it's stress?

2.  A 3,000 envelope mail-out I volunteered to do for David's work.  There are 10 big boxes taking over my dining room right now.  I've only got one box done.  500 have to be done by next week.  Go ahead, say it with me, "What were you thinking???"

3.  The mom's group at my church is having a bake sale next weekend.  I will probably bake some, but not as much as I have in years past.  It's been a long time since I've made some cake ball lollipops, and I promised my kids I'd make some cute pumpkin ones.  I know...I'm a sucker for my kids. 

4.  In addition to the bake sale, the mom's group is having a craft night next month.  I said I'd teach some ladies how to sew those adorable pillowcase dresses.  Now I need to actually make one so I at least look like I know what I'm doing.  Thankfully, I had some leftover fabric, and finished this one today.

Cute, right?

5.  I also want to sew matching dresses for the girls for Christmas.  I saw this dress on a Pinterest board and fell in love.  I already bought charm packs to make some simple kitchen towels as teacher gifts for Christmas.  Yes...I have a LOT of sewing projects lined up!!!

6.  I'm nearly out of homemade baby food for Theresa.  She's eating some table food, but not for every meal, so I need to make more.  I feel like there's no time, but I hate the idea of spending money on jar food.  Argh...decisions, decisions!

7.  It just got cooler here...FINALLY.  I need to switch out all the kids clothes to warmer things, like long-sleeved tops and jeans.  And wash them all.  And get my children to hang them up/fold 'em into their dressers.  I'm not doing it all guys! 

8.  Last but not least, we've had some personal issues to deal with.  I can't go into details, but the budget has taken a hit, one major part being the fact that we now have 2 car payments, thanks to my accident back in August (and we had to buy a new van).  Sigh...enough said. 

9.  Theresa hasn't been sleeping well for weeks.  I wasn't able to take her into the pediatrician for a while because we didn't have insurance.  When I finally got her in last week, she got all her shots, her ears pierced, and a antibiotic for a double ear infection.  I was hoping once the medicine kicked in, she would sleep better.  After a terrible weekend (and she didn't sleep better at all!), I took her back in on Monday.  She still had a double ear infection, so Dr. T prescribed a different antibiotic.  Last night, our sweet baby girl did sleep better, so I pray we're on the right track.  This momma is TIRED! 

Did I leave anything out?  I hope not.  Now you know why I haven't posted lately on my cooking blog lately.  Next week is not looking good either.  Sorry folks. 

Sigh...

I've got the best group of friends on the planet...my Catholic Chicks.  One of the Chicks sent this out a few nights ago, just when 3 of us (including me) were doing some venting.  I liked it so much, I'm going to share it with you.

"Satan's never been terribly creative. The tools he uses today are the same tools he's always used - and no wonder, for they've been quite effective. From the Garden of Eden to Martha's kitchen to our own ever day world, Satan still plans his attacks around "Three Deadly D's of Destruction."

Distraction

- Discouragement

- Doubt

"Throughout time, Satan has resorted to these tactics to bring down God's best and brightest. The underlying strategy is fairly simple: Get people's eyes off God and on their circumstances. Make them believe that their "happiness" lies in the happenings that surround them. Or send them good news about somebody else. Then they're thoroughly discouraged, tell them God doesn't care. Then sit back and let doubt do its work."

"When Jesus met Martha that day in Bethany, she was "distracted". That's where Satan usually begins. He know if we're overly worried and bogged down by duties, chances are good our hearts will not hear the Savior's call to come. While distraction may not win the battle for our soul, getting our eyes off of what is important will certainly make us more vulnerable to attack.

"When we're distracted, discouragement is just around the corner. Weariness creeps in as life overpowers us. It causes us to say and do things we would never consider saying or doing otherwise. Discouragement breaks down our perspective and our defenses. Though we may have just completed great things for God, weary discouragement tells us we're useless, hopeless and abandoned."

"Discouragement can drain us of all hope, of all visions, of all our tomorrows and dreams. .....When we're distracted, tired and overwhelmed, there is no better place to go than our Father. He alone is what we need. Go to the Lord and let Him sweep away your discouragement. As you do, you'll find healing for your hurting heart. Even when it can't help but doubt."

A bible quote:

"Do not be anxious about anything." Paul wrote in the Philippians 4:6-7, "but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

"In other words:

1. Be anxious about nothing (not even grades - haha).

2. Be prayerful about everything (ok......especially grades).

3. Be thankful for all things (even the messy rooms- yea right?)."

I've read this several times over the past few days.  I know God is standing right beside me, steady as a rock.  I just don't feel very steady.  I feel like if one more thing is added to my plate, I'm going to drop. 

Then again, I don't want Satan to get the best of me.  I want to strive to offer God my best, even when I'm floundering.  Sometimes I know I try too hard though...finding that balance will be a life-long lesson for me. 

I like to think the Blessed Mother is with me too.  I imagine my head in her lap, listening to me pour out all my worries and frustrations.  And like any comforting mother, she would say,

"Why are you troubled?  I will place all your cares at the feet of my Son.  Entrust them to His hands, you have nothing to fear.  Don't forget to ask me to pray for you too." 

So I have to remember I shouldn't be so stressed.  Life is lived one day at a time...so I should focus on the NOW, let go of the PAST, and let the FUTURE rest with God. 

 All right Lord, here we go...I can do it!.  I want to be the kind of woman who puts her feet on the floor every morning, and Satan says, "Aw crap, she's up!"