15): Brunch, Birthday & Blessings

By bobbi
August 22, 2015
5 Comments

I was going to do an Online Daybook but I don’t have enough time. Instead I’m linking up with Kelly and posting a quickie 7 Quick Takes that will really only be of interest to my family (or close friends) since it’s mostly family news. 😉

~ 1 ~

This has been our last week of summer vacation and I feel like we packed more fun in this week than we did over the whole summer! (Well, minus out trip to Lake Tahoe in June.) On Saturday my friend Celia (whom I met through the Blessed Is She regional Facebook group) and I hosted a Blessed is She Brunch in Monterey. We got together with old friends as well as new friends who we only knew through the Facebook groups.

We started off the day with Mass at San Carlos Cathedral to celebrate the feast of the Assumption. I love my lively family but it was a treat to sit and worship Our Lord at Mass without having to tell someone to stop making rude noises or quit poking their brother during Mass. I needed that alone time.

Afterwards, we headed over to Celia’s house. Everyone brought in a dish for the potluck and we enjoyed the deliciousness, we talked and shared stories.

We shared how BIS has touched our hearts and helped in our spiritual journey. We talked about our families, our kids, our interests and everything else under that came up. If you put a group of women together, you will never run out of things to talk about! After we closed the afternoon with prayer we said our goodbyes and planned to make this a regular occurrence. 🙂

~ 2 ~

a birthday bouquet

On Tuesday, I celebrated my 35th birthday (full disclosure, I have been 35 for years now.) 😉 My favorite gift?

In the family line up it’s me (#1, the oldest)), Jacinta (#6, the athlete), Isaac (#9, the baby) and Nathaniel (#4, the artist).

A visit from my sister Jacinta and my brothers Nathaniel and Isaac. I haven’t seem them since January at my brother Jake’s wedding so it was a real blessing!

We spent the day touring Monterey, specifically San Carlos Beach…

and the Wharf.

There were a number of sea lions out and the kids had fun watching them swim and pose for photos.

After walking the first mile, the boys needed a little motivation to make the second mile so we stopped at this Willy Wonka like candy store. I may have consumed a dark chocolate almond cluster rationalizing that calories don’t count as long as you are moving while you are eating. 😉

~ 3 ~

Later that evening my siblings told me to go out with Brian and they would babysit. I ran out the door before they could change their mind.

Luckily, Brian had won a free dinner at work so we were able to dine at Peppoli’s in Pebble Beach. Brian must have told them it was my birthday because this was on my menu. A birthday greeting! Fancy.

Now, Brian and I are more of a chips and salsa couple than a wine and cheese couple so we definitely were a little out of our element as we were escorted to the table, greeted by the chef, had napkins placed in our laps and given the wine list.

We don’t usually eat beef, so when we go out I like I get a treat. This time I chose the beef tenderloin. It was SO GOOD.

~ 4 ~

At one point our conversation went something like this.

Brian: I don’t like this.

Me: “Don’t like what?”

Brian: “They are treating me like, like…”

Me: “Like you are somebody?”

Brian: “Exactly! I don’t like it.”

Me: (Laughing) (In a whisper:) “I feel like I am on Downton Abbey. Look at that waiter standing by the wall with his hands behind his back. He is keeping an eye on us so he can come to our side the moment we need him. Watch this.” (I then place down my silverware and wipe my mouth with my napkin. Like clockwork, the waiter comes over and asks if he can remove my plate.

Me: (After the waiter leaves.) “I could get used to this.” (Snapping my fingers joikingly.) “Oh, Carson. The dessert menu please.” Yeah, I can get used to this.

Brian: “Well, don’t get used to this! Its back to the real world once we walk out the door.”

Me: (Sighs) “Well, it was fun while it lasted.” 😉

~ 5 ~

I came home and found the table decorated like this. So sweet.

~ 6 ~

The next day I wanted to take my sister and brothers to one of our favorite spots – Point Lobos Reserve.

We climbed our favorite trail and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery.

It’s a tradition to take a photo of the boys on the big rock that marks the half way point of our walk.

~ 7 ~

The last few birthdays have been a little harder with Brian being sick and going through chemo so it was a treasured blessing that this year we are all well and healthy and not going though any serious drama. There are always peaks and valley so right now I am enjoying this peak in my life. 🙂

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! If you are not having the best time right now and could use some extra prayer, let me know. I’d be happy to pray for you.

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads Letterboxd, Spotify or Instagram. 😉

Operation Clean and Organize: Organizing My Bathroom Shelves and Walls

By bobbi
August 13, 2015
2 Comments

It has been a long time since I’ve done a Operation Clean and Organize post! As family and long time readers know, I am always on a quest to tame my mess. In 2012 I was working on a number of home improvement projects but in 2013 I got a little side tracked when Brian got cancer and our focus turned to survival and family time. Now things have eased up with Brian being healthy and the kids being a little older so I can go back to focusing on getting our house in order.

I have to admit that something is happening within in me. It used to be that I could turn a blind eye to the piles of junk and the crap shoved on shelves. I sort of zoned it out. But now, it’s bugging me. I mean, driving me nuts bugging me. I’m sick of the disorder and the interior chaos it is causing me. And I just want to purge and organize. I don’t know what it means. Maybe I am finally growing up. Maybe I am having some kind of spiritual epiphany. Maybe it’s a sign of an upcoming apocalypse and the end of the world as we know it. (Cue REM.) Whatever, I just know I’ve got to seize the moment while it is still strong. 😉

Shortly before I cam became pregnant with Matthew, we were able to remodel our home to convert our garage into a third bedroom. It included a bathroom that I love. Unlike our other bathroom, it is fresh, bright and clean. Well, except for this narrow shelving section next to the tub. I use it to hold to towels, toiletries, hair accessories etc.

However, over time it had become a catch-all of random junk. (Don’t ask me why there are tinker toys in there.)

I have been following Mystie Winkler over at Simplified Organization (more about that in a bit) and one of her mottoes is for everything to have a home. So I went through the piles of junk and got rid of trash, gave away what I no longer used and found a spot for what I did use. The results? Drum roll please…

The photos are not great because the lighting was bad but you get the idea. Order!

I used bins and containers I found at Target to hold my stuff. One has products, another hair accessories, blow dryer, etc.

Confession time. Along with having hoarding tendencies I am also a sucker for a sale and clearance items. I may or may not have actually bought a cute baby item before I was even married because I knew one day I would use it for my own baby. (To my credit, years later I did use it for my child.) This wall organizer is one of those sale items that have been sitting in my closet forever.

I finally hung it and used it for my necklaces and bracelets. I added a couple of S-hooks to the very top to add a few more items.

In the 80’s, it was the style to wear hairbands with huge hair. I’ve sorta tamed the wild hair (no more hair sprayed mile-high bangs!) but I still love me a hair scarf whether it is out of style or not. I can’t follow trends. Mama ain’t got no time for that!

Now I keep my scarves here. This handy little holder was given to me as a gift from one of my coworkers. (Do I admit that it was from a job that I left 14 years ago, which mean this holder has been sitting in a closet for 14 years…no, I won’t admit it. That’s just plain creepy.)

I am a sucker for colorful paper beads bracelets. These have been made by women in Africa trying to better their lives and their family’s life. Some of these I have bought at Costco during their fair trade product fairs and others I purchased from Outreach Uganda. (Wife to hubby: “It’s really more of an act of charity that I buy these bracelets. We are helping feed African children!” Hubby: Insert eye roll.)

They sit on my bathroom sink along with these cute yet inexpensive little bird jewelry holders.

I found them at The Farm, an organic farm in nearby Salinas, CA.

They have amazing produce and…

A collection of country life goods. I don’t go there often but when I do, I always find a little treasure. If you are ever in that area, stop by and take a look. 🙂

So that is one of the projects I competed over the summer. When everything is orderly and tidy, it brings me such peace. It’s far form perfect but it is a big improvement. No more scrambling around and yelling, “Where is my !@#$ hair dryer! I’m late! UGH!” Now I know exactly were my hair dryer is and I MAKE SURE to return it to it’s proper place when I am done. I’m constantly reminding myself to just put it away, right away! Leaving things laying around is a hard habit to break and I know I need more than just a few Before and After moments to keep my house in order. I need an attitude readjustment! This is where Mystie comes in with some guidance. I was reading her blog and she wrote:

I’ve always been a slob by nature, and I’ve been actively combating that tendency for 7 years now.

Sometimes I even think there’s hope. I want to share what I’ve learned along the way, moving from thinking that housecleaning was a waste of time to trying to keep the house decently in order. Though I’ve always been a slob, I’ve also always been a planner and a list-maker. My problem wasn’t not knowing what to do. My problem was not caring.

I have learned to care. It is better to care. It does matter. It is good work.

I could make a plan, but I then I would rebel against it. “You can’t tell me what to do!” my inner two-year-old would scoff at my written list, “Who made you the boss?”

Add five kids to the mix, and the problem becomes not only my own lack of desire to follow a good plan, but also the fact that life doesn’t actually happen according to my plan when I do want it.

These are my struggles, and I know I’m not alone. So I write to share what I’ve learned, hoping to help others not only know there is a way out of the frustration, but also that they are not alone.

I provide not just another housekeeping plan to try, but a paradigm shift. I want you to see

— that your work matters.

— that your attitude matters.

— that you can tame your inner fussy two-year-old.

— that there is a way out of chaos and frustration, even though it isn’t easy or once-and-done.

I want to show you how to turn your frustration into momentum, your chaos into growth, and your plans into actions.

A slob by nature? She loves planners and lists but didn’t care about cleaning. That is so me! Do you see why I love this girl?? Go read the rest of her story here.

So in upcoming posts, I will share with you about her course I’m taking and how my progress is going. It is not about spending money and buying lots of matching bins and label makers (although I would have liked that too) 😉 but it is about keeping it simple, tidy (even with messy family life) and changing the attitude so you learn to love what must be done. Genius.

Okay, my time is up and kiddos need to be fed so I’ll stop here.

Have you been working on organizing lately? If not, what it the one area you’d love to tackle? Do tell. 🙂

Sharing in Sam and Nia’s Joy & Loss: Every Life Matters

By bobbi
August 9, 2015
4 Comments

(I wrote this last night, although I didn’t get a chance to post it until now.) It’s just past midnight and I can’t sleep. Earlier today I saw vloggers Sam and Nia’s video of Sam announcing to Nia that she’s pregnant. (Don’t ask how. It makes sense once you watch the video.) The video is cute, crazy and hilarious and it made me cry happy tears each time I watched it. (I may have watched it more than once.) I wasn’t the only person who enjoyed it. It went viral with almost 10,ooo,ooo views in a couple days.

After watching it I thought to myself, they are brave to announce the pregnancy this early. I’d be scared that I’d lose the baby. I know I shouldn’t think like that but it was a knee jerk reaction of my own fear.

The following day their daily video was them sharing the news with family and friends.

However, two days later a parent’s greatest fear happened. They lost their little one in miscarriage. I was sobbing as I watched. It reminded me of the joy Brian and I experienced at our six pregnancies, with the expectations, hopes and dreams we had for our babies and our growing family. It also reminded me of how painful it was when two of our babies were lost in early miscarriage. My heart ached for them. I didn’t want them to go through this but all I could do was pray that God would give them the strength to endure and eventually make them stronger and closer to Him (and each other) in the end.

Nia says in the video that she was upset that she waited so long to take a pregnancy test (she didn’t want to be disappointed if she wasn’t pregnant) and if she had taken it sooner she would have had more time to bond with her baby. Those words broke my heart because it reminded me of my earlier fear. It was if God was whispering to me that I can’t let worry of what might happen stop me from enjoying the present and the blessings that stand before me. It was a reminder that I can’t let fear stop me from truly letting go and putting my life in God’s hands.

These footprints belong to my little niece who died the day she was born.

I can’t help but think about what has happened because of Sam and Nia’s openness in sharing their experience with us. Thousands of people saw them rejoice in the life of this new little baby. (They felt their bay was a girl.) Their daughter’s life brought countless laughter and happy tears to not only family but virtual friends and complete strangers. She gave us a glimpse of the miracle of creation and how new life can bring hope and joy to the world.

The loss of this little girl has also allowed us to grieve and mourn. She reminded us that just because a baby is tiny and may be unacknowledged by some people, it doesn’t change the fact that she was alive with a beating heart. She had purpose and her short life has meaning.

Sam said in the video, “We’re so hurt but we’re so thankful God used us like this.”

I do hope their daughter’s short life continues to touch the hearts of others. I hope it is a reminder that all life is precious. I hope it is an encouragement to parents who have lost a child that they are not wrong to grieve their babies nor are they wrong to celebrate the short time they did have together.

Let’s make a special effort today to pray for those who have lost a child and to give some extra love to those closest to us and never take the life we share for granted.

Saturday 7 Quick Takes (8/8/15): Periscopes, Podcasts and Pirates

By bobbi
August 8, 2015
3 Comments

~ 1 ~

The crazy busyness of July has made way for a less busy August schedule (until school starts on the 24th) and that has allowed me to catch up on housework as well as spend some play time with the kids. This week we’ve gotten into the habit of playing outdoors until they are ready to drop from tiredness and heat. (Heat being a relative term since 80 degrees constitutes a heat wave here.) Then they come indoors and we watch a movie. I have taken the opportunity to let them view a few of my favorites. This summer they saw for the first time Jurassic Park, The Princess Bride and the entire Star Wars saga (only Andrew watched Episode 3. Anakin’s turn to the dark side was too intense for the younger boys). Next they wanted to watch The Pirates of the Caribbean. I told them okay but it would have to be a fast-forwarded version since they couldn’t watch the scarier parts.

So while they are getting settled with their snacks and being introduced to Captain Jack Sparrow, I’ll type up a short 7 Quick Takes.

~ 2 ~

As the kids have been playing outside and building Legos or Minecraft creations, I have done some serious purging and organizing this week. I know I have been breaking blogging code by continuously promising to post some organizing results then never actually posting but the blogging code is more of a guideline so…. next week! That’s a pirate’s promise.

~ 3 ~

I will say that while cleaning out my closets I found a treasure chest of picture frames that I had purchased on sale or clearance but that I never got around to hanging up. (I can hear my mom say, “Well, that’s a shocker.”) Sigh. I know, I know but yesterday I said, “No more!” I got a hammer and nails and got to work. Yay! Now my wall looks happy, even though there’s one spot that needs a small frame to complete the look.

~ 4 ~

As I have been busy cleaning this week, my phone has kept me entertained with a stream of podcasts and periscopes. My newest podcast love is for Building Bridges by Jenna Guizar and Cristina Trinidad. I’ve heard half their podcast list so far (#1 – 4) and next week I will catch up with the other half. There’s some great content, fun moments and a large dash of crazy.

~ 5 ~

Besides podcasts, I’ve also become a fan of Periscope, which is basically a social media app that allows you to interact with a person doing a live video. (You interact by typing in comments that they see live and you tap your phone screen to give them “hearts” if you like what you’re hearing.)

My favorite periscope show is Cultivating the Lovely by Mackenzie of Bold Turquoise. Mackenzie’s daily challenge is for each of us to pick three things that we will do to bring loveliness into our busy (sometimes messy) lives. Mackenzie is also a Christian and I love how she encourages you to first spend time in prayer and the Word and then ask God what three things He would like you to work on. If you’re never caught the show live, you can watch her replays here.

~ 6 ~

My other favorite scoper is Mystie Winckler from Simplified Organizing. I am currently taking her organizing course and being able to interact with her online has been fun.

It was Mystie’s course that inspired me to clean out the closets and Mackenzie’s quest for loveliness that inspired me to pretty up our family room. 😉

~ 7 ~

Since I’ve been busy cleaning and movie watching I’ve also needed some easy dinners. I found ample inspiration from Dwija’s post and link up Easy Slow Cooker and One Pot Meals Link-Up. Go check it out. There are some yummy options there!

Okay, I’ve got to run. The pirates need refills of popcorn and lemonade and a certain young scalawag wants me to find him a pirate costume ASAP. Savvy?

Have a blessed weekend!

xoxo,

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 38): Country Potato Salad

By bobbi
August 4, 2015
5 Comments

I was hoping to switch up my entry into the Pinterest Party by doing something other than a recipe but time is short and no matter how busy I am, I’ve still gotta cook! So it’s another recipe, but at least it’s a tasty one.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Gina at SkinnyTaste.com. I changed the recipe to suit my family’s taste.

In gathering the ingredients, it has been fun to pick herbs and vegetables from our little garden on the deck. This is the first year that we have actually yielded produce, mainly because I put the boys in charge of watering. (I have a knack for forgetting to water and killing everything. LOL.) The boys were excited when they could pick their first tomatoes for a salad.

For this meal, Matthew, who is always ready to “help” me cook, picked fresh flat leaf parsley.

It was a proud feeling that made me understand why people had gardens. I’ve always been a “why bother if you can just buy it at the market” but now I’ve begun to understand why people bother!

Ingredients

6 cups of red potatoes cut in bite size pieces
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1/2 medium onion (or one small red onion), chopped
2 Tbs fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 & 1/2 Tbs olive oil
2 & 1/2 Tbs mayo (or light mayo)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Instructions

— Place potatoes in pot and cover with water. Boil 10 – 15 minutes until soft. Drain and cool.

— Combine the olive oil, mayo, Dijon, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well.

— Once the potatoes are cool, add the red pepper, red onion and parsley. Stir.

— Mix in the sauce and let sit briefly.

— Enjoy!

* * * * *

I’m linking up this post with the sweet Jess and Kate over at Sweet Little Ones Blog.com for this week’s Tuesday Talk. 🙂 Go check out their blog. There’s plenty of good stuff to read!

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

2. In your post, link back the original blogger/idea, rather than your Pinterest pin. That way credit goes to the proper person. 🙂 (But feel free to add your Pinterest profile link so we can follow you!)

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for a month. Have fun!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, Spotify or Instagram. 😉

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

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