Revolution of Love

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

{pretty, happy, funny, real} – vol 12

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~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~



{pretty}




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The other day I watching the 1946 movie Devotion starring Olivia de Havilland and Ida Lupino. It was an interesting story about the Bronte sisters. My all time favorite book is Jane Eyre so I was intrigued. I tend to forget about the third sister Anne and wanted to read her novel Agnes Grey. I checked out the local Borders store since they were clearing out all their merchandise (RIP, dear Borders.) I found this three volume book of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey. Although I already have more than one copy of the first two books, it was too pretty (and too cheap) to pass up. It looks lovely on my bookshelf!

{happy}




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Matthew has been turning over for about a month now and he just loves turning and scooting around the room. Here he is after a rather robust flip. He’s very proud and happy.

{funny}




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Out of all the kids, John-Paul is the one most likely to conk out and fall asleep wherever he lands. Here is yet another episode of him doing that. This time it was the kitchen, with the iphone still playing. (He reminds me of my little brother NC who used to do that all the time. NC is a grown man now but he is JP’s godfather. I wonder if there is a connection? πŸ˜‰

{real}




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The other day it was a little too quiet in the boys room so I went to go see what JP was doing. Well, he found one of my dry erase markers and decided to mark his territory. Did you know dry erase does not wipe off walls easily?? I hope one of those magic eraser things work. (And now you know why he is always so tired. Mischief making is exhausting.)


{pretty, happy, funny, real} – vol 11

(Sorry for the late post. I was having trouble with the blog but better late than never.)

round button chicken



~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~



{pretty}




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My sister and my parents were visiting a few days ago and my sister took this photo of the ocean on her morning run. I am sure it was a nice break from the desert heat!

{happy}




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School has started – Andrew is in his first year of preschool and Bella starts 4th grade. They are growing too fast!

{funny}




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After a long first day of school Andrew wanted to unwind on the couch with my iphone. It cracked me up.

{real}




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With my family visiting, I had ready and eager babysitters for the kids. My sister took this shot of Andrew and JP. She was watching them while I was getting my hair cut.


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Brian and I even got to go out on a breakfast date over the weekend. Loved it! Special thanks to my familia. xoxo


Simple Woman’s Daybook (8/29/11)

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Courtesy of The Simple Woman’s Daybook.
FOR TODAY – August 29, 2011
Outside my window…it is the usual August weather here – cold and foggy.
I am thinking…that I have not made a post in a week even though there has been a lot going on.
I am thankful…that my sister BC and my parents were able to spend a few days with us. And it was the first time my dad met Matthew. πŸ™‚

In the kitchen
…I can smell the leftover pasta I had for breakfast. (I’d rather have lunch for breakfast and cold cereal for lunch!)
I am wearing…capris, a black top and socks.
I am creating…a new weekly menu board.
I am going…to post a photo of my new haircut on facebook.
I am wondering…how Bella is doing on her first day of school.
I am readingSmart Martha’s Catholic Guide for Busy Moms
I am hoping…that this week is a lot less hectic than last week.
I am looking forward to…trying out my new chore schedule and seeing how much I can actually get done. (Which means I better get off this computer in the next 10 minutes!)
I am hearing…the boys playing with their train set and Matthew blowing raspberries in his swing.
Around the house…there are piles of clean laundry and ironed clothes that needs to be put away because my mom washed and ironed every piece of clothing we have before she left! (I was spoiled and loved every minute of it. πŸ˜‰
I am pondering…if I can find a low fat recipe for zucchini bread.
One of my favorite things…a fond memory. This weekend it was hearing the kids playing with their grandpa; they were giggling uncontrollably because they were having so much fun. Priceless.
A few plans for the rest of the week…continuing Operation Clean and Organize since I didn’t get very far last week with first week of preschool, JP’s birthday, the trip to the ER, doc appts, having my family over and life in general.
Here is picture I am sharing…a photo of John-Paul, the birthday boy, (he turned 2) playing on the new deck.
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{pretty, happy, funny, real} – vol 10: birthday edition

round button chicken



~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~



{pretty}




Today is my birthday so Brian brought me these beautiful flowers along with a letter he wrote telling how much he loves me. Reading that is more than I could ever ask for. He is a gem. I am truly, truly blessed to be married to such a man and to be the mama to our children.


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{happy}




I have lots of {happy} pictures this week. I received an early birthday present this weekend when my brother Rob, my sister-in-law Maria and my new nephew Max came to visit us. This is the first time I have been able to see Rob since he was really sick. A special thanks to all of you who were praying for him. I wanted you to see the answer to your prayers – he is much better now, thank God. Here he is with Matthew.


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I was also happy to see the cousins meet for the first time. Matthew is a month older than Max but Max has a head start on size. They both are such cuties!! I love these photos of them together, and the one of my smiley boy as his usual cheerful self. Lastly, we were happy because my brother brought the So Calif sun with him. It was the first sunny day we have seen in a looong time!


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{funny}




This morning I had errands to run in Carmel. I dropped Andrew off at speech therapy and then headed downtown to return our library books and go to the post office. I couldn’t figure what was going on because the street was roped off, there were police everywhere and people were lined up along the sides of the road with cameras and video recorders. It was as if they were waiting for a parade. Then it dawned on me. This weekend is the Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance and many of the fancy cars are being displayed in downtown Carmel this afternoon. Unfortunately, I happened to be on the road just as the cars were driving into town. The cops had us stop so all the cars could pass. I didn’t have my camera with me so I snapped a few pics on my iphone. Unfortunately, it is really gloomy today so the colors are very muted but the whole situation still made me laugh.


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{real}




Last week I showed you a picture of our deck torn apart. This week I am happy to say that it is complete. We landed out forgoing the traditional wood flooring because it did not do well and instead put in a TimberTech composite wood deck. It looks nice and is super sturdy. The kids looove it! They run and ride their tricycle and scooters up and down and I’m happy that it is done without chipping paint or getting splinters! A special thanks to the hardworking guy who did it for us. He did a great job!


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7 Quick Takes – (8/12/11)

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Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

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I was going to skip the quick takes today because I had a lot to get done but Matthew is being a super crank and wants to be held. So here I am again rocking him with one arm and typing with the other. It’s not really his fault since it’s hard for him to sleep with all the banging going on outside with the guy fixing the deck.


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I need to get the house straightened because I’m having company coming over this weekend. My brother Rob (the one who was really sick last month), my sister-in-law and my new nephew Max are making a weekend trip to Carmel. I’m so excited to see them. And it’ll be the first times the cousins get to meet! πŸ™‚


– 3 –




Which reminds me, I should snap some photos of how messy the entryway/front room looks right now as Leila has suggested. (See her post How Do Others See Your Home?) Yikes. That will be an act of humility since (for various reasons) I haven’t been able to get anything done these last few days and stuff is piled everywhere. Sigh.


– 4 –




I’m trying to figure out what to eat this weekend – something healthy but tasty. I joined weight watchers a few weeks ago and it is going well but it is hard changing your eating habits and the way you look at food. Someone once asked me if I was an emotional eater. I wasn’t sure what they meant. They asked, well do you eat when you are happy. Yes. Do you eat when you are sad? Yes. Do you eat when you are lonely? Yes. Do you…okay, let’s cut to the chase. I eat! Everyday is a fiesta! (That is why I am built kinda like a piΓ±ata. Short and round.) About the only time I don’t eat is when I am mad. I mean really mad. At those moments I am too upset to do something that would bring me pleasure. But by the looks of me, I don’t hit that level of anger very often. Kidding aside, it is hard to readjust the way I look at food but I need to do my best to stick around for a long time to take care of my babies. (Not to mention that I could actually buy one of those cute dresses I like instead of just pinning them to pinterest!)


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Speaking of food, have you been watching the Next Food Network Star? I’ve watched every season and love the show. I barely saw my recorded episode of the final four yesterday. Although I figured Mary Beth was going home, I didn’t want her departure to give Penny any satisfaction. That girl just seems nasty. I hope it was more editing that made her seem so mean and that she’s not really that bad. Brian and I are rooting for Jeff to win. (Not to mention that Brian is a huge sandwich fan. He could eat them every night!) But I like Suzy (such a sweetheart, although they already have Marcela) and Vic (he was a fave since the beginning, although I never thought he’d make it this far) so even if one of them won, I wouldn’t mind.


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Today when I was browsing pinterest I came across the artist Flor Larios (thanks to mamabear) and I love her work. It has a Spanish folk art feel. I ordered a couple things to hang in my kitchen.


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Okay, and as my last post, my little guy has finally fallen asleep. I’ll put him down in Bella’s room since you can hear the hammering the least in there. Poor little guy. It’s hard to believe that he is 4 months old today! He is usually such a happy baby – as long as he gets his sleep! (Kinda like his mama. πŸ˜‰
Have a great weekend!

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