Five Favorites (Vol 12) & What We’re Reading (Vol 4)

By bobbi
September 10, 2013
3 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Hallie’s Five Favorites (guest hosted by Grace) and Fave #5 is linked to Jessica’s What We’re Reading Wednesday. Enjoy!

~ 1 ~

Classic Movies

When I am in the mood for a classic movie, I usually watch one from the 30’s or 40’s but I couldn’t resist watching this 1958 movie Nowhere to Go because I wanted to see this awesome actress when she was only 24. Recognize her?? It is none other than Maggie Smith, aka The Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey. 🙂

~ 2 ~

The Clash

Speaking of classics, Brian just picked up the newly released collection of The Clash called Hits Back. I borrowed it and downloaded it to my ipod. Tomorrow when I take my morning walk I’ll be rocking the Casbah. 😉

~ 3 ~

Washi Tape

I love washi tape (which is basically a decorative craft tape that can be removed easily). It is an easy way to decorate and add color to a number of things. 🙂 (Oh and the photo is from the Planner Addicts Photo Challenge because I’m nerdy like that.) 😉

~ 4 ~

This Guy

With the kids in school, Matthew and I have a lot more time together. This morning I was upset because the strap on his car seat was broken and I was having a hard time fixing it. Seeing my frustration he patted me on the hand and said, “Don’t worry, Mama.” I looked up at his cute face and kissable cheeks and melted. I kissed him then snapped a photo to savor the moment. 🙂

~ 5 ~

What We’re Reading Wednesday:

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life

I first heard about 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine from Jen at Suscipio’s. She is doing a book discussion and it just started on Monday. If there was anyone that could use some more discipline in their life, it’s me!! So I downloaded the book (it was only $4.99) and joined the online group study. So far I love it! Usually, I try some kind of “resolution” and either lose interest or burn out but the book is set up so you work on one project for only 10 – 15 minutes a day and it slowly helps you to build a positive habit and grow more disciplined. It is short and concise and effective. I highly recommend it. You can read more about it on my post about Day 1 of the program – here.

Okay, it is officially Wednesday, which means Ive got to get to bed pronto. Have a great day!

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 or Instagram. 😉

Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 11): Easy Angry Bird Birthday Treats for School

By bobbi
September 10, 2013
2 Comments

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me every 2nd and 4th Tuesday as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, did, or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards.

Not on Pinterest? No problem. Link-up your own creation to inspire us so we can pin it to our own boards. It can be a recipe, sewing project, Catholic craft, homeschool project, organizing/ homemaking tip, themed birthday party, whatever you’d like.

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for 10 days so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately.

Don’t have a blog? No problem. Tell us about it in the comment box. Or post your photo and a description on the RoL Facebook page. 🙂

* * * * *

It’s a busy week so I’ve got a simple project for this week’s Pinterest Party. Recently John-Paul celebrated his 4th birthday and he wanted to bring a special treat to school for his fellow pre schoolers. The school discourages cupcakes and other sugary treats so we were thinking of getting little packs of graham crackers. Since JP loves Angry Birds, I picked up a box of the Angry Bird crackers. I then went online and googled a picture of Angry Birds in a birthday setting. I copied it onto a Word Document and used the Angry Bird font “Feast of Flesh” to write, “Don’t be angry. It’s John-Paul’s birthday.” Here’s what it looked like.Then I found an empty basket and an old remnant of blue ribbon.

Five minutes later, viola! John-Paul loved it and it was a hit with his little friends. 🙂

That’s it! How about you? What have you created this week? Tell us about it in the comment box or link up your post below. 🙂

* * * * *

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. Here is the html code:

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

You have 10 days to post your link, so if you can’t get things done by Tuesday, no worries, put it up when you can. We’ll be here. Have fun!

Lastly, you can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

An InLinkz Link-up

7 Quick Takes (9/6/13): Prayer, Discipline and Foyle’s War

By bobbi
September 5, 2013
2 Comments

I’m linking up with Jen today for 7 Quick Takes. 🙂

~ 1 ~

Pray for Peace – You’ve most likely seen these already but in case you haven’t, I’m posting it here. The Holy Father has called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria. It is on Saturday, September 7. I think I will fast from my phone/computer/camera. Hopefully I can make it 24 hours. 😉 But seriously, whatever level you can do, we should all be joining in!

~ 2 ~

Prayer Request – Speaking of prayer, please say a prayer for my little guy Matthew. He has an issue with his legs – he is pigeon toed and has relatively severe bow legs. His tibula bone (particularly on his left leg is facing outward instead of forward. Usually in time, it will rotate but he is going to be 2 1/2 and it is still pretty bad. So now we need to take him to a pediatric orthopedic up in Stanford (about 2 hours north of us) to get an evaluation done. We are hoping he will not need surgery. So an extra prayer for my little guy is much appreciated!!

~ 3 ~

Quiet time – Speaking of Matthew, with Bella and Andrew back in school and John-Paul going three days out of the week for a few hours, Matthew and I have more time alone together. After dropping JP off at preschool we’ll often go make a visit to the Chapel. It’s good for him and definitely good for me. Sometimes I get so busy with day to day living I forget to just stop, quiet myself and be in the presence of Our Lord. Amazingly, Matthew is quiet and just sits/kneels with me patiently. Quite the opposite of how he acts with his brothers at Sunday Mass!

~~ 4 ~~

Slackers Unite – Along with spending a little more time in quiet before God, I could also use a reboot in the discipline department. That is why I was intrigued when I read Jen’s post about doing an online book discussion of the e-book 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. I clicked over and read the intro of the book, not expecting much. Then I read this section:

Who is this book for?

You have trouble following through.

You get overwhelmed by huge projects.

You start strong, but your passion fizzles out.

You are super-disciplined in a few areas of your life, but you have one or two pet areas that you just can’t get under control.

You check out 10 different books on discipline and organization from the library, but return all of them late.

The last one had me laughing out loud. Yeah, that is so me. This summer I was in super slacker mode and as I mentioned on Monday, September 1st is my Jan 1. My drive to improve my problem areas is strongest right now. I pulled out my planner and got back into using it (cuz if I don’t write it down, I don’t remember it!) and I am ready to work on a little discipline that doesn’t burn out in a day or two. I downloaded the e-book and will be joining in the discussion. If you are interested, join us!

~ 5 ~

Bday Wishes – Bella’s birthday is coming at the end of the month. She is going to be 12! She loves the music from the Broadway musical “Newsies” so I thought I would give her a Newsies themed party. The poster is my base. Colors could be black, white and red. Any other suggestions??

~ 6 ~

Foyle’s War – Are you a Foyle’s War fan? Brian and I have been watching Foyle’s War of PBS for years and were ecstatic when the show was coming out of retirement and picking up where it left off. Season 7 starts on Sunday, Sept 15 on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery. If you’ve never watched it before and like period dramas or mysteries, you should check it out on Netflix.

~ 7 ~

Okay, it is an hour past my bed time (and you wonder why I need a book on discipline) and I can barely keep my eyes open so I better stop here. Have a great Friday!

UPDATE: At midnight last night I could not remember what the #7 Take was supposed to be. Now in the light of morning, I remember!

I wanted to join Suscipio in their 3-2-1 Fantastically Fun Friday Link-up without the link-up! Whether you are a blogger or a non-blogger, just answer the 3 questions in their comment box. This week Angela is hosting. Here is my contribution:

3 Things I’m Thankful For
~ When my little guy hugs me from behind and says, “I wub you, mama.” Swoon.
~ For the upcoming weekend and having everyone home.
~ For packages in the mail with sweet surprises.

2 Things in My Purse That Don’t Need to Be There
~ A 1/2 of string cheese that’s hard as a rock
~ A roll of scotch tape. (My 4 year old would disagree. He is always accidentally tearing a page in one of the books he’s always carrying around. He likes me to fix it immediately, not when we get home. 😉

1 Thing I Love, Love, Love to Eat
~ It’s a tie between a BBQ Turkey Burger or Taco Salad. Yum.

Thanks for hosting, Angela!

Okay, now you can have a great weekend. 😉

Theme Thursday: Recess & {pretty, happy, funny, real} vol. 75

By bobbi
September 4, 2013
4 Comments

It’s another photo mash-up today as I link up with Like Mother, Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real} and with Cari for Theme Thursday: Recess. With summer coming to an end and everyone going back to school we had one last chance to enjoy a family recess! We decided to try a new hiking area that we haven’t been to in years. (Literally, the last time Brian and I have were there we had no kids and were starting to worry that we’d never have a baby! LOL.) We visited Jacks Peak in Monterey, CA.

{pretty}

Brian and the kids were getting a little far ahead so I had to run to catch up. (And I use the term “run” loosely.)

Better.

{happy}

Fall is my favorite season and I was surprised and happy to see leaves turning already!

Don’t you love the sound of leaves crunching under your feet?

Nice.

I pumped up the color a little bit to make the leaf pop. 🙂

{funny}

Andrew was collecting a few small rocks for his endless collections and John-Paul wanted a piece of the action. Not satisfied with puny pebbles, he chose two rocks that he named Peppa and George. It was cute until he made me carry them when he could no longer lift them.

While they were collected rocks, Brian and I were looking for strong walking sticks because we were freaking out over all the “beware of mountain lion” signs. I googled “what to do if you meet a mountain lions” and then stumbled on the mother of all walking sticks. I felt like Gandolf ready to yell, “You shall not pass!” Either that or I’d do some Darth Maul moves with a double sided light saber.

Actually we turned around, walked back to the parking lot and drove over to the other side of the park where there were more people who could call 911 if my stealth like moves didn’t work.

{real}

The second trail lead us to the actual “Jacks Peak,” which gave a gorgeous view of the bay, despite the fog that was rolling in (and sitting over the ocean.)

And even though we were on a recess, that didn’t mean we couldn’t learn something new. The sign said, “You should have a spectacular view of the Monterey Bay providing it is not foggy. At this point you are standing near the top of Jack’s Peak (elevation 1,068 ft), the highest point of land on the Monterey Peninsula. Jacks Peak is named after David Jacks, a Scottish immigrant who arrived in Monterey in 1850 and became a very successful businessman and landowner. Today, David Jacks is better known for the creamy white cheese his local dairies produced, which became known as ‘Monterey Jack’ cheese.”

So there you have it! The next time you have a delicious piece of Monterey Jack, think of me with that walking stick. 😉 (But not while you’re eating. You might choke if you laugh.) Oh, and when you come by for a visit, after paying at the entrance, make a right if you want the trail that leads to the great view. 🙂

Thanks to Cari and LMLD for hosting!

Meatless Meals (Vol 2): Minestrone Soup

By bobbi
September 3, 2013
2 Comments

(The link to the original post of this recipe, dated 2/25/23, was broken when we were updating posts from the old blog and I can’t fix it so I am just reposting it with a new link here. Thx.)

***

I originally got this Minestrone Soup recipe from my sis and pinned in on my Pinterest What’s Cooking board. I’ve made it a couple times before changing a few things to make it perfect for my family. The original recipe is on the thick side and we wanted a little more broth/liquid in our soup without diluting the flavor. Here is what I put in it.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups sliced carrots
4 cups chicken or veggie broth*
1 cup water
4 cups tomato sauce
1 mini bottle of red wine or 1 cup of red wine**
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained
2 handfuls of fresh green beans, cleaned, prepped and blanched***
4 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup small sized wheat pasta (ie. shells, rotini etc)
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots, sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce. Bring to boil, stirring frequently. Add red wine. Reduce heat to low. Add kidney beans, green beans, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until tender. Drain water and set aside.
4. Place a serving spoon of pasta in a bowl. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

* Obviously, for a Lenten meatless meal, I used veggie broth and it was still really good!

** We aren’t really wine drinkers so I hate opening a big bottle to cook with because we never finished it. Instead I bought a 4-pack of the mini wine bottles, such as the one below, which is a perfect for various recipes.

*** I always blanch my green beans for 7-8 minutes before adding it to the soup. I have never tried throwing them in raw so I don’t know if they’d be tender enough or still a little tough.

This soup is a huge hit with the family, especially when served with a slice of fresh baked bread or ½ a grilled cheese sandwich.