To celebrate the end of 2012, here are my Top 10 Posts of 2012 in descending chronological order. Enjoy and Happy New Year 2013! 🙂
(Below you can link up with your own blog’s Top 10 (or 5 or 1) posts for 2012!)
#10 – 30 Days of Thanks (11/15/12)
I saw this link up at Call Her Happy and I was excited to participate in it. We get so busy in life that is wonderful to have a reminder to stop, smell the roses, and thank God for all the numerous blessings He’s given us in life.
Here are my 30 things I am especially thankful for this month.
1. For life and that “God knew me in my mother’s womb.” Seriously, that gives me goosebumps.
2. For God’s mercy, second chances, and do-overs. I have had many.
3. For a husband who loves me and who can still make my heart skip a beat.
4. For Bella and her sweet smiles and for being such a “mama’s little helper.”
5. For Andrew and his kind heart and for moments when he still wants to hold my hand.
6. For John-Paul and his playful spirit and when he whispers to me “I love you, mama” before going to sleep.
7. For Matthew and his contagious giggles and sweet kisses.
8. For the gift of motherhood, even when it’s tough.
9. For my mom and dad for their gifts of faith, love and laughter.
10. For my brothers and sisters who were my first best friends.
# 9 – {pretty, happy, funny, real} – vol 52: The Dry, Frizzy Hair Edition (11/14/12)
I have been enjoying watching fellow bloggers link up with Fine Linen and Purple’s What I Wore Sunday. They have embraced their femininity (the skirt/dress wearing puts me to shame) without sacrificing their cuteness and individuality. Then yesterday I read Dwija’s post Why I Stopped Not Caring and Started Wearing Concealer. Both struck a chord with me because I have had many of the same thoughts. (Even though I still haven’t bought any much needed concealer or started wearing skirts…yet.) What I have done, however, is get a rein on my crazy hair.
The other day a friend was complimenting my hair. She didn’t believe me when I told her that before I discovered hair product, I had an unwanted fro. (I have the 8th grade photos to prove it but you’ll never see those here!) She wanted to know what I used, which made me think that there might be other fellow curly haired gals that want to know. So this week’s {pretty, happy, funny, real} is the Dry, Frizzy Hair Edition.
About a year ago I was complaining to my sister that I hated my Christmas tree hair do. “Huh?” you say. You know, pointed on top and then it flairs out like a triangle. I felt like Gilda Radner and that character she played on SNL.
My sis BC told me I had to get a real haircut and stop just chopping off the bottom of my hair with dull scissors twice a year. With a heavy sigh, I searched for a hairdresser that knew how to handle curly hair. God answered my pleas and sent sweet Joyce into my life. She gave me a good cut with long layers and new hair products that took me from this….
Although I am more likely to wear my hair pulled up, I like that I can wear it down without being embarrassed! What products do I use? These…
#8 – Operation Clean & Organize: Master Bedroom (11/9/12)
Why the Bedroom? – For a long time the “master bedroom” has been on my list of organizing projects to tackle but it has been low on the list of cleaning priorities because no one really spends time in there during the day or when company is over. However, this week Leila at Like Mother, like Daughter gave us a challenge for this week’s {pretty, happy, funny, real}. I went back and read her original post about cleaning the master bedroom entitled The Reasonably Clean House: Did you guess that we’d start in your bedroom? She beautifully explains why we should start in the bedroom:
The reason is simple, but profound. Your home has many areas that express family life, but your bedroom expresses the foundational relationship between you and your spouse — the inner sanctum where the sacrament of your marriage is consecrated and continually renewed with the conjugal gift.
If it weren’t for the intimate aspect of your commitment, your family would not be. God has ordained it so. It was that way from the very start. It has always been that way. It always will be that way.
That reality should be expressed in your respect for this physical place, for your body, for the body of your husband. Your first steps should be to make the room — the bed and the places for your clothes — truly orderly. (Read the rest here.)
A Little Sanctuary – As I was reading this I thought about Brian and all he does for me and for the family. He works so hard and puts up with all our craziness and although he never shows it, I know there are times when he just longs to be able to sit and read or write or pray in quiet. I wanted to make an area in our bedroom where he could do that. So with that in mind, I started my quest.
Fast forward a few months… we had all the carpets in our house cleaned except the master bedroom. (The carpet was still new in this room so didn’t need cleaning yet.) That meant that everything from the other rooms went into our bedroom. That was a month ago yet the corner of the room still looked like this as of yesterday morning.
I figured that the only way to stop my habit of using the empty crib as storage/dumping ground was to get rid of the crib. Matthew didn’t sleep in it anymore and I didn’t see any babies coming in the near future (did I just tempt Murphy’s Law?) so I put everything away and took the crib down.
I then moved Brian’s small desk in front of the window where there is a view of our tree and the mountains surrounding our little valley. I added to the corner the small shelves (that used to hold video cassettes…remember those?) and the extra chair that sat at the opposite end of the room.
Here is the result.
#7 – Making It Count (Vol 2): Mama & Me Journal (7/24/12)
Anyone who knows me well, also knows that I have been in love with journals since I was a little kid. Even today, if I see a really cute or pretty journal I have to buy it. I envision myself at home looking out at the mountains behind us as I scribble away or sitting at the beach filling it with prose. In reality, I have a collection of blank journal sitting on my bookshelf as I chase the kids around but should inspiration hit, I am well prepared!
When I was pregnant with Bella (and all the kids, actually) I kept a pregnancy journal that I planned to give her one day when she is older. So when I saw this simple project for a “Mama and Me” journal on Pinterest, I could not resist it!
I went over to Jenn’s blog MamaJennBlogs.com and she wrote:
What exactly is a “Mama & Me” journal? Well, it is basically a journal for my daughter and I to share. We write letters back and forth to each other…kind of like being pen pals (without the envelopes & stamps). My hope is that these seemingly simple letters to one another will become a book of memories to treasure for a lifetime!
She gave easy directions and a link where you can download the label for free. (There is one for a daughter journal and another for a son journal.) She actually got the idea from another blogger who got it from another blogger so the different versions continue to multiply.
In my version, I already had a blank journal I got on clearance at Target. It was a little too “pink” for me but I thought Bella might like it. (See, I told you those extra journals would come in handy!) The cover had a felt design so I used a Martha Stewart label to make a simple label on the front.
I then went through my binder of stickers and scrap book paper I had collected over the years and decorated the inside cover.
#6 -Love Song Link-Up (7/3/12)
Hallie at Betty Beguiles has set up a Love Song Link-Up. How fun! It was hard to narrow it down since my “amore playlist” on my ipod is pretty long but here are some of my favorites. Some may not seem like love songs but they hold meaning to why I love my man.
Love Song by The Cure
London Calling by The Clash
#5 – CFCA & An Update on Abigail
Last year I posted about Abigal, the little girl in Mexico that we sponsored through Christian Foundation for Children & Aging (CFCA).
I shared with you the first letter we received from her and I thought I’d update you by sharing another letter we received last week that truly touched my heart. The letter translates:
Dear Bobbi,
I am writing this letter to greet you and all your family because you are helping me. Thank you! I love you very much and I pray for you everyday so that you may be healthy and you may always have a job and everyday’s bread. I have the picture of you next to my Virgin of Guadalupe so that she can take care of you wherever you are and she may cover you with her mantle.
I had a great time at Christmas because at the Foundation all the moms organized games for us so we could have fun and we could meet other sponsored children. My mom participated in the games, and then they gave us something to eat, gave us our gifts, clothes and a small bag with candies. All this is possible thanks to you who give us economic support.
On the other hand, I would like to tell you that my mom and my grandparents are very happy because you are helping me and they say that you are a part of our family now.
Let me tell you too, that I am going to receive my First Communion; my grandmother goes to the handcrafts workshops that they give at the Foundation because they teach them how to make bracelets, necklaces, earrings and now they are making a rosary and then my grandmother teaches me and I am making a rosary.
Goodbye to you, letting you know that I pray to God so that He may take care of you. I wish that with all my heart. May He bless you wherever you are!
A greeting to Bella: Hello, my friend! How are you? Do you like to go to school? Do you have many friends?
Goodbye to you from your sponsored,
Abigail
I am blown away that her mother and grandparents consider me a member of their family now and that Abigail is praying that Our Lady of Guadalupe watches over me and “covers me with her mantle.” How beautiful! I love the fact that we are helping Abi financially, yet we are the ones receiving the blessings of this little girl’s love and prayers.
To be honest with you, the other day I was going over the budget and I was wondering if we could afford to have all the kids in Catholic school and still send money to Abigail as well. Reading this letter, though, reminded me of how important this money is to her life and her family’s life. I quickly found a way to make it work by cutting out some other frivolous spending in my budget. Besides, I have already been paid back tenfold by the prayers of Abi and her family.
For more information about the CFCA or to sponsor a child of your own, visit the Christian Foundation for Children & Aging (CFCA) website.
#4 – Operation Clean and Organize: Vol 9 – Our DVD & Movie Shelf (5/1/12)
Last week I worked on my DVD shelf. Over the last decade Brian and I have collected a crazy amount of DVD’s – both store bought ones and movies we recorded onto blank DVD’s. I couldn’t fit them all on our shelf! Not only was it overflowing with movies, but also with other junk it had collected.
I finally decided to get rid of the DVD cases and placed the discs in space saving CD cases. For the DVD’s we recorded, I placed them in white paper sleeves.
I had a bunch of media baskets I bought at IKEA ages ago. I used those for my regular DVD’s and labeled them by category.
I put the paper sleeved DVD’s in a long basket I picked up at Target. I cut down two file folders into mini files sleeves and labeled them.
Here is what the final shelf looks like. I kept the TV series box sets (Like Lost, Psych and I Love Lucy) on the top two shelves. The third shelf has the baskets of paper sleeved DVD’s and the fourth shelf the CD cases with DVD’s. A big improvement. I debated whether or not to get new colorful baskets but it would be silly to spend money on new ones when these will work fine, even if it looks a bit “brown.” LOL. To keep track of the movies we own, I’m almost done listing them and placing the sheets in a binder for easy reference when we need to decide what to watch for movie night. 🙂
#3 – Book Discussion of Style, Sex, and Substance, Chpt. 1 (4/18/12)
I love Jennifer Fulwiler’s writings and was pleased to see that she covered the first chapter of the book: How I Fell Out of My Minivan and Found Myself. After wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes from her Dukes of Hazzard’s van story, I was hooked by this paragraph.
“I had a specific idea of what the authentic Catholic woman was like: She was the picture of joy and grace every time she went to Mass and always had an emotionally powerful experience upon receiving the Eucharist; she kept her home tidy; and she joyfully crafted elaborate celebrations for each liturgical season.”
I could relate to Jen’s feeling of inadequacy. In fact, this is a topic God has been drilling into me for the last 9 months. It all started last summer when I wrote the post Those Perfect Catholic Moms Are Killing Me. I had been reading a number of Catholic mom blogs and seeing all their accomplishments at homemaking and motherhood was making me feel like a loser.
As days and weeks passed I told myself that I can’t help it if I was messy and disorganized and that I couldn’t sew a button or keep a plant alive more than a week. So what if I get impatient and fired up at the slightest mishap, especially on the days when I forgot to spend time in prayer because I was too busy checking my facebook and emails. That’s just how I am.
But it was bothering me. Is that it? Am I to resign myself to “just being myself.” I knew there was plenty of room for improvement. Then I started reading the book The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers – Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity by Meg Meeker, MD.and the first Habit was called Understand Your Value as a Mother. In my post about it I talked about feeling inferior, rediscovering my talents and listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In one part I wrote:
“It’s funny that once I stopped comparing myself to my perceived super moms (after all, I am seeing a tiny, sanitized glimpse of their lives,) I started seeing that I possessed some of those same talents that I admired in them. It is as if my creative side woke up. I started posting on my blog again because I love having an outlet to write. I’ve tried new recipes and found cooking fun again. I’ve started organizing small sections of the house and realized I, too, could be organized. (Relatively speaking. ;-)”
That got me to thinking – what is “me” and what’s a warped vision of me? Then I read Jen’s words:
“To uncover your unique brand of holiness, you have to sift through your God-given quirks and talents from your sins.”
Suddenly the light bulb clicked on. That’s it! (If I was an Oprah fan I’d say it was my AHA! moment.) That’s what the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me! Separate the quirks from the sins. I had my own unique calling and vocation that matched my personality and my temperament. I didn’t have to become a carbon copy of mom A, B or C. I just had to be the best version of me and slowly God is showing me how to achieve that.
Jen sums it up using one of my favorite quotes:
“St. Catherine of Siena famously stated, “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.” We tend to focus on the second, more dramatic part of the statement, but the first is just as important: Be who God meant you to be. Embrace the one-of-a-kind brand of holiness that God has chosen for you. Reject your sins, but love your quirks.”
Perfectly stated.
At the end of the chapter, there are a number of questions for deeper reflection. I’ll share one of the questions and my reflection with you.
# 2 – 7 Quick Takes: Random Correspondences Edition(3/2/12)
My Dear Sweet Hubby,
What kind of morning were you having? I woke up to find your phone, your scapular and your uneaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I am assuming was your breakfast? Were you called into work early at the last minute? Were you actually raptured while I was left here on earth? (I really do need to up my prayer life.) No, I guess you were just running out the door too fast. No worries, my love. I will drive over and bring you your things. It is the least I can do when you do so much for me.
Blessed to be,
Your Wife
Dear Driver from Texas,
Please excuse me for smiling at you on the road yesterday. I was not flirting with you. I was smiling at the fact that your Texas longhorn logo on the back of your truck always makes me think of a priest’s clerical collar.
I know it is weird and most likely I need glasses but I can’t help it.
Call me,
Catholic
Dear Tourist of the Mission,
Welcome to my parish. I am so pleased to have you join us at Mass. I do not mind you sitting behind me. I will be patient with you and your children because I know how difficult it can be to keep them quiet. I am also sympathetic that sometimes little ones need bribes of cheerios and fishy crackers to sit still. However, once your kids are over toddlerhood (and in grammar school) it is best to not let them eat in Church. And it is particularly discouraged to have them eating Jack-in-the-box tacos and fries in the pew, minutes before Mass is going to start. The least you could have done is brought extra tacos for those of us sitting around you. That taco smell is very seductive, making one crave the greasy goodness of tortillas fried around mystery meat.
Ashamedly,
The Parishioner with the Growling Stomach
#1 – A Little Downton Abbey Fun (2/21/12)
Today is Fat Tuesday, where we get to indulge a little before the beginning of Lent but instead of drinking and wearing beads I’m indulging in my last bit of Downton fun for awhile!
Here is a video clip of an interview from the Jonathon Ross show that the Crawley sisters (Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Michelle Dockery) did December of last year before the Christmas Special aired in the UK. (Caution: Some of Ross’ comments are a bit vulgar but I had to laugh at the Carson album.)
I loved seeing the various actors from Downton Abbey in their modern garb, especially these two photos from The Clicker. Some of the downstairs characters are almost unrecognizable! Who knew O’Brien was so caliente!
Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith), Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes), Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary), Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore), Sophie McShera (Daisy) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil).
Now, if you want to keep your image of the Downton girls as they were on the show, then only look at this photo from Dailymail.co.uk and DO NOT scroll down to the ladies looking the opposite of modest and proper for the cover of Marie Clare.
Carson and Mrs. Hughes are not going to be pleased with such wild abandonment to proper decorum!!
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Clare Calbraith (Jane), Amy Nuttall (Ethel), Jessica Brown-Findlay (Sybil), Laura Carmichael (Edith), Zoe Boyle (Lavinia), Joanne Froggatt (Anna), Michelle Dockery (Mary) and Sophie McShera (Daisy).
****************************************
It was only fitting that we ended with Downton Abbey since many of you, like me, are counting down the days until Sunday night. I hope you have a wonderful New Year’s Eve and a happy and holy 2013!!
xoxo,
PS – I forgot to add the link-up!! Share your favorite posts! Don’t have a blog? Leave a comment with your favorite memory of 2012!! Have fun. 🙂
PPS – This post is linked up with Mandi at Messy Wife.com.
I love reading the old post! Happy New Year!
I love the organizing posts! Those belong on a before/after tv show! What a huge difference. I have several places that could use such a drastic transformation.
Hi Mandi, thanks for stopping by! I think the only things that keeps me on track in trying to get my mess in order is how lovely it looks once I am done. It is hard to keep on top of it and keep it clean but when it starts getting messy I’ll go back and look at the “after” picture to get my butt in gear to make sure it stays that way, or as close as I can with my little ones. 🙂
I have enjoyed getting to know you through this post, Bobbi. I really like the Mama & Me Journal idea. I may have to try that!
Really appreciate this post. It’s hard to sort the good from the bad sometimes, but I think you’ve nailed it!!!