Here. Pregnant. Living Lent.

Freshly harvested heirloom chicory leaves from my garden!

I feel like that title catches all.
Do you?

We are doing very well.

I'm (apparently) quite pregnant.
Or to quote an observer: Well! Don't you look like you swallowed a watermelon!

Lent is in full swing. I just feel like it is so real this year. Had a preterm labor scare - come to find out our eggs were bad (bought at a national chain store, national brand - better believe I was at market bright and early Saturday for local eggs)!!! Just a good ole' case of food poisoning last week. That scare has totally shifted my outlook on my last two 41-week long pregnancies. Thank God for healthy, full-term babies. After last week I will be so grateful for when I hit 37 weeks!

Hoping your Lent is full of depth, learning, reflection and grace.

Please join me in praying for all the men that will be ordained priests this year. Come Lord Jesus, fill their hearts and light their souls on fire for you!

A Lenten Poem {phfr} (and more interesting reads)

{pretty}
our "altar" of sorts - admittedly I stole the black cloth idea from Auntie Leila
I love the red candle. For me it represents the blood of Christ. 

A Lenten Poem
(My phone camera has entered a Picassian Blue Period...c'est la vie.)

Laundry washing.
Clothes on line outside.
Kids playing in mud.
Wearing an apron.
Hanging clothes in closet.
Watching kids through window.
Car seat arrived.
Coffee brewing.
Emerson moving.
Windows open.
Peace.
Breathe.
God is present.
I am present.
Mold me, O Lord my God.

{happy}
Sweet little souls playing "ice cream" outside.

{funny}
funny thing to see how many hangers are unneeded after purging Tyler's wardrobe to build a true wardrobe

more {pretty}
I so look forward to meeting you, little bébé.
34 weeks

{real}
sort, wash, dry - no problem
fold, hang, put away - problem

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And some interesting reads!

Realistic Idea of Food Budgeting

Pope Francis

More Pope Francis

Pregnancy and PPROM

Blessings to you as you enter Lent!

Lent 2014

Cheers to Lent!

I just love cooking and having a glass of wine.
Is that a Southern thing? If so, I really can't ever leave the South!

So in-case you missed it.  Baby bump is growing fast and baby boy is moving, moving, moving.

We are getting ready for Lent and for our baby. Cleaning, purging, organizing. It all feels so in-line with this liturgical season that is upon us. Add to it these crazy cold days (icicles today!!! insane!!!) and I just can't imagine a better way to enter these last weeks of pregnancy.

Birthday track records around here are 41 weeks gestation, to the day. So, AFTER Easter has passed but BEFORE May 1st (hooray!) we will have a baby, if it goes the same as the last two times, which looks so pathetic written down! So many mommas due for their third fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth right now and all have so many varying stories for each pregnancy (Sweet Victoria - thinking of you!) that I just sorta snicker at myself, thinking it will all go as it has before, BUT preparing for 41 weeks is better than preparing for 38, 'cause honey, those last days are MILES long.

Auntie Leila, of course, gives good tips.

I'm really focusing on my internal thought this year. TWO friends in one week have pointed-out that our journey to Heaven is about the interior life - like, think of how St. Therese is the patron of missionaries. She never left the convent. Her interior love and fervent prayers for missionaries so aided them that she became their patron. Incredible.

Stay prayerful friends. Stay focused - on Jesus, not yourself. It's so easy to THINK that we are focused on Jesus but really we somehow get wrapped-up in what we are/are not doing.

For instance - our Rita has been up since 7:00am, has a head cold, rested but never napped and after allowing her an hour to fall asleep on her own, Tyler went to lay with her to help her to settle down and fall asleep. Within minutes (literally) both of them fell asleep. Now, we had planned on praying Night Prayer together, but our sick toddler needed a parent and Tyler willingly offered to lay with her so that I could have quiet time alone. It isn't ideal - it isn't "doing" our night prayer - it is doing something so selfless though. It's giving up his quiet time so that our girl can rest and recover and so that I can have time to unwind. It was an interior, selfless decision. It was a corporal work of mercy: "visit the sick." How awesome!
Sadly, my immediate response was "But we didn't pray!!!" In my quest to "do the right thing" and sort-of accomplish my list, I pushed aside the importance of the corporal works of mercy (HELLO self!) and it became about my good Catholic check-list rather than living my God-given vocation. Abysmal fail - Lent is just in time. Not to say regular prayer isn't important, however with two sick kids that becomes our priority - worship through service.

My little Jo is up and crying now.
May your Ash Wednesday be blessed!

WIWS (Touching on Lent)

This week WIWS is brought to you by the time change! Which somehow helped us get to mass in time for the homily!!!!  (That's a huge deal. Really.)  Rita and Jonah were, considering age, a-mazing!

So I tagged some sistas for the Five Things Thing! Can't wait to hear what they have to say!

Our kitchen is the common place for WIWS photos, don't ask.  Maybe because I spend so much time there? And it's mostly my favorite place in the house?

This week I wore a sort of "style" uncommon to me - using a dress as a skirt.  It worked out well enough.  I'm really trying to shop my closet and come up with new ideas as I work on getting healthy.  Someone I know used to always say she never knew what size she was postpartum, and I always thought that was so odd.  Now I totally get it.  It's difficult to know, and sometimes just because it works one day doesn't mean it's going to work the next.  But, since Jo has passed six months (and is coming up on eight, wahh!) it is getting much easier.

Here's the line-up for this week: 

Clothing:
Dress (skirt): Merona 
Undershirt: Local thriftstore (but Target's maternity line)
Top: Goodwill (but Ann Taylor Loft)

Accessories:
Pearls were my Granny's! Tyler had them restrung for me.  It's so special!
Shoes came from my mom's closet, and then she donated them to me for keeps!  What a blessing!

I'm just realizing I also wore faux pearl studs, which are from Tyler.  They're mighty cute, just trust me.

Sandals!  Come on summer!

Heirloom pearls.

Kitchen coolness!

This Lent God has been bringing me through so much of myself and it's really incredible to learn so much about who I am, how I work, what doesn't work for me, etc.  Most of all I'm beginning to truly understand that God is holding me in the palm of His hand, just showering love and mercy on me.  I just need to turn myself towards Him and allow myself to be loved.

Have a blessed week and check-out the fashionistas at Fine Linen and Purple!

And many thanks to my sweet hubby, who is cleaning the kitchen (I hear pots and pans clanking) and playing with our kiddos so I can have a bit of momma time.  I'm so so blessed!