Beauty

I love this picture of my mom at age 16. Mind you I took the picture of the original picture through the glass on the fame. This picture was originally taken as a gift for my Dad when my parents were dating over 50 years ago.

About a month ago the picture resurfaced and made its way to be re-framed. My Dad want to have it to hang in his office. So sweet! This picture reminds me how truly beautiful my mom is on the outside as well as the inside. She is a extremely kind, loving and caring woman of God who loves her God and family beyond words. She would give anything to help her children or grandchildren. My mom is the picture of true selflessness. I am thankful to have her.

Today I remember what true beauty is.

Sneaky Little Leprechaun

Reghan and her fellow kindergartener's were tasked with creating Leprechaun traps. The only instructions that were sent home were that students must be able to carry their trap to school by themselves and set the trap themselves. So, lucky for Reghan, her mommy is a Pinterest expert as well as an avid Google images searcher.

It truly became a family affair to get this trap created. Robbie, Reghan, Piper and I went to Home Depot to get all of the goods to create it. Piper decided to create a massive stinky diaper in the middle of the store as her contribution! Then, Robbie became way too busy at work so Granddad and Reghan cut the pipes and assembled the trap while Grammie kept Piper busy on the swing and slide. I spray painted the trap green. Reghan created the rainbow and clowdes. Finally, Robbie added the finishing touches.

Reghan was so proud to take her trap to school in hopes to catch the sneaky little leprechaun. The students left their traps set on Friday just before they left for the weekend. Monday morning they walked into a classroom covered in little green footprints and a giant note on the board that said "Great job trying to catch me. . .maybe next year!" Reghan was beyond excited to see that her trap had been set off and that the leprechaun had made a mess out of the Lucky Charms and had lots of little green foot prints on her desk.

I write all this to simply say. . . it takes an entire family to create a kindergarten project!!!

It truly amazes me how quickly Reghan has grown! I feel like it took FOREVER to survive her first year of life and to get to the point of surgery at age 2.5. Now she is almost six and has come so far. This picture hold many mixed emotions for me. Reghan is prepped for surgery and we were waiting for her to be taken back. She was "drunk" off of some strong anti-anxiety medication. She had no cares at all. Everything was hilarious to her. I would ask her to stick out her tongue and as she would Reghan would burst out in belly laughs.

Mist all of the laughter and happiness coming from Reghan I was secretly scared to death of what was about to happen to my little girl. I was minutes away from walking her down the hall at the hospital and handing her over to the surgeon. My heart was quietly breaking inside while I held it together on the outside. I knew that Reghan was in God's hands no matter what, but not being able to be with her broke me.

As Robbie and I walked down the hall to the OR I was holding Reghan in my arms as tightly as I could. She was being so goofy and laughing at everything we passed. As soon I had to hand her over my heart broke and the tears began to freely flow. I remember melting into Robbie's chest asking him over and over if we were doing the right thing.

The passage from the Bible kept coming to my mind that all of our days are numbered before we are born. Reghan was in God's arms and much safer with Him than with me. I knew we had over 100 people praying for Reghan, the surgeons and us that day. Ultimately it was time for me to trust God with His child. Reghan was a miracle baby from the beginning and I had to trust that God was going to carry her and me through this hurdle.

An hour later, my little girl was back in my arms and already showing signs of a successful surgery. For the first time in her life she was not snoring and stopping breathing! Also, my feisty little girl was beginning to make her appearance again. . . she ripped the IV out of her arm and refused the oxygen! At that moment I knew Robbie and I had made the best decision for Reghan.

During the process leading up to the surgery and the surgery day I learned that as parents we are forced to make difficult decisions for our children. Sometimes the decision may have consequences such as pain and discomfort, but in the long term it is what they need.

I feel like that day, December 28, 2008, I got my little girl back with ALL of her personality and love of life. Today, Reghan is a happy, spunky and VERY FEISTY almost six-year-old. I love my Pea-Pie!

Delicous!

I know, I know it has been a long time since I last posted! So, my dear blogger friends please forgive my MIA. I am hoping to get back onto my blog wagon and post more frequently.

I often wonder what other families make for dinner. Are other moms neurotic like me and insist on homemade, from scratch, nutritious meals for their children and husbands? Or do other moms stick to tried and true recipes only and never venture into the pages of a cookbook? My family is accustomed to this mom's adventurous side and they never know what will be coming out of the oven or from the stove for dinner.

Thanks to my Pappy and Grandma I have had a love for cookbooks since I was a young child. My collection continues to grow. As I plan our meals for three weeks at a time I love to flip through cookbooks to see what recipes I can try. Now that I have been addicted to Pinterest for some time the variety of meals my family eats has increased once again. I have to admit, not all of the recipes I try make my dear husband or five year-old very happy. Piper and I tend to be more adventurous with our spices and ingredients and there is not much we like.

As I was making dinner on Monday night I thought to myself...if they don't like this then I give up cooking from Pinterest (really wasn't going to happen, I was just frustrated at the moment). Robbie walked in the door just as I was pulling our gorgeous dinner out of the oven with the side of yummy garlic bread and so dinner time was on. The moment of truth.

Reghan hated the look of it and refused to eat it. So not shocking. Heaven forbid that my child would EVER eat a veggie that was visible (just like her daddy)! Piper loved it and devoured every piece that I placed on her tray. I loved it too! Robbie . . . LOVED IT!!! I was totally blown away. My daily life now finds fulfillment in successfully making it through the day without a diaper blowout and making a dinner that the hubster loves!

Now, I know you are all salivating wanting the recipe. It is super easy. I didn't think to take a picture of the final product until the pan was completely empty after the second night of dinner. Here goes:

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked rigatoni (I used whole wheat)

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

1 cup chopped onion

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

3 cups cubed, cooked chicken breasts (I cooked two large breasts in a pan with EVOO and salt and pepper)

1 (14 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained

1 (8 oz) Philadelphia Chive & Onion cream cheese (One product that I am a brand snob about)

1/2 t Salt

1/2 t Pepper

2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Prepare rigatoni according to package directions. Spread oil on bottom of 9X13 baking dish; add onion in a single layer. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to large bowl, set aside.

Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels (I used cheese cloth). Stir in rigatoni, spinach, chicken, tomatoes, cream cheese, salt and pepper into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into baking dish used previously and sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 more minutes until bubbly.

Enjoy!!

Kind Heart

My nephew, K, (pictured above at age 5 holding Reghan at 4 days) was baptized yesterday at our church. He is now eleven years old and is all boy. K lives, breathes, eats and dreams Star Wars! He is highly intelligent and wise beyond his years.

K and I have always had a special relationship. I was his primary babysitter from birth. Everywhere I went....K followed. I think my entire paycheck during college went to buying things for K! He has always been my buddy.

K has been through a lot of "junk" in his short life. More than any kid should have to endure. It has been amazing to watch as K gets older that the world and his experiences have not hardened his heart. He is a sweet boy. His heart is devoted to God and His plan for K's life. His heart is still soft. K this a thinker and every question he asks has a reason behind it. The kind of kid that has always chosen his words very carefully.

I am beyond words thankful for K and that I am lucky enough to get to watch him become a teenager and adult. I know God has BIG plans for K. Watching K go through the waters of baptism yesterday reminded me that all of the Saints and Angles in Heaven (including our Lord) were rejoicing with us! I am one proud Auntie!!

The Joys of Motherhood!

Let me give you some history behind the punchline of this blog post. On Saturday our two dogs got out and decided to see the town. We did not notice they were gone until Sunday morning because that is how busy our Saturday was. The girls and I took of in the car to attempt to track them down before Animal Control did. Reghan sat in her car seat the entire time crying uncontrollably because her furry buddies were missing.

Robbie was smart enough to stay home and check the Animal Control website for their mugshots. Well, he found them. At least we knew that they were safe until we could get them on Monday since they were closed on Sundays. Stinking dogs!

Well, Monday morning Piper and I walked Reghan to school like always and Robbie headed to Animal Control as soon as they opened to figure it all out. Piper and I went to meet Robbie after he called to tell me how much it was going to cost to get them out. $357 to bail two dogs out of puppy prison! Are you kidding me!!!!!

After Robbie got it all straightened out he left to go back to work. Piper and I stayed to finish things up and get Max and Sadie out. As I was standing at the counter paying way too much to the county Piper started to fall. Well. . . she grabbed my pants as she fell and took them with her! Yes, my child pants me in front of the entire lobby of people waiting for help! You might ask, how did your pants come down so easily. I had gauchos on and they have an elastic waist. Sucks for me!

All I could hear was an audible gasp coming from the people sitting behind and beside me! After I frantically pulled up my pants I did the only thing I could think of doing. I turned to my now captive audience and said "Oh the joys of motherhood!" and turned back around and pretended it didn't bother me.

I am not the type of person who becomes embarrassed very easily. Blame it on my personality and sense of humor. This, however, is my most embarrassing moment to date! I am sure something will come along to top it off, but for now it remains #1!

So, in closing my final thougths on the experience are . . . . . . Thanks Piper, you sweetheart!

Contentment

As I get older I realize the importance of being content and happy where I am today. God obviously has a plan for my life, my husband, my girls and my marriage. Being content is trusting God with His plans and not trying to force my plans to happen.

Here is my rant for the day...I find the more I time I spend out of my house that my generation is obsessed with having more no matter the consequences. It seems as though we were born wanting what our parents have without having to work for it. Yes, I have to admit I was one of those people. I was raised by very generous older parents who had the resources and desire to give me what I wanted. Robbie and I often joke that I never heard the word no as a child (not far from the truth). I came into adulthood with a nice savings account that aloud me to purchase anything I wanted. Yes, I was smart with my money for the most part, but I do love to shop too!

Getting married at the age of 22 was a huge wake up call for me. I quickly learned that being newlyweds at 22 meant not having everything my parents have after 49 years of marriage. It meant hand-me-down couches, living in a rental for eight months, and not always having the biggest and the best of everything. This was the beginning of me learning how to be content with my possessions and place in the world.

After Robbie lost his job when Piper was born my view of being content changed and grew dramatically. Robbie, being the sole income provider for our family, was out of work for almost a year. By growing and changing our idea of contentment we were able to keep our home, pay our bills and feed our family. Was it always fun...no way! Was it a challenge on our marriage...YES! By God's grace we survived.

Now that Robbie has been at a stable job for six months our lives feel much more normal and a little less stressed. This in no way has changed how I view my own contentment. If anything it has made it stronger. I am thankful for being happy where I am today and not having the desire to always have more and better.

That being said, how do I teach my girls about being content. I know a lot is modeling it for them and part is experiences that they will go through on their own. My desire is for them to be content with their here and now and trust God for their future.