7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 2)

Jen at Conversion Diary is hosting 7 Quick Takes Friday. Here's this week's quick takes...

---1---

I've recently discovered the joys of parchment paper. Now I understand what all the fuss was about. My cookies don't stick to the sheets and clean up is a snap! I also discovered one small problem with parchment paper. When you are trying to quickly remove a pan of hot cookies from the oven (quickly so no little fingers will get too near the hot stove while the door is open) and you ever so slightly tip the cookie sheet that has no rim, the non-sticking parchment paper and all those wonderful cookies will slide off the cookie sheet and into the bottom of the oven. To burn. Into a black, charcoal, stinky mess. Just thought I should warn you.

---2---

We had our very first ever Christmas carolers come by our house this week. It was so exciting! The only problem was that we had just removed all three of the kids from two separate baths and a shower. There were naked kids everywhere! So while Eric was being serenaded at the front door with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", I was desperately trying to convince my older kids that they really needed to at least have some kind of underwear on before they joined their dad at the door and run down the baby who was streaking through the house. I think those three minutes were memorable for us as well as the carolers!

---3---

We put up our Christmas tree last weekend. And, ever since we have had on ongoing battle of the wills. On one side we have Gustin, the resident 1 1/2 year old, who wants to pull every ornament off the tree in a relentless all day long attack. On the other side we have Mommy, who has to be in defensive mode all day long and often deep into the evening. The offense seems to be tiring, though, and we may have a victory in this battle by around Epiphany, in other words, around the time we take the tree down.

However, it is cute to watch his fascination with the tree. Such as, when the lights are on, he tries to blow them out like a candle. It's too adorable!

---4---

My newest nephew will be baptised two days after Christmas and I am honored to be his godmother. I just realized this morning, though, that it means my gift shopping is not complete like I thought it was. I still need to get him a baptism gift. Since his parents and grandparents already claim that he is a genius, Eric suggested I get him a catechism. You know, for a little light reading during that gap in his schedule between tummy time and the third diaper change of the day.

---5---

Remember the snow we had last week? The oh-so-brief snowfall that yielded me hundreds of fun pictures to go through over the past week. Well, this week my kids are wearing shorts, sundresses, and flip flops and the high today is supposed to be 79 degrees. So goes the weather in Texas.

Here's one more picture to prove, to myself as much as anyone else, that the snow really did happen.

Believe it or not, this is the picture with the most snow in it!

---6---

Many bloggers seem to use pseudonyms for their children on their blogs. I never have, and for safety's sake maybe I should look into it. But, I have thought about what psuedonyms I would use for each child, should I ever choose to do so.

Jonathan would be Huckleberry. Though Jonathan is not as mischievous as the legendary Huckleberry Finn, he definitely gets that impish gleam in his eye from time to time.

Elizabeth would be Molly after the heroine of my newest favorite classic, Wives & Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. I couldn't name her after my absolute favorite because it would defeat the purpose of a pseudonym. Elizabeth Darcy from Pride & Prejudice is such a wonderful character and I'm sure was a subconscious factor in my choice of Elizabeth's name in the first place! My second choice would have been Beth from Little Women, but again it's a little too close to the real thing.

Gustin's pseudonym would be... now don't laugh... Wilbur. As in the pig, Wilbur, from Charlotte's Web. The thought of naming him after that pale pink, cuddly, chubby, sweet little pig just seems to be perfect for my little boy. The fact that pigs like to wallor around in mud and make stinky messes just makes it all the more perfect. Now, do you think I've scarred him for life by wanting to name him after a pig?

---7---

Jonathan had only a half day of school today after mass and a class Christmas party this morning. So, we are now officially on Christmas break. I'm so glad that I'll be able to have my little boy all to myself for the next two weeks! At least at this point in my life, I can't imagine being one of those moms who dread school holidays because then they have to deal with their kids being home all day with them. I just can't relate and I sincerely hope I never do!