7 Quick Takes Friday vol. 17

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Unplanned candids. My favorite kind of photograph.

"Peekaboo!"

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Brain food. I love being a stay-at-home mom, but it can be a challenge to keep my brain from turning to mush during all the hours of laundry and cleaning and potty training. The discovery of podcasts a year or so ago completely changed my life (a great place to start is with any of the fantastic podcasts at sqpn.com). My current favorite, though, is The Tolkien Professor. You can find his feed in iTunes and he has a variety of series including recordings of classes he teaches at Washington College. Right now I'm listening to a series on the Lord of the Rings books (episodes labeled WC Tolkien Course, Sessions 22-40 in iTunes). They are totally nerdy, but also completely accessible to people like me who do not have a background in literature or literary analysis. Fascinating stuff.

Also, if you're interested in the upcoming Hobbit movies, check out Professor Olsen's series, The Riddles in the Dark. In these podcasts they discuss particular aspects of the book, The Hobbit, how they might be adapted to the big screen, and make predictions as to how these themes/characters/back stories may be portrayed in the movies. Lots of fun.

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A local gem. I am frequently surprised by some of the simple, cheap family activities that surround us but are so often unknown. We recently visited a local orchard (persimmons are in season though we didn't pick any) where my kids had a blast playing on the playground and haystack, going on a long hayride, and just getting lots of sunshine and fresh air.

The highlight of the day, though, was the huge tire swing. You could hear my kids' screams and laughs echoing through the entire orchard. Fun times and good memories.

All that fun and we also supported a local, family owned business. It can't get any better than that!

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Second time around. I picked up Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset again. I began the trilogy a number of years ago but somehow got distracted and stopped reading somewhere in the middle of the second book. I was enjoying it the first time around, but this time has been even better. I love stories that are both interesting and make me think and Sigrid Undset's medieval Norwegian novels definitely fit the bill. I was struck by this wonderful discussion between Kristin and Brother Edvin:

"... the Devil only [seems] big as long as we harbor fear within ourselves. But if a person seeks God with such earnestness and desire that he enters into His power, then the power of the Devil at once suffers such a great defeat that his instruments become small and impotent. "

Brother Edvin continues:

"There is no one, Kristin, who does not love and fear God. But it's because our hearts are divided between love for God and fear of the Devil, and love for this world and this flesh, that we are miserable in life and death. For if a man knew no yearning for God and God's being, then he would thrive in Hell..."

 So much good food for thought.

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Kids' Portraits 2012. Here are some of my favorites from this year's portrait session. I made some mistakes photographically speaking that I am forcing myself not to enumerate ad nauseum (even after 4 years of pursuing this hobby, I still have so much to learn!), but overall I'm pleased with the results.

 Clara, age 2

Augustine, age 5

Elizabeth, age 8

Jonathan, age 10

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Just ask. At our Mom's group at church we were recently discussing how difficult it can be to get to confession when you have young children. The times that confession is available can be inconvenient to young families and it's difficult to keep children quiet and entertained while their parents are receiving the sacrament. One of my fellow mom's then casually approached are associate pastor and asked if he would be willing to hear confession's during the meeting time of the Mom's group since we are already there on the church campus and our children are being cared for in the childcare ministry. Well, our priest enthusiastically supported the idea and was there to hear our confessions during our October meeting where at least two dozen moms received the sacrament of confession, some for the first time in more than a decade! He also committed himself to being available for confession during every one of our scheduled meetings for the rest of the year. It's amazing what can happen if we only ask!

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A few more candids. I just love it when I can capture them laughing!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday vol. 16

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Captured. We went on a Cub Scout family campout a few months ago at a gorgeous state park with almost perfect weather and I took an appallingly few number of pictures. I guess we were too busy enjoying the moment.

I did manage manage to get one picture of the resident 10-year-old camera hater. Eric had to trick him to get into photo range with a request for "special help" planning the weekend's scavenger hunt. I think the resulting action shot of my husband and son and Jonathan's best bud (wearing the coon skin cap) is kind of fun.

They look so serious--as if they were planning their next away mission. 

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Toddler piety. During the sign of peace at mass last Sunday, Clara turned to Eric, stuck out her little hand and said, "Dee dee dih doo, Daddy." Translated as: "Peace be with you, Daddy."

At the end of prayers with the kids last night Clara piped up with, "Dod dess baby dawls. Dod dess daddies." Translated as: "God bless baby dolls. God bless daddies."

Can there be anything cuter?

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A new favorite blog. You must go check out Bobbi's Revolution of Love blog if you have not already. This sweet mom of four has been blogging for 9(!) years and I just love her style. She's smart, funny, honest and inspiring and she blogs about movies, organizing, parenting, books... so many of the things that I love.

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Fantastic books. I've been on a roll lately. Book after book that I've read over the last few months has been a home run. Here are a few quick thoughts on my recent faves.

Wish You Were Here by Amy Welborn: Sad, inspiring, hard, beautiful, hopeful, made me a more empathetic person.

The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge: Lovely, refreshing, thought-provoking, an explosion of imagery.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt: The way all YA fiction should be, funny, smart, respectful, touching.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen: More fantastic YA fiction, skillfully written, engaging, inspiring, made me cry (in a good way).

A Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse: My first experience with P.G. Wodehouse, hilarious, fun, a great summer read.

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In awe. I'm am continually amazed at the number and beauty of the state parks within an easy drive of the Houston area. I grew up in semi-arid west Texas where the only things to see for miles around were yuccas, tumbleweeds and oil pump jacks. Though, I have to admit, we did boast some amazing sunsets.

What we did not have was this:

A living map complete with oceans and continents.

Nor this:

An alligator eying us from a mere few feet away. And, no, there were not any fences or barriers of any kind between us and the alligator.

Nor this:

A mysterious substance that is strangely available in large quantities.

It's called water.

If you're ever in the area, go check out Brazos Bend State Park just minutes southwest of Houston. It's too beautiful to be missed. 

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Garden serendipity. I actually took my camera out the other day. I've only done so about 3 times in the last six weeks. (All the pictures I've taken in that time period are in this particular post. Pathetic.) Every time I follow through with picking up my camera and pushing the shutter release button a few times I mentally lambast myself for not doing so more often. Because if I did, I'd capture more serendipitous photos like this:

And this:

While this last pic is far from perfect (not tack sharp, my 24mm lens was not ideal in this situation, the background is not exactly beautiful or interesting), it captured a neat moment.

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Where to start? I am very curious about the authors G.K. Chesterton and Flannery O'Connor. I see people quoting them, alluding to them, referencing their works all the time, but I've never read anything by either one of these authors. The problem is that I don't know where to start. Any recommendations?

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

 

7 Quick Takes Friday vol.14

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The Hunger Games movie will be out on March 23. Thanks to my favorite blogger, I was turned on to the books a couple of years ago and I found them to be fantastic stories. I think Eric and I may even splurge and go see the movie at the theater (date night!). We have a (modestly firm) rule in our house that you have to read the book before you see the movie, so Eric has 28 days to start and finish the book. Given that he only has time to read a handful of pages a day (we can't count those pages he "reads" before bed with the book propped open but his eyes closed), seeing The Hunger Games in the theater may be a pipe dream. But I sure hope we can make it happen!

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When you take photographs, with which eye do you look through the view finder? I am left-eyed. I would never have noticed it, but people comment on it fairly often since it strikes them as odd when they see me taking pictures. Most people seem to be right-eyed. I guess that would make sense given that most people are right-handed, but I am also right-handed. So, maybe the two don't always coincide.

Are you "handed" and "eyed" the same or are you a mix-match, like me?

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Betty Duffy recently recommended a memoir, The Me Years by Ellen Finnigan, and I decided to check it out. I am a newb to the memoir genre, but have found the few memoirs (make that the one memoir) that I have read fascinating. The Me Years continues the trend. The book is full of foul language and most of the characters epitomize what is wrong with the current generation of 20-somthings; but, Ellen's process of discovering Truth that slowly unfolds as she painfully makes the same mistakes over and over again is extremely insightful. I recommend it but be forewarned that she is very honest about the lifestyle she lived during her "me years".

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Jonathan and Elizabeth receive an allowance every week. A portion of each allowance goes into savings, a portion is for charity, and the rest they are allowed to spend. For charity, they would bring their money to church and put it in the collection basket; at least that is what happened in theory. In reality, we would forget their church money almost every week. It was a small, but fairly irritating, problem.

But, I finally came up with a solution to the Kids' Charitable Donation Problem.

Now, each week they put their charity money in a jar. We went to foodforthepoor.org and the kids chose a gift that they want to buy for the poor in Latin America. Jonathan and Elizabeth chose 20 baby chicks, which cost $25. So now every week when they add their charity money to the jar, they know they are saving up to buy those chicks. They are so excited about it and it really puts a value and a face to the money they are donating. It's turning into a great Lenten project, as well, as they are trying to find creative ways to come up with extra money to put in the jar (like adding the money we save from fasting and from not eating meat).

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For Christmas this year we got Jonathan the perfect gift: a small video camera. It was a bit more expensive than what we normally spend on Christmas gifts, but there was so much potential for creativity. I imagined the kids creating their own movies, maybe starring themselves or their Lego creations and mini-figures. I foresaw hours and hours of imagination-expanding play.

Well, that's not what happened.

Instead, Jonathan uses his camera to video cartoons as they play on TV. He and his siblings will sit around and watch these jiggly, background-noise-filled videos on the camera's teeny tiny screen for hours if I would let them. And, not a single original movie has been created.

Sigh... Oh, well. You can't win them all.

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I've mentioned before that we are still having a difficult time with Gustin's potty training, even though he will turn 5 in May. We picked up the registration packet for Kindergarten last week and in it it specifically states that children will not be accepted at the school unless they are potty trained.

Panic!

How am I supposed to motivate this child to get potty trained when nothing else has worked so far and now we have a hard deadline (registration is due by March 7th)?

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit came to my rescue.

I casually mentioned the other day that pretty soon Clara will be ready to potty train and that Gustin will have to teach her how to do it. Well! That motivated him immediately! He went and dug his dusty, little child-sized potty out of the garage and cleaned it up all by himself. He then got Clara to sit on the potty and she even went! Clara has now tinkled in the potty at least half a dozen times in the last 2 days. And the best part: Gustin hasn't had a single accident. Hallelujah!! Miracles do happen!

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I can't have entire post without a single picture, so here are a few random photos that I've taken recently. Roll over each photo with your mouse to see the unedited version (I did this for you, Jill!).

Have a great Friday!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday vol. 13

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We had a bit of an eclectic Superbowl menu this year. Our menu consisted of a baked, cheesy spinach dip, bruschetta topped with cherry tomatoes and our homemade pesto, fresh berries and . . . Cheetos. For dessert we made chocolate-pumpkin whoopie pies. I do believe I'm becoming a big fan of the whoopie pie genre.

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I am finally caught up on all the episodes of Downton Abbey. I had to make it a priority because I keep getting spoiled on twitter! I was way behind because it is impossible for me to watch the show when it is airing on Sunday nights, something to do with having 4 young children and all. But, I've found a great way to get caught up and motivate myself to exercise at the same time. Did you know there is a PBS app for the iPhone? All the shows that can be found on PBS online are available through the app. So, I grab my earbuds and jump on the elliptical and before I know it I've gotten in a great workout and caught up on all the happenings at Downton Abbey.

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To all my fellow photographers out there: Do you ever edit your photos with textures? Using textures basically involves overlaying one photo on top of another and blending them together to manipulate color and contrast and to add, well, texture to the photo. If you love textures (or would like to give them a test run), Sarah Gardner is giving away a free set of textures on her site available until February 14th. If you've never used textures before, Sarah has some nice tutorials on her blog and some absolutely amazing photography. She truly is an artist so go check her out and prepare to be inspired.

The above is my own amateur-ish attempt at using one of Sarah's textures. The before/after rollover will give you an idea of what textures can do.

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Amy Welborn's new book, Wish You Were Here, is now available in paperback and on kindle and I can't wait to read it. I remember hearing about her husband passing away suddenly a few years ago and my heart just ached for her. One of my greatest fears is to lose my husband and to have to support and raise my children without him. I think her story of grief and then learning to continue on without her life partner has to be tremendously inspiring. I'll be sure to report back with a review once I've read it.

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Daffodils!

I love these happy, sunshiny flowers so much but I've never actually grown them in my garden. Last fall when we were reworking a flower bed in the front yard I remembered to buy a few daffodil bulbs and plant them. I am beyond ecstatic that they are now actually coming up!

If I'm this excited for a few little green shoots then I won't be able to stand myself when they finally bloom! My camera better get ready for a workout!

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Clara's babble continues to crack us up. She still only has a few words, but as you can see in this video, she can communicate just fine. Who knew that toddler jabber could be so emphatic!

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There are so many foods that I did not appreciate properly as a child. So many of them are foods that I now love and can not imagine cooking without.

For instance, I used to pick out any and every little sliver of onion I saw out of every dish my mother ever made. Now I cook with fresh onions daily. I don't think I ever had a homemade dish with fresh garlic in it until after I was married. Now I think roasted garlic is one of the most heavenly foods I've ever put on my tongue. As a child I had never even heard of olive oil or leeks or dried cranberries. I refused to try avocados though now I can't imagine life without guacamole. And after my mom's limp, squishy microwaved zucchini I swore that when I grew up I'd never let any type of squash ever cross my lips! Now during the summer we grill yellow squash or zucchini at least weekly and even grow them in our vegetable garden.

Are there any foods that you hated or wouldn't try as a kid but now you love?

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday vol. 12

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I love sun flare, those colorful circles created in a photo when the sun shines directly on the lens.

Also that halo of light in the subject's hair when she's back-lit.

You gotta getcha some.

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Is anyone else loving the new ABC series "Once Upon a Time"? I'm thoroughly enjoying it and the Secrets of Once Upon a Time podcast on sqpn.com by Fr. Roderick makes the whole experience of the show that much better. Fr. Roderick gives background of the fairy tales behind the stories, which of course are loaded with Christian symbolism and morals. Be sure to check it out! And, if you like what you find over at SQPN, please consider making a donation to their giving campaign and support the amazing work that Fr. Roderick is doing evangelizing through new media.

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So I did it. I set up a Twitter account. I never quite understood Twitter, but so many of my favorite bloggers, authors, and podcasters are active on Twitter and I felt like I was missing out on the fun. So far, I'm really enjoying the format as well as the content. Are there any fabulous people that I really must follow?

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For her first two years of life Clara hardly spoke. She'd make this buzzing sound--a kind of combination of a buzz and the sound you make when you roll your r's that I can't duplicate--that she used at various pitches and durations to communicate pretty much everything she had to say. But, when her second birthday came around she started to add a few actual words and a lot of babbling. We're starting to think that we have a first extrovert on our hands with the way she goes to town with toddler speak.

I love the way she talks with her hands.

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We're still struggling with Gustin's potty training. He'll be 5 in May and he still poops in his pants almost daily. He's had some stints of successfully going in the toilet, once for 6 weeks and once for about two months. But, for some reason, he keeps reverting and it's really wearing me down. I don't need any advice at this point (I'm pretty sure I've heard it all at least a half a dozen times each), but I would appreciate some prayers. It's a very frustrating situation for both him and me.

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I know I've mentioned multiple times how much I love my Kindle, but I have to share another reason why it is so fabulous. For the first time in my life I am successfully reading more than one book at a time. One is usually fiction (at the moment I'm reading Dickens' Bleak House) and then I have another two or three non-fiction books going at the same time (currently How Harry Cast His Spell by John Granger, A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms by Lisa Hendey and Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider). So many non-fiction books aren't meant to be read straight though; they should be consumed one bite at a time, stopping to digest what's been read or to implement a strategy. So, often I would start a non-fiction book, set it down so I could think about it, and then never remember to pick it up again after gets buried on my nightstand or bookshelf. With all my books right there on my Kindle home screen, I'm constantly reminded to go back to those non-fiction books for another morsel.

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Eric is currently reading The Hobbit to Jonathan, my 9-year-old. It is so fun to see him get excited about a book that I love. He was very resistant to start, mainly because Mommy and Daddy suggested it, but now that they began he is really getting into it. He was also convinced that he would never like the Chronicles of Narnia books or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but of course he loved them once he finally gave them a chance (in other words, we bribed him to let us read him the first chapter). One day he'll realize that when his parents recommend a book they really do know what they are talking about!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday vol.11

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I am a podcast junkie. The first podcast I found was the Faith and Family Live! Cast and I listened to it on my computer every once in awhile. Then, after several months, I discovered how much easier it is to listen to a podcast if I actually put on my iPod (who would have thought?) and then I was really hooked. I loved listening while doing all my otherwise boring chores: cleaning the bathroom, folding laundry, doing dishes. Now I look forward to those chores so I have an excuse to stick in my earbuds. I also discovered SQPN.com and their line up of fantastic podcasts that are the perfect marriage of Catholicism and nerdy-ness (just like me!). Some of my favorites are Catholic Weekend, The Break with Fr. Roderick and Secrets of The Hobbit. Another favorite is the family podcast called Justa Buncha Hacks.

Are there any other great Catholic podcasts that I need to know about?

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We recently went on a Cub Scout family campout at Brazos Bend State Park here in Texas. I never realized that such an exotic place was within an easy drive of my house. There are several swampy lakes in the park and they are all inhabited by alligators!

I wish I had a telephoto lens to get good close ups of the gators but I definitely wouldn't want to be physically any closer. Considering there were no fences or other barriers, those gators were really close! It was so cool to see them in their natural habitat with frogs jumping out of their way as they swam through the muck and birds alighting on tree stumps nearby. The views from the observation tower (in the background of the above photo) were really amazing.

The park was just teeming with wildlife! We saw deer, raccoons, armadillos, egrets and even snakes.

Gustin had a bit of a close encounter with this snake. He almost stepped on it! Thank the Lord that he didn't because we think it was a water moccasin!

I really can't wait to go back, but with just our family this time. Or maybe some of my local blog friends would like to join us?

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My maternal grandmother passed away last month. Unfortunately, I didn't know her nearly as well as I would have liked to. I've spent most of my life in Texas and my grandparents and much of my extended family are in Nebraska. I am so grateful that I was able to go back for the funeral as I was able to catch up with all my cousins, aunts and uncles and I learned so much about my grandmother that I never knew when she was alive. She was a vivacious, spunky lady of tremendous faith and she is such a wonderful example for me of how to live my vocation. She will be greatly missed!

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I love to read but I have to admit that I'm usually very leery of Christian fiction. So often the Christian message of these books is written in a very in-your-face manner with very little depth. The character's spiritual struggles are merely surface level and their prayers and manner of speaking trite. I long for well-written books that force me to examine my own beliefs and through the story bring me to a better understanding of God.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger fulfills all those desires for me. I hesitate to label it as "Christian fiction" because it is so much more than that; it is literary fiction at it's best and is a book to I will be reading again. It is filled with sacrificial love, adventure, fascinating characters, moral dilemmas and miracles and is very beautifully written. I highly recommend it.

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My mom and dad recently moved just 15 minutes away from us (they used to live on the opposite side of Texas, about a 9 hour drive away) and having them nearby has been wonderful. Besides the joy of seeing my kids' relationship with their grandparents blossom and the readily available babysitting, I now feel confident enough to start some sewing projects because my mom is here to help me. So, thanks to Mom, I started and finished a sewing project this month, a feat I haven't accomplished on my own in years!

Here are my new bedroom curtains:

Aren't they fabulous?! The curtains flank the windows and help define the window seat area of the room. Now this space reminds me of Jane Eyre who would curl up on the window seat and draw the curtains around her and look at books for hours. I've always dreamed of having a window seat like that!

The fabric is bolder than I normally go for when I decorate, but I wanted curtains that would bring out the colors in my photographs that I hung above the bed. Now, I need to add some pretty colored pillows for my bed to complete the look.

As you can see, my room did not stay in a picture-worthy, tidy state for long, thanks to my little helper and model. But, she's so cute that she gets away with it.

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Here's a quick photography tip: How to make eyes sparkle.

First, turn the flash off on your camera and take your kids outside. Have them sit down in a shady spot and look up at you while you stand close to them and shoot down. The bright sky will create beautiful catch lights in their eyes.

To get Clara to look up, I kept asking her questions like, "Where are Mommy's ears? Where are Mommy's cheeks?" She's all about identifying body parts these days.

If it's a bit too bright out for your child, just tell him to tilt his head up but keep his eyes closed. On the count of three you tell him to open his eyes and you snap the pic!

Note that I did not specifically photoshop their eyes in these images, though I did do some color and contrast editing and sharpening to the images as a whole.

Try it and then marvel at the amazing and unique beauty of the eyes the Lord has given your children.

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Wow, these picture heavy 7 quick takes weren't very quick so I think I'll leave it at 6. Have a great weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!