life sprinkles

much to my chagrin, i just watched the majority of a movie that threw a cold wet blanket of dark sadness over my chi.  i tend to have issues with movies and getting a little too connected to the characters.  but, as china and i discussed, i get so upset because even though the human suffering in the movie might be story of fiction, it is rooted in reality.  someone has experienced a suffering and a hurt very similar to this one, and that gets me in a funk.  thus, in a desperate attempt to counteract the sucking vortex of dwelling on the sadness of the world, i put on the parent trap.  it and talking to a friend on gchat is chilling me out a little.  

also saying prayers is a tried and true go to. and today is the feast of the most holy name of Mary, our Mother.  i love how we have a feast dedicated to her name. the name the angel Gabriel spoke on that glorious day when heaven came to dwell on earth. 

a rose to honor Our Blessed Mother, the Mystical Rose

 ergo, i am going to try blogtherapy for the first time to zap some pep back into my step. thus far,  i have used it as an outlet for creative energy to flow from my insides to my fingertips to do their crazy dance upon the keyboard and watch those words combine with photos to create something that wasn’t there before.  it has been good for that.  so i’ll roll the dice and see if it can help a drooping spirit...

i'll throw in some beauty of creation therapy for good measure

once the sweet sun came out on friday, it decided it liked the whole shining on us bit enough to hang around for the weekend.  and i decided to soak it up and roll around in it because this texas girl is quaking in her flip flops about this whole it gets cold about 3 months too early and stays cold about 3 months too long here sitch and i don’t know how i will deal.  uggs will help, i’m sure, but there is only so much even uggs can do...

green grass, bare feets and flip flops, i shall miss thee

saturday was right on.  sleeping in, baking, going to home goods with china.  i dig home goods, btw.  i am getting all sorts of self-restraint practice these days in fact.  first at michaels and joanns, then at home goods.  

whose that lady?

i mean, who wouldn’t be tempted to buy this bad-boy?

china and i dilly dallied in the candle sections breathing in the different flavors while we had visions of pumpkin spice and apply goodness dancing in our heads. 

commence the sniffing

and about 60% of the stores mission seemed to be to rub in the fact that fall is approaching and bringing with it the cold.  

but on the plus side, it’s bringing with it candy corns, munchkins in costumes, pumpkin spiciness, giving thanks, a crazy tree costume change and life.  sweet sweet life.  permeated with God’s mercy and love at every moment in every breath.  

thanks to mommalita, candy corn and fall are inextricably linked in my brain

does anyone else think it’s weird that meredith in the parent trap says she had her “first beau at eleven”? she doesn’t look like the type who would know the definition of beau or have read any of the classics (i.e. the incomparable Anne of Green Gables) that would give her an idea of what it means.  just thinkin’ out loud here.

moving along...Sunday brought the goodness and warmth of a Resurrection day celebration.  there was sunshine, new car windows down, the perfect breeze, Mass, post-mass roses and children frolics, clouds shaped like the pink dog from the never ending story, friends for brunch, and sophia for dessert.  

tell me that doesn't look like that pink flying dog in the never ending story

i am so glad about the running little man and the mini tree dwellers

if the explosion of ridiculousness in cloud form wasn't enough a bird had to be soaring through the heavens at the perfect moment...Sunday Love

I had the best time hosting my first home friends gathering. it was the perfect group of humans plus the subtle smell of pumpkin spice wafting around the room plus just strong enough coffee plus strata plus KH's playlist rolling in the background equals the ideal Sunday brunch celebration. i wore my apron and vacuumed in my (and by my i mean china's) pearls and strategically arranged biscotti and mason jars full of ice on the table. i laughed and remembered how wonderful and alive laughter makes me feel. and young and free. i need laughter. i am sorry i do not have photos of the people who made this brunch happy and full. next time...suffice it to say, we were happy and warm and well-fed. both body and soul. God is so good.

my biscotti obsession in full force

to all those doubters out there who never believed my collection of pickle jars would amount to anything. well. exhibit a, b, c, d etc...

the mcCabes (senior) had us over to celebrate matt stampers birthday with a delicious front porch salmon supper.  i am so glad i was able to eat on their porch before it gets too cold because their yard is the perfect side dish to feast upon during a good meal.  the geese honking and making their v-shaped journey across the dusk-ridden sky, the moon rising o’er the barn, the fireflies making their last visits to pierce the black with their twinkle light show.  there are many ways to close a Sunday right, and that is one of ‘em.  

the peach of my heart

the front yard dreams are made of

they love each other

just your typical moon rise over barn scene

lianna and eva note lianna's proper texas preparation for winter

front porch glory

i spent the night on that old pal of mine, the mcCabe (the youngers) couch.  i have spent many an hour and night there during my visits, germing it up with my sickness and closing my eyes to the heart-warming knowledge that the first thing i’ll hear in the morning are the coos of my little fairy voiced-dumpling arising from her sweet sojourn to dream world.  

the aforementioned dumpling sporting the evidence of a sip of a smoothie well enjoyed

we began the day the best way possible, with the Eucharist and listening to sophia sing in her sweet little voice "Jesus" over and over. the best.


and then we rambled to the outlets to find sophia, the ever-growing wonder, some fall clothes.  i got the treat of playing with her outside while li did some damage in the store.  sophia was doing a little acrobatic routine that sent her from my arms, to the ground to push the stroller, to climbing back in to get a quick breather before she shimmied in one smooth motion like a little noodle right out of the stroller to start it all again.  it was a jolly time with my nerdicle. 

my sweet little helper

cuteness over load

she collected some rocks along the way, flashed me her winning smile and exuberant waves in the old navy mirror, and generally just made my morning sweet like the peach she is.  

i'm so loving this girl

please note her little handful of rocks she is so proudly holding out to herself

dancing for mama by the stairs

i came home thinking i have it made in the shade because work ain’t starting until thursday.  aaahhhhh (buzzer sound). wrong again, girlfriend.  starts wednesday.  thank the Lord He made this apparent to me before it was a disaster.  He is merciful.  

the Sacred Heart of Jesus

and i had a really good time going to the bank to order new checks because i got to chew the fat (from the archives of the sayings o’ mimitoes) with a fellow texan.  we talked about how much better texas is than anywhere and texas doesn’t have earthquakes and texas isn’t freezing forever and texas has friendlier folks.  i’m not going to lie. it felt good.  i love singing the praises of my heart home with someone who knows, man.  she’s been there. she knows.  

tonight the sky wore pink to bed and does she ever wear it well

so, how is my post-horrifying movie experiment shaping up, you may wonder? quite fine and lovely actually.  blogtherapy is real and it works.  two enthusiastic thumbs up.  

she looks so old to me

one more day of summer and care-free (sort of) blamming and blowing with wind unfettered by the man and by a job to hold me down.  and thank the Merciful Lord for that.  i’m ready.  i hope...

He is with us always, even until the end of time.  all will be well.

and a peaceful, happy, warm and fluffly week to you.  

tonight's moon that i pulled over to photograph
good night, moon