This is a high-class chicken coop! It's a sleek new design for those in urban areas who want to keep chickens and don't have a ton of space. I love the idea, and Jim and I have been wanting to get chickens for a while but I know it would be a no-go with our homeowners assoc. Still, the Eglu is a fun option if you can do it. I found it at the website www.omlet.com. I also saw a news piece on the website about the backyard chicken trend. We are hoping to move to the country at some point, and I know that Jim's wish list includes a nice riding lawn mover along with a chicken coop (and cowboy boots)!:)
Something we are still working on is planting a garden. We went back and forth about it but I think if we start small and go slow, it should be fine. I found a helpful website with some guidelines for planting a vegetablegar den. Click here for the tips.
Here's a great way to try the latest, most innovative beauty products, and save $$ doing it! At the website www.beautyfix.com, for a fee of $50 you are invited into a world of beauty. Each quarter you will receive a package with 7-10 full or deluxe travel sized samples, which would really cost hundreds of dollars!! The items are chosen by the "Beautyfix Advisory Panel" - 30 experts including hair and makeup artists, estheticians, medical professionals and beauty bloggers. Sounds like a good idea, bring on the beauty!:)
Yesterday Gabriel brought home his Scholastic books. Several times a year he brings the order forms home and we usually pass, except for a few select times (those books can really add up)! He was thrilled when we placed a pretty large order last time and so excited to bring his reading material home! Among the books was this one, "What is God Like". WOW! If you get a chance to pick this up at the library or buy it at the store, I recommend it. The pictures are stunning! Excellent illustrations the story is good too. I thought it might be too long for Grant but he ate it up. Here is a little glimpse inside:
Shifting now from books, to butts! LOL. I found an article on how to reduce saddlebags. Ugh. It's good, practical advice but made me tired just reading about it! Today we interviewed a fitness expert who talked about seasonal weight gain and how to shape up for spring. Get this, she suggested breaking out the bathing suit and shorty shorts to wear around the house as a wake-up call! Nooooo, I will not subject my family to such things! Ha ha. Her thinking is that the shock value be the motivating force to drop the extra pounds. That may be for some people, but for me it wouldn't probably have the opposite effect (I would eat loads of chocolate and get depressed)!:) Anyway, the saddlebangs article is pretty good because it talks about "spot sculpting" and it's pretty interesting. Click here to read.
Well, I wish I could say we've been busy playing outside but it's just been too cold! We've been occupying our time with trips to the library, batting cage, and our fun (yet messy) basement. I can't wait for the warm weather to get here! We tried fishing on Sunday but I was a wimp and froze and waited in the car with Garrett. Lol. Jim and I also had a chance to go shooting. My husband is a big 2nd Amendment advocate, right to keep and bear arms as well as sportsman activities including hunting, etc. He goes to the gun range periodically, but I finally went for the first time with him last week. I did pretty good! Here are some of the photos (taken via cell phone)
Not bad!
This was from 18 ft. away (and pretty good for a beginner)! I was really hesitant at first because guns aren't really my thing. Knowing how to defend my family, YES. Wanting to be safe doing it, Yes (of course). However, I always left that up to my husband. I had an incident occur earlier this year though that made me realize I also need to be capable of acting and defending my family if need-be (God forbid). Thankfully I have an excellent teacher. Nothing is more important that safety, and this is a good website with guidelines about that.
I also have to mention a GREAT website my friend told me about. Stephanie is total super-mom and among her amazing qualities she can find a deal like no other! In fact, our newspaper is going to be doing an article on her money-saving ways pretty soon. She revealed one of her sources and since then, I've saved several bucks (and got 3 FREE Thomas the Trains)! It's called: The Bargain Jargon. I already wrote April 29 down on my calendar to get .31 scoop night from Baskin Robbins. Now that's what I call a good deal!:)
Hey, it's Uncle Joey! Dave Coulier joined us in-studio today. He's in town for a comedy gig this weekend. He also suprised us by bringing in a snazzy Uncle Joey action figure from the 90's! You can see him holding it, and I posted an additional pic on my Twitter. I'm so hooked on the Twitter thing, it's such a quick way to update and get info from other sources too. If I don't update my blog every day, check out Twitter b/c usually I have some pictures or tidbits a few times a day.
Oh! I almost forgot Dave Coulier. He's got a great website that is funny, and family-friendly. It's here and you can also register to win his action figure! Cut. It. Out. Lol.
I'm playing catch-up today. This has been a busy week so I'm going to take this window of opportunity and post away!:)
First, off, happy Feast of St. Joseph! This is such a beautiful song and tribute to St. Joseph. It's by MercyMe and usually played around Christmas but I thought today was fitting. It's called "Joseph's Lullaby"
I also have another video (on a totally unrelated topic) that I ran across today. I was trying to find out what makeup Carrie Underwood uses. She has the most perfect complexion and I know her overall skin is amazing, but I would love to try her foundation on the off-chance it works miracles on me too! Lol. Anyway, in the process I found a little video tutorial of a lady recreating Carrie's look in the "So Small" video. I learned a lot! Not that I have time to do my eyes like that, but it's good to know. Plus, she has a really cool accent. :) Click here for the video.
Okay, my last link is for a great coupon site. It's called Hey Butler and it is GREAT for rooting out and revealing the deals! In fact, I have to get going because I want to enter all of the sweepstakes before I go to bed!:)
I am so happy the weather is FINALLY warming up! Sunshine, Easter, birds, flowers...yeah spring! Over the weekend I had a great opportunity to talk to teen girls at Pure Fashion. This is something I wish they had when I was growing up, what a great ministry for young ladies! It's all about taking care of yourself, learning etiquette and style while focusing on dignity and modesty. The aim of the program is to teach young women that beauty is deeper than the skin and about strengthening character and living to the standard God calls us to. Here is the website (it's a national program) and I hope it keeps growing!: www.PureFashion.com
So while I was away doing that, little did I know that Jim and the boys were up to something! They have a sale at Target this week for $99 bikes and/or trailers. I have not had a bike since Jim and I were first married. So we have never gone for a ride as a family together. I got home and they surprised me with a cute little purple Schwinn and a bike seat for Garrett! Yesterday was the perfect day to break that baby in. It was the first time we went for a family bike ride and we had a ball! The sun was shining, it was actually warm outside, and no one wiped out.:) I can't wait to ride with the fam all summer!
Oh, and I wanted to post one more thing while I'm thinking of it. I ran across something called "Skinny Songs" to motivate women to lose weight. At first I thought it was so cheesy but now I have to admit, I can't stop singing the tunes! The woman who created it really has a heart for inspiring others to get moving and get thin with positive messages. Funny titles like "I'm a Hottie Now" and "You Da Boss". My favorite is "Skinny Jeans". The website is here for the skinny sensation!:)
One of my favorite things is to hear my boys sing "You are so Beautiful to Me" , a song they adopted after watching the Little Rascals movie. Garrett (my 2 year old) is especially sweet when he belts it out and really puts his whole body into it. Priceless.:) I decided to record them but they were wound up and shouted the song more than actually singing it. They are still cute to me but then, I am a little biased!:)
While I have my "moms brag book" out, I have to show you this picture! Yesterday we were playing in the basement and Garrett got the Lincoln Logs out. I intended to help him build but he's at a stage where he's very independent (and strong-willed) so he wanted NO assistance from ol' mom. I played the Wii with Gabriel and Grant and turned around to see he built an entire cabin! Way to go Garebear! Not too shabby for a 2 year old, he clearly gets his patience and building skills from his father.:)
Bart Millard (from MercyMe) posted this silly video on their website. Slow motion is funny, especially set to certain circumstances!:) I found this because of Twitter and I have to tell you, it's one of my new favorite things! Especially for radio, it's such a great resource for stories and interesting topics. I don't do MySpace or Facebook (mostly for time reasons) but that's why I like Twitter, you are able to get quick info bits with just a few sentences. But I digress.:) Here is that video:
Speaking of music, have you been watching American Idol?! I never have time to watch TV much anymore, so AI has been the one show I invest in. I LOVED last night! I may be the only person in the USA but to me it was fantastic. Lots of great talent and my favorite is Danny Gokey from WI. I felt so bad for Kris' wife (Simon said he shouldn't have revealed he had a wife for a few weeks b/c the girls like him). Booo! Shame on Simon, I felt so bad for her. I wish Paula would get it together too, she had too much Botox and was acting weird again, when the boys watch it today, we'll definitely be fast forwarding past her. Okay, just had to get that out of my system. Goooo Danny!:)
Sorry for the lack of updates. We are still trying to get our bearings. I can't believe last week at this time we were on our way back from Rome. I think we saw so much that some if it is just now starting to hit me. It's like I'm continuing to absorb everything and my brain is still processing it all (yes, I know I'm slow)!:) It's been rough to get back in the swing of things. Sometimes I think vacations make things harder because it's extra exhausting just to catch up. Totally worth it though. Over the weekend I had a speaking engagement in Lima, OH. What a great place! I love the people I met, thank you Magnificat ladies! They did an article on me in the Lima newspaper (thank you for the previous comment about that). I was a little apprehensive because sometimes what gets written isn't always true to form, but Adrienne did a great job (whew)!:)
I've been missing the boys so much, my goal is to let go of everything else and be present with them completely. When I got home from my event on Saturday I felt so guilty and overwhelmed and was having a hard time. Leave it to kids to know how to lift a mood! As I prepared to give the boys a bath, I noticed this posted on the tub. Gabriel felt compelled to leave a notice for his siblings when they are in the bath: Nice. Ha ha
On a totally different note, I am posting a trend we saw in Rome. It seemed like EVERYONE was wearing the knee-high flat boots. No heels, very comfy and versatile. I know the Uggs and other boots are the trend here (over the jeans) but these are worn with everything. The funny thing was, even the elderly women were sporting the look! The boots were worn with opaque tights and skirts, dresses, and over pants. It was to the point that Jim and I were laughing because it looked like an invasion of the black boot brigade. Then of course I had to join in and buy a pair too! Lol. They are really comfortable . Here is an accidental picture I took (I was trying to capture the guy dressed as a tree). :)
BuonGirono! We are back from Roma! I don't even know where to begin! We had an amazing time and I'm struggling to find the words to adequately describe it all. I am speechless! It was everything we dreamed and more. We learned so much, we explored, we laughed and we missed the boys like crazy. I have a new level of gratitude for Jim's mom (and my mom) for watching the boys over the last week. I just kept thinking of what a blessing it is that they are both healthy and willing to help us. I don't know how many times Jim and I just shook our heads and said "can you believe we are in Rome?!" It was the realization of a very long dream for us. We took almost 500 photos so I think we have it pretty well-documented! :) I'm going to post some of them, but I know I won't do it justice in terms of what we saw and going into the details. A few of the things I learned are: Italians love their coffee and cigarettes!:) At every meal they ask if you want a cappuccino and it's a staple there. The driving is crazy! The Vespa's (scooters) weave in and out at a high rate of speed, the people park in all different directions (sideways, backwards) and they honk their horns a lot. The thing is, somehow it all works! It just systematically seems to fit and Jim and I were amazed by that. We LOVED the people. They were very friendly and it gave me a new perspective of how important it is to be welcoming to foreigners. The day we arrived I felt very uneasy. I was in a totally different place away from the comfort of my small town and mini-van and unable to communicate in Italian. Thankfully almost everyone knows English but it's an isolating feeling when you can't understand the people around you. By the time we left I felt confident and loved the adventure of it all. Jim was in his element! He was able to soak up history, navigate a map (my Army husband loves that) and challenge himself with the culture and language. He was in fine form! Anyway, I have so much more to write but I want to post some pictures before I run out of time. I might not get them all up today, but here are a few!:)
Our first day. We had a few hours to explore before going back to our hotel and getting some sleep! Itinerary: Vatican City, papal audience (cancelled-Holy Father was out of town), Ash Wednesday mass (in Italian).:)
Day 2. Itinerary: Bus to Piazza Barberini, St. Mary Major church, Trajan's Market, Colosseum, Palatine Hill (according to legend where Romulus founded Rome). Trevi fountain, dinner atop hotel.
Day 3 Itinerary: Scavi tour (underground at the Vatican, tour near St. Peter's tomb-no photos allowed). St. Mary Major church (where Bernini is buried ), Spanish Steps, shopping.
Day 4 Vatican museum tour, Sistine Chapel (Sylvester Stallone was there too), Castle St. Angelo, Pantheon, Piazza Navona.
Day 5 (Sunday) Church at Santa Susanna (they have been celebrating mass there for over 1700 years)! St. John Lateran, Scala Santa.
Sorry for any misspellings or errors. I'm trying to get this updated while I can (in a hurry). It's impossible to pick one favorite thing about Rome, everything we did was so unique and amazing. I think one of my favorite's though was the Scala Santa (Holy Staircase). They are said to be the stairs leading up to Pontius Pilate's that Jesus climbed when he was on trial. St. Helena (Constantine's mother) brought them back from the Holy Land. It's 28 steps (now encased in wood) are only to be climbed while on your knees. Jim and I followed a group of young (looked like newly ordained) priests. The stairs are hard, and after about the third step...very painful. It was a powerful place to contemplate the Passion of Jesus, especially during Lent. To offer up the pain I was feeling for him, and meditate on his sacrifice for us. To learn more about the Scala Santa click here.
Well, I have so much more to write, but that's all I have time to update for now. Oh! I do have an exciting thing for YOU possibly (speaking of vacations)! My friend Mountain, the "Catholic Traveler" is giving away a trip to Europe! You can register to win and find out all the information here.Good luck!
