Hats off to my Daddy!!!

I considered naming this post, "no good deed goes unpunished", but it sounded so cynical. Let's back up for a minute. Picture this: it's Friday night around 11pm and I'm getting things ready for Saturday. Saturday is a big day since Lance is graduating with his MBA. I've ironed Grace's clothes and mine and now I'm moving on to pressing Lance's graduation gown. I'm actually telling myself how smoothly everything is going - we've got everything packed for our mini day trip (graduation is 1 1/2 hrs. away), food, strollers (big and little just in case), toys to keep Grace entertained, etc. And then IT happens. Just as I put the iron to Lance's gown, POOF! the fabric melts and an orange-sized hole appears. Right smack in the front center. I'm mortified. My stomach flip-flops. I consider making a joke, but I have no words since it's NOT really funny, it IS the night before his graduation, and he JUST complimented me on how well I iron. All I can say is, "Oh, my God, Lance, I burnt your gown." He thinks I'm joking. I tell him to come right over to where I'm ironing. He looks at the now gaping hole where once a smooth black fabric panel stood and then just says, "Baby, the iron's too hot." He doesn't get angry - at least not visibly - hmmm, maybe it's the red wine he'd been drinking from our earlier celebratory dinner. All I can say to him is "I'm so, so, so sorry. I'll go in the morning really early and try to find you another gown." He reminds me that he has to leave before 9 am to make it to a funeral he must attend before heading to the university. There is no time for me to put plan B into action. And then he says, "just put a piece of tape behind it - no one will notice". Funny how the male brain works. But I'm not letting him graduate wearing a held-together-by-tape gown. It's just not right. We then move on to plan C. Lance says, "How about one of yours?" Brilliant. I have two master's gowns and one is from the university he's graduating from. Now I may not be the most streamlined, organized person, but I know I kept that gown in a sealed box. Problem is Lance recently cleaned out our garage and said gown box could be anywhere. Plan D. I remember I was going to throw out my MBA gown but my stepdad said he wanted it to use as a halloween costume, so at 11:30 pm I call my mom to inquire about the master's-turned-halloween costume gown. My mom has no idea where it's at. Being the sweet person she is she volunteers to sew a pintuck dart in the burnt gown to cover the hole. I tell her I'll be there in 10 minutes. In the meantime, we find the other master's gown - problem is it's shiny like a Glad trashbag. Lance says, "Good - I wanted to stand out anyway." Gotta love that sense of humor. As I'm about to walk out the door for the unexpected sewing project, my mom calls and says, "I have a perfectly pressed gown I'll rent you :) " Miracle of miracles she found my MBA gown!!! I go to pick it up - it's perfect - same shade, right length, and BEST OF ALL, it's pressed and ready. Thanks mom, you saved the day! Thankfully, Saturday went off without a hitch. Here are some photos from the graduation. Grace was so excited to hear the music playing as the graduates marched in. Waving at Daddy Waiting for Daddy after the graduation Finally, Daddy is here!! What is this hat?? Okay, I don't really like the hat after all! Congrats, Lance! We love you!!

Mother's Day 2008

What a gorgeous day today was! The weather was just beautiful! The biggest blessing to me was to be able to spend the day with both my mother and daughter. I know for many that is not possible for many different reasons, and my heart aches for you, so believe me I do not take it for granted for even a second. Now, if only I could have had my sweet grandma here THAT would have been something! But I know she had a great day with my Uncle and cousins.

Grace is indeed my "sweetest bloom" as her little apron reads and she loved giving me a rose, then taking it back and giggling, and back and forth. Noonie and Papa A.J. joined Lance, Grace, and I for Mass and then treated us to a wonderful lunch at a local italian bistro. Here is my beautiful mother and my sweet little pumpkin, who was fascinated with the waiter fluffing the table linens - I think it reminded her of the parachute at her gymboree class because she kept staring at him!!! Later when we opened gifts at home, Grace was a great helper (translation: she was excited to tear open the paper and play with the ribbon). I received some very sweet gifts, but my favorite was the one "from Grace" - a sweet picture of the two of us when she was about 6 months old in a pretty silver frame engraved "mom". Grace had a great time playing with daddy and as you can see, Lance was a great sport about it!
My favorite memory from today: Grace fell asleep on the way home and when we got home and got her out of the car, she looked so sweet and cuddly I couldn't put her down in her crib. I held her the entire time she napped, which was close to 2 hours!!! The way she curled herself against my chest, the smell of her hair, the little puckering gestures she made in her sleep...it made my day! And it reminded me of this sweet moment when she was not quite 1 day old. I realize that all too soon, a time will come when she won't want me to cuddle with her, when she will no longer fit so perfectly in my arms, so for now I'm soaking it up and holding on tight.

The bond between mother and child is just so pure and beautiful. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day filled with the kind of memories that last a lifetime!
~Jessica

Mothers

Dedicated to my mother, without whom I would not be who I am today and to my daughter, who gave me the greatest gift anyone could ever give me, she made me a mom. May God infinitely bless you both and forever keep you in His loving care. I love you! ~Jessica

Noonie and Grace-1 day old


I'm Invisible.
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking,or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner,because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30 , please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that had great dreams and plans - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' In the days ahead I would read - no, devour – the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

• No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

• These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

• They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

• The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
~Nicole Johnson

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE WONDERFUL WOMEN WHO ARE BUILDING GREAT CATHEDRALS!

The world according to Grace

Grace is such a curious child, as I'm sure most toddlers are. She can spot something new or out of place in a nanosecond. She's figured out how to open some of the "child proof" drawer latches by pressing down on the little plastic latch. She's not satisfied with simply playing with a new toy, she must inspect it to see how it works, where the batteries are, where the sound is coming from, where the on/off button is. You get the picture! It's so fun seeing how her mind works!!

When we got home this afternoon, I needed to put away a few groceries. I gave her her favorite drink cup and figured I'd have a few minutes to put things away since she normally sits down with the cup and looks at her books (okay, dumps all the books out of the two baskets looking for just the right one to keep her attention). I heard her moving about her room, so I grabbed my camera and went in to see what adventure my little pumpkin was getting into. This is what I saw. Can't you just see the wheels turning in her head? And check out those tippie toes stretching to reach for the top of the dresser. Now, how she knew that the cd was on top of the dresser I don't know since it's so small and flat and we normally keep them in a drawer. I suspect she was checking out the newly arranged dresser decorations and then spotted it!

And this is what she does when she gets "caught". She throws herself at me and gives me smiles and kisses. She's got my weak spots all figured out! Oh, how I love my little pumpkin!

The Loot

There's something about finding that one of a kind treasure that you never knew you needed/wanted before but just as soon as you see it you know, "it must come home with me"! When it comes to tag sales, flea markets and all related kinds of shopping, I love going without a plan. When I have something in mind that I'm looking for (vintage pink floral cake carrier - hint, hint), it seems that I never find it, but when I just let myself be inspired by what's out there, that perfect treasure just seems to fall in my lap! I found some sweet treasures on our weekend trip.

To introduce the first treasure look at this sweet photo of Grace! I feel like she's saying, "look at my mama's new treasure, whatcha think?" I owe this sweet treasure to my mom since I was done browsing at this particular store, but she was still looking so I decided to make another round with Grace to keep her entertained and there it was, sitting in a little corner all by itself, calling to me. I love the worn red color of the lid on this breadbox and the sweet floral motif. I'm thinking of using it as a flower container by our front door. That is, if the little missy will let me take it out of her play area. She thinks it's a new drum!

My first purchase in McKinney was actually this cute set of vintage wooden birthday candle holders with little clown faces on them. Now, I'm not usually a big clown fan, since some of them can be quite spooky, but these little clowns just had the sweetest, non-scary faces! By the way, the clowns have inspired a whole new party theme (off to right about it in my little idea book :)

Next I found this cute Red Riding Hood book for Grace! It's not vintage, it's a new book, but the images are definitely vintage inspired and little red riding hood has the cutest chubby cheeks which remind me of Grace! When Grace saw the book, she kept saying "girrrl" and smiling from ear to ear, so I think she likes it!

This next treasure just makes me smile silly when I look at it. It's the sweetest little jolly jumping jack! Grace giggled when I showed her how to pull the string to make him "jump".

Here lately I've been loving Little Golden Books, so it was no surprise that when I found this sweet one I had to have it! I thought the title was perfect to remind me of our shopping weekend and all the colors on the cover look so cute in Grace's wall bookshelf (this is where I put the books I don't want her to tear up, LOL!).
And I saved my absolutely, without a doubt, most favorite treasure for last!!! When I spotted this sweet vintage child's suitcase I got all goofy like a kid in a candy store! My mom didn't quite understand what all the fuss was about, but this little valise is just perfect - from the colors, the picture of the little lamb and chicks, the worn periwinkle blue handle to the spotless inside with a sweet star motif - I LOVE IT! I quickly found a spot for it on Grace's dresser and it looks so adorable!!! So there you have it, all the loot from a very fun weekend!

Mother Daughter Granddaughter Trip 2008

WARNING: this is a very long post with lots of pics!!!

This past weekend was one of my favorite weekends ever!!! This year we chose Texas for our annual weekend trip and we visited Canton, Dallas, McKinney, and Tyler, TX. Friday we spent in Canton at the monthly First Monday Trade Days - one giant flea market/antiques extravaganza! I hadn't been to Canton in 4-5 years and it has really grown A LOT. We didn't really get to browse "the fields", but we enjoyed The Arbors, three huge buildings full of booths. Here we are ready to tackle Canton! Can you tell how excited we are?!! I bought this pretty neckace there: And although you can't see it too well, I also bought the sweetest bassinet sheet/cribskirt combination linen. It has hand embroidered details all around. I didn't think the vendor would sell it to me since it was on an actual vintage bassinet that was for sale, but she was so sweet and said if I really liked it she would sell it to me for $15!!!! Of course, I did! Originally I thought I would use pieces from it to create little skirts with aprons featuring the nursery rhyme embroidery (who am I kidding, I don't really know how to sew all that well), but after bringing it home and admiring it, I can't seem to put scissors to it! Grace also had her first taste of Dipping Dots ice cream - strawberry cheesecake, no less! She LOVED it!! Mom bought a pretty bread box and some other small things. We didn't really buy too much, but we had a great time.

On Saturday, we visited McKinney, which has the cutest downtown full of antiques shops and cute restaurants. I'll share pics of my finds - including my new prized treasure - in a later post :) We ate lunch at The Pantry and if anyone is visiting McKinney, I highly recommend it. It had delicious quiche and salads and scrumptious homemade desserts complete with the nicest people! Here's Grace with Noonie in front of one of many cute stores. Grace was really into waving on this day! Here we are in one of the antique malls (i.e. upstairs/downstairs stores full of booths). We took turns going upstairs so we wouldn't have to take the stroller. Grace had a blast playing with little trinket toys! You can't tell, but in this picture Grace is giving Noonie "love". When you ask her, can I have some love? She squishes you really hard - it's so cute!! I fell in love with this blue fire hydrant/water valve and just had to have a picture by it. Isn't it cute? Ok, maybe just me! On Sunday, we went to Mass at a pretty church in Las Colinas and then headed to Grapevine Mills Mall in Irving to eat lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. Grace loves being outside and on this particular morning, she was so excited about this stick she found - ahhh, the innocence of being a child, I just love it! The Rainforest Cafe was a hit with Grace. The huge elephant is the registration area to get your "passport" (i.e. your reservation name - a rainforest-sounding name - and your dining time). I think Grace thought it was Dumbo from Disney - he, he, he. While waiting for our adventure to begin, Grace was glued to the fish tank! She got so excited when the animated animals started making sounds!!! Every so often the simulated storm "hits" and all the animals start moving and making sounds. I was afraid Grace would be scared, but nope, she was in heaven! She loved it all and soon started anticipating the storm. She would ooh, hooh, ooh, hooh right along with the monkeys! She didn't want to leave, but finally gave the animals a little wave bye-bye and off we went. That afternoon, since it was still early, we decided to go down to the pool and let Grace dip her little feet in the water. The water was too cold and the air too chilly for a full dip. Judging by Grace's reaction, the pool was a huge hit! This was Grace's first time in a pool and she was super excited! Check out the little sun bathing beauty! When we got home and Lance saw the pictures, he said, "She has a bikini???" - too funny! He's so protective of her - it's so sweet. Can you imagine when she starts dating?!?! In full diva style, we had to do a quick suit change since Noonie really wanted Grace to wear the swimsuit she bought her last year and by the look of it this may be the only time she gets to wear it since it's a wee bit small :) A little ode to Jackie O I just love this last picture by the pool. Grace was so excited, so happy and laughing; she just kept giving Noonie and I love and hugs! When we got back to the hotel room, she could not stop making monkey sounds and playing with the monkey toys. On Monday, our last day, we went to Tyler to go to the Caldwell Zoo before heading home. We ate at Cracker Barrel, a country restaurant complete with a little general store. I had never eaten there so that was fun. And I guess you could say we saved the best for last since Grace was super excited when we got to the zoo, specially since it was her first time at a zoo! Glued to the monkey exhibit! She was so excited, pointing at all the monkeys and "calling out to them". The penguins were fun but not nearly as exciting as the monkeys :) Although we did learn all about penguin mating behavior, LOL, from the guide doing the feeding show! I love this picture of my mom with Grace. You can tell Grace is not too sure about the humongous elephants. She definitely had a tight hold on Noonie! By the way, she learned to say, "easy" on this trip, as in "take it easy". It's so cute it sounds like "eeeeesiee". And this is the only picture of the three of us together! What a great weekend! I enjoyed every second of it, soaking it all in for the amazing memories we made. From staying up late to catch up to seeing the joy in Grace's face as she experienced so many firsts, this trip will forever be inked in my memory and in my heart. Thank you mom for this amazing trip and for the gift of having you as my mother and my friend. I love you! ~Jessica