So, I made it through tech week! And opened and closed a show! Anatomy of a Hug is now over. And if you missed it, you missed something beautiful.
A production shot from Anatomy of a Hug. Picture by Brenda Jean Foley
My nephew came to visit us yesterday and surprised us by asking for a
blanket, some hot chocolate, and to watch the movie Elf. We live in Phoenix so this seemed a little crazy, but he told us he wanted to pretend it was Christmas so we decided to theme our whole day around Christmas in June. (Since we won’t be watching him in July this made perfect sense.) We were more than happy to accommodate with the movie because Elf is one of our all-time favorites. In fact, I watched Elf while I was in the hospital in labor. That’s how much we love it (and how much I wanted to laugh through my nerves about giving birth…) So we had hot chocolate (or a mocha in my case) and watched the movie and turned on the fans so that bundling up in blankets wouldn’t lead to heat exhaustion and had a great day. Continue reading
So, of course I knew that this week’s baking project was going to have to be a cake of some sort for my sweet son’s birthday. But before we get to that, I want to talk about some of the other ways we celebrated, some of which were pretty standard, and some of which might be a little different. Continue reading
I think everyone, parent or not, struggles with a work/life balance. There seems to be a new article everyday on my Facebook or Pinterest feed either chronicling the problem or claiming to have the magic formula to solve it. The strange convergence of my passions, what brings me bliss, leads me to some less conventional problems and benefits and to a dearth of articles that are actually helpful to my life and schedule when trying to get on top of everything or rearranging the work/life balance. Why is it so tricky? Well… let’s talk about all the categories I fall into… sort of… Continue reading
My son is a great eater. Thanks to Baby Led Weaning he has had the opportunity to taste a huge variety of flavors because we tend to eat a variety of flavors and what’s for dinner for us is for dinner for him. Of course, we have to adjust our usual spice level for his portions, because he is not up for spicy… but he loves spices and a variety of sweet, sour, and interesting food. Continue reading
I called a mulligan on my morning today. I had a really rough start with no coffee, a night of fitful sleeping, some emotional stress, a crazy baby who has discovered that he thinks it is HILARIOUS to throw things we need into the trash and then watch us dig for them, etc. etc.
See what I mean? Perfect ocean peace… no mention of riptides or sharks…
There’s a very popular saying of “Follow Your Bliss” that comes up a lot especially on Pinterest, in hand lettering, and in self help books or life classes. And while I’m pretty sure I agree with the spirit of the saying- that your passions will lead you to your vocation, I don’t love this Continue reading
My Wonderful Son,
Usually I would wear heels to try and match my brothers’ heights, but that was not happening at 9 months pregnant…
Last Mother’s Day I was standing up as your uncle’s confirmation sponsor and anxiously counting down the days to your arrival. I wasn’t quite in that end of pregnancy people are afraid to come near you because they think you might give birth on them or something phase, but I was definitely in the final month and feeling it. It was hard for me to get through the day without feeling completely exhausted and even harder for me to imagine what life would be like with you out in the world, helping me celebrate my first official Mother’s Day the next year. Continue reading
Even though it’s April already (how did that happen?!?!) I wanted to write one more entry geared toward belief as we head toward the triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. I wanted to share some ways that having a baby has changed the way I’ve started to think about my relationship with God. There are a lot of parent/child comparisons in the Bible, referring to God as a heavenly father and I don’t think I was ever really comfortable with them and never really understood them until I had my own child and felt the immense love I do now,
I can’t contain all the love I feel for this little guy!!!
the willing sacrifices every day with no expectation that my son “deserve” or “earn” them. Continue reading
So… have you ever had a time where you thought.. oh good, things are a little less busy and now I can catch up? If you are anything like me, those times suddenly become the busiest of all. Our family has found we are extra busy these days, mostly with a few great opportunities which I will be talking more about in the near future (I know, such a tease…) BUT… I did manage to squeeze in my baking project yesterday, even if I didn’t have time to write about it until today!
Applesauce monster… aka my handsome boy!
My son is obsessed with applesauce. It was one of the first foods he tried and still remains a favorite. We affectionately call him an applesauce monster because he tears through servings like a wild animal. This week’s baking project was chosen in honor of his applesauce obsession. It’s an applesauce loaf that I found HERE and tweaked just a bit based on what we had in the house.
I was a little skeptical because the mixture looked lumpier than most things I bake, but the recipe called for it to look like that so I put it in the oven and tried to put my little guy down for a nap so I could get some sewing projects done while it baked. My nap plan worked a little TOO well and instead of having to struggle to start nap time, he fell asleep right in my arms!
I mean… would YOU get anything done?!
Alphabet Resolutions 