Pics or it Didn't Happen

It happened! Okay, it happened in September, and I wasn't even blogging then, but I am so overwhelmed with gratitude to my mother-in-law for sending these to me this weekend when she found out that I didn't have them. I seriously almost started to cry when I found out that she did.

Clare was baptized on September 9, a day shy of her 2 month birthday. It was the best we could do juggling the schedules of 1) student doctor Daddy, 2) The Godfather who lives out of state, 3) the church.

She was baptized after a Sunday Mass. Of course, she was a perfect angel for Mass, but as soon as Mass ended and the baptism began . . . so did the screaming. (She was quite the screamer in the beginning.)

We have a video, but it is not very pleasant to watch, because of said screaming. Then, because we were so stressed out from the screaming, we failed to take any pictures with the priest or of the family in the church or anything. We were so sad when we realized that later in the evening.

Screaming in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Screaming and making a run for it as she's anointed.

Screaming as she receives the Light of Christ from her Uncle Godfather Zak.

The whole thing was kind of a disaster in our minds, and we just kept telling ourselves that the important thing was that she was baptized, the Sacrament of Baptism doesn't depend on a happy baby, and other, similar attempts as consolation. Which are all very true, but . . . you still want things to go well. Or at least better than they did.

We hosted lunch at Charles' aunt's house (more space and close to the parish) afterwards and got some pics there, but my camera was MIA. All I got were a couple of texts on my old phone (!!) that wouldn't let me do anything more with the pics than look at them on a 2 inch square.

Anyway . . . I have pics now and can prove that it happened! It did! Praise be to God (for the gift of the Sacraments more than anything)!

The Godfather takes his role much more seriously than the cup would have you believe.

Charles' fam

BG and Grandad (my fam)

Our little fam.

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 21

It's Friday, and so I'm linking up with Jen.

1. I'm going to the zoo today with Clare and my cousin and her kids. I'll agree not to write an entire post about going to the zoo, but I can't make any promises about zoo pics. Sometimes, you need a random picture to liven up a post, ya know? Also, I may now be curious about how many times I can write the word "zoo" in a single take.

Since none of my old zoo pics would upload, you get Clare who is like a zoo animal.

2.  The weekend is only looking better and better from there! Date night plus iPhone day plus general weekend goodness sounds like a recipe for success.

3.  Meanwhile, Charles and I are going through yet another round of residency options (and applications) obsession. It might be his career, but it will directly impact the life of our family in so many ways that we are really treating it as a joint decision-making process. Even so, my main concern is that he is happy in whatever program he lands in. There are just so many things to process along the way, it's daunting.

4. It also means planning our summer around rotations and board exams and that fun stuff. I'm excited to actually make some plans and have some adventures, though. Last summer, I worked right up until Charles' board exam. Then he started 3rd year rotations. Then there was that little snag of birthing a baby, followed by months of rotating and child-rearing and sleep-deprivation. Good times. For real, it was awesome. But the adventures were more "first-time parent" than "explore and conquer."

5. In Wednesday's 5 Faves post, I included a comment about eating cottage cheese that I feel needs to be modified slightly. I am enjoying cottage cheese so long as I don't think about the stories my dad tells about watching the stuff get made. It is probably fascinating in a Mr. Rogers kind of way, but it always grosses me out. Stories of blood and guts and whatever from Charles? Rarely an issue. Stories of how cottage cheese is made...can't do it.

6. There was also this picture of the current Shamrock Farms (a local dairy and food distribution company) logo. My grandpa worked with and for Shamrock for most of his adult life. He loved the company and the company loved him. As a result, there was a lot of brand loyalty when I was growing up. Milk will always be from Shamrock to me, even when it's not.

7. Since someone is now cruising, at least somewhat, I figure she deserves to have her picture on here one more time.

Standin' tall and gettin' organized!

Have a lovely weekend, and be sure to check out Jen for more!

5 Favorites, Vol. 6

Linking up with Hallie and the Crew for a few of our favorite things. (I've gone sooo long without doing it, but the Sound of Music lover in me couldn't resist any longer!)

1. Dairy products -- Huh? I've spent most of my 31 years avoiding dairy that wasn't ice cream or cheese like the plague. At dinners as a child, I happily ate my green beans but stared down the glass of milk until it was warm and gross and the dishes were done and all I could do was close my eyes and chug. A couple of months ago, I decided that low-fat (but only low-fat) cottage cheese was really good. Suddenly, last week, a cold glass of milk in the afternoon started sounding like a great idea. I don't know what's wrong with me. Don't worry, I'd still happily take a Blizzard right now if you offered one. ;)

Via (thanks, Gramps for a lifetime of love for Shamrock.)

2.  Swiffer -- I have a crawler/wanna be cruiser who leaves cracker crumbs and Cheerios in her wake like she is Gretel without her Hansel. My maybe-weekly floor cleaning has gone daily, and this handy-dandy helper is keeping me sane.

Via

3. Kraft Mac & Cheese -- I truly really honestly try to avoid prepared and packaged food. We've been doing so well at eating clean(er) lately. But somehow, my childhood favorite keeps pulling me back in. I gave in for lunch yesterday with Monster's Inc. shapes. Mmmm...

Via

4. Moxie by Zoya -- I'm not a polish connoisseur (but Andi is, so I borrow from her collection on the reg), but I can't stand unpolished toes. That means my old standbys get lots of love. Moxie is the perfect color for spring -- a bright pink that still lets me ease into summer.

Via

5. iPhone -- I finally get to join the 21st century on Saturday with my very own iPhone. I'm a little lot excited for a lot of reasons, the least of which is that my current phone is very, shall I say temperamental?, about text message reading. And juggling iPod and regular phone is annoying. And I'm sure the navigation will come in handy during our summer adventures. And I'm also sure I'll find another use or two million for it.

Via

And and and . . . head on over to Moxie Wife to see more fab favorites.

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 20

Linking up with Jen via Grace for my Friday fix. It's like doubly bad, since I can't not link with either of them...issues. Meanwhile, Jen, so glad that your little man is (by God's grace) home and doing better. Enjoy eating those cheeks and fingers and toes!

1. I was going to be all fancy and get these written yesterday and scheduled for publication today. Instead, I'm writing over Friday morning coffee while Charles gets ready (I can't believe it's already the last day of rotation -- time flies!) and Clare is still sleeping. I'm hoping to get my writing mojo back soon -- I have Liebsters to respond to and ideas in my head and drafts to clean up and publish.

2. Between the explosion in Waco, and the whole terrible situation in Boston, I've been praying, praying, praying today, as I have been all week. If you or anyone you know is affected, please know that you're in my prayers.

3.We live in such a scary world. Without God and the virtues of faith and hope, I'm pretty sure weeks like this would throw me into despair. In spite of all of that, there is joy to see in the rubble. For example, some good friends welcomed their first baby (a little boy) this week. See? Joy. Thank God for eyes to see the wholeness of the messy story that is humanity.

4. I had the weirdest little 24 hour bug this week. I felt generally icky on Sunday evening, then woke up at 3am with a terrible fever. Charles said I was burning up. I was freezing and having really strange, vivid dreams. Thankfully, the fever broke by Monday morning, and a day of laying low (or laying as low as you can when there is a 9 month old on the loose in your living room) seems to have been just what the doctor ordered and by Tuesday, I was feeling good as new.

5. No baby pictures yet? I'll fix that for ya!

6. That little bugger is starting to experiment with cruising. She has not yet moved more than a foot or two at a time, but I'm seeing the confidence growing. She also started waving hi and bye, complete with giant smile and weird squeak, this week for extra adorableness.

7.

Extra cuteness in hopes that you and yours have a lovely (and safe) weekend. Hold tight to the littles (and not so littles) in your life. I'll be doing my best, but the wild escape artist will flee and cruise around my legs all weekend instead.

5 Favorites, Vol. 5

Linking up with Hallie to share my 5 favorites this week.

1. Allergy Meds -- choosing medicine feels so cliche at this point, but I got my allergy/asthma meds refilled/tweaked yesterday (with a new, great doctor! Yay!). Breathing is good and 'tis the season. The lingering question, though, is why Flonase smells like flowers. It feels like I'm just shooting allergens up my nose.

Ah, the sweet smell of pollen. Via

 2. Newman's Own Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette -- I had forgotten how yummy this is on salads. Mmmm . . . I've finally gotten back to making us salads every night, and have been enjoying having this on them.

Via

3. Salad Spinner -- Speaking of salads, I had been lazily using bagged salad for awhile, but have been having terrible luck with it going bad on me well before the expiration date, no matter how much time I spend at the store carefully examining the package for signs of decay. Prepping the lettuce nightly is not a big chore, but it does keep me from making salads. Sunday night, I whipped out the salad spinner, and washed and prepped the lettuce for the week. I felt very Rachael Ray, but now, I have the best of all worlds. Will definitely be doing that again.

New version Via

4. Reasons My Son Is Crying -- Makes me crack up every time. Clare may only be 9 months, but we can totally relate. We joke about how we're "bad parents" for insisting she wear diapers and not eat bugs.

5.  This guy -- Cliche to brag on the hubby? Probably. But I am so blessed to have married someone who works so hard for his family and loves us so much more than I can express here. He definitely deserves a shout-out today, so here it is!

Wine tasting? Check.

 Head over to Hallie's for more lovely lists.

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 19 (on Saturday)

Wherein I link up with Jen via Grace and attempt to ramble for 7 whole takes just to keep my own record going. Yeah, I'm that cool.

1. So many prayers for Jen and her baby boy. I'm praying hard. You should too.

2. I have survived tree consecutive days of rush-rush-rush alllll day long. I'm now exhausted, and have pulled up to the couch. The D'Backs-Dodgers game is on. I'm ready for a quiet night in.

Chillaxin' and watchin' the game. AKA what I expect the evening to look like.

3. Tomorrow, we are celebrating my cousin's 4th baby and 3rd little boy. I'm so excited, and I'm so blessed to be part of her life. It does, however, mean a little more running around.

4.

Exhausted from her daily DVD organization. Choosing between rom-coms and 80s music is hard work, people.

5. Rom-Coms and music stuff are what ended up in the DVD collection when Charles and I combined at the time of marriage. Our mutual taste is not actually that eclectic. Also, I don't remember the last time I purchased a DVD. Do people still do that?

6. I am too tired to think of anything smart or witty, so I'll share Clare looking at the fish:

7. I hope your weekend is really, really blessed.

9 months

9 months. Gulp. I'm not in denial about the downward slope to a year. Not at all.

Er, um, yeah, so...

Miss Clare turned 9 months old yesterday.

She has 2 teeth!!!

She is crawling everywhere, into everything. She is basically a tornado on all-fours.

She started pulling up -- really, truly pulling up -- this week.

She eats anything offered. And anything she can get her hands on. Including microscopic pieces of rock/dust/leaf/bug/Cheerio/string she finds on the floor. Even 30 seconds after sweeping.

She pretty much thinks she's a puppy, going after shoes and destroying every Kleenex she finds (and I swear, I don't know where she finds them most of the time).

She is very talkative and happy and energetic.

She has learned how to clap and loves to clap and play and clap.

She loves to smile and stick out her crazy-kid tongue.

She makes friends everywhere we go.

She was forced to try and sit still so Mama could take a mere 39 pictures in an effort to get just the right shot with the you-don't-know-how-slow-it-is-til-you-have-kids point and shoot.

5 Favorites, Vol. 4

Linking up with beautiful mom-to-little Charlie, Hallie, to share some of my favorite things this week. What I love about this is how it makes you focus on the positive week after week. It's a good thing.

1. Beautiful baby boys. It seems like there are lots of little boys arriving in internet land (looking at you Hallie and Jen and others), and there are three coming to close friends in the next few months (and in one case, days). My prayers and love are with all of them.

2. Asparagus. I love asparagus, but try to only buy it in season, and . . . it's in season! Enjoying the glut of asparagus while I can! Yum!! Added bonus: I've finally learned to spell it correctly.

Via

3. Sharpie Pens. I just love the way they write. I mean, I love pretty much everything Sharpie, but I found a couple of these buried last week. I feel in love all over again.

Via

4. These jammies I picked up at Target. They are too cute, even if it makes me very sad that we have had to move out of yet another size in sleepwear. Seriously, Clare is a peanut, yet we can't seem to keep her in jammies. I shouldn't complain, because we've been so generously given so much that jammies are virtually the only thing we've bought her. I'm just hoping the no-footies thing will help make these last longer. Plus, I know nights are only getting warmer from here.

Via

5. I found these cookie bites on Pinterest. Of course, the link is bad and since I just followed the caption directions, I'm not too worried.

2 ripe bananas, 1 cup quick oats, 1/2 c choc chips, 1 heaping spoonful of natural almond butter.. mix well, plop spoonfuls onto baking sheet, bake at 350 for 15 mins.

Except I made them with peanut butter. You know you've seen about 500 million variations on the "old bananas + oats + chocolate" thing on Pinterest. If you're like me, you've pinned at least 100 million of them. The first version I tried was a muffin and it needed a little something more. The PB totally nailed it. Fortunately unfortunately, we seem to always have bananas around, since Clare only manages to eat about 2 inches of banana every few days, and yet I keep buying them for us to share.

Food photography is clearly my calling

Pinterest Party

Linking up with Bobbi for her Pinterest Party. I'm all about trying Pinterest recipes, so this is a little write-up on the one I tried for dinner last week.

The Pin

^^That says, "Sounds like a good week night health eat - Zucchini, Black Bean and Rice Skillet"

I had pinned this yummy idea several months ago, and found it while doing my meal planning for last week, digging through my pins, looking for a new idea.

The Project

Sales based on ZIP Code: 29016 Change This?

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Pure Wesson® Canola Oil
• 1-1/2 cups quartered lengthwise, sliced zucchini
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 can (15 oz each) Rosarita® Premium Whole Black Beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic, undrained
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup instant white rice, uncooked
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

Nutrition Information*

Serving Size	4 servings (1-1/4 cups each)
Calories	276

View complete nutrition information

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and bell pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, undrained tomatoes and water. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
2. Add rice; stir well. Cover; remove from heat and let stand 7 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with cheese.

- See more at: http://www.readyseteat.com/recipes-Zucchini-Black-Bean-and-Rice-Skillet-5623.html?WT.mc_id=RSE_JULY_28_A&WT.mc_ev=click&fmid=14269414#sthash.7djdbNS0.dpuf

Sales based on ZIP Code: 29016 Change This?

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Pure Wesson® Canola Oil
• 1-1/2 cups quartered lengthwise, sliced zucchini
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 can (15 oz each) Rosarita® Premium Whole Black Beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic, undrained
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup instant white rice, uncooked
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

Nutrition Information*

Serving Size	4 servings (1-1/4 cups each)
Calories	276

View complete nutrition information

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and bell pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, undrained tomatoes and water. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
2. Add rice; stir well. Cover; remove from heat and let stand 7 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with cheese.

- See more at: http://www.readyseteat.com/recipes-Zucchini-Black-Bean-and-Rice-Skillet-5623.html?WT.mc_id=RSE_JULY_28_A&WT.mc_ev=click&fmid=14269414#sthash.7djdbNS0.dpuf

I made the skillet for dinner on Friday. There was enough for two big helpings on Friday, and leftover for me for lunch on both Saturday and Sunday. Of course, I can't follow a recipe exactly, ever, it seems. This was no exception. I decided to add an onion and some garlic (because onion and garlic always make everything better), using regular diced tomatoes. I swapped the green pepper for green chile (because I don't care for bell pepper). I added a can of corn, because I had it in my head that there was corn in the recipe, even when reading the ingredient list, and pressed forward all headstrong with my trusty can of corn.

I started by sauteing the onions in the oil until they were translucent. From there, I followed the directions, adding the corn and chile with the beans and tomatoes, as directed.

The Product

Yum!

Yum! I'll definitely make this one again. It was yummy, easy, and made a great meatless meal. Its flavor was not unlike a tortilla soup, and since I love tortilla soup, I declare it a winner!