More Pictures I Haven't Shown You

Consider this the Miss M Edition!  I didn't realize that I had so many goodies to share with you, but here we go.  Here we are when she was less than one day old!

 The Divine Miss M and two of her great aunties.  My sister and I have declared ourselves the Super Aunties, not to be outdone! 

 This was the same night, on her first visit to Nana and Grandpa's. 

 And here she is in her Hello Kitty outfit.  Isn't she too sweet?

 The next four pictures were taken by my friends, David Michael and Lauren Webb.  They are a wonderful team (and are expecting their own little girl later this year)!  I encourage you to go to their website and see more of their work!

And finally, these two that I took recently.  I love the funny face in the first one, but it's the second one that really gets me!  I love that sweet girl to pieces!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Leap Day Edition

1. The Hodgepodge falls on the last day of February this year, a leap year. How will you spend that extra day?

I will spend that day the way I do most, teaching the kiddos.  I think Leap Day should be a holiday so that we have a chance to get a little something extra done!  After work, I'm planning to work in the makeshift music room at the school because, I haven't told you guys this yet, but next school year I will be teaching two music classes!!  I'm equal parts excited and scared out of my mind!


 

2. What has recently required a leap of faith on your part?

I would have to say agreeing to teach music.  I have no real clue what I am doing.  But I also think that just getting up and facing the day sometimes takes a leap of faith.  I guess it just depends on your view.

 

3. We're one week into the season of Lent...are you marking these 40 days in some way? Giving something up or adding something extra to normal life? How's it going so far?

I've decided that I'm not giving up or adding anything in particular.  I am working on forgiveness and compassion being a bigger part of my every day walk.  And so far, it's hard.  But, I didn't really expect it to be easy.

 

4. When was the last time you sat beside a fire?

Hmmm...probably this fall when my sister and her boyfriend made a fire pit this fall at my parents'.  We'd had chili and they had carved pumpkins and so we just sort of hung out.  It was nice.  (This is, of course, if you don't count sitting by the fire at a Cracker Barrel.)

5. Surf and Turf is on the menu. Do you order as is or do you ask for just the surf (lobster), just the turf (steak), or a menu so you can select another option?

Turf all the way!  I love a good steak!

6. If you could have any television program back, not in reruns but in new episodes, what program would you choose?

Gilmore Girls.  Hands down.  Didn't even have to think about it for a minute.  (Though it did have a pretty nice series finale.)

7. They say an elephant never forgets. These days would you say your memory is more like an elephant or a gnat?

Well, it's not really my memory that is the problem.  It's more my attention span.  And it is more gnat than elephant for sure!!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

The news stories you will be seeing in the next few hours about storms in the Midwest?  (already saw a link on MSN)  Yeah, those weren't that far from where I live.  My people are all safe and my only complaint was that I didn't have power this morning, but others weren't nearly as lucky.  If you could say a prayer for those people or send out some good thoughts or whatever it is you might do, it would be much appreciated.

Can't We All Be Right?

Tara (aka Macy Jane's mom) is back to blogging, and in her most recent post, she addresses a subject that's been bugging me too.  Why can't we, as women, respect the choices of other women?  And why do we feel that we have to justify ourselves so loudly to the world?  I know that some people would probably give that whole feminist thing about how because women have been, and continue to be, oppressed and limited by societal expectations, we feel that we have to fight to make our voices heard. And maybe there's some true in that, even if we do it subconsciously.  But that's not really what I'm getting at.

What I am talking about I see and hear every single day, and it's one of the least attractive characteristics of women.  (And I'm not going to lie, sometimes it is coming out of my own mouth.)  We judge others by what we would do in a given situation.  It's more than just working moms vs. stay-at-home moms, though that's certainly a polarizing topic.  For instance, if I come in early and stay late at work, my boss might think I'm doing a great job, but I've had others say I'm a workaholic.  As far as I'm concerned, I'm just doing what it takes to survive.  If I say that I'm happy being single (at least most of the time) or that I'm not sure that I want kids (no matter how much I like them), someone always comes along to say that I should try harder to meet someone or that surely I will change my mind about kids.  Would it be so wrong if I didn't? 

I am probably one of the most insecure people out there, and I love validation just as much as the next girl.  I'm a people pleaser to my very core.  But I will be the first one to tell you that just because I have made the choices I've made, doesn't mean your choices are wrong.  (Of course, it doesn't mean they are right, either.)  But I think we can all agree that there is nothing more annoying than someone trying to force ideas down your throat.  I think if we would stop trying to hard to prove that we are doing something right or something special, we'd all be a little easier to deal with. 

So, on top of my forgiveness thing I am working on (somewhat begrudgingly, because it's hard), I'm also trying to be less judge-y about the people around me.  Which is only slightly harder than forgiveness, because sarcasm and a sharp tongue are kind of my bread and butter.  But if my mom can give up Hershey's Kisses for 40 days, I can at least try to be a little nicer.  But I'm probably going to need more chocolate...

The Oscars

I've mentioned once or a thousand times about how I have always loved awards shows.  There's just something that has always enticed me about the glitz and the glamour, the shiny awards, the tearful speeches.  It's probably equal parts my attraction to shiny things and my childhood dream that I would one day be making one of those speeches.  Let's just say more than one mirror in my parents' house was an audience to drafts of my acceptance speeches. 

So, of course, I stayed up for the Oscars.  And honestly, I'm not sure how I felt about the show as a whole.  Billy Crystal was okay.  He was sometimes hard to understand (the sound wasn't great), but the recorded bits were pretty funny.  (Loved the one with Melissa McCarthy!)  And I was mostly pleased with the winners of the big awards.  There weren't a lot of surprises, so maybe that's what left me feeling a little blah.  One speech I did love was Octavia Spencer's.  You could see how honored she truly was...and that standing ovation!  The Oscars aren't the Grammys--they don't stand up for just anybody.  And while I love Meryl Streep, I wish there was some way that Viola Davis could have won too!  I just loved The Help, and their performances (and the rest of the cast, including Jessica Chastain who was also nominated) were just phenomenal.  But, there were a lot of great perfomances this year overall.

Let's talk fashion....I'm having a time picking my favorite dress of the night!  There were some really great ones.  Entertainment Weekly has a great spread, as does People.  But I think my very favorite was Jessica Chastain's Alexander McQueen gown.  It was the perfect choice for her skin tone, and it just looked very regal without being too revealing (looking at you, J. Lo!). 

 source

And though it pains me to say this, because I think she is a bit overhyped, I also really liked Angelina Jolie's dress.  She really looked the part of a movie star in it.  

Did you watch the Oscars?  What was your favorite moment?  Dress?  I'd love to hear all about it in the comments!

I'd Come Up With Something Clever, But It's Friday

Anyone else come to the end of their energy but still have a lot of week left?  That's kind of how Friday is feeling for me.  I have so many things that I really need to take care of, but I seem to be lacking in motivation.  Hopefully, I feel a little more motivated come Saturday, because my house needs some serious help.  Too many weeks of dealing with school stuff or pretty much anything other than my house is showing, worse than it normally is.  (Shut up, Sheena! hee hee)

I've been thinking about Lent this week.  Growing up Catholic, Lent plays such an important role in your life, even if you don't really get the whole thing.  As a kid, I remember giving up something and then pigging out on Sundays because Sister Nancy always said that Sundays were "little Easters" and didn't count.  When I was old enough to understand, I chose not to observe the whole "giving up" or "adding" thing, and then I became Protestant and no one really even mentioned Lent at all.  Maybe it's because I am in this place of spiritual indecision about denominations and rules and what-have-you, but I find myself really wanting to pick up some kind of Lenten practice this year. 

I've been thinking about what I could focus on and a few things have come to mind.  I could spend more time reading the Bible or focusing on some form of study.  I could find ways to give charitably of my time and my money.  (When I was a kid, my mom made me iron the altar cloths.  It easily took me three hours to do it correctly, so it's safe to say ironing for Jesus is probably out.)  I could practice being kind like my friend, Jessie, has been.  This morning, during my short trip to work, something else came to mind---forgiveness.  I know that as Christians we are supposed to be all about forgiveness, and when it's easy, I am.  But there are some things that I am hanging onto that weren't little things that someone did to me.  They were the kind of big that you just don't get over.  These are the kind of things that grow hate and bitterness. 

I'm not saying that I won't read the Bible or give charitably during this time, or practice kindness.  These are things we are supposed to be doing all the time, but I will admit I don't.  I forget or get busy doing something else and lose my focus.  But I really feel like this forgiveness thing is what I am supposed to be working on for the next 40 days.  I don't know what that will look like.  I have a feeling that it will be more about what is in me than what happened to me.  Either way, prayers would be appreciated. 

I didn't really intend for this to become something serious, and yet here we are.  Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 2/22

1. February 22nd is National Be Humble Day...what makes you proud? What keeps you humble?

     My students would be the answer to both of those this week.  They have been working on their family tree projects and some of them are just outstanding and I am so proud of them.  And as for humble, teaching junior high students is a guaranteed way to stay humble.  They don't miss a single error, be it typo or fashion.

2. Where is the catch-all (aka dumping ground) in your house?

HAHA!  My whole house?  The worst place in my dining room table, though.

3. Do you make it a point to visit State/National Parks when you travel or even in your own hometown? What's your favorite?

I'm not really a big outdoors person.  I would like to visit a few of the parks in the west, like Yellowstone.  My favorite I've been to is Smoky Mountain National Park.



4. How would you define honor?

Honor is standing up with your dignity and moral code intact, even when it would be much easier to go with the flow. 

5. Angel's food or Devil's food-which cake do you prefer?

Love them both, but I would always rather have the chocolate!



6. What's the most recent road trip you've taken? Where did you go and how many hours did you spend in the car? Do you like to zoom to your destination without stopping or leisurely wind your way there with stops along the way? What is your car snack of choice?

I've talked about it before but this marks the fifth year that my girls and I have gone on a road trip.  Sometimes it's just me and Amber, but this year, we are adding Casey and going to visit Tara!  I'm a big fan of not having too many stops, because I love to brag about what good time we made.  I want there to be some room to leisurely wind, but not too much.  And I want all of the snacks.  You have to balance sweet and salty.  Two essentials are Twizzlers and snack crackers (Cheez-Its or Ritz Chips).



7. Recent headlines told how a preschool child in NC had their packed lunch from home taken away and a school lunch substituted by a school inspector who deemed the homemade lunch unhealthy. Reportedly the parent was then billed for the school lunch (chicken nugget meal) although an update to the story says the parent was not billed. The inspector was conducting a routine inspection of the classroom-he/she was not there solely to peek in the lunchboxes. The packed lunch contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple juice box, a bag of chips, and a banana. You can read the story here. Your thoughts?

Unleashing my thoughts on this subject is a little dangerous, but I will try to stay in control.  I don't think it's anyone's business what a parent packs in a child's lunch unless the child has something unsafe or doesn't have anything.  I think that to take a lunch and insist that the school lunch replace it is kind of a joke.  (Especially if you see the state of school lunches most of the time.)  I am all for kids eating healthy, but I think there's a very fine line between what we can legislate and what we can't.  And some of this is just out of line.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I can't wait for this crud to pass so I can stop coughing and hold my niece!  Not being able to hold her on Sunday was pure torture!!  Plus it will just be nice to be back to normal.

Under Pressure

I just received the following email...

Hi Katie,
Lydia & Kate started following all of your pinboards. Follow Lydia & Kate back.
Happy Pinning!
- Ben and the Pinterest Team

It made me scream.  Then panic.  What if they think my pins are lame?  This is Lydia & Kate as in Rants From Mommyland, ya'll.  The people whom I deeply admire, even though I have no plans to actually become a mommy.  Even though they probably just followed everyone who followed them after their most recent post, I suddenly feel the need to be way funnier and more awesome than normal.  This is some serious Pinterest pressure, people!