7 Quick Takes

1 - Gosh I really love this song. And I'm totally impressed that Walk Off the Earth is capable of more than just playing one guitar and covering Gotye. Stupid me for thinking they were a one hit wonder.


2 - I found another treat that JF can eat. It also happens to be one of my favorite things:

 Rice Krispie treats. Holy cow those things are amazing!

Anyways, we've long known that marshmallows are safe for JF, as are Rice Krispies. Then, at the suggestion of my online (and in-real-life) friends I made them with coconut oil. I'll even tell you a secret, the coconut oil above tasted coconut-y and it made the RKTs even better. Oh my gosh.

Anyways, YAY for one more treat that is nut, dairy, and egg free! And thanks to all the friends who suggested coconut oil!


3 - This:

is a lesson I learned from the executive director of the Behold Conference. Not that she ever sat down and told me, "Bonnie, this is what a mature, adult, sincere apology looks like: I'm sorry; it's my fault; what can I do to make it right?" but she did model it for me over and over again. When she apologized to me, when she helped me "script" conversations I'd need to have with others, when she apologized to others she always said some variation of those three things. Even when her fault was tiny compared to the fault of the other. Even when the other never apologized back.

Learning that lesson is one of the many ways that Behold helped me grow in virtue and become a better woman. Sometimes I really miss working on Behold. I can't wait for March 2014 so I can attend the conference and be a part of it again.


4 - As many of you know I lost my first child when I was about five weeks pregnant. If you've ever lost a baby I know you know how painful it was and is, even though after all these years I have some peace.

Because of my miscarriage I am so very grateful for my friend RyAnne's efforts to help grieving parents. RyAnne's first child, Caleb, was stillborn and in her grief she found a way to honor her son and bring peace to the minds, souls, and hearts of parents who were walking in the same shoes she was walking in.

If you have lost a child during pregnancy or infancy I encourage you to attend the A Mother's Love retreat on Saturday, July 27th at St. Philomena's in Peoria, IL. Meals are provided, it is open to couples and is free of charge. Please register with RyAnne by emailing amotherslove2@gmail.com. Also, please note that while it is done from a Catholic perspective it is open to parents of all faith backgrounds. You can also find more information at RyAnne's blog, Good Grief!


5 -So Travis and I bought a dump and have been fixing it up slowly. So we kinda pulled a Dwija but we actually knew what we were getting ourselves into. Mostly - we mostly knew.

I don't have a good picture of what the backyard used to look like but you can kinda get a sense from these two pictures.

Grass doesn't grow, but weeds do!

Our house was first a house and then each level was an apartment that seemingly half of my town lived in at one point or another. Eventually we got rid of the upstairs apartment's entryway and toilet.

And then we dreamed of the day we could put in a patio and flower beds. It took years but it finally happened.

Travis worked his butt off getting everything level, building the forms, and whatnot.

His brother, dad, and uncle came down to help and after a few hours of hard work it was done.

The next day Travis cleaned up the flower beds, laid down some mulch, and we are finally to a place where we can enjoy our backyard.

The kids and I even had some pool time the other day.

See that tree? That tree shades the whole patio all day long. It's perfect.

And the stairs that lead to the back porch used to end at the back of the house. Now the porch ends there, making things so much safer and nicer and better. 

And we still have a bit of work to do, some more mulch to lay, patio furniture to arrange, and bushes and hostas and flowers to buy and plant. But in the meantime it's still so great.

And look - no more toilets! 

Good job, Trav. Well done, babe.

6 - We had a good couple of hours outside the other day. Until suddenly I was just done (that happens a lot when I'm pregnant) and I made the kids go inside for naps and quiet time. But I was still "World's Best Mom" that day because I actually even put my suit on too. It's the little things.

7 - And here's a joke.

Thanks, Jen for hosting!