Whatcha Readin'

I recently finished The Shack and The Girl Who Played with Fire, yes conflict of interests for sure. I quickly put The Shack in the mail to my mom who has to read it! I was skeptical when first hearing about it for some reason. I didn't even really know what it was about but something just wasn't intriguing at the time. Funny how God works though. The book's message, or should I say messages, are so fitting for my life right now. Somehow I needed to hear God's love for us, for me, gently resting on those pages. I think they'd hit any believer thirsty for God at any moment in their lives. But God chose this moment for mine.
I picked some of my favorite lines to share. Sift through them; they may reel you in to reading. Sorry, I can't send you my copy though. It's in LA. Actually, it's my mom's copy anyway!

Then scroll down to see what I'm reading next.

A bird’s not defined by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions that I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image.”

.“Mack, pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly.” She waited a moment, allowing her words to settle. “And if left unresolved for very long, you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place.”

"Evil is a word we use to describe the absence of Good, just as we use the word darkness to describe the absence of Light or death to describe the absence of Life. Both evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to Light and Good; they do not have any actual existence. I am Light and I am Good. I am Love and there is no darkness in me. Light and Good actually exist. So, removing yourself from me will plunge you into darkness. Declaring independence will result in evil because apart from me, you can only draw upon yourself. That is death because you have separated yourself from me: Life." 

"Don't ever discount the wonder of your tears. They can be healing waters and a stream of joy. Sometimes they are the best words the heart can speak."

"So, why do I have so much fear in my life?"

"Because you don't believe. You don't know that we love you. The person who lives by his fears will not find freedom in my love. I am not talking about rational fears regarding legitimate dangers, but imagined fears, and especially the projection of those into the future. To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe that I am good not know deep in your heart that I love you. You sing about it, you talk about it, but you don't know it."

"Love is not the limitation; love is the flying."

"I am especially fond of you." 

I'm especially fond of this guy, but God feels that way about all of us!

What's a blog post without baby pics

“Emotions are the colors of the soul; they are spectacular and incredible. When you don’t feel, the world becomes dull and colorless.

The trouble with living by priorities is that it sees everything as a hierarchy, a pyramid, and you and I have already had that discussion. If you put God at the top, what does that really mean and how much is enough? How much time do you give me before you can go on about the rest of your day, the part that interests you so much more?

"I am a verb. I am that I am. I will be who I will be. I am a verb! I am alive, dynamic, ever active and moving. I am a being verb. And as my very essence is a verb, I am more attuned to verbs than nouns. Verbs such as confessing, repenting, living, loving, responding, growing, reaping, changing, sowing, running, dancing, singing, and on and on. Humans, on the other hand, have a knack for taking a verb that is alive and full of grace and turning it into a dead noun or principle that reeks of rules. Nouns exist because there is a created universe and physical reality, but the universe is only a mass of nouns, it is dead. Unless 'I am' there are no verbs and verbs are what makes the universe alive."

Paradigms power perception and perceptions power emotions. Most emotions are responses to perception—what you think is true about a given situation. If your perception is false, then your emotional response to it will be false too. So check your perceptions, and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms—what you believe. Just because you believe something firmly doesn’t make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe. The more you live in the truth, the more your emotions will help you see clearly. But even then, you don’t want to trust them more than me.”

So what's next? I'm currently on page 156  of my large print, library copy of Juliet by Anne Fortier. Interesting so far. Giulietta (maybe a name for Wyatt's younger sister??? no, not an announcement!), formerly Julie Jacobs, is not in Italy with a key to a safety deposit box left to her by her dead mother through her dead Aunt. If that makes any sense. It's a modern Romeo and Juliet complete with Shakespeare allusions throughout. Check it out.
 I'm not sure where I heard about it, perhaps one of Oprah's "Books to Watch For." Don't worry; Oprah does not dictate my reading by any means. I simply like to see what she's hyping, and a book catches my eye here and there. 
I also checked out Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan after seeing it on Blue-Eyed Bride's Goodreads. I was looking for something light, and this look into the lives of four college roommates is sure to recall sweet memories of my own college besties and help me remember to cherish them more and more as we travel though life's chapters. 

AND THEN...I just bought Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.  Again, looking for something purely entertaining, and hearing about this memoir on a blog I follow drew me in. 

Time to wrap this up and get reading! Check out our little reader below. He's starting early. 

 
 

It's A First For Me

I'm a new baby, and there are so many things I've gotten to do for the first time ever! Let my proud Momma share a few with you! (Guess who started this post almost a month ago!)

I'm 2 months now

 Are you ready for some football?  The games are only pre-season, but this household's two favorite teams played each other. Wyatt sported his (now-too-tight) Texans onesie but showed his Saints pride with the great bib his Nana bought him.

Yes, this is Wyatt's first Mohawk. He's got the perfect hairline for it, so why not? Perhaps I should call this first the first time Momma plays "dress-up" with baby. He's got such personality already! I love it. Although, now that I'm writing this later, taking pictures of him is becoming more difficult. He's much more interested in the camera as a toy instead of making cute baby faces.

You've read the Baptism post. Here we are below at our first mass. Why is the church so empty you ask? Well, we got there early--too early. I was sure Mass started at 12:30. Nope 12:45. Oooopps. Since then we've made it a goal to get to 9:00 am mass. It works with Wyatt's wake-up schedule AND now that football is in swing, we don't have to worry about missing or recording a Texans game.

Wyatt's first Mass celebrated the Assumption which was super special to me. It's such an awesome reminder that we can call on and rely upon our ultimate Mother in Heaven. A woman of strength, trust, holiness, and love--a woman we can all shoot to become.

Aunt Kim and Joyce met us before starting school for Wyatt's first Ragin Cajun visit. This will surely be the first of many dinners out for our little Shrimp.

Guess who's had this picture a while? Yep, but give this mom a break. Here's Wyatt's first bath, well, the aftermath. I love baby towels!

Add caption

The force is strong with you

Momma and Daddy found their courage when we took Wyatt out for our first post preggers restaurant meal. We went to Grimaldi's where we enjoyed MANY a pizza when I was pregnant. Kiddo slept the entire time. Well done Wyatt. We've since went out on other occasions. He does a great job and makes it easy for us to get out of the house for a bit.

Smiling 'rents

I forgot that I did this, but here's Wyatt's first introduction to Butterball, the stuffed animal I've had for 29 years of life! He truly looks his age! This dog has seen my range of emotions and never left my side. I know; he can't. Butterball is probably my most sentimental attachment, but I hope one day Wyatt gets to enjoy his company. I know; he doesn't talk. Well, probably not to anyone besides me.

It's Wednesday, Time to Make Weekend Agenda

For C. Cowboy, this probably means setting the DVR for which college games he wants to see. For me, this means making a honey-do list for Cowboy and maybe planning a menu, hopefully something that can last into next week!
I want to bake. Man I want to bake! But the Shrimp can't tolerate dairy currently and what can you bake without butter and milk? There are some substitutes out there. I might give something a shot.

Here's what we'll (and by we I mean Cowboy) will hopefully be up to:

1. Hang outdoor clothes line

Cowboy found this gem on amazon and I can't wait for him to hang it. I do dry most of our clothes but hardly any of my tops/blouses/jeans/dress pants/anything that might shrink! I also received a handy tip from my friend Ann about stains. Place the stained piece of clothing in the sun before washing and drying and the sunlight helps to eliminate it. I've forgotten about this and sprayed stain remover and then remembered and still used the technique. Magic!

2. Replace a bulb in the den and in our bedroom. This one's boring. Well, it has taken 3.5 years for something to burn out in this house!

3. Hang up a new piece of art in Shrimp's room. Our dear friend Sarah gave Wyatt a sweet prayer, and I can't wait to see it on the walls. Picture later. Speaking of later, I need to go back and review those three blog posts I promised.

4. Hit Lowes for a flag pole. Every house should have a flag pole if for no other reason than to proudly display our American flag in respect to those who serve in the military. We've been wanting to do this for a while. It's also football season and we got a great LSU flag to sport here in TX. Let's get on it!

5. Lastly, one of my pregnancy cravings is sneaking up again. I hope to hit the mall for a pretzel and icee!

It's already Wednesday, so what are your weekend plans?

First Football Weekend 2010

 WHOA--It's the first weekend of real football!

Wyatt was stoked. In fact, so excited that he had trouble going to sleep Saturday night. We aren't sure if it was disappointment with the Tigers or anticipation for the Texans on Sunday.
Either way, here's how we spent out time.

Starting early on Thursday, we made sure everyone was well rested. Wyatt took the time to pose with Momma after a nap. He's still rocking the double cul-de-sac. Grow in side hair, grow in!

 Friday was "Go Texans Day" here in Houston, and while there was nowhere to go, C. Cowboy made sure to declare our household part of the fun. Wyatt rocked his pretty-much-too-small onesie for the day. I think this picture makes his head look huge. Good brains, kid, good brains. He's not so much in the mood for smiling when we get the camera out as he becomes more interested in it as a toy. I have to sneak attack him.

I did use my ninja skills to snag this one while we were waiting for Daddy to come home Friday afternoon. What a dollface.

 Is Saturday in "Death Valley" any match for Casa de Loupe. I'll let you be the judge of that. (And I hope Ali is reading this blog for that very quote.)

First off for any football partying is the food right? We steered clear of typical fatty "tailgating" food, and I tried this new pasta recipe. It's going to be my new go-to for BBQs or perhaps potlucks. Qualifiers: it's super easy, makes a large bowl, and is quite tasty.

Here's multiplydelicious.com's Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

:

 INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 pound pasta, such as penne or fusilli
12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

**I didn't have fresh basil but some herb mix including basil that worked. I simply added it to the marinade at the beginning. I would also recommend adding more garlic, more lemon, and yes, more SALT! Next time I would also add some Tobasco or red pepper flakes for a kick.

Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, shallt, garlic, thyme, and sugar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add tomatoes, yellow pepper, and lemon zest and gently toss.  Let marinate at room temperature for15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and run cold water over pasta to stop the cooking.  Set pasta aside and let cool slightly.
Add the pasta to the the large bowl with marinated tomatoes and yellow bell peppers and gently toss.  Stir in mozzarella, spinach, and basil (and chicken if using) until well combine.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

I did add chicken to mine for a heartier dinner. 

While I don't have step by step cooking pictures, I do have this web gem--a close up of the MINI farfalle pasta. How cute is it?!? It may be Fall's hottest trend. I will have to see what other recipes I can concoct with it in the upcoming weeks. Of course, we do need some Fall weather for me to get excited about this.

 We were very lucky for this little man to nap while we ate. A dinner with two hands shared with a husband? Winner!

And then it was game time! Wyatt watched with intensity but became quite annoyed with LSU's weak offense, particularly with Jordan Jefferson. He's not a fan.

 No Sunday pictures. Instead you get this blog post. As of right now the Texans are up by 10 and Wyatt's napping. We have some gumbo defrosting for supper, and I am about to dive back into The Girl Who Played With Fire. A good day! Hold on, Texans! Hold on!

"You're Dressed Up Today. You Have on Jeans." Well, Yes Cowboy, it's your Bday

At this point my "mom-style" doesn't go far, so yes, jeans is "dressed up" I guess. AND, this was my second pair of jeans for the day. Wyatt helped with that one. Props to C. Cowboy for noticing!
I did have to bring the Shrimp to the doctor, and I often feel like I look so ragged when I go, so I jazzed it up a bit. Plus it was Cowboy's birthday and I knew we'd be having a special dinner. Little did I know that Wyatt's tummy made it a little hectic, but at the end of the day, Wyatt sat in his swing outside and Momma and Daddy enjoyed a great steak dinner. Thanks kiddo!

Cowboy grilled the steaks, and I prepped these bad boys:

Scott's Inside Out Loaded Potatoes (sans cheese)

 Did I mention that I love saying "sans?" I digress.
Here's what you do:


Boil red potatoes until fork tender.

 Chop up some green onions.

Enjoy a beverage of choice. At 3:00 on a random Wednesday mine happened to be caffeine free coke.

 Bake up some yummy bacon.

 Combine all in a bowl and then place on a baking dish. (Sorry no pics there.) Top with cheese (unless you are avoiding dairy) and bake at 350 until cheese is schmelty-delicious. You can also add sour cream when serving or add a packet of ranch dressing mix before baking.

FOOD PORN!

 And here's the bday boy. We opened a bottle of wine we got in Sonoma a few years ago. We've been saving these for special occasions, but without a place to store wine in this TX heat, who knows how long they will stay good? So we tried one, a 2005 reserve merlot. It hit the spot.

 We ate on the patio and Wyatt enjoyed some time with his Da-da. They shared a bday today, Wyatt reached double digits at 10 weeks!

 Happy Birthday Boys! I love you more than I can say! You'll never be sans love. (Ha-just had to throw it in there again.)

Down to the River to Pray

Oh sisters let's go down, let's go down, come on down. Oh sister's let's go down, down to the river to pray.

This Labor Day weekend we celebrated a "labor of love" from God as we welcomed Wyatt into our faith community with his Baptism. Here are the highlights. No, there was no dunking in a river, but a beautiful fountain with our favorite friends and family there to support us and Wyatt. As the deacon reminded us during the homily, children are gifts from God, and we are so thankful that God loves us enough to "borrow" this little guy for a while.  May he always see God's love in us as his parents.

Wyatt enjoyed hanging out on Saturday for his "pre-party" reception. Close friends from out of town came in, which made the weekend even more special. C. Cowboy woke up at 5:00 (technically 4:30 as he comforted Wyatt first) and put the pork in the smoker. It was deluxe! Perhaps food porn to come with the leftovers. We were too busy to take any food pics that day. In fact, I didn't take as many pictures as I wish I had all weekend. Hopefully some visitors will send theirs soon.

Wyatt finally met some of his parents' peeps. Hello Aunt Suzanne!

 Aunt Carra made a beautiful (and oh so yummy--you missed out if you didn't have any!) cake for the party with the cross and Alpha and Omega. May God always be at the beginning and end of all Wyatt's steps on his journey.

 Nanny decorated the Baptism candle with such a thoughtful presentation. The front includes symbols of our faith, and it will be a neat way to teach Wyatt about our Christian beliefs. There is a cross with five points to represent the five wounds of Christ, a key for the Kingdom of God, an angel's wing, a seashell as a symbol of Baptism, a heart for Jesus's love, a butterfly as representation of the new beginning of this faith journey, and a Saint Anthony medal -- Wyatt's middle name.
I don't have a picture of the back, but it quotes Matthew 3:16 and contains a dove and his Baptism date. It's truly a special way to remember this day and all it stands for.

 We were so happy to visit and play with Uncle Rich and Rich J. I can't wait to watch these boys grow up together. Believe.

 Wyatt also hung out with his favorite Aunt Ni-Ni and his great cousins Jared and Jordan.

He also spent some time with family. Yes, that's Mamie Jewels bouncing on the ever important exercise ball.

Parrain (Wyatt's Godfather) flew in from Arkansas and was ready to raise some antics of his own. I'll have to keep an eye on these two.

Before the ceremony on Sunday Daddy and son needed some chill time.

We are so blessed that Wyatt had the privilege and honor of wearing this heirloom gown (or jersey as deemed by C. Cowboy). My great-great-great Aunt made this for my oldest uncle for his Baptism. This beauty is about 59 years old and has been worn by all of 6 aunts/uncles, my mom, and most of the 26 grandchilden (my cousins). What an honor! So Wyatt is the first great grandchild to wear. And wow, he looked angelic! 

At the church we sat with his Godparents and then other family members in our pew. Wyatt started the ceremony with a nap.

Deacon Charles anointed Wyatt's chest with oil.

And then came the water....

This is wear things got slick (literally!) Deacon Charles put the oil of chrism, which I think smells so sweet, ALL over Wyatt's head. I'm still working on getting his hair back to normal.

The "fab four" with our new little Catholic.

Parrain and Momma

Deacon Charles blessed Wyatt's two medallions. Nanny gave him one of Saint Anthony and JuJu sent a miraculous medal. These are so special and this baby is a true miracle. May he always know that he is a child of God.

Hi Nanny. I am about to get uber-cranky

Our visiting friends! Thanks for the support!

TEAM LOUPE!

Wyatt ended his big day with eating, pooping, and then hanging out nudy-Rudy just long enough to tell Parrain bye and send him off on his way.

You did good kid. You did good.
And welcome to our faith!

--The soul is healed by being with children. (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)