June Blooms

Before I lived in California as a kid, I remember June being called "June gloom".  After moving to Colorado, I was amazed to realize that there were actually more sunny days in here than in "sunny California".  When I moved away, I realized how much I took the sunshine for granted.  It's not unusual here for there to be snow in the morning and sun in the afternoon.  It's really not all that often that there are days without the sun peaking out at least a little.   I'm starting to get a little sentimental knowing that we'll be leaving Colorado once again.  The weather is nice in North Carolina too, but there's just something about my home state, you know?

Anyway, I'd love you to meet some sweet sponsors on this sunny day.  No June gloom here.

 Meet Buhbay.

Personalized art prints. Christian décor.
 Filling homes with the Word of God.  
Current, fashionable designs.  Witty & fun. 

Hi, I’m Amanda, proud owner of Buhbay. I’m a full-time mom, and part time graphic designer. At Buhbay, every one of my art prints is made with love and warm fuzzies. My art is inspired by my own two kids, and my passion about displaying the Word of God in our homes in a way kids will love, and you’ll love too!

shop | pinterest | facebook

Meet Inktastic.

Personalized onesies. Personalized baby clothes.
Family friendly apparel. Custom t-shirts.  

 
Inktastic is a family owned business that offers family friendly custom t-shirts and apparel with an emphasis on personalized baby clothing.  Select from our wide variety of high quality graphics or create your own personalized message.  Top quality products at affordable pricing for one of a kind custom printed apparel.

shop | shop for baby | pinterest | facebook

Meet Brett.

Orphan. CP.  Needs a mama. 
Adorable. So much promise.

Brett is an orphan in Eastern Europe who needs a mama.  I started advocating for him through Reece's Rainbow in April 2012 because I couldn't believe that such an adorable little boy should face life in an orphanage and eventually a mental institution just because his legs don't work.  I'm hoping through this blog that we can find Brett some parents and give him a brighter future in Canada or the USA.

facebook | Reece's Rainbow | blog

Meet Patty.

 Newlywed. Youth Minister. Grad Student. 
Passionately Catholic. Lover of books & traveling.

My name is Patty and I blog over at Tales of Me and the Husband.  Grab a hot cup of tea or a glass of wine and stop on by, would love to get to know you!  I write about it all: from marriage, faith, new recipes, book reviews...and it's all done with honesty and on occasion a wee bit of sass!
pinterest | twitter | instagram | blog

 

Meet Sarah.

Wife to Dan. Mother to Emily & Erin. Daughter of God. 
Lover of family, faith, food, and life.

 I'm Sarah, a young Catholic wife and mommy who loves to run, cook, bake, write, keep house (most of the time), and spend time outside. I'm the lucky wife to a wonderful husband and mother of baby twin girls. I strive to include my faith in all parts of my life, and I'm excited to share our journey as a newly made family of four - come join us!

facebook | twitter | pinterest | blog

If you'd like to be part of the sponsor spotlight next month, 
check out the sponsorship options! I'd love to have you!

7 Quick Takes Friday (94)

--- 1 ---

We spent the day yesterday with David's family including two of his uncles from out of town.  One I had never met before and one I met at our rehearsal dinner wedding; we were a bit busy at the time so I barely got to speak with him.  It was really nice to get to know them a bit and have them meet Lucia.  David's uncles come to the area from time to time to visit his grandparents and I'm sad we won't be around for their future visits.  David still hasn't met his three youngest cousins (one was born just this year).  

--- 2 ---

David's uncle was wearing this really cool iPhone case.  When someone asked him about it, he said that his wife designed it!  Crazy, right?  David's aunt wanted something that she could just stick her phone, ID, and credit card in so she would have to take a purse with her everywhere.  She couldn't find exactly what she wanted so she designed her own and they are now selling them.  I love the idea, especially for moms with big diaper bags that do not want to lug around an additional purse.  Unfortunately I have a dumb phone so I can't use one, but if you have a smart phone, you can buy a JHook Case at the website or on Amazon.  They come in plain styles for men or some cute patterns for the ladies.

 

--- 3 ---

David's grandpa is doing great!  I mentioned on Wednesday that he had a minor stroke last Saturday and it really was minor.  We couldn't tell any difference when we saw him yesterday and he beat my father-in-law at Oh Hell earlier in the week.  My poor father-in-law isn't doing quite as well after being bested at cards by a stroke victim fresh out of the hospital.  Thanks for all your prayers!

 

--- 4 ---

How about I share with you some of the best blog posts I read this week? How about this one about Kangaroo Sex? Every Conversations with Julia post Grace has ever written. David even joyfully reads those.  (And frets that our Lucia won't be that funny.)  An awesome reflection on the postpartum body.

--- 5 ---

Recap of what I wrote this past week: I joined Hallie to share my Five Favorites.  Wrote a little Father's Day tribute to my husband (you have to see the picture of David with our daughter & goddaughter - so sweet!).  Shared what I've been reading, Twitter-style.  Had a great guest post by Megan about beauty, dignity, and chambray. 

--- 6 ---

Are there any "mommy memoirs" that are from the point of view of more natural/crunchy/attachment parenting mamas?  I love me a funny motherhood book, but I just don't feel like I relate to them very well.  I'm just a bit tired of all the jokes of how epidurals are the best thing ever created or how having a baby makes you want to get back on birth control right away.  I can usually overlook these comments, but it would be so nice to read a book by a woman that has more of a similar parenting style/lifestyle as me.  Does a book like this exist? Please tell me you know of one!

--- 7 ---

Can I give you a little sneak peak of my sweat pea's 18 month photo session?  There were so many great pictures that I'll probably just have to make a whole post out of them but I couldn't resist sharing one of my favorites with you now.

 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Five Favorites (4): Nuns and wedges and free books, oh my!

  I wrote my five favorites, then hopped back up here to write an introduction that ties them all together and...I'm speechless.  I think the only thing these five have in common is that I like them. Hmm...


Dr. Scholl's Milestone Wedges. Can you believe these gorgeous shoes are from Dr. Scholl's?  I'm imagining they feel like pillows on my feet and are so cute to boot! Available at 6pm.     College Savings Accounts.
Lucia is a very, very fortunate little girl.  She has everything she needs and everything she wants (not that she really knows what she wants at this age!).  I love being able to direct family to her college savings account for birthdays and holidays.  She gets money for college and limits the stress caused by clutter from more toys that we just don't have room for (especially with the upcoming move!).  Super win-win situation.
   

Star of David bracelet.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've been drawn to Judaic jewelry, especially those with the Star of David.  I love the idea of honoring my Jewish roots (both the Jewish roots of Christianity and my personal heritage - my grandfather's family was Jewish).     

Nuns & Religious Sisters.  Before my last job, I don't think I had ever even had a conversation before with a religious sister.  My boss and several co-workers were sisters, though, and such a joy to get to know and work with.  I'm going to miss them.  Also, I had to steal this video from Jen at Conversion Diary because who doesn't love nuns at the top of the music charts? (Classical music, but still!)  I think it's so important that people in our society see that nuns aren't just characters in movies, but real people with their own unique interests, talents, and flaws.  And little girls should grow up knowing that religious life is a possibility for their future.   

PaperbackSwap.

I'm not sure if everyone out there is already on the PaperbackSwap bandwagon, but if you're not, time to hop on.  Basically, PaperbackSwap is a site that allows you to, uh, swap your books for free.  List the books you have that you don't mind getting rid of, pay shipping to send them to someone when requested, and earn a credit once your book arrives.  You can then use that credit to request a book from another member (and they pay the shipping to send it to you, so it all works out).

Sometimes you're on a waiting list a loooooong time before getting a book you've been wanting, but you aren't charged "credits" until the book is available and you request it, so it's worth it to put every book you might possibly want to read someday on your waiting list.  If you end up buying it/borrowing it elsewhere while you're waiting, you can just take it off your wait list. If you love to read, this is a great way to do it really cheap.  Obviously, the library is even cheaper, but if you think you may want to keep a book or have a hard time finishing a book before it's due (even with 1 or 2 renewals), this is a great way to build your library while getting rid of those books that are just lying around never to be read again.

I just got Sparkly Green Earrings through PaperbackSwap and it's a fairly new release and a book I'm definitely going to be loaning out to my mommy friends, so it was definitely worth the short wait to get it.

We're spending the next few days with my husband's family, including his grandpa that had a minor stroke last weekend.  We were told that he's doing great, but some prayers that the stroke has no lasting effects would be much appreciated.  And while we're on the topic, a woman I went to college with had a stroke at age 34 last week and is also recovering well, so add her to your prayers as well? 

Thanks so much for hosting, Hallie!

To a Father Who...

...changed more diapers than anyone else

...works so hard to provide for his family

...loves babies and children and talks about how much he can't wait to have more

...makes the best breakfasts

...gets that sparkle in his eye when he sees his daughter

...leads his family closer to Christ, even if that means spending Mass every week in the foyer with a nasty, hungry, and overtired toddler

...I married in part because I knew he would be an amazing father (you proved me right)

...shows his daughter how a woman should be treated through the way he loves and respects me

...doesn't hear enough how much he is loved and appreciated

Happy Father's Day!

We spent the weekend with family, including several incredible fathers: my own dad, my Papa, my uncle, my cousin, and my wonderful husband.  David was able to take the day off Sunday and we had a relaxing day with the people we love.  The highlight of the day though was the fact that David was able to celebrate Father's Day with both our daughter and our goddaughter (my cousin's little one).  This is only the second time we've seen her since she was born (we weren't even able to make the baptism) so it's incredible that she happened to be out visiting on Father's Day!  What a blessing!  

What I've Been Reading (in 140 characters or less)

On my birthday this year, I wrote a 30 Before 30 list.  One of my goals was to read 40 books, 20 of them fiction.  That works out to only 10 books a year, and while I hope to read more than that, the last few years have been rough on reading time, so I made sure my goal was attainable.  I've finished three books since then, so I'm right on goal.  

In addition to listing completed books on my list, I decided to join Modern Mrs. Darcy's monthly book link up and write book reviews Twitter style (140 characters or less) each month to catalog what I'm reading.  This month, I threw in Lucia's favorite book as well since I read it almost daily and I can recite it by memory. 

Bringing Up Bébe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman 

French do some things better (food, balancing parenting & marriage) but so do we (nursing, natural birth). #Parenthood is hard everywhere.

A Hunger in the Heart by Kaye Park Hinckley

1950s South. Father with PTSD. Alcoholic mother. Domineering grandfather. A story of pain & forgiveness. Both heartbreaking & captivating.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Re-read before I see the movie. Love 1920s setting & timeless themes of excess, materialism, & emptiness. #justasgoodthesecondtimearound

No, David! by David Shannon

Lu's favorite, calls it "No, Dada!" Kids will recognize phrases parents always say: "No!", "Stop!", "Don't!" & ultimately, "I love you!"

Currently in the works: 
Sparkly Green Earrings
Worthy: See Yourself as God Does