7 Quick Takes, Vol. 31: On the move and the Super Bowl!

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! I'm really excited for this weekend. Super Bowl, anyone?! 

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I can't believe it's the end of football season already. Sigh. Am I the only girl saddened by this news? I love watching football, though I know we didn't watch as much this season as we normally do. Well, I didn't. I had two very cute little girls to pay attention to instead! But our Ducks had a great season, and the Seahawks made a good run to the playoffs, and now we get to choose to cheer for the 49ers or the Ravens in the Super Bowl. It's a hard decision - there are former Ducks on both teams! And the 49ers coach is a former Pac-10 coach (Pac-12, but it was only 10 when he was there).

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I'm also kind of fascinated by the fact that the two coaches are brothers. A couple of rounds ago in the playoffs, I asked Dan if there was a chance that they'd face each other in a game. He said there was, but I didn't realize until later on that it would be at the very end! I can't really imagine how that would feel. I suppose it would just be like any other Super Bowl (I can't say any other game, because we're talking about the Super Bowl) but with the ultimate family bragging rights on the line. It would be a little more strange to be their parents - you'd be happy no matter who won, but how would you choose who to cheer for? Would Mom cheer for one team and Dad for the other?

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I was just watching a spot on TV where they talked about how the prices for tickets to the Super Bowl have gone up since it was first played. The tickets started off at $15, and were up to $150 by the early 1990s, to $700 by 2006, and to $1200 in 2012. Twelve hundred dollars. Per person. That's just to get into the game! No wonder the commercial spots are worth so much - that pretty much guarantees most people will be watching on TV! Which reminds me - I do like the commercials (since I did study advertising history in college) but I always forget to pay attention. Last year was the first year I remember paying close attention!

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We're on the move around here, as I indicated in the title. No, we're not moving again any time soon, but Emily and Erin are suddenly very mobile. They are army-crawling all over the place, faster and faster every day. For some reason, there are certain things they find fascinating - like the trash can, our dustpan, and the cord for my laptop - and I spend a lot of time trying to get them away from these things. Erin also likes to pull books off the shelf and chew the corners, so I try to keep this to kid books.  Emily finds the bookshelf really interesting too, but she doesn't seem to want to eat the books. I'm okay with that.

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Last fall, I was really committed to breaking out of my older-teen style rut and getting a new, more grown-up style for clothes. Now that some of my smaller clothes are starting to fit again, I'm feeling my commitment waver. For one thing, it's a lot easier to just put on a tank, tee, and jeans every day. For another thing, I get nervous about trying to be creative with my clothes. Being petite, I also have an easier time finding clothes in teen shops - though I do have to buy bigger tops now to flatter my new mama body. I can't decide if this is something I need to work on or not - either way, I don't quite have enough space in my closet and dresser for all of my clothes, so I need to figure something out!

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As part of my new commitment to just being myself, doing what really works for us, and making sure I devote the majority of my time and energy to being a good mama and wife, I have been working on coupons. One of the things about couponing is having the space to stock up on what's on sale. If paper towels are on sale by the case, that's great if you have a place to put the extra two cases. It doesn't really pay off if you are surrounded by extra food and household supplies and they're taking over your house. Now that we have a garage, we have some plastic shelves we're filling with "stock-up" stuff, and so I'm going to try my hand at couponing! I don't want to take it too far, because I know it can be really rough on the cashiers and also border on the unethical, but I think it's possible to save money while still following the rules. Any tips? I know Beth Anne has an awesome money-saving blog that I plan to check out today - any other great sites for a beginning couponing mama?

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I'll leave you with a snapshot of life at our house - Emily is on the left, crawling after the elephant's crackly ear, and Erin is playing peekaboo with a tiny baby blanket (which, it should be noted, covered her entirely just a few short months ago!)

Emily and Erin - 7 1/2 months old already! I can't get over how cute little baby jeans look on them!

I hope you all have a great Super Bowl weekend! Go Ravens!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 28

Thanks so much to Hallie for hosting! As some of you may have heard, Jen was hospitalized with blood clots in both lungs yesterday. Please pray for her recovery and the safety of her baby!

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There were times while I was pregnant that I felt as though nothing else could go wrong. Jen's case is a sobering reminder that I was really very lucky. I can't imagine how scary it would be to face a pulmonary embolism, let alone while pregnant, let alone two of them. Please, please lift Jen and her baby in prayer. Storm heaven for them! St. Gianna and St. Michael, pray for them!

--- 2 ---

Last week, I listed my New Year's resolutions. Over the weekend, I got to thinking about why resolutions so often fail. I decided that it's worth looking into the reasons that I wasn't doing something in the first place, and trying to focus on overcoming those obstacles instead of just trying to change my habits outright.

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Emily and Erin are really starting to crawl! This has taken me somewhat by surprise - I have seen them trying to scoot around the floor for a while now, but when Emily first moved five feet in a minute, I was really shocked. She apparently really likes my shoes, because every time she crawls, it's to a pair of my shoes! I guess I might need to put them in the closet where they belong...

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Erin, on the other hand, went after something completely different. I had to wash their playmat last night, after wiping up several spitups, and so for once all of their toys were in the toy basket. Erin was on her tummy, swiping at the basket like she wanted one of the toys. I started pulling toys out in front of her, and she kept swiping at the basket. Finally, I just poured out the rest of the toys, and Erin went after a board book. She laid happily on her back and gummed the book, waving it around for effect. I definitely want to encourage a love of books - but that wasn't quite what I had in mind1

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I'm a bit late to the party this time, but I just decided to try Spotify. I liked Pandora just fine, but I find Spotify's interface easier to use. I wish I had tried it before Christmas - I had a really hard time feeling in the mood with Christmas music this year, and I think this would have helped! I love that you can run the app on your computer, and when the song changes, it flashes on the screen for just long enough that you see what's playing.

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Yet another party to which I'm arriving late - podcasts. When I started raving about bloggers publishing podcasts, Dan rolled his eyes. "Don't you remember talking about those in j-school?" (j-school=journalism school, for the unindoctrinated) The truth is, I have been a podcast person for years. I love NPR podcasts, particularly for feature-type shows that take some concentration. I play them in the car on the way to and from work. The podcasts I'd never actually downloaded were the ones put out by bloggers like Simple Mom. When I'm in the mood for something a little less serious, or I'm feeling a little blah, it's great to just tune into someone else's conversation. I am very much an extrovert, so I get energized by this type of thing. It's fabulous for when I'm cooking dinner and can't really talk to Dan or watch TV. I love cooking, but I'm too social to just do it by myself for very long! So yes, Dr. Stavitsky - you were right. Podcasts did take off. They did go hand in hand with streaming media on smartphones, which I don't think had really become mainstream until the end of our time in college, but podcasts are free of data limits and lack of wireless service.

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I have to dedicate this last take to my DUCKS! Way to show Kansas State who's boss. It would have been awesome to be in the national title game, but in 2010-11 (the year the Ducks lost to Auburn for the national championship), their record was 12-1. This season, the Ducks finished the season with the same 12-1 record, but ended the season with a win. I don't know about all Duck fans, but I'd rather have the win at the end! And while we're talking Ducks - Chip Kelly, please stay! Please!

Thanks again to Hallie for hosting, and please keep Jen and her baby in your prayers!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 25: Christmas Lights and Diapers

Thank you, Jen, for hosting, and congratulations on the premiere of Minor Revisions! I had to work tonight, but I'm excited to check it out soon!

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First things first - we have a Christmas tree!

We got our tree over the weekend, but it took until Tuesday to get it decorated. We switched to LED lights this year, and I am really impressed so far! The colors are less harsh than when the lights first came out, and overall I like the look. There's something sweetly nostalgic about our old incandescent lights, but the energy savings make such a big difference I'm willing to switch. The bubble lights are just traditional bubble lights, not LED, but there are only a few of them. Bubble lights are so fun! It should be noted that we still have at least 40 ornaments to squeeze on the tree, most of which are snowflakes of some sort. I love snowflake ornaments. Maybe that's my version of a white Christmas - except most of mine are silver. Oh well.
Emily and Erin really seem to like the tree, although to see their reaction I have to compete with the tree. This never really goes well, because they end up looking at Mommy instead of the tree (and I have no problem with that!). But if I turn the lights on, they seem interested in the colors and the twinkling lights. Being a parent adds a whole new dimension to Christmas - one I'm really excited about. Everything seems so much more exciting as you imagine seeing it for the first time.

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Speaking of lights, we have lights on the house too! I don't have a good picture of those, but we ended up with "warm white" (read: traditional white, not bluish-LED glare) LED lights along the gutter in the front, and larger, twinkling colored LED ceramic lights around the living room window. Dan valiantly conquered his dislike of ladders (and put up with my tutelage - I'm sure that was ten times worse than the ladder!) to hang the lights, and they look awesome. I love the feeling of helping to bring the Christmas spirit to our neighborhood, and I can't wait to go out with the girls on a Christmas light drive (or maybe a walk!) to see everyone else's!

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We had an epic errand-running session this week. On Monday, I decided to take Emily and Erin out to get some things done. I packed the diaper bag full of diapers, wipes, a change of clothes for each girl, and plenty of entertaining toys. All three of us had a snack, and we headed out. We went to the dry cleaners, the bagel shop, Target, and the grocery store, with frequent pauses for feeding and diaper changes. It went much better than I expected, although the grocery store ended with a major meltdown. I could pretty much chalk it up to both girls being sick of confinement, so it was my fault for dawdling (and not having a list!). We were gone for about six hours, and we ran four errands. Well, three errands. The bagel shop was just a treat. The confidence I gained from the expedition was very valuable - there are always errands I end up putting off because I can't go on my own, but I guess there really isn't a good reason for that.

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I wrote a post this week about planning to fail. Lest it sound like I loathe planning, let me tell you that I don't. I really don't. I kind of think that people who have it all planned out might be (read: absolutely are) exaggerating a little. Or maybe they don't have kids. In which case, the planning is a totally different story. It's kind of funny how these things work, though, because after I wrote the post, I decided to make chicken in the crockpot. The chicken was too big, or the crockpot too small. One of those things. So I decided to use the foil roasting pan I picked up at the dollar store. Except it turned out to be a cake pan. But I had been cooking the chicken in the crockpot for about half an hour, so I decided to just use it. I emptied the crockpot into the pan and turned over cooking duties to the oven. All went well - I even used the remote thermometer! - until I went to take the pan out of the oven. It buckled under the weight of the chicken, and chicken drippings, onions, carrots, and celery went everywhere, all over the floor and all over the pots and pans in the bottom of the stove. Removing the drawer just spread the mess further - I ended up mopping most of the house! Oh, and did I mention we somehow pried the drain stopper out of the bathtub drain during the final cleanup of the pots and pans drawer? Yeah. If you want to deep clean your house, cook a chicken in a foil cake pan.

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Emily has taken to communicating with her mouth closed. It's sort of like a kazoo technique, if you remember those (wax paper over a toilet paper tube) and it sounds pretty much the same. She only seems to express frustration this way, but it's hard to tell for sure. I find it entertaining. So does her sister. So she does it more and more, trying to get Erin's attention. It really is hysterically funny to watch! Erin has decided she really likes to be carried. She's spent a lot of time riding around on my right hip, checking out what Mommy does during the day. I can't say I really mind (though my right arm is getting much stronger than my left!) but I also think it would be good for her to play with her sister without me there every minute. The arrangement where they played on their activity mat in the pack and play worked fine up until - last week, was it? It's hard to say. I pretty much do what they want to do, as long as they're safe and we're not talking about bedtime. We'll see how long that lasts, but whatever works, right?

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We'll be making the switch to cloth diapering part of the time, as soon as our new diapers arrive! I'm pretty stoked about this. It'd been my plan to switch once the girls got a little bigger, and now that they're in size 3 diapers and will be until they are around 28 lbs, I think we'll be able to do it. Even half of the time would cut down soooooo much on the number of diapers we go through! I'm working on a post about the change, along with some other changes in the works right now, and I will definitely review the diapers once they get here and we get a chance to try them out. I'm so excited - is that weird?

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I'll leave you this week with this hilarious link - put your beverage of choice off to the side while you read these, because coffee-spewed computer screens are SO 2011. (Or SO 2012. If it's almost 2013, is it not cool to be so 2012 anymore? I don't think I understand.) Feel free to explain if you do understand - but go read this first! Did you notice the new blog graphics? I'd love to hear what you think - I made them myself, and I think it turned out pretty well. I love the progression of our life together, and I always love pictures of my babies!
I hope you all have a great weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: Volume 24: Pearl Harbor, Mental Hygiene, Babies, and Stay-at-home Moms

Thanks to Jen for hosting! I'm oh so glad it's Friday. Well, in my world, not quite Friday, but there's something about it being the weekend for the man of the house - makes it feel like the weekend for all of us! So even though I work on Saturdays, I'm very thankful for Friday. Plus I get to write my 7 Quick Takes. It doesn't get much better than that!

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Today is December 7th, "a day that will live in infamy." Seventy-one years ago today, Japanese planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. America subsequently declared war on Japan, and later on Germany and Italy. Millions of lives were lost over the following four years. Today is a day to pray for the repose of their souls - may they rest in peace. It's safe to say that the events of December 7th, 1941, changed the lives of millions while altering the course of history. The patriotism and resourcefulness of this era is truly inspiring, however, and is a timely reminder of how our nation has banded together and overcome adversity in the past.

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I love the song "White Christmas", and the two films in which it plays a starring role: Holiday Inn and White Christmas. Don't get me wrong, though; I'm not necessarily dreaming of a white Christmas for myself! We definitely get snow here, but not usually until later in the winter. I love the nostalgia of a snowy day, but I almost always have to go to work and driving in the snow is kind of scary! Ok - last year, driving to work in 6 inches of snow at 5 am when I was 6 months pregnant and Dan was out of town was REALLY scary. But I did it anyway. And I was proud of myself. Back to a white Christmas, though - after watching news footage of cars chaining up on the passes this morning, I think the snow should stay where they're better prepared!

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Advent is upon us, and this year I'm doing a series of posts dedicated to "Advent Acts of Kindness." Each post describes a small act of kindness (read the first three posts here, here, and here). Yesterday's post is a giveaway! Yep, that's right. You can enter to win a set of grippy cookie cutters! Head on over for details.

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I just heard about a new app that was developed in a nearby city, and I have to admit, I'm a bit perplexed. The app claims to solve the problem of buying items you don't need and having the return deadline pass before you can bring the items back. Now, I must confess I've purchased things I don't need, or things I later changed my mind about. In fact, before Emily and Erin were born, I often bought things on sale with the idea I could return them if they didn't turn out to be something we needed. Now that I don't work outside the home full time, I shop only for items we really need or want, and I don't tend to return things unless they turn out to be the wrong size or are defective. I guess I'm perplexed by the need for such an app. The method of operation does sound pretty cool (you snap a picture of your receipt and all the necessary information is stored to give you reminders of the upcoming return deadline) but unless it was also keeping track of spending and helping with budgeting, I don't know that I'd want to need to use it. I may be forgetful, but I don't want to be this careless with my money! What do you all think?

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I've had a lot of fun this week curling up with the girls and watching those old black and white "mental hygiene" films on YouTube. I love the glimpse into 1940s and 1950s life - families sitting down for meals together; girls and women wearing flattering, modest clothing; a no-nonsense attitude towards good manners and clean living. What I like best of all is that the overall message is to do the right thing, not to be yourself at everyone else's expense. I think that the "be yourself" message can be a good one for kids to hear, but it's also important to know that there are expectations in society that might clash with individuality. It's our job as parents, and the job of our children's teachers, to show them when it's okay to "be yourself" and when they need to conform to social standards. Being different simply for the sake of being different isn't always a good idea.

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Emily and Erin are starting to interact! It's even cuter than I had imagined. Dan actually got a video over the weekend of Erin rolling over (she doesn't do this very well yet) and Emily watching her. As Erin started to struggle and get frustrated, Emily looked concerned, and then reached over to pull her sister's shirt - "it's okay, I'll help you!" Emily spends a lot of time trying to get Erin's attention, and Erin loves watching Emily. They are starting to sit up and play with toys, instead of just gumming their toys, and they do something new almost every day! Being their mommy is so much fun. I can't begin to describe how blessed I am to be their mommy!

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I've been contemplating something over the past week, and I'm curious to hear what all you readers have to say. In the past, almost all mothers stayed home when their children were young, choosing to take care of their families and make do on their husband's wages. Now, a fairly high percentage of mothers work outside the home. Obviously, times have changed, but it seems to me it's a "chicken and egg" situation. It's hard to say if more mothers are working because there is truly a need for two incomes, or if our overall standard of living has simply adjusted to reflect the trend of two incomes because more mothers decided to work outside the home. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 20: 7 Random Facts

Thanks to Jen for hosting!

I decided to do something a little different this week - I thought I'd share seven random facts about myself, so here goes!

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I really like cookbooks, especially from the 1940s-1950s. I think I may have written about this before, but it bears repeating - I don't know anyone else who has four plastic underbed boxes filled with vintage cookbooks under their bed! I always know where I can find a good recipe, and I have recipes for a lot of things most people don't even think of making from scratch (and I've made some of them!)

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I actually love vegetables, and most healthy food. I am sure I was the only first-grader who wrote "spinach" as her favorite food. I definitely enjoy desserts, and these days I find myself eating whatever's handy more than I used to, but dinner at our house always includes a vegetable or two (or three!).

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I've been writing since I was a little kid. I used to write and illustrate stories with my dad, and he got me my own toy printing press with little rubber letters (yes, toys used to actually make you do things) so I could print my own newspaper. I was hooked. I've been writing ever since, and I went on to major in journalism. These days, I write about our fun-filled life as a newly made family of four!

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I like grocery shopping. Yeah, I know, sounds a little weird, but it's my favorite thing about being a "grown-up". I love to cook (see #1) so getting the ingredients is naturally something I enjoy

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I like to make things. While I wouldn't call myself crafty, I have a lot of fun with Pinterest-style projects, and I think there is a lot of value in something homemade. I have big plans to make Christmas presents this year - stay tuned for some upcoming gift-themed blog posts!

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I also like to fix things around the house. Hey, I work at a hardware store. My mom told me when I was pretty small that her mother (my grandmother) had told her it was important for her to know how to fix things around the house, since her husband would either be at work or be too busy or too tired to fix it for her. To me, this rings true even 50-some years later. It's important to know how to fix things! She taught me how to do simple fix-it projects myself, and when we got married I got my own tool set. It's served me well so far!

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I really love going for "coffee walks". In case you aren't familiar with the concept, we like to get a cup of coffee (or bring a travel mug) and go for a walk. Sometimes we walk to get the coffee, sometimes we get it on the way, but it's definitely the best kind of walk. Emily and Erin's stroller has cup holders, not just for kiddos but for Mommy and Daddy, so they can join us in this tradition. If you've never tried this, you definitely should!

That's all for this week. Thanks for reading! I hope you all have a great weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 19: Life is Funny Sometimes...Oh, and we got shots!

Thanks to Jen for hosting!

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It's been kind of a funny week around here. We started off Monday with 4-month shots, which were the same (in theory) as the ones they got at 6 weeks. The effects here were much stronger and long lasting. Both girls cried and fussed for two days. Luckily, they still napped a little and slept reasonably well at night, but during the day they wanted to be cuddled and held. My poor babies... I can sympathize with them. Mommy got her flu shot last Friday (Emily and Erin are still too little) and my arm hurt for two full days. I felt pretty lousy for a few hours too. Better than the flu, though!

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On the subject of shots, I have to keep reminding myself that good health is priceless, and definitely worth a few days of crankiness. Having parents who remember the fear of childhood diseases, I am very much in favor of vaccination for my kiddos. My dad has told us stories of polio scares - movie theaters and swimming pools shut down, kids being kept home - all because they had no idea how it was spread and how to stay healthy. The polio vaccine was life-changing. Right now, where we are, it's whooping cough that is an epidemic - even though we know how it's spread, we still have to hide from it. I don't want to go back to a world like my dad was describing. Innocent kids shouldn't have to suffer from something preventable.

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Whew. That was a little serious. Let's get more lighthearted. As part of a paper for Media Ethics in college, I watched this Disney short on vaccines. It was produced during World War II, in 1943. I thought I'd share it with you all for fun (just click through the ad, it goes away):

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I accomplished something major last night. I went to Target and got everything on my list! How was this done, you ask? Simple. I was talking to my brother on the phone and he reminded me what I'd said I was there for. Thanks, little bro! (And you didn't think you could help me out from 1,200 miles away!)

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I'm excited for Halloween. Are you excited for Halloween? We will have trick or treaters for the first time ever! That includes all the time I was growing up - no kids in our neighborhood. So the girls and I will dress up and hand out candy. Pictures to come next week! How are you celebrating Halloween?

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Yesterday marked 2 months until Christmas, speaking of countdowns!!! (Can you tell I'm a bit overexcited about this one?!) I really need to get on that gift list. What are you giving for Christmas gifts this year?

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Last but not least, I posted about a fresh take on modesty this week, in case you missed it. Please read it and let me know what you think!

That's all I've got for this week. I hope you all have a great weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: 4 Months!

Thanks to Jen for hosting!

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It's Friday. Oh, thank goodness. I do have to work Saturday, but I'm still excited for the weekend. We have some plans with friends on Sunday, which will be a lot of fun, and a play date for the girls on Sunday as well.

--- 2 ---

Our precious girls, five days old. Emily is on the bottom and Erin is on top. 

Emily and Erin are 4 months old today! One hundred and twenty days ago (yes, I counted!) we met our beautiful baby girls. They seemed enormous. I couldn't believe that they had really been inside me. They looked a little bewildered, like they weren't sure why they were here, and they were only awake when they were hungry. The first few weeks passed in a blur of diaper changes, feedings, and an immense amount of adjustment for all four of us.

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Now, they can prop themselves up and look at each other!

They have changed so much, I am constantly amazed. They are getting bigger every day. At the beginning of this week, Emily was comfortably wearing a 0-3 month onesie, and I tried on a 3-6 month size of the same onesie today and it fit fine. Erin is even bigger - she can wear 6 month tops!

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I had been thinking both girls were getting very heavy, especially Erin. So I weighed them, rather unscientifically of course, by weighing myself and then myself holding each baby. To my amazement, Emily tips the scale at 14 pounds and Erin weighs in at a whopping 16! That means Emily has gained at least 7 pounds since birth and Erin has gained nearly 10! Let's hear it for the power of mama's milk (with a little supplement too, of course!)

Did I mention how big they are getting?! (Emily - L, Erin - R)

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At four months, Emily and Erin can: roll from back to side, roll from back to front (Emily), roll from front to back (Emily), hold their head up while their body is supported, coo, shriek, smile, grab the hanging toys on their activity gym, and make several different simple sounds that correspond with various letters. They are very happy girls and lots of fun to be around. I am so blessed to be their mommy!

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The gorgeous fall colors outside our house. See how the leaves are darker on the outer edges of the tree?

--- 7 ---

See that green stuff? Know what it is? If you let broccoli go long enough, it begins to resemble an alien life form. There's your random thought of the week.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: Volume 17: Song Lyrics Edition

I can't believe it's Friday. I'm not sure if this week has flown by or dragged, but I've just been having a really hard time figuring out what day it is. Yesterday, I was very sure it was Monday. Oh well. Maybe I had a secret yearning to start the week over again?

I have talked with people before who swear by something called "Bible roulette" - flipping the Bible open to the first random passage and looking for the meaning for them in what they read. While I was driving to work yesterday, I was thinking about how song lyrics can work the same way. Sometimes the right song just speaks to you. So, since we're looking for 7 Quick Takes, I thought I'd list the last seven songs that played on my iPod (it was on shuffle), along with a little bit about why I needed to hear each one.

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Remembrance (Communion Song) - Matt Maher: "We remember You, and remembrance leads us to worship/And as we worship you, our worship leads to Communion/We respond to Your invitation, we remember You." I love thinking about Mass as remembrance. We are called to remember His sacrifice, and that is the reason for being at church on Sunday. I have a hard time matching up the feeling that stirs within me thinking about someone I have known in real life who has died with how I should feel on Sunday morning. This song helped me match up those feelings, and I am very grateful for that. It's so easy to miss the magnitude of that sacrifice, even take it for granted a little, and when it does hit me I am blown away and moved to tears every time.

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Every Little Prisoner (Deliver Me) - Matt Maher: "From wanting to be loved, from wanting to be praised by all/From needing to be first, from finding all my worth in this world/From wanting to be seen, from constant worrying about myself/Deliver me..." This one kind of speaks for itself. I should start every day by listening to this song. God loves me, as He loves us all. We were created in His image. It's us who should be praising, not the other way around, but it's so easy to get caught in the trap of wanting earthly rewards and living for all things in this world. So, so easy. I'm not saying I think it makes sense to live like nothing matters on earth, because of course we can only get to heaven through a combination of faith and good works. Sometimes, though, I need to just step back and ask myself how much this will matter in a few hours, a few days, a few years. This outlook, even for ten minutes, generally improves my entire day, as it gives me permission to enjoy all we are blessed with and make decisions with more clarity.

--- 3 ---

American Dream - Switchfoot: "When success is equated with excess/The ambition for excess wrecks us/The top of the mine becomes the bottom line/When success is equated with excess...This ain't my American dream/I want to live and die for bigger things..." Along the lines of the last song, it's easy to think about how things will be perfect and we can really enjoy life once we have more money, once we own our own house, once we are living the American dream. Well, news flash to me: we live in a house we have all to ourselves. We have jobs and we can pay our bills. We have two beautiful children. We ARE living the American dream! Studies have shown that more money and possessions do not increase happiness.

--- 4 ---

Everything and Nothing - Matt Maher: "Cause everybody wants to see the proof/We're always tripping on our pride to get to You..." I'm starting to see a theme here. It's so easy, again, to be prideful and let that keep us from a good relationship with God. There's nothing we can hide from Him, so why do we (I) try? Why do I wait for everything to be just so before I feel like I can be faithful? In this Year of Faith, I'm going to work on letting go of that pride where it prevents me from forging better relationships both with God and with others.

--- 5 ---

Dare You to Move - Switchfoot: "The tension is here, tension is here/Between who you are and who you could be/Between how it is and how it should be...I dare you to move, like today never happened/Today never happened before..." There really is a theme. I swear it was on shuffle. I am not perfect. No one is perfect. We are perfectly and beautifully human, created by God in His image. This life is what it is, but it also is what we make of it. In each moment, there are choices I can make that will make the difference between what it is, and what it could or should be. Oof. That's a weighty one, but going back to #2, not all of them will matter as much in the long run. It can be an ongoing process, but one to be mindful of nevertheless.

--- 6 ---

Blessed Be Your Name - Tree 63: "Blessed be Your name/In the land that is plentiful/Where the streams of abundance flow/Blessed be Your name..." This one, pretty simple. Don't let God be absent from everyday life. This would be that land of abundance. He brought us here and He belongs here with us.

--- 7 ---

Kyrie - Matt Maher: "God of reconciliation/Heal our wounds in darkest times/Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy)..." A nice conclusion (again, I swear it was on shuffle!) because even after all of the times we use our free will to make mistakes and mess up, time and time again, God wants to forgive us and welcome us. He is loving and merciful. Oh, I needed to hear that. With great freedom comes great responsibility, but also great love and forgiveness. How awesome is this life we live!

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my thought process (and my playlists). What are the last 7 songs that played on your iPod (or computer, or however you listen to music)? How did they speak to you? Please share!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes, Volume 16:

Thanks to Jen for hosting! These are going to be very quick, because I definitely should be in bed right now. But I'm not. So here we go!

--- 1 ---

I'm starting to realize just how much caffeine I consume on a daily basis. Seriously. It's scary. And I still feel like I need more - especially today. Well, not right now, but earlier. You know what I mean. Mostly because of this last paragraph, I'm sure of it. I'm going to cut back, starting soon. Or, at least I will try to balance it with water. I found my water bottle at work today, which should be helpful. On that note, I forgot to mention today that I'm extremely thankful for coffee. I love the taste, the aroma, the caffeination...need I say more? I'm so, so thankful for coffee. I'd love a cup right now. But hey. It's late. I don't really need to be up all night...

--- 2 ---

I got to make dinner this week for a family in our twins club who recently had babies, and I remembered to take a picture! I love cooking for people, and it's great to be able to help someone out by bringing food, all ready to go. I was inspired by Kathryn's post on how to take a meal to a friend, and so I brought along cold cereal too (I don't know that I ate much else after Erin and Emily were born, other than food people brought for us, so it seemed appropriate). I made them the awesome Tex-Mex casserole from Tuesday's post and frosted brownies (the bonus "recipe" at the bottom of the post). Try it out! Easy and delicious!

--- 3 ---

I'm overwhelmingly grateful, also, for the gift of my baby daughters. I just finished nursing them and they are so tiny and precious. I love snuggling with them.

--- 4 ---

According to my phone, it got down to 33 one morning this week. It's really starting to feel like fall! I need to make a fall bucket list before I look at the date and realize it's time to start our Christmas shopping. I also need to take some fall leaves pictures before the rains start...

--- 5 ---

Speaking of Christmas shopping, I really need to do a more organized job this year. I always say I want to make presents, but I never end up finding the time (or is it making the time?) Tell me, lovely readers, is Pinterest helpful here? Don't get me wrong, I love me some Pinterest, but I don't want to waste time looking for gift ideas and then end up spending more to make them than they're worth.

--- 6 ---

I really need to make a schedule for myself. Well, not really a schedule, per se. I need a checklist, I think. Something to remind me of all the things I need to get done every day and every week. I know I had planned to make one pre-babies, but I don't think it ever happened. Sigh. I need a checklist for my checklist....but really. I could get more done, I just don't remember it needs doing until I am too tired or too busy to do it. Like right now. For some reason, sitting at the kitchen table writing this made me remember that I have library books to return and a birthday present to shop for. Don't ask how these things are connected. They just must be, somehow. Am I the only one who is constantly forgetting things? There's got to be an app for that....seriously. I have an Android. Hit me, dear readers!

--- 7 ---

Last but certainly not least, we have a roller and a bow-wearer at our house as of this week! Emily is rolling all over the place, and tries to crawl when she is on her tummy. She has gone from wailing her way through tummy time - of any kind - to flipping over to seal position willingly and happily playing for several minutes at a time. She is also scooting by herself, which is really unnerving for me since I'm not done babyproofing. We'll be finishing this weekend.

Erin, not to be outdone by her sister, has enough hair to hold a clip-in bow! I can pull a little tuft straight up and it holds the clip pretty well. In fact, since I did it after she got out of her bath last night, she has a little Kewpie doll-style curl that sticks straight up, bow or no bow. It's adorable. I love it. Emily isn't quite there yet, but I'm sure she will be soon.

Which reminds me, it's time to start looking for Christmas outfits! Any input here is totally welcome (really, all of your input is welcomed with open arms all the time!) but this is something I really know nothing about. What do little babies wear for Christmas Mass? Emily and Erin will be 6 months old the week before Christmas (on my birthday, actually!) so they are still very little.

Yes. I had to.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!