Tortilla Español

When John and I lived in the south of Spain, we frequently sampled the traditional Tortilla Español, which is basically a potato omelette. To the ordinary person, this delicious indulgence may sound simple. The reality is that its simplicity is divine!

Last night, I created my own version of this simple Spanish wonder.

Ingredients
1 small baby red potato
extra virgin olive oil
garlic
6 eggs
milk
3 T chopped white onion
rosemary
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

Instructions
Chop potatoes and onions into small cubes. Fry over medium heat in about 2 T olive oil and about 1 t minced garlic until onions are tender and potatoes begin to brown, but not burn.
Transfer this mixture to a bowl and set aside.

To prepare your omelette, whisk 6 eggs completely in a large bowl. Add in about 1/3 C milk. Prepare to be patient. Pour the eggs and milk into your pan (prepped already for non-sticking with your old EVOO). Keep your heat on medium-low and WATCH THE OMELETTE with care. Since our time in Spain, I have made many omelettes, and many have turned out poorly due to lack of patience. Omelettes must be prepared on relatively low heat and slow-cooking is critical. Watch as the eggs begin to "set" and bubble a bit in the pan. Then, slowly lift your pan and slightly "wave" it from side to side so that the uncooked portion of the egg resettles evenly in the pan. (This is complicated, so don't give up after just one omelette.) Repeat this settling process until the eggs are starting to look pretty well cooked.

At this point, I like to add in my seasonings/main ingredients. I use a generous portion of kosher salt (maybe 1/2 t) and a generous sprinkling of freshly cracked pepper. I also find a sprinkling of rosemary to bring out great earthy flavor in omelettes.

When the eggs look close to cooked, sprinkle the cooked onions, garlic, and potatoes on top of 1/2 of the omelette. Then, carefully slide your spatula underneath the other half of the omelette, and fold than side on top of the "topping" half.

Allow the omelette to continue to cook on low heat until you determine the inside of the omelette is cooked to your desired egg doneness. I would aim for about 2 to 4 more minutes.

I served this Spanish tortilla alongside leftover roasted ham from last week. Delicious! I would recommend a simple parsley garnish for aesthetic beauty.

John and I were transported back to Granada with this one.

Wally & the Goose

These guys are like twins with their own secret language.


I can't believe they actually fell asleep together in bed.

110%

I think I'm actually an intimidating person.  Looking back, I realize the signs of this started early.  In high school, I had a crush on one guy and I made him all these cards and sent him a ton of notes.  I don't think they were overly romantic or anything, but I totally scared him off and blew the whole deal.

I also had a friend in high school who used to tell me that it seemed like I could accomplish more in one day than anyone else.  Is that true?  I don't know.  It sounds boastful to say it, I guess.  Lately, I've actually been feeling like it's a detriment that I have so many ideas and so many things I want to accomplish.  In fact, I have so many projects on my list right now that I am embarrassed to tell you about them all.

Why do I feel such an obligation to accomplish so many things?  Whenever I want to do a project, I want to do it 110%.  In 6th grade, I started a newspaper for my class.  I proposed the idea to the principal of the school and then I garnered funds from my sister's high school employer.  I didn't have my parents call them.  I just went over to the local outdoors shop where she worked, asked for the manager, and told him why he should give me money to start my 6th grade newspaper.

And he did it.

For some reason, I believe that people should do the things I want them to do.  Currently, I am thinking about how I want to set my friend up with this Catholic guy who is perfect for her.  Except they live a million miles away from one another.  And yet I not only believe they are right for one another, I also believe that I can actually contribute to their union.

Why do I believe this stuff? 

I have a really hard time drawing the proverbial line in the sand.  I can't stop myself from interfering in other people's lives.

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Ahead of the Game: 8 Months Old

My Jimmy,

You and I are both awake tonight with the same hacking cough. It's this awful cold virus that has settled into our family, passing from one child to the next and finally landing to me over the course of 2 weeks. We've barely left our new 2 bedroom apartment over the last 10 days.


Meanwhile, you have practically turned into a new baby since you returned to us from Wisconsin and we began our adventure near the "Washington monument". You are eating full bowls of Cheerios for breakfast. You are up on all four limbs rocking about, getting ready to crawl when we put you on the rug or when we find you awake in the closet. You are smiling with exuberance at strangers. You are sitting up all by yourself! You have emerged as a baby, not an infant. You are changing. You are growing.


Jimmy, as I raise you children, I wonder more and more about the power of nature vs. nurture in the world. Why are my kids inclined to smile outwardly at others when many babies and children are introverted and shy? God has given all of us gifts, but it seems like I can do a lot to pull out the best in my children. I have taught you all to love those around you in a little way, by encouraging you to smile for strangers each time you meet them.

This may seem like a little thing, but now that I have three kids who look others in the eye and speak up when they're introduced to someone, I realize how unique this quality is. Unfortunately, our culture has a tendency to teach children to be afraid of strangers. I want you kids to realize that caution is important in every interaction you have with others...but I also want you to realize that there is good in every person you meet. There is no need to look down from fear or shame when you meet someone. Instead, look him in the eye and know that that person has gifts and beauty and love from God just as you do.

Jimmy, I am more in love with you now than you can possibly know until you have a son or daughter of your own. I am so proud to carry you nestled onto my hip, and I am so joyful tonight to cradle you against my chest, even while we're both so sick and exhausted. This is one of those moments of deep and powerful beauty in motherhood; one of the moments of fleeting joy that I pray I not forget as the years go on. This is one of those moments in which I realize why God has called me to be a mother to many children, and why, despite the true sacrifice and exasperation and sickness and sleeplessness motherhood brings, it is worth it.

It is so worth it.

I love you, Jimmy Jimster.

Your, Mama

(Imagine Me Holding Up 2 Pointer Fingers)

Dear Lucy,

2 years old!! I am bit late on your 2nd letter, and I'm sorry for it. You have already begun to changed since just a few weeks ago.

Who are you, my Lucy Louise? You are a light in our life. You're a silly, giggly girl who watches Mom with rapt attention. The other day I was looking at my feet critically, and I looked over at you to see you quietly mirroring my every look and motion. How often do you copy your Mama? You practice dusting the tables, sweeping the floors, putting your baby in his stroller, and making pie. Tommy went through this copy-cat phase, too, but somehow it seems stronger with my daughter.


As I type this letter, you are sitting at the kitchen table in our new apartment. Tommy just entered the room, and your funny little voice recognized him, "Did you wake up, Tom? Did you wake up?" This, too, is a phrase you're borrowed from Mama. You're a mimicking parrot, but the truth about Goose is that you are shockingly verbal for a 2 year old. You have a knack for language that is unique, Lucy. You can already look strangers in the eye with a smile and a kind word.


It was several months ago when I looked in my rear-view mirror to watch you interacting with Tommy. I remember that moment so crystal clear: it was the first time you both shared a conversation together. Now, these conversations are ongoing and everyday occurrences. (Unfortunately for Mom the Peacemaker, there have been a lot more arguments than chit-chat lately.)

You have a real love for your family, and are going through a stage in which you'll constantly repeat the names of members of our family, as if for reassurance. "And Daddy? And Mommy? And Jimmy? And Tommy? And Lucy?" You pause between each name to see if I nod. We recently went swimming at the gym's indoor waterpark, and since that day, you have a new (re-found) love for the pool. "Go swimming with Daddy today?" You ask me constantly. "Go swimming with Daddy soon!" You confirm.

Try as I might not to compare you to Tommy, I can't help but notice ways in which you are unique or similar. You are both very smart. You are both very verbal. You are both innately outgoing at this age, which is uncommon amongst your friends.

On the flip side, you are artistic, while Tommy struggles to hold a crayon for more than 2 seconds. You are proud and eager to sit down and work on coloring Curious George, Ben 10, or even a blank sheet of paper. You also seem to be more intuitively drawn to music than Tommy. I often catch you shaking your body to a song in the rear view mirror, or singing songs to yourself as you be-bop around the house.

I hope I can remember your toddler phase, Lucy. It already seems to be slipping away! The only problem with having such chatterboxes for kids is that you guys seem to grow up more quickly than your peers. I bet next week you'll be asking me if I've proactively made plans for our summer vacation.

(And Lucy, the answer to that? Of course I have.)

You're a twinkle in my eye, Miss Goose. I love you.

Your,
Mama

Apartment Rules

I haven't had much time to write lately, as we've moved out of our townhouse, attended a festive college wedding, dropped our kids halfway to Grandma's house, picked up our kids halfway to Grandma's house, watched John's little siblings in Wisconsin for a weekend, and dealt with vomiting, pink-eye, and massive head-colds all in the last 10 days.  Whew.   In addition to Lucy's birthday, friendship catastrophe, and more.

But.  (Here's the good part.)  I humbly offer to you the Top 10 Things about Living in An Apartment with 3 Kids under 4:

10. Really big dogs in the building are good grounds for scaring your children into not opening the door.
9. One bathroom is SO much easier to clean than three bathrooms.
8. If my kids defecate, puke, or spit up on the carpet, I just repeat to myself, "Not my carpet.  Not my carpet."
7. Small children in the neighborhood envy what they think is our "glamorous" and "ritzy" building.
6. Tommy can occupy himself watching the trashman load all the building trash into his garbage truck...right from our living room window.
5.  Long hallways are secretive and mysterious to small children.
4. We don't have to go outside to get the mail.
3. The newspaper is delivered to our inside door, just like in a fancy hotel.
2. We still live right down the road from our favorite cousins, preschool, and our church.

And the number one best thing about living in a temporary apartment is:

1.  Every day, the kids love to take our trash bags to the "trash chute" at the end of the hall.  Does anyone else get to throw their trash down a chute? 

Awesome.

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Sudden

The scurrying and the fumbling and the screaming and the packing and the spilling and the playing and the screaming and the whining and the laughing and the hugging and the snuggling and the singing and the jumping and the dancing and the life.

They're out the door. They're gone in an instant.

And with them, our home.

Goodbye, Shamrock kids!! Goodbye!

Emotion

It hit me as I was packing up Jimmy's diapers and tiny clothing. And I realized that we'd probably only change another 2 or 3 of his diapers in this house.

Heart Shaped Dance Party?

You gotta have a dance party on Valentine's Day morning.  That's what I'm doing right now, to celebrate the people I love in this little townhouse.  On my playlist:

"See the World" (Gomez)
"American Boy" (Estelle)
"Be My Valentine" (Anne Carraux, as recalled from the days of jr. high singing telegrams)
"Love Story" (Taylor Swift)

I am totally a VDay junkie.  So far, to celebrate:
-Let Tommy select the most masculine valentines on the market (Iron Man, 5 wks ahead)
-Made a Valentine's Day mailbox with the kids so we could amass constructed valentines (2 wks ahead)
-Began planning John's valentine: a slideshow of pictures from our townhouse years, complete with a cover song "More Time" (Need to Breathe) with me on vocals and Chris, my brother, on guitar
-Bought John a secondary VDay gift with the critical aid of my sister (1 wk ahead)
-Ordered a heart cake from the local bakery (1 wk ahead)
-Delivered valentines to my nieces and nephews (1 day ahead)*
-Mailed valentines and DVD project to close family members (1 day ahead)
-Ordered a heart pizza, on sale from Papa Murphys for $7.99
-Couldn't wait, so I unveiled the DVD project to John early (1 night ahead)
-Couldn't wait, so I received my valentine from John early (basket of goodies we ate while we lived in Spain, including the best ever spread, Nutella)
-Had the kids pull their valentines out of the homemade mailbox (AM)
-Had the kids open their daddy-selected tiny valentine gifts, including Mr. Incredible stickers and festive socks (AM)

And then, the current moment: dance party.
Yet to come:
-Heart pizza, Heart cake.

And, more importantly, a whole lotta sappy fam love.  :) :) :)

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!! 
*A special Valentine wish goes out to my nephew, Will, who had the pukes yesterday and had to miss his 1st grade Valentine party.  At least for this year, Will, you can still be my Valentine.  You are growing up too fast, kid.


A Few of my Valentines:

My main squeeze, who is attractive not only because he's so handsome, but also because he's such a great Dad:

Sassy Mexicasserole

I am trying to use up most of our canned and pantry goods before we move, so things are getting creative around here. I actually came up with something pretty good tonight.

Sassy Mexicasserole

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 C jasmine rice, uncooked
1 jar of green Mexican enchilada sauce (about 8-10 oz.)
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 C water
1 medium tomato, diced
1 small can mild green chiles

Mix rice, water, soup, chiles (I used only 1/2 can for a milder flavor), and enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 12 casserole dish. Place chicken breasts on top of this mixture. Sprinkle about 1 t salt over the dish and then sprinkle on the tomato. Bake about 1 hr at 375 or until chicken is done and rice looks done, as well. I flipped the chicken once during the process. I cooked the dish uncovered for the first 45 minutes, then covered it for the remaining time to preserve moisture.

Yum! The result is an easy dish that my husband claimed was near "restaurant quality!" It may be that we've been eating a lot of takeout food lately, but I'll take that kind of praise any day!

Clothing Philosophy in Practice

I once had a friend who was a total clothes horse. Her closet was like a magical world brimming with designer pants, shirts, and shoes. In fact, her wardrobe was so extensive that this girl could quite literally go several months without repeating an outfit combination---and she LOVED it.

As much as I was jealous of this friend, we just didn't share the same wardrobing philosphy. I would love to own a closet of designer clothes, but even if I did veer away from my usual equation of Target + Old Navy + Gap, I wouldn't ever be the kind of person who wore different things each day. I love my staple outfits. I wear a pair of corduroys until they are frayed and desperately worn. I cling to a workout shirt until my sister says she's embarrassed to be seen with me at the gym while I'm wearing it.

What's your wardrobe philosophy? What does your closet look like? Are you constantly trying to feign some order (like in my closet), or are you one of those people whose shirt line up in a pristine manner, organized by type and color and usefulness (like my dear husband!)?

Neiiiigh

"Lookit!  It's a horsey!" Lucy says, holding up her cinnamon toast.  Indeed, it looks like a little colt.

"Neiiiiiigh!!"

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Mrs. O-So Stylish & PC

I have acquired a new guilty pleasure at Mrs. O. Our elegant first lady is worth following for fashion tips, although she has made a few off-the-rack blunders. In the political arena, though, I am already starting to take issue with her PCism. Consider this quote on the balance for women in the workplace with family life:

“And the one thing — the one message that I have is for all of you struggling with this issue, is just remember there is no right answer. It took me a long time to figure that out. There is no one right way to do any of this. And the choices and the decisions will change, given your circumstances.”

I become disgruntled with people who won't agree to some absolutes in life. There are absolutes in life. To give people the impression that your career can come before your family is wrong. To let parents think their children will not suffer if they are never home with them is wrong. Perhaps there is some leeway for parents as financial or other constraints emerge, but the truth is this: when you're a parent, you have to put your family first.

Mrs. O, step it up. You are a family woman, and it's time to tell us what makes YOUR family work well...not that any possible ingredient combination can serve up perfect family apple pie.


Note: You can read the entirety of Mrs. O's address at Howard University here.

A Bouncing Baby Boy

Dear Jimmy,

My seven month old. I am a few days late on your letter...I am sorry, my son. This has been a hectic and exciting time for our little family. We sold our townhouse and are preparing to move temporarily into an apartment. I am sure that, to you kids, this move will measure low on the radar screen. You will probably think nothing of moving your rattles and baby spoons four blocks north of here. To your father and me, though, this move represents our journey to a home with a yard for our family. We are eager to see you kids run through the grass and spread your wings a little bit. We are eager for just a little more elbow room to grow.

You are a beautiful boy, my Jimmy. Everyone says so! It's hard not to notice your wide eyes and contagious smile. On the inside, you also have qualities that shine, Jimmy. Each time you awaken, you are quiet and content to be alone. This is different from your brother, Tom, and your sister, Lucy. Oftentimes, I hear you kicking around and laughing to yourself long before you want anyone to retrieve you from your bassinet. What does this mean, baby Jim? Are you going to be the kind of boy who needs a little more time by yourself?

I am teaching a 4th grade class at church this year, and am so happy to be doing it. Working with 10 year olds, oddly enough, gives me more inspiration to be a great mom for you kids. Sometimes the days are so long when I'm changing poopy diapers, teaching you kids numbers, singing songs, making lunch, scrubbing the floors, cleaning up toys. It's easy for me to forget how important this work is. When I go into the 4th grade classroom, though, I see such an amazing class of kids---all due to their parents' hard work raising them. Each child has his own talent and gift from God. I know that my job is to help cultivate your talents, Jimmy. I hope I can help you find them and use them in the best way.

Sometimes I wonder if either of my boys will grow up to be a priest, Jimmy. Maybe that seems like a strange thing for a modern mother to wonder, but certainly, I do. I hope that by the time you can read this letter, you already know and respect the work priests do. I hope that you also think about the joys and blessings God puts in their lives in return. God calls us each to a special vocation in life. What will yours be?

Your development from the sixth to seventh month has been pointed in many ways. You are rolling over quickly and with agility now. You sometimes get up on all four limbs. You want things in a way you didn't want them last month. You remember toys that fall down off your high chair. You jump like crazy in your Exersaucer...much like your cousin, Will, used to do. This, too, is different from our other kids. You are not the same baby as Tom or Lucy. You will have your own place to shine.

Well, dear Jimmy, it's very late and your mom should be in bed. I just wanted to take this time to tell you how very much I love you. I could kiss your sweet little toes all day. I could smell your soft head each moment. But Jimmy, if you keep on pooping 3 times daily, I am going to have to draw a line.

To the moon and back, my littlest bug.

Your,
Mama

1,2,3

Today was one of those days of being a mom that was totally beautiful. If you are a mom, you know that any "totally beautiful" day still has a fair share of poopy diapers and tantrums. Nonetheless, I present three moments:

1-I carried Jimmy down in the morning to find Tom and Lucy snuggled up on the couch. Feeding Jim his bottle, I commented to no one in particular, "Isn't this kid the cutest." "Yeah, he is," Tom replied. "And Elmo, too."

2-Jimmy is on his 2nd day of eating the tiniest tad of banana slice you've ever seen. It's really just a little mushpod on my finger. I put it on his tongue today and his eyes gleened over immediately, as if to say, "Mom, finally. I weep that you finally acknowledged my yearning."

3-Lucy and I took a trip to the mall with Grandpa this morning, and somehow, her beloved Bunny Baby ended up taking a swim in the wishing well. Bunny Baby, a blue and well-worn friend, was in need of dire washing anyway, so Lucy had to make do at bedtime with borrowing Monkey Baby from Tom. When Tom went to bed himself, though, he cried out for Monkey. Moments later, Lucy called out to John. John went into her room and she held out Monkey, "Tommy needs his monkey, Dad." And that was that.

Stranger Opportunities

On a recent trip (which, oddly enough, I haven't commented on here), I read an article about a young woman who made a new year's resolution to start noticing people around her.  I found this article intriguing because it is easy to go through life consumed by yourself and your own problems.  As a mother, I find this to be magnified somewhat for several reasons:

First, I am a stay at home mom.  This may not be obvious to everyone, because a lot of stay at home moms today are really movers and shakers, but in my particular life juncture, this is a virtual impossibility.  I can barely take my 3 kids out in public alone, lest one or all of them have a total breakdown.  In fact, at the mall several weeks ago, Lucy literally broke down and laid on the ground outside of Barnes & Noble for five minutes while I waited for her to ready herself for the next step...walking outside to the car.  Yes, I just waited.  I calmly watched her, because I realize that these tantrums are pretty much inevitable and I also have suffered the consequences of trying to pull a "limp" tantrum kid with one arm out the door.  (It's called Nursemaid's Elbow, and you have to go to the ER for it.)  This is unrelated and unimportant at the current moment, though.   What I mean to say is that in this occupation, it's easy to isolate yourself because taking your kids out in public requires an almost insurmountable amount of patience and energy.

Secondly, you've got people.  Little people (per a posting earlier this year) give me reason to be selfish and self-absorbed.  It's not good, it's not right...but somehow, it seems more justifiable to be wrapped up in your own life when it's not just YOUR problems, it's the problems of a family.

Anyway, back to the center of the story...

I believe the girl I read about had it figured out.  Life is not meant to be self-consuming...it is meant to be self-giving.  We are supposed to see the uniqueness God put in other people.  Here are a few I have met just this week:

1.) Subway Sandiwich Guy:  SSG was a man I met at our local Caribou Coffee this week when I stopped in to research interim housing for my family on the wifi network.  SSG was standing in line, waiting for iced coffee next to me, when I noticed he had a footlong subway sandwich sitting on his table...at 9:30 in the morning. "Is that your sandwich?" I asked.  He nodded.  "It looks pretty good," I continued. "Actually, looking at that sandiwich at 9:30 AM kind of makes me want to go to Subway."

The man turned to me and smiled.  "Well, when you've been up since 5 AM like me, it's already lunchtime."  I chuckled.  We went onto to talk about how the older you get, the earlier you wake up.  You go to bed earlier, too, apparently.  I told him this was cause for concern, in my case, because John and I already go to bed around 9 PM at age 27.

2.) Really Good Haircut Girl:  RGHC is a young woman who cuts my hair at my salon.  She's really good, hence the name.  I actually am bothered by the fact that she's good, because I prefer not to be loyal to hairstylists as they make their way up the cost brackets.  Why set yourself up for a $60 haircut in the future??

Anyway, RGHC was a delight today.  She is boisterous and candid and beautiful in her manner of conduct.  She is a bit impulsive, always searching for the next great leap in her life.  I learned all this just by meeting her over 2 haircuts.  She's quite remarkable, really.  Today we had a great discussion about what complementary qualities are necessary in a long-term mate. 

Who are you going to meet today that could bring joy into your life?  What joy can you bring into a stranger's life?  At Faith Formation this week, I challenged my students to think about how smiling and saying hi to a fellow student  can make that person have a better day.  I challenge you, too.  God put strangers around us for a reason.  Perhaps, instead of calling them "strangers," we should view them as opportunities.

I'm hoping to make my stranger opportunities a regular feature of this blog.  People can bring beautiful things into our lives.

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Girl Power

So, of course I'm jealous that my sister is having another girl. Isn't it funny how jealously is so rampant among siblings? I'm not jealous in that bad, angry kind of way. I'm just jealous because sisterly relationships can be so beautiful and fulfilling throughout life. As can mother-daughter relationships.

I have a friend (who reads my blog, so, this one's for you, Kate) who has a sister very close to her in age. I can recall how, in their home, the bathroom counter was clustered with every divine beauty product a girl could imagine. What a great bathroom. To me, it seemed like every morning (or afternoon, or evening) had that fun let's-get-ready together vibe that I shared with my college roommates.

Some of that fun is lost when you get ready alone. You've no one to inspect and comment on your eyeliner technique, no one to critically comment on whether your Assets are holding things together enough under that silk dress.

Is there a girl up for adoption so I can do this without another pregnancy?

Seriously, though. My comment was a bit lighthearted, but John and I have kicked around this idea many times in the last year. We LOVE kids. I Hate pregnancy. And, there are so many kids waiting.

Lull Diddy Dull

Ugh. The winter blahs are killing me. While I sit around waiting to hear if we can buy our new house. While I sit around waiting to find out if we're going to be homeless. While I sit around waiting for my baby-sitter to arrive at 5 o'clock.

I decided to shake things up a bit last night by dyeing my hair superdark. Awesome. It is a bit dramatic, but it definitely infuses some excitement into my life for the current time period. I note that dyeing your hair darker seems to have the effect of softening it, which is not to my liking. I rather prefer the "hardening" effect of bleach on my hair. Hmm. Something you may not have considered in your day.

In other news, I am teaching 4th grade Faith Formation this year at my church, and this is the reason for a baby-sitter tonight. I love my class. The kids are so innocent and yet on the verge of true philosophical capability. It is interesting that these kids actually refresh me at the end of a day full of my rambunctious little people.

I am experiencing the Winter Blahs with my Faith Formation lesson plans, though, and so, tonight we need to dye the proverbial lesson plan superdark. We are switching it up by making Stations of the Cross illustrated reflection books.

The Wisdom of a (soon-to-be) Saint

This week is sure to be crazy, as we prepare to close on our townhome and settle into a period of unknown waiting for our other home bid.  I have a mental list and an ink list about a mile long.  Just wanted to share some wisdom that a friend passed onto me this morning.  The quote is from Mother Theresa:

"Riches, material or spiritual ones, sometimes smother us when we do not use them rightly... So remain as 'empty' as possible, so that God may fill you up. Even God cannot fill up something that is already full. He does not impose Himself upon us... I have to empty myself of all selfishness to let God fill me with His love."

This is something I must constantly attend to: to rid my mind and soul of selfishness.  It is so easy for me to think of which bathroom tiles I want, which vacations I want, which Baby Gap clothes I want.  It is so easy to think of giving later and getting now.  How do we all find the right balance in our lives?  How can I be selfless and yet feel secure that my family is safe and comfortable?

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On Home & Its Heart

It's time for the big announcement, my friends:  John and I accepted an offer on our townhouse.  At first, I felt only excitement and relief.  Now, in a fleeting quiet after bedtime and before John returns from a rare evening work function, I feel different.  Reflective.  Sad.

I'm quite emotional when it comes to the home.  I hang onto every memory and stage in the place it happened.  On Grand Avenue, we shared our wedding night and my water breaking.  We slept in on Sunday mornings and kept a crib, for a time, in the kitchen.  Then, there was a period where we lived at my parents' house.  That was the time of Tommy's true babyhood: first crawling, reading, playing, laughing, talking, and walking.

And then, on the day when the paint of our bedroom was baby blue and we were just about ready to move in here, we found out Lucy would come.  What a wonderful moment!  The adventure began.  It's been such a long and short journey in this home.  Our family has flourished and stretched and cried and laughed.  We welcomed Jimmy, we grew to love our community.  That's why, after careful thought and many, many hours of conversing, John and I decided to call this city our home.

We bid on a house less than one mile away!

People are attached to their homes, certainly, and I know that when the days of final packing and moving come, there will be tears in saying goodbye to Shamrock.  But what adventures are before us still!  So much more growth and surprise and wonder for our family.  So much more unknown.

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