Why NFP is Good for Girls, Regardless of "Mrs" Status.

This title may be a bit odd to some, who think of NFP as the "Catholic contraception."  It's not, and I have another post on that later. Suffice it to say  that it is nearly impossible to use NFP selfishly. Can't you just hear your husband, "Honey, I need a break from all this sex. Let's just skip half of each month for the next year, okay?  It'll be fun!"  Yeeeaaahhhh not. Anyway - onwards. (Obligatory picture; otherwise blogspot puts strange and random icons on my posts.   This is a honeymoon pic; it's the first...

Girl time!

My sister is in town this weekend so I will be abandoning one and all til after she leaves. Next week, I'm going to do a post on the handiest kitchen gadgets so if you have any good ones I should include give a shout out! Love y'all (obligatory pic - this is the Natural Pool on Aruba.  Took this on our honeymoon!...

Letters from littles and morning chocolate...

These evil little things are my worst enemy, especially this morning.  Temptation has arrived, and I have succumbed.  Completely.  There is just something so addictive about eating chocolate, drinking coffee, and wasting time online early in the morning, especially if one's husband is not home to make one feel appropriately guilty for such childish behavior.  Chocolate is best before 8am.  Sad fact. These little chocolately eggs, which weren't even what I meant to buy (thought I was getting mini malted milk balls,...

Decorating a rental

A well-decorated house is a wonderful thing; however, I don't actually enjoy having to do it.  Nor do I trust myself to do a good job.  I can envision many wonderful decorations and room configurations, but actually making those happen with very little money to spare....that's another thing all together. It's becoming urgent, however. To remind you, here is a picture of our living room, when it is clean.  I shall spare any and all innocent internet viewers the chance of seeing it while dirty: (Uh-gu-ly!) Here is a picture...

Clothing woes, tips, and tricks

I'm deathly afraid of flashing the entire church and downtown community by having my skirt fly up and expose my very exposed backside as I walk out of Mass.  If I am wearing anything shorter than a maxi, this scenario is going through my head. So, I bought these: And ooooh baby do they fly in that Texas breeze!  What's the cure?  Leggings and shorts underneath work but they don't look great on yours truly without heels which are equally awkward since the husband is my exact height.  He couldn't care less; I do.  Second...

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter y'all!...

Friday funnies: Man Talk

Friday funnies time!  Here's a few gems from the Husband, with a couple add-ons from Dan and Isaac, the seats of brotherly wisdom that can only originate from the elementary age mind.  Enter at your own risk. I made coleslaw from the bag and was trying to make it taste more...authentically homemade and amazing. Me: Try this coleslaw and tell me what you think.  I put some of my balsamic vinaigrette in and I think it made it a lot better! Him: You put balsamic in everything... **** Me: I made regular pizza just for you! No chili powder, no weird cheeses, just regular...

Confessions; Why have kids?

What would I be like if I lived my entire life only thinking about me?  Now there, oh readers, is a very frightening thought.  I need children.  Desperately.  And no, I'm not talking about "baby fever" although I do have that particular ailment rather horrifically right now. (Wednesday's pizza. Recipe later for the wonderful readers (wink wink)) Confession...I have a  "baby things" bookmark hidden under some other random and uninspiring folder to disguise the evidence.  And I'm not even pregnant. So I think...

Easter menu - from me, to you!

This pic is the last time I made mashed sweet potatoes.  We didn't have marshmallows, so the Husband put peeps on it.  They looked like peep zombies after being in the oven, but they tasted good.  That makes us sound really weird, doesn't it? We decided on a whim to visit the in-laws for Easter, so I didn't end up needing the menu I was mentally preparing.  So, dear readers, I will be generous and put it out into cyberspace for you!  Enjoy and think of me as you eat it. (I love my in-laws but they don't really celebrate...

Eclipse, and how to make chores fun

Did you watch the eclipse last night?  I'm ashamed to say that I did not, but for what it's worth, I did think about it.  If you have any pictures or want to give a shout out and tell poor sleep-dependent me what it was like, I'd love to hear it! I sprayed olive oil Pam all over my laptop yesterday.  It is now streakified in a most unfashionable, greasy way, courtesy of my cleaning attempts.  Anyone know how to de-pam a laptop? The cornbread looks so pretty though, doesn't it?  We actually liked the recipe on the back...

Why Epic?

While in college, my husband told his mother that he wanted to have an epic life. Not a great life, not a peaceful life, but an epic life. And since getting married, our life has definitely been...epic. First came marriage.... (Photo from SpieringPhotography.com, our absolutely amazing photographer) Second, I flew back home from our honeymoon for another surgery. Fun. It was gross; I'll spare you a pic, but when my wonderful husband came up to visit (I was at Hopkins, near my parents') he took my scar and drain in stride like...

Sick toys

Did your mother ever get you a sick toy?  Mine did not, as I was almost never sick, until, at 21, I managed to get thyroid cancer and was looking at a six hour surgery and two day hospital stay.  Typical stomach flus and colds never warrented a sick toy, but that did. And you know what, I think I enjoyed it even more than I would have if I'd gotten it when I was 10!  She got me a kindle (yes, big toy, I realize.  It counted as my "sick toy" for the following two other surgeries and is still running strong.).  It was a...

Cheap wines, and our cap collection

Some people collect wine corks. The husband and I collect caps. Not because we don't like corks - I love wines with corks, don't get me wrong - but because wines with corks are expensive. This is a fun choice for when you have $15 to spend. The beauty of this beauty is that you get more bang for your buck than a normal bottle. And it has a very cool cap; it looks like a beer bottle cap.  But Kate, you say, you can afford to work from home and stalk mom blogs all day! How can you not afford wine?  Well, says I, because I am saving....

On the art of frying

I took my life in my hands today and actually fried something!  In hot, spitting, boiling oil!  It was traumatic but it had to be done. One cannot marry a southern man and not know how to fry; just doesn't work like that (so if you have married a southern man and haven't fried anything well...better get cracking! Ha). Frying, just like Minnie (know the reference?)  Ignore the crooked pics.  Waffles...mmmm  Yes, I realize this is uncropped and unedited and a dirty oven; mea culpa.   This is a one-time...