How lovely

I'm not a huge Prairie Home companion fan, but every morning, I listen to Garrison Keillor read a poem on NPR and tell me who has a birthday.  There was a poem the other day that was so sweet, I had to share.  It really put things into perspective for me:

One Good Thing, by Edwin Romand

It's been a dead parade

of hours since 5 AM

a march of the bland

with the meaningless and

I can think of nothing

I have done to merit

mentioning or

remembering.

But now, at 8 pm,

I am bathing my son

in a tub filled with bubbles

and blue battleships,

the soapy water over

his Irish white skin

makes him glisten

like a glazed doughnut

and I should tell him

to stop splashing

but this is the first time

all day I have felt like living

so how can I scold

my boy who's found joy

in something ordinary

as water? And when

I wash his hair

with Buzz Lightyear

shampoo, Liam

closes his eyes and

smiles like a puppy

being petted as I massage 

the sweet lotion into 

his red curls and I know

this is one good thing

I have done with my life

this day that has waited

for this moment

of water on my sleeve

and soap on my nose

to turn emptiness

into ecstasy.

Mommy/Avery Day

At the end of my ten months as a single mom, my patience was wearing pretty thin.  One week, I yelled at Avery and left him sad because I refused to read him a bedtime story, and I couldn't get the image of him reaching for a book and looking at me out of my head.  SO, that Friday was a day off of work for me.  My original plan was to go take the kids to school and do a bunch of work on our new house, but I decided to make it Mommy/Avery Day instead and we had a great time together!

First, we went for a little breakfast....

 Then we headed out to Fort Washington and toured the old fort

Then we went to "see" Rio 2 which was mainly just enjoying these awesome theater chairs.

And, after a few selfies....

....we were wiped out!

New Year's Resolutions: Two Months In!

At the beginning of the year, I asked a bunch of friends to tell me their New Years' Resolutions.  Here's an update, two months into the year!

 

Me

Goal: Start a business this year

So far: My idea has gone from big to small.  I wanted to start a separate big business, but after really seeing how much I have going on, I am rethinking it all.  I mean, I do have full-time job now, so I think I might have to put everything on hold.  Maybe start small on Etsy....still pondering.

 Ellen

Goal: Find new, more interesting ways to cook chicken 

So Far: She's cooking one new recipe a week and has one to share with us! It's chicken breast with pomegranate sauce recipe from a Cooking Light magazine. You basically just mix chicken broth with pomegranate juice and the entrails of a pomegranate in a heated saucepan. In the meantime, cook the chicken breasts for a few minutes on each side in canola oil seasoned with salt and pepper, then bake on 400 for about 15 minutes. Finally cook rice in chicken broth and mix with fresh thyme, then serve the chicken on the rice and pour the pomegranate sauce over it.

Todd

Goal: Drop some pounds before his May 31st wedding 

So Far: Slowly but surely!  14 pounds left to go in 3.5 months!

Russell

Goal: Run a 5K under 22:00 

So Far: He's been running at the gym, but is really anxious for spring to test out his time outside!

Ryan

Goal: Move to South Carolina by the end of summer 

So Far: Money woes mean a delay until next year :-(  Maybe a new resolution on the horizon?

Kelly

Goal:  Clean less and pay someone to do it for her.  

So Far: She swears she hasn't done a thing :-)

Anita

Goal: Learn and sing the words to "La Bamba"

So Far: She forgot this was her goal.  Needless to say, she doesn't know much past "La Bamba" at this point!

Greg

Goal: Clean out his clutter before heading overseas

So Far: He's thrown out one milk crate of old papers and started separating stuff for a yard sale.

Ben

Goal: Drop some German kilos

So Far: He's following (loosely) Alton's Brown's Four Food Groups and has dropped 10 lbs since January!

 Julia

Goal: One Pinterest project a month 

So far: She's still working on a big dining room art project for January, and February has been filled with Valentine crafts from Pinterest. Here's what's she's been working on:

A wall of mugs

Valentines for the grandparents

 Jon

Goal: Make a movie:

So far: The website is up!  Auditions have been held, the show is cast, and my credit card bill has lots of movie equipment on it!

Goal:To send birthday cards to everyone in the Beach family this year.  

So Far: She made a big calendar with our pictures on it and bought 30 birthday cards!  Excited to get mine next month!

So let's cheer on the team!  Next post is at the end of April!

Peace Be With You

 As a few people noticed in my Facebook post on Ash Wednesday, I'm currently in the process of converting to Catholicism.  Here's a bit about that.

First off, I'm pretty sure I know what your first question is, and it's what everyone asks:

ARE YOU DOING IT FOR JON??

Now, I'm not mad that people ask that, but it really got me thinking as to why that's the first question.  Religion is deeply personal, so to me, it's pretty ridiculous to change religions just based on someone else.  I think that you should practice the religion that's right for you.  If I was changing for Jon, I would have done that 7 years ago, so we'd be married in the church, kids baptized, and all of that.  But I'm not changing religions for him.  First, he would never ask me to, and was perfectly fine with me being Protestant and raising the kids as such our whole lives.  Second, I wouldn't change my entire outlook on religion based on anyone, husband or not.  

Anyway, with that out of the way, why am I converting?  To understand, you have to know a little history.  I grew up in a Baptist church with old, traditional hymns.  I then moved to a Christian church, with traditional hymns that slowly moved into a contemporary service.  As I continued attending Protestant services, I found that they became filled with praise bands, powerpoint shows, and pastors on headset microphones.  Words to new-fangled songs (I'm such an old lady!) were shown on powerpoint, but I couldn't sing them because I didn't know the music.  The services, understandably, in an attempt to gain younger audiences, got hip....and I didn't.  I realized in college that I preferred a solemnity to services that churches were moving away from.

So I married Jon, a Catholic, but never had any intention of converting.  It was too formal, too much, and I was sure there was a perfect church out there for me.  And I didn't find it.  We church-hopped in Boston and in DC, but I didn't find what I was looking for.  I realized at this time that Protestant churches are so different that I spent most of the services confused.  Stand up, sit down, form a prayer circle, yell out prayer concerns, stand up and introduce yourself, nursery, no nursery, every time I was so anxious about not knowing what to do next, I didn't spend the time in worship.

I still hadn't thought about converting until one night, while Avery was saying his prayers, I asked him who Jesus was (I mean, since we were praying to him and everything.)  He said he didn't know, and I told him we had a daddy in Alabama and a daddy in the sky.  His response: Daddy flies in the sky to Alabama.  True enough, but it hit me that my mission to find a perfect church meant that my children weren't getting a religious education.  I was being selfish trying to find a church that was perfect for me, but wasn't considering my children.  Now while I've said I didn't consider changing religions for Jon, being responsible for the religious upbringing of my children is a different thing.  So I started to think what I wanted.  Formality, seriousness of worship, a church where I know what to expect so I won't be anxious the whole service and could just concentrate on the service.  And then it hit me like a rosary in the face.  

So, I called the on-base priest, got in the class (RCIA) and on Easter, I'll be a Catholic, Hail Marys and all.  And I love it.  I mean, granted, I'm still spending a lot of time trying to figure out what's coming up next, but that will come with time.  And we want to find a church with child care.  And I can spend time in prayer like I want to.  And how about that Pope?  He's a cool guy, right?

And that's the gist, really.  I'm doing it for me, but my kids reminded me what I needed to do for them as well.  The kids will be baptized in a little while and we'll be well on our way as a Catholic family.  Thanks to everyone who's walked me through things, and especially my parents for their undying support!

 

New Years' Resolutions: January!

I asked a bunch of folks via Facebook to share their New Years' Resolutions with me, so we can check in a few times over the course of 2014 and see how they are doing.  Here's where everyone started!

 

Me: I'm starting a business in the next year or so, and it's time to crack down and really get that business plan going so the dream becomes a reality!

 Ellen: Her resolution is to regularly find new, more interesting ways to cook chicken breasts and get her family out of their baked BBQ chicken rut! (Maybe she'll give us some recipes!!)

Todd: His wedding is coming up (I'm officiating!!!!!) and he's determined to drop some weight (I know, he's gorgeous and doesn't need it, right?) before the big day!

Russell:  Russell's going to run a 5K in under 22:00 this year - he ran in high school which was only %$#% years ago, so it should be no problem!

Ryan:  He vows to move to South Carolina by the end of summer.  I'm not sure what's sparking this move, but hope we have a good update by August!

 Kelly:  She's going to clean less and pay someone to do it for her.  Amen, sister.

Anita:  My former voice teacher is bound and determined to learn the words to "La Bamba" and be able to sing it.  I'll help you out with the first two:  Para bailar (I think....) Also, if you're drunk, it's easier.

Greg: This guy is set to move soon, so he wants to clean out all the clutter before heading overseas!

Ben: Fresh from Germany, Ben believes he's carrying a few extra kilos and want to drop them like they're heiß.

 Julia: My sister is going to finish one Pinterest project a month.  She swears!  We'll see :-)  

 Jon: My beloved is going to finish filming a movie he's working on.  And by finish I mean START filming (he's got a jumpstart on the script already).

 Leah: My sister-in-law vows to send birthday cards to everyone in the Beach family this year.  Ha ha ha...there aren't enough stamps in the world for this clan....but mine's March 30th!

So let's cheer on the team!  Want to jump in on the fun?  Add a comment below with your resolution and we'll put you on our team for the first update in February.  Hoping to check in every two months for updates!!!

Promotion, Part Two: The Reception!

I know this post is a bit delayed, but I definitely want to talk about this!  Along with the great promotion ceremony I had, I also planned (with lots of help) a great party afterwards!

Thanks to my friend, Gabi, an amazing chef and party planner herself, I decided to make quiches for the event.  It was my first try, and after a week-before dry run that had rave reviews, I bit the bullet and made 7 different quiches for the big day, using this amazing recipe.  Easy, delicious, do it.

The spread

 I went with a fall theme since my promotion was at the end of September and did brown tablecloths, gold plates, lovely metal touches here and there, and orange serving platters.

My friend Kathleen volunteered to help and made this AMAZING cake.  Seriously, what a feat, and delicious.  Other pals chipped in with baked goods, and I even got to use my little major's leaf cookie cutter to make some imprints in some sugar cookies!

Seriously, wow.  A cake shaped like an oak leave on another cake!  Mind blown.

As you might have noticed, I used Scrabble tiles to label all the food

But the best part was seeing people from my past and present in a great celebration!!