The Pickwick Portfolio

You're Invited!

2012-02-09T08:15:00.001-06:00

For all those in the Houston area and those who will brave the farther drive,

You are invited to attend the premiere of Filmodus Operandi.

When: Monday, February 13th at 7:30pm

Where: Norwest Houston Seventh Day Adventist Church (where GfBC Spring meets)
7126 Spring Cypress Road, Spring, Texas 77379

Visit the movie's website at http://filmodusoperandimovie.com/ to see the trailer.

Looking forward to see you there!

In Christ,
~Micaela Marques
Producer, Filmodus Operandi
www.heednoriches.com

Two in a month

2012-02-07T16:20:00.008-06:00

This year, I wanted to bi-weekly share-a-song that us girls have found to be uplifting and glorifying to God. In particular, I wanted to try to share songs that most people haven't heard and/or aren't as popular. I'll also try to give some back ground story of the song or writer. So to start things off, here is a song that Mica and Elena came home singing from the Neal's.

I encourage you to look here and read the writers story behind the song, see a music video, and look at sheet music.

By Faith

By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation's grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight

By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the power of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God's own hand
A place where peace and justice reign

We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight

By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the power to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave

By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth

We will stand...

By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name

We will stand...

-Words and music by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend

Love,

Caro :)

Filmodus Operandi on Facebook

2012-01-31T16:33:00.001-06:00

As I get ready for the premiere of Filmodus Operandi (imagine an excited squeal), I thought I would cue in The Pickwick Portfolio readers to an opportunity. From the start of making this film, it has been our prayer that our fellow Christian filmmakers around the world would be awakened to a "new" way of making films.

The theme of this project was born with an observation: so many Christian films today focus on good morals, but fail to point to Christ, the only true example and source of good morality. Too often Christians are simply portrayed as people of good character, rather than those who have been radically transformed by the Holy Spirit. As a result, the message of the film is dangerously close to one of self-righteousness, as the viewer can seek to bear fruit without knowing of the Vine, the only source of good fruit (John 15:4-5).

Our aim with this project is to suggest a higher goal; let’s use this powerful method of communication to preach the Gospel. Instead of heartwarming stories about kindness or forgiveness, let’s teach the world that it’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance, and that the only source of true forgiveness is Jesus Christ. Our audiences, Christian or not, do not ultimately need to hear of good character qualities; they need to hear the Gospel, for “…it is the power of God for salvation…in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith…” (Romans 1:16-17).

As filmmakers, we are storytellers. As Christians, we have a precious story to share. Let’s make the connection.

One way you can spread the message is through the internet. Our Facebook page is now live; feel free to share it with your friends.

In Christ,
~Micaela Marques
Producer, Filmodus Operandi
www.heednoriches.com

of suffering

2012-01-22T21:26:00.003-06:00

{I'd like to start posting more "personal" photos instead of the pretty ones I find online,

so I present to you a portion of the montage of magazine clippings that grace

the empty wall space in our bathroom.

Isn't that so much more interesting than a google image?}

I'd like to first preface this post by calming your thoughts that I may be going through some kind of early-twenties crisis; don't fear, I'm doing quite well, praise the Lord, and have no tale of woe to speak of.

That being said, my thoughts do wander and stay awhile on the topic of Christian suffering, for a few reasons; mainly because I am blessed to know a circle of people who either have gone through or are currently experiencing seasons of trials and deep afflictions. Perhaps it is a result of this that I am drawn to books, talks, resources of suffering and dealing with its various forms; I'm very interested in investing in these people's lives and hearing what they have to say. Very much like the way I am interested in books on mothering and things of that nature; I'm not in that season or time of life but I am a Tia (aunt) as well as a traveling post-pardem doula (aka, Mary Poppins); and it's been my experience that one can glean much knowledge from people and resources that address things that I may not be experiencing at that time.
In the very same way, I'm interested in suffering and affliction, not because I have a difficult past or present but because as a Believer, I know that suffering, in various shapes and forms, will be a part of my life and through much prayer and trust in His sovereignty, I can look forward to that time.

I wanted to share with you a few excerpts from one of my favorite books on the topic of suffering, Surprised By Suffering by R.C. Sproul. I really enjoy reading Sproul and have learned much from him. This book takes a particular look at sufferings related to physical death but also touches on other areas.
One of the points I appreciated when reading this book is the simple, clear way Sproul explains suffering for the Believer, we truly are followers:

"We are followers of Christ.

We follow Him into the Garden of Gethsemane. We follow Him into the Hall of Judgement. We follow Him along the Via Dolorosa.

We follow Him unto death.

But the gospel declares, we follow Him through

the gates of Heaven...

It is because of Christ that our suffering is not useless.

It is part of the total plan of God who has chosen to

redeem the world through the pathway of suffering."

In my house, my Dad is the only male (especially now that the cats are gone) and as a result, we girls have come to learn some really handy skills (like blowing in insulation, using a drill, and some minor electrical skills to name a few). We're also expanding our off-trail biking abilities. My Dad loves to going biking for exercise and (when it's not too boiling hot) we often enjoy a good, muddy bike ride on the trails around our house.
My sisters and I don't mind sweating, we can stand the heat, and it's really not a big deal to fall down or nearly fall down ~~really hard~~ a few times; however, none of us like going down steep hills. Death by a bicycle is ~~pretty pathetic~~ not a very interesting way to die. All of that being said, for some reason, it's much easier to go down the steep cliffs if my Dad goes first; it's always so much easier to follow someone else into the gravity-pulling unknown than to go by yourself.
Sometimes I wonder about what my own "valley (or valleys) of the shadow" will look like, thankfully, we don't live in a "What-If" kingdom but my mind does sometimes go the wondering. It's my hope and prayer that through the death of a child/spouse, through an illness, through tragic and painful circumstances I will find my hope and strength in Him who has gone before me, who finds it good to lead me through The Valley. That I'll remember the ultimate answer to the "why" of my suffering.

"The man born blind was afflicted with blindness for the glory of God. This is the startling conclusion our Lord revealed.

This is a crucial teaching for us. It serves as a warning for us not to jump to conclusions about the "why" of our suffering.

God used the man's blindness for His greater glory...

We remember the dreadful suffering of Joseph at the hands of his brothers. Yet because of their treachery the plan of God for all of history was brought to pass.

Ultimately the only answer God gave to Job was a revelation of Himself. It was as if God said to him,

"Job, I am your answer."...

God was asking Job to exercise an implicit faith, An implicit faith is not blind faith. It is a faith with vision, a vision enlightened by a knowledge of the character of God."

There is so much hope in suffering. Paul in 2 Corinthians informs us that just as we share in Christ's sufferings, we also share in His comfort, that being just as abundant; there is always leftovers. With that abundant comfort we are able not only to comfort ourselves but also others as well. We have the opportunity to share it with those who are going through any trial, pointing them to the God of all comfort.
I know I've quoted Spurgeon before and here is another excellent quote that adds much to this topic,
"I would go to the deep a hundred times to cheer a downcast spirit.
It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might know how to speak a word in season to one that is weary." ~Charles H. Spurgeon

"It is the hope of Christ that makes it possible for us to persevere in times of tribulation and distress.

We have an anchor for our souls that rests in

the One who has gone before us and conquered."

~R.C. Sproul

True Grit--The ending to the story

2012-01-17T11:52:00.002-06:00

It's funny to think how last year I bought a book, made a new friend from that book (with whom I have kept correspondence with), learned how to sell that book, and now I finally sold that book at the end of November!
I was happy beyond words, cause I really didn't expect someone to buy it, and cause I bought the book for $2 and sold it for $55! I've just had to tell somebody.
Now I've been thinking of what else I could sell.

Does any one have any books that they're selling?

The Past Couple Weeks

2012-01-11T09:29:00.001-06:00


Nate and Naomi in the Hood's fairy grass (aka rye grass) of a backyard! The Hoods planted the grass in the early fall, then it will die in the spring and then you can harvest it as actual rye (like the bread, or the Poirot mystery, or like the gluten that Mica can't eat).

The watermelon had its last days mid December.
Alas, there was some gooey gross stuff on the outside of it, then when we opened it most of it looked bad to eat. But mom and I took a wee bit of the good parts; it wasn't extraordinarily sweet. But, I actually grew something!

So, while the girls were in Dubai, Mr. Neal mentioned that he was going to ship a few things to our house, and we could open the boxes, put some letters and stuff in, and condense the contents into one box. So the first day, we got two skinny packages, I wasn't sure how we were going to a book and a bottle of Witch Hazel (for cloth diapers) into those packages. But every day we continued to receive more packages, and boxes, till three weeks later, we had 19 boxes! But, we managed to condense everything into three or four boxes!! Mica and I were very proud of ourselves. :P

This little field mouse was literally an inch big. We found it in the Hoods backyard.

A sweet friend gave me a mug!

We got to meet the Hood's Nonnie and Poppie!

[Note the impressive deer head, stylishly mounted on the wall, compliments of Mr. Hood.]

Dom with his sword, Mia with her hat.

Yeah, this is pretty much how we take pictures; that's why we can never take professional family portraits.

This scarf is the courtesy of Mrs. Mitzi.
Thanks a bunch!

Oh, we went shooting too!

To get to this "shooting range", we had to drive very, very far, past the sticks. But it was worth it because there was no one at the range to boss you about; just you, your guns, your friends, and other people with their guns and friends.

The family, well some of it.

Yes, we believe in child labor. :P

Nicole bought Elena, Mica, and Mom some special cupcakes-- from the best cupcake place in Austin-- for their birthdays which we had missed.

Love,
Caro :)

of Loving the Little Years

2012-01-10T10:07:00.005-06:00

Everyone also to whom God has given

wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them,

and to accept his lot and rejoice

in his toil—this is the gift of God.

For he will not much remember

the days of his life

because God keeps him occupied with

joy in his heart.

Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

It was a bright, sunny day when I was working in the schoolroom of the N family, most everyone was either outside or reading in the sunroom and Sampson was probably chewing on something in the living room, and as I was browsing through the bookshelf I came across the wee volume of Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic. Though I'm not a mother and have no brood of my own, I had heard many wonderful things about this book and thought I'd recruit it to be a part of my "bathroom reading", so I started. Just a few pages here and there throughout the day and very soon I was finished.

I loved it.

In my experience, there are many "encouraging" books and resources on mothering small children that don't really encourage at all, mostly just expound on the struggles and lack of "me time" that women with small children have, it's very rare that I come across something that cheerfully shows the joys and trials of motherhood. There are many things I loved about this book, but probably what I appreciated the most was Rachel's insight and the wisdom she shared on raising little ones. It also made me reflect on the wonderful examples of this in my life and reminded me how grateful I am to have women who continually show me the good, bad, and true joy that can come with stickies, littles, children.

It's a short, delightful read and I highly encourage you, whether you have little ones or not, to read it!

Also, in my quick research of Rachel's writings I came across this post from Desiring God.org ; in it Rachel shares her thoughts on motherhood as a missionfield, these are excellent and thought-provoking.

"Lay yourself down. Sacrifice yourself here, now. Cheerfully wipe the nose for the fiftieth time today. Make dinner again for the people who don’t like the green beans. Laugh when your plans are thwarted by a vomiting child. Lay yourself down for the people here with you, the people who annoy you, the people who get in your way, the people who take up so much of your time that you can’t read anymore. Rejoice in them. Sacrifice for them. Gain that which you cannot lose in them.

Offered with thankfulness, your work at home is only the beginning. Your laundry pile, selflessly tackled daily, will be used in the hands of God to clothe many. Do not think that your work does not matter. In God’s hands, it will be broken, and broken, and broken again, until all who have need of it have eaten and are satisfied. And even then, there will be leftovers."

Behold the Lamb of God 2011

2012-01-07T12:21:00.005-06:00

So, quite a few weeks ago, Dad, Mom, Lizzie (again), and myself, paid an overnight trip to Austin, for Andrew Peterson's concert, "Behold the Lamb of God". We left decently early on Sunday morning, and drove to the Webb's house, where we caravaned to church. I confess, that by the end of the sermon, my stomach was speaking louder than my attentive face [embarrassed smile].
After church, we relaxed at my Aunt's house, while the kids napped. For dinner, Nicole brought over some leftovers, and we had a crazy, but fun, time eating, after which we (Mom, Lizzie, Sophia, and I) had to scramble over to the concert. The church where the concert was held is our old stomping ground in Austin. We used to have many people (and still have a few) that we knew who attended that church; Elena and Mica used to do AWANA there--do I see any former AWANA kids?-- when we lived in Austin.
Okay, I thought that because Andrew Peterson wasn't incredibly well known that there wouldn't be a lot of people there....well, there was. Quite a bit of people. We even ran into some old friends, which were great to see again.
While we were waiting for the concert to begin, I had the same feeling of anticipation as I do when I go to certain midnight showings of movies, but this was better. :)
The first half of the concert, all the people that toured with AP--which were Jason Gray, Andrew Osenga, Andy Gullahorn, Jill Phillips, and Ben Shive--took turns singing two songs from their own albums. Without having ever heard any of the singers --except Jason Gray-- I really appreciated and enjoyed them thoroughly!
They were all very witty and relaxed on stage and weren't showy, like other singers.
A few of them played songs from albums that have not been released yet, including Andrew Osenga and Andrew Peterson. We had the privilege to hear one of AP's songs that he had literally finished an hour and a half before the concert!
After everyone finished singing their songs there was an intermission, then they all sang the actual album, "Behold the Lamb of God". But before, while everyone was still coming, AP got everyone already in the sanctuary to sing It Is Well With My Soul, which was neat. All the songs that they played I wouldn't have necessarily liked, if I had not heard them live or heard the back stories to them. Then at the end, they had everyone singing part of O Come, O Come Emmanuel and they left the stage with everyone singing the Doxology! Thus they put the focus away from themselves and on Christ!
It wasn't like a rock concert, neither was it like a praise-and-worship band; it was different. A refreshing different.

But now, I think I've talked too much.

[These are really all the pictures that came out, all the other ones were blurry]

Lizzie and I, after the concert.

:)

Now if I could say anything to make up for my "overly-giddiness", it would be this:

Dear Mr. Andrew Peterson,
Thanks for indulging two ~~very nerdy and ecstatic~~ girls with your time and pen.
If you ever come back to Texas, I'll do my best to--instead of bringing a pile of books--bring friends and family!
Your books are fantastic!
Continue on with your publishing and recording.
Sincerely,
Caro

P.S Is there any way I can entice you

to come back to Texas and come visit the small

group of fans in Houston?

Afterward, Lizzie and I rushed to buy CD for me and a book for her. Then, with quaking stomach and giddy head, we went to get our books signed (I already had some books with me). I blubbered words that were supposed to be sentences, as I handed my books for him to sign. I said "books" because...well, I had more than one book...I had four. :). So I got three books of the series signed and an extra one especially for my friends, the Hood girls, to whom I had read the books.
So, all in all I enjoyed the concert and especially going with a friend.

:)

Trailer

2012-01-04T20:02:00.002-06:00

I am so pleased to announce that the film I worked on this summer, Filmodus Operandi, just released its trailer! You can watch it on our homepage or on Vimeo. The film is set to be released in February.

In Christ,
~Micaela

Dear Traveling Girls

2011-12-16T14:47:00.001-06:00

{yes, believe it or not, this was taken at Galveston}

Dear traveling girls,

I would have posted sooner, but I kinda misplaced the camera, and since there was no maid--sister-- to keep track of it for me, I forgot it. But I got it back, don't worry, would I be writing to you if I hadn't?

All this to say, that some of the pictures will be blurry since they were taken with Dad's blackberry.
SO, last Friday, we went to Galveston for the day, and we brought Lizzie with us!
We started off going to a subsea drilling & oil museum...yeah, only people who work for the companies involved in that stuff, go there. But there were actually some interesting parts. After that we had lunch at Starbucks, and then went shopping/sight seeing downtown. We visited a candy shop, surf shops, boutique shops, and ( my favorite) antique shops.
Even though we don't have any pictures, the antique shops were fantastic, however, expensive! One of the antique shops had-- what I call-- a dream land of dress ups!! Beautiful dress ups, scarves, gloves, hats, etc. It was literally like a dream come true! And there were also some Lucky Indian Buffalo Head Nickel coins from the 20s that the lady showed us, plus marvel comic books which I would have bought ( if I knew what to buy), and old, old children toys. For example, mom recognized one of the old aluminum doll houses, the kind she used to play with...yeah, that kind of old. :P
The shopping extended to other parts of the building which as it turns out was an original late 1800's hotel with all the rooms in their original state!
All this to say that I was proven wrong, there is actually some neat places in Galveston.

These are just few of many pelicans that were resting on the rocks.
Lizzie and I could think of only one quote:
Dory:DUCK.
Marlin:[looks up] That's not a duck, it's a... PELICAN.
-Finding Nemo

Exclude the odd eyes, this shop was really nice.

FREE SAMPLES!
Not really, but that's what I thought.

A recycled-paper dress!

I thought of our dear friend the Naquins, when I saw that. :)

[no comment]

It was pretty windy!

First thing I thought when I saw this thing, was, " Look! A huge shadowbox!"

Though I have not obtained the photos yet, I'll be posting soon about a certain concert we went to on December 11th!

Love,
Caro :)

Happy Birthday, Mica!

2011-12-14T19:56:00.001-06:00

Dear dumpling--uh, I mean-- Mica,
I'm aware that it is no longer the 14th in Dubai, but it is here!
Well, no special entitlements come with turning 18...19, except the fact that you get to add bigger number to your age [insert cheesy smile]!
You are a special, dear friend and sister, but different from Elena or Nicole!
Like the shop owners in Dubai say, " Same, same, but different."
Love you!
Happy Birthday!

Very, very long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

[2005]
Mica and Dad!
Do they ever change?

[2005]
With friends, at one of our last days at the beach in California.

[2009]
For one of Mica's birthdays, we tried to surprise her by having the Webbies come for a day trip.

[2009]
Mica, Hope, and Luke, while the Neal's stayed with us.

[2010]
NYC, with our dear friend Joanna!

[somewhere in 2010]

[2011]
John and Mica
During a tight schedule of filming, editing, and basically making an entire movie before 2p(our film class), we managed to fit a mud war in...somehow.

[2011]
Dom and Mica.

[2011]
Ms. Producer!
Mica had just received the shirts for her film, Filmodus Operandi.

Oh, and Dad says happy birthday too!
Love,
Caro :)

P.S Dear Reader,

By now, you must realize how excruciatingly Painful it is

to choose only 10 pictures, from ten million. If you haven't guessed this, then let me tell you,

yes, it is painful.

(really) wish you were here

2011-12-09T11:15:00.000-06:00

Dear Dad, Mom, Nicole, and Caro,

First off, I need to apologize for the grave lack of photo's, blog updates, and skype sessions (our recent 2am time not included); honestly, it's been difficult to set aside the time and the words to describe our time here---believe me, our five hour car trip to Uncle Randy's house will be filled with what we lacked to tell you here!

It's so odd to see our departure date approaching, Mica and I both feel as if this is home mostly owing to the generous and sweet hospitality extended to us by the Neal's, we've been brought into their family so well, each piece of advice or wisdom they have shared is very much in line with what you would say,

they've made us feel very much at home here and we're so thankful for the way in which Mr. and Mrs. have temporarily grafted us into their loving home.

As you know, Joy ~~cried her eyes out~~ ~~filled the room with tears~~ ~~lost her marbles~~ had quite a bit of a shock when Matthew came home and hasn't been the same since. Thankfully she has also taken quite a shining to Mica, they really are like two peas in a pod and I think it's a comfort for Joy to have such a friend during this difficult time in her life. Since she still is able to fly for free, Joy may be coming home with us for a bit, so please get the bed ready for her.

Recent Quotes in the Neal Home

(Faith walks up to me, halter top in hand) "Elena, do you think this top is inrepropriate?"

John: "Elena, if you could, do you think you would blow mouth out of your fire?"

Mrs. Jackie: (in a sing-song voice) I'm going to loose my marbles!
John: What marbles, Mom? Do you have marbles?

(Miss Grumpy-Pants, aka Hope, sits with her arms crossed in her high chair)
Me: "Hope, what side of the bed did you wake up on this morning? I don't think it was the right one."
Grace: "Oh, she woke up on the right side...no wait, I think it was the left side."

More to come...

Thanksgiving 2011!

2011-12-07T08:51:00.001-06:00

Well, I thought I would share with you my thanksgiving in Burnet, TX.
BUT, instead of drowning you with pictures, I thought ahead, and decided I would make a slideshow.

Warning: There are many cute children in this film.

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Caro :)

Happy Birthday, Elena!

2011-11-27T18:40:00.007-06:00

Dear Elena,

I. Love. You.

I can't believe that you are finally 21! It seemed like just last month that people were asking what grade you're in(inside joke).

So, now you can (legally) order alcohol at restaurants, get your CHL, and buy a hand gun--I think.
Sorry that I didn't post this sooner, but I haven't had immediate access to the computer till recently.

But anyway, I wanted to let you know that you are a special sister, friend, and example to me!

Hope you have-- or had-- a blessed birthday!

And I also pray that you will come home safely to us.

Love you!

-2002-
...[no comment]...

-2005-
Don't worry, I spared you from posting other pictures, and decided to play it safe.

-2009-
Visited the Ima Hogg house--no joke, its a real name-- for your bitrthday.

-2010-
Visiting with the McNeil's during our North Trip.

-2011-

Happy belated birthday!

Love,
Caro :)

P.S Let's pretend I posted this just a day after your birthday,
not nearly a week after.

Meet Matthew

2011-11-27T11:23:00.001-06:00

Dear Familia,

It is my great pleasure to introduce the newest Neal!

Meet Matthew Timothy Neal, born on November 22, 2011 at 8:09pm, weighing about 6 1/2 lbs.

After spending his first few days in the NICU, Matthew is thriving well on being home with his siblings.

Mrs. Jackie is so happy to be home and we're so glad to have her back. She is recovering well from the surgery and the days spent at the hospital were restful. Mr. Brock has a week off from work and we're enjoying the time we get to spend together.

I love you!

Love,
~Micaela

Dubai {the update}

2011-11-14T04:41:00.001-06:00

Mica and I with our sweet friends, Cait and Joel;

our new friend Vaughn is behind the camera and sadly, there is no photo of him.

We had a marvelous time with them!

Dear Dad, Mom, Caro, and Nicole,

Hello from the exotic Dubai!

As you know, our flight went well (side note for our knitting readers: you can't take your needles on Emirates---I know, I know), we landed safely, and are flourishing in this marvelous, sandy place. No camels sighted yet, but I'm so excited to tell you about all that we have seen so far. I think we told you most of what is below, via skype, but here you have the photo's. : )

Joel, Cait, and Vaughn graciously showed us around the Marina, a fun hangout in Dubai. The night was filled with good laughs, great conversations, and a beautiful walk. It was such a wonderful night and I'm so grateful for that time.

One of my favorite sights coming into Dubai was actually the view of Kiev at 4ish am, it was the first time I could see anything past the clouds and it looked so lovely; naturally, all that I did see was areas of dotted city lights and...well, that's about it. : ) I also loved the view flying over Turkey and Iran; the mountains were just beautiful from up top and it prepared us for the sandy terrain of Dubai. You'll notice that I'll continually use "sandy" to describe the surroundings (because aside from the roads and pavements, that's pretty much all there is!) but keep in mind that along with this sand, comes the beach. More on that later. ; )

One day last week, the mother of a lady from church came and prepared/taught us to make a feast of delicious Lebanese food (can you say baklava?!); Ann spent the entire day cooking, instructing, and sharing bits of her life with us. I furiously took step-by-step notes and still need to organize them---such a wealth of first hand knowledge!

Thankfully, she made enough food for us to freeze, so we'll be enjoying the fruits of her loving labor for a while!

Our flight was marvelous, the first seven or so hours sped past us while the remaining eight hours were split between sleeping, watching ~~more~~ movies, and being enamored with the wonderful service.

After a quick teeth brushing (just for you, Mom!), we made our way to the N's at last! Like weary traveler's coming home after a long journey, plopped our baggage into our "new rooms" and rested; that evening we had our first "Dubai meal" on the beach with the Burj Al Arab on our left, the Persian/Arabian Gulf before us, smells of our delicious shawarma's around, and the sound of the call to prayer in the air. I think it's the calls to prayer and the abaya's that contribute to the Middle Eastern feel of this diverse city, and it truly is diverse! There are very few Emirati's while the rest of the population could be from any country on the map.

One night, the Neal's took us, as well as Joel and Cait, to a large market called Global Village that was just amazing. There were both handmade and commercial merchandise in each pavilion and you could buy just about anything for a price, a haggled price at that. Each country seemed well represented and it was so neat to "talk" with some of the people behind the counter; I say, "talk" because most of the workers didn't really speak English very well but it was still interesting to get their story and learn a bit about their lives.

This one's for you, Mom and Nicole. : )
Imagine about five different Yemeni men, dressed in traditional garb, calling and asking for your attention; ("You make me sad when you don't come to my shop!" "A special price for you, my special friend!" "You like this, you like this? For you, a special price, my friend!"). As Col. Brandon said, "The air is full of spices." The Yemen pavilion was probably one of my favorites, next to the African one; both were so authentic and full of different and interesting things. This is a place where I definitely wish that you guys could have come.

During our visit to Global Village, we ate our dinner here and it. was. so. delicious.
Shawarma's, hummus, fresh pita's, seasoned meats, and intense chiles filled our plates and tummies; we're really enjoying the different foods we've had here (Including our burger's at Fuddrucker's! ; )

How can we describe the beach? It's just so fun and relaxing each time we go; I always think of our trip to the beach in Cali and it brings back many fond memories of swimming away from the jellies, climbing around the anemone covered rocks, and taking cat naps in the sun---all of which we've been doing here, except for the jellyfish bit, the most frightening thing I've seen in the ocean is a blue, plastic sack which look alarmingly like a vicious fish. While we wait to welcome the Newest Neal, we are planning on a nice, long day at the beach; soaking up some sand and sun is just the ticket and I'm looking forward to hearing the sounds of the water again.

All of the N's love the beach as well, they plan on making us surfer's while we're here so there is much work to be done (like, learning how to maneuver a board again!) but there is plenty of time to learn. The past few beach days we've been leaping from rock to rock, exploring each nook and cranny and scaring away what fish happen to be there.

There you have a peek of our first few weeks here; tomorrow is a visit to see the Mona Lisa and our first trip on the metro, and I'll probably take a trip to Choithrams to pick up some things for my special birthday breakfast (Morning Sun's on the menu!). Mica and I love each of you very dearly.

Your loving and adventurous,

Elena

Dear Dubai Girls,

2011-11-11T17:17:00.002-06:00

Dear Dubai girls,

I thought I could update you gals about these past few days, while I wait for you guys to post(ahem).
Let's see, where shall I start.
I cried.
Well, not exactly, but that Tuesday, it rained and it made me feel gloomy.
I sanded my desk, cleaned the bathroom (all-by-myself), slept in Elena's bed (after I sanded my desk), made use of both your closets (I really like Mica's cardigans), I am the designated salad chef for lunch and dinner, and I have Skyped the Webbies. They are currently in Pampa and plan to return Thursday. Oh! and I was very nerdy and watched the special features for The Return of the King, while I "sewed".
This past week, I've had the first sentences of this song in my head. Connection? Maybe.

Oh, for those who are unaware, Elena and Mica are in Dubai, for six weeks, with our dear friends the Neals.

At the airport!
They just grow up so fast(fake sniff)!

If you remember, awhile back Mia Hood planted some watermelon seeds, and I have kept them up.
But I honestly didn't think anything would come of it, until now.

Can you find the watermelon?
?
?
?

There it is!
Along with my hand, to give you an idea how big it is.

Here are some of the pictures of Mica's graduation party(a couple of Thursdays ago)!
Note the little girls' matching skirts that Nani made for them.

Last Thursday, we went with the Malott's to the Health and Medical Science museum. They actually had some neat stuff there! As you can see from the above, Cameron liked his 3D glasses. :)

BUT, on Wednesday night, we went to the premiere of Grafted! Most of the families that participated in the film (Scotts, Beaches, Loyd's, Frye's, Baucham's, Rectors, Urback's, and Shiflets) had their "Grafted" shirts on, from adult to baby! It was such a sweet film, hearing everyone's stories, seeing pictures and old video footage.

Oh yeah, and Lizzie got her hair cut!

Caleb (directer), John (all-around film guy/composer), and Lisa (producer).
Something tells me they like their sunglasses...

One more thing!

2011-11-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

Just one or two things I wanted to add!

This amazing tree that we fit in.
The only thing I could think of, though, were the many variety of spider and snakes that there are in South Carolina (and were probably in the tree!).

" the Lizard and the Moth".

Now, it was kind of disappointing to take a tour of the house, because the house was really the third or fourth structure, the original house was burned or something, and the current structure was built in 1936, by Canadian ambassador Thomas A. Stone. Not to mention the upstairs was currently being lived in, so we couldn't go up there. But the tour guide was probably one of my favorites. She was very informative and you could tell she liked what she did.

These are the famous South Carolina baskets!
Honestly, it didn't seem that there was so much to it that they could be sold for the price in the picture.

Dad and Mom, demonstrating how large the tree was.

That's all!
:)

P.S As I looked at the date, it struck me, that it is exactly five months till my birthday!
Just had to mention that.

East Coast Trip 2011: Arrival

2011-11-08T15:20:00.001-06:00

Sadly, all pictures of our flight, came out blurry/unexceptionable. Now, yours truly, got bumped to first class going to Atlanta, Georgia! Though, to be honest, I wasn't quite as thrilled. Not that I'm complaining, it's just that it wasn't exactly what it was cracked up to be. But it was nicer( I guess the extra two inches would make a difference if you were flying for like 6 hours), I chatted with one of the businessmen next to me, and tried for the other guy, but he didn't seem the chatty type.
All this to say, that we flow in safely and got to our hotel just in time to collapse.

In the morning, Dad picked up our rental and we zoomed out of there.

Here are some of the gazillion pictures we took that day.

It felt like you have to say it with a southern accent.

Mom was so good to inform me that this unique flower, is a Passion flower!

The little house, tucked back between the two big houses, is the slaves' quarters.

These houses were commonly 13 by 5 sq. ft. and and they would fit whole families in these houses.

A lovely view of either a Catholic or Huguenot Church.

You could really imagine, ladies in huge hoop skirt dresses, coming out to those balconies!

Our carriage-tour guide, pointed out the different expressions of each lion's face (look closely).

A very fancy hotel.
Note: the cute old couple on the bench!

This man, was singing some lovely, operatic tunes. He was singing in a particular corner, on the street, that his voice rang out several blocks away!
He told us that he had majored in opera (opera school?), but now he worked full time in some job, and that, he did this on the side, to keep his voice in shape.

The adorable church we went to, Church Creek Presbyterian, it looked like one of those classic, little, white churches that you would get married in.

After church, we met a sweet couple, who invited us to "dinner" (lunch) at their home.
Their home was, what I would call, a traditional southern home; with tall oaks, white walls, and and big open windows. Oh, and no fences.

Boone Hall plantation!
In 1743, the son of Major John Boone, planted these, evenly spaced, oak trees!
It's interesting, the oaks' roots have intertwine with each other, making them last through the centuries. I didn't know that.
The photo doesn't really justify it.

This amazing structure, is being fixed up, but it it first needs to be supported through possible harsh weather.

Mica caught this neat photo of a morning glory!

We used our mini tripod and timed camera to take this!
:)

The Gospel-Centered Marriage Conference--In Pictures

2011-11-07T21:48:00.002-06:00

Surprisingly, I did not take many pictures of this part of the trip. I was quite occupied with taking notes instead. which I plan to share on this blog once we're settled in Dubai.

The weather was just beautiful: COLD! We all enjoyed pulling out our scarves, jackets, and boots. But, more on the actual conference at a later time.

For now, here are the--few-- pictures I took.


Caro and I with Esther Leclerc.

Us girls with Emily Rose Brookshire.

Our good friends, the Smiths.

New friends, Aaron and Chelsea.

Smith girls, Marques girls (plus Dad), and a Barton girl.

Visit with the McNiels.

One of few pictures of the actual conference.

Birthdays, cereal, and cute kids

2011-10-31T08:55:00.001-05:00

[ For some strange reason, this scheduled post, did not get posted. Oh well, here it is]
This is really a "part two" of my previous post .
So, earlier this month our church had it fall FIC Conference, which was held all the way up in Conroe.

This was a short stretch to drive, for all the people who live in Conroe, but not so much for all of us Spring folks. Now, it was convenient for us, cause it gave us an excuse to stay with our dear friends the Hoods, in their new house!

Which is quite lovely!

Mia and Mia, or " the Mia's"!

Nate, being a little man!

So, after the conference, we had a "surprise" party for my Dad! I say "surprise", because we had several leaks-- particularly little kids and emails-- but in the end it was all good!

You may be wondering what's the deal with the cereal, well, it Dad's idea. He had mentioned a while back that it would be a neat idea, for a party, to have everyone bring their own cereal. And that's exactly what we did! Everyone enjoyed everyone else's cereal, and we supplied the milk.
It was a hit!

Eva! Look at little yummy arms and hands!
I just had to add her in.

Sophia, showing us her acrobatic moves.

"Looking out to sea!"
or
"Watching the approaching danger!"
or, just daydreaming at the same time. :)

A sweet friend in Austin, had a surprise party that we had to go to, a couple Saturdays ago.

Mushrooms, birthdays, and baby Eva

2011-10-13T16:42:00.002-05:00

Well, let me update you'll about our past couple weeks...

"Your dinner!"

Dommy giving his cheesy smile for the meal.

Baby hands are SO precious, as well as the whole baby!

A Sunday, or so, ago, we had the privilege to ride in a certain somebody's Mustang convertible!
I know, "sweet ride", that's what I said too.
Thanks Naquins!

Though this picture doesn't quite capture it all, but there was this beautiful morning mist, that I just had to capture.
It looked like I was in some ethereal world.

Okay, last month, it had to do a experiment in Biology with mushrooms. And it just so happened that some mushrooms had grown in our yard. So, with gloves and plate, I picked one of the mushrooms. I was going to remove the cap (the umbrella part) from the stipe (the "trunk" part) to collect some Basidiospores, and put under a microscope. I was trying to gently shake them from the cap, but what started coming out instead, WAS NOT little seed-like thingys. Suddenly--or maybe it just seemed suddenly-- all these little maggots started seeping out of the cap! Okay, roaches are one thing--though Mica would disagree with me---but maggots are just...just gross!!! Amusingly enough, Mica found it all fasinating, while I was completely grossed out, but she persuaded me to get one and look at it under the microscope. It was actually pretty cool to see the maggot's organs--the light from the microscope, made its body transparent--moving (of course, after a while of the maggot being squished in a slide, its organs stopped moving).
Thank you Scott's for letting me borrow your microscope!

Eva, very thoughtful and pensive in the outside.
More to come!

God The All

2011-10-13T06:54:00.000-05:00

O God whose will conquers all,

There is no comfort in anything apart from

enjoying Thee

and being engaged in Thy service;

Thou art All in all, and all enjoyments are what

to me Thou makest them, and no more.

I am well pleased with Thy will, whatever it is,

or should be in all respects,

And if Thou bidst me decide for myself in any affair,

I would choose to refer all to Thee,

for Thou are infinitely wise and cannot do amiss,

as I am in danger of doing.

I rejoice to think that all things are at Thy disposal,

and it delights me to leave them there.

Then prayer turns wholly into praise,

and all I can do is to adore and bless Thee.

What shall I give Thee for all Thy benefits?

I am in a strait betwixt two, knowing not

what to do;

I long to make some return, but have nothing to offer,

and can only rejoice that Thou doest all,

that none in heaven or on earth shares Thy honour;

I can of myself do nothing to glorify Thy blessed name,

but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul

and body to Thee,

I know that Thou art the author and finisher of faith,

that the whole work of redemption is Thine alone,

that every good work or thought found in me

is the effect of Thy power and grace,

that Thy sole motive in working in me to will

and to do is for Thy good pleasure.

O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much

about man's creaturely power and goodness,

when, if Thou didst not hold us back every

moment, we should be devils incarnate.

This, by bitter experience, Thou hast taught me

concerning myself.

~The Valley of Vision

Filmodus Operandi Website

2011-10-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

I am very pleased and excited to announce that the film I worked on this summer, Filmodus Operandi, has just launched our new website! Check it out at heednoriches.com. There will be a new blog post every Saturday evening, so be sure to check back weekly!

In Christ,
~Micaela Marques
Producer, Filmodus Operandi

Happy 5th birthday!

2011-09-27T12:00:00.004-05:00

Dear Mia,

Happy 5th birthday! Five years ago, I was blessed when God brought you into our lives. You were so small; I couldn't believe it when I saw your dark hair, eyes, and skin. Those tiny fingers, but big eyes.

I'm so thankful to have watched you grow and mature over the years. From learning to walk, to sucking your thumb, to wild stories, to cuddly times on the couch, to times when you cry, to time when you can't stop laughing, to jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler, to learning to read.

I love to see how you love your family. How you enjoy anything related to chocolate and movies, but can't stand whipped cream; how you love to sing hymns and always wear dresses; how you like organizing cabinets, but don't like cleaning up toys.

I pray that the Lord will draw you unto Himself one day. That you would be a virtuous woman of God, one whose beauty is known by your "quiet and gentle spirit". That you would learn to fear the Lord, for this is beautiful and worthy of praise. That the gospel would be your passion and Christ would be your focus.

Mia, I love you!

Letter of 1970

2011-09-24T17:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I can now talk about the surprise I mentioned last month.

In January of this year, we (with the Hoods) went to an estate sale, and I bought True Grit. And as I was going to buy it, I noticed a slip of blue paper, -- I was curious-- but I bought it anyway. Well, when we were walking to the car I opened up the paper, and it was a letter, dated June 1970! Now, I always find these things very intriguing, and yes, I realize it is sometimes called "being nosy". But not when you bought it, right?

That evening, when all of us girls were chatting in Mom's room, I brought the letter, and Mrs.Mitzi was able to decipher and read the letter aloud (I have awful handwriting, and I'm awful at reading other peoples handwriting).

The letter was SO sweet! This lady--Mrs. Nicholson-- was writing to her friend in New York, telling her about everything from BBQ parties, to gardening, to room decor, to getting ready for her baby-on-the-way! As Mrs.Mitzi read it to us, we took the news in as if it were us that the writer were writing to!

So, over six months later, here we are.

Earlier this month I finally sat down and wrote a letter to the Mrs.Nicholson, telling her about this letter that is in my possession and if she would like it back. When I sent it, I knew I shouldn't expect an immediate reply back, that is, if the lady still lived at the original address that she wrote from.

Okay, so that was less than two weeks ago, and last Monday I received a charming little note from the lady--Mrs. Nicholson!! I was so giddy, I felt like I'd won the lottery! Though she doesn't live at the original address I wrote to, it managed to find her. :)

Mrs.Nicholson graciously gave her permission for me to write this post, and she allowed me to keep the original letter!

Note the six cent postage stamp.

People had such nicer handwriting in the 70s.

Makes me ashamed of my own.

Thank you, Mrs.Nicholson.
:)

Remembering the Hoods

2011-09-03T16:44:00.004-05:00

You know, reading that title makes me think that they died. Don't worry, they didn't! I was just uploading some videos, and thought that I just had to share them with you!

Okay, if you insist, I'll show you this one too!

Playin' in the street!

April 2011

Good ol' sprinker times!

April 2011

Way over a year ago!

February 2010

When the Hoods came to stay with us while their a/c was out, a year ago!

August 2010

The ladies.

Ready, with their babies, to go to the store.

August 2010

Having a bit of fun, after we raked all the leaves in the yard.

January 2011

Love you Hoods!

Mary Poppins Goes Home

2011-08-30T22:59:00.001-05:00

At least for a little while. :)

As I type this, my sisters, Green Bean Niece, and I are squishing on the sofa in a darkened living room; the rest of the home is tucked snugly away in bed and the only sound is the keyboard and our cuckoo clock. Yes, the Webbs and I arrived in Houston earlier today and plan to have a nice, long visit!

It is such a sweet blessing to be home again.

Especially with almost all of my dear family home as well (We miss you, Dad and Chris!!); we've been doing a vast amount of laughing, giggling, joking, talking, and--of course--eating. The exact time of our stay here is yet to be decided but I've relished being home again! It truly feels like ages since I was here and thoughts of Rip Van Winkle have floated through my mind but those were only fleeting, as the essential things of my home haven't changed.

{Lunchtime activities: finger people!}

This week we have some delightful social engagements, one of the benefits of having a new baby in the home--everyone wants to meet, greet, kiss, and cuddle the new Little Green Bean. Naturally, we can't blame them, as it is our personal opinion that Eva is edible.

The girls--and Dom, in his way--have been especially helpful with the extra work around the home; the above shot is of them bringing in the diapers from drying in the sun. Yes, my superwoman sister, Nicole, is just that: Superwoman. Cloth diapers are no easy task, though they help to save money and the environment, they're quite a load of work (no pun intended)! Both my sister and Aunt have made the brave choice of cloth diapering (three children at a time in one case!), each with slight variations but both with a few extra laundry steps. I think it's marvelous that they're so dedicated and I'm so glad I have my share of experience with cloth diapers (let me tell you, rinsing a dirty diaper is a character building experience).

So, for the next week or so, I look forward to bringing you the happenings of our time here and this part of my "Mary Poppins" season. :)

True Grit- The Real Thing

2011-08-23T09:29:00.001-05:00

This was an estate sale find earlier this year. I had immediate plans (in my head, that is) to sell it! But, as you can tell, I have only recently put time and effort to accomplish this. Amusingly enough, I managed to have time to read it and review it within the first couple months I got it.

Unlike most books that I find, this one has no fade marks

Dust jacket has taken a great deal of the wear and tear.

The book itself is in great condition!

There is a interesting side-story about what I found in this book after purchasing it, but I'll save that for later!
:)

{Eva Christine Webb}

2011-08-04T12:44:00.003-05:00

2, August 2011

1:29 pm

19. 75 inches

7.1 lbs

Our Bun in the Oven is now a Wee Little Bean.

We were blessed with this Sweet Girl in record time!

Nicole was induced around 10 am Tuesday morning and it was a quick ride from there,

as she went from 6 centimeters to pushing in about ten minutes;

our Sweet God was very gracious to Nicole,

just when she thought she couldn't do it anymore the

labor was a push away from being over.

Praise our sweet God, from whom all Dear Blessings flow!

{funny hospital story}

So the day Nicole was induced, I stayed home with the Chicklets and the plan was for Chris to call us when it was time to come to the hospital. Well the time came, everyone was in a flurry of excitement to throw every "necessary" article of clothing on, and Mia grabs my face and says,

"Elena! We're going to go see Wall-E today!"

I just looked at her.

"What Mia? Wall-E??"

"Yes, Wall-E! We get to go see her today!!"

"Mia, her name's 'Eva', not 'Wall-E'"

(Laughs hysterically) "Oh!"

I guess we shouldn't have watched that movie so close to actually seeing Eva.

Today is their first full day home from the hospital and they're both recovering swimmingly!

Though I may have to get bungee cords to keep Nicole in bed, she wastes no time in sleeping; she really is a wonderful mother and bears things very nobly.

(Even the power outage on her first evening home! In our 117 degree heat!

But that's a story for another time.)

Eva is precious.

The Stickies have taken to her so well, even Dominic is quickly

learning to keep an ear out for her.

Now you know the reason for the slight break in our "Mary Poppins Writes" series;

be looking for more pictures when we return!

The Older-Baby Sister...

2011-07-29T21:29:00.001-05:00

Yup, that's me in the middle. And I have been constantly reminded these past few weeks (actually, this past year) of how much I'm the older-baby sister. Since "Mary Poppins" has been gone, and the receptionist has been busy, I've had to do more things then I'm used to around the house.
I don't normally have to vacuum the entire house, cleaning the kitchen, babysit dogs, do school with Emmy, crack jokes, prepare food, and be co-pilot in the car, all of which I did by my self.
I can already hear Nicole, Elena, and Mica laughing out loud and saying, "Oh poor you!".

Yes, I'm the old-baby sister.

Yup, I'm glad God made my family the way He did, otherwise this would be a very different post.

With all that said, I might as well give y'all a peek of the past quiet weeks.

A recent estate sale find (but sadly unprofitable on Amazon).

They are in excellent condition!

Mia's watermelon plant has been taking advantage of the trellis.
It was trying to wrap around my bluebonnets, but I dealt with them.

Emily being...Emily. :)

My new fancy fossil watch!

A visit to the Hoods!

Their eyes are glued to the screen, can't you tell?

Notice Nate biting his blankie cause he was a bit scared at this part of the movie. :)

Almost irresistible.

Sadie.
She is one of three Boston Terriers that we are babysitting.

Beading with Emmy.

This one is really for Elena and Nicole to admire the new couch cushions!

And that's all the pictures I've got for now.
Love,
Caro :)

Mary Poppins Writes Day {12} Yep, today it really is!

2011-07-26T20:36:00.002-05:00

So, I double counted and I've been off on my numbering! So sorry for the confusion, I think that not posting on Sunday's is throwing me off. : )

Well, yesterday we spent the morning at Cabela's (the outdoor person's haven), which is actually quite a beautiful store; the displays are interesting and well done and they have a mini aquarium with local fish/turtles! The kids were fascinated and thrived on every bit (they also had donuts for breakfast, hence the thriving. ;)
The rest of the day was devoted to lunch, napping, and grocery shopping (all very necessary and fun). I made a batch of Hearty Beef Stew, with the help of America's Test Kitchen, and popped it in the fridge for later.

Chris took us out to a place down under (i.e. Outback) for dinner; it was my first time to eat at this Aussie place and though I was a wee bit disappointed that no one there had an Australian accent, I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent out with the Webbs! It was also my first time to have Ahi Tuna, a little bit chewy but the flavor and sauces were nice. What really made me smile were the signs for the bathrooms: Ladies became "Sheilas" and Men were "Blokes", I'm thinking that would be neat to incorporate at home...somehow...
Also, Chris and I came to an interesting observation: Mica should be here instead of Mia and Chris should have been named Dominic. It's true, I'm beginning to make a habit of calling Dom by Chris and Chris by Dom; and Chris keeps calling Mia "Mica". We're both getting old, I just didn't expect this to happen in our twenties (why, yes, I am being liberal with my age, or generous with his--pick one). Poor Dom has also been affected by our loss of brain cells, he's been calling me by "Nani" ever since I arrived ("Nani" is the Chicklets affectionate name for my Mum), not sure what to do about it aside from correcting him each and every time he says it; I personally think it's pretty cute. : ) I think he must be confused by the hair and the fact that "Nani" and "Nena" sound pretty similar.

No, Mum, I don't think he'll confuse us when

we're both in the same room.

You're the "Nani", I'm just the nanny.

At any rate, I think we all need more vitamin D and sleep.

For those of you that are not on Facebook or our "recent calls" list, Nicole and Chris have opted to schedule an induction sometime tomorrow morning; so we'll be posting lots of baby pictures soon! Due to my love and adoration for fresh babies (especially my sister's), I can't promise a post tomorrow night but know that I'll be posting as soon as I'm able!

We're all very excited to be meeting this wee lassie and covering her with kisses; may God be praised for protecting, caring for, and providing for this little one and her mamma thus far!

Dear Baby Webb

2011-07-26T14:40:00.002-05:00

Dear Baby Webb,

We all can't wait to see you, kiss you, and take many, many pictures of you!

But until the timer goes off, and you come out of the oven, I'll entertain your Mommy and Elena with these pictures:

{Picture Taken: 6-17-94}
This is when Elena was 4 years old, and Mica was 2!

{Picture Taken: 04-01-11}
Now, over 15 years later!

I know, cute, but naughty!
The End.

Love,
Caro :)

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 12}

2011-07-26T13:39:00.004-05:00

Yesterday's high was 105 degrees...so, we went to the splash pad! Which accounts for the lack of pictures of the day, I thought it a little too dangerous to pull out the camera while dozens of dripping children were running past me. It was a grand time, we met our cousin and her two little girls there as well, it made for a nice time as the girls all played together very well. Dominic was very opposed to all of the water everywhere but in the end he was running around and and filling his hat with water. :)

Also, Nicole washed and folded the rest of the baby items--so cute! I have a few wee surprises in my bag and everything is all set and ready to go. Tomorrow is another appointment for Nicole and while her and Chris are out, the girls and I will be making some "Welcome Home Baby" crafts (I think another banner is in order).
Oh, and for dinner we had grilled chicken with lacto-fermented carrots (we got ours from this fun place); lettuce, slivered almonds, cucumbers, leeks, and lots of fermented carrots were in order as well as some pepper and olive oil!

After supper, in order to help the Yet-to-Be-Seen-Offspring, we went for a long walk through the neighborhood and played for a bit at the park, that is, the Chicklets played at the park while Nicole and I people watched at a picnic table. Despite the heat and Mia's wee legs, it was a wonderful way to end the day; walking is one of the best ways to enjoy this part of Austin, the steep hills give a great view of this area, it just takes a bit of time to walk them. : )
And just for some special random tidbits (mostly for my family in Houston); this is what Dom keeps playing over and over again on Nicole's phone, this is the second most frequent song he plays. Yesterday I listened to them while everyone was taking a nap, mostly because I hadn't listened to them all the way through. :)

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 10}

2011-07-25T14:41:00.003-05:00

Saturday was our first full day with Chris; he had driven home in the wee small hours of the morning and was recovering for most of Saturday morning, so I took that time and went to an estate sale with the girls (Head over to my art blog to read about our finds!); I was inspired by my Mom and sisters who told me about their fun finds the day before. We also went to our favorite Austin consignment shop; the girls were so patient and did a wonderful job at both places.
When we came home from our thrift shopping, Chris took us all to Costco for lunch! Their pizza and gelato is actually quite tasty and presents a perfect place to people watch; I say perfect because you can sit, enjoy your lunch, and within fifteen minutes observe at least 150 people.

Nicole and I have just finished watching a few renditions of Sherlock Holmes, so I was in a deducing frame of mind, it was difficult to restrain myself from wanting to ask people for their life's story, a developing habit that I rather enjoy. I think some people just want someone to listen sometimes.
It's very sweet to see how much the Stickies change when their "Daddy-O" is home.

Sophie and Mia always have something to show him and look to him for so much approval and applause; and Dom, well, lets just say that there is an increase in the amount and volume of truck/crashing sound effects. Another thing that I've noticed is that with the high esteem and affection Chris has, comes authority; Nicole and I could chide and discipline Dom for an offensive action (For example, take this mornings throwing-the-fork-across-the-table-at-Mia incident, thankfully it was a plastic fork), but when Chris sternly scolds him, Dominic bursts into tears, Chris may as well have thrown Dom across the table.

Back to Saturday.

After taking a nice rest, we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening with Chris' family. We had a delightful dinner at an Italian restaurant, Nicole, the Chicklets, and I had already eaten so we got the Chicklets sundae's for dessert and Nicole and I shared a cappuccino and truffle sampler (that was the delightful part). As usual, by "sharing" I mean that I stirred in the sugar to taste and dipped my half of the biscotti and Nicole had the rest. ; ) Which is really all that I needed to keep me up the rest of the night! It ended up being a bit of a late night, but contrary to our expectations, the Stickies didn't fall asleep in the car. After wiping down the Chicklets, we dressed them into their clothes and tossed them into bed,
then we all rested.

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 9}

2011-07-23T08:42:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was a perfect combination of being busy and still getting things done around the home! For some reason, I didn't end up taking very many pictures but as a supplement, you can see Dom in action in this funny video, a few days ago, we were on our way out to run errands and Sophie was in a very playful mood. :)

Baley spent the day with us again and more games of dress-up were played; all three of the girls get along so well together. Baley's a champ and hangs well with us and our day. :)
For lunch we met Tita and the Apodaca's at one of our favorite burger places! It's always bustling, especially around lunchtime. It's all about the atmosphere and the french fries here, well, for the Chicklet's it's all about the onion rings but I have a distinct opposition to such things so they have those, just a small burger and fries for me!

(To my Dear Family: I savored the flavors just for you--it was just like you remembered it.)

When we came home it was bedtime for Dom and schooltime for the Girlies; Baley colored and muched on apple slices while Sophie and Mia finished their work.

I hopped over to the Apodaca's home to have a wee nanny session while they had a date night. It was just like old hat, the kids and I ate supper and romped around a bit before bedtime. Here's a bit of our dinnertime conversation:

Abby: (Said very quickly) Elena, how old are you??

Me: I'm twenty.

Abby: (gasp) Momma's twenty too!!

Noah: Abby, Momma's __, not twenty.

Abby: (carelessly shrugs her shoulders) Oh!

My Aunt and Uncle came home early and I did some quick shopping at HEB before heading home. Nicole and I began our nightly ritual of quickly getting ready for bed and cozying up on the sofa with our kombucha; well, she rocks out on her pilates ball and I snuggle on the sofa, Nicole doesn't really do the whole snuggle thing but she does know how to relax and unwind!

Last night we finished a mysterious, funny movie and headed to bed.

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 8}

2011-07-21T21:39:00.005-05:00

{The Herb Bar}

I love downtown Austin.

It's all a hustle and bustle of people, bikers, and dogs; there's a certain relaxed feel about the place. Never mind the hundred degree weather, much can be done along and in Lady Bird Lake, even biking around town, it's very doable when you have your own bike lane.

A popular slogan, which you'll probably see on a plethora of Austin bumper stickers, "Keep Austin Weird", is certainly true in all areas--especially downtown!

The natives love supporting local farmers, artists, and entrepreneurs of all kinds; a great place for a budding, creative seller who wanted to get her stuff out to her audience. :)

Like New York is for the actress, Austin is for the artisan, people just love buying local there and are willing to stay loyal and supportive.

One of the places we visited today was what we call "The Soap Place"; a great place to go for natural soaps and all around natural healing stuff. The staff is very helpful and friendly too!
Now, it's not called weird for nothing! Austin certainly has it's share of tree huggers, environmentalists, homosexuals, hippies, bikers (yep, they can be weird too), and animal lovers; most big cities have those, it just looks different here. Perhaps it's the different flavor that makes me see their need for Christ in special way; they're all people and many of them are godless and as lost as can be. Truly, they are blind and deaf to their spiritual condition, and it's so sad.

But I also see little ways how God is working in individuals lives, sometimes the softening of a heart begins with a conversation and an example of a different life.

My sister tells me that Austin in one of the largest places for food trucks. All along south Congress, we saw bunches of them here and there. They even have their own web site; and let me tell you, there was a plethora of food choices, everything from taco shacks to crepes to Thai to cupcakes! It's all there, the question lies with where you want to park your car, but I'd get there early, these places don't exactly have covered parking. ;)

{This one's for your benefit, Nicole.}

{And this one's for you, Mum.}

We had a delectable lunch at the Whole Foods plaza! It's right on top of the building and it even has a playscape for the Chicklets. Nicole brilliantly planned rolled lunchmeat, cheese, and peaches (we snagged the salt and vinegar chips from the store), as well as root beer and some bakery items to finish! It was so refreshing and we were able to sit in a breezy, shady spot (which was so nice for my sister).

I'm just glad I haven't started waddling yet! Yes, it's true, I'm a flexible person to the point that I might just pick up other people's mannerisms with just a day of being with them.

A few years ago I spent a week with a friend who had just had her baby; she was still tenderly waddling around the house and after a few days I found myself waddling around too!

It's dreadful I know, but at the same time, it's kind of fun to imitate the little ways that make people unique. :)

The Apodaca's joined us for dinner, promptly afterward--amidst the bustle and clamor of the room--my Aunt and Uncle started arm wrestling. A part of me thinks that it's just an excuse for them to hold hands and look deeply into each others eyes (yep, they're that sort, and I love it!), but who knows. :)

While the above was going on, I got to work on baby booties to match the sweater dress for the Bun in the Oven; I was giving my wrists a break for a few days but now I'm back to work!

I love little projects that travel well; do you know, I have yet to see another person knitting in public? I'm not sure why but I was kind of expecting to see more of that here...

Ah well. :)

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 7}

2011-07-21T07:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday there was a wedding. :)

It did not include the dapper Little Man but an invisible prince from...well, I'm not quite sure where he was from... at any rate it was the event of the year and took up the entire living room!

Bailey Button spent the afternoon with us and the girls played the entire time, thankfully they're just as good at cleaning up as they are at playing together.
For supper last night, Nicole made a yummy batch of homemade mac and cheese!

Delightfully paired with grilled chicken and lots of broccoli, it was so comforting and we both agreed would make a wonderful dinner to take to a new mommy. Let us know if you'd like the recipe, we'd be more than happy to share. :)
The Bride, Wedding Coordinator, and Maid of Honor.
While they were playing, Nicole and I conquered the Chicklet's room! It was a big item on our list and such a burden was lifted when we finished. Things are now labeled and put into their proper places, the key will be keeping it that way...
After tidying up a wee bit after dinner, we headed to the park and had some good swinging and running time; the Webbs usually take the long way back home and the Chicklets were pretty worn out after that, once we came home, we dragged them through the bathtub and they dropped into their bed. Nicole and I enjoyed a nice stretch time (me with the dolphin plank and Nicole demonstrating her fascial dog--it was great.), our night cap, and the rest of this mysterious series--we were left hanging!

I know what you're thinking now, "What does 'chicklets' mean?" Well, traditionally, it's the name of a wee pack of gum that's no bigger than a nickle; you can get them for about five cents at any mexican grocery store (my personal favorite is the minty green color). It's also how my sister refers to her brood, I thought it was pretty cleaver as the chicklet gum comes in a pack of four pieces and my sister has four little ones too. Hence, chicklets. :)

Later this evening I'll be posting about our big day downtown today! Stay tuned to read about our time in the heart of the "Keep Austin Weird" city!

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 6}

2011-07-20T22:12:00.002-05:00

{Fresh, wild lantana from the backyard, brightens the entire kitchen}

Yesterday we spent a wonderful day out in Burnet with my Grandparents and Aunt. We started the day off pretty early with muffins and eggs, then flew over to our nail appointment with my Aunt. Dom loved showing off his snake skin boots and the girls enjoyed the swivel chairs; it was a good time for visiting and enjoying each others company.

{Miss Crystal and Miss Portia}

"No, you can't stay here!"

"But, my children will starve if we're out on the streets, please, please give me shelter!"

"And then Sophie, the girl was sad."

This is how most of the afternoons go at Tita's house; out come the hat boxs full of scarves and petticoats, off go the everyday garb of a certain eight and four year old. They leave the heat of Burnet, Texas and slowly travel through the snowy streets of some far off town, wear wolves run rampant, as well as dangerous fevers. I remember similar journey's in the not too distant past: orphans on the run from devilish French soldiers with ill-intentions, crossing snake infested jungles and fighting off lunatics ten at a time.

Things always seem to be so dramatic and scary when you're decked out in scarves and old winter wear.

{Tita and Opa}

I really love this one, it really captures both of them quite well. :)

For lunch, we feasted on this perfectly delectable Asian Chicken Salad, the kale and spinach made it both nourishing and hearty; though the sesame oil can be an acquired taste, I think this salad wouldn't quite be the same without it. Tita also made some melt in your mouth quesadillas using homemade flour tortillas and gouda cheese--ah, bliss. That feast carried us well through to dinner time and we were sent home with cod and oranges. On the way home we were able to read a few chapters of The Magician's Nephew though Mia fell asleep before Queen Jadis made it back to the Ketterly Home. :)

This is my Aunt Gaby, as I've mentioned before, she does a wonderful job at many things and pays close attention to details. She lathered up Nicole with a relaxing pedicure and all was well again with our toes!

If you're ever in need of some fun, girly treatment, Nicole and I found Reflections Day Spa and Salon a wonderful place to be! In addition to beauty products, they carry some fun boutique items like redneck wine glasses (you've gotta see them, it's pretty funny).

And here are the Blueberry Almond Muffins we made Monday night and baked Tuesday morning! America's Test Kitchen was right again and the muffins came out beautifully! Today we tried their mac and cheese and were very impressed; I'd love to try freezing some of their meals and seeing how they taste--later!

Mary Poppins Writes {Days 4 & 5}

2011-07-18T19:19:00.005-05:00

{Playing with color pencils after supper}

Now you know that I don't typically spend much computer time on Sundays! In consequence, this post is rather picture heavy, so be warned (I'm sure you won't mind, Mummy. :)

Please forgive the disorderly photos, they're a bit mixed up and this post is a wee choppy on account of it!

{He insisted on eating with the ears on, I thought it was pretty cute too!}

After a long night (courtesy of Dom's unaccounted for screaming), Sunday morning was a bit slow but by His grace, we made to out the door, fed, dressed, and ready to worship! I say "by His grace" because that morning, Nicole was pretty hard up for sleep and a dreadful virus went through me and I felt just like Preggers did six months ago! It was definitely a trial to make the zucchini bake for breakfast and I had to have Sophie make the pbj's to take to church, thankfully I had the presence of mind to take a plastic grocery sack in my pocket (yes, I used it). After my "grocery sack episode" I felt so much better and this morning was right as rain. Just to ease myself into eating again, I cooked up some apples, blueberries, a knob of ginger, and a wee bit of coconut oil; it can hardly be called a sauce because I made it kind of chunky (just the way I like it) but it was a wonderful way to start the day. Memories of after my jaw surgery came back but all good things I assure you. :)

{Tomorrow's breakfast, plus slivered almonds, coconut flakes, and flax seeds!}

Tomorrow Nicole and I have nail appointments with my Aunt (at the fun spa she works at!), gotta prepare Preggers twinkle toes for the big day! She's graciously doing mine as well, they really need a good pedi and she is the only person I trust for the job!

When I was a little girl (Can I say that since I'm almost 21?), my Aunt Gaby lived with us for a season and, being the meticulous nail tech at the time, us girls were always well cared for, specifically in that area. I think we were the only girls in our circle of friends who had daisy's on our toes in the summertime. Ever since then she's been very good to make sure we have the best nail equipment and polishes; it's pretty painful but our hands and feet thank us after she's worked on them!

All of that to say that we'll be heading up to Burnet tomorrow to spend the day with my Grandmother and get our nails done. A delectable Asian Chicken salad is on the menu and fresh watermelon (my favorite!); Tita (my Grandmother) generally has some sort of yummy treat on hand, most anything from fresh flour tortillas to tasty gf delights! We're always well fed there.

{Playing with trains after supper, complete with graphic sound effects.}

{The lay of the land before the decluttering battle was fought.}

Today we tackled the largest area on our "To-Do" list; the caution zone that was the Stickies room; the handy dandy trundle bed makes it possible for all three of them to sleep in a room, Sophia graciously sleeps with Dom on the bottom, leaving the top bed for the Wiggle Worm that is Mia. I'll post an after picture later, we still have some rearranging to do. The decluttering bit was a difficult battle; many seven and four-year-old tears were shed and lots of lecturing was done but thankfully Nicole nobly smuggled out some items to be sold in future tag sales (that's New Yorkan for garage sale)--shhh, don't tell anyone!

{Dom wears these when he takes a shower, genius I say.}

In other, less tearful news, Dominic has taken to wearing swimming goggles while he has his bath! Why didn't I think of that when I was two?? Brilliant and very cute--video to come, Nani. "You will die!"

{We've been doing a bit of yoga relaxation before bedtime each night.}

Also before bed, I've taken to giving a wee yoga session to the Stickies, mostly just relaxing stuff; Dom and Mia don't really get the idea of relaxing their facial muscles (meaning, no talking) but Sophie gets it pretty well. They all enjoy it and it's still fun for them to do. :)

{Popcorn and nutritional yeast, baby!}

Mary Poppins Writes {Day3}

2011-07-16T19:24:00.004-05:00

{6:37 am} The house was silent and still, not a creature was stirring (not even the roaches), a sleepy sister and aunt, slipped out of bed and as she made her way through the dark,

creaky hallway, she heard the sound of rain (and it wasn't the fishtank either).

In quiet bliss, lit only by the sun peaking through the dripping clouds, the girl carefully flipped open her well-worn Book and began the day with a Psalm, and as she turned the page she heard a rustling from the back of the house,

a Little Man was waking up. Time to start the day.
This morning, Nicole and I managed to whip up breakfast, clothe and nearly feed three sleepy children, and scurry off to our Saturday morning Pilates class! Good thing we were only a few minutes tardy because the room was filled, wall to wall, with pilates mats! The stretching and breathing did everyone good. Afterwards we hopped on over to the library and filled up our bags with bedtime stories (I slipped in a knitting book and a greek cookbook alongside Fancy Nancy and Henry and Mudge).
A snacky lunch of rotisserie chicken, sliced cheese, and watermelon was served and another chapter of The Magician's Nephew was read (we're now in the wood between the worlds) and three sleepy heads were sent straight to bed. Sophie and I finished making these delicious power bars and left the quiet home to go thrifting! If you're ever in Austin, we've found lots of wonderful things at this consignment shop. Sophie was a champ and let me make my rounds, being very helpful too! We didn't find much but that's one of the nice features of thrifting, it always changes so you can usually come back to new inventory!
Thankfully, the house was still has we left it when we flew back home. We were even able to paint Sophia's nails and get in some good knitting and reading time; I really loving having her read to me, she's been putting in such great expressions and even a bit of voices. :)

If you're reading this tonight, I'd encourage you to ponder on this passage in Isaiah 58; it's so refreshing to read as you prepare to worship.

“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,

from doing your pleasure on my holy day,

and call the Sabbath a delight

and the holy day of the Lord honorable;

if you honor it, not going your own ways,

or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;

then you shall take delight in the Lord,

and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;

I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 58

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 2}

2011-07-15T20:13:00.007-05:00

And she knits too.

It's one of my new favorite patterns and will probably be in my "go-to" stack of one-skein patterns to knit for others; I whipped it out in a few days and it's completely cotton!

{Sleeping Handsome}

Today we checked off our big item shopping list (Costco/H-E-B); I was further convinced of the ease of having an iphone--shopping lists! Nicole has one for each store--it's so organized!

After checking off our lists we had a lovely lunch at the Apodaca's house; Nicole made the best quesadillas for the adults, filled with yummy taco meat, cheese, and lots of spinach (see? they're the best); the stickies had homemade pizza and water keifer.

After eating and romping around at the Apodaca's, we came home and wanted to collapse onto our pillows; as you can see from the above picture, only one of "us" did; Preggers drifted in and out of sleep on the sofa but I wasn't able to upload that picture for some reason...

{See the wonderful benefits of carrots?}

Carrots! They're a wonderful mental stimulant for the sleepy mind!

We each had one while we did our afternoon work; poor Sophie struggled through math but Preggers was very good about pulling her through (Despite gravity gaining hold of her eyelids).

I had the fun job (seriously, preschool work is so easy peasy, lemon squeezy) of helping Mia with her work, cut and paste, baby, cut and paste.

Between giving coloring instructions (color by number) I was finishing up a sweater dress for the bun in the oven, more on that later. :)

{ Ah, yes, I remember these days...}

{Chocolate Almond milk mustache--the best.}

After a wholesome goodness dinner, we gobbled up some ice cream with mini peanut butter chocolate things, and the Stickies--which really were sticky by now--were whisked to the bathtub and scrubbed away.

Tomorrow is pilates in the morning (oh, yes, a wonderful session with our Uncle/Pilates trainer) which I'm really looking forward to, as well as some heavy duty organizing! We have a list and hope to knock some items off.

On a more serious note, I've been finding great encouragement in this passage and this article; I highly encourage you to read both and let me know what your thoughts are!

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 1}

2011-07-14T20:51:00.002-05:00

{Emily and I getting a little shut eye after reading The Secret Garden,

yes, it was a wonderful cat nap; no drool was involved and Caro was gracious enough to take a far away picture of the sleeping beauties--thanks Caro!}

Today is my first day here in the Webb home! We've already started reading The Magician's Nephew; I really like to have a "long-term" book to read when I'm here for extended periods of time. Nicole and I set our calendar and schedules (her on her iphone and me on my scrap sheet of notebook paper, that is!) and we have a game plan; meals are set, outings planned, and appointments are scheduled (TMI)! I just hope we don't melt while we're out on the town.

{Emily and I before leaving on this humid, balmy morning}

And you guessed it, another blog series is underway; there will be daily (meaning every 24-hours) posts on my time here, complete with pictures and comments on the day!

Check back each day for a new glimpse! However, patience is required on the days when laundry is piled or people just collapse into bed. : )

{One last goodbye}

Naturally we had to stop at our favorite taqueria before heading to Austin; it's a wonderful place that serves mouth watering breakfast tacos (the best ever!) and they know us by name--a good time all around. If you ever stop by, try to sit with your back against the TV's; it's just Mexican novellas but they're super over dramatic and paints an unrealistic picture of our culture...or perhaps too realistic picture...hm... more on that later!

{Nate the Great before bed}

As I think back on this evening, I am reminded of how wonderfully simple it is to be two:

people kiss you all the time, you never sit in a soiled diaper for too long (right?), you never fend for yourself, and the ladies generally melt when you smile their way.

The only draw back is when you can only find one of your sister's purple, fluffy high heels;

that's just the pits.

I'm really looking forward to this time. : )

Rearranging Home

2011-07-07T16:26:00.005-05:00

Our sixth month journey has now come to a finish.

Today we helped with the final packing up and there are only a handful of objects left to move to their new home; we girls have been in a flurry of cleaning and rearranging each room to compensate for the absence of the Hood's belongings (I keep looking around for things I thought we owned, then remembering that it wasn't really ours. :)

Last night I was sharing with a friend how truly bittersweet this time is for us, and it's not just because of the lack of Mr. H's big leather chair in our living room. ;)

I know what you're thinking, it went by pretty fast for me too, yet, at the same time, I feel a bit at a loss as to how to move forward. When they came both of our daily lives changed in their own ways, and at first I wasn't sure what life would look like; now I'm so accustomed to it and they're moving into their own home and again both of our lives have changed in pretty big ways, and again, I'm not quite sure what life will look like. Isn't that funny?

There are a few things that I hope don't change, at least anytime soon.

I hope that I continue managing my time better; it's so easy to let things slide when you have all day long to do them but in the past six months I haven't really had all day! Not perfectly, mind you, but I've seen a change in the way I organize, plan, and execute things.

I hope that we continue to be hard workers; like the above point, we've learned over the past six months the importance of staying on top of household duties. We don't want to live in an "untouchable" home, just a tidy one, and you can't do that when it takes you all day to clean.

I hope that we continue to keep short accounts with each other; when you have little people looking at you for examples, it pushes you to be just that, an example.

I hope that we don't stop going to bed early; it was an 8:30 lights out for the majority of the house, so it seemed kind of pointless to stay up much later than that. That made waking up at the crack of dawn so much easier!

Next week I'll be heading solo to Austin to be with Nicole before, during, and after she has her baby (Dear Houston, don't expect me back until early August); then we'll drive back together and she will stay with us two weeks (in our brand new guest room! Aka, the former Mr. and Mrs. Hood's room). As you can see, this nostalgia shan't last for very long. :)

A while ago I shared some thoughts on the first few weeks of having the Hood's living with us, then there wasn't really much of anything until now! I can assure you that it's not for lack of material, rather mentally processing all that I've learned in the past six months, praise the Lord, there was much sanctification; the majority of it were things that we as a family wouldn't have seen or know had not another pair of eyes and hears been privy to our daily lives!

I'm so grateful for the time spent with them and the blessing of seeing what the Lord has done in both of our lives. Praise His for His faithfulness.

But whatever gain I had,

I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the

surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things

and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain

Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness

of my own that comes from the law,

but that which comes through faith in Christ...

Philippians 3

{Picture Credit}

Blessings...

2011-07-02T18:43:00.001-05:00

This song has been one of a recent favorite. Not really because of the tune or vocal parts, but the lyrics. They really are beautiful. :)

Blessings

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

-Laura Story (2011)

What to do with ugly or outdated journals

2011-06-21T16:41:00.001-05:00

RECOVER them!

Or, at least, that's what I did. I just got some plain white paper, used mode podge to start off with a clean surface. Then I just cut and pasted some scrapes of scrapbook paper, and tada!

The front

The back

New Discoveries...

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

...That hydrangeas bloom little bitty flowers....

...that we have a one and only tomato on our ginormous plant...

...that Mia has a few little watermelon sprouts that are growing...

...that bluebonnets could bloom in May(and a little bit of June).

The one that was store bought has faded away, but my own little sprouts were just staring to bloom in this picture.

Dominic's birthday weekend

2011-06-10T15:06:00.002-05:00

Life can be pretty busy at times...

That is my feeble explanation for taking so long to blog about our weekend in Austin.

I know, I know... I'm late.

We spent a long weekend at the Webb home. It was filled with visits with grandma, vegan brownies, naps, cake, slip-n-slide fun, a puppet show, and a graduation of an old friend.

Mia and her monkey

One of thirty photos in a weak attempt to get a normal group shot.

Sophia and Mia after their puppet show

Us with my dear friend Rose, after her graduation

Mia

Emily

Water fun!

Everyone enjoyed my dad doing the slide

Tita with Rebecca

Beautiful Nicole with the birthday boy

Enjoying a drink

My mom and Sophia

Bubble trouble

The Marques ladies

The Marques daughters plus a granddaughter

Us with our dear friend

Aunt Amparo with Rebecca

Dom's favorite present: a motorcycle like his daddy's!

A Book Review

2011-06-06T12:47:00.001-05:00

Andrew Peterson is a Christian man who is also the author of one of my favorite series, The Wingfeather Saga which contains the books On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, North! Or Be Eaten, and his latest, The Monster In the Hollows. We were first introduced to Andrew Peterson by some dear friends and since then, we have enjoyed his music and books.

The Monster In the Hollows continues the story of Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli Wingfeather. Strange and funny characters, names that make you laugh, places you wish you could see, the holiness and power of Christ, and a story that captivates you from beginning to end is what this books contains. And as with all books that are part of a series, this one leaves you quite cliff-hanging!

My favorite part is towards the end of the story, where someone (no spoilers here) is discussing strength and weakness and says to Kalmar:

"But it's weakness that the Maker turns to strength."

The entire quote gives away some spoilers but this sentence captures the essence of what he is conveying: our deepest need is Christ! We, as humans, are weak and dead in our sins but God, in spite of our weaknesses, uses us to the praise of His glorious name. His grace is sufficient to carry us through the trials that conform us to Christ's image. It reminds me of 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

You can buy The Monster In the Hollows at Amazon or at his printing press, The Rabbit Room.

In Christ,

~Micaela

Bye bye For The Weekend

2011-05-23T14:29:00.000-05:00

Don't mind the 1 finger, he hasn't gotten used to holding 2 up yet :).

This weekend we will be heading to Austin for Dominic's 2nd birthday party. He turned two yesterday and being us, we just have to celebrate :). Food, conversation, and a pinata are on the agenda.

Around this season of life, Nicole has these spurts of crazy energy to do big projects (clean out the garage, for example). And that spurt came pretty recently and so we will also be doing some cleaning in the garage this weekend. I hope we accomplish much.

Be looking for pictures sometime next week.

In Christ,

~Micaela

Dying in Faith

2011-05-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

{Source}

"These all died in faith..."-Hebrews 11:13

In case you haven't been able to tell, we're big Spurgeon fans around here.

There have been many ways the Lord has used his writings and example to teach me important truths and lessons.

Lately, I've been reading a lot a missionary couple who abandoned every earthly pleasure to serve Christ and pursue His kingdom. Their lives being characterized by the sweet and precious passage in Philippians 1: 18-21. Each believer should have this focus, this passion, and this desire; we are being prepared for another place, this world is not the end, our earthly dwelling is just that--our earthly dwelling. Those missionaries that I am reading about had this firmly in their minds. They were living each day by faith, committing to glorify Christ whether that meant by their lives or by their death. Going back to Spurgeon, here is a passage that puts these thoughts in a better light.

"In faith they lived-it was their comfort, their guide,

their motive and their support; and in the same spiritual

grace they died, ending their life-song in the sweet strain

in which they had so long continued.

They did not die resting in the flesh or

upon their own attainments; they made no advance from their

first way of acceptance with God,

but held to the way of faith to the end.

Faith is as precious to die by as to live by...

To them the pains of death were but the birth pangs of a

better state. Take courage, my soul,

as thou readest this epitaph.

Thy course, through grace, is one of faith,

and sight seldom cheers thee;

this has also been the pathway of

the brightest and the best... "

I pray that this would characterize my own life; that each trial and affliction, each blessing and season, would remind and teach me to live by faith and not by sight. What I see is construed by me and is therefore tainted, praise the Lord I am not left to my own understanding!

Praise Him that He is faithful, He does not send us through the flames alone, He carries the heavy burden, and fills our lives with every spiritual blessing. Whether we realize it or not, we are being prepared for an eternal weight of glory that far surpasses what we can imagine.

This gives me such encouragement and drive because I am confident that each trial and grief has a purpose and there is a reason that the Lord has placed it in my life,

if I ever see the reason or not is another story but I know it is for my good and His great glory, and for me that is more than enough.

"Look anew tonight to Jesus, the author and finisher of they faith, and thank Him for giving thee like precious faith with souls now in glory."

-Charles H. Spurgeon

Some thoughts from our small group

2011-05-10T07:18:00.002-05:00

We recently finished our small group class for this semester and we participated in one based off of A Portriat of Paul by Rob Ventura and Jeremy Walker. Here is the book's product description:

"What does a true pastor look like, and what constitutes a faithful ministry? How can we identify the life and labors of one called by God to serve in the church of Jesus Christ? To address these questions, Rob Ventura and Jeremy Walker examine how the apostle Paul describes his pastoral relation to the people of God in Colossians 1:24-2:5. By discussing these essential attitudes, qualities, and characteristics of a faithful minister of Christ, A Portrait of Paul provides gospel ministers an example of what they should be, and demonstrates for churches the kind of pastors they will seek if they desire men after God's own heart."

Among many things, this book has showed me a great deal of what elders must bear as shepherds. The book describes what elders should look like according to scripture, what burdens they bear as elders, and how I ought to pray for them. It also talks about church members and fellow Christians and what their role is in the church and as it relates to elders. It was very insightful to understanding the ministry of the apostle Paul and how, ultimately, our greatest model is Christ and His faithfulness to the church.

In Christ,
~Micaela

The Likeness of Him

2011-04-28T07:11:00.007-05:00

{Design*Sponge}

The Valley of Vision is a collection of puritan prayers that have served to both encourage me and refocus my attentions as I approach each day. If you haven't read them I would highly suggest you do, there is much to be learned there!

Here is a passage from one of the prayers that I wanted to share, I'll warn you it's a bit long but well worth it.

"O Lord God,

Thou hast commanded me to believe in Jesus;

and I would flee to no other refuge,

wash in no other fountain,

build on no other foundation,

receive from no other fullness,

rest in no other relief...

Let me not be at my own disposal,

but rejoice that I am under the care of one

who is too wise to err, too kind

to injure, too tender to crush...

Help me to guide my affections with discretion,

to owe no man anything, to be able to

give to him that needeth, to feel it

my duty and pleasure to be

merciful and forgiving,

to show to the world the likeness of Jesus."

Quote

2011-04-27T15:34:00.001-05:00

"[We] gather together as the church not to enjoy preaching eloquence (or to criticize its lack) but to hear and heed the Word of God. We come to be exhorted, not entertained."

-Alistair Begg

15 things I'm thankful for...

2011-04-27T13:27:00.003-05:00

1.For my family, whom I can only begin to treasure.

2. Blessings.

3. The Hood family, and how they have been a blessing, each one in a different way.
We will miss you Hoods!

4. My encouraging music teacher! Who has been so helpful and positive.

5. Family. :)

6. Our Film Class, our team, and my new appreciation for the film-making industry.

7. Read-alouds (I just had to mention that), parties, and midnight showings!

8. Dear friends.
Who we had so much fun visiting.

9. Our small group study of A Portrait of Paul, along with the delightful fellowship.

10.My very own bluebonnets.

11. Our Church.

12. The Webbies.
And especially for the little bundle of joy coming in June! :)

13. Dancing in the Minefield and Andrew Peterson.

14. Fun memories.

15. For God's hand in my life.

Bloom

2011-04-25T16:40:00.001-05:00

I know, I know, you think the picture above is the seeds I planted in March. Well, their not. The seeds I planted February is the picture below. Cute and small.

I have around six of the these cute and small sprouts.

Here are the two plants side by side.

This is Nate.
When Nate saw that I had tilled the ground and made it flat and level, he was suddenly interested in being outside and running his dump truck over the perfect dirt patch. Then, after he started to dig in the perfect dirt patch, we then came to an agreement. He has his one third of dirt, and I have the two thirds, neatly fenced in. So, we get along.

Ah, bluebonnets.

Dear Dad

2011-04-10T18:31:00.015-05:00

Dear Dad,
I hope you have gotten over jet lag by now. How are things going? Well, over on this side of the pond, Mica is pretty much over the flu, and I just really, really want to be done with the flu. Its been two days for me to be sick, though it feels like eternity! I guess this has reminded me that it is not my plans that will prevail. Oh, I got your British card in the mail on Saturday! Thank you! Also, I opened up grandma's package, which was an embroidered table cloth which matches the napkins that she had already embroidered and given to me. The table cloth has little pockets at the corners, and in each pocket, there was a generous amount of money! Earlier that morning, the Webbies, Aunt Gabby, and Grandma all called and sang happy birthday, the Hoods called as well, and the Apodaca's called today. It was so cute to hear all the kids, with their little voices, sing. For dinner we went to Locatelli's and enjoyed some yummy pizza, Mica and I did our best to not cough. And it was strange, one of the waiters recognized us from HEB, because he works there part time. Today I have felt awful, and spiked up a fever, but right now the Ibuprofen has kicked in, so I am feeling good (at least for a little bit). We listened to a message by Paul Washer today, it was really good. Well, I better get ready for bed (and your probably having breakfast or lunch). We all miss you!

The green couch mom got me!

Yes, those cups are all mine.

Grandma's package.

Love,
Caro :)

P.S Thinking about it, I am very grateful that I don't live in the 1800s
with the flu, I can't imagine how they survived before.

Happy birthday, Caro!

2011-04-09T13:09:00.000-05:00

Happy 15th birthday, Caro!

How special it has been to call you my sister and my friend.
I pray that the Lord would reveal Himself to you and draw you to Himself; that He would make you a new creature for the service of His Kingdom.

I'm sorry you are sick with the flu on your birthday and I'm very sorry that I was the one who gave it to you but at least you got to have your birthday breakfast before you got sick :).

May God bless you!

Love,

~Micaela

Mica and Caro, ages 6 and 3.

If You're Happy...

2011-03-14T13:29:00.009-05:00

Just going through old pictures in this year, and thought that this video was too cute.

Enjoy

Cute, huh?

A Practice in Perseverance

2011-03-02T16:41:00.000-06:00

::National Geographic::

So, most of you know (at least you should know if you follow my art blog) that I am enrolled in College Plus! and have been in the process over the past year of taking one CLEP exam after the other to "test out" of lots of classes before I officially enroll in a college to finish my degree (Release a sigh after that long sentence!).

Well, now you know.

Last month, I took the dreaded microeconomics exam--I use "dreaded" here to describe a completely foreign subject and one that uses the dusty side of my brain--it was pretty rough but I managed through the study period, and after taking a few practice tests, praying, eating many M&M's (my new relaxing habit), I took the exam.

And I failed miserably.

Now, you have to know that I consider myself to be a pretty laid back person; the kind that's just happy to be there and it takes quite a bit to make me frustrated, angry, or impatient. Well, little did I know that just because it might take me longer to get to a certain point, that doesn't give me an excuse to give in, have a pity party, or stop persevering--but back to the story.

Needless to say, I was incredibly disappointed. Not only did I fail but I failed miserably, and in six months I will have to start studying for this all over again. I was also pretty disappointed in myself, and at the fact that things always turn out better when you can do them in retrospect.

And to cut to the chase, the Lord showed me that I need to rely on His strength, when I am weak; that persevering is only difficult when times are difficult; that I should not be discouraged but to always hope in Him.

Life is only trying when I attempt to live it by myself and with my own strength.

Praise God for His faithfulness and the grace only He can give, each and every day.

God is good.

Yes, I know that is a lot to get from a failed exam but sometimes it's the little and trivial things in life that make all the difference.

I'm Diggin' in the Dirt...

2011-03-01T13:03:00.001-06:00

I love bluebonnets. I know, you must be thinking I'm a typical Texan, but during March-April (my birthday, btw) I simply love the drive to and fro to Austin; it is SO beautiful! So, I decided to plant some bluebonnet seeds I have been saving since we went to the Bluebell factory in Brenham.

Broke up the ground and pulled up the weeds.

Ok, I was a little suspicious that I simply bought little pebbles instead of seeds.

I dug those holes, then I realized I had a LOT more seeds than that.
Just keep digging, just keep digging.

All done!

Side note: When I was digging, I was mostly using my hands, and as I was digging, I found these little encased bug things and something very much like little roaches... and I was digging with my hands... I used gloves after that.
I'll try to remember to post pictures once they bloom. :)

2011-02-23T15:36:00.000-06:00

Dear Mommy

2011-02-21T11:15:00.003-06:00

Dear Mommy,

Here are pictures from yesterday's ride home.

We talked, sang songs, and stopped at Nani's favorite store before leaving town; we also contemplated a pit stop at Krispy Kreme's but decided against it considering the vast amount of sugar and the close confines of the car.

Everyone except Elena, Carolina, and Dad slept right up until Brenham (how convenient), and we did stop for a diaper change and ice cream; you will be please to know that Dom only had six licks (chocolate, pistachio almond, cinnamon, and white chocolate almond--to all of which he said, "YUM!")

We also stopped at the Naquin's to drop off the donuts for Emily (which arrived completely intact and orderly!); Dom played with Robbie and pointed to the imaginary motorcycle in their backyard, we gave him half a nectarine to bring him back to reality.

Sophie and Mia really enjoyed playing with Jimmy and his horses.

Once we got home we unpacked, had some eggroll in a bowl, and were promptly thrown into bed. Dom had his usual 6am wake up but Nani and Grandpa didn't mind, Grandpa even stayed home later than usual this morning, just in time for some almond pancakes and eggs!

Well, we're hoping to post more pictures and some video in the next few days so keep checking back!

We love you very dearly.

Love,

Elena (for Sophie, Mia, and a wiggly Dom)

The back seat after ice cream

Before the ice cream

Dom before the ice cream

Thoughts on Heavy Troubles

2011-02-14T07:02:00.004-06:00

When the black clouds gather most, the light is the more brightly revealed to us.

It is a blessed thing that when we are most cast down, then it is that we are most lifted up by the consolations of the Spirit. One reason is, because trials make more room for consolation.

Great hearts can only be made by great troubles.

The humbler a man lies, the more comfort he will always have,

because he will be more fitted to receive it.

There is no cry so good as that which comes from the bottom of the mountains;

no prayer half so hearty as that which come up from the depths of the soul,

through deep trials and afflictions.

Hence they bring us to God and we are happier; for nearness to God is happiness.

Come, troubled believer, fret not over your heavy troubles,

for they are the heralds of weighty mercies.

~Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening pg. 86

One

2011-02-10T13:19:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday, Naomi!

We can't believe it was just one year ago that

we took a trip to the Woodlands to see you.

What a day :)

We praise God for you in our lives and look

forward to many more sweet times with you!

With much love,

The Marques Family