7 QT

Jumping back on the link ups train with 7 quick takes...now hosted by Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum.

-1-

Tom's grandmother passed away this week. She was the last of both our grandparents and we both have felt so grieved by her passing - and our distance from his family. I keep thinking of all the amazing things I knew about her, how it seemed she could do so many things - how she made my mother-in-law's wedding dress, how she not only collected but made dolls, and the darling little Winnie the Pooh set of dolls she made for my husband when he was a boy. Such talent and kindness in one person. Please keep our family in your prayers as we mourn such a lovely woman.

-2-

I've been thinking lately about how sartorial choices define a person - and how as an adult, I really should have a set 'style' to define already, right? And yet I still find myself drawn to clothing, jewelry, and home choices that have two distinctly different aesthetics. I feel this is a failing of my adult self. Anyone else have thoughts on this?
(partly triggered by Laura Scanlon's quick take about the parent company of Dress Barn buying out Ann Taylor - which made me really turn my nose up, honestly)

-3-

David's baptism was the other weekend and wow, did I do so many things differently from the first time! Not having grown up in a Christian household, I'm really making most of our traditions up from scratch - and this whole kids-receiving-sacraments thing is new to me too since I'm an adult convert. With Zuzu, I really didn't do much of anything right except having a great huge party - but I didn't even blog about it successfully! (Part II never materialized) This time, greatly aided by Kathryn Whitaker's excellent baptism series, I arranged for someone to hold the camera during the baptism, ordered personalized holy cards to give as favors, ordered godparent gifts in advance, and even coordinated my family's outfits. The pictures were taken by Jen and I've just gotten a few sneak peaks - they make me eager to see them all!

-4-

The gals over at LMLD have had some GREAT posts on nursing and the postpartum period, probably inspired by all the adorable babies they're having over there! Rosie and I were nearly pregnancy twins, and it was so exciting to see the news of her welcoming her new little one not even a week after we had David.
What I most appreciated was Auntie Leila's point that although not everyone can breastfeed their baby, everyone can nurse the baby. It's so easy to lose the point of breastfeeding - so easy to forget that we're not just making sure the baby doesn't starve. We're also teaching him that love and food should always go together, that his mother will meet his needs, that it's good to be close to her. These are the reasons I love nursing...it's so wonderful to begin a child's formation from day one, and to have the lessons be so eternal.

-5-

On a much less sentimental note, do toddlers have another volume besides super duper loud? and how can I access it? Good thing she's cute...

-6-

Any favorite picture books that you feel are off the beaten path? Our favorites include The Selfish Giant (the version with illustrations by Lisbeth Zwerger is really phenomenal), Mirette on the Highwire, and A House Is a House for Me (possibly one of THE BEST books for rhyming and vocabulary growth!).
Not that we have any more room for books in our house...

-7-

The BBQ restaurant that my sister and brother-in-law are general managers for won an award - one of the top 25 BBQ chains in America! If you're ever in Leesburg, FL, stop in!