National Vanilla Ice Cream Day

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Okay, so I'm not sure it pays to go on vacation.  I've missed two Loveliness Fairs and now, I've missed Vanilla Ice Cream Day! But since my children are well used to celebrating feast days, holidays, and birthdays after the actual date, join us in the kitchen later for some vanilla ice cream. Perhaps we'll top it with blueberries in honor of the Blueberry Bash--do visit there, if only for the pictures. Once again, Suzanne and Kristen have created a feast as pretty as it is delicious!
HT: Courtney, who apparently never misses the date of a food feast;-). We'll make some in your honor dear--there's no wanting someone to eat with around here!

We're Rockin'

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RockinMany, many thanks to Sherry at Large Family Mothering for honoring me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. I'm so in awe of Sherry that I can hardly believe I'm mentioned on the same page as she is. What kind words! Now I get to nominate five Rockin' Girls myself. When I was in Denver recently, someone commented that I didn't seem old enough to have an eighteen-year-old son. She said it must be my little ones who keep me young. Maybe, but I also think it's a rockin' group of young, faithful, beautiful women who remind of how idealistic and in love with this way of life I was when all my children were little and I had no gray hair. So, here in the order I came to know them, are my totally, totally happening, totally holy rockin' friends:

  • Danielle Bean. She's raising eight kids in New Hampshire with such warmth and humor it spreads all over the country. We're already lining her kids up with mine for as many arranged marriages as possible. One thing's certain, our grandchildren would know how to write;-)! Danielle introduced me to....
  • Danielle's sister, Suzanne. Suzanne has a house full of little men. She an artist, a poet, and a pensive essayist. We pensive types have to stick together!Suzanne introduced me to her best friend in the world, her partner in the kitchen,
  • Kristen Laurence.  Kristen mothers two little girls in Orange County, where the fruit is always luscious and the daily uniform is capris, no matter what the season (and she puts a good deal of thought into those simple capris, too). She reminds me to treasure every moment and inspires me to strive for simplicity. Kristen introduced me to...
  • Matilda  . Matilda rocks. She also waltzes and does the salsa! Matilda thinks out loud and she thinks such interesting thoughts! I often hear her inside my head. Matilda introduced me to...
  • Nutmeg. Admittedly, Nutmeg hooked me with her "about" phrase. How can I not find a kindred spirit in someone who professes to be a soccer-playing mama with hair in a bandanna and bare feet on the floor? Nutmeg's posts are Honest and Unaffected; I especially love her thoughts on her marriage and I'm with her all the way on the neighborhood kids.

So there you go: my secret to youth and vitality this side of forty!

Eight Things

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Kimberlee and Michele tagged me for the Eight Things meme ages ago...

Here are the rules: Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I'm a total food snob. I'd rather not eat than eat fast food, fried food, or fake food. I've been this way for as long as I can remember. I also don't drink soda. I can, however, be persuaded to indulge in an occasional coffee frappucino with a scoop of expresso chips.

2. I am surrounded by and related to extraordinarily gifted visual artists. My husband is a television producer/director. My son is a great photographer and he's pretty good with a pencil, too. One of my aunts is a watercolor artist and the most incredible interior designer ever.  The other aunt collects fine art and endows collections at museums. She's pretty good with a paintbrush herself. My grandfather painted beautifully. I am determined to tap into what must be a latent visual gene somewhere in my being...

3. I have an ongoing, constant conversation with St. Therese. All day. Every day. And I frequently mention to her that I'd really love to have another baby;-).

4. I only have one sibling. I never went to Catholic schools. I had no idea whatsover what I was doing when I signed up for a big family and endeavored to provide a Catholic education for them at home. But I have always, always known I wanted a lot of children and I wanted to teach.  Isn't the Holy Spirit BIG?

5. I knew I wanted to marry Mike Foss when I was fourteen years old. Yep. And I never changed my mind.  And there are several people reading who can vouch for that.

6. I was the world's moodiest teenager. (There are several people who can vouch for that, too). People thought I was sad. My grandfather called it "pensive." He was a wise one.

7. I don't like noise. I live in house with five boys, three girls, a very big labradoodle, and a husband who is still a kid. I say "shhh" a lot.

8. I pray every day for the people who will become my children's husbands and wives. Helen mentioned that you could say three Hail Mary's for that intention. Three Hail Marys times eight children just happens to be a St. Therese  chaplet!