Thankful Thursday - it is well with my soul

 Today, I woke with a song stuck in my head. Normally it's from whatever movie Little Man is obsessing over, but today, it was a hymn. I haven't heard it in a while, but it was exactly what I needed to be reminded of.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul...

 And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Love it when stuff like this happens. There have been a lot of uncertainties in our lives lately. Mostly relating to finances (isn't it always). I have been so worried that we wouldn't have what we needed over this summer. Long story short, things just aren't panning out the way we had envisioned.

We will be fine. We have a roof over our head, food in our fridge, and truth be told, more then so many. But I'm a worrier by nature. I like to have everything planned and accounted for, and finances are apart of that. But today, I am realizing that no matter what our circumstances have been in the past, God has provided every single one of our needs. I have no reason to worry. And literally as soon as the thought passed through my brain, this wave of peace followed right behind.

Today, I thank God for His provisions in our lives. Little man was not in our plans, neither was me not working. We have never been lacking. We have always been provided for in abundance and that is God's great faithfulness in our lives. Little Man was the best thing to ever happen to me, and while it seemed like such a scary adventure when I first found out I was pregnant. It has been the greatest adventure of my life!

It is well with my soul!

Adios Mis Amigos,

Thankful Thursday

Gratitude Creates It's Own Attitude

And today a new Attitude is exactly what I needed. Call it PMS, hormonal, or just plain cranky. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Little man was still sound asleep but I couldn't shut off my brain.

As I sat in a silent house sipping on my piping hot cup of coffee I was cranky. Toys were scattered all over the floor, the kitchen that I cleaned the night before was messy, and the floors I vacuumed had crumbs scattered all around.

It was in that moment that I felt something poke my heart. I needed to be thankful!!!

Thankful that my son is healthy and able to run around the house and make a mess.

Thankful that I am able to be home full time and have the opportunity to clean the kitchen throughout the day!!!!

Thankful that we always have food in our fridge, that our pantry is full of snacks that leave little bits and crumbs on the floor.

Clearly there are bigger problems in the world then a messy house, dirty kitchen, and crumbs on the floor.

God has blessed this family, my family, with so much. More then I could have ever asked for.

"Lord help me to never forget all that you have done. Help me to always stop and see the blessings, ignore the frustrations and most of all be Thankful in all things, for everything!"



Adios Mis Amigos,

Thankful Thursday- Change of Plans

 Some things have been going on around the Baby Maker Casa and I have been unsettled. I am a natural worry-wort. I plan and plan and plan some more. I thrive on knowing what is happening and when it's happening. I don't like surprises or change. I can't help it. I got lucky and married a fellow planner, so our lives are pretty well mapped out until retirement. But as any normal person knows. Life doesn't always go according to plan.

First example. Little Man! We had a 5 year plan for kids, meaning we would start trying to have kids after we had been married for 5 years. We will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary this September. I can't help but think of all of the love, joy and pure happiness that would have been missed out on these past 27 months without him. Thank goodness that God knew better then we did and sent this amazing bundle of perfection our way.

The changes that are coming are just one more way that God is showing me . . . "He knows the plans for me, HE will ALWAYS make sure those plans prosper me and not  harm me, plans to give me hope and a future"

and while the planner in me would LOVE to know what is going to happen next.... it's also reassuring that the Master Planner has my life in his hands and is organizing my life far better then I ever could.


Adios Mis Amigos,

Thankful Thursday . . . SUPER POWERS!!!!

Today is Thursday and we spent the A.M. Snuggled up on the couch. . . we have been potty training (well me running him to the potty every 20 minutes). To say it's been tough on our relationship is a massive understatement. I came to the realization that I AM ready to be done with diapers but he is not. I was pushing and pushing telling myself that he is so smart, so perceptive, surely he can do this. . . . he is a boy. He loves to play, he loves to use his imagination and that often means being so caught up in what he is playing with that running to the potty, or even realizing he has to go at all is just not an possible at this point... he'll get there, I know . . . but in his own time... not MINE! 

Soooooo I realized we need to spend some time enjoying this phase we are in . . . playing, using our imaginations and what better way to do that then to be SUPER HERO's. What does every super hero need???? a personalized cape of course!!!!

My first step in any creative idea is to check pinterest, ( I know, I'm obsessed right?!?!) sure enough I found a great tutorial and started there for inspiration (great site for inspiration  )


Here is my take on the project . . .


Supplies :
1.  A t-shirt (one of hubbies driving you crazy with stains ??? that's what I used)
2. Scraps for personalizing (I used cut off portions of the t-shirt and an old tank top )
3. Sewing machine or make this a new sew and use fabric glue where I sew

First: Cut out your cape

I laid the t-shirt on our table and smoothed it out . . . it's stretchy (and this is by no means exact) but just smooth as best you can . . . I used the shirts natural seams as my guided....(make sure you lift up the top layer so your only cutting the front of the shirt and not the back )

 So I cut across the top seam (the one that runs along your shoulders and then down around the neck ). . . I left about 1/4 inch of room from the seam just to make sure I wouldn't snip the seam . . . . Your cutting on the front side of the seam . . . meaning that you want to make sure the seam and back of the shirt are what's left ...  (you want the full neck to stay together)

    not sure if this helps or makes it more confusion (I'll take better pictures all along the way next time!!!) but the pink shows the cut area ....


Next I flipped the shirt over and smoothed it out  ... I tried to picture what I wanted the general shape of the cape to be and drew it out with washable marker. . . .

Second : Personalize

You can go as detailed and crazy as you'd like... but your little super hero will probably be just as happy with a plain cape... This mama loves personalizing :o)

 I used the scraps of the t-shirt to cut out the "E" . . . . I found an old yucky tank top laying around and decided that would be the perfect background for the "E"....you could either sew it on with a machine or use fabric glue

 Finallly I added a quick seam along the edges, not sure how the T-Shirt would frey with washing and the use and abuse that is sure to follow..... it's not perfect by any means.... but it gets the job done :o)

After trying it on him I realized that my husbands shirt neck was way too big and caused the cape to drape too much in the back... I snipped in the center of the front and did a quick cross seam cutting the neck hole about 1/4 of what it was... now it sits better on his shoulders and is big enough to stretch over his head :o) (he has a big mellon) ... you could also use felcro, snaps, buttons... whatever you have on hand

What a great little super hero he makes!!!!

Adios Mis Amigos,

Thankful Thursday . . . terrible two's

 Thankful Thursdays . . . Gratitude creates it's own attitude 

Today's post was inspired by my son. He is two. I'm not sure why the two's have recieved such a bad rap. . . .perhaps because it's when the children start to voice their issues. You, as the mom want to put on green shoes and he wants his blue shoes... Let the tantrum begin. Your in the grocery store and for "no reason at all" the once sweet little girl that melted your heart has turned into a demon monster screaming at the top of her lungs because you won't get her the sugery suger sweets cereal she wants. 

My son is not terrible.....  Not really terrible, okay sometimes terrible.... but today, I'm seeing he is just really passionate. Perhaps it's my husbands latino blood running through his veins....  

Every single thing that happens is a big deal! 

 If he is happy, he is all smiles, giggles and laughing from the depths of his belly. When he is sad, he is genuinely heartbroken. Huge crocodile tears stream down his face. If he is nervous or scared by something his blood curdling screams will be sure to clue you in. 

He feels everything to his core. I pray that this never goes away. 

How many times as adults do we slap on a happy face despite the crocodile tears that are welling up inside. How many times do we get frustrated and upset over the little things and tell ourselves they are no big deal? 

Today, I'm thankful for the reminder that nothing is too little, too small, or insignificant enough to capture my emotions. And that each and every day I should take whatever it is that I'm feeling and allow it to be felt to my core!

Adios Mis Amigos,

Thankful Thursday. . . my Husband

 Today . . . my love . . . I am thankful for you. !!! (see if he really does read this after all). This past week,  September 1st, we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. 4 years really isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things. Our grandparents just celebrated 56 years (we'll be lucky to touch that) ((love you baby)) But it's amazing to think of the past four years and all that has happened. Moved to Texas, Moved 3 times in 3.5 years, Met amazing people, lost a few amazing people,made some pretty incredible memories together,  got knocked up, carried the little bambino to 38 weeks, delivered the most amazing precious little boy, moved back to NJ, of course these are just the highlights. But through it all, no matter the good, bad, or ugly. He has been by my side. Making me laugh when I'm sad, making me laugh when I'm angry. Hugging me when I need it, and even when I didn't. And now for the past 22 months he has been our sole provider. 3 Months on bedrest he did everything he could to make sure that our little family was secure, and when the thought of going back to work and leaving our little guy sent me into a full blown depression, he picked up overtime and never looked back. Now for the last 19 months of little man's life he has given me the greatest priviledge of staying home full time! He works tirelessly (sometimes over 60 hour weeks), 6 days a week, making sure that this family has everything we need, and then some. I know that I rarely praise you and thank you like I should. . . but today. . . .today is your day mi amor.... I am thankful for you!!! and now it's posted on the world wide web... so whenever you are feeling ignored, underappreciated, or upset.... re-read it baby!!!!  Love you. . . to the moon and back!!!!

Adios Mis Amigos,

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for family . . . .near and far our family is truly beautiful. Being down in Texas for almost 4 years, I had the priviledge of getting to know my husbands family. A mother-in-love who is truly a blessing, two sisters that were company and support. Throw in two aunts and endless cousins. We were blessed. 
And now coming home to NJ we are surrounded by my family. Five Aunties (my sisters) loving on my little man, and loads more of my 13 cousins, friends, and family that are loving him.It seems like every day we are surrounded by diffferent family members loving my little man. I am just overwelmed and thankful that God has blessed us with two amazing families. Families that love us and care for us, both here in NJ and there in Texas and across the country. We are blessed!!!! 



Adios Mis Amigos,

Thankful Thursday

Gratitude creates it's own attitude.... today I'm thankful for amazing woman in my life that have taught me how to be a strong, independent, and couragous woman. They have taught me that you should expect nothing less then love, support, and respect.

I am thankful for my my Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, and Mother have all molded and shaped into who I am today. My sisters are the ones that have carried me through the craziness of my life. Pretty much my entire family is filled with amazing women.... I am truly blessed! and thankful of course :o)

Adios Mis Amigos,

Thankful Thursday

Gratitude creates it's own attitude. This week I am thankful for the amazing family God has given me. They are truly a huge support system, my best friends, my heart and soul.

This past week I had the awesome blessing of having my sister come down for a visit. She's the 2nd in line of the 6 of us. The mothering, nurturing, care taker, Elementary school teacher. It's funny how growing up, her and I argued about pretty much everything. It's an amazing transformation when the person who used to be your arch nemesis suddenly turns into one of your best friends. I didn't realize how much I missed her until seeing her. And then realizing how much I missed her, made me realize how much I have missed the other 4 sisters that are back home in NJ.

I've realized that God has placed each and every person in our family for a reason. Some offer their strength and support with common knowledge and tough love. Others offer us their crazy sense of humor,  bigheartedness and easy going attitude.

I am so thankful for each and every person, even the crazies :o)

Have you taken a moment to be thankful ??? What are you most thankful for?


~Accidental Baby Maker

Thankful Thursday and a Raccoon :o)

Gratitude creates it's own attitude. Boy do I need a new attitude this evening (written Wednesday night). So instead of focusing on the absolute mayhem of today. I'm writing my thankful Thursday early to try to get my head and more importantly my heart in the right place.

Today I am thankful for God giving each of us a sense of humor. No two people are the same in what tickles their funny bone. For some its a dry sense of humor, others sarcastic, for me. . .its random.

I truly believe that you can either laugh or cry. When I find myself having a moment to choose (sometimes the tears just happen) --I chose laughter. Although sometimes a good cry is just what the doctor ordered. Today, I chose to laugh.

I found myself with a screaming baby. Poor little mister was adjusting to a new formula and spent the better part of 48 hours in my arms or crying. The two dogs, Rocky and Zoey,  had just been attacked by a raccoon, and that very same raccoon was laying half dead on my back patio. I spent the next 5 hours getting tossed back and forth from one glorious department of San Antonio to the next. Non of which handled my specific situation.

If the raccoon, who I lovingly named "pain in my butt" PIMB for short, was doing better and could potentially "make it" then the Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation department would have come and rescued him, but since poor little PIMB was on deaths door they didn't handle it. Animal control didn't handle raccoons apparently they are too "risky" with the threat of Rabies and other Communicable diseases. Sure of course, lets leave that same "too risky" animal on my back porch. They referred me to the Game Warden who conveniently wasn't in his office the 10 times I called. With each and every phone call I am finding myself in complete disbelief. I started to loose track of the offices I was calling. For instance apparently the city of San Antonio has a Predatory Animals department. Surely they could handle one whimpy little raccoon. Ohh no, not so fast, a raccoon is not considered predatory, despite the high risk of infection of scary diseases. At this point I thought for sure I had to be on an episode of Punked... surely Ashton Kutcher would be popping out of my pantry at any moment. Not so lucky. Finally, the very first person I had spoken with was the one that was indeed supposed to handle it. She had tried to pass it off, sent me on a while goose chase, and low and behold 5 hours later, I had finally found out how to get rid of little PIMB. 

So the day ended, the Hubs came and picked up the dogs to take them in for a mandatory Rabies booster. We'll know by Friday if PIMB is infected with anything else, at which point the dogs will have to get various follow up shots. Until then they are quarantined to their crates or the backyard which is A-Ok with me.

A good friend came over with her little man and we spent the evening wrapped up in the cuteness of our baby boys. The perfect ending to a not so perfect day, but a great ending non the less.




~Accidental Baby Maker