may good times be the jingle in your pocket

And time will tell your story 

and we'll listen once again 

Your song will have its moment 

Leave a sign on the forehead of a friend 

-Joe Wise

Our little boy is not so little anymore.  This picture is his first experience with a peanut butter filled Kong.  Clearly he loves it!

Brutus got to meet Great Aunt Buffy this past week.  She was a little wary at first.  After all, she is a very spoiled pup (as it should be) and had to make sure that Daddy wasn't going anywhere.

Brutus loved his Opa!  This moment was one I have been waiting for.  It is tradition to take a new puppy over to Grandmama & Opa's and I am so glad we got the chance to take our puppy over.

He even got to go inside to visit his Grandmama.  They were sweet together.

He explored the kitchen for a few minutes.

And then it was back outside.  He loved the big yard.  He and Daddy played ball while Buffy watched.  She was still a little curious about the little intruder.

Then Brutus and Buffy decided to play!

Buffy loved chewing sticks with Brutus...

And playing tug-of-war...

Then Buffy decided Brutus needed a babysitter, and she wasn't the one to do it.  Brutus loves his Grandmama & Opa.  The visit was a great one.

Aaron and I had the honor of hosting Eric & Ashleigh's engagement party on Friday.  Brutus helped Daddy grill the burgers and brats.  Soon after the guests started arriving and the party started.  We had lots of food (provided with the help of the guests) and toasted to the soon-to-be newlyweds.

I tried out some new pie-making skills.  Notice the B in the center of the apple pie for Bouselli; the last name of the groom.  Ashleigh was simply glowing.

Eric was happy there was lots of apple pie.  It happens to be one of his favorites. (Yep, the bride let me know in advance.)

Brutus made friends with Ashleigh.  They had many cute moments throughout the night.

Ashleigh and Eric were sweet enough to bring Aaron and I a housewarming gift.  There were two bottles of wine and even a toy for Brutus.  He was already making good use of it at the party.  It is still one of his favorites.

Cutting the...pie...?

Yes, I know, I couldn't help myself.  They needed a practice run, right?

The bottles of wine they brought both had really cute labels.  This is one of them.  I thought it was appropriate for the evening's festivities and for my upcoming anniversary.  The night went very late and ended with a trip to the bar down the street.  Brutus was even awake late, he went on a very energetic walk to see everyone off to drinks.  The party was a success and we could not have been happier to host it.

And then it was back to life as usual.  Brutus has been exploring his new home more and more.  He enjoys hanging out in the kitchen.

Jill and Jordan came to visit Brutus.  I could not stop taking pictures, Brutus thought Jordan was another puppy and Jordan could not stop giggling while he chased her around.

Jordan was cute as can be in the sunset.

She was loving New Town.

Mommy Daughter pic.

Uncle Aaron even got in on the action.

Aaron got Brutus to calm down a little and then Jordan decided to "pat" him.  It was adorable.

Jordan insisted she was Rapunzel all evening.

Uncle Aaron and Jordan got to discuss some serious topics; like her flip flops and which stuffed animal she wanted to play with when she got home.

Brutus has gotten very curious.  He perches on the couch whenever Mommy or Daddy are doing anything in the kitchen.

On Sunday, my beautiful sister Cassandra Jeanne Anastasia Delicath graduated from eighth grade at The Academy of the Sacred Heart.

She received her diploma.

And her alumna certificate.  She is now an Academy alum, just like her sissy and brother and lots of relatives before her.

After Graduation, she participated in the Academy's traditional Maypole dance.

She looked beautiful.

And she didn't miss a step.

I could not have been more proud to call her my sister.

Not to mention how grown up she looked.

Time really flies.  I still remember when she was born and I got to wear an out-of-uniform "I'm A Big Sister!" t-shirt to school the next day.  I was so excited to have a baby sister.  Now she isn't so much of a baby anymore.  I am so proud and excited for her to continue on at Villa.  She is the best little sister in the world.

Brutus got bigger too!  He is really growing fast, as is his curiosity.

This is the second bottle of wine Ashleigh and Eric gave us.  It is a particular favorite:)

I have been spending most of my break from school enjoying time with my two favorite boys.

One of them refuses to stop growing and the other is just so darn spoiled.

I am excited to take this picture in a month and see the difference in how big Brutus is.  Aaron and I love our little boy.  It is a joy to care for him, train him, play with him, and cuddle him.

It is also fun to introduce him to everyone in the family.  He got to have some playtime with Uncle Tad yesterday.

Tad is really just a giant puppy to him.

Tad tried to steal Brutus' bed.  Brutus wasn't having that.  Tad stayed for dinner and a movie.  It is so nice to have him over to our place to hang out and Brutus loves playing with him.  I am so lucky to have such an amazing family!

Well, I can tell you that being a puppy momma has caused me to take 5Xs as many pictures and has pushed my average wake up time to 7 or 8 AM.  Ah, the life of a parent.  And so, I will leave you with this picture of a tired pup because this tired puppy momma is going to kick back and relax with my hubby.  Goodnight all.  Happy Memorial Day weekend!  Let us all remember all those men and women who have and still fight hard for our freedom.

aches & pains

“If you think about disaster, you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.”

-Swami Vivekananda

It has been an eventful few days to say the least.  Starting on Friday we began housesitting for Grandmama & Opa.  We love being in charge of their beautiful home and cuddling and caring for their cute pup Buffy.  I had a quick snip and highlight with my fave hair gal Cherie and ran a few errands.  

The weekend was off to a great start and Sydney came over to hang out with us.  We had a yummy dinner (Chinese food from P.F. Chang's) and sat in front of the fire and watched a scary movie.  Well, the movie was pretty terrible, but it was scary in the dark house with the flickering fire in the backdrop.  It was a very relaxing night and we all went to bed early.


I got up early, to take care of the pup, and see Sydney off.  I am happy to say I enjoy playing housewife at Grandmama & Opa's house and I spent the rest of the day doing dishes and laundry.

Youth Mass, as usual, was attended by the Weirs and the Delicaths that evening at 5 o'clock and once again I got to lector.  I also discovered that I have the privilege of cantering at next week's 5 o'clock Mass.  Even I am a little nervous, performing onstage is much different than cantering at a Mass that I grew up listening to my mom sing at.  I hope I live up to expectations.

My husband is a little skeptical, but I am excited to be a part of something I, with twinkling eyes, marveled at my mother doing since age 4.


Cassie came and spent the night and we watched, my new obsession, Grey's Anatomy together.  She was less than thrilled, but she's a good sissy and she watched it with me.  


Sunday was, as usual, football Sunday and we watched the games and ate steak fresh from Grandmama's freezer.  My hubby even complimented the steaks, pointing out that they were better than the last tim I cooked them, which is a task when you are frying them in a pan on the stove.  The butter helped, as Julia pointed out it always does.

The next day was work-filled, I have discovered that once you become an adult you don't get all the days off you did in school.  I am very proud of my husband who is working very hard and discovering new and exciting methods of getting the Better Life products out there.  


Then came Tuesday...the day from hell (pardon the use of the word hell, but you will realize why.)


The day started off great, I was sore from my first training session at the gym we joined to get healthy and push out the winter blues and Aaron was full of energy.  I decided to take a warm shower to relax my muscles and Aaron went to take the dogs for a long walk.  If you've been sore from a workout you know how good a hot shower (or bath) feels.  


So I am relaxed and I step out of the shower and hear this high-pitched alarm sound.  My first thought is, oh no I am getting a migraine so I dry out my ears and use a q-tip.  Nope, the sound is still there.  So I follow the sound down to the basement and see water on the floor, lots and lots of water, flooding the basement.  Not a catastrophic amount, but this is not my house and there is a corner filled with boxes of mine and my husband's things.


I panic...my husband, where is my husband??  I call....AND call....AND call, and he is NOT picking up.  I call my Grandparents, no answer.  I call my Mom, no answer.  Oh wait, she's at work.  Who can I call.....DAD!  So I frantically call my Dad and ask him what to do.  He calmly tells me to call the plumber or pump mechanic as this problem has happened before.  So I find the number and call.  They are coming.  Ok, what next.  The water.  So I find every rag in the house and throw them on the floor to soak up the water, but there's too much.  So I put on a coat and boots, and wrap my hair in a purple towel and run out of the house to look for my husband.  Thankfully, he was right there, about to walk in the door so I didn't have to humiliate myself in front of my Grandparent's affluent neighbors.  Whew, my husband is here and everything is going to be ok.

My grandfather calls me, we explain what we are doing, the pump guy comes, fixes the pump and we clean up all the water.  We also bleach the floor to disinfect it.  Great, good, everything is cleaned up.  Put the dirty rug in the washer and fix myself a snack.  I walk into the room where my husband is patiently waiting to relax with me and we hear it.....the alarm.....AGAIN!


No, no, no, no, not again.  The exclamation that my husband shouted as he re-discovered the water, flooding the basement, AGAIN.  After we cleaned it up, mopped it, swept it, bleached it, got mud and who knows what else all over ourselves the mess is BACK!


Well, after helping my husband, who was rightfully cranky and upset clean up the mess once I couldn't do it again.  I discovered while cleaning up the mess that part of being married means if your husband is cranky and yelling about cleaning up a huge mess, you, as his wife, are the one who is patient, calm, supportive, and positive.  And that's what I did.  And then the water came back.  No.  Not again.

So, we called Opa, decided to turn off all the water in the house and call the plumber in the morning.  That was it.  We didn't clean it up and we couldn't turn the alarm off and it was driving us crazy.


Then my husband learned something about me.  I'm stubborn.  And I decided we were finished dealing with this disaster and I wanted to pack up all our stuff, clean up our mess, and put the house back as it was and leave.  So I did it.  I packed it all into the car and we left.  Never mind I have very sore muscles and am tired from cleaning up yuck and breathing in fumes.  And we got back home and I was exhausted.  However, it was my fault, I am stubborn.  And you want to know what my husband did, he helped me.  Pack it up, unload it, and put it away.  He put me on the couch, gave me water, the heating pad, and let me watch my show.  He was perfect.  Despite my flaw, being stubborn, he supported me, loved me, cared for me.  Aaron Weir is a wonderful husband.  He loves me and he showed me how much.  I am a lucky girl.  And I love my husband.

And now, today, after a day from hell that ended up being just the opposite because of the man who promised to love me forever, the plumber has fixed the clogged pipe and the house is back to normal.  Well, we haven't finished cleaning up the mess and are no longer staying at the house in lieue of a snowstorm, but the problem is fixed.  So after writing this blog I am feeling very grateful for my husband and our marriage and our life.  Thank you Lord for blessing me with this man and this marriage.  I am so grateful.