Netflix Giftcard Winner, Gratuitous Birthday Pix and TWO (!) Bonus Coping Mechanisms

There’s something to be said for getting things done at the last moment, because the winner of my give-away was the very last person to respond:

This means that Lisa is the winner! 

Congratulations, Lisa! Please contact me with your mailing info, and enjoy watching all your favorite shows!!

On Saturday, we had a birthday boy. Having been born on 12/20/2012, Francis is now–officially–in his terrible two’s.

Although he’s been practicing his tantrums for months.

We celebrated by having a Pooh-themed birthday party…

…which sounds much worse than it really was. (That “h” at the end makes all the difference!) We celebrated simply–just his godfamily and us–and in the end, had to sing “Happy Birthday” to a sleeping boy.

It must have been something in the punch.

And now for those bonus coping mechanisms! We’re as close as can be to Christmas Eve, so this first tip is for when you are on the fly and don’t have time to make lunch and/or dinner. Grab some cans of soup (I like cream of chicken) while you’re out shopping and if you can, grab some pre-sliced vegetables. Or chop some carrots & onion yourself, no biggie! ‘Cause the sauteed veggies are what make the soup superior.

Or would that be souperior? Ha.

Anyway, you bump up the nutritional value by adding veggies and it’s easy-peasy to just cook them up in your pot before adding the soup, the water, etc. You get homemade taste for very little work, and it’s much better than the drive-through.

My last bonus coping mechanism is simply this: three little words that are the key to my sanity, and they are simply…

Pockets of Prayer.

Otherwise known as aspirations, they are a sigh of love (or a cry for help 🙂 and we can all find them in our busy day! Jesus, I love you…St. Andrew, pray for me…Mary, will you please please help?  I like to think of her turning to me so sweetly and asking, “Would you like to see the baby?”

Yes, I would, dear Mother Mary.

Yes, I definitely would.