Revolution of Love

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Friday Favorites & Link-up (Vol. 21) & 7QT

Happy Friday! I haven’t done a Friday Favorites since last year so today’s the perfect day to catch up.

Since I have seven faves, I’m also linking up with Kelly for 7 Quick Takes.

(Note: Revolution of Love is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)

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This Week’s Fave Activity

Being Creative

I’m not an artist, but I have a need to create, whether it is a blog post, hand lettering, taking a photo, decorating my planner or making our home look pretty. It brings me joy to make something new or bring a little beauty to my surroundings. How do you express your creativity?

 

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This Week’s Etsy Artist

FlorLarios

I have lots of totes, but this is one of my favorites. I bought it a couple years back, but I still love using it. I have many pieces from Flor Larios in our home and just purchased a couple more small pieces that were on sale. Some of her items would make great gifts for Confirmation or Mother’s Day.

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This Week’s Fave Book


Go Bravely by Emily Wilson Hussem

When I was at last year’s Blessed Is She’s Wild retreat, I heard Emily Wilson Hussem speak. We knew each other online, but it was the first time we met in person. She is an amazing woman of God, beautiful inside and out. I happily purchased her book Go Bravely to give to my teenage daughter. However, I wanted to read it first. Unfortunately (or fortunately,) I landed out having to buy a second copy for my daughter because I made so many underlines and notes in the margin. I am a couple decades over the target audience, but this book touched me deeply. Emily speaks with such love, compassion and fire that you cannot help but be motivated to be braver in your life and in your relationship with God. Granted, there are a couple of chapters that did not apply to me (ie. dating,) but those chapters were great to share with my daughter. Whether you are a young adult or far from it, there is wisdom and truth to be found in Go Bravely. I highly recommend it.

 

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This Week’s Fave Children’s Books

California Young Readers Nominees

Once a week, I lead a library class at my son’s school. All month we’ve been reading nominees of the California Young Reader’s Medal. This week the students voted for their favorite story. They were all really funny or sweet books, but my personal favorite was Mother Bruce. ๐Ÿ™‚

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This Week’s Fave Saints

St. John the Baptist and St. John the Apostle

My two saints of the year have been praying along side me this Lent. St. John the Baptist has been inspiring me to be courageous and make straight the way of the Lord. St. John the Apostle has been challenging me to love God deeper and to remain faithful to Him even when life gets rough. What saints have been helping you lately?

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This Week’s Fave Show

Supernatural

Earlier this month, one of my online friends suggested that I might like the show Supernatural. I had seen commercials for it over the years, but never sat down to watch an episode. Since I enjoyed shows like Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Grimm, I gave it a try. After the first episode, I was hooked. I waited for Brian to watch any more and now we are both hooked. We suddenly understand what all the Supernatural craze is about. We have been binge watching it in the evenings after the kids go to bed and this weekend we will finish season 2. My goal is to catch up over spring and summer so we can watch the final season 15 live. I’ll keep you posted. (Content warning: I’ve only seen the first two seasons, but so far there is TV14 bloody violence and some episodes have adult situations. The theology of the afterlife, demons, spirits and such is not completely in line with Catholic theology, but it definitely is a reminder of the reality of spiritual warfare. This is not everyone’s cup of tea, although it is mine.) ๐Ÿ˜‰

 

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This Week’s Fave Recipe

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

It’s a Lenten Friday so we’re going with a meatless meal of slow cooker Lentil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I love this soup! It is really tasty. In fact, I need to start cooking, so I’d better wrap it up!

Those are my favorites of the week! What have you been enjoying?

Have a great weekend!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Want to link up?? Here are the rules.

1. Create a post with your Friday Favorites.

2. Add a link back here so others can play along.

3. If you want to add the logo to your post, here is the html.

<p style=”text-align: center;”><img class=”aligncenter wp-image-10649″ src=”http://revolutionoflove.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/fri_fave_logo_640.jpg” alt=”” width=”500″ height=”500″ /></p>

4. Make sure youโ€™re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address. The link-up will be open for two weeks. Have fun!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


Online Daybook/ Currently/ 7 QT: July 2018 Review & Fave Links, Books, Music, Movies & More

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Happy Friday! Another month has come and gone (I know, right!) and it’s time for a review of what’s been going on lately. Welcome to Online Daybook/ Currently/7 QT.ย  I linking up with Kelly @ This Ain’t the Lyceum for 7 Quick Takes.

 

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Grateful for…

  • Brian’s test results last week. (No signs of cancer.)
  • My mom’s procedure went well and now she can take the next step towards chemo.
  • Online community love.
  • Date nights.
  • Family time.
  • Casual days of summer.

Praying for..

  • My mom’s health and upcoming cancer treatment.
  • Those fighting cancer, illness and mental health issues.
  • Many special intentions from family and friends, especially those carrying heavy crosses.
  • For an end to the fires in CA, for the firefighters, and the people who have lost their homes.
  • For the poor, oppressed and refugees.
  • All pregnant moms (especially family members), those trying to get pregnant, those who have lost their babies and for moms contemplating an abortion.
  • The souls in purgatory, especially family, friends and those most forgotten.

Pondering…

Recently, I (and the rest of the Blessed Is She Team) started making Holy Hours on Mondays. Frankly, I thought it was a great idea in theory but at the same time, I was thinking, “How am I going to keep myself quiet and focused for a WHOLE hour?”ย  I am used to making quick 10 minute visits or even a a Holy Half-Hour when I am feeling ambitious, but an hour. I went into the chapel and started praying for the long litany of concerns on my heart and prayer intentions from friends.

Then I looked up to the Tabernacle and felt Jesus asking me to just be quiet for a moment…to rest my head on His shoulder and enjoy his presence. As I sat there I felt Him speak to my heart that, yes, I have work to do for Him but that I needed to stop and be with Him first. I needed to fill my own soul first then I would have the strength and wisdom to deal with whatever faced me that day. It’s not like I wasn’t praying before but I feel like it’s time to step it up and reach a little deeper and try a little harder. Maybe God is asking the same of you. We’re all spiritually growing and maturing. How can you step closer to God today?

 

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Family Chit Chat…

Mom/Dolores update – My mom completed the medical procedures she needed and is out of the hospital. She went to her chemo intro class and gets her radiation tattoo on Aug 15 and then starts treatment the following week. Thanks for your continued prayers, especially those who signed up for Rosaries for Dolores. Every week I give my mom a list of the people praying for her and she prays for you on your day. (You can still sign up to pray a rosary for my mom. Her chemo will go into September. It would be great to let her know that people are still praying past the end of the 54 day novena. In return, she and I will be praying for you on your day.)

The rest of the family is dealing with the worry about mom. Personally, I am just keeping myself busy and making memories with my kids because life is short.

Getting back into the school routine is going to speed up time even more. Bella starts next week and the boys start at the end of the month.

 

July Memories…

Swim lessons. //ย  The summer Pixar Movie watching fest continues. // Mom and kids outings. // We attended the Family Concert at the Carmel Bach Festival with the kids’ Oma. //We celebrated the feast day of my patron saint. (St. Anne) // I leaned heavily on God as I waited for Brian’s test results (no cancer!) and worried about mom’s health issues/cancer. #cancersucks // Enjoyed watching Brian play football l with the boys. // Summer beach parties. // Counting my blessings, especially this guy.

 

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Cooking…

I am a big fan of lemon chicken and have been trying to find a recipe that I love. I’ve tried a few and while, good, they haven’t “hit the spot.” Do you have a fave lemon chicken recipe? If so, please share it with me! The next one I am going to try is this one pot recipe.

ย One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken by Creme de La Crumb

 

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Reading…

Finished… (Reviews coming soon.)

The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer

Reading Now/Up Next…

The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay

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We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

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Go Bravely by Emily Wilson

 

Watching…

(ON TV)

After the kids are in bed and sleeping, we’re finishing up Luke Cage, Endeavor and The Tunnel. All of these (some more than others) are dark and heavy so Brian and I also need something lighter in tone. We are also working through Brooklyn 99 and rewatching Psych.

Next month Poldark starts but I still have Season 3 sitting in my DVR. I was so annoyed with the whole Poldark/ Elizabeth story line that I lost interest. Should I pick it back up again?

I’m super excited to watch this tonight!

 

(MOVIES)

Christopher Robin – The movie was super sweet and warm hearted. The first half is a little slow for younger viewers and there are a few scarier moments for the youngest viewers (WWII battle scene, a parent dies and there is a nightmare.) For older kids or adults who grew up with Winnie the Pooh, it is very nostalgic and the theme of family and not losing your sense of wonder is touching. I really enjoyed it. Rated PG for some action. Get a full review from Common Sense Media.

Ant-Man and the Wasp – The movie was fun and we all enjoyed it. The action and tone were more lighthearted compared to the Avengers: Infinity War. There is some language and violence but if your kids have seen other Marvel movies, they should be fine. Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi action violence. Get a full review from Common Sense Media.

 

Listening to …

Added to my Alternative Faves Playlist…


The Record Company – Life to Fix


Young the Giant – Simplify


Death Cab for Cutie – Gold Rush

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Added to my Cooking with the Kids Playlist …

Social Club Misfits – Tuyo

Everything by TobyMac

Tedashii – Gotta Live ft. Jordan Feliz

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Added to my “I Can Do This” playlist…

Lauren Daigle – You Say

 

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Recent Posts:

 

From the Archives:

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 37): Homemade Coconut Granola (July 2016)

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Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 26): Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Saladย (July

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The Top Ten Theme Songs of My Lifeย (July 2014)

ย 

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Around the blogosphere…

Here are some posts I’ve been reading…

 

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Prayer time.


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So that’s what I’ve been up to lately. What about you? What’s currently happening in your life? Any book, movie or TV show recommendations? Do share.

Have a great week!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, ๐Ÿ˜‰

PPS – * Disclaimer: “Revolution of Love.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.”

 


Friday Favorites & Link-up (Vol 13)

Happy Friday, friends! Welcome to Friday Favorites (a link-up posting every 1st and 3rd Friday.) I’m glad you could join me! Here are this week’s favorites. ๐Ÿ™‚

Since I have seven faves, I’m also linking up with Kelly for 7 Quick Takes.

(Note: Revolution of Love is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Also, there are Target affiliate links in this post.)

 

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This Week’s Fave Emotional Support

Family, Friends and our Online Community

It has been a stressful month. First there is the ever present worry about my mom’s cancer and some health setbacks she had this week. Now Brian is due for his yearly cancer testing/scan, so I’m naturally worried that his cancer doesn’t come back. Plus, it seems like so many little things are going wrong that in themselves are minor, but all at once are a pain.

Thankfully, I am surrounded by prayerful and supportive family, friends, as well as an online community, that is constantly supporting my mom, my family and me. My mom was deeply moved when I told her how many people have messaged me that they are praying for her and offering rosaries orย  Masses for her. And this isn’t just immediate family or friends we know, but people who follow me on social media and have gotten to know about me and my family online.

I have gotten numerous messages that started out with “you don’t know me but…” It brings tears to my eyes just typing that. It is so beautiful that there is this community and sisterhood of believers ready to support one another and pray for one another, even if we don’t know each other in real life. The joy that knowledge brings is a tiny foretaste of heaven and the Body of Christ loving one another as brothers and sisters. I love it.

And that support has allowed my next fave…

 

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This Week’s Fave Make Me Smile Moments

Time with Family

The prayers of everyone has just filled my heart with the boost I need to be strong, trust in God and look for the joy amidst the worry. It allows me to cherish the moments I have with my family and to make memories together because life is short and precious.

 

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This Week’s Fave Evening Entertainment

Pixar Movie Fest

Speaking of family time, Bella may have inherited my love of Disneyland but the boys inherited my love of movies. This summer, after our evening family prayer, we cuddle on the couch to watch (part of) a movie together. We have been working through the Pixar Collection. I logged the ones we’ve competed in my bullet journal. Tonight we’ll finish Finding Dory. ๐Ÿ™‚

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This Week’s Fave Catholic Bracelets

My Saint, My Hero

Long before John Stamos got into the picture, I have admired the lovely bracelets of My Saint, My Hero. I first purchased the Forever One Mr & Mrs Blessings Bracelets to share with Brian and the Wave of Prayer bracelet in aqua. (Although, I think that color is no longer available.) When I went to the Blessed Is She Wild Retreat, I received the “Breathe” bracelet, which was very appropriate because I was stressing out big time that day. LOL.

I love the mission of My Saint, My Hero. It is “to bring faith, hope and purpose into everyday life.” They promote the fact that “God is real, prayer works and love heals.” Plus their products are “wearable blessings, crafted in love and prayer and empower women through meaningful work.” Their hope and “prayer is that these pieces help awaken souls to live in the presence of God and know: ‘I am true. I am good, I am beautiful. I am blessed.'” How awesome is that?

Since my birthday is next month, I am adding either the Empower Seed of Life Bracelet or the Stellar Blessings Ocean Blessings Bracelet to my wish list. ๐Ÿ˜‰

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This Week’s Fave Music Playlists

My mom asked me to make her a playlist of inspirational music that will motivate her to fight her cancer. I made this “I Can Do It” playlist for her. To be honest, I have been listening to it frequently this week! Above is the Spotify link. Or if you use Apple Music, as I do, here is that link – https://itunes.apple.com/us/playlist/i-can-do-this/pl.u-WabZZkAfmgVjv.

When my mom is not in the mood to fight and she just needs to cry out to God for strength, I made her this “Jesus, I Need You & Praise Music” playlist. Above is the Spotify link. The Apple Music link is – https://itunes.apple.com/us/playlist/jesus-i-need-you-praise/pl.u-NpXmmr3IB5XPp

 

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This Week’s Fave Summer Top

Photo credit: Old Navy

Old Navy’s Relaxed Bubble Sleeve Tops

Old Navy is a great place to find casual clothes whether you are the mom or the daughter. Bella found some cute tops and shorts (with the coveted 5″ inseam instead of the standard skimpy 1-2″) in her small size and I found these cute tops in a larger size (they have up to XXL in the store.) These tops are summery and can be worn off the shoulder or, as I opt, on the shoulder. I have the navy stripe and the white one pictured above. Although, they are on sale right now so I think I’ll grab another (or two.) ๐Ÿ˜‰

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This Week’s Fave Social Media/Blog Award

A Knotted Life’s Sheenazing Awards

Way back when blogs were actually a common thing, Bonnie at A Knotted Life started the Sheenazing Awards to promote readers’ favorite Catholic Blogs. These days, there aren’t as many bloggers but (almost) everyone is on social media. Bonnie is bringing back the Awards to promote the best in Catholic social media –ย  from bloggers, vloggers, instagrammers, podcasters and more.

I loved voting for my faves and finding new favorites when the results were posted. Click over to A Knotted Life and cast your vote by Saturday, July 21. So fun!

Okay, that’s it for now!

Those are my favorites of the week! What have you been enjoying?

Have a great weekend!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Are you ready to link up?? Here are the rules.

1. Create a post with your Friday Favorites.

2. Add a link back here so others can play along.

3. If you want to add the logo to your post, here is the html.

<p style=”text-align: center;”><img class=”aligncenter wp-image-10649″ src=”http://revolutionoflove.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/fri_fave_logo_640.jpg” alt=”” width=”500″ height=”500″ /></p>

4. Make sure youโ€™re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address. The link-up will be open for three weeks. Have fun!



Online Daybook/ Currently/ 7 QT/ Friday Favorites (June 2018): Spring Review Edition

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Since this is the third Friday of the month, today would normally be a Friday Favorites post.

Also, I normally post my Online Daybook/ Currently/ 7QT post once a month but the last one I posted was in March with a review of February. I guess you could say I am a little behind!

via GIPHY

I started a post but it has been sitting in my queue for weeks. And this morning we just finished our last day of school (finally!) and I really need to START packing for a week long trip that is happening in two days, sooooo today I am getting everything done at once!

This is a combo Online Daybook/ Currently/ Friday Favorites post covering all the bases, as well as a a review of the spring months and I’ll knock out March, April and May all at once.

To add to the fun, I am linking up with Anne at In Residence blog for Currently. This month’s prompts include: traveling, grilling, planting, exploring and playing. You’ll find the answers mixed in with my usual prompts.

I’m also linking up with Kelly for 7 Quick Takes.

Okay, let’s kick off our summer vacay and do this…

via GIPHY

 

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Grateful for…

  • My rainbow baby who just celebrated his 11th bday.
  • A great last day of school.
  • Summer vacation finally starting.
  • Family time.
  • All the little things I take for granted like a warm bed, running water and food on the table.

Praying for..

  • My mom. She is out of the hospital and we got the biopsy results. Details below.
  • Many special intentions from family and friends, especially those carrying heavy crosses.
  • Those fighting cancer, illness and mental health issues.
  • For victims of violence and abuse.
  • All pregnant moms (especially family members), those trying to get pregnant, those who have lost their babies and for moms contemplating an abortion.
  • The souls in purgatory, especially family, friends and those most forgotten.

 

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Family Chit Chat…

For those who have been asking about my mom, she is back home, which is great, but the bad news is that her cancer is back. She has an appointment with her oncologist later this month and they will make decisions on what treatments will be best for her. The day I found out, I lost it. I was heartbroken. I just kept thinking “what if” this was it. This was our time to say goodbye. I had to mourn and cry and get mad before I could say with my heart, it’s in your hands God. Now, I am able to dry the tears, roll up my sleeves and do whatever I can to make this transition easier for my mom and our families.

Traveling…

First on the agenda is changing our traveling plans. Normally, my mom and dad go on our yearly summer trip to Lake Tahoe but with mom’s situation, we canceled our trip and are going to SoCal instead to celebrate my mom’s birthday. All nine siblings will be there, including my sis Elena from Virginia. We want my mom to be surrounded by the people she loves most and make this her most memorable bday ever.

Planting…

I added some pots of herbs to our deck garden although I couldn’t find any Italian parsley so I got regular parsley instead. I am wondering what the difference is in taste. Can you substitute one for the other?

Exploring…

My photos from the last three months! I picked out my faves for the month-in-review collages, which I also like to print and add to my bullet journal.

March Memories – We welcomed March, joined the #readaloudrevival with my boys, planted spring flowers on our deck, helped Andrew with his 4th grade mission project of the Santa Clara Mission, observed Lent, made and posted a recipe for Wonton soup, became an aunt to my sister Baby Millie, and celebrated Holy Week.

April Memories – We celebrated the first day of April and Easter Sunday, Matthew – the baby of the family – turned 7 years old, we read many Catholic graphic novels, we were still loving our evening reading aloud, Bella and I went to Disneyland for a girls’ weekend, I started my re-consecration to Jesus through the Blessed Mother, Brian and I celebrated the 19th anniversary of our first date, and we said goodbye to a favorite priest and holy man of God.

May Memories – May was filled with family events. It started with my brother’s wedding in SoCal, then I attended the Blessed Is She Wild retreat with my mom, while there I met us with a number of my BIS team members, the following day my son John-Paul made his First Communion and I celebrated Mother’s Day with my mom. The following weekend my sister and mom were here for a girls’ day out (where 3 out of 4 of us got our first professional manicure) and the following day Bella was Confirmed with my sister Jacinta being her sponsor. Such a blessed month!

 

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Grilling…

We haven’t done any grilling yet but this is the first dish I want to try when we do. Doesn’t it look delicious?!

Grilled chicken breasts with lemon and herbs by BellyFull.net.

 

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Reading…

Finished…

A Bitter Truth: A Bess Crawford Mystery (Book 3)

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Maximilian Kolbe: Saint of Auschwitz
This was my Lenten ReadAloud book with the boys.

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In March and April I read 15 Catholic Graphic Novels. If you want to check those out, you can find the post here – A Collection of Catholic Graphic Novels Reviewed.

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Not My Father’s Son: A Memoir

For Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Reading Challenge category – A book by an author of a different race, ethnicity or religion than your own. I have always enjoyed Alan Cummings acting and although I don’t agree with some of his views, I commend the way he rose above the abuse he suffered from his father, fought for healing and forged his own path in life.

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33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration

In May, I did the Re-Consecration to Mary and used this book. Excellent source.

 

Currently…

Frankenstein

(For Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Reading Challenge category – A classic I haven’t read et.)

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One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler

(For Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Reading Challenge category – A memoir, biography or book of creative fiction.

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The Great Alone

For Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Reading Challenge category – A book by a favorite author. I loved Hannah’s book The Nightingale and just started her newest novel. I’m about 1/4 into it and can’t put it down!

 

Watching…

(ON TV)

All our regular shows are off until fall so we are hungry for some summer TV. What have you been watching?

We pulled out our old collection of Psych DVD’s (we splurged on the complete series one Christmas) and have been re-wathcing them. I forgot how much we loved Sean and Gus! (As you can see from the above GIF’s.)

 

(MOVIES)

I’ve already mentioned my thoughts about these movies on social media so I’ll keep this short…

The Avengers: Infinity War – Loved the movie, loved Cap’s beard, did not like the ending and hated that I have to wait a whole year to see how they bring our guys back. (Well, at least the not so dead, dead ones.)

Solo: A Star Wars Story – Everyone was complaining about this before it was even close to hitting the theaters. Personally, I enjoyed it. It was fun and all my boys liked it.

Oceans’ 8 – This was another fun movie and it had great girl chemistry. However, you will feel guilty rooting for the anti-heroes to accomplish something that is illegal and morally wrong. If you can get past that, then you’re good. Added bonus, the fashions are amazing and Richard Armitage is in it. ๐Ÿ˜‰

 

Listening to …

Added to my faves playlist…

Bastille – Quarter Past Midnight

Mansionair – Astronaut (Something About Your Love)


Mikky Ekko – What’s It Like Now – 4/10/2018 – Paste Studios – New York, NY

Sir Sly – &Run

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Added to my Praise and Worship playlist…


Reckless Love – Corey Ashbury

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On the boys’ playlist…


TobyMac – Move (Keep Walkinโ€™)

When the boys found out that their grandma’s cancer came back they were really concerned about if she was going to die. I explained to them that grandma was deciding about what she should do next and if she was going to get treatment. They had hoped she would fight the cancer and they were excited when she decided she would fight. Now whenever they hear one of their favorite TobyMac songs they think about their grandma and how she is like a soldier fighting on.

Part of the lyrics:

Hold on, hold on
The Lord ainโ€™t finished yet
Hold on, hold on
Heโ€™ll get you through this
Hold on, hold on
These are the promises
I never will forget
I never will forget
I know your heart been broke again
I know your prayers ainโ€™t been answered yet
But it ainโ€™t over yet, it ainโ€™t over yet

 

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Recent Posts:

Posts have been sporadic with all the family activities but there are some posts being work on,including:

  • How I meal plan.
  • Artist Spotlight featuring Rose Harrington Art
  • How to find time to pray in a busy day.
  • How I use my new Blessed Is She Planner.
  • More Friday Favorites.

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Pinned…

This is the Teacher Appreciation Printable from ManyLittleJoys.com that I used for an end of the year class gift.

 

Around the blogosphere…

Here are some posts I’ve been reading…

 

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I just got my new mini Blessed Is She planner in the mail and I am in love! I do an unboxing and look at the planner in my instastories. You can order the original (8 x 10) size and the mini sized (6.25 x 8.25) version in the BIS shop.


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So that’s what I’ve been up to lately. What about you? What’s currently happening in your life? Any book, movie or TV show recommendations? Do share.

Have a great week!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, ๐Ÿ˜‰

PPS – * Disclaimer: “Revolution of Love.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.”


Online Daybook / 7 QT: Holiday Season 2016

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od_logo_quiet2Grateful for…

  • Surviving the morning taking each of the boys Christmas shopping so they could buy presents for their siblings.
  • Weather that is cool enough to feel Christmasy but warm enough for the boys to play football in the driveway.
  • A few moments to myself to sit down and blog after a month hiatus.
  • The love of family and friends.
  • Food on the table, a roof over our head and material blessings we often take for granted.

Praying for..

  • Many special intentions from friends.
  • Those who have lost loved ones recently.
  • Those who are out of work or homeless.
  • Those who find the holidays more depressing than cheerful.
  • Victims of violence, racism and abuse and for the conversion of their oppressors.
  • For peace in the heart of all men/women.
  • All pregnant moms (especially family members), those trying to get pregnant, those who have lost their babies and for moms contemplating an abortion.
  • The souls in purgatory, especially family, friend and those most forgotten.

Pondering…

I already shared this on IG and Facebook for anyone who does not follow me there, I am posting it here as well because it seemed to touch a nerve with many. It was written on Tuesday.

This morning as I was coming home from dropping my kids off at school, I starting thinking about a happy memory of my father-in-law and then a deep sadness filled my heart because this is our first Christmas without him. I tried to hold back the tears until I got home and could let them pour out. After a good cry I sat down to read today’s Blessed Is She devotion. I had to laugh when I saw that they were my own words (since I wrote the devotion this day) talking about feeling pain during a joyful season. Ironic. So I am taking my own advice and pouring my pain out to God and letting him embrace me in his peace. I’ll also be offering up a rosary tonight for all of you who are feeling a heaviness of heart. If you’d like me to pray for you by name, feel free to comment below.

 

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Around the House… / Family Chit Chat…

Although there have been some moments of tears and the usual loud chaos, there have been some sweet moments this Advent/ Christmas season.

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Quiet time with God. Confession – I did a lot better when Advent started. I need to get back to this with one week left of Advent!

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This is hands down one of the kids’ favorite Advent activity.

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Tree decorating is one of my favorite Christmas activities.

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The finished product. ๐Ÿ™‚

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I’m a sucker for old school handwritten Christmas cards.

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We celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with sweet bread. ๐Ÿ™‚

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Confession: I HATE when people just rip open Christmas presents and there is chaos. I like to watch as each gift is opened. My joy is seeing their face as they get something they really wanted. However, the family doesn’t want to have to watch one person at a time open gifts. As a compromise, I came up with a system of wrapping the gifts in coordinating paper so they can each open the gift with (for example) the red paper and snowmen. All those are the sport gifts – a football, a soccer ball, hockey sticks. It means I take a little longer to organize before I start wrapping gifts but the joy I get on Christmas morn is worth it. ( Yeah, I know. #nerd.)

Family Chit Chat…

We are all dong well and feeling very blessed this Christmas. The beginning half of the year was really rough for us but it is ending with a lot of joy.

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Over Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a couple of days at Disneyland then we spent Thanksgiving at my parents’ house.

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Matthew and I helped Grandma/ Mom cook in the kitchen.

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I spent time with my new nieces and nephews. (I overheard two of sister’s kids say, “Which one is Aunt Bobbi?” The other said, “She’s the one that looks like mom but with the crazy glasses.” LOL!

RevolutionofLove.com - odb_12_19_16_dl_cuzPhoto credit: My bro Rob

The boys loved play time with their cousins.

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Photo Credit: Felicity Photography

It was especially touching because my mom was happy and healthy surrounded by the ones she loves most, including my parents’ 15 grandchildren. What a blessing!

 

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In the Kitchen…

It’s leftovers week. I am trying to clean out the freezer and fridge so there’s a lot of breakfast dinners and weird combo dinners. ๐Ÿ˜‰

 

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Reading…

I’m almost finished with the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge.

This month I completed a book you should have read in school. – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

…and a book published before you were born. – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

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For “A Book I Own but Never Read” I dusted off The Christmas Shoes by Donna Van Liere. Shall I admit that I sobbed at the end?

Only one category left. ๐Ÿ™‚

  • A book you can finish in one day.

 

Watching…

(TV)

The usual faves including: This Is Us, Speechless, Big Bang Theory, Lethal Weapon, Designated Survivor and American Housewife.

I watched Gilmore Girls with great expectation and came away with mixed feelings. Parts of it – I loved but the whole Rory/Logan storyline sucked. Seriously? 10 years have gone by and there is no growth in maturity. Rory was content to be the “other woman” again with a man willingย  to cheat on his fiance? Ugh. I hated that and not because I am #teamjess.ย  I would have been happy if she was with Logan under more committed circumstances. Well, I do hope they decided to continue the story. I think there is definitely an audience for it!

 

We are almost done with The Crown. And last night we re-watched The King’s Speech as a tie in.

 

Listening to …

Although I am a sucker for Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole, the boys love my old Relient K Christmas album. Sleigh Ride is one of my favorite non-religious Christmas songs. (Even though I have minimal experience with sleighs or snow) ๐Ÿ˜‰

 

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Recent Posts:

Ive been on a holiday season hiatus!

However, some upcoming posts will feature my new Blessed Is She planner and how I use it na d a bullet journal.

Plus I will have some end of the year link ups! Including –

  • Favorite Entertainment of the year – books, shows, movies and music.
  • Top Lessons Learned in 2016
  • 2016 in 12 Photos
  • Top Posts of 2016

I’m hoping to have them up by next week so stay tuned.

 

 


From the archives…

RevolutionofLove.com // advent_failWhen All You See Is Your Advent Fail (December 2015)

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revolution of love blog - pp_slow_cooker_chicken_6Slow Cooker Rotisserie-Style Chicken (December 2014)

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“Most” Posts of 2013 (December 2013)

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Pinned…

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Source: Blessed Is She

How gorgeous are these Blessed IS She gift tags!!

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Source: carlsbadcravings.com

 

Around the blogosphere…

I’m sorry to say I haven’t been reading online at all. I hope to catch up this week!

 

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All the feels. ๐Ÿ™‚

 

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately. What about you? What’s currently happening in your life? Any book or movie recommendations? Do share.

I’m linking up with Kelly for 7 Quick Takes.

Have a great week!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, ๐Ÿ˜‰

PPS – * Disclaimer: “Revolution of Love.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.”

In other words, if you click on my affiliated links and make a purchase, I get a small compensation that goes towards keeping the blog online. Big hugs to those who click and help support the blog! xoxo ๐Ÿ™‚

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