Today is Day 7 of my participation in Jen’s 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge.

I was originally going to write my LENT 2014 post for today but I didn’t get to finish it so I am posting Monday’s Daybook today instead. (I’ll hopefully have the lent post down by tomorrow.)

I’m linking up my daybook with Jenny and I’m linking up my photo with Pam for  Project Snapshot Mondays. Scroll down to the bottom for that one.

AND

Moments of Gratitude…

Today I am especially thankful for

• A lovely visit with my mom last week. I’ve been trying to spend more time with family. I miss my parents and siblings and I’m making an effort to get together with them more often!
• This past month having Brian at home. Although he was recovering, it was a treat spending so much time with him.
• That Brian is well enough to go back to work tomorrow, at least part time. (Although I am REALLY going to miss having him here with me.)
• For another 4 day weekend coming up. Hopefully we can plan a family outing before Brian starts his chemo next Monday.
• For yesterday’s storm that gave us some much needed rain.

Beauty in the Ordinary…

The surrounding brown hills are turning a lovely shade of green after the rain and the days are getting longer. Spring is just around the corner. 🙂

In the Kitchen…

M – Chicken Cacciatore with Brown Rice

T – Fat Tuesday Treat – Eat Out

W – Tuna Melts & Tomato Soup

Th – Tostadas

F – Vegetarian Chili and Easy Chili Cornbread

S – Homemade Pizza & Greek Salad

S – Leftovers

Praying…

• For Brian’s continued recovery from cancer and for the chemo treatments that start March 10.
• For all those suffering from illness, addiction and depression.
• For all those who are pregnant, especially family and friends.
• For those suffering the cross of infertility and those who have lost a child in miscarriage.
• For the safety of our deployed military and for their families waiting for them at home.
• For the conversion of sinners and the souls in purgatory.
• For some special intentions.

Pondering…

I am putting the finishing touches on my Lenten plan. I am thankfulfor the grace to work on it now and not waiting until a couple weeks into Lent. 😉

Around the house…

This week I need to clear off my desk area and my dining room table. I have let it slide and want it neat and clean again!

Reading…

I completely forgot that I had The Book of Thoth (Vatican Vampire Hunters #2) on my Kindle so I started it last night, although on Wednesday I’ll start my Lenten reads but I’ll save that for another post.

Listening to…

The Academy Awards, specifically the performance of the song “Happy” from Despicable Me.  I’ll admit that I DVR the show  and fast forward a lot of it but there are still parts I enjoy.

On my DVR…

When Calls the Heart, Fr Brown Mysteries, The Walking Dead, Blacklist, EWTN’s Grab Your Catechism and the movies Leave Her to Heaven and Shop around the Corner.

On the blog…

I actually completed all 7 posts in the 7 day challenge. I couldn’t keep up that pace all the time but it was fun for the week. 🙂 Tomorrow or Tuesday by the latest I’ll have my Lenten Ideas posted.

Posts I’ve Liked on my Bloglovin

• 7 Ways to Observe Lent with your Family by Elisa Loves

• Getting ready for Lent – a New Knot Bad Video by a Knotted Life

• Peaceful Organized Homes: Love What You Have by I’m An Organizing Junkie

• The Secret to Not Being Overwhelmed by Conversion Diary

• How to Win at Lent by Catholic All Year

Pinned…

• Outside the Box: 66 Things to Give Up or Take Up for Lent (in beginner, intermediate, and advanced) by Catholic All Year

• Tortilla Soup by 100 Days of Real Food

• How to make paper pillow boxes by Elisa Loves

Plans for the Week…

Doc appointments, school functions and a 4 day weekend.

Captured…

(I am linking up this photo with Pam for Project Snapshot Mondays.

This weekend I took a little time to handwrite some notes and cards to people. Although I could email or text much faster there is something special about getting an old school letter in the mail. When I was done I was adding a little washi tape to pretty up the envelope and I was admiring the bright colors in my washi box. Note cards, pens, washi, all those little crafty things and stationary brings me a touch of joy.

Thanks to Jen and Pam for hosting! 🙂

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, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉

This is my first Daybook (formerly Catholic Woman’s Almanac) of 2014. Our host Jenny has a beautiful new blog and logo. I’m happy to be linking up with her this morning.

I am also linking up with sweet Pam for my first Project Snapshot Mondays. Scroll down to the bottom for that one.

AND

Moments of Gratitude…

Today I am especially thankful for

• Warm sunshine and a gentle spring breeze. (I cannot imagine what real winter weather must be like.)
• That Brian is getting stronger and recovering from his surgery.
• That my mom will be visiting us again next week. A huge treat!
• For a really enjoyable 4 day weekend. Usually it goes by too fast but not this time. I feel like we were able to really relish the time off together.
• For a hubby that insists that I get out of the house once in a awhile and sends me to the movies after the kids are asleep. (He wants me to go tonight. What should I see??)

Beauty in the Ordinary…

When the usual noise and mayhem quiet down and one of the littles comes over and hugs me for no reason. This makes everything else worth it.

In the Kitchen…

M – Lasagna that my mother-in-law made us.

T – Moroccan Style Chickpea Chili (But this time I am going to add a little ginger to it.)

W – Garden Salad topped with BBQ Chicken

Th – Breakfast Dinner – Eggs, (no nitrate) ham, country potatoes & tomato slices.

F – Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with Kale & Grilled Cheese

S – Leftovers.

S – Enchiladas & Homemade Beans

Praying…

• For Brian’s continued recovery from cancer and for the chemo treatments that will most likely start next month. (He has outpatient surgery on Tuesday to begin the process.)
• For all those suffering with cancer and other illnesses.
• For those suffering the cross of infertility.
• For those who have lost a child in miscarriage, especially for a dear friend of mine.
• For our military, especially those having a hard time being away from their loved ones.
• For some special intentions.

Pondering…

On Thursday I shared about the struggle I was having with Brian’s cancer and this whole situation. It  just seemed like everywhere I turned people were dealing with heavy crosses. Then on Friday I found out that a close friend lost her first child in miscarriage. It was a long awaited baby and after the “safer” 8 weeks time and she was devastated. It was the straw that broke this camel’s back. I just lost it. My utter sadness for her turned to anger. I cried out to God asking why He would do this. When it was time to say our family prayers I told Brian to pray with the kids without me because I wasn’t feeling well. Instead I went into my bedroom and told God that I could not pray because I was was too mad and couldn’t talk to Him right now.

Someone may think that is a bit blasphemous but the thing is, I could be honest wit God like that because He knows my heart completely. He knows that deep down I am upset with the situation, not Him. It’s like when I am really upset and Brian tries to talk to me. I tell him, don’t say a word to me because I am too mad to talk right now. He understands me and knows that I just need to blow off some steam and let myself cool down. Before long I am back in his arms crying and telling him I’m sorry for getting so upset. It is the same with God. Thankfully, it is rare that I reach that point but it just seemed like everything was hitting me at once and I couldn’t get my head above water. Once I calmed down and thought things over I was able to run back into His arms and pour my heart out in prayer once again. I was able to tell Him that I love Him and trust Him, even when nothing makes sense to me. It is amazing how patient God is with us, me in particular.

Maybe one day I’ll be able to reach the trust point without having a tantrum first but for now, it’s baby steps.

Around the house…

Much needed spring cleaning. With my mom coming next week I’ll really get a kick start!

Reading…

I haven’t had much time for reading lately. I did finish reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. I wanted to finish it before I saw the movie next month. (If you haven’t guessed, I love going to the movies!)

Listening to…

I first heard about the band Bastille from Carolyn and then Hallie mentioned them. I have been listening to their album Bad Blood on Spotify and finally just downloaded it to my itunes. I’m addicted to the whole thing. Different times of my life always have a certain “soundtrack” of songs that I would listen to a lot. Right now this album is my soundtrack.

On my DVR…

Sherlock is over. Boo! But we still have one more episode of Downton Abbey. I’ve been posting my DA comments here.

The other night Brian and I caught an episode of BBC’s Fr. Brown, based on the stories of GK Chesterton. Fr. Brown is a Catholic priest has a knack for solving mysteries in his English village. We’ve only seen two episodes so far but for a simple TV series they are well done. The Season 1, Episode 3 that we saw had a bizarre love triangle (husband, wife and zany mistress living in one house) but in the end Fr. Brown spoke beautifully to a main character about the love and mercy of God. It was not what I was expecting from a non-religious show. You can catch Fr. Brown on BBC One on Friday nights. (I’m not sure if they are available on Netflix or Hulu yet.)

On the blog…

I’ve been posting a lot more lately. My laptop had been a godsend to get some late night blogging done on the couch while the kids sleep. At the end of a stressful day I have found blogging to be my happy place. 🙂

Posts I’ve Liked on my Bloglovin

I’m behind on my blog reading so instead of telling you what I liked, here is a list of my blogroll on Bloglovin.

Pinned…

• Balsamic Glazed Chicken and Roasted Potatoes (I forgot I was going to try this. Maybe I need to adjust this week’s menu. 😉 )

• Sneaky Spaghetti Sauce: Pureed zucchini, carrots, celery and peppers. Sneaking in the veggies.

• Milk Carton Greenhouse (Bella just made this for a school project.)

• Tips on different brushes, and pens for brush style hand lettering

• A Look at My 2014 Planner (Totally my own pin. heehee.)

Plans for the Week…

Perhaps the movies tonight. Back to school routine tomorrow. School fundraising work. My mom’s arrival on Sunday. woohoo!

Captured…

(I am linking up this photo with Pam for Project Snapshot Mondays.

After what I was saying in “Pondering” about being stressed and overwhelmed with negative things, I went out for a walk the following day. I was thankful that God understands our frailty and His mercy always comes when we need it most. No matter how dark it gets, there is a moment when light shines through and your heart (even if it is temporary) is alleviated  from the pain and you feel refreshed again. It can come from a loved ones hug or a kind word from a friend or a moment of grace after prayer or even a glorious scene of nature after a night of storm clouds.

That is what happened here. It rained the night before so everything was freshly washed, bright and sparkling. The ocean before me was such a vivid blue it was like the scene from Wizard of Oz when it goes from black and white to technicolor. It was a reflection of the beauty and majesty and power of God. It was as if he was whispering, “Everything is in my control, little one. Stop worrying and just keep following me.” Blessed be God.

The Pacific Ocean near Monterey, CA. Shot with my iphone. No filters used. It’s not as good as in person, but close enough. 🙂

Thanks to Jen and Pam for hosting! 🙂

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, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉