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Do small things with great love.

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Monthly Archives: September 2013

E-Book Discussion: 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life – Day 1

For the next 21 Days I will be participating in Suscipio’s E-book Discussion – 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine. The cynical side of me scoffs and says, “Yeah, you know you won’t make it beyond the first week. Another self-help bites the dust.”  The hopeful side of me says, “There’s something different about this one because it is down to earth, broken into manageable steps each day and there is a community of awesome ladies joining in and ready to encourage.” I’m rooting for the hopeful side!

Okay, a quick run down about 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. Excerpt taken from Crystal’s blog.

What Exactly is 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life?

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life is not going to fix all of your discipline problems in less than a month, and if I claimed I’d be able to do that, I’d be lying.

After you have finished reading this book and gone through your first 21 Days, you will have implemented one or two small changes and created a habit of discipline in one area of your life

You will also have one completed “Mega Project”. Completing your first Mega Project is so important to your continued success in creating discipline habits. It will propel you forward and motivate you like nothing else.

Who is This Book For?

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life is for you if:

  • You have trouble following through.
  • You get overwhelmed by huge projects.
  • You start strong, but your passion fizzles out.
  • You are super-disciplined in a few areas of your life, but you have one or two pet areas that you just can’t get under control.
  • You check out 10 different books on discipline and organization from the library, but return all of them late.

Read the rest here.

So I downloaded the ebook, which was an inexpensive $4.99, and started day one.

My thoughts so far…

One of the familiar songs I sing to Brian every night is the “I-have-so-much-to do-and-organize-and-change-in-my-life-that-I-am-overwhelmed-and-accomplish-so-little-it’s-depressing” Blues. Yeah, he’s getting a little tired of that. And I am tired of his response EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. He calmly replies, “Just do a little bit every day, love.” What?? Such cheekiness! I don’t want that! I want big dramatic changes. Jaw dropping Befores and Afters! Something blog-worthy! And then I read Day 1 and what does Crystal say? Basically the same thing. Work at it one small bit at a time. It’s not going to happen overnight. Sigh.

Favorite paragraph…

Do you see what the problem is here? Instead of addressing the root issue – my own, personal lack of self-discipline – I convince myself that a fancy new system or a change in circumstances [in my life] will fix the problem.

But here’s the reality: A bad system is not the problem. My circumstances are not the
problem.

I am the problem.

Ouch. That’s so true it hurts. How many times have I downloaded the “perfect” planning page or set up an elaborate system only to find it didn’t magically bring order to my life. Even now, I have been having fun working with my planner but that doesn’t change the fact that I have to keep at it and not just decorate my “To Do” lists but actually DO my list. And how many times have I tackled a big project and then got depressed because I had to keep stopping every 5 minutes to take care of something else (crazy things like feed the kids, change diapers, etc 😉 ) and then gave up on the project all together.

On the other hand, that statement is energizing because she goes on to explain, that we are not only the problem, we are the solution. We don’t need to spend money or make these elaborate schemes or complain that our life circumstances hold us back from accomplishing anything… we just need to adjust the way we look at things and how we tackle the problem. Let’s face it, as moms/working women/students our lives are going to be crazy busy, unbearably so at times. There will be mornings we are dead tired because we were up all night with the baby or making a deadline. There are life situations that knock us over but we can learn how to deal with it.

Jen says it beautifully in her reflection of Day 1, “The key is adjustments instead of the excuses. And rearranging feels so much better than excusing.” So yeah, curve balls are a part of life but instead of using them as an excuse, we readjust how we deal with it.

 

The Mega Project…

With 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life I have to choose one Mega Project that I will work on over the next 21 Days. Good grief, it took me forever to narrow it down to one project! There are so many things I need to do. Finally, I decided to concentrating on my bedroom (which includes the closet and master bath.) Some sections of the room I’ve already organized but other sections look like a tornado hit it. I won’t even mention the closet of doom…. or the bathroom shelves overflowing with stuff…or the pictures and framed art sitting in the closet that has been waiting to be nailed to the wall for over two years! I had to break the task down to 21 smaller sized jobs. It’s funny but it seems a lot less daunting knowing I can do just a little bit every day. (Hmm, I guess Brian was right. I owe him an apology. :-))

Practical Application…

Each day there is also one small thing you have to complete. Today we had to do one thing that we have been putting off. On my dining room table I had two bundles that needed to be packaged up and mailed off. So I finally made copies of my receipt and packaged up a school uniform I needed to return (wrong size) and I put together a package to my niece. Added to the pile where a few bills that needed to be mailed out. They are ready to go to PO first thing in the morning.

Such a tiny thing really but I needed that extra kick in the arse to get it done. 😉

I’ll keep up with the book study and I won’t be able to post about it each day but I’ll post as often as I can. The accountability helps me out.

Want to join me and the others?? Download 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life.

Then leave a comment here at RoL and make me a happy mama! After that go join the ladies at Suscipio  for further discussion!  🙂

 UPDATE: The next post is here.

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. 😉

7 Quick Takes (9/6/13): Prayer, Discipline and Foyle’s War

I’m linking up with Jen today for 7 Quick Takes. 🙂

~ 1 ~

 

Pray for Peace – You’ve most likely seen these already but in case you haven’t, I’m posting it here. The Holy Father has called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria. It is on Saturday, September 7. I think I will fast from my phone/computer/camera. Hopefully I can make it 24 hours. 😉 But seriously, whatever level you can do, we should all be joining in!

 

~ 2 ~

Prayer Request – Speaking of prayer, please say a prayer for my little guy Matthew. He has an issue with his legs – he is pigeon toed and has relatively severe bow legs. His tibula bone (particularly on his left leg is facing outward instead of forward. Usually in time, it will rotate but he is going to be 2 1/2 and it is still pretty bad. So now we need to take him to a pediatric orthopedic up in Stanford (about 2 hours north of us) to get an evaluation done. We are hoping he will not need surgery. So an extra prayer for my little guy is much appreciated!!

 

~ 3 ~

Quiet time – Speaking of Matthew, with Bella and Andrew back in school and John-Paul going three days out of the week for a few hours, Matthew and I have more time alone together. After dropping JP off at preschool we’ll often go make a visit to the Chapel. It’s good for him and definitely good for me. Sometimes I get so busy with day to day living I forget to just stop, quiet myself and be in the presence of Our Lord. Amazingly, Matthew is quiet and just sits/kneels with me patiently. Quite the opposite of how he acts with his brothers at Sunday Mass!

 

~~ 4 ~~

Slackers Unite – Along with spending a little more time in quiet before God, I could also use a reboot in the discipline department. That is why I was intrigued when I read Jen’s post about doing an online book discussion of the e-book  21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. I clicked over and read the intro of the book, not expecting much. Then I read this section:

Who is this book for?

  • You have trouble following through.
  • You get overwhelmed by huge projects.
  • You start strong, but your passion fizzles out.
  • You are super-disciplined in a few areas of your life, but you have one or two pet areas that you just can’t get under control.
  • You check out 10 different books on discipline and organization from the library, but return all of them late.

The last one had me laughing out loud. Yeah, that is so me. This summer I was in super slacker mode and as I mentioned on Monday, September 1st is my Jan 1. My drive to improve my problem areas is strongest right now. I pulled out my planner and got back into using it (cuz if I don’t write it down, I don’t remember it!) and I am ready to work on a little discipline that doesn’t burn out in a day or two. I downloaded the e-book and will be joining in the discussion. If you are interested, join us!

 

~ 5 ~

Bday Wishes – Bella’s birthday is coming at the end of the month. She is going to be 12! She loves the music from the Broadway musical “Newsies” so I thought I would give her a Newsies themed party. The poster is my base. Colors could be black, white and red. Any other suggestions??

 

~ 6 ~

Foyle’s War – Are you a Foyle’s War fan? Brian and I have been watching Foyle’s War of PBS for years and were ecstatic when the show was coming out of retirement and picking up where it left off. Season 7 starts on Sunday, Sept 15 on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery. If you’ve never watched it before and like period dramas or mysteries, you should check it out on Netflix.

 

~ 7 ~

Okay, it is an hour past my bed time (and you wonder why I need a book on discipline) and I can barely keep my eyes open so I better stop here. Have a great Friday!

UPDATE: At midnight last night I could not remember what the #7 Take was supposed to be. Now in the light of morning, I remember!

I wanted to join Suscipio in their 3-2-1 Fantastically Fun Friday Link-up without the link-up! Whether you are a blogger or a non-blogger, just answer the 3 questions in their comment box. This week Angela is hosting.  Here is my contribution:

3 Things I’m Thankful For
~ When my little guy hugs me from behind and says, “I wub you, mama.” Swoon.
~ For the upcoming weekend and having everyone home.
~ For packages in the mail with sweet surprises.

2 Things in My Purse That Don’t Need to Be There
~ A 1/2 of string cheese that’s hard as a rock
~ A roll of scotch tape. (My 4 year old would disagree. He is always accidentally tearing a page in one of the books he’s always carrying around. He likes me to fix it immediately, not when we get home. 😉

1 Thing I Love, Love, Love to Eat
~ It’s a tie between a BBQ Turkey Burger or Taco Salad. Yum.

Thanks for hosting, Angela!

Okay, now you can 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, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉

Theme Thursday: Recess & {pretty, happy, funny, real} vol. 75

It’s another photo mash-up today as I link up with Like Mother, Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real} and with Cari for Theme Thursday: Recess. With summer coming to an end and everyone going back to school we had one last chance to enjoy a family recess! We decided to try a new hiking area that we haven’t been to in years. (Literally, the last time Brian and I have were there we had no kids and were starting to worry that we’d never have a baby! LOL.) We visited Jacks Peak in Monterey, CA.

{pretty}

Brian and the kids were getting a little far ahead so I had to run to catch up. (And I use the term “run” loosely.)

Better.

{happy}

Fall is my favorite season and I was surprised and happy to see leaves turning already!

Don’t you love the sound of leaves crunching under your feet?

Nice.

I pumped up the color a little bit to make the leaf pop. 🙂

 

{funny}

Andrew was collecting a few small rocks for his endless collections and John-Paul wanted a piece of the action. Not satisfied with puny pebbles, he chose two rocks that he named Peppa and George. It was cute until he made me carry them when he could no longer lift them.

While they were collected rocks, Brian and I were looking for strong walking sticks because we were freaking out over all the “beware of mountain lion” signs. I googled “what to do if you meet a mountain lions” and then stumbled on the mother of all walking sticks. I felt like Gandolf ready to yell, “You shall not pass!” Either that or I’d do some Darth Maul moves with a double sided light saber.

Actually we turned around, walked back to the parking lot and drove over to the other side of the park where there were more people who could call 911 if my stealth like moves didn’t work.

{real}

The second trail lead us to the actual “Jacks Peak,” which gave a gorgeous view of the bay, despite the fog that was rolling in (and sitting over the ocean.)

And even though we were on a recess, that didn’t mean we couldn’t learn something new. The sign said, “You should have a spectacular view of the Monterey Bay providing it is not foggy. At this point you are standing near the top of Jack’s Peak (elevation 1,068 ft), the highest point of land on the Monterey Peninsula. Jacks Peak is named after David Jacks, a Scottish immigrant who arrived in Monterey in 1850 and became a very successful businessman and landowner. Today, David Jacks is better known for the creamy white cheese his local dairies produced, which became known as ‘Monterey Jack’ cheese.”

So there you have it! The next time you have a delicious piece of Monterey Jack, think of me with that walking stick. 😉 (But not while you’re eating. You might choke if you laugh.) Oh, and when you come by for a visit, after paying at the entrance, make a right if you want the trail that leads to the great view. 🙂

Thanks to Cari and LMLD 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. 😉

Meatless Meals (Vol 2): Minestrone Soup

(The link to the original post of this recipe, dated 2/25/23, was broken when we were updating posts from the old blog and I can’t fix it so I am just reposting it with a new link here. Thx.)

***

 

I originally got this Minestrone Soup recipe from my sis and pinned in on my Pinterest What’s Cooking board. I’ve made it a couple times before changing a few things to make it perfect for my family. The original recipe is on the thick side and we wanted a little more broth/liquid in our soup without diluting the flavor. Here is what I put in it.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups sliced carrots
4 cups chicken or veggie broth*
1 cup water
4 cups tomato sauce
1 mini bottle of red wine or 1 cup of red wine**
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained
2 handfuls of fresh green beans, cleaned, prepped and blanched***
4 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup small sized wheat pasta (ie. shells, rotini etc)
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots, sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce. Bring to boil, stirring frequently. Add red wine. Reduce heat to low. Add kidney beans, green beans, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until tender. Drain water and set aside.
4. Place a serving spoon of pasta in a bowl. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

* Obviously, for a Lenten meatless meal, I used veggie broth and it was still really good!

** We aren’t really wine drinkers so I hate opening a big bottle to cook with because we never finished it. Instead I bought a 4-pack of the mini wine bottles, such as the one below, which is a perfect for various recipes.

*** I always blanch my green beans for 7-8 minutes before adding it to the soup. I have never tried throwing them in raw so I don’t know if they’d be tender enough or still a little tough.

This soup is a huge hit with the family, especially when served with a slice of fresh baked bread or ½ a grilled cheese sandwich.

Revolution of Love Blog - minestrone soup

And, you may ask, is it kid friendly? I’ll let Matthew answer that question. 😉

I think those Popeye arms speak volumes. He likes his veggies and pasta!

His messy smile proves it.

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. 😉

Catholic Woman’s Almanac (9/2/13) & Bible Verse Photography Challenge

Hosted by Suscipio

Moments of Gratitude…

Today I am especially thankful for

  • The extra long holiday weekend that doesn’t seem to be going too fast (like it usually does.)
  • At home date nights.
  • A pen pal letter in the mailbox. (Remember those??)
  • A cool breeze to counteract the humidity.
  • When a certain tween comes up and hugs me for no particular reason.

 

Beauty in the Ordinary…

A smile to a stranger that is reciprocated.

 

In the Kitchen…

M – Italian turkey patty, broccoli and homemade Mac and cheese (made with low fat smoked Dutch cheese. Yum)

T – Slow cooker BBQ chicken, baked potato, veggies & salad. (I use my high tech recipe – Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour your fave BBQ sauce over it. Cook until done. Viola. ;-))

W – Grilled ham & cheese and homemade minestrone soup.

Th – Chef salad topped left leftover BBQ chicken.

F – Leftovers

S – Pizza night with Greek salad. (Note to self – post the recipe to fave Greek dressing next week.)

S – (My mother-in-law’s birthday dinner) Enchilada Lasagna, homemade refried beans, green beans and salad.

 

Praying…

  • That my stuffy head clears up and that I’m not getting sick.
  • For our new pastor and our previous pastor that they are both blessed in their new parishes.
  • For my kids and their new teachers and all their classmates.
  • For those suffering from heart ache, depression or addiction.
  • For some special intentions.

 

Pondering…

For me, January 1st has never been my New Year’s resolution day. It’s September 1st. After three months of summer play and lax schedules it’s nice to get back into a regular routine. After the kids go back to school I always go into “nesting” mode and want to clean up the clutter and get back on track with organizing and cleaning. I have a renewed fervor in the kitchen, trying different recipes and working hard to balance the budget. I have to seize those feelings and make the most of them while they are still strong!

 

Around the house…

This weekend I tackled my desk. This is a never ending chore because it collects clutter like crazy. Plus it also serves as my work space for small crafts so I had to get a handle on all the pens, craft scissors, washi tape etc. I rearranged and used a different organizing bin and things are so much nicer. Funny how a little order can bring inner peace. (Physically and spiritually!) I’ll blog about the updated desk soon. 🙂

 

Reading…

Past Suspicion by Therese Heckenkamp

Living Life Abundantly: Stories of People Who Encountered God by Johnnette Benkovic

 

Listening to…

Sweet quiet, except for few twittering birds. (I’m alone at the moment.)

 

On my DVR…

The Great Food Truck Race, Masterpiece’s Silk, Duck Dynasty, Season 3 of Big Bang Theory, 1950’s Father of the Bride with Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy and 1943’s Shadow of A Doubt with Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright. (One of my top 5 Hitchcock movies.)

 

On the blog…

I’m just trying to finish this post before I worry about beyond today. 😉

 

Posts I’ve Liked on my Bloglovin

I’m behind on my blog reading but I had to fave Jen’s post –

  • I also loved the article on Catholic Mom.com called The Duty of the Moment. I loved the opening quote: “Doing the duty of the moment means focusing our whole person – heart, soul, body, emotions, intellect, memory, imagination – on the job at hand!  The duty of the moment done for God is glamorous, exciting, wondrous…..” Catherine Doherty, Grace In Every Season.

Changing stinky diapers and washing loads of laundry it anything but glamorous but it is beautiful that each of us – whether we are single, have a house full of little ones or are sending our kids to college – are all called to perform our duties of the moment for love of God and love of those we are serving.

 

Pinned…

As you can see, I was on Pinterest this afternoon. Lots of pins today. The first three pins were taken directly from A Bowl Full of Lemon’s Meal Plan. They all looked delicious.

 

Plans for the Week…

A few school meetings, appointments, a birthday dinner for my mother-in-law, possible Catholic moms’ meeting and maybe a real date out with Brian if our sitter is available. 🙂

 

Captured…

I’m linking this photo with Ute at Flowers Round the Cross. Once a month she posts a scripture verse then asks bloggers to post a photo that captured that Scripture. Here is this month’s verse.

For thus the LORD said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” Isiah 18:4

We’ve been having really weird weather. It will be warm and humid one day then grey and foggy the next. Last week after an unusual hot spell, a day finally came when the fog was so thick it was drizzling and covered everything in a blanket of water. The first thing I sought out were the cobwebs in the front yard because the water droplets look amazing on them. So although I already posted a photo similar to this one some time ago, I couldn’t help taking another.

Click on over to suscipio4women.com to read more almanacs/journals.

Click over to flowersroundthecross.blogspot.com for the Bible Verse Photography Challenge.

Have a blessed 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, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉