I’m linking up with Jen today for 7 Quick Takes and because I am so on the ball today, I am linker #138. Out of the 200’s, baby!  😉

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My friend Maria sent me this article last week and I forgot I wanted to post it.

Pope to Consecrate World to Mary’s Immaculate Heart

Vatican City, Aug 14, 2013 / 12:03 am (CNA).- Pope Francis will consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary this Oct. 13 as part of the Marian Day celebration that will involve the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima.

“The Holy Father strongly desires that the Marian Day may have present, as a special sign, one of the most significant Marian icons for Christians throughout the world and, for that reason, we thought of the beloved original Statue of Our Lady of Fatima,” wrote Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

Continue reading…

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Here are some posts you may enjoy…

Speaking of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Annabelle has a great post – Blog Enthronement and Consecration to the Two Hearts.

Then her blog lead me to a great post by Sue – Confessions of a Former Hot-Tempered Mother.

I read this post from Rhonda, bookmarked it, printed it out and reference it when I start being ornery (as Brian calls it.)  It’s stuff I already know but too often need a reminder. – R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Eleven Tips for Spicing Up Your Marriage

Then when you are done keeping things nice and lovely with your spouse you can visit my sis and get some tips for having Kids at Mass.

Lastly, speaking of kids, if you have a blog with kid photos, make sure to read Kierste’s post – {do you have a family blog? tips to safeguard your family’s online photo safety}.

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Photo Source: © http://10kmiles.com/

Okay, was that too much self-help reading? Then sit back and enjoy a treat. A friend of the  family has taken on an amazing adventure! Basically, he quit his job and is traveling across the United States exploring and taking photos. This is what he says:

I was working a great job for a private school in Silicon Valley, but I just wasn’t happy. I have a work to live mentality and Silicon Valley has very much a “live to work” mentality. So I decided that instead, I just want to live and experience life!

I had this tugging in my gut for months to just drop everything and hit the road. The opportunity finally provided itself and I gave notice at my job. In August 2013 I will be hitting the road on a 10,000 mile journey throughout the US. I’ll be taking photos (which I would love for you to purchase to help me eat on this journey) and looking for hidden gems.

K.C. is blogging about his journey here – http://10kmiles.com and he’s on Facebook here.  It has been exciting and moving to read. The traveler in me makes me want to go on a road trip, although the mother in me worries about his safety! LOL. And the woefully amateur photographer in me is in love with his photos. So gorgeous. Go check it out!

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For your random bit of humor… Have you ever wondered what celebs would look like if they were normal schmucks like us? NYC artist Danny Evans used photoshop to give us peek at what could have been. Frankly, I could not stop laughing. My long ago teen idol Johnny Depp went from dream to nightmare but it is interesting that they only way he could make David Beckham look bad was to change him into a businessman. LOL.

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Attention back seat shoppers, if you read my 5 Favorites post on Wednesday, you already know that I am looking for a sleeve to carry my Macbook Air. I have narrowed it down to two from Etsy.

I like the bright colors and design of this one and the fact that it zips all the way around and has sturdier protection.

On the other hand I also really like the color and design of this one, especially the zippered section in the front. However, the main compartment does not zipper and has a button opening instead.

Help an undecided girl out, which do you think would be better?

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Jen over at Suscipio is hosting the 3-2-1 Fantastically Fun Friday link-up without the link-up! “Huh?” you may say. Instead of linking your blog you simply answer her 3 questions in the comment box so bloggers and non-bloggers can participate and so it does not interfere with your already scheduled link-ups (Like Jen F’s 7QT.) So here is my contribution:

3 Things I’m Grateful For:

• Brian finally got his scheduled changed so he no longer has to work the late shift (coming home at 7:30) and he has his weekends off now. Happy dance. (To the glee and embarrassment of my children.)

• For a great (even if it was incredibly fast) summer that officially ends on Monday when the last of the kiddos are back in school. Then Matthew and I will be solo at home a few hours of the day. Now if only I could teach him to throw the dirty laundry in the washer instead of the toilet, we’d be golden. 😉

• I’m thankful for another year of this crazy but incredibly blessed life.

2 Places I Would Love to Visit

• I’d love to take another cross country trip but this time with my hubby and kids. (See what you started, KC.)

• Either back to Rome with the kids (Brian and I went for our first anniversary) or to Austria, where my mother-in-law is from and the pictures I’ve seen are gorgeous or actually the whole UK… (Did I mention I have a hard time of narrowing things down?)

1 Place I Love to Go

• There are so many spots of gorgeous nature here along the coast that I love but I still can’t resist slipping away every once in awhile and going to sit inside the movie theater to be swept away in a good story. (In fact, if you texted me last night and I didn’t answer, it was because my phone was on Cinemode. ;-))

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I know I almost never miss Cari’s Theme Thursday photography challenge but since the topic was Food and I just posted a recipe with strawberries…

and I just posted a recipe with blueberries…

that I thought I’d skip this week and join next week’s theme “Shadow” instead.

Have a great weekend!

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