The kids are home today and need some lovin’ so I need to make this short and sweet.
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Come, Holy Spirit – It seems that all Catholics have on their mind right now, besides Lent, is when will the conclave start and who will be our new Pope. There is to be an official announcement in Rome at 7 PM their time. EWTN will be live at 2 PM…(hold on)
Okay, how crazy is this. I was checking twitter to see what time zone it was and up popped that the Vatican has officially announced that the Conclave will start on March 12th. How is that for up to the minute breaking news? And you thought I only shared recipes, photographs, and random useless pieces of information. (Don’t fret, you’ll still find that in QT #2-7.) 😉
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I Love Waking Up Early, She Never Sayeth – This weekend is Daylight Savings Time. I would like to share with you exactly how I feel about DST but I am going to confession tomorrow and I already have a hefty list of sins and don’t want to add swearing to the list.
So forget what I think and hear it from medical professionals instead.
Happy Day – Bonnie over at A Knotted Lifeis having an awesome O Happy Day Giveaway. I don’t know what I am more excited about – the mix tape or the chocolate chip cookies. And the scarf is muy bueno! (Yeah, I’m a Mexican that can’t actually speak Spanish. Go figure.) I debated whether or not to tell you about this contest because I want to increase my chances of winning by having as few entries as possible, but Lent calls for sacrifice so there you have it. Go over and enter!
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Flashback Weekend– Speaking of mix tapes, do you remember those, children of the 80’s?? My sister BC and I would put together the most awesome mix tapes! We had a mellow mix that we’d play as we went to sleep in our room with posters of The Smiths smiling down on us. Sigh. Now, instead of mix tapes we have playlists, which I also love. One of the songs on my flashback playlist just turned 30 this week. It’s New Order’s Blue Monday. Remember that? Although, my favorite New Order song remains True Faith. Don’t believe me? Just call my cell phone and listen for the ring tone. (Unless you are BC, then your ring tone is “Suedehead.” ;-))
The video is bizarro, even for the 80’s but the song still rocks.
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On Repeat – And speaking of electronic sweetness, I heard this song in a movie I saw last week and I can’t get the tune out of my head. (It also doesn’t help that I am listing to it as we speak.)
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Is That Funny…or Sad? – I just realized that every post I’ve made this week – and I posted each day! – is a link up. That’s right.
So when I say that I love me a link up, you know I am not exaggerating! 😉
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Down for the Count – Well, the next post I make will not be a link-up. I still want to do some Downton Abbey news and share some of the things I’ve been learning on my Lenten journey, including getting up earlier for prayer time. I think my desire to sleep and my need to pray is going to have a knock out brawl once DST hits. We’ll see…
Good bye, Holy Papa – It was so odd yesterday seeing Our Holy Father knowing that it would be the last day he’d ever be our Pope. But it’s even stranger today – the first day without a Holy Father at the wheel. I know some people are completely freaking out over end times but the Holy Spirit has been guiding the Church this long, I know He will continue to guide us. However, we still need to pray for the upcoming conclave, for our new Holy Father, and the Church in general. If you like novenas, check out the one Brian put together – Novena for the Papacy.
And if you haven’t seen it already, Dorian Speed put together a great website explaining the process of electing a new Pope. Check it out at ElectingthePope.net.
UPDATE: I just saw the website for Adopt A Cardinal.org. You can sign up and you’ll be given the name of a Cardinal that you will pray for before and during the conclave. I picked one for our family and we will be praying for Cardinal Backis form Lithuania. 🙂
~~ 2 ~~
Spring Is Here. So Are My Allergies. – Happy first day of March! (Although, I’m still trying to figure out what the heck happened to January and February.) My blooming flower photo that I posted yesterday was pretty but it also came with a price. Everything, and I mean everything, is covered in yellow pollen – the trees, the plants, the deck, our driveway, our cars. Oh man, the cars! I wash the car and the next day it is completely covered again. Don’t believe me? Here is the photo of my car window.
No bueno. I’m going to sneeze just looking at it.
~~ 3 ~~
National Day of Unplugging – I was listing to the radio this morning and they were talking about today (actually tonight at sunset) being the National Day of Unplugging. The website says:
The National Day of Unplugging is a 24 hour period – running from sunset to sunset – and starts on the first Friday in March. The project is an outgrowth of The Sabbath Manifesto, an adaption of our ancestors’ ritual of carving out one day per week to unwind, unplug, relax, reflect, get outdoors, and connect with loved ones.
The Sabbath Manifesto is a creative project designed to slow down lives in an increasingly hectic world. The Ten Principles:
Avoid technology.
Connect with loved ones.
Nurture your health.
Get outside.
Avoid commerce.
Light candles.
Drink wine.
Eat bread.
Find silence.
Give back.
Hmmm…that sounds exactly like what we Catholics are supposed to be doing on the Sabbath Day! (Although our bread and wine taken at Mass also becomes the Body and Blood of Christ) but I for one needed the reminder and think I will join the day of unplugging!
Better Late Than Never – I’ve been craving some new music lately and I asked Brian for Mumford & Son’s Babel for Valentine’s Day. Usually I just download music but I knew he wanted to get me something tangible that I could open. First of all, I’ve heard a few of M&S’s songs and enjoyed them but it was not until “I Will Wait for You” that I was truly blown away. (Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m always a day late and a dollar short but I eventually get there.)
Seriously, the song can still bring me to tears. I was reading an article by Cathleen Falsaniand she talked about the emotional effect the song had on her during a difficult time in her life. She says:
In the midst of a roiling sea of emotions, I find myself clinging to faith like a life raft, while simultaneously wondering desperately what God’s up to in all of this tsouris, as my rabbi friend might say.
Perhaps that’s why “I Will Wait” put a lump in my throat and filled my still-sleepy eyes with hot tears. The author Frederick Buechner says that we should pay careful attention to the things that bring about such reactions, because they are signs that the holy is drawing nigh.
Wow. I don’t know what the lyrics meant to M&S but it can be seen as a prayer by the listener. Either way, Babel is played continuously in the house. I’m completely taken. 🙂 (NOTE: There is some bad language on a couple of songs, I usually skip those.)
My other point about their album is that I forgot how much I used to loooove getting a new CD and getting cozy while I read through the CD booklet and pondered over the lyrics and how the artist chose to express themselves. I used to fondly read over the dedications and credits… (Now, that I think about it, maybe I didn’t have much of a life back then.)
Anyway, when I opened the CD and saw all the words and the photos I ran to the couch and got cozy as I read through some pretty amazing lyrics, particularly poignant if you are a believer. It was like relieving my youth, except that this time there was a kid trying to color on me with a marker, another kid spilling his milk on me and another kid waving his stinky diaper in front of my face. Good times. Good times.
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I Prefer My Mac with Cheese – Speaking of music, the kids are now at an age when they are paying attention to the music I have playing in the car or in the house so I have to be extra careful that it is family friendly (not that I really listen to anything “bad” but you know what I mean.) I’ll often have the local Christian station on and one of the artists they particularly enjoy is TobyMac. I have never really been into his music but for the sake of the kids I downloaded his newest album Eye on It. Okay, I’ll have to admit that the album has grown on me and I actually love many of the songs. The one we all love right now is “Me Without You.”
(Not an official video but you get the idea.)
So if you see a gold minivan in Cali with singing occupants consisting of a mom, three little boys and a tween girl pretending not to love it, you may just be passing by us. 😉
Oh, and if you have a favorite artist you think I should check out, let me know!
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If You Aren’t A Regular (Why the heck not? ;-)) – Okay, time to get off the computer. I’ve got a serious pile of laundry waiting for me. It’s actually been a big posting week for me. If you haven’t been around, here is what you missed.
Meatless Meals: Matthew’s favorite minestrone soup and the chance to link up your post where you brought a Pinterest idea to life.
I started this yesterday but it just wasn’t happening. However, the kids are quiet so I must strike while I can before the boys start their morning chorus of “Mine!” “No, Mine!” “MINE!” and “Mom!” 😉
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{pretty}
This week for Cari’s Theme Thursdayit was about architecture. Here are two photos I took of the Carmel Mission.
You can see the rest of the Mission photos here and all the other fabulous photos on Cari’s link up here. And a huge thank you to those who mentioned my photos on their blog (Cari and EML) and those who left kind comments. I truly appreciate it but it’s incredibly embarrassing because any photos I take outside or out in nature require ZERO talent. You cannot take a bad photo around here and even if you do, photo editing fixes that right up. My 3 year old with my iphone camera proves it. (But I love your appreciation anyway! xoxo)
This photo is for Day 5 of #cslentipj – Light. The sun #light is shining through my kitchen window.
I posted this pic of Brian sitting in the crying room before Mass praying. I #love this man more than I can express and he brings me such happiness! Although, I know my mom is asking, “What are you doing taking a photo at Mass, Ms. Paparazzi?” Well, technically Mass hadn’t started yet and I just snapped this quickly with my phone while Brian had his eyes closed, which explains the poor quality. I didn’t notice until after, St. Joseph is just over his head. Quite appropriate. 🙂
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Speaking of my prayerful man, yesterday was the feast of The Chair of St. Peter and Brian put together a Novena for the Papacy. It is a beautiful collection of traditional prayers and short, modern day reflections. Go check it out and see why he is called my better half. (While he is doing stuff like this I’m shopping at Target or browsing Pinterest. ;-))
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{funny}
But just so you don’t think it is all work and no play, here is Day 6 of #cslentipj– Happiness.
I love when Brian’s playful, boyish side comes out and I hear the blissful happy squeals of the boys as they are playing. For Christmas the boys watched Star Wars for the first time and afterwards they begged me to take them to Target and get them those glow-in-the-dark light sabers. (Snort. As if someone had to beg me to go to Target. Refer to QT #3.) Of course I did, so now in the evenings we’ll often have lights out in the hallway as they do their battle.
The top half of the photo shows them playing. The bottom half has Matthew getting ready for battle next with my colander as a helmet. So funny. 🙂 Gotta love them boys!
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{funny}
Speaking of life with boys…
Note to self: Remind the boys that after they eat an apple, throw it away. Don’t stick it back in the fruit bowl.
Day 5 of #40daysofphotos – #40. Here are #40 toy trains lined up in a row.
Matthew walked into the photo shoot and was ecstatic. It’s funny because we’ve had some of these trains for almost a decade. Bella used to love Thomas the Train and we started collecting them back then. The tradition continues with Andrew, John-Paul and now Matthew as he plays with them. (I’ve been talking a lot about the boys lately. Next week I’ll make one of the takes about Bella. It’s just harder with a tween who values her privacy. 😉
For lent, I have also been trying to curb my impatience and not lose my cool when things like permanent marker, broken glass, dumped wipes and spilled milk happens and offer it up for love of God. (Refer to my 2013 credo.) Sorry to say that I failed miserably the other day and after losing my temper I broke down and was literally crying over spilled milk. Time to get to confession and recharge the ol’ spiritual batteries. 😉
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Confession is the first cure but you know what the second best cure is? I found out Thursday night when I had a huge treat. For the first time since I was pregnant with Matthew (say what?) I went to a mom’s night out. I was as giddy as a school girl because I had been craving some Catholic girl time in real life and I hadn’t seen a number of my old friends in ages. The food was delicious, the conversation was humorous yet uplifting and it just perked up my spirits. We decided to make this a regular thing and I wondered how Brian would feel about that. Well, the next day Brian was pleased to see me in such a good mood and so playful with the kids and affectionate with him. As long as this keeps up, he said he didn’t mind watching the kids again for the next outing. 😉 Woohoo!
~~ Bonus Take ~~
My sis Bridge with her godchild Matthew.
As you may know, I come from a large family – I’m the oldest of nine and so far three of us are married. Well, we can add another Mrs to the ranks because my sis Bridgette has announced her engagement to a wonderful man. (Bridge was born between me and my younger sister EML.) So not only will we be attending a wedding but we will be having a family reunion, which means EML and I will finally get to spend some face to face time together. (Insert happy dance.) We will also get to meet a number of little nieces and nephews/cousins that we have not met yet! I am soooo excited and will be spending even more time on Pinterest offering ever so helpful wedding suggestions to my sister. 😉
We had the Pope shocker. Ash Wednesday. Valentine’s. The Downton Abbey vs The Grammy’s showdown. (Downton Abbey won the coveted DVR space by a land slide.) There’s lots to talk about but little time to do it so you’ll get the Quick Take version. 🙂
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The Holy Papa – There is no need for me to write my thoughts because there are numerous other people who have done so. Some are eloquent and encouraging, some are quoting end of the world prophesies (maybe the Mayans weren’t so off after all) and some are downright idiotic (hello, main stream media).
I will say that the one line that really stuck with me was from a speaker on EWTN Live. He said, “Pope Benedict, as he now moves into a phase where he’ll live a life of prayer, perhaps his greatest contribution to the life of the church may be yet to come.”
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No Burgers for You – I can’t believe that Lent is here already. Heck, I’m still finding random Christmas decorations around the house. Thursday night I was up late and all of a sudden I had a huge craving for a big, juicy burger. I looked at the clock and yeah, it just hit the stroke of midnight. It’s going to be a long Lent. 😉
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I Should Have Given Up Procrastinating – Do you have your Lenten plan all figured out? Unlike Advent, which I was so prepared for, Lent just crept up on me. I have a couple things in mind that I know I need to do but I haven’t sat down and really prayed and thought it all through. I’m happy it is a 3-day weekend because the extra day will give me time to do so. I have a few posts starred in my google reader with Lenten ideas, so I want to read through them for some inspiration. If you made a blog posts about what you are doing for lent, please leave the link in the comments. (Or just leave a comment if you don’t blog.) I’d love to read it!
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Another Excuse to take Photos A Photo Lenten Reflection – I am participating in two Lenten photo journals. The first is Beth Anne’s #40daysofphotos. I had such fun doing her Advent photo a day (and even won a prize!) that I was excited to see she was doing another. The second one I am doing is the Catholic Sistas Lenten Instagram Photo Journey. (#CSLentIPJ)
It may seem a bit frivolous to take instagram photos during Lent but it can also be a Lenten reflection. For example, here is the photo from Day 2 – what I pray with… (I like my prayer book new school with iMissal but my journaling old school with a pen.)
As I was thinking about what to photograph, that is when I realized that I’ve been neglecting my daily rosary. I felt God calling me back to it so I knew that would be one of my Lenten promises. Frankly, it has felt so good to get back into the routine of saying the rosary, or at the very least saying a decade. So the photos are more than just fun. They are a reflection to something deeper too. 🙂
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Add to the Blogroll – Speaking of CatholicSistas.com, why have I never seen this website before?? It has become a favorite! I love that the contributors vary in age so you don’t feel too young or too old and there is always something to touch your heart! Check it out!
I Heart Chocolate Day Valentine’s Day – Then on Thursday it was Valentine’s Day. Since Brian and I just went out to dinner at Pebble Beach the other week, we had a stay at home date night instead.
Speaking of loving your hubby, my sister has an awesome post called 10 Ways to be A Better Wife. She may be my younger sis but she is wise beyond her years. (She’s also the one that stole all the homemaking genes I should have gotten. 😉
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Lastly, this week had three family/personal anniversaries of my own.
It was on Valentine’s Day 12 years ago that I found out I was pregnant with Bella. (I love you, my sweetie girl!)
This week was also the six year anniversary of my first miscarriage. Speaking of miscarriage, there is a beautiful post by Catherine Boucher called The Roller Coaster Ride over at CatholicMom.com. Go read it…but grab some Kleenex first.
Finally, this week is the anniversary of when Our Lady of Lourdes pulled me out of the darkness I was living in and put me on the road back to Christ. (I typed out my conversion/reversion story years ago. I am cleaning it up and I’ll post it some time next week.)
~~ Bonus Take ~~
In my inbox this morning was another email/comment about the photo I took for Theme Thursday: Trees. She asks in all caps, “WHERE DO YOU LIVE??” I live in California along the Central Coast, specifically on the Monterey Peninsula. It is ridiculously gorgeous here and if you are thinking of visiting the area, I HIGHLY recommend it. I am putting together a post of the top places you should visit. (Then I’ll dedicate it to Cari.) I’ll post that next week too!
Until then, have a great holiday weekend! I’m sending a little Cali warmth your way! 😉
My computer time is so limited these days that I have to combine posts and kill two bugs with one stone. (I hate killing birds…unless it is that nasty seagull that did his business on my windshield.) So today we have a 7 Quick Takes & {pretty, happy, funny, real} Mash-up. Enjoy!
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{pretty}
I hesitate to post photos of flowers or sunny skies when people are sitting in snow but hopefully it will give you something to look forward to as you wait for spring. It seems to be arriving early in California.
~~ 2 ~~
{happy}
I can’t tell you how happy I am to have Brian feeling better and cancer free! As I mentioned in yesterday’s Theme Thursday (Cari rocks!), Brian and I had the opportunity to go out to dinner at Pebble Beach (where Brian works.) It was much needed outing after Brian’s surgery and all the stress we’ve been under lately. I love the Spanish Bay Inn there and they have a great restaurant called Sticks. It is a tradition that each evening The Bagpiper plays at sunset to close the day.
However, our original babysitting plans changed and my in-laws watched the kids instead. To make it easier on them we brought Matthew to dinner with us as our chaperone. I loooove this photo of Matty’s precious face and rosy cheeks. (He had just woken up.)
~~ 3 ~~
Speaking of Pebble Beach, this weekend is the AT&T Pro Am. It is a big deal to the town but as for me, it just mostly means everything will be super crowded so we won’t venture far from the house this weekend. There are a number of “stars” and athletes on the Peninsula but unless they happen to stop by Target in the next day or two, I’ll not be seeing them. (Although there was that time I sat behind Kevin James at Mass. ;-))
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{funny}
As I mentioned earlier, I have not had time to blog much this week. But Matthew offered to help me out.
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{real}
I finally took down the Christmas wreath on our door this week and put up our Valentine’s welcome sign. How is it possible that both Valentine’s and Lent start next week??? I am still in shock.
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More {real}
Remember when I mentioned a couple weeks back that the kids got lice from school? Well, we went through the treatment and got rid of the nasty things only to go back and to school and get reinfected. It lands out a number of kids had it without knowing and it was being passed back and forth. Thankfully, the school took care of things now. (It still baffles me that we even have lice in our day and age!)
So now we are on Round 2 of the lice war and on Tuesday I just broke down and sobbed. I mean I cried my eyes out. Not so much because of the lice, but it was finally the straw that broke the camel’s back. With Brian’s illness, and cancer, and surgery I was uncharacteristically calm and unworried and dry eyed. But you know how it is, you can only stay strong for so long until you’ve got to get it all out. I thought all the crying I did at Sybil’s death was enough but I still had more in me. Now I am feeling back to myself and the lice war seems to be ending, although I still spend over 2 hours each day going through the kids hair with a nit comb (Bella’s long hair is the worse) to make sure it stays away.
On top of that, the washing everything in hot water that touched their head is insane and this is what my house has looked like all week. The dirty piles were far outweighing the clean piles but I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Praise God!
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Once I get all the laundry done I’ll work on something for next week’s Making it Count Tuesday. Actually, let me ask you a question about that. Originally the link up was called Pinning It Down.
It was hosted by Sarah at AmongstLovelyThings.com and Pam at EveryDaySnapshots. It encouraged people to make or do some of the things they pinned on Pinterest. But then there was the concern about breaking copyright laws and not giving the right people credit for their work etc.
They changed the link up to Making It Count with the idea being to…
“Simply start with any one of those fabulous ideas you’ve found online or on Pinterest. Then, do it. Make it. Cook it. Create it. Take it from the screen, give it life and let it bless your world. When you’re done, snap a photo, write about it and share it with us. Make your time online count!”
However, with their busy schedules, Sarah and Pam couldn’t host anymore. I offered to take over hosting duties and Sarah gladly let me but she warned me that participation dropped off once they switched from Pinning It Down to Making It Count. And once it moved blogs, it really dropped.
My question to you, after all that, should I go back to a Pinterest themed link up and just require links to the original site (rather than their pin link)? It could be a Pinterest Party or something. Or should I make it more general? For example, a link up to share something you did creatively (cooking, crafting, photography, a school project) whether the idea came from an online source or not. Please give me some ideas or let me know if I should just leave it as is and give it time to build up again. Thanks in advance!
Okay, I just heard the washer buzz so my blogging time is up. Time for another load. Have a great weekend!
My sis Bridge with her godchild Matthew.
