I was going to do an Online Daybook but I don’t have enough time. Instead I’m linking up with Kelly and posting a quickie 7 Quick Takes that will really only be of interest to my family (or close friends) since it’s mostly family news. 😉

~ 1 ~

This has been our last week of summer vacation and I feel like we packed more fun in this week than we did over the whole summer! (Well,  minus out trip to Lake Tahoe in June.) On Saturday my friend Celia (whom I met through the Blessed Is She regional Facebook group) and I hosted a Blessed is She Brunch in Monterey. We got together with old friends as well as new friends who we only knew through the Facebook groups.

We started off the day with Mass at San Carlos Cathedral to celebrate the feast of the Assumption. I love my lively family but it was a treat to sit and worship Our Lord at Mass without having to tell someone to stop making rude noises or quit poking their brother during Mass. I needed that alone time.

Afterwards, we headed over to Celia’s house. Everyone brought in a dish for the potluck and we enjoyed the deliciousness, we talked and shared stories.

We shared how BIS has touched our hearts and helped in our spiritual journey. We talked about our families, our kids, our interests and everything else under that came up. If you put a group of women together, you will never run out of things to talk about! After we closed the afternoon with prayer we said our goodbyes and planned to make this a regular occurrence. 🙂

~ 2 ~

a birthday bouquet

On Tuesday, I celebrated my 35th birthday (full disclosure, I have been 35 for years now.) 😉 My favorite gift?

 In the family line up it’s me (#1, the oldest)), Jacinta (#6, the athlete), Isaac (#9, the baby) and Nathaniel (#4, the artist).

A visit from my sister Jacinta and my brothers Nathaniel and Isaac. I haven’t seem them since January at my brother Jake’s wedding so it was a real blessing!

We spent the day touring Monterey, specifically San Carlos Beach…

and the Wharf.

There were a number of sea lions out and the kids had fun watching them swim and pose for photos.

After walking the first mile, the boys needed a little motivation to make the second mile so we stopped at this Willy Wonka like candy store. I may have consumed a dark chocolate almond cluster  rationalizing that calories don’t count as long as you are moving while you are eating. 😉

~ 3 ~

Later that evening my siblings told me to go out with Brian and they would babysit. I ran out the door before they could change their mind.

Luckily, Brian had won a free dinner at work so we were able to dine at Peppoli’s in Pebble Beach. Brian must have told them it was my birthday because this was on my menu. A birthday greeting! Fancy.

Now, Brian and I are more of a chips and salsa couple than a wine and cheese couple so we definitely were a little out of our element as we were escorted to the table, greeted by the chef, had napkins placed in our laps and given the wine list.

We don’t usually eat beef, so when we go out I like I get a treat. This time I chose the beef tenderloin. It was SO GOOD.

~ 4 ~

At one point our conversation went something like this.

Brian: I don’t like this.

Me: “Don’t like what?”

Brian: “They are treating me like, like…”

Me: “Like you are somebody?”

Brian: “Exactly! I don’t like it.”

Me: (Laughing) (In a whisper:) “I feel like I am on Downton Abbey. Look at that waiter standing by the wall with his hands behind his back. He is keeping an eye on us so he can come to our side the moment we need him. Watch this.” (I then place down my silverware and wipe my mouth with my napkin. Like clockwork, the waiter comes over and asks if he can remove my plate.

Me: (After the waiter leaves.) “I could get used to this.” (Snapping my fingers joikingly.) “Oh, Carson. The dessert menu please.” Yeah, I can get used to this.

Brian: “Well, don’t get used to this! Its back to the real world once we walk out the door.”

Me: (Sighs) “Well, it was fun while it lasted.” 😉

~ 5 ~

I came home and found the table decorated like this. So sweet.

~ 6 ~

The next day I wanted to take my sister and brothers to one of our favorite spots – Point Lobos Reserve.

We climbed our favorite trail and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery.

It’s a tradition to take a photo of the boys on the big rock that marks the half way point of our walk.

~ 7 ~

The last few birthdays have been a little harder with Brian being sick and going through chemo so it was a treasured blessing that this year we are all well and healthy and not going though any serious drama. There are always peaks and valley so right now I am enjoying this peak in my life. 🙂

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! If you are not having the best time right now and could use some extra prayer, let me know. I’d be happy to pray for you.

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 Letterboxd, Spotify or Instagram. 😉

~ 1 ~

The crazy busyness of July has made way for a less busy August schedule (until school starts on the 24th) and that has allowed me to catch up on housework as well as spend some play time with the kids. This week we’ve gotten into the habit of playing outdoors until they are ready to drop from tiredness and heat. (Heat being a relative term since 80 degrees constitutes a heat wave here.) Then they come indoors and we watch a movie. I have taken the opportunity to let them view a few of my favorites. This summer they saw for the first time Jurassic Park, The Princess Bride and the entire Star Wars saga (only Andrew watched Episode 3. Anakin’s turn to the dark side was too intense for the younger boys). Next they wanted to watch The Pirates of the Caribbean. I told them okay but it would have to be a fast-forwarded version since they couldn’t watch the scarier parts.

So while they are getting settled with their snacks and being introduced to Captain Jack Sparrow, I’ll type up a short 7 Quick Takes.

~ 2 ~

As the kids have been playing outside and building Legos or Minecraft creations, I have done some serious purging and organizing this week. I know I have been breaking blogging code by continuously promising to post some organizing results then never actually posting but the blogging code is more of a guideline so…. next week! That’s a pirate’s promise.

~ 3 ~

I will say that while cleaning out my closets I found a treasure chest of picture frames that I had purchased on sale or clearance but that I never got around to hanging up. (I can hear my mom say, “Well, that’s a shocker.”) Sigh. I know, I know but yesterday I said, “No more!” I got a hammer and nails and got to work. Yay! Now my wall looks happy, even though there’s one spot that needs a small frame to complete the look.

~ 4 ~

As I have been busy cleaning this week, my phone has kept me entertained with a stream of podcasts and periscopes. My newest podcast love is for Building Bridges by Jenna Guizar and Cristina Trinidad. I’ve heard half their podcast list so far (#1 – 4) and next week I will catch up with the other half. There’s some great content, fun moments and a large dash of crazy.

~ 5 ~

Besides podcasts, I’ve also become a fan of Periscope, which is basically a social media app that allows you to interact with a person doing a live video. (You interact by typing in comments that they see live and you tap your phone screen to give them “hearts” if you like what you’re hearing.)

My favorite periscope show is Cultivating the Lovely by Mackenzie of  Bold Turquoise. Mackenzie’s daily challenge is for each of us to pick three things that we will do to bring loveliness into our busy (sometimes messy) lives. Mackenzie is also a Christian and I love how she encourages you to first spend time in prayer and the Word and then ask God what three things He would like you to work on. If you’re never caught the show live, you can watch her replays here.

~ 6 ~

My other favorite scoper is Mystie Winckler from Simplified Organizing. I am currently taking her organizing course and being able to interact with her online has been fun.

It was Mystie’s course that inspired me to clean out the closets and Mackenzie’s quest for loveliness that inspired me to pretty up our family room. 😉

~ 7 ~

Since I’ve been busy cleaning and movie watching I’ve also needed some easy dinners. I found ample inspiration from Dwija’s post and link up Easy Slow Cooker and One Pot Meals Link-Up. Go check it out. There are some yummy options there!

Okay, I’ve got to run. The pirates need refills of popcorn and lemonade and a certain young scalawag wants me to find him a pirate costume ASAP. Savvy?

Have a blessed weekend!

xoxo,

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 Letterboxd, Spotify or Instagram. 😉

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