Revolution of Love

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Making It Count Tuesday (Vol 11): Catholic Valentines

Welcome to Making It Count Tuesday (formally Pinning It Down), which is every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Originally hosted by Sarah and Pam, it’s new home in now here at Revolution of Love.

If you are new to Making it Count, you 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!

(See past MIC posts here.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

For the last few days I’ve been looking at Pinterest for Valentine’s Day ideas. Some of the local Catholic moms are getting their kids together for a St. Valentine’s Day party so I was looking for some Catholic valentine inspiration. Also, since Valentine’s Day is during Lent we didn’t want to give the usual candy with our cards so instead we bought bubbles, Play-Doh and fishy cracker packets. Here are the results.

John-Paul is giving small containers of Play-Doh to his friends so I paired it with Jennifer’s adorable St. Valentine download from CatholicInspired.com.

 

Instead of gluing St. Valentine to the heart, I taped him to the container of Play Dough. I can either use the blank part of the heart to write each child’s name or just shrink down the heart. (It could also be used as a name tag/table setting for each child.)

* * * * *

Matthew is giving small bottles of bubbles so I went online and found a photo of Snoopy (a favorite of the kids) and added the words “God’s love blows me away. Happy St. Valentine’s Day!”

* * * * *

 

Lastly, Andrew is giving small packs of fishy crackers so I downloaded an image of a little boy fishing and made this valentine. (Note: I purchased the image for $1.25.)

 

We were pleased with the way they came out and hope the kids enjoy them on Thursday. šŸ™‚

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose a tutorial, recipe, or idea that has inspired you. Do it and blog a little about it. It doesn’t have to be elaborate — we just want to see what you’ve been up to!
2. In your post, rather than linking to your Pinterest pin, link back the original idea/blogger. We want to be sure that cool idea credit is given to the proper person. šŸ™‚
3. Link back here so others can play along.
4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address. And please use your own original photo (not someone else’s!) as your thumbnail image. Copyright issues, you know. šŸ˜‰

You have a week to post your link, so if you can’t get things done by Tuesday, no worries, put it up when you can. We’ll be here. Have fun!

PS – This post is linked over at CatholicInspired.com. (Jennifer has some great ideas!)


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7 Quick Takes (2/8/12) & {pretty, happy, funny, real} vol 59 Mash-Up: Spring, Pebble Beach & Pinterest

AND

 

My computer time is so limited these days that I have to combine posts and kill two bugs with one stone. (I hate killing birdsā€¦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!

~~ 1 ~~

{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 canā€™t tell you how happy I am to have Brian feeling better and cancer free! As I mentioned in yesterdayā€™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.Ā  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. ;-))

~~ 4 ~~

{funny}

As I mentioned earlier, I have not had time to blog much this week. But Matthew offered to help me out.

~~ 5 ~~

{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.

~~ 6 ~~

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!

~~ 7 ~~

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!


{pretty, happy, funny, real} vol. 58: Brian’s Recovery Edition

Hosted by Like Mother, Like Daughter

{pretty}

Before my mom went back home (sniff) we took the scenic way home after picking up John-Paul from school. I pulled to the side of the road and quickly shot this.

{happy}

On Thursday Brian met with an oncologist. Thankfully he was given a clean bill of health. The surgery was successful and no radiation will be needed. The doc said it was the best case scenario for a person with cancer and he has a 90% chance that it will not return. Of course, he will now have to have regular screenings but this is still great news. Thank you so much for you prayers!! We are both very happy. (And a little tired looking. ;-))

The kids were happy to have dad back on the deck playing with them. (You could also count this as {funny} since shark-loving Andrew is wearing his shark fin head piece. LOL)

{funny}

The kids regularly get on a movie fixation where there is only one movie they want to watch over and over again. During Brian’s hospital stay it was Despicable Me. Now that he is home is is Cars & Mater Tales. Matthew is watching one of his favorite scenes.

Here I found Matthew and John-Paul recreating one of the crash scenes. I am still not sure what the animal crackers were supposed to be.

{real}

Brian returned to work last week, easing in slowly with 4 hour shifts. His co-workers were so supportive and happy to hear that he is doing well, that they wanted to help out the family by making us meals for a week. Brian and I were so touched by their generosity! You should have seen the food. Each meal was enough for two dinners so I froze half of each. To top it off, they must have heard Brian had a sweet tooth because the deserts made our home look like a church bake sale!Ā  We enjoyed the food, shared with other family members and have plenty of meals and desserts in the freezer for later. God bless them and their generosity. They rock!

Have a geat Sunday and enjoy watching the Super Bowl Downton Abbey tonight!


7 Downton Abbey Quick Takes: Season 3, Episode 4 & Fun Downton Links

 

Photo Source

It’s always a joke around here that when I link up with Jen’s 7 Quick Takes, I am usually around #150, and that’s on a good day. I swear there are bloggers that never sleep who post their Takes before I’ve even finished my Thursday night viewing of something intellectually stimulating like Duck Dynasty. So I am going extreme and posting on Wednesday afternoon! I am officially #0! Although, knowing me I’ll post this and forget to link up until Sunday morning. Oh, well. Let’s get on with it.

Spoiler Alert! – If you have not watched Sundayā€™s Episode 4 of Downton Abbey, skip to # 3 or 4!

~~ 1 ~~

Last night I was finally able to watch Sundayā€™s episode of Downton Abbey. Everyone warned that it was a heart breaker. Oh. My. Gosh. They were not exaggerating. Letā€™s just say I was finally able to have that good cry I needed!

I will have to go back and rewatch the episode to remember the storylines that were shown because Sybil is dominating my memory right now. And seriously, as I sit here and think about losing your spouse, I am crying againā€¦ and then when Cora was sitting alone with Sybil and told her lifeless body, ā€œYou will always be my baby,ā€ I could hear my momā€™s voice telling me that. I could hear my own voice as I say it so often to Bella. Oh, boy and now the tears are flowing freely again. Iā€™m making up for lost time.

Since I obviously canā€™t handle a commentary right now, I will instead share a few Downton Abbey links that you may enjoy.

~~ 2 ~~

Ā Here is a video tribute to Sybil and Tom with the song “The Weight of Us” by Sanders Bohlke.

 

 

~~ 3 ~~

 

 

Yesterday the Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey Season 3 Blu-ray and DVD were released. I ordered my copy and Iā€™m debating whether I will watch the remaining episodes right away or wait and enjoy the suspense as I watch with my friends on PBS. Since I know this is not the end of sad storylines maybe small doses will be better.

 

~~ 4 ~~

 

The other night Downton Abbey won Sagā€™s Cast Ensemble Award. Here is a photo of some of the cast. You can hardly recognize Ms. O’Brien and Daisy!

Photo Source

 

~~ 5 ~~


My sister sent me this link, knowing that I would love it.

10 Downton Abbey Inspired DIY Crafts & Printables from EverythingEtsy.com.

My favorites areā€¦

 

ā€¦the Downton Abbey inspired headbands andā€¦

 

ā€¦the Downton Abbey bingo.

 

~~ 6 ~~

 

Lastly, for those of you that love Facebook and Downton, you may enjoy these DA episode Facebook recaps from HappyPlace.com.

Here is the recap forĀ Ā Season 3, Episode 1. The rest of the recap links are below.

 

Facebook Recap for Season 3, Episode 2

Facebook Recap for Season 3, Episode 3Ā 

Facebook Recap for Season 3, Episode 4

 

~~ 7 ~~

I hope you enjoyed these! I’ll meet you Sunday night for the next #DowntonPBS Twitter party. (9 PM PT) šŸ™‚ (You can find me here.)

 

 

 


Catholic Woman’s Almanac (1/28/13) – vol 7

Hosted by Jenny at Suscipio.

 

It has been nearly two months since Iā€™ve done a CWA and after the day, week, month, year I have been having, I could use a moment to stop, reflect and be thankful.

 

Moments of Gratitude…

  • It has been a whirlwind with Brianā€™s illness, surgery, discovery of cancer and recovery and as difficult as it has been, there have been so many moments of grace and small details taken care of by God, family and friends that it has made this time so much easier. I canā€™t help but be thankful. However, on Friday, we had a bit of a scare because there was a complication in Brianā€™s recovery. He had to go for more bloodwork on Saturday to figure out what was going on. Thankfully we received the results last night and his bloodwork looked good and the problem seemed to be subsiding. So for your prayers and Godā€™s continued grace, I am most thankful.
  • It was funny that throughout the ordeal of the surgery and cancer I was unusually calm and at peace, reassuring Brian that I knew everything was going to be alright. However, with this recent bump in the road, the grace of not worrying was gone and I was stressing inside and Brian was the one who was calm and reassuring. So I am also thankful for Brian and I taking turns with who gets to worry and who gets to comfort. šŸ˜‰
  • I am still thankful to my sister and my mom for giving so much of themselves while they were here.
  • For the family and friends who gave a helping hand from cooking meals to covering shifts to keeping us in prayer. xoxo

 

Beauty in the Ordinary…

As if this wasnā€™t enough to be dealing with this weekend, we were thrown another curve ball. It is not life threatening but it is a major pain in the arse. One of the kids came home with head lice and so far the three oldest have it. So instead of enjoying the cozy evening Brian and I planned watching Downton Abbey together, I was up until midnight nit-picking. Literally!

However, having all this one on one time with each kid as I combed through their hair could be seen a blessing in disguise. When it was Bellaā€™s turn we started talking about a number of things and she opened up to me and I was able to share with her. It was a true bonding moment. And this morning she was eager to write me a letter in our mom-daughter journal and it just warmed my heart. So although it was a pain, God still brought a beautiful moment out of it. (Um, but now I’m done so you can get rid of the lice, Lord.)

 

From the Kitchen…

This chilly weather calls for minestrone soup. (I wonā€™t call this 55 degree weather ā€œcoldā€ so the east-coaster wonā€™t start getting upset with me again for being a spoiled native Californian.) šŸ˜‰

 

Praying…

  • For Brianā€™s continued recovery and for his appointment on Thursday, that his doctor tells him that he is clean and does not have to go through radiation.
  • For the death of the pesty lice bug and may we never see its ugly head again.
  • For all the pregnant mamas, especially my sis, my sis in law and friends.
  • For those suffering from infertility and miscarriage.
  • For moms who are struggling with an unplanned pregnancy.
  • For a number of special intentions.

 

Pondering…

Yesterdayā€™s First Reading (Nehemiah 8) particularly the line, ā€œDo not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength.ā€

 

Around the house…

Piles of sheets, bedding, pillows, jackets, and clothes waiting to be washed in hot water.

 

Listening to…

The sounds of the kids playing on the deck.

 

On My DVR…

Last nightā€™s Downton Abbey episode. All I know from all the comments Iā€™ve seen is that it is heartbreaking. I think tonight I may finally have that long cry Iā€™ve been holding back.

 

On the blog…

Very little. Iā€™ve been preoccupied. I am sorry to those who left a comment and I never responded. I love hearing from you but havenā€™t had much free time to answer.

 

Posts Iā€™ve Starred in My Google Reader…

 

Pinned…

 

Plans for the Week…

Frankly, I am just trying to make it through the day before I worry about the rest of the week. šŸ˜‰

 

Captured…

When I am feeling overwhelmed, this cute face and kissable cheeks makes me forget any troubles. šŸ™‚