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Grateful for…

• The cool weather after last week’s heat wave.
• Positive answers to some special intentions.
• Traveling plans.
• Phone calls from my mom.
• A date with my Sweetie.
• Hugs and kisses form my little ones.

Praying for..

• Many special intentions from family and friends, especially those carrying heavy crosses.
• Those fighting cancer, illness and mental health issues.
• For the victims of natural disasters, especially for our friends living in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
• All pregnant moms (especially family members), those trying to get pregnant, those who have lost their babies and for moms contemplating an abortion.
• The souls in purgatory, especially family, friends and those most forgotten.

Pondering…

On Saturday I was a foul mood. It started for no particular reason, but I just felt like I was tied up in knots. My patience was low and everyone was getting on my nerves. Then all these negative thoughts started creeping into my mind. Thoughts that made me doubt myself and my abilities as a daughter of God. It had been a long time since I battled that voice and it made my foul mood worse.

Later that evening, we attended the Saturday Vigil Mass and I knelt before Our Lord in the Tabernacle and asked Him to bring peace to my soul. I asked Our Lady Undoer of Knots to unwind the knots of my heart. During Mass the celebrant talked about 9/11 and read the prayer said by Fr. Mychal Judge, the Catholic priest that died while serving his fellow New Yorkers on 9/11. As the celebrant said the words, I repeated them and prayed them to Our Father and the darkness that was in my soul lifted and I felt at peace again. I was able to receive Jesus in the Eucharist ready to love and serve Him once again. Thanks be to God.

 

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Around the House…

We are back in school mode so there are lots of backpacks, lunch boxes and homework papers scattered around.

 

Family Chit Chat…

Thank you for all your prayers for Brian. In August, he had his yearly cancer testing and the bloodwork and CT scan both show no signs of cancer. Praise God! We appreciate all our prayers and words of support!! <3

 

It was a double birthday month! Here we are in 2009 and eight years later in 2017 John-Paul and I are celebrating our birthdays together.

In August the boys were back in school, Bella was back to high school and I was back to writing. 🙂

The Blessed Is She Team Retreat in 2016

In the next few weeks I have a couple trips planned. I’ll be flying to Wisconsin to attend the Blessed Is She Team Retreat. Last year was such a wonderful time and I can’t wait to do it again! You can follow along on Instagram with #BISteamretreat. 🙂

As I mentioned on Friday, I just registered for the St. Joan of Arc Catholic Women’s Conference on October 14th in Pasadena. And I’m bringing my mom with me! I can’t wait. I attended the conference Kendra and Micaela hosted back in 2015 (it was a blogging conference then) and it was such a time of personal and spiritual growth – I wrote all about it here. I am blessed to attend again this year and it’s even better since it’s open to all Catholic women.  If you are going, let me know so I can look for you there! 🙂 You can also follow along on Instagram with #stjoanconf. 🙂

 

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In the Kitchen…

I am in the process of finishing my recipe binder and doing a post about how I meal plan. Now that summer is over and homework/ after school activities season is here, I have to be more diligent about planning ahead since my afternoons are a little chaotic.

 

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Reading…

I finished these books over the summer and am almost done writing reviews:

The Lake House by Kate Morton

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn

Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

A Duty to the Dead: A Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles Todd

Watching…

(MOVIES IN THEATERS)

The Big Sick – It’s been a slow movie month for me and I was only able to see one movie, which was The Big Sick. The movie is based on the real story of how actor Kumail Nanjiani’s (playing himself) met his wife Emily. They fall in love but problems arose when their cultures clashed, as well as other issues. They broke up but then Emily became gravely ill and Kumail’s word turned upside down. He had to navigate his way through his feelings and the strained relationship with Emily’s parents and his own family. While this movie could be considered a romantic comedy, that was only part of the story. It was also a drama as Kumail struggled to define his life and what he wanted to do with it, which contradicted his strict Muslim family and their expectations. I enjoyed the movie – both the lighter comedic moments and the more dramatic thought-provoking scenes, although be cautioned that it is rated R. There is a lot of strong language and characters live a secular lifestyle, hook up and have sex, although there is no nudity or anything graphic. I rate this 3.75/4 out of 5 stars. (Parental note: Rated R for language including some sexual references .)

 

(STREAMING MOVIES)

Lion – I really wanted to see Lion on the big screen but it wasn’t playing at my usual theater so I had to settle for watching it on Netflix. Lion is based on the memoir A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley’s. At the age of five Saroo accidental left his family when he rode a train that took him over 600 miles away from his small village to the busy and dangerous streets of Calcutta. He tried to get back home but instead found himself homeless and in danger of being taken by adults who wanted to do him harm. Eventually he found shelter in an orphanage and was adopted by a loving Australian couple. Twenty years later, Saroo remembered bits and pieces of his childhood and becomes obsessed with tracking down his family using Google Earth. I loved the movie and by the end I was literally sobbing. It was incredibly moving. There were a few slow scenes in the middle but the ending more than made up for it. One of my favorites I’ve seen in the last year. I rate it 4 out of 5. (Parental note: While your older kids may enjoy this movie, there’s a scene where homeless children on the streets are being abducted, one can assume, for evil reasons. Later an adult Saroo is shown in bed with his girlfriend. There is implied sex and kissing but nothing graphic.  Rated PG-13 for thematic material and some sensuality.)

 

(TV)

Brian and I also just finished the second season of Breaking Bad and have been discussing the development and (moral decline of some characters) and how their actions affect other people. We’re looking forward to starting season 3. (Warning: This is rated MA. The network mutes out the language or blurs inappropriate things but the streaming does not. So be careful where you watch it.)

 

Did you watch the Defenders? Did you like it? Brian and I loved it!

Now we’re enjoying Endeavor.

 

(Spiritual Food Viewing)

I have been loving Beth’s #TeachableTuesdays on Blessed Is She Facebook Live on Mondays at 10:00 AM PT. I just watched her video on the Postures of Prayer and found it so helpful!

 

 

Listening to …

Added to my walking playlist…

Silver by Waxahatchee

Up All Night by Beck

The World Is on Fire by Council

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Added to my praise and worship play list. I’m still building it up so if you have a suggestion, let me know. 🙂

Alive Again by Matt Maher

 

~ 5 ~

Recent Posts:

Progress Report: 100 Miles in 100 Days & Health Goals

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Added to My Calendar – St. Joan of Arc Catholic Women’s Conference in Pasadena, CA

From the Archives

Saturday Spotlight: Erica of Be A Heart   – August 2015

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Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 38): Country Potato Salad – August 2015

 

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Pinned…

Apple Pie Overnight Oats – 100 Days of Real Food

 

Around the blogosphere…

Here are some posts I’ve been reading…

• 4 Way to Help Our Kids Navigate Social Media by Team Whitaker
• A List of Saints for Back-to-School Prayer Time by Catholic Mom.com
• In Quiet Spaciousness: Praying the Liturgy of the Hours by Blessed Is She Blog
• Finding Forgiveness: A Guide to Confession by Blessed Is She Blog
• The End of Summer Playlist by The Hearts Overflow
• Oh, To Be Understood {If Just By Yourself!} by Muffindome
• A new decade approaches…50! by Mary Lenaburg

 

~ 7 ~

I’ve been participating in the Dogwood Photography 52 Week Challenge but I’m super behind so instead, here’s a shot of one of my favorite rosaries. 🙂

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So that’s what I’ve been up to lately. What about you? What’s currently happening in your life? Any book, movie or TV show recommendations? Do share.

I’m linking up with Kelly for 7 Quick Takes.

Have a great 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, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, 😉

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