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Grateful for…

• A fun weekend with my love and little ones.
• A mom-daughter day out with new haircuts.
• The beauty of spring.
• My family.
• Workmen who fix the broken parts of our home.
• All the little things we take for granted like a warm bed, running water and food on the table.

Praying for..

• Many special intentions from family and friends, especially those carrying heavy crosses.
• Those fighting cancer, illness and mental health issues.
• For victims of abuse, hatred or injustice and for the conversion of their perpetrators.
• For the unemployed to find work.
• 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…

Today I happened to write the Blessed Is She devotion for the Mass readings of the day. It was just what I needed to hear because I am ready for a spiritual reboot. I made sure that going to confession was added to my Saturday schedule. It is very easy for me make excuses not to go to confession but I can tell the difference when I go beyond a month. It’s like I am running on spiritual fumes. Eventually, I had to make it a habit to go once a month and add it the family calendar so the kids old enough to attend know it is a normal part of our Catholic life. So if it’s been awhile since you’ve gone to confession, I encourage you to take the plunge as we begin Lent next week! Are you feeling nervous? I’ll be especially praying for you. Even if I don’t know you by name, God knows and He’ll know the prayers are meant for you. xoxo

 

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Around the House…

The purging and spring cleaning continues. Last week I focused on the kitchen. This week is supposed to be the bathrooms (God help me) but my schedule is so packed, I don’t think I’ll be home much. Sigh. It may have to get bumped to next week.

 

Family Chit Chat…

January Memories – We welcomed 2018! // We celebrated the Epiphany with Coldstone ice cream. // Bella got her braces off. Yay! // I returned to my morning prayer beach walks after a looong absence. // I went on a date with my Sweetie. // We rejoiced that Brian’s cancer test came out clean. Blessed be God! // I started Bible journaling for the first time. // I started purging and spring cleaning the house. // I practiced my hand lettering.

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In the Kitchen…

I was craving wonton soup the other day so I made my easy Trader Joe version. I took photos so I can post the recipe next week.

Here’s a preview.

 

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Reading…

A Man Called Ove

The Other Side of Fear: How I Found Peace by Hallie Lord

Next in line…

Frankenstein

(For Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Reading Challenge category – A Classic I Haven’t read Yet.)

And for Lent…

And of course since next week starts Lent (what the what?!) I will also start my Blessed Is She Lent Journal.

I was also thinking of adding a spiritual book such as this…

Little Sins Mean a Lot: Kicking Our Bad Habits Before They Kick Us by Elizabeth Scalia

 

Speaking of Lent, I just heard about the online Lenten Retreat at PrayMoreRetreat.com and I’m seriously thinking of signing up.

Watching…

(MOVIES IN THEATERS)

These are the movies I’ve seen since I last did my Online Daybook posts in August. (#blogslacker) Most of these I haven’t seen  in months so I will just give a few thoughts since I don’t really remember all the details.

Victoria and Abdul – Now that I am watching BBC’s  Victoria, it is fascinating to see a story about her unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim during the later years of her life. It was a sweet story with a bit of quirky comedy. I usually like to compare the movie to the actual history, so I found this article from History vs Hollywood interesting –  Victoria and Abdul (2017). (Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and language.)

Thor: Ragnarok – I’ve enjoyed previous Thor films but they weren’t favorites of the Marvel big guys. However, I thought this one was definitely the most fun and humorous and I loved Kate Blanchett as the villain. The DVD/Blu ray comes out on Feb 20 just in time for date night. 😉 (Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive material.)

Coco – I went to see this with my family last Thanksgiving and I honestly didn’t think I would like it very much. I went in skeptical and came out loving it with all my make up cried off. Strong messages of family, caring for our elders and remembering our dead. You will have to clarify with your kids Catholic teaching regarding the after life and praying for departed souls. Also, a few scary-ish parts for the youngest of your littles. (Rated  PG for thematic elements.)

Wonder – I really enjoyed the book and the movie was sweet, heartwarming and family friendly. Everything works out a the end and some bullies are reformed. It may seem a little unrealistic at times but it is a good food for thought, especially when talking to your kids about bullying, the dignity of life and the value of all God’s children. (Rated PG for thematic elements including bullying, and some mild language .)

Star Wars: the Last Jedi – What can I say? I watched it three times and can’t wait for the Blu-ray to come out. That doesn’t mean it didn’t have it’s flaws – The Rey looking into the mirror scene was weird, the Casino scene dragged, I wish the guy characters would have been as strong as the female ones, and I’m not sure if I like Rose, to name a few. However, there was much more that I loved including Princess Leah, Rey and Kylo fighting together, Luke’s scenes at the end, to also name a few. You either love it or hate it. (Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence.)

I, Tonya – I went to the movies last week and this was the only movie playing (that I was willing to watch) at the time I was there. Now, I’m old enough to vividly remember watching Tonya and Nancy skate and all the drama that went with it. I found the movie to be fascinating and incredibly sad. It gave me a whole new appreciation of Tonya Harding and why she was so rough around the edges. Margot Robbie’s transformation into Tonya was incredible. Kudos to her. However, the movie is on the darker side with a lot of language, scenes of domestic abuse and some sexual content/brief nudity so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you don’t mind that or don’t mind looking away.   (Rated R for pervasive language, violence, and some sexual content/nudity.)

Next in line I hope to watch the WWII movie The Darkest Hour, along with some other Academy Nominees that I haven’t seen yet. Although, there were a couple of movies nominated that I don’t even recognize. Lol.

 

(TV)

As I mentioned last week, I finally started Season 1 of Young Queen Victoria. I don’t know what took me so long. I am really enjoying it! I’ll jump into Season 2 as soon as I am done.

On Sunday we also watched the Super Bowl episode of This Is Us. Wow, this show always tugs at the tear ducts but they were were really working on overtime tonight. I. Can’t. Even. Imagine. I hugged Brian and all the kids extra hard the next morning!

 

Listening to …

Added to my playlist…

Rely by Flor

Mourning Sounds by Grizzly Bear

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Added to the boys’ playlist…

I Just Need You by TobyMac

I also enjoyed hearing the story behind the song.

 

 

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Recent Posts:

It’s funny that I blogged very little last year and was thinking about quitting all together but then something happened in the new year and the posts started flowing. These were posted in January.

2018 Reading Challenge and A Review of the 2017’s Book Reading

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My 2018 Word and Saint of the Year

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She Who Believed: The Blessed Is She 2018 Lent Journal

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Friday Favorites & Link-up Vol 1 & 7QT

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The Blessed Is She Bible and Bible Journaling Tools

Friday Favorites & Link-up Vol 2 & 7 QT

 

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From the Archives

In time for Valentine’s Day…

February Fun: Letter Writing, Love Notes (& Free Printable) and Prayers to the Holy Family

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And in time for Lent…

Lent Activities for the Home

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Lenten Update: When We’re Carrying a Cross Not Meant for Us

 

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Pinned…

I’d like to try this for a Friday in Lent – One Pan Mexican Quinoa by Vegan Heaven

 

Around the blogosphere…

Here are some posts I’ve been reading…

• Guide to Fasting and Abstaining During Lent by CatholicMom.com
• 40+ Resources for Lent and February Liturgical Traditions (for 2018 Calendar) by Carrots for Michaelmas
• Want to Go on a Blind Date with a Book by Modern Mrs. Darcy
• The Sound of His Voice by Imperfectly Perfect
• When Did I Get to Be Middle-Aged by Blessed Is She Blog

 

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It was just snapped with my phone but… Morning glory.

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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.

Have a great week!

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