~ 1 ~

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.

~ 2 ~

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.

~ 4 ~

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

* * *

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

* * *

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

~ 6 ~

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. 🙂

* * *

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, 😉

PPS – * Disclaimer: “Revolution of Love.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.”

In other words, if you click on my affiliated links and make a purchase, I get a small compensation that goes towards keeping the blog online. Big hugs to those who click and help support the blog! xoxo 🙂

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~ 1 ~

Grateful for…

• The coming of summer vacation.
• The teachers who taught and cared for my kids these past 10 months.
• Family time.
• That Brian’s cancer check testing came out clear.
• All the little things in life that I usually take for granted.

Praying for..

• Many special intentions from family and friends.
• Those fighting cancer, illness and mental health issues.
• Those living in violence.
• For peace in the heart of all men/women.
• 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…

The last few weeks I have been thinking a lot about the Holy Spirit and how often I neglect Him. Yet, when He makes his presence known, there is no ignoring Him. I don’t want my encounters with the Holy Spirit to be sporadic. I want to be open to the Spirit and go where He leads me without fear. I want my life to reflect the fruits of the Spirit and to do my small bit to bring love and mercy into my corner of the world.

~ 2 ~

Around the House…

It is the end of the year mayhem with paper bags filled with artwork and schoolwork coming home. Just beyond that are the suitcase waiting to be packed for our annual trip to Lake Tahoe. We leave a day after the boys get out of school which means next week will be filled with end of the school activities (the boys get out late compared to the public schools) in between packing for the family. I will try hard to make it as stress free as I can but don’t hold your breath. 😉

Family Chit Chat…

Last year in May, Bella and I drove to So Cal to attend my sister’s baby shower. It was out first mother/daughter road trip and we had so much fun, we decided to do it again this year!

We are both love Disneyland so a day spent there together was mandatory. 😉 Then we headed to my family’s house where I had some one on one time with mi familia. (I needed it!) Unfortunatley, my parents weren’t there (they were in VA visiting my sister) but that’s okay since I’ll see them in 10 days when we go to Lake Tahoe together. Woohoo!

Here are some of the things we did this month besides the Rol girls road trip… I enjoyed a lovely Mother’s Day (John-Paul’s poem was a favorite), we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Famita, I took lots of beach walks, played with these three handsome fellas, went on a date with my Sweetie (who also was clear at his 3-month cancer check), attended a May Crowning, missed Brian while he was away for a conference and virtually connected with my Blessed is She sisters for a team meeting. (Having all of us online at once was crazy! I loved it!) 🙂

~ 3 ~

In the Kitchen…

This week I have been trying to clean out the freezer so don’t be surprised if I am serving Lenten fish sticks with Cinco de Mayo tortillas. 😉

~ 4 ~

Reading…

Later this (or next) week I’ll post a review of the books I read in April and May, which includes the latest one I finished.

In Farleigh Field: A Novel of World War II by Rhys Bowen (Read it for free if you have Kindle Unlimited)

Watching…

(MOVIES)

Wonder Woman – Everyone had high expectations for this movie and when it came out I cautiously looked at the Rotten Tomatoes rating to see if the critics panned it. Remarkably, it got rave reviews. I went to watch it on opening night to see if I agreed. So did I? Oh, yeah! I loooved it. Gal Gadot is a wonder to behold. Not only is she remarkably gorgeous, but she plays the character itself beautifully. She can be both strong and powerful yet (at times) naive and thoroughly empathetic. Her empathy does not hinder her but rather empowers her to be a fierce warrior for those in need. At one point, when a painful truth rocks Diana’s worldview and almost topples her, she is able to overcome as she sees the good and positive effects of sacrificial love.

The movie has it’s share of violence, being set in WWI, but I thought it less violent than some of the darker Marvel movies. I thought Chris Pine was great as the male lead and the banter added some nice touches of humor. (Next time, let’s have a little more of the secretary Edna. I loved her.) I would also have liked a little more backstory to connect better with the three friends in the story but they were lovable none the less. All in all, I loved the movie and hope to see it again soon!

I rate this  4 1/2 out of 5 stars. (Parental note: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and some suggestive content. / My note: Usual war violence but nothing graphic. There’s a shot of Chris Pine naked but he covers his man parts with his hands. A conversation about sex and marriage with lots of double meaning but may go over kids’ head. Wonder Woman and Chris Pine kiss alone in a bedroom and the camera pans away to the bedroom window so you don’t see them (or know if they) do anything more.)

* * *

Everything, Everything – I admit that I am the age of the parents in these stories but I enjoy YA books and movies. I’ve had this book on my shelf and planned to read it first before I watched the movie. However, one evening Brian told me I should take the night off and catch a show (you don’t have to tell me twice!) and the only two movies starting at the current hour was this or Bay Watch (which I heard was raunchy and bombed at the box office) so I went to see Everything, Everything instead.

The movie is reminiscent of Fault in Our Stars, having one of the characters living with a serious illness. Basically, Maddy has a rare disease and she must live 24/7 within the confines of her hyper sterile home. In moves Olly, a sweet, misunderstood boy next door. It has all the elements of young love and themes of love conquering all, including the risk of death. Now, I’ll admit that I love sappy, romantic movies as much as the next romantic and I did enjoy the movie (and the surprise twist) but I also can’t help but watch them through a “mom lens” as well. On the one hand, I love the sweet innocence of young love blooming. On the other hand, I hate how each movie must propel the young couple into sleeping together, although at least they were 18 and not 14. It gives such a skewed one sided look at love, sex and marriage. Besides that, I found some of the details a bit beyond belief – Maddy didn’t know how to swim yet she was snorkeling and jumping off of cliffs? Um, hello? So the story was sweet and there were some funny and touching moments but there definitely should be some deeper discussions afterwards if your teen is watching it too. I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. (Parental note: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief sensuality.)

* * *

Guardians for the Galaxy, Vol 2  – When Bella and I went on our road trip, one of our nights in SoCal, we went to watch this movie with my sister in a huge movie theater and it was quite the experience. I have to be honest and say I did not love it as much as I did the first one but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. There was plenty of action and humor but there were also some tender moments when characters opened up and were vulnerable about issues they were dealing with. That said, Guardians is a little more dicey than some of the other super hero movies I let the kids watch. (Granted, I watch it with them and mute out a few cuss words.) While Guardians is basically as violent as other super hero movies, it also has more sexual undertones and more language. There are a few harder cuss word here and there but there are lots of “lesser” cuss words like – a-hole, douche bag, bastard, crap, jackass – throughout along with a few scenes (like the robot hookers) that give the movie a more mature vibe. It was okay for Bella to watch but the younger boys will have to be older to see this one. Rated 4 out of 5 stars. (Parental note: Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and brief suggestive content.)

* * *

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie – When the boys were younger, we avoided “potty humor” shows and books but let’s face it, there is a natural draw towards boys and potty humor. We basically can’t get through a dinner conversation without someone laughing over some ridiculous body function. Thankfully, they do not act like this with company but in the confines of our family, they feel more at ease. I’ve also eased up on my ban of Captain Underpants and allowed the boys to read some of the books. When the movie came out and they begged us to take them, I saw little harm in it but gave the job to Brian for some male bonding. Surprisingly, the boys wanted me to take them. (Was this the result of my participating in their “who can burp the loudest” contest?)  Whatever the reason, Brian laughed as he closed the door behind us on our way to the theater.

Once there, I sat down with my carefully rationed raw almonds and contraband peanut M&M’s prepared to be bored silly. Fast forward an hour into it and I was actually enjoying the story. I loved watching the brother like bond between George and Harold with their pranks that reminded me faintly of Ferris Bueller’s ability to outsmart adults and rally the people. With that said, there was plenty of potty humor – from the aptly named Professor Poopypants to the scene of the fart symphony, which had my boys in such laughing hysterics that I couldn’t stop laughing just listening to them. (Seriously, I cried off my eye makeup.) So if you are looking for an hour and a half of ridiculous low brow humor to share with your kids, this may be the ticket. (Warning, I am also the kid who used to get in trouble for burping out loud and grossing out my mom with TMI stories so my opinion may be challenged.)  I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars. (Parental note: Rated PG for mild rude humor throughout.)

(TV)

Our usual shows are on hiatus until Fall so it’s time to catch up on a few shows that have been on our watch list but we haven’t tried yet.

I am thinking of trying Breaking Bad. Any other suggestions?

We finally finished Netflix’s Ironfist and although there was a lull in the middle of the show it did pick up at the end. It’s our least favorite of the four superhero shows but we are still excitedly awaiting The Defenders, which arrives on my bday August 18th. Yeah, baby!

Listening to …

Don’t Take the Money by The Bleachers. Perfect music for a road trip along the coast. 😉

This is also on heavy rotation on my playlist…

Feels Like Summer by Weezer (The first time I heard this song I thought it was 21 Pilots.) 😉

~ 5 ~

Recent Posts:

Blogging has been light these days.

The New Blessed Is She 2017-2018 Liturgical Academic Planner

* * *

2nd Annual Summer Walking Challenge 2017: 100 Miles in 100 Days

You can follow along by following my Instastories and the hashtag #rol100milesin100days

It is not too late to join and adapt the challenge to your life. A big thanks to the ladies joining me! 🙂

From the Archives

Saturday Spotlight: Jenna at Call Her Happy (May 2015)

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Operation Clean & Organize (vol 19): Weekly Menu Board (Revised)  (May 2014)

* * *

Pinterest Party & Link-up, Vol 4: Pineapple Mango Salsa (May 2013)

~ 6 ~

Pinned…

Photot credit: Oh Sweet Basil.com

With summer weather here, I want to try this one – Easy Greek Pasta Salad.

Around the blogosphere…

Here are some posts I’ve been reading…

• Tips for Choosing a Movie for Family Movie Night by The Surly Housewife
• An Honest Look at Why I Work from Home by Carrots for Michaelmas
• A To-Do List Trick by Modern Mrs. Darcy
• No Returns to the Holy Spirit by Someday Saints
• God’s Love on My Journey Through Depression and Anxiety by Blessed Is She
• 8 Lessons from 8 Years of Marriage by Whole Parenting Family
• Finding Peace in Chaos: Summer Survival 2017 by Parenting with Peer Review
• Netflix: “The Keepers” (Who Killed Sr. Cathy?) by Hell Burns (Sr. Helena Burns)

~ 7 ~

I’ve been participating in the Dogwood Photography 52 Week Challenge and these are my photos from May so far. (I am a bit behind.)

Week 18

Artistic: Purple

* * *

Week 19

Story: Back Yard. I’m blessed to live in a place where I’m surrounded by the beauty of the ocean, mountains and forests. God is a master Creator.

* * *

Week 20

Technical: Sky Overlay. This is the original photo.

 I replaced the foggy sky with a clear one.

You can see my other photo challenge entries here – #rolphotochallenges.

* * *

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, 😉

PPS – * Disclaimer: “Revolution of Love.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.”

In other words, if you click on my affiliated links and make a purchase, I get a small compensation that goes towards keeping the blog online. Big hugs to those who click and help support the blog! xoxo 🙂

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