Author Archives: tracye1

About tracye1

A wee bit about me, Tracy. Married to my high school sweetie for a looooong time. Mama of 4 beautiful kiddos, now ADULTS!!!! This blog is a potpourri of posts. Some wax on about my Catholic faith, others family, some are just a “diary” of life updates. Life is a journey, taken one day at a time (sometimes one step at a time) and my blog is about my personal trek through life. Peace!

Sometimes, it takes LOTS of prayer

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Life isn’t always pretty or easy or fun. Life in a big family can just get plain crazy. Sometimes it all comes to a head at once. This is where I find God truly has a sense of humor. He knows I’m easily agitated by prolonged chaos, noise and things generally going in opposition to MY plan; so He gave us 4 children so that I can work on that. Repeatedly.

This Sunday, the first day of Advent I trekked it Mass with the kiddos (Hubby was working at went to vigil Mass Saturday) and they just took turns fraying my nerves with bickering, 16yo crisis of faith moments, etc etc. By the time we sat in the pew all I could do was pull out my devotional and start pounding the prayers. Any. And. Every. Prayer. I. Could. Find. All before the opening song. Good times, I tell you. Then I found this one that I never noticed before and I thought I’d share:

Father,

Sometimes the family gets me down.

The children are noisy and bills pile up.

Relatives and friends make demands of my time and attention.

I try to keep first things first and create and atmosphere where Your name is honored. Your word observed.

But I get tired and a hard edge creeps into my voice. Help me to cope with the daily strains of living in a family.

Help me to sustain a climate in which my partner can grow in Your love, to encourage my children to develop fully the talent You have given them and to make of my family the community of your love the Your Son came to bring.

Amen.

I don’t know. It spoke to me. It worked for me. The bickering stopped. The 16 yo came around. By the “sign of peace” all was restored and the day went on and we began the process of decorating and cookie making and I just shook my head at God and wondered how He does it, why I am worthy and so grateful He does.

ThankFULL

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‘Twas a different Thanksgiving for us this year. Mom and her Hubs stayed home in PA, sis and her family stayed put in Tally, my mother-in-law’s sister passed away last week and understandably they just weren’t up for anything and my step-dad and his family had his 1st wife and sister and boyfriend in town (awkward and loud and weird). so we stayed put. and cooked. and enjoyed dinner with my grandparents. This is how the day went down:

The morning started out brisk at 37 DEGREES!!!! and warmed up to the 60’s.

Macy’s day parade on for our viewing pleasure whilst cooking the bird and organizing the side dishes. (for me, I don’t get all crazy so it’s not the cooking but the TIMING of it all that makes me a little wired, and somehow it always works out even though I’m not sure HOW….but it does).

Finished up the Christmas cards (ready to mail tomorrow, don’t hate, but I truly can’t wrap my head around Christmas shopping until this is done. it’s the way I am and I’m ok with that). Sadly, I ran out of labels and had to hand write 1/2 of my cards! However, if my friend who sends at least TWICE what I send can do it, I’ll zip it…but those labels??? They are on the grocery list; THAT won’t happen again!

A little bike ride with our youngest around the ‘hood left me wishing I wore my gloves. I’m a baby, I know. Blame it on my thin Florida blood.

Appetizers at 1. Mountain Dew, it’s what the 16 year old brings home when you send him for drinks and Triscuits.

who knew the goat cheese and cranberry would be such a hit?

Dinner 1:30 ish.

I guess I didn’t need the WHOLE 5 lb bag of potatoes….

The kids opted to eat outside and so did the cat, thankfully.

we use these dishes ALL month long!!

Caramel got his first turkey ever. loved it.

Pie 3 ish with a little fire pit action.

Shower and PJs by 5:30. Is that so wrong? It sure didn’t feel like it!! Then……

Ordered my Free Shutterfly calendar for 2014 (use FREECAL as the promo code until Monday. I think. not sure.)

Ordered Nutcracker tickets for the girls and I for our annual ballet and cupcake fix.

Washed fire pit clothes.

Blogged.

Read.

Slept.

How was YOUR Thanksgiving? Hopefully blessed!!

Some things we will never understand

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On Friday, I received a phone call from our neighbor, they needed a sitter that evening to attend a prayer service. The service was for one of her young teachers who very suddenly and unexpectedly lost her husband that morning. Married only 5 months, and 12 weeks along with their first child, a recent graduate from the local chiropractic college, this couple had their whole life ahead of them. I did not know them. I do not need to know them to know that this is a tragedy of which there may never be any answers until we get to heaven. Maybe.

And so, with life completely upended we look to Trust in the Lord and have Faith in His plan knowing it is always far better than we could possibly imagine….even in the midst of a black, thick fog of grief.

By Thy resurrection from the dead, O Christ, death no longer hath dominion over those who die in holiness. So, we beseech Thee, give rest to Thy servants in Thy sanctuary and in Abraham’s bosom. Grant it to those, who from Adam until now have adored Thee with purity, to our fathers and brothers, to our kinsmen and friends, to all men who have lived by faith and passed on their road to Thee, by a thousand ways, and in all conditions, and make them worthy of the heavenly kingdom.

And if it’s on your heart, you can donate here:

http://www.gofundme.com/5fd75k

WIWS and other weekend craziness

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Full shot

I’ve not linked up with the fashionably forward ladies at FLAP in a while, but to be fair, I haven’t been blogging a ton lately. Life is fully back into school and activities mode and there are only so many hours in the day. You KNOW this, I know. That’s the truth and I’m just getting it in when I can.

Aaaaaaaand, our oldest girl and I went thrifting yesterday and I simply HAD to share my outfit. Thrift winning!

This is me showing you: my fave necklace, shirt detailing and MY HAIR. I actually did my hair. Looks the same right? Yep. That’s why I don’t really do my hair. It always looks the same to me. Whatever.

Outfit Details:

Pants…just love the pinstriping (?) is that what it is…khaki and brown. Can’t go wrong there. $1

Shirt….Love. This. Shirt. All of my colors and super sassy. $2

Shoes….Aerosoles, BROWN, slides and $2. yes, thank you.

Jewelry: not thrifted, but some pieces my beloved Lia Sophia collection. Call me sucker.

For other weekend news:

Friday night after work and kid pickup/dropoff/pickup/pickup, Hubby and I went to a 50th birthday dinner. The couple goes to our church and he wanted to do his signature BBQ ribs to celebrate. In. Had me at BBQ and me not cooking. We also met a few other folks from church there (although I only remember about 2 names…I do poorly in large groups) and our associate priest was there as well. It was a really nice time, great food, good conversation and just so nice to FINALLY be socializing with people from church OUTSIDE church. It only took 10 years. Whatever, that’s a whole other post simmering….

Saturday was thrifting and cleaning. Productive AND fun.

Today I helped our 6th grader do her Science Experiment for her Science project due next week. I was the photographer. At Mass our 8th grader was recognized for his accomplishment in making All State Orchestra for his French Horn. It’s been a big weekend.

Now swing by the FLAP girls and check out the rest of the ladies!

Happy Veteran’s Day and have a great week!

Blessings!!

The marathon that is sobriety

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I had the blessing of attending a gratitude dinner with my Hubs this weekend for AA. It was an area-wide event and easily attended by 200+ people. Tables of 8, dinner of Thanksgiving foods (appropriately themed) and a desert table groaning under the redonkulous amounts of sugar and butter. It was a pleasure to put faces to names of the Hubs friends, just fantastic people. A few observances of mine throughout the evening:

Coffee. Water. Lots and lots of coffee and water.
Laughter. Smiles. Tons. No grumpy, long faces. Joy.
Introductions everywhere (thank God for nametags!)
Rekindled friendships.

There was a speaker who gave his story of 30+ years of sobriety. A lovely, 70-something man with at times an emotionally shaky voice as he recalled his life, peppered with witty comments and hindsight observances. There was no “massive event” in his life that is present in many alcoholic stories (and drug stories); mainly a life of alcohol-centered living, obnoxious behavior and a wife (and family) that had enough. His message: there doesn’t need to be a “massive event” to stop drinking, but if you have repeated comments, suggestions, pleas from family and friends to “do something about your drinking”, it’s a red flag. Sadly, not everyone sees it until it is too late.

At the end of the evening there was a sobriety countdown. Starting with the most years sober (52) and counting down to the shortest span of sobriety (2 days). It was humbling, impressive and hopeful and I found myself tearing up and that marathon that those with the least sobriety had ahead of them and yet with the amazing support in that room……hopeful in that they had every tool available to them to take each day….one day at a time.

Sadly, we did not win the 50/50 drawing…shucks!!! $350!!! However, I sure came away richer than I arrived.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

making the trek

Trekking through life: Faith, family, friends and a whole lot of coffee!