Category Archives: Gratitude

Friday and feeling fine

Linking it up with Jen and the QT crew this fine Friday for a weekly recap of what’s going down in our neck of the woods.

I pre-ordered Jen’s book and in the meantime needed another book to read and remembered Simcha Fisher’s book, The Sinner’s guide to Natural Family Planning, and so I’ve been reading it this week and holy, moley. That’s some FUNNY stuff. If you want a “keepin’ in real” look at NFP…this is it. Don’t expect it to walk you through the how-tos, but it will help you make it through the tougher spots in the reality of NFP and an honest, hilarious look at NFP as a whole. Completely enjoying it!!
I ran out of my eye makeup remover and had to use some other stuff….awful….forgot JUST how awful until my regular stuff arrived yesterday. Oh,Arbonne….I love you. AND a new lipcolor….which I love!! So winning, winning, winning!!!! (if you need and Arbonne hook up, I’ll set you up with myBFF)….
note to self: do NOT run out of this again!!
We have some home improvements going on: new toilets…..wahoo. This was our “facility” reality last night for a brief time. Ugh. It was, blessedly, short-lived and this morning we have the plumber coming to put in trickier toilet and then we shall be back up to full speed with TWO working toilets!! Life is good, people.
A few domestic projects as well: I made a pillow from some fabric a neighbor was pawning off and the girls and I have been toying with embroidery. I started off with something ridiculously hard and will likely put aside, but the girls are just winging it and playing with stitches and getting used to the needle and thread. Fun.
Gotta love this!
We met friends for pizza the other night while they were in town. They have 3 littles and man, how you forget the energy level….it was fun though and the pizza—–delicious and HUGE!!!!
Holding two little boys at bay had the big boy laughing!

Having two littles as foot weights had the big girl giggling.
Spring is here and I snapped this lovely, first orange blossom of the season the other day….HALLELUJAH!!
Ah, spring and the smell of orange blossoms in the air!!
Don’t forget you can still link up your “Day in the life, in photos” with me HERE. (I’m excited I was able to actually figure out how to do a link….long a curiosity of mine…..a few people actually joined….and I think I set it up for a month or something, so yay!).

Happy Weekeend to you all!!

Happy Anniversary, Papa Francis!!

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Photo cred….Cake boss, of course!!

Because Pope Francis is so worthy of a Cake this BOSS!!! I’m sure he wouldn’t even mind if we called him “Buddy”. Ok. Maybe a little. But…yeah….Happy Anniversary, Pope Francis!

Pat Gohn has a podcast HOT off the press in celebration of Pope Francis’ One Year anniversary and you can download it HERE. You will probably recognize a few voices from the interwebz, including (ahem) me!

And so, in my own nod to Papa…here are my own personal top faves of his first year as Pope…in 7 QT style with Jen and crew!

1. The most humble and shocked beginning of this Pope who was so quietly in AWE of this role he now found himself in. That gentle wave. That face that was still processing….”ME?” “What?”. Just love it!! “hi.”

Credit where it’s due!

2. I was at work when the white smoke puffed. Where were you?

More photo cred and instructions on making your own white smoke 😉

3. Giving an impromptu and brief Catholic history lesson to my Baptist co-worker on the hows and the whys of electing a “Pope”. Me, of all people. My apologetics BFF would have been proud!!

4. The complete silence in the crowd of well-wishers present for Pope Francis’ first prayer and speech to the world. Goosebumps at the silence of all those people. Be still my heart. Be. Still.

credit

5. The way the Pope walks the talk. He lives his Jesuit calling in his role as Pope. He DOES what Jesus would DO. He loves the poor, the sick, the maimed. When a child comes up on stage, he chuckles and carries on. He sets the example for ALL of us to love our neighbor. Over and over and over again.

6. He welcomes the world. He draws the world in by his genuine love and care for all. Regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, financial standing, felony record or sexual preference. We are called to love one another and he shows us time and again that this is possible even when we look at life differently from one another. Jesus loves us all and HE will sort it out in the end; he doesn’t need us to do it while we are here on earth. Pope Francis ain’t no gossip monger.

7. Pray for Pope Francis. For the world. For one another. Family. Friends. Co-workers. Neighbors. Let us all take the time to emulate this most approachable and loving Pope as we live our lives.

Credit: my twitter page. Don’t YOU follow Pope Francis?

Happy Friday y’all. My favorite day of the week—woot woot!!

7 and splendid!!!

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7 days of blogging…DONE! Thanks for the fun, Jen!

This weekend is a perfect reason why people move to Florida. Just spectacular!!! My genuine apologies to those of you still surrounded by snow, mush, more snow to come, hopefully you’ll enjoy a little glimpse of spring/summer here and perhaps….PERHAPS…..it might be enough to propel you through.

Honestly, though….I don’t know how you do it. Hubby would love to move to New Hampshire in a hot second…me? I’d love to visit and would even consider a “2nd home” (LOL)…but live? No. Can’t do it. Listen, it’s already pretty consecutively in the 70s here and I put the flannel sheets and fleece blanket on under the heavy comforter.

Again. Thin blood. I’d die. OK, enough bellyaching.

Off to the produce store before I pick up the girls from their Religious Ed classes…no dillydallying!!

A brief message from our Homily this morning from our priest…”God loves us for WHO we are to Him, not what we do.” Stuck with me. Sticking with me.

And the ever-present always-hopeful-reminder:

Matthew 6:34

Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

Happy Sunday!

Spring fever Saturday

Good, bad, ugly and a conference!!

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I’ve been MIA and so very hit or miss lately….life, ya know? Sorry. I’m preaching to the choir, I know.

It looks like our weekends are slowing down a leeeeeeetle bit here to a more manageable busy-ness which is good and gives me hope to recharge and reboot and refresh and all that because I needs me some down-time, people! Wahhhhh, cry me a river, I know. We are all busy. So. I am done complaining about that.

Here’s a few things my mind is juggling lately, good bad and ugly. Ok. NOT the really ugly, because I’ve already sent THAT email to a few people and I’m just not ready to go live with that. Yet. It is brewing though. It will probably be a total **it-storm when it happens, I’ll say that. Intrigued? Well, guess you’ll have to keep checking back in. wink-wink-wink

Goodnesssssss……all over the place. The busy-ness has been good stuff. Kids music stuff, going to All-county for two kiddos 2 weekends in a row. A certain almost-12 year old birthday coming up and a trip to Plato’s closet to feed her shopping desires and birthday gift!! Last minute visit from an old friend from Tally in town with her daughter’s volleyball tourney. (I didn’t get to visit with her but Hubby did and it does a soul good to have some quality friend time!) A coming visit from Hubby’s Alaskan cousin this weekend for the night. A total nut and very fun!! A great AA dinner party meeting Hubby’s AA friends. Always nice to put names with faces. Even nicer to hear the inspirational stories coming out of these people. My dear friend may (HOPEFULLY) be doing Apologetics classes for middle and high schoolers. Y’all she is DANGEROUSLY on fire and the most AMAZING teacher EVERRRRRR. I am completely committed to bugging her to YouTube the classes because this is something the Church needs…this area is so lacking. So offer up a prayer for her would ya? This cookie dough pie made by our 16 yo. Oh. MY. Deliciousness. **one special note: USE the blender/food processor for the beans. Makes allllllllll the difference in the world. Hubby and I are planning on renewing our vows this year. The big 2-0! Point of contention: our audience. Our church generally does this in front of the general Mass. All several HUNDREDS of people. Hubby is in favor of this venue. This gives me absolute palpitations and anxiety I cannot describe. I’m all for the quiet chapel route. Also, I know I will be bawling and this is not a good look for me. Let’s face it, half of our marriage was the “for worse” part and having come through that……..Phew! Good stuff, but man, oh, man……what a ride!!!

Badness: (I know, not a word, but in keeping with the theme)…..I didn’t get a job I applied for. Again. I DO have promises of other positions in the next few months, so we shall see….but disappointment, I’m really over you. Really. 16 yo broke his foot skateboarding. Not super bad, but definitely waylaid the skating for a while. Good stuff is coming out of that, though…..the ole stepping back and getting a bird’s eye view of friends, new likes and maturing. Colds. Several have blown through this house. 5 of 6 of us have had the flu shot, so holding steady there…… lastly, a friend of mine (son’s 5th grade teacher and the best EVER! and not just because she reads my blog) is suffering mightily these past couple years with a recurrence in her ovarian cancer. The past few months have been tremendously brutal. It’s heartbreaking and I’m so sad for her suffering and for her family and mad. Mad that the prayers I pray for her don’t fix anything. Mad that the dinner I’ll take her family won’t fix anything. Mad that God allows this. Mad. Mad. Mad. And this is so definitely going on my list of conversations God and I will have in heaven. Because I just don’t see the purpose of it. At all.

And on that total bummer note: let me offer up some fun times for you….There is going to be a little conference in Austin, TX this summer. A weekend of Catholic gal fun!! All the deets are here…… my pocketbook can’t swing this, but maybe yours can and I think it would absolutely be worth every second!!!!

Go on and have a super day. Providing you aren’t snowed in for the umpteenth time this winter. We’ll be scooting through the day in the humid 80s here….. tough. tough life it is.

Blessings!!

making the trek

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