Category Archives: Lent

EASTER…taking it outside to celebrate!

The whole-ish outfit. My missed the shot. Apparently. the skirt is swingy and goes just below/to the knee.

The whole-ish outfit. My legs missed the shot. Apparently. The skirt is swingy and goes just below/to the knee.

Joining in with Camp Patton, Freckles in April, and North Meets South, in a nod to Fine Linen and Purple‘s wildly fun WIWS….EASTER STYLE!! I’ve been COMPLETELY MIA for the last few months on the WIWS circuit, mostly because I was in repeat mode. buuuuuuut, now I have the spring clothes out so you might see me more frequently the next couple of weeks.

Hoping you all had a blessed Lent and a are enjoying a fabulous Easter celebration today. I have a whopping T-20 minutes, so let’s see what I can throw together here what with cropping and editing and such with the photos!

Mass outside. Breezy 69 degrees, sunny, cloudy, sunny. Awesomeness.

Disregard the scraped knuckle courtesy of porch project yesterday…post to come later…

Love these sandals. Disregard the sad state of the pedicure…just ran out of hours this weekend!

Dancers, pre-Mass practicing their carousel. They were a little nervous with the wind, but did great!!

Pre-Mass warm up by the lake.

Strike a pose!

Papa and his girls!

Even snagged the big boy for a quick shot!

Deets: Moi, Kohl’s for the outfit and shoes and Lia Sophia for the blingz.

Big girl: Kohl’s except for the inherited shrug

Dancer girl: Church for the dance uniform

French horn boy: Church for the tux jacket/tie, thrifty for the pants and inherited shirt.

Big boy: Thrift Volcom shirt, Old Navy khaki shorts

Dad: Thrifted and inherited and a total keeper!

It takes a village, even for grown-ups!

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It’s been an interesting week and in light of Sede Vacante (no Pope at the moment, in case you missed any/all of the news), it’s a somber time as we wait on the conclave to decide our next Pope. Historical. Fascinating. In light of this transitional time, I thought I’d do my version of 7QTs with Jen and throngs a little differently and offer up some inspiration I’ve come across the blogosphere this week. Be motivated. Be inspired. Enjoy.

1. No one knows what the next minute holds — but you let ourselves be moved into it anyways. Because somewhere inside of you, you know Someone holds it.

Ann Voskamp “When you are tired of worrying”

2. Sometimes you just need a plan….

1) shaken, lea prays. i go to God for help…

2) let God take care of His part. look at Him. not at the enemy.

3) my job is obedience. the battle is the Lord’s.

4) praise and worship Him. walk by faith in His promises not by sight. 

Lea “I didn’t think I needed this book”
3. :: REMEMBER TO LOVE THESE LITTLE SOULS..just LOVE them . I can not fix all of everything about them…I can not be perfect and complete for all of them at all the same time…but I can have LOVE for them and show that in ALL that I do for them and around them…

The Little House that Grew

4. Sometimes we need reminders on making it through the day…during Lent

Fast

Every time a child interrupts you today, stop what you are doing and look into his eyes as he talks.

Pray

“My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

Give

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” (Blessed Teresa of Calcutta)

Elizabeth Foss Fast. Pray. Give.

5. There is a fine line between celebrating your gift, using it for the glory of God, and practicing humility.

Katherine “Finding your Gift”

6. And of course, Pinterest/Tumblr..

7. And this one, just warmed my heart, through and through. What an awesome experience, truly awesome! Can you imagine? I don’t know if I could wash my child’s forehead again!!!!

‘When I see you, I see the Church is alive.’
-Pope Benedict XVI

Most blessed baby…EVAH!!!!!!

Mama Needs Coffee (Image cred and you really have to go read her posts on Papa Bene’s Popemobile exit….Really. go. NOW. go. HERE!!!!)

A day off: spring is springing and the flu has flung!

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Don’t worry, the WHOLE post won’t be a play-by-play of all the sick deets of our household, just the funnyish bits and lo, they are a plenty.

Our swell journey o’ sickness began Saturday afternoon when our oldest son phoned for a pick-up from his skate day…..at 4:30!!! For this kid, who will skate from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. given the opp, when he asked for a 4:30 pick up, well….that wasn’t ’bout to be good for anyone. And so his day ended with an early shower and to bed.

The fun really didn’t begin until about Midnight thirty (smack in the middle of REM sleep) on Monday when our sweet little almost 6 footer stumbled in our bedroom with a nice little rage of a fever and some apparent hallucinations. We managed to get him out in the living room just as he went completely limp with Hubby catching him on the way down and myself mildly assisting (and slightly pulling my back). Fortunately, he didn’t get hurt…unfortunately when he went to use the restroom a few minutes later, it happened again….fortunately the shower curtain/wall combo is strong like bull and Hubby is quick like lightning. 2 concussions averted in a matter of minutes. Adrenaline rush? Yup. Finally managed to get him to take some ginger ale and Tylenol and after some cool compress apps, he managed to settle down and slept on a palette in our room until 2:30 a.m…..when he opted to return to his bed….no, the couch…ugh. Spinal needle to the eye, please.

Last night/this morning, almost the same time frame, we had another visit, another episode of big boy managing to get me out of bed to help him only to have him climb in and take my spot. Then back to his bed where he curled in a ball and said “C’mon guys, you can fit, c’mon up, there’s room”…then back out to the living room couch, cold compresses, yada, yada, yada and settled him down much quicker. Hubs grabbed the youngest who fell asleep on the couch after her migraine/vomitosis episode and put her in her bed lest her big brother hallucinate again and sit on her.

I will just say that it’s been a looooooooooong time since I’ve had regularly interrupted night sleep and I. don’t. miss. it. one. bit.

This morning with some “changes” in symptoms (I’ll spare you the deets) we headed to the Ped where Flu B is confirmed and possible pneumonia. He’s on the antibiotics now, managed to hold some ChickFilA down for lunch and is currently on Star Wars Ep 2…with plans to finish up the series tomorrow–as he will be home again. With Dad. I’ll be at work. Recuperating. Pray for us for some sleep….Mom and Pops are terribly out of practice. I’ll be praying, too and knocking on all kinds of wood that everyone else is healthy.

Because as Sweet Brown says…Ain’t nobody got time for that

In the meantime, I’ll keep calm and Lysol on!!!

ah, PicMonkey, you are my new favorite obsession! Thanks, Cari!!

Spring comes early in these parts and since it is 79 beeeeyoooouuuteeeeeful degrees out and gas is a gut-wrenching, throat strangling $3.91, I forced myself to ride my bike to Publix to pick up the script. <sigh> A mother’s sacrifices never end…ammiright??

7QT Return, Ta DAAA!

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With my whole social network fasting apparently I have more time to blog…who knew??? So, I’m jumping back in with the tried and true at Conversion Diary with Jen and her peeps…of course, I’m not #1 like Grace, but she’s a new mom again and clearly not sleeping anyway…so go check ’em all out…

1. Fresh into Lent, folks…Fresh. Into. Lent. You know what that means, right? All those sacrifices and desires to help more, pray more, do more, etc are FRESH and “technically” two days in we should be going strong. Ammiright?? Riiiiight, so remember…no meat today. And if perhaps, halfway through that double with cheese you remember “ACK…it’s Friday!!!”, just start over. We are imperfect people, God knows this. His joy is in our TRYING to do better. And when we screw up, dust ourselves off and try again….that’s what we can choose to do. So, in the classic words of Dori from Finding Nemo…”just keep swimming”!

2. What did you give up for Lent? Perhaps you are instead focusing on praying and have some plans of monastic retreat or super fasting to add some oomph to your prayer life, or maybe working in the soup kitchen or homeless shelter….what’s the plan, Stan? I gave up Facebook and Twitter. It’s quite freeing and I actually look forward to this each Lent. Now, you might say, but “Tracy, your blog shows up on Twitter?” Yes, it’s set that way automatic, but I am not CHECKING said Twitter account.

3. Did you get your ashes? We did. I must say it was practically WW3 getting there. A serious force of crazy, crappy, grumpy, tempers came over our household IMMEDIATELY prior to leaving. We persevered anyway and let me say, people….GOD prevailed. Oh yes he did defuse that 13 yo, 15 yo and 2 young ladies who readied themselves in their Mass finery only to see EVERY to the ONE was in their regular clothes (including yours truly, fresh off the JOB train in her scrubs). Hubs took everyone home after the distribution of ashes and I stayed to wait for our 7th grader to take him home after his RE class. We came home to fish and chips awaiting. (AKA, fish sticks and fries) God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good.

4. Ash Wednesday I also went to Adoration (a weekly Lenten practice for me this year). Unknowingly, I arrived during the church’s Mass celebration, therefore the Eucharist was not in the chapel, but in the church. ENNYWAY….I still prayed the Rosary and intentions and fully enjoyed my quiet time. If you have noise in your life (you don’t need to be a parent for this) you should take time to go to Adoration…shoot, even if you’re not Catholic….just go…it is AWESOME. Peace, quiet. Total gift. I’d live there if I could. Really. Logistically though, just not going to work.

5. Saved me some cash this week. Went in to quit the gym, just not feeling it, and I’ve been working out at home (not this week so much…but mostly-ish) but they love me so much they comped me 2 months and lowered my monthly rate to $5. Sheesh, alright. I’ll come back. $5, c’mon. Who CAN say no to that???

6. Along with my social fasting, weekly Adoration visit and prayer intentions….I am also trying to focus on some spiritual reading. This week I finished C.S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters”…wow. wow. wow. If you haven’t read it….do it. Next up…”Visions of the Children” by Janice Connell. And continued reading of Saint Faustina’s Diary (although that is taking YEARS. Literally. YEARS!! tremendously rich reading. small bites only)

7. Finally, if you read yesterday’s post on our little Romeo and his Valentine’s flower promise…I’ll tell you how it went: He made his first deposit to his math teacher (who, although killing him, has been incredibly helpful and challenging) and from then on out had “hordes” of ladies following him around for roses. He had them labeled and did have a couple extra (to which I was also a recipient….smart boy!)…but he admitted at dinner that it was an impossible task to please all the ladies on Valentine’s Day. Not to mention expensive. He’s a mess that one. A sweet mess. **For all you Bachelor fans out there….I asked him if he was prepping to do a teen Bachelor and he was unaware of the show/concept etc….PHew. I don’t watch either, but have the gist of it from some of you…who will remain nameless for the obvi reasons.

Have a great week y’all and enjoy the weekend!!! We won’t be shoveling snow…thank you, JESUS…but will be wearing jeans and hoodies this weekend here in Central FLA. Brrr. High of 50ish tomorrow. Yikes!! 😉

making the trek

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