7 Quick Takes: Its About Time for an Update

In no particular order.

1. We spent 4 days on the NJ Shore with family and I got suckered into riding this ride with E and her cousin B. They had a great time and I get to be in this incriminating picture. We are not really beach people for many reasons but the best part was riding our bikes on the boardwalk and around town. E hated the ocean and just liked to play in the sand. It was a good trip, though! 

2. When there is lots of canning to do, the 3 year must help and turns out to be very good at cranking.

3. DH won a few blue ribbons at the county fair for his garden goods. He was excited and I was happy for him.

4. But for the record I won 1 more blue ribbon than he did. But, we won the same amount of money at the fair. Good times, though. My MIL won more than 10 ribbons and really did great! It was lots of fun to support the fair.

5. We spent a day at the National Zoo and E loved riding the carousel the best. She picked the crocodile all by herself to ride on, great fun!

6. DH finished his chicken coop for our 6 chickens. The project probably took a little longer than it should have but the results are worth it. He can wheel it around the yard and the chickens are happy. DH even designed it himself.  

7. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary at the end of June with a private TLM in a historic chapel in our little town. We had a renewal of vows and Little E even said "I do," too. It was cute and a beautiful celebration. We are richly blessed.

Bonus: Little E fell this week and sliced open her forehead and has 4 stitches but she is getting them out tomorrow morning. She was a real trooper. It was traumatic for both of us but she is healing great.

Summer Daybook

Outside my window...
A thunderstorm is brewing and a half created chicken coop on my front porch to house the 5 chicks we have in a box in our basement that are getting bigger everyday.

I am thankful for...

Miss E's third birthday and well, just her. She is a complete joy. She had the time of her life this weekend playing with her cousin, visiting with family and enjoying a backyard birthday cookout.

I am thinking about...

Our upcoming 10th anniversary mass and dinner with close friends. I am joyful for our marriage, it hasn't been easy but we are working on it!

In the Schoolroom...

We don't really have one yet. I decided no preschool next school year for Miss E. She knows her letters, numbers to 10, colors, shapes and can almost write her name. She gets plenty of social activity and quite honestly, I want to spend as much time as I can with her.

From the kitchen...

Just eating leftovers from the party.

I am creating...
A menu for our dinner on Friday.

I am working on...
Just keeping the house picked up.

I am reading...

A Holy Life. The story and letters of St. Bernadette of Lourdes. It is excellent and very inspirational. A great reminder that that Lord reveals himself to the most humble

I am praying...

For my great Aunt who is dying of cancer and a holy death for my grandmother. And a complete conversion of my father. And my friends who are suffering.

I am hearing...
The rumbling thunder.

Clicking around...

Just catching up on blogs.

Around the house...

Putting away birthday gifts and party items.

One of my favorite things...
Lacto-fermented lemonade. So yummy.

A few plans for next week...

Getting ready for our anniversary celebration and dinner, TLM mass on Saturday, family get together with friends on Sunday. And then enjoying having DH off for 4 days.

A Picture...

Easter Recap and Decisions

Easter was a joyous occasion for us this year. We spent time with family and friends and just enjoyed the season. This was the first year we attended all the Holy Week services at our TLM parish. Wow. I'm not sure I can find words to really describe how it felt to be taken through all the events of Holy Week. At the Holy Thursday mass the part that stood out to me was when the alter boys used a wooden clapper instead of the bells during the consecration. The last of bells and the sudden abruptness of the wood just penetrated my soul. The Good Friday service was so somber. The chant, the reverence, the bare alter, and the veneration of the Cross was all just so sorrowful and brought me to a place of really feeling the Sacrifice. And the Easter Sunday mass was just so joyful! I just felt so lifted and joyful to know what waits for me if I can stay the course.



Us is our new Easter clothes. The timer wasn't too bad!




A kind daily mass goer gave us this beautiful dress for E.




E loves egg hunts. She was so excited to do every egg hunt and continues to hide them for herself and us!




We had a great time making some Easter chocolate and chocolate bunnies for gifts. We spent most of the day on Holy Saturday preparing for our Easter Feast(s).

 Currently I am deciding whether or not to sign up Miss E for preschool She will be three in June and just soaks up any new learning environment. We are thinking about homeschooling her in the long run, but I have this little tug on my heart that preschool will be good for her. But honestly I go back and forth everyday on what to do. We do go to the library almost every week, have our "Little Saints" program at church every other week and we do a variety of "schoolish" things at home. She really likes to play with other children but could use more opportunities for socialization. On the other hand, I'm not sure I am ready for her to be gone from me for 4.5 hours a week. Ugh, I just don't know.

We have also put in our application at a local adoption agency and are getting ready to do our home study. Next, is the online training and reading a couple books as well as a training class at the office. We are just trying to be open any way possible to allow the Lord to expand our family. Please offer a little prayer for us.

Fruitful So Far

Our Lent has gotten off to a good start. Although, I have had some serious detox from blogger, pintrest and most Internet perusing, it has been good. Naptime hasn't been as productive as I thought it would be, but I have been having more conversations with my IRL friends. And, I redid my mantel!

The corncobs in the big jar are from our yard. The fields around our home are all corn and were cut down recently. We have a plethora of corn cobs and husks in our yard. So I thought, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" LOL!

I have also been reading the Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur. It is so good. Her humility and faith are very inspiring. Basically, she was married to a atheist and she chose just to live her faith in charity. She offered up her emotional, spiritual and physical sufferings for the conversion of her husband. After she died, he converted and became a priest. Powerful. I have many family members that are either not Catholic nor practicing their faith and Elisabeth's message and approach are very inspiring to me. She aspires to devote herself to her duties in life with her eyes on heaven. My days would be so different if I was like her!

On a more practical and day to day note, we have had some more time for art. I borrowed some books from the library on preschool art and am learning the important of it for young minds. Most recently, we created a collage. It was fun and stopped Little E's incessant chattering for a little while. She really enjoys doing any art. And, has to show everyone that comes over her art! So fun.

Without incessantly checking my google reader and pintrest, I have had some time for reflection. I use the computer as a distraction from the pain and sorrow in my life. At times I want to forget our infertility and just concentrate on another activity to do with Little E or whatever. But the Lord has allowed this great sorrow and suffering for me and I need to let it sanctify me. Its hard, but I have a lot of work to do to get to heaven. So, I am going to take some lessons from Servant of God, Elisabeth Leseur and devote myself to my duties with charity and love.

Lent 2013

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. DH and I have spent the last couple weeks discussing and deciding what we are doing for Lent. Our hearts need to grow closer to Him, so we have tried to pick some things that will bring us there.

Morning Prayer: We plan to get up early (since we tend to sleep in...) everyday around 6:15 AM and pray a Morning Office, probably the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Morning Prayer from Shorter Christian Prayer. At different times during the day and week, DH and I will say prayers, but we feel we need to be more united in daily prayer together.

Breakfast: Each morning we tend to make eggs and/or bacon during the week. DH needs lots of protein so we have gotten into a habit of having a warm and yummy breakfast. So we are going to have something cold for breakfast, probably cold soaked oatmeal or hard boiled eggs or cold cereal. Also, DH would like to say the Litany of the Sacred Heart before breakfast (he said it was short, but I'm not sure about that) but nonetheless, it is a good devotion for our little family.

Daytime Screen Time: This one is for me. I can spend Little E's entire nap on the couch reading blogs, pintrest, and/or FB for hours. I need to give it up. Its not healthy and I can spend that time doing better things like the Office of Readings, daily spiritual reading, organizing the house, and any number of craft projects I have been putting off. I am hoping this fast will help me not distract myself with online time and become more engaged in my home life.

Acts of Service: Little E and I will donate items to one charity a week. I have a list of local charities and we will pick up the goods and deliver them together, probably on Thursdays. I am hoping this habit will catch on for us and will show her how we are grateful for all the gifts from the Lord and that we need to share them with  others.

I wish you all a Holy Lenten Season. (If you would like to contact me, please email me!)

Detachment

In the Traditional Liturgy, this is the time of Septuagesima. This is a time in preparation for Lent, a time of penance. The vestments are purple and the chant is somber. The Alleluia has been buried.

I have been reading/praying the Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. for over a year now. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a reflection and prayer on the spiritual life. During this time of Septuagesima, the author has been speaking about detachment and poverty. He says, "detachment practiced with perfection leads effectively to its goal: union with God." This is where the passage comes alive in Mark 10: 21, "Go sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven."

In striving towards union with God, I have found that I have many, many attachments. Attachments to my own opinion, my possessions, what I think others should be doing, and to even what I think God's Will is for me. I have a far, far, far way to go in detaching from these things. My first instinct is to try and give up many things for Lent and add much prayer to my life. Our wise seminarian this Sunday in his sermon, cautioned us against this. He stated that our human condition cannot sustain a lot of change. He suggested concentrating on one vice this Lent and work on eliminating them one at a time. I will continue to pray about what I will concentrate on this Lent. It's hard, where to start?

The past two seasons of Lent, my sacrifice has found me. Two years ago my heart was ripped in two in an issue with my family of origin. This trial was extremely painful, but had great fruit. Last year, I was still mourning the two losses I had in the last year. So, I do trust the Lord in his Infinite Wisdom to provide exactly what my heart needs. However, I would like to be prepared in finding the best sacrifice for Him in prayer, fasting, and alms giving. I'm glad I still have a week!

{PHFR} January Edition!

{Pretty}

Ahhhh...the first daffodils of the year. Who cares I bought them at the grocery store! They add some beauty to my kitchen.

{Happy}
My new kitchen table! We have a table in our dining room we were using for most meals and some tall chairs at our island but this table is perfect for our little family. A Craigs.list. find!

{Real}
So much to say here, but I am going to concentrate on Lent. It is upon us! DH and I are talking about what we are planning on doing in terms of prayer, fasting and alms giving. Good stuff!

{Funny}

We took Little E snowshoeing earlier this month. It was quite different than when it was the two of us! She didn't like the backpack and we didn't realize until the end of our hike that she really just wanted to make her own tracks.