What Part of Spring Are You?

I first saw this cute quiz over at By Sun and Candlelight but have seen it pop up here and there, too. I couldn't resist the invitation to play along!

You Are Blooming Flowers

You are an optimistic person by nature. In even the darkest times, you are hopeful about the future. You feel truly blessed in life and can sometimes be overwhelmed with emotions. You have an artist's eye. You are always looking for beauty in the mundane. You have a good sense of aesthetics, especially when it comes to shapes and color.

What Part of Spring Are You?

If you partake in the spring fun, please let me know what your answer is. I'd love to know! Happy Saturday!

Have You Read This Book Yet?

Take It to the Queen by Josephine Nobisso is an absolutely beautiful story! We happened to find it at our library (surprise!), but it now is on my wish list at amazon.com.

It is an allegory of the role Our Blessed Mother plays in salvation history. The story, on its own, is delightful, but the theological symbols that are woven throughout make the tale that much more rich and meaningful. (A great explanation of all the theological insight into this book can be found here. I just found this, so now I want to reread the book with this list in hand, as I'm sure there is so much I missed!)

Every time I read Take It to the Queen with my trio, I feel overwhelmed with awe and gratitude for God's divine gift of Mary to us as Jesus' mother and also as our mother, our queen. My children are a bit young to understand the depth of this book, but they do understand how the queen in the tale is like Mary. On the simplest level, how we ask Mary to pray for us, just as the villagers ask the queen to intercede for them. This story will indeed grow with the kids as they grow in their understanding of our Catholic faith.

In addition to a beautiful story, the illustrations by Katalin Szegedi are gorgeous. It simply is a lovely book to look at, as my pre-reading girls enjoy doing.

If you haven't had the opportunity to read this book, I encourage you to do so. It would make a wonderful First Communion or birthday gift, or as something special to place on a Mary altar come May.

***

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

Stuff!

I am persevering in my Lenten/spring cleaning. I might be behind already, but I am not giving up! (That would be too easy!) The work isn't going anywhere, and neither am I. It might not all get down in the amount of time I have allotted, but no matter what I get done, my home will be more clean and organized by Easter—God willing.

On that note, I have some questions for you, dear friends. Perhaps you have been in this predicament yourselves and can offer some guidance or even a bit of encouragement.

How do you determine what to do with all the stuff? As a family of seven, I understand that we are naturally going to have more stuff than a family of three. But how do I—how do you—keep it under control? At what point do you toss or donate items? For how long do you save outgrown toys for a possible new baby ... or don't you?

Even though I don't think we have a ridiculously cluttered home, I personally would like it to be a bit less cluttered. I think this would benefit everyone in the long run. Less stuff = less clean up = more time for other, more special things that tend to fall second or third to cleaning up!

Yesterday, Regan beautifully talked about leaving a legacy for our children. I don't want mine to be, "Mom was always cleaning," even though I do want them to appreciate the importance of cleanliness and order, and that there are seasons where deeper cleaning is necessary. Does that make sense? Finding the balance ...

Anyway ... I also don't want to act hastily and get rid of something that will serve our family in the future. (I don't want to have to keep buying items when I could have saved them instead.)

So, do you have a good system? What works for you? How many toys do your kids have? Is it too much, or is it a good amount? How do they keep their treasures picked up? How do you know when it's becoming too much? And what do you do about it?

These questions could be applied to clothes, too (i.e., saving certain sizes of clothes when all your kids have outgrown them ... How much do you save, if at all?)

Thank you for your understanding, for any tips you may have or even for a simple prayer for peace of mind! I appreciate it all! God bless you!

The Simple Woman's Daybook—March 23

For today ... Monday, March 23, 2009

Outside my window ... rainy and windy

I am thinking ... about how overwhelmed I feel about my to-do list

I am thankful for ... Lent and the focused time God gives us each year to sacrifice and draw closer to Him in His suffering

From the kitchen ... I have to get to the grocery store soon! hopefully, I can scrounge up something for dinner. (I usually have a plan, really!)

I am wearing ... rusty orange hoodie with matching pants, white T-shirt, striped socks

I am reading ... Lent and Easter Wisdom From G.K. Chesterton

I am hoping ... to attend my parish's reconciliation service tomorrow night; there will be 17 priests available to hear confessions! it is always a beautiful evening.

I am creating ... a cleaner, more organized home

I am hearing ... 3-year-old and twins enjoying snacks; girl twin chatting; boy twin bouncing in his highchair

Around the house ... the playroom is on the agenda today (such a daunting task!) and there is some laundry to plug away at

One of my favorite things ... the fresh smell of bedding hung out to dry in the spring air. Mmmm ...

A few plans for the rest of the week ... continue working on my Lenten/spring cleaning; register for my knitting class (a birthday gift from dh and kids) and pick out my yarn at the needle arts shop; attend a benefit spaghetti dinner for a family of my parish (the mom is really struggling with health issues and they are raising money to hire childcare for the kids); scrapbooking Friday night with some friends

Here is a picture-thought I am sharing with you ...

One year ago today was Easter Sunday. Remember how early it was last year? As you can see, we held our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt on our snow-covered lawns. The white stuff and cold temps didn't stop these kids from participating in the festivities! Hopefully, it will be something they'll never forget; I know I won't!

For more daybooks, visit here.

Lenten Check-In, Part 3

(Part 3 of 3)

Lenten/Spring Cleaning List

At the beginning of Lent, I noticed a few bloggers posted Lenten/Spring Cleaning Lists (like this one and this one). I was indeed inspired but a little intimidated to do something similar. (What if I can't get it all done? Must be the perfectionist in me =)

Well, I also think there is power in holding yourself (or having others hold you) accountable, so I am going to post my cleaning list ...

I know that it is very unlikely that I will get everything done on the days/in the timeframe I have set out to do it. (Being a wife and mother, there are always things—more important things—that arise, and one of my Lenten "goals" is to do this cleaning list, but not be consumed by it so as to neglect my family.) But I will plug away at it between now and Easter and return to it the week after Easter to finish up any tasks that are left ...

March 16 Entryway

March 17 Half bathroom

March 18 Laundry room, part 1

March 19 Laundry room, part 2

March 20 DVD/video/CD storage

March 21 Girls' room/clothes

March 22 SUNDAY

March 23 Playroom

March 24 Family room

March 25 Kitchen, part 1

March 26 Kitchen, part 2

March 27 Bookshelves

March 28 Twins' room/clothes

March 29 SUNDAY

March 30 Master bedroom closets

March 31 Master bedroom

April 1 Woodwork

April 2 Freezers

April 3 Refrigerator/pantry

April 4 Master bathroom

April 5 SUNDAY

April 6 Windows (indoors, downstairs)

April 7 General clean/sweep porch

April 8 General clean

April 9 Dining area

April 10 GOOD FRIDAY

April 11 Decorate for Easter/Baskets

April 12 EASTER SUNDAY

04/13-17 Celebrate Easter/keep house clean

April 18 Craft cupboard

April 19 Paper, part 1

April 20 Paper, part 2

April 21 Office

April 22 Basement

April 23 Linen closet

April 24 Kids' bathroom

April 25 Outside windows/deck

Lenten Check-In, Part 2

(Part 2 of 3)

Eyes Toward the Lord

My daughter's school sent this home on Monday. I thought it was an excellent (powerful and a little tough!) reflection for this half-way mark of Lent. It is taken and adapted from The Week With Christ by E. Lawrence, OSB.

This week we observe the half-way mark in Lent. Today should be a day of serious self-examination for us all. At our Baptism, Christ drove the devil from us and took possession of us. We, in turn, chose Him and His way of Life. Jesus asked us at our Baptism, "Do you renounce Satan ... and all his works ... and all his pomps?" Through our godparents, we answered, "Yes, I do renounce them ..." and we renewed those baptismal vows with a free and personal oath of fidelity at our solemn First Communion.

Now we are no longer "catechumens," that is, children or new-comers in the Faith. We have received the Light. We have been incorporated into Christ. He has lived in us and we in Him. But what is our spiritual condition now? Do we walk as children of the Light, as imitators of God, as His most dear children? Or are we all too familiar with those sins mentioned in the Epistle: uncleanness, covetousness, serving the idol of our own will? Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me." Has this Lent made any changes at all in our lives? Monsignor Hellriegel says, "At the end of Lent, one is either more closely united with Christ or he is less a Christian." On Easter, we will either be better than we were before Lent, or we will be worse. We cannot stay neutral. This thought alone should help us see the need to ask God to help us live these last few weeks of Lent in a manner pleasing to Him.

Incorporation into Christ means that Christ should direct our every thought and act. It means that our daily life (like His and Our Lady's) should be worshipful, charitable, dedicated to the will of the Father in the perfect carrying out of the demands and duties of our present state of life ... After all, our life must be sacrificial. We must be convinced that there can be no growth of Christ in us, no walking as children of Light, if we have not the spirit of sacrifice, penance, mortification. Some devils "can only be cast out by prayer and fasting," Christ insists (Matt. 17:20). And the Lenten Preface of today's Mass puts it this way, "By corporal fasting, Thou, O God, dost curb our vices, elevate our minds, and bestow virtue and reward." This is the law of God. It admits no exceptions.

"He who is not with Me is against Me." These words of Christ should be frightening. We have only one choice: Christ or Satan. We can have Christ living in us or be friends of the devil. These two are deadly enemies. We must choose which one to follow. There can be no compromise. Jesus told us, "He who does not gather with Me scatters." As Jesus crosses our paths this week of Lent, we too, like Simon of Cyrene, must take a position regarding Jesus. Will we take up our cross and suffer with Jesus? Or will we cast it away as did Judas?

Lenten Check-In, Part 1

(As I was writing this, I realized that I needed to break up all that I want to share, or it will be too long, too much for you, friends, to read all at once. So, this is Part 1 of 3 that I will post over the next few days.)

I was inspired by some bloggers who posted Lenten plans and ideas just before or right at the beginning of Lent. I especially liked this simple, yet meaningful approach. I wanted to share some of my own hopes for Lent, too, and had every intention of doing so ...

Then, unexpected events occurred, and the beginning of my Lent was not at all what I planned it to be. I haven't had the opportunity to share my Lenten plans. And up until now, I haven't been following any of the ideas that were in my head and heart anyway.

I think (I hope) I have been living the Lent God has intended me to live. But so far, it has not included any of my own ideas. Up until now, it really has been focused on the death of my step-dad Russ, praying for him, taking care of my mom, getting back into a groove with my family after being gone for five days. (Believe me, the aftermath is way longer!)

Only now have I finally been able to come before the Lord with my plans and ask, "What do You think? This is what I'd like to do."

Perhaps the timing is just right for examining the first few weeks of Lent and looking toward the time that is left before we enter into the Triduum and Easter. After all, it is about the half-way mark in Lent. Our deacon talked about this third week of Lent being a time of self examination, and then my daughter brought something home from school that talked about the exact same thing (see part 2).

So, going forward, from now until Easter, my focus will be ...

1. To be diligent about getting morning prayer every day

2. To pray the Stations of the Cross each week (I attended Stations of the Cross with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament last Friday with my husband. It was so beautiful and powerful to pray the stations in the presence of our Lord! This Friday, we will pray the stations at home with our children. I purchased some prints before Lent that I will hang up around the house. I plan on bringing my oldest daughter to stations at our church the following Friday.)

3. To stick closely to my Lenten cleaning list (see part 3) but not let it consume me so that I neglect the needs of my family

It may be a simple list, but it is what I can realistically do from this half-way mark of Lent going forward. May my little actions be pleasing to Jesus and draw me closer to Him by Easter Sunday.

Here is a photo of our Lenten calendar. (It was inspired by this one and this one, which I found way back in Advent!) We are counting down the days of Lent by stamping a brown heart onto each square at the end of each day. We matted the Sundays in purple (and the fourth Sunday in pink). We marked Fridays with a fish symbol to remind us that it is a day of abstinence. On days of fasting, the fish is colored black. We highlighted feast days and posted some of them with icons or other images.

My List of Praises

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! —Psalm 100:4

Jennifer at My Chocolate Heart has posted a list of several things for which she praises God, and she is encouraging others to post lists, too. I think it is a wonderful idea, especially in these uncertain times of ours which can so easily make us despair. If we put our hope and trust in God alone, we can indeed find many things to praise Him for everyday.

Here are a few things I praise God for today ...

1. Praise, You, O God, for Your infinite love for me.

2. Praise and thank You for blessing me with a good husband who cares for me so well.

3. Praise, You, O Lord, for five children to love and care for, and for the simple, yet profound, ways they witness to me of Your love.

4. Praise and thank You for a 65-degree, spring-like day, so we can take our first family walk of the year together.

5. Praise God for coffee and key lime pie.

6. Praise, You, O God, for family and friends (IRL and in this blog world).

7. Praise and thank You for Mary and all the saints and angels in Heaven for their example and their prayers for me.

8. Praise God for the gift of faith.

What are you praising God for today? Go here for more lists.

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. —Hebrews 13:15

Drink Deeply and Be Filled

This image was a focal point on my retreat—Be Filled—a few weekends ago. A small card was taped onto the retreat journals that were handed out. Large posters with this image on it surrounded our meeting room. And every time I gazed upon it, I saw myself. I was the woman at the well. I was the woman in need of a drink. I was the one who Jesus was looking so intently at with those eyes of love.

Can't you just picture yourself as the woman in this picture? Yes, we all know it really is the Samaritan woman at the well. But couldn't it really be any one of us?

Here is this woman, encountering Jesus. At first, she does not understand Him. Maybe she does not feel worthy of talking with Him, for she is a woman after all, and a Samaritan woman at that.

But with such love, He sits and talks to her. Doesn't this picture capture the idea that in this whole world, she is the only one who matters to Him at that very moment?

He offers her water, life-giving water, that she may thirst no more but be filled completely.

And even though she reveals her past to Him, He doesn't turn away. Rather, with mercy and love, He draws her closer unto Himself.

It is clear she has faith in the One who is to come, and when He tells her He is the Messiah, she cannot help but tell everyone around her about Him.

And so it is with me ...

Sometimes I feel like I can't possibly be loved by Jesus. My sin is too big. My fear is in the way. My past mistakes are haunting me. I am bound by a spirit of regret, anger, despair, doubt.

Jesus does love me—and each one of you, too. Our faith tells us this, Scripture reveals this to us, the Church teaches this, and so it is true. Jesus loves me. Jesus loves you.

He wants us to come to Him like that woman did. He wants us to sit at His feet. He wants that time when it is just us and Him. He wants us to believe that we are that important to Him, because we are. He wants to fill us with life-giving water—the Holy Spirit—to banish once-and-for-all our sin, our fear, our doubt, and be redeemed by His overflowing mercy and love.

Like on my retreat, I hope to meet Jesus this Lent at the well. To drink deeply of His mercy, healing, forgiveness, love, grace and peace. To come back again and again for more. He wants to pour out lavishly upon me, upon all of us, if only we ask and are open to receiving Him.

I hope to do this to receive. But also I hope to do this to sacrifice with Him, as He journeys to Calvary. May I love with Him by taking up my own cross along side His. That in the suffering and loss I may also experience Resurrection in the most fulfilling way possible. Deeply. Purely. Completely. Lovingly.

And then after I do this, like the Samaritan woman, may I share this faith, this truth, this love with others—my family, my friends, anyone God places in my life—so that they may drink deeply, too.

This Lent, and for years to come, let us be like the woman at the well, so we may thirst no more.

Florida Flowers on Friday

While I was in Florida for my step-dad's funeral, I took a bunch of photos of various flowers and trees so that my older girls could get a visual in their heads of what it looks like at Gram's. (We haven't been there in four years; it was usually easier for them to visit us.)

I am enjoying these photos just as much as they are, as spring is still a long way out for us here in the Upper Midwest. (It is 5 degrees out right now, with a high of 36 today!) These photos give me hope for warmer days, green grass, sprouts of new life, the Easter Resurrection ... May they give you a sense of hope, beauty and joy today, too.

Yellow Hibiscus

Pretty purple and pink flowers (official names unknown to me =)

So many different kinds of palm trees!

I'm not sure if this is the official name, but everyone calls this a Bottle Brush Tree, because of the way the flowers are shaped. We had one of these in my yard growing up ... Yes, I spent most of my growing-up years in Florida! Bet some of you didn't know that ;-)

I like the bright pink leaves of this plant. (Can you tell I have daughters, with all of the pink and purple I snapped?) The body of water behind the plant is a canal. There is a whole canal system in Florida.

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

My baby girl just minutes before we had to leave for Mass on Sunday ...

The Simple Woman's Daybook—Birthday Edition

For today ... my birthday—Monday, March 9, 2009

Outside my window ... cold, cloudy, foggy, a chance of snow

I am thinking ... about the wonderful time my family had this weekend with some friends who we haven't visited with in a long time

I am thankful for ... another year of life, God's grace and blessing, my husband and children

From the kitchen ... it's well stocked, after several days with bare cupboards; a new chicken recipe tonight

I am wearing ... red turtleneck sweater, jeans, brown polka-dot socks

I am reading ... Fatima: The Great Sign, Lent and Easter Wisdom From G.K. Chesterton, Faith and Family magazine

I am hoping ... to stay on track with healthy eating this week (minus the treat I am enjoying right now; see below)

I am creating ... the same pink scarf (Boy, am I slow!)

I am hearing ... kids chatting while enjoying a snack

Around the house ... it's clean—YEAH!—but I have a bunch of laundry to catch up on, and I want to figure out a lenten/spring cleaning plan

One of my favorite things ... a free coffee drink at Caribou on my birthday (I got a mint white chocolate mocha—total treat!)

A few plans for the rest of the week ... My calendar is blank until Saturday. After the busy, stressful and emotional last few weeks, I am grateful for the quiet of this week. We are having friends for dinner on Saturday, who were recently married. We will be having Cuban black beans, rice and pork. It's a favorite dish of mine ... And my husband makes it remarkably well! I can't wait!

Here are two pictures I am sharing with you ...

Me and my mom

Pink Hibiscus—It was windy the day I took this photo, so I had to hold it ... I will share more Florida flowers soon ...

Name Meme

Although I have a number of post ideas dancing in my head, I haven't wanted to post any of them just yet, because I've wanted to keep my post about Russ at the top of the page for as long as possible. As if putting anything new up would look like I'm not sad and missing him. Kind of silly, huh? Maybe it's part of the mourning process—trying to hold on just a bit longer ... He certainly wouldn't want me to put life on hold. No, he was a pretty fun guy, so he would like it if I posted something fun and light-hearted today. So ... here is the Name Meme that Jamie tagged me for. It's my very first meme, so I'm kind of excited!

Here's how it goes: Copy the questions from my post and paste them in a new post on your blog. Erase my answers and put yours in. Use the first letter of your name to answer ALL of the following questions. If the person before you has the same 1st letter, pick a new one. You CANNOT use anything twice, and you CANNOT use your own name for the boy/girl questions. After you are done, tag 5 people ...

1. What is your name? Sarah

2. A 4-letter word: swim

3. A boy's name: Samuel

4. A girl's name: Sophia

5. An occupation: social worker

6. A color: scarlet

7. Something you wear: sweater

8. A food: strawberries

9. Something found in the bathroom: soap

10. A place: Spain

11. A reason for being late: (hit the) snooze

12. Something you shout: Shoot!

13. A movie title: Singin' in the Rain

14. Something you drink: Starbucks Sumatra (blend coffee)

15. An animal: Schnauzer

16. A song title: Silent Night

17. A verb: swing (dance, or at the playground)

I think several bloggers I read have been tagged for this already, but I will tag 4:

Anna at May My Life Reflect ...

Stacey at A Measure of Grace

Molly at Ecclesia Domestica

Laura at Our House of Joyful Noise

Have a fabulous weekend! Grace and peace to you!