7 Quick Takes Friday—Volume 6

1. This is a bit early because of my No-Computer Fridays fast ... I thought about scheduling this to post on Friday, but then I didn't want anyone to think I was cheating =)

***

2. Today we remember what happened one year ago today. We remember my step-dad Russ. Today we pray for him:

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

***

3. This morning we were greeted with a friendly surprise:

A sneak peek at spring =)

I purchased these cheery tulips and daffodils yesterday at Trader Joe's. They really brighten up our white dining room! The daffodils were completely closed when we went to sleep last night, and this morning, my trio was so delighted by their opening!

***

4. The retreat I went on last weekend focused a lot on family relationships and friendship. One key truth that struck me is simple and obvious, but I heard it with new ears, as if for the first time:

My children were specifically created to be raised by me.

The speaker went on to discuss how we will fall short. We are not perfect mothers. But where we fall short might be an area a child needs to grow in, a child may need to see our struggle in order to mature. We can't be it all for them, and they can't have it all.

Family life is fundamentally important ~ how we treat our husbands, children and parents.

Our family is our pathway to sanctification, to Heaven, and we are our family's pathway, too.

***

5. The same speaker also talked a lot about time wasters, things that take us away from our family, and boy, did that get me thinking! Perhaps more on this later (but perhaps not). One thing I do know is that it confirmed my decision to have No-Computer Fridays during Lent!

***

6. A beautiful concept about friendship: Jesus called us friends (John 15:15). That means Jesus expects us to call Him friend, too. Therefore, friendship cannot just be a luxury. The deepest value of friendship is that it prepares us for our friendship with Jesus Christ.

***

7. The last part of our retreat was on trust and suffering. Too much to discuss in a quick-take format. But I hope to share some nuggets of truth on this topic next week, as it is so applicable to the Lenten journey.

Well, that is all for now. Have a very blessed weekend!

For more quick takes, visit Conversion Diary.

Craft Basket Wednesday

Well, better late than never, right?! It has been a busy Wednesday, but I wanted to share two new projects in my craft basket (or bag, in my case =)

The first is my Pidge, which is a shorter scarf attached by two buttons. It will look like this when I am finished. The fun, new thing about this project is the stitch pattern. It creates a "mock" double-knitted fabric. So, the right and wrong sides look exactly the same! This Pidge will match my new hat, so even though I might not have much longer to wear these items (being hopeful for spring and all), they will be totally ready to wear next fall/winter!

My other project is a One Row (reversible) Lace Scarf. I'm using sock yarn in Cherry Cola. Doesn't it look yummy? I probably will have enough yarn to make two of these scarves ... A springy one for me, and one for a friend!

For more craft baskets, visit Knit Together.

A Eucharistic Story

Even Demons Believe and Tremble ~ A Eucharistic Story

By Monsignor Charles Pope, St. Mary's, Washington, D.C.

It was almost 15 years ago. I was at old St. Mary's here in D.C. celebrating Mass in the Latin (Extraordinary Form). It was a solemn high Mass. I don't suppose I thought it any different than most Sundays, but something quite amazing was about to happen.

As you may know, the ancient Latin Mass is celebrated ad orientem (toward the Liturgical East). Priest and people all face one direction. What this means practically for the celebrant is that the people are behind him. It was time for the consecration. The priest is directed to bow low, his forearms on the altar table, the host between his fingers. As directed, I said the venerable words of Consecration in a low but distinct voice, Hoc est enim Corpus meum (For this is my Body). The bells rang as I genuflected, but behind me a disturbance of some sort, a shaking or rustling in the front pews behind me to my right. And then a moaning or grumbling. What was that? It did not really sound human, more like the grumbling of a large animal, such as a boar or a bear, along with a plaintive moan that did not seem human. I elevated the host and wondered, "What was that?" Then silence. I could not turn to look easily for that is awkward for the celebrant in the ancient Latin Mass. But still I thought, "What was that?"

But it was time for the Consecration of the chalice. Again bowing low and pronouncing clearly and distinctly but in a low voice: Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei, novi et oeterni testamenti; mysterium fidei; qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem pecatorum. Haec quotiescumque feceritis in mei memoriam facietis (For this is the cup of my Blood, of the new and eternal covenant; the mystery of faith; which will for the many be shed unto the remission of sins. When so ever you do this, you do it in my memory). But then, I heard another sound, this time an undeniable moan and then a shriek as someone cried out, "Leave me alone, Jesus! Why do you torture me?" Suddenly a scuffling as someone ran out with the groaning sound of having been injured. The back doors swung open, then closed. Then silence.

I could not turn to for I was raising the Chalice high over my head. But I knew in an instant that some poor demon-tormented soul had encountered Christ in the Eucharistic and could not endure His real presence displayed for all to see. And the words of Scripture occurred to me: Even demons believe and tremble (James 2:19).

But just as James used those words to rebuke the weak faith of his flock, I, too, had to repent. Why was a demon-troubled man more aware of the true presence and astonished by it than me? He was moved in the negative sense to run. Why was I not more moved in a positive and comparable way? What of the other believers in the pews? I don't doubt that any of us believed intellectually in the true presence. But there is something very different and far more wonderful in being moved to the depth of your soul! It is so easy for us to be sleepy in the presence of the Divine, forgetful of the miraculous and awesome presence available to us.

But let the record show that one day, almost 15 years ago, it was made quite plain to me that I held in my hands the Lord of glory, the Kind of heaven and earth, the just Judge and Ruler of the kings of the earth. Is the Lord truly present in the Eucharist? You'd better believe it; even demons believe that!

No-Computer Fridays

Distractions. There are plenty in my daily life. Things that take my mind off of God, my husband, my children, my duties. Some are difficult to avoid. But some, with a little discipline, can be turned off, at least for awhile.

The computer can be a distraction for me. On one hand, I need it for so many things: correspondence, research, checking the weather, shopping, paying bills, etc. On the other hand, since it is available so readily, it also can grow into something I don't need all.the.time. It can become something that takes me away from the real things I need everyday—time to focus, to be present, to listen and be still.

I can't give it up completely. That wouldn't be realistic. But I decided I can fast from it for a certain time each week—and feel that fast, that sacrifice most definitely.

So, every Thursday night, I will turn the computer off. I won't just "put it to sleep," but I will turn it completely off. And I won't turn it on again until Saturday.

And this weekend, I will be away from it entirely—three whole days!—since I will be on my retreat. What a good way to start Lent! Time with the Lord. And away from the distractions.

I have some other little things I will be doing this Lent, too. But I'm only picking a few and trying to do them well. Little steps, but hopefully steady steps, toward Jesus.

It's kind of cool that my seven-year-old daughter is now old enough to make little sacrifices, too. She's giving up candy (except on family movie night, which is once a week). My husband is cutting back on TV. Having other family members sacrificing these things will help me with my candy and TV intake, too. I'm certainly not going to eat candy in front of my daughter or make my husband go upstairs so that I can watch a show. No way! We have to help each other in our fasting and sacrifices. We have to help each other change our behaviors, change our hearts and grow in holiness, for isn't that what Lent is really all about?

I hope this Lent is off to a prayerful and meaningful start for you. But if you still haven't figured out what the Lord wants you to focus on, don't worry. Just pray for guidance. He will show you the way.

God bless your weekend!

This and That

Blogger's block has hit me hard recently. I simply don't know what to write, what to share, what to post. Our transition into this temporary home is nearly over. Now it's time to get into our routines once again: prayer routines, cleaning schedule, laundry schedule, homeschooling my preschooler, etc.

Lent begins tomorrow, and I don't have a concrete plan yet. I have ideas, but nothing solid. I think I hear the Lord telling me to focus on distractions, but I'm going to ask Him for confirmation before I really figure out what I should do about it. As for the kids, I'd like to use The Story of the Cross, perhaps weekly, for Stations of the Cross. I may have packed some other Stations resources, but I'll have to look. Getting back into night prayer with the kids will be good, too. We made an alms-giving box yesterday that made a bridge between Valentine's Day and Lent.

From Little Saints preschool curriculum. The trio and I talked about how when we are baptized in Christ, we become one family. Therefore, everyone is our brother or sister in Christ, even those we don't know. Jesus instructed us to help the poor. They are our brothers and sisters, too. Therefore, all of our extra change will go into this "Love Thy Neighbor" box during Lent and be given to the poor at the end of the season.

Our Valentine's Day was a quiet one. Nothing too special, except for the most special thing of all: spending time together as a family. The kids went sledding with Dad. We watched "Duke and the Great Pie War" from Veggie Tales: Silly Little Thing Called Love, which was all about loving your family. (The other episodes on the DVD are about loving your neighbor and loving God.)

Regan had asked about love stories, and I posted part of mine last year. If you're new to this blog and want to read it, click here. I enjoyed reading a few other sweetheart stories posted around blog-world. I never tire of the real tales of romance. Each is so unique and special.

Isn't this quite the Valentine's bag? Only my kindergirl would go all out. I love that about her. When I saw her walk out of school carrying it, I couldn't help but smile. It reminded me of Ann Estelle in Queen of Hearts by Mary Engelbreit. Basically, Ann gets so into making her Valentine's Day box, that she forgets to make Valentines for her class ... Fortunately for my kindergirl, we made our Valentines before she got to decorate this bag in school =)

Have you noticed that I've been posting a lot of knitting projects lately? I'm having a blast with it! So, I hope you don't mind me sharing ... I finished my hat =) And I'm now working on a "pidge" to match. (A pidge is a short scarf with a button closure.) But I'm struggling with knitting it too tightly, because it's a new stitch that I'm learning. So, the stitches are not sliding off my needles very easily. And I got off pattern. Sigh.

Yes, this is me. Not the best photo, I know. But I wanted to show you my hat. And seven-year-old girls will only take so many photos before they are off to do something else! What ya see is what ya get!

But with my knitting, I have a confession to make. Regarding that blueish-green scarf (Galaxy Mix to be exact). I could not keep knitting it in a stockinette stitch like I said I would. The more I knit, the worse the curling got. I had to start over. Had to. I hope this wasn't a lesson in perfectionism for my preschooler, the recipient of the scarf. And if you think it was, please don't tell me so. You see, there wasn't just a little curling going on. It looked practically like a long tube, and not a scarf. So, I found another pattern and whipped it up. The pattern, from One-Skein Wonders, actually knit faster, and I like the end result.

I will be going on my parish's women's retreat this weekend. Remember the one I went on last year? I can't believe a whole year has gone by since my last retreat. This year's theme is One Body in Christ: The Precious Value of Family and Friends. Sounds good, doesn't it? I'm looking forward to getting away. But I have a lot to do to get myself—and my family—ready for me to be gone ...

Well, that's all I've got ... I told you I have blogger's block!

Happy Fat Tuesday! And a very holy and blessed start to Lent.

Corners

There's not much to look at—the walls are very white and the floors are very beige. And some of the appliances (and other mechanicals, like certain plumbing apparatuses) are a bit temperamental.

But it's clean and bright, warm and safe. And for the next six or so months it meets the need of providing shelter for our family. I've been trying not to complain, when I run out of space on the pantry shelf or I can't find a spot to store the vacuum. I am trying to just express gratitude for this gift of a home. No matter how plain it might look, or how tight it might feel, it is a home. One of the most basic needs, yet one I can often take for granted.

So, thank you, Lord, for this gift of this townhouse. Thank you for selling our house. Thank you for selling my mom's house (just last week!) Thank you for your abundant provisions. You are so good. Help me to share what you have given to me with others, especially my children. Amen.

After another week of unpacking and organizing, there's only one more box and a few bags of miscellaneous items that I don't know what to do with.

Yet even with the messes that remain, this townhouse is starting to look and feel better ... What has helped me feel and experience more calm and peace are a few corners. These corners of our home have turned out to be very cozy and simply make me smile from time to time throughout the day. Like when I walk past the little library we created in our hallway, with the top shelf being a little prayer table. Or when I actually get to sit down and take a break in my reading corner or my knitting corner. I hope these corners bring a little comfort to my dear little children, too, as they continue to adjust to the move.

My son starts saying, "No, no!" every time we pull into our new driveway. I can't imagine what he and his twin sister must be thinking. How about, "When are we going to go home?!" One of my older daughters has been acting out a bit, and she finally told me this morning that she doesn't like it here. I tried to help her by relating to her (I understand, really I do!) and reminding her of the gift of this townhouse and that we're one step closer to being in the house we'll share with Grandma. I hope it helped.

The trio is off to a sleepover at my oldest's godmother's house. It will be good for them to have 100% fun tonight and tomorrow morning. My DH will be helping some friends paint their house all day tomorrow. I will hopefully get some much-needed laundry done, some cleaning and straightening done, and some knitting done.

On Sunday, we will do something fun with the kids for Valentine's Day. Not sure what exactly. But I might use some of the ideas in our Little Saints curriculum for all of them to do together. They will be getting this DVD as a little gift.

Oh, and at some point this weekend, I have to think about Lent. It's sneaking up on me this year. Ahhhh!

So, what are your weekend plans? Valentine's Day plans? Is there a corner in your home that makes you smile when you pass it by or get a chance to sit and be still in it for a moment during the day?

Whatever you are up to this weekend in your little corner of this great, big world, may the Lord bless you and your family and bring you peace.

Craft Basket Wednesday

I am so excited to participate in this meme this week. I've missed it for a couple weeks, because with the move, I just didn't have time to take photos, let alone post them, of my newest creation. But I did carve out some time to work on a fun, new project. It was a piece of calm in the midst of the storm, for me.

Two weeks ago, I joined a knitting workshop at one of the local yarn shops. It's a project-based workshop, so you simply bring in your current project, get two entire hours to work on it, get help with stumbling blocks, and learn new techniques that pertain to your project. My goal in going was to figure out what would be a good next step in my knitting. The instructor and I decided on a hat. For me. We picked out yarn, and she set me up knitting in the round. Yay!!

The pattern is Everyone's Favorite Hat & Scarf, and the yarn I'm using is Lana Grossa Cento.

I return to the workshop tomorrow to learn how to start shaping the top of the hat, decreasing stitches and working on double-pointed needles!

I am so excited to be learning how to knit on circulars and DPNs, because many of the projects that I'd like to try call for them.

Oh, and I might create a cute, short scarf with a button closure to match my hat. The shop keeper kept calling it some fancy name, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it is.

For more craft baskets, visit Amy at Knit Together.

Settling In

Hi! I'm back =)

After one week ... We are slowly, but surely, settling into our cozy transitional home.

Our move, which took place last Saturday, went remarkably smooth, thanks to generous friends and family members who helped us so much. One friend completely took charge of cleaning our "old" house. Another friend came over to help my husband set up bunk beds and cribs in our "new" house. My MIL watched the kids all.day.long. And some family-friends had us over for dinner that night, when it was all done, and it was so wonderful to just sit in the visual peacefulness of their home and sip a Gin and Tonic after the very long moving day.

Adjusting to a space about half the size of our former house has had its challenges. Everyone is a bit out-of-sorts, which doesn't create the most calm environment. I am trying to think of how I can bring more peace and security into our situation. But I'm not having much luck coming up with any brilliant ideas =) It's hard with unpacked boxes still hanging around and not enough ample storage for our stuff. Baskets and plastic bins will be our life-savers—and only décor—for this transitional time. As a friend reminded me this week, they clearly didn't design this space for a family of seven ~ LOL! But I keep telling myself, "This is only temporary," and "I can do anything for a short while." And those reminders keep me going. It will be nice when it gets warmer, and we can play outside. But in Minnesota, that won't come soon enough for this family!

Living in a new suburb also creates the interesting project of determining new routes to take to school, errands, Mass, etc. How long will it take to drive to and from dance class now, especially in the snow? This can be a bit frustrating, but I'll figure out ... and get used to it.

We also were without Internet (and TV) this week. Maybe that was a good thing on a certain level, but at the same time, I felt very isolated. Because we didn't have Internet, we couldn't send out an e-mail letting folks know our new address. Our phone was disconnected, too, so no one could call us. Well, they could call my husband's cell, but not me. Now, I am having to get more acquainted with my pay-as-you-go, only-for-emergencies cell phone. The phone that no one has the number for is becoming essential to my daily life. The TV part normally wouldn't be a big deal, but as many of you probably know, Lost premiered this week, so we missed it and are now catching up via iTunes. This probably all sounds trivial, but it just adds to the adjustment factor ... and missing those creature comforts I'm simply used to. Needless to say, it feels good to be "connected" again.

I think it's God's gift to me that I'm studying the book of James in Bible study right now. All about having joy in trials. Perfect and practical! Thank you, Lord =) And I started knitting my first hat during this transitional week, which is keeping me sane, too. Photos to come.

On a lighter note, we did get a chance to celebrate Candlemas with that light dessert I referred to last week. But we were a day late. Wednesday seemed to fit much better than Tuesday for a celebration anyway, because that's the day we officially closed on our house. Yay! The kids really enjoyed this dessert, and my husband was home to join us, too.

Well, it's time to unwind, as the weekend closes and another week begins.

I hope your week starts off beautifully.

See you soon ...