The Force Awakens Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

When I saw this pattern, I impulsively ordered enough yarn to make a couple of hats. I went down a couple of needle sizes to make a child's hat, and I'm praying that it will not be too small. While instarsia is fun, it can cause a lot of pain in the hands from switching yarns so frequently, so I hope this work isn't wasted. That is what I accomplished just in one day---which, for me, is pretty good!

I'm back to reading My Badass Book of Saints at night. "Hearing" my friend's voice as I read and learning about new saints combined with modern heroines is a joy. 

Summer Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

Memorial Day. While I am very grateful for the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom, we celebrated Memorial Day and honored their memories a little differently this year. Most of us drove out to visit Katie, Brendan, and Pete whom we don't see often enough. I just couldn't let a free day pass without making the effort to see them!

"Death has a way of putting things in perspective," I said to a friend last week. Back when my mom died in '07, I was broken-hearted and reluctant to send my first baby off to college the next week, but my sister pointed out that while Mom's death was a bad thing, going to college is a natural and good thing. So, I actually handled that much better than expected, and have done it twice more since then!

Once an acquaintance said to me that she had to make a day-trip to see her college-girl because she needed some time with her, but I didn't quite get why she would need to drop everything in the middle of a busy week, with other kids at home, to go see the college student. Now I know----she died six months later and had been keenly aware that her time was limited.

Two days before Tom's recent high school graduation, one of his classmates died suddenly, and all the joy and excitement of graduation and moving on to college was turned to sorrow for that family and her friends.

I don't have any dreadful announcement to make about a terminal illness, but I'm just much more aware of how fleeting life is. I want to make more of an effort to be present and to take those opportunities to be with my loved ones.

What am I thankful for?

Life. And especially all the lives given to me to care for.

What’s going on in school?

No.thing. We're done. :-D

That is, until I register Pip for his AP class and he has to start summer reading. And he's taking a Health class this summer that starts next week. I'm sure he'll be thrilled.

What’s cooking?

No idea. For some reason, my sweet husband doesn't want Watermelon Soup for dinner! Can you imagine why anyone wouldn't want to eat that?

(j/k. I can, sort of!)

What’s on the needles?

A Ten-Ridge Wrap. I've wanted to make this for a while. When I started it a few years ago, I couldn't figure it out for some reason. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be, or maybe I've learned a little since then, though it doesn't seem difficult now! Anyway, I'm thinking of not doing a ruffled edge, but changing it to lace. What do you think? Sometimes ruffles are just too much.

Vote: Ruffles or Lace?

What’s special about this week?

It's a quiet week with 2 swim meets. Haha! The first is a Mock Meet and I may not even go to that one. After, um, 14? 15? years of swim team, I know how it works, so I didn't sign up for a job.

What am I reading?

I abandoned poor Julia Child for Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. I introduced my mother-in-love to the movie when she was here for graduation, and we both loved it (Of course, I was loving it for, like, the 4th time, but whatever!), so I thought I would read the book to see if there was more to enjoy. I had bought Gaskell's complete works on Kindle for a couple of bucks last year---deal! And yes, there is more to love. I'm having a hard time putting it down.

What’s on my ipod?/

I started listening to Cloud Atlas the other day. So far, I'm not getting it, but that could have something to do with being very sleepy and actually falling asleep to the reader's dulcet tones. I may have to listen to the beginning again!

What projects are happening at home?

I'll be trying to find a routine now that it's summer. Routines are hard to come by, and I'm not happy without some sort of guidelines for my day! I have a couple of sewing projects planned which I shall share soon.

Catching Fire Premiere

Sorry for the rotten ipicture!

All dressed, braided,  and ready for the Catching Fire premiere last Thursday!   We weren't planning to see it so soon, but there was a last-minute change of plans and the four went to the 8:00 p.m. premiere.

For someone who enjoyed reading the book and dressing as Katniss for the movies, I can't believe she doesn't want me to knit her one of these awesome sweater/vest/cowl thingies!  It's already been copied to Ravelry.

Anyway, she's seen the movie twice already.  Dh and I saw it Saturday.  I thought it was pretty awesome, but it has a terrible ending.  There's not the least bit of resolution to keep you content until the next one comes out!  I'll just have to re-read the book so it feels complete.

Have you seen it yet?  What did you think???

Lenten Quick Takes (Sort of)

---1---

All the free time I had in January seems to have evaporated in February, so all the blog posts in my head probably won't get written.  I might have to just blog once a week, and make them each a quick take!

---2---

The Holy Father is on my mind and heart, and in my prayers a lot this week.  I don't know if it's the fact that the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes was Monday, and I wanted to watch The Song of Bernadette, but I keep thinking about how the Fr. Peyramale told her she would not be able to have a normal life, but would have to join the convent.  No matter how much the Pope may have wanted to retire to his home in Germany, he can't have a normal life either.  There is nowhere for a former pope, but a monastery and a life of prayer.  

I bought the movie on Monday, and watched most of it yesterday.  That scene breaks my heart, and you see hers breaking, as Father tells her what she must do.  And then when she says good-bye to Antoine, she is so at peace, though the rest of us may be sobbing, and I pray that good Papa Benny is at peace as well.

---3---

I'm still listening to The Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers on CD.  I'll probably finish it today and be waiting anxiously for The Return of the King to arrive at the library!  I think about the kind of person Frodo is (or was) at the beginning of the story----just like the rest of us (okay, maybe we're not ALL Country Gentlemen!), living his quiet life, interested in a little adventure, but not too much.  Suddenly, he finds himself on this Perilous Quest with an impossible task to do.  Despite the hardships, he keeps putting one foot in front of the other, expecting to be captured or killed at any moment, and the way forward is gradually revealed.  In the end, he can't fulfill his task without the help of others, but it always arrives just in time.  

It's an interesting Lenten read as Frodo travels his own Via Crucis, and sacrifices himself utterly for the rest of the Middle Earth.  And how often are we given tasks to do in our own lives that are quite beyond our capabilities, but we go forward in faith that if God has given the job to do, He will also provide the necessary help---not too soon, but just in time?  There's so much to think about!

---4---

On a lighter note....I've been meaning to share this video for all the Downton Abbey fans out there.  Or if you're just a Sesame Street fan.  The Dowager Countess looks just like her muppet!  They did a great job on her.

---5---

We haven't been talking about D.A. here.  Have you been watching?  I love watching everything unfold, but I don't long for it during the week because I know how it all ends this week.  :-(  I am completely miffed that on another blog where we were discussing the most recent episode, someone spilled the beans about the end of the season.  I mean, really, couldn't she just stick to that particular episode instead of ruining it for all of us?  

Sometimes Julian Fellows just ticks me off!  I don't know why he does some of the things he does.  I do know about the upcoming final episode, but I don't know why he killed Sybil; she was one of the most charming parts of the show---at least until she got married and became Tom's doormat.  Do you like what's happening?

---6---

Fish Frys (Fries?).  Yay or nay?  Do you do Fish Fry's?  Do you like the food?  My menfolk work  at them, and it's such a penance.  They work really hard for hours.  I don't care for the food---and that's putting it mildly.  I think tonight, I'll do the Stations of the Cross, skip the food, and start a new knitting project.

---7---

I'm done.  Now it's your turn for the 7th Quick Take.  Tell me what you're up to this weekend, or what you're knitting, watching, or reading!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join the fun at Jen's for more 7 Quick Takes!

I Want it Now...Book Review

I did a very Veruca Salt thing a couple of weeks ago, and grabbed this book when it was free on Kindle!  Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of my favorite childhood movies that I have enjoyed sharing with my own children, so I thought I would get a kick out of reading Julie Dawn Cole's memoir.

I was afraid, at first, that after sharing her Willy Wonka escapades the book would deteriorate into her own sordid, life story, as have other memoirs that I've read.  And that sort of ruins the show from then on.  Though Julie does continue into Life After Wonka, her life is not a very sordid one (or she kept the worst stuff to herself out of respect for her readers!)

This was a fun book to read, learning about the interesting facts behind-the-scenes, and some of the techniques the director used to heighten the awe-factor of the chocolate factory.  The 2 girls, Violet and Veruca, became very good friends off-set, and both had crushes on sweet Charlie.  Mike TeeVee was just as obnoxious in real life as he was on screen!  I think Gene Wilder probably pulled his hair out (when they entered the Chocolate Room) as a way to get back at him for being a pest!  After reading this one, I think I'd like to hear the stories from the other children, too, to get their perspectives!

Dying to watch the movie again, I was thrilled to find the DVD at Tarjay the other day for only $5!  We've watched it twice since I bought it on Saturday, and I love it every time.  It even has a sing-along special feature!  Yes!!!

Have you seen it?  Read it?  More importantly, how do you compare the old Willy Wonka movie with the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?  I think the new movie is more faithful to the original book, but it lacks charm and exudes more creepiness in my opinion.



A very interesting detail is that the title of the original book is "Charlie and..." but the old movie was titled "Willy Wonka".  Did you ever wonder why?  As a kid I hadn't read the book, so I didn't know or care, but I did wonder why there wasn't a real Wonka Bar.  Evidently, there was supposed to be one put out by Quaker Oats, but the formula failed and the Wonka Bars were melting in the boxes, so that early promotional tie-in to the movie was lost!  I don't know why they haven't remedied that situation, but maybe they'll get on the ball for the 50th anniversary in 2021.

Relaxing Quick Takes

---1---

I'm finished!  Yay!  Except for a few panic attacks this week when more than one child said I needed to take them somewhere (in opposite directions) at the same time, I just kept thinking that it would be over eventually.  And now it is!  All the craziness of this past week is finished, and I can relax.

---2---

I'm finished with my Christmas shopping, too!  I managed to knock that out with a list while I waited for Tom to get out of school.  Hoorah!

---3---

"I'm finished" and "I can relax, now" roughly translates into:  Now I can do a lot of cooking and baking for Christmas, and make lots of trips to the store for that forgotten item, and I can take the kids out shopping for their Christmas presents for siblings.  That I can deal with.

---4---

Oh, it looks like relaxing also means making sure the kids get a lesson on How to Clean a Bathroom.  I was in there getting the towels to wash, and phew, what a mess!  And I don't mean stuff-all-over-the-place; I mean Mom-will-never-notice-if-I-don't-clean-the-pee-off-this-side-of-the-toilet messy.

---5---

We decided to watch a relaxing beginning-of-vacation movie, and while I was out of the room, the boys evidently decided that Mission Impossible 3 would be relaxing.  Um, no.  So, I'm here blogging.

---6---

Speaking of vacation movies....What movie(s) are you planning to see over Christmas and New Year's?  We've seen The Hobbit, rabid Tolkien and Peter Jackson fans that we are.  I'm dying to see Les Miserables, but I don't know if Christmas Day is the day for that.  Well, pretty dang sure it's not, so we'll see.  What else is there that you want to see?

---7---

I'm probably not going to be back here for a few days.  I'll be busy "relaxing". LOL.  I hope you have a Merry Christmas and experience the peace and joy that only Christ can give!

Love,

Sara

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join the fun at Jen's for more 7 Quick Takes!

Sherlock Who?

Last weekend, the husband and I started watching Sherlock on Netflix.  It has been around for a while----looks like it came out in 2010!  But we just heard of it from a friend and have watched 2 episodes which are pretty much movie length, so that keeps us from watching the entire series in just a weekend.

It's a PG-13 show that is dark, and maybe a bit too intense for younger kids.  (We generally subscribe to the rule that PG-13 means you might be able to watch it when you're 16---though there are exceptions to that)  My 13 yo could watch this with no problem.  The dialog is quick, and you have to pay attention or you'll miss the sexual innuendos that are questionable.  That said, they're probably all murder mysteries, so there's that dilemma, too.  However, our children aren't watching them with us; it's just us, enjoying some quiet time together during the weekend.

The writers are involved with Dr. Who, so it reminds me very much of that show with the fast pace, quick dialog, and just the general look of the sets.  And Meg will walk into the room and say, Oh, hey, that's so and so from Dr. Who.  Or, that's Bilbo from The Hobbit, while we are scratching our heads trying to figure out who the actors are.  Interestingly, both Holmes and Watson are in The Hobbit.

One of my favorite parts of the show is how Sherlock deduces things about people almost instantaneously, and he's almost always right.  Are there really people out there who are so attentive and quick-thinking?  Or is it his Super Power?

If you like mysteries, you might find Sherlock an interesting diversion.  I started to say "fun," though it's not a particularly lighthearted show.

Did you watch anything good this weekend?  Tell me what's good on Netflix or at the theaters!

---1---

I'm spending too much time on the computer this morning as I continue to unwind from last night's American Heritage Girls Court of Honor.  It was awesome, and beautifully planned (by someone else!), exciting for the girls, and just exhausting.  

---2---

My baby got braces on her top teeth this week.  She was so excited about it...for months leading up to it...and so proud to show her friends.  The next day, when a sore mouth and hunger clashed, she was not so thrilled.  :-(

What a cutie!

---3---

Truly awesome article in the National Catholic Register by blogger Simcha Fischer about What We Should Tell Our Kids About Sex.  If you have kids, or you're struggling with this issue, you should click over and read it.  Really.  It would be great if I had known some of this stuff as a teen other than the nebulous "wait for marriage" idea that I somehow grasped out of thin air.  I can't remember ever having a conversation with my mom about it

---4---

Another great article, if a little old and dusty, that's worth clicking over for, from First Things about Schooling at Home.  This is a nice look at what homeschooling can look like.  At our house, it's still a bit too check-off-each-subject oriented, but I've tried to move to a model more like this in recent years.  

---5---

Knitting.  I really should be knitting.  Deadline looming tomorrow, but I have all afternoon (she said, hopefully), and then 2 hours at trivia tonight.  I took a much-needed break yesterday from the stress and sat in the car knitting (and occasionally tweeting) while waiting for Tom to get out of school.  I had an hour and a half which I could have spent driving home and back, or just sitting and praying while knitting.  I think I chose the better option.

---6---

On Twitter this week---I'm following Cardinal Timothy Dolan.  He pretty much rocks.  Loved his tweet quoting St. Augustine that if you want to be a saint, be grateful.  So, I'm working on being grateful.  If only it were that easy!

---7---

Looks like this is going to be The Summer of Movies since our bored College Boy got a job at a movie theater.  So the whole family scores free movie tickets!  Dh and I are totally psyched.  We might make back the money spent on his uniform pants and shoes, but I don't think we'll get as high as high school tuition.  Not in one summer, anyway.  We don't have that much free time.  Keeping my fingers crossed that there are that many good movies to see----OTOH, if we're not paying, we can afford to see the less good ones!  And see the good ones twice!  

Does that make sense?  Can you tell we're excited? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join the fun at Jen's for more 7 Quick Takes!

---1---

After my whiny post the other day, I got some great feedback from my 2 friends, Barbara and Barb (LOL), who said that I'm "just" experiencing spiritual warfare.  I think I knew that, but since it was in a slightly different form than I'm used to, I didn't recognize it.  The evil one certainly knows how to exploit our weaknesses!  Reading Barbara's post that she reminded me of was very helpful.

Somehow, just knowing what's going on diminishes Satan's power and enables me to keep going.

---2---

Yesterday morning as I was walking the dog and listening to a podcast, I had a half-formed thought that it would be nice if the Total Consecration prayers and readings were in an audio format.  I immediately dismissed it as unlikely.  God is so good, though!  Later that day, one of my dearest friends called (she's such a treasure!), and during our conversation she told me that the Rosary Army had done the Total Consecration prayers in podcast format!  Greg and Jennifer Willits are delightful to listen to; they do a great job with the readings, and the litanies go faster with their team praying together.  I wish I had found this earlier, but I guess it came when I really needed it!  Anyhoo, I'll get through the next couple of days, and I've downloaded them all for renewing the Consecration again next year.

---3---

Yesterday was a good day.  Maybe I needed to get that whining off my chest, but maybe I just got a few graces I sorely needed.    Had a nice talk with my friend.  My AHG meeting went well, and I think we have all the leaders we need for the coming year!!!!  That's a huge burden lifted!  Some special and important people are transferring to a new troop, which is a huge loss, but I am excited about the leadership team we're putting together.  Maybe I can manage to hang in there another year!

---4---

I took a little break from reality last night and took the youngest 3 to see the midnight showing of The Hunger Games.  We arrived at 11 p.m. which was a little late, I guess.  By the time we got into the theater, it was packed.  Meg and Pip sat in the last row in the far corner while Tom and I braved the front row.  I don't know if it was this particular movie, but I couldn't handle it.  I was nauseated within 5 minutes!  I think it was a combination of the camera work and the action and being so close.  I don't like movies filmed that way, anyway, but to be so close was a misery!  (I know, I'm lame.)  After a little while, I moved back 6 feet to the last seat I saw:  a handicapped seat.  It was just enough distance to make it bearable, but I was sick through the whole movie!  I'd like to try it again sitting in the back where I might catch all the stuff I missed!  I had to close my eyes alot when the camera was panning quickly across the action.

---5---

In spite of my lamity, I enjoyed the movie (as much as you can enjoy a movie about a fight to the death between 24 teenagers).  I read the book a couple of years ago, so I didn't catch all the stuff they changed or left out, but I thought it was an excellent retelling of the story.  It did, however, leave out a lot of the effects of the oppression of the people by the government which I thought would be interesting in light of today's political situation.

Have you seen it or read it?

---6---

I know you're probably wondering how on earth I could take my 10 year old daughter to that movie.  (See 5 & 6 about being lame.)  After buying the tickets weeks ago, I had lots of buyer's remorse and second thoughts.  And then she ended up sitting in the back with Pip and not me, but he had thoroughly devoured the book, again, recently, and made her close her eyes all the time.  Evidently, she was so diligent about closing them that she missed long stretches unnecessarily.  lol.  

---7---

So, so, so ready for the weekend!  Maybe I'll get the rest of this clutter cleared out and we can start afresh on Monday:  clean house, clean soul, and newly re-consecrated.  (Sounds to me like a recipe for a challenging Monday!)  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join the fun at Jen's for more 7 Quick Takes!

7 Quick Takes

---1---

This week has been a roller coaster ride, emotionally speaking.  I was ready to quick blogging for Advent, if not for ever.  I don't know what my problem is, though I have a few guesses: Stress.  Hormonal changes due to age.  The holiday stress.  Temperamental puppy.  Hum drum prayer life. All of the above.  What's your guess?

---2---

I've called the expert dog trainers recommended by the vet.  Still waiting for a callback, there.  They just called and agreed that we need help.  I hope he can work a Dog Whisperer miracle in an hour!  

I'm also going to get him fixed ASAP to help curb his unruly nature.

---3---

I didn't win the beautiful St. Andrew chaplet over at Praying for Grace, but, silly me---I forgot that I know how to make rosaries---I made my own knotted twine version of it, and the kids and I have started praying it for our various intentions:  a good dog, an XBOX 360, the healing of my brother's tumor, our parish/pastor.  I'll leave to you guess whose intentions are whose.  And those are just the intentions I'm aware of!

---4---

In addition to the St. Andrew Christmas Novena, we're reading Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Padre Pio.  It's so much richer than the modern advent booklet the pastor asked us take home (and made us promise not to throw it away).
 

---5---

This year we've decided to simplify decorating a bit, because of the dog, and we're using our regular Christmas tree as the Jesse tree, so we'll only have one big tree up.  It's in the living room, bare, except for lights which I put on last night.  We still have to put the Jesse tree ornaments on for the past week.  I'm so happy we have a long Advent this year in which to enjoy the season, and I'm determined to finish any and all decorating this weekend so the boxes can be put away and I can actually enjoy it.

---6---

We went to the office Christmas party last night where the food was fantastic.  We relaxed and had a good time in spite of the inconvenience of having to drive extra long distances on a weeknight.  We were determined to enjoy ourselves, and we did.

---7---

We went to see The Muppets over Thanksgiving with the cousins.  It was such a good movie!  We laughed.  I cried.  I've always loved the muppets, so much that I had The Muppet Movie soundtrack in my very small record collection.  It brought back so many good memories.  Anyway, while you're waiting for the opportunity to see it yourself (hint, hint) enjoy this happy song, which I'm happy to have stuck in my head these days when I'm in a funk:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join the fun at Jen's for more 7 Quick Takes!

A Working Weekend

Oh my, I've been busy since my yarn-along on Wednesday.   I finally posted the picture of my sweater, so you can go look at it now!

Except for attending 2 different Masses on Sunday, I've stayed at home working.  I probably could have done more work than I did, but I also managed to throw a little relaxation in there, following the FlyLady principle of taking breaks between chores.  And I managed to check off practically everything on my to-do list.  I'll add more to it today, but that's the way it goes, right?

I've done a fair amount of cooking, preparing a labor-intensive dessert for Thanksgiving---a Raw Chocolate Almond Torte---made with lots of nuts and fat!  And, no, I'm not going "raw" but this is delicious.  I can't find a link for you, but there appear to be lots and lots of similar items out there.

Saturday while I was cooking and cleaning and knitting, I had the TV on.  I think I caught 3 episodes of Fr. Barron's Catholicism on EWTN.  I also watched most of The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, with Ingrid Bergman on TCM.  That's one of my favorite movies!  I would probably forget about it if asked to name my top 10, but it should be in there.  I've seen it several times, and I love it every time.  It makes me drop everything---except my knitting, which I pick up---and watch.  It's about a young, English woman who goes to China to become a missionary despite many obstacles, not the least of which is that her co-missioner dies shortly after her arrival.  When Japan invades, she is faced with a monumental, hopeless task that she accomplishes even though she is "unqualified" to be a missionary in China.  One of those stories of virtue that moves me to tears.

Speaking of which, my Dh just wrote a book review on his blog about a book called The Righteous which sounds like it might just do the same thing.  I'll have to pick it up over the holiday week and read some of it.

Blogging will be brief over the next few days.  Have a lovely Thanksgiving Week!

Monday Musings

Amazingly, I'm caught up on my blog reading this morning, because isn't that the most important way to start the week?  I've developed a habit (a good one?) of mostly staying off the computer on weekends in favor of relaxation or household responsibilities, but the blog posts certainly do pile up!  Last night I went through my reader and judiciously went through them either reading or just deleting.  Feels good!

Yesterday was a nice, busy Sunday starting with Mass.  I went to sing in the choir, but the rest of the family went to a different parish to check it out.  I think I've said that we're not generally fans of "parish shopping," but there comes a point when something needs to change.  If you've done your best to change your attitude and heart, and going to a certain parish is making you crazy, and possibly sinful, it's time for a change.

I got dinner going before I went to book club where we ate lots of lovely, wheat-free foods. If you look at the recipe, it calls for both beer and flour; I used the beer, but left out the flour, so it was low-carb, but not gluten-free.  There are gluten-free beers, though, which I'm trying to get dh to buy.  This is a FABULOUS recipe, made better by grass-fed rump roast and a tasty beer.

We ate so much earlier than usual that we had time to watch one of the movies that Barbara recommended:  A Shine of Rainbows.  Meg and I really enjoyed it, and cried a lot.

There's a lot on my schedule today.  Hopefully, I'll get a lot done and tell you about it later this week.  Do you have a lot of plans for the week?

 Have a beautiful Monday!

7 Quick Takes

--- 1 ---

The dog is having a negative impact on the workout program here.  I have to get dressed in the mornings to be able to take him out, which, yes, could be workout clothes, but then he has to be watched almost constantly to be sure he doesn't wander off to the bathroom dining room.

To be honest, I probably didn't need a dog to give me another excuse not to work out!

--- 2 ---

A good friend of mine is pregnant with baby #10!  I'm very excited for her, even though I laughed when she told me.  I like to think I was laughing with her, because a new baby is always a gift, and even though I don't "feel" old, I can't imagine having a baby at 47.  And the really beautiful, Catholic, part is that Baby will be younger than his nephew!

--- 3 ---

I think we're going to see The Mighty Macs tonight.  We haven't been to a family movie in a while, and I'd like to support anyone making Family Movies by attending on opening weekend.  Of course, there has been a lot of buzz about it on the internet, especially the Catholic bloggers.  It's been called a "Catholic Movie" by some, but I really don't think so.  Seems to me, a Catholic Movie would be about the faith, not just a basketball team at a Catholic university with nuns.  I'd expect The Way to be a Catholic movie as it's about a pilgrimmage and, I suppose, a change of heart.  In fact, (go watch the trailer) I can't wait to see that movie....and walk the camino.

--- 4 ---

Tomorrow is Make a Difference Day.  AHG encourages troops to get out and make a difference.  I thought it was just an AHG event, but it's national, evidently.

Make A Difference Day is celebrated each year on the 4th Saturday in October. Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, it is the nation’s largest day of volunteering, thanks to the passion of millions of people like you. Together with long-standing partner HandsOn Network, the generosity of Newman’s Own and hundreds of carrier newspapers, USA WEEKEND rallies millions in a single day to help change the world.

If you don't already have a service project you're involved in, you can go to the website and find one in your area.  Our AHG troop will be doing yardwork for an organization that houses homeless women and children and teaches them the skills they need to get back on their feet.

--- 5 ---

One of my Boy Scouts is going camping this weekend, and, can I just say, that I'm glad AHG had their camping trip on a lovely weekend?  Not on a frigid weekend, for once.  But these boys are hardy, or they're going to get that way by camping year-round.  As my brother says, "There's no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."

--- 6 ---

Speaking of my brother, not even one month ago, I posted about how well my brother has recovered from his epic brain surgery to remove his meningioma , and now we've learned that the tumor has started to grow again.  They were able to remove most, but not all, of it, so that it was just the size of a lima bean on the brain stem, but it's attached to a really good blood supply, and they always expected that it would grow again.  It seems so unfair that it's right when he's done most of his recovery; I hoped we would have years and years to wait.  They plan to attack it very quickly with radiation, but there's a very real risk that he'll experience all the facial nerve damage again.  Prayers greatly appreciated!

--- 7 ---

Lots of little knitting projects in the works.  In fact, I started a little drawstring bag from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts (love this book!) for an upcoming birthday.  It's from the 2-4 hour section, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be beyond 4 hours.

Slow knitter.  What can I say?  Oh, right, I can say that I get more hours of pleasure out of one skein of yarn.  So, I'm definitely getting my money's worth!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

The End of the World as We Know It!

We spent our Labor Day weekend watching apocolyptic movies.  First, it was Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which, quite frankly, I don't know how we had waited so long to see it since it's one of DH's Favorite Sci-fi Series Ever!  And it was really good.

Sunday, after spending half the day watching St. John Bosco, we watched The Omega Man, with Charleton Heston, after the kids went to bed.  That's the 1970's version of Will Smith's I Am Legend.  He's the last survivor of the plague that killed everyone on earth, or, if they didn't die, they turned into zombies that are out to get him.  Cheery.  It was a good movie, but very dated and cheesy, as you might expect from good, old Chuck!  Or is it just that everything from the 1970's is dated and cheesy?

Finally, last night we watched the original move, The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price.  Made in 1964, it seemed a little less dated and less cheesy, but the filmmakers weren't very attentive to the background, as there were lots of "signs of life" in a world where everyone was supposed to be dead!

If you've been to a grown-up movie lately (I was going to say "adult", but that wouldn't sound very good, would it?), you've probably seen the trailer for Contagion where there is another worldwide epidemic.  The same theme over and over again.

It's kind of fun watching movies that are remakes of each other to see their differences.  There have been lots of pandemic movies over the year, but you know what's missing?  Preparing for the end of the world as we know it.  I don't mean just having your Zombie Assualt Vehicle ready, or your armory, or your house stocked with canned food.  I mean really preparing, as in, your soul.

If St. John Bosco were here when the pandemic comes, what would he do?  I'd like to know if he'd spend his days hunting down and killing zombies, or if he'd convert them with love.  How would he spend his last days (years) on earth as the Last Man?  How would you?

St. Rita of Cascia

I don't think I've ever heard much about St. Rita, but in my blog-reading a few months ago, I stumbled across a bunch of recommendations for saint movies.  I put them all on my Netflix queue that day, and St. Rita was the first one to come up.

This movie is 3hr. 20 mins. long (!) and as far as I'm concerned it was worth every minute.  Meg and Pip were watching it with me, and I certainly didn't expect to make it through such a long saint movie in one sitting.  Lord of the Rings, extended version, yes.  Saint, no.   I thought we'd watch an hour a day, or something like that, until it was done.

We never got to a stopping place.  At one point, I tried to stop; we grabbed the remote to pause it between scenes, but the next scene started and just those 3 seconds made us want to continue.  So we sat through the whole thing, and I loved every minute of it!

It helps that the actress playing Rita was stunningly beautiful.  The guy playing her husband is no slouch in the looks department, either, even though he's a bit of a bad guy.

According to my sources at home, they took lots of liberties with the story, but I think it was well-done, nonetheless.  I thought she was beautifully portrayed as a real person, and it was very interesting to see how one could love a husband who had some serious moral faults.

I got to watch it a second time before returning it because I turned it on for my DH on Sunday and he watched the whole thing, too.  I kept thinking I'd tell him that we can fast-forward through this part, but it really seemed that we couldn't.  

I highly recommend St. Rita, with the caveat that it is Not Rated, but it should be at least PG-13 for the violence.  I didn't expect it to be as graphic as it was, but Meg (9) sat through it; she may have covered her eyes a bit on her own, although I couldn't warn her what was coming.  The 2nd time when she was in the room, she definitely covered up!  There were several instances of a sword being driving straight through someone.  I got a little worried on the wedding night, too, but that was a bit less graphic---lots of kissing and then they panned from the bed to the window.  Whew!

Does anyone have a good book on St. Rita that they recommend?  Or any other great Saint movies?  

Not Yarning Along today.  I'm still knitting on my gray sweater---I might have actually finished another inch this week.  That means only 3.5 inches to go, at the rate of an inch per week.  Maybe next year it will be done!

When I sat down the other day to fold my many baskets of laundry and the kids were out playing, I discovered this BBC mini-series on my Netflix Instant Watch.

North and South.

I watched nearly 2 of the 4 episodes, and then, yesterday, I managed to finish the rest of it.  (I think I knit most of that aforementioned inch while watching!)

It was wonderful!  The beautiful Miss Hale is suddenly transplanted with her parents from the south of England to the north where industry and trade is much more common.  She  has many difficulties adapting to the cultural differences between north and south (sounds like our US north and south 200 years ago!).  Elements of pride and prejudice run rampant through the story before she eventually finds her true love.  Of course, we all know what's going to happen, but it was worth watching anyway.

It might even be worth watching again.

Do you have a favorite mini-series??  Share, please!  I have a lot of knitting to do!

Veggie Tales! Veggie Tales!

Look who we got to meet at the AHG convention!

Bob and Larry were both there to help us celebrate the 15th Anniversary of American Heritage Girls.

After the party, there was a special preview of the newest Veggie Tales DVD made especially for girls!

It's scheduled to be released on August 3.

There are two stories:  Snoodlerella and SweetPea Beauty.  They're all about inner beauty and being the beautiful person God created you to be.  

My kids love Veggie Tales.  The younger set doesn't watch them as much as the older ones did, but they all know the songs.  In fact, they always end up singing them when we drive around to look at Christmas lights.  

Never mind those old Christmas carols.  

 It's "broccoli, celery, gotta be...Veggie Tales!"

This is not a paid endorsement, just my opinion, but if you have little girls who are already worried about being fat and being perfect, this is a great addition to your DVD collection.