Weekly Rambles 2

::My Weekly Rambling::

What’s the weather doing?

Showers all day today, and then a freeze warning for tomorrow a.m.! Lots of people (not me!) regretting planting their gardens last weekend. Maybe this will really, really be the last blast of winter!

What’s really on my mind and heart?

Holy Week! I want to be immersed in Holy Week and final, peaceful preparations for the Triduum. Haha! It's never like that. The modern world pays very little heed to the beautiful rhythms of the Church, and this week is one of the busiest weeks of the year.

What am I thankful for?

I am thankful for those beautiful rhythms of the Church seasons by which we attempt to shape our lives in spite of the rest of the world and its demands.

What’s going on in school?

It's a weird week (see above!). Meg had standardized tests yesterday and today, so 2 half-days. Yesterday, of course, was not a regular school day for her. Today is a regular school day for Pip, but another half-day for Meg. Sheesh! The bright spot, if you can call it that, is that Tom got a job (hooray!) and is working after school 3 days in a row and needs to be picked up at 10 p.m. (boo! But there's no traffic then!) Tomorrow, Meg & Pip have drama rehearsal for a half-day. It's just crazy, out-of-the-ordinary driving this week!

What’s cooking?

I'm looking for easy Easter candy recipes because I don't feel like filling baskets with tons of junk. Most of my kids have outgrown the desire for that, anyway. Meals are going to be pretty simple this week. As much as I would like to have symbolic meals for every night of the Triduum, it's just not possible (for me) to do that and attend all the services.

What’s on the needles?

Trying to put some hours in on my Color Affection. I got the new skeins of not-quite-matching yarn that I needed, and I'm added it. I don't see the difference now, while it's all bunched up on the needles, and I hope it will be unnoticeable when I finish and block it.

What’s special about this week?

Holy Week: Spy Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and the Great Easter Vigil! Oh, and Meg gets braces (again) tomorrow. ;-)

What am I reading?

Five Lessons from Carmelite Saints That Will Change Your Life.  This took 10 minutes while at the doctor's office yesterday. It's more than worth your time.

The Truth About the Sky by Katherine Grubb. I read another book by her that I loved, and I just started this one last night.

The Diary of St. Faustina. It's one of those partially read books that has been on my list for years. This is the year.

(oh, hey, none of those are affiliate links today. :-) )

What am I praying about?

Several of the people that I've been praying fervently for have passed away, recently. It makes me so sad! One of them, a 24 year-old girl named Katie had a freak bicycle accident and died after a week from brain trauma (she hit a tree). She and her family are so faith-filled! Her father made sure to point out on Facebook that all of our prayers were not in vain because the family was given enormous graces with which to face the tragedy. It was a good reminder that though we don't seem to get what we pray for always, our prayers always have value.

What’s on my ipod?

Lately, the Divine Mercy chaplet, via this app, has gotten a lot of play after dropping the kids off at school.

What projects are happening at home?

Spring cleaning for Easter!

What are your plans this week? Share with us your Easter preparation, food, fun!

Weekly Rambles 1

::My Weekly Rambling::

What’s the weather doing?

Oh my, is it ever raining! Lots and lots of rain. It's so chilly and damp that we even have a fire going---which makes a Monday so much cozier.

What’s really on my mind and heart?

Diet. Diet. Diet. I gave up so many things in January which resulted in a whopping 8 pound weight loss in 2.5 months. Most of that was the initial "water weight" so I'm not impressed.  The 50 lbs. weight loss for my 50th birthday is looking less and less likely. Though I'll take less. Obviously.

What am I thankful for?

My sturdy roof. :-) My beautiful, healthy family.

What’s going on in school?

It's the first day back at work for the home schoolers, and spring break for the Catholic schooler. It's nice to have him home with nowhere to go since his friends and girlfriend are all on fun trips. 

What’s cooking?

I have no idea what I'm cooking this week! Yesterday's fun was lemon-blueberry cheesecake bars with my own nut-based crust and no sugar. For the first time I used only liquid stevia (with a tiny, tiny touch of honey) as a sweetener, and I didn't hear any complaints.

What’s on the needles?

I spent a couple of hours at the auto-mechanic this morning, working on the Sock Yarn Blanket, learning how to join the diamonds for the first time today. This project will take me yeeeaaarrrs. I don't know how some people have made several of these!

I'm also waiting on 2 yarn shipments for my Color Affection because I'm almost out of 2 of the 3 colors. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the different dye lots won't be a noticeable issue since the shawl alternates colors. 

What’s special about this week?

Lots of stuff on the calendar this week! Lunch with a friend. Meg starts braces. The final, celebratory session of my Consoling the Heart of Jesus retreat. And some other, not exactly noteworthy, but busy-making actvities.

What am I reading?

I'm reading George Washington's Secret Six for book club (which was yesterday!). I'm nearly finished, and I might work on that today, except that I need to finished the CHJ book ASAP. Last night, AMC premiered their mini-series TURN which is about the same subject, the spy ring that helped save the revolution.

I've really enjoyed reading this book.  It's too bad I was on a deadline, but it is interesting enough to keep my attention.

What am I praying about?

So many prayer intentions! I'm learning that I don't need to name them all one by one when I pray because the Lord knows what's in my heart and who I'm concerned about. These days, I'm focusing more on spending time with Jesus and trying to remember Him throughout my days.

Not always succeeding, mind you, or even meeting my own goals, but I'm trying.

What’s on my ipod?/

A zillion podcasts that I don't have time to get through and still manage to read books!

What projects are happening at home?

I don't think there will be any big projects this week because we're so busy. But if I find myself at loose ends, I have some sewing to do and a table to refinish/paint. Stay tuned.

Quick Mid-Lent Takes

---1---

Have you done your mid-Lent checkup to see how you're doing with your sacrifices? No? Me, neither. So, here goes.

---2---

The Skirt-Up Challenge. I'm heartily sick of wearing skirts every day! I groan nearly every morning when I have to decide which skirt to wear that's appropriate for the ever-changing weather, and then which shoes to go with it. Shoes are the biggest problem---never in my life have I felt like I had the "right" shoes to go with an outfit, so this adds to the groanage every morning! 

Nevertheless, I choose an outfit, and I say a prayer for women who have lost their way or don't know the true beauty and meaning of womanhood. (Oh, and if you don't, go get my friend Pat's book for yourself or a friend!) The thing is, even though I want to wear jeans, I generally feel very comfortable and feminine in my skirts. It's not that much of a struggle, at all.

I thought about doing a series of photos for every skirt outfit during Lent, but then I realized how truly penitential that would be for myself and others. Here's today's pic, though. No shoes yet. And that's a $12.99 skirt from Costco. Love it!

---3---

The Jesus Tree or Calendar---where we read a Bible story every day to prepare for Easter. Not happening. We opted, instead, for memorizing scripture at dinner. It's working, and we are slowly building our repertoire of verses. It's hard for the adults, but I was thrilled when I saw someone reference Gen. 1:31 yesterday and I knew exactly what it said without looking it up!

---4---

That little vase of extra penances isn't getting used as much as I would like. 

---5---

Meg, Pippo, and I are still listening to the New Testament on the way to school, but it's Spring Break this week and I have missed it. I think we need to incorporated it into our days when we are staying home, too!

---6---

The Flocknote Lenten reflections are great. And so are Fr. Barron's . It's not too late if you need a boost before Holy Week!

---7---

This isn't strictly a Lenten penance, though going into the kids' bathroom can be very penitential. I finally broke and decided to leave them a couple of notes. Every. Single. Day. the boys shower and then leave the door closed---I don't know why. They don't turn on the exhaust fan, and the smell of the humidity and mildew growing makes me a little crazy. And the toilet....sigh.

---7b---

I'm wrapping up leading the Consoling the Heart of Jesus 10-week retreat, next week. It has been amazing. I'm so looking forward to Holy Week, Easter, and, especially, Divine Mercy Sunday after this. If you haven't done this retreat yet, I highly recommend joining a group, starting a group at your parish or just with a group of friends. It's really one of the most rewarding "retreats" I've ever done!

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