Prayer Buddy Reveal

One of the great things about prayer buddies, besides having someone pray specifically for you, is the opportunity to "meet" other bloggers and focus on their needs.  I had the privilege of praying for Clara at Refining Journey. 

This isn't a blog that I have read before and I really enjoyed learning more about Clara, a recent convert to Catholicism.  She recently found out that she will be heading to Omaha to become Creighton Model FertilityCare System Practitioner.  Awesome!

When I watered the flowers at church I would often stop in our Holy Family alcove and light a candle.  Clara's is just to the left of St. Joseph's knee, above the plant leaves.

Keep the Home Fires Burning

A year or so after we got married, DH got a new job working second shift.  It wasn't the most ideal of situations, since I worked days, but we managed.  During the week we were lucky if we saw each other for a half hour to an hour each evening before I headed off to bed.  We learned to make the most of our weekends and guarded them closely. 

A couple years into it, I started our Friday Night Feast.  Usually DH would just eat the leftovers of whatever I had made earlier in the day, but on Fridays I would wait to eat dinner with him at 11:30.  I'd make something special and set a nice table.  He would sometimes come home to find me grilling lamb chops or steaks by flashlight!  It was a great way to reconnect after a long work week.

Even though we're not working opposing shifts any longer, we still guard our Friday nights carefully.  It's the time to leave all the office politics and stress behind and concentrate on what is important. 

Last Friday we had our first fire of the season.  We chatted, drank some wine, ate some yummy s'mores, and watched the flames dance on the hearth.  It was quiet, peaceful, calm - what I want my home and my life to be. 

It was good.  And I am grateful.

And I'm looking forward to it again.

Thankful Thursday (3)

* An oven that works.  Two months and three visits from the repairmen later, we come to find out that the part they thought was bad was just installed at the factory improperly.  Why isn't easier to buy new appliances?

* Homemade banana bread and brownies.  (see above)

* The ability to work at home on occasion.  It comes in handy.  (see above)

* Going out to lunch with my honey.  Hey, I was home, I may as well take advantage of it!

Check out more to be thankful for at The Road Home.

Dumber Things (3)

Why does it seem like most of my Dumber Things involve the car?  I suppose it's a fact of life for me, but they just do.

I've been driving DH's car to work since it is a bit more trustworthy than our almost-thirteen-year-old Saturn.  When the odometer turned to all threes I just had to get a picture.  Wouldn't you?  It didn't matter that I was going 60mph in rush hour traffic!

The mileage on odometers intrigues me.  It marks places I've been, time I've spent, things I've seen.  It's almost like an age or an anniversary, it indicates some sort of shared history.

Don't worry, though, I won't be taking a picture when it's all 6s!

Why I Love My Husband

* He makes me smile.  We often say Life is a musical.  We'll be doing something or going somewhere and he'll break out in song, changing the lyrics to fit what's going on. 

* He's my most honest critic and my biggest cheer leader.  He wants what's best for me and for me to be my best.

* He misses my mom as much as I do.

* He loves our Lord, our faith and our Church.  He's helped me learn my faith in a more in depth and adult way. 

* He sends me goofy pictures at work to brighten my day.  I just love his sense of humor.

9/11

God Bless America!

Quick Takes (15)

- 1-

It seems like the media is focused on remembering and commemorating the attacks of 9/11 this Sunday.  It certainly is a day and date that is to be marked.  We, on the other hand, will be celebrating, not the attacks, but my mother-in-law's 75th birthday.  My aunt also shares the same birthday and has often said that she wanted to just ignore it because of what had happened on that day.  No way!  We need to celebrate life and its infinite good possibilities.

- 2 -

A couple of weeks ago DH and I went to a neighboring parish's Sunday evening teen rock Mass.  It is an experience, one I can only manage perhaps about every six months.  It is refreshing to see the teens so excited about their faith and to see them participate fully in the sacrament.  But, I guess I'm showing my age, the music is a bit much for me.  It's a bit too theatrical and not worshipful.  I suppose the teens think the same about the music I prefer at Mass.

- 3 -

After that Mass, we stopped at our favorite burger joint for dinner.  We just made it to the front door when the skies let loose and it poured buckets.  A little while later, while we were munching on our wings, someone who was sitting on the restaurant's patio came rushing in a side door.  He wanted to share the massive and glorious rainbow that was out there with all of us inside.  What a moment of kindness and joy!

- 4 -

I'm trying to get my mojo going and start a sewing project.  But I sit here undecided.  Do I start the sweatshirt or the quilt?  Which should it be?

- 5 -

How many is too many book clubs?  They're starting a new one at church, one focused primarily on Catholic fiction, with one non-fiction thrown in for good measure.  I'm impressed with the list of books the organizer has chosen for us to read.  There's a couple I've read before, but should read again and again, CS Lewis' The Great Divorce and GK Chesterton's Manalive.  The first one should be interesting - Fatherless by Brian Gail.  I better get started soon as I saw that it's over 500 pages! 

- 6 -

We've been known to rent movies and not watch them.  Hollywood would not survive if there were more people like us.  Last weekend we actually watched one, Win Win, with Paul Giamatti.  I usually like his movies as they are quirky and a bit off the beaten path.  This was no exception. 

- 7 -

“To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.”

– A Short History of England, GK Chesterton

Don't forget to check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Have a great weekend!

Thankful Thursday (2)

Today I am thankful for. . . .

Our pastor, Fr. Joe, who's not afraid to tell it like it is.

Miracles!

Grateful hearts.

My big furry friend.  He makes me smile.

Check out more to be thankful for at The Road Home.

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 7 - a little late

-2

I was afraid this week of what the scale was going to tell me so I didn't check yesterday.  I got on today, and, much to my surprise, I saw movement.  In the right direction. 

I don't feel like I'm eating a lot less, but I am drinking a lot more water and I'm watching my sugar intake.  I read recently that consuming too much refined sugar and carbs can cause mental fogginess.  Eliminating sugar has made a huge difference in my thinking. 

All the fresh veggies from the garden and the farmers market have got to be helping too.  I'm really going to hate seeing summer go, but I'll make do with what I can find in the grocery store.

Bountiful harvest

My husband and I both grew up with vegetable gardens in the back yard.  There's nothing like fresh tomatoes or peppers or beans.  And BLTs with home grown tomatoes?  Yum!

The summer before we got married I had put in about 20 roma tomato plants.  We made our own salsa, mostly from items grown in my garden.  We canned that, along with our own homemade blackberry sauce and applesauce, and gave that to our bridal party and parents as part of their wedding gifts. 

Even though we have quite a large yard now, we only have a small plot that we use for veggies.  This year we planted six tomato and two green pepper plants, potatoes, beets, carrots, lettuce and peas.  The peas didn't do well, I think I put them in too late as they like the cooler weather.  The lettuce was bitter so we just pulled it out and dumped it in the compost.  But the rest has done the best it has since we moved in. 

I made some homemade tomato sauce on Monday and it was delicious.  I'm wishing I had made more.  We're eating well with all this fresh produce.

I think next year the garden is going to be much, much bigger!



green pepper plant & carrots in the foreground,
tomatoes in the back

beets



potatoes and first harvest of tomatoes

beets, carrots, peppers, and second harvest
of tomatoes

You talkin' to me?

Have you ever gone to Mass and the priest's sermon seems like it is just for you?  It's as if he is looking into your soul and into your life and knows exactly what you need to hear.  Yesterday was like that for me. 

Most of Fr. Joe's sermon was based on the first part of to Saint Matthew's gospel:

If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.  If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'  If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

We not only have a responsibility to do what is right, we also have a responsibility to let others know, in a charitable way, when they are going something that goes against God's law. 

Wow!  Heavy stuff.  It's so easy to sit back and say that doesn't affect me so I'm not going to do or say anything.  It's easy to do nothing or to complain about the offender to someone else.  I'll just go along and get along.  Nope, I'm called to do more. 

I've been struggling with this somewhat at work, actually on two fronts.  The first is probably the most painful.  There's a couple of people to whom Jesus Christ isn't their Lord and Saviour but a swear word.  When they've said it, it was like someone stuck a dagger in my heart.  I physically hurt.  But I didn't say anything.  Why?

The other situation is typical work drama.  There's a team lead that is not only ineffective, she lies, takes credit for other peoples' work and is incredibly self-centered.  But yet we haven't said anything to her about it.  We just complain to each other and our management.  Why?

I pray that tomorrow, when I go back to work after the long weekend, I can charitably live out Matthew's gospel and Fr Joe's sermon.

Pray for me, won't you?

Thankful Thursday

Rebecca over at The Road Home decided to focus on the good things in her life by posting what she is thankful for every Thursday.  I've been a bit of a grump today, so I decided to follow in her footsteps.

Today I am thankful for. . . .

* The beautiful weather we've been having - not too hot, not too cold - just perfect!

* Our county's park system. There are about a dozen parks with miles of trails to be hiked and enjoyed.

* My DH with whom I got to share both of the above.