Thursday, February 21, 2013

Lenten Check-In #1

Okay, I said that I would do my Lenten Check-In in my last post.
 So here it is after Week 1

1. Pray the Rosary every day
This one I have completed every single day. Even on the weekend I popped my cd in on my way to the grocery store. Chris has even helped me out by listening to the Rosary on our way out to eat last Sunday evening.


2. Read Not By Bread Alone: Daily Reflections for Lent 2013
I've been bad with this one. I admit that the book has not left my bag from school. I really need to jump on this one and read already.

3. Pray Before Meals
Ugh!! I am not off to a good start with this one either. I constantly forget and remember mid-bite. I'm glad that I do remember, but really need to work on my timing.


 4. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation
I have yet to do this one, but I am waiting for our parish-wide reconciliation.


 5. Attend Stations of the Cross
I went this past Friday with a few of my friends and it was such a great experience. Reflecting on the stations, singing the songs between, and being with close friends made it very special. This has been one of my favorite Lenten sacrifices.

How are you doing so far with your Lenten promises?


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Chris and I have been praying for some big changes in our lives. For awhile they seemed unanswered and that we just needed to suck it up and get through it. But in a matter of a mere two weeks(!!!) some big things have come through.

1. Our Home Loan Has Been APPROVED!!!
We have been waiting 6 months for this! That is a heck of a lot of time to wait on refinancing and it has been a very frustrating 6 months of waiting to see if this would go through.  There were some scary moments where we worried about some very drastic effects if it didn't go through. But all is well and we are just waiting on the title company to call so we can SIGN!!! We thank God for helping us through this to keep our home and make some much needed improvements on it.

2. I'm Starting A New Job On Monday!!
This was another prayerful and stressful decision to make. I already made the decision that I would not be coming back to this particular school after this school year due to the drive (40 minutes each way). It has been a very long and challenging school year for me. My aunt saw my frustration and mentioned an open teaching position that is 20 minutes closer to home and would be paying a bit more. In a matter of two weeks I have interviewed, accepted the job, and given a two weeks notice to my current school. I prayed fervently about this decision and have been given a calm and peaceful feeling towards it. I believe that this is where God is leading me right now.

3. Chris' Insurance Check
Back in September, Chris was in an accident with an uninsured driver. It was not Chris' fault, but his car was considered totaled and he suffered some neck pain. (His car is still driven to work everyday, but because of its age and that it is a foreign car, it wasn't worth putting the money into it for it to be cosmetically fixed.) Chris finished his chiropractor visits a few weeks ago and notified our insurance company. In response, they have sent us a nice check that will help go towards Chris buying a used car to go to and from work.We thank God that Chris was not seriously injured and his car is still able to get him to work and back.

God is good!! We are continually blessed and thank Him for keeping us with a car, job, and house. 

On that note, I will update later with my Lenten check-in :)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Preparing for Lent


Growing up, I always dreaded Lent. It was a time when I couldn't have my favorite candy and no meat on Fridays. I didn't understand why and counted the days until Easter Sunday when I could gorge again. Now, I realize how silly that was. As I CHOSE to understand and mature in my spiritual journey, I have found a deep love for what Christ did for us, not only in the 40 days in the desert, but also redeeming our sins and giving us a chance at eternal life. 

I remember asking Deacon Dean Darnell back in high school what he thought about giving up things for Lent. He said that if you're going to give something up for Lent you might as well give it up for life. He said that it was better to do something extra and try to incorporate it in your life. I've been focusing on what he said for the past couple of years. I'm not always successful after the first few weeks, but maybe if I post them on my blog I will stick to them better.

1. Pray the Rosary everyday
I really want to do this one. Growing up, I was always bored by the Rosary and thought it lasted for an eternity(I was a dramatic child). As an adult, I find the beauty of the prayers and how it is more important to focus on the mysteries than trying to say the prayers with perfection. This is one of the best ways to use mental and vocal prayer. I have the Rosary on CD and it makes it much easier to follow if someone is saying it with you.

2. Pray before meals
I am so terrible at doing this. I tried this one last year and failed miserably. I really want this act to work and have it become second nature. Prayer before meals was not something we did regularly(sorry Mom for calling us out) at home. I want to change that so it is easier to have our future children pray at meal times. 

A friend got me the same book for Advent and I really liked it. I have read a few of these in past liturgical seasons and they help to keep you focused on the season. They put the season in a different perspective and give a realistic approach for the average person. It also helps that these books are only about $2!

4. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation
This should be a no-brainer, but mustering up the courage to go is usually the hardest part. Once I am at the confessional the rest comes out quite easily. I want to stop making excuses and go at least once during the season. Walking out of that confessional makes me feel so alive and grateful that Our Lord continues to heal us every single time. So this season, I want to come back to Jesus.

5. Attend Stations of the Cross
This is another one that if I just stop making excuses and get my butt there, I know that I will be thankful for going. Going through each station of Jesus' walk to Calvary is a very solemn journey that shows us just what He did for US! Why wouldn't I want to spiritually experience that with Him?? I remember going to Stations of the Cross in elementary and trying to picture myself as Veronica wiping Jesus' face and how wonderful it must have been to do that. As an adult, I see how humbling that event is and see that He appreciates even the smallest things we do out of love for Him.

I think that's it for now. Five is a good number to start with and these are attainable goals as long as I keep my laziness away. I think I will periodically do a check-in and see how I'm doing along these 40 days.

What are your Lenten goals/sacrifices?


This post is part of a linkup hosted by Carrots for Michaelmas, Molly Makes Do and Dualing Moms. Follow this link to see some other great posts about the fasts, feasts and celebrations of Lent.



Monday, February 11, 2013

Birthday presents

My brother's birthday, my future sister-in-law's birthday, and my best friend's birthday are all within a week or so between each other. I try my hardest to buy birthday gifts early. I did really good this year and got them early enough. 

My best friend and I like to get together to gab and enjoy some wine. For her birthday I got her this

It's a koozie for your wine glass. I thought it was the cutest thing and almost bought one for myself. The day after I gave it to her, she sent me this picture of her wine glass in her woozie and a wine chiller that I also got for her birthday.

I got my brother and future sister-in-law a joint gift. Shutterfly was running a special on photo plaques. I made one for them with some of their favorite pictures so they can display it in their house. I was very happy with the results and they were really pleased when they opened it.

Desktop Plaque
View the entire collection of cards.
 


I really want to be one of those people who have all of their Christmas presents bought by September/October. I think I have a good start with all of the Christmas deals. I hope I can keep it up!


Friday, February 8, 2013

I Heart Holidays

My husband calls me crazy, but I don't care. I LOVE HOLIDAYS!! Even though Christmas is my favorite, I really love all of them. To show my excitement, I like to decorate for each one. There is not a moment that I don't put some sort of holiday decoration in the house. Let me break it down...

Let's begin with Christmas. Once the Christmas season is over(The Baptism of Our Lord, for you Catholics out there) I put up Valentine's Day decor. Once Valentine's Day is over I move on to St. Patrick's Day and then Easter. Once Easter is over, there is a long span of red, white, and blue from Memorial Day until Labor Day. After Labor Day comes Halloween, then Thanksgiving and we are right back to Christmas again. Ok that sounds exhausting, but I have a lot of fun getting the house decorated. 

Some holidays I have more decor than others, but I try to have a front door hanging, a garden flag in our front yard, and a hand towel in the half bath at the very least. I try to buy the majority of my decor the day after the holiday and save it for next year. I love clearance racks at Hobby Lobby and Kohl's the best. I have even collected front door hangings for every holiday for a year to give as wedding presents. 

Since we are around Valentine's Day I will share my Valentine's Day decor.

Since Christmas, we have moved this hope chest to the entryway. I decided to decorate it for the season. I know the garland is tacky, but then again Valentine's Day is a bit tacky itself. 

 Here are the "Love" blocks that I talked about in my last post.

I bought this wool heart garland at Target this year. I'm addicted to garland (thanks Pinterest) and think I need it for every holiday.

Here is my Valentine's Day hand towel for the half  bath.

 This flag was standing on its own on the holder until I realized it was backwards, tried to turn it, and it broke off. Time for a new garden flag holder.

And our front door


My sis wants us to share Valentine's Day with her and my BIL. She wants to take our men to Medieval Times. Neither one has been there before and we think it would be a fun experience. 

Anybody doing anything special for Valentine's Day, keeping it low key, 
or not bothering with it at all?




Friday, February 1, 2013

More Smorgasbord

Just some random things for this week. I was cleaning up the kitchen last week and glanced out the front window to see this...


 Our neighbor raises goats and every once in a while they get out and run through our front yard. We're not bothered, as they keep the grass down and it makes me feel more like we live on a funny farm.


I was getting ready for work a few days ago and saw how these chubbies were cuddled up with Chris. You can see that he is buried underneath these two, in the top left. I feel bad that Chris hardly gets room in the bed, but I think he likes them cuddling up on top of him.

For Catholic Schools Week, I decorated my door for the Year of Faith. I always try to incorporate my dogs at school. My sis-in-law, Kate, got us a basset hound calendar for Christmas last year. I was a bit upset when the year ended and this calendar was over, but I love that I found a way to use it again. I put a caption above one of the dogs that says, "We have faith in God's plan for us!"

My cousin, JeriLynne, started using acrylic lettering and wanted to make us something as a wedding gift. She had already made these for my cousin's benefit

 These went for a very high price and are worth every single penny. She does an excellent and thoughtful job in creating these pieces.

She made me a set of blocks for Valentine's Day. The other side says "peace" and is for Christmas. They look even better in person. She is very creative and takes pride in her craftsmanship. These blocks look beautiful over the piano. I may have to do some bartering to get some more blocks for the rest of the holidays.
If you are wanting to add some of these lovely pieces to your home, please let me know and I can give you her contact information.



***I think that I will just start having "Smorgasbord Fridays" to just talk about random things going on.