Are You Ready for Extreme Holiness?

"To change the world, we must change ourselves."  St. Frances de Sales.

I read this quote the other night and it caught my attention.  Little did I know that I would be waking up the next morning to news of the Pope's resignation.  Everyone speculating why and what would come next.  Is there scandal?  Is he sick?  Who will the next Pope be?  Will this be the last Pope?  Is the anti-Christ coming? 

So many questions.  So few answers.

But, is there a connection between the questions and the worry and the fretting, and the quote at the top?  I believe there is.  It is so easy to get caught up in all of the worry about where we are headed, when in reality all we are called to be is holy.  If we focus on that, especially with Lent right upon us, maybe we can change the world, no matter who the next Pope is or what he does, or doesn't do? 

God is calling us, right now, on the threshold of 40 days of prayer, penance and almsgiving to change ourselves so that we can begin to change the world.  St. Frances also said, "To be dissatisfied and fret about the world, when we must of necessity be in it, is a great temptation."  I figure I can spend the next 6 weeks fretting about the world and what is to become of it, or I can pull up my bootstraps and work on making myself into a holier person.

Maybe it is good that Pope Benedict announced this right before Lent.  We can use this time, with its prayers and penances, to pray that the Holy Spirit will prevail and we will be blessed with another good and holy man that will lead us into the new springtime!  

So what say you?  Are you ready for Lent?  Are you ready to transform yourself over the next 40 days into a person that can help transform the world?  Hey, we can even give it a name and call it H40X - 40 days to Extreme Holiness!  Come on, our challenge awaits!

God Bless!

Catholic Woman's Almanac

Moments of Gratitude:

* Even though they didn't win (again) my son's basketball team came close to winning and they played great. It was fun to watch.
* A wonderful Valentine's dinner put together by a club my girls are in (more on that later in the week).
* A quiet day on Sunday topped with a movie with the big kids.
* A decent tax return :)

Beauty in the Ordinary:

I had the opportunity to have a number of hours on Saturday to sit in my room, by myself, and work on my website.  It was very productive!  I find sitting in the rocking chair in my room, which is quite ordinary, to be so peaceful.

In the Kitchen:

Whipped up some awesome cranberry muffins in the kitchen this morning.  Tomorrow the highlight for Fat Tuesday will be ribs in the crock pot and paczki's!!  Then Lent begins and the kitchen becomes a place of repetition and simpliticy.

The Week Ahead:

Lent.  There is nothing more to say.
 
Pondering:

The announcement by the Holy Father and what this will mean for our Church and for the world. 

Praying:

For my 22 year old nephew who just underwent back surgery.  For the Church and the cardinals as they prepare to elect a new Pope, that the Holy Spirit will guide the process. 

Captured:

God Bless!

 

7 Quick Takes February 8 2012

--- 1 ---

Every once in awhile I come across a quote that really sticks in my brain.  The other day I read this one from Pope St. Gregory (parenthesis are mine for context of the quote), "The devil has nothing of his own in this world, and he goes into battle naked.  If you are clothed when you fight him (meaning you have a lot of attachments), you will soon be pulled to the ground, because he will have something to grab onto."  This is what I imagine myself to look like when fighting the devil:  

 

--- 2 ---

Yesterday I had the opportunity to do what I think has become my favorite of the P90X workouts:  Kenpo X.  I've never done anything like this before, so this martial art-sy type workout is quite fun and exhausting.  I figure everyone is still safe because my form is horrible and my punches and kicks are quite lacking.  You never know, though, what might happen with some more practice.  If nothing else, it burns a lot of calories.
 

--- 3 ---

My favorite part of Quick Takes:  being able to rapidly change topics without appearing to be scatter-brained :)

--- 4 ---

Our pastor was supposed to come for dinner last night but had to cancel because he wasn't feeling well.  Unfortunately we had already baked the dessert and so had to eat it so that it didn't go to waste.  Darn.
 

--- 5 ---

I've taken the photographic plunge and been shooting in full manual mode lately. It has been so much fun!.  
 

That's what I love about photography; there is always so much more to learn. 

 
You start in automatic mode, move to semi-manual mode and then to manual mode.  You might think you're done when you learn that, but then there's all the lighting and white balance and tons of other things to fine tune so that you don't have to depend so much on your post-processing abilities.  It's a lot like the faith...you are never done learning and growing!

  

--- 6 ---

Mr 12 yo has a double header in basketball tonight; one game at 8:00 pm and the next at 9:00 pm.  The games are each 36 minutes long with a 9 minute half-time break so they turn these babies around in a very timely fashion.  Well, seeing as how his team hasn't won one game yet, we're all a little nervous about what they are going to look like by the 9:00 pm game.  To top it off, they only have seven players, so the boys play quite a bit of those 36 minutes.  If you feel so inclined, please say a prayer that they don't get creamed :)

--- 7 ---

Has cabin fever hit your house yet?  Yeah, here too.  Counting down the days till warmer weather comes our way.  Problem is, it could be tomorrow or it might not be for two months.  Ya just never know from one day to the next what the weather will be around here.  If you're out east, I hope your weather isn't too bad this weekend.  Have a safe and blessed weekend.

God Bless!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Her Little Corner of the World

 

This is Ms 9 yo.  She is the youngest of the five girls.  She shares a bedroom with her other sisters.  She needed her own space, she said, so my youngest girl took it upon herself to carve out her own space in the house.

What I think is so funny about this is that she didn't pick a secluded spot somewhere in the deep recesses of the house (or basement for that matter).  She chose a small corner of bare floor right in the den, tucked away in between the couch, a table and a chair.




She moved in her bean bag and back rest, a small pillow and a small blanket to keep her comfy.  When she's sitting back there, you really can't see her because her head is below the arm of the couch, so I guess she is tucked away in her own little corner, just close enough, though, to feel safe :)

She also brought along one of her favorite pals - her tiny zebra called Zippy.  Here she made her a comfortable spot to sleep and play.  I love the striped chair made from a matchbox and that cool duct tape that comes in all kinds of different colors and designs.

Even her baby doll gets to join in the fun.  I love to see her being so maternal :)





At first I thought this phase would die quickly, but she's been set up here for over a month now and seems to really enjoy her little corner of the world, where she can be "alone" but still be a part of the family.

God Bless!

How I Helped My Son to Read Better :)

This is Mr 7 yo.  He is having a hard time getting that reading thing down.  He's getting there, slowly but surely.  Okay, maybe really S-L-O-W-L-Y.

 The other day, though, I think I inadvertently discovered something that helps.  
We were sitting down with our Little Angel Readers and I was mentally preparing myself for the day's lesson, calling upon my Guardian Angel for that extra ounce of patience.

I looked at him preparing as well.  I decided to lighten the mood a bit.  I told him I was going to get him ready to read.  I first massaged his brain...

Then I told him we needed to massage his eyes so that they were ready to see the right letters...

Then I massaged his mouth so that the right sounds would come out....
 

Then we sat down to read.  Funny thing was, he actually did better.  He got to a particularly hard word (n-e-x-t...you know, words with two consonants next to each other!) and he did it...he read the word all by himself. 

He no sooner said the word "next" when he looked at me in awe and said, "Hey, that really did work!"  Ah, one of those moments that make all the other days SOOO worth it.

Of course, now we have to make this a regular part of our phonics lesson.  Today we tried it again and guess what, it worked again!  Praise God!  If I have to do this every day, I will just so I can see his little face shine when he is done!

God Bless!

Catholic Woman's Almanac

Moments of Gratitude:

* Even though my son's basket ball team lost AGAIN, they played for the first time like a team and it was so much fun to watch.
* The big snowflakes falling softly to the ground - I mean straight down, no wind, no obnoxious threat of horribleness, just gently falling snowflakes.
* Finding a new doctor that I actually liked!
* A great dinner of our favorite pizza and my sister-in-law's delicious cake.

Beauty in the Ordinary:

We took a family walk today in the snow.  Okay, so that is not exactly ordinary because we don't often take walks and it doesn't often snow, or so it seems that way lately.  But, nonetheless, it was a beautifully ordinary day in the woods.  Peaceful, not too cold, not too much commotion from anyone.  How peaceful God's creation can be.

Listening To:

Nothing.  It is so silent here.  My dh and some of the kids are still at the in-laws watching the game and the rest of the girls are not saying a word.  Wow.

In the Kitchen:

Well Monday we're going to have to have the Balsamic vinegar marinated pork chops with peaches that we were going to have on Sunday until half the family left to go eat sub sandwiches and watch the game.  Then I believe we have the wonderful Taco Soup and a good ole fashioned Shepherd's Pie as well as  homemade pizza on the list.

Looking Ahead:

We go to the accountant's office this week to find out if there is much hope of a tax refund.  Ugh.  We also have our monthly hour at the local Planned Parenthood as well as a double header in basketball this week.  On the weekend, my hubby and I get to go to a Valentine's Day dinner put on by the girls' club two of my daughters are in.  Homemade French food and champagne, YUM!

Praying:

For Sarah who will be having her bone marrow transplant on Monday sometime.  Please join me in praying that it will be successful.  Also praying for friends of ours to find a job as he has been out of work since last April.  

Reading:

Still nothing.  I really do need to remedy this and get going on something.  Actually I just remembered that I was supposed to be reading the next chapter in History so I could be prepared to discuss it this week with the kids.  Guess I'll have to get right on that one.

Captured:

 

God Bless!

 

7 Quick Takes February 1 2012

--- 1 ---

It's Friday.  It's the first of February, which is really hard to believe.  Not only that, but it is a First Friday.  A lady in one of the facebook groups I'm in suggested that we all join together today, First Friday, at 3:00 (whatever time zone you're in) and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for our husbands.  They work so hard for all of us and need all the prayer support they can get.  So, if you're reading this before 3:00, jot a note to join us all in prayer.

--- 2 ---

Speaking of husbands, our 25th wedding anniversary is later this spring and I'm in a quandary about what to do to celebrate it.  I remember back in the days of my parents' 25th, everyone had huge parties at banquet halls; like a mini-wedding.  I'm not suggesting that big of a party, but I'd like to do something.  None of the other siblings have done anything with family so far, so instead of a party, should we just go out for the day with the kids?  by ourselves?  Should we renew our vows at Mass?  On the day or on a Sunday?  Ugh, so many decisions to be made.  How have you celebrated your 25th??

--- 3 ---

My one daughter suggested going out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We've never been there but it looks good.  What made it even more enticing is that there is one in Birmingham, Alabama, which is about an hour away from one of our favorite places on earth...Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, AL.  Now wouldn't that be a great way to spend the day (and then some because we live 12 hours away from there :).

--- 4 ---

On a totally different note, I received an email this past week from the Mystic Monk monks letting me know about their Valentine's Day flavored coffee:  Chocolate Cherry.  Can I just say that this sounds heavenly.  I don't like the flavored coffees "straight" but I love to mix in some of the beans with my regular coffee.  Gives it just the right amount of flavor :)  If you'd like to try some out, don't forget that you can click on the Mystic Monk link just to your right and help support the monks, your coffee habit and this homeschooling family.  Thanks :)

--- 5 ---

Tonight is another basketball game for Mr 12 yo.  Unfortunately his team has lost every game.  The top two shooters have been out the past two weeks, so that certainly doesn't help.  Last week they got slaughtered.  The good news is that, so far, they don't seem to have given up.  As discouraging as it is to watch, they are keeping their spirits up and keep trying.  I just pray that they can win at least ONE game this season.

--- 6 ---

Lent is right around the corner.  We've begun preliminary discussions about what it is going to look like around here, but haven't really nailed anything down yet.  I keep reading about how one should meditate on the Passion so I think that will have a big part of my personal Lent.  We were discussing about reading a book out loud together but haven't hit on a title yet.  Sometimes all the planning is for naught because God decides what He wants us to do, but that doesn't always happen so I feel I need to still have a plan in place.

--- 7 ---

As a closing thought, please keep this courageous young woman in your prayers.  She is undergoing a bone marrow transplant on Monday and will need all the prayers she can get for the recovery.  Her name is Sarah and here is her post that shows what a fighter she is. 

God Bless!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!