With Praise and Thanksgiving

The last weekend in March I had the great pleasure of attending a real life blogging conference! Like a real blogger! Cathedral of St. Paul Jacqui ,  Anna  and  Susanna  hosted the Catholic Women's Blogging Network Twin Cities get together at a stunning Summit Avenue mansion in St. Paul. Thirty-some wonderful Catholic women from the Twin Cities, the Midwest, and even Maryland joined up to talk blogging and really just to support each other and build each other up. My friend Monica encouraged me to go, and I signed up on a bit of a whim, figuring that if I paid for registration I'd be more inclined to go. If I didn't have a mutual friend link to one of the organizers, and if a couple of my most favoritest bloggers hadn't been speakers, I'd probably have chickened out.  In response to my evident nerves on the way, my husband wisely mused, "Well, if you're going to walk into a group of people you don't know, this is probably the best group yo...

It's been a while, so I'm going to link up with Kelly at This Ain't The Lyceum  for 7 Quick Takes today! I present to you seven random things I like, and for which I am grateful today. 1. Lent! Time to repent! I do like Lent, and with a weird rib-area cartilage injury and a bad cold to set the pace, it's shaping up to be a really Lenty Lent. I'm using the Blessed is She Lenten journal for my daily prayer time and am trying...t r y i n g this 5-Minute sacrifice. I did fairly well at it Wednesday, and pretty crappy Thursday. So there you go. Onward and upward. I will embarrassingly admit that it took me until my 35th year to realize that I don't have to read all the things on the interwebs, even if they are about a topic of interest to me. The webs are awash with posts about how to Lent, and but thank goodness I resisted the urge to click on all of them and just licked on this one  by Jenny at Mama Needs Coffee. Of course you know I want to share everyth...

Trying to link up with Kelly for 7 Quick Takes. I've never done it before, because I'm not a real  blogger, but it's a new year and I'm drinking peach whisky and orange juice, so I'm really living on the edge. You can read Kelly's fantastic blog, and link to other great blogs there as well. Once you're done here, I mean. 1. Earlier this week, I drafted up a post all about the feeling of refreshment, about how the new year brings me a sense of feeling refreshed. Or maybe that was just how I felt upon returning home from our 9-day, 2-state, 950-mile Christmas bender. Before I had time to publish the post, I was back my usual grumpiness and figured it wasn't "authentic" of me to post such a happy piece when I was actually a grouch. Although I don't really have New Years resolutions to post, I really do enjoy the excitement surrounding a new year and its potential. I'm still trying to take a moment each day to acknowledge gratitude, but I...

At mass Thursday for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, I noticed right away that Monsignor Wald had on beautiful vestments. His chasuble (I think) was a brilliant white and it had black trim with gold accents. On the back was a beautiful picture of Mary with Baby Jesus. I've mentioned before that one of my favorite podcasts is the Pilgrimage to Beauty one where the good fathers discuss leading people to God through beauty. For funny stories and more profound thoughts, listen to that. I don't have too much to say on it except those vestments made me think about how much beauty I miss in everyday life. There are so many things that are so simple and common but also beautiful, and how often do I fail to see them? Part of the reason I committed to posting on a gratitude blog was to open my eyes to things like that, small and beautiful things to notice and be grateful for. Throwback to that one time the Facebook ad was on point. They hand picked that just for me. Gig...

Back when I heard Msgr. Thomas Richter speak on mercy, one of the things that immediately stuck with me was that he said in order to experience God's mercy, we have to believe that God desires to show us mercy in real and tangible ways each day. I thought of that often Tuesday. The snow day didn't go quite as I had planned, because after I published my update with hopes of hitting my to do list, I developed a migraine-like headache - the sensitivity to light and sound, the nausea, and a wicked earache on both sides. So from noon on, I was in my dark bedroom just trying to make the hours pass. I thought several times how merciful it was of God to let this misery befall me on a snow day where I didn't have to shuttle people to and from school and when my husband was home to run the show. I do not know how I'd have made it through the day without him. Even speaking short sentences or sending him a text to bring me something made my head explode. It's only through G...

I can't say much about yesterday except that I took cranky to new levels. I did not win Advent yesterday, but I did listen to a couple of Advent podcasts this week that I wanted to share. The Art of Simple - Episode 49: Guilt-free Holidays Tsh gives a simple explanation of a few Adventy things, like St. Nicholas Day, the 12 Days of Christmas, and gives a peek into what her family does for Advent. I love hearing what different families do to celebrate the liturgical year.  Fountains of Carrots - Episode 56: Advent Low Down The main thing I took from this was the idea one of them had to not multi-task for Advent. To just do the thing you are doing, and be present there. I am so bad sometimes about putting all my focus on productivity. Can I knit or clean pictures off my phone or make a grocery list while also playing a game with the kids? Can I Christmas shop online while we are eating lunch? Can I answer emails and texts while finishing up my Christmas cards? I have pon...

Top L: Kindergarten Pumpkin R: Color The Psalms Bottom L: Pre-K Math Turkey R: Shakespeare quote from Inspired Life Co   Top: Beer print from Hatch Prints (not thanksgivng, I just like it) Bottom: Gaaaa. I can't find the source. Might be Inspired Life Co. But I colored it. Please enjoy these stunning #nofilter photos of the whole of our Thanksgiving decorations. (Insert laughing emoji). Holiday decorating isn't my specialty, but I got a couple of great printables via email newsletters from a couple of Etsy shops I follow. We're leaving for Thanksgiving anyway, but I figured I might as well put my $0.20 library printing to good use, right?  Bullets of gratitude for today:  Thanksgiving printables. Duh! Sanguine matchmakers - I'm terrible at introducing myself to new people, but the gal who runs the play area where I take the kids most Wednesdays is great at finding common ground for two people whom she is introducing. I met another mom of 3 who ...

Wednesday. Wednesday. I can't remember Wednesday. The toddler started an earache Tuesday evening and didn't sleep well, but my husband mercifully took the night shift with him. He (the baby, not the husband) whined and said "need you mommy" for most of the day. I'm aware that many parents and children are dealing with much worse, and I'm glad all he has right now is an earache, but that doesn't mean it's not tiring. *As close as they got to praying It was also All Souls Day, so the boys and I prayed briefly at church and at a local cemetery after school. It went better than expected, and we had a decent discussion about death and purgatory and praying for souls while we were there. The boys loved hearing the different names and years on the headstones, and they especially loved making me figure out how old everyone was. The weather couldn't have been better for November 2, so that helped, too!

Saturday we held a fairly impromptu birthday party at a hotel in Fargo for #1, who will be turning 6 in a couple of weeks. The cousins I mentioned in 295 were there and we were joined by a friend family, grandma, grandpa and Auntie Kathy. I managed to forget all the things at our apartment, including my sanity, and I had a mini-meltdown. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law swooped in and saved the day by actually remembering stuff and thinking about things we might need.  Details. So often my pride tricks me into thinking that I'm the only one who can do the things correctly and that everything will fall apart without me. It turns out that it's possible to pull off a casual sixth birthday party without super detailed plans. It worked out and he and his guests seemed to have a great time. We only broke one planter at the hotel, so that's a victory, I guess. As it usually does, hindsight proved that it was actually a pretty great day. AND Saturday was the feast day for m...

I've mentioned before that one of my goals this year was to listen to more music. We've been getting out our CDs more often. The latest is Roseanne Cash's Rules of Travel.  There's a song called "I'll Change for You" which I can't get enough of. I can't find a YouTube video to embed, so click here to listen. Steve Earle sounds so bad ass. I love it. I've always been partial to men's singing voices, and he just kills it here. I read a blog post this morning which struck a chord with me: Small Change, Small Victories . And I'm listening to one of my favorite Catholic Stuff You Should Know episodes ever, Father John's vocation story. It's probably like the seventh time I've listened. All the heart eyes. Listen here!

Photo courtesy o f  Kristen Lynch. You can see my spouse and a kid's head in the lower right! Consecration. Photo courtesy of Kristen Lynch Last night (actually Monday night because I wrote this yesterday)  we went to a special Mass held at our new parish. The bishop and all of the priests from our diocese are here for Presbyteral Days. I don't really know what that is, but I know there were something like 75-80 priests at the Mass. We took the kids, even though 5:30 p.m. isn't their best time of day, and only one of them seems to "like" church. We thought it would be cool to see so many priests together and fun to do evening prayer with them, too. So many men dressed in the same white vestments was pretty cool to see. Bishop Folda's miter kept the little one engaged for a while, and overall it was just a cool experience. One kid fell asleep, another got a bloody nose, and the third yelled "That Father wearing him hat!" during the bishop...

Two of my most favoritest priests were back together again for an episode of Catholic Stuff You Should know: Success is Not a Name of God . Someone asked me what I thought of the episode and I realized I couldn't remember any of it, so I re-listened while I made applesauce at nap time today. I was so delighted to hear them back together the first time that I didn't really  listen. You can almost hear them smiling at the beginning. All the heart emojis. Background: CSYSK is a podcast by (now) 4 priests from the Archdiocese of Denver. Right now there are two in Denver (Father Nathan and Father Michael) and two studying in Rome (Father John and Father Mike). They alternate weeks, so there's an episode from Denver one week and Rome the next. This summer, the Fathers John and Mike returned to Denver and they mixed it up a bit. They all seem great and I totes want to hug them all right now. But there is something special about the dynamic between Father John and Father Nathan. ...

I listened to this homily by Father Bryan on Tuesday. It blew my mind. I intended to write about it, but then...life, sick kids, volunteering at school, maybe online shopping. Anyway, I listened to it again today: The Logic of Mercy . Wow. Stop reading and go listen. I've never heard this parable approached in exactly that manner, and I love it. Jesus died for each one of us as if we were the only one. Kind of mind-blowing to think about, isn't it? I really miss getting to hear him preach every week. I'm so grateful that he podcasts his homilies because they are so good. Insightful. Convicting. I love the way he seems to approach each set of readings from a big picture standpoint, teaching us about how those little bits of the Bible fit in to the larger story of salvation, while also managing to find ways to apply them simply to our real, daily life circumstances. He really has been given a gift for preaching. The podcasts are fantastic, but if you can hear him prea...

I'll tell you what was great about my Monday. My spouse, despite a long day at work, and three rowdy kids to be bathed and bedded, permitted me to take off and see Msgr. Thomas Richter speak at our new parish. I wasn't sure if I should go, but I'm so glad I did. His speech, How to Receive God's Mercy in Your Heart in Faith, turned out to be exactly what I needed to hear. The only paper I had was one sticky note in my purse, because I come prepared to highly recommended speakers. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind me trying to relay his message to a dozen people on the Interwebs. He defined mercy as "intense activity from the heart of God to heal us from what keeps us from being faithful and close to Him." Wow. I'd never thought of mercy in that manner. He mentioned five steps to receiving God's mercy. We need to believe in God's merciful movement toward each of us , and believe that He wants us to experience his mercy in heartfelt and...

I do believe that the saints in heaven can  hear our prayers and that they can intercede for us because of their closeness to God. But even if you don't, how cute are these?  These are Tiny Saints charms (I'd totally link to their website if the blogger app wasn't crappy). I'm mildly obsessed with them. We went to the Catholic bookstore today and I let the big boys pick one out. One picked St. Patrick and the other picked Our Lady of Kibeho, because apparently he has a devotion to Rawanda that I didn't know about! They have little clips, so we'll be attaching them to their backpacks for school. Mine is saints Zelie and Louis Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of Liseiux. Aren't they adorable? I find them relatable as they are hardworking parents like we are. They are clipped on my purse and I am just delighted!

I've written and rewritten, and can't get it just right. This post was supposed to be for Tuesday, July 26. I wanted this post to be eloquent and well-written, but if I don't post it now, I might never remember to do it! Background: My friend Ashley (my dear friend Monica's sister) lives in a convent in New Ulm, Minnesota, with the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus . She was back home in Moorhead last week. She'll soon begin her two novitiate years, and she won't be home during their duration. I had expected to see Ashley at a small-group meeting Monday night, and greatly enjoyed our visit there and lingering in the parking lot chatting afterward. Unexpectedly, Ashley, Monica and Monica's two girls joined the boys and I for lunch on Tuesday morning. The kids braved the humidity and ate picnic-style out on the deck while the grown-ups happily enjoyed the air conditioning. I really savored our conversation, casual and unremarkable as it was. I wavered betwee...

I'm sure I've mentioned it here several times already, but I really enjoy my Blessed is She email subscription. It includes the daily Mass readings and then a short reflection by one of their many contributing writers. Most of the reflections give me something worthwhile to think about throughout the day, and it's an easy way to work daily scripture reading into my schedule. Another thing I love about it is their weekly wallpaper. I don't use them every time they have a new one, but most of them are just so pretty that I can't resist. Here's this week's: So pretty! I shouldn't look at my phone as often as I do, but it's nice to have a beautiful painting and a verse of scripture (most often from the Sunday gospel) when I do.  Today's reflection by one of my favorite bloggers on the reading we all know about the Good Samaritan, kind of blew my mind. Check it out here . 

It's been a while since I've shared some links. I've read and listened to lots of great stuff and forgotten most of it. Here are a few links I thought were worth sharing. I'm enjoying the #TheAsIsHomeTour on Instagram. Check it out. I would try to link to it, but I don't know my Instagram password so I can't log in on the computer. I'm so old! Ryan Bingham has a new song on Amazon's Songs of Summer Playlist - check out Kindred Mountain High. My heart gets all fluttery over Ryan Bingham music. Growing Up in the Age of Likes - The Washington Post  - terrifying, really. But I'm glad I read it. The Little Lepers in My Living Room - Dierdre Mundy - "As far as I can tell, Jesus is somewhat hysterical, extremely emotional and has unrealistic expectations for how the world should work. And he’s crying again." It's Time to Forget the Idea That We Can 'Get Back' Our Pre-Baby Bodies - Verily Magazine - yup.  Audiobook Recom...

My day 123 post is sitting half-written on the computer screen but I'm tired, so I'll publish that one tomorrow. It's my blog and I'll publish out of order if I want to!  I just listened to this amazing homily by Father Mike Schmitz at the University of Minnesota Duluth. I'm grateful for his priesthood, his courage, and the way he confidently speaks the truth. I'm grateful my parents raised me in the Catholic Church, because I often wonder I would have the courage to convert. I'm grateful that Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against his church and that he would be with us until the end of time.  Check out the homily (5/1/16) here:  http://bulldogcatholic.org/heroic-confidence/ . Then make that amazed cat emoji face. That's what I did. 

I maybe have two or three Bible verses kind of memorized. It was never something that important to me (because can't you just Google it if you need one?). I do read scripture daily, though I'm somewhat new to that as well. The other day I watched this video on Facebook by a blogger that I like. She was asking people if they wanted to join her in memorizing a different verse each week. When the verses are already in your memory, you can call on them when you need them. And boy do I need this one. If you'd like to join along, follow Bonnie on Instagram @bonnieengstrom. Her blog is A Knotted Life , and it also has a facebook page .