Tuesday Talk #35: Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day from our family to yours! Hope you had a wonderful weekend with friends and family, and that you paused to remember those past and present who have fought for our freedom and our country!

P.S. I'm the one that looks like a watermelon ;)

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And all of a sudden...I'm a Mrs.

We. Are. Married.

And life is beautiful.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

I love you all, dearest friends, and I wish you a truly joyous Christmas. I pray you are able to lay aside the outer trimmings of Christmas and take a moment to invite the Christ Child ever deeper into your heart. That whatever imperfections, struggles, heartache may be in your life right now, you know that there is hope because of Him.

 

Yes, may all the hope and promises of Christmas bring you the peace and joy of Christ this season. He still comes, He still rescues, He still saves. Precious baby Messiah.

 

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born.

 

-"Welcome to Our World," by Christopher Rice

7 Quick Takes Friday: Christmas Style [vol. 4]

 

Ahh...it's Friday. As I was putting my coat on at work this evening, I had a painful flashback of the many Fridays in the past when I would race out the door, ready to see P. for a date. And as much as I wish that were the case tonight, I do have to say there's something comfy-cozy about this Friday-night-in. Organic frozen pizza in the oven...Brogan curled up on my lap...and lots of good books and DVDs...

There are also a lot of other happenings in my life right now besides the heartache (several good happenings, too!) but for this week I'm going to do my quick takes with a bit of a twist. Instead of seven updates, I decided to share seven Christmas-decorated areas of my home. The updates will come in time but for now...I hope you enjoy!

 

--1--

 

I love the fun colors of these ornaments...and they match the bright colors of our kitchen!

--2--

 



Just seeing these cute little guys makes me want to bake cookies :)

--3--

 



Love this one. So much meaning. The sign above the manger says, "God Keeps His Promises."
He did then. And He still does.

 

--4--

 

Who wants to wash her hands with Sugar Cookie soap and then put on Peppermint Candy Cane lotion?

 

--5--

 

So cozy.

--6--

 



Coffee or tea? It always tastes better in cute mugs!

 

--7--

 



I couldn't find my Advent wreath this year...so thanks to an idea from my creative sister,
I have one now.

 --And just for fun--

 

Whew! Christmas decorating makes me tired! (Check out his festive velvet jingle-bell collar)



For more Friday Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Friday: 7 Quick Takes [Take Three]

I'm exhausted. Fifty more minutes and it won't even be Friday anymore. Why am I even bothering to do these 7 Quick Takes? Maybe I just need to feel community tonight...so here we go...I'll be there soon, bed.

--1--

 

I was called in to work on Monday. It was okay, though. Distraction is good right now. When I arrived home, I got a text message from my roommate. This is what it said: Hi :) I'm still in bed. Got a little sick last night while at work. Think it was a quick bug though! I'll be getting up soon to take a shower. No joke (but it totally cracked me up that she was texting me a room away!). Even the smiley face. So we continued to text each other until I brought her back a tray with hot tea and yummy feel-better snacks. I love taking care of people. I think that's why I'm a nurse. :)

 

--2--

 

Speaking of tea, I'm getting on a craze lately. I drink it in the mornings during my devotion time...I like to have a mug of Sleepytime before I go to bed...and sometimes I like it if I'm home during the day with an afternoon snack. This is my favorite tea ever (don't mind my favorite mug ever--it got a little jealous so I put it in the picture, too. Pier 1 has the cutest mugs):

Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea...mmmm

 



 

--3--

 

A. and I painted our bathroom this week. (again, need distractions and purpose right now!) It looks so great. Much cleaner and whiter. The only downside--now the bathtub and sink look dirty because they're not as white!

A horrible picture of me, but I leave it for your amusment. Please focus on the upper right hand corner...where you can see the paint colors rather than me. (Really--who looks good when they're painting??)

 





--4--

I've been singing this week, which is incredibly healing and encouraging. I really haven't felt like smiling or laughing, much less singing. So it was a sweet moment when I realized in the car I was not only singing along with the P&W song but was even tapping my (non-gas-pedal) foot with the beat. My brothers are home from college for the holiday weekend and they tend to just burst into song randomly. Kind of like a real-life musical. Or a flash mob. It makes me happy to be around them and I find myself singing too. Thank you, Lord.

Little brothers

 



--5--

 

Thanksgiving itself was beautiful along with a handful of heartache (okay, let's be real. more than a handful) that I'm not with P. and his family this weekend. As for my family, only my immediate family gets together, but we're all pretty close so we have a great time together--my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, my two precious nephews, my twin brothers, and their friend from college. Not only did the gifts of family and food make me thankful...but also the deeper blessings like salvation, mercy, grace. The ones that can't ever be taken away no matter what comes or who leaves.

 

My nephew with my *ahem* fruit turkey. What would we do without Pinterest?

 



--6--

 

The breakup with P. continues to overwhelm me in ways I can't begin to share on here and not sure I even want to. Maybe if I were one-on-one with you at a coffee shop, but here I feel it wouldn't serve much purpose for either one of us. Please just send up a prayer for me. And for him. That God will use this time to refine us and make us more like Him. That if He wants us together, He'll work in P.'s heart. And if He doesn't...that He'll work in mine. Seems so easy. Feels so painful.

 



--7--

 



That being said, let's end with grace. "Grace isn't something we say before a meal. It's a way of life." LOVE that quote. God continues to show me His face and His comfort and to send me grace through the people in my life right now. My brother's 'I love you' on the phone. My friend V.'s response when I sent an 'I need you' text. ("What kind of ice cream do you want me to bring?" she replied. Love that girl. And ice cream.) My friend C. going out to lunch with me today. Two kind comments from blogger E. My coworkers telling me it's okay to not be okay right now. And many, many more. Thank you, friends. Thank you. This all means so much to me. Even if I don't say it...it's probably because there's a lump in my throat and tears I'm holding back.

Disclaimer: I know my heartache is my own. And that so many others carry heavier burdens. I don't mean for my posts to sound self-absorbed. My own heartache forces me to slow down and see others' needs and burdens more clearly and gives me a desire to alleviate their pain, too. I trust in a good God and I believe He cares about every single heartache...yours and mine. Let's lift each other up in prayer and love.

Wisdom for Wednesdays

I'm not a bumper-sticker-kinda-girl...I love reading them on others' cars (except the inappropriate ones--really, people? Do you really want that to be the only impression I have of you?) but I've never desired to join the club of letting my car speak for me...

Until now.

My brothers found this one for me. It really stuck out to me...and then on my car.

Autumn Update

Beautiful, ordinary day. You are most welcome today.

It's been a long time since I've lounged in this coffee shop with tea, my laptop, and my roommate. I love it. An earlier bike ride in the gorgeous fall weather and now some down time with a tasty mug of cranberry autumn tea.

Summer tends to be a crazy whirlwhind of travel and spontaneity...I totally enjoy it but by the time autumn breezes begin to blow, I'm so ready to settle into a routine. This really is one of my favorite seasons. (I know. They all are. But especially this one.) I'm ridiculously happy to see the golden, sun-dipped evenings and to feel the whispering winds and to taste crockpot chili and pumpkin cookies...I'm stirred by wistful nostalgia and quiet walks and flickering candles, and I'm delighted with hayrides or bonfires...and then there's all those cute decorations people have that just make me smile! (V., I know if you're reading this, you're laughing at my passion for seasons!)

A few more things are warming my heart and making me smile this season...

-my friend J. is entering the Catholic Church and I'm so excited to be his sponsor this fall and to walk with him on this journey. It's been beautiful to see the Lord work in his heart and life and to draw J. closer to His heart.

-I traveled with my bestie K. to a bed-and-breakfast in Ohio Amish country several weeks ago. Gorgeous views of rolling farmland and charming local shops. It fed my soul as we walked along the country roads, discovering beauty in quiet simplicity. (And the food itself was rather tasty, too!)

-Our parish launched its new Wednesday night religious education program, for babies through adults! It's been inspiring to see the amount of people responding in a positive way. The Field of Dreams line echoes in my mind--with a twist, of course..."If you feed them (spiritually!), they will come."

-We started a share/accountability group for women once a month at the coffee shop here...and wow, God's grace was poured out in abundance. Love these sisters and their sincere hearts!

-Got to hang out in the big city of Baltimore for P.'s brother's wedding in September. I'm definitely not trendy enough or earthy-crunchy enough to live there, but so fascinating to see! We took a day and traveled to nearby Washington D.C.--wow!!! What an emotional experience for this little patriot! I could have spent so much more time there...but I know I'll be back!

-While in D.C., I was able to meet my online friend Tess, a fellow blogger from the Catholic Young Woman! What a crazy-fun time going out to lunch together at Union Station (and many thanks to our sweet men who came along even though I'm not quite sure they get the whole blogging thing!)

-And then there are the quiet moments. How I love the quiet moments with friends and family. Tea with K. as we chatted and watched her little boy play outside...spending the night with my sister and my precious nephews while their daddy was out of town...garage saling with A. and K. on a Saturday morning...farmer's market conversations and new friends...long walks with the dog...bike riding on country roads with the man I love...

-Speaking of him, what a gift! Can my heart overflow any more??

Now in the midst of all these happy moments, there are plenty of sins and struggles that make their appearance in my heart and life, let me tell ya...like the green monster of envy that reared its ugly head recently--yuck, how did that get in my heart?! Or the fact that PCOS is in the ring for another battle round just when I thought I had it under control. But God's grace is always abundant...and rather buoyant, too...so even with the not-so-fun stuff, life is beautiful. Thank you, Father.

Home

I’m back.

And so thankful for the experience.

My heart is full but my mind is empty as I sit here with my laptop, trying to form words to describe it.

But how can you share a week in a paragraph? How can you convey the beauty of another culture in a simple post? How can you type emotions and faces?

So it rests in my heart for now. And it stirs every so often, reminding me it wasn’t a dream, that I’m not meant to come back to my little bubble and forget.

I was humbled by a people who have little and love much. Who sing loudly in church and smile when they’re fasting. Who fight for justice and work harder in a day than I have in my life.

I was inspired by a group of college students who laughed about air mattresses that sunk onto a hard gym floor and showers that were freezing. Who shared from their hearts each night and served from their hearts by day.

And I fell in love with little dark-eyed kids who fought to sit on your lap or hold your hand or share a secret.

The hardest part is coming home, figuring out how to bridge the gap.

But maybe I don’t have to figure anything out for now. Maybe I just need to remember two words.

Serve. Love.

Because I can do that here, too. The One who showed us how to love and to serve (John 13:14) can show us opportunities to do so every day.

Open my eyes, Lord. And open my hands.

A Day at an Apple Orchard

On our way to the apple orchard on a beautifully sunny Saturday

I think it's just around that bend...

Dreamy orchard paths

Check out the size of this apple!

And we learned about quince fruits...

Ooh...Golden Delicious!

Do we have enough yet??

On our way back to the car

Time for applesauce and other recipes!

(The Last of the) Snapshots of Summer: Week 14

Taking on the Windy City with my dear friend R.-- what a delightful adventure! (although it's too bad we didn't have time for deep-dish pizza!)

Goodbye, beautiful Summertime! Fall officially arrives tomorrow!

Snapshots of Summer: Week 13

Taking advantage of an afternoon off work...backroads country bike ride

Snapshots of Summer: Week 12

Homemade salsa simmering on the stove-- made with garden veggies from my bestie's mom and using the unbeatable special recipe from another girlfriend's mom...I love my friends' mommas!!

Snapshots of Summer: Week 11

Chocolate chip cookies baking over the campfire? Yes, please!

Snapshots of Summer: Week 10

Yummy blackberries almost ready to pick! (Thank you for sharing, C.!)

Snapshots of Summer: Week 9

Mmmm...morning bike ride to the coffee shop for breakfast!

Snapshots of Summer: Week 8

Happy feet: colorful toes covered with sand after a trek on the campground beach

Snapshots of Summer: Week 7

The ice cream aisle...one of our favourite summer places! (My roomie A. is so good about putting up with me and my summer snapshots!)

Snapshots of Summer: Week 6

Fruit smoothies with a touch of elegance!

Snapshots of Summer: Week 5

Sun-tea brewing on the deck-- I love the way the sun was shining through the colored tea like stained-glass windows!

Busy, Lazy, Beautiful Summer

We’re cooking here in Ohio this week. Ninety degree temps and thick humidity.

I love it.

But it does make for some lazy summer days.

And I’ve been especially lazy in the blogosphere. Between summer trips and spending time outdoors with my family and friends (and sometimes just by myself!), writing hasn’t been a top priority. I miss it. But I really like living life, too, so it's all good.

I’m keeping up with the Snapshots of Summer and Wisdom for Wednesdays (because one can be lazy and still do those), but inspiration for anything else seems to fail me lately.

(Oh, and speaking of cooking—yes, we were speaking of it, at the beginning—does anyone have any tasty summer recipes or websites with such to share? I’m in want of some new recipes, especially ones that use goodies from the farmer’s market…)

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer.

God is good. And life is beautiful.

Amen?

Chaperoning for our diocesan youth retreat. An incredible weekend with incredible teens. The theme: Seek God in Every Moment. LOVE that.