7 Quick Takes Friday (Take 10)

- ONE -

David and I went to a daily Mass together Wednesday night.  It was the first daily Mass we’ve attended as a couple, and one of the first daily Masses I’ve ever attended.  We went to our second daily Mass together Thursday night.  It’s amazing that immediately after canceling our internet and cable, we’ve found so much extra time to spend on things that are truly important, like daily Mass together.  What an incredible blessing! 

- TWO -

My new job has been a blessing as well.  Now that I am settled in, I have started to really enjoy working with the students.  Although they are a difficult group, I am up to the challenge and feel that I am able to utilize the gifts God gave me in this particular job.  I am also working a short day, only five hours, which gives me time to contribute to housework, including preparing new, more complex meals.  On last night’s menu: a scrumptious vegetarian quiche. 

- THREE -

While I took this job because I knew it would be good for me professionally and personally, I was worried about the affect the reduced pay and hours would have on us economically.  It turns out that with more time on my hands, I can make our money stretch a little further.  We’ve spent considerably less on groceries this month than any month since we got married.  That’s partially due to the fact that I had to stock our kitchen with spices (expensive!) and other basics every time we made a new recipe.  Now our cupboards have about every spice we could want and we’ll only have to replace them one at a time.  However, I’ve also saved quite a bit this month because I haven’t let any food go bad.  I have the time each afternoon to look through the refrigerator and cabinets and plan meals around the food we already have.  You wouldn’t believe how often fresh fruits and vegetables went bad because we bought them for one meal and never used the leftovers.  For example, we bought a ton of vegetables for a stir fry last Friday, and I finished up the vegetables this week by making veggie omelets, green bean casserole, vegetarian quiche and another stir fry (this time with a different sauce).  A month ago, I know we would have ended up throwing all the extra vegetables out!

- FOUR -

I forgot to mention that our grocery bill went down this month even though we switched from regular to organic eggs, milk, butter, and potatoes.  If I can continue to find ways to save money on groceries, I’ll be able to divert that money to buying more organics.

- FIVE -

I read UnPlanned on Monday (yes, I read the whole book on Monday - I couldn’t put it down).  It was just as good as everyone has been saying.  I don’t want to write about how it has affected me yet because it gave me so much to think about that I’m not quite done processing it.  I’ll have to write about it another time.

- SIX -

I’ve moved on to reading John Adams by David McCullough AND The Story of the Church.  I like reading two books simultaneously because sometimes I just need a break when reading books like John Adams, at 651 pages long.  Does anyone else like to read several books simultaneously?

- SEVEN -

David and I are participating in a marital study for newlyweds. The study, from my understanding, is investigating the links between personality and marital satisfaction.  We had to take four different personality tests at the beginning and then we answer questions every night about our interactions that day with our spouse and our over marital satisfaction. We signed up to bring in a little extra money, but I’m kind of enjoying it as well.  It’s making me be more contemplative about the small aspects of our marriage and overall it makes me very thankful for the relationship we have.  

Please visit conversiondiary.com to read all the other "7 Quick Takes Fridays" on the web!