7 Quick Takes Friday (Take 48)

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David has been working from home all this week and it’s been wonderful!  He’s at the point where he is finishing up his research and devoting most of his time to writing his dissertation which he can do from home.  I can’t begin to explain the difference it makes in our household.  Even though he’s been working longer hours, we’ve been able to see him more when he takes breaks.  And I’ve been able to get so much more done.   I can’t really explain why, but I tend to do more when he’s home.  Plus, when Lucia takes a nap, I’ve been able to leave her in the apartment with him while I go work out.  I just hope I haven’t been bothering him too much and he’s been able to get a lot of writing done too.

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Lucia grabbed a toy for the first time yesterday.  She was laying on her play mat and I held it up in front of her.  She reached her arms out and grabbed it with both hands as if she had done it a million times before!  At first I was thinking it might have just been a fluke, but she did it several more times with other toys (until she bopped herself hard in the face with one!).

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I featured a new Baby on a Budget guest post earlier this week about stocking up for baby by Rachel of The Atwoods.  Rachel and her husband started buying baby items and maternity clothes before she was even pregnant because they were such good deals!.  Go read her advice on getting the best prices for baby items.  Then check out her blog and don’t miss the awesome story of how she met her husband!

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One of my Lenten goals is to write a letter everyday.  A letter to a friend.  A thank you note.  A birthday card.  A love note to David.  A letter for Lucia in her journal.  All and any of the above, just as long as it’s heartfelt.  So far so good.  Here’s a thank you note I made the other day for my parents.  Not every thing will be homemade, but there is no better way to make sure it’s heartfelt than to make it yourself!

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We received a large package in the mail this week full of clothes for Lucia!  David’s second cousin and his girlfriend have a daughter about three months older than Lucia.  When we were out in Colorado over Christmas, they gave us all their daughter’s 0-3 month clothes and this box was full of 3-6 month clothes.  We feel very grateful and very blessed to have them as family, and hope that we’ll be able to move back to Colorado so Lucia can grow up playing with her little (third!) cousin.

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It’s always such a humbling experience to see fellow Christians wearing their ashes as they go about their otherwise ordinary days on Ash Wednesday.  If you feel the same, you might find this article about a photographer who takes pictures of people wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday.  The pictures are awesome. Students attending Christian schools may be
inspired by these pictures.

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I have a few prayer requests this week.  Would you please pray for my friend with thyroid cancer?  She is having surgery to remove some or all of her thyroid and possibly some of her lymph nodes as well if it’s already spread to them.  I’d also appreciate prayers for my friend’s husband who just had a stroke.  She told me that it was minor and that he is doing well, but he’s in the hospital and I’m sure could use some prayers for a swift recovery.  Finally, prayers for my husband while he works on his dissertation would be much appreciated.  He’s had to deal with frequently broken equipment which has put him behind.  His defense is a month from yesterday.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!