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Betty Beguiles had a love song link-up this week! Check out my love song play list, then hop over to Betty Beguiles for a long list of other bloggers who have shared theirs. I've been in heaven discovering new romantic tunes (and revisiting old favorites I'd long forgotten about)!
I always have all the basic ingredients for baking on hand in case the mood strikes me to make something (or my husband puts in a last minute request). Eggs, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, vanilla, chocolate chips, etc. When I get low on one, it instantly goes on the shopping list (funny how other household items never seem to make it to the shopping list no matter how many times I realize we're out). But since we're moving on Tuesday, I haven't been restocking as we run out. I got the itch to bake earlier in the week and David wanted chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately, we were out of butter. I remembered we had coconut oil, so I hopped onto Pinterest and found a coconut oil chocolate chip cookie recipe. My husband was a little suspect, but they came out amazing! I've been wanting to start cooking and baking with coconut oil anyway (did you know some people eat a spoonful of straight coconut oil every day for its health benefits?), so it was a win-win situation!
David and I have been struggling with Lulu in Mass recently. She's very vocal and loud, so we feel she's a big disruption in the pews. Since she's not crying, just "talking", there really isn't any way to quiet her. But when we have gone in the cry room, it's an absolute zoo: parents don't even attempt to quiet their children or have them sit down, even the parents don't participate (they SIT through the entire Mass, and not just those that are holding children!), and a few weeks ago, one child was playing with a very loud musical toy that played the entire Mass (seriously, who brings a musical toy to church?). In this midst of this frustration, it was very good to come across this piece: "Your Screaming Kids Are Distracting Me". It is a must read for every parent who worries about their little one being noisy in Mass.
CHI Ceramic Nail Lacquer in Risque Lingerie + OPI Black Shatter = the coolest nails I've ever had! Recently, my skin is the absolute worst it's ever been (and I've never had what you could call "clear skin". It's really taken a toll on my self-esteem, to the point that I haven't even been wanting to leave the house. So I've been stepping up my beauty routine in other places: actually styling my hair and giving myself cute manicures and pedicures, and it really has helped. I can't help but feel rockin' with my cute nails.
Yo, God, Are You There? Another very powerful piece I read this week, this one about God preparing us for the difficulties ahead without our knowledge.
If you've missed any of my posts from this past week, here are a few of my favorites: The newest post in the Broken series is heartbreaking (and heartbreakingly honest), written by a woman whose "broken" relationship started at the age of 16. I wrote a guest post for Catholic Cookie Jar's Catholic Marriage Series about marriage as a gift to those around you. I jotted down a few of my thoughts about the links between motherhood and guilt.
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We leave for Colorado on Tuesday. My brother flew in yesterday to help us move, we'll be spending the weekend packing up, and we're headed out come Tuesday. Lucia and I are flying, David and my brother will be driving our vehicles with the moving trailer. This is it, it's really happening! We're on our way back to Colorado. Even if it just ends up being temporary, it will be nice to be "home". I'm going to be taking the next week or so off of blogging while we pack up and get settled in. I can't be gone too long, because it's time for Lucia's seven month post! If you think about it, say a prayer for us next week, especially for David and my bro as they make the three day trip? Thanks!
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
#3: My precious sweetling opens and closes the sanctuary doors, the bathroom doors, and pretty much any other cabinet door he can find. It used to really unnerve me until people started telling me that they'd rather have us there and that their kids did the same thing. Perhaps sit in the back so you can slip out?
ReplyDelete#7: Prayers for travel mercies are ascending.
Those cookies look delicious! I need to try that recipe. I'll be praying for you and your family as you move!
ReplyDeleteSo strange, the issue of kids in Mass/worship/Mincha (or other prayer meetings) has come up on four different blogs in three different countries in 4 different religions. I totally agree with the post you linked, and to be honest, wasn't there something about letting the little children come to your saviour? So don't stress: your child is part of your community, and in a living community there will be distractions all the time. And how else would they learn reverence if they are excluded?
ReplyDeleteI like your nails, too. :D
Praying for your move! And I love your nails! they look great! I'm sad we never got to meet before you moved, but I'm happy that you get to move home closer to your family!
ReplyDeletePerhaps you remember all my posts about G and mass that started at this age...it got worse, then a bit better, then worse, and this past week was a little better except we were "forced" into the cry room by an usher and G got 'jealous' of a kid me to us wit snacks. Ugh. I let her have a drink of water but I refuse to do snacks. I hate the cry room because they A, don't even have books for us to sing or follow along and B, it is treated like a way to skimp on mass...even I struggle to pay attention from all the distractions. Like a kid zipping a race car around the floor...I mean grrrrr
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo
Prayers for safe travels and moving!
Oh yum, those cookies look amazing! I've been interested in trying coconut oil, but am a tad hesitant. Does it make the food taste really coconutty? Can you share the recipe? I want to try it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your move! I'll pray everything goes smoothly.
I LOVE the nails!!!
ReplyDeletePrayers for a good move and the adjustment to living at home. Lulu is making her own joyful noise to the Lord. After a rough day in Daily Mass, our pastor said at the end of Mass (to everyone), "I just want to thank all these mothers for bringing their young children to Mass, it is wonderful.".
ReplyDeleteJen, that's so great that members of your church expressed support for you and your son being there during church! We were actually told by an usher several weeks ago to leave with Lucia until she "quieted down". Way to make us feel welcome at church! But that was just one grumpy old man that wasn't speaking for the whole church. Thanks for the prayers, I know I can always count on them from you!
ReplyDeleteOh, you should! They had my stamp of approval. Thanks for the prayers. I'm sad we weren't ever able to meet up.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've been seeing everywhere online recently too! Except I've seen them all from Catholic perspectives, so I'd love to read the other ones if you have the links!
ReplyDeleteMaybe we'll still end up meeting someday! Thanks for the prayers (and the compliment)!
ReplyDeleteI linked to the recipe in my post, but in case it's not working, here is the link again: http://www.cheekykitchen.com/2010/09/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html . I was really hesitant about using coconut oil too, but it was really easy! And no, it didn't taste coconutty at all!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm always seeing fancy nails on Pinterest, but I just don't have the time to spend to draw designs by hand. The shatter nail polish is a perfect compromise!
ReplyDeleteBefore Lucia's baptism, the altar server who did the run-through with us said not to worry if she started crying, sometimes babies just get "charismatic"! I thought that was a great way to put it. (For the record, she completely slept through it, so she wasn't particularly moved by the Spirit!)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to miss you so much. Seriously. You've been such a blessing in my life here and I wish you all the best moving back to Colorado with your parents. Please let us know the best times to see all of you before you leave!
ReplyDeleteWe were briefly in what the church labeled "The Quiet Room" at Mass last week so I could nurse Henry (I wasn't wearing nursing friendly clothes, whoops), and I'm glad I didn't have to be in there long. A family came in with at least 8 kids, the youngest being at least 3, and they acted like it was playtime. No respect at all for what was going on at Mass. Oh well.
I meant to tell you when you were over here that I loved your nails. I got some of that crackle type polish too but I haven't tried it yet. It looked so fun!