7 Quick Takes instead of housework

Because really, who wants to do housework? Not me!

1.  Working in a parish this time of year is nutty.  We have all these events for Advent and Christmas and in the meantime, the mail is full of materials for Lent and Easter.

2.  A song by Casting Crowns, reminding us of our need for salvation.  

3.  If you are looking for a devotional based on the daily Gospel, look no further than this:  

Available for your Kindle from Amazon now!  

(full disclosure, my reflections are in there)

4.  I don't plan on putting up a Christmas tree this year. If someone puts it up, it'll be a small one for the table, but my plan is my nativities all around, some poinsettias and that's it.  I feel confident we will recall the Incarnation without a tree.

5.  Very little shopping going on either. Yes, there will be presents, just not tons and no stockings. I'm just into into stuff this year.

6.  I'm not Scrooge or the Grinch; I'm just tired of all the commercialism and need to do stuff.  I want to be - with my family, my friends, the Holy Family.   I want to celebrate Jesus.

7.  I'm going to go sit by my Advent wreath.


More Quick Takes over at This Ain't the Lyceum.

Advent Wreath

A day late to the link up, but yesterday was an all day work event until about 6 and then I had a date to see the sand castles.

I've always enjoyed have an advent wreath at home.  When the children were little it was a good tradition to have to teach them to wait and have patience and to pray together.  For some years I stopped having a wreath since the children were gone.  But then I decided to have one anyway.

This year I saw a wreath on Pinterest I liked and copied it as best I could.
Basically, it is four different sized white pillar candles on a white cake plate with some greenery between the candles.  I painted wooden letters purple; they are under the wreath and say "Advent".  I know that was a surprise!

Enjoy your Advent.  May it be filled with hope, joy and peace as we await the coming of our Savior.

7 Quick Takes + Small Successes+shopping + mom stuff

Quick Takes has moved from Conversion Diary to This Ain't the Lyceum; be sure to drop by after you've read all this week's excitement in my life!

1.  First my small successes which I usually try to do on Thursdays to link up over at Catholic Mom, but, well, I am not perfect.  So we finally have my husband scheduled for his cardiac rehab which took three days and more phone calls than seemed reasonable but it's done and he goes next week.  A big thank you to the nurse who is going out of her way to make it happen at "not the usual time".  I put together a lovely Advent wreath, not very traditional, but since we are all adults around these parts it works.  If you want to see it come back on Sunday for the Advent Wreath Link up Party! Of course, it's also on Facebook if you can't wait.  And, I've started to de-clutter.  A box and a bag are leaving the house today.  I hope to be done by Christmas Adam.

2.  Tonight is our St. Nicholas party at work.  We have pizza and a craft, but the main point is to collect toys for a needy families.  My office looks like a toy store already with everything people have been dropping off.  It should be a fun evening.

3.  Speaking of crafts, I had ordered the Styrofoam supplies I needed to make angel ornaments.  We are going to give them away to the folks who to our annual healing Mass during Advent.  Every day I kept asking if my boxes had arrived.  Everyday, no boxes.  Well, on Tuesday I went on to the site I ordered the supplies from, clicked on my previous orders and NOTHING WAS THERE.  You know why, it was all still in my shopping cart.  Thankfully Michael's had everything I needed.

4.  Yesterday I went shopping at three different stores for food.  First, Restaurant Depot for our Ministry Appreciation Party on Sunday and the healing Mass lunch.  Then Costco for stuff for the house but I forgot romaine lettuce for the husband's lunch so then I went to Publix for that and stuff for tonight's and Sunday's party.  I also had our maintenance man pick up stuff at Sam's Club.  Which was to take the place of Costco but it  didn't.  I will say, that no place was crowded and that at Restaurant Depot I was with my son and my partner in crime from work which made it all much nicer.

5.  I went to the dermatologist yesterday and joined the"we should probably take a closer look at this" crowd.  I went because I had a little raised bump on my face that was new.  Turns out, it's nothing.  It's my mom's fault.  I told her already so I get write this, otherwise I'd be in big trouble.  Anyway, he says, let's look at your neck and says, "how long have you had this spot?"  I can't even see the spot, it's about an inch from my ear close to my hairline.  He tries to show it to me, I see my eyebrow.  It was two colors, which is no bueno, so he took a little scrape and I'll know something in about ten days.  Not concerned, it is quite small and if it's something, I'll get it taken care of.  And by then, my mom will be here, so she can help.  She'll be thrilled to have something to do!

6.  Speaking of moms, I mentioned the other day that sometimes I don't feel like a mom so much anymore.  My daughter informed me that I was still a mom and would be forever.  I guess she's right.

7.  I would have so much more to say if I either could remember my ideas or would stop long enough to write them down.  I try to write them down sometimes, but the word or phrase that should jog my memory just doesn't work.  I need to use full sentences I suppose.  Wouldn't it be great if we could attach external hard drives to ourselves so this type of thing wouldn't happen?

High Hopes

The season of Advent is upon us and I have some very high hopes it will be spiritually fruitful. It has been a difficult six months and every time I think the difficulty has passed, it rears up again, causing me to despair, daring me to hope. In some ways I have lost hope or decided that I have the power and control to make what I hope for happen. To make it happen right now, before something happens again. And I don’t.

On Sunday, I read, “At a certain point in life, the profound desires and cravings of our heart reach a point of eruption in us. Yet at the same time comes the awareness that we cannot bring about what we want – we do not have inside us what is needed to fulfill and satisfy our longings. And so, with our infinite yearnings we turn to the Infinite and cry, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down.”” From Magnificat, First Sunday of Advent, Mass introduction.

Much to my disappointment, there has been an eruption. One eruption would have been enough; there have been quite a few more than one.   

Read the rest at Catholic Mom.

Advent, Week 1

"Lord, bathe us in your light. Allow it to wash over us, filling us with renewed hope and energy to do your will. "                              — from A Catholic Family Advent

It's mid week into the first week of Advent, just four days.  How's it all going? Very well, thanks.  We have lit our wreath, all three of us together 75% of the time.  We are using Lisa Hendey's book, O Radiant Dawn and it works for us quite well.  Check out Julie Davis' review.  We don't sing the song though, just not us.  What I really like is it gives us a reason to sit down together as a family, pray and then talk about other things when we are done.  With three adults who have four jobs among us, plus one studying very hard in seminary plus the "season" and all it entails, plus ministry, plus plus, you get the idea, dinner together happens rarely, but at the end of the day we are usually all home.  It's a shift from when we lit the wreath at dinner time, but the important thing is that we do.  

What a better way to pray in Advent than with the ones you love?  

Advent Wreath

Advent begins on December 2 this year.  So you still have some time to get a wreath organized.  We have not used an advent wreath in a very long time but we are going to use one again this year.  When our children were young we lit the candles each night at dinner, each child taking turn lighting the candle and blowing it out.

I was at the store buying supplies to teach our moms' group how to make a wreath, when I saw this beautiful fabric and so I bought it for our Advent wreath.  I'll show it to the moms as well, since it was very easy to make.

Supplies:
1 12 inch Styrofoam wreath
6 inches of 44" wide fabric
4 straight pins
Advent candles

Cut fabric into 4 -  1 1/2 " strips; mark and make 4 indentations in the wreath for the candles; wrap the fabric around the wreath, using straight pins to secure, put candles in wreath.

I think you could also use ribbon instead of fabric and that would save the cutting step.

Simple, but pretty. It will go on our dining room table with the purple table scarf under it.

Advent

Advent is fast approaching, so if you haven't thought about your plan for entering into the season allow me to offer you a few links:
Praying Advent, sponsored by Creighton University
Advent Resources at Loyola Press offers online retreats, prayers and more for all ages
Catholic Online - Advent pages
Catholic Mom has everything parent related

Don't forget your Advent wreath, to make or buy.