Into Your Will

Some good things must come to an end

2020-08-28T12:26:00.002-05:00

I've lost count of the number of times I start a post on here and just never feel inspired to publish. It's been a little frustrating too, because you know I love writing and I honestly thought I would just blog until I was in my 80s or something.

But I'm really feeling like I need to hang up my blogging hat for now. Sigh. I've tried to avoid those promptings from the Holy Spirit but it's been long enough.

I keep getting the sense that this blog has kept me from pursuing other forms of writing, and I need to stop making excuses. I know God is wanting me to focus on other things, and that requires getting rid of some things first. Unfortunately, Into Your Will is one of them.

After a week or two, I will likely put this blog on private (for a few reasons that I'd rather not explain). Just a heads up in case you check back...we are definitely all fine over here, so don't worry. :)

I do appreciate all of you following along over the years! And I will still be over at Surprised By Marriage if you want to follow our shenanigans over there. We're the most active on Instagram.

I can't express how grateful I am for all of you who have been reading this tiny blog. You've been the best!

Confessions (vol.5)

2020-07-01T13:36:00.000-05:00

I've started to write a couple posts here and there throughout this pandemic and I just can't seem to get my thoughts together. So I figured a confessions post might be easier. Prepare yourself, I'm keeping it real. Confessions, coronavirus edition.

Silly picture just because

Last year I kept getting the sense that we were in a preparation time for a period of suffering. And I felt so silly because life was so good! 2019 was so great! But now I'm feeling a little vindicated because BOY OH BOY, I never could have imagined what we would be dealing with this year.

Logan hasn't been back at work in over 3 months, and it's still uncertain as to if/when he will return, although his workplace finally opened back up 2 weeks ago (phased reopening and he was not called). I can't help but get really annoyed as to how we were FINALLY in a decent place financially in the fall...and then this virus happened. My magazine job ended too. :(

Every time I read the Old Testament, I used to think how ridiculous the Israelites were being, constantly complaining despite God providing for their every need. BUT NOW I TOTALLY GET IT. Seriously. I have never understood the Israelites better than I have during this pandemic, you guys. Yes, things are rough, but God has still managed to provide for us, often through the generosity of our family and friends. Yet I can't help but complain...

I'm having a hard time not comparing our situation to other people and wondering why it's always us struggling. (Yes, I know how horrible that sounds.)

My recurrent joke during this time has been: "It's rough being a melancholic during a pandemic." And while I mean it to be funny, it's actually really true. It's not easy for anyone during a pandemic (and if it is, don't tell me), but throw in the traits of being idealistic, having high expectations, and longing for heaven...ugh. It's not easy. I know my fellow melancholics feel me!

Every since I got married, I wasn't very good about meditating on the Stations of the Cross on a regular basis. But God has totally fostered a love in me for the stations over the last few months. It's honestly been one of the things that has gotten me through my temptation to despair. Because how can I despair when thinking about what Jesus went through for me?

Our church now has an outdoor Stations of the Cross, so I've been riding my bike there and it's so nice. Sometimes I can convince the big boys to join me! (Chase was being a little silly yesterday)

"Trust" and "mercy" should be my words of the year. But Logan and I actually picked a word together (using Jen Fulwiler's website) and got "story." Which is good too. Maybe just maybe God is writing an awesome story through all of this...

Despite having many friends who already homeschool and having many more considering homeschooling this fall, Logan and I do.not.want.to. We still don't know what exactly the schools are doing yet, but we're hoping our kids are young enough that they won't have to wear masks. And if they do have to wear masks, welllll....I don't know what we will do.

Even though I technically have more time to write and do all the things I've been wanting to do, I'm finding it very hard to get motivated. And I start to think "well, I'll just wait until school starts." But I don't even know if they are going for sure! And it just makes me frustrated.

In my last confessions post, I wrote how I was overwhelmed with all of my responsibilities. Although most of those responsibilities are no longer, I'm still overwhelmed with all of the uncertainty of Logan's job, the boys school, and my fertility. Which begs the question...will I ever not be overwhelmed? (Maybe don't answer that)

We visited my parents for a few days and didn't want to leave. Landon and Chase learned how to fish and are better than me at casting!

We've been trying to get pregnant for well over a year, and honestly, we weren't being too strict even before that. I've always had an issue with stress prolonging my already long cycles...and that's definitely happening now. I don't know how to make me not stressed, considering the circumstances. Suggestions, anyone?

I'm starting to quite literally work myself out of a job now that our boys are doing consistent chores, and it feels like such a victory. Big kids are awesome.

Logan and I have talked about the possibility of me going back to work if the boys are able to go to school. But I honestly don't know if that is what God is asking of me right now (and it's hard to discern considering everything is so uncertain!).

Now that I've read this post over, I'm second guessing whether or not to post. Guess what I decided? (Mostly because I haven't posted in forever and I refuse to let this blog die)

Hoping to redeem myself [Q1 goals update and new Q2 goals]

2020-04-23T18:27:00.001-05:00

Well, that first quarter of 2020 certainly didn't end the way we expected. I bombed a lot of my goals too, and that was mostly not even related to the virus craziness! January and February were just really crazy for a bunch of reasons. I'm trying not to feel like a big slacker...

January to March 2020 - How did I do?

Personal

Write for fun. I wanted to journal and write on this blog more, and sadly, I only journaled twice during those 3 months and blogged 4 times (but really, only 2 posts were after I made that goal). As far as writing that was not related to things I had to do? Nonexistent. So sad. I have had zero motivation to write because my brain is just too overwhelmed with everything else.

Exercise twice a week. Ehhh, I'm not sure how I did on this one, honestly. I was trying to prepare for a 5K but got sick for a few weeks in February. I finally got checked out 2 days before the race and the nurse practitioner did not like the idea of me trying to run at all. I'm thinking I need to just stop signing up for races because something always happens to prevent me from running. Ugh.

Spiritual

Read the Bible everyday using the Bible Timeline reading plan. This is a 3-month plan, and I was doing really well until I got to the end of the 2nd month. It was the week of Mardi Gras break, and I just could.not. get through the reading with my very talkative child who was home from school all week. So I gave it up. And I only feel a little bad about it. (I have since REALLY enjoyed doing Morning Prayer instead!)

Educational

Read 8 books. Done! I actually read 10, thanks to the 5-book series by Jacqueline Brown (mentioned in my book post). For some reason, I thought my goal was 10 books...but turns out it was only 8.

Home

Declutter 200 items. Done! I got rid of 217 items, and that doesn't even include all of the things I threw away. I threw away a lot.

Marriage

Read 3 Secrets to Holiness with Logan. Done! It was really good. Technically, we finished it a few days into April...but I'm counting it as a win.

Family

Read aloud one chapter book per month. Goodness, I really bombed this one. We didn't even finish one chapter book...and maybe it's because I chose a long one. So my bad. And only Landon is interested in it. Sooo, I need to rethink this for sure.

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Okay, so half of those didn't end well. Not cool. Now that life has changed dramatically (and likely will be so for the rest of this quarter), I needed to consider that while thinking of new goals. Here goes...

April to June 2020 - New goals

Personal

Take my vitamins everyday. Yes, I know I should be doing this anyway, but I really started slacking once this pandemic started. And I need to be better! I have quite a few supplements and all which is overwhelming sometimes but I need to get over it. My cycle has gone crazy again due to the stress, and I'm sure not taking my vitamins didn't help.

Journal every week. I'm going to want to remember this crazy time, so journaling will totally help. And since it always makes me feel better about life anyway, I figure I need to make it happen more often.

Spiritual

Pray the Divine Mercy chaplet everyday. You know I love the rosary and have been praying it everyday for years now. I love the chaplet too, but I wasn't very consistent with it...until coronavirus hit. So I want to continue that!

My new fave shirt, by the way

Educational

Finish half of the books I'm currently reading. Since I'm currently reading 9 books, many of which are taking me FOREVER, I'm not going to set a number of books I want to read this quarter. Instead, I'm going to really really try to finish 4-5 of those books. I'm ahead of my reading challenge anyway...

Home

Declutter another 200 items. Since 200 items already went well, I'm just going to stick with that again.

Go through paperwork and throw away or shred anything not needed anymore. I started this during Holy Week because this is one of my least fave things to do. And I really need to do more!

Marriage

Go on a marriage retreat. We had one planned in March which obviously didn't happen, so hopefully the next one isn't cancelled too! But it's not looking too promising. Sigh.

Incorporate more worship into our prayer time together. This is something we also did during Holy Week for the first time at home (because Mass and Adoration is totally worship), and it.was.amazing. We're trying to do it once a week now, at least.

Family

Play a game together at least once a week. We used to play games more than we do now, and I miss it. The boys are good about playing games together, and I always make a million excuses as to why I can't play with them. But the times I actually say yes? They LOVE it. So here's to saying yes!

Here's to hoping I'm more successful this time around. Are you making any goals during this crazy time?

What I'm loving lately {coronavirus edition}

2020-04-05T12:41:00.000-05:00

Why hello there. One of my goals for this first quarter of 2020 was to write for fun more, which includes this blog...and I'm not doing so well. But so I can remember this crazy coronavirus time, I'm forcing myself to blog. (I mean, I want to blog, but I'm having a very hard time prioritizing things now that I have SO MANY OPTIONS. You know what I mean?)

I started this like 2 weeks ago and forgot about it, but a list of things I'm loving lately seems appropriate, because it's important to remember the good stuff. Here we go!

Family time. I've said before how our family time has always been limited during the school year, with our boys in school during the week and Logan at work on the weekends. So we were suddenly given all the family time we could ever ask for, and although it's been an adjustment, we are grateful.

Baking. I haven't had as much time to as I'd like to bake before this virus, so it's been really nice revisiting recipes I used to love. Maybe I'll do a post with my faves...

Our backyard. Seriously, we just love our yard, and it's been a saving grace throughout this crazy season. Logan has even done some extra touches to it (like adding stones under the bench, adding a sign on the tree, and adding a walkway leading up the Mary garden). The great weather has been a bonus!

Marco Polo app. I've been able to see the beautiful faces of my friends despite everything, which is pretty cool. (It's an app where you can easily send videos to each other and watch live, if you'd like.)

Zoom. This has also allowed me to see the beautiful faces of my friends, and it's allowed Logan and me to continue the couple prayer series we were facilitating at our church. I saw a meme about who was really behind COVID-19...and it was Zoom. Which makes me laugh because seriously...everyone is using it now. (And yes, I know the issues with Zoom and we have taken extra precautions, don't worry.)

The chance to homeschool. I used to think we would homeschool and then it turned out we didn't feel called to it. I always wondered what it would be like, and if it would be a good fit for our family (especially with Logan's work schedule), and now I get the chance! No pressure or risk involved. So that's cool. Although it is going fairly well, I'm not sure we will ever officially do it...but now I know we can.

Our health. We had a crazy scare with Logan who had to go the ER for the first time ever to get x-rays on his leg. And nothing was broken! His leg is pretty bruised and still swollen but is getting better every day. It really made us so grateful that it wasn't worse, because we are definitely still thinking about all of the "what if" scenarios. So scary.

Coloring. Why, yes, this is one of my hobbies these days. It's so calming! I usually color while listening to Marco Polos. Multitasking and all.

Free resources. This has probably been one of the coolest things over the last few weeks. Everyone is offering something for free! Coloring sheets, school stuff, liturgical living resources, etc. I'm loving it.

The Chosen. If you haven't heard of this series, you need to watch it! Logan and I are over halfway through season 1 (which is only 8 episodes), and we are pleasantly surprised at how good it is. It's about Jesus and his disciples (hence, the chosen). Not sure how historically accurate it is, but it's still pretty good and has prompted some good conversation between Logan and me. There is an app, but we're watching the episodes on YouTube.

And now I need to post a goals update now that the first quarter is over. But I need to think about my new goals, because life has definitely changed since January!

Recent Reads (vol.20)

2020-02-24T13:24:00.000-06:00

Whoops, I just realized it's been a hot second since I've shared my recent reads...and I've read 11 books since my last post. Half are from 2019:

And the rest are from this year:

So I need to get to sharing before the list becomes too long!

Bible Basics for Catholics: A New Picture of Salvation History by Dr. John Bergsma

This was in my 2019 faves list. If you struggle with reading and understanding the Bible, this is for you. I highly recommend it for people in RCIA too!

Intimate Graces: How Practicing the Works of Mercy Brings Out the Best in Marriage by Teresa and Dominick Tomeo

This is an easy and quick read with some great marriage thoughts and discussion questions.

The Thief by Stephanie Landsem

This is the 2nd book in a 3-book series, although you don't necessarily need to read all 3. This was actually my least fave of the 3 because it was so predictable...but I still enjoyed it.

Be Merry: A Catholic Guide to Avoid Anxiety and Depression During the Holidays by Sterling Jaquith

A reread for me and another easy and helpful read. Definitely recommend if you struggle with the holidays (although you could totally read it anytime and it would be helpful!).

The Tomb by Stephanie Landsem

The last in the 3-part series, and I really liked this one. I just found it completely relatable, and although the author did take some (questionable?) liberties with a very popular Bible story, I thought it was pretty interesting.

The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours by Daria Sockey

Another reread. If you're interested in learning more about the Liturgy of the Hours, this explains everything!

Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons by Meg Meeker

I kept seeing Meg Meeker recommended for moms of boys, and this did not disappoint. Highly recommend.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

This was my January read for "a book recommended by a friend" and I really enjoyed it. You would too if you like stories that take place a couple centuries ago.

The Light: Who Do You Become When the World Falls Away? by Jacqueline Brown

A friend heard about this 5-book series on Danielle Bean's podcast, and we both started reading it. It's Catholic fiction, and although it's not the best written series, I really appreciate the Catholic aspect. It's also like an ends time kind of scenario, which is pretty cool. The kindle books are pretty inexpensive (and are included on Kindle Unlimited).

Through the Ashes by Jacqueline Brown

Book #2 in the above mentioned series. I kind of hate the endings because it makes you want to immediately read the next one. I really want to read the rest of the series but I'm trying really really really hard to finish some other books first. There are 2 characters that I just love in this book!

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson

This was my February read for "a memoir or biography." I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla since it was pretty short (4 hours plus I listened to it at 1.5x without a problem). The main character owes his life to Oskar Schindler, and it really makes me want to watch the movie Schindler's List (which is based off another book). I either cannot remember the movie or or maybe I actually haven't even seen the whole thing...can't remember. Either way, this book is a good read if you're into WWII stories.

I'm currently in the middle of 7 other books, which is ridiculous. But half of them are just taking me forever...so it might be my Lenten goal to power through and finally finish them.

Lent is coming! I'm ready but not ready

2020-02-12T20:47:00.000-06:00

I can't even believe it. Wasn't it just Advent? I'm equally dreading Lent and looking forward to it. January and February have been just so nuts, so I'm looking forward to life slowing down a bit. (I feel like I always say that...)

It's been a couple years since we've had the wiggle room in our budget for me to buy an Advent or Lenten devotional, but I finally bought one again! My moms group is doing the Blessed Is She Lenten one—Here, Too—which I'm looking forward to. I ordered a bunch to get a discount plus there was a coupon code, both of which don't seem to be an option anymore, so I highly recommend going that route ASAP next year. Each copy ended up being $19.70 as opposed to $25!

I created 40 Days of Loving Your Husband for Surprised By Marriage, and Logan has already told me he realllllly wants me to do it during Lent. So I guess I'm doing that too, ha. It's basically doing one small thing for your husband, and obviously he really likes that kind of thing. (It's included in the Catholic Mom Bundle, available until Friday only! This is our affiliate link, please and thank you.)

We've been doing the Jesus Tree with the boys for a few years now, and they love it. So we will probably do it again, but try the one from Elizabeth Clare, also included in the Catholic Mom Bundle.

Flashback to Lent a few years ago!

Logan and I both decided months ago that we would give up eating between meals for Lent. We did it for a few days back in November and couldn't believe how hard it was! Oh, and we also decided to read The Secret to Holiness in Marriage once Lent starts. It's a 33-day retreat for your marriage so starting it on Ash Wednesday will mean we will finish it juuuuust in time to check off that goal for the first quarter.

I always try to do one thing for myself during Lent, one thing with Logan, and one thing with the boys...so that pretty much covers it.

Oh wait, one more! A couple years ago, I bought the print copy of Walking Holy Week with Jesus: A Prayer Journal and it was sooo good. Since the printable version is also included in the Catholic Mom Bundle (and only available there), I'm looking forward to doing it again this year! (Can you tell I'm just really excited about the bundle? There are so many great products!) I really like how this journal is just one week...totally doable and not overwhelming. Maybe I'll ask Logan to do it with me since we will have finished our book by then.

This is where I shamelessly include our affiliate link for the Catholic Mom Bundle: Check out the details here. It ends Friday at midnight! $25 for $333 worth of products. About half of the 24 contributions are Lent-related and half aren't. Best of both worlds.

Are you ready for Lent? Do you have everything planned or are you just going to wing it?

A new year and a new way to set goals {Jan.-Mar. 2020}

2020-02-02T20:40:00.000-06:00

Welllll, I wrote this post a few weeks ago and things kept coming up. I told myself I'd post before January ended...but failed. But now I'm watching the Superbowl and bummed that it looks like the Chiefs are not going to win...so blogging it is. [Edited to add: just kidding! They made a comeback! 🎉]

I totally wrote a goals post last year and never got around to posting it. (You sensing a theme here?) But looking back in my drafts folder, I only did 5 of the 12 things I said I wanted to do. Not good.

So that got me thinking about goals and what's effective. Setting yearly goals are not really feasible when life can change so quickly. Our life changed a lot halfway through the year! So this year I'm going to set goals every 3 months. And to make things simple and well-rounded, I'm (mostly) picking one thing in 6 different categories: personal, spiritual, educational, home, marriage, and family.

We'll see how this goes! I'll reevaluate at the end of March and decide on some new goals...or maybe even stick with similar ones. Who knows??

January to March 2020

Personal

Write for fun. I've been so busy writing magazine articles and marriage blog posts, and that's really changed how much I write elsewhere. So when it comes to writing for fun, that means blogging on this here blog, journaling, and getting back to writing projects that have nothing to do with our Surprised By Marriage ministry or my side magazine job. (Oh, long lost book I used to work on...I see you.)

Exercise twice a week. I originally had "ride my bike once a week" which sounds really lame. But then I signed up for a 5K which is in like a month. Yikes. And I'm totally not in that great a shape, because exercising has dropped in my list of priorities over the few months. But I need to be better!

Spiritual

Read the Bible everyday using the Bible Timeline reading plan. I really enjoyed reading through the Bible in a year in 2018...but it was hard. I attempted to read the Bible every day in 2019 but would go through spurts because I didn't have a plan. So I found this 3-month one based on the events of salvation history, which is totally doable and all about things I've been reading and listening to lately. And it's just a little too perfect considering I'm making 3-month goals and the reading plan covers 3 months.

Educational

Read 8 books. So that means about 32 books for the year, if I keep the same amount each quarter. It's lower than I've been doing, but I really want to focus on enjoying the books I do read, as well as finally tackling some longer classics. I'm even debating rereading Kristin Lavransdatter! But we will see. I don't want to feel too much pressure!

Home

Declutter 200 items. My friend told me that she's attempting to declutter 2,020 things in the year 2020. While I am not quite that ambitious, I do think it's a great idea to challenge yourself to a certain number. So I've got 3 months to declutter 200 things (and actually, I've already done over half)...and maybe I'll be motivated to do even more the next quarter.

Marriage

Read 3 Secrets to Holiness with Logan. This was totally a book we said we would read last year, but better than never, eh?

Family

Read aloud one chapter book per month. This is another one of those things that I do in spurts, and I reallllly want to be more consistent about it. One book each month might not seem like much compared to some of you and your awesomeness, but maybe I'll be able to up it next go-round. (And sighhhh definitely failed in January.)

Hopefully my first quarter update and my second quarter goals post will be a little more punctual.

Are you making any goals this year? Tell me!

Books I'm reading in 2020

2020-01-02T12:09:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe this is my 5th annual book list! Not once have I read every single book on it, but I've gotten pretty close. Most importantly, making a list really keeps me reading somewhat consistently.

This past year, I realized I made my list too long, so I'm going to stick with 12 books—one for each month. I've also learned that I should not include any deep spiritual or theological reads or super long classic fiction reads. (I will still read those, of course...I just won't feel the pressure from putting them on my list.) I'm also (mostly) sticking to books that I already own this year! So here's my list of (hopefully) fairly easy reads that will not stress me out:

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe

The Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos

Mission of the Family by Jon Leonetti

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary by Brant Pitre

The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money by Ron Lieber

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay

He Leadeth Me: An Extraordinary Testament of Faith by Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. and Daniel L. Flaherty, S.J.

Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery

Rereads:

Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life by Crystal Paine

A Mother's Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul by Holly Pierlot

I also realized at some point this year that I forgot to include the reading challenge I do with with friends every year in my book list for 2019. So here is our reading challenge for 2020! In case you wanted to do it too. :)

What books are you reading this year??

My favorite books I read in 2019

2019-12-31T15:00:00.001-06:00

It's that time again! I share my favorite reads from the previous year. And in case you're new here, these are books I give 5 stars to, and I don't include rereads. Last year, I had so many faves that I had to narrow it down to books that I'd recommend to anyone. This year, I didn't have as many faves, but I still have quite a few to share.

Here are my previous fave lists in case you're making a book list for 2020 (I'll be sharing mine soon!):

Okay, now for this year's faves!

Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey Across the Life Line by Abby Johnson

I listened to the audiobook (it's on Hoopla!) and whew...intense but good. The movie was great too.

Into Your Hands, Father: Abandoning Ourselves to the God Who Loves Us by Wilfrid Stinissen

Well, obviously I had to include this because it goes along with the whole theme of my blog. This was the only book I've ever highlighted in, if that gives you any idea of the words of wisdom it contains.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

This just might be my favorite Austen novel! I had a feeling it would be...not sure why it took me this long to actually read it.

Theology of the Body in One Hour by Jason Evert

I really wish everyone knew about Theology of the Body, and this is the perfect book to introduce it to people. (It takes longer than an hour to read though.)

The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ by Dr. Brant Pitre

This is one of those that I think everyone should read, Catholic or not. It kind of blew my mind.

The Well by Stephanie Landsem

This was the first (and only) book that made me cry. If you like historical fiction, this one's for you. It takes place during the time of Jesus, which is actually pretty cool. (This is first in a 3-part series, and the 3rd book was pretty close to making this list too.)

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

I could have done without the sexual parts, but this sucked me in so much that I had to include it here. The setting reminds me of good ol' Louisiana.

Bible Basics for Catholics: A New Picture of Salvation History by Dr. John Bergsma

Yet another one that I think everyone should read. This one really made me want to read through the Bible again, believe it or not. Such an easy read too, but totally helpful in understanding all of the events in the Bible.

What was one (or two) of your favorite reads this year??

Advent highs and lows

2019-12-17T19:22:00.000-06:00

Wellllll, we started off the Advent season doing pretty well. Our family actually lit the Advent wreath and prayed together every day for 6 straight days! That's a record for us. It was a really nice change in our family prayer routine, because we sing, read Scripture, discuss a question, and pray. The boys love it. We love it.

And then on the 7th day of Advent, our water heater started leaking. Womp womp.

Long story short, we had to turn off the water to the house to prevent further leaking until we could replace the water heater...which didn't happen until 3 days later. THANKFULLY, we were able to crash at my brother's house in the meantime while they were out of town. So that was nice.

Needless to say, though, that threw a wrench in our routine and we didn't do the Advent wreath until we came back home. (We still prayed though!) I swear, that happens every Advent. It doesn't matter how much I prepare, or if I finish all of my Christmas shopping before Advent starts or [insert any other awesome thing here], something crazy happens to make December just crazy. Whyyyyy.

The whole experience (and just some other things too lately) really made me realize that I suck at surrendering. And looking at the bright side. And being content. Which I guess is a good thing to actually realize, as opposed to sailing through life unaware.

Because I need to surrender. I need to look at the bright side. And I need to be content. I daresay those are things necessary to get to heaven...which is a theme of Advent. (You're funny, God.)

Our CCD program did a live Jesse Tree program which was super cute. Solomon, Jacob, and Elijah!

I mentioned before how we're taking a break from Surprised By Marriage (SBM) during Advent. Despite that, though, Logan and I are just still so busy. I have been able to be more present to the boys...but I still literally always have something I could be doing. Which is a little terrifying. Like, how did we manage to do all we were doing for SBM?

We've been talking and praying about it, because we certainly don't feel called to give it up. But we do need to figure out a way to make it not as stressful. Because it shouldn't be stressful! But sometimes it is when we have many other responsibilities that take priority.

Anyways. If you have any thoughts/advice/tips in that regard, let me know.

In other news, I am not pregnant, which means Aaron will be going off to school next year without a baby at home. I honestly don't know how I feel about that. It's bittersweet, really. While Logan and I always thought it would be nice to have all the kids in school before having another baby, we didn't think it would actually happen. But it's looking like it will happen. (I mean, technically, I could get pregnant soon and then have a preemie or something...#expecttheunexpected)

I had to talk myself out of a trip to Disney World in 2020. (Yes, I'm nuts.) And every time Logan and I looked into another vacation, we ended up getting super stressed. Which is weird. (Honestly, it's super frustrating that we can't plan too much in advance, not knowing if I'll be pregnant and unable to travel. Because what if I just never get pregnant?) So we just came to the conclusion that we're going to focus on saving money. And if the perfect opportunity for a (last-minute) vacation arrives, we'll go for it.

Logan and I managed to go on TWO dates this past weekend, because of the way things fell. The second one was really fun because we went to an escape room with two other couples...and we escaped! With time to spare! And it was just really neat and something we've been wanting to do but just couldn't afford. (Cyber Monday coupon codes, y'all.)

Christmas is NEXT WEEK which seems so crazy to me. I thought I'd have plenty of time to relax and read and enjoy this time of preparation. But no. I haven't. I mean, I'm enjoying things, but I'm super exhausted and kinda stressed, even though I'm trying really hard not to be. Sigh. But my last CCD class of the year was last night, I finished a transcript today, aaaaand I'm about to submit my magazine edits...which is the really time-sensitive things I had. I still have a couple more projects to finish before the end of the year, but not necessarily before next week..so maybe the few days leading up to Christmas will be nice and low-stress? Here's hoping.

Tell me a high and a low from your Advent so far!

St. Nicholas Day is still one of our faves!

Recent Reads (vol.19)

2019-11-16T13:11:00.000-06:00

It's that time again...I realize I've read 10 books since my last book post and decide to share my thoughts. And ooh, boy, I have some thoughts about some of these.

Goodreads has kindly alerted me to the fact that I am 3 books behind schedule on my reading challenge. Womp womp. The annoying thing is that it should actually be 1 book, because I read a trilogy but Goodreads only had it listed as one book. But whatevs.

2019 Reading Challenge: 40 out of 50 books read.

Books I'm reading in 2019 list: 16 read out out of 23 (and I'm in the middle of another)

Also, I'm officially NOT reading David Copperfield this year like I originally planned, because there is no way I'm reading 1,000 pages in the next 6 weeks. But I do plan on reading it eventually! (Next year, maybe? I just won't put it on my list like an idiot.) Okay, on to the books I've read...

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this. The second half was reallllly different and much slower...it was almost like it was meant for people who worked in psychiatry? I don't know. But it did get better. So just be warned of that if you read it! It was a good book overall though.

Fearless by Sonja Corbitt

I had high expectations for this for some reason. (Maybe because I LOVED her book Ignite?) Although it didn't meet those expectations, it was still a helpful read. I could have done without her frequent use of "Dear One" though...

Letter to a Suffering Church by Bishop Robert Barron

This was a short and easy read and one I highly recommend for any Catholic, especially if you're struggling with the scandals in the Church.

My Sisters the Saints by Colleen Carroll Campbell

This was a reread for book club, and I think I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time around! (It was one of my fave books read in 2015.)

The Case for Jesus by Brant Pitre

Brant Pitre never fails to completely blow my mind with his knowledge. I learned so much and was constantly telling Logan about what I was reading. So many epiphanies. Everyone should read this! Catholic or not.

The Well by Stephanie Landsem

Y'all. I read this for a book club and a couple ladies said it made them cry, and I was like, I'm not a crier. BUT I TOTALLY CRIED. It's based on the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, and my goodness, it's a good one. The end got me good too. There are actually two more books in the series, and I'm about to start the second.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

Thanks to my friend Maria for recommending this one! It reminds me of both Jane Austen books and the book Jane Eyre, all of which I love. I didn't realize it was so long (500+ pages), so I listened to the audiobook. But I loved it and would love to read the actual book eventually. It was a little painful at times, due to a troubled marriage situation, but you all know I love a good book with a marriage theme.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This was another one that came highly recommended, and it sucked me in good. I could do without the handful of sexual scenes (maybe they didn't even have sex, can't remember, but the details were a little too, um, detailed). But this book got me all the way til the end.

Momnipotent by Danielle Bean

I reread this since my moms group is going through the Momnipotent program. Such an easy and helpful read!

Nadzieja: The Story of a Girl Named Hope by Nadzieja Jadwiga McMillan

So this was actually three books that I read, but it's on Goodreads as one. The author is one of my friend's husband's grandmother (did I say that right?). And while it wasn't the best written thing I've read, it was pretty interesting. She was from Russia but her mom had to put her and her sister in an orphanage in Poland. She eventually came to the U.S., where she stayed (I think she died a few years ago.) My favorite part was the first book, since it took place right before WWII and explained all of the turmoil happening in the world during that time, and her experiences in the orphanage. Plus it's just cool knowing the history of my friend's family!

Any good books you've read lately that I should know about??

Confessions (vol.4)

2019-10-30T17:06:00.000-05:00

I've considered shutting this blog down...but where else would I write all my crazy thoughts? I know people use Facebook for that buuuuut that's not me. Blogger for life.

I actually wrote two posts and just never published them here...including one about why we don't really celebrate Halloween. But I think people will just think I'm crazy so maybe that will be a post I never publish.

We're not opposed to holiday-related things, FYI

Many days I just feel really overwhelmed with all of my responsibilities. (In addition to the obvious family stuff and housework, I have a part-time magazine job, I teach CCD every week, I'm helping plan our church's big fundraiser, run Surprised By Marriage....add to that another side job doing transcription work. Whew.)

Logan and I are planning to take a break from Surprised By Marriage during Advent and I CAN'T WAIT. (We're not giving it up by any means...we've just realized taking occasional breaks is so so so helpful.) This will be our longest break by far but so needed.

I'm not sure if I'll reach my reading challenge goal this year. My reading time is so limited these days, and it makes me sad.

I don't know if I'm ovulating. I wonder if stress is contributing to that...but I also don't know how to relieve the stress.

I have many friends going through some hard stuff right now and I feel bad that life is going pretty well for us. (Things are busy, as mentioned...but we can't complain, really.)

I want to go to Disney World again.

I still haven't signed up for a chapel hour since my last confessions post. Ughhhh but I need to.

If I'm not pregnant by the end of the year, that means I will have zero kids at home with me next school year. And that thought is so exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time.

I really like having big kids. Every time I'm around a friend with a baby or toddler, I remember how exhausting that is...and sometimes I think I'd be okay never doing that again. (Just to be clear...we still deal with tantrums and ridiculousness. Does that ever end?)

Now that we have some extra room in our budget, I'm realizing that the saying "more money, more problems" does have some truth to it. Because while it'd be really easy to get takeout every week like I've been wanting to do...I also know that's not the best use of our money when we have retirement, savings, and other adult responsibilities to think about.

Speaking of budget, we currently have categories for the following: couples trip, Disney (I told you), retreats, and vacation. If that tells you anything about my priorities. (Just kidding...we do have those categories but I'm also working on finally getting a month ahead of our expenses.)

Sometimes I just really wish Logan had a job that didn't require weekends and holidays. There are times where I'm able to just appreciate the fact that he HAS a job (with benefits!), but I'm not going to lie...sometimes it just sucks. I hate the fact that we never get a weekend as a family, and I hate the fact that we miss out on family time during the holidays. (Just thinking about the fact that he's probably working on Christmas makes me all teary. Ugh.)

Maybe I shouldn't blog when I'm on my period.

The boys in their saints costumes

Just so I'll end on a happy note (sorry)...there have been a few moments lately where I've been super proud of Logan and me when it comes to quality time with our kids. I guess you could say that's been a positive of Logan's work schedule - it's forced us to take advantage of the time we do have.

Okay, your turn...tell me a crazy thought of yours!

Oh, P.S. Check out our gift guide at Surprised By Marriage! And enter the giveaway!

Fun things and an attempt at efficiency

2019-08-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

I felt so frazzled for most of summer and once school started, I realized it's because I never got a break. Meaning, Aaron doesn't nap when the big boys are home. Which means no break for momma.

Okay, maybe I kind of sucked at prioritizing too.

But now that the big boys are in school, Aaron actually asks me to go lie down with him when he's tired, so now I'm happily typing away at this blog post while he sleeps.

It also helps that I've been working on prioritizing. (See end of post.)

I'm not going to lie, back to school has been realllllly nice. Last year, Aaron was so ridiculous and clingy. And while he still certainly has his moments (um, he's 3), he's come a LONG WAY when it comes to playing independently and not wanting me to hold him every second of the day. So, so nice.

So anyways. I've been wanting to share some fun things and what I've been doing to be more efficient...because isn't that what blogging used to be??

Prayer Wine Chocolate shirt

I won Amy's giveaway and got to pick anything in this shop section, so of course I picked the shirt because my name is Jen and I like shirts. It's sooo soft.

Frame Your Day: Daily Prayer + Productivity Journal

Katie from The Approachable Life sent me her new journal, and oh my gosh, I love it. Even if you're terrible at keeping up with journals (I'm guilty of that a lot), she still has so many awesome tools to get you going. She breaks things up beautifully too so you don't get overwhelmed! Plus, it's Catholic, which is awesome. (She does have a non-denominational version too.)

Sometimes I don't fill everything out on these kinds of things, but I still get a lot out of reading through it. I totally finished a project a couple weeks after I got this in the mail! #motivation

You can get the physical copy on Amazon or a digital copy (which you can print over and over) on Etsy.

Kindred Forest Co.

If you follow Surprised By Marriage (or any Catholic blogger, ha) you've probably seen this, but Kindred Forest Co. came out with these adorable wooden saint medals. They sent us the men's bracelet with St. Raphael (the patron saint of our marriage this year!) and I immediately regretted getting one for Logan instead of myself (I'm so self-sacrificial, I know). So I spent some of my birthday money to buy myself a St. Michael bracelet and just the St. Raphael medal so I could put it on a chain I already had. I just love having two archangels covering my back.

If you click through our affiliate link, we get a small purchase (please and thank you!): https://kindredforest.co/?ref=surprisedbymarriage

Trying to be efficient

I've been working on prioritizing so I can get allllll the things done that I need to since my to-do list is like neverending. To prevent the Internet Time Suck (hahaha, remember when I wrote that post?), I make a list of things that I need to do on the computer at some point, or I make a stack of papers with bills and whatever else that require a computer. And once the boys are on the bus (which is pretty early), I do dishes/laundry/errands/whatever before I finally sit down with my list or stack of papers and get to it. It also serves as motivation to get everything else done first!

Although I like to start the day with an empty sink, I tend to leave dishes in the sink after that until the big boys get home from school. Because I can actually do dishes while still talking to Landon (who talks nonstop when he gets home). I can't write, edit, pay bills, or anything that requires mental focus while Landon is trying to talk to me. Does that make sense? Just trying to be more present to my kids, and I admit I have a big advantage now that they're in school.

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Gosh, I could write more but I'll stop now. Maybe I'll be more consistent with blogging now that summer is over!

Before you go, hit me with an efficiency tip! I'm taking notes.

Recent Reads (vol.18)

2019-07-28T15:22:00.000-05:00

2019 Reading Challenge: 30 out of 50 books read. 2 books ahead!

Books I'm reading in 2019 list: 13 read out out of 23 (and I'm in the middle of 2 others)

I'm still feeling like I don't read enough, which is crazy, since I'm about to share 10 more books. But seriously. Many days I don't read at all! Makes me sad.

Capital Gaines by Chip Gaines

I was a little disappointed by this one. It felt eerily similar to The Magnolia Story, plus more stories of dumb things Chip has done. He also came across as a little conceited? I don't know. (I love the Gaines though!) Read The Magnolia Story instead, if you haven't already...it's muuuch better.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Oh, I loved this one. It just might be my fave Austen novel now! (Disclaimer: I know I've said this before. And I still haven't read Mansfield Park yet.) The movie was good too. I think there's two that I watched actually, and I forget which one I liked better...

Memoirs of a Happy Failure by Alice von Hildebrand

You know me, I'm a big fan of memoirs. I thought this was pretty intriguing! Alice shares about her experiences teaching back when women did not teach. She really got me interested in her marriage with Dietrich von Hildebrand, so I'm currently reading his biography written by her. They are such an interesting couple!

33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley

This was my second time going through this, and Logan joined me. I highly recommend doing this with your spouse! It was so fruitful. The devil wasn't too happy about it (seriously, so many ridiculous things happened that month), buuuuut Momma Mary had our back.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

Well, this is not what I expected. It's actually not the story of a happy marriage. (Not gonna lie...I'm a sucker for a good marriage book). It's a bunch of her magazine columns all put together, including one about her divorce. I guess she talks about her current (happy?) marriage at some point, but I forget because I really lost interest halfway through. She is funny, and I thought some of the columns were interesting...but it was a little disappointing. Side note: I only considered this book (and finished it) because it was my pick for the reading challenge I do with friends. June's category was a book from Reese Witherspoon's book list.

Theology of the Body in One Hour by Jason Evert

It definitely takes longer than an hour to read, but I thought this was a great intro to TOB.

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

This was a good one. It took me a few months to get through, and I will be revisiting for sure. I just need some reminders of the techniques talked about...

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

I was really intrigued by the concept of this book. And while I was a tad disappointed- since I already do a lot of the things he mentioned - it did give me a lot to think about. Especially as someone who has an online ministry!

Be Brave in the Scared by Mary Lenaburg

Despite not being the best-written book, Mary's vulnerability and honesty made this a good (and easy) read for pretty much anyone! I love how she shares the hard stuff.

Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza

I reread this one for book club, and it's such a great story. It's an easy and riveting read if you're in a reading slump!

I normally ask y'all what good books you've been reading lately, but I don't need anymore books to add to my TBR list 😂 But if you have a book you absolutely think I MUST read, tell me!

What I'm loving lately (summer '19 edition)

2019-07-14T20:13:00.000-05:00

It's been almost 7 months since I've shared what I'm loving lately, so here we go!

Marco Polo. This is my new favorite app, and I'm not sure why I didn't know of it before. It's basically where you can leave someone voicemails, except it's a video. Which is SUPER helpful when you need to show somebody something or explain something much quicker than a text...and on your own time. Plus it's fun seeing the faces of friends that live 1-2 hours away from me!

Poldark. I had already seen all 4 seasons, but when I saw the DVDs at the library, I decided to rewatch the series. But this time, I convinced Logan to watch it with me! (He did NOT want to, but I was like, "no, we're watching it.") And he ended up REALLY enjoying it. Plus it made for some really good conversation between us, because SO MUCH DRAMA. And a lot of it was marriage-related, which is totally up our alley. Now we just have to wait for season 5, which starts on PBS in September!

How God provides. In May, I was kind of stressing about our finances because we haven't had any extra video income this year from Logan's side business. It was not long after that I was offered the part-time job (mentioned in this post)! Unfortunately, my little income will basically be paying medical bills (ughhh), so I'm not going to lie when I say I'm still stressed.

BUT God still provides in little ways. I've been needing new tennis shoes for a long time, but they're just so dang expensive. Well. I was at Wal-Mart the other day and noticed a bunch of shoes on clearance. They had girls tennis shoes marked down to $6! I was looking at them and trying to find my nieces' sizes when an employee told me she had to take $2 off. So that made the shoes $4! I had recently learned that I can wear girls size (i.e. a girls 5 is similar to a women's 7, or something like that), so I ended up getting me 2 pairs too, because when the heck will I ever find $4 tennis shoes again? It's a small thing, but it really reinforced the idea that God really does provide.

Hurricane Barry memes. This so-called storm Barry was the most ridiculous thing ever. But it also produced the BEST memes.

Aaron talking like a big boy. It's like a switch turns on when our kids turn 3 - they start talking like a big boy. And I can tell Aaron loves that he can "keep up" with the rest of us now verbally. We were watching a movie last night when I started talking to Logan, and Aaron (who was between us) said, "Be quiet. I'm trying to watch the movie!" 😂

He's such a ham.

Google Docs. Why, yes, call me a nerd if you'd like. I've been using Google Docs since I got my Chromebook last year, but it wasn't until recently that I discovered the feature of letting people suggest edits. It's perfect for blogging stuff - since I've been editing other people's stuff and letting other people edit my stuff - AND for my new part-time job, which also includes editing.

Cow Appreciation Day. We went for the first time ever because it was Chase's birthday, and let's just say it will be a tradition from now on. You just can't beat a $4 meal for 5 people! (Plus entertainment for the kids.)

Summer fun craziness (this blog isn't dead yet)

2019-07-01T18:20:00.000-05:00

It's funny how I thought I would have so much free time once all of our boys were potty-trained and more independent and all of that. But what actually happened is that I'm actually even busier. Whenever I'm pregnant or with a baby, I'm like NOPE to allllll the things. But now? I'm like, I could do that.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely say no to things. But I also feel God calling me to do a lot of things right now. We're still trucking along with the Surprised By Marriage stuff (can you say a prayer for our discernment regarding the financial part of that please?), I'm still involved with plenty at our church, and I recently got a part-time gig doing some writing, editing, and other stuff. I've never ever been paid to write until now so it's pretty exciting.

It never fails - whenever life gets crazy, I just want to write. Do I always make time for it? Sadly, no. (Although now I have to make time for it! Ha.) I've been keeping a journal for 16 years (gosh, that sounds insane when I put it in black and white), and even though I journal MUCH less than I used to, it's still what I go to when life is overwhelming. And for some reason, I always turn to blogging when there's a million other things I could be doing. I guess that explains why this here blog exists almost a decade later.

Life is actually pretty good, though, despite the craziness. Logan surprised me with the best anniversary date ever (check out our Instagram highlights under "10 year anniversary"), we're kind of in a sweet spot with the kids, and Jesus has been giving me some serious consolations in prayer. Life is not perfect, by any means, but when I think about some of the rough periods we've gone through in recent years....this is nothing. There's been a lot of answered prayers, great family moments, and well, I can't complain.

June ended up being CRAZY but it was fun at least. And now for some pictures, because you know I love some old school blogging:

Our annual birthday bash was fun, as usual. (It was the first time I didn't make cookie cake for their party because that's how crazy June was. #costcoforlife)

It was Disney themed!

Logan made Toodles in the top left corner to put over the dart board because he is ridiculous 😂 and I always think a pinata (top right) is a good idea until the kids start swinging the bat around...

VBS was fun and exhausting! This was on crazy hair day.

We survived VBS! And my kids are so cute sometimes, I can't stand it.

We went to the zoo today because it was the first day all summer that all 5 of us were home with zero plans on the calendar.

The women's World Cup has also been adding to the fun! I'm hoping July is our chill month before the school craziness of August starts, but you know how life goes.

The sweet spot (supposedly)

2019-06-09T16:57:00.000-05:00

When Aaron was a baby, and we knew we wanted/needed a bigger break between our next baby, we mentioned how it would be REALLY nice if he were potty trained before we had another baby. But since NFP tends to make you open to a baby sooner rather than later (at least that's been our experience), we figured that wouldn't actually happen.

We didn't potty train the other boys until they were 3 and 3.5, but at some point we realized that Aaron would be probably be ready before that.

We were right. Because Aaron is completely potty trained (even at night!), and it took less than 2 weeks. We started a month before his 3rd birthday (which is in a couple weeks).

(Aaron actually tried to potty train himself back in February, but since we were going to Disney in March, we were like NOPE and just used pull-ups for the first time ever because we were not ready to go all the way.)

It's really weird. Gone are the days of diapers and baby things. And while we will jump back into that one day, God-willing, we're trying to enjoy this sweet spot while we're in it.

We keep having older parents tell us how hard the teenage years are, and while I know the phrase "bigger kid, bigger problems" has some truth to it, I think those parents also forget how exhausting and overwhelming little kids can be. You have to do literally everything for them - change their clothes, brush their teeth, buckle their seat belts, fix their food, etc.

I think parents also forget how hard it is to make your marriage a priority when there's always a baby or toddler waking up or screaming or needing something only you can give them. Logan and I talk often about how one day, we will be able to just leave the house! No babysitter or anything because our kids will be able to fend for themselves for a couple hours. Sure, teenagers can be hard (although honestly, my siblings and I were not...and that's coming from my parents), but there are a lot of perks too. Not only the independence, but being able to talk to them about mature things and realizing that you raised some pretty awesome human beings. (Well, here's hoping, anyways.)

A trip to the grocery store is still crazy but it's probably considerably less crazy than it was 2 years ago.

Our life has drastically changed in the last 18 months. We went from 2 in diapers to no diapers at all. Two of our kids can buckle themselves in the car and the third needs just a little assistance. They can all go to the bathroom by themselves (with the exception of Aaron when he poops) and change their clothes all by themselves.

Landon just turned 7 and has been voluntarily doing the dishes some days. Any 3 of our boys known how to feed the dog and let her outside. They can get their own snack, and the two oldest can fix a bowl of cereal and make their own sandwiches.

There are certainly still plenty of tantrums and fights (oh my gosh, seriously), but we can send the boys outside to play without having to hover around them.

They still sometimes take forever to fall asleep at night, and often wake up earlier than they should...but they do sleep through the night.

We know this is almost the little sweet spot between babies and teenagers, and we're grateful for being able to experience it. It's really got me thinking about the stage before this and the stage that comes after, and I'm not sure you can say one is harder than the other. It all depends on the temperaments of the kids AND parents, and a million other factors.

Because even though life is easier is many ways, I'm still tired. Being a mom is exhausting. I've almost forgotten how even more exhausting pregnancy and babies can be, and it wasn't that long ago! (So seriously, I think older moms forget big time.)

Instead of saying to moms of littles "the teen years are even harder," I think we need to start saying "enjoy the stage you're at!" Because every stage, from babies to teens and everything in between, has its own struggles and hard moments. Take it from a parent in that supposed sweet spot. It's called being a parent!

I think as long we accept that our kids will do stupid things, and we remember that God can redeem anything, we will be okay. Enjoy the stage you're in now, because the next one is going to be different!

Confessions (vol. 3)

2019-05-26T22:11:00.001-05:00

My #1 reason why I'm glad it's summer: not having to wake up at 6am. (Sorry, Logan, I know you still have to wake up even earlier that that...)

As soon as I found out about all the free events happening at our library this summer, I wrote all of the ones that looked cool in my planner. Because I am a dork.

Sometimes I wish Logan and I could have our own reality show. (Yes, I know that's the most ridiculous thing ever, especially coming from an introvert.)

We currently don't have Prime or Netflix and it's been fine! Totally fine. We get movies from the library (freeeeee) and can watch current shows via our Fire stick. Plus Formed.org.

We do, however, plan on getting Netflix in July for season 3 of Stranger Things. Caaaaan't wait. (And to think Logan had to convince me to watch that show because I'm a wimp.)

I deleted my Facebook app as we take a break from Surprised By Marriage stuff and um, I wish I didn't need to be on it ever.

I've also been thinking a lot about the balance between social media and real life and I just really don't have any answers. While I'd love to cut it out completely, I also feel like we're supposed to be on it. Doing God's work and all. So I've been thinking about what I need to do to make that balance better. Share your ideas/tips with me!

Speaking of news....we're NOT pregnant. LOL. But my goodness, we've been getting a lot of questions about our when our next baby is coming. Answer: whenever God says! (And I assure you, you will know when that happens.)

That being said, I'm going to repeat something I said in my last confessions post: Pretty sure I'd be okay never being pregnant again. (And I will spare you all my crazy thoughts about that.)

Also from last confessions post: Buuuut I don't think our family is complete.

But I can't help but think...what if it IS complete? I know fully well that a baby - and carrying said baby to term - is not guaranteed. (Okay, end crazy fertility thoughts.)

Logan and I are going on a 2-night anniversary getaway and I can't even explain to you how excited we are about it. Seriously. You'd think we were going to Disney again but nope, just a little beach town because we get cheap hotel rates at a nice hotel.

I do wish we could do a bigger trip for our 10th anniversary but we didn't plan it very well with going to Disney a few months before. And actually the only way we're able to swing the getaway financially is because we won money at a fundraising event! #Godprovides

I've been having all kinds of crazy thoughts lately and feeling like some big suffering is headed our way soon which maybe it's just me being melancholic (or hormones? shrug) but if it's true, well...thanks God for the heads up. (Am I crazy? You can tell me I'm crazy.)

I feel God realllllly nudging me to get an hour at the Adoration chapel again (we haven't had one since Chase was born) and I keep resisting. But, like, I know I need to. And after thinking that for like a month, someone randomly asked me to take their chapel hour yesterday and it's like God is telling me, "Here's your reminder!" Because the hour was just what I needed.

I have Charles Dickens' David Copperfield on my list of books to read this year and when I looked at it the other day and considered starting it, I looked all one thousand pages and seriously reconsidered having it on my list. So please tell me it's an awesome book and that I'll be glad I read it!

Even though I haven't finished the entire Anne of Green Gables series, I watched the movie The Continuing Story (because I had a feeling it'd make me mad if I watched it AFTER the books) and oh my gosh...why? Why was I wishing Anne would end up with the crazy dude - the writer, I forget his name - instead of Gilbert?

Logan's birthday is next week and I keep forgetting.

We do plan on seeing the new Aladdin movie since that was our fave Disney movie when we were dating. We may sing A Whole New World together from time to time. No shame.

Maybe I should stop now before these confessions get too crazy.....but first, tell me something crazy about you!

Recent Reads (vol.17)

2019-05-07T13:29:00.002-05:00

2019 Reading Challenge: 20 out of 50 books read. 3 books ahead!

Books I'm reading in 2019 list: 8 read out out of 23 (and I'm in the middle of 3 others)

I've really been feeling that I haven't read as much as I would like lately. I guess I almost always feel like that but it's been bad lately. Guess it's just because spring is a crazy time?? Anyways. Maybe I'm just being dumb because I've finished 9 books since my last book post.

The only physical books I read - the rest were on Kindle.

Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery

I'm slowly making my way through the series, and I loved this one like all the rest. (And then I watched The Sequel with Megan Follows. Swoon. Gilbert is adorbs.)

Unplanned by Abby Johnson

This was Abby's story about leaving Planned Parenthood. It was really good and the movie was much better than I was expecting! Of course the book had a lot more details that I wish had been able to fit into the movie, but I still recommend both. (The movie was super intense though, so maybe not for highly sensitive folks.)

A Spiritual Growth Plan for Your Choleric Child by Connie Rossini

I first read this when I was pregnant with Aaron because Landon is choleric. But since Aaron is also choleric, I desperately needed a reread. Parenting choleric children is no joke! I'll be revisiting this every couple of years, I'm sure.

Amazing Grace for Married Couples by Jeff Cavins, Matthew Pinto, and Patti Armstrong

12 stories of couples who were on the brink of divorce. It would be encouraging for couples who may think their situation is beyond hope. Because seriously, some of these couples' situations seemed impossible! But God's grace transformed them.

The Way by St. Josemaria Escriva

This took me awhile to get through because you can't just read it nonstop. It's basically a bunch of quotes, which isn't what I was expecting. But it definitely has some gems.

33 Days to Merciful Love by Fr. Michael Gaitley

This was my second time doing this and it was awesome all over again. I've always appreciated St. Therese but reading this again has made me realllllly love her.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

I only read this because of my reading challenge with friends. April's challenge was "a book written by an author with your initials." Someone suggested Jack London and then I found this at a book sale for like a quarter! It was pretty interesting and made me look up the Klondike Gold Rush. Considering it was published in 1903, I thought it was written really well.

Into Your Hands, Father: Abandoing Ourselves to the God Who Loves Us by Fr. Wilfried Stinissen

This will probably go on my fave books of the year list. So good.

The Appalling Strangeness of God: The Story of Ruth Pakaluk, Convert, Mother, and Pro-Life Activist

I listened to this for a book club and was a little conflicted. I was definitely inspired by her attitude as she dealt with breast cancer and the possibility of dying, and it was cool hearing from her husband. But I just was not a fan of the narrator! It was a struggle to get through at times. But Ruth's story was definitely inspiring so maybe try reading instead of listening. (Both ebook and audiobook are on Formed.org, FYI)

Alright, friends, what good books have you read lately?

Thrifting ain't so bad

2019-04-25T14:34:00.000-05:00

Alternatively titled: Thrift store and used book sale finds

I used to think that person that thought thrift stores were kind of gross, but in the last couple of years, Logan and I realized that we can get some goooood stuff there. Much of our wardrobe is from thrift stores now!

We're grateful to get a lot of hand-me-downs too (both kid and adult), so it's not very often we pay for clothes other than thrift stores. And since thrift stores are pretty cheap - and even cheaper when you go on a sale day - we save a heck of a lot of money on clothing. Dresses are $6, shirts are usually $2, and jeans run around $3-5. And sometimes you get half off that! Winning.

So here is where I bomb you with a bunch of pictures and tell you what is from a thrift store. (All of these pictures are from Instagram, sorry not sorry.)

My dress. Logan always finds the best things for me!

Logan's jeans, my shirt. Most of the boys' jeans are actually from thrift stores too!

Logan's shirt

My dress

My jean jacket. Another find by Logan.

Landon and Chase's shirts (and I caught them on sale so only paid a dollar each!!), probably Landon's pants (I seriously get at least half of his school clothes at thrift stores and most of his clothes lately!)

My shirt. LSU and Saints stuff is ridiculously expensive so I was pumped.

There's a lot more but those are the just the pictures I found quickly. Cool, right? Often times, I'll check thrift stores before I buy something (i.e. school uniforms, jeans for a kid) because there's a chance I will find it there for muuuuuch cheaper. You do have to wade through a lot of lesser quality items, and a few times we've tried on something we love just to realize there's a hole in it, which is frustrating. But the pros to thrift store shopping still outweigh the cons.

And now for books!!

I've had some great finds at used book sales lately which is obviously exciting for a book lover. I actually read a lot from the library, but unfortunately they don't always have good Catholic books and I'm often denied when I request they buy one. So used book sales are the next best place! (Although if it's a book I know I will read often, I prefer the kindle edition because I "highlight" the heck out of it!)

$15 for all these! And there are some gems: Interior Freedom by Fr. Philippe, The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis, The Life of Christ by Fulton J. Sheen, and The Book of Virtues. BOV has been on my Amazon wish list for years but I just couldn't stomach paying $15. Well, I'm so glad I waited because I got that sucker for $2! And it's in great condition.

I also recently found Immaculee's Left to Tell at another sale even though I've already read it. I told Logan he needs to read it now! (I also bought The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours in the above photo even though I have the kindle version because I couldn't pass it up for 50 cents! So if you want it, it's all yours. :))

So, what's your best tips for thrifting and shopping book sales??

Your typical Jen rambling

2019-04-05T11:39:00.000-05:00

Is this one of those posts where I talk about a bunch of random things going on? Yes. Yes, it is.

Whenever I have several different things I could be doing, I have a tendency to do something not as time-sensitive. It's so dumb, I know. Like, I know I should be planning my next CCD class or scheduling a doctor appointment or folding the laundry, but how about I shop for Easter basket stuff instead? Yeah. But hey, I'm still being productive! (Cue eye roll. I'm dumb sometimes.) (But hey, I'm blogging, at least.) (And I'm done with Easter baskets.)

But I did realize this week that having people sleepover at your house for a few days is a GREAT motivation for actually cleaning your house.

There are some periods of time where I can fit in a decent amount of reading and other times where I struggle fitting it in. There were a few weeks where I was realllllly struggling because life was nuts. But I know I need to fit in the time because my soul needs it....so I've gotten better again. The reading life is similar to life in general - sometimes you have slumps, and that's okay. (Slump is such a weird word, isn't it? SLUMP. Slump.) (Ok, I'm done.)

The same goes with date nights (or day dates, which works better for us right now). Sometimes we're SO good at going on regular dates....and other times we go a few months without making the time. We went like 3 months without any dates and then went on 3 within 10 days. And we only spent money on one of them! Holler. Gift cards are awesome.

Our church parish has grown so much over the last few years, which is great...but it also means we have a lot going on allll the time, it seems. And since I'm Mrs. Over-committed, I'm helping with the big spring fundraiser, VBS during the summer, and the big fall fundrasiser. Oh, and teaching CCD once a week. And helping plan some other events. It's all good and important things, of course, but whew. It's hard to keep up sometimes.

Logan and I unexpectedly got a large sum of money recently, and because it's been years since this has happened, we spent several days talking about how we could best use it. Like, we had about 20 things we've been wanting to do, like replace the kitchen blinds that are destroyed by the dog (seriously, it's bad) or get new living room furniture to replace our ridiculously old hand-me-down couch. But we eventually decided to do the grown-up thing and pay off our car loan. WOOOO. Which is especially awesome because we joked before our Disney trip that we could have paid off our car instead of going to Disney. But God provides for reals. And now hopefully we will be able to save money to do all of the things we've been meaning to do!

I didn't give up anything for Lent, which kind of makes me feel lame sometimes. BUT I am waking up at 5:30 during the week on the days that Logan goes to work, which is just really hard sometimes. And that kind of means I'm giving up sleep, right? ;) I am definitely seeing the fruit of it, though. It's a much better start to my day! I actually get through Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours) without a toddler screaming at me, Logan and I get to talk in the morning and sometimes pray together, and I get a few things done before the rest of the house wakes up. (That post about my liturgical binder? Definitely posted that early in the morn. Winning. I felt so productive that day.)

Pic of toddler holding an umbrella and wearing a homemade beanie because that's much cuter than said toddler screaming his head off.

It always boggles my mind when people say they couldn't be a SAHM because they were so bored. Like, were your kids perfectly behaved? Was your house immaculate? Do you not read? Do you not have hobbies? Because I have never, ever been bored since Landon was born (almost 7 years ago!!) and even though I don't have an official job and I only have one kid at home during school hours, I still can't find time to do all the things I would like. YOLO.

Somehow I could write about a few more things but maybe I'll save those for another day.

My ingenious liturgical binder (AKA how I manage to do fun liturgical things with my kids)

2019-03-14T06:37:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time I was a mom who got frustrated with doing fun liturgical things with my kids. I would find - and sometimes buy - cute printables and coloring pages which they would love! And then the next year I either a) couldn't remember what I did for a particular feast day, b) couldn't remember where I found/bought whatever we did, or c) spend way too much time finding them again (and sometimes not being able to, because blogs expire or whatever).

Then I had an idea. I could make a liturgical binder! It could hold all of the activities we like to do for all of our favorite feast days!

Now, let me just say that I like to be organized but I do not care about how fancy it is. So my binder is one I found around the house, and I made my own dividers because budget, and I found sheet protectors that I reused. So I literally paid zero dollars to make this binder that now holds all of our fun liturgical things. (Although I really should buy more sheet protectors. And get a bigger binder.)

See? Not fancy. But you do you, of course.

It's divided into sections:

Advent
Christmas
Lent
Easter
Feast days from January to April
Feast days from May to August
Feast days from September to December

That way everything is easily found! (Just keeping it real though - I have zero things in section 6. Apparently I slack off during the summer. And also there were zero things in the Christmas section until this past year, which is crazy to me. We actually do lots of activities during Christmas!)

So. Whenever I find a cute coloring page that the boys love or realize whatever activity I bought is something we want to do again next year (i.e. the Jesus Tree during Lent from Nancy at Do Small Things with Love), I put it in the binder!

If it's a coloring page, I'll usually print it 2 on a page (especially if it's just of one saint or something) to save paper. I'll put a copy on card stock in my binder, because it holds up better. And because I like card stock.

Now whenever it's the day before a feast day - or um, the actual feast day - and I'm like crap, what are we going to do? I pull out my binder! And there's usually at least a coloring page or something for that day, and I just make copies of it and put it back in the binder so I can find it next year.

I haven't even thought about St. Patrick's day - which is on Sunday FYI - but look! I'm totally prepared.

Maybe people do this already. But I live under a rock.

Before Advent even started, I was super on the ball and got everything ready/copied and put it in a separate folder. Winning. But for Lent, I didn't even think about what to do until we got home from Disney last weekend. And since I was too busy catching up on laundry and errands and all, I didn't pull out my binder until yesterday. It's totally fine, though, because our Jesus Tree is up on the wall now and I know I have a couple other activities I can do with the boys when I'm feeling up to it. (Can you say a prayer this awful cough I have goes away? Please and thank you.)

Do you keep your liturgical activities organized? Got any ideas to make this better?

We did a thing...THE thing

2019-03-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

We always thought that Disney World would be something we couldn't afford for a long, long time. But last year we decided to get a quote from our friend who plans Disney trips just to see. And then we realized that if we fit it in before Aaron turned 3, he would be free and we could fit in one small (and cheap) room! And considering more babies may be in our future, it was almost felt like a "now or never" situation. Assuming our financial situation stays the same, at least.

So we put every extra dollar towards our vacation fund. Birthday money, Christmas money, etc. We cancelled Netflix and didn't renew Prime. We didn't renew our zoo/aquarium/insectarium membership. We ate out even less than we already do, which is like once a month usually.

We booked the trip last summer saying that if we weren't pregnant by Christmas, we would for sure go during Mardi Gras break. But at some point in early December it seriously looked like we would not be able to save enough money, thanks to unexpected expenses and people's lack of tips. (Friendly reminder that you should tip your valet driver at least $5, mmkay?)

But alas, we buckled down EVEN MORE (almost like a pre-Lent Lent) and God really provided in so many ways. It was pretty cool actually. We even ended up saving enough to do the dining plan ($$$) which is only worth it if you do mostly character meals and you have a kid under 3, which we did. (Since we went into this trip thinking it would be the only time we'd go, we went big with all the character meals, but if we do go again, we probably won't do so many character meals and the meal plan. FYI.) (But we're still really glad we splurged this time.)

All of this to say....WE WENT TO DISNEY WORLD, Y'ALL!

And before I show you some of our cute and fun pictures, let me just tell you that these pictures do not show all of the craziness that happened, like...

Chase getting pink eye and running fever the day before our arrival
Forgetting the autograph book for our very first character meal
Our stroller breaking the first day in the parks. Seriously. We had to lift the front wheel up while pushing most of that day which was annoying. Logan managed to somewhat fix it that night in the hotel but it made noises the rest of the trip
Getting on the wrong monorail to our second character meal
A dozen toddler tantrums
Getting rained on for 3 hours in Epcot
Not getting to see half of the countries in Epcot because one of our Fast Passes taking FOREVER, and Logan and I were looking forward to the countries the most (Epcot was our most frustrating day by far)
Trying to get 2 sleeping kids and a double stroller on and off the bus...twice
Getting stuck in traffic for almost an hour when we were only 30 minutes away from arriving home

I know every vacation has their mishaps and ours certainly did, but there were just as many pleasant surprises. And it was still worth it. Our boys loved their first trip to Disney, and Logan and I are already talking about how/when we can go back in a few years. Because we're crazy.

Now for cute pictures. (These are different than the ones I posted on my personal FB page! We have soooo many.)

Aaron be like "Don't care. I fell asleep during your movie." We also met Alice, Mad Hatter, Pooh, and Tigger.

We rode the monorail on our arrival day to look at some of the fancier resorts. My sister gave me this cute LulaRoe Randi with Minnie on it!

Our first day in the parks! First up, Monday in Magic Kingdom.

Landon also took his own picture with Belle, per his request. #ladiesman

We also met Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto. It was the boys' first time meeting Mickey and they were thrilled! Goofy is also one of Aaron's faves.

Give me all the snacks! I totally had a list of snacks I wanted to try (because I am ridiculous with learning all the things before I do something) and Ash Wednesday put a kink in it, but we still managed to try a lot.

So glad we watched a dozen Disney movies before the trip, because they could totally make the connection with the tea cups. And the Peter Pan ride was neat too since we had just watched the movie.

Tuesday in Epcot!

Leave it to Aaron to fuss about a chocolate cupcake for breakfast. Jk. I don't remember why he was pouting but he got over it.

Probably our favorite character meal! They brought you the food (as opposed to a buffet like the others), the restaurant turned slowly, AND you saw the characters more since it was smaller. Plus the food was delicious.

The drinks were too. ;) Happy Mardi Gras!

We met Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale.

Wednesday in Magic Kingdom! (We skipped Animal Kingdom so we could do MK twice. Worth it.)

Okay, I totally shared this on FB but it's one of my faves. Because clearly Landon and I are the only ones who did this ride right, right?

Maybe the other boys were sleeping for this? I don't remember. (Okay, Logan tells me Chase was sleeping and Aaron was crying. Divide and conquer.)

Chase was the one I was worried about before this trip because he's like me and needs his sleep. But he just slept when he needed to and it was all good.

Thursday in Hollywood Studios! Quite possibly our favorite day, surprisingly enough.

We signed up the boys for the Jedi training and they LOVED it.

Landon totally didn't follow instructions and tried to trip Kylo Ren, which was pretty hilarious.

And Chase wasn't intimidated by Kylo Ren getting all up in his face right before their little "fight." So proud.

Aaron did not want to leave the Incredibles area.

We met Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy.

Toy Story Land!

One of their favorite rides!

We left Friday and decided to have dessert right after breakfast since we still had some snack credits left. And also because Logan wanted a Mickey bar before we left!

We're still recovering and trying to adjust back into the real world. I really don't know how people go to Disney like every year! Or even every other. It's fun, but the time right before and after is rough.

We have a busy week ahead which makes me go ughhh, but Logan and I thankfully have a marriage retreat to look forward to soon! That will be our vacation to recover from our vacation. Ha.

Recent Reads (vol.16)

2019-02-28T11:21:00.000-06:00

A new year but the same old gig. I read a lot, if you're new here. And I share my thoughts about recent reads. But what I've decided is to not put pictures of the covers because it takes too much time. So, sorry if you liked that.

Wellll, I just realized I've read 16 books since my last book post! (Well, 18 if you include the Bible and my Advent devotional, but I'm not including them here.) Yikes. So let's see how short I can keep these....

In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden

This was a re-read for me and I loved it all over again.

Spousal Prayer: A Way to Marital Happiness by Deacon James Keating

Short and easy read. It wasn't as marriage-specific as I was expecting, so I actually think anybody who wants some good thoughts on prayer could read it.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The first half was kind of slow for me, but I ended up liking it. I know some people reread this one a lot, but I'm not sure it's that type of book for me.

Joy to the World: How Christ's Coming Changed Everything by Scott Hahn

I had so many epiphanies while reading this! It was the perfect Advent read.

Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table With Recipes by Shauna Niequist

She kind of got me obsessed with food. All of her recipes sound delicious and she just has a lovely poetic style of writing. I definitely liked this one more than I was expecting!

My Heart Will Triumph by Mirjana Soldo

This is written by one of the Medjugorje visionaries, and while it's not the best written book, it had a big impact on me. And it doesn't even matter if you "believe" in the apparitions or not. Logan actually just finished this too (he read a book!! miracle!!) and it's safe to say this book has unexpectedly changed our lives. (And I know that sounds crazy...but it's true.)

Proof that Logan read!

Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle With Stuff by Dana K. White

I listened to the audiobook while decluttering and it was super motivating.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Another reread to prep for the date night we had at church about the love languages (that I couldn't attend since I was sick, boo). I will always recommend this to everyone! It was a game-changer for our marriage.

12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke

This wasn't exactly what I expected - it had a super duper Christian spin on it, which was kind of annoying and repetitive at times (I know, that makes me sound bad). BUT it posed some very good questions and definitely got me thinking.

Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen

I loved this but I felt bad about loving it. It was not your typical Julie Klassen book (Christian fiction) and while the general storyline was really good....it wasn't exactly moral. Like, there was enough sensuality to make me uncomfortable. Maybe I'm just weird and super conservative. (It's very likely.) So basically, I loved it but cannot in good conscience recommend it just in case it's a near occasion of sin for anyone. Read any of her other books though!

The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections With Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie

A good read if you need to be convinced of the importance of reading to your kids! Really motivating too. She includes a bunch of book lists too!

A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living by Emily Ley

I'm all about simplifying so I enjoyed this one.

Signs of Life: 20 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots by Scott Hahn

While this was interesting in some parts, I found it hard to read at times.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi

I listened to the audiobook of this former Muslim who converts to Christianity. This book is his journey and it was very interesting!

The Catholic Church Saved My Marriage: Discovering Hidden Grace in the Sacrament of Matrimony by David Anders

This book intrigued me because I've come to love and appreciate all of the graces we are given in marriage! It was less memoir-ish than I was expecting and pretty theological (which makes sense, I guess), but it was still a good story of this couple's conversion.

The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You by Jessica N. Turner

This wasn't a bad book...I just didn't get a whole lot out of it because it's things I've learned/realized over the last few years. But I'm sure it would be really helpful for a lot of people!

Congrats if you made it to the end! Now tell me what good books you've read lately...

Winter craziness, Abide conference, and other stuff

2019-02-19T20:24:00.000-06:00

I say winter, but really, we didn't experience a polar vortex like most of the country, and I was literally was wearing flip flops two days ago while most of the country has snow...but you know. It's still been winter craziness.

All the kids got the flu, followed by ear infections by two, pneumonia by one, and I got the flu and then the worst sinus infection ever. Fun times.

So we're all finally better and I'm doing a lot of catching up in life. Yesterday I told Logan I felt like I got nothing done all day, so he asked me exactly what I did do, and after I said I folded 2 loads of laundry and put them away and did the dishes, he stopped me and said, "You're good. You got things done." LOL. If that's any indication of how much I did - or didn't do - when I was feeling like crap. Makes me think about life when I'm pregnant and everything falls apart...

During the flupocalypse of 2019 just so happened to be a date night event at our church that I helped plan. And Logan and I were supposed to speak briefly at the event together - our first time speaking! But I had the flu so Logan handled it himself and did really well. Or so I'm told, even if he made one too many jokes about how his wife wasn't there to tell him to shut up. Ha. Here's a picture for evidence:

Handsome guy, right there. ;)

Last summer, on my birthday, I bought a ticket to the Abide Women's Conference that was February 1-2, 2019 in Lafayette, 2 hours away. A bunch of my besties bought tickets too. But alas, on January 31, the day before I was supposed to leave, Chase was diagnosed with the flu. And then the morning I was supposed to leave, Aaron started running fever (which ended up being flu too). And I was so torn about leaving my sick kids, but I had also been looking forward to the conference SO MUCH.

Logan insisted that they would be fine (because he's super dad) and really felt like God was saying it was okay for me to go, and honestly that's all I needed, because I felt God telling me the same. So I still went to the conference.

And it was awesome. (I didn't get sick until a few days later, probably because my boys were hugging on me like crazy when I got home.)

And my goodness, I am so short. LOL.

I could write a whole post about the conference (ain't happening though), but let me just say my besties and I rolled up to the DoubleTree just expecting a good time. What we got was an AMAZING time. It was more like a retreat than a conference, which was a pleasant surprise for this introvert. There was Adoration both Friday and Saturday night (with the best worship team, seriously), plenty opportunities for confession, fun vendors, and some of the best speakers that included Jen Fulwiler and Sr. Miriam James.

It's going to happen every other year, FYI, so you should totally plan on going in 2021, okay? My friends will adopt you into our group if you'd like, because that's what we do.

Oh, and look who I got to meet in person!

Lorelei of Books, Faith, and Life! (And founder of the Catholic Mom Bundle). She joined our group on Saturday and it was sooo nice meeting an online friend. I also met randomly met Erin of Humble Handmaid after she sat next to me in a breakout session and introduced herself. And awkward introvert me was like, "Hey, I've been wanting to meet you! I've read your blog." And she was super sweet and realized she's come across my blog too!

We've been doing screen-free evenings Monday through Thursday from 3-8pm (ish) and that led to Family Movie Nights on Friday. It's become such a lovely tradition, and we've been watching all kinds of movies that I haven't seen before. Both of the Incredibles movies were really good! We just watched Pinocchio which was really weird. But then we realized it was made in 1940 so that totally makes sense. Anyways. Got any suggestions for good family movies we could watch? I've been getting all of them from the library because free is awesome.

I suppose that's a good update for now. We have a big March coming up and even though Lent is later this year, it still just sneaks up on you, doesn't it? I've read way too many books in the last 7-8 weeks thanks to sickness so hopefully I'll be hitting y'all up with a Recent Reads post soon.

That reminds me...I never posted my 2019 goals. That post has been sitting in my drafts for almost 2 months so hopefully I'll finally getting around to that too. (Whyyyy am I sucking at my blogging these days?)

Thanks for sticking around. :)