Lovin' My Husband

Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things!

1) Lovin' Casinodad for making some of his yummy pudding & hazelnut cocoa spread desserts in 4 oz jelly jars for our family reunion this weekend.

2) Lovin' Casinodad for driving to & from the reunion. Usually, we break up long trips & take turns driving. He let me relax this time around.

3) Lovin' Casinodad for being the best doggone hubby for me! He's a GREAT guy!

Small Successes

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done! To link up your Small Successes each Thursday, go to CatholicMom.com. Here's the link.

1) Cleared out a few more areas from the decluttering spree I mentioned last week...a couple of the kitchen drawers & the door shelf in my linen closet.

2) Along those lines, I also went through a laundry basket that's been sitting on my closet. It held clothing items that needed mending, so I repaired about half of them. That included using HelpfulGrammy's sewing machine to cut off the bottom & hem a long denim jumper that had been ripped. It's a little too short at the moment, so my next step will be to add some decorative trim to lengthen it.

3) I remembered to cut my hair. Every day, when fixing my hair for the day for the past couple weeks, I've been saying that I needed to cut my hair. Then, I'd forget as soon as I left my bathroom. Yesterday, I finally remembered!

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful for much needed "Mom Therapy" yesterday! Two added bonuses: both of our moms were with us & my dear friend's little boy is doing GREAT after his hospital stay last week.

2) I'm thankful for my mom's sewing machine (which she passed to me a few months ago) & the many possibilities open to me by having it here.

3) I'm thankful for the opportunity to pray for vocations to the priesthood. Our parish has been hosting a chalice program in which families take weekly turns with a chalice in their homes. There is a prayer guide to go along w/ it & many wonderful reflections have been shared in our house so far this week.

4) I'm thankful to watch & listen as The Prophet & The Saint spend time together. Last night, it was so sweet to listen as our oldest read to our youngest.

5) I'm thankful for meeting a fellow Catholic yesterday at the library. She was parked next to us & when she saw my bumper sticker (for our local Catholic radio station), asked if I was Catholic. She introduced herself & asked if I would add a special intention to my Rosary prayers for the threat to our religious freedoms, handing me a small slip of paper w/ the prayer on it. I told her I would absolutely add it to my prayers.

Rosary Prayer Intention:

That we might have our constitutional freedom of religion upheld in every aspect of our lives as we are called to be good and faithful citizens.

Lovin' My Husband

Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things!

1) Lovin' Casinodad for making our bed most mornings. Our general understanding has always been that the last person up, makes the bed. He, however, has been making it regardless of who was up last & I really appreciate it!

2) Lovin' Casinodad for taking some of the extra time he had Sunday morning to make pancakes for all of us. He even threw in some mini M&Ms.

3) Lovin' Casinodad for helping get some of our weeding done while I was at work on Saturday. I'm amazed at how quickly weeds can take over a garden, esp. when the temperatures have been so high lately.

Small Successes

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done! To link up your Small Successes each Thursday, go to CatholicMom.com. Here's the link.

1) I decided a big decluttering is in dire need around here...I've found that clutter in the house causes clutter in my mind & chaos all around! So, I made of a list...room-by-room, section-by section & plan to tackle a bit each day. So far, I've done our entertainment center, The Saint's toy/book corner, my dresser drawers, & jewelry box.

2) When I went to water the garden last night, I spent another 1/2 hour pulling up some of the many weeds. There are still a bunch out there, but I definitely made a big dent.

3) I did a big grocery shopping trip yesterday w/ all four munchkins in tow. Usually, the younger three go to The Eagle's Nest (Giant Eagle's children's area), but they were closed for lunch when we were there. Rather than come back later, they stayed w/ me & did pretty well. The Saint even walked most of the time instead of sitting in the cart.

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful that my dear Mom Therapy friend's little boy is smiling & will hopefully be coming home from the hospital today. Many prayers have been said for this sweet little boy since he was taken there two days ago!

2) I'm thankful for my faith-filled little man, The Saint. Yesterday morning, he came downstairs & told me he felt God. I asked where & he pointed to his tummy. Later, he also told me that he felt Jesus.

3) I'm thankful for the time we've been able to spend w/ Casinodad's dad, who has been visiting between us & Casinodad's sister for the past couple of weeks. The munchkins have really enjoyed their time w/ Grandpa.

4) I'm thankful The Archangel is enjoying his new ministry as a server at church. Each Sunday, he volunteers in case someone hasn't shown up & he's done a great job.

5) I'm thankful for the tent that enabled the munchkins to get past their arguing this morning. From the moment they all came downstairs, they were bickering & yelling at each other. Finally one of them had the idea to build a tent that takes up our whole living room...not one argument since!

The Catholic Company Review: Praying the Rosary for Intercession

While I am a Cradle Catholic, the Rosary has not always been something I prayed regularly. In fact, it's only been within the past few years that it has become a part of my prayer life.

When I saw Praying the Rosary for Intercession by Catherine M. Odell on the list from the Catholic Company's review books, I was immediately drawn to it for two reasons. One, it's about praying the Rosary & I'm always interested in new ways to focus my prayer. Two, I previously reviewed one of Ms. Odell's books for The Catholic Company (Those Who Saw Her: Apparitions of Mary) & was quite pleased with it.

Intercessory prayer has been around since Old Testament times...think of Abraham pleading with God on behalf of Sodom & Gomorrah. So, while the idea of intercessory prayer is not new to us, perhaps praying the Rosary as a means of intercession may be for some.

The introduction gives the reader suggestions on how to use the book. It is followed by sections on intercessory prayer and the history of the Rosary.

Then comes the meat of the book, four sections which break down each of the four mysteries of the Rosary. Each section has the scripture passage for that particular part of the mystery, a reflection on the historical background or explanation, The Rosary in Our Lives (which gives a real life experience or story related to the mystery), a prayer, & a list of suggested intentions to help focus your meditation.

The last section explains how to pray the Rosary & includes all the prayers used. It also serves as a quick reference, repeating the prayers & intentions for each mystery that were listed earlier in the book.

I really liked the way this book was laid out. It was easy to read & understand. Whether you're new to praying the Rosary or have prayed the Rosary all your life, I think you will gain many wonderful insights on the power of intercessory prayer through the Rosary.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Praying the Rosary for Intercession . This is also a great Catholic gift store for all your seasonal shopping needs, such as Christian wedding gifts and Catholic Garden Gifts.

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) While I am thankful that we only lost power for 14 hours Friday/Saturday from the storms, we didn't lose any food from our fridge & freezers, & we only had minimal siding damage (which our neighbor has already repaired), I pray for those who are still w/out power, don't expect it for quite a while, & will most likely lose much of their food supplies.

2) While I am thankful for our home & excess belongings, I pray for those who have lost everything in the recent wildfires in Colorado.

3) While I am thankful for our country's freedom that we celebrate today, I pray for those oppressed within their countries & our own religious liberties that are being threatened right now.

4) While I am thankful for the recent, much-needed rains we received, I pray for those facing drought & dryness.

5) While I am thankful for the successful surgeries last month for several dear friends & my parents, I pray for those unable to afford needed surgery & those who have not survived surgery.

Lovin' My Husband

Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things!

1) Lovin' Casinodad for his desserts! I hosted a Park Lane jewelry party for my SIL who has recently signed up to be a representative. Casinodad offered to make up some of his delicious pudding desserts & they were a hit!

2) Lovin' Casinodad for the care & concern he exhibits for his dad, who is visiting for a couple of weeks. He's staying w/ us for part of the time & w/ Casinodad's sister the rest of the time.

3) Lovin' Casinodad for his gentle reminders to me to watch my computer time. I recently expressed my overwhelming urge to get on the computer too often, so now he's helping me to watch my excess computer time.