We got a box of absolutely delicious peaches last week, and they were perfectly ripe by Friday night for dinner. I call ’em summer’s candy. There is no better summer fruit.
Just ask these monkeys!
Do you have a favorite peach recipe? If we’re not munching away on raw peaches or need to use up the extras, we love peach crisp with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Another Monday means another opportunity to swap prayer intentions and start “putting them to work” for one another!
Here are my prayer intentions for this week:
Your turn! What prayer intentions can I “put to work” for you this week? As always, I will add them to my prayer journal and pray for you by name throughout the week–especially during my morning prayers. Please share your intentions in the comment box below, on the blog Facebook page, or send them to me via the blog contact form. Thank you in advance for your prayers.
Have a great week!
The home where Jane and Walt are taking swimming lessons is just a few blocks away from St. Teresa’s Catholic Church. Philip has Tuesday mornings off, so he suggested I leave Harry at home with him. That way, I could drop off the “big kids” at swimming lessons and pop over to St. Teresa’s for some quiet prayer time. I took him up on his sweet offer and made my way over to St. Teresa’s. I had never been there before, so it was a treat!
I love the old school T-shape design of the church.
Compared to a lot of other modern Catholic churches, the building is relatively small and modest. I think it’s a beautiful, perfect homage to the parish patroness–The Little Flower.
I sat in the side chapel with Jesus. After saying hello and having some quiet time, I got to read more of Pope Francis’ The Joy of the Gospel.
I’m about a quarter of the way in. I started it shortly after its publication, but I never finished it. I’m so glad my spiritual director suggested revisiting it. When I asked him about the direction Philip and I should take with our GodTeens, he said that The Joy of the Gospel could be our curriculum. Wow. He wasn’t kidding! I can’t wait to dive into what our Holy Father is telling us in this groundbreaking message. It’s time to get out there, smell like the sheep, and “make disciples of all nations”!
I love that I got to read Pope Francis’ words with this beautiful statue of St. Thérèse looking on. Her mission was all about “the little way” — doing small things with great love for neighbors out of love of Christ. That’s what Pope Francis is calling us to in The Joy of the Gospel. There’s nothing boring about being a disciple of Christ when we live out our mission.
Isn’t this stained glass window in the front door beautiful? I especially like the rose in the middle in honor of The Little Flower. I’m so grateful that Philip suggested I take a little breather for myself to fuel up for my mission as mama. It was exactly what I needed. What a gift that I can pop into any Catholic church around the world and pray with Jesus in front of the tabernacle.
St. Thérèse, pray for us!
A few random pictures of what’s going on around these parts:
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Finally found a preschooler-sized apron for Walt that didn’t have flowers on it. Well done, Target! He loved helping me bake some banana bread yesterday.
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“Mom, doesn’t my hair look pretty for Mass?”
(Mostly) business in front.
Party in the back. Beautiful, honey!
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The neighbor’s car got a flat tire. Jane and Walt took it upon themselves to help them out.
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Among all of the things Jane and Walt made/brought home from preschool, these two pages are among my favorites. Jane and Walt’s teacher took their pictures on the first day of school and during the last month of school. She asked them what they want to be when they grow up, and she recorded their answers below their pictures.
Jane:
Daddy would argue that they’re the same thing.
Walt:
Either the kids are loving what’s happening at home, or their main goal in life is to do it better for their progeny!
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Poor Mr. Harry has been teething big time the last few weeks, and he’s on the tail end of an ear infection. He was so beside himself after his nap the other day that he had to hold two stuffies and have his blankey wrapped around him.
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After reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I’ve been purging a whole lotta stuff around here and happened upon this gem. Here’s Philip with his Grandpa Al, who used to drive the engine at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. Walt, our current train aficionado, cannot believe he’s actually related to a train engineer! Super, super cool stuff! I got a frame for the print, and Philip has it on his nightstand. Love you, Al!
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Philip and I celebrated our 7th anniversary last Sunday (May 31st). Don’t you like how I’m writing about our 7th anniversary on my 7th post? Not at all planned, but a definite happy coincidence. How did we celebrate, you ask? We did absolutely NOTHING! We had a leisurely morning at home, went to the late morning Mass, had lunch, went for a family bike ride/walk (pictured below), had a family nap (glorious!), had brinner (breakfast for dinner), got the kids to bed, watched an episode of The Goldbergs and The Property Brothers, and read in bed. It was a perfectly wonderful quiet day, and we’ll be celebrating with a date night in the very near future. This was Walt’s first actual bike ride beyond our block. He was a champ!
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Hope you have a wonderful weekend! If you’d like to read more 7QT posts, head on over to Kelly Mantoan’s blog, This Ain’t The Lyceum!
For the past two weeks, Jane and Walt have been going to swim lessons at Mulgrue Swim Academy. I am so grateful to our friends for recommending “Rhonda on Randolph” to us. While Jane and Walt enjoyed their swim lessons they took over the winter, the instructors weren’t pushing them to learn new skills or challenge them to perform beyond their fears. Our friends warned us that Rhonda is “no nonsense” and that she would push the kids to get them to reach their goals. “Perfect! That’s exactly what our kids need,” I said.
When the day of the first lesson rolled around, I walked Jane and Walt in, helped them put their things in cubbies, and introduced them to the assistant instructor. Rhonda was busy teaching another class. We sat on a bench by the pool while we waited. A sweet little girl (who I later learned is 8) heard Walt getting nervous and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m _________. This is my second summer at Rhonda’s. She is so nice, and she is going to take good care of you! She is a really good teacher!” I could have kissed the girl! What a little angel! Walt smiled back at her. I took that as my cue to go, gave Jane and Walt big hugs, and said I’d be back at the end without looking back.
When I came back for pick-up, they were BEAMING! Rhonda cleverly gives the kids “shark rocks” at the end of each lesson. The “shark rocks” are those colored glass pebbles you see in centerpieces.
Jane and Walt showed off their “shark rocks” and told me all about the new things they learned. I thought I’d capitalize on their excitement and build on it. “You know what…if you each get 8 shark rocks for your 8 swim lessons, we can go to Runza for lunch after your last swim lesson!” You would have thought I said it was Christmas morning. As soon as we got home, I found them 2 small mason jars to put on their bedroom dressers to start their “shark rock” collections. They can’t wait to cash them in for our special Runza lunch! I didn’t know it when I made the deal with the kids, but Rhonda gives out a coupon for a free Kids Meal at Runza on the last day of lessons. Life just keeps getting better and better with Rhonda!
Rhonda does not allow parents to stay for lessons so that the kids don’t get afraid and look to Mom or Dad to bail them out. However, we are invited to come for the last half hour on the last day of lessons to see how much they learned. At the end of Jane and Walt’s first week of lessons, I opted to come for the last ten minutes. I didn’t want them to see me and get cold feet since I knew they were still working on a few new skills. It ended up being a great decision because I snuck in when the kids weren’t looking, and I got to see them (unknowingly) showing off their skills. They bobbed, waved to Rhonda underwater, jumped off the diving board, and swam to the side of the pool. So, so, so much progress!
The kids were disappointed last weekend when we told them they didn’t have lessons. When Monday morning rolled around, Jane said she wanted to draw Rhonda a picture.
“I like Rhonda so much! She is a good teacher!”
“That’s me and Rhonda swimming.” I love the goggles and bubbles.
Walt drew his own picture for Rhonda, but he said, “I’m going to give it to her on the last day.”
In just two short weeks, Rhonda has transformed Jane and Walt from timid pool toe-touchers to full-fledged fish! We are so grateful to her for her passion and dedication to teach children how to love the water and be safe enjoying it. For the first summer ever, we are going to join a local pool and get to enjoy the water as an entire family! Thank you, Rhonda!
