by Catherine | Jan 23, 2015 | Faith, Uncategorized
I thought I’d share a few of my favorite things I stumbled upon this week.
-1-
Our inaugural Dinner Club for Underachievers evening went splendidly! I’ll share more about our fun night another time.
Another Catholic blogger, Emily Stimpson, wrote this beautiful post called Pinterest Lies: The Secret to Successful Entertaining. Emily agrees that the success of a gathering with your favorite people is not determined by how Pinterest worthy it was. Hooray for underachieving and just going for it! My favorite part of her post was her willingness to share photos of the less than glamorous parts of her home (a grimy stove hood, a bowl catching a leak under a sink, etc.). If we wait until we have a perfect house to get together with friends, we’ll never see each other!
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While I was watching EWTN’s coverage of the 2015 March for Life, they showed the full trailer of the upcoming movie The Drop Box. As the film website says,
The Drop Box tells the story of South Korean pastor Lee Jong-rak and his heroic efforts to embrace and protect the most vulnerable members of society. It is a heart-wrenching exploration of the physical, emotional and financial toll associated with providing refuge to orphans that would otherwise be abandoned on the streets. But The Drop Box movie is also a story of hope—a reminder that every human life is sacred and worthy of love.
South Korea is not the only country grappling with the issue of orphan care. Around the world, there are more than 150 million orphans waiting for forever families to call their own.
Watch the beautiful trailer. It’s well worth the 3:05.
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/yTQ2VTf5vWc” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Drop Box will be released in theaters starting March 3. To learn more about the stories behind the film, read the film’s blog.
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Just in time for the March for Life, my dear friend Amanda Teixeira wrote this beautiful post for the FOCUS blog called, “Who are the real heroes of adoption?”
“We aren’t the heroes in adoption. We are simply a blessed couple who was entrusted with the most precious gift of all: a child. We didn’t do anything special or amazing other than stay open to God’s will for growing our family. We didn’t do anything superhuman.
Others did, though. I want to tell you about the people who get overlooked at times in our pro-life culture: the birth family, and in particular the birth mother.”
So awesome! Read the rest here.
-4-
Apparently I was inspired by a lot of March for Life related stuff this week. While I was doing dinner dishes, I listened to the 1/12/15 podcast of the Jennifer Fulwiler Show when she interviewed Eva Muntean, the co-founder of the West Coast Walk for Life and Ignatius Press marketing manager. Her story of escape from communism and appreciation of American freedom is remarkable! It is no wonder that she would go on to be a pro-life advocate for the weakest among us. Listen to the podcast for yourself.
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Can we talk about how I nearly peed my pants when Jennifer Fulwiler shared this post with the latest details about The 2015 Edel Gathering?! Audrey Assad AND Jesus AND Haley Stewart are gonna be there?! It’s a Catholic girl’s dream come true!
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I’m participating in a peg saint doll exchange, and I’m chomping at the bit to get started on painting my little St. Padre Pio! Do you have any of these peg saint dolls? I love how this blogger converted a shot glass display case into a fun way to display these little dolls. So cute!
-7-
Last week, we challenged our GodTeens to select a patron saint for 2015. Then, they were supposed to “introduce” the saint to the rest of us at the next meeting and explain why they picked him/her. Guess what??? Every teen that was at that meeting did their homework and put a lot of thought into it. Hearing their reasons for picking their patron was very inspiring.
If you’d like to find your own patron saint for 2015, it’s still January, so it’s not too late. If you’re stumped, maybe Jennifer Fulwiler’s Saint’s Name Generator can help you!
* * *
Head over to Kelly Mantoan’s blog This Ain’t The Lyceum for more 7QT posts!
![7QT: 10 minute challenge edition]()
by Catherine | Nov 14, 2014 | Uncategorized
- 7 Quick Takes Friday
This week, I’m going to try and write my post in ten minutes. Timer begins NOW!
-1-
Head over to Brandon Vogt’s blog to enter his “Behold Your Mother” Book Giveaway! I already did, and I’m hoping I win one of the books. If not, I’ll just have to buy myself a copy anyway! Can’t wait to feast my eyes on this compilation of everything there is to know about the Blessed Mother. As a cradle Catholic, I suppose I’ve taken a lot of the misconceptions and objections about her for granted.
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I love Jen Fulwiler, I love the Gaffigan family, and those two worlds splendidly collided in a Catholic girl’s fantasy world! Jen Fulwiler just had Jeannie Gaffigan on her new Sirius radio show AND Sirius made a podcast of the show available! YAY! I haven’t heard it yet, but I have a date to listen to it tonight while I fold laundry. You know you’re jealous!
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Are you going to the Edel Gathering this year? I’m going with one of my dearest friends, and I CANNOT WAIT! Is it July yet? Hallie just announced the speakers, and I’m LOVING them already! They are Rachel Balducci and Kelly Mantoan. I just started following their blogs and reading about them. Edel ’15 is already shaping up to be living up to the hype! Tickets go on sale next Wednesday. Hope I’ll see ya there!
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Remember my friends Amanda and Jonathan? Their precious baby, Josephine Rose Teixeira is here!!! BABY TEX IS HERE! I can’t wait to squeeze that little cutie pie! Thank you so much for all of your prayers, especially this week. God will not be outdone in generosity, people! Isn’t it the best when we can see His faithfulness in the lives of the people we love?! Search for the hashtag #babytex for their latest updates on Amanda and Jonathan’s journey with Josie.
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I’m turning 30 on the 26th. Am I the only one whose reaction to turning 30 is, “Meh”? The number just isn’t fazing me. (Yes, it’s “fazing” and not “phasing.” Read why here.) Perhaps I should feel old when I think about my big gift wishes. I don’t want jewelry, a big party, roses, or a fancy dinner. The only thing I want for my birthday (and Christmas and Valentine’s Day) is someone to help clean the house so that I can focus more on doing the mom thing. If someone could deep clean the bathrooms and kitchen for me on a semi-regular basis, that would be heavenly! If that makes me old and lame, that’s okay. I’m okay with being old and lame if it means I can spend more time enjoying our family.
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We had this Slow Cooker Stout and Chicken Stew for dinner the other night. DELICIOUS! It involves chicken thighs, bacon, and a stout. Need I say more? I recommend adding a little more salt and some spices (garlic & thyme) to give it a little more pizazz. We loved it!
-7-
Philip is deer hunting with the other guys in my family this weekend. Please pray for their safety and that they each bag a deer ASAP so that us ladies can get our husbands back! Should I be concerned that Philip felt the need to pack all of these gloves and suturing supplies???
Okay, I wrote it in 20 minutes, but I had several interruptions. Maybe next time.
If you want to read more 7QT posts from real bloggers, head over to Kelly Mantoan’s blog to join in the fun! Have a great weekend!
![One way that I’m gearing up for Lent]()
by Catherine | Feb 21, 2014 | Faith, Family, Marriage, Uncategorized
Lent is nearly upon us, and I’m not ready–yet. It sneaks up on me every single year, but this year, I am doing some prep work so that I can enter into the season deliberately. I want to have a game plan, and I know that I’ll desperately need one this year. We’re listing the house March 3. Without a plan, I know I’ll let myself and our family get into a rut of being in survival mode, focusing on house stuff instead of the whole Jesus dying for our sins stuff.
Philip and I started our own Happiness Project last year, but we took a hiatus from it because of my post-partum depression, the Christmas season, and life in general. I’ve been wanting to revisit our Happiness Project, but I want to give it more focus. When I was thinking about revisiting our Happiness Project, I came across Jen Fulwiler’s post, “Admitting that I can’t do it all…or even half of it.”
Jen wrote about the overwhelming burden we place on ourselves when we create impossible do-it-all to-do lists. In the post, she mentions Holly Pierlot’s A Mother’s Rule of Life. Have you read the book? Do yourself and your family a favor, and read it!
The book centers around one Catholic mama’s desire to bring order and peace to her home. To do so, Holly created a mother’s rule of life modeled after the daily schedule of the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s order). Holly wisely realized that the daily schedule for the Missionaries of Charity allows them to have peace, order, and ample time to accomplish only that which needs to be done for the day.
Daily Schedule for the Missionaries of Charity
4:30-5:00 Rise and get cleaned up
5:00-6:30 Prayers and Mass
6:30-8:00 Breakfast and cleanup
8:00-12:30 Work for the poor
12:30-2:30 Lunch and rest
2:30-3:00 Spiritual reading and meditation
3:00-3:15 Tea break
3:15-4:30 Adoration
4:30-7:30 Work for the poor
7:30-9:00 Dinner and clean up
9:00-9:45 Night prayers
9:45 Bedtime
The focus of the day is a healthy balance of prayer, work, and rest. The Missionaries of Charity keep this simple schedule without overburdening themselves with all of the extra stuff. By keeping their priorities in check, they are able to work with God to multiply their time doing what needs to be done and cutting the rest. The schedule clearly shows that the women trust that God will help them to accomplish all that needs to be accomplished.
I’m nearly finished with A Mother’s Rule of Life, and I am chomping at the bit to create my own Boucher Family Rule of Life. I’ve decided that creating our Family Rule and implementing it will be my big Lenten mission. Our family will need order and peace as we list the house and prepare to move. I want to have those habits in place before the chaos enters the scene, and I want to start living with order and peace now.
Philip and I will work together (with a whole lotta prayer!) to discuss our family mission and how best to accomplish that mission. I plan to finish the book this weekend and start drawing up our family rule of life. To create our family rule, I am going to examine the “5 Ps” from A Mother’s Rule of Life:
- Prayer
- Person
- Partner
- Parent
- Provider
I’m ready to abandon what the world says is best for our family and start deliberately living out what God is asking of our domestic church. Throughout Lent, I’ll be posting snippets and reflections on the various components of our Boucher Family Rule of Life. I look forward to hearing how you structure your days with your family and how you are bringing peace and order to your home. Now, I’m just praying for the graces to actually do what I think God is asking of our domestic church. It’s going to take a very healthy dose of humility to really hear what God is asking of me as the spiritual heart of our home.
St. Joseph, our 2014 patron saint for our family, pray for us!
![One way that I'm gearing up for Lent]()
by Catherine | Feb 21, 2014 | Faith, Family, Marriage, Uncategorized
Lent is nearly upon us, and I’m not ready–yet. It sneaks up on me every single year, but this year, I am doing some prep work so that I can enter into the season deliberately. I want to have a game plan, and I know that I’ll desperately need one this year. We’re listing the house March 3. Without a plan, I know I’ll let myself and our family get into a rut of being in survival mode, focusing on house stuff instead of the whole Jesus dying for our sins stuff.
Philip and I started our own Happiness Project last year, but we took a hiatus from it because of my post-partum depression, the Christmas season, and life in general. I’ve been wanting to revisit our Happiness Project, but I want to give it more focus. When I was thinking about revisiting our Happiness Project, I came across Jen Fulwiler’s post, “Admitting that I can’t do it all…or even half of it.”
Jen wrote about the overwhelming burden we place on ourselves when we create impossible do-it-all to-do lists. In the post, she mentions Holly Pierlot’s A Mother’s Rule of Life. Have you read the book? Do yourself and your family a favor, and read it!
The book centers around one Catholic mama’s desire to bring order and peace to her home. To do so, Holly created a mother’s rule of life modeled after the daily schedule of the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s order). Holly wisely realized that the daily schedule for the Missionaries of Charity allows them to have peace, order, and ample time to accomplish only that which needs to be done for the day.
Daily Schedule for the Missionaries of Charity
4:30-5:00 Rise and get cleaned up
5:00-6:30 Prayers and Mass
6:30-8:00 Breakfast and cleanup
8:00-12:30 Work for the poor
12:30-2:30 Lunch and rest
2:30-3:00 Spiritual reading and meditation
3:00-3:15 Tea break
3:15-4:30 Adoration
4:30-7:30 Work for the poor
7:30-9:00 Dinner and clean up
9:00-9:45 Night prayers
9:45 Bedtime
The focus of the day is a healthy balance of prayer, work, and rest. The Missionaries of Charity keep this simple schedule without overburdening themselves with all of the extra stuff. By keeping their priorities in check, they are able to work with God to multiply their time doing what needs to be done and cutting the rest. The schedule clearly shows that the women trust that God will help them to accomplish all that needs to be accomplished.
I’m nearly finished with A Mother’s Rule of Life, and I am chomping at the bit to create my own Boucher Family Rule of Life. I’ve decided that creating our Family Rule and implementing it will be my big Lenten mission. Our family will need order and peace as we list the house and prepare to move. I want to have those habits in place before the chaos enters the scene, and I want to start living with order and peace now.
Philip and I will work together (with a whole lotta prayer!) to discuss our family mission and how best to accomplish that mission. I plan to finish the book this weekend and start drawing up our family rule of life. To create our family rule, I am going to examine the “5 Ps” from A Mother’s Rule of Life:
- Prayer
- Person
- Partner
- Parent
- Provider
I’m ready to abandon what the world says is best for our family and start deliberately living out what God is asking of our domestic church. Throughout Lent, I’ll be posting snippets and reflections on the various components of our Boucher Family Rule of Life. I look forward to hearing how you structure your days with your family and how you are bringing peace and order to your home. Now, I’m just praying for the graces to actually do what I think God is asking of our domestic church. It’s going to take a very healthy dose of humility to really hear what God is asking of me as the spiritual heart of our home.
St. Joseph, our 2014 patron saint for our family, pray for us!
![Happiness Project: October Resolutions Progress Report]()
by Catherine | Oct 21, 2013 | Everything Else, Faith, Family, Uncategorized
Philip and I decided to get serious about changing a few things around here with our version of Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project. I wrote about it here. Basically, we’re doing small things to improve our own happiness to in turn increase the happiness of those around us. Philip and I decided to touch base last night before bed to see where we thought we were with our October Happiness Project Resolutions. To help hold us accountable, I thought I’d share our thoughts here.
In case you forgot, our October Happiness Project Resolutions were:
Exercise
- Catherine, 6:00 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred level 1
- Philip, running or elliptical 3x per week before leaving for work
Sleep
- 9:00 p.m. get ready for bed
- Lights out at 10:00 p.m.
Faith
- Weeknight family prayer time after bathtime before bed
- 1 decade of the Rosary followed by bedtime prayers at the dinner table
Let’s tackle these one by one…
1. Exercise
- Catherine: The 6:00 a.m. routine worked a few times, but my exhaustion got the best of me most mornings. The combination of the “big kids” waking up at 5:30 most mornings and Harry needing at least one feeding in the middle of the night made for one tired mama. I’m switching my routine to gain some snooze time. My new routine: Tuesdays and Thursdays once I get home from dropping Jane off at preschool and Saturday mornings, Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, level 1.
- Philip: My sweet hubby was so supportive trying to get everyone dressed and fed in the mornings that he put himself last most days. Unfortunately, he has a tough rotation on the docket for November, so we’re still brainstorming ways that he can get his exercise in daily. For now, Philip’s goal is to run or do the elliptical 2x per week.
2. Sleep
- Harry has changed his feeding routine since his last pediatric visit. (Translation: He’s low on the percentile chart and my pediatrician would like him to fatten up before his next weigh-in. This means he’s eating longer and more frequently.) He’s having his last feeding around 9/9:30. We start getting ready for bed immediately afterward, but we should get ready for bed before I start that feeding. We’ve been in bed most weeknights before 10, but we can work harder to reach that goal. Perhaps we could try to make Harry’s feeding closer to 9, make it a goal to be in bed by 9:45, and lights out by 10:30.
3. Faith
- We have said 1 decade of the Rosary followed by bedtime prayers at the dinner table *almost* every night since making this resolution. We missed a few times because of Philip’s work schedule, date nights, events with extended family that kept the kids up too late, etc., but the family Rosary is definitely a habit. On the rare nights that we missed it, the kids asked about it. Hooray for a regular family prayer routine that is sticking!
- Things that helped our family Rosary time be successful:
- Routine
- Low lighting and candles (with the promise that each child can blow out a candle at the end if they do a good job praying)
- Rosaries with cord and plastic beads for the kiddos
- Picking battles and accepting baby steps toward reverence
- Family Prayer Binder (stored on top of the fridge) with all necessary materials
- Laminating & displaying an image of the mystery of the Rosary that we are praying on a stand (flanked by the lit candles)
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| Our family prayer binder that holds our materials |
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| Our prayer binder tabs & pockets with prayer materials |
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| One of our laminated images we display while praying the Rosary |
- Here are few photos from our family Rosary time:
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| Baby steps toward reverence… Saints in the making, right? |
So, overall, I’d say we’re doing well. We can improve each area, but we are making strides in the right direction. Our Happiness Project is off to a great start, and we already have ideas for our November resolutions.
Do you have any suggestions for a future resolution? What’s something you’re doing to boost your own happiness & the happiness of others?
![Happy 40th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!]()
by Catherine | Feb 25, 2013 | Family, Marriage, Uncategorized
I am so proud to say that Mom and Dad celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Saturday! They were just “babies” when they got married at 18 and 20 back in 1973. Aren’t they adorable?
The lovebirds made a little road trip to Colorado and got married over President’s Day weekend during their undergrad years. 40 years, 6 kids, and an ever-growing number of grandbabies later, their love is still growing strong.
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for showing us through your example that marriage is a sacrament, a lifelong commitment, and a daily decision to die to self in sacrifice of your spouse and family. Cheers to you and many, many more years of marriage!
