7 quick takes

1 - I was so glad when he won American Idol.

2 - Completely different than Mr. Phillips: I've been listening to Andrew W.K.'s Party Hard a lot lately. What's up with that?

3 - Do yourself a favor and read this: Worse End of School Mom Ever. It is so. freakin. hilarious. And I don't even have kids in school. I'll quote my two favorite parts:

I haven’t checked homework folders in three weeks, because, well, I just can’t. Cannot. Can. Not. I can’t look at the homework in the folder. Is there homework in the folder? I don’t even know. Are other moms still looking in the homework folder? I don’t even care.

Then Ben tells me Tuesday that he needs a Ben Franklin costume for the Living History Museum today, and I’m like what fresh hell is this??

4 - It's tornado season here in central Illinois. In the house I grew up in we had a finished basement so on tornado watch/warning nights I'd usually sleep on the couch down there. In the home I live in with my 4 small children we sleep on the second story and have a cellar. I asked Travis what his plan was if there was a tornado and the kids were in bed: who would he grab, who would I grab? His answer: I've never thought of it. My plan is to follow my instincts.

So I told him I'd get the girls and he could follow his instincts to the boys' room.

Also, it makes me nervous that we live right across the street from some railroad tracks. Shortly after the Oklahoma tornadoes we slept with the windows open and when the train went by in the middle of the night I jumped out of bed, looked out the window, and tried to figure out if it was the infamous sound of a tornado or just some freight moving on down the line. 

5 - I'm really bad at meal planning and grocery shopping when I'm pregnant. Nothing ever sounds good except food in general and I'm just too tired to think about recipes, let alone actually prepare them. Thankfully I married a teacher, his summer break has begun, and he's taken over the dinner prep.

Last night something really awesome happened and he made supper; loaded, ran, and unloaded the dishwasher twice, baked chocolate chip cookies, folded a bunch of laundry, dug some trenches in the mud pit between our kitchen and garage that's supposed to be a patio so the crazy rain would drain away from the house, and worked in our basement.

A little science humor in honor of my science teacher husband. 

I told you it was awesome.

6 - I'm finishing these up during quiet time but I need to stop because Travis and I are watching Beautiful Creatures. Witches and the Civil War and good and evil and teenagers and the south. So far it's interesting.

7 - Thanks, Jen, for hosting! Happy weekend, everyone!

Have mercy on us legalistic thinkers

The abstinence only sex ed conversation has continued with Calah's newest post Dirty Sex. The launching part of her post is a comment from J on her original post, a comment she describes as vitriolic:

 “And yes, both girls and boys who have premarital sex are dirty. They have been soiled and will not be pure for their future spouse, if they are called to marriage. What is wrong with saying this? Why is it wrong to make someone feel dirty or sinful if they have engaged in premarital sex (which is dirty and sinful)? It is shameful and dirty and their experience will be baggage that they bring into a future marriage.”

When I read J's comment this is what I thought:

“And yes, both girls and boys who have premarital sex are dirty. In a sense, if we're using the word "pure" and the opposite of that is "dirty." They have been soiled and will not be pure for their future spouse, if they are called to marriage. I can go with that, based on the previous understanding. What is wrong with saying this? Yes, what is wrong with that? Good, sincere question. Why is it wrong to make someone feel dirty or sinful if they have engaged in premarital sex (which is dirty and sinful)? Well, the intent should not be to make them feel dirty or shamed but we can't hide the truth by way of softening it. If we're talking about how premarital sex is sinful and someone has willingly engaged in it then they may very well feel dirty and shamed when they realize the wrong. So what is the best way to approach this?  It is shameful and dirty and their experience will be baggage that they bring into a future marriage.”  Agreed - it will be baggage to some degree or another.

But that's not what everyone else read/understood/assumed. Responses to this comment were things such as, "you apparently think that God gave His blessing upon you to shame someone that made a mistake," and, "You are showing less mercy in this comment than God himself shows," and "Only God can judge, not you. Only God can bring purity to your life after you have sinned. If God has brought purity to someone's life, how can YOU say that they are still soiled?" In other conversations people referred to this comment and said things like, "Don't even waste your time with her- she's never gonna get it!" and other tut-tutting at how unChrist-like the person is. (I don't say these things to pick on anyone or call anyone to defend their words, just to establish a context and to illustrate my point.)

Now, to establish a foundation, I strongly agree with the commenters who state that we cannot and should not make people feel shamed. But beyond that I didn't feel like there was much helpfulness in what people said to or about her.

This comment, "you apparently think that God gave His blessing upon you to shame someone that made a mistake," - while I agree with the bottom line - seems to be written in a tone of condescension. I would argue that it lacks just as much charity as he is accusing J of lacking.

And it always miffs me when people shout out, "Only God can judge!" It is true in the sense that only God can judge us fit for Heaven or Hell, but we are also called to judge, to assess, to see right from wrong and to call them as they are. Perhaps a better way of expressing that sentiment is "God is the ultimate judge" or "God is the only one who can truly judge the heart and our intentions" because we can judge people (their actions, decisions, opinions), and we all do day in and day out, and that's not a bad thing.

It also bothers me that the commenters are all assuming one thing: that all the people we're talking about have all  repented, gone to confession, and received forgiveness. What if they haven't?  Because when we use expressions like "we are cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb" and "our sins are washed/wiped away by God's mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation" then it's important to remember that  those very words of "clean," "washed," and "wiped away" all have the same opposite: "dirty". Whether we like it or  not, "dirty" is a natural word to use to describe that which has not yet been cleansed.

In the end, though, it comes down to this: I have found it to be incredibly difficult to balance justice and mercy. God has both and He lovingly and perfectly uses them and asks us to do the same. There have been many times in my life when I have found myself in the midst of a very difficult circumstance or interaction and I wonder what God's perfect justice and mercy would look like. Usually I don't know and so I err on the side of justice because my natural disposition is to be legalistic, to lean towards justice and the "right way". I want to know what is expected of me, what I'm to do, and how I'm to do it. I will then get it done. Often times at the end I can look back and see where I lacked love, compassion, charity, and mercy. When I say that I am working out my salvation with fear and trembling, trying to unwork the knots in my life, figuring out how to best live a Christian life I am being honest. I mean it and it is really hard for me!

Sometimes I will ask others, "Why is this wrong? I understand it to be correct so what am I missing?" Sometimes they answer me and sometimes they roll their eyes and consider me a lost cause.

Honestly, I still have legalistic opinions and questions on this whole matter. What about those who haven't sought God's mercy and are still sinning - having not yet been "cleansed" of their sins are they still "dirty"? Can we call them dirty? What do we call them? And what about people living the dangerous lifestyle of multiple sexual partners, quite literally spreading diseases? (Because, to use the OED definition Calah gave for dirty - "foul, unclean, sullied" - well that's pretty much how I think of a an outbreak of syphilis or herpes.) And are we just talking about vaginal sex here? Because what about anal sex? I think poor Rick Santorum would agree that there's at least one part of anal sex that is pretty much only dirty.

I realize that maybe I'm being legalistic, and maybe I'm lacking some point of view or theological knowledge that I should have, and maybe I'm going to offend people because there is a lack of clarity and charity in my thought. But I am asking this not because I'm a great big jerk, but because I know I'm a great big jerk and I'm trying to work on that.

So next time you read one of mine or J's questions (or right now! as you're reading this post!) and we just come off like a couple of Pharisees I hope that you give us the benefit of the doubt, show us some patience, and then give us a solid, clear answer that is delivered with intelligence, clarity, and charity. If I err on the side of justice, please err on the side of mercy and show me how that's done. If you want to tell me, "You are showing less mercy in this comment than God himself shows" please remember that while God has called me  to "be holy as I am holy" I am not there yet and so yes, I will probably, unfortunately, often show less mercy, charity, compassion, understanding, patience than God Himself shows. Please remember I am not trying to be a stubborn, mean-spirited, caustic jerk - I'm trying to get this right and I'm asking you to help.

Wartime Prayer Book - give one to a soldier this Memorial Day

Some of you may not be familiar with a little, pocket-sized book that Fulton Sheen wrote specifically for soldiers. It was first titled The Armor of God but is now published under the title Wartime Prayer Book. Like many small things it is also mighty, small enough to be easily carried into a battlefield and filled with encouraging words and answers to tough questions about theology, morality, just war, and so on.

The Sheen Foundation has sent over 200,000 copies of the Wartime Prayer Book to the men and women serving in our military, and they continue to do so to this day - free of charge to our troops.

Perhaps as a way to honor those we remember on Memorial Day you could consider supporting The Sheen Foundation's efforts to encourage, educate, and uplift our servicemen and women. If you would like to donate you can visit their website or you could mail a check with a note stating you'd like the money to go towards the Wartime Prayer Book project to their office:

Archbishop Sheen Foundation
419 NE Madison Ave.Peoria, IL 61603

"There are certain things in life which are too beautiful to be forgotten, such as the love of a mother. Hence we treasure her picture. The love of soldiers who sacrificed themselves for their country is likewise too beautiful to be forgotten, hence we revere their memory on Memorial Day. But the greatest blessing which ever came to this earth was the visitation of the Son of God in the form and habit of man. His life, above all lives, is too beautiful to be forgotten, hence we treasure the divinity of His Words in Sacred Scripture, and the charity of His Deeds in our daily actions." 
-Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Calvary and the Mass



*Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with the Sheen Foundation or the Diocese of Peoria - I just thought this was a beautiful idea and a great way to honor our fallen soldiers this Memorial Day, and even throughout our patriotic summer.

7 quick takes

1 - Here's a little Kip Moore to help satisfy my country cravings. I wonder what Senator McCain thinks of this song and the obvious reference to his daughter?

2 - Speaking of country music - did you see the season finale for Nashville?! I was all like, "Deacon - nuh-uh - no you didn't!" and then I was all like, "Oh Gunnar! What are you doin?" and then at the end, watching Rayna and Deacon in the truck I was, "Well... we all know where this is going...."

3- You'll see under my little "Follow Me" that I have a new Facebook icon. Lately I've gotten friend requests from wonderful people who read my blog. Before Lent I actually felt called to clean up my FB friends and invest more in the people I actually know, love, and whose friendships I want to invest in. I deleted over 150 "friends," trying to keep my list to people I actually know in real life or those I know through the internet because we communicate on Twitter, in comboxes, via email, etc. If my husband knows who you are through a small explanation (Kaitlin, she has a blog but she's also Alisha's friend and she supported us when JF was in the NICU.) then we can be Facebook friends.

So if you've sent me a Facebook request and I didn't accept please don't think I'm a huge jerk! I'm trying to manage my life, which is in desperate need of some moderation. Have pity and don't feel bad! And then go like my page on Facebook and interact with me there, if you like.

I'd love it.

 4 - Resa's birthday party is tomorrow morning. I planned it for 9-11am so she'd be awake but right now that seems really dumb. I need to dust, sweep, bake and decorate cupcakes, make fruit salad, blow up balloons and clean the bathroom in the next 26 hours. And this person I'm growing is zapping all my energy. That girl better have the best day of her life tomorrow.

Her birthday party invite, hanging out on the fridge with Fulton Sheen.

5 - Related to the birthday party: If you rsvp when the invitation says, "RSVP regrets" then I love you and think you're the best, kindest, most considerate person ever. Last night, on our way to the store for food and paper products I told Travis, "Besides your parents and siblings, my parents, siblings and grandparents, and Resa's godparents we could have anywhere from 0 to 17 additional people coming." That's a big range, people.

6 - New post at Ignitum Today; it's called Sex Ed and Men and the Marriage Bed. I used an image of a knight's armor - I don't know if it works but I felt weird using some stock photo of a smiling or sad couple curled up on the bed or standing at the altar or going on a rosary walk or something.

7 - Have a wonderful weekend. God bless the souls of those who have died in the line of duty and God bless their families, too.

PS - Thanks to Jen for hosting and Congrats on your book deal with Ignatius Press!

Five Favorites

Many thanks to Hallie for hosting!

1 - Benedryl

Because sometimes, while you're showering, your highly allergic boy will - for some god forsaken reason! - get into the fridge, find the bag of shredded mozzarella cheese, dump it all over the dining room, kitchen, and even track it into the living room. He won't ingest it (big shout out to J's guardian angel for that one because that would have ended in vomit and probably another epi pen / er adventure) but he will get the oil or residue or whatever on his hand, rub his eye, and break out like crazy.

That picture is 5 minutes after a large dose of Benedryl. Eye is less swollen, red skin and hives have gone away, snot needs to be wiped. But the poor little poor is still smiling and saying "eese".


2 - When the back of my hips do not hurt from the sharp and horrible pain of the sciatic nerve. So like those 30 minutes that are sprinkled through each 24 hour period - those are my favorite 30 minutes each day.


3 - Series 1 & 2 of Sherlock are available for streaming on Netflix.

I do not love that I'll have to wait until 2014 to watch Series 3, but at least I've got 1 and 2 any time I want.


4 - When my husband calls me from work. I love it. I love him, I love that he's checking in on things, I love that he's thinking of us, I love talking to him, I just love it.

Unless he's calling to tell me he's gonna be late. But otherwise I love it.


5 - My birthday girl.

Every day for a year she's been making up for the fact that she weighed 11lbs 9.5oz when she was born.


Dear Lord Jesus, please please please please please make the baby in my womb have as sweet a disposition and be as good of a sleeper and not have any allergies just like her big sister Resa.

Dear Pinterest

Dear Pinterest,

Stop trying to make me fat on cupcakes and cheesecake and chocolate cake and cake pops.

Please understand that "cheap" and "easy" activities for the kids mean "less than $10 for something that will last longer than one day" and "set up that will take 15 minutes or less and use nothing more than a hammer-like object, scissors, or tape".

No one's gonna acquire a bunch of pallets and actually build that. Any of it.

I really don't want to look at pictures of other people's nails and feet. It grosses me out.

I tried to do that thing with my hair. I looked stupid. Surely it's your fault.

The lifestyle I'd have to live to look *that* good/thin/toned is not practical nor is it worth it. Plus, I think she looked cuter before she got all buff.

Is the chalkboard paint phase on its way out? Chalk board paint on walls, doors, mirrors, serving trays, and the Pinterest end-all-be-all: chalkboard paint on a mason jar!

Speaking of which, I'm glad people seem to be over the "salted caramel" everything: cookies, cupcakes, candy, body scrub, candles, paint color. People put salted caramel on salted caramel and repined it a billion times. It was like the great "red velvet everything" of last year.

Nothing you can offer will actually clean my bathtub except harsh chemicals and elbow grease. Stop trying to convince me otherwise.

Sincerely,
Bonnie

7 Quick Takes

1 - 6th grade, people. In 6th grade I had this cassette tape. I actually still love this music because this middle class white girl can so totally relate to black empowerment rap.

2 - I have to admit that when the show Arrested Development first came out I heard someone say, "I love Arrested Development!" Thinking they were talking about the above rap group and having never seen the show I enthusiastically jumped in and cried, "Me too!!"

Eventually my much hipper younger brother sat me down and introduced me to the show. I loved it and you can count me as one of the many who are excited about the new season that will be streaming later this month on Netflix.

3 - As you may have noticed I wear glasses and my eyesight is really, really poor. This means I really don't have any kind of idea how dirty my shower is. When I'm in it the shower always looks fine because, you know, everything's blurry and misty. But every once in awhile I'll glance in there when my glasses are on and I'm amazed that Travis (who's eyesight is fine!) doesn't complain at how groddy things are. Soap scum and hard water are not a pretty sight. The kids' tub is fine, because when they get baths my glasses are obviously on and so I wipe things down, rinse things out, and scrub things as needed.

As for our shower... Some day I will not be tired and pregnant and have severe back pain. When that day comes I'll clean it and maybe do a good job of keeping it clean. Until then we'll just pretend that everything's fine because what you can't see can't hurt you.

4 - I got my haircut yesterday by a girl I used to babysit. She cut off the split ends, shaped it up, and gave me some great bangs. I like it down and pulled back. In short, I love it.

5 - Earlier this week I needed to put $10 worth of gas in my car. That would have worked just fine had I not started to think about how I would get gas for my car if the zombie apocalypse happened. How would Travis and I survive if there were zombies everywhere. Would my parents be zombies? We'd need my dad's bow and arrows and hunting rifles. We'd also need to live somewhere with a high fence so we could garden. And I'd need to get my mom's pressure cooker so I could can to survive the winter. And we'd definitely never be able to have sex again because there is no way I'm having Travis deliver a 10lb baby in our home in those conditions. And would the kids be okay. Oh my beautiful kids. Hopefully our extended families would survive and we could live and fight and thrive together.

And at $25 I realized I'd been thinking too much and not paying attention to the pump. Obviously I would not fare too well in the zombie apocalypse.

6 - When summer comes I always listen to more country music. I'm building a playlist on YouTube and I'm looking for some good recommendations. If you like country music please leave me a suggestion or two in the combox.

7 - Last week I got an email from a woman named Heather asking if I would help her spread her cancer story in order to raise awareness of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung that is caused by exposure to asbestos. Heather was a new mom to a three month old baby girl when she learned her diagnosis and that likely (and sadly) she had been exposed to the asbestos through her father who worked in construction during her childhood.  If you would like more information on mesothelioma or if you'd like to read Heather's story please please visit the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog.

Many thanks to Jen for hosting the weekly round-up. God bless you all!

Running to Lose - a guest post on weight loss

I met Rosie while I worked as a campus minister at the Catholic student Newman Center at WIU several years ago. Rosie was quiet, sweet, and loved by all. Rosie was also really overweight and unhealthy. One random day, several years after our time together at the Newman Center, Rosie posted a jaw-dropping picture of herself on Facebook. Clearly my friend was getting healthy. 

Lately, I have really been struggling with how I look and my feelings about my body. (Summer is coming! I look down at my white, chunky legs  coming out from my shorts and... ugh.) I needed to hear something positive (and maybe you do too) and so I asked Rosie to write a guest post and share her amazing weight loss story with us all. The best part about her journey is that it wasn't about losing weight so she could look hot - it's about being healthy so she can live and enjoy life. She really is a role model to me and a true "thinspiration" - so much more than any picture of some toned and unrealistically-thin-for-my-body-and-state-of-life woman on Pinterest.

Thank you, Rosie, sharing your story with us!

In my teens and early twenties, I feel like I was living in a way that didn’t reflect who I was or how I was raised. I made a lot of poor, selfish decisions that arguably stemmed from one place: a toxic relationship with food. As a kid, I tucked Oreo cookies inside my socks to get them past my mother. In college, I’d order a pizza, bring it to my dorm room, and eat as much as I could until I felt sick. It was really bad. I’m ashamed even writing that, but we have to acknowledge our shortcomings so we can move forward. Here are some “before” pictures from 2008 and 2009:

 

I remember trying an Overeaters Anonymous meeting for a few weeks, but kept circling back to Weight Watchers. I was so heavy to begin with and could drop 20-30 pounds without making any drastic lifestyle changes, but then I’d just gain it back. Like any loving parent, my mom was worried. She tried talking to me about it. She tried being nice, but sometimes she had to go for the “tough love.” She was frustrated, I was frustrated, I’d start crying, and in the end, nothing would change. But I genuinely cared about my mom’s opinion, and deep down, I knew she was right.

I don’t know if I necessarily had one specific moment that motivated me to commit for good, but after finishing college and struggling to find a teaching job, I realized that getting through an interview is hard enough without weighing 350 pounds and being too disgusted with yourself to make a good impression. I was wasting my life by being fat and miserable. I didn’t want to be “the fat teacher.” wanted to be healthy enough to have a career, feel confident, and be happy.

Four years ago, while pursuing a full-time job, I worked in a before and after school program. I was there from 7 to 8:30 AM, and again from 2:30 to 6:00. In between those times, I went to the gym and spend six hours there, taking a lunch break and occasional rest periods. It wasn’t a realistic schedule for the long term, but I took advantage while the opportunity was there, bonding with the elliptical machine from the start. That (plus a healthier diet and weekly Weight Watchers meetings) helped me lose the first 80 pounds. Still had some work to do, but things were moving in a better direction.

Then I started running. I watched my older sister participate in the 2010 Chicago Marathon, and I was so inspired that I vowed to be there in 2011. Of course, at that time, I hadn’t run in about 10 years, in high school P.E. class, so you could say that I was a little overly ambitious. My sister urged me to start smaller, perhaps with a 5K, but I refused to be told I couldn’t do this, and through the grace of God, it somehow happened. I started on the treadmill in February 2011, first with 2 miles, then eventually 20. I ran the Chicago Half Marathon in September, the Chicago Marathon in October, and reached my goal weight (150 pounds lost) just before Christmas.

On paper, it may sound like it happened quickly and easily, but I don’t want to give off that impression. Losing weight and turning your life around is difficult. There are good days and bad days. I try hard to make healthy eating choices, but what’s great about Weight Watchers is that you don’t have to stop being human. There are people who lose tons of weight and say they have no interest in touching another cheeseburger, although I don’t understand that kind of thinking. I still love pizza, Girl Scout cookies, and Shamrock Shakes every bit as much as I used to, and I do treat myself, but I know how careful I have to be. If the number on the scale is higher on Monday, I know I need to tighten up, get back to the basics, and maintain a clean diet until that number gets back to normal. That’s just how life is for everyone. It’s all about balance. Anyone can have a bad day or week, but we can’t let it spiral to the point where we’ve completely stopped caring. I know that keeping the weight off is only going to get more challenging as I get older, but we do our best, find support around us, and just keep going.

Today, I’m still working hard at retaining what I’ve learned. In just under two years, I completed 11 half marathons, 6 full marathons, and about 8 5K’s. I also teach preschool now, so the 6-hour workout sessions are over, but I knew that was coming. Now I’m usually too tired to do more than 20 minutes after work, but I always try to do something. I always did love walking, even when I was obese. That’s the key—finding something you like. Not everyone loves running, and that’s okay. Walking is a simple, effective way to get moving. On a warm and sunny day, it can be so peaceful and relaxing.

My faith definitely plays a role in everything I’ve done. Though far from perfect, I value my Catholic faith and how God helped me make it this far. Running 26 miles never gets easier, no matter how many times you attempt it, and after a while, you ask yourself why the heck you’re still even moving. I’ve gotten into the habit of crossing that finish line with my arms up and quietly whispering “Thank you, Jesus,” because frankly, there is no other way a person’s body could possibly cover that distance. Through all the mistakes I make, I know He’s there. He’s the reason I can keep getting better and stay as healthy as possible. He wants that for us, not because it makes us look better, but because it makes US better.

Rosie and her tough-lovin' Mom

You can read more from Rosie at her blog, Chasing 200.

7 Quick Takes

Thanks, Jen, for hosting!


1 - Some friends and I saw Nickel Creek in concert several years back and Sara sang her cover of this song. Of course Linda Ronstadt's classic version is awesome but I like the sweetness of Sara's voice.

2 - Jenny and Jen and anyone else wondering about the music. I highly recommend this station, WWCT, for "new" music. Enjoy.

3 - "The man who thinks only of himself says prayers of petition; he who thinks of his neighbor says prayers of intercession; he who thinks of loving and serving God says prayers of abandonment to God's will, and that is the prayer of the saints." Fulton J. Sheen

4 - I had my 30 week sonogram and midwife appointment. I was not too happy to know that based on this baby's measurements I'm on track to have another baby the size of Resa. Resa was 11lbs 9.5oz, for those who don't remember. Her birth was an incredibly traumatic experience for me. I was hoping for a smaller baby, perhaps an 8 pounder who would just shoot out of me like she was on a slip n' slide.

5 - The good news is that the baby is currently breech. I know that for everyone else this would be bad news but for me it would mean an instant c-section. An instant, no questions asked because there's no other way, c-section would mean no more stuck babies or dead babies or otherwise emotionally scarring events.

6 - For Mother's Day I wanted to show off my maternal grandmother, whom I am named after and whose dress I covet. 

 7 - And a Happy Mother's Day to my mom, mother-in-law, Grandma F, Grandma W, and Grandma E! Love to you all!

Five Favorites

Thanks to Grace for hosting!

#1 - Emeli Sande's song Next to Me.

Love this one.


#2 - Birthmother's Day

Source

This coming Saturday is Birthmother's Day, the day before Mother's Day when we commemorate the women who lovingly placed their children with adoptive parents. It falls the day before Mother's Day because their motherhood came first and allowed for the motherhood that is celebrated on Sunday.

I stand in awe of birthmothers and if there's any birthmoms out there reading this I just want to say YOU ARE AWESOME! THANK YOU for your bravery and love.


#3 - Naps.
I've already had one today and it's not even 9am!


#4 -  This girl.

#5 -  Silver Lining Playbook

I've been waiting for this one to come out on video and it was SO worth the wait. I may actually need to own this film because I liked it so much. I like that it shows how people do stupid, dangerous things when we're in a bad place. I like that it doesn't have a sex scene (well, there is a sex scene and some nudity but it's in a different context where the people are obviously in the wrong). I like that the characters and situations seem fairly real and are believable. I love the dialogue and I laughed out loud through much of the film. I love how quirky it is. If you like the tv show New Girl I think you'll like this movie.

UPDATE: Please note that if you do not like New Girl you will probably hate this movie and find it vulgar and unfunny.

Lorax Birthday Party

L asked for a Lorax themed birthday party. I arranged for her godmother, Crafty Katie, to come over and help make them. Katie came up with the idea of using the Easter grass on the Truffula trees and the pink and yellow became the color theme for the party. 

I was in charge of printing out the Lorax, L's picture, and making up the wording for the invite. The front reads "We thneed to celebrate!" and the back says, "I am the LORAX, I speak for the trees and I'm asking you all to please come to L's 5th birthday party!" 

My grandpa didn't get it at all but my younger brother thought it was clever. 

L wrote her name and age on little bits of pink paper and put the Easter grass on the yellow and pink Truffula trees so she could be a part of the process. 

I found a lot of Pinspiration and gathered it on a Lorax Birthday party board. 

The cake's cotton candy on pretzel sticks Truffula trees came from some cupcakes I found. Travis decided to put the chocolate Teddy Grahams "Brown Barbaloots" amongst the trees.

The actual cake was a white box mix with one 9" pan dyed yellow and one 9" pan died pink. It went with the color theme of course but the inspiration first came from this cake.

I made some Truffula trees to serve as the focal point for the food table. I looked at a lot of different sites but in the end I made my own version. You can find the how-to here if you're interested.

All set up on my kitchen island. 

Pink and yellow plates and napkins.

You can also see the little food label. Swankier people with swankier skill sets and swankier computer programs have made swankier labels (and you can buy them online if you like) but I just Googled the images, copy and pasted them into Word, labeled them, printed them, cut them out, taped them down, and called it good.

The spread.

Goldfish = Humming Fish

Peeps = Swammee Swans.

Chocolate Teddy Grahams = Brown Barbaloots

Candy orange slices = Lorax Moustaches

Grapes = Truffula Fruit

Strawberry Lemonade = Truffula Fruit Juice

I love those trees!

Friends and family helped make my sweetie pie's birthday a lot of fun. Golly do I ever love that girl. Sweet, hard-working, kind, creative, smart, fun - what a blessing from the Lord.

Truffula Tree how-to

For L's 5th birthday she wanted a Lorax themed birthday party. I spent a lot of time on Pinterest, creating a board with lots of great ideas. I knew I wanted to make Truffula trees for some decorations but when I arrived at Hobby Lobby I saw that the foam discs and cheap feather boas were each $5 a pop. To make the 4 trees I had originally planned would cost me over $20 and I was not willing to do that.

As I searched the aisles I quickly found a package of 6 green 3" styrofoam balls for less than $5.

Then I came across a 6 pack of plastic leis for $3.

I picked up a package of Tidy Pins but I should have gotten two.

I gathered some sticks in my parents' yard and then I was ready to go. Here's how I did it in case you want to try.

First I cut the lei so it would be a long rope instead of a necklace. I then wrapped it around the styrofoam ball.

 As I wrapped I would use the Tidy pins to hold the lei in place. Because I only bought one package I had to ration the pins and use 5 per ball but 6 or 7 would have been better.

 I started the wrapping at the top and there wasn't enough of each lei to cover the entire ball. However, it wasn't that important as you couldn't see the bottom.

In the open, lei-less part I stuck a stick.

 The other end of the stick was whittled to a not-so-sharp point.

 Meanwhile my husband took a scrap of 2x4 and drilled holes in it to fit the sticks' different circumferences.

 If you don't have 2x4 scraps sitting around you could easily buy a block of styrofoam to use.

I then covered the  2x4 with some green plastic tablecloth. Of course you could use something fancier - I like simple and cheap. I pierced the tablecloth and put the sticks into the drilled holes.

 And wa-la! There there are. A little grove of Truffula trees.

 This is how I used them on my kitchen island with all the snacks.

I like how fluffy they are and unlike the feather boas I would have bought for $5 each (!) they don't look like feathers. If I would have followed my original Pinterest plan this project would have resulted in 4 Truffula trees costing over $40. Instead I have 6 Truffula trees for under $10 - and I even think they're cuter!

WIWS - the cheater's edition

I'm calling this the cheater's edition because while the outfit below is what I wore Sunday it's not what I wore to Mass.

Recently we discovered that the kids do so much better at the Vigil Mass on Saturday and so we've been doing that the last few weekends. Saturday I wore the same old cardigan, scarf, shoes, and dress I've been wearing for awhile - perhaps a new outfit but the same pieces just rearranged in a new way.

Sunday, however, we celebrated L's 5th birthday and I wore this outfit:

And now I ask you: Belt or no belt? You can barely see it - a black belt on a black shirt - but its buckle is gleaming a wee bit at the top of my belly.

Travis said I should lose the belt. I tried to explain that it accentuated my waist, which has recently moved north a few inches and that it was a trend. He said he'd seen some of his students do it but he just doesn't like the look.

I wore it anyway, obviously.

So let's take a vote. Who was right? Travis or Bonnie. No vote = you side with Travis and you're just afraid to tell me I looked stupid at my daughter's birthday party. ;)

30 weeks, people. I'm only gonna get bigger.

Thanks to Mandi at Messy Wife, Blessed Life for hosting this week! And happy wedding weekend to Emily at FLAP!

Mary altar for the month of May

I like that in the month when we celebrate Mother's Day we also celebrate Mary, her motherhood, and therefore her Son.

Her Son, Jesus. I'd make some dumb joke about how "He's kinda a big deal" but instead I want to earnestly tell you that Jesus Christ is true God and true man. That through the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of Mary, a virgin. He was a carpenter, a good son, a simple man and then one day when he was about 30 years old his mom asked him to help a bride and groom out because they had embarrassingly run out of wine at their wedding reception. Jesus honored His mother, did what she asked, and performed His first public miracle. 

From there He preached and taught, performed more miracles, forgave sins, gathered disciples, and trained the men to whom He would give a great commission. He unjustly died on a cross - taking on the weight of all our sins. He was dead in a tomb for three days but then rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. He conquered death and made it possible for me to be saved from Hell.

The Son of God - God Himself - did this for me. 

Mary's Son did this for me. 

I've seen some really beautiful ways to honor Mary for the month of May in our homes but I've never done much to actually do so until this year. 

Soon we will put in a Mary garden with a beautiful statue, perhaps some climbing red roses behind her to symbolize  her sufferings. Marigolds, lilies of the valley, violets, snowdrops, and lilies may all find their way in, too. 

In the meantime, in our living room, this simple shrine. Some simple flowers, some cheery candles, and a pretty statue. 

O Mary, just as you interceded for that couple two thousand years ago, pray for me and my family now and at the hour of our deaths.