7QT - these are never quick

1 -Happy Valentine's Day!


2 - I'm going to start by introducing you to Chris, a man with whom I attended high school. Then, we both ended up studying English lit and writing at the same small liberal arts college. Chris has moved from a very non denom / evangelical background to Anglicanism and often writes about American culture, music, and faith at his blog Post Consumer Reports. Also, he made himself into a meme.

Okay, is that super funny to me just because I know him or is it just super funny?

Anyways, Chris just wrote a couple of posts about True Love Waits and the whole abstinence until marriage culture that exists in evangelical circles and was widely discussed on the internet a few months back. Perhaps what I appreciate most is that he didn't jump in on all the yelling back then but has thought about it a lot, gathered insights from his female peers, and then wrote of what he knows - not on the whole of the movement. Anyways, I thought I'd share his post because it gave me an excuse to share his meme and because I thought it was well done.

True Love Waits: What my youth pastor did right


2 - Back to Catholic-y things.

Matthew Kelly and the folks at Dynamic Catholic want to make sure you have the Best Lent Ever.  It looks really fabulous and I'm excited to do it this Lent. Check out the website and consider signing up.

And if that doesn't sound like your thing, maybe you'll like the Blessed Is She Lenten journal. It's another great resource to help you get in Scripture and and spending time in prayer. The journals have all sold out but you can download and print one off for yourself. Lovely.

I was really happy to chat with my friends Christy and Haley for their latest Fountains of Carrots podcast. We chatted about lent and how we do it in our homes and I had a lot of fun. JP makes an appearance as well. Take a listen!


3 - Earlier this week I made some bagels and shared a picture on Instagram. If you're looking for a good bagel recipe I strongly recommend this one. Mary Kate shared it with me and she was right - it's delicious. In fact, my second batch is rising right now.


4 - Recently I noticed two unusual occurrences. The first is that on days when I wear pj's, don't brush my hair or teeth, and do not shower I get an incredible amount of work done. Cleaning the bathrooms, putting away the laundry, answering emails, sorting paperwork, mending clothing, even reading to the kids - all of this is done when I look rather gross. I think it's because when I get myself ready for the day I feel like I need to DO something, and that definitely does not mean scrubbing toilets.

The second thing is that if I am going to put away laundry then I cannot use a laundry basket. If I fold the clothes right out of the dryer, piling them on the top of the dryer, then they actually get folded. Then I gather them in my arms - not in a laundry basket! - and carry them throughout the house, putting them away. It gets the job done in minutes, rather than the clean clothes sitting rumpled for days or even weeks.


5 - Today was my first day on thyroid medication. I actually feel better already - is that even possible? I don't know, but this was one of my first steps towards health and I'm excited for what may happen.


6 - Here's some of my favorite links from the week:

Art is not weight-lifting: Why the Beck vs. Beyonce comparisons are unfair and wrong (and lazy!)
This Beck and Beyonce mash-up will cure your Grammy woes
Okay, Hozier, I'll take you to church
The Lady who followed me home
When repentence looks like a shower


7 - In honor of Valentine's Day here's one of my absolute favorite Fulton Sheen quotes.