Seven Quick Takes: July 2013

1. Joshua has been in major destruction mode this week. He is always in destruction mode, but it has been so bad the past couple of days that I briefly considered using each quick take as a slot to list his transgressions from the past twenty-four hours. So it would be nice if more experienced mothers could pipe in with how their children eventually stopped ruining stuff, for the most part, once they moved away from home. Or, even better, how your most destructive child turned into the neatest and most responsible young adult.

2. After nearly fourteen years without a dedicated parish priest, our local parish was assigned its very own priest again this year. The change just took affect on July 1, and it’s so wonderful that there is a priest nearby.

3. My younger sister, Miriam, has a new puppy. She’s a ten week old Sheltie named Trinity. Below, Trinity is wearing a Sherlock Holmes costume, courtesy of the Wishbone stuffed animal from my youth.


Just call me Sherlock Puppy

4. I am many months behind everyone else, but I finally read The Fault in Our Stars last week. I’ve found that YA books are usually hit or miss for me, and I did enjoy this one. It was a quick read (less than a day), which probably had more to do with me enjoying the book than its length. A couple of notes, but no actual spoilers:
a. It contains mature subject matter, so it’s definitely for older teens.
b. I really appreciated that the author (John Green) wrote in a way that expects more of his audience that the average YA novel.

5. Earlier this year, our cable and Internet provider upped their rates. This happens every year and we’ve always been able to talk our way back to a new customer promotional rate, until this year. So we parted ways. I haven’t missed it at all, and neither have the boys. JR says that he does occasionally, but would rather save his money and purchase/rent content on his own terms

6. Today is the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This has special significance to me because I chose St. Anne as my confirmation saint. I chose St. Anne because: a. As the mother of Our Lady, she must have been a very holy woman, and b. I knew that I would likely be a mother one day, and wanted one of the greatest mothers ever praying for me.

7. If you are so inclined, stop by and leave some kind words or add to the online spiritual bouquet for my brother, sister-in-law, and their family. They’re expecting their second child and may be facing some complicating health issues.

Have a great weekend, you can check out other Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.