7 Quick Takes

Here are my 7 Quick Takes as part of the link-up with Jennifer at Conversiondiary.com


1

The first time I noticed a post from this link-up, it was abbreviated 7qt.   I thought it was a link to a canning recipe or maybe Tupperware had a new big bowl, since I just glanced and saw what I thought was an abbreviation for 7 quarts.   Have to admit: little disappointed for a brief moment.   I really like my big Tupperware bowl.
2

 My children are really getting bigger.   The girls helped me fill out birthdays on our calendar and I couldn't believe I had to write 7th and 10th on their birthdays.   I was blessed with some sleep sweetness this week and glimpses to remind me they're still little and it's not all gone by yet.



The boy.   I didn't catch a pic of big sister sleeping

3

I really enjoyed an article on Word on Fire this week: Lent: What I Have Done and What I Have Failed to Do.   Ellyn von Huben looked at different pieces of art with a Catholic eye.   It was fascinating and made me want to see the painting in person one day:

That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do by Illinois’ own Ivan Le Loraine Albright. It is known also by the simple title, The Door.

Over the years, I’ve started to see The Door in a different light, with a real sense of pain and understanding of That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do. Now there are things that I should have done that I did not do: some small, some egregious. Seeing the decay, the funereal wreath, well beyond wilted, the withered hanky-clutching hand with a single pip of lily of the valley reaching for the door knob reeks of regret. The monumental size of the painting drives home the reality. Is this not a visualization of the words in the Confiteor “. . . in what I have done and in what I have failed to do”?

4

In an attempt to make my living room more cozy, I rearranged the furniture and began to rearrange the wall hangings.   I still have some old family photos and other pieces to hang, but it's a start and an improvement, I think.





I was happy to get more of Mama's paintings up in a more visible location.




5
Well, I finally had others to talk to about season 3 of Downton Abbey.  I watched it early after it aired in the UK.    I loved season 1, but 2 and 3 were a bit soap opera-ish, although 3 was an improvement on 2.   Without giving away any spoilers, I was very sad at Sunday's episode for the sake of one character, Mary.   It was especially sad as she expressed how only one person knew her true self.   But, I'll be honest, the way IT (the surprising event) happened was a little hokey.  I kept expecting an animated bluebird to sit on Matthew's shoulder as he drove.  I was feeling bad about that until I spoke to other friends who agreed.

6
I found this article, How Elementary Silenced Its Critics, about the CBS copy-cat Sherlock Holmes program, Elementary, where Holmes is set in modern times like the BBC original, Sherlock.    I was struck by this part of the piece, though, as the author talked about the difference between his viewpoint and that of the general viewing population:

Just as our Twitter feeds provide a warped porthole onto the outside world, magnifying a niche event until it feels as if everyone (not just that every one of the few hundred people we’ve chosen to listen to) is talking about it, so do sites like this. At any given time, plenty of people are getting on with their lives and planning to watch a bit of telly after work, not reading multiple reviews of the same thing and getting stuck in with the online debates. Den of Geek and its ilk spoil us for the real world.

It reminded me of a real danger for us in this internet age as we customize our own little world with opinions that mirror ours.   We run the danger of being too narrow in our understanding of what's going on in the world and limit our appreciation of God's beauty and truth in all its forms.   It's hard to make informed decisions with incomplete information.

 I think of this when I see people arguing back and forth on Facebook (I'm not talking about reasonable discussions).   There are literally billions of people on the planet who have no idea of the controversy igniting tempers, who have no idea who you are, and I dare say, could care less.   Perspective.   A person can stay above the fray and still be a part of the New Evangelization in social media.

7
 Some of my dear friends, Lauren and Julia, and I have started a new Pinterest account called This Catholic Life.   You can find us at http://pinterest.com/CatholicLife/ as we pin favorites to inspire, encourage, or just to give us a good laugh.

Check out other Quick Takes at: Conversion Diary.com!




 

Comments

  1. Julia22 February 2013 at 17:02

    Haha about the big tupperware bowl. Are we allowed to use the name 7QT with Jen Fulweiler's blessing? :) I have been scratching my head all week trying to come up with a little catchy phrase for my Friday blog posts and the only thing I'm catching around here is a draft.

    Love the link to the What I have Done article. Thanks for sharing all that you share. I always appreciate the fullness of your perspectives.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pie Mama’s 22 February 2013 at 17:16

    Yes, you can use it as long as you link back to her 7QT:)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Your comments are welcome!

Popular posts from this blog

First & From Without

Image
"Is she in there?" "I think so.  Should we knock?" This was part of the conversation from my fellow teachers outside my classroom door the morning I returned to work, two months after the birth of my first child.    My locked classroom door.   I managed to get into the building with no contact with others, cover my window on my door, and lock myself in for a good cry.    I did not take separation from my baby very well.   I called my husband and told him I just couldn't stay.   He called the personnel office and asked about my leave options.   Then, he called Mama.    "I know it's hard, Joey, but you have to let her face this; she just has to do it." Later, when I talked to Mama, she told me how she felt when she took me to my first day of school.   She said leaving me at that poor, old south Louisiana school building was one of the hardest things she ever did. ...
Read more

Master Bedroom Challenge: {pretty, happy, funny, real}

Image
This week, Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter , announced a Master Bedroom Challenge: Make Your Bedroom Beautiful and Useful .   It was a perfectly timed challenge for me.   As part of the Reasonably Clean House series at the blog, Leila recommends beginning the process in your master bedroom.   Her reasoning is right on target, as I've learned after nearly sixteen years of keeping --or trying to keep--our house.   Our bedroom is last on our list to work on in this house.   Since we moved in over a year ago, we've worked on all the other rooms .   Now, it's time to start making the master bedroom come together.   It's a large wonderful space.   My mama always said the problem with a bigger house/space is it is easier to clutter it and you aren't as wise with organization.   She was right.   Lot of corners and spaces to "store" things in this room until I get to them.   Plu...
Read more

An Anniversary

Image
September 16, 2004 began as a typical morning.   Emmeline and I went for a walk and then she settled down for her morning nap while I worked on laundry.   I decided to call Mama; we usually talked to each other every day.   Since Emmeline was born nine months earlier, our conversations had grown to several times a day, as I called her to share Emmeline's latest "firsts."  She had called a little more than normal to check on me.   A month earlier I had my first severe reflux incident.   I was eating lunch when I experienced the normal discomfort, but this time, it got worse and it was as if my windpipe was closed and I couldn't breathe.   I felt like I was choking, but I could talk, so I knew that I wasn't.   I was alone with Emmeline, so I quickly snatched her out of the high chair and put her in her crib.   I worried about what I would do if this did not pass quickly and I stopped breathing. ...
Read more