Category Archives: Faith

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 1, 2019

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For Today… January 1, 2019

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… clear and chilly (at least to me) with temps in the 30’s F.

I am thinking… about this coming year.

I am thankful… for Daniel going back to school tomorrow. He’s been chomping at the bit for a few days.

One of my favorite things… ice chips.

I am wearing… long-sleeved blue-green shirt and capris. (I’m home doing a ton of laundry.)

I am creating… things for the parish Lenten devotional book.

I am watching… Daniel play Legos.

I am hoping… Washington beats Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. (The evil team is leading at the moment.)

I am learning… some interesting plays on Words with Friends.

In my kitchen… probably Hot Pockets tonight. Comfort food is bomb.

In the school room… Daniel starts back tomorrow.

Post Script… Svaha: dresses with pockets FTW!

Shared Quote… “Never once did Jesus scan the room for the best example of holy living and send that person out to tell others about him. He always sent stumblers and sinners. I find that comforting.” — Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints

Closing Notes:

Word of the Year: “Faith”
Saint for the Year: St. Joseph of Cupertino

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: December 2, 2018

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For Today… December 2, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was sunny, but chilly today.

I am thinking… about how to work it so that I get the maximum number of assessments done on the computers in F110 for Keyboarding. I tend to be faster on those than on my laptop.

I am thankful… for the beginning of Advent and that I’ve largely been able to avoid stepping into retail establishments playing insipid secular Christmas music.

One of my favorite things… Advent music.

I am wearing… jammies. It’s late.

I am creating… typing session certificates.

I am listening to… Advent hymnody.

I am hoping… tomorrow goes well, and I don’t have to deal with an obnoxious student in my Keyboarding class too much.

I am learning… flexibility in my internship.

In my kitchen… Greek chicken from Trader Joe’s.

In the school room… Daniel is doing well and loved by his teacher and staff.

Post Script… some thoughts on missionary John Allan Chau and how the mission organization who sent him has some serious explaining to do. I rarely agree with my dad’s anti-Christian thoughts, but I’m with him 100% that going to the Sentinelese people was stupid. I’m also profoundly happy that India is refusing to recover his body, as doing so would be dangerous for both them and the Sentinelese.

Shared Quote… “Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide.”
? Neil Gaiman, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

A moment from my day… “Mama, I’m not in the tree. #fakenews”

I'm not in the tree. You can't prove it. #fakenews

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: One Word Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Pumpkins. I got to go with Daniel’s class to the pumpkin patch again this year and it was fun. We did not get many pictures of kiddo smiling per se, but he was engaging more. Minion was very interested in the pumpkin that Daniel brought home.

— 2 —

Prayer. As I’ve been mentioning for a while, my prayer life has been craptastic at best. I have no excuse as Daniel goes to sleep before I do. This week, I’ve actually grabbed prayer time on three consecutive days. When I got my new-to-me phone a few weeks ago, I put the Sacred Space and Pray As You Go apps on it. I did Pray As You Go on Tuesday night; and this morning, I wanted to put it on while I was driving to the pumpkin patch, but I didn’t know how it would mesh with Google Maps giving me directions. I couldn’t wait to put it on and listen to it on my drive between the pumpkin patch and school. I’m definitely rediscovering why I was a fan of it ten years ago when I’d listen to it on my commute to work in Montana.

— 3 —

Rain. It threatened to rain while we were at the pumpkin patch today (it did rain last year) but it held off until tonight. I’m hoping for a decent pouring rain and windstorm tonight so I can turn off the lights and enjoy the sight and sound of it hitting the windows.

— 4 —

Book. Kendra Tierney is having a launch party for her book and her Instagram had video of the dishes she is making for it. The most interesting one: turducken for Trinity Sunday.

— 5 —

Internship. I finally got to start doing internship work this week and it’s been fun thus far. I’ve been reading through my instructor’s book and creating an answer key for it. The hard part is that Sharepoint wasn’t working for my email address so I had to manually enter a lot of the numbers into Excel. Oh well… it’s good practice.

— 6 —

House. Kelly (our hostess with the mostest) is talking about their old house on her Quick Takes this week.

— 7 —

Happy. My therapist said last week that this is the happiest she has ever seen me. I have to agree that overall, I am much happier than I have been in years. Having school/work as a change from being a stay-at-home mom is a good thing for me.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 18, 2018

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For Today… September 18, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… sunny and quite nice. It’s around 60F here and I’m liking it.

I am thinking… about the learning objectives I have to write for my internship this fall… and finding that I am at a loss for words. *sighs*

I am thankful… for two quiet days with Daniel in school. I’ve slept a lot and am starting to get the hang of Daniel’s school schedule and fitting the tube feeds in around it.

One of my favorite things… soft little black kittens who have motors like jet engines. 🙂

I am wearing… charcoal grey shirt and jeans “capris” which are more like regular jeans on me! #shortpeopleproblems

I am creating… letters.

I am reading… Inspired by Rachel Held Evans still.

I am hoping… for a peaceful night with Daniel tonight and that I can get dinner before too late. (Thank God for Trader Joe’s!)

I am learning… patience.

In my kitchen… I will probably just heat up frozen food for myself tonight.

In the school room… Daniel is loving being back at school.

Post Script… this is pretty interesting in terms of seeing how Catholicism is the same and different all over the world. (HT: Fr. James Martin, S.J.)

Shared Quote… “The church is not a group of people who believe all the same things; the church is a group of people caught up in the same story, with Jesus at the center.” — Rachel Held Evans

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Jen Is Dead Tired Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Prayer request. Fulton, the son of our hostess-with-the-mostest Kelly, had spinal fusion surgery on Tuesday. He’s doing better but he’s still not a happy little panda. (Spines get stabby when you correct them.) Could y’all please keep him and his parents in your prayers?

Thanks!

— 2 —

Another prayer request. Daniel has some granulation tissue around the stoma where his g-tube is. It started bleeding today. Could you please pray it’s nothing serious? (I’m waiting for a call back from Seattle Children’s that I might not get until Monday.)

— 3 —

Too funny. A reading from Rachel Held Evans:

When it comes to processing these troubling stories [referring to the passages in the Book of Joshua about conquest and killing women and children], there are generally three types of people: (1) those who accept without question that God ordered the military campaigns in Canaan and has likely supported others throughout history, (2) those who are so troubled by the notion of God condoning ethnic cleansing that it strains their faith or compels them to abandon it, (3) those who can name all of the Kardashian sisters and are probably happier for it.

It was a lovely passage I read while on the way back from Audiology today.

— 4 —

Bumper stickers. I have a Dump Trump bumper sticker on my car. (It and my other bumper stickers are currently covered with duct-tape because we have the lone Trump supporter in our family coming over for dinner tonight — we love him even if he is a snowflake.) Shortly after I got it, a neighbor came up to my mom to ask if it was mine. Mom replied that it was and was inwardly cringing that I might have offended the neighbors.

It turns out that he was asking because he wanted one and hadn’t been able to find where to get one. He’s Internet-phobic so I ordered him one off of NorthernSun.Com the next time I made an order. He loved it and his wife asked if they could pay me for it. I told them “no” because I love them and it was cheap. Their next question: “Can we make a donation to the Democratic Party in your honor?”

My response: “Absolutely!” 😀

— 5 —

Music take #1. It’s Holy Cross Day so…

— 6 —

Music take #2. For all those who are being forced to watch the Baby Shark videos, this is the CORRECT way to do it:

— 7 —

Music take #3. Need a palate cleanser after that last take? Here you go:

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 11, 2018

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For Today…

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was sunny today, but I’d be happy with rain again.

I am thinking… about the church mission statements I have been researching for the Vestry.

I am thankful… for the naptime I got today, considering that I’ve been getting up at 6 to medicate my kid and do his morning tube feed.

One of my favorite things… cold drinks. I prefer pretty much everything I drink to be cold year-round.

I am wearing… jammies. Clothes for today were a green shirt and dark wash denim capris.

I am creating… characters, places, and plotlines for my NaNo piece.

I am reading… Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans. It’s the chapter on Deliverance Stories and I’m enjoying it immensely.

I am hoping… I can get my internship paperwork together sooner than later.

I am learning… how to keep Daniel from puking up his feeds.

In my kitchen… Dad made sauce and pasta from scratch a few nights ago. It was awesome.

In the school room… Daniel is back to school and loving it.

Post Script… This is fun to watch.

Shared Quote… “Of course, the fact that a single biblical text can mean many things doesn’t mean it can mean anything. Slave traders justified the exploitation of black people by claiming the curse on Noah’s son Ham rendered all Africans subhuman. Many Puritans and pioneers appealed to the stories of Joshua’s conquest of Canaan to support attacks on indigenous populations. More recently, I’ve heard Christians shrug off sins committed by American politicians because King David assaulted women too. Anytime the Bible is used to justify the oppression and exploitation of others, we have strayed far from the God who brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, “out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2).” —Rachel Held Evans

A moment from my day… The altar flowers on Sunday in memory of my grandfather whose 100th birthday would have been Thursday. Ich liebe dich, Opa.

The altar with the flowers
A close-up of one bouquet
A close-up of one bouquet

Hosted by The Simple Woman.