Category Archives: Creativity

7 Quick Takes: Ways You Can Pray for Me

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7 Quick Takes

OK… I’m seriously standing in the need of prayer. Here are seven prayer requests that I have.

— 1 —

That my depression lifts. I seriously feel like a horde of Dementors from the Harry Potter books has been sent after me.

— 2 —

For my anxiety to calm down. I’ve got a lot of changes coming up and it’s getting hard to trust that God is going to fix all of it.

— 3 —

For me to be able to discipline Daniel effectively. He has learned how to be defiant and that tends to seriously push my buttons which causes me to start yelling. A LOT.

— 4 —

For our church situation. I can’t give details — just pray for it.

— 5 —

For my marriage. Jon and I are getting a lot of things thrown at us and it would be good if our marriage could be held up in prayer as we’re dealing with what comes.

— 6 —

For Daniel to have success at potty-training. This has been the bane of my existence since December.

— 7 —

For me to be able to finish my copy-editing project. I’ve been working on it for two years and am just now seeing the finish line.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: Only Six This Week

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Posting later than usual. I usually have these written on Thursday night to post as soon as the link-up page goes up. (I’m on the West Coast so it’s 10 p.m. PDT for me.) Last night, however, my mind was a little too scattered so I decided to just skip this week. Then, I was awoken this morning by my clowder (the word for a collective of cats) who apparently can see the bottom of their food dish and felt that 5 a.m. was an appropriate time to tell me. (Cats, you are SOL. Go wake up the other adult human.) So… here we go!

— 2 —

Orphans. Do you see this handsome boy?

Brett

Brett needs a mama. Are you his mama? Click on his picture for more information.

— 3 —

Prayer request #1. I’ve been chosen to speak at the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia in San Jose this year. (My fundraising page will be public soon.) They’d like to use my 5-7 minute spiel as a fundraising piece so I’m having to get it written by this weekend. Could y’all pray that I can do this? I have no fear of public speaking but I do need to get this written. Please and thank-you.

— 4 —

Prayer request #2. I know I’ve been really vague about my special intention for the last two weeks and I appreciate everyone who has been praying for it. Could you please continue praying for discernment for those involved, that I would be able to forgive, and that I would have consolation and peace in the midst of the waiting game that is going on? Thanks!

— 5 —

A good definition of ABA. For those who read my Simple Woman’s Daybook posts, you probably see me mention ABA therapy every week. This is a good explanation of what it is. For those who don’t have time to read the article, it’s a methodology for working with autistic kids where you achieve the behavior desired through reinforcing it and you modify the behavior by modifying the antecedent (what comes before the behavior).

— 6 —

Stopping here. I honestly don’t have anything else this week so I’m stopping here. Have a lovely weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: March 2, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY March 2, 2014

Outside my window… dark. We’ve gotten some storms coming through this weekend and are supposed to have more tomorrow. I’ve got at least 4 hours of driving to do so I’m hoping the roads stay safe.

I am thinking… about my trip to San Jose tomorrow.

I am thankful… for good interactions with parishioners in the last week.

In the kitchen… dishes though I did several sinkfulls today. (My kingdom for a dishwasher!)

I am wearing… beige v-neck and black capri sweats from Target which are super comfy.

I am praying for… traveling mercies as I head to San Jose tomorrow, discernment for people involved in my special intention, and for patience with regard to Daniel.

I am going… to $tarbux on my way out of town.

I am wondering… how tomorrow will go.

I am reading… This Our Exile by James Martin, S.J. which I highly recommend if you have any interest in Africa or missiology.

I am hoping… to sleep well tonight.

I am looking forward to… seeing my parents tomorrow though I wish it were happier circumstances. (Nobody died — I have to go deal with a family matter.)

I am hearing the Roomba trying to dock. It’s like having a Dalek moving around the darkened living room.

Around the house… cats are scattered haphazardly. (In other words, everything is normal.)

I am pondering… what to take with me tomorrow for the time that I’ll spend sitting: crocheting or just my NOOK?

A favorite quote for today… “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” — C.S. Lewis (How true this is right now!)

One of my favorite things… quiet.

A few plans for the rest of the week: trip to San Jose by myself tomorrow, Morning Prayer on Tuesday, Ash Wednesday stuff on Wednesday, meeting on Thursday morning, and Ladies’ Night Out that evening.

A peek into my day… Daniel and Cullen taking a nap together. When I was pregnant with Daniel, Cullen used to settle on my baby belleh and purr… only to be kicked by Daniel. My mom and I have been joking for almost 5 years now about them having a Calvin and Hobbes type of relationship someday. (Cullen is a gigantic scaredy cat so he’ll hang out with Daniel if Daniel is asleep or in my lap being sedate.) Maybe that day is coming soon?

Daniel and Cullen taking a nap together.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Posts in 7 Days: Baby Names

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Many of the people doing 7 Posts in 7 Days are taking part in Kathryn’s baby name link-up so I thought I’d share.

My son Daniel James is named after Jon’s great-uncle Daniel (a WWII hero) and my father James. If Daniel had been a girl, he would have been Kathleen Moira after my mom (Kathleen) and Mary, the Mother of God. We made this decision on the second day of Jon’s trip to visit me for the first time in college and I know part of it was inspired by my aunt’s practice of giving her daughters the names of their great-grandmothers as their middle name.

I can’t remember what our second boy would be named but if we have another child and it’s a girl, she’ll be Hannah Grace. Hannah comes from Samuel’s mother Hannah who was strong in her faith. Grace is from one of my great-grandmothers. The other option for a girl would be Annika Leah with Annika being a name we like and Leah being another of my great-grandmothers.

7 Posts in 7 Days: Pick Jen’s Lenten Discipline!

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So Lent starts next week and I’m trying to come up with ideas for my Lenten discipline this year. In the past, I have…

-given up meat (and ended up vegetarian for 5 years after)
-given up chocolate
-given up soda
-given up swearing (which lasted all of one day though to be fair, I was pregnant)
-taken on the making of afghan squares
-taken on blogging about faith daily (2012)
-taken on blogging about religious music daily (2013)

I know! I’ll take a page from Fr. James Martin, S.J. and let someone else determine my Lenten discipline this year! Rafflecopter for the opportunity is below. Winner will be chosen next Tuesday at 12:00 PST and notified by email. You need to give me my discipline by 11:59 PST that evening.

I should probably clarify that there are a couple limits:

1.) I’m pre-diabetic so I *have* to eat — no surviving on bread and water.
2.) Assume that whatever I do needs to be Daniel-friendly.
3.) It cannot break any commandments or rules of the church.

Lenten Discipline Giveaway

7 Quick Takes: Laptop Update, Folk Music, and 49’ers Fan Schtuff

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

My friend Tim. So how many of you saw the viral video in which a pastor who was a 49’ers fan did an “abbreviated service” this past Sunday? Yeah, he is actually a former colleague of ours from our days in Montana and he is a heckuva guy. He and his wife hosted us several times when we were splitting our time between Great Falls and home when Daniel was in the NICU as well as visiting me in the hospital. He is a native northern Californian who was transplanted to Montana for ministry and is a rabid fan of all the Bay Area sports teams, especially the Giants. (I swear… I can hear him watching the game all the way from Montana when they play.) I miss him, his wife Sandy, and their son John very much.

And yes, he *did* go back and do a REAL worship service after this was filmed.

— 2 —

OMG NCIS!!!!! I got seriously verklempt at the end of NCIS this week. Why? It wasn’t because Delilah was paralyzed after her accident. It was the scene where McGee calls Gibbs down to the hospital and asks if he can sit with him. Gibbs comes down and goes and sits with Tim as a way to lend him some support. I remember the people who came to be with me in the hospital when I’ve had surgery or when Daniel has been in the NICU/PICU/peds ward. They didn’t have to say beautiful words of wisdom or advice — all I really needed was for them to sit with me and hold my hand. It is really hard to communicate just how much their presence meant to me even if they just sat there quietly with me.

— 3 —

Speaking of the 49’ers… We have a bit of a family war going on at the moment because my extended family is mostly in western Washington and of course, I’m down here in northern California. I predict amusing status updates this weekend. I feel sorry (but not all that much) for my evil twin — his wife is a Green Bay fan, his cat is a Panthers fan, and he lives in Seahawk territory. He commented that it’s impossible to watch football right now without pissing anyone off.

— 4 —

The Boxer. I think I’ve posted this before but it’s a video of Allison Krauss and Shawn Colvin doing a cover of “The Boxer” from a concert honoring Paul Simon. It’s one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs and it’s nice to have a recording that I can sing along with in my specific register. (Not that I was doing this at 2 a.m. or anything…)

— 5 —

Also a fan of this one… This is “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” from a Bob Dylan tribute concert 20 years ago. There are others I like from this particular concert (Tracy Chapman singing “The Times They Are A-Changin'” for example) but this particular one fit with the Shawn Colvin theme of the last Quick Take.

Aw heck… here’s Tracy. I love her performance because she doesn’t embellish anything in the song and her bluesy voice just fits perfectly.

— 6 —

Last video, I promise. I’m listening to Simon and Garfunkel as I blog this.

— 7 —

Orphans. Do you see these darling children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and their dossier has been submitted to her country.

— Bonus —

Update on the laptop. I received the hard drive from my old laptop in the mail on Tuesday. I was WTFing until my mom pointed out that this was not a bad thing in case my backup on my external hard drive is messed up. I got ahold of my case manager at HP yesterday and he told me that the ETA for the build of my new laptop is January 24th and he’s getting it shipped to me 2nd Day Air so I’ll get it on the 26th. *sigh* It means sharing a Macbook with Jon for another week or so but I’m getting a new laptop out of it so I shouldn’t complain… too much. #stillwhining #firstworldproblems

Pray for Jon. I’m not the easiest person to live with when I’m going through laptop withdrawal symptoms.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 12, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY January 12, 2014

Outside my window… dark. It was fairly warm today.

I am thinking… about my nutritionist consult tomorrow that I’ll have to reschedule because Daniel has diarrhea.

I am thankful… for being able to get away for a little bit the last couple days.

In the kitchen… chicken hotdish that I made and portioned out to be frozen.

I am wearing… brown shirt with a ruched collar and black running shorts.

I am creating… this entry and a baby blanket.

I am going… out to replace my headphones when Jon gets home from his concert.

I am wondering… what injury Daniel is going to give me this week. He gave me a minor concussion last week and he almost hit me with my lapdesk a few minutes ago.

I am reading… The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by James Martin, S.J. — I’m almost done with it.

I am hoping… my stomach calms down.

I am looking forward to… my massage this Friday. (It got rescheduled from last week because my massage therapist had the flu.)

I am learning how to remove gel nail polish.

Around the house… *puts fingers in ears* I can’t hear youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!

I am pondering… waaaaaaay too many things.

A favorite quote for today… After seeing Fr. Jim Martin, S.J. on the Colbert Report talking about income inequality, I though of the following:

??If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.?? — Stephen Colbert

One of my favorite things… quiet so I can pray.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy for Daniel Monday to Friday, possibly Morning Prayer on Tuesday, and my massage on Friday.

A peek into my day… I still don’t have my laptop (and thus can’t upload pics) so we’ll just go with a funny Youtube video.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook