My week in #7QT

Ok, so I am linking up with Kelly to bring you a little glimpse at the past 8 days at the Veils and Vocations homestead.

1

Last Friday, Cowgirl spent a day at the Parish Visitors convent.  She had a great time at the "girls day."  What an amazing experience for young girls.  This meant 4 hours in the car but it was well worth it.

2

The weekend was so busy.  I racked up another 8+ hours in the car those two days.  Good thing we have the van with plenty of room and decent fuel economy! Sunday, the boys had a fishing derby at a friend's farm for Troop of St George.  Everyone needs a friend with a farm.

3

Monday we tried to just catch our breath after a crazy few days.  I had that travel hang-over you get from long road trips but we were local and home the whole time. I should note that in our neck of the woods anything under an hour is considered local.

4

Had my first link up on #BeautyTuesday  Did you miss it?  Check it out and please be sure to come back next Tuesday!

There was that little incident with the fire ants,  four ticks, a broken glass, a maimed ceramic bunny, and a slow cooker dinner that finished cooking about 20 mins after we ate a makeshift meal, but hey, all in all, nothing worth noting happened around here.

5

End of the year recital for our fine arts school took most of our day followed by Buddy's Irish step class.  I truly appreciate that my children have these opportunities but I am so ready for summer vacation.  Eight hours at fine arts school followed by a step class is a REALLY long day with my littles.

6

Thursday was the type of day made for a warm quilt, a cup of tea, and a good book.  None of those happened but that was the type of day it was--rainy and dark.  

I spent a lot of time setting up social media accounts for my etsy shop and mobilizing the troops to lean up the mess that is trailed throughout the house after so many hectic days.

7

It's Friday, again.  We are supposed to go to riding but it is still damp and rainy.  However, we are packing up for a road trip adventure to visit family this holiday weekend.  I will probably drive less this weekend on our out of state trip than I did last weekend just staying local.

Say a little prayer for me.  This is my first solo road trip with all four kiddos.  Little Lady's first road trip ever--although she is well acquainted with car rides thanks to her very social and active siblings.

How is your week going?  Any plans for the holiday weekend?

To all my readers who serve or have spouses or children who do, thank you for your service!

 

Beauty Tuesday: A Link-up

 I decided to add a new tradition to Veils and Vocations.  Each Tuesday, we will be having a link up party where you can share your latest post about the beauty of the world, the Church, your life, etc. 

We are bombarded with darkness everywhere we turn, but God created this world to be filled with beauty, goodness, and joy!  Please link your post below and help spread some light.  

Oh, and don't forget to link back to my post so others can find the collection of lovely posts each week.  Thanks.

Speaking of beauty, in my book there is little more beautiful than women and girls who veil as a devotion to our LORD.  It is a devotion that is close to my heart and part of my inspiration for this blog. 

Next week, I will be sharing my story of how I came to veiling.  However, this week, I want introduce you to something that is very exciting for me. 

In an effort to find ways to encourage and support my readers' journey of faith, I opened my etsy shop.  I will be the first to admit that it has not been very active of late.  Right now, though, I am working on restocking it and am overjoyed to now be carrying Fleur de Lis veils--lovingly, handcrafted by Marsha.

Her veils are true works of art.  I am thankful to have gotten to know Marsha and can tell you that her heart is just as beautiful as her veils. 

As a special gift to my readers, I am offering free shipping in my store through June 30th with the code FREESHIPMAY.  Thank you for being there to read my humble blog.  I know this isn't the fanciest nor most popular blog out there, but when I read the stats of how many visit this little corner of the Internet and how many coutries are represented by my readers, I am truly touched.

You may come here because you like my blog, but really I keep coming back because of all the love and support that has been shown to me by every click on this blogger link.  God bless you all!

Please link up your post below.  Show the blogging world the beauty that surrounds you!


An InLinkz Link-up

#7QT Big Doings

Linking up with Kelly to bring you some coming attractions and, as my mother would have said, "Big doings!"  here at Veils and Vocations.

1

I have reopened my etsy shop and am stocking it to the brim!  In honor of my grand re-opening, I am offering free shipping for all my readers with coupon code FREESHIPMAY.  So, feel free to cyber mosey over and do some window shopping!

2

I have wanted, for some time, to write a book for young girls to learn about different Catholic orders complete with activities and trivia.  Seeing as it is a monumental task to just write a blog post, I am working on creating a resource page with links and info on as many orders as I can find.  Eventually there will be activities, too.  Please, keep your eyes open!

3

Also, in the works is a new mother/daughter program.   It's still very much in the planning stage but will be out next spring.  I know, I am still getting the other one posted.  Please be patient, I am currently typing with three fingers while balancing a curious 5 month old and dodging a raucous 3 year old.  The title of the new retreat is set, " Beauty, Truth, Goodness--Joy!"

4

I have decided that Veils and Vocations needs a little something.  So, next Tuesday, will be our first weekly link-up called Beauty Tuesday.   Come back here every Tuesday, for a link up to share all that is beautiful in the world as a refreshing little oasis against the hard struggle beating down around us.

5

Little Lady turned 5 months old--FIVE!  I am so enjoying my little Lovie-Lu but it is time to press the pause button.  Her first year is flying by too quickly.

6

School year is almost out in our little home academy.  Deo Gratis!!! I need a break.  So looking forward to June, our lazy month of family visits, sleeping in (well, as late as we can with the sun breaking through at 6 AM and a couple of little early birds in the family) and just not having to be anywhere every day.  The amount of energy it takes to get everyone out of the house for all these activities could power a small city!

7

Planning for next year has begun!  Have you started?  Did you ever stop?  Me, neither.  "Let's Get Planning" posts are right around the corner.  I have lots to share including some great FREE, that's right, FREE resources that just might save your sanity next year.

How is your week going?  Any big news in your neck of the woods?

Homeschool Tips in #7QT

School is almost out over here at the Academy of St Therese for the Glories of God.  It has me thinking quite a bit about next year.  There is so much I want to do, but only so many hours in a day and these kids are growing like weeds!  Here are some tips to keep the homeschool ball rolling AND enjoy your children's childhood.

Linking up with Kelly this fine Friday.

Tip #1 Take time outside the classroom.  We have had a crazy year with the new baby and all so I have felt more guilty than usual taking a day off to do something different.  However, those field trips and projects are still learning.  They are also special memories! 

Tip # 2 Don' be afraid to change the plan. We've all been there.  The year's plan is meticulously done.  You envision a year full of growth and success beyond your wildest dreams, and then it happens.  That perfect book/program/course just isn't working.  Everyone is miserable--but what about the plan?  Man plans, God laughs!  

When it isn't working, be willing to change.  Maybe it needs a different approach.  Perhaps your child needs to jump ahead, or step back a bit.  Whatever it is, be willing to be flexible.  In the end it will be for the best.

Tip #3 When it isn't working read a good book or two!  This one I borrowed from Andrew Pudewa and it is my go to tip.  Books are so much more than reading practice.  Lose yourself in some good literature.  Learn while you spend some quiet time together.  Regroup and move on!

Tip #4 Trust your instinct!  You know your child better than anyone.  Plus,  even the best curricula is written in a one size fits all fashion.  If you know your child could succeed if she only got x, y, and z but your instructions say to do r and q, go with your gut. Wish I could have told that to my homeschooling newbie-self.

Tip #5  Foster your child's interests and his God-given skills.  We all want our child to have a successful and prosperous future.  Let's be honest, though, not everyone is meant to be a lawyer, doctor, or engineer.  God made each of us unique, and that is a blessing. It not only makes the world go around, it keeps life interesting.  Make time and space in your lesson plans for your child to explore what excites him.  Who knows, that could just be his calling?

Tip #6  Let someone else do the teaching!  This has been a huge sanity saver and has also greatly enriched our experience.  I am test driving several online resources for next year, but I also have to give a plug to really good movies. I know, I know--screen time!  

Well, I am one who seriously limits screen time but I use the tie my kids do spend plugged in to enhance their learning.  I am always on the hunt for new videos--especially since my children can pretty much recite the entire script of favorites like Liberty's Kids and Wild Kratts.

Pure Flix has a nice selection of Christian movies, especially education videos that I plan to learn more about.  Check out their suggestions below!

 

Tip #7  Remember the ultimate goal is leading your child to Heaven, not just graduation! 

Do you have any tips to share?  I'd love to hear them.

Holy Week in #7QT

Hi all, how's your Holy Week going?  Are you anxious for Easter to come and Lent to end?  Or do you still feel like there is too much Lent left to accomplish for Easter to be so soon?  I'm in the latter camp.  I'm linking up with Kelly to have a little chat in #7QT

 

1

This has been a strange Lent for me.  I am usually so militant and disciplined.  I can't remember the last Lent where I came to the end and felt like I had not accomplished any of my goals. Any of them!  The resistance has been incredible, I kid you not! My will and self control have been stretched and tested beyond anything I have ever seen before.  

I have been struggling with this.  Feeling like a failure and a fraud.  How can I blog about living a Catholic life and then have such a terrible Lent?  To be honest, I considered abandoning this blog all together about half way through.

However, I see how this struggle has not only tested me but strengthened me as well as delivered a healthy dose of humility.  The Battle may all ready be won, but the war for our souls rages on!

If you are feeling like you hoped to accomplish so much more this Lent, you are not alone!

2

Palm Sunday....good heavens!!  Little boys can make anything into weapons.  The belt on dress pants is obviously there to hold said weapons.  Is there a way to not allow anyone under the age of 7 to even touch a palm through the long Gospel?  We will just leave it at that.  A definite workout and warm up for the marathon week ahead.

3

The next day, I went back up the church for Reconciliation Monday.  I don't know how many diocese do this but it is amazing!  The Monday before Christmas and Easter, all churches in the diocese are open from 4pm-9pm for confession.  We often have 3-4 priests hearing confession at the same time in our parish.

It is such a precious experience.  I am so thankful we made it!  

4

Tuesday of Holy Week is the rehearsal for Children's Stations of the Cross.  It is my yearly penance no matter how my Lent is going.

I left very frustrated but wrapped in the love of Christ all the same.  We have over 3,000 families in our parish (families not people--families!!!) and a preK-8 school.  How many chidlren showed up to participate?  SIX!  SSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!!  Oh, and two of them belong to me.

I am so very, very grateful for the ones who showed up and their excitement to walk the steps of Jesus.  These are beautiful, beautiful children.  However, I don't know what to do with this little project.  Every year we have less and less children.  We used to have to draw parts out of a hat to make it fair now we have one boy playing Pontius, Simon, and a roman guard.  He volunteered to be Joseph of Aramethia but we ended up just cutting that part. Owen is incredible but I think three parts is the limit.

St Jude, patron of hopeless causes, please rescue this dying devotion!

5

Wednesday of Holy Week I decided to catch up with some friends and family that I had not seen in awhile just as Jesus visited Mary and Martha on the Wednesday of the first Holy Week.  Only day not at the parish but a marathon none the less.

6

Today is Holy Thursday--I'm actually writing this the night before like a good blogger should.  This is my favorite liturgical day of the year!  Truly, I love the Holy Thursday liturgy so very, very much.

We had a field trip in the morning so we had to push our liturgical tea off until dinner.  I pulled it off but had nearly forgotten about the pre-Mass fast. It was the fasted liturgical tea in history.

I am so thankful to have had Cowgirl's help in setting everything out because Little Lady was having a colicky episode and screamed for 2.5 hours straight.  {If you would, please say a quick Hail Mary that we discover what is causing her colic and reflux.  She is on medication, I am on a highly restricted diet, and both are helping but she is still having these episodes of screaming in pain from the acidic reflux that keep choking her.  It is heartbreaking and exhausting for both of us.}

My tea was not picture perfect. My food was nothing fancy.  In fact the only items that we "cooked" at all were the mashed potatoes and a quick soup I threw together of chicken broth, carrots, and gluten free pasta when I realized that our usual menu would not be enough food to be considered dinner.

I say this so that you know that I am just a mom, a sinner, a human just like you!

7

Tomorrow is Good Friday, our Children's Stations are at noon.   I am praying for the LORD to use our little crew of volunteers to touch the hearts of all who are there. It is a small act of service but done with great love!

If you missed my other posts this week, I am finally getting the talks up from the mother/daughter retreat.  Considering hosting a mini-retreat this summer?  I am working hard to get all the resources I can up to help you do just that. You can find the links for the talks below:

• In The Father's Eyes
• The Royal Treatment
• The Gift of Love
• I Created You! 

For a more polished look at my week, check out my latest article on Seton Magazine!

How has your week been going?

I Am Loved Retreat: I Created You!

I'm getting ready to have our annual Holy Thursday liturgical tea before heading to Mass, but wanted to post the next talk for our retreat.  This talk was inspired by this song.  Blessed Holy Thursday to all!

 

I created you!

As we have mentioned before, we each have a special purpose.  That purpose is called a vocation.  When I say the word vocation, what comes to mind? We usually think of religious sisters and priests when we talk about vocations.  However, everyone has a vocation.  Your vocation is the state of life that you are called to live.  Some of us are called to be married, some to be single.  Some of us are called to religious life in a monastery or working with those in need. Your vocation is a very special part of who you are.

We are all created to be a part of a family.  That family can look like many different things.  For some, it is a family of a husband, a wife, and children.  For others, their family is a religious community.  A priest is the head of his family and his parishioners are his children.  Whatever it is, we must remember that the family is the building block of God’s plan.  When God created humans, He created a man and a woman who then had children.  They were one of the first families.  The very first family is the Trinity.  We have God the Father, God the Holy Spirit who active love of the Father, and then we have God the Son.  They are a very unique family, and it is hard for us to understand that mystery well, but we can see that Our Father always intended His Kingdom to be based on the love of a family.

Have you ever heard God speak to your heart?(show hands)  Have you ever heard God speak to you in a way that you felt you could actually hear His words? (show of hands) God is always speaking, we just need to take the time and space to listen.  I have had a couple of experiences that I actually felt like I heard someone speaking to me.  It took my breath away.  I have heard little whispers in my heart, too.  However, there are lots of times that life gets busy, or I get cranky and upset, that I stop listening.  Our world is very noisy.  We like to have lots of activity and noise. Everywhere we go there is music playing, televisions on, and people talking.  Getting some quiet can be hard, but it is really necessary.  When we take some time to be quiet it gives our mind and body a break. It’s like a mini vacation.  If you are feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, you probably need a little bit of quiet.

What are some places or some ways that you find a little quiet time?  My favorite place to find quiet is at Adoration.  I also try to go to a Traditional Latin Mass whenever I can, because I find it very peaceful.  However you find your quiet time, make sure to include some time for prayer.  On of my favorite prayers of discernment is , “speak LORD, your servant is listening.”  I pray that whenever I feel confused about what God wants me to do.  Then I sit and listen!  Really listen. It  is hard, and I don’t always do the best job, but really opening your heart and your ears to the words of God will change your life.  Once you have prayed and listened--even if you didn’t hear an answer--wrap up your prayer time with another little prayer, “Not my will, by Your Will be done!”

In finding our vocations, we might be surprised what they are.  We may have a vision of exactly how we want our life to turn out, and then God shows us what He wants.  It can be hard to change our mind, but we have to remember that following God always leads to joy and peace.  Our new pastor was originally an actor and a teacher.  He was engaged to a beautiful, Catholic lady and planned on raising a large family.  However, God kept calling his heart to the priesthood.  It was difficult to change his whole plan for the future, but he knew he had to do it and he is so glad that he did.  Do any of you feel called to a certain vocation? Whatever vocation you are drawn to, remember to take time to discern, which means to decide if this is really what God wants for you.  When my husband and I got engaged, we spent a lot of time praying and studying to decide where God wanted us.  We really wanted to get married and have a family but we wanted for to follow God wherever He led us. 

I Am Loved Retreat: The Gift of Love

Yay, I'm posting, again!  Maybe I will finish this series this week. There are so many things I want to write about.  Thanks for stopping by.

 

 The Gift of Love

We have already talked about how much God loves you.  He loves you more than you can ever imagine.  One way that He loves you is by giving you rules.  He sets up boundaries to give us freedom within the confines of His Love, for our own good. Could you tell me the Ten Commandments,one at a time?

Could anyone share with me what Jesus said was the greatest commandment? By loving God with all we have, loving others as ourselves, loving ourselves, and respecting our bodies, we can live a very happy life without regrets and then enter into the neverending embrace of the LORD.  And when we make mistakes, God is always there to forgive us through the power of Christ’s redemption.  We are never too far gone to start over with God.

St Paul wrote, “ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends.”  Does anyone know what “love” stands for in this verse?  This ultimate love is God, Himself.  God is living love and the source of all love here on earth.  

We have probably heard this verse many times, but it is good to read over slowly and think about, because even though it is written about God who is all powerful and perfect, it is a good guide for how we should love.  Jesus asked us to love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us, so this verse isn’t just about how to treat our family and friends but everyone.

Let’s read it again, slowly.   “ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends.”

Love means doing always what is right to another, even when it is hard.  What are some things that your mom does for you that isn’t easy or isn’t fun?  Are there things that your mom asks you to do that maybe you don’t want to, but know you should? Love takes not being happy but taking care of the other person anyway.  Your parents love you immensely.  Think of all these things that aren’t fun, that aren’t easy, and that they might not like, but your parents do them anyway, and even though they make you eat fruit when you would rather have chocolate, go to bed when you would rather stay up, and clean your room when you would rather play; they would never make you do something that is harmful for you. That is true love!

Bishop Barron says, “Love is willing the good of the other for the other’s sake.”  What that means is wanting what is best for the other person, always, for the one you love’s sake, not yours.  Love is a very special emotion, because it is actually an action and a choice.  When we choose to love others we are doing God’s work in the greatest way possible.