Our Lady of the Pillar, The Oldest Title of Our Lady Appeared to St. James in 40 A.D in Zaragoza, Spain According to tradition, Mary (who was still alive) appeared to St. James the Greater in 40 A.D on the banks of the river Ebro in Zaragoza, Spain on a pillar of jasper…
Because I’m not already spinning approximately 2,203 plates, for the next month I’ll be posting daily about Mary and sharing 31 of the titles she known by around the globe. You might know some of the more popular ones (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel), and some might be new to you (Our Lady of Sheshan),…
Last week, Tony and I slipped out for a couple hours alone while the kids watched a movie. As long as Fulton and Teddy are healthy, or at school, we’re comfortable stopping by a nearby restaurant for lunch, dinner, drinks or just uninteruppted adult conversation. Taking a walk after lunch or dinner is also no…
This week, in honor of the holiest day of the year (a.k.a. EASTER) I thought I would share my conversion story. I’ve always hesitated to share too much because I don’t want my parents or family or friends from my old church, many of whom I still see, to be upset or feel attacked. This…
For the last few Lents, I’ve shared my goals; what I’m giving up, doing, or not doing, in the run up to Easter. With our Florida trip coinciding nicely with Ash Wednesday, that didn’t happen…though I truly did have the best of intentions! So, instead of the long post sharing what strange eating plan I’ve…
Now that I lured you in with that click bait title you can relax: our family has not abandoned Advent! However, we definitely don’t celebrate it – we observe it the way we do Lent (though not as strictly), and we celebrate Christmas in its proper time (for twelve days, and in small ways up…
Last week as I sat in the hospital with Fulton during his four-hour observation window, I tried, between the nurse interruptions and (mis)alarming equipment, to hash out a Quick Takes post. By the time we left that night and got home I was too spent to reread and edit it into something coherent, thus the…
Next week is Natural Family Planning (NFP) Awareness Week. I do not normally write about NFP because I would prefer to keep that aspect of my marriage private, as would my husband. However, based on the emails I’ve been getting, I feel there is a need for an NFP post to be written for parents…
This weekend, like many of you, I will be consuming grilled food, drinking party beverages, and hopefully soaking up some rays poolside. But, Memorial Day is so much more than just the start to the summer season. Personally, I think it is one government holiday that we can baptize just a bit. So prepare to…
Since everyone wants to know about the book I was pouring over last week, here’s the review I didn’t have the brain cells to write late last Thursday night. I’ve mentioned on the blog before that I’m a big Dorothy Day fan, so when Shannon shared ‘Dorothy Day, The World Will Be Saved by Beauty,…
Coming off an Easter break and I’m happy to say everyone is healthy. Fulton would like to personally thank the makers of Tamiflu, and I would like to thank my in-laws for running our house for two days while I lived on the edge of death…or felt like it. It was the Lenty-est of Lents…
Mindfulness is such a self-help buzz word these days, but after reading about the benefits, and trying some free apps, I had to admit I felt some benefits. But as a Catholic, shouldn’t I just be able to pray away my stress and avoid anything remotely tied to meditation? Thankfully, I discovered the Catholic Mindfulness…
The house is quieter today. A snow storm moved in and blanketed the area forcing us to abandon plans to go to the movies or sneak in a date night. Instead, we’ve stayed put and each done our own thing relatively undisturbed. It’s bittersweet. I must admit to being happy to having things “back to…