{SQT} It’s All About the Takes, And Edel

I’m the host so nice she booked me twice! (Totally not even a condition of the rider either.)

Welcome back readers for another addition of everyone begrudgingly linking up at my blog for Seven Quick Takes! Yay me!

1. I love Quick Takes, even though mine are rarely ever quick and typically not a subject that needs broken into seven distinct pieces. But Jen’s cool with that, and I was pleased to see last week that while clicking around many other bloggers also loosely followed the Quick Takes protocol. If I ever hosted a weekly link up, my Type A would flare up and I’d have so many unreasonable demands within a couple weeks only a few determined bloggers would be left. And they would be my best friends…and we would take over the world. Mwahahahaha…….

2. When I started blogging, the Quick Takes link up was the main way I discovered other bloggers. My first Quick Takes was in March of 2012 and was my first “viral” post at like, 150 views, all because Jen tweeted it…and because it mentioned Truck Nutz. (FYI: You will not find them next to Planters in the snack food aisle.) For months, the majority of my posts were written for link ups, with Quick Takes being the highest priority on my list. Weekend plans consisted of whatever obligatory family outing or ritual and me catching up on other bloggers’ posts. I’d gotten out of the habit and was so surprised/ pleased when I scrolled through the links recently to find many awesome new blogs and old favorites I’d somehow never added to my Feedly still at it,  cranking out the goodness. It’s a pretty sweet community.

3. I can pretty much thank Quick Takes for helping me find some of my favorite bloggers, and now friends. Like Jen KM who is always one of the first people to link up. I was like, how does she keep doing that? And then I realized Quick Takes went live at midnight EST, and all the West Coast bloggers were at a huge advantage over us tired East folk types. Now that I’m hosting, I stay up really late with a glass of something strong,  listening to my crazy playlist and type out the magic while trying to converse with folks on Twitter and Facebook. At least until my husband reminds me that he’s going to bed and I need to get to bed so I can be a suitable mother in the morning. Thankfully, I’ve taught my kids how to make a mean bowl of instant oatmeal while I sip coffee and growl.

4. And just in case you wondered what that playlist sounded like. (I didn’t even realize I was such a Lil Jon fan until I listened to this for the 2,394 time. Also, I listen to the videos, not watch them so, yeah, just…don’t have your kids around.)

5. I also recommend checking out last week’s #16 linker Domestic Vocation who had the best pharmacy visit EVER. It was #1 in my heart, for a perfectly legitimate reason.

6. My sixth take < #4 linker Super Swell Times . She interviewed her husband and I died. I love when bloggy ladies get their husbands involved.

I feel like if we have Edel, our husbands should have a weekend of their own where they can all commiserate about the discomfort of conversing with parish members who are all avid readers of their wives’ blogs and the heart-break of discovering photos of their underwear clad kids online. Dan Lord and Joe Fulwiler, my husband’s down with a pub crawl any time you guys want to organize.

7.  Lastly, I know you’re all wondering, “Kelly, will you just be yammering on about Edel related topics for the next eight months?!”

Yes. Yes, I will.

In trying to narrow down topics for my talk I’m considering the following:

• why Catholic womanhood is different from being a female chimpanzee
• how raising my children in the faith has taught me more about love and hand sanitizer
• what makes a strong Catholic women? patience, humility, caffeine and a bathroom with a locking door
• building cathedrals, one snotty tissue left on the floor right next to the trash can at a time

Any other ideas for me?

Why I continue to jot speaking notes on the back cover of my child’s math workbook be sure swing back to ME, NO WHERE ELSE, JUST STAY RIGHT HERE and read the rest of the the lovely takers. I might just stay up all night reading your posts….because instant oatmeal.