Here’s a quick “brain dump” of everything going on in our crazy house, Church. and world!

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My 6 year old, Marie, loves comic books.  Well, they aren’t actually called “comic books” anymore, are they? Superman schooled me not long ago and told me that now, they are called “graphic novels” (which sounds X-rated to me, but I digress), especially if they longer in length than traditional comic books. Whatever. The point is, Marie loves them. The downside is that the only ones we can find for her age level are Tinkerbell or Barbie related, and these titles always have snarky, sometimes questionable dialogue and situations. To be frank – they give me the willies. Another confession? Anime characters ALSO give me the willies. Those huge, starry eyes are just frightening to me. Let me break it down for you and just spell out that I don’t like graphic novels, comic books, anime, or sassy fairies. All willie-inducing. However, in the interest of fostering my kids’ individual likes and preferences, I’m trying to recognize that just because something doesn’t interest me doesn’t mean it’s inherently bad – and neither does it mean I should restrict my children from them. That’s why I was ecstatic when I visited the Pauline vendor table at Edel and saw these (God sent!) cool anime books about lives of the saints!

Marie has now read the story of St. Teresa of Avila TWICE. Her review:

“I liked this book because I like how they drew Teresa and her friends. It’s not hard to read. I like zig-zagging down the page from box to box. My favorite part was when one time, when Teresa was praying, an angel shot an arrow by her heart.  St. Teresa said she felt on fire with love, happiness, and joy.”

I think we might be getting a few more of these for birthdays and Christmas!

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Have you heard of the Blessed Is She community?  BIS is the brainchild of my brilliant (and gorgeous!) friend Jenna Guizar.  My favorite parts of BIS are the daily devotions and the beautifully inspiring BIS Instagram feed. The foundation of BIS is sisterhood, and we are so happy to see this community – which has been growing mostly via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – take the next step in strengthening our bonds of love! Gracious women are volunteering to host BIS Brunches all across the country, with the goal of connecting like-minded women. Interested in making friends, in a no-frills setting with no expectations or pretenses? I’m hosting the one here in Houston and would love to meet you.

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My Baby Sister is getting married! Last month, many of our family members gathered in the motherland (SE Louisiana!) for a few days to visit with family and friends who live “back home.” My sister’s boyfriend accompanied us for his first trip to NoLa, and I was excited to see our clan didn’t scare him off.  Actually, we must be rather appealing to him, because while we were there he took the opportunity to propose to my sister in front of St. Joseph’s Church in Gretna, LA.  This church is closely tied to our family for many reasons – my grandparents were married there, our dad was baptized there, my sister’s godmother was married there, and it holds a special place in our hearts. Now, we can add “site of Baby Sister’s engagement!” to the list of notable family events that occurred there.  We are so excited to welcome The Irishman to our family, and I am especially excited because Baby Sister asked me to be her Matron of Honor! It will be there first time I’ve stood in someone’s wedding since I was 5, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that I can support this wonderful couple in this way.

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THANK YOU ALL for your prayers and support while Superman finished up the last class of his degree plan!  This is a huge milestone for our family, one we’ve looked forward to for a long time. Now, if I may be so bold, I humbly ask for your prayers as he searches for employment. We are praying for God’s will to be done in this search, and that he finds a job with the stability and financial benefits that will support our family according to God’s plan for us.

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Hold on to your fava beans**, folks, St. Maria Goretti is coming to the US!  Superman called me while I was out and about yesterday (not texted me…CALLED ME) to excitedly give me the scoop on one of my fave saints.  St. Maria Goretti was a mere 11 years old when she was brutally attacked and stabbed 14 times as she thwarted her neighbor and would-be rapist, begging him to stop because “it is a sin, Alessandro! You will go to hell!” On her deathbed, she forgave her attacker.  Years later, Alessandro testified that Maria had appeared to him in prison, and her prayers were instrumental in his eventual conversion.  He accompanied her mother to Maria’s canonization in 1950.  Beginning in September of this year, the body of this courageous and humble saint will tour the US for veneration. We were ecstatic to see that she will be about 20 minutes from our house! Is she coming to a city near you?

**because fava beans saved Sicilians from a famine through the intercession of St. Joseph, and Sicily is in Italy, and St. Maria Goretti is Italian. Hmm.  Too much of a stretch?

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In my quest to drink something acceptable for my new way of eating (Paleo) that isn’t water or black coffee (because really, you can only drink so much of either before you feel like a swollen coffee bean), I have rediscovered flavored sparkling water. Specifically, the kind that has no added sweeteners. My favorite brand is La Croix, and no, this isn’t a sponsored post. I consider my readers my friends, and this is something I can’t stop telling my friends about, ergo: La Croix gets a plug as one of my quick takes.  There are several delicious flavors, my faves being Cherry Limeade and Passionfruit, but the best part is that the only two ingredients are carbonated water and “natural essences,” which I have researched and learned are usually essential oils or hydrosols (also called floral water, it’s the natural byproduct of essential oil production.)  So much yum in these little cans! It might be a bit of a shock to your system if you’re used to sugary sweet colas, but since I kissed those goodbye months ago, I didn’t really have much of an adjustment period. YAY for a fun, healthy, alternative beverage.

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My eldest daughter is having her ninth birthday party next month, and she’s chosen a sewing theme.  You can check out everything we’re pinning here, and I hope to have a post detailing our fun sometime post-party. It won’t come near the epicness inherent in a Whitaker bash, but we will make do with what we can on our limited budget and with little time to prepare.  I usually just throw parties together last minute (as in, I text close friends and ask them if they are busy at say, 4pm today?) but something Kathryn said a while back about the details of a party being her way to show the birthday child how much they are cherished resonated with me.  What if I am raising a Kathryn?  So, we’re trying a little harder this time, and Elizabeth is in on the planning and preparation 🙂

That’s it for now!  Time to head back over to Kelly’s for more Quick Takes from bloggers who are much more consistent with the frequency of their posts!