Seven Quick Takes No. 61

I.

This week felt like it flew by.It’s that time of year again, when it just gets closer to Christmas and there’s so much to DO and not enough time to do it! Totally the theory of relativity, right? As a kid, you remember these days going so slowly. And now? Gone so quickly. It’s amazing.

II.

This is partially because there’s a lot going on–tomorrow I’m going to a Penguins/Jackets game with my parents (in which I will be happy with the outcome, because one team I love will win!). On Sunday, it’s the last CCD class before the break, which basically means a video on St. Nicholas and bingo games; then we have a catechist meeting; then there’s a Third Order meeting which concludes with life promises (EEEEK), and then dinner with Mary and lessons and carols at my parish. WHEW. And Monday I have a doctor appointment with all that attends that, and an audition that night.

III.

So, life promises. Yes. Basically, this means I’m a Lay Dominican forever and ever (amen), I promise to live by the rule of St. Dominic for the rest of my life, and be a good Lay Dominican. 🙂 The rule requires that I say morning and evening prayer of the liturgy of the hours, attend Mass as often as possible during the week, go to confession once a month, say a daily rosary, and perform individual religious study. None of these are bound by pain of sin. If I miss vespers one day or something, it’s not a thing I need to confess. But these are the “pillars”, so to speak, of my life, forever, after Sunday. I’ve been in formation for five+ years now, and I’m so glad to be making this final step.

IV.

My Christmas shopping, however, is 98% finished. I still have to get something for two more people, who are hard to shop for. Sigh. I’m hoping to come up with magic inspiration over the next week.

V.

My 2015 calendar is starting to fill up–January has good things (a Symphony concert!) and some unfun/fun things–a colonoscopy (Oh YAY!). Yes, my friends, I need to have one, and the hospital, of course, is freaking because I have a PORT, and we’re going to USE IT, and OH MY GOSH!

Really, guys, it’s not that hard. They don’t even have to access me–mom can do it. All they have to do is push the lovely happy meds into the tube. I do not understand the freak out. It’s an adult hospital I’m going to, but they treat cancer patients, so a port isn’t some exotic medical things they’ve never seen. Sigh. I guess it’ll be a “teachable moment” for them. AS long as they don’t break the port, I don’t care. Just give me the fun meds and do what you have to do, doc.

VI.

in 2015, revision on THE BOOK will begin in earnest. Yes. I have left the draft alone for a few months, I’ve gotten some feedback from my beta readers, and in January it will be time to start massaging it into shape again, and bring out the long knife of editing. Oh yes, my friends. The knife is coming out!

VII.

Next week has two of my favorite days! JANE DAY, her birthday, on Dec. 16, in which we shall all drink tea, watch the Wet Shirt video, and read her books, and Dec. 17, which is Beethoven Day (it’s the day Beethoven was Baptized.) Such great genius!  They were born five years apart (Beethoven in 1700, Jane in 1775), and died ten years apart (Jane in July 1817, Beethoven in March 1827). So on Beethoven Day we will listen to much Beethoven and rejoice in his genius. (Yes, he’s my favorite composer, why do you ask?)

(Side note: people: stop using this to mean “pounds.” I See it all the time: “The fish was 8#!” REALLY?!?!?!)

Catholic Women’s Almanac No. 53

 

Outside my window::

Sunny and 59 degrees! Kids are roller skating and playing catch. It’s delightful!

Wearing::

An asymmetrical skirt, red short-sleeved cashmere sweater, Lady Mary style red earrings.

Reading::

The White Queen; Seven Secrets of Confession; Diary of St. Faustina. I finished Happy Are You Poor last night. There is definite food for thought there. We’ll see what I can actually incorporate.

In the CD player::

In honor of seeing the new North American tour this week–Phantom. 🙂 Original Broadway Cast.

Around the house::

It was so nice on Saturday that I actually cleaned my downstairs windows, inside and out. It was quite impressive. This week I’ll be cleaning out the pantry/fridge/freezer, and I’m on a continual “paring down the books” jaunt.

Lent::

Parish mission starts tonight and runs through Thursday. I’m hoping to get there for a few nights. I need it this year!

Healthy::

I’m keeping a food journal, which has proved really beneficial to me thus far, and I’m doing some ballet beautiful and yoga this week. Rehab starts next week so I want to be sort of doing something right before we get there. 🙂

Plans for the week::

W: doctor appt.

Friday: Dinner and Phantom with my friend Mary!

Cooking::

I made a great chicken cacciatore last week–the best part was I made it before Mass, came home, heated it up for like five minutes in its pot, and it was ready to eat! It was pretty simple. I’ll have the recipe up in a bit.

Eating with the parents tonight, pasta or chicken tomorrow night. I’ve got a recipe for buttermilk chicken I want to try, and a colorful salad that goes with it. I think it’s actually called “rainbow salad.” How can that not be good?

Photo thought::

me and Tiffany at Schmidt’s a German restaurant in Columbus, celebrating birthdays.

Catholic Women’s Almanac No. 22

Outside my window::

Sunny, and it’ll be about 50 today, which means I can clean out my car and refill the wiper fluid. This makes me happy. (I know, it’s the little things, right?)

I am wearing::

PJ pants and a navy tank top. I get the day off, I slept in. It was one of those perfect days when the sheets are just the right weight, you know? If I didn’t have a doctor’s appointment at 1:20, I might still be there, I tell ya. (Yes, I’m lazy. Go on, say it.)

Reading::

Life of Christ. I really want to finish this today, and I think I will. Normally I like Fulton Sheen, but this book has been a slog. I also finished Joanne Harris’ Blackberry Wine, which I liked (it takes place in the same town as Chocolat, if you’ve read that). I’ve been re-reading the Outlander series, which I do every so often. Can’t wait for the new book to come out later this year.

Creating::

I’ve written a few new sketches–bits of dialogue, character sketches–that really have no part of a larger work, but might, at some point. Back to the novel today, to put in some new scenes and trash others.

Around the house::

I did a major cleaning on Saturday, so there’s not too much to do today, except quotidian things like take out the trash and wipe the counters.

From the kitchen::

I’m thinking a minestrone tonight. I’ve never made one so this’ll be interesting. I also want to make some Irish Soda Bread. It takes maybe an hour, and it’s so, so good. Great breakfast food.

Praying for::

Margaret and her family

Web wanderings::

This article about what’s happening in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in re: a teacher firing. I’m sort of shocked that people are shocked that Catholic schools ask their teachers to be Catholic. I wish the diocese up here did that.

Lent::

Fish fry and stations on Friday; hoping to hit daily Mass on Wednesday.

Working out::

Back to the circuit training, and I want to go back to ballet class next week!

Plans for the week::

Lunch with dad twice; doctor appointment today; fish fry/stations on Friday.

Random Grammar Posting!

TWO mistakes in the church bulletin yesterday.

The first, from the Vatican news service, which should know better: ‘bark‘, where they should have written ‘barque.’ ‘Bark’ is the stuff on a tree. Barque is another word for ship. They were translating the Pope’s abdication message, so ‘Barque’ was what they were looking for.

And ‘alter’ as in ‘family altar.’ No. Alter is a verb: “I altered the skirt to fit my sister.” Altar, the word they wanted, is a noun, as in, the thing in church, or altar boys. “The altar boys processed in solemnly.”

This happens all the time. Drives me crazy!

 

Seven Quick Takes Friday No. 1

1.

I’ve done 7QT at almost all my blogs, except this one. So here we go. 🙂

2.

I love my recording of Handel’s Messiah. (note, it’s not THE Messiah. It’s just Messiah.) One of the reasons I love it is the tenor soloist. He is so into it, to the point of almost oversinging, and his vibrato is hysterically over the top. His rendition of “Ev’ry Valley” at the beginning of the Christmas section is classic. I’ll have to try to post it. I replay it several times just so I can laugh. I’m not mocking, really! It’s just so funny.

3.

In that vein–Handel must be hard for tenors and sopranos to sing. He writes them really high. I know he loved his countertenors, but regular choir tenors? Wow. You need some countertenors to get the singing right. It can be fairly torturous to hear tenors sing their part the first time. It’s just that high. The sopranos are the same. Fortunately he writes awesome things for altos and basses. Maybe he just liked us better? (Nyah-nyah sopranos! :-p) (And as an Alto, it’s my job to rag on the tenors.)

4.

I start listening to Christmas music on Dec. 1. Actually some of it is Advent and some is Christmas. The Messiah could more appropriately be called Advent. I’ve got quite a few Christmas CDs, so I just keep them going in rotation. One of my all-time favorite Christmas CDs is Loreena McKennit’s A Midwinter Night’s Dream. Do yourself a favor and get it. All her music is phenomenal, actually.

5.

I went out with a friend from church tonight to dinner before Immaculate Conception Vigil Mass. Immaculate Conception is one of Catholics’ Holy Day of Obligation, meaning we treat it like a Sunday, and that means church. We went to a local place called The Jury Room, which is an awesomely fun watering hole, decorated with Christmas lights (the multicolored icicle kind) and a huge wreath on the door. A perfect vibe. If you’re around Columbus, do give it a try. I had the spaghetti and meatballs and Mary (my friend) had a great fish dish (she graciously let me try a bite). And the coffee was also really good!

6.

I thought Mass was at seven, but it was at six-thirty, so we just squeaked in. There wasn’t any music, which was kinda weird, but that’s OK. We did an a capella Immaculate Mary on the way out…some people felt the need to sing all four verses, while most of us sang two. It’s always odd to do hymns without a cantor.

7.

Plans for the weekend include gym time, cleaning, wrapping Christmas gifts, hanging with my siblings, and making plans for Christmas cooking as well as for the next week. December goes so fast, so I like to think ahead and plan things out. I’m a big planner.

Read more quick takes at Jen’s!

The Simple Woman’s Daybook–July 9, 2012

Outside my window…slightly cooler than the past week. Only 90 for a high today! Whee! Very dry. Wish it would rain soon. 

I am wearing…green khaki (is that a color?) shorts, an amethyst tank top. 

Around the house…tending the flowers out front. Vacuuming, dusting, mopping…the usual. Decluttering—I can see the kitchen table again! Yay! So I did manage to get a lot under control last week, since I had some days off. Whew. 

To live the liturgy…Mass this week (at least twice, I think), Liturgy of the Hours, Bible reading. (Trying to get back in the swing of that. I’m so bad at lectio divina.) Rosary. The usual. 

I’m reading…Wolf Hall, The Bride of Lammermoor, The Sandcastle Girls (I really need to finish this so I can review it before it comes out)

In the CD player…new broadway cast of Evita. Yes, she annoys me. But I just sing over her. 

Listening to…the clank of the blinds since the A/C’s on. 

Praying for…a woman at my church who just had a preemie baby. 

Thinking about…balancing my time. again. I’m always thinking about this…

Thankful for…over here. 

Plans for the week…yoga tomorrow; ballet on Wednesday; 20s group (Bible Study focus) on Thursday; dentist on Saturday and then Transplant Anniversary Dinner at Fado! (Mmm. Love Fado. Also it’s the last place I ate pre-transplant call, so it’s very a propos.) 

Picture: 

My godson with our youngest cousin. 

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: April 30, 2012

Feast of St. Pope Pius V, OP

Outside my window…sunny and warm—in the low 80s—with patchy clouds coming in. The weather forecast has been predicted rain all day, so we’ll see if it’s right.

I am wearing..Gap boyfriend jeans, a violet J. Jill tank top

I am reading…Helen Keller in Love—I just got my advanced copy! whee!—Wish You Were Here, The Song of Achilles (both of these, again) 

Listening to…a mix CD in my car

Thanks for…confession, daily Mass, a good opening weekend of the show 

Praying for…friend taking med school boards, Margaret and her baby

Rhythm in the house…it’s weird….M-W I have free evenings, but Th-Sat. evenings I have the show. So I am cherishing the “show free” days to relax and get some stuff done around the house.

Keeping House…like the segue? 🙂 vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen. I have bouquets of flowers, which I adore, but that also means petals on the floor and stem bits from the cutting. 🙂 Oh, and I LOVE THIS. 

From the kitchen…if the sirloin *ever* thaws, I’m having spicy mint beef tonight, from Weeknights with Giada. Not sure about the rest of the week, although I have some ideas marinating. 

Garden notes…I want to get the seeds in the soil this week. That means—I have to buy soil. Not pots, though. The people who lived here last left me a planter, so I’m going to use that. 

Living the liturgy…Mass as often as possible during the week. LOH, rosary. Tech weeks really throw this off. 

This week…Tomorrow, lunch with dad; Th-Sun, the show. 

Daybook–January 23, 2012

Outside my window…dark and windy. The weather has been insane this year. It was maybe 10 degrees on Friday and now it’s in the 50s? Huh? So confusing.

I am wearing…a camisole and sweatpants—just out of the tub and going to do some bookshelving/yoga/ballet beautiful after this. I need to get a chair for reading in the book room, post haste.

In the CD player…Eva Cassidy, Songbird

I am reading….Purgatorio; Letters to Gabriel

From the kitchen…Pasta e fagioli (soup w/ pasta and beans) for dinner. It was really good. I am doing well on my resolution to eat at home at least four times a week. Going through Rachael Ray’s first cookbook (Thirty Minute Meals) really helps, because the recipes there are quick and doable. 

Around the house…the tree and all Christmas ornaments (except the creche) are packed away. Sigh. The little wall looks so bare now. So there’s vacuuming and dusting to be done in that are. 

Thankful for….LIFE

To live the liturgy…Mass, rosary, Divine Mercy, Vespers today. Shooting for Mass on Thursday and Friday as well. 

A few plans for the rest of the week…it’s busy! Reading of a play on Saturday; trivia night at St. Pat’s, also Saturday; auditions for Moby Dick: Rehearsed at the Civic on Sunday (I have my Shakespearean monologue picked, just have to rehearse it some more). Lots of theater! 🙂 Session tomorrow. Parents over for dinner (pizza) on Wednesday. 

Learning…Italian! Using the molto bene program from the Chrome app store. It’s such a fun way to learn. From the music room: “Tell Me Why” from A Man of No Importance, Mozart’s Ave Verum, and a hymn Br. H wrote. 

The Simple Woman’s Daybook–January 9, 2012

Duchess Katherine’s birthday—and three months until mine!

Outside my window….it’s dark. But the days are getting longer!

I am wearing…jeans, a sapphire-blue v-necked top, blue and black stripped socks. 

From the kitchen….those no-fat brownies for book club tomorrow. Mixing it was hard, and getting it spread in the pan a pain, but they smell awfully good. 🙂 Dinner tonight is quesadillas. Tomorrow, pizza, since it’s book club night here. 

I am hearing….the evening news.

In the CD player…a mix CD. 

Living the liturgy…Mass today, Mass tomorrow, Mass probably Th and Friday….really trying to get to Mass as often as possible during the week. 

Thankful for…will be posted in a bit…stblogs is having issues so your weekly installment of 1000 Gifts is forthcoming!

I am reading….The Millennium trilogy, again (I’m on The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest now). Also re-reading Extreme Makeover for book club tomorrow. 

I am thinking and praying…for my friend N and her family. Pray for them, with me? 🙂 

A few plans for the week…ENT appt. tomorrow morning (early, so I have to get to bed at a decent time tonight. Like, 9:00), choir on W, 20s group on Thursday (holy hour, I have decided, is a must-do every week this year); seeing Beauty and the Beast in 3D with girlfriends on Saturday, and then dinner after. 

Simple Woman’s Daybook–January 2, 2012

Outside my window…snow, like powdered sugar, on the grass, the pavement, the cars…it’s dry snow, so it gets blown about frequently. But it’s awfully pretty!

I am listening to…(well, also watching) The Return of the King: Extended Edition. I really love this movie, and since I got the EE of The Two Towers for Christmas, it’s only natural that I watch this now. 🙂 

I am wearing…to quote Elizabeth: 

Getting dressed in the morning can be a matter of pulling on whatever clothes or it can be our first opportunity of the day to express creativity and maybe make a little art. Dressing as art? I think I can see it that way. I’m wearing new jeans—ones that fit—and a long sleeved shirt with a blue batik print. Mike noticed the shirt first thing this morning and commented on how much he likes it. See? Art? Works for me.

Today I’m alone, so I’m not really embracing the ‘art’—just wearing jeans and a forrest green sweater with a raspberry colored camisole under it—but with work beginning tomorrow, this is something I’ll be embracing. It helps that I got some pretty new clothes for Christmas, and a lovely necklace with red beads that remind me of pomegranate seeds. 

In the CD player…the CD I made of the Josh Groban concert I attended in August. 

In the kitchen…making a stew (estofado, it’s called) from the Tide and Thyme cookbook I received for Christmas. One of my resolutions is to make dinner 4 nights a week, and this is a good start. Plus it’s lunch for tomorrow’s return to work. Also this week: Chicken Caesar coronets, Mexican lasagna, and pasta. 

To live the litugry…lauds said. Office of Readings and vespers to come. Also First Friday Mass this week. Today: Feast of Sts. Basil and Gregory

I am reading…about to finish Becoming Queen Victoria and also reading A Cry of Stone (Nook book) and The Passion of Artemisia (as P said: “Another acquirement?” Bien sur!)

Around the house…since I have today off, there’s going to be some vacuuming, some tidying. One of my other resolutions is to observe the 15 minute tidy-up every day. Also some bill paying—that is joy. 😛 But being more organized helps create peace, which I need as I start the new year. 

Grateful for…read that over here. 

A few plans for the week…back to work tomorrow; 20s group on Thursday; First Friday Mass. 

Seven Quick Takes Friday

1. So glad it’s Friday. Aren’t you? 🙂 Especially after this week when I had a stomach bug for 48 hours and led to eating nothing but Trader Joe’s crackers and diet sprite. While this is not the most varied diet, it sure is good for losing weight. 🙂 
2. It’s November? Already?! This means it’s time for Christmas shopping to begin. I will probably be making my list this weekend. I make a list of everyone I’m shopping for, then potential gift ideas. And I also have a lot of people who are Christmas then New Year’s birthdays, so there is either a dual gift (as in, something for both), or two separate. I don’t like to jip people, though, so I try to make it worth it, if I’m going for the combine gift. Once this is done, then I hit the stores. (Or online. Shopping on line is awesome!)
3. If it’s Friday, it’s time for A Gifted Man. 🙂 That makes me happy, every week. 
4. A big week for church stuff—Tuesday, All Saints’ Day, then All Souls’ on Wednesday (which I missed, because I was bonding with my bathroom here…sigh). Thursday was the feast day of St. Martin De Porres (a Dominican), and then today was the feast of St. Charles Borromeo. Whew. Busy times in the breviary. All that page flipping and book marking…exhausting. 🙂 
5. Books this week: check out some round ups here. 🙂 
6. Music: Working on “If I Loved You” from Carousel; “I Believe My Heart” from The Woman In White. Basically, stuff that works the upper range. This also has the benefit of opening sinuses. 🙂 Huzzah!
7. Right now I’m burning a beautiful candle that my pal Andrea bought me as a housewarming gift. My house is all warm and cozy. A perfect way to spend a Friday!

Have a fantastic weekend!