Ash Tuesday? A painful lead up to Lent, in 10 easy steps...

That sounds so much better than "the day before Lent starts," right? At any rate, I am exhausted today due to my children and my job sucking the very life out of me yesterday. Things went down somewhat like this:

(1) I have a work day involving back-to-back morning meetings, a chat reference shift, and then an afternoon meeting at *3:30*. It should be illegal to have meetings that begin at 3:30. I'm barely breathing at that point of the day, especially after having already endured MULTIPLE OTHER MEETINGS.

Total Tangent Alert: I had to laugh a few weeks ago when we received an email from a large faculty organization on campus. Apparently, there were complaints that the committees formed by this organization were "inefficient," and generally "not getting anything done." Their solution? To create a steering committee to discuss this issue at length and then oversee and supervise all of these other committees. SOOOO... People are already on so many committees that they get out of meetings at every opportunity due to a diagnosable condition called Committee Overload (this needs to be classified by the Centers for Disease Control. The symptoms are upset stomach, piercing headache immediately above your left eyeball, a twitchy foot, and paranoia that you may have an undiagnosed case of Attention Deficit Disorder), leading to the committees having a difficult time getting anything done, and the Powers That Be think that to fix this, they should create yet *another* committee?

Welcome to academia.

Anyway, back to my life, for those of you who care and are still reading. :0 Where were we? Oh yeah, my 3:30 meeting. I had to leave early, because Mike teaches on Monday evenings, and I need to be home by 5 pm at the absolute latest so that he can leave. So I do. I have to walk farther than usual to my parked car because the meeting location was moved somewhere even LESS convenient than originally planned. Rushy, rushy.

(2) I drive and pray the rosary. As I go to turn the corner to our house, I am blocked by a "Road Closed!" sign. Something apocalyptic involving a large digging machine and a construction crew appears to be happening two doors down from us. Water main break, perhaps? Not sure, but whatever the reason, I now have to drive around a few more minutes to approach the street from the other end to access the road and get home. I make it by 4:55 pm.

(3) The children are handed over into my care and Mike leaves for class. Everything goes fine. At first.

*doomy music plays*

(4) I make dinner for the children. I warm up leftovers for myself. Henry goes off to play a game for a short spell while Anne colors and I wash dishes. Then Anne announces that she has to go potty. We head to the toilet, and the irony is not lost on me that that is also where my evening went.

(5) Anne uses the potty without my assistance:

"I do it *MYSELF*!"

As she flushes, I tell her to wash her hands.

"No!"

"Anne, everyone has to wash their hands after using the potty."

"NO!"

"Mommy will help you."

"NO NO NO!"

"You cannot watch Dora until you wash your hands."

Wherefore we begin an epic temper tantrum, interspersed with throwing of self on floor, screaming, and general misery for the entire household. AN HOUR LATER, she complies with the hand washing request amidst much sniffling. I let her watch a little tv and contemplate my upcoming drink options.

(6) Anne gets to bed late due to the tantrum situation, but I read her a book and we have a good cuddle session. By the time I shut her bedroom door near 7:30, I'm absolutely exhausted and just want to go to bed. I put on comfortable clothes and prepare to wait for Mike to return. I head downstairs.

(7) Henry pounces.

"Mommy, I'm bored."

I offer a long suffering sigh. This is a *constant refrain* in our house these days.

"Why don't you read?"

"I don't want to."

"How about do a puzzle?"

"I don't want to."

Picture this going on for another two minutes with increasing attitude on Henry's end. He gets whiny and I get annoyed. Finally, he asks if I'll play War with him, and I agree although I really don't want to. All I want to do is read a book on my Kindle and drink my drinky drink.

We play, and he starts out strong, but as this stupid game often does, the tide turns. I see him try to hide a card.

"Hank, you can't cheat, other kids won't want to play with you if you do that. It's called 'being a bad sport,' and it's dishonest. Let's clean the cards up. We can try again tomorrow"

"No!" *look of horror*

Too late. I already have the cards half cleaned up, and I've had enough. This starts the second hour long set of sobbing to be heard at my house in a 2 and a half hour time period.

WHY IS GOD SMITING ME?! What's next? Locusts?

(8) Requests for Henry to get ready for bed are met with belligerence and more crying. He is beyond overtired at this point. My bringing him his nightly asthma medication results in the pill being thrown across the living room. I've about reached my limit on what I can deal with without losing my own temper. I leave him to stew in the living room until Mike returns.

(9) Mike returns and I hear Henry tearfully giving a partial accounting of the story. Mike gives him a talking-to and puts him to bed with the promise that there will be no television watching tomorrow. Henry sobs loudly some more.

(10) I'm so tired I can hardly work up the energy to even read. I eventually have to intervene in Henry's misery, talking to him about the consequences of making choices we regret and moving on. He's a sensitive soul, he doesn't like attention called to himself, he's just like me. He asks me to read him the saint story of the day, and I do. It's St. Katherine Drexel.

I go downstairs and manage to perk up enough to chat with Mike and read a bit. When we head to bed, I read some more but can't sleep well, despite my exhaustion. Which brings us to today.

Lent hasn't even started yet? It seems like it's already been going on forever. :0

Lenten books, everybody cheer!

Happy Sunday all! I hope that you are all enjoying our last Sunday in Ordinary Time until the summer. This will be a very short post, and my final in the 7 posts in 7 days series! It's been lovely talking to you each day. :) I have to admit though, you will likely not be seeing me here tomorrow. I have at least 3 meetings tomorrow, obviously God is trying to smite me or something, to make sure I'm ready for Lent. :0


Ok, so what have I got? I'm the librarian, so I'm going to recommend some books and periodicals. ;-) Make sure you check your library catalog!

This Lent, I'm going to be using my Magnificat magazine like gangbusters.  This is a beautiful little devotional with the daily Mass readings and prayers, Morning and Evening Prayer (not the official Liturgy of the Hours version, but lovely nonetheless) plus daily meditations, saint stories and other themed pieces. I have a subscription, and while not cheap, it is WELL worth it for what you get. You can, however, buy the issues individually if you'd like to just get March for Lent, here at the Online Catholic Store.

Magnificat also publishes companions each year for Lent and Advent, with daily meditations and other devotions, and this year's Lenten Companion is available for Kindle for 99 cents! The paper copies are sold out, but information on this booklet in an app form, as well as other ebook formats, is available here.

I will also be using Sacred Space for Lent 2014, an inexpensive but powerful daily prayer tool.

In terms of lengthier spiritual reading, I have always wanted to read Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, by George Weigel, during Lent. This is an imposing book, and I bought a print copy when it originally came out. I have started reading it several times, only to leave off somewhere in the middle. Lent is a good time to have a tangible finishing goal, and it's now available for Kindle. The author has updated the book since it was first published, as well, and so I downloaded it to my Kindle when it was on sale to capture this new content and have it in an easier to read format.

A few other books I have read previously in Lent are the excellent With God in Russia, and He Leadeth Me, both by Fr. Walter Ciszek. Both are *powerful* accounts of a priest unjustly sentenced to prison and hard labor camps in the former Soviet Union.

Also, don't forget about the two upcoming selections for my Catholic Book Club. *beams* I'll be reading these over my Lent this year. They are More Catholic Than the Pope: An Inside Look at Extreme Traditionalism, by Patrick Madrid, and The Cloistered Heart, by Nancy Shuman.

As a sneak peek, it's not listed in the book club information just yet, but another possibility for Lenten reading is a book I'll list for May soon, which is The Life of Christina of Markyate.  Stories of ancient Christian women who wished to remain unmarried and focused solely on God in the face of tremendous opposition are inevitably quite fascinating, and this book looks to be no exception.

All right, I hope that this gave you some ideas for your own Lenten reading plan! The Catholic Librarian is at your disposal to create a pathfinder of titles just for you if you ask. *beams*

See you all Tuesday!

I’m writing seven posts in seven days this week with Jen at Conversion Diary. To check out other bloggers who are doing the same, see the list here.

The Catholic Nook: Laetare Sunday

This is a bonus edition of the Catholic Nook coming your way on a *Saturday* because of the 7 posts in 7 days blogging challenge. I have to admit, I'm getting a bit exhausted of blogging :0 but when I make a promise, I stick to it. You're welcome.

;-)

I wrote about Ash Wednesday this week, and thus I thought another post in this pre-Lent series I'm doing about Lenten traditiona would be a nice touch. So here we are: Laetare Sunday, what the heck is that?

Laetare Sunday refers to the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Like the Third Sunday of Advent, this is one of the rare days on the Church calendar that the liturgical color is rose pink. It refers to a day of joy within a solemn season. As opposed to the rest of Lent, flowers may be placed on the altar this day. It is a day on which we receive encouragement on our penitential journey and look forward to the feast to come. Pope Innocent III remarked in 1216 that Laetare Sunday marks:

"a measure of consoling relaxation...so that the faithful may not break down under the severe strain of Lenten fast but may continue to bear the restrictions with a refreshed and easier heart." (from The How-To Book of Sacramentals by Ann Ball)

Originally, this particular Sunday marked the practice of the traditio symboli, or handing over of the Apostolic Creed to the catechumens (those who will be baptized at Easter). Some time later, this practice was discontinued and combined with the baptismal ceremony.

Now we have RCIA and the Rite of Election and all that good stuff during Lent, as preparation for the catechumens and candidates.The Church has retained the rose vestments on this day, however, as well as the original joyful intent. Interesting, huh? I may or may not covet a pink veil just to match the vestments for *2 days* a year. I'm admitting to nothing.

Tomorrow I'm going to be putting a quick reading list of Lenten resources together for you. Do come back and visit me!

I’m writing seven posts in seven days this week with Jen at Conversion Diary. To check out other bloggers who are doing the same, see the list here.

7 Quick Takes {Take 33} Family Friday edition...

Happy Friday everyone! This is officially the last Friday in Ordinary Time for quite awhile. If you've been following me this week, you've seen my 7 posts in 7 days blogging challenge and how I've been blogging about Lent preparation all week. It's been extremely fun. Lenten pillars! Lenten plans! Ash Wednesday ashiness! Today is "Family Friday" in our series, and so I'm posting 7 quick tidbits about how I'm planning to observe Lent this year with my Catholic Librarian bunch. :)

-1- Our happy little family

We are a family of four. My husband is not currently an active Catholic (see the open ended positiveness I leave in that sentence? :) Not *currently*, he has no idea the armies of prayer warriors I have assigned to this intention) but is very supportive of my faith. We collaborate on raising our children Catholic. The majority of the nitty gritty obviously lies with me, but he is an important force is coaxing an often resistant Henry ("it's *boring*!!) to Mass. He also was instrumental in the decision to send Henry to Catholic school and in sharing the responsibility to attend parent meetings regarding Henry's sacramental preparation. Anne is too young to do much except attend Mass with us, so she's still in the Catholic pipeline. *beams*

-2- Fasting &Abstinence

During Lent, the entire family does not eat meat on Fridays. If for some reason my husband is eating by himself (lunch), he is ambivalent about whether he eats meat or not. :) If he's feeling like a ham sandwich, he'll have one. But we plan meatless dinners. At his Catholic school, Henry always receives a meatless lunch if he's buying, which is nice. If he's packing, either Mike or I will pack him something that doesn't include meat.

-3- Prayer

Henry and I read saint stories before he goes to bed, this has become our tradition. Last Lent, I bought him a very nice rosary and we would pray a decade before he went to sleep. I'd like to do this again, or otherwise incorporate in a real prayer time with him for Lent. I know that he will be resistant to this. He seems embarrassed to pray in front of me. He's a shy kid, just like I was, and I think that it's difficult for him to let his guard down and do something aloud that is private for him. I'll talk to him about it, and we'll come up with a plan. But during the major liturgical seasons of Advent and Lent, I think things to feel "different", it's not just same old, same old in terms of our routine. Henry is a routine oriented person (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...) and it's good to have that reminder that "oh, I'm going to do this now/not do that, because it's Lent."

It would be lovely to include Anne in this for a family rosary, but I'm going to be honest, dear reader: the thought of trying to wrangle my very active two year old into sitting still for even more than three Hail Mary's sounds like a near occasion of sin for me and my mental health. :0 Next year may be different, but this year I'm going to give her a pass.

-4- Sacrifice/Penance

I know that last year, Henry gave something up for Lent, although I cannot remember what. (my mind: I miss it SO MUCH...) I'm going to encourage him to think about this again this year and choose something to either give up, or add into his routine as a prayerful or charitable thing for Lent. Oh wait!! Sometimes there is still hope for my memory, whew! He chose to read his children's Bible during Lent last year, it was adorable. He got through the entire thing, although he went with an edition that is really below his reading level, so it didn't take him very long. I'll talk to him about it again this year. At school, the children are also encouraged in such Lenten practices, which is good reinforcement.

-5- Special devotions 

I have always loved Stations of the Cross, and I'm going to be honest and admit that I haven't been to this beautiful Lenten devotion at my parish in years. Why, you ask, quite reasonably? I have dance class on Friday nights. :0 Yes, I know, it would be a sacrifice for me to give up my dance class so that I could attend Stations during Lent, and take Henry with me, but...

Well. Dance class is something in my life that I treasure, that is a creative outlet for me, that is a source of happy and healthy socialization for this shy soul, and that is a fun form of physical fitness. Giving it up really wrecks havoc for me. What I did last year was buy Henry a book of children's Stations of the Cross, and we read them and prayed them together over the course of a few nights each week. I plan to do that again.

As well, with him making his First Communion this coming May (so excited!) I'd like to take him to adoration with me once this Lent. I think that is a manageable goal, and I'm all about making my goals *manageable*. :) I want him to really understand what we believe about the Eucharist before making his First Communion, and I think adoration is a powerful way to form that impression.

-6- Sacraments 

Sunday Mass is not optional in my household, so me and the kids will be attending weekly throughout Lent, as well as on Ash Wednesday. Henry will get ashes at school, but I will take Anne with me next Wednesday. I'm also planning on going to confession at least once this Lent, and I will bring Henry along with me (who does seem to enjoy the novelty of confession still :)).

-7- Holy Week liturgies

This was a real coup last year. I didn't make it to Mass on Holy Thursday (and unfortunately I won't again this year, I believe I'm on the evening reference shift that night :( ) but I took Good Friday off from work, and I actually toted Anne along with me to church. I can't imagine where I got the courage from to do that, but I did. And she was *excellent*. Now, the thing is, I have learned my lesson on this front with kids in church. It's just like what my dance teacher says about dancing with a silk veil: just when you think you have things under control and have it trained, wham! They embarrass you in public. It's true with children, no?! She may have gotten a gold star last year, but this year she could strip her clothes off and run naked down the aisle during the veneration of the crucifix, YOU KNOW IT COULD HAPPEN. But I'm willing to try again, I enjoyed it so much. Good Friday is not a short liturgy, but it wasn't outrageously long. I've already taken the day off, and I'm planning to attend, Anne in tow.

And so, those are my plans. Do you have plans for your children during Lent? Leave me a comment!

Check out other Quick Takes today over at Conversion Diary!

 I’m writing seven posts in seven days this week with Jen at Conversion Diary. To check out other bloggers who are doing the same, see the list here.

The Catholic Nook: Ash Wednesday

It's a Wednesday, exactly one week prior to Ash Wednesday, so what perfect timing to discuss this important day on the liturgical calendar, no? I know that you're all probably making your plans for when you'll get your ashes next week. ;-) It's also day 3 of the 7 posts in 7 days challenge over at Conversion Diary, and I am on a ROLL! :)

So let's kvetch a bit about ashes! What do they mean, and where did this tradition come from? Sprinkled in with my own personal and humorous ash stories, because what would this blog be coming to without *that*?!

And so, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent for many Catholics (and those in some other Christian traditions). Interestingly, Ash Wednesday is a very western Church tradition. The Eastern rites do not have Ash Wednesday. Lent begins for them the Monday prior, with no tradition of ashes. The Eastern churches begin Lent on "Clean Monday," and they refer to this liturgical season as "The Great Fast."

Ashes have been used as a sign of penance and sorrow from the time of the Old Testament. Based upon this Jewish tradition, Christians started using ashes as a general practice around the eleventh century. During the Middle Ages, the pope would process barefoot on Ash Wednesday and receive ashes from the oldest cardinal-bishop at the Church of Santa Sabina.  He would then distribute them to the other cardinals.

As we are likely all (or mostly) familiar with, Ash Wednesday indicates the ashes that we receive, traced into a cross pattern onto our foreheads, on this first day of Lent. On that day, we attend either a Mass or a prayer service that includes the distribution of ashes, and the congregation comes forward to receive the ashes as the priest states: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," or "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." As he traces the ashes onto our forehead, we respond, "Amen."

The ashes for Ash Wednesday come from burning the blessed palms distributed the previous Palm Sunday. The ashes receive a special blessing from the priest and are sprinkled with holy water prior to being used.

Funnily enough, I once heard a priest on our local Catholic radio station talking about this very issue. He said that one year, he was determined to make his own ashes to use at his parish, rather than ordering them the way he usually did from some sort of Catholic supplier (and apparently, the way all other priests do). So, he made a pitch for this endeavor throughout the year:

"Save your palms! After the first of the year, bring them into the parish office and I'm going to collect them all to have our very own palms burned for our ashes this Lent!"

Custom ashes for everybody!!

Everyone got excited. Little old ladies and children alike saved their palms carefully. They all brought them in, and this priest harvested them like precious gems. His congregation was so prolific with their efforts he got overconfident:

"Good heavens! We can't *possibly* use all these palms! 'We're all set everyone!'"

And then the time came to burn the palms.

*sense of foreboding*

Dozens upon dozens of palms were reduced down to...a wispy bit of ashes. There was no way he was going to get enough ashes to distribute to the entire congregation. Chagrined, he placed his ash order. :0

When I was a kid, I have to be honest and admit that Ash Wednesday was never my favorite day on the liturgical calendar. I felt very conspicuous with the ashes on my forehead, especially if we received our ashes fairly early in the day. I will say though, that growing up in western New York, non-Catholics here are very used to seeing ashes, since the Catholic population is so high here. When I lived in New York City for a spell as a graduate student, for the first time I had someone come up to me and tell me that I had something on my face. I was shocked, but thinking about it more deeply, I should not have been. New York is obviously a much more diverse city than my hometown, and as such contains a lot of people who may never have been exposed to Catholics observing this tradition.

I was always very paranoid about the ashes actually looking like a cross, kwim? There is always the danger of the "unintelligible black blob on your forehead" on Ash Wednesday, and as a child I longed for a very neat and tidy cross. This fits right in with my Type A personality, does it not? (some things with me are just SO predictable *innocent smile*) I also didn't like feeling the ashes sometimes drift down to my nose. I just had a whole face paranoia thing going on.

Happily, I have gotten over that, although I do plead guilty to peeking in my rear view mirror after leaving the church. If an unintelligible blob greets me, I ever so delicately mold the shape into a cross. :0 I hope this isn't sacrilegious, but an OCD girl has gotta do her best to cope.

Ok, everybody. I hope that you had fun dwelling on Ash Wednesday for a few moments.What were your thoughts on Ash Wednesday growing up? Adult converts, do you remember your very first Ash Wednesday? Leave me a comment!

I’m writing seven posts in seven days this week. To check out other bloggers who are doing the same, see the list here.

A Lenten plan for 2014, because I would not be your Catholic Librarian without A PLAN

Good day all! I'm enjoying my 7 posts in 7 days antics and writing all about Lent this week, as a preparation for the big kickoff next Wednesday. :) I posted yesterday about some reflections going into Lent 2014. Today I wanted to write about how I'm planning to actually implement my thoughts into a Lenten plan for this year.

This is always a big "thing" for me each year. I look forward to Lent, because I like structure. It is true, spontaneity has never been an enjoyable part of my life. :0 And so I always approach Lent with a lot of seriousness, enjoying the planning process. And Lent really does *require* a plan of some sort if you are going to glean anything of significance from it. Enforced structure, that is my kind of living, people! And so, what am I going to do? I knew I was going to post about this, so I spent a lot of time last night and this morning thinking this over.

*halo*

Here we go:

(1) Prayer - I have slacked off on my Magnificat morning and evening prayers. In January, I was doing the Marian consecration readings, and adding anything else into the daily prayer routine was too overwhelming with my work and home schedule. I long to get back to that, and Lent is the perfect opportunity. I want to pray those seven days a week. I'm also going to be using Sacred Spaces for Lent 2014 as a daily source of short readings and prayers. Download it for Kindle for a mere 99 cents!

I'd also like to fine tune my daily rosary praying. I often pray the first three mysteries in the morning on my way to work, and then never complete that rosary. I know any prayer and meditation is a good thing, but my goal is to complete the rosary on my way home each work day.

(2) Almsgiving - I have been on the lookout for quite some for a volunteer opportunity at my parish, ever since I discontinued participating in the Children's Liturgy of the Word program, and I will step up my efforts this Lent. If I see something, I will push myself to do it, even if ordinarily I may find a reason why it's not the *perfect* opportunity. That old "social anxiety" thing rearing its ugly head again. I may have to actually *talk* to people I do not know, I will have to get over this. :0 I would really like to give of my time in this way.

(3) Penance - After lunch and dinner each day, I always add a small "sweet bite" to my meal. I do have a sweet tooth, and while I try not to indulge it too much, I will usually have a small chocolate or cookie just to satisfy that sweet craving when I finish eating a meal. I am going to give that up for Lent. It's a small thing, but one that I will really notice and it will remind me that we are in Lent and reflecting on our Lord's sacrifices for us.

I'd also like to get to confession at least once during Lent. It's quite humbling to admit how long it's been since I was last at confession. I believe it was back in the fall, but at any rate, *too long*, especially since I cannot remember exactly when it was! Never a good sign.

(4) Fasting and Abstinence - I'll be doing as the Church prescribes, fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstaining from meat on all Fridays during Lent.

(5) Spiritual Reading - I don't have anything specific set aside, but I will make a commitment to keep up with spiritual reading in addition to the fiction I enjoy. I'll have finished the March book for the Catholic Book Club (which is quite fascinating, by the way, "Dedicated to God: An Oral History of Cloistered Nuns") before Ash Wednesday, so I'll work on April's selection, "More Catholic Than the Pope: An Inside Look at Extreme Traditionalism," as well as anything else I have time for. I'll post a review if I do complete another Catholic book prior to Easter.

And so, there you have it! It's not overly ambitious, but in my estimation, that is as it should be. I can see myself sticking with this plan throughout Lent, and it includes several good spiritual habits that I would like to nurture and incorporate into my daily routine, even after Easter.

This is my plan for Lent this year? What is yours?! Leave me a comment, because I'm dying to know!!

See you all tomorrow. :) I have a Catholic Nook post planned, ooohhhhhh...

I’m writing seven posts in seven days this week. To check out other bloggers who are doing the same, see the list here.

7 Quick Takes {Take 32} Springtime changes, and lead up to Lent edition...

-1- I know it's not spring yet *officially*, but it is the spring semester here in university life, so that's what I'm going by. This is always the time of year that even this winter lover gets tired of the gigantic dirty piles of snow next to all of our driveways and longs for the freshness of spring weather. I will say though that winter is an introvert's dream in a cold weather climate. The instant the weather breaks (by which I mean "above 35 degrees Fahrenheit") everyone is out in their shirt sleeves and... you know. Wanting to BE SOCIAL. Suddenly everyone wants to TALK to you.

"Hey!!!!!! I haven't seen you since Halloween!! How's it goin' girl?!"

The year I had Anne, my due date was just past mid-May. And my neighbors are *close* to us. We live in a very urban suburb, the houses are extremely close together. We can see into their living room from inside our house. But anyway, they hadn't seen me all winter, and it was a very cold spring that year too. Suddenly, it's early May, and everyone comes out of hibernation.

"Hey Tiffany! How are..."

They catch a glimpse of my belly, no longer shrouded in a bulky winter coat, and you can tell they are frantically searching their brains for whether I am in fact pregnant or whether I maybe just gained 25 pounds over the winter and am carrying it *extremely* poorly. You know how paranoid people are about acknowledging pregnancy.

"I'm due May 23rd."

"But! We didn't even know you were pregnant!!"

People really take it as an affront when they didn't even know you were pregnant yet you are due in 2 weeks. :)

-2- So yes, spring is still some time away in this part of the country, but spring is on the minds of all of us. I haven't been teaching as much this semester, but in exchange meetings have apparently been getting cozy with each other and are reproducing like rabbits on my day planner. HOLY SMOKES. And, to be blunt, I don't like meetings. My mind wanders, my butt hurts from sitting, and if more than an hour passes I feel like crawling out of my own skin.

I am on a LOT of committees this semester. And committees = meetings. Some of it is good stuff, it really is. Like the new curriculum-related committee I'm on. But the meetings. *groans*

-3- Speaking of meetings, my boss asked me to chair a short term committee related to one of my main job responsibilities, which is a research tutorial of sorts. I *loathe* chairing committees, but my boss asked me to do it. It's not like I can say no. :0

And so, let me tell you, if I'm going to take on chairing a group, we are going to run a tight ship.

"It's 9. Let's get started." #nomarginforlateness

Yesterday, I got to the room I booked for our meeting and realized that it didn't have a computer and projector in it. No matter.  I actually *wrote on the chalkboard* so that everyone could see what we needed to go over. No wasting time on my watch, no sir.

"Ok, we have 15 more minutes, this is what we can cover in that time..."

*discussion ensues* *looks at clock*

9:59. Whether or not someone is talking is of no consequence.

"Meeting adjourned. You'll hear from me tomorrow via email."

I have this imposing list of to-do items that I update after each meeting with what we accomplished, noting items that need addressed at the next meeting in red. #mostanalcommitteechairEVER

One of my colleagues came up to me today though at the reference desk and complimented my meeting style, saying that she wished I ran more meetings. :0

Victory is mine.

-4- All right, so as the spring semester progress, this means that Lent is approaching. Every year I make a plan for Lent. So far, I have not devised one yet, but the process is part of the fun. I'll plan something to either give up or add into my daily routine, and usually I plan to read a certain book. Typical, I guess. Often, I try to add something into my prayer routine instead of giving something up, I may do that again. And I haven't picked a book yet. Ideas? What are you all doing for Lent?

-5- As part of the fun lead up process :) I'm going to be participating in the next 7 Blog Posts in 7 Days Challenge over at ConversionDiary.com. It starts on Monday and I'm terribly excited. I'm going to be posting on Lenten topics next week as part of this. FUN, right? A nice preparation process. We're working on a topic list now, because to-do lists are what we do best. Stay tuned for Monday's installment. :)

-6- Also next week, I'm going to be starting the novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots. Anybody want to join in?! First day will be Monday, and I'll put up a tab next to "About Me" with links to the prayers for those who would like to participate. The novena will end the day before Ash Wednesday. Perfect, no?!

-7- And so, before all the revelry that will be next week, I'm looking forward to taking it easy this weekend after a long, meeting-intensive week at work. Tomorrow, my parents are taking me out to lunch for my birthday. *beams* They're taking me to my very favorite casual dining restaurant in the world, and our local one closed up years ago, meaning that I haven't eaten there since Henry was little. This birthday lunch actually involves going to *Canada* to get access to the goodness that is Swiss Chalet. :0 Those who have eaten there know exactly what I'm talking about.

Chalet sauce, anybody? What do they put in there, crack?! I don't know, but whatever it is, it could solve our quest for world peace, if you ask me. It's THAT good.

Sunday, we're going to be watching the Daytona 500 and ordering in some food to enjoy with the kids. Can't.wait.

Ok, chat with you all Monday, for the first day in our 7 Posts in 7 Days lead up to Lent! Check out more 7 Quick Takes over at Conversion Diary!

Catholic Book Club: The Mass

Hello all! Reporting in with another review for Image Books, and this one is an excellent lead up to Lent : The Mass: The Glory, The Mystery, The Tradition, by Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina.

I don't know about any of you, but when I was a child, I thought Mass was very, very...boring. I "didn't get anything out of it," I thought to myself, and thus it was no big deal to not go every Sunday.

As I grew in maturity and years, I came to long for a much deeper understanding of my faith, and as a result of my study have come to love and revere the Mass. If anyone is wanting to learn more about the Mass - it's foundations, the meaning of the different elements and traditions, why particular wording is used in the liturgy - this is the book for you.

The book is divided into two main sections:

(1) What Makes the Mass: People, Places, Words and Things

(2) The Mass As It Is: A Closer Look

The first section discusses items that I fully expected, such as the Biblical foundations of the Mass, it's historical development, how one should prepare for Mass, and the roles of different people during the liturgy. But it also explores really interesting tidbits, such as the vessels and cloths used at Mass and the Church calendar.

The latter part of the book does exactly as advertised, and does so in an engaging fashion. The authors address every part of the Mass, from the opening procession right through the blessing and dismissal. The chapters are short, many also containing photographs to illustrate, and thus can be read very easily in small segments as part of a nightly spiritual reading plan. Despite the serious subject matter, this is not  "heavy" and difficult to digest book for lay Catholics to read. The authors do an outstanding job of  keeping the text readable while conveying intricate detail. This is quite simply a lovely book to read.

This book is available in both print and electronic form, with the trade paperback's list price at $14. Check your favorite retailer for a copy, it is well worth it.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day. :) I have a miserable day tomorrow filled with three meetings (offering this up, #martyr!) so I don't know if I will blog or not. But you will hear from me Friday for 7 Quick Takes!

*I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Checking in from the trenches, birthday edition. :) And some book club news...

Afternoon all! I am always SO out of sorts when I'm out of routine, which I know is not a big surprise to you. *gentle snort* I took a few days off from work, and  you would think I lost the ability to conceive of the calendar, my days of the week are so turned around. This is especially bad when I skip a usual day of blogging.

But here I am, and another year older, to boot. I have come to terms with these "less than thrilling number" birthdays, because really, what choice do we have? There's no going back, that's for sure. And if you don't enjoy and cherish your life to the fullest in the present moment, you're really missing out. So, that's my current birthday philosophy. We'll talk again next year when I reach a particularly unpleasant milestone AND my birthday falls on Ash Wednesday. I'll obviously be doing penance for all of humanity with that one. You're welcome.

;)

At any rate, I *have* been having a very nice birthday. Last night, Mike took me to our favorite restaurant for dinner.  We lingered over half price martinis at the bar, talking about our kids and the Olympics, while next to us lounged a crew of young adults who couldn't possibly be too far over the legal drinking age. They were rather loudly talking about their dating lives while Mike and I brainstormed ideas for future writing projects.

#oldfogeys

Alas, rather than causing me to long for my "lost youth," it made me all the more grateful that I'm happily past an age where insecurity reigned (at least for me).

#scoreonefortheoldpeople

Since this is a martini bar, the selection was pretty impressive. I was agonizing over a vodka martini versus a specialty one, when I decided to go for broke. It's my birthday. I'm going for the dessert martini, baby!!

Oatmeal cookie martini for everybody!!!

We're talking Bailey's Irish Cream. We're talking butterscotch schnapps. We're talking (unfathomably) Jagermeister and Goldschlager. We're talking chocolately goodness, BUT WITH ALCOHOL.

It just doesn't get any better than that, folks.

After our time at the bar, we headed to a table for dinner over candlelight. Sublime.

I've also gotten some very nice gifts. Handmade bath products in my favorite fragrances. A bag of flavored decaf coffee. Cute new bookends. A promise of a lunch this coming weekend with my parents. All very lovely. I've been doing tons of knitting, reading and watching of the Olympics. It's been a *very* nice long weekend.

So! Speaking of reading, I have some Catholic Book Club news. I'm not really sure that anyone is reading the books along with me :0 so I don't think this will be a disruption to anybody. What I really like about the Catholic Book Club is that it keeps me accountable with spiritual reading. Every month, I will read at least one non-fiction book geared toward strengthening my faith. And people do read the reviews and perhaps it gives them some ideas for their own spiritual reading list. All good.

But sometimes I bite off more than I can chew, and this month is one of those times. I was supposed to be reading The Hidden Face of St. Therese by Ida Gorres. Well. :)

I spent some time this month reading The Mass by Cardinal Wuerl, to review for Image Books. I finished it, and I will write my review here tomorrow, so look for that. But I then was behind schedule on reading The Hidden Face. Undeterred, I quickly downloaded it and started reading. My first inkling that there would be a problem was when I read and read and read and read, and looked down at the little status bar on my Kindle and it indicated that I was at 1% of completion. Oh my.

This is a LONG book, and there is no way I'm going to finish it for next Wednesday, as originally planned. I'm just not up to the task of taking on such a large endeavor this month. So, what I decided to do is review The Mass tomorrow, and switch things up a bit for the coming months. I started reading Dedicated to God: An Oral History of Cloistered Nuns via a library copy last month. It's been languishing on my shelf, and I'd really like to pick it back up, so I'm going to have that be the official March Catholic Book Club selection. I bumped the other two books I have had on the list, More Catholic Than the Pope, and The Cloistered Heart, to April and May. I still plan to read those two books, and in fact, already own print copies, so I'm all set. The list on the right sidebar is now all up to date as well.

So there! I have shared my Type A, extreme book reading list organization mentality with all of you. :0 I know it's part of the reason you love me so much.

Ok! Back to my children. I'll be checking in with all of you again tomorrow! Lots of exciting stuff to come, including some Lenten plans, and a 7 day blogging challenge. :) Stay tuned!

7 Quick Takes {Take 31} Creativity, or lack thereof, edition...

-1- "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives..."

I've been seeing hourglasses in my dreams lately, with sand slipping through at an alarming pace. Have I lost my mind? No, it's just my birthday on Tuesday.

:-\

Birthdays officially stop being fun after a certain age, methinks. Although, that's not totally true. Mike always takes me to dinner. My parents and in-laws get me thoughtful gifts. People leave me sweet messages on Facebook. :) That's all good. But birthdays have made me introspective the last several years. The older I get, the more I realize how quickly life passes, and that's a humbling thing. One can't help but think: "Am I doing enough? Am I doing what God wants me to do? Am I doing what *I* want to do, such that when I die, I won't feel like I've wasted my life?"

Deep stuff for a "quick take," no? ;-)

-2- "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, when Tiffany could still remember what she ate for dinner two nights ago..."

And so, I've been thinking a lot lately about creativity. Specifically, whether I have lost my creative edge. As a child, I was always very creative. Not in art class, pray tell. I have zero traditional artistic ability. My poor traumatized art teachers with my deformed stick figure drawings in their hand will be able to speak to that. But I loved creative writing. I wrote stories all the time that people read and enjoyed. Nowadays I couldn't come up with a plot for a fiction novel to save my life. I still enjoy writing, and thrive in it, but creative ideas don't flow as quickly as I'd like. I would like to do *more* writing than I do now, but I'm not certain exactly how to go about doing that. I have no answers here, just questions, but brainstorming about such things is always helpful to me.

-3- "Excuse me? Does the library have all of my textbooks?!"

This creativity angle applies to my job as well. I like my job, and I chose (finally, thank God) a profession that suits my personality. I work with nice people in a (mostly) soothing and quiet environment that pleases me. I'm able to provide money for my family, and we have excellent benefits. These are all important and good things. But at this point of my career, having achieved my main goal of tenure as an academic librarian, I feel a bit...stale. I don't really do anything new or exciting on any given day. I don't exactly NEED excitement all of the time, but I suppose I'm feeling a bit bored lately. I love being a reference librarian. But there's only so many times that you can point the way to the restrooms or troubleshoot a printing problem before you start to think: "is this what I really saw myself doing with my life?" Certainly, all jobs and indeed vocations come with their less glamorous sides. But am I doing *enough* to reach my full potential as a librarian? As an information professional? As a writer and editor? I don't know.

-4- Enough of this Debbie Downer business...

On the positive side, I think that I'm at an excellent point in my life to try new endeavors should the right opportunity arise. I'd like to seek out new writing opportunities. Maybe collaborate on a project (you know who you are ;)). And I'm excited about these things. Since the fall, when I attended the Catholic New Media Conference, I've felt like the time has come for me to move forward in my writing. I have some ideas, and continue to pray about all of this. I know that if its the right opportunity at the right time, God will show me the way. :)

-5- "Can I use this to justify buying a new costume?"

In other *good* creative news, I am more in love with dance than ever. I'm happy to be heading back to class this Friday after not being able to attend last week, and my troupe has lots of exciting events and festivals coming up. I also may have a fascinating little gig coming up that has my mind whirling with ways in which I need to improve my improvisation. :) I need to think about making some new performance playlists, and *squeals*! I'm excited. More details on that when I know more, hopefully within the month.

-6- "Mommy, is there anything else we can do with...these cardboard penguins?"

Poor Henry, genetics are against him when it comes to his own school art projects. Every other month or so he has to do these dioramas, and it's so hard for me to help him with them when I so utterly lack the ability to do anything constructive with felt and pipe cleaners. This week, he had to create a scene from "Mr. Popper's Penguins" and my trip to the craft store resulted in a sad lack of penguin representation, let me tell you. The only thing in the entire store with penguins on it was a roll of duck tape. I cut out individual penguins from that (no easy feat; you know, STICKY) and slapped them onto small circles of cardboard. Voila! Instant herd of penguins.

Henry wasn't impressed.

"You know, Mommy, Edward's diorama is REALLY COOL. His has a rock in it with live plants growing off it, and if you press a button, confetti comes out! And his has *12* plastic penguins, AND..."

"Well, good for Edward. You know, we non-crafty people are obviously discriminated against in the K-12 school setting. It really isn't fair."

You know I'm right on this. :0

-7- Martinis for everybody!

And so my big day is Tuesday, 2/18. I haven't yet reached an age milestone that I'm truly dreading, but let's just say that that isn't so far away, and that's all you'll get out of me. Monday night, Mike is taking me out to our very favorite restaurant, where we went on our first date. It's a martini bar, and half price martinis on Monday nights til 8. Um, yeah, I'm taking off my birthday from work this year. :0 Good plan, no? I think it's brilliant. Since it's my birthday, I'm also going hog wild and ORDERING AN APPETIZER. We're so frugal, I can't even tell you the last time I had an appetizer. And it's my birthday, I CAN HAVE AN APPETIZER IF I WANT TO. With my martini. Damn, I'm excited. :0

All right, I'll check in with you all either Monday or Tuesday. Have a great weekend, and Happy Valentines Day!

More 7 Quick Takes over at Conversion Diary!