Happy Friday! It's been a week of wintery cold weather, lots of things on the calendar, and a wind down of Lent and countdown to Easter. Who's ready for Holy Week next week? Not me, but it's coming anyway :)
Last Friday night, Phil and I attended the soirée at the high school where he works. It was a nice time, especially since they honored our friend Jean, and I got to see lots of my old coworkers and friends (I worked there as the Business Manager for ten years). I miss those peeps. My current coworkers and I don't have to interact much and it's always business-related, where at my old job it turned into real friendships. I know the problem is mostly ME and the fact that I have not tried very hard to cultivate the same relationships at this job. It's also because my old job forced me to interact with every single employee (I did the payroll and HR role) and I had known a lot of them before I started working there because they were already my husband's coworkers for years. Anyway, seeing everyone made me feel very nostalgic and emotional. But who am I kidding, so much makes me feel emotional nowadays #perimenopausallyweepy
Andrew went on a retreat with his household, where they officially inducted all the new members, including him! The social media post showed this photo and named the new members, and I laughed out loud when I read "Andy Martin and Smiles". I can't believe he lets them call him Andy and I can't believe that Smiles has gained rapper status by having no real first or last name.
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| Andrew is fourth from left in the front. |
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| Cooking breakfast on retreat |
Last we left off in Cottage news, the new extended sidewalk had been created, so on Saturday morning, Phil and my Dad went down to build a stone flower bed to hide the ugly foundation:
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| Before |
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| After |
We are so grateful to my dad's expertise as a retired builder and ice cream shop owner and son of a gardener. He's the perfect consultant :) Now we need to add some flowers! And benches! And tables and chairs!
Declan was invited to go bowling with friends and he bowled a few strikes and now wants to go bowling all the time. That boy!
Maggie had her last volleyball tournament and her team finished 2nd, which is really great for them.
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| Maggie is so aggressive and confident on the court which makes it very fun to watch her play |
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| The coaches with Maddie & Maggie, who will be seniors in the fall |
Eamon has taken a keen interest in learning how to cut hair, so as to become the barber of his dorm in college and make some extra dough. (Andrew told him the guy who cuts his hair charges $20 and basically cuts everyone's hair in the dorm). He practiced on the littles this weekend and he did a great job! I officially retire! He even made this little ditty:
Eamon and Declan have been having soccer practices and games for their respective travel leagues. I'll need to get a picture of them in their matching uniforms soon.
Eamon has also been playing lots of golf, especially since binge-watching Full Swing (it is a great show!) and getting his hands on a youth membership that allows him to play at specific golf courses for $5! Can't beat that deal.
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| The next Scottie Scheffler ;) |
We had a meeting this week for the 8th Grade parents, to discuss all of the end of the year celebrations and graduation events happening. It's a lot, but especially more when you remember you have a high school senior who also has a list of dates and events to get through by graduation. Two dances/Prom, two Baccalaureate masses, two graduation ceremonies, two baby photo collages/yearbook ads to make, a graduation party to plan with my side of the family, etc. Thank the Lord above that JP graduated a year early or we would have had all of his college graduation stuff to add to the calendar. This parenting gig is not for the weak!
I just about died and came back to life when I saw this picture of my 13 year old sporting a (magnetic) earring. I guess one of the girls in class brought them in for the boys to try. It certainly makes him look older!
Last night we went to a talk given at our church's Lenten mission and the sister who spoke encouraged all of us to read scripture every day. This is something I do not do, though I did complete the Bible in a Year, so I have technically listened to the whole Bible, but I want to start. Does anyone have any tips as to what's helped them? Setting a schedule? Journaling? A certain Bible?
The littles have spring photos today at school so we dressed them up in their *spoiler alert* Easter outfits:
Have a wonderful LAST WEEKEND OF LENT everybody! We've almost made it!
I remember those busy graduation years. Just told my husband about Full Swing (he's an avid golfer) so that's next on the watchlist : ) Handsome boys in their Easter gear- thanks for the links!
ReplyDeleteSuch busy May/Junes with graduations and sacraments and the ice cream shop, just gotta get through it! I hope you guys love Full Swing!
DeleteEamon- entrepreneur indeed! He's got your hustle! Congrats to Maggie (another sport season done !)
ReplyDeleteI am not looking forward to Holy Week. I've blown my Lenten resolutions, so not much time left to do better. And the parish asked my boys to serve both Holy Thursday and Good Friday services. (and Easter but that's our usual Sunday). And they're at night - Can I stay up past 8pm??
Enjoy the weekend!
We are traveling to see Phil's family for the Easter break so my kids won't be serving, but we attend the Good Friday service at 3pm and I think we're going to try for the Easter Vigil this year (fingers crossed we can stay awake too!) I hope you have a blessed Easter!!
DeleteThe earring picture is something my kids would totally have done! I know you are a Hallow user - for reading scripture I would suggest Jeff Cavins daily reflections with the Gospel readings or maybe the daily Gospel. There are lots of options on Hallow that have really helped me make Scripture a habit.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, yes, I can use Hallow duh! Thanks for that!
DeleteEamon's on to something! One of my Bible school classmates cut hair (it was a 1 year program that functioned like a gap year!) and it was amazing for everybody involved. She also taught me her techniques for using boxed hair dye and I think of her every time I use it. I think she may have charged $15. She posted a sign up sheet for "salon day" once a month or so and I'm sure she brought in a good chunk of cash!
ReplyDeleteThe cottage looks great!
Holy Week is always a crazy time in our house because it's Nick's busiest week of the year- - all the extra services, and the rehearsals to prepare the music for those services. So I will be doing more solo parenting than usual -- but it's always a special time for me as well because I came into the Church on the Easter Vigil in 2010 so it always reminds me of my first Easter as a baby Catholic. I'm looking forward to when all the kids are old enough to participate in some of the late-night rituals like the visitation to the 7 churches and the Easter Vigil. (Some of my friends bring the whole family even with toddlers and babies in tow, BUT they don't have church musicians for husbands!)
I feel you on the busy husband part! As the DRE, Phil just had Confirmation last week and First Communion is the first Sunday in May, so getting through that feels like a huge accomplishment. You are certainly getting in some last minute Lenten sacrifices by being the single mom a lot this week! We also don't do the late night things typically because well-rested kids are always more joyful, but this year we are going to try the Vigil since our "baby" is eight!
DeleteI wish I was in the market for boy clothes. So handsome. Brendan with his hand in his pocket - I can't even. The earing would've sent me over the edge. I do not read scripture either and I know I should/want to get into a routine, so feel free to share your plan with me. That video of the boy haircuts is so funny. (I'm in a hotel room at b-ball tournie with Curly. She was like WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING b/c she could hear it. This is how I explained: my blog friend who has 7 kids, and the middle one is the only girl and if they lived closer she'd be your best friend). What a great idea to plan to make some money at college. I cut my brothers hair all through college and I don't recall getting paid. Hmmm. The photo of you and Phil is really cute. You look great - so young. How are you a mom of 7? My best friend from high school was Andy in high school and then switched to Andrew in college. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe hand in the pocket always gets me too! Aaaah Curly and Maggie (and their moms) for sure would have been besties.
DeleteSounds like another great week, Colleen! I love the stone flower bed. It looks great and will be a perfect container for some lovely flowers.
ReplyDeleteWe are going to be overflowing with flowers this year at the shop - in front as usual, but then we are adding four benches that have flower pots on each end. I'm kinda sorta worried about bees...
DeleteAny errand sounds better sandwiched between food!!! As for reading the Bible, I get up every morning around 5:00am, light a candle and read the days Mass readings, followed by the daily meditation from Word Among Us and then I have other devotionals I read, or pray the rosary, or pray a novena, or journal or whatever seems to work for the time/phase of life I'm in. Just start reading a little bit each morning and you will figure out what works best for you and what is most fruitful.
ReplyDeleteYou lost me at 5 am :) :)
DeleteThat is so good you do it first thing, no excuses! Reading the daily Mass readings is a great idea to read scripture in a practical way, thanks!