Happy Friday!
April Fool's ;)
It's only Wednesday but I figured I better get this week's post written out before the Holy Week activities start.
Last Friday night, Declan and Brendan participated in the Living Stations at our church. There was one scene that had both Joseph (Declan) and Simeon (Brendan):
The next day we went to the Palm Sunday vigil, and I thought our church looked so nice and tastefully decorated:
Remember how Phil has been painting the baseboards and trim in our house? Welp, as these things go, once that job was done, the doors looked a little dull and dingy, so those were his next project. Luckily we still have a couple of kids he can Tom Sawyer into helping:
Maggie is always go, go, going (moms of seniors feel me on this) and over the weekend, she volunteered at her high school's gala, had a movie night with friends, hung out with a friend the next day, got her prom dress altered, went to the gym, filled out scholarship applications, took her brothers to play pickleball, worked on a theology project...and then complained about how tired she was. Umm yeah.
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| Maggie and Haley |
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| Principal + Former Students |
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| Maggie and Maggie |
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| Prom preview! |
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| Pickleball Pals |
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| Her teacher (Dad) let her present at home, and I'm pretty sure she got an A |
Andrew told me he was going to a Jon Pardi concert with some friends on Friday night. When I went to text him on Friday, I could see from his location that he was in.......Kentucky.
Me: Andrew, are you in Kentucky??
Andrew: Yeah, I told you I was going to a concert!
Silly me, I thought the concert would be in Pittsburgh, not five hours away from campus.
He said it was a great time, and that I was allowed to introduce my blog readers to Karolina, his beautiful girlfriend:
Aren't they so cute? We love her already and haven't even met her in person!
JP took the weekend to visit his college friends in Michigan, which put three pieces of my heart in OH, MI and KY:
Let's see some of our eats this week:
Smashburger Bic Mac Tacos - these were sooooo good on low-carb wraps with thousand island dressing instead of making the sauce in the recipe.
Easy Chicken Stir Fry - I didn't eat this one but the kids did, then left it out and the dog got some too :(
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches - another crowd pleaser, though some of the kids prefer American cheese over provolone.
I delivered Easter "baskets" to the big boys, done the easiest way by having groceries delivered to them. Eamon took a picture of some of his treats (I was sad that the Easter chocolates I had picked out were out of stock at delivery time):
And finally, I have to give God the glory of some answered prayers.
We had been stressing about a number of financial hardships that popped up all at once, and one by one they have been solved. My van was able to be fixed so that we didn't have to buy another car. Declan's orthodontist offered him (actually insisted when we told him that we didn't think we qualified anymore) the same discounted braces rate that he gave our last two kids. And we just found out that Franciscan adjusted our FAFSA to show a lot more financial need after I had applied for a Professional Judgement. Now the three college kids will be eligible for more grants and outside scholarship money.
We are so incredibly thankful and a little embarrassed for the financial whining. I can always look back and see how God has provided, sometimes very obviously, sometimes through an extra job offer, sometimes a "no" that leads to a better opportunity...so why don't I have 100% trust that it will keep happening in the future? Mea culpa. Practicing Catholic, indeed.
A practicing Catholic who also gives proper thanks when things fall into place. I am so very glad for you to have more peace surrounding finances, and that the professional judgement worked! Happy Holy Week!
ReplyDeleteThank you Madeline! Worry less, pray more :)
DeleteGreat about FAFSA! Never hurts to ask (be the persistent widow - Luke 18)! And I know about the feeling how when financial situation looks bad, answers to prayers come up in a variety of ways. And in other things lately I have fallen to my knees in thanks for the answers to prayers (think prodigal son- I've alluding a lot today!). I figure if saints like Mother Theresa have doubts and concerns sometimes, for a regular person like me, it's probably normal. Just gotta keep on praying!
ReplyDeleteMaggie looks so lovely - like a Greek goddess statue - but is she standing on a table?!? So busy and still smiling! My high school senior has no interest in prom or parties or anything, but at least he has a job for the summer finally. He will have the joy of learning about paperwork and schedules. (He has been looking for a job for months - it's a tough market out there! Too bad we don't live near you or I would have begged for a job for him.)
I am so glad my kids never needed orthodontics - we fork out for glasses repeatedly, but not teeth.
Have a blessed Holy Week! - mbmom11
That Mother Teresa reflection helped me, thank you! Yes she's on a table! The guy hemming her dress is a deacon who taught her Latin before he retired and he's involved in theater productions and makes costumes. He's super talented and we are thankful!
DeleteI think it is great that you talked about your financial issues, brought up the need to pray about them and then told us all about the answered prayers! What a great reminder to your readers! Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteYou are very kind Maureen, thank you!
DeleteSo glad the financial situations have resolved. Things do happen in spurts, don’t they? Maggie is such a good and sweet girl. Love her prom dress. I showed Curly the prom dress pic (driving back from Florida and I’m in the backseat with her while Tank drives) and she was like Oh, it looks like me. (Similar bun hairdo)! Ha. When Lad was at Iona, he flew to South Bend (I think they flew- it’s foggy) for a football game. He got the tix for his buddies because his mentor connected him to Rudy, like the real guy that the movie was based on. I did not know he went and he was silly enough to think I wouldn’t find out. He and his buddies showed up to his cousin’s dorm and asked to shower in the communal showers (of her all girl dorm). They had no towels or anything. He thought she told me, but it was his ATM card that showed up on his statement as ND. Bah ha ha.
ReplyDeleteThey do happen all at once for some reason! Maggie could fit into your family...except for her height ;) Oh my gosh that Lad story!!!
DeleteHow wonderful that your financial issues have been resolved so satisfactorily! I laughed about Andrew being in Kentucky -- why would he share THAT information?! "Tom Sawyered" is a great verbification, and the kids are going to feel so proud of their contributions to the upkeep of your home!
ReplyDeleteYes what mom wouldn't understand that a concert a few states away was perfectly normal?? I should put your spin on the chores more often - contributing to the upkeep of our home - love it!
DeletePraise God for answered prayers for your finances! I’m so glad to hear things are less stressful. It never hurts to ask for things like a reconsideration on financial aid. My sister and BIL just got a much better scholarship for my nephew for high school (he’ll be attending a catholic high school) when they requested a review and reconsideration as their situation had changed. (My sister lost her job to AI and has had to go back to school to retrain, something that wasn’t reflected when they initially applied for the financial aid in the fall.) They never would have thought to ask for a reconsideration except another parent told them it was worth asking about.
ReplyDeleteI always ask for more, especially after working as the Busness Manager at a Catholic high school for 10 years and determining financial aid for families - I know the squeaky wheels get the grease! So thankful it worked out for you sister, her circumstances deserve it!
DeleteMaggie should be exhausted! But also, I love her prom dress!
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna check out some of the dinner recipes; they look good!
I'm SO very happy that the financial stuff worked it's way out, in a good direction. That is a big relief, I'm sure.