Five Favorites--4/26

Joining Hallie once again for Five Favorites.  Yeah!!

1.  My favorite thing is when I can go thrifting and get exactly what I want.  I have been looking for a braided belt, $2.  Check!  I was going to stop at WalMart after Goodwill to get another plastic tote for packing up the house and low and behold look at what was at Goodwill.  $4.  Check!  I have this thing for coffee mugs and always looking for any that catch my eye at thrift stores.  $1 "N" mug.  Check!

2.  I have been craving me some Dunkin' Donuts coffee so when I ran out off coffee this was a must. (And you can see my love of all things Trader Joe's in the background!)

3.  I had my last class of the semester today, woohooo!  Because it was the last one and we needed to fit in a little more lecture we began class at 7 instead of 8.  If I am going to class at 7 I am wearing slippers and not going to be ashamed.  I liked it so much that this will defiantly be a favorite thing next year.

4.  New sisters being inducted (and brothers!).  I don't think I ever love my household more than at induction time.  This is defiantly a favorite thing and even the RAs were excited about it.

5.  I started studying for finals on Wednesday.  I will just go ahead and pat myself on the pack because the final isn't until this coming Friday.  The studying isn't a favorite thing but the organizing for the studying sure is.

And what do you know coffee made it in yet again.  I am telling you I don't really plan this, the love of the liquid gold just flows over.  

The Lord always answers prayers no matter how small....

This afternoon my roommate and I were on the way to Aldi's from Goodwill and looking for a quarter to get a cart and realized neither of us had one.  Whatever, we were hoping for a cart not put back or a quarter on the ground and if not use our bags or find some boxes for shopping.  On the way over I said a quick prayer, "Lord, please let there be a cart there."  We pull in, get out of the car and a professor's wife is loading up her mini-van with groceries.  She sees us, knowing we are students (Franny is always written on all of our heads no matter how hard we try to wash it off), and asks us if we want our cart.

Yes, in fact we would like it, we say.  I tell her I prayed for a cart and here is the cart.  She walks over to us.  She says that they were just at Walmart and their youngest daughter picked up a quarter that the lady in front of her had dropped, looking at the woman, the lady winks at her and tells her to keep it.  That was the quarter they used to get the cart that they were now passing on.

Paying it forward.  The Lord always listens to our prayers, no matter how small they seem.  He desires to romance us if we only let Him.

When we fret and worry....

From the book Where There is Love, There is God, a compilation of Mother Theresa's words.

"If we think, Sisters, imagine God being so busy with you, so occupied with each one that He gave us a personal call.  He did not send anyone to call me but He called me personally.  He said, 'I have loved you with an everlasting love.' To think that He had me in His mind before eternity   Thousands of people are in the world, but He called me personally-I, from this country or town or village"

Life changer.

I am sure most people who stumble upon a Marian Monday link up know just how much a consecration is a life changer.  Being bound forever to Mary so that with Mary we may approach Jesus is bound to do some pretty radical things in your life.  I have done the St. Louis de Monefort consecration multiple times before and it is beautiful, however if you struggle with the language of that intense preparation for consecration I recommend the St. Maximilian Kolbe consecration to you.  The theology in it is stunning and can be a little easier to get through however no less rewarding.  I am currently, along side my household, renewing my consecration for 6th time with preparation by St. Maximilian Kolbe.  Mary I am thine, and all I have is thine.....

7QT (Vol. 13)

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Last week I was talking about going to the Pirates game.  It was so much fun.  It started out great, driving into the city with our baseball caps on and the sun beaming through the windows but as the sun went down and seeing as the stadium is right next to the river, it quickly became frigid.  But the Pirates won, I got to spend time with four of my sisters, and we got free pretzels at the end of the game, I call that a pretty great Friday.   

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A few years ago I was looking for tank tops that would be modest and not slide down during the day and were long enough to not ride up.  In my search I stumbled upon Modbod.  They are exactly what I was looking for.  At first I ordered basic cami in white and a basic tank in white.  They can be a little pricey at full price but that first order was around Christmas and I remember getting a good deal.  They go on sale often and being on the email list I keep an eye out of for great sales.  Well there is a great 70% sale going on.  At first I ordered a  black and white kit and this awesome lace cami.  I put in another order last night, the tops are that good and the deal is that great, including more camis and lace camis in more colors and one of these to try out. I am not getting any benefit from you clicking on these links but I want to share it with you because I recommend them that much.  Let me know if you take my advice and  how you like them.

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No explanation needed. 

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Another book post on Jesus of Nazareth. 

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My first attempt at brussel sprouts, the first with sausage and onion and the second with carrots and lentils.  Yummy.

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How good it was to regroup with my Haiti mission team and eat an attempt at some of our favorite Haitian food--pasta and hot dogs with ketchup and unfrosted lemon cake. Another yummy.

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The good weather yesterday!!  I had the tank top on and was out in the sun.  Now it is once again grey.  Soon enough the sunny days will out number the grey ones.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Jesus of Nazereth

I think it is about time I finished this book.  I have talked about it too many times to even link up to them.

This book was incredible.  I am confident that I will continually be referring back to enlightenment found in this book.  My favorite chapter was actually chapter one about the Baptism of Jesus however I started reading this book on the overdrive app on my phone before I realized I needed to add this book to my bookshelves.  So I don't have any quotes from that but I give you some of my favorite gems from the rest of the book...

"He must recapitulate the whole of history from its beginning from Adam on; he must go through, suffer through, the whole of it, in order to transform it" (26) 

"We who are privileged enough to receive the Eucharist as our bread must nevertheless always pray that none of us be permanently cut off and served from the body of Christ" (157 )  

Reminds me that it is a privilege not a right to receive the bread of life and it is a gift we should receive as often as possible.

The next two are perfect reminders as this season of Lent winds down.....

"Christians need the Lord to teach every generation anew that his way is not the way of earthly power and glory but the way of the Cross" (299)

"Jesus' divinity belongs with the Cross-only when we put the two together do we recognize Jesus correctly" (305) 

So there you have it.  I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking deeper insight into Christ.  As an added gem this books also opens your mind and heart to the spirituality of the now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

Please I would love to hear comments from others who have read this book.

What I Wore Sunday (Vol. 17)

I am sick.  I admit it.  I am not just under the weather, I don't just have the sniffles, I am sick.  The amount of dayquil, nyquil, cough medicine, and allergy medicine pulsing through my system should have clued me in.  But you guys didn't come around to hear about my coughing so on with the outfit.  

I apologize immensely for the poor quality iphone photos in an overhead light dorm hallway. 

The details:

Dress: wine colored wrap dress from Old Navy that you have seen many times before

Flowy "Cardigan": Brand new from Target, exactly what I have been wanting!

Shoes:  Gold Toms

Earrings:  From Macy's, love them!!

Today was so great with brunch off campus and drinking coffee in the sunshine. I am loving these warm temps.

7 Quick Takes (Vol 12)

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Have you seen all the books I have been finishing lately? I have recent reviews on Consoling the Heart of Jesus and Kisses from Katie, have an upcoming one for Jesus of Nazareth, and am currently reading another book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.


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I am going to a Pirates came tonight and I am super excited. I haven't been to a baseball game in so long so I am excited to go to one with my sisters. The bonus is the ticket was only $10 and it included a t-shirt and food voucher.


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I am not complaining but my school work has greatly dwindled over the last few weeks. It has been great to enjoy movies, book, and visiting with friends.


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So I am not busy with school work but my life is still full and I couldn't be more thankful. (This AA is actually Angels Anonymous, something we do with my household Regina Angelorum. However I do also go to Alcoholics Anonymous for my Psych nursing class which I am blown away by and is worth another whole post on its own.)






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I am hoping that I get some calls for summer jobs this week. I have applied to an array of places including hospitals and nursing homes for nursing assistant jobs. Ideally I would love to get a job and the local community hospital. Not only would it be great to be in the hospital setting but this hospital is also 6.265 minutes away (relatively) so commute would basically be nonexistent. Here's to hoping!



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Have you seen this. I think it is so funny. I laugh every time I see it.









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Nothing else to say so what is it, "if you don't have anything good to say don't say anything at all." 






For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Five Favorites--4/11/13

I haven't done too many links lately and we all know I am a sucker for links so here I am linking up to Five Favorites again.

~1~ Call the Midwives. I know other people are getting into this show too so it isn't any novelty but I love this show. I am sad that there is only one season on Netflix so am trying to savor every episode. I am normally not a huge fan of historical shows but this one totally meets my fancy. And the fact that this show revolves around midwifery just makes my heart swoon. It makes me fall in love with midwifery all over again.

~2~ Vick's Vapor Rub (well in this case off brand). I could give you mucousy descriptions but I will spare those who aren't of the medical field. All I have got to say is I love this stuff.

~3~ Storms. Storms have begun and it was awesome last night to sit out on our patio wrapped in a blanket and watch the lightening in the distance.

~4~Coffee. I feel like this makes it on to every five favorites, phfr, and 7QT but what can I say I love this stuff. Right now I am enjoying some of the gold with lots of cream which just makes it even more golden.

~5~ My rainbow sandals. I splurged on these sandals last summer (really it is more like an investment because have you seen how great these are made) and I love pulling them back out again with the weather warming up lately.


Well there you have it, the five current faves. Can't wait to see everyone else's. 

What I Wore on Divine Mercy Sunday (Vol. 17)

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!!  I am sad to see Easter Octave come to an end and I would be lying if it wasn't at least partially because the excuse "Well, it's Easter Octave!!" works for just about everything.  But what an exciting day it is to celebrate the Lord's unending mercy.  I have a whole new deeper appreciation for His mercy after reading Consoling the Heart of Jesus (follow the link to get the full scoop!).  It has been such a joy to pray these past nine days for flooding of the Lord's mercy with the Divine Mercy novena and chaplet.

On to the outfit....

I had my photographer (aka my roommate--what am I going to do when she graduates?!) take pictures in our upstairs hallway partially because if we took it outside my hair would be whirling around in all the wind we are having today.

This outfit is almost entirely thrifted.

Skirt, belt that came with the skirt, and cardigan: Steubenville Goodwill

Shoes:  Seen on Easter from Goodwill at home 

Tank:  Old Navy

While this outfit was cute the important outfit I wore this week was my nursing dedication dress.  As a nursing student, at the end of our junior year we have a dedication ceremony.  We wear old fashioned nursing dresses, a cap, and dedicate our career to God.  It is beautiful and nearly a bigger deal to us nurses than our graduation.  It was an exciting day and it is humbling to have made it this far. 

Hope you guys had a great week and can't wait to see all the Spring outfits. I finally added a "follow on bloglovin'" button on the right side now that Google Reader is coming to an end so please follow so that you can get more updates.

Consoling the Heart of Jesus

Another book done in 2013 which brings the grand total up to 5 and it is only the beginning of April. Wait, I don't hear the angel choirs singing?

All joking aside, I love this book.   Have you noticed the trend that I don't really read books that I don't like?  I have mentioned this book before, it was my goal to read it during Holy Week as it is meant to be a retreat in a book finished either in a weekend or at your own pace.  Well, I have got to say, I plan on making reading this book during Holy Week an annual tradition.  I had seen this book floating around campus but what really got me to pick it up was when our household retreat was based on the book.

I will give you guys an idea of what the book is about but I strongly encourage you to pick it up for yourselves and allow it to enrich your spiritual life.

The premises of this book is Christ's heart which so greatly loves yet is so little loved.  Christ's heart is a sorrowful heart which thirsts for souls. We are able to consul it by being faithful, recognizing His presence in our heart but also by visiting Him in the blessed sacrament, and by uniting all of our sacrifices to His on the cross.  It presented things in such a way that I had never thought of and it reminded me how much Christ desires a relationship with us. These few sentences barely skim the surface of the depth of richness of this book so all I can do is again tell you go read it!!

The book may seem hefty when you first pick it up but in reality about a quarter of it is appendixes and another quarter notes and references making the actual book only about 200 pages.  Very doable to be read at a quick pace.

Would love to hear others experience with this book.

Kisses from Katie

Another book on my "13 in 13"  challenge.

This book brings so much peace to my heart.   (If you are going to order this book or anything else off Amazon it would be awesome if you could follow this link so that I could earn amazon credit and order things in the future like expensive nursing books.)  I listened to it through the overdrive app on my I-phone.  I actually probably first started listening to it this past fall and it has taken this long for me to finish, not because of lack of interest but because of lack of alone driving time which is when I normally listen to my audio books.

This book is written by Katie Davis, a missionary in Uganda.  What started out as a short term trip became a year commitment and unfolded into becoming mommy to over 20 orphan girls and realizing Africa was were she would live for the rest of her life.  The cover says, "A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption" and that is just what you get.  The faith of Katie and her unrelenting trust is inspiring.  She listens for the Lord's voice each day and trusts in it with reckless abandon.  No matter what you are called to in life--religious life, wife, mommy, teacher, nurse, or like Katie, a missionary, this book will inspire you to trust completely in that calling with joy and faith.   I am confident that this will be a book that I relisten to so that I can really let the gems sink in and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Would love to hear if anyone else has read/listened to this book and their thoughts.

Live joy.

What I Wore for Easter (+Tridium)

Oh death where is your sting? Oh Hell where is your victory? Christ is risen! Alleluia!!

It has been a little quiet around here during Holy Week because I didn't want any more screen time than I needed during the holiest week of the liturgical year but now that it is Easter I am back and have more Haiti posts and some book reviews among other stuff coming up. So excited that Grace did another holiday outfit link up.

I split my time this weekend staying at school through the Easter vigil and driving home Sunday morning. The tridium is a huge celebration at Franciscan. Many families come into town for the celebrations and a majority of students stay on campus.

Holy Thursday

During the day I had class in the morning and went with one of my household sisters to pick up her sister from the airport. I was invited to a lovely Seder meal and then enjoyed Holy Thursday Mass. Fr. Dominic gave the homily, a Franciscan who choose the name Dominic due to his love of the Dominicans also. It was about our Amen when we receive the Eucharist shouldn't be the end of it but our life should be an Amen. He went on to comment on the way Pope Francis has lived a life of this Amen. O yeah my outfit.....

Dress: Merona from Target
Cardigan: Ann Taylor (I think) via Goodwill
Boots: Target

Good Friday

Good Friday was a quiet day with beautiful weather that lent itself to a wonderful day of prayer and reflection. I didn't get a picture of my outfit but I thought it was pretty Good Friday perfect---long purple jersey skirt, black shirt, and tan sweater.

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday gets jipped on campus because everyone wakes up excited about the vigil that night. The vigil is a super big deal on campus filled with excitement. Following Mass is the Resurrection Party until about 3 in the morning. Christ is risen and there is reason to celebrate so celebrate we do. The dress I wore I actually got right after Easter last year at Gabriel Brothers with the intention of wearing it for Easter this year. I think it is a mighty perfect Easter dress if I do say so myself. (In case you didn't know I am the one on the right.)

With many of my household brothers and sisters who stayed in town for Easter. 

Dress: Dressbarn via Gabe's
Cardigan: Old Navy
Shoes: Goodwill before nude toned shoes were in
Necklace: Christmas last year

Easter Sunday

Outfit is completely un-picture worthy considering I went to bed at 3 and woke up at 6:10 to drive home. The first thing I put on that resembled appropriate Easter clothes is what it was and it ended up being the same dress from Thursday but with a cream colored sweater. I spent the day with my immediate family and an aunt, uncle and cousin at my grandma's house. On Monday it is back to school we go because I have clinical on Tuesday.