Happy Feast of St. Francis of Assisi!

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

7 Quick (Really Quick) Takes!

1. Moving is so much easier when you're already packed up from the last move :). Mr. ADM brought up the boxes from the basement and storage and put them in one room and then put the furniture in another room. He's got a method and it's a very efficient one, so I let him do all the planning!

2. Having help is also a major plus! Thanks to all the men who are giving up a few hours of their day to help us out! Thanks also to my mother-in-law who will be taking care of Matthew and Mark and keeping them out of trouble.

3. Naptime is my favorite word of the week. I think the combination of a really hectic week and lack of routine along with the whole upheaval of moving has overwhelmed the kids (I know it's overwhelmed us!). They have been cranky and crankier all week long. Naptime is happening soon in this house today!

4. I cannot say enough good things about COCONUT OIL right now. It's really helped clear up Matthew's eczema and is good for you, so it's great to bake/cook with too! And I'm going to finally sit down and make the homemade deoderant which uses the coconut oil.

5. I am SO looking forward to decorating our new house! It's still a rental, so I can't go hog-wild, but our landlords have given us more freedom than we've had in the past with apartments we've rented and I'm SO excited! I have some crafty ideas already in my head and hopefully, I'll have the time to do these things, one by one. We shall see. Look forward to blog posts about my projects, which I have found from other blogs, of course!

6. I have begun a novena to Our Lady of Good Remedy. I've never prayed this one before, but I really like it. It's beautiful.

7. We're taking the plunge and homeschooling this year. My mom, who watches the boys when I work, has started some simple things with them and I'm hoping to be able to start up more myself once we get moved in. So much running through my mind and so many ideas and I'm SO looking forward to it! I'm also set on making the boys' play area more in the style and method of Montessori. That is the project I think I'm most excited to work on!

Have a blessed weekend! To see more Quick Takes, visit www.conversiondiary.com!

Apple Pickin'

I thought summer flowing into fall would bring a nice peace and tranquility to our lives. Summer was full of weddings, travelling, helping my parents move and juggling interviews and finding jobs. Now that fall has hit full swing (although technically not fall quite yet), our time has not gotten any less hectic. That's okay though. We say when we move next week, a routine will be set and we'll finally get that free time we have been talking about for 6 months or so.


In the midst of the chaos, we have been attempting to make Sunday the day it was meant to be, the Lord's Day. For us, this means no shopping if possible, going to Mass and then coming home to do as we please. That usually entails long naps, some computer/reading time, and a nice family dinner. However, even that can get hectic or seem to slip by without us noticing and then Monday comes back before we know it. This past Sunday, however, seemed to flow quite nicely and I felt like I could cherish the moment.


Being that we just started our new jobs, finances have been extra tight as we save up to actually live in a place on our own again. It's worth the sacrifice and we know what it is to scrimp n save, as we've been doing since the beginning of our marriage. So, when the two apple trees in my parents' yard seemed to be full of ripe fruit, ready to be picked, we seized the moment to go "apple pickin'." Matthew went apple picking for the first time last year and had a blast, so I knew Mark would love it too! We spent the afternoon picking apples and made a delicious apple crisp that night with our freshly picked apples. It was free and got a job done that my mom needed while having a wonderful family-bonding experience all in one :)! My boys love fruit (they get that from their daddy) and we're hoping (*hint hint*) that my mom will have time to make some apple sauce or teach us how to do it.

What's your favorite apple dish?

Wordless Wednesday

The Journey Never Ends

And it has only just begun.

It's been a crazy time around here and I've barely had time to breathe, much less post. I promise, dear friends, that a *real* post is in store later this week :).

God bless!

This Pretty Much Sums Up How I'm Feeling...

(Picture courtesy of my brother and his new fab camera :). Mr. 1-yo was in the sandbox, eating sand, and I looked out and told him that we don't eat sand and this is what happened ;).)

I've been running around, going non-stop since summer hit! A women's expo this weekend and down to Texas (for the first time!) for a really good friend's wedding! Then, I come home, potty-train Mr. 1-yo, and to Ohio for my brother-in-law's wedding. My, how time flies!

Big prayers for the job search as Mr. H continues to interview and tries to find a teaching job or something where he can do math all day. I've been looking as well.

Modest Is Hottest!

Hello fellow bloggers! I know, I know - it's been awhile. This month has flown right by and I've barely had time to catch my breath. With a (small) blessing in disguise, I am sick this weekend with what I think might be a stomach bug of some sort. Not really sure and it came out of nowhere, but the good news is that it's allowed me to slow down to a halting stop. My weekend full of plans went out the window and I've been doing nothing but lying in bed, catching up on my blogs and dreaming big dreams again.

While doing my blog-browsing, I've come across several really cool clothing ideas relating to modesty. Modesty has always been drilled into my head from the time I even knew what fashion was. My mom was always a big stickler for modesty and when I was a teenager I hated it. I pushed the limits and I rebelled a bit. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but at that point, I was in major selfish mode. Once I began college, that all changed. I did a 180, much to the relief of my mother. I not only made sure I dressed modestly, but I promoted it with wild abandon, because part of living a chaste life is to be a modesty queen. As the saying goes, "Modest is hottest." Men should love us for our inner beauty and should be able to appreciate our outer beauty without having to be tempted with lustful thoughts. We should embrace our feminine curves, but do so in a manner that leaves more than enough to the imagination. Don't flaunt it - save it for that one man who you'll be spending the rest of your life with - the one who will only have eyes for you.

I sometimes fall short, even now, with what I wear. It's not on purpose, but it's a constant work in progress. It's not always easy finding stylish, modest clothing today. It's definitely possible, but there are some styles out there that are so adorable, if only they had a sleeve or were 3 inches longer or were 2 inches closer to my neckline or...you get the point. So, I found a couple ideas to help "modestify" your wardrobe if you find something that needs some modesty built into it. I know I'm going to try out these ideas!


Coming from Welcome to the GOOd Life, here's a tutorial on how to "modestify your summer dress." Love it!



This is from Getti's Accessories and is the perfect solution to those tees that are a wee bit too low cut or if you're like me and have a toddler who likes to grab for the top of your shirt to use to pull down as he falls off your lap, it'll keep you from accidentally exposing yourself to the world. :)

Enjoy!