What We Wore Sunday + A Memorable Moment

Linking this post with Fine Linen and Purple.

Summer heat has arrived big time! My family had such a nice time Sunday morning going to breakfast at a charming neighborhood patio, taking a long walk to admire the beautiful gardens in the streets around St. Gregory's, and then a beautiful Mass as always. Since choir is on hiatus for the summer, I even get the pleasure of my husband's company during Mass and some help keeping Ryan quiet!

Speaking of Ryan...he put on probably the funniest show I've seen out of him yet in his 14 months of life. When we walked to the back of church after Mass, he spotted the table with a stack of Catholic newspapers on top. He stood up on his little tip-toes and grabbed the top paper, then toddled confidently over to where the priest was talking with a parishioner and shoved the paper into Father's hand. He then proceeded to return to the table, reach to the top of the stack, grab the topmost paper, and walk it over to the priest, about 15 times, until the whole stack was gone. By the time he got to the fifth or sixth paper, he had quite a crowd gathered around! He was really sure that Father Paul needed those papers.

Elizabeth, bless her, cantored both Masses Sunday morning. We did find a second to snap this photo while my son was busy delivering his newspapers!

I don't have specifics for these outfits right now, but summer dress season it is!

What We Wore Sunday + Sunday Best

We were both at the same Mass this week, so we got a photo together!! Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple and Camp Patton!



:: Elizabeth ::

Can I confess something? I can only very rarely recount what happened in a homily. I feel awful about it, but try as I might, I can barely remember the homily by the time I'm walking out of Mass. Maybe it stems from being raised in a church where we had Bibles out, and pens to take notes on the bulletin during sermons? Anyway, it's inexcusable, and I need to get better. Have any of you ever struggled with homilamnesia? How did you get over it?

This is all to say that I have nothing thoughtful to offer in terms of Mass reflections, so let's just get to the fluffy stuff, eh?

Cardigan: LOFT
Cami: Pea in the Pod (nursing)
Skirt: Lands End
Wedges: Anne Klein Sport

Mass grade for Anne: A+ (she hung out with Daddy while I sang, and I didn't hear a peep!)

:: Kathleen ::

Dress: Ann Taylor
Sandals: Guess

What I Wore Sunday + Sunday Best

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple and Camp Patton!

We were out in the suburbs to see my sister-in-law's new apartment today, and we did Mass and brunch suburbia-style (by which I mean we drove a lot... haha). Her new place is lovely, and I'm super excited to have her close!

I've been being hit over the head with similar messages of self-gift this week, both in my DIY retreat and in the readings this morning. I'm still working to boil down my thoughts into a reflection about the retreat, so stay tuned; I am learning a lot, and feel like I'm being stretched outside my comfort zone. But the idea of the loaves and fishes this morning was right in the theme. God is never outdone in generosity; He asks us to give everything we have, which seems like such a risk, doesn't it? But then he multiplies and multiplies and multiplies what we give to Him, and amazingly, the leftovers measure more than we had to start with!

Working on faith to trust that in my life; somehow, it's still not easy.

The outfit this week (why is it so chilly?):

T-shirt: Target

Jacket: Old Navy

Scarf: Target

Skirt: Target (Maternity)

Sandals: Papillio (Birkenstock) via Zulily

Jewelry courtesy of a girl I used to babysit :-)

Props to my husband for getting my girl to smile for the camera!

Mass behavior:

Anne: A. She tolerated being passed around to grandparents & aunt like an absolute champ, and then actually nursed with some focus; at almost 7 months it is getting realllllllly hard to hold this girl's attention unless we are at home, and when she's hungry and distracted she is not that fun.

What I Wore Sunday, and Reflections on Corpus Christi

Linking up for this post with Fine Linen and Purple!

Today's Gospel of the loaves and fish was a familiar one, but the homily gave me a brand-new way of looking at it which makes it so relevant to all of us. The choir's Alleluia was resounding and beautiful, setting the stage for a powerful reading. In the homily, the priest asked us to consider what it takes to really appreciate a dining experience, as opposed to just eating to get it over with, and one of the elements he mentioned was preparation for all aspects of the meal. The challenge was to prepare our hearts for the Banquet that we receive at each Mass, so as to receive the fullness of grace in the Eucharist. Such a simple message, but one that I needed to hear. How often do I walk into Mass quickly, huffing and puffing with a diaper bag in one arm and a toddler in the other, thanking my lucky stars we arrived in one piece (my husband sings every week and has to arrive early, so Ryan and I make our way to Mass on our own). Preparation isn't usually at the forefront of my mind these days, but it should be. This hour in Mass is the most important hour of the week! So, thank you, Father, for reminding me of such a fundamental truth.

On a cute note, Ryan sat on the floor, turning the pages of the hymnal and singing "aaaaahhhh". Every once in awhile he'd stop to find his Dad in the choir, point triumphantly, and shout "Dada!". I still lose it every time. His joy is a sight to behold!

Now, for what I wore (I don't shop much, but this is pretty typical of what I can scrounge up in my closet):

Sweater: Express
Tank: Gilligan & O'Malley
Skirt: Merona by Target
Sandals: Kelly & Katie from DSW