Our Magnum Opus

Easter 2018

Beautiful Easter Vigil Mass

 

Lent Begins

At the end of January Kevin suffered another heart attack (his first was in 2003) and underwent quadruple bypass surgery.  His recovery is going well.  He has not gone back to work or been cleared to drive yet, but those steps will happen in the next couple of weeks. 

We must make lasting dietary changes here, so that dictates our Lenten sacrifices for us.  Our goal is to eat low carb, eliminate processed foods, and incorporate the good fats in small amounts and more vegetables in larger amounts.  The hardest of all will be the process of eliminating sugar. I expect we will allow modest exceptions for birthdays and holidays, but we must plan them out and not celebrate with the excessive amounts of treats and splurges we have in the past. The Trim Healthy Mama way of eating seems to make the most sense for us.  I also plan to use many Whole 30 recipes, although I don't think I can manage a whole house Whole 30 program.  It would be a great thing to incorporate such a healthy plan for Lent as it is quite limiting, and spartan.  However it has been such a difficult and stressful time here, that I think we need some of the fun and 'treatish' types of foods in THM.  Still thinking about how to balance all this out.  I just know it has to be a whole house effort, though my super active and slimmer kids will need more carbs somewhere in the plan.

I would be so grateful for anyone's prayers in this endeavor, and for Kevin's health.

Triduum

The Altar of Repose on Holy Thursday

Lighting the Easter Candle at Easter Vigil

(Dominic among the servers)

Easter Joy

I am the Easter bunny scrooge, and I do not do special food and crafts for Holy Week.  Oh wait, we did have 'Palm' Sundaes!  Monica made sweet, little chocolate palms to garnish the sundaes.

It's all I can do to get the house clean and prepare our Easter Sunday celebration.  The important thing during Holy Week is prayer, extra Masses when we can make it, then the exhausting, joyful, amazing liturgies of the Triduum.  Those we do.

Of course, the cleaning part is not necessary for an Easter celebration, but when my mother converted to the faith many years ago a lovely, devout Catholic lady mentored her and taught her to clean the house from top to bottom during Holy Week.  When I was a kid, we CLEANED during Holy Week.  The cleaning I do doesn't even come close to the cleaning we did in my childhood.  But it's still an essential part of my Holy Week.  LOL

me trying to catch a kid with the camera

the big boys watching and chuckling at Mom running around trying to get the right camera angel (they did do the whole egg hunt job for me so they can chuckle all they want)

the chef

Monica prepared most of our Easter Dinner.  The first course was watercress soup.  Followed by ham, lamb, a potato/herb tart, roasted asparagus and southern cornmeal/chive biscuits.

dessert was her amazing coconut cake

 

He is risen and we are His!

 

 

"Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return."

Holy Week is Upon Us

I love Holy Week.  It's not like the end of Advent when mom's are crazily trying to finish creating all that Christmas magic and Christmas food and trying to be spiritually prepared.  We keep the Easter baskets and food pretty simple here.  In fact I am truly an Easter bunny scrooge.  The focus is strongly on the Triduum and walking through it quietly with our Lord. 

In theory.

Palm Sunday was the schola concert.  The middle and high school kids still have finals on Wednesday.  Monica works. I have a funeral to attend this week.  Kevin has to make the trek to VA to get the college boys.  (They could hang out on campus but we want to see them for Easter.)  Never in my childhood did Good Friday arrive with our house not thoroughly cleaned.  So sometime this week, We. Are. Going. To. Clean. House. 

In the meantime, the scola concert was balm for the soul.  Truly beautiful.

 

 

Easter 2013

 the Easter Vigil

Regina, Dominic, Maria and Lydia

preparing to recess after the Vigil Mass

little girls at the Alleluia breakfast

so much laughter and joy

big girls at the Alleluia breakfast

the Easter Morning sugar rush :)  (the Easter bunny mom is quite the hero for bringing The Hobbit and everyones very own, personal can of Pringles)

 

It's Everything

Easter Eggs

The Crucifixion