Seven Quick Takes: Suits, Prunes, Flowers, and Squid

 

1. My younger boys!  And my Sweetie! All dressed up for the Scout Suit and Tie Dinner!  They had a great time at East Pearl, a restaurant that does great sushi, Thai, and Chinese food.

We're usually pretty casual dressers around here (Choclo has kept wearing T shirts and jeans through this mild winter), so it's a bit of a surprise to see that they clean up so handsomely.

2. But it wasn't as big a surprise as discovering this quote from the back of a jar of prunes: "So go ahead, live a little, and enjoy [eating prunes]!"

I actually don't mind eating prunes.  I would go so far as to say I like prune filling in filled cookies.  But.  The only way I can think of eating prunes as a daring act of self indulgence, darned be the consequences, would be to eat the entire jar in one sitting.  Which I was not tempted towards.

3. I really liked our Lenten Video Retreat last year.  One of the difficulties as your kids get older is finding new things to help out your teens as they age out of the younger kids' Lent stuff.  Last year I posted a video a day from Fr. Mike Schmitz.  That was amazing!  But I only had enough videos because I mined his archive.

For this year I'm planning to do videos from Aquinas 101.  We actually started this a while ago, but couldn't keep up with their twice a week schedule.  I can do every day, I can do once a week, but not twice a week, go figure. Anyway, we'll be starting with #9 "The Science of Theology" on Ash Wednesday, if you want to catch up on the earlier ones.  They are usually less than 5 minutes and are a great springboard for further discussion.

Of course, you can also just sign up for it yourself, and they have lots of supplemental reading and so forth.

4. My dad turned 82!  After a really tough few months, he seems to be on the upswing again.  Thanks be to God!  And a heartfelt thank you to any readers out there who prayed (or will pray: hint, hint) for my parents' health.  I'll be saying my Rosary for you today.  I have loved having them living with us, but it was pretty scary for them get so sick so soon after moving in!



5. Spring seems to be happening.  I can't tell how much it's bizarrely early because the winter has been so mild, and how much it's bizarrely early because things have been so crazy that it feels like we just had Christmas.

Probably both.  Still, I'm loving he crocuses in the lawn and the Lenten Rose "Wedding Party."






6.This oil painting that Klenda just finished reminded me that it's Mardi Gras next week!

I need to get sausages for our annual sausage and pancake dinner.

Also, she's developing into a yet more amazing artist!

And, yes, that's her real life name, so you can follow her on Instagram.





7.We are kind of crazy about tea around here.

I was restocking my tea tins (one is caffeinated teas, one is the decaf selection).  I love having people over for tea!

Anyway, I got really anemic quite suddenly (thank you Peri Menopause) and I've been off my feet for the last couple of weeks.  My friend Bill brought me this get well tea llama!

Because as crazy as those tea tins are, they are all the teas in bags and we also have loose tea.  And as crazy as we are for tea, we are even crazier for puns!

8. BONUS TAKE!  Actual conversation yesterday.

Other Art Student: It's hard to imagine how incredibly large giant squids really are.

Klenda: Oh, I know how big they are.

Other Art Student : ...Really?

Klenda: Yes, we had a life sized one on our ceiling.  

Other Art Student: ....

Klenda: Twice.

Other Art Student: ...Were you home schooled?

More takes with Kelly!