7 Quick Takes Friday

1. I made some delicious mac & cheese last night.  It was based off of this recipe by The Pioneer Woman.  (Thanks, Alaina, for sharing the recipe!)


2. The weather is starting to change.  Yes, it's still been hitting high eighties and even the low nineties, but this morning when I left for my morning lap swimming there was a distinct chill in the air.  I almost wished I had grabbed a sweatshirt.  

3. I am so thrilled that Catherine has reached the age where she is excited to get books from the library.  Now, if I could just convince her the books in English would be easier for Mommy to read to her.  The entrance to the children's section is flanked with the "World Languages" section.  While I do want her to learn other languages I am not currently prepared to read aloud in any language other than English, and maybe an easy one in Latin.  

4. One of the great things about living just outside of DC is that we can decide to visit one of the greatest art museums in the world, The National Gallery of Art, on a whim.  Which we did on Wednesday. 

5. I am thinking of making my own ice cream.  While at a yard sale recently I was lamenting our lack of storage space, because there was a beautiful wooden ice cream maker for $5.  (Very similar to this one.)  As much as I would have loved to take it home I just didn't know where I would put it!  While browsing the internet I came across this post: Easy Ice Cream Without a Machine.  Sounds perfect for me!

6. This past weekend I was finally able to tackle a couple of household projects that I've been wanting to do!  I successfully cleaned out a closet and managed to get everything that I wanted back in NEATLY!  It is amazing, and rather odd, how happy it makes me knowing that my closet is cleaned and organized.  

7. I read two different articles this morning--one made me proud to be Catholic and the other made me sad as a human being.  "Do You Want To Spend The Rest of Your Life Changing Diapers?" (yes, it's by Jennifer of Conversion Diary--which I didn't realize at first!) is a great article reminding us of the importance of self-sacrifice.  The other, "I Wish My Mother Had Aborted Me", made me want to cry.  I firmly believe that EVERY life is sacred and an amazing gift and to read this woman say: "I am sad for both of us that she could not find the courage and selflessness (to have an abortion)" just baffles me.   The shocking juxtaposition of these two artciles, one which shows the joy in self-sacrifice and the other which belittles life, helped remind me just how lucky I am to be a Catholic.  I know that life has meaning.  Life has purpose.  A person is more than a "conglomeration of cells".  Life is beautiful.  

Be sure to visit Jen for more Quick Takes.