Lent - 2012

It's a few days into the Lenten Season. This year I'm doing a couple of things. I gave up Facebook, and I went back to church.

I stopped really going to church a few years ago. I could go into all the reasons I made that choice, but it all really comes down to one thing - I lost my sense of "home" in the Church. Over the years I've visited other churches, other denominations, and nothing ever seemed to fit. Now, I live about 2 minutes away from a church that I went to briefly in middle school when we wanted to go to mass in Spanish. Over the last couple of weeks I felt that I needed to go. I haven't had that desire in a long time. Last Sunday I went back to church.... It still wasn't the "home" feeling I was looking for, but it felt nice to be in a familiar place with the familiar rhythm of the mass. They even sang my favorite hymn after communion. 

Giving up, or at least letting up, on Facebook is something I've been thinking about for a while. I've become too concerned with it. My fingers automatically search for the app on my phone or type the URL on my browser. I do what everyone else does on it - I see what everyone else is doing. I don't want to be that person. I want to focus on what I'm doing, what the people around me are doing. I was getting to a point where I took it personally when I wasn't included in something or if no one "liked" a post. It was really ridiculous. So, for at least the next 40 ish days I won't be getting on Facebook. I will be focusing on me, my relationship with God, my relationship with my husband, and my relationship with my family and friends.

So far, so good. I'm looking forward to mass in the morning, to hearing the readings and the homily, and to singing the hymns. As for Facebook, I'm okay not getting on it, but it does make me nervous sometimes to think that my absence will go unnoticed or that some who I thought were closer friends will not follow through without such ease of seeing my every move with the click of a button. We'll see. 

I'm very much looking forward to a meaningful Lenten Season!

Scarf Alternatives

So what's the deal with cowls? I never really got them. I thought they were kinda awkward and not nearly as cute as a scarf. But, with the weather being so nice lately (the last week or so excluded) I wanted to find something that still made me feel warm and cozy without being too bulky or hot in 70+ degree weather.

My first venture into this area is a t-shirt necklace. I used a couple of old t-shirts, cut them into long strips which I braided, twisted, and some just left as is. I sewed the ends together and wrapped a sleeve around the ends which I sewed into place. And voila!

please excuse the awkward smile in the picture. thx. :)

Next, I made my first cowl. I made it as a gift for my mother-in-law and forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to her. I guess I'll have to make another! What I liked about the cowl once it was all said and done is the simplicity of it. It's still functional for those cool days when a thick/full scarf would be too much while being less fuss. The only thing I dislike about scarves is when they hang down and get caught on something or fall off your shoulder, etc. A cowl eliminates these problems. I still think scarves are cuter overall, but I think I get the cowl now a bit better.

Meet the Newest Quinlan: Ripley!

Saturday morning, Tim and I tool Voltron to Petsmart to get groomed. It just so happened that the Augusta-Richmond County Animal Services was having their weekly adoption drive there. We've been talking about getting another dog for a while now. Voltron has grown up with other dogs, and we both really want him to have someone to play with. So we decided to start looking for a dog that fit us.

In front of the store they had multiple pens filled with super cute lab puppies - all crazy adorable, but would grow into dogs bigger than we were looking for. Inside they had an aisle of dogs in crates. Most of them were medium sized puppies... And then there was Ripley. She is about 2 years old, a beagle mix. She was brought to the shelter as a stray. We walked her around the store and she was very calm and sweet, stayed right by our sides the whole time. She fit all our criteria and was super cute as well! So, I picked out a pink collar and leash, Tim filled out some paper work, and off we went home!

Later, when I brought Voltron home after picking him up from getting all dolled up, the meeting didn't go quite how we had hoped. Both dogs didn't really know what to make of each other. They sniffed each other, followed each other around, and pushed each other out of the way when vying for attention. Today, they were more interactive with each other, but Voltron definitely has "new baby" syndrome. They're starting to get used to each other - how they play, the noises they make in response to different things, etc. Ripley kinda talks in her sleep which really confuses Voltron and Voltron makes a small growling noise when playing tug-of-war which Ripley doesn't understand. But bit by bit they're getting to know each other and getting closer. Here's hoping they'll be running around the yard playing together soon!!!!