#7QT: Forget Multi-Tasking!

Friday? It's Friday? Again?! (Just kidding, it's Saturday now.) Hi-ya to Jen and Co.!

ONE

I was complaining at my more recent inability to multi-task well, and Laura sent me this:

Thanks for this wisdom, Laura!

Which ties in a bit to the next few...

TWO

Okay, Syria. This has been on my heart and mind so much. Today is the a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria. I can't fast, but Will and I are going to confession and mass today.

There have been interesting articles posted around, explaining the conflict in Syria, and it's just tragic. But Syria is not the only place in the world when horrible crimes are being committed against its citizens, and the hubris of our government to think that they have a moral obligation to "right the wrongs" abroad when our own country is crippled by our abortion rates, the sex trafficking happening right under our noses, the ridiculous war on drugs which sounds good but is causing more violence and crime, the callousness towards anyone attempting to live in a counter-cultural way and the want to conform our country to one standard (be it in education or mores) is truly disturbing.

Syria has not attacked us. Syria's peace crisis is not going to be solved by another country attacking them and then forcing them into a peace treaty. The devastation of war in the 20th century are multiple examples of that. In the peace treaties following WWI, the humiliation of Germany (an ally, not even an aggressor) was a direct contributor and catalyst to the renewal of pride in being German, the so many closed eyes to wrongs done by the National Socialist Party and its leaders, and the death of millions of innocent people across the European and Pacific theaters.

Hubris can be a greater evil if we allow pride to dictate our power over others.

THREE

The USCCB has written to the President and Congress, following Pope Francis' call for peace. I haven't yet, but I'll be writing too. Pro-life means valuing ALL LIVES. War is not the answer. The end does not beget the means.

Contact your Congressmen. Let's really start keeping people accountable.

FOUR

Okay, fluffy part now. I am in love with Shutterfly. Huggies gave me a "free book" for being a "new mommy" so I made a wedding book, because the offer expires on September 28, and the baby is due on September 24. No way I could make a baby book before then, and I reeeeally wanted to make a wedding book before the deluge of baby pictures come rolling in.

It came last night.

I texted this to my sister last night. 

I love it so much.

My favorite page with my sister's MOH speech.

She's fuuuuuunny.

They're having another general deal for the end of summer - one free 8x8 book with the code "SUMMERBOOK" - hop on it, y'all!

FIVE

I am a list girl. Before Baby arrives, I want to have my chore list established and my pantry list in working order, as well as our finances and passwords in one location so Will can contribute to the process. On a larger scale, I think this is going to be a big step for me in not micro-managing.

My current list!

Also, on a personal question level, does one ever get used to taking care of the majority of the housework, cleaning, errands?! Will helps out when I ask, but I have to be specific because I don't think he notices a majority of the messes I am obsessing over... Maybe that's why I fit this job description better.

{He can also memorize a ridiculous amount of information and comprehends it all - which I really only benefit from when I have a pregnancy woe or when we're watching a t.v. show and someone has the flu, and the doctor says they're running low on antibiotics, or something like that. Laugh laugh laugh - the flu is a virus! You can't cure it with an antibiotic!}

Another question: I know chores is a constant adaptation to one's surroundings, but how does you stick to your goals? I tend to get side-tracked by other jobs (which perhaps ties into the first part - struggling with multi-tasking!)...

SIX

One perk of an OB's office are all the adorable baby announcements one gets to look at while waiting for the doctor to come in the room. Since my baby is due in 17 days, I've been thinking more seriously on this. I also don't want to wait to see if it's going to be a boy or girl when deciding... I've been thinking of a New Orleans onesie!

I found this one at a local store, Fleurty Girl:

Thoughts? I'll probably keep looking around, and buy one by next weekend.

SEVEN

Fun links:

• Performing Shakespeare’s plays with their original English accent - um, very cool.
• 10 Things I Love About Flannery O’Connor - hearts, glitter and puffy paint galore! Me too, Haley.
• Cormac McCarthy's words matched with music at Literary JukeBox - a side project of BrainPickings; love.

Happy weekend!

Creative Minority Report!

In the rural hills of Tennessee, it's been raining all day, so I've been writing letters and posts, reading books, and watching the endless number of checkers games between various members of my family. (Another perk of a big family: so many contenders!)

I, of course, found a way to pick up the internetz and wandered over to my blog. Once there, I found I was getting traffic from one of my favorite blogs, Creative Minority Report. Not that I mind, but my curiosity was piqued.


Heidi says, inquiring minds want to know!


That's when I found the source of the increased traffic: CMR has picked up my blog and put it under their "Some of Our Favorites" section.

Pat and Matt, I'm geeking out. Truly honored. Thanks, guys!

And to everyone else who lists me and whom I've failed to give personal shout-out to: I know who you are, and I thank you. It's so rewarding having such great folks to write for!

Here are five more things to geek out about:

1. I'm meeting B.'s entire extended family tomorrow. On our way home from Tenneessee, we were going to stop by and have dinner with his immediate family. Now, the entire extended family is in town to visit before the end of summer/ school starts. In fairness, my immediate family about doubles his, so now it's a bit more evened out/ my family will be outnumbered for once.

2. My brother turned 19 a few days ago. There was a birthday party for a little boy at the table next to us, so after we loudly (obnoxiously) sang happy birthday to him, this older lady came over and sweetly asked who was having a birthday. Mikey said it was him, and the lady gave him two pieces of cake and a happy birthday napkin. Now, isn't that Southern hospitality!


Mike wore the napkin as a hat, obviously - what else are napkins for?


3. Fellow upholders of good grammar, behold- my friend Z. sent this to me today: "The Alot is Better Than You At Everything" by Hyperbole and a Half.



Who needs a grammar nazi when you've got an ALOT?



Lookin' good!



4. The Post Office has new American Scientist stamps. I bought two sheets and am celebrating by writing letters to friends. The stamps feature four scientists:

--Severo Ochoa (biochemist): first to synthesize RNA and complete the race to decipher the genetic code)

--Maria Goeppert Mayer (physicist): developed a theoretical model that helped explain the structure of the atomic nucleus)

--Asa Gray (botonist): one of the first professional botanists in the U.S., where he advanced the specialized field of plant geography) and

--Melvin Calvin (chemist): the first scientist to trace in detail the process of photosynthesis AND conducted pioneering reseach using plants as an alternative energy source).

I like being on vacation, I like new stamps and I like having time to write letters! I've been naughty about sending them, especially in these past two months since coming back to Asia. When's the last time you've written someone an honest-to-goodness handwritten letter? Go write one and then support another monopolistic branch of the government: they're millions of dollars of debt and only commercialized holidays and avid epistolary communication can save them now!

5. In a strange turn of events, my baby sister and I were researching chocolate and found out that chocolate was not invented in its solid form until 1847. Does anyone else remember the scene in Ever After where the prince gives the girl a piece of chocolate and said it was from monks? LIES, HOLLYWOOD. And bad history.

Exactly one month till I leave for Germany with my sister Kato. Oh, another game of Crazy Eights is starting. Ciao!