Behold: it was awesome

seeing friends from church, school, online, college, and every day

all the ladies dressed so cute with boots, skirts, scarves, necklaces

the coconut cream pie

Marie Miller singing "Be Thou My Vision" at Mass

Bishop Jenky's homily

confession

adoration

coffee

the hummus and pita chips

babies and nuns and pregnant women and grandmothers and sisters and women celebrating and women grieving

500+ women singing together


Today was the Behold Conference and it was awesome. Later I will share more of the day with you, though I did tweet and gram it there is so much more to tell you.  But now it is time for bed.

Blessings to you all!

7QT for my 7 in 7

1 - My friend Alisha asked if I'd ever included this song in my 7QT, because obviously it is so good and deserves a spotlight.

Alisha used to live 20 minutes away but now she's in Louisiana. However we're attending The Edel Gathering together and I don't know what I'm more excited about: seeing her or the conference.


2 - Instagram. I'm on it. I don't have the little camera button with my other social media buttons but it'll be coming. If you're there let me know so I can follow you!


3 - Today begins the Behold Conference weekend. I'm so excited. Kendra is coming. And Molly. And Mother Assumpta, Diedre, Marie, Nancy, Katie, and so many more.

Tonight is a special gathering for bloggers and then later a speakers' reception. I'm going to both and I'm planning on wearing my black heels.

Also, I plan on tweeting and graming the conference so you can follow along if you want. #behold2014


4 - Did I tell you that I finally got Travis to watch Doctor Who and he loved it? Well I did, he did, and now we both want t-shirts that say "The angels have the phone box." Here's some Doctor Who pins I loved.

5 - Speaking of Doctor Who and Edel. Do you think these shoes could win me the contest?

6 - True or false: Women dress for women.
Tonight, along with my heels, I'll be wearing a cute shirt and my red lipstick. If I could do the Dutch braid crown I would totally rock that, too. If I dressed like that to go somewhere with Travis he would ask me, "You're wearing that? Is it okay if I just wear this?"


7 - After months of trying to arrange something with our budget and a homeschooled teen we know from church I finally have a mother's helper. 12-3:30 every Friday. She plays with the kids and right now she's vacuuming the stairs so I can type this.

Live from Granville! and this week's menu

I'm joining Jen for the blogger challenge of posting every single day this week. Hold on to your hats, boys and girls, it's gonna be a fun, full week!

Actually, this weekend is the Behold Conference so just in case I need to cheat a little bit at the end I thought I'd post today as well.

That's how we do.

Also, in case anyone lives in the northern part of central Illinois I will I will be speaking at Sacred Heart Parish in Granville, Illinois Wednesday, March 5th . Everyone is welcome to attend and there is no charge.

There will be Mass at 6pm at the church (it's Ash Wednesday) and then my talk will follow in the parish hall at 7pm. I will be sharing JF's story of the alleged miracle and I'll be talking about Fulton Sheen and his cause for canonization.

What? You can't come? But you'd love to have me speak at your parish / mom's group / Bible study / youth group / dinner table? Well let's talk about it. I am currently booking dates for late spring through the fall.


Speaking of dinner tables... Here's what's for supper at our house this week:

Sunday: Brinner (bacon, pancakes, eggs, and cinnamon roll bread)
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie (I have a lot of partially used bags of frozen veggies)
Tuesday: Venison Meatloaf with sweet potato mash and green beans
Wednesday: Sloppy Joes, hummus, chips, and carrot sticks
Thursday: Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice, stir fry veggies, and fresh pineapple
Friday: Pasta with olive oil, salt and pepper, with veggies
Saturday: Chicken nuggets and frozen pizza (I'll be at Behold!)


What about you? What's for supper at your house?

Watch, Read, Listen

Good morning. I can't sleep so let's blog!

First:
My good friends at the Behold Conference held a contest for a free registration to the March 1st conference. Go watch the videos, hear what real women have to say about Behold and then vote for your favorite! I know the winner will appreciate it!
And then register so we can hang out together at the conference! I know a handful of other great bloggers who will be there and it would be awesome if YOU could be too!


Second:
Some good clicks around the internet include
Kathryn kicking off her series on how to choose and afford Catholic school. I'll be back for more.
Rachel has the absolute best summaries of Downton. So unlike me.
Jessica has a whole new look at her blog - which I love! (You read Housewifespice, right? You should, especially if you're bookish. Which I pretend to be because I once was.)
Haley is helping us out by giving us pointers on how to celebrate Candlemas, and what it even is in the first place.
Kendra once again writes a piece where she takes something that most of us do, steps it up a notch, gives it a clever title, and is awesome.


Third:
Here's three songs I recently learned about that I'm really loving at the moment. Just thought I'd pass them along to you in case you too have been stuck in a musical rut lately.

Seven Quick Takes

1 - I have this thing for stompy, clappy, sing-a-long songs. This one nicely fits the bill.


2 - So I'm going to the 2014 Behold Conference in East Peoria, IL on March 1st. Anyone else?

I'm really looking forward to Mother Assumpta and Like Mother, Like Daughter's Deirdre. Marie Miller will be back again, which makes me super happy too.

If you register before December 6th you can save $15. And, if like me, $60 is still a bit too much for your budget you can apply for a scholarship, like me. (Having scholarships is one of the things that makes Behold so nice, I think. The women who are planning it know that many of the women who want to come are moms with mouths to feed and budgets to watch.) 

I know I was really excited when Jen and Hallie announced their Texas party-conference but since the availability is so limited and the expense of travel and all is so great I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high of being able to attend.

SO! I'm wondering if any bloggers or any of my blog readers would want to come to Peoria a day early and we could plan our own little party. Maybe at my house, maybe at a restaurant... Then the next morning we can pray, sing, worship, learn, and be together at the conference. Would anyone be game for that?  

And then if I do end up getting to go to Texas, well, boo-yah for me!

And now go register for Behold and boo-yah for both of us!

3 - This week Hallie included the book Victorian Secrets in her Five Favorites post. And maybe, just maybe, I looked into wearing a tight-lacing corset. What?! 


4 - Really switching gears here... Fulton Sheen's unofficial feast day is coming up (he entered into eternal life - aka died - on December 9th). To celebrate and to hopefully build support for his canonization I'm going to be dedicating the first week of Advent to Sheen. I have some guest posts coming in from fellow Sheen lovers and another Knot Bad video with my friend Katie as a guest. She'll be the Charlotte Wu to my Lizzie Bennet.

Then on December 9th everyone can join us in praying for Sheen's canonization
and then we'll all celebrate his feast
and then the Holy Spirit will urge Pope Francis to look into Sheen's cause's progress
and then on the 10th he'll read about my son's alleged miracle
and then MERRY CHRISTMAS! Christ is born and we got a miracle!

It could totally go down that way - fyi.


5 - My brother-in-law works as a farmhand (which always makes me think of Lurvy from Charlotte's Web) and he invited us to come up and ride with him during harvest.

I did not grow up on a farm, but our house was on the outer loop of a subdivision that sat next to a field. The field was farmed by my dad's cousin and so twice a year we would hear the combine and run outside, the kitchen's screen door slamming behind us as we yelled, "Tim's in the combine! Let's go for a ride!" I loved doing that and so riding with my brother-in-law was really a lot of fun.

It made me grateful for two things: living where I do and having such wonderful in-laws.


6 - So it finally happened: someone was mean to L. After school earlier this week L climbed into her car seat and said, "So-and-so hurt my feelings today." It was nothing really - a small incident where a little kid said something not really knowing it would hurt - but it still made my heart sad to hear the pain in her voice.


7 - Haley an Daniel Stewart from Carrots for Michaelmas wrote a book!

It's on sale right now for $4.99!

It's one part real foods cookbook and one part reflections on living the liturgical seasons in the home.

I was lucky enough to get a preview copy of it and, people, it is so great. 

The photos are beautiful and the essays written by Daniel and Haley are really lovely. They do a great job of telling their story, sharing their thoughts, and doing it in a way that we're all being brought into "the know". This isn't a book just for Catholics, or for people who eat healthy. The Stewarts really are excellent writers and as they invite us to their table and show us their lives they also explain the whys and hows. 

And I must confess, I am often really intimidated by healthy eaters, paleo diet people, organic-only, no red dye, gluten-free, sugar-free people. Honestly I thought that I wouldn't connect with their meals, their food, their celebrations, their recipes. 

But I was wrong. First, Haley and Daniel are not the ridiculous eaters I thought they were, but they do try to use real foods. Looking at their recipes I saw that most of the ingredients were things we eat, food I have around the house. I was actually excited to see these new, yummy ways to prepare the food in a healthy way.

I bet you want the book too now, don't you?

Well come back here on Monday for a chance to win. That's right, folks, we're giving one away to a lucky winner! Woo-hoo!

(Feast! is an ebook available in PDF form.)

And, as always, thanks to Jen for hosting!

7 Quick Takes

1 - Gosh I really love this song. And I'm totally impressed that Walk Off the Earth is capable of more than just playing one guitar and covering Gotye. Stupid me for thinking they were a one hit wonder.


2 - I found another treat that JF can eat. It also happens to be one of my favorite things:

 Rice Krispie treats. Holy cow those things are amazing!

Anyways, we've long known that marshmallows are safe for JF, as are Rice Krispies. Then, at the suggestion of my online (and in-real-life) friends I made them with coconut oil. I'll even tell you a secret, the coconut oil above tasted coconut-y and it made the RKTs even better. Oh my gosh.

Anyways, YAY for one more treat that is nut, dairy, and egg free! And thanks to all the friends who suggested coconut oil!


3 - This:

is a lesson I learned from the executive director of the Behold Conference. Not that she ever sat down and told me, "Bonnie, this is what a mature, adult, sincere apology looks like: I'm sorry; it's my fault; what can I do to make it right?" but she did model it for me over and over again. When she apologized to me, when she helped me "script" conversations I'd need to have with others, when she apologized to others she always said some variation of those three things. Even when her fault was tiny compared to the fault of the other. Even when the other never apologized back.

Learning that lesson is one of the many ways that Behold helped me grow in virtue and become a better woman. Sometimes I really miss working on Behold. I can't wait for March 2014 so I can attend the conference and be a part of it again.


4 - As many of you know I lost my first child when I was about five weeks pregnant. If you've ever lost a baby I know you know how painful it was and is, even though after all these years I have some peace.

Because of my miscarriage I am so very grateful for my friend RyAnne's efforts to help grieving parents. RyAnne's first child, Caleb, was stillborn and in her grief she found a way to honor her son and bring peace to the minds, souls, and hearts of parents who were walking in the same shoes she was walking in.

If you have lost a child during pregnancy or infancy I encourage you to attend the A Mother's Love retreat on Saturday, July 27th at St. Philomena's in Peoria, IL. Meals are provided, it is open to couples and is free of charge. Please register with RyAnne by emailing [email protected]. Also, please note that while it is done from a Catholic perspective it is open to parents of all faith backgrounds. You can also find more information at RyAnne's blog, Good Grief!


5 -So Travis and I bought a dump and have been fixing it up slowly. So we kinda pulled a Dwija but we actually knew what we were getting ourselves into. Mostly - we mostly knew.

I don't have a good picture of what the backyard used to look like but you can kinda get a sense from these two pictures.

Grass doesn't grow, but weeds do!

Our house was first a house and then each level was an apartment that seemingly half of my town lived in at one point or another. Eventually we got rid of the upstairs apartment's entryway and toilet.

And then we dreamed of the day we could put in a patio and flower beds. It took years but it finally happened.

Travis worked his butt off getting everything level, building the forms, and whatnot.

His brother, dad, and uncle came down to help and after a few hours of hard work it was done.

The next day Travis cleaned up the flower beds, laid down some mulch, and we are finally to a place where we can enjoy our backyard.

The kids and I even had some pool time the other day.

See that tree? That tree shades the whole patio all day long. It's perfect.

And the stairs that lead to the back porch used to end at the back of the house. Now the porch ends there, making things so much safer and nicer and better. 

And we still have a bit of work to do, some more mulch to lay, patio furniture to arrange, and bushes and hostas and flowers to buy and plant. But in the meantime it's still so great.

And look - no more toilets! 

Good job, Trav. Well done, babe.

6 - We had a good couple of hours outside the other day. Until suddenly I was just done (that happens a lot when I'm pregnant) and I made the kids go inside for naps and quiet time. But I was still "World's Best Mom" that day because I actually even put my suit on too. It's the little things.

7 - And here's a joke.

Thanks, Jen for hosting!

7 Quick Takes

1 - I am really drawn to this song.  It was a very similar sentiment that carried me through losing Peter and the early days with JF.  I already knew God was good and my current circumstances weren't going to change that fact.  I'm glad that this song is getting airplay (at least in Central Illinois it is) because I think just about everyone can relate to the words.

2 - Travis bought me tulips the other night. Not because I deserved them or anything just because he loves me and knew I had just experienced a very long day.

 I know I shouldn't really complain because my kids are pretty entertaining.

And even pouting faces can be SO stinkin cute!

3 - Tonight is the Coffee & Chocolate Night - an evening event where Behold Conference volunteers are persuaded to participate by giving them loads of chocolate as payment.  They're also introduced to information about the forthcoming conference. 

In case you missed it, I am not helping with the Behold Conference anymore.  It was hard to walk away from it (like really, really hard) but I felt I needed to in order to better concentrate on having all kinds of babies and a couple of other projects God has sent my way. 

Organizing a conference like Behold was actually a dream of mine from college but one I thought I'd never be able to accomplish.  I am so grateful for the role I played in the first three Beholds and I really hope God will call me back to it in a few years.  But in the meantime I may just go to the Coffee & Chocolate Night so I can eat my heart out and vote for Edith Stein as the patron saint for the 2014 conference.

4 - Who do you thinks gonna win the mug?  pickmepickmepickmeitshouldbemepickme!

5 - A Pinterest find that I wanted to share is this sweet and sour chicken recipe.  I've made it several times for supper and there's never been leftovers.  To make it JF-friendly I prep the chicken with salt and pepper, coat the meat in only the cornstarch and then fry it.  No eggs, dairy, or nuts means the whole family can eat the same meal! I always serve it with broccoli or a bag of frozen stir fry veggies, some rice, and some fruit.  We love it.

6 - Could you all please spare a prayer for me?  There's a couple of special intentions that really need an abundance of prayers.

7 - Travis and I are eagerly awaiting our tax refund.  We've discussed how we'll spend the money with tithing and new socks for the Engstrom family.  Hey - go big or go home.

a busy life means a new calling

I know awhile ago I mentioned that something is brewing in my life.  Actually, there's a lot of changes happening in my life right now and I'm really excited about all of them.  This Fall has been a busy one for us - four kids, Travis is pursuing his masters, lots of opportunities to develop my writing at Ignitum Today and other places, speaking engagements, meeting/speaking/working with many of my favorite Catholic celebrities, etc.  Great things - but they keep us busy!

With all of these blessings I have realized that God was no longer asking me to serve Him through the Behold Conference.  Believe me, it is with a lot of sadness that I give my role of Assistant Director back to Him, but I know that He knows best.  Rose and the rest of the Behold volunteers have been working on all kinds of exciting things to develop the ministry and I am 100% certain that their beautiful, fun plans are guided by the Holy Spirit.

I know that the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to help found Behold Catholic Women's Ministries and the Behold Conference.  He has definitely been generous to me as the work allowed me to collaborate with wonderful, fun, devout women throughout central Illinois and meet heroes of mine like Jennifer Fulwiler, Teresa Tomeo, and Kate Wicker.

At the next conference I will be sitting in the audience, taking it all in, cheering on my friends, and thanking God for Behold.  Maybe we can sit by each other?

unable to communicate - so laugh

My introverted self is waaaay over stimulated after this past, glorious weekend.  Behold was fantastic, and I'm still processing everything.  I have pretty much retreated, and since I don't even have any pictures to post I'll show you this, The Fresh Prince of Downton Abbey.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Hat tip to Lisa for sharing the goodness with me in the first place.

7 Quick Takes a little late

1 - This is a bit of an odd song, but one that I've loved for a long time.  I hope you like it, too.

2 - In case you missed Rose and my live television interview here is the link for CatholicTV's This Is the Day.  We begin around 8:10.  We were supposed to Skype in so I actually used the blow dryer.  Ben had to ask what it was, that's how infrequently it is used.  And then no one saw my nice hair.  Oh well.

3 - A little while ago I asked to borrow a maternity dress for the Behold Conference.  I put the request up on Facebook and about a week later I had about 9 new-to-me dresses and several tunics/shirts to wear for the rest of the pregnancy.  Facebook - I love you!  (When I don't hate you and the way you suck the life out of me.)

4 - I have this sorta cheesy book - The One Hundred Greatest Poems.  I got it when I was in college and loved it then.  But after college I was so tired of reading that I barely read for, well, for years.  But recently I picked it back up because it would be simple and a no-commitment read.  But instead I've fallen back in love with a lot of the poems and I am hungry to read more.  I like how they demand to be read slowly, weighing the significance of each word.  It's very different from the majority of the articles, blogs, and simple books I've been reading the last few years.

5 - My favorite, I think, is Dulce Et Decorum Est.  Maybe you read it years ago in some Brit Lit class.  Read it.  The end is the best.

6 - All of yesterday and today I've been praying for my friends R and N.  R was induced today and I keep checking to see if she's had their baby yet.  Please say a prayer for them, too, please.  It's been a long, hard, emotional journey for them.

7 - The registration deadline for the Behold Conference is coming up, ladies - March 1st!  Make sure you register - scholarships are still available if money is making you hesitate.  The day is going to be so phenomenal - I sincerely hope you can be a part of it.  And, if any of you bloggity people out there come please introduce yourself!  I'd love to meet some of my blogosphere friends!

7 quick takes

1 - Thank you, Pandora Radio, for the above song.  About a minute into it sounds like something off the Graceland album.  And that is such a good album.  mmm-mmmm.  (That was a Lady Blacksmith Mambazo impression from "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" in case you missed it.)

2 - I have been very emotional lately.  Pregnancy hormones are to blame, of course.  So are memories of the NICU.  I was asked to be part of a panel suggesting improvements for the cooling therapy and communication with / integration of families.  Making my Top Ten list had me sobbing, so clearly there are still some things I haven't dealt with yet.  I think, though, that doing this panel will make me feel better as I work through different situations.  Hoping.

3 - I baked an apple pie yesterday because I just wanted an apple pie.  It was a good decision.  So what if dinner was late?  Nothing is better than warm apple pie on a hopeless day.

4 - In exciting news Betty Duffy is coming to the Behold Conference.  Betty Duffy!  Love her!  So see, there's one more reason why you should make the drive and come!  Come!  You can register right now if you want.  I'll wait for you to come back so we can finish these quick takes.


5 - For a long time JF was afraid of stairs.  He managed to get stuck on the bottom on a few times (while I was upstairs showering) and then he just avoided them for a long time.  However, I've been working with him on doing stairs since the baby will be here soon and we need to get this done!  So I'm very happy to say that yesterday he just took off and walk-crawled all the way up the stairs to the second story.  He did it perfectly and we were all proud - most especially him.  The baby gate has come back out.

6 - Today I'm buying tickets for the local JJ Heller - Audrey Assad show.  So excited!

7 - Travis is going out of town tomorrow to do some work on a friends cabin.  We need money, badly, so the arrangement will have to work of pregnant me + 2 -3 kids who do not sleep through the night, all alone.  You can pray for me.  You can also hire Travis to do handyman jobs or renovations at your house, especially if you live 40 mins or less away.  We can all win.

7 quick takes

1 - I like David Crowder's voice.  A little raspy.  And then I like even more that it comes out of this thin little man with ridiculous hair.  There's been some buzz about DCB's newest album, mostly because the Protestant band's latest album is called Give Us Rest (A Requiem Mass in C - The Happiest of All Keys).  I don't know why people are so upset about them calling C the happiest of keys... 
 
Oh, or maybe because people are afraid he's going the way Rich Mullens and Audrey Assad went - to Rome.  Shoot.

2 - Do you listen to Relevant Radio?  Usually I don't - especially in the mornings.  But when I get a tip on a good show I like to dig around in the archives.  Today's Morning Air is one show I dug around for.  The second hour features Msgr Deptula from my Diocese talking about Archbishop Sheen.  The third hour features Kate Wicker talking about glorifying God with our bodies.  She also mentions the Behold Conference several times which is cool.  You can find the links here.

3 - Speaking again of the Behold Conference - let me just say it's amazing all the things that are coming together so wonderfully.  God's Hand is definitely guiding all of us through this process and it's such a blessing to be a part of it.  I sincerely hope you can join us.

4 - This picture is a little old but I wanted to share it with you.  Usually St. Nick only comes to our house on his feast day but this year, well, you can read for yourself:

In case you're wondering, St. Nicholas brought L this letter, some dress-up shoes, and some more gold coin chocolates. 

5 - In a related "parenting success" story, JF was wearing some pajamas that were a little too long.  As he walked around the living room L, who is 3 and 1/2, started singing, "Pants on the Ground."  I asked; she learned the song from me.  So proud.  *tear*

6 - Last night I slept for ten hours, having gone to bed at 8:30pm.  By 9:30am I was so tired I had to lay down.  I napped this afternoon.  And I'm still super tired.  I also have a cough.  Ugh.

7 - Lastly, I want to warmly welcome to the world Lucy Anne, who was born to our friends Michael and Susan on Wednesday and Elijah Nathan, born to our friends Margaret and Nathan.  I am so happy for our wonderful friends who have all just entered the lovely, crazy, beautiful world of parenthood!  Please join me in thanking God for Lucy and Elijah.

7 quick takes

1 - You may not like country music. Sorry, this week's song is not for you. 


2 - This is what happened in my kitchen last night:

Me - Whoa!  Jeff Cavins is following me on Twitter!  That's crazy!  Why would he do that?  (Feeling all kinds of pressure to be holy, funny, intelligent in my forthcoming tweets, especially since in my head I was thinking, "oh shit!".)

Travis - What?!  I bet it's because of JF and Sheen.

Me - Maybe.  I'm gonna check into this...  Oh.  He's following over 6,500 people.  I'm not that special after all.  He doesn't know me or JF or anything about us.  Well, that changes things!  (feeling of sweet relief mingled with a touch of humility)

3 - I am a product of public schools.  I am a fabulously lousy pre-school homeschooling mom.  But I totally loved this video.  He brings up a lot of great examples of why I'm a little jealous of my friends who do homeschool. 



4 - Watching the Republican debate.   I didn't even begin to follow this stuff until the candidates are more "manageable".  Four is manageable.  I can research their voting records, go over their websites, etc now that there's four.  In recent history Mikhail Gorbachev said that what Ronald Reagan was able to accomplish with the Cold War Obama never would have been able to do because of Reagan's character:  strong, but a gentleman.  I think Gorbachev would say the same thing about Newt that he said about Obama, and I think that matters. 

5 - Kate Wicker has a guest post up at the Behold blog called "Glorify God in Your Body".  It's great and will give you a little glimpse of what Kate will be talking about at the Behold Conference.  Check it out!

6 - I'm so tired.  So go read Dwija at House Unseen instead.  She's funny and hospitable - what a great combination.

7 - Congrats to all of us for making to the weekend.

7 quick takes

1 - This song is a tribute to what I had wanted to happen.

2 - I am on Pinterest.  Are you?  It's true what everyone says about - a great way to have hours of your life sucked away from you.  But it did teach me about the sock bun.

I look cute with a sock bun.  Not gonna lie.

3 - It's also how I learned how to do a simple Gibson Tuck.

I was hoping I'd look really cute with my hair like this.  But I got 0 compliments and my husband told me I looked like an AC.  (That's Apostolic Christian.  I was told once, by an AC, that there are more AC churches in Central Illinois than in the rest of the world combined.  So you may not know what an AC is.  Think strict Baptist meets strict Mennonite.  They're good people.  The women wear skirts, and always have their hair up with a little croqueted covering.)  It's not an insult to be told I look AC, but I would have preferred "pretty", "classy", or even "nice".

4 - Of course I was not trying to look like an AC.  I was a little more inspired by this:

It is true.  The void in my life created once I finished Lost has now been filled by Downton Abbey.  Simply put: I am in love.

5 - Here's a little post I wrote over at the Behold blog.  It's all about how I got involved with Behold in the first place.  Check it out!

6 - There is a youtube video all over the place called "I hate religion, but love Jesus".  It's really well done and you may have seen it.  If you have, I encourage you to read this commentary, written by Marc Barnes. 

7 - We still have our Christmas lights on the front porch and I still turn them on.  Especially now that there's snow I like having them glowing in the night.

Winter is so dark and I love coming home to a dark street with our cheery lights welcoming me.  But I do promise to you all that they won't stay up all year long.

Fancy Behold Button

No need to be jealous.  You can have a Behold button for your blog, too!

Let everyone know that you are so cool you'll be hanging out with Kate Wicker, the Sisters of Life, Marie Miller, and Ginny Baldridge for the day.  Oh yeah, and in case you want some more names to drop, how about Jennifer Fulwiler, Hallie Lord, and Sr. Helena Burns.

Then encourage your mom, sisters, cousins, friends, daughters, and grandmothers to register too.  And make sure you do it by December 15th if you want to save $15 and be signed up to win a free registration!


All you've got to do is copy the  text.   http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J-hnMUfYrSs/TuQVlhPUNPI/AAAAAAAAClc/8DyuGtgIz8o/s350/Behold.jpg
Then, in the Layout page of Blogger click "Add a Gadget".  Choose "Picture", select "From the Web", paste the text in the box, and Save.

The Sisters are Coming!

We recently got word that the Sisters of Life have accepted our invitation and will be returning to the Behold Conference! 

They will be joining us on Saturday, March 10, 2012 and so should you!

The Sisters will be joining our already stellar line-up of

- Kate Wicker, author of Weightless, contributor to Faith & Family magazine, and blogger

- Ginny Baldridge, image consultant and author

- Marie Miller, musician

- Hallie Lord, owner of Bloom Personal Shopping and blogger

- Jennifer Fulwiler, author, speaker, and blogger

- Sr. Helena Burns, Daughter of St. Paul, speaker, and blogger on Theology of the Body and media

I'll be there!  My mom will be there!  My kids' godmothers will be there!  You should be there, too! 

Online registration for the Behold Conference is open, you can print off a paper registration form at the same link if you'd prefer to send a check.  If you register before Decebmer 15th you can save money - a good reason to register early.  Scholarships are available for those in need, including poor high school and college students!

7 quick takes

1- I know that They Might Be Giants is not everyone's cup of tea.  But an accordion + clever lyrics = my cup of tea. 

2 - The reason Birdhouse in Your Soul is in my head is because of my latest post at Virtuous Planet, Virgin Mary Nitelite.  I pretty much always associate nitelites with TMBG's song.  I'm sure I'm not the only one!  Also, if you need a good reason to read the post you may be interested in how I pretty much call a bunch of people snobs.  I hope no one takes it personally.

3 - Hey!  Exciting new!  Kate Wicker is coming to the Behold Conference as one of our keynote speakers!  I was able to speak with her on the phone today and she was just wonderful.  (Of course all three of my kids woke up from their naps during the conversation, and while I was trying to speak with her and sound intelligent I was holding JF and trying to keep him quiet and happy.  But she's gracious enough to overlook that.)  Anyways, it's going to be a fabulous conference and I hope you can join us on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at the East Peoria Embassy Suites.

4 - Tomorrow morning we have family pictures with Travis' siblings and parents.  It'll be really nice having a new family pic since we haven't had any since L was a baby.  I also look forward to some really cute pics of the kids.  I'm not too thrilled about having my fat self photographed, but maybe I can stand behind Trav or always hold JF.  Maybe.

5 - I am half way through the 5th season of Lost.  I am taking suggestions for a new show to watch.

6 - I have a daughter who wants to be held.  I need to go.

7 - Have a good weekend, everyone!  God's blessing be upon you!

Behold: Coffee and Chocolate

Ladies!

Mark your calendars and call the women you love.  The next Behold Conference will be on March 10, 2012 at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria, IL.

We are super excited about all the plans - our speakers! our theme! our team members!  our new location! - and we will be revealing all the details at the Coffee and Chocolate Night!

The Coffee and Chocolate Night is a special event for all women who are interested in being a part of the growing ministry that is the Behold Conference.  I invite you to come so you can hear about all the opportunities to serve and grow in your faith by being a member of one of our planning Teams.  There will also be coffee, chocolate, and fellowship.

If you are interested in attending please visit us on Facebook or send me an email.

I hope to see you there!

Behold Conference 2011

Over a week ago 60+ women volunteers from throughout central Illinois, ranging in age from 25-60, worked together to honor and celebrate the dignity and vocations of the 400 women who attended the second annual Behold Catholic Women's Conference.

It was beautiful.

It was fun.

It was inspiring.

It was delicious.

It was truly Christ centered and Spirit led.

Here's a few highlight pics:

One of several centerpieces.  They were all so gorgeous!

Our food crew putting the last touches on our completely home made breakfast.  (And when I say "home made" I mean from scratch!)  The men are from St. Mary's Knights of Columbus council - they cheerfully and silently served during breakfast while St. Joseph Newman Center's Knights worked lunch.

The vendor tables!  We were thrilled to have, among others, Lagron-Miller Catholic bookstore, the Sisters of St. John, Rose of Sharon Media, Catholic Charities, and our speakers and musician.

The lovely, wonderful, beautiful, joyful Sisters of Life!

Some of our 400 guests enjoying their breakfast.

Many new Marie Miller fans were created at the Behold Conference - she was wonderful!

Filling our seats in the Auditorium.

Sr. Fiat Marie, Sr. Michela, Behold's executive director Rose, Jennifer Fulwiler, me, Sr. Bethany.

Thank you to everyone who came to the Behold Conference!  Thank you for being part of such a special day!  I hope you left feeling cared for, appreciated, and loved. 

Blessed be God!

7 quick takes

-1-

It seems that the must read book right now is Unplanned by Abby Johnson.  Jen's talking about it at Conversion Diary, and so is Nancy with the Catholic Post Book Group.  (Nancy has a great interview with Ms. Johnson - check it out!)  Do I know anyone who owns this book and will let me borrow it?  I'd love to check it out!

-2-

On the Behold Confernece front, we have over 275 women registered for the day!  Rose, the director of the conference, and I have agreed that if we get 350 women registered we will dye our hair green and serve lunch to the patrons of the Germantown Hills Michael's on St. Patrick's Day.  Rose is a blond and I have loooong hair, so this is going to be worth it. 

So get your sisters, daughters, nieces and friends and sign up!

There will be pictures taken, I promise.

-3-

Right now I'm in a Mom's group that's doing the Epic study on Church history.  It is so wonderful!  

Some of the things I'm learning make my jaw drop open. 

Like this:  Ignatius, who was the Bishop of Antioch, was discipled by John, the beloved of Jesus.  In 115 AD during the persecution of Christians, he was arrested and taken to Rome to be killed.  On his way to Rome he wrote a series of letters and in them he talks about the hierarchy of the Church (priests, bishops, pope), the primacy and authority of the pope, the Eucharist, and he refers to the Church as "Catholic".  His understanding of these things is the same as modern Catholics. 

So either he, a disciple of John, got everything wrong or the Catholic Church truly is the church that Jesus Christ founded.

The more I study Sacred Scripture and history the more I am certain that the Catholic Church is the fullness of the faith.

-4-

Have you ever heard of the following book?  Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic.  This book makes me so frustrated. 

The problem?  The "former Catholic" was a nominal Catholic (he admits to only attending Mass twice a year by the time he was in high school!) so, sadly, he never knew or understood the teachings of the Church.  This is even more evident because, though he quotes the Catechism, he is still getting Catholicism wrong.  His book is filled with the same jargon and misunderstandings that I've come to expect, all of it is misleading, misunderstood, and untrue.  A nominal Catholic is NOT an authority on Church teaching!

-5-

This is the picture of the first time L came to me, told me she had to go potty, and then went.  I was so proud of her and Ben could tell so he gave her a hug. 

Side note:  how about that bed head?!

-6-

I have tried to post this video on my blog but it won't work.  So do yourself a favor and click on the link and listen to this song.  It's so good.  Thank you, Mumford & Sons Pandora station for continually introducing me to great music.

Noah and the Whale's Shape of My Heart

-7-

Have a great weekend!  Thanks for reading!