iTunes, Zombies, and 27 weeks: 7QT

1 - Let's start things off with a little Matt Maher, shall we? I love me some Matt Maher music and this song is a really powerful one for me. It's true that I'm a sucker for a good crescendo-ing bridge but this song is more than that, too.


2 - So the big news at my house is that The Visitation Project is now available on iTunes. This is kinda crazy to me because... it's iTunes, which is like legit and it's where people go for podcasts and now I'm there with Heather and Rebecca.  You can search for us and everything! Isn't that crazy? Here's what we look like when you find us:

3 - In other news around the house, we are getting really pumped because Marie Miller is coming to town!  She'll be performing at a couple of local schools and hold a family friendly concert in the evening. I know I have some local readers so if you're in the area and want to come, well you should because I promise you she is an amazing performer.

4 - So there's a couple of things I would love to see, one of them in theatres now and others coming soon enough.
The Martian
Sherlock Special
Mockingjay Part 2
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

What's looking good to you? Anything I'm missing on this list?


5 - And speaking of zombies, Travis and I are finishing up the latest season of The Walking Dead on Netflix. (Like literally, I'm watching the season finale as I type) I've always followed Cari's recap posts on the current season for two reasons:
#1 so I stay up to date on what's happening.
#2 I need all the surprises taken away so I don't have nightmares.
Don't you just love it when Morgan says, "Because all life is precious, Daryl." Love.


6 - I'm 27 weeks pregnant, you guys. Twenty-seven weeks. That's almost 30 weeks, and 30 weeks is almost 40 weeks, and 40 weeks is baby-birthing time. This kind of math is making me nervous.


7 - In case you didn't know, Kelly has some great stuff going on to celebrate Seven Quick Takes. There's a few gift packages you could win (and one of them includes a Basic blog consultation from me). Since Kelly is the one who is keeping this 7QT party going do stop on over and give her some love: comment, link-up, you know. :)

Thrilling things you'll want to know, aka Seven Quick Takes

1 - It's been a long time since I've started one of these Seven Quick Takes with a song so I thought I'd come back with a sugary pop bang:

Judge away but I love this song and can't stop listening to it. You can feel bad for my husband, it's okay.


2 - I finally got my hands on a copy of As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. It was a delightful book - especially if you know and love The Princess Bride. As soon as I was done I picked up the novel The Princess Bride, which I've read before but it's a treat to re-read.


3 - I've been working on show notes for The Visitation Project. There's some new episodes up, the one on Forgiveness has my stubbornness on full display.

4 - I'm part of a wonderful group of friends at our parish. These are couples who are funny, kind, and love their faith.  Twice a month the men get together and do boy, I mean manly things. (Last month they made a Bat signal... like Batman.... while drinking beer and also talking about NFP.) The women get together once a month for a bit of wine, a bit of conversation, and a bit of faith formation. Last month was awesome  with Kathryn Whitaker Skyping in and to share tips for running your home with less stress - so good!- and this month our associate pastor, a priest from Uganda who is here getting his doctorate in education, spoke about the strengths and weaknesses of the Catholic Church in America - also so good! What awesome things do you have going on at your parish?

5 - I began watching Once Upon a Time on Netflix. I had seen some of the episodes before; I think I watched the whole first season or two on tv but then things got a little rocky for me and I bowed out. I started watching again after so many people recommended it to me while I was on bed rest, and I'm liking it. Especially now that we're out of Neverland.

6 - I also started physical therapy. I've never done PT before and I must say that so far I love it. I have horrible pain in my lower back and hips - something I've had with most of my pregnancies and something that just keeps getting worse. My midwife recommended me to a local PT place that specializes in women's care and I really like the woman working with me. My problem: poor posture and lots and lots and lots of tense muscles. I got a 30 minute massage today and it was called therapy and it was amazing.


7 - Please consider this a friendly reminder that I'm an Amazon affiliate so if you are planning on doing any Halloween shopping online you can begin here, clicking on the image in the sidebar, and I'll earn money at no extra fee to you. It's incredibly helpful to our budget (hello, school uniforms!) and Travis and I really appreciate it whenever any of my readers do that for us. So thank you.

And now a big THANK YOU to Kelly for hosting every week. Make sure you head on over to This Ain't the Lyceum because she's got a wonderful give-away running right now. Good luck to you on winning it!

The Assumption and some great milestones

Let's start off with one of my favorite Marian songs, courtesy of JJ Heller. Or as Sebastian says in The Little Mermaid: moooood music.



Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. It's the day we Catholics honor Mary's special relationship with Christ and our belief that God preserved her from sin and therefore brought to Heaven body and soul at her death.

When I think of Mary I prefer to think of her as the mother of a grown Son. As I wrote once, "I like to think of her, Jesus and the apostles sitting around and she's telling them stories of the days in Egypt. Of the goodness of her husband. Of what it was like when the angel came to her. Of her three months with Elizabeth. I think that by the time she was standing at the foot of the cross she wasn't as thin as she had been in youth, though she was solid and strong. Her hands and face weren't as firm and wrinkle free. This is the woman I turn to for help in prayers."

Beyond just being a wonderful feast day, there's also some great things happening with two ministries I love (and I'm a part of).

One year ago today Blessed Is She launched and it's been such an answer to prayers for me: a daily devotional that is written by Catholic women for Catholic women. That's not fluff. That's not heretical. That's well done. Praised be Jesus! For example, here's today's devotion.

There's even a sweet giveaway happening over at the Blessed Is She site in honor of the celebration.

Additionally, The Visitation Project now has it's own website, thanks to your generosity. Coming very soon will be a newsletter for our listeners, special exclusives, and aired episodes available on iTunes.

Thank you to everyone has supported BIS and TVP over the last months.

Now go eat some blue jello with marshmallows or whipped cream (like a sky, get it?)!

Happy Feast Day!

End of summer

Summer has flown by and is almost at an end. The kids go back next week and I'll have a second grader and a kindergartner both at our parish school, a pre-k-er at the public school, two at home, and one in the oven. (Whaaaat?!!!)

What was I saying? Oh yes: This summer has been a good one. 

Resa is fully, 100% out of diapers and 100% adorable.

 We have watched a lot of Doctor Who, getting ready for the season that was just released on Netflix.

 This is L, entranced with River Song.

We've done some small jobs around the house and yard. The newer wallpaper is pretty blah, and the old wallpaper I uncovered is... well ugly now. However, if this was bright and clean and new I would actually love it. Soon it will be painted white.

The yard needed taming. Well, it still needs a lot of help, but slow and steady wins the race. Ben helping his dad is just so, so, so, so cute.

Joe turned two and we had a Curious George party for him. Look at that cake my sister in law made and look at that smile. He was thrilled with us singing to him.

On Facebook people keep sharing an old article by Brandon Vogt about the advising medical experts approving James' alleged miracle, thinking it's new and that the cause has been re-opened. Unfortunately that is not true and, to my knowledge, the cause is still closed.

Which is really sad, so let's look at a cute picture of Ben and JF sleeping in our bed.

It's funny the article is going around now because just two weeks ago I shared my 30 minute presentation during a live Google broadcast. If you missed it, you can watch (or just listen to) the video here.

Last week I was back in the Portland, Oregon area recording more episodes of The Visitation Project. I'm really excited for the shows we did and I can't wait for you to hear them!

One of the episodes we recorded was the exclusive podcast that is available to our donors. You get to meet our engineer, Keith, and hear some other secret stuff. If you've got ten bucks to spare and you'd like to receive the podcast, our GoFundMe is still live and we'd love a little help. Here's where I explain why we need you and what makes our show different than other podcasts we all know and love. 

And lastly, if you missed Sunday night's episode, it's up on the Mater Dei website. A mom who homeschools, a mom who used to homeschool and now sends her kid to parochial school, and a mom with kids at the parochial and public school - hear what we have to say about being the primary educator of your children. Check it out here!

Doctor Who, Holly Golightly, TVP, and you

What do Doctor Who and Holly Golightly have in common?

They both have a definite understanding of what's cool, be it bowties or little black dresses. They are both pop culture icons. And they have both financially supported The Visitation Project. (There's different levels of giving, beginning at $10, and each has a special Thank You gift to go with it.)

The Visitation Project is a radio show but I know a lot of our listeners do not listen over the airwaves, but treat TVP as a podcast which I think is awesome.

Listeners like Megan:

Right now TVP only broadcasts in one corner of the big ole USA. Our hope, though is that soon more and more radio stations will begin to pick it up.

Imagine if, while running errands you tuned into your local Catholic radio station and you were greeted by a Texan, a midwesterner, and a hippy. It's like I'm riding shotgun in your minivan!

Imagine if your Catholic radio station carried voices, perspectives, and conversations you identified with.

Imagine if not just women who are in the know about podcasts or have subscriptions to special radio stations were able to stumble upon a radio show that was a mix of pop culture, family life, and a vibrant faith.

But even for those of us who like our podcasts - for walks or chores or dinner prep - here's some good reasons why TVP is a little different, and why what we do, while is costs money, is beneficial to you.

-Recording together, in person means we benefit form a professional radio engineer and equipment. This allows for less technical difficulties and a clearer, more vibrant sound, which means no matter where you're listening you can hear us over your coworkers, sizzling dinner, or playing kids.

- Working in Catholic radio, we are trying to reach a group of women who have been largely unreached. We talk about mother-in-laws, Sacraments, pop music, depression, self-care, and Divine Mercy. We are not a news show. We are three friends who are having fun but also wanting to show the world that Catholics aren't sticks in the mud.

- Being a part of Catholic radio means we are listener supported, however we are essentially free. There are no membership fees, no "Cool Kids Club," and no fancy equipment you need beyond a computer or - hopefully some day - your local Catholic radio station.

Now, I know that money is tight for a lot of our listeners. I also know everyday it seems like someone is asking for money. Maybe you are asked out. Maybe you're budget is really tight. I get that. Believe me, I get that!

So that's why I'm very happy to let you know that for those of you who give just $10 there is a special incentive - a podcast that will only be available to our donors. If you can give at the next level, $25, you receive the podcast + a copy of my chocolate chip cookie recipe. If you give enough I'll even bake you some and ship them to your house. :)

We are so grateful for everyone who has given, beyond the Doctor and Holly. To those of you who have given and to those who will: Thank You!

To give, click here.

You down with TVP? Yeah, you know me!

Hello, friends!

 Rebecca, Heather, and I are very excited to record another round of TVP episodes *next week,* but we need to let you in on a secret:

like many good things in life, producing The Visitation Project comes with a pricetag.

It's not too steep, but it's more than we can afford from our tight family budgets. If you like what you've been hearing and not only would like to hear more, but would like to help us expand our outreach with a website, iTunes podcasts, newsletters, and more, please consider supporting us financially!

Any amount helps, but we've got some awesome incentives for those who can give more, beginning at $25. (That would be the "Bathtub Madonna" level of giving. I'd like to see a few Whovians donate some "Jammie Dodgers.")

You can get to our GoFundMe page by clicking here.

We love you, and are so grateful for your assistance to keep meeting you wherever you are.

St. Charity, St. Hope, and Coptic 21 - Pray for Us!

#KeepTVPRadioOnTheAir

A celebratory party during Wednesday's Quiet Time

We are thrilled: The Visitation Project reached 500 Facebook likes and we're having a little party and give-away to celebrate!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 1:20pm Central time my lovely co-hosts and I will have a fun Twitter party as we chat about this week's episode of The Visitation Project and self-care for busy moms.

We discuss working out, eating right, finding time to do something nice for ourselves, breaking free of postpartum depression, and other ways busy moms can take care of themselves.

I hope you'll join us - be sure to follow / use the hashtag #TVPradio!

And I'll check in on our FB page if you don't tweet but want to chime in.

Listen here!

Behind-the-scene studio pics, the great NW, and the winner is.....

In March I was able to visit the top left corner of the continental United States. It was still cold and snowy in Illinois so when I got to Oregon / Washington I was thrilled to see GREEN.

And more green. 

And flowers.

I went for two reasons: to speak at a women's conference and to record episodes of The Visitation Project, the radio show I co-host with Rebecca Frech and Heather Renshaw. 

Since the show launches in less than a week (!!!!!) I thought I'd share some pictures from my trip. 

I was greeted at the airport with this sign:

Spent some time blogging over my Subway lunch at the studio...

which is very Catholic.

And then we started it off with a bang... and a group shot... and a big box of tissues.

Heather, co-host and producer, and Keith, our sound engineer.

The equipment.

Show notes:

All ready for dinner with friends:

Before I left the lovely Caitlyn took me to The Grotto.

I finished my time in Portand a little soggy, reading blogs, and eating a Tillamook cheeseburger while waiting for my flight.

Recording the show was so fun, you guys and I can't wait for you to hear it and tell us what you think. We speak openly and honestly about being Christian, postpartum depression, music, our favorite saints, marriage, books, pop culture, theology, Scripture... all in a 26 minute show.

The studio's new website will be launching Friday and that's when I'll share the link so you can listen live Sunday night (if you wish) or download the audio file from the archives for your later listening enjoyment (if you prefer).

Thanks for all the support, friends. You're the best. 

And now, Cajun Texas Mom, YOU WON the TVP Loves Catholic Radio Giveaway!!! I'm so happy for you! Shoot me an email and we can work out the details. 


PS - As we gear up for the debut of The Visitation Project, Rebecca has been hosting a little "get to know the hosts" at her blog. You can go over there and see what Heather and I both have planned for the zombie apocalypse.

TVP loves Catholic radio: a giveaway

There is a Catholic radio station whose director and board members felt like the women in their listenership needed something new. 

This station, KBVM, wanted a show that would meet women wherever they are, a show that would make them laugh, touch their hearts, build up their faith, and leave them feeling encouraged and renewed. Thus, The Visitation Project was born. 

The Visitation Project, co-hosted by Rebecca Frech, Heather Renshaw, and yours truly, begins airing on May 3rd. I know you haven't heard it yet so I know it's a bit preposterous to ask you to financially support KBVM, but I'm gonna do it anyway, and then I'll make it worth your while. 

KBVM needs to raise another $62,000 by the end of today, the last day of their share-a-thon. We can help them reach their goal. 

Here's what you've got to do:

Call 1-888-823-5286 to make a pledge or visit www.kbvm.fm to make an online donation. 

$5, $10, $25, $80, $250, $1,000 - whatever you can do! And when you do, be sure to tell them that The Visitation Project sent you!

Okay, so how will I make it worth your while? Well, every friend of A Knotted Life and / or The Visitation Project who makes a donation should then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you gave and doing so will enter them into a drawing to win:

- a free blog consultation from me

- a free copy of Rebecca Frech's best-selling book, Teaching in Your Tiara.

- a free copy of Matt Maher's new album, Sinners and Saints

- a free copy of All Things Girl: Truth and Teens, featuring Heather Renshaw

- a batch of homemade, from scratch chocolate chip cookies, baked with love by me

- a guest post slot on Shoved to Them, Rebecca Frech's blog with over 40,000 hits a month. 

- a free ticket to the Catholic Women Rejoice conference, featuring keynote speaker Jennifer Fulwiler. (lodging and travel not included)

This gift is worth over $110! 

Also, on top of the donation-earned entry, you can enter again by leaving another comment after you tweet, 'gram, or Facebook about the giveaway. Make sure you use the hashtag #TVPPrizePack and even better if you use the graphic above. 

The KBVM share-a-thon ends tonight at 7pm Pacific (that's 8pm Mountain, 9pm Central, and 10pm Eastern), which is when this giveaway will also end. We've got SIX HOURS!



UPDATE: Exciting news, friends! KBVM is closing in on its overall funding goal yet still needs to raise the rest of the cash. So, for the rest of this weekend, they will be accepting donations (online only) that may be credited to the Spring Share-a-thon. This means we at TVP will be extending our fantastic #TVPPledgePack giveaway deadline to Sunday night! Visit www.kbvm.fm to donate and then comment and share to enter. Thank you so VERY much to all who have so generously given in support of Catholic radio! We love you!"

And thank you so very, very, very much for your support, financially, prayerfully, and emotionally. God bless you and your generosity!

7QT - Downton, crying, and mugs

1 - Ellie Holcomb's "Marvelous Light."


2 - Thank you for all the warm well wishes and excitement surrounding the new radio show I am co-hosting with Heather and Rebecca. I'm excited and really nervous and would appreciate your prayers. And if you haven't yet, make sure you find us on Facebook so we can keep you posted on updates since most stuff has to stay top secret right now.


3 - Last night I finally was able to watch the season finale of Downton Abbey. If you haven't watched it yet jump to #4. ....... Okay, for the rest of us: Carson! Wasn't it so great when he proposed to Mrs. Hughes?!  And I really thought they would do something at the end so Tom would stay because I really don't want him to leave. Maybe next season will start off with him and Sybie coming back from the US. He's just so good and that is needed. I

 really loved Lord Grantham and Tom going to Edith and letting her know that they know about Marigold. So sweet. (And who cast Marigold? Someone who had a favor to fulfill, that's what I think.) I hope Edith finds love again, and I hope Mary does too, as long as it's someone who makes her less of a jerk. I'm so tired of Mary being a jerk to Edith.

The whole Bates and Anna and the dead scumbag thing feels like the song that never ends. I hope the married couple skipping away at the end of the episode brings about two things: an end to that tiring story arch and a baby.

Finally, didn't you love how the family responded to Mosley and Baxter when they explained how they had visited all those pubs? They were so touched and proud and I cried.


4 - I actually am crying a lot lately. So there's that.


5 - A painter immortalized the last meal of 600 death row inmates, as PBS shares. Her paintings, and the broken lives they symbolize, will break your heart.


6 - I always appreciate when someone on the outside publishes a piece respectfully written about the Catholic Church and acknowledges the hypocrisy that can come from the government and some liberals, so I am a fan of the Wall Street Journal's A Fight to Keep Catholic Schools Catholic.


7 - These mugs are great, aren't they?

They come from here, if you're interested (not an affiliate link, just something I liked)



Thank you, Kelly, for hosting again. Have a good weekend everyone!

TVP is coming soon

#WhatisTVP?

TVP is The Visitation Project and what it is, is a radio show co-hosted by Heather Renshaw, Rebecca Frech, and Bonnie Engstrom.

Did you see that?

The last name in that trio of names is mine! It's me! For some crazy reason Heather and Rebecca wanted to do a totally legit radio show with not-really-legit me!

I feel like my co-hosts don't need an introduction, but just in case, allow me the honors:

Heather blogs at Real Catholic Mom. She is a wife and mother, a speaker, a musician, and a fellow contributor at Blessed Is She.

Rebecca blogs at Shoved to Them as a part of the Patheos' Catholic Channel. She is also the author of Teaching in Your Tiarra, a CrossFit fanatic, and a homeschoolin' mom.

I was able to meet both of them at last summer's Edel. (I think Heather let me use her deodorant and Rebecca asked if I knew how to do a certain dance move. I did not.)

The Visitation Project is a show that is meant to meet women wherever they are. Mary went to the hill country to meet up with Elizabeth, we'll be coming to your hill country too, so to speak. We're going to chat about life, our faith, motherhood, womanhood, fun stuff, hard stuff, all of it!

And let it be known that this is not going to be a stuffy, super pious radio show. No way! One of the things I so love about the three of us doing this together is that we all come from different places and stages. If anything, this show will be proof positive that there's more than one way to be a Catholic woman.

Sounds great, right?!

Our website is currently under construction but you can stay connected and keep up to date with Heather, Rebecca, and all The Visitation Project awesomeness on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Our launch date will be announced next month so be sure to follow us on social media so you don't miss it!