Easter
Springtime Photo Dump

It’s been awhile since I’ve shared photos of our family and kids, so here’s a quick photo dump. — Das Schmidt Haus, Easter 2015 — Okay, it wasn’t really Easter, and Cy, Iowa State’s mascot, didn’t attend church with us. But let’s pretend because I need an obligatory family Easter photo. Maybe I should Photoshop the … [Read more…]
Divine Mercy Sunday – What “She” Wore

One of these days I’m going to take that fancy camera of ours and spend a few hours simply wandering around our home parish, the Basilica of St. John in Des Moines. For now, the iPhone has done a fine job capturing her beauty, and here’s a few “what she wore” on Divine Mercy Sunday … [Read more…]
Leaving God at the Altar, Finding Him in My Housekeeping

“It is most laudable in a married woman to be devout, but she must never forget that she is a housewife. And sometimes she must leave God at the altar to find Him in her housekeeping.” I first read those words by St. Frances of Rome back on March 9, her feast day. Depending on how you feel … [Read more…]
Natural Easter Egg Dyes

My word for the year is Stewardship. One place where that word is really coming alive is in our kitchen. The 40 Days of Soups experiment we just completed grew out of my desire to become a better steward of my family’s nutrition. It’s working! It’s working! And maybe one day soon I’ll find some margin … [Read more…]
Easter Snapshots

He is risen. Alleluia! Popping in to wish you a Happy Easter on this fifth day of Easter. It feels good to allow the fingers to fly on the keyboard once again. I suppose I could have waited until day 45 or so to pass along Easter greetings and stubbornly reinforce that Easter is a … [Read more…]
Ezra: A Story of Healing and Resurrection, Joy and Hope

As I prayed for letter-E post inspiration, I couldn’t get beyond one story that has touched a great number of people, one that embodies healing and resurrection, joy and hope. After Ezra: An Easter Story tells the story of Ryan and Anu Galloway and their baby boy Ezra. It has gone somewhat viral outside the Des Moines area, but on the off-chance you haven’t yet read it, give yourself a few minutes this weekend to soak it all in. Might be the best thing you read today, if not all year.
I Failed Lent! Time to Begin Again

“I Failed Lent!” is an appropriate and accurate assessment of how I feel about my 2013 Lenten spiritual journey. I’m not sure how it all happened other than to simply say Joel and I are dealing with some stuff … scratch that … I am dealing with some stuff that in reality won’t bother me one bit as I lay dying. Yet I let that stuff consume my time and emotional energy for the past six weeks. I allowed the insignificant to truly get in the way of a much-needed cleansing this Lent.
A is for Alleluia!

Early yesterday morning I learned about an online writing project called the “Blogging from A to Z Challenge” that may help me in my efforts to develop better writing skills. It’s a movement encouraging bloggers to spend the month of April writing about something that starts with the letter scheduled for that day. The A to Z adventures started yesterday, April 1, beginning with the letter A and continue every day throughout April except on Sundays. The challenge ends on April 30 with the letter Z.
First up? Alleluia!
What We Wore Easter Sunday

If ever an occasion called for festive new clothes, Easter Sunday is it! If you’ve tuned in to Catholic Women Now lately, you’ve heard Julie and me talking about spring fashions. We’ve put some of those fashion tips into practice and show you here. And we want to hear from you, too! Show us your Easter best and be entered to win a fab prize!