pictures

My Writing Space (Nerds Unite)

March 4, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard 8 Comments

Just because Jen did this writing space link-up three days ago (or was it four?) isn’t stopping me from participating late.

Here’s where I write:

It’s the far end of my kitchen counter, the dividing bar between our family room and kitchen.

To my left is my kitchen sink, with the great window view that’s the header of my blog:

Often, one of my girls will color or play horses while I laptop away. Here’s the view from the family room facing in:

Behind me is our table:

Sometimes, I turn my laptop so that I’m sitting at the bar, instead of standing at the bar. It really depends on the time of day and what I’m working on.

I tried to use an office set-up, but it just didn’t work. My kids would follow me, and locking the door didn’t really work either. They totally ignore me if I’m out here working in the middle of the action. That room’s being repurposed as a study, where we’ll go for quiet time or prayer or things that need to not be in the middle of the action. (Math homework comes right to mind.)

Here’s the in-progress peek at that room:

I have a friend who has promised to help me decorate the white walls. I have some great horse stuff, some religious art ideas, some favorite “stuff,” and some family pictures I want to hang. We’ll be including a table in this room, and in the corner, I have a favorite rocking chair and plan to move my morning prayer to this room as well.

Now, pardon me while I go explore the other writing spaces!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: home life, in real life, pictures, writing

Quick Takes of the Quick & Random Variety

March 2, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard 2 Comments

— 1 —

Less than a month until we can all have our hands on this:

Catholic Family Fun: A Guide for the Adventurous, Overwhelmed, Creative, or Clueless

Join me in a happy dance, will you?

It’s not available yet for pre-order, but just as soon as it is, I’ll be sure to let you know!

— 2 —

Have you seen the great work Greg and Jennifer Willits are doing over at New Evangelizers? I have meant to mention it, and I never have. (Bad me.)

As it turns out, I’m now writing there weekly, about the New Evangelization. I’m finding this to be a topic that, like so many other topics I’ve started writing about, turns out to be FAR BIGGER than I imagined in the beginning.

My first post, “In the Silence of the Internet,” starts with a plug for the Pope’s message for World Communications Day and then a few words about how the internet inspires silence in me.

The Pope’s Message for the 46th World Communications Day has struck a deep chord with me and it speaks to each of us who are involved in spreading our Catholic faith.

For one thing, there’s the title: “Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization.”

In my years of interacting on the interwebs, there is silence of a sort, at least when I’m not yelling at my screen or ranting about what some fool (whose name may or may not be Sarah Reinhard) has said or done.

Continue reading at New Evangelizers –>

— 3 —

In my Mary Moment on iPadre this week, I share how Mary Poppins inspired me to think about Mama Mary.

In case you want to hum along with me, here you go:

Click here to view embedded video.

— 4 —

At CatholicMom.com this week, I’m talking tech with an idea I have for an app that would take off like wildfire. Or not. Anyway, if you’re curious, you can read it and let me know what you think.

I also share a detailed review of the collection of Chesterton essays I mentioned on earlier this week.

— 5 —

I don’t really have a good entry at the Catholic Writers Guild blog this week, though I do open it up for questions (no takers so far). If you head over there, check out the other good stuff…I really liked Ebeth Weidner’s piece on tending the garden and learned quite a bit about developing theme from a writer’s standpoint from Leslie Lynch. (I may write nonfiction, but wow! I learn so much from my fiction writing friends!)

Those are just the things that went up THIS week. If you have an interest in writing, I highly recommend at least following that blog…and why not consider a membership to CWG?

Hoping to see you at the Catholic Writers Conference Online later this month, too! (Registration is closed now. And wow, it’s going to be a great and intimate group this year!)

— 6 —

I found this bit of awesomeness via Danielle Bean. I have shown it to everyone I can think of, but whether you have seen it yet or not, I MUST post it on my blog. MUST.

Click to view embedded video.

See why?

— 7 —

I’m pretty sure this is one of my all-time favorite pictures of my girls:

Yes, my four-year-old is now riding by herself unassisted! She takes lessons, too. A year sooner than her sister. By our calculations, that means the mancub (who is 16-months-old!) will be riding at age three.

I took this picture to show how tall my seven-year-old’s horse was next to the pony my four-year-old rides.

Have a good weekend!

Be sure to stop by Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes and lots of goodness!

Filed Under: family, podcasts, Quick Takes, writing Tagged With: Catholic Writers Guild, CatholicMom.com, family, horse farm, iPadre, New Evangelization, New Evangelizers, pictures, podcasts, Quick Takes, Virgin Mary, writing

Saturday Quick Takes: More of Me, Lent Goodness, and a Picture

February 25, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard Leave a Comment

— 1 (Be Proud of Me) —

Yeah, I know. It’s not Friday. The temptation was strong to do two posts yesterday, but aren’t you proud of me? I resisted!

So here I am on Saturday with some Quickish Takes…

— 2 (Book Giveaway Winners) —

If you entered my book giveaway this month, I announced winners the other day and also sent emails (though I have a good hearty appreciation for spam filters, indeed I do).

Be sure you contact me if you won!

— 3 (Papa Rocks!) —

Have you read the pope’s message for Lent 2012 yet? How’d I not find it until now? Here’s a sampling:

The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter.

This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews:“ Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works”. These words are part of a passage in which the sacred author exhorts us to trust in Jesus Christ as the High Priest who has won us forgiveness and opened up a pathway to God. Embracing Christ bears fruit in a life structured by the three theological virtues: it means approaching the Lord “sincere in heart and filled with faith” (v. 22), keeping firm “in the hope we profess” (v. 23) and ever mindful of living a life of “love and good works” (v. 24) together with our brothers and sisters.

Go read the whole thing.

— 4 (Hearts to Celeste) —

Here’s a great Lenten resource, courtesy of Celeste Behe: 40 for 12.

Throughout the 40 days of Lent, the 40 for 12 Menu Plan will offer a weekly shopping list and menu of meatless meals, along with easy recipes and fun commentary. Each of the recipes is designed to serve 12, in order to suit big happy families with many mouths to feed, small happy families with voracious teens, and prudent wives who know the value of a good leftover.

Here’s the bottom line of this 40 for 12 Menu Plan brilliance:

Living out the Lenten discipline of abstinence as a family
Free Mom from undue stress
Keep kids from being sullen
Recipes serve big families OR have plenty of leftovers
Plans can be modified easily
There aren’t expensive convenience foods
Shopping lists included!
Do I really need to go on? Aren’t you SOLD?

Something to help me spend less time in the kitchen? Well, Celeste, let me hug you!

— 5 (My Other Blatherings) —

Total excitement: my interview made the podcast version of The Catholics Next Door. So if, like me, you don’t listen to Sirius/XM (but you long to, if only to hear the awesomeness that is Greg and Jennifer Willits), then you can hear my recent interview.

More excitement: I’m now a contributor over at the Integrated Catholic Life. My first column, “My Reckless Experiment with Fridays” went live yesterday.

Lenten failures: I’m on iPadre this week with a Mary Moment about my Lenten failures.

I love pizza, need I say more? On Catholic Foodie, Mary in the Kitchen is pizza-oriented (after a fun-filled parade-induced show).

Did you know there’s a great new app for Total Consecration? It gets my rave review over in my Tech Talk column this week at CatholicMom.com.

Lent’s on my mind: I’m talking Lent and blogging at the Catholic Writers Guild this week.

— 6 (Share Your Story) —

Do you have a Lenten story about how you’ve grown? Is there a faith story you’d be willing to share with others?

Karina Fabian is collecting them at the Why God Matters website. Here’s the scoop:

In 1996, Karina Fabian, mother of toddlers, made a Lenten vow that launched her career as a writer. Years later, it led her to share that joy of writing with her father, as they collaborated on an award-winning devotional, Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life. This year, she hopes to share the joy of Lent through her book and the Why God Matters website.

This year, Fabian and Tribute Books are opening the Why God Matters website to faith stories by others, especially Lenten faith stories. “I believe that Lent, and Lenten vows, can change lives,” Fabian said. “I’d like to share that hope with others, and the best way is through sharing our stories.”

“God continues to bless me through that Lenten vow,” Fabian said. “Not only will I cherish having worked with my father, but the book itself has touched so many lives. People have written to us that it’s helped them understand their faith better , brought them closer to God, or touched them when they really needed it. I hope this Lent, through the website, we can do this some more.”

— 7 (Picture, As Promised) —

When she got her hair cut earlier this week, my seven-year-old asked the beautician to do her hair up. This is my glimpse at how quickly time passes…

Conversion Diary has more Quick Takes…though most people do them on Fridays…

Filed Under: blogging, podcasts, Quick Takes, writing Tagged With: blogging, Catholic, Catholic Writers Guild, CatholicMom.com, family, food, Integrated Catholic Life, iPadre, Lent, pictures, podcasts, Pope Benedict XVI, Quick Takes, radio, Virgin Mary, writing

Quick Takes: Order WRJ, Enter to Win, & Smile

February 3, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard 2 Comments

— 1 —

Lent is coming and I have a book that’s hot off the presses.

And guess what? It’s only $1.99.

So go to your local Catholic bookstore (or one of the many other places you’ll find it, if you don’t have a store locally). Parishes receive bulk discounts, depending on the quantity they order, and can call 800-325-9521 to speak to the sales department at Liguori about that.

— 2 —

Mary Moments are back! Thanks to Fr. Jay Finelli’s support, I’ll be producing a weekly Mary Moment segment on the iPadre show. This week: 3 reasons I love Our Lady of Lourdes. Listen to the whole show for a fabulous summary of the story of Our Lady of Lourdes, too.

— 3 —

What’s your favorite game app? I share three of my kids’ favorites in this week’s Tech Talk.

— 4 —

Remember how I promised a full review of Strategies for a Tech-Savvy Classroom? It’s up over at CatholicMom.com.

— 5 —

It’s hard to believe that Daria Sockey has been blogging at Coffee & Canticles for a year already!

In honor of her one year anniversary, she has a pile of giveaways related to the Liturgy of the Hours. Go on over and enter.

While you’re there, be sure to wish her well!

— 6 —

In case you missed it the other day, I’m giving away a ton of books. You can enter as many times as you qualify for until February 21.

There are new titles by Christopher West, Mark Shea, Lisa Hendey, and Anthony DeStefano, among others.

So what are you waiting for? Enter!

— 7 —

Been a big week for the Tooth Fairy around here:

Visit Betty Beguiles, our lovely sub hostess, for more Quick Takes!

Filed Under: Books, family, podcasts, Quick Takes, writing Tagged With: apps, CatholicMom.com, family, iPadre, Lent, my book, pictures, podcasts, Quick Takes, technology, Virgin Mary, Welcome Risen Jesus

Wordless Wednesday: Fashionista

January 25, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard 3 Comments

Filed Under: family Tagged With: family, life with children, pictures

This One’s For You, Grandma

January 12, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard Leave a Comment

My grandma’s been off visiting her sister in upstate New York, and we talked on the phone the other day.

When she told me she had read my blog, there was a thunk as I fell out of my chair.

Turns out, her sister and brother-in-law (my great-aunt and great-uncle, if you’re keeping track of the family tree) are logging her onto the computer.

Then she told me about how they had lunch with some girlhood friends of her sister’s, one of whom is Catholic and…get this!…has heard of me.

Let’s all pause for a good laugh, shall we?

Now, to encourage you to laugh more–it has tremendous health benefits, after all, and hey, it’s fun–here’s a look at my life of late. (These pictures are also to answer all of Grandma’s questions about the kids, who she misses a lot.)

This is the mancub, 13 months old and into everything. He is all boy.

Yes, he is walking now. And climbing. He especially likes stools. And the couch. And the recliner.

He is also a big fan fan of rocking.

The seven-year-old loves reading and math. She hates–with a passion–the reports she has to do about the books she reads for school.

I realized, when I compiled our photo calendar for this year, that I need to take more pictures of the seven-year-old.

Which is how I captured this moment:

And no post would be complete without the four-year-old, whose quirkiness and personality make us laugh hourly (and inspire hair-pulling episodes with equal frequency).