The Fabulous Life of Stefanie

The Eucharistic Minister had good form in ash distribution! Happy day after Mardi Gras, also known as Ash Wednesday, also known as the day that everyone does a lot of double takes about the smudge of black on my head (though not as much as if I lived elsewhere since, well, Boston and all us Irish Catholics). We celebrated Mardi Gras on Lundi because Matty has class on Tuesday nights, and due to having the day off for President's Day it worked out really well. I got to spend a lot of time in the kitchen making jambalaya, cornbread and king cake, all from scratch! This was the first time I had done jambalaya all the way from scratch, including the Cajun spice that I mixed myself and I must admit that it was amazing . We put out a little decor from our travels to NOLA, put on some beads and threw Rebirth on the speakers and had ourselves a pretty awesome lil' party (though I did miss the Abitas this year, sigh). Due to the current situation complete, utter, terrible, ch...

At St. Peter's Basilica in 2007. Ash Wednesday is here and my fast is off to a sleep deprived start, but happy Lent, y'all! Last year I decided to give up using my iPhone in the evenings in order to better focus on the blessings in my life - my family, my time, my home and my faith. It was a great practice and something that I have tried to continue throughout the year by putting my phone down when I get home and waiting until things have mellowed down and Maddie is watching her nightly pre-bedtime 20 minutes of Thomas before I catch up on all the Facebook that has happened since I left work. I have found that it makes my nights much more relaxing and proven that I will not actually wither and die if I do not know every single last thing that is happening on social media for a few hours. This year I am again focusing on giving up time in the form of reading the Bible and taking some quiet time out of my busy days to read, reflect and pray. I found a great guide for r...