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Great Outdoors
I have never been, but I am determined to go cross country skiing. Seems like I should do something fun with the white stuff that piles up outside this time of year. I’ve been researching and it looks like I can rent equipment for a reasonable price to try it out at some nearby trails. Also snowshoeing? That looks pretty cool too. Any experienced skiers/snowshoers care to share some advice or recommendations?

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Anonymous Wine
I am not complaining, but someone sent me some wine. A giant crate of really good stuff (plus a fancy opener) was delivered here to my name yesterday … with no card. If you were the very nice person who did this, please let me know so I can properly thank you. Meantime, CHEERS!

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Behold
Have I mentioned that I will be at the Behold Conference this year? Well, I will be. I am really looking forward to meeting old friends and new. With so many friendly and familiar faces confirmed attendees already, this is sure to be an event quite like our Mom’s Day Away with Faith & Family last year. Maybe you could consider making the trip too? We would love to see you there!

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New England Catholic Homeschool Conference
Speaking of conferences, I will also be speaking at the New England Catholic Homeschool Conference in Methuen, Massachusetts this year. Have you registered yet? It’s a really large and vibrant event, worth attending for the vendors alone!

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Great Little Video
I am shamelessly stealing this one from Jen’s Quick Takes at ConversionDiary. It’s a great (very short) video featuring Kimberly Hahn that really offers a great way to look at our life. Watch it. I promise you will get something out of it.

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Sounds of Pixar

Gabby got this CD of Pixar songs for Christmas. She has been playing it every day and I am surprised by how pleasant these songs are in the background of our daily life. So many of them call to mind some of our favorite family movies and characters.

I also want to give a shout out to Sarah Bauer, who wrote and performed the show’s theme song, Show Me the Way, from her album Radiance (available for purchase here).

1. First, Catholic Digest!

We are finishing up work on our re-launch March 2012 issue and making plans for April 2012 and beyond. I am so excited about the changes we are making and can’t wait to share it all with you. Make sure you are a subscriber so you don’t miss a thing!

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2. Next, The Gist! We were in Boston this week, taping more episodes. This project has been such a fun learning process for me. Like any learning process, it has been made up of equal parts hilarity and humility so far.

Please like us Facebook to keep up with our conversations. You can watch all the episodes that have aired so far at CatholicTV.com. The most recent one, focused on confession and featuring the very funny Lino Rulli, is right here:

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3. Finally, the March for Life! I will be in D.C. on Monday with my four oldest kids and other members of our parish youth group. Will you be there?

I will be on the Son Rise Morning Show a little after 6:00 am on Monday, checking in and sharing the experience.

I will have a pro-life piece up at the Washington Post on Monday as well (not sure I will be able to check back in and link it up from the road) that I hope you will check out and support with comments. I am told there will be a “pro-choice” piece running as well, so I hope our side can be well represented.

I also plan to tweet my way through the trip, so follow me on Twitter for more details.

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Thanks for watching and keep your feedback (the good, the bad, and the ugly) coming! It’s very helpful as we are planning future shows.

I’m excited to be a guest on The Good Catholic Life 4:00 – 5:00 pm EST today. If you’re not in the Boston area, you can listen to a live stream of the show at WQOM.org. See you there!

Yes! I can!

And what’s more, the hazy, gritty glasses coming from my otherwise awesome Bosch dishwasher weren’t my fault!

I think it was my sister who linked to a story about the new and terribly ineffective phosphate-free dishwasher detergents a while back, but I am only just now getting around to doing something about it. In addition to my usual, phosphate-free and terribly ineffective dishwasher detergent, I now add a few shakes of baking soda to the beginning of each cycle and fill the rinse aid dispenser with white vinegar.

Finally! Shiny glassware! Yes, we can!

We made these houses on New year’s Eve. I thought I should take some photos before the little guys give in to the temptation to snack on them.

Our “gingerbread” is really graham crackers. These ideas were helpful. As was having a husband with knowledge of how a real house gets put together and stays together. Also, royal icing makes for perfect “concrete.”

Merry Christmas (Day 9)!

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The Gist
Have I mentioned The Gist here yet? I have? Oh. That’s probably because I am all kinds of excited about it premiering next Wednesday morning. Make sure you check in at Faith & Family Live to join us for live chat during the show (Wednesday, January 4, beginning at 10:15 am EST).

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Zits
They are taking over my face. Is it stress? Is it hormones? Is it the Christmas fudge? SOMEBODY! HELP!

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Le Sigh for New Year’s
We had such fabulous plans for New Year’s Eve. I was really looking forward my brother and sister and her family visiting us for the weekend. But then some of us started throwing up and all the plans got cancelled. I am doing my best to not wallow in disappointment. We will be making gingerbread houses, ordering Chinese food and toasting the New Year with just the ten of us this year. When I write those words — just the ten of us — the ridiculousness of my disappointment becomes clear. I miss my extended family, but we are our own party.

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Phoneless
I have no cell phone these days. Well, actually, I do have a cell phone that we pay lots of money for each month, but I can’t seem to keep it charged. You see, I can’t find my wall charger and using my car charger is soooo inconvenient when it’s 15 degrees outside.

I just can’t bring myself to buy a new wall charger because to do so would be to admit that I did in fact forget my charger in a hotel room AGAIN. And I did not do that. Do you hear me? I did NOT. I’m sure it’s here somewhere and I will find it, just as soon as I search my empty suitcase for the twelfth time or dump the contents of that purse I haven’t used since July. Because I did not forget it in a hotel again. I did NOT.

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Gold Rush
Do you watch the show? Dan and I watch sometimes and find ourselves yelling things at the screen like “Get a real job!” and “Give up, already!” But this kid and his relationship with his grandfather make me tear up. I really like that some kids and some families are still sweet and close like that.

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Blessings to You
Thank you for being here. May God shower you and yours with many blessings in 2012!