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Live! From The Gist!

My Gabby, with Carolee's sweet Joey
We’re in Boston today (and yesterday) taping the remainder of the second season of The Gist. It’s terrifically fun, as usual, but also exceptionally exhausting. I have a couple of my girlies along with me this time and the three of us fell into bed for deep deep sleep while watching Kung Fu Panda 2, at an embarrassingly early hour last night. Good bonding stuff.
Also, we are doing a Christmas special for the show! Such fun and so pretty — wait till you see our Very Merry background. Look for it this December!

Me, Rachel, and Carolee, on the set yesterday
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New Babies
Did you hear the good news that Hallie and Jen have recently shared? I am so happy for these two sweet ladies who are enjoying pregnancy together this time around. Please join me in praying for them and their families.
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Year of Faith
At Catholic Digest, we are observing the Year of Faith (October 11, 2013 – November 24, 2013) with some short reflections on the Catechism by the ever-awesome Pat Gohn. Make sure you are a subscriber so you don’t miss out!
Also, for the Year of Faith, I am participating in an Ascension Press newsletter project, called Faith in Action. This newsletter features weekly reflections from Catholic authors that will be sent out during the coming year. I am honored to be a part of it and hope you will sign up to receive the free newsletters. Get all the information you need to subscribe to Faith in Action right here.
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Hot Stuff
Is it warm in here? Or is that just me? Or is that … oh, don’t be silly. I’m only 40! It’s definitely not that.
(right?)
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5K Update
I was happy with my finish in my recent race, but even happier (and prouder!) of Ambrose’s performance that day. He won his age group! He came in 11th overall! I am so impressed with that big, fast, hard-working boy of mine. He’s even too manly to wear the pink ribbon he won. Way to go, Ambrose!
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Planning for Christmas
Maybe it’s the taping of the Gist Christmas special, but for some reason, I have Christmas on my mind. I long ago accepted the fact that I will never be one of those hyper-organized women who gets all her shopping done by November 1, but a little pre-planning/brainstorming can’t hurt.
Inspire me! What’s the very best Christmas present you ever gave or received?
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Family Movie Night
I sometimes like to torture my immediate family members by announcing a mandatory Family Movie Night. I say “torture” because choosing a movie that is equally liked and appreciated by everyone, from age 6 to 41, is a tough task. We inevitably wind up catering to the younger crowd, at the older crowd’s expense. I try to make up for it with decent snacks, but it still would be nice to have a list of whole-family movies that have been successful for others to draw from.
What movies have you enjoyed as a family? Ones that meet the usual requirements for decency, but aren’t a total snooze-fest for older kids?
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That’s all for now! Hope your weekend is great! (Go see the lovely and pregnant Jen for more of these!)