7 Quick Takes Friday {Take 3}

-1- I have been finding so much inspiration in this blog lately that it has begun to suck a bit of time from my other responsibilities. :) I've been putting a lot more time and research into some of the posts lately, and I have awesome ideas for some things coming up, too! What I've decided to do is aim for 3 posts per week - 2 plus Quick Takes Friday, so that I can better balance my work load. As small things come up though, of course, like those "conversations in my home last night" types of things that I favor, I will post those in addition to the 3 main topics per week, since those take barely any time to write. So, you may see a day or two during the week where I don't post, and that's the reason. But be prepared for a post that will knock your socks off the following day. :)

-2- A teaser - next week's Catholic Nook post will feature a guest author (a first for this humble blog!)- my beloved younger sister, Shauna'h!

-3- I have mentioned a few times on here that over the course of the past few months I've followed the story of a young woman who will enter a cloistered Carmelite monastery via Twitter and a few Catholic podcasts. Well, her entrance date is *tomorrow*, can you believe it? Keep her in your prayers, her name is Channing. Most excitingly, I am now Twitter friends with a friend of hers (it's a small Catholic world, apparently) and he is attending her entrance Mass! He has promised photos and a long blog post about every detail, and as soon as he puts it up, I will link you all over. I am ridiculously excited about this. :)

-4- Speaking of prayer, I am 3 months into my subscription with Magnificat magazine, and it has made a real difference in my prayer life. I had been doing pretty well with Morning Prayer, but now I find that if I take it up to bed with me and my book, I slip Evening Prayer in before I read and fall asleep. LOVE IT. I had taken out a 6 month subscription as a trial, and it's up in October. I just renewed it for a year so I'm all set through October 2014. I definitely recommend this beautiful publication.They will send you a free trial issue if you like.

-5- If any of you are familiar with Greg and Jennifer Willits, they are having what they call a "we need a miracle! fund drive" over at their New Evangelizers web site. I love their podcast, The Catholics Next Door, and have listened for several years. They have several apostolates that have been going for years, like the Rosary Army ministry to give away free twine knotted rosaries, that are in sore need of some financial TLC. If you are so inclined and are fans of theirs, consider tithing for them.

-6- Every summer, Mike and I go through this British phase in which we watch nothing but Masterpiece Mystery in the evenings. We're not sure how this started, but we love it. Perhaps it's the heat and the fact that we covet the London gloom. At any rate, currently, we're watching the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, and we're in heaven. Our local public library has them all on DVD, and yours might too. :)

-7- Finally, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about God's will. Yep, saved a real light topic for last, right? It rather relates back to item #1 on this list, the spiritual boost my faith and creative life have been feeling lately due to this blog. Certainly I know that I discerned God's will in my vocation and career. But what else does God want me to do? Am I being called to use my writing in some way? No notion, but it's very much on my heart these days. Please keep me in your prayers.

I will check in with you all again on Monday. :) Head over to Jenn at Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes!