10 Things About Me

Today I woke up late for work...but still made it on time. This is just one reason I'm growing my hair out: so I can pull it up in a ponytail and go. And I'm make-up free today too, and without breakfast lol.  I hope your morning got off to a better start!

I'm also sharing a little bit about myself, so here's 10 things about me:

My sister Gail and I

1. I am the oldest child in my family. (There's 5 of us!)  I'm also an aunt and godmother (x2!)

2. I've been married to my best friend, Ben, for just over 7 years.  Love him to pieces!

3. I'm a good singer, and sometime I'll post a video of myself from my iPhone. So don't expect quality, lol! Any requests?

4. Did I mention I work at a library? 
(I'm the Chief Shusher!)

5. I have a hard time committing to exercise. I barely exercise really. Perhaps I should remedy that soon... 

6. And I don't have a skincare routine even though I'm over 30. So sue me!

My hubby Ben and I at our wedding

7. My favorite holiday is Christmas.  There is just something about it that makes me warm inside and gives me hope for the future.  Part of it is Christ coming as a baby, the other is spending time with family, while there is a small part that is nostalgic for things of the past.

8. I love shabby chic, rustic decor, vintage finds, and modern lofts.  One day I hope to incorporate it all into one space.

9. When I was little, I wanted to be a farmer, teacher, FBI agent, a magazine editor, a hair stylist, and a fashion/interior designer. A girl can dream!

10. I like serving and helping people, and believe that some good Southern hospitality goes a long way.  Although I'm not Southern, I'm just from Ohio.

Hope you're having a blessed day!

Redefining My Life

I have been finding a new identity in Christ and seeing that I am not Randi the youth minister, but Randi the disciple of Christ who is your wife/daughter/sister/friend. So while this may be #tbt, I am taking my life to Christ and redefining who I am...been doing it for awhile and hadn't noticed until recently. #leadmetothecross #amen #newme #ifeelablogpostcomingon

I never realized all the change that would come inside of me after leaving the last parish I worked for. I have been thinking about it for a couple of weeks and I have seen so many things happen. 
1. I have found community at St. Gertrude and in the Youth Ministry Core team where I now volunteer at St. Gertrude. I haven't felt so welcome in a place or in a ministry in all my life. No one is talking about me behind my back, there are no back-stabbing or scheming people, and church politics are not there.
2. My prayer life is expanding...slowly, but what's even better is that now Ben and I can pray together. I can also feel God in my life again and my prayer journaling isn't like pulling teeth.
3. I can be a wife for the first time in my life instead of a dictator of volunteers...which is how I felt when I was stressed out. I feel so much more at ease and loving now.

I still miss being at my old parish because I could tell that I was doing good work there. I miss the teens and the relationships with parishioners. However, Satan was constantly on the attack in many ways and I have to be honest....after awhile, it just got overwhelming. With no support from my staff, I knew I couldn't stay and try to brave it alone. It's so much easier to brace the blows with a team of people who are working alongside of you and my team of volunteers had left the ministry for various reasons. On top of all these things, I had been led on about different aspects of my job and my pastor purposefully avoided me when I sought to talk to him. It was a completely unhealthy working situation. I am sad to admit this, but I have to be honest. This is my blog afterall!

So why have I been redefining myself? Well, many different reasons, but it basically comes down to not being happy with the direction I was headed. I felt like my relationship with God was lacking, that I was too wrapped up in what I did for a living, and that I had become too dependent on "stuff". Since leaving my job last June I have done several things consciously and unconsciously.
1. We've been without a major part of our household income, so we've scaled back A LOT! I haven't shopped for myself in over 6 months, and other than a couple of gifts for Christmas, we have not really bought anything for our house/each other/etc. Our meals have become cheaper, we eat out much less, and to conserve food we don't snack between meals a lot. We've made it by the grace of God, and some generous people. It's only this week, after I got the news last week that I will be starting a full-time job (yay!), that we've had to reach out to St. Vincent de Paul to get food.
2. We've sold a lot of items to make money and gotten rid of clutter by the bag full to Goodwill. All we have left is to go through our basement storage room. We haven't bought any new clothes in the last 6 months. We've also been forced to return some items because we couldn't make the payments. That is very humbling! I've also given away some of my ministry stuff to friends who are also in youth ministry and to the library I work at. It made my day seeing the joy on their faces!
3. I've started wearing more skirts and dresses. I dress a lot more feminine and modest, and in turn, people have treated me a lot differently. That's been a big deal to me, as I've been desiring to change my outward appearance to match what was inside my heart. I follow lots of modest Instagram accounts like: @lauren_modernmodesty, @modestcatholicgirls, @modestlychics_, and @daintyjewells. I like the inspiration and it spills over to my Pinterest account: https://www.pinterest.com/randi_hom/
4. I wanted to keep doing ministry and my heart is for youth ministry. So I started volunteering at St. Gertrude with the youth and it has changed me in many ways. I see ministry in a different light now, it's back to something I love to do and I jump at the chance to do God's work. Ben and I have been discerning what God wants of us and have seen how He has given us a missionary heart.

 There are a lot of things that God is doing in our lives right now. I'd love to share, but I'd rather wait until more things are confirmed in prayer or by action. Until the next time, see you in the Eucharist!

Fun Ideas for Nurseries (with a special surprise!)

Next week, Ben's cousin and his wife will welcome their first child.  Ben spent the day with his cousin on Monday shopping for Christmas and I have to admit, I do love hearing about babies!

So with the disclaimer that we are not expecting (I bet that's what you thought the surprise was!), I am going to share some of my ideas that I've collected about nurseries and babies over the last few years.

First of all, you can check out an old blog post I made called Fun Ideas for Nurseries.  All the cute pictures are from The Busy Budgeting Mama.

Second, I am unveiling for the first time my Baby and Nursery Ideas board from Pinterest!  Call it an early Christmas present!  Over 700 pins of nurseries, outfits, hairbows, toys, maternity outfits, picture ideas, and MORE!

Third, I would love to hear your stories and thoughts about what baby things you love!  You can never have too many babies in your life!

And speaking about babies, I am so thankful my brother Mike and sister-in-law Lacey (of Life as The Rotundo's) will be home for Christmas this year!  I can get my "Auntie" on and snuggle with my niece and nephew.  So blessed this year!

It's beginning to look a lot like Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  We went to Mass at St. Max and I saw the purple swags in the windows, and the huge Advent wreath up front...I love Advent season!  This is a time to reflect on Christ's coming and prepare our hearts.  

Today's Gospel is from Mark 13:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

It reminded me about tonight's upcoming youth night at St. Gertrude, where we are going to be discussing priorities and "seeking first the Kingdom".  Mark's Gospel fits in so well, telling us to "Be alert!"  How can we have priorities if we are not alert and aware of what God's plan for us is?  Today I am thankful that God is so merciful and allows second chances!

Also, since today is the first Sunday of Advent, I thought I would share an update of some of the resources I shared on my old blog.

First of all, please check out my Pinterest boards below.

1.  Religious Education Advent Ideas
2.  Youth Ministry Advent/Christmas Ideas

2.  Advent and Christmas Ideas for the Home

For those in ministry check out this video from a webinar I attended by Ave Maria Press:
O Radiant Dawn: Ministering to Families (And Yourself) This Advent Season
There's tons more videos to check out there too!

More Advent Resources (coloring pages, lessons, etc.):  
CatholicMom: Advent
12 Tips to Holier Advent Season

My Recommendations for Great Advent Guides:
For Youth Ministry:  Life Teen Advent Companion
For Ebook:  Magnificat Advent Companion

Projects to get Dad involved:
Make and Advent Wreath using power tools
Outdoor Nativity Scenes with lights
Lego also makes Advent Calendars!

Shows to Watch: CatholicTV: Advent

Where to Shop for Advent/Christmas Gifts: Faithful Findz