My Sunday Best: Laetare Sunday Edition

I meant to blog yesterday.  But after going to morning Mass at our local parish (where we met up with our middle son and his wife and three children under four), we hosted a family brunch at our house.  Due to a combination of a stomach bug and a few other work-related issues, son #2 and his family were not able to make it.  So instead of ten adults and 14 grandchildren, there were only eight adults and 11 grandchildren in attendance.  Only.  (Four pounds of bacon were consumed, along with dozens of sausages.  And donuts.  And eggs...)

I had my husband take a photo of me in my church ensemble before we left for Mass, and it was as awkward as it usually is when I ask him to do the whole "Instagram husband" routine.  (If you haven't seen that hilarious YouTube video, check it out.  So funny!)

I was wearing pink in honor of Laetare Sunday.  My Sunday best sheath dress is actually not pink, per se, but more of a raspberry color.  Close enough for liturgical purposes, I hope.

Why do I look like I only have one leg?  This is what I get for trying to strike a "slimming pose."
(Can I blame those eye bags on jet lag?  Even though we'd been back for four days already?)

I was able to accessorize my outfit with something I brought back from our recent trip to Rome (March 20-27).   We didn't do a lot of shopping for souvenirs while we were over there; but I did pick up some scarves with pictures of St. Peter's and other significant sites embroidered on them, for my daughters-in-law and myself.

We also bought a pair of Rosaries as special gifts for our oldest grandchildren, twin granddaughters who are going to be making their First Holy Communion in a few weeks.

We were able to get these sweet Roman Rosaries blessed by our parish priest after Mass yesterday.

I had the house all set up for the wee ones, so this is what our Sunday best home décor looked like before everyone arrived.

Fireplace blocked, toys out.  Check and check.

Getting ready to close the gates--with so many toddlers, this is a must!  (My husband had to

fashion a special barrier for the main staircase.  We slide that big slab of wood over and 

Velcro it to the posts on each side.)

The kid's table.

I meant to take "during" and "after" pictures of our little family gathering, but I was too busy enjoying living in the moment.  When we were out of Internet service for a few days at our VRBO apartment over in Rome last week, I couldn't get on social media at all, and a funny thing happened: I was happy and relieved.  It helped us to live in the moment--we spent very little time checking our phones, because there was nothing to check.  My phone essentially became a camera and not much more.

Maybe some of that Rome trip influence has carried over now that I'm home, because I realized yesterday that I was in the basement with several grandchildren on my lap at once, and I'd left my phone upstairs--and I didn't even miss it.  Not a bit.

Actually, you know what?  I'm going down to the basement to take an "after" picture.  It looks like a minor hurricane blew through a little toy shop down there.  Imagine adorable children playing with those toys and you'll have an idea of what our Sunday looked like around here.

Last Sunday, my husband and I attended Mass at St. Patrick's in Rome, the "American" parish where the liturgy is in English.

St. Patrick's is probably the least ornate of all the many churches we visited on our trip of a lifetime; yet it is still so much more beautiful than the rather sparely decorated church in VA where we are now parishioners.  But as much as I loved Rome--and truly, I was literally brought to tears by the gorgeous religious artwork covering every inch of every wall and every ceiling of every church--I am still so happy to be back here.  This is where my boys are (the four married ones, anyway). This is where we get to spend time with them and their families.  This is where all of our grandchildren live.  Rome was spectacular, but this is our real life.  And it is even better than Rome.

Happy Laetare Sunday, dear readers.  When I get my thoughts and my pictures organized, I want to write about our Roman holiday before the details get too foggy.  Stay tuned for future posts where I subject you to the modern-day version of a slide show of our vacation.

And that's my Sunday best...brought to you on a Monday.