Where did my mountain go??

OK, this is just the weirdest thing. Came back from our weekend trip hoping that my picture would have magically reappeared up there... But, no such luck.

What's strange is that some people can see the header, and some can't, and some can see half of it. I played around with it, and I can see it on my computer now, only if I take the title off. So, it seems I have to choose between the picture and the title.

I can't figure it out. It's not like I was playing with the template or anything; it just happened out of the clear blue sky (no pun intended...).

Can everyone see the header now, though?? Sorry to keep bothering abou this... Just seeing what I can work out...

I don't suppose any other blogger out there has had a similar problem that they figured out?

Question...

Hey, just wondering... Is my banner missing for everyone else, or is it just a fluke of my computer?

A Christmas Present

Like everyone, I have a list longer than my arm right now. Christmas is like that. No matter how much I resolve to keep the stress level down, I find myself fretting over gifting, over scheduling, over schooling ~ over everything.

We don't even have a very full calendar this year with the boys still at school until the weekend before Christmas, and only two or three parties to attend. But, as a Catholic mother, I want to try to pull out every little sparkle of meaning and light that I can from Advent. As a homeschooler, I want to fit in all the depth of the history of the season, along with every meaningful craft I can find (on top of our regular studies!). As a child of American Christmas customs, I feel obligated to fill every Christmas package as perfectly and as full as I can. With a smile on my face and a jingle bell on my hat.

And so I went out yesterday afternoon, in a flurry to fulfill the requirements of all of these "obligations. " I had to stop at the library to drop off some movies we'd borrowed. I had to pop in at the post office. I had to meet all my brothers and sisters to celebrate my parents' anniversary at dinner (Which deserves more than a sidenote here! But I'll post on that as soon as I find some pictures!). Then I had to go grocery shopping, crafts shopping, and gift shopping, all before coming home to pack up and prepare the family for Dad and me to be gone for the weekend.

We're making the trip over to the western slope this weekend to get the rest of our stuff from the old house, weather permitting or not!

So, as I said, I was in a flurry. First stop, the library. Ran in, said "howdy" to the library ladies, rechecked one movie, dropped off the others. Zipped back out to the van to make the next stop. Car wouldn't start. Agh! I had so much to do! I couldn't even walk home because I had stupidly worn my clogs instead of my boots! Dan was 45 minutes away at work. I repeat: AGH! Here I was, my own motor racing a hundred miles an hour, and I was stranded! My list of to-dos fluttering away in the cold night sky.

So, I called the children, told them where I was. They said, "Yeah? So? Like how does this affect us?" Called my wonderful husband, explained the problem. He said he'd be there as soon as he could, and not to worry; it was probably the starter. Called my Mom to tell her I might be late or not be able to make it. She said not to worry. She'd be happy to see me if I could still make it, but she certainly understood if I couldn't.

Well, there I was; I'd done all I could do, after trying to start the car so many times that it was probably flooded. So, what now?

I might as well get in from the cold. I picked up my purse, and went into the library. It was warm and smelled of books. There was the quiet chatter of children typing on a computer in the corner. An old friend looked up to smile at me. The irritation started to ebb away. I found a corner where there was a display of Christmas books and settled in a comfy chair. One of the titles was The Christmas Box Miracle, a book that I'd heard about but had never had time to read.

I opened it and read in the introduction: "Only in understanding and accepting our divine life purpose can we view the world as it really is and free ourselves from the pursuit of the "perfect life" as painted by Madison Avenue and other paradigm engineers, and pursue instead the perfect life experience ~ a divine education ~ so we can evolve as spiritual beings."

OK. Duh. I knew that. Or did I?

The author (Richard Paul Evans) goes on to say, "... I believe there are specific moments in each life given us to influence our life paths ~ a cosmic pull of a lever that switches the tracks beneath us."

Yeah. Know about those. We have just experienced one of those "track switches" in our recent move back to the farm due to a series of events out of our control ~ and in His control. When you have that big a change, you can't help but notice it, and its easy to know Who to credit. Even if you're not crazy about the accomodations He's chosen for you on the train, you know to trust Him.

These BIG things hold lessons you can't miss.

It's those little lessons you tend to miss. I have trouble bearing in mind and benefitting from the fact that His lessons are constant. Along with the occasional big "track switch" He is always working on us with little "switches" or "glitches" to help us perfect ourselves ~ to get us ready for the big switches, most likely. Now, if I could just recognize those little switches when they come along and grin and bear them, instead of getting all irritated...

My car not starting at the library was a very minor glitch. At least I thought at first that it was a glitch. Until I realized, after a few minutes of reading, by my self, no child at my elbow, in the peace of the library that it was not a glitch at all. It was a gift. A little early Christmas present from God.

He was saying, "Slow down, Lisa. Take a break. Relax. Here, dear, read this."

I'll tell you how I like the book when I'm finished.

BTW: Please, if you think of it and have a moment, pray for those of us who may be traveling in the Colorado snow (or anywhere!) this weekend. (You on your way, Nutmeg?) I hear the weather is supposed to clear up, but it's snowing now, and we have no choice but to make the trip. We're bringing our Guardian Angels and rosaries along, for sure!

Wednesday Afternoon Update

Yesterday was a snowy day here in Eastern Colorado. We spent the day working on the "bones" of the Nativity set (lights, trees, etc), while watching the Christy series on DVD that we borrowed from the library. I hadn't watched those since I was a teenager! What good and wholesome television! Why don't they have anything like that on TV now? The time period fit in nicely with Michelle's study of Anne of Green Gables, and we were all gratified by the lessons learned in each episode. And it was more fun doing the not-so-fun nitty gritty construction on Bethlehem with the movies in the background. And my cuppa mocha on the hearth.

Here's the new blanket of snow at our house:

Here's how far we are today on the Nativity Scene:
Now, back to more mundane things like laundry and correcting math papers.

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

A title beloved here in the west/southwest of the United States, as she is the loving patroness of our Mexican neighbors.

Isn't it wonderful to see how Our Dear Mother carefully plans her visits to us? She is such a good mother, so loving and practical. Our perfect example, she knows how to dress for every occasion, how to make comfortable the people she visits, what gifts to leave for them. Notice how her imagery here for the Mexican people differs from, say, her visit to Lourdes, or her message through the miraculous statue in Akita, Japan, or the apparitions of Our Lady of Knock in Ireland or La Salette, France.

She tailors her visit, right down to the clothes she chooses to be seen wearing! She understands the tastes of each culture, and, the importance of maintaining a certain comfort level through familiarity. Right down to understanding how endearing and enduring would be the simplicity and humility of her image on Juan Diego's cloak or tilma.

She always knows the best way to present her message. She is at the same time the perfect hostess and guest, the perfect example of graciousness and humility. Her message complete in word, gesture, and image, down to the tiniest detail.

Even to the tiny reflection of Juan Diego in the eye of her image.

Our Lady's words to Juan Diego: "No estoy Yo a qui que soy tu Madre?” (“Am I not here who am your Mother?”)

“Listen and let it penetrate your heart, my dear little son. Do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety, or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need? Do not let the sickness of your uncle worry you because he is not going to die of his sickness. At this very moment, he is cured.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Mother, Our Fountain of Life, Pray for Us!

In honor of my husband...

Who did not feed it to the children, but who, himself, had chocolate cake for breakfast this mornin'.



via videosift.com

Is this the diet you were talking about, honey?

Just wondered.

...
My child poet picked out the letters
On the grey stone,
In silver the wonder of a Christmas townland,
The winking glitter of a frosty dawn.
...
I nicked six nicks on the door-post
With my penknife's big blade—
There was a little one for cutting tobacco,
And I was six Christmases of age.

My father played the melodeon,
My mother milked the cows,
And I had a prayer like a white rose pinned
On the Virgin Mary's blouse.

From Patrick Kavanagh's poem, A Christmas Childhood. The whole poem is lovely, and can be read here. The photo was taken out our back door Sunday morning. The camera couldn't quite catch the sparkle in the branches...

Our Nativity Scene

This 1950s family Nativity Scene is right up our alley!

Setting up the Nativity Scene is a very big deal at our house.

We girls are going to miss the big boys this Advent, as the construction of Bethlehem has always been a family affair, involving the lifting of rocks, the building of bridges, the layout of lakes and streams. You just never know. Every year it's gotten more and more elaborate. It usually takes four weeks to complete. We usually start it the first weekend of Advent and construct and tinker with it until Christmas.

We put up between eight and ten Christmas trees every year, too, the skinny, woodsy kind. They're of varying sizes, between three inches and five feet tall ~ and are all incorporated into our Nativity scene. We leave them green and bare around the stable before the traditional blanket of snow falls sometime before Jesus' birthday. The children never know when it's going to snow in Bethlehem; the surprise of it is part of the fun.

Last Year's Nativity Scene before the arrival of the Holy Family.

We liked rigging it upwards like this at our western slope home last year, but the children missed the "cave" effect we get by constructing our scene inside the old, rustic, mossrock fireplace here at the farm.

Have you heard the legend of how the trees near the Babe's crib burst into bloom, and how all the birds of Bethlehem found their ways to the stable on that night to serenade the new Baby? We like to play on this legend when decorating the trees. On Christmas Eve, when everyone but Mommy and Daddy are asleep after Midnight Mass, the trees "miraculously" fill with flowers and birds and beads of every color.

We also have a number of small animals that the children get to place around the stable, but the two little mice (If we can find them this year! St. Anthony, help!) are always the favorite, because they move all around the nativity scene. The children run to look every morning to see if they can find them. (It's as much fun for Mommy as it is for them, too, let me tell you!)

We're running late getting started this year, due to circumstances beyond our control, and are short on muscle since the boys are all at school, so it promises to be a challenge. But, we'll try to post pictures of our progress.

Here's the hearth swept (somewhat) clean and the stable "box" set inside. Watch how it develops from here.

Something Else We've Been Working On...

This is the beginning of our Winter Village... Usually we'd be a little further along on all our projects, but, honestly, we're still trying to figure out where someone put the cinnamon after it was unpacked!

We spent a snowy Friday afternoon adding to the houses we already had from another year, though. We plan to add a large backdrop of blue fleece for sky, with some fluffy cotton batting clouds... Also need to finish the church and maybe make some more people. We've also got some fun Christmas trees, but we wanted to wait until it's a bit closer to the Big Day to add them. It's a work in progress. We'll post some more pictures as we finish it throughout Advent.

We got the original idea from Mary Englebreit's Winter book. But, for directions online, you can use this tutorial to make either whimsical little houses, or permanent felt gingerbread houses.

Michelle, half-way through construction on the new rectory.
Theresa working on an outbuilding
The unfinished church. We're looking for a fun way to make stain-glass windows. Any ideas?
Starting to put it all together on top of the batting snow

on the school cupboard in our dining room.

One of our little pipe cleaner guys on his way down the slopes.
A little pipecleaner lass building a snowman.
Two little sledders deep in the fluffy "snow."
One of the little houses, waiting for its garage to be attached.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Hail, Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee...

Prov. 8, 22-35

The Lord begot me, the firstborn of His ways, the forerunner of His prodigies of long ago; from of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains or springs of water; before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth; while as yet the earth and the fields were not made, nor the first clods of the world. When He established the heavens I was there, when He marked out the vault over the face of the deep; when He made firm the skies above, and posed the fountains of waters; when He set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command; when He fixed fast the foundations of the earth; then was I beside Him as His craftsman, and I was His delight day by day, playing before Him all the while, playing on the surface of His earth and I found delight in the children of men. So now, O children, listen to me; happy those who keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Happy the man who obeys me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts; for he who finds me finds life, and wins favor from the Lord.

My favorite of the epistles of the entire year! I pray He will find me watching daily at her gates, waiting at her doorposts...

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!

Drat, Drat, and Double Drat!

It's snowing in the Colorado mountains again.

Snow is beautiful. Especially before Christmas; after Christmas, I'm sick of it. But, it's a wonderful thing to see it frosting the Rocky Mountains. It's so Christmas-y. And it's good for our Colorado economy. The skiiers, especially my eldest son (who is so avid, he has a patent pending for a snowboard design), are undoubtedly ecstatic at the snow that is being dumped on the trails. Every weekend.

That's the problem. Why can't it snow during the week?? When we don't need to get up there?

We've been trying for two weeks now to get over to the western slope in order to properly clean the house over there before we close on it on the 19th. We also have to get the all-important playground equipment we left in the backyard. So, we'll be pulling a trailer behind the truck. Which we really don't want to do in bad road conditions. Because, unfortunately, that beautiful, ski-friendly snow often makes the highways look like this:

Yuck.

I don't know what we're going to do! I'm just envisioning us sliding down from Eisenhower Tunnel (which is waaay up there) with the children's two-story jungle gym fishtailing behind us... Yikes!

Well, we have one more weekend to go after this one...

Is it a silly thing to pray for the whole weather pattern of the United States be altered for my convenience?

Eight Things

Lilder, who wants to know "Um, Where Am I?" as opposed to my question, "Are We There Yet?" has tagged me for a meme! The requirement is to list eight random facts, then tag eight other bloggers to do the same, linking to them, and being sure to tag them in their comment boxes. Too much fun!

Here are my eight:

1. I was born in Rota, Spain, and had dual American/Spanish citizenship status until I was twenty-one, at which time I had to pick my country. It was not hard.
2. I love the color green, in any shade, but I am only really "green" by default; thriftiness is a birthright and a necessity in big Catholic families.
3. My Dad used to call me "Goose" because I was silly, now he just makes this funny face at me.
4. My fingernails have always been very tough, and have always grown long, but never ten at a time. The second I notice they're all even, one breaks.
5. I think Tom Selleck is still a "wubba," even though he's an old man now.
6. There is no food I do not like; it's a miracle I don't weigh 400 lbs.
7. I can correctly spell just about any word you throw at me and give you its definition, but I forget a number the minute it's told me.
8. I love whimsical things...

...like these...

(My three littlest sweeties)

and these...

(On my kitchen counter)

and these...

(Over my stove)

and these...

(Over the computer)

and this guy...

(In the bathroom)

and these...

(On my feet)

So, now, who to tag? Jimminies, I don't know who to ask, because everyone's so busy, and so many already have done a slew of memes recently... No pressure, no worries; I'll understand if these "tagg-ees" decide to sit out, but following are a few of the lovely people I visit on my rounds that I would love to know eight random facts about:

Suzy at Sailing by Starlight, GrandmaK at A Bit of the Blarney, Marie at Memarie Lane, Kim at Starry Sky Ranch, Joanne at Ten Kids and a Dog, my good friend, Terrie, at Mama to Much, Bia at La Dolce Vita, and Alice at A Number of Things.

Iconography I Spy

Just something that made me smile this afternoon.
Can you find the little piece of a candycane somebody dropped in the picture?

In Theaters Near Us

We're book-aholics. We're also movie people. Total suckers for a good story. The problem is that there are so few new movies we can go see!

Many years ago we dedicated our family to the Holy Name, so, even though it's a compromise suffering it at all, we don't go to movies that use the Lord's Name in vain more than three times. We also stay away from movies with gratuitous violence, immodesty, impurity, and anti-Christian values, in general. Thank goodness for the websites that spell out the moral character of movies, or we'd waste a lot of money walking out of theaters!

But, you see why we don't get to see a lot of movies. Here is a short list of ones we've recently enjoyed, though:

Enchanted: This one comes in just under the wire, due to some pretty immodest dresses the princess wears. But, it's a cute, harmless movie. My wh and I got a kick out of its successful balance on the "camp" tightrope. We loved Amy Adams, one of seven children from Castlerock, Colorado, and think Susan Sarandon has found her perfect role.

Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium: The story comes up a bit lame and unsatisfying, in our opinion, but it's also a harmless fantasy, with some fun visuals. Dustin Hoffman plays a fun, eclectically nutty old fellow; he reminded me a bit of Uncle Albert (Ed Wynn) in Mary Poppins.

The Bee Movie: We enjoyed this flight of fancy. It gave rise to a lot of questions about the real life of bees, and their importance in God's universe. Plus, it was pretty funny and visually entertaining. We like to see Jerry Seinfield using his talents in wholesome ways.

* One of the movies (and books) we absolutely, positively will NOT SEE:

Our moral compass is steering us away from the Golden Compass. Here's a link that details why.

H/T: Raulito, over at Disciple of the Dumb Ox.

Oh, the pressure!

Alright, so I have a confession to make about a very strange thing. In the blogging world, as in the real world, I'm afraid, I'm a commentor. I find it very difficult to sit in a group and not put my two-cents-worth in, even if it's not worth two cents. If I come to visit your blog and don't comment, I feel like I've walked into your house and not said "hello" to you. It's an extension of the Southern manners my mother passed down to me I guess.

Or maybe I just have a big mouth.

Anyway. That's not my confession; you probably already know that.

Here's what's stressing me out: You know how when you go to comment on a blog, you have to copy out the wavy, squiggly letters and numbers in the word verification box? This somehow proves that we are legitimate and sincere blogging commentors, I expect. Well, it is by this exercise that I have learned that I must be dselexic. dyslecicx. dyslexic.

I can't get the letters right. I just can't do it. It's embarassing.

Like, is it some kind of test? Are they looking for intelligence here? Manual dexterity? Are they trying to confuse us? "Ha!" the Word-Verification-Wizards say, "Just let 'em try and copy this one!" And then they give you:

1liljlijl1

... in a drunken nightmare script, light blue type on aquamarine.

"OK," I say to myself, "I can do this."

I nervously crack my knuckles and squint.

Then,

finger

by

finger,

tap in

what I think

I see,

close my eyes

and push the "publish" button,

waiting, anxiously,

hoping against hope...

I peek through one eye

to see

if I've passed

or failed...

Dang!

I usually miss it the first time.

And, you know they punish you if you don't get it right the first time, by making the second test longer and more difficult. Yep. The next one'll be:

xykzhaxh7x.

And you'd better get that one right. Or they'll start getting really suspicious. They might send the word verification police. Or ban you from the comboxes. Oh, sorrow of sorrows!

It's nerve wracking! I don't know if I can stand the pressure!

Isn't life hard enough?

Advent Customs: The Advent Wreath

Following is an exerpt from a little pamphlet which mysteriously dropped into my hands recently. Funny how those things happen, isn't it?

This is just one of many different ways to celebrate the lighting of the Advent candles. We've used many different versions over the years, but we like this one for its simplicity and connection to the Mass of the season. Our ceremony this evening followed this format except that we never have the children light the candles; they do take turns blowing them out every night, though, starting with the youngest child. Also, we add a much-loved statue of the Child Jesus to the center and are using white candles with the traditional purple and pink represented by ribbons. Though it has started out on the dining room table, our wreath will probably end up being moved over to the buffet nearby, as it just takes up too much room. A lot of living gets done on our table, and we may not be able to avoid smooshing the wreath or knocking down the candles in the course of a day. We'll see how it goes tomorrow...

Advent Customs

by Sr. Mary Laetitia, R.S.M.B

Nihil Obstat: J. Gerald Kealy, D.D.

Imprimatur: Samuel Cardinal Stritch

Archbishop of Chicago, Nov 22, 1955

Advent is the season of lovely expectancy, of holy anticipation, and of intense longing. Especially in the home where the children learn to prepare for the Christ Child's birthday, Advent can be made the most tenderly beautiful season of the year.

In studying the literature of the Church we find that the Advent prayers dramatize joyfully the real meaning of preparation for the great feast. With this thought in mind we will explain through these pages the many customs of the Church which we can observe in the home or in the school to keep this Birthday a vibrant, living expectancy among young and old.

The Advent Wreath

One of the most popular of the ancient customs is the Advent wreath. It is made of evergreens bound to a wire circle. Originally taken from the pagan fire wheel, it represents the cycle of years from Adam to Christ. it bears four candles spaced evenly, one for each week. The wreath is usually suspended from the ceiling by four purple ribbons, but it may be laid on the dining room table or on an end table with the candle kept burning during the evening meal.

The little ones enjoy helping to make the wreath, which can be fashioned from several bunches of laurel leaves bound to a metal barrel hoopp; the laurel, being significant of triumph, reminds us of Christ's victory over sin. One may use fragrant pine or whatever other greens are on hand. Some wreaths are kept fresh in plastic snow; to others a star is lighted for prayers. The advent wreath is especially proper to the home, where the children as well as the parents take their turn in lighting the candle.

The ceremony for use of the Advent wreath is so simple that it may be practiced in the home or the school. It consists primarily of the Collects for the Sundays of Advent.

On the First Sunday

after the family has gathered for the blessing of the wreath, the father begins:

(This first part is repeated each week)

Father: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

Father: O God, by Whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth Thy blessings upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, and may receive from Thee abundant graces, through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen. (Father sprinkles the wreath with holy water)

First Week

Father: Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, O Lord, and come so that we may escape through Thy protection and be saved by Thy help from the dangers that threaten us because of our sins, Who livest and regnest forever and ever.

All: Amen. (One candle is lighted by the youngest child and left burning during the meal)

Second Week

Father: O Lord, stir up our hearts that we may prepare for Thy only begotten Son, that through His coming we may be made worthy to serve Thee with pure minds, Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen. (Two candles are lightted by the eldest child and allowed to burn as before)

Third Week

Father: O Lord, we beg Thee, incline Thine ear to our prayers and enlighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy visitation, through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen. (Three candles are lighted by the mother and allowed to burn as before)

Fourth Week

Father: O Lord, stir up Thy power, we pray Thee, and come; and with Thy great might help us, that with the help of Thy grace, Thy merciful forgiveness may hasten what our sins impeded, through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen. (All four candles are lighted by the father and allowed to burn as before)

At the end of Advent the ribbons may be changed to white and tiny bells added for decoration. The festive wreath may then be hung in the entrance hall to add a touch of gaiety to the home, and to give the family an opportunity to explain the wreath to neighbors or friends who have not seen it previously.

* Coming up, more excerpts from Sr. Mary Laetitia's pamphlet, including customs for the feast of St. Nicholas, The Christmas Crib (or creche), the O Anthems, The Christmas Wreath, The Christmas Candle, and the blessing of the Christmas tree.

The Emmanuel Award

Marie and Ginny at A View From the Pews have designed a new award honoring our fellow bloggers who share the true Christmas spirit. I am so honored to have been nominated for this award by Suzy over at Sailing by Starlight, my most favorite Christ-centered blog. And in the tradition of passing the goody-plate around, I'd like to nominate: GrandmaK over at A Bit of Blarney. Her joy and anticipation of the True Feast of the Nativity are a gentle backdrop in all her themes as we approach Advent ~ Tomorrow!

The award, as Marie and Ginny explain it:

Emmanuel Award

"God With Us"

In a consumer society it is a blessing to read blogs where the writer's main focus is God. Where they express their love for their faith so visibly and joyfully.In a cynical world it is refreshing to see so many blogs which are generous, giving, who care about others and demonstrate what being a Christian is about, loving God and loving our neighbor.Through their faith, lives and spirituality, they bring God to us, they in essence make God visible, 'God with us.'This Award goes to all the faith filled blogs who make evident 'Emmanuel'- God with us, with Joy in their hearts.Please share this Award with Christian blogs that focus on the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior.

Take one comfy chair and a pile of books...

Add a load of logs and kindlin'...
What have you got?A perfect cozy spot for an afternoon read!

One nice thing about moving, you rediscover old treasures. Theresa was tickled to unpack a box and find the one book of the Great Brain series that she hadn't read yet. She's been immersed in Tom's amazing adventures ever since!

Advice from Will Rogers

The following makes the e-mail rounds every so often, and is always such sound and true advice, I thought I'd share it in case y'all hadn't seen it in a while.

Will Rogers, who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was probably the greatest political sage this country has ever known. Enjoy the following:

1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.
2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.
3. There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither works.
4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
5. Always drink upstream from the herd.
6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.
8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.
9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.
11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.
12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral:
When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.




H/T: Tom S.

Happy Birthday, Dear Yuyum!

William Thomas

Two Years Old Today!

Little Boys

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes,

Shy and adventurous, full of surprises,

With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins.

They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while

Nothing can brighten the world like their smile.

And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy

Than a curious, active, and lovable boy!

Santa in Our Backpacks

I was reading one of my favorite blogs yesterday, I Have to Sit Down. Simcha always makes me laugh, always makes me think. We may not always see eye to eye on things, but..... Well... I really don't care!

And that is exactly what her post yesterday got me thinking about. Though she ended up in humorous exasperation at those people who are hyper about the politically-correct-gender thing, she prefaced her main point (Or was that her main point? Hmmm...) with an observation that got my wheels turning even more.

Why are we, women in particular, so afraid to offend one another by being different from one another?

Americans, Catholics, Parents, Homeschoolers ~ no matter what subset banner we wave over our heads, we are not all the same. It's easy to want to think that, because we belong to this very exclusive group of "Catholic-Homeschool-parent," or, even (Gasp!) "Traditional-Catholic-Homeschool-parent" we are going to be like-minded in everything and be able to carry on deep, meaningful discussions of life and philosophy and child-rearing without ever disagreeing.

But, good grief, of course we're going to disagree! Whaddya expect? With millions of combinations of temperaments, experiences, challenges, and God-given gifts and insights, how could we all be at the same place on the Path at the same time?

Now, do I proudly defend the path I've chosen as the correct path? Of course I do! If I didn't think it was the right path, I wouldn't be on it!

Will I try to do what I can to help those I think are straying off the upward path? I have an obligation to! But, I better be doggone careful I'm really helping them up and not pushing them off! It's a very tricky thing, and an endeavor not to be taken lightly. I believe the best help I can give anyone is prayer and good example. St. Francis of Assissi said, "Always preach the Gospel, and, if necessary, use words." My evangelization, due to my station in life, is a subtle one. I have ten souls (twelve, counting my husband and myself) that I'm directly responsible for, and I lecture them plenty, but the rest of the world, I've given into the Blessed Mother's capable hands.

Here's the sore point...

What do you do about those people who are on a different place in the Path than we are, who become offended by our lifestyle choices? Some people assume that because we do this, we must condemn that. So: if we unschool, we look down our noses at structured homeschoolers and most certainly conventional schoolers; if we prefer dresses, we look upon "pants-wearers" as unworthy; if we only give our children homemade, eco-friendly toys, we assume plastic-toy-parents are not our equals.

Pish posh!

To think this way scorns charity. And, while the word "tolerance" has evolved into a liberal excuse for "anything goes," the original definition which includes the concepts of mercy and understanding still applies to all of us. Self-righteous judgment doesn't save souls.

And, let's talk about this Path. What really constitutes a step off it, and what is merely a "divergence" due to someone's differing choice of tools to scale it ~ often tools, God has handed to us due to our differing needs?

If you do not adhere to the dogmatic teachings of the Catholic Church, you're off it. If you're in mortal sin, you're off it. Do I have to be extremely careful about judging either of these? Oh, man, do I! But, I have to do it, if for no other reason, than to properly instruct my children about bad examples. And I also teach them that God alone judges the person!

What about those people who aren't off the path,
but are getting awfully close to the edge?

Straying into habits, places or company of temptation pulls you close to the precipice and is a danger we have to avoid and teach our children to avoid. Some of these edges have no guardrails, particular those temptations against purity. The problem here, though, is that we may disagree on what are temptations and how far we need to go to avoid them. Swing too wide and you fall off on the pride side! Where you always end up losing that all important walking stick, charity...

And, of course, all the virtues are our hiking implements; the heavenly court supplies our guides; tradition our compass; and sacrifice...

Sacrifice is the load we carry on our backs: the food, the water, the bedroll that we'll need as we go. It's also got the rope we'll need for getting over the really hard places. You may think you can get up without this pack, but you'll find you'll be better off if you take it with you. You're bound to be picking up plenty of stuff along the way whether you like it or not, and you'll need a good place to put it all.

What do you carry in your pack?

One of the causes for disagreement among Catholics is the choice of what to carry in our packs. Sometimes we're tempted to scoff at those who don't choose the same sacrifices as we do. We think they're missing out on something. Silly. We forget that God is the one who does most of the packing of this bag, and I think He sometimes smiles at the unnecessary things we stow in there ourselves, when He's already got it covered. The Church tells us what's necessary; God puts in a pick and shovel sometimes if He knows we'll need them. And He loves it when we lend out things to others from our own packs.


But, regardless, I think He likes our attempts, especially when we keep them to ourselves and don't brag about them. And when we trust Him to take care of the choices and needs of His other children, especially as regards the sacrifice thing.

A lot of the choices that cause consternation among Catholics fall here. As you probably know ~ and, please don't misconstrue this as bragging, but in the way of an example only ~ our family doesn't go trick or treating on Halloween. This is something we chose to give up. It actually is not a heavy burden at all, but we hope it may help us somewhere on the path.

What you don't know about us...

... and I've been loathe to tell because it is a divergence that I'm afraid will cause, um, offense... What you don't know (Hold onto your hat and cover your children's eyes if they're reading over your shoulder!) is that we don't do Santa Claus at our house, either!

There. I've said it. It actually comes as a strange relief...

Nope. Haven't done S.C. since our oldest was about 4 years old. It's something we gave up looking for something that might help us better down the road. Do we believe everyone should make this decision? Only if God calls you to it. It may not be something He needs you to do. How on earth can I know that? I only know what we needed to do. And we haven't regretted it an instant. In fact, it really hasn't been a big deal at all. We have a custom-rich Christmas, full of presents and good cheer. All the presents just have a loved one's name next to "from."

We truly think it's great if Santa comes to your house; doesn't offend us in the least. But, um, look out if my five year old gets to talking to your five-year-old because she truly hasn't a clue about subtlety and tact and letting sleeping dogs lie... And she never backs down. Ever.

So, now that you all know our "little secret," I can explain our family Christmas customs and they'll make better sense to you. And you won't mind, will you?


Having Santy Clause in our pack may make it look oddly large and lumpy, but he's actually really light. Like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon.

Who knows but that the helium might come in handy at some point...If nothing else, we can amuse ourselves by sucking it in so we can sing the hiking song like Donald Duck.

I hope that doesn't offend anybody...

How Many Crafting Days Until Christmas???

The countdown begins!

Seriously, how many days are there now until Christmas? No, don't tell me! Agh! Usually by this time of year, I have at least half of my Christmas shopping done. In fact, a good part of that I get done the week after Christmas, hitting the sales. Not this year, though. Been too distracted. Also too poor. And, after moving I-don't-know-how-many boxes of toys and other junk I am now convinced are absolutely unnecessary, I am totally unmotivated to add anything to our "collection."

That being said...

Here are some links to some really fun looking home-made items we girls may try to put together in the evenings in the time we have left. That is, after we finish unpacking and hanging up our clothes and canned goods... And put the rest of the beds together... And hang pictures... And make new curtains... Oh! And do our Christmas cards!

Yikes!

OK, simplify, simplify... Easy Stuff... Yeah...

EASY homemade gifts may just be the ticket!

So, I went on a hunt this afternoon, I, who have absolutely nothing better to do, mind you...

And in my wanderings, I found the most interesting site. Run over and take a look at the Instructables for lots of inspiration and very whacky "show and tell" projects. I found a lot of fun stuff there. For instance, my big boys would get a real "bang" out of the homemade marshmallow shooter ! No rubberbands to wound one another with; only mini marshmallows all over the floor... We've seen these in catalogues, but how much more fun to make our own!

Here's an easy pattern for Toasty slippers that look easy to adapt to any size and can be a good use for our worn out blankets.

Using a tube and some old cds, you can make a keen kaleidoscope. I know our Littles would get a kick out of these. I'll just have to make sure they don't come apart easily...

This tutorial for Magnetic paper dolls uses a pretty grotesque example for the dolls, so please don't be put off by it. It does give a good idea of how it can be done, though. I'd be more inclined to print out pictures of my own little girls and make dresses for them.

Though this one's not as easy, I have an empty corner I'd like to make a checkerboard game table to fill.

As I ran across a container of plaster of paris when we were moving, I'd like to make a batch of homemade sidewalk chalk with the children to give to their friends. Looks fun and easy.

For the grandparents, we can easily make these boxes of hugs. But, we'll use this pattern for real paper boxes for the tiny gifts. We could put magnets on the backs of them, too, for refrigerator decor. All grandparents need refrigerator decor.

The very crafty lady at Pretending Sanity has a great lip balm recipe I'd love to try. she's also got some links to places to get supplies, if I don't find what I want at Hobby Lobby. It actually looks like a pretty simple, one afternoon project.


And, while we're at it, we could put together little soap and lotion combos from Teachsoap.com and maybe make little gift baskets for our teenage cousins. (They have a recipe there for Chocolate Lip gloss that we'll have to try!)


Here's a link to seven homemade toys for babies and toddlers that I think we'll get some use from. I like their idea for a really easy homemade book, and I know Yuyum would like the "kerplunk can."

Over at the Dollar Stretcher, there are tons of inexpensive, mostly homemade gift ideas, one of which is homemade stationary. You can find oodles of stationary ideas just by doing a quick Google search. And now that we've moved, we have plenty of use for stationary kits for all the little girls. And they can make them to send to their friends, too!


Dollar Stretcher also has a long list of good baby toy ideas!


If I had money to spare this year, I would shop from the Lehman's catalogue. We've never bought anything from Lehmans that we were not 100% tickled to death with. The Amish really do build with quality and integrity. Alas, this year, the budget won't allow it...

I also love "dream shopping" in places like Treasure Box Toys, and Hearthsong. When we have spent the money on quality toys, we've never regretted it. We've had a deluxe "busy bead" set, for instance, that we've had for about fifteen years which has had constant use and still looks good as new.

Most years, I'll start early on the garage sale circuit looking for quality used toys, as well as checking out all the thrift stores... But this year, I just don't know if I'll emotionally be able to go looking through someone else's cleaned-out-garage-goodies, when I have plenty old goodies still in my own garage! But, I will be on the lookout for books, mainly on E-Bay and Amazon.

We also have started all the older children on collections, which I'll try to add to. I'll have to post on that topic sometime, as it's made gift buying easier for us. Also, I hope to list out our gift buying route for the hard-to-shop-for men in our gang. As I have six sons, four brothers, two grandpas, one nephew and my husband to buy for this is an on-going challenge! I'll get on here soon with some of our first and last resort options. I'll try to do that next Monday...

So, there. This exercise has forced me to organize myself with links to work from! I hope it might have given someone else an idea or two as well! (And another "nice, short, quick post" for me here! Good grief! Someday I'll learn to be concise...)

Head over to MilihiMama who's organized lots more toy links!

And check out Rocks in My Dryer for lots of great tips!

We do have lovely sunsets on the prairie...

View out the picture window. See my upturned birdfeeder out there? Gotta fix that. Also that yogurt still smeared on the table... You don't notice these things til you get them in pictures sometimes...

Three of our sons and their Dad (and Theresa) made the drive back to Omaha late yesterday; my wh is driving back home tonight. We're praying him in safe... At least it's not over the mountains any more.

Though our oldest is driving back over the Rockies tonight, back to school on the Western Slope. Praying him over safe, too.

Already miss my boys.

But glad my husband will be home soon. Now that we've moved back to the farm, we'll actually get to see him every day of the week! How amazing and wonderful will that be?!

Saint of the Day

St. Catherine of Alexandria

St. Catherine of Alexandria by Caravaggio

One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, St. Catherine of Alexandria is one of the great early saints of the Church. A highly intelligent young woman from a noble family, she took it upon herself to try to convince the Emperor Maxentius of his error in persecuting her fellow Christians. Unable to hold his own in debate with Catherine, the emperor set the task of disproving her to a host of court lawyers and philosphers who were equally thwarted by the bright young woman with truth on her side.

Maxentius, the story goes, was called away on military business, and upon his return, found not only the high court official Phophyrius and the palace guard converted to the Faith, but also his own wife! This, of course, condemned Catherine and all her converts. Her iconography shows her with a broken wheel, the instrument of torture that Emperor Maxentius first tried to break her upon. This falling apart at her touch, she was beheaded.

St. Catherine is called upon as patroness by a wide variety of clients! She's the patroness of young women, philosophers, preachers, theologians, wheelwrights, and millers, among other working vocations. St. Catherine's was one of the heavenly voices that aided St. Joan of Arc. She appeared with Our Lady to St. Dominic and to Blessed Reginald of Orleans and the Dominican order adopted her as their special protectress.

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Who are the Fourteen Holy Helpers?

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The Fourteen Holy Helpers were formed into a heavenly band, so to speak, in fourteenth century Germany (Rhineland, to be exact), as an aid in a time of particular health calamity: the Black Death. Originally, all of the fourteen were called upon for specific health problems and were known to be particularly effective, thus adding to the popularity of their following. As the centuries progressed, their lists of specialties were added to, and include the following:

St. Achatius, against headaches

St. Barbara, against fever, lightning, fire, and explosions

St. Blaise, against diseases of the throat

St. Catherine, sudden death and by philosophers, students and lawyers

St. Christopher, bubonic plague and by travelers

St. Cyriacus, tempations on the deathbed and against eye disease

St. Denis, against headaches and rabies

St. Erasmus, against cramps and other stomach ailments

St. Eustace, against family discord and by hunters and from fire of all kinds, including eternal fire

St. George, health of domestic animals, by soldiers and against skin diseases

St. Giles, against the plague, for a good confession, against epilepsy, insanity, sterility and cases of demonic possession

St. Margaret, by pregnant women and during childbirth

St. Pantaleon, against phthisis and other wasting disease.

St. Vitus (or Guy), against epilepsy

Feast of St. John of the Cross

Oops, this is one day late, I'm afraid. I actually wrote this post accidentally a week ago, after getting up and looking at the calendar wrong. Truly, in the midst of the packing, I didn't know what day it was! But, it was a calm island in the storm to read and write about St. John. So, anyway, his feastday was yesterday, but here are a few reflections today...

"The eternal tide flows hid in Living Bread.

That with its Heavenly Life too be fed...

~ St. John of the Cross

Just a quick thought on the saint of the day, St. John of the Cross, the reformer of the Carmelite order, friend and mentor of St. Teresa of Avila.

While we know St. Therese the Little Flower as the saint of the Little Way, it seems we could think of St. John as the saint of the Hard Way. And I don't mean to be trite or disparaging here at all. Pretty much all saints fall into this category, including our dear St. Therese, whose little way was sure not an easy way.

The world, in general has a very bad habit of getting lazy and sloppy in its spiritual life. It's our fallen nature. We're always looking to simplify our path. Which of course, always gets us off track. But, Our Heavenly Father, being a patient Father, over and over again sends us holy people to inspire us, re-invigorate us, and steer us straight. Makes me think of the line in The Incredibles, where Mr. Incredible says: I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can't you just keep it clean for ten minutes!

But, He never gives up on us, our good God. He loves us, and keeps sending us helpers, saints to pray the world straight and reform us through their quiet example, like St. Therese. Saints who praise God's glory and omnipotence by wonders and miracles, like St. Martin dePorres. And He sends saints who are movers, shakers and trouble makers, like St. John of the Cross.

It's not an easy thing to reform a religious order, like St. John was called to do. You get accused of a lot of things. You are considered pretentious, self righteous, arrogant. Your humility is called stupidity. Your zeal is called insanity. Your direction from God is misconstrued as self love or demonic intervention. Members of religious orders can be amazingly catty, just like the rest of us. The devil works hard within the walls of cloisters! Even there, people can be cruel.

St. John was imprisoned for nine miserable months for his attempts to reform the Carmelite order, which, in the 16th century had become worldly and flawed. He met resistance at every turn. But, it was a difficult road he embraced with joy. He knew that God wanted his religious to understand that the road to Heaven is necessarily steep and difficult and that He expects much of those He calls to the religious life. The Carmelites needed a shaking up.


And St. John was given the job. A hard job because he had to tell those nice people that they were getting lazy and sloppy and needed to straighten up their act. He was not a popular fellow. But St. John carried this heavy cross up Calvary with Christ, who was also not a popular fellow. It was a hard way. All the saints take this hard way.

They blaze quite a path for us, don't they?



This is Dali's painting, Christ of St. John of the Cross, based upon a sketch of St. John's.


You can order a DVD featuring St. John of the Cross's journeys throughout Spain. I'd like to get this to watch next year on his feast day. We're movie watchers, and love to commemorate feasts this way!


St. John also left us many Poems and works , one of which follows:

WHAT IS GRACE


“What is grace” I asked God.

And He said,

“All that happens.”

Then He added, when I looked perplexed,

“Could not lovers

say that every moment in their Beloved’s arms

was grace?

Existence is my arms,

though I well understand how one can turn

away from me

until the heart has wisdom.”