Happy Feast of the Epiphany from Our House to Yours!

We'll continue to light the white candles at the feet
of  our Lady's statue until the Feast of the Purification.
And I think we'll leave our Baby Jesus for a while --
just because we love Him.  Did just add the little painting
 of the journey to Egypt, though, and will likely remove the
tinsel and holly tomorrow morning. -- as the Liturgical
Year continues...

O God, Who by the guidance of a star didst this day reveal Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we, who know Thee now by faith, may be so led as to behold with our eyes the beauty of Thy majesty.  Through the same...
Prayer from the Mass of the Epiphany

*

Favorably regard the gifts of Thy Church, O Lord, wherein no longer gold is offered, nor frankincense, nor myrrh, but He who by these gifts is signified is become our sacrifice and our food, Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who with Thee reigns...
Secret from the Mass of the Epiphany

Cathy working on her much-craved
"Magi Bread."  Wonder who will find
the ring in it this year...

Table decorated for the Epiphany feast tonight. We'll be having "Pig in the Pantry."
(That's Anna there, if anyone wonders...)

+Gaspar, Balthazar, and Melchior, pray for us!

+ Many years worth of posts on the Feast of the Three Kings can be found here!

An Exercise in Geometry

This lesson requires a snow suit.  It's been in the single digits around here the last few days.  Not overnight, mind you -- in the middle of the day.  Here's Gabe, dressed for the weather.  You know what he's saying, don't you?

"I can't put my arms down!"

This is the story:

Gabe's been studying geometry but having trouble memorizing terms, and I just bought a little pedometer to track the 10,000 steps a day required by my new diet regimen.  In a typical day, however, I fall approximately 9, 630 steps short of the goal.  (Go figure that.*)  So, because Gabe needs to understand what perimeter means...  Well, guess who suited up, clipped on the pedometer and walked around our ten acres today?

Not me.

Good old Gabe did double duty, checking to see if the pedometer really works, while walking his math lesson around the outside edges of our little forest.  It was cooold and he came back with very pink cheeks -- but also a walking understanding of the word "perimeter."  We now know how far around our little property is:  if the pedometer tracked properly, Gabe walked 522 steps!  That's .41 kilometers,  a little over a quarter mile.  Fantastic!

Now I know the pedometer works -- and Gabe knows what "perimeter" means. A good day all around! (No pun intended.)  I have to confess that it'll be a while before I make the trip, myself, lacking a proper snow suit (and any kind of eagerness to do so), but the pedometer has paid for itself today, adding to the general store of knowledge here at the Davis house.  The whole exercise has been a win/win/win.

Tomorrow I'm going to wear the pedometer and see what happens if I swing my feet while sitting at the table teaching school.  I'll let ya know what I find out. :)



* I have studied the matter conscientiously and coming from a perfectly practical standpoint I've determined that exercise is impossible for me. No, really it is.  Impossible.   Even if I had a burning desire to walk 10,000 steps (which you know I do not, so I won't lie to you), 10,000 steps in any direction outside our house would lead me to the bottom of a snowy ravine (or it could, anyway, if I slipped in any one of a dozen snowy spots on the road). So walking outdoors: impossible.  At least for now. Ask me again in spring -- when it's muggy and buggy and the road is muddy...


Also impossible would be taking 10,000 steps inside our very small (quaint, cute, charming?) cottage in one day.  If I tried it, I'd remind you of the lions you see at the zoo walking around and around and around and around a 10'x10' enclosure.  It would drive you mad to watch it; it would drive me more mad to do it. Dodging children and cats and purposely instigated obstacles...  Coffee spilling all over the place..

 So why don't I get in some steps by  going up and down the stairs?  A reasonable proposition and I considered it, I truly did -- but, honestly, our staircase is 100 years old, steep and narrow with a low ceiling, the wooden steps themselves worn and slick,  Though the children would undoubtedly enjoy the spectacle, I'd most likely break my neck running up and down them.  Impossible.

So exercising at home is out.  What about going somewhere else to get in those 10,000 steps?  Even if I had time in the day to do such a thing, leaving kit and kin alone at the house, it would still be impossible.  We have no malls anywhere near us to traipse around -- and it's a good bet Dan would see through the thin excuse to go shopping be wary of my doing such a thing if we did.  We have no gym anywhere near us, either, and, in case you wondered, no space in the house for a treadmill or stationary bike -- or anything but a chair that I can sit on and kick my feet for exercise.   Which is the only one I like the sound of, anyway!

So, yeah.  Just clarifying.  Justifying? Hating exercising.  (Don't anyone tell my diet support group about this, though, OK?.  They might think I have a bad attitude or something...)

The Creche, 2014/15

Since we have so little room in this country cottage to spread out with a large elaborate Nativity scene, we decided to make use of vertical space and build a large elaborate Nativity scene up the living room wall.  Dominic, as usual, was the chief architect, though everyone pretty much got in on the process -- especially on the creative placement of hidden objects that the Littles are turning into an Eye-Spy challenge, complete with a search poem. (Still not finished yet -- I'll try to remember to post when it's complete!)

But, for posterity...  (I say that a lot, don't I?)

Here you see the big picture of the Davis Nativity diorama for this year.  The little cheap camera we are stuck with have right now doesn't pick up the light properly; the effect is much better in real life.  Since I had to use a flash the blue of the sky doesn't look quite right, the stars don't twinkle properly, and you can't appreciate the shadows of the interiors.  But you can get an idea, right?

It was too complicated to take the TV down -- and, well -- we'd have been very sad to miss all our favorite Christmas movies, so we just worked around it... (Sorry so fuzzy!  This camera...)

A side view so you can see the Holy Family.  The Three Kings haven't arrived yet, but are traversing the path above the stable, before arriving to worship the newborn King on the Epiphany...

A view from the other direction.  If you look closely, you can see some of the Eye-Spy objects
tucked in to the scene.  For instance, it's hard to miss the playing card, but can you see the

little hour glass?

Owl Landing, with a rather unexpected tire swing -- and a clam shell with "real" pearls.

Can you see the weasel, the rather large grey rat, and the poker chip?

Another perspective, showing two of the ladder/steps.  There are four sets of steps or ladders all together.

The temple at the far end.  Can you find the forks (easy!), the button, and the

fainted "big head" doll?

One of the six wooden soldiers hides (not very well) in this shot, but can you find the DVD player?

A bit of a trick.  Sorry!  Bou could see just a corner of it in the above picture.

And here again, from another view, we find the Magi crossing the wooden bridge.  One more
flight of steps and another day before they reach their destination - at the feet of the Christ Child.

Great job, Dominic and worker bees!  I hope you're pleased with the record-keeping we're doing here on AWTY.  I bet you'll be looking back at these pictures next year to remember what you did this year. So, in preparation thereof:

Hey. there, Davis children, 2015/16! I love you!  Thanks for stopping by!  Now go hug your mother!

The Holy Name of Jesus!

Luke 2:21 "...Et vocatum est Nomen eius IESUS"

Though January 1st commemorated the actual day of the Jewish ceremony which named Our Lord, today is the official day set aside for us to honor the Holy Name. Someone new to the mysterious feast day choices of the Church may wonder a little at this one ~ maybe not so much as at the concept of the Feast of the Circumcision, maybe, but it might seem like a bit of hyperbole over an insignificant thing at first glance, all this to-do about a name. But, goodness, what a Name!

There never has been and never will be another gift more important than the Incarnation of God, made man for our salvation. And this gift to us, the "Word made Flesh" is known to us by the letters of His name ~ Jesus.

Jesus.

The sound should be music to our ears and the pronunciation sweet to our tongues, not only because of His promise to us, but because of the eternity of the love for us that lies within the syllables of His name.

We know that "... in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth." (Philippians 2:10)

And Christ, Himself, assured us that "... if you ask the Father any thing in My Name, He will give it you. Hitherto you have not asked any thing in My Name. Ask, and you shall receive; that your joy may be full." (John 16:23-25)

How can we not love this Name as we love Him? He has promised so much to us by it. It is the Name of our most truly beloved.

Blessed be the Holy Name of Jesus, now and forever.

Notes on the Day:

How can we revere the Holy Name of Jesus?

* Catholic men remove their hats any time and anywhere it is heard or spoken by them, and all Catholics bow their heads when speaking it or hearing it.

The custom of bowing the head at the mention of His Name was formally written into law at the Second Council of Lyons, A.D. 1274, convened by Pope Gregory X: "Those who assemble in church should extol with an act of special reverence that Name which is above every Name, than which no other under Heaven has been given to people, in which believers must be saved, the Name, that is, of Jesus Christ, Who will save His people from their sins. Each should fulfil in himself that which is written for all, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow; whenever that glorious Name is recalled, especially during the sacred Mysteries of the Mass, everyone should bow the knees of his heart, which he can do even by a bow of his head."

* when His Name is taken in vain, the Catholic in the room will (or at least should) make reparation by praying "Sit nomen Dómini benedíctum!" ("Blessed be the Name of the Lord!"), to which another Catholic who might be in the room replies, "Ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum!" ("from this time forth for evermore!") or "per ómnia saecula saeculórum" ("unto ages of ages").

* inspired by the example and words of St. Bernardine of Siena (see below), we place the monogram of His Name ("IHS") over our doors for protection, in the same way that the Israelites in Egypt used lamb's blood during the first Passover:
(The three points above quoted from here.)

* take the time to research movies before viewing in order to avoid any films which use the Lord's Name in vain excessively (three is our limit) and turn off television or taped movies in the home, likewise, that offend heaven in this way. (This last point, the goal of our family.)

Craft for the Day: Make sure and run over to see Charlotte, at Waltzing Matilda! She has created some more wonderful coloring pages for us for today's feast day.

As suggested above, it would be a fun and significant project to chalk in (or even paint!) the monogram of Our Lord above the entryway of our homes today!

Music for the Day: The Gardner-Webb choir (not our guys) singing Jesus Dulcis Memoria:

Prayers for the Day:

* The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus

* The Prayer to the Holy Name by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

* Repost from a couple years ago.  :)

New Year's Eve: All About Tradition

Christmas is all about it, of course -- and so is New Year's Eve.  Tradition.  

Tradition.  Not Jewish tradition. Not here, anyway. Pretty thoroughly Catholic tradition at our house.  For instance, today was always a fast and abstinence day for us -- a fast before the feast day.  Today we prepare for the feast of the Circumcision, the day on which Jesus officially received His Holy Name.  Kind of a big day in the Church -- in the history of the world!  And so, in the strictest traditions, Catholics fast and abstain -- no meat.  We've rather relaxed our observance of this in recent years for various reasons, but the meatless tradition has stuck...   I'll get to how that is in a minute.

But, first, along with the Church observances, we have about a bazillion family traditions at our house, too. As all families do.  But especially as numerically blessed families seem to!  Why is that, you ask? What's with that, you ask? How did all the traditions get started?  Ehhh..  As Tevye says, "I don't know."

But here's what goes on around here in the dangly last few hours of every year:

We always have board games going -- card games, too, but today this day it was Monopoly, and Grandma apparently "kicked everybody's butt,"  (This according to William, who said she did seem to feel bad about it anyway...)

And you'll notice there's a jigsaw puzzle in the making.  The children get one
pretty much every Christmas and Grandpa helps them assemble it before he leaves
shortly after New Year's.  It's tradition.  Also tradition, the scramble to get it out of the way
in time for New Year's Eve dinner!

Because that's the biggest deal of all, the special New Year's Blow Out Meal, courtesy of Dan's parents.  Since we traditionally observed this day as a Vigil Day (as I mentioned), we've gone back and forth over the years between meatless enchiladas and cioppino.  This year was a cioppino year -- and, oh. my. goodness.  We all agree that this may be the best seafood feast yet!

Sharon outdid herself!  Smell that Ocean Goodness?

(Try not to gag, Nicole...  gglggl)

Everyone got to crack open their king crab legs and fish out the yumminess...

Grandpa (Dan) is a pro!

Grandma (Sharon) and my Dan know what they're doing.

The girls have it figured out!

But William?

Not so much.

 We helped him, though.  Don't worry.  He got some crab.  :)
And, now as I sit here typing, we're watching Princess Bride.  It's tradition.  After Princess Bride, the kids will watch Shrek with Grandpa.  Tradition.  Dan and I will go to bed like we always do --  It's tradition. We're old fuddy-duds that way (and someone has to be alert to get the troops going for morning Mass tomorrow!)  The children will play Bingo with special Grandpa prizes, and they'll stay up until midnight, wear silly hats, blow on horns, have a glass of sparkling apple juice, and go straight to bed.  Tradition. And they'll all wake up tired tomorrow.  Tired and grumpy.  Tradition.

What is not traditional this year is how short-handed we are for our New Year's Eve party.  Dominic had to work today and is sick tonight, so is missing out in order to go to bed early.  My sister who's usually here had to go home last weekend; Michelle who's living in California near her fiancee had to leave last weekend, too; Paul is stationed in Florida with Nicole and the children and couldn't make it home this year; Kevin is in Denver and couldn't make it due to work;  Frater Philip is at the seminary where they pray for the rest of us as we put the old year to bed and wake up the new year.  Deo Gratias for them!  But we miss Frater and all the children as we go through the familiar old New Year's routine.

 Life goes on that way, though, and each new year takes some and gives some. Even as we add to the happiness bank, we have to adjust to the changes as the children grow up.  We're so proud and happy for all of them as they make life decisions -- all in Godly ways moving in Godly directions -- but we can't help but feel lonesome for them sometimes and nostalgic for the old days.  But, to everything there is a season; a time to every purpose under heaven...  And there's more happiness than anything in this season. Happiness and new traditions getting started. 2015 promises to be very exciting -- and very busy!  More on that as the new year gets rolling...

In the meantime, ((Hugs)) and prayers for blessings for all our friends and family, far and near, and our best wishes for all good things, but mostly that Christ reigns in our homes and families and that Mary's Immaculate Heart triumphs over the forces of evil in our world. Happy New Year, everyone!

Davis Family Video #42

Because this is what little boys do.  Saved for posterity.

Yes, That is Frost

On the inside of the window.

Isn't it kinda pretty? Living in an old house, you get to enjoy this kind winter art display on a sub zero morning.  No biggie, though.  We're used to it, having lived in thermal-window-challenged homes most of our family life.  The kids just get up, throw another log on the fire, slip on another sweater, and snuggle under a fuzzy throw blanket -- before turning on Monsters Inc. on New Year's Eve eve.  All part of the ambiance, it's a connection with our pioneer forefathers and mothers that none of us really minds all that much.  The grandparents think we're a little nuts I'm pretty sure, but it's all good. (I guess we are a little nuts.)

We hear Vegas is expecting snow tonight.  How 'bout that?  We're glad we'll miss it!  Though snow would have been a more than welcome change of pace for us when we lived there, I'm not sure we would have enjoyed it as much in the conventional, air-forced-heat house we lived in --  with the cactus in the front yard and all of Vegas behaving like the world is coming to an end because of a few snowflakes.  We'd rather live where a December snow storm is a matter of course, where no one thinks twice about throwing the truck into 4th gear to run into town during a snow storm to get marshmallows for hot cocoa.

Our cozy little old house is resplendent in the snow, windows made up in ice crystals, icicles dangling like earrings, snow drifting down on the roof like a sequined veil. Lovely, but nothing new or unusual about it. The Nebraska cold and snow has christened this house every new year for over a century, blowing through the cracks in the windows on every new tenant...  Let's test this new bunch of tenderfeet!  But, ha! No winter wimps here. This is all old stuff to us.  We turn our heavily-sweatered backs to the drafts, we trace patterns in the ice crystals, we keep a pot of hot chocolate going on the stove -- and see who we can talk into going down the road for marshmallows... and we type long blog posts to keep our fingers warm.  (And intermittently cradle a cup of warm mocha in my fingers..)

Happy New Year's Eve eve to all.  Hope everyone is warm and contented.  Or at least contented not being too warm.  (And hang in there, Las Vegas friends! It'll be over soon!)

The Camera Jinx

So, almost all of our cameras are out of commission for various reasons -- and the one working camera went missing until just this morning....  Terrible timing. Michelle was here for Christmas, as well as Frater Philip, along with my Mom and brother, Steve, my sister, Nina, and Dan's parents...  And now that the little red camera has shown up... the family has just about all gone home.   And here I am with almost no Christmas pictures this year.  No silly mug shots on Christmas morning.  No record of everyone's Christmas outfits.  No gift-opening  photos; no waffle breakfast pics. Dadgummit.

It's not a total loss, though.  I think.  I might be able to get a hold of a couple shots Dominic took with his phone over the last couple of days...  Plus Dan's parents are still in town, so we'll hopefully get some pics at the traditional New Year's Eve party with them with the little camera...

And there are these, from this afternoon after we found the camera.

New sleds for Christmas, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa.  And snow today...

 Deo Gratias!

Just a couple inches  --  but enough for some refugees from the Nevada desert to wallow in for a while.
 And these Colorado natives know what to do with snow.

There are those who throw snowballs...

Those who avoid snowballs...

Those who slide in the snow...

Those who fall in the snow...

Those who warm up kitties (or who get warm by snuggling with kitties)...

And those who take pictures of them!

And then run in and make a great
big huge cup of cappuccino to warm up.

Busy Elves Tour

Advent starts out fairly slow and simple around here, then ramps up like crazy the last week or so. We do just a bit of decorating the first couple of weeks -- and do a good bit of preliminary behind-the-scenes planning (i.e., shopping).  Early hang a wreath with purple ribbon on our front door, trim our bulletin board in purple, and set up our Advent wreath and our little manger with the straw-incentive devotion for the children...

Our Advent calendar this year is a simple map of the Holy Land.
We've been moving a little image of the Holy Family, step
by step across the landscape to Bethlehem.  The first child up
and about gets to make the move.  (That's almost always William.)

Our manger with the straw is just out of the picture on a little
shelf just beneath the purple topper on the table beneath the
Blessed Mother and the Advent wreath... It's good and full
of soft hay, I'm happy to report!

But, now here we are -- less than a week to Christmas, and we have to scurry to get everything ready for Jesus' Birthday!  The children and I started the bare bones of the Nativity scene this past week, but Dominic is really the master of this art.  We were so relieved when he got the day off the work and could come help us finish it off in grand style!  

Dominic at the good ole' chop saw.
(The children decided today was "hat day."I don't know why; 
they just do that sort of thing sometimes.  Thus the chapeaus.
In case you wondered.)

 Come this way now, into the living room.  See what's going up on the venerable old green cabinet?

Starry sky installed, Dominic and company have begun working on the vertical "layers," here.
Since our house is so --
How shall I say?  Quaint?  Cute?  Compact?  Lacking horizontal space? 
-- we had to get creative and work up the wall for the Nativity scene...

Smile, William.  Thanks.

In the interest of full disclosure:  the house is a complete disaster today.  This small
sample of disarray doesn't do justice to the bedlam everywhere.

We think it's coming along amazingly -- but Dominic's not satisfied....  (We're
so not worried, though...  He always comes up with something spectacular.)

Meanwhile...  In the dining room, the girls are sharpening saw blades...

Because we have to be able to cut the Yule logs -- which mainly means the wood
that will keep us all from freezing this Christmas season...

...and because every girl should have "saw blade sharpening" in her repertoire of skills.

A little bit of holly and ivy on the book case -- and our old Franciscan monk
and nun that Gabriel found rummaging around out in storage bins today...

Everything, including the kitchen sink is starting to look Christmas-y.
(Check it out: more clean dishes on the drainboard than dirty dishes
in the sink. A miracle. Or beautifully efficient girls working behind the
scenes. Thanks, girls!)

The hand-carved Nativity Dan's parents brought us back from Bethlehem
a few years back.

Even a wreath on the bathroom door...

 And now, if you'd like, follow me outside, to the head elf's workshop...

Consider this an official pass to come in and have a look around.
Welcome!

Here we are, you see, at gift wrap central.

Got a nice snuggly fire going in Miss Hottentot.
(Need it, too; it's cold outside!)

Little wreath and candle over in the corner. (I love candles!)

My little Hummel, reading girl.  I've had her forever, but haven't
had a good place for her.  She seems very happy right here, though.

The daybed is hard to resist sometimes...  but too much work to do
to test it out just now...

Been drinking chai tea, using my early Christmas gift from Dan,
my electric kettle.  That drawer right there is full of tea.  :)

And my little cabinet.  My uncle's collection of little lead
Christmas skaters and a happy antique store find,
 our vintage sparkly Christmas town, seem made to
go in here.

The bulletin board above my desk we made from an old screen door
 with cork behind it. Isn't the original red paint awesome? 

And this is my favorite seat in my favorite place in the whole world.
How 'bout you snuggle in on the daybed and we'll have a cuppa
tea and a chat?

Oh, did you spy my little mouse house?  You have to get
a closer look.  This was so much fun to "build."  The children
built me my little summer kitchen hide-away -- and all I
constructed was this little hole in the wall.  But it makes me
smile.  Climb down there and have a look.

See?  That's Mr. and Mrs. Mouze.  (They're the mousie equivalent
of me and Dan.  See Mr. Mouze's glasses -- just like Dan's.)

Yes, see?  There's a light in there -- another couple mice, a rug,
 and an indoor Christmas tree.  

Got a little better view from here. Don't tell the Mouzes, but I'm
working on a welcome mat for them for Christmas --  and
maybe a covered porch.  Still working out the details...

 But now -- I guess I'd better get busy.  Have to go make some dinner. (Have no idea what!) and then have a slew more gifts to wrap!  So, yeah...  I'll spare you -- for now anyway.

"No more pictures!"

I'll update with some shots of the finished Nativity when Dominic gives me the thumbs up!

Thanks for coming by for a visit!  Blessings in the last week of preparation!