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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who are the Fourteen Holy Helpers?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.”

The Evolution of a Thanksgiving Dinner...

Thanksgiving day dawned snowy and foggy, but as family began to show up, the sun kindly broke through and, though it lit the blonde prairie with its thin November light, it didn't warm it up much! But, the men were warm enough out by the turkey deep-fryer to nurse a couple beers. And all was warm and toasty indoors, where we had the sense to drink punkin spice coffee.

All my brothers and sisters, my parents, my brother's two girls, and two of the boys' friends from school joined our ten children, my husband and me for Thanksgiving dinner. We were cozy with the woodstove crackling and the warmth of comfortable conversation and laughter. And, let me tell you, there were calories to burn!

Everyone contributed to the feast. Unfortunately, we didn't do a bird this year ourselves, because the oven at the old farmhouse is acting up, but we did the pies, the mashed potatoes and the sweet tea. My mom brought her famous Green Beans, Daddy Salad, and Sweet Potato Fluff. My sister brought our family classic, Apple Rings dessert, and her own Basil Dinner Rolls, which were scrumptious! And my brother brought an awesome Portobello Mushroom dish.

I'm sure there was more, but that's all I can come up with off the top of my head. I'll try to get some recipes and post them, as many are wonderfully festive for Christmas, too.

Here's how it looked, in a walnutshell:
Three of my four brothers waiting for the "pot to boil" so they can deep fry one of the three turkeys that were brought by extended family.

The potato-peeling brigade, working on the twenty-five pounds of potatoes to be mashed, the remnants of which have been made into today's traditional VAT of potato cheese soup!
The table set, before the food is all brought in. Don't you love the shabby (really shabby!) chic mix-and-match-chair look? Two farm tables put together didn't quite accomodate the 23 people who shared the bounty and blessings. All the odd chairs and extra table get stored away tonight. The gang just after Grandad offered the Thanksgiving blessing, and before the "Great Devour."Fifteen pies (a couple are missing in this pic), a plate of coconut fudge, and a fruit compote. The great pie-makers (Jon, Michelle and my brother's girls) received a round of applause at the "reveal," and then several moments of silence while everyone dug in!


Missing are the vignettes of the dishwashing and clean-up crew (though I have a video of it that's so hysterically representative of our day that I may have to try to download it), the games of cards, the squealing, playing children, and the grown-ups lying around with their hands on their bellies too tired and full to chase after them.


The day ended with a sing-along. Following, I'm making my first attempt to download a video of some of it, so let me know how it works!

The boys serenading us after Thanksgiving dinner

This is the song I am a Fine Musician in German.

The boys in the choir at the Academy in Omaha use this song as a warm-up. They began our sing-along for us by entertaining us with this one. What a hoot! I wish I'd gotten the whole thing, but I'm afraid, as it is, this video may slow people's computers down.

Please let me know if that happens, and I'll delete it. If it isn't a problem, though, I'll try to add the family rendition of Ave Maria. (Hopefully that one will turn out with brighter picture quality!)

* Just in case you wondered, "doodlesack" means bagpipes.

We made it here!

The actual, physical moving day was Monday, the feast of my namesaint, St. Elizabeth of Hungary. And I would much rather have been sitting in front of the computer writing a post about St. Elizabeth, one of my all-time favorite heavenly friends, than moving, let me tell you!

Though it was way tedious, and we all ended up with backaches and sore fingers from lifting sooooo many boxes and so much furniture, it was a very successful operation. I knew there was a reason God, in His mercy, gave us all these wonderfully strong young men! And bless Jon and Michelle for staying at the farm with all the Littles while Dad and the other brothers emptied out the old house. (I mostly finished packing and did all the cleaning up after, and you would not believe how many crayons and marbles I found in every crack, corner and crevice!)

This is the one picture we got on moving day before someone packed the camera! See my wonderful washing machine being moved in by Paul and Kevvy? We finally got it hooked back in today, and not a moment too soon! We have dirty clothes piling up to our chins!
These are the roses my most wonderful husband had waiting for me . See how they match the kitchen he painted for me before we got here? What a sweet surprise!
Lacking any other furniture, Jon and Therese made do with the edge of the hearth to play the keyboard. Can't have a day without music!
Furniture in and things are getting a little more back to normal by Wednesday afternoon. The children and my brother, Dave, relax over a rousing game of Pictionary here. Ah, what wonderful noise! I've missed the sounds of my teenage sons laughing and joking and arguing over board games.

Everyone's just happy to be together!

Gabey mugging. (See the crazy burping pencil sharpening monster behind him? This guy is a big hit at our house, and is responsible for some very short pencils around here.)
Anna, has crayons, will travel.
Cathy, just lost another tooth today, and we're all speculating about whether she'll have to gum her turkey tomorrow! Dominic, Theresa and our sweet family friend, Alena, in the middle of Pictionary.

Teaparty Break

The girls take a break from packing to host a teaparty for our neighbor friend. (What are they going to do without their best playmate right next door??) See what great tables and chairs boxes make?

L-R: Anna, Theresa, our friend, Lindsey, Cathy and Michelle

Another Great Saint

Happy feastday of St. Albert the Great, the saint who taught "everthing there is to know" and the instructor of the great St. Thomas Aquinas! I wish I had time to post more about him, as he's one of the great minds of the Church. We owe much to him! Along with St. Thomas Aquinas he's one of the heavenly patrons who's so good to apply to for aid in our studies. And in this day, where knowlege has a tendency to be so misplaced in the world, his wisdom is sorely needed!

Prayer to St. Albert Magnus

Dear Scientist and Doctor of the Church, natural science always led you to the higher science of God. Though you had an encyclopedic knowledge, it never made you proud, for you regarded it as a gift of God. Inspire scientists to use their gifts well in studying the wonders of creation, thus bettering the lot of the human race and rendering greater glory to God. Amen.

Have a Nice Day!

This one's going around the e-mail circuit. Isn't it an amazing "catch"?

H/T: Kate

This Would Have Worked For Me If I'd Had Sense To Do It A Long Time Ago...

OK, just had to pass this one along!

We're in the midst of packing up a four bedroom home, which shelters between 8 and 12 people and all their junk at any given time. While we've been unloading drawers and closets, we've run into a very disconcerting and annoying problem: hundreds of anonymous cords, adaptors and remotes.

Between my husband and me and our four teenage boys and all our electronic equipment, laptops, stereos, and cell phones, we must have collected 100 different kinds of wire-type thingamabobs and remote controls. And I haven't a clue which ones work and can be used, and which ones are broken or obsolete. Aghgh! So, I'm dumping them all in one box and hoping my sons can make sense of it all when we see them next week.

So what's the tip? Here it is: Somehow mark every adaptor and other cord that comes into your house with the name of the equipment to which it belongs! I'm taking a strip of electrical tape and marking with a sharpie all the ones I know for the time being. There is likely a more graceful way to do it, and I welcome ideas!!

Run over to Rocks In My Dryer for lots of great tips!

SAKES ALIVE!!

LOOK WHO'S FIVE!

Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Moving...

OK, so now we're really going... We're packing this week, and I'll be scarce on the computer because of that, um, "distraction." And then, a week from Monday we're loading the trucks and heading east, over the Rocky Mountains, back to the farm on the high prairie.

=sigh=

I've been saying goodbye to my beautiful valley for about two months now. We had the option of moving in September, but my husband, because he's a kind and thoughtful man and he knows his wife's heart, postponed the move for me to see the fall color in my valley.

Isn't he wonderful?

And we did get to see the aspen change in the mountains and hills that surround us here. We got to go through the corn maze up on the mesa behind us, and taste the fruit of the orchards around our town. We've had the pleasure of watching the yearly procession of deer that meander down from the hills in herds to fatten on the leavings of the farmers' fields before the winter cold draws them back in to the high country. They come early every morning and at dusk to check for fruit under our fruit trees, and follow the river south to the harvested fields of hay and alfalfa just beyond the town. Though we see them often, the deer are never commonplace to us.

While on a rosary drive last week, just as we rounded a slow corner up top of the mesa behind our house, a grand, three-point buck stepped out of some trees, walked majestically into the road right in front of us and stopped. He looked at us, as we slowed almost to a stop. Then, out of the woods, leapt one beautiful doe. She cantered across the road and into the field opposite, and was followed by her "husband," her crossing guard. We were awestruck. My goodness, God has made a beautiful world, and filled it with such wonder and grace!

(Not the actual deer, though a reasonable facsimile...)

Though we'll be glad to be closer to our family and old friends, we're sad to have to leave this place. After two and a half years, we're only just now getting familiar with all the geographical placenames: Grand Mesa, Garnet Mesa, Sunset Mesa, Peagreen Corner, Shavano Valley, Tabeguache Trail, Log Hill... And we've only just begun to explore the vast forested wilderness of the Uncompahgre Plateau.

We're absolute suckers for a beautiful view, and there are plenty here, in every direction

But it's not just the natural beauty, we've fallen in love with. It's also the slower, country pace. Though it's growing to be rather a big town, with a population of over 16,000, Montrose still has a small town heart. One day I watched rush hour traffic come to a dead stop on the main road through town, the highway that connects the rest of the world with Telluride, in fact. A little old man had inadvertently stranded himself on the center median, as he was very slowly crossing from the grocery store. He was not even at an intersection, but traffic stopped for him. Not a horn was honked. In fact, many people smiled and waved at him as they proceeded past him after he'd crossed.

You understand, I grew up in the suburbs of large cities where this would never have happened. It brought tears to my eyes. I half expected Norman Rockwell to appear with his pipe on the steps of the courthouse across the way.

Everything here in this tucked away little corner of the Rocky Mountains feels like a shadow of another time rests upon it. It's a modern town in many ways, with a super Walmart and even a good handful of popular restaurants, but more than half the local businesses are closed on Sunday. The only two drive-in theaters in Colorado survive here in this one valley. And cars full of little kids in pajamas fill them up on warm summer evenings. The carefully preserved Egyptian Theater in the next town over still employs ushers who walk the aisles during movies with little flashlights, and fuss at you if you have your feet on the seats or are talking too loudly.

Strangers ask you how you are and are interested inyour answer. And they don't stay strangers long. Friends congregate in the aisles in the grocery stores coffeeklatsching and the check-out clerks make a point to know you. It's unusual for the driver of a car passing on the side roads not to wave at you as they pass. Neighbors look out for all the neighborhood children and expect you to look out for theirs. Life revolves around the football games at the local high schools. And everyone, Catholic and nonCatholic, knows and loves the sisters that teach in our little Catholic school.

Our teaching sisters. We'll miss them so much! And our sweet little chapel with the cherubs all over the altar. And the school children at weekday Mass in their neat blue-plaid uniforms and navy blue berets. And the friends we've made here.

So I'm saying goodbye to my valley. Goodbye, at least for now. I've taken its chin in my hands and looked it in the eyes with you, somewhat sentimentally here. I hope you understand that love has smoothed over the faults and is fondly forgetful of any troubles we may have had. And it's not like there aren't many beautiful places in the world, and many we've been to and enjoyed thoroughly. But this is a place that's touched my heart; I'll always think of it as "my valley."

We'll be back, if nothing else, just to vacation and see our friends. We hope to retire here someday, if God wills it. But right now, He's got His hand on our backs and is moving us back over the mountains to the farm. There must be something important there that He wants us to do, or that He wants to do for us. You just never know.

And if He wants it, it's good. That's the only thing we can rely on in this life.

So, we'll be up to our elbows in packing boxes this week and physically moving next week, then settling in the week after that.

Ugh.

I may be scarce here on the blog for a while. But, I'll take pictures and pop in when I can. I'll have to see what everybody else is up to, if nothing else!

Blessings to All!

And, please, pray it doesn't snow next week!

Is this Homeschooling High School Level, or Public School High School Level?

Get a Cash Advance

Because if it's homeschooling high school level, I can vouch for the fact that this blog qualifies, as I know I must mention poopy diapers or fussy toddlers about every fourth post...

H/T: Let the Little Ones Come

How Do You Re-energize?

I remember taking a quizlet at a Homeschool Conference years ago to determine how best to avoid Homeschool Mom Burnout. One of the aims of the quiz was to point out to us moms where each of us found her best true "down time." And, then, of course, we were all encouraged to have no guilt about indulging prudently in whatever this was.

For some it was going out and spending time with girlfriends. Some needed the peace and pampering of long tub soaks ~ away from the crowd. Quite a few loved to lose themselves in books. Some needed to be in tune with nature. Plenty loved to go shopping, of course!

My problem was that I couldn't fit myself completely into any one of those re-energizing niches. The idea of every one of them appeals! But, I have to be in the mood; any one of them wouldn't be the ticket for me every time. (Though time alone with my wh with a pint of Guiness on Billy Goat Gruff's patio in Ouray comes very close.)

But, I've found the one perfect thing that I can access at any time, which does combine and nurture all the above interests, and is perfectly relaxing to me, though somewhat addicting.

Well, yeah, of course, it's blogging. As a non-stress pastime that enhances my other vocations and interests, it fills the bill nicely. If I could only somehow connect it with exercise, it would be the perfect hobby.

How do you re-energize? (Is coffee part of your routine, like it is mine?)

Our Little Prairie Chicks

So, we're living Little House on the Prairie these days. Using the Prairie Primer unit study guide as a roadmap for ideas and "prairie chicken paths" to follow, the girls and I are having too much fun to call it school.

Two little prairie chicks, Theresa (8) and Anna (5 this week).

My time and attention span being limited these days by our upcoming move, we're not getting in as much of the cooking and sewing, and deeper study that I'd like, but just reading these books together is such a wonderful bonding thing for us. We all cried together today, for instance, when Laura found her dear ragdoll, Charlotte, abandoned in the mud outside the house of that dratted neighbor child, near Plum Creek ~ and Charlotte was missing one shoe-button eye! =sniff=

(Above, a pic of 7-year-old Cathy, showing off her beloved ragdoll, Audrey Anne ~ This child, who almost never gets teary-eyed, definitely empathized with Laura's sorrow!)

A shot of the high prairie near where we live ~ west and over the mountains from where Laura's little house was on the prairie.

Especially since our girls were born on the prairie, and will be moving back there in a couple of weeks, we can associate with so much of the nature in Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. And her descriptions are always so perfect, so poetic. Everything about this read is good learning for the girls. The corner where we read about Laura's adventures every morning.

What better way to learn to write well than to read well? By reading the rhythm of words well written? These books are so alive with a sense of place and time, too. How better to gain an interest in natural science? And in the homemaking arts? In frugal living? In proper manners and respect? The Little House books are full of lessons. Every time I read them, I appreciate that more. They're a little blunt sometimes about the harshness of life in the days of our ancestors, but how better to learn the truth of history? The real-life characters who people these books suffered and sacrificed, but exhibited great patience and faith through it all.

What a good example they are to us who feel put out when the vcr doesn't work right!

And, talk about "prairie chicken paths" to follow! There's a Little House Cookbook, more than one Little House craft book, miscellaneous guides and historic accounts and picture books. There's even a Little House Paper Dolls book.

Paula at A Catholic Harvest suggested A Tribute To Charles "Pa" Ingalls, a recording of Pa Ingall's fiddle with Bruce Hoffman playing. We checked it out, ordered it and got it yesterday, then listened to it today while we worked. Even our little two-year-old danced to the fiddle. And it was perfect background music for our theme.

Yuyum (almost 2) kicking up his heels. He'll do anything for applause...

The girls, inspired by Laura and Mary's craftiness in On the Banks of Plum Creek, went out back and found some reeds, and were delighted to find them hollow and "telescoping" just as Laura describes in the book.
So they gathered a bunch.
... and made necklaces out of them. Too much girly fun!

The Question Is...

On Backwards Works-For-Me-Wednesdays, where I get to ask you all to help me...

Can you help me with

my Meatless Friday Rut?

We're just plain old sick of the two or three meals we fall back on every week. We've got tuna casserole, popcorn and cheese, and broiled salmon down pat. Any other ideas that are easy and quick enough for a hurried mom who's not a gourmet? That's healthful, but that the kiddos will actually eat? Can you help me add to my menu list? Then run over to Rocks in My Dryer and see who else you might be able to help out today!

It Really Is True

Yes, children. We really do have eyes in the backs of our heads.

It's not just me. It's true of all mothers. It really is.

I can detect Gabe pinching Anna from the next room, and really do know that Anna started it.

I know when someone is making rude faces out the back window of the car. Don't even have to look.

I can tell when a teenager is mouthing a snide comeback behind my back, even though not a sound has issued from his mouth.

Not only that, but I can smell a poopy diaper a mile away. And know whose turn it is to change that diaper by the swift rustly sounds of a big kid trying to make a quick getaway.

I know who left the bathroom door open, too.

And who stole the rest of the Halloween candy out of its hidden place in the top of the cupboard.

I know where Gabe's lost shoe is.

And what happened to that awful, holey black shirt that somebody insisted on constantly wearing.

My sons aren't on the phone 30 seconds before I know what they want. (This isn't hard, is it, Moms of college-age children?)

I can detect eye-rolling from miles away.

I know my husband is going to call before the phone rings.

I hear the baby the moment he wakes up. And I know whether or not he's going to go to back to sleep.

It's not brag, it's fact.

In addition to the eyes on the backs of our heads, all mothers are equipped with special invisible antennae, an outgrowth of instinct and senses sharpened with experience and mother-love.

We also have an invisible cord which attaches us to each of our children and our husbands, somewhere in the region of the heart. In an emergency that cord is pulled, and no matter where we are, or where our loved ones are, we know that somehow we need to spring into action. First by prayer, then with contact.

And, then there are, of course, the angels. The guardian angels of children and mothers must stay in constant contact, with each other and with the mother. We all have the duty of safeguarding these children, body and soul. It's a team effort.

So, you see, kids, we moms are better equipped than 007 with invisible mother gear and secret agents.

All for your safety and well-being.

Because we love you so much.

(Stop rolling those eyes!)