Do you think they look like sisters?

Country kids

This is how we make up for the fact that we haven't a decent spot for the kids to roller skate...

Seven Quick Takes Friday--Volume 56

One.
I didn't do the Small Successes post this week because I couldn't come up with three. I have our little party planned, but in doing so I let much fall by the wayside, including finishing the batch of butter I've sitting in the fridge, giving haircuts to two very shaggy little boys, and doing much in school this week besides the core subjects.

Two.
Today was a perfect day for baking and planning our Halloween party--overcast, mild, with a wild wind driving the leaves across the yard and through the air. That wind is bringing a change--nearly 20 degrees cooler tomorrow.

Three.
The combination of cold weather and a baby girl make me wish I could spend a week or two in bed with tea and wool yarn, knitting baby things! I love seeing Gemma in hand-knit booties and soakers. I want to knit little sweaters and pants and hats. I am afraid Gemma will grow faster than I can knit...

Four.
Speaking of making things, I find that it is really important for my mental health to do so. I am happiest on those days when I make something, or work at making something. It can be a knitting project, a paper mask for Dominic, or a stack of diaper doublers for Gemma, but I need to create to feel contented. I feel most frustrated when I have a day in which circumstances prevent me from doing anything creative.

Five.
Sebastian chose Boy's Town over Batman tonight to watch on VHS. The kid has taste.

Six.
Gemma is a great napper, but not so good at night. She has been refusing to sleep in her co-sleeper for more than half an hour, and then nurses all night long. This has put my mammary glands on a night schedule--I seem to be full all night long and produce very little during the day. And this has become a vicious cycle. She nurses at night because that's when there's milk, and there's milk then because that is when she nurses...

Seven.
I am off to sip Mother's Milk tea, knit with pink yarn and watch what's left of Boy's Town.

Check out Jennifer's Conversion Diary for more Seven Quick Takes, and get on the bandwagon of you haven't already! And have a great weekend.

Pin the head on the horseman

We're getting ready...

Gemma Apple-Cheeks

I can hardly believe that she's actually on the light side when I see those cheeks...
[Thank you, Marilyn, for the pretty little dress!]

Halloween--or Not?

I've had a lot of trouble with Halloween, much more so than with issues like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. I have good Catholic friends who celebrate it, and those who do not. I have been riding the fence back and forth for a couple of years. I grew up with Halloween, mind you, but that was 35-40 years ago, in a more innocent time.

Two years ago we celebrated Halloween. Since we live in a rural area without the usual Trick or Treating, I threw my kids a little party. We played "Pin the Head on the Headless Horseman". We decorated pumpkin and bat-shaped sugar cookies. We had a treasure hunt with spooky clues, which lead to the candy treasure. We had a cake that had chocolate spiders on it. The kids had a marvelous time of it.

Last year I began to look at some of the arguments against Halloween. It has become decidedly less kid-friendly and more ghoulish. The annual parade in in Washington Square Park, NYC (I was five years old and in the very first one, when it was just a few kids in dime-store costumes) is now a huge gay and lesbian extravaganza. Pagans and wiccans have claimed it as their holiday. So we scrapped Halloween last year and had a little All Saints party. Pretty much the same activities, but replacing the mildly creepy stuff with the saints.

It wasn't quite the hit the Halloween party had been. The kids hardly remember it, but they recall everything about the Halloween party the year before. Maybe if we had a homeschool group that threw an All Saints party it would be more memorable and more fun for the kids.

I began to talk to some of my friends about it to see what they are doing. My turnaround came after talking to one Catholic mom I think of as far more holy than myself, and whose opinion, therefore, I value. She is a Third Order Carmelite, and certainly concerned with pleasing God in her life. She can be quite scrupulous. So when she told me that she celebrates Halloween with costumes (albeit nothing ghoulish), Trick or Treating in their housing development and even spooky food items, I was genuinely surprised. She explained that she looked at it as an American tradition, and not of any religious significance one way or the other. Just mildly spooky fun.

Yesterday I read this post on Conversion Diary. Jennifer is asking the same questions I've been asking myself the past couple of years about Halloween: why, or why not? And the responses were good reading. There was also this article on taking back Halloween and enjoying it.

So, the bottom line is, we are having a Halloween party this year. Since it is at home, I can keep it innocent and fun. Games, costumes, a treasure hunt, a few "spooky" treats and a few episodes of Scooby Doo. The kids are excited and honestly, I am, too. We don't have any decorations up, but maybe next year. And what are we doing for All Saints? I love Aussie Annie's party plans and games, but I can't manage two parties in a row. Well, we will go to Mass of course, and at home I hope to have a dessert to mark the special day. Charlotte has so many saints coloring pages, I will let the kids pick a favorite saint to color. And they can watch some videos and dvds we have on various saints. We may even have a little bee on the saints and see how much the kids know. We can keep it simple and holy.

Recipe--Raisin Bran Muffins

Nothing fancy here--just a raisin bran muffin, but it happens to be our favorite muffin in this house. It doesn't rise exceptionally high, but it has a good texture and flavor.

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups raisin bran cereal lightly crushed (not pulverized, mind you)
1 cup all purpose flour (I don't recommend whole wheat here--it would make it too dry and dense)
2/3 cup sugar, less one Tbsp reserved
cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (375 with a dark muffin pan). Grease 12 muffin cups.
Beat milk, oil and egg together in a bowl and stir in the cereal; let stand 10 minutes.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon in a separate bowl. Add the cereal mixture and stir until just moistened. Batter will be thick. Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 16-20 minutes (ovens vary!)

Combine reserved sugar with cinnamon. When you take the muffins out of the oven, brush them with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

I haven't tried any variations, but I really want to add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of grated carrot and see what it's like!

Simple Woman's Daybook for October 26th

Outside my window…6:18 and 39 degrees. Dark, but for a faint ribbon of light on the eastern horizon.

I am thinking…about the week ahead, as always, but also about the lovely autumn day we had yesterday. With all the rain, we haven't had much opportunity to enjoy the fall colors, but yesterday was sunny and the hour-long ride to Mass was just beautiful!

I am thankful for…a network of friends and family who pray for me when I need it. I am entering this week feeling so much stronger than I did last week.

From the kitchen...I think it will be the Raisin Bran Muffins again, but with blueberries and yogurt on the side.

I am creating…I finished all the pieces for Una's sweater yesterday! Now I need to steam-block them so that I can seam them. I hate seaming, because I am not very good at it. But I am excited about the prospect of getting this finished so that I can start on one of the many other things I can't wait to knit!

I am reading…this very nice book I found at the library. And skimming through this one, too. I recommend them both!

I am hoping...to renew my resolution to strive for peace and holiness in my home. Dominic is such a hyper kid that he really needs everyone around him to remain calm, otherwise there is chaos and he gets the whole house into an uproar. So I need to look at him as a messenger from God--this relates to the homily I heard yesterday--and let him teach me how to be gentle and peaceful, even when it seems impossible to do so!

I am hearing…the washing machine agitating away...

A few plans for the rest of the week: Now that the kids know most of the countries in Asia, we will concentrate on a few of them. I don't think I can be as thorough as my friend Marilyn, as I am rather short on resources (our local library had only 3 kids books on China!!!), but if the kids learn enough to know something about each place and recall it at the end of the year, I'll count it as a success. Online geography games have been a great hit.

I also need to decide what I'm baking for the holidays, and start making cookie dough. I try to do several a week and freeze the dough, than just before Christmas I start thawing and baking in a frenzy, usually to the music of the Nutcracker Suite. Since I almost never bake cookies at any other time of the year, the kids get very excited.

And I need to continue my Christmas shopping. I know that the great sales are after Thanksgiving, but I can't bear the rush. For my peace of mind, I need to be done with the shopping by then!

I am praying...as last week,for strength and patience and calm as we move into this crazy time of year. I so want each week to have some really joyful moments during school, not just after.

Picture Thought: The new piggies. Actually, the two larger ones are for a friend who is going to raise them for his 4H project. Ours is the runt in the middle. We have a family tradition of raising runts. It's because we usually let the kids pick the pigs out and they always go for the "cute little one." This one has been named Sue Ann, after Arnold Ziffel's girlfriend in an episode of Green Acres. My own choice for a name was "Dinner" but the kids won out again...

Now you can check out Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook for more entries, or add your own. Have a blessed week!

Obama Poised to Cede U.S. Sovereignty--Please View!

This video lasts 4 minutes. Please watch it.

It is Lord Christopher Monckton, a former UK cabinet minister speaking just days ago (Oct. 13, 2009) about the details of the "climate treaty" that the world's leaders will all be voting on in Copenhagen in December of this year.

That treaty will hugely impact ALL of our lives, yet how many of us know what's IN that treaty?

Seven Quick Takes Friday--Volume 55

One.
I am so grateful for all the prayers that came my way when I was freaking out at the beginning of the week. In retrospect, my reaction to what was going on in my life seems now overblown, but at the time it seemed like too much to deal with. Which just goes to show how very weak we are when God withdraws from us for even an instant. Which is why, most certainly, He occasionally does it.

Two.
We have a new piggy, and we have not yet dispatched the old one. "Spotty" will meet her destiny (in the form of the butcher) in January. Our new gilt (female unbred pig) is Sue Ann, which was Arnold the pig's girlfriend in an episode of Green Acres. I prefer to stick to food-related names. In the past we've had Porky, O.P. (Organic Pork), Yum-Yum and Francis Bacon. I would have called this one Dinner.

Three.
I am so enjoying Gemma! Well, okay--a bit less at 9:30 when I am aching for sleep and she is fussy and wiggly in bed. But all in all she is very much like Una was--very easy, sitting happily in the bouncy seat during school, smiling a great deal. I get a lump in my throat thinking about how quickly she is getting big.

Four.
In the middle of our family Rosary, Una took out a hairbrush and began brushing my hair. Everything in me said, "Stop her--we are praying and this is not the right time to be doing anything besides meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries." But my pleasure-seeking self won out. I like having my hair brushed better than a back-rub. And almost as well as chocolate. I know, I could have told her to do this after the Rosary, but I didn't.
Miserere nobis...

Five.
The nicest thing I've heard all day? Sebastian, snuggling beside me on the sofa got up, gave me a big kiss on the cheek and said, "I'm just going to get a drink, and then I'm coming back to snuggle some more."

Six.
The Two Towers is playing out in the living room. It's much beloved here, but not often viewed due to the length of it. It is always a perplexing thing to me, how my kids can watch the orks and uruk-hai and Golem without a problem, but be afraid of the witch in Snow White, or the Child-Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Go figure.

Seven.
It's nearly nine o'clock and I just put Gemma in her cot. I am going to see if she will sleep in it tonight--or, rather, part of tonight, so that I may have a few hours without her tucked under one of my arms. I am getting a permanent crick in my neck, and I seem to have more of me in the co-sleeper on most nights than she does. Did I say it was nearly nine? Time for me to shut this thing down and go to bed (or knit a bit first). G'night!

(Oh, and if you haven't already, check out some other Quick Takes on Jennifer's Conversion Diary)

Easy pants for Gemma

With the aid of this fabulous tutorial, I--a true novice on the sewing machine--was able to whip up a pair of baby pants in nearly no time at all, and they came out great!

Fun with Science--the Extinction of Dinosaurs

Okay. So maybe that's not really how it happened...

Small Successes--vol. 40

It has been a crazy week. And it just keeps getting crazier. The kids are acting the way they do in February, when they've been locked up in the house for two months and the joys of the holidays are but a distant memory, and now that we have a nice, new fridge, the well pump keeps shutting down on us. The electrician is coming out in the morning to see if it may be a wiring problem.

Anyway, a week like this means that getting just about anything done at all can be counted as a success. And not doing certain things may be counted as well, as in:

1) I did not ditch the family, pack a duffel bag and book a flight to a beach resort in Costa Rica (too selfish);

2) I did not get drunk and beat the kids (too boorish);

3) I did not tear my garments and heap ashes upon my head (too impractical/untidy).

On the flip-side, I did take the baby out for a little jaunt around the house for fresh air in the breezy, 70-degree weather this afternoon; I did have some fun playing some geography games with the kids on the computer and I did order a few things for Christmas.

Want to share your small successes? Go to Faith and Family Live!

Thank you.

I just want to say thanks for the prayers. You have no idea how efficacious these are, but I get such strength from them. The day began a bit shaky--I was a bit short on sleep--but the school day went relatively well and I am feeling more at peace with the crazy level of activity in my life.

I took my midwife's advice and weighed Gemma myself, using an infant scale made from a baby blanket and a fish scale from the hunting and fishing section of Wal-Mart. Gemma actually weighs over a pound more than what was indicated at the doctor's (they didn't have a baby scale and weighed me with and without Gemma to get her weight).

I also have been paying attention to her wet diapers and her nursing. I think that my milk may have really tapered off, so I am drinking like crazy and have ordered some Mother's Milk Tea.

Anyway, this post has taken 40 minutes due to the fact that I have a baby on me and I am not a very fast one-fingered typist. So off to bed now, to nurse and nurse and nurse.

Thanks again, cyber-friends...

STRESS

Some of you may have noticed that my blogging has been a bit spotty lately. I've been having a little trouble keeping all the balls in the air, and my juggling act has just fallen apart--balls bouncing in every direction, it seems. I am trying to prioritize, with baby and school coming first, then cooking and housework, but things are just not getting done. I do delegate certain chores to the older kids (not easy--Una is the only one who doesn't make a long face when I ask for help), but there is so much--mending, ironing, banking, holiday purchases and plans--that they cannot do.

Yesterday Gemma went to the doctor for a check-up. Just in time for the checkup, she developed a puffy, red, teary eye. I can tell it bothers her, as she squints to open her good eye and tries to keep them both closed most of the time. Anyway, at the appointment it was noted that she is very light for her age and not really up to where she ought to be physically at 14 weeks. She is not rolling over yet or holding herself up on her elbows yet.

I am wondering if it is a nursing issue. Between the stress and the lack of sleep (6 hours or less a night due to insomnia on most nights), I don't know if I am producing what she needs. Which of course adds to the stress and insomnia. So I think a call to my midwife, and to an acquaintance who is a lactation consultant may be in order.

After the two hours at the doctor, we went to buy a new fridge. Ours was in need of repair again, and we decided that we couldn't sink any more money into a 10 year-old fridge. So, off to spend nearly three times the Christmas budget. Last year it was my oven that went right before Christmas!

Say a prayer for me and for Gemma! So often in the past God has been good enough to answer the prayers of my friends and family and give me enormous strength in the midst of really trying situations. I know it came from Him, as I am not by nature so strong. I believe that at some point He will lift me up out of this blue funk and get me going.

Update on Greta's Surgery--success!

Here is the email I received this morning frm my friend Cindy:

Dear Friends,

Greta did great! Sorry for the delay on how she is, but I didn't get in until after 10 pm last night. Myself and another friend went up to be with [Greta's parents] during the surgery yesterday. There ended up being a big mix up and her surgery didn't start until after noon, but on the positive side the surgery ended up taking around 2 and a half hours, which was half the time he expected it to.

[The surgeon] actually had to go all the way up to her ear and even kind of lay her ear back to find the end of that extra tube that was causing her problems. But he did find the whole thing and removed it, he then had to do a little bit of reconstructing, but nothing major and won't really be noticable, especially as she grows over the years. He said it was basically like having an extra ear canal that she didn't need. The facial nerve was still intact and as he stimulated it higher up it responded very well, as he went a little further down the response was a little slow, so he said she could have a little facial paralysis, but it shouldn't last more than two weeks.

She looked great when I saw her last night, I noticed that when she smiled the edge of her mouth was a little droopy, but it was barely noticable. It was a little hard to see such a sweet little thing laying there in that hospital bed hooked up to those tubes. If things continue as they are she should get to come home this evening, which was earlier than they expected. So all in all it was a blessed day and [Greta's family] are very thankful for the prayers. May God reward you for your prayers and concern for Greta and her family.

God bless,

Cindy

Free Pregnancy Tests!

Because if you are a faithful Catholic married woman of child-bearing age and you are not pregnant, you never know when you might need one. And they aren't cheap!

Here's the link for the freebies given by Farmer's City Wife (thank you!). She gives out links to freebies just about every Friday, so check it out!

Seven Quick Takes Friday--Volume 54

One.
Autumn. It is my favorite season. Steaming bowls of Chicken and Dumplings. Ice cream is replaced by pies, crumbles and cobblers for desert. The colored leaves look like stained glass with the sun shining through them. Hot tea and chai in the afternoons. The smell of bread baking and pumpkin pie spice. Early dusk and lit candles. Cozy fleece and sweaters. Many plans for knitting. Fluffy feather comforters and warm socks.

Too bad it can't seem to stop raining this year! My kids have been in for 3 days straight now.

Two.
My sister is having a girl!!! After three boys! I was a bit despairing that Gemma would have none but brothers or a much older sister to play with, but she will have a little girl cousin only 8 months younger with whom to play. I think I have some leftover pink yarn...

Three.
I hate Christmas shopping. Enough said.

Four.

Gemma has been taking only 45 minute naps during the day. This is a real pain, but since she sleeps from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. with only two feeds, I'm not going to complain too much. Sebastian as a baby seemed to take only 45 minute naps day and night.

Five.
My mother is back from 10 days in Rome, Assisi, Padua and Venice. She fell particularly in love with Venice. Since I am typing with one finger--thanks to Gemma--I will post more about this at a later time. As always, mother brought back some lovely things for us.

Six.
I actually began this post 14 hours ago...it is becoming evident that if I don't post before school starts, I just can't get back to the computer until after dinner. Which is when Gemma doesn't want to be anywhere but in my arms.

Seven.
Swine Flu news is giving me the creeps. Especially the fact that it has already killed over 80 kids and half of them just in September and October. And we are hardly into flu season. I am trying hard not to panic and seal off our house, sending Bret out for groceries and making him shower as soon as he comes in. I don't like this panic on my part. I feel as if it shows a lack of trust in God, but then, I come from very devout Catholic stock on my mom's side and they lost a number of children during the 1918-1919 European flu epidemic.

Oh, how I want this thing to pass...and I thought tornado season was creepy...

Now go and visit Jennifer's Conversion Diary for more Seven Quick Takes.

Small Successes--vol. 39

I've been off the ol' blog for a couple of day on account of sheer busyness. When I haven't been at the schooling or housework, or acting as willing slave to that smiley bundle of pink of mine, I've been knitting or trying to create costumes for the kids. And our phone and internet were down this morning as well. Anyway, here it is, better late than never...

1) I am down to only a sleeve needed to complete Una's sweater. Seaming isn't my strong suit, so I hope it will come together well.

2) After a false start and an outfit too tight for Una to sit down in, I have made something that looks somewhat Egyptian. She is obsessed currently with all things Ancient Egyptian, and wanted a costume. With the addition of a wig and some jewelry, we may have something that satisfies Una, even if it is, as she tells me, "not truly authentic".

3) I have ordered the first of the Christmas gifts. It is a late start for me, but it seems I have six pots going on four burners right now.

My tiny mistress beckons...

Go and share you own small successes on Faith & Family Live!

Prayers for Greta

I'm soliciting prayers on behalf of the two year old daughter of the friends of my friend Cindy. Little Greta will be facing surgery on Friday morning. Here are the details as emailed to Cindy:

We've heard back from Greta's surgeon, and the CT scan confirmed his diagnosis. On 16 October at Kosair Children's Hospital, she will undergo surgery to remove a first branchial cleft tract, which is an unnecessary duct extending from her ear canal to an opening in her neck. Because of the involvement of her parotid gland, a parotidectomy is necessary. Her facial nerves will need to be dissected as a part of this process. Although the surgery is not invasive, it is still a 5+ hour procedure. If all goes well, she will be released from the hospital after 72 hours.

Cindy adds that Greta has been battling infections for 8 or 9 months, if not longer, and that there is a risk that some of her facial muscles could be damaged by the surgery.

Please keep this little girl in your prayers.

Simple Woman's Daybook for October 12th

Outside my window…6:07 and dark. Fifty-two degrees with a chance of rain.

I am thinking…about school today after our week-long break. Sebastian and Una both said that it seemed like two weeks--a good sign that they were a bit bored. No one groaned at the mention of school last night!

I am thankful for…a lovely visit from Fr. Tom Sullivan, CPM, one of our Fathers of Mercy. Today is his birthday, and we celebrated a bit with pizza and beer and cheesecake--cupcakes for the kids--and my sister and brother in law came by with nephews to help celebrate.

From the kitchen...we've taken a 3 week break from muffins. I think that we shall have raisin bran muffins and spiced apple sauce today.

I am creating…I am about 2/3 done with the first sleeve of Una's sweater. I so want to finish! I have several other things I would like to knit as gifts for Christmas!

I am reading…maybe I should turn this into the "I wish I could read" line, as it seems there isn't much reading getting done besides what I read for the kids' school and my morning scripture reading!

I am hoping...to have a really good school week and get a lot done and keep the kids happy!

I am hearing…Nothing! Why did they wake at the crack of dawn all week when there wasn't any school?

A few plans for the rest of the week: make butter (I am stockpiling it now for holiday baking); a trip to the library on Thursday; start working on the kids' costumes I'll be ready at the end of the month; work on my Christmas planning!!!! October is going by quickly!

I am praying...for strength and patience and calm as we move into this crazy time of year. Autumn is my favorite season, but with all the holidays and planning, it can get a bit crazy. May God help me to do what is necessary and forget the rest!

Picture Thought: Gemma at 4 days old. She will be 13 weeks tomorrow. Isn't it amazing how much they change in just a few months?Visit more "day-bookers" at Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook. God bless your week!

Seven Quick Takes Friday--Volume 54--The Really Late Edition

One.
Ran errands for six hours today. When you live thirty minutes from anywhere and go into town only once a week, you tend to lump as many errands together as possible. And the kids go with us. By age five they've accumulated more travel miles than a few National Geographic photographers.

Two.
We dropped Una off at a friend's so that she could attend a slumber party tonight. When I called the mother to thank her for the invitation, and to tell her how excited Una was, she said that her own girls were "whipped to a froth" about it. Expressions of this sort just make me want to kiss the Tennessee soil upon which I tread. Language is a banquet, and the South is full of tasty morsels.

Three.
I am appalled by Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize. I am incredulous. And I wish that I, too, could get a prize and over a million bucks for something I plan to do, but haven't done yet.

Four.
Adrian only recently found out that boys and girls are anatomically different (apparently he thought it was all in the hair and clothing before). When Una and I both refused his request to "see" next time we bathe, I told him that he could watch me change Gemma's diaper. His reaction to seeing the difference? A slightly horrified look and the word, "Scary!" You know, with all the farm animals, you would think it wouldn't take nearly 5 years for him to notice the difference between a cow and a bull...

Five.
Best thing I've done all week: a friend told me that another friend has printed out ejaculatory prayers on paper and put them on the fronts of the shelves inside her kitchen cabinets, so that every time she opens a cabinet, she says the prayer. These indulgenced prayer can really add up throughout the day. My own cabinets are pretty ratty, so I dispensed with the labels and just took a Sharpie to the shelves. What a great idea! I have prayed countless prayers this week.

Six.
Adrian fell in the schoolroom this morning and got a lump the size of a golf ball on his forehead. I wanted to take a picture of it, but he wouldn't let me. Ice packs and arnica didn't do much for it, and it is turning sort of green and purple now. Thank goodness he has bangs...

Seven.
I am yawning, and ready for bed. Gemma, it seems, is not. She doesn't want to sleep unless I am lying beside her, nursing her. This is hard on me, as those 30-60 minutes or so before I go to bed are often the only time I get to myself other than the 30-60 minutes I get when I first wake up. It's time to knit, read and/or pray. But she is still hollering for me as I write, and so I'm off to be her pacifier.

Jen is on a computer hiatus and didn't do a Seven Quick Takes herself. So I'll dispense with the usual ending. G'night!

Fly me to the moon!

Our little gem...

...turned 3 months old on Tuesday.

Small Successes Volume 38

1) Restocked the freezer with 4 loaves of Banana Bread, 3 loaves of Pumpkin Bread and 2 meatloaves.

2) Completed the second half of the front of Una's sweater--just the sleeves left to do now.

3) Finished the horrid task of taking out all the winter stuff and putting away all the summer stuff.

And I am nearly done with my Goal List for the next six weeks of school. Now if I can get on with that and tackle my pile of mending, I will count the week as very successful indeed.

Go on, blow your own horn! And visit Faith and Family Live for the entire brass section...

Our Lady of the Rosary

Here is a wonderful list of quotes by the saints on the Holy Rosary. Truly, it is a mighty weapon against all evil, and most beloved of Our Lady!

Sacred Heart Books and Gifts sale

Just thought I would let you know about the Christmas in October Sale going on at Sacred Heart Books and Gifts. Linda has pages of great things--books, CDs, DVDs--discounted 20-25% off as she clears out her inventory at year's end. Get to her via my sidebar, and then look for the Christmas in October link on her homepage.

Prayers, please.

Marilyn's little son, Michael, has been unable to hold anything down since Sunday morning. It got worse yesterday, and he has been prescribed Zofran. If it doesn't work, he will have to be hospitalized. His baby sister, Anna Grace, is at risk as well.

And while you are praying for them, say a little prayer for Melissa, the friend of a friend who is being hospitalized along with her newborn (her tenth child) with the flu. The rest of the family has already had it.

ZOOM! And a recipe for you.

I am zipping around with little time for blogging this week. But I thought I would give you a couple of nice recipes, the likes of which are filling our home with warmth from the oven and lovely smells. I made double batches to freeze for when we start school again. Here's one of them:

Delightful Autumn Pumpkin Bread

1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil (or for lower fat, 1/2 cup each water and apple sauce)
2 cups sugar (I reduced this to 1 1/2 cups, and used half white and half brown)
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Optional additions:
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup grated carrot

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; grease and flour 3 8x4" pans
In a large bowl mix the pumpkin, eggs, oil water and sugar until well blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Fold in optional ingredients. Pour into pans.

Bake 50 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick.

Simple Woman's Daybook for October 5th

Outside my window…7:00 and cloudy. A cool, autumn day.

I am thinking…about this week's chores. This is my free week after 6 weeks of school, and I have a lot on the agenda!

I am thankful for…a delightful Sunday with good friends, in spite of the rain. The kids played together--ten of them, not counting the two babies--for over 5 hours without one little spat. Good food, good company. Next time maybe we can have good weather as well!

From the kitchen...Nary a clue. My focus is obviously on the next six weeks and not on this week. Maybe I'll whip up some muffins after all...

I am creating…Still plugging away on Una's sweater. I hope to finish the second half of the front and get start on the first sleeve this week.

I am reading…some things for school--Geography and stuff for our upcoming science unit on space--or is it dinosaurs? I have votes for both sides!

I am hoping...to get a lot done this week, and that Bret gets a lot done as well.

I am hearing…children playing fairly quietly. Must be because Sebastian and Dominic are still sleeping, hence fewer arguments!

A few plans for the rest of the week: today I have butter make, the 6 week plan to look at and start work on, a closet full of shoes to sort through and winter coats to take out and try on.

I am praying...For my mother, who is in Rome right now; for Marilyn's family, especially her little boy who is dealing with a tummy bug right now; for for my sister and friends Cindy and Elizabeth who are all three expecting (and for their babies, too!); and for a peaceful week.

Picture Thought: I don't recall what her brothers were doing at the time, but Una looks fairly disgusted here!Now visit Peggy for some more Simple Woman's Daybook entries, and have a great week!

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

We have been watching this dvd (it is over 3 hours long, so we will finish tonight), and I do recommend it.

St. Francis is one of those saints who has unfortunately suffered from syrupy sentimentality, perhaps more than any other, and this because of his immense popularity. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of images of him talking to birds; his Canticle praising God's creation is well-known, and sweetly amusing stories of his life have been left to us, but what grips me most about him was his uncompromising obedience to the Gospel and desire to live it out in his flesh, so much so that our Lord rewarded him by sharing His wounds with Francis. Francis embraced the cross, and wanted to carry it with Jesus. He suffered immensely and did not shy away from it, but actually sought it out in order to be more like Jesus. That is not the stuff of a two-dimensional holy-card saint.

Happy Feast of St. Francis, everyone. Pax et Bonum.

First Sunday Reminder

Read more about it here at Spiritual Motherhood for Priests.

Seven Quick Takes Friday--Volume 53

One.
We made it to Mass again this morning, by the skin of our teeth. It is amazingly difficult to get the whole crew out the door by 7:20 a.m., but I think I can trim our time considerably by setting out clothes and setting the table the night before. It was nice to get to Mass for the Feast of the Guardian Angels.

Two.
My mom leaves for her trip to Rome and thereabouts tomorrow. She will see Assisi and Venice and Padua as well. She will be at an ordination Mass at St. Peter's. No, I'm not jealous. I'm not. Really, I'm not. (And maybe if I keep telling myself that I will actually come to believe it...)

Three.
Count on me to miss photo opportunities for recording monumental moments. Like Dominic's first ride on an escalator at the mall (not to mention that he'd not been to a mall since babyhood). Oh, you'd have thought we were at the State Fair. He was so impressed. Yep...our kids are hayseeds, which is an amazing accomplishment for Bret and myself, as we are rather well-traveled and I spent most of my life in big cities. Yessiree, I had the Bronx Zoo, the Museum of Natural History, the Gugenheim and Shakespeare in the Park. My kids have the escalator at Rivergate Mall...(don't email me on this--I know how blessed my kids are to grow up free and wild in the country. One day they will know it, too.)

Four.
The reason for the trip to the mall was this:

Is she not precious with her little earrings? Una had hers done at five months, and I must say that a younger baby wiggles less. She did cry--for less than 30 seconds, and after a nursing was just fine, if a little out of sorts for being dragged around to Mass and on errands for nearly 7 hours. She's sleeping it off as I write this.

Five.
The day began rainy and miserable, but is sunny and breezy now. The weekend looks like fine autumn weather. And I am on a teacher-holiday until Columbus day. Next week is my "Get My Act Together Week"--a time for a little planning for next 6 weeks of school and menus, plus some pre-holiday planning.

Six.
Do not get Taco Bell Bean Burrito on your front if you have a baby. People may think that baby had a diaper blow-out and that you are the unfortunate casualty.

Seven.
I have a confession to make. I just ate an entire can of sliced beets. I don't like beets hot, but I love them chilled. Eaten out of the can. With my fingers, over the sink. I like the bright pink on my finger tips. It feels so primitive. It's like the vegetarian version of eating raw meat.

I plan to have a good weekend. I hope yours will be really good, too.

Now y'all mosie on over to Jen's Conversion Diary for more Seven Quick Takes! Y'all come back now, y'hear?

How can I ever expect...

...to lose those last few postpartum pounds if I keep snacking on leftover Angel Food Cake slathered in whipped cream?

Omigosh, it's sooo good!

Small Successes Volume 37

Ya know, as the school year wears on (into our 6th week) and the baby sleeps less, my small successes seem to get smaller and smaller! At this point I feel like I've succeeded if I managed to get through the day without screaming at the kids, weeping, or wishing I could have my 4:00 p.m. glass of wine at 10:30 a.m. If I gauge my week by that, I guess it's been a fairly successful week.

In truth, it's been one of those, I managed to teach, cook dinners and keep up with laundry kind of weeks. But if I have to dig around for something over and above these necessities, then I would list the following:

1) I made a monster batch of granola this week (after having it on my "To Do" list for two weeks).

2) I got my act together enough to celebrate the feast of the Archangels with the kids.

3) I have managed to squeeze in a few rows of knitting every day, and I am hoping to be done with the right front of Una's sweater this week. Then on to the sleeves!

Check out Faith and Family Live for more Small Successes, and share your own!