My Gabriel's birthday

What can I say about my Gabriel Elias? He was born in this house with just his Papa and Oma present, his two older siblings asleep in their beds. The midwife was two hours away when Gabe made his debut after 1 a.m. on the feast of St. Andrew. A blessed candle was lit, Rachmaninoff's vespers played softly, and my favorite image of the Blessed Mother and my grandmother's rosary were within reach. He came out on the third push, gave one cry, and settled down with me to wait for the midwife. Soon we were joined by my sister and her husband-to-be, the midwife's assistant, then the midwife. And then a sleepy 18-month-old Sebastian awoke and was able to meet his little "baby Gabey."

He was baptized on the feast of the Immaculate Conception when he was eight days old.

Gabriel was an easy baby. Contented, smiling, very independent. He would let anyone hold him, and played as happily on his own as with his siblings. He was my smiley little "Puddin' Cheeks". He used to just go and take a nap when he was tired, and even now will get up from a video now and then and announce that he is going to brush his teeth and go to bed. He is usually the first of the kids up in the morning.

He gave me the longest seven minutes of my life when he got lost at Wal-Mart a couple of years ago.

He is my most affectionate child, and has to be reminded that hugs and kisses are not always appropriate. He has a talent for constructing massive, perfectly symmetrical spaceships out of Mega Blocks and has the most infectious giggle of all the kids.

Gabriel Elias, you are a beam of sunshine to me. Your smile lights up my heart. I love you dearly, sweetie, and although I want to know what you will be like as a man, I am clinging for all I'm worth to the boy you are right now.

Happy birthday from your Mama.

Not on the menu...

Not now, not ever!

Hot off the needles

Due to severe budget constraints this year (caused by the untimely demise of our fridge, our freezer, our CD player, and as of yesterday, our VCR), I have been making as many gifts as I can. My nephew James, who is one, and therefore too young to read this blog, is getting this hat. It is the same pattern as Gemma's, but I knit an extra band, as I found that Gemma's didn't come down to the nape of her neck where I thought it ought to be.

Simple Woman's Daybook for 30 November 2009

Outside my window…5:54 and dark. 45 degrees.

I am thinking… of Gabriel's 7th birthday today, the Feast of St. Andrew and the beginning of a new liturgical year. I am wishing I had one of those gorgeous liturgical calenders. This morning I printed out pictures of the December saints to put up on our bulletin board, along with a copy of the St. Andrew Novena prayer, also known as the Christmas Anticipation Prayer.

I am thankful for…the health of my family, another altar for Bret to build, the easy-going disposition of Gemma--she makes mothering a baby so easy!

From the kitchen...freshly baked multi-grain bread with butter and honey or jam and tea, and some sort of soup tonight.

I am creating…a pair of longies for Gemma, who has very few pants for winter. I love the wool ones because they act as a diaper cover as well for the cloth diapers. I want to sew up some more pants using my favorite tutorial, but I need to dig through my cloth and see what will work for her. Also on the list of things to make: I need to decorate our Advent wreath, which didn't get done yesterday.

I am reading ...craft and knitting blogs and books, and The Liturgical Year.

I am hoping...to get as much done this week as I did last week! And to tie up all the loose ends of so many projects.

I am hearing…Adrian and my birthday boy, Gabriel, chatting in the living room. Gabriel never fails to greet me with a kiss every morning!

A few plans for the rest of the week: making paper snowflakes for the windows with the children as I do every year; getting the nativity figures down from storage; making a few more gifts and another couple of batches of cookie dough; sewing up pants for Gemma.

I am praying...for C., whose miscarried baby will be buried today in a section of the Catholic cemetery in Nashville reserved for such little ones, never born and yet precious in the sight of their parents. I am also praying the St. Andrew Novena.

Picture Thought: Gemma, watching a movie with us last week. I know I'm biased, but isn't she gorgeous?

Visit Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook for more entries, or add your own. Have a blessed week!

The first Sunday of Advent

Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with the Lord: behold thou shalt conceive and shalt bring forth a son, alleluia.

Happy Thankgiving!

Another Christmas gift for Gemma

This time from Bret. I drew out the pattern, and sometime later he had this:An easy-to-grip maple teether. It's sanded silky-smooth. I know she'll love it, because she loves gumming my wooden cooking spoons!

All this creativity is rooted in the fact that my favorite toy catalogs are too pricey for our budget. Right now my "wishbook" is the Nova Naturals catalog. Lots of pretty things, but many are out of our price range. So I try to come up with similar items that Bret can make in his shop, or which I can sew up.

You know it's been too long since you cleaned under the furniture...

...when your dust-bunnies look like this:

Espresso Cutouts

Love these cookies. My sister gave me the recipe some years back. The cutouts hold their shape beautifully. I usually drizzle them with melted white chocolate when they're done.

Espresso Cutouts
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 Tbsp hot water
2 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets by greasing or lining with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour and cocoa. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and blend. Mix the coffee granules with the hot water, then add to the butter/sugar mixture along with the vanilla and the cinnamon. Mix in the flour/cocoa one-third at a time. Chill dough until firm.

Roll out dough 1/3 at a time (keep remaining dough in fridge--this dough is soft at room temperature, so work quickly!) on a well-floured surface. Roll out to 1/8" thick. Cut with cookie cutters and use a spatula to transfer to the cookie sheets.

Bake for--hm--I don't have it written down. Try 8-10 minutes. They are thin, so not too long. They should be slightly puffed and look dry on the edges.

Cool a bit before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes With Brown Sugar Topping

The one I will have to make every Thanksgiving until I die, because everyone always asks for it. I've seen a few similar recipes on the web, but this is the one I use. I'm not big on really sweet stuff, so for me, this is dessert! If you have a large family or get-together, double it.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar Topping

For the potatoes:
22-24 oz. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
3/4 stick (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
6 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 stick (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

Make the sweet potatoes:
Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, transfer to a large bowl and add the butter. Beat until smooth. Add the egg, sugar, spices and salt and blend. Transfer to an 8 x 8" baking dish (you can cover with foil and chill at this point to make it ahead. To bake, bring to room temperature before going on).
Bake covered with foil for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees (35 minutes if doubling recipe and using a large baking dish).

Prepare topping:
Mix the topping ingredients together. Spoon over the potatoes for the last 10 minutes of baking time without the foil.

A Christmas gift for Gemma

Don't ask me how I managed to squeeze this in between making butter and cleaning the oven. I just had to do it. I had seen the stuffed giraffes for babies on Etsy done by two or three individuals, and none of them was exactly what I wanted, so on our last visit to Hobby Lobby I picked out cloth and grosgrain ribbon. Last night I traced out a pattern, and I cut it out and pinned it this morning before the kids were up. I squeezed in the sewing and stuffing between other things. I rather like it!Adrian said, "It looks real!" I asked him how many pink giraffes he's seen. "No, I mean like real from a store!" I guess some of my home-made versions of things may be a little "unreal" at times.

Simple Woman's Daybook for November 23rd

Outside my window…4:53 and dark. Gemma woke me at 4, smiling sleepily, and went back to sleep. I have so much to do this week, I decided to get up for my prayers, coffee and an early start.

I am thinking… of this day's list of things to do. I need to go over my Advent/Christmas preparations list and see where I am.

I am thankful for…all the really big things (family, health, food and shelter, the Church, etc.) and many little things that are perhaps not necessary, but which give life bright moments of joy and laughter. I am thankful and praising God for giving Bret a third (!) altar to build for the Fathers of Mercy, this one in their private chapel. God is good. This ought to be good for at least a few decades off in purgatory for my husband's wild youth, don't you think? [wink!]

From the kitchen...probably muffins and applesauce. What I really crave is an apple crumble, but whether I have time for that this morning...?

I am creating…another hat like the one I made for Gemma. This one is in a navy blue with variegated striping and will be for my nephew James, if it will fit him. I still have Una's sweater to seam, but I'm a wimp about seaming and will put it off this week.

I am reading ...craft blogs and cooking blogs. Brown-Eyed Baker has some nice cookie and confection recipes for the holidays. Still reading Pinocchio to the boys.
I am hoping...that I will be efficient this week and not be tempted too much to dawdle on the computer or at my knitting!

I am hearing…the dryer.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Lots of cleaning and cooking in preparation for my mother and my sister's family coming on Thursday. I will be enlisting everyone to help clean so that I can cook and bake. You are welcome to come by and visit, as long as you come ready to work!

I am praying...for C., who has an appointment for an ultrasound after having miscarried yesterday morning; that everyone remains healthy for our family celebration on Thursday; for a joyful week and happy Thanksgiving for my friends and family.

Picture Thought: I don't have a picture right now, but maybe I'll edit one in later if I manage to pick up the camera.

Visit Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook for more entries, or add your own. Have a blessed week!

"Children are a reward..."

An acquaintance of mine just miscarried this morning. She is my age, and childless, and although she was only nine weeks along, this was a greatly-desired baby. She had names picked out and was full of hope.

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth."

I was ruminating on this line of scripture shortly after this lady called with the news that she was suffering symptoms that seemed indicative of miscarriage. I have never felt comfortable with the word "reward" as it is used here in this passage. It seems to imply that children are like merit badges given out by God for pleasing Him, which would of course imply the opposite for the state of childlessness. Lack of children is not, we know, a punishment. So what to make of the word "reward" here? Maybe "gift" would be a better word to understand the meaning; after all, we also know from scripture that all things are gifts from God for those who love Him and strive to do His will. Everything is intended for our sanctification. It is the carrying of the Cross that sanctifies us and purifies us, making us over in the image of Christ, our Lord. For some the Cross is childlessness, and for others, caring for the children they have. Those on both sides of the fence will have times when the Cross seems much too heavy to bear.

Christianity is strange, isn't it? Embracing the Cross sounds like foolishness to the world, but the world's wisdom is foolishness to Christ. Embracing the Cross isn't easy, but it can be easier when we try to see from Heaven's viewpoint rather than our own. And that isn't always easy, either. but God doesn't tell us that any of it will be easy. Only that it will be worth it.

Please say a prayer for C. and ask the Lord to give her peace. My heart--so enlarged by Him through love of the children He has granted me--aches deeply for her.

Christ the King

CHRISTUS VINCIT, CHRISTUS REGNAT, CHRISTUS IMPERAT.

What I was doing instead of posting

Isn't this cap adorable? The pattern is Aviatrix from Just Jussi, and it was really quite easy. I haven't blocked it yet, so I'm hoping I can stretch it a bit bigger.

The cardigan was made by a friend for Sebastian. and the buttons were a gift from another friend, and were given to me many years before I was even married.

Gnome-Love

I don't know what it is about this time of year, but it always makes me think of gnomes, and my toy-searches among the Waldorf-influenced shops and blogs have brought me into contact with a bunch of these little red-capped fellows.

I did this simple (5 minute) watercolor miniature yesterday (yep, I know that the shadows are going the wrong way, but I was too lazy to redo it).

Small Successes--volume 44

It hasn't been a banner week, really. It's been one of those weeks when I seem to be running constantly and not getting much done. I actually decided to let the kids just do art and creative stuff yesterday in order to try to catch up with cookie dough, mending and ironing--and I ended up doing none of those things! I need a motivational kick in the pants, I think! What I have done this week:

1) I have been reading Pinocchio to the older boys. Not the sugared, Disney version by any means! This is the original Collodi tale, and it is not for sensitive little ones. In the original tale, Pinocchio gets into trouble because he is a disobedient, ornery little cuss and not because he is merely naive. He is completely self-centered, and when scolded by an old, wise cricket, he throws a hammer at the offending insect and kills him! He also gets his feet burned off early on in the book and has to have Geppetto remake them. The boys groaned when I told them I was going to read this book to them, but now they groan when I have to put it down.

2) I am seaming Una's sweater. Slow going, as I really hate seaming. I also made a sweater in colors matching hers for her American Girl-type doll. Unable to contain my knitting mania, I will begin a pair of longies for Gemma in natural Lion's Brand Fisherman Wool and I may also start on a little hat for her (I keep trying to do these pilot-style caps I love, looking for a pattern that a novice knitter like myself can handle) and some fingerless gloves for the boys.

3) I have been creating a picture file of handmade toys--mostly wood--that Bret and I could pretty easily make. We are constantly trying to come up with things for Bret to make at home, and I noticed, while looking at Waldorf-influenced toys, that there are a number of them that would be easy to make. I'm hoping there's an Etsy shop in our future!

Other than that, I've only kept up with laundry and managed one batch of cookie dough for the freezer, but I'm off to make up another while the baby naps and the kids watch a dvd.

Look at some other successes for this week, big and small, at Faith and Family Live.

We Are Not Amused.

Gemma was moved outdoors yesterday to enjoy the unseasonably mild weather (70 degrees!) and a performance by her goofy circus-troupe-wannabe siblings. I'm not sure what she was thinking as she observed...

Recipe--Oatmeal Coconut Crisps

Here is a recipe I have made every year for about 12 years or so, maybe longer. I am including both of my favorite variations. The cookies are chewy if somewhat underbaked, but we like them crisp, and they store better that way in any case.

Oatmeal Coconut Crisps With Variations

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup flaked coconut, chopped fine--I use unsweetened, as there's sugar enough in this recipe.

Additions
For the Orange-Chocolate variety:
1 Tbsp grated orange zest and 1 tsp orange extract OR 1/2 tsp all-natural orange oil (culinary variety, please!!)
Bittersweet chocolate

For the Almond-Chocolate variety:
1/2 to 1 tsp almond extract and 3/4 cup finely chopped toasted almonds.
Semi-sweet chocolate.

To make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease baking sheets or line with baking parchment (I do the latter--so much less work!).
Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the brown and white sugars.
Add the vanilla and the two eggs, beating after each addition [for the Orange variety, beat in the zest and orange extract or oil as well; for the Almond variety, beat in the almond extract]
Add the sifted ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture a bit at a time.
Stir in the oats and the flaked coconut [for the Almond variety, stir in the chopped almonds here].

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons on prepared baking sheets, 2" apart (these really spread out!)
Bake for 10-13 minutes, until just browning on the edges. Let sit 1-2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove to racks to finish cooling.

To finish the Orange variety, I usually drizzle with fine stripes of melted bittersweet chocolate (line the cookies up on a wax paper-lined tray, put not-too-hot melted chocolate into a plastic baggie and snip the tiniest bit off a corner, then go back and forth across the cookies). Place the tray in the fridge for a few minutes to harden the chocolate.

To finish the Almond variety, I dip half the cookie in melted semi-sweet chocolate and scrape the bottom with the flat edge of a butter knife to remove the excess. Place on a wax paper-lined tray and cool in the fridge for a couple of minutes.

The 2009 Virtual Cookie Exchange

My friend Marilyn at Enjoy the Journey is hosting a cookie recipe exchange. This was just the thing I was looking for, as I have my favorite recipes that I make each year, but I was hoping to find a couple of delightful new recipes to add to my repertoire. Click on the image above or in my sidebar to see how you can join in!

46 feels okay!

Celebrated a bit after Mass--mom came over with one of my favorite cakes (a German "Haselnusskuchen") and a bottle of champagne. And my sister gave me a long-desired knitting book!

Thank you, Marilyn, for the virtual birthday party. I was awaiting your call--I should have suspected that the phone was out when I didn't hear from you!

I'll try to do a Daybook entry later, but the phone and internet were out this morning (maybe last night as well, but I didn't notice since I didn't approach the computer all evening), and so I missed my window of opportunity.

Seven Quick Takes Friday--Volume 58, The Cranky, Tired Baby Edition

One.
This week has gone by so quickly, I can hardly believe it's already Friday. Cooking meat, doing laundry, making butter, searching for recipes, browsing for Christmas ideas, teaching school and all the usual mommy stuff has made the whole week a blur.

Two.
We have been enjoying the Father Brown Mysteries from Netflix. These are great! I have never read any of the stories from Chesterton, but I think Una is hooked and would love to pick up a volume some time.

Three.
Una made homemade potato-leek soup for us tonight. It was quite good, and Bret and I ate plenty, but the boys, not being fond of most soups, put up their noses. Una is used to hearing one of them or another gripe at every dinner, so she was not disturbed by it.

Four.
I didn't have any wine or ice cream after all, but I took a long, therapeutic shower. I feel nearly human again.

Five.
Tomorrow we go in search of mattresses for a new set of bunk beds. We need to move three and a half year-old Dominic out of his crib finally so that Gemma may move in. Honestly, I wish our bedroom wasn't so small, so that I could keep her with us for her first year at least, but we haven't any room for the crib, nor would we have room for a king sized bed, even if we could afford one.

Six.
I'm hoping to find some great sites for crafty gifts and recipes, and to post the links here. I am also going through my own files searching for sewing, knitting, simple woodworking and other projects I've saved over the last year or so. I'm always bitten by a craft bug this time of year, although I wish it would bite in the spring so that I could work on things for the better part of the year and have a nice cache by December!

Seven.
A sleepy, cranky baby girl is responsible for the super-quick takes this week. I need to get back to her and to Father Brown!

Go and visit Jennifer at Conversion Diary for more Seven Quick Takes, and have a great weekend.

I'm not superstitious, but...

...today has been sooo challenging! Constant bickering, Dominic shrieking his head nigh off for every little thing, school not getting done, laundry not put away, butter not finished, me in need of a shower, the house only half-vacuumed with the vacuum lying in the hall, my milk not letting down (on account of stress, no doubt), and to top it off, one of the kids offering a display of unmitigated gall in the form of using sarcasm on a stretched-taut mother. This made clear to me how totally lacking this kid is in self-preservation skills. I usually try to forego sweets and wine on Fridays, but I think I could use a glass or two of wine and a pint of ice cream. And a long, hot shower.

Only the baby sucking on the drawstring of my sweatshirt can still bring a smile to my face!

I found a foodie site I just love!

In my search for great new holiday recipes I have come across a site I'm really enjoying. In spite of a few recipes that include margarine and Crisco and such (I'm not a snob, but I do think that butter and lard are healthier!), there are some real delights at Our Best Bites. Take a look at this Pie in a Jar idea! How about Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream? Best of all, none of the recipes call for exotic or budget-breaking ingredients.

I think Easy Pumpkin Crumble may be on the menu here at Patch O' Dirt sometime soon!

Biggest of her big brothers

Small Successes--volume 43

1) Thanks to the dead freezer, I cooked up some ground beef, two pork loin roasts, one sirloin tip roast, two standing rib roasts, and a rolled rib roast this week. Gave some meat away as well.

2) I finished up three pairs of baby booties and am putting together Una's sweater.

3) I cleaned both my bathrooms.

Bonus--I am about done with Christmas shopping, which will allow me to concentrate on homemade gifts and cookie dough for the freezer!

Now head on over to Faith and Family Live for more Small Successes, and share your own!

Simple Woman's Daybook for November 9th

Outside my window…7:20, overcast and 48 degrees.

I am thinking… Christmas and Advent preparations.

I am thankful for…so many blessings from God in spite of failing appliances and ill-timed expenses. It's only money, right? I'm also thinking of Kimberly a lot. I feel rather close to my little community of Blog-Mamas!

From the kitchen...cold cereal today. I have a ton of meat to cook, thanks to the dead freezer...I'm going to do some ground beef, a sirloin tip roast and two pork loins today. I may revert to vegetarianism by the end of the week.

I am creating…finally got a blocking mat and will try to block the pieces to Una's sweater so that it will be easier to piece it together. I am also on a baby-bootie spree lately, as so many friends are expecting and Gemma can also use a couple more pairs. I use this brainless pattern and can do a pair in two days of spare minutes (they'd take about 90 minutes a pair if I could sit and do them all at once).

I am reading ...craft blogs! As if I need anything else to take up my time! Please note Sew Mama Sew's Handmade Holidays carnival. Lots of fun ideas for every day this month!

I am hoping...to have a good, productive week and get further along with the holiday preparations.

I am hearing…boys bickering and spoons clinking in cereal bowls.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Cook lots of meat--which will make for quick meals during the busy holiday period, finish Una's sweater and begin some baby projects, prepare a blog post on some of the craft ideas I have discovered and love, and make cookie dough to freeze (if I can squeeze it in with all the meat to be cooked)!

I am praying...for Kimberly; for a little 9 month-old named Katie who has a retinal tumor and will have to have her eye removed and for her family; for all my mama-friends near of far, who have asked for prayers and for whom I have promised to pray.

Picture Thought: Una and Gemma on Saturday.Now you can check out Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook for more entries, or add your own. Have a blessed week!

Sunday post about Saturday...

We managed to make it to the Fathers of Mercy for the conference on the life of Mother Teresa. It was very good and well worth the effort to get there, although we nearly didn't. Bret came into the house yesterday morning after carrying the morning's milk to his shop, where we have an extra fridge and freezer, as I was frantically trying to get everyone ready so that we could be out by 7:25, and announced that the freezer must have died sometime the day before and that the meat was defrosted.

This is our second incident with the freezer since July, when the door was left open on it just a couple of days after Gemma's birth. This time the old thing actually died. but the result is the same: I have a lot of meat to cook in the next couple of days. This is also my second major appliance to die on me in the last few weeks. It's like Murphy's Law: if something big is going to die, it will do so just around the holidays. Last year the computer died in October and the wall oven in December.

The good news is, the ground beef was in another freezer and so is unaffected, and the majority of what was in the freezer was pork, and we have another pig going to the butcher in January. The bad new is, the beef that was left was all my "special" stuff--the tenderloins, sirloin tip roasts and rib roasts. I guess we'll be eating well this week...!

Anyway, back to the conference:

The weather was beautiful, Gemma went for six hours without crying once (people actually commented on that!), and the pot luck lunch was delicious. The talks were edifying (Fr. Bill Casey was the homilist for the Mass), and there was a fine turnout. It was lovely to see some Missionaries of Charity there. One of them turned out to be a sister who was present at Una's baptism in Charlotte, NC ten years ago! We were friendly with the Charlotte sisters because Bret did some carpentry work in their house and I volunteered with their after-school program for the Vietnamese community. I couldn't resist a photo opportunity.Well, I have a roast in the slow cooker and I need to get ready for Mass. Hope you have a blessed Sunday!

Teeny Tiny Frog

Sebastian brought this little guy in, about the size of my thumbnail. How can something so tiny have such magnificent detail...?

Seven Quick Takes Friday--Volume 57

One.
Bret has a few weeks' work lined up, about an hour away. The upside is, of course, money and the ability to pay our bills without depleting our unimpressive savings account. The downside is that he is working today, and we were hoping to go to Mass for the first Friday. Oh well--maybe we will renew our attempts to do the nine first Fridays in the spring, as there's a good chance that one of the upcoming ones would be thwarted by icy roads anyway. C'est la vie.

Two.
The altar Bret just finished for the tiny mission church of Our Lady of the Caves in Horse Cave, KY is great. I think there are still a few little details to be finalized by the couple who did the wonderful pelican plucking its breast in the center of the altar, but Bret's part in it is done. Pretty nice, don't you think?Three.
It looks like it is going to be a beautiful weekend--mild and fairly sunny. If you are anywhere in our area (north-central TN or south-central KY), do think about coming to tomorrow's conference at the Fathers of Mercy in South Union, KY on the life of Mother Teresa. Information is on my sidebar (just click the image of the Come and See poster). The Chapel of Divine Mercy is beautiful, and worth a visit in any case. We will be there. To find me, just listen for the loudest three year old, and follow him...

Four.
Geography is fun, but would be more so if we lived in a city. I love rural life, but when it comes to cultural stuff, forget it. We have been studying India this week, and our little library has nothing--I mean, like two kids' books on India! I've been hunting our shelves for folk tales and other resources, and found a thing or two from Netflix, but I'd love to have access to an Asian foods market (Nashville is a bit far to go for a few Indian items) or deli. We have also listened to some Ravi Shankar sitar music (I remember my mom had LPs of his when I was a kid) and it was lovely to hear it again after so many years.

Five.
Gemma, happy sweet, little thing that she is, is killing me. She naps in her co-sleeper by day, but will not go into it at night. She screams if I put her in it. And she will no longer take a pacifier, nor will she sleep without nursing. She is pretty much attached to me all night long, with the result being that I am tired, sore and Bret and I forever have a baby between us! I tried letting her "cry it out" before Bret and I turned in, and she did finally pass out, exhausted. but within an hour she was up again. I'm not sure what I can do about it until we get her out of our room and into a crib, which Dominic is still using and reluctant to give up. Because of her slow weight gain, I am willing to put up with it for a couple more months (until I start her on solids), but Bret is less than pleased at the thought of having her in our full-sized bed for much longer. It is a tad tight in there for the three of us...

Six.
Speaking of slow weight gains, I have been too nervous to weigh her. I'm afraid of her having gained so little that I will be a nervous wreck. I can't imagine that she is starving, however, as she doesn't seem terribly hungry during the day and is quite happy to grasp at her toys and coo at us from her bouncy seat for long periods of time. Still, I look at photos of babies like Grace's Fiona, who just started solids recently at 8 months and who is fat and gorgeous just on mama's milk, and I feel a twinge of envy! My kids are all pretty lanky as toddlers (Gabe was the exception), but by four months have always been delightfully chubby.

Seven.
I am already plotting to figure out if there is some way I can spend Sunday afternoon just knitting and sipping tea. When I am nursing, I am often on Ravelry, browsing through patterns for baby knits.

Well, that's it for today's Quick Takes from Patch O' Dirt Farm. Join Jennifer at Conversion Diary to see more Quick Takes on Friday or post your own. Have a blessed weekend!

Small Successes--volume 42

1) I made a batch of butter and a batch of peanut-butter chocolate chip cookies today;

2) I remembered that November 3rd was Una's nameday (really, how easy is it to remember that Una is some sort of derivative of St. Winifried? Really, it is!);

3) I got most of my Christmas shopping done! Hurray for Amazon.com and Super Saver Shipping!

Go to Faith and Family Live for more Small Successes, and share your own!

A beautiful afternoon...

We went out to enjoy some fine autumn weather and to gather acorns for our piggies. Gemma is still small enough to wear on my front, which is good since we don't own a fancy all-terrain stroller.

The Feast of All Souls

In Munich, where I spent the better part of my formative years, All Souls was a day for tending the graves, which are usually beautifully tidy anyway, but the plants--not cut flowers or (shivers!) artificial foliage are changed to heartier mums and evergreens to bear the cold winter.
Each little plot usually has a place for a votive candle, and some even have covered fonts for holy water. As you can imagine, with the plants, the headstones, the shady trees and the benches here and there, the cemetery has an almost park-like atmosphere.
And it is quite beautiful at night as well.

We will be making a stop at our little cemetery up on the hill today, and praying for the Poor Souls. Below are the regulations currently in force regarding plenary indulgences:

1) On All Souls' Day, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor souls, is granted to those who visit any parish church or public oratory and there recite one Our Father and one Credo.

2) On all the days from November 1 through November 8 inclusive, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor souls, is granted to those who visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed.

Conditions for both indulgences:
1) Only one plenary indulgence can be gained per day.

2) It is necessary to be in the state of grace, at least by completion of the work.

3) Freedom from attachment to sin, even venial sin, is necessary; otherwise the indulgence is only partial. (By this is meant attachment to a particular sin, not sin in general.)

4) Holy Communion must be received each time the indulgence is sought.

5) Prayers must be recited for the intentions of the Holy Father on each day the indulgence is sought. (No particular prayers are prescribed. One Our Father and one Hail Mary suffice, or other suitable prayers.)

6) A sacramental confession must be made within a week of completion of the prescribed work. (One confession made during the week, made with the intention of gaining all the indulgences, suffices.)

Too much Halloween candy...

...is a dentist's nightmare.

The Feast of All Saints

We had a great day yesterday, even though Bret was gone all day until 8:30 p.m. installing the new altar at Our Lady of the Caves and we didn't get to have our planned bonfire. The kids had a fabulous time with Halloween Bingo (Adrian plays with enormous intensity!), Pin the Head on the Horseman and our annual treasure hunt for candy. Then they lay around eating candy and watching vintage Scooby Doo from Netflix. After a pizza dinner, they had "dirt" cupcakes for dessert (chocolate frosting with crushed Oreo crumbs and a gummy worm on top). Dominic crashed at 6:30 from a sugar overdose and slept all night. Everyone else forfeited their candy an hour before dinner and agreed not to have any more until after Mass today. Whew!
Today is a wonderful feast. An extra hour to get ready for Mass is a lovely gift, and so is the sight of the sun shining on the frost.Have a beautiful, blessed All Saints Day!