Patch O' Dirt Farm

Teeny Tiny Frog

2009-11-06T11:27:00.002-06:00

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

2009-11-06T07:24:00.006-06:00

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

2009-11-05T07:02:00.005-06:00

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...

2009-11-03T18:20:00.002-06:00

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

2009-11-02T06:28:00.003-06:00

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...

2009-11-01T15:27:00.003-06:00

...is a dentist's nightmare.

The Feast of All Saints

2009-11-01T06:28:00.005-06:00

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!

Do you think they look like sisters?

2009-10-31T07:08:00.003-05:00

Country kids

2009-10-31T07:01:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-30T19:47:00.004-05:00

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

2009-10-30T11:36:00.005-05:00

We're getting ready...

Gemma Apple-Cheeks

2009-10-29T13:27:00.002-05:00

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?

2009-10-28T10:38:00.005-05:00

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

2009-10-27T06:21:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-26T06:11:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-10-26T06:03:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-23T19:47:00.005-05:00

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

2009-10-23T13:33:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-23T13:29:00.002-05:00

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

Small Successes--vol. 40

2009-10-22T15:22:00.004-05:00

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.

2009-10-21T20:13:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-20T05:57:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-10-17T09:47:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-10-17T06:54:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-16T07:04:00.006-05:00

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.