I saw this on Spirit Daily today. I thought this kind of harrassment was going to end, since people often get uppity about things for a week or two, and then drop it. But I think our Pope is in serious trouble, and is probably feeling like
Christ is his only friend these days.
Please pray for the Pope. From what I can see, he is doing his ACTUAL job beautifully. It just so happens that many people do not understand what his job is.
Pray for the Pope!
» 02/26/2009 14:12
VATICAN
At Lent, let us pray for the Pope
Bernardo Cervellera
A group of Muslim converts to Christianity asked us to pray for Benedict XVI, who is under attack from all sides. Non-Catholic Churches, progressives and traditionalists, politicians and radicals are all casting stones at the scapegoat of the week. With ideologies and economies in crisis, this is the last attempt to remove a champion of the dignity of man and God himself.
Rome (AsiaNews) – For this Lent we are inviting our readers to devote a special prayer for Pope Benedict XVI. The idea came to us from a number of Muslim converts to Christianity who wrote to AsiaNews launching a novena for the Pontiff. They see in Benedict XVI as a “defender of the weak” and “a sign of Jesus’ love” in a world that is trying to attack him every which way. As new converts they too are among the weak, forced to hide their conversion even from their family. Moreover, the Pope himself had asked for a special prayer.
On the day the Church celebrated the Chair of Peter (22 February), Benedict XVI spoke to pilgrims in St Peter’s Square during the Angelus, asking them to “accompany me with your prayers so that I may faithfully accomplish the high task Divine Providence has placed upon me as Successor to the Apostle Peter” and bishop of Rome. Indeed, the Church is “called to fulfil a special service for the People of God as a whole.”
We all know how difficult ecumenism, the struggle for Christian unity, can be. Every step the Pope takes is met by coldness, indifference and prevarication from other Churches. Here is one example among many. Despite Benedict XVI’s many prayers and attention, the new Orthodox patriarch of Moscow said, a day after his election, that a trip by the Pontiff to Moscow was not possible for the foreseeable future.
The Pope’s search for unity also suffers from trying to hold together various Catholic strands, still too much divided (perhaps confused) between “progressive” and “traditionalists”, “North” and “South”, “rich” and “poor”, each missing the chance of respecting one another other, and acting as one in bearing witness to the faith in a world that is increasingly becoming atheistic.
The lifting of the excommunication on Lefebvrist Bishop Williamson gave many politicians, big and small, an opportunity to accuse the Pope of anti-Semitism, without getting their facts straight or realising that Benedict XVI is the one who build a strong relationship with the Jewish world over the years. It is almost as if everyone got together to cast stones against the scapegoat of the week. In fact Benedict XVI is one of the few voices saying that humans cannot be bought by politics or that the state must serve the public good.
In a continent like Europe where plans are underway to introduce euthanasia and eugenics, the Pope has insisted that “Man will always be greater than all that which makes up his body.” He has slammed the mindset that views life and personal dignity as “based [only] on one's own desire and individual freedom,” giving precedence to the “active faculties, to proficiency, to physical perfection and beauty.”
In all these “incidents” there may have been some errors or clumsiness by the Roman Curia, but in the “war” against Benedict XVI there is above all an attempt to stifle those who tell everyone that there is an absolute value in human beings.
As crises overtake ideologies and economies, overwhelming the world, this is the latest attempt to get rid of God as if he was a final burden.
Photo: CPP
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Home executive advice
From the Common Room, this is an excellent post. I'm so glad she put it up. SO glad It is very important that we realize that "what I'm supposed to do" is based on expectations of other people who don't live in your body or your house. Remember, you are supposed to do what's right for YOU and your family! Not what it says in Parenting Magazine. Enjoy!!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Lenten update
Here's a cute picture just to focus on the peace I hope to achieve during Lent.
I'm really not sure when I'm going to be making my Lenten plans.
I do know that I would like very much to have them figured out. I think I need to look at some books and make some easy plans. There is a soup supper and Stations of the Cross over at our parish on Fridays this Lent, and I'd like to make it to those. Tomorrow, being Ash Wednesday, I can go to Mass and then babysit for a good part of the day for my friend Rikki. Good thing we had a good homeschooling day today.
My Lenten commitment is really going to be not yelling at the kids. I know, I know, that's a silly one. First, of COURSE I should not yell at them. Um... yeah. But secondly, can I really do better? We will soon find out. I will also limit my online time much more severely, at least for six weeks. The other thing we need to do is PURGE. I am so going through their TOYS!! Oh. My. Goodness. We do not need this many tiny toys for me to step on. We are going to decide which ones we truly love and get rid of the rest. I mean it this time! Tantrum, tantrum, tantrum.
Rikki showed up this morning with strings of real Mardi Gras beads from New Orleans. She and her husband went some years ago, and they still had quite a bundle, which my children are in love with. They really are fun to see. Someday I'd like to go see the real thing.
In other news, while I am not naming this relative here, I'd like you to pray for them. A relative of mine (not immediate family) is considering Catholicism as a home for the family. They were not raised Christian, but do love God, whatever you may call Him. They have a deep sense of the mystic and spiritual. I am very excited for them and plan to send a little package this Lent. And only really because of Facebook are we even having that conversation. God is so good.
Enjoy Fat Tuesday, see you during Lent!!
A very cute interview
The DHM, of Common Room fame, often posts about this family. They have eleven kids, and in that batch is included twins and quads. She has some pretty amazing stories, of course, but I really loved this interview at Smockity Frocks.
I hope you enjoy it too!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Putin warns US about socialism
You know things are bad when the Russians are warning the US, of all people, not to go toward socialism out of fear over the economy. That is crazy. I'm not old, but I do remember having a Russian pen pal in fourth grade, and we were told that some of our letters would probably be crossed out with black pen and sensored, so if some of our questions weren't answered, that was why. I remember sending them pencils because they didn't have pencils with erasers and that kind of pencil was a real treasure.
I remember it was just before my dad's birthday when the Soviet Union began to fall apart. It was funny, because my mom had bought my dad a biography, and I think it was the biography of Mikhail Gorbachev. And here was the end of the Soviet Union, all of a sudden, after real fears of nuclear war and bunkers and things, that was it! And suddenly at the Olympics, they managed to keep their superstar program together for one more go, and after that, it was athletes from all these "new" nations, like Georgia, and all the "stans". And history was forever changed.
Things were hard and remain hard for Russia and friends. Very hard. There are four times as many abortions there as there are here in the US. Children adopted from orphanages there often have RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder) and are difficult to help or live with, no matter how much one wants to help and provide a normal life. They are not. having. fun.
The fact that Putin is warning us away from a system that didn't work is noteworthy. I'm glad it was in the Wall Street Journal, but it should have honestly been front page news!
In any case, read it and weep. I can't believe Putin is possibly smarter than most of our US government officials.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123317069332125243.html
I remember it was just before my dad's birthday when the Soviet Union began to fall apart. It was funny, because my mom had bought my dad a biography, and I think it was the biography of Mikhail Gorbachev. And here was the end of the Soviet Union, all of a sudden, after real fears of nuclear war and bunkers and things, that was it! And suddenly at the Olympics, they managed to keep their superstar program together for one more go, and after that, it was athletes from all these "new" nations, like Georgia, and all the "stans". And history was forever changed.
Things were hard and remain hard for Russia and friends. Very hard. There are four times as many abortions there as there are here in the US. Children adopted from orphanages there often have RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder) and are difficult to help or live with, no matter how much one wants to help and provide a normal life. They are not. having. fun.
The fact that Putin is warning us away from a system that didn't work is noteworthy. I'm glad it was in the Wall Street Journal, but it should have honestly been front page news!
In any case, read it and weep. I can't believe Putin is possibly smarter than most of our US government officials.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123317069332125243.html
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Pelosi and the Pope
I'd been following it anyway, but The Common Room also noticed this and wondered why this trip was being paid for by taxpayers. That is a very good question. Why can't they do more phone calls these days? Those are expensive trips!
But in any case, this is a pretty good article about what transpired. The culture wars cometh, I tell ya. I mean, they are already here, but I think they are going to get much, much nastier when people finally get fed up and say, "No, you may NOT do this." And then follow through. The follow through is going to be beastly. It's like finally deciding to discipline one's brat of a kid after 10 years of spoiling him. When you finally crack down, it's like the end of the world, so you put it off til you are good and ready.
I'm ready.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Were They At The Same Meeting? [George Weigel]
From the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:
It is with great joy that my husband, Paul, and I met with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, today. In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the Church’s leadership in fighting poverty, hunger, and global warming, as well as the Holy Father’s dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel. I was proud to show His Holiness a photograph of my family’s papal visit in the 1950s, as well as a recent picture of our children and grandchildren.
From the Press Office of the Holy See:
Following the General Audience, the Holy Father briefly greeted Mrs. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, together with her entourage. His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception until natural death, which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists, and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of development.
Were Benedict XVI and Nancy Pelosi in the same meeting, or even in the same city, this morning?
Charity requires that one concede the possibility that genuine piety was a part of Pelosi’s (rather boorish, and certainly irregular) insistence on being given a private moment with the pope during her current taxpayer-funded junket to Rome. But her office’s statement on today’s meeting makes it clear something else was afoot: that Pelosi, who shamelessly trumpets her “ardent” Catholicism while leading congressional Democrats in a continuing assault on what the Catholic Church regards as the inalienable human rights of the unborn, was trying to recruit Benedict XVI (“Joseph Ratzinger, D., Bavaria”?) to Team Nancy.
His Holiness wasn’t buying it.
He told Pelosi, politely but unmistakably, that her relentlessly pro-abortion politics put her in serious difficulties as a Catholic, which was his obligation as a pastor. He also underscored — for Pelosi, Joe Biden, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Barbara Mikulski, Rose DeLauro, Kathleen Sebelius, and everyone else — that the Church’s opposition to the taking of innocent human life, at any stage of the human journey, is not some weird Catholic hocus-pocus; it’s a first principle of justice than can be known by reason. It is a “requirement of the natural moral law” — that is, the moral truths we can know by thinking about what is right and what is wrong — to defend the inviolability of innocent human life. You don’t have to believe in papal primacy to know that; you don’t have do believe in seven sacraments, or the episcopal structure of the Church, or the divinity of Christ, to know that. You don’t even have to believe in God to know that. You only have to be a morally serious human being, willing to work through a moral argument — which, of course, means being the kind of person who understands that moral truth cannot be reduced to questions of feminist political correctness or partisan political advantage.
As her performance on Meet the Press prior to last year’s Democratic national convention made painfully clear, Pelosi is deeply confused about what her church teaches on the morality of abortion, and why. She may have come to her bizarre views on her own; it’s far more likely that she has been un-catechized, so to speak, by Catholic intellectuals and clerics who find Catholic teaching on life issues an embarrassment among their high-minded friends and colleagues of the progressive persuasion. Whatever the source of her confusion, Pelosi has now been informed, and by a world-class intellectual who happens to be the universal pastor of the Catholic Church, that she is, in fact, confused, and that both her spiritual life and her public service are in jeopardy because of that.
Moreover, it is reasonable to assume that Pope Benedict did not have only Pelosi in mind when he said what he had to say about the obligations of moral reason and the duties of statesmanship. President Obama is not a Catholic, but he should understand that he will get the same message if, as expected, he meets with His Holiness later this year.
— George Weigel is distinguished senior fellow of Washington’s Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.
02/18 11:19 AM
But in any case, this is a pretty good article about what transpired. The culture wars cometh, I tell ya. I mean, they are already here, but I think they are going to get much, much nastier when people finally get fed up and say, "No, you may NOT do this." And then follow through. The follow through is going to be beastly. It's like finally deciding to discipline one's brat of a kid after 10 years of spoiling him. When you finally crack down, it's like the end of the world, so you put it off til you are good and ready.
I'm ready.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Were They At The Same Meeting? [George Weigel]
From the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:
It is with great joy that my husband, Paul, and I met with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, today. In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the Church’s leadership in fighting poverty, hunger, and global warming, as well as the Holy Father’s dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel. I was proud to show His Holiness a photograph of my family’s papal visit in the 1950s, as well as a recent picture of our children and grandchildren.
From the Press Office of the Holy See:
Following the General Audience, the Holy Father briefly greeted Mrs. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, together with her entourage. His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception until natural death, which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists, and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of development.
Were Benedict XVI and Nancy Pelosi in the same meeting, or even in the same city, this morning?
Charity requires that one concede the possibility that genuine piety was a part of Pelosi’s (rather boorish, and certainly irregular) insistence on being given a private moment with the pope during her current taxpayer-funded junket to Rome. But her office’s statement on today’s meeting makes it clear something else was afoot: that Pelosi, who shamelessly trumpets her “ardent” Catholicism while leading congressional Democrats in a continuing assault on what the Catholic Church regards as the inalienable human rights of the unborn, was trying to recruit Benedict XVI (“Joseph Ratzinger, D., Bavaria”?) to Team Nancy.
His Holiness wasn’t buying it.
He told Pelosi, politely but unmistakably, that her relentlessly pro-abortion politics put her in serious difficulties as a Catholic, which was his obligation as a pastor. He also underscored — for Pelosi, Joe Biden, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Barbara Mikulski, Rose DeLauro, Kathleen Sebelius, and everyone else — that the Church’s opposition to the taking of innocent human life, at any stage of the human journey, is not some weird Catholic hocus-pocus; it’s a first principle of justice than can be known by reason. It is a “requirement of the natural moral law” — that is, the moral truths we can know by thinking about what is right and what is wrong — to defend the inviolability of innocent human life. You don’t have to believe in papal primacy to know that; you don’t have do believe in seven sacraments, or the episcopal structure of the Church, or the divinity of Christ, to know that. You don’t even have to believe in God to know that. You only have to be a morally serious human being, willing to work through a moral argument — which, of course, means being the kind of person who understands that moral truth cannot be reduced to questions of feminist political correctness or partisan political advantage.
As her performance on Meet the Press prior to last year’s Democratic national convention made painfully clear, Pelosi is deeply confused about what her church teaches on the morality of abortion, and why. She may have come to her bizarre views on her own; it’s far more likely that she has been un-catechized, so to speak, by Catholic intellectuals and clerics who find Catholic teaching on life issues an embarrassment among their high-minded friends and colleagues of the progressive persuasion. Whatever the source of her confusion, Pelosi has now been informed, and by a world-class intellectual who happens to be the universal pastor of the Catholic Church, that she is, in fact, confused, and that both her spiritual life and her public service are in jeopardy because of that.
Moreover, it is reasonable to assume that Pope Benedict did not have only Pelosi in mind when he said what he had to say about the obligations of moral reason and the duties of statesmanship. President Obama is not a Catholic, but he should understand that he will get the same message if, as expected, he meets with His Holiness later this year.
— George Weigel is distinguished senior fellow of Washington’s Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.
02/18 11:19 AM
Education at it's best
I really like this story. Maybe you have seen it before. Hilarious!
Lipstick in School
According to a news report, a certain private school in
Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A
number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick
and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but
after they put on their lipstick, they would press their
lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.
Every night the maintenance man would remove them, and the
next day the girls would put them back.
Finally the principal decided that something had to be
done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them
there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these
lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian
who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just
imagine the yawns from the little princesses).
To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the
mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how
much effort was required.
He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the
toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.
Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.
There are teachers .. and then there are educators!
Lipstick in School
According to a news report, a certain private school in
Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A
number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick
and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but
after they put on their lipstick, they would press their
lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.
Every night the maintenance man would remove them, and the
next day the girls would put them back.
Finally the principal decided that something had to be
done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them
there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these
lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian
who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just
imagine the yawns from the little princesses).
To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the
mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how
much effort was required.
He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the
toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.
Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.
There are teachers .. and then there are educators!
Permanent Change (not Obama style)
Ha ha ha.
I remember people saying this was coming, but everyone thought they were kooks. Hooray for listening to kooks!
Americans have already gone from saving NEGATIVE 6% to actually saving 3.4%. That's so amazing. Why were they not doing that in the first place? Well, part of it is lack of discipline for sure. Part of it is that homes and cars were so severely overpriced, but like a frog in a pot of water, we didn't notice it get to boiling, we just sort of expected it, because that's just the way things are.
Well, they aren't anymore.
I remember people saying this was coming, but everyone thought they were kooks. Hooray for listening to kooks!
Americans have already gone from saving NEGATIVE 6% to actually saving 3.4%. That's so amazing. Why were they not doing that in the first place? Well, part of it is lack of discipline for sure. Part of it is that homes and cars were so severely overpriced, but like a frog in a pot of water, we didn't notice it get to boiling, we just sort of expected it, because that's just the way things are.
Well, they aren't anymore.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Lent!
It's almost here! What shall I do???
My friend Holly says that on Fridays, they try to turn out all the lights starting at 3pm and then use candles and go to bed early. I liked that idea. I also want to actually make it to the soup suppers and things they do at our church. I never make it to those things. I wonder if I will this year.
My friend Adrianne tells me it's a great time to actually attempt the Rosary every night and see if it will stick. The kids are all for it, it's their mom who's a bit recalcitrant.
Speaking of Rosary, this is how it went last week:
It might be a REALLY good time for me to conquer a to-do list and offer it up to God. I think that is my main thing. And maybe I should put a quarter in a jar for every time I yell at the kids for no really good reason. Then I can pay off that vacation from last summer, I bet. Hmmm....
I decided that I would like very much to watch our Lord of the Rings DVD collection during Lent with my husband. Obviously, the story of Christianity is very deeply interwoven in the stories of Middle Earth. But also, the sheer tenacity and determination in the face of the whole world telling you you can't possibly do something you know you must do, is what everyone needs to see. I've become more and more convicted that this is not the first time the world has gone mad. Sometimes amazing people have to stand up for what is right, even if they feel all alone.
40 Days for Life in my town starts on Ash Wednesday, too. Pray, pray unceasingly. It has now spread to several countries, and is becoming bigger all the time. I intend to be there, but I have to work out the details. I've decided that bringing kids is a bit much most days, unless it's a big gathering or vigil.
God, help us to love you so very much during this Lenten season. Pray, my friends. It's all we can really do, and it may ultimately be what matters most.
My friend Holly says that on Fridays, they try to turn out all the lights starting at 3pm and then use candles and go to bed early. I liked that idea. I also want to actually make it to the soup suppers and things they do at our church. I never make it to those things. I wonder if I will this year.
My friend Adrianne tells me it's a great time to actually attempt the Rosary every night and see if it will stick. The kids are all for it, it's their mom who's a bit recalcitrant.
Speaking of Rosary, this is how it went last week:
It might be a REALLY good time for me to conquer a to-do list and offer it up to God. I think that is my main thing. And maybe I should put a quarter in a jar for every time I yell at the kids for no really good reason. Then I can pay off that vacation from last summer, I bet. Hmmm....
I decided that I would like very much to watch our Lord of the Rings DVD collection during Lent with my husband. Obviously, the story of Christianity is very deeply interwoven in the stories of Middle Earth. But also, the sheer tenacity and determination in the face of the whole world telling you you can't possibly do something you know you must do, is what everyone needs to see. I've become more and more convicted that this is not the first time the world has gone mad. Sometimes amazing people have to stand up for what is right, even if they feel all alone.
40 Days for Life in my town starts on Ash Wednesday, too. Pray, pray unceasingly. It has now spread to several countries, and is becoming bigger all the time. I intend to be there, but I have to work out the details. I've decided that bringing kids is a bit much most days, unless it's a big gathering or vigil.
God, help us to love you so very much during this Lenten season. Pray, my friends. It's all we can really do, and it may ultimately be what matters most.
Kirk Cameron Interview
I know, I know, we HAVE to watch Fireproof. I know. And it's sitting right there on top of my tv, waiting for me. I really want to watch it, but we're behind on Battlestar Galactica now, and about to be behind on both Heroes and Life, and well, that's just not good. Lame excuse maybe, but there's only so much tv watching we can fit in when DH gets home at 9pm! I turn into a pumpkin at exactly the same time!
From what I've seen of the movie, it will be great to watch, but I think my husband is already one of the more romantic husbands and does tons for me already, so it's me who can be caught acting like a jerk sometimes. So we should watch it, but as usual in this house, the roles will probably be reversed. I'm just really, really glad they made a movie that matters to people! And that it is popular!
Thanks to the FYG at the Common Room for posting this.
From what I've seen of the movie, it will be great to watch, but I think my husband is already one of the more romantic husbands and does tons for me already, so it's me who can be caught acting like a jerk sometimes. So we should watch it, but as usual in this house, the roles will probably be reversed. I'm just really, really glad they made a movie that matters to people! And that it is popular!
Thanks to the FYG at the Common Room for posting this.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Internet Safety with kids
Hooray!!!
I was so glad to see this article when my Faith and Family magazine arrived in the mailbox today. If you get the magazine or know someone who gets it, I strongly advise you to read it, if you have any kids over age 10. It's VERY sensible and helpful.
I can't find a link to it yet, but I think it's because it's the newest magazine. It might be on their website next month.
Here are the websites they recommend to visit to educate yourself so that you and your kids can all be on the same page when it comes to entering the digital world.
God bless,
Ann Marie
onguardonline.com
wiredsafety.org
connectsafely.org
cyberbully411.org
getnetwise.org
nationalcoalition.org
I was so glad to see this article when my Faith and Family magazine arrived in the mailbox today. If you get the magazine or know someone who gets it, I strongly advise you to read it, if you have any kids over age 10. It's VERY sensible and helpful.
I can't find a link to it yet, but I think it's because it's the newest magazine. It might be on their website next month.
Here are the websites they recommend to visit to educate yourself so that you and your kids can all be on the same page when it comes to entering the digital world.
God bless,
Ann Marie
onguardonline.com
wiredsafety.org
connectsafely.org
cyberbully411.org
getnetwise.org
nationalcoalition.org
Happy Valentine's Day to me
This is what the two eldest children drew for my valentine. If you look closely, I think you will see that I am supposed to be pregnant. I'm not, just so that rumor doesn't get away. But I asked them why I was pregnant in the picture.
Gabe said, "Because we want another girl. There are too many boys around here."
Brandon said, "No, we want a boy."
I told them I think adoption guarantees that gender thing, but pregnancy is not a good way to go about getting what you want if you have a strong opinion like that.
Silly children.
I do have one more spot in the back seat, but that car is soooo not paid off in case we, say, adopt and then get pregnant. Because Murphy lives at our house, that's the kind of thing we can predict. So, sorry kids, but it was a nice thought! We'd just prefer a teeny bit more room for error and less debt before we go thinking things like that again!
Very, very cute.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
free garden planner
Yippee!
A free garden planner! I have something else that is kind of like the slide rule of gardening here at home, and it says that March 25th or so is our frost date in our area. Based on that, it's almost time to grow onions and potatoes. So Rikki went and got them. And tonight I got her a big bag of cheese. And so it goes... :)
In any case, I think this would be good to take notes from for anyone's garden, and especially to keep track of what worked and what didn't.
Enjoy!
Little House in the Suburbs Garden Planner 2009
A free garden planner! I have something else that is kind of like the slide rule of gardening here at home, and it says that March 25th or so is our frost date in our area. Based on that, it's almost time to grow onions and potatoes. So Rikki went and got them. And tonight I got her a big bag of cheese. And so it goes... :)
In any case, I think this would be good to take notes from for anyone's garden, and especially to keep track of what worked and what didn't.
Enjoy!
Little House in the Suburbs Garden Planner 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A good prayer
Wow. Never saw this one before, but I agree with every word.
Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation
'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!' (posted on Spirit Daily)
Posted by Fr. James Farfaglia at 12:00 AM 0 comments
Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation
'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!' (posted on Spirit Daily)
Posted by Fr. James Farfaglia at 12:00 AM 0 comments
Do Not Be Discouraged! Be Not Afraid!
I was feeling discouraged today.
I find a lot of people who are otherwise my friends, look at me and my closest friends and say, "Wow, that person is really brainwashed to believe all that. How can she be so paranoid about all these things? How can she think abortion is a great evil, and that society is headed for a huge downfall in the next few years, and that Obama is anything less than incredible? What is wrong with her?"
Heh. Well, they can keep thinking that. It will just be really sad if I am right, for all of us. I don't see how I can be brainwashed if I keep hoping I'm wrong. I'm under the impression that brainwashed people don't usually do that.
www.spiritdaily.com often leads me to wonderful news sources and great blogs. I love it very much for that. At first glance, it sometimes appears sensationalistic and crazy, but read hard, and you'll find hope and love and encouragement abound.
This is a blog he listed today. I will start checking it. He does a great job. He is apparently a faithful priest of 21 years, and I can see that I'd like him very much if I got the chance to meet him.
He talks in today's post about the coming troubles, and how prayer will help us. The next post is about the Legionaries of Christ and the awful news that's come down the pipe lately. I have several friends involved in Regnum Christi, the lay apostolate which is connected to the Legionaries. I pray that they find this encouragement, and I cheer what this priest says about the whole ordeal.
Watch out, folks, because our whole world is about to change. I'm ready for the ride. I think. How about you?
I find a lot of people who are otherwise my friends, look at me and my closest friends and say, "Wow, that person is really brainwashed to believe all that. How can she be so paranoid about all these things? How can she think abortion is a great evil, and that society is headed for a huge downfall in the next few years, and that Obama is anything less than incredible? What is wrong with her?"
Heh. Well, they can keep thinking that. It will just be really sad if I am right, for all of us. I don't see how I can be brainwashed if I keep hoping I'm wrong. I'm under the impression that brainwashed people don't usually do that.
www.spiritdaily.com often leads me to wonderful news sources and great blogs. I love it very much for that. At first glance, it sometimes appears sensationalistic and crazy, but read hard, and you'll find hope and love and encouragement abound.
This is a blog he listed today. I will start checking it. He does a great job. He is apparently a faithful priest of 21 years, and I can see that I'd like him very much if I got the chance to meet him.
He talks in today's post about the coming troubles, and how prayer will help us. The next post is about the Legionaries of Christ and the awful news that's come down the pipe lately. I have several friends involved in Regnum Christi, the lay apostolate which is connected to the Legionaries. I pray that they find this encouragement, and I cheer what this priest says about the whole ordeal.
Watch out, folks, because our whole world is about to change. I'm ready for the ride. I think. How about you?
Monday, February 9, 2009
We don't have a free market, and maybe never have.
Shocking, I know.
I think this was on The Common Room, but I'm not sure. See sidebar of favorite websites. This explains what kind of economy we have. Hint: It isn't a free one.
Cafe Hayek
I think this was on The Common Room, but I'm not sure. See sidebar of favorite websites. This explains what kind of economy we have. Hint: It isn't a free one.
Cafe Hayek
Saturday, February 7, 2009
My strange offspring
Hello People! Time for some FUN!
I've been meaning to post something like this for a while. Last summer when we went on our RV trip, we allowed the children, especially the #1 child, just turned eight years old, to handle the camera. The one that doesn't zoom anymore. This kid has a weird sense of humor. I won't post the NUMEROUS ones where he just points the camera at his face and yells a lot. I guess he likes pretending he's dying on camera, because we have about 20 recordings of that now, and I truly think I might be underestimating.
There is also a great play by play of Brandon and Gabe playing with hot wheels and cups, and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, and then Brandon falling asleep just as we reach it. It's great, and I'll have to post it sometime.
Here are some videos and pictures that Gabe took. Might want to turn the sound down. I'd post videos more often, but it takes forever for them to load. I'm sure there's a faster way, and I must learn it sometime.
This is Gabe, looking cool:
This is what Brandon thinks of the camera man:
I think Mr. Camera Man took my favorite picture of Grace, ever:
A cute Dominic picture. He really, really likes hats:
This is Dominic, up close and personal.
This is how they torture the baby, I guess. Where was I? I have no idea. I think Rikki must have been babysitting for some of these. :)
Gabe took several of these. They are at Grandma and Grandpa Lane's house in Astoria, and I love Dominic's giggles, so I'm glad I have them on video forever and ever. Belly laugh baby!
So now you have a great picture of what life looks like at our house when I'm not even looking.
I've been meaning to post something like this for a while. Last summer when we went on our RV trip, we allowed the children, especially the #1 child, just turned eight years old, to handle the camera. The one that doesn't zoom anymore. This kid has a weird sense of humor. I won't post the NUMEROUS ones where he just points the camera at his face and yells a lot. I guess he likes pretending he's dying on camera, because we have about 20 recordings of that now, and I truly think I might be underestimating.
There is also a great play by play of Brandon and Gabe playing with hot wheels and cups, and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, and then Brandon falling asleep just as we reach it. It's great, and I'll have to post it sometime.
Here are some videos and pictures that Gabe took. Might want to turn the sound down. I'd post videos more often, but it takes forever for them to load. I'm sure there's a faster way, and I must learn it sometime.
This is Gabe, looking cool:
This is what Brandon thinks of the camera man:
I think Mr. Camera Man took my favorite picture of Grace, ever:
A cute Dominic picture. He really, really likes hats:
This is Dominic, up close and personal.
This is how they torture the baby, I guess. Where was I? I have no idea. I think Rikki must have been babysitting for some of these. :)
Gabe took several of these. They are at Grandma and Grandpa Lane's house in Astoria, and I love Dominic's giggles, so I'm glad I have them on video forever and ever. Belly laugh baby!
So now you have a great picture of what life looks like at our house when I'm not even looking.
Clarification of modern NFP
This is an awesome article sent to me by our parish's youth minister. It also has a survey at the end, which I encourage people to link to and fill out for themselves. Like the woman in the article, I didn't know Natural Family Planning would play such a part in my life, especially that it would help space my kids and ALSO help me get pregnant when hormone problems caused miscarriages. I had no idea it could possibly matter so much, and I hope more and more people will see it as a viable choice. Not an easy, low-maintenance choice, but a good, guilt and health problem-free choice.
Please read this article:
Not Your Mother's Rhythm Method
Please read this article:
Not Your Mother's Rhythm Method
Friday, February 6, 2009
Ethel asks for prayers!
I got this email today, and wanted to add Ethel and Bjorn and their twin cutie girls to your prayer lists. Ethel lost her job at another major company about a month ago. Money is, shall we say, tight! This would be a godsend, and hopefully a really good fit. She was ecstatic on the phone today.
Go Ethel!!
Thank you, everyone, for your prayers for our family! They seem to
have really been helping.
I just received a phone call from Amazon, and they are scheduling me
for a full-day interview next Thursday (2/12). This interview is when
they will decide whether or not to make me an offer. Prayers for this
interview specifically will be greatly appreciated.
May your families be blessed by the grace of Our Lord,
-Ethel
Go Ethel!!
Thank you, everyone, for your prayers for our family! They seem to
have really been helping.
I just received a phone call from Amazon, and they are scheduling me
for a full-day interview next Thursday (2/12). This interview is when
they will decide whether or not to make me an offer. Prayers for this
interview specifically will be greatly appreciated.
May your families be blessed by the grace of Our Lord,
-Ethel
Thursday, February 5, 2009
I changed it!
It was hard to find a picture that was dark enough at the top that you could see my header. And we are meandering, after all. The picture is from my parents' ranch in northern California. I have a keen need to return there and recharge my batteries ever so often. Must pay off last trip there first, then we can think about planning another one... I love it there. I just want to lay down in the grass and stare at the sky for a while. Don't you?
Little House Books in order
I am fairly obsessed with the Little House series now. I was wondering if I could find a real order for them, and here it is! Hooray!!
http://melissawiley.com/blog/2008/10/14/the-little-house-books-in-chronological-order/
If you've never read them, do! It took me an MODG book list to finally dive in, and we all LOVE them!
http://melissawiley.com/blog/2008/10/14/the-little-house-books-in-chronological-order/
If you've never read them, do! It took me an MODG book list to finally dive in, and we all LOVE them!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Companion Planting
Just so y'all know, this is my 365th post! So if you want, you can say I do this once per day! Not really. That means I've done it more than once a day on average, because I don't think I've been blogging for a whole year. I should check the date. I know it's close. Maybe so, because I had a new blog when Grace was in the hospital last year, which is two weeks away. Huh. Interesting.
I found this because Rikki has my book called "Carrots Love Tomatoes", and I have some garlic that is growing on my countertop and I think I should plant it before it gets any further, since it wants to grow so badly. It came from an Asian grocer, and I have no idea what variety it is, but if it wants to grow this badly, well, who am I to stop it?
Here is a neat article, and at the end is a box explaining which plants go with what. Garlic = pest control, so I guess it goes anywhere, as long as I can remember where I planted it, and that I should not harvest it til next fall, quite late. I think. I have so much to learn about EVERYTHING. Once again, how could ANYONE be bored? Ever!?
Enjoy!
Drat, it won't let me copy and paste. Here's the link:
Companion Planting Article from Seeds of Change
I found this because Rikki has my book called "Carrots Love Tomatoes", and I have some garlic that is growing on my countertop and I think I should plant it before it gets any further, since it wants to grow so badly. It came from an Asian grocer, and I have no idea what variety it is, but if it wants to grow this badly, well, who am I to stop it?
Here is a neat article, and at the end is a box explaining which plants go with what. Garlic = pest control, so I guess it goes anywhere, as long as I can remember where I planted it, and that I should not harvest it til next fall, quite late. I think. I have so much to learn about EVERYTHING. Once again, how could ANYONE be bored? Ever!?
Enjoy!
Drat, it won't let me copy and paste. Here's the link:
Companion Planting Article from Seeds of Change
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
