Friday, December 29, 2006

Coventry Carol

Feast of Saint David

This is a traditional English carol written in 1534. It is about the killing of the babes under the age of 2, the Holy Innocents, by Herod. Their feast day was yesterday. To go along with the carol is a beautiful slide show of medieval illuminations of the Nativity and the slaughter of the Holy Innocents. Enjoy!

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Media Piece on the Traditional Latin Mass

Feast of Saint Gowan of Wales

From the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest's website:
Fox News reporting on Traditional Latin Mass
Cable channel Fox channel aired a piece on the Traditional Latin Mass on Christmas Day, during the Fox Report. The segment commented on the growth of the Traditional Latin Mass, focusing on the Institute's Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago. The same piece was broadcast on local Fox channels in Chicago and St. Louis.
Below a link to the videoclip. Availability varies; try refreshing or try later if not viewable at this time:
http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=1867997&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.1.1


I thought it was positive. It showed some of the Mass in Chicago, interviewed a parishioner, & Monsignor Schmitz. One of my favorite parts was when the reporter said "Where the priest faces God and not parishioners" - where the priest faces GOD - usually people say something about the priest having his back to the people.

There was one dissenter - McBraindead, err... I mean McBrien. He said something about how people can't fully participate in the Mass if they don't understand the language, and that following along in the missal is like going to the opera & reading the text........Consider the source. I guess he seems to forget there is a missal, in the vernacular for the Novus Ordo too.

Now this is a dress!!!

Feast of the Holy Innocents

One of my favorite pastimes is design. I am always designing in my head (mostly clothing), alas.... rarely do the designs go any further because of lack of time (read - busy homeschool mom). As a result, I sometimes loose out on new trends. But this is one trend I think I will leave alone - even I am not this creative. The Pantalaine people can have it all to themselves. I will say one thing, for $349, it had better be warm! For more, ummm... more creative items, see their other designs. You have to give them credit for encouraging love of your neighbor!

Monday, December 25, 2006

What a GLORIOUS Day!!!

Feast of the Nativity

I just had to share my evening/morning!

Was I at the TLM? Pretty darn close! I went to the local Novus Ordo for midnight Mass, as I did not think it wise to be on the highway (the TLM I attend is an hour away) by myself with my children in the middle of the night. First of all there were NINE servers - ALL BOYS/MEN! 2 are seminarians. 4 were in red & 5 in black. Father was wearing a Biretta and a traditional vestment - in fact, the decorative part was salvaged from a century old vestment & made into a new vestment by the Oblates of Mary.

Mass had some similarities to the High Mass at the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). There was more Latin than usual, & much was done in chant/polyphony. Father made sure everyone knew to kneel (not just bow) during the Profession (well, my children & I do all the time). You know the part in the TLM where a server blesses the faithful with the incense? That was even done - it was second nature for me to stand up for it, then I realized no one else was, but they quickly followed my cue. There were more similarities, but I cannot think of them right now. One of the seminarians helped distribute communion (at this parish, we only receive under one species, and only one Extraordinary Minister is used, and only if really necessary.)

OK, while all of this was very nice, that is not why I am so joyful! I truly felt the Holy Spirit tonight! Yes, I know He is always with me, but I have had a long dry spell (I know some saints have written of this.) During the Gloria, this feeling came over me - so overwhelming I cried & had to hold onto the pew in front of me. I do not seek out these experiences / do not go to Mass to "feel good" or be entertained, but when this happens, I accept it as a gift. I am joyful because God became Man so that we might be saved!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!

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I wrote the above in the wee hours of the morning, so please forgive me if it rambles. Blame it on lack of sleep (though I did not feel tired at the time as I was so pumped from Mass) or the zeal I felt.

BTW, my daughter took a picture of me today, and I put it on my profile (look on the left sidebar). Not too bad - perhaps I have a budding photographer on my hands?!?!?!?


Saturday, December 23, 2006

Friday, December 22, 2006

A Miracle just before Christmas!

Feast of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini

I got this email from a dear friend. I will let it speak for itself.
Please feel free to comment & praise God with us, or share a miracle of your own!

This is a very long mail, but it is literally God's hand taking over - as you'll see..........
As you all know my gran has basically been on her death bed for the past 2 weeks. Last night her pulse dropped to 10 and the nurses called my mom and her brothers and told them to come in as she would not make it to midnight - there was nothing more her dr could do. My mom and uncles got there and were sitting with my gran in ICU when this man walks in out of the blue and introduces himself as Dr Basson. He said that he was checking on one of his patients he did a heart transplant on that morning and that one of the nurses had mentioned my gran to him - would they mind if he gave a second opinion. They agreed that at this stage they had nothing to lose and said OK. He sat down, read her file, asked tons of questions and finally did a quick check-up on my gran (who by this stage was not aware of anything going on around her anymore). He disappeared for 15 min and when he came back, told (not asked) my mom and uncles that an ambulance is waiting to rush my gran to another hospital so he could put a temporary pacemaker in - everything was arranged. (Bit of background. My gran was in a private hospital and was now going to a state hospital. Here in SA a state hospital is seriously 3rd world. Understaffed, broken equipment, dirty, etc. My gran's medical insurance would however not pay for this procedure as they considered her too high risk. It would cost about $30 000 to have it done in the private hospital and $10 000 to have it done in the state hospital.) Dr Basson assured my now very shocked and concerned mom and her bros that he would be with her every second, he himself would do the procedure and he would transfer her back to the private hospital as soon as she could travel. He also said he would waiver all his fees, cutting the cost to about $8 000. He assured them that this was her only chance - she would be dead within 2 hours without the op. She might not survive the op in hear weak condition, but he felt she had a 30% chance. My mom and her bros said OK. 30 min later she was being rushed into theater with Dr Basson in the state hosp. Another 30 min later Dr Basson appeared all smiles and casually asked if they would like to go and see my gran before she took the ambulance back to the private hospital. My now totally overwhelmed mom and her bros walked into the recovery room where my gran was sitting up in bed, with a nice pink colour to her face (not the blue/grey of the past year), sipping tea and demanding to know just what was going on as she remembered nothing other than falling asleep in her old hospital room and now waking up here! She was transferred back to her old hospital room (where my mom swears the bed was still warm) and is now scheduled to receive a permanent pacemaker this afternoon from Dr Basson (the cost of which is included in the original price - apparently they always put a temporary one in first to check for compatibility). She will be discharged in the next 2 - 3 days and he assured us that her quality of life will be what it was 5 years ago. The admin people at the hospital have also been negotiating with the medical insurance all morning and they have now agreed to carry 50% of the cost - which means we (her family) have to come up with $4 000. The hospital administrator came and saw my gran this morning as well and told her that because she was "such a good girl" they would shave another $500 off the cost! My mom only found out this morning too that Dr Basson is in fact one of the top heart surgeons in the world. He is booked for months ahead. Thank you God for the nurse who mentioned my gran to Dr Basson, thank you for Dr Basson who has not become so famous and popular that he has forgotten what being a dr is all about, thank you that he was there last night, thank you for the admin people at the hospital for making the financial burden so much lighter with their endless pestering of the insurance and through their own generosity. And thank you for all the prayers (especially from you ladies at MK)! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Praise be to God!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

When do you open your Christmas gifts?

Feast of Saint Olympias

There was a discussion amongst some Catholic moms I am friends with, about when we celebrate by opening gifts. I am one of those who opens gifts on the Epiphany (rather, my children open my gifts to them on that day, they get gifts from the rest of the family on Christmas Day). I do this because that is when Jesus gets his gifts (and they only get 3, just like He did). It is a tradition I started in my family. Also, I don't really decorate until the Christmas season starts on Christmas Day, & it stays up until it ends - this way we remember when the Christmas season really is.

I think it is important families have their own family traditions, as long as they are in keeping with the Faith of course. Whatever day gifts are opened does not matter - only that we know WHY we do it.

One of my friends had an excellent post on this subject, which she gave me permission to share

It seems that there has been a lot of discussion about WHEN we should be celebrating Christmas...at least the present part of it (at least I hope that's the only part that is meant....I hope that there is SOMETHING being done in the way of celebration). I admire those of you who are trying to get away from the consumerism and keep the focus on Our Lord. It's very hard to do on a regular basis, let alone this time of year. But I don't think it's correct to make it seem that this can be the ONLY way to do things.

I think that no matter WHEN you open presents, it's very difficult in this world to keep sight of what is right and true. In most cases, even if you decide to open those presents on a different day, that act in of itself will not force a child (or anyone else for that matter) to focus on the Incarnation. This is something that we, as parents, MUST teach first. And this is an ongoing process....my three year old doesn't have a full understanding of WHY we celebrate Christmas entirely. He DOES think an awful lot about toys and presents and food, etc. But this is HUMAN. Sure, I could transfer it to another day, but he is still going to think very much in human terms until he is actually able to put things into the perspective it needs to be in. This is how people learn. Christmas needs to be taught that it's a special day (and I know that everyone here wants to do that). But the *specialness* of the day comes first, because they really don't understand the WHY when they are little. You can't really teach a 2 or 3 year old what the Incarnation is and have their full understanding...you can talk about it, and how Baby Jesus is God and became a baby for us, but at that age they really are not going to comprehend it's meaning entirely (and before anyone jumps down my throat for this, I DO teach my children about this and consider it to be absolutely crucial, but I DON'T expect them to GET it. It's like teaching the Hail Mary...my 2 year old can say it almost flawlessly, but he really doesn't get what the whole thing means, kwim?). But a small child, despite the fact that he or she can tell me Who's birthday it is, doesn't really care as much about that as the doll or drum they are going to open up on Christmas or Epiphany morning. And the fact of the matter is if I changed the externals to a differing day, my smaller children will associate THAT day with the presents and other wonderful things. This is why I never transferred our gift giving to Epiphany...not because *I* was into the consumerism, but because I didn't want my children to think that Epiphany was more important than Christmas. You have to understand that small children especially (and beyond, unfortunately, when the Faith is not ever taught) judge things by the externals. If there's a fun game on a certain day, or a special type of food, or presents to open, that ends up being their reasoning behind whether or not a day is special.

With small children, they DO focus on the presents, because THAT is the thing they can see. Of course, we as Catholics tell them from infancy about the Incarnation, and how wonderful that is. But in the end, their little minds can't always comprehend that part because it's not necessarily something they can see or touch. But if you have externals that set that day aside, making it something out of the ordinary, that shows them that there is something more about this day. At first it may be about the presents, or the games, or the cookies, but later on, when they take a really good look at the creche and see what's going on at Mass, they KNOW there is something more. It's not wrong, per se, for them to think like this, it really just shows their humanity. For example, my children don't look at the last day of the week as "Saturday"....in OUR house, it's "French Toast Day" because it's a special time of the week that we do something extra for breakfast. They also know that the REASON why we have this special extra is because it's Our Lady's day (Saturday traditionally has always been for Our Lady, like Friday is for the Passion, Tuesday for the Eucharist, etc.)> But while most of hem could tell you that it's Our Lady's day, really, they're way more excited that we're having french toast. The flip side to this would be those that don't have the Faith at all...it wouldn't matter WHEN they celebrate because they NEVER focus on Jesus anyway. It all has to do with Faith in the end. If you teach your child from the beginning what Christmas truly means, it won't really matter when you celebrate because they'll know WHY despite it all. If you've ALWAYS made Jesus the focus, then it will just come as second nature for them when they are old enough to understand why He is the focus. And yes, I do really believe that they can do this after a full day of opening presents (although I think what's being forgotten here is that Christmas isn't really a DAY but a season, which STARTS on December 25th, not on January 6th).

Fr. Feeney, when he would talk to ANY child, could almost always count on the fact that he would think Dec. 25th was the greatest day of the year, whether he knew about Christ or not. And starting from THAT point, it was easy to get into the REAL greatness of that day.

But if it wasn't for the presents and feasting on Christmas day, it would be much harder to get across the REAL greatness. Because Christmas is celebrated the way it is, the entire world STOPS on this day, and that in of itself is a GREAT grace, because eventually someone of good will will ask WHY does the world stop on this day.

Think of the graces that one receives for just WONDERING, let alone the graces they receive when they ask WHY. So when relatives decide to celebrate by giving presents on Christmas, couldn't that instead be used as a tool? To give to THEM in return, the WHY?

This got really long, and I apologize for that. I'm not trying to go off on all of you who celebrate on Epiphany...as I said at the beginning, I admire you for the reasons you are doing it. But I've felt quite a bit since this topic has been started that many here feel it is almost impossible to keep Christmas centered upon Christ when you open presents and do other things that may not be "Christ centered" on Christmas day. That those of us who do things this way are somehow doing it wrong. You can look at many secular families and this more than likely is true, but I'd wager to bet that if THEY transferred Christmas to Epiphany, it wouldn't make them think of Jesus any more than they did on Christmas to begin with. Those that are filled with consumerism most often are not religious anyway, and could care less why they are getting presents. But I know for a fact that if you were to talk to any Catholic family that is TRULY living their Faith that opens presents on Christmas, they would know exactly WHY Christmas is special. I know my children know, and we've always done things in the way we do now. Finbar may not get it entirely, and he may be really excited about those presents, but I keep plugging away knowing that one day he WILL get it. And one day the presents and other externals won't matter quite as much, as his Faith matures and he has a better understanding of that tiny baby who is God. Until then, I'm happy that he at least understands that there is something special about Christmas day (or Epiphany day, or whatever), even if that something special has quite a bit to do with presents.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Voting Results

Memorial of Blessed George Napper

We prayed, we fasted, but we still lost. Not only did the stem cell issue pass (51.1%), but the so-called "Catholic" senator who supported this horrible amendment, abortion, etc has won for the US Senate (by 2%). I am very sad... we all are.

I was feeling disheartened until I read an email from a dear friend, Candice. I am still disappointed, but the scriptures she shared really hit home. Thank you Candice! Here is a snip of her email:
Thanks for all the prayers, sacrifices, and fasting -- especially offered by the children! We are not ashamed to serve a God of righteousness. We live on in the hope to which we are called.

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ..." (2 Cor. 4:8)

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:12)

The vote in South Dakota against abortion also failed.

But I am happy for all of the states who passed the ban on homosexual marriage!


Another friend commented on how surprised she was to hear the stem cell issue had passed. She had always considered Missouri as one of the most conservative states. Well, that's exactly why they chose MO to do this. They think that if they can get MO, then the rest will be easier - they had to work hard, pouring in millions of dollars (along with millions of lies), but they got us. It was very close - many went to bed thinking it would not pass. I heard they have already started the process in other states, in anticipation this would pass.

I wanted to add, there are good things that have come out of this. My son & I worked the polls. He was quite good at it, not shying away at all, and very polite. I think he handed out more literature than all of the rest of us put together. He wanted to stay up last night to see the results, I finally sent him to bed at midnight. The first thing he wanted to know when he woke up, was the results. He was unhappy, of course. While we were at the polls, we got a chance to speak to other people - those who were also working the polls, some voters, even a candidate. We got to share our views on Pro-life, and hopefully made a difference. As for me, I got what I consider a gift from God. I got a glimpse of the man my son will become.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us! Please continue your prayers as we fight to have this removed. And please pray this is not repeated in other states.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Feast of Saint Gwen

(Lucky you, 3 posts from me in one day! LOL)

Here is just another reason why you should know what you are voting on. Missouri has another amendment up for vote, that is well worth mentioning - Amendment 3, the Tobacco Tax Initiative. I have seen the "Vote No ads", but all they mention is the higher tax on tobacco, and that people will just get their tobacco out of state, therefore lost revenue for the State. But there is much more to this! What the following article does not mention, is that some of this money could go to cloning (or what the proponents term as SCNT - same thing).

Here is more info from Missouri Right to Life -
Vote “NO” on the Tobacco Tax Initiative (Amendment 3)

For pro-life reasons, social justice, and moral common sense, the tobacco tax initiative should be defeated.

The proposed constitutional amendment to tax tobacco products in order to raise money for health care poses significant problems for pro-life citizens. The most serious is that the initiative fails to contain any language preventing the money from being used for abortion and abortion referrals.

It is expected that the Tobacco Tax Initiative will raise as much as $500 million per year in new funds. The funds will be split among several categories of uses, including a large percentage for “medically necessary health care services for individuals with incomes that are 200% or less of the federal poverty guidelines.” The federal courts have ruled that all “medically necessary” procedures, including abortion, that are performed within a given practice setting funded by Medicaid (e.g., outpatient services, inpatient surgeries, ambulatory surgeries), must be paid for unless the Hyde Amendment prohibits them. Missouri courts often follow federal interpretations of a legal term. The Initiative says that its funds shall pay, among other things, for “medically necessary services” for eligible persons. Planned Parenthood may well see an opportunity and apply to get some of that money.

Not surprisingly, abortionists always consider abortion to be “medically necessary.” In 1997, Dr. Warren Hern, the abortionist who wrote the leading medical textbook on abortion procedures, stated, “I will certify that any pregnancy is a threat to a woman’s life and could cause grievous injury to her physical health.” Once a procedure is certified as “medically necessary” by the abortion doctor, it may become practically impossible to challenge its eligibility for payment by the state government. Missouri courts are likely to hold that the Initiative money must pay Planned Parenthood for all “medically necessary” abortions.

If the initiative passes but citizens are lucky, the state will apply to have the tobacco tax revenues approved by the federal government for the state’s Medicaid plan. If the money becomes Medicaid money, then the long-standing Hyde Amendment will apply, and most abortions will no longer be covered by the tobacco taxes. How many lives will be lost until such federal approval is sought and obtained?How long will it take? Will approval ever be granted? No one knows.

Furthermore, it is not just abortion that is a problem here. Other moral principles are offended by the initiative.

The tobacco tax would be a regressive tax that would hurt ordinary folks far more than other people because the cost of cigarettes is proportionally a greater part of their monthly budget. Even worse, the health care system of the state would become dependent on Tobacco Tax revenues. Funding health care would appear to be the main goal of the initiative, since 17.5% of the money is earmarked for programs to reduce the use of tobacco, while 82.5% goes to health care. Either the state is serious about reducing tobacco use, or it is not. If it is, is it sensible to make the health care system dependent on a major source of revenue that will dry up if anti-smoking efforts are successful? And if the state is not serious about anti-smoking efforts, then it will be forced to become a hypocrite. Obviously, no matter how much the State officially discourages tobacco use, the last thing it will actually want is for tobacco use, and the money it generates for the health care system, to be substantially reduced. It is wrong to enact hypocrisy as official state policy.

Victory! An Update

Feast of Saint Luke the Apostle

I just wanted to give an update on a past post. My son informed his great grandmother, that the signs should be removed, and why. She immediatly had him remove the signs! I wanted to add that my grandmother was on the fence on the stem cell issue. She was going by what she had heard on the news & ads. Once she was told what the FULL ammendment really says (which is NOT what will be on the ballot) , she changed her mind. Keep praying!!!!

Food for Thought

Feast of Saint Justus of Beauvais

This was sent to me by a friend (Thanks Jack!)

The Stranger

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... and NEVER asked to leave.More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?....

We just call him, "TV." He has a younger sister now. We call her "Computer."


I wrote Jack back to thank him for this reminder. He replied, "A lot of food for thought. I however am not of the "no TV in my house" school of thought. A TV set like a computer, like a machine gun, is an INanimate object. It cannot do ANYTHING by itself, and it can be used for good or evil. TEACH your children to THINK for themselves and only BAN something when they can't abide." I agree. In fact, we do not have cable, but do have a TV and watch it (we are LOST fans). But, I will admit I get lazy at times, and this is a nice reminder. Thanks again Jack!

Friday, October 13, 2006

South Dakota's Pro-Life Vote

Looks like Missouri has a comrade in arms. Let's not forget about our friends up north. This came in my inbox this morning.

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Let's pray for the people of South Dakota up over the next several weeks as the November 7th vote on the state's 100% pro-life law approaches. Polls are polls, but God can change hearts. Please pass this on to others and ask them to pray specifically for South Dakota in the coming weeks in preparation for November 7th's vote.

For those who can help in other ways: www.voteyesforlife.com (They have quite a nice campaign going on. Only if this passes in SD do any of the others states remotely have a chance of their own.


Lord, pray for the people of South Dakota up to you as they prepare to vote on the state's abortion law. Please soften their hearts so that they may receive the pro-life message in the next few weeks. Help them understand that You are the Author of Life, at all times, in every circumstance. Convict their hearts so that as they enter the voting booth on November 7th they cast their votes for life.

For those who have closed their minds and hearts to the Truth, place people in their lives as witnesses. Let the stories of the women exploited by abortion, the voices of the children spared death at the hands of an abortionist, and the testimony of those who have seen the destruction of abortion firsthand move them. Give them the courage to change their minds and vote YES on November 7.

Finally, we ask for abundant blessings on our pro-life friends in South Dakota.
Give them inestimable strength, endurance and wisdom in the coming weeks.
Let their light shine bright. Let their message of hope and love draw their fellow residents to them. Bless each one for their selfless efforts to protect the least of these---the preborn.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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Stem Cell Research Vote - What is printed on the ballot is misleading - For or against, be sure you know what you are voting on!

This is a HOT topic in Missouri right now. Whether you are for or against, you have the obligation to know exactly what you are voting on. What is actually printed on the ballot is VERY little - there is only so much room on the ballot. What is printed on the ballot, is very misleading to what the WHOLE Amendment says!

This may be a Missouri issue, but only for now. The nation is watching this closely. What happens when we vote in November, will have an influence on what other states will do. PLEASE pray for us! The supporters have MILLIONS of dollars - we are outspent. BUT, we can out-pray them!


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JILL STANEK, October 11, 2006 http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52389


Consider the iceberg, of which only the tip is visible.
Such is the SHORT Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative to be voted on next month. Beneath it looms a titanic constitutional amendment.

Amendment Two, as it is called, is a proportional Titanic. At five pages and 2,000 words, it is half the length of the entire United States Constitution. Its opening paragraph - conveniently omitted from promoter Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures' website - lists 45 sections of the Constitution of Missouri it would incredibly delete or change.

Amendment Two is also a linguistic Titanic. Crafted by researchers and groups with financial stakes in its passage, it is packed with convoluted legal and scientific jargon chopped up and buried in various places so it really says the opposite of what they say it says.


Why would Show Me State voters - of all voters in the land - agree to drastically alter their own Constitution to ends no one can predict, all to force speculative science experiments on themselves forever? Even without knowing Amendment Two's specifics, doing so would seem schizophrenic.

And specifically, Amendment Two is full of lies. Here are four whoppers:
1. "No person may clone or attempt to clone a human being."

In actuality, Amendment Two would force cloning on Missourians.
Crafters knew people overwhelmingly oppose cloning. So to authorize cloning while maintaining they were not, they simply changed the definition of cloning to say a clone isn't a clone unless implanted in a mother's uterus.This is like saying you are not you unless you are in your house. If you leave your house, you are no longer you. You are a thing. And if you are caught outside your house, you can be dissected and sold for parts.Crafters said while they banned cloning, they endorsed "somatic cell nuclear transfer." This is like banning the killing of humans but endorsing the killing of Homo sapiens. Somatic cell nuclear transfer is cloning. Google "somatic cell nuclear transfer" or its shortcut, SCNT. Look it up on Wikipedia. The embryonic stem cell/cloning industry's dirty little secret is they need to clone to stand any chance of making good on their hype. While embryos are unique humans with their own genetic codes that would make treatment matches difficult, clones are human replicas that would provide exact matches.

2. "No human blastocyst may be produced by fertilization solely for the purpose of stem cell research."

They want us to believe Amendment Two would make it illegal to create embryos just for experimentation. But another part of the amendment authorizes researchers to purchase embryos from in vitro fertilization clinics, which it would permit to create "any number of human blastocysts" Ask any Missouri university student about the recent proliferation of college ads offering big bucks for eggs by in vitro clinics, and recall the middleman concept.

3. "No stem cells may be taken from a human blastocyst more than 14 days after cell division begins."

They want us to believe Amendment Two would make it illegal to grow embryos older than two weeks for experimentation. The loophole is the amendment's dishonest definition of blastocyst, so while researchers may not grow embryos in petri dishes more than two weeks, they may grow embryos in uteruses indefinitely.

4. "No person may, for valuable consideration, purchase or sell human blastocysts or eggs for stem cell research or stem cell therapies or cures."

They want us to believe Amendment Two would prohibit the sale of embryos and eggs. The loophole is the amendment instead would let people and businesses receive "reimbursements for reasonable costs" not just for buying and selling but also for "processing, disposal, preservation, quality control, storage, transfer . and lost wages to the donor."

Why the push for Amendment Two?

Among other things, Amendment Two paves the way for Missouri public funding of embryonic stem cell/cloning research. This would:

1.. Let researchers keep patents for themselves, which they would have to share with private investors;
2.. Eliminate the need for results, which private investors demand (and is why they're not investing), and force accountability for wild promises;
3.. Let researchers keep any profits for themselves, which they would have to share with private investors.
Amendment Two also forbids legislators from overturning it.

If you don't believe me on all this, read and understand Amendment Two for yourself. And if you can't understand it, why would you vote for it?


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Sunday, October 08, 2006

Victory won....victory lost? But the war is not over!

Feast of Saint Reparata




As you may know, Missouri has a huge vote coming up on stem cell research (which I oppose strongly! - By the way, I am all for ADULT stem cell research which has been PROVEN, but that is NOT what this amendment is about). My grandmother, whom I dearly love, was on the fence. I have talked to her about it, but it was my 13 year old son who finally convinced her - he even got her to put a sign in her yard (she is not a "sign" person). ...or so we thought..........

Yes, the "Vote NO" sign is still up, but today, he noticed she has two more signs in her yard, one of which is for Claire McCaskill! She is SUPPORTING the amendment! AND she claims to be CATHOLIC!!!!!!!!! In fact, she even says it on her "about" page" on her campaign;s website - even naming the churches she is a member of! And she supports ABORTION! Oh my! My heart hurts!!! When she says she is "Catholic", even mentioning the parishes she belongs to, well, that can be confusing - know what I mean?!?!?

This is why it is confusing when a so-called "Catholic" supports abortion, etc -

"1- If Claire is such a great Catholic, why doesn't she get married in the church now that her druggie X is dead and start attending Church regularly.2 - How did the Notre Dame High School, a private Catholic girls school in the city have $21,000 to be one of Claire's largest contributors. Something stinks here. Catholics have become the most selectively hypocritical group that exists"
(taken from http://thesource.typepad.com/thesource/2006/09/catholic_and_de.html)

Monday, October 02, 2006

Rally Time!

Feast of Guardian Angels

(Aren't you lucky! Two posts from me in one day! LOL!!!)

Yesterday afternoon was the Missouri Right to Life Annual Life Chain. We went. My son lasted the whole time (it was hot & sunny). My daughter ended up on the hill in the shade. My children worried about all of the cars that whizzed by, that seemed to ignore us. I pointed out all of the cars that slowed down. Besides, I told them, if we get one person to change their mind, then it was a success!

Oh, there was one little girl there that had a t-shirt that said "Former Embryo". I think all of us will get that shirt!

Anyway - here are my pro-lifers! BTW, my son said it should not be called "pro-choice" but "pro-murder". That's right, dear son! A friend said, "I think fewer people would not be "pro-choice" if they called it murder, like it really is."

The Unlimited Love of a Mom

Feast of Guardian Angels

Ok, so we have our indoor plants outside. Well, one day we see a caterpillar on one; the next day it was in a cocoon! COOL! Science experiment!!! LOL! We built a cage - cut out 2 windows out of a cardboard box & covered the openings with saran wrap, then put the plant & cocoon in there. I thought it had died, because it seemed it was in the cocoon for a week longer than it should have been - but I was wrong (first time for everything! LOL!) It came out this morning!

So, smart mom that I am, I thought I would take pictures. In the course of it all, the butterfly made a mad escape! In the process of stopping it, I knocked my hand onto it & stunned it. My daughter thought I had murdered it & started bawling. But once I got it back into its 'cage', it shook it off. So I take more pictures. It makes another mad dash! This time it succeeds! I have to deal with another crying episode from my daughter. She spots it in the tree. So with the help of a net, and after 3 tries with it flying onto another part of the tree each time, I finally catch it & save the day! My neighbor saw the whole thing & told her husband "Now that is love!" LOL!

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of the yet un-named butterfly.

Here is its former home, the pupa/chrysalis-


Here it is a few hours after its emergence-


Tuesday, September 12, 2006

The life of a klutz......

Feast of Most Holy Name of Mary

So, I am in my son's room (always a dangerous quest), when I stub my toe on a barbell. OK, "stub" is an understatement - I broke it. Imagine popping your knuckle with a jolt of electricity. I didn't go to the doc; what could he do that I couldn't? I taped the broken toe to the toe next to it and assumed I was on my way to recovery. That's where I went wrong - assuming. Last night I was carrying something up the stairs. No sooner had I stepped on that first step than I felt the snap and familiar jolt of electricity (by the way, I did not drop the object I was carrying). Yes, I had my toe taped, and yes, I had shoes on. After a few moments of deep breathing (remembered from a Lamaze class from several years ago), I finished my chore, then took pity on myself (though brief, as is the life of a mom). Even my dear son took pity on me & carried the rest of the items up the stairs for me. So now I sit here, trying to decide if I should see a doc this time - if for nothing else, than to show me how to properly tape the toe.

It seems broken bones run in the family. Three weeks ago my dear daughter broke a bone in her hand. She was walking her great grandma's dog when he decided to lunge up the back stairs, & she fell on them (but did not let go of the leash!) I thought she was being over dramatic, and gave her some ice to put on it. It wasn't too swollen, & she moved her fingers well. The next day (Friday), I thought it might be wise to have it looked at (even though she was in no pain by this time), especially with the weekend looming. The nurse practitioner did not think it was broken, but sent us for an x-ray anyway. Much to every one's surprise, it was broken! My darling daughter was quick to remind me, "And you thought I was being over dramatic!!!" She got a hot pink cast with a purple stripe (sure beats the ugly, white plaster cast I had as a child). She didn't like being limited in her outdoor activities, but she did not mind getting off kitchen duty (though her brother DID mind). She got the cast of yesterday, so all is back to normal! (Did I say "normal"? It is never normal around here! LOL!!!)

Monday, July 24, 2006

Heavy Crosses

AMDG

Hi everyone! I have been incredibly busy! The house I was renting, & lived in for more than 8 years, was being sold, so I had to move. We loved this house - low utilities, big yard, safe neighborhood, plenty of room for my children to ride their bikes..... But alas, it was time to let go. I looked around for another place, and found one, but there were some things to work through. I prayed to God that if this was the place for us, then to please let all the things work out. They did, but my stubborn self had trouble accepting this - I think mostly because I just didn't want to move (even though I knew I had no choice). This place costs more to rent, as well as utilities. But that was the way it was with all of the places I looked at. This one is in a good part of town, and very near my grandmother - this will allow me to help her more (actually, this will allow HER to allow US to help her more. She hates to bother us, but now with us so close, she has no excuse!) So I took the plunge, putting all of my trust in God.

The packing a moving was an incredibly stressful time for me. Thanks be to God for my mother, who helped me to pack up a 3-bedroom house. Thanks be to God for my Grandmother who paid for the movers (someone my mom knows, who moved the heavy items) & fed us all. Thanks be to God for my family who helped to move the other items (especially my son & nephews, ages 13 & under, who worked as hard as the adults! And my sister who made sure they did!). Thanks be to God for my sister-in-law who got the kitchen in order. Thanks be to God for my brother who was on active duty when I moved, but is now back & will be coming this week to help me make the place as energy efficient as possible. Thanks be to God for nice neighbors with children. Thanks be to God for all of my friends who could not be here physically, but prayed for me. Thanks be to God for His Blessed Mother, who had me wrapped in her mantle. Thanks be to God for all of his angels & saints, who's intercession I sought.


God has given me some heavy crosses to carry recently. I have not always carried them very well. Despite this, I tried to remember to offer it up for others (there is always someone with a heavier cross than the one you carry). I know God gives us these crosses because he loves us. In the midst of all of this, I had a really hard time understanding that. But, now I see it. These crosses make us better people. Just trust in Our Lord - one of the easiest, and hardest, things to do.

I know there will be more crosses (one I have now, & may be with me for awhile). But when I doubt again, will someone please smack me with the holy 2-by-4?!?!?!?!

J+M+J

Thursday, June 22, 2006

AACCKKK! I have a TEENAGER!!!!!!

My son turned 13 yesterday! I will let the picture say it all -

And an apology to all of my dear friends - many of whom I have not returned emails to (if I got them, as I am having email issues too). I had a garage/yard/tag sale to get rid of A LOT of things - unfortunately, there were another 148 sales the same weekend! Oh well, I still got rid of a lot (what didn't sell we gave away - and there was A LOT left, enough for another 1-2 sales! LOL!) SO I was very busy leading up to the sale, & after as we boxed everything up to give away.

Now, I am still incredibly busy (and stressed) with moving! By myself, I have to pack up a 3-bedroom house. Oh, did I mention we are still doing school? So I have that to do too. (We homeschool, and we took some time off during the year, which requires us to do some work in the summer.)

One more thing, our diocese had a beautiful Corpus Christi procession last Sunday. The media was there, & my children thought it was "cool" we were on the news (though you had to look closely & not blink). See pictures & read about it here - http://www.kansascitycatholic.blogspot.com/

Our parish had theirs on the actual day of the feast - Thursday, June 15th. You can see pictures here, click "news and photos" on the left - http://www.oldstpatrick.org/

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Your Birth Month is February


Peaceful and harmonious, you seek the gentle side of life.
Your warmth and consideration touches many.

Your soul reflects: Purity, modesty, and faithfulness

Your gemstone: Amethyst

Your flower: Iris

Your colors: Purple, yellow, and light blue

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

TOOOO Funny!

I found this on another blog, American Girl in Italy (fun blog, by the way). It is hilarious! It is about 6 minutes long, but not 6 minutes wasted. My children & I watched it together (unfortunately, it is rare these days to find something we can all watch together). This comedian did a montage of MANY dances - and he does them well! My children thought the they were "hilarious" - dances I once thought were cool, - LOL! My son was convinced it was some sort of special effect & they just put his (comedian's) head on there. Anyway, enjoy some good, clean fun!

Comedian Justin Laipply - "The Evolution of Dance"



:)

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

God Bless His Excellency, Bishop Finn

Recently, the "National Catholic Reporter" had our Bishop (Bishop Finn) & diocese (Kansas City- Saint Joseph, Missouri) as it's cover story. To say the article had "half truths, misquotes and huge omissions" (as a friend said best), would be an understatement. Here is my quick point of view, that of a busy, single, Catholic mom.

Here is the article -
Extreme makeover: the diocese

And here are my comments -

Dismissed the chancellor, a layman with 21 years of experience in the diocese, and the vice chancellor, a religious woman stationed in the diocese for nearly 40 years and the chief of pastoral planning for the diocese since 1990, and replaced them with a priest chancellor.
I did not know the chancellor (a layman by the way), but I heard he was NOT trad friendly in the least! Our current chancellor came to speak to our parish (Old Saint Patrick Roman Catholic Oratory, which has the Traditional Latin Mass offered by a priest from the Institute of Christ the King.) He told a story where he was asked to help say the Latin Mass (years ago). He agreed, but before he could start the training, the then chancellor found out and told him to "STOP IT!" At this point in the story, Father spread his arms out wide & said, "And now *I* am the the chancellor!" LOL!

As for the naked nun (as in she did not wear a habit), I saw her once. It was at a funeral for a priest. I saw my then priest talking to her, & I asked someone I knew who that striking woman was (very well dressed - expensively dressed, hair & makeup perfect, perfume, looked like a socialite). I about fell out of my chair when I heard it was Sister so-and-so!


Ordered the editor of the diocesan newspaper to immediately cease publishing columns by Notre Dame theologian Fr. Richard McBrien

Well, we all know THAT is a good thing!


Announced that he would review all front page stories, opinion pieces, columns and editorials before publication.

Bishop Finn was the editor of the paper in Saint Louis before he came here. So it is natural for him to do this.


The Vocation Office went from a part-time priest vocation director to a full-time priest vocation director with a part-time priest assistant and additional support from the head of the newly established Office for Consecrated Life.

Oh my goodness! We don't want this to happen! There might actually be too many priests!!!!! (insert major sarcasm here!)


A separate Respect Life Office was established to handle pro-life issues and battle stem-cell research.

Another disgusting thing - protecting life! (sarcasm again)


Finn upgraded a Latin Mass community, which has been meeting in a city parish, to a parish in its own right and appointed himself pastor. ( See accompanying story.) Later, he asked the parish that the Latin Mass community will be leaving
to donate $250,000 of the estimated $1.5 million the Latin group needs to renovate the old church Finn gave them.
What this author fails to tell, is ---well, it is not my place to say; suffice it to say there is much more to this than the author is saying--- For example - The fact that Rome has been asking the Bishops for years (the two previous Bishops), to pull the Latin Mass Society out of Our Lady of Sorrows & give them their own parish; requests made by our current & previous Holy Fathers. Bishop Finn is being obedient. And that The Oratory we are moving to has always had the Bishop as it's pastor. Let me say here that I am extremely grateful to the parish, Our Lady of Sorrows, for sharing their church with us! It is a beautiful parish - almost as beautiful as it's parishioners!

A lack of respect -- some say total disregard -- for what has been developed in he diocese during the past half-century was one of the foremost complaints among many in the diocese upset to find highly regarded structures and programs gone.

Maybe that is because what was developed was more about "touchy feely, let's all be buddies" than it was about God and the Church. Yes, I like friends, but I sure hope if I am headed down the wrong path, my friends would tell me. Not like it has been - so politically correct, let's not upset anyone even if they are obviously in the wrong. What Bishop Finn has been doing is bringing the diocese back in line with all of the Church's current teachings, not just the ones that are the most politically correct!

I know there may be some protestants who may be reading this & not really understanding it all, & unfortunately, there are probably some Catholics too. Yes, Canon Law allows the use of lay members (and a necessity with the unfortunate priest & religious shortage), but that use has been abused. Yes, I do attend the Traditional Latin Mass, but I am not anti-Vatican II. I have not thoroughly studied V II, but it is my understanding that the intention was good, but that things were not explained well (or they were explained, but people choose not to hear it.) I recognize the Novus Ordo Mass as a valid Mass (though, unfortunately, many are made illicit by abuses). I prefer the Latin Mass, the same way some people prefer the Novus Ordo Mass. I appreciate all of the hard work Bishop Finn has been doing, going against the flow, not succumbing to peer pressure, but enforcing what has been Church teachings all along, what is in Canon Law. Is he perfect? No, nor do I think he wants to be thought of as perfect. And I am sure he makes no decision lightly, but through a lot of prayer. For myself, I will continue to pray for him, and support him.

I enjoyed this blog concerning the article - "Extreme Diocesan Makeover" (no, not my blog - far too eloquent to be my blog), and its comments.

AMDG - J+M+J

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

I MUST be tired!

Have you ever done this? I brewed some coffee. I like a little sugar in my coffee. So I pull the sugar container off the shelf. There's already a teaspoon that I keep in the sugar, so I used that to put the sugar in my coffee. Oh no! I had pulled down the coffee grounds, & put a whole coffee scoop in my cup of coffee! Now, sometimes I like strong coffee, but this is not how I like it! LOL! Ok, you drink coffee to wake up, but what wakes you up enough so you can make the coffee?!?!?!

Friday, April 21, 2006







What kind of knitting needles are you?




You are pink aluminum.Retro, straightforward and fun, you love classic things. If they're 99 cents at Goodwill all the better! You are moved by striking colors and tasty morsels, and you like a stitch-n-bitch session in the sun. Just remember, while you're being kitschy cool, don't get too cold. Ice cubes are best kept in your cocktails, baby!
Take this quiz!








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Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Update on Prayer Request

The boy I asked prayers for (in a previous post) is stabilizing, but still critical. They do not know yet why he went into heart failure. It seems he suffered a stroke as a result. He is still very ill, and as a teen, finds it hard to be so confined. He has a twin who does not want to leave his side. His mother only leaves for a shower. So please continue to pray for him, his family, and the doctors.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Stupid Doctor & Poison Ivy

Last night my dear daughter came to me saying she itched. It was under her arm, so I assumed it was a heat rash. It has been 92 degrees for the last 2 days. What happened to Spring? I am boycotting the weather by NOT turning on my AC - especially since it is only April! OK, so back to my daughter. I was having her try on all of her summer clothes to see what still fit - she has had a big growth spurt (I will be listing several girl's Laura Ashley dresses on eBay, btw). I noticed her cheeks were red, & when I looked closer, I saw the rash. It was on most of her face, including around her eyes & on her eyelids. So I call the nurse, & she said that since it is on her eyelids, she needs to be brought to the clinic. Before we left, I had my daughter show me where she had been playing in the yard. I saw no poison ivy.....that I could see. It borders the yard, so even if it has not started yet this year, there is still the leftover from last year (even the dead stuff can cause a lot of problems). My daughter gets it every year, each year it is worse.


So off we go to the clinic, but not before packing up our looms & yarn to take with us. When the doctor (who I think was actually a LPN) looked at her, he said to me (in front of her) that she had to take the medication or she would go blind. When he left the room, my daughter started crying, afraid she was going blind! The mama bear in me went out of the room, after him. I told him that he had scared her & to come back & fix things. He came back, said a few words quickly & left. I pulled her on my lap & comforted her. She is growing, but she will never be too big for my lap!



Click here to go to the best site I have ever seen on poison ivy - and humorous too! You will love it!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Missouri - The Show Me State

Ok, so I am watching the news last night. I hear about the couple who faked having sextuplets - the hoax included a website asking for money & gifts. You can read about it here on CNN (or as my dear brother calls it, Communist News Network). They are from Missouri, where I live. Missouri - The Hoax Me State.


On the health front, it seems the Midwest is the center of a mumps outbreak.
You can read about it here on the Kansas City Star. The article says that the US has had 250-300 cases in recent years. There are more than 500 just in Iowa alone! Not to mention the other Midwest states, including Missouri. The article also says "Most of the current cases have been among people who were vaccinated." Hmmmmm..... interesting. Missouri - The ______ Me State. (sorry, can't think of a catchy word)


And in the saddest news of all, their was a winner in Missouri for the Powerball jackpot of $224 MILLION.
You can read about it here, also on the Kansas City Star. How is this sad? Because I didn't win! The fact I didn't buy a ticket is beside the point. Hmmm, I wonder if my mother or one of my siblings did..... Mom, sis, bro, did I ever tell you how VERY much I love you?!?!??! Missouri - The Show-Me-The-Money State.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Water Bottle Holder Pattern

Here it is, my water bottle holder. The rainbow one I made for my mother, and the camo one for her hubby.


Blue Knifty Knitter loom
Red Heart yarn
Knitting tool
yarn needle

(Click on the pictures for better detail)

1) I used the "flat bottom" method that Crystal explains here - with a slight variation. I found that when I got to step 2, It was hard to find the loops, and also hard to pull them all across. So I took a tip from the cupcake hat pattern by Sarah, using scrap yarn to mark my loops.

I e-wrapped 10 pegs once. Then I took pieces of contrasting yarn, putting one through each loop. I tried it 2 ways - with the rainbow I put the scrap yarn through the loop on the outside of the loom, and on the inside of the loom for the camo. I will tell you why I did this later on.

Then I knit back & forth for 9 rows. Now you are going to do step two of Crystal's flat-bottom directions - "stretch the stitches across the loom and attach them to the opposite side of the loom." This is where the scrap yarn-through-the-loops becomes real handy. The yarn not only marks the loops you need to pull over, but you can use it to help pull the loops over.


You will have 4 pegs empty - 2 on each side. Now you are ready for Crystal's step 3 - "pick up stitches from the side panels of the knitted piece and put them on the pegs." Now you have the bottom of your water bottle holder.

When I did the rainbow one, it left a small ridge on the bottom. So, when I did the camo one, I put the scrap yarn on the inside (see above). It got rid of the ridge, but it was much harder to pull the loops over. Not worth it since the ridge is so small.


2) Then I e-wrapped & knitted off for 2 rows. I wanted a mesh look so I next did the Mock-Crochet (MC) stitch found here. The method here describes a flat panel, which I did not want, so I kept going around the loom, and did NOT do the step titled "Last 3 pegs on your loom." I think I did about 10 rows of MC, but the number you do will depend on the size of bottles you want this to hold (mine is big enough to hold up to a liter bottle.) I did end up with a larger hole where it goes from the e-wraps to the MC. I think next time I will skip MC steps 1 & 2, and go straight to MC step 3.

3) Once your holder is as tall as you want (I kept a water bottle handy to try it on), do 2 rows of e-wrap. When I was done with the MC, here is where I did the MC step titled "Last 3 pegs on your loom," before starting the e-wrap. Again, I had a larger hole; I think next time I will skip that step - when reaching the end of the last row of MC, the last 3 pegs should be wrapped in the MC method. Knit over those 3, then go straight to the first peg with the e-wrap. To remove the holder from the loom, I did the Flat Removal Method found here.

4) To make the handle, I e-wrapped 4 pegs like a flat panel, going back & forth until I had the length I wanted. I took the handle off the loom with the Flat Removal method. I then "wove" the handle down the side of the holder, across the bottom, & up the other side, knotting the ends together (this is easier if the bottle is in the holder).


5) To make the drawstring for the rainbow holder, I e-wrapped & knitted off on 2 pegs to the desired length. I wanted to try something different for the camo holder, & wrapped and knitted off of just one peg - this resulted in a thinner drawstring. Then I "wove" this around the top of the holder.


No need for thanks - just send CHOCOLATE!!!

Saturday, April 08, 2006

I am so sneaky!

My mom & her dear husband just had their 10th anniversary! We had a surprise party for them this evening. We all pretended like we forgot all about their anniversary! Gotcha' Mom!

The traditional anniversary gifts involve tin & aluminum, but the contemporary alternative is diamonds! I gave them neither, though I would have wrapped the gifts in aluminum foil had I thought of it! Instead I made them each a water bottle holder on the Knifty Knitter (pics & how-to's coming soon). My dear daughter is making a washcloth, & dear son is making a potholder - also on the KKs (we showed Mom & Ed the WIPs - works in progress).

Here is a picture of my dear son working on his, later in the evening - he had a helper, LOL! Soon after we got home, he got his loom out all on his own - no prodding from Mom! I guess he thought this was more fun than picking up the MANY sticks in the yard from the Elm trees. This is his first project.



My dear daughter, on the other hand, looses interest quickly. She is only wants to make stuffed animals, but I keep telling her she needs to learn the different stitches first - by the way she knows how to e-wrap, purl, & make a flat panel. She is on her second project.

Time to go; we get up early on Sundays for the traditional Latin Mass, and tomorrow is Palm Sunday.


HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & ED!!!

Friday, April 07, 2006

Would you join me over a cup of coffee?

Ok, so I am not drinking the coffee right this minute, but it is brewing & smells wonderful! Did you know that coffee is the most recognizable smell? That if someone has a problem with their sense of smell, & can only smell one thing, it would probably be coffee.

It is quiet. Children are not up yet. Ahhhh, peaceful! Ugh, spoke too soon because dear son just yelled, asking me to turn down the TV because he has "one more hour" of sleep.

Spent TOO much time & money at our local Walmart yesterday. I try to do my big shopping once a month. I went yesterday, despite the threat of thunderstorms, otherwise I would have to wait until Saturday - and being at WM on a Saturday is akin to running my fingernails down a blackboard! My daughter was with me, and one of her favorite things to do is the self checkout. Normally, when I have a lot of items, I do it myself because of the time factor, but I let her do it all this time (though I put the items in the bags). When we got done, she looked at the total & was very surprised at how high the total was (though I considered it one of my cheaper totals). She asked, "Do you have enough money?" Maybe NOW there will be some gratitude for what we have. I try to teach my children the value of money, but you can't beat teachable moments like this.

On the agenda for today is some loom knitting. I really need to take some pictures to post here. By the way, I thought of a trick to make the flat-bottom bags easier. I will tell you more later, & post some pics.

Gotta go - the coffee is done......and does it smell ever so wonderful!

Thursday, April 06, 2006

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!

A dear friend of mine is in need of prayers for her son. This is what she emailed to me -
"He is in critical condition in complete heart failure. He's on a vent and in PICU. This came on suddenly on Tuesday."
Prayer warriors, time to storm Heaven!

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Yaaaawwnnnnnn.....

This darn daylight savings time is messing us all up! I swear it's a conspiracy against mothers! It's only an hour, but it sure causes a lot of trouble for just one little hour. I can't sleep well, and when I fall asleep is much later. Also, I wake up much later, unless I set the alarm - and I have not needed an alarm for years, because if I could sleep past 7:30, then I was sleeping really late. And my children, don't even want to talk about the war that erupts when it is time to get them up!

So we start school. Then after lunch we went to look at shoes, since dear son informs me his toes hurt - and he didn't like the idea of curling his toes, or cutting the toe area out of his shoes. Get to the shoe store & measure him. He went up a whole size! Then I look at the price of the shoes & tell him to go barefoot like the natives. I struck out on that idea too. Maybe we should do an arts & craft in school & make sandals out of old tires.

We go home, & continue with the school work - turns out they made very little progress in the morning. I tell them they must complete all of their school work, plus their chores, or no watching LOST. Boy, that got them moving!

In the meantime, someone came to pick up the dryer I posted on our local FreeCycle. And if I wasn't working with the children, I was playing around with different formats & backgrounds for my blog. I cannot make up my mind. I want something feminine & classy, that incorporates my interests in designing, sewing, loom knitting, Catholicism, home schooling, & Pro-Life, as well as something from The Chronicles of Narnia of course. Should be easy....... right?!?!?

So now I sit here, waiting to get tired so I can go to bed & fall asleep. Darn daylight savings!

Monday, April 03, 2006

You need to know this!

On Wednesday of next week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. That won't ever happen again.

You may now return to your (normal ?) life.


and yes, you needed to know this ....... :oP

In the beginning..... (Chronicle of a headache)

......there was a mom with a headache.

Yeah, I know, not such a great way to start a blog. The day started out with all of us oversleeping (don't you love daylight savings time?!) I was to leave for an appointment. "Hurry, Get up!", I yell to my children. No, it's not a fire, but E-ma Linda (E-ma = grandma) is outside waiting to be let in. I quickly run through the lesson plans, remind E-ma Linda of how tricky the children can be to get out of work, and threaten the children with the punishment of untangling & rolling all of my yarn if they pull any such tricks. I run out the door, forgetting the cup of coffee I fixed to take with me.

I get to my appointment to have some routine x-rays done. I swear they took so many, I must be glowing! I think I bored the radiology tech with my talk about the merits of Birkenstocks & Crocs. (It's not often I get to talk to real live adults!) Then home I go. As I open the door, I hear "the pitter-patter of little feet". Yep, that would be my children running to their work spaces to look busy doing school work. I thank E-ma Linda, and promise her dinner when I have something in the house to eat other than peanut butter.

The afternoon went peaceful enough with the children apparently doing their school work. Then the couch arrived. My grandma (my children's great-grandma, whom they call "G-G") bought a new couch, so we got her old one (my contribution to the recycling effort). It looks new, but doesn't smell new. You see, my grandma is a closet smoker. Oh we all know she smokes, but we pretend we don't (as long as we "don't know", she will not smoke around us, therefore smoking less, which she is not to do & lies to the doctors about, but she is stubborn & 80, so what are ya' gonna' do? LOL) Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh, the couch! It smelled like smoke, so I sprayed it with a Febreze competitor. Should have gotten the Febreze! Now I have a wet couch, that smells like smoke & a cheap perfumey chemical.

No wonder I have a headache! I would lie down on the couch to relax, ...... if only it wasn't wet.....