Friday, February 16, 2007

Sweet Pea the Seahorse

This video is child-friendly. Educational in the first part, & a neat surprise in the last part. Enjoy!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y2x2dIlfLU4

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Change, and Assisted Living

Feast Day of Saint Sigfrid of Wexlow

As I mentioned in the previous post, my grandmother moved into an assisted living facility. Usually, when people think of such a place, they think of a hospital like environment, the smells of ammonia, and/or substandard care. The place Grandma moved into is, well, NOT any of those things. It is incredibly homey, like a large house - with at least 3 separate seating areas (each with a fireplace & comfy furniture just like from home, not the boring institutional vinyl covered furniture that is so common), a kitchen that has wonderful meals, & serves snacks 24 hours a day (& shares them with the guests), a dining area that reminds me of a fine dining restaurant, a beauty parlor, exercise room, and more! The rooms for the residents come in different sizes, each being their own "apartment". Grandma has one of the largest. The main area is the living room with a kitchenette. It is very large & can easily fit her living & dining room furniture (with room to spare). The bedroom is also big & accommodates her bedroom set at one end, and a small sitting area at the other. Her closet! I would almost kill for her closet! Plenty of shelving & hanging rods. It is bigger than King Peter's bedroom! Her bathroom is also quite large with a window seat. She does not have to cook, clean, or do laundry - they do it all! It's as if she is living in the penthouse at some 5 star hotel!

The staff has been VERY welcoming & accommodating. We moved her items in a little at a time. My children were with me each time, and no one seemed to mind having them around - they even offered us all snacks each time. Members of the staff even visited Grandma while she was in the hospital, before she had spent her first night at her new apartment.

The residents are also very nice. While were were unpacking, a few stopped by to say "HI!", even though we weren't the ones going to live there. Grandma keeps saying that she has never seen anyone welcome a new person like they have welcomed her.

Seeing first hand how wonderful this place has been, has helped us all to adapt to the change. My children & I had moved within a block of her house to help her. We did this last July, moving from a house we had lived in for 8 years. King Peter walked over nearly every day to do little errands. Queen Lucy & I often went down to clean for her, take her on errands, etc. My children love their "G-G", and she them. It has been hard on us to have her gone & not see her nearly every day. My children were especially worried about who would help her. They have seen first hand how this place helps her, and they are now at ease. This place understands what family means, and welcomes any & all family members - including guests at a meal, and overnight visits.

I never knew such a wonderful place existed. Perhaps someday I can work there - I would consider it an honor.

UPDATE - I did not post the name of the place, because I was unsure of their policy regarding this. I just got permission - it is Vintage Park, part of Vintage Group. Check them out!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Berry Good Cookies!

Feast of Saint Valentine of Rome

If you noticed, I did not post in January. It was a hectic time. My grandma went into the hospital on January 1st, and got out last week. Just before she went in, she had decided to sell her house & move into an assisted living facility. So the month of January was filled with homeschooling, visits to the hospital, and packing & moving her belongings. The day we moved her furniture, the assisted living place (which is wonderful and does not look institutional in the least) served us refreshments. This included the most WONDERFUL cookies. I had to have the recipe! Imagine my dismay when they did not have one - they buy them in the dough form & bake them. Well, I found a recipe!

It is a recipe I adapted from the "Cranberry-Chip Cookie Mix" recipe that I found in Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 7. Don't pass this recipe by just because it has cranberries - I almost did & I was very pleasantly surprised at how incredibly delicious they are!

Berry Good Cookies

Cream together in a large bowl:
1 cup softened butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar

In another bowl, combine:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Slowly add dry ingredients to the
wet ingredients. Mix just until blended.

Fold in:
1 cup dried cranberries (or dried strawberries)
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls unto greased baking sheets (I used parchment paper). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 6 dozen.

Note – I think next time I will cut back slightly on the white chocolate chips & walnuts.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

It's My Party & I'll Cry If I Want To......

Feast of Saint Modomnoc

It was recently my birthday. It was almost forgotten by my family (ok, I did say I wanted no mention of age, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't get lots of presents or a chocolate cake! LOL!) My daughter, Queen Lucy, gave me the BEST gift! She bounded out of bed first thing in the morning and gave me this - (it made me cry)

As for King Peter........well, he is a teenager......you figure it out - LOL!

Traditional Catholic

Memorial of Ermengild of Ely

Whew! LOL!

You are a 100% traditional Catholic!

Congratulations! You are more knowlegeable than most modern theologians! You have achieved mastery over the most important doctrines of the Catholic Faith! You should share your incredible understanding with others!

Do You Know Your Baltimore Catechism?
Make Your Own Quiz

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.