Feast of Saint Francis Regis Clet
I woke up in the wee hours of the morning not feeling very well. I went back to sleep hoping all would be well when I got up for Mass. No such luck. Could I go to Mass, and make it through? Probably. I always feel bad when I cannot make it to Mass, not unless I am so sick I am confined to my bed (or one of my children are). I am not that sick by any means, and if it was any other day of the week, I would probably try to get some housework done. So why don't I go? Because the charitable thing to do is not expose others to my germs - this is when selfishness can be a virtue - LOL!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Lent is fast approaching!
Feast of Saint Theodore Stratelates
It seems hard to believe that Lent starts in just a few days. Wasn't it just Christmas? (Don't look, but my tree is still up - LOL) I am looking forward to Lent. Many look at me like I am from Mars when I say that (ok, so more so than usual), because why would anyone look forward to 40 days of doing penance? It is because penance is good! That's right folks, and I will say it again - PENANCE IS GOOD! It is like giving your soul a bath - sin is the nasty, grimy, sticky dirt; penance is the bath brush you use to scrub it all off. The saints are best at telling why penance & suffering is good for the soul, and will post some info on that later. Please feel free to post what you know.
Lent is also a time of preparation for Easter. A time to prepare our homes & more importantly our souls, for the coming of Christ. What are you going to do? It is not just about giving something up, but also about DOING something. Here is a great blog entry to get you started - Living the Loveliness of Lent. Another blog - dedicated to Lent - These Forty Days.
Other ideas-
***Read a book to your children - I think I am going to attempt Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis DeSales. There is no way we can get through all of it during Lent, but at least we can get started. It is an easy book to read, but requires a lot of thinking to read it properly.
***Start a prayer that will be included in your daily prayers. For us, it would be to become regular at saying the whole Rosary. For others it may be saying the Divine Office.
***Our local homeschool group is helping with a shoebox drive for abuse victims.
Please share some ideas you may have!
And don't forget your penance - and I am not sure how much it counts if you give up something easy. One year I gave up soda pop, and was it ever so hard! I never wanted it so bad as when I could not have it! I haven't had soda in a few years now, so giving it up for Lent now does not count. One year my son gave up his Game Boy, and it was all his idea! Me? I think I will give up sweets this year - cookies, cakes, candies, even sugar in my coffee! I am not sure what my children have in mind. We will discuss it tomorrow. What are you giving up?
By the way. Queen Lucy's birthday is next week - yes, during Lent, and a Friday during Lent. So she had her party last night - her first slumber party. They were not up too late, and got up at a normal time this morning. But they sure did eat a lot! Gee whiz! LOL! Oh, and King Peter was gone - this was a "girls only" event. As my daughter says "Girls rule and boys drool!"
It seems hard to believe that Lent starts in just a few days. Wasn't it just Christmas? (Don't look, but my tree is still up - LOL) I am looking forward to Lent. Many look at me like I am from Mars when I say that (ok, so more so than usual), because why would anyone look forward to 40 days of doing penance? It is because penance is good! That's right folks, and I will say it again - PENANCE IS GOOD! It is like giving your soul a bath - sin is the nasty, grimy, sticky dirt; penance is the bath brush you use to scrub it all off. The saints are best at telling why penance & suffering is good for the soul, and will post some info on that later. Please feel free to post what you know.
Lent is also a time of preparation for Easter. A time to prepare our homes & more importantly our souls, for the coming of Christ. What are you going to do? It is not just about giving something up, but also about DOING something. Here is a great blog entry to get you started - Living the Loveliness of Lent. Another blog - dedicated to Lent - These Forty Days.
Other ideas-
***Read a book to your children - I think I am going to attempt Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis DeSales. There is no way we can get through all of it during Lent, but at least we can get started. It is an easy book to read, but requires a lot of thinking to read it properly.
***Start a prayer that will be included in your daily prayers. For us, it would be to become regular at saying the whole Rosary. For others it may be saying the Divine Office.
***Our local homeschool group is helping with a shoebox drive for abuse victims.
Please share some ideas you may have!
And don't forget your penance - and I am not sure how much it counts if you give up something easy. One year I gave up soda pop, and was it ever so hard! I never wanted it so bad as when I could not have it! I haven't had soda in a few years now, so giving it up for Lent now does not count. One year my son gave up his Game Boy, and it was all his idea! Me? I think I will give up sweets this year - cookies, cakes, candies, even sugar in my coffee! I am not sure what my children have in mind. We will discuss it tomorrow. What are you giving up?
By the way. Queen Lucy's birthday is next week - yes, during Lent, and a Friday during Lent. So she had her party last night - her first slumber party. They were not up too late, and got up at a normal time this morning. But they sure did eat a lot! Gee whiz! LOL! Oh, and King Peter was gone - this was a "girls only" event. As my daughter says "Girls rule and boys drool!"
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
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!
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!
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
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Whew! LOL!
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