7th Generation Texan

Summer is over - school has started

2011-08-17T17:21:00.001-05:00

My baby is all grown up. Our Princess started kindergarten today. I can’t believe how big she is. It was indeed harder for us to leave her than for her to go to school.

Princess is enrolled in a lovely conservative Catholic school. We are so excited that she is in a truly Catholic academic environment that weaves Catholic beliefs throughout the curriculum and school day. We are thankful that God has led us to this school and that her Godfather has offered to pay tuition. I do not have to worry that her teacher will teach her something different than what we teach her at home. And it brings tears (of joy!) to my eyes that to Princess school means not only learning traditional academic and enrichment topics but also going to Mass, playing on a playground next to a statue of Mary, dressing up as a saint on All Saints Day, bringing baked goods on St. Lucy Day, and being able to pray whenever she wants. How great is that?

Move beyond worry

2011-07-19T10:52:00.001-05:00

I admit it. I am a worrier. I like to analyze and plan, and I suppose worry grabs hold of me when I can't plan. And worry begets worry. Stress leads to worry which brings on more stress. I know all of this (because, after all I have done the analysis), but I sometimes feel powerless to stop it.

In addition to continued parental illnesses and two rounds of antibiotics for strep with Princess (who seems prone to pneumonia - scary!), I developed my own health scares. You know, the kind that start out as minor, like a cold, and develop into "what if it's lung cancer?". Thankfully, the killer diseases were all in my mind, but still a significant cause of worry that spiraled out of control.

Next came the very real death of the mother of one my oldest and dearest friends. Fortunately, I can work remotely and was able to be there for my friend as she faced her mother's death and funeral. Side note: if anyone ever thinks that there is even a remote chance of me dying, CALL A PRIEST!

And let's not forget my dear husband's very real struggle with food and weight. I worry about him (somewhat justified since his brother had a heart attack at 39). (Bad) Food can be a tough addiction to fight. And I pray for his faith: may he grow stronger.

I'm trying - really I am - to not worry and to deal with stress better. I need to trust in God and have faith that I am where I need to be. But my goodness it's hard sometimes! I need to remember:

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)

And seriously, April was the last time that I posted something? So sorry about that!

7 Quick Takes (vol 2)

2011-04-08T17:05:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday to all!

1. Two Saturdays ago, Princess and I spent mommy and me time shopping for stickers that Lacy found at Dollar Tree. Granted, we had to go to three different Dollar Trees (Dallas, Plano, and Frisco) to find them. We got Stations of the Cross, Mysteries of the Rosary, crosses and crucifixes, names of God, and Christmas/Nativity. They also have Jesus and Mary stickers too, but we already had those. The sets come four sheets to a package. What a deal!

2. We promptly added Mysteries of the Rosary stickers to Princess’ Rosary scrapbook, a rather long (months!) craft project to create something for her to look at while praying and learning the rosary. It’s turning into my craft project. Cute idea: take one 8x8 memory book that conveniently comes with 10 pages (20 sides), and create a scrapbook page for each mystery. I’ll probably add the prayers to the inside covers.

3. During our trek across the DFW Metroplex, we also stopped into the new-ish Catholic bookstore in Plano: Two Hearts (I can’t find a link). It’s located relatively close to my office, except that I work mostly at home these days. Anyway, in the back of the store, they have a nativity set up including dress up clothing for the kids. I loved seeing Princess dressed up as Mary holding the baby Jesus doll.

4. We’re in the process of hand painting eggs. I’ve gone through the tedious process of blowing out the eggs (two!), and Princess and I each painted one. We’ve tried and tried, but none of us can tell which side is the top or bottom! Must be the free range eggs I used.

5. I have discovered that I can read Kindle books on my iPod. Yes, you have to turn a lot of “pages”, but it’s still cool. It’s a free app – first one that pops up in the Apps store if you search on “Kindle”. Not that I buy a lot of (or any) Kindle books from Amazon. However, I did discover that sometimes books come up priced at $0. That’s right: free! I keep an eye on Kindle Review for free books.

(Of course, I guess I can just sort on Kindle books by price (low) on Amazon...)

6. Today is April 15 – tax day! However, due to some sort of D.C. holiday tomorrow, which has to be celebrated today (i.e. not on the weekend), we all get the option of waiting until Monday to turn in our taxes. This is good since I can’t get my accountant on the phone.

7. Princess is excited to wear red to Mass this Sunday for Palm Sunday. Red is her favorite color!

On that exciting note, have a great weekend!

7 Quick Takes (vol. 1)

2011-04-01T11:04:00.011-05:00

NOTE: if you found me via Jen's blog on April 15, I linked to the wrong post! I should have linked to 7 Quick Takes (vol. 2). So sorry!

1. No April Fool’s joke: This is my first time to join “7 Quick Takes Friday”.

2. After that exciting bit of information, uh, hmm, so…let’s see. I got nothing. No, wait. I can do this!

My husband and I got iPod Touches for our belated Christmas/partly birthday/sort of Valentine’s presents to each other. I love it! We didn’t want iPhones because we didn’t want to be tied to the monthly fees. Trying to cut back, you know.

3. We visited my family in Houston a few weeks ago. My mother is home from the hospital but still in a hospital bed. Back to her old self – both good and bad! She was in the hospital over Christmas because of a fall and the resulting broken femur. Her surgery went well, but the recovery was and continues to be difficult. We thought we were losing her (kidney failure from the surgery) but were blessed with a Christmas day miracle. Thank you Lord. However, Mom still has Corticobasal Degeneration. I ask for continued prayers for her and my dad.

4. Moving onto happier thoughts, Princess and I planted our herbs and flowers yesterday evening. Last Saturday, with temperatures in the low 80s, I promised Princess a trip to the nursery the next day, which unfortunately dawned wet, windy and in the 40s. Some cruel joke since I had put away the winter coats the day before. Bravely we all went to the nursery Sunday afternoon, picked out some plants, brought them home, and left them on our balcony. “Too cold for planting,” I said. Finally, it was warm enough yesterday. In other words, the temperature reached the 70s because everyone knows that anything less is considered cold. Insert image of husband rolling eyes.

5. Princess spent the time digging in a pot of dirt.

6. Princess, aka Little One, turned five this month. She is expecting a birthday party with friends (we did one with family). I have no ideas. I wanted to keep the cost down by having it at our house, which is really a condo. No, there is no space outside to do anything. And no, I don’t have seating for ~10 kids. I’m at a loss. I thought about doing one of those stuff your own animal parties (I found one for cheaper than most). I guess they could sit on the floor…

7. Finally, I also celebrated my birthday this month. It was rather non-eventful since we were having cake for Princess with my family that day. Hint: lots of people wore green on my birthday.

For more Quick Takes, check out Jen Fulwiler's Conversion Diary. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday!

2011-03-14T09:13:00.003-05:00

Happy birthday to my wonderful, sweet little girl, who turned five yesterday. You are a gift from God that your father and I treasure every day. May you always be blessed.

Over the weekend, my Princess and I took a walk. I asked where she wanted to walk. Her reply: "Let's go say hi to Jesus." Melted my heart. Our parish is three blocks from our home (makes one wonder how we are ever late for Mass), and along the way we stopped to pick flowers. What a lovely walk!

I had no idea

2011-03-01T13:18:00.003-06:00

I had no idea that peanut butter removes that sticky gunk off of glass jars. Maybe I’m the last to know. If not, then try it!

I’ve been recycling glass jars by slowly replacing the smaller plastic food containers we’ve been using. But, despite having my husband really go at that sticky residue, we just couldn’t get it all off. Enter the internet where I found various suggestions including peanut butter. I thought “Why not?” and gave it a try. Worked brilliantly! Smooth some on the jar, use a rag or one of those scrubber sponges to go over the area, and rinse. Who knew? (Apparently a lot of people – just not me.)

And since I am full of great tips, I used baking soda, water and lots of scrubbing and rinsing to deep clean our slate bathroom floors. I didn’t really verify this one, so do so before you try. Worked great on ours.

Happy March!

I fell for it

2011-02-22T11:57:00.001-06:00

As a family, we give our time and resources in three ways. The first, and primary, is through our parish and other catholic charities. Next, we donate new and gently used goods, usually to our parish and city St. Vincent de Paul groups. And a bit farther down on the list, are other charities that we or our friends and colleagues support, either with time or money (although far less time these days). Oh, and a fourth: we support the Girl Scouts by purchasing Thin Mints.

Last night, a woman came to our door selling magazines. I never buy, but she had a good I’m-pulling-myself-out-of-poverty-and-domestic-violence story. Sigh. I’m really trying to put my money where my mouth is. We signed up for (ok, I bought) one magazine subscription. I looked up the company afterwards and found many negative reviews from people who didn’t get magazines in a timely manner – or at all. Why, oh why, did I do that?!?!

The point of this post is not how much we do (or not do) or how I feel taken advantage of (well, kind of), but what happened next. My wonderful husband talked me out of a freak out. He told me that, despite what may be the end result, I was helping someone. And that I need to remember this. Then, as we were saying family prayers later, he prayed that the person that came to our door was a good person.

What a wonderful husband! This is the point of this post. Have a wonderful day!

More, More, More!

2011-01-10T14:15:00.002-06:00

That’s right. I want MORE! However, unlike so many others, I’m not trying to gain more power, wealth, fame or stuff. No, I want to improve how I live my life, praise God, and affect others. With that in mind, below is my top 10 “I want MORE!” list:

1. Pray more: Everyone can pray more. I can and need to pray more. I look for opportunities to pray throughout the day. But I also need to reassess my committed (and currently very short) time for prayer. And by making my prayers more visible, I hope to lead my husband and daughter to a more active prayer life.

2. Do more: My goal is to acquire less so that as a family we can focus on experiencing more. Studies show that it’s not stuff that makes us happy, but the trips and things that we do that promote long-term happiness. Recently, our family has talked about saving for Disney World (popular with our little Princess), taking another cruise (parental favorite!), and planning for future pilgrimages to Rome, the Holy Land, or other locations. Yet, these trips take planning and saving. Meanwhile, we can and should take time to make day trips, visit museums and parks, and plan dates.

3. Learn more: I love to read. There is always something new to learn, although learning a new language or picking up an instrument is a bit too optimistic at this time.

4. Teach more: Through my words and how I live my life, I am trying to lead others to live better lives.

5. Listen more: Yes, I need to listen more to what others are saying. What does my husband really need from me? How can I be more patient in understanding my daughter? What did that person just say on yet another conference call???

6. Create more: Happy times when I am creative. Like most of this list, I just have to make the time.

7. Be “more healthy”: My husband and I both need to exercise more (or, if I am honest, start exercising). And while eating healthier (or less unhealthy) than most Americans is great, I know that I can improve my diet and that of my family. I love fruits and veggies, but I’ve got to eat more protein and good fats.

8. Give more: We need to count our blessings. We have so much more than so many others. And we really can help others by giving more of our time and resources.

9. Relax more: I try – I really do!

10. Cuddle more: My daughter just wants someone to play with her. Yes, she needs to learn to entertain herself, but I can attend more tea parties, play more games, and watch more performances. She is growing up so fast, and these are the activities that both of us will remember. I also need to spend more cuddle time with my husband. Although we are usually in the same room in the evenings, we tend to do our own thing. Nice – but not enough. At least some evenings should be spent doing something, even if watching TV, together.

There you have it. Any suggestions are welcome.

Happy and healthy New Year!

Sad diagnosis. Prayers needed

2010-12-09T14:33:00.002-06:00

My mother has been ill for a number of years. This week, she was diagnosed with Corticobasal Degeneration, a progressive degenerative brain disease that has similarities with both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, what we thought were physical signs of OCD were mostly likely the early stages of CBD. She has declined rapidly over the past several months and is now getting significantly worse each day. I thought that our upcoming visit for the holidays (what will certainly be our last Christmas with her) could be used to discuss care for her because my father is close to not being able to care for her any more. But that day may come sooner than expected. What looked like months now seems like weeks – or less. This is a disease with no cure and from which patients die, usually of pneumonia or other disease associated with immobile, elderly people.

Please pray for my mother, my father and all of us.

Best prayer ever!

2010-12-07T09:52:00.001-06:00

From Little One/Princess (I'm still transitioning her name) last night: "Make me a saint, Lord!"

St. Nicholas has arrived!

2010-12-06T11:01:00.003-06:00

Our Little Princess remembered St. Nicholas from last Advent, so last night we set out our shoes by the front door. St. Nicholas kindly left chocolate candy in everyone’s shoes and left a small ornament and a book of Catholic prayers for Little One. We thanked God for all of His gifts and asked St. Nicholas to keep us always in his prayers.

For those looking for a way to start an Advent tradition, lighting our advent wreath and saying a small prayer with our dinner blessing reminds us of the true meaning of the season – and is easy to keep up! Another tradition that we tried to start last year and have been only partially successful with this year is the Jesse tree. We still don’t have an actual tree, but we did color some pictures (found here), cut them out, and made a small book.

And we’re participating in our parish’s angel program. This weekend, we purchased clothing for a little girl (still need to get a toy). I’m still struggling with how our daughter reacts to giving to others – or more specifically, buying for others. I know she is still young, but I have a guilty suspicion that some of her attitude comes from us (her parents). Am I too selfish? Too materialistic? Most definitely on both. I’m working on it!

Finally, our Nativity is in place on the mantel, complete with moving Mary and Joseph, wise men way off, and no baby Jesus (yet). Happy Advent!

Another Angel

2010-11-10T15:05:00.002-06:00

We found out earlier this week that we lost another baby. We now have four little angels in Heaven praying for the rest of their family here. This one, like the second, never developed past five weeks (we lost the other two around eight-and-a-half weeks).

As it turns out, one can be “kind of” pregnant. Like most of the other times, I still have all the first trimester symptoms including being incredibly nauseas all day long. It makes it even more difficult to deal with the emotional loss while still feeling horrible.

But we will get through our sadness with faith, prayers and love. Once again, Princess (aka “Little One” – but she’s not so little any more) has the right attitude: she is happy to have an angel in Heaven.

10 Reasons I Like My Job

2010-10-20T11:43:00.003-05:00

In this day and time, I should be happy that I have a job. And I am! As the current breadwinner of my family (hubby has gone back to school), I really need a good job. But sometimes, I feel less than happy when my company institutes pay cuts and lays off thousands of people. We are all asked to do more with less. I’m sure that’s not limited to my company. So, here are the top ten reasons that I like my job:

1. It pays the bills (although fewer than before)
2. I can work from home if I want/need to
3. Which allows me to at least save money on gas, tolls, and general wardrobe costs,
4. And lets me get dinner and laundry done sooner (since I am already home and don’t have to make the commute),
5. And sometimes means that I have time to go to daily Mass!
6. Since I’ve worked at this company for awhile, I have a number of vacation days
7. People know me and appreciate what I do, which can come in handy if I need to deal with some personal issues (doctor appointments, sick parents, child’s school function)
8. Did I mention that they pay me?
9. Company discounts on products
10. And I truly do like the people that I work with

Sometimes I have to remember to be happy, especially since I have a number of friends who have been out of work for months. And I am – I am truly blessed to have a job with such flexibility.

Celebrating my mothers' birthdays

2010-09-09T15:53:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated Mary’s birthday with cupcakes. Unfortunately, they weren’t homemade (no time), but I suppose Mary doesn’t mind. No one in the family complained. This is the first time that we have done something like this for Mary’s birthday.

Today is my mother’s birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! We started praying our first family novena this week and chose the novena to St. Dymphna, patron saint of those afflicted with mental disorders. Why do I talk about our novena and my mother’s birthday in the same paragraph? My mother suffers from depression and OCD. We pray for her often.

Since she doesn’t believe in getting psychiatric help or counseling, there isn’t much we can do. Texas has very restrictive laws about having someone committed. Years ago, we did a family intervention and somehow got her to an emergency room where she was evaluated by the psychiatrist on staff. He agreed that she suffers from severe OCD, but she refused treatment. And since she wasn’t “waving a gun around” (i.e. threatening direct, bodily harm to herself or others), he had to release her. Friends of mine have suggested actions like leaving her to care for herself (the idea being that she couldn’t and would have to call for help). My father, sister and I truly believe that she would never seek help and instead just waste away.

It’s a very sad situation (and hard to explain if you are not around to see and interact yourself). St. Dymphna, pray for my mother. Blessed Mary, pray for my mother.

Building our marriage

2010-09-08T13:14:00.003-05:00

We've all heard that marriage takes work, and that's true. However, working at a marriage doesn't mean yours is bad or that the work need be tedious. Spending quality time together (without the kids) can strengthen and renews your love and commitment to each other.

Hubby and I recently spent nine days (but who was counting exactly) without our daughter around. The house was certainly quieter! Little One spent time with her grandparents, and we were able to spend time with just each other. We also attended a marriage conference in Denton, TX: "The two will become one" (Ephesians 5:31). One thousand people (presumably 500 couples) registered for the event, and most were there. We listened to speakers Dr. Scott Hahn and Greg & Julie Alexander, ate lunch with other lovely couples, and had the opportunity for Adoration (which I had to explain to my Protestant husband). I highly recommend taking advantage of events like this going on in your diocese.

On another note, where does the time do? I can't believe over a month has gone by since I blogged about materialism. Surely that can't be right!

God spoke to me!

2010-08-03T12:35:00.008-05:00

In recent weeks, we've been discussing materialism in our family (well, maybe it's just me). Personally, I've been struggling quite a bit lately with the desire for material goods. I fully understand and embrace the fact that I am blessed with a comfortable life: home, car, job, physical comforts, relatively healthy family. We are better off than 90% (or higher) of the planet. But it's when I compare myself to the other 10% that I start to feel down. Why can't we have a house with a yard? Why can't we just pop out and buy a new car? Why can't we go on a nice vacation?

But then I start to feel bad for focusing on material goods. Catholic guilt? Maybe. I certainly don't want to lose sight of the ultimate level of comfort: being with God in Heaven.

As if to reinforce the point, God spoke quite clearly to me this Sunday through the Mass readings (Ecc 1:2, 2:21-23; Col 3:1-5, 9-11; Lk 12:13-21). In case you missed it (and I hope you were there!), the theme was around the vanity and idolatry of focusing on material things. It's not that material things are bad. But when we focus on them, we are distracted from what truly matters: God.

Some things just seem so obvious...

2010-06-25T13:02:00.003-05:00

...like NOT handing out condoms to elementary school children. But the Provincetown, MA school district recently passed a policy (thankfully now under review) that would provide condoms to any student who asks for one, including children in elementary school. No parental consent needed. That's right: your 6-year-old first grader will have access to free condoms. Of course, the student has to meet with the school nurse first so that he or she has the right information. I'm not even sure what that means!

Scary. And just a little sick.

Wow...

2010-06-18T14:45:00.003-05:00

Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted anything! I blame it on my job (darn that job for getting in the way of fun stuff!). We've done some family traveling to visit both sets of grandparents, but there never seems to be enough time to really relax and enjoy the company. And on that note, we really thought that our prayers had been answered on where to move (stay in Dallas, or move to Houston or San Antonio where we have family): an opportunity to take over my late grandmother's house if we took out a loan to make repairs. Totally doable if that became our "mortgage" - as long as we could sell our current house first. But, just like that, this is no longer an option. So...back to praying about where God wants us to go. It still may be Houston, just not in that house.

Otherwise, we've planted cherry tomatoes, peppers, basil, sunflowers (birds ate those),and cucumbers (wow, do those get big!). But the birds and caterpillars take their share. I'm trying to be organic, so I don't want to spray.

Speaking of organic, we are trying to buy all of our meat and eggs from a local, free range, organic farm. You really can see and taste a difference! It's not cheap, but not really that different in price for organic meat from the grocery store (that may not be free range, local, etc.)

On that note, have a wonderful weekend!

Making the Big Money!

2010-05-07T14:07:00.004-05:00

Since Little One turned four in March, she has been receiving an allowance. We discussed this concept for quite some time before hubby and I agreed on what an allowance means, how much, etc. Angie gave us a good outline from which to start our discussion.
First, her allowance is not tied to chores since she is expected to do her chores anyway. Neither will it be tied to grades in the future (a hot topic: hubby thinks it would have helped him in school to be paid for grades; I liked school enough that paying me would not have mattered). I believe that paying for chores (except perhaps something extra done by the child) or grades suggests that one should get paid for doing what one should do anyway.

We pay her on Fridays at 50 cents per year, so she currently gets $2.00. We require her to put 30% ($0.60) in the "saving" piggy bank, and give 10% ($0.20) to the church. The rest goes into the Hello Kitty bank to spend as she wants.

We've noticed several things since starting the weekly allowance. First, Little One is excited to put her two dimes, along with our Sunday envelope, into the collection basket at church. Second, she doesn't question the idea of putting aside some money for long term savings. And finally, we've been able to significantly cut down on the "gimmies " (from a Berenstain Bears book). All it takes to get Little One to stop asking for a toy is to tell her that she can use her money if she wants.

To me, the allowance is meant to teach fiscal responsibility, sharing with others (especially those less fortunate), and patience. She is still young, and it’s only been a few months, but I am pleased so far!

Bless us, O Lord

2010-04-23T13:39:00.000-05:00

Kids say the darndest things Friday - April 23 issue

I am attempting to do a better job about why we pray a certain way, do certain things at Mass, etc. For instance, our daughter is pretty good at learning the prayers - and that is the first step, but I realized recently that she may not really understand some of the words or ideas.

In attempt to explain why we say a blessing before we eat, Little One and I had the following conversation:

Mommy: “Do you know why we say a blessing before we eat?”
Little One: “No.”
Mommy: “It’s to thank God for giving us food.”
Little One: “Actually, God gives the food to grocery stores and Whole Foods, and then we go buy it.”

Close...so close.

Kids say the darndest things Friday - April 9 issue

2010-04-09T11:54:00.004-05:00

Join us for Kids say the darndest things Fridays over at Mystical Rose Design.

From last week while discussing the meaning of Easter: "But I want to stay in Dallas!"

Easter through the eyes of a 4-year-old

2010-04-04T19:27:00.005-05:00

Apparently a tradition was started last year when the Easter bunny left goodies on the front porch when we visited my family. So this year, we had to do the same thing. This works as long as we can get the basket outside before Little One opens the door.

On Good Friday, we went to the 3 pm veneration of the cross and communion service. Little One did very well during the long service. We also discussed what Easter really means: Jesus died and rose again from the dead so that our sins could be forgiven and so that we can go to Heaven to be with God. Little One's response: "But I want to stay in Dallas!"

Kids views on life

2010-03-19T15:57:00.004-05:00

This is my first attempt at joining a blog hop (or whatever they are called). Lucy, over at Mystical Rose Design, is hosting (is that the right phrase? am I really that old that I don't know this???) a blog hop called "Kids say the darndest things Fridays".

And yes, Little One has come up with some interesting sayings and interpretations. One of my more recent favorites is "there is no God like Joe".

Head on over to some of the other blogs for other cute kids.

One more year

2010-03-16T14:49:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Little One! She turned four this past weekend (I can't believe it!). This is the first year that we gave a birthday party with kids. She had a blast!

My birthday is tomorrow. So far, this decade seems...less energetic...than the last. Women, note that your hormones really do start to decline in your late 30s to early 40s. Ugh - I have to get some energy back somehow!

And, of course, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! (Good thing I like the color green; lots of green birthday cakes growing up.) Little One and I will be discussing the Trinity (hopefully with a shamrock art project, but that depends on Mommy's energy level). Maybe we can say the St. Patrick's chaplet.

Have a great St. Patrick's Day, wear green, and pray for greater faith!

PS: We managed to make and decorate a shamrock yesterday. We talked about the Trinity -- and then Little One handed me the shamrock and said "Happy Birthday!" Apparently she and her father had already discussed making me a green card, and I confused the matter by making a green shamrock. :)

Lent at our house - How are we doing so far?

2010-03-10T20:08:00.005-06:00

Little One found a way around the "fasting from shopping during Lent": visit the grandparents who acted as babysitters one night, fail to mention the family Lenten fast from shopping, get grandfather to buy stuffed animals and two DVDs - and then explain to Mommy the next morning that these weren't really toys but rather a stuffed animal and movies (because I must have explained it to her as "no buying things like toys").

Purchasing canned goods for weekly donations: not so well. But we will do this. It just may be in one lump sum.

Lighting purple candles: sort of, but we're running low on candles, which aren't really a necessity, so...back to our white Lady of Guadalupe candle.

Reading books on Lent, Stations of the Cross, and Easter: at least we have one success! We also started a book on the rosary and then said the introductory prayers using her rosary beads. How precious is that?

Hanging Stations of the Cross around the house: we haven't done this at all, and I had to admit this failure to Lucy in the comments section of Lent at our house.

Lent at our house

2010-02-17T11:45:00.005-06:00

Little One will be four in less than a month (I can't believe it!), and we've tried to come up with some ideas for Lent that she can start to embrace. One thing that we are doing as a family (besides praying together) is to fast from shopping (except for birthdays and necessities). Now, I'm not saying that we buy a lot of stuff, but both my husband and I do have a tendency to buy little things here and there for our daughter - or for ourselves for that matter. I don't remember getting things growing up outside of Christmas, birthdays, and the occasional visit to grandparents (when we got to have "special" cereal and candy). So, this family sacrifice is both for Little One and us: how to have patience, learn self-control, and detach from material things.

I also purchased (yes, before today) several small books on Lent, Easter, and the Stations of the Cross that we can read during this time. We will be purchasing canned goods and donating them to our church's food pantry each week, and lighting purple candles at dinner.

Katie has some great ideas as well. I will attempt to make and hang pictures for our own Stations of the Cross around the house.

Praying that this Lenten season brings you closer to God.

It's snowing!

2010-02-11T18:48:00.001-06:00

Yes, that is worthy of blogging about here in Texas. I don't think I have ever seen a whole day of snow falling! Luckily, I could work from home, which meant I could take a few breaks with Little One. She finally got to make her snow angels! And throw a few snow balls.

We will almost certainly be at home tomorrow as well, since the slushy roads are expected to ice over night (making it nearly impossible for Texans to drive).

Tim Tebow ad - and a FOXNews.com opinion

2010-02-04T18:49:00.002-06:00

On FOXNews.com, Kevin McCullough provides an interesting perspective on the much discussed upcoming Super Bowl ad featuring football player Tim Tebow and his mother.

The fear and loathing coming from the pro-choice community over this ad has been intense. It’s especially intense given that none of the people coming forward to decry it have actually seen it!

Dallas visit of the holy relics of Christendom

2010-02-01T14:31:00.004-06:00

For those in the Dallas area, please note that Holy Trinity Catholic Church (my parish!) will be hosting holy relics of Christendom:

The Holy Relics of Christendom to be exhibited at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas

For as long as there have been saints in the Catholic Church their holy remains, personal belongings, and even implements of martyrdom have been preserved as relics of their saintly life and a means of connection to them. In addition to the saints, the faithful have also venerated items believed to be associated with the death of Christ. Soon a collection of these relics, from pieces of the cross, the crown of thorns, and relics of clothing long believed to have been used 2000 years ago by Christ and his Mother will be on rare public display along with a large private collection of many centuries of saintly relics in Community Life Center of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas.

The relics will be on display the second week of Lent on Saturday February 27th and Sunday February 28th from 10AM until 7PM. Special guest speaker, Steve Landregan, historian and archivist from the Diocese of Dallas, will conduct a presentation at 10am on Saturday, Feb. 27. Large crowds are expected for both.

Pneumonia - really?

2010-02-01T14:09:00.003-06:00

Little One was diagnosed with pneumonia last week. She was almost admitted to the hospital because her blood oxygen level was low. Luckily the office breathing treatment brought it back up. She had to have a chest x-ray, which showed that her lungs were leaking. Back to the doctor the next day for more x-rays. Thankfully, this time the leaking had gone away (otherwise she would have been admitted to drain the fluid). She is better now, but still on medication. Wow - scary times!

We had lots of family and friends praying for us and are thankful that she is on the mend.

Hi Jesus. We pray for an end to abortion

2010-01-22T11:22:00.003-06:00

On the way to preschool and then onto work, Little One and I pass by (at the posted speed of 65 mph...ok, maybe a little faster) a Catholic church. We wave, say "Hi" to Jesus, and make the sign of the cross. Sometimes we add a short prayer. Today's was "We pray for an end to abortion."

Today is the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. You can join virtually here. For some reason, the website keeps locking up on me, but I will try again in a bit.

Baby Blue Laces for Life

2010-01-21T15:00:00.004-06:00

Here is a great way to show your pro life support. Proceeds from the sale of baby blue shoelaces with "Laces for Life" printed on them are donated to pro life organizations in financial need. You can order them from the group's website.

Praying for those in Haiti

2010-01-13T13:06:00.003-06:00

Please say prayers for those in Haiti, recently struck by a 7.0 earthquake. The poorest country in the Western hemisphere has little resources to cope with this disaster. To help, you can donate via Catholic Relief Services or the American Red Cross.

2nd largest abortion clinic to open in Houston

2010-01-11T12:58:00.004-06:00

Check out the video at Bound 4 Life. My lovely hometown - Houston - is soon to be the home of the second largest abortion facility in the world. That's right: the entire world. The facility is located in a former bank, which is being renovated by Planned Parenthood and will include equipment and space for late-term abortions. It will be located near my alma mater the University of Houston.

Dallas' March for Life is this Saturday, January 16.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T11:26:00.008-06:00

Wishing everyone a very happy new year and many blessings in 2010. Our Catholic faith gives us a wonderful way to ring in the new calendar year with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1).

A bit of history: Mary is called Theotokos, meaning "God-Bearer". Since Jesus was fully God and fully man, we rightly call Mary the mother of God. In the early 400s, Nestorius, for whom the heresy Nestorianism is named, proposed that Mary only gave birth to Jesus' human nature (and not His divine nature). The Councils of Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451) condemned this idea.

And today is the feast day of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, one of my favorites!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-18T12:07:00.003-06:00

Yes, I know I am a week early (wow - only a week away??), but this next week will be filled with preparations away from the computer. So, I pray that everyone has a wonderful, safe and joyful Christmas.

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2: 13-14)

Advent in our household

2009-12-08T15:57:00.003-06:00

Now that Little One is a little older, we've made a more conscience effort to install Advent traditions in our household. We had an Advent calendar last year, and have one again this year. We also have an Advent wreath this year. Little One enjoys blowing out the candles, and it helps us focus on eating dinner at a slower pace (a nice side benefit).

Our crèche is set up on the mantel, but with only the animals in the manager. Mary and Joseph are moving toward them, as is the shepherd. The three wise men are wandering around on the nearby bookcase. And baby Jesus is asleep in a bowl on the mantel (really, he would get lost if I tried to move Him around the house). Little One wanted to know when baby Jesus (sometimes called baby God) gets to come out of the bowl.

I wanted to do a Jesse Tree this year, but I've been so tired lately (ok, for awhile, but that is another story). I did purchase a small children's book on Jesse Tree stories, so we do read that most nights. Maybe next year I can put up a tree.

Speaking of trees, yes, we did put up and decorate our tree. I do like someone's idea (sorry, don't remember who it was) of decorating slowing through Advent.

St. Nicholas Day was celebrated with chocolate gold coins, a peppermint stick, and a St. Nicholas holy card, all found in a pair of boots by the door. Even though I reread the story of St. Nicholas to her and tried to explain that she'd get some small candy in her shoes, I'm not sure Little One really embraced it. Perhaps next year we'll change it up a bit and just exchange some small token (like chocolate - chocolate is good!).

And of course today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Little One and I went to Mass. Yes, she wanted to go with me, even though it wasn't a church day. :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T08:53:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all. May you have a blessed day with family and friends.

Crock pot chicken broth

2009-11-18T14:00:00.002-06:00

Mmm! Does this ever make the house smell good! I make it in the crock pot so that I don't have to worry about watching something on the stove all day (because I will worry).

I start by adding veggies to the crock pot, including carrots, celery and onions. The first time that I made this broth, I had collected vegetable parts in the freezer for awhile, so it was quite the mix. Next, add the leftover chicken with bones that I roasted for dinner (or more likely picked up cooked because I was working late and husband was sick), and place it in the crock pot. Add salt, pepper, garlic cloves, and a splash of vinegar (supposed to bring out more of the good stuff from the bones). Add water to cover, which equals about 6 cups in my slow cooker.

Cook on high (low is probably fine) overnight. Let cool. Remove and discard vegetables. Remove meat from bones. The meat should literally fall off the bones, but make sure you get all the bones out. Cool in the refrigerator, and then freeze in 1 or 2 cup portions in the freezer. I store mine in freezer bags marked with the date and the amount, freezing them first on a cookie sheet so that the bags are flat and store easily.

Use as needed, for instance in some yummy homemade chicken noodle soup.

You know you're Catholic when...

2009-11-16T10:27:00.004-06:00

I took Little One to a reading of Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas at Borders this weekend. The woman reading the book stopped periodically to ask the kids questions. One question had me making an automatic response in my head: "And who is St. Nick?" As the kids answered "Santa Claus!", I was thinking "Well, he was a 4th century bishop who is the patron saint of children and sailors...oh, you mean Santa Claus."

If I didn't realize before how much I have embraced my Catholic faith, I do now!

Unscheduled break

2009-11-10T21:08:00.004-06:00

My lack of posts lately started as work related (darn that pesky job...oh, wait, it pays the bills - never mind), but moved into accident recovery and recovering from illness.

On All Saints Day, Little One fell mouth first onto the floor, losing her first tooth (about 4 years early) and needing several stitches on her lip and gum. Poor thing! She is better now, sans tooth, but that day was scary! Lots of blood and crying. We took her to an urgent care facility. I've only been to such a place one other time, and that was to get stitches for my husband. I've ended up sick each time, perhaps coincidently, but still!

I don't think I had the flu, but I never went to the doctor. I felt quite bad for a couple of days, and the lingering sneezing and stuffy head suggests cold, not flu.

Anyway, that's my story!

For your listening pleasure (and education)

2009-10-19T14:45:00.003-05:00

Great site for free Catholic MP3 downloads: CatholicIpod.

From the back seat

2009-10-06T13:35:00.004-05:00

What I heard coming from the backseat in song the other day:

"There's no God like Joe! There's no God like Joe!"

Now, you may be wondering who "Joe" is. He would be a three-year-old's version of Jehovah.

Burnout

2009-10-06T13:26:00.003-05:00

I've been feeling pretty stressed lately - actually for awhile. Mostly around where to live and how to move (i.e. the housing market isn't great for sellers), job situation (or perhaps career), and general stresses. Burnout? Probably. Jennifer at Conversion Diary does a great job of explaining what it is and offers some great suggestions.

Catholicism 101

2009-09-28T10:12:00.004-05:00

St. Mary's Catholic Center at Texas A&M offers a three year non-credit Catholic theology program for Aggies. Catholicism 101 is the first semester, and the first three classes with notes are online. How fabulous that this kind of program is offered and on a secular campus!

Noteworthy statistic on their site: out of the 44,000 students at Texas A&M, 25% are Catholic.

Little One's first confession

2009-09-25T15:25:00.000-05:00

Well, not really since she is only 3. However, she did insist quite vocally that she wanted to go with me a few weeks ago. I explained that she had to be very quiet and that we would most likely have to wait in line (which is good since it means that there is a line to wait in).

So, off we went to church on a Saturday afternoon. Little did the others in line know that they would get minor entertainment while waiting their turn to enter the confessional.

And little did the priest know that he would be blessed with three-year-old advice. Something like:

Father: "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
Little One: "Mommy, say the 'Glory Be'." (I'm convinced she likes this prayer because it is short.)
Me: "Maybe later dear."

And this is what I remember for my penance: "Read and meditate on the Beatitudes. And then say one ..." Uh, oh, is that bad that I forgot which prayer he wanted me to say? I tried to compensate by saying one each Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

You Shall Believe

2009-09-18T14:47:00.006-05:00

Last week, I went with a dear friend to a talk entitled "You Shall Believe". Excellent! (Although the timing of the event did nothing for my s-l-o-w transformation into a morning person.)

Two gentlemen from Australia, Ron Tesoriero and investigative reporter Mike Willesee, spoke about their investigation and documentation of several miraculous events such as a weeping statue, a communion host changing to flesh, and a woman in Bolivia with the stigmata. The interesting angle is that they use science to prove the validity of these miracles.

I have not read it yet, but I did pick up a copy of their book Reason to Believe.

You can see a short video on Eucharistic miracles and a longer excerpt from a Fox broadcast on stigmata by visiting their site.

Healthcare in the UK

2009-09-10T13:33:00.004-05:00

Posted on EWTN today, an example of how healthcare fails in the UK: Infant Left Untreated Because of U.K. Health Rules.

Doctors in England ignored a mother’s pleas for help and left her extremely premature baby to die because he was born two days before a hospital guidelines’ recommended cutoff age for providing medical treatment.

How not to succeed in becoming a morning person

2009-09-03T13:01:00.004-05:00

I failed miserably last night. See, I get tired at the end of the day, often feeling as though I could go to bed at the same time as Little One (around 8 pm). But I don't, which can lead to trouble (like last night). It starts out innocent enough: check Facebook "for a few minutes, not long. I promise!"

But since I am already logged in, I have to take a few quizzes (I am a left-brained person who does well staying on task and prefers the government to stay out of people's business), maybe play a quick game or two (or five). Then I notice that a friend from college has posted a comment on someone else's photo. College was a bit of an alternative time for me (one that I would not repeat), so there is a certain curiosity on my part to check out what is going on in the lives of the not-even-a-handful of people that I have only kind of stayed in touch with.

(It looks like I'm the one who has changed. Or was I ever really that...alternative? Of course, thinking back, I can't say that I truly fit in with that group of people either. There was the whole "Which brand of cigarettes do you smoke so I know whether or not to bum one from you" incident. The girl was genuinely confused by my "I don't smoke" answer. Then there were the "oh, you are not into girls, are you?" questions. Uh, no I am not "into girls". But I digress.)

Anyway, by clicking on the link to the friend's comment, I see a photo of a girl from that group of people. In fact, now that I think about, I think she was the one who wanted to know my brand of cigarettes. This gets me thinking about the music that I used to listen to. Which leads me to searching for anyone that may have compiled lists from certain clubs of the time and place. Which I find and then have to search for on You Tube. After listening to a number of them and exclaiming "Wow, I haven't heard this song in 15 or 20 years!" to my husband (who takes the opportunity to point out that he is younger than me), I realize that I am really tired and that it is after 11 pm.

And this is how I stay up too late.

Blood Money

2009-09-01T11:02:00.002-05:00

Watch the trailer for Blood Money, a movie about abortion and Planned Parenthood.

Making Marshmallows

2009-08-28T17:01:00.004-05:00

Last night we (mostly me) made homemade marshmallows. Not the healthiest food in the world, but nonetheless, tasty and fun to make. And, as a side benefit, making marshmallows works as a science project for Little One: mixing solids and liquids and heating them changes the form of the matter, mixing in air changes the consistency. You can do your own search, but here is the recipe that I used:

Homemade Marshmallows

.75-oz unflavored gelatin (3 envelopes of gelatin)
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Corn starch
Powered sugar

Line 9 x 9-inch pan with plastic wrap and lightly oil it. Set aside. (I used two smaller pans since I didn’t have the correct size. I also sprinkled the oiled plastic wrap with the powered sugar mix below.)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for about 10 minutes. (I don’t have a stand electric mixer, so I used a large bowl. You do need a large bowl.)

Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil hard for 1 minute. (Other recipes called for a candy thermometer, which I don’t have. Notice a trend?)

Pour the boiling syrup into soaked gelatin and turn on the mixer, using the whisk attachment, to high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, add in the vanilla extract beat to incorporate. (To continue the trend, I don’t have a whisk attachment for my hand electric mixer, although I’m pretty sure I did at one time.)

Lightly grease your hands and the spatula. Scrape marshmallow into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Take another piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap and press lightly on top of the marshmallow, creating a seal. Let mixture sit for a few hours, or overnight, until cooled and firmly set. (Just like on the bottom of the pan, I sprinkled some of the powered sugar mixture on top first.)

In a shallow dish, combine equal parts cornstarch and powered sugar. Remove marshmallow from pan and cut into equal pieces with scissors or a chef's knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar mixture. (At the time of this post, I haven’t gotten this far. I read on another site that using a pizza cutter works great too.)

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 40 large marshmallows, depending on the size you choose to cut them.

Little One and I had great fun, especially scraping the bowl afterwards. Granted, we had to go straight to bath, but it was still yummy!

Writing books

2009-08-27T11:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, my first book arrived in the mail. Before we all get excited (happy dance!), let me just say that this is a self published children’s book that would have to be revised prior to any actual publication. For more information on self publishing, try Blurb.

I learned several things. First, a lot of work, dedication and focus go into writing books. It took me several years to finalize a 30 page book (mostly due to finding the right illustrations – via photography – to go with the story).

Second, I’m excited even if the book is never sold anywhere. How cool is it to see a finished product like a book that you created?

I’m thrilled that Little One was excited to read the book and now wants to write a book too. How cute! There is much truth in the fact that children imitate what they see their parents do. They learn by example, by seeing and doing.

Final lesson: There is a reason editors exist.

Can a Night Owl become a Morning Person?

2009-08-19T14:32:00.006-05:00

My husband falls asleep right away (despite drinking caffeinated sodas and playing computer games at night), and wakes up perky. I’m jealous. Our daughter seems to be following in his footsteps (thankfully). My father is a morning person and over the years has mentioned that my mother, sister and I are not. He states this fact in the nicest way possible (bless our hearts). My uncle (mother’s brother) is a night owl extraordinaire. So, see: it’s genetic.

Or is it? I really wish I could fall asleep right away and bounce out of bed. The few times that this happens, it’s wonderful! I feel rested, and I feel like I can get so much done. It’s not like I am staying up horribly late anyway.

In fact, I have a number of friends that feel the same way (maybe that’s the problem – my friends are night owls too). A quote in an article by Deepa Ranganathan sums up my feelings:

When I told my friends I had found a way to transform myself into a morning person, they responded in one of two ways. The night people leaned in as if I were about to reveal the location of a stash of pirate gold. The morning people simply regarded me with pity and wonder. "I just don't understand why it's so hard," said one friend, a Danish medical student. "I can get up anytime I want."

So, what would it take? Not Just Laura chronicles what she did and advised me to take small steps.

There are some obvious steps like setting and keeping an earlier bedtime. Except that, again, I don’t think 10:00-10:30 pm is all that late. Don’t eat big meals before bed (no problem) or drink caffeinated beverages late in the day (this I know not to do). Avoid alcohol (done), exercise (I avoid it completely most of the time), and mentally stimulating activities (hmm, that one is a little harder). Avoid too much light at night including TV and computers (I’m good some – but not all – of the time). Take melatonin four hours before bed (never tried this).

Morning requires consistency too, for instance, waking up at the same time (helps if you go to bed at the same time). Get out of bed and take a walk (now, wait a minute!). Just like we need to avoid too much light at night, morning light helps us wake up.

I’m sure that general healthy habits help the situations too. Eating well and regularly, exercising, avoiding stress, and actually getting enough sleep.

And last, but not least, pray.

Organic okra at farmers market

2009-08-17T11:18:00.005-05:00

Every now and then, we drive out to a small farmers market in one of the suburbs. We don't go often since it is a 30+ minute drive and only has a couple of stalls that we go to (we can finish in 15 minutes - with browsing). But unlike the big city farmers market 10 minutes from our house, this one has a couple of organic farmers (vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs).

This weekend was one of those weekends to make the drive. We picked up some wonderful fresh squash, bell peppers and okra. In fact, I may have to go back next weekend to pick up some more okra. Last summer I stored up a bunch after one of the daughters taught me how to freeze it. Wash, dry and slice. Place on cookie sheet and freeze. Remove from cookie sheet and store in freezer bags. We used it for months.

For those that shy away from okra, it's really quite good. And easy to prepare. Once sliced, add to pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Add garlic and chopped green onion if you like. "Fry" up until slightly crisp. Serve.

Bird Watching and Photography for Kids

2009-08-17T11:06:00.004-05:00

No, we didn't take photos of birds. I give credit to my husband for the first activity for Little One: bird watching. Take two empty toilet paper rolls and tape together to make binoculars. Print out photos of birds and tape to walls and ceiling. Go bird watching with 3-year-old. Clearly this can be done outside with real birds. But it's a little hot, so there are not many birds about.

Since I come from a line of photographers and got a camera at a very young age, I decided to take a tour of the neighborhood with Little One and a small digital camera. She took to it quite nicely, and even got some good shots. Thankfully, digital cameras don't use expensive film. She managed to take 273 photos in 20 minutes!

Time for prayer

2009-08-04T14:31:00.001-05:00

I have become a prayer slacker. I was doing so well for awhile, but lately I don’t seem to have the time or the drive to engage in active prayer and study. Oh sure, I still say the blessing at meals, pray before I go to bed and while at Mass, maybe a rosary here and there. But study the Bible or read a Catholic book? Not much since Lent. Pray the rosary every (weekday) morning? Not every day for sure. I’ve even let slip the morning prayer routine that I started with Little One.

Now, to be transparent, I’ve let a lot of things slip lately. I suppose I’m in a bit of a funk coupled with job worries and career stress plus inertia over where to live along with our recent miscarriage. Or maybe I am just having a mid life crisis. Ok, that last statement is a definite, but I digress.

Driving to work the other day thinking about why I’ve slacked off on my rosary praying on the way to work (but not, mind you, picking up my rosary and praying), I did come to the brilliant epiphany that I didn’t need to wait until I had time to pray the entire rosary. And this was before coffee (ok, I had a cup of tea before I left the house).

Praying means a lot of things. In this earlier post, I outlined the ACTS of prayer (adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, supplication). Prayer can be long or short, just as long as we pray. And listening is as important – if not more important – than talking.

I do find that the more I pray, the more peaceful I am. Who wouldn’t want a little more peace in one’s life?

Sacred Heart

2009-07-10T16:59:00.005-05:00

Little One is fascinated by the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And with my desire to learn and pray more chaplets, I thought I would research and make a chaplet. In researching the prayers to be said for this chaplet, I have run across several versions, mostly regular rosary beads or chaplets with 33 small beads (and some number of larger beads). Most in red, which will make Little One happy since she likes red. A lot.

The chaplet starts with the Anima Christi prayer - one of my favorites:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen

One each large bead say "O sweetest Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may ever love Thee more and more."

On each small bead say "Sweet Heart of Jesus, be Thou my Love."

At the of each group say "Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation."

Conclude by saying "May the Heart of Jesus in the most blessed Sacrament be praised and adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even unto the end of time."

The God bookstore

2009-07-09T12:18:00.004-05:00

Little One's initiative to rename one of the local Catholic bookstores: the God bookstore. Very appropriate I think. The ladies in the store loved it. We purchased a nice illustrated book on saints that should last her awhile and a booklet on chaplets.

My latest creative venture (aka how to do something productive and/or creative with my little bit of free time) is to make rosaries and chaplets. I have the beads, but need to purchase middles, crosses/crucifixes, and medals. Little One wants a red one - she likes red.

More tomatoes

2009-07-09T12:16:00.002-05:00

Silly birds (I assume) ate two of my four ripening tomatoes.

Tomatoes: the taste test

2009-06-27T08:35:00.003-05:00

Wow! That was just about the best tomato I've ever tasted! Now I really wish we had a yard in which to plant a garden. Yum!

Tomatoes

2009-06-23T15:48:00.004-05:00

We have tomatoes ripening on our tomato plant in our container garden! I could have sworn that I bought a cherry tomato plant, but these are the biggest cherry tomatoes I've ever seen. We'll taste test tonight.

We had one strawberry before it got too hot here, and two banana peppers with more on the way. Mint is doing well, although now that it is hot (REALLY hot), I have to really keep up with the watering. Basil is once again hard to grow in Dallas, but does quite well down in Houston.

Out of the mouths of babes

2009-06-21T15:47:00.004-05:00

Although we explained to our three-year-old that the baby was no longer in Mommy's tummy but in Heaven, I was a little surprised by the following conversation. I wanted her to understand why Mommy and Daddy were sad and wanted to make sure that she was doing ok.

Mommy: "Mommy and Daddy are sad because the baby isn't here. Are you sad?"
Little One: "No."
Mommy: "You're not sad? Why?"
Little One: "Baby is in Heaven with Jesus praying."

Well, there you go.

Our loss - and our gain in Heaven

2009-06-18T20:49:00.004-05:00

Before Little One was born, we lost two other children through miscarriages. We recently lost another one. Yes, I struggle with "why", especially since I was on aspirin and progesterone (which worked once before). But I know this baby, along with two of his siblings, is in Heaven and that we as a family have three babies to intercede on our behalf always.

Prayer on EWTN from Mother Angelica:

My Lord, the baby is dead!

Why, my Lord—dare I ask why? It will not hear the whisper of the wind or see the beauty of its parents’ face—it will not see the beauty of Your creation or the flame of a sunrise. Why, my Lord?

“Why, My child—do you ask ‘why’? Well, I will tell you why.

You see, the child lives. Instead of the wind he hears the sound of angels singing before My throne. Instead of the beauty that passes he sees everlasting Beauty—he sees My face. He was created and lived a short time so the image of his parents imprinted on his face may stand before Me as their personal intercessor. He knows secrets of heaven unknown to men on earth. He laughs with a special joy that only the innocent possess. My ways are not the ways of man. I create for My Kingdom and each creature fills a place in that Kingdom that could not be filled by another. He was created for My joy and his parents’ merits. He has never seen pain or sin. He has never felt hunger or pain. I breathed a soul into a seed, made it grow and called it forth.”

I am humbled before you, my Lord, for questioning Your wisdom, goodness, and love. I speak as a fool—forgive me. I acknowledge Your sovereign rights over life and death. I thank You for the life that began for so short a time to enjoy so long an Eternity.

Because it was still early (first trimester), we had only told close family and Little One. Some may argue against telling a child, especially a small child. But we want her to know that every life is precious and cherished. And now she knows that the baby is in Heaven with Jesus.

We are doing ok. I'm a little nervous since I will be having surgery soon for the miscarriage, so please keep us in your prayers.

Bread and Butter

2009-05-26T10:00:00.007-05:00

Wow, apparently May was a busy month for me. My apologies for the lack of posts. Awhile back, Aussie Therese asked for the soda bread recipe that I wrote about on April 1. So, ever on top of things, here it is.

Soda Bread Recipe

This recipe isn’t mine. I found it on the Internet, but didn’t save the link. My apologies to whomever this recipe belongs. I've add commentary throughout.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
Grease or foil for baking sheet

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Add buttermilk to mixture. Mix with your hands and/or have your child mix with his/her hands until blended (dough will be sticky). Wash child’s hands. Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead lightly four to five times. Shape dough into an 8-inch round loaf (or in my case, two 4-inch round loaves). Place on baking sheet coated or covered (I don’t like cooking spray). Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees, and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on wire rack.

This is totally me and why I don’t bake much: I apparently did something wrong because even though I baked two smaller loaves instead of the one loaf suggested by the recipe, it took a bit longer to bake. I’d say at least another 15-20 minutes. And then it turned out rather dense, although I know soda bread is a denser bread.

Butter

Cream
Salt (optional)

Find a container with a secure top. We used an old baby food jar, but that doesn’t make much. Something like a jam jar would probably work great. Fill jar half way with cream (as organic and close to raw as you can get). Securely close jar. Shake, roll, or otherwise agitate for 10-15 minutes. Make a game of it with your child (mine preferred that I do most of the work). The cream will change first to whipped cream and will be very thick. Keep shaking. All of the sudden, it will change to butter; you will hear the change first (since by this time you have stopped watching the jar while you shake it). Keep shaking a few more times. Pour liquid into another container if you want fresh buttermilk. Rinse butter in jar under cold water; rinse several times. Empty onto a plate and press (use the bottom of a spoon). You want to press as much liquid out as possible. Add salt to taste if you like. Enjoy!

One million rosaries for unborn babies

2009-04-27T13:36:00.004-05:00

Please join in praying the rosary for an end to the surgical and non-surgical killing of unborn human persons. The Saint Michael the Archangel Organization is registering the number of rosaries that people are promising to say on May 1-3, 2009. Today, their site shows 27,374 registrations, and they are trying to get to one million.

Repeal of "conscience clause"

2009-04-08T18:49:00.003-05:00

On CNN.com today: "Christian doctors' group protests rolling back 'conscience' rule." The Bush administration reinforced a 30-year-old law in which health care professionals are protected from providing services that violate their morals, including performing abortions and providing contraception.

However, the Obama administration is expected to reverse the rule, opening up thousands of health care workers to potential religious discrimination.

Butter and Bread

2009-04-01T17:31:00.005-05:00

I found lovely cream and milk that is as close to raw as can be in a store from Farmers' All Natural Creamery. Boy, is it tasty! It's from grass-fed cows, organic, non-homogenized, VAT pasteurized, no added hormones. The milk comes with cream on the top.

Needless to say, the milk and cream don't last all that long. Since the cream only came in a quart size (more than we can use in the ~5-6 days that it lasts), I decided to make butter with Little One. She found it mostly fun, although Dad and I did most of the shaking. It turned out great!

Next we made brown Irish soda bread. Quite easy to make and pretty good. My husband refused to taste it and commented on its density.

Fun projects to do with the Little One. She even chose to wear her apron - all on her own!

Solemnity of St. Joseph

2009-03-19T11:24:00.004-05:00

Today is the feast day of St. Joseph, the husband of Mary. Given the current trying times, below is a prayer to St. Joseph, patron saint of workers (May 1 is the feast day for Joseph, the worker).

Prayer to Saint Joseph for Success in Work

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my many sins; to work with thankfulness and joy, considering it an honor to employ and develop, by means of labor, the gifts received from God; to work with order, peace, prudence and patience, never surrendering to weariness or difficulties; to work, above all, with purity of intention, and with detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account which I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all after thy example, O Patriarch Joseph. Such shall be my motto in life and death.
Amen.

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T14:41:00.015-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! One of my favorite saints, along with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Francis of Assisi, St. Patrick was instrumental in converting all of Ireland. He used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. For more information, please go here.

St. Patrick's Breastplate (short version)

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
Amen.

It's also my birthday. Despite it being a rather significant one, my anxiety stems not from the age number but from the economic turmoil that is catching up with our family. I know I should trust in God, but the selfish part of me wants to know why I can't have a fun and present-filled birthday. Deep down I am thankful that I have my family, my house, my health, and my job (at least for now).

I must remind myself to take a deep breath and pray. On that note, the Chaplet of St. Patrick is said on 12 beads (mine are green and include a Celtic cross at one end and a St. Patrick medal at the other end). The purpose of this Chaplet is that through the intercession of Saint Patrick, God Almighty will strengthen one's faith and grant the grace of faith to others.

Chaplet of St. Patrick
On the medal, say the Apostle's Creed. On each of the twelve green beads recite the Glory Be. Conclude with the Breastplate of St. Patrick (above).

Happy Birthday!

2009-03-15T19:31:00.004-05:00

Happy birthday to my little one! I can't believe you are three years old. Your daddy and I love you very much. May you grow strong in body, mind and spirit, and be blessed always.

(Sorry this is two days late.)

Love,
Mommy

Lenten Praying

2009-03-12T13:58:00.003-05:00

My Lenten plan this year was to repeat what I so successfully did last year (pray the rosary daily, read/study the Bible, start a prayer journal) and add reading a couple of meaningful books. Last year's Lenten season was so rewarding to me, and although I slipped out of some of my Lenten prayer practice, I have retain others.

Except this Lent I don't seem quite as drawn to reading and studying the Bible. Or recording in my prayer journal. I want to be, but I am just not feeling it. And I feel horrible about it. Needless to say, these are the two practices that have slipped a bit since last year.

I will say that I am reading an excellent book: The How-To Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel. Very interesting and thought provoking.

Moderating Comments

2009-03-12T13:54:00.004-05:00

If you've commented recently and are wondering why it takes so long for your comment to appear, I apologize. I am still getting the hang of the idea of moderating comments. Because of recent spam issues that many of us experienced, I turned on the "moderate comments" feature.

I really have to pay more attention to what I am reading in my emails since they clearly ask me if I want to accept, moderate, or delete your comments.

I've got to take a vacation (again).

Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2009-03-11T17:08:00.008-05:00

Announced on Monday: President Obama signed an executive order that opens up federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research. Quoted on CNN.com, Obama says,

"In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values," Obama said at the White House.

"In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering. I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research -- and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly."

I don't really have an answer beyond the fact that this doesn't make sense to me. First, I understand that adult stem cells have shown far more promise (I don't have a link, but I've seen and heard this a number of times). Second, yes, I would love to ease all human suffering, starting with not killing people.

I'm a bit too tired to post a more thoughtful, well-written response, so I will go with this for now.

Lenten Fasting

2009-02-24T15:56:00.009-06:00

As I've re-embraced my Catholic faith the past few years, I've struggled with fasting during Lent. I don't really have a diagnosed medical reason for not fasting, but I do have a relatively high metabolism coupled with eating habits (5-6 small meals a day) that make the fasting guidelines of "one meal, two small meals and no snacks" a bit difficult. In fact, last Ash Wednesday, I stumbled (mentally) through an early afternoon meeting and then started to see stars by mid-afternoon. At that point, and given past fainting spells, I decided to break the fast. My priest assured me that this would count as a medical condition since fainting while driving home would be bad. He also gave me wonderful input on other ways to fast, for instance, fasting from TV watching.

On a related note, I received this prayer from a friend:

A Lenten Prayer For Families

Fast from judging others; feast on Christ in them.
Fast from wanting more; feast on being thankful.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on enjoyment.
Fast from negatives; feast on positives.
Fast from stress; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from fear; feast on truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from gossip; feast on silence.
Fast from fighting; feast on peace. Amen.

Good advice for everyone, yet hard for most of us to put into practice. May this Lenten season bring you closer to God through fasting.

What's their problem?

2009-02-09T12:57:00.006-06:00

Making the rounds on Catholic/conservative blogs last week were outraged responses to the House-passed version of the stimulus bill that bans money from being spent on facilities that allow religious worship.

I'm a little late to the game, but what's their problem? Isn't one of this country's greatest strengths freedom of religion? To me, that includes being able to discuss my religion in public places. I'm not saying that the government should pay for new churches. But if students want to meet on campus for a prayer group meeting, bible study or Mass, then I don't see how that violates others' rights.

Some exerpts from the Fox.com article:

The provision bans money designated for school renovation from being spent on facilities that allow "religious worship." It has ignited a fury among critics who say it violates the First Amendment and is an attempt to prevent religious practice in schools.

According to the bill, which the Democratic-controlled House passed despite unanimous Republican opposition, funds are prohibited from being used for the "modernization, renovation, or repair" of facilities that allow "sectarian instruction, religious worship or a school or department of divinity."

Critics say that could include public schools that permit religious groups to meet on campus. The House provided $20 billion for the infrastructure improvements, of which $6 billion would go to higher education facilities where the limitations would be applied.

The American Civil Liberties Union also defends the constitutionality of the restriction, which they say has been the law since 1972.

Father speaks out against FOCA

2009-02-01T14:30:00.003-06:00

In his homily this morning, Father spoke out against FOCA and the evils of the culture of death. He then asked us to fill out the fight FOCA postcards in the pews and hand them in during the collection, giving us a few minutes to complete the postcards. It was great!

Today is the feast day of St. Brigid of Ireland. I found this prayer and thought it worth sharing:

St Brigid, Mary of Ireland
Ask for us all today
The courage to do God's bidding
Whatever the world may say
The grace to be strong and valiant
The grace to be firm and true
The grace to be faithful always
To God, God's mother and you.

In the grand scheme of things

2009-01-20T09:51:00.001-06:00

On this inauguration day, my husband’s call to let me know that the significant amount of change that he keeps in his car and the portable DVD player that was the family Christmas gift are now missing isn’t really that important in the grand scheme of things. Sure, it sucks, and yes, I have to resist the urge to say “I told you so” (please don’t leave valuables in the car). But, given that today our country swears in a new president who has made it clear that he is anti-life, the loss of some minor nice-to-haves pales in comparison. Besides, they left the car and with no damage (which, of course, means the car was unlocked…not saying a word!).

So, I humbly pray my rosary today – not for patience or such for myself, but for the new president to be guided by our Lord. And, no surprise, I really seem to be ok with this minor decrease in our property, so I receive patience anyway.

God bless our new president.

Embracing my Catholicism

2009-01-06T14:53:00.002-06:00

While I was raised Catholic and have never thought of myself as anything but Catholic, it’s only been in the last few years that I’ve really embraced my faith. Despite going to Mass every Sunday until I left for college, I wasn’t confirmed as a child. So, as a part of my journey, I decided to complete the adult confirmation class and was confirmed a little over a year ago. The saint that I chose is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, whose feast day is January 4th.

Typical of my analytical side, I spent a great deal of time researching and reading about various saints. I kept coming back to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Elizabeth Ann Seton was the first native born American to be canonized by the Catholic Church. Raised Episcopalian, she became Catholic in 1805 after spending time in Italy. Elizabeth is credited with starting Catholic education in the United States and is the patron saint of Catholic schools. She also founded the Sisters of Charity, the first native American religious community for women.

I’m drawn to Elizabeth primarily because of her work around providing Catholic education, especially for girls. It doesn’t hurt that she was the first native born American saint. If I were more superstitious, I’d say it’s more than a coincidence that she was beatified on my birthday (March 17). And, there is also a statue of her in from of the school at my church. If we happen to park near the statue, I point her out to my daughter. Last Sunday, she told me that St. Elizabeth was her saint too.

Prayer by Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

O Father, the first rule of Our dear Savior's life was to do Your Will. Let His Will of the present moment be the first rule of our daily life and work, with no other desire but for its most full and complete accomplishment. Help us to follow it faithfully, so that doing what You wish we will be pleasing to You. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-31T11:46:00.004-06:00

Belated Merry Christmas to everyone. And Happy New Year. May God bless you.

I am fortunate enough to have some time off from work to spend with my family (even better: it's paid time off). As I watch my young daughter dance around the room, I reflect on our little family and how important it is to cherish each day. Last Sunday was the feast of the Holy Family. I pray that we, as a family, live as Christian models to others. We're still working on it!

Have a happy and safe new year's eve.

Maintaining your marrige = strong family

2008-12-17T15:43:00.006-06:00

My husband and I have returned from a wonderful week together in a much warmer climate. Neither one of us realized how stressed we both had been. But more surprisingly, I don't think either of us realized how much we needed this time together without other people around. We missed our daughter terribly, but we were able to share quality time rediscovering why we got married. In no way was our marriage in trouble, but I can see how spouses slowly over time lose sight of each other and the marriage deteriorates.

The valuable lesson for us is that a strong, connected marriage will lead to a strong and happy family. Thank you to everyone who kept us in your prayers!

Traveling and the worrying mother

2008-12-03T17:54:00.008-06:00

We will be traveling in the near future on a much needed vacation. While visiting family is wonderful, this will be a real vacation. I am being a typical mother and worrying about anything and everything that could go wrong (we are leaving our daughter with relatives for the first time for longer than a day). Nonetheless, both my husband and I are looking forward to getting away together. I know we will both miss the little one, but we will also be able to focus on each other for a change.

Prayer before Starting on a Journey

My holy Angel Guardian, ask the Lord to bless the journey which I undertake, that it may profit the health of my soul and body; that I may reach its end, and that, returning safe and sound, I may find my family in good health. Do thou guard, guide and preserve us. Amen.

Fight Foca

2008-12-03T17:48:00.002-06:00

If you haven't already done so, please sign the petition at Fight Foca.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T09:13:00.008-06:00

I've been away from this blog for awhile. I blame it on my new job that seems to take all of my time. Not what I was planning, but in this economy and at my employer, I am thankful for the job.

I'm thankful for so many things in my life. I found this prayer that states it so clearly:

Thanksgiving Prayer
Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks.

Thank you for all the graces and blessings. You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage. Our food and shelter, our health, the loves we have for one another, our family and friends.

Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year.

This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Brother. Amen.

(Source: Catholic Online)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Prayer before the election

2008-11-03T11:24:00.004-06:00

Pray for a victorious outcome to the election tomorrow. Please consider carefully and conscientiously each candidate's beliefs and proposed policies, and what that means to the most vulnerable of our country.

St. Michael Prayer

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Oh, wait...some more "Yeah, buts..."

2008-10-24T17:15:00.007-05:00

Following up on my earlier post regarding the recent letter issued by the bishops of Dallas and Fort Worth: apparently there are a number of people who say that they are Catholic but strongly disagree with the bishops. The Dallas Morning News covered the reactions of DFW area Catholics in its October 14 article "Catholic bishops' letter on voting causes a stir, with critics likening it to an endorsement of McCain". Several of the dissenters are, unfortunately, from my parish, which sits across the street from the Dallas Diocese offices.

Excerpts:

"I was personally offended," said Phillip Archer of Dallas. "My bishop basically told me that if I vote for Barack Obama, I will go to hell."

and

Nicole LeBlanc said several people at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dallas walked out during the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass when the letter was read at the time usually reserved for a homily.

"As a Catholic, we're taught about being independent moral agents with free will," she said. "That letter from the bishops is basically telling us that if we vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights, we are basically immoral and our souls are imperiled."

On a positive note:

"I don't think it's an endorsement or a condemnation of a specific candidate," said Rick Nyman, a Frisco Catholic who applauded the letter. "I think it's a reminder of what church dogma is. If you like it, fine. If you don't like it, that's not so fine, but we love you anyhow."

Ms. Taylor said the letter was not an endorsement of any political candidate but sought to clarify Catholic teachings, particularly a document issued by U.S. bishops called "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship." She said the bishops felt the document was being misunderstood by some in their dioceses.

I'll admit that I missed the fact that Fr. Tony was reading the bishops' letter; I blame that on trying to keep a toddler relatively quiet and off the floor. But I did catch bits and pieces and thought "Good job for speaking about the Church's teaching on abortion."

Source for Organic Gardening

2008-10-24T15:11:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a presentation on "gardening". It was free, during a time that I could attend, and well, why not? I didn't really read the description closely but was pleasantly surprised to hear the speaker start off with "so, you want to know more on organic gardening techniques." Why, yes I do! Now, we currently don't have a yard, but someday we will.

Howard Garrett, aka the Dirt Doctor, spoke for an hour or so on various aspects of organic gardening. He started off with dispelling the myth that organic gardening is more expensive, siting the 50% savings on a golf course's water bill. Check out his website for all sorts of tips on not only organic gardening but also organic living.

No more "Yeah, buts..."

2008-10-15T16:38:00.008-05:00

The bishops of Dallas and Fort Worth issued a joint statement "to provide clear guidance on the proper formation of conscience concerning voting as faithful Catholics and to articulate the Church's clear and unambiguous teaching on the life issues as they relate to other issues of concern." Bishops Kevin Farrell and Kevin Vann leave no room for any "yeah, buts" regarding what the Church's teachings are on abortion and other issues facing the American voter today.

It is worth taking the time to read the entire statement (it's less than three pages). The bishops clear up any misconception one may have:

"...there are no "truly grave moral" or "proportionate" reasons, singularly or combined, that could outweigh the millions of innocent human lives that are directly killed by legal abortion each year."

and

"To vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or "abortion rights" when there is a morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate in the evil – and, therefore, morally impermissible."

...Today is the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila. Below are two prayers attributed to her that touched me:

Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

and

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things pass away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who has God
Finds he lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

St. Francis, the animals, and praying for peace

2008-10-07T09:46:00.008-05:00

St. Francis of Assisi's feast day was October 4 - this past Saturday. We have three cats, who, like most cats, don't travel well, making a trip to church for the annual blessing of the animals a bit too much to handle. Maybe other families bring their cats, but I think it wiser to leave ours at home. Instead, we say an extra prayer for them on this day.

If you don't know, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and ecology. But he also encourages us to be instruments of peace, to truly seek peaceful solutions. My plan was to go line by line and analyze his Prayer for Peace (see below), but I haven't quite made it. To summarize, if we didn't hate, didn't hold grudges, and offered others forgiveness, hope, love and understanding even before seeking these for ourselves, how much better would the world be?

St Francis' Prayer for Peace:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Feast of the Guardian Angels

2008-10-01T16:47:00.004-05:00

October 2 is the feast of the Guardian Angels. How comforting it is to know that we each have an angel that guards us! Psalm 91:11 says, "For to His angels He has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways." As a parent, I’m especially comforted knowing that an angel watches over my little one. In Matthew 18:10, Jesus tells his disciples, "See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven."

We say the Guardian Angel prayer every night before our daughter goes to bed:

Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom His love entrusts me here
Ever this day be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide

May you find comfort in knowing that an angel watches over you.

More on Prayer; feast day of St. Vincent de Paul

2008-09-25T16:19:00.005-05:00

The National Catholic Register has a nifty one pager titled “How (and Why) to Pray”. To summerize, prayer is made of ACTS

Adoration
Contrition
Thanksgiving
Supplication

This past Lent I started praying the rosary during my drive to work. I’ve discovered that 1) my drive to work is much more pleasant, and 2) I’m better able to face the day after having meditated on the mysteries. We also added morning prayer to our family prayer tradition, which our toddler-aged daughter has embraced. My heart smiles when I see her make the sign of the cross, fold her hands in prayer, and babble along with us (the babble is getting clearer every day).

But I long for more. I suppose I’m rather lazy in a way. I can think of all the great ways to enhance my prayer life – and then never get around to actually praying (beyond what I’ve been doing for years). Things like keeping a prayer journal (started one), or meditating on a particular prayer or bible verse.

My plan has been to really think about a particular prayer or bible verse. What does it really mean? How does it relate to me? How can I use this prayer or bible verse to enhance my prayer life?

This Saturday, September 27 is the feast of St. Vincent de Paul. Our church is supported by Vincentian Fathers, so this is a special day for our parish. I found this quote that applies very much to my current life:

"Strive to live content in the midst of those things that cause your discontent. Free your mind from all that troubles you, God will take care of things. You will be unable to make haste in this [choice] without, so to speak, grieving the heart of God, because he sees that you do not honor him sufficiently with holy trust. Trust in him, I beg you, and you will have the fulfillment of what your heart desires" (St. Vincent de Paul, Letters).

Of course, this applies to everyone all the time. Funny how just the right quote, prayer, or bible verse pops up when you really need it. Between job uncertainty, possibly listing our house for sale, and the general decline of the economy, I’ve been letting stress and anxiety take hold of me lately.

To close, I also found this prayer:

Almighty God, who called your servant Vincent de Paul to serve you in the person of those in need: Grant that we, following his example, may fulfill your commandments by defending and supporting the poor, and by loving you with all our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Hurricane Ike - Follow Up

2008-09-22T11:17:00.002-05:00

Thank you all for your prayers. All of our family and friends are safe and well. As of this weekend, most have electricity again.

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-12T15:08:00.000-05:00

Please pray for all those in the path of Hurricane Ike.

Chores, Allowances

2008-09-10T10:11:00.003-05:00

My husband and I have talked off and on about chores, allowances and grades. I grew up with minimal chores but never questioned the few that I was asked to do. I was neither paid for grades nor received a regular allowance. On the other hand, my husband didn't grow up with the same requirements for keeping his room clean, etc. He wasn't paid for grades but has said that this may have helped him in school (he never liked school growing up).

We do believe that children should participate in an age appropriate manner with the care and maintenance of the household. In addition, with some persuasion on my part, we agree that payment for grades is not how we will operate. However, I do think that some sort of allowance helps children develop money management skills as well as encourages responsibility.

Angie at Many Little Blessings validates my thoughts on allowance and offers a few additional ideas that we'll most likely use. She has a more recent post that summarizes nicely age appropriate chores. Thanks Angie!

Just a little something

2008-09-08T17:25:00.004-05:00

Okay, apparently I've been overwhelmed with life lately judging from the last time I posted anything. Does it count that I was thinking of writing something?

If you are Catholic and married to a non-Catholic, check out Kate's latest in her series on mixed marriages.

I've also been thinking a lot about prayer and what that means to me. My parents taught us the standard prayers but weren't much for informal, personal praying. My husband, on the other hand, grew up Baptist and was only familiar with informal prayer (beyond the Lord's Prayer). Sure, I pray my personal prayers - but usually silently. I am trying to be more vocal in the hopes that I can grow and so that my daughter grows up doing both.

That being said, my plan is to occasionally post prayers (formal or not) and explain why I like the prayer and how it is relevant to me.

Enough rambling from me! Let me know how you approach prayer and if you have a favorite prayer.

What does this teach kids?

2008-08-18T12:48:00.004-05:00

Recently, the Dallas Independent School District announced its new grading policy. The key points are:

Homework grades should be given only when the grades will "raise a student's average, not lower it."

Teachers must accept overdue assignments, and their principal will decide whether students are to be penalized for missing deadlines.

Students who flunk tests can retake the exam and keep the higher grade.

Teachers cannot give a zero on an assignment unless they call parents and make "efforts to assist students in completing the work."

(Dallas Morning News, Aug. 17, 2008)

What does this teach students? First, doesn't this significantly lower educational standards and diminish the value of a degree? Second, what life skills does this teach? Employers should let you do whatever whenever you get around to it?

Is this happening across the country - or is this merely bad news for Dallas students?

Dirty Dozen

2008-08-15T13:56:00.002-05:00

Many already know this, but just in case I've listed the "dirty dozen" fruits in vegetables in terms of pesticides. The list was developed by the Environmental Working Group and can be found here.

1 Peaches
2 Apples
3 Sweet Bell Peppers
4 Celery
5 Nectarines
6 Strawberries
7 Cherries
8 Lettuce
9 Grapes (Imported)
10 Pears
11 Spinach
12 Potatoes

Carrots are listed at number 13. Since we eat a lot of carrots, they are on my organic list. I didn't look into the details of the research, but I'm surprised that tomatoes don't rank higher.

Sexualization of Young Girls - Part 2

2008-08-07T11:28:00.011-05:00

A few weeks ago I blogged about recent studies on the sexualization of young girls. Two new reports caught my attention that further confirm the negative impact of media on our children.

The first is a new book So Sexy So Soon by Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne and reviewed recently on the Today show. You can read an excerpt here. In their book, the authors discuss how today's highly sexualized culture and media affects our children - even the youngest, and offer advice on how parents can protect them. Examples of real life stories include seven-year-old Hannah thinking that she is fat, five-year-old James drawing a picture of a professional wrestling girl (complete with large chest), and seven-year-old Eva asking her mother what a certain sexual act meant.

Released this week, the Parents Television Council's™ report "Happily Never After" concludes that prime-time television paints marriage in a negative light, glorifies non-marital sex, and exposes children to formally taboo sexual behaviors. Particularly disturbing are the statistics reported for the so-called "family hour" (8-9 pm Eastern):

The Family Hour — the time slot with the largest audience of young viewers, where one might reasonably expect broadcasters to be more careful with the messages they are communicating to impressionable youngsters – contained the highest frequency of references to non-married sex as opposed to references to sex in marriage, by a ratio of 3.9:1. During the 9:00 and 10:00 hours, the references to non-marital versus marital sex averaged 2.5:1.

We parents must protect our kids as much as possible while guiding them on how best to live their lives. As Dr. Ray Guarendi says, "Walk with God, and hold your kids tight by the hand."

How to Know God

2008-08-06T14:00:00.006-05:00

Darcee over at Simply Catholic posted a wonderful description of how we know and love God. She outlines how we develop our relationship with God through

- Nature, Art, Music and Beauty
- Prayer
- Scriptures
- Catechism
- The Sacraments
- Writings of the Saints and others
- The Lives of Others
- Our Service to Others

Thanks Darcee!

Save money by not wasting fruits and vegetables

2008-08-04T13:04:00.003-05:00

No rocket science here: make sure you use your fruits and vegetables before they go bad. We are usually pretty good about this at our house since we love fruits and vegetables. But every now and then, I throw something out. I hate to do it. Seems like such a waste.

So, besides only buying what I think we will use, I will now try to freeze any leftovers. Again, this seems so obvious, especially since I freeze extra portions of soups and such. Apparently it took reading Shauna's post to get me to really think about freezing extras.

Here is a trick to freezing portions of soups, stews, and I assume just about anything: label and fill a plastic bag with the portion that you will need in the future, close and lay flat on a cookie sheet, and place in freezer. When it is frozen, you will be able to stack the flat portion more easily than a lumpy version that's just thrown in the freezer. Now, there's some rocket science!

Vinegar Cleaner

2008-07-24T15:32:00.008-05:00

If you haven't already, give good old vinegar and water a try for a household cleaner. I waited a long while before mixing up a batch because I couldn't believe it would work as well as chemical cleaners. Recently, I decided to give it a whirl.

I mixed half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle, added a few drops each of tea tree, lavender and peppermint essential oils, and mixed in a couple of drops of liquid castile soap. It works great on greasy stoves, kitchen counter tops and bathrooms. And it's inexpensive!

Have you tried a natural cleaner that works particularly well? Let us know!