Easter Bonnet Craft

Amelia had to make an Easter bonnet for a class project. There were very little to no instructions for this. I've been thinking about this on and off for about 2 weeks, trying to figure out how to make one. Then, I remembered something I had seen in this magazine a few years back! I had most of the supplies on hand that I needed to put it together. Here are the pictures of the process.....

Once the pieces were cut and glued together...all that needed to be done was to decorate it. We used paint, artificial flowers, crepe paper and stickers and ribbon.

I think they turned out rather cute, don't you?

Emergency Update!

Update:  Thank you all for your prayers...they are much appreciated and much needed!  Currently, my wonderful mother in law is the ICU in "stable" condition.  They have been running tests on her all night. It is thought that she probably has a GI bleed of some kind.  She will be there until at least tomorrow.  I spoke to her this morning and she is very weak.  Please continue to pray!

It is Palm Sunday today.  Did you know that it was because of this day that the state of Florida received it's name?  Have a Blessed day!

"Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Emergency Prayers Needed!

Had to call 911 for my mother in law!  Please pray!  Details when I have them!
Thank you so much!

It caught us!

Well, the stomach virus that has been going around has finally caught up with us. Last night, Amelia was playing one minute...and the next, asking for the bowl because she felt like throwing up. She never threw up....until this morning. She is sleeping now. The good news is, 2 loads of laundry have been done...and Amelia has had a bath...all before 6am on a Saturday. ***Sigh***

In other news, I had some dental work done yesterday! I have been avoiding this for a while now as I'm not a big fan of the dentist. I had one tooth extracted and one root canal done. Since it required sedation (don't ask), I was in the chair from about 9:30am to almost 2:00pm and spent the rest of the afternoon "sleeping it off". I had oatmeal for dinner and we watched the first DVD of Jesus of Nazareth.

This will be one of those Saturdays where nothing much gets done, but, that's ok. Sometimes it's necessary to forget about the stuff to "do" and just "be".

I'm sure I'll have something much more interesting to post about next week! In the meantime...have a wonderful weekend!

The Owl Family!

Have you been watching Molly, McGee, Max and Pattison? I noticed Danielle Bean posting about Molly last week! I've been hooked ever since!

McGee and Molly are Barn Owl parents that live in San Marcos California. Recently, Molly laid 6 eggs (one didn't make it). So far, two of the eggs have hatched....Max was first...and Pattison came late last night (CA time). The next egg will probably hatch sometime in the next two days.

If you click here....you will be able to watch Molly take care of her owlets! I must say that this is a wonderful teaching tool! Our kids wake up every morning and run to the computer to check on Molly. McGee does not live in the nest with Molly but he brings her food several times a night to keep her and the owlets fed. So far, I have watched him bring a rat, a couple of mice and 2 rabbits! I've learned more about owls in the last few days than I have in my entire life!

Take a few minutes to read Danielle's post (link above) and then go there yourself!

How about some truth.....for a change!

"No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary: either they will give up sin or they will give up the Rosary" -Bishop Hugh Doyle

You know what!

When I woke up this morning....I was very sad about "you know what" that happened yesterday. I was also just devastated about "you know who's" flip flop...although I wasn't surprised. I was disgusted by the other "you know who's" GIANT GAVEL that she carried across the street (just for show, mind you). I wish she would have asked me where she should put it....I would have figured out a really good place!

Apparently, the BIG KAHUNA "you know who" is going to sign the "you know what" tomorrow at 11:15am. Thankfully, I'll be at work trying to earn money to pay for the health care coverage that I have (I can hardly wait until it's FREE!) so I won't be able to watch the spectacle. I just wonder if burning the Constitution will be part of the ceremony.

Huh?

Mom: Amelia, did you clean your room like I asked you to?

Amelia: Yes, I didn't!

***and people wonder why my brain is mush!**

There are no words.....

If there was EVER ANYBODY that deserved EXCOMMUNICATION.....it's her! Here's the video.....if you can stand it!

Nancy Pelosi prays to St. Joseph for the healthcare bill to pass.

Wordless Wednesday!

Try as they might.....

the secular media is NOT going to destroy the Church or this Papacy! I have proof:

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it" Matthew 16:18.

This (read the article here) is just another futile attempt to bring down the Church and trap our Holy Father! We need to pray, pray, pray! This is straight from the pit, my friends.



Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection 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 Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

Movie Night...and mischief!

Tonight was movie night! We decided on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Dan and Nathan had already seen it at the movies, but because I hadn't, they agreed to see it again. This one wasn't as enjoyable as the others (IMHO). To me, it seemed really dark and I just didn't like the direction it was going. I was glad when it was over.

The girls were not interested in this movie and I really wouldn't let them watch it anyway. They happily skipped off to their room to "play school" while we had popcorn and watched the movie. Because Dan has a great view of the hallway from his spot on the sofa, he would call out to me every now and then that the girls had made several trips to the bathroom. This should have been my first clue that they were into something they shouldn't be.

When the movie was over, I slowly walked toward their bedroom to see what they were doing. It was eerily quiet. I could see them both sitting on the floor....concentrating on something.
Besides totally destroying their room.....they had apparently decided they wanted to paint..............with Q-tips....the brand new box I just bought at the store YESTERDAY! What did they use for paint??? Well, I'm glad you asked......FRUIT PUNCH! Yes..you heard that correctly....fruit punch. Luckily, they were "painting" on paper...and not the walls or the carpet!

They had their paintings laid out nicely on their dressers to dry! There must have been at least 30 pink stained Q-tips all over the floor! Sigh......

Apparently that's what I get for allowing my two girls to play in their room unsupervised for 90 minutes! My bad.

On Sale!!

I just bought these two activity books on sale at one of my local Catholic Bookstores! I'm so excited! For those of you who have them (and use them), I'd love to hear about your personal experiences!

Quiet time...

If you are looking for some quiet time with God, have I got the solution for you! Get yourself a John Michael Talbot CD! I'm not kidding! This music is amazing! Are you stressed? Are you overwhelmed? Are you not feeling the closeness with the Lord the way you want to? Please try this CD! Click here to here this lovely song!

Healer of my soul

Keep me at the even'

Keep me at the morning

Keep me at noon

Healer of my soul

Keeper of my soul

On rough course faring

Help and safeguard my means this night

Keeper of my soul

I am tired, astray, and stumbling

Shield my soul from the snare of sin

Healer of my soul

Heal me at even'

Heal me at morning

Heal me at noon

Healer of my soul

May I have a moment?

Yesterday, we received a letter in the mail from the U.S. Census Bureau. What I find most interesting is that the address was wrong. It had the right house number but the wrong street! We live on what I call an "s curve". The street that appeared on the letter is the street that is perpendicular to the street we actually live on. How is it that this letter was delivered to us? Oh, and by the way...it was addressed to "Dear Resident". I went ahead and opened (against my better judgement) it. The letter was very short...it just informed us that next week, our census form would come in the mail. It also mentioned that it is very important for us to fill out the form so that everyone in our city gets their "fair share" of resources.

Does anyone else see the weirdness of this? I mean, we pay taxes. We have a home mortgage...we have insurance, power, and cable...among other things. Please tell me why it is that the census bureau does not have a correct address for us. Especially since they say this is so very important for us to fill it out. I mean, you would think they would have gone to great lengths to make sure it gets to us.

Dear Federal Government,

There are 5 (five) of us living in this house on the wrong street. That is all the information you are getting out of me!

Sincerely,
The Residents

***Here's an interesting little tidbit of info for you....it is likely that the U.S. government spent close to $42,000,000.00 to send out that letter! Click here for the details!

Novena to St. Joseph

We know Joseph was a man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back.


Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, great you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death and the special grace I now implore: (mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

**This Novena Prayer to St. Joseph is to be recited at the end of each day's devotion. Each day's devotion can be found here**

Why Catholic?

Last night was the first session of our Why Catholic? Journey Through The Catechism study group. We will meet weekly for 12 weeks for this part of the study called "The Profession of Faith-What We Believe".

As a Catholic, I want to nourish my faith and live it more fully....more authentically. It is my hope that this study will help me to do that.

Right off the bat, we started off discussing the fact that "as Catholics, we believe that the desire for God is written in the human heart because God creates us and constantly draws us to deeper communion (See CCC 27). There is within each person an internal desire for God, a deep yearning for the holy."

This first page of the Catechism quotes Vatican Council II as stating...."The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists, it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator."

Isn't it incredible that the desire for God is written in our hearts as soon as we came into being?
We were created for a relationship with Him! Period! Bottom line! We all have a God sized hole in our hearts. Many of us spend lots of time....often our entire lives...searching for what will fill up that hole. We try many things.....food, alcohol, drugs, sex, wealth, work, material things, empty relationships. Nothing is going to fulfill us. Nothing is going to fill that hole, except God.

O God, our Father,

in response to your grace,

we are constantly searching for you.

Sometimes it is difficult to sustain this search.

Help us this day to listen

to the sound of your unhurrying feet,

as you reveal yourself to us

and seek us out in the crossroads of our conversations,

our busy actions,

and the empty silence of our lives.

Help us to be at rest in you.

We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord

in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

This is Amelia.....after getting into my make up! I think she looks like the Joker from Batman?

MRI Results

Well, the results from my MRI show a "bulging disc at the L5-S1 region". I'm not entirely sure what that means....only that it is painful. Apparently, it's pretty common and in most cases, there is nothing that can be done. If I'm lucky, I might get a couple of physical therapy sessions out of it...but for the most part, I'm just going to have to grin and bear it.

After reflecting on my post from this morning, I realized that God has given me the perfect offering for this Lenten season. Perhaps I can offer up my pain and discomfort....perhaps this is my cross to bear for now.

I'm really looking forward to our Faith Sharing "Why Catholic?" group tonight. I will share with you my thoughts on the beginning of this study come tomorrow.

Thanks for all of your prayers and concern. Oh...by the way....the picture above is not of my spine, but it shows perfectly what a bulging disc looks like on the left. The photo on the right is of the same person...after some sort of stem cell (adult) treatment.

Oh my!

I'm up at 4:46am...couldn't sleep...had a bad dream. Can't remember it exactly, but, here I am. I wanted to check out some of my favorite blogs, but found my Google Reader at 1000+ entries to read! This might take me a month to get through! I might have to do one of those "mark all as read" maneuvers just so I don't go blind trying to read them all!

For whatever reason, this has not been a very productive Lent for me. I'm not sure why. I've not been very disciplined...at all. I never even made the effort to attend our Parish Mission this year. Because of that, I missed 4 nights of spiritual enrichment and 4 opportunities for confession. I also haven't done any of the activities I had planned to do with the kids. I think between Olivia's surgery and my back injury...I just haven't had any motivation.

On a positive note, our Parish has begun a new faith study called "Why Catholic? A Journey Through the Catechism". You can read more about it here. Our group will meet on Monday nights from 7:30pm until 9:00pm. Perhaps what I really need is an hour or two away from the craziness of life to focus on my faith. I am looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I guess I will pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again. There is still time to make this a special Lent. Oh, and I am planning a Novena to St. Joseph beginning on March 11 and ending on his feast day! Anyone want to join me?

Oh, one more thing.....I had my MRI on Friday. I was moving much better by then and so I felt a little silly having it done at all. It's an expensive test and I was thinking that it might not be necessary to do it. However, I realized while trying to get onto the table....there is definitely still something wrong with my back! I made it through the procedure without freaking out as they put me in feet first this time. In addition, my head was never fully covered! Getting off of the table proved trickier than getting on. I needed both techs to help....because of the pain, I could not pivot my hips the way you need to in order to get up and get off of the table! Hopefully, I will have the results by this afternoon.

Have a blessed week everybody!

Great Idea!

I think these are way cool!

Same thing here!

How come I never think of this stuff?

The story of Noah's Ark......

as retold by a 4 year old....

"He build a boat. Because there was gonna be a flood. Animals were on it. And Noah. Forty days it rained. They see ground. Blue sky with a rainbow."

--Olivia Widener, Age 4

Well, I think that about sums it up, don't you? I love these narration exercises...especially with these little ones. I'm always amazed at how their minds work and it's fun to see what they remember about the story. If you could see the picture she drew, you'd see a HUGE purple rainbow...and Noah.

As an adult, I would have probably drawn a picture of the rain...the flood and destruction....cause isn't that what we adults do? We focus on the negative, on our struggles and on those times that we feel God has abandoned us. Not so with children.....at least mine. They always focus on the good, the best outcome, how they hope it to be. I think I can take a few lessons from my kids!

****P.S....I saw my doctor today. She's ordered an MRI of the Lumbar Spine for this Friday. Until then, I have muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatorys to keep me company****

Daily Frustrations

A couple of times a month, I receive an emailed newsletter from Heart of the Matter. One of the articles that came today is called...."Cutting Down on Frustrations". Although I don't homeschool (at least not yet), I am definitely guilty of some of the things mentioned. The example that the writer used really hit home for me. My kids have been "overlooked" or shewed away so that I could finish something...like an email or a phone conversation or...cleaning out the pantry. Sometimes, my priorities get out of whack, and that is surely my fault. I need to work on this.

Please take a few minutes to read this article...especially if you're a homeschooling or stay at home mom.

P.S. Thank you for all of your prayers for my latest physical ailment! I'm still moving really s.l.o.w. today! I think this is just one of those things that's going to take time!