Unless otherwise specified, all writing here on my blog is my own original work. If you refer to something I've written here, please be sure to give me proper credit.

COMMENTS ARE MODERATED: Please don't let that deter you from commenting, though. I LOVE to read your thoughts! I only ask that you keep it clean & respectful.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Small Successes

SMALL SUCCESSES HAS MOVED
Still hosted by Sherry of Chocolate for Your Brain, Small Successes can now be found at CatholicMom.com.
Here's the link. (But please don't forget about Sherry...she's an AWESOME writer w/ an incredible sense of humor & always has something great to read on her blog!)

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done!

1) I made two batches of rhubarb muffins from THIS recipe. They were quite yummy. I didn't have yogurt on hand, so I used sour cream & 1 t. of vanilla extract. Also for the topping, I didn't use nutmeg (Casinodad doesn't like it) or almonds (we didn't have any).

2) I've been working on school planning...printing books we'll need, started on write-ups I need to submit to our local school district, & ordered tests


3) I'm learning to knit! I tried crochet, but for some reason I could never get past the chain stitch & move on to the second row when on my own.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful
for little toddler boys (ie. The Saint) who love the song "Like a Shepherd" & will sing along w/ Momma (ie. Moi) while she's rocking him!

2) I'm thankful for get-togethers w/ dear college friends of mine. At least three times a year (New Year's Eve, Memorial Day, & Labor Day), we gather at one of our homes. It's been great to have maintained our friendships & see our children grow up as friends. I asked one friend the other day how we've gotten to the point of having teens & pre-teens!

3) I'm thankful that Casinodad's new/old job has be going well for him. He seems much happier when he comes home & looks forward to going in each morning.

4) I'm thankful for the sweet residents at the nursing home where I work on Saturdays. There are several who wheel themselves up to the lobby to just sit & watch visitors coming in. I have some of the best conversations w/ them. A few weeks ago, as I was leaving one said to me, "You be careful going home. I want to see you again."


5)
I'm thankful for our church secretary. She's helping us keep The Saint in Mass. She has a little Tootsie Roll bank on her desk w/ his name on it. If he stays in church the whole time, he gets all the goodies inside after Mass (a few pieces of candy & a small coin). Each week there's a little something more.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Small Successes

SMALL SUCCESSES HAS MOVED
Still hosted by Sherry of Chocolate for Your Brain, Small Successes can now be found at CatholicMom.com.
Here's the link. (But please don't forget about Sherry...she's an AWESOME writer w/ an incredible sense of humor & always has something great to read on her blog!)

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done!

1) I cleaned out our turn-style cabinet in the kitchen which holds all our plastic storage containers & cups.

2) After spackling the holes & dents, I painted one of the walls in our kitchen...half w/ chalkboard paint & the bottom 2 1/2 feet w/ a green paint that matches the rest of the kitchen. I've been wanting to do this for a while.


3) I said yes to the boys when they asked if they could have Monday off school if they cleaned the basement. Yet another benefit of homeschooling, plus I'm planning on year-round schooling. That way we can talk more frequent breaks w/out the worry & stress of missing school. And the munchkins won't have to spend a month relearning what they've forgotten over the summer!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Life's An Airplane

Do you ever have those moments when you hear something that really makes you stop & think? Sure you do! It might be a poem, a quote, or a song. Maybe it's a scripture passage that keeps popping up. All of a sudden it hits you in a profound way...and it's usually at a point in your life when you REALLY need to hear it. God does that on purpose, ya know, just to shake things up a bit & get your attention.

That happened to me this past weekend.

Sunday morning, as I was getting ready for Mass, I was listening to the "Keep the Faith" radio show on our local contemporary Christian music station. In between the great Christian music they play, they share stories of faith & encouragement.

One of the on-air personalities said something about comparing our path to Heaven to an airplane. Nobody gets on an airplane & says, "Hey, I think I'll just stay on here." No, an airplane is meant to get us to a destination. (You could insert any vehicle in place of an airplane...car, train, boat, spaceship, etc.
)

WOW!

Basically he was saying that our lives are like that airplane, the vehicle carrying us to our ultimate destination...Heaven.
I didn't have time to finish listening to the rest of the program, but it did not leave my mind & I got to thinking.

Airplanes & other vehicles need fuel to power them. So do we...food for our physical bodies & the power of the Eucharist for our souls, Christ's own Body & Blood given for our sins.

Vehicles need regular maintenance to keep them safe for travel. They need oil changes, check-ups every so many miles, regular cleanings, & repairs. We also require regular maintenance...we go to the doctor for physicals & illnesses or the dentist for cleanings & dental work. Most importantly though, we have the power of the Sacraments for our souls, especially the Eucharist, Reconciliation, & Anointing of the Sick.

When you take a trip, you need to know how to get there & some information about your destination, right? You consult your GPS or maps for the best route, guide books &/or people you know for the best sights to see. If you get off track or take a wrong turn, your GPS will recalculate your route or you can always stop to ask for directions.

Guess what! We've got great resources to get us to Heaven, too! We've got the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, & MANY other great books by incredible, inspirational writers. (Have you ever heard what the letters in the word Bible stand for? Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.) We have our wonderful religious men & women to guide us...our pope, priests, bishops, deacons, brothers, & sisters. There are many groups to support us on our journey...small faith communities, online groups, Bible studies, & so much more. So, if you ever get off track,
(Hey, we're human...so yes, we HAVE & WILL get off track MANY times along the journey!), all of these wonderful resources will help us find our way once again. And yes, even men can ask for these types of directions!

Does this all mean that we will never have any pain & suffering along the way? Absolutely not! God never promised that our lives would be easy, but as long as we focus on Him & ask for His help, we will be able to endure our trials.

Does this all mean that we can't enjoy our journey to Heaven? Absolutely not! So long as we are keeping our eyes & hearts on the ultimate "prize," we can have fun, too. We can laugh & celebrate, sing & dance. And if our joy happens to be contagious & we pick up a few travelers along the way, then our journey will be even more worthwhile!

Lovin' My Husband



Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things!

1) Lovin' my hubby for making a difficult decision to return to his previous job. It was a slight pay cut, but the stress & impact on his health were not good for him & our family.

2) Lovin' my hubby for his faith & trust in God, even when things get difficult.

3) Lovin' my hubby for his recent interest in making desserts. I may gain a few pounds, but I'm more than willing to test any of his experiments!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Small Successes

SMALL SUCCESSES HAS MOVED
Still hosted by Sherry of Chocolate for Your Brain, Small Successes can now be found at CatholicMom.com.
Here's the link. (But please don't forget about Sherry...she's an AWESOME writer w/ an incredible sense of humor & always has something great to read on her blog!)

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done!

1) I taught The Prophet how to do laundry, per his request.

2) I did a bunch of yard work this week, including purchasing a flat of impatiens AND planted them on the same day.


3) I got out all the size 4 clothes for The Saint, washed them, & got them folded. Now to make room in his drawers for them! (Perhaps a success for next week?)

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful
for my best Mothers' Day. I was spoiled the whole weekend!

2) I'm thankful for the growth I've been seeing lately in The Prophet. He's helping out more, making smarter money decisions w/ his earnings from mowing, wanting to learn how to do the laundry, & he's become quite the jokester!

3) I'm thankful for the great weather we've been having lately. I love opening up the house to fresh breezes & springtime scents.

4) I'm thankful The Saint is finally to the sizes of clothing we have stored in the crawlspace, as opposed to having to buy new clothes for him. When The Archangel outgrew his clothes up to size 3, we donated them because there weren't any brothers for him to pass his clothes to. We started saving once The Saint was born & those are the size 4 items.


5)
I'm thankful for library book sales. I bought several great history anthologies, a Tomie dePaola Christmas collection, & a sewing book all for less than $10.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Catholic Company Book Review - Saint Gianna Beretta Molla: The Gift of Life

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla: The Gift of Life by Susan Helen Wallace, FSP with Patricia Edward Jablonski, FSP is my newest book review for The Catholic Company.
I first heard of St. Gianna in 2004 & was captivated by her story. This beautiful Italian wife, mother, & doctor had just been canonized by Pope John Paul II. So when I saw this on the list of books to choose from, I knew it would be great for our family.

This little book is part of the Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books & Media. It would make a great read aloud for younger children & an easy to understand chapter book for preteens. It includes 19 short chapters, a glossary, & a prayer to st. Gianna. I plan on adding it to my 11 year old's reading list for school in the fall.

Early in her life, she considered a religious vocation & had a desire to join her missionary brother in South America. God had other plans & in her mid 30s, she met Pietro Molla. They shared a great love of for each other & their marriage was a beautiful testament to their Catholic Faith. She firmly believed that ALL life was a gift from God & the He was the center of their lives.

They had plans for a large family. Between 1956 & 1959, they were blessed with the first three of their children. It was early in her fourth pregnancy when complications arose...a tumor was found near her baby. Out of love for her baby, she opted for the riskier of three options, surgery to remove the tumor. The other options would have aborted her pregnancy. The surgery was successful & she went on to give birth to a baby girl seven months later. However, St. Gianna only survived one week after giving birth.

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla: The Gift of Life tells her story from her childhood to her canonization in 2004. She lived her life in a way that exemplified the gift of life given by God. It's easy to see by her actions & choices why she has become a special pro-life saint.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Saint Gianna Beretta Molla - The Gift of Life. They are also a great source for a baptism gifts or first communion gifts.

"Tuesday's Ten" - Faith Filled Movies

Ten Great Faith-Based Movies
(in no particular order)

1. Fireproof
2. The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry
3. Faith Like Potatoes
4. Letters to God
5. Expecting a Miracle
6. The End of the Spear
7. The Song of Bernadette
8. Monsieur Vincent
9.Pay it Forward
10. The Mission

Lovin' My Husband - Mothers' Day Edition!



Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things!

Casinodad spoiled me on Mothers' Day weekend this year. You can read all about it in THIS POST from yesterday, but here are the highlights of why I'm lovin' my hubby!

1) Lovin' my hubby for surprising me w/ a beautiful bouquet of flowers on Friday.

2) Lovin' my hubby for making up a bunch of individual cheesecake desserts for me.

3) Lovin' my hubby for making all our meals on Sunday, including breakfast in bed for me.

Monday, May 14, 2012

My Best Mothers' Day

It is now Monday, the day after my 12th Mothers' Day! I'd have to say that this qualifies as one of my best.

On Friday, the munchkins & I got together w/ my "Mom Therapy" friend & her kids. We met at the library for a book sale, grabbed some Sonic Drive-Thru specials, & headed to a park for lunch & play. When we got home, Casinodad was already there. On the table was a pretty bouquet of purple & white flowers, which he'd bought for me on his way home from work. He got started on dinner & told me to just relax. He even did the dishes afterwards!

Saturday was my work day. I arrived home around 7:30 pm to see this on the table:


I'll bet you're wondering what's in those jars! He spent the afternoon experimenting & came up w/ a variety of cheesecakes...strawberry, white chocolate mocha, chocolate cream cheese, chocolate chips, & more. Those I've eaten so far have been delicious!

On Sunday morning, he made me breakfast in bed. I was greeted to pancakes w/ white chocolate mocha creamer & scrambled eggs. The other night we had asparagus wrapped w/ bacon for part of our dinner. He chopped up some of the leftovers & mixed them in w/ the eggs...YUM!

For the rest of the day after church, he let me relax & I even took a nap for a couple of hours. He got lunch ready for all of us then made dinner in the evening...hamburgers & sweet potato fries.

While the munchkins went outside to play, we started watching Downton Abbey, which we are now hooked on!

I have to say that this was the most relaxing Mothers' Day I've had. I became quite spoiled & am now wondering if I'll be able to get back into my regular Momma routine today. I suppose I should start thinking now about some surprises for Fathers' Day next month!

I hope all my mom friends & family had a wonderful Mothers' Day also.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Small Successes

SMALL SUCCESSES HAS MOVED
Still hosted by Sherry of Chocolate for Your Brain, Small Successes can now be found at CatholicMom.com.
Here's the link. (But please don't forget about Sherry...she's an AWESOME writer w/ an incredible sense of humor & always has something great to read on her blog!)

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done!

1) I replaced the lid switch in our washing machine.

2) I cleaned up a small corner in our bedroom that was quickly becoming a dump-spot.


3) HandyGramps' birthday was last Friday. My success? I bought his birthday gift about one month earlier AND had it wrapped several days before we saw him to give it to him.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful
we survived a 20 minute trip to the doctor's office for The Archangel's well-child visit yesterday. I think every crazy driver was out in full force & I can't even count the number of accidents we managed to avoid.

2) I'm thankful I realized, BEFORE we got to the van & drove away, that I left my purse on a shelf at the library yesterday morning. (I must have left my brain at home! Ever have one of those days?)

3) I'm thankful for YouTube DIY demos. That's how I figured out how to replace the lid switch on our washing machine.

4) I'm thankful (once again) for great treasures I find at Goodwill. I took The Prophet to look for some shorts & of course I had to look at other stuff while there! I found a large box full of at least 12 binders, a bunch of folders, & more for ONLY $1.99, a 3-hole punch for 49 cents, another packet of folders for 99 cents, & four more books less than $1 each...AWESOME finds for a homeschooling Mama! And yes, we did find his shorts, too!


5)
And to wrap up today's list of thanks, I am sharing this great morning prayer from a book I just finished the other night, The Cross Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini...it's part of the Elm Creek Quilters series. This is from Vinnie, an 82 yo character. Even though I'm less than half her age, I really like it & say something similar each morning.

"You didn't take away my aches and pains in the night like I asked You to, but at least You let me see another day, and at my age I ought to be grateful for that."