Burning the Candle at Both Ends

We Marched!

Every year at the March I try and get pictures of the most thought provoking signs. This one seems to have touched a nerve with many who were there and who have commented on it on my Facebook page. 
The sentiment of the teen-age expectant mother that her mother is going to "kill" her is all too common.  As moms, we need to have the conversation with our daughters that although an unexpected teenage pregnancy would not be our hope for them, we certainly would rise to any occasion and opportunity to help our daughters make the life-giving decision she would have to make.  I pray there is never anything my daughters feel I would "kill" them over. I know we have had these discussions, but this sign was a good reminder that discussions such as these are ongoing...not just one-time chats.  By keeping these types of topics on the table for discussion, we always keep the door open for our daughters (and sons) to turn to us first if and when they need to.

The march seemed particularly crowded this year. Average age of the marchers: I would guess 25 years!  I actually felt happy to feel old in this crowd!  Our bus got us there in time to hear brief addresses by all the pro-life freshman  senators.  There were many of them.  This was a great source of hope for all that the the de-funding of Planned Parenthood and overturning of Roe vs. Wade is a real possibility. Keep praying!

I remember going to my first march about twenty years ago and on the way home in the car Dan and I turned on the radio to hear estimates of the number of marchers.  How naive we were! We were shocked into the reality that the rest of the nation is completely oblivious to what goes on each year in DC for the babies.  Not one word on any radio staion about the march. And these were local DC stations!  I pray that the internet (particulary social networks such as Facebook) will open people's eyes to what is going on.  And just to bring out the piont I am posting the only picture that NPR posted of the march: remember I estimated the average age of the marchers to be about 25?  Do you see any 25 year-olds in this picture.  Not only that, there were groups of people from every ethnicity you can iamgine. Many different religions were represented. To see this picture you would never know these things. This picture is in no way  representative of the crowds and crowds of young, diverse people there, standing for life.  Nor does it give a true sense of the enormity of the event. How is that for truth in reporting? Dont' our tax dollars support NPR? I find this reporting to  be reprehensible and deceitful.  Pro-lifers on the internet need to continue to find their voices and spread the message of life!

I think the picture below does a somewhat better job at capturing the age of the group there. Next year, my picture focus will be to represent the varied types of people the march.  Yes, admittedly Catholics are the most represented. This is because of all the groups, the Catholic Church has been the most steadfast in its support for life from conception until natural death.  It is good to see that other groups are joining in in larger numbers and hopefully that trend will gain momentum in the coming year.

 

 

Pray for the Unborn!

 
 

 

Nature 101

Thomas and Hannah were intently  watching something  on the step outside the front door. They were both fascinated and entertained.  Here is what I overheard:

Hannah: Cool. Thomas, Look at the siamese bug!

Thomas: Hannah that's not a siamese bug. I think it's two bugs.

Hannah: Your'e right. It is two bugs.  Mom! Come look at the bugs. One is giving the other a piggy back ride! Cool.

Some might call this a "teachable moment".  Not this mom.

Mom: Yes, it is cool how the bugs play so nicely together, isn't it?

He's still the one...

Remember that song from way back in the seventies? I thought it was so corny. But now, twenty- four years into our marriage, it does have some signiificance... though it is still corny.

Twenty-four years have gone by so quickly yet so much can happen in twenty-four years.  This morning, on our anniversary, I am mulling over all the things we've been through, and wondering what lies ahead.  Whether good or not, all our experiences in marriage can serve to strengthen our bond if we call upon the grace of the sacrament to help us along. Here is a list of just some of our joys and challenges of the last twenty-four years...

we brought six beautiful chldren into the world

we suffered the loss of all four of our parents

we bought our first house... a real "fixer-upper"

we sold our first house

we bought our second house.. the keeper

we watched our first daughter marry and strike out on her own with her new husband

we spent the first year and a half of married life commuting to work in the city together.. and then figured out how to live with one breadwinner once we began our family

we lived through 9-11 and all the worry that entailed (and still does) when you send your huband off to work in Manhattan each morning

we traveled most of the way across the country with six kids in a van to see the Grand Canyon

we survived seeing our two oldest daughters wreck three cars between  them and we only came away with a few more gray hairs

we lived through a major kitchen expansion/remodel and didn't kill each other or the contractor!

we are watching our children grow up and are reaping the benfits of bringing them up in the faith and trying to teach them to put God and family first.

we have thrown many  communion, birthday, graduation and any other type of party you can imagine!

we have been blessed with many, many, good and true friends

we have witnessed each other begin the aging process... the vanishing waistlines, the addtion of new chins, the graying of hair... and yet see beyond the package and into the heart (more of a challenge for him, I think!)

we learned the value of laughter even in some of our toughest crises

we flew to Europe B.C. (before children) to visit his brother in Germany and to visit the site of alleged apparitons in Medugorje

we were so blessed to have taken that trip as we lost  his brother suddenly just a few short years later

we have spent the last fifteen years trying to pass along a bit of our marriage wisdom to engaged couples in our parish's pre-cana program

we survived a period of unemployment

we got through some tight financial times  ( with lots of laughter and good humor)

we discovered the importance of not taking the other for granted

we learned that the element of surprise in marriage keeps things fresh... whether a surprise getaway, a surprise gift, a surprise night out or just a surprise spontaneous walk in the evening.

we nursed each other through sickness, surgery, and childbirth recovery

we discovered that when things get tough, prayer time together is essential.

we learned that prayer time together is essential even when things are going smooth... maybe we avoided some tough times through those prayers.

we learned that following Christ's model of service is key to a happy marriage

we learned that when one partner is willing to serve in a marriage, it creates the desire in the other to serve as well... when things are going well and both are trying to outserve each other, life can be really nice!

 

Happy Anniversary Dan! 

A Whirlwind!

It was a beautiful, whirlwind of a weekend here and I am still so overjoyed when I think about all we did. Seeing Kate and Matt surrounded by so much love was just a feeling that is hard to describe as a mother. I feel as though I am seeing one of my hopes for them fulfilled before my eyes. May they always know such love in their life together! 

Although the forecast all week was calling for a rainy Sunday, not a drop fell. In some of the photos outside the church blue sky can be seen! That in itself seemed miraculous. But I remember early Sunday morning as I returned home with the umbrellas I had just purchased (why do we never have umbrellas??) saying that these were our insurance policy against rain... like having that new snow blower and then having the winter of no snow!

Things around the house Sunday morning were so calm and peaceful. A hairdresser we know came to the house and fixed the girls' hair. A friend of Kate's friend who is in beauty school gave Kate a a gorgeous make-up job, and then the flowers and photographer showed up. Soon, out-of-town family began trickling in to catch a glimpse of the bride and her bridesmaids before heading over to the church. All commented on Kate's serenity.  She truly did have almost a supernatural calm about her which set the tone for the entire household. Dan accompanied the cantor at the Mass for the offertory song and so he and his buddy Gene were practicing the song in the living room, sipping coffee and chatting.  Family were here, snapping pictures, having a bite to eat, and catching up. The tone was set for a wonderful day. God is good!

Makeup being applied now that the hair and veil are done.

Gorgeous bouquet with the two grandmothers' charms attached. This brought a tear to more than one eye!

My "Martha Stewart moment" as I like to call them. They don't come too often! I had dried roses for the last several years that came out of bouquets Matt sent before he moved east. Most are from when he was deployed. Dan calls them the desert flowers. The candle is a Yankee Candle scent called "Wedding Day" which she got at the shower.

Luke was decked out in his bowtie for the occasion! He looks so handsome.

Hannah's gift for being the flower girl was a boxful of Silly Bandz. I'm not sure if she liked them.

 Rebecca, Jessie (Maid of Honor) and Amanda are ready and waiting for their ride to the church.

Proud Papa with the beautiful bride.

Giving away the bride.

Exchanging vows

  

I love this picture Ben took of them exchanging rings. I never knew my zoom could do this!

Leaving the church as Mr. and Mrs.
 
 

The bubbles outside the church afterwards kept the little ones happy and looked sp beautiful drifting through the air.

Twenty-four years from now and beyond, may they always look this much in love!.

 

  
 
  

Quicktakes

1. Spring track season is upon us.  That means two evenings a week spent at the track when I should be home fixing dinner... I need to get serous with better meal planning! On the plus side, this season instead of sitting in the car with a good book, I am walking the track for the whole time. It's not much, but a start!

2. Confiicts in scheduling.  What are the odds that three of my children would have conflicts with the wedding in May? Poor Ben will have to miss his Spring Championship meet and Thomas and Hannah will not be able to make the qualifiying meet for their champs either!  Since they miss the qualifying meet, they won't have to go the meets on 6/16 and 6/17, which happen to be the dates of my and Jessie's birthdays, so I can't say I'm too broken up about it.

3. The reverse surprise party. That's what I am calling the party we hosted here for my brother's fiftieth birthday this past Sunday. Because he lives in Manhattan and I don't really know many of his friends, I had this idea to have the guest of honor show up before the guests. He thought he was coming to a small family gathering for Becky's birthday. After about forty-five minutes, the doorbell rang and in walks one his friends from the city and her mother, who my brother just adores. He thought it was nice of us to invite her, and didn't suspect anything yet when the doorbell rang again five minutes later. Again, a random friend from the city and her husband. Now he began to get suspiscious. This went on for about an hour as the guests trickled in. He greeted each one himself and was completely surprised. It was so much fun. 

I had  my own motive for handling it this way, instead of the traditional surprise moment with everyone jumping out and scaring the heck out of the guest of honor. My motive was a bit selfish. Since I didn't really know many of the guests, I wasn't comfortable having to entertain them for an hour while waitng for my brother to arrive. An added benefit I didn't think of was this: usually when the guest of honor shows up at a surprise party, he is overwhelmed by the crowd and chaos when he first gets there. I know with Kate's shower a few weeks ago, she was still finding out who was there an hour later as she worked her way through the room! Doing the reverse surprise allowed my brother to spend a lttle time with each guest as they arrived. It was much more personal and less overwhelming for him . I am still getting emails from his friends saying what a terrific idea it was ... and all because I was feeling anti-social about entertaining them.

4. Wedding update: response cards are being returned at a nice pace. It is really happening and we are all getting excited as the reality sinks in that our nest will be getting a little lest crowded come May 23!

5. Mixed emotions.  Why is it that at this time of year, homeschool mom burnout sets in, but oddly enough there is an underlying excitement to begin planning for the coming school year?

6. Planning.  Planning is one of those activities that eludes me.  I resist menu planning, housework planning, schoolwork planning, and probably any other planning you could name. But I am at a point where I see it as necessary to my keeping my sanity. Who knows, things might even start to run more smoothly around here and I may not have any more nights like Wednesday, when I put a roast in the oven, went to ballet class with Hannah, got home and realized that I had to pick the two high-schoolers up, Dan was going to be late, the three college students were also late. So here was this nice roast , its delicious aroma hanging in the air,  and no one was here to enjoy it! Bad planning on my part. I knew by the time I returned it would be almost 9PM and the last thing I wanted was a dinner mess at that hour. My solution? Well, Wendy's for Thomas and Hannah;  Becky and Ben ate at school; the olders had to fend for themselves; and Dan and I ordered Outback curbside take-away! An expensive mistake, but enjoyable nonetheless.

(p.s. We ate the roast last night and since I slightly underocoked it Wednesday, it was yummy after all!)

7.Prayers. I just got word that a dear homeschooling mom in our group has been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer. I am so saddened by this and I ask any who read this to send up a prayer for  both her physical healing and peace in her soul knowing that God is in control. Thank you!

And don't forget to visit Conversion Diary to read more QuickTakes!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Becky!

Today is our daughter Becky's fifteenth birthday! Oh my goodness... you have no idea how quickly fifteen years can fly by until you've had children. 

On each of their birthdays, Dan and I will reminisce with the children about the day they were born. Becky's labor and delivery were pretty much textbook.  But, the one memory we always share is how, as I was being wheeled to my room after recovery, one of the interns who was present at the delivery stopped us and said..." I remember your daughter... forte!" as he pumped his fist in the air.  The dictionary meaning of the word forte is a person's strong point or often in music it means played loudly or with strength.  Rebecca was strong, right from the start. Not just physically ( yes, she could beat all the boys in her 2nd grade class at arm wrestling!), but strength of character. As I watch her grow into a beautiful young lady, those words spoken in the maternity ward fifteen yers ago seem prophetic to me.  Becky is steadfast in her convictions; she is honest; a loyal friend; strong in her faith; and all around the kind of friend most moms would want their own daughters to have. She has such a gentle and sweet spirit and that is the strength we love most about her. She lights up our home and our family is blessed and lives richer because of having her!

We love you, Becky!  (That's her on the right, with her cousin/Godmother)

 

Have a blessed day!

 

Happy St. Valentine's Day

I hope your day was full of love!

... speaking of love I thought I'd share one of my great loves... bargain shopping at stores like Big Lots and Dollar Tree.  I actually get quite a lot of school items in these stores, as well has housewares and even food (if the expiration date hasn't past, and it is a brand I know). Big Lots is wonderful for toiletries, as well. I usually find brand name shampoos and lotions at amazing discounts. Here are my two best finds in the past week. I know Big Lots is in other areas of the country and often they carry the same items. I'm not sure if the same is true for Dollar Tree.

I got these tea bags, which I love , for $2.00/box in Big Lots. I had recently bought the exact same tea at our local health food store for more than $5.00 ! Knowing that in Big Lots their merchandise changes from week to week, I knew to stock up. If you are not fond of green tea, give these a try, they're not bad.

Then, I got these lovely sketch notebooks in Dollar Tree for, you guessed it: one dollar each. I bought a bunch so I could share with my dearest friend and homeschool mom extraordinaire, Mary Ellen.

  

 
With things being economically tight for most of us these days it is smart to hunt down the bargains and be pleasantly surprised at what you may find out there!

Have a blessed and restful remiander of your day of rest.

Snow days...

One of the things I love about the High School Ben and Becky go to is that they think independently from the mainstream. We waited all evening to see if they would grant another snow day tomorrow and while many surrounding school districts closed, no word from our beloved school. Finally at 11PM they posted on the website... closed Thursday AND Friday!. Wow, it just feels like Christmas around here! I guess since they have Winter Break starting on Monday, it doesn't make sense to re-open on Friday for one day. What a gift... and I don't know, but that anticipation of waiting to hear about a snow day is infectious... I am excited for the kids to get a well-earned break. And it helps that I may get an extra hour of sleep the next two days, not having to wake up early and make lunches. 

Does this mean I have to continue baking for the next two days?

I'm game!

Hoping you are enjoying your snow days!

Snowy Day Baking...

My real reason for hoping for a snow day today...

    

Thomas discovered a bag of Reese's peanut butter chips in the back of the pantry. He was demanding to know when I bought them, how long they'd been there, and what my plans were for these chips? How could such potential cookie goodness have been under the same roof as him without him knowing about it? So of course I needed to make chocolate peanut butter chip cookies (recipe on the back of the bag). Also, I used the basic muffin recipe from Christopher Kimball's Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook to make another family favorite. This recipe pleases everyone because I divide the batter and make different varieties of muffins. Today I made chocolate chip, plain, and my favorite: jelly. To make the jelly muffins, I fill the muffin tin halfway with batter, plop a dollop of raspberry jam in there and cover it with a spoonful of batter. Blueberries are also a great add-in for the basic batter.  Also from Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook are the molasses spice cookies. The best non-chocolate cookie I know of. They are spiced with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg and after rolling the dough into walnut-sized balls they are dipped in sugar before baking, giving them a nice sparkle on top.

But the biggest crowd-pleaser of the day is this... Cheesy Italian Oatmeal Pan Bread.

 

I clipped this recipe from the back of a bag of Pillsbury flour a few years ago because I thought it looked interesting. It took me about three years to get around to trying it. Now that we've tried it, I am making it all the time.  Since I am too lazy to type out the whole recipe I took a picture using the document setting on my camera and it worked! (double click the recipe if you haven't faced up to the fact that you need reading glasses) Yea! I may never type out another recipe again.

  

Here's a tip... after you boil the water and add the oats and butter, like this:

 

 you'll need to cool it down to 110 degrees. If you use the snow method for cooling, like this:

  

because you are impatient, like me... watch that thermometer carefully because things really cool down fast on the deck during a blizzard!

Oh and one other thing... if you are making a delicious dinner of lobster ravioli with a tomato cream sauce you've experimented with, thinking this bread will make a nice accompaniment, it will. But beware: if you get too busy cooking, you may forget all about the bread, even though the  aroma still hangs in the air, and you may just end up having Cheesy Italian Oatmeal Pan Bread for dessert.

Please don't ask how I know this!

Snowy Blessings From,

 
 
  

When six children...

plus one fiance and one boyfriend pool resources and get Mom and Dad a joint gift, they just might find themselves having a nice dinner before seeing this show on January 23.  What a thoughtful gift! I watch O'Reilly almost every night. I don't always get to watch Beck, and I realize he is a polarizing figure on the scene these days, but there is something endearing about him. I'll post about it on the 24th!