Some of us are missing a craft gene, others are very pregnant and in need of a simple nativity craft. I picked up this box at the local Catholic store for only $7.99. The box is filled with plain ceramic nativity figurines in need of painting. My children LOVED painting them and they then insisted that we make a manger scene (I should have anticipated this). I wanted something requiring little work on my end. I settled on a simple... Read more
This Advent season has taught me plenty about the beauty of God’s grace. When I strive for perfection, I inevitably fall short. But that doesn’t mean that my erred, misshapen, miscalculated life can’t be beautiful in its own way. It’s all about perspective. Like the Christmas cut-outs the kids and I attempted last Friday. It was a “first” for us and I admit to being a novice baker. I don’t even own a rolling pin (FYI: Camelbak water bottles suffice... Read more
My daughter sewed nine adorable pairs of christmas lounge pants for the cousins, and I (knowing our limits) ordered LL Bean red long sleeved tshirts for the tops. They have arrived, and my husband thinks that they are too plain, and he is probably right. I have done the Soule Mama fabric paint silk screen trick before, that is easy and do-able for us, but I need a great picture or symbol to put on them. I can’t make individual... Read more
It has been my custom to read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to the children during Advent, and a few nights ago we began again. One thing that I love is that this book is so rich that it continues to engage even those older listeners who know it very well. (Not related to this post, but worth noting that my husband’s tradition is to read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to the children, usually in the week following... Read more
When I was a child in a Catholic elementary school, I had a teacher who told our class a funny story. She began her story, saying, “Now class, I am going to tell you a story about something that happened a few years ago. I was teaching my students about the crucifixion and told them that above Jesus’ cross hung a plaque, and that on the plaque were the initials INRI. When I asked if anyone knew what INRI stood... Read more
“Just as two friends, frequently in each other’s company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection.” ~Blessed Bartolo Longo, as quoted in Rosarium Virginis Mariae... Read more
I am an O- mom entering the last ten weeks of pregnancy, so it is time for my beloved Rhogam shot. For those of you who are not Rh negative, you may not be familiar with the risk associated with delivering Rh+ babies. Essentially my body is full of antibodies developed to combat any baby born with Rh+ blood. Enter Rhogam. This miraculous drug, developed just 40 years ago, is injected into my large pregnant gluteus maximus before each new... Read more
Please forgive my long absence. I took a temporary blog break in November, but thought I’d emerge from that break to share briefly about Advent, and the virtue of generosity. At Christmas we celebrate God’s greatest gift to the world–Himself– and there is just something about preparing our hearts to receive the Christ Child at Christmas that inspires all of us to be more generous and mindful of others in need. I want my children to be inspired as well. ... Read more
National Marriage Project Finds Recipe for Married Parents’ Happiness – ABC News. Here is the news report that we might have been on. I think that Sita and her family did a great job, so it was all for the best. I am so glad that there are scientists like my friend Brad Wilcox who are able to show how data backs us up in fighting the good fight for happy marriages. Read more
Building Cathedrals
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