Mary Mary and Martha · My world

The Simple Woman’s Daybook – August 4, 2008


he Simple Woman’s Daybook
is hosted by Peggy at the Simple Woman.
Thank you Peggy.

FOR TODAY : August 4, 2008
Swimming lessons, sourdough and a bunch of organising.  

Outside My Window… Another lovely summer morning.  The sky is blue, the trees are green the flowers are blooming.
I am thinking… About how much I need to do this week.
I am thankful for… Swim lessons.  The children have such a great time going to swim lessons.
From the kitchen… Sour dough bread today. 
I am wearing… brown pants and a olive colored shirt.  
I am creating…  I got my knitting back from my Mother in Law’s so I will have something to work on while I am appointment hopping this morning.
I am going…  I have a Dr appointment this morning and then we have swim lessons.
I am reading…  Laundry, and A Mother’s Rule of Life. 
I am hoping…  For so many things.
I am hearing…  My oldest son got up early and is playing with some toy in the living room.  “Jump!. Roll!   Dodge!”  a battle maybe? 
Around the house… I am preparing a new garden bed almost done there. 
One of my favorite things… My Stand mixer.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: I have some work, swim lessons, sewing maybe and a lot of organizing.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

Blogs I Know · Fun · My world

I’ve got a blog and I ain’t afraid to use it!

Ok, time for one of my very, very rare political posts: This is just too good to pass up.

The Anchoress, my tie to all things Opera and Political, is pointing out a small “rebellion” among the Republican members of the house.  To quote: “Today, the GOP asked for continued debate on oil drilling; the Democrats voted instead to adjourn.”  Instead of packing their bags and heading home some GOP members of congress are having a good old fashioned “sit in”  Good for them.  Do something interesting for once. 

 Now, I don’t really bother too much about what they want to talk about and vote for (Energy policy is the topic de jour) but what delights me to no end is poking the eye of the main stream media, the vultures who tell us what to think, what is important and filter the world on our ‘behalf’.  They are not covering this so far.  Even CSPAN has had their cameras turned off.  But this is news!  This is our politicians doing something quite unsual and something that has the potential of effecting us all.   So.. since I have a blog, and since I have a voice all ten of my faithful readers can hear about this too. Take that Main Stream Meida Monster (I feel so like St George now) HA!

 

Update:  Seriously I think if I lived in DC I would grab the sleeping bag and some pizza and head down to support the Reps who are there.   I know I said above that I don’t much care about the actual vote.  I do, I mean my brother and his wife heat with oil – they bought half what they would normally because of how expensive it is.  They are planning for a cold winter.  I really feel for people in the colder climes.  Now, I know that even if something very solid and sensible were to be passed today it would be a while before we would see energy costs coming down, but for crying out loud if this stupid congress can vote to bail out banks and homeowners who knowingly and willingly over-extended themselves (gambled and lost) then we can darn well do something to help out families and small businesses that are getting crushed under these horrible energy costs.  Price caps on oil, I don’t care, but do something.  To adjourn and go home while your constituents are trying to figure out if they can afford heating oil for the winter is obscene.

Update 2: Way to Go CSPAN (I am not crazy for liking CSPAN)  Rep. Culberson is “twittering” this and CSPAN has him linked. 

My world

Bits and pieces

Every once in a while I look through the list of search terms people use to get here and put together a post answering those pressing questions that led some poor, lost soul here.

Some of the latest:

What are the lyrics to “Things you don’t say to your wife”?
I have no clue, but if you would like to listen to it again here it is:

 

 

What are Catholic prayers for dogs?
Ummmmm.  I have no idea.  According to American Catholic the usual “Blessing of Pets” goes something like this: “Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.”  That is pretty much what I have heard.  Historically animals were of bigger importance to everyday life, but of less emotional importance than pets are today.  My personal opinion there is something a bit off in how some of us treat our animals.   NPR recently had a very interesting Talk of the Nation about Pets (well worth the listen no matter what your personal opinions on pets/money/care are).   But it doesn’t surprise me that the Church has a long tradition of blessing animals.  Pets, farm animals, food – the fact is that animals are an important part of our lives – the Church acknowledges this fact in prayer.

But back to prayer for dogs.  Catholic prayer can take the form of a set prayer (Hail Mary, the Lord’s Prayer) but this isn’t the only type of prayer available to Catholics by any means.  If you want to pray for Fido you can pray however you like.  I remember my daughter praying to St Francis when our cat Tom died.  She prayed that he would look after Tom for her.  I assured her that when she got to Heaven if she needed Tom to be happy Tom would be there for her (totally by-stepping the discussion of pets having souls and all that).

Bloomers – Yes, my younger daughters wear bloomers under their dresses and skirts.  They actually love their bloomers.  We are not one of those “dresses only” families.  (nothing against those who are, but we just aren’t)  but my little girls love to wear dresses and they like to tumble about.  So I like the bloomers on them.   I like McCalls pattern 4505 it is easy to sew and makes a lovely little bloomer that is comfortable and modest. 

Do you wear underwear under a karate uniform? Lord I hope so.

My autistic child is having meltdown every day.   I am so sorry.  Meltdowns are very common with autistic children it can be hard for them to communicate their needs and wants and that frustration can led to meltdowns.  There is also often a lack of impulse control associated with autism.  Do children outgrow them?  Sometimes.  I have friends who tell me how their children’s behaviors have improved over the years.  For others that is not the case and the meltdowns continue.   If you are having problems with meltdowns I highly recommend talking to a behavioral consultant or Psychiatrist.  Outside help can make a huge difference and be very helpful.

Have you played D&D 4th Edition yet? No, the books finally got here last week.  Today my husband’s BBF is calling him to torture him over the fact that they are playing tonight and we are not.  They are only a couple thousand miles away – it would be worth the road trip – right?

Catholic stuff · My world · rants

Working With Blinders On

40 years and a couple weeks since Humanae Vitae was written and so much of society, secular and not, just seems to not “get it”.  One of the “better” pieces is here – at least John L. Allen isn’t actively condemning the church, but the comments that follow it are close to rabid.  If you do a Google search on the news for “Humanae Vitae” you will find a slew of folks opining about how out of step, out of touch or just down right evil Rome is to hang on to this out modded teaching.  Yes, the blinders are firmly on.    What they miss is how much of the heart of the Catholic Church, the young families and the college aged Catholics are pretty firmly behind the Church on this.   The assumption seems to be if you don’t buy into the cultural norm of what sex is and means then you must be nuts (or brain washed, or have a really awful sex life).    But I do not see that as the case.

From where I sit there isn’t a lot to be said FOR the pill.  So you can have sex anytime you want.  But do you want to?  Sure you can put off child bearing or artificially space your children, but is that really a good thing?   If marriages were stronger, children were happier, rape was less frequent,  motherhood was respected, young women were judged on their minds and character instead of their beauty I might think that the “pro-birth-control” people at least had a point.  But this isn’t the case.  All of these things have become worse since the pill was introduced not better.   The media doesn’t even seem to think about this all as related and society doesn’t seem to question the conventional “wisdom” at all, they tighten up the blinders and tut tut the Pope and talk about the backward Catholics that follow the teachings of Rome as being out of step with reality.    Personally I sort of like being counter cultural.

Blogs I Know · Fun · Homemaking · My world · Simplicity

Tightwad Tuesday – bulk fun in more ways than one.

Big families mean big fun. But going fun places can be hard on the budget.

Tightwad Tuesday is hosted by Mary at Raising 4 godly men.

One thing we do is invest in memberships to our favorite places. 

For me to take Ashley and the four younger children to the zoo is $40 and it is almost $50 if Kyle comes too.
A year long membership to the Zoo at the lowest family level costs $69.  It is a cost savings of nearly $30 if we use the Zoo twice in a whole year.

For the art Museum it would cost  the kids and I $24 and $34 if Kyle is with us.   The membership is $65 with $40 tax deductible.   Here we only need to go 3 times and the whole year is paid for.

The children’s Museum is $48 for one trip for the kids and I $54 with Kyle and a membership is $80 but only covers four children so we might spend $8 out of pocket each visit, but the pass is still covered after two visits.

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry breaks down like this:  $49 for the kids and I, $60 if dad is with us,  the family plus plan allows for four child and one guest (the other child can be the guest) and costs $115 but comes with some nice perks.  Again two visits and we are covered.

Even our local pool/community center is a deal.  It would cost the children and I $16.75 to go swimming once, the annual pass is $38.25 a month which includes the fitness center, drop in activities and roller skating.   It makes for a good deal considering we love swimming and the center has a lovely indoor pool which we use year round.

The real payoff for these passes isn’t just that they are cost savings, but that they are also incentives to use our favorite places more.  We don’t mind going to the zoo for a couple hours for a picnic dinner after Kyle gets off work when we just have to flash the pass and walk in.  

These also make great gifts.  My parents have given us zoo passes for  Christmas each year and we love getting them.   If your parents are the type to ask for “hints” memberships are a wonderfully easy solution for the whole family.  Check with your employer (or husband’s employer) to see if the company has a discount arrangement with the institution – some do.  Some institutions also offer discounted rates for lower income families.

The only warning I would like to offer is to check the membership restrictions to make sure that your family membership will cover your family and that there aren’t “black out times” or other restrictions which diminish the usefulness of your membership. 

But next time you are considering a fun outing for your family consider purchasing a membership instead of tickets.

Blogs I Know · Homemaking · My world · Simplicity

The Simple Woman’s Daybook – July 21


he Simple Woman’s Daybook
is hosted by Peggy at the Simple Woman.
Thank you Peggy, this is so much fun!

FOR TODAY : July 21, 2008
This is going to be a busy week.

Outside My Window… I  can see the moon.  I love a “Children’s Moon”.  The summer is wearing on and there are lots of apples in the tree.  The berries will be ready before much longer.
I am thinking… That I am starving.  I really am not starving I am just fasting before this morning’s blood draw, but I feel like I might waste away in that time.  Silly mind tricks.
I am thankful for… My Sister in law who gifted us about a ton of clothing.  I think I just got about 12 bags of stuff in my living room.  More on this later today.
From the kitchen… I am a moron and forgot to buy milk when I went to the store yesterday.  I also can’t eat at the moment. 
I am wearing…  Brown slacks and a brown/white sweater-t thing.  
I am creating…  Apple sauce.  The neighbor lady generously allowed me to denude her apple tree.  We will make a big batch and freeze some.
I am going…  To my blood draw this morning.  Just a routine metabolic screening to see how diabetic I might be.
I am reading…  Laundry, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell and It’s All Too Much. 
I am hoping…  That  the draw isn’t bad, that the apple sauce turns out well and that my adventure through “gifted clothing land” goes quickly.
I am hearing…  The evil crow.  This bird looks evil and I think he is bugging Mr Fluff-Butt the backyard Squirrel.
Around the house…Bags of clothing.
One of my favorite things… Breakfast (giggle).
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:  We are going to a wedding this Saturday so I need to get everything together for that.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

Blogs I Know · Fun · My world

Oh no, not a MeMe!

Yes, I know, next I will be blogging about blogging too.    I found this over at A Wink and a Smile  and thought it looked fun and challenging.  So here we go:

One Word MeMe

1.  Where is your cell phone? pocket
2.  Your significant other?  Work
3.  Your hair? Secured
4.  Your mother? Working
5.  Your father?  Solid
6.  Your favorite things? Aren’t
7.  Your dream last night? convoluted
8.  Your favorite drink?  coffee
9.  Your dream/goal?  heaven
10.  The room you’re in?  office
11.  Your church?  Catholic
12.  Your fear?  parting
13.  Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14.  Where were you last night? here
15.  What you’re not? perfect
16.  Muffins? please
17.  One of your wish list items?  Buffet
18.  Where you grew up?  ranch
19.  The last thing you did? blog
20.  What are you wearing? clothing
21.  Your TV?  dormant
22.  Your pets? good
23.  Your computer? cluttered
24.  Your life?  full
25.  Your mood? contemplative
26.  Missing someone?  no
27.  Your car?  minivan
28.  Something you’re not wearing? shoes
29.  Favorite store?  fabric
30.  Your summer?  Fun
31.  Like (love) someone?  husband
32.  Your favorite color?  changes
33.  Last time you laughed? today
34.  Last time you cried?  Yesterday
35.  Who will re-post this?  you?

Homemaking · My world

What a deal.

I took Hannah to summer ballet today at the parish and walked out with a Jonti Cart Storage Island — free!  I almost feel badly because it is such a fantastic deal.  I mean how can you beat free?  It is in great shape, but I will have to replace some of the bins.  All I can say is WOW!  We really needed it too.  One of those things to be thankful for.

here is what it looks like:

 

Blogs I Know · Catholic stuff · My world · rants

What a weird, sad, little person.

OK, I have a question for you: what might an associate professor at the University of Minnesota and a depressed and slightly delusional, 15 year old girl, who fancies herself a witch, have in common?  They BOTH want to desecrate the Eucharist… only the professor doesn’t have the balls to get the Host himself and instead asks his blog readers to do that part for him.   I know I am rather late to this story, but I just have to say something.  Paul Myers, it is too bad he can’t see what he is doing.  His illogical bigotryis showing and it is quite sad.  He could disagree that the Host is sacred, he could even say that from the top of the bell tower if he liked, or publish it on his blog.  But when he does something he knows will be inflammatory and offensive to a great number of people he is showing his disdain for the feelings and humanity of those people.  He is saying that he doesn’t just disagree with them but he has no respect for them or their beliefs and opinions.  That steps across the line from discourse and disagreement into bigotry.  

St Tarcisius

 

It is obvious that the genius professor hasn’t a clue about how people of faith think (and yes we can and do think).  You will not show the world how the Eucharist is nothing but a cracker no matter what you do to it.   Drop it in the Cuisinart, tack it to your cork board, burn it, crumble it… do what you will.  Christ and his followers have endured physical torment and even death for that little cracker.  St Tarcisius, at twelve, died rather than let his friends have the Eucharist and he is one of many and just a boy at that.  You aren’t exactly going to prove that it has no power by showing to the world the power it has by creating a furor over whatever it is you plan to do.  Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face.

Catholic Basics · My world

Catholic Basics – God loves you.

“Always remember, my dear young friend, that Almighty God loves you very much: for love of you He created the world, the sun, the stars, and everything else that exists.  He made your parents; He made you; He gave you your soul and your body.

Therefore, your most important duty is to know God, to serve God, and to love God with all your heart.”

Bishop Morrow —  My Friend, published 1949


Bernhard Plockhorst — The Good Shephard

I have always noted that in the dystopia literary works (Brave New World, 1984 and the like) that human relationship, human love is suppressed or redirected in some way.  A people comfortable and confident in their love for one another and their love of God and of God’s love for them are not easily led away from what is good.  We are made to love God and to love one another.  The catechism itself begins with the exhortation to love and serve God.  It is in this act that we find the expression of who we are, who we are meant to be, why we are here.  All those pressing questions are answered so succinctly we are here, made, born, fashioned and formed to love and serve God.   The life of every Saint points to this inevitable conclusion: nothing is more worth living or dieing for than the love of God and service to Him.

This is the most elemental, the most basic tenant of Catholic life.  I don’t say that to exclude non-Catholic Christians or even non-Christians.  The Church teaches that God has written the natural law in all human hearts, it is our natural state to long for what is good.  But the Catholic expression has a fullness that exists no where else.  We have the Sacraments instituted by Christ.  We have the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is a miracle.  It exists outside of time and space.  It exists wholly and completely in the supernatural realm.  It is a tangible expression for us to be able to partake in the divine love of God’s self-sacrifice over and over, it reconciles the beautiful impossibility of Christ being anointed the priest who sacrifices and the lamb that is sacrificed and the fruit of the earth feeding our body and the fruit of the spirit feeding our souls.  All this bathed in love.  For God so loved the world.

God became one of us, lives in all of us, we serve Him when we serve one another and when we fail to serve each other we fail to serve Him.   He takes upon us each of our sins when we let Him.  And it is this that makes it impossible for us not to be willing to forgive others when they harm us.  How can I not forgive my fellow man when Christ has paid for those wrongs with His own blood?   It is one of the mysteries of the Passion.  When Christ paid for all my sins He paid for all my enemy’s sins as well.  To hold those hurts against me against my fellow man is to hold them against Jesus Himself.  Thus Christ redeems us not only for ourselves, but heals the hurts we have between one another allowing us to love without limit.