Feast of St. Jerome

How can you not love a saint who was named Eusebius Hieronymous Sophronius?!  Every day at Mass I get to look at St. Jerome and his lion as he is on a huge mural right above the high altar.

Be sure to read about his life, it is incredible!  But to whet your appetite for information here are some quotes!

The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.

A friend is long sought, hardly found, and with difficulty kept.

They talk like angels but they live like men.  (OUCH!!)

The friendship that can cease has never been real.

Be ever engaged, so that whenever the devil calls he may find you occupied.

Chuckle

Pearls Before Swine

Homeschool Pictures

 One of our homeschooling groups had school picture day.  This was just while we were waiting.  Kind of an odd backgound of a cemetery but love the crucifixion scene!

Be effective

You who possess the spiritual life know the difference between effective love and affective love.  Our Lord is not satisfied with the affective, if we do not also give Him effective love.  Notice  that He does not consider those blest who simply hear His word but only those who keep it.  God makes it very clear that He does not  consider that we hear His word if we do not put it into effect with the affection of submission and obedience.
St. Francis de Sales

The greatest effective affection through submission and obedience was from Our Blessed Mother
Be it done unto me according to Thy Word.

New Pets

 My SIL found a puppy for us yesterday, she kept his brother.  Since yesterday was the feast of Our Lady of Ransom we named him "Ransom"  (clever idea of said SIL). 

 Frodo brought home a kitty from the neighbors' house. We named it Kili (one of the Hobbit drarfs).  It's cute... that's the only reason I am letting it stay.  All the other cats I never see so I'm ok with that.

 (NO!  He's not an indoor dog!)

 The dog 'n pup are making their aquaintances (aquaintences - both look wrong).

 Grubby by 10:30am ?!  Sadly these are our biggest pumpkins. How sad, pathetic in fact. We still have not beat our personal record of 1203 pounds for a giant pumpkin.  Maybe next year...!

 It seems to me it was a rather extended recess today.  Wouldn't you want to watch a puppy chewing on a pumpkin stem, too?

Handwriting

Pippin sat down to do his printing exercise with a sigh, "Mommy, did a machine write all these letters?"

Me:  "Yes"

Pippin:  "Then how do they expect ME to write that neatly?"

Our Lady of Ransom

I tell you, Our Lady wants to be well-known through her various titles!  She knows we need her in a very special way.  Develop your devotion to her now! Today is the feast of Our Lady of Ransom (or Mercy) another beautiful title that we need so much in our day!

In 1218, Spain was under the control of  the Moors (Muslims).  Our Lady of Ransom appeared in 3 separate visions to St. Peter Nolasco, St. Raymond Pennafort and King James.  She asked them to start an order to free the Christians who had been kidnapped and enslaved by the moors.  They were to spend time in prayer and raising money to ransom the slaves of the moors.  They were also to take a vow to give themselves up as hostages should all else fail to ransom the enslaved.  Of course, the worst slavery is the enslavement of sin.  Are we willing to sacrifice ourselves for our enslaved brethren?  Do you have someone special who is enslaved in sin that you pray for, that you sacrifice for?  Our Lady of Ransom, pray for us!  Our Lady of Mercy, protect us!

In the picture above, Our Lady is holding the Scapular of Our Lady of Ransom, which I learned has the image of Our Lady of Ransom on one end and the coat of arms on the other.  In her other hand I would guess she is holding shackles of the enslaved. Some day I will learn more about the picture. 

Feast of Saint Padre Pio

 Today is the feast of one of my friends-in-Heaven!  Saint Pio, but to me the Padre really goes with the Pio so... Saint Padre Pio.  There are some saints who just set my heart on fire, this is one of them. He was christened Francesco and seemed to follow very closely in living a life like St. Francis of Assisi right down to the stigmata!  He LIVED the life of a saint, so people thought of him as a saint while he was on earth.  The people loved him so much because to them he was their greatest joy on earth next to God Himself!  And how can we resist those who have such a charitable love and desire for souls?  There simply are some very rare souls who make us want to maintain a closeness with God by the way they live. 
 

Awwww, how sweet is that? 

 

Here are some quote from Padre Pio on the Mass to help us prepare ourselves...

 

It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun, than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Holy Mass is a sacred union of Jesus and myself. I suffer unworthily all that was suffered by Jesus who deigned to allow me to share in His great enterprise of human Redemption.

Then attending Holy Mass, renew your faith and meditate on that Victim who is being immolated for you in order to appease Divine Justice. Do not leave the altar without shedding tears of pain and of love for Jesus who was crucified for your eternal well-being.

Every holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we ourselves, do not know.
I would like to comment on this one as a mother of 11 children.  I think the temptation for parents is to think that they only receive the graces of the Mass when they get a holy feeling during Mass... or something.  That cannot possibly be true or we'd have to cease bringing our children to Mass til they are.. oh... 25 give or take.  Devotion is a movement within one's heart, you know, that area that no one.... even your children :)... can take away from you.  The annoying person next to you or 3 pews in front of you can't take it away from you or any other distraction.  I believe... that devotion stems from an inner peace with oneself that no matter how many times you have to donk your toddler... or teenager... in the head to get them to look in the front, no matter how often you have to take the unruly toddler out, that your devotion is unhindered... challenged, yes, hindered, no.  So don't be afraid of those tempting distractions, you will still receive the graces because your devotion comes from within....

(...this must be true or I haven't ever received any graces from the Mass! :)

Second Breakfast and Other Goings On

 Second Breakfast @ 11am SHARP!

 The Menu

 The Hobbits... though I think that some of the older ones are more Elfish in size.

 Tea (and Lemonade)

 Apple Tart, that... of course... is not as pretty as the Pioneer Woman's pictures!  But it was the first thing to go and very, very good.

 Cheese

 Grapes

No, they weren't moldy, not sure what the picture deal is!

 Crusty Bloomer (we forgot the butter, jam and honey... )

 Lemon Seedcakes (without the icing since we didn't have any powdered sugar and it is besides the point that we didn't need more calories...)

 Dried fruits and nuts trail mix

 (Veggie) sausages

 Cranberry Scones

 Rather than the traditional pan fried eggs we baked it...

 The fare

 I know, the question you are all wondering, why did we eat on paper plates with paper... everything including table cloth... because we had precisely 20 minutes to eat before we had to leave for the kids Friday afternoon enrichment activity classes.  This worked.  No one tells you about the food prep and the monumental dishes when you read the books... except the time Merry and Pippin had to wash them....  So we opted to skip the monumentaly dishes part.  We told all the Hobbit Riddles in the Dark when we got in the car.  :D

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As for the rest of life.....

 I am going to confess here and now that ..... well.... I usually get Aragorn zipper ties.  I get them for my boys.  I mean a zipper tie just makes sense.  However when I was shopping for a sport coat and tie for him I really, really, really liked this tie and really didnt' like any of the zipper ties. So I got this.  Aragorn was less than thrilled but he did tie the tie.  However, Pippin got ahold of it  and in a panic said, "OH MOMMY!  The tie is broken"

 Cruelty.  Sam really likes eating squirrel.  and he was thrilled by his catch. 

 I debated whether I should post this.  You see, there were a couple days in which I could not bear to sit at the kitchen table.  We thought some garden produce must have gone bad.  I ate on the couch for 2 days.  Finally the problem was discovered... the life cycle of the fly was taking place under the table on the brace "shelf".  And on said "shelf" *someone* was sneaking all the food he did not wish to eat. Hello? Aren't we about eating everything we are served?  I suppose there are confessors out there who perhaps have already heard about this, if not, then you will soon!!!  I'll have you know that I remained almost kind of calm.  I mean there were meatballs, enchilladas and other *stuff* we did not have any time recently!!  Along with alot of various stages of flies.  I just couldn't believe it. Soooo.... always check the underside of your table for secret food hide-outs.   I wish I could say I make these things up.

 Skyping with my sister who just had her 4th girl in Germany!

 There was an archery tournament going on.

 Eowyn informed me that she very clearly did not make any of the holes in the board (not to be mistaken with knotholes)  Apparently she's as bad a shot as she is a mathematician ... haha

 And we wonder just who and how the computers get messed up???

Frodo would like you to know that he is making and selling hand carved wooden spoons.  And I will admit that I love mine.  It's sturdy, not like those things you get in a store.  So if you would like to buy one you can email me and I will pass the word on to him.