2x4's

Frodo:  Why are boards called 2 by 4's?
Rosie:  Because they are made out of tubes.

(tube I for? tube eye four?)

Dispensation

Eleanor:  Poppy!  It's Lent! You can't eat a dessert!
Rosie:  Don't worry, it's an outdated cookie.

I never knew that cookies that went past their expiration date earned a dispensation.  This is a good piece of information for the future. 

Sobering

The next Leap Year my oldest will be turning 20.

DEO GRATIAS!

Galadriel's MRI was all clear!  The doctors were tickled with the scan.

On a funny note............ One of the many doctors/nurses/wannabes that came in proceeded to looked at us rather skeptically when she learned that Galadriel hadn't been to any well-checks (she's only seen about 200 doctors/nurses/wannabes in the last 2 years).  This doctor then turned to Galadriel and said, "Do you wear glasses?"  Galadriel just sat there with this puzzled look on her face and said, "Um... they are right here." as she pointed to her face.  *chuckle*

The first doctor we saw is my favorite, he wears a bow-tie, how charming is that?  He's always been very kind.  He tested Galadriel's neuro-whatca-ma-callits.  After asking what classes she takes he had her do an algebraic equation.  She got it right which thrilled me, math lover that I am.  She mis-spelled a word in the spelling "test" but I'm fine with that.  When she had the tumor a week or so before her surgery she had lost all her ability to spell. So being that she's gone through about 4 levels in the last year, I'm alright with that. 
Please offer a prayer of thanksgiving. :) 
One stress load off!

Chastity in Marriage

I just read an excellent homily regarding Chastity in Marriage by one of our priests. I encourage everyone, especially married couples (wives, share this with your husbands and vice versa) to read it.  It is really beautiful in its simplicity and clarity.  Considering the confounded and damnable audacity of our government to (try and) force Catholics to violate their God-given consciences, this homily was truly a breath of fresh air. 

First Sunday of Lent

Begone Satan!

So, how's your lent going?  Or are you saying, "Is it Easter yet?"  Did you cave and eat that chocolate?  Get up and try again (I don't mean try the chocolate again... haha)  Your chocolate might be in some other form like a tv or soda or alcohol or taking seconds or shopping or internet..... Did you finish your spiritual reading goal each day? If not, Sundays are a good day to catch up.  Do you need to simplify your goals?  Do you need to add a little more?  Renew your lenten goals and plunge ahead another week.

Remember, Sundays fall outside the Great Lenten Fast, so it's a day you can ease up a little, however it doesn't mean go hog-wild either. 

In the Little Flowers of St. Francis you can read about St. Francis spending his Lent on an island, you can also find it here.

Onward soldiers!

Eye of the Beholder

Poppy: I's is pretty!

Eleanor: No you're not, you're weird.

Skiing

 We were blessed with being able to go on a ski outing this past week.  You can imagine that skiing for my family is rather prohibitive.... do the math.  But once a year, well this is only our second time going, we get to tag along at a reasonable rate.... even for our size family.

 A friend of my girls

 Eleanor, Merry and Pippin were new to the ski hill this year, so they were able to take a lesson which was included.

 Rosie and up all said no thanks to the lessons.  Afterall, they had skied once before.

 Another friend.

 Gearing up to go.

 Some of the girls' friends took some lessons with the bigger kids group.

 I ran the daycare inside, since I still had 3 non-skiers.  Though Poppy and Bilbo did ask perpetually, "Kiy go kiing?" 

 The bunny hill had this neat flat escalator like you'd have in the airport in Chicago for getting places faster.  Unlike when I was growing up, when we had a rope tow or t-bar.

 Let's just say at the beginning of the day Pippin was all arms and legs, and he had at least 8 of each.

 This was his best pose at 10am by noon he was on his own. 

 Eleanor did a little better.

 I don't know why when I saw this picture I started singing a Beach Boys song. 

 The sons of a friend of mine were helping teach the kids which was great as they are just great boys.

 So here I am... yes, I went skiing.  I actually grew up skiing.  We were blessed to go on any number of extravagant ski trips when I was growing up so yes, I could ski quite well.  However, it had been 17 years since I last skied.

 You don't want to know how much food I brought... you never know when an army will come around.  Someone did ask me if I brought the entire kitchen.  Why yes.... I had to bring both lunch and dinner...  :D

 I feel a song coming on... "I love you baby..." I dont' remember the rest of the song so I hope it isn't inappropriate but that is all that I meant anyway haha

 So, why did we brush his hair?  I'm glad none of the priests saw this.   haha.. sorry, gotta know our priests.

 I had taking 2 runs on the bunny hill and took a break, afterall it was about 10 miles walking to the bunny hill.  So I went out again and just as I got out the door Eowyn and Rosie hollered, "Hey mommy! Come with us!" 

 It was about now that I remembered I don't like heights. 

 Rosie

 Eowyn

 Marigold

 My daycare.

 Some of the boys

 The trails.

 A couple of the girls

 The day had been about 45 degrees.  Oddly on our way home is when it started to snow. It was the slipperiest snow, I felt like I was driving on banana peels.

The End.

A Very Loved Saint for God

From Curtis Eberle's Facebook Page:

On a snowy winter morning,
you were born at first light,
you came without warning,
we loved you at first sight.
God's plan for you
we did not know,
minutes with you were few,
your heartbeat ended slow,
our love is strong and true.
What a blessing to have our own little angel above,
... sent down from God,
to us with love.

† Rosalia Alice 2/24/2012
Obituary

Continued Prayers

Please continue to pray and sacrifice for Vickie and her pre-born baby.  It's been a week of intense and constant suffering and sacrifice.  Something the world cannot comprehend... sacrifice... but I bet alot of you can.   So please remember them as well as her husband, I can imagine how worn and spent they are.  I know what it is to completely rely on others' prayers, when your own prayers just don't come, when your mind and heart are blank and you just live on unseeing.  It's our turn to cover this beautiful family in prayer.  Now, I know I have some pretty amazing (or at least one amazing) prayer warrior(s) out there because whenever I ask, I get results...  So thank you once again for your prayers. And may God bless you for them.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, protect this baby and his/her beautiful mother!

Ash Wednesday

"In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin."

Ecclesiasticus 7:40

Well, here we are at Ash Wednesday, the gateway to the purification of our hearts and souls.
The Great Lenten Fast is our time to prepare and remind ourselves of our death... our death with Christ.  Our chance to once again (or perhaps for the first time!) reunite ourselves with Christ where we have slipped and wandered recklessly from His side.  We spend our Lent walking with Our Blessed Mother towards the Crucifixion so that we may then rise with Him. 

Let the ashes of penance remind you to....
Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.

The Epitaph on a tombstone in some European Monastery
Remember friends as you pass by,
as you are now so once was I.
As I am now so you must be.
Prepare for death and follow me

Preemie Prayer Request

Please pray for a wee little 23 week old pre-born baby and his mother, Vickie.  We are praying that the baby stay put, golly, I'm going to say for a couple more months, though the medical field is hoping for another week at least and that the mother continue her beautiful and heroic perseverance without discouragement.  I can't even say that without tears.  The love of a mother for her child is such a beautiful thing.  Also pray for her husband and their 5 young children during this time of suffering.  And... don't forget to thank God for our wonderful priests who remain ever constant and on-call, ready to drop everything at times like this.

†  St. Gerard, pray for us!

This and That

 Since we are both sick of *stuff*, we decided for birthday/Baptism days we'd take the kids out to eat on their day. That's my kind of gift, eat it and it is gone.  No stuff to clean up... by me.  This time it was Eleanor's turn for her birth/Baptism day meal.

 She chose the Hu-Hot, probably mostly out of curiosity rather than a love of Mongolian food.

 Pick out your meat:  chicken, beef, pork, spicy sausage, bland sausage and/or crabmeat-product-of-sorts.... one week there was also shark... yes, I said shark.

 Then you pick out your noodles and veggies followed by sauces.  I like mine sweet and spicy... I know, just like me.... minus the sweet.  So I will go with the Not-so-sweet and sour sauce, teriyaki and the 5 flame hot sauce plus garlic oil and a tad of soy sauce. I also like to eat mine rolled up in a tortilla. I know it's like chinese food rolled up in a tortilla.... I never said there was sense to the meal.

Then they cook it up for you right there. I feel like these are my friends. We see them fairly often.  They are really good at flipping the spatulas in the air.... when it's not too busy.  (not meaning that they are bad at it when it is crowded, they just are too busy to bother)

 We got home and a while later Sam came bursting into the house telling me to come watch them driving in the fields.  After being very politely invited to take a ride in the truck with Galadriel at the wheel I rather curtly replied "No thank you."  I watched for a few minutes as I noticed that the deep end of the genetic pool was from my husband's side.  I recall 17 years ago finding myself experiencing a "donut" in the parking lot next to a restraunt. I never quite got over the experience.

 After losing interest in a dirty truck sliding in a corn field I decided to go for a walk.... not to mention, there is the Hu-Hot to walk off.  As you can see, I have this thing for odd boots ( shoes and socks). By "odd" I mean stripe and polka dot odd, not platform shoes type odd. There is a difference.

 Have you ever tried to get your rubber boots out of muck?

There is really no reason for this picture except that I thought about climbing over the fence to avoid getting splattered or picked up by crazy people in a very dirty truck.

 Hi Sweetie!

 Cleaning off the truck.

 Total cuteness!

 Um, couldn't this pop a tire?

 I kid you not... this is Galadriel's bike.  Since she is our best and fastest biker I think that she really should get a better one. Can you believe this?!  The 1940's Wizard of Oz witch bike.

I received this picture in my in-box from Aragorn. I told him I see that he is still trying to impress me. haha

Quinquagesima Sunday

So.... are you prepared... today is Quinquagesima Sunday... the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. I've been reminding you for 2 weeks now to prepare for Lent. Now I will admit when I went to confession this week the priest asked regarding whether I was ready for Lent and I really rather said, "I dunno". So I got on that. I am just about ready to dive into Lent.

Reading: The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Areas of Self-discipline and sacrifice you don't want to know about

Still working through the specifics for each of the children... what they will read, what they will work on but it's almost there.  The follow through with the double digit number of children is phenomenal.

Our family read-aloud continues: St. Joan of Arc.

So, what sacrifices, that is gifts of love, will you offer to God this Lent?

Brethren, If I speak wih the tongues of men and of Angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up,
Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil:
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth:
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never falleth away...
1Cor13

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me

At that time Jesus took unto Him the twelve men and said to them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man.
For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon.
And after they have scourged him, they will put him to death. And the third day he shall rise again.

And they understood none of these things, and this word was hid from them: and they understood not the things that were said.

Luke 18:  31-34