Happy Birthday Frodo

 We took Frodo out for his 19th birthday to Samba for Brazillian food.

 He wasn't quite sure about it at this point.

 We watched the lunar eclipse but picture taking with a phone is less than ideal. But I liked the reflection through the icicles hanging off the roof.

 We had a very late night birthday celebration, during the lunar eclipse as that is when the other kids returned from the March for Life a day late due to snow storms. However, this is applicable as he was born at the peak of a lunar eclipse.

 Marigold was playing with my hair and needed to take photos. I will only post 3 (not 30).

 She was, afterall, very proud of her hair decorating skills.

 We had a nice snowstorm which dropped quite a bit of snow on us,  We ended up with about 11 inches of snow between those 2 storms. There is a big one coming tonight with promises of 5-12 more inches of snow. If predictions are correct, our area (north of Madison) is in the "more snow" area. I like snow (just not on the roads for my teen and tween drivers to maneuver)

 We have had very frigid Arctic weather with promises of -55 (minus 55) degrees below zero wind chills (-25 regular temperature) this week. I even saw -68 degrees. Yea, it's cold. Galadriel even decided she needed to put on a jacket over her fleece. My kids decided they needed something on their feet to go outside now. Such a disappointment to them.

 We brought a birthday lunch over to grandma (Shrimp Fajatas). This cake was so pretty and reminded me of a beautiful wedding we went to in October.

 I attended a baby shower, it was so nice to get out with other mom!

I guess that's all I took for photos... busy talking holding babies haha! Prayers for the expectant mother who is expecting twin boys due in April!

Project and Things

 Out shopping and found this beauty. We thought Rosie might like it... or not... However, I am not the fashion police so...

 Working on a puppet show... marionettes of some kind? It was entertaining.

 Chic matching chicks

 Our bookshelf project is coming along.

 Sweet couple

 Not so sweet couple, but the food was good.

 Driving around while waiting for said sweet couple after a nice dinner out with that not so sweet couple.

 Merry participating in the "Bradley Bunch", 2 hour weekly competition training for the next couple of months.

 My legs ached just wathing it.

 Working on a ladder for said bookshelves.

 One of the banties (bantams)

 Kili answering the door of the little playhouse Frodo built, it was very important I use the knocker.

 Geese. I do hope they are flying north for the spring... I think they picked a bad time if they did as it was 3 below zero with a 20ish below windchill. Yeah, it's cold out.

 Finally got a decent amount of snow. Probably 4ish inches.

Waking up on his birthday to do chores in sub-zero weather, there was a deep desire for some nice hot coffee (if coffee is nice?). However, our coffee maker as well as 3 other kids were stuck in Washington DC due to the storms that went through. So we did our best to try and make some coffee for him, but it was somewhat of a fail. He did get a nice hot breakfast to do with the mediocre coffee. Birthday to be continued....

St. Veronica of Rome

Our Lady told St. Veronica of Milan:  “My daughter, do not be anxious, it will be sufficient for you to know the three letters that I bring you from heaven.  The first is purity of heart, which makes us love God above all things; you must have only one love, that of My Son.  The second is not to murmur against the faults of your neighbor, but to support them with patience and pray for the one in question. The third is to meditate every day on the Passion of Jesus Christ, who accepts you for His spouse.”

Epiphany - January 6th

For by gold the power of a king is signified, by frankincense the honor of God, by myrrh the burial of the body; and accordingly they offer Him gold as King, frankincense as God, myrrh as Man.   
St John Chrysostom

 We had a beautiful High Mass for the Feast of Epiphany.

  After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we concluded with the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus and then the blessing of Epiphany Chalk.

We concluded with a postlude of the March of the Magi. That was a fun one to sing!

Blessing of Epiphany Chalk

For the Feast of the Epiphany, it is traditional for parish priests to bless chalk for each family, so that they may mark the names of the three Magi over their doors, in the blessing of homes as a witness of their faith and protection against evil. This blessing is from the 1952 version of the Roman Ritual, translated by Philip Weller.

The chalk is a type of memento mori, or literally, Memento homo ("Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return.") image, a reminder of the dust of the earth from which man was made.

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread ‘til thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return. 
Genesis 3:19

P: Our help is in the Name of the Lord.   
All: Who hath made heaven and earth.
P: The Lord be with you.   
All: And with thy spirit.

P: Bless, † O Lord God, this creature chalk, to render it helpful to men. Grant that they who use
it in faith, and with it, inscribe upon the entrance of their homes the names of thy saints,
Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, may through their merits and intercession enjoy health of body
and protection of soul. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

The chalk is sprinkled with holy water.

We were able to take the chalk home for Holy Blessings.

Blessing of a Home at Epiphany
May Christ bless this House… All who dwell and pray in it… And All Whom they Welcome in His Name

V:  On entering the house the Magi found the child Jesus with Mary, His mother.

R:  They did Him homage and presented to Jesus symbolic gifts: gold to the great King, incense to the true God, and myrrh as a foreshadowing of His suffering and death.

Let us pray.
God, our Father, by the guidance of a star, you revealed your only Son as the Savior of all nations. Grant that we who already know you by faith, may be brought to the contemplation of your glory in our heavenly home. We ask this through Christ your Son Our Lord. Amen.

All may recite the Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary (The Magnificat) Luke 1: 46-55, by which Mary praised God 
at the time of her Visitation to the house of Elizabeth. 

All: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because He
hath regarded the humility of His handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call
me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is His Name.
And His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him. He hath shewed might
in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the
mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things:
and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His
mercy. As He spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

V: Be enlightened, O Jerusalem, and shine forth for your Light has come.

R: And upon you is risen the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

V: All nations shall walk in your light and kings in the splendor of your birth.

R: And upon you is risen the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

Reading of the Gospel for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord. St. Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 2: 1-12.

V: Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, has appeared and been revealed to the nations. 

R: The prophets foretold His coming, and the angels and shepherds adored Him. 

V: The Magi rejoiced to find Him and they lay their treasures before Him.

R: All you nations and peoples, come and adore Him. 

All recite the Our Father as the rooms of the house are sprinkled with holy water. 

Let us pray.

Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have received all benefits.

Come, visit and bless † this house so that it may be a shelter of health, chastity, self-conquest, 

humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to the Commandments, and thanksgiving to God, † the 

Father, † the Son, and † the Holy Spirit.              

May the love and blessings of God, † the Father, and † the Son, and † the Holy Spirit, descend 

upon this house,  all those who reside within it, and upon all those whom they welcome in the 

Name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.   And may God’s grace and peace remain with all of them 

forever.  Amen. 

The initials of the names ascribed by tradition to the Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar), and the numerals of the current year are written with the blessed chalk upon the entry doors of the house in the following manner:   

20 C + M + B  19 

Some interpret the letters to stand for Christus Mansioni Benedicat!  May Christ bless this house!