True Friendship

Oh, the comfort —
the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person —
having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
but pouring them all right out,
just as they are,chaff and grain together;
certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them,
keep what is worth keeping,
and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.

~Dinah Craik


I copied this from Elizabeth this morning and it ties in with some
thoughts that have been swirling around in my brain. Once they stop swirling and
I can flesh them out, I will write a post about it.

Simple Woman's Daybook

Thank you to Peggy for sharing her Daybook.......

FOR TODAY July 28,2008
Outside My Window... it is cloudy and overcast, rain is likely
I am thinking... how quickly summer is passing, which means college girl leaves in a few weeks...
I am thankful for...my husband who has booked a family vacation at a nearby lake for some family togetherness before college girl leaves
From the kitchen... Wild Mountain Blueberry coffee from Green Mt. Roasters....I am not a fan of flavored cofffees, but this is delicious!
I am wearing... purple t-shirt and pajama pants
I am creating... order from chaos (trying)
I am going... to the local opera house to see the children's production of Cinderella with my younger ones this morning
I am reading... Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
I am hoping...my older son's graduation from his Dare to Care program goes smoothly and that the program gives him some insight as to whether the medical field is where he is called
I am hearing... kids yelling at hyper dog
Around the house... things are shaping up, organization-wise; we have a few more projects to tackle, and I still haven't gotten to those menus and shopping lists....
One of my favorite things... Order, peace and silence....Adoration fits the bill perfectly!
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: soccer camp, soccer playoff game, Dare to Care graduation, 2 BBQ's, more de-cluttering and organizing....oh, and menus/grocery lists
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Our labradoodle before and after her clipping. Although it is hard to tell in the "after" picture (and my camera battery is charging, so I can't get a new one) she has a very poodlish build under all that hair. She looks very feminine and delicate...and she acts it too! Everyone has noticed that she is calmer and gentler since her clipping. I wonder if they gave us the wrong dog? Who could tell?

New Look

Hello to my tiny audience. I am trying a new look with my blog. Let me know how you like it.

Neglected Blog

Oh my poor neglected blog!! It has been a very productive week for me, though -- five, count 'em, five bookshelves organized, last year's school books packed away, portfolios packed up (including art projects and other projects that don't fit into a "portfolio"), new school books organized neatly on new bookcase--oh, that I had to build(!), new files and binders labeled and ready, Course of study plans finished for three boys, schedule of homeschool days roughed out, and dresser full of homeschool supplies cleaned, sorted and newly organized. (note to self: do this last project prior to taking advantage of the school supply sales---whatever am I going to do with 750 index cards and 56 glue sticks??) I also had a homeschool co-op meeting, 2 soccer games, 1 baseball game, labradoodle grooming appt., applied for student loan for college girl, orthodontist appt, not to mention laundry, dishes and vacuuming. The kids were not neglected either!! I took them mini golfing, swimming and had the cousins come to play. Wow, as I write this I am amazing myself. Must be extra prayer and grace coming my way this week....Philippians 4:13. But, I wonder....do you think there is any connection between less computer time and more productivity??? I sure hope not......

Great Magazine! Great Giveaways!

Faith and Family magazine is a great read!!!! I just subscribed and read my first copy. Now they have an on-line magazine with a blog, great articles, helpful hints, and best of all it is totally Catholic! Check it out! Plus, they are having a great giveaway to celebrate their new website. Click the picture to go to the website.

From the Peanut Gallery

Ethan (9) : Sam, if you were on "America's Got Talent", what would you do?

Sam (6) : Be the judge. :)


**********************************************************

Mommy: Annie, you're a big 3 year old girl, you're not my baby anymore *sigh*

Annie: (with hugs) Pooooooor Mommy; Jesus growed me up.

Sweet Annie

Happy 3rd birthday my Sweet girl. God has blessed our family with the gift of you...we are so glad you were born!!!

Annie blows out her candles on her repaired cake which I fixed after the aforementioned labradoodle incident.

Free Labradoodle

Free Labradoodle....to any home, good or bad; available immediately!!!!

Want to know why?? Take a look:

Here is the birthday cake I finished this morning for my 3 year old daughter's birthday party, which is tonight at 6pm. I put the finished cake on the countertop and covered it with towels. I put up quite an elaborate setup/barricade around it.

This is the cake after my dog found it (and managed to maneuver her way around the barricade)

GRRRRRRRR......The dog is hiding from me now......smart dog!

Sweet times at Lake Sunapee

I decided that today we would do something fun--no planning, no big ordeal, spontaneous and simple! Friends, Jan and Kayla (a.k.a. KayKay) joined us at Lake Sunapee and it was great. Beautiful weather, good friends, warm water (yes, Lake Sunapee was actually warm!) Spontaneous is fun!

Two Wolves

An old Cherokee chieftain was talking with his grandson. "A fight is going on inside me." he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight. It is between two wolves. One is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lying, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, ego.."

"The other is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, faith."

"This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

His grandson thought for a moment. "Which wolf will win, Grandfather?" he asked.

The grandfather replied. "The one you feed."

This little lesson arrived in my mailbox yesterday afternoon...on a day when I was feeding the wrong wolf. Thank you, Lord, for your Divine Providence, your love and your mercy. And thank you for each new day, which gives us an opportunity begin anew...

Dean's List!!

Congratulations, Lexi!! We are soooo proud of you! You are a lovely (and smart!) young woman. God bless you. We love you.

(click to enlarge)

Simple Woman's Daybook

Thank you to Peggy for hosting the Simple Woman's Daybook.

FOR TODAY July 7, 2008
Outside My Window... it is gloomy and overcast
I am thinking... now that the quarterly reports are done, it's beginning to feel like summer
I am thankful for... a lovely birthday celebration and my family
From the kitchen... oldest son is trying to have ice cream for breakfast...not happening!
I am wearing... pajama pants and t shirt
I am creating... lesson plans
I am going... to tackle one organizing project per week
I am reading... "Lies Homeschooling Mothers Believe", a birthday gift from my sister and brother in law
I am hoping... to solidify morning routines...not working out so well right now
I am hearing... fans whirring and children arguing, oh dear...so early?
Around the house... we need to do a general clean-up after a busy weekend
One of my favorite things... homemade pizza which is on the menu for dinner tonight...healthy, lots of veggies, yum!
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: soccer and baseball games, almost 3 year-old's birthday party, son off to Steubenville East Youth Conference, hopefully some swimming...
Here is picture thought I am sharing..

or two...three short years ago, little Annemarie entered our lives...here is our little ray of sunshine today. Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Visit to Quechee Gorge

We decided to take a trip to Quechee, VT this afternoon. The younger kids hadn't seen Quechee Gorge yet. It is an impressive 165 ft. gorge. I could not take pictures from the bridge down into the gorge because...well...I was scared! My legs felt like jelly! So, I convinced my family to quickly get off the bridge and we walked the trail down into the gorge. At the bottom, there are rocks people can walk out on and wade or swim in the river. It's very pretty. Dad took the kids out on the rocks to play in the water. My footwear, while pretty and new, was not suitable for climbing on rocks, so, I stayed up on a bench and took pictures of them...thank goodness for 15X zoom!! Soccer boy stayed on the bench also, so he could save his energy for his soccer game later in the afternoon. Fashionista daughter was wearing even LESS sensible shoes than I, but she did manage to navigate her way over the rocks without breaking an ankle. There is actually a railroad bridge that was first built in the 1800's (late, I think) and a guided tour which would make a great homeschool field trip!!! Maybe in the fall, nice foliage, cooler weather.

Thank you!

I want to thank my sweet husband for working so hard to make my birthday a special day. I really appreciate your efforts!! I had a great day. The campfire and fireworks were awesome. I hope you're not too tired today. Thank you also to our family who joined us. I love you all.

Baby Borrowers

My family became hooked on the TV show "America's Got Talent" last summer, so we were excited to watch this summer's installment. The show itself has been fine and about what you would expect....lots of bad talent (who tells these people that they should audition??) and some surprisingly great talent. BUT....during this show, a commercial appeared for a new fall reality show called "The Baby Borrowers."
It seems to be a show where teens "borrow" babies to see what parenthood is really like. (Who lends their babies to such a show??!) The commercial started by showcasing teen couples who said things like, "I just love babies", or "I don't think it's hard (to parent)" or "I can't wait to be a mom". Then it cuts to shots of babies screaming, crying and projectile vomiting while the teens melt down. THEN... text appears across the screen as the announcer states, "It's not TV, it's birth control!" That is the precise moment my blood started to boil.
Many people believe that programs such as this, or the mechanical baby project in Jr. high school are great deterrents to teenage pregnancy...perhaps not by promoting abstinence, respect of self and others, or appropriate relationship dynamics, but by making darned sure that these kids use birth control/protection/"safe sex"...after all we don't want them to "ruin" their lives by getting pregnant. Programs such as these send the message that babies are bad, too much work, too expensive, and tie you down. It says that these teens are "worth too much" and "too important" to have their lives impacted so negatively by a baby. It reflects the self-absorbed mentality that permeates our society..."how will this affect me?"

Jennifer F., writing on her blog , "Et tu?", about her conversion experience, describes her (previously) pro-choice mentality:
"The way I'd always seen it, the standard position was that babies were a horrible burden, except for a couple times in life when everything is perfect enough that a couple might temporarily see new life as a good thing; " For the rest of Jennifer's excellent article, go here.

The viewpoint that Jennifer describes is what is being taught, formally or informally, in our schools, legislature and society at large. These are the roots of the "Culture of Death" our dear pope, John Paul II, spoke of. When new life is seen as the "enemy", it is an easy journey down the slippery slope to abortion, disrespect for all human life and the culture of death.
This viewpoint is flawed because it does not recognize a basic truth. Once a child has been conceived, the new mother's first responsibility is the welfare of her baby. It is no longer "all about me." This is the first and most basic change that must take place in a new mom's heart. For me, this was definitely a new way of thinking. I remember my heart feeling like it was flayed wide open with a love so powerful it hurt, when my firstborn entered the world. I believe our Lord used this event to completely change my heart (Thank you, Jesus!). I was a recent convert to Catholicism and grew up with the mentality described above. In an instant my heart was completely and totally changed; not so, my brain. The day to day dying to self began to happen, and I struggled. Not with my love of my baby, but with letting go of habits and ways of being, thinking and acting that conflicted with this new attitude of my heart. It can be a difficult transition.
When we teach our young people that babies are their enemies, we do not prepare them to make this transition in their hearts. We do not prepare them for the routine and lovingly made sacrifices that proper parenting requires (sacrifices that benefit the parents as much or more than the child they are made for). We do not prepare them for parenthood at all. We prepare them to avoid parenthood and anything else that might require self-sacrifice. Our culture and our world need better parents, not more selfish ones.
Certainly, a teenage girl becoming pregnant is a serious situation, and she needs to consider her own future, but I believe better decisions will be made for both mother and baby if we, as a society and as individuals, come to recognize that all human life is precious. Rather than generating fear and disdain of new life, we need to encourage respect and awe. New life is not to be avoided because it is bad, but because it is such a magnificent gift...a gift that we should only accept when we are able to nurture, support and cherish it accordingly. New life, whether a couple's first or fourteenth child, is always a miracle, always a gift, always a blessing and ALWAYS wanted...if not by the biological parents then by eager adoptive parents and most certainly by God. As opposed to seeing the baby as an intrusion into its mother's life, that needs to be "gotten rid of", the baby should be seen as a unique, unrepeatable gift from God who needs to be protected and provided for.
When we change this thought process around, and change our questions from, "How will this affect me?" to "How can I best fulfill my responsibility to this new life?", then, and only then, will our culture begin the slow ascent back up that slippery slope from death to respect and reverence for life.