Happy New Year!

Wishing a Happy and Blessed New Year to all! We are up to our elbows in paint as we near the completion of the construction process. Next, we install flooring and then we move! But not before college girl returns to Ohio :(
We are also expecting a big northeaster tonight and throughout the weekend.
I would love to take a look back at 2009 and forward at 2010, but right now, I don't have time to think, much less blog.
I will just thank God for the blessings of 2009 and his continued Providential Care, and pray that He will shower our family and friends (IRL and cyber-friends) with the graces we need to live out His will for us in 2010.
God bless us, every one!

On the Feast of Stephen...

....we celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. Our tradition is to meet at a local pizza place and have dinner together with my in-laws and sister and brother-in-law and their family, and then we all travel to the LaSalette Shrine to see their "Festival of Lights". The shrine is located across from a lake and the property has a large hill behind it. The entire hill is covered with Christmas lights, with a large nativity, and the wise men with their servants and camels making their way across the snowy landscape to see the newborn king. It is so beautiful. There is also a small chapel where the children can decorate birthday cards for Jesus, the main church, a small cafeteria, and the gift shop where I pick up my breviary guide for each year, and refrain from buying more books, and the children whine for yet another statue.
This year we got there early enough to see them turn the lights on; which was very exciting. My nephew and I wanted to cheer when they went on.
We arrived so early in fact, that we got there before baby Jesus! Apparently, they take the small statue from the manger each night and replace him the next day. My (smart aleck) college daughter complained that this empty manger was disturbing her understanding of theology... "An empty tomb, yes...but, an empty manger!! Everything I know has crumbled...very disturbing." She's so funny... she certainly brings a "spark" to our family gatherings:)
So, we ate our pizza, gazed at the Christmas lights, made a visit to Jesus in the church, hit the gift shop, drank hot cocoa, sang "Happy Birthday" to my mother-in-law and re-established our tradition for another year.

People with birthdays on or around Christmas may sometimes feel shortchanged. Truly, I am guilty of wrapping her birthday gifts in Christmas paper almost every year (sorry, Mom). But, having a birthday to celebrate the day after Christmas sort of "extends" our enjoyment of the season and keeps us in a celebratory mood a bit longer. I think it's pretty cool that I share my birthday with my cousin (she is 3 hours older, btw), but to (almost) share your birthday with Jesus?! That is very cool, indeed. Happy birthday, Jesus and happy birthday, Mom!That is my mother-in-law to the right with all her grandchildren

Sweet kidsSmart aleck college girl
Teen son disguised as a turtle...or eskimopretending she's holding baby Jesus...note the arms
Brother and sister praying before statue of Our Lady of LasaletteMom, I don't want my picture taken!
What is growing out of Sammy's head? It doesn't quite look like a halo...Cousins!

Keeping Christmas

OK, after I lamented about how I have had nothing to offer this Advent, I visited Margaret's blog and found this gem. So, I do have something beautiful to offer...except I "borrowed" it, so it's not really mine, but still, it's good. Enjoy.

From “Keeping Christmas” by Henry Van Dyke:

“Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellow-men are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy; to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness—are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.”

Adorable!

I have had so little to offer this blog this Advent season. Building this house is draining me. I am trying to be appreciative and thankful, but I am struggling. We are very close to the end, and the week or two after Christmas will see us painting and installing flooring. We expect that sometime mid-January we will be able to move in.
I received these adorable snacks this morning from a friend, and I thought I would share them, in hopes that they would brighten up this little corner of cyberspace that has been so quiet lately.
Enjoy!
They are made with mini rice cakes covered with (I believe) melted white chocolate with a red M&M for a nose, chocolate chips for eyes and mini pretzel antlers! Cute!
Their little faces will be staring at me today as I finish up baking some pies and cookies. Then I will probably need to eat a couple for strength for all the gift wrapping I need to do today!
May God bless this last day of Advent that our hearts may be open as never before to the wonder and grace of Our Lord's birth.

Life is Precious

What a beautiful story. Life is precious, even when things look very bleak, every life has meaning and beauty.

(HT: Blessed Among Men & Catholic and Enjoying It!

Latest House Update

It's been a while since I have updated the progress on the house. We are nearing the end, but Hubster thinks it will be the end of January before we are able to move in. I am hoping for the middle of January, maybe even sooner. College girl is home and I would like her to be able to spend at least one night in the new house before she returns to Franciscan on Jan. 10. That may be wishful thinking.
The carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and heating guys are all almost done. "Almost done" means that there are about a million and a half little details that still need to be attended to. The big stuff is done, but the little stuff has my head swimming and sends me to 'overwhelm' mode quickly. I just think, as I look around, about all of the painting and staining and polyurethaning I will have to do on all these "details." Yikes!
I don't think I have mentioned the heating system we chose for this house. We are pretty excited about it, and it turns out that we are sitting at the cutting edge of the home heat industry!! Cool, huh?! We ended up going with the Acadia Heat Pump. Now, people who live in the south know all about heat pumps, but this is a very new thing (like only a year old) up here in the cold north. These heat pumps are built in Maine, so they are designed especially for our New England winters. Heat pumps take energy (heat) from the air and convert it to heat for the house. Apparently, there is heat in the air even when it is cold (something about absolute zero being -459 degrees F, when molecules stop moving....) Well, until now, this technology would not work if air was cooler than 20 or 30 degrees F (which is why heat pumps are only found down south), but the folks at Acadia have designed a heat pump that will work in temps down to -30 degrees F!! It really is a breakthrough (and it really does get that cold here sometimes!) The best part is that it is a "green" product -- energy star rated and it qualifies us for some tax credits. It runs on electricity (and we get a special discount from the power company because of its energy efficiency) and we will never have to buy heating oil again! It is 300% efficient and should cut our heating costs in half! Oh yeah, and in the summer, it will cool our house --- yes, that's right, we will have central air conditioning!!! I do not know anyone in this area (and I've lived here all my life) who has central air in their house! We are pioneers.
Life here at the "cutting edge" is pretty interesting. No one really quite understands what this heat pump is all about. Neither did we when it was first described to us.
"Oh, you mean a geo-thermal heat pump?"
"No."
"Does it run on propane?"
"No."
Blank stare...
The poor heating man was very patient with us. I think he must be used to it, because we get the same reaction from everyone we tell about it. I have one uncle, who keeps regular tabs on the house progress, who is quite perplexed about the whole thing. He keeps asking my dad questions, but my dad is pretty unclear about it also. We'll have to give a tutorial once the house is done!
We have super insulated the house, and are looking into On-Demand hot water, which is also an energy star rated product. My new washer is also energy star (not to mention super capacity and front-loading...I am so excited) So, we have made some efforts to be "green" about the building of this house. Eventually, we'd like to add solar panels as we can afford it, to move towards greater self-sufficiency and energy efficiency. It is a really good feeling.

Anyway, here are some pics:This is the side you drive up to. See the mudroom peeking out on the left side.The back, well, I guess front, of the house with the dumpster in the way :) The beam showing is where the deck will go (next spring)The main entrance into the mudroom with the new little porch. Isn't it cute?!
The former front, but now back of the house. It will have a little deck here also.Our new wooden stairs. (the old stairs were carpeted) Aren't they great!This is the kitchen peninsula. I had the overhead cabinets taken out and pendant lights will hang from the two holes in the ceiling box, there. The two cabinets sitting on the counter top will be hung next to the microwave range hood. There will be a new, wider countertop also, so that we can put stools there.
The Hubster, insulating the basement wall in my school room. Thanks, honey!

Happiness is...

Having your crazy, fun-loving college-going sister home for the holidays.

Especially if she is more than willing to dance with you and show you the latest moves.

Or make a Gingerbread house with you.

They've been staying pretty close to her these past two days. She doesn't seem to mind that arrangement too much;) These are sweet family times, indeed, when all of my children are under the same roof.

Heartstrings

The kids are making a "Welcome Home" banner for College Girl, who flies in tomorrow (yay!).
Do you think they miss her?

I know just how they feel.

Season of Miracles

Advent is the liturgical season for preparing our hearts and souls for the coming of Christ--not only at Christmas, but for His Second Coming, also. In this spirit, we pray, sometimes we fast, and especially now, we are more inclined to give. Advent is also known as the season of miracles--a virgin birth, God incarnate, the appearance of the heavenly host, Scriptures fulfilled, a special star, and now...this.
As our family was purging the mudroom looking for clothes and shoes to give to the local homeless shelter, I happened upon my old nemesis. I have tried unsuccessfully for years to rid my home of this particular filth, but something (or someone?) always held me back. I managed to banish this enemy to the back porch for several months once, but eventually, it returned. The revolting sight and putrid smell taunted me from its protected perch. This time, though, I was surprised with an unexpected victory! My dear hubby astonished me by allowing his 20+ year old, tattered, weather-beaten, feline-scented indoor soccer shoes to be thrown away!
It is quite apparent that they are well past their usefulness...and attractiveness...and fresh-scentedness. Poor hubby did need a quiet moment to say "good-bye", but, in the end, they were deposited in the big black trash bag of final farewells.
Truly, Advent is a season of miracles.

Hour of Grace

The Hour of Grace. December 8th-- a Holy Hour in honor of Our Lady's Immaculate Conception.

THE REQUEST OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER FOR THE HOUR OF GRACE :

1. Day and time of the Hour of Grace: December 8th, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, to be started at 12:00 noon and continuing until 1:00 p.m. for one full hour of prayer.

2. During this hour, the person making the "Hour of Grace" either at home or at Church must put away all distractions (do not answer the telephones, or answer any doors, or do anything but totally concentrate on your union with God during this special Hour of Grace).

3. Begin the Hour of Grace by praying three (3) times the 51st Psalm with out-stretched arms. (Psalm 51 appears below)

4. The rest of the Hour of Grace may be spent in silent communication with God meditating upon the Passion of Jesus, saying the Holy Rosary, praising God in your own way, or by using favorite prayers, singing hymns, meditating upon other psalms, etc.

Please copy and distribute this message. Remember to pray for your country during this hour.
The Blessed Virgin has requested that her important message be sent throughout the entire world. Please help her Mission : that all souls be drawn to GOD, and that JESUS will be loved in every heart. This is the perpetual song of her heart. Let it also be ours.


PSALM 51

Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.
Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.
For I know my offense; my sin is always before me.
Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight That you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn.
True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.
Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my inmost being teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow.

Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt.
A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.
Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit.
Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit.
I will teach the wicked your ways, that sinners may return to you.
Rescue me from death, God, my saving God, that my tongue may praise your healing power.
Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise.
For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept.
My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.
Make Zion prosper in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem .
Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifice, burnt offerings and holocausts; then bullocks will be offered on your altar.

Small Successes - Advent edition

It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph.

1.
I managed to plow my way through a BIG stack of paperwork yesterday. I have been trying to take care of this stuff for more than 2 weeks, but could not manage to get the uninterrupted time I needed to finish it! I finally made the time yesterday (no schoolwork got done, but not much was on the schedule for yesterday anyway.) It took most of the day, but the bills, filing, phone calls and miscellaneous "stuff" that needed to be dealt with, got dealt with. Phew, what a relief! And the checkbook balanced! Maybe that should be its own entry.

2.
Went to the library and with my Christmas Mosaic in my hands, got several sweet Christmas books for read alouds....the first week of Advent!! With all that is going on in our lives right now (we are building a house and I am trying to prepare for Christmas, homeschool, pack, sort, purge, paint and MOVE) our Advent is going to be a bit lacking in the usual crafting and baking activities, but we can keep sweetness and meaning in the season by reading these books.
BTW, we loved "Welcome Comfort" by Patricia Polacco last night. Sweetness and meaning, oh yes.

3.
Another huge success is that together with my sons, we purged, sorted, and packed up their room. It was awful! The three boys have shared a room in this rental house for 3 years. The combination of 3 boys together in a room and the lack of space for storage led to a disaster of epic proportions! Not to mention their tendency to NOT bring their dirty clothes into the laundry room, but to leave them on their floor and whine, "I don't have any clothes to wear." We purged their closet and managed to give away two boxes of clothes to friends whose sons can wear them, and I have one garbage bag for Planet Aid (with more to follow).

Visit Faith and Family Live! for more Small Successes