We miss you Grammy!

Your birthday celebration just wasn't the same without you.

I keep thinking about how much you would be loving on my baby, if you weren here (if you were here and feeling good, that is) and I feel bad for him that he will miss out on all that. But I promise he will know how much you would have kissed and hugged and snuggled him if you were here.

Your other grandkids just keep getting bigger and bigger and smarter and smarter. It is fun watching all the cousins playing together this week.

We had pizza ala your recipe today. It was nearly as good as yours. You would be surprised who did the cooking!

Miss you!

Benny's Baptism

2-22-09

Happy New Year & 2009 Goals

I hope 2009 brings all of you more peace, love, joy, happiness, and whatever else it is you're looking for.

A friend on one of my email lists inspired me to write down my 2009 goals that have been floating around my subconscious. Some of them are repeat goals from 2008. Or 2007. (There may even be one in there from 1996 or so. Hey, I'm far from perfect!) Some are new. Anyway, I just thought I'd share them.

1. Establish a regular prayer schedule (first for me, then for family)
2. Emanate peace to everyone I encounter
3. Be nicer to my kids (hopefully will be easier w/o pgcy hormones)
4. Research upgrading vehicles & replacing sliding glass door
5. Promote my business
6. Read 1 book a month
7. Get my heart rate up at least once a week
8. Cook healthier meals for my family
9. Go through all the boxes of stuff that got packed up for thebasement remodel, find a home or donate
10. Get my craft room organized
11. Scrapbook at least twice a month/work on big kids' baby books andkeep up with new baby's baby book
12. Learn to do more with less/spend less
13. Paint some walls & make the upstairs as pretty/fun as the basement

I enjoy reading other peoples' goals, too, so if you have some, do share.

Rave: A Mother's Rule of Life

I love this website. There is always some nugget on there that speaks to my exact situation. Like this one:

If you can focus on doing only ONE thing in your life - and that ONE thing is to do the Will of God for you - then everything else becomes simple. You are not to do 100 things to day - you are to do ONE thing - God's requests to you - which manifest themselves at each moment.

(P.S. MamaE, was that you posting about keeping house with no electricity?)

Urgent: Today's MSNBC Poll

Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation. NBC is taking a poll on 'In God We Trust' to stay on our American currency. Please send this to every Christian you know so they can vote on this important subject. Please do it right
away, before NBC takes this off the web page. Poll is still open so you can vote.

Lots of Happy August Birthdays and Anniversaries

So I'm way super-late with this one. But what can I say? Sleep is more appealing that computer time at this point.

Happy belated b-day and/or anniversary to

• My mom (1)
• My Fly-Buddy Myra (1)
• Me (2)
• Todd & Amanda (2)
• My aunt Donna (3)
• Sarah (4)
• Erin & Garry (4)
• Sleepyhead and Sheryl (5) (I was the flower girl in their wedding oh-so-long-ago)
• My brother (7)
• Kwamai (8)

And coming up...

• David and Stephanie (14)
• Our cousin Cole (21)
• Trampas & Jamie (30)

If I missed you, it's because I don't have your dates in my Outlook calendar. Please send them over. (I like to pray for people on their special days.)

Please pray

for my friend Stephanie and her family. (The same one who was here visiting week before last.) Her dad died unexpectedly last night.

Teaching toddlers about the faith

I am very excited about this new blog that shares with moms like me how to teach my young ones about the faith. Check it out! http://firstheralds.blogspot.com/

40 Days for Life

This is an awesome, ecumenical ministy that is seeing lots of fruits from their prayer and fasting. Please consider joining them in some way, even if only as a prayer partner. www.40daysforlife.com

Here is the email their prayer partners received yesterday:

I have NEVER been more hopeful about seeing theend of abortion than I am today! The phones have been ringing off the hook and we have been pounded with e-mails as media outlets, Christian and pro-life leaders, and people acrossthe country are wanting to know more about the 40 Days for Life that kicks-off in 59 cities across 31 states TOMORROW, Wednesday, February 6. All morning and afternoon I've been fielding interviews with Focus on the Family, the USA Radio Network, and numerous local newspapers and radiostations. Over 275 people have already posted prayers andencouragement on the last 40 Days for Life blogupdate. And I can honestly say that I'm AMAZED at theintense level of excitement about this spring40 Days for Life campaign...

...All because people of faith and conscience arewilling to take a courageous stand to end abortionin our land through:

* 40 DAYS of prayer and fasting
* 40 DAYS of peaceful vigil outside abortion facilities and Planned Parenthood centers
* 40 DAYS of local pro-life outreach

There are many blessings in store for you duringthese coming 40 days, but I wanted to give you anadvance "heads-up" about one of them...

Each day, from February 6 - March 16, you willreceive a short daily devotional with a prayer intention, a scripture passage, and a reflection,to help focus and unite your prayers with those of believers across the country and around the world. These inspirational pro-life messages are for all Christians, and have been written by influential clergy and leaders, including:

* CARMEN PATE, Point of View Radio Talk Show * KEVIN BURKE, Rachel's Vineyard Ministries * FR. FRANK PAVONE, Priests for Life * REV. JOHN BROWN, United Church of Christ * REV. ROB SCHENCK, Faith and Action * GEORGETTE FORNEY, Anglicans for Life and Silent No More Awareness * DENNIS DIMAURO, Lutherans for Life * RANDOLPH SLY, National Pro-Life Religious Council * FR. TERRY GENSEMER, Charismatic Episcopal Church for Life * ERNEST OHLHOFF, National Right to Life * REV. J. KIRK VAN DER SWAAGH, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference * REV. BEN SHELDON, Presbyterians for Life * REV. CLENARD CHILDRESS, Life Education and Resource Network (LEARN) * REV. PAUL STALLSWORTH, United Methodist Church * VERA FAITH LORD, Alpha/Omega Life Ministry

I know you will be blessed by these devotionals,so look for them each day in your inbox!

Now, on this Super Tuesday -- and the day beforethe Christian season of Lent begins -- here are5 things YOU can do to help end abortion:
1.) Pray for God's will to be done throughout this 40 Days for Life effort from February 6 through March 16.
2.) Forward this message to everyone you know, asking them to sign up for e-mail updates and the 40 Days for Life devotionals.
3.) Commit to pray and fast (at whatever level you feel called) for an end to abortion during each of the 40 Days for Life.
4.) See if there is a 40 Days for Life campaign happening near you. If there is a nearby location, click on the link to visit their local web site and find out how you can get involved locally.
5.) During the 40 Days for Life, share your stories with me of how you see God at work through the 40 Days for Life effort, so I can share them with others and we can celebrate what God is doing. Send your stories to david@40daysforlife.com.

Let's work like it depends upon us, and pray likeit depends upon God -- because it does!

Your Brother in Christ,
David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

Blessed William Ireland

My kids and husband have a Jesuit martyr in their ancestry line. Today is his feast day. Please join me in praying that I will be a good mom/wife, and especially a good witness, to his descendants.

a meeting

My Mommies' Faith Group resumed meeting after a 2 month hiatus for various vacations and Julie going back to work. It is getting very hard to get any faith study done these days with 3 toddlers and one about-to-be. I think we read 2 pages of our 24 page document - Happy Are Those Who Are Called To His Supper: On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist.

The food was good though, even if I did half burn it. Here are some photos of Sammy, Katie, and Morgan enjoying the swing while I grilled our dinner.

Rave: Free Electronic Catholic Prayer Tools

• Add the General Roman Calendar to your Outlook (or other iCal-reading) calendar.
• Listen to daily Mass readings on your computer. (and if you figure out how a way to automatically download these to PDA please let me know!) Or read them online. Or read them on your PDA.
• Pray the Liturgy of the Hours on your computer or PDA.
• Pray the Rosary on your PC or PDA.
• Use your calendar or task list to set prayer reminders when people ask you to pray for them, novenas you want to pray, etc. You can put details or pre-written prayers in the notes section of the appointment or task.
• Make yearly-recurring calendar events for the saint of the day. Put details about the saint in the notes section, and read it on the relevant day.
  
  If you know of some that I don't, please comment. I would also love to hear how other people (Catholic or not) are using their electronics as prayer tools.
  
  God Bless you all!

Rave: www.foryourmarriage.org

Kudos to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for launching www.foryourmarriage.org, a site for anyone who is married, or who is contemplating marriage. Please check it out, and pass it on to your friends.

What have you done for your marriage today? Enquiring minds want to know. I sent my honey an email letting him know that I missed him. And of course prayed for him.

The Catch-up blog

Haven't been spending as much time on the computer, what with all the travelling. Lots has happened though!

• You already saw (or can see below) the photos from the family gathering early last week
• Celebrated mom (MIL)'s b-day on Friday
• Wished Grandma (MIL's MIL) a happy b-day (Sat)
• My now out-of-warranty laptop developed a row of dead pixels. :( (Still useable but annoying!!!)
• After a week of being there, Katie finally let her grammy hold her the night before we left!
• Left Grammy & Grampy's Sat lunchtime, Daddy headed north (for home/back to work) and we headed south. Stopped in Pearland (Houston) to visit my Roomie for about 3 seconds. Or at least that's how short it seemed to me. Didn't get to do much but tend to kids, although I did get to meet her fiance and see her wedding dress. Forgot to ask her how she got so skinny. She looks fabulawesome! (I couldn't think of a regular word to say how great she looked, so I had to make one up. Just for you, Roomie!)
• Tried to attend Mass with her family Sunday morning but the kids were just too grumpy and we ended up spending half of it in the nursery (of course I was not allowed to leave... couldn't really hear the speakers for all the kid noise, so I read the readings on my PDA and hoped God counted my effort for something!) and the other half of it exploring the grounds.
• Got to see Todd, Amanda, & Addie in League City
• Didn't get to see TJ, Ellen, & Aiden because we passed through Sulphur too late (very sad about that one! Hope we can catch them on the way back!)
• Got to MawMaw's last night
• Had an unfortunate encounter with a bleeping rodent after a 5am potty trip, have been awake ever since (and am considering taking the kids and staying at someone else's house if the stinking little thing isn't caught and expelled!).
• Visited with (the other) Roomie, Mason, Aunt Donna, Granny, & Cameron this morning. What a SWEEEEEEET baby!!!
• Visited Ms. Rosann & Mr. Ray this evening, plus stopped a minute to say hi to MawMaw's Keno buddies.
• Katie is playing super shy around anyone new this trip, except that if you offer to take her outside, you are automatically her new best friend.
• Sammy will say hi to, and eventually hug, anyone we ask him to. And seems to have a homing radar for the "toy room" no matter what house we go in. (Although he doesn't seem to get the concept that some houses don't have them.)
• Katie started walking (apparently that's going around her crowd... Morgan, what about you, baby???)
• Katie is about to sprout 2 more bottom teeth any minute now. And has the crankiness to go with it.
• Though fondly about Aunt Julie, whose b-day is today. (We celebrated her b-day last week when we were all together.)

Dinner Guest

Sammy's "Nanny" (godmother) Amy came for dinner the other night. We always love to see her. She was one of my teens from when I volunteered with the Life Teen program at St. Mary's in Cheyenne. (I won't tell you how long ago that was!)

Our fridge went out

I should have seen this coming, yesterday, when I opened the freezer door, and my feet got rained on. But I thought it was just because Sammy was looking for something to eat and didn't close the door all the way.

This evening when I checked on it, about 1/3 of the items in there were completely defrosted. We were able to fit them in an ice chest, and transfer the still-frozen items to the freezer in the garage. And then I noticed that the things in the fridge were suspicously cool, instead of cold. Apparently the way this fridge works is to pump some of the cold air from the freezer into the fridge. (Perhaps they all work like that... This is not my area of expertise.)

We were super lucky in that our friends Kerry and Mike had a spare, and were conveniently borrowing our truck to tow their trailer full of the rest of their stuff from their old house, so it was very easy for Mike to bring it over.

I was amazed at how calm I have stayed about the whole ordeal. I think it was because I read Marie's post from this morning. In particular, the part that goes

...worrying and distressing yourself is your will for yourself, not God's will for you... You are on the straight path to heaven. ...as long as you stay on the path, there is nothing, nothing, that should have the power to upset you.

And, of course, the upside of the freezer going out is, if the ice cream is already mostly melted, you might as well go ahead and finish it off!


And one more, for Mama's little Ham, who now knows when the camera is out, you're supposed to get in front of it and say "my-yule!"

Beautiful thoughts

Marie wrote a very beautiful, inspiring post last week. I would have been a much better mother today if I had read this when I woke up!

Praise God for the growing families!

In addition to the new baby (Aiden) in our family (and my DSIL pointed out to me that he makes us Great Aunts! Oh my!!!)...

Thank you God for

• Gianna Molla, born on Mother's Day, long-awaited blessing of our longtime friends David and Stephanie and big brother Maximilian Kolbe (and three other siblings in Heaven)
• Eva Brooke born Tues to my high school friend Bianca, her husband Brian, and big brother Ethan
• Lidiya and Igor, adpoted (after a VERY LONG wait) Wednesday in the Ukraine by my online aquaintance Nichole from the Catholic-Fertility Yahoo Group

Mother's Day

Traditionally a day of great stress and sorrow for me... This was my third one with a baby to hold, the second one with TWO babies to hold, and it still stings a bit. I guess the pain of infertility is something that will always stick with me to some extent. I hope it is at least making me a better, more appreciative mother.

Please join me in praying for my sisters on the catholic-fertility Yahoo group, for God's blessings and lots of children and peace in their hearts. Although I no longer share their pain, I remember it vividly.

And many thanks to God for my own wonderful mother, the 2 of my 3 grandmothers that are still with us, and my dear mother-in-law.

faith groups

The MOPS semester is about to end. I don't plan to do that again next semester. Sammy refuses to stay in the daycare, and it is against my parenting values to force him to. (I did try this one time, because so many people suggested it, and he woke up screaming and inconsolable from every nap for 4 days afterward. This is a kid who usually wakes up happy and chatty.) He is of course welcome in the meeting with me, but I don't get a lot out of it that way because I spend 85% of the meeting trying to keep him and Katie from being too disruptive. I also feel... I don't know... out of my element there. I am not nearly as organized as all these people are (or appear to be). I don't enjoy sitting in a chair for two and a half hours first thing in the morning. Sammy and I are allergic to most of the items brought for breakfast, and can't seem to get up early enough to get a big enough breakfast to tide us over until lunchtime before we go. I don't think it's necessary (or even healthy) to force seperation on my young toddler - and it certainly isn't relaxing or renewing for me to do so! I don't plan to put my kids in public shcool... I feel pretty safe in my decision that this group just isn't for me. Which made me a little sad, because I wanted it to be. The people are nice enough. They are just too "normie," I guess.

On a happier note, my Mommies' Faith Study group met tonight. I couldn't find anything at church (besides MOPS) to help strengthen my faith life where I felt my nursing toddler and baby would be welcome, so I started my own with two of my friends. We meet every week at my house, in the evening because one of them works. We read our book (currently A Mother's Rule of Life) for an hour and then eat dinner together. I get so much out of this group, even on the days we don't get any actual faith study done because the babies are too fussy. It is so much fun to see them interact together, and to have a safe outlet to vent or sing praises about what's going on in our lives. And to have our babies see us making an effort to get to know God better.