I know I said...

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...I was going to be away having deep thoughts. And maybe I was. They just weren't the deep thoughts I planned to have.

This week between Christmas and the New Year is always a hard one for me because I usually have lots, and lots of company over. They don't sleep with us because we really don't have any extra spaces for sleeping (unless the floor or a lumpy sofa counts), but they usually eat with us...soup kitchen style -- they only show up at meal time.

This year has been different and I am torn between feeling badly about it and feeling relieved. Apparently I was such a pathetic soul limping around and grunting through the pain on Christmas Eve and Day that my out-of-town family decided to leave me completely alone this week. We had a small get-together Wednesday with Doug's family, but no meals were involved. And today all the family will come for a New Year's Eve celebration, but, by and large we've had a quiet, relaxing week.

I am relieved because my back is feeling much better than it was. But, I feel badly because I have a deep-seated desire to be Melanie Wilkes to all people, all the time.

Melanie is gracious at all times -- when she is stressed, when she is hungry, in pain -- Melanie is gracious. You remember the scene in Gone With the Wind when Scarlet, found out to be the covetous women that she was, is forced to attend Ashley's birthday party and face the wife of the man she not-so-secretly loves? Does Melanie call her out, throw a glass of champagne in her face, slam the door and show her who's who? No, she graciously takes her into her arms and shows her guests how to be a better woman.

I want to be like Melanie -- gracious at all times. I try not to complain when I have a lot on my plate, but I fear my face shows it. I never have had a poker face - it's all there for anyone to read. I have a girlfriend who was raised to smile at all times -- her mother trained her so. And she does. She even smiles on the phone, I can tell.  There is most definitely something to be said for smiling through the pain, figurative and literal.

Looking to scripture, trying to be Mary while really being Martha, is really the same thing. Martha doesn't want to be the way she is. She'd much rather pour some wine and sit listening to Jesus, but it's just not in her. She really needed to work on it. I guess that's why Jesus told her Mary had chosen the better part. We Marthas need to be reminded that it's no fun to get your panties in a bunch because the roast isn't done when you thought it would be. Or because someone doesn't show up, or more than you expected shows up. It's no fun for our guests either. It's much better to pour another glass of wine and enjoy the company.

Tonight I'll be working on my inner Melanie - hopefully smiling all the while we ring in the New Year. Happy New Year!

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Random Observations and a Few Deep Thoughts

Time to catch up with you on what's been going on in my house.

Injuring one's back three days before Christmas sets one's priorities very straight. I'm recovering slowly, but have slowed down considerably in these post Christmas days. Fortunately I got done what I wanted to get done before Christmas, but was forced to sit often enough to really enjoy the season. It's sad, though, that a physical injury was necessary for that to happen. As I begin to feel a little better each day it certainly puts into perspective those days all year (fortunately the vast majority) when I feel perfectly fine. As I have in the past three years (and thus far not successfully so), I resolve this next year to be kinder to my body.

~~~

Fourteen is the perfect age for a boy to get a drum set. Yes, we now possess a drum set. And a very happy 14-year-old boy. Lessons to begin after Christmas.

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Eight years old is the perfect age for a girl to receive a camera...if you want pictures of everyone's nostrils.

~~~

Faith is a necessity at Christmas. Not that you need me to tell you that.

Some new ornaments on the tree:

 

 Also necessary for Christmas are adult sons who are still silly enough to sing and dance in Santa hats.

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I know that it's not just me that is prompted by all that Christmas brings to turn toward thoughts (and actions when possible) of organization and decluttering. I am not certain, for myself, if it is the mess that is brought by packages and family gatherings, or the money spent on Christmas that that causes me to think of a life lived with less stuff (though I must say I think we spent less on Christmas this year than any year in recent history).

Maybe it is thoughts of the Christ Child, coming into our world to two parents who it is said had  nothing but a donkey and the clothes on their backs (though the three gifts from the kings certainly helped set up shop in Egypt). After Christmas each year, I ache for simple, almost monastic surroundings. I want to get rid of all the clutter (not that which just arrived, but all of it -- every knick knack, every item which breaks the clean top of every surface). I want to live poorly. Odd, isn't it? Though we are not by any stretch rich, I feel so rich this time of year that I yearn for poverty. Contrary, aren't I?

For the next month or so I intend to attempt to live just that life -- eating simply, keeping my days as uncomplicated and quiet as possible (I'm not certain where drum lessons will fit into the latter), not spending money on any unnecessary "things," even using words sparingly -- no unnecessary chatter. All these things I feel called to do, though I have no idea why. I'm certain that God will make it apparent in time.

If you notice an absence here, just know that I am accomplishing my goal. And know that time not spent here is likely spent in prayer or quiet listening  -- there's just no way to go wrong there.

Enjoy your Christmas season and New Year celebrations,  dear friends.

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas

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And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. Jn 1:14

CORREGGIO
Nativity (Holy Night)
1528-30

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

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Yarning Along...

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...with Ginny.

On this last Yarn Along Wednesday before Christmas I have finished the few knitted items I am gifting.

The scarf for my son's girlfriend was washed and blocked and is ready to be wrapped. I really like the way it feels -- warm and thick and not a bit itchy. I plan to make one for myself but I think I'll leave the stripes for the young crowd. Again, I used a k1p1 pattern and Knit Picks DK Gloss in Black and Peapod.

This  hat was a huge hit when I made one for my nephew last year. This year Doug's nephew is receiving one -- with a $20 tassel, what teen wouldn't love it? The pattern is The Thorpe -- I love knitting this hat -- in Lion Brand Wool Ease Pines Print and Knit Picks Swish Worsted Yarn in Squirrel Heather. I have another of these hats on needles for my uncle, except he doesn't get the tassel. ;-)

I plan to get into this book after Christmas and I suspect it's a really fast read so I'll be done with it by the New Year.

Stop by Ginny's to see more knitting and reading posts.

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Random Observations

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It is a sad state of affairs that on the very first day of Christmas break I was glad to have my children misbehave often enough that they could spend a good part of the day in their rooms being punished. Nice mother, eh?


Winter Cabin candle by Bath and Body Works smells, to me, like church incense. That's a good thing.


The cell phone, I have found, is good for lying in bed texting the younguns to shush in the family room below after the old folks have gone to bed for the night.


It is not good, however, for being texted at 1:30 a.m. by above-mentioned young adult child stating that the dog threw up. Give me a break.


All Christmas shopping should be done in a span of two weeks, otherwise one rogue gift will be placed in "a perfect spot that I'm sure to remember" and will likely have to be repurchased.


If siblings want to buy each other gifts, a "food only" rule keeps the spending to a minimum and prevents another trip to the mall or bullseye store. I highly recommend bottled soda pop (root beer and orange soda are big at our house), and highly-sought-after snack foods or sugar cereal that mom doesn't buy at any other time.


I have decided to shoot for a homemade gift for each child next year. I'm going to have to get creative, but I would love to get to one homemade gift, one used gift and one new gift. My oldest son actually suggested a Christmas with no gifts (yeah!). Coincidentally that comment corresponds to the first Christmas in which he has spent his own money.


And with that last random observation, I leave you with this quote from our dear John Paul the Great, that my mother-in-law sent me this morning:

"We must not transform and debase Christmas into a festivity of useless wastefulness, in a manifestation of facile consumerism.  Christmas is the feast of the humility, of the poverty, of the nakedness, of the lowliness of the Son of God, who came to give us His infinite love."
     --Pope John Paul II
 

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Daybook...Christmas Anticipation version

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Outside my window...

...very cold -- in the low 20s. It's been very cold for over a week now. Faith skated on the creek all weekend and the boys shot the hockey puck around. They wish it would stay frozen all winter, but it only freezes when we have an extended period of really cold weather because the water is constantly flowing. There is a sort of small dam right behind our house, however, and the water downstream tends to get still, thus a little mini pond. Tomorrow more snow is predicted and a snow storm for Christmas Eve -- definitely a White Christmas!

I am thinking...

...about all the things I have to do this week. Yikes!

I am thankful for...

...online shopping. The few times I have been out have sent me scurrying back to my home for cover and more online shopping! I went out yesterday for a little bit with Geoffrey (he drove Miss Daisy) and we had a nice time for a couple hours. Joann Fabrics wasn't too crazy -- I guess folks have given up on projects by now -- and World Market was just fun. The traffic, however, was just nuts.

From the lesson plans...

...school closed for two weeks. Yeah!

From the kitchen...

...cookies. I told each child to pick one kind of cookie and I will make those (today and tomorrow). And that's it. Jalapeno Cheddar Breakfast Bake and taters tots for dinner.

I am wearing...

...still in pajamas for the moment.

I am creating...

...most of the projects are finished. I cast off "the scarf" last night and I have to block it and a hat (pictured here with the cash tassel for Doug's nephew). I have a paper mache piggy bank drying in the kitchen that needs another couple coats. It's for my nephew -- loaded with silver dollars. I don't know what's wrong with me that I just can't give an envelope with money. I've had fun, though, being creative and I think the teenagers enjoy it.

I am reading...

...the story of Christmas, in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in my study bible. I especially enjoy Luke's version beginning with Elizabeth and Zechari'ah. We will watch the nativity story this week, which begins with the story of Elizabeth and Zechari'ah -- I love to see the bible come to life and for the children, who in this day are so visual, I think it's especially important.

I am hoping...

...for a joyful final week of preparation.

I am hearing...

...absolutely nothing (except an occasional house creak). Blessed silence.

Around the house...

...laundry, and cleaning, as always. And wrapping the gifts that are stacked on the dining room table and tucked in plain brown boxes in closets around the house.

I am going...

...to the meat market today, the dry cleaners, and to drop off books at the library. Then to the kitchen and laundry room all day.

One of my favorite things...

...crossing off things on my to-do list. And Bing Crosby Christmas carols. And a warm cup of coffee in between my cold hands.

I am praying for...

...the world to receive Jesus in its heart.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

...baking, wrapping, baking, wrapping, and cleaning.

A picture thought...

...a picture Faith got of a cardinal at the feeder. 

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The Rules of Engagement (repost)

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My eldest son came home a few days ago from his apartment 20 minutes away on campus. I thought he would hang out on campus a little longer, but I think he was out of food. I had hopes that he would work a lot of hours over the break (i.e. make a lot of $$) but he is not on the schedule until the new year. That means he is home (and I love that he's home, but too much down time is never good for anyone -- he sleeps all day and stays up all night) and reentry is never easy. The new oldest (the second oldest) gets knocked back into second place, and never appreciates the displacement. The other kids love having the oldest home, but he tends to treat them more like he's their father than a siblings. Lets just say we have our issues. 

I was reminded this morning of the rules of engagement that I wrote a few years ago (the more things change the more they stay the same). I am reposting them here for your enjoyment. Especially if you have college-age kids who have returned home, or kids who leave home each day for school but now are stuck indoors together, I'm sure you will appreciate them.

...I offer the eleven rules of sibling engagement in my house.

Today we took college boy back to campus. It's been a long break, can I say that? I had hopes, I honestly did, that he would have matured, even slightly, after being away from his siblings for 10 weeks. But, alas, he is still the same, developmentally-a-three-year-old son I sent away to college. If that surprises you and you think my college-age son is more immature than his peers, I assure you that many parents of teens (o.k., and young adults) will tell you that teens regress exponentially the older they are, and become the preschoolers they once were, except without the endless cuteness. I don't know when the regression reverses. Anybody? Anybody?

Anyway, I digress. The rules of engagement are the same as they were before college boy spent 10 weeks and thousands of dollars away from home, except that in shorts bursts of time, as are found at holiday breaks, they are excruciating to "parental units." And, of course, "parental units" have vastly less patience when dealing with major holidays, out-of-town family, and bickering children. The rules of engagement are, in many ways, similar to the toddler rules of possession, because, I have found, all children are really toddlers at heart.

1. Size is power, and I have it.

2. Age is power, and I have it.

3. I can get you in trouble, and that's power, and I have it.

4. The last cookie/candy/soda/piece of pizza/shotgun position in the car is mine because I say it is.

5. I can love you one minute and hate you the next minute and I don't have to warn you that I am changing my mind.

6. Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names hurt feelings and I'm telling mom.

7. If mom screams, everybody freeze.

8. If mom asks who did it, don't say anything.

9. If engaged in verbal combat, always stoop to the developmental level of the youngest child involved.

10. Yelling in fun sounds just like yelling in anger to mom and we will be in trouble irregardless. Don't yell.

11. If you get in trouble, kissing mom on the cheek will break her down and she will forget that you are in trouble.


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Look who arrived...

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...a sweet little package for under the Christmas tree. 

Congratulations, Sarah!

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Seeking God in Love

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From today's Divine Intimacy mediation--


The love which will lead us to God does not consist in sentiment; it is an act of will. To love is to "will good"; to love God, is to "will good to God." The good which we can desire for God is that which Jesus Himself taught us to ask our heavenly Father: "Hallowed be Thy name; Thy will be done." Since God is the infinite good upon which everything depends, the good that He desires and that by which He is pleased is none other than His own glory and the accomplishment of His will.

We love God, then, to the degree in which we apply ourselves to do His will, without any personal preoccupations or self-seeking. St. John of the Cross says that if a soul looks for sweetness and delight in God, “it would not then love God purely, above all things.” In fact, together with Him the soul would also be seeking some personal satisfaction, because its heart would be divided between love of God and love of itself; and therefore, it would be unable to “set the strength of the will upon Him.” Hence, the Saint concludes, it should “have that hunger and thirst for God alone and desire not to be satisfied with anything else.” A soul which, moment by moment and in all its actions, seeks nothing but the will of God, is really seeking God in love and is uniting itself effectively to Him, even though it feels no consolation. But because it is always true that “if a soul is seeking God, God is seeking it much more,” He may sometimes draw it to Himself, making it taste the sweetness of His love and the joy of belonging entirely to Him. However, not even then may the soul stop to relish these consolations, but humbly accepting them, it should use them to give itself to God with greater resolution and generosity.


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Yarning Along...

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 ...with Ginny.

I have several projects on needles right now, all in varying stages. Hopefully I'll get them all done by Christmas. So far not a cookie has been baked, a gift been wrapped, and the Christmas cards are still a work in progress. I think I may have waited a bit too long for everything this year.

Anyway, because I left off last time with this project I'll focus on it today. It is a scarf for my son's girlfriend and it would be done now except I ran out of yarn. Urg. I hate it when that happens. I am now awaiting an order from Knit Picks to pick up where I left off. It's just a pattern I am making up and using a k1p1 stitch throughout. I really like the k1p1 for a scarf because not only is it thick and sort of scrunchy, but the k1p1 hide the switch of colors. I have to tell you I never really did a very good job at connecting colors and in the past have even been known to knot yarn (gasp!), but I found a great new way to start a new color and you can find it here --scroll down to Joining a New Color Yarn and watch the video for Double Knit In Join-- it's awesome. Again, how did we manage to learn to knit without the internet (because neither my mother, grandmother or any aunts have ever knit)? I taught myself how to knit using the continental method on that website, and I've learned every other step since on video.

The scarf yarn is Knit Picks DK Gloss in Black and Peapod. It's very soft and not a bit itchy. I have not yet decided if I am going to put a fringe on the bottom of the scarf -- what do you think?

I haven't really picked up a book since I finished True Devotion, but we have been reading Christmas books every day in school. This one, This is the Star, is a favorite and I was contemplating taking turns reading parts of it out loud on Christmas Eve when my family gathers. It makes me cry, however, and I'd rather not cry in front of every one on Christmas Eve!

Click over to Ginny for more knitters and readers.

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Sing we all of the Savior's Birth

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Last night we attended the choir concert of my second son, Joshua. This is his second year in choir at his school, our diocesan all-boys prep school. Unlike most high schools, choir at S.C. is a class, not an extra curricular. I don't know if that makes it better or worse, just different. I do think that when you are being graded on your effort, you try a little harder. This is Joshua's senior year and last Christmas concert at S.C. (I do hope he'll continue with a men's glee club in college) and his choir director asked him if he would like a solo part. Joshua did not reveal to me that he had a solo part until last week. Partly because he knew I would stress it and partly because he just didn't want to make a big deal out of it. He said it was "just a couple seconds."

Well, he did a fabulous job and he shocked the pants off his dad and I (and a couple of faculty members who attended). This is a kid who generally doesn't open his mouth much, much less to sing. Such a surprise, a glorious surprise. Based on some developmental issues he had when he was young,  we wondered if this boy would go to school, much less this very challenging school, much less do so very well -- never doubt that God can work miracles. Never, never, never.

I apologize in advance for the quality of this video -- it's just awful (Noah was sitting next to me crumpling his program through half of it!), but I wanted to share such a big moment for us. I have posted the words to the hymn as they sang it below. It's beautiful. When there is only one singer -- that's Joshua!

He is born, the holy child.
Play on the oboe and bagpipes merrily.
He is born, the holy child.
Sing we all of the Saviour's birth

Through long ages of the past,
Prophets have foretold his coming;
Through long ages of the past,
Now the time has come at last. Chorus

Jesus, Lord of all the world,
Coming as a child among us,
Jesus, Lord of all the world,
Grant to us Thy heav'nly peace.  Chorus

A Prettier View from the Kitchen Sink Window

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In Ohio, we are getting the tail end of the huge snowstorm that hit the Midwest yesterday and last night. This morning, in a period of about five minutes, the rain that poured all night turned into slush and then driving snow. We made it to Mass and home, thankfully (rejoice!), but we'll be in for the rest of the day. As a continuation of the Kitchen Sink Party post, I thought I'd share the pretty view out my kitchen window today, as it was greatly enhanced by this thick, flocking snow. I wish that it was warm enough to open the window and listen to the rush of the water in the creek. 

Happy Gaudete Sunday, dear friends. And Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

 

  

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Kitchen Sink Party

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Happy Friday dear friends. I hope this day has brought you good things, happy thoughts. I didn't plan to post anything today. I'm feeling a little wordless, which is very unlike me. I'm also very busy creating rosaries, knitting Christmas gifts, sewing a baby quilt, and fretting about un-purchased Christmas gifts (this is a really ridiculous thing to fret about -- I just wish people would not buy every single thing they want at the moment they want it).

I cleaned up my stash of beads last weekend (oh what a job) and I felt horribly guilty that I had collected so much and it was not being used. So I have been frantically stringing rosaries in the past few days, some commissioned jobs and some just for fun. If you need a handmade rosary for someone, please check out the "Available Now" rosaries at Prayerful Beads now or in the next week and you'll find some new things.

Anyway...about kitchen sinks. I saw Leila's post (dontcha just love Leila?) and feeling very domestic lately (as I do when it gets so cold that all I want to do is stay in my home) I decided to participate.

I can't say my kitchen sink is very pretty. It is very simple (like me) and very unadorned (like me). There is enough clutter here and there (not mine, but those I pick up after) all over my house, that I need to have a clean (read: uncluttered) kitchen.

My kitchen is small by today's standards (you can see the whole thing here -- though we painted over the summer and the border is now gone and new window treatments are up, and my microwave now matches), but it is efficient. With just a few steps, I can get where I need to be. The only exception is the island, which prevents me from taking a straight path from the sink to the fridge and back again. But without the island I would have almost no counter space, and so I need the island. The island is where I do all my work, by and large.

My sink is to the right of the dishwasher, so I usually stack to the right, rinse and then load on the left (with the exception of sharp knives which always go on the ledge behind the sink -- never, never put sharp knives in your dish water, or the dishwasher). I have one of those sinks with a small sink on one side (with the disposal) and a really large sink on the other. I planned it that way when we renovated the kitchen, and I like it that way. Because of the little sink with the disposal, I do have to plan ahead when doing dishes to make certain I have all my dishes scraped and rinsed, and the little sink scoured, before I start washing anything that didn't go in the dishwasher.

I have a long dishwashing post in the works (along with a laundry series), but at this point they are just in my head. I do love to have an organized system of washing however, and I think it's a good practice to get in to.

 

This morning, like most mornings, I have a sink full of soapy water with a few breakfast dishes in it, like the pot from the oatmeal. I make one sinkful of soapy water in the morning (really hot water and Palmolive dish soap) and one late in the afternoon for dinner prep. With really hot water and Palmolive (they are not paying me to say this, it is just that with experience I have learned that this brand's bubbles last the longest) the morning's dishwater lasts until after lunch and the dinner dishwater lasts until after dinner -- if I do things right -- and that's the subject of another post.

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Basking in the Light of Jesus through Mary

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Also titled, "Prefer you the light of the moon, or the light of the sun?"



In third grade science recently, Faith learned that the moon itself has no light. An interesting concept when learning it for the first time (and, as always, it's interesting being the teacher and watching the learning happening for the first time). It's something most adults take for granted -- of course the moon has no light of its own, it reflects the light of the sun. But to a child who has always looked into the sky and seen the glow of the moon, albeit not as bright as the sun, still very bright as night objects go, it is quite a shock to learn that the moon, on its own, is really not what it appears to be. It's just a vehicle for the brighter light of the sun.

To help send home this concept of light, Faith and I did an experiment recently where we shined a flashlight into several household items, two of which were a mirror and a pane of glass. The mirror, like the moon, reflects the light "right back atcha" as the saying goes. As part of the experiment, Faith was directed to look behind the mirror to see if any of the light went through. Nope. None at all. It appeared to all be reflected back, except it wasn't quite as bright as the original light source. Just a bit of the light "was lost in translation."

The light that was shined on a pane of glass however, all came through the other side. At least it did if the glass was very clean. Dirty glass, of course, lost a lot of light. Where did the light go that was lost in the reflection from the mirror and the transmission through the dirty glass? Neither of us being physicists, we never figured that out. To us, it was just lost.

In my faith journey recently toward Total Consecration of Jesus through Mary, I saw how our heavenly mother Mary is like perfect, clean glass. The light of Our Lord Jesus shines through her perfectly, never losing any of its brightness. In fact, the light actually seems warmer and brighter as it shines through Mary -- it's so brilliant we can look right into the light and our eyes don't hurt at all. It's so beautiful we want to touch it, be inside the light, bask in its glory -- follow the bright beam of light through Mary to Jesus.

There are really two kinds of Christians, if you look at things from a simple perspective. There are those who are like mirrors, reflecting God's light, but not absorbing it. Though they are good at looking like the light, it actually never penetrates the surface. You can't get to the light through them.

And there are those who are like glass. Though none of us can transmit the light perfectly like Mary -- none of us are as clean as Mary and some of the light intensity will be lost when shining through -- still the transmission of light occurs. It shines through us -- into us and then back out.

It is to our benefit to keep the glass as clean as possible, so that the true intensity of the light will be transmitted. Sin clouds the glass making it sometimes almost impenetrable. The brighter the light that penetrates, the truer others see God in us. The brighter the light that penetrates, the easier it is for others to follow the beam to its source -- Our Savior.


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Ave Maria

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TIEPOLO, Giovanni Battista
The Immaculate Conception


"...you never think of Mary without Mary's thinking of God for you. You never praise or honor Mary without Mary's praising and honoring God with you. Mary is altogether relative to God indeed, I might well call her the relation to God. She only exists with reference to God. She is the echo of God that says nothing, repeats nothing, but God. If you say, "Mary," she says, "God." St. Elizabeth praised Mary, and called her blessed, because she had believed. Mary, the faithful echo of God, at once intoned: "My soul doth magnify the Lord." (Lk 1:46)

That which Mary did then, she does daily now. When we praise her, love her, honor her or give anything to her, it is God who is praised, God who is loved, God who is glorified, and it is to God that we give, through Mary and in Mary."

St. Louis De Montfort, True Devotion to Mary: 225, 4

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Happy Feast of St. Nicolaus

And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ." Ephesians 4: 11-13

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 Thank you Jessica -- your St. Nicolaus images 

were just the thing to cover up the Chinese guy (!?!) 

on my Dutch chocolate coins!

 An ornament in each stocking.

Goody bags for Godchildren, teachers,  priests and church staff, and co-workers. I often feel badly that I don't "spread the wealth" on fun days such as May Day, but then I realize that on other days like St. Nicholas Day and St. Valentine's Day, I do. That's the great thing about our Church -- there are so many opportunities to celebrate!

O good Saint Nicholas, you who are the joy of the children, put in my heart the spirit of childhood, which the Gospel speaks, and teach me to seed happiness around me. You, whose feast prepares us for Christmas, open my faith to the mystery of God made man.

You, good bishop and shepherd, help me to find my place in the Church and inspire the church to be faithful to the gospel.

O good Saint Nicholas, patron of children, sailors and the helpless, watch over those who pray to Jesus, your Lord and theirs, as well as over those who humble themselves before you. Bring us all in reverence to the Holy Child of Bethlehem, where true joy and peace are found.

Amen.

It's Advent, so why not?

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AKA: The Best Offense is a Good Defense

It's Friday right? Please tell me it's Friday because if you tell me it's Thursday (even if it is) I might cry in my coffee and that would be a waste of a good cup of hot/black, eh Margaret?

This week was a doozy.

We've had fights (and I don't mean squabbles -- I mean dirty, rotten, mean and nasty verbal fights) among siblings.

We've had boyfriend/girlfriend squabbles (new to me/not fun at all).

We've had more than our share of frustrations, miscommunications, hurt feelings.

You get the picture.

This week's fun culminated in Doug's colonoscopy this morning (which means colon cleaning yesterday --  not fun at all) and Faith vomiting all night long.

Fortunately, Doug's dad offered to take him to the test this morning at the hospital because we would have had to cancel, and that would have been a lot of colon cleaning for naught. Ugh.

I finally insisted Faith let me use a suppository at about quarter to 8 this morning and now she's sleeping soundly, so I can take a minute to talk about something important.

This is something I have noticed happening to me (to us) for about a week or two, a few weeks into my preparation for Total Consecration. Something I recognized because it has happened before, in fits and starts since I started homeschooling using a good Catholic curriculum.

Because it is Advent, a time for contemplating the coming of Our Savior, a time to turn away from the world, and sin, you may have noticed it as well, or maybe you will now that I mention it.

Spiritual attacks.

"Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you." -- 1 Pet 4:12

I am by no means an expert in spiritual attacks, but my attention was drawn to them about eight years ago when I started homeschooling. Nothing major -- no possession or anything like that -- just attacks from the outside, and some from the inside, from sources of evil. You know you are doing something good when you start to get attacked - there are sources who would rather we not do good, and especially if we are bringing up our children to follow the path of righteousness -- that's cause for attack. There is no need to attack you, of course, if you are in the world -- that's no threat. The attacks come when you are on the right path to Him.

“A spoiled saint, a Pharisee, an inquisitor, or a magician, makes better sport in hell than a mere common tyrant or debauchee.”  -- CS Lewis, Screwtape Letters

Anyway, I can always tell that an attack is occurring when the peace is disrupted in my home -- seriously disrupted for periods of time, with such things as mean and nasty sibling fights, family unrest, squabbles with others we love.

"In civilized life domestic hatred usually expresses itself by saying things that would appear quite harmless in paper (the words are not offensive) but in such a voice, or at such a moment, that they are not far short of a blow in the face."  -- CS Lewis, Screwtape Letters

And, frankly, the only way to deal with an attack is to recognize you are being attacked.

Before our last preparation class this week I asked Father Adam if he would address spiritual attacks, and he did. He acknowledged that at this time of preparation for Total Consecration is an ideal time for a spiritual attack because through Mary is the most perfect, quickest, most direct way to Jesus.

"I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; she shall crush your head, and you shall bruise her heel" (Gen 3:15).

Anyone with the intent to reach Jesus, however, is subject to attack. Which is why Advent (and Lent) are such perfect times. It is a time when we are driven to open ourselves up Our Lord. And in opening ourselves up to Him, we are a direct target of you-know-who.

Father Adam gave us a few steps to combat the attacks, but the most important thing, I believe, is to recognize they are happening. If you know who is at the root of them, they are easier to fight. And don't think for one minute that you-know-who is not capable of stirring up trouble in your children, and between you and your spouse. His desire is to disrupt peace.

I recently heard an EWTN open line host say that if he (you-know-who) can not reach you (because of spiritual strength) he will go after your children. Dirty, rotten scoundrel.

I don't want you to become overly obsessed with whether or not these attacks are occurring, because I don't want you to give too much thought to you-know-who, but I will tell you what Father Adam said in regard to the battle. The most important thing, he said, is to maintain routine in your prayer life. Attend Mass, receive Communion, go to Confession. Spend time every single day in prayer -- 30 minutes at the minimum, which is really not much considering there are 24 hours in a day. Pray the rosary, or a chaplet, pray a novena, or read scripture, and then spend time contemplating what God is saying to you. Just sit and think about Him, dwell in Him. For me, and others who have made a Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, the Consecration needs to be renewed regularly.

"By your perseverance you will secure your lives. " -- Luke 21:19

Because you-know-who wants to disrupt peace in your life, the best way to battle him is to continue doing what you do to stay in touch with God. Do not allow the attacks to disrupt your peace.

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. -- CS Lewis, Screwtape Letters

PS If you ever doubt the existence of you-know-who just try to write a post on your blog about him. You won't believe how difficult it is to get published.


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Schutzmantel Madonna

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Last evening was my last class in preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. I wish that you could have joined me for my class. I know you would have loved it. Though I'm not much of a class goer, the instruction was really very interesting -- so much more so than just muddling through myself. Yes, I could have, would have muddled through, but when God sends you a beautiful, on-fire priest to give you aid, you grab on and don't let go.

Last night, Fr. Adam mentioned an image of Our Mother that intrigued me and I looked up this morning. What an image! It is the Schutzmantel Madonna. From my German student son -- schutz meaning protective or protection, and mantel meaning coat or cloak, outer garment. It's really more of a concept than a thing -- a cover of protection of sorts, and the Schutzmantel Madonna is Mary's protective cloak, or mantle as we are prone to call it in reference to our Holy Mother.

I Googled it this morning (again, what would we do without Google?) and found this.

This one is known as the Virgin of Mercy. Every website I found it on is written in German, so I don't know anything about it, but I think it is found in Marpingen, Germany.

There are many versions, statues and paintings, and depending on how you like your Mary to look, you might like another, but it's such a beautiful concept, don't you think? To imagine oneself under Mary's coat, under her protective care, inside her, as Our Lord Jesus was.


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Yarning Along...

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 ...with Ginny.

Coming in a little late here, but better late then ever, eh?

Before I get to my book and current project, I want to share with you my last project because I finished it and then blocked it. This was a major deal -- not the finishing, but the blocking. I confess I have never blocked before. When I finished this scarf, however, I knew that it was just not right and desperately needed to be blocked. I looked it up online (What did we do without the internet? I guess we asked our girlfriends.) and I was very pleased to find out how easy it is. I think wool especially needs to be blocked. I think the scarf turned out beautiful, if I do say so myself. I know that my 18-year-old niece Rachel will not appreciate the painstaking care I took to make sure every stitch was just so, but that's o.k. -- I know.

I apologize that the light in my house was so dull. It rained all day yesterday and then today it snowed, so we haven't really had adequate light for a couple days. I turned on an overhead light to take this picture, but still, it's poor.

 

Hopefully you can see, in the second picture, the color of the yarn. I bought two skeins and because it's hand dyed, they are different. Manos recommends that you alternate rows, using each skein throughout, but it was a challenge for me to knit this scarf, without dealing with two skeins. I'm fine with the color difference. I think it's kind of neat that you can see the difference and, hence, the fact that they are unique (the yarn is Manos Silk Blend in Woodland). The first pic is the down vest for which I picked the yarn. Rachel is going to school to learn photojournalism and I think every photojournalist needs a down vest. Rachel is a hot pink kinda girl. She is also the kinda girl that will appreciate that the yarn is made by a rural artisan in Uruguay. This particular yarn was dyed by a woman named Lielian, as she signed the card that came with it. Cool, huh?

By the way, the pattern is here (Easy Drop Stitch Scarf under Free Patterns in the sidebar).

My newest project is another scarf that I am making for my son's girlfriend. It is a k1p1 pattern even though you can only see the knits. The k1p1 keeps it from curling, however, and makes it feel nice and thick. I am going to make up my own stripe, alternating with black, and making it more black than green in the center. The yarn is from Knit Picks -- it's Gloss DK in peapod and black.

My book is True Devotion to Mary. I really haven't been reading anything else, and I make my consecration next week on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so I'll be finishing it up this week.


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