Jesse Tree Reminder....

We are only two weeks from the first Sunday in Advent and so I am posting a reminder that if you are hoping to follow our daily Jesse tree posts this Advent, so if you haven't already, it is more than time to gather the materials you will be using.

At the time of writing this reminder, I am planning to simply create paper symbols for the children to colour and make a large paper green tree that children can add their symbols to. Or perhaps I will have them each create a smaller tree - as a bedroom door or window decoration. At any rate - it will not be a permanent creation made of wood or, say, felt. Not this year - maybe next year!

So whatever type of material you are planning to use - start gathering it now. Also you might want to start hunting down your wreath and buy your candles. I know where my candles are - but, as is usual, I am not so sure where the wreath is!


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Help is needed...

Please add your prayers for this family - recently converted to the Catholic faith. Here is their story but to read about why this dad of 12 is in the hospital and how you can help - click here.



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Scribbit's Apple Turnovers!

I have been hankering to try this recipe ever since I saw it over on Scribbits Blog, a blog I read every day now! However, I am going to try it with cherry pie filling and no cardamon spice! I'll let you know how it goes - especially since I can not stand for more than about 3 minutes at a time without having to sit!

Foolishly or bravely I am not sure - but I am going to engage my two littlest ones as my helpers. I think as long as I let them have the occasional stir and lick, they will happily gopher their way through the three recipes I hope to make this afternoon.

I have very little energy and figure I might as well sit and stir some yummy baking as just sit and just go stir crazy!

UPDATE:

No turn overs! I discovered we are almost out of milk and do not have any where near enough butter. Not sure which I am more - disappointed or relieved? I have been hankering over these turnovers since I first read the recipe on Scribbit's site but the recipe is designed for a bread machine - of which I have two. But... neither of them have turned out decent loaf of bread in forever and so they are packed away... somewhere....

So I have re-written the recipe as I think it might work sans the machine and for the type of yeast I use which needs to be allowed to rise separately in liquid.

Now if sometime before the baby is born and I:
1) come across one of my bread machines
and/or
2) have sufficient energy to try a recipe that requires my standing at the stove stirring milk - I will try the recipe. Until then - I must simply be satisfied with pining over them.

In the meantime I have four loaves of pumpkin bread baking and the ingredients to the pineapple bread sitting on the counter - waiting for my second wind. In my pregnant dazed state - I mistakenly used a HUGE can of pumkin instead of a smaller one and had to do a double recipe. But no worries - my gang can polish off four loaves as quickly as they can two!
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Double Birthday

We discovered sometime earlier this month that one of our parish priests has the same birthday as my husband. So we had a double birthday this month! Here are some pictures of the cakes we enjoyed earlier in the month and also one of Hugo with Lydia at the birthday dinner John and Jenny had at their home for just Hugo and I, Jonathan and his lovely new girlfriend.

Hugo with adorable, squeezable Lydia snoozing on his shoulder. This is referred to as the "tough job" in our household and I noticed that Jenny has carried the term over into her family! Everybody wants a crack at the "tough job'!

Hugo's cake.

Father's cake!

The children and I bought Hugo a radio controlled dragonfly for his birthday and he and they have really been enjoying it on the weekends in the parking lot next to us.

We had a birthday last month that brought a really neat gift from one of my readers, but I have "misplaced" the pictures on one of my many computers.... So as soon as I find them I will create a pictorial post of the special occasion!

PS - if you have not yet submitted a comment to November's give away contest below, be sure to do so. Don't miss a chance to win a copy of this book of Sunday's Gospel readings Hear My Voice, A Children’s Translation of Gospel Readings of the Catholic Mass for 2009 - and just in time for Advent! Read more!

Mylicon Gas Relief drops recalled

Infant Gas-Relief Drops Recalled

Johnson & Johnson has recalled 12,000 bottles of Mylicon Infant Dye-Free Gas-relief drops due to the possibility that some bottles may contain metal
fragments. The recalled drops come in one ounce plastic bottles and were
sold over-the-counter on or after October 5, 2008.The lot numbers of the
drops are SMF007 and SMF008, and the numbers can be found on the bottom of
the recalled boxes or on the lower left side of the bottle's sticker.

To go directly to the manufacturer's site click here.



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A Give Away for Advent!

Good Morning!

I have a very happy announcement to make!

I am sponsoring a giveaway - something I am hoping will become a monthly activity. I already have a gift lined up to give away for December as well as the wonderful gift that is to be given this week.

Hopefully some, if not all, of my readers have read the review on the book that is being advertised on my blog - Hear My Voice, A Children’s Translation of Gospel Readings of the Catholic Mass for 2009 , which was written by Jonathan Stampf and illustrated by Robert Conrad.

Here is how the contest will work. Leave a comment in the comment section of this post and with your first name and an email address so that I can contact you should you win the give away contest. Feel free to convert the @ sign with the word at to help reduce the possibility of email spam. You will be assigned a number based on your spot on the list of comments. So if you are the fifth person to leave a comment you will be assigned the number five and so on. (Oh, and there is only one comment per person!)

At the end of the seven days of accepting comments/names for the contest (which will remain open until 1 am of the 19th.) The winner will be emailed on the morning of the 19th and I must hear back within 48 hours so that I can provide Mr. Stampf with the winner's shipping information so that he can mail the book to the winner. I will announce the winner after I have been contacted by the wining reader.

So hurry up and leave a comment on this post and pass the word around about this great freebie that will be a wonderful addition to our upcoming Advent preparations. And if you haven't read the review of the book yet - be sure to read it over here.


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Momentous Events

We all experience momentous events in our lives. The meeting of one's eternal partner in life, the birth of a child, or the passing on of a loved one are some of the more significant ones.

But then there is the day a child moves out of the nest and on with their adult life. This day is no less significant than the day they were born as it is in a sense another birthday - cutting of the umbilical cord and many times - more painful than that day of physical birth. For the parent that is.

You want nothing more for your child to grow, learn and gain in life experience but when a child is ready to move on - it is one of those momentous events indeed. And it is no less so for the younger siblings as they watch the older brother or sister pack their belongings and discuss such things as their rental deposit - the turning on of utilities and such.

Six year old Emma, typical of all small children, has large ears and was taking in all the details. As she determined that Miguel, her twenty one year old brother, was needing to budget carefully so as to be able to make his deposit in time to be able to move into his new home on the 18th of this month - she rushed upstairs and came back to me clutching her birthday envelope.

"Mummy, I want to give my six dollars to Miguel so he can move out."

It was not that she was anxious for her sibling to leave, but simply the complete generosity of her young heart - ready to give all her birthday money to her brother - if that would help him.

And this too was a momentous moment - a moment of complete filial love from one child for another. An act of the typical generosity often experienced in families where God is first in the heart of the family.

Miguel was greatly moved and his cheeks flushed as he thanked his little sister for the sacrifice that she so willingly want to make on his behalf. He convinced her to keep this money, but I will help her to use some of it to buy him a house warming gift as I know that this act will give her great joy; and I do not wish to deny her the gift of giving.


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Veteran's Day

God Bless our Troops.
Past
Present
&
Future!

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Blush...

I must be the only pregnant woman in the world that can actually manage to put her maternity pants on backwards ( the kind without a panel - but still!) and wear them on a date with her husband to the movies, and not be able to figure out why they suddenly felt to so tight and uncomfortable until it was bedtime. And only then as she changed into her p.j.s did she notice the tag was in the front, not in the back, causing that very dim light bulb masquerading as her brain to light up! Read more!

Enjoying the pets...

Neena is just growing cuter and cuter - doncha think?

Sam is a real southerner and getting ready for the colder months. Do you like his colour scheme?

Photo credits as well as fashion accessories - Benjamin Bear!


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A SCANNER!!!

My husband brought home the scanner from the office - where it had been installed for my use. As I am not longer the official secretary of Surplus Equipment Solutions - I have barely darkened the hallways of the warehouse for months! I am sure the warehouse has missed me more than I have missed it!

But now I can begin to share old photos and new drawings of and by those whom I love! What fun we will have with this aspect being added to the blog again. I have many children who love to draw and they all have a witty sense of humour which you can now enjoy once more.

In celebration of this new addition to my computer corner in the living room - I have added --- to todays postings.


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Three aunts and a niece

Sigh - still asking you to ignore the Read more!

Borrowing time....

I am pregnant. This is a fact I simply cannot ignore. Nor can I ignore that with pregnancy, especially at the age of fourty-six, brings with it fatigue. Add in to the mix the homeschooling of 8 children - yes the youngest is only three but she thinks she is being home schooled - which makes it the same as! She needs her time with her big book and crayons, her poetry time not to mention her cuddles. Throw in the effort to save money on bread by baking it. Then include with all of this - the starting of yet another new business with my husband. And it all adds up to a huge amount of exhaustion.
So I am borrowing a little time by posting another little article I wrote for my audition for the tea blog. This one had to a very short rendition of the health benefits of tea. I really enjoyed doing the research and was kind of sad when I did not get the job. However - that is no reason you, my loyal readers, should not get the benefit of my research so without further delay - here it is.

In a world filled with continuous warnings regarding our health and what we should consume, or not consume, is there any particular drink or food item we can feel safe in imbibing? I believe the general consensus is that tea, whether it be black, green or white, is not only safe to drink but actually offers us health benefits.

Is one of these three choices more healthy than the other? Let us start with the best known tea which is black. Black tea has been the choice of the majority of tea drinkers since Princess Catherine, Queen Consort of Charles II, introduced it to the English aristocracy in the 1600s. Until recently most research on the benefits of tea were focused on green tea which is known to contain valuable antioxidants. However, new research has determined that the compounds, also offer health benefits similar to those of the green tea. And with all the warnings against enjoying any of our vices, be they downing a bag a chips while ensconced on the couch watching a late night movie or adding too much salt to our favorite dishes, what can be better than to know that our favorite drink is helping and not harming us.

While both the green tea and the black originate from the plant Camellia sinensis, it is how they are aged that accounts for their difference in flavor and looks, and so, it seems, their health benefits. Green tea is steamed or pan fried immediately upon harvesting and thus retains its lighter look when brewed. However, black tea is fermented causing the compound epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) which green tea is loaded with, to be changed into the other compounds, theaflavins and thearubigens. These, we are just learning, offer us similar benefits to EGCg.

As if the benefits of oxidants was not reason enough to drink tea, recent studies completed in the Netherlands, are showing a correlation between tea drinking and the possible prevention of strokes. And in a society where stress is reported to be high, this brings a whole new meaning to the idea of sitting back and enjoying a relaxing cup of tea!

Resources used:

http://chinesefood.about.com/

http://www.tea.co.uk/

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Prayer request!

This little monkey! What a naughty, naughty baby she is! Two weeks ago - she was not only in a transverse position but she was also posterior. No wonder my back was aching so much, even with the chiropractic visits. A couple of days of the exercises my practitioner suggested and she flipped. She became horizontal and it seemed even vertex - or head down. She also turned towards my back and oh -I had a lovely two weeks with all of that pressure gone from her pressing against my back with every little twist and turn she made. I celebrated by making bread every two or three days!

But gradually I noticed the location of her hiccups were moving... upwards. Towards my belly button. I tried really hard to ignore this reality, but have finally had to face the truth - she is now breech - or head up...

While transverse babies cannot be delivered naturally, just ask Elsa my 12th baby and first c-section, breech babies can. However - that does not mean I want to deliver a baby in the breech position. I mean - let's not even go there and just say we did! Labour is painful enough!

So, as I begin my excercies again and patiently await better behaviour from this baby, I humbly ask for your prayers that this little one slips back HEAD DOWN and STAYS down until she is delivered.
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A new favourite...

... just found. Have you ever seen the What Every Catholic Knew blog? Well - if you haven't, pop over there and read a few encouraging and invigorating posts.

I am adding this blog to my side bar!



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Its really difficult

... not to have the energy I need to distract myself from the sad sorry miserable state I am in. If I were not 31 weeks pregnant and been awake since 4 am stressing over the anger I feel, I would have the energy I need to bake some delicious pumpkin bread and then I could enjoy the heart burn such a delightful snack would give me.

I should be teaching phonics, and or baking bread... but I am just too tired and distracted.

Guess I will try a few Hail Maries!
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A call to action

Please share this vital information with others - via blog, email or word of mouth.

To learn more about this teleconference call being co-ordinated by several Pro life groups - such as 40 Days For Life - click here.

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Oh Dear....

I would like to offer cool, wonderful inspiring thoughts about the outcome of the election.

I can't.

However, Margaret of Minnesota is thinking along the same lines as I am according to yesterdays post.

"Look, we’ve got to cling to something and if it’s not guns than it should definitely be religion. This is what’s getting me through today—specifically, the knowledge that we know the end of the story and tomorrow’s new president will not change it.

My focus, then, is on my God. It’s on the state of my soul…and it’s on my family."

This is why yesterday I did not listen to the radio and why I did not watch the election results. They would be what they would be, whether I suffered over their slow revelation or not. This is why I will not watch or listen to it for some time to come.

I am sad and depressed and not a little angry over the results. So 100 % of my thoughts and efforts the next weeks and months will be in praying for my family. It is all that is left to do right now. Pray and put one's faith in God's mercy. And God HAVE mercy on us!

This country has elected a pro death, pro infanticide president. God have MERCY!

Please ignore

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Some happy news...

...that I came across today as I searched for peaceful and joyful positive blogs. Kinda needing help in focusing my heart and mind in that direction.

Here is the touch of fresh air I discovered on this rather cloudy day, both literally and figuratively.




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Writing this on Tuesday....

... and because I experienced more than my share of angst over this upcoming election, as has had my husband, we both agreed to turn the radio, t.v. and Internet sources off for the day. So we have no idea what is going on with the exit polls and life is more peaceful as a result.

We are legal aliens and as such can not vote; although our 21 year old son was approached and encouraged to register to vote - even after he explained he was Canadian an not yet a citizen. Then he explained his views on the Candidates up for election and the woman walked away disgusted with him- no longer interested in registering him illegally. Maybe if he had been pro choice and pro Obama she would have tried harder.

So while we could not vote - we did what little we could. Both Hugo and I posted information on the candidates on various blogs, political and otherwise. We shared this information with friends leaning towards Obama. We prayed. We participated in Father Corapi's rosary and we attended daily Mass as part of our prayer campaign. Our son volunteered at the GOP office and my husband drove him back and forth (as our son's car died a month ago) and my husband and I made a meal for the office last week. One of our daughters baby sat for a neighbour so she could vote. And lastly we attended our parish's prayer vigil today. And as posted on Behold Your Mother we can only pray for a positive outcome from our prayers while also realizing the following: "God can and does answer prayer -- including the prayers of His saints -- though not always in the way we want Him to. We cannot manipulate heaven with our rosaries and lit candles, forcing the hosts of heaven to smooth out the bumps in the road ahead of us. All we can do is ask for their company to fortify us as we march along. As we prepare for the upcoming election, it's important to keep in mind that -- as much as we might want Him to -- God does not stuff ballot boxes. He gave us free choice and expects us to use reason and a rightly formed conscience to make those choices."

I have at times, felt extremely depressed over that comment, (I really wanted him to stuff those boxes for us!) but then my 17 year old daughter said this morning - "Well, God will not force His will on us. But He can make good out of something bad, if only we let Him." My job over the next while, should Obama win, will be to allow God to make something good out of the bad that I fear happening if Obama wins, beginning with allowing God to take my fear!

So who will have won by the time you read this - I do not yet know. I know I am praying for a pro life win. And - we have already begun to make new plans for our life- regardless of who wins. We are making some changes in our life and details about this will come out over the next month or two. Please pray for us. It will be challenging but I think fun and exciting. Nothing like starting a new approach to your life while also awaiting the arrival of a new life!

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