promised photos

My talented friend, Peg, printed these out and she and her 11 yr old daughter cut them in preparation for the afternoons assembly line that was to take place at our house that afternoon.

The take out platters assembled by a variety of ages from 8 up 18 yrs of age. This is a project that can accommodate a range of ages.

French Fry holder

Nathaniel 8 yrs old helped tape a number of these closed after I folded them for him. The whole process of assembling FIFTEEN happy meals took less than 30 minutes. I don't think McDonalds has a thing on us - try ordering 15 happy meals to go and see how long it takes them to fill the order!



A close up of the finished product. The burgers are brownies cut out with circular shaped cookie cutters. And the buns are white cupcakes. The deliciously salted fries are sugar cookies that were baked and sliced and 'salted' with regular sugar earlier that morning by Peg. Did I mention she is talented. My daughter Anna (we both have daughters by that name) baked the brownies following a teasing debate as to whether brownies should be made with cocoa powder or squares... Squares won out since (my) Anna was baking them and would have to clean up the mess anyway.

fifteen happy meals to go

Drooling over Smiling in anticipation of a happy meal!

If you have not yet seen Peg's post at Good Remedy hop on over and enjoy some pics of the kids devouring these delicious meals. A few kids were obviously filling more than the checkered trays and fry holders as some were just too full to be able to eat their whole meal. They were chastised that if they did not finish their "meals" there would be no dessert.

To view the original post about these fun meals travel on over to Bakerella's site. This is an awesome site to spend time. However, beware if you are feeling in need of a chocolate or sweet fix - this is a hazardous site to visit. If you go anyway - don't say I didn't warn you!


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Happy Father's Day

... to all of our spiritual fathers - our priests and our God Fathers. To our earthly fathers, whether our own or the fathers of our children. We entrust you all to our heavenly foster father, St. Joseph.


"O Glorious Saint Joseph, you were chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, and the head of the Holy Family. You have been chosen by Christ's Vicar as the heavenly Patron and Protector of the Church founded by Christ.

Protect the Sovereign Pontiff and all bishops and priests united with him. Be the protector of all who labor for souls amid the trials and tribulations of this life; and grant that all peoples and fathers of the world may be docile to the Church without which there is no salvation."

Thank you Heavenly Father both for my father and the father of my children. Both of them are awesome men who are much to be admired. Both are hard working men after the spirit of St Joseph, both are lovers of Christ after the heart of St. Joseph. And both have blessed my life greatly and for that I am profoundly grateful. Thank you Dad and Thank you Hugo.

(prayer found here)
(picture found here)


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So lazy...

and uh busy... that I am simply directing to my friend's blog, Good Remedy so you can see what we have been up to lately. I have to admit I mainly directed traffic, err maybe I should say quality control for this project. My friend Peg is about 89% responsible for the success of this project, and Anna, who made the brownies, is responsible for the another 10%. The rest of us carried about 1% of the work - unless you count eating the happy meals. In that case we were all about 100% responsible.

I will post pictures later, I think promise. But honestly - Pegs pics are better than mine as I ran out of battery when we got to the important part - the EATING!


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Hats off to Scribbit...

... who once again shares a cool and inexpensive way to have fun with your kids with a new twist on an old game - Concentration. Read more!

SAY WHAT???

Cardinal Newman Society uncovers ten CATHOLIC Colleges that are promoting student internships with organizations whose missions or activities are directly opposed to the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, including on fundamental issues such as abortion and marriage. Click here to read the article.

Thank you Kathy H. for sharing this article.

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Interrupted...

As I am too busy dealing with the interruptions that life as the mother of a large family brings with it I am once more stealing borrowing from Elizabeth Foss. I need to add her to my favourites list on the side if I have not already done so. When I am not so busy dealing with all of these interruptions - I will double check and add her if she is not already there!

In the mean time, if I am not already on the top of your prayer list - please put me on it. This is promising to be a rather stressful summer. However, I promise that in between interruptions I will continue to post about the joys and struggles of being the mum of a large family. So keep popping in and checking to see if I have had a moment to share a thought, whether serious, joyful or just plain silly.

I am also hoping to do a review and possibly a giveaway sometime this summer. Note I am not being rash enough to say this month... or within a few weeks. I am giving myself lots of leeway!

Ok - brief respite from interruptions, aka my life, is over. See you soon - I HOPE!

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DEFIED but not defeated!

On the sly I have been slowing eradicating sweets and replacing them with fresh and sometimes canned fruit. There have been less and less cookies purchased with the groceries the past two months.

This morning I opened my desk drawer and instead of the pen I was looking for I found this. Now I am left with several questions:

1) Who bought it... logical answer - the person most recently out for milk and bread and that was NOT me. I am sure you are rapidly coming to the same conclusion. My husband is in cahoots with the kids.

2) Who would be silly enough to hide it in MY desk drawer? Logical conclusion - someone with a guilty conscience. However, when I pulled it out of the drawer my surprise was met with a roomful of nervous giggles and some chuckling. No one sounded too laden with a heavy conscience. However the chuckles quickly became groans when I cheerfully announced that this unexpected treasure should be placed in the coffee cupboard so that we can use it as a coffee flavouring....

"Not for chocolate milk?" one lone voice dared to call out?

I did not dignify it with an answer but simply grinned. I may have been defied but I am not yet defeated.

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Borrowed...

I am borrowing a link from Blessed Among Men with whom I offer my AMEN!

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I am sad to say

...that one too many editorial disagreements between Blaze and my assistant blogger has lead to Marley (aka Ninja) to pack his bags in a huff and move to the local SPCA where he is waiting for reassignment so if anyone would care for a most excellent should partner I can forward job offers to his new address.

In truth, Marley's life was in danger from a rather impetuous puppy who was overly friendly in his attempts to play with Marley. The last straw was when he accidentally pawed one of the children in the face, just missing her eye as he tried to reach Marley. I had for days been trying to decide whether to keep the kitten or not - that accident made it abundantly clear. A kitten and a puppy do not good bed fellows make. We need the dog but we do not need another cat at this time.... But I do miss his editorial assistance.

(Note Blaze is very good about not pawing at the children, has learned to sit, wait and is generally well behaved, but he just could not resist playing with that little furball that looked like a living toy!)

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heard from the back of the van

As we were driving around looking at possible rentals, scribbling numbers down, quipping about small houses and fitting our crew into them I heard a tiny voice from the back call out to her father:

"Daddy, how will we fit everything into our van when we move?"

I love the four year old mind as it struggles to understand the world around it.


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Misplaced

You know you are misplacing your phone a lot when your first thought when you can't find your sunglasses is to call them....


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BUSY BUSY BUSY

Elizabeth Foss posted this quote this week:

The reason that we are not fully at ease in heart and soul is because we seek rest in these things that are so little and have no rest within them, and pay no attention to our God, who is Almighty, All-wise, All-good, and the only real rest.
~Blessed Julian of Norwich

Today I read Elizabeth Foss' post on being at rest for which she had posted the above quote. She reflected on how close she came to death in the emergency delivery of her youngest child born last October and how she found perfect rest in the Lord as she "settled into a room and continued to wait to see how God would write this chapter"

With so many changes on the horizon for us... I am busy, busy, busy. And have been far from feeling at rest in the Lord. Some difficult decisions have loomed in front of us and I was worried about decisions being made through the lack of action. Not a good way to make important decisions.

Finally I wrote and asked you my readers for prayers and wrote to Jesus Himself asking for guidance. Later while resting in the afternoon I prayed some more and a thought came to me. I immediately shared it with Cecilia's God Father, who is also a priest and he agreed that it was a perfect step in the right direction. I have found a way to take action while leaving room for God to act. Hopefully in doing so we will hear God's voice in our confusion and He will make it clear the path to take. I know what I want, but I do not know if that is what God wants.

Finding a way to move forward with physical action while leaving the door open for God to act even; if it is not the answer I might be wanting to hear... gave me the same rest in the Lord that Elizabeth Foss shares in her post. I am not talking about a possible life altering crisis yet I was still needing to fine peace. Peace from depending on God for my answer and not my actions, or of those around me.

So if you have not yet meet Elizabeth Foss - its time you did. I think you will enjoy meeting this quiet, unassuming, talented writer who is so close to God and a great inspiration to me.

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A Job....

I have wonderful news to share with my readers. After using our savings to live on so that Hugo could go back to graduate school in hopes of improving his chances of a job, he has indeed procured a job. He has been hired to teach in a private school as the technology teacher. As an entry level teacher his salary is on the lower end of the scale so we are not totally out of the woods, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

We are continuing to pursue the creation of our seminar business and have already taught one seminar in Spanish last weekend. We are scheduled to teach another at the end of June. We are very excited by all of this.

However this excitement is tempered by the fact that it will be August before the salary for the new job kicks in and bills still need to be paid and we are praying we can move to the town where the job is located. There are many reasons for this. Chiefly with the gas prices moving up and our only vehicle being a 15 passenger van - well you can do the math and see that an already tight budget will be squeezed significantly by the cost of gas. Add in that the van has over 200,000 miles and is monthly spewing out this belt and that belt and revealing a hole here and there you live with the constant fear that this trip is its last trip and we are too far from the town to expect another teacher to be able to swing by and pick him up should the van be out of commission for a day or two.

But if any of you have been unemployed for a significant period or have been self employed - you are well aware the negative impact this can have on your credit history - the life blood of today's economy. So renting a home in the new town might prove dicey... Another straw on the proverbial camel's back is that the rent is about to go up where we are... Add that to the increasing gas costs.... our worries are high.

So we are extremely grateful for the job and all the wonderful opportunities this door is opening for us - but we could use some prayers as we face these new challenges. God is good and we thank Him for these blessings and now humbly ask Him to guide us in the decisions facing us the next couple of weeks as we must make a decision about this house within the next week. Very scary...

THANK YOU all for your past prayers and continued prayers!

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Goldie Locks and the Bears

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Prayers please

Tomorrow is our first seminar, "Siendo Padres en la era de la Internet". Please pray for the graces we need to do a good job, and that we have a good showing.

Below are some pics of my prep for binding the Parental Tool Box manuals as well as the finished product.




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New Blogging partner...

As you all know, of late I have been pressed for time and sometimes unable to get things posted on a daily basis so I have hired an assistant blogger. You can see pictures of him assisting in the writing of his first post below. In future all comments will be moderated by him so I would suggest that no one write any derisive cat jokes or comments as I believe he will simply delete them or possibly even retaliate.

Here the budding journalist is seen chatting with fellow residents about some of his ideas for new posts. He would like to see some articles on the conditions of the local SPCA as well as how they drag their feet picking up strays. Then he thought better of that, recently having been homeless himself.

Then he got down to the serious business of implementing some his ideas for future posts.

A little spell checking and we were good to go on this post.
So please would one and all readers take the time to welcome the newest member of this blogging team. A poll will follow to help him settle on a pseudonym for his posts. Currently he is known as Marley- of the Dickens sort, being an orphan and all.

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Update on Michael B

In this day and age - we can all use the good news of a miracle. Do you remember when less than a month ago we were pleading for prayers for our son's girl friend's 14 yr old brother. The day we learned how ill Michael was, he had received what used to be referred to as the last rites and is now called the anointing of the sick. Michael's sister, Alicia, and our son, Jonathan were called that morning and told to hurry home to the state of T. as the outlook for Michael was grim.

Even as I type this I get a lump in my throat remembering. It was mother's day and I could not imagine being in this mother's shoes. Sitting helplessly by my son's bedside praying desperately for a miracle.

Well, we were granted one. Less than a week later Michael was released and since returning home has continued to grow in strength. At this time it looks that there is not even any damage to his kidneys, that on that Mother's day were shutting down. At that time if Michael even survived it was not known if he would need dialysis on a permanent basis.

Praise God for this miracle and thank you for all of your prayers! THANK YOU from us and his family that has repeatedly asked us to thank all who prayed for him.


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Over heard

My husband has worked hard to help, almost 9 yr old, Nathaniel develop a sense of humour. Nathaniel is very puritan in that regard. So the other day Hugo remarked to Nathaniel as to how cute he was. Even just a year ago that would have brought scowls and growls from him. This time he just grinned and said;

"I haven't been cute since weeks ago." Then he stopped up short and exclaimed; "WAIT, no! I haven't been cute for .......... 8 years now!"

Now that, I have to say, is just plain ... CUTE - sorry Nathaniel! You will always be cute to me!

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Stated ...

as only a four year old can state it:

"Mummy there is a black baby kitten here. Do you think it has raibins cause I don't. I think it is a poor kitten. Nosey might have raibins too."


Again I ask - does anyone want a black baby kitten... especially since Elsa has declared it free of raibins? I think I will be visiting the SPCA again... soon.

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Bleary eyed & tired...

It was shortly after midnight and suspecting my 15 yr old was still chatting through her gmail account, to an old friend who had moved out of State, I headed downstairs to tell her to clear off the computer and hit the sheets. As my feet hit the floor I discovered another pair of feet that were attached to a long pair of thin legs that were attached to the torso of my 12 yr old while his head and arms were somewhat hidden almost under the TV. I could not tell if he was shoving videos under the TV cabinet or pulling them out from under. However, before I could discern just what weird activity this errant 12 year old was engaged in a small black furry body shot out from under the tv and across the room, scurried past my feet and down the hall. At almost equal speed the young man dropped his videos and was off after the black blur of fur with his eyes widening as he caught sight of me in his peripheral vision.

In silence and shock I watched this young kitten mewing in terror as it fled about the house with Benjamen hot on his tail, spewing out an explanation as he passed by me. "I heard a noise, I thought it was Nosey (his other adopted stray) I was worried he was hurt so I came down..." At this point both he and the kitten skidded and turned the corner and Benjamin shouted over his shoulder..."I saw him on the road and I just couldn't leave him there..."

I saw a chance this wild kitten might tear out the front door if I opened it as he fled past me again, so I positioned myself by the door and opened it. Standing there, as if in anticipation of a possible late night snack, was Nosey. He confidently sauntered in and the kitten quickly veered to its left and scurried into the fireplace where it cowered behind the decorative logs. Nervously eyeing Nosey and wondering if he intended to join the frenzy, I moved towards him to encourage him to go back whence he came - into the dark humid night. But before I could get close enough to him to shoo him out, what to my wondering eyes should appear but Sam - the family indoor cat. Sam detests Nosey but loves kittens. Not yet spying his mortal enemy Sam tried to seek out the source of the wild mewing and I scooped him up and thrust him into the lap of the oblivious 15 yr old who was still calmly tapping away on the keys of the dining room computer. "Quick" I hissed at her, "Get Sam back upstairs and CLOSE the hallway door!" Bewildered, she hurried away with him while I guided Nosey back out the front door and firmly closed it.

Firmly grasping a broom with the hopes of gently encouraging the kitten out from behind the stack of logs and into the cat carrier Benjamin now had waiting in front of the fireplace I strode across the living room. After several unsuccessful attempts at this, I had Benjamin carefully remove the logs. all the while this kitten was screaming frantically mewing, leaving me to wonder why the whole house was not yet awakened and all in the living room offering advise and guidance.

Anna appeared and quietly watched, worry sketched in her eyes. Obviously she had finally looked at a clock and knew this kitten was not enough of a distraction to save her from what was to come. At last we achieved success and the kitten was deposited in the side yard and Nosey carefully admonished not to eat to leave said kitty alone and the front door was closed and locked. After I was finished with discussing the errors of the night with the two culprits I hoarsely quietly bid them good night and crawled back into bed again, thinking that by tomorrow this kitten will have disappeared back to where ever it came from.

At 7:30 am a cellphone buzzed, notifying me that a text had come in. I opened it and read from my neighbour;

"Just a little heads up. Walking Ariel early this morning & saw a new visitor on your front porch of the itty bitty kitty variety."

Anyone want a cat... anyone.... please???

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have a minute....

...and nothing to do? Want to enjoy a chuckle? Click here & enjoy a minute or two of fun. If you have more than a minute to kill, get another unsuspecting victim person to answer the questions and have another chuckle at their expense.

Sad truth - I'm pretty sure I submitted to these questions a few years before and still got them ALL wrong this time. I guess I'm just overtired these days. That must be the explanation! It couldn't be that I have a manager's intellect. Nah... not with all these kids, projects and a husband to manage.

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Drum Roll please

Okay, I cheated got smart and decided on a large cake instead of fifty individually decorated cup cakes for the piano recital. I have to thank Gabriela for the design that I recreated on the fondant and I have to thank her and Benjamin for their patient coaching of how to draw a music note correctly. You know those pesky things are not as easy as they look! I am fairly pleased how it turned out and need to thank those who prayed for me as I wrestled with a 4 yr old, 6 yr old and an 8 yr old who all wanted to help direct the decorating and test taste everything in sight. Cake's ready... but I am not. Two kids in the bath as I type, some clothes are washing - yes for tonight and dinner is simple - tuna sandwiches! Baby needs to nurse and nap and somewhere in there I need to shower... so don't hesitate to throw a Hail Mary or two my way if you feel like it.

So do I owe everyone a BIG thank you or what?

(There is one glaring error that only a music student would notice, and Benjamin tried to tell me... but I told him to be quiet - 'I was concentrating....')

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Smile God Loves you...

Today I as I clicked on a link in Sister Pats Joynotes I saw the beginning of the title of the post in the tab. "Smile, God loves..." 'you' I filled in the blank. And I'll admit it - I kind of rolled my eyes - its so, uh, cliche. But sometimes God needs us to be cliche or as the author of this post called it - dorky. To find out what I mean click here.

My husband has put his back out, four children are in a piano recital tomorrow, one of my oldest girls is MIA as she was called at the last minute to babysit for her niece this week. She is in the recital which I stupidly thoughtfully offered to make about 5 dozen cupcakes for. At the time I did not know that 1) I would be short a pair of hands and 2) the recital had been changed from Saturday to Friday.... apparently weeks ago but no one thought to tell me.

My time frame just lost 24 hours... and a pair of hands. Did I mention that fact already? Add in a severely incapacitated husband whom I depend on being extraordinarily helpful with the baby as well as looming seminar deadlines that are creeping up on us at lightening speed, mix in a little sleep deprivation (don't ask!) and I am bordering on hysteria BEGGING for prayers!

So after you stop reading and immediately recite the rosary pray for me , don't forget to check out the post I mentioned in my opening paragraph. And remember to 'Smile - cause God Loves you'.



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Prolife Prayer Request

A prayer request I received this morning:

Friends,
I have just received news from my mother in Germany about a wife and mother of 4 who became pregnant again with healthy twins. She wants to abort those twins. She has an appointment next week, which begins tomorrow.
My mother does not know this lady, and the woman who does, does not want to give out her contact information. Nobody is supposed to know that she is expecting babies and contemplating abortion.
My mother is trying to mobilize both practical help as well as prayers. Will you please storm heaven and our Holy Angels and saints to reach this mother's heart - who knows what she is going through right now.
Thank you and GOD bless,
M

PLEASE share this prayer request with as many people as you can!
THANK YOU!!!
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It struck me suddenly...

As it was Sunday - I forced myself to put away my research and my writing. It was hard, with a dead line looming in front of me, to be obedient to the Lord's command to rest on Sunday. However, I reminded myself repeatedly throughout the day when I would trail past my computer and be tempted to maybe sit down and tweak a little detail here or there in my work that, "All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl."

So I borrowed a book from Anna, one of a series of three, and in a few chapters was hooked. I enjoyed a Mother's day type Sunday with my husband making dinner, my son serving it to me as the baby napped on her boppy pillow on my lap and I read, and I read, and I read. Others changed her diaper throughout the day and I only had to enjoy her soft skin, coos and nursing time.

And I read and I read and I read.

At about noon - my darling 18 yr old offered to make me a chai tea. Heavenly! It was just the right sweetness and just the right amount of piping hot. It was so good that early in the evening, as I dove into the last chapters of the same book begun in the morning, I asked her if she would make me another.

Minutes later she arrived with a steaming mug and waited anxiously for my pronouncement that it was as good as the previous one as this time she has used a different sized mug and the teabag had split while it was brewing. It was delicious and as I enjoy the creamy smoothness of this fragrant drink a question suddenly struck me.

"Gabriela, does chai tea have caffeine in it?"

"I don't know!" was her surprised reply. "It might."

My drink three quarters already gone - I plunged on, and downed the last of it. At 2 am, as I tossed and turned, I had plenty of time to repent at leisure.

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Happy 14th Noah

Your first birthday here in the States

Your first snow in the US

You're still enjoying Sam today!

You still make us laugh at the goofy things you do...

....and did!


Happy 14th Birthday to our favorite Blond!

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Note to self

if you want to sleep before 4 am and wake up a functional person - don' drink an iced mocha after five pm...

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Practice makes perfect

The past few weeks I have been practicing giving it ALL to Jesus and by all I mean the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. But I have especially been working on remembering to give the good along with the bad and the ugly.

After all it must be nice have the occasional bouquet shared along with all of the burdens that Jesus quietly helps us to carry, often without our even noticing it. We need only to look at the wide spread arms on the cross to see how willing and able he is to carry them, but that doesn't mean He doesn't also want to share in the joy of small blessings we have received.

And so while I have had to be leaning especially heavily on Him these past weeks and days, I have remembered to thank Him for the little blessings that pass by me during the day. A little kiss from one of my small ones, a job well done by an older child - without having been asked. Quick forgiveness from my spouse when I, feeling extremely stressed, was short with him. The delightful chubbiness and dimples of a new baby. All glimpses of light shining through cracks in the long tunnel I have been gazing down the past month. Thank you Jesus.

And thank you to each and everyone of you who have prayed. I have felt the effects of these prayers, and they can be the only explanation for the strength I have felt growing within me the past days. There are hurdles still ahead but with Jesus' strong arms and your supportive prayers - I believe we will make it.

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Out of the blue...

Out of the blue the other day 4 year old Elsa turned to me and said: "I just wish we could buy a boat... then we could get into it. (Pause followed by big sigh) and then we could go to Ireland and see Aimee."

Me too honey, me too.

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Good News re Michael B as well as CP's 4 yr old son...

We received word today that Michael was to be released from hospital and able to head home! As soon we know anything about his kidneys and how they faired through out the ordeal we will let you know. Again as said before the family is incredibly grateful for everyone's prayers.

C.P.'s 4 year old son did well during the actual CT and in addition to that - the parents learned the results today... when it was thought the wait would be longer. I received an email thanking everyone for their prayers and the wonderful news that there were no abnormalities observed. So while the cause of this 4 yr olds migraines remains a mystery, he does not have any "inter cranial abnormalities present". Something I think we were all worried about. They will continue to try and discover the cause so continued prayers will be gratefully appreciated.

I, personally, can not imagine having to deal with a 4 year old having a migraine, its hard enough to watch an adult suffer with one! I hope and pray they find the cause of this suffering soon so that it can be treated and hopefully stopped!

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Sunday Snippits

A blog titled This that and the Other Thing has created a Catholic Carnival. I have never participated in a blog carnival before - only the carnivals with ferris wheels, games meant to lure you into spending quarter after quarter (which gives you an idea of how long its been since I have been to even that kind of carnival) and carts selling freshly roasted peanuts and piping hot popcorn and freshly spun sticky cotton candy.

However, this Catholic Carnival is a way to find other Catholic Blogs and possibly expand your favorite reading list. Mine is of a rather short list and not everyone posts daily so I could use a few new blogs to distract enlighten myself with. Here is the post on This That and the Other Thing that tells how the Carnival works. It's quite simple but still too complicated for my overtired, stressed out brain to try and rewrite it in my own words so I am doing the lazy smart thing and just sending you directly over.

Now I am supposed to link to one of previous posts that is particularly Catholic to share with new readers from the Catholic Carnival. So here is one my favorite posts that I think is quintessentially Catholic. What do you think?

I will finish this post with a plea for continued prayers. If I keep myself busy, cleaning, mothering, working on the seminar, cooking and cleaning some more - I don't think about the terrible challenge staring in our faces. The moment I stop to rest my mind is overwhelmed with fear and despondency. I had moments of real peace on and off yesterday and I can only contribute that to the prayers of others. Sadly - this makes me so aware of my lack of faith in God. An ounce of real faith would take away all of my fears and replace them with an inner peace that surpasses all earthly joy.
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Difficult Road Ahead

I will continue with updates on Michael as we learn then as well as any news or prayer requests we might have for CP's 4 yr old son. Other wise I will not be around much. Hugo and I are facing some huge hurdles and difficult times ahead of us the coming weeks and possibly months. I am too overwhelmed & discouraged to write right now. Please pray for us as we grapple with these challenges and difficulties. Pray for courage, strength and wisdom from the Holy Spirit to guide us as we really feel quite lost at the moment.

I did laugh at myself this morning as I wondered what it would be like if at any point in one's life you could go back to the beginning and redo things, make different decisions based on the knowledge you had gained from the first time around. Then it struck me that someone has already named that concept. Reincarnation. Ha! Except I'm not hoping to turn into a gazelle, just want to maybe make smarter choices, be better person, a better mum. better wife, better daughter & grand daughter, better child of God.

I can still work on improving in all of those areas, but right now I am feeling a bit flattened by life. Kinda like I have run the marathon - the end is in sight but I spent my energy too quickly and now I don't have enough left to finish the race. Anyone know what I mean?

If I start to feel better and have energy to spare I'll post something. Until then God Bless and please pray for us.

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A respectful dialog...

...in which two people share very different views that are not so often shared in such an intelligent and polite manner with respect being shown to the opposite view. Blessed among men, in this post, clearly and respectfully clears up the misconceptions that were expressed to her by one of her readers. I love how Suzanne explains so well the difference between artificial birth control and NFP.

"NFP is not birth control. It does not approach a woman's fertility like a medical problem that needs treatment. Avoiding a pregnancy through communication of spouses and self sacrifice while observing the natural law for the common good of the family is a very different thing than engaging in a natural process while at the same time actively thwarting that process."

Do I have your interest yet - if so click here to read the whole post.
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PLEASE SHARE THIS VIDEO

WHY would the students protest Obama's presence on their campus? Maybe because "From the time of his election, on through his first 100 days in office, President Barack Obama has proved himself to be the most pro-abortion president in American history."

Quick recap of Obama's pro-death achievements since taking office can be found here
It's quite shocking. Even if you think you have been staying on top of what he has been doing this quite takes your breath away. AND Notre Dame honours him?

Just learned today that the president of Notre Dame Father John Jenkins sits on the board of Millennium Promise which endorses the use of birth control and ABORTION as a means of fighting poverty in Africa. Here is the article about it. Here is the list of directors. Kinda helps clear up the mystery as to how the President of a Catholic University sees no problem with inviting AND bestowing an honorary degree on Obama, doesn't it.

Lets us ALL pray the Rosary TODAY for the reparation of sin that is being endorsed by this priest of our Catholic Church!



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UPDATE on 14 yr old Michael B.

As of yesterday afternoon Michael was continuing to improve. He is still seriously ill, having lost 15 lbs in a just a matter of days. To date he has not needed dialysis but they are considering a blood transfusion. Last I heard his spirits were lifting and he had actually been able to eat a freezie pop the other night. (frozen juice in plastic wrap/tube - just in case others call it by something else)

Please keep up the prayers so that I can keep posting positive reports! As before - the family is extremely grateful for the prayers and thanks you greatly for them, as do we!

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URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

I received this yesterday and with CP's permission I am putting it on the blog:

Hey everyone,

I'm emailing asking for everyone to keep my 4 yr old Ja. in their prayers tomorrow. He's been having migraine headaches for the last few months, not just headaches actual migraines. His pediatrician's are concerned because of the severity of the headaches, the sudden onset and the frequency and felt doing a CT scan would be necessary. Tomorrow a little after 11 we have to be up at the Medical University's children's hospital to have the CT done. They're going to have to do IV sedation during the test. We probably won't know anything as far as results go until at least Monday or Tuesday when his doctors get the official reports. I just ask that you all keep him in your prayers that he doesn't have too rough of a time with the IV and sedation as well as that they find nothing other than a healthy 4 year old brain in their scans.

Thanks,

C.P.

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Christopher West's Clarifying Statement

Did anybody see the ABC Nightline on May 7th? Well - I didn't, though I thought I really wanted to but I had to wait until it was available online.

I looked up ABC nightline and my enthusiasm for the future online segment waned a little - the reference to Christopher as a sex therapist had me worried as to what the segment was going to be like. My worries were justified.

And apparently the Catholic blog world has, in Jimmy Akin's words, been in a bit of a dust up over this. And if you would like read his post you can click here. And if you do - you might notice a similarity to the couple who are featured, as a kind of album cover, on the front of a video clip. They are none other than my daughter and son in law. Yup, the very same young lady you see at the top of my blog dancing with her youngest brother on the occasion of her wedding.

Jenny was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Christopher West and introduce him at one of the conferences featured in Nightline's segment. But she was not so thrilled with the twisted explanation they gave of Christopher West or Theology of the Body. To read Christopher West's clarification on his web site click here.

And if you have not heard the REAL story on Theology of the Body, click here - where you find the truth as opposed up to the slick & titilating version ABC spun.

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Rush Chick - an educated bird!

For his birthday this month, Noah would like a parakeet. Cage has been dragged up from the basement, scoured within an inch of its life and sits waiting for a new occupant. In anticipation of his gift, Noah has been doing a lot of research and has learned that silence can be terrifying to birds because in the wildlife when a predator is hunting, all of its prey hides - creating a silent void in the area.

Hmmmm, I'd be scared too for that matter.

So he has been thinking about how to make sure his bird is not left alone in silence for long periods of time - say on Sundays when we disappear for a few hours in the morning, if not the whole day.

"I know!" He exclaimed, "we could create a music play list for him and then.. no wait, can you make the Rush Limbaugh show repeat itself?"

"Yes", I replied.

"Great, then we will have an educated bird. What would you call a baby bird then? Ahhh! A Rush Chick! "


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Had the perfect post...

All mapped out in my mind - something cute, funny,short and pertaining to the kids. So I sat down at the computer and made the fatal error of peeking at a few favourite blogs. Ate lunch as I perused them and then opened my blog to start typing.

Problem is - the the 20 minutes while I ate and read - my mind went blank. No more perfect, cute short post pertaining to the kids. Oh well - since I never got around to posting a picture of Sophie, who was adopted by friends, I'll just send you to Good Remedy's blog instead.

Then I'll get back to what I am supposed to be doing, completing the last two seminar slides for the tool kit portion of the seminar Hugo and I have been developing the past six months; Parenting the Internet Generation. In it, we cover things like 'grooming'. And no, I don't mean how to make sure your kids look good for your facebook profile picture. I mean how an online predator grooms his victim.

As well as presenting the dangers and difficulties that lie in wait for a child left alone to explore the Internet we also deal with practical ways of dealing with these dangers. And that is what I am working on today - the last two slides in this section.

Make sure you drop by Good Remedy and enjoy a lovely picture of Sophie with her new sister Anna. And while you are doing that, I will try to get those last two slides researched and created.

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Most Excellent Update on 14 yr old Michael B.

We have gone from thinking 'if Michael pulls through' to 'WHEN Michael pulls through'. Glory be to God and THANK YOU to all who are praying.

However we MUST continue to pray as, while Michael is rallying and feeling the best he has in several days, doctors have warned Michael is facing a potential wall in his recovery that can make a large difference as to how long his recovery will take. His kidneys could still fail, leading to the need for dialysis and/or a blood transfusion.

We, of course, are praying this will not happen and that Michael skirts that wall. Tests have been done to see where his kidneys are at during this critical time.

Still - the news is good and I could not wait to share this with all of you! Please keep the prayers coming so I can keep sharing excellent news!

God Bless you ALL and THANK YOU for your prayers. Michael's parents and family are extremely grateful for the prayers as well as the spiritual support they have received as a result.

Our son is now on his way home to NC so please, if you don't mind, keep his safety in your prayers as well. This weekend he will return to Tennessee to visit the family and hopefully bring the rest of his girlfriend's dorm furniture which had to be left behind in the rush home to see Michael & be with the family.

"How often I failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer."

"You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him."

St. Teresa of Avila

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Michael is IMPROVING!

Details will follow later, We are waiting for the Doctors report to the family! PRAISE GOD! Keep the prayers coming please so that we see a complete miracle! Read more!

What kind of English do you speak?

In our home we speak English and Spanish and recite various prayers in Latin. A family we know speaks a variety of languages - largely English and German. One of the priests we know speaks French among the many languages he knows. Our eldest daughter has often sung songs that are Gaelic and one of our favourite groups, the Rankin Family, sings often in Gaelic. So it is little surprise that Elsa today came up to me and warbled some strange sounds and then asked me "What kind of English was I speaking Mummy?"

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We now have a name for what ails Michael

It is hemolytic uremic syndrome and is a rare condition caused by the bacteria E. coli.

Here are some links about it. What is HUS, Hamburger Disease , eMedicine .

Pretty frightening. The mother of this young boy can not for the life of her figure out how he picked up the E. coli. He has not been swimming in lakes, a common source for E. coli bacteria nor has he been eating in any restaurants the past two weeks. No one else in the family has been sick. It will likely remain one of the mysteries that we never resolve.

However - with all that is in the news about Swine flu it seems to me that we are at greater risk of contacting E coli food poisoning then Swine flu and 1 of every 10 children will go on to develop HUS - which is life threatening.

What is abnormal about Michael's case is his age - he does not fit the typical age profile; a very young child or an elderly patient. None the less - he has it and they are looking at possible kidney dialysis and blood transfusions. Antibiotics were worsening the condition so this battle is in the hands of God. Please let us keep praying and passing the prayer request on.

THANK YOU again for your prayers. They are very gratefully received by the family who has asked us to thank you for your prayers.

GOD BLESS!

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WAITING

...for an update on Michael. In the meantime here is an important link you can check out while we wait to hear. There are many worthwhile Catholic causes, website etc to support, but I can personally vouch for Envoy. My husband and I attended the Institutes's conference here in NC last year and we both enjoy reading the magazine. Each are uplifting sources for growing in your faith as well providing you with opportunities to increase knowledge of your faith.

I doubt there are many Catholics who have not heard of Patrick Madrid - he is a regular guest on EWTN and is one of two co-founders who started the magazine Envoy in 1996. Currently he is the director of the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College and publisher of Envoy Magazine and he is making the call for our support in what he is calling a war!

This summer Belmont Abbey will host Envoy's second annual conference. Click here for the dates. Make sure you mark this link so you can check back for details, such as scheduled speakers. I've heard rumors that Peter Kreeft will be there again. If you are not familiar with him check his website out here. I have already marked my calender and I recommend you seriously consider doing the same. My husband and I enjoyed last years conference thoroughly and I know we will again this year. Come join us in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains which are a piece of the Appalachians & enjoy an enlightening weekend building your faith, hearing great speakers, and meeting fellow Catholics who are also seeking to grow in their faith.

And if my words are not temping enough for you - then let this photo of the grounds, where the conference will be, lure you in!

Is it not just breath taking? I hope you will consider joining us this summer!

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a phone book....

As I was inputing a new contact in my phone book, Elsa exclaimed "YOU have a PHONE BOOK?"

'Umm, yeah." I responded absently - as I focused on those little keys on my phone.

"Yeah" giggled Nathaniel... "IN her PHONE!"

Peals of giggles filled the room as the two of them relished the humour in that.

A phone book within a phone. But you know I can only begin to imagine the amazement of my great grandparents of such a thing. A tiny little hand held device that can not only make calls, but also contain a PHONE BOOK.

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UPDATE ON MICHAEL B

(UPDATE AS OF LATE SUNDAY EVENING)

We thank God that Jonathan, our son, and Alicia, his girl friend, arrived safely in Tennessee this evening. We have learned that her 14 yr old brother, Michael, received the sacrament of the anointing of the sick this morning. He has been seriously ill for five days now, vomiting almost every 15 minutes as well as other digestive problems.

Today after the anointing and countless people hearing our prayer request through the Internet, Michael has begun to gain a little in strength. Through twitter we have possibly reached as many as 8000 people.

He has been removed from anti-biotics as the ecoli was not responding to this. In fact the ecoli has begun to release toxins in his blood stream which are attacking his kidneys, causing the capillaries to rupture within them. The Doctors say that his body/immune system MUST fight this on his own.

Michael is beginning to show signs of turning the corner though still far from being out of danger. Also - the longer it takes for his body to fight this - the greater the risk of permanent damage to his kidneys. His family is asking specifically for prayers for his spirits and his kidneys.

After five days of this devastating illness, he is very low in spirits. They can not really give him anything to help him sleep or for pain. They have only been able to attempt to treat the nausea and provide IV fluids.

Please share this prayer request with anyone and everyone you know. Pass it onto prayer lines and, if you twitter, please add a prayer request for Michael B. to your tweets. This battle is now in the hands of God! so we must pray and keep the number of prayers growing. We are possibly sitting on the edge of a miracle as this morning all hope seemed to be lost when Michael was anointed. Since then little glimmers of hope have been shared with us.

GOD BLESS you all and thank you for your prayers.

We will keep updating on Michael's condition!


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URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Please pray for 14 yr old Michael B, he is 14 in hospital. Diagnosis is possibly rare form of ecoli that does not respond to treatment. At this time his kidneys are shutting down. Please pass this on to all you know with prayer lines. This is my son's girl friend's little brother.

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Borrowing an idea...

...from Building Cathedrals, a blog by seven graduates of Princeton who, upon starting to build their cathedrals, realized they still had much to learn! However, I just gleaned a great idea for helping little ones to participate in the Rosary from them - to take a peek at this fun blog and a great idea - click here.

Amanda, dearest, you know your mother is hopeless with any needle but a sewing needle so the flowers will have to fall upon you, if we are to have them crocheted. Hmmm - 4 little ones times 50 hail maries... you will be busy for quite some time! Perhaps we will have them in time for thier little ones?

Never fear - I have my creative thinking cap on and will be looking at different options such as felt flowers with beaded centers, paper flowers to begin with, cloth flowers with embroidered centers, laminated paper flowers with intentions on them... the possibilities are endless.

As you can probably tell - I am thrilled with this idea, especially as we have temporarily put the Rosaries aside and have simply been using our fingers. Can anyone guess why?

At any rate this is a lovely thought that I am going to pursue especially as this is Mary's month.


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You know this old familiar tune

Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb... Mary had a little lamb and its fleece was white as snow.

For some reason 6 yr old Emma thinks this is Mary - Jesus's mummy...

Hmmmm, there is a certain logic there, no?

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Father Corapi

How sad in the month of Mary - a famous Catholic college is blatantly ignoring the dictum of our Bishops to Catholic colleges to not honour pro death/anti life speakers by inviting them to speak on their campuses. We all know that I am speaking of Notre Dame and not only its invitation to Obama to speak, but to also confer upon him an honorary degree. It is an open slap in the face to our church and her prolife stance.

Father Corapi addresses this in the video below.

Please share this video and message. It can also be viewed here. I would also suggest that students attending this college or planning to attend to seriously reconsider this decision through prayer. Sadly the most effective way today to send a message - is with your dollars. If you really believe that this college is dishonoring GOD and His church through ignoring a clear directive from SEVENTY Bishops to not follow through in its invitation to Obama - you must decide whether you will support this college with your college funds and attendance. Go to Jesus and ask Him what would HE do?


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MARY's month... is MAY!

We are already heading into the second week of May - Mary's month. Do you remember this video from last year?


Well - here is the new one.



I'm not sure which one I like best. Neither can my kids. We like them both a LOT!

Anyway - I thought it was a good time to remind everyone that this is Mary's month. Do you have any special family celebrations planned for this month? Any family traditions you would like to share that might inspire the rest of us? I did not grow up Catholic so I am always happy to hear about new customs and traditions we might want to incorporate in our family celebrations.

Please feel free to link and share this post to spread the videos as well as to promote the opportunity for people to share their ideas of how to celebrate this month in a meaningful and fun way!

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ADOPTED!

Whew - Such a relief! We got all three puppies adopted and I am pretty sure they all went to good homes! For some reason I could not log into my Craig's List account so as to delete the ad - so I wrote another Ad with DUKE ADOPTED in the title so that hopefully people seeing both ads would not email me to see if he was still available. So this morning I open my email and low and behold what do I have but an email from a lady with a 6 month old beagle/Russell terrier mix. Her older dog apparently is not happy about the new adoption and the continuous fighting is driving her crazy. Would I be interested in rescuing her puppy....

Maybe - if, like her, I did not have a lot of children underfoot. (She has 3 under 4rs) The relief I felt when I waved good bye to Duke - as much as I liked him and as cute and cuddly as he was... the relief was immense! This was not a good moment to ask me to take on another puppy. Seriously! Not even a crate trained UTD on her shots puppy! Nope, not right now. Uh uh - NOT happening. Really. I sent her some rescue links.

I'm just glad she did not attach a photo! I'm a sucker for cute faces... as you can all attest to.


(Will add a picture of Duke later, but his pics are on another computer.)


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Blaze has a sleep over...

Blaze and Duke get along better than Blaze and Bella did. Sharing the crate was not even an option with Bella!

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Photos to substantiate Sundays Post

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Pandemic Crisis

This is what happens when you promise someone that only a pandemic crisis will prevent you from attending a function she has arranged, and that you really want to go to. Although I am not sure a broken water pump on one's van qualifies as a crisis, but it sure does "dry" up any possibilities of a long drive until it is repaired.

So Saturday found Hugo surrounded by tools, oil, grease, radiator and the a/c, along with other bits and pieces of internal engine organs vital to our van's health. It only took about 3 hours to get to the offending pump and would have taken less time to put it all back had a 1$ part not broken. As our only working vehicle was sitting in pieces all over the front lawn... he had to walk to the closest auto parts store to get the replacement.

The plan at the time I am writing this post is to get it all back together in time to attend Mass tomorrow so we can go to Charlotte and pick up TWO more puppies. One is being adopted by another family in our parish and we have a potential home lined up for the other. The family from our parish is coming with us and we will have a Picnic lunch up there. It should be fun.

Assuming Hugo can remember where all of those hoses, tubes and screws go, that is. I'll let you all know!

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Emmm..... Barbecue...... charcoal?

"Now," Benjamin said as he walked in with his freshly barbecued sausages "don't get mad 'cause this was my FIRST time making sausages on the grill AND my first time not supervised.'
"Hmm" I murmured, "they are a little uhhh..."

"Crispy? " he filled in.

Yeah - thats the word I was looking for - Crispy, black ... and.... uhhh - crispy!

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Nap Time

Where else would one want to nap on a hot summer day but in a light airy hammock?

Okay, so it's May and therfore technically spring, but the temps here are in the 80's
(or 27 - 31 c) which in my mind - equals SUMMER!

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Fine dining

What does any self respecting mother do when she walks into the dining room and finds her 11 yr old daughter setting up a "photo shoot" as she called it, with the puppy at the dining room table, complete with place setting?
Why she suggests adding a colourful napkin, of course!

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NO EXPLANATION NEEDED

April 27, 2009
The Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
President
University of Notre Dame

Dear Father Jenkins,

When you informed me in December 2008 that I had been selected to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, I was profoundly moved. I treasure the memory of receiving an honorary degree from Notre Dame in 1996, and I have always felt honored that the commencement speech I gave that year was included in the anthology of Notre Dame’s most memorable commencement speeches. So I immediately began working on an acceptance speech that I hoped would be worthy of the occasion, of the honor of the medal, and of your students and faculty.

Last month, when you called to tell me that the commencement speech was to be given by President Obama, I mentioned to you that I would have to rewrite my speech. Over the ensuing weeks, the task that once seemed so delightful has been complicated by a number of factors.

First, as a longtime consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree. This, as you must know, was in disregard of the U.S. bishops’ express request of 2004 that Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” and that such persons “should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” That request, which in no way seeks to control or interfere with an institution’s freedom to invite and engage in serious debate with whomever it wishes, seems to me so reasonable that I am at a loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it.

Then I learned that “talking points” issued by Notre Dame in response to widespread criticism of its decision included two statements implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event:

• “President Obama won’t be doing all the talking. Mary Ann Glendon, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, will be speaking as the recipient of the Laetare Medal.”

• “We think having the president come to Notre Dame, see our graduates, meet our leaders, and hear a talk from Mary Ann Glendon is a good thing for the president and for the causes we care about.”

A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families. It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision—in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops—to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.

Finally, with recent news reports that other Catholic schools are similarly choosing to disregard the bishops’ guidelines, I am concerned that Notre Dame’s example could have an unfortunate ripple effect.

It is with great sadness, therefore, that I have concluded that I cannot accept the Laetare Medal or participate in the May 17 graduation ceremony.

In order to avoid the inevitable speculation about the reasons for my decision, I will release this letter to the press, but I do not plan to make any further comment on the matter at this time.

Yours Very Truly,

Mary Ann Glendon

Mary Ann Glendon is Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. A member of the editorial and advisory board of First Things , she served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican from 2007 to 2009.

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Con Permiso...

... we would like to introduce our very own God Father Corleone!




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Over the moon...

...crazy happy because my PENATEN diaper cream finally arrived! I have tried everything to get rid of this nasty diaper rash that Cecilia had developed over a month ago. Nothing was doing it. I switched diaper brands, changed wipes, wished I had clothe diapers on hand, or some Penaten.

I used to be able to buy Penaten in Canada but have not been able to find it here and a friend from Germany, where Penaten originates from, is not planning a trip there any time soon - so ...I went online, googled it and voila! Found several online sites where I could order it.

Three applications and the rash is almost gone. I knew it would be! Penaten was always my stand by for stubborn rashes. The only downside is that if it should get left in the reach of little ones who might decide to paint your walls, rug and bed - it stains. Not that that is something I know from personal experience. Ahem! I am too organized for that to ever happen.

I love my Penaten!

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Crazy life

We have been going crazy here for the past two days. Are you wondering why? Well - we brought home one of Blaze's siblings to find her a home and keep her out of the pound. In the process we also found a home for her blond sister with my best friend in our parish.

We are still working on finding the last puppy, a blond and brown male, a home. So not a lot posting, schooling or much else has been happening the past few days and for some reason I feel really tired!

So chuffed, though, that we have found two really good homes for two of the puppies.

Here is our temporary guest who left this morning - in tow by her big fur brother,
a lovely Golden Retriever.

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I'm in a love hate relationship...

...with Cecilia's growth! I love the many changes that are happening almost daily - but I hate how fast they are happening.


Then:





and now:


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First Confession

We have titled this photo of Cecilia with her God Father as "First Confession" as she looks as if she is whispering in his ear and he is listening intently.

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Grateful...

My children are HEALTHY. My children are ALIVE. We have our problems, bills not paid. the stress of being self-employed. No insurance... I could write quite a long list if I cared to but instead I will be praising Jesus ALL day that my children are HEALTHY and my children are ALIVE and my stresses are so small compared to what Kayleigh's family is going through and what Stellans's family has been through. I could list so many families whose babies are suffering and so they are suffering the worse pain a family can suffer. Please keep both of these families in your prayers right now. I can not even begin to imagine....

Pray for Kayleigh

Pray for Stellan!

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repost...

When you check this olde post out - keep in mind it is from FOUR years ago so those numbers have increased - including number of days pregnant. Click here to enjoy some fun numbers!


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