It was mid morning and Emma needed my help putting her underwear back on after a trip to the pottie. (These days I get a pair of underwear shoved in my nose instead of a full pottie! It is a nice change. ) I sat down on the bed and Emma immediately wrapped one arm around my neck and leaned against me as she balanced on one foot. She had complete trust that I would not move or set her off balance in anyway as I helped her put one foot into her undies and then the other. As she stood there leaning on me, dependent on me for her balance, I thought about how God wants us to trust Him in this way, and I also thought about how children trust their parents implicitly. From the moment a newborn is laid in his mother’s arms, there is this bond of trust. While the newborn is not aware of his trust – this trust is evident as it gazes into his mother’s eyes. We have done nothing to warrant it, but it is there and as long as we do nothing to disprove this trust it only continues to grow. And it is this trust that God seems to want from us – to know that He will never move away from us as we lean on him, especially at moments in our lives when we feel very unbalanced. I only wish I found it as easy to trust Him as Emma finds it to trust me when she leans against me to steady herself. How freeing that would be!

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I'm borrowing from Danielle...

This is very beautiful and peaceful!

In Honour of Mary Our Mother.

Please check it out if you have a minute. Thank you Danielle for sharing this with us! Read more!

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing;
You reign now in splendor with Jesus our King.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!

In heaven, the blessed your glory proclaim;
On earth we, your children, invoke your sweet name.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!

We pray for the Church, our true Mother on earth,
And beg you to watch o'er the land of our birth.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!

Read more!

No Cookies!

Well- we did not manage to get any cookies baked, but we did create some very beautiful Christmas Cards for an injured soldier, Joshua Sparling. If you would like to read his story click here. A word of warning - it is a sad story about a brave soldier who is rewarded with a 'get well' card that tells him to die. There are other soldiers listed in the news story who have received little to no mail and the reporter asks that we take the time to send these brave men and woman a little note.

We finished off our feast day with a marshmallow roast in the fireplace. Whilst trying to determine how many marshmallows individuals had consumed and therfore how many more to allow the children to have, I asked Noah how many he had eaten.

His reply: "Well - I have eaten three BUT one of them I didn't really enjoy...." Read more!

Tomorrow is Saint Nicholas Day...

...and normally I would have made these ahead of time. This year we will make them as a Saint Nicholas Day activity, together as a family. I hope to be able to post a picture of them tomorrow but it rather depends on my camera, which has not been co-operating of late. My oldest daughter Amanda, introduced the idea of mixing ginger and chocolate together to our family. I will always remember her words like it was yesterday: "I know it sounds weird Mummy, but trust me - they will be delicious. Really!"

And she was right - they were delicious and the start to a new tradition. I don't think we have missed a single year yet without these delicious cookies on St Nicholas' special day.

Marlene’s Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 f

Single

½ cup white sugar (If you double use only ¾ c white sugar)

½ cup molasses

½ cup shortening (butter etc)

1/3 cup HOT water

1 egg

2 level teaspoons baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ginger

2 ½ cups white flour

Chocolate M&Ms (Emmmm – delish!)

Cream the sugar molasses and shortening together and then add the hot water stir until smooth and then add the egg(s).

Add salt, soda and ginger to the flour and then slowly mix the flour into the wet ingredients. When the dough is well mixed you can roll it out on a slightly floured surface and then begin to cut your cookies out.

Decorate the cookies with your M&Ms, bake at 350 until lightly browned, typically 20 minutes.

Store in a safe place until St Nicholas day and try not to sneak too many yourselves!

(I don't remember if you grease the cookie sheets or not... Will let you all know tomorrow!)

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A prayer to the Infant Jesus

Divine Child Jesus,
In my difficulties: help me
From the enemies of my soul: save me
In my errors: enlighten me
In my doubts and pains: comfort me
In my solitudes: be with me
In my diseases: invigorate me
When others despise me: encourage me
In temptations: defend me
In difficult hours: strengthen me
With your maternal heart: love me
With your immense power: protect me
And, into your arms, when I die: receive me
Amen

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Second Sunday in Advent

Today has been a nice quiet day for our family. We passed out invitations today at Mass for a little party we hope to have this coming Gaudette Sunday. Just a few friends and a little fun on the Sunday of hope!

There was a little fun to be had after Mass today at my expense. Some of the little kids and I were helping put a few decorations up that were needed for a function occurring later in the afternoon. So it was a good while before we joined the older kids and children sitting in the van
...waiting.... with little to do.... except hang my diaper bag from the mirrow on the passenger door with a lock and then pretend to have lost the key....

As I looked at my husband he quipped:
"Well, if you are going to leave us waiting here for an hour with nothing to do.... what can you expect?"

They finally produced the key, much to my relief! Read more!

An important factor in keeping ones sanity...

These days Emma, who is three and recently toilet trained, has a tendency to wait until she is fairly dancing before she tears across the room to the oldest person present and announces in great distress; "I need to use the potty. I need to use the potty!", the stress levels in her voice rising with each word. Until someone acknowledges this press conference, she continues her dance of agony.

Once acknowledged she races for the nearest bathroom and a minute later re-appears, calm and collected, usually with her undies in hand, demanding assistance with their return to where they belong.

Now I understand how, at three, life is so interesting that one does not want to stop what s/he is doing but rather waits until the last possible minute before finally accepting the fact that s/he really does need to use the bathroom. What I don't understand is why, at 43, I do the same thing. Only in my case rather than dancing a jig around the room I just grow increasingly impatient with all about me until I just absolutly can no longer deny that my bladder is, and has been, filled way beyond capacity for the past hour.

So for the sake of my sanity (and the safety of my children) I have decided that bathroom breaks are a necessity and not an option, and perhaps I want to drink less caffine until I break myself of this terrible habit. Read more!

off on a 24 hr jaunt...

This time to the North. Wish I could drop and and visit with anyone in the area! We will hit Columbus, Ohio early tomorrow morning, pick up our merchandise from the local base and then find our favourite Tim Hortens. We almost have it's location memorized.

Once there we will stock up on coffee and treats before heading back south. Anyone know what temperatures to expect, snow flurries, drizzle, sleet?

Prayers requested as always!

God Bless and see you when we get back... tomorrow evening!

Blessings
mum2twelve Read more!

I love my tister...

"Look Mummy, LOOK at ME!", called Emma.

"I'm holding Elta!" This drew my quick attention given Emma is only three and Elsa is now a whopping 17 lbs at 7 months of age.

Sitting on the floor with her legs encircling Elsa, and her arms wrapped around her waist, Emma grinned at me.

"Look Mummy. I holding Elta so see won't fall down."

Clunk!

Elsa flopped over Emma's knee and wonked her head on the floor but did not really have time to cry as Emma was quickly trying to upright her amidst oodles of kisses and hugs.

Yes, Emma really does love her sister! Read more!

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving

Or an Ode to two beautiful cats...


Wednesday was a teary and somewhat stressful day here. Mid-day while all of us were trying to work through our get ready lists for big sister Jenny coming home - a very sad discovery was made. One of our cats was discovered dead in the barn. Miguel and the two younger boys, Teddy and Noah were taking a break from their lists and while taking a detour through the barn, they discovered Harlie. She was a very beautiful and striking looking cat and was pretty even in death. However - that did not eased the pain of her passing for the little ones.

They all declared though that they would be brave and try not to be too sad since it was Thanksgiving and they did not wish to spoil Jenny's visit. I believe God assisted them with this unexpected cross as I heard more than once the comment that God seemed to be helping them as they did not feel as sad as they did this summer when we discovered that Cappie had passed away in the night. (Pictured above) This does not mean that tears were not shed, nor that they did not slip out often during the weekend to sit by the double graves in the back field.

I had promised Gabriela, the owner of Cappie, an ode to her beloved pet and now before I have managed to post what I wrote this summer for Cappie, I have need for two obits. However, Aimee has done such a wonderful job writing about Harlie, that I will simply include the link to her post here.

Rest In Peace Harlie

I will never forget the day we adopted Cappie about 6 years ago. We had stopped by Pets Smart and unbenownst to me they were having an adoptathon. While I shopped for doggie treats, litter and general pet needs the girls, Jenny, Aimee and their little sister Gabriela were cuddling with cats and kittens. Once I caught up with them I was assailed by Aimee and Jenny to check out Gabriela, who had crawled into the cage with a tiny, though full grown, male cat. He was tawny coloured, like a mountain lion, with a touch of cream on his tail - like the froth of a cappachino.

'Look Mummy, look how gentle he is, and how much they love each other!", they purred into my ear.
'Please let Gabriela bring him home. Pleeeease, she doesn't have her own pet yet and she really wants him. Pleeeease?!?'
Gabriela said not a word, but pleaded with me silently with her big blue eys while Cappie continued to melt into her lap.

I relented. "Your father will kill me, you know. We already have four cats! But, alright, we can take him. For a trial period." I tacked on, semi hoping maybe that gave me an out. We filled in the papers and brought home our "foster son" and a new member was added to the family. Permantly.

Cappie had a way of kneading your head that drove one crazy and he was hilarious to watch playing hide and seek with the "other boys", Sam and James who immeadiatly took to their new brother. He loved Gabriela most though, and she was on the only one who could safely carry him out of doors. Anyone else attempted to carry him, and you risked 4 sets of very sharp claws implanting themselves in your chest or arms. Until Emma that is. In his last year with us he endeared himself to all the adults; as we watched this cat, who turned into a wild scratching fur ball if we tried to carry him, turn into putty in Emma's chubby 2 year old arms. In her arms he was the story book cat that everyone could dress in doll clothes, and drag about in any manner of ways. All of the other cats steer clear of Emma when she appears on the scene. She can clear the room of cats in under a nano second. But Cappie would sit down and stare into space while Emma bent over, grunted and hefted him up into her arms. Once released he did not dive for cover but would, with great dignity, begin to stroll away and immeadiatly stop if Emma decided it was time to carry him again. Which she invariably did.

The morning we discovered that he had died there was great grief. Not just for Cappie, but for Gabriela and Emma. The older boys (Jonathan and Miguel) who had no great love for him quietly searched for our shovel. Discovering that it had accidently been left in a rental truck, they pick up a post digger and took turns in the 90 plus summer heat and thick humidity digging a grave for Cappie. It was back breaking work and took 3 - 4 hours, but their love for their younger, grieving siblings kept them at it.

And once again this past week, these two boys showed their love for their younger siblings as well as their oldest sister this time. Quietly without a word; they went to work digging a grave beside Cappie's, in the rain and the cold. I had hoped to say a second Good Bye to Harlie before she was buried, but they were too quick for me.

While it is hard to lose a animal, it is harder to see the children grieving over a beloved pet, esp during the Holidays. But it was eased greatly, both times, by seeing the love the children showed for each other as they supported one another. I know they were only animals, but they were loved and cherished by the children that I love and cherish. It also served as a reminder for us all - that you never know when our Maker will call us. We need always to be ready for this time, whether it is our's or that of someone else we love. We must always remember to give our loved ones a hug, to smile as they pass you the salt, to listen when they speak, and especially to pray for them.

God Bless you and God Bless our pets... Read more!

His name is de new boyfriend

A few nights ago a few of us were crowded around the monitor of my computer. Our family pictures are set up as a slide show slash screen saver. So we were watching the family slip by in groups and in sets of twos and threes as well as members all alone. I was pointing to people and asking Emma who is this and who is this. Sometimes Nathaniel would chime in all helpful when she hesitated, or when I teased and called the sister or brother by the wrong name.

Then some of the zoo pictures started to wind across the screen and we came to a group picture of almost everyone. I pointed to Jenny's boyfriend, John, who happened to be holding the baby as she slept. (He is very good at keeping sleeping babies sleeping!) I said; "So who is this holding Elsa? Emma was distracted so Nathaniel had the whole stage to himself and stuttered;
"Oh, oh, I know, I know. It's, it, ... uhhh,... his name is de..., his name is de new boyfwiend!" Read more!

Our Wreath - finally!

As promised, I am posting a picture of our Advent wreath. I had worried the past month that although I had my candles well in advance, I would put off searching for the old wreath or purchasing a new one until the last moment.

I did.

So Sunday afternoon I spent a half hearted five minutes searching under the stairs for the old wreath, but decided I wanted a much smaller wreath than the one we had used over the past years. So some of the girls and I hit the stores looking for flowers that would be exactly like the ones I had decorated the previous wreath with. James, our ragdoll had eaten, picked off, chewed and ultimatly destroyed all of those original flowers until we had a simple bare wreath with four candle holders. It took him approximatly three Advents to accomplish this.

However, the flowers we used 7 years ago are apparently no longer being produced. Old stock long gone by the wayside. I took a deep breath and regrouped.
"Stand here girls for a minute."
I gritted my teeth while I dove into these rows and rows of flowers, and tried to figure out what would come closest to what I had wanted! So many flowers and none looked the way I had imagined. Slowly, with input from Anna and Gabriela, I began to make choices and build a new wreath in my imagination, but it was proving difficult to match the image of pruple that I had in my mind. Finally we gave up and decided to try another crafts store. We paid for a few flowers, the wreath and other craft supplies I wanted for some of our Advent crafts that we will be doing over the next few weeks and left.

We got to the next store and Elsa simply demanded to be nursed before we could scurry again through the rain and into Michaels. Once there we were again assailed by rows and rows and rows of silk, dry and plastic flowers, but none quite the shade of purple I was seeking. Lots of purples, reds, browns, golds, yellows and even white, but that exact shade of purple was proving to be quite elusive. At last content with my choices, I grabbed a cheap glue gun and stuffed it into the cart and asked a lady behind the floral counter where she kept her candle holders that she had used on her advent wreath - the one behind her on display.
"Oh - I'm sorry - I didn't make that, it came like that from our supplier, we just put it up as a display. "
I stared at her dumbly.
"Oh, well, ummm okay, but you do have candle holders, eh?"
The florist behind her chimmed in helpfully.
"Those would be over there." (Gesticulates in a general direction over her shoulder) "But we are sold out of those, I know because I was looking for them for another customer earlier today. You could try A.C.Moore...."

I blinked at her. This couldn't be happening. I had just been to that store and had not found holders.
"Well," I asked hesitantly, "is there another Micheals nearby..."
Glad to be helpful, they listed three or four different craft or fabric stores, not one closer than a thirty minute drive... The first lady added brightly - "Oh you could try the dollar store in Wakeforest." I brightened at that, I liked the proposed cost, as well as its near vicinity.
"But they are closed on Sundays."
Try as I might I could not help but feel bitter about that, and the irony of it hit me hard!
"Well, thanks anyway." I replied not really making much effort to hide my dissapointment. Refusing to give up all hope I slipped over in the general direction they had pointed, hoping against hope that the second lady was wrong. She wasn't.
I gathered the girls and patiently answered Bethany's questions about this and that and we got through the line. I made a conscious effort to be polite to every one around me. What I really wanted to do was pout, smack my purchases on the counter and snarl at everyone. After all - my wreath was ruined - I did not want to place candles around it in regular candle holders, I wanted them IN my wreath, where they were suppose to be. My annoyance with myself for waiting so long to buy the needed items sat hot in my chest. The temptation to inflict it on others was large.

I am grateful that I did not (entirely) give in to it, especially in front of my four daughters. We piled the bags into our cart and headed back into the rain and loaded our purchases and ourselves into the van. I backed up and then wove my way through the crowded parking lot, stoppng for other drivers and waving them ahead of me. As I continued to force myself to show a charity to others that I was not feeling, my mood began to lift. I chuckled inwardly at myself. So what if I we had to light our candles tomorrow, or use regular candle holders. Was it worth spoiling the day over that? (How often has my husband asked me that very question over our 25 yrs of marriage? What can I say - I'm a slow learner!) Then another thought struck me - something I am often saying to the kids.

Well you just got lucky. You have something to offer up!

At this point I laughed out loud, causing Anna to ask me what was so funny. She knew how dissappointed I was. I am not that good an actress. I shared with all the girls what it was that I was thinking. As I drove home, I thought quite a bit about how hard it is sometimes to do as I say and not just say what to do.

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First Sunday in Advent

"Charity is that with which no man is lost, and without which no man is saved."
Saint Robert Bellarmine

"O God, thou art my God, I seek thee;
my flesh faints for thee, as in dry and weary land where no water is.
So I looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory.
Because thy steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise thee.
So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on thy name.
Pslam 63: 1-4


Readings for the day:
Jeremiah 20:7-9, Psalms:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9, Romans 12:1-2, Mathew 16:21-27

Saint of the Day: Saint Augustine Read more!

Advent thoughts on the Eve of the First Sunday…

There is one homily that I will never forget. It was given by Father McNally in the early nineties, shortly after I had officially joined the Church. He was talking about Advent in contrast to the secular idea of when the Christmas season really begins. As Catholics we called to try and observe Advent while plagued with Christmas commercials and a culture plying us with all of our wants ~ disguised as needs. If you are working for a large company, as opposed for yourself, you are surrounded by peers who are planning Christmas parties. Your children if in school, (assuming Christmas is not a foul word yet for your school board), are also surrounded by festivities when we are actually suppose to be in a time of fast and prayer as we prepare for Christ’s birth.

Father addressed various ways of coping with that, while also trying to be a quiet witness to our friends and relatives. He began with the exterior means, things as simple as not turning on your Christmas lights until Christmas Eve. 'Of course put up your lights outside before the snow flies (we were living in a northern portion of Canada) but bide your time before turning them on and then keep them up and shinning until the official end of the Christmas season in the Church.' This would be the Twelve Days of Christmas, the true source for the popular Christmas Carol and begins with Christmas Mass at Midnight and continues to Epiphany (The Day of the Kings or Wise Men).

Popular merry-making. Codex Theod., II, 8, 27 (cf. XV, 5,5) forbids, in 425, circus games on 25 December; though not till Codex Just., III, 12, 6 (529) is cessation of work imposed. The Second Council of Tours (can. xi, xvii) proclaims, in 566 or 567, the sanctity of the "twelve days" from Christmas to Epiphany, and the duty of Advent fast; that of Agde (506), in canons 63-64, orders a universal communion, and that of Braga (563) forbids fasting on Christmas Day. Popular merry-making, however, so increased that the "Laws of King Cnut", fabricated c. 1110, order a fast from Christmas to Epiphany. (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm )

But in today’s world it seems that all festivity ends with the Christmas dinner and is picked up in a purely temporal manner for New Years Eve, leaving us Christians in the cold and no where to go with our merry making that we have denied ourselves all of Advent. The Christmas carols that played in the malls and on our car radios disappears and life returns to its normal muted humdrum existence. Despite this, Father McNally encouraged to try and follow the traditional fast and self denying through out Advent. Some how this seems to be so much easier to do during Lent as even most of the secular world is aware of the Catholic tradition of fasting, or at least giving up something, for lent. He suggested that when there are office parties that surely we should attend but to not over indulge in the treats, but quietly avoid seconds and refrain from making a show of our sacrifice. 'We should by all means take advantage of the feast days and celebrate them with the decorum that they warrant.' This advice was easily digested but the following was the most difficult and is a struggle to this day.

He strongly advised that we forbear all Christmas Carols and try to listen only to Advent hymns such as O Come O Come Emmanuel and to not put up our Christmas tree until Christmas Eve.

So how did our family cope with these well advised suggestions from a priest who is a very holy man? At that time we were part of a strong Catholic home schooling group which helped immensely. We did not have to deal with the pressures of school festivities and Christmas (Or should I say Winter Holiday?) concerts and we could plan group activities around the feast days that are many in December. We have four in quick succession during the month December that are well known and celebrated in various fashions throughout the world. They begin with one of the most famous which happens to also be responsible for our modern Santa Claus, St Nicholas on December 6^th. This is followed by a Holy Day of Obligation here in the States, which is the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and falls on the 8^th. Two lesser known, but still familiar, Saint days are Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Lucy and these days fall back to back with our Lady’s day being celebrated on the 12th and St. Lucy’s on the 13th . Then we also have the feast day of Juan Diego on the 9th, if we really want an extra day of festivity to light the dark days of winter. In our family we rise early on St. Nicholas day to a table filled with yummy treats such as ginger bread and hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and a candy cane. Traditionally each child receives a letter or Christmas card from St Nick with a note of encouragement, as well as gentle admonishments for areas where improvement is needed. These letters are written with great love as well as with prayer and much thought. A small gift lays alongside each place sitting or on the plate. Some years that is the day the children have written their Christmas list of wishes to leave for St. Nick to take back to Baby Jesus to read. This year I am planning on suggesting a list of Thanksgivings in lieu of wishes.

Another local Catholic Home schooling group that was an hours distance from us had monthly meeting, and well in advance of Advent it would invite parents to share ideas they used to help incorporate peace and spiritual growth within their families. My favorite was the idea of having table clothes that reflected the colour of the Season. So the first Sunday of Advent the children awake to a purple table cloth or runner on the table. Then Gaudette Sunday is celebrated with a rose coloured cloth, and Christmas Eve or Morning is greeted with either a red tablecloth or a cheery Christmas themed cloth. I did this for many years until a recent move caused the misplacement of our advent tablecloths that I had sewn by hand so many years ago in Canada. The very first year that we decided to do this, we also happened to receive a care package from my Stepmother and father, in which there was a delightful cloth decorated with jolly St Nick. This adorned our table on St Nick’s day and was also laid below the red cloth we placed on the table late Christmas Eve. Sadly, they are all missing and I cannot afford to replace them this year. We will have to be content with our paper cloths that we have been decorating each birthday and make a Christmas one and perhaps one for each feast day as well.

I think the biggest struggle we have had with any of Father McNally’s suggestions vies between the listening of Christmas Carols and when to erect the Christmas tree. I have completely lost the battle with the idea of decorating the tree on Christmas Eve for the last ten years and have gracefully retreated from the battle field with the compromise being that we decorate the tree on Gaudette Sunday. (However, the fact that our two oldest children will not arrive until 22^nd or 23^rd may give me a card up my sleeve this year.) As to the Carols, I must admit there is very little advent music out there, and the little there is wears out fast. So as a family we have completely given into the secular tendency to start listening to carols by Thanksgiving, and this year it was even earlier I am ashamed to admit! Originally we searched for John Michael Talbot music and used his quiet cds for a year or two until they disappeared or got destroyed, not sure which. I feel that we gave it a strong shot, but ultimately we just succumbed to the lure of this beautiful music and have searched for a large variety of it so that we do not tire of it before Epiphany.

This year, in addition to our small family advent traditions we have built up, I have added a new one through the purchase a book I found online this year while searching for my advent candles. It is Jotham’s Journey and is meant to be read one portion of the story for each day of Advent with the story culminating on Christmas Eve. I am really looking forward to this addition to our family evenings this year and hope to add the other two volumes of this trilogy in the years to come. I also hope to complete a Jesse Tree this year and it will be our first attempt at one.

Largely, our family goal for Advent this year is to draw closer to each other as a family unit, continue to strengthen our family prayer life and focus on charity, starting within our own family – for if we do not learn to cherish our own brothers and sisters, how can we know how to love the rest of humanity?

I pray that each of you find peace in these coming days of waiting and that as the light expands weekly from your lit advent candles, so will the light of Christ grow within your heart and that of your family.

GOD Bless

mum2twelve,
aka Christi to her friends, Madre to her two oldest sons, mummy to the rest of her children and originally localinda to her husband!

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Charity

We were reclining in the living room and the fire was crackling and spreading warmth through the room, feeding the sleepiness that accompanies a busy day that has been followed by a large meal. Contrary to our normal routine, we were praying the Rosary after dinner instead of after breakfast and had reached our fourth decade.

"Bethany?" one of the adults asked. "Would you like to lead this one?"

"Oh, that's okay." she said, hugging my Catholic Mother's Journal. "I'm the announcer. Maybe Anna would like to lead this one."

Anna looked up. "Oh, no - that's okay - you go ahead Bethany. You can lead it, I don't mind."

"Well," replied Bethany. "I really don't mind you know. I've been announcing the mysteries. So you go ahead."

A few yawns were stiffled, after all it was going on ten and we all were pretty tired.

"I really think you should have a turn Bethany, Honestly I don't mind at all..."
"Gee Anna, I really don't mind..."

As the discussion continued barely audible in their soft voices, Noah leaned a little toward me and whispered in my ear. "You know, sometimes charity can be a little annoying."

I nodded in agreement while hiding my smile. Patiently we waited until Anna finally persevered and convinced her little sister that she really should get a turn leading a decade even if she was the announcer. Sitting a little taller, Bethany announced the decade and then proceeded to also lead it.

Well - charity might be a little annoying when dragged out like this, but it still made me proud of my babies. Read more!

Left Overs....

Jenny is home and we have been busy baking today. My rolls are sitting on the porch as they need to be slightly chilled before being set to rise. Jenny is teaching Anna how to make pumpkin pie and htis being her first pie we are using pre-made pie dough. Come Christmas - she will get her first pie dough lesson. While I was starting on my rolls - the phone rang. It was Aimee. She is cooking Thanksgiving dinner all by herself for her boyfriends parents, who are flying in from Texas today. She was using my bread recipe and wanted to know what temp to set the oven to for the rolls she was baking.
"You know Aimee," I reminded her, "that recipe makes enough bread to last 2 - 3 days... for OUR family." "I know!" she sighed. She is still not used to paring recipes down for 4 - 6 people, let alone for one. "Besides," she said "I was so focused on my Thanksgiving menu that I never thought to buy groceries for the rest of the weekend - just Thanksgiving dinner. I blew my whole weeks food budget on it, so I am hoping we will have enough left overs the rest of the time they are here...." Given she is used to making thanksgiving dinner for 12 - 14, there should be lots of left overs. So no worries there!
(Smilely borrowed from Franciscan cards - link on the right)


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Bless us oh Lord, in these Thy gifts...

"Get used to lifting your heart to God, in acts of thanksgiving, many times a day. Because he gives you this and that. Because you have been despised. Because you haven't what you need or because you have.

Because he made his Mother so beautiful, his Mother who is also your Mother. Because he created the sun and the moon and this animal and that plant. Because he made that man eloquent and you he left tongue-tied...

Thank him for everything, because everything is good."
The Way, 268
Author ~ St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei Read more!

Advent Activities

Secret Christmas Angels...

We have many things we love to do during advent and this morning we have begun preparing for one of our most favorite activities. The children have decorated a cracker box by removing the outer flaps, drawing lovely pictures on some white paper and gluing it to the outside of the box. To what end, you might ask! Well – they have also written their siblings names to be put into the box. Then this Thanksgiving the eleven oldest children will all draw names. (Actually, one of us will draw for our oldest daughter Aimee as she is unable to join us for Thanksgiving this year and it is only eleven names as Elsa is too young to participate yet.) Then each child will be a secret angel to the sibling whose name they draw.

A secret angel helps to foster an atmosphere of charity by doing kind things in secret for their sibling. It culminates with each child purchasing a Christmas gift for the person they were secret angel to and on Christmas day each person gets one guess as to who was their angel. The children really love it and I like is so much because it helps us to focus on others instead of ourselves during a time of the year when children are highly encouraged through commercials on the tellie, the papers, and radio to focus on what THEY want for Christmas.

My own personal Advent Wreath…

As an answer to the age old dilemma of who gets to light the new candle each Sunday of Advent one year I decided that on the first Sunday of advent each child would make their own wreath out of paper with paper candles on them. Then each Sunday, each child gets to glue the flame on their wreath. Some years they have kept wreaths in their bedrooms and others they have opted to decorate the main room of the house with them.

You need:

Paper or Styrofoam plates

Coloured paper

Scissors

Glue sticks, hopefully enough to go around for each to have their own as there is a lot of gluing in this activity.

In lieu of plates one can cut wreaths out of construction paper.

If using the plates you cut a hole in the middle. I draw or get my older children to draw oodles of leaves on green paper, typically just pointed oval shapes. Then we cut and cut and cut. And then we glue and glue and glue… Usually we enjoy a plateful of cookies, the first candy canes of the season as well as some hot chocolate while we do this, accompanied of course by lots of giggles and Christmas carols in the background.

Some times we have cut out little red circles to add as holly to the wreaths to decorate them a bit.

A very simple craft that eases the potential of hurt feelings when one or another sibling is chosen to light the candle on Sunday.

Baby Jesus’ bed…

Last year we had a pretty glass jar sitting on the counter. Beside it was a box filled with bits of yarn waiting to be earned. The yarn that would eventualy fill glass jar was what we would fill baby Jesus’ crèche on Christmas Eve when we put it out for baby Jesus to rest his little head in after we had all gone to bed for the evening.

The children earned the right to put the bits of yarn in one at a time through doing good deeds, preferably in secret. Hence, no one was to question one another as to what they had done to earn a bit of yarn for baby Jesus.

But there was another side of this. If a child was disciplined by a parent for being uncharitable to another member of the family he would be asked to remove a piece of yarn from the glass jar as a reminder that ‘whatsoever you do to another, you do also to me’. Again – we were not to ask anyone why they were removing yarn from the jar as it was between them and God.

As the last week of Advent approached, it was most interesting to see how the glass jar began to fill with great energy! It was also lovely how the children tried to support each other when they saw someone have to remove a piece of yarn. Rather than chiding each other for decreasing Christ’s comfort, they seem to feel for the person who was being so explicitly reminded of how their actions hurt God. I think that this year – I will actively participate in this too.

We also have special feast days that we like to remember during Advent and I hope this week to share what we do for our favourite one ~ Saint Nicolas day.

Wreath update…. In one word… GULP!

Read more!

The comic Strip...

By Anna
(BTW - if you click on the pciture - it will open into a full page - making it easier to appreciate the details, as well as to read.)

Tomorrow we hope to have a list and details for activities we have used in the past to celebrate advent. Still no wreath and I now have less than a week to go. But I have my candles! (Smug grin accompanies this statement to offset my distress over the missing wreath!) Read more!