SHE'S HERE!!!

Okay - she is not exactly here. She is in the airport here in NC - but at least she is not still at JFK in NYC. We will head to Charlotte to pick her up from her sister's later this afternoon - she needs some sleep before we pounce on her - with eight kids and all.

I have decided that for the next two weeks, baring funny comments from the peanut gallery - I will focus on posting pictures. Already have some adorable ones waiting their turn. Also have a few nature ones - which given we live in a small town - it is pretty amazing the nature my kids can turn up!

So - see you in the pictures....




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Please pray...

...for our daughter who is sitting in an airport in NYC and has been there since about 2 pm yesterday. A lovely storm passed through - causing chaos and turmoil, delayed flights and finally oodles of canceled flights.

Aimee flew in from Ireland and has been up since 2 am Eastern Standard time - THURSDAY or over 28 hours. Now they tell her that she is on stand by until SATURDAY MORNING. Please pray she makes the next flight which is at 7 am.

Thank you for the prayers - I am praying the phone does NOT ring as it will mean she made it onto the 7 am flight.

Blessings to you all
Christi


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TAKE NOTE...

When you decide to purchase a container of hot chocolate as a surprise for your 11 year olds birthday coming up in October, remember to take it out of the bag of clothes you hid it in before deciding at the last moment to chuck these clothes into your brand new front loader washer to soak for 2 hours... You know, just in case you picked up any stains while traveling to Ohio. You might really want to reconsider doing this given almost all of this clothing was new to you from the consignment sale you attended last Saturday and were so thrilled to get such nice clothes for so little. It is not so much how much you paid for these clothes that you soaked in hot chocolate this morning, as to how much it would cost to replace all of it... new. THAT is what hurts, as well the fact that you totally destroyed an unopened expensive birthday gift to boot!







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Huh???

I checked the weather forecast to see how low our low might be tonight - in hopes that the upstairs will cool off nicely - as it did last night. And... there was a weather advisory. I clicked it to see if we were expecting a simple thunder storm or something bigger.

Oh yes - it is something bigger. Uh huh! We have a WINTER ADVISORY in effect. My eyes bulged - I swear I felt them bulge, and I decided to check the low - it is a measly 16 c or about 60 F.

Cough Cough - is this someone's idea of a joke, or does google weather really think we are that wimpy here in NC that 60 F in August requires a WINTER ADVISORY???





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A thought to ponder...

This thought is from Sister Patricia - I can not claim this insight for me own, although I often toy with this thought process. How many of us - walk around feeling out of control and just a tad grump - never realizing that in truth we are feeling like victims... Here is an excellent insight as to what might be going on within your soul.


Sister Patricia from Joy Notes:

I would like to share with you a huge breakthrough I discovered for myself a little bit ago. I have been reading a book called, ["Finding Your Way Home" - Freeing the Child Within and discovering wholeness in the Functional Family of God] (as you probably know I'm slightly unfunctional so these books are important to me). Anyway it is a very good book. It was talking about the three different ways that we sometimes handle other people in unhealthy ways.

1. Controllers
2. Rescuers
3. Victim


Well, the first two ways - I've found myself doing lots of time.. BUT I never thought of myself as going the "Victim" route. Well, lo and behold... all of a sudden - something clicked and I thought. THAT"S IT! For the last few weeks I've been feeling pressured (no doubt from all the preparations for St. Clare, book, internet, radio, life) and feeling on the high side of grumpy about the whole thing. Then through different stuff I have been working through - the answer suddenly came. The reason I am angry is because I am feeling that someone else put me in this position. I'm dealing with stuff that other people have planned for me. And Guess What? Nope. All this stuff is the result of choices I have made.

Most of the time when I am angry or upset about something it comes from stuff within. On good days things don't faze me a bit... but on bad days.... it's "Ready on the right, ready on the left, Fire!"

So its seems the exact opposite - that anger and frustration at others comes from being a victim (or thinking one is) but it really is. When I realize that "Hey, I made these choices" "This is stuff that I chose to do." Then all of a sudden it makes perfect sense that the person who can change all this "IF" they want to--is ME!

Not too sure if I am getting this across - but when I realized that I was dealing with pressures that were self-inflicted - the pressure sort of evaporated! It was like, "Oh yeah, I did want to do that!"

It was my choice to become a Poor Clare.
It was my choice to work on the Internet.
It was my choice to do radio.
It was my choice to write books.

It was like... Oh my gosh, I am so in control - even though I feel out of control!

People who are victims feel that there is nothing to do - but complain, moan and groan and endure. People who are not victims do the same stuff but FEEL very different about it. Isn't that interesting? Now we shall see if I stop complaining? Time will tell on that one! I think maybe complaining has gotten to be a habit.

Blessings of Peace and All Good!
Sister Patricia


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Whats up doc....

NOT MUCH!

Other than our a/c breaking on the second floor with the temps being in the low 30's c (or high 80's low 90's) there is not much news to report.

I have been glued to my monitor for days now and not writing either... as you can tell by the lack of posts. I have been studying curriculum and different kinds of grammar programs and reading programs and math programs and more curriculum. Then I debated whether to combine grades and buy three copies of some texts...

FINALLY - while out driving with Hugo, just driving quietly around town with the windows open enjoying the (hot) breeze, and not really thinking about all of my choices that my brain was drowning, that my brain was, that my brain was drowning in... the answer came to me. Which curriculum and whether to mix grades or not.

So when I return from Ohio in a few days, I will begin ordering books and lesson plans. I am at peace and anxious to get the plans in place. Then a few changes will be in order to the computer in the dining room, and or the desk it is on, so that I can write in the same room where the children are schooling and I think I will be closer than ever to being able to combine my writing with my busy life - guilt free.

And hopefully my lovely readers will get to taste the benefits from all of this stretching of brain cells from the past couple of days.

See you on Wednesday!


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Fashion Diva

My three year old entered the bedroom with a plea.

"May I wear my new pretty skirt pleeeease Mummy?"

As she is already sporting a small chocolate stain on it- only 6 hours after purchasing it from a local consignment sale, I agreed.

She pulled it off the top of her little crate of shelves that currently serve as her dresser.
and slipped it on. Then she began to explore her dresser for a top - I have no idea where the top that came with it yesterday is. And I fear to look for it - given it was pure cream colour before she hit the homemade chocolate reeses pieces made yesterday.

After pulling out several drawers and pushing them back in - she lighted on the one with tops and shorts, with the shorts prevailing. She finally decided on a navy blue shirt, struggled into it and announced to me.

"This is too boring!"

"Boring?" I asked.

"Yes, B O R I N G. " And she whipped it off, tossing it back into the drawer. She then pounced on a single pink glove and pulled it on her left hand. Satisfied with her attire, she left the room in her red checkered skirt, pink glove and shirtless.

OK.... I am completely ready for the teen years just waiting around the corner. Yup! Totally!


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I wisss

My husband had rented an interesting movie and I decided I wanted to be able lie on the bed while watching.... so off to the bathroom I headed with my 24/7 sidekick shadowing me to put my contacts in.

She stood quietly beside the sink watching me as I fished first one contact out and then the other. As I was fidgeting with the second one and wishing I did not need contacts her little voice piped up:
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm putting my contacts in." I replied.
"Oh." Heavy Sigh followed this and then...
"I just wisss I had contact lenses."

That brought a chuckle from me as I put the lenses case away and she grasped my hand with her little pudgy one and walked back to the bedroom with me.

Later as I pondered over that and how a little three year old has no idea what contact lenses really are, nor understand the inconvenience of needing corrective lenses, I was struck by the thought that it is not so much the lenses she wanted, so much as the age old desire of wanting to be "just like Mummy" or in the case of boy - more often to be 'just like Daddy'.

What an incredible responsibility that is and one that I too often take for granted. And this window is a rather small one because before long there is much else competing for this desire to be "just like" something, so I had best make the best of this time and make sure I am something worth modeling.



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Good Evening...

I am posting late in the day as opposed to early as this morning I decided to forgo the computer or at least try to not touch one until downstairs. (Trust me! You do NOT want to know how many computers in this house there are. I'm not even sure I could tell you without stopping to count on my fingers.) My goal was to have a better school day and a more organized household at the end of the day.

Ummm - I managed to get downstairs and bypass the computer in my bedroom. Then I immediately pounced on my husband's laptop and then asked for headphones so as to drown out the piano practicing taking place. With five taking lessons - there is almost always someone on the piano, even at seven am.

We had a slightly better school day, definitely more piano practice, but we still have two bedrooms that qualify for the twilight zone as to what all is on the floor. It was the little girls' laundry day and most of it has actually been washed and put away & we did manage to eat by 5 so our 21 year old could join us before leaving for night classes at the local college. Still it could have been a better day! Tomorrow is a new start - right. Heck, tonight is a new start!

Anyhoo - here I am posting at this late hour of 6:37 pm but I have a child waiting my assistance in their "twilight zone".

My main purpose for posting today is to say that I have some plans swimming around in my head. I have been hoping to snaggle my husband into helping me to set up an actual website that would give me more freedom as to design, photo placement and pull the themes of my two blogs together. If you are a relatively new reader than you may not know I have another blog, rarely seen or updated that is focused on reviews of book and movies. However (loud heavy manipulative sigh) I have not been able to get him away from his work and studies long enough than to do more but nod sagely at my wonderful and creative ideas!

I want to get that one geared up and in action again, but to be honest my lack of organization leaves me paralyzed with guilt and thus inaction. And I have yet a third blog that will be opened soon but will a 'read by invite only' blog for reasons to be explained later. As soon as I have it in better shape, I will let you know and those who would like to have a peek at it can request an invite through the comments section.

So you can see why I need to forgo the computer in the morning and do my writing in the evening when I can do it guilt free and actually accomplish something more than I am now. Which to be honest is a fraction of what I could be doing.

Now, with great trepidation, I am off to one of the two twilight zones remaining upstairs. Say a prayer that I find my way back!


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A great thought...

Here is a post that shares a wonderful thought about love. I especially liked this line "...that many a morning, I did not feel loving. It is not necessary to feel in order to do, but the doing is so very necessary for the feelings. " To read the whole article you can Click Here.



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May I suggest...

...that you never, ever, EVER, no matter how irresistibly cute those brown eyes are,
or how adorable the chubby cheeks framed with the lovely soft red curls are,
allow them to entice you to acquiesce to the request of the owner, of these wonderful characteristics, to finish of the last of your cup of Tetley tea. Better to sacrifice the sinfully delicious eclair you were sneaking in before bedtime than to share the last of your tea.

Otherwise you might find yourself with a twitchy three year old who cannot, absolutely, positively cannot fall asleep. So she lies there telling you stories about bricks (???), reminisces about the hotel we visited last month and even cries a little about how she misses the pool. Finally in complete desperation and with the hope of being able to snooze, maybe just a little, you will seek a kid friendly cartoon on the instance watch feature of Netflix. Then you will lightly snooze to the back ground music of The Pebble and the Penguin until 4 am when said three year old will inform you it is over and in the time it takes you to cross the room in hopes of finding a little more sleep a la Netflix, she rolls over and is asleep.

Grateful, you will crawl back into the bed while also cursing yourself for having ever been so stupid as to have shared the last of your tea with a cute curly red headed three year old. However, you do not share that tidbit of information with your husband who also shared the agonies of this sleepless three year old. You will blissfully allow him to continue to simply wonder as to why she suddenly was unable to sleep until 4 am in the morning.





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When I was five

... I met the dentist for the first time. Now let me explain where we lived when I was five. My parents and I moved from Ottawa, Ontario to Gagnon, Quebec in 1964. I was three at the time and nine when we left in 1970. The entire time we lived there - there were no roads leading into this small mining town, only a train line or you flew. I remember a few summers where we put our car on the train and flew to either Port Cartier or Sept Isle where we would meet our car and then drive the rest of the way to the Maritimes to visit my maternal and paternal grand parents. Other times we traveled the 193 mile long train line to one of these small cities and then flew to New Brunswick, probably landing in Saint John. On the rare occasion that we did not go "home" for the summer I remember a hot summer day meant the red had hit almost 70 F.

It was a cold, isolated small mining town and I love most of my memories of the six years we lived there. But there is one memory that is very well etched in my memories and was especially poignant today. Because today - I met up with another dentist and the only thing in common with the two occasions is that in both cases I had an abscessed tooth.

On that auspicious day so many years ago when I was five and the world still revolved, not around the sun, but rather around my parents; my mother was given the lovely privilege of introducing me to a member of the medical community I had not yet had reason to meet. Doctors and nurses I had already met in abundance as I was not the healthiest of creatures. I had the nasty habit of picking up any germ that flew in my direction but I had yet to be acquainted with the lowliest of the childhood enemies - a cavity.
But once I did, true to my then unhealthy nature, I did not just get a cavity, but I managed to develop an abscess in the tooth. So we pulled on the snow suit, the winter boots and got into the car and back down the snow packed driveway with the 4 foot high snow walls. And we did not stop until we had reached the "Mall", a two story imitation of our current day strip mall. This was THE place where anything and everything one needed could be purchased. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say this was the ONLY place where items of need could be purchased and if something was not there - there was always the post and a pleading letter to be written to family members still living in the real world.

We got out of the car and I happily traipsed behind my mother and was dismayed when we bypassed the stores and headed up the stairs. How my mother explained this to me, I don't remember. But I do recall, vividly, finding myself seated in a chair that magically laid back and was covered in shiny gray material. A little bib was pinned around my neck and a gentleman, all dressed in white, loomed over me and gravely examined my mouth. Following this my mother and he huddled in a corner conversing in low voices with my mother frequently giving me quick and somewhat anguished glances. I do remember this man in white assuring my mother that this was the only option.

Apparently, as the tooth that had become abscessed was located in the lower jaw, it would not respond to any form of anesthesia and in fact the needles to administer anything would only prolong the situation and add unwarranted pain.

I naively sat in this gray shiny chair and looked at all of the interesting gleaming instruments waiting to be allowed to get off this too tall chair. Before long this stranger in white was leaning over me coaching to open my mouth while he waved one of those interesting instruments in his large hand. It was over in a moment but I was shrieking in pain and fright while staring at my tooth that was now in his hand.

These were the memories that I hauled into the office today along with my x-rays of my currently abscessed tooth. However, I am happy to share that this visit was not a painful recreation of the first. After a lot of various numbing agents, a lot of pressure and just a little pain - my abscessed tooth moved residence and I am now happily medicated and impatiently waiting to not need those nasty little gauze pads that I need to stick every hour between my gums and teeth.

While the gap is much larger than I expected it to be, I am relieved that is not that noticeable. Hopefully before too long I can afford a spacer of some sort. I had been wishing the tooth had been below as my lower jaw could use the room as the housing there is quite crowded. However, since I learned today that abscessed teeth in the bottom jaw do not respond to anesthesia, in any amount, I am just as happy that this abscess was in the upper jaw.

And as to my poor mother - I don't recall her ever taking me to the dentist again. That job was placed squarely in my father's lap. Lucky for him - my next visit was a painless as the first had been painful and lucky for me- I got a play doctor's kit out of it. If I remember I think he wanted me to pick out the nurses kit. But the Doctor kit had a lot of stuff that looked like the dentist's equipment - and I had a lot of dolls that needed to see a dentist. (To read more about Gagnon click here. )

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A Mother's prayer

Today in Mass I needed a little reinforcement so I checked the back of the book to see what they had there for prayers and I saw the prayer of Saint Francis and upon reading it, I was suddenly struck as to how much this is actually a prayer for mothers. I seriously doubt this is a new thought - except to me. Still I thought I would share it here again for others to reflect on.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

In Spanish:

Señor Hazme un instrumento de tu paz.
Donde haya odio siembre yo tu amor.
Donde haya injuria perdón.
Donde haya duda fe,
Donde haya deseperación esperanza;
Donde haya oscuridad déjame traer luz
y Dónde haya tristeza alegría.

Oh divino Maestro, Concédeme que no busque
Ser conolado sino consolar;
Ser comprendido sino comprender;
Ser amado sino amar.
Es dando que recibimos;
Es perdonanado que somos perdonados
y Es muriendo que nacemos a la vida eterna.

Amén.

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Some days are just plain hard...

... and sometimes - it is not just one day - it is a series of days.

I will be honest - it has been a hard summer for me. While the release of our retirement funds, which is allowing my husband to pursue his Masters, has eased most of the financial stress in our lives - other forms of stress have replaced that stress.

While all professionals will agree a little stress can be a good thing - they all equally agree that a lot of stress is not a good thing. I think my summer falls into the too much stress category and my chest pains are agreeing with my conclusion. I feel extremely bummed, tired and worn out. Fighting a nonstop dental abscess for several weeks has not helped. But I digress - this is not the point of my post.

To be honest - I am not sure of the point of my post except to share the nitty gritty of real life in a real family. And to share a little of what I have learned about why God can push us to where we think we can not handle a moment more of the cross we are bearing.

Sadly - I cannot remember the author whom I heard speaking on EWTN last week as she shared her story of the birth of her fifth child and his short, but most valued and loved life that he had with herself, her husband and his four siblings. What stood out the most in her talk was her comment about being pushed beyond what she felt she could bear. She said that as a result of these moments, she had realized that in that moment that you call out to God that you can not bear it another moment - you have reached the moment where you have realized that you can not do it alone and that was what God was waiting and pushing for. That HE is not waiting for you to do it alone, but rather to realize your need for HIM to carry you through.

She said she thought the expression 'God will never give you more than you can bear', should be written as: God will never give you more than you and HE can bear.

This is what I am s l o w l y learning. I can not carry these burdens alone and that I must remember to turn to HIM in all things. This is not always easy to do. Why is it that it is often 'easier' to keep struggling than to remember that HE is waiting there with open arms to catch us before we fall - if only we will ask Him. I don't know the answer to that question, I just know that it is one of my biggest failings.

And so, while I try to gather my strength, try to rest in the Spirit and look for healing from the great Healer, I humbly ask your your prayers. I am just so very, very, very tired.


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Pictures Pictures Pictures

Elsa rarely left her own private swimming hole - the top step....

Enjoying the sprinklers!

Such pretty water

How does this work?

AHA! Like this!

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We are BACK...

.... and all in one piece too. We were back by 7 pm, something we have not accomplished on a trip in forever, if ever. Usually we roll in well after dark, haul little logs of sleep out of the van while waking older children who sleepily grab whatever bedding they can reach and crash on top of their beds.
We grabbed a video rental (I guess I should say DVD rental, I will soon be dating myself with that expression if I am not careful) from the local movie rental store (got around the DVD/Video choice there) and instead of crashing on our beds - we sprawled around the living room over two couches and the floor and watched a fun movie. Then we carted at least one sleeping log to bed and chased all the others to theirs. Amazing - we were in bed by 10'ish! Great end to lovely mini-vacation.

On the sad side of life, my daughter Amanda, had to put her little puppy down yesterday. He had hydrocephalus and was deteriorating quickly. We are all so sad. Doogal was adorable.

Well, I have put off the inevitable long enough. Watched a movie, slept away the night, read some emails, written a post and now I must organize the cleaning of the van, the unpacking and putting away and hopefully discovering which back pack the camera was packed in and then I can play on the 'puter some more, and post some pictures of the fun we had in the pool.

Until then...

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OUT SMARTED

This was overheard by one of our many many bookshelves that are crammed with... books! AS Ann knelt in front of this particular shelf, she was engaged in a contest with Elsa, whom I htink began it.

Anna: "I love you more."

Elsa: "I LOVE you MORE!"

Anna: "Nope, I love you more!"

Elsa: "Uh, I love YOU MORE!"

Anna: (murmuring a bit into the shelf as she dug more deeply) "I Love you more!"

Elsa: "Me too!!!"

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On the way to...

...Georgia and a short business trip that will be mixed with pleasure. Here is where we will stay with the kids. Pray for good weather for us please. I am hoping for some wind down time and possibly maybe a little writing might get done while away. I have been hoping to jump start my review blog again and have a handful of books and movies I want to review for my readers.

While asking for prayers may I ask for prayers for one of my daughters who is currently in hospital and in addition to not being well, is also dealing with the stress of her little puppy being seriously ill and might possibly have a brain tumour. Please keep them in your prayers.

If I can post a little from our hotel - I will. Hopefully with some real pics of us enjoying the place - not the hotels standard pictures. I actually know where my camera is AND where my batteries are too!! Until then GOD BLESS.







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DATE NIGHT

Tonight will be date night for Hugo and I and we hope to go to a movie. In a busy life surrounded by children with all of their energy and business it is so important to set time aside for yourselves as a couple.

A time away from the noise and the chaos. This is not always possible when faced with a strained budget and no built in baby sitters so when our oldest was about 9 what we used to do was to brew a pot of coffee, grab a treat and go out to the car and lock the doors. The children were left with explicit directions to not knock on the car windows unless it was really important. Usually they stayed glued to the tv screen enjoying this infrequent opportunity to watch a movie so near to bed time, so it was rare that we were interrupted in our 30 - 40 minutes alone while we chatted, sipped hot coffee and munched on home made cookies or a delicious brownie. All in precious silence and no i n t e r r u p t i o n s .

We are very blessed to currently have built in sitters and so our options are now more varied, though still dependent on our budget. But what are some things you and your spouse do to spend time alone. Tuck the little ones in bed early and plan an at home movie night with freshly popped popcorn? Go to a drive in? Dine out? How often do you do this? We strive for once a week but more often it is only about once a month hat we actually make it out on an official date. Still it would be lovely for some ideas for us all to share as how to seek this quiet time we all need to keep our marriages young and fresh.


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Prayer...

When to pray? How to pray? Why pray? Where to pray? How long to pray? The questions around prayer are endless. And here are some of Peter Kreeft's thoughts on prayer:

"How to do it is less important than just doing it. Less-than-perfect prayer is infinitely better than no prayer; more perfect prayer is only finitely better than less perfect prayer."

"And you probably won't decide to do it, only wish to do it, unless you see prayer for what it is: a matter of life or death, your lifeline to God, to life itself."

"... Similarly, no program, method, book, teacher, or technique will ever succeed in getting us to start doing anything unless there is first of all that simple, absolute choice to do it. "Just say yes."

"The major obstacle in most of our lives to just saying yes to prayer, the most popular and powerful excuse we give for not praying, or not praying more, or not praying regularly, is that we have no time.

The only effective answer to that excuse, I find, is a kind of murder. You have to kill something, you have to say no to something else, in order to make time to pray."

"What time of day is best? The most popular time—bedtime—is usually the worst possible time, for two reasons. First, it tends not to be prime time but garbage time, when you're the least alert and awake. Do you really want to put God in the worst apartment in your building?"

To read more CLICK HERE.


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