Sunday visitor

We had a little visitor sitting in out tree this morning. We have a pair of cardinals that live close by. Sometimes they venture close to the house and sit in our bushes. Today just the male was spotted. He just looks so festive sitting amongst the green branches covered with patches of snow.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

A Christmas Carol

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O Weary, Weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast,
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the Kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O Weary, Weary is the world,
But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood at Mary's knee,
His hair was like a crown,
All the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.

by G.K. Chesterton

'Tis the season

for baking cookies. And what could be more fun than doing it with friends. This is the second year now that our two families have gotten together for baking and decorating cookies. I heard somewhere once that if you do something twice it becomes a tradition!! Considering we all enjoyed ourselves very much, I think it is a tradition worth hanging on to.

For fun!!

We all enjoyed this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8&feature=related

Turn up your volume and enjoy!

Merry Christmas

Just Gotta Brag!!!

I had a cleaning crew working in my home today!! Completely volunteer labor.... no payment, no bribes. As a matter of fact; their help was not even requested. My kitchen was cleaned; dishes washed, dried and put away; the counters cleared off and washed down and the sink scoured. The bathroom was done; tub and sink scoured, toilet swished, towels to the laundry room, and mirror wiped clean. Then they continued on to the living room.... picked up toys and put cushions back on the couch. How did all this happen? Who were my little cleaning elves???




It all started when the 7 yr old and the 4 yr old decided to empty the dishwasher. The 11 yr old jumped in and thought they could really make mom happy. They begged me to stay on one end of the house so they could surprise me. I kept hearing "so mom doesn't have to" or "mom will be so happy". And was I!!!! I am so proud of my little cleaning crew! And they are so happy with all they accomplished.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

"Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who filled you, Virgin of Nazareth, with every spiritual blessing of Christ. In Him, you were conceived Immaculate! Predicted to be His Mother, you were redeemed in Him and through Him more than any other human being! Perserved from the inheritance of original sin, you were conceived and came into the world in a state of sanctifying grace." Pope John Paul II

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee

Golden Birthday!

Today our sweet little Magdalene turned 7!


You are growing into such a sweet young lady. Thank you for being my best helper, my most eager student, and the sunshine of my day.

"Let me call you sweetheart. I'm in love with you. Let me hear you whisper that you love me, too. Let me call you sweetheart; I'm in love with you!"

Feast of St. Nicholas

Each year we celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas; December 6th. This bishop was born to weathly parents who raised him to love and serve the Lord. After their death he used his inheritance to serve the poor and sick. He is remembered for his generosity to all. As we progress through this advent season, it is good for us to remember the example of those who gave so much to serve our Lord.
We may not accomplish any noble needs, as Nicholas did; but, we do spend the day just being together and enjoying one another.

Each year we hang our stockings by the fireplace before going to bed on the 5th. So, in morning we awake to find some small treats to enjoy. My hubby takes this day off of work each year so he is able to be home and celebrate with us. We had a special breakfast that he and I made together.



We always head out on Dec. 6th to a local tree farm and hunt for that one perfect tree. This year the trees were so full of snow and very beautiful.









As Paul and the children strung the lights and garland, I read to them the story of St. Nicholas; a delightful story called A Special Place For Santa. It felt peaceful with the tree lit as we said our Christmas Novea before heading off to bed. We had a very pleasant day!

One week later!

One weekend the kids are playing in the leaves, the next weekend the snow!! Thanks to a Saturday snow fall, Sunday the ground was covered and my house was filled with kids anxious to go out and play! What fun they had. Even Dad got in on the fun.





Then Tuesday arrives and brings even more snow!!! Maybe we'll have a winter covered in snow this year! It was such a beautiful sight watching the snow fall and the pines trees look wonderful when their branches are covered with fresh fallen snow! This is definitely my favorite season of the year.

Leaves!!

Fallen leaves provide such a cheap thrill! While at Grandma's the kids decided to go out and play. Grandma has a lot more trees in her yard and therefor a lot more leaves. (We have mostly pine needles, not nearly as fun as leaves.)


One of my nieces decided she wasn't gonna join the fun. So, Uncle Paul went in, threw her over his shoulder, carried her outside and tossed her in. She tried not to have fun, but, you can tell from her face that she enjoyed it all inspite of herself.


I think sometimes it's the most simple things that provide the most fun!

Chugga, chugga, choo, choo!

Our local train depot hosted a train show on Saturday. The kids had fun watching all the trains. Then, as we were heading out, Santa and Mrs. Claus stopped by. So we headed out to a real-size caboose to talk with Santa.

Gobble, Gobble

This is the birthday cake I made to celebrate a few birthdays when family gets together on Thanksgiving.

I guess we will be having turkey with our dinner and turkey for dessert.

Not bad for a Monday morning!

We actually had a pretty productive morning. We said our morning prayers and talked about what we needed done this week since we are hosting Thanksgiving. The house now smells wonderful because I put the turkey in the electric roaster (I like to cook the turkey ahead and have it carved and re-heating on Thanksgiving.) I found a check I had misplaced and looked everywhere for. I printed out some "turkey" activities to do with the little ones this week. And..... my children even willingly went to work today. Like I said, not bad for a Monday morning. Now, if only their bedrooms will stay clean until Thursday.
This is the kids doing their history! Really! We call it multi-tasking. They are scrubbing away while listening to their history CD.

Can this be considered working hard???

You gotta love this kid! He heard we needed to start cleaning for Thanksgiving and right away he started with "I want to do something!" So, my dining room windows were washed before he went to help his brother with their bedroom floor.
All in all, I think we are off to a great start for the week.

Happy Birthday, Madison

Well, due to computer problems I had been unable to blog for a time. Then, after getting my computer up and running, I just never got around to. Today; however, I figured what better reason to start blogging again than to wish my dear, sweet daughter a very happy birthday!




Madison,

I hope you know that you are dearly loved by us all. You bring such joy to our family as you seem to live life with such a spirit of excitement! I hope your 11th birthday is as special for you as you are to us!

BRACES!

The long awaited for day finally arrived. This morning the braces went on. Lloyd is so excited about his braces. He is anticipating a great smile in a couple of years and is ready for whatever it takes to get it (even head-gear, which will be added in a couple of months). I just hope that all the extra care that goes into brushing with braces and all the denied foods don't spoil his excitement too soon. And he even chose green and gold bands in honor of the Green Bay Packers (his mother's favorite football team).

Such a colorful bouquet!

This is the very colorful bouquet of flowers my six year old daughter and hubby brought home for me the other day. It has brightened my kitchen each day since I set them in a vase and put them on my counter. Last night I stood admiring the colors and thought I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite. Each color really adds to the bouquet. Then I thought about my wonderful daughter who was so excited to bring me the flowers and tell me it was her idea. I thought about my hubby and how sweet it was for him to buy them for her to bring home. From there I started to think about the rest of my family and the color they each add to my days. Each one so different, yet each one makes the bouquet that much more special. I tell each one of my children "you are my favorite, but don't tell the others". They laugh at me and say they know I tell it to each of them. But I think they like it anyways, because they know it's true. Each one is "my favorite." They each bring something different to the family that I treasure.

What to do???

I find myself wishing at times for a few hours of peace and quiet. Thinking it would be nice to just be home alone for awhile and be able to finally and get a few things accomplished with no interruptions. And then it happens! I came home from work today and my family had already left. I knew they would be gone. My extended family planned a get-together after I had told work I would pick up the weekend shifts. So, dear hubby, packed the kids for the night and off they went. I am now sitting at home thinking it is just too quiet and I find I am not quite sure what to do! Even the poor little dog is at loss. He keeps checking their bedrooms and the back door whining for the kids. I sure hope they get home tomorrow before I do. It's so nice to come home and be greeted with all those little hugs and kisses!

14 years ago, yesterday.....

began our wonderful, chaotic, terrific, stressful, delightful, tiresome, wouldn't-change-a-minute-of-it (well, maybe a few) adventure known as parenting. Myriah entered the world 3 weeks earlier than expected and changed our world for ever. She started us on a path that would bring the most incredible challenges far out-weighed by the greatest joys. ..... Thank-you, Myriah, for all that you bring to our family. For the love you share with your siblings, for the respect you give your parents. And most of all, thank you for your patience... you are our guinnie pig, the one who gave your parents their first experience of babyhood, toddlerhood, elementary years and now teen years. We are proud of the young lady you are and pray for the lady you will one day be!! We love you!!!

(Myriah, her 4 siblings, and 3 friends on her birthday)




(Myriah with her best friend Andrea)