St. Athanasius Academy:

New month, new home ... new blog!

2009-07-01T21:20:00.005-04:00

We have started a new month ... and a new chapter to our lives ... and a new blog, Hilltop Farm.

Altho our new home isn't really a farm, we are living in a wonderful spot in a rural county in Virginia and we are loving being away from the noise, the traffic and the lights of the big city!

We so want to live a simpler life ... a life of embracing nature ... going on walks ... getting back to the basics ... instilling in our children a sense of wonder at God's creation and the gift of hospitality to all who venture to visit. We want to grow more of our own food ... make more of our own things ... rely more on ourselves and God for what we have and do and see.

Please join us here ... let us know how you live a simpler, more faith-filled life as we share our journey toward a more basic existence while we love and learn and live, seeking God's will in our daily choices and lives.

P.S. We'll leave this blog in place in case there are previous posts or information that you might find of use. If you can't find something, just let me know and I'll track it down for you.

Where should we go today? The Weekend Edition!

2009-06-21T20:37:00.005-04:00

Saturday, June 20th:

Well, we didn't go anywhere (unless you count the trip to Valvoline to get the oil changed -- a few thousand miles late, but better late than never, yes?; a trip to Lowes for moving boxes and shrink wrap on a roll -- I love that stuff; and 45min waiting in line at the bank to deposit checks that we had to make sure went in on time ... dh did all that while I lolled on the couch and the kids "free explored" on the computer!). Once dh got home, Saturday was spent in a whirlwind of packing books (who bought all these anyway!), dishes and other parts of the kitchen we won't need for the next week, and taking apart beds to get them ready to be moved. Dh declard "Sunday" at 4p.m. and we rested the rest of the weekend -- ya gotta love this guy, eh?

Sunday, June 21st -- the longest day of the year!

On Sunday dh did get us up bright and early so he could open his Father's Day gift ... no, he actually got us up early (6:00 a.m. for me and 6:30 for the kiddoes) to head to the 7:30 a.m. Mass so we could get a jump on the day. At 9 a.m. a starving crew in a silver minivan barely made it to Panera to consume mass quantities of bagels and cream cheese before heading south on a trip of exploration: destination ... Lake Anna State Park.

Wow, this place is gorgeous ...

with a lovely beach ...

warm lake water ...

concession stand ...

and a place for dh and I to relax as we watched the kids frolic and called FIL to wish him a happy Father's Day! And we've decided we're going to try out as many Virginia State Parks as we can over the next few years or so ... the couple we've been to so far are AMAZING!

Home by 3:30 (VERY little traffic both ways which was a gift from God for dh) and peaceful dinner, a few episodes of the old Waltons ... and voila ... Father's Day 2009 was a success!

Happy Father's Day to my dear husband who makes me so much more than I was before ... I love you, handsome!

Resources: books and videos for American History

2009-06-18T15:26:00.006-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, we do alot of real books and videos to supplement our learning, particularly with American History.

I just finished updating our resource list for things we used this year and thought I'd post in case anyone else could benefit from what we found and what we thought about what we found. I'll be updating this listing as we continue American history next Fall ...

Books and Resources for American History 2008-09

Spines/resources used throughout:

Catholic Schools Textbook Project – From Sea to Shining Sea: The Story of America – this text is pretty good but I forgot how dry “textbooks” can be! Lots of supplementing needed when using this book
Home School in the Woods – History Study Time Travelers: New World Explorers – excellent cd-rom with great activities, games, lapbook ideas and overviews that make learning fun
Home School in the Woods – History Study Time Travelers: Colonial Life – excellent cd-rom with great activities, games, lapbook ideas and overviews that make learning fun

Prehistory to Columbus

Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – The Discovery of the Americas: From prehistory through the age of Columbus (this long picture book includes discussion of Cabot, Balboa and Magellan).
St. Brendan (circa 550)
Fritz, Jean -- Brendan the Navigator: A History Mystery about the Discovery of America (great discussion in this long picture book about the legend of Brendan and the realities that make the legend probably true)
Leif Erickson (circa 1000)
D’Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin – Leif the Lucky (long picture book about Leif Erickson, his infamous father and Leif”s discovery and attempted colonization of Vinland – now believed to be Newfoundland
Mason, Antony – If You Were There: Viking Times (great pictorial non-fiction about the Vikings, including a great section on the Viking’s attempts to colonize the New World 500 years before Columbus).
Christopher Columbus (1492)
Conrad, Pam – Pedro’s Journal: A Voyage with Christopher Columbus August 3, 1492 – February 14, 1493 (chapter book, historical fiction)
D’Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin – Columbus (beautiful illustrations and story-like text make this a classic overview of Columbus’ life.
Foster, Genevieve – 1492: Year of Columbus (this is a book that sets the background for the era of Columbus – great thinkers, scientists, artists born and active during Columbus’ time)
Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – Exploration and Conquest: The Americas after Columbus: 1500-1620 (a great overview of the other explorers and conquest folks – but a tad pc about the poor native folks who were dislodged with very little credence given to why some of the practices of the natives were not right [human sacrifices, etc])
Sis, Peter – Follow the Dream: the Story of Christopher Columbus (a beautiful telling of Columbus’ life from a writer/illustrator who left the Iron Curtain to come to the “new world”)

Magnificent Voyage of Christopher Columbus (DVD from WGBH – PBS: excellent with lots of great detail while also showing a recreation of the first voyage)

Early Colonization (Spanish, French and Dutch) – (1500-1599):

Baker, Robert J. (Bishop) – Cacique: A Novel of Florida’s Heroic Mission History – a fabulous historical fiction novel about the Franciscan missionaries in northern Florida and why it took so long to find a trace of their work. This is written by a Catholic Bishop, Bishop Baker of Birmingham, who was a high school history teacher and was there in the late 1980s when the first traces of the Spanish missions throughout northern Florida were unearthed.

National Treasure 2 (Disney movie) – using the same “treasure hunters” from National Treasure, this one s a search for the Cibola, one of the Seven Cities of Gold of early-American legend. This was the city the Spanish tried to find in their explorations into America. Interesting story and good background information.

Colonization (1600-1776)

American Girls Collection – Welcome to Felicity’s World: 1774 Growing Up in Colonial America (beautifully done book with lots of facts, pictures and information covering the 1770s in the colonies, with a special focus on Williamsburg).
Bulla, Clyde Robert – Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims (a short chapter-book – we read it in one sitting – a fictionalized telling of the story of a Patuxet Indian youth who befriends the first British explorers, goes to England on the big sail boat and learns English while living in London, comes back to the Patuxets only to be kidnapped for the Spanish slave market but eventually gets back. GREAT story that really had mine listening and engaged!)
Bulla, Clyde Robert – John Billington: Friend of Squanto (a short chapter book – we read it in one sitting – telling the story of John Billington, a young passenger aboard the Mayflower who is always getting into trouble; he befriends Squanto once the Pilgrims begin setting up the community in Plymouth).
Chorao, Kay – D is for Drums: A Colonial Williamsburg ABC (a beautifully drawn picture book that gives colonial terms/words for each letter; the pictures are fun to look at and try to determine what is what).
Fritz, Jean – The Double Life of Pocahontas (chapter book, historical fiction but drags and is not as exciting or interesting as the Pocahontas video described below)
Fritz, Jean – Who’s That Stepping on Plymouth Rock? (long picture book about the truth behind Plymouth Rock and the need to make it a symbol of independence during the American revolution. Very good story and readable in about 20 minutes).
Goor, Ron and Nancy – Williamsburg: Cradle of the Revolution ( chapter book of the history of Williamsburg, it’s part in the Revolution, and what it looks like now as “Colonial Williamsburg”).
Harness, Cheryl – Our Colonial Year (cute picture book about normal colonial kids and what they would do each month of the year. The folk-art illustrations are fun to delve into deeper while the short verses for each month are succinct, yet explain volumes about life in early America.)
Jackson, Shirley – The Witchcraft of Salem Village (chapter book, fictionalized account based on the Salem Witch trials where girls in the small Puritan village blame three women in town of witchcraft)
Karwoski, Gail – Surviving Jamestown: The Adventures of Young Sam Collier (chapter book, historical fiction of John Smith’s page between 1606-1609 when the colonies were just starting out)
Lawrence, Isabelle – A Spy in Williamsburg (chapter book, fictionalized account of life in Williamsburg just prior to the revolution; Patrick Henry, Peyton Randolph and Thomas Jefferson are figures woven into the story).
Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – The Americans: Colonial Times (1620-1689) – great overview of who was establishing colonies and where. Includes the rising tensions between the Native Americans and the various Europeans coming to settle: Spanish in the south, English on the Atlantic seaboard, Dutch and Swedish in the Mid-Atlantic, French in the North and West. Also discusses WHY the colonists were coming – religious freedom, land, agriculture, fur trade. Briefly mentions the impact of the Catholic missionaries in finding and mapping the west (from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast).
Maestro, Besty & Giulio – Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars (1689-1763) – great (if a bit boring) overview of the myriad of battles and wars fought between the French and the British as each country pushes others out in the colonization effort; also, book points out that often wars “at home” encouraged fighting in outlying colonies/settlements to beleaguer the enemy that much more. This is an important 70 years or so that is often glossed over; as is the fact that France was controlling the New World areas to ensure uninterrupted fur trade, while England was sending “troublemakers” to settle, live and prosper in the New World.
Speare, Elizabeth George – The Witch of Blackbird Pond (chapter book, historical fiction of life in 1687-88 Connecticut with the strict Puritans)
Waters, Kate (photographs by Russ Kendall) – Mary Geddy’s Day: A Colonial Girl in Williamsburg (long picture book about “a day in the life” of a little girl; excellent photos that show how different things were).

Felicity: An American Girl Adventure American Girls Collection (dvd compilation of the American Girl “Felicity” books; good overview of Williamsburg and life for an upper middle class family on the brink of revolution).
Pocahontas Revealed: Science Examines an American Legend (Nova dvd) – archaelogical evidence, scientific research and tribal lore mix to retell the true story about Powhatan’s favorite daughter and John Smith savior, Pocahontas.

American Revolution (1776-1783)

Allen, Thomas B. -- George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War is a great chapter book (or read-aloud) that talks about all the covert activities (on both sides) developed or honed during the American Revolution. Very cool and lots of great rabbit trails for code-making, invisible ink and other fun topics.
Forbes, Esther – Johnny Tremain: A Story of Boston in Revolt is a wonderful glimpse at colonial life just before and during the revolution. Johnny is a silversmith apprentice who gets involved with helping the revolution along.
Fritz, Jean – And then what happened, Paul Revere? (a great short read-aloud about the life of Paul Revere, his famous ride and his last years)
Fritz, Jean – What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin? (overview of Ben’s life with lots of details about his experiments, eccentricities and environment)
Fritz, Jean – Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? (interesting biography of the most noticeable name on the Declaration of Independence; Hancock is portrayed as being amazingly self-centered and always seeking vainglory)
Fritz, Jean – Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? (a great short read-aloud about King George III’s life and why he was so tenacious about the colonies)
Fritz, Jean – George Washington’s Breakfast (an inquisitive little boy named after the first President wonders what GW ate for breakfast – interesting linking of facts about GW and the how and why to seek information)
Fritz, Jean – Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? (biography of Patrick Henry’s life and what was happening on his birthday throughout American history – very readable and enjoyable)
Fritz, Jean – Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? (biography of Sam Adams who never rode a horse so he could harangue people he met about the Brits and how America needed to stand up to England; very interesting twist for why he finally deigns to ride a horse)
Fritz, Jean – Shhh! We’re Writing the Constitution (drier than most Fritz books, this one covers the in-fighting and arguments leading up to the writing of the Constitution; goes into which states ratified and which didn’t
Harness, Cheryl – George Washington (longer picture book that tells great and interesting facts about the 1st president; lots of great information and details that include his great love for Martha and his duty and honor.)
Harness, Cheryl – The Revolutionary John Adams (longer picture book that tells great and interesting facts about this 2nd president of the United States. Excellent illustrations, information and fun to read!).
Harness, Cheryl – Thomas Jefferson (longer picture book that tells the background of Jefferson’s life from birth to death. Very interesting with great pictures and fun facts on this 3rd president of the United States.
Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – Liberty or Death: The American Revolution 1763-1783 (longer than a picture book, this is a great overview of the skirmishes and battles that added up to the American Revolution … from the “shot heard round the world” to the surrender at Yorktown. This is a great overview with lots of detailed maps and information about all the players in this pivotal world-event.)
Ransom, Candice – Time Spies: Secret in the Tower is a third or fourth grade reading level chapter book that tells the story of three siblings who go back in time to help deliver an important message to George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown. This is a cute story that reads well and gives some great information. At the end of the book, the author encourages the reader to try out invisible ink and code writing. Very fun story!
Schanzer, Rosalyn – George vs George: The American Revolution as seen from both sides (longer-than-a-picture book explanation of the war, and what led up to it and what happened after, from both the British view and the American view. The taxes don’t seem so unreasonable when explained from the British side!)

Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (A&E original dvd) – points out the problem Arnold had with pride (and a bit of a chip on his shoulder) as the reason for his switching sides during the Revolution. Kelsey Grammer does a great job as George Washington … once Arnold’s mentor then his enemy.
Founding Brothers: Vol 1 and Vol 2 (History Channel dvd) – the wheelings and dealings and personalities of America’s founding fathers featuring Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton and others. Excellent series!
John & Abigail Adams (PBS dvd) – part movie, part documentary, this DVD does a great job of showing the public and private side of the Adamses … from pre-Revolution through the early years of the new Country. Excellent!
Johnny Tremain (Disney) – although not as good as the book, this movie does a good job of showing just what the Sons of Liberty did to help encourage our nation’s independence. This is a classic when Disney was still trying to stay pretty close to the original story. A favorite around here although the “Liberty Tree” song will be on your lips for many weeks after watching!
Liberty Kids (PBS dvd) – series of animated adventures with three kids and a free-Black man who all work for Ben Franklin’s newspaper; they report on all the events leading up to and thru the revolution. Very well done with some amazing voices (incl Walter Cronkite as Franklin and Dustin Hoffman as Benedict Arnold).
National Treasure (Disney dvd) – a fictionalized account using the legend that many of the Nation’s founders were Masons and thus privy to the hiding of the amassed treasure; a great, Indiana Jones-type movie (without the sex and not too much violence) that tells a great story, linking bits of American history of the late 1700s.
Rebels and Redcoats: How Britain Lost America (PBS dvd) – a British military historian (Richard Holmes) gives a very different view of the American Revolution – that from the British view. Many of the “sacred cows” of the Revolution (George Washington, especially) get short shrift during this interesting four-part mini-series. Definitely something to watch to encourage discussion and to debate some of the realities of the Revolution.
Saving the National Treasures (NOVA dvd) – great documentary about the restoration/preserving processes needed to keep the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Bill of Rights viewable but safe for centuries. Lots of great historical details of why, how and when these were written.

A New Nation Begins (1783-1860s)

Aliki – The Story of Johnny Appleseed is a long picture book that is steeped in the legends of Johnny Appleseed. This makes a great read with the Swain book described below.
American Girls Collection – Welcome to Josefina’s World, 1824: Growing Up on America’s Southwest Frontier is a great resource for understanding the establishment of the Southwest. This book covers Spanish, Mexican and American governance of the area in and around current Santa Fe, New Mexico. Also discussion of the Santa Fe Trail. Great overview of customs, traditions, ways of life, etc. Really fun!
Blumberg, Rhoda – What’s the Deal? Jefferson, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase – chapter book that covers the many sides of how America bought the center of the country from the French. Goes into great detail about the European influences, Jefferson’s desire to push West at all costs, and information about the other important players. Very well illustrated too.
Broyles, Anne – Priscillia and the Hollyhocks (1830s) – a beautiful picture book that tells the true story a young girl who is sold from slavery on a white man’s plantation, to slavery on a Cherokee indian’s plantation, walks with the Cherokee family on the Trail of Tears, and is adopted by a white family in Illinois who bring her home to join the other 15 kids adopted by this childless couple. A wonderful, uplifting story with the recurring theme of planting hollyhocks wherever Priscilla goes.
Buckey, Sarah Masters – The Smuggler’s Treasure (American Girl History Mysteries) – this is a great read-aloud (for both boys and girls) about life in 1814’s New Orleans with pirates and British impacting the lives of the multicultural citizenry. This gives a great view of life back then. At the end of the book, there is a four-page synopsis of society of the early 1800s. Great story!
Coatsworth, Elizabeth – The Sally series (1790s Maine) – this is a delightful read-aloud series (five books in all) that explain the life of a spunky orphan, her three aunts and two uncles and their travels from Massachusetts to the “wilds” of Maine, on to France and the Barbary Coast, and then back to Maine. The series spans about 6-8 years, with great adventure, wonderful rabbit trails (French Revolution, vendues, pirates and sultans, Muslim faith, etc), and a great family story. Wonderful background to this little-taught time.

Cornelissen, Cornelia – Soft Rain: A story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears (1838) – this is a wonderful chapter book that tells the story of Soft Rain and her family as they leave their home in North Carolina and travel all the way to Oklahoma. It’s a well-told story that follows Soft Rain through sadness, hunger, sickness, terror and help from some whites. The author’s great-grandfather walked the “trail” when he was 10!
Fischer, Laura – Life on the Trail of Tears (1838) – good overview of the Cherokee nation and their forced emigration from the Southeastern states to Oklahoma. A bit hard on the government and the whites, but still a good overview, I just had to say “well, I’m sure there were some in the government who thought this was a good idea” and “some of the settlers probably helped the Cherokees” …
Harness, Cheryl – The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal is a wonderful picture book about the politics, engineering and economics behind the building of the Canal. This canal, at the time, was the longest, built in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of money in the World! In less than 60 years, the revenues from the canal were three times the cost of building ($7 million+).
Krensky, Stephen – Sisters of Scituate Light tells the story (and is beautifully illustrated by Stacey Schuett) of the daughters of the lighthouse keeper who in September 1814 trick the British into believing that an American military force is camped on Scituate Island. Very fun book!
Lunn, Janet – Laura Secord: A Story of Courage – this is a great short chapter book that tells the story of a brave Canadian woman who goes to great lengths to warn a British officer of a surprise attack from the Americans. This is an interesting story as you get the War of 1812 from the Canadian viewpoint. The pictures are beautifully drawn by Maxwell Newhouse.
Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution – longer picture book detailing the process of why we needed a constitution and how it came about. Disappointing as there weren’t as many facts interwoven through the text as with other Maestro books, but good overview.
McCully, Emily Arnold – The Battle for St. Michaels – cute “I can read” chapter book about the legendary pirate trick a small town in Maryland plays on the British soldiers who come to burn their town in the first year of the War of 1812. Includes mention of the raid on Parrott’s Point, MD when hundreds of British soldiers landed and fled from the cannon protecting St. Michaels.
Meader, Stepher – Who Rides in the Dark? – a chapter book, historical fiction about the 1830s “stagecoach days” in New Hampshire. This book follows a young man who ends up working at a tavern along the stage route in post-Revolutionary New Hampshire. Wonderfully full of action and adventure and a bit of suspense.
Mitchell, Barbara – Cornstalks and Cannonballs – a slightly long picture book that tells the historic tale of how a small town in Delaware (Lewes) fooled the British very early in the War of 1812. A great story, with gorgeous blue-ink sketches to illustrate (by Karen Ritz) that made the kids proud to be Americans!
Quackenbush, Robert – James Madison & Dolley Madison and Their Times – quick read-aloud overview of the Madisons and their many contributions to the new United States.
Quackenbush, Robert – Who Let Muddy Boots into the White House? A Story of Andrew Jackson is a great quick read-aloud about the 7th president of the United States – the first born in a log cabin, unrefined and soldier. Well done!
Ransom, Candice – Time Spies: Flames in the City (A Tale of the War of 1812) – a great read-aloud story that has a three modern siblings who travel back in time to help Dolley and James Madison during the burning of Washington in August 1814. These are fun to read chapter-books that give great information about this era.
Rubel, David – The United States in the 19th Century is a great resource that shows the development of politics, society, arts & entertainment and science & technology during the amazing 1800s. With a brand-new country at the beginning and an established world-power by the end, the 19th century is really a fascinating 100 years! This breaks into snippets the events … great for rabbit trails or “strewing”.
Smith-Baranzini, Marlene – Brown Paper School USKids History: Book of the New American Nation. We used this as our spine for the time between the revolution and doing an expansion/pioneer unit. This book is full of lots of information, based on diaries, letters and other contemporaneous information. Additionally, has great ideas for activities and games to help the kids “own” the history!
Stein, R. Conrad – The Story of the Burning of Washington (Cornerstones of Freedom) – a long picture book that tells of the folly of the Americans and the professionalism of the British. Ends on an upbeat note with the battle at Fort McHenry and Francis Scott Key’s writing of the National Anthem.
Stromberg, Joan – Kat Finds a Friend: A St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Story – great chapter book story about the Walters family (related to the author) that befriends the newly established Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg, MD. Wonderful story and background on this wonderful American saint and her work.
Swain, Gwenyth – Johnny Appleseed – a great easy chapter book that gives mostly facts (and just a hint of legendary tales) about John Chapman and his spreading of apple trees and the Bible. This is great for clearing up some of the folk tales about this real American who lived from 1774-1845.
Venezia, Mike – James Monroe: Fifth President – quick overview of Monroe’s life; not much on his early life but good overview of his military life with Washington and then his political life later.
Weintraub, Aileen – Jean Lafitte: Pirate-Hero of the War of 1812 – short chapter book (with large type and illustratons) that tells the story of Jean Lafitte and how he helped the Americans during the War of 1812 (including during the Battle of New Orleans). My boys REALLY liked this one!

Adams Chronicles (DVD) – a PBS mini-series from the 70s, this does a great job of giving the story of the Adams family – from John Adams (2nd president), to John Quincy Adams (6th president), and the other generations who went on to politics, academia and industrialization. What a family!
Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil and the Presidency (PBS Home Video) – excellent overview of Old Hickory’s life before, during and after the presidency.
Santa Fe Trail (DVD) – classic B/W movie (starring Erroll Flynn, Ronald Reagan, Ward Bond, Ray Milland and others) that covers from 1854 (and the results of the Kansas-Nebraska Act) thru to John Brown’s actions and his ultimate capture and hanging. Really great story showing just how many of the famous generals (on both sides) in the Civil War were good friends and allies during this turbulent time just before Civil War!

Expansion/Pioneer Days (1865-1900):

MacLachlan, Patricia -- Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of mail-order bride Sarah's trip from Maine to Kansas to marry widower Jacob and help raise his two children, Anna and Caleb. Narrated by Anna, this is a wonderful story of love and family.
MacLachlan, Patricia -- Skylark tells the story of drought-ridden Kansas and Sarah's trip back to Maine with Anna and Caleb to meet the "aunts". Narrated by Anna, this is a wonderful story of loyalty and staying together through any calamity.
MacLachlan, Patricia -- Caleb's Story tells the story the expansion of the Witting family with the arrival of a long-lost relative. Told through the eyes of Caleb, this is the longest of the books and has the most depth (I think, anyway!).
MacLachlan, Patricia -- More Perfect than the Moon tells the story of a new arrival, "more perfect than the moon" and Cassie's fear of the whole event! Told through the eyes of eight-year-old Cassie, this is a wonderful story about fear (from a child's viewpoint) of adding a baby to a family that is perfectly happy without the "terrible baby".
MacLachlan, Patricia -- Grandfather's Dance tells the story of family reunions and life and death as the Wittings celebrate Anna's wedding and Grandfather's dying. Again, told through Cassie's eyes, this is a beautiful story of life going on, of the importance of family and of the naturalness of death.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls – Farmer Boy tells the story of Almanzo Wilder’s upbringing in post-Civil War New York on a farm. Excellent descriptions of life for 10 year old boys during this period.

WWI (1915-1919)
North, Sterling – Rascal is an excellent chapter book fictionalized account of North’s 11th and 12th years in a small-town in southern Wisconsin. He finds a raccoon kit and names him Rascal. This is a great real book on life in the United States during WWI, including a brother off fighting in the “war to end all wars”, deprivations brought about by the war, and life in pre-Depression America.

Depression (1929-1940)
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl – a wonderful movie showing a family heavily impacted by the Depression. Good coverage of the hoboes and their code, belt-tightening and families in disarray. Abigail Breslin does a great job as Kit – not too sweet and not to acerbic!
The Waltons (DVD, television show) – wonderful show detailing the lives of a family living in the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia during the depths of the Depression. Great view of coping with the tightness of monies, the need to take jobs away from home, paying for college, the FDR government programs, sitting around listening to the radio, and more. We love this series and watch them every summer! A great way to supplement study of this era in American History as well as show a part of very rural life.

The Homecoming: A Christmas Story – the series “pilot”; Patricia Neal plays the mom and Edgar Bergen plays “grandpa”.
The Complete First Season
The Complete Second Season
The Complete Third Season
The Complete Fourth Season
The Complete Fifth Season – war is looming as the Waltons head off their mountain and into the big cities.

World War 2 (1940-1945)

I’ll Remember April – great “boy movie” about life on the homefront with a twist. Life in a Southern California town is disrupted by reports of Japanese invasions, interment of Japanese-American citizens and sons injured in war. The boys really like this one (although so do the girls).
Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front – overview of the war and its impact on a family in middle America. How a 10-year-old copes with the deprivations of war from lack of ice cream to her dad being lost in action.

Modern Times (1945-present)

Apollo 13 (DVD) – this is an excellent dramatization of the events leading up to and including the ill-fated Apollo 13 voyage of 1970. This is an amazingly tense and dramatic movie and well-worth the time to see. There is one scene early on that is a bit inappropriate (one of the astronauts is a bachelor and has “a girl in every port”) but otherwise it is just tense drama. The DVD has very interesting “bonus” material.

Review:Death of a Pope

2009-06-18T08:06:00.006-04:00

... is a Re-birth of the Classic Suspense Thriller!

The Death of a Pope, the latest novel by Piers Paul Read, is a thriller of the first water, that is, of the finest quality. This book reminds me of the thrillers my dad and I used to read back in the “cold war” days: the books with the tightly interwoven plots, filled with suspense and double-dealing and double-talking; the kind of book that relies on great writing rather than cheap tricks or overt and graphic sex. The kind of books written by authors like LeCarre and McGinnis who were over-taken in popularity by sensationalist authors like Follett or Grisham.

Yes, The Death of a Pope is similar in quality and style to a LeCarre classic, using real events with just a soupcon of fiction to create a suspenseful “what if” scenario with catastrophic results. The book, just published by Ignatius Press, places the reader back five years ago with Pope John Paul II nearing death. The political intrigue spins around the expected conclave, getting the “right” candidate onto the papal throne, and changing the balance from an overly conservative pontiff to one more amenable to the changing times. But this is a sub-plot, incidental to the real action and message of the 215-page taut prose.

First, we have a Basque, ex-Jesuit priest, mission worker who stands trial in London for attempting to obtain a poisonous gas, a potential “weapon of mass destruction”. Juan Uriarte is an intelligent, passionate aid-worker. Add an idealistic young journalist from wealthy parents who wants to “do good” (isn’t there a saying about “the road to hell being paved by good intentions”?), a junior security agent who with terrier-like style won’t let the former priest alone and is sure he is “up to something”, and a host of other characters who are equally well-drawn by Read’s pen. My favorite character is the journalist’s uncle, Fr. Luke Scott, a priest reminiscent of Alec Guiness’ role in the film version of Chesterton’s classic character, Fr. Brown. These characters stalk through the book, linked by events which unfold slowly but surely to the ultimate cataclysmic climax.

This book is truly a thriller – a book where something may happen and the hero has to stop the devastation before it’s too late. The details of life in an African mission, of life in Rome, of life for the liberals versus the conservatives, of human life versus human death are well-described and the reader gets a real sense of “being there”. The book doesn’t bog down or pontificate or proselytize but rather teaches through the characters’ actions and words; the double-speak of one who believes he has the “truth” is mesmerizing to the characters and the reader.

There is a bit of sexual promiscuity in the book, but nothing graphic and it pertains to the story. In fact, the promiscuity is used as an illustration of the characters’ understanding (or lack thereof) of the dignity of human life, the immutability of God’s goodness, and the rightness of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

I strongly recommend this book to any adult (or mature teen) who is interested in current events, the Catholic teachings, and loves thrillers. I’m hoping The Death of a Pope will be the re-birth of the true thriller – yes, it is that good!

* - * - *

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Death of a Pope and to purchase your own copy of this soon-to-be thriller classic.

Read, Piers Paul -- Death of a Pope – Ignatius Press (San Francisco, CA); 2009. Hardcover, 215 pages. ISBN: 978-1-58617-295-4

Novena: please pray one last time ...

2009-06-16T19:02:00.003-04:00

... we hope!

A week from tomorrow, on the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, we are scheduled to close on our house in Virginia. Yes, we will have a home again -- God willing! We have started a novena to the good saint and cousin of our Lord ... and ask that all our family and friends join with us [see prayers below] ... hopefully for the last time on housing issues (for a while anyway!).
Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes ... we have felt them throughout this Year of Job and Lamentations!

Novena to St. John the Baptist (feast day June 24th) …

O Martyr invincible, who, for the honor of God and the salvation of souls, didst with firmness and constancy withstand the impiety of Herod even at the cost of thine own life, and didst rebuke him openly for his wicked and dissolute life; by thy prayers obtain for us a heart, brave and generous, in order that we may overcome all human respect and openly profess our faith in loyal obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ, His Vicar, and His Church.

Say an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

Pray for us, St. John the Baptist, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ (add your personal intention -- for the successful close on our new home here in Virginia if it be God's will).

Let us pray.

O God, who hast made this day to be honorable in our eyes by the Nativity or commemoration of Blessed John, grant unto Thy people the grace of spiritual joy, and direct the minds of all Thy faithful into the way of everlasting salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Kids: Summer-do!

2009-06-16T09:01:00.005-04:00

Before:

After:

She loves it ... and for humidity, it can't be beat! What do YOU think?

Where should we go today?

2009-06-15T10:31:00.004-04:00

Well, yesterday, really!

It was one of those gorgeous late-Spring days here in Virginia ... beautiful sunny skies, low humidity and a full day of relaxation (the benefit of going to 8:30 a.m. Mass!) spread before us. Since it was the Feast of Corpus Christi, we really wanted to do it right.

We decided to stop by Wegmans (our very FAVORITE grocery/cafe place in all of NoVA) to pick up lunch and then head out to Fountainhead Regional Park to revel in God's creation and the beauty of the day. We played multiple rounds of putt-putt golf (with all three littles and Kotch scoring at least one hole in one!) and then walked about down by the Marina and dreamed of the day when we'll have a boat on a lovely lake, too!

After a few hours at Fountainhead we headed toward Dulles to hook up with Kotch's grandma, aunt and cousin ... the four of them are heading to Ireland (as a graduation present from said grandma) today and we all went out to dinner to celebrate the reunion, graduations and birthdays (Kotch will actually turn 18 while touring the Emerald Isle). A great time was had by all (especially the waiter who got a kick out of the littles -- hmmm, imagine that!) and we headed home after wishing the travelers a safe and joy-filled trip.

What a day it was! We even had NO TRAFFIC coming home on toll road 267 and interstates 495 and 95 -- a minor miracle in itself.

How was your weekend?

In His Image: available at last!

2009-06-13T16:23:00.004-04:00

It's here , making its debut at IHM-National ... and looks wonderful .... and some of the folks who have perused it are very pleased! Let me know what you think!

[BTW, if you pre-ordered from Margot, she'll be shipping them out on Monday when she gets back from IHM.]

In His Image: it's almost here!

2009-06-10T18:55:00.000-04:00

Margot emailed to let me know she'll be picking up the first run of In His Image! She'll be debuting them at IHM on Friday ... and I just can't wait!

Thanks to all for the good words ... I so want this to be for the greater glory of God ... let me know what you think!

Resources: Catholic and Homeschooling combined

2009-06-08T15:13:00.009-04:00

Please, click here to subscribe now!

Do you want a recommendation for one of the best homeschool resources? Do you want to imbue your homeschool with Catholicity and love of learning? Have I got a recommendation for you!

Have you seen the only Catholic, homeschooling quarterly available? mater et magistra (a quarterly for which I'm proud to write the handcrafts column) is an amazing publication! The name says it all: Mother and Teacher which is what the Church is for us all; but in lower case letters it's what each one of us is in the hearts of our homes: mother and teacher!

Each issue has a theme which means these are definite keepers for future projects. The volunteer contributors are experienced homeschoolers with lots of great information for incorporating the arts, sciences, books and crafts into our learning adventures. Margot works hard to give the magazine a sophisticated feel with lots of depth to the articles.

If you haven't seen this magazine ... ask around or better yet, go to one of the many regional homeschool conferences (for instance, Margot will be at IHM this next weekend) and look for the m-et-m table! I really do thing you'll like what you see and want to subscribe to the only Catholic homeschool magazine out there. And at $20 for 4 issues, it's a great price too!

Where should we go today? The Weekend Edition!

2009-06-08T07:50:00.007-04:00

How 'bout Craig Springs, in the Virginia Highlands?

What, you've never heard of this humble spot? Back in 2004 I wrote an article for the NCRegister about our annual pilgrimage to the Virginia Highlands ... we came when we lived in NC, we came when we lived in SC, we came when we lived in Austria, we came when we lived in CO. And, now that we're only 5 hours away ... we can come EVERY year!

We, a large group of Catholics, have come for the last 33 years to this Christian Camp in the itty-bitty mountain town of Craig Springs. Traditionally, this pilgrimage is held on Father's Day weekend as we embraced the family ... that's the point, to build the family up, to pray for all families, and to help all families.

Fr. John, the "mastermind" behind the pilgrimage, read out the purpose of the pilgrimage (quoted from the 30th section of the historic Human Vitae):

To Bishops
30. And now as We come to the end of this encyclical letter, We turn Our mind to you, reverently and lovingly, beloved and venerable brothers in the episcopate, with whom We share more closely the care of the spiritual good of the People of God. For We invite all of you, We implore you, to give a lead to your priests who assist you in the sacred ministry, and to the faithful of your dioceses, and to devote yourselves with all zeal and without delay to safeguarding the holiness of marriage, in order to guide married life to its full human and Christian perfection. Consider this mission as one of your most urgent responsibilities at the present time. As you well know, it calls for concerted pastoral action in every field of human diligence, economic, cultural and social. If simultaneous progress is made in these various fields, then the intimate life of parents and children in the family will be rendered not only more tolerable, but easier and more joyful. And life together in human society will be enriched with fraternal charity and made more stable with true peace when God's design which He conceived for the world is faithfully followed.

The purpose in a nutshell: to build up the family ... which builds up the Church ... which makes the world better for one and all.

The accommodations are not luxurious (after all, this is a pilgrimage!) ... but are always memorable.The time is well-spent with family and new and old friends.

We come to play -- playing a BIG multi-generational/gender softball game

... or swimming in the REALLY cold pool (filled from the run-off of the mountain spring)

... to rest and nurture each other and our families

... and throughout it all, we celebrate our faith and our Church by receiving the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation and the gift of prayer and meditation ... We just got back ... there's tons of laundry ... but the work getting ready, getting there and coming back are so well-worth it! The weekend is a blessing and a grace-filled time for us all ... we can't wait to go back next year .... wanna come?

Movie Night: Believe in Me

2009-06-02T20:55:00.005-04:00

We love sports movies around here.

Y'know the ones like Miracle where the underdog US Hockey team succeeds because of the awe-inspiring coaching ... or Rudy, where the star does whatever he needs to get to Notre Dame to play football ... We Are Marshall where the football team is killed in a plane wreck and a brand-new, untried coach needs to step up and re-build the morale of the team and the school ... or Radio where the team gets a new assistant "coach" who they first abused ... or movies like Glory Road or Remember the Titans -- both movies about racial inequalities righted on the playing field ... or The Rookie where ~~Patrick Swayze~~ Dennis Quaid (!) plays the oldest rookie ever to play in a major league baseball game. These are fabulous -- especially for family movie night -- movies that show that right prevails, that the underdog can win, that faith and love are 9/10ths of winning. And these are all based on true stories. And these are all movies dealing with different sports at the professional, college and high school levels.

Well, tonight we watched such a movie ... but this one has a bit of a twist. Believe in Me is about a small town high school in Oklahoma. A small town high school where the girls' basketball team is nothing ... gets only the boys' hand-me-downs and little funding ... gets only left-over coaches. That is until Coach "Driscoll" (real-life coach's name is Jim Keith) ... a man who thought he would head-coach the boys but gets "stuck" with the girls ... and leads them to succeed. This is a great underdog wins type of movie ... a great, spirit is more important than funding type of movie ... a great dedication brings success type of movie. Don't forget to watch thru the credits as there is an interesting bit at the very beginning ....

Staring Bruce Dern as the bad "this is my town" character, Jeffrey Donovan as the Coach and Samantha Mathis as his wife, this movie far exceeded our expectations. Check any of these out (and pardon the language in some -- these are better for kids who know better than to direct-quote a movie!) and you'll enjoy a great family move night!

Milestones: High School Graduation!

2009-06-02T07:00:00.008-04:00

Well, she did it ....

Yep, she did it ... Kotch walked down the aisle on a warm early-Summer evening, walking down the aisle as a mere kid in high school. A couple of hours later, she walked out to be greeted by her youngest brother in the gathering darkness; she walked out a young woman ready to face the world with all the gifts and blessings she's been given, all the tools necessary to go off to college!

What a wonderful night it was ... with great speeches from a few of the seniors (the best being the last by Kotch's good friend), a great experiential speech from R-Nebraska Congressman Fortenberry, and a wonderful Mass celebrated by favorite-parish priest, Fr. Searby!

The evening was long but well-worth-it for the younger three to see their sister graduate -- so, one down and three to go!

We are EXTREMELY proud of our daughter and her hard work ... and for those who haven't heard, she'll be heading down to Ave Maria University this Fall to begin her science studies with an eye to becoming a doctor someday .. or whatever else God might have in mind for her!

God bless you, Kotch -- we love you!

Where should we go today? The Weekend Edition!

2009-05-31T17:41:00.004-04:00

We're starting to really heat up around here, in more ways than one!

Friday: We finished our science this year with a thermal transference experiment (recipe below) and then Kotch had her Awards Night at Seton ... which meant leaving home at 5:30, heading to Chick-fil-a for dinner (a great way to celebrate our last Friday in Easter-tide), than to school. Home after 10:00!

Saturday: shopping extravaganza with Kotch to hunt for "the" graduation dress; I found shoes! Than off to the commissioning of a family friend -- now a 2nd-lieutenant in the USMarine Corps. The ceremony, held at the Marine Corps Museum, was beautiful with the commissioning directed by his dad, a Colonel (reserves) and his brothers helping (three young marines) and their pastor from Oklahoma to bless him and pray over his active-duty years. After the actual commissioning, we had a lovely party at their home and then dh and I headed to the "last semi-formal of the year" at his high school. Serving soda and snacks to hot sweaty kids was a great time! (No, really! They are mostly great kids who just want to socialize with their schoolmates!).

Sunday: after a lovely Pentecost Mass, we headed up to the District to visit the American History museum and the National Gallery of Art. After seeing Night at the Museum earlier this week, we realized we hadn't been up to the museums in a while. The kids so enjoy the Spark!Lab and other hands-on activities and we had a blast visiting the presidential exhibits and viewing some of the films they've compiled. We focused quite a bit of our American history this past semester on the first five presidents, so it was great to see them remembering those guys and then finding out more about the others. The Art museum (which has the best food on the Mall!) is always a favorite -- especially for dh. We wandered the rooms, occasionally sitting on the couches and just gazing at the pictures: BamBam's favorite is Daniel and the Lions while String Bean and I loved all the DellaRobbia's and LegoManiac prefers the bloody ones (like George and the Dragon, etc). Dh loves the art from the Netherlands/Germany/Brussels of the 1500s-1700s ....

A GREAT weekend! Tomorrow? Kotch's graduation from high school!

WooHoo: Elizabeth's Foreword

2009-05-28T20:17:00.001-04:00

Here's a link to a beautiful foreword from a beautiful friend ... thanks Elizabeth!

WooHoo: it's out!

2009-05-27T19:28:00.003-04:00

Please celebrate with me .... Margot, my publisher at Hillside Education, just posted that my book, In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home is available for pre-order (with a shipping date of June 15th). If you get a chance to read a copy, please let me know what you think. And my good friend over at 4real, Elizabeth Foss, kindly wrote the foreword for me!

Enjoy!

End of the year activities: field trip

2009-05-27T07:13:00.004-04:00

We are winding down our "formal" home-schooling this week -- with Kotch done (graduation on June 1st), dh almost done, the weather turning hot and the pool opening, summer is upon us with a vengeance! Add to these influences, the need to sort/toss/pack/move before the end of June ... well, formal schooling needs to slow up (altho we NEVER stop living, loving and learning).

So, whenever we're nearing the "end" , I try to plan fun things that mark the end, giving a bit of "closure" ...

For instance, yesterday we went on a field trip to see the movie, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. We loved it! We love the first one and watch it often; that said, I think this sequel is even better in most ways. Ben Stiller's character, Larry Dailey, is not quite so pitiful and shows great loyalty and love for others (this was missing a bit in the original). There is none of the first-movie's family issues that try to seem so politically-correct and just end up looking sad from all sides. Robin Williams returns as two different Teddy Roosevelts -- but thankfully has a smaller role than in the first as a little bit of RW goes a long way. Jedediah and Octavius are back and just as well-done as in the original movie while Capuchin monkey, Dexter, has great competition from space-monkey Able!

Amy Adams is great as a young Amelia Earhart -- very moxie-filled -- altho as String Bean (an Earhart afficianado) pointed out: AE was in her 30s when she really started flying and disappeared at the age of 40, so Adams' portrayal is a bit young for the gutsy aviatrix.

Of course the plot is hokey ... and far-fetched ... and absolutely unbelievable ... but that's the fun! Having been to all the places shown in the movie -- Air & Space, Castle, even the Lincoln Memorial -- made the movie even more fun for the kids and I. We've seen those paintings and sculptures that come alive ... we've stood in front of Abe and looked down the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument (and he is BIGGGGGG!) ... the kids have even been on the South Lawn of the White House (altho Octavius' venture was a slightly different experience than their own).

The bad guys are led by Akmunrah's evil, older brother Kahmunrah (played really well by Hank Azaria) and include Napoleon, Ivan the Terrible (or rather, Ivan the Awesome!), and Al Capone. There is a great scene when bad-boy muppet Oscar the Grouch and Darth Vader try to join the bad guys but are summarily dismissed. The final battle scence -- good vs bad, Custer vs Napoleon -- is great fun (but a bit over the top destructive). Some of the gags the kids didn't get -- like the Archie Bunker "throne" comment (yes, I remember that show!).

The Smithsonian -- comprised of 19 museums around the Mall (and outlying areas) -- holds such wonderful delights and this movie points out many of them. The Air&Space sequences -- with the Tuskegee Airmen and bobble-headed Einsteins -- remind the kids just how much we love that particular museum. The pictures coming alive in the National Gallery of Art (not a Smithsonian museum but located right in the midst of them) remind the kids of the great art available seven days a week in the Nation's Capital.

The ending is a great twist (maybe a bit predictable but still good) and makes me wish we lived closer to the NY Natural History museum (especially if this movie was real instead of just escapist fantasy)!

This field trip was a memory-making, reminiscence-remembering, family outing that we'll chuckle over for a long time. And reminded us all that we've haven't been to the DC museums in a while -- sounds like another field trip is in store for this weekend so dh can join in our ramblings round the Mall!

Where should we go today?

2009-05-24T20:56:00.006-04:00

hmmm ... it's a warm Spring-y day (70s but cloudy) and we don't have rain in the forecast ... what about heading to Belvedere Plantation? Hmmmm ... a 645-acre farm, on the banks of the Rappahannock, with a plantation house from the 1760s (!) and fresh, ready to pick, strawberries! Sounds perfect.

Two hours and almost 30 pounds of berries later, we headed home to prep them and revel in the stupendously sensual smell of strawberries! It did rain on us ... but a gentle, Spring shower that cooled the pickers as we bent and found the ripening redness hidden in the green rainforest of the raised beds. We have another flat of berries in addition to the ones shown here. We had berries and vanilla icecream for dessert tonight ... we're dehydrating some for snacks ... freezing some for post-season treats. If we can keep the kids from eating 'em all!

We'll be hunting up some strawberry recipes for the next month or so ... so if you have some, please share!

And just so you know ... we finished up the night with the perfect family movie for such a day -- State Fair -- the one with Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews and Vivian Blaine ... a perfect ending to a perfect day here in the Old Dominion.

Hope your day went as well ....

Novena: Prayer for the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

2009-05-21T15:32:00.007-04:00

Tomorrow -- Friday, May 22nd (the Feast of St. Rita of Cascia) -- I will start praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit. Below you will find the text of the novena ... where each day, the petitioner prays for a different one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Over the next few weeks, I'll need every one of these gifts -- wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord -- as we deal with yet another round of sorting, packing, moving; yet another real estate deal -- but this one for our long-term home (God willing)!

FOREWORD
The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena:
On my knees I before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, "Speak Lord for Your servant heareth." Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.
The Novena begins on the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension, Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, even if the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the 7th Sunday.
FIRST DAY (Friday after Ascension or Friday of 6th Week of Easter)
Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!
The Holy Spirit: Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared--sin· Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us."
Prayer: Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
SECOND DAY (Saturday of 6th Week of Easter)
Come. Father of the poor. Come, treasures which endure; Come, Light of all that live!
The Gift of Fear: The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls."
Prayer:Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
THIRD DAY (7th Sunday of Easter or transferred Ascension)
Thou, of all consolers best, Visiting the troubled breast, Dost refreshing peace bestow.
The Gift of Piety: The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.
Prayer : Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
FOURTH DAY (Monday, 7th Week of Easter)
Thou in toil art comfort sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, solace in the midst of woe.
The Gift of Fortitude: By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to under take without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. "He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved."
Prayer : Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
FIFTH DAY (Tuesday, 7th Week of Easter)
Light immortal! Light Divine! Visit Thou these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill!
The Gift of Knowledge: The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth--in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it."
Prayer: Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
SIXTH DAY (Wednesday, 7th Week of Easter)
If Thou take Thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay, All his good is turn'd to ill.
The Gift of Understanding: Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion BY faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to "walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the knowledge of God."
Prayer : Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
SEVENTH DAY (Thursday, 7th Week of Easter)
Heal our wounds--our strength renews; On our dryness pour Thy dew, Wash the stains of guilt away.
The Gift of Counsel: The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth."
Prayer: Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
EIGHTH DAY (Friday, 7th Week of Easter)
Bend the stubborn heart and will, melt the frozen warm the chill. Guide the steps that go astray!
The Gift of Wisdom: Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is written "all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands." It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Saviour: "Take up thy cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
Prayer: Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
NINTH DAY (Saturday, Vigil of Pentecost)
Thou, on those who evermore Thee confess and Thee Adore, in Thy sevenfold gift, Descend; Give Them Comfort when they die; Give them Life with Thee on high; Give them joys which never end. Amen
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit: The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.
Prayer: Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Won't you join me in this amazing novena?

Birthdays: Happy Birthday, Poppy!

2009-05-20T10:53:00.001-04:00

Politics: Now this is a commencement speech!

2009-05-20T07:42:00.005-04:00

Earlier this week, I posted about Notre Dame's commencement. Well, St. Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH could certainly teach more famous ND who to invite to be a commencement speaker, that is if ND would like to come back into the fold of CATHOLIC colleges and universities!

Here is the text of Cardinal Arinze's words to the Graduating Class of 2009:

The Contribution of a Catholic University to the Life and Mission of the Church

1. A Day of joy
It is a joy to participate at the Commencement events of a young and dynamic Catholic liberal arts college such as Thomas More College. From what I have learned, this dear institution is dedicated to forming students intellectually and spiritually within the Catholic intellectual tradition and with unapologetic fidelity to the Magistetium, or the Teaching Authority of the Church.

May I, therefore, propose to you some reflections on "The Contribution of a Catholic University to the Life and Mission of the Church'*. A serious and authentic Catholic College or University has to strive to provide its students rigorous education on relations between faith and reason, on Specialization and Orientation, and on Science and Ethics. Students need a realistic and dynamic philosophy of life that shows them how to make a synthesis between religion and daily life. There will thus result an acceptable integral development of the human person. And the Catholic College or University will have succeeded in forming and turning out model Christians who are good citizens.

These will now be the elements for our reflection.

2. Faith and Reason
There is no doubt that human reason is capable of arriving at objective truth. The natural sciences and the field of sound philosophy are examples of what the Human mind has been able to achieve. Reason, however, cannot arrive at the depth and height of everything, especially as regards the deeper truths concerning God and religion. Faith is knowledge of divine and spiritual realities made available to us by God who freely reveals himself without any merit on our own. By faith, God brings us to knowledge which we would never have attained by natural reason. Reason and faith are related.

"Faith asks that its object be understood with the help of reason; and at the summit of its searching reason acknowledges that it cannot do without what faith presents" (John Paul II; Fides et Ratio, 42).

Both reason and faith come from God, the first in the natural order, and the second in the supernatural. God is truth. Truth does not contradict itself (cf Fides et Ratio, 43; Summa Contra Gentiles I, 7). It was Thomas Aquinas who said: "whatever its source, truth is of die Holy Spirit" (I-II, 109, 1 ad 1). Faith needs reason in order to be articulated in a sound theological synthesis. Reason needs faith in order not to deprive people of the riches of God's revelation. A Catholic College or University is expected to make a dynamic presentation of this basic truth. Sound philosophy and healthy theology go hand in hand. Reflections on Holy Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Church are thus presented, under the guiding interpretation of the Church's Magisterium, in a way that does honour to a university.

As Pope John Paul II says in the Apostolic Constitution, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Catholic Universities "are called to explore courageously the riches of Revelation and of nature so that the united endeavour of intelligence and faith will enable people to come to the full measure of their humanity, created in the image and likeness of God, renewed even more marvelously, after sin, in Christ, and called to shrine forth in the light of the Spirit" (Ex Corde Ecd, 5).

If a Catholic College or University adopts this attitude of "courageous creativity and rigorous fidelity" (op. cit., 8), it will be able to contribute much to promote a healthy synthesis between faith and culture in society. We all recall the famous statement of Pope John Paul II: "The synthesis between culture and faith is a necessity not only for culture, but also of faith... A faith that does not become culture is a faith that is not fully received, not entirely thought through and not faithfully lived" (John Paul II: Autograph Letter instituting the Pont. Council for Culture, 20 May 1982, in AAS 74 (1983)683-688).

3. Specialization and Basic Orientation
We need specialists in the various fields of human endeavour: law, medicine, surgery, physics, biotechnology, psychological sciences, computer science, aviation, space exploration and various industrial technologies. But the growing
citizen, the student, and indeed every adult needs an important basic orientation in life. Before being a neurosurgeon or a legal luminary, a person is first of all brother, sister, spouse, parent, citizen or colleague. A basic orientation of the human being to human love and life, to family, to citizenship, to work, to solidarity and interdependence, and indeed to life on earth in general, is necessary. It is not an optional.

It would be risky to produce citizens who specialize in one little area of life but have no viable vision of the whole of life. While no one pretends to know something about everything, it would be even more dangerous to have to deal with a person who parades himself as knowing everything about a tiny aspect of life, and who is therefore lost in discussing or understanding anything except his own area of specialization.

A Catholic College or University has an important role in providing this basic orientation in life. Inspired by the Catholic faith, it strives in the light of the Gospel to bring students to appreciate the beautiful, the good and the true. The meeting with Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, in the Church and through the Church, provides a viable Church community in which life endeavours can be seen in a healthy synthesis. A young and lively liberal arts Catholic College is well positioned to provide this orientation.

4. Science and Ethics
The human being who explores the frontiers of science and technology is the same human being who is spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, citizen, ruler, company director, bank official, medical doctor, merchant, or otherwise. Relationship with one's neighbour is an important dimension to be considered in human action.

Even more important are man's relations with God. He is our Creator. We are his creatures. "It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture" (Ps 100:3). Divine Providence keeps everything in existence and in the divinely established order. A human being who dares to deny God theoretical and practical recognition should be considered ridiculous. "Without the Creator", testifies the Second Vatican Council, "the creature would disappear... When God is forgotten the creature itself grows unintelligible" (Gaudium et Spes, 36).

Secularism stands condemned because it is an effort to conduct life as if God did not exist, as if God were interfering. Pope Benedict XVI condemns this ideology because it "presents itself in culture as planning of the world and of humanity without reference to Transcendence, invades every aspect of daily life and develops a mentality in which God is in reality absent, totally or in part, from human existence or consciousness" (Address to Plenary Assembly of the Pont. Council for Culture, on 8 March, 2008).

The scientist, therefore, should not regard whatever is physically possible as also morally lawful. Human action has to take into account the natural law, the eternal law of God written into human nature. Pope John Paul II, when he visited Mount Sinai in 2000, said that before God wrote and gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, he already wrote them into the human heart. That is why people of all religions and cultures, when they are not weighed down by ideology or human weakness, can recognize most of the dictates of the Ten Commandments. A Catholic College or University educates students to appreciate that moral rules of right and wrong apply also to science, technology, politics, trade and commerce, and indeed to all human endeavours.

5. Philosophy of Life. Map for Life Journey
Nostra Aetate notes that people seek in the various religions answers to the profound and fundamental questions which accompany and torment human existence on earth: what is man? Where do we come from? What is the purpose of life? What is goodness and what is sin? How do we explain sorrows, sickness, death? What is the path to true happiness? What happens after death? What can we know about God? A Catholic College or University has the hard and important task of orienting its students to face these fundamental questions. Providentially, God has not left us only at die level of philosophy and reason alone. The Eternal Father has in the fullness of time sent his Only-begotten Son to be our Saviour (cf Heb 1:1; Roman Missal: Euch. Prayer IV). Jesus Christ, God from God, Light from Light, has shown us the way to the Father. He himself tells us that he is "the way, the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). Those who follow him will not be walking in the darkness but will have the light of life (cf Jn 8:12). "The truth is that only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of him who was to come, namely, Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of die Father and his love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear" (Gaudium et Spes, 22).

Jesus Christ is the key to our understanding ourselves, of the purpose of our life on earth, and of what we should do or not do in order to make a success of our earthly pilgrimage. A Catholic College or University helps its citizens to get oriented by this philosophy of life, by this essential road map. Jesus is the light that has come into the world (cf Jn 3:19), the true light that enlightens everyone (cf Jn 1:9), "the light of the world" Qn 8:12) who says to us: "Walk while you have the light" Qn 12:35).

6. Religion and Daily Life

The person who goes to Mass on Sunday is the same person who goes to work on Monday. The same person is Christian and citizen. The believer is the same person who is a family member, a work colleague, a medical practitioner and a member of Congress, an official of the United Nations. The Christian must learn to make a synthesis between his duties as a citizen and his religious practices. There must be no divorce between these two dimensions of his life.

The Second Vatican Council is rather clear: "The split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age... Therefore, let there be no false opposition between professional and social activities on the one part, and religious life on the other. The Christian who neglects his temporal duties neglects his duties towards his neighbour and even God, and jeopardizes his eternal salvation" (Gaudium et Spes, 43). These are strong words coming from a General Council of the Church.

Apply this to Mr Paddy Smyth of whom it has been said: 'Paddy Smyth always went to Mass; he never missed a Sunday. But Paddy Smyth went to hell, for what he did on Monday". The reason is that for Paddy Smyth, religion was an affair of one hour in church on Sunday. But on Monday where he was in parliament or Congress, or in the trade union meeting, or in the medical unit, he did not allow his religion to influence his action. He had not learned to make a vital synthesis between religion and life.

We can also in this light see the mistake of politicians who regard the Church as interfering in politics when the Pope or the Bishops speak on contraception, abortion, strange new definitions of family, the rights of workers, the education of children or what moral standards should guide the mass media. While the Church has no mandate from Christ to produce recipes for the solution of political or economic questions, the Church has the duty to invoke the light of the Gospel on various areas of human endeavour, on matters of right and wrong and on the morality of human acts in general (cf Benedict XVI: Deus Cariias Est, 28). In the complicated world of today, where all kinds of ideas are struggling for the right of citizenship, a university student needs a clear and viable orientation on the relationship between religion and life. The Catholic College or University is ideally positioned to help him see the light and equip himself for a significant contribution in society.

Here may I recommend to every Catholic student or graduate the "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church". This excellent 525-page document produced by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace contains the best presentation of Catholic doctrine on such social matters as creation, the human person and his rights, the common good, social life, family, marriage, work, economy, the political community, the international community, justice, peace, war and ecology.

7. Integral Development of ihe Human Person

The Catholic College or University can do much to provide an education for the human person which is not partial or incomplete, but integral and all-embracing. Such education should help the human being to develop in all dimensions: physical, mental, spiritual and religious. The Christian thus becomes and behaves as a "new man in Christ" (cf Eph 2:15).

Too often people equate education with certificates, or with what can be tested in written or oral examinations. No doubt, we absolutely need intellectual development. But what does it profit us if a student is an intellectual giant but a moral baby; if he or she knows the year of the Battle of Waterloo and the amount of rainfall in Brazil; if he or she can shoot out mathematical or historical facts like a computer but is unfortunately a problem for the parents, corrosive acid among companions in the College, a drug addict and sexual pervert, a disgrace to the school, a waste-pipe in the place of work and Case number 23 for the Criminal Police? It is clear that intellectual development is not enough.

Deserving of special mention is education in the use of freedom. Pope Benedict stressed it when he spoke to Catholic educators in the United States on 17 April 2008 in the Catholic University of America. "While we have sought diligently to engage the intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will. Subsequently we observe, with distress, the notion of freedom being distorted. Freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in — a participation in Being itself. Hence authentic freedom can never be attained by turning away from God. Such a choice would ultimately disregard the very truth we need in order to understand ourselves".

The Holy Father continues and says that educators owe it in all "intellectual charity" to lead their students to the truth so that they exercise freedom in relation to truth. We can add that this is very necessary in the intellectual world of today where many people deny the objectivity of moral truth and where moral relativism is regarded as the accepted thing. A person who holds that certain actions, like direct abortion, are always objectively wrong, is regarded as "judgmental", or as imposing his views on others. The exercise of freedom in pursuit of the truth is very much a part of integral education. If a Catholic College or University does not help in this way, should we not say that it has failed in one of its important roles?

8. Catholic University to form model Christian Citizens
If a Catholic College or University answers to its vocation in the ways outlined above, then it will be educating, forming and releasing into society model citizens who will be a credit to their families, their College, the Church and the State. It will prepare for us members of Congress or the Senate who will not say "I am a Catholic, but..."; but rather those who will say "I am a Catholic, and therefore..." They will be coherent both as Catholics and as citizens. Their religion will not be just a matter of an hour or two on Sunday, but will also provide a vital synthesis for their activities on Monday through Saturday, and from January to December.

A Catholic College or University is also expected to inspire a generation of model Christian parents and to motive some students to opt for the priestly life or for the consecrated state. This is our prayer. This is our hope for Thomas More College and for all Catholic Colleges or Universities. By the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Thomas More, may God pour his abundant blessings on the new graduates, all the students, their parents and the President, Faculty, Friends and Supporters of Thomas More College. May your contribution to the mission of the Church be dynamic, constant and to the point.

Francis Cardinal Arinze May 2009

Wow ... the Cardinal sure knows how to explain what a CATHOLIC college or university should be all about! Thank you, and bless you, dear Cardinal Arinze for your wonderful words of wisdom!

Politics: Notre Dame's major faux pas!

2009-05-18T20:43:00.006-04:00

One of the very saddest things to occur this past weekend was Fr. Jenkins' opening remarks to introduce Mr. Obama to the graduating class of 2009. Mr. Obama's speech, which can be read in its entirety here, contains nothing really surprising ... typical political machinations and flip comments that serve to bolster up a room full of young people ready to launch on the world but actually are only there for photo-ops and notches on the public relations pistol-butt. But again, Fr. Jenkins' words (which introduced Mr. Obama to the crowd), words for which I'm trying to get a full, official transcript, are the scandal in the whole debacle. [edited to add: thanks to RamFam, here's a link to the text of Fr. Jenkins' remarks. Here's a link to the Notre Dame website where you can view the entire commencement as well as the text of Fr. Jenkins speech.]

I wish I were more eloquent ... but I'm going to fall back on the following response from our former Archbishop, Charles Chaput of Denver. He put out the following analysis/meditation on the event. Since this is truly worth reading (and remembering), I'm posting his remarks in their entirety.

May 18, 2009 - Archbishop Chaput on Notre Dame and the issues that remain

"I have found that even among those who did not go to Notre Dame, even among those who do not share the Catholic faith, there is a special expectation, a special hope, for what Notre Dame can accomplish in the world." ~ Reverend John Jenkins, C.S.C., May 17, 2009

Most graduation speeches are a mix of piety and optimism designed to ease students smoothly into real life. The best have humor. Some genuinely inspire. But only a rare few manage to be pious, optimistic, evasive, sad and damaging all at the same time. Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president, is a man of substantial intellect and ability. This makes his introductory comments to President Obama’s Notre Dame commencement speech on May 17 all the more embarrassing.

Let’s remember that the debate over President Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame was never about whether he is a good or bad man. The president is clearly a sincere and able man. By his own words, religion has had a major influence in his life. We owe him the respect Scripture calls us to show all public officials. We have a duty to pray for his wisdom and for the success of his service to the common good -- insofar as it is guided by right moral reasoning.

We also have the duty to oppose him when he’s wrong on foundational issues like abortion, embryonic stem cell research and similar matters. And we also have the duty to avoid prostituting our Catholic identity by appeals to phony dialogue that ask an abdication of our moral witness. Notre Dame did not merely invite the president to speak at its commencement. It also conferred an unnecessary and unearned honorary law degree on a man committed to upholding one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in our nation’s history: Roe v. Wade.

In doing so, Notre Dame ignored the U.S. bishops’ guidance in their 2004 statement, Catholics in Political Life. It ignored the concerns of Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, Notre Dame’s 2009 Laetare Medal honoree – who, unlike the president, certainly did deserve her award, but finally declined it in frustration with the university’s action. It ignored appeals from the university’s local bishop, the president of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference, more than 70 other bishops, many thousands of Notre Dame alumni and hundreds of thousands of other American Catholics. Even here in Colorado, I’ve heard from too many to count.

There was no excuse – none, except intellectual vanity – for the university to persist in its course. And Father Jenkins compounded a bad original decision with evasive and disingenuous explanations to subsequently justify it.

These are hard words, but they’re deserved precisely because of Father Jenkins’ own remarks on May 17: "Until now, American Catholics have indeed had “a special expectation, a special hope for what Notre Dame can accomplish in the world.” For many faithful Catholics – and not just a “small but vocal group” described with such inexcusable disdain and ignorance in journals like Time magazine -- that changed Sunday.

The May 17 events do have some fitting irony, though. Almost exactly 25 years go, Notre Dame provided the forum for Gov. Mario Cuomo to outline the “Catholic” case for “pro-choice” public service. At the time, Cuomo’s speech was hailed in the media as a masterpiece of American Catholic legal and moral reasoning. In retrospect, it’s clearly adroit. It’s also, just as clearly, an illogical and intellectually shabby exercise in the manufacture of excuses. Father Jenkins’ explanations, and President Obama’s honorary degree, are a fitting national bookend to a quarter century of softening Catholic witness in Catholic higher education. Together, they’ve given the next generation of Catholic leadership all the excuses they need to baptize their personal conveniences and ignore what it really demands to be "Catholic” in the public square.

Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George has suggested that Notre Dame “didn’t understand” what it means to be Catholic before these events began. He's correct, and Notre Dame is hardly alone in its institutional confusion. That's the heart of the matter. Notre Dame’s leadership has done a real disservice to the Church, and now seeks to ride out the criticism by treating it as an expression of fringe anger. But the damage remains, and Notre Dame’s critics are right. The most vital thing faithful Catholics can do now is to insist – by their words, actions and financial support – that institutions claiming to be “Catholic” actually live the faith with courage and consistency. If that happens, Notre Dame’s failure may yet do some unintended good.

Thank You, dear Archbishop for saying so eloquently what I express so baldly: that the actions of Notre Dame (in the person of Fr. Jenkins) go far beyond political issues and to the heart of the problem with what it means to be authentically Catholic in a secular world. And the best way Catholics can make lemonade out this particular lemon is to work to ensure that all "Catholic" institutions are truly Catholic -- in word, deed and action!

WooHoo: we closed!

2009-05-18T15:52:00.002-04:00

Say goodbye to Colorado ... hello to Virginia.

The house closed today and we can't thank you all enough for your many prayers throughout this rather long year+ ...

but thanks to the intercessions of Mary, Joseph and Servant of God JPtheGreat, as well as prayers to a local hero, the papers were signed and the keys turned over on the very day JPtheGreat was born 89 years ago in a small Polish village -- Happy Birthday to Servant of God, JP the Great!

And again thanks for all the prayers ... keep 'em coming for the house here, please!

High School: Online Summer School Classes

2009-05-16T21:45:00.003-04:00

OK, if I had a high schooler who needed some summer-time learning, I'd go directly (I'm talking "not even stopping to collect $200") to Homeschool Connections and enroll in at least one of the courses Maureen and her crew are offering.

Here's a blog post about the CSLewis Space Trilogy lit class ... the Perelandra series is such a cool one but is so deep you really need an expert to help you find all the many kernels of truth and faith buried in Lewis' great work of sci-fi. And Maureen's got just the guy for it as you can see in the blog post (but ya gotta click on the first link above to read it!).

They have other online summer classes scheduled as well:

Tolkein stories -- In this course we will discuss in seminar (discussion) format five short stories by J.R.R. Tolkien in light of his essay called “On Fairy Stories.” The stories are “Smith of Wooton Major,” “Farmer Giles of Ham,” “Leaf by Niggle,” “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil,” and “Roverandom.” All five stories and the essay are available in one volume, called Tales from the Perilous Realm by J. R. R. Tolkien. The assignment will be to write your own fantasy story by the end of the six weeks. High school.It is preferred that students have read Lord of the Rings before coming to this course, but not required.Instructor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.Fee: Six-week course for $120.

Beowulf and Christ -- This great mini epic will be explored as an allegory that te aches the Anglo-Saxon world how to transform pagan heroic ethos into a pattern for Christian heroism and how to re-envision blind Fate as Godly Providence. The Charles Kennedy translation is suggested. Be careful not to get a web version that cuts out the Christian elements. This is a book that lies behind J.R.R. Tolkien’s depiction of Edoras as well as the warlike virtues of Gond or. Suitable for any high school student who can read the poem and enjoy it. It is preferred that student have pre-read the poem before the first day of class. There will be no homework assigned for this course.Instructor: Henry Russell, Ph.D.Fee: Four-week course for $60

Catholic Living for Young People -- In our complex and changing world, with its serious cultural challenges, how does a young person structure and organize his life so that he can grow in his relationship with the Lord? Themes covered include prayer, study, social life, recreation and entertainment, technology, and decision-making. Lecture and discussion. The student will compose a rule of life tailored to his own situation. High school.Instructor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.Fee: Eight-week course for $120.

Writing for College -- What are the characteristics of excellent writing in the eyes of college professors? This course will use the rhetorical arts to help turn competent writing into impressive writing. What are the essential components of an excellent piece of nonfiction writing? How does one write a compelling introduction and conclusion? How does one argue effectively for one’s position? What are important mistakes to avoid? The course will work with previous writing samples of the students, as well as composition exercises, culminating in the writing of a short argumentative essay. Juniors and seniors.Instr uctor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.Fee: Six-week course for $120.

The Catholic Shakespeare: MacBeth -- The course will explore the play on four levels: 1) What is literally happening and why that is often surprising; 2) What main Christian moral messages are being embodied in the play; 3) The Biblical references that enrich the meaning of the work; and finally, 4) How Shakespeare is presenting the challenges and duties of the Body of Christ within the Elizabethan police state. Suitable for anyone who can read the play and enjoy it. It is preferred that students have pre-read the play before the first day of class.Instructor: Henry Russell, Ph.D.Fee: Four-week course for $60.

The Mass Explained -- In order to participate fully in the Mass, we need to understand it better. The Bible provides many images and ideas that are the basis for the structure and prayers of the Mass. This course looks at these Biblical ideas and explains how they are realized and fulfilled in the celebration of the Mass. Some of the images include the Trinity; temple, priest and sacrifice; the Passover and the Exodus; and the bridegroom/bride. In this course we will look closely at the prayers and structure of the Mass in light of these images and ideas. This course will not require written assignments. It will involve reading from the Bible. High school.Instructor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.Fee: Six-week course for $90.

The fees are quite reasonable for these courses as detailed above. Because some of these are discussion courses, students are not only required to have high-speed internet but also a headset with microphone. And here's a cool aspect: All Homeschool Connections courses are recorded and available to registered students for up to six months, so your student can refer to the "live classes" repeatedly after the class is over!

If you want to register, just go to Homeschool Connections or if you have any questions or suggestions, you can email Maureen Wittmann directly at mwittlans@aol.com.

Where should we go today?

2009-05-16T17:17:00.004-04:00

How's about down to Orange County for three hours of (God willing) our very LAST EVER home-inspection on the house we got a signed contract on May 13th - Feast of Our Lady of Fatima! We love this house ... it's exactly what we need ... in a beautiful area ... a house in which we can put down roots -- both figuratively and literally -- and live in for the rest of our lives. This is the kind of house the littles can grow up in and all can eventually bring their children to visit.

Yep, this is it!

Many of you probably are smiling and saying "yeah, right ... famous last words" -- well we SOOOO hope God agrees with us and lets us settle in and make this house our home ... for living, loving, and learning and sharing with all our friends, relatives and benefactors, now and in the future. We can't wait to bring simplicity and loveliness to our new home ... which, if all goes well, will close on June 24th. Please keep us in your prayers ... that this is God's will as well as ours.

Besides, we stopped at Sonic on the way home -- rootbeer floats make anywhere look great!

Feast Day: May Crowning and Our Lady of Fatima

2009-05-14T07:59:00.003-04:00

This year we chose May 13th, Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, as the date to crown our Marian statue. It turned into a very propitious day as we not only sent off all our closing documents for the house in Colorado -- which is good to go for May 18th (John Paul the Great's birthday!) -- but we also got approval for a contract on a house here in Virginia.

What a day!

String Bean made the crown ... with chenille stem roses that perfectly match the real roses in front of Our Lady statues. Note the St. Joseph statue to the right of Mary ... he has been our constant companion throughout all this house rigamarole and we've prayer through his intercessions and now have developed a very deep devotion to the foster father of Jesus.

The cloth is our Easter Cloth, one that I made in 2001 for our Easter table to help us remember, in four different languages, that "Indeed, He is Risen!" We keep it on our table throughout the 50 days of the Easter season, and have a white candle burning whenever we are gathered together at the table.

Here's the prayers we used for the coronation (we got these prayers from the University of Dayton's Marian pages):
Brief Instruction
We have come here to crown this statue of the Virgin Mother of God. As we begin this celebration, let us be attentive and listen to the word of God in faith. This ceremony has a lesson to teach us about the Gospel: that the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who are foremost in serving and in love. Our Lord himself came to serve, not to be served; he drew all things to himself when he was lifted up from the earth, and he reigned from the tree by the power of gentleness and love. And our Lady, whose glory we proclaim today, was the humble servant of the Lord when she was on earth: she gave herself utterly to her Son and his work; with him, and under him, she was an instrument in our redemption. Now, in the glory of heaven, she is still the God-bearer to Christ's brothers and sisters: she cares about their eternal salvation; she is minister of holiness and queen of love.

Let us pray:
O God, since you have given us Mary, the Mother of your Son, to be our mother and our queen, grant that we, who have come here to crown her image, may attain the glory of your children in the kingdom of heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

SING :
Bring flowers of the rarest, bring flowers of the fairest
From garden and woodland and hillside and vale;
Our full hearts are swelling, our glad voices telling
The praise of the loveliest Rose of the vale.
Refrain:Oh Mary, we crown you with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.:
Our voices ascending, in harmony blending,
Oh, thus may our hearts turn, dear Mother, to you.
Oh, thus shall we prove you how truly we love you;
How dark without Mary life's journey would be. (Ref.)

Concluding Prayer:
Dad: Queen of our hearts, your destiny is meant to be our destiny. Teach us to love our God as you did, to love our neighbors as you did and, above all, to love our family as you loved yours. We consecrate ourselves and our loved ones to you with the ancient prayer:
All: My Queen, my Mother, I give myself entirely to you, and to show my devotion to you, I consecrate to you this day my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my entire self without reserve. As I am your own, my good Mother, guard me and defend me as your property and possession. Amen.

Crowning our Marian statue is such a wonderful annual event ... each year is different and yet the same. We mix tradition with something different every time and the kids love to help with the organizing, decorating and choice of songs.

Let me know when y'all do a May Crowning ... I'd love to see what others do.

Prayer: please pray for a home-school mom

2009-05-12T08:03:00.002-04:00

Please, please send up extra prayers for Elizabeth -- a young mom undergoing a major cancer-related surgery on Thursday ... please pray for her health, her surgical-team's prowess, her recovery and her lovely family ...

Novena: I guess it depends on WHO you pray thru ...

2009-05-11T19:59:00.004-04:00

... because I gotta say that this past weekend we began to pray thru a good friend's FIL who died this past September as well as thru his daughter-in-law (a wonderful Dominican who we just found out is in a cloistered community now ... so of course we sent a prayer request to her and her fellow sisters RIGHT AWAY! and got a response back that of course she would pray (as well as her community) as often as possible!) ....

Anyway, this morning we got word that the Colorado closing is right on track for next Monday (!) and the house we LOVE? The woman is trying to figure out the best way to make that work ...

So, it's not only praying or how you pray but also to whom you ask help .... because that was FAST work! God is SOOOO good, isn't He?

Giveaway: Catholic Woman's Planner

2009-05-07T18:58:00.005-04:00

I love the Catholic homeschool community ... you meet so very many amazing, wonderful people!

A few years ago in Colorado, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and chatting for a long time with fellow homeschooler Michele Quigley. She has that lovely blog, Family Centered Life, co-authored the FREE Catholic CM-inspired curriculum, Mater Amabilis, and also publishes an amazing set of Catholic planners. I love the Catholic woman's planner ... and my dh has used her man's planner and we also love her nature journals.

Well, seems Michele is running a giveaway just in time for Mother's Day: a Catholic woman's planner and all you have to do is comment on her blog -- how easy is that?????? Go check it out ... and if you don't win ... go ahead and order a few of her products -- you WON'T be disappointed!

Oh, and just in case you're interested -- Michele created the graphic above and loves and learns with her 10 (!) children in her spare time! What a woman!

Novena: won't you STILL join us?

2009-05-06T14:59:00.006-04:00

Do you mind continuing the prayers asked for here ?

After we finished the novena to St. Joseph, we started up again ... and on Tuesday (April 7th) of Holy Week we got an offer on the house in Colorado!

Actually, we received THREE offers on the same day. They were pretty good offers and we chose the best with a closing date of May 11th (exactly two months after we started that novena to St. Joseph and five days into a novena to Servant of God, John Paul the Great).

We started the process of canceling utilities, autopayments and HOA fees and were all set for next Monday's closing. Yesterday evening we got an email from our realtor: the buyers ran into a snag and needed to postpone closing. Thank goodness we have a realtor who is pretty tough -- the powers that be wanted to push closing off to the end of May but he pushed for sooner. So, now we've got closing pushed back one week.

On the 18th of May -- which happens to be Servant of God John Paul the Great's birthday -- God willing, we will close on the house.

Please continue to pray to both St. Joseph and John Paul the Great for us as we head down the homestretch to finish off our Colorado adventure and really begin our Virginia one!

THANKS!

Conferences: IHM is coming ....

2009-04-30T14:16:00.004-04:00

on June 12-13th. This is the best conference and has a phenomenal line-up of speakers including one of our favorite priests, Fr. Zuberbueler (also known as the chaplain of St. Athanasius Academy). And ... the conference is free (so you can buy even more in the vendor hall)!

For a schedule of speakers, topics and times, head to IHM's website. I particularly love the shopping ... here's a list of the vendors so far.

So, won't you join me at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly on Friday, June 12th and Saturday, June 13th?

Books on CD: Where the Red Fern Grows

2009-04-30T08:19:00.002-04:00

Wilson Rawls classic boy-book, Where the Red Fern Grows , is an amazing story of two coon-hunting dogs and the boy who loves and trains them. This is a GREAT story for boys who should be outside running around, exploring, playing in nature and just having adventures.

We just finished listening to the audio version, read by Anthony Heald, and if you can get it, definitely listen! Heald does a fabulous job evoking the characters which Rawls paints so eloquently. By the end of the book, the listener really knows Billy and Grandpa, Papa and Mama, the three little sisters and even Old Dan and Little Ann. The listener understands the toughness of life in the Ozarks, the poverty and daily life-struggles, the learning at home because there is no other choice, the fear of nighttime coon-hunting and the thrill of the successful treeing of the sought-after coon! Heald does a GREAT job of keeping the accent of the Ozarks, giving the listener a good feel for the uniqueness of the characters living and loving in the heart of the Ozarks.

Picture Books: Wonderful story-telling!

2009-04-30T07:52:00.004-04:00

We use picture books alot around here -- for helping the kids learn about all manner of things from math to science/nature, history to geography, religion to sociology. Picture books, well-written and/or well-illustrated are much more beneficial than hours of lecturing or dry reading from a text book.

Two such books require special attention today. We read these yesterday and have re-read them three times since. Yes, they're that good! The books, Molly's Pilgrim and Make a Wish, Molly are about the same family -- a mom, dad and daughter who immigrate to New England from Russia to avoid the Jewish pogroms at the beginning of the 20th century. Molly's Pilgrim shows that the celebration of Thanksgiving is just applicable for the modern-day pilgrim, coming to the United States for freedom, as it was for the very first Thanksgiving. Make a Wish, Molly shows that religious beliefs are important to keep and not a secret to hide; that religious differences or cultural differences can be shared and cherished while melding into American society.

Either or both of these books would be fabulous for a study on immigration, different cultures, Russian history, Jewish customs (great descriptions of Tabernacles and Passover), Thanksgiving, birthday celebrations, home-made gifts vs store-bought, etc. Further, these stories are just very well written -- with sad parts and happy parts and the writing evokes emotions from readers of all ages (yes, we were all boo-hooing in parts!).

Date Night: Boomtown!

2009-04-25T22:55:00.003-04:00

Dh and I just got home from the final performance of Seton School's annual musical -- this year they did Boomtown! I am sooo sorry we waited till closing night to see this musical as it was so good, I want to go again!

This little-known play was written by two professors from a small (now-closed) Catholic women's college in Denver called Loretto Heights. The musical was written by Michael Stewart and the music by Max DiJulio for Denver's centennial year (1958) and only performed once at Loretto Heights. Then-senior, Mary Jo Catlett, reportedly stole the show as saloon owner Mattie. Ms. Catlett went on to fame and fortune as a Hollywood musical/comedy actress.

The musical lay gathering dust in the archives of Regis University until Mrs. Carroll, principal of Seton School and an alumna of Loretto Heights, sought out the play for performance at Seton. She wanted to re-enact the musical in memory of Denver and her home-state of Colorado; a musical that she had only heard bits of her freshman year of college when MaryJo Catlett sang some of the original score to open the new school year. Thank goodness Mrs. Carroll remembered this show as it proved to be a major success for Seton.

The story goes beyond the classic "boy-meets-girl; boy-loses-girl; boy-finds-girl" cycle of a musical. This musical, replete with an amazing original score by then-music professor Max DiJulio, tells the story of how Denver built it's own railroad to hook to the Union Pacific and thus, guarantee statehood for Colorado. The songs in this musical are toe-tapping good fun and spotlight DiJulio's talents of melding music to mood in creating a his masterpiece.

Why this musical hasn't been performed in 50 years boggles the mind! Maybe, now it can be! An article in the Denver Catholic newspaper may help spread the word in the play's hometown.

A cool side-note: the opening night of the very first performance of Boomtown occured on April 17, 1959; the opening night of the first performance of the Seton production occured on April 17, 2009 ... exactly 50 years later! How cool is that?

Math: picture books are GREAT learning fun!

2009-04-25T12:53:00.003-04:00

Here are some great picture books we've been using lately to reinforce math concepts. Check these out and I'm sure you'll agree that this is a great way to learn maths!

Kroll, Virginia – Equal Shmequal – equal is more than just the same number and this book helps kids realize that even numbers don’t always make even teams as some forest animals try to have create equal teams for tug-a-war! Very cute and great way to open discussion on concept of “equal” (including an author’s note at the end that explains “equal” from different views: artist, lawyers, sports, mathematicians)
Time Life Editors – Right in Your Own Backyard: Nature Math – filled with lots of puzzles, interesting facts and activities, this book links math with nature! Covers all the basic concepts in a fun, easy way.
Hewavisenti, Lakshmi – Shapes and Solids: with games and puzzles – great overview (with fun projects) for learning all about shapes and solids (tessellations, reflectiosn, moebius strips, tangrams, etc.)
Kohl, Herbert – Insides, Outsides, Loops and Lines – now this is a fun book for exploring closed and open shapes made completely with lines; lots of great games and activities for all ages.
Micklethwait, Lucy – I Spy Shapes in Art – this is another great art book for kids from Micklethwait. Here, the focus is on regular geometric shapes (so, the 14 paintings are primarily modern art) and the kids can really investigate these individual paintings looking for the shape to “spy” and also looking for other shapes in the paintings. Great cross-curriculum stuff here!
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of how to create other regular shapes from a rectangle as well as a description of diameter, radius and circumference.
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of Pi and proves the measurement is always 3.14159…...
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of how to measure angles and describes acute, right, obtuse and straight angles.
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of how to create other regular shapes from a rectangle as well as a description of diameter, radius and Euler’s Law that says that any straight-sided, solid shape that, if the numbers of faces on a solid is added to the number of points (or vertices), then subtracted from the number of its edges, the answer will ALWAYS be two – works for every polyhedron.
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of Per and her cousin Radius and their discovery that an area of a circle equals half the circumference times the radius (also, area = pi x radius-squared).
Pluckrose, Henry – Math Counts: Shape – cute picture book about regular geometric shapes and looking for (and finding) them everywhere.
Reisberg, Joanne – Zachary Zormer Shape Transformer – when measuring perimeter, Zack teaches the class about moebius strips, expanding frame and increasing the size of light. This is a fun book – the kids really got into stumping dad with the doubled length of the moebius and the five-times-larger frame!
Wilson, John – Mosaic and Tessellated Patterns: How to Create Them – this is a great Dover book that gives wonderful illustrations of tessellation and mosaic patterns (with great overviews of how to create a myriad of designs). The book includes 32 “plates” to color … which copy wonderfully so you can color, and color and color!

Why Jesus wants us to be child-like ...

2009-04-24T13:39:00.004-04:00

... was explained to me pretty succinctly by my 9-year-old daughter. The other day, we rec'd an estimate of the closing costs and our portion. We were horrified to see what it was going to COST US to sell a house! Dh and I were getting pretty animated when we rec'd the email and then went to make a cup of tea.

When we got back to the computer to analyze the situation further, String Bean had left us a note:

We're trying, dear!

Guess this is why St. Josemaria Escriva said:

Being children you will have no cares: children quickly forget what troubles
them and return to their games. With abandonment, therefore, you will not have
to worry, since you will rest in the Father.
– The Way, #864

Field Trip: Bluebells in Virginia!

2009-04-24T11:46:00.008-04:00

Well, we've finally seen them .... after years of reading on the 4real forum about Virginia's bluebells and the families' annual outings to spot, draw and play amidst and among this humble but GORGEOUS flowering plant ... we've finally seen them. Bull Run Regional Park was rife with fields like these, spotted through the trees, amidst the marshy conditions throughout this natural setting. Bluebells, a perennial, herald spring around here like the Cherry Blossoms showering down pink blossoms on our windy days.So, admist the muddy conditions and the slight chill in the air, we (the littles and me and four other families) did some nature studying:
deer track spotted by the bank of the creek (also saw raccoon tracks, but those were obliterated pretty quickly by the little ones being so excited about knowing the tracks!)frog caught by the bank (sorry for the blurriness -- we were all moving at once!)
and lots of playing on, in and around this lovely spot!

Yep, it was muddy ... yep it was cold ... yep it was messy ... but we all had a great time ... chatting ... posing posing some more ...
eating
smiling ...
smiling some more ...and smiling more...
and STILL smiling towards the end of our stay!

we came home exhausted but exhiliarated and just a little awed at God's creative gifts given freely to us all.

For those who don't have these lovely, delicate blue and purple and periwinkle colored flowers in their area ... here's an image from the USDA plant site that you can print out and color ....

Feast Day: Divine Mercy Sunday

2009-04-19T19:33:00.007-04:00

Today, Easter Sunday is done for this year. For Catholics, Easter Sunday is such an important day in the liturgical calendar that it actually breaks the world's schedule and extends for an eight-day period! Honestly! (Also, the "Easter Season" goes on thru Acension and on to Pentecost -- 50 days AFTER Easter Sunday -- so we've got quite a few "partying" days left).

I thought this was an appropriate day to post a bit about our Lenten practices this year and our Easter Sunday (that lasted 8 days!):

Here is the calendar I posted so the family could focus on different events, readings and schedule of Lent. I marked all the feast days (that interrupt the fasting of Lent) -- such as St. Patrick's or St. Joseph's days -- and the fasting times. On each day, I put the appropriate liturgical readings and any other pertinent information. There is a little picture of two boys walking that we moved each day to mark our Lenten journey. This seemed to help the kids remember that although Lent is LONG, it is not endless and that there is a "happy" ending -- the happiest ending for all mankind!
Here is our Lenten table. The alms box (for Catholic Relief Services) was center-stage the whole Lent -- we all added to the box when we could (in secret) and dad would take the offerings to school each week. The red hexagonal box holds the kids' rosaries for evening prayer. The flowers remind us that Easter (and Spring) are coming ... we tried to keep fresh ones there throughout Lent. The purple cloth is for the penitence and sorrow of what lies ahead for Jesus during Holy Week.

Here is a close-up of the knitted "nest" I designed. Based on a smaller design from Hannah Fettig's Closely Knit (a great book with sensational ideas), I knit from the center out and made a family-sized version so we could ...use it on Easter Sunday for our family basket. Here it's filled with goodies -- peeps (for the annual peep wars!), jelly-beans, chocolate eggs, DVDs, games and even a drawing book, and of course "custom-designed" hardboiled eggs surrounding the whole. The cloth is one I embroidered back in 2001 for a special Easter Basket that was blessed at Church the year we did the Byzantine "Great Lent". (BTW, for my knitted nest directions, check out my knitting blog, By Hand, With Heart for a free Easter gift to you ....)

0-dark-30 Easter Monday (or 3:45 a.m.!) we headed out to visit relatives down in South Carolina -- and the 8.5 hour drive was so worth it as we so LOVE these folks down there. The kids have fun, dh and I are surrounded by those who love and respect us, and it is just a wonderful time. BamBam finally ventured out on his 2-wheeler (without training wheels) and felt the sense of freedom only learning to ride a bike can give! A few days of R&R was just what we need ... and we hit the road back here on Thursday, just in time to check out potential houses (God willing, the house in Colorado closes on May 11th!) on Friday.

We finished up the week with a spectacular Easter Saturday: a day of fun-in-the-sun with our favorite Chaplain at the Nationals game against the Marlins. Unfortunately, they lost (9-6 in the 11th inning) but the day (and company) were so fabulous, we didn't mind too much ...

Here are some photos of the big day (the first time for us at the Nationals Stadium):Sipping on cokes ...munching on hotdogs and chips ....and stuffing our faces with cotton candy (and yes, those two ate the whole bucket -- while the rest of us ate ice cream!)A great time was definitely had by all!Divine Mercy Sunday (today) found us down at St. Patrick's in Spotsylvania for Divine Mercy Sunday Mass ... and a wonderful reminder from the parochial vicar there to NEVER forget that God's mercy is bigger than ANY sin (or sins) we can commit. All we need do is ask for His forgiveness and follow the right path ... and we will live with Him and the Saints for eternity!

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday to you and yours ... and enjoy the next 42 days of the Easter Season!

Irene Sendler: A Polish Hero!

2009-04-18T20:06:00.006-04:00

How cool is this????

A while back, I mentioned a Polish-Catholic woman who saved 2500 Jewish children in the Warsaw Ghetto during WW2 ...

well....

tomorrow night, on CBS, Hallmark Hall of Fame will be showing a new movie titled The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler!

Please let me know how it is ... we don't have cable and our "digital converter antenna" that is supposed to help us get all the stations now, doesn't work ....

BTW, the REALLY cool thing?

Ms. Sendler had a Divine Mercy holycard that she kept with her throughout her war years ... a card she kept until 1979, when she gave it to then pope, John Paul the Great.

Tomorrow is Divine Mercy Sunday ... I wonder if CBS knew?

Novena: Divine Mercy starts today

2009-04-10T07:59:00.005-04:00

The Divine Mercy Novena

Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:

"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.'
The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."

In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:

"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."

The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are:

DAY 1 (Good Friday) - All mankind, especially sinners
DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) - The souls of priests and religious
DAY 3 (Easter Sunday) - All devout and faithful souls
DAY 4 (Easter Monday) - Those who do not believe in Jesus

and those who do not yet know Him
DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) - The souls of separated brethren
DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) - The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) - The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy
DAY 8 (Easter Friday) - The souls who are detained in purgatory;
DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) - The souls who have become lukewarm.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

FYI: The image above is one I took at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow, Poland in Feb 2003 when BamBam and I did a bus trip to southern Poland with some Franciscan University students. This is the original image and is visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year. What an amazingly beautiful setting in the midst of industrial Krakow!

Lent: Holy Thursday

2009-04-09T20:06:00.004-04:00

Today is Holy Thursday ... tonight starts the Triduum (the three holiest days of the year) when Jesus fulfills his mission here on earth. Here's an impression of the Last Supper -- when Jesus instituted the Eucharist, something Catholics remember EVERYTIME Mass is celebrated; this is when the bread and wine truly become the body and blood of Jesus Christ! How cool is that????LegoManiac served the Holy Thursday Mass tonight -- the washing of the feet, the commemoration of the Last Supper and the transfer of the Holy Eucharist with reposition of the Blessed Sacrmant in the tabernacle.

An interesting thing we learned this year is the idea of Grundonnerstag from the Germanic countries. Translated loosely, this means "green Thursday"; this is actually a slippage from the original which used the German word "gruen" for grieving or mourning. But, we followed Jennifer's advice from Catholic Cuisine and made only green things for dinner: coleslaw with lots of raisins and toasted walnuts (and homemade dressing) and spinach pie! Wow, that was a hit!

Here's the recipe we used (with our changes in parentheses -- I NEVER can follow directions!)
Spinach Pie

crust for 9" pie (2 shells; we used the Pillsbury shells in the refrig section
(1) 16oz. pkg frozen spinach - thawed
(1) 16oz. container ricotta cheese (we used cottage cheese)
1 cup fresh grated parmesan (we used 1 cup "pizza" shredded cheese)
1 large onion - chopped and sauteed in olive oil
1-2 tsp italian herbs (mix of oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram)
3 eggs (we skipped the eggs because I didn't even see them in this recipe; boy, am I getting old!)

Press one pie shell into the bottom and sides of pie dish. Saute chopped onion in oil olive. Add thawed spinach to warm the spinach and mix in the onions. Cool. Add ricotta (cottage cheese) and ricotta into spinach mixture. Spoon into pie pan. Cover with remaining shell. Trim edges and slit top for venting -- we made a cross for the vent. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes -- cover with foil for the last 15 minutes if crust is getting too brown. Without the eggs, this actually tasted very reminiscent of spanakopita! YUMMY!

Lent: Spy Wednesday

2009-04-08T13:10:00.004-04:00

This is the day we remember that Judas sold-out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, sold Him out with a kiss! It's easy for me to always think "oh, I'd never have done that" ... but I probably would have denied Jesus as Peter did -- out of fear -- and is that really any better?

Judas is steeped in mystery ... he was one of the closest to Jesus and yet he turned his back on the Son of God after having been given the ability to evangelize, to forgive and to help build Jesus' church! I guess Judas is proof that it is very easy to lose sight of the good, when trying to grasp at what I want rather than how God wants things done!

Today, after we went to Mass at the high school we came home and made Lenten Pretzels in honor of the hands clasped in prayer this Holy Week, as well as the ropes which tied Jesus' hands at the trial before Pilate, and the rope with which Judas hung himself. When I've tried to make pretzels before, they've usually come out a mess ... but these look pretty good. One thing I'm doing differently -- when I've been making bread this Lent, I've been using the kneading time as prayer time!

Here's the recipe that Jennifer at Catholic Cuisine posted: Holy Week Pretzels!

Traditionally, the pretzel was only eaten during Lent. It is available all year round now, but before it became a popular snack food it was available from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday. There are records of Lenten pretzels in a 5th century manuscript in the Vatican Library. Early Christians ate no dairy products during Lent, so pretzels were made from the simplest of ingredients - flour, salt, and water.It is made in the shape of two arms crossed in prayer. The origin of the name comes from the word "bracellae" (little arms). In German it became "Bretzel" which then changed to "Pretzel".

Pretzels
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 tbls active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour (half white, half whole wheat)
Coarse or kosher salt
1 egg, beaten

Add the honey to the water; sprinkle in the yeast and stir until dissolved. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Blend in flour, and knead the dough until smooth. Cut the dough into pieces. Roll them into ropes and twist into pretzel shapes. Place pretzels on lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush them with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 425 for 12 - 15 minutes - or until the pretzels are golden brown.

Nature Study: growing things

2009-04-08T13:02:00.005-04:00

What happens when you have an onion on your counter so long that it starts to sprout?

Well, if you home-educate, you plant it and call it "nature study". We've now been growing this onion for almost two weeks (we planted it on March 27th) and it is going gangbusters! Very cool for the kids and I (especially as when we tried beans, they quickly died once we planted them!
By the way, the little seedlings growing around the onion are apple seeds that BamBam wanted to try growing ... now he's sure we'll have an apple tree with our own apples (but we'd better transplant BEFORE they get that big!)

Prayers!

2009-04-07T21:27:00.004-04:00

WOOOHOOOO!

We just signed a contract on our house in Colorado -- it's less than we paid, but more than we owe so God is so good to us!

Please continue to pray as we go thru appraisals, inspections, etc until closing in mid-May ... and thank you so much for all your prayers on our behalf. The Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and Servant of God JPtheGreat really are coming thru for us ... and we continue to pray thru them for God's assistance.

Crafts -- helping kids with the Rosary

2009-04-03T13:17:00.004-04:00

OK, I rarely link to another's posts on this blog, but I DON'T want to forget this spectacular idea from Kimberlee over at pondered in my heart ... wow, so easy and yet so perfect for helping little ones with keeping track of the prayer and the mystery of the Rosary!

And those girls ... don't you just want to pull them onto your lap and cuddle them?????

Feast Day: JP2's anniversary

2009-04-02T18:58:00.004-04:00

Today is the fourth anniversary of Pope John Paul the Great's death ... four years ago today I was pregnant with my 6th child (and miscarried on the day Pope Benedict was elected). I can still remember listening and crying as I heard the stories about the Pope dying as he's always been such a large part of my life. It was Fall of my Senior year of high school when he was elected ... we are of Polish descent and this was a BIG deal to have a Polish pope!

I can remember in 1981, walking back from lunch in college and hearing the report that the Pope was shot ... we cried and headed to the campus chapel.

I can remember in 2000, going to Rome for the first time and seeing St. Peter's. LegoManiac was just over a year and String Bean was in the stroller -- you should have seen us going thru security! Oy vey! But then being right there when the Popemobile came thru and JP2 was steps away from us ... the long wait in the hot sun was well worth it!

I can remember in 2003, months before we left Austria with dh and his masters, we got to go see the Pope and a surprise "private audience" with all but Brikhead getting a personal blessing. Our own Bam-Bam, all of 4 months old, got a blessing that I'll never forget -- thank goodness for professional photographers taking pictures as there's no way I was calm enough to take pictures!

And I remember the Saturday afternoon when we heard the Pope died.....

Today, we celebrate that JPtheGreat is most probably up in Heaven helping us out and playing soccer with my dad. We had a Polish day: books, movies and food. Tonight, I made Pierogi for the first time ever (recipe below) and Babka (Polish Easter Cake) ... both were well-received by the family and the Babka will definitely become a staple for celebrating JP2 as his anniversary will always occur during Lent or Easter!

Here are the resources we used for our JP2 Day:
Books –
For the Children: Words of Love and Inspiration from His Holiness Pope John Paul II – great book for copywork quotes that JP2 spoke or wrote specifically to children throughout his pontificate. Great photos of the Pope with children from all over the world.

Karol from Poland: The Life of Pope John Paul II for Children (M. Leonora Wilson, FSP) – written just at the change of the millennium, this book walks children through the Pope’s life from birth up to his 22nd year as Holy Father. The illustrations are a bit simpy, but the text is readable and quite good.

Life Commemorative: Pope John Paul II – a wonderful “photo album” to the Pontiff’s life from birth to death. Wonderful to see formal and informal pictures of the man who led the Catholic Church out of some pretty tough times.

Pope John Paul II (Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv) – a small picture book that leads the reader gently through the Pope’s amazing life right up until his death in 2005. The emphasis in this short book is the love JP held for all children, as well as his devotion to serving God.

Pope John Paul II: Comic Book – although this is labeled a comic book, the details and information covered in this book are wonderful! The books covers his life from Wadowice to Krakow and on to Rome. The original has been revised to include his death in 2005.

Videos –
The Jeweller’s Shop – a video dramatization of JP2’s play that seems to be semi-autobiographical as a young priest helps his young friends through engagement to marriage and through marital problems to fully experiencing the sacramental bond of a true marriage. Wonderful cast including Ben Cross and Olivia Hussey.

Pope John Paul II – a movie about the Pontiff’s amazing life. This is my kids’ favorite movie (and we have to limit viewing to only once or twice a year!). Cary Elwes (Wesley from Princess Bride ) plays a wonderful younger Karol while Jon Voight does a phenomenal job as the aging and Parkinson-ridden pope. Ben Gazzara, Christopher Lee and James Cromwell (Hoggett in Babe) round out the cast in this wonderful movie.

Witness to Hope – a movie summarizing George Weigel’s ground-breaking work about the Holy Father and his life. Excellent summary, especially if you don’t have time to read the rather heavy tome.

We also did some Math real living books -- after all, JP2 was a very learned man (so much so that Polish jokes even ceased once he gave his first audience!) -- and had a lot of fun reading Cindy Neuschwander's Sir Cumference books:
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of how to create other regular shapes from a rectangle as well as a description of diameter, radius and circumference.
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of Pi and proves the measurement is always 3.14159…...
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of how to measure angles and describes acute, right, obtuse and straight angles.
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of how to create other regular shapes from a rectangle as well as a description of diameter, radius and Euler’s Law that says that any straight-sided, solid shape that, if the numbers of faces on a solid is added to the number of points (or vertices), then subtracted from the number of its edges, the answer will ALWAYS be two – works for every polyhedron.
Neuschwander, Cindy – Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter: A Math Adventure – tells the tale of Per and her cousin Radius and their discovery that an area of a circle equals half the circumference times the radius (also, area = pi x radius-squared).

What a great day!
=================
Recipes:

Pierogis
Dough:
3 cups flour
2 egg yolks
1 tbs oil
1 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and begin to knead/mix it together. When you've gotten it all to stick together in a ball you can remove it from the bowl and begin to knead it on a clean surface. It may still seem to stick to your hands and the counter but don't worry. After ten minutes or so of kneading it the dough should be smooth and only a little tacky. Put it back in the bowl and cover with a damp (not wet) towel until your ready to use the dough.

Cut your dough in half. Place half back in the bowl and recover. Roll pieces into flat circles (altho there is no great art to this!). Fill with a filling (see below for the potato mix) -- about a tbls or so -- and then fold them over and pinch them together. Make sure that they are completely sealed all the way around. Boil these in a pot of water with a little oil added to it. I recommend only boiling about five or six at a time so they don't end up sticking together. It will only take about 5min before they float to the top. Remove them from the water and place on a baking rack to cool and dry. You can go ahead and eat them at this stage. Or you can fry them
in a pan with butter or even bake them at 325 for about 30 minutes or till "toasted".

Filling: Potato and Cheese
4-5 potatoes
1 onion
1 8 oz package of “cream cheese”
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 pound of bacon
Peel cut and boil your potatoes until done and drain. In a separate frying pan fry bacon till crispy. Drain bacon slices, reserving grease to fry onions. Add your onions and bacon fat to the potatoes and begin to mash them. Slowly add the cream-cheese, cheddar to the mixture. Add bacon pieces (broken to small pieces) and then set aside to cool. Place a tbls or so in each Pierogi. If extra potatoes, add a bit of milk and maybe a bit more butter and whip together -- serve mashed potatoes with the pierogi or save for another day.

BABKA (Polish Easter Cake – babka = grandmother)

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbls baking powder
1 tbls grated orange peel
1 tbls cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1-3/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tbsl finely ground bread crumbs (for dusting pan)

Glaze: 1/8 cup warm orange juice + 1 cup powdered sugar

Combine flour, baking powder, orange peel, cornstarch and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

Gradually add flour mixture, vanilla, 1/4 cup of oj. Mix thoroughly. Stir in raisins.

Lightly grease a 10-inch bundt pan and dust with bread crumbs. Pour in batter. Bake in a preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until done. Cool 10 minutes in pan and than place on a rack. Make glaze by combining ingredients. Poke holes in top of slightly cooled cake and spoon glaze over top. Cool completely on a wire rack.

From: Kathy Cutler’s Holiday Dessert Book

Remember the words of John Paul the GREAT: BE NOT AFRAID!

Irene Sendler: A Polish Woman

2009-04-02T14:16:00.005-04:00

Today, the anniversary of JP the Great's death, is a good day for me to post about another brave and devout Pole.

Irene Sendler is little-known outside of Poland. She was a social worker and nurse throughout World War 2. Seems she helped almost 2500 (!) Jewish children hide from the Nazis and escape from the Nazi-held Warsaw ghetto. For her good works, the Nazis arrested her in October of 1943, breaking her feet and legs. Sentenced to die, friends bribed the Gestapo guards and she escaped, only to be hunted by the Nazis for the rest of the War.

You can read more about this remarkable Pole at Giles Cote's Catholic Faith Education blog.

This "saviour of children" died in 2008, at the age of 98. A movie titled The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler is currently in production.

JP2 we STILL love you!

2009-04-02T07:54:00.008-04:00

April 2nd, 2005 ... the pontiff who affected so many people died a slow, painful death with these words on his lips:

BE NOT AFRAID!

These were also the words John Paul II said at his first audience ... and repeated throughout his twenty-six and half years as pontiff. JP2 was always admonishing the faithful to be faith-filled and fearless as God is in control and is a loving Father to us all.

JP2 was a loving father to Christ's Church on Earth ... he particularly loved the little ones. I will never forget the look on his face when we were fortunate enough to meet JP2 in 2003. Crippled with Parkinsons, the Pope still had a light in his eyes that was a beacon of love. As Cardinal Schoenborn introduced BamBam and I, the great pope reached his hands out to my 4-month-old son and namesake, and the light and love was there! A smile as big as his heart lit up his pain-wracked face ... and my 4-month-old responded in kind. Both the good Cardinal and I had tears in our eyes during the short blessing that has left an indelible mark on us all.

Today, there is talk that this great man will receive beatification next year -- on the fifth anniversary of his death -- declaring him a Blessed of the Catholic Church. Here is a prayer for his beatification and ultimate canonization:

God our Father, you reward all who believe in you.
May your servant, John Paul our Pope,
vicar of Peter and Shepherd of your Church,
who faithfully administered the mysteries of your forgiveness and love on earth,
rejoice with you for ever in heaven.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN!

May I always remember John Paul the Great's admonishment to all the faithful to BE NOT AFRAID ...

Books: curing math phobia ...

2009-03-28T12:01:00.003-04:00

... or at least geometric phobia!

Here are some books we've been using to study regular geometric shapes, both two- and three-dimensional shapes. These books show that math, at least geometry, can not only be interesting and fun, but also artistic and creative!

Hewavisenti, Lakshmi – Shapes and Solids: with games and puzzles – great overview (with fun projects) for learning all about shapes and solids (tessellations, reflectiosn, moebius strips, tangrams, etc.)
Kohl, Herbert – Insides, Outsides, Loops and Lines – now this is a fun book for exploring closed and open shapes made completely with lines; lots of great games and activities for all ages.
Micklethwait, Lucy – I Spy Shapes in Art – this is another great art book for kids from Micklethwait. Here, the focus is on regular geometric shapes (so, the 14 paintings are primarily modern art) and the kids can really investigate these individual paintings looking for the shape to “spy” and also looking for other shapes in the paintings. Great cross-curriculum stuff here!
Pluckrose, Henry: Math Counts: Shape – cute picture book about regular geometric shapes and looking for (and finding) them everywhere. Just because this is written for the littles, doesn't mean you can't use it if you just have older ones -- have them do a full picture using as many regular shapes as possible; or search for shapes while driving in the car; or create 3-d sculptures based on shapes.
Wilson, John – Mosaic and Tessellated Patterns: How to Create Them – this is a great Dover book that gives wonderful illustrations of tessellation and mosaic patterns (with great overviews of how to create a myriad of designs). The book includes 32 “plates” to color … which copy wonderfully so you can color, and color and color!

Geometry can be a bit scary -- but make it interesting and creative and you will all have fun!

Pithy Quote: Peace

2009-03-27T08:50:00.003-04:00

Now, if I could just lock this in my mind and heart so that I can avoid worry and fear:

As soon as you truly abandon yourself in the Lord, you will know how to be content with whatever happens. You will not lose your peace if your undertakings do not turn out the way you hoped, even if you have put everything into them, and used all the means necessary. For they will have turned out the way God wants them to.
– St. Josemaria Escriva, Furrow, #860

I really need to commit the whole quote, but especially the last line (that I've highlighted) to memory!

Feast Day: Feast of the Annunciation

2009-03-26T09:53:00.002-04:00

The Feast of the Annunciation is one of our favorite feasts -- first, because it is such a wondrous example of obedience, Mary's resounding YES! to the Angel's message. Here is the plaque I made to add to our growing collection of Marian plaques (made from Shrinky Dink plastic). I added a personal touch to this lovely picture (see below for the answer if you can't figure it out!).

The Feast of the Annunciation is also a special day around here because 11 years ago, dh and I said "I do" in front of our pastor, family, friends and most of the parochial school where we were both teaching. It was a gorgeous, early Spring Wednesday afternoon and a glorious ceremony.

Since then, we've lived in Austria, moved to SC, moved to Colorado, and now in Virginia. We've had three more kids (to add to our combined five others) and even a puppy for a short time. We pledged our troth in a lovely chapel in Clemson, SC and renewed that pledge yesterday in the lovely chapel at dh's high school. We spent the early evening eating a sumptuous dinner at the Globe & Laurel (you should have seen the size of dh's "small" prime rib!) and then spent a relaxing, slow hour at a nearby Starbucks ... a sensationally, wonderfully romantic evening!

Hope your Annunciation was wonderful, too! Our Blessed Mother is a wonderful role-model for all moms ... a wonderful intercessor to whom we can pray through to her Son ... a lovely guide for us all.

Annunciation Prayer
Lord who came down from heaven and stayed in the womb of St. Mary, after making the annunciationto her through his head of angels, is blessed. The Lord is blessed whom the heaven and earth,Angels and mankind are praising always. Oh Lord let the intercession of your mother be a fort for us all. Peace be unto thee, Mother of the Sun of righteousness. Peace be unto thee, the palace of holiness, Peace be unto thee the ship full of blessings,the fruit of your virginity is blessed, Holy Mother please pray for us,so that we would also be holy like you in our lives. Lord have mercy upon us. Lord Jesus,who was kind enough to take the presence in humble virgin,kindly live in us and redeem us from the strong bondages of sins and death. Lord make us good and worthy divine homes,so that you could stay in us. Lord who had been kind enough to take the human body from the virgin, unite us all in your peace.Unite us all with your grace. Fill your love in us so that we could share the love with you and among us all. Make us worthy to praise thee with your blessed Mother and all the saints. Holy virgin Mother, you are blessed, By thy prayers let the Holy church and her children be saved from all sorts of calamities and let all the departed get forgiveness for their sins. Amen.

* the little personal touch I added is that the Blessed Mother is knitting ... and has dropped one needle to the floor!

Philosophy: Three-Bucket Choices

2009-03-25T08:47:00.007-04:00

Imagine three buckets:

bucket one = the things I can impact or change; for instance: if I feel fat, I can cut out junk food and sweets; if I should pray more, I can make time in each day to do so.

bucket two = the things I have some control over, but not complete control; for instance: I can follow the traffic rules, but if someone runs a red light, I don't have control over that. If my teen is not embracing the faith, all I can do is make sure the tools and resources are there and then just pray that the teen comes to it.

bucket three = the things I have absolutely no control over; for instance: the economy, the Congress, or whether or not our house will sell.

So, which bucket do you obsess over most?

I KNOW I tend to worry overmuch about third-bucket choices. It's easier to rant and rave about things I don't have control over; it's much more work to change the things I can! Think: the US economy vs my home-making budget -- which is easier for me to come up with solutions to fix!

Last night I attended one of the JPtheGreat theology lectures -- last night's topic was on grace and God's gifting of grace to us. Sr. Mary Brigid and Mr. Fonte did a fabulous tag-team job of explaining all about grace. Sr. MB was the one who had the three-bucket philosophy (courtesy of her mom). Here are some notes from last night's meeting ... and thus, the topic of this post!

Grace is the indwelling of God in our souls and can only be given by God and accepted by each one of us.
Grace is ALL about God's goodness and love and has nothing to do with our own pride.
When we live in grace, love is the ONLY law.
To receive grace from God, we must turn our hearts open to CONSENT and to EXPECT everything from God -- including the sale of the house ... or not!
When we worry, we are not at peace -- a direct result of refusing or grasping at God's bountiful gifting of grace.
Worry and fear don't take away tomorrow's pain; it just takes away today's strength.

Bottom-line -- I need to worry about 1st-bucket items, and to some extent 2nd-bucket items (I need to make sure my kids have all the tools, but if they don't want to learn, that is in their control, not mine), but never worry about 3rd-bucket items. Third-bucket items are those things that need my prayers, though ...

So, which bucket do you obsess over?

Date Night: Bruckner and Bagels

2009-03-24T06:59:00.007-04:00

Dh and I don't get out much ... and when we do it's usually an hour here or there where we're doing errands or waiting on one of the kids or generally shoe-horning in some alone time. I'm not complaining or whining; when we do get a chance to really "go out", it's always a pleasure.

Saturday, March 21st, was such an evening, but surpassed all other times for the building of memories and friendships. Our good chaplain invited us to dinner and then on to the Kennedy Center to listen to Bruckner's 9th performed by the National Symphony Orchestra. Up until we were actually walking out the door ... I just didn't think I was actually going to the KC!

We had a scrumptious early dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill -- with a nice strong cup of coffee to fight off the somnolent effect of the ribeye steak and green beans. Then we headed over to a friend of the good father's ... a violist for the NSO who has been playing for them for the past 25 seasons (after 10 years in Baltimore). The violist, his wife and adopted daughter are some of the nicest people we've met! And that little bundle of energy at 5-1/2 would be JUST perfect for BamBam!

After some small-talk, we headed to the Kennedy Center. We parked underneath the Performance Center and then headed back-stage for a quick tour before the Symphony. It was so cool to be able to see where the artists get ready, all the pictures of past guests, and generally revel in being able to live the life of the musicians if even for just 30 minutes!

The show started with a Mozart Piano Concerto (no 27) performed by Jonathan Biss -- a 28-year-old phenom who was so expressive with his music it was a delight to see and hear his performance. Only about half the orchestra accompanied him ... altho the concert master used a violin from the 1870s (on loan from the Library of Congress). What a wonderful opening.

After a short intermission -- with a quick meeting with Mr. D. to discuss the rights and wrongs of the performance -- we were treated to Bruckner's Symphony No. 9. We became acquainted with Bruckner's music while in Austria and my dh, especially, REALLY enjoys this style of music. Bruckner dedicated this "to my dear God" and the music soars to the heavens. It was amazing! He started this symphony in 1887, wrote the first three movements in 1894, but died before completing the fourth. He was a devout Catholic throughout his life and an amazing composer too often overlooked by those outside the Germanic countries.

The NSO does not have a permanent conductor, so relies on guest conductors. [Note: Mr. D. explained that they meet the conductor on Tuesday -- after practicing on their own before-hand; by Thursday, they are ready for a dress rehearsal and then performances all weekend! And they do this all the time when they're not touring!] For this performance, we were blessed to have Herbert Blomstedt, a veteran conductor who at 82-years-old was as energetic as any 40 or 50 year-old conductor. [As an aside, Blomstedt was the conductor for the San Francisco Symphony from 1985-1995]. And he held the dying note of the symphony ... the last part Bruckner left unfinished ... long enough for Mr. D. to finish his own viola playing with a Hail Mary! It was spectacular!

With the glow of the music still resounding in our souls, Mr. D., Father, and dh and I headed for some coffee and conversation -- although the men opted for decaf tea and bagels and conversation -- at a cute diner in Arlington.

What an evening -- and dh and I didn't get home until 12:40 ... a record for us!

What a night -- and guess what I'm getting dh for our 11th anniversary on the Feast of the Annuciation? This.

Sidebar: new petition prayer

2009-03-20T13:51:00.006-04:00

Regular visitors to my blog will notice an addition to my sidebars -- a petition prayer card to St. Joseph. Thanks to a wonderful friend, I have this beautiful petition prayer that I'll be saying from now until the next St. Joseph feast, May 1st.

Please feel free to right-click and save this prayer card to your own computer if you'd like to join me in this prayer-pilgrimage. We continue to pray for the sale of our house in Colorado ... April 1st will mark the beginning of ANOTHER year on the market, and this is tough on us all, particularly dh! We also are discerning what the next few months and years will bring: move back to Colorado or stay here and lose the house, and/or possible job for me (which could mean no more home-educating the little ones). These are tough times ... just when praying through St. Joseph is needed most!

Thank you for any prayers you can say on our behalf. Know that you are all in my daily prayers.

St. Joseph, protector of families

pray for us!

Feast Day: St. Joseph ... otherwise known as ...

2009-03-19T19:25:00.008-04:00

... the saint I forgot but have now found!

It's funny: I'm a cradle-Catholic from a fairly Catholic family; we celebrated feasts and the liturgical calendar; we lit candles at Advent and avoided desserts during Lent. But somehow, we never really did much for St. Joseph. Our grammar school was run by Sisters of St. Joseph, so we did have our school/parish festival on St. Joseph's Day ... but honestly, that's all I can remember!

But this year is different. Worrying about the house not selling in Colorado (yep, it's still available if you want it!), worrying about dh worrying about the house, discerning what we should do .... and on and on ... has been a blessing in many ways: I'm praying much more and have really discovered a strong devotion to St. Joseph, the patron of everything and anything.

Often, when you have trouble selling a house,folks will suggest burying a St. Joseph in the front yard. This is not the St. Joseph to whom I've found a devotion, the St. Joseph of superstition and magic.

The St. Joseph to whom I have a new-found devotion is the one that is described by St. Bernard of Clairvaux:

"There are some saints who have the power of protecting in certain specific circumstances; but St. Joseph has been granted the power to help us in every
kind of need, and to defend all who have recourse to him with pious
dispositions."

St. Teresa of Avila is even more specific: "to other saints our Lord has given power to help in one sort of need, but this glorious saint helps us in EVERY need."

How cool is that ... a saint who is second only to our Blessed Mother in closeness to Jesus and thus, God; a saint who wants to help us and only needs to be petitioned!

We've been praying the St. Joseph Novena to petition the good saint for help with our house in Colorado and discerning God's will. One part of the prayers is particularly apropos for us now: obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the Divine will. Wonderful stuff!

I particularly like this image of St. Joseph ... the father working hard while his son sits and chats and learns. When I see this, I think of my own dh gardening or working on the car and the boys sitting and talking with him, learning from him. And learning more than just a skill ... learning how to be an adult and how to love. Georges de La Tour (1593 - 1652) painted this painting titled, St. Joseph the Carpenter.
Here's the St. Joseph Litany we prayed at the end of Mass:

V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Jesus, hear us. R/ Jesus, graciously hear us.
V/ God, the Father of Heaven, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Holy Spirit, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ Holy Trinity, One God, R/ have mercy on us.

R/for ff: pray for us.
Holy Mary,

St. Joseph,

Renowned offspring of David,

Light of Patriarchs,

Spouse of the Mother of God,

Chaste guardian of the Virgin,

Foster father of the Son of God,

Diligent protector of Christ,

Head of the Holy Family,

Joseph most just,

Joseph most chaste,

Joseph most prudent,

Joseph most strong,

Joseph most obedient,

Joseph most faithful,

Mirror of patience,

Lover of poverty,

Model of artisans,

Glory of home life,

Guardian of virgins,

Pillar of families,

Solace of the wretched,

Hope of the sick,

Patron of the dying,

Terror of demons,

Protector of Holy Church,

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, R/ spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, R/ graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world. R/ have mercy on us.
He made him the lord of his household. R/ And prince over all his possessions.

Let us pray. O God, in your ineffable providence you were pleased to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most holy Mother; grant, we beg you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector: You who live and reign forever and ever. R/ Amen.

Can you see why I'm enthralled with this quiet saint about whom little is known? As Fr. Z. said at Mass today, Joseph was silent only when he needed to listen; he talked when it was necessary. A distinction I need to practice more!

So what did we do today to celebrate this wonderful feast in the Liturgical Calendar? Had a great time learning about St. Joseph through reading and discussing the wonderful meditations in this month's Magnificat. After, we each did a different craft ... String Bean did a "virtual St. Joseph altar" by coloring, cutting-out and pasting the pieces to cardstock; Bam-Bam colored a glorious picture of Joseph holding the infant Jesus; Lego-Maniac wood-burned a picture of St. Joseph while I did a shrinky dink plaque (see the beginning of this post).

Then we ran errands, including stopping at the Lego store to purchase more bricks so the kids could be "carpenters" while we watched another couple of episodes of The Adams Chronicles. Dinner was a veritable feast of St. Joseph inspired items:

boneless-skinless chicken breasts marinated in italian dressing
garlic-butter breadsticks (that looked like Joseph's staff) -- see recipe below
salad with Italian dressing
shell-pasta with butter and garlic
Fritelle di San Guiseppe -- see recipe below

After dinner, we sat and watched the classic The Dog of Flanders, a great movie with a strong parental character, a "not sure he wants to be a father" paternal figure and a few grumpy men who should NEVER be fathers!

St. Joseph, Protector of the Holy Family, pray for us!

Recipes:

St. Joseph's Staffs (garlic butter breadsticks)

1 tbs yeast
1 1/3 c. Warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
3 tbs Vegetable oil
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups All-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. honey

Dissolve yeast in warm water in 2 1/2 quart bowl. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, the oil, honey and 1 teaspoon salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, scraping dough from side of bowl, until soft dough forms. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Stir down dough by beating about 25 strokes. Turn dough onto generously floured surface; roll around lightly to coat with flour. Divide into 18 equal parts. Roll and shape each part dough into a rope, about 9 inches long, sprinkling with flour if dough is too sticky. Place on greased cookie sheet. When baking, bake until crust is deep golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Store loosely covered.
Garlic-butter: while sticks are still hot, brush with mixture of 1/4cup melted butter, a minced clove of garlic, and 1 tsp dried parsley.

Frittele di San Guiseppe (from Evelyn Birge Vitz’s A Continual Feast) -- St. Joseph Fritters

2-1/4 cups milk
1 cup rice (I used brown)
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbls flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbs fruit brandy (optional – I didn’t use)
Grated rind of 1 large orange
1/2 cup golden raisins (original called for just 3 tbls)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (called for pine nuts, but I used chopped pecans; original called for just 3 tbls)

Oil for frying; powdered sugar for dusting fritters

The night before or very early on St. Joseph’s day: bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice, salt, vanilla and sugar. Cover the pan and simmer gently until rice is cooked and the milk absorbed – about 30-45 minutes. Let the rice cool overnight or for several hours.

Mix the cooled rice with the eggs, flour, baking powder, orange rind, raisins and nuts.

Heat oil to 375 for deep-fat frying. Drop the frittellle mixture 1 tbls at a time into the oil. Cook a few at a time, keeping the frittelle separate. Fry till golden.

Drain on a paper towel. Serve hot, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Both of these recipes are definite keepers -- good thing St. Joseph has another feast in the calendar -- St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st!

Feast Day: St. Patrick's Day ...

2009-03-17T15:49:00.004-04:00

St. Patrick's Prayer, also known as, "St. Patrick's Breastplate"

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through the belief in the threeness,

Through the confession of the oneness

Of the Creator of Creation.
I arise today

Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,

Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,

Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,

Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.
I arise today

Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In the service of archangels,

In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In prayers of patriarchs,

In predictions of prophets,

In preaching of apostles,

In faith of confessors,

In innocence of holy virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today

Through the strength of heaven:

Light of sun,Radiance of moon,Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,Swiftness of wind,Depth of sea,

Stability of earth,Firmness of rock.
I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's host to save me

From snares of demons,

From temptations of vices,

From everyone who shall wish me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone and in multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,

Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ to shield me today

Against poison,

against burning,

Against drowning,

against wounding,

So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ on my right, Christ on my left,Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the threeness,Through confession of the oneness,Of the Creator of Creation

Amen!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all .... we've actually been enjoying the great Saint's feast for the past few days. We started Saturday with:

the parade in Manassas.

And, man, was it cold for March 14th (somewhere round about hi-30s)!

The Young Marines marched and looked wonderful -- LegoManiac, being one of the height-challenged boys, is in the very back of the group, but he didn't mind one bit!

We also watched the others prance, dance and drive past: Irish dancers, wolfhounds and even

the good Saint himself!

We then came home (mostly to warm up!) and the kids watched one of their favorite Irish movies, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns, a classic story of the big bad American coming to Ireland to capitalize on the pristine beauty only to find more than he bargained for! Great stuff. They followed that with Darby O'Gill (a classic when I was little; that young Sean Connery is a joy to behold). Tonight, they'll watch The Quiet Man, while I head out for a theology lecture at dh's high school.

For dinner, I'm making this amazing Irish Beef and Guiness Stew from Jessica on Catholic Cuisine. If the smell is any indicator, this stuff is going to be great! I've also made two loaves of cranberry soda bread that is always a big hit and with a salad, we should have a really great meal.

We've also been talking lots about the saint and what he did to help spread the gospel throughout Ireland. Much of his life is shaded in myth, but there are bits that are true -- primarily that he evangelized the faith to a country that stayed Catholic through the Reformation and beyond, bringing their strong faith to the new world as they emigrated from their homeland! It's said that on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish -- but we truly are and we're very proud of that fact!

================================================

Recipes:

Irish Beef and Guiness Stew (Jessica on Catholic Cuisine)

Ingredients:
· 2 pounds lean beef stew meat
· 3 tbs vegetable oil, divided
· 2 tbs all-purpose flour
· salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
· 1 pinch cayenne pepper
· 2 large onions, chopped
· 1 clove garlic, crushed
· 2 tbs tomato paste
· 1 1/2 cups Guiness stout beer (or other Irish Stout)
· 2 cups carrot, cut into chunks
· 1 sprig fresh thyme
· 1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:Trim the meat of any fat, cut into 2 inch cubes, and toss them in a bowl with 1 tbs of the vegetable oil. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Toss the meat in the mixture to coat.Heat the remaining oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions and crushed garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water (to dilute); pour into the pan, stir to blend, cover and cook gently (reduce heat if necessary) for about 5 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavor to the broth. Pour in the rest of the beer, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.Yields: Six to Eight Servings

[NOTE: I added 3 potatoes, cleaned and chopped up as what's Irish Stew without potatoes!]

Cranberry Soda Bread -- If you're not already a fan of soda bread, you will be after you've tried this variation. To achieve the right texture, you should cool it before serving.

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal. Measure the oats into a bowl, then stir in the buttermilk, honey, and oil. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and make a well in the middle. Pour the liquid into it and stir briskly with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls together in a shaggy mass. Let the dough rest for 3 minutes. Turn it onto a floured surface and gently knead the dough for about 30 seconds. Next, divide it in half and form each half into a football shape with rounded ends. Place the loaves on the baking sheet with plenty of room between them and cut a shallow slit down the center of each. Bake the bread for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake another 25 minutes, or until the loaves are golden and crusty and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Cool before serving. Makes 2 loaves.

Looks like we desperately need bioethics education ...

2009-03-13T09:25:00.003-04:00

... for the media and politicians ... and medicos, too!

Here's the text of part of an interview former President Clinton did last night with Sanjay Gupta (who just turned down Mr. Obama's request that he be the Surgeon General!) -- I've added emphasis in case you don't have time to wade through the blah, blah, blah parts:

Gupta: Let's talk about something you talked a lot about in the early part of
your presidency, stem cells. There was an order today providing federal money
for embryonic stem cell research. First of all, let me just ask you, as someone
who studied this, is this going to always be as divisive an issue as it is now?
Is this going to be the abortion of the next generation? Or are people going to
come around?
Clinton: I think - the answer is I think that we'll work it through. If - particularly if it's done right. If it's obvious that we're not taking embryos that can - that under any conceivable scenario would be used for a process that would allow them to be fertilized and become little babies, and I think if it's obvious that we're not talking about some science fiction cloning of human beings, then I think the American people will support this....
Gupta: Any reservations?
Clinton: I don't know that I have any reservations, but I was - he has apparently decided to leave to the relevant professional committees the definition of which frozen embryos are basically going to be discarded, because they're not going to be fertilized. I believe the American people believe it's a pro-life decision to use an embryo that's frozen and never going to be fertilized for embryonic stem cell research....But those committees need to be really careful to make sure if they don't want a big storm to be stirred up here, that any of the embryos that are used clearly have been placed beyond the pale of being fertilized before their use. There are a large number of embryos that we know are never going to be fertilized, where the people who are in control of them have made that clear. The research ought to be confined to those....But there are values involved that we all ought to feel free to discuss in all scientific research. And that is the one thing that I think these committees need to make it clear that they're not going to fool with any embryos where there's any possibility, even if it's somewhat remote, that they could be fertilized and become human beings.

H/T: Creative Minority Report

Just as an aside, here is a definition of embryo: In organisms that reproduce sexually, once a sperm fertilizes an egg cell, the result is a cell called the zygote that has half of the DNA of each of two parents. The resulting embryo derives 50 percent of its genetic makeup from each parent. In plants, animals, and some protists, the zygote will begin to divide by mitosis to produce a multicellular organism. The result of this process is an embryo.

Charity: A great cause to pray for and support!

2009-03-13T08:59:00.003-04:00

The following letter is from a teacher at dh's high school. As many of you know, my first husband died of lymphoma 17 years ago and we all know many people who are suffering from cancer right now. This is such a worthy cause ... and I hope you'll be able to donate in some way to this cause.

Dear Family and Friends,

Many of you who know me well understand my passion for good health and my desire to run for fun. The idea of running for fun can definitely sound a little foreign, but I’ve felt very drawn recently to run for a different reason. I'm training to participate in the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives.

Personally, I am running in honor of my cousin, Kevin, who was diagnosed very recently with Leukemia and a good friend of mine’s father, Jim, and for all individuals who are battling blood cancers. I’m including a link below to both Kevin’s progress and daily journals which he updates with great detail. I’m inspired by his strength, attitude, and grace in all of this in his pursuit to return to Cornell University where he previously attended as soon as possible.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Over $600 million in research has been raised since 1949 - over $71 million in 2008 - specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, LLS made 6.3 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.

The idea of joining this team and sending out letters is a leap of faith. I have faith that this purpose and cause will help in some way to the people fighting these diseases, their families, and to the doctors offering care. I thank you for your prayers and support and ask you to offer up any kind of donation and hope to support this mission.

I’m also including a website which can keep you updated on the fundraising progress and allow instant access to make donations. Please feel free to visit the websites as often as you please as the goal to reach the $3600 goal by April 25th will be monitored. You also have received an addressed envelope to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society which can also be used as a means of direct donation.

Thank you again and God bless!

Maureen Pfahler
http://pages.teamintraining.org/va/cmc09/mpfahler

http://kballantine.wordpress.com/

Novena: won't you join us?

2009-03-11T20:40:00.003-04:00

Tonight, we are starting the St. Joseph Novena ... our request is that St. Joseph help us discern God's will ... whether to stay in Virginia or go back to Colorado, where to work, and other family intentions.

Please pray this novena with us -- starting tonight -- and ending on the 9th day, March 19th, which is the feast of St. Joseph! Thank you and know that we hold your prayers in our hearts, too!

Novena to St. Joseph
(prayer to be said at the end of each day's devotion)

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

MEMORARE: Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.

[NOTE: If you click on the prayer link, you will find a different daily devotional reading to include with the novena prayer above.]

Where should we go today?

2009-03-08T21:21:00.011-04:00

How 'bout Colonial Williamsburg on this nice, 75+ degree, Spring-like day ... and how's about we bring daddy, too?String Bean stands in front of the windmill that is not open yet .. but they're working on it. We took the footpath from the visitors' center to the Colonial part ... as we crossed the bridge, we passed over time markers which brought us from the 21st century back to the 18th.Our first stop was the Courthouse where we tested the stocks (remember, stocks = stockings and that's where only feet were secured to keep the prisoner from running away).

Then to the pillory (remember, pillory = pillow; this is the punishment for gossiping, etc where you would stand with your head and hands held still while all the neighbors saw you and your shame.
The courthouse itself is a grand building. But in this building, only the minor trials (for crimes like gossiping or missing service once a month) were held. The big trials (murder, piracy and horse theft) were held down at the Capitol with the King's (or Queen's) representative, the Royal Governor, presiding over the case.

Here is the clerk's room -- the most important man in this Court. After the courthouse, we headed down to the Magazine. This is the building where all the armaments, gunpowder, and military supplies were stored. Just prior to the formal Declaration of Independence, some students from William and Mary stole some of the supplies to keep them from the Brits -- go, Tribe ( I went to W&M for grad school back in the dark ages)!
On our way out, we stopped by the guard house to talk to the craftsman working there. He was sewing bits of cowhide over the pewter buttons to cover them and keep them from staining the jackets of the works.He then explained his tools (including the mallet) to the rather inquisitive Bambam.
Our next stop was to the blacksmith's shop where the men were making nails and shutter stops.

Here the smithy is "melting" two pieces of iron together, the too-short lengths from making nails. After he melds this into one long piece, he'll continue to make nails.
What's not to find interesting ... lots of noise, heat, smoke and really cool tools? The kids would agree!Off to the printery where we saw the interpreter making copies of the Virginia Gazette that heralds the unanimous vote for independence as voted on by the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1776. He explained the type-setting, inking and printing processes.
Here, he's getting ready to ink another sheet ... a colonial form of copy machine!
A quick snack and then off to the Capitol to check that out. Here is the clock tower, showing our tour is just about to start!Inside the Capitol what we would consider the 3 branches of government were all rolled into one: the judiciary (as evidenced by this grand court room where ALL the major trials for the colony were held ... since the Virginia colony included areas as far north as present-day Minnesota and as far west as present-day Kentucky (an area that would include 10 of the current states), this was a large task. The Royal Court would "sit" 4 times a year with the Royal Governor presiding and his 12 "cabinet" members assisting. The "house of lords" (made up of the same 12 "cabinet" members appointed by the Crown) and the "house of commons" were also housed in this building, making it the home of the legislative branch; and the executive branch -- with the Royal Governor getting advice from his 12 "cabinet" members -- were also housed in this building. The Capitol was NOT where the Governor lived ... he lived about 1/2 mile down in the "palace" (which we visited back in the Fall).
Queen Anne was the reigning monarch of England when the original of this building was erected (the current building was built in the 1920s when the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation was established). Here is her portrait. Throughout the Capitol are portraits of George the 2 and his wife Caroline, and his grandson, George the 3 and his wife Charlotte.
My camera battery started acting up so we don't have photos of our visit to the jail ("gaol") with the jailer's house and actual cells from the era. The kids were fascinated by the "privies" in each cell!

Off back into the heart of CW for a lunch and then home.

A well-spent six hours in one of the best learning sites we've visited this year. All enjoyed the "field trip" ... even String Bean's new Build-a-Bear rabbit, Clare. AND we got to see our first blooming daffodils of the season ... looks like Spring is headed our way.

Colonial Williamsburg runs various "home educator" days, weeks, and events throughout the year. We were going to come down last week (for String Bean's birthday), but yucky weather was forecast (and materialized) so we're glad we waited. What a day ... and only 2:15 from our house!

Review: Webinars and Wittmann!

2009-03-06T15:29:00.003-05:00

Did you make it to the Wittman webinar on Wednesday evening (try saying that 5 times really fast)? What a GREAT time was had by all.

This is the first on-line conference I've attended and, although I'm a tech-head, I was a bit wary of the whole concept. I mean, c'mon, I love sitting in front of the computer like most folks but an hour and a half of just sitting (albeit, I'd be knitting), listening and watching ... sounded a bit over the top.

Well, let me tell you -- this is pretty slick. I got to sit and listen to Maureen and her presentation about teaching art and music using living books. AT THE SAME TIME, I could ask questions, chat with others or generally cut-up through the chat feature (just typing, no mike needed). Maureen, pro that she is, was keeping one eye on her presentation and one eye on the chat window so she could add her two bits too! VERY COOL.

Maureen's presentation was, as usual, excellent. Many of the books mentioned are in her classic, living teaching book, For the Love of Literature: Teaching Core Subjects with Literature. As a matter of fact, on of the participants had the forethought to have the book available so she could stick post-its as fast as Maureen commented on one book after another. But more than just repeating what she has in her book, Maureen did a great job of "playing to her audience" by keeping the flow going, by responding to questions or comments lobbed in the chat window, by generally giving us her "full monty" from the comforts of our own homes. I was surprised how quickly the technology took backstage to the presentation and it was almost as if she were in my living room giving the talk!

Walter Crawford, the brains behind the Homeschool Connection idea has partnered with Maureen to increase the number of webinars, making them all free. Additionally, the team is devising on-line classes for high school and middle school students. The first course will be a government course taught by the head of the Michigan pro-life committee! Check out the Homeschool Connection website for further information ....

All the webinars are now free, thanks to some amazing homeschool resource suppliers. For instance, the webinar on Wednesday was sponsored by Love2Learn.net and Margot at Hillside Education gave away THREE one-year subscriptions to her amazing Catholic homeschool quarterly, mater et magistra. I'm proud to say that I write the handcrafts column for this beautifully edited one-of-a-kind magazine!

In addition, you can actually download past webinars (including the one I attended), and you can replay it at your leisure. You'll get not only the presentation but you'll also have the actual "chat room" text that occured at the same time. You can save the webinar to your computer and replay it whenever you feel the need to spunk up your home-education adventure.

I love this stuff!

Conferences: Webinar tonight ...

2009-03-04T05:36:00.003-05:00

Will you join me tonight ... grab a cup of tea, a pad and paper and your headphones and let's listen to Maureen help us to teach Art and Music with REALLLLLL books! The webinar starts at 7:30 (central, so 8:30 p.m. eastern) and you still have time to register for this FREE conference.

Hope to see you there.

Real Revolution: great books for fun learning

2009-03-02T16:28:00.006-05:00

Many times when we're doing history, I use the shot-gun approach for compiling resources. I head to my library's web-site and search for specific event or time in history and see what books, videos, or audiobooks our library might have. The treasure trove of books and videos discovered in this way outdistances the few duds that sound great but are ... well, less than living!

For our recent Revolution study, here are the resources we found particularly useful and fun:

BOOKS:
Allen, Thomas B. -- George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War is a great chapter book (or read-aloud) that talks about all the covert activities (on both sides) developed or honed during the American Revolution. Very cool and lots of great rabbit trails for code-making, invisible ink and other fun topics.
Forbes, Esther – Johnny Tremain: A Story of Boston in Revolt is a wonderful glimpse at colonial life just before and during the revolution. Johnny is a silversmith apprentice who gets involved with helping the revolution along.
Fritz, Jean – And then what happened, Paul Revere? (a great short read-aloud about the life of Paul Revere, his famous ride and his last years)
Fritz, Jean – What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin? (overview of Ben’s life with lots of details about his experiments, eccentricities and environment)
Fritz, Jean – Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? (interesting biography of the most noticeable name on the Declaration of Independence; Hancock is portrayed as being amazingly self-centered and always seeking vainglory)
Fritz, Jean – Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? (a great short read-aloud about King George III’s life and why he was so tenacious about the colonies)
Fritz, Jean – George Washington’s Breakfast (an inquisitive little boy named after the first President wonders what GW ate for breakfast – interesting linking of facts about GW and the how and why to seek information)
Fritz, Jean – Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? (biography of Patrick Henry’s life and what was happening on his birthday throughout American history – very readable and enjoyable)
Fritz, Jean – Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? (biography of Sam Adams who never rode a horse so he could harangue people he met about the Brits and how America needed to stand up to England; very interesting twist for why he finally deigns to ride a horse)
Fritz, Jean – Shhh! We’re Writing the Constitution (drier than most Fritz books, this one covers the in-fighting and arguments leading up to the writing of the Constitution; goes into which states ratified and which didn’t
Harness, Cheryl – George Washington (longer picture book that tells great and interesting facts about the 1st president; lots of great information and details that include his great love for Martha and his duty and honor.)
Harness, Cheryl – The Revolutionary John Adams (longer picture book that tells great and interesting facts about this 2nd president of the United States. Excellent illustrations, information and fun to read!).
Harness, Cheryl – Thomas Jefferson (longer picture book that tells the background of Jefferson’s life from birth to death. Very interesting with great pictures and fun facts on this 3rd president of the United States.
Maestro, Betsy & Giulio – Liberty or Death: The American Revolution 1763-1783 (longer than a picture book, this is a great overview of the skirmishes and battles that added up to the American Revolution … from the “shot heard round the world” to the surrender at Yorktown. This is a great overview with lots of detailed maps and information about all the players in this pivotal world-event.)
Ransom, Candice – Time Spies: Secret in the Tower is a third or fourth grade reading level chapter book that tells the story of three siblings who go back in time to help deliver an important message to George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown. This is a cute story that reads well and gives some great information. At the end of the book, the author encourages the reader to try out invisible ink and code writing. Very fun story!
Schanzer, Rosalyn – George vs George: The American Revolution as seen from both sides (longer-than-a-picture book explanation of the war, and what led up to it and what happened after, from both the British view and the American view. The taxes don’t seem so unreasonable when explained from the British side!)
VIDEOS/DVDs:
Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (A&E original dvd) – points out the problem Arnold had with pride (and a bit of a chip on his shoulder) as the reason for his switching sides during the Revolution. Kelsey Grammer does a great job as George Washington … once Arnold’s mentor then his enemy.
Founding Brothers: Vol 1 and Vol 2 (History Channel dvd) – the wheelings and dealings and personalities of America’s founding fathers featuring Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton and others. Excellent series!
John & Abigail Adams (PBS dvd) – part movie, part documentary, this DVD does a great job of showing the public and private side of the Adamses … from pre-Revolution through the early years of the new Country. Excellent!
Johnny Tremain (Disney) – although not as good as the book, this movie does a good job of showing just what the Sons of Liberty did to help encourage our nation’s independence. This is a classic when Disney was still trying to stay pretty close to the original story. A favorite around here although the “Liberty Tree” song will be on your lips for many weeks after watching!
Liberty Kids (PBS dvd) – series of animated adventures with three kids and a free-Black man who all work for Ben Franklin’s newspaper; they report on all the events leading up to and thru the revolution. Very well done with some amazing voices (incl Walter Cronkite as Franklin and Dustin Hoffman as Benedict Arnold).
National Treasure (Disney dvd) – a fictionalized account using the legend that many of the Nation’s founders were Masons and thus privy to the hiding of the amassed treasure; a great, Indiana Jones-type movie (without the sex and not too much violence) that tells a great story, linking bits of American history of the late 1700s.
Rebels and Redcoats: How Britain Lost America (PBS dvd) – a British military historian (Richard Holmes) gives a very different view of the American Revolution – that from the British view. Many of the “sacred cows” of the Revolution (George Washington, especially) get short shrift during this interesting four-part mini-series. Definitely something to watch to encourage discussion and to debate some of the realities of the Revolution.
Saving the National Treasures (NOVA dvd) – great documentary about the restoration/preserving processes needed to keep the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Bill of Rights viewable but safe for centuries. Lots of great historical details of why, how and when these were written.

We've now moved on to the New Nation period -- basically 1787-1850s -- when the Nation quickly grew and experienced the benefits (immigration, expansion, exploration) and pitfalls (labor issues, slave vs free, self-government, international wars). We have found a wonderful book ... one I've never seen mentioned anywhere ... that is really a fun read-along for this period. Book of the New American Nation is short stories, diary excerpts, activities and games and other tidbits of information that help the kids love learning this era.

For instance, we learned about a woman, Elizabeth Trist, a friend of Thomas Jefferson's who traveled down the Ohio and Mississippi from Pittsburgh to Natchez to meet her husband. Excerpts of Mrs. Trist's diary highlight the silly and sometimes scary events that occur along her trip down on a flat-boat. Book of the New American Nation gives directions for making a flat-boat as well as directions for a fun "board" game of taking the trip downriver. The kids now understand the geography of the rivers, the potential hazards and generally "lived" the river trip through this very simple game.

So, now we're off to explore the New Nation ... we'll post the books and other resources we find along our route!

SNOW DAY! March version

2009-03-02T11:56:00.003-05:00

Well it seems March is going to roar in like a lion ... last night (Sunday) the snow and wind and cold started and it's still snowing and blowing a bit now, at noon on Monday!

Here's what we woke up to:

Quite a bit of the cold, wet stuff here in Virginia -- so much in fact the Federal Govt even had a late-start! I guess String Bean and Bam-Bam were right -- wearing pj's backwards the night before = snow day!

We're all home, cozy and warm, with plenty of food and things to keep us busy .... so we're having some fun today with no worrying about family on the road or having to get to or from somewhere.

Prayers for all those who had to drive somewhere today ... may they soon be back with their families and friends, drinking warm drinks and enjoying the weather inside.

It's not looking too good for out and about tomorrow either ...

Birthdays: String Bean turns 9!

2009-03-01T21:19:00.003-05:00

While the little ones are upstairs praying for tons of snow ... and we just might get it (and thus, a snow day as dad and Kotch will be home!) ... I am remembering 9 years ago when our little String Bean was born.

She missed being born on the Millenial Leap-day by hours ... and boy, was that delivery room crowded with multiple births, first-time births and little ol' me who just about blue-lined with too much epidural (and, to add insult to injury, the anethesiologist had NO sense of humor). Once I gave birth, they shoved me off to a disused wing and put me in a room that was cannibalized for other rooms (that is, dh had no chair to sit in when he came to visit) because I was an "experienced" mom ... and it was fine because I had another perfect little daughter who was so beautiful and always smiling.

And, nine years later, she is still always smiling. She loves her family so much that yesterday, when she and I went for a "ladies' day", she insisted we get something for everyone so "no one will feel bad when I open my presents". She spent WEEKS making dh a book about her life that brings tears to dh's eyes each time he looks at it (!). She picked out the perfect earring set for Kotch -- three pairs of cool turtles, Kotch's new "animal"; a set of poker cards/chips for 10-yo LegoManiac and a really cool Baseball Blast game for BamBam.

String Bean did get lots of nice treats of her own ... including a Baton Rouge phone call from her big brother and an email from her big sister at Georgia Southern, flowers from Dad, a light sabre from LegoManiac and a really cool Garden Fairies in a Box set from Kotch.

Oh, and the rabbit she's hugging so tightly is a Build-a-Bear Workshop cutie she "made" herself when we were having our Mommy/String Bean day yesterday. She also picked out The Lost Files of Nancy Drew and the Nancy Drew Pocketbook Mysteries (which includes the first two ND books in a case that becomes a pocketbook -- how cool is that?)

It's still snowing, the kids are sleeping and it looks like String Bean and the kiddoes will have a day to enjoy all the wonderful things we did on her 9th birthday!

Happy Birthday, dear girl and may God continue to bless you abundantly!

Conferences: now this is even better!

2009-02-28T10:14:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week, I posted about Homeschool Connections' webinars. Yesterday, we got even better news about these "in your pajamas" conferences ... from now on they'll be FREE! Yep, FREE as in no fee, no cost, no money ... just great information and wonderful speakers.

And to ice the cake a bit more ... and even though this is Lent, this is the kind of sweet deal we can all enjoy ... the powers that be over at Homeschool Connections have decided to add high school and middle school lectures (which will cost a minimal fee) for those of us home-schooling those ages (or wanting to supplement our in-school kids).

Check out Maureen's blog for more information about the changes happening and "see" y'all on Wednesday for her talk on Teaching Art and Music with Real Books (pj's always optional!). The site is still showing a $10 fee, but that should be put to $0.00 later today.

Mardi Gras: celebration and surprise

2009-02-24T20:31:00.005-05:00

Today is Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day and Shrove Tuesday. This is the day that the Roman Catholic calendar marks the end of Ordinary Time and switches to Lent, which starts tomorrow.

Today is always a fun day around here because of the "need" to eat up, drink up and basically finish up all the non-Lenten goodies.

We don't HAVE to do this ... but it makes for a great reason to have pancakes for dinner! Tonight I made a recipe recommended by Jenn over at Feast & Feria -- this is a recipe for "Irish Potato Pancakes" but really, the pancakes come out much like normal pancakes with grated potato to add bulk. We served them with homemade applesauce, butter and sugar, and Jimmy Dean sausages. Ice cream, a movie and Jane Brocket's Fruity Rock Buns finished off the evening.

I slightly changed the original recipe -- we didn't have buttermilk in the house so I used milk and plain yogurt; they were amazing! Here's the recipe (with my changes noted):

Irish Potato Pancakes (also known as Boxty)
2-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups buttermilk (I used 2 cups milk and 1 cup plain yogurt)
1 cup freshly grated raw potato (I used 2 medium potatoes)
2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS
Mix and sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat eggs slightly in large bowl; stir in buttermilk. Stir in dry ingredients, mixing just until blended (batter will be slightly lumpy). Stir in grated potato, butter or margarine, and vanilla. Ladle batter, a scant 1/4 cup for each pancake, onto greased heated griddle. Bake 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbles cover the top and underside is golden; turn; bake 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve at once, with plenty of butter. Sprinkle generously with sugar, as the Irish do. Makes 3 dozen 4-inch pancakes.

Recipe Source: Cook's Blessings, The by Demetria Taylor, Random House, New York, 1965

The Fruity Rock Buns from Jane Brocket's book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity, always seem to just make very large cookies. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong ... maybe the butter is too soft? Anyway, they taste sensational and the family doesn't mind that they're cookies instead of "buns" ... so c'est la vie! Here's the recipe in case you'd like to try them too:

Fruity Rock Buns (makes 12)

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup candied fruit
Finely grate lemon
1 large egg
1-2 tbls milk

Preheat oven to 375
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the sugar and then the butter. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and feels sandy. Stir in the fruit and rind.

Whisk the egg and 1 tbls of milk together. Add to dry mix and mix quickly with a fork. If the mixture is too dry add a little more milk; it should be a stiffish dough.

Using your hands, pile the mixture into 12 even “rocks” on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack and eat while still just warm.

The surprise was from the mailman ... thanks to a wonderful friend on 4real, I received ... not one, not two, but THREE gorgeous knitting books. Seems she's moving and she thought I'd enjoy the books. Is she kidding? An Alice Starmore that I used to own ... but gave away in one of my many moves; and TWO Kaffe Fasset books that are simply eye-candy for knitters! Wow! I couldn't believe my "haul". Can't wait to delve into them and start planning my next knitting project.

What a sweetie ... and now I'll need to think of some suitable knitterly gift to send to my online pal!

Tomorrow ... Lent 2009 starts. I'm excited about this Lent. I am so ready this year to really "get into it". I started by attending tonight the first of a 7-week, 1-hour theology course given at dh's school. I've got my Lenten readings all worked out, a calendar is posted to help us walk this journey, and we'll try to make it to daily Mass and bi-monthly confession. We have so much to be thankful for ... and so much to pray for ... that this Lent will be quite a blessed time for our whole family.

I pray that your Lent 2009 is fruitful and blessed!

Conferences: How cool is this?

2009-02-23T11:56:00.004-05:00

How can you hear GREAT speakers on all kinds of different subjects and never leave the comfort of your home, even if you're in your pajamas?

Check out Homeschool Connections for the latest in technology: webinars!

I want to sign-up to listen to Maureen Wittmann talk about How to Teach Art and Music Appreciation with Real Books. I'm so excited as this is just how I love to teach -- using real (that is, NOT twaddle) -- to pass on information to my lovely children. The live broadcast is scheduled for March 4th and only costs $10 for 90 minutes of Maureen! How cool is THAT?

To sweeten the deal a bit, Margot Davidson, the publisher of mater et magistra Catholic homeschool magazine, will be giving away TWO free subscriptions during the webinar.

So what are you waiting for? Join me at home -- pajamas are allowed!

Check out the Homeschool Connections website for other webinars -- live or recorded, free or minimal cost -- and enjoy hearing wonderful Catholic homeschool speakers in the comfort of your own home.