2009: Blog Year in Review

O God, the beginning and the end of all things, Who art always the same, and Whose years fail not, we now, at the close of another year, kneel in adoration before Thee, and offer Thee our deepest thanks for the fatherly care with which Thou has watched over us during the past, for the many times Thou hast protected us from evils of soul and body, and for the numberless blessings, both temporal and spiritual, which Thou hast showered upon us. May it please Thee to accept the homage of our grateful hearts which we offer Thee in union with the infinite thanksgiving of Thy divine Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with Thee liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen.

With the first month of last year, we celebrated life as we always do...celebrating a birthday. This year it's looking more and more like a LEGO party is in order what with the opening of our very own LEGO store although Ranger's Apprentice is still a beloved theme that is making the rounds of the family.

February is such a short month with so much to celebrate. St. Blaise, St. Josephine, Our Lady of Lourdes, Presidents Day and St. Valentine's Day. Also in February, our Doggie Adventures began with a cocker named Wyatt. BigBoy has come a long way in conquering his fear of dogs since then. Maybe 2010 will be the year we bring a puppy home to stay. February also brings Lent in one way or another. Time to start preparing to prepare!

March is usually the month for tempests both physical and emotional and last year was no different. Weather systems clashing tend to only be the backdrop for ideas clashing and while thunderstorms rage, tempers tend to as well. Sigh. I think I'll choose to remember St. Joseph and the soda bread!

April= ALLELUIA, fun with Easter eggs and St. George. Whoo hoo!

April showers bring May flowers, back to back birthdays and crownings!

June found us making piggy cupcakes and Trinity cookies and Sacred Heart cheesecake and a fun little reminder of the liturgical year for our littlest one. We also remembered our biggest little loss and felt that pain all over again.

In July, we celebrated independence, St. Anne, a joyful reunion, and the discovery of new musical genius! But all of that paled in comparison to the way this awe-inspiring family celebrated the brief life of their little one.

While the flowers outside were waning in the sizzling sun, our August was full of new life. New life here on earth, new lives blooming within their vocations and new lives in Heaven.

September began with our small efforts to soothe a friend's immense pain. We learned that as much as it hurts, life insists on trudging on even when you want to cover your head and hide. We know through faith and the example of our Savior that much can be gained from suffering. We were honored to share a tiny bit of this family's heroic suffering as an example of strength and faith.

October blogging was dominated by our trips down the Alphabet Path and a major bathroom renovation.

November started with a loss (of a furry friend), a gain (of the use of our bathroom, again), a puppy party and ended with the beginning of a glorious season of preparation.

Here we are at the end of December, what more is there to say? It's all still so fresh in my mind that I feel silly pointing it out... snow (the good, the bad and the ugly), prayers, candies, cookies, and creating new traditions. I know that these memories will fade as new times usurp old. I hope the new moments bring us closer together and old ones remain tucked away in our heart!

Thank you for sharing this year with us and for allowing us to share it with you!

Gone to the Dogs

One of the things we have been working on is healing hearts that are still feeling the loss of a short lived friendship. Husband and I have been trying to find ways for the children to enjoy some furry friends that are comfortable and positive (and not in our home). One of our most favorite attempts thus far was heading out to a local dog show. Please pardon the pictures. I left my camera at home and only had my cell phone with me. These pictures were actually taken quite a few weeks ago, but just now got transferred to the computer to share.

He was just being silly, I couldn't resist. Considering he is our most afraid, BigBoy was very brave with all of those doggies roaming around.

Shortcake's first request was a picture of a real St. Bernard! Done.

Then a beagle that looked just like her webkinz, Samantha.

Sunshine prefers the fluffier dogs, you know... Bichon Frise, Pomeranian, Poodle, you get the idea!

BigBoy admired the Huskies from a far. They do have an acutely intense stare!

It really was a wonderful family activity. There was something there for everyone and the people were very friendly. They could tell we were homeschoolers since it was a Friday and no one had a problem with that. They actually seemed pretty excited to see people who had just come to watch. Everyone else was there to show, I guess.

On the first day, I took the kids by myself and warned the girls all the way there not to expect to get to pet any dogs. I've seen Best in Show, I know what those people are like! (Just kidding.) I wanted them to understand that the show dogs were there for looks, not touching. Well, we got an education, in a good way. Along with the show trials, they also had obedience trials. Most of these dogs are therapy dogs and being around people actually calms them down and makes them behave better. Their handlers were begging us to come and pet them. My girls were in heaven!

Since obedience trials are not breed specific, their urges to cuddle were indulged by a Standard Poodle, Boston Terrier, Weimaraner, Saint Bernard, King Charles Spaniel and two very sweet Golden Retrievers who were as dark auburn as their *Minnesota twin. Hazel and Trigger's owners were incredibly friendly and chatty and gave us quite an education on the breed (Shortcake's favorite now, I'll tell you why later) including why there are so many variations in color. Apparently, since Irish Setters were used in the development of the breed, along with Flat Coated Retreiver, some Bloodhound, and the now extinct light-colored Tweed Water Spaniel, they can vary in color from light blond to auburn. (Personally, I think the auburns are the prettiest! It's the Irish comin out, ay Maggie?)

Husband took the girls back on Saturday which turned out to be Shortcake's best day ever! While they were watching the retriever trials, one of the handlers who had finished showing sat beside them and asked what kind of dog we owned. (We got that question a lot!) The girls asked to pet the dog named Sapphire and she obliged while Husband explained our greyhound disaster to the lady who seemed genuinely interested. When he told her about the attack, she asked which daughter had been bitten. He pointed to Shortcake. At that moment, Sapphire, very sweetly, very gently, gave Shortcake a hug. Her velvet paws wrapped around my girl's waist and a fluffy head, pressed itself to her chest. That day, a bond was formed, a heart was healed and forgiveness was complete.

Did I mention there is another show coming up soon? Guess who'll be there!

*Baseball reference just to make Husband smile!

Christ with us

Thank you all for your kind words. While the rational part of my brain knows that we certainly tried hard enough to get to Mass on Christmas to fulfill our holy day obligation, the emotional side had a hard time accepting that the weather kept us away. Like I said, "This IS Texas!" It just doesn't happen... except that, I guess it does.

So, taking the beautiful advice you all so lovingly offered, I spent some time contemplating the ways in which He came to us this Christmas....

First, by not being at Mass at 6 or 8, we were able to help my father navigate through the treacherous highways of the DFW area. Had he traveled the usual path, he would have ended up stuck on two separate sections of highway that were shut down in both directions. His 6 hour trip might have stretched into 8 easily. Did I mention that he has a heart problem?

The kind help of a sweet sister in Christ earlier in the week resulted in a bubbling hot pot of perfect gumbo on my stove which I quickly ladled up for my still shaking, starving father. He sucked it down without comment or complaint which was quite a compliment! You must understand that my father does a lot of cooking himself and usually peppers the meals I prepare for him with helpful advice on how to make it better next time. ; ) Not only was he grateful for the gumbo, but he thought it was so delicious, he announced he was going to have it for breakfast in the morning!

I already mentioned that the roads were so bad that we all decided it best that my dad and his wife stay with us instead of of trekking to the hotel. His guardian angel had already had enough of a workout! We offered them a comfortable bed and a glass of wine to calm their nerves. It was our own little Las Posadas. A simple gesture, but this way, my father got to enjoy his grandchildren's delight on Christmas morning for the first time ever. The excitement, the magic, the squeals of surprise! He saw it all... and smiled all the way to his eyes!

Lastly, when we were in the back of church with Shortcake, I glimpsed in her eyes some of my own fears and anxieties. One of the only consolations to spending hour after hour awake struggling with a panic attack or some other kind of anxiety is the idea that some day, maybe, what you learn from those wakeful hours can be used to help make someone else's struggle easier. So when I looked into those chocolate brown eyes, the perfect mirror of mine, and saw those familiar feelings of agitation and distress, I whispered a quiet "thank you". Thank you, Lord, for those hours of angst. Thank you, for the gift of that burden.

As a parent, it hurts to not understand what your child is going through. It can cause frustration, irritation, even contempt. Understanding is a gift and what better gift for a parent than to grasp their child's burden.

You can't always take those burdens away, but a sympathetic parent tends to focus less on being a pillar of strength and uses her efforts to create a soft, warm place to rest. Thank you, Lord, for all your gifts however imperfectly received.

Somehow or other, it came just the same.

It wasn't the Christmas I expected. I'll even dare to say... wanted. But Christmas it was.

We planned and prepared all Advent long. We worked toward and fought against and waited in joyful hope. And then... the Grinch with his bony fingers and sneering face came and took it all away. That's how it felt. So there was a choice to be made. I could pout and cry and scream Boo Hoo... or I could hold my family and sing. We tried to sing. Squeaky, small voices, weary and battered. We tried.

We planned to go to our regular, beautiful, quiet, least crowded Mass on Christmas morning. Christmas morning at the Abbey with all of the monks we love, sleepy though they be from Midnight Mass before (which begins at midnight, of course!). It's warm and happy. No rushing around, no squeezing in. But Old Man Winter had a different plan. After seeing the weather forecast we knew our plans would need to change. We looked at the Mass schedule for the church closest by that required no bridges, no overpasses to travel over. 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. We were watching the roads carefully as our guests were still on their way. Yes, our guests! My father and his wife we coming to spend the night with us and the road conditions were making their 4 hour trip stretch into more. We missed the 4pm Mass.

We gave up hope of going to church with our loved ones still crawling toward us and thought we could try for the 6 by ourselves. Husband decided to test the roads alone first. He made it about 5 blocks before having to turn around. The wind and blowing snow made visibility none existent.

We tried again for 8 hoping that the winds might have calmed down enough. They hadn't. 40 mph with 60 mph gusts. That's a blizzard isn't it? This time, he made it only a few blocks before almost colliding with someone sliding through a four way stop. Neither of them could stop but thankfully, there was space between them.

At 9:30pm, my father finally arrived in his diesel truck with monster tires and 4 wheel drive. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT," he commanded. Very seldom have I seen my father afraid of the road. His face was as white as the snow still whipping around us.

4, 6, 8, 10 or midnight had been our goal. We gave up the hope of welcoming Our Lord that night and went to sleep on a saggy air mattress in the spare room hoping that by unexpectedtly giving our bed to the guests who couldn't make it to the Holiday Inn, we might all be able to meet at the stable in the morning. 10pm or noon was our new wish.

Before 10 the next morning, Husband climbed into the cab of the mighty machine with 4 wheel drive and locking hubs and held on as my father who has never caved to elements before tried to travel the distance between us and our hope. He got stuck at the bottom of the driveway. The hill in front of our house was a sheet of ice. Our hope for 10 was gone.

12 o'clock was our last chance. Spanish Mass! We didn't care! We were going to be there!!! Once more, 2 Dads ventured out hoping to blaze the trail for us and came back defeated. The tall trees we love to gaze upon as fall changes to winter and then bursts into spring were holding the sun back, keeping the hill and streets shaded from the sun's warm fingers. We desperately longed for the Son, but would have to be content with "Not this year."

Now, for those of you reading this in places that are used to the cold and fluffy white bounty of winter, let me just explain... our only shovel is pointed and does a wonderful job digging holes. Salt? Why yes, there is a sweet little girl holding an umbrella on this container right here. Is that enough? Sand? We like it on our beaches very much, why would we keep some in the garage? The weather men were reporting that this kind of weather has negatively impacted Christmas Eve and Day travel only 12 times in the last 168 years. This is Texas after all!

Around 2pm, the temperature was warm enough to turn the ice to slush, but there was no Mass to be found. Or so we thought.

My BIL called and mentioned that they were heading out to the Latin Mass. Latin Mass? LATIN MASS!!! We haven't been in years, but we could make it. Our guests had left and everyone was still in the beautiful clothes I made them put on 8 o'clock that morning, just in case! We piled in the car, crunching over the once treacherous glaze with relative ease. Over bridge, over ramp, we made it with time to spare! We sat, happy and warm in an unfamiliar church, waiting for an unfamiliar Mass, but all expecting that very familiar person we had come to see. Him. He was coming. We had made it.

As the voices of the choir gently drifted down from the loft above sweetly singing of angels, I wanted to spend the next half hour in prayer thanking God and waiting for Mass to begin. I fiddled for my rosary and looked over at my beautiful family. Shortcake was crying. Huh? Husband took her to the back to find out what was wrong. Just a little over tired, for sure!

They were back. He nodded his head reassuringly. She was fine. The choir was on to another hymn. BigBoy was playing with my rosary pouch. Shortcake burst into tears again. This time, I took her back. Calm words, comforting hugs. She is my most emotional one and sensitive to music. Poor dear, just like her mama used to be at that age. One sappy song and I was sunk! More soft words, more reassurances, more hugs. Back to the pew. Calm sweet girl, sitting next to me.

Another song. Surely Mass would begin soon! The water works begin again. Back to the back. This time... consoling, imploring, even begging. Could you just make it through Mass? Please. I'll stay in the back with you if you'd like. It would be the best Christmas gift you could give us. (Guilt? you might cry. You used guilt? Yep. I was desperate!) Mass had started now. We could do this. Duck in quickly to tell Husband I was going to hold down the fort in the back. He was in command of the forces in the pew. We couldn't sit together, but we could do this!

In the back, she and I hunkered down. No chairs, no benches, no heat. No problem! Sit on my coat honey and just try your best! It's OK! Really, it's OK!

"Mom, my tummy doesn't feel good."




You know what came next, right?




SIGH

We left.

She made it home with a box that once held cookies for the BIL's family we hoped to visit with after Mass tucked underneath her chin. It had a snowman on it with a hat that said "Believe!" Why does that strike me as funny now? (Don't worry BIL family, we'll find a new box for your treats.) She also had a rotten headache and really dark circles under her eyes. No fever. I suspect a sinus migraine. She was fine this morning.

Husband and I looked at each other last night, after everyone was tucked in bed. We tried, we sighed sadly. We certainly tried.

Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope you are all holding each other close and singing too!

Seriously?

Do we dare to dream of a White Christmas?

Today: Snow and widespread blowing snow before noon, then snow likely and widespread blowing snow after noon. Temperature falling to around 31 by 5pm. Windy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to between 30 and 35 mph. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Beautiful Wall Calendars

I just had to share this with all of you who might not have your 2010 calendars yet. I usually like to get mine early so that I can spend part of the Christmas break transferring names and anniversaries but it hasn't always happened that ideally.

This year, I ordered one from Aquinas and More and one from Saints Galore. I like to have two...one for the school room and one for the kitchen. And I also like to have both the Tridentine and the Novus Ordo calendar all together in one and at my fingertips. Both of these calendars offer that feature!

The first is called The Beauty of Grace: Calendar of Indulgences. It is chocked full of opportunities for indulgences including prayers, feast days and novenas. Each month's picture is of a different church in Germany with the exception of Our Holy Father's birth month in which you get to see his place of birth. Kinda cool! My only complaint, which isn't really one, is that this calendar is very busy. (Aren't all of our calendars! Tee hee!) But that's only because it has so much information in it. If you are looking for a peaceful, meditative, day keeping device, this might not be the best choice for you. I still think it is lovely and look forward to learning something new every month!

The next one from Saints Galore is really beautiful and still has lots of wonderful information in it, but seems less crowded. The monthly pictures are a colorful feast for the eyes. I adore the small little pictures that grace the day boxes of certain feast days. Christ the King on Christ the King or a sweet image of the Visitation on July 2nd. There is still room to write in these boxes, but the picture does take up some space. If you use your wall calendar as a day planner, you might be frustrated by the lost space. I think there is still plenty of room to write down birthdays and anniversaries and maybe even a little reminder or two. Sadly, it looks like these calendars are completely sold out, but the website says they might be able to locate a third party retailer for you. They also offer information on pre-ordering for next year.


P.S. In the interest of full disclosure, I was not compensated for these reviews. I purchased both items of my own accord and wanted to share them with you. My husband and I went to college with the Rutherfords who own Aquinas and More and while we consider them dear friends, that has not affected my opinion of this product or how cute I think their kids are! : )

Fiat Lux

Beautiful, sparkling, clean white light brings peace and calm. Candlelight, twinkling stars, moonlight bouncing off new winter snow. We want reminders of this beauty that was created out of nothing by the Creator who is everything. It is soft to our hardened hearts, it is uncluttered to our littered thoughts, it is clean to our dirty souls.But in this world, nothing is as it seems. This fallen world, this ugly world. The illusions of perfection are only tricks of the eye choosing to see what it wants to.

A candle...clean, clear and bright. A shining warm white light in the darkness. So my eye sees.

An entire rainbow of colors contained it that small little flame...yellow, green, blue, red and violet. Looking closely my eye can see if it chooses, cool blue, warm reddish orange, sunny yellow and finally, the white that burns into my memory.
The stars above, twinkling and winking, so old and wise, looking down and softly chuckling at the babes peeking up. Little white pinpricks in a blanket of dark. White? Red dwarfs, blue giants, yellow suns, the faintest white and even brown.

It is an amazement to most children reconciling art and science, how the water cup quickly turns muddy gray when cleaning shades of blue and red and yellow from the paintbrush, but the prism reveals white to be the bearer of the rainbow. When we think of light, we want white to be clean and simple, but it isn't. A tool can break it down and sort it out so that each individual element is exposed. In my life of busy schedules and frantic days, I wish for that peace, that lumping together, that blending of colors to make one. It feels controlled and ordered. One is so much easier than many. Yet many and varied, is what the Lord has made.
Colorfully created is this world. Pink sunsets, red leaves, blue skies, green fields. What I see as clean and pure is truly the whole family of colors that God has made. It hurts to sort it out. It hurts to examine, like my soul hurts when scrutinizing my sins one by one. It's easier to lump. Lump and dump and move on. I like that very much.

A child sees God's palette and delights in it. They do not yet have the baggage, the extra burdens, the impossible To-do's, the never ending lists. They see each shade as enchanting. It captivates and charms them.These colored things are magical to a child. It is the color that makes them magical in a world so long bored with electric switches and cords and plugs. Electric glow is no new thing to them, it happens everyday, but color still fascinates their innocent eyes. And while I crave the clean, the crisp and the uncluttered, my soul aches to delight in this season with the eyes of a child... and in the only pure and holy Light worth fighting for.

Ideas for the 12 Days of Christmas

Reposted from last year as a reminder to myself. Do you have any fun ideas for celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas?

Ruth had a great idea and my brain just couldn't leave it alone. She came up with gifts to give to represent the 12 days of Christmas. I thought I would try to focus on incorporating the 12 Days of Christmas song into a menu plan. It's too late for this year but I wanted to record it here to give myself a better chance of remembering it next year. I tried to avoid desserts since we don't need any help in that department this time of year but some just couldn't be helped. Feel free to add your suggestions below:

First day of Christmas: Anything with pears, how about~Poached Orange Pears

Second Day of Christmas: Chocolate Turtle Brownie Pie or Turtle Bean Soup (not sure I am up to Mock Turtle Soup)

Third Day of Christmas: French Egg and Bacon Sandwich or simply Egg Salad

Fourth Day of Christmas: Bird’s Nest Egg Salad or Bird’s Nest Pie

Fifth Day of Christmas: Onion Rings or Cinnamon Coffee Ring

Sixth Day of Christmas: If you don't feel like cooking a goose how about toast or English muffins with gooseberry jam

Seventh Day of Christmas: probably more involved that the other recipes but sooooo cute~ Swan Crème Puffs

Eighth Day of Christmas: milkshakes, of course!

Ninth Day of Christmas: Dancing Chicken on the Grill or Dancing Lemonade Chicken if you don't have beer on hand (don't forget Dancing Spaghetti~ this is a science experiment)

Tenth Day of Christmas: Lord Baltimore Cake or you could make Lord Woolton Pie. If you do, please tell me what "swedes" are. (Melanie B discovered that swedes are rutabagas or yellow turnips!)

Eleventh Day of Christmas: You could make your own Pirouette cookies (they look like little pipes) or let Pepperidge Farm make them for you and serve with piping hot cocoa!

Twelfth Day of Christmas: Oven Fried Chicken Drumsticks or any other drumstick recipe

Husband and I had lots of fun looking up recipes and tossing around ideas. We found it funny that just about every character in the song could be made into an alcoholic beverage. Turtle Punch anyone? No? How about a Hot Piper?

O Oriens

O Dawn of the East, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

We had a delightful O Antiphon breakfast... for lunch. My act wasn't quite together enough to head off the starving tummies that awoke today. Even though it was lunch, the children still enjoyed their Texas Sunrises complete with sunrise orange slices!

I can't believe that Advent is almost over! Hope you are all enjoying a peaceful close to this expectant season!

Martha Who?

I have been trying to savor and really meditate on the thoughts Ann is sharing and her challenge to be a womb, a dwelling place for God, this Christmas. And while a womb ultimately stretches in painful and scarring ways, when it is first dwelled in, it starts out so small, almost undetectable... then a little flutter. We too should remember to start small....

Martha Stewart soooooo does not live here!!!

Yesterday, we made a gingerbread house to celebrate the second O Antiphon. Making gingerbread houses with my children is a total act of love and sacrifice tiny though it may be. My perfectionist nature tends to like things organized and planned (and ultimately pretty) and if I can't have that, then I want nothin' at all! My kids like to stick random gummy bears on the side of the house for no good reason. That doesn't gel now does it?We didn't use to do these kinds of activities because I couldn't deal with the mess they created both on the gingerbread house and in my house. But motherhood is all about dying to self in so many little ways, isn't it? And the gingerbread house became an opportunity for me to let go and let them have fun. Learning to appreciate the beauty of their delight, I noticed it then spilled over their creation with a radiant glow. I could not match that.In the past, I have always purchased ready-made kits but being a worry wart, I never let the children eat their creation because of the fear that the ready-made royal icing might have raw egg whites in it (which most royal icing does unless you make it with meringue powder). See, a completely sane person would have just made her family new royal icing with the meringue powder she has sitting in her cabinet. : )

Did you know that you can use melted white chocolate instead of royal icing? You did? Well, why didn't you tell me? It firms up just as hard and as quick as royal icing. We cut out the pieces plus some decorative extras that they requested, baked them and then I saw to the construction of the house. I always do the construction because I insist that while it doesn't have to be perfect, it does have to stand! The children then used regular old canned frosting to glue the decorations on.

Shortcake asked for some furniture inside the house so we made a bed and a little corner shelf out of hearts. She decorated the bed with a marshmallow quilt and gum drop pillows and a tiny gummy teddy bear. I think this is my favorite part!!!
BigBoy wanted to decorate the tree which was a three sided piece that could stand on it's own.
He also helped with the smoke on the chimney.
My only contribution to the decoration... the icicles. I love icicles!!!
And the Pillsbury dough boy. Isn't he adorable? My grandmother use to tease that he was her secret boyfriend! We made some traditional looking gingerbread men to live in our cozy little cottage, but this guy just looked so much more joyful and excited to be here. I hope he's just as excited when the demolition crew takes over!

A Wonderful Misunderstanding

Husband (enthusiastically): Let's watch It's a Wonderful Life.

The Professor (skeptically): A Wonderful Wife? What...is it about a guy who gets married?

BigBoy (whispering reverently): And she cooks all of the food that children love!

O Wisdom

O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come, and teach us the way of prudence.

Come, O divine Wisdom, give us the true knowledge and the taste for what is eternal and divine. Inspire us with a thirst for God's holy will, help us seek God's guidance and direction, enlighten us in the teachings of the holy gospel, make us submissive to Thy holy Church. Strengthen us in the forgetfulness of self, and help us to resign ourselves to a position of obscurity if that be Thy holy will. Detach our hearts from resurgent pride. Give us wisdom that we may understand that "but one thing is necessary" (Luke 10:42). "For what doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?" (Matt. 16:26.) The Holy Spirit would have us know that one degree of grace is worth more than all worldly possessions.

~from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

Another December Rose

Jessica's sweet little one is here!!! "Rose" was born at 11:49 last night at 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 inches long with dark black hair like her big brother. What a perfect little Christmas gift!!!

O Antiphon Activities

I love Jessica's ideas for celebrating each day of the O Antiphons with something that represents the Antiphon of the day. I wanted to share a few variations that I came up with that differ just a bit from Jessica's ideas. Since we are only expecting the arrival of Our Lord and not a soft, pink bundle of joy, I can plan to do more around the kitchen than sweet Jessica can right now. You have to admire her commitment to her family's celebration of these special times of the season to have everything so prepared and in place should her little one arrive early! We are praying for you, Jessica!

December 17th
(Thursday)

O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come, and teach us the way of prudence.

Marigold Hunt's books are really wonderful. My kids have enjoyed her book St. Patrick's Summer and I think they will equally enjoy this book filled with the acts (and wisdom) of the apostles. And perhaps something a little sweet! I'm sure we can find something like that around here.

December 18th
(Friday)

O Lord and Ruler the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and redeem us with outstretched arms.

Making gingerbread houses will be a perfect activity for today, and just like Karen's kids, I think mine would actually prefer to make some that they can eat instead of just look at. If we don't get a chance to make gingerbread, graham crackers will work just fine.

We also have a lovely Christmas candle in the shape of a tiny tree/bush that was given to us. You know, the kind you think is too pretty to burn but then you pack it away in the Christmas boxes that spend all summer in an 212 degree attic only to pull it out next year and find it's just a twisted lump of wax. Well, it just might get burned today. Why should the attic get all the fun?


December 19th
(Saturday)

O Root of Jesse, that stands for an ensign of the people, before whom the kings keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: come, to deliver us, and tarry not.

Our favorite carrot muffins and root beer. I'm curious, has anyone ever used one of these homemade root beer kits? Any good?

December 20th
(Sunday)

O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens: come, and bring forth the captive from his prison, he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Jessica suggested key lime pie...yum! My kids, however, might prefer Key Lime Cake or maybe White Chocolate Key Lime Muffins. One of those recipes should do nicely.


December 21st
(Monday)

O Dawn of the East, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Texas Sunrise
(a Tequila Sunrise without the Tequila, of course)
~homemade grenadine and orange juice


December 22
(Tuesday)

O King of the gentiles and their desired One, the cornerstone that makes both one: come, and deliver man, whom you formed out of the dust of the earth.

I have an activity from the feast of Christ the King that we never got a chance to do. Perfect for today! Plus, I think King Ranch Chicken or Turkey ala King might be fun for dinner.


December 23rd
(Wednesday)

O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior: come to save us, O Lord our God.

We have all of the nativity sets we can handle and then some so, this companion to the first book they will receive seems most fitting today. I can't wait to crack it open with them.

Hope you are all having a wonderful Advent season.

Christ Candle

One old Christmas card (cut out), three little gem stickers from the sticker box, glue and about 15 rubber bands transformed our plain white candle into a lovely Christ Candle. I am sure that there are many more elaborate and gorgeous ways to decorate a candle. This was simple and worked. Gotta love that.
The before picture is here.