Baby Update

It's no fun to spend a night in the hospital and not come home with a baby!

But then again, I wasn't in labor. So what do you expect?

Husband and I think we had a little stomach thing. I had horrible stomach cramping but no vomiting although my blood pressure was elevated. They kept me there until my doctor could make it in and the cramping stopped. Baby looked fine. I am fine. They checked out everything even my gall bladder (which looked fine).

The point of this story is that this is now the second time I've had some minor pregnancy related blood pressure issues and my doctor would be very happy if Cupcake decided to come now. But, my history indicates that my babies like to stay tucked inside as long as they can... over 41 weeks with each of the others. But this baby seems to be different in a lot of ways or maybe I'm just older now.  So, prayers would be appreciated that this little girl makes an earlier appearance than her older siblings.  Anytime after tomorrow would be great! It's not imperative, but it would make everyone feel better, especially my doctor. I tend to think that my blood pressure was only elevated this second time because I was in pain and possibly a little anxious. :)

Oh... one more thing. Go look at the beautiful St. Therese doll you could win if Cupcake shows up closest to your guess! Isn't she just lovely! Thank you, Amy!

 

Kate's Baby Boy

Congratulations to Kate and her family! Go welcome their new little man, Thomas!

 

More prayers for Baby Dominic

Dominic's mom reports that things have not been going well for their little guy lately. He is having trouble keeping up his oxygenation levels and is back in the pediatric ICU. His little body is just exhausted from even the trauma of the doctors and nurses trying to help him. At this point, a tracheotomy is a very real possibility. Please offer prayers for him and his family. This family has 3 young children at home that the parents are also caring for.  Thank you!

 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

If you're looking for something fast and easy to let the kids make and enjoy, then consider making some Brazilian bon-bons called brigadeiro. This pregnant lady was hankering for something chocolatey but all I had in the pantry was some sweetened condensed milk and cocoa. So I typed those ingredients into the Allrecipes search form and found these! They were more carmel-ish and not as chocolatey as my craving desired, but the kids had fun making them and eating them.

{pretty}

I loved the colors of the assorted toppings: rainbow sprinkles, crushed chocolate animal crackers (the favorite by far), crushed pretzels, & crushed almonds.

{happy}

 

The children were very happy to enjoy them after dinner.

{funny}

They were especially tickled when I buttered up their hands so that they could roll the bon-bons. They all started giggling like it was the weirdest thing I'd ever done to them.

{real}

So I could tell you that these were made on the feast of St. Rose of Lima (who is one of my confirmation saints) and that Brazil being right next door to Peru was justification enough for making them to celebrate this beautiful saint, but to keep it {real}... it was a total accident. Pregnancy cravings trump liturgical celebrations.

I am 37 weeks today! Full term, baby! This is the bag that the girls picked out for me to take to the hospital (and yes, it's washable). I let them choose because they're in need of a new piano bag to carry their books and sheet music in so once I'm done with it, they get to have it. They said it made them think of a Hawaiian vacation! Can I pray for a delivery that does the same? LOL!

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
with the lovely ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter

My Recipe Binder

I have been using a recipe binder for a little over a year now (as Miss Margaret can attest to since it was in use at her visit last year). I've wanted to mention it here but I'm always hesitant to rave about something new that's working for me lest in a month or two I find it completely impractical. Well, I think a year of usage is pretty good for a test run and I can now say that it has worked beautifully and continues to do so.

Do you ever get in a rut when planning and fixing meals for your family? Do you feel like you are cooking the same things over and over? That was the sentiment that inspired this binder. It's not a catch-all binder. Oh no! This binder is strictly for tried and true family favorites that we know and love (or atleast, most of us do). There is a pocket for new recipes to try but they are held back and kept on the outside, so to speak, until they are tested and evaluated and then finally added to The Binder! 

Here is how it works. It's really quite simple as most successful things are!

I chose a colorful binder and added some pretty paper to it. It must be the kind of binder that has clear plastic cover on the outside that you can slip things inside of. Then I created a template for my recipes and started typing up the ones that we used the most, loved the best, or were the easiest to prepare. 

A package of printable dividers allowed me to sort the recipes by my favorite categories. The categories are in alphabetical order (mostly), but the recipes inside each section are not. I'll explain why below.

When I use a recipe, I pop it out of the binder and slip it into the front pocket. This acts like a page protector so that splashes and spills are easily wiped away. Then when I put it back behind it's divider, I always put it up front. What this does is create a record of those recipes I use most often at the front of the section with the ones I haven't used in a while falling to the back. This was quite a happy accident that I didn't intend, but was delighted to discover! So when I feel that rut coming on, I flip to the back of the section and remind myself about all the other meals we enjoy!

So, that's my recipe binder. It has made meal planning and preparing so much nicer. Like I said, I use the inside pocket to store recipes I might like to try, so it still allows for creativity, but those don't get typed up and added to the binder until we decide that it's something that works for a regular family meal. I love how it allows me to refresh my menu plan easily when I feel like I've become stuck and it's functional too having just the one plastic protector instead of one for each recipe.

BTW... here are updated pictures of those bookshelves I linked to above. The K.I.S.S. alphabetical shelf organization is still going strong and working well for us. There was no tidying that took place prior to taking these pictures.

Queenship of Mary Coloring Page

Reposted from the archives...

Father, You have given us the mother of Your Son to be our queen and mother. With the support of her prayers may we come to share the glory of your children in the kingdom of 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.

All, according to their state, should strive to bring alive the wondrous virtues of our heavenly Queen and most loving Mother through constant effort of mind and manner. Thus will it come about that all Christians, in honoring and imitating their sublime Queen and Mother, will realize they are truly brothers, and with all envy and avarice thrust aside, will promote love among classes, respect the rights of the weak, cherish peace. Given at Rome, from St. Peter's, on the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the eleventh day of October, 1954, in the sixteenth year of our Pontificate. PIUS XII

Queenship of Mary Coloring Page

Bag update...

Thank you all for your helpful advice! I have started packing a bag and I thought I would post a little update here.

We had an awful experience when Sunshine was born. We brought home a horrific stomach flu along with our tiny pink bundle of joy. Even my sweet SIL who was taking care of The Professor for us became so ill on her flight home that friends had to rescue her at the stopover airport before she could continue her journey home. My mother caught a flight a day earlier than scheduled to come take care of all of us. So, call us paranoid, but after that experience, we don't like to stay in the hospital for very long and we usually don't have visitors, family or friends. I also don't like bringing anything that can't be washed once we get home.

Every pregnancy is different, but my track record doesn't indicate whether or not I'll be able to labor at home. With both of the boys, I went into labor spontaneously (9 days late) and labored 12 hours before they were born. With the girls, I slowly started dilating over the last few weeks of pregnancy. When I was 9 days late and sitting at 6cm. without being in active labor, my midwives admitted me to the hospital and broke my water to induce. So, if this little girl follows the "girl pattern" I might not get to labor at home. If she decides to be different, then I would welcome that opportunity! Everyone who knows me thinks this one won't be as late as the others, but we'll just have to see. While I don't have a midwife this time around, I do have a lovely doula coming and she will labor with me here at home until it's time to go unless we start out at the hospital, then she'll meet us there. She will also take pictures for us so forgetting the camera is not such a big concern.

So, I have a bag now (that can be washed) and it's filled with some of the practical things y'all recommended including a few special requests from Husband. Apparently, I ALWAYS pack Pop-Tarts for him! He's so cute. I also have a nightgown, socks, flip flops for the shower, some toiletries and a few other things I might consider tossing in at the last minute. But this will be the first time I will deliver at a hospital only about 15 minutes away from home as opposed to 45 minutes, so anything I might want that gets forgotten can be retrieved pretty easily.

I printed and laminated some holy images that I want to take with me. First, this image of Eve and the Blessed Mother is still one that I find so inspiring and comforting. The second is one we just recently discovered at the Golden Jubilee of a Cistercian priest. He had this image turned into a memorial card along with the history behind it:

Isn't it just beautiful? Basically, an Irish bishop escaping persecution fled to Europe and was offered shelter by a bishop in Hungary. This image that he carried with him was given as a gift of thanks. A miracle was later associated with it that is still honored today in Hungary.  You can read more about Our Lady of Clonfert also known as the Irish Madonna of Hungary over here.

Oh...and for those of you who don't know, I mentioned the red raspberry leaf tea because it's great for controlling excessive post-partum bleeding. That's why I've started drinking some everyday already. It helped tremendously after BigBoy was born!

Twenty four days (+9) and counting!

Please pray for Jessica's family

And anyone else being threatened by these Oregon fires!

Update: The sheriff said they don't have to leave yet. There are 10 fires in their area. They will let them know if they need to leave, they are packed and ready to go if they get the word but for right now, they are praying that they will get the fires under control. There is very little wind and that is working in their favor.
Almighty and eternal God, we ask Your protection against destroying fire. Keep our homes and buildings and woods and fields safe from this scourge.

Give us, too, we humbly pray You, a saving fear of the fires of passion, and the help of Your grace to control them. Help us also to fear the fires of hell, that we may always keep away from serious sin, and live lives of goodness and virtue, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Bag Chat

OK, so here's another post that gentlemen readers might want to skip.

Cupcake still has some gestating to do, but I was already talking to a sweet friend about what to pack in the bag that goes to the hospital with us when the she finally arrives. She had some great suggestions like honey sticks for a quick energy boost. I've already started collecting some holy cards and images I want to have with me. Another friend recommended an old blanket or quilt to make those hospital beds feel more cozy and it got me thinking to open up this thread to everyone so that you can share anything that you might have found especially comforting or helpful or necessary to bring along with you either for the delivery or after.

And all you amazing homebirth mommas, feel free to chime in with anything you might have made sure to have on hand at home that you found particularly comforting or helpful for before or after. I've already started drinking some raspberry leaf tea which I found very helpful after BigBoy was born.
 

P.S. Not that I am considering one but isn't that delivery gown in the picture a hoot?

P. P. S. I have a supply of washable ones but does anyone know if they sell disposable nursing pads that are NOT individually wrapped? Thanks!

Body and Soul

We headed off to Mass this morning, carrying many intentions with us, and on the way there, my mind was searching for something to celebrate the day later as a family. A little treat, something a little fun. It had to be super easy and preferably only require what I had in my pantry because going to the store these days is quite a chore. We've got heat, humidity and now, thanks to the rain we so recently enjoyed, giant brown grasshoppers that stare you down when you dare to cross their turf. Those showed up in mass droves this morning and after Mass, my kids said, "Well, Father mentioned John the Baptist in the readings. I think it's his fault!"

The celebrant was one of our favorite priests who's homilies are always superb. (Because of that I will forgive him the "great with child" comment he made to me after Mass! : ) This morning he mentioned his memory of celebrating this feast day for the first time after his conversion (he was formerly an Anglican priest) but primarily focused his thoughts on the body and soul aspect of Mary's assumption. He explained that Christ's human nature is first given to him at the Incarnation and it is from Mary, his mother, that he takes his human nature. So perfectly intertwined are Mother and Son. Being "great with child", as Father put it, I lingered on his thoughts a little longer. How intertwined and connected I am with this little one. And how our Blessed Mother gave to her Son, God the Son, his human nature, his life blood, everything he needed to become physically manifested to the world. That's about as deep as I'll get here. I am no spiritual fount, nor would I try to be. His thoughts spoke to my heart as the babe inside me jumped and kicked, although I can't be certain it was for joy. Might have just been the salsa I had yesterday.

After we visited with Father and some friends after Mass, my thoughts turned towards that little something extra I wanted to do for the family. I surprised the kids with the day off from school and found the fixings for a little treat. The idea came from Father's reflection on how Mary's assumption, body and soul, is our final goal as well, when on the Last Day, we will be united body and soul in Heaven. Tiny graham cracker crusts that didn't get used for something else, chocolate pudding (to represent the body) and whipped cream (to represent Mary's perfect soul and hopefully our own purified souls someday) to make our own little versions of what I'm calling Body and Soul Pies.

Sometimes, a special celebration can be as easy as pie!

Feast of the Assumption

ST. BERNARD’S PRAYER TO MARY

We accompany thee, on this day, with our most ardent wishes to thy Son, O glorious Virgin, Queen of heaven! and follow thee from afar, O happy Virgin! Give thy mildness to the world, give of the grace thou hast found with God. Obtain by thy blessed intercession, grace for the guilty, recovery for the sick, strength for the fainthearted, aid for those in peril! And for us, thy servants, who on this glorious festival-day invoke thy sweetest name, spend, O gentlest Queen, His grace for us Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord and God, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Please keep little Lucy Mae in your prayers today! Her mom posted that they just took her back for surgery and she should be there for about 5 hours. (8:15 am)

Most recent UPDATE: Out of surgery : a note from Lucy's mom yesterday (August 16) stated that they were heading home! Please keep praying for Lucy's recovery!

Request for prayers...

I received this email from one of our homeschool families and I'm passing it along to all of you dear friends because I know that you are always so generous with your prayers and with your financial help when you can be. You can read the Help Lucy page here and learn more about Lucy's condition in the timeline her mom put together here. Please note the date of Lucy's surgery... the Feast of the Assumption! Let's implore the Blessed Virgin most especially to intercede for this family. (This is a real family in our homeschool group who lives in our area, not a scam.) Thank you, friends!

***********************************************************************************************

Dear Friends,

Lucy's surgery date is fast approaching, 3 days away now.  We have been very busy getting ready, CT scan, blood work, etc., as well as, trying to figure out a way for insurance to cover Lucy's surgery.  As of today, we officially have exhausted every avenue to cover her surgery on Monday.  There is good news though.  Since I last wrote, the hospital quoted us $155,000 for just the hospital part.  This was due to the fact that they didn't have the code for Lucy's surgery in their system because it is such a rare procedure.  After many, many phone calls they finally put the accurate information into their system and the new quote is only $49,000.  Of that amount we need to have a 10% down payment on Monday before the surgery and then we can pay the rest afterwards.  I am also confident that I will be able to negotiate a significant discount of the remaining amount afterwards.  

If you feel led to donate anything at all we truly appreciate it.  Once things settle down and I have all the bills and firm amounts, several people have talked to me about holding a fundraising event somewhere in town, something fun.  I will pass those details on as we know them.  

We have had many donations so far and we are so thankful for them.  The majority of them were under $100, with many being under $20.  A few people told me that they felt like just donating $10 wouldn't do anything.  The following is proof it does.  When we went for Lucy's CT scan last week they made us pay in full before they would do the scan.  Well, I had received just enough donations to cover this expense.  If it weren't for all of the smaller donations we wouldn't have had enough.  It goes to show we should never underestimate the power of small acts.  I'm confident God will help us take care of the rest of the expenses in one way or another.  As always, please keep Lucy in your prayers Monday during the surgery and what will probably be a very painful recovery.  

If you have not done any of the following things and are able, these are ways you can still help. 

1)Please donate if you can at http://www.swellliving.org/help-lucy-mae/

2)Purchase a product on my site.  All proceeds go towards Lucy's medical bills. http://www.swellliving.org/products/

3)Forward this on to your family and friends.

4)Subscribe to the Swell Living blog to get updates.  www.swellliving.org

5) Please "like" my  facebook page for Swell Living to help promote this on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Swell-Living/102859673085767

6)If you are on Facebook share my blog, updates, etc. in your newsfeed or invite your friends to "like" my page.

7)Keep us in your prayers.

May God bless each and every one of you for helping out in any way.  I am confident that He will provide through the hands of many generous people.  We will keep all of you in our daily prayers.

In Christ's Peace,
Katie

Question about Anne

Sunshine has been making her way through the Anne series this summer and wants to start Anne of Windy Poplars. I have not read this far in the series myself so I am wondering if anyone can tell me if there are any issues to be concerned about in this book and the ones that come after. I would appreciate knowing about even the teeniest, tiniest concern for a sensitive girl so that I can check it out myself and forewarn her. Thanks in advance!

A Shower of Joy

This past weekend all of my sweet sisters-in-law came together to throw a baby shower for us and our new little one. Even my SIL from Ohio who is normally surrounded by all things boy (she's got 7 of them!) was able to join us and bask in some pink deliciousness for the weekend. (Her guys sent a representative with her so that they didn't feel completely left out of the fun!) My mom also came to celebrate with us along with a few local friends. My girls even got to introduce Erin's girls, their cousins, to an in-town friend and everyone seemed to hit it off beautifully, exchanging email addresses and all that good stuff! It was just lovely!

My other in-town (non-blogging) SIL went all out with a cupcake theme even ironing cupcakes on onesies and hanging them on clotheslines for decoration. Her darling two year old daughter helped pick out all the pink decorations for "Baby Cupcake". Can you hear me kicking myself for not bringing my camera? There were a few games to play and delicious food to enjoy. It was just the thing to distract myself from tree trunk ankles and the oppressive heat outside.

I have to show you one item that was given to me by my mother because it is just so beautiful. It made me cry. She came up with this idea and had a friend help her figure out the mechanics.

Remember this belly shot? She took that picture and laid it on top of a watermark picture of my mother when she was pregnant with me. You can see her head just to the left and below mine in almost the same position. She added a beautiful quote about trusting God from St. Teresa of Avila and pictures of St. Therese (our specific intercessor) as a child with her own mother and as a religious. Thank goodness she gave it to me at home because I turned into a slobbering mess when I saw it. Oh yeah, I bawled like a baby. And then she took my picture. Only a mom can get away with that!

We were also showered with beautiful, girlie clothes of all sizes, so many that my girls declared that Cupcake had more clothes than they did combined (not actually true)! Just wait until they see how many clothes a baby can go through in a day! They are in for quite an awakening! : )

And... we now have the perfect pan to celebrate her arrival with. I think I'm going to make a giant cupcake and leave it in the freezer along with decorating supplies for my mom to hand out to the kids while we are at the hospital!

There were sweet homemade surprises too. A super soft knitted lovey and hat from one niece, a hand-drawn picture of a "cupcake fairy" from another and a quiltie made with matching fabric by my oldest niece.

But the best gift of all was the celebration of this new life. She is already so loved even while she's still tucked inside, hidden away. We are truly blessed to have friends and family (far and near) who appreciate the value of all life, from the youngest to the oldest and who want to celebrate that life so joyfully! I have managed to shelter myself from the depressing, ugliness in the news today which can really bring you down and make you question who in their right mind would willingly bring another innocent into this world. But these people are the kind of people who raise your spirits and help keep your eyes focused on the message of hope that a new soul brings with it from our Divine Creator in Heaven.

 

Uptown Downstairs Abbey ~ Comic Relief

For your Friday viewing pleasure! And if you are so inclined, join in the bra chat below!

Bra Chat

I'm talking about nursing bras, not "Take it easy, bra!" That means... any gentleman readers... you might want to go check on training camp rosters or baseball standings and just skip this post. Or go watch some Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da craziness. Life goes on, bra! Have fun!

So, surprise surprise, I can't find any of the nursing bras that I loved back when I was nursing the older kids! I need some new ones and thought I could just order some. Doesn't look like Playtex is making them anymore. They were cotton and sold under the "Expectant Moments" brand name. You can see a picture of one here, but even though that website claims to sell them, they don't. What I liked most about this style is the connecting piece on the side and across the top once you lowered the flap (as opposed to just along the side like this one), no underwire and a non-molded cup. So, help ladies! Have you seen any like my old ones, maybe a different brand? Do you know of a similar one that you would recommend? What is your favorite nursing bra and what do you love about it? Suggestions please!!!

Thanks!
 

Anniversary Celebration

You simply must go oooh and awww over the 25th wedding anniversary Kimberlee's children put together for her and her man. I'm showing my kids and telling them to take notes! :)

And check out that fabulous wedding dress that still fits! What a gift her son hand painted and I love the display of silver! Congratulations again, sweet Kimberlee and family!

 

Online Curriculum Sale Blog Hop

Jessica is hosting a Curriculum Sale Blog Hop. If you have any curriculum to sell, you can post about it and add a linky to your post. If you are interested in purchasing any curriculum, you can find links to what's for sale all in one place! Wonderful idea, Jessica! Thanks for hosting!

I don't have too much to list here because I already took quite a load over to the in-town used curriculum store. But I did find a few things that I really don't need to hold on to that might be of interest to someone else. Just leave a comment in the combox claiming what you would like with your contact info or contact me directly via the email address in the right side bar. You might have to scroll down a little ~ it's under my profile.

Shipping will be $3.50 for up to 2 items and $5.00 for 3 or more, to cover the cost of packaging and media rate in the continental U.S.. I have no time to get to the post office this week so nothing will be able to ship out until the beginning of next week at the earliest. Payments can easily be made via Paypal.

1) Grammar-land by M.L. Nesbitt (like new) ~ $5 (SOLD)
2) The Fairy-land of Science by Arabella Buckley (like new) ~ $7 (SOLD)
3) The Sciences by Edward S. Holden (like new) ~ $7
4) Kindergarten Gems by Agnes Taylor Ketchum (like new) ~ $10 (SOLD)

5) Draw and Tell Saints by Julie Petras (like new) ~ $5  (sale pending)
6) Holy Heroes Summer Faith Adventure: The New Kingdom of David Activity Book (like new) ~ $2

7) Famous Men of Rome Student Guide (like new) ~ $12
8) Famous Men of Rome Teacher Guide (like new) ~ $12 (SOLD)
Not included: Famous Men of Rome text (The Professor won't let that one go!)

 9) Writing With Ease: The Complete Writer (like new) ~ $12 (SOLD)
10) Handwriting 1 for Young Catholics (missing pages for letters A & B) ~ $5
11) Handwriting Practice Book One: Learning to Write Manuscript ~ $2

12) Portraits of American Girlhood: Seven unit studies using popular historical fiction ~ this is a unit study guide for 7 of the American Girl stories. It also includes a CD of printable materials.  (pages are in good condition, plastic cover is scuffed and scratched) ~ $35 (SOLD)
13) Natural Speller (pencil marks inside ~ checkmarks and some circling) ~ $7

14) Math-U-See Alpha DVD only ~ $5 (Sale Pending)
15) Latina Christiana I set of DVDs ~ $40
16) Latina Christiana Pronunciation CD ~ $2

17) Mc Guffey's Second Eclectic Reader (brand new) ~ $5 (SOLD)
18) Reading - Thinking Skills Level A (never been used, scratches on cover) ~ $4
 

Library Finds

Two books this week that caught my eye...

First, Perfect Square by Michael Hall is a colorful, engaging little picture book that takes a perfect square of paper through a metamorphosis in order to create a lovely visual story. The front cover flap says, "A perfect square is transformed in this adventure story that will transport you far beyond the four equal sides of this square book." What I loved about this book is that my first thought was... what a great artistic opportunity this could be for a young child! After defining what a square is (can you say math lesson?) the story goes that on Monday, the perfectly happy square was cut and poked so that it wasn't a perfect square anymore.

So it made itself into a fountain...

...that babbled and giggled and clapped.

BigBoy's fountain

Even some of my big kids wanted to take a turn at making the fountain! I plan on adding this to our personal library soon only because I want to figure out how to make all of the transformations that come later. Some are going to be a little tricky but what fun for an early elementary "curriculum" idea. Although, let me state if I haven't already, that I am of the opinion that formal pre-school and kindergarten are not something homeschoolers really need to worry about. Teach your kids to read and everything else they need to know can be learned in the course of daily family life. This article that I saw linked to on FB pretty much sums it up. You can't mess up preschool or Kindergarten!

Library find #2:

Hummingbirds: Fact and Folklore from the Americas by Jeannette Larson

The girls are studying Zoology I this year after thoroughly enjoying Botany last year. It starts out with a bird study which we plan to spend the entire fall on. This book is an excellent complement! Lots of great scientific facts interspersed with legend and folklore. Who knew there was so much hummingbird mythology? Although the pictures are just beautiful, it's not really a picture book for young kids. I think the upper elementary age is probably their target audience although younger children would certainly love having the folk tales read to them! Speaking of the pictures, Adrienne Yorinks' illustrations are gorgeous works of fabric art with a beautiful quilt like quality to them that makes you want to swoon and pick up a needle. (Swoon first, then grab the needle. The other way around could be dangerous!) I highly recommend this to all my birding friends, even my quilting friends!

BTW... Ms. Larson lives in Pflugerville, Texas! Stalking is bad, right?