The Clay Rosary Girl

New Bead: Little Flowers

2012-01-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

The Little Flower Bead

Making flowers is such fun, I couldn't stop at just one. This bead has a collage of three different flowers for my St. Therese, the Little Flower bead. Here's the bead meaning I have written on the bead meaning booklet that comes with the rosaries:

St. Therese of Lisieux uses flowers to describe the diversity of people. No matter what flower we are, God shines his love on us. “Perfection consists in doing his will, in being that which he wants us to be.”
-St. Therese the Little Flower

Making the Little Flower cane

If you have ever read the Biography of St. Therese, she talks about this much more elequently than I have room for on my bead meaning pages. Here is the full quote:

“Jesus set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers he has created are lovely. The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realized that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wildflowers to make the meadows gay. It is just the same in the world of souls - which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but he has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice his eyes whenever he glances down. Perfection consists in doing his will, in being that which he wants us to be. Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be - and becoming that person.”

Little Flowers Cane (sorry the lighting is horrible. It was done at night)

New Bead: Trinity Knot

2012-01-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

Trinity Knot beads

I've always loved this symbol of the Trinity, sometimes called the Triquetra. Who doesn't love those beautiful Celtic knots? They are elegant, intricate, and awe-inspiring. It's no wonder that Catholics have taken this symbol from ancient Celtic Tradition for their own and made it into symbol of the Holy Trinity- the central theme of our Faith. The three parts of the triangle symbolize the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; while the never ending knot symbolizes the God- with no end and no beginning- the Alpha and the Omega. Three in One is also represented. Three sides of the triangle, yet one triangle.

Unfortunatly, this symbol is also used by pagans still today as seen in the show, Charmed. I didn't know of it's pagan roots until I started researching it. But just like many of the Christian Feast Days we have today, Catholics have taken something previously ungodly and made it holy. God be praised!

I was very nervous about making this bead. There is so much that can go wrong. It's not like I can take strings of clay to make a knot! I had to use awkward slabs of yellow clay outlined in black-- in just the right places-- to make it appear knotted. By the grace of God, I chose the right clay for the background that had the right consistency and made the symbol stay intact perfectly. If you remember some of my other flubs, this isn't always the case!

Finished Cane

For some reason, I was feeling rather adventurous and wanted to make the background into an arabesque lattice. Hmmmm....leave it to me to make something more complicated than it has to be! Well, it did turn out, but you can only see in in the large beads (which I knew was going to happen-having arabesque on the brain, I just had to throw it in). The whole pattern would have been more unified had I had twice as much green clay (I ran out near the end). However, I am glad that I didn't continue with the lattice because the triangle shape is very striking for this bead. Also, all those colors from the pattern turned into a lovely shade of emerald- Perfect!

I may do some more with this bead- maybe some boy's pendants or Irish rosaries. I think it has potential for some interesting pieces.

New Bead: Confirmation Design

2012-01-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

I've always been fascinated by arabesque designs and have wanted to try them out on same clay beads for some years, but just never got around to it. Very popular in polymer clay designs right now is the repeating kaleidoscope designs, which- when done skillfully, can look very much like an arabesque design like those done by famous designers Donna Kato and Carol Simmons. I was even thinking about doing the kaleidoscope workshop in February at Laurel, MD, which isn't that far from me, but the thought of spending $400.00 for a couple days during which I may learn a couple things, was not worth it to me. I decided the best way was just to get my hands dirty.

I had wanted to incorporate the dove into a kaleidoscope design where I would use red for the symbol of confirmation so I pulled up a couple arabesque designs that inspired me and set to work.

The concept of the kaleidoscope bead is very simple. Just like a kaleidoscope you look through, the pattern is repeated in a triangular design. Here is what my triangle looked like when it was finished.

I wanted a couple of things to be clear- like the dove and the hearts and the three dots above the doves head (for the symbol of the Holy Trinity), but the rest was just for beauty. When I finished, I thought it looked very Scandinavian- oh well, I keep trying for arabesque!

It won't make a very good Hail Mary bead because the elements of the design will be lost, so I am mostly using it for my new confirmation rosary. This design will be used for the Pater beads and the centerpiece. It will also make a pretty pendant.

New Bead: Jerusalem Cross

2012-01-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

finished beads

Like the Chi Rho symbol, the Jerusalem Cross is a symbol with which many Catholics are familiar, but may not know the meaning. The symbol's origins are unclear- but was widely seen when the first crusaders used it on their coat of arms. At this time, it became known as the Crusaders' Cross. The Knight's Templar, an elite order of crusaders who built many of the medieval structures in Israel, used this symbol throughout their churches from the 11th through the 13th centuries.

reduced canes

The Cross has a very rich symbolism. The three different meanings of the five crosses are:

A combination of the Old Testament teachings (the four Tau Crosses) and the New Testament teachings (the four Greek Crosses)
The four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, with Christ in the center Christianity (central cross) broadcast by missionaries to the four corners of the world
Five crosses representing the five wounds of Jesus on the cross (small crosses for the hands and feet, and the large central cross for the spear wound in His side. (taken from here)

New Bead: Chi Rho

2012-01-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

The Chi Rho is a symbol used for Christ that dates back to the second century. The P over lapping the X are Greek Letters that symbolize the Greek name for Christ: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ. There are slightly different historical accounts about where the symbol originated, but Constantine I, used this symbol on the shields of his soldiers. Now we see the symbol used throughout Catholic Churches. The X is also seen as a symbol for the Cross and Crucifixion. The wreath around the the Chi Rho is a symbol of the victory of the Resurrection. The Crucifixion and Resurrection are inseparable in this symbol as both are needed for our salvation. For more information and historical background, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi_Rho http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi_Rho.

I am also working on the Jerusalem Cross which I will post in a couple days. Getting ready to open my shop in February!

Food Revelations

2012-01-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Healthy cows eat grass!

Yes, I am still obsessed about food and it's only getting worse. All those thoughts from our little "detox" diet have been getting louder and louder as I learn more about what healthy eating should look like. Turns out I was right to follow my instinct and stop the former grain-dominate diet of my kids. They are now eating many foods that they have never wanted to eat before and it's just the beginning of our healthy eating journey. They were spotted eating lettuce wraps at the Christmas Eve dinner and when complimented on their tastes, I attributed it to our new grain free, sugar free, vegetable oil free (among other things) diet. I got a look of pure skepticism, so here's the list of resources that have been very helpful in my learning process thus far:

Weston A. Price Foundation. I have my friend, Jaime, to thank for creating a monster! I'm now hooked on their research and diet recommendations. We will now be drinking raw milk. I never thought I'd go to this level of crazy. I have to laugh when I tell people! Turns out the way people were farming and eating for all those thousands of years until the 1900 century was actually the way to go. Who knew?
Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions, which I cannot wait to read- I have heard so much about it.
The work of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride including her book, which I will be receiving in the mail soon. I'm gearing up for the GAPS diet and it's all I can think about lately. I've watched her presentation from the Weston A. Price London Conference (scroll through a few videos until you get to her), and I am convinced it's going to solve almost all of the health problems that have exploded in the past century. So ground breaking, yet so simple; it just makes sense. I've watched the video twice now.
Food Inc, the documentary. Eric and I are seriously thinking about a nice little piece of farm land to grow our own food and animals. It just may happen in the next year or two.
Fat Head, the documentary. Good overview of our nonsensical low fat, high-carb modern diet.

Christmas Memories

2011-12-31T09:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning- taken by our five year old.

We had a wonderful Christmas and are still basking in the luxury of extra time together before school officially starts again. Here are some memories and traditions of our Christmas of 2011.

amid the chaos

On Christmas Eve, we let the kids open their Christmas presents from grandparents and aunts and uncles so as to distinguish who-gave-what. It's hard to be thankful when all the presents are torn open at once, so we really tried to slow things down and help them remember who gave them which presents. This would have been easier had the gift givers been present, but since we don't live close, it's not possible.

Working around my husband's shift work is always a challenge during the holidays, but thankfully he got off on Christmas Eve and we were able to drive up to Maryland to visit his parents and enjoy the traditional "Harkins Family Christmas Meal" via P. F. Chang's. Here's our best try at a family Christmas photo that evening:

We drove back home that night and Eric and I finished up the last St. Andrew Novena before heading to bed.

In the morning St. Nicholas came (trying to get away from the fictional 'Santa Claus' and incorporating the actual saint into gift getting). Here's Jude with his only Christmas present from Saint Nick. Keeping it simple since they already get so much from everyone else!

Then we headed to Christmas Mass at 8:30am. Liam talks about how much he enjoys this Mass all year long, so we opened the church doors to reveal the lit Christmas trees and Christmas decor and baby Jesus, he exclaimed, "Wow, this is going to be so much fun!" Fr. L. thought it was pretty funny too.

After Mass, we decorated the Christmas tree. This is our kids' favorite tradition on Christmas...next to opening Christmas presents, of course!

It's hard to keep the FRAGILE baby Jesus away from this one!

I tried to start a new tradition of continuing the Christmas celebration with the 12 days of Christmas (incorporating the feast days and the Catholic meaning of the song into spreading Christmas joy to others in a sort of 'Works of Mercy' theme) , but it turned out to be a lot of work and the kids didn't seem to care, so I decided to wait until the kids are a little older and they can participate a little more. Maybe I'll try again next year.

While they are all so young, the simple joys of beholding the new born king is enough for them. Children know the meaning of Christmas so much better than us adults anyway!

It's Not What You Think

2011-12-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

My husband snapped this highly incriminating photo:

Honestly, we were innocently reading a Christmas book! The wine glass in the child's hand- well, that was a little taste testing after Mommy was done.

Hope you are all having a nice close to your Advent season! We have been taking it very easy. No traveling for us this year. I've spent more days at home- not going anywhere- than I have all year! We are really getting used to this homebody thing. It's the best time of year for it. Not rushing anywhere has really made it a blessed time to prepare our hearts. Trying to keep it simple this year!

Art Appreciation Made Easy

2011-12-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

I love fine art. I just don't know how to talk about it and really "appreciate" it without someone interpreting it for me. I remember going to an art museum in Sacramento with my Polish friend and realizing this very fact. She could go on and on about each painting- how the light hits this part and makes this statement or how the artist used this color to show this emotion and or not. I was amazed at her ability! I got so much more out of that one trip to the museum than I ever had from all the art museums I had ever seen. From that point on, it's always been on my mind as something I would like to learn how to be able to do.

With my Magnificat subscription, there is at least one piece of art that is explained in light of the Catholic faith. They talk about all the elements of the painting and how it conveys what the artist had in mind. I love to read this and have learned so much. I decided to share one of these articles with my group of boys that I teach for coop. They got into it much more than I thought they would and made me see that this art appreciation skill just might come in due time.

Now for Christmas, I dug out a book that I've had for many years by the Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled The Christmas Story. So far, we've looked at a few of the artworks and it has not only enriched our Christmas season, but also our Jesse Tree reflections. I took it out today for the story of John the Baptist. We talked about the painting while rereading the Bible story. I read a little about the artist and what the artist was trying to convey. It held Liam's attention much more than if I had just read from the Bible. Note: the only bad thing about this book is that it uses the King James Version for the Bible verses.

On a different day, we took it out to look at a picture of the Annunciation. We talked about symbolism, colors, setting, and perspective. Then I read a little about the artist and what the artist was trying to convey. The kids enjoyed it so much! They were searching for the symbols, examining all the details, and giving their opinions- it was better than Where's Waldo! Fun fact: Did you know a monkey in art symbolizes sin? I've never liked monkeys... And it was so effortless. I felt like I was reading a picture book. If you think about it, looking at a book of paintings is kind of like a picture book on steroids.

Two months ago, I would have never thought I'd be teaching art appreciation with such ease. Now that I'm doing it with the help of books such as these, I am seeing how it might be a possibility how I could walk in an art museum and start talking about the painting like Sister Wendy. Ok, maybe not a professed Sister Wendy, but maybe a novice or at the very least a postulate!

I would to get some more of these art appreciation aides for the rest of the year too. I'm going to try out this one for saints and this one for and Lent/Easter.

Baby Love

2011-12-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

I am so in love with this baby. He's 14 months now and a real handful, but I can't resist kissing his sweet cheeks or kissing his good smelling, soft hair ALL THE TIME.

He really loves this silky blanket for chewing on. Not sure what that's about, but with this special blanket, he will easily lay down in his bed for naps and bed.

He's at that squirmy age where he doesn't want to be held very long at church or in public or really anywhere where he can't crawl around. He squirms and screams until he gets his way to be put down so he can crawl around. Good times. I was dreading this time as I remember having a hard time doing anything in public with Liam when he was about 9 months to two years old. Liam was also a bolter, so I always had to hold his hand, strap him in or chase after him everywhere. Girls are so different!

He also has super hero senses that know when Mommy is trying to get some homeschooling done. He knows that if he throws a big enough fit, mommy will be forced to pick him up, thus every attempt at homeschooling will be foiled. I'm really trying hard to figure away around this super power of his. I think I may need to develop a super power or two of my own...

Project Detox, Part 3: Small Successes and Much Confusion on Grains

2011-12-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

....Continued from Parts 1 and 2

Project Detox took back seat while the grandma's took their turns visiting, but we're back into the swing of things now. Even throughout visitors, I held fast to my rule that no concessions shall be made for individual preferences. On the whole, implementing this rule was much easier than I thought.   Once I established it as the new norm and put up with temper tantrums and bad attitudes for the first few days (and occasionally now and then), things have been going better than before. The kids still complain about meals they don't prefer, but they know now that this is all they are going to get. They don't expect to get whatever they want for lunch so when I serve them left overs, it's not the end of the world.

Taking away the sugar, processed snack foods, and most of the grains from their diet was a good way to strip away all the ways they fill themselves between meals and during meals so that what remained was protein and vegetables and dairy. They had to eat them in order to survive because there wasn't going to be anything else to eat! I took the cue to take away grains from Wellness Mama. However, I have been serving whole grains in moderation because I am not convinced that all grains are bad for everybody.

Another good thing about detoxing from sugar and grains and processed foods was that I was able to get a clearer picture about what artificial flavors, colors, excess sugars and perhaps even too many grains do to my kids. I have noticed that my son has a hard time concentrating and the kids get really wound up when they had something that was out of the detox diet. Case in point: my son just came out of his bed and said his tummy hurt from eating too much cake (the only sugar food that was allowed just for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception). From now on, I will be strictly limiting and/or banishing these from their diets.   The best advice that I have read was from Sarah at The Healthy Home Economist when she says, "There is no substitute for listening to your body and noticing/observing the effects of a food on your own personal biology."

However, I'm still confused about the grains thing....I am led to believe that the USDA's recommendation for grains is unhealthy. A friends suggested that there be some political motives behind their recommendations. In any case, even in my worst eating days, I've always thought that 6-11 servings of grains a day was atrocious. My husband and I have read the South Beach diet book and have had much success with that diet which cuts out all carbs for the first two weeks, then gradually introduces them in a whole grain approach while watching the glycemic index of starchy foods. But I never thought it was nutritionally appropriate for kids to go without grains.   I'm not trying to make my kids lose weight, I just want them to be healthy. Wellness Mamma seems to think that no grains (including beans, corn and potatoes) is the only way to go for everyone, but I'm not convinced about that either.   I did a bit of research from her blog and from the internet at large and I came up gasping for air.

Information Overload!

Trying to move out of a state of confussion, I ignored all the extremists and paleo dietititions and went with my gut. Until there are more studies done on that, I am not totally eliminating grains. If the kids have one meal a day with grains, I think that's perfect. I'm going to try not to stress about it any more because the more research I do, the more confused I get. Everyone has a different spin and I just want to get off the tilt-a-whirl!

In conclusion of detox week, our lifestyle is now reflecting a more organic, non processed, whole food look. I hope I don't backslide, but from now on, I will be cutting back on whole grains (to about a third of what we were eating), eliminating processed grains, banishing sugar (except for special occasions) and striving toward an organic, whole food diet including grass fed beef and free range chickens.

The kids are still not lapping up their food like Farmer Boy, but I know things like that don't happen overnight. I have seen enough small sucesses to believe that we are on the right track. It's all for the glory of God.

If you have any good nutritional books or websites to suggest, please let me know!

The "Secrets" to a Happy Couple

2011-12-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

A member of my homeschool group and my children's pediatrician was on an ABC news report on the "What Makes Couples Happy". This mom is one of those incredible women who exuberate joy and is so filled with serenity and poise that you wonder how it is she can do all that she does so beautifully. She is so in love with her Catholic faith which she shares with the children at my son's school every Monday.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/makes-couples-happy-parenthood-really-affect-average-couple-marriage-us-15117445

It's a very good little clip that is rare to find on national television because it shows large families in a very positive light. A couple of the most important parts that were left out of Dr. Canady's comments were that "all happiness comes from God" and "our Catholic faith brings God's blessings to us throughout each and every day".

I was a little surprised by the first statistic that 65% of couples are more unhappy AFTER having children. I don't see how this could be possible except if your idea of happiness is a shallow misinterpretation of what true happiness is. My husband and I often say how we are more close to each other and love each other more after children. In fact, every aspect of our relationship has improved since having children. It really saddens me to see couples putting off children and even marriage in favor of more money and more time for themselves and their dogs! It's unfortunate that they don't know what they are missing.

Thank God for wonderful examples of the joy that comes from a life of true sacrificial love such as seen in the Canady family!

Giveaway Winners!

2011-12-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception! Today's winners for the giveaway were generated by random.org. The numbers that won were number 3 (Noreen) and number 9 (Natasha). Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who entered!

Bracelet Giveaway!

2011-12-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

Like I promised, I am having a little giveaway! Here are two bracelets I am giving away. I will pick two numbers from random.org. You can win one or both bracelets. Just leave a comment with your email address if you don't have one that goes with your comment name. I can ship overseas. Winners will be chosen on December 8. Good luck!

Handmade Clay Music Beads with pewter spacers (sized for a female adult)

"Jesus in My Heart" Handmade clay heart beads with glass and pewter spacers and Virgin Mary medal (sized for kids or small wrist)

That "Crazy-Religious" Relative

2011-11-29T18:28:00.000-08:00

I sent out my Christmas cards very early this year- two days after Thanksgiving to be exact. The reason is because I am that "crazy- religious" relative- or that is what I'm sure everyone is thinking right now.

Last year was the first year my family did the St. Andrew Novena which starts on November 30th and not-so-coincidentally, it was the most meaningful Christmas I've every experienced. I wrote about it here.

Ever since, I've been trying to spread this special devotion to everyone I know. So, naturally, I included little novena cards with every Christmas card this year. I had to get them out early before the novena would start. All the while, I second guessed myself thinking: is this too tacky? What am I- a religious order?? Only religious orders send prayer cards in the mail... I'm not even consecrated!

I'm pretty sure everyone already knew I was a "crazy-religious" person, but just in case they didn't- the cat's out of the bag. It might be a little strange to include something like this in a Christmas card, but in the end, it's not about me. If one relative reads the prayer and has a more meaningful Christmas, it will all be worth it.

In case you are not on my Christmas card list, here is a link to a beautiful printable prayer card that Lena from Joy Filled Family made for you.

Also, here is the story that I have shared before of Julie Cragon's powerful testemony of the St. Andrew Novena. I know there are many other miracles out there associated with this prayer- maybe there is even one waiting for you this year. Have a blessed Advent!

Feeling Thankful

2011-11-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

As the sun is setting on a great visit from my mom and sister, I am thankful for all the memories that my family and I will hold on to until we see each other again.

For the laughter of the kids as they played silly games with Katie
For the help around the house and always having a clean kitchen!
For shared joy in the 12 month old's constant cuteness
For warm walks outside
For good food shared with good company
For watching old movies and eating popcorn
For the unconditional love that only a mom can give

For all these things, I am feeling thankful.

Mary's Shelter Fundraiser

2011-11-26T06:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Mary who took pictures and posted this great article on the Mary's Shelter Fundraiser (and added pictures of the stuff I made as well :-)

I still have some things left over from from the fundraiser (if you see in the pictures, I made a lot of stuff!) so I am thinking of having a blog giveaway in the coming week.

BTW: I scored some great handmade things from local artists as well including the cutest handmade little boy's (wool?) sweater made by Mary Gildersleeve. I love owning handmade things! So much more special than something made in China. This sweater will be treasured for generations.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

Today I am feeling very blessed to have my mom and sister at my home. Here is a picture from the Turkey Trot this morning in Fredericksburg. It was Eric and my sister, Katie's first 5K. They started the day off right and had a great time! Now back to helping Mom cook up a fabulous feast...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Project Detox: On Hold for The Holiday

2011-11-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

Grandma's in town!! I guess this candy/sugar/carb/junkfood thing will go out the window while Grandma's here. You can see why...

Gifts from Grandma

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

What You Did to the LEAST of These...

2011-11-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

Lord, when did I see you naked, hungry, sick, needing a hug, help with a craft, help finding a lost blanket, needing a book read or a help putting together a puzzle? When Lord, when?

This week for Pondering in My Heart Monday, I'm thinking about Sunday's Gospel. Mathew 25: 31-46

After I spent most of Sunday lamenting my loss of 'rest', I went to Mass in the evening to hear Jesus say that I actually could have been doing all those things for him if I weren't doing those with such a scowl. It really put me in my place and I asked Jesus once again to change my heart of stone and give me a new one.

My husband has to work on Sundays, so I don't get his help to make Sunday a day of rest. No, I spend all day chasing after three kids as they gallivant around the house, making messes where ever they go. So much for NOT working on Sundays. With young kids (ages 1, 2 and 5), you don't get a choice. Everyday, all day is hard work. They don't care if it's the Lord's Day. They will still need every meal and snack served to them and cleaned up for them, still need someone to help them get changed, change their dirty diapers, wipe their butts, noses and faces, read their books, play their games, clean up their games, break up their fights, wipe tears, make all things right, help them all day with everything and care deeply about them. You want to spend just 15 minutes of quiet time reading the bible, praying, and resting today, momma? Good luck with that!

I really shouldn't have been complaining about how I never get a break or giving harsh scoldings about how I have to clean up all their messes all day long. Sure, they could have been a little more careful and clean up after themselves a little more (at least the five year old), but it should have been an honor to do unto the LEAST of these as I would have done unto Jesus. I just thank God I get a new day to try harder to be a more generous servant so I can hear Jesus say, come, you honored servant. You saw me naked and clothed me, you saw me needing breakfast and fed me, you saw me sick and wiped my snotty nose, you saw me needing a kiss on my boo boo and kissed it- even if it was my dirty foot...come into my Kingdom.

Lord, help me not be a begrudging servant. Help me to serve you in the little people around me with all gentleness and love. Amen.

Join Heidi for more great Ponderings!

Matthew 25: 31 - 46
31	"When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
32	Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
33	and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.
34	Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
35	for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36	I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
37	Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?
38	And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?
39	And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?'
40	And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'
41	Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;
42	for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43	I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
44	Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?'
45	Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.'
46	And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Project Detox: Part 2- The Search for Hunger

2011-11-19T18:46:00.000-08:00

...Continued from Part 1

The breaking point that lead me to Project Detox was the second day my husband left. Usually when my husband leaves, I don't even put up a fight for dinner. It's a meal that they like because I don't want to fight that battle alone. So the first meal looked like this:

Day 1: Breakfast: regular concessions- meaning I make what they order: a.k.a waffle house, mommy style
           Lunch: normal convenient food for lunch- with plenty of concessions. I usually make what they kids request.
           Dinner: pizza followed by smores.

Day 2 Breakfast: regular concessions for breakfast
          Lunch: Mc Donald's chicken nuggets and fries- not a regular occurrence, but probably once or twice a month.
          Dinner: tortellini and broccoli for, which I thought was a safe food until it was left untouched even after a full hour and half of a little boy sitting in front of his dinner plate.

At that point, I knew it was something I had done. I knew I had spoiled their appetite with too much convenience foods. Their taste buds had been spoiled to the point that they didn't even recognize a good meal when they saw one.   What boggles my mind is how they would rather go hungry than eat the healthy food in front of them. Which is exactly what they have been doing since I stopped given them what they want. Going hungry. Amazingly they don't seem to mind all that much- so maybe they just aren't hungry enough?

After identifying the two main reasons why they don't eat the food in front of them, I decided to start what I call, Project Detox. I am detoxing them from convenience foods and foods that they normally would love to gobble down. Including sandwiches and bread. Some people think these are not healthy anyway, so I figure it can't be bad to leave them out all together if it's going to kick start the hunger gene in my kids. I know it's buried some place in their DNA!

Along with foods that they normally like, I'm trying not to give them any sugar. No juices, no chocolate milk, no cookies, crackers, or any snack foods laden with sugar. Sometimes I give them a snack between breakfast and lunch, but it's never anything more than a piece of fruit or a cheese stick. Once I gave them a snack before dinner. It was steamed broccoli with lemon. I think it fit well into the theme of Detox week!

However, right now the point is not how healthy the snack is. I just want get them hungry enough to eat their meals. So if it means skipping a snack, even though they may be hungry and it may be healthy, I am trying not to give it to them if I think they don't need it. I know it sounds harsh, and believe me I hate doing it, but I keep reminding myself that they are never going to eat their dinner if they don't experience true hunger!

We've been reading Farmer Boy and we're hearing about how Almanzo looks forward to his mom's cooking. There is nothing processed nor convenient about they way she cooks. It's honest, good food. It's healthy and hearty and that boy laps up every bite. He even looks forward to his mom's meals! He has a real appetite, which is something I don't know if my kids have.    Reading Farmer boy has made me see how my situation is not normal. Kids should like the food put in front of them, or at least be hungry enough to eat it.

The other major component to Detox Week (or however long it takes) is to not give any concessions. After tortellini night, I gave the kids a long lecture about what the rest of the week's meals would be like. It went something like this: tough love, baby. You get what you get, and you don't pitch a fit.

Stay tuned for Part 3- The Hunger Saga Continues and New Food Choices? (with a question mark because I am confused).

Project Detox: Part 1

2011-11-18T10:41:00.001-08:00

I don't know if it was my husband being gone for a week or the inspiration of Farmer Boy by Laura Engels Wilder, or the late night reading of a certain crazy health blog. Maybe it was just the perfect storm. Whatever the case, an untouched plate of tortellini and broccoli was the last straw.

The kids have been driving both hubs and I nuts for about their food pickiness for years, but I kept thinking it was going to get better if we just persevered. Their pickiness is not the cause of some serious health or mental issue, and it's not so serious that they can't eat good food- it's just that they won't unless there is non stop coaxing/threatening/rewarding or fork feeding involved. Dinner time is utterly exhausting for my husband and I. It's pretty ridiculous when a two and five year old would rather be fed by an adult than pick up their own fork and eat what's in front of them. Whatever happened to having an appetite for food- real food? Not just for chicken nuggets, pizza, french fries, and sometimes spaghetti. It's not a healthy appetite if they only eat these processed, nutrient stripped foods willing. This just can't be normal!

So after "persevering" for years with no signs of improvement, I decide something else needed to change. I realize that this is probably my fault they don't eat well. Not that I haven't tried every trick in the book! But it has to be something that I did or didn't do, since most other kids I know have healthy appetites and eat the food that's front of them. Sure, everyone has a few foods they don't like, but with my kids, it's almost every healthy meal! I don't know if kids through out all of history have ever had a problem with eating the food's that given to them until the dawn of processed foods. It seems that this is sudden epedemic that is baffeling many parents now. There has to be a reason and my hunch is that convience foods are spoiling our kids' appetites.

My husband is a huge relief in this food battle and without him at the table, I just feed the kids whatever is quickest and most convient so they eat without a hassle. So that means for breakfast and lunch, my kids get all their favorite foods. Pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese on toast, oatmeal, cereal (sometimes all in the same meal since concessions were always made for each child). Then for lunch it's a PB sandwhich, ham and cheese sandwhich, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwhich or tortilla stuffed with cheese and beans. The only meal of the day I will not give them what they want is dinner. Does this sound like it might be part of the problem? It does to me.

Stay tuned for part 2 of Project Detox...

Customer Support and Inspiration

2011-11-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

As you know, putting aside my artistic pursuits and business opportunities hasn't been easy these past 6 months. However, the support and encourage I have received from people who express interest in my work is unbelievable. Whether they are past or future customers, people have come forth and shared their words of wisdom and given some much needed pats on the back.

One such person recently shared her story of putting aside her work for the good of her family. Here's the encouraging and inspirational email I received from her:

Hi Sarah,

I understand how hard it is to do everything. Art requires so much focus and uninterrupted time. I chose to put my art aside while I homeschooled my six children.I knew for me that when I was involved in an art job, I did not like to be interrupted, including having to stop to make dinner! So I set it aside because I didn't want my kids to feel like they were an interruption. Now I have only a 15 year old at home and even with just one I have to be careful not to get too absorbed in my work. It was a sacrifice because it was the one thing I excelled at and being a mother and teacher at home was not something that came naturally.
In the end, I knew that my children were more important than anything I could create with my hands and I was shaping and molding them into something beautiful for God with eternal value. ---Jill

Jill's story speaks to me about how sacrifice is undeniably related to motherhood. Sometimes I try to hide this component with the rest of the world for the sake of the showing the joy and blessing of children, but I think it's also good for the world to see that in sacrifice, there also is joy. A lasting peace and joy that the world cannot give. Thank you Jill for sharing your story with me!

Break Out Session

2011-11-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

Nothing like friends and crafts! I'm taking my friend, Chance's lead and hosting a craft night for a few friends to make these fun accessories:

flowery necklace

Girl's hairband

These were so easy to do (and quite additive!) Just follow these directions for your own fabulous necklaces, hairbands, clips, broaches, you name it. I can't wait to make some more!

Changing Friendships- For Better or Worse

2011-11-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

I usually don't share blog posts, but this time, I just have to share this one by Susie Lloyd. It's like she crawled inside my head and wrote down what I was thinking about more friends in my past than I can count. It makes me see how us women are all made out of the same stuff. Just when I think no one could be having the same problem, or thinking the same way I do about something, I realize that it's not just me thinking this way- we are all connected- especially us women in a deeper way than I realize most of the time.

As far as those friends in my past go, if I could crawl inside their heads, I would see and understand and forgive. In heaven, we will all be able to understand each other perfectly. For now, I need to give the benefit of the doubt and love as Christ loves.

Because really, what is friendship all about, but a pal to lead you to heaven? If I make it all about me, that's when I start to take offense about all the little things. But if the friendship serves a deeper purpose, I shouldn't be too concerned whether or not the person wants to continue being my friend or not. I am not the point- it's really all about Jesus.

Receiving the Eucharist Like Mary Did

2011-11-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday as I went up to Communion, I looked up and saw the Mary statue. For awhile now, I've been praying the simple prayer, "Immaculate Heart of Mary, make my heart like yours" per the suggestion of a priest at confession. Immediately after doing so, I thought about how receiving communion was much like Mary receiving the Lord at the Annunciation. I tried to think about how Mary must have felt to be called by God to receive Jesus into her and then how it felt to have our Lord within her human body. Now that I'm home, and have a few less distractions and more time, I recall the exact words of Mary and how she felt. It goes like this:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.

(Lk 1:46-55)

Next time I receive communion, this will also be my prayer and I will again try to receive our Lord like Mary did- with a humble and lowly heart, full of praise and thankfulness.

Check out Heidi for more Pondering in my Heart Monday reflections

One already!

2011-11-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my little pumpkin today! I can't believe it's been a year and he's already one.

His first cake

We had his birthday party last week in Maryland with my husband's family. He ate some yummy chocolate pumpkin cake and we got some great pictures.

Catching snowflakes in mouth

We even got to see the snow in Maryland. It didn't snow here at all. The kids were super stoked! Liam screamed at the top of his lungs, "It's snowing!!" over and over again. Can you tell which of my kids was born in Colorado?? Yes, that would be my snow-loving Liam.

Jude looks so much like Liam was he was this age. He's at such a fun age right now. Next year, I'll be pulling out my hair, I'm sure. For now, it's all cuteness.

Jude kept licking this plant..I think it was edible!

A Lot of Saints

2011-11-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

It seems like almost everyone I know is going through a rough spot in their lives- and as one friends said today- "there's a lot of need". The homeschooling group I belong to and the mom's group from Church is very good about getting out meals to those who just had a baby, are going through some kind of physical disability, or other extreme circumstance. Making one meal, though, just doesn't seem like enough for these families who are going through hard times. I want to be there for them in a more substantial way to ease their burdens. But how can I- when I am already worn thin, barely able to put together an extra meal, help out another who is in even more need?

Today, on all Saints Day, I am reminded of how God, in his infinite wisdom, already thought of this. There's a cheering squad in heaven willing and ready to help each of us, no matter how desperate the case. It gives me hope to think of the multitudes up there sending their speedy help in the form of prayers. They are my special friends who know what I'm going through and are encouraging me in ways more powerful than I will ever know. I may be in the shadow of the valley, but my friends next to God are cheering for me to continue on.

Today I am reminded I am not alone and neither are my friends in need.

Pondering in My Heart Mondays: Psalm 51

2011-10-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Psalm 51 spoke to me yesterday as something I had been struggling with since school began. I seem to either glory in things I've accomplished, or wallow in self pity when the day hands me thorns instead of roses. Either way, making myself a martyr for my own cause or glorying in the accomplishment of a clean floor (for the first time in three days) is all vain.

A pure heart create for me, Oh God,
put a steadfast spirit within me....

For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn

The only thing God wants is my heart. Whether it's a good moment or not. The circumstances of the day don't matter. Whether my house is clean or dirty, the kids are crabby or good, I feel happy or not, I get the history lesson finished or not, someone was nice to me or not- in the end- it's what I've done with the good or the bad that matters. It's what I give or don't give to God from the depths of my heart.

Visit Heidi for her Pondering in the Heart- she has a beautiful post today as always!

Happy Birthday Love!

2011-10-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

hard at work painting the house with hired help

At only 28, he's managed to be the best husband and father ever. What a blessing he is! Happy Birthday Eric!

Best Kept Secret in Fredericksburg

2011-10-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

When I moved just around the corner from Gari Melchers Museum at Belmont in Virginia, I had no intention of ever visiting the museum until my children were at least 10 years old. What I didn't know until over a year later, is that this estate isn't just a place for your toddler and preschool aged kids to experience instant boredom and troublesome behavior inside a museum full of irreplaceable art; it's also home to 27 acres of what I call, an enchanted garden.

This place hordes some of the best views of the Rappahannock as well as many little streams and springs. Since we only live a half a mile from this place, we've been coming to explore these trails at least once a week since our home school year began. This week alone, we've been here three times. It's the best recess I can provide for my little students. Here's some pictures of our trip on one of their trails.

Eating an apple in back of the house where famous artist, Gari Melchers lived.

Beyond the gazebo, where we sometimes enjoy a packed lunch, lies a sweet little path that winds down across a pretty stream and eventually to the rocky river's edge.

Analee loves to 'read' all the signs as she goes. Each time she says: Do not sit here eva' eva' 'gain. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the first time were here and I pretended to read those words from the sign after she tried sitting on one and nearly breaking it. Now she doesn't believe me when I try to tell her what the sign really says (bad parenting 101).

a wild hydrangea turned bright red. there's my little girl reading another sign...sigh.

Here's the pretty little stream. I don't know what the stone wall was for- maybe an old damn? I should ask next time we visit...

Better than any jungle gym!

Finally, we make our way down to where "the Native American Algonquian speakers of the eastern coastal plains and the Siouan speakers from the western Piedmont met." (taken from here) I love that this place is so full of history! Later on, this part of the Rappahannock also "brought European settlers to the area; they used the water to power mills and ship their goods to Europe from the bustling harbor in Falmouth," (also taken from here). Some time after that, thousands of slaves from the south used this part of the river to cross over to a safe house called the Conway House, which is just below our own house.

I could watch the river all day on this rock. So peaceful.

Except that after 5 minutes, I can't take any more of my kids running around on this rock that touches potentially deadly river.

So we move to a safer location to throw rocks in the water.

Or play in our own private 'beach'.

Analee pretending to eat the fish she caught with her stick.

Or even 'go fishing'!

My kids could spend all afternoon here, but lunch and nap times soon beckon us back home. Maybe someday I'll have the courage to attempt a real museum visit, but for now, we enjoy the freebies and nature.

What To Do About Night Time Fears?

2011-10-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

The minute the light turns out, my two year has suddenly started being terrified by anything and everything. It started with a need for a night light (which we got her), but now she's still afraid of the dark plus her "scary bed", the "bug that wants to eat her", the "dinosaur that bites her", and the "other side of the room that has a monster in it". I've tried 'Monster Spray' (to spray at those monsters so they'll disappear), stuffed guardian angel doll, stuffed Mary doll to cuddle, plus all her other comfort pillows, blankets, toys, books and water. There's hardly room in that bed for her!

I've always thought if you just let your child know that their guardian angel is there to protect them and that God is always with them, that's enough to give them a good night's sleep in their own bed. Not this girl. She won't be convinced by any of that. I've told her so many times that God is bigger than anything bad, but she still screams the minute I turn to leave her room at night.

It's escalated so bad in the past week that if she can't sleep in my bed, she'll scream bloody murder until her voice gives out. She will not give up! I don't mind her sleeping in my bed, but my husband does. He says he is a magnet for little feet. If the kids sleep in our bed, they always end up kicking him all night. Poor guy. Plus, I don't want this to become a habit.

Anyone got any advice on things to try? Should I just let sleep in my bed until she grows out of it? I'm sure there are plenty of people who have been through this...right??

A Little Girl Says to Me...

2011-10-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, I love cutting!"

As she sits on top a chair with paper scraps covering the floor around her. The joy of learning a new skill! Just so she keeps that scissors away from hair...her brother already took a chunk out of her head of hair a couple months ago and it still hasn't starting looking normal. You can see it on the left side of her head.

The Best Decision is Often the Hardest One

2011-10-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

I heard a friend say this recently and right now, I know this is true for me. I would love to pick up my clay and make a beautiful Madonna, a new St. Andrew bead, some new symbols and string a dozen more rosaries. But what I really need to do is reply to another email to say, "No, I can't fulfill your request. Here's a link to a friend or another person who makes rosaries." *sigh*

How to say no to a person handing you money to do something you love to do:
Quickly say the words as fast you can while simultaneously running in the opposite direction before you change your mind.

So now I go back to what I have been doing and what I need to continue doing (which is also very enjoyable and fun, just in a different way!)

Homeschooling, cleaning, cooking, taking care of kids, a baby and loving a husband too. I do love doing these things and I need to focus on them right now.

Thank you for your understanding!

Pondering in my Heart Mondays

2011-10-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

I'm joining my friend, Heidi, again this week for Pondering in My Heart Heart Monday.

This week I was struck by Sunday's Gospel. I just love these "Kingdom of Heaven" Gospels. The more I learn about what is meant by them, the more I can appreciate the message Jesus is trying to send through them. I used to think this one was about not putting on the right clothes for Mass!

Father explained this week's Gospel, Mathew 22: 1-14 as a call for gratitude. The one thing he said that really struck me was that ingratitude is the hinge for many more sins. So often we get focused on the gift that we forget the Giver. How true is that in our world and especially in my own life! For me to be thankful, sometimes I have to imagine what life would be like without that gift. For instance, what would life be like if I didn't have food every day to eat or decent clothes to wear, or children or a wonderful husband or even the love of God. We don't know what life would be like without the love of God because God's love is everywhere. Even people who don't believe in God or who are terrible sinners don't know what it's like to be truly without God's love. They won't know until they die and then it's too late. That's what Hell is. The complete absence of God's love. The very thought makes me grateful for His love and mercy.

In my Magnificat this week, they also laid out what each line of the Gospel meant. It was very enriching. Here's what I got from it- The guests of the wedding refuse to come to the banquet. All that is asked of us, his guests, is that we be with him. How many times have I refused to be with God just by refusing to give my presence to Him in prayer and through my those I am called to give my presence to. Also, it makes me think of how just the simple act of accepting God's love is sometimes the hardest to do. Just stopping and allowing myself to be loved should be the easiest thing since I'm not really doing anything. But I guess receiving a gift especially the gift of love is doing something- it's being humble. Humble enough to acknowledge need for it and be truly thankful.

Lastly, the refusal to put on the wedding garment is a refusal of the accepting the grace of God in my life. I also see it as a refusal to put on Christ. How many times have I refused to put on Christ, and followed the wide path of the world instead by not practicing patience, humility, and charity.

Scrapped Plans

2011-10-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Don't you love those days when you get nothing you had planned done, yet it turned out to be so much better than you could have planned? Today was one of those.

So thankful for a delightful days of family and friends. Open minds and caring hearts. Laughter and joy coming from hearts full of love. Today I am reminded that we are all one family and caring for my neighbor is the same as caring for my sister or brother. There are no strangers in God's family.

Foto Friday

2011-10-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

We've been super busy around here still trying to figure out our homeschool day, painting the house and trying to keep people healthy, but I have to post these pictures of my son who has a new found love of shooting his bow and arrow.

The happy dance for hitting the target. Finally, a sport that this boy enjoys!

A Cake for the Fall Season

2011-10-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for Liam's 5th birthday this past week and it was so delicious. It was only the second time I had made my own cake from scratch. The first was a total flop. The recipe used so much heavy cream, butter and sugar that it gave us all a stomach ache. This one turned out beautifully moist and rich with chocolate and no stomach ache! The frosting and chocolate glaze made this one restaurant quality in my book. Sooooo much better than a box or store bought!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

From Country Living

by Charles Schiller

Serves: 14 (or about 5 chocolate lovers)

Total Time: 55 min

Oven Temp: 375

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup(s) flour
2/3 cup(s) cocoa
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder (I used Ghirardelli only because I thought if I'm going to go through all this work to bake a cake, it better be good.)
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 cup(s) buttermilk (I accidentally added more, but I think it was a good accident)
1 cup(s) canned pumpkin
2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
3/4 cup(s) butter, softened
1 cup(s) dark brown sugar
1 cup(s) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk

Line the bottoms of two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and lightly butter.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Stir the buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Beat the butter and sugars together using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time. Reduce mixer speed to low and alternately beat in the flour and buttermilk mixtures in thirds.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until a tester, inserted in the center, comes out clean--about 35 minutes. Cool layers completely before icing.
Step 1: Frost Beat 6 ounces softened cream cheese using a mixer set on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 1/4 teaspoons cocoa, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined. In a separate bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups heavy cream with 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar and a scant 1/4 teaspoon orange food coloring on medium-high to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until well combined. Spread 1 cup frosting between the two layers and use the remaining frosting to ice the top and sides of the cake. Chill 30 minutes and proceed to step 2. Makes 3 cups.
Step 2: Glaze Place 4 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate (again, I used the Ghirardelli bitter sweet chocolate bar), 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, and 3 tablespoons corn syrup in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring 1/2 cup heavy cream to a boil, pour it over the chocolate, and let sit for 3 minutes. Gently stir, using a whisk, until smooth. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes, until the glaze thickens slightly. (It took a couple of times in the microwave before this would melt for me). Pour the glaze onto the center of the frosted cake and smooth out to the edges to allow the glaze to drop over the sides. Makes 1 cup.

Pondering in my Heart Mondays

2011-10-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

Heidi is hosting a new link up called "Pondering in my Heart Mondays" over at her blog, Sacramental Moments. Here's the premise:

Join us as we pause to focus on what is truly important, living our life to achieve the eternal reward. Let us treasure the words of the Bible and those passed on to us by holy men and women which inspire us along our journey of faith and feed our souls.

So today I took a much needed jog/walk through the woods near our house and the thing that came to my mind was: Put your strength in the Lord. Now I know this idea is throughout the Bible, but I cannot find a verse that specifically says it, so I'm not following the rules very well.

I guess I needed to work on this since I've been feeling overwhelmed by homeschooling, and hosting my in laws last weekend, and my friends this past weekend which always requires super human strength for cleaning, taking care of kids, cooking, and entertaining guests. It's drained me through and I really needed to remember that my strength doesn't come from within, but from above. Suddenly everything doesn't look so bad when I can rely on God, my strength.

Now it's your turn to write and link!

7 Quick Takes

2011-09-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

Here's my first quick takes because I can't take any good pictures of my stuff lately. Be prepared for flash photography. These pictures are so bad, I can't even link it to Jen's blog. Sorry I have to put you through this.

1. So I have been working on Clay Rosary stuff- not for you, but for charity. (I can hear your moans...oh wait that's just my husband wishing I wasn't giving all this stuff away). However, I am very disappointed the rain has cancelled the "Art in the Park" event in which I was going to sell a ton of Clay Rosary stuff to benefit a charity called Mary's Shelter. I may have gone a little overboard in the amount of stuff, but it was really fun to make new necklaces and bracelets that I've never done before (plus, it was for a good cause!). So now a box of stuff sits in basement where I took these crappy photos.

And now you see for yourself why I can't have any good posts with these flash photos. It makes everything looks mediocre when though this stuff is very cool indeed.

2. I've been using the word 'indeed' in my normal speech and it's kind of unsettling to me. I've always thought only nerds or English speaking people say 'indeed'. I guess it just proves I am ~~English~~ a nerd.

3. If the fundraiser isn't rescheduled and my stuff isn't purchased by locals, I will set up a special online fundraiser for Mary's Shelter to sell all the stuff in the box. It's really tempting to just hoard all the cool jewelry I made and give the rosaries and chaplets away for Christmas gifts, but I can't. That was time set aside for a good purpose, so craft fair or not, it shall be donated!

4. I dabbled in a side of jewelry making that I usually don't get enough time for, but I did make fancy chains for my work, and even made a man necklace! Here's my favorite necklace that I really hope ~~doesn't~~ sells:

I used this sterling silver chain that was super tiny and hard to work with. It broke a few times when crimping beads, but I salvaged this part of it and it's just darling. I really don't want to sell it! (basements make for bad pictures, sorry!)

5. Had a date night last night. Was very romantic. We took had some gourmet pizza and took a stroll around the park at night. The part that kind of stank (aside from almost stepping on a giant 6 inch slug- I kid you not) was that we sat on a patio almost touching another table of a young (early twenties) couple. Theirs was a modern romance. They sat there with their data phone plans on Facebook the entire time and barely spoke a word. Except for a very immature "I love my boyfriend, I love my boyfriend, I love my boyfriend" chant at one point that made me almost loose my appetite. I can honestly say I am more happy in our relationship after three kids and six years of marriage. When we get the privilege to get out on a date, it's so special. It's really unfortunate that the Modern Couple would rather not get married, choose to live together, not have kids and just buy a dog together and for what?...more time, money, and more of me, me me.... If they could only see what brings true happiness and romance...less of me, me, me, less money and more children who take up all your time (and money). Odd, but true.

6. I made a rather dramatic angel cuff with these over sized beads and I would love to see the person who buys it:

the blue ones, not the pink ones

It's not the bracelet for your average person. The beads are about an inch and a half tall. I'm picturing a creative person with a fun personality and just the right amount of zany wearing this. I think it's so fun. I call it, "Choir of Angels" cuff bracelet.

7. Jude is learning to crawl down things (thank goodness!) My style of parenting has always been a little more laid back and I usually err on the side of throwing caution to the wind. Most of the time it's ok, although there have been times when I have said, "What was I thinking??" (like the time I let the kids play with puffy paint in their good clothes). So I watch a careful distance away and observe if my baby can figure out going down steps on his own. Aren't babies so much smarter than we give them credit for?

He also get off the couch by putting his hands on the floor first. Now if only he could figure out doing laundry and making dinner...

First Day of School

2011-09-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for my husband who took this "first day of school" obligatory picture. It's Aquinas Learning's first day- so not real school- just a one-day-a-week mentoring program where the homeschooling parent does most of the work. But still...gotta remember the first 7 hours in school without mom. I hardly know what to do with all this free time I have...JOKE!

Analee really thought she was going to stay the whole day too, so she had to grab her backpack.

She is pretty lost without her big brother. She's only asked for him 10 times!

Thoughts on Rosary Wearing

2011-09-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Last week, the strangest thing happened to me. I went to sleep holding my clay rosary like I usually do and when I woke up to get my baby for his early morning feeding, my rosary was around my neck! It felt so sweet around my neck and I smiled and thanked Mary for this virtual hug. Holding a rosary has always comforted me, but wearing one was even better! This was the first time I had ever worn one, but since then I have put it around my neck a few more times when going to sleep.

So how did that rosary get around me neck?? I know I would never have put it there--even in my sleep. Is it possible that it could have somehow got there while tossing and turning at night? I keep asking myself this, but in the end, I don't think it was totally an accident. The way it made me feel when I woke us was proof enough for me that it was Mary's way of hugging me-- and certainly to remind me to say more of them!

At any rate, it also made me think why rosary wearing is so shunned by Catholics. In other countries, it is more normal to wear a rosary. When Mary spoke to the visionaries in small Catholic school in Rwanda, she told the students to wear their rosaries during one particularly strong attack of the devil. Here's the Alphonsine (a visionary) telling another student (Marie-Claire) what Mary said to her:

"Last night when the Blessed Mother appeared to me, she warned that the devil was planning to attack students a the school. she says that we can protect ourselves from the enemy by wearing our rosaries." --from Our Lady of Kibeho

I was always told that wearing a rosary is bad so I've never worn even a rosary bracelet if I wasn't planning on praying it that day, but now I'm starting to rethink rosary wearing. Can it be worn as a devotional just like as saint medal? A conversation was started in my rosary guild about rosary wearing. The question was, if rosary bracelets are OK, then why not rosaries as necklaces? It was a very good point. Maybe it was Madonna who ruined it with her sacrilegious display. I can see how rosaries- or rosary bracelets for that matter, should not be worn solely for fashion. But is there harm in wearing a rosary around the neck if you do so in all love and devotion?

Rosaries can be worn around the waist by monks and nuns, around the wrists in the form of rosary bracelets, and even hung in rear view mirrors, but if you wear a rosary around your neck, you will run the risk of being scolded by fellow Catholics. What a shame because the peace and security I felt when I had that "rope by which sinners will be pulled into heaven" was just divine.

So what do you think about rosary wearing?

For the Anniversary of 9/11

2011-09-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow marks the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 and the memories of that terrible day are coming back to every American. Today I'm praying for the safety of those in New York especially a loved one.

If you haven't read blogger Allison's husband's story about how he survived, how he copes and the hope that can be found, you can read it here at the Rambling Follower.

Also, here is a link to a story about Fr. Jeff Ethan, my parents' good friend who was saved from the disaster by a cup of coffee. He has a really good guardian angel!!

God Bless America and keep us from evil, Amen!

The Fashion Post- Part II

2011-09-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

My previous post on fashion sparked a lot of interest from readers and friends, so I wanted to follow up on that.

First, if you don't Betty Beguile's blog, I highly recommend it. She introduced me to some of the following websites for clothes:

1. Shabby Apple (sale going on right now- 10% off, plus free shipping! Enter code BOOKS10 until Sept. 14) I just put in an order for a couple things that were on sale, so I can't wait to get them and try them on. They have adorable clothes and very modest.

2. Mango.com has some really cute things for the fashion-forward female. I always scour the sale pages and have purchased somethings from them. They sometimes have free shipping and sales if you sign up for the emails.

3. Land's End Canvas (like an affordable J. Crew) has fabulous sales especially if you sign up for their emails. They almost always have free shipping and you can return items you don't want to a Sears store and skip shipping.

4. Boden. I admit that I have never ordered anything from them, but I have friends who like them. It looks like really nice stuff, just out of my price range.

5. Modcloth- as I mentioned in the first fashion post. I just a dress from my wishlist in the mail today and I love it. Very modest and cute. It is just the right length (40 inches falls at my knees) and has cap sleeves and a modest v-neck complete with buttons for nursing! I am impressed with the quality for the price I paid. It will work great for the fall with a cardigan and tights.

view dress here

It's Mary's Birthday!

2011-09-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Today the Church celebrates the nativity of the Mother of God. Mary has such a special role in my life and has brought me so much closer to Jesus than I could have ever come on my own. I know she has roped me with the graces of the rosary, so it makes me want to celebrate this day in thanksgiving for all she has done for me. Here is a wonderful conversion story by Edie Loughmiller that starts with some profound words on Mary:

There were three key factors that brought me into the Catholic Church nine years ago. The first and most compelling was simply that Mary Won My Heart. As a protestant, my choice of church generally was based upon whether or not I could feel the Holy Spirit at work in worship and at Bible study, filling my lamp with oil to keep me going in my daily life. Generally, I was disappointed in this quest. Then, a friend from work invited me to RCIA, giving me an opportunity to learn about the Catholic Church. At the time, I felt like nothing else was helping me spiritually, and that I should certainly give it a try. After I learned from other Catholics about the apparitions of Mary at Fatima and Lourdes, I began to say the Rosary. To my surprise, the Holy Spirit filled my heart as I was giving my heart to the Blessed Mother in prayer and meditation.....click to read the rest of Edie Loughmiller's conversion story found on Catholic Fire.

For our celebration of Mary's Birthday, we used Lacy's craft from Catholic Icing and made a cake for Mary with paper and puffy paint. This activity was so fun and easy and the kids loved it!! But our cakes looked nothing like Lacy's! Tonight we will be going to a birthday potluck party for Mary at the church. Following the party is a holy hour, which would be great to attend as well, but alas, the little ones will need to come home for their bedtimes.

Happy Feast Day to you all!

Sometime in the next few days, I will post about the mysterious story about how I woke up with a rosary around my neck...

Thankful for New Friends and Answered Prayers

2011-09-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last winter was a very lonely one for me. I was semi-new to the area (having lived here for almost a year and a half). I realize now that I should have spent more time in my first year making new friends, but I guess I was just too busy with getting the new house in order, having more kids, and clay rosaries to take time for friends. I am thankful for a couple friends I had at the time, but I saw them so rarely, it still felt like I was all alone. At one point, one of the only friends I had, asked me to have a party for her business. I gave in to her pleas and agreed. It nearly caused me to go into depression because the more I thought about this party, the more I realized I didn't have anyone to invite. I finally had to call her back crying and apologizing for being such a pathetic loser (as far a friends go!).

I prayed to God for friends since we started moving about five years ago. We lived in California for two and half lonely years until we moved to Colorado and just when I was starting to make friends, we had to move again for my husband's new job. The job was a blessing, but moving took a toll on me. When we lived in Maryland, I met some very wonderful moms, but then again, we had to move into a house of our own and leave the budding friendships I had started. I felt my prayers were never really answered and I started obsessing about how I was all alone. Of course, I had my family here, and my family in Minnesota to call and the occasion calls for college friends, but this was not enough. I need community in my area. The more I thought about how everyone else had friends, but me, the more I started to get down on myself for being "too this", or "too that", or "maybe not enough"...it was making me sad all the time. So last winter, I finally gave it all up to God. I told him I would stop wining about friends, and just put my worries in his hands. It was now up to HIM to find me friends and if they never came, I would offer this up too.

During this time, I realized that friends would not drop from the sky and I needed to start inviting people over. It made me feel like the biggest dork to email someone I had barely known from mom's group or where ever and ask if they wanted to hang out! It must have been the grace of God that I was given the courage to step way out of my comfort zone, but the more I did it, the easier it became to do it again.

During this time, another woman was also praying for friends. I met her randomly in line at a book signing. We exchanged numbers and have now have a budding friendship. While at my house, she shared her prayer for friends was only a few days before we exchanged numbers. I thought, wow, God answered your prayer quicker than mine!

This friend introduced me to another family who had just moved to the area and my husband's nonexistent prayer for friends was answered. I think God answered a prayer of his deep in his heart because that new friendship has made him so happy.

Now I am blessed with almost more budding friendships last spring and this summer than my schedule allows and my heart is full. Making time for friends, I have learned, needs to be a priority (not the highest priority, but still a priority). I've so much enjoyed time spent this summer with all my new friends and have God to thank for his faithfulness.

A few of my friends also have blogs! Here is Heidi's blog, and here is Ginny's, where you will find me today (I'm sure you know her already!) , here is Mary's, and here's Lori's.

I also have a funny story about how I met Ginny who does the yarn alongs. While reading various blogs, I kept running into these yarn alongs. Having no interest in yarn or knitting, I never stopped to check it out. One day, I clicked on the link, just for curiosity and found a women who I know from church and who was good friends with other women I knew- Ginny! I emailed her and probably sounded like a stalker, but she reciprocated with such kindness, I knew this one was a keeper :-) I've so enjoyed getting to know her and her sweet family.

Savoring the Last Days of Summer (two weeks ago)

2011-09-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

Hanging out on the river with friends before school starts and fall comes. Great memories!

A True Sign of my Boredom...

2011-09-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

is letting my kids get soaking wet in the warm summer rain!

Our gutters are working really well...


Liam didn't have a rain coat, so he put on Analee's. Silly boy.

Jude and Analee watching the rain shower from above

It was worth all the wet clothes and kids for this smile!

Homeschooling (a.k.a. Flying by the Seat of my Pants)

2011-08-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

This year, I am homeschooling my five year old for the Kindergarten year. Last year, we did a very laid back year of preschool, but this year, we're stepping up our game a little more and gearing for a very enriching year. We will be participating in our Catholic community's home school coop on Wednesdays and then on Mondays, we will be participating in a mentoring program called Aquinas Learning. You can learn more about this amazing new homeschool program here. It follows the classical curriculum model with a Catholic twist. I am very excited about this new program which will encompass every subject except for reading and math. I will let you know how this program looks when I get it figured out!!

For math this year, we are going to do RightStart Math. I just got the huge kit in the mail and Liam was so excited about it! He ripped open the package and was amazing at all the hands on activities! He's soooo KINDERGARTEN! lol.

Then for reading, we are going to continue our lessons in 100 Easy Lessons and then probably move on to The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (see side book) and the many little readers I have laying around like the Bob books.

I finished buying a million reading books from Amazon and such, so I will continue my daily task of reading picture books and stories until my voice gets hoarse. (We just received The Holy Twins and just loved it!)

Just for fun, Liam is also memorizing the Psalms. It was a spur of the moment decision that we started back in April. He's so good at memorizing, so we decided to capitalize on this gift and have him memorize something worthwhile The classical curriculum we're going to start in a couple weeks will give a lot of great knowledge to memorize too (like science, history, Latin, parts of speech, etc. ). So far, he's memorized up to Psalm 18. He enjoys it and gets a special treat every time he has another one down. It will probably take him three years to memorize them all, at which time we will likely start over again and delve deeper into the meaning of the psalms. The whole experience has been very enriching for all of us.

My decision to homeschool is a very personal one that I will not get into in this space. I'm well aware of all the misunderstanding that surrounds homeschooling, but just know that. Just know, I'm not going to mess up my kids for life and although this will incur more work on my part, it is going to be worth it in the end (so don't try to talk me out of this!) :)

Lastly, I am not doing this because I have a degree in elementary education and have years of teaching experience. That fact does not make me any more qualified and I see it as almost irrelevant to what I am doing now. To be a successful homeschooling family, all one needs are caring parents willing to learn. I see myself in the same position, if not further behind as most of my other friends who are homeschooling with other bachelor's degrees under their belts. In fact, now I wish I had received an English literature or History major- that would be really useful right now!

Wish me luck!

My "Go To" Lunch and a Story of My Shallowness

2011-08-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks be to God, we are all ok and with power today! The storm wasn't too bad and I am so grateful.

When lunch rolls around, who feels like cooking? Not me. I usually will have a sandwich or leftovers, but if these are not sounding appealing, my all time favorite quick, healthy, easy and cheap lunch is a grilled tortilla with avocado and black beans. An added bonus of this meal, I recently discovered, is that it's also an easy, healthy, quick and yummy meal for babies- minus the tortilla.

Here's how I roll:

Drain black beans, heat 'em.

Grill tortillas like this. Makes them taste fresh!

Slice up an avo and sprinkle with salt.

Put the avo and black beans in a warmed tortilla and enjoy! For the baby, I skip the salt on the avo, and mash the warmed black beans with a fork. He loves this meal almost as much as me.

I fell in love with this excellent food combo when I was in Guatemala the first time. We had this a lot down there. One day we walked up a farmer's hill/mountain to his field. I think his name was Don Filaberto. Under an avocado tree, his daughters patted out some homemade corn tortillas and grilled them right in front of us. They took a few ripe avocados from the tree, mashed and salted them. Then they heated up some black beans they had brought. It was unbelievably good! As we ate this typical Guatemalan food, we heard Don Filaberto's story told through a translator. I know it was a very moving and important story about this poor farmer, but I'm really sorry I don't remember anything but the food!! I'd like to excuse myself from this embarrassing shallowness by saying I was only 17 and it was a long time ago, but really-- it was the homemade tortillas that will take over my brain anytime. Maybe my dad can fill in the blanks since my mind was lost in homemade tortillas...

What's your 'go to' lunch?

Finding My Style...Again: MOd ReTRo

2011-08-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

After turning thirty, waist deep into mommyhood, and being a conservative Christian, it wasn't easy, but I think I've found my style again and some clothes to match. I'd describe my style as mod-retro.

The internet has been great in letting me window shop without strollers and kids running into the streets. The website I've been frequenting is Modcloth.com. I'd like to add about 8 inches of fabric to most of the their dresses, but here's some dresses on my wish list that I've found to be cute and modest:
How about you? Where's your favorite site to shop?

Now back to storm watching...

Natural Disasters 1, 2 and Getting Ready for 3

2011-08-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't live on the East Coast, you may be wondering how we are all surviving over here, or you may just be happy to be oblivious and out of the way of a tropical storm. I know I was the latter when I lived further inland!

First of all, let me tell you how terrifying that first earthquake was. I had been in two other very small earthquakes before- one in Guatemala and one in California. I think they were around a 3 on the Richter scale. They were nothing more than a rumble and it was expected. This one was a 5.9 and the epicenter was 43 miles from my home, and I didn't know I lived on a fault line!!!

I was in my basement, on the phone with a friend who was in the park nearby. All of a sudden, I hear a loud noise like thunder and the whole house is shaking- really shaking. Some people say they thought loud truck was passing by. I don't remember the last time a truck drove by and my house started shaking from the foundation and things started falling off the walls. Also, when trucks drive by, it's not the sound of ridiculously loud thunder on a clear, blue day. I think these people must live in a giant jumpy blow up thing or are on some very strong medication. There's no way I could mistake that 5.9 earthquake for a truck. I was thinking more along the lines of Armageddon. The world starts shaking and all of a sudden, Jesus comes down from a cloud in the sky to judge the good from the bad. Seriously, what's more probable: huge earthquake in the middle of Virginia, or the end of the world. I was thinking: the end of the world. At any rate, that quake definitely put the fear of God in me!

My friend on the other end of the phone said, "Is that an earthquake? I think that was an earthquake!" I immediately started grabbing kids. I was just getting Analee out of bed from her nap when my husband comes out the bedroom and yells for us all to get under the door frame. If it hadn't been for his never failing emergency plan, my plan would have just been to hold the kids and scream. We just barely got under the door frame and it ended. 15 seconds of loud shaking and it was over. Somethings broke and some things fell, but we were ok.

Then yesterday, we come back from visiting grandparents, and a huge storm hits. It was storm on fast forward, with the volume cranked up. I completely underestimated it's potency from my window, and did a very silly thing. Because we had no food in the house and I didn't feel like grocery shopping after a very long day, I asked my husband to pick up sushi. The storm only lasted about 30 minutes and by the time we had our order figured out, it was over. I figured it would be safe for him to run out and come back. He goes and gets stuck in traffic for 45 minutes because of downed trees, no street lights and crazy, crazy amounts of stopped traffic. The sushi place is three miles down the road. INSANE. I'm just thankful that we didn't lose any power. Most of our neighbors lost power for about three hours.

Now, after stocking up from two different trips to the store, I think I am ready for hurricane Irene. We didn't even have one flashlight in our house, or a bottle of water. I don't know what to expect, but from what people have said about the last hurricane, we're probably going to have power outages. I've never been without power for more than a few hours, so I've been going a little crazy trying to plan out what we'd do if there was no power and no water for a few days or even... a week. gulp. I couldn't survive a week. I definitely would be checking in to Motel 6 if it were a week.

So now we have flashlights, lanterns, bottled water, water in large basins (in case we need to flush the toilets manually or wash ourselves), baked goods, and a very stocked fridge and freezer with extra ice. I'm not getting a generator. Does anyone even know if those things work in an emergency?? My dad, who sells generators, wired a very big, professional one up to his house. It was able to power a couple things in the house when there was no other source of power. A COUPLE THINGS. like a stove, and some lights. I don't see how these tiny ones that people buy can actually do anything. I would like some evidence on this subject...

So that's what going on the East Coast for all you who are watching with popcorn in hand from your couches in my old habitats in Minnesota, California and Colorado and Ohio. I know what it's like to be you, but now I'm finding out what it's like to be on the other side of that news story. Keep us in your prayers!

What's on My Work Desk

2011-08-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Besides reducing, slicing and poking hundreds of beads, I've been putting together a few things...
Sorry for the poor quality of these photos... hubby was messing with the camera and I don't know how to put it back to the original settings.

Personalized rosaries...maybe someday I'll have this option in my shop, but for now, it's just for those special orders and friends. These names are attached to the centerpiece of the rosary are not actually beads to pray on. I like to keep it that since it's kind of weird to me to be praying on one's own name!

Tree hugger bracelet complete with wooden beads! Tree of Life hugger, that is...

My personal rose necklace got a makeover. I took it apart and added some pewter beads and made it much longer so now I can wrap it twice like this for a shorter necklace, or leave it a one stranded long necklace. I love the weight of the pewter beads too! This goes with so many of my outfits. This picture doesn't do this necklace any justice!

The Spirituality of a Four Year Old

2011-08-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

My paper-wasting-lover four year, decided to make a prayer book today for which I was happy it wasn't going to end up a cut-up, scribbled on, stapled, taped and cut up into many more tiny pieces and left on the floor piece of garbage. He tells me to write down what he says. Oh, boy, I thought, this is going to be fun. What is going to come out of this kid's mouth?

He's been hearing a lot of psalms lately, so this one's harsh undertone is no indication that we talk or think this way in our day to day conversations!

God is holy for you are the one that is holy.
Throw the bad into hell
You are the holy one
Blessed God, Blessed God

It's not bad theology, but this next one was just wrong and I had to scratch it out after I realized where he was going with it:

~~Oh Lord, send the bad out of Hell that are good~~

We had to have a little talk after that one...

This next one was heavily inspired by today's feast day; the Assumption of Mary into heaven. It cracks me up.

God, you are the holy, holy one.
You can lift heavy things
You can lift Mary up to heaven
for you are holy

I'm not sure that Mary was that heavy, but whatever.

This next one I was very happy with after he said some bad stuff the other day, for which he received time-outs. We talk all the time about how big God is, so he knew it was wrong when he said, This train is bigger than God! I laughed and said, No Liam, you know that's not true. God is bigger than everything. Don't say that again. TWO seconds later: This train is bigger than God. A short timeout was issued. Afterward, he comes back to play with his very long train and shows his sister. He whispers very softly so I could barely hear: This train is bigger than God. Timeout, round two.

This time, I think he learned his lesson. He dictates to me:

Oh, how big God is.
He's bigger than the house,
He's bigger than the shelves,

He's bigger than the windows...

(many more bigger's were said too fast for me to write down)

He's bigger than a long line of trains
He's bigger than the sun

He's bigger than the clouds...

(many more bigger's I couldn't write down fast enough)
He's bigger than a longer line of trains ever
He's bigger than a pile of trucks.
Amen.

This last one was just sweet.

Oh, you are nice, nice, nice, nice, nice... (a zillion more nice's that I didn't write down)
You are nice
You are nice
You are nice... (a hundred more that I didn't write down)
(I'm wondering where this is going and when it's going to end...)
You are very, very, very nice

(after two more minutes of this:)

Please help me to be nice.
Amen.

awwww...my heart turned to mush and I finished the last sentence with a tiny tear in my eye. I said we were going to send prayer book entitled, "Every Person's Prayer Book" to Grandma and Grandpa, but this one's going in the scrapbook. I'm plan on taking it out and reading it 10 years from now when I'm pulling out my hair during his teenage years. I think I'm going to have to make an extra copy for him to read then too!

The Cat Stretch

2011-08-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

Jude didn't want to crawl on the spiky grass, so this is what he did:

Tips/Thoughts on Making a Spiritual Communion?

2011-08-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

Spiritual communion was not taught to my generation and I only learned of its existence after finding some good prayer books in high school. But I never did figure out this concept and have forgotten about it until this morning when I really wanted to make one. Sometimes it would be nice to do make a spiritual communion if I can't go to Mass and receive Jesus in the true communion, or I just really need Him (which I'm experiencing more and more these days!).

So, please bestow your thoughts on making spiritual communions- how to do it, what the blessings are- why it's different from other prayers.

God Bless You!

The Secret to Soft, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-08-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Soft, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My mother in law shared this secret with me. It's not in the butter or how much flour you use, or any ingredient. The secret to long lasting chewy chocolate chip cookies is to refrigerate the dough after it's made. I'm guessing the reason must be that when the butter is re chilled the inside of the cookie doesn't get the same amount of heat and the butter doesn't have a chance to harden the cookie as much.

You don't need to refrigerate a very long time- this time the dough didn't even have a chance to harden in the fridge, but they still came out a little crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. These are going to be gone by the end of the day, so I to snap a quick picture. They are made with whole wheat and I could have even went with a little less sugar. Maybe even substituted some applesauce for some sugar (then they might not have come out quite so perfect!) Here's the tried and true Betty Crocker recipe that I use:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter softened- not melted (margarine is bad)
1 tsp. vanilla (I always use more like a tablespoon of this)
1 large egg
2 1/4 flour (use whole wheat)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag semi sweet choc. chips (12 oz. or 2 cups) More is always better!

1. Heat oven to 375
2. Beat sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. *refrigerate dough for at least 45 min*
4. Spoon cooled dough onto cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 min. or until slightly *very, very slightly* browned.
5. Enjoy with tall glass of milk.

Still soft the next day and for days to come- if they last that long (mine never do!)

My Philosophy of Education

2011-08-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

One of the projects I had to complete before I graduated with a bachelor's degree in elementary education, was to make a portfolio with my philosophy of education. Just for a chuckle, I went back to reread my old thoughts on education. This is what I wrote before I was a real teacher in a real classroom, before I started homeschooling, and before I've decided that modern education has failed us and we should reconsider the tried and true classical approach. I was certain I had done a 180 on my philosophy of education, but to my surprise, this is what I read:

....the essential ingredients for a good education are: a loving a teacher, a parental involvement, hands-one learning, and good classroom management.

I certainly couldn't disagree! These are spot on- even in regards to homeschooling and the Classical approach. I went on to read and laugh at this:

Everyone knows how important a loving teacher is to education because everyone has had one who has touched his/her life. There is no substitute for a teacher who has the students' best interest at heart. It's no wonder why home schooled children are so successful with their own mother as their teacher. Hand's down, a loving teacher is the most important ingredient to a good education.

How funny is that especially when the very thought of homeschooling my kids made me shudder! I had no plans whatsoever to home school until years after I wrote this.

I go on to talk about parental involvement, classroom management and hands-on-learning. All of it, I still agree with. I conclude with saying: teaching is no doubt- a work of heart.

How true it still is- a parent or teacher who cares, is the best teacher. Amen to that!

Teenagers Think I'm Old

2011-08-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Today I turned thirty and my sisters (17 and 14) kindly inform me that teenagers, the world over, think I'm old. While this is true, when I tell people who are older than me that now I am feeling old, they roll their eyes. I don't care what people say-30 is not the new 20; thirty is the anti-age! I can't say I'm young, I can't say I'm old- I just don't win, so I keep my mouth shut (except when it comes to telling the cyber-world!). Apparently there are rumors circulating in my homeschooling group that I am 26. haha! I'll keep them guessing. And just a month ago, in a certain Mexican restaurant, I was carded, then re-carded with a credit card verification because they thought I was lying about my age. I don't have to tell how good that felt! (even though it was only because I was with my little sister who makes me look young). Afterward, there was much apologizing by the waitress, but I kept saying, "No, really, thank you!" When I'm with my kids, or my husband, on the other hand, I rarely get carded. They don't bother with this old lady!

In the end, after living three fulfilling decades, I can honestly say, I don't feel old. God has blessed me generously- despite the many ways I failed Him. I don't deserve my amazing husband and three spectacular kids, and many new friendships blossoming in our new area, but I'll take 'em all!

Before I was old. (the day of our engagement- my early twenties) Thinking, "30 is really old!"

If the decades to come are as rich in blessings as the first three, I look forward to growing old(er). But today, since I'm not old and not young, I will continue to call my self: The Clay Rosary Girl" and have parties late at night when my kids are asleep.

Almost 30. Old ladies doing oyster shooters at Old Emmit's with babies in tow. See, people over 30 have lots of fun!

Clay Buttons

2011-07-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

Most of the buttons are made with jump rings, but the green/red rose has two holes. These buttons are going to be sold at the Mary's Shelter fundraiser in downtown Fredericksburg.

Here's something new for me- making buttons! I was in need of some new buttons for my summer dress and one button for a toy that lost it's button. After looking up some online tutorials, I set to work using some canes I had already made. These buttons were super easy and would be a fun activity for older kids too.

You wouldn't have to use canes with designs in them. You could just make buttons of different colors swirled together or put polka dots on them- etc.

Just in case you're wondering, these polymer clay buttons don't get damaged when put in washing and drying machines. This dress was washed with the buttons on it and came out just fine.

Martha Was a Saint After All

2011-07-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Before morning prayer, my husband says,"We should go to Mass today."
We try to go to morning Mass the days he has off, but today all I could think about was how much housework I needed to get done.

"No, I can't. I have so much to do. I have to [insert everything imaginable household chore]."

"Ok, Martha," he said snickering.

I'm thinking: Martha Stewart? What a compliment! He thinks I run a super organized house. Oh wait, he's calling me that woman who had no time for Jesus because all she could think about was all the work that needed to be done. How dare he!!

I gave him a "I am not amused" look and the silent treatment as I opened up the Magnificat prayer book for our morning prayers.

"Oh, common. It was just a joke!" He says.

He continues to apologize as I open up the prayers for today and see right under today's date whose feast day it is. Martha. It's Martha's feast day! We couldn't believe it! After a good laugh, he said, "Ok now we have to go to Mass!" Any one of the other 364 other days out of the year, this Martha thing wouldn't have worked, but today, there was no getting around it. I had to stop everything and go to Jesus.

The wonderful thing about Saint Martha is, that in the end, she got it all figured out. She confessed that Jesus was the son of God and that he can do anything, even raise her dead brother, Lazarus from the dead. She grew in great faith and love; and she became a saint! Do I think she became a saint because she found a way to get out of all her housework? NO. I think she became a saint because she learned how put Christ in her work and make her work a prayer. She also learned when to stop and be still and let God be the only thing in her life.

As we read though the psalm for the day, it became clear that all those chores can become my idol when I put them first and put God last. When I give all my time, my attention and even my obedience to my work (or anything or anyone for that matter), I've made that my golden calf.

Pagan idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak;
they have eyes but cannot see

They have ears but cannot hear;
there is never a breath on their lips
Their makers will come to be like them
and so will all who trust in them!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
(Psalm 135)

By contrast, when my work becomes a service to God and done of out love for God and my family, it can lead me to heaven. Sometimes I think, when I get all this stuff done with this, then I can pray to God. I tend to think holiness is something that can only be achieved when one is spending copious amounts of time in prayer and solitude. I've even had the passing thought that once my children are grown, I'll have time for real holiness! After all, who do you see at daily Mass: old people who have LOTS of time on their hands. Now I can see the error in my ways.

Give her a reward for her labors,/ and let her works praise her at the city gates. (Prv 31: 31)

Now is the time for real holiness; when I have the face of Christ x4 in front of me every day and many opportunities to offer up little sacrifices throughout the day.

So, I'm praying today:

O Lord our God, by the intersession of Saint Martha, renew my zeal for the tasks you have given me, that I may serve my family and the world around me by the works of faith and love. Amen.

NFP Awareness Week- It's Not Just for Aliens!

2011-07-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

I almost missed out on NFP Awareness week. Thank you to Leila @ Little Catholic Bubble, for spreading this good stuff. Read her post for some very prophetic words from Pope Paul IV about what would happen to our culture if we embraced contraception. It's all true and so sad what we have become in the name of "convenience".

One of my first posts was about Natural Family Planning that was heavily influenced by the wonderful Dr. Gregory Popcak. It was entitled, "NFP, Say it Loudly, Say it Proudly." What I said then, I still day today. Even if people think you have come from another planet, they should still be aware of this "alternative" lifestyle they are missing out on.

I won't lie-- practicing Natural Family Planning is really hard at times. Especially when a women is breastfeeding, her cycle has not come back yet, and there is no way God is calling to them to have another baby at this time! Who cannot deny the convenience of contraception? However, when it causes couples to take each other for granted, treat each other as objects for one's own gratification and disrupt God's plan in a marriage, how can we not step up try our hardest to make NFP work? It's a lot of work, sure, but what's at stake, is not frivolous stuff. It's a human life, a respectful spouse, and communion with God that cannot be found when one says NO to God's plan for their marriage. How I wish there was a magic button to press when trying to figure out my ambiguous fertility at times, but maybe that's all part of God's plan too. Dr. Popcak explains in his book, Holy Sex, how periods of abstinence can be fruitful to a marriage. It agree whole heartily! It has made my husband and I closer than before. Sometimes periods of abstinence can make a couple feel like their dating again or it can be a chance to grow in a particular virtue, as Dr. Popcak points out.

But just in case you go thinking that NFP will be really hard and allow little time for the marital embrace, this is not the case 90% of the time. Ask couples who have been doing it all their life. Sure, you may end up with more than the average 2 or 3 kids, but you can be sure that it was God's plan all along. I guess that's probably the biggest hang-up that I get from people when I share the awesomeness of NFP. They don't want any more kids. It's hard to get around that except that if they would try asking God what He wants, they might find out that this martian who just landed in front of them is speaking the truth after all.

Disclaimer: The number of kids is irrelevant. I do not cast judgement on how many kids people have and it's only between the husband, wife and God that can know what is best for their family.

Edible Arrangement- The Reprise

2011-07-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

For our 6th anniversary, my husband's parents sent us this lovely edible arrangement. I couldn't bear to through away the pot, so I made another with the left over stuff.

I can't believe how much these things go for- considering I probably spent about $10.00 in fruit that was on sale, and some chocolate. And it only took about 30 minutes to do. Although, there is something special about a stranger knocking on your door at odd hours to drop off chocolate covered fruit. It's kind of exciting!

Liam had fun sticking blueberries with me.

The chocolate dipping did not look half as good as the original. I think I burnt the chocolate in the microwave because it was a little lumpy. It didn't stick on the fruit very well either. But we made it work!

The Only Domesticated Plant That Will Grow in My Yard

2011-07-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

There's not much else to say except that if I had to choose one, I'd prefer this one to be the domesticated plant that will grow in my yard. I love how showy they are. They say LOOK AT ME, I AM GORGEOUS! Just like my two year old daughter. When we say, "you're so pretty", she says, "Yeah!"

The Commando Crawl

2011-07-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Jude been doing the commando crawl for a while now, but I've been waiting to take pictures until he gets up on all fours. I'm not sure this will happen since he is very good at getting around quickly and efficiently on his belly. I keep telling people I need to put a swiffer pad on his belly because he does such a good job at collecting dirt off my floor. Gross, but true.

It's been a challenge to keep every little thing off the floor, but at the same time, I am liking this crawling thing. He loves being mobile! It keeps him happy for much longer so that mommy can have more time picking up marbles and coins that the other kid leave behind.

He is so happy just to explore and see what he can find behind the toilet. Yes, that's right. He loves to get in the bathroom when Mommy's not looking and get that little white cap off the screw that holds the toilet to the floor. Probably the most disgusting thing and forbidden thing in my house- which is why he make a bee line for it every time the door's open. Gotta love boys!

Monstrance Bead and Jewish Roots of the Eucharist

2011-07-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

My monstrance bead is finally done and now I can send out those orders I have been holding on to for Eucharistic rosaries!

While I was making this bead, I popped in a Lighthouse CD and it was coincidentally, on the Eucharist. I learned a lot about the Jewish roots of the Eucharist from listening to this CD (three times in a row!). One interesting fact: at the passover meal, their was no lamb present! If you have ever participated in a Seder meal, you would find this very odd since the lamb is one of the most important parts about the passover meal for the Jews. I wonder why I have never noticed this before. The reason for this was that Jesus is the new lamb- sacrificed for us all, and the new sacrificial food is his body and blood in the form of bread and wine. I bet the twelve apostles were like, "hey, where's the lamb?? Why the bread and wine??" Although, maybe they were used to all of Jesus' radical changes by then. Knowing the Jewish roots to Christianity is so important to understanding the Faith since Jesus says he did not come to abolish the law (Jewish), but to fulfill it. If we only know one side of the story (the Christian/Catholic side), we are missing a lot of the "reasons why".

That was just one tiny part of that CD, so if you want to know more, you can get the CD here. One last thing...Have you ever wondering why Jesus says in the Our Father: Give us this day our daily bread? He says day twice--which is unnecessary. Jesus wouldn't make such a grammatical error on purpose. It's because of the Greek translation for the word "daily". Literally, it is translated "super substantial" but we don't have a word in English for it. Give us the day, our super substantial bread doesn't mean whole wheat vs. white. I means give us super natural bread! Try that on for size, my protestant brothers and sisters (in all love and respect).

A Big Change in Business

2011-07-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

I have come to the decision (not at all easily or suddenly) to close my shop until February. I will have it open from February to May- or until I can no longer handle any more business. This is my usual busy season and I hope it will be good timing for most of my customers. I will be finishing up the orders that I have promised, but then I will be closing shop for 7 months. Wow, sounds like an eternity, but I know it will go so quickly for me.

A dream of mine has always been to be caught up in bead making and actually have a stock of rosaries that I could just ship out as I receive orders. However, this is has never worked out as planned. I guess God has always had other plans.

For over a year now, I've been praying to hear His Holy Will for my business. When my little hobby became a part time job a year and a half ago, it was very exciting, but I had a hard time maintaining balance. While I have gotten better at balancing work and family, it still is not enough and I've been given more and more signs that I need to stop working so hard. Yesterday was the last straw on my back as God put yet another sign in my face: a lost day working on sales tax. I spent almost all day working on sales tax and got nothing else done! I am the most disorganized person when it comes to accounting and it certainly was my demise today. The wrist problem never completely went away, either, and I see that as probably the most obvious sign.

There have been other signs too. My friend, Marilisa, commenting on how she stopped selling Mary Kay because it was consuming her every thought. That sign struck me like a lightning bolt. One reason why this decision was so hard to make is because making rosaries is good work. It's just not the work God has ordained for me- which is something everyone has to answer for him/herself. I desire so much to be truly present to my children and my husband, but I fear I have filled my day with too much of "un-ordained" work that I can't focus on them when they are right in front of me. The clay rosary business is good work, but it's only good for me when it is in the proper balance. I hope all my customers will be able to understand.

So, being in business for four months out of the year is the best compromise between what I like to do on the side, and what I am called to do as a wife and mother. My hope is that this way, I am able to work on making beads and start stocking up on rosaries in my own time to be more prepared for the crazy-busy months. I have so many polymer canes sitting in my cabinet, it is ridiculous! I will be blogging here and there, so stay tuned for parts 1-500 of "slicing and punching holes through beads" blog posts. Right now, I am finishing up my second attempt at the monstrance bead, so I will post on that when it's finished.

Some Fun Projects- Finished!

2011-07-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

My sister left yesterday after staying with us for three and a half weeks. It was a sad goodbye, but she left us with some very fun pieces of decor to remind us of her.

Cabinet makeover

This Ethan Allen cabinet that I snagged for $40.00 at the thrift shop around the corner from us, was originally dark stained wood. I've always wanted to make it look more cohesive in our living space, but there is no way I would have every carved out two days to paint that thing. Here's what Christina did with some paint and fabric:

Unfortunately the kids ran off with the hinges and only two were found. I think we will have to buy all new ones.

The next project that I've been wanting to have done is to redo one of the original windows from our old house. We found this one in the garden room when we cleaned it out. I wanted to add some more bits of blue to the room since buying my new blue and white chairs, so this was a good way to incorporate that color:

Since Christina is thinking about going into interior design, I gifted her with some real world experience (haha). First she painted the trim white. Then she sanded the corners/edges. She applied some brown stain to the sanded parts, then immediately wiped it off giving it an antiqued look. painted all white. Finally, she put a clear coat of finish on top of the stain.

For the windows, I printed off this bird pattern from the Internet onto translucent paper. Christina used a magic marker to make a little darker blue. Then she used contact paper to stick it on the back. A matching ribbon completed the look.

This last project was a joint effort of my husband, Christina and I. I had wanted to print this family picture on a canvas, but the high price tag scared me away. Instead, I printed off this large print for 5.99 at Costco. I cut it into three equal parts and had my husband cut an old piece of wood into three identical parts. The wood was sanded and painted black. Then I glued the picture on the front with decoupage glue. It was so simple and I saved more than a hundred dollars! I can't take credit for the idea since I saw it in flier for a hardware store a few years ago.

Thank you, Christina for all your help and hard work. It was a great visit! You will be missed!!

Being Reminded to Pray for Priests

2011-07-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I've never really prayed for priests before. I know, as Catholics we are reminded to pray for them often. But when I pray, they are the last people I think to pray for. I mean, they are already holy, right?? Well yesterday, when I received not one, but three reminders to keep them at the top of my list. The first one was pure drama.

My sister and I were visiting a place that shall not be named because apparently, they also don't want be associated with this particular priest. We were invited to go to Mass before touring this place. You know me, the Catholic mom who wants nothing more than for her kids to grow up living and loving their faith; I try to sit right in front when we go to Mass. My kids aren't going to get nearly as much out of Mass if they can't see what's going on. Plus, I think it helps them to pay attention- in theory.

So, I sit in the second row with my brood, hoping they will be good- as good as a two year old, four year old, and baby will be-- after they've driven and hour and a half. For the record, I did let them run around for about 15 minutes before Mass began.

Mass starts and they still have the jitters. They were a little more bouncy than normal and more distracted. I did not think they were loud. Nothing above a whisper, except for my baby who was a little winy because he was hungry. No more "running to Jesus" this time, I thought. I'll wait until after communion to feed him. (Here's that little story if you missed that dramatic moment). I figured the priest would enjoy seeing kids there at Mass, anyway. I couldn't be more wrong.

During Mass, the priest payed extra attention to us and would stare at us- even stopping what he was doing to stare. At first, I thought he was maybe happy to see us...then things got weird. Before consecration, he stopped for 30 seconds to stare at me. Then during the Our Father, when we say "as we forgive those who trespass against us, he looked up and stared at me. It gave me the chills. We are supposed to think about people we haven't forgiven, why did he suddenly look at me? I thought. On the drive home, it all made sense.

As I walk out of Mass, the priest comes up and kindly asks my name. Then he puts his arm on my shoulder in sort of a confidential way and says, "You know, you really should have brought your kids into the foyer. It was incredibly distracting to me and the others in Mass." I tried to counter his nonsense with, But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me". His response: when they are at the age of reason and are able to sit quietly and still, then they are welcome into the church. If not, they belong in the cry room or in the foyer. You kids were wiggling, jumping, talking, running...yada, yada" I stop him short to squeeze in: they were not running! He said it didn't matter, they were a distraction. "You should be going to your own parish for Mass. This parish is for the students and faculty....You shouldn't be coming here...go to your own parish for Mass. " I tried to make an argument as to why my kids have every right to be there in front as anyone else, but he wasn't going to listen. He told me to be more docile and obedient.

It came to mind after the conversation who was the real distraction- to Jesus, ultimately. Not to mention during the Mass, when everyone was watching the priest watch us! In all respect for the Cloth, he more of a distraction to who Jesus really is than my children- in action, attitude and speech. My children, bouncy or not, mirror the face of Jesus more than adult. Jesus himself said we should all be looking toward the children to see how to pray to God! And talk about who deserves to be at the wedding feast of the Lamb- well, my children in their innocence and purity deserve more than any adult to be right there in front, praising Jesus with the angels. They may not be doing it the way the priest wants them to do it, but we are working on that too.

Bottom line: if my kids were talking out loud, really crying, or running around, I would have stopped them or taken them out if they couldn't be stopped. Believe me, I try my hardest to keep my kids away from any attention at Mass. No matter how hard I try, they will be jiggly, make some noises and whisper. I know Jesus doesn't care, so I try not to let any frowns around me me bring me down.

Back to the priest, I told him that I and my children will be praying for him. My sister, who witnessed this conversation, said it was the first time he didn't know what to say. I was serious too; we will be adding him to their nightly prayers- not out of spite, but in all love, for our brother in Christ.

This encounter made me realize how much weight is really on a priest's shoulders and how much more they are expected to behave as true models of Christ. Had this been anyone else, it wouldn't have been so disturbing. When we see priests behave badly, it shakes the very foundation of who we know Jesus to be. Later that night, I was even hesitant to go to confession because I didn't want to encounter another priest. In fact, as my husband and I drove to church, I said I didn't want to go to adoration. The feelings were so fresh. I know in my mind that priest and church don't mean that priest and church, but subconsciously, it was very slightly carried over. I could see how devastating this kind of encounter would be for someone who was not a frequent church goer. It made me more resolute in my decision to pray for that priest and all priests.

When we entered the church, Eric hands me a pamphlet that was sitting by the holy water font, A Rosary for Priests. I tucked it in my purse. I hope they don't mind, but I won't be giving it back.

Right as I was leaving the confessional, the priest said, "please pray for me". I will, I answered. I will from now on.

When Mormons Knock

2011-07-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I had the privilege of hosting two very nice Mormons after they unknowingly knocked on the door of one of the most eager of homes in Virginia to share the Catholic faith with nonbelievers.   In the past, I have brushed off these missionaries (as they call themselves) by simply telling them I'm Catholic. I thought this is what us Catholics were supposed to do. But then I listened to a very good Lighthouse CD called From Mormon Missionary to Catholic Church by Thomas Smith. This convert informed me that we should always open our doors to the missionaries because they need to see people of other faiths living out their faith.   He said most of the time, these missionaries lived very sheltered lives and had no idea that there were people who also lived faithful lives with different beliefs. Also, he says that our witness could plant a seed a doubt in their minds, which could lead them to conversion.   As you can imagine, many of the homes they go into are ill educated, nonpracticing Catholics who are easily swayed. Our missionaries boys affirmed this well known fact to us and expressed surprise over our convictions.

So when the Mormons knocked, the day we got back from vacation, I was ready. My better half was not. He answered the door and almost shooed them away with a "bad timing" excuse. When they asked if they could come a different time, I quickly answered, YES! tomorrow! Later Eric tells me he was so glad I invited them in because he also didn't know what I said in the above paragraph. The extra day turned out to be the perfect amount of time to prep for our evangelization talk. My husband scoured the CatholicAnswers.com and I listened to my CD again. It also gave us time to think about what our attitudes should be- full of love for neighbor and God. Not defensive or confrontational, I kept telling my husband who can get very.... um, passionate about his beliefs.

3:00pm the next day rolls around and who knocks again, but our poor, sweet and naive Mormon boys (ages 19 and 20).   We treated them like brothers and had a very delightful 2 hour conversation. We were ready for a good debate, but it turned out that there were not as ready. The didn't have very good Bible knowledge or arguments.   They mostly asked us question about our faith and as time when on, we could tell they were sincere questions. They had very little knowledge about the Catholic faith, and even had a hard time holding up their beliefs against ours.   They were so sweet and kind, but just not not what I thought the Mormon missionaries would be like. We shared conversion stories, family and school background, and our deepest convictions about our faith. It was truly enjoyable!

Evangelizing with my husband was such a good thing for our marriage too. With the graces of our marriage, the Holy Spirit made us a seamless tag-team. If I got stuck on a thought, my husband was able to pick up the pieces of my scattered brain and put it all together. I don't feel like I did as good of a job at explaining things as my husband did, but he tells me I helped to further explain things that he got stuck on. It was an exhilarating feeling to evangelize with him and feel those sacramental graces flowing. It was one of those rare times in a marriage when you for certain that this marriage is not about me or him, it's about a union made by God; joined as one.    From our "evangilization on the beach days", we knew that when one person was talking, the other was to pray for the Holy Spirit to speak through us. We did this and it made everything feel so natural.

One of the boys asked what our belief on the Trinity was and how we wrap our heads around it. I asked him if he had ever heard how St. Patrick used the three leaf clover to teach about the Trinity (funny, since I didn't know his name was Patrick). He hadn't. The Mormons are pseudo Christians (though they don't admit to this) because they don't believe in the true Trinity. They don't believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are ONE God. In fact, they don't even believe that Jesus is really God. They said he had god-like qualities. This is why it can be very deceiving when Mormons come knocking. They couch their beliefs in Christian language and make it seem like we believe the same thing. This is what they kept telling us. My husband was very good and gentle about asserting that we don't. We believe Jesus is God. If a person believes in everything else, but doesn't confess that Jesus is God, then what's the point?   I could see Patrick's wheels turning in his head when we explained the Trinity and why Jesus can be nothing but God.

They also asked about heaven more than once too, which I thought was peculiar. We were aware the strange Mormon ideas of heaven. Populating planets, becoming Gods, etc. We asserted that Heaven will be bliss just being in the presence of God. There is no such thing as time or space in Heaven, so there's no really doing, it's just being; and being in the presence of God who love is more joy than we can ever imagine here on earth. I could also see the wheels turning at this point. Mormons believe that each planet has their own god. They don't like to admit this either because deep in all of our hearts, we know for certain that this is not true. From their responses, I could tell they wanted to believe too-- that there is ONE God who loves us all--throughout all space and time.

At the beginning of the conversation, they were surprised to learn that Eric and I had both done some evangilization work before (in college). Before they left, they asked if we did this sort of thing on a regular basis for our Church! Haha. We said we'd love to, but right now, we are working on converting our little heathens before we venture out of our home. total joke. Our kids convert us more than we convert them. They knew what we meant though.

Passing along a Catholic bible was a big accomplishment too. Mormons are only allowed to read the King James version of the Bible, which is the most inaccurate version of the Bible in language and content. In fact, their teaching on heaven comes from an inaccurate translation of the words for heaven and earth! We tried to convey the message of their flawed Bible to them throughout the conversion, however we weren't so good about the history and specifics about the translations.   At least before they left, one of them willing took the NAB version (New American Bible) from us.   He assured us that he would read it and come back with it someday, so we hope that we will have another good discussion in the future.

At the end of our discussion, they asked Eric to lead a prayer. They watched us and our son make the sign of the cross and when we finished, one of them was trying it out for himself (the one whose name was Patrick and who asked about the Trinity. Interesting, huh?).

One of little secrets that we learned about Mormons from the CD is that they are given the title- Elder, and their first names almost become obsolete. Elder Johnson, Elder Smith, etc. becomes the only name they are referred to by other Mormons. Not even their missionary partner knows the other's first name most of the time. So, to find out their first name and call them by that, strips them of their authority and makes them more vulnerable. Thomas Smith said on the CD that a protestant missionary did this to him, saying that when he died, God would be calling him by his first name- not his title.
Eric and I were waiting for an opportunity to get it out of them and before they left, Eric goes, "I'm not very good with last names, can I get your first names so I can remember you?"    It worked like a charm, even though one of them stopped himself for a moment before giving in. We were then able to say goodbye to the boys with their real names.

I believe a seed of doubt was planted (especially in Patrick) and so now I pray for Patrick and Zachary and I asked your prayers too.

The Baptism photos- professional edition.

2011-06-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

We got Jude's pictures in the mail today from our very talented friend, Mike Blaha. If you live in the MSP area, you might want to look him up. It's kind of sad that Jude didn't smile all afternoon, but it did add a certain comical element to the pictures.

How can you not laugh at this:

He's so gangster in this photo. The funny thing is, it's not even our dog.

Here he's wining terribly here, but at the photo has some character, right?

All 19 of us. My mom, dad, and all their children and grandchildren.

Our little family

Look what I got in the mail: artwork!

2011-06-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Elaine @ "Drawing the Line" sent me this beautiful piece of art that she drew:

http://artlikemorality.blogspot.com/2011/06/baby-jesus-mother-mary.html

It's hard to believe she is only 17. You can get your own piece of art by emailing her. She gives away all her artwork for free.

I will be framing this and putting it in the baby's room. I just love pictures of Mary and baby Jesus. Thank you, Elaine!!

I'm Back! Vacation photos

2011-06-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

Jude's feet- his first touch of the ocean.

I'm back from 9 days of sand, sun, sand, water, sand, and more sand. I LOVE the beach- minus the sand that comes in from the beach. Tonight will be my first sand free night in my bed. No matter how hard I try, there is no way to get every last grain of sand off the condo floor, and some of it always ends up in bed with me-which is just the worst feeling. I want my husband in bed with me, my nursing baby most of the time, and the occasional kid, but sand, you are not welcome to sleep with me.

It was a perfect week for the ocean- not too hot, not too cold. I didn't mind the cloud cover either- it kept back the sun exposure so that no one even came back with burn.

Here's a few pics from our relaxing vacation in Ocean City, MD...


the kids spent most of the time doing this- playing in the sand.


saw lots of these: dolphins. Mostly at 5:30am when Jude woke up.


This was the first year I saw this guy: a fox! His little family lived right next to the pool and I saw them every morning. This morning he felt brave and snuck a drink in the pool. They were so cute.


The first day at the beach: running to the water. I love those first moments of experiencing the grandness of the ocean.

Hanging out in the condo. We did a lot of this too.

she who collects sea shells. What fun little girls are!

Jude being calmed by the waves. Having a baby by ocean is always challenging when it's nap time, but this seemed to help.

This was great for nursing and napping! I'm so glad we bought this baby tent.

My little sister, Christina, was so helpful. Without her, it may not have felt like a vacation!

and without my sis, Eric and wouldn't have been able to have this much fun in the waves.

I will be opening my shop tomorrow :)

Visiting Colleges

2011-06-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

F.U.S. Campus Tour- Christina is the one holding Jude.

My sister is in town for three weeks to visit colleges and hang out with me and all my peeps. The first order of business was, of course, to visit my alma mater, Franciscan University in aSteubenville, OH. I cannot tell you how great it felt to be back on my old stomping grounds! The student tour guides who showed us around couldn't be more nice and helpful. It's no secret that I'd love for her to go to F.U.S. but to be fair, we will also be visiting a few other campuses in the area.

We stayed with my household sister who lives in Pittsburgh and whom I haven't seen in three years. It was fun to reconnect and to "introduce" my two youngest kids to her.

Now we're packing for the ocean! The shop will be down for a short time. Hope you all are enjoying your summer days!

Brothers

2011-06-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Work as a Ministry- part two

2011-06-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

I received a very special package today with the key chain that was made with the beads I donated to the TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) retreat of 230. This key chain was given to all the tecites on the retreat and made by the retreat director (I believe). On the card attached is the verse from John 12:24 "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." The front of the card is a little welcome to the teens. I think it is adorable and I am so thankful they gave me one. I keep getting emails from the people on the retreat giving thanks for the beads I gave them and saying they will keep me in their prayers. Now when I look at this key chain, I will keep those teens and adult leaders in my prayers too.

Also, in the package, was a super nice thank you card with the leaders' signatures.

I am just blown away with all thanks these people have given me for such a small thing I did. It really makes me realize how I should be more thankful for the things- big and small- that people do for me. Great things are coming out of these retreats--it is obvious just by the attitude of the leaders and parents. A thankful heart really is a happy heart!

Making My Work a Ministry Also

2011-06-14T05:09:00.000-07:00

This "part time" job of mine has been such a big blessing to our family and I've been praying and thinking of ways I can give back. I was thinking of how I love to donate my rosaries to various Catholic school silent auctions and other Catholic organizations' silent auctions and how maybe I could do more of that. It was right around this time that I got an email from someone who asked if I sold individual beads. I do not sell individual beads, I told her. She then emails back and says she didn't think so, but she thought she'd ask since my bead meaning for the wheat bead has the same meaning as TEC retreat meanings. She leads teen TEC's in Kansas and was looking to make some key chains for the teens on the retreat.

The timing was too perfect. My sister and brother just made a TEC in Minnesota not more than two weeks prior. I have also made a TEC many years ago and know the blessing it is. (here is a website about TEC. I don't know if it's the same location as this one in Kansans. I know Minnesota has a different website for their TEC retreats, but it will give you an idea of what the retreats are about.)

I decided to email her back and tell her I'd donate the beads. The response from the tecites and family members of the tecites has been so heart warming. (and very undeserved!) Here is an email from one of the moms who thanked me:

Dear Sarah,
My son spent this last weekend at a TEC Retreat, and may have had a life-changing experience. I am told that your "Wheat" beads used for his gift on welcoming him to the TEC Family were made possible by your charity. I would like to say, "Thank you!"
Your actions told my son that he was a part of another "family" and was cared for by those whom he's never met. My husband and I were touched by the entire story and our family assures you our prayers for your kindness- which is in abundance because [my son] has 7 brothers and sisters!
I'd like to take my time to peruse through your website before ordering, but I promise to place one soon.
Again, thank you for your generosity!!!
In Christ~ A.

My Other Hobby

2011-06-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

You may have seen in the side lines that one of my other hobbies is scrapbooking. I never really mention scrapbooking here, but I figured it would be ok to show you the other hobby that I love besides bead making.

Probably a big reason I never mention my love for scrapbooking is because a lot of people just hate it! I guess they think it's a waste of time. It would be a waste of time if it was something you didn't enjoy doing. But to me, scrapbooking is the epitome of a creative outlet. It's what Disney is to amusement park lovers. When I have a creative itch, there is nothing like pulling out my scrapbook supplies and letting it all out.

Having said all that, I don't do it often because it is time consuming and there is usually something else that needs to be done. I used to do it more when I had no children or just one. So, I've narrowed it down to making a scrapbook for the kids' first year- which turned into three scrapbooks for my daughter, Analee. See Here:

I started her First Year in January and almost finished by the end of that month. When I started getting busy with rosaries again, I had to put it down and it has sat where I put it 6 months later. Last week, I picked up where I left off and today, I finally got it finished, Hooray! Now I can put away this mess:

Here are some of my pages, in case you are curious. Even more fun than scrapbooking, is looking back on my old "art work". It really is an art when you pour so much creative energy into it.

My favorite scrapbooking material is paper. There is so much you can do with just paper, you really don't need all the other stuff. Plus, have you seen all the cool designs they have now with scrapbook paper?? It makes me giddy.

With scapbooking, there is so much freedom to add as many or few pictures on a page as you want.

A cool thing about scrapping is being able to tell a story through pictures, words and design.

I love that with scrapbooking, you can nicely display cards, letters, and other memorabilia.

Another display of birthday cards. I hope that one day, I can give my scrapbooks to the kids and they will enjoy looking at them with their children as much as I enjoy it.

So, that's why I love scrapping. Now time to put it all away until next time :)

"Playing" Mass with Our New Mass Kit

2011-05-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

My friend and household sister from college, sent me this awesome Mass kit that was made by another household sister. I was so impressed with all the pieces that go with this kit. There is a stole and a pall for EVERY liturgical season! Green, red, white, purple, and pink. Liam loves to see what the priest is wearing and match him. So cool! Also, this mass kit has all the parts labeled so it can be used as an effective teaching too (see below).

I wish I had more ordering info for this Mass kit, but I don't know if my household sister is still making them. If anyone is interested, I could probably round up her email address from someone who knows it.

And from our little photo session, I can give you three reason why women shouldn't be priests

Pink or purple vestments would be only colors ever worn.
The stole will only be worn as a scarf, wrapped around the neck in a fashionable manner.
The congregation will be distracted by bare bellies at every hand raising.

Store Open!

2011-05-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

My store is open again for business! God Bless you all!

All New Bead: Jesus Christ, Tree of Life!

2011-05-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to make this bead for a long time: the Tree of Life. I think the image of the tree is so beautiful and there are so many ways it can be used as a Catholic symbol. The meaning that I am going to uses is Jesus as the tree of life. In Genesis, chapter 3, God closed the garden of Eden so that no one would eat of the tree of life. In the new testament, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross (or the tree) allows all of us to partake in the tree of life and gain eternal life.

Other meanings for this symbol could be the mustard seed, or the fruit tree parable.

Here's the process for this bead:

I used the leaves that I had left over from my roses on the Immaculate Heart bead to make the leaves in the tree. This made the process go much faster!

I made the trunk, then arranged the leaves. Putting the blue background clay in between all those branches and leaves took some time.

The completed cane waiting to be reduced.

The clay canes in their reduction stages.

The finished product!

New Angel Bead

2011-05-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

I've upgraded my simple little angel and here's the new one. I didn't want this angel to be feminine. If anything, I think if angels as more masculine. Of course angels do not have genders, but even their biblical names are more masculine than feminine. I was also thinking of my son, Liam, who has a fascination for angels. I wanted an angel he would connect with, so I started with this sketch...

The sketch

Liam was soooo impressed my little drawing that he wanted to help with the whole bead. He's never been so interested in my bead work! It was kind of flattering, actually. He is very generous with his compliments :)

Here's the hardest part of the whole bead: The face. It's not what I had in mind, but in the end, it didn't matter anyway. In the small rosary beads, you can't make out any features in the face. In the bigger bead versions, it looks my angel is singing. That's not a bad thing. Most of the angels are singing before the throne of God without stop- so this is pretty accurate!

Then came the upper body...

The praying hands and arms- the second hardest part of the this bead. Kind of tricky!

The lower body...

And the part I had been waiting for- the majestic angel wings. I knew this would be fun to do and it was!

Then I put on the blue background. I had hard time deciding whether to make it circular or square. I decided on circular and I'm glad I did because I had just enough blue clay to make a perfect circle.

And here's what the kids got to with the babysitter while I worked- well, at least the last day that I worked on this bead....

Babysitter + her young brother + blow up pool and perfect weather = day 'o fun

The reduction process:

The final product... Yeah!

Now I'm on to my next bead...

Wrist Problems

2011-05-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is not my hand. I get pretty tough on my clay. Plus, I have a lot of more it!

A very unfortunate thing has happened to my wrist to prevent me from working on my clay too much. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I'm hoping my doctor can help to figure out a solution.

Working with polymer clay is taxing on the hands and every time I work with clay too much, I can really feel it afterword. But this time, it's more serious. Last Friday, I was washing floors (on my hands and knees- the only way floors really get clean) when all of a sudden, I couldn't put any weight on my right hand. A sharp pain in my hand prevented me from cleaning any more floors (this time, it's not a lie, hubby!). The weird thing is that I can't even tell what it was that caused it. It had been a few days since I had done any heavy clay work. But, come to think of it, I did lift weights that morning with semi-heavy statues...maybe I should explain...

I was working out (the only time I get to work out is while on vacation- how sad is that?!) to this annoying workout video that my sister had gotten rid of because it was too annoying for her. I think it was Dennis Austin. Anyway, my mom was short on hand weights, but not on religious statues. I grabbed two that felt about 3-5 pounds. I should have known I would get punished for using holy statues as hand weights, and making a joke about my holy workout on top of it!. I don't remember feeling any sharp pains while working out, so it might not have been it. But I did spend a considerable amount of time in downward facing dog during the P90x cardio workout the day before. That's a lot of weight on the wrists too.

I'm forced to take it easy on my wrists, which means minimal clay work. They do feel somewhat better when I'm not putting a lot of weight of them. I'm not sure I will be done with my beads by next week, which means no shop opening. Hopefully with lighter use, my wrists will heal completely and I can resume clay smashing and down word facing dogs, but no more holy weight lifting for this girl!

Three Sacraments in 11 Days. Shop Not Up Yet

2011-05-16T18:36:00.000-07:00


Jude is six months old now. He looks so old in this picture.

We're back from a totally fun and relaxing and much needed trip to Minnesota to visit my family and celebrate three sacraments in 11 days! That's the good news. The bad news is that my monstrance bead did not turn out, and my shop will not be up and running until next week. This week I will be working on making beads, to hopefully get things up and running sometime next week.

Here's the Sacrament marathon in order:
My sister, Christina's, confirmation. I am her lucky confirmation sponsor. What an honor!

My sister being confirmed. I was her sponsor- what an honor!

Jude's Baptism with my brother Tom and my sister in law, Jo Ann as Godparents. My dad, the deacon performed the rite, and all of my family was in attendance. If you're wondering why Jude is being baptized without a shirt and no white garment, it's actually symbolic. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. For some reason, the traditional white garment bib thingy that you get at baptisms, couldn't be found anywhere, so instead of dressing him before the baptism, we dressed him after he was baptized in place of the white bib. According to my dad, it's the way Baptism used to be done and it's more symbolic anyway because it's after baptism that the soul is made pure, hence the white garments.

Jude being baptized without his white garments (see explanation above)

Yeah! Clean soul- free from stain of sin and white garments go on with help of Godparents

Yet another symbol- the MOVING. We all moved from the back of church, where the baptismal font is, to the front of Church to symbolize the moving away from original sin/former life to new life in Christ!

My Goddaughter, Grace, had her First Holy Communion on Sunday. How beautiful! I was so glad to be able to attend.

Grace, on her First Holy Communion

Store on "Vacation" Mode

2011-04-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

My website clayrosaries.com is going to be on "Vacation Mode" until mid May. Thank you to all who have so generously supported Clay Rosaries with your patronage this season. The month of April has been the busiest month ever for Clay Rosaries and I've sent out a record number of rosaries, chaplets and jewelry this month. Now, I need to restock my bead supply! I will be blogging about two remake beads- the monstrance bead and the angel bead. I am very excited about the new designs I have in mind for them, so stay tuned!

I'll also be blogging about the two upcoming First Communions, a confirmation and a baptism happening in the next couple weeks. And you thought vacation mode meant sitting on my butt mode! We are going to be visiting family in Maryland and Minnesota before I come back to make more beads.

On a side note- if you are confused about seeing my password protected pages on my website, it's because that is the only way my website lets me hide pages when when I am on "vacation mode" and I don't want people to buy things. I know it's kind of confusing, but it's the only way I can keep from accepting orders when I cannot fulfill them.

God bless you all and Happy Easter!

Crayon Butterflies Craft for Easter Season/Spring

2011-04-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

What better way to celebrate the Easter season, which lasts 50 days after Easter, than to melt away all those old crayon stubs! This activity was as fun for my kids as for me. Warning: cover iron with old town/cloth before melting wax (I learned this the hard way).

A butterfly is a symbol of the resurrection, which makes this craft perfect for Easter cards. Even the butterfly's life has a resemblance to the Easter story. The caterpillar is like Jesus while he lived on earth. The chrysalis (or cocoon) resembles the tomb where he was buried. Then finally, the butterfly represents the resurrection into a glorious new life and our new life with Christ in Baptism. Here's a bible verse that I found from from this website.

The Butterfly symbolizing the Resurrection:

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:52b)


FYI: don't ever buy dollar store crayons. They break like twigs and you'll end up with your very own box of these: Broken Crayons

What you'll need:

Iron
card stock paper
old crayon stubs
something to cover the ironing board- like an old town or sheet

Analee's favorite activity day or night: peeling paper from crayons. It's a wonderful way to irritate mommy by leaving crayon peelings all over the floors

Steps:

peel off paper from crayon stubs
Chop crayons into small pieces
Fold one piece of card stock paper in half
Place crayons in a half butterfly. You don't need too many crayon pieces- they will just make a mess or crack off if you have too much wax
Fold paper over top of crayon butterfly
Place iron onto folded paper for about 10 seconds or until you see the wax melting
Carefully open your butterfly- it will be hot! Set it open as flat as possible to cool- it only takes a few seconds to cool.
Beautiful butterfly!


Chopping crayons

Place crayons in butterfly shape

Butterfly Crayons

Another butterfly crayon

How cool is that?!

Don't forget this step: Place baby in high chair away from hot wax

Don't forget this step either: put something on the iron board to catch the crayon wax! Now on my to do list: buy new iron board cover

Top Recommended First Communion Rosaries

2011-04-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a "someone thinks I'm special moment". While scrolling through my google analytics for the first time in ages, I found a random website that was referring a good number of customers to my website. Naturally, I checked it out and found this nice article.

You have received your first communion invitation and now need to find an appropriate gift for your young friend. What to get? You are not limited to the same-old rosaries, prayer books and frames of the past! Take a look at these unique takes on First Communion gifts.

When you give a gift to a child, you want them to like it now and when they are older. You want to give something unique AND worth saving. These unique variations on rosaries make the grade. Our favorite, a beautiful, hand-crafted clay rosary will capture the child’s interest now, and remain a keepsake for later. Click here for the rest of the article

Now you know you it! For all it's worth, Sarah's Clay Rosaries is the top recommended First Communion gift (by a very obscure and random website called Sundaepaper.com). This might be why I'm having to hire babysitters to finish all my orders on time this month. But I will proudly say, I'm not picking up bead today since it's Sunday. I learned my lesson from last year and I'm am trying not to overwork myself (hence babysitters on Saturdays! and a few other days my husband works). However, just like last year, I have been telling myself over and over again: next year, I will be more prepared for First Communion season, next year I will be more prepared for First Communion season...

Maybe next year, I'll be so prepared, I will be able to home school my kindergartner (now preschooler) in the month of April! Today as I was naming off all the fun things we can do today (since I'm not working today), Liam said to me, "yeah, and we can do home school lessons!" Wow. Yes, he is a preschooler.

Seriously, though, I am so grateful to all my wonderful customers who have so generously supported me and my family by buying handmade products. There really is no better gift to give than a product that was handmade with love (and prayers).

Making Catholic Baptism Invites

2011-04-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Here is an easy and inexpensive way to create personalized and authentically Catholic Baptism Invitations. I think these would also be great for birth announcements.

Buy super cute wedding invites on *clearance* from Micheal's craft store (or where ever). They always have such beautiful DIY invitation kits and very often they have a few that are on clearance (you may have to look in the back of the store for clearance items).
Order Saint Medals from an online Catholic store
Print your invites. I included a picture of my son and I copied the wording from a different Baptism invitation I found online.
Assemble according to the directions, adding your medal when inserting the ribbon. If the invites don't have ribbons, you can always punch some holes and put on your own ribbon and medals.
Lastly, use the matching rvsp cards included as Thank you cards. Include a picture of the Baptism on the front with the words: Thank you!

I was able to buy this 30 count kit for only $15.00. Now I have an ample amount left over for a friend or future event- awesome!

Giveaway!

2011-04-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

Lamb of God Necklace with 16" Sterling Silver Necklace

Lamb of God Necklace with 18" Chain

Melody is giving away two of my Lamb of God necklaces in her Easter Gratitude Giveaway- along with other great stuff! Head on over and enter to win! And while you're at it, become a follower of her blog. It's one of my favorite blogs to read because she is so well spoken and always has something good to say. Good luck and happy reading!

Back in Stock!

2011-04-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

Girl's First Communion Rosary with Pearl Glass Beads

The First Communion Rosaries were a hit and I quickly ran out stock, but they are back now! The girl First Communion rosaries now come in pearl or white (while supplies last) glass beads. Also, on the girl's First Communion rosary, the new crucifix is slightly different than the old one.

On a side note, I will closing my shop from May 2 to May 16, so if you need a rosary in May, please be sure to order early so I can get it out to you in time. Thank you and God Bless!

Optimism

2011-04-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

Optimism

I have sworn off gardening after two botched gardening attempts in the past three years. My husband, however, hasn't tasted the bitter fruit of gardening failure and decided to give it a try this year- starting with two small tomato plants. Liam was thrilled to help and I am thrilled to have a hot new gardener to flirt with (yes, that would be my husband!)

A Bracelet for a Boy

2011-04-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I receive requests for boy bracelets/jewelry and this is one of those. Liam is modeling this bracelet I eventually want to put in my shop. For now, this one is for Zully's nephew.


I left out the silver spacers and just used extra large black glass beads. I think it makes a little more masculine ;)

And just for fun, Analee had a fabulous time modeling my little girl bracelet. If only I had more time, I'd have a bracelet sale. I just love to design and make (and wear) bracelets! Maybe after First Communions are over...

And just because I was having a great time using my zoom lens on this *gorgeous* day in Virginia, I have to share with you this last picture which is my favorite.

Sunday Sweet Pics

2011-04-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

Jude's thinking: Someone should really mow this lawn. Either that, or we need to get a herd of hungry rabbits over here to devour these clovers.

Jude is almost sitting up on his own. I snapped this quickly before he started toppling over.

Jude Five Months Old

Let The Little Children Come to Me, Run to Jesus, and Come as You Are

2011-03-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

It’s only an hour. I can do it! Heaven help me! Your turn, Daddy. Did I miss the Gospel? Stop taking off your shoes! Don’t lick the floor! Humility. Humility. Humility.

Melody wrote a must read about bringing kids to Mass. Click her words above to read more.

Let The Little Children Come to Me, Run to Jesus, and Come as You Are- the theme songs for this post. Adding a third child to our mix has definitely brought it's share of humiliating moments- that and the fact that our little angel turned two and lost her halo! She is giving us a run for our money inside and outside of church. Last week she insisted on having one of her fingers up her nose. I was holding her during Mass (because she was being a little rascal and wouldn't behave) and in went her finger up her nostril for some deep nasal exploration. I took it out with my only free hand (note: I am holding her up with my other arm). She puts her finger in from her left hand. I take it out. She puts her finger in from her right. Left, right, left, right. It went on for five minutes at a time, then she would quite, wait a few minutes, then do it again. What a scene! It even had people laughing in the pews on the other side of us. At least everyone had a good sense of humor about it. That's one thing I like about my church. People seem to be really understanding about little kids making noises and causing their parents lots of embarrassment.

As Melody pointed out in her blog post, nursing babies in church adds a whole new level of humility. I'm OK with sitting in the pew nursing if there aren't people behind me standing up, or kneeling. If you ever nursed, you'd understand why. A couple of weeks ago, I had to nurse during the Consecration. I thought I could finish before communion time, but Jude was not letting up. As my pew started to leave for communion, I decided to stay and finish nursing--thinking all the while that Jude was almost finished and I would be able to hop in the line behind me. Well, I completely overestimated how long it takes for about five rows of people to go through the communion line, because before I knew it, the priests were distributing communion to the last row of people. I started to panic. I quickly detached baby, buttoned up my shirt and made a bee line for the priest. But, just like every other time I am in a hurry, there happens to be someone in front of me, strolling along at the pace of an injured turtle!! I tried to get around him, but he kept moving and other people were coming at me from the other direction. I quickly glanced at the communion line. There was only a few people left and I was still in the back of church trying to get past this man who wouldn't move! Finally, I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him the sweetest look I could muster and said, excuse me, sorry! as I flew past him. I literally ran up the aisle to communion- my heels clunking loudly for everyone to hear and see the crazy lady running up to communion. Eric saw the whole thing and said it was just awesome- especially how I was literally running to Jesus. He also that the slow poke man gave me the most bewildered look when I put my hand on his shoulder. Oh well, sometimes, you just gotta run to Jesus, no matter who is in your way.

The story that tops the cake on embarrassing Mass stories is not my own, but my husband's. I really shouldn't be sharing it, but it's just so darn funny. About a month ago, we were so late to Mass, all the seats were taken and we had to stand in the foyer. About half way through Mass, Eric bends down to help one of the kids with something and I hear this loud rrrriiiiiiiiiiip. At first I didn't put two and two together and I asked Eric what that sound was. He was holding back a grin and said "it's nothing". A few minutes later, I realized what it was and we both started cracking up. The hole was a full seven inches! It was probably a good thing the rip was in the front only- maybe. In order to go up to communion with as few people noticing as possible, he grabbed our two year old and held her directly in front of him. This was the first time she has ever directed attention away from something more embarrassing than her bad behavior! This time we had to leave right after communion, or else there would have been a lot of people noticing a big hole where it shouldn't be. All the way back to the car we were laughing so hard. "Come as you are" got a whole new meaning that Sunday!

The Abstinence Talk

2011-03-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

I made the mistake of leaving my NFP stickers in reach of little hands. The kids had fun sticking them all over themselves until Daddy came in the room and said,

"Hey, you can't play with those! And, (saying to Liam whose 4 yrs. old) you don't get any green stickers until your married!"

{please don't} Believe in Yourself

2011-03-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

As I'm browsing through the newspaper, I happen upon an article entitled, "Universities educate tomorrow's...." I quickly fill in the blank, as you would, with the thoughts: Leaders, Visionaries, or Teachers. Goodness, no. I do a double take to read "abortion providers". "Universities education tomorrow's abortion providers". Wow, I think. This is going to be good. Just as I thought, it was filled with a bunch of shallow rhetoric...family planning education, choice, women creating their own futures and opportunities, abortion care. But the one that put the nail on the coffin was this statement:

"The new generation of female students [baby killers] "has more belief in themselves," said Lois Backus, 56, director of Medical Students For Choice. "They don't want to be told what they can't do." (Click here to see the full article and one of those leaders- she looks very inspired or something...)

hmmm...sounds like a certain fallen angel I know. These are Satan's words; the words of a culture of death.

Believe in yourself. Have confidence in who you are. Are these innocent phrases to boost esteems? I don't think so. I was raised on this kind of garbage talk (not in reference to something my parents taught me) and I can say it is damaging. To all you young people out there: Please don't believe in yourself. You will only end up egocentric and confused. I think the first time I heard the words, "reliance on God" my body went into shock. culture shock. Rely on something other than myself? Shocking. and life changing. It's truly a relief to not have to constantly search inside of yourself to find all the answers. Thank you, God for being all knowing, powerful, and omnipotent because I surely am NOT. When I discovered Mary's fiat, it was also life changing. "Let it be done to me according to your will" is not something you hear in popular culture/school. Do what you want. Be the person you want to be. This was all I knew until my conversion. I was egocentric, rebellious, and heading for the same fate as all the other fallen angels who coined these phrases.

Instead, we should be telling young people: Without God, there is nothing to believe in. If you don't have God, you are NOTHING. Do what God wants, not what you want. People may tell us we are demoralizing our youth, but I can assure you from experience that these thoughts are nothing but moralizing.

Christ beside me, Christ before me
Christ behind me, Christ within me
Christ beneath me, Christ above me
Christ within me.

---St. Patrick's Breastplate

New for Confirmations and First Holy Communions

2011-03-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

I've made a few new rosaries for the special Confirmandi or First Communicants in your life. Click on the captions below the picture to follow the link to my website. I know what my special Confirmandi and First Communicants will be getting on May!

Confirmation Rosary

Boy's First Communion Rosary

Girl's First Communion Rosary

Confirmation Bracelets

A Very Bad Day

2011-03-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

A Lost Wallet

A Collection Notice

A Broken Alternator

A Crock pot of Food Never Turned On

Frazzled Nerves

Loosing Temper

Angry Words

Tears.

A Freezer Dinner

Husband's Helping Hands

Desperate Prayers

Bed At Nine

A New Day

Cup of Coffee

Good Morning Kiss

Forgiveness

God's Love

Grace Drizzling In

Smiling Faces

Found Peace

FYI: After some tear filled phone calls, the collection notice ended up not being anything and I'm actually getting a refund. The wallet is still lost and I'm getting new credit cards and a driver's license soon. The new alternator in my husband's car is being installed today. God is good. Now I just have to work on offering it up a little more gracefully!

Sunday Sweet Pics

2011-02-27T12:47:00.000-08:00

Happily Sucking His Fingers-Against Mommy's Wishes!

A New Baby Toy Always Gets Everyone Excited