The Holy Family

Happy feast day today, everyone! How special this day is for all of us families striving to grow in holiness and become more like Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

~

Perhaps we can all say a short prayer for each other today in honor of this great Feast.

Catholic Devotion Meme

I was tagged for this meme by sweet Alice and dear Margaret.

1. Favorite devotion or prayer to Jesus?
The Anima Christi and Divine Mercy Chaplet
2. Favorite Marian devotion or prayer?
The Rosary, Angelus, Memorare, and Litany of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
3. Do you wear a scapular or medal?
Sadly, No. I did wear the scapular, but after having lost it I never bought a new one. This is a resolution of mine for the New Year.
4. Do you have holy water in your home?
We have a holy water font, but no holy water in it presently.
5. Do you ‘offer up’ your sufferings?
Yes.
6. Do you observe First Fridays and First Saturdays?
Sadly, no.
7. Do you go to Eucharistic Adoration?
Sporadically, but I've been aching to make it more a regular part of my week.
8. Are you a Saturday evening Mass person or Sunday morning Mass person?
Sunday Morning.
9. Do you say prayers at mealtime?
Yes. Grace, a prayer for the departed souls, and an invocation to St. Joseph.
10. Favorite Saint(s)?
Saint Joseph and Saint Gianna
11. Can you recite the Apostles Creed by heart?
Yes.
12. Do you usually say short prayers (aspirations) during the course of the day?
Yes.
13. Where is your favorite place to pray?
In my home with my girls, and in a darkly lit church.
14. Bonus Question: When you pass by an automobile accident or other serious mishap, do you say a quick prayer for the folks involved?
Yes.
Helen’s bonus question: If you could visit any of Our Lady’s apparition sites, which one would you choose?
Fatima, Portugal


I tag Cheryl, Melissa and Michelle for this meme!

Montessori "Practical Life" in Action

This afternoon I was hurriedly running around the house, picking up items lying about, wiping kid-sludge (my husband's term) off various surfaces and just performing a general sweep-through so the house would be pleasant when Dad walked through the door. As I was dusting the living room furniture, I hear "Mama, you're not doing it right." I look up and see Gianna walking down the steps toward me, challenging "Do you want me to show you?" I humbly and curiously respond, "Umm....OK, dear." I step aside and hand her the lemon-scented dusting spray and cloth. She proceeds to finish properly what I started superficially, taking care to lift the lamp and picture frame, dusting them and the surface underneath them. Then she completes the job by wiping the sides and legs of the table with attention and detail, and when finished she turns to me and spouts, "That's how to do it, Mom!"

"Uuhuuh.....thanks. Good job, sweetheart."

Lesson of the day: When teaching your child to perform tasks properly, keep in mind you may be setting yourself up for reverse-correction later.

Happy Birthday, Suzanne, and Happy 10th Anniversary!!

Oh, how I wish I could be there to celebrate this day with you, my dearest friend. But if you will, indulge me and let me reveal to the blogosphere who you are and how grateful I am to be blessed with your friendship.

I have known Suzanne for fourteen years now. She and I were college roomates. We were involved in a life and death experience together. We dated our (now) husbands at the same time, got engaged the same year, and were each others' maid of honor on opposite sides of the country within the same year. We were separated for a short while, and then reunited while our husbands pursued their advanced degrees at the same school. There we became godparents to each others' children, and I watched Suzanne's family grow and witnessed as she blossomed into a devoted, attentive, wonderful mother. She encouraged me in my pursuit of adoption and rejoiced with me the day I brought my first baby home. We are separated again now, and though we talk often on the phone, I miss her company and long to meet her last two boys, who were both born since we've parted.

Suzanne is the best friend a person can have in this life. She gives her friendship to others in the highest form, based on charity and the love of God. She exemplifies all the other virtues as well, and inspires her friends to strive for them with her. She is kind, loving and generous to all who know her. She considers her vocation to marriage and motherhood very seriously, and the result is a beautiful example for wives and mothers to behold. On top of her great spiritual gifts, she is also great at everything she does--she's a specatacular cook, an excellent seamstress and quilter, a talented artist and, as you well know, a tremendous writer. And no, I'm not finished yet. She also happens to be blessed with great wit and a fantastic sense of humor, and she is SUPER fun to be around.

I love St. Francis de Sales' description of true friendship, found in one of my favorite spiritual guides, Introduction to the Devout Life. In fact, I think I wrote it out and mailed it to Suzanne a few years back, because I thought it a beautiful characterization of the companionship I am so blessed to have with her:

Love your neighbor, Philothea, with a great, charitable love, but befriend only those with whom you can be mutually supportive in virtue. The higher the virtues that you put into these relationships, the more perfect will your friendship be.

~

If your mutual exchanges deal with knowledge, your friendship is certainly very laudable; it will be even better if they deal with the moral virtues such as prudence, discretion, strength, justice; but if they pertain to charity, the love of God, Christian perfection, then this friendship is truly precious and excellent: excellent because it comes from God, excellent because it tends toward God, excellent because its bond is God, excellent because it will endure eternally in God.

~

Thank you, Suzanne, for your dear friendship, and have a happy, happy birthday and a wonderful anniversary!

Christ, the Savior is Born!

This week the girls and I will make a series of short pilgrimages, visiting the nativity of a church or mission each day and presenting special gifts for baby Jesus. Oh, how I am looking forward to this! Don't children make life so much sweeter?

We hope you have a glorious twelve days of Christmas, and may your Christmas Novena petitions be granted!

Merry, Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Have a blessed Christmas and a very happy New Year, friends!

~Gates, lift up your heads! Stand erect, ancient doors, and let in the King of Glory. (Ps 23:7)~

Gabriel's Message

A Basque carol, this is one of my favorite pieces of music for Advent. I included a short audio clip below:

Gabriel's Message

The angel Gabriel from heaven came,

His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;

"All hail," said he, "thou lowly maiden Mary,

Most highly favored lady," Gloria!"

~

For know a blessed Mother thou shalt be,

All generations laud and honor thee,

Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,

Most highly favored lady," Gloria!

~

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,

"To me be as it pleaseth God," she said,

"My soul shall laud and magnify his holy Name."

Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

~

Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born

in Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,

and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say

"Most highly favored lady," Gloria!

http://www.content.loudeye.com/scripts/hurl.exe?clipid=023615401090709000&cid=600160

Breakfast, Anyone?

"Aaaallelluuiiaa!"

If this is not miracle medicine, then I don't know what is! The label reads, "Get over your cold faster with Zicam cold remedy!" Perhaps it is true that one can shorten the duration of their cold with this stuff, but in my experience this medicine aborts the cold at the very first sign of illness. That's right, folks, there IS NO COLD! Unbelievable.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Is everyone finding that they are running short on time, or is it just me? I had thought that I was well prepared ahead of time for Christmas this year, but alas, the crunch has settled in! Yesterday I wrapped, packaged and mailed all the bundles that needed to be shipped to out-of-towners; I wrote, addressed and mailed the Christmas cards, making four stops along the way to the post office; I took Gianna to her Christmas ballet performance, and hosted a guest for dinner. Today will be somewhat similar, but with different errands to run. I cannot say I mind the busy-ness, except for the fact that I'm not able to play with the girls as much as I would like. But they are fine, and once in a while it is good for them to be more independent and let their mother attend to other matters.

Here is little Gianna at her Christmas performance. (This is mostly for the grandparents/friends who know her, so don't feel you have to play it). The show was very sweet.



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Pink Sunday Reflection

I love rejoicing, I love Gaudete Sunday, and I love pink (having girls, one cannot help but enjoy that color)! Today we attended a beautiful, joyful mass, and then had lunch afterwards with a devout Norbertine priest from St. Michael's Abbey, who is also an old friend of ours. Madeleine fell asleep in the car during our drive from the abbey to our lunch spot, so I offered to stay behind and let her finish her nap while the others began lunch. I figured if she woke up I would join them sometime in the middle of the meal. What a blessing this was.

As I sat gazing at my sleeping baby, I soaked in the great joy of mothering her and her older sister. I remembered the first day I became a mother, to Gianna in 2003, and the day I became Madeleine's mother in 2005. For the six years of marriage previous to Gianna's birth, not having been able to conceive was probably the greatest suffering I have endured in my life. And I still have not been able to conceive. But today I rejoice for that very thing which was once a great hardship, yet has become the cause of my greatest joys, my daughters. (Notice, that a "greatest suffering" becomes the cause of a "greatest joy". Sound familiar?) Had I been as fertile as I once desired, had I given birth to as many children as all my dear Catholic friends who had three and four children by the time I had one, I would never have met my own two girls. The mere thought of it brings on the tears. My daughters were both infants when we adopted them. We have known and loved them their whole lives. To think it is possible that we could have bore children "naturally" and not known these two miracles makes me shudder. And it reminds me that God always has a better plan for us than what we think we may desire for ourselves.

Awakening from her sweet slumber, Madeleine opened her eyes, and having found her mama staring at her in awe, smiled with that boundless love and admiration only a baby can give. I quickly removed her from her carseat and held her tight, kissed her sweet baby head, and looked to heaven with joy and gladness!

Mary Did You Know

I heard a beautiful song on the radio this morning that brought me to utter tears. I am not one to listen to local radio stations for aesthetical pleasure, but I resorted to this today after having had my fill of our Christmas recordings of Bing Crosby, The Three Tenors, Harry Connick, Jr. and The Nutcracker, all of which I love, but were wearing me out. I decided I just needed a little change of pace. And I am grateful I did.

~

The piece, I admit is a bit sentimental, but as a mother who is in LOVE with Our Lady I couldn't help but be moved. I am interested to know what others think of the song, so please comment if you have heard it.

"Mary Did You Know", sung by Clay Aiken

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kissed your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know....

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

You Are a Snowman

Friendly and fun, you enjoy bringing holiday cheer to everyone you know!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

Thanks for the link, Dawn.

One More Thing to Add....

~Broken items in the house (like, hmmm...ORNAMENTS? For example, that is) which remind me to store my treasures for heaven, because this life is passing much too quickly and there's so little time left to prepare for the next! :)

Things That Make Me Happy Today

~My duvet in wintertime. When I get out of bed in the middle of the night to tend to one of the little ones, it is still warm when I return.

~My sweet girls in their winter jammies.

~A generous husband, who makes delicious coffee in the morning and reads to the girls while I get ready for the day, then still tends to them while I do my morning spiritual reading.

~Paper snowflakes (and real ones too, but we don't get that variety in our neck of the woods) and Christmas lights.

~Singing Christmas carols.

~Fussy babies, who remind me to appreciate that I am not childless.

~Holiday parties, good food, and true friends.


And so much more....

More Info on Springerle

Someone inquired as to what I used to cut the dough to make the individual cookies. I used a pastry cutter. You can also use a pizza cutter or even a cookie cutter if you have the right size (some molds come with cutters to fit the shape of the cookie perfectly). Just don't use a knife!

I forgot to say that you can find a great variety of presses online, not just Christmas molds. There are beautiful Easter molds with heavily detailed images of the Resurrection, Crucifixion (though I'm not sure I could eat a cookie imprinted with an image of Jesus dying on the cross), and paschal lambs. There are seasonal molds and Valentine molds and floral molds. At House on the Hill you can find more than 500 different presses to choose from, as well as a no-fail recipe. Please check out their beautiful picture gallery while you're there!

Finally, the presses can be used for all sorts of crafts, not just cookies. Use your imagination and have fun!

Springerle

This afternoon I put Madeleine down for a nap and Gianna and I began our big baking project of the season. We made springerle cookies. If you're not familiar with these little treats, they have quite a history and are a great deal of fun to make.

Springerle cookies are traditionally anise-flavored, but lemon, orange or even chocolate can be substituted. They are similar to a roll out cookie, but are imprinted with beautiful, intricate designs by means of special presses or molds made of wood. Some of the original cookie molds are as old as 500 years and are now housed in museums or personal collections, but replicas of the original designs are made in Switzerland, Germany and the U.S. and can be purchased online or at specialty cookware shops.

Springerle cookies are delicious, but I didn't like them the first time I tried them. I remember thinking they were dry and stiff and I wasn't fond of the strong anise flavor. But if you are a tea lover, or enjoy a hot cup of flavored coffee (I'm a vanilla fan myself), these cookies are delightful.


(Pic 1) The molds
(Pic 2) Before each cookie is pressed, the images are to be dusted with flour.

(Pics 3 and 4) Pressing the cookies

(Pic 5) Madeleine wakes up from her nap and "helps" us.
(Pic 6) First batch completed. Now the unbaked cookies are to rest on a dish towel for up to 24 hours before baking.


Voila! These cookies turn out beautifully (you can even buy edible paint to christen them with your own artistry), they are easy to make and kids love pressing the designs. Interestingly, springerle improve with age and it is recommended that they be made in October or November, making Christmas preparation even simpler!

O Christmas Tree....

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I couldn't resist....

All is Merry and Bright!

We had a wonderful weekend! Between our local Christmas parade, buying and putting up the Christmas tree, attending the Nutcracker with Gianna and enjoying a memorable holiday dinner put on by a lovely friend of the family, we truly "filled our hearts with Christmas cheer".

~

Blessings to all!

Beautiful Quilt!

Please head on over to Cheryl's site to see her daughter's beautiful handiwork. It is not to be missed!

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

I love what Magnificat says about this Solemnity:

"At Mary's conception, a new way of being human happens, and we are "chosen, destined" to share it. Adam and Eve were tricked by the serpent's "conception". The yes of Mary at the Annunciation, the culmination of the Immaculate Conception, undoes the disobedience of Eden and makes paradise a possibility once again for us."

This great feast has become my favorite of all solemnities since I became a mother. I start looking forward to it in November. I have two girls. Every year when this feast approaches I am reminded of how essential it is that Mary was immaculately conceived. For the sake of my girls. How sublime it is that they have a woman to look to, a spotless handmaid who radiates of purity, obedience and beauty. Every virtue I desire for my daughters is in her, and perfectly. Thank you, Lord, for our Mother!

Have a wonderful feast day today!!

Life's Companions

Good friends are priceless. Yesterday the girls and I traveled to a dear friend's house for "Rosary Group". It is a group of Catholic, home-schooling (or not) mothers who get together every Wednesday to share friendship, breakfast treats, good discussion and the praying of the rosary together. The children usually play together in a seperate room or outside while we mothers gather to enjoy some adult companionship.

I am so grateful for these women. I love how beautiful it is that God allows us to follow Him in such different ways. I appreciate the many things I learn from these lovely families--the diverse methods we use to educate our children; the distinctive marriages, unlike my own, but equally as beautiful; the different temperaments, struggles, joys and ideas of women all striving for the same eternal goal. I love how every time I depart their company I leave having gained something new, something wonderful, to enrich my daily life just a little bit more.

Thank you, dear friends!

Making Mama Proud

When we stopped at the grocery store this morning, Gianna strikes up a little conversation with the cashier lady:


Gianna: We have Christmas music at our house.

Lady: Wow! Is Santa coming to your house this year?

Gianna: That's not important. Baby Jesus is coming!


What more can a mother ask for??

Where do you find a....

....gorgeous bed of multi-hued ranunculus, an autumn tree just beginning to shed it's leaves, and outdoor Christmas decorations, all in the same town on the same afternoon?



In Southern California we can't seem to decide on a season, so we'll just take all of them! These photographs were taken on our short drive to the park today. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Advent in Our Home

The season of Advent in our home is, like every other season, very simple. We choose a small number of special crafts or decorative projects, and that's it. My husband and I tend to be minimalists in many regards. A family member thinks we're crazy on account of the "necessities" in life that we lack, such as a chair in the nursery, a light in one of the bedrooms. My three-and-a-half year old daughter just got her first dresser! Yes, we went by without a dresser for more than three years, using small baskets for her clothes. Now those baskets are used to house her toys (actually, we only use one basket for her toys!), and one day I'm sure I will go on a hunt for a toy chest. Friends joke that we could probably pack our entire home for a cross-country move in one day.

On some levels being a minimalist is very liberating, not having to care for too much, living in a clutter-free environment, and living a happy but simple life. But I do miss out on some wonderful aspects of life that go hand in hand with having extra things lying around, such as the amazing crafts and projects I've seen on many other Catholic, homeschooling-type blogs out there. I have been inspired by the beautiful Jesse Trees, the creative Advent Cubes, the clever O Antiphon Houses, and so much more. Perhaps one day I will venture into a craft store and "go to town", but for this season of Advent our home reflects our tendency toward the few and simple.

Every year we buy a fresh wreath for Advent. I just love how the evergreen perfumes the house before the Christmas tree makes it's way into the living room. Some years it is decorated with sprigs of purple lavender or pink pepperberries, but this year we didn't add anything to it's simple beauty.

This is the first year we have implemented the "Preparation of the Manger" idea with our daughters. Gianna is just old enough now to understand her role in this, and she is loving it! I'm seeing acts of sacrifice and love from her FOR THE SAKE of making a soft bed for the Infant. She is eager to add more warmth and comfort to the manger for baby Jesus. "What can I do for you, Mama?" "Here, Madeleine. You can have the rest of my cookie!" It is so sweet.

Finally, we have the traditional Advent calendar found in most Christian homes at this time of year. But this year, my dear mother sent an adorable Advent calendar box for the girls. They LOVE it! It is shaped like a Christmas tree and adorned with snow and winter critters. I placed small notes in the boxes with colored pencil-drawn pictures of something special we would do for each day. For example, I drew an angel with the inscription "Snow Angel" underneath to indicate that we would make paper snow angels that day. One day will be making cookies, or driving around town to see the Christmas lights, and so on. Nothing fancy, just things we would normally do at this time of year. But Gianna is so excited every morning to open the next door to discover what is planned for that day. Thank you, Mom!!

First Sunday of Advent

We attended mass today at St. Michael's Abbey, a Norbertine community of priests and nuns here in Orange County. It was a perfect place to be for the first Sunday of Advent. The abbey, nestled in the hills at the foreground of the beautiful Saddleback mountains, is a quiet, peaceful, and simple retreat from the busyness of life. It is only a few miles from the material culture of affluent Orange County, where, at this time of year is flooded by the hustle and bustle of Christmas. But somehow the abbey remains a spiritual sanctuary, unaffected by it's surroundings, where one can attend mass (or vespers, or daily adoration, etc...) and experience a foretaste of heaven. It is simply beautiful there.

This morning's mass, devoted to the beginning of Advent, the liturgical season in which man prepares himself for the sacred birth of our Lord, provided a necessary reminder to me of the need for simplicity and silence during the next four weeks. When you have little ones in the home, sometimes silence does not seem possible! My girls, for example, are not your typical calm, gentle, reserved members of their gender, though they can be at times. No, they are active, loud, excited toddlers full of great wonder and love for life, with Irish tempers that occasionally come to the surface. OK, maybe every day! So as I listened to the homily today about peace and silence and watchfulness, I first thought to myself, "He's a priest. He doesn't know about the busy life of a mother!" But after some true reflection, which one is often able to accomplish there at the abbey, I realized that silence and quiet and a prayerful atmosphere ARE possible in a home with children, no matter how many little ones you are blessed with. God doesn't ask of us mothers that we demand our children to remain immobile, whisper all their expressions, and meditate around our Jesse Trees all day long during this season. Silence and expectation can be exemplified by a simple act of charity for a neighbor, a stop to say the Angelus at noon, a conversation with your children in the car instead of turning on Catholic radio, and in so many other ways. While we wait for Jesus to be born, we can give birth to Him every day, through our love.

Fortunately I managed most of my Christmas shopping before advent this year, which is a rarity around here. After having been at the post office it seemed almost every other day last December mailing gifts, cards, cookies and whatever else, I resolved to not make the same mistake this year. Who knows whether next Christmas will be as prepared, but for now, I'm enjoying not having any shopping to do. I am enjoying the silent and watchful spirit of Advent. For now.

My Small Treasures

I'm new to this wide weblog world, and at this point I'm not even certain whether I will post every day, a few times a week or even less. One day at a time, I suppose. I have been inspired by many wonderful bloggers out there, who share the events of their lives, their ideas, their crafts and their love with so many of us. They seem to open their homes and their hearts in a way that is very Christ-like, desiring to share the good with others, even strangers, and it is only natural to want to be a part of it.
~
And so it seems fitting to begin this adventure by sharing a glimpse of the greatest treasures God has given me, my daughters. This picture was taken a few months ago. It's a bit formal and the girls have changed quite a bit since then, but soon I'll post a newer photograph.