The Project begins...

Tim and I started working on our bedroom today. This is our Christmas present to each other.




Last night we moved most of the furniture across the hall into the smaller bedroom that used to be Paul's. It is a very tight fit, but we are glad to be able to do it that way, because it is so nice not to have to work around it.
The wardrobe and dresser had to stay, but they can be draped while we paint.
Tim took down all the trim and I vacuumed the walls.
Then Tim started filling all the holes and flaws that we have been looking at for ten years!

Tomorrow it will be dry and he can sand a little bit and we can start painting.

We went to Lowe's today and got some lamps to brighten it up. It was so dark in there.
I also got paint in a Sage color and a flat white for the ceiling.

Pictures of those will have to wait.

In other news...

John went out today and spent the last of his Christmas money on a game of "Clue".


The boys sat down tonight and learned how to play and then they played a game with Tim.

It was White, in the Living Room, with a Candlestick.


The Cooke family came over for brunch yesterday and had their Christmas.

Paul dressed up to entertain us with a clown show.
He got a Cranium book from Laura and Andrew and he loves it!

There was a page in it that showed him how to be a clown, so he got all dressed up and did a goofy act for us. Lucy was quite impressed!
Brendan got a Cranium Activity book as well and he took it to bed and started filling it out. The "Mad Libs" book was also a hit. They are favorites around here.

We gave Lucy her Nursery, so that she can practice her "Mommy Skills".
Laura and Andrew gave us a gift card to the Savage River Lodge. Boy, are we looking forward to our next trip up there!

Lucy got a very special pair of shoes...
Well, school starts back up tomorrow, so I had better go get ready for bed and say my prayers.
I need to ask for an extra boost of motivation, for all of us! We all feel like Christmas break just flew by.
I think I'm going to have to use a shoe horn to get everyone out of bed in the morning.
Oh well, they'll get back into it and soon we'll be on the upswing toward Summer!

A New Page

Today I was inspired to go back to a book that I have used in the past for prayer, "Divine Intimacy".
A friend posted something that she had read, that was so touching, that I pulled it off the shelf and decided to use it to start my year.
The passage that she posted was for December 31st:

Time passes and does not return. God has assigned to each of us a definite time in which to fulfill His divine plan for our soul; we have only this time and shall have no more. Time ill spent is lost forever. Our life is made up of this uninterrupted, continual flow of time, which never returns. In eternity, on the contrary, time will be no more; we shall be established forever in the degree of love which we have reached now, in time. If we have attained a high degree of love, we shall be fixed forever in that degree of love and glory; if we possess only a slight degree that is all we shall have throughout eternity. No further progress will be possible when time has ended. "Therefore , while we have time, let us work good to all men" Gal 6:10, "We must give every moment its full amount of love, and make each passing moment eternal, by giving it value for eternity" (Sr. Carmela of the Holy Spirit). This is the best way to use the time give us by God. Charity allows us to adhere to God's will with submission and love and thus at the close of life we shall have realized God's plan for our soul; we shall have reached the degree of love which God expects from each one of us and with which we shall love and glorify Him for all eternity.

The last paragraph on the page for today, January 1st, provided such a wonderful image that I just had to post it:

"I think of this new year as a white page given to me by Your Father, on which He will write, day by day, whatever His divine good pleasure has planned. I shall now write at the top of the page, with complete confidence: Domine, fac de me sicut vis, Lord do with me what you will, and at the bottom I already write my Amen to all the proposals of Your divine will. Yes Lord, yes to all the joys, the sorrows, the graces, the hardships prepared for me, which you will reveal to me day by day. Grant that my Amen may be the Paschal Amen, always followed by the Alleluia, uttered wholeheartedly in the joy of a complete gift. Give me Your love and Your grace, and I shall be rich enough." (Sr. Carmela of the Holy Spirit O. C. D.)

I pray for the Charity, Perseverance, Fortitude and Generosity to run the race this year.
Please pray for me, as I will pray for all of you, that this year, whatever it brings, is one of walking in His will and growing in His grace.

Thanks Paul!

Paul takes his responsibility as a little brother very seriously.
At lunch today he kept whistling the same two bars over and over and John said "Paul, that is really annoying".
So Paul says "Thanks to me the world has a definition for 'Really Annoying'!"

Happy New Year/ Happy Birthday!

Happy New Year to all our dear friends and family...

We will be reaching midnight three hours before many of you, and many of you will ring in the New Year right along with us!
We just want to you all to know how much we love you all and pledge to pray for you in the coming year.
It is such a great Blessing to have so many wonderful people scattered all across the country.

We hope to see many of you this year. I want to make this a year of connection. I want to do much better at staying in touch and staying in prayer for you all. I hope that as we go through our joys and trials in the coming year, that we will all be a part of each other's stories.

Happy Birthday Dear Dad!!!

And tomorrow is special for another reason. It is the day my Dad was born.

Yep, in with the New Year, and he has been avoiding Father Time ever since!

Thank you God, for dad, for his life, and for the blessing of his renewed health.

I have been so blest with a wonderful couple of very special parents.

I pray that this year for them will be one of Joy and Grace. (and that they sell!)

Our Visit with Lucy...

Lucy came to visit on Sunday.
She was here until this morning and boy did we have fun!

She danced...

Played with the bugs...

Walked after John...

And in Grandma's shoes....

She is a little sweetie and was so much fun!
She kept the boys laughing and busy. She kept Grandma guessing...

Thank Heavens for little girls!

A Very Merry Christmas!

May the birth of Jesus fill your heart with childlike joy .

For all our friends and family:

Today was really a wonderful day!


Starting with Mass last night, which was very sweet and special, and continuing with Blessings of family and fellowship.

Brendan had hoped... and he got his Nerf Vulcan.

John had asked for an MP3 player.

Paul was happy....He got the Marvel stamp collection that he wanted!

The Camera is for all of them. School projects anyone?

Trying to figure it out...
Yes, Johnny and Nina got the boys a Heavy Bag to beat up! They are thrilled and it's going to be great for exercise during the cold winter months!

Lilly in the box!

Lilly has been here entertaining us while Nina works.
She is so much fun and keeps us laughing! I need to do a lot more video!
Here is just one clip.