Girls, It's All About You...But It Shouldn't Be.

Wow....a whole commercial dedicated to selfishness. I don't watch TV, so I have never seen this before, but I was told about it. It's scary.
The woman "shopping" for a guy. Talk about treating people like objects! And I get angry when men treat women that way.
The stork trying desperately to get attention.
The whole idea that you can have everything you want. That what you want, including a physical relationship without strings, should come before other people. 
Women, wake up! Stop buying the lie that it's all about stuff and a good time.

If this is really who we are, then I fold.

A Lovely Sunday!

It was a beautiful day today in every way!
The boys went to Mass last night and Brendan and Paul served, so Tim and I went alone, well, sort of.
Lilly and Nina were there too, and Lilly was very good!
It was a nice Mass, and it seemed like there were a lot of people there!

After Mass, Tim and I went out to lunch at McGregor's. We just wanted a quick salad, but the chance to catch some time alone was very nice! The boys were home, along with Maggie. They are all such good guys, and we appreciate the chance to go out occasionally.

When we got home, I took Maggie out for a walk. The weather was just gorgeous, and I couldn't resist! We both enjoyed the sun and seeing the neighborhood waking up from the cold weather of the past few weeks. Maggie was a perfect lady. She walked right by several people, which is huge progress!

I took Brendan and Paul down to Whitemarsh mall for a bit. We stopped on the way to deliver Fr. Henry's "dessert of the month".
Brendan wanted something in particular at the Disney store, and it wasn't there :(
He was very disappointed. They were both such good sports though. I took the opportunity to find a new little purse to replace my black one, and the boys just went along and didn't complain at all. I know they REALLY didn't want to be there! I did find something, and then we headed home.

We had a roast and potatoes for dinner, and then I let the boys stay up a little late to watch "Prince of Persia" as a reward for being such good sports all day.

Tomorrow is another school day. The boys have play practice after we get school done. I am finally caught up on my Bible Study reading, and I will get to go tomorrow night! I hope to make it to the rest of them. I have missed so many. I love this study.

So on we go. This is the last full week before Lent begins, and I have to say, I have never looked forward to Lent with this much anticipation! We will be beginning another "40 Days for Life" on Ash Wednesday, and it is just so exciting to see the fruits of so much concentrated prayer as the campaign goes forward. Every day brings wonderful reports of babies and their moms brought to the truth of LIFE!
God is so good!

So Many Cuties!

Between Lucy, Lilly and Molly, there is just so much CUTE going around.

Lucy is a sweetie and so doggone grown-up. I just love all the things she says. When I am on the phone with Laura, she is always chattering on in the background about something or other. Keeping Laura informed on all the latest.

Lilly is a little sweetie. Loves Jesus and Maggie and her uncles. Oh, and Grandma Susie. They have some kind of special relationship. Lilly is always cheerful and full of life. Of course, there is the odd moment when she she's mad. She recovers quickly.

Molly....man what a mover! That girl has her own personal drum line! I love the way she sings. SO cute!
I just love little girls! With all the boys around here, a little feminine input is more than welcome!

Thanks to my girls for being so generous and giving the world more reasons to smile!

A Hero For Our Times

A truly great man has passed from our midst.
Dr Bernard Nathanson, a former abortionist turned pro-life activist, has gone to his reward, and I can just imagine his reception.
Jesus must have hugged him and said "Well done, good and faithful servant".
Millions of sweet voices singing "Thank you, Dr Nathanson, for speaking for us when we couldn't speak for ourselves."
Ronald Reagan, who was his good friend, was waiting as well, I'm sure.
Pope John Paul II, who was the pope when Dr Nathanson came into the Catholic Church.
And my sweet Mom, who loved him and thought of him as a personal hero for so many years.

Give him a big hug for me, Mom.

You can read more about the life of this great man here.

A Place Called Home

Yesterday was so special. We attended the wedding of two wonderful young people that we have known since we moved here. The Weber and Ortman families are homeschoolers from way back. We all brought our kids up together in TORCH and now Brad and Holly are creating a family of their own.

The ceremony was so beautiful, and the church, St Ignatius, is  the first Catholic church that was built in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. It has been there since 1792. The parish has since built a new "Chapel" that is twice the size of the original church, but they have refurbished the old church and it is just gorgeous!

I was looking around after Mass, and I have to say that, for a moment, I felt a little wistful at the lavishness that the parish can afford in redecorating a church that is almost never used, while Good Shepherd still has to find a way to raise the money for a new roof. It was kind of like visiting the homes of some of our friends that have these fabulous new houses, with all the bells and whistles. I am not begrudging anyone the chance to live in a beautiful new home, certainly. Just as I am thrilled that the Parish of St Ignatius can afford to make the church as lovely as it has. It is a testament to their love for the Lord. God Bless them!

At the same time I was filled with love for our dear Good Shepherd. I thought of the way that we have been able to make it beautiful. Not the same way, but our own way. I thought of how much sweat and how many tears have been shed just trying to keep it going. It is not only still going, it is slowly turning the corner to financial health!
We can't afford to hire a bunch of contractors, and buy a lot of expensive materials. Still, Fr Jay, and a lot of very talented people have been able to refurbish the Sanctuary, make it beautiful, and give us a lovely space. God has been very generous with us, through other parishes, and we now have a marble altar, new lights, new carpet, new paint, and soon a new Crucifix.  Fr Jay has many friends, and some of the things that we now have in the church came from the parish where Fr Jay said his first Mass!
So many people have put in time, money and talent to get the work finished. It's really our church. We are really a family and this effort has bound us together in a way that doesn't happen without adversity.
There have been lots of disagreements, some pain, as jobs in the parish had to be cut, and some discomfort. There have also been many triumphs and so much love. That is what it's like in a real family. Those are the experiences that build a foundation and make it what it is.

Our church isn't going to be a showplace. We don't want a showplace. I am comfortable there.
It feels like home. Our own house is very much the same. We steadily pick away at the projects that we can afford, as we can afford them. We are battling gravity and nature all the time. We don't have a lot of money, but Tim is just amazing at taking on projects and making improvements. We haven't had to get any loans, and while that means that the going is slower, we are not in debt, which I find much nicer!
There is balance. Our home isn't new, it isn't showy, but it is comfortable, warm, and it is exactly right for us. I am so glad that the boys have had the chance to live in the same house, and the same wonderful little town, and be a part of the parish at Good Shepherd, as long as they can remember.

There are as many different types of "home"  as there are families and there are many, many special parishes within the Catholic church, all over the world. I am just so glad to feel so Blessed in our comfy little corner.

Making History

So to change up the routine a little, I assigned some thing different for History last week.
We are currently in Rome, and the boys have been digging in and studying really hard.
I told them I wanted them to choose one building, feature or piece of the landscape, write a report, find some illustrations online and import them, and then create it using whatever materials they chose.

Paul chose an Etruscan Coffin. He was very interested in the sculptures on the outside.
He wanted to use Legos to build it, and it came out great!
The Etruscans were kind of ancestors of Rome, so it counts. Here is a real Etruscan Coffin:

And here is the one Paul built, notice the sculptures on the top.

Brendan chose to build a teeny, tiny Lego version of Circus Maximus, the chariot racing stadium.

Here is the real one:

And here is Brendan's:

John wanted to really go for it, the Roman Senate building out of.....
Rice Crispy Treats!

Here is the real one. As you can see, it is still standing....

Well, John and I BOTH learned a LOT about the proper material for modeling buildings.
It's not rice crispy treats.
We did learn that you can model an ancient building, and it will fall to ruins within minutes, kind of a time-lapse effect.
John's Senate is NOT still standing, but it was delicious!

 Brendan also built a The Parthenon out of blocks, but that's Greece. Just wanted to include it because it's cool. 

Maggie Got A Boo-Boo...

Well, Maggie managed to get one of her nails caught, I think probably in her kennel, while we were at Mass, and she tore it pretty badly. We tried to treat it at home, but it was just too painful for us to work on. It needed to be treated, and of course it is a Saturday night, so it was an emergency call and after hours at that. What can you do, though? The poor puppy was just following me around begging me with her eyes to fix it. So we packed her off to the clinic.

They pulled the nail, bandaged her up with a purple wrap (which she will eat, so I have to take it off tonight) and out she came 15 minutes later with a big smile on her face.
The young lady that took her back said she had never had a dog jump up on the scale like she knew what it was for. That's really because Dr. Lindsey always treats her for getting on the scale.
That 15 minutes was pretty spendy! If anyone is looking for an outrageously great hourly wage, I would strongly suggest going into veterinary medicine.

Maggie is now recovering at home with a purple foot and some pain pills that must work pretty well.

She seems grateful for the attention, but then, she is always grateful for attention!