tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19271649665535712262024-02-23T02:43:37.382-05:00Just another Catholic momKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.comBlogger279125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-1457640011265176932015-01-15T10:39:00.002-05:002015-01-15T10:39:34.055-05:00It's Not About Me; or Why My Special Needs Child Has a Right to Exist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I should know better by now, but recently I've engaged in several online arguments about the rights of people with disabilities to exist in this world, and in particular, the right of unborn children with disabilities to not be aborted.<br />
<br />
One "argument" really stuck out to me- "Your kid is alive and no one forced you to abort, because it's your CHOICE!"<br />
<br />
Ah, but see, it's <b>not </b>my choice. My daughter doesn't have a right to be here because I chose not to kill her. She has a right to live because she's a human being with intrinsic worth and value, a fact that's been true since the very <i>moment</i> of her conception. And while this is true of <i>all </i>unborn children, but the point is particularly important when we're talking about those diagnosed prenatally* with disabilities, because they belong to a class of people who to this day still aren't considered fully human by society.<br />
<br />
I mean, how often have you heard someone say "Of course I'm against abortion! Well, unless there's something wrong with it, obviously..." <br />
<br />
See my point? Even people who can see the value in the life of a "normal" unborn child often can't see it in one with a disability- especially a profound or life threatening condition.<br />
<br />
Here's the thing- our ME-obsessed society has decided that we have a <b>right</b> to have children (and therefore, a right <b>not</b> to have children). That children exist to serve some purpose in <b>our</b> lives and fulfill something in<b> us</b>. This is why we have contraception, abortion, IVF, etc. It all ties back to our mistaken believe that we have a right to have (or not to have) children. But as Catholics, we know this isn't true. From the <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p6.htm" target="_blank">Catechism</a>-<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="text"> Of all visible creatures only man is "able to know and love his creator".<sup>219</sup> He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake",<sup>220</sup>
and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own
life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the
fundamental reason for his dignity.</span></blockquote>
Children are not a right. We are not owed them. They exist for their own sake. So no, my children, and in particular my special needs child, do not have a right to exist because I "chose" not to kill them. They have a right to exist because through grace they were conceived, and from that moment they existed for<b> their own sake</b>, not mine. For their own lives, their own purposes, not mine.<br />
<br />
And this is why all the arguments in favor of aborting children with disabilities fall flat. It doesn't matter if you can handle it. It doesn't matter if you don't think it's "fair." It doesn't matter if you don't want a "retarded" kid. It's not about you. And it doesn't matter if they may suffer and if their life may be short. They have a God-given <b>right</b> to the life that they've been given, period. It's not for any of us to decide that that life is not worth living.<br />
<br />
*For the record, my daughter's disability was not diagnosed prenatally- it's the result of a birth injury. A fact which I've heard is "too bad" because I didn't have a chance to "take care of it" before she was born. You know...<b>kill</b> her.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-65260132633094008272014-12-22T17:33:00.002-05:002014-12-22T17:33:47.261-05:00What I Read This Year- 2014 EditionHayley over at <a href="http://www.carrotsformichaelmas.com/2014/12/21/what-i-read-in-2014/">Carrots for Michaelmas</a> inspired me to kick off my return to blogging with a look at what I read this year. I'm a giant book nerd, so it's a perfect place to start! For a quick visual look at my year in reading, you can check out my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/1065002">Goodreads challenge</a>, but I'm going to break it down by category here and give links where possible.
<br />
<br />
But before I jump into that, I want to take a minute to address a common response I get when people find out how much I read (66 books and counting for this year!) It usually goes something like this- "How do you do it? <b>I just don't have the time to read!</b>"
<br />
<br />
Trust me, I get it. I'm incredibly busy myself. I have four kids, one of which has special needs (and so requires extra care and attention) and two of which I homeschool. That alone is a full-time job! And on top of that, I cook most of our food from scratch, keep the house (relatively) clean, co-teach Kindergarten CCD class, volunteer regularly with <a href="http://www.familypromise.org/">Family Promise</a>, work part-time from home, <i>and</i> I'm a foster mom.
<br />
<br />
Holy crap, I'm exhausted just thinking about it! So <b>how did I manage to read 66 books this year</b>, with all of that going on?
<br />
<br />
The answer is embarrassingly simply- <b>I read almost every night before bed</b>.<br />
<br />
Seriously, it's really that easy. I get the younger kids to bed around 8pm, then I head straight for my bed. Normally I read for 2-3 hours, then turn on my <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/night-prayer-compline-audio/id337995045" target="_blank">Compline app</a> and pray myself sleep. Some nights I fall asleep soon after I get started, some nights I'm up way too late because I just can't put the book I'm currently reading down, and sometimes I don't read at all. But usually it's 2-3 hours a night.<br />
<br />
I rarely read during the day, because I just don't have time. It's normally <b>GO GO GO</b> from the time the kids get up until they're in bed. It does mean I sacrifice other activities, like watching TV or knitting/crocheting, but if reading is a priority for you, you'll find the time. You can dooo ittt!<br />
<br />
Okay, on to the books! (FYI, halfway through I decided I wanted to link to Goodreads instead of Amazon. But I was too lazy to back and change the ones I'd already done. Yet another reason I'm the World's Worst Blogger. Sorry!)<br />
<br />
<b>Fiction</b><br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cell-Novel-Stephen-King/dp/1416524517/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419270967&sr=8-1&keywords=cell+stephen+king" target="_blank">Cell</a> </i>by Stephen King<i> </i></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Long-War-Earth/dp/0062068695/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419270996&sr=8-1&keywords=the+long+war" target="_blank"><i>The Long War</i></a> by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter<i> </i></li>
<li><i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stone-Mattress-Tales-Margaret-Atwood/dp/0385539126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419271134&sr=8-1&keywords=stone+mattress" target="_blank">Stone Mattress: Nine Tales</a></i> by Margaret Atwood </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Anna-Karenina-Modern-Library-Classics/dp/067978330X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419271260&sr=8-1&keywords=anna+karenina" target="_blank"><i>Anna Karenina</i></a> by Leo Tolstoy</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Different-Seasons-Signet-Stephen-King/dp/0451167538/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419280729&sr=8-1&keywords=different+seasons" target="_blank"><i>Different Seasons</i></a> by Stephen King</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Joyland-Hard-Case-Crime-Stephen/dp/1781162646/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419280750&sr=8-1&keywords=joyland" target="_blank"><i>Joyland </i></a>by Stephen King </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Just-After-Sunset-Stephen-King/dp/1416586652/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419280806&sr=8-1&keywords=just+after+sunset" target="_blank"><i>Just After Sunset</i></a> by Stephen King</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Insurrection-Forgotten-Realms-R-Salvatores/dp/0786930330/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419280856&sr=8-1&keywords=insurrection+war+of+the+spider+queen" target="_blank"><i>Insurrection (War of the Spider Queen #2)</i></a> by Thomas M. Reid</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Condemnation-Forgotten-Realms-R-Salvatores/dp/0786932023/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419280908&sr=8-1&keywords=condemnation+war+of+the+spider+queen" target="_blank"><i>Condemnation (War of the Spider Queen #3)</i></a> by Richard Baker</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wind-Willows-Sterling-Illustrated-Classics/dp/1402782837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419284827&sr=8-1&keywords=wind+in+the+willows" target="_blank"><i>The Wind in the Willows</i></a> by Kenneth Graeme </li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/272748.By_Love_Refined?from_search=true" target="_blank"><i>By Love Refined</i></a> by Alice von Hildebrand</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4408.East_of_Eden" target="_blank"><i>East of Eden</i></a> by John Steinback</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2429135.The_Girl_with_the_Dragon_Tattoo" target="_blank"><u><i>The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</i></u></a> by Stieg Larsson</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5107.The_Catcher_in_the_Rye" target="_blank"><u><i>The Catcher in the Rye</i></u></a> by JD Salinger</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/597581.Wuthering_Heights" target="_blank"><i>Wuthering Heights</i></a> by Emily Bronte</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104108.The_Sentinel" target="_blank"><i>The Sentinel</i></a> by Arthur C. Clarke</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/70535.2001" target="_blank"><i>2001: A Space Odyssey</i></a> by Arthur C. Clarke</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20168816-rogues" target="_blank"><i>Rogues</i></a> by George R.R. Martin and others</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1330291.The_Stars_Like_Dust" target="_blank">The Stars, Like Dust </a>by Isaac Asimov </li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/456913.Chill_of_Fear" target="_blank"><i>Chill of Fear</i></a> by Kay Hooper</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3991890-the-bodies-left-behind" target="_blank"><i>The Bodies Left Behind </i></a>by Jeffrey Deaver</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18050140-night-of-the-hunter" target="_blank"><i>Night of the Hunter (Companions Codex #1)</i></a> by RA Salvatore</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19486421-skin-game" target="_blank"><i>Skin Game (Dresden Files #15)</i></a> by Jim Butcher</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/881655.The_Blind_Assassin" target="_blank"><i>The Blind Assassin </i></a>by Margaret Atwood</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/111023.Passage_to_Dawn" target="_blank"><i>Passage to Dawn (Legacy of the Drow #4)</i></a> by RA Salvatore</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17650.The_Robber_Bride" target="_blank"><i>The Robber Bride</i></a> by Margaret Atwood</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/288830.The_Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde" target="_blank"><i>The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde</i></a> by Robert Louis Stevenson</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10917.My_Sister_s_Keeper" target="_blank"><i>My Sister's Keeper</i></a> by Jodi Picoult</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19474758-through-the-looking-glass" target="_blank"><i>Through the Looking Glass</i></a> by Lewis Carroll</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239103.Siege_of_Darkness" target="_blank"><i>Siege of Darkness (Legacy of the Drow #3)</i></a> by RA Salvatore</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13497818-the-casual-vacancy" target="_blank"><i>The Casual Vacancy</i></a> by JK Rowling</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/417058.On_the_Road" target="_blank"><i>On the Road</i></a> by Jack Kerouac </li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239102.Starless_Night" target="_blank"><i>Starless Night (Legacy of the Drow #2)</i></a> by RA Salvatore</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194366.The_Return_of_Sherlock_Holmes" target="_blank"><i>The Return of Sherlock Holmes </i></a>by Arthur Conan Doyle</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/291723.The_Legacy" target="_blank"><i>The Legacy (Legacy of the Drow #1) </i></a>by RA Salvatore</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/346087.Captain_s_Fury" target="_blank"><i>Captain's Fury (Codex Alera #4) </i></a>by Jim Butcher</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194373.The_Memoirs_of_Sherlock_Holmes" target="_blank"><i>The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes</i></a> by Arthur Conan Doyle</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7082.Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep_" target="_blank"><i>Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?</i></a> by Phillip K. Dick</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2575572-backup" target="_blank"><i>Backup (Dresden Files #10.3)</i></a> by Jim Butcher</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/133445.The_Edible_Woman" target="_blank"><i>The Edible Woman</i></a> by Margaret Atwood</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16130549-doctor-sleep" target="_blank"><i>Doctor Sleep</i></a> by Stephen King</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262203-maddaddam" target="_blank"><i>MaddAddam (MaddAddam Trilogy #3)</i></a> by Margaret Atwood</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6719180-treasure-island" target="_blank"><i>Treasure Island </i></a>by Robert Louis Stevenson</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29394.Cursor_s_Fury" target="_blank"><i>Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera #3) </i></a>by Jim Butcher</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6080337-the-year-of-the-flood" target="_blank"><i>The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam #2) </i></a>by Margaret Atwood</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228540.The_Guardian" target="_blank"><i>The Guardian</i></a> by Nicholas Sparks</li>
<li><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46756.Oryx_and_Crake" target="_blank">Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam #1)</a></i> by Margaret Atwood</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12106746-the-wind-through-the-keyhole" target="_blank"><i>The Wind Through the Keyhole (Dark Tower #4.5)</i></a> by Stephen King</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/133664.Academ_s_Fury" target="_blank"><i>Academ's Fury (Codex Alera #2)</i></a> by Jim Butcher</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4407.American_Gods" target="_blank"><i>American Gods</i></a> by Neil Gaiman</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29396.Furies_of_Calderon" target="_blank"><i>Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera #2)</i></a> by Jim Butcher</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17380041-longbourn" target="_blank"><i>Longbourn</i></a> by Jo Baker</li>
</ul>
<b>Non-Fiction</b><br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-Augustine/dp/0199537828/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419271077&sr=8-2&keywords=confessions" target="_blank">Confessions</a><b> </b></i>by St. Augustine of Hippo<b> </b></li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Immunity-Inoculation-Eula-Biss/dp/1555976891/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419271185&sr=8-1&keywords=immunity+eula+bliss" target="_blank">On Immunity: An Inoculation</a> </i>by Eula Bliss<i> </i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Oratory-Beginners-Guide-Praying/dp/1622821769/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419280953&sr=8-1&keywords=little+oratory" target="_blank"> The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home</a> </i>by David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler </li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18988959-the-sinner-s-guide-to-natural-family-planning" target="_blank"><u><i>The Sinner's Guide to Natural Family Planning</i></u></a> by Simcha Fisher</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2410619.Look_Me_in_the_Eye" target="_blank"><u><i>Look Me in the Eye: My Life With Asperger's </i></u></a>by John Elder Robinson</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11109231-a-book-of-saints-for-catholic-moms" target="_blank"><u><i>A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms: 52 Companions for Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul</i></u></a> by Lisa M. Hendey</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5976625-creator-and-creation" target="_blank"><i>Creator and Creation</i></a> by Mary O. Daly</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17383966-chickens-in-the-road" target="_blank"><i>Chickens in the Road: An Adventure in Ordinary Splendor</i></a> by Suzanne McMinn</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13124.Joan" target="_blank"><i>Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint </i></a>by Donald Spoto</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11337189-a-universe-from-nothing" target="_blank"><i>A Universe From Nothing: Why There is Something Rather Than Nothing</i></a> by Lawrence M. Krauss</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17345207-lady-catherine-the-earl-and-the-real-downton-abbey" target="_blank"><i>Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey</i></a> by Fiona Carnavorn</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17707603-george-washington-s-secret-six" target="_blank"><i>George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution </i></a>by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1381211.The_New_Rules_of_Lifting_for_Women" target="_blank"><i>The New Rules of Lifting for Woman: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess </i></a>by Lou Schuler</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101143-you-are-now-less-dumb" target="_blank"><i>You Are Now Less Dumb: How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and Other Ways to Outsmart Yourself</i></a> by David McRaney</li>
</ul>
<b>In Progress</b><br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Robinson-Crusoe-Penguin-Classics-Daniel/dp/0141439823/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419270606&sr=8-3&keywords=robinson+crusoe" target="_blank">Robinson Crusoe</a> </i>by Daniel Defoe<b> </b></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Princeps-Fury-Codex-Alera-Butcher/dp/0441017967/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419270763&sr=8-1&keywords=princeps+fury" target="_blank"><i>Princeps' Fury</i></a> by Jim Butcher</li>
</ul>
<b>Couldn't Get Through</b><br />
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nerd-Who-Loved-Me-Book-ebook/dp/B00E9FV7XG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419270846&sr=8-1&keywords=the+nerd+who+loved+me" target="_blank">The Nerd Who Loved Me</a> </i>by Vicki Lewis Thompson<b> </b> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
HOLY CRAP that took forever to write! I think next year I'll just direct you to my goodreads list and leave it at that. My carpal tunnel is flaring up, for real.<br />
<br />
Anyway, a few books stand out as favorites- <i>Longbourn,</i> a "downstairs" look at<i> Pride and Prejudice</i>. If you're a Jane Austen fan should enjoy that one. I also really loved the MaddAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood (one of my all time favorite authors), and <i>The Wind Through the Keyhole</i> is a must-read for any Dark Tower fans.<br />
<br />
Oh! And <i>The Casual Vacancy</i> was amazing. If you're wondering if JK Rowling can "do" something other than Harry Potter, the answer is YES. Yes, she can.<br />
<br />
<i>The Nerd Who Loved Me</i> was so painfully terrible and predictable I couldn't get through it, and that's rare for me.<br />
<br />
What about you? <b>How was your "year in reading?" How do you make time for books?</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-49166874237790574192014-12-22T10:17:00.002-05:002014-12-22T10:17:35.971-05:00As part of my attempting start blogging again, I created a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justanothercatholicmom#">Facebook</a> page for my blog. I'm hoping it will motivate me to blog at least semi-regularly. Like the page!
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-75570123050867168692014-12-02T16:07:00.000-05:002014-12-02T16:07:17.249-05:00UpdatesIf anyone is still hanging out, here are some updates for you!<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>We were approved for our foster parent license! We don't have a permanent placement yet, but we did do respite for another family over the Thanksgiving holiday. We're open to adopting if any kiddos placed with us become available.</li>
<li>In preparation for that, we upgraded to a 12 passenger van. I love it. I feel like I'm in some official Catholic mom club now. The Big Ass Van crew.</li>
<li>I've been working from home as a freelance writer to help make ends meet. Nothing fancy, just resumes and web content development.</li>
<li>Still homeschooling the 1st and 7th graders.</li>
<li>Oh, and I'm a contributing blogger over at <a href="http://www.rationalcatholicblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Rational Catholic Blog</a>, <span style="color: black;">a</span> blog for faithful, science-minded Catholics.</li>
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SO, someday I hope to actually get back into blogging regularly. Check in once in awhile and see!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-84110964787089053072014-06-05T09:46:00.000-04:002014-06-05T09:46:14.210-04:00Why I Quit BloggingSo I was dusting off the old blog roll and was interested to see that several of the blogs I used to follow are also now defunct. It got me to thinking about why I quit blogging.<br />
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<ol>
<li><i>Voice-</i> I feel like I come off as prim and proper in my blog, which I am oh so totally NOT in real life. I'm not sure why that is. Possibly just trying to seem professional or be concise, but I know as time went on, it bothered more and more, and I got to a point where I felt like I had unintentionally boxed myself into a persona that really didn't reflect who I am. </li>
<li><i>Pressure- </i>It may seem laughable to people with huge blog followings, but even having 30 people following me started stressing me out. Part of this is likely a manifestation of my anxiety (which I'm now on Cymbalta for, woooo!) This probably relates back the the first point, in feeling an internal pressure to live up to a standard/persona I had unintentionally created. What people don't like what I post? What if someone leaves me a nasty comment? Minor issues for most people, but when you have anxiety, everything gets blown out of proportion. I had mentioned once in a post that I have *GASP* tattoos, and noticed that basically immediately a long-time follower dropped me. Ouch.</li>
<li><i>Disappointment</i>- I found myself getting pretty discouraged by the cattiness, infighting, and snark I was seeing in some of the popular blogs I read (I'm so totally not naming names, so don't ask!). None of us are perfect, but man. I found myself thinking that if I had to become a sanctimonious asshole to be a blogger, especially a "popular" one, I'd rather just don't blog at all. Okay, so maybe saying that makes me sound a bit like a sanctimonious asshole myself, but I see people offering constructive criticism in a very loving and gracious way, and the response is basically "shove it, I'm hilarious and popular and you're not" it's just...blah. It really turned me off of blogging, which was not fair to the 99% of bloggers who aren't like that. But combined with the other stuff I was just not feeling it anymore.</li>
<li><i>Lack of focus- </i>This was a big issue as well, and again ties into the first. Initially my blog was largely about homeschooling, conversion, and country life. Well, then I was not homeschooling for a couple of years, my conversion was several years in the past and I was experiencing the euphoria crash following my conversion zeal, and we moved into town. So. Yeah. I definitely felt a loss of focus there. And with the other issues mentioned above, I just didn't really have the desire to figure out how to re-focus the blog.</li>
</ol>
So that's that, and here I am trying to get back into it. I do miss the sense of community and having a place to put my thoughts down. We'll see how it goes.<br />
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<i><b>Did you quit blogging, or take an extended break? Why?</b></i> <br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-24214983589190726722014-06-02T12:20:00.002-04:002014-06-02T12:39:02.589-04:00Lapbooks!Something I've started adding into our homeschooling routine, and will definitely do more of next year, is lapbooking. It's a fun break from more monotonous activities, and it's something my 6th grader and kindergartner can do together (of course, I expect significantly more detail and depth from the 6th grader!)<br />
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The first lapbook we did was a volcano/Pompeii unit (Pompeii focus for my oldest, because it was her interest in the historical event that prompted me to do the unit). Since this was our first time, I kept it very basic; we read some books, watched some videos, put a simple lapbook together, and then made our own volcanoes! I also had my 6th grader read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Fire-Tracy-L-Higley/dp/1401687520/ref=sr_1_26?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401726992&sr=1-26&keywords=pompeii" target="_blank">City on Fire: A Novel of Pompeii</a> and write a book report.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HF4SDYQ7L4rtezexucAaX3tTk9I90qhHnGrX8h2tMW-KtOTEakWF_gOEq3PIKbq4unglmvJNM5gZh2JAELe4oGLxQ9DpQ5UdMRwUaK-iVEQ5weW-U0Qz9FJqeJEcWYQGrLRt52oR_uA/s1600/1655157_10203146354082403_636910487_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HF4SDYQ7L4rtezexucAaX3tTk9I90qhHnGrX8h2tMW-KtOTEakWF_gOEq3PIKbq4unglmvJNM5gZh2JAELe4oGLxQ9DpQ5UdMRwUaK-iVEQ5weW-U0Qz9FJqeJEcWYQGrLRt52oR_uA/s1600/1655157_10203146354082403_636910487_o.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Erupting" our volcanoes!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oldest painting her volcano.</td></tr>
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The printouts I found through Pinterest searches, and the volcano kits I purchased through <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007KK0V2/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. <br />
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We just started on a butterfly life cycle lapbook. We ordered a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B7PNHBG/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">live butterfly kit </a>so we can watch them go through their life cycle. We started a nature journal where we're keeping observations, and we're reading books and starting to put our lapbooks together. I found <a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/butterfly_lapbook.php" target="_blank">this resource</a> particularly helpful! <br />
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I was a little intimidated by the idea of lapbooking at first, but thanks to so many wonderful (and free!) resources around the internet, it wound up being a lot easier than I had anticipated. <br />
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<i><b>Do you lapbook? Share your favorite resources or units!</b></i>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-58311629611490227672014-05-25T11:32:00.003-04:002014-05-25T11:33:36.274-04:009 Months...It's been nine months since my last post, so I suppose I can do another one, right?<br />
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Appropriately, I've been thinking about family size (no, I'm not pregnant). With four children, we're at the cusp of what's considered a "socially acceptable" family size. Of course, as Catholics we're expected to conform to the Church and not to society, but that's not exactly an easy path to navigate, either.<br />
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We're told to be both generous and responsible with our fertility, but what does that mean? And how do we separate our personal feelings and biases from societal pressure to truly discern what's God's will and what this concept of generosity and responsibility looks like in practice? <br />
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Let's take responsibility- sometimes it's clear-cut (if you're homeless, for example, most people would agree it's not responsible to intentionally have children). But other times it's not so clear. What if having more children means your insurance premiums become significantly burdensome? Is it irresponsible to use Medicaid? Many politically conservative Catholics would say yes, but is it irresponsible from the viewpoint of the Church, and thus God, or is it in reality irresponsible from the viewpoint of their preferred political party or personal bias? We're a solidly working class family that lives paycheck to paycheck, so trust me, money issues are something I'm keenly aware of!<br />
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Generosity...with falling fertility rates in the US, many Catholics, regardless of income and other considerations, seem to feel that 3 or 4 kids is plenty generous. But again, who's standards are we judging against? God's, or our culture's? <br />
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I know there's a middle ground between having a dozen or more kids and living in abject poverty and having your 2.1 and living in your McMansion, but finding it is proving to be difficult for me. I know many other mothers who also struggle with this, and clearly I myself have more questions than answers. <br />
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For now, we're forgoing biological children and focusing on getting licensed to foster, and hopefully adopt a child. But after that (5 children is the limit to foster in our state), who knows?<br />
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If you're still reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts on discerning family size!<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-61201182292050701992013-08-21T08:14:00.003-04:002013-08-21T08:15:40.263-04:00Raised bed garden boxes from wooden palletsWell I won't promise a full resumption of blogging (after all, I am the World's Worst Blogger), but here's a post for you! We decided to create raised bed garden boxes from wooden pallets. I saw this idea on pinterest, but it just used one pallet. I was concerned that wouldn't off enough soil, especially for deep rooted plants like tomatoes, so we figured out how to put two pallets together to make it deeper and allow for more soil. One benefit of using pallets is that the slats make it a nearly weed free garden. Anything that cuts down on the laborious task of weeding is a plus in my book.<br />
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We took two same-sized pallets and started by sawing off all the middle slats on one side of each. Then we placed them together with the "empty" sides together to form the box. We then used the slats we had sawed off and cut them to size and nailed them all around the box to hold it together. We had some larger pieces of wood in our garage and my husband used those, too.<br />
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Next, we stapled garden cloth to the bottom of the box. This helps contain the soil.<br />
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Then we flipped it over and moved it into position, and filled it with 10 40lb bags of potting soil.<br />
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It makes perfect rows! Here are some pickling cucumbers come up. <br />
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Those are pumpkins that the kids planted at Purdue University's Spring Fest. I transferred them to the box and they're all over the place now!<br />
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Since we built the boxes one at a time over a period of a few weeks, things were planted a bit haphazardly. I have three boxes right now (we'll put together the fourth box next season). One has green beans, green onions, a couple cherry tomato plants, and pickling cucumbers. Another has zucchini and pumpkin, and the last has green beans and tomatoes. This was a relatively easy and cheap garden project. I've seen raised beds sell for hundreds of dollars, so recycling wooden pallets definitely saves you money.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-37737669723926363322013-08-12T13:28:00.000-04:002013-08-12T13:28:09.639-04:00Hi!Well, I don't know if anyone reads this anymore, but I was thinking of my blog the other day and thought I'd give a quick update.<br />
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We are doing well. Our children are now 12, 8, 5, and nearly 3! We're returning to homeschooling; I will have a 6th grader and a Kindergartener, and our 8 year old will continue at her public school M-TR, then be with us for our small co-op on Fridays. She also started attending our state school for the blind last year, so she will keep going there one week a month.<br />
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I've been helping my sister-in-law and her husband with their gaming company (Proving Ground Games), which has included working on a technical certificate in Business Administration so I can better assist (and hopefully secure a paying, at home job one day!) It's been hard work but fun, we went to the Origins Game Fest in Ohio a few months ago and did well. <br />
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My husband's employer sold the company to a larger company, which unfortunately is struggling and handed out pay cuts to everyone. At least it wasn't a pink slip! We tighten our belts up some more and keep moving forward. We've been working on paying off debts and not acquiring more.<br />
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My husband and I built raised-bed garden boxes from pallets, that's worked pretty well and I've been canning a lot, which I love to do. <br />
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I can't think of much else to add! I've toyed with the idea of blogging again, but as you know I'm the world's worst blogger and I don't have much to say these days, I guess. God is good and I hope all of you are doing well!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-12711200294700803192012-03-29T10:48:00.000-04:002012-03-29T10:48:00.607-04:00New BlogHello everyone! I've decided to do a cooking blog, I hope that having a specific focus will make blogging easier and more enjoyable. You can find me now at www.thedownhomecook.blogspot.com<br />
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Blessings!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-9055500760225128892012-01-17T13:38:00.000-05:002012-01-17T13:38:17.638-05:00GoodbyeAfter tossing it around in my mind for the last year, and especially the last few months, I've decided I'm done blogging. It's simply not enjoyable for me anymore. I will leave the blog up for a few days and then delete (I've downloaded it to keep for myself). I sincerely appreciate all the support and comments I've gotten over the last few years. Thank you so much for reading, and God bless you all!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-82660490274474586592012-01-10T13:13:00.000-05:002012-01-10T13:13:10.098-05:00Homesteading and homeschoolingHomesteading and homeschooling both used major focuses of my blog, and I have questions about both pop up now and again, so I thought I'd go ahead and address them (I don't think I really have in the past!)<br />
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Homesteading- Well, I am still very interested in this. I would absolutely love to have a family farm and live off the land as much as possible. However, it is a lot of work. Even just enough livestock and produce for our family is a good amount of hard work, and it's more than I can handle on my own. My husband, however, is enjoys the fruits of the labor (ie, food!) but is not at all interested in labor aspect. I don't say that as a dig on him, he just does not want to do it, and he's honest about it. He was sick of living outside of town ("town" being a small town with a population of about 5K), and while I could have pushed him into moving farther out into the country and getting livestock and such, I didn't feel it was fair to either of us when he had clearly stated he didn't want to. And, as I'm not able to do the "heavy lifting" work and the children can only contribute in a very limited way, it was not feasible to take on a family farm effectively on my own. Furthermore, it was just not a financial reality. The only homes available with a few acres of land in our price range were either very small or run down, and we don't have the know-how or inclination to remodel and such on our own. So, it's a dream that will go on the back-burner, and I'm okay with that. I do hope one day that it's something we can do, but we will see. I have enough space here for some veggies, and I'd like to look in to the legality of having a few laying hens (I could get a "tractor" coop to move around the yard for them). <br />
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Homeschooling- I am not currently homeschooling any of the children, which feels strange after three years of homeschooling my oldest! She really wanted to go to public school, and as dh and I are both adamant that junior high is out of the question, fourth and fifth grade were her last chances. While I wish it were more academically rigorous (ie, classical!) it is a very nice school. Small, rural, with none of the liberal PC junk infecting many larger schools. It's the school that our 6 year old with special needs has been attending since preK (it houses the developmental pre-school for our area), so we're very familiar with it. She's doing well and enjoys going, so she will go again next year for fifth grade, and we will be homeschooling again for junior high. After that, we will re-evaluate based on her needs (for example, if she's certain she wants to attend a 4 year college, it's imperative that she be able to take full advantage of all available scholarships. In that case, we would probably send her to high school, at least for 11th and 12th grade). I don't enjoy doing pre-school, so I've always sent the kids out for it, and our 3 (almost 4!) year old attends a Christian pre-school. She's enjoyed this year and has a lot of fun, but I think I will homeschool her next year. Frankly, it's a lot of money for what's effectively a playgroup (which is not a criticism of the school, it's lovely! But pre-school in general is really more about learning to get along with other kids and preparing for how public school is structured than anything) and because of the time difference between her school and the other girls' (they start at 8, she starts at 9) it's a lot of back and forth driving that's inconvenient. For now, I plan I homeschooling her from next year on, but I do admit I feel a fair amount of conflict about it. As I said, we really like the local elementary school, and I go back and forth on whether or not they're "missing out" if they don't go. If I'm honest, the turning point for me with my oldest was when we went to dd2's Christmas program. She just looked very wistful and sad and said a few times that she really wished she could be up there with the other kids. It probably sounds silly, since in the scope of things it's such a small thing to "miss out" on, but I guess in the moment it was kind of one of those "knife in the heart" things where I really questioned if I was doing the right thing but not allowing her to go when she earnestly wanted to. <br />
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At any rate, dd2 repeated kindergarten this year, and after starting on Strattera for her ADHD, she really made significant academic progress. She won't be held back again (the school system only allows a child to be held back twice K-12) but even with the progress she's made, she's still significantly behind her peers. So I believe she will spend much of her time in the resource room with the special education teacher next year, and I'm okay with that. I personally don't feel it's fair or reasonable to make her sit in the classroom while they learn things that are beyond her current abilities. It just makes her frustrated and bored. Much of the focus in 1st grade is on learning to read, and as she's nearly blind, I would much rather have her in the resource room getting one on one attention and instruction with Braille readiness than listening to other kids learning to read when she's not even able to distinguish most letters of the alphabet (even when significantly enlarged and contrasting colors are used, there are only a couple letters she can identify). At this point I'm pretty confident that she will continue at this school until she's ready for junior high, and then she will board down at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. I would like to get her in sooner, but I just feel like before that she's not going to be emotionally ready to be separated from us all week, and I want her self-help skills strong enough that she doesn't need to rely heavily on the people there for help with her personal hygiene.<br />
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I think that about sums it up for now! I hope that helps clear up any questions.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-76246384336483128212012-01-04T14:29:00.000-05:002012-01-04T14:29:45.137-05:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV68Tbk9uFZHuzU8vVVliTyz5HKTC3BdOpFI3d3IDKVZfLDcN-VbUoHUw84KXZUqLQ0ypMYiYMxMhiME0UXzNhtkINbXpDxhfSvy-tCE0SMX3IyPCoIWKE520WYKIJnKpUJSBkcYIua2Q/s1600/397006_3008847662901_1313738387_3208540_1752106042_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV68Tbk9uFZHuzU8vVVliTyz5HKTC3BdOpFI3d3IDKVZfLDcN-VbUoHUw84KXZUqLQ0ypMYiYMxMhiME0UXzNhtkINbXpDxhfSvy-tCE0SMX3IyPCoIWKE520WYKIJnKpUJSBkcYIua2Q/s320/397006_3008847662901_1313738387_3208540_1752106042_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-71252184535617386822012-01-03T15:09:00.000-05:002012-01-03T15:09:21.841-05:00I read <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/mom-reunites-biological-child-77-years-later-201717607.html?fb_action_ids=3007277463647&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_source=recent_activity&code=AQCKZfRfhLvbEVKI74Az1e5Yj_VBfKmA1d74F3kEqge5Z4nzK9c5D8MGQnMMirqtRFJKnFbLvYc5QGqz-f6htx-7u1jSLbDKIP26WgSf0FttZaF3fyL5HuR6oRv7FdiDMZHefWYpTQRkYDmxDeYt7P18to9BQ-5pcA47z8cw_dwhDEJsFWSZpITxQWwNbW9lq8c#_=_">this beautiful story</a> on Yahoo! about an elderly woman who had given her baby for adoption after being raped as a teenager, and finally reunited 70+ years later. The baby girl she lovingly placed with a pastor and his wife went on to marry and have 6 children of her own, including one son who is an astronaut. Although the article doesn't discuss abortion, I can't help but think of it. Mrs. Disbrow would certainly have been a poster child for abortion. But this is a side of it that is rarely talked about-it isn't just the aborted child that's lost, but <i>generations</i>!<br />
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In a few days, it will have been 33 years since my husband was born and placed for adoption. He was born just a few years after Roe V. Wade. His birth mother could have legally killed him. Instead, she made the difficult choice to give birth to him and let him go, and because of her gift of life, I not only have my husband, but four beautiful children. Someday we will have grand-children, and great-children. Generations of a family that would have never existed if not for one woman's choice decades ago. I am so very grateful to her for that, and I hope that wherever she is, she is loved and blessed and has peace in her heart. <br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-11629315359881038822011-12-30T12:26:00.000-05:002011-12-30T12:26:31.572-05:007 Quick Takes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfxnZAc8nBOo1S_XzfttUGW8KTgvTcdDEWQaN2W4HJHwTvcfwVTo-LGWcWEJBI0dreAhiP2saiK-Qt1FYWGz2qTqJkC0WJcKmsrxV10uNZJW0aVfRFRLNLtKTyeQ0pfQjUGfgNEkywTY/s1600/7_quick_takes_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfxnZAc8nBOo1S_XzfttUGW8KTgvTcdDEWQaN2W4HJHwTvcfwVTo-LGWcWEJBI0dreAhiP2saiK-Qt1FYWGz2qTqJkC0WJcKmsrxV10uNZJW0aVfRFRLNLtKTyeQ0pfQjUGfgNEkywTY/s320/7_quick_takes_sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<ol><li>2012 is just around the corner! That means it's almost time for me to set a new book reading goal at <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">Good Reads</a>. Last year, my goal was 36 books. I read...22. Ouch. Well, what can I say, I have four children! I think I'll shoot for 30 this year. </li>
<li>Speaking of books, give me some suggestions! Right now I'm reading <i>Little Women</i>, which I've never read before, though I've seen the movie (rare thing for me, I normally read the book first...but <i>Little Women </i>is REALLY LONG...) I'm also up to book #6 in the <i>Wheel of Time</i> series (fantasy) and book #3 in the <i>Dresden Files</i> series (fantasy/mystery). I'm pretty much up for anything, book-wise!</li>
<li>We had a wonderful Christmas! The children loved their gifts, and my mother and brother spent the day with us. As a bonus, all four of my children behaved themselves at Mass (together...at the same time...) and for good measure, as we were leaving, our 6 year old turned around and yelled "Happy birthday, Jesus!"</li>
<li>I could use prayers for my health. I've been dealing with menorrhagia (extremely heavy periods) for many years, but every cycle is worse and worse, and many of the conventional treatments are not compatible with our views on life, so treating it isn't easy (and it has far surpassed the point where "just living with it" is even remotely a possibility. I won't go TMI, but I will just unequivocally say that it is absolutely debilitating for me to the point I'm severely depressed before and during my period). I go back to the OB in February, I hope to finish ruling out underlying causes.</li>
<li>My number one "resolution" for the new year is LOSE WEIGHT! I lost a large amount of weight after I had our second child (over 80 pounds), and unfortunately, over the last few years I've gained it all back, and then same. It's frustrating to have to start all over, but I've done it before and I know I can do it again.</li>
<li>I sadly found out that the rescue we adopted our pug from a couple years ago had all of their dogs seized! To be fair, I did feel that they had too many dogs in a small space, but I also think they were kind-hearted people who got in over their heads. We adore our little pug, and I hope everything works out for them and the dogs that were taken.</li>
<li>This will be the first NYE in 7 years that I haven't been pregnant and/or nursing (Finn weaned at 13 months, which I wasn't expecting, since his sisters nursed for over 2 years!) I don't plan on getting drunk (yuck!) but grandma is going to take the little kids so we can have a few friends over for the evening. Have a fun and safe NYE, and don't forget that New Year's day is a Holy Day of Obligation (plus a Sunday, so you should be at Mass, anyway!)</li>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-495913205494546672011-12-23T14:01:00.001-05:002011-12-23T14:03:10.846-05:00Emmanuel (God with us)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9Qj5OVqYqchvtH6duhLIcY8l7HDXvGgcYVy6zncyqNKfD2dSoKQKdKxj2sxTgutXfTKEGlWybt7Ues89MYKgmsjQT7GqSOBcsO0KMCSK43Sq6NabZVDDHoJy9F6dEkHd7kkJyGau-5k/s1600/nativity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9Qj5OVqYqchvtH6duhLIcY8l7HDXvGgcYVy6zncyqNKfD2dSoKQKdKxj2sxTgutXfTKEGlWybt7Ues89MYKgmsjQT7GqSOBcsO0KMCSK43Sq6NabZVDDHoJy9F6dEkHd7kkJyGau-5k/s320/nativity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Holy Scripture tells us that "Pride is the beginning of all sin." (Sirach 10:15) I'm not going to attempt to delve deeply in to that (St. Thomas Aquinas covers it nicely in <i>Summa Theologica</i>, as does CS Lewis in <i>Mere Christianity</i>), but it's an interesting thought, isn't it? We tend to think of pride a positive trait; being proud of one's hard work, proud of your family, etc. But what's the dark side of pride?<br />
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As Lewis points out, pride is the root of rebellion. And rebellion, of course, leads to disobedience to the Lord. "Who is <i>GOD</i> to tell me what to do?" People often speak hatefully of the Catholic Church, with our complicated hierarchy that helps to guide Christ's flock. "Who are <i>they</i> to tell me how to live? How dare some celibate old men in funny clothes tell me what to do with my body, or my money, or my family! It's my life and I'll live it how <i>I</i> want!" Who is God to tell us how to live? What right does His Church have to interfere in our private decisions? I think there's often a lot of hurt behind the angry words. People feel that God, and by proxy, His Church, have no right to tell them how to live, because they couldn't possibly understand. Because God seems so far away. Our world is so sick and hurting...so many people feel God is absent from their lives, and instead of fleeing to the comfort of His arms, their <i>pride </i>hardens their hearts against Him, and they turn. But God has written His love on our hearts. There's no hiding from it, and when we refuse to abandon ourselves to that love, our response is to put up angry walls of hatred.<br />
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What right does He have? How could He understand?<br />
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Our Lord, our all powerful, omnipotent, omnipresent GOD, Alpha and Omega, loves us so earnestly, that He become flesh and dwelt among us. We have the image of the nativity this time of year, but how often do we really stop to ponder what it means? Our <b>GOD</b> not only humbled Himself to become a mere human man, but he came in to the world as a tiny, fragile, helpless <i>infant</i>. He could have come to us, as the Jews expected, as a powerful earthly King. He could have opened up the Heavens, with the trumpets of the angels blaring, bringing fire and brimstone and <i>forcing</i> every knee to bend.<br />
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But instead He came, quiet, meek, weak and small. Because <b>we</b> are quiet, meek, weak and small. And really, aren't we? We can puff up our chests with pride and boast about how big and strong we are, we can stomp our feet and thumb our noses and say "We don't need <i>you</i>, God." But inside, our souls cry out to the Lord. Inside, we are tiny, fragile, and helpless. Just as our Lord once was. How could he <i>not</i> understand? <br />
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He was born a tiny baby. He offered up His body, broken and abused, on the Cross. He stays with us here on earth, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, but under the humble guise of bread and wine. He shows us that true strength is in meekness and humility. True power is in sacrifice and obedience. And true freedom is only found in joyful prostration to our Lord.<br />
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This Christmas, when you gaze adoringly at the sweet-cheeked Infant, think of everyone who is lonely and hurting in our sick, lost world, and pray earnestly that they feel the loving arms of God around them, and His peace and grace in their hearts. This is my Christmas wish every year, for myself and everyone.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-69065773875986174232011-12-09T10:28:00.000-05:002011-12-09T10:28:06.380-05:007 Quick Takes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1g2jDrDWsSIc_r14GXVpydgWRzQF_vA5Fxit650pKhLcJtvy8DaC7YAA8il2zMhjnHGFB-YwbVOGsvitb9nywec84itXms7Hvth6RJ51x5zft_SObZMu6HidjneP56TE6Y48vgkvf6-4/s1600/7_quick_takes_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1g2jDrDWsSIc_r14GXVpydgWRzQF_vA5Fxit650pKhLcJtvy8DaC7YAA8il2zMhjnHGFB-YwbVOGsvitb9nywec84itXms7Hvth6RJ51x5zft_SObZMu6HidjneP56TE6Y48vgkvf6-4/s320/7_quick_takes_sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<ol><li>I was very heartbroken to hear the news that the Duggar's <a href="http://tv.yahoo.com/news/michelle-duggar-miscarries-feel-heart-broke-telling-children-221738891.html?fb_action_ids=2825924129927%2C277125949004211%2C2814912694294%2C308086735881211%2C2824970906097&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_source=other_multiline&code=AQClj9BjU1uDiDUJ-99Hi5TJfDCHBqxvG8b6BXxoAyAtHi3346CqbDBHMNF7sQDzS2xXgMXUt4ALNvuiN9yCKr-wvcT-3J05GvLB3oV63ww1iibNZiTHwKa4KGvjCBbyHt4k3ADMJk5ypyuvWntLX9SYb_X1ZCXoXwsErpFRLZcyvzeQObSyzE2VtmNYJcAQeTo#_=_">unborn baby had passed away</a>. Although I have significant theological differences with the Duggar family, I really admire and respect them. I know how painful loss is, and having experienced a second trimester loss myself, I can't imagine going through that pain in the public eye, with the kind of hatred that is spewed at them. Their baby and family are in my prayers.</li>
<li>My little guy sure is getting big. He's coming up on 14 months old, and he's just so funny and such a joy! I love watching him explore and learn.</li>
<li>So I <i>thought </i>my husband and I had compromised on when to put the tree up (December 17). But apparently this was forgotten, as it's sitting next to me. Hmm....</li>
<li>Speaking of which, what is the difference between a family room and living room? We actually have two rooms like that now, so I don't know which is which! (AND we have a dining room! Space! I love it!)</li>
<li>Further thoughts on Christmas trees, what on earth is the point of decorating one when you have small children? The tree looked nice for about 5 minutes. Now half the ornaments are missing, and the other half are all on the top half of the tree, where little hands can't reach. I said it looks silly, dh says it just looks like we have kids!</li>
<li>My 3 year old (4 in March!!) really enjoys going to a local Christian pre-school, but for various reasons, I'll be doing her next year of pre-school at home. Although I tend to dread the thought of doing pre-school and Kindergarten at home, largely because I hate doing kids' crafts and songs (I know, that sounds horrible, but it's true!) but I'm actually looking forward to it. Firstly, I feel kind of lost without homeschooling anyone, and secondly, she's very bright, so it will be interesting to see how she takes to homeschooling.</li>
<li>I haven't knitted or crocheted anything in a couple of years! I miss it, and hope to dig out my knitting supplies this weekend and work on something.</li>
</ol><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-44953808576245509972011-12-08T14:05:00.000-05:002011-12-08T14:05:04.110-05:00Chicken casseroleThis is a little embarrassing, since it contains a couple cans of "cream of xyz," but I was asked for the recipe, so here you go! (And yes, I know I can make homemade substitutes for the processed "cream of" soups, HOWEVER- I make this casserole for my husband, and he prefers it with the canned stuff!)<br />
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1.5-2lbs chicken, cooked and diced<br />
1 can cream of mushroom soup<br />
1 can cream of chicken soup<br />
8oz sour cream<br />
1 small can of sliced mushrooms, drained<br />
cooked egg noodles (how much just depends on how noodly you want it; I keep mine in a storage container and usually use 3 or 4 handfuls for this)<br />
French onions, for topping (or, you can use crushed Ritz type crackers tossed with a tbsp or two of melted butter)<br />
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I like to mix the soups and sour cream over heat so they're nice and smooth, and I usually put in a bit of milk to thin it out (maybe half a cup). Add in the chicken and mushrooms, mix, toss with the noodles, cover with the onions, and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.<br />
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I've tried sneaking veggies in to this and I like it, but dh doesn't, so I normally leave it out. But some peas, at least, are a good addition!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-67755112343868524752011-12-08T09:39:00.000-05:002011-12-08T09:39:46.734-05:00Immaculate Conception<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcytBXXhCXR6RfW5W55WpPaZUyRQlF0PRJzKYIc91rOlTAAYPcfIenMSVfZlDpf2_L_UqSmu_BQSsXaThC8orS7IRCb5YQu-KEO1xyXYkSK67YivfpcO-DK2ttlW2wGmx2Rdh-kTkeG9A/s1600/immaculate+conception.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcytBXXhCXR6RfW5W55WpPaZUyRQlF0PRJzKYIc91rOlTAAYPcfIenMSVfZlDpf2_L_UqSmu_BQSsXaThC8orS7IRCb5YQu-KEO1xyXYkSK67YivfpcO-DK2ttlW2wGmx2Rdh-kTkeG9A/s320/immaculate+conception.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br />
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Today we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a Holy Day of Obligation, don't forget). This is probably one of the<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm"> most misunderstood doctrines</a> of the Catholic Church (even among Catholics!) It does NOT refer to the conception of Jesus Christ. Rather, it refers to the conception of the Blessed Virgin in the womb of her dear mother, St. Ann. The video below gives an excellent explanation of this doctrine.<br />
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<i>O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/RNt9r7X91_4/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RNt9r7X91_4&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RNt9r7X91_4&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-87164344514770305082011-12-05T08:58:00.000-05:002011-12-05T08:58:19.470-05:00Menu Plan Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orgjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/mpm-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://orgjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/mpm-1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Oh, menu planning. This is something I used to be very good about, a little oasis of organization in my normally terribly disorganized life (I'm just not a type A personality, though I wish I was!) I miss doing it, though. There's the obvious perk of knowing what I'm making for dinner every night, which spares me the frustration of digging through the pantry and winging it on dinner. It also saves time and money. I make my grocery list simultaneously, and then when I'm at the store, I know exactly what I need and don't impulse buy. So, I'm dedicating myself to getting back in the swing of it.<br />
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<u>Monday- </u>Burritos (I have to take dd2 an hour and a half away for surgery follow-up this afternoon, so dh is making dinner. He is not culinarily inclined, but burritos he can do, and it's one of his favorite foods, so he doesn't mind! If I were more organized, I would have a crockpot meal ready to go, but alas, I didn't think ahead).<br />
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<u>Tuesday- </u><a href="http://nourishedkitchen.com/a-recipe-potato-leek-soup-with-dill/">Potato and leek soup </a>with homemade bread<br />
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<u>Wednesday-</u> Tamale pie with salad<br />
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<u>Thursday-</u> Chicken Casserole (not my favorite, but dh loves it!)<br />
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<u>Friday- </u>Falafel burgers with <a href="http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/10/recipe-for-spicy-red-lentil-and.html">Moroccan lentil stew</a><br />
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Nothing fancy! Friday is actually pay day, so I normally do menu planning then; however, we had a super busy weekend, so I didn't get around to it until today! Unless we're very tight on money, I usually don't menu plan breakfast and lunch; we usually have either cold cereal or bacon and eggs for breakfast, and lunch is usually fish-sticks with mac and cheese or sandwiches, maybe leftovers, but at any rate, something simple (it's usually just my toddler, the baby, and me at lunch).<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-28422838219010936732011-11-29T12:58:00.000-05:002011-11-29T12:58:38.276-05:00Advent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXMbQ5n7C__wTFtBsBMeq4YLYAgvx6JQwYrU-QgrD2f93GY34jszsPDjYaDcYbKsatNZiOhCGBxBn77XnHtdCTp6quneN3imsVHeT89HjM1DIvzSyp0eJY1laPL3Aoq0uu3y9GqviO78/s1600/90_20_29---Four-Advent-Candles_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXMbQ5n7C__wTFtBsBMeq4YLYAgvx6JQwYrU-QgrD2f93GY34jszsPDjYaDcYbKsatNZiOhCGBxBn77XnHtdCTp6quneN3imsVHeT89HjM1DIvzSyp0eJY1laPL3Aoq0uu3y9GqviO78/s320/90_20_29---Four-Advent-Candles_web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This past Sunday, of course, was the first Sunday of the season of <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01165a.htm">Advent</a>. Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year, and this year's Advent is even more exciting, because it ushered in the <a href="http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/">new Mass translation</a>. This Sunday was actually our Traditional Latin Mass day (offered once a month in our area), but I was so excited for the new translation, I also went to Vigil Mass Saturday evening. The most awkward part was remembering to say "And with your spirit" instead of "and also with you," but even with that, the changes were no big deal, and much to the dismay of dissident catholics everywhere, the Church didn't implode and we uneducated lay people managed to understand the Mass (even with "big" words like "consubstantial!") We attended TLM as usual the next day, and again, it was so lovely and refreshing to see how much more faithful the "new" translation is.<br />
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Luckily, Advent hasn't been commercialized and secularized as Christmas has. The downside is it can be more difficult to underscore to children that Advent and Christmas are two different liturgical seasons. Advent is meaningful and important, and deserves to be celebrated and appreciated for what it is, a time to prepare our hearts and souls for the coming of our Lord, rather than treated merely as a necessity to get to Christmas. It's a deeply spiritual time and I personally feel it's very important to reflect that in our daily lives during Advent. It does not take much time or effort to develop a simple Advent lighting ritual in our homes. We have a wonderful book of <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/a-prayer-book-of-catholic-devotions/william-storey/9780829420302/pd/420302?item_code=WW&netp_id=353094&event=ESRCG&view=details">Catholic Devotions</a> that has many devotions for the liturgical year. It has many wonderful devotions for Advent that we use every day. Every evening we gather as a family to light our Advent wreath and pray.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mxPynSu2LGE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div> (O Come O Come Emmanuel, a beautiful hymn based on the December 23 Antiphon)<br />
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Another way I like to honor Advent is by holding off on the tree. I would personally prefer not to put it up until December 24th, but my husband and children like it up earlier, so we compromise by putting it up on December 17th, with the start of the <a href="http://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent10.html">O Antiphons</a>. We may decorate with evergreen and simple lights, but I try to hold off on the things that are explicitly Christmas-y. And of course, there's always the <a href="http://www.fisheaters.com/adventcribs.html">nativity</a>! We set up our nativity, less the baby Jesus and the Magi, at the start of Advent (although this year it isn't up yet, as it's packed away and hasn't yet been found!) I love the look of the nativity scene during Advent, with Mary and Joseph patiently awaiting the Christ Child. <br />
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We are <b>so </b>blessed in our Catholic faith to have two thousand+ years of rich tradition to draw off of. <b>What Advent traditions does your family observe?</b> <br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-47938060378964670312011-11-24T08:57:00.000-05:002011-11-24T08:57:40.157-05:00A friend has asked her friends to pick a child from Reece's Rainbow to share, in hopes of finding their family (one child already has a family pursuing adoption thanks to this effort!) When I saw Francine, I knew she was the child I needed to share. She reminds me of my special needs daughter, Riley (same hair and eye color, and the both have CP). Unfortunately we aren't yet in a position to adopt ourselves (though it's something we'd like to pursue in the future), but maybe you are! Did you know that in many foreign countries, special needs children only have a few years in an orphanage to be adopted? If they aren't adopted at the end of their time, they're institutionalized, which condemns them to a sad and lonely life devoid of love and affection. If you aren't able or called to adopt at this time, please pray that Francine finds her family, and consider donating to help fund her adoption. God bless, and happy Thanksgiving!<br />
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/12301/francine1602">Are you Francince's family?</a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-31984344860015041522011-11-23T10:14:00.000-05:002011-11-23T10:14:06.843-05:00Thankful<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkx6VNhpxIuPPpNPegEbuRFAgymI_k-qEatbQpo69GKTzJp5is6_fPUwnlBVpT17yeiG4FA8o58zH0Lpa45PVaOTJEFmojcovfq9fmJaPnge6ITDyyLgBX7ANkJUQ8EZTKKr4IklylLc/s1600/old-man-praying.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkx6VNhpxIuPPpNPegEbuRFAgymI_k-qEatbQpo69GKTzJp5is6_fPUwnlBVpT17yeiG4FA8o58zH0Lpa45PVaOTJEFmojcovfq9fmJaPnge6ITDyyLgBX7ANkJUQ8EZTKKr4IklylLc/s320/old-man-praying.jpeg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Give thanks to the LORD, invoke His name; make known among the nations His deeds. Sing to Him, sing His praise, proclaim all His wondrous deeds. Glory in His holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD! [1CHRON 16:8-10]</span></td></tr>
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<i>In the day of retribution riches will be useless, but uprightness delivers from death.-Proverbs 11:4</i><br />
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My grandmother had this painting hanging in her kitchen. She wasn't a religious woman (at least, not until she was diagnosed with advanced stage pancreatic cancer), but she always had this picture up, and I loved it. An elderly man, all alone (as sadly, many elderly people are these days), eating a simple, humble meal of soup and bread, yet he still stops to give thanks to God. Thankfulness is on our minds this time of year, but are we truly thankful? Do we mean it, deep in our hearts? Or do we think, "I'm thankful for xyz, BUT..." while longing for more than we need? Of course, the Lord wants us to come to Him with our petitions, but we're also warned against covetousness (something important enough that it covers two of the <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04153a.htm?vm=r">10 Commandments</a>). True thankfulness is perhaps something we find difficult when we are blessed to live in a prosperous and affluent country. That's seems counter-intuitive, doesn't it? You would think that more "stuff" you have, the happier you would be. You would think that the less you want for in your life, the happier you would be. Yet study after study has shown this is false. Stuff doesn't make us happy. Things don't fill the emptiness in our hearts. Suicide rates skyrocket during the holidays, and why? Loneliness. Pain. Emptiness. In a country of wealth the likes of which most people on this earth can only dream of, people are filled with hopelessness and despair to the point they see no other avenue than death. That is heartbreaking. <i> </i><br />
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<i>How blessed the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people he has chosen as his heritage. -Psalms 33:12</i><i></i><br />
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The Holy Father recently visited Africa. I'm consistently amazed and humbled by the people of Africa. They have so little. They know so much pain. And yet, joy and love absolutely radiates from them. They love God passionately, and they are earnestly thankful to Him for what they do have. I'm sure there are many reasons we could find for this, and I don't mean to oversimplify or stereotype, or to discount the very real troubles they face, but the biggest difference I see between the people of the west and the people of Africa is God and family. God and family don't just come first individually, person to person, but as a whole, as a <i>nation</i>. Leaders are unafraid to openly praise God and thank God. God comes first. Here, even if our families personally put God first, our society sure doesn't. Or nation sure doesn't. The majority of our leaders don't, and even if they do, they're often afraid to speak it openly. What hope is there for a nation that has forsaken God? <i>For the nation and kingdom that will not serve You will perish, and the nations will be utterly destroyed.- Isaiah 60:12</i><br />
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<i></i>So am I thankful for what God has blessed me with- a lovely home, a beautiful family, a hard-working husband, a comfortable financial situation in comparison to the rest of the world. But most of all I am thankful for the gift of grace He has given me, the blessing that it is to desire Him and love Him. <i></i>And I earnestly pray that our people and our nation receive this gift of grace, and once again give glory and praise to our Lord!<br />
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Happy Thanksgiving, and many blessings to you all!<br />
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<i>For by <strong>grace</strong> you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it <strong>is</strong> the <strong>gift</strong> of God.--Ephesians 2:8 </i><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-49810176754850415272011-11-20T12:52:00.000-05:002011-11-20T12:52:59.138-05:00We're in!We finally got moved in to our new home last Sunday! We just got our internet hooked up yesterday. What a relief it is, I'm telling you. Particularly awesome that I only had to get gas once last week, instead of 3 or 4 times. We "power moved" all day last Sunday, because dh had to start his 4 days on (12 hour shifts) that Monday. So we got all the big stuff in with the help of a few family and friends, and then I did the bulk of the unpacking (of course, there's still plenty more to do!) I love my house! And it's so nice having so much room (we went from 1K sq ft to about 2300, quite a change!) Here are a couple pictures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfhhM28zcc-7nNegSId7GBq2qfagJs0N92yXzVNsDZxuFWXAWNSxamkgCMz1XrDZpQXQUBD_xPTJX6PzE58dGVQ9JcagNRQLCkz1rZPWJVNdGtRnZ7vBYvbNrqxwsGm7gwcDojrmbuB0/s1600/290847_2680113004740_1313738387_3048731_1632532819_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfhhM28zcc-7nNegSId7GBq2qfagJs0N92yXzVNsDZxuFWXAWNSxamkgCMz1XrDZpQXQUBD_xPTJX6PzE58dGVQ9JcagNRQLCkz1rZPWJVNdGtRnZ7vBYvbNrqxwsGm7gwcDojrmbuB0/s400/290847_2680113004740_1313738387_3048731_1632532819_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Built-china cabinet (the house was built in 1900, and most of the woodwork, handles, hinges, doors, etc are all original!)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53wgrXbDUjNR9RIGVQcNBU7Sezi0QuBz72dyTQ4d6U5S_tjCH0zUMSl9vLW8_hkbt1GbCCIuhVktz-7JYB0D2A6WdAmeXtm-47G59X2EXv3g1RUKJgUdkRinD5BlbKB7hflEm4JrYzXY/s1600/329707_2680084924038_1313738387_3048725_281766325_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53wgrXbDUjNR9RIGVQcNBU7Sezi0QuBz72dyTQ4d6U5S_tjCH0zUMSl9vLW8_hkbt1GbCCIuhVktz-7JYB0D2A6WdAmeXtm-47G59X2EXv3g1RUKJgUdkRinD5BlbKB7hflEm4JrYzXY/s400/329707_2680084924038_1313738387_3048725_281766325_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turn of the century fireplace (not currently functional, I need to call a chimney sweep to come check it out. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVAwzhJiJ2V5032GscMfwgbfI7kiYUHHzHArEi-qyTt7aH4jBwVrQHwaFASSYuySvE4TXgIz7KGuJywS1mHw8jAmW43DnHgnbwjD32Tg5a6w4_qmv0WzyiMbVhr6g0LZHwOreIyh12zs/s1600/329786_2673950690686_1313738387_3046912_1896537709_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVAwzhJiJ2V5032GscMfwgbfI7kiYUHHzHArEi-qyTt7aH4jBwVrQHwaFASSYuySvE4TXgIz7KGuJywS1mHw8jAmW43DnHgnbwjD32Tg5a6w4_qmv0WzyiMbVhr6g0LZHwOreIyh12zs/s320/329786_2673950690686_1313738387_3046912_1896537709_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't resist adding a sweet little baby bum :) He's 13 months now and starting to walk independently!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1927164966553571226.post-47225574560778751052011-11-04T09:22:00.000-04:002011-11-04T09:22:11.601-04:007 Quick Takes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1g2jDrDWsSIc_r14GXVpydgWRzQF_vA5Fxit650pKhLcJtvy8DaC7YAA8il2zMhjnHGFB-YwbVOGsvitb9nywec84itXms7Hvth6RJ51x5zft_SObZMu6HidjneP56TE6Y48vgkvf6-4/s1600/7_quick_takes_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1g2jDrDWsSIc_r14GXVpydgWRzQF_vA5Fxit650pKhLcJtvy8DaC7YAA8il2zMhjnHGFB-YwbVOGsvitb9nywec84itXms7Hvth6RJ51x5zft_SObZMu6HidjneP56TE6Y48vgkvf6-4/s320/7_quick_takes_sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<ol><li>Riley, our 6 year old with special needs, can write an "R" all by herself! I'm so proud of her. Her vision and fine motor skills are both extremely poor, so I was quite surprised. I can't say enough how much I love her school and how wonderful they've been for her.</li>
<li>Speaking of Riley, she had eye surgery October 14th to correct her strabismus (eye turning out). The first day of surgery was really hard on her, but by the next morning she was pretty much her old self. It's been about two and a half weeks now, and her eye looks great, so nice and straight!</li>
<li>While we're on a Riley roll, I might as well add in that putting her on Strattera for her ADHD is probably one of the best decisions we've ever made. It's been absolutely wonderful for her, and she has made significant academic progress since starting it. Her personality is exactly the same (no "zombification" at all), she's just able to stay relatively calm and focus and listen.</li>
<li>Other news- We closed on our house! Yay! No more dealing with grumpy underwriters and appraisers! We still have about 12 more days before we can move in (she asked for up to 2 weeks after closing to get all her stuff out) but at least there's an end in sight! I can't wait to move in :)</li>
<li>We are blessed to live near the historic <a href="http://www.tcha.mus.in.us/battlefield.htm">Tippecanoe Battlefield</a>, a site that was pivotal in the fighting between Natives and settlers. My husbands parents (now deceased) were history buffs and re-enactors, and late 18th/early 19th century is the era they portrayed (my family and his sister's family try to carry this on!) Anyway, there used to be many re-enactments out there that their family participated in, and this weekend marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Tippecanoe. There's going to be a re-enactment in honor of the battle, so that's where you'll find us this Saturday! Possible in our period clothing, if I can find it buried in our storage unit :)</li>
<li>I am having a Demarle at Home party at the new house November 21! If anyone local is interested, I need your address to send out invitations.</li>
<li>Because of my awful carb addiction, I've been eating low-carb for the last two weeks, and have lost 9 pounds so far! Many more to go, but it's a start!</li>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/123/D2C1CF720F08725F674BF4D054AAB747.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06497593765013433443noreply@blogger.com4