“N” is for Nun!!

Heard here today....

Me: “Here is ’N’ which makes the sound Nnnnnn.....”
Lily: “Nnnnnnn.”
Me:   “ Good job, Lily!  Now, here is a picture of a nun, which also starts with ‘Nnnnn’, right?”
Lily:  raising her tiny foot up to my face, grabbing her toe, “Yeah, just like ‘and this little piggie has NONE!’”

Oh Lord, send us some nuns in full habits, please!!!!

Also, heard last weekend.....

“Mommy, I want to wear something like Mary to Mass.”
So, I show her one of my white chapel veils and she was delighted to wear it.  I heard her later in the car telling the guys, “Hey, hand me my glaze.”
She called her chapel veil--glaze. It must have made her feel like she was wearing some of that lemon glaze I put on our scones.....

Lord, send us nuns in full habits, hold the glaze.

Lots of Fun!!

 Merry Christmas, Everyone!!

We have been having so much fun around here that I have neglected my tiny spot of the bloggosphere.  We made it through November and December without medical dramas....did you read that slowly? We have had an amazing time here of normalness....I just coined that word.  It is funny, though, that in the midst of normalness I am so busy, but it is a good kind of busy, NORMAL busy.  Normalcy.....I think that is what I actually meant.

 My firstborn has been accepted to the four colleges he applied to this Fall, and was invited to participate in each of their honors program.  WOW!  That has been so exciting for our family. We are still waiting on a few essay contests to see if he possibly gets a full tuition scholarship to a few of these colleges. What an exciting time!!  All Glory to God!!

Lily is doing really well...she has had two colds this winter, one in November and a sore throat that didn’t do too much this past week.  Another WOW! She is doing so well that I, gulp, have cancelled her pulmonary specialist appointment next week.  This kind doctor told me last summer that now Lily’s trach is out, she is doing so well asthma wise, that she doesn’t really need a pulmonologist.  Waaaa?  I have lived and breathed the last 17 years with a pulmonologist at my side....and she just dumped me. Isn’t that great?? Dr. Lung made an appointment for January just to make sure Lily had an check up with her if she needed it, but told me to cancel it if Lily made it through the Fall and first part of the Winter without a lot of asthma drama.   Breathing.....fine....Appointment....cancelled.  

Yesterday, on the Feast of the Mother of God....New Year’s Day......I had a magnificent day.  I made a few great meals, and then read a book, knit, and art journaled.  It was so relaxing.  It helped that we have a guest from out of town who keeps the kids busy.  What a different day for me....need to schedule a few more just like it.

AND....Jim and I celebrated TWENTY years of marriage last week.  What an amazing ride, Love. We don’t look too bad after only sleeping half of what most people sleep in twenty years!!  Many trials, many blessings, much love.

I have finished a sweet sweater for Lily...loved this one!

This is who Lily left her baby with when we left one day. I found her baby propped up looking at the Divine Mercy Image. Precious.

And finally, a very impromptu picture today.  We had a friend who was visiting and wanted a picture of us....since I am bit adverse to taking the whole crew for portraits. You might note that Lily has red markers on her face...she felt that was much more fun to mark her own face than the paper.  

Happy New Year, Friends!!!

Happy Feast Day!!

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!! She has been so good to our family!

“Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.”

Baby Has a New Dress!

I have finally conquered a dress pattern.....I actually followed a PATTERN!  Now, I realize it is in the miniature, but Lily is thrilled with it, and wants me to “make more!” My gathering wishes to be a bit more even, but this was great practice, and it sounds like I’ll have more practice as Christmas is knocking at the calendar door. I would love to make Lily a bunch of dolly outfits, I think she would be thrilled.  We’ll see how it turns out....we have that thing called “college application deadlines” looming overhead.

Fall Update

Well, it is Autumn for sure around here! That can only mean that you pay an exorbitant amount of money to get into the local orchard’s little Fall Festival, which than gives you the privilege of paying to ride a pony, pick a tiny pumpkin and grab a small bag of apples!  I can’t tell the girl “No!”  She has been talking about riding a pony and getting her pumpkin for weeks.  I remember last year at this time, we were anxiously awaiting Lily getting her trach out. It was a moment of thanksgiving to walk around a cold, windy fall festival that had a smokey fire at a warming station, and not freak out because my kid with a trach could NOT be around smoke....or much animal dander...So while I did pay a little bit today for all of this...it was worth it to remember what we were longing for last year, and this year....we have it!

 This last picture is of our latest server.  Gabe joined his brothers tonight at Mass as a server. He has served before at a pretty low key Divine Liturgy, but not an English Mass before.  What a handsome, sweet young man!

Enjoy your Fall!  Enjoy pumpkins, apples, cider, doughnuts (if they are vegan, that is what we are up to lately), and smokey fires!

The Fulfillment of All Desire, go get it!

By the way, one fruit of the previously mentioned visit from my friends were the varied spiritual books we shared that we have read recently.  One mentioned was http://www.amazon.com/Fulfillment-All-Desire-Ralph-Martin/dp/1931018367  It is a powerhouse.  Ralph Martin has done a terrific job of guiding us to the saints....and all of their wisdom.  His writing is so approachable.  I highly recommend this book and thanks to Maria for my gift of this book.  I love it!

Little Linen Bags

Just so you know that I still craft, and thus can still claim the word “craft” in my blog title....I am posting pictures of little gift bags I made for my girlfriends that came from my hometown to spend the weekend a few months ago.  I had a lot of fun making these linen drawstring bags that I put sample shampoos, tooth paste, etc....they loved it.  I free motioned embroidered their names on the front of their bag, and then put “My vocation is Love” with a nod to St. Therese, one of our collective favorite saints.  I also made each trim with fabric that had roses in it.  We all love our Little Flower.  I think she truly smiled on us the whole time, it was a blessed weekend.  FIve women spending the entire time together, and everyone got along splendidly.  It was fabulous.  I am so thankful for their friendship and love, and grateful to call them all my friends.