tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88868299544076168712024-03-12T18:09:53.718-05:00musings from lavatealavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-46585594502573827442012-01-09T10:11:00.000-06:002012-01-09T10:13:30.151-06:002011 family picturesI've toyed with the idea of closing this blog down, but I think I'll leave it. I'm coming to grips with the fact that I'm just not a blogger.<br />
<br />
I came across a beautiful <a href="http://tarawhitney.com/justbeblogged/2011/12/a-fuller-picture/">post</a> today by Tara Whitney, and I wanted to quote a piece of it before I share some of our family pictures with you. <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Not looking” can make a shot really unique and personal. However,
getting them to look at you can be a special kind of challenge, and
therefore, a special kind of satisfaction. What I personally want to
fight against is the <i>idea</i> that if one or more people aren’t
making a pleasant face at the photographer, if the photo is imperfect in
some way, that means the photo isn’t worthy of framing or sharing or
loving. Those are usually my favorite and the most important to me down
the road. Even if a child is having a crap day – well, okay then – we
all have crap days. That is what is honest. That is what is unique about
them. That is the <i>very reason</i> for freezing your family at any moment in time, in my eyes. More so, a thousand <i>TIMES</i> more so, than the image with everyone looking with a perfect face into the camera.</blockquote>
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That pretty much sums up our family picture adventure. One or both of my children were constantly not cooperating. But I love the pictures anyway.<br />
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BTW, our pictures weren't taken by Tara. Didn't want anyone to get confused. They were taken by a very talented lady I work with - Sonja Lackey.<br />
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<br />lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-23857435104501441332011-09-03T19:29:00.001-05:002012-01-09T10:13:52.891-06:00a year in review - April 2010This blog has been seriously neglected. Sorry about that if you actually read along.<br />
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I totally forgot about this project. So glad to pick it back up as it sort of relates to the reason I signed in (see <a href="http://lavatea.blogspot.com/2011/09/cool-photography-links.html">this post</a>).<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3BxSFq3r868/TmKxNdpZw6I/AAAAAAAAAV0/N-YJLWqg5A0/s1600/293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3BxSFq3r868/TmKxNdpZw6I/AAAAAAAAAV0/N-YJLWqg5A0/s400/293.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is about the best I ever get when I try to get the two of them to pose.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-9886734394546510452011-09-03T19:28:00.002-05:002011-09-03T19:28:26.234-05:00cool photography linksSome pretty cool photo ideas I ran across today. I think they're probably cooler as a collection, but they might be fun for personal use anyway.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://dearphotograph.com/">Dear Photograph</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sleeveface.com/">Sleeveface</a><br />
<a href="http://irinawerning.com/back-to-the-fut/back-to-the-future/">Back to the Future</a><br />
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<br />lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-46973058974443248062011-03-11T08:00:00.002-06:002011-03-11T08:00:01.761-06:00a year in review - March 2010<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-niQ-MI2AocQ/TXW3kUjOQfI/AAAAAAAAAVw/wOMwdL2K1nc/s1600/256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-niQ-MI2AocQ/TXW3kUjOQfI/AAAAAAAAAVw/wOMwdL2K1nc/s400/256.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>one of my favorite pictures - Aiden and Uncle Terry</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-78728038804431017572011-03-10T08:00:00.004-06:002011-03-10T08:00:10.542-06:00a year in review - February 2010<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uDtYAFyo4Fo/TXW2UxkYvEI/AAAAAAAAAVs/AgOznLs_Gqk/s1600/057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uDtYAFyo4Fo/TXW2UxkYvEI/AAAAAAAAAVs/AgOznLs_Gqk/s400/057.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>a sculpture by Amelie</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-49351334876732769822011-03-09T08:00:00.002-06:002011-03-09T08:00:07.912-06:00a year in review - January 2010<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2ZOmQbzL504/TXW0JQwWJ_I/AAAAAAAAAVo/LNhRW-PUCpo/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2ZOmQbzL504/TXW0JQwWJ_I/AAAAAAAAAVo/LNhRW-PUCpo/s400/002.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>a normal day</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-78248788712483692482011-03-08T08:00:00.000-06:002011-03-08T08:00:00.676-06:00book no.1 - Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in AmericaI had wanted to read <a href="http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6579388"><i>Nickel and Dimed</i> by Barbara Ehrenreich</a> for a long time, and I had it listed on my wishlist at <a href="http://www.bookcrossing.com/">Bookcrossing</a>. (As a side note - Bookcrossing is amazing. I haven't been very active there in, oh, probably 8 or 9 years, but it's a site worth looking into if you have the time.) A fellow Bookcrosser got in touch with me and offered to send me the book. I said OK and then forgot about the book again until it showed up in my mailbox.<br />
<br />
The basic premise of the book is that the author goes undercover as a blue collar worker in various cities to see if she can make enough to survive. She sets herself up in each town with a place to live, and goes about finding a job and then working it. She lives thriftily and sees if at the end of the month she has made enough to pay for the next month's rent.<br />
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You can probably guess from the full title of the book just how well she fared. The book offers an interesting insight into low wage jobs and not much more. (I found the chapter on maid services particularly fascinating.) I've worked some of these low earning jobs myself, so I guess I already knew first hand the probable outcome. Fortunately I've had family to support me. You do feel for the people stuck in this vicious cycle.<br />
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The author isn't particularly funny, and she doesn't offer much that I, and most of America I suspect, didn't already know. She seemed to have a particular hatred for drug testing - I guess because she's a pot smoker. But she goes off on the injustice of drug testing on multiple occasions in the book, and I got bored with that pretty quickly. I see no harm in companies drug testing their employees, and I seriously doubt they do it to dehumanize prospective employees and exert their power and control from the onset.<br />
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All in all the book was an OK read. Nothing earth shattering was revealed in its pages, and the writing style was ho-hum. Not a bad read if you have it lying around, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find a copy.lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-6357689896378835072011-03-07T22:39:00.000-06:002011-03-07T22:39:31.985-06:00New Year's resolutionsI started this post in January. Can you believe it's March now? Oh, well - things have been crazy (what's new) while we've tried to adjust to our new schedules.<br />
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I don't usually make hard and fast resolutions, but I do try to reflect on my life and see what needs to be changed or worked on. So, without further ado, here's my list of things to work on for 2011:<br />
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<ul><li><b>stand up straight - </b>I don't think my posture is horrible, but it could certainly be better. I'm going to make an effort to notice when my shoulders are slumping and to pull them up.</li>
<li><b>spend more time playing with the kids</b> - Amelie has complained several times that I never make time to actually play with them. So I'm going to try to do better.</li>
<li><b>make a schedule and stay on it</b> - I'm horrible at time management. I start something, get distracted and start something else, and before you know it the whole day is gone and very little has been accomplished. I'm hoping a schedule will at least help me get a little more done.</li>
<li><b>get Amelie caught up on school work and stay caught up</b> - We've actually made some strides toward this now that I'm working and not in school. I try to get her through at least two days' work every day I'm at home with her. It doesn't always happen, but each little bit gets us that much closer. We're also working through breaks that are built into the schedule. We may have to work into the summer, but I think we'll be ready to start second grade on time.</li>
<li><b>make time daily for prayer and devotions</b> - I'm trying to make time for this at breakfast time. I find if I put it off until after that it often doesn't get done. My mom got me a subscription to <i>Magnificat</i> so that has helped.</li>
<li><b>have a baby</b> - I know I'm not in control of this one, but I hope to either have a baby or be well on my way to having one by the end of the year. When my insurance kicks in at work I'll be heading to the OBGYN to see if they can find out the reason I've had so many miscarriages. Hopefully they'll find the problem and it will be something fixable.</li>
<li><b>put $1000 into savings and pay off $3500 worth of bills</b> - The $1000 will be easy since we're getting a nice tax refund. But the $3500 will take a little more planning and budgeting. It be really nice if we could get even more than that paid off.</li>
<li><b>make exercise a regular part of my routine</b> - I'm so terrible at this, but I have to do it. I need to get healthy, and I need to lose some of this extra weight.</li>
<li><b>declutter</b> - I've already started this one, and it has made a big difference in the apartment. I'm also trying to partially follow the <a href="http://www.flylady.net/">FLYlady</a> system to stay on top of chores. It's nice to be able to relax at night in a semi-clean apartment.</li>
</ul>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-38461346122328602332011-01-31T22:56:00.000-06:002011-01-31T22:56:57.771-06:00challengeI'm a bookworm. But over the past seven years or so I just haven't been as voracious as I once was. There are so many books that I want to read, and I really want to make reading a priority in my life again. While I was driving tonight I came up with a challenge for myself - one book per week for a year. Some weeks I might read more and some weeks I might read less, so it should work itself out in the end. Since it will be February in an hour I'm already a little behind (I've only read two books since the new year began).<br />
<br />
So, 52 book in 2011. Care to join in?lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-56018861911740165692010-12-07T10:41:00.000-06:002010-12-07T10:41:10.817-06:00Advent reflection no.2I came across another reflection on Advent, very similar to my last post. This one comes from Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of <a href="http://www.priestsforlife.org/">Priests for Life</a>.<br />
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<blockquote>“She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).<br />
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The fact that there was no room for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in the inn at Bethlehem on the first Christmas should make us wonder, because the birth of Christ was foreseen and planned by God from all eternity. Hundreds of years before it happened, the prophets announced he would be born of a virgin (Is. 7:14) and that Bethlehem would be his birthplace (Micah 5:2). Many other details of his life and death were also foretold. Did God, then, forget to make room for his only Son? How is it possible that there was no room, when the child born at Christmas owns the inn, and Bethlehem, and the world, and every inch of room in the whole universe?<br />
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Obviously, God did this on purpose. There was no room in the inn, because this demonstrates that world has rejected God. The world makes no room for the God who created it. There was no room in the inn because God wanted to show that His Son comes as a Savior, to reconcile a world that is at enmity with God. Being turned away from the inn foreshadows the fact that the Savior himself will be rejected, despised, and ultimately crucified, and that all this was part of God’s plan from all eternity. Ultimately, the lack of room in the inn symbolizes the lack of room we make for him in our hearts. When our hearts are filled with all kinds of other desires than God, we gradually crowd him out altogether.<br />
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No room at the inn also means that we fail to make room for our brothers and sisters. The first great commandment is to love God, and the second is like it: Love your neighbor. Christ willed to be left out, because he is always in solidarity with those who are left out, shut out, and crowded out. That is the position of the unborn children today. They are crowded out of the busy schedules of so many people doing so many good and important things, but who don’t have a finger to lift to protect the lives of these children from abortion. They are crowded out of legislative agendas, preaching schedules, career plans, and volunteer activities. There’s just too much going on already; there’s no room in the inn.<br />
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Christ comes at Christmas to change all that. Today, he does not seek an inn; he seeks room in our own hearts and lives. And he asks that as we welcome him, we welcome everyone whom he welcomes, including the children most defenseless and forgotten. We welcome the Divine Child, and in doing so, we welcome every child. As we celebrate Christmas, we sing in “O Holy Night” the words, “Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother, and in his name all oppression shall cease.” Amen! Let oppression cease and let Christmas come for the unborn!</blockquote>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-71486083215031142642010-12-02T11:35:00.001-06:002010-12-07T10:37:31.955-06:00Advent reflectionI came across this reflection today, and I wanted to share it with anyone (anyone??) that has stuck with my extremely long dry spell and is still checking in on my blog. (Thank you if you're there, and my apologies that life has been both so crazy and so dull that there hasn't been much in the way of blog fodder.)<br />
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<blockquote>O little inn of Bethlehem<br />
How like we are to you.<br />
Our lives are crowded to the brim<br />
With this and that to do.<br />
We're not unfriendly to the King,<br />
We mean well without a doubt;<br />
We have no hostile feelings,<br />
We merely crowd Him out.<br />
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(<i>Getting Ready for Christmas</i>, ed. Emma Lapp)</blockquote>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-49741386624302250252010-08-07T10:17:00.000-05:002010-08-07T10:17:34.343-05:00Can someone tell me why?I received an e-mail today from <a href="http://www.hli.org/index.php">Human Life International</a> that alerted me to the situation in Kenya. (I've had my head in the sand this summer, so I really don't have much clue as to what is going on in the world.) <br />
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The Kenyan people just voted to adopt a new Constitution. Their previous Constitution had strong Pro-Life language, as does this one, with a clear difference:<br />
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<blockquote><i>In fact, the wording of the new constitution retains part of this strong pro-life language: "Every person has the right to life. The life of a person begins at conception." Yet in another demonstration of the deception employed regularly by pro-abortion elites, an unelected international committee of "experts" added the following in Article 26: "Abortion is not permitted unless, in the opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in danger, or if permitted by any other law."</i></blockquote><br />
So the doorway is clearly open for abortion. I'm so tired of these international committees swooping into countries and promoting their agenda. I'm not one of these fanatically anti-UN people, because I think cooperation among the world's government could be a good thing, but all of these side committees whose sole purpose appears to be promoting abortion and population control disgust me. (I'm not sure if the "international committee" in this case is part of the UN or not.)<br />
<br />
But the real kicker to this story can be found in this paragraph:<br />
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<blockquote><i>How did this happen? A large part of the blame can be placed upon the Obama administration, which spent over $23 million of US tax payer money to promote passage of the new constitution. Pro-life Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and others have forced an investigation by the office of the Inspector General, revealing the expenditures, which, despite the administration's denials can be traced easily to openly pro-abortion organizations who were charged with getting out the vote in support of the referendum.</i></blockquote><br />
Where does the US get off spending $23 million dollars in another country - not to mention on such a disgusting mission? Aren't we the ones that keep borrowing money from China? We shouldn't be sending money overseas for any reason (in my opinion) until we are solvent at home. I know that the US funds a lot of foreign aid programs for poorer countries. And that's a laudable effort. But does it make sense to borrow from someone else in order to fund these programs?<br />
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I'm not a politician, and I don't claim to know all of the ins and outs of the government and its twisted system. So maybe someone else can explain how the US being some sort of middle-man makes sense.<br />
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But even if it makes sense to borrow from one country to give aid to another, what's happened in Kenya cannot be considered "aid". In fact, it seems to actually be illegal.<br />
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<blockquote><i>But here's the catch: Spending government funds to lobby for or against abortion in foreign countries is illegal through a law known as the Siljander Amendment, and they've been caught red-handed. Not that they appear to have any respect for law, or any policy they haven't created themselves.</i></blockquote><br />
I hope that this investigation ends up getting some people in some major hot water. But I doubt that's going to happen. And in any case, the damage has been done in Kenya.lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-61582898365623117272010-08-05T16:01:00.000-05:002010-08-05T16:01:24.055-05:00in love<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="500" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TFseVTGUdPI/AAAAAAAAAU0/qxgt6JTKBwU/s400/259.JPG" width="333" /></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><br />
I've been slowly making my way through the horrible backlog of pictures on the computer - sorting, editing, deleting. I'm by no means anywhere near finished. I'd like to be finished before summer's end, but I doubt that's going to happen. I have a few more photo projects I've thought up, but they require time, effort, and money - just a few things I'm short of right now.<br />
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Anyway, here are a few things that I love about these pictures: <br />
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<i>I love Aiden's excitement and uncertainty.</i> <br />
<i>I love Amelie's chubby, dirty hands, and that she's delighted by even the smallest things.</i><br />
<i>I love the way Amelie's vibrant personality shines through.</i><br />
<i>I love Aiden's quirkiness and his crazy hair.</i>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-84114793826778253612010-08-04T22:39:00.000-05:002010-08-04T22:39:52.785-05:00jealousyOh...I'm in such a bad place. I have to admit that I have a more than a tinge of jealousy when I read about pregnant women or women with new babies.<br />
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It was bad after I lost Avery. But I had the hope that I could get pregnant again and soon be holding another baby. But now, two more losses later, I just don't have much of that hope left.<br />
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I really, really want another baby. But nine months seems like an eternity. And that's not even counting the months of waiting until I'm able to get pregnant. And it's not counting any added months should I lose another one. Patience is not my strong suit and having to wait and not knowing the future just fuels the fire.<br />
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People love to tell me that I should be grateful for the two beautiful children I have - and I am. But that doesn't lessen my sorrow at the babies I've lost or diminish my longing for another baby I can hold and love every day.lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-18181130042239258662010-07-19T11:13:00.000-05:002010-07-19T11:13:19.815-05:005 things for the brand new week1) I've decided to start reading to the kids more. This has always been a goal of mine, but it just never seems to happen. My plan is to read a Bible story sometime in the morning and a chapter from a chapter book at night before bed. I tried to read a chapter out of <i>The Hobbit</i> last Thursday night before the kids went to sleep, and it resulted in the kids playing (not listening), me storming out of the room (not pretty), me locking myself in my room and bawling like a baby, and the kids in their room with Amelie bawling like a baby and begging me to come back. It was bad, but I decided to give it another shot. This morning's Bible story went much better. It was just one page, though. We'll see how tonight goes. I may have to give up on <i>The Hobbit</i> for now and dig around and find a shorter book or at least a book with shorter chapters.<br />
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2) Today has been declared a cleaning day. There's already a load of clothes in the dryer and one in the washer. But there is SO SO SO much more to do. Guess I need to get off the computer soon.<br />
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3) It's time to dig in and get Amelie's school back on track. We've been averaging 1-2 days of school per week. My goal is 4 days per week which I think is doable, but we haven't found a good groove yet. We really need to find it, though, because there is much more work for first grade than there was for kindergarten.<br />
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4) I'm doing another novena right now. St. Anne is my patron saint and her feast day is coming up. I began my novena yesterday, but I'm not putting pictures up on the blog this time.<br />
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5) I'm trying to readjust what time I wake up in the morning. Sounds simple, I know, but for some reason I've been practically dead to the world until 10:30 am for the past 2 weeks. I'm trying to wake up <i>and get up </i>between 8:30 and 9:30 now (without forcing myself up with an alarm). I was able to get up at 9:50 this morning so I guess that's progress.lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-81089664061491775712010-06-27T12:00:00.001-05:002010-06-27T12:00:02.994-05:00Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena - day nine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TCAx3SCPDRI/AAAAAAAAATs/XYDA07J1WB8/s320/ourmotherofperpetualhelp9.jpg" width="233" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Painting is from the <a href="http://www.saintsilas.org.uk/section/113">Pictures</a> page on the website of St. Silas the Martyr in London.</i></span></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-51498626947520306902010-06-26T12:00:00.000-05:002010-06-26T12:00:00.732-05:00Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena - day eight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TCAxDTXQ_ZI/AAAAAAAAATk/ghSoRjfiTWo/s1600/ourmotherofperpetualhelp8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TCAxDTXQ_ZI/AAAAAAAAATk/ghSoRjfiTWo/s320/ourmotherofperpetualhelp8.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Painting by Svitozar Nenyuk can be purchased <a href="http://fineartamerica.com/featured/our-lady-of-perpetual-help-svitozar-nenyuk.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-35483925220751547882010-06-25T12:00:00.000-05:002010-06-25T12:00:03.462-05:00Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena - day seven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TCAtz1UYpAI/AAAAAAAAATU/3MeSwLH85hs/s1600/ourmotherofperpetualhelp7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TCAtz1UYpAI/AAAAAAAAATU/3MeSwLH85hs/s320/ourmotherofperpetualhelp7.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>This picture can be found on the Society of St. Pius X in Canada<a href="http://www.sspx.ca/EucharisticCrusade/2002May/Our_Lady_of_Perpetual_Help.htm"> page for Our Lady of Perpetual Help</a>.</i></span></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-12976914528014837412010-06-24T12:00:00.000-05:002010-06-24T12:00:00.405-05:00Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena - day six<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TCAs2AYuLSI/AAAAAAAAATM/afGyCTTOQlo/s1600/ourmotherofperpetualhelp6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TCAs2AYuLSI/AAAAAAAAATM/afGyCTTOQlo/s320/ourmotherofperpetualhelp6.jpg" width="262" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Stained glass image is from the <a href="http://www.diocesephoenix.org/parish/stCatherineLaboure/Art.htm">Artwork page</a> of the St. Catherine Labouré Roman Catholic Mission in Chino Valley, Arizona.</i></span></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-64334338224008464582010-06-23T12:00:00.000-05:002010-06-23T12:00:01.255-05:00Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena - day five<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TB-UWydKpTI/AAAAAAAAASk/yl-T2Ib7CPw/s1600/ourmotherofperpetualhelp5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TB-UWydKpTI/AAAAAAAAASk/yl-T2Ib7CPw/s320/ourmotherofperpetualhelp5.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo is from the <a href="http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/history/landmark/churches/OLPH5.htm">Wheeling, WV library site</a> and is of a mosaic on the outside of </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Our Lady of Perpetual Help Ukrainian Catholic Church.</i></span></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-8765822712488461882010-06-22T12:00:00.001-05:002010-06-22T12:00:03.489-05:00Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena - day four<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TB-HzjC0QGI/AAAAAAAAASU/uTGb9DlV_zM/s1600/ourmotherofperpetualhelp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TB-HzjC0QGI/AAAAAAAAASU/uTGb9DlV_zM/s320/ourmotherofperpetualhelp4.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image by artist Dan Paulos and is available for sale <a href="https://www.trinitystores.com/?detail=259&artist=6">here</a>.</span></i></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-54846690262401873532010-06-21T12:00:00.002-05:002010-06-21T12:00:04.473-05:00Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena - day three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TBwDUHnDTyI/AAAAAAAAARw/_8tggFBt61A/s1600/ourmotherofperpetualhelp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TBwDUHnDTyI/AAAAAAAAARw/_8tggFBt61A/s320/ourmotherofperpetualhelp3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Image from one of the <a href="http://www.melkite.org/Challenge2007a.htm">pages</a> of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.</i></span></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-81313308227363911392010-06-20T12:00:00.002-05:002010-06-20T12:00:02.523-05:00Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena - day two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TBwAa17H1NI/AAAAAAAAARg/Z4eQV1mj8uY/s320/ourmotherofperpetualhelp2.jpg" width="247" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i> </i></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Image comes from the <a href="http://www.holyredeemer.co.za/novena/index.html">Our Lady of Perpetual Help novena website</a> of the Catholic Church of the Most Holy Redeemer.</i></span></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-46207489291576710792010-06-19T12:00:00.002-05:002010-06-19T12:00:00.961-05:00Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena - day oneI am beginning another novena, this time in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. She is also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help or Our Mother of Perpetual Succor.<br />
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I am taking my prayers from a copyrighted publication so I won't post sample prayers this time, but if you want to join in there are many examples on the internet. Or you could always just make up your own. Remember, praying to a saint is just like talking to one of your earthly friends and asking them to pray for you.<br />
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The only "rule" for a novena is to pray for a space of nine days. They don't even have to be consecutive, although that's how I'm setting up my novenas. (Please feel free to correct me in the comments below if you know better. I am still a new Catholic and could be wrong.)<br />
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I hope the pictures I post will help you in your prayers. By the way, I plan to go back and post credit for my St. Anthony pictures where possible. I didn't think of it at the time, but many of the pictures probably need to be credited.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TBv-S7YEGDI/AAAAAAAAARY/3_rF0wd4QEg/s1600/ourmotherofperpetualhelp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_St9cF6E-NvE/TBv-S7YEGDI/AAAAAAAAARY/3_rF0wd4QEg/s320/ourmotherofperpetualhelp1.jpg" width="259" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-style: italic;">There is no credit for this image. As far as I know this image is the basic icon for Our Mother of Perpetual Help. </span></span></div>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8886829954407616871.post-21970026035793484152010-06-19T10:58:00.000-05:002010-06-19T10:58:40.106-05:00Thank you, Tara Whitney......for <a href="http://tarawhitney.com/justbeblogged/2010/05/an-anna-sandwich/">this post</a>.<br />
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And for this quote: <i><strong style="font-weight: normal;">Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are… Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect Tomorrow. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in my pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return. - Mary Jean Iron</strong></i><br />
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<strong style="font-weight: normal;">I so needed it... </strong><strong style="font-weight: normal;">And, yes, I am hopelessly behind on my blog reading.</strong><i><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</strong></i>lavateahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12352912678136461564noreply@blogger.com0