Just Another Day In Paradise

My new handmade Rosaries

For the past 2 months I have been working on some handmade rosaries to sell at a reasonable price. I made rosaries for each of our children for Christmas and I enjoyed it so much, that I decided to make a few to sell. I made three of each color, but I gave a few away as gifts. I enjoy giving them away much more than selling them. We'll see how this little home business works out for us.

I purchased the gemstone beads, flexible wire and findings at Fire Mountain Gems. I used mostly 8mm Jade and Jasper beads. I'm getting the spacer beads form our local bead store because I'm not able to find any that I like at Fire Mountain. I ordered the medals and crucifixes from Lewis and Company. They have a great selection at very reasonable prices.

Here are a few of the Rosaries I have made so far. Comments are open for anyone who is interested in ordering some rosaries. Regina Sanctissimi Rosarii, ora pro nobis!

Brown with a variety of red spacer beads (not available)

    

Coral with clear glass beads $33.00 (2 available)

 

dark blue with czech crystal beads $33.00 (1 available)

  

light blue with czech glass beads $33.00 Sold!

  

black with czech glass beads $33.00 (2 available)

pink with czech glass beads $33.00 (2 available)

  

purple glass beads with a variety of purple spacer beads $33.00 (1 available)

   

purple with czech glass spacer beads $33.00 (1 available)

red with czech glass spacer beads $33.00 (2 available)

      

Green with czech glass spacer beads $33.00 Sold!

 

Multicolor with red czech glass beads $33.00 (1 available)

And the best rosary display ever... not for sale :-)

Feast of St. John Bosco, confessor

Please stop by Catholic Cuisine to get a few ideas for celebrating the feast of St. John Bosco.

Stuffed Peppers

Bachelor Buttons

Small Successes 2

 

1. My husband's clothes are all hung up and put away. He is SUCH a patient man. God bless him :-)

2. I went to Costco last week and stayed within budget for the second month in a row. Our pantry and extra refrigerator in the garage are well stocked. Thanking God for all the bleesings he has given us.

3. I'm making 2 loaves of bread for lunch today. They're not done, but does that count?

What are your successes this week? Share them at Faith and Family Live!

15!

 

Hard to believe that our little girl is 15 years old today. You are so beautiful and so talented. You are so much like your daddy. I cannot imagine our lives without you. Thank you for all the joy you bring to us and all the wonderful meals you make for us :-)  May God continue to bless you and keep you in His loving care. Love, Mommy and Daddy.

Simple Woman's Daybook- Jan. 26th

Stop by Peggy's to see this week's Simple Woman's Daybook posts.

Outside my window...I don't really know. I think it's time to clean the windows this week.

I am thinking...about how much I love my children's smile when they greet me in the mornings. It always cheers me up.

I am thankful for...all the prayers offered for me and my children.

From the schoolroom..."Westward Expansion." See sidebar for list of books. I've been trying to work on this since Thanksgiving, but with all the Advent and Christmas reading, not much got done, so we begin again.

From the kitchen...cereal for breakfast and lasagna, salad and bread for dinner.

I am creating...more handmade Rosaries. I just ordered supplies to make 8 more Rosaries.

I am going...to take Marygrace out on a date for her 15th birthday this week. She's going to get her hair trimmed and then we are going out for Chinese food.

I am wearing...a long denim skirt, a fluffy brown sweater and brown leather boots. I love brown and blue together.

I am reading...Divine Intimacy. You should really get one. It's spiritual food for the mind.

I am hoping...to get a haircut sometime in the next two weeks. It's only been 4 weeks, but my hair is growing in way too fast.

I am hearing...nothing. Everyone is still in bed.

Around the house...lots and lots of laundry. I think I need my mom to come over this week to help me out. Last week was way too busy and now it's a little overwhelming.

One of my favorite things... sitting in front of the Most Blessed Sacrament while praying the Rosary.

A few plans for the rest of the week...celebrating Marygrace's 15th birthday. Time goes by way too fast. Cherish your children!

A picture thought I'm sharing...fun with our Wii. Angela won the boxing match ;-)

  

Outside my window...I don't really know. I think it's time to clean the windows this week.

I am thinking...about how much I love my children's smile when they greet me in the mornings. It always cheers me up.

I am thankful for...all the prayers offered for me and my children.

From the schoolroom..."Westward Expansion." See sidebar for list of books. I've been trying to work on this since Thanksgiving, but with all the Advent and Christmas reading, not much got done, so we begin again.

From the kitchen...cereal for breakfast and lasagna, salad and bread for dinner.

I am creating...more handmade Rosaries. I just ordered supplies to make 8 more Rosaries.

I am going...to take Marygrace out on a date for her 15th birthday this week. She's going to get her hair trimmed and then we are going out for Chinese food.

I am wearing...a long denim skirt, a fluffy brown sweater and brown leather boots. I love brown and blue together.

I am reading...Divine Intimacy. You should really get one. It's spiritual food for the mind.

I am hoping...to get a haircut sometime in the next two weeks. It's only been 4 weeks, but my hair is growing in way too fast.

I am hearing...nothing. Everyone is still in bed.

Around the house...lots and lots of laundry. I think I need my mom to come over this week to help me out. Last week was way too busy and now it's a little overwhelming.

One of my favorite things... sitting in front of the Most Blessed Sacrament while praying the Rosary.

A few plans for the rest of the week...celebrating Marygrace's 15th birthday. Time goes by way too fast. Cherish your children!

A picture thought I'm sharing...fun with our Wii. Angela won the boxing match ;-)

  

Outside my window...I don't really know. I think it's time to clean the windows this week.

I am thinking...about how much I love my children's smile when they greet me in the mornings. It always cheers me up.

I am thankful for...all the prayers offered for me and my children.

From the schoolroom..."Westward Expansion." See sidebar for list of books. I've been trying to work on this since Thanksgiving, but with all the Advent and Christmas reading, not much got done, so we begin again.

From the kitchen...cereal for breakfast and lasagna, salad and bread for dinner.

I am creating...more handmade Rosaries. I just ordered supplies to make 8 more Rosaries.

I am going...to take Marygrace out on a date for her 15th birthday this week. She's going to get her hair trimmed and then we are going out for Chinese food.

I am wearing...a long denim skirt, a fluffy brown sweater and brown leather boots. I love brown and blue together.

I am reading...Divine Intimacy. You should really get one. It's spiritual food for the mind.

I am hoping...to get a haircut sometime in the next two weeks. It's only been 4 weeks, but my hair is growing in way too fast.

I am hearing...nothing. Everyone is still in bed.

Around the house...lots and lots of laundry. I think I need my mom to come over this week to help me out. Last week was way too busy and now it's a little overwhelming.

One of my favorite things... sitting in front of the Most Blessed Sacrament while praying the Rosary.

A few plans for the rest of the week...celebrating Marygrace's 15th birthday. Time goes by way too fast. Cherish your children!

A picture thought I'm sharing...fun with our Wii. Angela won the boxing match ;-)

  

Now I know why my kids like to cook

This afternoon my 6 year old Angela was helping me make dinner. We she made rice, Salmon and French Onion soup. I made the rice in our rice cooker, I got the easy job, and Angela made the soup and Salmon. Of course, I sliced the onions, but she put all the ingredients in the pot and stirred to make sure it didn't get lumpy. She also flipped the fish until it was completely cooked on both sides.

I started getting anxious about not being able to help her make dinner. It's the controling nature in me. She wouldn't let me do anything. She kept saying, "No, I'm making dinner tonight." Finally, I asked her one last time if I could finish making the soup and she said to me, "No, you can't do it. You always burn stuff." Maybe this is why my kids like to "help" with dinner :-)

Pictures from the March For Life 2009

Warning! The last four pictures are very graphic :-(

    

    

    

       

    

    

   

    

    

    

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Simple Woman's Daybook- Jan. 19th

Stop by Peggy's to see this week's Simple Woman's Daybook posts.

Outside my window...The day is overcast, but not as cold as it has been the past 4 days. It should be about 35 degrees today. 

I am thinking...heavy thoughts and a sorrowful heart.

I am thankful for...my spiritual director. God bless him for all his patience and wonderful advice.

From the schoolroom...all about Martin Luther King Jr.

From the kitchen...A gigantic pot of chili and some homemade corn bread.

I am creating...handmade rosaries. I am hoping to make enough rosaries to start a small home business.

I am going...to get a full day of school today and put the baby down for a nap so I can make 2 more rosaries today.

I am wearing...my favorite Eyore flannel pajamas. I didn't make it to Mass this morning, so my pajamas will stay on until I get a chance to go back up to my room.

I am reading...Divine Intimacy. It's back in print!!! 

I am hoping...that the weather will be warmer on Thursday. I heard it was going to go up into the 40s. What a blessing that would be!

I am hearing...our 6 year old Angela playing high five. The baby is imitating her. It's so cute!. She has the sweetest litle voice.

Around the house...laundry to be started, dishwasher to be emptied, floors to be mopped and trash to be taken to the dump.

One of my favorite things...drinking coffee while reading Divine Intimacy and Liturgy of the Hours.

A few plans for the rest of the week...going to the March For Life with our 7 precious miracles.

A picture thought I'm sharing...the two Rosaries I have made so far. What do you think?

 

Prayer for the unborn

HT Maryan

God and Father of Life,
You have created every human person,
And have opened the way for each to have eternal life.

We live in the shadow of death.
Tens of millions of your children have been killed
Thanks to the Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

Father, have mercy on us.
Heal our land
And accept our offering of prayer and penance.
In your love for us,
Turn back the scourge of abortion.

May each of us exult in hearts full of hope
And hands full of mercy
And work together to build a culture of life.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen

22weeks

This is a true story of a woman who was kept from getting her baby medical treatment after the child was born alive after an abortion.  The trailer is RIVETING and I truly feel it will horrify and re-energize everyone to fight abortion.  IT SEEMS TO BE SUITABLE ONLY FOR OLDER TEENS OR ADULTS. 

National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2009

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America 

HT Maryan 

Pictures from our Epiphany blessing

Lighting the incense

 

Smell the incense. Yum!

 

Blessing of our prayer room

 

Blessing the Master Bedroom

 

Blessing the almost finished basement

 

+20+C+M+B+09+

 

Wordless Wednesday- Bedroom make-over

 

Do you think it's time to buy new toothbrushes?

Warning: the picture you're about to see at the end of the post is a little gross ;-)

Children # 4 and 5, no names to protect their privacy ; ) were rough housing in the house again and child #5 punched child #4 on the nose and caused quite a bit of bleeding. Of course, this happened while child #6 was throwing up, the baby was crying due to constipation and I was making dinner 2 hours late!

Now, why couldn't the injured child have at least thrown away the bloody toilet paper or rinsed off the sink and wiped off the wall and mirror? Better yet, he could have blown his bloody nose in the near by toilet, or move the toothbrushes out of the way. I'm certainly not going to use that toothbrush anymore. Boys will be boys. I'm learning a lot about this subject right now :-)

Comments open for anyone who would like to give me some encouragement. LOL

St. Patrick would be so proud

   

It's never too early to learn about the saints. I just can't figure out how she picked up the book and held it open the right way. That book is almost as big as she is. It's Catholic Mosaic, the baby edition.

Dangerous consequences of the Freedom of Choice Act

FOCA in focus by American Life League 

FOCA novena begins today, Jan. 11th

"Not to oppose error is to approve of it.
Not to defend truth is to suppress it,
And indeed to neglect to confound evil men,
When we can do it,
is no less a sin than to encourage them."
Pope Felix III

If you are opposed to abortion then there is bad news on the horizon.
For those of you who do not know, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is
set to be signed if congress passes it on January 21-22 of 2009. The
FOCA is the next sick chapter in the book of abortion. If made a law
then all limitations on abortion will be lifted which will result in
the following:

1) All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals will be
required to perform abortions upon request. If this happens Bishops
vow to close down all Catholic hospitals, more then 30% of all
hospitals in the United States.

2) Partial birth abortions would be legal and have no
limitations.

3) All U.S. tax payers would be funding abortions.

4) Parental notification will no longer be required.

5) The number of abortions will increase by a minimum of
100,000 annually.

Perhaps most importantly the government will now have
control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future
amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain
situations (rape, down syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate
how many children women are allowed to have.

Needless to say this information is disturbing, but sadly
true. As Catholics, as Christians, as anyone who is against the
needless killing of innocent children, we must stand as one. We must
stop this horrific act before it becomes a law.

The Plan :

To say a novena ( 9 days of prayer ) along with fasting
starting on January 11th. For Catholics, the prayer of choice will be
the rosary with intentions to stop the FOCA. For non Catholics I
encourage you to pray your strongest prayers with the same intentions,
also for nine consecutive days. The hope is that this will branch and
blossom as to become a global effort with maximum impact. We have very
little time so we all must act fast. Just do three things:

1) Pass this letter to 5 or more people

2) Do it in three days or less

3) Start the novena on January 11th and pray for nine
consecutive days.

(Please also fast for at least two days during the novena)

Remember that with God all things are possible and the
power of prayer is undeniable. If you are against the senseless
killing of defenseless children then the time is now to do something
about it!

May God bless you all!!

"If you pray well, you will live well, if you live well,
you will die well; and if you die well, all will be well." -St. Augustine

"We cannot fight credibly against other social and moral evils,
including poverty and violence, while we tolerate mass killings by
abortion."
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The Pill: “a demographic catastrophe.”

Co-Inventor Of Birth Control Pill Now Calls It 'A Catastrophe'

HT Alice

Wii finally got one!

And who has been playing it for the past 2 hours tonight? My husband and our 19 year old daughter :-)

Hooray for Costco! I was able to get one yesterday morning. We have all been having a great time with it. I've only had a chance to play bowling and baseball, but I like it a lot. I think I'll try golf next. It's Bernie's favorite game. He had a chance to play with all the kids tonight. Now that they're in bed he's playing by himself while I nurse the baby in bed. She just woke up from all the racket fun because we have the Wii in our bedroom. I'm beggining to reconsider having it in here. It's 11 o'clock and waaaaay past my bedtime. My head is pounding. I can't handle staying up this late. I'm sitting here in bed with my laptop watching him play. It's actually kind of cute to see him swing the control. He's going to be sore in the morning! I know I would be. I'm so out of shape. We might have to eventually get the Wii Fit. It looks like a lot fun.

I'm hoping this will help

I just started reading a great book called Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons. I decided to read it after Kolbe got a mouth injury while playing with a stick which had been made into an arrow and having 2 very expensive things broken in my house by the boys- unintentionally, of course. So far they have broken the Our Lady of Fatima statue on our altar and my digital camera. The boys like to record each other with my digital camera while acting out playsthey have written themselves and doing stunts. They're actually very funny and creative.

I bought them some rope because they wanted to practice making knots after reading about it in The Dangerous Book for Boys  and The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do. They also wanted to learn to do tightrope walking. They took my camera outside to tape each other while "tightrope" walking under the deck and one of them dropped my camera. Of course, they came in right away and told me what happened. I was so proud of them, but not very happy about the camera. After those two mishaps I started wondering if I was letting them get away with too much. After all, "boys will be boys."

Ironically, the first paragraph in page 1 of Boys Should Be Boys starts out like this:

"I think of this book as sort of The Dangerous Book for Parents. The bestselling The Dangerous Book for Boys was full of fun information and projects that boys love but that many of us have tried to deny them. Tree houses? Too dangerous. The boys might fall and break their arms. Insects and spiders? Yuck. And you want to teach them about hunting, how to make a bow and arrow, and great battles of history? Are you crazy?"

That's just too funny. As soon as I read that paragraph I laughed and thought to myself, "I'm going to love this book!" I haven't had a chance to read past the first page, but I'm really looking forward to learning what to do with all this energy and creativity with which the boys have been blessed.