Lest I Forget

Oh my goodness! I am so close to finishing the shawl I am knitting! The yarn is soft. The yarn is beautiful. But I will probably not knit with Knit Picks Diadem again. It sheds something awful. Worse than my mother's dog kind of awful. I took this in the car when we went on a recent trip. When we reached our destination, my side of the car had a purple haze to it. Also, as I pull the yarn from the ball, it creates a ring of fuzz that has to be cut away every so often. All that aside, I cannot wait to see this thing all blocked and finished! I am working on the crocheted edging right now, which would not be so challenging if I were right handed, which I am not. I can crochet left handed. I practiced on scrap yarn with my right hand before starting on the real deal. When it comes to buying yarn, I rarely buy very expensive yarn. I am frugal by nature. But I have a very special project that I am getting ready to start. It is for someone close to my heart who is going through a very...

As we make our way through Holy Week, looking forward to the glory of Easter Sunday, I thought I would share with you how I helped our children better understand exactly what Our Lord suffered for us, for our sinfulness. Realizing that my children benefit from visual, hands on learning, I turned to Catholic Icing and Holy Heroes for help. Honestly, we did not participate in the Lenten Adventure every day, but most days we at least did the coloring page and maybe the word searches. We also did the Stations of the Cross with our parish every Friday but one. After daily Mass a few weeks ago, (our homeschool community gathers every Friday for Mass) one of our priests gave the children a "tour" of the Stations of the Cross. He asked the children if any of them could name all 14 stations in order. There was silence. Then one small hand rose from the group. It was my Anna. Could she? She could! Believe me, I can not. My heart was filled with happiness listening to her tiny voice...

On the needles: A shawl for a friend. I am close to finishing the knitted part. Then there is a crochet edging. I am a little nervous since I rarely crochet and am not that confident in my ability to do so.  I was also worried about reading the pattern from a chart. That has been going quite smoothly, praise God. I am contemplating buying some actual blocking mats and pins for this project, instead of my usual haphazard method of blocking it on the mattress of my bed. On the nightstand: "So Big" by Edna Ferber. I actually just finished the book, which Ginny had recommended on her "happy reading" list, and I really enjoyed it. I have another of her picks on the nightstand, ready to start. this is very close to the true color of the yarn, which a very happy vibrant purple! Joining Ginny as usual.

From the Magnificat's "Reflection of the Day": "The first goal of spiritual combat, that toward which our efforts must above all else be directed, is not to always obtain a victory (over our temptations, our weaknesses, etc.), rather it is to learn to maintain peace of heart under all circumstances, even in the case of defeat." -Father Jacques Philippe Umm. Yeah. I am a total and complete failure at maintaining peace of heart. I forget every single day to ask for the graces needed to stay peaceful amid the hardships. I forget every single day when faced with the smallest annoyance, to turn to Him. I start out with the best intentions. Then I get out of bed. I may even get the coffee made with a peaceful heart. But then my day starts in earnest and I falter, I flounder, I struggle. I am anxious like Martha. I desire to have the peace of Mary. Father Philippe continues, "It is uniquely the grace of God that will obtain the victory for us, whose grac...

Friday March 13, 2015 We prepare to leave for a four day trip. We have booked a small apartment through Homeaway.com and we I am hoping to save money by eating in as much as possible. I made zucchini bread for breakfasts and froze it. It will keep the other food cold in the cooler. So will the sweet and sour chicken I also froze. I brought along the crockpot too. I brought some things from our pantry, including my coffee pot and coffee, but since there will be a Commissary nearby, I decided to buy most of the ingredients once we arrived. Of course, food is part of the experience, but we decide for lunches rather than dinners. We arrive in Garmisch and check in and then hurry over to our good friend's house to have dinner with them. After catching up, we head back to the apartment for some sleep before the adventure begins. This is near Sembach, where Tony is stationed. It is mostly farmland and rolling hills. The mountains suddenly appear through the fog as we get nea...