Monday, August 31, 2009

I'm running late today so I will be back later to post. In the meantime, here is a little peek from yesterday.








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Word of the day:
Monday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : Saint Raymund Nonnatus, (1204-1240)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 4:16-30.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'" And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

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Saturday, August 29, 2009

It smells so much like fall today! I have bars of Crisp Green Apple curing in the front hall and the wonderful scent is making it feel like October. Harold has a pot of bean soup on. Yep, it must be October.

I have to put the button on Maddie's dress and then take it over to Sam and Kelli's.

Update:
The dress is finished! I haven't done something like this in so long I didn't think I could still do it. Here it is:



Lots to do today so I'd better get crackin.
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The Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist - Memorial
Today the Church commemorates : The Beheading of John the Baptist,Martyr
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 6:17-29.

Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias's own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you." He even swore (many things) to her, "I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the Baptist." The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request, "I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist." The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.


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Friday, August 28, 2009

Got a lot done yesterday. The spare bedroom and the workout room look decent. I got everything cleared out of the east end of the hallway. The rest of the hallway is not great, but at least Mom has a place to sleep. Most of the stuff went downstairs, but that's okay - it's out of the main area and I can sort when I wait for wax to melt.

I made a batch of Crisp Green Apple soap last night so the smell of fall is in the air around here.

After lunch I am heading to Mt. P and stopping at Sam and Kelli's to try on Maddie's dress. I think it turned out pretty well. I'm a little bummed that the dress yarn I ordered never came through.

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Friday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25:1-13.

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.' While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

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Thursday, August 27, 2009

There is a kitten scratching at our back door. Don't know where she came from. It's hilarious - she will dig her claws into the screen and when I open the door she's hanging on it.

Today will be a cleaning day. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everything is neatly stuffed into closets and drawers. LOL! When the surfaces are clean I can be a little braver about about the rest. I can take a little out at a time and deal with it. At least the guest room is in fairly decent shape - except that it needs to be painted.

I have a couple of orders to package up and ship out. Then it's more candle making. I'm running short of jars but will wait to order. I don't like to go into the season in the red. We may be taking on another craft show in Carson City. It depends on what Anna thinks about it. I would have to leave early since I've used up all of my days. But Nina may be fairly close and may want to work it. We'll see.

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Thursday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Monica (332-387)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 24:42-51.

Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Happy Anniversary to Sam and Kelli! The weather is a lot like it was 3 years ago today.



In typical fashion, I went right by Penney's yesterday and completely forgot that I had to make a stop. I'll leave early for choir practice and stop in then. I finished weaving in the ends for Maddie's dress, but then decided to make a longer crocheted lace border. Considering that it's been years since I've done something like this, I am pretty happy with the way it is turning out. I took a couple of pictures, but they don't really do the dress justice. I'll post a pic of her wearing it.

Spent the morning and early afternoon at Barb Waldbillig's funeral. She was quite a lady. The family chose the "Good Woman" reading from proverbs as the first reading. I am at the age now where I often consider what people might have to say about me when I'm gone. I can picture the kids giggling at the Proverbs passage. It's an ideal I have often strived to achieve but of which I have always fallen woefully and laughably short.

I finished the rest of the stockings for my order. They have to be steamed, packaged, and sent out. I also did another 2 for the girls to sew up. Made a batch of Carrot Cake grubbies (Kelli's favorite) and room spray. I need to do a few more in the autumn chunky tarts. I also made an autumn pillar. I love the pillars, but they don't sell very well. I've never been quite sure why.



I got some crisis cleaning done in the spare bedroom. Mom's coming up for Maddie's baptism so I've been working pretty steadily in there. I am now inspired to get it painted and finished. Lots of decluttering to do in the closets though.

On today's docket is to do some more in the spare room, do surface cleaning in the rest of the house and then deal with the potatoes that that Harold picked out of the garden. Not sure what I'll be doing with those. I may wait until next week and can them for soup this winter. I imagine they would be pretty tasty in our Moeggenborg Sugar Bush potato soup.

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Wednesday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr (+219)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23:27-32.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.' Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Funeral this morning for the mother of some dear friends. Then a trip to the quilt shop to pick up the 2 quilt block kits for the 2 meetings I missed. A stop at Penney's to get accessories for Maddie's Christening gown. Then home to do some crisis cleaning, work, more crisis cleaning. I sure will be glad when cleaning becomes just plain cleaning again.

I did have a productive day yesterday, though you wouldn't know it to look around this place. I ground and froze 8 bags of zucchini, finished up the stitching on Maddie's dress (still have to weave in the ends), made a batch of Carrot Cake candles, got ALL of the laundry done, folded, and all but one basket put away.

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Tuesday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Louis, King of France (1215-1270)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23:23-26.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. (But) these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Pretty is as pretty does. :)

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Monday, August 24, 2009

Today is a bit of a sad anniversary. Sixteen years ago we lost baby Joseph to miscarriage. Harold's sister Joan, and family friends Gil and MaryAnn, gave us a small seedling as a memorial. Today that pine tree is huge. Life and death are intimately intertwined.

Today is also a happy day! Happy Birthday, Jennifer!!

Yesterday was a great day. We went to Grand Rapids for a wedding shower for Erin. It was a nice day of hangin' out with the family. Claire was the star of the show with her antics. She is definitely an extrovert.

The FlyZone this week is the master bedroom. Well, maybe. We'll see. I have a bit of crisis cleaning to do. I am looking forward to getting this place in good enough shape that crisis cleaning won't be necessary. But for today, it is a general "go through the house and surface clean" with a concentrated session in the guest bedroom. Also on the docket are laundry and bills (must be Monday). I have one load washed and in the dryer and one load in the washer. And it looks like there is only a jean load after that so I should get that all done today.

During my work hours I have 2 stockings to make for an order and some candles that desperately need to be restocked. Oh, and I need to do something with the zucchini, cauliflower, and potatoes from our garden. I'm off to my other blog.

Have a great day!

Saint Bartholomew, apostle - Feast
Today the Church celebrates : St. Bartholomew, Apostle - Feast
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1:45-51.

Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."




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Sunday, August 23, 2009

Good grief, we had a few days of sweltering heat and now fall is in the air.
The house smells like fall anyway because I am working on craft show stuff. I love fall. I noticed a huge orange pumpkin in Melisa's garden last week. We planted a lot of pumpkins too, but ours are still green. There is an "accidental" patch of spaghetti squash at the edge of the cornfield that looks like a pretty good yield.

Yesterday I had some relatives come out to get their "candle" fix. There's nothings like a focused 20 minutes in a room to greatly improve the look. There is still A LOT of work to do down there. I also noticed that there are a lot of candles to be made. Harold is slowly dismantling his winemaking operation. I kind of hate to see him quit. He really enjoyed it and now he has a little more time.

Today we travel to Grand Rapids for a bridal shower for one of the nieces. We put together a set of our mixes some other wares. My sister-in-law stopped in to pick up a last minute gift for the shower. Anna, Melisa, and I are riding together and there will be a trip to Michael's in the plan.


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Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (1586-1617)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 6:60-69.

Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father." As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."


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Friday, August 21, 2009

Seems like I worked all day and didn't accomplish much, so I did an inventory of what I did get done.

I put away the last load of laundry
Made 3 stockings for this fall
Crocheted the trim on Maddie's Christening dress
Made a batch of grubby and chunky tarts for our fall craft shows
Did a little more decluttering in the dungeon

Not too bad. I am behind in my zone work so I will do some decluttering here in my "office" today while listening to Flylady's latest show.

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Friday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Pius X, Pope (1835-1914)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 22:34-40.

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them (a scholar of the law) tested him by asking, Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."


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Thursday, August 20, 2009

I'm still struggling with trying to develop a flexible morning routine. It has to be flexible now because I don't have the house to myself in the morning like I used to. My old routine was to get up, do my blog, do my workout and then get on with the day. Now I never know if someone will be on the computer when I get up so I need to re-work that. My afternoon is pretty well set - work in the quilting room from 2-4 and in the basement dungeon from 4-5 or 6. That's working out pretty well. I got a large batch of caramel apple candles made yesterday, along with some room sprays, some oils, and some simmer scents. This way I can list my inventory as I make it.

The Tweetlebugs are here this morning. Claire is hanging over my shoulder and chattering away. Clay is "crafting." He has his own cart full of stuff to color and draw with.

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Thursday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (1091-1153)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 22:1-14.

Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast."' Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.' The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.' Many are invited, but few are chosen."

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Got stuff done yesterday. This week's fly zone is the master bathroom and the office. I did quite a bit of the office last week. Well, I got 2 areas done because my office is also my laundry room. I have set work hours for myself from 2-5 on normal days. That's when I make stockings and do other things for the business. Our stocking season has started already with orders from Etsy and the website. I'm adding a new pattern - a rocking horse. I have 3 stockings to make for Maddie so her stocking that stays here will be the rocking horse one. That way I'll have a pic to put on the website. Yesterday I did 4 stockings for orders and 2 more for the girls to sew up. I made a candle for a web order. I'm waiting until the weather cools a bit to send it, though.

I also got 2 loads of laundry done and managed to make an appearance at the community band rehearsal.

The tweetlebugs stayed over last night. They were quite thrilled to have a bath with Grandma's special homemade peppermint soap.

On slate for today is to shred and freeze zucchini (just got done picking it) and then tonight we'll be doing corn again.

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Tuesday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, Priest (1901-1952)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:23-30.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." Then Peter said to him in reply, "We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

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Saturday, August 15, 2009

Today has been fairly productive so far.
This week's Fly Zone was the kitchen. I did do some decluttering in the kitchen, but the laundry room is the place that was stressing me out so I decided to depart from the official Fly Zone and work in there. I divided the laundry room up into zones and started in. Here is a before and after pic of my first zone in the laundry room.

Before


After


Here is zone 2, the desk - usually pretty bad

Before


After


I also packaged 3 batches of soap and got a load of laundry done and folded.

Last night we had little Maddie over so of course we had to do a photo shoot.
These are my 2 favorite shots. I wish the smiling one wasn't fuzzy.






Maddie's coming again tonight. Another photo shoot!!!! LOL!



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THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - Solemnity
Today the Church celebrates : St. Tarsicius, Martyr (3rd century)
Saint Germanus of Constantinople : "Raised body and soul to the glory of heaven" (Collect of the Feast)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:39-56.

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.


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Friday, August 14, 2009

The house smells like peppermint. Mmmmmmm
I cut the bars yesterday morning and will be trying a small piece today.




Still haven't made any candles, but I will be today because I have an order for a flameless tealight.

Today is a day for happy things and sad things. I have a funeral to play for today for a 22 year old girl. Funerals for young people are always the hardest.
But later today I get to grandma-sit our newest granddaughter, Madison.

Last night we celebrated a mass of Thanksgiving with our new bishop, Joseph Cistone. He gave a wonderful homily on the Eucharist and its meaning in our lives. He does not adhere to the unofficial "11 minute" rule, but his words were so inspiring that he could have spoken for 2 hours and still had us listening.
The Mass was at Sacred Heart in Mount Pleasant. Sacred Heart has some wonderful musicians. I have worked with Sue Watters, the organist, several times, and I have done a couple of wedding with with the Psalmist, Margie Schaefer so I knew the music would be wonderful. The choir director, Janet Maddox, has a beautiful voice and her flute playing - well, you had to hear it to know how great it was. There were members of the diocesan choir who drove out from Saginaw to sing with us. It was nice welcome for our new bishop.



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Word of the day:
Friday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (1894-1941
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:3-12.

Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?" He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate." They said to him, "Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?" He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery." (His) disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." He answered, "Not all can accept (this) word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

My kitchen smells like peppermint this morning. I made a batch of peppermint soap last night and it smells wonderful! It turned out a little darker than I like, but that is the nature of oils and soapmaking.



I added an extra ounce of Peppermint oil to this batch and I can't wait until it cures.

Last night Harold, Justin, and I picked about 12 dozen ears of corn. Melisa and I will be freezing it today.

Anna assembled the inventory lists for our fall shows. I can't believe it's that close already. I think we have enough in our coffers to pay for the ingredients for this fall. It would be nice to start the season in the black. We have another show to pay for. We're taking on the Sumner Show in September. We did that show last year and while we didn't take in a whole lot, we did acquire some faithful customers. This show was very well run - the only drawback is the location, but even at that, it was a little easier to do than Papa's last year.

I finally started little Maddie's baptismal gown. I have been searching for my beading needles. I wrote to 3 or 4 shops all of whom informed me that these are not being made any more. I scrounged around the basement and managed to find 3.

Tonight our new bishop will be celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving at Sacred Heart in Mt. Pleasant. I will be singing in the diocesan choir.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates : St. Radegundes, Queen of France (519-587)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18:21-35.19:1.

Then Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Last night Monica, Jennifer, Teresa, and I met with Henry to do the mix on our CD. We had thought we were going to have to scrap the Silent Night/Lullaby piece, but we were able to do some juggling with the levels and smooth things out. The mixing takes longer than the actual recording because he plays it through and we tell him where to make adjustments, he makes notes, and then he plays it again to record it. We mixed 6 of the songs and have another 7 to do. We should finish by September at the latest.

It's supposed to be nice out today. It's been humid and damp the last few days. I'm going out for my walk/jog and then I need to check the garden for any goodies that might be waiting for me.

I need to get started on Maddie's baptismal gown. I have the machine set up and the yarn picked out. Today is the day!
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Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates : St. Philomena, St. Clare, Virgin (1194-1253
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18:1-5.10.12-14.

At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.

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Sunday, August 9, 2009

It rained most last night. The crops are starting to green up again. Later I'll go out to the garden and see if there are any surprises for me.

Word of the day:
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), co-patron of Europe (1891-1942)

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 6:41-51.

The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

Saturday, August 8, 2009

This morning we have the sad task of driving down to Detroit for my uncle's funeral.
It's pouring down rain and the sky is gray and gloomy. I tried to call Nancy last night and can't find her phone number.

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Word of the day
Saturday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Dominic, Priest (1170-1221)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 17:14-20.

When they came to the crowd a man approached, knelt down before him, and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him." Jesus said in reply, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me." Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Yesterday, after VBS I checked my phone to find that Harold had left a message. Uncle Jerry had died. He had non-Hodgekins Lymphoma. Somehow I got the idea that this was quite treatable and that he would be fine. I feel so bad that Aunt Eleanor was dealing with this and I had no idea. The funeral will be Saturday. Sue said she would play for me so we can go down for it.
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UPDATE
For the most part I try to stay a-political on the blog (the exception is the topic of abortion), however, this makes me angry.

I found the following on an official government website:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

The above is in reference to growing complaints from people who are suspicious as to why Obama's Health Care plan is being fast-tracked and has not been read by the people who are voting on it. Last I knew, free speech was protected. If I recall, these same people were up in arms over the wire tapping of suspected terrorists during the Bush administrations.

I don't know about you, but that just creeps me out. It brings to mind the Hitler regime

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Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates : Dedication of St. Mary Major (Mary of the Snows)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 15:21-28.

Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us." He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour.


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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

VBS went well yesterday. I like the format of having the music with all the kids at the beginning rather than in separate groups.

I forgot this yesterday, about when we took Claire to see Snow White. Clay had opted to go fishing with Justin. When we arrived to pick up Claire, she was dressed in a Snow White costume. She looked adorable. Melisa said, "she wanted to wear it." A pair of pink and white cowboy boots with Snow White decals on the front completed the outfit. There is never a camera around when you need it.

Tuesday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. John Mary Vianney, Priest (1786-1859)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14:22-36.

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear. At once (Jesus) spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God." After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.

Thoughts from the cornfield:
See what happens when you take your eyes off Jesus?

Monday, August 3, 2009

Today starts Vacation Bible School. I am in charge of the music. This is my first year of being in charge of it. Last year I helped. I'm more than a little nervous because I haven't been around the last few weeks. I had hoped to have a chance to work with the music tapes while we were in Alaska, but it didn't work out that way.
I think I have my ducks in a row, but still . . . Anyway, we shall see what we shall see.

Word of the day:
Monday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates : St. Lydia
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14:13-21.

When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." (Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." Then he said, "Bring them here to me," and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over --twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

It's 6:30 and the sun is up. The corn is high and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day. We promised Clairy-bear and Clayton that we would take them to see "Snow White." This was actually supposed to be Claire's day, but she wanted Clay to come too.

I made a batch of vanilla soap yesterday and this morning it is a beautiful chocolate brown, as is the nature of vanilla. I also spent a lot of time working on a quilt that I'm making for Anna for Christmas. It's going to be really cute! When we were in Alaska I picked up some wildlife fabric for when I start Justin's quilt.

It felt weird to be back at church last night - unsettling. I've never been gone that long.

Glen's had ice cream on sale last week. Since there will be no family dinner due to this afernoon's plans, we will have an ice cream social tonight.
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Word of the day:
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today the Church celebrates : St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop (c.300-371)

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 6:24-35.

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" So Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Yesterday was fairly productive. I got a little more weeding done in the dungeon (my basement workroom), but I have barely made a dent. Harold and I moved more bottles out. I made 3 loaves of zucchini bread. (The garden is doing very well this year.) Got some Christmas stockings made, worked a on a quilt, swept out the garage, did the laundry, packaged an Ebay order, sent an order out with Melisa, and did more unpacking from the trip. Somehow it looked like a lot less when it was confined to the suitcases.

Last night we had dinner at Melisa and Justin's house. What a feast! We had a sort of belated birthday celebration for Claire and Kelli. We got Claire a little Alaskan baby doll. She named her "Boy." Claire has very imaginative names for her babies. One she named Dora. Dora's nickname is Octopus.

After dinner we hauled out our laptop and showed our pics from Alaska. I think Harold is more excited now than he was before the trip.

Word of the day:
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14:1-12.
Saturday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates : St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and Doctor of the Church (1696-1787)

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him." Now Herod had arrested John, bound (him), and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.


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