Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Saint Peregrine, patron of cancer patients


Saint Peregrine, whom Holy Mother Church has declared patron of those suffering from running sores and cancer, I confidently turn to you for aid in my present need - mention your request.

Lest I lose confidence, I beg your kind intercession. Plead with Mary, the Mother of Sorrows, whom you loved so tenderly and in union with whom you have suffered the pains of cancer, that she may help me with her all-powerful prayers and consolation.

Obtain for me the strength to accept my trials from the loving hand of God with patience and resignation. May suffering lead me to a better life and enable me to atone for my own sins and the sins of the world.

Saint Peregrine, help me to imitate you in bearing whatever cross God may permit to come to me, uniting myself with Jesus Crucified and the Mother of Sorrows. I offer my sufferings to God with all the love of my heart for His glory and the salvation of souls, especially my own. Amen

St. Peregrine....pray for us!
Our Lady of Sorrows....pray for us!
In the midst of whining and complaining about our muddy backyard, FIOS frustrations and moldy floorboards, I have come across heartwrenching requests for prayers for women suffering through breast cancer. In my weakness, I want to offer up these little splinters for the faithful women who are suffering far more than I am today. Please help me pray for them: Elizabeth De Hority , Rachel Higginbotham,
and others. I'd be happy to add to the list if you will leave names in the comments.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

"Held" sung by Natalie Grant

Karlyn has the song HELD sung by Natalie Grant on her ipod and I listened to it on the drive to Georgia last week.
At first the words were baffling and I listened three or four times before the message of hope struck me. I was intrigued by her use of the phrase "when the sacred is torn from your life" so I did a little research on lyrics by Christa Wells .
In light of Amy Wellborn's recent loss and my own secret fear of losing a child, this song grips me in a way that no other contemporary
Christian song can. It reminds me of the lyrics of the Old Rugged Cross that my grandmother used to sing; an unearthly mixture of suffering and joy that I hope to accomplish in my own life.The "sacred", Christa Wells explains, means

the idea of us "giving" everything over to God, except for some unspoken
"sacred" parts of our life. We mean to say: "Of course, you won't ask this
of me."

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Old Hay Barn in Georgia







I said I wouldn't post unless it was earth-shattering. Well, in my book, this is: the dear old hay barn has been dismantled.

Home to many childhood memories......


My cousins and I used to haul the Christmas tree up there, real tinsel dragging behind, for a coke and cookies party after New Year's Eve.

Lots of hide and seek with siblings and cousins.

watching cattle being rounded up for sale from the open door,

cutting, raking, flailing, stacking square bales in the hot Georgia sun...

the time my brother bumped me lightly on the rear with a hay bale and I fell out on to the tailgate of my uncle's truck....

Carrying cold cokes from the outdoor fridge to the 'men' working in the field - I had to walk throught the barn lot to get there

More recently, Karlyn hitting the side of the barn with the four wheeler...yes, she CAN hit the broad side of a barn... :)



Well, it's not gone yet! And my kids are still making memories in the old hay barn.....a bit more dangerous than when it had all its floor boards!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Taking a Break

Taking a break from BucketoGlee, probably until we are finished with our formal homeschool year. While I enjoy the creative outlet and keeping up with other blogs, I can see that other parts of my home organization are sagging. I plan to log in to keep up with other blogs and political topics, but I won't post anything unless it really is earth-shattering!
TTFN,
Momma Dunne

Monday, March 23, 2009

Red Envelope Day is March 31st




Please join us in sending your Red Envelope to President Obama as a nation-wide visual aid. Our right-wing Prolife voices have not yet been heard, so perhaps an influx of red enelopes will get some attention in the White House.

The goal is to send 50,000,000 red envelopes (empty inside, but a message on the back) and send them to President Barack Obama on March 31st.

50,000,000 is the number of babies that abortion has claimed since Roe vs Wade.

On the front, address it to:

President Barack ObamaThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Ave.Washington , D.C. 20500On the back, write the following message on the outside of the envelope:





"This envelope represents one child who died through abortion in my lifetime.It
is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the
world.Responsibility begins with conception."


You can purchase 500 legal-sized red envelopes from http://www.actionenvelope.com/ for $50.00. There was a discount for purchasing larger quantities of envelopes at one time. I am still looking for smaller quantities locally.

Monday, March 16, 2009

I hope we reap what we sow!




In an effort to save a few bucks, we are sowing lots of seeds this year in peat pellet flats. Our neighbor Jill has loaned us some space in her sunny window away from toddler hands! If all goes well, we should have a sweet crop of cherry tomatoes, zinnias, allyssum, basil,cilantro, blue lake beans,poppies, and cosmos. Later, when the ground is warm, we'll try nasturtium and a few others......

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Thanks for the boost, Barbara Curtis!







Barbara Curtis of http://www.mommyteachme.net/ presented Montessori methods for preschoolers on Tuesday . Eamon is currently the only preschooler in our house and he is almost seven years behind Liam. Having forgotten all the hands-on activities I did with the older kids, I had resorted to plugging Eamon in to Backyardigans and Blues Clues while we worked on school subjects at the dining room table. I kept wondering why he had turned into a whining, book-eating, house-wrecking monster. In my efforts to keep up with the older kids, I was trying to keep the toddler busy rather than engaged.

Barbara's book Mommy ,Teach Me! was just the refresher course I needed!

You can almost see the steam coming out of Eamon's ears as he works on these exercises! I was put off at first by the structure that Montessori imposes - left to right and a distinct start and finish to each exercise. But the concentration and focus that he learns while pinning beads to a pincushion will hopefully transfer to other things. Being the eclectic type, I skimmed through the book and found what I needed for the moment. As I learn more about Montessori and we try new things I will post successes!









Small Successes #8 - Where did the Week Go?





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1. I called Ron the Painter and he actually came to finish skimming and painting the ceiling...for nine months we have lived with holes in the ceiling where the old flourescent lights were taken out and the new pretty lights were put in! A few new lights really updated the kitchen - lot cheaper than a whole kitchen renovation!

2. I scheduled a "mommy morning" for myself and attended a presentation by Barbara Curtis on Montessori methods of teaching. I have even implemented two of her ideas for preschoolers! More here tomorrow when I post pictures!


3. I turned, edged, and planted veggies! Tomatoes, onions, beans, and lettuce! Yay spring! I am glad I took pictures last year so I can remember what will come up where in the flower gardens.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Small Successes

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1. I successfully changed my blog background to purple for Lent! Thanks Jill.

2. I have continued to pray the Rosary and the prayer of Saint Ephrem daily......much to the consternation of Little E (2 and 1/2) who insists that any prayer around the table be the Angelus! Little sponge.

3. I got up with my dh at 6:15 before Little E was awake and as soon as this is posted my morning quiet time will be up! All before 8 am! YAY me!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Snow day in Ashburn

Outside My Window ...lots of boys all shapes and sizes are out with snow shovels and sleds.

I am listening to...the sensible girls in the warm toasty kitchen making comfort food with neighbor hood friends.

To Live the Liturgy...we have added Saint Ephrem's prayer to remind of to embrace our Lenten promises daily with purity of heart.

To Breathe Deeply...my piriformis stretches and yoga poses for back health have not happened yet........We watched Joan of Arc with the whole crew til midnight and Daddy and I slept in while the wind whipped the snow onto the porch.

Towards rhythm and beauty ...we need to work harder at getting out of that warm toasty bed in the morning to be sure that first things come first.

I am thankful for ... SNOW!



From the kitchen ... Kraft mac n cheese. Unless it's Aunt Dorothy's homemade macncheese in Georgia, it gotta be Kraft. (shrug)

Towards a real education...I am hoping to start Lenten meditations from My Path to Heaven with the middle kids today, if they ever come in from the snow.

Bringing beauty to my home ....just keeping up with the snow gear....

I am reading...In Conversation with God, Daily Meditations for Lent.

Around the house ... yes, there will be lots of running in and our and around the house today!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: hijacked by 6 inches of snow, which, in Loudoun County, VA means two or three days off of school!

Friday, February 27, 2009

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS

"He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry"
(Mt 4,1-2)


It's Friday ......and the kids are already digging through the fridge wondering "what will we eat for lunch?" Funny how talking about fasting and abstinence makes us hungry and craving.



I have heard people, some of them priests, remark that giving up is not so important as doing some extra good thing. If we had to make a choice between the two, I suppose more works of mercy would be the best choice. Why does it have to be either /or? Why has fasting become such a stretch in the minds of otherwise faithful Catholics? Isn't there time in this forty day journey for a little of each of the principal works of Lent?


After reading what Our Holy Father wrote, I am more inclined to keep Friday fast and abistinence with greater resolve as well as fasting from some small comfort every day.

"Denying material food, which nourishes our body, nurtures an
interior disposition to listen to Christ and be fed by His saving word. Through
fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we
experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God."


In our family, we have always given up sweets and desserts with the understanding that the little ones may have sweets that are offered at someone else's house. Our hope is to gently help them learn to delay gratification as well as to pause and reflect on the greater sacrifice that Christ made for us. More on the full program of Lenten offerings can be found at http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/lent.htm. It is an excellent and comprehensive resource. * The program of fasting in the strict, forty-day sense described here is not for everyone. * But it offers some helpful guides for those who want to try a strict fast of any length.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Small Successes

FaithButton1. We attended Mass on Ash Wednesday as a whole family. Daddy had toddler duty and stood in the narthex for most of Mass, but we made it together!

2. I successfully fasted the entire day without mentioning hunger or nibbling before dinner! And we prayed the Prayer of Saint Ephrem with our grace before the meal.

3. I finished our parish book club book Pierced by a Sword. It should prove to be a very interesting discussion, as it is based on a Marian apparition that I do not believe has been authenticated by the Church yet. (Garabandal) It is no literary classic, but it had a postive effect on my prayer life.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Ash Wednesday

What will you do to clean up your act during LENT?
1. Fasting and Mortification
2. Prayers
3. Almsgiving
4. Good Works
5. Education
6. Self Denial

Monday, February 23, 2009

Fat Tuesday

Liam has been counting down the days to Fat Tuesday, partly because we all love a party, but mostly because our special guests Cheryl and John will be joining us for the sixth year in a row! We make sausage, bacon, pancakes, whipped cream, donuts and we do an activity called "What I Like About You." On Fat Tuesday, we put each person's name at the top of purple or green paper and pass the papers around till everyone has a list of kind comments to read out loud. I can't remember how this got started, but we've been doing it since 2002 and some of the older ones are quite amusing and very sweet.


Some favorites from past years:

What I like about Bridget is "she lets me have sleepovers with her." (from a little sister)

What I like about Karlyn is "she gives me candy and hugs." (from the sweet tooth in the family)

What I like about Bridget is "she is vare nise." ( a friend in 2002)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Clean Monday

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Clean Monday is the Monday before Ash Wednesday. Clean Monday is actually the Monday before Great Lent.(Apparently that was an adaptation that my research applied to the Roman Catholic Calendar.) It is a day of strict fasting from midnight til noon. The idea is to begin Lent with a clean heart and pure intentions. The following prayer is prayed on Clean Monday, as well as the 40 days of Lent.




The Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian



"O Lord and Master of my life, keep from me the spirit of indifference and discouragement, lust of power and idle chatter. [kneel/prostration]



"Instead, grant to me, Your servant, the spirit of wholeness of being, humble-mindedness, patience, and love. [kneel/prostration]



"O Lord and King, grant me the grace to be aware of my sins and not to judge my brother; for You are blessed now and ever and forever. Amen. [kneel/prostration]"

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Small Successes

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1. I took a nap yesterday when I really needed it.

2. I read aloud from Tim's history book "Old World and America" in the kitchen while he grabbed a snack. I haven't taken the time to read any of his history assignments with him in a very long time.

3. I prayed a full rosary every day for the last week, a goal that is frequently back-burnered by tantrums and smallish "emergencies".

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

How many RED flags do we need?

Originally, I had intended to post happy moments and memories for my homeschool kids to peruse on this blog. However, with Obama's election, my awareness of world issues that affect my beloved country are pushing to the forefront. I'll get on my soapbox today and then leave the rest to Pundit and Pundette.

http://thehyacinthgirl.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/the-buried-life

These stories are just too grim and too close to ignore.





http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/02/losing-our-heads-.htmlMy point is, this (MUzzammil Hassan) was not some deranged lunatic. This was a"good" Muslim who followed the book. You think it's just Muslim girls who are at risk? We are all at risk."

a comment posted by 'ender' re: the recent New York beheading: "simple answer, he was getting funding for his TV channel from the saudi's. having his wife divorce him would have made him look weak. Now he has proven to his financial backers that he is a man. watch and see who is going to be paying for his lawyer and if saudi tries to give him back dated diplomatic immunity."

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/obamas_donor_contributions_sil.htm
"The jihad donations were hardly the only bloody red flags. The first in my series of posts ran July 19th. Obama's overseas (foreign) contributors are making multiple small donations, ostensibly in their own names, over a period of a few days, some under maximum donation allowances, but others are aggregating in excess of the maximums when all added up. Half a million dollars had been donated from overseas by unidentified people "not employed".

The more questions we answered the more questions we discovered.
Thousands of Obama's foreign donations ended in cents. The "cents" did not make sense. And we compared McCain donation documentss to Obama's. McCain's records are nothing like Obama's. McCain's are so clean. No cents, all even dollar amounts. But Obama's contained thousands of strange, odd amounts -- evidence of foreign contributors, since Americans living overseas would almost uniformly be able to contribute dollars. Still no media."

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

the least government is the best..........


Even a simple rancher in 1906 knew that big government is not what America needs.


"Always remember son, the best boss is the one who bosses the least. Whether it's cattle, or horses, or men; the least government is the best government."



from Little Britches by Ralph Moody

Friday, February 13, 2009

Observing Presidents' Day - Pondering Lincoln







In September that year, the North had suffered another disastrous reversal, this time at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Lincoln was considering the radical step of proclaiming the emancipation of slaves in the South. In those circumstances, at one of the darkest moments of the war, he penned the following "Meditation on the Divine Will." It was written, as his secretaries, Nicolay and Hay, said, "while his mind was burdened with the weightiest questions of his life …. It was not written to be seen of men." Here is what Lincoln wrote about the religious meaning of the war.


"The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong. God can not be for and against the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is something different from the purpose of either party -- and yet the human instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation to effect His purpose. I am almost ready to say this is probably true -- that God wills this contest, and wills that it shall not end yet. By his mere quiet power, on the minds of the now contestants, He could have either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest. Yet the contest began. And having begun He could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest proceeds. "

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Small Successes

1. I attended the healing Mass at Our Lady of Hope with my 11 year old daughter. We prayed five full rosaries and went to Confession. I learned about spiritual and physical healing and completely gave myself over to the Holy Spirit - yep, I "fell
over"! (rested in the Spirit)

2. I printed out the St. Augustine quote from Kimberlee's site to make Valentines with the kids tomorrow - maybe we'll even get them in the mail to their grandparents before noon.

3. I took time for spiritual reading, prayer, and quiet before breakfast!


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Monday, February 9, 2009

Shhhh...be very very quiet, we're hunting wabbits.....


I said to Liam and Eamon just this morning,"Please stop running and screaming during school time!" Now I am all for Boys Being Boys , but there is a time for peace and quiet in every day.



Barbara said it perfectly here
"Let's see how quietly we can shut the door." .........

"Would you like to try?" Before turning it over, show once again how the knob/handle relates to the movement of the bolt.

Once you've begun to draw your child's attention to the auditory impact he/she has on the environment, keep a high expectation. When something bangs, simply say, "Oh . . . let's see how quietly you can close that door."

When I say this will have a major impact, here is what I mean:
As you begin to draw the child's attention to the results of his actions, he will respond to the challenge. These are the very first steps toward self-control - and this is exactly how you begin laying the spiritual groundwork for self-control in the preschool years.
You will see the fruit of this kind of training as your child matures and begins to generalize self-control to even more challenging issues.
Can you see how this early training eventually results in a teen who is self-aware and capable of self-control? The ultimate goal is to raise an individual who is not controlled by outer forces but from within. This starts very, very small - and very, very young.

This is why I keep insisting that the work you moms do is SO important. Who would think that teaching a child to close a door quietly had such great implications for the future? But it does, especially for the child raised by a mom who understands where she and her child are headed and is learning each day how to get there.~~~~~~~~
For more, check out
Mommy, Teach Me!
Thank you, Barbara!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers

Liam and I have been reading aloud from Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody. It is a terrific book for boys....or girls who want to know how real men behave in the face of adversity. In current society, where gender-confusion abounds and our lilly-livered president is more concerned about going green than red-white-and blue, we could all use a dose of the courage and character presented in the Little Britches series.

"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and then bid the geldings to be fruitful." -- CS Lewis

a lifted quote from thehyacinthgirl.wordpress.com

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Celebrating Small Successes

Three small successes this week:
1. I connected with an older cousin and discovered something about my paternal grandfather that I never knew: His favorite poem was The Duel by Eugene Field. Bonus: Liam memorized it last year in his MODG poetry curriculum!

2. All three kids completed their school work yesterday - happily and without any toddler disasters.

3. I posted a book to paperbackswap, got a request for said book and printed the label for shipping!
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Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Flipsyde Prolife youtube- I never liked rap before this.........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qj3nWy7HMshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qj3nWy7HMs

I have never liked rap before this.......please click on the link and watch this powerful prolife message. The prolife movement seems to be getting an update.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

BIG government







Gerald Ford said , " A governement big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have. "








Mark Steyn add to that "starting with your sense of self reliance."









" The future , as Steyn shows, belongs to the fecund and the confident. And the Islamists are both, while the West -wedded to multiculturalism that undercuts its own confidence, a WELFARE STATE that nudges it toward sloth and self-indulgence, and a childlessness that consigns it to oblivion-is looking ever more like the ruins of a civilization." front flap



from Mark Steyn's book America Alone.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Strange places to power nap







When you run full speed ahead all day, this is what "empty" can look like.


Friday, January 23, 2009

View Demographic Winter at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church on January 27th, 2009


"Of all of the causes we have in the world today, many of which particularly capture the time and space of the media and academia, it is singularly peculiar that the disintegration of an institution as important as the human family should want for attention. Perhaps it is because the family is made up of individual people, and we have become a society obsessed with a focus on the self Be that as it may, we have ignored this institution to our great detriment. "

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Pray for our President


If you have any doubt that unrestricted abortion should not be a part of the Obamanation legacy, start your research here, where you will learn the truth about Norma (Jane) Roe. Then, take a look at the many organizations who are ready and willing to help anyone struggling when faced with an "unplanned" pregnancy. Christians know that all babies are "planned" - by GOD. Then find out who Margaret Sanger is. Will FOCA funding go to support her ideology? Does Obama understand the irony in that? Watch this compelling video.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

monkey on a motorcycle

"A monkey on a motorcycyle?! THAT's not true!" says Eamon. He's never seen an episode of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Family Love Fest








When the hugs started going around I had to get the camera to document...this might not happen again for a while! :)

Monday, January 12, 2009

Ordinary Time




























































































Now that we are back in Ordinary Time, I am posting a picture story of our Christmas Season. Despite our trials and losses during the Advent Season, this is one of the most Joyous Advent and Christmas seasons yet! I suppose it has something to do with Momma's decision to shrug off the Grinch and place myself in a position of Trustful Surrender.