Is Every Day a Birthday?

Outside My Window

Cool, gray baking kind of day. Again:-)

I am Listening to

quiet. It is early morning and the house is nearly silent.

I am Wearing

Not my phone. I usually keep my cell phone in my pocket. Last Friday, it wiggled its way out, unbeknownst to me. I think we got two inches of rain on Friday, while my cell phone waited in the grass for me to notice I was without it. Karoline found it after the rain stopped. Poor phone. So, I'm currently on a cell phone fast.

I am so Grateful for

 sharing hearts with Julie in my sewing room.

I'm Pondering

For of all the utter falsehoods, the most false, I think, is this notion that men can be happy in movement, when nothing but dullness drives them on from behind. . . . [If ] ever there was a whisper that might truly come from the devil, it is the suggestion that men can despise the beautiful things they have got, and only delight in getting new things because they have not got them. It is obvious that, on that principle, Adam will tire of the tree just as he has tired of the garden. G.K. Chesterton

I am Reading

The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, at the suggestion of Tonia, who recommended it while we were discussing all things internet on Facebook last week.

I am Thinking

About this post and the full article linked there. While I agree with all his observations and premises, I don't agree with his ideas for solutions. I admit that I couldn't even discern if they were all hyperbole or not. But I am devoting a great deal of thought and prayer to my own life with electonics and how I want it to be. One thing is certain, I don't want it to be the way it is.

I'm thinking that life is short, surprisingly so, and that we will be held accountable for every moment we've been granted to live, every gift we've been given. Accounting aside, when you sit in a doctor's office and look at the shadow that should not be there on a radiology report, your first (or second or third) thought is not "I wish I'd spent more time surfing" or even "how am I going to blog this." 

I want to live my life intentionally with the blessings of my first thought.

I am Creating

birthday surprises. Shhh...

I'm thinking birthday crowns (not the wool felt kind) and twirly skirts... (But not for Michael and Paddy)

 

To live the liturgy:

I love this time of year, as the feasts of special saints mingle with the celebrations of of the births of many of my children. We just celebrated the feast of St. Matthew (Matthew Christian's name day) and the feast of Padre Pio (the day Sarah was nearly born at 28 weeks). Now, we will march onward to St. Michael (and Michael's birthday--September 29), St. Jerome (and Katie's birthday--September 30), St. Therese (October 1), the feast of the Guardian Angels (and Patrick's birthday-October 2), the feast of St. Francis (and Karoline's birthday--October 4th). 

Towards a Real Education

We added the final component to our slow ramp-up of a full-blown school schedule yesterday as another family joined us for Bible study. We all read together and talked a bit, then the little ones worked on a craft while the big ones discussed things more deeply. Conversation was so lively that we never got to the planned picture study before it was time to go. These teenagers are going to keep things interesting all year. I'm sure of that.

 

Towards Rhythm and Beauty

Sigh. Every September, the rhythm is rocky as we try to settle into all the activities we've chosen for the children. I have long adopted the attitude that if I trust it all to prayer, it will all work out. And it always does. This year, it's taking a very long time and we keep hitting bump after bump. The logistics of it all is overwhelming. But we're getting there. Literally.

I am Hoping and Praying

For two dear girls who are learning to trust that God has a plan and His plan is always good--and for all the people who love them and their parents. I really hate cancer all the time--this week has been particularly awful. 

 I am learning

to use GQueues. My friend Ann sent me the link. It was in my box on a day when I'd just finished entering every book we owned (so it seemed) into the Charlotte Mason Organizer. I took a quick look and sent the link to my friend Linda. I thought it would be perfect for Linda, but I doubted she would pursue because Linda is mostly unplugged when it comes to online anything. She's one of my best friends, but she doesn't even read my blog because she recognizes that she can easily get sucked into a huge time-waster here. Anyway, Linda thinks GQueues is amazing. She came to Stephen's soccer game on Sunday to tell me all about how awesome it is. I think that if Ann and Linda both sing its praises, it's probably worth my investment of time. 

Around the House

I am stymied by the sheer volume of laundry.

I am also well on my way to getting help, at the urging of my sister and several in-real-life women friends who are as smart and beautiful as Rachel is and who get help:-). I wonder? Does getting help make one smart and beautiful? 

From the Kitchen 

Well, there will be birthday cake. Lots of it. Four birthday cakes between now and next Tuesday. What's your favorite cake? 

Have I mentioned that I don't eat wheat and have sworn off sugar? In all seriousness, if you have a prayer to send on my behalf, I have no plan to forego making and decorating cakes for my kids, but I can't eat them. I'm working so hard to get back on track after the latst thyroid slip--there's no wiggle room for random wheat mistakes. Pray this all goes well, please?

 

On my iPod:

Jack Johnson I love this album. It's one of the reasons I don't understand why the author of the article I mentioned above thinks we should get rid of iTunes. Is he opposed to music altogether? Or is he just a big fan of CDs that get scratched and lost and broken?

One of My Favorite Things

Soccer friends who make weekends schlepping all over northern Virginia and the far reaches of Marlyand a fun family adventure.

A Few Plans for the Week

Ballet, birthdays, soccer, birthdays, more ballet, more soccer, more birthdays.

Picture thoughts:

One More Giveaway~ The Fat Quarter Shop

My computer tells me that one of my five most frequently visited sites lately is  Fat Quarter Shop. Since I have yet to stitch a single quilt block, I thinks this speaks volumes about my tendency to research and obsess before jumping in to a new project! I have actually ordered from the good folks at  Fat Quarter Shop, most recently some darling Ruby Charm Pack squares to make a tiered skirt (perhaps I can show you that tomorrow). They were delivered to me quickly and I couldn't be happier with the service and general friendy helpfulness of the folks there. I've thoroughly enjoyed The Jolly Jabber, blog of Fat Quarter Shop owner Kimberly Jolly. It's especially fun to read Designer Tidbits  which offers interesting peeks into the lives and tastes of fabric designers or to click through the sidebar list of fabric designers' blogs.

The Fat Quarter shop is offering a giveaway of a Home Sweet Home Quilt Kit. 

These colorful arrows will point you straight home! Quilt kit includes Home Sweet Home Quilt Pattern by Debbie Taylor for It's Sew Emma and Hometown fabric for the 65.5" x 87.5" quilt top and binding. A backing set is available separately.

I'm still in my learning-everything-I-can-before-take-the-plunge stage of quilting. If you are a quilter, give me your best advice; tell me about resources; leave me links. What's the best pattern for a beginner? Whose your favorite designer? Chat it up in the comment box. When you leave a comment, you will be entered for a chance at the giveaway. The winner will be announced next Monday! I'm really forward to talking a lot of quilt talk between now and then.

Intentional Weekend: Liberate Yourself from E-slavery

"During the thousand years between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance, what defined human life in the Western world was the Christian religion. People’s daily actions and experiences aligned to the
liturgical calendar, which itself proceeded throughout the year in harmony with the rhythms of the natural world. People knew that this life was preparation for the next, but they also knew that this world was a part of the world to come...[Then] Human life no longer was informed at its center by worship of God but by worship of man...[Now,]...man has also passed and that the age in which we now live—The Age of Technology...In the process man has become a slave. C.S. Lewis called this “the abolition of man,” and his book thus titled explained how three technologies—the radio, the airplane, and the contraceptive pill—all promised greater freedom for mankind but instead became the means for a few to control the lives of the many. Lewis saw these inventions serving the designs of totalitarian regimes. Half a century later, many of us have of our own choosing surrendered our freedom to technology."

"Faithful Catholics see well enough the tyranny of technology in the wicked laboratories where human reproduction is torn asunder from human love. They recognize that the first device aimed at this end, the contraceptive pill, is the bastard offspring of the previous age’s two lies: the perfectibility of man (eugenics) and the total autonomy of man (unlimited sensual gratification without consequences). Where Catholics are less able—or less willing, perhaps—to see technology’s tendency to enslave is in the operation of the machines and systems of modern communication technology: computers, iPads, smartphones, e-mail, social-network pages, chat-rooms, blogs, Web forums, Twitter, the Internet, texting, and so on. We have given our lives over to these devices and habits. My colleague Aaron Wolf has coined a term for this condition: e-slavery."

"The story goes that when Evelyn Waugh at last succumbed to having a telephone installed in his home he answered it this way, “Is this an emergency? If not, write a letter!” None of us could get away with that now, but Waugh, even if he was not what we would call a “people person,” recognized the effect of communication technology on human relationships. It lowers discourse to the trivial.
Scroll through a day’s worth of teenage texting. Read the Tweets or blogs of those whose vanity has convinced them that the whole world is interested in their shopping and sexual habits. Watch the cell phones come out the moment your airplane lands, or read the posts on any Web forum. You will realize that, as Chesterton says, “[i]t is the beginning of all true criticism of our time to realize that it has really nothing to say, at the very moment when it has invented so tremendous a trumpet for saying it” (“The Proper View of Machines,” Illustrated London News, February 10, 1923)."

"“The impotence of the receptive party”: The phrase perfectly describes man’s servile relationship with the images and sounds of modern communication technology. Moving images so influence our lives that we conform our tastes, our clothes, our manners, and our behavior after that of our favorite stars. Some of us are perpetually starring in the movie about our own life, and our iPods provide the neverending soundtrack for this alternate reality."

"St. Augustine identified this human failing long ago, in Book Ten of his Confessions. He called it the lust of the eyes. Our desire to know about these things only drives us further from the divine because they crowd our imaginations when our imaginations should be filled with the contemplation of God. As long as I stay plugged into the noise, the flashing images, and the gossip, I do not risk facing the terrifying silence during which I would be forced to confront that which is most real—the state of my interior life. If my iPod headphones are blaring, I need not acknowledge the supplication of the beggar. If my iPod headphones are blaring, I will not recognize the beggar that is my soul."

Read the entire excellent esssay here and see what the author proposes instead of slavery to technology. I think a slow, thoughtful reading, pondering the message, praying about it, and then acting intentionally could truly be lifechanging.

As for me and my house, I think change could be a good thing.

A Giveaway on the Memorial of Padre Pio

The generous and very talented folks at St. Luke's Brush have offered you a beautiful way to celebrate the feast today. This darling Padre Pio doll can be yours--leave a comment for a chance to win. Amy and Garry Brix of St. Luke's Brush have a special devotion to Padre Pio.  He has become a dear intercessor for their family in the last year and they're offering this darling way to introduce him to your children. Also, September 18th is the one year anniversary of the launch of their Etsy shop.So they are offering free shipping to their returning customers as a thank you for supporting this venture. They will honor that offer through September 30th. September 30th is also the date we'll announce the giveaway winner.

Happy Feast! And remember, Padre Pio was a Capuchin. Cappucino is entirely appropriate today;-)! 

More thoughts on Padre Pio in our family here, here, here, and here.

God our Father, in Saint Pio you gave a light to your faithful people. You made him a pastor of the Church to feed your sheep with his word and to teach them by his example. Help us by his prayers to keep the faith he taught and follow the way of life he showed us. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Introducing Rose Creek Cottage Jewelry~ and another great Giveaway!

 

It's Generosity Week here In the Heart of my Home:-). I'm happy to have the privilege to introduce you to Carol Buehner, the lovely owner of Rose Creek Cottage, a beautifully crafted website that features her original jewelry designs. 

Carol is a creative soul who has poured her heart into her art since she was a little girl. As a little girl, she made good use of fabric in a home that was loved into being by her mother, a designer for Vogue dolls. That was her mother's first job. Her mother's last job was working with Carol on her widely distributed line of Ragamuffin dolls. The times in Carol's life that have been marked with profound sadness have also been the times when God has nudged her towards new creative pursuits. 

She founded Rose Creek jewelry in 2002 and offers a wide selection of beautiful, meaningful jewelry created in her home studio at the edge of woods. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to hear Carol's story. To me, her faithfulness and her ability to see the Creator's vision for her talent are a powerful witness.

Go visit Rose Creek Cottage. Have I mentioned that it's beautiful? Carol is offering you your choice of lovely jewelry, up to a $50 value. All you have to do is follow her blog (have I said how beautiful it is?) and follow her on Facebook and then come back here and leave a comment telling me you're a follower. You can also tell me what you liked over there, if you want to share. I'm definitely shopping at Rose Creek Cottage and pinning something that caught my eye to my Christmas wish list. I'll announce a winner next Thursday.