John the Baptist

Only 3 births are celebrated by the Catholic Church: Jesus, Mary, & John the Baptist. John the Baptist was born 6 months before Jesus; during the summer solstice. Jesus was born around the winter solstice. I heard a priest say on a podcast yesterday: John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30. John was born at a time when the days began getting shorter. After Jesus was born, the days started getting longer. God’s timing is so good.

Seder Meal

​Yesterday my friend invited us over for a beautiful Seder Meal with her and her 6 kids. Lamb, egg, matza bread, butter herbs, haroset, & vegetable as well and 4 glasses of ‘wine’ (sparkling grape juice). We reclined on pillows, followed along with the prayers lead by the male head of household, sang songs, and relived Jesus’ last supper together. It was simply beautiful! I highly recommend we do this again. 🥰

Poster Contest

​Elizabeth won 2nd place in a pro-life poster contest at our church this wkend and a $50 gift card for CK Dudley’s. ❣️

Ballet

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My beautiful ballerina at her first ballet 12/15.

Beautiful Weather this Summer & Fall

​Before I forget to note: this year was a perfect weather, low allergy, low bug year.  The summer was perfect for temps and rain.  The wintery-spring lasted long into April, but the ground was moist. And this autumn has been one of the longest.  We saw a few flakes in Oct, so that was the end of the garden, but on Halloween it was in the high 60’s. Nov 2 it was 69°.  We haven’t had to use the new wood stove but a few time, much to David’s disappointment because he likes tending the fire. 

Elizabeth’s Last Year As a Pre-teen

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My baby girl turned 12 today. She had a Hawaiian party with a few (homeschool) friends since it was on a Tuesday. She plays the piano beautifully. She enjoys history, reading, and baking. Dislikes: shopping. 😆 

Wood Heat Indoors vs Outdoors

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Thanks to David & Gary’s fancy tile work and Wilkening’s installation, we have a new wood stove since Sept 26th. It has soap stones on the inside to heat up and hold the heat longer. The basement went from 66° to 84° pretty quickly.  I believe it has a catalytic converter inside, but we looked at SO many, I can’t remember anymore. 🤦‍♀️ Its super efficient and very pretty. 

Bye, Bye, Baby

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My girls are 9 & 11 yo. We’ve been cleaning out and giving items they’ve outgrown to others. While it’s so sad for me to get rid of some of the silliest things, I’m happy to bless others with free baby items that will be loved. This new chapter is hard, leaving behind their babyhood, but the girls understand. Maybe I can convince my heart the same. 

Felicity’s Last Year of Single Digits

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My Baby Girl turned 9 today. She is the happiest little thing, loves her ukulele, hamster ‘Clover’, stuffies, & shopping. Dislikes: schoolwork. 😆

Mom IS the Home

Merry Christmas. I read this in an article about veiling at mass and thought it was too beautiful not to share.  I veil at church; for respect to Christ, for my own humility. I don’t require my daughters to because that is their own personal choice. Sometimes I am the only one, sometimes there are 4-5 more, but when we attended a Latin mass in Crookston, every woman and girl was wearing a veil. It was gorgeous.  

I was reading an article about a man writing about veiling and how beautiful is wife is to him.  I love this quote about a mother IS a home.  I think we felt that as children growing up, but don’t realize it as mothers ourselves how weighty this job really is for us to our family.  We aren’t just the sandwich cutters or book readers or laundry folders.  A mother IS the heart of the home. 

“The Blessed Virgin Mary reminds us that a mother does not “make” a home. A mother is home. Eve is the height of creation because she is a prophecy of the New Eve, the Mother of the Church, the Virgin Mary — and in all her statues and icons, Mary is wearing a veil.”