I'm rocking my babies and babies don't keep

New fireplace top created by my father-in-law

From chicken bath to head and chicks

Mother's Day card from number two

Words from a saint

If I had to advise parents, I should tell them to take great care about the people with whom their children associate. Much harm may result from bad company, and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse rather than what is better. - Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Miscarriage matters

https://thatsinappropriate.com/why-miscarriage-matters-when-youre-pro-life/

Jesus:

If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;

Words of wisdom

1 PT 4/5-14

Reading 1 1 PT 5:5B-14

Beloved: 
Clothe yourselves with humility
in your dealings with one another, for:

God opposes the proud
but bestows favor on the humble.

So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.

Be sober and vigilant.
Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith,
knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world
undergo the same sufferings.
The God of all grace
who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus
will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you
after you have suffered a little.
To him be dominion forever. Amen.

Homily

The word homily is derived from the Greek word ὁμιλία homilia (from ὁμιλεῖν homilein), which means to have verbal communion with a person.

So Long Washer & Dryer!

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me for nearly 3 years--you're out the door! ;)

My washer finally bit the dust.  The last 3 loads I've been having to bail water out by hand since it seemed like the pump was going bad.  David can fix just about anything, but I didn't even ask him to this time.  The drier lets everything come out either slightly damp or fried.  Stick a fork in me, I'm done.  The washer looks modern, but it is 17 yrs old.

Luckily Home Depot was having a "black Friday" in April the wk I had had enough.  I was bummed that I couldn't take my washer/dryer from my old house when we moved, so there are no hard feelings here.

Good bye, you two.  My frustration with you has now come to an end.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...Spring?

04/12/2018

I was raking out the chicken coop and decided to take a picture of this winter wonderland.  I don't mind.  The garden-planning is in my head, the kids are still having fun in the snow, and the comfort foods are still being baked inside.  It'll melt quickly.  It can't be winter forever...can it?  Maybe we've walked into the Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe!! :)

Spring Conferences

My baby is growing up!!

Rock candy

Homemade rock candy!

D E-L J

Obituary for Darren Earl Lee Jackson

Darren Earl Lee Jackson, 23 months old, of Red Lake, MN died on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at the Red Lake PHS Hospital in Red Lake, MN.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00pm, Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at the Red Lake Community Center in Red Lake, MN. A wake will begin at 2:00pm, Monday, January 8, 2018, at the Red Lake Community Center and will continue until the time of the service. Interment will be at the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Red Lake, MN under the direction of the Cease Family Funeral Home in Bemidji. 

He was born on February 7, 2016, in Bemidji, MN, the son of Nicole Buffalo. He enjoyed playing and chasing his cat, playing house with his sister, playing basketball, watching football and “The Lazy Song” by Bruno Mars. He loved to eat and play outside. He spent a lot of time with his Grandma Kathleen and Grandpa Curt. He loved being picked up and held, and would be jealous of Grandma holding any babies or even the cat.

He is survived by his: Mother, Nicole Buffalo,
Brothers, Jameson Martin, Gary Jackson Jr., and Jason Jackson,
Sisters, Andrea Martin, Melvina Martin, Cassidy Jackson,
And Chloe Jackson,
Grandparents, Kathleen Buffalo and Curt Desjarlait,
Roselyn Johnson,
Aunts, Michele Buffalo, and Marlene Buffalo, 
Special Cousin, Miranda Buffalo,

He was preceded in death by his cousin Nicholas Benais Buffalo, grandfather Patrick J. Long, great-grandmother Margaret Johnson, great-grandmother Rose Goodwin, great-grandmother Leslie Ann Buffalo Sayers, and great-great grandmother Mary Sayers.

DJ

Obituary for Darren Earl Lee Jackson

Darren Earl Lee Jackson, 23 months old, of Red Lake, MN died on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at the Red Lake PHS Hospital in Red Lake, MN.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00pm, Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at the Red Lake Community Center in Red Lake, MN. A wake will begin at 2:00pm, Monday, January 8, 2018, at the Red Lake Community Center and will continue until the time of the service. Interment will be at the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Red Lake, MN under the direction of the Cease Family Funeral Home in Bemidji. 

He was born on February 7, 2016, in Bemidji, MN, the son of Nicole Buffalo. He enjoyed playing and chasing his cat, playing house with his sister, playing basketball, watching football and “The Lazy Song” by Bruno Mars. He loved to eat and play outside. He spent a lot of time with his Grandma Kathleen and Grandpa Curt. He loved being picked up and held, and would be jealous of Grandma holding any babies or even the cat.

He is survived by his: Mother, Nicole Buffalo,
Brothers, Jameson Martin, Gary Jackson Jr., and Jason Jackson,
Sisters, Andrea Martin, Melvina Martin, Cassidy Jackson,
And Chloe Jackson,
Grandparents, Kathleen Buffalo and Curt Desjarlait,
Roselyn Johnson,
Aunts, Michele Buffalo, and Marlene Buffalo, 
Special Cousin, Miranda Buffalo,

He was preceded in death by his cousin Nicholas Benais Buffalo, grandfather Patrick J. Long, great-grandmother Margaret Johnson, great-grandmother Rose Goodwin, great-grandmother Leslie Ann Buffalo Sayers, and great-great grandmother Mary Sayers.

My Heart Hurts

I just found out that a friend of mine had her baby, breech and baby got stuck.  Baby was born brain  dead.  The family of 6 decided to donate baby girl's organs and somewhere a 1 month old little girl got a new heart.

At church we have 2 priests, both middle aged and full of wisdom.  We love them both dearly.  This wkend one priest made the announcement that the other would like to let the congregation know that he was just diagnosed with ALS.  He's going to the Mayo for a 2nd opinion.

Just when things seem to be going so well, you're given more to pray for each day, either in thanksgiving or lifting those up in prayer around you.  Time to just slow down and live.

Dec 10, 2016

2017 US Tragedies

* Donald Trump became our 45th president, beating out Hillary Clinton.
* Wildfires: California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington; so far this year, more than 8 million acres have burned
* Hurricanes: Harvey (Category 4, Tx), Irma (Category 5, FL, British Virgin Islands), Maria (Category 5, Puerto Rico). "In just three days, Irma, Jose and Katia have produced as much as energy as about half a normal six-month hurricane season."
* Las Vegas Shooting: 59 killed, over 500 injured.
* Tornadoes:  There have been 1,423 reports of tornadoes in the United States in 2017 so far.
* Earthquake: Mexico 8.1.

Master Bedroom Renovations

My helper! :)

Our basement is white, and I think I'll leave it that way because it will prob be too dark otherwise since it is a 1/2 buried basement with little windows/sunlight.  However we have lived in our home 2 yrs now and while I painted over the bright white upstairs (entryway, living room, kitchen/dining room, office, hallway, & bathroom), the master bedroom was still left.  So after painting the outside of the house, the inside upstairs, stripping and staining the 2 decks, and finishing up the garden...my bedroom finally made it to the top of the to-do list!  It's hard to tell in the photos, but the top is a very light, pastel pink and the bottom was mauve with a very frilly, flowery border.  YUCK!!!  Now I go to bed with a boring, mellow brown lulling me to sleep and that suites me just fine.  

That being said our house is DONE being painted...for now!

Before! ARG!!!

Ahhhh...after!

Are you Chronically Conflicted? DO you Avoid Conflict? I do...

1. You Fear Disappointing Or Displeasing Anybody

Conflict avoidance is classic people-pleasing behavior. If people-pleasing doesn't sound that bad to you (why would you not want to make other people happy?), we're talking about the extreme here: where a fear of provoking displeasure or negative emotions in others keeps you from expressing yourself or trying to fix issues. Conflict avoidance often comes from a deep fear of pissing anybody off or making them "dislike" you in any way; in the conflict-avoidant person's mind, enduring a bad situation is better than fighting about it and possibly incurring somebody's displeasure.

2. You Pull Conversational Maneuvers To Get Away From Fights

Serial conflict-avoiders will have a series of unconscious manoeuvres to get out of fight situations. Maybe you throw out a joke; maybe you get all passive-aggressive; maybe you leave the room, or deliberately change the subject. But if things start to look like conflict, your immediate reaction is to either get out of the situation or somehow change it so that it's more peaceful, rather than seeing the fight through.

3. You Practice "Gunnysacking"Conflict-avoiding people are often gunnysackers. It's a term from psychology, referring to the practice of silently accumulating grievances, annoyances, and problems as they build up, and then letting them all go in a rush as the "sack" bursts, often completely flooding their target. Gunnysacking is intimately related to conflict avoidance, because it's what happens when you don't resolve things as you go along, and just hold onto them instead. It can also reinforce conflict-avoidant behavior, because after the flood of misery dumps, you may feel absolutely wretched and irrational, and resolve to "be more peaceful" in the future. Cue new gunnysack cycle.

4. You Experienced Bad Conflicts In Your ChildhoodA bit of fighting isn't actually a bad thing. You just have to learn to fight well, and fight respectfully. But conflict-avoidant people tend to have learned, early in their lives, that conflict is a frightening, negative experience to be avoided at all costs, rather than something that can actually resolve problems. Violent fights, irrational parents, conflicts that escalate rapidly into seriously damaging slanging matches: if you've seen a fight go really badly wrong, you'll be inclined to pull away from all possibility of that happening in the future, even if your coworkers are unlikely to pitch a horrific fit if you disagree about a PowerPoint.

5. You Silently Resent That Things Don't Resolve

Here's the thing: in adulthood, some things rarely resolve properly without a good fight, or at least somebody standing up for themselves and asserting their opinion. If you're conflict avoidant, instead of telling your boss they've got your pay wrong and need to fix it, or a boyfriend that their birthday card for your mom was offensive, you'll suffer in silence. Key word "suffer," because the issue at hand won't change if you won't engage in discussion about it, and the same thing will likely happen again. And that's how resentment builds.

6. You've Suffered Injustice And Unfairness Just To Avoid A FightIf you can think of more than one example where avoiding a fight led to a significant disadvantage on your part, you're probably a prime candidate for conflict-avoiding status. Sometimes avoiding conflict is a good idea; if somebody is being irrational, prone to violence, or just needs to be calmed down rather than met with assertive responses, it's a good and diplomatic idea. But you have rights, and if you've let them slip rather than go for a direct confrontation, you're avoiding conflict and costing yourself things in the process. And no, complaining to other people doesn't count as helping a conflict resolve itself.

7. You Have A Fear Of Expressing YourselfThis is tied to #4. Fights are, ultimately, about expressing our own position in ways that may convince the other person that they're wrong. If, however, you've come from an environment where your own views were met with dismissiveness, snorts of derision, serious smack downs, constant criticism, or any other kind of systemic dismantling, you're not going to feel comfortable asserting yourself.

This is also, frankly, a feminist issue. Women, as Jennifer Lawrence pointed out so eloquently in her essay for Lenny Letter about salary negotiations, are supposed to be "nice". We're not supposed to play hardball, step up to criticism, come out guns blazing, or stand our ground. We're culturally expected to couch any self-expression within apology, humility, and gentleness. Being assertive is not part of our set of cultural weapons, but it damn well should be. If you avoid conflict because, on some level, you believe it's not ladylike to get involved in deep, dirty fights, you may be doing yourself a serious disservice.

Getting out of conflict-avoidant patterns is tricky, but there are a lot of psychological guides to getting what you need out of a conflict, from pre-planning your sentences in your head to figuring out how you'd like things to resolve ahead of time. It's all right. A simple verbal confrontation over sandwiches with a barista won't kill you. I promise.