Pondered In My Heart

A Very Merry Christmas

 Has it been a week already?

The warmth and glow and magic and joy that is Christmas continues to spill over and dominate our days. Holy Mother Church tells us Christmas is an octave of feasts and a whole season of rejoicing, and we are so happy to comply, carrying on with music and feasting and celebrating day after day.

Some of my favorite Christmas memories this year come courtesy of Eliza, who firmly believes that it is very much still Christmas. She continues to greet everyone in the family numerous times a day with a sincere "Merry Christmas", and she is not happy until you respond in kind. The Christmas tree still delights her so- she runs from shiny ball to shiny ball to peer at her own shining self. We will always remember Midnight Mass where the two little ones blissfully slept through it all until the very end. At the first notes of the recessional hymn, Angels We Have Heard on High, Eliza woke with a start and declared It's Christmas! Indeed.

After Mass again Christmas morning and much needed naps we all settled in to open our gifts. Surely Christmas is the celebration of mankind's greatest Gift, but that doesn't mean we don't revel in our humble gifts to each other. Each family member takes turns passing out their gifts.

Gifts made with their own hands and made for the sole purpose of delighting their recipients.

And delighted they are. Mary Rose is thrilled with her new bow and arrows.

 

You know you have the best brother in the whole world when he gives you your very own battle ax.

 
And Dad is very pleased with his sword not forged by dwarves or elves but carved by the hands of his own son.

But we relish 'boughten' gifts as well. Lydia was tickled with the boxed Legolas her big brother found for her at the thrift shop (and everyone knows Queen Susan gets her best moves from Leggie).

And the dudes were in dire need of new hats.

And this is surely the sweetest apron you could ever give a bird loving baker. Thanks, Nana! 

 
Finally, at an extraordinarily late hour that is too embarrassing to mention Jonathan and Lydia made gnocchi for a late supper. When it's just the immediate family you can do that sort of thing, and make Christmas dinner when you are hungry and get around to it. Though we have not a drop of Italian blood in us, they can make awesome gnocchi like an Italian grandmother - light fluffy pillows of potatoey goodness.

 
Despite being so tired from the late night and early morning no one wanted to go to bed, and we ended our festivities by singing late into the night. It was a most blessed Christmas Day from start to finish.

Puer Natus Est

O God, who hast made this most holy night shine forth with the splendour of the true Light: grant, we beseech Thee, that we, who have known the mysteries of His light on earth, may enjoy also His happiness in heaven. - Collect, The Nativity of Our Lord, First Mass at Midnight
 

Blessed Christmas to all of you from all of us! 

We're Getting Closer Daybook

Outside my window - It's dark and still.

I am hearing  - Jonathan on the Steinway playing something new I don't recognize. Mary Rose helping Eliza paint and make presents. Kateri's heavy breathing as she sleeps on my lap. She woke up from a nap not quite rested enough and is taking the remainder of her repose snuggled on her mama. (Hence the blogging.)

I am wearing - A plaid wool skirt and wool sweater, a sleeping child under a wool blanket. 

I am thankful for - So many things. Thankful we all stayed in safe and sound Sunday morning. The boys were ready to leave early for Mass when Michael realized it might be icy as it was raining lightly and freezing cold.  Looking out the window he saw car after car stop on the road, unable to proceed up or down the hill due to the ice. We've since learned there were two fatalities on the ice Sunday. We are very thankful we can see the main road from our vast sunroom windows.  I'm also so thankful for this wonderful homecoming that made me cry, and this one coming soon, and this sweet new one everyone has been waiting for, and this wonderful surprise that really shouldn't surprise us. God is so very good.

I am thinking about - The sermon we heard on Tuesday. My dear husband forgot to wake us early for Mass and so we went late instead, and were blessed by the rare treat of having our beloved 97 year old Monsignor celebrating. The gospel was of the two brothers, the one who told his father he would work in the vineyard but then didn't, and the other one who told his father he wouldn't work but then did. Monsignor compared Judas to the first brother and the thief on the cross to the second. I continue to think about it as Christmas is the time of year when many people who have spent their whole lives saying no to their Father, no, I will not work in Your vineyard, find it a little bit easier to contemplate changing their minds like the second brother and do what He wants. I pray that the images and sights and sounds of the season will cause many to contemplate the Babe in the manger, and set out to do the will of the Father even if they have been telling Him no for a very long time.

From the kitchen -  Not too much yet, as it's Ember Week. We did have apple pancakes for second breakfast, but tomorrow and Saturday are fasting days. But right at this very moment my dear husband and two of the children are loading a cart at the warehouse full of about twenty-five pounds of butter and dozens and dozens of eggs and sugar and nuts and everything nice, for next week we shall bake! Cookies! Hundreds and hundreds of cookies! Some of them will even have this dark brown delicious stuff called chocolate in them. And on Christmas Eve we will begin to eat them.

In the learning house - Academics are suspended and everyone is spending lots of time on crafts. We have been doing 'Handmade Christmas' since my children were little and it is Tradition to make presents for everyone in the family. Every day it's just piano practice and then off to Making Class as my girls like to call their craft time.

Living the Liturgical Year - The 'O Antiphons' begin today. Jonathan plans to have us sing the Magnificat every evening for our evening Advent devotional time, and he will sing the Antiphons. We'll see!

 

It's rather belated but I have to thank Karen for the delicious St. Lucy bread recipe we, um, devoured on Sunday. Eliza particularly enjoyed it, and the dear girl has asked for more Lucy bread several times since then. You know it's good when Eliza asks for it.

 

Around the house - We got most of the house cleaned last week. It's hard to keep up with the housework and laundry and crafting but we're trying. Hopefully we'll get a tree this weekend, and soon it will be time to decorate!

 
We are creating - Presents! Grocery lists and cookie lists and gift lists, oh my.

One of my favorite things - 

 
Having my college student home all day. I think it's safe to say it's one of everyone else's favorite things as well. 

Advent Days Book

The days are such that I can't seem to finish a post in one day. So this 'daybook' is really a days book, or a weekbook, or something like that.

Outside my window - It's a beautiful sunny day with mostly clear skies. The remains of a dusting of snow are on the ground that makes everything look so pretty and wintery. I hope it lasts.

I am hearing - Mary Rose is practicing piano. Kateri and Eliza are laughing and giggling as they pretend to play 'pling plong' at the table in the sun room. They are using two play spoon for paddles and a pretend ice cream for a ball. It's so funny to hear them announce 'the score' before every 'serve'  - Kateri says 4-8-8 every time while Eliza says northern puffler zero. (don't ask me what a northern puffler is) They are playing this because we did of course get a ping pong table. It's funny how one simple thing leads to so much else in life - Jonathan found those ping pong balls and paddles at the thrift shop for  50 cents and that lead to tableless foyer pong and then we looked for and found a table on craigslist and now we play ping pong all the time. Michael loves to come home and play a few rounds with the boys every night, and I enjoy playing too, and it's always a hoot. If you have teenagers I highly recommend playing ping pong with them. :-)

  

I am wearing - A gray wool skirt that charmed me with its accent pleats. (I thought I was buying this for one of my big girls but they said they already have gray skirts, so I get to keep it - it's fun pretending it fits and that I have a waist this size.) I have on my blue wool Saturday sweater that has a bit of gray in it, and my new black Mary Janes. I have recently discovered my troublesome feet love Dansko shoes, and it is so nice to have shoes that don't hurt. (okay I wrote this the other day when I started this post - today it's a plaid wool skirt and a camel color sweater - same happy shoes)

I am thankful for - We are keeping a simple and quiet Advent and it has been so lovely to really embrace the season of expectation. Maybe it's the fasting from treats, or maybe it's the staying out of the stores and not having to hear 'holiday music', but something feels different this year and it's very nice to really focus on the preparation and not indulge yet in any festivities. Jonathan has successfully taught Alma Redemptoris Mater to those of us who will sing, and we are moving on to Creator Alme Siderum. It seems utterly impossible but I keep reminding myself the other song did too just a week and a half ago. We wait in joyful hope.

I am thinking about - Sweet 'Galadriel' and her family's beautiful faith. When Julie first posted about the discovery of the brain tumor she asked for prayers 'for a holy and happy death'. That immediate spirit of surrender couldn't help but make us think of Abraham being called to sacrifice his beloved Isaac, especially as we read the story for our Jesse tree that same day. And we marveled at how fifteen minutes after she posted asking for prayers the 'ram in the thicket' showed up and his name was Dr. Albright. And now they have their daughter back and day by day they are called to walk in faith as they continue to trust in Him for her recovery. And what a witness that dear girl must be to her caregivers! And O, Lord, increase our faith. And now I'm thinking about another The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, and also The Lord hath taken and the Lord giveth. Blessed be the Name of the Lord! Jesus, I trust in You!

From the kitchen -  We just enjoyed a pan of plain biscuits for tea time, and it was delightful how surprisingly tasty such good simple food is. Soon I'll put on a pot of applesauce with some of this week's seventy four pounds of apples - the box of deer apples was a lot bigger this time so we have a lot of apples. I like eating seasonally - we enjoyed our first crate of clementines on St. Nicholas Day and we'll enjoy many more after Christmas, but for now it's apples. This picture's for my mother who wanted to know what seventy-four pounds of apples looks like (the box started out full).

In the learning house - Academics have slowed down somewhat and everyone is spending lots of time on crafts. We have been doing 'Handmade Christmas' since my children were little and it is Tradition to make presents for everyone in the family. Next week we'll switch over to full time arts and crafts all day every day.

Living the Liturgical Year - Celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception today. Music was lovely at Mass this morning - the highlight (for me) of the simple a cappella music from the very small schola was an Ave Maria Jonathan sang with another young man. I still am amazed to hear him singing, as he never sang in his life, but his newfound love of Gregorian chant has lead him to find his voice and use it to sing for Mass. That was obviously Tuesday -now we are looking forward to celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe on Saturday and Gaudete Sunday with a bit of festivity.

 
Around the house - It's time to do some serious cleaning before we submerge ourselves in the crafts. That's all I'll say. ;-)

We are creating - Presents!

One of my favorite things - the Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes

 
(for instant yellowlegs, or any other color leg warmer, just cut the sleeves off a felted sweater)
 
 (Visit Peggy for more Daybooks here.)

Writing the ABC's on Little Hearts 3

Here is the next group of coloring pages for the Writing the ABC's on Little Hearts series. You can find the pages for letters A-J here.

K is for Kindness, and we have a picture of a little girl offering a cookie to another little girl in an act of Kindness. This is one of my favorite pictures, as I think the girl with the cookie looks so sweet. And that's an important part of Kindness - a sweet and gentle attitude to go along with our actions.

L is for Listen, and we have a group of children who have stopped their playing to Listen to their father who has come into the room. They have turned away from their toys, and are making good eye contact with Dad, and they Listen to whatever he has to say.

 

M is for Mercy, and we have a big brother faced with an opportunity to show Mercy as his little sister has broken his airplane. She is very sorry and has come to him in sadness, but he gives her a friendly hug and all is forgiven. We talk about how we have many opportunities to show Mercy to others throughout the day, forgiving all the little wrongs we suffer. The Lord's Prayer tells us that God will forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us. It's also never too early to teach little ones that God is an Ocean of Mercy, always ready to forgive our sins, no matter how large or small or frequent or ugly they may be.

N is for Neatness, and we have a diligent boy practicing Neatness in putting away all his toys. They are lined up Nicely on the shelf, and all is in order. Neatness and order are pleasing to the eye and soothing to the soul - another lesson well learned young.

 

O is for Obedience, and we want our little ones to learn to practice right-away Obedience. A little girl is putting her book down and getting up to go to her mother as soon as she is called. Our inspiration for the picture is St. Therese, the Little Flower, who tells us in her autobiography she would stop reading as soon as reading time was over, not even finishing an interesting paragraph. Obedience often requires that we subdue our own wills to Obey those in authority. Children are obliged to Obey their parents, and we all in turn strive to Obey the will of God.

 

Download Alphabet Coloring Pages K-O
 
 Thank you as always to Lydia for squeezing these into her busy schedule, and my dear Tech Support for scanning and formatting. Happy coloring!

Feast of St. Ambrose

Today is the Feast of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church. He was a great orator and preached to oppose the heretical teachings of Arianism, which denied the true nature of the Trinity. He is also considered the father of Western hymnody. Though he died in 397, he is an important part of my daily prayer life.

I love to start my day with this Morning Hymn in my missal, which so succinctly and poetically summarizes my hope for every day -

Jam lucis orto sidere... (Breviary Hymn of St. Ambrose.)

Now that the star of light has risen, let us to God most humbly pray,

To save us from all hurtful things in all our actions of the day.

To bridle and restrain our tongue, that wordy war may not resound,

To cover and protect our sight,  from dangerous follies all around.

To drive iniquity away, and purify our inmost soul,

And by spare use of meat and drink, our rebel passions to control.

That, when the day has sped away, and He again the night shall bring,

We may through holy abstinence, with purity His glory sing.

All glory to the Father be; all praise, eternal Son to Thee;

All honour as is ever meet to God the holy Paraclete. Amen.

And this beautiful prayer of his is said in preparation for Holy Mass and reception of the Holy Eucharist-

Prayer of St. Ambrose

O loving Lord Jesus Christ, I a sinner, presuming not on my own merits, but trusting in Thy mercy and goodness, with fear and trembling approach the table of Thy most sacred banquet. For I have defiled both my heart and body with many sins, and have not kept a strict guard over my mind and my tongue. Wherefore, O gracious God, O awful Majesty, I, a wretched creature, entangled in difficulties, have recourse to Thee, the font of mercy; to Thee do I fly that I may be healed, and take refuge under Thy protection. And I ardently desire to have Him as my Savior, Whom I am unable to withstand as my Judge.

To Thee, O lord, I show my wounds, to Thee I lay bare my shame. I know that my sins are many and great, on account of which I am filled with fear. But I trust in Thy mercy, of which there is no end. Look down upon me, therefore, with the eyes of Thy mercy on me, who am full of misery and sin, Thou Who wilt never cease to let flow the fountain of mercy.

Hail, Victim of salvation, offered for me and for all mankind on the tree of the Cross. Hail, noble and precious Blood, flowing from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ and washing away the sins of the whole world. Remember, O Lord, Thy creature, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Blood. I am grieved because I have sinned, I desire to make amends for what I have done.

Take away from me, therefore, O most merciful Father, all my iniquities and sins, that, being purified both in soul, and body, I may worthily partake of the Holy of Holies. And grant that this holy oblation of Thy Body and Blood, of which, though unworthy, I purpose to partake, may be to me the remission of my sins, the perfect cleansing of my offenses, the means of driving away all evil thoughts and of renewing all holy desires, the accomplishment of works pleasing to Thee, as well as the strongest defense for soul and body against the snares of my enemies. Amen.

It can be hard sometimes early in the morning when my brain is still sleepy, or at Holy Mass when so many potential distractions abound, to try to formulate words into meaningful prayers. I am so thankful I can rely on the words of this great saint who so beautifully expresses with words the inner longings of our hearts.

St. Ambrose, pray for us!

St. Nicholas Day in the Morning

 
 

 

 

Please Pray

For this dear family who has just received startling, devastating news.

    Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!
    Our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
    To thee do we cry, poor banished
    children of Eve, to thee do we send
    up our sighs, mourning and weeping
    in this valley, of tears.
    Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
    thine eyes of mercy toward us; and
    after this our exile show unto us the
    blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus;
    O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.

    Pray for us, O holy Mother of God

    That we may be made worthy of the
    promises of Christ.

Update: Surgery is scheduled for early tomorrow morning to try to remove the brain tumor that was originally deemed inoperable. We pray at the clinic on Saturday mornings but we will be on our knees for this dear girl. We pray for this family to be bathed in the richness of God's mercy at this time, for peace and trust and skill for the surgeon, and that in all things God may be glorified.

Cor Jesu Sacratissimum, miserere nobis!

Wordless Wednesday: Thanksgiving 2009

 

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