St. Anthony's Acres

One more week

2009-08-28T18:21:00.003-04:00

I have one more week working at the restaurant, and then I'm free! Well, not so completely free because I'll be starting at the grocery store the day after my last day at the restaurant. Training in on Labor Day, how appropriate is that?

Today is cool and rainy. The kids and I spent most of the day catching up on all the housework that didn't get done during the week. My kitchen is now so clean that I'm reluctant to use it. Supper tonight will be grilled cheese sandwiches and homemade tomato soup. Hoping we can't make too big a mess out of that.

I've decided that we will go back to school on the 14th of September. That's a little later than is traditional, but I think it will work better for us this year. We can always make time up later if needed, like in May when we are still waiting for the snow to melt. ;-) That gives me a little more than two weeks to decide what we're going to use for the basics this year. I've never been one to plan too far ahead, ya know. I'm sure it will be a good year anyway!

We don't really have plans for this weekend. Chuck and I are going to try getting out together for a couple of hours on Saturday mornings. Tomorrow will be the first such morning, and I'm not sure what we will do. We have Mass tomorrow evening, and I work Sunday morning. There is about a ton of laundry to do (only a slight exaggeration- the boys cleaned upstairs today), but we have to wait on the weather to clear up.

I hope all of you enjoy this last weekend of August. God bless!

Well, that was fun...

2009-08-20T20:54:00.002-04:00

We enjoyed our two weeks of summer; too bad it's over now. ;-) Today's high temp was 69, and we had light rain most of the day.

No news, everyone is doing well. I'm hoping to get my camera working so I can get some pictures up. All the kids seem to have grown a lot!

God bless!

Summer! (Finally....)

2009-08-15T10:34:00.002-04:00

Well, we've waited for months and finally got a bit of summer weather here in da U.P.

For most of the country, mid-August highs in the upper 80's would hardly be impressive. BUT we gotta take what we can get. We have been to the lake three evenings in a row, and the kids are loving it. I've got probably forty pounds of sand built up somewhere in the guts of my washing machine, and twice that in the floor of the suburban.

Right now, while I sit at the computer typing up this post and sipping coffee, Chuck is making omelets. Mary Mae, Thomas, and Joseph are already eating. Robert is helping cook, Daniel is building star ships out of legos upstairs, and Raechel is working on her book. After breakfast is cleaned up we have some housework to get done, and I plan to try to get all the laundry done. I need to practice music for Mass this evening, and I'm hoping we will have time to get a workout done. This evening we will probably head out to the lake. Tomorrow is Sunday, but I work in the morning. If we get enough done today we will have next to nothing to do tomorrow afternoon, so if it stays hot we might make it another lake day.

God is good! I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

2009-08-10T18:55:00.002-04:00

daybook for today...

Outside my window... blue skies, white clouds, green grass
I am thinking... I should have done more laundry today.
I am thankful for... having a really good morning at work; I waitressed and we were pretty busy for a Monday morning.
From the kitchen... Dinner tonight is spaghetti, steamed broccoli, and a salad made of lettuce, tomato, sprouted lentils, cucumber, and whatever greens I can pull from the back yard.
I am wearing... old Levi's and a pink t-shirt.
I am reading... Gone With the Wind I've read it before, but I found this copy at St. Vinny's and needed a dose of Southern culture.
I am hoping... to go swimming sometime this week if it warms up.
I am hearing... the wonderful, chaotic, familiar, comforting noise of my family.
Around the house... Flies! My goodness there have been so many houseflies and fruit flies the last few days! The kids are buzzing around (ha, ha) with fly swatters, regular serial killers.
One of my favorite things... Almost the end of another good day; soon the kids will be in bed and Chuck and I will have a few hours of quiet time.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Not much is going on this week. I'll work just a few days, we celebrate Robert's Baptism Day on Wednesday, and sooner or later I'm going to have to catch up on laundry!

God bless!

2009-08-06T20:11:00.003-04:00

Daybook for today...

Outside my window... the kids are playing and the sun is shining.
I am thinking... I am so glad to be home.
I am thankful for... God's providence over the last few months. We have been so blessed!
From the kitchen...I adapted this recipe to suit some lamb loins. It was really yummy! I should add my crock pot to the list of things I'm thankful for. :-)
I am wearing...blue jeans, my work shirt, and the odor of french fries.
I am reading...The Turn of the Screw and a book I picked up at the thrift store about the end of the oil era in America.
I am hoping...Chuck's job will be rewarding for him, and that we will be able to make our schedules work around each other.
I am hearing...screaming from outside, but I'm pretty sure they are just playing.
Around the house...my goodness it is so cluttered here. I used to be so good at keeping our "stuff" under control, but I'm not sure what's happened the last six months. ;-)
One of my favorite things...after I'm done here I'm going to go change clothes and go outside to take laundry off my clothesline. I seriously love folding laundry that still smells of the clean outdoors. Putting it away is another matter.
A few plans for the rest of the week: This week is almost over. I work Friday night, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning at the restaurant. I am, however, really looking forward to playing organ again at Mass on Saturday evening. That's one thing I forgot to mention in my previous update- I have a permanent 'gig' at St. Mary's in Rockland as organist and cantor. I've never played organ before, and it is a totally different creature from piano! But I think I'm catching on; maybe I'll eventually even learn the foot pedals! :o)

God bless!

courtesy of The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Today's Dilemma

2009-08-05T15:29:00.002-04:00

How do you clean up Vaseline off the toddler, the floor, a table, and a small toy phone?

Mary Mae is going to have the softest hands and arms ever.

Back to Blogging

2009-08-04T15:01:00.003-04:00

I mean it... I'm seriously going to continue updating more regularly from now on! ;-)

First, some good news... Chuck has found a job working at the local car dealership/garage; he starts tomorrow. We are so relieved! I will continue working at the restaurant for now, depending on how well we can juggle schedules. Hopefully this will give us enough to squeak by. Thank you, Jesus, Amen!

All the children are doing well, staying healthy, working and playing lots, and growing like weeds! Robert celebrated his 14th birthday last week We are so proud of him, happy birthday, honey! Our next birthday will be in September when Mary Mae turns two. All my babies are growing up too quickly. :-)

We have enjoyed a very cool, comfortable summer so far. Actually, I can hardly bring myself to consider this summer! I don't think we've had a day above 90* so far, and many days we don't get out of the 70's. So far today our high is 68, and it is already after 3pm. We're enjoying it, but our garden not so much. We've got some plants that may yet do okay, but there's really no hope of getting peppers or cukes this year. Most of the other seed we planted didn't even germinate at all, not even the lettuces. :-( BUT we've got a few good-sized rows tilled that we can keep weeding, then mulch over really well this fall to use as potato beds next season. I figure that any time and effort we put into the garden is not ever wasted, because of the experience we gain. For example, I've decided that trying to grow veggies is pretty much pointless unless I can figure out a place to start the plants indoors ahead of time.

Today Chuck and I finished Day 51 of our 90-day exercise routine. I'm so proud of us! :-) Out of those 51 days we've only missed four... I'm just amazed that we're doing as well as that! For July we logged a total of 1,693 minutes. My YTD is 6,060. I'm more than two-thirds of the way to my goal already! :~D Chuck and I have both definitely noticed major improvements in the last eight weeks. When we did the Day 1 exercise we were both huffing and puffing before the end of the warm up. Neither of us are even close to being in "athletic" shape BUT we have both gained strength, endurance, and flexibility.

That's all the update I have time for right now. It's dinner time. God bless you all, please say a prayer for us, too.

Hello, July!?

2009-07-05T20:00:00.002-04:00

Is it just me or is time speeding up?

I was just telling Chuck that he needed to update his blog. "My blog?" He says. "You need to update your blog!" So, here I am... updating my blog just in case there is anybody who still checks in on me from time to time. :o)

We didn't do much for Independence Day, just did our normal morning exercise and then worked around the house most of the day. We met some friends at Mass and then afterward went to a neighbor's house for a potluck dinner. That was fun, and we leared quite a bit about the area from folks that have lived, and farmed here for almost 30 years. Just don't ask me how to pronounce their (Finnish) last name!

Speaking of exercise, I bet you're wondering whether or not I've been keeping track of my minutes. (Remember my resolution to get 9,002 minutes of exercise this year?) Well, I don't have the exact number in front of me now, but I've gotten somewhere over four thousand minutes of exercise through the end of June. Thanks to P90X, Chuck and I are getting at least an hour of exercise a day, six days a week. We've just completed week 3!

The big event from the last week was a new addition to our family. No, I'm not pregnant again... yet! ;-) We adopted a new dog named Sophie. She is a St. Bernard; she's actually small for her breed weighing "only" about 100 pounds. I'll admit, the first day she made me nervous. Such a huge dog around the little children would make any mother nervous, I think. The fact that she got away from Daniel and killed one of our chickens that first day did NOT help matters. However, as she has been settling in this week, I've realized she really is a very gentle and well-trained dog. We just don't take her anywhere near the chicken yard! She has very good leash manners, will heal and sit on command, and she's already house-broken. Either Chuck or I will get some pictures up pretty soon, I hope.

It's been so long since I last wrote, you would think I'd have more to write about. Well, that's all I really can make time for right now anyway. The kids and Chuck and I are all doing well. God bless you all!

I'm Still Here!

2009-05-20T13:05:00.004-04:00

I think it is funny that my last blog update was on April Fools' Day. Ha!

We are all doing well, we've just been so busy. I'm only getting on the computer every couple of days, and when I do it's only for a minute. Quite a change from a year or so ago when I'd sit at the computer any time Mary Mae needed to nurse, several times a day!

As of yesterday, Chuck has been home for exactly three months. Every once in a while one or the other of us will have an attack of doubt and worry, but for the most part we encourage each other right out of it. Lord help us if we ever have an attack at the same time! ;-)

Well, since I last updated we went and got a pair of dairy goats. Cocoa is a 4-year-old Alpine and Lily is a 2-year-old Toggenburg. They are both sweet as can be, very well behaved as far as goats go, and they are giving us about 5 quarts a day of the sweetest, yummiest milk we've ever had! We've also increased our chicken flock to 40-some hens. Not all of them are laying yet (the younger ones) but we're getting around two dozen eggs a day. We've put up signs to start selling eggs... only sold one dozen so far, but gotta start somewhere. Now if we could just get the garden in it would feel like a "real" homestead around here.

All the kids are well, staying healthy and spending as much time as possible outside. They only come in these days to eat and sleep, and even then they come in reluctantly. ;-)

There really isn't that much to share as far as news goes. Our little lives in the North Woods just goes on, day by day, one way or another. God is so very, very good to us. I cannot begin to tell all the little ways in which He has blessed us these last few months.

I'm posting this message with a bit of haste and a lot of love... God bless you all!

April

2009-04-01T21:52:00.005-04:00

The first quarter of 2009 is already over. Time flies when you're having fun! ;-)

We have had wet stuff falling out of the sky off and on for a couple of days now. It is too cold to be rain, too wet to be snow, not icy enough to be sleet... just your typical "early-early-spring" nameless precipitation. We still have lots of snow, but the bare patches of ground are spreading and multiplying day by day. I think all of us are getting restless for spring.

Today I did something that surprised all of us, even myself. I made pasties. Usually when I've attempted to make pastry it has ended in frustration. But it worked today. The amazing thing is that I didn't follow a recipe, didn't measure a thing, and yet this pastry crust dough turned out more workable than anything I've done before. Within this crust you put a mixture of meat (I used ground beef and pork, but we'll probably use ground mutton next time), potatoes, carrots, onion, and rutabaga. It is quite literally a beef pot pie but without the "pot". They are so yummy, and I think they look pretty, too.

I've been keeping up on my exercise resolution, aren't you surprised!? ;-) In February I got 1,038 minutes of exercise. March was way less, only 691 minutes. This gives me a YTD total of 3,056 minutes towards my goal for the year of 9,002 minutes of exercise. "Somebody" broke my scale more than a month ago, so I have no idea what I'm weighing these days. Maybe that's just as well! I'm feeling good, though, and that is the point anyway.

One thing I have NOT kept up with, and that is taking pictures of the children. I'll really try to get lots of pictures to share tomorrow! But Mary is pushing her blanket on my lap and that means she's ready for bedtime.

God bless!

What a month!

2009-03-25T22:29:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I've neglected my blog ever since Thomas' birthday. Bad blogger! We have had a very eventful time since then, so at least I have a good excuse for disappearing.

Chuck has been home for over a month. It has been a big adjustment for him and for the kids and me, but we are so happy about being all together again. The "vacation" feeling has been wearing off for him, though, so he's been chopping wood, working around the house, spending extra time playing with the kids, and generally keeping himself busy doing all those "guy" things he now has time to do. Right now he is giving the Suburban an oil change under the watchful eye of a few little boys and one curious chicken. And in his "free" time he is studying for the state licensing exam to sell insurance. He is hoping to be able to complete this process within a few more weeks so prayers would be most appreciated!

In a way I guess you could say that Chuck and I have temporarily traded places. I got a part-time job working at the restaurant in town. I've completed two weeks now, and there are lots of things I like about the job. I'm finding out that cleaning somebody else's kitchen can be a lot more enjoyable than cleaning mine. I'm also picking up a few ideas that will help keep my own kitchen running more smoothly. When there is time I'll be sure to share some of these tips, in case some of my readers might find them helpful. It has been very strange to be employed outside the home again after more than a decade of being "just" a mom. Despite the fact that staying at home is looked down on by most people as a waste of time and talent, I was always really proud of my "SAHM" status. Thinking about it, maybe that is exactly why Our Lord has asked me to give up that status for a while. Another benefit is that I will never walk into a restaurant again without more appreciation of what the staff is dealing with.

And through all this we are seeing just how wonderful our bunch of kids can be. They have really pulled together and been working well through this time of adjustment. We are keeping up with their school work and chores pretty well. Everybody has been healthy, which is just amazing. For this cold and flu season we've had one minor bug that didn't even hit all the children. I am so thankful for their good health! I know it has been a long time since we've put pictures up. I promise we will get pictures just as soon as I have time to take some worth sharing.

We are heading toward spring break-up, but not there yet. There is still way more snow than bare ground out there! We're having highs above freezing, but there is snow in the forecast for this weekend, and we still have the "Easter blizzard" to contend with. Then there will be several weeks where we trade in the snow for mud (not an improvement, if you ask me.) And THEN it will finally really be spring!

I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting to share, but that's all the update I have time for right now. Thank you all for your love and prayers... God will bless you for your kindness!

Happy Birthday, Thomas!

2009-02-24T17:12:00.004-05:00

Five years ago today, our Thomas was born!

Interestingly enough, Mardi Gras fell on this day the year he was born, too. I remember joking that I began my penance a day early. ;-) Chuck made homemade doughnuts for breakfast today, so that was a real treat. Thomas has requested shepherd's pie for his birthday dinner, and a chocolate cake for dessert.

I'll post some pictures later this evening...

Bizarre

2009-02-23T21:02:00.004-05:00

When Obama's picture showed up on votive candles a few weeks before the election, I thought that was strange.

Since his election I have seen him referred to as "Savior" and "The One" as well as the "Anti-Christ". That's weired enough. But this picture, which I snagged from a news article linked in my yahoo mailbox, is just plain CREEPY.

I asked Thomas and Joseph what they thought it looked like, and they said he has a "halo".

Like I said; creepy.

Lord, have mercy...

Almost here!

2009-02-20T00:03:00.002-05:00

Chuck just called a bit ago.. his plane landed safely and he is driving home right now. Thank you for your prayers! I hope you all have a very blessed weekend!

Yay!

2009-02-18T17:55:00.002-05:00

Good news! Chuck will be traveling home tomorrow! He has a long day, so please pray for patience and strength for him! He will need to be at the airport by about 8:00 in the morning California time, and he will not get to Houghton until about midnight Eastern time. Then he has the hour drive home. Prayers for his safety are greatly appreciated, too!

And I'd also like to wish my dear Mother-In-Love a very happy birthday. We all love you and miss you very much, and your card is in the mail. ;-)

God bless!

Have you ever found a Lego imbedded in an onion?

2009-02-16T22:36:00.000-05:00

Neither have I.

Until today.

Philipians Friday

2009-02-13T10:05:00.000-05:00

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philipians 4:8 NIV

I am totally stealing this from another blog, and I am VERY SORRY to say I do not even remember which blog! Still, I like this idea so much, I hope it is okay for me to adopt it. I've been really fighting a negative attitude lately. I pray that forcing myself to "think Biblically", even for just a little while on a Friday morning, will be a blessing for me and perhaps an update and an inspiration for my readers- all four of you. ;-)

True- It will be winter here for a while yet, and that's okay. No matter that the daffodils at the Dominican Monastery where we used to attend Mass are already blooming; no matter that the last few days have been so unseasonably warm that much of the snow has melted. It is only February and this is the U.P. and the snow won't be going anywhere for a long time yet, and it really is beautiful.

Noble- I finally mailed the photo albums we made for the children's Grandparents back in December. The fact that I made it to the post office is fairly noble; the fact that I made it about two months late, not so much.

Right- "Let us never grow weary of doing what is right." (see Galatians 6:9) I have this printed off in the largest lettering possible and hanging up in the bathroom above the dryer for a "Memory Verse". This time of year it is easy to grow weary, but I have to keep doing what I know I should!

Pure- I overheard Joseph discussing his catechism lesson with Thomas. These two boys have certainly contributed to some of my grey hair, but deep down, they LOVE Jesus and are learning to follow Him. What they lack in maturity at this point in their lives, they make up for with their pure little hearts.

Lovely- Our Mary Mae is lovely, of course. She has started "talking" more suddenly, and I just love her precious voice!

Admirable- This girl. (Link is to a youtube video of a 12-year-old girl's pro-life presentation)

Excellent- We will be watching my all-time favorite movie The Song of Bernadette this weekend, in honor of the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11. I just love this movie, and I've been looking forward to seeing it again all week. We watched it all together the morning before I went into labor with Hope. The final line, "You are now in heaven and on earth" never fails to make me cry. It's also kind of neat that the actress who played Bernadette was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, our home town.

Praiseworthy- All the children have been doing really well with their lessons since we got back to work after the holidays five weeks ago. They are really making progress. I'm very proud of them for working so hard and so cheerfully!

Thank you, Dear Lord, for all these things!

Consider the Lilies

2009-02-12T21:26:00.004-05:00

And why do you worry about clothes?

See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If God so clothes the grass which is here today and tomorrow is thrown in the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? Oh, you of little faith!

So, do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What will we do for clothing?" For the pagans run after all these things and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

January Thaw in February

2009-02-10T10:49:00.002-05:00

We haven't been UP here long enough to really know what is normal weather and what is not. But from what we understand, there is "always" a thaw in January.

We didn't see a single day in January even approach 30 degrees, much less get above freezing. But it's finally happened. Even our overnight low was above freezing last night, and we are in the 40's right now!

Needless to say, we will not even try to do lessons until the children get tired of sledding through the slush and playing baseball on our long-lost driveway. (There's gravel under there!)

I was talking to the nice lady at the post office (the one who knows EVERYBODY'S name and address off the top of her head- amazing!) and she said she even starts corn indoors around the end of February or by mid-March. I never knew you could do that. Of course, I do not have any growlights, but I might be able to at least set up a table under our large, south facing window in the living room. Hey, it might work.

I gotta say, this winter has seemed really long for me. It has not been easy to adjust to the climate up here, so very different from southern Alabama! Can't start thinking too much about spring yet... last year it was May before we finally saw the snow disappear...

Matthew 6:26

2009-02-05T17:53:00.003-05:00

Behold the birds of the air,

for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them.

Are not you of much more value than they?

January Exercise Update

2009-01-31T19:06:00.003-05:00

My goal for this year is to get 9,002 minutes of exercise. Well, I really got off to a strong start with 1,327 minutes for the month of January!

Now that exercise is a well-established habit for me, I really need to start addressing some issues with my diet. So, for February, I'm going to focus on eliminating refined sugar while keeping up the exercise. For the longest time I didn't even buy white sugar- I used only honey or real maple syrup. But that sack somehow snuck back into my pantry, I'm not even sure how. And, well, since it was there I figured a teaspoon (or two) in my coffee or cocoa wouldn't hurt...

So, that's my health resolution update. What about you?

Heat Wave!

2009-01-31T18:54:00.000-05:00

http://st-anthonys-weather.blogspot.com/

Tomorrow's Forecast

2009-01-30T21:53:00.003-05:00

Much warmer... highs around 30.

The funny thing? I'm excited!

Wow!

2009-01-30T09:31:00.006-05:00

The California octuplets have six older siblings.

Suleman said her daughter had embryos implanted last year, and after finding out she was pregnant with multiple babies was given the option by doctors of selectively reducing the number of embryos. The woman declined.
"What do you suggest she should have done? She refused to have them killed," Suleman told the Times. "That is a very painful thing."

I can only imagine that she was under tremendous pressure to "selectively reduce" (despite her mothers comment that she was merely given the option). I can almost hear her doctors' arguments... You already have six other children. This pregnancy is extremely dangerous. Seven is too many (the eighth baby was a complete surprise at delivery). You could loose them all. You could die.

They called it "reduction" of "embryos". But she refused to KILL her BABIES.

God bless them all!

Matthew 6: 24

2009-01-29T23:56:00.003-05:00

No one can serve two masters;

for a slave will either hate the one and love the other,

or be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and wealth.