facing reality

The best part about having a snack of apples and peanut butter

is the peanut butter.

Just something I've noticed.....

..... there is a beautiful patina of the souls of the people who have been through the Refiner's Fire.

tee hee hee

I don't even know why, but it makes me chuckle when I hear someone who says

6

"sits"

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Sits.

Don't mean to turn this into a book review blog, but I also recently read Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo, the true account of his son's trip to Heaven and back.
Whether or not you believe Colton Burpo's story, I can tell you that this book brought me a lot of grace during a time I needed it.

****************

My 90 year old grandfather had been in the hospital for three weeks after he underwent a triple bypass open heart surgery.  He had ups and he had downs.  Last Friday night about 10 p.m. or so, my sister called to tell me that she had just talked to one of my aunts and that PawPaw had taken a turn for the worse. 
I grabbed my Rosary beads and headed upstairs to get King to pray with me.  On Fridays, when the Rosary is prayed, one contemplates the Sorrowful Mysteries (Read more about the four Mysteries of the Rosary here). 

1.The Agony in the Garden: Contrition for our sins
2.The Scourging at the Pillar: Mortification of our senses
3.The Crowning with Thorns: Interior mortification
4.The Carrying of the Cross: Patience under crosses
5.The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord: That we may die to ourselves

As I prayed, I could see some parallels in my grandfather's life, especially the last few weeks, and the last few hours of the life of Christ.  My aunt had sent an email out that Friday morning saying that PawPaw had been so thirsty but that he was not allowed to drink anything.  "I thirst." John 19:28
King and I got to the last Mystery.  "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Luke 23:46

We then prayed a Divine Mercy Chaplet and a personal prayer for my grandfather.  God's will, not our own.

Redemption in suffering.

A couple of minutes after King and I prayed, my sister called back.  My aunt had just called. 

"It is finished." John 19:30



blech

Recently I went to my local library to pick up an "on hold" book up for #2.  I happened to pass by the recent release shelf.  Two books jumped out at me and begged for me to bring them home to read.

Bossypants by Tina Fey and Jeannie Out of the Bottle by Barbara Eden.

Bossypants had a great first chapter where I laughed until I nearly wet myself.  The rest of the book was lame.  In case she follows my blog, my message to Tina is this, "Yes, you should have another baby.  You will never regret having a child, but you will certainly regret not having a child."

Jeannie Out of the Bottle meh... I can't really tell you how the entire book was because I decided to return it to the library after reading the first couple of chapters.  Despite the great reviews it has gotten, I grew weary from the fact that she kept stressing that Larry Hagman was a jealous, womanizing drunk.  Yawn. 
My message to Barbara: "IDOJ was one of my favorite tv shows as a child. Let me live in that jeweled bottle where I've always wanted to live anyway. Let me remember it with its magical, pink, cerebral and physical humor. I don't want to know the ugly "real life" details, but thanks anyway." 

Hrm... wonder how the book that #2 got is?

just wondering

Why is it that when a four year old comes to you in the middle of the night not feeling too good and who sits there so sweetly, with her adorable and puffy "just-woke-up" face, while you fumble around for the Liquid Advil is so much sweeter and cuddlier than that same child was just hours before that?

quite quiet in here then... moreso than yesterday

Just because I think the world needs a refresher course:


quiet = shhhh; not loud

quite = almost; very nearly

then = a particular time; opposite of now

than =  word used to compare

          ***************

Correct: She isn't as pretty now as she was then.

Incorrect: She is prettier then she was in high school.

Correct: Hmm, it sure is quiet in here.

Incorrect: Without the kids in a million activities, things sure were quite this summer.

more "love of the game"

As promised: Pictures of my awesome middle child playing softball!



Alert in left field!




Batter up!




Made it to first and waiting to steal second!




Sweet, sweaty smile in the dugout!



She is truly enjoying the game and, though my opinion is biased, she's a great little athlete!!

Today marks a special countdown:

King has exactly one year

to plan

what we will do to celebrate our

20th wedding anniversary!

The traditional gift for a 20th Anniversary celebration is bone china.

Um, am I alone in thinking that is dumb?  Oh wait, I know... it's because in the past 19 years, your children have smashed all your dishes to pieces.

Well, the tradition of giving china was probably thought up before Corelle was invented. 

So, let's move on to the contemporary gift: platinummmm...  Much better!

Oh, and what about the really, really, really contemporary, (as in I-just-made-this-up) gift idea: trip to New England.

Now, see, those are ideas I can really get excited about.

Bone china?  Hmmmff, please!

9/11

It's not that I am not proud to be American.
It's not that I don't value all the beautiful lives that were snuffed out that day.
It's not that I don't know that there were countless heroes born that day.

I will never forget any of it:
The second plane hitting.
The voice of the newsman.
The image of people falling to their deaths.

It's that I just can't revisit the pain, the fear, the panic.

yella

We had some green and gold balloons left over from one of the ballgames.  The kids were having a blast playing with them.  A friend of #5's came over to play.  Since my last born is such an "organized" and "in charge" kind of gal (read: OCD), she told her friend,

"Here, you can have this yellow one since your name is Gabriella."

please tattoo this on my forehead

Funny, I needed to be reminded of this.

How 'bout you?

Love,

Martha

(Mary Wannabe)

*************************************

"...He asks it soft, “Been a long time since I’ve heard you talking like that.” His hand finds the nape of my neck, strokes me kind. “You just fallen sick with perfectionism again?”

I don’t open my eyes…. To my dust and my smudges and my grime and my love-smeared mess. Why can’t I remember: the state of my space doesn’t reflect the state of my soul........."

“...God doesn’t ask me to be perfect; He asks me to praise.”

Ann Voskamp

more braggin'

Pardon me while I brag just a little more.

Guess who's team is 5 and 0?



Numero Uno at bat.



AND, as if all this high school football and softball wasn't enough to put me into orbit, my exactly-in-the-middle child is on her school's softball team!

First game next week!

Expect pictures.

guess who's getting some playing time?

Warming up to go in JV game

Gorgeous snap!



*Swoon*
I love my son!



My freshman football player who rocks center position came off the field Friday night after the coach put him in the last of the 3rd qtr and all of the 4th.  His awesome snaps helped the team get a touchdown! (not that they needed it to win, since our team had 40 some odd points and the opposing team had zero)

So he climbs in the car all sweaty and smelly and adorable and says, "Wow.  Playing in a Varsity game is a lot different than playing in a JV game.  The guys are HUGE!  And they hit HARD!"

I am in football heaven.  Not only did I get to see my second-born play in the JV game Thursday night, the Varsity game Friday night, I got to watch Auburn beat Utah State today in the last 2 minutes of the game!

War.Damn.Eagle!

now we are six

The proud six year old celebrated his birthday Monday.  He came into my bedroom fiendishly giggling and told us that he had pulled one over on his sister (#3). 

"I played a joke on her," he boasted. 

"You did?" I asked trying to keep from killing my sweet boy with my morning breath as he was right.in.my.face.

"Yeah, I tricked her into telling me 'Happy Birthday.'  I asked her, 'What do you say to a boy on the day he goes from 5 to 6?' "