This and That

The world still seems off-kilter.  But tilted or not, it keeps on turning and what must be done must be done.

Kelly came to Gran's yesterday, and fueled by her energy we were able to get most of Gran's apartment packed up.  We will rent a U-Haul on Friday and hope to move it all at once.

When Reece got home from school, he went with me to find a sofa for her.  We found a  nice one in chocolate brown microfiber.  It won't be delivered until January, though.  Meanwhile, I'll look for a pet cover for it, to keep it protected from Teddy the Terrible.  

Reece and I stopped at Costco, where he saw one of his classmates.  It was precious.  Blake and his family were in line at the checkout when he saw Reece.  He had the sweetest smile on his face as he called to Reece and waved at him.  Then suddenly he ran to Reece and gave him a great big hug.  My heart just sang.  I told Blake's dad that he has the sweetest little boy, and the dad was beaming.  What a nice encounter.  

The tree is up in the family room.  Ron got some lights for outside, and put them up this evening.  There aren't many, but it looks pretty.  My thrifted Eiffel Tower looks pretty, too.  I didn't have enough white lights, so I used colored ones.

My appetite is slowly but surely returning.  I still can't eat a lot, but I'm managing to eat a couple of meals a day now.  That's a huge improvement!  I look like uh....a cancer patient.  :o)

Hope you are finding some joy and balance in this week before Christmas.  I wish you peace.

Sunday Thoughts

Ron is home, safe and sound.  So afraid that he will get the flu.

All of us have been sick.  I do hope the kids will feel well enough to go to school tomorrow.  They have missed a whole week.  But I won't be surprised if they have to miss a bit more.  This flu has been really awful.  Obviously, my flu shot did not work.  It would have been a miracle if I had NOT gotten it, with all the little coughing children surrounding me.

On December 7 I celebrated the one year anniversary of my second stem cell transplant.  I am so blessed to still be alive and doing well.  My sister Johnnie's stem cells, nearly a perfect match to my own, are working beautifully.  I am so grateful for the amazing care I have received for the past two and a half years.  I have been fighting the cancer as hard as I can, and my wonderful doctors, my family and lots of people I don't even know have been fighting just as hard for me.  I thank God for them, and ask His blessings on all of them.

And now, Christmas.  Last year I was so so sick at this time of the year, and had to spend Christmas in the hospital.  I haven't done much to prepare for it this year, but I am excited to begin now. Let the cookie baking, candle lighting, decorating, and present wrapping begin!  :o)

Yesterday I was talking to Cammie (3 year old) about Christmas.  I asked her what Christmas was all about.  First she said "Christmas tree", then "presents," then she said "birthday."   I was so happy that she knew it was Jesus' birthday.  Then I made the mistake of asking, "Whose birthday?" and she replied, "Mine!"  :o)  So we had a little talk about the baby in the manger of the nativity set and who he is and how much he loves us and how much we love him.

Time to go to Gran's.  See you here again soon.

Another New Birthday

The stem cell transplant went great. It happened at 9:45 Wednesday morning, and took less than half an hour for me to get over 4 million of Johnnie's stem cells. They collected over 10 million cells from her. The ones they took on Monday are frozen and will be saved for me in case I need them in the future. So, my new birthday is December 7, Pearl Harbor Day. :o)

I've had so few problems that they've let me go home on a pass the last three days. I know this will not last indefinitely, so I'm enjoying it as much as possible. I have to go back at night, but I can spend the afternoons and evenings with my family. I get to go again today. Kelly and Johnnie have been with us each day I've been home, but today Johnnie is flying home. I'm going to miss her so much!

Kelly is starting to decorate my house for Christmas. They got the tree up, but half the lights didn't come on, so she went to buy some lights to fill in the dark spots. She put garland and lights on the stairs, and will finish the tree this weekend. The kids were having fun playing with the nativity sets when I got home yesterday.

I haven't done one bit of Christmas shopping. I'll do it online this year.

My sister Sandi will be here this weekend to take Mom back home with her for awhile longer, until I recover. It helps so much to know that Mom is happy and cared for while I'm dealing with all this.

I want to thank those of you who are praying for me. I'm certain it is because of all your prayers that I am doing so well. Please continue to pray--they keep telling me the worst is yet to come. They don't know the power of my prayer army, though. :o) Thank you, thank you!

Skype and Wonderful Lives

Josh picked up a camera for his computer tonight, so that we can use Skype to talk to each other. What a great invention! Tonight Kelly, Johnnie, Sandi and Ron were all here at the hospital, and we were able to get the Skype hooked up and talk to the kids at home. They were so cute. They just took it all for granted; it wasn't anything unusual to them. They kept wanting to see Papa, not me. :o)

We've been using a lot of "new technology." Ron downloaded the book The Help onto my Kindle Fire. I'm enjoying it very much. I've downloaded a couple of older books, and someone put Angry Birds on it.

All that new technology, and what am I doing? Watching It's A Wonderful Life from 1946 on TV. :o)

Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? Clarence Oddbody

Gingerbread and Grandkids

We've been having fun with the grandkids.

Last night we decorated a gingerbread house. It's smaller than the one we had last year, but they didn't mind.

They took turns putting the candies on the house.

Here is Reece, having his turn.






Jacob, decorating the windows.














Lily, working on the roof.














And Ahlyssa, putting on the finishing touches.

The four of them with their gingerbread house.

Today Lys, Lily and I stopped at Hobby Lobby and got tulle to make tutus for Aubrey and Camryn. They were super easy to make, and the girls loved doing it. Pics and instructions later.

Next projects: fudge and Christmas mice. :o)I know the pictures are awfully dark. My camera just does not take good pictures at night.

Tuesday Chatter

I talked with my sister Sandi yesterday, to get an update on baby Finn. He is doing better. They tried to take him off the ventilator, but had to put him back on. They were going to try again later in the day. If he can stay off it for 24 hours, he will be able to go home. Thank you for your continued prayers for this little guy.

We're expecting our son Jason and his family later today, or tonight. I'm so looking forward to having all our kids and grandkids here for Christmas.

Reece was here last night. He interrupted the gift wrapping marathon. I got most of them wrapped, but still have some to do. When he is here it's hard to get interested in other things. He steals all my attention. :o)

I have lots I want to do before the kids get here, so I'd best get off this computer and get busy.

That little Santa ornament above is a painted dried okra--yeah, okra, the vegetable. I think I have 3 or 4 or them. I thought they might mold or spoil, but I've had them for years and years, and they're still fine. Weird, but fine. :o)

BTW, our high temp today is supposed to be 81. It's 75 right now, so I expect it will get there. Feels like early summer. I love Texas!

Fourth Sunday of Advent

It's been a quiet Sunday. We went to Mass, then had lunch at Mom's (beans and rice with cornbread--carb overload)! :o)

I didn't use all of the lights and garland on the stairs that I usually use, so decided to put the leftover garland and lights on the patio. I asked Ron to get the ladder from the garage for me, and of course he took over the task of hanging them. (I didn't plan it that way. No, really). ;o) They look so cute. Now it will be Christmasy when the guys sit out on the patio smoking cigars and drinking their Jamison. Josh says we need a new chiminea. The bottom fell out of the old one, so I guess he's right.

We don't have any lights in the front, just a wreath on the front porch, but I like to put electric candles in the upstairs windows. I need another extension cord.

I got boxes at the Dollar Tree. I'm going to wrap presents tonight. The grands from Houston will be here this week, and I don't dare leave unwrapped gifts around, even hidden in my closet. I also got a box of Christmas cards for Mom. Her neighbors have given her several, and she wants to reciprocate. We'll probably give them a little gift, too. One year we gave loaves of orange cranberry bread, last year small tins of fudge. This year we're thinking little bags of cookies tied up with pretty ribbon.

See that little handcrafted ornament in the picture? I guess it's some kind of Santa Claus. I got it years ago. It's made from a small pine cone, some gesso, a bit of paint and a sprig of garland. It used to scare the heck out of our oldest grandson when he was little. If it was on the tree, I'd have to take it off and put it away when he was here.

I hope you're enjoying your Christmas preparations. Less than a week now! Veni, Emmanuel!

Friday

Friday was a busy day. I was at BAMC all morning. I had an 8:30 appointment with my ophthalmologist for my annual diabetes eye exam. Of course I had to wait awhile. No problems caused by the diabetes, but he prescribed an ointment and some drops for dry eyes. We finished about 10 and I went to the pharmacy. The waiting room was jam packed, but I also needed to pick up a refill for my Synthroid, so I decided to wait. I waited for over an hour.

I was supposed to pick up Ron at work (we are down to one vehicle because Josh is using the truck) so that he could go to a Christmas party that started at 11:30. But first I had to go to Mom's. On the way over there I realized I had forgotten to fill her pill box. There was not a single pill in it. :o\ She was so sweet about it. I rushed in, did a couple of chores, gave her a hug and rushed out.

Ron drove me home and went on to the party. My eyes were dilated, so I had to wear my sunglasses and everything was kind of blurry. They stayed that way until the end of the day!

Ron got home around 2 PM. We went over to the shopping center near our house and got quite a bit of Christmas shopping finished. It was fun because we didn't try to do too much, and we knew what we wanted.

I called Josh this evening to see if Reece was coming to spend the night. Josh brought him over a little while ago. He came in holding peppermint candies, calling them candy canes. :o) I was putting lights and garland on the stairs, and he enjoyed that. He loves the colored lights.

Elf Child

Reece spent the night last night and brought along an elf child. :o)


















They have played so sweetly together. You can tell that Reece loves his little sister. Yesterday he put his hand gently on her cheek and said, "Pink." She had been playing and her cheeks were a little pink. And of course she is crazy about him. She calls him "Ree" and wants to do whatever he is doing. If he asks for a cookie or a glass of chocolate milk, Aubrey says, "What about meee?"

They got up so early this morning. We are going to see Great Gran a little later, and I hope they won't have a meltdown over there because they're sleepy.


They love the Christmas tree and will just stand or sit in front of it looking at all the ornaments. I told them not to take off the ornaments, but sometimes I'll find one in some strange place in the house. Some of them are nearly irresistible to little kids because they are like little toys.

It's been fun having both of them here. I love them so much!

Rejoice, Rejoice!

It's been such a beautiful Gaudete Sunday. Father wore a gorgeous rose chasuble at Mass. He explained how it was called a "casula" in Latin, which means "little house." His homily tied the eight beatitudes from Matthew chapter 5 to the rejoicing we do as Christians. Gaudete Sunday is a day of rejoicing that the Lord is coming soon. We are indeed blessed to be Christians. (Don't forget to light the rose colored candle on your advent wreath).

After Mass we stopped and got Mom a hamburger and fries, then came on home because Kelly was coming for the afternoon. When she got here, we chatted for a bit, then finished putting the last of the ornaments on the tree. Ron topped it off with the vintage star that belonged to my parents back in the day. Then Kelly and I went over to Bath and Body Works where she bought some things, and then to Lowes to look for poinsettias. She found some pretty white ones she liked and got two of them. They will look beautiful on her table.

After shopping, we came back to the house and had dinner. I put a roast in the crock pot this morning before leaving for Mass, and we had that with boiled red potatoes and some french-cut green beans.

I demonstrated my mandolin playing for Kel (ha!), and then it was time for her to go as it was dark and she was taking Mike a plate of food for dinner. It's always so much fun to spend time with her. We may go to the farmer's market tomorrow afternoon. Yay!

I hope your Sunday has been lovely, too. Rejoice!

Crazy Week

Just a quick note to let you know that all is well here. My doctor called earlier this week to tell me that the PET scan results show no cancer in any of my lymph nodes. Woo Hoo! It did show a tiny spot on my lungs, about 1 centimeter, which is probably a little bit of infection. Dr. B said to continue taking my antibiotics. We'll do another scan in a few weeks to make sure that the spot is gone. I'm feeling good. Hair, eyebrows and eyelashes are coming back--slowly.

Ron was in Colorado all week. The modem went out on our computers, so I've been off-line since Tuesday. He went and got a new modem as soon as he got home, and got it installed and working last night.

Reece spent the night with me Tuesday and again last night. We had Great Gran over yesterday to help decorate the Christmas tree. Reece had a great time looking through all the boxes of ornaments. We also made gingerbread boy cookies. It was fun!

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

St. Elizabeth, Mother of St. John the Baptist

Each year Angela, at Where Angels Blog, has a patron saints drawing. She prayerfully draws the name of a saint for anyone who requests one. This is the fourth year that I have received the name of my patron saint from Angela.

My patron saint for 2011 is St. Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.

The story of Elizabeth is beautiful. Here's my condensed version of the story from Luke.

Descended from the line of Aaron, Elizabeth was a cousin of Mary, Mother of Jesus. She and her husband Zachary were righteous and just before God, “walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame.” But they had not been granted the desire of their hearts, to have a son, “and they were both well advanced in years.” Barrenness in those days was looked upon as a sign of reproach from God.

Zachary was fulfilling his priestly duties in the temple one day when the angel Gabriel appeared to him. Gabriel told Zachary that he and Elizabeth would have a son, to be named John, who would be great before God, converting many to the Lord and going before Him with the spirit and power of Elias. Zachary told the angel that he and his wife were too old to have a child, and because he did not believe he was struck dumb, unable to speak until after John was born.

After Zachary's time in the temple, Elizabeth did conceive and hid herself away for five months. At the sixth month, Gabriel announced to Mary in Nazareth that she would be the mother of Jesus, and he told her that Elizabeth was also with child. Mary hurried to the hill country of Juda to be with Elizabeth and share the wonderful news.

When Mary arrived at Elizabeth's house and greeted her, the baby John jumped in Elizabeth's womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaimed in a loud voice, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my lord should come to me? For behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the lord.”

Mary responded with the beautiful words that we know today as the Magnificat. She stayed with Elizabeth for about three months before returning to Nazareth.

When John was born, all the friends and relatives congratulated Zachary and Elizabeth. On the eighth day when they came to circumcise John, they called him by his father's name, Zachary. And Elizabeth told them no, that his name would be John. They said that no one in the family had ever been called John before, and they went to Zachary and asked him what he wanted the baby boy to be called. Zachary took a tablet and wrote on it, “John is his name.” And immediately he was able to speak again, blessing God. The people wondered about the future of this baby, whose birth was so obviously the work of God. And Zachary was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, speaking the words that we pray each morning in the Divine Office, the Canticle of Zechariah.

And Elizabeth's baby boy, John “... grew, and was strengthened in spirit, and was in the deserts until the day of his manifestation to Israel.”

I am delighted to have St. Elizabeth as my patron saint for next year. I have a very special intention that I will ask her to pray for every day. Thank you, Angela!

Veni, Veni Emmanuel

Today we began the beautiful season of Advent. We will use the next 4 weeks to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ.

I have an Advent calendar to share with Reece. We will prepare for Christmas slowly, first putting out the Advent wreath and candles, then the nativity set, to which we will add the pieces a few at a time. The tree will go up with only lights until Gaudete Sunday, when we will put on all of the ornaments. I'm looking forward to thinking of other ways to celebrate Advent with him.

To get a better idea of what Advent means to Catholics, please read the excerpt below.

From the Roman Missal, 1962:

The liturgical texts used during the four weeks of the season of Advent remind the faithful of the "absence of Christ." The Collects of Advent do not end with "through our Lord Jesus Christ," as during the rest of the year. In a spirit of penance and prayer we await the Mediator, the God-Man, preparing for His coming in the flesh, and also for His second coming as our Judge. The Masses for Advent strike a note of preparation and repentance mingled with joy and hope; hence, although the penitential purple is worn and the Gloria is omitted, the joyous Alleluia is retained. The readings from the Old Testament contained in the Introit, Gradual, Offertory, and Communion of the Masses, taken mostly from the prophecies of Isaias and from the Psalms, give eloquent expression to the longing of all nations for a Redeemer. We are impressed by repeated and urgent appeals to the Messias: "Come, delay no longer." The Lessons from St. Paul urge us to dispose ourselves fittingly for His coming. The Gospels describe the terrors of the Last Judgment, the Second Coming, and tell of the preaching of St. John the Baptist "to prepare the way of the Lord."

In Advent, the Greek Church celebrates particularly the ancestors of Our Lord--all the Patriarchs and Prophets of the Old Testament, but especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Latin Church also mentions them often in this period. In the Breviary, many texts are taken from Isaias (Introit of the second Sunday, Communion of the third Sunday).

The idea of Advent is "Prepare you for the coming of Christ." Therefore the very appeals of the Patriarchs and Prophets are put in our mouths in Advent. Prepare for the coming of Christ the Redeemer, who comes to prepare us for His Second Coming as Judge.

When the oracles of the Prophets were fulfilled and the Jews awaited the Messias, John the Baptist left the desert and came to the vicinity of the Jordan, bringing a baptism of penance to prepare souls for the coming of Christ. The world took him to be the Messias, but he replied with the words of Isaias: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of the Lord."

During Advent we make straight for Christ the way to the our souls--and behold, our Lord will come at Christmas.

Wednesday With Reece

Reece loves the Christmas tree. He likes to just stand and look at it, but even better, he likes to take off the ornaments and play with them. I keep finding different ornaments here and there, and empty spots on the tree. :o) But I don't mind. To him they are not just ornaments, but little toys.

He had so much fun today at Great-Grans. While they played in the bedroom, I baked some little pound cakes in Christmas loaf pans for Mom's neighbors. We took a walk with Teddy while they cooled, and delivered the cakes before we left. He loved taking cakes and cards to each person. He met Miss Jackie, Miss Janie, Miss Della, Miss Pearl and Mrs. Patricia. They all thought he was a sweetheart. Mrs. Patricia gave him some candy, so I think she was his favorite. :o) He told each of them "Merry Christmas!" when we left.

Oh, I forgot to tell you the cutest thing he said! He was looking at the nativity set on the piano, and he touched Mary and said, "Who's that? Mary full of grace?" I love that! I said, "Yes darlin', that is Mary full of grace."

Last night we made a gingerbread house from a kit I bought at HEB. Reece loved putting the little candies on the house. It's a bit messy because I was distracted, having all three kids here while Josh and Ron went shopping, but it was fun, quick and easy. I think we will put it on the dining table as a centerpiece for Christmas dinner.

The house has no chimney because it was broken, and Aubrey ate some of the pieces. :o) I told Reece that the gingerbread house kit is going to be our new Christmas tradition. We will make one every year.

I found out today that our Houston-area grands won't be here for Christmas, but will come next week, so we will be having Second Christmas when they arrive. We are looking forward to our extended holiday.

We are missing some Christmas stockings. I could only find nine of them. Some of them may have been carried away last year, still filled with goodies. Reece likes the Christmas lights on the mantel, since we don't have a tree in the family room.

We will have a quiet Christmas Eve tomorrow. I'll make Irish Potato Soup for supper, and get some crusty bread from the bakery. I'll make cinnamon bread pudding for dessert. I'm expecting Josh and his family and Kelly and Mike for supper, and then we'll open one present each.

No Midnight Mass this year. The Latin Mass will be at 8 AM Christmas morning, and we'll go to that one. Everyone will gather again later in the day, and we'll open gifts. Josh is making prime rib for dinner. We will have either baked potatoes or mashed potatoes, and Caesar salad or some kind of vegetable. And something wonderful for dessert.

I planned to make some candies and cookies tonight, but I think I'll save that for later, when the rest of the family gets here.

Meanwhile, I still have gifts to wrap and things to do. Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the desire of the nations and the Saviour therof, come to save us, O Lord our God. Amen

O Rex Gentium

O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O King of the Gentiles and the desire thereof, Thou cornerstone that makest both one: come and deliver mankind, whom Thou didst form out of clay. Amen

A Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...
blue,blue skies, sunshine, sharp shadows on the ground. It's cold--36°, but will warm up into the 60s.

I am thankful...
for all my blessings.

I am wearing...
black stretchy pants, long-sleeved black v-neck tee shirt, gold hoop earrings.

I am remembering...
it's been one week since the puppies had their surgery, and they have to go back sometime this week to have their stitches removed. They are doing great. You never would know they had recent surgery.

I am going...
to the BAMC pharmacy. I was there on Friday for over 2 hours and still didn't get my prescriptions. I finally had to leave in order to be home for a delivery at 1 PM. So frustrating! I'll try again today and I'm taking along a lot of patience and a book!

I am reading...
Started one of the books Jason left for us to read, Whatever Happened To Penny Candy (love the title) by Richard J. Maybury.

On my mind...
trying to stay calm and serene, but thinking of all that I want to do before Christmas.

From the learning rooms...
nothing formal until after Christmas, but it's wonderful to watch how the children are constantly learning with no effort at all.

Pondering these words...
"Do you object to the prayer of the Holy Rosary, feeling that the invocations are repetitious? Yes, it is like the manna that fell upon the sand in the desert. The Hebrews became bored with it for the very same reason you point out...every day the same manna, insipid and monotonous. And yet, it sustained their lives!" Venerable Pauline Jaricot, January 1846

From the kitchen...
Tea and cereal with peaches for breakfast.

Around the house...
Many packages to wrap.

One of my favorite things...
the smell of wood smoke.

From my picture album...


From Tasha Tudor's Old-Fashioned Gifts:

Toffee Bar Cookies

Ingredients
1 C butter
1 C light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 C sifted flour
12 ounce package chocolate chips
chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolk and sifted flour. Mix thoroughly. Spread the dough on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the dough from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. return to the oven for a minute or two, or until the chocolate chips have melted. Take the baked cookie sheet out of the oven and spread the melted chocolate over it. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Cut the sheet into squares while it is still warm.

Please visit Peggy's site to read other Christmas week daybooks.

Breathe deep, stay away from the frenzy, and focus on what is important. Christ is coming! We are celebrating Him, and that is what matters most.

O Oriens

O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Day-Spring, Brightness of light eternal, and Sun of Justice, come and enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen

O Clavis David

O Clavis David, et Sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit; veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest and no man openeth: come and bring the prisoner forth from the prison-house, and him that sitteth in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen

O Radix Jesse

O Radix Jesse,qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep silence, whom the Gentiles shall beseech: come and deliver us, and tarry not. Amen