Along the Same Line....

Please keep Elizabeth in your prayers.

It seems that her daughter is coming sooner than originally thought.

Prayers for a safe delivery and healthy Mom and precious baby girl!

Living and Loving Life

Today is a day for joy here at the Nut House.

My second younger sister has given birth to a beautiful baby boy, giving me the status of "Auntie" for the first time on my side of the family.

The pictures she sent were of a beautiful, peace-filled home birth. The fortitude and strength of husband and wife laboring together were awe-inspiring and makes me long even more for one more chance to work that hard with my husband to bring such joy into this troubled world.

Our love and prayers are with them especially today as they enjoy their first full day with our little nephew...

:)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night I received a phone call from a local friend.

She is a new friend, having just moved here from the east coast, so her husband could pursue a graduate degree at the local Catholic university. She is a kindred spirit, with 5 peanuts of her own, in the same gender order as mine, and a home schooler to boot.

We get along wonderfully.

She has a tough story to tell. Her mother has recently died, and being newly pregnant and living in a strange town among people she does not know, makes it a lonely time for her.

And now God has thrown her a curve ball.

Her littlest child growing inside her has died. And now she is struggling through yet another time of grief in much the same way that I did so long ago. As she waits for nature to take it's course, I know too well her feeling of limbo and pain. Even though it was 5 years ago, it still feels like yesterday, as evidenced by my breaking down on the phone while talking with her husband. The pain is still so fresh, just below the surface. The loss is still so painfully real.

And the beauty and the pain of it all just sears my heart and the tears come pouring down.

And I have to let them.

Be Sure to Read...

A beautiful article by our dear Elizabeth.

I lie here on my side now, day after day, counting every precious kick, taking care not to turn the wrong way or sneeze without protecting my belly. Just one life—just one precious child—has a whole army of people working hard to protect her very existence, while out there in the world thousands of people throng at campaign events for a man who has said he wouldn’t want his daughters punished with a baby.

Read the rest here.

And if you're praying for the election (as we all should be!) don't forget to include prayers for her too. December 8th is a long way away when you're an active Mama on bedrest. And specific prayers for a safe and holy delivery would be most appreciated, I know.

:)

Goodnight Moon.... (the Nut House Version*)

In the messy green family room
There was a telemarketer ringing the telephone
And a crying toddler
Because his brother just popped his red balloon.
And a picture of-

The cow jumping over the moon.
(scribbled on with permanent marker)

And there was a missing teddy bear
And a girl with gum in her hair.

And one to be scolded
And laundry to be folded
And a very hungry spouse
And something stinky in the house
(which no one else seems to smell but you.)

And a comb and a brush
And a colicky baby who just won't hush
And a frazzled mommy screaming#@*%!

Goodnight messy room
Goodnight scribbled on moon
Goodnight cow getting out while she can
Goodnight telemarketers and the popped red balloon.

Goodnight long gone teddy bear
Goodnight cereal bar smeared all over the dining room chair.

Goodnight spit up
And goodnight leaky sippy cup.

Goodnight much-to-little house
And goodnight grumpy spouse
Goodnight comb and goodnight brush
And goodnight to a certain 4 year old
Who just needs to hush rightnowImeanit.

Goodnight Elmo
Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow (or the next day)
Hello Chardonnay
Hello Tivo
My time... finally! (by Sarah Jio)

*found in Parenting Magazine.... h/t friend Jyothi

:)

Prayer Time at the Nut House

With the election looming, and many calls going out for prayers, we rallied the troops last night for day #1 of our Rosary Novena. DH introduced the Joyful Mysteries, and Action Man noted that whenever we pray, we end up doing this mystery. I smirked, thinking that such is the way of it. You start out all gung ho on Monday evenings, ready for a week of nightly prayer, and then life interrupts and suddenly it's Monday and you begin anew.... with those Joyful Mysteries.

Out of nowhere*, Little Boo interrupted my thoughts with a hope-filled request:

Can we pray the ones where Jesus goes out for ice cream?




:)

*although, given that post, one can't be sure that it wasn't somehow relevant...

I May Not Survive This

What? You may ask.

Our home school day? The recession? The Election?

Nope.

Halloween week.

Since my mother re-introduced me to my sewing machine during her last visit, I have foolishly decided that I am suddenly crafty enough to sew Halloween costumes for my children. And so yesterday, I ventured out into the wilds of *gasp* the fabric store... and wandered around, pretending I knew what the h%#$ I was doing.

I picked up some pioneer-y looking fabric for Action Man's Davy Crockett costume, and some Indian-y looking stuff for Little Boo's Pocohontas-doubling-as-Kateri-Tekawitha costume. Little Dear is going to be Queen Susan, (luckily we have the outfit!) I just needed to get some sort of ribbon to decorate for her hair. I also picked up some poly-fil, because, really, what is a trip to the fabric store without purchasing poly-fil? Also, I wanted to perpetuate the delusion that while I have my sewing machine out and humming, I was going to re-cover the window seat cushions in the home school room, and beef up the puny pillows as well. Who knows? I may even make curtains while I'm at it.

And then I will check myself into an insane asylum.

If you don't hear from me for awhile, at least you'll know the reason.

:)

Fall in Texas...

... is not very colorful.




















So we make our own color.

(I especially like the striped ones on the bottom there.)


:)

A New Era...

...In the Nut House adventure.

Mind you, I am not actually going to sleep in this contraption. Not anytime soon, that is. But it's enough for the kids to anticipate that such an event may occur at some point in the future.

Like when they're teenagers and can do it on their own.
:)

In the meantime, it is Dad and the boys who get to break it in by going camping with their boy scout troop this weekend.

The girls and I will be staying home having our own snug camp-out in a very soft and fluffy king size bed, snacking on chocolate and watching looney tunes.

We really know how to rough it.

:)

The Election Affects Us All In Different Ways

Little Dear, when told that her novel for Literature was the esteemed Sarah, Plain and Tall, wailed in dismay.

I could not fathom her reaction until she grudgingly came into the home school room toting my copy of this.


:)

And the Moral of the Story is...

...that the species of the kind pictured below, who aspire to the likes of the Great Houdini in their ability to escape the safe confines of their cute cages....



















Do not belong in the same household as this species, whose prowess as a hunter has been greatly exalted throughout the centuries. (although you couldn't tell that from the picture... nice hat, eh?)

















Yes, there was a massacre at the Nut-House this morning. The last of our beloved gerbils has been, er.... eliminated.

Ben the Cat has been banished for the morning and is on petting and purring terms with no one.

Au Revoir, Summer

A cold front is blasting it's way into Texas today. It's something we all look forward to, having endured triple-digit heat for more days than we care to remember. And when the highs dip down into the 80's, we rejoice... for a time. Until those 80 temperatures get a little old. It is October, we say, shaking our heads. We need some cooler weather already!

And when it arrives, with wind and thunder and cold rain, we break out the sweaters and long sleeve shirts, the sweats and jeans, and we feel renewed and invigorated.

Last night, in the damp heat on the eve of this cold front, I lay drowsily on my daughter's bed, reading her a bedtime story. The story long finished, the fans whirred around me, and I closed my eyes. Suddenly I was whisked back in time to the humid NY summers of long ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was born on Long Island. The winters there are bitterly cold and the summer heat is thick and oppressive. We would flock to the beaches and spend entire days near the shore, basking in the sun and the wind, sand burning our feet, swimming against the salty ocean waves.

At night, we would lay in bed, the fans on high, shaking the bedroom floors, as the sweet night air wafted in through the open windows. You could almost feel the humidity give way to the dewy night air, as you lay without blankets or sheets, your sunburned face turned toward the cool breeze.

I remember in particular how hot it would be in the upstairs of my grandparent's house in Levittown. Even though we lived close by, we would still sometimes spend the night after a family get together with my many aunts and uncles and cousins. I would lay on the bedsheets, listening to the laughter and ribbing of my relatives, while the noisy floor fan ushered in the cooler night air. I fell asleep to the sweet smell of summer and the secure feeling of being surrounded by a loving family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knowing that this cold front was slowly making it's way south today, I lay still yesterday evening reflecting on these memories, basking in the warmth of the southerly wind and the smell of the sweet summer flowers.

BTW... I love laying on any one of my children's beds and looking at life from their perspective. This is what they will remember, I think. This is their childhood. How different it is from mine. Yet, how very much the same. And what a responsibility I have as a parent, the key role in the formation of these memories they will carry for the rest of their lives.

Good-bye summer. It's been a good one. Filled with many memories, and through it all, the shaping of 5 little childhoods. With many opportunities for love and laughter, learning and growing, and much joy above all.

May our Fall and Winter be just as warm and memorable, with the love of family and friends. And much much joy above all.

:)

Giggling with Google

My blog comes up #7 for someone searching for "Elizabeth Foss cloth diapers."

So, what do you say, ebeth? A little bit of Serendipity for all the cute little baby tushies out there? Or how about some soccer themed pads and goalie covers? Or maybe some with those adorable Math gnomes? (now, that would be cute!)

Ah... the possibilities are endless.

:)

Remember....

this?

Where we'd all look around our houses and see who could come up with the wildest misplaced item?

Well... let's play, shall we?

1. The computer desk is ripe with bizarre items: a glitter-decorated lemonade mix can, an empty stationery holder, and a circuit box.

2. A container of wood glue is precariously perched on top of our dsl modem, holding it in place on the top shelf of our built-in book shelves in the study. (isn't that what wood glue bottles are for?)

3. A pair of six-shooter cap guns have been banished to the top of the fridge, probably due to some infraction that occurred weeks ago. Wonder what that was about?

4. I have to come back to the study again, it's an extreme work-in-progress. We've got everything in here... my sewing machine, (can you believe it? me neither) a hockey goalie helmet, our rooftop carrier, a poker set, DH's beer making paraphernalia, a tennis racket, photo albums, weights, and empty boxes. Thank goodness for all of these built-ins, eh?
(ok, sorry, DH, not so funny.... this is supposed to be his space, after all...)


So, what do you guys have?

:)

When Family Comes to Visit...

~The laundry piles up.

~The floors stay messy.

~Chores go out the window.

~Sweets abound.

~Treats abound.

~Same with soccer games...




















































~Play time is on the docket for the entire day.

~Late nights are the norm.

~Ditto for late mornings.

~Monday comes much too soon.

:)

WOW

This is the type of man I want to lead our country for the next 4 years...

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. America is worth fighting for. Nothing is inevitable here. We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Now, let's go win this election and get this country moving again.

How about you?

You can read the rest here.

h/t Elizabeth

:)

Statement of Life

October 8, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The month of October is Respect Life Month in our churches. It is a time in which we as Catholics are called to reflect upon the gift of life that has been entrusted to us by our Creator and to focus our attention on the many attacks against human life that exist in our culture today. This year, Respect Life Month takes on a more profound meaning as we face an election in our country where the protection of human life itself, particularly that of the unborn, is very much at stake. Therefore, as your Bishops, we wish to take this opportunity to provide clear guidance on the proper formation of conscience concerning voting as faithful Catholics and to articulate the Church's clear and unambiguous teaching on life issues as they relate to other issues of concern.

The Church teaches that all Catholics should participate as "faithful citizens" in the public square, especially through our voice in the voting booth, and that we have the responsibility to treat the decision for whom we will vote for with profound moral seriousness. We must approach the right and duty to vote with a properly formed and informed conscience in accordance with the teachings of the Church. Last November, the Bishops of the United States issued a document entitled Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, in which we and our brother Bishops issued clear moral guidelines to aid the faithful in proper formation of conscience with regard to the many issues we face in our nation today. Through this joint statement to the faithful of Dallas and Fort Worth, we seek to briefly summarize the key points and dispel any confusion or misunderstanding that may be present among you concerning the teaching contained in the document, especially that which may have arisen from recent public misinterpretation concerning this teaching.

1. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship clearly teaches that not all issues have the same moral equivalence. Some issues involve "intrinsic evils"; that is, they can never under any circumstance or condition be morally justified. Preeminent among these intrinsic evils are legalized abortion, the promotion of same sex unions and "marriages", repression of religious liberty, as well as public policies permitting euthanasia, racial discrimination or destructive human embryonic stem cell research.

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship clearly states:

"There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor. Such actions are so deeply flawed that they are always opposed to the authentic good of persons. These are called ‘intrinsically evil' actions. They must always be rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned. A prime example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion and euthanasia. In our nation, ‘abortion and euthanasia have become preeminent threats to human dignity because they directly attack life itself, the most fundamental human good and the condition for all others' (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 5). It is a mistake with grave moral consequences to treat the destruction of innocent human life merely as a matter of individual choice. A legal system that violates the basic right to life on the grounds of choice is fundamentally flawed."

(22)

2. The destruction of the most innocent of human life through abortion and embryonic stem cell research not only undercuts the basic human right to life, but it also subverts and distorts the common good. As Pope John Paul II clearly states:

"Disregard for the right to life, precisely because it leads to the killing of the person whom society exists to serve, is what most directly conflicts with the possibility of achieving the common good... It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop..." (The Gospel of Life, 72; 101)

3. Therefore, we cannot make more clear the seriousness of the overriding issue of abortion – while not the "only issue" – it is the defining moral issue, not only today, but of the last 35 years. Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, more than 48 million innocent lives have been lost. Each year in our nation more than one million lives are lost through legalized abortion. Countless other lives are also lost through embryonic stem cell research. In the coming months our nation will once again elect our political leaders. This electoral cycle affords us an opportunity to promote the culture of life in our nation. As Catholics we are morally obligated to pray, to act, and to vote to abolish the evil of abortion in America, limiting it as much as we can until it is finally abolished.



4. As Catholics we are faced with a number of issues that are of concern and should be addressed, such as immigration reform, healthcare, the economy and its solvency, care and concern for the poor, and the war on terror. As Catholics we must be concerned about these issues and work to see that just solutions are brought about. There are many possible solutions to these issues and there can be reasonable debate among Catholics on how to best approach and solve them. These are matters of "prudential judgment." But let us be clear: issues of prudential judgment are not morally equivalent to issues involving intrinsic evils. No matter how right a given candidate is on any of these issues, it does not outweigh a candidate's unacceptable position in favor of an intrinsic evil such as abortion or the protection of "abortion rights."

As Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship states:

"The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many. It must always be opposed." (28)

5. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, in paragraphs 34-37, addresses the question of whether it is morally permissible for a Catholic to vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil – even when the voter does not agree with the candidate's position on that evil. The only moral possibilities for a Catholic to be able to vote in good conscience for a candidate who supports this intrinsic evil are the following:

a. If both candidates running for office support abortion or "abortion rights," a Catholic would be forced to then look at the other important issues and through their vote try to limit the evil done; or,

b. If another intrinsic evil outweighs the evil of abortion. While this is sound moral reasoning, there are no "truly grave moral" or "proportionate" reasons, singularly or combined, that could outweigh the millions of innocent human lives that are directly killed by legal abortion each year.

To vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or "abortion rights" when there is a morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate in the evil – and, therefore, morally impermissible.

6. In conclusion, as stated in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the decisions we make on these political and moral issues affect not only the general peace and prosperity of society at large, but also may affect each individual's salvation. As Catholics, we must treat our political choices with appropriate moral gravity and in doing so, realize our continuing and unavoidable obligation to be a voice for the voiceless unborn, whose destruction by legal abortion is the preeminent intrinsic evil of our day. With knowledge of the Church's teaching on these grave matters, it is incumbent upon each of us as Catholics to educate ourselves on where the candidates running for office stand on these issues, particularly those involving intrinsic evils. May God bless you.

Faithfully in Christ,

Most Reverend Kevin J. Farrell
Bishop of Dallas


Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann
Bishop of Fort Worth




:)

Good Shepherds

After this post, we had despaired that all hope was lost for our vibrant Catholic community.

We even tried out a different local parish of the Byzantine rite, thinking that my Polish roots might feel drawn to this particular genre of worship.

Unfortunately, my DH's Scottish roots don't agree with my Polish roots. Well, not on this point anyway.
:)

We come home that afternoon to find a lifeline.

Literally.

The Bishop of our diocese along with the Bishop of the neighboring diocese had issued a joint statement "to dispel the confusion among faithful in their diocese concerning teaching in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship."

This paragraph, specifically, eased the pain in my heart with regard to comparing abortion to war and helping the poor:

But let us be clear: issues of prudential judgment are not morally equivalent to issues involving intrinsic evils. No matter how right a given candidate is on any of these issues, it does not outweigh a candidate's unacceptable position in favor of an intrinsic evil such as abortion or the protection of "abortion rights." (emphasis theirs!)

I'm saying many prayers of thanksgiving for our very Good Shepherds.


:)

Choices...

Little Boo:

Can I open the garage, or have cotton candy?



:)

Teacher's Compensation

To celebrate the end of the first six weeks!




















Thanks, DH!

:)

A "Fair" Day in Pictures

(*warning: Humongous picture-post ahead!!)


First stop at the Texas State Fair for us is always Big Tex. As we made our way over to him, the kids were trying to remember who was scared of him last year. I think it was the anticipation of meeting a 52 ft. tall cowboy that scared most of my peanuts more than actually seeing him up close. He's so friendly with his booming "Howdy!" that you can't help but like him.




















Next, after taking in the "Dancing Dogs" show, and a half ton of cotton candy...




















We hit the petting zoo and the "Helping Hands" farm:




































After that, the other kids decided to go on some scary rides much like this one:
















Or this one:



















Yeah. Never mind that ball bungee thing that sling shots (shoots??) you up in the air and yanks you back down, all while you are spinning and throwing up.... There was no way in heck I was gonna get near that over-glorified Texas Star contraption.




So Little Love and I opted for the bolted-firmly-to-the-ground lesser exciting rides...
































Our favorite show by far is the "Birds of the World" show. We go every year. Maybe next time Uncle Collin(who is an ornithologist) and Auntie Shan can join us?






















































Well, not everyone's favorite, I guess.

















Obligatory "waiting for the parade" shot:

















While this is our "Nutty Family Rock Group" pose.
Not exactly Christmas card material. More suitable for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine....














(Sports Fan is all about attitude these days... he's only 9. Lovely, eh?)


We also saw... lots of crazy-tall folks. DH is convinced that this one must be a professional basketball player. This proclamation got him a punch on the arm from Action Man, who is way too mature to fall for Dad's jokes anymore. Same with Sports Fan, who just rolled his eyes and shook his head when DH remarked, "Way back when I was a clown...."






















A little blurry, but this was our last "event". The Kraft Kitchens Light Parade.
















After sweating through years of our Main St. July 4th parade filled with tacky homemade floats, this parade was long overdue. The girls especially ooohhed and ahhhed over the amazing costumes of the people on stilts, and the gorgeous light displays. I can't be positive, but I think the pink and purple castle one may have been their favorite.

When we came home, we put the kids to bed and had 3 glasses of merlot each.

What a wonderful ending to a fantastic day.


:)

How Could I Resist?

After gently waking her up, my sleepy Little Boo pushed back her unruly hair this morning and rolled over in her bed.

Peering up at me she whispered:

Can I please just finish the last part of my dream before I get up?

:)

Betrayed

As many of you know, this past Sunday was Respect Life Sunday.

It is the Sunday where we celebrate the gift of life and pray earnestly for those who do not uphold the value of human life, especially of innocent human life in the womb.

Our parish priest made no mention of this special day until the end of mass during the announcements, where he made his proclamation that the Church upholds life from the "Beginning to it's natural end."

"Natural end," he kept repeating.

"Natural. end."

He went on to elaborate that this means that not only is the Church against abortion, but it is also against capital punishment and the unjust war. we know what he means, he says, we know what is going on. Of course he does not want to tell us how to vote, just that we need to keep in mind that abortion is not the only issue in politics today that affects the pro-life message. We need to understand that these soldiers and criminals have a right to a natural death too. That since our soldiers usually come from the lower classes... (at this I cringed visibly, since my dearest friend Lisa and her beautiful family were sitting front and center listening to him disrespect her own father and brother and the sacrifices they have made for our freedom!) it is not the higher classes that are paying the price, you know. So we need to protect their rights as well.


It is so hard to pray after mass when you are left to mull over this horrific message. I had thought so highly of this priest and had waved away the naysayers, even encouraging the new families in town to attend this parish. Sure, I had said, the music is a bit, interesting, and some of the homilies a bit... watered down, but the community! It makes up for it all! I had watched my two boys serving at the altar with all of their friends that morning, heart swelling with thanksgiving that God has blessed us with such a vibrant parish. That all of our friends were there, and we could be in such an awesome community.

After mass, the looks of shock mirrored my own, and I'm hopeful that something will be said charitably and some sort of amended message will be delivered.

But the problem is, the damage has been done. And I'm afraid that we'll be parish shopping again.

:(

Walk Softly

My boys are stick collectors. They are forever on the lookout for the "perfect" stick. You know the kind. Big, brown, heavy and round. Easily whittled, perfectly curved.

You know, a stick-ish stick.

I learned very early on in my "Mothering of Boys" career to never ever ever throw a stick away. Doing so inevitably resulted in tears of frustrated anger as the owner would recount how cherished this particular piece of bark was and how it could never be replaced.

Because, not only are these sticks uber-cool, and they most definitely are. They, every single one of them, occupy a unique place in my boys' artillery collection.

For example, here is Sports Fan's array:















Now, if I asked you to name these WMD's, your answer could readily be: "stick, stick, stick, and oh yeah, another stick!"
But to the discerning eye, the proper terms would be:
(top to bottom)
spear, 1 sword, javelin, 2 more swords, smacker (mace), bow, 2 more swords, dagger, club, throwing stick.


And here is Action Man's collection:




















(from top to bottom) 2 throwing sticks, pinner (?? as in, that cool "forked thingy" at the top could totally "pin" someone's hand down), mace, 5 swords, pick, bows, and arrows.
(on the side) 4 daggers and 2 spears.

I'd say my boys are well-armed... carrying their big sticks.

:)