A Thankful Month

 I can't believe we are moving into mid-November.  I feel like Christmas is right around the corner (and I am SO trying not to stress about it...  I will not be stressed this Christmas.  I will be a bucket of  peace and calmness...).

This is also the month for Catholics to remember the ones that we've lost (All Souls Day is in the beginning of the month, but we can carry this through all month long).  We currently have a bowl on the kitchen counter with any prayer cards of friends and family that we have lost and a list of names for those we have lost but don't have cards for.  It's a reminder to keep praying for them and to keep praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

I sat down this morning and wrote out my Thanksgiving menu and my grocery list.  I usually start cooking the Tuesday before (making the cranberries and the gluten free bread for the stuffing).  Pie, sweet potato casserole, and green bean casserole are done on Wednesday.  And I save the Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, and turkey for Thursday.  I feel less stressed doing this in steps and with a plan.  All of this needs to be free of wheat, rye, barley, oat, egg, peanut, and tree nut.  I've been doing it for so many years that it's not a problem, but when I first started out, things came out not so well but everyone was kind enough to not complain.  My biggest issue is usually the gluten free, egg free pie crust.  There was one year where it took me 3 hours to get the pie to a point that it would be edible.  And then I accidentally dropped it on the floor while taking it out of the oven.  It was a sad, sad day.  So I had to start all over again at 9 pm making a whole new pie.  Thankfully the movie Gone With The Wind was on that night to help get me through.

Christmas music started on Sirius XM November 1st.  While I have been thankful for that, it has taken my kids a few weeks to come around.  But they are into it now too.  I'm considering putting up one of our Christmas trees this week too.  I know it's a tad early, but I am SO READY!!  I've been watching Hallmark Christmas movies since they started also.  Being the only female in the house, I can honestly say that I truly am the only one thankful for the Hallmark Christmas movies.  But we have enough TV's in the house that it all works out fine.

Last week, I started to buy a few things for Christmas.  Just for the boys.  I have a list, but they change their minds on things so frequently, that I don't want to do too much yet.

I also bought a few new Christmas-y smelling candles last week.  I LOVE scented candles and I usually buy my candles from Yankee Candle, but this year I thought I had a gift card to Bath and Body Works (turned out it was for Bed, Bath and Beyond... I should learn to read better) so I went there and am going to try their 3 wick candles which I have not tried before.  They were on sale, so I hope I like them and that they have good "throw".

I still have to do the family Christmas card.  I usually make it on one of those "online photo sharing sites".  But I'm not sure exactly what I want to do yet.  I was thinking that if I put up the small tree, maybe I could gather the boys around it and take a photo and use that.  I usually use ones that we took throughout the year, but I feel like it's gotten old and maybe we need to mix it up a bit.  Whatever I'm going to do, I better figure it out soon because I usually send out the cards the first week of December.

So that's the current happenings in a nut shell.  I'm just trying to remember to be thankful for everything this month.  I hope it becomes more of habit and I will remember all the things to be thankful for EVERY month.

Links:

My Pinterest Thanksgiving Recipe Board

Bath and Body Works 3 wick candle page

Hallmark Countdown to Christmas 2018

My favorite turkey roaster from Granite Ware (Walmart link)  I have a small version of this that I use for roasting chicken too.  They are great and they clean up very well.

More about November and the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory from CatholicCulture.org

(these are NOT affiliate links and I get no compensation for sharing them. I'm just sharing some things that I like)

Happy October 1st

It's fall y'all!!  I love October.  I love the weather, the colors, the smells.  I love all of it.  I'm so excited for October and I hope that I can enjoy every minute of it.

I have the house decorated for Halloween.  Even the older boys love it.  I need some more decoration for outside, but it's fine for now.

The weather was cooler last week so I menu planned several soups and a beef stew.  But it looks like this week is actually going to be warmer (70's-80's) so I think I may have to revamp my menu.  Beef stew on an 80 degree day does not sound too appealing.

Due to the oldest boy getting a concussion at last weeks game, we had no football this Friday or Saturday.  I'm not going to lie, it was kind of nice to have some free time.  I was able to make it to the little guys soccer game, then we decided to head to Amish country on Saturday.  This gave the older boys some quiet time at home to get school work done and so that the boy with concussion could get some rest.

The plan for Saturday was to visit the antique stores in Amish country, but we found out that there was The Ohio Swiss Festival going on.  Being that the 6 year old wasn't going to be too thrilled with antiquing, we decided to change plans and spend the better part of the afternoon at the festival.  The little guy loved the rides and he had fun catching candy at the parade.  It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and it was fun just spending it outside.  Hopefully the husband and I can go back soon, sans the 6 year old, and actually do some antiquing.

So Happy October!  Please keep the oldest in your prayers for a complete and quick healing from the concussion.  And I'm praying that everyone has a blessed and happy October.

Don't forget that October is the Month of The Most Holy Rosary.  You can find daily prayers, daily readings, and Saint of the day here.

Instruction for praying the rosary can be found here.

Why pray the rosary?

Month of the Holy Rosary

There's a Time to be Girly

I live in a house with all men, but I'm really a girly girl.  I always have been.  I love all things girly, but I really spend much of my time doing more things that interest the boys.  I will say, that they know how much I love the Nutcracker and the past two years they were kind enough to take me for my birthday.  But last year the 3 younger men let me know what a sacrifice it is for them to sit through it, so I asked that last year be the final year that all 5 of us go.  Not that the Nutcracker is particularly girly, but to my guys it most certainly is.

I don't mind attending sporting events with them.  I'm a Cleveland Indians fan, so I really enjoy going to the games.  I AM NOT A BROWNS FAN.  I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan so I do not need nor want to go to a Browns game.  But I have been to a Browns a game with my husband for business and lived to tell the tale.  I really like hockey and I hope we can take our little guy to a Monsters game this year.  And of course I like attending any sporting event where my children are involved.

But being in a house full of men doesn't give me much of a chance to do all the other things that I enjoy.

This past weekend was my mother in laws birthday and she was coming here to watch my oldest play football and then spend the afternoon with us celebrating her birthday.  My husband also had some tickets to a Cleveland Indians autograph session and lo and behold my husband, 2 of my boys, and my nephew decided to attend that.  That left me coming up with a way to celebrate my mother in laws birthday with my sister in law and niece.

Let's just say that I capitalized on that opportunity and made it a girls day.  There is a Victorian tea room not far from here and I thought that having an afternoon tea might be relaxing and something different from what we normally do.  And it turned out to be a lovely afternoon.

I love all things Victorian.  I love Victorian architecture and Victorian style of clothing.  I've read enough books about that time in history to realize that it wasn't all romance and beauty but I'm fine with blocking out the bad parts and romanticizing the rest of it.  The tea house itself was just beautiful.  And the tea and food was delicious.  It turned out to be such a nice afternoon.  And it reminded me that I need to do more girly things or more things that I'M interested in.  It doesn't always have to be about the boys.

Now there were couples at the tea house enjoying an afternoon.  But my guys would not be up for that, and that's ok. We don't have to spend every waking minute together.

I'm glad that the tea house crossed my mind and that we made it happen.  We all had a nice time relaxing that celebrating my mother in law.  It took me 5 years to get there.  It definitely won't take me 5 years to go back.

9/11

I remember this day like it was yesterday.  I still end up in tears and find it hard to breathe just thinking about it.  I hope I never forget, and I hope that America never forgets all the lives lost, all the sacrifices made that day, the bravery of the first responders, the pain of the families and the survivors, the fear, and the way we all came together and became one people that day regardless of color, ethnicity, religion or politics. 

Feeling Autumn

Leave it to Ohio to have a 40 degree temperature differential in one week.  Last week it was 95 degrees and we were at the Cleveland Indians game with family.  I took a seat in the sun so that the smaller children and those more advanced in age could be in the shade.  At one point I thought I might be getting heat stroke and had to spend the majority of the game in the clubhouse sitting in the air conditioning.  Forward to this weekend and it's 57 degrees and rainy.  Late summer is a roller coaster ride here in Ohio.  It's supposed to get back up into the 80's at the end of this week.  I don't mind this at all.  It gives me the best of both worlds.  I love summer but I love Autumn even a little more.  There's nothing like a cool, sunny day or sitting by the fire in the evening wearing a cozy sweater and sipping a hot cup of tea.

The cooler temperatures of the last few days have propelled me into the mood for a little autumn.  It's cooler, yet rainy, so doing anything outside does not sound appealing to me.  While I'm not completely ready to say good bye to summer, I am ready to start welcoming autumn. 

I've started transitioning the house from the red, white, and blue that I love in summer time to the beautiful yellow, orange, and red of fall. 

I've been lighting candles again!  I love candles and I'm really not home enough during the week to light them so on the weekends, I try to light them first thing in the morning and let them go until evening.  I had a big stash of my favorite candles, but I went through most of them last year.  I need to get some replacements, but I've been checking some new (to me) brands and trying so see what scents will take us through fall and winter.

I still have my red, white, and blue garland around my front door, but I did change out my wreath.

I also took down my patriotic door decorations and put up ones that are more for fall.

My foyer table vignette is starting to transition also.

Some of my mums came back this year, but not all.  When it's sunny and warmer later in the week, I'm hoping to have time to get to the local farm so I can start planting more.

I think the tree in the back feels a little like I do.  It's still very green but there are signs of red starting to show up.

Many of the trees in the woods behind our house have started to yellow.  They tend to lose their leaves early.

Thanks to the rain, I'm not sure that the steaks I had been planning on putting on the grill today will happen.  I'm now wishing I would have planned some chili.  But if not today, then tomorrow.  It's a good thing that I menu plan every week so that I have back up meals available.  But for now, I'm just going to enjoy my tea, the cozy day in doors, a little football, and catch up on my reading.

Happy Sunday!!

And Just Like That, Summer is over

I can't believe it's the end of August and the kids are back in school.  The summer flew right by.  It was crammed full of baseball, baseball, more baseball, a Disney trip, and the husbands shoulder surgery (He's fine.  But still mending).

Baseball really takes up the majority of our summer.  Both older boys play travel ball and the oldest one played on a "tournament team".  That means he played Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Yes, that means every weekend.  And one weekend we traveled to Indiana (it was kind of a mini vacation which was nice, but it also cost as much as a mini vacation).  I know the boys love baseball, but I'd really love to get my summer back.

And lest we forget football.  Football starts the day after school lets out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.  Then there are a few weeks of OTA's, and mandatory camp (2 A days) starts at the end of the July.

And with that, summer is done.

It's hard to manage family time with all these sport activities.  But we did manage to go to Disney.  It was fun (and HOT).  I just hate that we basically live for one week a year. 

School is back in session.  We have a junior, a freshman, and a Kindergartner.  So far so good.  But it's only been a couple of weeks of high school and this is the second week of grade school.  Football games started too.  We have games Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  I forgot how exhausting football season is. 

I'm looking forward to Labor Day weekend with it's extra day off.  I'm hoping for good weather and some relaxation.  Maybe a pool day in there too.

I haven't gotten into the back to school routine yet.  I have a thousand things that I want to accomplish this fall, but I haven't gotten into a groove yet.  Maybe next week.  Right now, my plan is to enjoy the last few weeks of this gorgeous weather.  I plan on walking outside every day.  I hate working out, but I love to walk.  Even though the summer is truly done for the kids, mom is going to try to extend hers for as long as she can.

Confirmation

The middle son made his Confirmation yesterday.  Our church still does Confirmation in eighth grade (many others have changed the age to high school).  We had 72 Confirmandi.  It was wonderful to see so many young people receive the Holy Spirit. 

Afterward we all went out to eat.  He has numerous life threatening food allergies so this is not something we do often.  We have a hard time finding a restaurant that can or is willing to cook safely for him.  Luckily, we found one.  We had a lovely dinner with family and the best part of that my son was able to eat safely and not have to bring his own food from home.

Catching Up

Well, February has come and gone and I haven't made it here once.  February was a busy, but good month.

My oldest turned 16.  I can't believe he's 16 now.  Wasn't he just born, like 5 minutes ago?  Oh my, it sure seems that way.  Time goes too fast (I say this A LOT lately, but it's so darn true).  He took his classroom driving instruction in January, and had his first in car class today.  Part of me is looking forward to him getting his license, but a bigger part of me is scared.  There's so many new worries to go a long with the drivers license.  But I can't hold him back.  I just have to put it in God's hands and pray a lot more.

Lent started February 14.  I gave up a few things and added in a few things and feel like I'm failing miserably at Lent this year.  I had such good intentions.  But the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  I have a month to do better and to make the most of this Lenten season.

My middle son makes his Confirmation in one week.  We'd like to take him out to dinner, but because of his multiple food allergies, eating out is very difficult.  We are going to call a few places this week to see if any of them can serve him safely. 

Wresting ended last weekend.  He didn't win a single match this season, but since this was his first time wrestling, I didn't really expect him too.  He was disappointed, but he's the type of kid that thinks he can just show up and things will happen.  Other than practices, he didn't really put in any outside work.  I hope he finds the lesson in going the extra mile.  I'm sure it would have made a difference.

There were some family health issues, but everyone is on the mend.

And that was February in a nut shell.

We just got upgraded internet on Friday, and things are moving much better now.  It will certainly make it easier for me to get on the computer and blog more.  I tried to blog from my phone, but that didn't work very well.  Before the new internet, it was very slow and very tedious.  I feel like I'm flying now.  Hopefully it stays this way!

Moving On Up

This weekend has been crazy busy.  And by crazy busy I mean that I’ve pretty much just showered and slept at home, and that's it.  It’s certainly not the peaceful weekend I was hoping for.  We had wrestling meets, 3 baseball practices, a baseball fundraiser, and an open house at school for Catholic schools week.  Normally I would have just skipped the open house (we already go there, so we already know the drill).  BUT the kindergarten rooms were open and one very excited preschooler wanted to go and check them out.  He’s very excited and possibly a little nervous about the whole kindergarten thing.  Technically he could have gone this year, but he just wasn’t ready, so we waited.  The preschool is his safe place.  He's been going there for four years now (mom and toddler class, 3 year old class, and two years of pre-k, one half day and one full day).  He’s looking forward to going to the big school.  But he’s a little nervous about the big school too.  Unfortunately both older brothers will be in high school next year (freshman and junior years), so he’ll be there alone.  The good news is that he’s been there numerous times and he knows some of the teachers and is familiar with some of the rooms.  He's ready.  I think I'm ready.  But it's my baby.  Even though we are both ready, it's still hard to let him go.

School's Back In Session

The boys went back to school today.  I think the older one was relieved, but the younger two were not thrilled.  It's so cold here though.  Part of me is glad that they don't ride the bus so they don't have to stand out in this weather, but part of me wishes they did, so I didn't have to go out in this.  My husband dropped them off this morning on his way to a business trip.  That extra hour in the morning was nice and I was able to get so much more done.  There are days I think that I should have them ride the bus, but then I think of all the time I wouldn't get to spend to with them and all the talks and sing-a-longs we would miss.  I'll be honest, I wouldn't miss all the fighting though.  But I'm sure one day I will.

These boys fight and bicker like nobodies business.  I think the older two are close in age and are posturing for the position of Big Dog.  I think the little one thinks he needs to jump in to secure is place in the family.  I also think he wants to be the Big Dog.  All this testosterone has me completely outnumbered.

I pray this prayer every morning:

Prayer For Peace In Our Family

Lord Jesus, be with my family. Grant us Your peace and harmony, an end to conflict and division. Gift us with compassion to better understand each other, wisdom and love to assist each other, and trust and patience to live peacefully together. Grant that through the intercession of your mother, Mary, and St. Joseph, our family may become a holy family accepting each other, working together in unity, selflessly dedicated to one other and to You. Amen.

And some days I think I should find a prayer for my sanity too.

Winter Rollercoaster

We started off this week with a snow day.  Then mid week temps were around 56 degrees F.  Then Friday was a "snow day" (more like ice day).  We've gone from winter, to spring, back to winter.  Today is on and off snow with temps around 16 degrees F.

With all this wacky weather, someone was bound to get sick.  And they did.  The 5 year old is sick right now.  He started saying last night that his throat hurt and he didn't feel well.  He seemed fine this morning, then started complaining about not feeling well and having a headache.  But he was dancing around the house so I didn't think too much of it.  But by noon, he was couch bound and crying that he was going to die.  So we just returned from Urgent Care and he tested positive for strep.  So he's couch bound again, and he's gotten his first dose of antibiotics.  Now we wait to see who gets sick next.  Since the older boys are at scout camp today, it's bound to happen.  My bet is on the middle one.

I used to love winter and snow.  But now I'm part of the cliche:  "The older I get, the less I can tolerate this snow and cold".  I do not like being cold.  And I detest driving in the snow and ice.  If it were just the cold, I wouldn't like it, but I could handle it.  But having to drive in snowy or icy weather is just too stressful.  I always say that I'm a southern girl trapped in a northern girls body.  It becomes truer and truer every year.

Last year I read the book Winter Meditations by Fr. John Bartunek.  It helped me to appreciate the beauty of winter and the season itself.  I probably should have revisited this book again this winter.  I've actually read all of his "Meditation" books and highly recommend them.  I found helpful insights in all 4 of his books, but Winter Meditations was particularly helpful since Winter is my least favorite season.  But it helped to see why God gave us winter and the reasons why I should appreciate this season.

Ok, I think I just talked myself into getting the book out again so I can revisit some of the benefits of this cold and barren season.

This was our "snow day" on Friday.  It went from 54 degrees at 10 am to 34 by 11 am.  The rain turned to ice and then the snow began.

Today.  16 degrees F with on and off again snow and 40 mph wind gusts.

Back to School...or not.

Today should have been the boys first day back to school after Christmas break.  But thanks to sheets of freezing rain, and now snow, they are home again today.  They have no complaints about extending their Christmas break by a day.

I had quite a few things planned to do around the house today, so this means all of my plans aren't going to happen.  That's OK.  I won't complain about a lazy jammie day.

We took down all of the Christmas decorations over the weekend.  It always makes me sad.  But for some reason this year, it really hit me hard (like ugly cry hard).  Time is flying and the boys are getting older and it's happening too quickly for me.  I started thinking that the oldest will be 16 in one month.  Pretty soon he'll be off to college and our family Christmas traditions may not stay the same.

I know, I still have several years before that happens, but it just hit me that my boys are growing up and things won't stay the same.  To say that I don't handle change well is an understatement.  I know that my job is to raise the boys to become happy, independent, moral men and send them out into the world.  My head knows this.  But my heart wants to keep them little.

These days are short.  And the busyness of the world makes it hard to enjoy every moment.  But I have to remember that I need to enjoy EVERY moment, even the difficult or mundane.  But enjoying every moment doesn't mean holding on to it (or the boys) with a death grip.  At least I have a few more years to perfect all of this and to learn to embrace the change.

Well, Hello There!

Many, many moons ago, I used to blog.  But then life got very busy, and boys became older and were horrified that their photos and activities were plastered on the Internet (friends found my blog and used old photos and stories to embarrass them).  And, well, life changed and the old blog just didn't fit anymore.  So I stopped blogging.  And part of me missed it.  I missed jotting down our life happenings, major events, and fun photos.  I've been thinking of picking blogging back up.  Not for food allergies like before, not to advocate for anything or anyone, but just for me.  And because I feel like I use Facebook as my new blog and I have a tendency to over share there.  So new year, new blog.

Why Prayer, Grace, and Tea?  These three things get me through my day.  This is how I survive, so it seemed fitting for my new blog title.

So here I am.  Still very busy.  But hoping to carve out a little time every once in a while to put some thoughts down and to journal some memories.